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Spirit Animals Drabbles

Summary:

This will be a collections of drabbles or scene expansions that are directly connected to the main story, Spirit Animals. I will happily accept requests but will not write any romance and do reserve the right to turn down a request I don't want to write. Feel free to comment your request on a chapter or inbox my profile directly :D All requests need to be linked directly to the AU as chapters that tie up loose ends I left or expand on scenes I wrote over. There will be a separate collection I'll be calling "What if?" that you can make requests for about things that didn't happen in my AU but you wish had or to change a scene to go a different way, etc. Again, no romance though.

Chapters will be posted every Sunday, EAST until I run out of pre-written chapters. After that, they'll be posted once they're written!

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Al and Ed's discussion about Calix, Hohenheim, and Ed's automail after Promised Day

Chapter Text

Eighteen days after Promised Day…

Ed walked into the hospital room his brother had been living in for the last two- and a-bit weeks since he'd gotten his body back with Ayala by his side and their lunch in a bag in his hand. After checking with Chester once the door was in sight and finding out his brother was asleep, Ed and Ayala made sure their entrance was quiet. Al still looked far too skinny but Ed could see where he'd put on weight with the liquid, high calorie diet the doctors had his brother on. Al's stomach was still far too weak to handle anything thicker than what could be sucked up through a straw at the moment so Ed had taken to buying food from restaurants that both met the doctors' requirements nutritionally and the consistency they wanted the food to be.

"How's he doing?" Ed asked Chester through their bond as he placed the bag of food on his bed and started sorting through it as quietly as he could.

"Thanks, Ed," Chester said as Ed placed his lunch in front of him, "and he's doing alright. He's been asleep the whole time you've been gone but he should wake up soon. He's still sensitive to new smells so he'll pick up on the food," Chester told him, causing Ed to wince. He hadn't considered the fact that Al would be able to pick up new scents no matter what caused them, which now that it was pointed out, seemed like something very obvious. It had been nearly six years since Al had smelled anything so it made sense that he would be very reactive to any sort of smell.

"Good," Ed said, shoving down his thoughts. "His soup will taste better if I don't have to reheat it for him," Ed stated, placing the small bowl of soup on Al's bedside table so he could grab it when Al woke up before he got Ayala's and his lunches out and gave Ayala's hers.

They fell into silence as they ate their food, waiting for Al to wake up. Ed was hoping that they'd be able to talk for a little longer than they normally did so that he could give Al Hohenheim's and Calix's last messages. It had been something that had weighed on him for the last eighteen days and he felt as though he should've done this by now and that he was a bad person because he hadn't. Of course, Ayala and Chester had both jumped on his case when they realised what he was thinking and pointed out that he couldn't have told Al any sooner since his brother couldn't stay awake for very long right now and always managed to make it so Ed didn't get the chance to pass on the messages before he did fall back asleep. Ed did believe them but every now and then those thoughts crept back in, however now he just shoved them back down and ignored them.

One by one, they all finished their lunch and Ed cleared up the rubbish, shoving it into the bag he'd carried the food in so that he could throw it out once Al had eaten his. He settled onto his bed, book open and started reading to pass the time. They weren't expecting any visitors today except for the Hughes' and maybe Mustang and his team if they got the time that afternoon. Mei had already been by to use alkahestry on Al that morning and none of the chimeras had mentioned they would be swinging by that day. He'd barely gotten two pages into his book when Al started giving signs that he was waking up.

Sure enough, by the time Ed had closed the book and swung his legs off the side of his bed, Al was blinking his eyes open and trying to adjust to the bright hospital lights again. "Morning, sunshine. Have a good nap?" Ed asked as he climbed off his bed and moved over next to Al's so he could help his brother get into a sitting position.

"Yeah, it was," Al said once he was sitting up. Ed handed him his lukewarm soup and the spoon he'd need in order to eat it before he took a seat on the chair that was in between both of their beds. Al gave him a grateful smile before he started spooning some of the liquid into his mouth. "I dreamt about Dad," Al told Ed, his voice a little hesitant after over a decade of mentioning Hohenheim setting Ed off. Ed didn't know what expression passed across his face but it didn't seem to make Al wary about how Ed was going to react. Before Ed could use this opportunity to bring up that Hohenheim and Calix had asked his to pass on messages, Al continued. "I dreamt about what he told me while we were in Truth's domain before he was…" Al trailed off, his grief obvious in his expression. Chester curled up as best he could against Al while Ayala leaned into Ed's legs.

Ed looked up, startled. He had no clue that Hohenheim had managed to speak with Al before Truth took him and Calix as payment for Al and Chester. "You spoke to him?" Ed asked, trying to keep the wavering in his voice to a minimum. His feelings about Hohenheim and Calix were still a mess but he didn't need Al to know that right now.

Al nodded, eyes looking at his soup before he kept eating. Ed figured that the only reason Al was even eating right now was because everyone and their Animal had been sure to tell Al that he needed to eat as much as he could stomach so he could start getting some weight on and stay on the path of recovery. "Yeah," Al said, his voice soft. "Truth wanted to take him right away but Dad managed to get Truth to agree to let him speak to me for a couple of minutes," he told Ed.

"What did he say?" Ed asked. He could see this topic was upsetting Al but he needed to know what their father had said and whether he still needed to honour Hohenheim's last request or whether Hohenheim had managed to pass the message along himself.

Al shifted slightly, lifting one frail hand and placing it on Chester's head while the other one kept a hold of his soup bowl. "He came over and put the jacket he'd been carrying around me while he told me that you had drawn out the transmutation circle so you could sacrifice whatever it was that you planned to but that I had collapsed before you could. He explained that my seal had broken and that you had abandoned the circle to keep Chester alive while you tried to figure out what you could do," Al started telling him. "He told me that he borrowed a coat from a random soldier and headed for the centre of the array while telling Calix what he planned to do. Calix…" Al trailed off for a moment to swallow heavily. "Dad told me that Calix was more than willing to pay the price for the two of us," he said, voice starting to crack. "He told me that you had tried to argue with him, convince him not to sacrifice himself because I wanted to have him in my life but that he couldn't let you give up anymore of yourself for me for something we wouldn't have been able to do if he hadn't left," Al told him, tears falling down his cheeks.

Ed grasped his thin hand lightly and squeezed as hard as he dared, silently telling Al that he was there and that he could stop if he wanted to but Al continued speaking. "He told me that he was pr-proud of us, proud of me, and that he loved us both. He told me that the two of us and Mum made everything he'd suffered through throughout the years' worth it," Al said, voicing hitching with sobs. "He told me not to be sad and that I should live my life with my family and that he would see us when it was our time and that he was sorry that he wouldn't be there when I woke up," Al cried. "Then he gave me a hug before he nodded to Truth. I couldn't stop him from walking through the Gate and disappearing again. He wouldn't listen to me!" Al sobbed, shoulders heaving as he finally let out the tears he'd been holding onto as he spoke.

Ed was quick to move the soup before it got spilled and join Al up on his bed while Chester crawled carefully into Al's lap and Ayala moved around the other side so she could nose her head under Al's arm. "It's alright, Al," Ed said soothingly, stroking his brother's long hair. "He made his choice and wouldn't listen to either of us. There's nothing we can do about it now except try and live our lives like he and Calix asked," Ed murmured softly. He knew his words weren't the most comforting but he hoped that the truth of them would be what Al would focus on.

They sat like that until Al had calmed down from full sobbing to small hiccupping sobs. Once Ed thought he was calm enough, he moved away to grab a glass of water for Al to sip on while he finished calming down. He helped Al hold the glass since he wasn't quite strong enough to hold the glass full of water by himself and when he'd drunk as much as he could've, Ed placed the cup back on the bedside table. Al's cheeks were still wet with tears but he soon wiped them away with the edge of his blanket before he let out a large, steading sigh. He sniffled a couple of times before he looked up at Ed and asked, "did Calix ask us to live our lives too?"

Ed nodded. "He asked me to pass on a message to you once you were back," he told his brother. "Actually, they both did but Hohenheim obviously didn't realise he'd be able to talk Truth into letting him have a couple of minutes with you before he was taken," Ed said before he took in a steadying breath. "He wanted me to tell you that every moment he and Hohenheim had with us is a moment they'll treasure no matter whether they're here with us or not. He also wanted me to tell you that he's never loved anyone as much as he loved Hohenheim but we came close to taking his place. He also wanted me to tell you that he's sorry that you wouldn't be able to say goodbye," Ed passed on, eyes filled with sorrow as he remembered the love and grief in the stallion's voice as he spoke before he was gone, his bond with Ed severing completely and leaving Ed with the haunting knowledge of how much worse it would be if he ever felt Ayala die.

The tears that had stopped flowing started up again, slipping at a faster rate with every word that Ed said on behalf of Calix until Al was sobbing again. Ed was quick to start running his fingers through Al's hair soothingly again while speaking calming words as the Animals did their best to calm Al down as well. Unlike last time though, when Ed turned back with the glass of water, he did so only to find Alphonse fast asleep again, his unshed tears clinging to his eyelashes. Worry at the fact that Al had exhausted himself after only crying for a few minutes, Ed carefully cleaned off Al's face before he set the bed so Al would be lying down. Once that was done, he packed up the half-eaten soup and placed it with the other rubbish, knowing Al didn't like eating the same thing twice in a row when he'd spent six years unable to eat anything at all.

"He'll be alright," Chester assured Ed as the blonde placed the bag of rubbish in the bin just outside the hospital room. "This was just a lot for him to go through in such a short amount of time," he said, sad eyes watching his sleeping human.

"Yeah," Ed sighed as he and Ayala climbed back onto his borrowed bed. The book lay nearby but Ed didn't feel like reading right now. The conversation about Hohenheim and Calix had caused his mixed emotions on the subject to make themselves known once more but he shoved them viciously away, burying them as deep as he could. Now was not the time for him to be trying to figure out his feelings regarding his father after everything that had happened.

"You'll be alright too," Ayala said as she curled up next to him, placing her head in his lap.

Ed immediately started scratching her ears lightly as he leaned against his pillows and the wall. "I hope so."


Ed and Ayala hadn't been in the room when Al had woken up the next day but they were soon in there when Chester told them he was up. This time, when they entered the room, Doctor Overland was in there so he could ask Al some questions and check on how he was going. Ed and Ayala slunk into the room, trying not to disturb the doctor who was listening to Al talk about how much he'd managed to eat the previous day. "It sounds like you're making excellent progress in increasing how much you're eating," Doctor Overland said, giving Al a rare smile. "Make sure you keep trying to increase when you can but don't push yourself every meal. Have some more soup or broth in between your main meals if you feel hungry," Overland instructed.

Al gave him a nod. "I will," he promised.

"Good," Overland said, placing Al's chart back in its place at the end of his bed. "I'll see the both of you at the end of my shift," Overland told them, glancing over at Ed. "We'll take your stitches out today so long as you haven't done anything to hinder the healing process," he said.

"I've been behaving myself," Ed scowled, not appreciating the laughter he could hear in his mind from the two Animals.

"Forgive me for being cautious," Overland said dryly before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Judgmental bastard," Ed muttered before he turned to his brother. "How are you feeling today? Do you want something to eat yet?" Ed asked, settling into the chair he normally did if there weren't any visitors at the time.

"No, I'm fine, Brother," Al said, shaking his head slightly. It was obvious that the discussion they'd had yesterday was still on Al's mind. "You should be nicer to Doctor Overland. He's put up with a lot of shit from you," Al scolded, earning himself an eyeroll from Ed.

"That doesn't mean I should let him get away with sassing me like that," Ed said.

"So why didn't you say that to his face?" Al asked pointedly.

"Are you kidding me?! That man has access to a lot of drugs and sharp things! I'm not gonna piss him off in any other way than I normally do!" Ed told him, looking at his brother like he was an idiot.

The exchange had Chester and Ayala giggling at the pair of them but Ed's final retort had all of them and Al laughing. Ed smiled softly at the sound of Al's laughter now that it didn't have the tinny tone it used to have while he was in the armour. The laughter continued until Al managed to calm himself down and relax against his pillows once more. "Oh!" Al gasped softly, looking over at Ed. "I meant to ask yesterday while we were talking but did Dad manage to get you your limbs back?" he queried, looking at Ed's right arm and left leg as though he might be able to see through the material covering them.

Ed knew his expression had answered Al's question from the look on his brother's face but he still gave him a verbal answer. "No, he didn't," Ed said, resisting the urge to grasp at his right wrist.

Al's eyes immediately welled up with tears, much to Ed's, Chester's, and Ayala's horror. "I'm sorry, Brother!" he wailed, causing Ed to almost fly off his chair so he could sit next to Al and try to calm him down. "I'm so sorry!" he sobbed. "You were supposed to get your limbs back at the same time! That was our whole goal and the chance for you to get them back is gone!" Al cried. "I-I-I…" Al cut himself off as his sobbing started turning into hyperventilation, causing Ed and the Animals to panic further.

"Hey, it's okay. Calm down, Al," Ed started saying, rubbing his left hand up and down Al's arm while Chester and Ayala did their best to comfort Al as well. "Calm down. It's all okay. I'm not mad about it. It's completely fine. Just take some deep breaths," Ed soothed, exaggerating his own breathing to try and get Al to match his.

"Al, it's okay," Chester tried when Al didn't seem to be responding to Ed's words. Al's breathing stuttered as his Animal's voice sounded in his mind but his words weren't registering. "Ed's fine. Everyone's fine. You just need to calm down. Listen to Ed and try taking some deep breaths," Chester instructed calmly.

Ed and Ayala shared a look as Chester did his best to get Al to start calming down. They knew that if Al kept hyperventilating and upsetting himself that they would need to get a nurse to come in and sedate him for his own good but none of them wanted that. "Al, it's Ayala," the golden wolf said, her voice as level and calm as she could make it. "Please listen to what I'm saying. Ed isn't upset or mad about having his automail still. He's completely fine with still having them. You're going to make yourself sick if you don't listen to what Ed is saying and start calming down so breathe," she instructed and, much to Ed's and Chester's relief, this time Al showed signs of listening.

"That's it, little brother," Ed said encouragingly when Al's erratic breathing started calming down. He was still sobbing heavily but at least he was no longer hyperventilating. "In and out for me. Just like this," Ed said as he drew in an exaggerated breath and let out an equally exaggerated one. Al started mimicking him as best he could and Ed continued walking him through the attack, helping him regulate his breathing and bring his sobbing down to cries.

