Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ed took a deep breath, the air filling his lungs, the sound echoing through his ears. He’d finally done it. He’d gotten Al’s body back. He’d completed his mission, his goal, his quest. He took another breath, his arms- no, his arm shaking where it was holding his body up. Something wet and warm dripped from his face, falling onto the back of his hand, staining it such a pretty red. He blinked, eyelashes fluttering quickly as black spots began to grow over his vision. 

He tried to take another breath, tried to snap himself out of whatever mess he’d gotten his head stuck in, but nothing seemed to work. Someone’s voice flooded into his ears, the sound making his head spin. A gloved hand landed on his back, successfully breaking what little concentration Ed had been keeping to stay balanced, and his face was very quickly planted in wet and sticky sand. He tried to get up, tried to force his body to work, but nothing helped. A pained whine left his throat, and the gloved hand was now trying to push him onto his back.

Someone, a man most definitely, appeared over him, their mouth pulled into a frown. They said something before looking away from him and calling out a jumble of random words. Ed let out a groan as a wave of pain washed over him. A dull throbbing drew his weary gaze to his right arm, where he fully expected to see his automail. Instead, he was met with a bloody mess.

Bile rised to his throat, and Ed had to hold back a gag as he quickly looked away. His body began to shake as he looked at his other arm, which was now smeared with his own blood, his own energy. The gloved hand was back, but now it pulled his face to look at its master. Familiar dark eyes met his golden ones, and Ed had to bite back a sob when Roy’s face finally came into focus. The man looked worried, far too worried for his usually cocky self, and it was only getting worse. Roy’s mouth was moving, words obviously falling from his mouth, but nothing met Ed’s ears. 

The ringing was unbroken, even as Ed’s chest began to vibrate from an explosion somewhere off to the side. Roy flinched when the light flashed, taking a chance to look away from the teen before snarling. He looked back down at Ed, who couldn’t help but give a dry sob as he shook. The smooth texture of the gloves suddenly found itself on his back, pulling his body away from the ground.

A sound fell from his bloody lips, unheard by its owner as he was pulled to Roy’s chest. Ed couldn’t help but curl into the hold, burying his face in the Colonel’s jacket, no doubt staining it with his blood. Roy said nothing, or maybe he did, his chest simply vibrating as he started running, moving swiftly through debris and over discarded bodies. So many had fallen this day, and there was nothing they could do about it, not anymore. Funny how things work, as the last thing Ed saw before it all faded to black was his superior yelling something to him, fear plain in his eyes.

The darkness didn’t leave at first, making itself comfortably at home in his unconsciousness. The feeling of pain slowly ebbing its way closer to the darkness was familiar, almost exactly like the day he had first lost his arm and leg. Speaking of, his left leg began to hurt as well, the stump far too warm to be safe for his ports. Slowly but surely, the darkness faded away to a simple gray, and Edward managed to finally open his eyes. Instead of the medical ward at Central, the wooden ceiling of the Rockbells is what he was met with. His eyes fluttered across the familiar wood, taking note of each scratch and indent he’d remembered, but for some reason, the most recent damages are… gone.

Taking a deep breath, Ed dared to look down at himself, fully expecting to see his arm gone again and blood staining his clothes. That is, of course, exactly what he saw, but neither of his ports was in his stubs. Blinking, the blond brushed his shaking fingers over the bandaged wound that was still tender and fresh, almost like he had just lost his leg all over again. It was hot, and just putting an ounce of pressure on it made stars flash across his eyes, so Ed was very soon leaning back on the bed. 

He shook his head slowly before looking at the rest of himself. He had no shirt on, his chest bare for the world to see, but no scars marred his skin. His stomach was clear of any old wounds, and his left arm looked perfectly fine again. It wasn’t natural, wasn’t normal. Being in the military for so long, working on the battlefield for so long, he was almost promised to gain scars, to gain mementos of horrid things, but now? Now it was all gone.

Footsteps snapped Ed from his thoughts, and the familiar face of Winry peeked from behind the old wooden door. Her blue eyes lit up with tears at the sight of him, and the girl very quickly rushed to his side.

“Edward! You’re awake!” Her arms quickly wrapped around his neck, and the boy had to choke back a cry of pain as Winry hugged him tightly. “You had us worried sick! You-You-” she cut herself off with a wail.

That… was weird.

Winry hardly ever cried like this anymore, not even when Ed had been on his deathbed a few months ago. He brought his hand up to rub the girl's back, pointedly ignoring the tears rolling down his collarbone and chest, before trying to pull away. But Winry just wouldn’t budge.

It was then that Granny walked in, her eyes tired from age and stress, no doubt made worse by whatever Ed and Al had pulled this time. Wait.

“A-Al-”

“Is fine, Edward,” Granny said, moving to stand on Ed’s right. Winry pulled away with a loud sniff, rubbing her snot on her sleeve before stepping closer to Granny. “He’s in the living room, making himself comfortable in that suit of armor he got himself in.”

That’s not right. Ed had literally just gotten his brother out of that damned thing, and he was already back in it? How? The old woman must have known what he was thinking, as she sighed heavily. “Tell me, Edward, what do you remember last?”

“I-I… Light, a-and blood.” The smell of sulfur and death, the feeling of iron and blood on his skin, the taste of pennies in his mouth. Roy to his left, gloves soaked in sweat and tears and blood but still pushing through, they had to push through. They had no choice but to keep going, to keep fighting, even if it cost them their lives. Ed had to get to that circle, had to get Al back, had to make everything right again. “There was… There was a voice.”

Had there been a voice? There had, at some point, when Roy was standing over him. Had those been tears on his cheeks, or was it sweat? Had Ed been crying? Even after everything, after getting Al back, had he somehow failed? There had been no voice after the darkness, but there was. There had to have been. A small, tingling laugh echoing in the back of his mind. The sound of a gate opening and closing. The feeling of being everything and nothing, of knowing all and so little, of being so large yet so small, of holding the universe in his hands yet being a speck in comparison to it. The familiar chants, the deals, the promise, the debt, the Truth.

Ed gasped, his hand reaching to paw at the stub that was once his arm. “W-We, oh my god, we-”

A sob rose up from his throat, and hot tears spilled from his eyes. “ Al, oh god what have I done? What have I- ”

A cold, wrinkly hand cradled his face, and his eyes were met with Granny’s old blues, filled with so much sadness, so much grief, and it was all his fault, all his fault, why couldn’t he do better? He was supposed to be better. Why did he do this? Why why why why why?

Granny must have said something, her lips moving and chest vibrating, but no sound reached him. Ed trembled, body unable to stop shaking at the force of his cries. What had he done? What had he done to Al? What had he done to his baby brother? The one thing he swore to protect with his life? The one thing he lived for anymore? The one thing that kept him alive? What had he done?

He shook as Granny helped him lay on his back again, brushing his sweaty bangs from his forehead. “Rest, Edward. We can talk in the morning, I promise.”

“B-Bu’ Al-”

“He will be there too, don’t worry.” 

That was all Ed’s tired body needed to hear, and his eyes closed not even seconds later. However, he couldn’t have a peaceful rest, because why not? Instead of a pleasant dream, Ed opened his eyes to a void of white, and a far too familiar gate before him. Tensing, the boy turned around, meeting the Cheshire smile of an all too familiar face.

“Hello, little Alchemist.”

Chapter Text

“I-I, you-”

“Yes, me... I suppose I have to thank you now, don’t I?”

Edward couldn’t help but blink. “What?”

“You, the Fullmetal Alchemist, managed to stop Father from creating destruction across the country. You, Edward Elric, sacrificed your life to bring your dear little brother back. You, a mere human, have the power within you to change things, to prevent what happened that day from never occurring again.”

“I don’t… What the hell are you trying to say?” Ed’s voice felt weak, unsupported by whatever air he was breathing in this damned place.

Truth grinned wider, and the Gate behind Edward creaked loudly as its rusty doors were forced open. However, unlike all the other times he’d seen the darkness within, no hands came out to grab him. Instead, the darkness seemed to settle, as though it were lying in wait. 

“Well, little alchemist, you have caught my many eyes. Whether it is your life or someone else’s that’s in danger, you do everything in your power to bring the best possible outcome. You sacrificed both your arm and body in its entirety for your brother, sacrificed your youth to correct your mistake, sacrificed your happiness to right so many wrongs.” The doors opened wider, and Truth slowly stood and walked to stand next to Ed. “So, I have decided to give you another chance."

“Another… Is that why I’m back home? Back at the Rockbells?”

The white figure just laughed, its shoulders shaking before it nodded. “Yes, I knew you would catch on, dear alchemist. Your journey, in every sense of the word, starts here. The days after your mistake, the weeks before your induction, the years before the correction, it all starts here.”

A lone hand stretched out from the Gate, palm facing what should have been the sky, almost beckoning Ed to take it. He let his flesh touch the darkness, feeling the chill of dead winter air, and he shivered. The hand proceeded to wrap around his wrist before almost gently pulling him closer and closer to the void of knowledge. What would he have to give up this time? To see Everything all over again, to Know it in its entirety, what would he sacrifice?

Almost as if it were reading his thoughts, Truth hummed. “This time, I shall take nothing. You are going to need a sense of familiarity to succeed in your goal. Instead, I will bestow upon you… a Gift.”

Ed let out a choked whine as a wave of heat washed over him, forcing him to his knees. His joints creaked dangerously, and his ports began to grow far too warm, but as soon as he took a deep breath, it was all gone. He blinked wildly before turning to look at Truth.

The being simply grinned again before nodding back to the Gate. 

“Go through, My alchemist, and receive your present.”

And the darkness swallowed him whole.

Blinking away stars, Ed looked around the room in an almost daze. Winry was asleep at the left side of his bed, her hands gripping what little flesh of his peeking out from under bandages and blankets. To his right was, surprisingly, Alphonse in all his metallic glory. The blond blinked slowly before taking a shaky breath. 

“A-Al-”

He was cut off by his throat making a strangled sound, and a cough rose from his chest to meet it in the middle. He winced as Winry jumped out of her daze, saying a few quick words before dashing to get a glass of water for the poor boy. Not able to do much else, Alphonse kept at his brother's side, rubbing the elder's back every few seconds until his coughing died down in the presence of some water.

The metal of his automail was cold against his flushed skin, and Ed couldn’t help but work his somehow new joints. Winry was frowning, tears threatening to fall as she watched the blond adjust to his new limbs. “S-So? What do you think of them?”

His gold eyes met her blue, and Edward couldn’t help but give a weak smile. “They’re perfect, Winry. Thanks…”

That made the girl blush, her posture straightening before she jumped to her feet. “Well then! I’m going to go tell Granny you’re up, okay? Okay!”

And then it was the brothers. Alphonse was quiet next to him, his eyes dimmed beneath the shadows of his armor. Knowing what he did now, Edward couldn’t help but reach out to his little brother, wrapping his own metal hand around the others. “We’ll be okay, Al.”

“How… How can you be so sure?”

He looked up and couldn’t help but grin. “Because I’m your big brother. It’s my job to make sure things work out for you, yeah?”

The sound of sniffling met his ears, and Ed couldn’t help but frown. “Al? Why are you…”

“You- You’re so stupid, brother!” Al had stumbled to his feet, his legs shaky underneath his new weight. “You didn’t have to- didn’t have to bring me back! You could have kept y-your arm and-and it would have been fine! So why? W- Why? ”

“Al…”

Flashes of his past, his future, danced across his vision, and Ed couldn’t help but blink back tears. He brought Al closer, dragging his little brother so that his armor head was tucked into his own bandaged chest. The older took a breath before pressing a soft kiss to the top of his little brother's head.

“I can’t live a day without you, Al. I can’t imagine a time where I’ve been apart from you, where I’ve been alone. I don’t ever want to live a day knowing that you’re dead.”

That made Al go quiet until a soft sniffle echoed through the empty armor. A shaky metal hand wrapped around Ed’s flesh arm, squeezing it gently. “I-I’m sorry, brother…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Al. We… We’re gonna be just fine, okay?”

He should have known that Mustang and Hawkeye had stopped by earlier that week. With his automail being newly installed and his old home still standing, there were plenty of indicators telling him what would soon come. On the bright side, after having automail for a handful of years, the recovery period was incredibly short. Of course, Winry had to make several different versions of his limbs for a trial and error phase, but once that was done Ed was practically running off into the sunset.

Al kept with him, of course. After their little talk, his brother hadn’t been very far, always keeping to Ed’s shadow. One day, after Winry had decided to take a break from work and Granny was busy making dinner, Ed had cornered him.

“What’s going on with you, Al?”

The boy shifted nervously, his armor clinking loudly as he tapped his fingers together. “I don’t know what you mean!”

“You’re acting weird. You aren’t talking much, you aren’t trying to rest. Hell, you aren’t even going outside! What’s up with that?”

“I, uhm…” Al dropped his hands to his sides, his head hanging slightly. “I thought about what you said, about not wanting to be without me and-”

“-You don’t have to take that part literally, Alphonse.”

The bright look in Al’s eyes made Ed grin, albeit a little sadly, but still a grin. “I didn’t say that stuff 'cause I wanted you to be with me all the time, silly! I just wanted you to know why I brought you back, why I sacrificed my arm. You of all people deserve the truth, the real truth, not some version I’ll tell the other two when they ask.”

“So, it’s okay for me to go?”

“Wherever you want.”

“Whenever I want?”

“Mhm, whenever. I’m not gonna stop you unless I think you’re putting yourself in danger, ‘kay?”

If Al could grin, Ed had no doubts he’d be utterly blind to the brightness of it. The suit of armor hopped up from where it was crouched before herding Ed into a tight hug, pricking his flesh with pointy ends of metal. He didn’t mind, though, and let himself be smothered in his little brother's love. 

“Y’know, you weren’t usually this good with contact before…”

Ed blinked, pulling back from the hug to tap on his chin. “Huh, I guess not… Guess some things have changed.”

The laugh that bubbled up from hollow armor made some part of Ed’s soul warm, and the blond grinned. “Now, let’s start getting ready to go. I’ve got that exam I gotta do, and I rather just get it done and over with!”

He had already started towards his room, and the sound of heavy footsteps followed close behind. “What’s the rush, brother?”

“Well, I gotta be an alchemist if I want us to get our bodies back, don’t I?”

Central was fucking hell on Earth incarnated, and Ed had never hated that fact more than he did now.

People crowded the streets with voices raised to be heard over the ever-increasing crowd. Shops and stations weren’t much better, filled to the brim with locals and tourists alike, each chatting to one another about any random thing. The Elric brothers had just gotten off of the train, and the eldest stretch the two limbs he could with terrifying effort. It had taken longer than anticipated to arrive as a surprise storm had rolled in only halfway through the ride, which just made things worse for Ed’s body.

Aside from the new automail, his - as much as he hated to admit it - small body wasn’t built for so much pressure so quickly, which left him shakier than he’d usually like to deal with. Al had helped where he could, carrying their luggage and talking to adults when Ed just couldn’t get the energy up. Of course, arriving late meant that things would be different this time around. 

Instead of finding his way to Central Headquarters himself, Roy Mustang himself just so happened to be walking off of his own train, his suitcase clutched lazily in his gloved hand. Dark brown eyes caught bright gold, and the man had the audacity to look surprised at the sight of him.

“Edward Elric? What are you doing here?”

The boy scowled, crossing his arms as best he could without wincing in pain. “I’m here to take that damn exam, remember? You’re the dumbass who fucking told me to.”

His language had obviously caught the older man off guard as he blinked before shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter now. Do you have a place to stay?”

“Yep. Called ahead to a hotel near the base and got a reservation.”

“Ah, so you’re a sensible one? That’s good.” Mustang grinned slyly before turning to walk away. “Well, I’ll leave you boys to it. When you get to the exam, have the officers call me down so I can watch.”

Ed rolled his eyes before motioning his brother to follow him. “Let’s go, Al. No use staying where the assholes smell.”

Exam time came all too soon in Ed’s completely humble opinion. It wasn’t that he was unprepared, he was fully prepared! Hell, he was probably more prepared than any other alchemist in the damned country! No, he was mostly worried about what Truth’s little gift to him was. He hadn’t had the chance to perform any extreme alchemy since he’d gotten here, only able to transmute little statues to prove he could, in fact, still do alchemy. But now that he was standing just outside the large doors to the exam hall, a sense of unease had settled into his stomach.

Mustang was already waiting for him and had given Ed a knowing look before he’d entered the room, and it had done nothing but worsen that feeling until it became a hum of nausea. Far too soon, Ed was walking through the door.

Fuhrer Bradly stood at the front of the hall, his sides guarded by two soldiers who kept their hands on their weapons, glaring at nothing before them. Mustang stood off to the side, arms crossed as he stared at Ed, who just glared in return.

A stranger walked in front of the Fuhrer and saluted stiffly, only dropping it when the man saluted back. He turned around, and Ed could just barely see the quiet shock at the sight of Ed’s young face. He knew he looked soft, helpless in the way that kids always are, but that didn’t stop Ed from knowing far too much, from doing far too little. 

The words were muddled, and Ed didn’t care about what was being said until all eyes were focused on him. Holding back a wicked grin, the blond clapped his hands together, relishing in the loud ringing his automail made as the power rushed through his circle. However, instead of the usual blue or even red of alchemy, his light was a radiant green and gold mixture, bouncing off of his skin and automail easily before Ed decided on what to transmute. 

The spear was first, a detailed thing that was reinforced and strong, its tip sharp and pointed. He spun it a few times before jabbing it into the ground, the end of it digging into stone. Next was a set of towers, each different in their basic compounds yet looked the exact same. Then he made a fucking gun, because why the hell not? It was complicated enough on its own, and it seemed to have impressed someone by the sound of disbelief that came from his left. Finally, Ed knelt to the ground and slammed his hands to the concrete. 

The effect was immediate, and a large glowing circle appeared around him, sparks and lightning dancing up from the ground before creating a scene. The slim figure of a woman was seen dancing around the edges of the circle, her hair flowing in the non-existent wind as she spun around. Her arms reached towards the sky before she bent backward, her face in Ed’s before she grinned and disappeared with a flash of light. 

Silence permeated the room as Edward stood back up, making sure he didn’t look too disrespectful in the presence of the Fuhrer. However, when he looked at the old man, he could see something akin to loathing in the dark abyss. Before the exam instructor could speak, the Fuhrer stepped forward.

“I see we have a prodigy in our midst, hm?”

Ed hesitated, remembering the mark that was hidden under the man’s eyepatch before he gave a strained grin. “I guess you could say that… sir. ”

He ignored the silent glares on his back as the Fuhrer chuckled, his large hand resting on Ed’s smaller shoulder with ease. “Well then, I think I speak for everyone in the room when I say well done, young man. You have far exceeded our expectations with your age.” Fuhrer Bradley stepped back before turning towards his men. Walking away, the Fuhrer motioned his guards to follow behind him. Just before he left the room, Bradley looked over his shoulder. “I expect you to see Lieutenant Colonel Mustang for your results tomorrow morning, young Elric.”

Then he was gone, and an unseen weight lifted from Ed’s shoulders. The blond chanced a glance at Mustang, ready to see that look of greed that he’d seen the first time around. Instead, when gold met black, he saw… pride?

He didn’t have much time to dwell on the sight, as Ed was quickly ushered out of the testing room and ordered to go home. Al had been outside the building, sitting patiently on one of the benches until Ed approached him. 

“Well? What did they say?”

“With what I did, they’d be total idiots for not accepting me.” Ed grinned, swallowing down that feeling of wrongness that had crawled back into his throat. 

Al made easy conversation on their way to their hotel room, his large hands moving quickly as he talked about the cats he’d seen while waiting for Ed to finish his exam. The older couldn’t help but grin at the familiar fondness in his brother’s voice, and he stopped himself before he entered his room to change. 

“Hey, Al?” 

“Yes, brother?”

Red eyes glowed in the dark of their room, and Ed smiled weakly. “After we get our bodies back, after we’re finally… finally home again, we’ll get as many cats as you want, okay?”

The smile in Al’s voice made Ed’s chest flutter, and soon cold metal arms were wrapped around him in a tight hug. “Oh, brother, thank you! This is going to be great, I just know it!”

Chapter Text

It was incredibly easy to get back in the rhythm of things. He’d gotten himself a spot in Mustang’s office, received his certification and title - which just so happened to be Fullmetal, yet again - and was given his very own dorm to share with his beloved little brother. Ed was there now, laying on his bed with a heavy sigh. He hadn’t gotten his first mission yet, which meant that the serial killer known as Barry the Chopper was still running around, and Yoki was still ruining the lives of those miners in the east. So much to do, so little time to do it all.

Of course, he wasn’t in a rush. The transmutation circle wouldn’t be completed for another few years, which gave him plenty of time to go through his checklist. First things first, though, and that’s finding Shou Tucker and building his case against the man. The disappearance of his wife would be easy to document, especially since he now knew that she had dropped contact with her parents after marrying Tucker a decade ago. 

The most difficult part would be getting around Brigadier General Grand. If Ed’s memory served correctly, the General had been a complete hardass when it came to Tucker and his research. Obviously, the man knew things that the public didn’t, and the man was fully intent on taking those things to his inevitable grave. That led to Ed’s next goal, finding Scar.

If he thought back far enough, Ed could faintly remember the un-shaded face of Scar on those steps to the Central Library. It had been before the Ishvalan had decided to target State Alchemists, which meant that Ed didn’t have much time. Sighing, Ed forced himself up, running his fingers through his tangled braid, causing it to fall apart. “I need to make a list.” He muttered.

There was a small desk tucked into the corner of his room, and atop was a notebook Ed had bought not too long after his exam. He had intended on using it for his research, but with how much he knew and now had to plan around, it would be much easier to write an outline to follow. The first point was getting information on Tucker. It would take a while to get a file completed and on the desk of a General who might listen to him, but he still had to try. If not for the lives of his friends, then for Nina. That guilt he’d carried for years thickened his throat as he wrote her name in his book, the familiar light of her youthful eyes flashing across his vision before he shook his head quickly. He could stop her death from happening, could finally give her the chance to live her life to the fullest, could give her the childhood he’d wished they both had.

The next goal was kicking Yoki out of the mining town again and giving the power back to the people in it. His actions there had helped immensely in gaining the favor of his country, which in turn had given him more places to turn when he needed help of some kind. That would have to wait until he was assigned that mission, though, but he knew what to do this time. 

During his stay in East Command, he’d keep an eye out for Scar. The man had been able to keep a low profile for a few months until he’d killed General Grand, so it would be difficult to find, but there was always a chance.

However, he had a more important mission in mind. Winry would be traveling to Eastern Command to hold a small celebration of Edward’s passing soon, which meant that Barry the Chopper would strike sooner rather than later. He already knew what Barry looked like and where he performed his unsavory duties, but he couldn’t do anything without looking incredibly suspicious himself. That didn’t leave many ideas on the board, of course, but Ed had worked with far less and gotten enjoyable outcomes. 

A knock at the door interrupted Ed’s chain of thought. 

“Yeah?”

The door opened, and the familiar face of Al peeked through. “If you don’t hurry, you’re gonna miss lunch again, brother!”

The blond blinked before looking at the clock by the desk. It read half past twelve, which meant that the lunch rush was either just waning or just beginning. Either way, it was time for food, and the teen's stomach was beginning to remind him of just how hungry he could get. 

“Thanks, Al. I almost forgot!” He jumped up and slipped his red coat on, brushing the fabric with a grin. “Will you be okay here?”

Al nodded, his eyes glowing a bit brighter as Ed opened the door further. “I will! I think I’ll try reading through the books they have in here.”

“Don’t think there’ll be much we don’t know in those.”

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to look, right?”

Ed shrugged as he pulled his boots on, shaking his legs to un-bunch the leather that was tucked inside. “If you find anything in there, let me know, okay? I’ll see if I can stop by the library on my way back too.”

“Alright! Have fun, brother! And stay safe, okay?”

“Hah! Where’s the fun in that?”

He couldn’t help but grin as Al let out a sound of exasperation. It was a familiar conversation, something the two of them said almost every time they split for a few hours. The walk to the mess hall was uneventful, but he was quickly reminded why he had hated his job when he first started. The whispers and stares were easy to ignore, but the fact that some officers refused to believe him was rage-inducing. If Ed hadn’t had practice, he was sure he would have been court-martialed for beating his compadres black and blue before he could say ‘colonel’.

It was a blessing when he finally walked into the mess hall, and the blanket of conversation was welcomed to drown out his thoughts. The food looked just as gross as it always did, but it was a comfort Ed let himself fall into for the first time in a while. Just as he was about to bite into his bread, a soldier dropped into the seat across from him. Looking up, Ed was hit with a wave of grief at those dark brown eyes. 

“So, you’re the new guy, hm? Edgar, right?”

“N-No, ah, it’s Edward, s-sir.” He swallowed thickly and tried to ignore that embarrassed blush rising to his cheeks. 

The man just grinned instead, waving his hand loosely. “Well, I’m Maes Hughes. I work pretty close with your C.O., so if he ever gives you a hard time, just let me know.”

“Oh, uhm…” He didn’t know what to say. After all this time, finding out about Maes’ death and grieving and all the other steps of life, he had never dreamed of seeing the man again. But here he was, alive, breathing, and a soon-to-be father of a lovely little girl. “Thank you, sir.”

“Please, just call me Hughes.”

“Then you can call me Ed. A-All my friends do.”

They exchanged grins before tucking into their food, trading small talk topics and pictures of loved ones until the room began to empty. “Well, I better get back to work now. I’ll see you soon?”

Ed fought down that feeling of hope and nodded. “Yeah, of course. See you soon.”

The library was nice, and the quiet atmosphere was welcoming enough to let the boy shed a few tears. The reality of his situation seemed to finally be coming to light. He was in the past, in his past, and everyone he’d seen die was back. His mother wasn’t buried in his backyard, Elicia had yet to take her first breath or see her father’s coffin, Havoc could still walk, and all his friends' lives had yet to be touched by his hand. His flesh hand covered his mouth, smothering his sobs until the boy was finally able to pull himself together. 

He knew his eyes were still red as he checked out his books, but Ed pointedly ignored the pitying looks the adults sent his way. He was here to fix things, not himself, and he would stick to that goal until he died.

The sun was blessedly warm on his skin, and the light showed just how dark he was when compared to other Amestrians. It had caused plenty of trouble when the war with Ishval had first started, but his hair and eyes had given him more than enough protection against those who wanted to do more than just fight the innocents. But with most of his life spent either in his dead-beat father’s study or out helping with the town’s field, he had a healthy tone to his name. It was just light enough to keep him from trouble, but a shade or two too dark to keep him completely safe. It was one of the reasons Ed was determined to help Mustang with his goal to become Fuhrer - not that he’d say that, of course. He and Al had gone through far too much trouble to make something of a name for themselves after their mother’s passing for it to be destroyed just because some asshole wanted to have a laugh. 

But at that moment, Ed was perfectly fine. He had books he somehow hadn’t read yet, had a plan to set things right and bring peace, and was promised the warmth of a bed and blankets to sleep in very soon. With the warmth of the sun, it was easy to forget the fact he could feel the pressure of rain coming. A storm would hit soon, and that meant that it would be the first time he’d be in for some trouble since he’d arrived in the past. Rain meant his ports would ache and scream, bringing nothing but painful reminders of what he’d done to his baby brother. But it also meant sitting in his bed with said brother at his side, the two of them whispering stories of their childhood as Ed tried to forget his hurt. It meant that Mustang could call to check up on why his latest subordinate hadn’t come in yet, meant that Hawkeye could give him a knowing look the next day when he walks into the office, meant that Fuery and Havok would slip him little treats as a silent apology, meant that Falman and Breda would give him tea and water to wash down whatever pills he’d brought with him that day. 

It meant he could feel that sense of familiarity, that sense of belonging he hadn’t seen before. 

Shaking his head, the blond opened the door to his dorm, taking note of the lack of armor in the corner. It was good that Al was getting out again, having locked himself in their dorm the first week or so they had arrived. The younger had only started leaving after Ed had offhandedly mentioned not having enough time to get some food from a bakery not far from the building. Al had offered, and Ed had reveled in that sense of accomplishment as he watched his brother leave. He had to wonder if this was how Al had felt every time Ed had done something he’d suggested. 

But that didn’t matter right now. He had work to do, and he needed to do it fast if he wanted to pin the blame on Tucker properly.

Things had gone to shit, because when haven’t they?

Winry had arrived safe and sound, much to Ed’s relief, but an unexpected storm had kept the boy from going back to his dorm to see her. He was stuck in the mess hall, halfheartedly spooning food in his mouth as he glared at nothing. His ports hurt more than usual, the pressure of the cold bench not helping his leg at all, when his body was jostled by someone sitting next to him. Thank fuck it was his left shoulder they were leaning against, because Ed very well would have cried if they were on his right. 

“Hey there, Ed! How’s it hanging?”

Hughes was grinning widely as he ruffled Ed’s bangs, forcing the blond to let out a grunt. “I’m doing well, sir.”

“Oh please, just call me Hughes! Sounds too formal for someone your age, doesn’t it?”

“So, what have you been working on lately?” Ed took a bite out of his bread, scrunching his nose at the bland taste and texture.

“Well, I’ve had my hands full with this lady killer business. You head of it yet?”

“A little.” Ed lied, shrugging. “Hasn’t been caught after a few months of the same routine. You have any suspects?”

“None, surprisingly. Every time we think we have someone, they've got an alibi or two, so we’re stuck on square one again.”

It was strange, knowing exactly who the killer was but not being able to do shit. He couldn’t outright tell Hughes who it was, lest he draws eyes to his work, but he couldn’t just leave it.

“Well, what have you done so far? If you don’t have anyone here, could they be from out of town?”

“That’s what we’re thinking.” Hughes rested his elbows against the table before reaching for the other roll on Ed’s tray. The kid let him take it, smothering the smile when he saw the man cheer to himself. “We’ve started checking every vehicle that goes in and out of the area for the past week or so, but we’ve got nothing.”

“There’s gotta be a blindspot.”

“A car that can hide bodies…”

It was then that the back door of the kitchen opened, and a familiar voice pitched across the sound of the mess hall. It felt sickening, and Ed wanted to run away the moment he saw that brown wig, but he took a breath before looking at Hughes. “From what I’ve heard, there’s this new model of truck that has a large back to keep food cool when being transported.”

“We don’t have any around, though, do we?”

Ed subtly nodded towards the not-lady and watched as Hughes’ eyes widened. The man frowned as he sat taller before looking back at Ed. “Are you sure?” He mumbled.

The boy hummed as he pushed away his tray, standing on unsteady feet to stretch as openly as he could. Those brown eyes landed on him, and Ed knew he’d caught the killer’s attention. Really, Ed hadn’t wanted to get into the swing of things so soon, but it was about time he’d started, wasn’t it?

“Sorry to leave so soon, Hughes, but I’ve been meaning to chat with our delivery lady over there.”

He said it clearly, and he hoped with all his heart that Hughes had at least gotten some hint of what he was inferring. Ed very well could have swooned when the man nodded with a forced smirk. “It’s all good, Ed! When do you think you’ll be back?”

“Oh, maybe five or ten minutes? If I’m not, go ahead and get Mustang.”

And that was that. 

Ed swallowed his fear as he wandered to the front of the building. That truck was sitting out front, the doors closed and engine off, but Ed knew what was waiting inside. Putting on a faux grin, Ed walked up to it and placed a gloved hand on the paint. 

“Oh, wow, this is amazing!” He whispered, and he held back a yelp when his left leg bumped into a stray rock under one of the tires. “Man, Winry would love this thing.”

“Oh, is she one of your friends, dear?”

The voice felt like nails on a chalkboard, and Ed held back a gag as he turned to meet the stranger's gaze. He smiled with a small shrug, swallowing down his fear and pain and he rested against the mint green paint. “Kind of? She’s more like my sister, really. She’s a mechanic, and I know she’s been looking forward to seeing some of these new model trucks.”

“Well, why don’t you hop in? Couldn’t hurt to get a few looks to brag, hm?”

As much as he hated to do it, Ed agreed. He chanced a look back at the door and met Hughes's dark eyes. The man tilted his head, and Ed gave a curt nod before walking to the back of the car. “Say, do you have any others like this?”

“I do! But they’re all back at my store…” The crossdresser pouted before grinning. “Say, why don’t you come back with me?”

Ah fuck.

It hadn’t gone to plan. Ed was back in that damned room, his automail gone and his flesh arm tied to the back of the chair. Barry was standing not far from him, sharpening his cleaver with a manic grin. That familiar sense of fear washed over Ed, and he tried desperately to reign it in, to keep his composure like he’d been taught after years of service, but one look from the killer was all it took to make him crumble.

“My little hero awakes! From what I’ve heard by some pretty little birds is you can transmute without a circle! So I took to liberty of, well, dis- arming you, haha!”

Ed choked on his spit, shivering from the cold and the beginnings of fear before glaring at the man. “Y-You can’t do shit to me, bud. My friends already know I’m missing, it’s just a matter of time until they get here.”