They all breathed a silent sigh of relief when Al finally managed to stop crying altogether. Ed fully expected Al to fall asleep from the emotional exhaustion he would have felt like he'd done yesterday so he was surprised when Al didn't. Instead, Al looked up at him with watery eyes and said, "I'm sorry we couldn't get you your body back as well, Brother." Ed sighed but Al continued, the tears spilling down his cheeks as he kept apologising. "I'm so sorry!" was repeated over and over again, preventing Ed or the Animals from getting a word in.

After the twelfth sobbed apology, Ed reached his breaking point and placed a hand gently but firmly over Al's mouth and forcefully stopped him from talking. "I need you to listen to me now," Ed told him, keeping eye contact with his startled brother. "Ever since we first decided to use a Philosopher's Stone to get our bodies back way back when I was still recovering at Granny's, I had decided that getting my limbs back would only ever be a bonus. If I could've got you back whole and my limbs back, I would've been happy but if I ended up with just you back whole, I would've been just as happy," Ed informed him. "There was nothing fair about what happened to you that night. It wasn't equivalent exchange at all and I knew that if all was said and done and you got your body back while I was stuck with my automail, I would consider it Truth's way of making sure we both didn't get out of our payment and I am completely okay with being the one to stay paying for our hubris that night," Ed told him.

"Brother-" Al started saying, voice muffled since Ed's hand was still over his mouth but Ed cut him off.

"Not to mention that I am used to having my automail," Ed said, acting as though he hadn't heard the start of Al's protests. "Can you imagine what would happen during the first fight I got into once I'd recovered if I'd gotten my left leg and right arm back? I would've wound up back in the hospital because I would've tried to block a blow with one of them and broken it," Ed told him casually. "Doctor Overland would probably have to permanently assign me a room here because I would constantly be in it with the amounts of times I was hospitalised for a broken bone before I got used to not having automail anymore," Ed said, shaking his head. "Nah, I'd prefer having my automail limbs to having to listen to Doc Overland's lectures every two months about breaking a leg or arm," he told Al firmly.

"I feel like I need to point out that I would be there to stop you from getting that many broken limbs," Ayala said, a touch huffily.

Ed could see that Al still wasn't as okay with him having his automail as Ed was himself but he knew his brother would eventually make his peace with it. "Yeah, but I would still likely wind up holding the record for the most times someone has broken their arm and/or leg in their lifetime if I didn't have my automail," Ed told her, knowing full well that she'd spoken in Al's mind as well. "Plus, how many times have I gotten hurt enough that Winry's automail has been damaged?! Imagine if any of those times it had been my real limbs! I would've ended up going to Winry to get automail surgery anyway!" he exclaimed.

Ayala huffed but had to concede to his point, as did Al but that didn't mean the youngest Elric was anywhere near okay with the fact that Ed hadn't gotten his arm or his leg back. He gently pushed at Ed's hand, making his brother remove if from his mouth so he could speak. "Do you want to try and find a way for us to get you your limbs back, Brother?" Al asked.

"No," Ed said firmly, putting a hand up to stop Al's protest. "We never found any other way except for a stone to do that kind of thing and there is no way on this Earth that I would let you or anyone else sacrifice a soul for my limbs," Ed told him. "I know you don't believe me right now, Al, but trust me when I say that I really don't care that I didn't get my real limbs back," Ed said, a hint of pleading in his voice. "My goal was to always get you back in your flesh body and here you are! I've kept my promise to you and there is nothing else I need to do to keep my promises made from the events of that night," Ed told him firmly.

Maybe it was hearing that Ed considered his promise to have been fulfilled or maybe it was the conviction in his voice or perhaps even both that had Al swallowing back the argument he'd been ready to give. He couldn't see any signs that Ed was lying just to make him feel better and he remembered thinking that there was no deceit in Ayala's voice when she was trying to calm him down so Al had no reason to not believe that his brother was truthful. He could still feel the anger and sense of failure he'd felt when Ed had confirmed he still had his automail limbs and he still felt the desire to start researching for ways to get Ed his real limbs back but for right now Al was going to accept his brother's words and leave the subject be. Maybe in a few days or weeks he might see if Ed wanted to find another way to get him whole again but he would leave it for the moment.

"Okay, Brother," Al said with a small nod and sigh as he leaned back into his pillows. He knew from the look in Ed's eyes that his brother didn't believe for a moment that Al was going to let this matter rest but it seemed as though Ed was also willing to drop the subject for now as well. So since they weren't going to talk about this further and Al wasn't quite tired enough, despite his emotional outburst earlier, to go to sleep, he decided to change the subject. "What's been happening in Central, Brother?"

Chapter 2: Al's meeting with Hohenheim in Truth's dimension

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Al felt himself shiver slightly, though not from the cold. Surprisingly, it was a fairly pleasant temperature in Truth's domain so Al was neither hot nor cold despite the fact that he had no clothes on and his body was extremely malnourished. He was watching the big, black set of Gates in front of him calmly. It had only been a minute or two – he was certain it hadn't been much longer but he wasn't completely sure since he had no access to a watch or clock – since the array bonding his soul to the armour had failed and he'd been reunited with his body but he felt no fear. Edward had had a plan to get him back and he knew it was only a matter of seconds before his older brother burst into Truth's domain and demanded they make a deal for Al's return. The way Truth was watching the Gate in an expectant manner only confirmed Al's suspicions. His brother would be here soon.

The frail human knew that Ed was about to appear when Truth twitched slightly. He focused on the same area Truth was watching, a greeting for Ed on his lips only for a strangled, "Dad?" to pass through them when Hohenheim appeared, a black jacket Al recognised as the one some soldiers wore over their military uniform draped over his arm. His father looked the same as he had when he last saw him before the array bonding his soul to his armour had failed – battle-worn, exhausted, shirt hanging off him in rags from when he'd taken the blow from Father for Ed, Izumi, Ayala, and Koda – but there was a determination shining through the weariness in his eyes.

Hohenheim's lips quirked upwards slightly in a smile as his eyes landed on his youngest son before he focused on Truth, who was grinning gleefully. "Oh, I had thought for certain I'd be talking with Edward, not you, Hohenheim," Truth cooed in delight.

Hohenheim gave it a nod before he said, "I hope you aren't too disappointed that Edward isn't here but I thought it was high time my sons stopped giving up parts of themselves for each other and for me to act like the father I should've been to them."

"Dad," Al whispered quietly, his voice catching from disuse but he managed to escape the coughing fit that had threatened to follow by clearing his throat. The sadness that had flashed in his father's eyes as he'd spoken to Truth had caused something deep in Al to stir and he felt the urge to get to his feet and grab his father in a hug. The only reason he resisted that urge was because he knew his body wasn't strong enough to keep him standing upright, let alone support his – minimal as it may be – weight.

Hohenheim gave him another smile but looked back at Truth. "I have come to barter for Alphonse's return to Amestris, soul and body," Hohenheim told the being in front of him.

"And what would you have that you think would be worth your son, body and soul?" Truth asked. The business-like tone in Truth's voice had Al shivering slightly. It unnerved him that his life was being discussed as nothing more than something to trade.

"My stone," Hohenheim told Truth, eyes and voice serious. "You can have all of the souls within the stone still in me, including mine, so long as you send Alphonse back to Amestris, his soul in his body and alive," he said, ignoring the gasped, "no!" from Alphonse.

Truth seemed to be considering Hohenheim's proposal. "You do realise that this would mean that you would be unable to go back with him, yes? And that I would also be taking your Animal's life?" it asked and Hohenheim gave a solemn nod. "It would also mean that you would be unable to be a part of your sons lives. Are you willing to throw the years you could've spent being a father to your children away in place of Edward making the sacrifice he was going to?" Truth asked. There was an undercurrent of pointed cruelty in the being's tone, as though it was delighting in pointing out what it was.

"I'm aware," Hohenheim said, a touch of melancholy in his voice before a steely tone squashed it as he said, "but I refuse to let Edward give up one more thing for Alphonse when I am willing and able to do so in his place."

Truth nodded once. "That's a very handsome price, Hohenheim," it said. Al eyes widened in horror as he realised that Truth was going to accept his father's deal. "In exchange for the souls still within your stone, your own soul, and that of your Animal, I shall return Alphonse to his brother, alive and whole," Truth said, reaching out a staticky hand for Hohenheim to shake but Hohenheim made no move to accept it.

"And I need to speak with Alphonse for a minute or two," Hohenheim said.

Truth released a put-on sigh but the tone of Hohenheim's voice had the being nodding in agreement, knowing that arguing with the Xerxian would be pointless. "Very well," Truth said, hand still extended. "You may have two minutes to speak with Alphonse before I take my payment," it told Hohenheim, who nodded in agreement.

"Dad, no!" Alphonse gasped out, too late as he watched his father grasp Truth's hand and accept the deal. His eyes welled with tears, causing his father's figure to blur as he approached Al's prone form.

"Hush now, Alphonse," Hohenheim soothed as he crouched in front of his son, wrapping the black jacket he'd borrowed from a soldier he didn't know for this exact purpose. "There's no need for the tears. Everything will be alright," he said calmly.

Al managed to raise a frail hand to start wiping the tears that had fallen away so he could see his father properly. "But, Dad," he whimpered, another sob cutting off his words.

"I know you were expecting your brother to appear but as I told Truth, I will not allow your brother to sacrifice whatever he had been planning to bring you back. Neither of you would've been able to perform the transmutation you had if I had been a better father and been there for you and I would never be able to call myself your father if I'd stood by and let your brother activate the array he'd drawn out," Hohenheim told him. His eyes were filled with a mixture of grief and love and his tone was soft but resolute. Alphonse could only listen, tears still spilling slowly down his cheeks, as his father continued speaking. "I had been trying to figure out how to distract Edward so I could activate the array before he could but before I could figure something out, your array failed and your brother abandoned the array to get to yours and Chester's sides so he could use Chester's energy to keep him alive while he tried to figure out what was happening with you. When your array failed, I took the opportunity presented and stepped into the array. I borrowed this coat," he tugged a little at the coat around Al's shoulders, "from one of the soldiers there and explained my plan to Calix as I headed for the array," Hohenheim explained.

"Your brother was not happy with me when he realised where I was," Hohenheim chuckled a little sadly. "He told me to get out of the array and called me a shit father when I said that I was going to bring you back. I probably shouldn't be happy that he acknowledged I was his father that way but I am," Hohenheim said with a small smile that Al couldn't help but huff wetly at. "Your brother continued arguing with me but I don't think he realised that the only one who had a chance of talking me out of my decision was Calix and my Animal gave me full permission to follow through with my plan," Hohenheim revealed. "We've both lived extremely long lives – far too long – but you and your brother, Alphonse, you both made all of those years more than worth the struggles and hardships we suffered to get to the point where I met your mother," Hohenheim said, cupping Al's cheek and stroking it softly with his thumb.

Hohenheim's eyes sparkled wetly as he continued to hold Alphonse's gaze. "I love you and Edward more than you will ever know," Hohenheim said softly, "and I am so proud of everything the two of you have accomplished in your lives. In sixteen years, the both of you have done more for your country than I could have ever hoped to do for mine and I know the two of you will continue helping Amestris in ways I could have never imagined," Hohenheim said. Al let out a sob as his heart swelled in response to his dad praising him. "I want you and Edward to make sure you live your lives to the fullest. Don't let past mistakes hold you back anymore. Embrace them and learn from them. Do better than I ever could've and always know that your mother and I are so thankful and proud to call you both our sons," Hohenheim told him, gently pressing his forehead against Al's and closing his eyes as he listened to his son's quiet sobbing. "I will see you and your brother again when it's your time to join me and your mother but try not to join us too soon, okay, son? We can wait as long as we need to for you and your Animals to join us," Hohenheim said.

Al couldn't bring himself to say anything, too focused on his father's words and not sobbing loudly so he could hear them to be able to say anything but that changed when he felt Hohenheim's arms wrap around him, giving him the first hug he'd truly felt for almost six years. "Dad, please don't do this," Al sobbed into his father's shoulders. "We can figure something else out. Ed and I can come up with something so you don't have to leave us again," he cried, his tears now coming at a speed he couldn't hope to try and slow.

Hohenheim tightened his hug, mindful of his son's condition. "I am sorry that I won't get to see you and Edward grow into adults like I want to and I am sorry that I'm causing you this much distress but this is how it should be," Hohenheim told him, cupping the back of Al's head with his hand while the other pressed against Al's back, determined to commit this hug to his memory. "This is the only way I can atone for my sin of not being there for you boys while making sure your brother doesn't have to give up something else of himself for a mistake neither of you would've made if I'd been there for you," he reiterated.

Al sobbed harder, knowing from the tone of his father's voice – so like Edward when he was determined – that he wouldn't be able to change his mind. When he felt Hohenheim try and pull away from the hug, Al tried clutching to him harder but his weakened body couldn't meet his demands and Hohenheim was able to release himself from the hug without any issues. "Please," Al whimpered, unable to stop himself as he watched his father nod to Truth.


"I'm sorry," Hohenheim said, pressing his lips to Al's forehead. "I love you. I love you both. Don't forget that I always have and that I always will," he requested, his voice choking slightly as he pulled away from his youngest son. He forced himself to walk away from his distraught son and came to a stop in front of Truth. "I'm ready," he told the being, voice as level as he could make it.

Truth grinned at him before he gestured towards the second set of Gates that had appeared with Hohenheim. "You know what to do, Xerxian," Truth said, voice delighted. "I'll send your son back to his brother the moment I've gotten all of my payment," it told the walking Philosopher's Stone.

Hohenheim gave Truth a nod before he walked determinedly towards his Gates. He could hear Alphonse calling for him, begging him to stop, to not go through with this but he forced himself to keep going. Only once his Gate cracked opened and the little black hands that would tear him apart to find his stone appeared did Hohenheim turn back to his son. He didn't bother saying anything, having said everything he wanted to while he was speaking with Alphonse, but the least he could do was give his son a reassuring smile so that was what he did. That smile stayed on his face even as he felt the hands grip him and start pulling him towards the Gate so they could get what they were looking for. Only once he was through the Gate did Hohenheim allow the smile to fall from his lips as he awaited his fate. He closed his eyes as he felt the first hand rip part of his flesh away from his body and allowed his mind to focus on one thing: how close he was to reuniting with Trisha finally.


Al couldn't hold back his sobs any longer as he watched his father disappear into his set of Gates. He knew he and Edward would never see him again and that thought was what kept ensuring his tears never ran out. In his grief, he'd almost completely forgotten about Truth being there until it hummed after a few seconds. "Now then, that's the last of my payment received," it said, turning to Alphonse and grinning widely at him, as though it couldn't see the devastation on Al's face. "Well, now, Alphonse! It seems as though our time together has come to an end. It's a shame that I won't have you around for company any longer but a deal is a deal," it sighed before it waved a hand at Al's Gate of Knowledge. Al couldn't hold back the sob that broke through at the sight of the dozens of hands coming towards him. The last thing he heard before blackness overtook him was, "say hello to your brother for me and tell him that I'm a little disappointed he wasn't the one to pay the price for your return. I would've liked to see what the great Fullmetal Alchemist would've given up for his brother."

Notes:

Here's the second drabble for you guys! Ngl, kinda upset the last one didn't get any comments but I'll keep posting these whether I get them or not since I have them written and I need the time to get as many chapters for my new story written but I would really like to hear someone's thoughts on these drabbles so if you guys could please just leave me a couple of words telling me what you thought, that'd be lovely. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this one and I'll see you next week!

Chapter 3: Ed's panic attack in front of Gracia

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Eight weeks after Promised Day…

"Is Al still doing okay?" Ayala felt herself huff in slight irritation as the question from Edward woke her from the doze she'd been enjoying.

Looking up to glare at him, she said, "since I haven't heard otherwise and I'm assuming Chester hasn't told you anything to the contrary, I have no reason to believe he isn't still completely fine."

Though Ayala understood Ed's concern for his brother considering they only got Al back in his body a little over two months ago, it didn't mean she was going to forgive him immediately for waking her to check on Al for the twentieth time since they'd arrived at the Hughes' half an hour ago. She knew part of her irritation stemmed from the fact that Ed couldn't ask Chester directly without breaking the promise he'd made to his brother and the leopard about not harassing Chester for updates on Al every five minutes. Unfortunately, it seemed that no one – including herself – had thought to add Ayala to the list of those not to be harassed about Alphonse's condition.

Ed at least had the decency to look somewhat guilty about the fact that he was badgering his wolf. "I'm sorry, Aya. You know I can't help but worry about him. He has all those tests with his doctors and everything today and I'm stressing out 'cuz you lot ganged up on me and made me promise to spend last night and today here instead of being with Al," Ed sulked, though he would deny he did.

"You know why we did that," Ayala said, taking no offence to his implications that they'd forced Ed to do anything. They may have badgered him until he gave in but they didn't force him to agree. "Al needs a break from you and you need one from him. You barely spend more than ten minutes away from him and I don't blame your brother for starting to feel a little caged in with you there all the time," Ayala said unapologetically.

"I know," Ed sighed, leaning back into the couch. "I don't like the fact that I'm this stressed over being away from Al for so long but…" he trailed off, eyes flicking to look at the ground.

Ayala nudged him sympathetically. "We understand why you insist on being so close to Al and no one is judging you for it," Ayala assured him, "but we do think it's probably a good idea that the two of you take breaks from each other before one of you kills or badly maims the other one," she joked lightly, getting a slightly amused huff from Ed.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered, swatting her ear when he felt her smugness. "At least you and Chester didn't try and lock us in a room together to get us to agree to this," he said, referencing what Nala and Ayala had done only a few days earlier in order to get him and Mustang to talk to one another.

"Quit bringing that up," Ayala grumbled. "You know full well why Nala and I did what we did. If you and Mustang had just spoken to one another so you could figure out where you stood with the man now, all of that could've been avoided," she said, knowing she was repeating herself.

"Or – and quite frankly, this would've been the better option – I could've continued avoiding Mustang until I got over it all then gone from there without going through the traumatic and embarrassing saga that happened when you and Nala trapped us," Ed snarked, yelping when Ayala nipped his exposed wrist lightly.

"Don't bother trying to act like you don't feel so much better now that everything's out in the open between you and Mustang," Ayala said, glaring at him as though daring him to try. "I can sense your emotions and I know that you really are grateful that you had that talk with Mustang and know where you stand with him these days," she informed him.

Ed rolled his eyes but let the subject drop. His lack of argument seemed to be enough for Ayala to think she'd proven her point and Ed shoved her slightly when he felt smothered by her smugness. "That's enough of your shit," Ed told her, getting up quick enough that she couldn't retaliate like she'd obviously wanted to. "I'm gonna find Miss Gracia and see if she needs a hand with anything," Ed said, eyes and ears already working to try and figure out where the Hughes matriarch was. He could've tried locating Lilith since they were physically close enough for him to do so but there were times when the grey fox wasn't around Gracia so that method wasn't always reliable.

"You know she's just going to smile nicely while telling you politely to fuck off, right?" Ayala said, voice faux sweet as she looked up at him.

Ed flipped her off as he started heading for the stairs to the second floor of the building. "At least I'm being polite enough to ask, unlike some wolves I could name." Ayala's answering growl had Ed fleeing up the stairs a little faster than he normally would've, though if anyone asked, he would tell them it was so he could find Gracia a little quicker and not because he was scared of the retribution promised in Ayala's growl.


As Ayala had predicted, Gracia had waved Ed away with nothing more than a smile and a few kind words. Ed had left Elysia's bedroom – which had been where Gracia was – and headed back down into the loungeroom where his wolf was still laying on the couch, having apparently dozed off once more. Cautiously, Ed sat down beside her but when she did nothing more than open one golden eye briefly to acknowledge his return, he felt himself relax further into the couch. When he felt Ayala's amusement at his caution, he decided not to push his luck by flicking on the ear like he wanted to and went back to the book he had been trying to read before.

Ed forced his worries about Alphonse and how he was going down as far as he could so he could do what he was actually supposed to be doing while at the Hughes: relaxing. It had been for that reason that Al had begged him to stay at the Hughes once he woke up rather than come straight into the hospital to see him like he always did on the few rare nights he slept the night on Gracia's and Maes' couch. The two Animals had gotten in on the pleading when Ed had gone to refuse but their arguments of how Al would be perfectly fine in the hospital for a day without Ed hovering about, how it would do the brothers good to have a bit of time away from each other, how it would help Ed's worries about Alphonse calm down a little, and how it would be nice for Elysia if Ed stayed long enough to actually make her some breakfast like she'd asked every time he stayed at the Hughes had finally convinced Ed that they might be right and that spending an entire 24 hours away from his little brother wouldn't be the end of the world.

Elysia had been delighted when Ed had told her the previous night that he would be staying with them for the entirety of the next day, which meant he could cook her breakfast, and her obvious joy at having him there had helped wash away some of Ed's regret and guilt about leaving Al and Chester by themselves in the hospital. Elysia had been ecstatic about the possibility of spending the whole day with one of her big brothers until Hughes had reminded her that morning that she had a play date with one of her friends. She'd pouted, torn between excitement at spending time with her friend but sadness at missing out on spending time with Ed as well. The pout had disappeared when Ed had promised her that he wouldn't leave the house until she was back from her play date and her dad had returned from work and Ed and Gracia had watched a much happier Elysia, Hughes, and Leo leave soon after the promise was made. Once her daughter and husband were gone, Gracia had shooed Ed into the loungeroom, all but ordering him to relax while she occupied herself with some chores she wanted to get done while her daughter wasn't in the house.

Ed felt himself sink a little further into the couch as he continued reading. For the first time in eight weeks, he was actually getting the chance to fully relax without having to worry about anything. Of course, his worry about Alphonse was still there but after eight weeks of intensive treatments from the doctors at Central hospital combined with Mei's alkahestry for the first few weeks, Al was healing incredibly well and was no longer considered to be in danger of relapsing or getting worse because his immune system was shot. That meant that though Ed was worried about him, he wasn't truly afraid that when he got back to the hospital that night that he would be given bad news by the doctors about Al's condition.

As he flipped through his book, Ed felt his mind start to clear of stresses and worries he still carried with him until there was a sudden moment of clarity where he realised that he didn't have anything he needed to be worrying about or that needed to be done right now. He could just sit there on the Hughes' couch and read with Ayala and not feel guilty about doing so. He didn't have to be researching for ways to help Alphonse get his body back. He didn't have any end-of-the-world stuff to be trying to prevent. There was absolutely nothing that he needed to be doing and feeling that for the first time since their mother had passed away was something Ed didn't think he would ever feel again. For the last almost eight years, Ed had always been doing something, had always had something to worry about, always had some problem that needed to be solved and right now, he had none of that to a degree where he felt guilty about sitting on the couch with Ayala and reading a book.

But as always, Ed's luck didn't hold out and soon his mind turned from taking in the information from the book and relaxing to taking the opportunity of Ed not worrying about multiple things to have everything that Ed hadn't taken the time to process or grieve over since Promised Day hit him all at once. Memories of Promised Day flooded into his mind and Ed heard his breathing stutter as the feeling of losing almost all of his bonds with the Animals replayed in his mind only to be compounded on by the memory of his father's actions and the feeling of guilt and fury Ed had felt when he realised what Hohenheim was going to do was reignited, causing Ed to feel like his breath was caught in his lungs and like he couldn't get enough air into him.

Ed didn't notice that he'd lost his grip on his book or that it had fallen to the floor as a result nor did he notice that Ayala had launched off the couch in a panic, trying to nuzzle her way into Ed's arms to try and comfort him. All he noticed was the fact that this panic attack was far stronger than the ones he normally had and that he couldn't calm himself down, which only added to his panic. Ayala whined in concern but Ed never heard it, his hearing blocked by the sound of blood pumping harshly in his ears as he struggled to draw in a breath. His breathing felt like it was getting heavier, rapidly moving into hyperventilation territory but nothing Ed was trying to do amidst his panicking was making any kind of difference.

When Ayala suddenly pulled herself away from him and left, Ed certainly did notice that and he thought he may have verbalised the keening sound that had run through his head at her loss but he didn't get the chance to linger on it when his panic had ramped up at the wolf's abandonment of him. He also noticed when thin but strong arms wrapped themselves around his chest and back, pulling him into a warm body. In his panic, Ed couldn't work out what was happening but what he did know was that whoever was hugging him – and it certainly was a person and not Ayala – felt safe and familiar and that was enough for Ed to lean into them as his panic attack continued.

There was a soft voice murmuring in Ed's ear but for the life of him, he couldn't make out who was speaking or what they were saying. A small, warm hand was rubbing soothing circles on his back as whoever it was continued speaking softly and kindly to him. Ed could feel Ayala slip back under his hands, his fingers digging into her fur habitually as he fought to focus on what the person hugging him was saying. There was a second, smaller weight pressing against his right side, just against his thigh and hip but it felt as warm and comforting as the person hugging him was so Ed didn't push it away. The voice continued speaking to him as Ed's breathing stayed erratic but Ed fought to ignore his panic so he could focus on making the words out, knowing it would help calm him down.

It took a few minutes for him to be able to calm down enough for Ed to makes out the words and identify Gracia as the one telling him that, "everything was alright, Ed. You're perfectly safe here. Nothing's going to happen to you. Ayala, Lilith, and I won't let anything happen. You're alright," on repeat. The moment he'd identified Gracia as the person hugging him was also the moment he realised that he'd not only been crying but that he'd been crying on her shoulder. Embarrassment and anger at himself that he'd been crying on Gracia's shoulder welled up inside of him and, ignoring Ayala's pleas not to, he started struggling to free himself of Gracia's warm hold.

However, that struggle was proven fruitless as Gracia refused to let go of him, holding onto him the whole time he fought to free himself. Though he knew he could've easily gotten out of her hold if he'd been a bit more forceful, Ed didn't want to accidentally hurt Gracia and he did have to admit that it felt kind of nice that someone cared enough about him to want to hug him through a panic attack. The tears continued falling as he remembered why he'd been having a panic attack but Gracia continued her soft, murmured reassurances and gentle but soothing strokes until Ed's tears finally stopped falling.

Ed sniffled once more, his cheeks red with his embarrassment but Gracia said nothing about his tear-stained cheeks or his reddened eyes when she finally looked at him. "Stay here," she ordered gently, removing her arms from around Ed, who did not make a soft noise at the loss, no matter what Ayala said. "I'll be right back," she promised, giving him a warm smile edged in worry before she left for the kitchen.

Ed used the time she was gone to check and confirm that Lilith was the warm weight he could feel pressed against his right side. The grey fox hadn't moved when Gracia did and Ed carefully stroked her ears, both in thanks for her being there and because he knew the fox liked it. Gracia coming back caught his attention and he accepted the glass of water she was holding out to him. "Thanks," he mumbled once he'd finished the water, which had helped soothe his throat and further calm him down.

"You're welcome," Gracia said, giving him another smile as she took the empty glass and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Ed didn't know what she was doing and while he felt the urge to get out of the house so he wouldn't have to talk about what had happened and so he could avoid Gracia's pitying looks he knew he'd get, he couldn't find the energy necessary to leave. It also didn't help that Ayala was sitting against his legs and Lilith was pressed into his side, making it almost impossible for him to escape quickly enough that Lilith wouldn't be able to give Gracia enough of a head's up so she could stop him. Plus, he did make that promise to Elysia and he couldn't break it just because he'd had a stupid panic attack.

When Gracia came back a couple of minutes later, it was with a steaming cup of tea in her hands, which she handed over to Ed immediately before she sat back down on his left side. It was obvious that she wanted to pull him into another hug but the combination of the hot tea in Ed's hands and not knowing how he would react to the touch now made it so she kept her hands folded neatly in her lap as she faced the young blonde. "How are you feeling, Ed?" she asked, voice soft as always once he'd had a couple of sips of the tea.

"I'm alright, Miss Gracia," Ed told her, not meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you like that," he added, voice a little quieter.

"Don't apologise for that. I'm sure you didn't plan on having a panic attack in my living room," Gracia said kindly. There was silence between them for a couple of beats before she asked, "would you like to talk about it? Whatever set off your panic attack, I mean?"

The immediate response of "no" was right on Ed's lips when Lilith spoke for the first time. "You promised me and Leo that you would seek someone out when everything finally hit you after Promised Day and I know that whatever caused your panic attack is linked to that day," she told him.

Ed grimaced slightly, masking it by taking a sip of his tea but he had to acknowledge that he had made the promise and though he hadn't specified that he would speak to someone immediately after everything caught up to him, he also knew that Gracia would likely be the easiest person for him to talk to about this, if only because he knew she wouldn't judge him as harshly as the others might've. He felt Ayala frown at that thought but didn't pay any attention to her reaction. "I, uh," Ed started before stopping as he tried to figure out what words he needed in order to describe what had triggered him. Gracia waited patiently as he took a few moments to figure it out.