Barry rolled his eyes before ripping off the wig. “Oh please, as if a kid like you could really know those big guys. You might be the Fullmetal brat, but you’re just as much a child as you are a dog. Now,” The man walked closed, and Edward tensed, fully prepared to kick and scream as loud as he fucking could. To his surprise, the rope was cut, and Ed almost fell face-first onto the concrete. “Run, little pup, before I kill you. ”

That was all Ed needed to get the fuck up. He was unbalanced without his arm, and the storm's pressure hadn’t helped with his pain at all. It was an ungraceful retreat, running further into the freezer room as he dodged the corpses of pigs hanging from the ceiling. Without Winry here, Ed only had to worry about retrieving his arm and getting the hell out, but he still didn’t know where the fuck the exit was. It was a terrible choice on his part, but Ed turned around and went back to where he’d woken up. 

His arm was sitting on that table, and it looked perfectly safe to approach. But, with his lovely brand of Elric luck, Barry was just waiting for him in the shadows. The man let out a cry as he charged, and Edward swallowed whatever pride he had and forced his arm back into the port. The pain of the reattachment was enough to make the boy scream, and the sound was just enough of a distraction for Barry to stumble.

It was the perfect opening.

Without a second thought, Ed clapped his hands together, the golden green light dancing across his body before he slammed his palms to the ground. The concrete rumbled dangerously before stone hands emerged from the rock, cementing themselves around Barry’s arms and legs. The man shouted his threats, but they fell upon deaf ears as officers finally arrived. Ed wanted to sob in relief as Hughes and Mustang appeared, the rest of the team not far behind them. Mustang’s eyes met Ed’s, and the boy watched as whatever composure the man had crumbled. He whispered something to Hughes, not even waiting for the man to nod before all but running to Ed’s side.

“What the hell happened, Fullmetal?”

The sound of Mustang’s voice was like water in the desert. Ed couldn’t help but fall to his knees, leaning into the Colonel’s side when he was pulled close. “I-I… I got the guy.”

Whatever Mustang had said after that never really registered in Ed’s mind as the stress finally settled into his body. With the pressure and the fear and adrenaline finally fading, his body hurt and the boy wanted nothing more than to curl under a blanket with some hot water and sleep. Like an angel, Mustang didn’t force him up, choosing instead to pick Edward’s shivering body up and hold it close to his chest. 

The world seemed quiet after that, colors and voices fading in and out of his head before he was met with a cool gray.

“A-Al…?”

Cold metal brushed against his forehead, and Ed sighed, letting his body go limp in Mustang’s hold. The man grunted at the sudden weight before shuffling over to the bed. Mustang said something to Al and Winry, which had resulted in the two letting out some sort of reaction before rushing to Ed’s side, but the boy was all but dead to the world. He was tired, and his head and ports hurt, and he just wanted sleep. He could have sung Truth’s praises as Al’s hand pressed against his forehead again and something hot rested against his shoulder and leg, easing the pain in both places. 

He would have to deal with the backlash in the morning, Ed knew, but that could wait until he slept like a fucking rock.

Chapter Text

His dreams were just as horrid as he knew they’d be. 

Everything was muddled and dark, the stench of blood permeating the air, sticking to his skin and in his mouth, filling up his lungs like it was water. Ed wanted to spit it all out, to heave and gag as that darkness and ilk were forcibly removed, but it never came. Instead, he was back in that chair, his arm gone, his leg gone, and Winry in front of him. Her face was pale, a cold sweat mixing with her tears as she shook in Barry’s hands. The man was grinning, his eyes wide and manic as he held his cleaver to Winry’s neck, pressing it against her skin, forcing Ed to watch as pearls of ruby blood fell in small streams. It stained Winry’s pretty dress, turning the yellow collar dark. Ed knew he was dreaming at that point. His leg had never been taken when he confronted Barry, and Winry had never gotten physically hurt. He knew it was all a dream, but for whatever reason, it just didn’t register.

Instead, his heart began to pound, and he could hear his blood roaring in his ears. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t understand what Barry was saying. In any case, Ed started to struggle, jerking his two remaining limbs until he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. Instead of concrete, he was lying upon a familiar array.

Looking up, he could see Father sitting upon his throne of metal and bones. The homunculi surrounded him, their eyes glinting in the darkness until Greed knelt down. Ling’s face leaned close to Ed’s, and the boy could practically feel the power and hurt radiating from his friend-turned-monster. His lips were moving, but all Ed could hear were the screams.

The screams of those in Liore, of those in Ishval, of those in Xerxes. His ears began to ring as the sound grew louder and louder until it was all that existed. Ed held no place in his dream as the souls of those who were damned to suffer in those stones clawed at his heart, begging him for mercy, for forgiveness he could not give. His bones ached as those hands pulled him down, under the ocean of blood and tears and sweat and death, down under the suffering and pain of all those he had touched, down under the anger and betrayal he had brought to those he had only ever wanted to help. He didn’t fight the hands as they pulled his hair and broke his bones, didn’t fight as they opened his mouth and eyes and flooded his senses, didn’t fight as he became all and none. He was their savior and their enemy, their relief and displeasure, their songs and their cries. He was everything and nothing, the world and a speck of dust, the sun and the moon, forever orbiting, never touching, never wishing for more yet dreaming of something greater.

And just as quickly as he had been dragged into the suffering of millions, he was pulled out. His eyes opened to see Alphonse, whose eyes seemed almost… sad?

“A-Al, I-”

“Don’t.”

Ed swallowed thickly as his brother helped him sit up, a cold hand resting on his sweaty back. He had been changed out of his usual clothes and into some loose pajamas. It was no doubt the work of either Mustang or Hughes, knowing how much those two liked to meddle in things. A glass of water was pressed into his hands, and Ed had to shake himself softly to rid his mind of too many thoughts. The water was cool against his lips, soothing his irritated throat, and Ed couldn’t help but sigh as the tension from his nightmare finally began to leave his shoulders.

“You had another nightmare.” Al mumbled, gently taking the now-empty glass from Ed’s hands.

The blond hummed softly before leaning against cool metal, letting his shoulders drop as his automail hand took his little brothers. “Yeah…”

“Do you… wanna talk about it? Granny said it helps sometimes.”

He blinked slowly. Did he want to? He didn’t know if Al knew what had happened yet, didn’t know if he and Winry had gotten an explanation as to why Ed had been brought back to the dorm unconscious and no doubt shaking with left-over fear. Had Mustang talked to them? Or did he leave it up to Ed for what information got passed around? 

“I think I almost died today.”

That was the absolute wrong thing to say, because the next second he was facing Al’s armor head-on. “What?! What do you mean you almost died?! ”

“So they didn’t tell you…?”

“No! What even-”

“That serial killer, Barry the Chopper. He- uhm, he got me after I found his truck. Apparently, he’d been posing as a delivery woman for the military for a while, so no one suspected him, but I… I was talking to Hughes, o-one of Mustang’s friends, and we kinda came to the same conclusion?” Ed pressed his left hand to his forehead, blinking slowly before sighing again. “I don’t know how long I was knocked out, but when I woke up my arm was gone. I-I couldn’t do anything until he let me go for fun, and I- fuck, Al, I don’t think I’ve been so scared in my life. ”

There was a warmth on his cheeks, and it took a second for Ed to realize he was crying again. He should be stronger than this, no, he was stronger than this. He had faced Wrath and survived, had stared into Father’s unforgiving eyes and won, he had gotten into a fistfight with god for Truth’s sake! One little run-in with a serial killer shouldn’t be the thing to break him! He was better than he had ever been before! He was still with Al, Hughes was alive, Havoc could still walk, and everything was okay.

So why was he still crying?

Those cold hands rested on his cheeks, and Ed finally let a sob spill through his lips. He could hear Al murmuring above him, but he couldn’t hear any words above his panicked breaths. For what felt like just a second, he was alone again. The hands and words were gone, and he was well and truly alone, just as he was always meant to be. He was never meant to be blessed with his little brother's soul, never meant to be endowed with a family that loved him in all his darkness and folly. He was meant to stand alone, surrounded by his past misdeeds, drowning in grief and apologies he could never get through his clenched teeth. He was meant to suffer in silence, forced to carry the world and World upon his shoulders. 

Warmth was on his skin, and Edward flinched. 

His eyes saw nothing but darkness and blood. Blood on his hands, on his clothes, on his skin, on his soul. Blood stained his life like the sun, and no pleading will cleanse him. However, before he could force himself away from the warmth, soft fingers brushed the skin under his eyes. Al was at his side again, the familiar ring of metal against metal reaching his ears, but a new voice joined the choir of voices in his head.

Shivering softly, Ed’s eyes forced themselves open, only to be met with Winry. Lovely, beautiful, gorgeous Winry, in all her glory and majesty. Her eyes, as deep as the waters of life itself, shined with unshed tears as her hands held his face. Her lips moved slowly, words of splendor falling into the open air around them, but Ed’s sinful ears heard none. Instead, the boy allowed his eyes to fall shut as he leaned forward, burying his face in the crook of Winry’s neck. She smelled of home, of oil and metal, of flowers and clouds, of everything that Ed had ever dreamed of, and somehow more. It made his chest ache with a sense of longing he’d never felt before.

Winry didn’t stop talking, though, and instead pulled Ed’s golden hair from his braid. Her calloused fingers ran through it, from his scalp down to his back, before she began rocking them both. Her chest vibrated with her words, and Ed found himself relaxing further and further into her hold, only forcing himself awake long enough to reach out for his beloved brother. When he felt cold steel in his hand, Ed couldn’t help but give a weak smile, humming to himself as he finally gave into the sense of safety he’d found in the two people who would always know him best.

If Ed was going to be completely honest, he was not looking forward to going to work. He’d only been a State Alchemist for a few weeks now, but finding Barry the Chopper had started the process of his fame building until he was known across the country. Not even five minutes after he’d left the dorms, Ed had been stopped seven times by both soldiers and civilians asking questions the media and reports hadn’t answered. If Al hadn’t been with him, Ed was sure he would have been in the papers for a completely different reason, but there was no point thinking about it now.

He stood outside the doors to Mustang’s office area, where the rest of his team was sitting doing paperwork like no tomorrow. He could kick the door in and go back to how he acted before…

Edward opened the door normally, slinking in far enough to leave room for Al to enter behind him. Havoc was the first one to see him, blue-gray eyes lighting up at the sight of the boy. “Heya, Chief! How’s your mornin’ been?”

The question caught the attention of everyone else, and far too quickly the feeling of eyes on him began to make Ed far too uncomfortable. “Uh, it’s been good, I guess…” He shrugged before walking to his desk. The wood was polished and clean, and a small stack of papers sat in the middle. It had been a long time since Ed had done any sort of paperwork for the military, but he felt far too exhausted to do anything but sit and write for the next few months. 

Silence filled the air again until Fuery let out a sharp sneeze, successfully breaking the unseen tension in the room. Breda let out a snort as Havoc grinned, his hand patting the young sergeant’s back. “Well, if you wanted some love, ya coulda asked!”

Ed let his shoulders fall at the sound of his friend's voices, their laughter and chatter successfully chasing that far-too-familiar chill from his heart. Chancing a glance, the boy looked towards Mustang and Hawkeye. The latter was standing behind Mustang’s desk, her hands behind her back as she watched the group with almost warm eyes. Brown almost met gold, but Edward looked back down before Riza could get a read on him. Mustang had been staring at his paperwork, lips pressed into a thin line as his pen tapped against the paper. Ed had no doubts that it was work from some time last week that he’d put off for however long until Hawkeye started hounding on his ass. He bit back a short laugh at the image of Mustang doing everything he could to avoid being in Hawkeye’s presence, but Riza would always catch up to him, Ed knew.

Looking down at his own work, Ed skimmed over the few papers he had to sign as proof it had been read. They were reports from more of Mustang’s subordinates, little missions and checks they’d been assigned as busy work. He was done before he could recite the entire periodic table, which was just a little surprising. Placing his pen on the desk, Ed raised his arms above his head, stretching with a soft sigh. Al sat to his right, back resting against the wall as he read through a book from the library he’d managed to find interesting enough to take home. It was a small blessing that Ed knew ways to entertain his little brother while he worked, after all, he’d had a handful of years to experiment and take notes on what Alphonse could enjoy while in the armor. 

Standing, the boy grabbed his work and marched it to Mustang, who had looked up from his blank papers to meet molten gold eyes. 

“Done already?” He drawled, and the words had annoyingly caught the attention of everyone in the room again.

Shaking off the feeling of being watched, Ed nodded stiffly. “Yeah, it wasn’t too hard.”

Mustang took the papers and skimmed through them, and Ed internally preened when he saw the surprised look in those dark eyes. Hawkeye gave a small huff when Mustang put the papers to the side. “It’s amazing that Elric can do more paperwork in one sitting than you can in a week, Colonel.”

That made Ed grin, and he forced down a chuckle when Mustang gave the Lieutenant a look of betrayal. However, before the Colonel could respond, the door opened quickly. The familiar face of Maes Hughes made some part of Ed’s chest loosen, his stomach settling enough to finally make Ed notice the nausea that had been following him throughout the day. Warm brown eyes skipped past him for just a second before they settled on him fully.

“Eddie boy! There you are. I was wondering when I’d run into you again!” Warmth wrapped around Ed’s shoulders, and he was drawn into Hughes’ side for a hug. He let himself smile before it morphed into a scowl when the older ruffled his hair. “Say, what are you doing back in the office so soon?”

That made Ed look up, and he could just barely see the concern hidden behind Hughes’ glasses. “I-What? Was I not meant to?”

Those eyes turned to Mustang, who gave a short shrug before turning to Hawkeye. Riza shook her head softly before whispering something to the Colonel, which made the man flush before he cleared his throat. “Fullmetal, it seems we- I forgot to inform you of your temporary leave. Due to the events that transpired the other day, you are to rest in the dorms or at home until Lieutenant Colonel Hughes or myself see fit.”

“Oh…” 

This… hadn’t happened before. Last time, Mustang had just carried on with his day, leaving Ed to flounder with his newfound fear of the dark, which had ended up causing more troubles as time went on until the boy had forced himself to get over it. So why had things been different this time? Was it because Winry hadn’t been there? Or because he’d been talking to Hughes about it before he’d been taken? Was it because he’d asked Hughes to tell Mustang the plan before things fell apart? Whatever it was, it was a major variable in the ever-changing formula that Ed just couldn’t seem to fully grasp.

“Yes, well, if that’s all, then you should go back now.”

He didn’t return to his dorm. Instead, Al went and got Winry and the three of them walked around East City. There were a few automail shops scattered around, but none of them really held what their resident mechanic was looking for. It was nice, being surrounded by the droning sound of voices he hadn’t heard before. Seeing Winry’s face bright with excitement and joy had lifted some unseen weight from his shoulders. It had been so long since he’d seen her like that, far before the Promised Day had been as much of an issue, far before he’d been separated from the team. To be honest, the last time he’d seen her like this was when he’d gotten her a new pair of earrings not long before Hughes’ death. He could still remember the way his heart had filled with warmth at the sight of her smile, the way her arms had wrapped around his shoulders in a tight hug, the way the small gems had glittered in the sunlight when she wore them for the first time. If it was even possible, Edward had found himself falling for the girl even more.

The sound of her laughter drifted above the crowd, and Edward watched as she and Al danced to some song playing on a nearby radio. The sight alone could have been enough to cure the world from any evil, and when Winry had held out her hand for Ed to join in, who was he to refuse?

The dorm was quiet, and Ed sat at the small desk, hunched over his journal. Barry had been taken care of, and his title was beginning to circuit around thanks to media reports. Next was finding Scar and starting the case against Tucker. Nina was still alive, he knew that much. Tucker’s exam would take place in a few months, so there was no more time to lose. Of course, there was the chance that he would fail to get Tucker arrested, but there were other, dirtier routes he could take if need be. He wasn’t against doing what was needed to save Nina and Alexander's lives. They were both worth far more than anything Tucker could ever dream of doing, and the fact that the man had already done the unforgivable in the past was a warning to those who knew the Truth. 

Words floated across his vision, and Ed blinked heavily before picking up his pen once more. He would have to go to Youswell and oust Yoki sooner rather than later. If he managed to free those townspeople from the unjust rule of that man, he’d be able to set up some kind of failsafe in the chance he fails in everything.

A knock on the door startled Ed from his thoughts, causing the boy to look up. Winry was smiling gently in the doorway, and the smell of food wafted into the room. “Dinner?” He asked, voice rough from disuse.

She just nodded, opening the door a little wider for Ed to hear Al’s tinny laughter. He couldn't help but smile at the sound as he stood up, his automail creaking slightly from staying in one spot for so long. When he left his room, his journal sat open with a few words scrawled across the top.

‘You alone hold the Truth of who you are.’

Chapter Text

The sun was warm against his skin, and Edward couldn’t help but sigh as he sank further into his seat. Alphonse sat across from him, soul-lit eyes glancing between his book, the window, and Ed himself. Surprisingly, not much had happened in the past year. Of course, Ed was well on his way to making a proper case against Tucker (with evidence to back it all up), so there was something keeping his mind busy in the background. Now, though? Now he was on a mission in Liore. It was sooner than the before, but he supposed things would be different now that he Knew more.

Taking a deep breath, Ed opened the file that had been laying in his lap for the past few hours. He already knew what was inside, what the reports would say, and what he was meant to do, but he was curious! What if something had changed? Turns out, it was incredibly good he did double-check since Mustang had decided to slip a little more in the file.

A small piece of paper sat under the paperclip keeping the documents together, and Ed couldn’t help but stare at it. All it said was ‘use this in case of emergencies’ followed by what the boy believed was Mustang’s personal number. It had taken Ed almost three years to get that before! 

Before he could think anymore about it, Alphonse cleared his ‘throat’. “Brother, what exactly are we doing here?”

Ed flipped through the files before settling on the main report. He moved to sit next to his younger brother, shifting so the paper was angled toward the boy. “Apparently, there’s been sightings of a priest performing miracles. Of course, it has to be alchemy, but what he’s doing completely ignores the laws of Equivalent Exchange.” He flipped to photos of Father Cornello, and Ed swallowed down a grunt at the sight of the man's wrinkled face. Somehow, he looked worse. “We’re being sent to investigate, since Colonel Bastard knows just how much alchemy we know, he trusts we’ll be able to figure everything out.”

“Okay, what are we meant to tell him?”

That’s right, Al never really got military stuff. Before, Ed hadn’t bothered explaining more than he had to, and whether that was out of pity or discomfort, he couldn’t tell anymore. Instead of keeping quiet, though, Ed just huffed. “Well, after we figure out what’s going on, I’m gonna call either the Colonel or the Lieutenant and give them a report. After that, the Colonel gets to decide what happens, and we’ll be here to give updates until everything’s settled.”

“Oh, okay! So, it’s like playing detectives!”

The blond grinned at that, feeling some part of his chest tighten at the reminder of one of their old games. They hadn’t played it in years. Maybe… Maybe they could do it again soon, on one of Ed’s days off.

“Exactly! We get to play detective, and Mustang is our boss who gets to put the puzzle together after we get the pieces!”

The conversation kept dull after that, not that Ed minded, really. Al hadn’t been briefed on the situation before they left, so Ed gave him a basic rundown on how the town operated and who ran it. There hadn’t been much of a military presence since its original founding, and there hadn’t been an actual alchemist on those grounds in just as long. It was an absolute blessing that Ed’s memories hadn’t been wiped when he was sent back in time. Though, that would completely negate the reason he’d been sent back in the first place. A lucky break, I guess.

There was plenty of time, though, and suddenly a sense of Knowing came across Ed’s mind. A flash of White and Abyss and Nothing covered his vision as the echoes of tilted laughter bounced behind his eyes. Something still needed to change, something Ed could do here and now. But what? What could he make different now?

He looked back at his hands, and then at Al’s before he took a sharp breath. 

“Al.”

“Hm? Yes, brother?”

“You can’t do alchemy while we’re here.”

“Wh-What?” The disbelief in Al’s voice was almost tangible. “Why?”

“It’s already getting around that I’m a State Alchemist who doesn’t use Transmutation Circles. With what I’ve… With what I’ve Seen because of that day, I don’t doubt for a second you Saw something too.” He ran a gloved hand through his hair before dropping it in his lap with a heavy sigh. “I can do alchemy freely because of what I Know, and if something triggers your ability to do it too here, then it’ll spread even faster. And we- we can’t have that. Not yet, at least.”

The two sat in silence for a minute before Alphonse heaved an unneeded sigh. “Alright, brother. I… I trust your judgment. I won’t do alchemy in public while we’re in Liore.”

Ed gave the younger a weak smile. “Thanks, Al…”

After that, it wasn’t long until their train slowed to a stop. They were still far from Liore, but it wasn’t too long of a walk. By his estimation, the two would be in town in less than thirty minutes, and then they could stop so Ed could eat before heading over to where Cornello would be performing his “miracles”. Ed had to fight down a shudder at the thought of any human having enough power to play God. He Knew better, Knew more than anyone ever should, and Knowing just how close some men came to achieving godhood was sickening. Cornello was almost one of those men. If he wasn’t so reliant on the faux Philosopher’s Stone in his possession, the man would be much more dangerous. It was just Ed’s luck that he’d managed to fight a hand full of gods and fucking win.

It was a coincidence that the two happened to stop at the same food stand as before. The man working the counter made small talk, as customer service workers usually did, until Al had accidentally bumped his head on the ceiling, causing the radio to fall.

“Oh, look what you’ve done now, big guy!” The man grunted, glaring at Alphonse. 

“Chill the fuck out, okay? I can fix it.” 

He ignored the glare that had landed on his back as he knelt down. It was an easy fix, even easier than the time he’d completely refurbished Furey’s radio a few times. A clap and transmutation later, the radio was fixed and working better than before. The crowd that had gathered around them gasped at the show, and a few started whispering.

“You-You can perform miracles! Like Father Cornello!” One of them cried.

Ed fought back the urge to roll his eyes, instead forcing himself back on his feet. “No, I can’t. That was alchemy, plain and simple. No man can perform your, ah, miracles. ”

One of the other townsmen huffed. “Oh yeah? And who are you to say that?”

“Name’s Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.” He flashed his pocket watch to prove his point. “I’m here to investigate reports of some supposed miracles happening here. I guess I’m in the right place, huh?”

“You? A State Alchemist? Don’t make me laugh!” Another man cried, and Ed bit back the insults that weighed heavy on his tongue. He was here to do business and then leave. He already knew the Stone was a fake, he already knew what would happen if he reveals Cornello’s lies, he already knew what would happen after he leaves all these people to the wolves. Of course, now he had the opportunity to change that, to prevent it all from happening.

“You can check the newspapers if you’re really so disbelieving, but I am an Alchemist. Now, if you’ll excuse us…”

Edward turned and nodded at his brother, who picked up the food Ed hadn’t gotten the chance to eat. The sound of the crowd slowly disappeared, only to be replaced with loud cheering. With how, ahm, directionally challenged Edward was, he was forced to stand on his suitcase while using his brother for support. He could just barely see Cornello manipulating Nothing into Something and then into Everything. The flashes of the universe and All that it Held pushed to the forefront of his mind, but Ed pushed it away. He didn’t have time to lose himself to Truth and whatever gift he’d been given, not now.

“Brother, is that the man? The miracle worker?”

“Yeah, it is. Cornello’s been working as a priest for a decade or two, but he really caught the attention of the people when he made gold out of nothing. Brought the town out of poverty and rose to the top.” Edward frowned before stepping off of his case. “Due to the practically non-existent military presence, everyone here basically turns to him for the town’s issues. You got a leaky faucet? Call the priest. Need some food? Call the Father. Want someone you love to come back to life? Talk to Cornello.”

That last one made Al stumble, the sound of metal scraping against concrete momentarily drawing the attention of the townsmen. “That’s-That’s impossible! No one can be brought back to life!”

“I know. The raising the dead part is a rumor, but it’s one of the things we’re meant to investigate while we’re here.” That was a lie, of course. Ed already knew and Knew that Cornello had made multiple attempts at a botched form of Human Transmutation. He’d seen it with his own eyes before, and the crackling sound of birds trying to talk still haunted his dreams every once in a while. “We’ll stop by the church first, get a lay of the land, and then I’ll call Mustang and let him know we’re here.”

“Do you want me to stay with you?”

It was a common question that Al had taken to asking. Ed was beginning to think that telling his little brother he’d rather die than live in a world without him was a bad idea, but a part of his soul that had mourned the loss of his brother, however short it was, sang sweetly whenever the younger was nearby. Ed shrugged, though, as they started towards the chapel. “I don’t think they have a library here with anything useful, so it’d be more interesting if we stayed together.”

The chapel was empty by the time the brothers arrived. The original sight of Rose praying at the foot of Leto’s statue was replaced by empty air, and for some reason, Ed almost missed it. Rose had been a good person, albeit naive enough to believe her dead boyfriend could come back, but her heart was true enough. Still, Ed decided to take a seat in one of the pews and took out his travelogue. Alphonse made himself comfortable on the small bench, and soon a comfortable silence fell over them. 

“Ah, you two must be newcomers, yes?”

The voice was familiar, and for a moment, Ed couldn’t tell where he’d heard it before. When he looked up, the wrinkled face of Cornello was what he was met with, and Ed had to hold back a groan of disbelief. If he hadn’t known how much of an asshole Truth was, he would fully believe that the god was sending all these chances as soon as it was available. Snapping his journal shut, Ed gave a wry grin. “Yep, that’s us! We’re here from East City under orders from Colonel Mustang.”

“Really? I can’t help but find that hard to believe. You look so young!” The priest came closer, and Ed internally rolled his eyes. “Is there any proof? A name perhaps?”

“Ah, right, Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, at your service… sir.” He brought out his pocket watch, and part of him danced at the utter shock that painted the old man’s face.

“W-Well, this is certainly a surprise! What brings you all the way to our lovely town? Perhaps you wish to find solace in our benevolent god, Leto?”

The blond almost gagged at that. With how well he reluctantly knew Truth, he didn’t want to follow any sort of god, fake or not. “I’m good, thanks.” Ed stood, wincing as the port on his leg twinged at the sudden movement. He would have to visit Winry soon, wouldn’t he? “However, I do have some questions I need to ask you.”

“Well then, why don’t you two come to my office? It isn’t very far from here. Oh, but I must ask if your, ah, younger brother, was it? If he could shed his armor.”

Edward frowned and huffed softly. “Yeah, not happening, sorry.” He really wasn’t, but he was trying to be nice. “He’s doing some alchemy training that requires wearing armor for a few years, so I hope you understand…”

He gave the man a look he knew Hawkeye would give the rest of the team whenever she was heavily implying they do whatever she was suggesting. It seemed as though he had pulled it off, as Cornello just nodded quickly. “Of course, of course! I couldn’t ask someone as… experienced as you to disregard your own teachings! Now, if you’ll follow me, please.”

They walked through the cold hallways, slipping through old doorways and climbing a few sets of stairs. Edward was feeling the onset of a Bad Day with the storm he had no doubt was rolling in, adding on all this walking and general traveling. He was almost one hundred percent sure he would be out for the count tomorrow, but that just meant he had to get the ball rolling today. He would be able to hand the wheel to Mustang and Hawkeye after. They quickly reached Cornello’s office. It was almost like Ed remembered from before, but now without the familiar presence of Darkness and Evil and Malic that Homonucli seemed to bring wherever they went.

That just proved to Ed that they were far ahead of schedule. If they had arrived in Liore before Lust and Gluttony had time to really make their move, then Ed had plenty of time to make a new case against the phony priest. He put that thought on hold, though, as he sat in a chair across from the old man. Alphonse, sadly, had to stand next to the blond, as the chair was too small for him to fit without breaking or transmuting it.

“Apologies for the, ah, lack of chair for your brother. We weren’t notified of your arrival or his… size. ”

Ed’s blood threatened to start boiling at that. How was it that old white men always knew just the things to say to piss him right the fuck off? It seemed to be a universal talent for them all the moment they find out Edward even fucking exists. He shook it off and gave such a fake ass smile even Greed wouldn’t have wanted it. “It’s no problem, Father Cornello. As far as I’m aware, no one was meant to be notified of our arrival. Now, do you know why I’m here, sir?” Using his manners like his mother had taught him felt like pulling teeth, but he managed to succeed by some miracle.

“Well, I’m afraid I don’t! You see, we’re a very well-off town, and as far as I’m aware, the Fuhrer was completely fine with me taking the reigns of this place. The people seem just fine with it, after all.”

“That’s part of the reason I’m here today. You see, on all of our files, Liore was labeled as a dying town due to poverty and food shortages. Nowhere in any of our paperwork does it say when they started getting new lines of financial and food lines from outside their small border. Along with that, we have gotten more and more reports of a, ah, a ‘ miracle-working priest ’ as they call it. My Commanding Officer believes these to be connected in some way.” Edward couldn’t help but smile at the perturbed look on the old coot's face. “After the little show my brother and I witnessed earlier, along with the townspeople we interacted with before that, we believe you are using alchemy of some kind. Which, as you know, is no miracle, sir. ”

“That’s-That’s preposterous! I use no Transmutation Circles! I can create crystals from flowers! No ordinary alchemy can do that. Surely you must know as much, right?”

Edward wanted to scream, maybe bury his face in his hands and curse Truth out for putting him through this all over again. Sure, he hadn’t had this exact conversation, but just seeing Cornello’s face was torture enough in his opinion.

“Yes, it is impossible to do that with regular alchemy, but you aren’t doing regular alchemy, are you? No, you’re using a Philosopher’s Stone. ”

Chapter Text

The bed sheets were surprisingly warm when Ed finally collapsed into them. He and Al had finished questioning Cornello half an hour ago, which meant that Ed would have to call Mustang soon, lest he has to wait until the ass crack of dawn to actually report. That was another thing that Ed had decided to change up. Along with being generally a more polite person, he’d been giving Mustang an easier time too. He didn’t know whether that was because of what he Knew or because of how things had gone before he… well, died. He knew that Mustang had been the one to find and carry him after Al’s body had been acquired, but now he Knew what the man had been saying. He Knew the sound of those sobs that had fallen from his lips, the prayers that spilled from his mouth, the screams of agony that halted all movement around him after Ed had finally died in his arms. It hurt his chest, tugging at his heart in a way he hadn’t felt since Al first lost his body. 

Shaking his head, Ed forced himself on his feet. The storm he’d been expecting wasn’t as bad as his ports had been screaming at him, so that meant that whatever powerlines Liore had would still be functional. He opened the door to their room before pausing. “I’m heading down to call Mustang. You want anything?”

“No thanks, brother. Say hi to the Colonel for me?”

“Of course. Love you.”

“Love you too, brother!”

He stepped out and shut the door gently behind him before moving to walk down the stairs. His leg wasn’t feeling all too great, so Ed had to use the handrail to keep from falling and kissing the Earth a couple of times. Luckily, he made it to the ground floor without any incidents and limped his way over to the bar. “Hey, do you have any phones I can use?”

“‘F course, over in that corner.”

The man behind the counter pointed to the far end, right across from the hotel's entrance. Edward nodded his thanks before walking over and dialing Eastern Command.

“Hello, you’ve reached Eastern Headquarters.”

“Yes, this is Major Elric, I’d like to be connected to Colonel Mustang.”

“Alright, what is your code?”

“My code? Oh, it’s ah…” Ed had to think for a moment. He’d set up his code a few months ago when he and Al started leaving the East more often. Now how did it go… “It’s Fox-Mike-Afirm then Four-One-Nine.”

“Thank you, one moment please.”

The other end was silent for a few seconds before a click sounded in his ear. “Colonel Mustang speaking.”

“Hey, bastard.”

By the choked sound Mustang made, Ed figured the man wasn’t suspecting the blond to call anytime soon. 

“Fullmetal, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Thought you’d like the report now instead of when we’re both half-asleep. You up for it?”

“Yes, yes, of course. Let me grab some paper.” There was the sound of shuffling as Roy opened and closed the drawers on his desk. The man mumbled to himself before an unheard voice said something to him. “Ah, thank you, Lieutenant. Alright, Fullmetal, whenever you’re ready.”

“Well, Al and I arrived right on time, only to be met with a giant crowd of people. I mean, like, almost everyone who lives here kinda crowd. So we’re watching from the back when our guy starts making somethin’ out of nothin’, which just confuses the shit outta us both. So after the guy leaves, we go to the church they have here, and guess who we find?”

Mustang makes an unamused noise. “Our guy?”

“Bingo! So we get to talkin’, and I tell him that what he’s been callin' ‘miracles’ is just alchemy on steroids, but y’know what he says? ‘I’m not usin' a Transmutation Circle! Tha’s not regular alchemy, don’t you know that?’ So, 'f course, I tell him he’s using a Stone. And, y’know, I could’a been more graceful with it, but the look on his face? Fuckin’ priceless… ”

Cornello’s face somehow dropped even more at that statement. “W-What? How do you-”

“Know what that is? Sir, did you forget that I’m a State Alchemist ? It’s part of my job description to know about this stuff.” Ed leaned back in his chair, crossing his metal leg over his flesh one in an attempt to subtly stretch it. The stiffness of the chair wasn’t doing any help to his already aching port. “Now, you should know that the possession of a Philosopher's Stone is incredibly illegal, right? Or did your supplier not tell you that?”

“Is this some kind of trick? Did they send you?”

Edward tilted his head, raising a brow as he smirked widely. “What, you really think someone wouldn’t catch wind of your plan? You weren’t very subtle, y’know. And I highly doubt provoking a revolt against the government is gonna do the damage you want, no matter what Lust says.”

The name made Cornello flinch, and something in Ed’s mind flickered with that familiar Light. “Ah, that’s right, I forgot about her.” Another lie, but he was on a fucking roll, so who gives a fuck? “Is she the one who gave you the Stone? Or was it Wrath?”

“Brother?” Al spoke up, and Ed bit back another scowl and looked over to the suit of armor. He had forgotten his brother was in the same room, which meant that Ed had to be a shit ton more careful now.

“One of the reasons Mustang sent me here is because he found a solid lead on a Philosopher’s Stone. I read through a chunk of our old reports from any intel the bastard could get, and y’know the two names that came up a shit ton? Lust and Wrath.” He turned his gaze back on Cornello, who had tensed even more in his plush chair. “Now, I dunno who the fuck they are, but they’ve gotta be important if they can openly supply a fucking Stone, right? Or am I wrong, Father?”

“Y-You…” Cornello’s shocked look fell into a scowl as he slowly rose from his chair, his old and wrinkled hands scratching the wood of his desk. “You are far too smart for your own good, little boy.”

Did he just-

“ Who the FUCK are you calling a tiny little atom who couldn’t rid a microorganism, you son of a fucking hog doll?! ”

Edward clapped his hands and, with golden green light, transmuted a blade from his automail, and didn’t hesitate to jump over the desk keeping the two of them apart. Before Cornello could use the Stone to stop him, Ed was pinning the old man in his chair, the blade sitting just above the skin of his neck. To some Darkened part of Ed’s mind, the sound of Cornello’s whimpers of fear pleased him. That was a terrifying revelation, but the alchemist didn’t dare let his fear show now. Instead, he pressed closer and leaned in, his heavy breaths just barely ghosting over the priest's face. 

“Now, I’m going to be a good guy here and spare your fucking life, you got that? I’m gonna take that fucking stone from your finger, and I will leave this place. My only job was to find you, find the stone, then call my superior to get your fucking ass.” He pushed away roughly and all but tore the ring from Cornello’s fingers. The old man let out a choked whine, but Edward just sneered. “You’d better thank the fucking heavens that I swore to never take a life unless absolutely necessary.”

The Stone was heavy in his hand, and Edward couldn’t help but hear the voices that called from deep within the ruby depths. He could hear their prayers, their cries and songs of begging forgiveness. He could feel the warmth of their blood, compressed and tightened into a solid form that all but begged him to use it, to use the souls for his own volition, to send them all screaming to whatever god they had prayed to once upon a foreign time. 

He shook his head as he took a step back, slipping the ring into his pocket. His golden eyes met Al’s soul-lit ones, and the boy nodded. “Let’s go, Al. We’re done here.”

“It’s an absolute wonder you haven’t been killed yet, Fullmetal.” Roy drawled. Ed could almost hear the exasperated look the Colonel was no doubt giving the empty air in front of him. 

“Well, I guess I’m just that good, huh?” He chuckled. “But I do have the ring now, it’s up with Al at the moment. When can we expect you?”

“Ah, I won’t be going down there, actually.”

Edward blinked. This was a slight change of plans he hadn’t been aware of. In the corner of his eye, he saw the Light and Nothing again, and he was almost tempted to reach out so he could Understand, so he could Know. “Why not? You behind on your paperwork again?” He asked, praying that his voice wasn’t noticeably shaky.

Even if it was, Roy didn’t care to mention it. “Something has come up. You’re being assigned to investigate Youswell, that mining town not too far from your current location. I'm sure you remember it?”

“Wait, already? I only put in that request two months ago. And what about the mission here? We can’t leave it open like that.”

“And we’re not, Fullmetal, don’t worry,” Mustang assured. “I’m already sending down a handful of troops to arrest Cornello and continue where you left off. Write a report on your findings and leave it at one of the outposts nearby for them to find.”

“I don’t even know if there are any outposts.”

Roy huffed out a laugh, and Edward couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Every town has one, no matter how little our presence is. It should be close to the center or near the church.”

“Alright, I’ll look in the morning. But if there isn’t one, I’ll leave it at one of the banks for your men to retrieve.”

“Sounds like a plan, kid.”

“Shut the fuck up, bastard.”

He hung up the phone, and Edward let his shoulders drop. On the way back to his and Al's room, he couldn't help but compare his current standing with Mustang to the one he had before he was sent back in time. 

The first time around, he’d had a strange sort of trust and respect for the man. Mustang had given him an opportunity like no other, an opportunity he’d have to wait forever to get again. Mustang had held out an invitation for a second chance, a new lease on life, and Edward had taken it without hesitation. As time went on, Edward barely saw the man change in his way of life. Of course, now he did, but that didn’t change how he’d acted towards the man, oblivious to the care that Mustang held for him. The way that he’d seen fear and grief etched into Mustang’s bloodied face, the pain and desperation in his eyes, it made Edward’s heart clench even now. He could still feel those shaking hands cradling his face, calloused fingers brushing his cheeks as Mustang begged Edward to just be okay.

And then he died.

Now, though? Now Ed knew more. He knew the way Roy held the brothers close, how he tried harder than anything to keep them away from too much danger, how he took every opportunity he could to give Edward the best chance he could get. He knew the way Roy teased him was his way of showing his care, knew the way Roy pushed petty desk work was his way of telling him to slow the fuck down. He knew that Roy saw him as something more than he was, knew that Roy only wanted the best for him, knew that Roy would literally give his life if it meant Ed would be happy. 

In response to this knowledge, Edward was better. He still fought with Roy, of course, because that was just too much fun to give up, but he did more. He wrote proper reports, only complained about his work half the time, pushed in a good word for the Colonel whenever he heard someone complaining about him, and even started doing research on how to help when Roy inevitably becomes Fuhrer. Not that the man knew it, of course. 

Opening the door, Ed leaned against the frame and watched Al read the book in his hands. It was one they’d both read before, an introduction to Alchemy they’d found in Hohenheim’s study all those years ago. “We’re leaving tomorrow.”

Al looked up, eyes looking brighter than before. “Really? Where?”

“Youswell, the mining town I mentioned a few months ago. Gonna do another inspection.”

He fell back against his temporary bed, feeling his braid loosen at the movement. 

“Is there another lead there?”

The weight of the ring made its appearance again, and Ed had to hold back a short gasp. “No, no lead. I’ve just got a bad feeling about the tax documents I’ve seen from there.”

Alphonse hummed softly and turned back to his book. Instead of keeping himself comfortable, Ed got back on his feet and walked to the desk the hotel had provided. He wrote the report quickly, making sure to put down that the ring Cornello had been using had broken soon after Ed had taken it off of the old man’s hand. He didn’t need the Homunculi knowing he was in possession of one of their Stones so soon. The next place he was going was also put at the end of the report, just in case one of the soldiers needed to ask more questions for the investigation. A part of him felt so relieved he had gotten here early. He had more time to act, to stop Father from fulfilling his plan. He had more time to find Scar and, maybe, change his mind and even keep Tucker’s dirty hands far from Nina. 

It was fucking tragic that he wasn’t able to stop the man from killing his wife. He ended up being just a few days too late in the end, and by that time Mrs. Tucker had starved to death. 

Shaking his head, Edward took a deep breath. There were some things he just couldn’t change, it seemed. He hadn’t been sent far back enough to stop the Transmutation from happening or to stop Kimblee from killing far too many innocent souls. But he could still protect those he knew deserved it, and as of now, Scar hadn’t started his hunt for State Alchemists. If he Knew correctly, the man was wandering around the South, trying to find a way to decode the tattoo on his right arm. If Edward was able to help the man figure his feelings out, maybe the Homunculi wouldn’t catch on so soon. 

To be honest, he wasn’t doing all of this out of the goodness of his heart. He still hated Scar for killing Winry’s parents, still hated the fact that Mustang had kept so many things from him, still hated the way so many had died for no reason. He still hated how his hands remained so damn clean through it all, yet his heart we drenched in regrets and sins he couldn’t even name anymore. He was doing this for Al. He was changing it all for his little brother's future, for the chance he finally succeeds in bringing his baby brother’s body back. Without dying in the process, of course.

He was saving everyone because he knew that Al, the one who had met all of these people, who had made friends out of their enemies, who could see the good in all those he looked at, would want them to have another chance. This Al, who hadn’t yet seen true death, who hadn’t felt the loss of their friends and comrades. As his older brother, Ed knew it was his job to make sure Alphonse had a life to look forward to, even if it meant getting his hands a little dirty in the process.

But he was still so young himself. Ed wouldn’t usually admit it so readily, but physically he was fourteen still. He was almost twenty now, taking his age during the Promised Day and adding the three years he’d been in this whole situation. It was insane, knowing that he was a legal adult but not having the same impact. He couldn’t drive or drink, couldn’t get married without parental permission, but he could still go off to war if it ever arose again.

Ed’s shoulders dropped again, and he sighed heavily. They were leaving town soon, far sooner than he’d originally thought, but that might end up being a good thing. If the people of Liore figured out their priest was being arrested because Ed had stuck his nose where he shouldn’t have, they could start a good batch of riots to try and stop the military. But, it’s not like Cornello would have been able to continue his work as a ‘miracle worker’ without the Stone.

Speaking of which, Ed rested a hand over the pocket the ring sat in. He could feel the warmth radiating from it, and knowing just what was causing that warmth made the boy want to gag. Part of him wanted to tell his brother the Truth, about what the Stones were made of, about how they were created and for what reason, but he couldn’t. The thought of seeing Alphonse break, his hope fading as their only way of getting their bodies back was morally forbidden, it made his soul hurt. But that didn’t change the fact that he did have a Stone. He couldn’t tell how many more uses it could take, but Edward really didn’t want to take any chances of it breaking in the middle of a fight. So, instead of using it, he’d put it in a little bottle he’d bought earlier in the day. 

The Stone wouldn’t immediately change its shape, but over the next few hours, he Knew it would become an almost liquid, which meant harder storage in the long run. He’d have to hide it from Alponse as well. The younger knew Ed had it already, of course, but he didn’t want his little brother to think they could use it so freely. If anything, he’d reveal it again when they run into Doctor Marco. The man had more experience with the Stones than anyone else at the moment, so seeking him out would have to be somewhere on the to-do list. 

Taking a deep breath, Ed tore the report from his notebook and set it aside. He’d deliver it in the morning, on the way to the train station.

“I’m heading to bed, Al.”

The boy looked up from his book, and Ed could sense the peaceful smile his brother wanted to give. 

“Okay, brother! What time are we leaving?”

“A little after sunrise. If I’m not up, shake me?”

“Of course. Good night.”

“Night.”

Chapter Text

If he was being honest with himself, Edward had gotten remarkably good at avoiding his reflection. He strayed from mirrors, glanced at windows, and made sure to cover any reflective surfaces wherever he was sleeping for the night. One of the few places he couldn't avoid, however, was the bathroom mirror. 

He had just finished taking a shower, the warm water cooling on his skin, when his own eyes had caught his attention. They were brighter than he remembered, closer to his father's coloring than he'd let himself believe. Next was his skin itself. It was just as dark as ever, but now it was... clear. He didn't have half as many scars littering his body as he did before. The most noticeably absent was the scar from when he'd been impaled in Baschool. Even just the memory of that pain, the way his blood felt like boiling water on his chilled skin, the way his mind had become fogged with panic and fear and pain and so much more that his heart still raced today. His left hand ghosted over the area he’d once healed with his own soul, patched up with the power of a one-soul Philosopher’s Stone. It had hurt like absolute hell, almost as much as losing his arm and leg back to back, but now? He could avoid that. He didn’t have to get hurt, he didn’t have to give up a fraction of his life span, didn’t have to sacrifice himself to save himself. 

Blinking, Ed shook his head. His hair was getting longer again. He’d avoided getting it cut for the past few months, even skipping over the usual trim to get rid of dead ends. It hung down to his lower back now, and he couldn’t help but feel his chest tighten when he saw his own hair in a ponytail.

He’d told himself, all those years ago, that he’d never forgive his father for what he did. He’d never forgive Hohenheim for leaving them all behind, for killing their mother, for abandoning his baby brother in their time of desperate need. But now? He really didn’t know what to think. Hohenheim had left to save everyone, to stop Father from killing all of Amestris as he did with Xerxes. Hohenheim had always had the intention of returning to their home after he was done, after he found a way to finally let his body die. It… it hurt.

Hohenheim had left to protect them, and that knowledge alone went against everything Ed had believed in for over a decade. For eleven years he had held a burning hatred for the man he called his dad, and now that hatred had dwindled into that familiar sense of grief, of longing, an ache for something steady for once in his goddamn life. His heart cried out for Hohenheim, begging for his dad to just look at him for once in his life, to just look at his son.

His hand tightened on the towel in his hair, a shuddering sigh leaving his lips. Thinking about it would do him no good, thinking would stir nothing. He had to act.

He had to move.

In a weird way, Ed was gonna miss being in Liore. The two of them had been in the town for less than a day, spending more time in their inn room than investigating, but there was a strange sense of homeliness that just wouldn’t go away. Of course, Ed was forced to shake it off by the time he dropped his report summary off at the local outpost, and he knew why the town was so dependent on the phony priest now! 

The soldiers that had been stationed in the area had all become members of Cornello’s church and had even gone as far as to exchange their military uniforms for vestments. He made a mental note of the scene, fully intent on calling up his CO to make sure these soldiers couldn’t get one over on them, before turning back to his brother.

“Okay, Al, let’s head to the station. Our train should be leaving soon.”

The people of Liore stared at them as they walked, and nothing could keep their whispers from Ed’s ears. They talked of his work, of his coloring, of his limbs made of metal. Thankfully, it was nothing he hadn’t heard before. Boarding the train had to be the easiest thing they’d done that day, and Edward couldn’t help but melt in his seat as the sun warmed his skin. 

“So, Youswell?” Al asked.

“Yep,” Ed popped the end consonant, opening one of his eyes halfway to look at his brother. “I went over tax forms with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes and Sergent Wayne a couple months ago, and we found that the income for First Lieutenant Yoki was incredibly high, while the wages of the townsfolk were absolutely abysmal. I put in the request to investigate under both Mustang and Hughes’s orders not long after, and it got accepted a few hours ago.”

“Sure is an interesting way to start the week, huh?”

Ed couldn’t help the soft chuckle as he rested his head against the cool glass window. The train lurched beneath them, but enough time spent on the damned things had made the brothers almost oblivious to the movement. “Sure is.”

The place was a ghost town when they arrived. Travel time had taken a few hours longer than expected thanks to a handful of downed trees, but they’d made it there eventually. Edward took up his case and hopped off of the platform, grinning when he heard the fond huff of his brother at the sight. “Let’s get started on this in a bit, I gotta call Winry and the bastard.”

“Already?”

The teen made a show of rubbing his arm, only half-faking the pained wince as he touched a sore spot. “Yeah, somethin’ is making my arm stick more than usual, and I’d rather not get hurt or killed because I was a fucking dumbass again.”

“That sounds like a good plan…” Al then gasped, placing his leather gauntlets on Ed’s shoulders and forcing the older to turn around. “What happened? Are you sick?! Oh, speak to me, brother! Speak to me!”

That got a good laugh from them both, and Ed even had to wipe a few tears from his eyes as he leaned against his baby brother. “I’m not sick, you big baby, I just have a head that likes to work sometimes.”

“Emphasis on the sometimes part.”

Ed let out an offended snort, whacking Al’s arm with his automail somewhat gently, just enough to make a short sound that he knew the younger heard. “Hey now! I’m your big brother, show some respect!” 

The sounds of their laughter trailed through the sad-looking town, and sympathy bubbled up from Ed’s heart as he watched a few children duck from their view. It looked just as bad as he remembered it, but he still had time, he would make sure of that. Nothing should come up to stop Ed from tricking Yoki again, and putting on a selfish farce would be just as easy as before. After all, it wasn’t too hard to pretend you’re something that you hate. 

The two of them approached a familiar-looking tavern, and Ed forced down a knowing smile when he stepped in. Last time he’d been here, his name hadn’t been quite well known as it was now, and he’d gotten his fair share of dirty looks from the townsfolk thanks to that. But now? He was gaining his good reputation far sooner, which meant a better light in the darker towns, which meant he wouldn’t be knocked off course as often.

As soon as the brother had stepped through the door, all eyes were on them. A good handful seemed to recognize Ed’s signature coat and hair almost instantly, causing stares and whispers to fall upon his back. These ones were different, of course. The adults who knew who he was whispered to the clueless folk around them, and before Edward could find a place to sit, the tavern owner was standing in front of him.

“Well, if it isn’t a State Alchemist. Come to take more of our money away?”

Halling looked just as rugged as he did the last time Ed had seen the man. It was a clear giveaway that what Ed had stumbled on in the time before had been going on for far too long, longer than he had originally thought after taking a look at those papers.

“Ah, no, actually. I’m not.” Edward gave a pleasant grin, crossing his metal leg over his flesh one as he leaned forward onto the table. “I’m here to investigate a surprisingly high tax rate with an incredibly low wage average.”

That made the room pause, and the blond boy could have sworn he heard a mouse somewhere in the next room over. The silence was broken by a stray cough, and the air was quickly filled with questions. Ed leaned back in the chair, letting his eyes fall shut as the words washed over him. It wasn’t like he could just start answering all of them, but far too soon, Halling’s fist slammed against the table, startling golden eyes open.

“What the hell are you playing at, boy?”

The words would have had an underlying tone to them, a threat of harm or despair to any normal man, but Ed shrugged it off. He gave a lazy smile and dug into his coat’s pocket, drawing out a folded tax form. “A friend of mine and I were going through some tax files he’d temporarily misplaced, and I found this lying in the middle of the stack.” He unfolded it and let the older man take a look. “For such a once prosperous town, I couldn’t help but be incredibly confused by how little you all were making. Of course, the minute I saw who’s running your town, I put in a request to investigate.”

“You know Yoki?” A stranger asked. The man looked older than Halling, his hair almost white and bushy eyebrows practically hiding his gray eyes.

“Only by word of mouth. He’s had trouble with a few places in the past, and I’m a little disappointed that the military let this man run off with all your money for so long.” The words were working, and Ed could see the way Halling hesitated to relax before his shoulders just dropped. A few more words and the plan would be officially set into motion. Before speaking again, Ed stood and extended his left hand, giving an easy smile. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.”

“The People’s Alchemist? From the East?” A young girl, probably only two years younger than Al, piped up.

Ed grinned as Halling took his hand. “The very one! Now, how exactly would you like me to help?”

Halling had called Yoki’s mansion, delivering the message that a ‘highly important State Alchemist’ had arrived to inspect the mines and the surrounding areas. Apparently, Yoki was ecstatic that someone other than a regular MP had come to the town and had all but rushed down to meet Edward in the tavern. The boy had been sipping on a short glass of Cola, letting the chill of the drink calm his newfound nerves. 

In the before, Ed hadn’t made a sound plan to help these people. It had only been after he’d been kicked out of the tavern and picked up by Yoki that he’d gotten a proper idea of what to do. But now? Now he had people who knowingly relied on him. Now he had strangers looking to him for freedom, for retribution to the highest degree. There were small children, mothers, fathers, widows, and orphans looking to him for the light of day. And who was Ed to let his people down?

Yoki had stolen the young alchemist early in the night, which left Alphonse in the tavern with the rest of the townsfolk. The two of them had agreed to separate for this mission, not finding any reason why Ed might need extra backup. Al had been happy to stay behind, though, and had found himself a little place in the corner of the room to sit and people watch. Before he’d walked out the door, Ed had seen a gaggle of small children crawling all over his baby brother, and the blond could practically feel the happiness that radiated from cold armor. 

But he wasn’t there now.

Yoki sat several feet ahead of him, the spots on the table in front of them filled with expensive food and drink. 

“It’s such an honor for me to be hosting a genuine State Alchemist such as yourself in my humble abode! And since we are so… blessed to have such a talented scientist in our midst, you should have him take a look at your alchemic attempts, Lyra.”

The young woman pouring some water into Ed’s glass smiled softly, looking up at Yoki with cool eyes. “Yes, maybe it-”

“Nah, I already know.”

That drew attention back to the young boy, who fought back the urge to tense up. He had fucked up. Again. He hadn’t actually seen Lyra’s alchemy in person yet, as there had been no need for the lady to destroy half the fucking tavern that was at the bottom of the hill. But he could make this work, he literally had to make this work. His eyes caught sight of her necklace, and a shock of Knowledge shot through him unwarranted.

“Her necklace has a transmutation circle etched onto it. From what I can see, its runes give her the ability to liquefy the air around her, which in turn gives you the freedom to reduce and vaporize it, producing a shockwave of sorts. Could take out buildings if you’re not careful with it.”

“You-You can deduce all that just by looking at the circle?! ”

Truth, Yoki’s voice was fucking grating on his ears. It was bad enough he’d had to deal with Cornello just yesterday, but this? This was making him religious just so he could curse out whatever god was listening. But, as a State Alchemist, Edward didn’t voice any of his thoughts. Instead, he gave a patient smile, crossing his legs again and resting his hands on the table. 

“Of course. I’ve been studying alchemy for as long as I can remember. I specialize in metals, of course, but I have dabbled in a handful of other types of alchemy.”

“I see,” Yoki leaned forward, setting the knife and fork in his hands down onto his plate. “Say, what brings such an honored young man like you to my humble town?”

Ed couldn’t help but grin slightly, his heart beginning to race at the thought of finally revealing that Yoki’s fucked up business was coming to an end, but he stopped. A flash of White, a sense of Falling and Stopping and Turning made his stomach twist. He… He couldn’t reveal it yet. But why? He asked himself. He deserves it. He deserves to panic.

Temper temper, young alchemist.

The voice made Edward freeze, his breath hitching as a tooth-aching laugh rang in his ears. He blinked quickly before taking a shuddering breath.

“My Commanding Officer, Colonel Mustang, sent me to inspect your mines.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. Ed knew the town had been in need of a proper inspection, and that was what the boy had been sent to do originally, so it was easy to let the words fall from his lips. Luckily, the answer seemed to be exactly what the First Lieutenant was expecting to hear. 

“Well then!” He clapped, standing from his half-eaten food and motioning for his staff to clear the table. “Why don’t I show you to your room for the night? After all, you can’t do a proper inspection while half asleep!”

He didn’t sleep that night. It was a common occurrence when he was someplace new without his brother, a tendency he had never really shaken off his subconscious, but that just let him work more. His notebook was filled with more notes, a few new Transmutation Circles were added to the collection, and Ed had even started the draft of a letter to Major General Armstrong requesting to visit Briggs in the next year or so. He’d have to call up Northern Command before he goes, of course, since he really didn’t want to go through the trouble of fighting the Briggs military men all over again, especially if that meant Al would lose his precious hair to save his stupid big brother. He needed to get the General on his side as quickly as possible, but there was a part of his heart that longed to see them all again. He hadn’t been able to get into contact with General Armstrong or Major Miles before he had died getting Al back, but he had heard that Major Buccaneer had died after fighting with Wrath. 

Before he knew it, the sun was peaking through the curtains, and a knock sounded from the door. 

Edward jumped up, performing a quick cleaning transmutation on his clothes to make them look less ragged, and then opened it. Lyra stood before him, her eyes cold and a fake smile plastered on her face. “Apologies for waking you so early, Major.”

“No, it’s no problem. I was already up.” The woman moved back and motioned Edward to follow her. He did, of course, but not without tucking his journal in his inner pocket. “So, where’s Lieutenant Yoki?”

“He is eating his breakfast. He requested I bring you to the table sooner rather than later.”

The boy hummed, and he was soon sitting across from the balding man. Yoki had cleared most of his plate before chugging down glass after glass of water and coffee. When he was offered some, Edward had refused and asked for tea instead.

“An alchemist drinking tea? Why, I think the world is ending!”

Yoki’s voice had not been kind to Edward’s ears so early in the morning, and the boy had to hold back a growl. “Well, I can’t make my usual blend so far from home, can I?”

It sounded playful enough to not draw attention, but Edward could see the way Yoki had tensed. “W-Well, I suppose not, haha…”

He hummed softly as a cup of tea was placed in front of him. The porcelain was warm, and he was going to take a quick sip when something whispered in the back of his mind. 

Check.

The transmutation was quick and simple, no flashy lights or real movement was made as the cup was brought to his lips. The liquid didn’t touch him, though, he made sure of that after he found fucking poison in his damned tea. Another transmutation later and that poison was swiftly ineffective, and the boy stared Yoki right in the eyes as he took a large swig of it.

“So, is there a reason you wanted to see me so early, Lieutenant?”

Yoki gaped for a few seconds, his mouth opening and closing before he gave a hesitant smile. “Well, s-sir, is the inspection of the mines really why you’re here? Nothing else?”

An opening. A chance to put the plan into action.

Letting his shoulders drop, Edward heaved a large sigh. “Oh, if I’m going to be honest, I was getting so bored in Eastern Command. Mustang sure knows how to be a slave driver when he puts his mind to it, y’know?” He tilted his head, letting his rest against his automail port as Yoki nodded. There was a glint in the man's eyes, which meant it was working. Thank fuck. “Getting out of Command was my biggest concern, but now I just need someplace to hunker down, maybe get some extra earnings.”

“If I may, I could offer something that could be of use.”

Edward raised a brow, looking at Yoki lazily. “Hm? What is it?”

The older man beckoned someone forward, and a nicely sized back clicked onto the wooden table. You have got to be fucking kidding me. Ed had thought that if he’d played the role of a schmoozy Major seeking a place to hide from his boss well enough, Yoki would just hand the town over and move on to his next pet project, but no, Ed was just a fucking dumbass. Of course Yoki wouldn’t give the place up for no reason. As far as he was aware, the place was lining his pockets with more than just gold after all these years.

“I think this little bag of goodies might do you well! I have to admit, the mines here are… well, for lack of a better word, they are horrible . The townsfolk just won’t work like they used to, which means our mines are dusty and creaky from unuse. So, how about a deal? You take this bag of coins, and I’ll get a good review in your report. How does that sound, hm?”

If Truth was meant to be a loving god of some sort, Ed would sing its praises if it somehow managed to drag him from this situation. God, he really fucking hated men. He grinned, taking and opening the small bag only to be met with the familiar shine of golden coins. The exact ones he’d used on that pile of coal to trick Yoki. With an inward sigh, the boy let his shoulders drop. Guess if you can’t change things entirely, it’s good to fall back on the past.

Chapter Text

He had left Yoki’s place with the horrible urge to hurl his fucking guts up. He half believed it was because of staring at Yoki’s ugly mug for so long, but he knew that his little run-in with that minor poison in his drink would have done something to his system, even after nullifying it. But, still, he was out of that damned fuck-all mansion and on his way to a cart full of coal. It was there that he’d call up Yoki, asking him to come down so he could investigate a ‘strange discovery’, and then they’d have a little conversation.

And, thanks to his somewhat-existent Elric luck, it went exactly according to plan.

Yoki had fallen hook line and sinker for the trap, more than happily handing the deed to the town over in exchange for some under-the-table gold bars Ed had just happened to find. The deed had made itself home in his inner pocket, which meant that his plan was almost over now. Before he could deliver it, though, he had to make a call.

The phone rang quietly in his ear, and Edward shook off the feeling of eyes on his back. 

“Eastern Command. How may I help you today?”

It was the same receptionist as before, and a part of Ed relaxed at that fact.

“Hello, this is Major Elric again. I’d like to speak with Colonel Mustang.”

“Alright, is it an emergency?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Alright, you’ll be connected in just a moment.”

Another click and then a round of silence until a bout of static appeared.

“Colonel Mustang speaking.”

“Hey, fuckwad.”

Mustang choked on his spit, and Edward grinned. He could hear a couple of strangers fighting back the urge to laugh, which just made the situation all the better.

“Fullmetal! Why are you calling me this time? Did you destroy the town already?”

“Oh, as if. I’m more responsible than that, and you know it!” He crossed his arms, putting his weight on his right leg as he huffed. “Nah, I’m calling because I’ve got a neat little detail about First Lieutenant Yoki. Did you know he’s wringing the townspeople dry of their money, and then wringing them even more? Like, I didn’t think taxes could ever get so high in one place, but Youswell? They’ve got it.”

“Really now. And how did you find this out exactly? I know the tax papers talk, but you wouldn’t be this fired up over some paper and ink.”

“I went to the fuckers house! Did you know he’s got a fucking mansion on a hill? Full of the whole nine yards of wait-staff, he’s got a shit ton of food that he barely even eats before throwing it away, and get this! He tried to bribe me!”

“Bribe you? Everyone knows by now that never works.”

“Exactly! But, anyway, I took the money, of course, and I may or may not have scammed him just a teensy little bit, and now I may or may not be in possession of the deed to the whole town and its mines…”

The was silence on the other end of the line, and Edward shifted to balance on the balls of his feet. A heavy sigh broke it, and Edward fought down a laugh.

“So you now own Youswell? Am I hearing that right?”

“Yessir, I do,” Edward replied, a slight grin on his face. “I’m thinking of buying a room at this inn, and it should cost the same amount to rent as this paper cost to make… I guess it’s also a good thing the mayor of Youswell also owns this tavern with his wife and son, right?”

He knew by now that Halling had appeared somewhere behind him, and by the shocked noise coming from his left, he knew exactly where. The boy turned to give the older man a wide grin as he pulled the deed from his jacket, waving it slightly. 

“And what of Yoki?”

“Hm? Oh, that fucker? Got no fuckin’ clue, to be honest. If anything, he’s on his way to-”

A loud crash at the front of the tavern interrupted Edward, and golden eyes met furious black.

“ You! ” Yoki’s shrill voice cried out above the shouts. 

Edward let out a loud groan, silently stuffing the deed back into his pocket before turning his attention back to the phone. “Sorry, Colonel Mustang, sir, but I believe I have some business I need to attend to before I can finish my report.”

The change was staggering, but the blond found some amusement at the sight of Yoki’s floundering at Mustang’s name and rank.

Said man hummed softly before falling into a soft chuckle. “Alright then, Fullmetal. I expect you’ll be back at Command soon?”

“Of course, sir. Try not to get into too much trouble without me there. I do like watching, you know.”

“Hush up, child. I’ll see you in my office bright and early in two days, got it?”

“Understood.”

He hung up before rolling his shoulders and turning his attention back to the balding man. “Can I help you, Lieutenant?”

“You tricked me! You gave me false gold! I can have you Court Martialed, I could have you killed, you-you-!”

Edward’s brows rose, mock offense on his face. “Why, Lieutenant, I would never! I left your home earlier today to inspect the mines, and haven’t seen you since. Are you alright?”

“What? No! We made a deal! The gold bars for the deed of the town, and you tricked me! You gave me coal, and we had a deal! ”

With a scoff, Edward put his hands on his hips. “Now, Yoki, I know you’re not pinning the blame on me for something your incompetence caused.”

That made Yoki pause and think. “Wha?”

“I understand we had been drinking a little too much last night, but surely you remember? We were filing some of your old paperwork when I found a tattered old thing and asked about it. Do you remember what you said?”

“N-No, I-”

“‘It’s nothing,’ you told me, ‘go ahead and burn it or throw it out, it serves no use to me.’”

“But, I would never-”

Edward held up a hand, forcing a smile onto his face as a laugh fell from his lips. “Of course, if that isn’t what happened last night, then that would mean you’ve been threatening a Superior Officer, right? And a, what did you call me, a prized State Alchemist at that. Tell me, how would your Commanding Officer feel about getting a call from Colonel Mustang and spilling all the beans you’ve tried keeping together here? Hm?”

The tension in the room was suffocating, but that didn’t stop Edward from keeping that shit-eating smile on his face. Honestly, he was loving the way Yoki shifted uncomfortably as he thought of the consequences he could face if Ed really did go through with everything. “Y-You’re right, sir! Haha, how foolish of me! To think that someone like you could do something so, so evil , haha!”

It was then that two large shadows appeared behind Yoki, and Edward let a real grin fall onto his face. “So glad we could come to this understanding, Lieutenant! Now, I think you have something a little more… dire to worry about, yes?”

The tavern was quiet for a few seconds after Yoki had run out, his men following close behind. Edward walked himself over to the table he had claimed less than twenty-four hours ago, propping his feet up again the wooden surface with an accomplished sigh. He pulled the crumpled deed out and lay it flat on the table, all but calling for Halling to come over.

“You actually did it, huh?”

“I said I would, didn’t I?” The boy huffed softly. “I don’t go back on my promises, old man.”

That made Halling chortle as he fell into the rickety chair across from him. “So you don’t. You sure you just want a room for the night?”

The Alchemist shrugged as he pushed the paper further toward the mayor. “Yeah, I’m sure. Add in a free meal for the morning and we’ve got a deal.”

Halling nodded, and soon Ed’s small hand was enveloped by a larger one. “Of course, Mister State Alchemist.”

“Back on the road again.”

Edward leaned further into the back of his train seat, letting his head rest against the cold window to his right. Alphonse was sitting opposite of him, a new bundle of books in his lap as he hummed softly. “It seems so, brother.”

A hefty sigh fell from the boy, which slowly turned into a groan as he forced his body to sit up. “I’m not excited for this trip.”

“It’ll be a few hours until we get to Eastern Command, right?”

“Yeah, and that’s only if we don’t get stopped on the way. But with our luck, that’ll be exactly what happens.” The train lurched dangerously beneath his feet, sending the small boy against the wall. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

Before Alphonse could respond, the train screeched to a halt. Fellow passengers whispered and muttered to one another, a few ballsy men even peeking their heads out of the windows. A loud bang echoed through the air, effectively silencing those in the car around them. The sound of something wet against cold metal met Edward’s ears, and gold eyes looked over to the man sitting at the other wall, just to the left of his booth.