"I think it happened because this is the first time since Promised Day where I haven't had anything I needed to do or anywhere I needed to be or anything I needed to worry a lot about so everything I've been pushing away just kinda… hit me all at once, I guess," Ed told her, still not looking at her. "I think it was mainly Hohenheim and Calix and my bonds with the Animals being destroyed down in Father's lair that caused it," he admitted.

He glanced up at her in time to see a flicker of sympathy cross her face but his eyes soon fell back to the floor so he wouldn't have to see any pity she may have felt for him. "I can't imagine what it must've felt like for you to wake up after Father had activated his array and feel none of your bonds save for the five you had with the Animals with you," Gracia said, her tone slightly morose. "I think it would be fair to say that those of us who were sacrificed got the better end of the deal. At least we didn't feel our bonds break because our partner was gone and we didn't have the awful realisation that we were one of only a very few people or Animals to be alive at that moment," Gracia admitted. "I am truly sorry that you had to feel almost all of your bonds break, Edward. I truly wish you never had to and if I could, I would gladly take that knowledge and pain away from you in a heartbeat," she told him.

Ed blinked a few times to rid himself of the tears he could feel threatening to fall at her words. "You don't have to apologise to me, Miss Gracia. S’not like you were the one to tell Father to activate his stupid array and murder everyone in Amestris," Ed said, taking a few more sips of his rapidly-emptying cup.

"I know I wasn't but that doesn't mean that I'm not upset that someone as young as you and someone who had already gone through as much as you did felt that happen," Gracia told him. When Ed didn't respond to her comment, she decided to mimic the teenager and drop the subject. "Was it your father's and Calix's deaths that you were referring to when you said they were part of the reason you had a panic attack?" Gracia asked kindly but probingly.

Ayala glanced up at her, golden eyes warning her to tread carefully but Gracia ignored her after offering her an apologetic look in order to focus on Ed, who had once again utilised his tea as a way to stall for a few seconds so he didn't have to answer right away. "Kind of," Ed finally said. "I'm sad that they're gone. I'm upset that they're both dead because of me and Al but I'm also so angry with them both," Ed admitted, eyes blazing with that anger for a moment.

"I'm pissed off that Hohenheim ignored me and sacrificed himself, Calix, and any remaining souls left in his stone for me and Al so that I wouldn't have to sacrifice my alchemy like I'd planned. I'm pissed that Hohenheim decided to ignore me despite me telling him multiple times that we didn't want anyone else being hurt or worse because of us and that we'd find another way to get our bodies back without resorting to a stone. I'm pissed off because Hohenheim decided to sacrifice himself, Calix, and the remaining souls anyway despite knowing my feelings on the matter. I'm pissed off that he abandoned us 12 years ago and only came back in our lives because of coincidence and Granny meddling with things she should've kept her damned nose out of. But I think I'm mostly angry at them both because they abandoned us again but this time Al and I will never get the chance to speak to either of them again. Al will never have the chance to have a father in his life and Hohenheim threw away the last chance he had at reconciling with one of his children and I'm fucking livid that he decided to throw that all away for me and Al and I hate myself for being so mad at them still. They sacrificed their lives for us and I'm still angry at them," Ed told her, voice catching on a sob and tone laced with enough shame and guilt that Gracia couldn't resist the urge to hug him any longer.

Ed kept the hand that wasn't holding onto his now-empty teacup buried in Ayala's fur but he did allow himself to lean into Gracia's hold a little bit, screwing his eyes shut so that he wouldn't cry again. Gracia kept the hug going for a few seconds before she released him and took the teacup from his hand. Ed thought she was going to take it back to the kitchen but she ended up placing it on the floor before she locked eyes with him and didn't let him break the gaze. "There is no one on this planet who has any right to judge you for how you feel about your father," Gracia told him firmly. "However, I think it's perfectly acceptable that you're still angry with your father for abandoning you, Alphonse, and your mother all those years ago," she said, earning a disbelieving look from Ed in response. "You spent less than a week in total with your father once he came back into your lives after leaving it and there is no way anyone could expect that that would be enough time for you to simply accept his reasons and get over it," she said firmly. "And you being angry at your father and Calix for disregarding yours and Al's opinions on the method you would use to get your bodies back and sacrificing themselves against your wishes? That is a completely natural reaction," she told him, cupping his left cheek in her hand and gently stroking it with her thumb.

"Gracia's right," Lilith told him, speaking to the three present, mainly so Gracia and Ayala could hear what she was saying so Ed didn't have to repeat it to explain why he was now looking at her. "Your feelings are only natural. How you're reacting is only human. There is no rulebook that tells you how you should experience grief nor one that tells you how you should feel after certain events. Anyone who judges you for how you react to something would deserve to be reminded that just because they wouldn't react like that, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't," Lilith said confidently.

Gracia was nodding along to her fox's words and brought Ed's attention back to her with a gentle stroke of his cheek. "I promise you, Ed, that neither Lilith nor I are judging you for your feelings or your panic attack and your feelings about your father and Calix aren't making us cast you in a bad light either," she promised him. "If you ever need someone to talk to or someone who will simply listen to you, you are always welcome to come and seek me out, Ed. I promise that I will be there for you if you need me," Gracia swore.

"As will I. We'll both be there to help and support you whenever you need it, no matter what," Lilith vowed, pressing closer into Ed.

The love and genuineness in their voices as they made their promises was what finally broke Ed's control over his tears and he found himself in yet another hug when Gracia noticed them falling. However, unlike the last two times, Ed returned the hug, albeit one-handedly since he refused to let go of Ayala. He felt Lilith crawl into his lap, pushing her way under the arm still in Ayala's fur before she came to a rest on his left thigh so she could touch Gracia as well. Ayala whined at the emotions going through her boy and she gently hopped up onto the couch and wrapped herself around Ed and Gracia as much as she could, all the while making sure Ed's hand never left her. Ed felt Gracia squeeze him a little tighter and he responded in kind. Though he still felt embarrassed and ashamed about his panic attack and he could feel some added embarrassment because of the tears currently making their way down his cheeks, Ed could also feel a sense of safety and love from Gracia and Lilith and that was what Ed decided to focus on as he let himself sink into the embrace completely.

Notes:

Here's the third drabble for you all! This is an expansion on the reference to a panic attack Ed had in front of Gracia and Lilith during the epilogue and since I don't have a tonne of experience writing panic attacks, I thought this would be good practise. Would absolutely love to know what you all thought to this one and the other two drabbles posted so far! See you all next week!

Chapter 4: How Al broke his arm after Promised Day

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

 

 

"Brother, what are you doing?" Alphonse asked, sighing exasperatedly as he watched his brother walk into a nearby café.

"I already told you, Al. We're doing a stakeout," Ed said as he perused the menu, contemplating his choices.

"Stakeouts usually require the people doing them to be hidden or inconspicuous," Al hissed as he and Chester joined his brother and Ayala. "They generally don't work if you're in plain sight!"

Ed rolled his eyes. "There's no reason for us to not get lunch. Besides, we're plenty inconspicuous now that you're not a suit of armour and I'm not wearing my red jacket," Ed told him. "Ayala can lay down in between the table and those plants lining the street in front of the café and Chester can chill on the other side of us. They won't be noticeable by someone walking by on the other side of the street so we'll be fine," Ed said confidently. "Now, what do you want? Ayala, Chester, and I are starving and we're getting food whether you like it or not," Ed told him matter-of-factly.

Al sighed in defeat. "A sandwich would be nice," he told his brother. "I'll go find us a seat," he said, turning around to do just that. If he made the offer just so he wouldn't have to see the smug look on Ed's, Ayala's, and Chester's faces, that was for him and his Animal to know alone.

Al found a small metal table with two chairs opposite one another that sat right next to the flowering plants that sat in a large, rectangle, terracotta planter box. He pulled the table and chairs away from the planter box so there would be enough room for Ayala to lay down between the table and plants, just as Ed suggested. Once he'd gotten the table and chairs organised, Al took a seat and let out a small sigh of happiness as he felt the sunlight start soaking into his skin and the slight breeze that blew through the street they were on ruffled his hair and kissed his exposed skin. He'd been in his body for six months, out of the hospital for two, and cleared to be on missions with his brother by his doctor and the military two weeks ago. They'd on been on three local missions, none of which were anything too dangerous and today's mission would make their fourth.

This one wasn't anything they thought would become dangerous since Ed absolutely refused to take any on that would wind up ending with a fight unless he was the only person in the whole military who could do it. Mustang and the team had been stunned – even Hawkeye's usual mask had cracked enough to show her shock – when Ed had announced that until he explained that he didn't want to put Al in a situation where he couldn't defend himself until Izumi had declared she was happy with his fighting level. The man they were watching was an alchemist who was suspected of ripping people off by promising to fix any issue of theirs alchemically, charging a reasonable amount of money up front, before he disappeared and left the job unfinished and the victim with no way to contact them or get their money back.

Jasper Davis had apparently been pulling this con for the last four months but the military hadn't been able to spare anyone to hunt him down until now. It was unfortunate but with more serious crimes and the continued rebuilding efforts keeping the military busy, crimes like this were starting to fall through the cracks more often than not. Or they had been until Ed said he'd take them on now that Alphonse was out of hospital and cleared to join him. They kept him in Central and they kept him busy but Al was starting to consider asking his brother to take on a mission of his usual caliber since Ed's whining of how boring these missions were had started grating on Al's nerves.

"You know he wouldn't go on a mission like that without your teacher saying you're back at the level you should be," Chester pointed out, heading to join Al now that he'd given Ed his order.

"He could go with just Ayala," Al countered and grimaced in the face of Chester's raised brow. "Yeah, okay, you're right. I probably wouldn't let them go on those kinds of missions without me and you there to back them up," he conceded, not meeting Chester's eyes so he wouldn't have to see the gloating in them.

The sound of something metal hitting the table caused Al to jolt and snap his attention to the source of the noise, only to relax when he saw it had just been Ed placing their table marker down so the waitress would know where they were before he handed over a coffee he'd gotten for Al. "You alright?" Ed asked, his brow creased slightly in concern at his brother's jumpiness. Ayala gave Al a worried look as she walked around him before she lay down, her head on her front paws and close to where Ed's chair was so if he wanted to, he could reach down and scratch her ears.

"Lost in my thoughts," Al assured his brother, giving him a warm smile. "What'd you order me?" he asked curiously as his brother shrugged his shoulder at him before he sat down.

"Ham and salad sandwich," Ed told him. "Your leopard is getting a chicken burger, all the chicken, minimal salad as per his request. Ayala wanted the pancakes and I'm getting the steak and bacon burger with all the fixings and a large serve of chips, before you ask," Ed said, eyeing his brother knowingly and causing Al to flush. It had been a habit of Al's while he was in the armour to ask what everyone was getting so he could mark it and the restaurant down in his journal so he'd know whether he should visit it again when he had his body back.

Deciding to change the subject from him, Al said, "so you never explained why we're in this part of Central for this case."

Ed frowned once more, this time in confusion since he thought he had until he came up blank on any memory that involved him giving Al the information he'd received that led them here. "Oh, sorry about that," he apologised. "One of Davis' victims spotted him heading into one of these houses on this street while they were having lunch here three days ago. On a hunch, that person came back the next day and spotted him going into the same house again. Thankfully, it seemed this person had a few braincells still in working order because they decided the next move would be telling the military about this. They couldn't give us a house number since they didn't want to get too close to the house in case Davis spotted them and spooked but they described the house as a small, one-story building with pale blue window frames and a white door," Ed told him. "That tip forced Investigations to dig this case up and I got handed it," he added, taking a sip of his coffee.

Al scanned the houses opposite them and found the house the civilian had described. "So having lunch here wasn't just a coincidence?" Al asked, raising a brow.

"Never said it was," Ed told him with a smirk. "'sides, we were hungry and it's just good luck that numb-nuts chose to live within a stone's throw of this café," Ed said, glaring at the house they suspected Davis was inside of.

Al rolled his eyes in tandem with the two Animals. "Why don't you give me a rundown of Davis again, Brother?" Al asked, wanting his brother to stop glaring at the house so that anyone passing by wouldn't think the glare was aimed at them or that his brother was slightly insane.

Ed gave a put-on sigh before he leaned back in his chair, one arm over the back so he was casually angled towards the window with the pale blue window frames and white door they were watching. "Davis is in his late twenties, somewhere between average and boring in both height and description. He has black hair and apparently has a tattoo on his bicep of something. His Animal is a…" Ed paused to think, screwing up his face slightly as he tried to recall the information.

"His Animal is a boar," Ayala supplied, sighing slightly and Ed scratched her ears in thanks.

"A boar, that's right. Good thing I've got you, hey?" Ed said, grinning down at Ayala, who rolled her eyes but had a pleased smile on her face. "Big arse boar, as well, or at least that's what the file said. Probably not quite Aya's size but close enough," Ed told Al. "Er, let's see," Ed said, trying to dredge up what he'd retained from the file he'd been given on Davis. "His alchemy isn't exactly known because no one in Investigations could find anyone in the whole of fucking Central who's actually seen the arrays this idiot has used but they've said he's transmuted earth, wood, and stone so we should assume he'd at least proficient in those three areas," Ed warned him and Al gave a nod. "I think that's about it," Ed told his brother, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly.

"As always, your rundowns are a thing of beauty and filled with such specific details. I have no idea why Brigadier-General Mustang complains about your debriefings," Al said sarcastically.

"I know right?!" Ed exclaimed, acting as though he hadn't noticed the sarcasm. "I'm glad someone else realises just how bastard-like that bastard is," Ed said with a happy grin that had Al shaking his head in amusement.

"Is there anything specific about his alchemy that you were told?" Al asked just as one of the waitresses appeared with their order and some cutlery.

Both boys nodded in thanks to her and waited until she left with their table number before Al raised a questioning brow and Ed gave another one of his put-on sighs as they gave their Animals their lunch. "Yeah, there were a couple of things," Ed told him, "which I would've told you about before lunch was even over so don't you give me that look," Ed added, pointing accusingly at Al, who immediately wiped the 'I'm disappointed in you because that's information I should have' expression off his face and replaced it with one of complete innocence that had Ed rolling his eyes as he took a bite of his burger. Al started on his sandwich as Ed finished his mouthful and said, "so what I've been told about his alchemy so far is…"

Both Ayala's and Chester's ears perked up and they lifted their heads, looking in the direction of the house the two brothers were surveilling just as Ed finished the last of his coffee. "Well at least this criminal knows to wait until I've finished my lunch before they decide to show up," Ed said as he placed the empty mug in the bowl that had held his fries before he placed both on top of the four plates stacked neatly to the side for the waitress to grab once she noticed them.