A sharp gasp tore itself from his chest, and Edward stuttered out a choked noise. The smell of copper invaded his nose, and the boy held back a gag as he turned to his brother. The man’s head was gone.   “A-Al, fuck, Al, look at me.” 

If a suit of armor could look downright terrified, then Alphonse had managed to master the art in less than five seconds. “Br-Brother? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, I- Look, I need you to stay here, okay? I need you to-to, uhm, look after the other passengers here.”

“But you-”

“Al.” Edward forced his voice to be gentle, yet firm, a painful reflection of how Mom used to scold them all those years ago. Instead of shying away from the vocal resemblance, he leaned into it. “Alphonse, I will be fine, I promise. I know you’re scared, I am too, but I have to find out what’s going on.”

“But I can help!”

“I know, I know you can help. You can help by staying here and watching these civilians. I highly doubt any of them know how to defend themselves, and if someone comes in here looking to hurt them, they won’t be able to get far. Can you do that for me? Can you protect them, just for a little bit?”

A high-pitched whine came from the depths of the armor before Alphonse nodded. “I can, brother.”

With a quick nod, Edward turned back to the civilians. Most were staring at the newly-made corpse with fear and horror, while others were desperately trying to find a way out. “Hey!” None of them looked at him. Edward growled before standing tall, banging his metal fist against the side of the train. “ Hey! Listen up!” That caught their attention, and soon the whole car was looking at him. “I’m Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I know you’re all incredibly scared right now, but please believe me when I say that no one else is going to get hurt.”

“What’s going on?!” Some man in the back cried, and Edward took note of how he was curled around two young boys. A pang of familiarity ran through his chest before he mentally shook it off.

“I don’t know yet, I’m just as in the dark as the rest of you, but I’m going to go find out. While I’m gone, my younger brother,” He stepped back, motioning towards Alphonse with a soft grin. “Will be looking after you all. If anything happens, he knows how to contact me and how to protect all of you.”

He left the car silently after that. His brain was buzzing, his teeth chittering softly against one another as terrified shivers ran down his body. It had been long enough since he’d seen someone die that he’d almost forgotten what it looked like, what it smelled like. He’d forgotten the smell of pennies in the air, the rattling chill that fell over everyone nearby as they watched the victim fall to the unfeeling ground. He’d forgotten the panic, the fear at the thought that he could be next, that he would be the one to die next, if not because of his title then because of his sins. Edward shook his head quickly as he climbed to the roof of the car in front of him. He needed to figure out what the hell was going on, and he needed to do it fast.

Before he could take another step, though, something flashed in his eyes. The smell of gunpowder, the heat of explosions and blood on his skin, the ringing in his ears as legs that were not his ran over bodies and debris. He blinked again, and he stuttered out a dry heave.

He could See guns smoking, could taste the burnt bodies and the powder that flew in the air. Screams met his ears, the screams of those who were innocent, begging to be spared, begging to be let live before being shot and killed.  Like they were cattle. Edward Saw Amestrian soldiers marching through heat and bloodstained sand, their voices shouting orders and threats heavy enough with hatred and contempt that the wind could barely carry them. He Saw Hawkeye and Mustang huddled together beneath an outcropping. The woman was holding her gun close to her chest, eyes blown wide with adrenaline as she struggled to line up and make her next shot. Mustang was doing his best to steady her, his eyes dark with something closer to Death than anything Living could ever compare to. Before she could take a shot, Hughes appeared and settled himself in the middle of them both, blood and guts smeared against his skin and uniform. 

But, just as quickly as he Saw it, it all disappeared once more, dissolving into the Nothing and Everything as though it had never left in the first place.

Chapter Text

If he’d had a plan going into this mess, Edward would like to think it’d be going exactly as he’d hoped. Walking across the top of the train had been easy, peaking into each car to check on everyone’s status had been a little harder, but he’d made due. The hard part came when he reached the front. From what he could make out, the group of five Aerugonian men had come through the desert up to Youswell, where they’d boarded the coal car with no problems. They’d taken the conductor captive and were arguing with one another in broken Amestrian while Edward simply watched.

He knew he had to act soon. Several people had already died. He’d heard the gunshots, smelled that smoke and blood in the still air. Of course, those things could have been fragments of that… vision he’d had when he first got on the roof. He’d think about that later, though. For now, he had a train full of innocent civilians to keep safe.

One of the Aerugonians left the small pack to look out the window Edward was stationed close to. The dark-haired man lit a cigarette, leaning out the side, head tilted just enough to catch a glimpse of the boy on the roof. The moment Edward knew he’d been spotted, he grinned. It took less than five seconds for the boy to flip through the window, crashing through the smoker and effectively knocking him out, which obviously caught the attention of everyone else in the car. 

“Who are you?!” One of the men shouted, pointing his knife at Ed.

“Uh, the guy who’s about to kick your ass?” 

The leader of the small group let out a growl before rushing at the Alchemist, most definitely trying to kill the boy. Not that that would happen, of course. Edward dodged, turning to the left so that he could alchemize a polearm from the extra metal in the car. The light was flashy enough to distract the men for a second, which was a good enough opening for Ed to work with. He swung between the legs of a guy on his right, sending the stranger off balance and into his pal on the left. He twisted and blocked a sharp blade that came far too close to his hair than he was comfortable with, but he could worry about an express trim after he was done. 

As he pushed against the eldest man's weight, Edward looked towards the conductor. “What the hell are you waiting for? Call the damn military!”

That seemed to snap the man from his shock, and the conductor rushed to his radio. A pair of twins tried stopping him, but Edward managed to launch the leader away from him long enough to tackle one of them. He had been doing surprisingly well so far, fighting in such closed quarters with so many people, and solo nonetheless, which meant one thing. 

His luck was gonna run out sometime soon.

A strong kick landed against his left side, and Edward felt the air leave his lungs in a rush. He took a harsh breath in before he sloppily dodged a punch from one of the twins. In his haste to move, he stumbled into the range of the knife-wielder, who took the chance and fucking ran. The knife was held against his throat, poised and ready to fucking kill him at any second. Instead of panicking, the boy took a deep breath, blinking slowly as he stared at the ceiling of the car. The men were arguing again, two voices down due to Edward, so that was a good thing. That also meant they had forgotten the conductor and his call to Eastern Headquarters, and that meant that backup was on its way. Taking a deep breath, Edward forced his body to go lax in the hijacker's arms. The sudden weight caught the man off-guard enough for Ed to slip away, taking the knife with him, and brace for any new attacks. Nothing came, though. 

Off in the distance, the boy could see a batch of military vehicles kicking up sand. Help was coming faster than he’d thought. In the back of his mind, though, a little voice doubted that those were for him, that they were for these men, that this was their plan all along. Before he fell too deep into that rabbit hole of thoughts, Edward glared at their leader. 

“So, you gonna tell me why you’re on this train? Or should I beat it out of you?”

The leader, a burly man with graying hair and an obvious limp when you were looking for it, bared his teeth. “That is no business of yours, child.”

“I think it is, buddy.” He flashed the chain of his pocket watch, which was still secure in his pocket, and saw the recognition in their eyes.

“You are a dog? A puppy like you? Hah! This country really deserves what we have planned.”

That… Wasn’t concerning at all! Nope! There was absolutely no reason for Edward to panic right now! “And? What is it?”

“Just this.” The leader stepped away from the wall he was close to, revealing a small machine. It didn’t look like anything the boy had ever seen before, almost like it was something out of a novel. There were wires poking from every side, bolts and screws somehow both holding it together and tearing it apart. The soft whine of metal brushing against metal appeared once he started paying attention, and Edward had to stop himself from rubbing his ears to soothe them.

“What…”

“Your little leader, the Fuhrer was it? Well, he’s going to get a good surprise when we arrive in Central.” The man grinned wickedly, and Edward couldn’t help but gasp. “It all goes boom. ”

Well fuck.

Without wasting another second, Edward twisted around and kicked one twin left standing in the head, earning a loud groan and a few startled shouts. He kept a tight hold on the knife as he charged at the biggest man, one of the only two left standing. The hijacker obviously underestimated how clever Edward could be, though, as he didn’t prepare for the boy to slip between his legs and take a dirty shot at the area with his automail leg. That just left the leader.

“Why?” Edward growled.

“Why not?”

There was a click, the sound of a barrel turning, and the smell of gunpowder in his nose. For a moment, Edward was blinded by panic and the need to survive. The sound had come from behind him, aimed right at his head, right where he couldn’t defend himself. The heat had grazed his cheek somehow, leaving barely a scratch as he turned. Everything seemed to move so slowly, everything sounding as though he were underwater.

He saw the gun, saw the flash of the muzzle as the bullet was fired, heard the pop and crack of the hot metal coming in contact with something. Then he was moving again. His feet went first, dragging his body. His hands took the gun, whipping the burly man with it hard enough to draw blood. Another crack, and Edward's finger was on the trigger. The grip was hot, almost like it was burning his skin, even when separated by cloth. He ignored it, and turned to the leader. The man was standing up, his left leg bleeding from the shot intended for Edward. He was still alive.

…

Not for long.

Another bang. A flash of light. The smell of blood in the air. The warmth of something on his face as he turned to the last man standing. The burly man’s mouth was moving, words no doubt falling from sinful lips. But Edward heard nothing. Instead, he saw the ruins, saw the dead soldiers scattered around his feet, felt familiar hands pushing him onto his back. He felt tears that weren’t his own on his cheeks, lips mournfully pressed against his forehead as his lungs struggled to take in air. The vibrations of bombs falling to sandy grounds, of guns firing into empty air, of his fellow soldiers collapsing.

Another bang.

Edward blinked.

“Must-ang?”

The air around Edward was still, a nice sense of peace that didn’t register as deserved in his head. The Colonel was standing just a few feet away, talking with Hawkeye about something when the boy had spoken up. Eyes of coal met gold, and whatever sense of composure the older man had fell away into nothing but concern and fear. Fear for not himself, but for Edward. Gloved hands appeared on his cheeks, holding them gently as his body was pulled into a weak hug. It was familiar, an echo of something he’d once had so long ago. He brought up a hand to weakly grasp at Mustang’s jacket, feeling his lungs expand shakily as he tried to breathe again. 

“-ar me? Fullmetal?”

“Hm?” The boy hummed, blinking fog from his eyes. He’d been pulled away from Mustang’s shoulder, now being held at arm's length as his team looked him over. 

“Fullmetal, what happened?”

That’s a very good question, Edward thought to himself. What had happened? “I… I was with Al, on the train towards the back when we stopped. We - There was a gunshot, and a-a man was hit. Pretty sure he’s dead now.” A choked noise came from somewhere to his left, right where Fuery was standing. “I left Al in charge while I went to investigate and I… There were five of them. Aerugonians, that is. A-A pair of twins, a big guy, a teen, and their leader. I knocked three of ‘em out, but I don’t…” His brows furrowed as his mind started getting foggy again. “I… What happened to the other two?”

He looked up at Mustang, seeking answers that he didn’t know could be answered. The hands on his shoulders tightened as the Colonel took a deep breath. “You killed them, Fullmetal.”

Edward’s stomach dropped at that, a cold chill seeping into his bones as he tried to register those words. ‘ You killed them, Fullmetal.’ He’d done what? He couldn’t have! He’d sworn he wouldn’t kill! He’d promised! He-

Warmth. 

The boy took a shuddering breath before a harsh sob punched its way from his chest, the familiar heat of tears on his cheeks as he grappled for purchase on the Colonel’s jacket. His chest felt numb as he wailed into familiar arms. More hands appeared on his back and arms, fingers brushing against his jacket and hair gently, bringing any sort of comfort it could offer. Faster than he’d liked, one of Mustang’s hands moved from around Edward, only to start untying the now messy braid his hair was in.

Gloved fingers brushed through his tangled locks, and the man began rocking from side to side, keeping Edward close to his chest. Words were spoken above his head, but nothing made any sense to him. The sounds were a garbled mess, sounding nothing like any language Edward knew. All he could really tell was for him were the quiet hushes coming from Hawkeye and Mustang, their hands grounding him and keeping him so close, so warm, so safe.  

His eyes fell shut.

“ Back so soon, Little Alchemist? ”

Edward blinked slowly before taking a deep breath. He was laying in front of his Gate with a familiar being standing just above him.

“What am I doing here, Truth? What do you want?”

“ Y’know, I gave you that little Gift for a reason, My Alchemist. ” Truth pouted, moving away so it could sit next to the boy.

“You never told me what it was. How am I meant to use it?”

Truth just hummed, and an uneasy silence fell over them. Edward was half tempted to fall back asleep, to feel the weightlessness of being unconscious all over again, when his own hand flicked his forehead. “What?” He growled.

“ They were bound to die anyways, Little Alchemist. ”

“Wh-”

“ Those men that you killed. They were going to die as soon as they appeared at that train station, no matter what they did. You being the one to kill them did not change their fate. ”

“Why are you telling me this?” He choked out, pointedly looking up at the Nothingness below him. 

“ I can’t have my favorite human be destroyed over such a little decision, can I? ”

“Oh, so I’m your favorite now? I thought you hated me.”

Truth laughed again, and little black hands appeared to force the boy to look at the Universe. “ Maybe, once up a Generation, far between the Stars and the Knowledge, I hated you. But You? I could never! ” It leaned closer before settling its hand of Nothing and Everything on Edward’s only flesh hand. “ You are a child of Light and Darkness, of things even I struggle to comprehend. Your brother is in a similar boat, of course, but You? Why, You defy all expectations those around You put You up against. You are Defiance and Understanding and Heart incarnate, the Collection of all of Humanity in one body, one mind, one Soul. ”

“But what-”

“ I do not hate You for what You have done, Child of the Unkown, and I will not hate You for what You will and will not do in the future. There is a part of me that lives in You, that lives in all of the humans You know and see, of all the things that have lived and died and haven’t yet lived and haven’t yet died. Just as I am all and all is me, You are all and all is You. ”

Edward felt those hands start to dig into his flesh, heard the sound of his gate creaking open, Knew that he would be taken out of the Inbetween soon. He blinked, looking at Truth with wide eyes, silently asking why. Truth just smiled.

“ If I am All, and You are All, doesn’t that make us One and the Same, Little Alchemist? ”

The world came to Edward slowly, like the waves from the pond near his childhood home were washing over him and pulling his mind further and further away from the Gate and the All and the Nothing. He blinked open his eyes, ready to see the sky and clouds, only to find himself in an all too familiar office. Sitting up on the Colonel’s couch, he found said man's jacket was now laying dejectedly on the floor, no doubt having been his substitute blanket after he’d passed out. He picked the piece of clothing up as he stood, draping it over his shoulders and pulling the ends around his body tightly. Being back in the real world meant that Edward could start thinking again, no longer surrounded by all that Knowledge and Seeing and Truth.

He had killed two people. He had raised the gun he’d taken, pointed it at the men, and he’d shot them. He officially had blood on his hands now, and Edward didn’t know if that made him feel better or worse about the future he was striving for. Even with what Truth had told him, about how those men were destined to die no matter what, did that mean that Edward would have to change to make the change he wanted? If he wanted Alphonse back and whole again, living in a good country that wouldn’t try to kill him as soon as he started living again, would he have to dirty his hands? Would he have to stain his clothing and darken his eyes? He’d already known it to be a possibility, a route he might have to go down, but being forced to take it so suddenly? That thought made his heart ache and his chest scream with unknown emotions.

Hand resting against the doorknob for almost a minute now, Edward shook his head before pushing the door open. The familiar sight of his team and Hughes was what greeted him.

Before he could force it down, a smile had made its way onto his face, and to his surprise, each of his friends returned a smile of their own. The boy made his way to his desk, momentarily pausing to stand next to Mustang. The older man looked down out of the corner of his eye, and Edward just huffed. He leaned against the Colonel’s arm, taking in what bit of warmth he could before pulling away with a small ‘thanks, bastard.’

The moment he was about to sit at his desk, a hand appeared on his shoulder. “Hey, why don’t you come sit with the rest of us? We’ve already moved your work for ya!”

Edward couldn’t help the tears that welled in his eyes at that. A little kindness, a small mercy for someone like him after he’d done something so terrible, it felt… good. The boy swallowed thickly before nodding. 

“Yeah, let’s go sit.”

Chapter Text

“Ah, there you are, Fullmetal. Have a seat.”

It had been three days since the train hijacking, three days since Edward had seen Truth again, three days since he’d killed two men with his own hands. He’d been allowed some time off of work, but it was obvious that the adults around him weren’t happy with what little time he got. So here he was, sitting on Mustang’s leather couch once more, staring at the wall with masked boredom. 

“What’d you want, bastard?”

“I’ll tell you once you actually look at me, child.”

Edward groaned loudly, rolling his eyes hard enough that his head fell on the back of the couch. He turned to look at the Colonel with a half-hearted glare and got an amused smirk in return. “What.”

“I have someone I’d like you to meet.”

That caught the blonde’s attention, and he unknowingly sat up straighter. “Really? Already?”

The Colonel shrugged with a short huff as he took some papers from a manilla folder on his messy desk. “I was already planning on introducing the two of you to each other after you got back from Youswell, but I thought you would have liked a short break before jumping into everything again.” He looked up at Ed with a knowing grin. “Was I wrong?”

“Shut up, Mustang. Who’s the guy anyway?”

“Shou Tucker, the Sewing-Life Alchemist.”

Well fuck.

Of fucking course, if there was one thing that Edward had forgotten to do, it was building his damn case against Tucker. Sure, he still had a little less than a year until Tucker’s recertification, but that wasn’t much time in the grand scheme of things. Getting close to Tucker’s exam also meant that Scar would start killing State Alchemists soon, which was another thing that had slipped the boy’s mind. Making a mental note to start taking this shit seriously again, Edward held out a hand for the papers.

They were well put together, a careful documentation of the man's work throughout his time as a State Alchemist. He’d never seen the battlefield, hell he’d never left the East in general, which meant he didn’t have many places to turn to if he turned tail and ran off. There were also notes on his wife leaving him less than three months into Tucker’s attempts at certification, and a few on the chimera he’d made to actually receive that certification. It was disgusting, reading how Mrs. Tucker had suffered for three whole weeks until she’d finally died of starvation. There weren’t many pictures of her after the experiment, but Edward could see traces of deep brown, almost black hair trailing down the chimera’s back. 

It made him sick.

“Well, are you interested?” Mustang’s voice brought Edward out of his thoughts.

The boy took a breath before shrugging. “Sure, I guess. Would Al be able to come?”

That made Mustang shift. “Unfortunately, no. The Fuhrer seems to have caught on that you’ve been bringing a civilian on all of your missions, and he’s not entirely pleased about it.”

Something about that made Ed’s stomach twist with unease. Something had happened, something changed enough to make Father want to separate them. Was it the encounter with Barry a few years ago? Or the train situation? Hell, was it just the fact that Ed seemed to find trouble everywhere? Whatever it was, Father was trying to put his foot in it to preserve at least one of them for the Promised Day. Not like that would even happen, though.

“So no Al?” Edward tossed the papers back on Mustang’s desk so he could cross his arms with a fake pout. “Where’s he gonna go then? We don’t really have a house…” They did have a house, though. But it wasn’t one Ed was willingly going to send his baby brother back to without someone with him.

“You still have a dorm here, you know. Alphonse can stay there while you’re off seeing Tucker, and you’ll be expected to report after every evening.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Treat it like a mini-mission, got it.” The boy stood with a short huff. “Is that all you needed? Or can I go now?”

Mustang stood as well, dusting nonexistent dirt from his pants as he walked around his desk. “No, actually. There was one more thing I wanted to ask you.”

The blond looked up with a confused frown until the Colonel put his hands on Edward’s shoulders, gripping them gently. “How are you holding up, kid?”

“I-uh, what?”

“What happened earlier this week hit you harder than any of us really thought, and you haven’t been given much of a break after it. So, how are you feeling?”

“Uhm, better, I guess,” He shrugged, pointedly avoiding those eyes that were too warm, too soft to be his Colonel. “Al’s been helpin’, and Hughes dropped in a few times.”

He must have said the right thing, because Mustang let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropping with the sound. “That’s good. You been having any thoughts?”

That made Edward pause, blinking as the momentarily tumbled over the words. “Thoughts? Like, the - the bad ones?”

With a wry chuckle, Mustang nodded. “Yeah, like the bad ones.”

“Uhm, not really? I’ve been keeping my mind off of it all, mostly reading and stuff. If I think on it too long I…”

“You…?”

“I feel… It doesn’t matter.” Edward fought back the lump that had started forming in his throat, trying to shove Mustang’s hands from his shoulders so he could leave.

Instead of loosening, the grip only tightened, and Edward was brought closer to the Colonel. “It does matter, Ed. I know what you’re going through, trust me. Hawkeye and Hughes do too. We want to help you through this, kid, you don’t deserve to go through it on your own.”

For a split second, Edward saw the three of them huddled under that alcove, guns to their chests and guts on their clothes and faces. He could smell the blood that coated their hands and matted their hair. He could feel the fear in their hearts, their souls pounding and crying for a way out, to be free of that hell they were fighting in. 

And Roy was right.

Before he knew it, Edward’s shoulders were shaking again and his eyes began to sting uncomfortably. Those arms on his shoulders brought him close again, and Edward happily buried his face in Roy’s chest. All of the stress he’d been bottling up, all the pain and anger he’d let fester in his heart was finally breaking free, and Edward could do nothing to stop it. Roy shuffled them closer to the couch, and the two of them landed with a pair of short huffs. As tears continued to fall down his now-flushed cheeks, Edward brought his knees up to his chest and curled further into Roy’s hold, sniffling as his braid was swiftly undone.

Those fingers carded through his golden locks gently, slowly pulling tangles out soothing the top of his head. It felt nice, being held like this by someone so much bigger than he was. Being held by Winry was okay, although whenever she did, his chest always got tighter and his face far too warm to be natural, but this? It felt… better than most things in his life. If he dug far back into his memories, before his mother died and his father left, Ed could vaguely recall the way Hohenheim held him as he worked. The older man would sit the boy on his lap and let Ed play with his free hand as the other either took random notes or flipped through a dusty old book. 

But this hold was different, was better in all senses of the word.

When his cries finally started tapering off, Edward didn’t pull away. Instead, he curled further into Roy, stifling a wet laugh as the man heaved a great sigh before pulling Edward onto his lap fully. The blond was encased in warmth, in the feeling of being cared for, of being loved. It was something he had never expected to feel from a man like Roy. Mustang hadn’t made the best first impression, pulling him up by his night shirt after Ed had lost two limbs in one night and yelling in his face about what he’d done not even twenty-four hours earlier. And, of course, there was the fact that the two of them never had the best work relationship after Ed had joined the military. But Roy was different, somehow.

Ed could faintly recall how Roy first appeared in his memories. It had been almost three days after the Transmutation to bring his mother back when two soldiers had appeared, both looking panicked and worried. Granny had let them in, pushing her distaste for the military aside to show them some basic courtesy, when Roy had seen Ed sitting in his chair. Instead of shouting, of yelling at Ed like Mustang had, Roy had knelt down and whispered to him. He had placed a gentle, gloved hand on his non-injured leg and asked if he was willing to explain what had happened. 

Of course, it wasn’t like Ed could readily respond just yet. Even now his mind was fuzzy when trying to recall anything from before his appearance in this new past. But that initial meeting had changed almost everything Ed thought about Roy. Roy wasn’t Mustang just like Mustang wasn’t Roy. Mustang, as much as he cared for his men, wasn’t the type to give physical comfort like this. He strayed from hugs and casual touches, only really accepting anything other than a handshake from Hughes and Hawkeye. But Roy? Roy would give anything if his men asked him. And when it came to Ed, Roy spoiled him fucking rotten with attention.

The boy could still remember how he’d reacted when Roy had hugged him for the first time. It had been right after a scouting mission had gone wrong, and Edward had almost gotten shot a handful of times. He had been the only one out in the open on the field, which meant that he was the main target for the guys they were looking for. He hadn’t gotten hurt, of course, but that hadn’t stopped his team from being worried sick. Right after Ed had walked into Roy’s office after being checked by the medical staff, the Colonel had ordered him up to his desk and then proceeded to hug the fucking shit out of him. Edward had tried to fight it at first, pushing and insulting the man to get him to let go, but nothing worked. 

He’d only stopped because he heard the man sniffle. 

Nowadays, Ed was much better with the affection the team gave him. Such as now, with Roy rocking them slowly as he messily braided the boy’s hair.

“You suck at that, y’know.” Edward croaked, not bothering to fight the fond smile off of his face.

That earned him an insulted noise from the Colonel, who, in return, ruffled Ed’s hair into a mess of gold. “The things I bother to do for a brat like you. See if I do it again.”

Ed gave a little laugh before silence fell over the room. He knew Roy was waiting for him to talk about what was bothering him, about what had been weighing on him hard enough to bring him to tears, but he simply didn’t know where to start. Should he tell him about his nightmares? About the Gate? About Truth? About being from the future? If he admitted any of that, what would Roy even think? Would he call Ed insane? Say he’s lost his mind? Tell him he’d broken after killing those men?

Just the thought of someone he saw as a father calling him broken and useless and weak made him want to cry again. He’d already lost so much, why couldn’t he just keep one of the few good things he had?

However, the weight of his Knowledge was heavy on his Heart. If Roy was being truthful when he said he wanted to help, then why not risk it for the chance of solidarity with someone other than Truth?

“I’ve died before.”

Just that sentence alone was enough to catch Roy’s full attention. The grip around his body tightened, and the fingers in his hair stilled. “What… What do you mean, Ed?”

“I died on March 20th, 1915 after the Promised Day went wrong.” The boy took a deep breath before pulling back a bit so he could look Roy in the eyes. “What-What I’m about to tell you is all true, I promise you that. I just- I can’t keep this to myself anymore.”

Roy was quiet for a second before nodding. “Okay, go ahead and report, Ed.”

He nodded and started from the beginning. He told Roy about his father leaving and his mother dying, of the Human Transmutation attempt and their first first meeting. Told about Truth and the Gate, about Tucker and Scar, about the Homonculi and Hughes’s death, about Kimblee and Briggs, about Father and the Promised Day. About how things went so wrong in the end.

“You were the one who found me, y’know? I’d just gotten out of the Gate after sacrificing almost three-quarters of my life for Al’s body back, but apparently, I’d… I’d already reached that time limit. I think you were only a few feet away, cause you showed up pretty quick.” Ed gave a weak chuckle, pointedly avoiding Roy’s eyes. “You… You held me. Kept me to your chest while I bled out from all the shit put in me before the Transmutation. Pretty sure you were crying too, but I-I… I couldn’t hear it. You said somethin’, I know you did, but I…”

There was nothing left to say. Edward wanted to look Roy in the eye, wanted to see what the man thought of his senseless ramblings, wanted to know just how much his opinion of the boy changed with all of this, but he just… he just couldn’t. It made Ed frustrated to no end that he couldn’t muster up the courage to just look up and see Roy’s face, but no matter how hard he tried, his heart just wouldn’t let him.

The sooner he looked up, the sooner he’d lose Roy too.

But then, against all odds Ed had thought of, Roy pulled him closer, burying his nose in Ed’s hair as he just held him. A new, previously unknown part of Ed’s soul broke at the action, and for the second time that day, he cried.

It was cathartic, letting loose all the tears he’d been holding for almost a decade now. Every time he allowed himself to fall apart, whether that be with an audience or by himself, he found he just couldn’t get himself to stop until he ran out of tears. 

“I’m so sorry, Edward.”

The boy gripped Roy tighter, curling further into the warm embrace as he sniffled. “You-You believe me? Really?”

“Yeah, I do, kid. You’re not the kind of kid to lie about this stuff.” Roy pulled away, forcing Ed to look him in the eye, and grinned. “So, how can I help?”

Chapter Text

The Tucker home was just as lifeless on the outside as Ed remembered it to be. Roy stood next to him, a large hand resting on his shoulder, grounding him steadily. It took less than a minute for the boy to work up the courage to knock on that damned door, but it opened quicker than either of them expected. A little girl stood behind it, her blue eyes shining with unhindered curiosity. It was Nina. Ed’s chest clenched painfully as Roy’s grip tightened. There was no doubt the man knew who the girl was too, and with that knew what could very well happen to her if they didn’t act fast. 

Before the little girl could say anything to the two soldiers, a man spoke from further in the house. “Nina? Who’s at the door, dear?”

The voice made whatever sweetness at seeing Nina again curdle into something sickening. Shou Tucker himself appeared in the doorway next, further opening the door at the sight of the two. “Ah, you must be Colonel Mustang and Major Elric, right? Please, come in, come in.”

Edward had to keep himself from staring at Nina and Alexander, the latter of which had just appeared from the kitchen area, as he walked three steps behind Tucker. Roy didn’t move his hand from Ed’s shoulder, which the blond was ever grateful for, up until they were taking their seats at the dining table. Silence permeated the air, neither soldier saying a word until Tucker shifted in his seat and gave a weary grin. 

“So, any particular reason I have two esteemed State Alchemists like yourselves in my home?”

Riza and Maes had just arrived in Roy’s office, their concern almost palpable the moment their eyes landed on Ed’s teary face. 

“Colonel? What’s going on?” Riza asked, her fingers twitching towards where one of her holsters sat. 

Roy raised his hands before sighing. “Here, come sit, I’ll explain as much as I can.”

Edward hadn’t needed to say a word during the entire summary of all he’d dumped on the Colonel half an hour ago, and part of him was ever grateful for that fact. Once Roy started delving into what happens with Tucker in the next year or so, Edward turned his attention to the leather couch he was still sitting on. It was smooth under his buzzing hands, bringing a sort of calmness over his mind as he rubbed his palms against the surface. The couch didn’t squeak, thank all fuck, which just made it all the better. He didn’t know if he could handle something that sounded like that damned mineshaft after all his heart’s already been through today. A hand landed on his back, and Edward blinked the thoughts from his head as he looked up.

“I’m so sorry, Ed,” Maes whispered, guilt and agony in his eyes as he leaned to take Ed’s hands in his own. “You don’t- you didn’t deserve to go through all that. I’m sorry you had to.”

The words were nice, he had to admit, and hearing them from Maes, who he believed he had failed for years made them all the better. Then Riza shifted and took Ed’s automail hand from Maes. “I’m very glad you told Roy, and that you agreed to bring us up to speed. I swear to you on my life that we’ll get through this. Together. Understand?”

He nodded quickly, biting back at the thickness in his throat that appeared again. A soft, calloused hand that felt so much like his mother, so much like something he’d both lost and never had, cradled his cheek so gently it hurt. Ed let out a soft whine as he buried his face in that hand, ignoring the fond chuckles that his action had earned him. Looking up, his golden eyes met Riza’s chocolate brown ones, and he smiled. 

“I-I’m glad I told him too…”

They stayed like that for a while, curled around each other, basking in that pleasant warmth until Edward took a deep breath. “A-About Tucker.” That caught the attention of the three adults, and they pulled back enough to let the boy stretch a little. “I still need to go visit him. I-I’ve been working on a case against him since I first got here, I just need pictures as further proof.”

Maes hummed to himself before standing and making his way to Roy’s desk. “Shou Tucker, right? This guy?” He held up one of the photos of the man, and Edward nodded. “Alright, I’ll see if I can start a minor investigation on him under suspicions of malpractice and malicious use of alchemy.”

“But would that slide?” Edward could help but ask. “I mean, this is the fucking military we’re talking about. Two people in this room had used alchemy in a malicious way either before or during their time here.”

“That’s true, but Tucker was hired as a research alchemist only, you were filed under both research and soldier, and Roy is just plain soldier. A research alchemist using their alchemy to cause harm to civilians without it being an order from a higher-up is a big no-no around here.” Maes put the picture back in the folder before bringing it to the couch. “Do you have your case with you?”

“Oh, uhm, yeah. It’s right here.” Ed took out his travelogue and flipped through the pages. A few of them were stained with water due to his bad habit of walking in the rain, but none of the pages he needed were damaged. “Here.”

He flipped it around and let the three adults skim through his messy handwriting. Riza frowned before taking the notebook and pointing towards a little note Ed had made. “It says towards the bottom he was killed by Scar before. When was it?”

“The day after he turned Nina and Alexander into a chimera. He’d snuck into the house after killing the guards stationed out front and blew both of their brains out.”

“When exactly did this all happen? What was the motivator?” Maes asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

“It was his recertification,” Edward whispered. “He’d turned his wife into a chimera two years earlier in order to get his certification as a State Alchemist. He tried a few more times to recreate what he’d done with regular animals, but… none of them worked. He told me himself that his family didn’t matter to him, so long as he got to keep his title and the money he got with it.”

That made Roy growl under his breath, and Maes hissed a breath through his teeth. “So, what are we gonna do? With all we have here, combined with the fact that Mrs. Tucker hasn’t been seen in almost three years, we can almost promise he’ll face jail time.”

“But it’s not enough.” Riza huffed, shutting Ed’s notebook and handing it back to him.

“Like I said, I just need pictures to further back up my claims. But to do that, I need to go to his house again.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Roy asked, furrowing his brows. “You couldn’t have left that place unscathed the first time around, and you’ve already dealt with plenty in the last week. This can wait.”