"You should thank him for that when we arrest him," Al snarked as they surreptitiously watched the white door of the house Davis apparently lived in, or at least spent some time every day in.

"I will," Ed snarked back just as the door opened. With the distance between them, Ed couldn't positively identify the person walking out as Davis, even though his boar was walking beside him. It wouldn't have been the first time in the military's history that someone had been arrested because they had the misfortune of being the same gender, have the same hair colour, and the same or a very similar looking Animal as the wanted criminal. With that in mind, Ed nodded to Ayala to take a look. "Is it Davis?" he asked as his wolf peered over the flowering plants, gold eyes searching the area until they landed on the presumed criminal.

"It's him," the wolf confirmed after a moment of waiting for Davis to look in their general direction.

Ed didn't hesitate as he casually stood up, gesturing inconspicuously for Al to do the same, which he did. They headed for the counter together with the Animals keeping an eye on Davis, who was meandering down the street in the opposite direction of the café with his boar walking alongside him, seemingly unaware they were both being watched. Once Ed had paid for their lunches, they headed out of the café and turned right, walking in the same direction as Davis and his Animal but keeping their distance while sticking on the other side of the road. To keep up the charade of them being out for lunch and just happening to head in the same direction as Davis so the criminal wouldn't be tipped off, Ed started up a conversation revolving around some new alchemy books the boys had read. Since they'd already spoken about these books at length, there wasn't anything new for them to say so they weren't as distracted by each other as they might've been otherwise.

They continued following Davis and his Animal for a few minutes, turning down the block when he did, going down the same streets he did. When Ed thought his Animal had been growing suspicious, he forced Al and their Animals to stop for a car they would've easily beaten just so the boar's misgivings would ease up. It had meant they were stuck with catching glimpses of the pair or relying on Ayala and Chester to pick up their scent for a couple of minutes until they were back in their sights once more. Ed was quick to notice that they weren't heading for any of the busier areas of Central and that made him curious as to what exactly Davis was up to. This area was mainly housing with a couple of small corner or specialty stores here and there and maybe some general practitioners' offices for local citizens to attend when their medical issues weren't serious enough for a hospital visit.


Despite how careful they were for the twenty minutes they'd been following Davis and his Animal, their luck did eventually run out in a semi-deserted residential street. All four of them were startled when they turned the same corner Davis and his Animal had only to find the pair standing in the middle of the footpath, about of the third of the way down and obviously waiting for them. Just as they continued forward, Ed issuing the order to Al through Chester to act casual and keep going, Davis spoke. "Fullmetal Alchemist. Why are you following us?"

"For fuck's sake," Ed immediately swore as they were forced to come to a stop several metres away from the pair. He'd wanted a couple of days to shadow this idiot before he called in a few soldiers to help him handle the arrest so that Al wouldn't be caught up in a possible fight but now it looked like hoping Davis was an intelligent idiot who would just surrender nice and peacefully was the only other option aside from a fight that Ed could see this confrontation leading towards.

"You really shouldn't be this surprised by this turn of events," Ayala commented dryly as she came to a stop in front of Ed, assuming a protective stance while Chester mimicked her and stood in front of Al. "You were the one who made the mistake of hoping this wouldn't end in a fight. You know what the universe likes doing when you do things like that," she told him.

"Yeah, yeah. Proving me wrong. I know," Ed muttered before he sighed. "Are you Jasper Davis?" Ed asked, gesturing to the man in front of them.

"And if I am?" the man asked snidely. His boar snorted beside him, drool escaping from around its mouth as its beady eyes flickered between all of them.

"Well that answer tells me you are," Ed sighed. "Why can't criminals just answer questions honestly without doing that sort of shit?" he asked rhetorically, flapping a hand in Davis' direction. "It would save so much of my time and that's always a good thing in my books," he said.

"Brother, I don't think that's what you should really be concentrating on right now," Al hissed, eyes on Davis, who seemed to be contemplating something.

Ed sighed in annoyance. "Yeah, you're probably right but it's still a pain in the arse," Ed grumbled before he turned back to Davis. "Right, you're under arrest for like so many things but mainly fraud and being a dick," Ed told him.

Al slapped a hand to his face as he groaned. "That is not how you arrest someone, Brother. You've been doing this for nearly six years. You know that it doesn't count as an arrest if you don't do it properly," Al chided him.

Ed groaned in response. "Fine!" he exclaimed, throwing both hands up in exasperation. "Jasper Davis, you're under arrest for the –" Ed was cut off when Ayala grabbed him by his left jacket sleeve and yanked, causing him to duck and stumble to the left just as Chester did the same to Al, sending the youngest Elric brother to the right so the head-sized boulder Davis had launched at them would miss. "Well, that's fucking rude of you to do," Ed told Davis, glaring at the raven-haired criminal. "You should've just let me arrest you without a fight. Now I gotta beat the shit out of you," Ed grumbled, transmuting his blade into existence while Al clapped, transmuting a cement staff out of the sidewalk for him to use.

Davis didn't do much more than snarl before his Animal was launching itself at the brothers and their Animals, a fearsome squeal erupting from its mouth as it lowered its tusks, ready to use them against Ayala or Chester. The wolf and leopard didn't wait for Ed or Al to give them an order as they rushed to intercept the boar, claws and teeth bared as they clashed, leaving their humans to fight the criminal without their assistance. The sound of the boar squealing, both with frustration and anger mixed with Ayala's and Chester's growls and snarls filled the quiet street, drawing the attention of anyone still at home at this time of day.

Just like the boar, Ed hadn't hesitated when the fight broke out. Rushing in with his blade at the ready, Ed struck first, slashing out at Davis, who managed to jump back in time for the tip of Ed's blade to just miss his shirt. Ed snarled in displeasure but was forced to let it go as Davis drew a large knife of his own out from a sheath he'd kept tucked at the small of his back and covered with his shirt. The sound of the two blades clashing soon joined the snarls and squeals from the Animals as the fight continued on, sympathy pain flaring every now and then as someone's opponent got in a good enough hit to bruise or cut their enemy.

Al was standing to the side, waiting for his opportunity and he soon got it when Ed was forced to move awkwardly to avoid both Davis' blade and the brawling Animals. Slipping into the fight, Al brought his staff swinging viciously down on Davis' wrist, causing the man to yelp in pain and reflexively drop his weapon which Ed quickly kicked out of the way before he came back in, ready to join the fight again. Unfortunately for Al, Davis wasn't ready to give in and obviously had some kind of training as he quickly grasped the staff Al was just starting to withdraw and yanked it out of Al's grip, the blonde's strength not enough as it might've been before Promised Day or even the night in the basement to stop Davis from stealing his weapon.

Al stumbled forward with the tug, having not let go of the staff immediately when Davis grabbed it and the only thing that stopped Al's face from meeting the pavement was Ed's quick reflexes. The older Elric had barely steadied his brother before he was throwing himself back into the fight, not wanting to give Davis any opportunity to attack Al while his little brother was weaponless. As Al was searching for the dropped knife, hoping to use it instead of having to move away from the fight to transmute another weapon and possibly be too far away to help if Ed or one of the Animals needed additional support immediately. Giving the knife up as a lost cause and readying himself to dart into the street to transmute another weapon while hoping he could do so and return to the fight quickly enough to prevent someone from being hurt, Al saw Ed get kicked in the side out of the corner of his eye.

As his brother reflexively curled with the hit and tried to get himself out of striking range so he could get the second needed to push away the pain, Davis swung the staff, trying to take advantage of Ed's lack of defense to get another blow in. Moving out of instinct and ignoring Chester's cry of, "Al, don't!" Al got in between Ed and Davis and raised his arm so it would take the brunt of the impact. The moment the hit landed and Al felt the explosion of pain as his radius snapped was the moment when Al remembered he wasn't a near indestructible suit of armour any longer and he almost went down, a choked cry escaping from his lips as he cradled his now-broken arm close to his chest, eyes blurring with tears. He almost missed Ed calling his name, a panic and a level of anger in his voice that Al hadn't heard since Promised Day over the sound of Chester's pained yowl as his left front leg burst with sympathy pain, bringing the leopard to a dangerous halt and forcing Ayala to cover him when their opponent tried to take advantage of Chester's pain.

Al's watery vision didn't affect his sight enough for him to miss his brother launch at Davis once more, a barely-contained viciousness in his moves and eyes as he sought to bring Davis down as quickly as possible so he could check on Al. Ed's level of care for what kind of condition Davis would be in when he was finally arrested was now down to a zero in the face of his brother being injured and even the sound of military soldiers arriving, having been summoned by the neighbours calling them when the fight first broke out, wasn't enough to bring Ed's control back to the level it normally was. Davis fought back as hard as he could but in the face of a pissed off and protective Edward, there was nothing he could do to save himself from the broken ribs, severe bruising to his chest, or the elbow to his temple that eventually knocked him out.

The final blow that rendered Davis unconscious was enough for Chester and Ayala to finally get the better of Davis' Animal and pin it down long enough for Ayala to get Ed's attention so he could alchemise some bonds around the boar. One transmutation later found the boar's legs encased with cement cuffs and a thick band of cement just under its armpits and in front of its hind legs, ensuring it couldn't escape even it broke free of the bands around its legs. The boar and Davis dealt with, Ed's next task was Al. rushing to his brother's side and leaving the official arresting of Davis to whichever military police officer got to him first.

"You are an idiot!" Ed seethed as he reached his brother and took in the obvious break. "Keep holding your arm like that. I'll be back in a second," Ed told him as Chester and Ayala reached them, having been keeping guard of the boar – though Chester had been coiled, ready to get to Al's side the whole time – until the soldiers' Animals could replace them. "Make sure he doesn't do anything else stupid," Ed ordered the Animals as he beelined for the closest homeowner who was sticky-beaking.

The elderly woman Ed approached watched him with a guarded expression. Her meerkat watched with just as much wariness as its human. "Can I help you, alchemist?" the woman croaked, taking in the small cuts and newly forming bruises on the parts of Ed she could see, namely his face and neck.

"Yeah," Ed said. "You got an old magazine or newspaper or something like them that you don't want anymore?" Ed asked her, trying to remember to be somewhat polite even if he was pissed with Davis and, to a somehow lesser and bigger degree, Alphonse.

The woman raised a curious brow before she turned and hobbled into her house, wooden cane thumping on her floorboards and fading as she put distance between herself and Ed. The meerkat raced inside with its human, not bothering to look back at Ed. The blonde waited as patiently as he could manage and soon enough, the old woman was back, a thick magazine in her wrinkled hand. "Will this do?" she asked, holding out the magazine. Her meerkat was still with her but had stopped at the doorway, waiting for its human to come back.

Ed nodded even as he reached for it. "Yeah, that'll be perfect. Did you want something in exchange for it?" Ed asked her, accepting the magazine from her.

The woman hummed in thought. "I do have an old ceramic statue that's very dear to my heart. My grandkids knocked it over yesterday, you see," she explained. "I wouldn't say no to an alchemist mending it for me," she said, eyes fixed on Ed, who nodded.

"If it's all good with you, I'll swing back by this afternoon once my brother has his arm in a cast," Ed said and the woman gave him a nod of agreement.

"Of course, alchemist. Look after your brother first. I'll be home all day," she assured him before she headed back for her house.

Ed noted some unique features of her house – the large, metal dragonfly decoration that hung on her outside wall, the meerkat statue that sat in front of some pink roses – so he could find her house again before he headed back for Alphonse, who was sitting on the ground with Chester pressing against his right side. There was a military soldier crouched in front of Al, likely trying to find out if he was doing okay, but he sprung back and went to salute Ed when he saw the older Elric approach. "Don't you dare salute me. Fuck knows I hate it with a passion," Ed informed the soldier, causing his arm to stop halfway to the saluting position in surprise.

"My apologies, sir," the soldier said, lowering his hand immediately. "Are you both alright?" he asked as Ed knelt in front of Al.

"My brother needs to go to the hospital once I've got him ready to be able to handle a car ride with a broken arm," Ed told him before he gently grasped Al's hand. "You gotta give me your arm so I can do this. Trust me, it'll feel better once I've got it wrapped and supported," Ed said, speaking gently. He may have been celebrating and rejoicing in practically everything Al could do and experience once more now that he had his flesh body back alongside Al and Chester but he certainly wasn't enjoying the pained expression in his brother's face or tear-filled eyes.

Al whimpered as he tried to bite down a pained sob while he extended his arm out to Ed. The arm trembled with pain but Ed was quick to place the magazine around it then place the magazine-clad arm so it was resting on Al's leg. Once he'd done that, he quickly clapped and transmuted two strips off his tank top. "Ayala?" Ed called and his wolf was by his side in a second. "I need you to get under Al's arm and keep it steady while I get the magazine tied on there," he told her.

"I got it," Ayala assured him before she gave Al a comforting lick. Laying down, Ayala crawled forward and placed her front legs over Al's leg while Ed supported Al in holding his arm up high enough for Ayala to do so without bumping it.

Once Ayala was in position, Ed gently lowered Al's arm and placed it so it rested on Ayala's shoulder blades. Grabbing the first strip of material, Ed looked over his shoulder to find the soldier from before still standing there, looking somewhat awkward. His Animal, a capybara, was now by his side and leaning slightly into his leg. "Mind giving me a hand for a moment?" Ed asked him.

The soldier sprung into action immediately and knelt by Ed's side, making sure he was on Ed's right so he wouldn't be leaning over Ed for whatever it was the blonde would ask him to do. "How can I help?" he asked, hands flittering slightly as he fought to stop himself from reaching out.

"Just hold the two ends of the magazine together so I can tie it on there," Ed instructed. The soldier nodded and moved to do just that, only to come to a stop when Chester hissed at him warningly. "Do it nicely," was all Ed said, eyes flickering with a tiny hint of amusement.

"What will this do, sir?" the soldier asked as he cautiously reached for the magazine again and held the two ends of the magazine so they wrapped around Al's arm.

"It'll act as an inferior, temporary cast," Ed explained. "All I need it to do is support Al's arm so it doesn't get jostled as much as it would unsupported during the car trip to the hospital," Ed told him as he tied off the first strip close to Al's wrist and moved to tie off the other end. Al whimpered slightly as Ed accidentally nudged the arm in his efforts to shift around and his brother flashed him an apologetic look. Tying off the last tie, Ed nodded to the soldier to let go and he did, holding his hands up to show Chester – whose eyes hadn't left him for a moment, not even when Al had whimpered – he wasn't touching his human anymore. "Thanks for your help," Ed said, nodding to the soldier as he got to his feet then proceeded to help Al to his.

"Thanks, Brother," Al said, voice rough from trying and failing in holding back his tears and from the pain. He immediately drew his arm back into his chest and cradled it gently once more. "I'm sorry for not thinking before I acted," he added. "I forgot I don't have the armour anymore. I saw him going to hit you while you were still recovering from that kick and I just moved," Al told him.

Ed sighed but nodded at his brother's words. "Yeah, I figured it was something like that. Doesn't mean you still aren't an idiot and that I'm really hoping Doctor Overland is on shift so you can be on the receiving end of his attitude instead of me," Ed teased. He counted it as a win when Al let out a weak chuckle in response.

The soldier who had helped cleared his throat gently, effectively gaining the brothers' attention. "If you would like a lift to the hospital, sir, I would be willing to drive you," he told them, gesturing over to the car he must've driven to the scene.

As Ed's eyes followed the soldier's gesture, he took in the rest of the scene. Davis was still unconscious, not that Ed was surprised what with the amount of force he put behind that strike, but he was breathing and there were soldiers calling for an ambulance to attend the scene. The boar was squealing and snorting but couldn't get any leverage to try and escape so the soldiers weren't really paying an awful lot of attention to it. The neighbours who had witnessed the fight were slowly being interviewed by any soldier not with Davis, the boar, or the Elrics.

Ed gave the soldier a nod. "We'd appreciate it," he told him, not bothering to pretend otherwise like he might've if he'd been the one injured.

The soldier gave a nod before he headed for the car, his capybara at his heels. Ed pulled Al's right arm over his shoulders and helped his brother walk towards the car, their Animals in front of them and ensuring that no one would bother either of them. "I'm surprised you're not pretending like you're allergic to the hospital like you normally do when someone suggests you go to one," Al tried joking. His voice was a little stronger than it was before now that the initial shock and pain had worn off but his tone was still laced with pain and his arm throbbed horribly with every step they took.

"I told you," Ed said as the soldier opened the door for them, "I'm looking forward to you being on the receiving end of one of Doctor Overland's exasperated lectures about not beating my own record for getting back into the hospital after being released," Ed told him as Al cautiously got into the car and shifted over so Ed could follow. Both Chester and Ayala leapt gracefully into the car, Chester getting as close to Al as possible but before Ed climbed in the car, he turned to the soldier. "Are you sure you're fine to leave the scene with us?" he asked. The man had been nice so far so Ed didn't really want to see him get in trouble by his superior officer.

"Yes, sir," the soldier said with a nod. "My commanding officer has cleared me to leave the scene and assist you and your brother to the hospital, sir," he assured Ed. The blonde didn't bother asking when the soldier had gotten permission and just assumed his capybara had gotten the go-ahead from his CO's Animal.

Satisfied no one would be in trouble now, Ed hopped into the car and got settled next to Al, careful not to be close enough that he would hit Al if the car hit a bump or went around a corner too fast. The soldier and his Animal were quick to get into the front section of the car and once they were, Ed, Al, and the two Animals were being driven towards the hospital. Ed glanced over at Al, who gave his brother as big of a smile as he could manage, and Ed returned it, though it quickly fell off his face when Al winced in pain as he was jostled in the car too quickly for him to prevent his arm being affected.

"He'll be fine. It's not this is the first broken arm either of you have suffered," Ayala said, trying to comfort her human.

Ed flashed her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, I know he'll be fine but he shouldn't have been hurt in the first place. I should've put a stop to us following Davis when his boar started getting suspicious about us," Ed said, keeping the conversation between them through their bond. "This is why I didn't want any missions that could end in a fight once Al was cleared to join me again," Ed sighed. "He's not out of the habits he developed when he was bound to the armour yet and I'd rather him get injured by Teacher – who won't actually be trying to kill him most of the time – than a criminal who won't care whether Al's killed so long as they can get away," Ed told her.

Ayala looked up at him sympathetically. "It's not your fault that Al is still in the habits he's developed for over five years. There's no way anyone could expect him to be out of those habits in six months, let alone the two weeks he’s been cleared for missions," she said, tone slighted pointed and causing Ed to wince a little. "Besides, no one expected Davis to try and fight you. Nothing in his criminal history suggested that he would resist arrest. He's probably guilty of something worse than fraud and the military just hasn't figured it out yet," she added.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ed conceded. At Ayala's look, he rolled his eyes and amended his statement. "Fine, you are right," he grumbled. "Happy?"

"Immensely so," Ayala sassed, eyes shining brightly as Ed shook his head at her.

"Brother?" Al's voice got Ed's attention of his wolf and he glanced over to find Al's eyes filled with so much concern that it overtook most of the pain his brother was still in.

"Ayala's just giving me attitude. Nothing to fret over," Ed told him, ignoring the unimpressed look on Ayala's face. "You holding up okay?" he asked, allowing his concern to bleed into his voice despite the fact that there was a stranger driving them.

Al gave him a smile that was stronger than his last one had been. "I'm doing okay," Al told him. "I think I'm getting used to the pain. Plus, the magazine is helping make sure that my arm isn't being jostled too much so that's helping," Al told him.

"Good," Ed said, slumping a little in relief. "Keep that positive attitude in mind when Doctor Overland finds out you broke your arm two weeks into being cleared to join me for missions," Ed said, allowing his teasing tone to cover his guilty one.

Al rolled his eyes. "Should I be worried about how excited you are about seeing Doctor Overland's reaction to my injury?" he asked though there was a teasing tone of his own in his voice. Ed's resulting grin was enough of an answer for Al and the two Animals.


"Mr. Elric, when I okayed you to join your brother on missions around Central, I remember asking you to make sure you didn't start emulating your brother's desire to beat his own personal best in shortest amount of time between visits. Did you perhaps forget that request?" Doctor Overland hadn't been impressed when he witnessed the two brothers and their Animals walking through the front doors of the hospital only for Ed to tell the doctor – with a hint of something almost gleeful in his voice, as though Ed was happy it wasn't him needing medical attention for once – and his tone now that Al had had an x-ray and was now getting his arm set and ready for a cast certainly showed he was still unimpressed.

Al winced but not from anything the nurse was doing to his arm. "I'm sorry, Doctor Overland," Al apologised, looking shamefully at the ground.

Doctor Overland sighed, showing his disappointment in a second way before he moved off the topic and onto the topic of Al's injury. "In a way, you're lucky," the doctor said. "Your bones still aren't at the density and therefore strength someone of your age's should be so when Mr. Davis hit it, he was able to cleanly break it," the doctor explained. "What this means is that you shouldn't require surgery for it to mend correctly however I will need you to come back in a week or if you fall on the arm or in any other way potentially hurt your arm again. I would like to take another x-ray just to be certain that it is healing correctly," he told Al, who nodded.

"I'll come in," the younger Elric promised immediately.

"At least you're not going to be as troublesome as your brother," Overland said, glancing at Ed who had grumbled a protest. "Should everything be going smoothly with your healing, you should only need the cast on for six to eight weeks," Overland continued, turning his attention back to Al.

Both Chester and Al gave a sigh of relief at that and Overland gave them a rare smile. "What if it's not all healing right?" Ed asked, unable to not do so.

"Then we'll have to operate on the arm and insert a surgical plate," Overland said. "That'll push your recovery to three months and I would really rather not to have you to put under anesthetic so soon after Promised Day and everything you went through," Overland divulged. "We won't know how you'll react to that so if it can be, I'd rather wait to operate on you for as long as possible," he said.

Al nodded in understanding. "I'll be careful," he swore and Overland gave him an appreciative nod.

"At least one of you will be," Overland said and this time Ed didn't settle with just grumbling at the doctor.

"I didn't even get that badly injured this time! Why are you going after me? Go after him!" Ed gestured to Al, who looked amused with his brother's childish antics. "He's the one who tried to stop a cement staff with his bare arm!"

Overland nodded in acknowledgment of Ed's words. "Yes, but unlike you, I can be almost certain that Alphonse will not go looking for trouble the moment he's discharged," Overland said dryly.

"He's got you there," Ayala and Chester said at the exact same time while Al piped up with a, "he's not wrong, Brother," causing Ed to scowl at the lot of them.

"You're all terrible and I don't like any of you anymore," Ed informed them haughtily.

"That is a bold-faced lie and you know it," Ayala said confidently while Overland rolled his eyes at Ed's behaviour and chose not to comment on it. Both Chester's and Al's responses told Ed that they'd been privy to Ayala's response and were both amused and in agreement with it.

"You still suck," Ed said petulantly, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning back sulkily in his chair to complete the look. His scowl only deepened with his family's laughter and obvious amusement even though he felt himself relax inwardly at the sound of Al's laughter without the tinny notes that had accompanied it for over six years.

Notes:

Since it's my birthday, here's a kind of light-hearted one for you guys! Hope you all had a good week and I'll see you next time!

Chapter 5: Maes' hunt for Barry the Chopper and Hawkeye's capture of him

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Maes sighed as he and Leo made their way to his office in the Investigations department building. It had been nearly a month since the first of three victims killed with Barry the Chopper's modus operandi had been found desolate alleys and Maes was still no closer to finding the psychotic soul bonded to a suit of armour than he had been before the murders had even occurred. Though part of that was because he hadn't officially been tasked to search for Barry the Chopper when he escaped Lieutenant Ross' and Sergeant Denny Brosh's custody when the Fifth Laboratory had collapsed while Edward and Chester were still inside. Of course, Maes didn't blame either soldier for losing Barry in the chaos. Their attention had been grabbed by the fact that Edward and Chester were in danger and Maes knew full well that his attention would likely not have been on the serial killer either if he'd been in their position.

"Are we going to go inside or do you plan on standing outside the door for the rest of the day?" Leo's annoyed voice broke Maes out of his thoughts and the lieutenant-colonel realised he had come to a stop outside his office door and had made no move to go inside, not even to raise his hand and open the door.

"Sorry, Leo. Lost in my mind, I guess," Hughes said with a half-hearted chuckle. "It's been over a week since the last victim was found. From the time line Barry the Chopper has established with the last three victims, there should be another one tonight and we are no closer to finding him," Maes said, using their bond since he'd opened the door to their office and was nodding to his team as he made his way through the busy desks and into his own inner office.

"You'll find him, Maes. It may not be today or tomorrow but you will find him and you will make sure his victims get the justice they deserve," Leo told him confidently.

Hughes scratched his fox between the ears in thanks before he pulled the familiar files sitting prominently on his desk forward before he flipped the oldest file open and read through the contents he'd just about memorised at this point. Kristen Dunham had been found murdered almost a month ago to the day, her body parts strewn up and down the alley she'd frequently used as a short cut on her way home from work as a guidance counsellor for the hospital. Curiously enough, her glasses had been found folded neatly next to her decapitated skull, the lenses clean of blood or smudges and unbroken. It had looked like she had taken them off and placed them neatly on the ground before she had been murdered.

The second victim, Daniel Jacobs, had been found a week later, with only a few hours difference between the time of day he was found as opposed to the first victim. Like Dunham, Jacobs was found cut into numerous pieces, the killer going so far as to cut off each finger to scatter them along the alley. Maes had been amused and horrified to learn that the victim had been an accomplished author who'd prided himself on writing the first copy of each book by hand before he turned the manuscript over to his publisher to be printed. When his publisher had found out what the killer had done to Jacobs fingers, she had turned green – a shade that had only darkened as she explained that Jacobs used to joke that his fingers were his most prized possession. They were what allowed him to bring his masterpieces to life, after all.

The third and final victim so far was Lisa Broyles, an attorney for a private firm in Central. She had been on her way home after spending a late night on a case when she had been lured into the alleyway. Hughes believed that Barry the Chopper had used a doll that had a tape of a child crying sewn crudely into it to lure the woman into the alley. Just like the first two, her body had been carved into numerous pieces – far more than the others – and it had looked like Barry the Chopper had taken handfuls of flesh and thrown it into the air like confetti, or at least that had been Hughes' theory when he first saw the crime scene. Unlike the other crime scenes, Barry had also gone to the effort of crudely cutting her hair and scattering the strands the entire length of the alley.

From what Maes had uncovered during his investigation so far, the victims had nothing in common. Dunham had been a woman of petite build with short, reddish-blonde hair styled with hair gel so it stuck up like spikes, pale skin scattered with a few freckles and green eyes. Her personality was described by co-workers and family members as playful but strict when the situation called for it. Jacobs was a tall man with green eyes a few shades lighter than Dunham's, dark hair a little longer than the typical military buzzcut, a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He'd looked and acted younger than he was but everyone Maes had spoken to had told him that Jacobs had done nothing to earn himself any enemies. Broyles was similar in build to Dunham and had pale skin but that was where the similarities ended. Broyles had long, blonde hair down past her shoulders that was always worn down and parted in the middle, hazel eyes, and no distinguishable markings. Like Jacobs, she acted younger than she was when she was out with friends but her co-workers had told Maes she was nothing but professional whilst in the building or court room.

Even their Animals had nothing in common. Dunham had had a Main Coon cat by the name of Astrid and was by all accounts extremely protective of Dunham. The cat's body had been found whole but near her human's head. Hughes was of the opinion she had died after Dunham had since her claws were bloodied and broken, like they had snapped off scratching something hard rather than the stab wounds in the cat's body. Jacobs' Animal had been a bearded dragon called Michelle and to Hughes' horror, the small creature looked as though it had been trodden into the ground. Broyles' Animal had been the largest by far; a mountain lion called Paul. Like his human, Paul had been found in several pieces and this time, Hughes believed he had been killed before his human since even a nearly indestructible suit of armour would have found it difficult to fend off a big cat and a human at the same time.

With nothing linking the victims to one another and no other commonalities found between the crime scenes, their Animals, their social groups, nothing, Hughes had officially all but hit a dead end in the investigation. All he had to work with was the killer's identity – which was next to useless since Barry had had months in between his escape and his first kill to perfect not drawing attention to himself despite being a suit of armour – and the timeline the victims were killed in. One kill a week, each time someone who was completely random and ambushed with different tactics and Hughes was sick of having nothing to go on. The stress of this case was starting to make itself known in his home and he loathed the fact that his sweet wife and darling daughter were noticing the signs.