“No, it can’t.” Ed clenched his fists before taking a deep breath. “I can’t fail her again, I can’t-”

“It wasn’t your fault though, Ed,” Maes murmured, and both Riza and Roy nodded in agreement. “There’s no way you could have known your first time in this situation. Hell, none of us ever suspected the guy of anything until you told us! So don’t blame yourself for something you had no idea how to fix.”

“But I could’ve- I should have-”

That hand was on his cheek again, and Ed shuddered. “It wasn’t your fault, Edward. You don’t have to run yourself ragged to help Nina because you aren’t alone this time. You have us, don’t you?”

The boy nodded, and Riza gave that soft smile she only ever gave the Colonel on a good day. It made his heart swell and his soul sing, and he couldn’t help but lean forward to that his face was buried in the crook of her neck. The Lieutenant hummed as she wrapped her arms around Ed, squeezing him just tightly enough to be on the borderline between suffocation and love, and Edward couldn’t find it in himself to pull away. “In four days, you and the Colonel are going to go to Tucker’s home and do a mini-interview. After that, it will be completely up to you if you want to keep going over there. We don’t expect you to do all the work, Edward, so don’t put that unneeded pressure on yourself, alright?” Riza’s voice was soft but firm, unmoving in her stance on the subject. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Roy and Maes nodding in agreement. 

Smiling slightly, Edward leaned further into her arms. “Understood, sir.”

“I heard from a friend of mine that you specialize in biological alchemy. That just so happens to be one of the few fields Major Elric here hasn’t managed to master. I was wondering if you’d allow him access to your notes and any books you might have on the subject?”

Tucker looked pleasantly surprised, blinking owlishly before all but grinning. “I don’t see why not! Any particular reason as to why you’d like to learn bio-alchemy?”

The attention turned to Edward, and the boy fought down the bile that was creeping up his throat. “Well, like the Colonel said, I haven’t been able to get much information on it. I use almost every other form of alchemy pretty frequently, but I’d much prefer to do something that deals with biology in a more controlled setting than an office or my dorm room.”

That earned a rickety laugh from Tucker, which made Edward’s stomach roll. “I understand, my boy.” Truth, that made him want to gag. “Well, how about I show you around before we make any extra plans, yes?”

Roy nodded, and the three of them stood. Right before Tucker opened the door, Edward could hear a set of tiny feet running away from the doorway, quickly followed by the familiar sound of claws clicking against hardwood floors. That sense of fondness swelled in his chest again, and Ed didn’t bother hiding the fond smile on his face. 

“I’m sorry about those two,” Tucker started, no doubt seeing that Ed had noticed the child's retreat. “It isn’t very often we have guests anymore.”

“It’s no problem, really. I’ve got a younger brother of my own, so I get her curiosity.” 

Tucker hummed before motioning the two alchemists to follow him. They went to the mini library first, and Edward could barely hold himself back from diving into all the reading material. Of course, he’d already read through all the books he could possibly find of use during his first trip here, but that didn’t stop him from staring at some of the older books hungrily. Next was Tucker’s basement where he conducted all of his experiments. It was incredibly loud, the sounds of barking and yowls filling the air. The animals and somewhat stable chimeras banged and shook their cages violently, and Edward ended up flinching when one particular creature managed to stretch out far enough to grab at his coat. Tucker had simply slapped the thing’s wrist, giving it a stern glare that Ed knew was much harsher than its outward appearance.

After that, they went back to the dining area, a little more rattled than they were expecting to be, but still in one piece. 

“So, will I be expecting you soon?” Tucker asked, and Edward bit back a sneer at the playful look in the man’s cold eyes.

Roy just hummed, though, and looked at Ed thoughtfully. “I’ll have to discuss it with Edward, of course, but if he returns tomorrow then you should have your answer. Along with him, I’ll send another one of my men to drop him off and pick him back up at the end of every visit.”

Something about that made Tucker upset because as soon as Roy mentioned a chaperone, the warmth in his smile vanished. “I see. Well then, I hope to see you soon, young alchemist.”

They left after that, much to Edward’s great relief. The trip back to the office was quiet, and the boy let himself rest his head against the side of the car and close his eyes. The darkness of the back of his eyelids was a welcomed sight, and a part of him was greatly relieved that he wasn’t being visited by Truth again. He could only handle so many interactions with the godly being before his resolve started to fray. Time seemed to pass quickly in the darkness, and eventually, he felt his body being moved by something other than inertia. Squinting his eyes, Ed saw Roy not too far above him and felt two arms under him. One under his back and the other under his legs. It was painfully reminiscent of his last moments with Mustang, and the boy couldn’t refrain from shuddering before burying his face in the man’s jacket. 

It smelled of ash and mediocre cologne, just the way one would expect a man like Roy to smell. Aside from that, it smelled like a sense of togetherness, like a line of gold on some Xingese plates that were once broken. It smelled like family in the way that Resembool smelled during the summer months, filled with bonfires and parties to celebrate the coming and past harvests. It smelled like a father that was always waiting with open arms, a man who always made time for those he loved, a man who didn’t dare turn his back on his family, even if it killed him.

It smelled like Roy.

“You know, with how much you stick yourself to me during these things, I’m starting to think you don’t get much attention.”

Roy’s chest rumbled with the words, and the feeling just pushed the boy deeper into whatever sleepy delirium the stress he’d been harboring the last few months put him in. In his daze, though, he didn’t have as tight a grip on his lips as he normally does. “That’s b’cause I don’t.”

The grip tightened momentarily before Ed heard Roy take a breath. The sound of a door opening met his ears, and soon the sound of Team Mustang filled the air. “Colonel?” Riza’s voice called.

“I’m here, Lieutenant. Fullmetal is too, though I believe he’s a little out of it.”

There was that damned word. Edward felt his brow twitch as his eyes shot open and his flesh hand batted at Roy’s shoulder. “Who the hell are you calling so little he can’t even walk over carpet hairs?!”

The room filled with laughter, and Ed couldn’t find it in himself to be upset by that. His chest expanded with that familiar warmth as Roy put him back on his feet.

“I believe you are calling yourself that, Ed. Now, the workday’s almost over, so why don’t you head back to your dorm and hang out with Alphonse?”

Ah, Ed had almost forgotten! “Sure thing, bastard! See you tomorrow!”

Chapter Text

The day started off calmer than Ed would have expected after last night. It wasn’t too terrible, not that he would ever admit otherwise, just a little scare. To be honest, it was kind of Ed’s fault in the first place. If he had just knocked on the door to announce his arrival, then maybe he wouldn’t be nursing the bruise of the century on his back. 

It’s just that, after dealing with Tucker most of the day, Ed had felt far too exhausted to even think properly. His limbs were heavy with exhaustion and his mind had been fogged by darkened memories from what could now be considered the future. It hadn’t crossed his mind that Al might have had some trouble earlier that day, or that his younger brother might still be a little on edge after the whole train hijack situation, but either way, Ed hadn’t knocked on the damned door. He’d opened it after struggling with the key for two minutes before he’d managed to finally unlock it. However, the moment he opened the door and walked a few steps in, something hard hit his back. It knocked the air from his lungs, forcing the blond to gasp and cough as he struggled to breathe again.

The next thing he felt was a large hand on his back with a tinny voice calling in his ears. Alphonse had apologized profusely after Ed had regained his bearings, helping the older brother to the small bed he’d claimed for himself when they first received access to the room. 

“It’s nothin’, Al.” Ed remembered saying, only half lying as he forced himself to take a calm breath. He didn’t need to worry his little brother more, especially when he’d just blame himself.

Though, it was obvious that Al had taken his words with a grain of salt, as the armored boy stuck close to Edward after that, dragging all of the books and journals he’d been looking through to the blond’s bedside so they could stay close. Not that Ed minded, of course. It was nice to have a root of familiarity after the past few hours. The boy had fallen asleep not long after he’d selfishly asked his brother to read some random theories to him, to which Alphonse had happily obliged.

And that brought him to the present, where he was staring at the decently sized bruise that spanned across his mid-back. It wasn’t anything to worry about, of course, but the tightness of his skin made it just a tad hard to breathe. 

As he said, nothing to worry about.

Shaking his head, Ed brought himself back to the present. He’d already come to the decision to see Tucker again, wanting to make sure this whole mess was properly taken care of before he got distracted again, which meant he had the whole day to spend with Al. The idea of spending countless hours with his little brother made his chest feel warm with excitement. He hadn’t been able to do anything really fun since before his trip to Liore, and that was almost a month ago now! In any case, he had to find something to do with his little brother, something they’d both enjoy, because this outing will be for the both of them.

Tugging down his shirt, Ed took as deep a breath as he could before walking out. 

“Are you okay, brother? You were in there for a while.” Al was sitting at the little table in their living area, books scattered around him with a small one propped against his metal feet. A pang of far too familiar guilt shot through his heart, and Ed had to swallow down a thickness in his throat.

Betraying what was happening in his mind, Edward grinned. “All good, little brother! Say, is there anything you wanna do today? Anything fun?”

Alphonse seemed to perk up at that, his back straightening as much as it could as his helmet moved up and down. “Yes! Well, actually, I don’t have anything in mind, but I have an idea!”

The blond alchemist walked over and made himself comfortable leaning against cool metal, and knocked his automail fist against a scratched chest plate. “And? What is it?”

“Maybe we can go to the park? And then the animal shelter? I saw a bunch of kittens there the other day, and I wanna take them somewhere safe if they’re still there.”

It was so characteristically Alphonse that Edward couldn’t help but grin, pride filling his heart as he looked into his brother’s soul-lit eyes. “Yeah, we can do that, no problem. When do you wanna go?”

“How about-” A loud gurgle interrupted the younger, and Edward could feel his face heating up in a blush as he looked down at his stomach. Al just giggled, though, and nudged Edward to his feet. “How about after you get something to eat, brother.”

The sun was nice, and fluffy clouds dotted the sky in random patterns. Ed was on his back, laying in the grass as the cool fall breeze passed over him. Alphonse was in search of the little kittens he’d seen the other day and had practically forced his older brother to stay put to ‘keep it a surprise’ as he put it. Not that Ed would have fought him, of course. He wouldn’t admit it, but his back - and subsequently ribs - was still bothering him, and laying on it barely helped in the breathing department. All of that was pushed to the back of Ed’s mind the moment he heard Alphonse cresting the small hill.

“Brother, look! They’re here!”

Gold eyes traveled to his left, and there he was. The giant suit of armor had an absolute armful of a mama cat and what looked to be six or seven kittens. Their fur was mostly orange and white, but a few of the kittens had brown and black speckles across their torsos. One of them even had a little patch over its right eye, making it look like a tiny pirate. Edward couldn’t help but grin as he sat up, ignoring the way his lungs twinged at the movement. “Oh wow, those are some tiny little guys, huh?”

Al’s tinny laugh met his ears, and Ed wanted to melt at the sound. He absolutely adored his little brother’s laugh, the way it always echoed the sunshine and all the good things in life. Of course, for the past few years, it had been tinged with metal and blood, with a sense of grief neither brother was able to get rid of, but the time would soon come when that would fade. Ed was sure of it.

The younger of the two brothers slowly moved to sit down, humming with satisfaction when the mama cat just purred loudly, rubbing her cheek against his chest plate. The sight was adorable, and if Ed was anything like Maes, he would be taking so many pictures. But he didn’t have the money, time, or storage to take care of and keep a camera, so he just had to commit the sight to memory. A light weight suddenly appeared right above Ed’s leg port, and he saw the tiny body of the little pirate trying to crawl its way up his pants. “Aren’t you an adventurer?”

The kitten just looked up at Ed with those big eyes and mewed softly. He cooed in response, using his left hand to scratch just under their little chin. 

“Aren’t they so cute, brother?”

He looked over at Al and couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the boy laying down and covered in cats. “They are kinda cute. It’s too bad we can’t keep any of ‘em. Not yet, at least.”

“You mean we can really get a cat?”

The hopeful tone in Al’s voice made Ed’s chest twinge slightly. Had he not been clear enough when he first said it? Had he not said it enough? Either way, he’d say it again. “Of course. When we get your body back, one of the first things we’ll do is get a cat. Or two, ‘cause if it has a sibling, we can’t separate them.”

“ Our bodies back, brother,” Al scolded gently, and Edward just rolled his eyes with fond exasperation. “And yes, no separating families. It’s against our moral code.”

“Is it now? This is news to me.”

The two of them devolved into familiar banter after that, sending thinly veiled jokes back and forth until the sun reached just above the tree line. The day would be ending soon, much to his dismay, but there was still a little time to do something else. “We should get these guys to the shelter now.”

Al let out a whine, dropping his metal arms onto the grass loudly. The sound drew some curious eyes to them, but one glare from Ed sent them the other way. “But brotherrrrr. ”

“But Alllll. You said we’d take them to the shelter, remember? We can’t keep these guys, no matter how cute they are.” If he could pout, Ed had no doubt that Al would have the most pitiful look in all of Amestris, but that would do nothing to sway the older brother on the issue. “You know we can’t have animals in the dorm anyways, and we travel far too often to take care of anything but ourselves.”

“I know…” Al slowly started sitting up, moving his arms so that they cradled the decently sized cat family still lazing on his chest. “I feel bad for leaving them, though…”

Ed began standing up, biting back a wince when his joints creaked in protest. “We won’t be leaving them to the elements, though, and that’s already better than they’ve been doing recently, right? They’ll be in good hands at the shelter.” He looked over at Al and sighed softly. His brother was still sulking, petting one of the small kittens with one of his large fingers. “If it bothers you this much, we can visit the shelter every now and then while we’re here. That way we can get updates on how they’re doing and if they’ve been adopted or not.”

That made Al perk up. “Really? We can do that?!”

The blond just grinned in response and nudged his head to his right. “Sure we can, but we gotta actually get ‘em to the place first, don’t we? Then we can go out for dinner and stop someplace else.”

Silence enveloped them as they started towards where Ed knew the animal shelter to be. Situations like this had already happened a few times in other cities they’d gone to, so he’d made sure to map out where the different places were as a ‘just in case’. Thank fuck he did, or else they’d be more than just a little lost. Dropping off the mama and kittens was an easy deal. Since Ed was old enough to sign some things, he wrote a short report on where and when the cats were found, how they looked, how long the two of them spent with them before bringing them here, and so on. The one vet at the shelter was pleasantly surprised by the two-page-long report until Ed flashed his pocket watch, and then the woman just devolved into random words of praise and pleasantries. 

They left after that and quickly decided that Ed would have something small for dinner. After all, he was meant to go back to Tucker’s tonight with Mustang to confirm whether or not he’d be coming back again since Riza hadn’t been all too happy with how they were originally going to do things. 

It was while Edward was eating his sandwich that Al finally spoke up again. “Say, brother, why exactly are we… doing stuff today? I mean, I’m not against it! But I just… You’re usually at work, aren’t you?”

Well, if that didn’t make him feel guilty as all hell, he didn’t know what the fuck would. He swallowed his food before setting the sandwich down on the plate. “I’ve… gotten a new lead, of sorts. But the thing is, the Fuhrer found out you’ve been tagging along on my missions the past couple of years and he’s… not happy.” He propped his chin on his automail hand, glaring at the table. “He’s all but said that you can’t come with me anymore, so I... I wanna make up for the time we’re gonna be apart sooner rather than later? If that makes sense?”

He blinked up at his brother, fully expecting to see the armor looking far too sad to be natural, but instead, he saw what looked like amusement in his eyes. “So that’s why the Colonel and the Lieutenant Colonel offered their homes up for the next few weeks.”

“You knew?”

Al shook his head, the metal clinking softly and his ‘hair’ swishing with the movement. “No, not that I couldn’t join you anymore. Well, actually, that’s a lie. I kinda assumed something like this would happen, cause I’ve seen the Colonel getting more and more calls from someone, and he looks at me with his Sad Look after each of them. But I’ve already gathered up a few library cards so I can keep busy while you’re at work!”

“You don’t have to sit in our dorm while I’m at Tucker’s, y’know. You can still go out and do stuff.”

“I know, brother, but I can’t really do much with this body right now.” Ed’s face must have noticeably dropped, because the younger was very quick to wave his hands. “Not that that’s a bad thing, of course! I know you’re working hard, brother, and I really can’t thank you enough for that! I just mean that I’d rather do all the big things when we get our bodies back, that’s all!”

Ed let a weak smile pull at his lips before he sighed. “Right, you… you’re right, Al. Sorry, I just…”

“I get it.” A giant leather hand was placed over Ed’s automail one, and the older brother hummed softly. “Maybe you should finish your food. You do have to see the Colonel soon, don’t you?”

Gold eyes darted towards a clock before Edward started eating his sandwich faster than before, not even bothering to stay seated as he pushed his chair under the table and started walking. “Shit, I’m gonna be so fucking late!”

He wasn’t too late, in the end. As it turned out, he arrived only minutes before the Colonel did, which earned the older man a look from Riza. Alphonse wished the three of them luck as Riza started the car, and Edward waved at his brother for as long as he could until the familiar armor was out of sight. Leaning back in the leather seat, the blond gave a sigh before dragging his flesh hand across his face. 

“What’s that sound for, kid?”

Edward looked to the Colonel, giving the man a halfhearted glare before leaning over so he could rest his head on Roy’s shoulder. “I don’t usually go anywhere without Al. The last time I did was… It didn’t turn out good. For either of us.” 

The last time they were separated for more than a day was in Baschool. He remembered it being cold, so cold that he wanted to shiver every time he thought of it. But it was also warm, a fiery heat made by explosions that surrounded him, a heat that had engulfed his left side as a piece of rebar went straight through him. Then it was cold again as his bond with Alphonse weakened, then warm as he used his soul to heal himself.

Then it was just a strange feeling of weightlessness as he traveled across Amestris with GreedLing, Heinkel, and Darius.

There was a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently, just enough to bring him back from his thoughts. Ed blinked before turning his head to look up at his Superior Officer, only to meet dark, worried eyes.

“You doin’ okay, Ed?”

“Yeah, I- I’m fine. We’re still meeting with Tucker?”

“That’s the plan.” The grip tightened momentarily before being released, and Ed slowly sat up. “The Lieutenant will stay out here with the car while we’re having dinner with the family.”

“Right, yeah, food…” The thought of eating made his stomach turn now, and Ed had to bite back a shudder. His right hand traveled to his stomach, where he held the spot that’d once been scarred from front to back. He could still feel the aftershocks of his alchemy traveling through his blood and intestines, stitching himself back together in a shoddy form of Human Transmutation. “I dunno how much I’ll eat tonight.”

Roy hummed softly as the car rolled to a slow stop. “Well, we can’t do much about that now. However, I won’t force you to stay here by yourself longer than you’d like. If you want to have supper at my or Maes’ home, just let us know and we’ll come to get you.”

That sounded like a much better plan than what he went with the last time around. In his past, he’d stayed on the Tucker estate the entire time, only leaving when called to the office or sent on an errand Tucker hadn’t been able to perform himself. Now, though, Roy had his hand on Ed’s back as they walked to the front door. The Colonel knocked on the wood sharply before taking a step closer to Ed.

The boy watched as the door opened to reveal Tucker, his face pulled into a falsely pleasant smile. It was far too similar to the one he’d worn when Ed found Nina that stormy morning and just the reminder made him all the more sick. “Come, come, I have the table set for dinner already. I hope you’re hungry!”

Chapter Text

Things were going surprisingly well with Tucker. Edward had managed to take quite a few pictures, even ones of his current projects, which Maes had assured him would be of use to the investigation. Of course, Ed couldn’t spend the whole time acting undercover and had to read at least some of Tucker’s notes. The man was smart, he’d give him that much, but the code he used was elementary at best.

Shou used a strange mix between recipes and formulaic expressions, switching to the latter halfway through one of his journals. To be honest, it was almost like Tucker wanted to hide something from whoever knew his original code. But the only one Ed could think would even know the code already would have been Mrs. Tucker, but she’d died before the code switch if the dates on the pages were correct. Still, Ed took proper note of it before moving on to read some more.

Nina and Alexander were welcomed company after the first three days. The little girl had kept her distance, a nervous air surrounding her until Ed had given her a small smile. She hadn’t left him alone much after that. 

It became almost routine for Edward to appear shortly after breakfast, and spend some time in the library or lab alone before being joined by Nina. After the little girl had her midday nap in his silent company, they’d leave whatever room they were in to have lunch either with or without Mr. Tucker, and then Ed would play with her until it was time to leave.

Speaking of leaving, Edward had noticed Tucker acting weird every time Riza or Havoc came to pick him up. He had caught the man staring at him, his dull blue eyes peering through his study’s window, but it seemed neither of his escorts ever saw. One day, about a month after Edward had started seeing him, Tucker requested an audience with both him and Roy during dinner.

Maybe that should have been a red flag.

“So, what was it you needed to talk to me about?” Roy had asked Tucker, his hands fidgeting with his napkin under the table. Tucker had given the Colonel a weary smile before sighing heavily.

“You see, sir, I don’t have the strength I once had. So, I was wondering if young Edward could stay the night sometime this week to help me with my work? It won’t take very long, and he can be taken home right after.”

Edward had bitten his tongue at that, his brows furrowing in confusion before his attention was drawn to Nina’s happy grin. “Big brother Edward is gonna sleep over?!” She had cried, her legs kicking wildly from her chair as she hopped in place.

“Now now, Nina, we don’t know that yet. It’s up to Edward and his C.O. to decide.” Tucker had soothed, but it hadn’t done much to wipe the saddened pout from the little girl’s face.

Not wanting to see her so upset, Edward decided to throw caution to the wind. “I- I’ll stay the night next week. Lieutenant Hawkeye can pick me up in the morning so I can get cleaned up in my dorm afterward, and then I can report.”

Roy had given him a look at that, his brows furrowed and his eyes lit with concern. “If you’re sure about this, then I don’t see why not.”

And then Edward’s fate had been sealed.

For someone as smart as you, Little Alchemist, I never thought I’d see you in this position.

Edward had to hold back a groan at Truth’s voice. His head was pounding behind his eyes, and the familiar warmth of his blood was beginning to pool under his face. What happened? He thought to himself.

Your friend, Shou Tucker was it? He hurt you, hit the back of your head with a rolling pin after he sent Little Nina to bed. Truth all but growled.

But why?

Look for yourself, Little Alchemist. What is beneath you?

He squinted open his eyes, wincing at the bright light of a candle, and looked at the stone beneath him. There was an obvious transmutation circle, drawn in familiar chalk, and the boy was right in the middle of it. His breathing hitched at that, his muscles involuntarily tensing before he forced himself to relax at the sound of footsteps drawing closer. Tucker appeared in the doorway, his glasses hiding his eyes as he grinned.

“Good morning, Edward. It’s so nice to see you awake!” The man walked over and crouched down, placing his hand on Edward’s now messy hair. “I’m so sorry that it came to this, but I simply can’t wait any longer.”

“W-What-” He was cut off by a cough before he took a breath. “What are y-you doin’?”

“Isn’t that a great question, bud.” Ed shivered at that, glaring as Tucker stood back up and dusted his pants off. “You see, I’m sure you’ve heard of how I got my license?”

“Ta-Talking chimera. ‘T was your wi-fe.”

“My my, Edward! You sure are a clever boy, aren’t you? Not even your daddy knows that.”

Edward bared his teeth at that, glaring at Tucker. “N-Not-”

“Not your dad? Oh, please, don’t think me an idiot. Anyone who takes one good look at the two of you would know how you think of each other.” Tucker walked behind Ed, and the boy could hear the tell-tale sign of metal against metal. “Now, what’s your favorite color?”

He blinked at that, opening and closing his mouth before settling on a word. 

“What?”

Tucker suddenly appeared in his face, and he had to bite back a surprised cry as one of Tucker’s shoes nudged whatever open wound he had on the back of his head. “Your favorite color. What is it? You’d better answer soon, or I’ll just choose for you.”

His favorite color? What kind of basic ass question was that? And how was he meant to choose? Of course, he could go with the easy answer and say blue, but that would be lying. Before he could stop himself, he thought of Ling, his Ling. The one that smiled at him in secret and ate all of his goddamn food. The one that had decided to follow him around Amestris and then give himself up to Greed. Willingly. 

“Ye-Yellow.”

“Ah, a good choice. Now,” There was the sound of an animal screeching somewhere behind him. “This will only hurt for a minute.”

Then there were sparks. 

"I don’t like this.” Maes muttered, his chin propped on his hands. Roy hummed softly as he sifted through the photos Edward had taken so far, sorting them into two separate piles. 

“As much as we hate it, we can’t really stop it without raising suspicions.” The Colonel dropped the rest of the pictures on his desk before leaning back in his chair. 

Ed sat in his seat nervously, his fingers - both automail and flesh - picking at the seams of his favorite red coat. Riza sat next to him, her face smoothed into cool neutrality, but the boy knew she was just as upset about the situation as the other two were.

The fact that Tucker could request Ed’s help outside of usual hours somehow hadn’t been thought of before, which meant that they had no real idea or plan to fall back on when the situation came up. It was one of the reasons Ed had accepted so quickly, even with his obvious distaste for the man. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

We both know what he could do when you’re not there. Truth mused, and Edward held back a shiver as he thought of Nina and Alexander’s bodies, combined and totally mutilated, disgraced far after their death.

I can stop it though. Edward pushed back, forcing a sense of hope into his heart. But both he and Truth Knew that that wouldn’t be enough. He had always been weary of people before his time in the military, but his time with Tucker had just seemed to widen that gap of trust. The only ones that had managed to bridge over were those closest to him, and even they still had a few more steps to take.

A hand suddenly appeared on his head, and Edward flinched. He could see a flash of hurt in Maes’ eyes before Ed started to stumble over an apology. 

“Don’t worry about it, bucko. I shoulda given you a better heads up, but I’ll remember next time.”

That was another thing that had only appeared in this go-round. He wasn’t used to people seeing his reaction to something, negative and positive alike, and keeping note of it. Maes was especially good at it, almost scarily so, and had taken it upon himself to keep Edward comfortable throughout their investigation. The three adults had, over the course of a month and a half, learned to never move too fast on his right, keep the AC low or keep blankets nearby, and lower any type of media that may involve the sounds of explosives. To be honest, Ed thought he was being discrete with his fears, making sure he didn’t make any noises or dissolve into a panic when caught off guard, but he should have expected better when he was almost always with the head of the Investigation Department.

Not that Ed was all too upset about them knowing.

“Now that Ed is gonna be at Tucker’s for longer than six hours, what’s our game plan?”

The boy looked over at Roy who sighed, pushing himself up to his feet. “Well, seeing what we have so far, we can tell he’s getting desperate. Did this happen before?”

“N-No. I mean, it did, actually, but nothing happened until the day before his exam. There’s still almost ten months until his recertification, so it can’t be the same motivation.” 

Maes hummed before seating himself to Ed’s left, his sudden weight causing the child to lean closer. “Well, what’s changed this time? Other than you appearing earlier, of course.”

“It could be the fact that the Colonel is there sometimes,” Ed started, looking over at Roy. The man looked up from the pictures he’d started sorting again with a raised brow. “Havoc was the one to introduce and escort Al and me. You only showed up at the end of it all.”

“Yeah, that might just be it.” Maes huffed, dropping his arm around Ed’s shoulders and pulling him close. “That means he’s got more pressure than before. Do you think he’ll still try to use Nina?”

Ed bit his lip, examining the carpet below his feet before opening his mouth. However, before he could answer, Riza rested her hand on his right shoulder. “He still very well could. But if he does, know that we have done absolutely everything in our power to stop him.”

“Aside from killing him, of course.” Maes added, which caused Riza to nod.

“Yes, I don’t think you’d be very willing to kill him and have one of us be Court Martialed as a result. No matter how much we know, without proper evidence, we won’t get anywhere with the Brass.”

“I know,” Ed whined, leaning further into Maes’ hold. “I just wish we didn’t have to drag it out this much…”

“It might seem that way, but we’re actually moving much faster than anyone could expect.” Roy piped in, finally finished with the sorting. “With all these photos, we’ve got a pretty strong case, so it shouldn’t fall through any time soon. Right, Maes?”

The man nodded in response and shot a comforting smile at Ed. “Right. And with Roy-boy and me leading the investigation, it can’t be outright ignored without raising some brows. Especially if we decide to go public with it.”

“But,” Riza started, nudging Ed’s knee with her own. “The question right now is if you’re completely comfortable staying with Tucker overnight.”

“I’m not, but I don’t- I can’t trust him. Not with Nina still there and available. I’d rather risk getting hurt than have her- her-” He forced himself to stop, shaking his head as he took a shuddering breath. “I can’t risk it. Not again.”

There was silence, but with was quickly broken with a soft sigh from Roy. “If it helps at all, I can station Havoc and Breda down the street corner. I will request, though, that you have a small radio on your person at all times. I’ll have Fuery and Falman on the radio through the night so you can call us in if anything happens.”

“That’s… I like that. It-It works.” Ed all but whispered.

Edward bit back a scream as his back arched off of the ground. Sparks traveled through his limbs, almost burning his ports and stumps down to the damn bone. He could feel his blood boiling, threatening to spill from his pores as he tried to gasp for air. His lungs didn’t cooperate, though, and just starved him of the precious resource as Tucker’s shriveled laughter invaded his senses. It somehow hurt just as much as that night, and his mind was filled with horrible visions of a blackened corpse surrounded by blood and guts, its hair sprawled across the array he'd drawn with his own two hands. The smell of copper invaded his nose, which made him gag as a reflex, but that just seemed to make the smell worse. In his desperation to move, his hands finally started to twitch to life, grasping at his clothes, tearing the cotton with ease, and exposing the small radio. The blipping red light obviously caught the man’s attention, as the pain just seemed to disappear, leaving the boy twitching and gasping. As quickly as it had gone, and new pain appeared, this time around his head again as he was dragged up.

“What have you done? Who have you called?!” Tucker shouted, and Edward gagged as spittle landed on his face. The man growled before carelessly dropping the blond back on the ground, ignoring his cry as his head connected rather solidly with the concrete. “It’s no matter, we just have to hurry ourselves along, don’t we? The sooner we finish, the faster I keep my license.”

Breathe, Little Alchemist. Truth whispered, and Edward held back a sob as the transmutation started again. He was on his back now, his arms and legs spread as lightning danced across his twitching form. You will get through this, child. Now breathe.

Before he could think, something new happened. A rebound. Tucker gave a shout of alarm as his work seemed to backfire on him. Later on, Ed would swear it to be a trick of the light, but at that moment he could barely see a hint of void-like arms clawing at the man, dragging him closer to the circle. Move, Little Alchemist. Crawl if you have to, but move. The work needs to be done.

He gave a strained whine as his limbs struggled to hold him, but he managed to get just outside of the circle before collapsing once more. He panted as he curled into his stomach, doing his very best to cover his vitals as he watched Tucker get dragged further and further into the array on the ground. As soon as the man was in the middle, the hands disappeared, and Tucker screamed.

It hurt his head, made his ears ring at the sheer volume, and a voice in the back of his mind worried whether the sound had awoken Nina from her sleep. That didn’t matter, though, because as soon as the noise had started, it had ended with a choked gasp before falling away. Daring a glance, Edward gagged at the sight of Tucker’s mangled corpse.

The man had obviously planned to use Edward for a chimera if the array, now completely covered in blood, gave him any hints. Beneath all the gore, the blond could barely see a hint of wings and feathers on Tucker’s back, and the color yellow seemed to stick out beneath all of the red.

“God, that’s- hrrg, that’s fucked up. ” 

Can you still move, Little Alchemist?

I don’t want to. Ed whispered in his mind, squeezing his eyes shut as he swallowed a gag. If I move, I’ll be sick.

Then be sick, Child of Light. Even I Know this is no pretty sight.

That was all the permission Ed needed to hurl the day's lunch and dinner onto the dirty floor. As he heaved, the feeling of his hair being pulled from his face appeared, but when he chanced a look all he saw was empty space.

Who…?

Me, My Alchemist. I may not have a form in your plane of existence, but I still exist, do I not?

“I-I can’t get fuckin’ hypothetical right now, Truth…” Edward groaned as he shuddered. The sound of Truth’s laughter echoed through his head before light suddenly invaded his vision.

“Fullmetal, are you down here?!”

“R-R oy! ” The sound of footsteps appeared before a hand, a physical one, a hand he could see, appeared on his back and turned him over. 

“Fullmetal, what- Oh. Oh god.” The boy had no doubt Roy had finally caught sight of Tucker and his botched alchemy attempt. “Shit, okay, this hasn’t gone to plan at all, has it?” There was a stilted sense of humor somewhere in the sentence, and Edward couldn’t help but give a wheezy laugh.

The sound was enough to turn the Colonel’s attention back to him, and soon there were hands picking him up and orders flying over his head. Too quickly for him to process, he was put in Maes’s arms and brought outside and into the car Havoc and Breda had been camping in not long ago. The drive to the hospital was a blur, and the movement of the car only seemed to worsen Ed’s nausea, but they arrived faster than what he thought possible.

There was shouting after that, and he was soon placed on a soft surface. However, the moment Maes's hands left Ed, the boy let out a panicked cry, blindly reaching out for the older man. Lips appeared on his sweaty forehead not even a second later. “I’m so sorry, bucko, but I can’t go back there with you. They gotta make sure you’re okay, but then Roy-boy, Queenie, and I will be right there with you, ‘kay?” Ed made a soft whine as he was pulled away from Maes.

As soon as he was behind closed doors, doctors and nurses alike surrounded him. 

“What happened?” One voice called.

“I heard it was someone else’s rebound.” Another answered.

“He’s a soldier, right? Someone so young shouldn’t be so endangered!” 

“We shouldn’t bother with that now! Get some gauze and an IV drip started, he’s already starting to slip int-”

It all faded after that. 

Chapter Text

“ This wasn’t meant to happen. ” Truth growled to itself. Edward hummed softly where he was laying on his back, his flesh hand hiking up his shirt to expose his unscarred belly.

The boy had passed out after arriving at the hospital, his body and mind too overwhelmed with pain to stay awake any longer. But, before any nightmares could stake their claim on his unconscious, Truth had dragged him to the Gate again. It was becoming almost a routine now. Every time Edward got close to having a nightmare or even just a flash of something in a dream, Truth appeared and whisked him away into the Nothing and Everything. Though, Edward wasn’t gonna deny that he didn’t mind this new-ish thing. It helped, actually, having a constant from his past time that never truly left.

“You mean with Tucker?” He huffed, opening one of his eyes to look at Truth.

Said thing shook its head, its lips pulled back in an ugly sneer. “ No. I believe we both Knew something would happen with that man no matter what. It was You getting hurt that wasn’t meant to happen. ”

Ed rolled onto his side, letting his automail cushion his cheek as he curled into his body’s warmth. “You couldn’t have really stopped it from happening, right? Causing too much interference would just cause more problems.”

“ Be that as it may, there was no reason for You to get injured again… ” Truth seemed to look almost sad at that. The sight made Ed shift so he was sitting up. “ You have sacrificed far too much in the Name of Something like Me. ”

“You mean when I use Equivalent Exchange?”

“ Correct. You seem to take the saying far beyond Your work as an Alchemist, using it in Your day-to-day life. If I were to be completely honest, You are one of the few who have kept Your standing on the matter. ”

The boy gave a soft huff before he copied Truth’s sitting position. His automail supported his cheek, which rested against his left knee, and he leaned forward. “If I didn’t know better, Truth, I’d say you’re complimenting me!”

That drew a wry laugh from the god. “ Well, if I were to compliment You, that would simply be complimenting Myself, wouldn’t it? ”

“Oh, this again? You still haven’t explained what you mean by that.”

“ What is there to explain? ” Truth asked, its head tilting in faux confusion. “ It is just as the saying goes, ‘I am You, just as You are Me.’ ”

“So, what, I’m You?”

“ Precisely! ” It cried, throwing its hands in the air with triumph. “ We are One and the Same, Little Alchemist. I cannot Exist unless You Exist. ”

“Oh, is this like a really convoluted way of saying ‘All is One and One is All’ again? I thought you Knew I knew that already!” Ed frowned, crossing his arms with a short huff.

“ No, no, no! That is not-! ” Truth cut itself off with a heavy sigh, and Edward could almost feel the almost exasperation radiating from the being. However, before he could say anything, Truth started to grin. “ Say, would you like to Know instead? ”

“Like you Know things?” 

“ Yes, like I Know things. ”

Ed hesitated for a moment, his hand already reaching towards Truth before stopping. “Will… Will it hurt? Like before?”

“ No, it will not. ” Truth started to close the distance between their hands, and Ed could barely feel the cold warmth of its Light and Darkness. “ I do not hurt those of my own. ”

After arriving back on the human plane, Edward struggled to take a breath. He’d just finished having a fun little get-together with Truth to negotiate Al getting his body back. It was rushed and completely unplanned, but that didn’t matter to Ed at that second. All he wanted was to see his baby brother smiling again. However, for that to happen, Ed had to sacrifice something.

“ Equivalent Exchange. ” Truth had mused, almost smirking at the sight of Ed’s dumbfounded face.

“But I- What can I even give up? I don’t have anything to give!” He’d cried, glaring at Truth with all the strength he could muster.

“Surely, you know that is a lie, correct? You will always have something to lose so long as you are alive.”

That made Ed pause, his hand moving to brush against the scar where automail met skin. “I… What if I gave up part of my life? He-He can live for however long I give up.”

“ You would do that? You would sacrifice all that time, just for your brother? ” 

Ed scoffed at that. “Of course, I would! He’s my little brother, he’s all I’ve ever had!”

“ Then how much? ”

“What?”

“ How much of your life will you give? How long will your brother survive? ”

“I…” Edward let his hands fall to his sides. He was only sixteen now, his baby brother not even reaching his fifteenth birthday yet. “Three-quarters. Three-quarters of however long I was meant to live.”

“ How do you know you weren’t meant to die today? ”

“Because you wouldn’t be talking to me now, would you? You’d tell me to pick something else.”

Truth grinned at that before it hummed. “ Three-quarters of your life, then. That should give him time to reach his sixties. ”

Something in Ed’s chest unwound at that, and he let himself finally relax at the knowledge his baby brother would get to grow old again.

He’d appeared back on the battlefield not even moments later. Mustang had taken him into his arms, prayers and pleas falling from his lips as he tried to run for help, but they both knew it was no use. After not even five minutes, Edward could already feel his life fading. His skin became clammy with a cold sweat, and his eyes flickered across every little detail he could catch. Nothing seemed to stick, though, until he caught a glimpse of gold.

It was Alphonse. 

Even to this day, all this time into the past, Ed could still remember how his baby brother looked. His hair was long, longer than Ed’s even, and his body was so thin it looked as though he were already a skeleton. However, that was as much a sight as he was going to get. Ed had died, and not a moment later, he was back with Truth.

In the Current and the Now, Edward felt confused. He didn’t remember this happening. After he died in Mustang’s arms, he’d awoken in the Past in the home of the Rockbells. He never talked with Truth after his death. Or had he?

“ Little Alchemist, how much You have suffered. ” Truth had crooned, almost as if it was mourning while brushing its hand of All and None against Ed’s sweaty cheek. “ Even I could not fully prevent this outcome, not without Sacrifices that not even One such as I can fully comprehend. ”

Edward had felt the urge to cry then, to feel the weight of tears on his cheeks and the sting in his eyes, yet nothing came. His breath hitched, and a choked sob fell from his lips, but no tears spilled in the Everything and Sometimes.

“ Now now, Edward Elric. There is no need to cry here. ” The hand that was once his own cradled his cheek, his own skin brushing against his dirty face. “ There is one thing I can do after it All is said and done, but I need You to Know what will happen if it comes to that. Now tell me, can You hear me, Alchemist? ”

He nodded faintly, his hair shifting against what he knew was both floor and an empty abyss. Truth just smiled at the motion and hummed softly. “ We are not so different, You and I. You have come to my Gate, my Domain more times than any other human ever has. As such, I should tell you now that you have not gone Untouched by my hands. You are not the same Being as you once were, Naive and Childish yet Brave enough to Sacrifice more than you could give to bring Peace to those you Love. As Twisted of a Being as I am, I do not wish to see You suffer. You have become an Integral part of this Universe, a Stepping Stone for Time to progress. You were not meant to die yet. ”

Something about that made Edward keen sharply, his eyes looking up into Empty yet Filled space. In response, Truth sighed heavily. “ I have an offer for You, Young Elric. Go back in Time, change the Outcome, bring Peace to Your life, and in return You shall get everything You wanted. ”

“Ev-Evry’thin’?” Edward slurred, feeling as though he were choking on blood deep in his mouth. Truth hummed before nodding.

“ Yes, everything. Your brother, your limbs, your life, whatever you desire, you shall have it. ”

“N-No-t equivalent.” 

“ Even with the offer of anyone’s lifetime, You still worry of Equivalence? Hah! Even I could not have expected that of You! ” Truth grinned before letting its face drop. “ If Equivalent Exchange is what you are worried about, how about we make a proper Deal instead? I give You the Gift of Truth and You prevent Your death. ”

“H-ow’s that fa-air?”

“ You may think it not, Little Alchemist, ” Truth started, using its own hand to brush through Ed’s tangled hair. “ But it is very Equivalent. I have not left the Gate since its Creation, since My Creation. If I give You some of Myself, some of My Gift and Power, then We would become One and the Same. I become You just as You become Me. ”

“S-o you’ll help?” Ed looked hopeful, almost daring Truth to take back what it said. But that familiar, condescending laughter never came. Instead, Truth just nodded. 

“ I shall help if that is what You Desire. ” It paused in its movements before sitting up straight. “ Now tell me, Alchemist, do You accept My Deal? ”

He didn’t need to think about it very long. He was dead, well and truly so. His skin was cold, his joints stiff, and eyes watery with something that wasn’t tears. “I-I accept.”

“ Do You see now, Little Alchemist? ”

Edward took a deep breath, blinking the visions of White that Wasn’t yet Was from his eyes. “We… I’m You. ” He whispered, both to himself and not.

Truth grinned in response. “ Correct once again. I must say, it has taken You much longer than I thought for You to question Our relation. ”

“I just kinda got used to it? I guess?” He shrugged before letting his back fall to the ground that both Existed and Didn’t. “I didn’t really expect Us to be… I dunno…”

“ Family, perhaps? Brothers, almost? ” The god mused, and Edward couldn’t help but laugh slightly. 

“Yeah, maybe like weird twin brothers, I guess. We aren’t exactly the same, but We’re similar enough.”

With a hum that turned into a sigh, Truth stood. “ You should awaken soon, Alchemist. Are You prepared? ”

The blond blinked slowly before sighing himself. “Yeah, better now than never.”

And then it turned dark.

When Edward opened his eyes, he already knew he was in the hospital. From the sound of people talking down the hall to the smell of antiseptics, there was absolutely no denying where he was. With arms and legs that felt like they were made of pure lead, Edward gave a groan. There was a hand on his forehead not a moment later, and the familiar warm brown eyes of Riza appeared in his line of sight.

Her lips were moving, and he could see concern etched clearly on her face, but he… couldn't hear her. Ed couldn’t hear Riza just like he couldn’t hear Mustang. Panic started to grip his heart, spots starting to invade his vision as his lungs struggled to take in air. A garbled noise appeared to his left, and the boy gave a sharp keen when more hands appeared on his arm and face. Now joining Riza, Roy and Maes looked just as panicked as the Lieutenant did, and the latter was even going so far as to call for a nurse.

Not that he could hear it, of course.

Faster than he could think, doctors appeared in the room, their cold hands holding him down and struggling against his thrashing limbs. He was moving? When had he started? He felt too weak, too tired to do anything. With a whine, he fell back into the bed, panting heavily as something calm began to run through him. The doctors were talking, their lips moving faster than he could read, but he found he simply didn’t care. He wasn’t going to die. Not again. Not like this. 

Of course not, Little Alchemist.

And so he closed his eyes once more.

“Oh, what the fuck. ”

Ed could hear the choked noises of the people in the room seconds before he was being overwhelmed with questions and demands. It was almost painful, how quickly the noise in the small room had risen until Edward forced his hands to move just far enough to cover his ears. Not that it helped too much, but one of the adults in the room noticed and practically commanded there to be silence. After a few seconds of no one moving, a familiar hand appeared around the wrist of his left arm. “Edward? Kid? You back with us?”

He looked over and found Roy’s worried face not too far from his bedside. Before he could stop it, a grin made its way onto his lips. “H-ey, bastard.”

A collective sigh of relief fell through the room, and the boy couldn’t help a laugh at the way Breda and Fuery rag-dolled themselves into the uncomfortable hospital chairs. 

“Brother!”

That was the last thing Ed heard before he was enveloped in cold, hard metal. The air was temporarily stolen from his lungs as Alphonse squeezed Edward right before letting him go. Those large, leather gauntlets were now on his shoulders, holding him upright so the two of them could look into each other’s eyes. “Brother, what happened?”

The silence was painful.

“I don’t… what?” Ed blinked, turning to look at Roy. The man was frowning, his eyes trained on Riza and Maes’s faces before he sighed.

“Fullmetal, what happened with Shou Tucker?”

Oh. Oh shit. That’s fucking right, Tucker tried to fucking kill him.

“That motherfuckin-” Edward was cut off with a hard cough, his throat burning as he doubled over to support his weight. A cool glass appeared at his lips, and the boy sipped the offered water slowly. He really wasn’t in the mood to get scolded right now. “He tried to fuckin’ kill me.”

It was obvious they were all expecting something like that, but to hear it so straightforward was still unexpected enough to make a few of them choke down stilted laughs. One look from Riza, though, had them all shutting up.

“We figured that out when we found you passed out in Tuckers’ basement near an array.” She started before moving to sit closer to Ed. Not bothering to disconnect the tight grip Al had on the blond’s hands, she put her hand on his right thigh. “Do you want to tell us what happened?”

“Well, I mean- How much did you hear?” He looked to Fuery for that, since he knew the man was stationed at the radio the whole night.

Almost like he was giving a report, Kain sat up straight, his face almost grim. “Around eighteen-thirty two last night, not long after I heard Shou Tucker send his daughter to bed, a loud thud came through the transmission. After that, there was nothing but the sound of something being dragged paired with grunts and muttering. At nineteen-ten, I heard you groan before Tucker arrived. I-I couldn’t make out exactly what you were saying to each other, but I think that’s because of your shirts covering the radio you were wearing. I only say that because everything sounded clearer after you may have ripped your clothes.”

“And that’s when you all arrived.” Ed finished, looking back at the rest of the team. “I guess you couldn’t really tell what the fuck he did through radio waves, huh?” He gave a weak laugh before forcing himself to lie down. The explanation was short, and some part of Ed felt like it didn’t really happen, not with how unscathed he looked. “What happened after you guys found me?”

Roy moved closer at that, switching spots with Riza after they shared a look. “Maes, Breda, Havoc, and I entered the scene after getting a call from Fuery about there being a suspected attack on you. I found you roughly three feet away from the suspected chimera array with blood all around you. Since I couldn’t see what injuries you may have received, I had Havoc and Maes bring you here, where apparently you passed out due to hypovolemic shock.” The Colonel took a deep breath before squeezing Ed’s thigh gently. “You’ve been sleeping rather fitfully since then, but the doctor found nothing wrong with you. Physically, at least.”

“That’s a big fuckin’ relief.” Ed sighed as he turned to look at his brother. “And you? How’re you doin’?”

“Me? How am I doing? Brother, you almost died! Again!” The disbelief in Al’s tone would have made Ed giggle in any other situation.

“I know, and that’s why I’m askin’.”

“Y-You- I- Arghh!” The youngest in the room pulled his hands away from Ed’s so that he could pace the bedside. “This is the first time- the first mission where I wasn’t able to be with you, and-and look! You got hurt by one of the few people that was supposed to help with our research! I-If this is what happens when we’re separated, then-then-”

“Al.” Ed interrupted, grabbing one of his brother’s flailing hands. “Al, I kinda expected something to happen.”

That made the boy freeze, his soul-lit eyes boring into Ed’s golden ones. “What?”

“I’ve been helping Maes and Roy build a case against Tucker for almost a year now.” He used the lie he’d already set up with the two men. It was easier to build upon something they knew rather than blindsiding them both. “This visit, this past month of going to his house was mostly so I could get photographic evidence to put him behind bars. We knew he was someone dangerous, so we had to expect something would happen. I just… don’t think we expected this. ”

The room was quiet again and Edward swallowed nervously. “Why… Why didn’t you tell me?” Al’s voice was so small, so close to breaking that it made Ed hurt.

“I wanted to, I really, really did, please believe me when I say that. But, Tucker he…” Ed took a shaky breath before moving himself closer to his brother. As he did so, the room became more and more empty, the team filing out until it was just the two of them. “Tucker had really good connections in the military. It was one of the reasons he was able to go unnoticed for so long when his research started to go downhill. No one but Roy and Maes knows that General Raven threatened to have me killed when I merely suggested Tucker get a reevaluation sooner due to his mental health slowly declining.”

“So, you couldn’t tell me because…”

“Because I’d either be killed on the streets or sent in front of a firing squad for treason.”

Quiet filled the space once more before Al gave a painful-sounding sigh. “That’s the truth?” He whispered, and Ed nodded, hiding the guilty pain deep in his heart.

“Yeah, that’s the truth. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner.”

“I know, but I… I trust you, brother, and if that’s what you believed was for the best, then I’ll think so too.”

Chapter Text

Time seemed to drag while Ed was in the hospital. Of course, he was only actually in there for three days, but it was three days too long in his opinion. While he was stuck there, Ed was visited by far more people than he could have expected. His brother, Roy, Maes, and Riza were kind of to be expected, but the rest of the team? Major Armstrong? Ross and Brosh? They were welcomed surprises, but surprises nonetheless. 

The first time Brosh and Ross appeared, it wasn’t very long after Major Armstrong had visited for the first time. If he was being honest, Ed had felt the urge to cry when he saw the two of them together, simply existing side-by-side again. He knew the two of them had been working together for years, almost since their academy days, but when Ross had been accused of Hughes’ murder they’d fallen out of touch far too quickly. In the end, Ed never got to see if they reunited or if they died during the Promised Day too. But now? Now they were saluting him, sweating nervously as he gaped at their presence. 

“Ya-You don’t have to salute me, y’know? I’m not- I don’t stick to that kinda stuff.” He stuttered out, and he chuckled when Ross let her shoulders drop and Brosh leaned against her.

“We’re sorry, sir, but Major Armstrong gave us… quite the story of who you are. And, well, what we’ve seen in the papers, but…” Brosh trailed off, and Ed waved his hand. 

“I just do what we State Alchemists were always meant to do. ‘Be thou for the people’ and all that.” That earned him a grin from the two adults before they decided to make themselves comfortable at his bedside.

Their conversation had been pleasant, easy enough that when the blond had dropped off - a ‘blip’ as Al had started calling it - Ed could pick up where he left off without much trouble. Of course, they left once visiting hours were up, but they parted with the semi-serious promise to bring him flowers and chocolates the next time they saw him. However, a day later the investigation at Tucker’s home was concluded, and Edward was allowed out of the hospital after one more check-up. 

He was alone when he finally walked out of the building. It was against the wishes of literally everyone he knew, but Ed had shit to do, shit he’d really been putting off for the past few years. Making his way to the library, the blond couldn’t help but relish the feeling of the sun on his skin. It was something he’d always fixated on after a long day of reading, but being stuck in a hospital for almost a full workweek just made him love the warmth all the more. Of course, when he thought about it, maybe his father was part of the reason he liked the sun so much.

It was rather well known that the people of Xerxes didn’t look like most of their national neighbors. They were people of the desert, the dwellers of the sand. They lived, breathed, and died in the sun’s harsh light, and the color of their skin was a testament to that. Ed could remember the way his mother stuck out in the few photos where she and his father were together. Her skin was pale, almost the same color as the paper he read and wrote on, while his father was a rich terra-cotta. When Al still had his body, it was obvious he’d taken just a bit more of their mother’s coloring when compared to Ed. Edward himself had tawny skin. It used to be much darker, all the time he’d spent playing in the sun staining his skin deep until he was forced to face reality. Now it was lighter, his once vibrant coloring slowly sapped away as he spent more and more time in the dark walls of libraries and offices. 

Of course, with his darker complexion, it was easy to see someone with similar skin. 

And of fucking course it had to be Scar. 

The man looked disturbed, looking up at the library with almost wild eyes. This was the same man that had killed Winry’s parents and so many others that Ed couldn’t even name, but it was also the man who had helped overthrow the government, the one who had managed to finally kill Bradley, the one who had saved more than he had killed. Before he could come to his own decision on whether or not he should confront him, Ed found himself standing before the Ishvalan. 

“Is there something wrong, sir?” 

The officer that had been blocking Scar from entering the building looked at Ed with something akin to disgust. 

“I’ve got this covered, kid. Go ahead and run back to your mommy already.” 

With a fierce glare, Ed flashed his pocketwatch and watched with a twisted sort of glee as the officer stumbled over himself to properly salute. “S-Sorry, sir! What was it you needed again?” 

“I just wanted to know what was going on here.” 

Before the officer could say anything, Scar pushed him aside, glaring at Ed. “I need access to the library. Now.” 

“Okay, why?” 

The man didn’t hesitate to push his sleeve up, showing the familiar tattoo that was printed on his skin. “My brother left this for me before he- before he died. I need to know what it means.” 

“Can I?” Ed forced a polite tone, holding out his hand. Scar hesitated a moment before letting his arm rest in Ed’s gloved hand. “Well, it looks like a form of alchemy, but I’m not too familiar with it.” 

He was bullshitting, of course, but he was good at bullshitting. It was a second nature of sorts. And thank the fucking Truth he was good at it, because Scar just nodded. “Does that mean you’ll help me?” 

“If you want me to, I can.” 

It was incredibly easy to smuggle Scar into his dorm, but it still managed to happen. Doing something like that was the absolute last thing Ed could have ever expected to do after being released, but was he going to complain? Well, maybe a little, but nowhere near Scar. Not yet, at least.

The Ishvalan was sitting on the plush couch Roy and Maes had bought the Elric brothers three years ago after they’d “accidentally” broken their old one. “Do you want anything to drink?” Ed called from the kitchen area, wincing when Scar all but jumped out of his skin.

“I- No, I am fine.” 

The silence was absolutely horrendous, and Edward had to hold back a shiver as those red eyes watched his every move. “Why?”

“Hm?” Ed turned around, his mug of hot cocoa warming his hands quickly. “Why what?”

“Why did you offer to help me? You are a dog of the military, an Amestrian ,” Scar practically spat the word, and Edward felt his stomach roll. “So why?” 

“Well, first of all, I’m not fully Amestrian.” Ed moved to sit in his favorite armchair, the one Riza had picked out for him when she saw the way he stared at the one in Roy’s office. It was soft from so much use, but that just made him love it all the more. “My father was One Of The Desert ,” the foreign words fell from his tongue easily, and he barely noticed the fact that he’d spoken Ishvalen as he continued. “My mother was an Amestrian, though, so I can kinda see where the confusion lies.”

“You know of my language?”

Gold eyes looked up from a warm drink to meet bright red ones, and Ed shrugged. “I mean, I guess? My father’s journals were in a bunch of different languages, so I picked ‘em up out of habit. I know Ishvalan and Xerxesian pretty well though.”

“ Prove It. ” Scar muttered, his eyes narrowing.

“ Those Who Hold Disbelief To Their Chests Shall Wear It With Shame, Yet Those Who Trust Shall Bear Nothing But Pride For Themselves. ” That was something Hohenheim had written at the start of one of his journals, his lettering loopy with practiced ease. As far as he knew, it was a common saying in Ishval, used far before the time of the Civil War at least.

But, it was just enough to convince Scar if his wide-eyed look was anything to go by. “But how? Only we monks hold the privilege of reading those texts.”

“As I said, my father is from the same land as yours.” He took a sip of his drink, wincing at the way it burned his tongue before setting it on his coffee table. “Now, how do you want me to help you?”

“You know Alchemy, correct? What does my arm say? What did my brother leave me with?” Scar looked desperate again, and some part of Ed’s heart was pulled almost painfully at the image of Al taking Scar’s place. Both of them were the younger brother of a talented Alchemist, and both were marked in some way by their brother’s work.

He held out his hand, moving closer so that Scar didn’t have to stretch far. His gloved stayed on his hands, putting a physical barrier between the two and their skin, and he felt like Scar was almost pleased with that. “It isn’t a type of Alchemy I’m completely familiar with, but I do know what it’s called. Alkahestry.” He pointed at the figure on top of the semi-array and gently traced over what looked to be its wings. “It’s Xing’s form of Alchemy across the desert. They use what’s called the Dragon’s Pulse, which is the flow of Chi through the Earth and its surface. Did your brother study it?”

“I… I believe so, yes. My brother was fond of learning, of gaining more knowledge than he could possibly hold. It would not surprise me if he had managed to find books on this Alkahestry you speak of.” There was silence for a moment as Ed continued looking at the tattoo before Scar shifted. “What does it mean?”

Gold eyes raised up to meet bright red, and Edward bit his lip. “It’s for destruction. Alkahestry isn’t typically used like Alchemy is; it’s more meant for healing and the like. But I’d wager a guess that your brother was looking for a way to protect your people, and Xing offered a safer route than this hell hole did.”

Scar scoffed at that, pulling his arm away from the boy with ease. “And yet you live here, and work as a dog for the people who killed mine.”

Before Ed could say anything in response, the front door opened, and in walked Alphonse. His armor was covered in animal hair, and he would have laughed if Scar hadn’t jumped into a fighting stance. Faster than Ed could blink, the room was in a stand-off. As slowly as he could, the blond moved to stand in the space between his brother and the Ishvalan, his hands raised and fingers spread to show he meant no harm. 

“This is my younger brother Alphonse. He lives in this dorm with me since he’s too young to live on his own. He’s harmless, unless, of course, you hurt an animal near him. Then he’s a force to be reckoned with.” That last bit made Al sputter from behind him, but it was enough to get Scar to sit back on the couch.

“I… apologize for my actions there.” His head lowered slightly, and Edward had to hold back a sigh.

“It’s no big deal, Sc- wait, what should I call you?” The question was enough to distract Scar from staring at Alphonse, who had taken to moving toward the kitchen area. 

“I do not have a name. I cannot hold claim to the one I was blessed with.”

Ed put on a show of hemming and hawing as he tapped his chin before he straightened up with a grin. “Well then, how about Scar? ‘Cause your face has got that pretty bit one on it.”

The man blinked before he sighed, his shoulders dropping. “I don’t see why not. And what should I call you?”

“Oh, right, I’m Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, but you can call me Ed.” He held out his left hand to shake and was partially surprised when Scar’s hand gripped his own. 

“Can I know what you guys were talking about?” Al piped in, his head peering around the corner before he carried two fresh mugs of tea in. 

They gave Al a basic run-down of Scar’s history, where his tattoo came from, why he needs it translated, and how Ed is going to help. 

“It is becoming late,” Scar started, not long after the room had delved into silence. He stood up, brushing nothing from his pants before making his way to the door. “I should take my leave now.”

“Woah, woah, hang on!” Ed jumped up and made to stand next to Scar. “We’re still real close to Command, so you gotta be careful. I can show you the backdoor of the place so you don’t get caught.”

The Ishvalan hummed as he nodded. “Thank you, that would be very much appreciated. And you, Alphonse, thank you for your hospitality. May Ishvala guide you with peace.”

“And may the Philosopher light yours with grace.”

The two of them left after that, quietly sneaking around the guards stationed at each entrance and exit. They had a minute of panic after one of the guards had started walking towards them, but they were almost immediately put at ease when the other person on duty with them started shouting for them to come back. After they made it far enough away, Edward gave a heavy sigh of relief, moving so that he could rest against the brick wall of the alley they were hiding in. “Anyplace specific you wanna go?”

Scar looked over at him, a brow raised before he shrugged half-heartedly. “I have no preference, but I would prefer to go where my brothers and sisters may be.”

“Ah, right, there should be a camp on the other side of the city. We can get there before it gets too dark if we start now.”

Their walk was permeated with silence after that, Scar simply following behind Edward as the boy led them deeper and deeper into the city and its slums. “Tell me, what did you mean when you said your father was One Of The Desert ? Was he Ishvalan?”

“Hm? Oh, no, he wasn’t.” Inwardly, the boy was cursing at himself. It was well known that Xerxes had been destroyed hundreds of years ago, and that there had been little to no survivors. “He was from Xing, but his ancestors originated from Xerxes. My great-great-great-great-great however many great-grandparents were out of the country when the nation fell, so it’s why my coloring is so different from my mother’s.”

“You are of Xerxes? The sister nation of my home?” At his perplexed look, Scar gave a wry smile. “We were still taught of Xerxes after it had fallen, and we remember how its king was not kind to those outside of his reach. But it’s people, those who weren’t overtaken by greed, were kind to my own.”

“Right, I think I remember my father’s books saying something about that.” He slowed down suddenly, and he held back a smirk when Scar almost ran into his back. “We’re almost there. Do you want me to join you in?”

“No, but thank you, Ed. How should I contact you later on?”

“Hm? Oh, don’t worry, I’ll find you.” He waved over his shoulder as he started on his way back to the dorms. “But if you’re ever in big trouble, just head back to my place or find Colonel Mustang. He’s my Commanding Officer, so he can point you in my direction if I’m out of town.”

“Right, then May Ishvala Light Your Path With Peace.”

“And May The Philosopher Light Yours With Grace.”

“Brother, are you sure it’s okay if I join you?”

Edward looked up from his book before giving a soft sigh. “I’m sure, Al. This isn’t even an actual mission, just some free time I’ve decided to use for our cause.”

“Where are we going anyway? You didn’t tell the Colonel before we left.”

“Oh, I told him alright. We’re heading back towards Youswell.” He closed his book before putting it back in his carry-on. “Mr. Halling called a few days ago telling me he was bein’ swarmed by MPs askin’ who was running the town, cause apparently he doesn’t count. And, since I technically own Youswell now, we’re gonna pay a visit.”

“You own Youswell?! When did that happen?”

The blond stifled a chuckle, covering his mouth before leaning against the window. “The last time we were there. The only reason that fucker Yoki ended up leaving was ‘cause I bought the deed from him, which made it mine. I’m pretty sure my name is on it now, ‘cause I edited it as a 'just in case'. Thank fuck I did, actually, ‘cause it would be hell trying to prove ownership without it.”

He hadn’t actually written shit on that thing, but he was praying that Halling had done as he’d asked and edited the paper behind everyone’s backs. They really didn’t need to get too caught up in all the drama of who runs what and all that. Of course, on their way back, Ed could very well visit a friendly village doctor he’d been hearing so much about.

Chapter Text

The air was surprisingly clear when the two brothers finally left the train station. Being a mining town that was back in official business after five years, Ed would have thought that the air would be thicker, filled with smog and coal dust from transporting their good materials, but nothing was there. Though, he really should have expected this. The mines had been bare for years, stripped clean of resources after Yoki had begun taxing them all, and it wasn’t like more coal could just spawn in the mines out of thin air. 

“What now, brother?” Ed looked over at Al, who was standing closer to one of the maps that were posted on a wall. “You said there were MPs here, right? Where would we even find them?”

“Wherever Mr. Halling is, we’ll find those MPs. He said he’d be keeping them busy until we got here, so we’ll check the inn first.”

 Fortunately, they didn’t have to go that far, as Halling had called out to them as soon as they got past the first few storefronts. “Major Elric! There you are.”

The man looked absolutely exhausted, the bags under his eyes even worse than Ed had ever seen before. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were dirty with coal dust and oil smears. However, instead of pointing any of that out, Edward gave the man a large grin. “Halling, how nice to see you! How’ve you been lately?”

“There’s been trouble, to be honest,” Halling started walking next to Edward, swiftly leading the brothers to the town’s center. “Some pesky military boys appeared a few weeks ago and started demandin’ to see that bastard Yoki. Told ‘em he was chased out and this place was under new management, but they wanted proof.”

Edward tisked softly, toeing at the dirt as a few carts passed in front of them. “And they wanted to see me? Didn’t you have proof enough?”

“You are our proof. Those fuckers won’t take the deed I showed ‘em.”

“Why not?” Alphonse asked, his fingers playing with the strap of Edward’s suitcase. “I mean, it’s the deed to the whole town. Why wouldn’t it work?”

“Beats me, kid.” Halling shrugged. Soon enough, the three of them arrived at the center of town. The small plaza was half-filled with familiar blue uniforms, and Edward inwardly sighed at the looks of a few of them. Just with a glance, he could tell they used to have some kind of deal with Yoki, and their sleazy faces really sealed that thought process. As they walked closer, one of the men seemed to take notice of them and nudged one of his buddies. The soldiers fell silent after that, their eyes drawn to the unnatural sight of a child paired with a seven-foot-tall suit of armor. Not that it really was unnatural, thank you very much.

Stopping a few feet in front of them all, Edward crossed his arms. “What can I do for you all?”

“Oh, we’re just waitin’ for some fucker to show up and prove us fuckin’ right!” A voice called from the back, and those around him laughed loudly. 

“Right, well, if that’s all, I’d really appreciate ya’ll gettin’ the fuck outta my damn town. My men gotta work, and they can’t when ya’ll fuckers are blockin’ the damn tracks.” Ed sneered, glaring at the few who still bothered to stand in the front. 

One of them seemed to get cocky at Ed’s words and sauntered forward, leaning down so that his face was level with Ed’s. “Oh yeah? And who are you to say that, pipsqueak?”

You’re fucking kidding me. Edward growled in his head, biting back a sneer as he took a deep breath. “You’re talkin’ to the owner of this place.”

“ You? The owner? Hah! Just wait till the Colonel hears this!”

“Oh? Which Colonel?” The blond received a few almost disgusted glares at that question, but he was ultimately answered.

“Colonel Douglas, up in Central.”

“Oh yeah, I know him.” A lie. “He and my Colonel are on pretty good terms. Would hate to tell Mustang that some of his buddies men were harassing me…”

“Wait, huh? You work for Mustang? Colonel Mustang?” A brunette sputtered. “Who the fuck even are you?”

Edward let himself grin at that as he pulled out his pocket watch. This was really getting fun, if he was being honest with himself. “I’m Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I work directly under Colonel Mustang and report to General Grumman when need be. Now, as I asked before, what the fuck are you doing in my goddamn town?”