Seeing Ed and Ayala a week ago – even though it had only been for a couple of hours – had bettered and worsened Hughes' mental state. On the one hand, he had been almost overwhelmingly relieved to see Ed healthy and whole with his own eyes, especially after the catastrophic injury he had suffered up north, but it had been so hard for him to let the two of them leave with their chimera friend instead of dragging the two of them home where they belonged. Not seeing Al and Chester with the pair had also been somewhat jarring but he knew where the two were and, if Hughes was being honest, Ed and Ayala were always the pair most likely to get themselves into trouble more regularly. Seeing the way Elysia and even Gracia had reacted when they'd needed to leave Roy's home had almost made Hughes' desire to never let Ed and Ayala out of his sight overrule his rational mind but in the end, he'd let them leave after making them promise they would be safe.

"Sheska's coming," Leo warned, jolting Hughes out of thoughts just in time for him to hear the timid knock on his door.

"Enter," Maes called, silently thanking his fox, who merely grumbled and went back to sleep as Sheska opened the inner office door. Hughes smiled at both her and Sam, who sat perched on the mousey woman's left shoulder.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, Sir, but here are some messages for you," Sheska said. Hughes was a little proud to hear that her stammer was almost completely gone now when she was speaking with him. "I noticed you weren't carrying a lunch with you today, Sir. Would you like me or one of your team to grab you something when we leave for our break?" she asked.

Hughes frowned at her question. It wasn't the fact she'd noticed he hadn't brought lunch from home – he couldn't expect Gracia to make him lunch every day, after all – but rather her timing. Just as he was about to query about why she was asking him about his lunch so early in the workday, Leo interrupted him. "There's an hour until lunch, Maes. You spent your morning reading those damned files again."

"Thank you, Sheska," Hughes said as he took the message slips from her, "and I would be very appreciative if someone would grab me some lunch while they were out," he told her. "Let me know if anyone plans on heading somewhere other than the mess hall for lunch so I can give them money to cover mine," Hughes instructed and Sheska bowed, making Sam cling tightly to her shoulder to keep his balance.

"I will, Sir," she said as she straightened. A flick of Hughes' hand paired with a kind smile had her leaving the office, closing the door behind her.

Hughes allowed the sigh he'd been holding in at the sight of the message slips to sound as he leaned back in his chair and stretched as best he could. He would've likely been more surprised with the fact that he'd spent nearly five hours reading over case files without realising how much time he was doing so if he hadn't made a habit out of it within his first year of being in Investigations. Briefly he contemplated calling his best friend to try and get some sort of reaction out of him – it really was for Roy and Nala's sakes that he did this – but he knew he wouldn't get anything. Roy had been playing the role of the perfect colonel for over two months now and nothing he or Nala had done had made him break character.

"I guess I'll go through these before lunch, huh?" Hughes said, sighing once more as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk as he looked at the slips in his hands.

"That would probably be for the best. I'm sure Gracia and Elysia would prefer it if you were home on time for dinner at least once this week," Leo informed him.

"Can't disappoint my beautiful girls, now can I?" Hughes said with a soppy grin that had Leo rolling his eyes before he curled up a little tighter on the chair he'd claimed. He soon managed to slip into a real sleep now that his human's mind wasn't obsessing over the Chopper case for the first time since he'd woken up and the fox found himself rather grateful for Sheska's timely interruption.


"Goodnight, my darling angel," Maes said, hugging Elysia close and kissing her on the cheek before he allowed Gracia to lead her up to her room.

It was his wife's turn to read Elysia her bedtime story and since Elysia hadn't asked for him to take over, Maes was planning on taking this opportunity to get into his office and study the Barry the Chopper case once more. He'd had the idea while in the office to study all of the case files from Barry the Chopper's first killing spree to see if there was anything in there that could help him locate the murderous suit of armour now. He hadn't had any luck so far but there were a lot of files to go through and he refused to let his optimism die out just because he hadn't found anything yet. He could feel Leo's judgemental look as he left his armchair but he didn't acknowledge his fox's attitude in any way. Leo's belief that Maes' work should stay at work didn't stop the grey fox from following his human into his study so he could be close by in case he was needed.

It only took a few minutes for Leo to warn Maes of Gracia's approach and he'd just managed to close the file he was reading so his wife wouldn't see the gruesome crime scene photos when she appeared in the doorway. "Yes, love?" Hughes asked, swinging his chair around so he was facing his wife now.

"Would you like a coffee, dear?" she asked. Hughes could see the displeased purse of her lips but knew she wouldn't say anything about his work coming home. She knew this case was getting to him and that he needed to solve it and she wouldn't begrudge him that, so long as he ensured that Elysia wouldn't be exposed to it and he loved her for that.

"I would love one," Hughes told her, giving her a tired smile.

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes then," Gracia told him, returning his tired smile with a warm one of her own before she headed for the kitchen. Lilith took the opportunity to slip inside the study so she could curl up with Leo, who had untucked himself from his tight curl so she could cuddle up to him.

Hughes proceeded to waste the time it would take Gracia to make them each a hot drink by watching the pair of foxes and going through the less gruesome parts of the file he had been reading. He didn't need Leo's warning this time since he heard Gracia approaching him now his mind wasn't stuck in his work. "You're the best," he said reverently as he took the steaming mug from Gracia's hand.

"I know," she said, giving him a playful smile that slipped when her eyes fell on the manilla folders that covered her husband's desk. "You'll catch him. You always do," she told him, squeezing his shoulder.

Reaching up to place his hand over hers, Hughes leaned back to give her a grateful smile. "Technically, I never caught Scar," he told her, "but I appreciate the sentiment all the same," he added, squeezing her fingers gently.

"You were taken off his case. If Ed hadn't made that deal with Scar, I'm sure it wouldn't have been long before you caught up to him," Gracia told him, her voice leaving no room for doubt, "and I have every faith you will catch this murderer before too long," she continued saying, her conviction never wavering in the slightest.

"Thank you, Gracia," Hughes said, his voice low and a little thicker than normal. "I think I needed to hear that from the most beautiful, amazing, wonderful woman in the world," he told her, grinning up at her. His familiar flattery made his wife roll her eyes fondly even as her cheeks pinked in a flush.

"Glad I could be of some help," she told him before she leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek. "Don't be too long before you come to bed, dear," Gracia told him. Only after he gave a nod of agreement did she leave the office, leaving Lilith with him and Leo since her fox wanted to stay with Leo.

"You've been with that woman for nearly a decade and I still have no idea how you managed to win her heart," Leo said, making Hughes chuckle in agreement.

"You and me both," he told his fox as he reopened the file he had been reading, full prepared to get through it now that he had been given words of confidence and a fresh coffee by the miracle that is his wife. Before he got more then three lines and a mouthful of coffee into the file when Leo's head suddenly shot up, cocked slightly to the side as he listened to something only he could hear. "What is it?" Hughes asked, his heart in his throat as his first thought was that something had happened to Ed, Al, or their Animals while they were on the run.

"Soren just contacted me," Leo told him and Hughes' fear turned into intrigue. Though he and Leo were friendly with his best friend's disbanded team, they very rarely used their Animals as messengers unless the situation was extremely important. Naturally, Hughes was very curious to know what was going on now. "Riza wants us to meet her and Soren in the industrial district. There's a row of old, identical warehouses. She'll be in the sixth one," Leo passed on dutifully.

Hughes blinked at his fox before his words sunk in. "Did he tell you why?" he asked but Leo shook his head. "She wouldn't ask us unless it was extremely important," Hughes said and Leo nodded in agreement. "I guess we better go. Should we tell Roy?" Hughes asked, already certain he knew what his fox would say.

"No, Soren said to leave it to him," Leo said to Maes' complete lack of surprise.

"Alright," Hughes said, getting to his feet and closing the files, just in case his little angel managed to slip past her mother and get into his office. "I need to tell Gracia and grab my jacket," Hughes said, more to himself than anyone else but Lilith stopped him by getting in his way.

"She said she'll tell Gracia and that your jacket is on the table to your right. She said to go now since it seems like this is really important," Leo relayed and Hughes gave Lilith a grateful smile.

"Tell Gracia I'll make it up to her," Hughes instructed, rubbing his thumb between the female fox's ears in thanks before he grabbed his jacket, shrugging it on as he walked towards his office door. "I'll be back as soon as I can," Hughes told Lilith, who gave a small nod as she slipped up the hallway.

Hughes and Leo covered the few steps it took to get them to the front door quickly before they strode out the door and into the cool night. Hughes flicked his wrist so he could check his watch face and noted it was close to 9:30 at night. He was burning to know what had happened to Hawkeye this late at night that was important enough to involve him but he knew he'd get his answers soon enough. He and Leo headed down the street at a brisk pace as they made their way towards the industrial area as quickly as they could.

"Should we try and find a cab?" Leo asked as they turned off the street their house sat on.

"If we see one on our way, we can but it would likely take more time to go looking for one than it would to walk there," Hughes answered and Leo gave a nod of understanding.

Though Soren had said nothing of them being in danger and Leo hadn't sensed anything in the owl's tone suggesting they were, there was still the possibility that they were and that was what was driving their desire to be there as quickly as possible. It didn't help that even though Nala would've been contacted by Soren at the same time as Leo, she and Roy would still have to make their way across the city without arousing the suspicion of the soldiers assigned to watch him by Bradley. That would take time and a degree of patience that Hughes knew would be hard for Roy to manage but that still meant that if Hawkeye and Soren were in danger, Hughes and Leo were the closest and therefore their best chance of surviving. That thought had both Hughes and Leo speeding up a little quicker.


"I'm not going to lie," Hughes said as he took in the sight that had greeted him and Leo when they arrived at the warehouse Hawkeye and Soren were hiding in, "I have a lot of questions," he told the blonde lieutenant who was currently looking thoroughly unimpressed with the complaining suit of armour she had bound with rope and was currently holding a gun on. Soren was sitting on top of a stacked pile of wooden crates while Black Hayate sat obediently at his human's heels. "I'm going to start with two though. Are you alright and how?" he asked, waving his hand at the scene in front of him rather than elaborate further with words.

"I'm perfectly unharmed, Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes but thank you for asking," Hawkeye said, giving him a small smile. "As for your second question, if you don't mind, I'd like to answer it when Colonel Mustang and Nala are here," Hawkeye requested.

"No, I don't mind. Saves you having to explain twice, I suppose," Hughes said and Hawkeye gave a nod. "I don't suppose you know Roy's ETA?" he asked, ignoring the whimpering armour.

"Soren informed me that Colonel Mustang and Nala should be here in fifteen minutes," Hawkeye told him.

"Wonderful," Hughes said, still in a mild shock over the fact that Hawkeye was currently holding Barry the Chopper at gunpoint and that the suit of armour was cowering in fear. "I'd like to talk with him, if you don't mind continuing as you are?" Hughes asked, gesturing to Barry first then Hawkeye's pistol.

"Of course not, Sir," she told him.

Hughes gave her a nod before he approached the trembling suit of armour. Leo was right on his heels, almost annoyingly close and his ears were pinned back as he bared his teeth in warning at Barry. Hughes would've fondly rolled his eyes at his fox's overprotectiveness if it weren't for the fact that affectionate gesture would've detracted from the serious persona he wanted Barry the Chopper to be dealing with. "Did you murder Kristen Dunham, Daniel Jacobs, Lisa Broyles and their Animals, Astrid, Michelle and Paul?" Hughes asked.

"Who?" the armour asked and Hughes narrowed his eyes as he dissected the tone of voice. Finally Hughes realised that the armour didn't actually know who he was talking about.

"The three bonded pairs murdered over the last month in alleyways," Hughes said flatly and the armour perked up slightly, causing Hawkeye to follow the movement with her weapon, which in turn caused the armour to flinch away from her. That reaction made Hughes extremely curious to know about what had happened between the two and he found himself hoping his best friend turned up quickly so he could find out the story.

"Oh yeah! I remember them!" Barry said cheerfully. "That last one was no fun to play with. After I killed her Animal, she just gave up," Barry whined and Hughes fully believed that if he had a body, he would've been pouting as well.

"Why did you kill them?" Hughes asked, forcing himself to not react to Barry's comment.

"Because killing is fun and I wanted to!" Barry told him as though it were obvious.

"But why them?" Hughes asked, seeking clarification but his question only caused Barry to tilt his head, as though he was confused about why Hughes was asking.

"Because they looked like they would be fun to chop into little pieces," Barry told him. "If you're asking me whether there was a specific reason I picked them, whether there's a specific trait or thing they do that makes them appealing to me as a victim than I'm sorry to disappoint you," Barry said, shrugging a metal shoulder. "I just thought their blood would look real pretty on my knives."

Hughes fought to keep the disappointment and frustration off his face. "Okay," Hughes said, glancing over at Hawkeye to gauge her reaction. As always, the blonde lieutenant looked completely unphased by what was happening. "Why did you do what you did with the first victim's glasses?" Hughes asked and again, Barry tilted his helmet in confusion. "They were placed neatly, unbroken and clean next to her head. Why did you do that?" Hughes asked.

"I didn't think they would look good all messed up," Barry told him.

"Right," Hughes said, a touch slowly before he mentally shook his head. "Why did you cut the fingers off of second victim's hands? You didn't do that with the other two and from what I've read regarding your previous crimes, you didn't do that with any of your other victims. So why Jacobs? Was it because he was an author?" Hughes asked.

"I didn't know he was an author," Barry said. "I chose them at random, remember?" Barry laughed and Hughes resisted the urge to snarl at the armour.

"So why?" Hughes asked. He'd originally put it down to the fact that Barry was insane but he hadn't expected a – debatably – sane response to his question about Dunham's glasses.

"I didn't think they suited his hands. I thought they would look better with other parts of him," Barry told him earnestly.

"And cutting off the third victim's hair?" Hughes asked, fairly certain he'd be getting a similar response to this question as he did for the first two.

"I told you," Barry said, sounding annoyed. "She was no fun. Just giving up like she did bored me. She didn't even scream! She barely made any noises even when I stabbed her over and over again," Barry complained. "So once I finished cutting her into tiny pieces, I decided to have a bit more fun. I couldn't cut her into smaller pieces but then I realised I hadn't touched her hair!" Barry explained exuberantly.

"Now you killed their Animals in different ways as well. The first victim's cat was stabbed after she was, the second victim's Animal appeared to squashed and the third victim's – as you said yourself just now – was killed before she was," Hughes recounted and Barry nodded along as he spoke. "Why?"