“Brother…” Alphonse started, but he was quickly cut off by the sound of people moving faster than before. One look at the small mass of blue, and he saw that all of them were holding a tight salute. Normally, Edward wouldn’t really care for this thing, but after being insulted right to his fucking face? They could hold that position until they passed out for all he cared.

“Was that really necessary?” Al whined softly, his metal helm almost sinking with embarrassment as Edward picked some leftover greens from his teeth. 

“What? Puttin’ those guys in their place? If I hadn’t, no one would’ve!” The boy leaned back in his seat, relishing in the feeling of the train rumbling beneath him. “Guys like them won’t stop for nothin’ unless someone who has more power says so. And who was I? The guy with more power.”

The younger sighed heavily, his body tilting slightly. “Yeah, but making hold a position for three hours? That had to be borderline torture!”

“Oh, with what they did in the Academy, that was nothing!” Ed gave a short cackle, avoiding eye contact with a few of his fellow passengers who glared at him. “Besides, with their attitudes, it’s a goddamn wonder they haven’t been Court Martialed yet. I did them a favor!”

Alphonse gave a heavy sigh, kicking his armored boot against the floor of the train. “We weren’t even back in Youswell for a day, and we’re already leaving again…” He pouted, and Ed smiled fondly.

“I know, but this was just a little errand. We can stop at one of the towns on the way to Winry if you’d like. Just to have a look around?”

That seemed to brighten the younger brother, because he was soon nodding quickly. “Yes! Oh, maybe they have some books on alchemy we haven’t read yet!”

Ed grinned, rubbing his nose before leaning against the wall of the car. They’d find something better than some books, so long as Marco hadn’t left the little town he’d settled in, and just the knowledge they were moving forward brought hope to his soul. “Maybe, Al… Though, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a book we hadn’t at least glanced through. Especially with all the stuff the bastard had in his study.”

“That’s true. Do you think dad would have notes on how to get our bodies back?”

That was a thought process Ed hadn’t given much time to. Back before he’d left to take the exam, Ed had holed himself up in their dad’s study, re-reading pages he’d already tried to memorize before. The words were all but burned into his mind, the joke unintended, but none of them held the answers the brothers sought. With that being said, Edward shook his head. “I don’t think so. He’s an old fart, but I wouldn’t believe he gave the idea much thought.”

Time passed quickly after that, the scenery changing from wide open fields of grass and crops to trees and mountains. There had been a layover, halfway between Resembool and Dr. Marcoh’s town, but it was smooth sailing after Ed had curled into his seat. Alphonse kept a careful watch, dividing his attention between their surroundings and the books he’d taken from Winry’s home. They were storybooks, filled with tales of knights and princesses and dragons, things that Al used to love reenacting before their mom passed. 

When Ed had awoken and filled his empty stomach with food, he was more than happy to listen to his baby brother talk endlessly about what he’d read, his heart warming at the mere sound of the younger’s smile. 

Walking into the town was easy, and getting directions to the local library was even easier. It was with some guilt and shame that Ed left Al there, giving him a short excuse about needing to stretch his legs some more. He knew Al could smell his bullshit lie, but the fact he didn’t mention it made him feel a little better about what he was doing.

The steps up to Marcoh’s door were old and mossy, the wooden banister creaking dangerously from the slightest touch. There was silence after Ed knocked on the door, and it was only because he knew what to listen for that Ed heard the soft footsteps coming closer. The door opened with a jarring creak, just enough for Marcoh to peek out between the door and the frame. “Who’s there? What do you want?”

“Edward Elric, the, ah, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I wanted to ask you a few questions-”

“No!” The door slammed shut, and Ed cursed himself. He knew Marcoh had been put on edge in the before when Major Armstrong had accompanied the brothers, so why did he think it was a good idea to tell the guy hiding from the government that he worked for the damn government? “I’m sorry, but I’m not taking any patients o-or questions right now. Good day!”

Ah, shit, Ed really made his job harder, didn’t he? 

Stifling a sigh, the boy took a step back. “I apologize, Dr. Mauro, but I really do need to speak with you. I found a recipe in one of your old cookbooks, and I-”

The door opened suddenly, and Ed was greeted with the ashen face of one Tim Marcoh. His eyes were wide, almost unbelieving as he glanced around the area. “Inside.” That was all he said before stepping back.

Edward entered the house quietly, keeping his hands from his pockets and his posture loose. Marcoh was nervous, that much was incredibly obvious, but Ed knew he still had weapons, still had knowledge, and that was dangerous. The two sat at the small dining table in silence for a few minutes, and the younger of the two mulled over what he should say without the danger of giving too much away. He was saved when the old Doctor cleared his throat, hands resting on the table's surface and weary eyes looking right into him.

“Why… Why are you here? Did the Fuhrer send you? Are they finally trying to shut my mouth?” The questions were asked with a dark humor in his tone, mirthless laughter falling from his lips as Ed bit the inside of his cheek. 

“No, no, I’m… here on personal business, actually.” He slipped his flesh hand into his coat slowly, drawing the vial of now semi-liquid Philosopher’s Stone out of the inner pocket and placing it on the table. “You know what this is, right?”

“ A Philosopher’s Stone. H-How did you…”

“A shoddy priest was using it to manipulate an entire city. I took it, and I… I don’t know what to do with it now.” He opened the bottle, tipping it over to let the stone slip from the cool glass. It landed without a sound, beading into a small ball before Ed started to nudge it with the vial. “This isn’t a real stone, doesn’t have the same feeling as the real ones do, but still.”

When he looked up, Ed didn’t know what to think of Marcoh’s disbelieving expression. He was grateful Alphonse wasn’t with him, though. Having to explain just what made a Philosopher’s Stone and why he hadn’t dared to use the one in his possession yet would have taken more out of him than he could give right now. And with the way Marcoh was visibly working up a question, Ed knew he’d be beyond tired at the end of this encounter.

“Why bring this to me?”

It was a simple question, one that would normally be easy to answer. Though, Ed wasn’t really supposed to know that Marcoh had made Philosopher’s Stones during the war, or even what was in the damn things, and that’s not even counting the fact that Ed knew where he fucking lived. Dancing around the pitfalls that would no doubt show up would be hard, but Ed had managed to come out on top in worse circumstances.

“As far as I’m aware, you’re the only one who knows what these things are that isn’t part of the whole ‘let’s kill a bunch of people to do experiments and cover it up ‘cause we’re a horrible government’ group. Hell, the guy I took this from was given it by a third party that works with the Fuhrer, which means I’ve gotta get this shit away fast or else…”

“Right, of course,” Marcoh looked old, his shoulders sagging as he buried his face in his hands. After seeing his face scarred for several months, Ed found it strange to see him as he did before. Scar had done a good job of making him unrecognizable, even if he didn’t want to admit it. “I can’t take it from you, if that's what you’re asking. I already have a few in my possession, and I can’t risk any more without-”

“-Without being discovered.” Ed sighed, running his gloved hand through his bangs. He’d need to get them trimmed soon, and maybe get the dead ends removed. “I get it, Dr. Mauro, I just need to know how to dispose of it. Hopefully without hurting those within, but anything would be better than keeping them trapped.”

The grave expression made Ed hesitate in returning the Stone to the vial, blinking away Visions of gloved hands filling bottles with blood, injecting animals and humans alike with the substance, and simply watching. It wasn’t happening, and Ed hadn’t even been three when it started, but did that change the outcome? Of course not, but that wouldn’t stop him from tucking it back into his coat, inwardly noting the way Marcoh continued to watch him closely. 

“It will not be easy getting rid of it,” He started, his voice hoarse. “I… There is no humane way, not that I know of, only… only using it until it breaks.”

The words felt like ice on his back, but Edward couldn’t kid himself into believing he thought otherwise. Using an imperfect Stone until it shattered had been the only way he’d seen them destroyed, and even the perfect ones had been used until they had no more souls to provide. It was a horrible truth, though, that he’d have to deliver the final blow to each soul that resided in the Stone until they were all free.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Ed stood slowly, rolling his shoulders before he walked to the door. “My brother is waiting for me at the library. We’ll be leaving for Resembool before this evening…” 

The door opened, revealing a bright and sunny day, the complete opposite of whatever Ed was feeling in his head and heart. “Have a nice day, Dr. Mauro.”

“Marcoh.” Ed blinked, turning to look back at the Doctor with surprised eyes. The older man looked so tired, so exhausted from whatever panic and fear he’d worked through after Ed’s appearance, but there was something close to hope in his eyes. “I’m Tim Marcoh.”

A laugh, short and stilted, fell from the teen, making his shoulders shudder ever so slightly. “Well, have a nice day, Dr. Marcoh. Maybe we’ll meet again, under better circumstances.”

He left after that, shutting the door behind him quietly. There was no response from behind the aged wood, not that Ed was expecting one, and the trip to the library was just as silent. The birds sang sweetly, and Ed couldn’t help himself from humming along as he walked. Civilians milled about, chatting between each other about their day and the latest town gossip. From what he overheard from two particularly loud women, an outsider had been seen hooking up with a handful of young ladies, only to get ousted by the ladies’ father. All of them were sisters, apparently, and all of them were very upset to learn that their ‘soulmate’ just so happened to be soulmates with the other seven of them.

It was senseless knowledge that made Ed grin as he walked into the small, secluded library. Alphonse was there, sitting among three piles of books, flipping through an already half-finished novel that had a tacky illustration of a dashing knight on its cover. 

“Any interesting, little brother?”

Al jumped so hard that Ed could feel his surprise, and that just made it all the more difficult to stifle his laughter. There were very few patrons within the walls, but he didn’t think any of them would be happy with an interruption. “You shut up, brother,” Al pouted, and Ed had to swallow down the rest of his giggles as he took a seat across from him. “And no, nothing interesting. Just a bunch of things we’ve already read before. Nothing even close to what they have in the East or Central.”

“Don’t let the librarian hear you say that. But I’m not too surprised. It’s a little town between a few stations, and it doesn’t get much traffic. We’d have more luck in Rush Valley than here.”

“Oh, that reminds me. Have you told Winry we’re coming yet?”

Biting back a wince, Ed looked away. “Yes, I have.”

“... Brother. ”

Ed threw his hands into the air. “What?! She’d just yell at me over the phone about my automail!” The sound of someone shushing him from behind the stacks made Ed pull a face, quietly apologizing before he continued. “Anyway, I think she’d like a surprise from us. Maybe wait a few hours before I tell her my arm and leg are getting stiff.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Al closed the book, moving to put away everything he’d taken from the shelves. “I take it we’re leaving soon, then?”

“In a bit. Thought we could walk around and see the sights before we set off. The Philosopher knows I need to stretch my leg before I’m chair-bound for a day and a half.”

“Winry doesn’t need to take off your automail for basic maintenance…” Al slowed in his movements, and Edward felt as though he had made a mistake somewhere in his sentence. “You’ve broken something in your leg, haven’t you.”

It wasn’t even a question, which made Ed feel extremely insulted, but he wasn’t about to let that show. Which was a lie, as he crossed his arms with a dramatic huff, cocking his head to the side while Al moved to shelf more books. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Al. I haven’t even done anything to warrant a full repair of my leg. We haven’t even sparred since be-before…”

He couldn’t finish that sentence, pictures of Tucker’s face, the gore and yellow feathers scattered on the stone floor, flashing in his mind. It didn’t matter, though, and Ed pushed himself to stand. “Anyway, I haven’t done anything that could have possibly broken it. I just wouldn’t be surprised if she does it anyway.”

Al just hummed in response, finally sliding the last book in its proper place before standing to his full height. “Well, in that case, we should be on our way. Do you think we should buy her something?”

“What, as a ‘please don’t kill us, have mercy’ gift?” He pulled open the door, letting his younger brother leave first before following behind. “I don’t see that as a bad thing. Maybe some new earrings? Haven’t gotten her a pair of those in a year or two.”

“Maybe. Do you think they have some here?”

Ed scrunched his nose, flicking through his memories from the before, shaking his head when he came up with nothing. “Probably not, if I’m bein’ honest. We’d have better luck at the station’s shop than here. Not unless we wanna pay a stupid price for a commission.”

“Ah, that’s too bad…” Al walked along a small bridge, pausing to watch some birds take flight from their nest a few yards away. “I forgot how pretty all of this was.”

The trees swayed softly in the wind, the smell of sweet flowers floating past them. There was a river not too far from where they stood, and the sound of running water simply added to the serenity of the scene. Warmth spread across Ed’s head and back, no doubt from the shining sun, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Spring was making its way through Amestris, and with it, the horrid heat of Summer would soon follow behind. It would be hell on the skin around Ed’s ports, but he knew to take better care of himself now. Trekking through a desert at the height of summer had really nailed that lesson into him.

The two brothers made their way through the town a few times, stopping to point out the smallest of details they hadn’t caught before. It wasn’t almost reminiscent of what their mother used to do, taking the boys around Resembool and showing them all the little things they normally wouldn’t glance at. That thought made Ed’s heart ache, and he forced himself to swallow the rock that had appeared in his throat. One day, after Al got his body back and could walk around again, Ed would take him to all the places he wanted to, so long as he was happy.

And if they picked up a few stray cats on the way to and from, then that would be something to work through when they got there.

It was when the two boys were boarding the train that Ed remembered his words to Marcoh. He hadn’t seen the man since he’d left his house a few hours ago, but whether that was a good or bad thing, Edward didn’t know. Alphonse happily sat across from Ed, pulling out one of the first alchemy books the two had ever read, leaving the eldest to look out the window. It was then that Ed saw him, standing at the edge of the platform, desperately scanning the crowd before his eyes darted to the cars.

When their eyes met, Ed could see the man straighten up, walking quickly to his window.

“Young Elric!” He called, no doubt drawing Al’s attention as well. “Here, take this. The rest of my… my recipes are being held here until further notice.”

It was a small slip of paper with an address scrawled along its surface. It was Central Library, a place that would no doubt be ashes in the coming months, but as of now it still stood proudly within Central Command’s circle of ‘protection’. Ed nodded, stuffing it into the same pocket at the Stone. “Thanks again, Doctor.”

“Please, just Mauro is fine.” The old man gave a half smile, and Ed didn't stop his own grin from spreading. 

“I’ll send word if I find anything.”

Marcoh hummed, and whatever he was going to say was cut off by the train’s whistle. They would be leaving soon, far sooner than Marcoh seemed to have thought. The man looked back at Ed, his eyes wide before he stuffed something else through the window. Just as the train was beginning to pull away, Ed opened the package to find a small notebook and a vial, both stuffed beneath senseless things. “You take care of that, Edward. Come find me when you find the Truth.”

Ed wanted to shout back at him, wanted to ask just what the hell he was playing at, but the train had already moved too far. Disbelief painted his thoughts as Ed began to flip through the pages, trying to decode whatever nonsense was written upon the paper. “Brother, who was that?”

“The town doctor, Mauro.” Ed croaked, deciding to stuff the little gifts away in his suitcase so he didn’t have to think about them. “He’s the one I went to talk to earlier.”

“Oh, really?” Al perked up at that, sliding an armored finger between the pages of his book. “What did you talk about? You aren’t one to talk with doctors about anything. ”

“Hey, I’m not that bad!” Ed growled, grinning when Al gave a ringing laugh. “And I was… mostly talking to him about my automail. I wasn’t lying when I said I haven’t broken anything, but the ports…”

“Hurt?” When Ed nodded, Al sighed, almost like he knew the answer before he even asked. “With all that’s happened since we last saw Winry, I’m not really surprised. Though, maybe you just need to get them resized. You could have grown!”

“Wh- Hey! Was that an insult to my height?!” 

Their conversation dissolved into petty banter interrupted only when Ed needed to eat. It was nightfall when they arrived at the second to last station, and the two brothers were exhausted.

“Train tomorrow?”

Ed groaned, leaning against a lamppost not far from the train. A whistle sounded in the distance, and the alchemist forced himself to stand up straight again. “Nah, the tickets are for tonight. I can sleep on the train, no biggie.”

They started towards their next stop, which luckily wouldn’t take long at all. “That can’t be good for your back, brother.”

“Are you callin’ me old?” Ed looked at his brother from the corner of his eye, inwardly laughing when the younger threw up his hands.

“What? Of course not! But, you were saying your ports hurt, and-”

“I’m messing with you, Al,” Ed handed over their tickets, more than happily flashing his watch when the conductor looked ready to protest their boarding. Their seats were in the middle of the center car, the optimal place for both offense and defense - No, he wasn’t constantly reminded of the train hijacking all that time ago. He wasn’t constantly reminded of the fact that he’d watched several people die on his way to the front, or the fact that he had killed two men with his own hands every time he looked at the front engine. He wasn’t constantly reminded of the shrill whistle that sounded in his ear shortly before help had arrived, a sound that had engraved itself into his mind only a few hours after the initial confrontation. He wasn’t traumatized at all, and he would beat up anyone who said otherwise. -  which meant that it was the best place to be.

Making himself comfortable across the old seats, Ed could feel his bones straining against his ports, something that really wasn’t pleasant until he’d propped up his leg on his suitcase. His shoulder was a matter that couldn’t be helped aside from bundling up his coat and shoving it under his head. But, with the letter and the Stone within the fabric, Ed didn’t want to risk either getting damaged.

And as Ed finally drifted off to sleep, the rocking of the train pulling him deeper and deeper under the waters of dreams, he could almost feel a warm hand brushing against his forehead, smoothing back his hair and tracing lines over his face. In the back of his mind, muddled by fatigue and exhaustion, Ed was reminded of his mother in the time before their father left, before she had lost her smile, before she had lost her life. In that part of his mind, Ed felt more relaxed than he’d been in weeks.

After this entire mess was over and done with, Edward couldn’t wait to go home again.

Chapter Text

When she opened the door, Ed could have sworn Winry’s soul left her body for a moment. He had been worried, almost moving to help her stay standing, but before he could even put one foot in front of the other, a very pleasant wrench had become best friends with his forehead.

Laying on the porch, Ed didn’t bother stifling the pain-filled groan, willfully ignoring the angry words of his dear mechanic. Al helped him back to his feet, bless the young man to the non-existent heavens and back, and the two made their way inside. Granny sat at the kitchen table, slowly picking through the breakfast Winry had made not long ago, and didn’t even bother sparing a glance at the brothers before she started talking. “So, what did you manage to break this time, Ed?”

The boy scowled at that, crossing his arms with a huff. “Nothing! My arm and leg are fine!”

“Why do I feel like you’re lying,” Winry grumbled under her breath, and Ed rolled his eyes in response. She barely looked back over her shoulder before she threw a screwdriver at him. 

Ed had the good instinct to duck below the projectile, but that hadn’t stopped his knee from giving out beneath him. Landing in a heap on the floor, the alchemist didn’t dare look in the direction of the two women, already knowing exactly what they would say.

Just as he knew it to be, Granny spoke up. “Didn’t break anything, hm?”

“ Shut up… ”

Not twenty minutes later, Ed was sitting on the large table in Winry’s workshop. She was poking and prodding at his ports, still attached to his skin and his automail, and humming underneath her breath. In the before, Ed had always avoided looking at her, too embarrassed that she’d see any type of weakness when he was half undressed. Now, though? After everything they’d been through, that was the least of his worries. Instead, he let himself watch as she wrote notes on the state of his prosthetics, inwardly grinning when she found that there was no real damage that hadn’t been caused by daily usage… excluding the scuffs on his hand and foot where he’d had to slide across metal and concrete during missions.

“Color me surprised, Ed,” Winry started, turning her back to the boy as she gathered the needed materials to detach the automail from his body. “For once, I don’t have to remake your arm! I think the world should be ending soon, so you better ask Granny to make something good for dinner tonight.”

Edward huffed, leaning back on his left hand as he braced himself for the uncomfortable feeling of losing his limbs again. The flash of static and pins on nonexistent limbs made him wince, rubbing at his ports where flesh met metal. “Maybe some stew would be good.”

It had been too long since he’d had Granny’s stew. He hadn’t seen her since running here with Greedling and co., and there hadn’t been much time to sit down and chat before they were off again. She’d given them food, yes, and he’d been able to see Winry, but that just made everything hurt more when he’d almost been too late. Just to sit at the table with those he considered his closest family would be the greatest blessing he could think of, even if it meant that he’d still be beating himself up over past actions. But that was something to think about when he was alone in the dark, covered by his blankets and not next to Winry who was all but glaring at him.

“The usual replacement for your leg is being loaned out right now, so you’ll have to stick with a chair until tomorrow night.” She looked close to apologetic, no doubt remembering his distaste for the tool. “I can try and see if I can get it back sooner if you’d like, but-”

“Nah, it’s cool, Winry.” Ed hopped off the table, precariously balancing on his remaining leg, using the table and his friend's shoulder to hop in the chair's direction. “Won’t be able to push it very much, with one arm, but I’ll be fine.”

“You know any of us can help you around, right?” Winry droned, and Ed had to laugh at her expression. Settling into the wheelchair was like being launched back into his eleven-year-old body. Winry must have seen something in his eyes because she quickly grabbed a thick blanket and tossed it at his head. “Now, if I’m gonna finish your automail before next week, I need you out, Elric.”

It only took him ten minutes of trying to wheel his way to the kitchen before he gave up. “Al… Al… Alphonse… ” The sound of clanking armor drew close, and soon a familiar helmet peered from behind the door. “Help?”

The youngest of their little group sighed good-naturedly as he moved behind Edward. “And here I thought you didn’t know how to ask.”

“Hey, I resent that!”

“Resent it all you want, boy, doesn’t change the fact he’s not wrong.” Granny piped up from the sink. She was very obviously washing dishes, and with the process of elimination and the wet spots on Al’s gloves, his brother was drying them. “So she did stick you in the chair, hm?”

Granny was hiding a smile, Ed knew, but he rolled his eyes and groaned anyway. “She did. And are we good for having stew tonight? I can-”

“You’re not doing anything until you get your arm back at the earliest,” Granny finished the last dish, handing it to Alphonse before turning to Ed. “And that’s only after you get your visit over with.”

Ah, right. 

He’d made the habit of visiting their mother whenever he visits, no matter how long he was intending to stay in Resembool. Alphonse didn’t always accompany him on the trip, more than willing to stay back and make his own trip during the night. Usually, Ed was perfectly capable of walking all the way there, stopping to greet his old neighbors and catch up on the local gossip that he’d missed in his time away. But stuck in a wheelchair and down an arm? It was going to be impossible to go alone.

Of course, there was the option of going with Al, or even just waiting until he got his arm back, but that… He hadn’t visited Mom with Al in almost three years. A part of him excused the action, murmuring on about how they both dealt with grief differently, that Alphonse had things to say to Mom that he wouldn’t want Ed to hear, that Alphonse would tell him if he wanted to visit her together.

He would, wouldn’t he?

A memory of the before bubbled to the surface of his mind. The time shortly after they broke into Laboratory 5, Alphonse had been so closed off, so cold to those around him, and it had taken nearly a week for him to finally break and tell Ed off for something that wasn’t true. If it had taken a week for something like believing he wasn’t real, how long would Al endure the idea that Ed blamed him?

…

What the fuck?

The knowledge wasn’t something he should know, Ed knew. There was a time when Ed confessed that he blamed himself for the mess they were in, where he just assumed his baby brother felt the same way and was only playing nice because they were family, but that? There had never once been a talk about Al blaming himself. Across the kitchen, Edward watched his little brother, the one person he knew he would spend eternity beside if Truth let him, finish drying the last few dishes before ambling over. 

Edward quietly asked Al to move him to the living room, tugging at the loose threads of the blanket. When the larger boy went to leave, Ed grabbed his arm, holding him in place. “Al, wait.”

“Hm? What is it, brother?” Edward could all but see Al’s confused smile, head tilted and his eyes soft and wide and so soulful and filled with emotion and knowledge and-

“Do you blame yourself?”

It caught them both off guard. The silence that stretched between them seemed to last an eternity before Alphonse managed to speak up. “Wh-What are you- no? I don’t.”

“The- Our accident. With… with mom. Do you blame yourself?”

The loose grip Ed had on his brother's arm fell away as the younger pulled back. “No, I don’t.”

It was confident, and anyone who didn’t know Alphonse like Ed did would have believed him in an instant. After all, who would be so sure in their words if they had a guilty conscience?

“You do.”

That knowledge broke his heart, and he was only slightly ashamed to admit he started to tear up. It was as he was blinking back tears that Alphonse kneeled down, hand hovering over his brother’s shoulders. “No, I don’t! I-I swear, Ed, I don’t blame my-myself!”

It was easy to draw his baby brother, the person he trusts with his life, with his soul, into his chest, cradling his helmet with one arm. A shuddering breath passed through his lips before he connected their foreheads, a single tear passing through his lashes when he closed his eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, Alphonse. You did absolutely nothing wrong that day.”

A moment of silence passed between them before Al finally relaxed against Ed’s body. “But I did. I could have told you not to, that it was a bad idea. And Teacher, she even forbade us! But I still-”

“You trusted me,” Edward interrupted, pulling back to look into Alphonse’s soul-red eyes. “You believed me when I said we wouldn’t get hurt, that it was the way to get Mom back. We both believed that. You putting all the blame on yourself won’t fix what’s happened, especially when…”

“When…?”

“When I blame myself too.”

The admission was heavy in his throat, and Ed lost the strength to look at his little brother’s face. His head hung, chin resting against his chest as he drew in a shaking breath. “I’m your big brother, Al. As much as I try to hide it, I can’t help but hate what I’ve done to you. You deserve so much better than what has happened, and when I say I won’t rest until you’re back in your body, I mean it.”

Alphonse sniffled, the sound echoed in his hollow form. “I know you do, brother. But, if I can’t pin all the blame on me, then you can’t either, got that?”

Laughter bubbled up from Ed’s stomach, and he soon had to lean against his baby brother to keep from tipping over. “Okay, Al. I… I promise.”

Ling smiled wide, his brown eyes shut from just how far it spread across his face. They were in Rush Valley, sitting atop a roof as the sun set far behind them. Edward couldn’t help but take in the golden glow that surrounded his Xingese friend, how the light seemed to frame his being perfectly. The sound of chiming bells, of sweet song and spring-time fields of flowers drifted through his ears, emanating from Ling’s mouth as he laughed. They were dancing, hands interlocked, metal against warm flesh as flowers blew in the breeze around them. There was cotton and lavender and sage, warmth and life and so much goodness that Edward felt his teeth ache from the sweetness of it all.

His eyes were open, chocolate meeting gold, and Edward dared to brush his hand against a sun-warmed cheek. It felt like butterflies and static, like he couldn’t breathe from how hard his heart was pounding. The warmth soaked into him, traveling up his arm until it reached his face.

The look on Ling’s face was fond, head tilted and pushing into Ed’s scarred and rough hand. His yellow jacket shifted slowly in the wind, and Ed couldn’t help but pull the other teen into an embrace, burying his nose in the taller’s hair.

And just like that, Ling disappeared.

Edward was alone in the field, the flowers rotting and wilting, and the breeze souring with the taste of death. There was blood on his hand, the hand that held Ling so gently, and it wouldn’t wash away. The hard, cobblestone ground beneath him sent chills up his lone bare foot, and Edward couldn’t stop his gaze from following the trail of blood before him.

The sky had turned a dark, angry red, and he could all but taste the oncoming rain that would leave him bedridden for what would feel like days. A lone transmutation circle, the one Shou had tried to use on Ed, lay in the middle of the room. There was blood all over it, leaving the entire thing almost indecipherable had Ed not known what he was looking at. In the middle of the array sat a body, yellow feathers poking up from the corpse’s exposed back.

He moved closer, familiar pain jolting through his port as he moved, until he was at the very edge of the circle. The hair atop the body’s head was not short and dark like Shou’s, but long and a familiar gold.

“This is… But I…”

“ It is a good thing You had moved out of the array. ”

The sound of Truth’s voice made Edward jump, turning to look behind him. The white figure was standing only a few feet away, a frown pulling at its lips. The words took a moment to fully process, but when they did, Ed looked back down at his feet. “You mean, th-that’s…”

“ You. Or, shall I say, a version of You. ” Truth moved to stand beside the young alchemist, unseen eyes trained upon the corpse. “ You would have suffered greatly if Shou Tucker had succeeded. ”

“But he didn’t,” Ed was quick to add, hugging his arms as he took a step back. “He failed, and I’m completely fine. All he did was hit me a little, nothing else.”

When Truth didn’t answer, a cold sense of fear washed over Ed’s entire body. “T-Truth?”

“ You are not completely unscathed. ” Truth’s voice was grim. The scene around the two of them changed to a familiar white void. Ed would never admit it aloud, but the sight was becoming a comfort rather quickly. The being sat in its usual spot, and Edward made himself comfortable across from it. “ It is true that there are no physical changes to Your being due to the attempted transmutation, but there have been some mental ones. ”

“That… I guess that makes sense, but I don’t see what could have changed.” Edward flicked through his memories since he’d left the hospital, and nothing was glaringly wrong. “I haven’t felt any weirder than normal.”

“ Well, can You tell me what would happen if, say, the Greed You first met in Dublith were to arrive on Your doorstep? ”

The hairs on the back of Ed’s neck immediately began to rise, and the boy had to hold back a snarl. “Hell no! The only reason I started to tolerate him was because he was buddy-buddy with Ling, and that guy doesn’t even know him!”

“ And are You saying this because You dislike him? ” Truth’s head was tilted with curiosity, the faux kind, like it already knew the answer before Ed could say it.

“Well, no, I just don’t know him! And people I don’t know aren’t allowed in my area!”

The silence in the Void of Nothing stretched for a moment before Truth hummed under its breath. “ And how do You feel about having to work solo sometimes? Separated from the people You’re close to, even if You know You will see them soon? ”

Edward hesitated on that one. In the before, Ed had been reluctant to part from his friends, from his own brother for longer than a week. The whole trip with Greedling through Amestris where he had no idea how his little brother was faring had been a living hell, but now? Edward could feel his stomach twisting with anxiety and fear at the mere thought of being apart longer than a handful of hours. The breath that the young alchemist took was shaky, just barely filling his lungs before he gave a nervous laugh. “T-Truth, what the hell-”

“ Shou Tucker was attempting to combine Your being with a young yellowhammer. While it failed to connect with You physically, it has had some effects on Your thoughts and actions. ”

“You mean to tell me I’m starting to think like a fucking bird?! ”

The sentence should have been grave and upsetting, but the laughter that ensued was anything but. “I can’t tell if I should be fucking pissed or amazed,” Ed giggled, laying on his back before covering his face with his flesh hand. “I never thought that would happen.”

“ Neither did I, ” Truth started, and the clear humor in its voice made something loosen in Ed’s chest. “ It does not seem like these new… habits will have any real negative consequences in the long run, so there is no need to worry Yourself over it. ”

“You’ve probably done all the worrying for me already,” Ed griped, rolling out of the way to dodge a shadowy hand. “You know I meant well.”

“ I know, ” Truth stood, and the Gate behind them both slowly opened. The darkness within felt warmer than usual, and the shadows that twisted around his limbs were oh-so gentle. “ It is time for You to awaken, Little Alchemist. ”

“Every time you call me little, you’re just calling yourself that too,” Ed grinned as he was pulled through the Gate, swaddled in warmth and Nothing and Everything and… well, there weren’t many words he could think of to add on to those two. “But I’ll see you later, Truth.”

“ Yes, ” Truth’s voice echoed through his mind as golden eyes opened, gently fluttering in the light of the rising sun. We will see each other later.

The graveyard was quiet.

Edward was still in his wheelchair, legs shielded from the morning’s chill with a nice, thick blanket. Alphonse stood beside him, head lowered as the two brothers silently watched where their mother lay. Granny and Winry had gone to bed soon after dinner, much to Ed’s internal delight. As much as he wanted his limbs back on his body, he had no rush to withhold Winry from her sleep. She had been a rather good sport about it in the before, but with his plans already so far ahead of schedule, he felt he could take a few days to simply… breathe.

“Do you think she would hate us?”

Al’s voice was small, soft in a way that made Edward’s heart ache. There was no way for him to tap against his baby brother’s chest with metal, so he shifted his chair enough to bump it against his leg instead. “I don’t think so,” Al shot him a disbelieving look. Well, as much of a look as he could send in his current form. “We… We have made lots of mistakes, brother, and there might be some she would be upset over. But hating us? For trying to bring her back? For giving up our childhoods because of one choice? She would never, could never.”

“Do you really think so?”

Ed smiled, reaching down to place a few wildflowers he’d grabbed on the way down atop the long grass before him. His mother’s name looked just as fresh, carved deep within old granite, as the day she’d been buried. “Yeah, I do. She knew how much we loved her, and how much her d- death would affect us, especially with Dad being gone. I don’t think she even knew what human transmutation was, but I… I don’t think she would hate us for trying.”

The silence that fell between them lasted until they arrived back at the Rockbell’s home. Den was curled up on the porch, her paws cushioning her head while she watched the brother’s approach. When Alphonse began to push Edward’s chair up the ramp, the girl had stood up, tail wagging wildly while she followed beside them. The smell of breakfast floated through the air, and a lingering sense of nostalgia only strengthened when he saw Granny at the stove. She was standing atop a stood he and Al had made her for her fifty-ninth birthday. It had been the second birthday the four of them had celebrated for an adult after their Mom died, and while they hadn’t known what to get the old woman, they knew what they could make her.

She treasured it, of course, that fact only made more apparent with how often she used the damn thing. There had been times when Ed wanted to fix it, to offer a replacement that wouldn’t creak or wobble whenever Granny shifted her weight, but then he would see it. The shine in Granny’s eyes whenever she pulled it out, that soft look and fond smile whenever she glanced in its direction or it was brought up in conversation. It was one of the few things Ed and Al had made in their childhood that hadn’t been completely burned in the fire, one last remnant of the life they once lived.

After being wheeled to the table, Edward was more than happy to pet Den while two of his favorite people finished making and dishing out warm food. 

What a life to live.

Chapter Text

“Hohenheim.”

The man was standing before a grave, back turned to Edward.

His hair was pulled back in that familiar ponytail, and his clothes were the same old style he remembered. Golden eyes were covered by the sun's glare on thin wire glasses, and Edward had to fight back a scowl. The man was tall, just as he remembered, but something was… off.

“Edward,” He started, turning so that his body was angled towards his eldest son. “I… You’re here.”

“Of course, I am. Where else would I be?”

“Dead.”

The sky darkened, clouds covering the sun enough to reveal that familiar gaze. He looked older, Ed noted, taking in the creases under his eyes and around his lips. “I’m not, though.”

“No, you’re not. It shouldn’t be possible, and yet…”

“Here we are.”

Silence fell between them, until a familiar hand grasped Ed’s left arm. 

“Was it worth it?”

The words made Edward blink, looking away from those small hands pulling him towards his gate. “What?”

“Your life. Was it worth the sacrifice? The risk? The knowledge?”

“I…” Ed felt his hand grow warm, Truth all but materialising next to him. “I don’t-”

“ It’s time to go, Little Alchemist. ”

“....Thought so,” Ed sighed, closing his eyes when the sun shone on him again. Hohenheim was looking at him, hand lifted as if he were going to reach out.

“See you later, pops .”

The train rumbled beneath him, his head resting against the fogged up window of the compartment. Alphonse was reading a book he’d picked up at the station, advertised as a self-help guide for putting your life back together. It wasn’t something either of them usually bothered to look at, but there were only so many scientific and historical books you could read before it got tedious.

When the younger boy noticed he was awake, Alphonse perked up. “Good morning, brother! Did you sleep well?”

“As good as I usually do.” Ed yawned as he stretched his body, managing to pop his back in a few spots. 

“That’s so gross, brother.”

He laughed, pulling his red coat tighter around his body. “And? Feels good. Less like my back is gonna kill me when we start walkin’ again.”

“Doesn’t make it any less gross.” Al put the book down after placing a stray clean napkin between the pages. “We should be in Central station soon. We passed the border not too long ago.”

“Good, good…” Golden eyes looked out the window, catching the sun’s light gently. If he looked at his reflection hard enough, he could see him . Eyes dark with age and knowledge, countless decades passing by without even blinking. Skin pale, the warmth of the sun taken from him with more time spent beneath the ground than above. As much as he used to hate it, Edward did look like his father. Alphonse always had more of their mother in his features, her rounder face and almond eyes shining through as he got older. Before the transmutation, there had been times where Edward looked to Alphonse as a reminder, memorising his features in order to remember her own. And with so many years away from their father, Edward felt his heart ache.

A gloved hand made its way up to his hair, still pulled back in its consistent braid. Though, with how hard Ed was sleeping, half of it was loose by now. Before he could think himself out of it, Ed pulled the tie out and began unbraiding his hair, running his fingers through the long, golden strands until it was almost smooth. 

Pulling it into a ponytail, Edward sighed. 

“Brother?”

He looked over, smiling at his little brother. “It’s nothin’, Al. Just have a good feelin’.”

The Central City library was beautiful.

If Ed was a weaker man, he’d be brought to tears at the sight of brilliant marble and carved wood. But he was strong, and only gasped at it all.

“Brother, you’re being dramatic.”

Alphonse stood to his right, his hulking frame lowered to make himself marginally smaller. It was a sad sight, something that made Edward wince as he thought about his own back bending like that, but it couldn’t be helped. “What? It’s pretty!”

“And how many libraries have we seen?” The younger boy drawled, and Ed could see the way he raised a brow in his voice. “Pretty sure we’ve passed this one a few times too.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it, Al. Now, let’s go, I wanna see what the doc prescribed.”

The inside was just as awe inspiring as the outside. 

Shelves upon shelves of books, tables with loose paper and pens, even more books along the walls. It was incredible, a wet dream for any scholar.

What wasn’t that inspiring was the sight of a librarian surrounded by books in the section they needed to be in. Her brown hair was choppy and short, and her wide-rimmed glasses glinted in the soft candlelight around them. “Excuse me, we need to get through…”

No answer, which Ed was expecting.

He stepped up next to her, taking some of the books on the floor and stacking them on the table. The librarian took no notice of the movement, her eyes fixed on the words before her. That is, until Ed forced the book down, drawing it away from her sight. “Aren’t you meant to be working?”

She blushed, stuttered words tumbling from her mouth before her head dropped. “Ah, yes, sorry about that. Now, where…” She looked around, dark brown eyes darting across the now empty floors. “The books!”

“Are on the tables,” Ed interrupted, pointing in their direction. “Not to be rude, but are you sure this is the job for you?”

“Brother-”

Sheska drooped, almost like a wilting flower, as she moved to stand. “It’s the last library that has taken me in, and I need the money…”

“Really? You look to be doing well for yourself.” Alphonse tilted his head slightly, the ribbon on the helmet swaying.

“It’s my mother, really… I’ve been trying to save up enough to move her to a better hospital, but,” Edward could see the gloom descend over the woman, her head buried in her hands. “At the rate I’m getting fired, it’ll never be enough.”

“Ah, that’s too bad… Think you can give me a hand, though?”

Sheska perked up, running a hand through her hair as she smiled. “Of course! Anything you need!”

Gathering all of Marco’s notes was easy with her help. 

By the end of the day, Alphonse was carrying several stacks of paper in his arms, barely straining under the weight. Edward had a few of his own, but kept a hand free as he fished out his watch. “Will you be working again tomorrow?”

“Oh, yes, I am. All this week, actually.”

“Fantastic!” Edward grinned. “We’ll be back around noon-ish to pay you.”

“Pay me? Oh, no, you really shouldn’t!”

“You’re aiding the investigation of a State Alchemist,” Edward started, showing the young woman his identification. “It’s the least I can do, really.”

“You… You’re a State Alchemist?”

He turned around, waving his now free hand over his shoulder as he started back towards the dorms. “Yep! See you tomorrow, Sheska.”

Bringing his research to the office was an easy choice. 

With only one other person aside from the brothers being an Alchemist, it was incredibly unlikely anyone would be able to decipher the notes, and even then, Roy would have a hard time. The man had been given Ed some easy assignments, mostly paperwork due to the rainy season coming around, which the boy was only slightly grateful for. His desk was still clean when Edward walked in, only the pens he used frequently were scattered around. 

“Afternoon, Chief, Al.” Havoc said, nodding at the two as they walked over.

The boy placed his stack of notes on the wooden desk, gently massaging the port on his arm as he sat down. “Hey, Havoc. Where’s everyone else?”

“Food run,” The older man looked back down at his paperwork, no doubt going through reports from Roy’s other subordinates. “Hughes has managed to convince the Colonel to help with an investigation that’s givin’ him problems.”

“Not surprising,” Ed drawled, moving to sort through the notes Alphonse had set down. “What’s it on?”

“Disappearances in the South. With the Colonel getting his promotion to Central, it’ll be easier to work on it than back in the East, but he’s wanting to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later.”

“Cause the Liutenant is on his ass?”

Havoc smirked, unlit cigarette moving with his lips. “Cause the Liutenant is on his ass. What’re you two workin’ on?”

“Decoding alchemical notes. Brother got them from a doctor during a layover, so it’s something to pass the time. They might even show us a way to get our bodies back!” Alphonse made himself comfortable behind Edward’s chair, taking some of the notes with their reference books and laying them around.

“Sounds like a party,” Roy walked into the room, with Riza and Breda following close behind. “Are you too busy to help out, Fullmetal?”

“Depends,” He moved his chair back far enough to prop his automail leg on his desk. “Where’s Falman and Furey?”

Riza made her way to Roy’s desk, placing a few bags of food down before she gathered up some papers. “They’re taking Black Hayate on a walk.”

“That’s fun,” Ed mumbled, leafing through one of the thinner packets. “What area is Maes looking at for the disappearances?”

“So Havoc told you? It’s Dublith, as of now-”

“ Dublith? ”

Roy looked over to the boys, raising a brow at their panicked expressions. “...Yes. Do you know something you’d like to share?”

The two shared a look, Edward all but trembling as they nodded. “Our teacher lives there.”

“The one who taught you alchemy?” Breda asked, stealing one of Havoc’s cigarettes. 

“And combat, but yes. We’ve been meaning to visit but-”

“-we’re too scared.” Al finished, his armored hands covering his face. 

“Fullmetal? Scared? Never thought I’d see the day,” Roy joked, sending the younger boy a shit eating grin when he glared. “Though, this does help us. If you two have been there before, it’ll make it easier to map things out.”

“You’ve never been to Dublith?” Al asked, his helmet tilting while he grabbed a different stack of notes. The first set was a little over his head without the basics decoded. 

Riza took out a map that was half finished, several places marked in different colored inks. Ed could see that the area Teacher lived in was unmarked and unlabeled, which was a good sign. “Never been on the top of any lists, let alone any missions,” She didn’t even glance over when Ed walked to her side, peering at the places that had confirmed cases. “I have heard that their restaurants are good, though.”

“They are,” Ed hummed, “though, the main source of popularity is Kauroy Lake, over here.” He pointed at Yock Island near the center of the town. It just so happened that some of the disappearances happened near the shores, or in the alleys near it.

“It’s a start,” Roy muttered, writing a reminder on a stray receipt. “I’ll give Hughes a call, let him know where we’re starting. Havoc, catch Falman and Fuery up when they get back.”

“Yessir,” He saluted, grinning with his cigarette hanging from his mouth. “Who all are you sendin’?”

“The Elrics, for one,” Roy moved behind his desk again, taking out more papers as he sat down in his chair. “Hughes will want to send some of his men as well, so Falman will be the only person to go with them as of now. I’ll see what changes after the call.”

The brothers shared a look, sweat already gathering at Ed’s temple as he thought of the last time he saw Teacher. Getting his ass handed to him on first sight wasn’t the worst of that trip, and getting expelled was only marginally better. Still, seeing her again would be nice, and Ed… well, he missed her. More than he thought was possible, seeing as how she beats him to the Gate and back when she can, but still, he did.

The day passed easily after that. 

Roy made that call, spending most of it listening to Maes gush about his daughter and wife. Ed even overheard him mention Nina’s name, but getting his hopes up would only lead to disaster. Instead, he turned his full attention to the notes, looking through the familiar words he’d spent so much time looking through last time. The stone was under no specific name, switching between Salmonberry Jam and Beetroot Dye, with the occasional Pomegranate Seed thrown in to catch people off guard. “Brother, are you understanding any of this?”

“Some,” Ed shrugged, flipping back to the start of the packet he was holding. “His handwriting is kinda messy, though.”

“Not as bad as yours, brother.”

“Wh- Al! Betrayal!”

Laughter, bright and sweet, echoed through the boy's armored body. “What? It’s true!”

“Doesn’t make it any less of a betrayal.” Ed huffed, crossing his arms with an exaggerated pout. “See if I polish your armor the next time it rains.”

“No, brother please! I’m sorry!”

The office was warm, that familiar sense of peace washing over the room. Edward noticed the way Hovoc and Breda shared a look, their smirks growing into steady grins as Alphonse continued to whine. Furey and Falman were chuckling, while Riza just shook her head fondly. 

Roy met Ed’s eyes, dark soot black looking into bright gold, and he smiled. Not one of those smarmy smirks, oozing superiority and condescension. No, this one was nicer, softer, something Edward wouldn’t have ever believed the bastard could manage without bursting into unholy flames.

By the end of the week, Ed and Al would be back on a train, heading to Dublith to help the investigation continue. Ross and Brosh would meet them there, where they’d meander their way through the town before ‘accidentally’ arriving at their Teacher’s home. 

He could only ask Truth to be kind to his soul when she kills him.

Beneath Dublith, within one of the rundown bars, a man sat on an antique-looking armchair. His hair was short and spiked, darker than even the most lonely nights. His vest was furred at the collar, and the back of his left hand was disturbed by a bright red tattoo.

Greed looked through the list of profits they’d managed to bring in this week, smirking when the amount of alcohol had obviously risen in the past few weeks.

As much as he hated other people on his turf, these disappearances were helping business boom.

Roa entered the dingy office with a huff, his sledgehammer resting against his shoulder before it bumped against the wall.

“What’s goin’ on, Roa?”

“There’s been more talk of the military comin’ in from Central. Too many people going missing for them to be comfortable with ignoring it.”

“Damn,” Greed clicked his tongue, sliding his sunglasses off his nose and onto his desk. “Guess we’ll have to keep an eye out for any curious mutts. No offence, Dol.”

The younger man huffed from behind Roa, only passing through with a crate of new supplies. “None taken. At least I know I’m better than them.”

“That you are,” He grinned, standing after a moment. “Let’s keep on the downlow, though. Keep the prices steady, and don’t change the menu yet. We’ll save that as a hail Mary.”

“Yessir,” Roa grunted, picking his hammer up and leaving the room with a few heavy steps. 

In all his years on this Earth, Greed had to admit this was one of the best joints he’d gotten a hold of. A popular place, loyal minions, steady stream of cash, and, best of all, no Father. It was all he could have ever dreamed of! Though, there was still the whole ‘turn Amestris into another Philosopher’s Stone so Father could become god above god’, but that was neither here nor there.

Instead, Greed walked out of his office, grinning when Dolcetto yipped after Beido popped down from the ceiling, surprising him. Martel was tending to some patrons, dutifully refilling their drinks while evading wandering hands.

“Careful, fellas,” He started, grinning when they looked to him with wide, drunken eyes, “I can’t be held responsible if she, ah, bites. Have fun!”

Yes, the perfect place. If Greed was any other person, hell, any different cardinal sin, this would be enough. And yet, he was Greed, always so greedy and needing more and more and more. 

A newspaper on one of the empty tables caught his eye, and a certain golden-eyed alchemist on the front cover caught his attention. He’s being proclaimed the famed Alchemist of the People once again, especially with his latest work against Shou Tucker and First Lieutenant Yoki. With how much his little pup likes to stick his nose in places he shouldn’t, Greed would be willing to bet his Stone that the kid would be wandering his way over here sooner than later.

And then, Greed though, grinning as he tossed the paper in the trash, the real fun begins.

Chapter Text

Never in a million years, not even if he were on his deathbed with no other secrets to admit, would Alphonse ever reveal how there were some nights he wished his brother hadn’t saved him.

It had been alright at first, hours spent awake filled with Granny and Winry coming in and out of Ed’s room to check on him, talking with Al every time they did. And when the two went to sleep, he had full and complete access to every book in both houses, which was a monumental occasion for an eleven-year-old boy. After a few weeks bled into months, he had read through every book, front to back, twice over, and was already halfway through re-reading them all for a third time. It was boring, painfully so, but Ed’s words rang through his metallic head during those quiet nights.

“I can’t live a day without you, Al. I can’t imagine a time where I’ve been apart from you, where I’ve been alone. I don’t ever want to live a day knowing that you’re dead.”

Years later, sitting on a half-empty train with his brother resting his head on cold armor, Alphonse really wished he could sigh.

Across from the two brothers were a pair of soldiers they’d met only five minutes before their departure, Second Lieutenant Ferrin Cosgrave and Captain Allen Granby. The two were whispering to each other when not distracted by the case notes, and Alphonse was growing slightly annoyed by the constant stares they were sending his way. Did he know his current body was suspicious and entirely out of place for a fourteen-year-old? Yes, he did, but that didn’t cover up the fact that they weren’t even bothering to hide it. 

“So… Edward, was it?” Cosgrave started, scratching his cheek lightly.

“Alphonse, actually.” The boy droned, and if he could make a facial expression, there would be nothing but resignation. “Edward is my older brother.”

“Wha- You mean you’re younger than him? ” Granby blinked owlishly, lips pulling into a disbelieving smile.

“Is that really so hard to believe?” Alphonse all but whined, his metal shoulders dropping as best they could. 

“Well-” Cosgrave started, an embarrassed blush taking over his freckled pale cheeks. “With the title ‘Fullmetal’, it’s kinda natural to assume it’s the, y’know, giant metal suit? And not the boy with a bunch of skin?”

“Brother has automail prosthetics, and he uses them mostly during combat as weapons. I don’t know why the Fuhrer gave him that title, but it wasn’t just for giggles.”

Granby nodded along, his mismatched blue and hazel eyes only occasionally rising from the case outline, and he was the one to elbow Cosgrave when he opened his mouth again. “You two better rest up before we get to Dublith. We’ll be pretty busy after we get there, and that’s not taking into account finding lodgings.”

“Brother and I can stay with our old teacher,” Alphonse started, only pausing to shudder with fear, his armor rattling enough to move Ed’s head farther down. “She might be really scary sometimes, but she can be nice too…”

“Will we be able to stay too?” Cosgrave asked, stretching his legs while he made himself more comfortable on the seat. “With it being a touristy town, it might be hard…”

Alphonse shook his head, lightly scratching the area that would be his chin. “Teacher doesn’t really like the military…”

“But… The Major is part of it?” Granby tilted her head, the papers in his hands lowering just a bit.

“We… haven’t told her…?” Al’s now metaphorical stomach dropped at the words, and he struggled not to wake his older brother up with his shaking. “Oh, she’s gonna kill us. ”

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad, right?” Cosgrave started, a small smile on his face. When Alphonse didn’t respond, that smile began to fade. “...right…?”

When they finally stood outside the butcher shop, Edward was visibly nervous.

His automail hand was clenching the handle of his suitcase, and the newfound presence of the need to run felt overpowering. But, it had been years since he’d seen Teacher, with the last time being the damned Promised Day. She had been fighting as hard as she could, aided by the fact that Hohenheim had healed her body enough to prevent internal bleeding. Sig had been at her side at all times, taking hits that would have surely made any other man stumble, just so that his wife could stay safe in some capacity. Ed hadn’t seen their faces before he’d died, but he had seen the way Teacher was cradling Alphonse, supporting his head as those calloused hands brushed through long, brittle golden hair.

He was walking through the door before he could have second thoughts. 

Teacher was behind the counter, flipping through the receipt books paired with the numbers they’d been making that week. When the bell above the door rang, those dark eyes looked up, expecting to see one of her usual customers.

Edward had to smile when he saw her, that tingle of fear dwindling ever so slightly when he saw her visible surprise. “Well, if it isn’t my idiot students.”

“Hey, Teacher, it’s good to see you- ack! ” Edward had to duck to the left as a rather large knife soared by his head, just barely missing his ear. The sounds of Cosgrave and Granby’s surprise appeared from behind, but Edward didn’t dare look back at them. He met his teacher's eyes, shivering when he saw just how pissed she looked.

“What’s this I hear about you becoming a dog of the military?”

The suitcase fell from Ed’s hands as he waved them around, nervous laughter falling from his mouth. “I-I can explain!”

He didn’t have time to before she was launching herself over the counter, chasing the two boys towards the middle yard. Alphonse dodged easier than he used to, mostly aided by the fact that he’d kept more on top of his training than he had before. Edward, though, got tossed around more than either of them knew was allowed, and that fact terrified the blond more than anything else.

Before he could think otherwise, he clapped and summoned a short wall to provide some cover as he moved to the right, set on rejoining Al towards the back wall of the shop. Izumi growled, her eyes bright with fire as she grabbed Edward's coat, tugging him backward before spinning and throwing him at the younger of the two brothers. 

“You’ve slacked on your training!” She roared, standing above them like a mighty beast- not that either would tell her they thought of that. “Any passersby will believe I’ve done nothing to train you, and here you are, calling me ‘teacher’-”

A gag cut her off, and droplets of blood fell to the dirt below them. 

Panic quickly shot through Ed’s stomach, dropping as soon as it appeared as Sig walked out from the back door, a rag in hand. He helped his wife up, allowing her to wipe her mouth with shaky hands. “Teacher, you-”

“-Are fine.” Izumi huffed, her brows furrowed as Sig moved to stand behind her. “Now, what are you two doing here? It’s been years since you left back home, and now you’re a dog.”

More of a bird, really, Ed thought with minute humor. “We… A mission. For the military. ‘S why we’ve got some extras with us.” He nodded towards his temporary subordinates, who nodded politely when dark eyes fell on them. “There’s been disappearances in the area, and the Colonel sent us to investigate. We’ve got some of the Lieutenant Colonel’s notes on the matter, but… Just wanted to check with you before we started anything concrete.”

Izumi’s eyes narrowed, searching for something in Ed’s eyes before she sighed heavily. “In the back. Now.”

Ed just about fell over himself trying to get inside, and Alphonse almost crushed him when he tripped over the lowest step. That hollow ring called out from the hit, and Edward flinched, just waiting for his teacher to say something about it.

But she didn’t.

Sitting at the table, the young blond had to avoid looking at Mason to keep himself from grinning. The man had changed little in the years since they last saw each other, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d helped the brothers sneak out of the house one last time before they were set to leave for Resembool all those years ago. He could still remember the way Alphonse had accidentally stepped on Mason’s face, bruising his nose ever so slightly, but enough to catch Izumi’s attention.

He’d had to tell her something about dropping a crate of supplies or hitting his face on a doorway to cover it up, sworn to secrecy by the young boys. 

He was working, cutting up some fresh meat to put in storage for dried jerky. Cosgrave and Granby stood behind Edward and Alphonse, standing at attention as Izumi and Sig took their own seats. “They’ve been happening for less than a year, with a few weeks between each one. Started more towards the South, and has slowly made its way over.”

“Has anyone been found? Bodies, clues, belongings?” Edward leaned forward, silently taking his notes out to jot down points. “Exact locations would be good too, but we’re not picky right now.”

Izumi paused for a moment, eyes narrowed with her lips drawn into a tight frown. “No bodies yet, but there was a ring left behind by what is speculated to be one of the victims.”

“Any noticeable pattern of those being taken?”

“Ages range between eighteen and thirty-five, but… It’s usually the younger ones.” Izumi threaded her fingers together, watching Edward write in his book. “The first person taken was a twenty-one-year-old woman, and a nineteen-year-old boy not long after.”

“Descriptions?”

She looked to Sig, the man sighing heavily as his eyes closed. “Usually dark hair, any length, and either green or brown eyes. Doesn’t matter the clothes, height, weight, nothin’ like that.”

“That narrows the pool we need to keep an eye on, then…” Edward mumbled under his breath, moving to look at the notes Maes had left for them. 

“Permission to speak, sir!” Granby started, and all eyes were drawn to him. 

“Granted, Captain.”

“Sir! The Lieutenant Colonel made note of the path of the disappearances, with each being less than a street away from the last. He has also made note that they have appeared to take the shape of a pentagon.”

“A pentag- Oh, Truth damnit ,” Ed growled, fists clenching as he turned to the two people behind him. “Cosgrave, call up the Colonel and get another State Alchemist over here, preferably one who knows water-based alchemy. Granby, head over to Southern Command and start gathering up every file on the disappearances. And I mean all of them, Captain.”

The two soldiers saluted sharply, shoulders tensed as they nodded. “Yessir!”

“Go!”

They left in a hurry, boots landing heavily against wooden and stone floors. It was only after he knew the two were out of the shop that Edward sighed, resting his automail elbow on the table to support his chin. “This is gonna be a shitshow. No doubt the Colonel might get closer to that promotion.”

“Edward.”

Izumi’s voice made the boy jump, eyes shooting open from where they’d unknowingly closed. “Yes, ma’am!”

She looked… not upset, but not entirely happy, either. 

“Why exactly did you join the military, even after I forbade you from doing so?”

“I-I… We-” The words got stuck in his throat for a moment, his mouth opening and closing silently. Alphonse shifted beside him, his armor clinking ever so slightly. “...I think you know why, Teacher.” He rasped lowly, golden eyes avoiding her dark ones.

“You performed human transmutation,” Izumi murmured, her voice one of disbelief. “You’re more foolish than I thought, to do such a thing and then join the mutts. You knew my rules, and you broke them, you broke the only two rules I gave you.”

“Teacher, we-” Alphonse started, a gauntlet raising slowly from his metal lap.

But Izumi barked a harsh laugh, her lip raising in a half snarl. “No student of mine ever breaks my rules. Not only has your brother joined the military and lost two of his limbs , but you don’t even have limbs to lose! What in the hell were you two thinking?!”

It felt like the world had gone quiet. No birds chirped outside, Mason had made himself scarce for the night, and none of them uttered a word. 

Breath stuttering, Edward lowered his head, golden bangs covering his eyes. 

“M- om… ” It was a choked-out word, one that he had to say through gritted teeth. “We just wanted to see Mom smile again.”

Izumi and Sig were quiet, no doubt having one of their silent conversations.

“...It doesn’t matter anymore,” She started. “From this day onward, you are no longer my students. You’re both expelled.”

Al jolted, his soul-lit eyes brightening with shock. “What- But, Teacher-”

“You’re allowed to stay for the night in your old room, but after that, you’re on your own. Understood?”

Edward clenched his jaw, nodding tightly. “Yes, ma’am.”

The bedroom was just as the two remembered it.

One large bed pushed into the corner, with a side table not far from the head. They had shared with eachother, those months they’d spent under this roof, arguing over who was hogging the blankets, or kicking the other’s legs, or drooling all over their pillows. Such small things in the grand scheme of everything, but Edward would give just about anything for that familiarity again.

Alphonse set the suitcase on the edge of the bed, opening it slowly. Edward had taken to opening the window, letting the room's stale air flow out and be replaced with something fresher. “We got expelled,” Alphonse whispered.

“We did.”

“We got expelled. Teacher expelled us!” Edward nodded along to his brother's words, huffing as he punched some light dust from the pillows on the bed. “She has to know you didn’t want to join! If you didn’t, you would have been killed !”

“Al, stop,” Ed’s voice was tired, staring blankly out the window. “She… I don’t mind she expelled us, really, I kinda figured this would happen. But, think about it,” He turned to look at his brother, a wane smile pulling at his lips. “Since she isn’t our teacher anymore, we’re essentially equals. There’s no weird power imbalances or topics we have to avoid.”

“I mean, I guess,” Alphonse pouted, crossing his metal arms as he sat heavily on the floor. “But doing it right when we get here? That’s just, just-”

“Something she had to do.”

The silence that fell between them was light, only broken when Ed began to take some of his clothes out of his case. “We won’t be staying too long anyway, since we’ll need to head a little further into Dublith central to get the documents Granby is getting for us. And I still need to do investigating in some of the alleys near here.”

“Are you going alone again?”

Edward paused, his flesh hand hovering over his travelogue, which detailed the points he needed to hit before the Promised Day arrived. “For now, yeah, but I’ve got a special assignment for you, Al.”

The Nest was busy, as it usually was on a weekend, and Greed was happily lounging with some of their female patrons. A nice blonde had taken her place on his left, while a brunette all but pawed over his right side. It was practically heaven, and Greed reveled in it all.

Enough time passed for the number of guests to dwindle, lessening to a casual ten or so that sat by the bar or the nearby tables. Martel was manning it, pouring drinks and serving food when needed, while Dolcetto cleared tables of trash and empty glasses after the drunkards stumbled their way out. It was pleasing, and the amount of money brought in was growing by the day. The disappearances were good for business, especially with the military and police ilk. No leads, no clues, and no ideas meant that many a mans ego were bruised, and those pains could only be cured by a blessedly expensive and hardly earned drink. Sure, there were plenty of other bars they could crawl their way to, but what other place won’t rat them out to their bosses for getting wasted while on the clock? Not many, that’s for sure!

Still, Greed was pleased with himself.

When the hour grew late enough, he had Roa throw the last three patrons out, allowing the crew to begin closing for the rest of the night until six o’clock that morning. Martel was quick in wiping down the tables, stretching her arms enough to get the surface faster so she could go to bed sooner. She’d been on the clock more often this week, Greed inwardly hummed. He’d have to take her off the schedule for a night or two, keep the boys interested in her coming back to check. 

“Did you hear about the latest ‘tourists’?” Dolcetto grinned, washing his hands after taking the garbage out back. “A certain blond and bratty alchemist has dropped by our little town.”

“It’s not little, Dol,” Roa grunted, picking the tables up high enough for Beido to sweep the floors beneath them. “And he won’t get far with the case. Been happenin’ too long with too little progress.”

The dog chimera shrugged, moving the clean dishes he’d washed earlier to their places. “Eh, who knows. Maybe the little genius will make some headway-”

“ Who the hell are you callin’ so small he can’t even balance on a needlepoint?! ”

Everyone looked over to the entrance with wide eyes, where a young blond boy stood in the entrance. Greed huffed a laugh, slapping his hands on his thighs as he stood. “Well well, who do we have here?”

Golden eyes narrowed, and Greed slipped his shades down his nose. “Greed.”

“How does he-” Dolcetto started, but was quickly stopped with a yip when Beido’s tail slapped his leg. 

“I’ve been looking for you,” The boy continued, and he took a step into the Nest. “You got some underground intel, right?”

“Eh?” The homunculus tilted his head, his hands moving to rest on his hips. “Yeah, sure, I guess.”

“Good.” And with that, the boy turned around and started walking away.

Though, with his back facing the group, each of them got a good look at the symbol on his red coat. “You’re Edward Elric.” Greed huffed, and the boy stopped.

“And? What’s it to you?” He growled, baring his teeth like a little pup.

“Just wondering what a renowned State Alchemist is doing here, asking about nothing except for suspicious information.” Something flashed in those golden eyes, something that Greed wanted more of. “You think something's up, pup ?”

Silence fell for a moment, only broken by the sound of Roa’s heavy breaths. Before too long, Edward’s brow twitched as he turned back around. “Nothin’ I feel like sharing with them yet,” He tilted his head towards Greed’s henchmen. 

“‘Kay,” Greed turned around, waving over his shoulder as he started towards the room he claimed for his ‘office’. “I’ll be in the back. Dolcetto can lead you over when you’re ready, pup.”

It was funny, Greed mused as he sat on his nice enough chair. Just a few days ago, he’d been wanting to see the kid come around, but for it to be so soon? It was like fate was pushing the pup his way! He had been looking over some legal-ish papers when Dolcetto knocked on the door, opening it just enough to stick his head through the crack. “The kid’s here to see you, boss.”

“Let him in,” He waved, tossing the papers back down. “And finish cleaning the front, Roa’s doing the opening shift.”

“Yessir.”

And then it was the two of them. 

Edward sat across from Greed, arms crossed over his chest with his left leg folded over his right. The silence was thick as they just stared at each other, daring the one across from them to make the first move. It was only after three minutes of pure silence had passed that Greed sighed, leaning back in his chair and resting his chin on his wrist. “So? What’s your deal, pup?”

“‘m not a pup , Greed.” Edward huffed, his shoulders dropping ever so slightly. “You… weren’t lying earlier? About having information?”

“Naw, I didn’t. It’s one of my rules. I don’t fight women, and I sure as hell don’t lie.”

Something about that made Edward’s lips twitch into an almost smile. “And you won’t tell anyone?”

“Nope.”

“... Yellowhammer,” He muttered, eyes drifting to stare at the concrete floor.

“Eh? Pardon?”

The boy shifted, jaw clenching as he took a performative shuddering breath. “A few weeks ago, a… a fellow alchemist tried fusing me with a Yellowhammer, a- a type of bird. Didn’t work, got out of the circle in time, but it… had some effects.”

“Okay,” Greed leaned forward, and a part of his stomach twinged when the boy flinched. “So why come to me about this? You’re a military dog, pup, they’ll notice if you go missing in a town full of missing cases.”

“Because I know what you are, Greed. I know how you operate, how you make sure everything you want goes your way. You’ve got information I want, and the youngest State Alchemist can be added to your repertoire of Chimeras.”

“I already have all these other ones, and a little birdy isn’t gonna do much to help.” Greed huffed, but Edward could see the way his grin was straining, teeth sharpening ever so slightly in disguised interest.

He had to smile himself, eyes narrowing as he leaned back in the chair. “But you’ll want what I have. You’re Greed the Avaricious, the creation of Father, the Dwarf in the Flask that founded Amestris. You want everything, from money to women to power, and that doesn’t exclude information. And Greed,” He leaned forward, inwardly laughing when the Homunculus mirrored the movement. “I have seen a lot. ”

“You’re not even fifteen yet, pup, what the hell could you know?”

Greed was nervous, Ed could see that in the way his fingers tapped the desk's surface. 

The words of Truth budded on his tongue, Knowledge and Riddles and Truths begging to be freed. His teeth were sharp and dull in his mouth, his eyes bright gold and yet a beautiful, shining white of nothing and all. The room seemed to gain shadows on every surface, small hands wisping through the faded light and grabbing and nothing but empty air. 

“ We know you, Greed, Friend of All, Owner of None, Collector of Lost Treasures and Abandoned Vermin. We know of your desires, of your wishes, of your past and future, and the way you deem yourself so close to humanity. We know how you yearn and ache to be like those around you, to belong in ways never imagined. We Know you, Greed. ”

And it all

                                                       faded

                              to

WHITE.