"Well, the cat wasn't big enough to stop me from having my fun so I could deal with it after I'd had finished with its human, if it survived long enough for me to kill it once its human was dead. I didn't even know the lizard was there though! It was so small that I never saw it and the only reasons I knew I'd killed it was because I nearly slipped over on its guts and my victim screamed in glorious agony at the same time," Barry told him gleefully, laughing as he spoke. "Of course, that last one was too big and it could have stopped me from chopping up its human so I had to kill it first. Of course, its human was no fun to play with anyways. Next time, I'll leave the Animal alive no matter what kind it is," Barry told Hughes.

The way Barry spoke as though he was absolutely certain he would be released almost made Maes gape in shock. Thankfully, he was spared having to come up with a response by a noise sounding from outside. Though her gun didn't move, Hawkeye's attention did as both she and Hughes glanced at the closed doors. Neither Soren nor Leo were reacting as though whatever outside posed a danger to their humans and the only reaction Black Hayate gave was his ears perking up as he watched the door intently. The reactions of the three non-humans told both Hughes and Hawkeye who was outside without them having to ask their Animals.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, what happened? Are you alright?" Mustang asked as he and Nala strode into the warehouse. Hughes could see the moment when his best friend registered the captured and bound serial killing suit of armour but – in true form – Mustang barely reacted physically.

"Those were pretty much my first two questions too!" Hughes exclaimed, grinning widely only after he'd turned so his back was to the serial killer. He had no fears about Barry breaking out of his bonds if only because he trusted Hawkeye to have bound Barry properly and – failing that – to take care of Barry before he could hurt him.

"You called for Hughes?" Mustang asked. Hawkeye nodded while Hughes pouted at his best friend's lack of enthusiasm.

"I thought it was the wisest decision since Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes is the one in charge of the search for Barry the Chopper," Hawkeye told him, "and I am fine," she added. "As for what happened," she said, getting both Hughes' and mustang's complete attention while Nala joined Hayate, Soren, and Leo in watching Barry while their humans spoke. "I was out walking Black Hayate when he suddenly alerted to a presence. Soren, of course was keeping an eye on us from above and informed me of a suit of armour following me and Hayate along the rooftops," Hawkeye explained.

"Since the only souls bonded to armour that I knew of were Alphonse – who is certainly nowhere near Central and would have no reason to follow me like that – and Barry the Chopper and since I knew that that he would be out tonight looking for a victim, I decided to become that victim in order to arrest him," Hawkeye told them. "I entered an alley Soren assured me was void of any other humans and once I was a good way in, Barry made himself known. I assume," Hawkeye's mouth twitched slightly, the only sign of her amusement, "that he thought his being an empty suit of armour capable of walking and talking would startle me enough that he could get the drop on me," she told them. Both Hughes and Mustang allowed themselves to grin at one another as they imagined how that reveal had gone.

"Obviously, things didn't go his way," Mustang drawled, glancing at the suit of armour.

"No, it didn't, Sir," Hawkeye confirmed, a small smirk now gracing her lips. "I emptied a clip into him the moment he appeared and informed him I was acquainted with Alphonse. While he was cursing Al's existence, I restrained him. After asking Soren to relay my message to Leo and Nala, I led him to this warehouse to await your arrival," Hawkeye said. "He hasn't said or done anything while we've been here. Well," Hawkeye said contemplatively, "except for flinching every time I move," she told them.

"I do not!" Barry argued. Hawkeye gave him a flat look before she twitched her weapon, causing Barry to flinch back violently enough that he almost toppled off the short crate he was tied to.

"Sure you don't," Mustang said before he looked over at Hughes. "What do you want to do with him, Hughes?" Mustang asked, looking a little unimpressed with the surprised look on Hughes' face. "This is your investigation, Hughes. Lieutenant Hawkeye may have captured him but all three of us know she must not be connected to Barry the Chopper's arrest," Mustang said. "Bradley will assume that she is still in contact with us and surveillance on us will triple and your family will be placed under surveillance," Mustang said. "Going behind his back to try and organise our coup is hard enough now with this level of surveillance and the Elrics' disappearance adding to Bradley's paranoia. It will become impossible if we do anything to increase Bradley's suspicions," he told them.

"There is no way for me to leave Riza out of this," Hughes said. "Not if I arrest him. The Investigations department – my team – is fully aware that I was nowhere near locating him, let alone making an arrest. I can't just say I stumbled upon him coincidentally. No one would buy that," Hughes told them, making Mustang curse quietly.

"Did I hear you say a coup was in the making?" Barry suddenly asked and earned himself three suspicious gazes. "There'll be lots of killing, won't there?" Barry asked, sounding positively tickled pink about the idea. "I love a good fight. So much opportunity to have fun with my knives!"

Both Mustang and Hawkeye got a look that Hughes recognised and he felt disbelief crawl up his spine. "You aren't thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Hughes asked.

"I believe I have a solution that would be beneficial for all parties, including Barry the Chopper," Mustang said, effectively gaining Barry's complete attention, something that even Hughes hadn't been able to gain while interrogating him since some of it was held by Hawkeye and her weapon. "If you can contain your killing urges for the next few weeks and agree to constant surveillance and helping us when the coup takes place, you'll keep your freedom and," Mustang said, placing emphasis on the word when Barry moved like he was going to interrupt, "you'll get your opportunity to fight," Mustang told him. If Hughes hadn't known his best friend as well as he did, he would've believed that Roy felt absolutely no guilt about offering Barry the chance to take lives.

"I'll get to fight?" Barry asked hopefully.

A grimace flickered across Mustang's face, too quick for Barry to notice but not quick enough that the others and the Animals were oblivious to it. "You'll get to fight for our side," Mustang corrected, a touch harshly but Barry didn't seem to notice. "There will be rules put in place. Rules you have to follow or we'll destroy your seal," Mustang informed him, not bothering to make the threat subtle.

Barry didn't give any physical sign – as limited as he was in expressing his emotions – that he was worried about the threat Mustang had just made. "I'm listening," Barry said, his demeanour for once serious.

Mustang shared a look with Hughes and Hawkeye, their conversation silent and fleeting before both nodded sharply once. Facing the serial killer once more, Mustang started speaking. "This is how this arrangement will work."

Notes:

Here's the next drabble for you guys! I will say that although I was planning on writing this scene anyways, I ultimately did so for a friend who was having an issue with three of her teachers at the time. I wound up making her teachers the victims, using their first names and general description my friend gave me and sent this drabble to her for approval before marking it complete. I hope you guys enjoy this one and please let me know what you think to it or any of the others! See you next week!

Chapter 6: Mei's Spirit Animal

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Seventeen months after Promised Day…

"Brother!" Al's excited shout for Ed had both Ayala and Chester flinch at the volume and pitch of his voice while Ed nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected shout. He'd barely sat up on the couch in the Hughes' loungeroom when Al came barrelling down the stairs, a white piece of paper clutched tightly in his hand.

"What is so important that you almost sent me, Ayala, Chester, and any Animal within a kilometre of the house deaf?" Ed grumbled, sitting up properly before jerking back as Al thrust the paper into his face.

"Here!" Al said, ignoring Ed's question as he impatiently shook the letter until Ed grabbed it.

A quick glance told him it was the letter that had arrived earlier that day from Mei to Al but Ed had no clue why his brother was showing him it and he resisted the urge to read it immediately in favour of glaring at Al for an answer. "Why are you giving me Mei's letter?" Ed asked, still holding onto the letter, which both Ayala and Chester were looking at curiously.

Al was bouncing on his toes excitedly enough that Ed's first thought was that the letter contained news of Mei planning to visit Amestris soon. "She got her Animal, Brother!" Al revealed giddily, causing Ed to pause in surprise. Mei and Al wrote to each other fortnightly, though Ed knew it would be more frequent if the mail system between Amestris and Xing was quicker, and Al had only just received a letter two days ago from Mei that, as far as Ed knew, held no mention of her having the Dream. "She said you can read the letter," Al added when his brother didn't immediately read the piece of paper.

"Okay, okay," Ed said, rolling his eyes as he smoothed out the paper and held it so he, Ayala, and Chester could read it alongside him while Alphonse waited as patiently as he could for them to finish it.

Dearest Alphonse,

I know that you will have only received my last letter a day or two before this one arrives but I simply couldn't wait to share what had happened between me penning my last letter and now!

I started having the Dream a few days after I sent off my last letter and this time I am delighted to tell you that it wasn't a false dream like the last few times! I woke up two days ago and found my Animal waiting for me outside of my home!

My mother was quite confused by her appearance as I hadn't told her how often I'd Dreamt the past week so she had no clue when to expect her. I did receive a lecture for not warning her prior to my Animal's arrival of the fact that the Dream wasn't a false dream and giving my mother the date of when I was expecting my Animal to arrive but my mother then hugged me and told me she was very proud of me for receiving my Animal. I am the youngest in my family by a week to get their Animal! My whole clan celebrated alongside us the night my Animal arrived and all of them told me how happy they were for me and how proud of me they were. Even Ling sent me a congratulatory letter, though how he knew I got my Animal will remain a mystery until I speak with him next.

My Animal is a white-cheeked Gibbon and I only found out her name this morning which is why I didn't write you this letter the day she arrived. Her name is Lin and she is such a sweet and gentle Animal. Xao-Mei didn't like her to start with but Lin has been so lovely and let Xao-Mei warm up to her at her own pace. I do believe that Xao-Mei is jealous of Lin and how much time I've been spending with her, which is what I believe is the reason for most of, if not all of, her animosity towards my Animal but I have no doubts that once Xao-Mei has warmed up to Lin and knows that I won't abandon her for my Animal that they will get along splendidly!

I am unsure as to whether or not you've ever seen a white-cheeked gibbon or even a picture of one but Lin is has fully black fur aside from the patches on her cheeks, which are white, hence her species name. Her arms are very long, Alphonse! They nearly touch the ground when she stands at her full height and she has proven most adept at gathering fruit from the highest points of our trees, something that has caused several of our clan to praise her. She is very soft and she adores cuddles and being carried but unfortunately I am not much taller than she is so she doesn't get to be carried around that much by me yet. Hopefully in a couple of years I will be tall enough to do so!

I understand now what you tried to tell me when I asked you how it felt when Chester finally arrived for you and you completed your bond, Alphonse. I think I cried for most of the night after the celebration party for Lin and myself because I was so overwhelmed with how amazing the bond felt and it was only half-complete at the time! When she finally told me her name, poor Lin had to deal with me crying on her shoulder for nearly ten minutes. I did apologise profusely for doing so but she assured me that she didn't mind. As I told you earlier in my letter, she is very sweet and I cannot wait for you and Chester to meet her!

I do apologise that this letter is so short but I wanted to tell you about Lin before my next letter. I don't think I could've waited until your reply to my previous letter had arrived to tell you about her. Please let Edward and Ayala know of my news! I hope they will also be able to meet Lin soon and I do hope that this letter finds all of you and your family in good health!

Take care, Alphonse, and I'll speak to you soon!

Mei Chang.

Once finished reading the letter, Ed handed it back to Alphonse, who accepted it rather quickly. "I'm glad to hear she finally got her Animal. I know she was almost as anxious to receive hers as you were about Chester," Ed said, unable to poke fun at his brother for those few days of almost manic excitement Alphonse had been feeling before Chester arrived. "I would have never guessed that she would've gotten a gibbon for an Animal though. I would've put money on it being some kind of feline," Ed admitted. "Make sure you tell her that I said congratulations and that I'm excited to meet Lin at some stage," he requested.

"As am I," Ayala said, still a little irked that Alphonse hadn't apologised for his noisy entrance a few minutes ago.

Al seemed to pick up on Ayala's feelings as he gave her a sheepish look. "I'm sorry for how loud I was. I was just excited for Mei," Al said, looking appropriately contrite.

Ayala sighed but said, "understandable and you are forgiven," and earned herself a happy smile from Al in return.

"I'll pass on your messages to her when I write her back. I'm glad I put off sending my response to her last letter until later today so I can send them both together," Al said, looking down at the letter still in his hands with a happy look that had Ed rolling his eyes. Honestly, the sooner Alphonse and Mei admitted their crush on the other, the better it would be for everyone around them. The looks Chester and Ayala gave him told Ed that they fully agreed with his thoughts.

"So I guess we won't see you down here for another hour?" Ed asked teasingly, earning himself a blush from his little brother.

"Where is everyone else?" Al asked as a way to change the subject so he wouldn't be subjected to his brother's or Chester's teasing.

Ed raised a brow knowingly but did drop the subject, willing to put off the teasing until later. "Hughes is at work, Elysia is at school, and Miss Gracia had to run to the shops to get a few groceries they'd run out of. She and Lilith should be back soon," Ed told him.

"I should be done with my letter by the time Miss Gracia is home so I'll post it once she and Lilith are back," Al told him.

Ed barely managed to give a nod before Al was racing back up the stairs and Ed found himself mimicking Ayala and Chester when they shook their heads at his little brother. "How well do you think it would go down if I just wrote a letter to Mei to tell her that Al has a massive crush on her and that we all know she has one on him so they should just get together already?" Ed asked, using the bonds he had with the Animals to do so, just in case Al managed to overhear him.

"Not very well at all," Ayala said before Chester could encourage Ed to go through with his plan. "Besides, I think it's cute that they obviously care so much for one another but can't admit it to themselves, let alone each other yet and you telling them would deprive me of the chance to watch this whole relationship grow naturally and I will not be happy if you did," Ayala warned him, making sure to glare at Chester as well so he knew the warning applied to him also.

Ed huffed but went back to the book he and Ayala had been reading. "Fine but if this keeps going on for years, I will be doing something about it so none of us have to deal with their pining for the rest of our lives," Ed informed her.

"If they don't admit their feelings to one another within a few years, I'll let you," Ayala conceded, getting an agreeing nod from both her human and the leopard on Ed's right side. As she went back to reading over Ed's left arm, Ayala spared a moment to hope that Alphonse and Mei did actually admit their feelings for one another before Edward and Chester took it upon themselves to get them do so. She couldn't imagine that their methods would be subtle or pretty, after all.

Notes:

Here's a cute (or probably the cutest one I can manage lol) little one shot about Mei getting her Animal! I hope you guys enjoy this one and I'd really love some feedback on this one please! See you all next week!

Chapter 7: What happened to Fu's Animal?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Despite his urge to disappear into the thick trees surrounding him and the group he was with in order to track down his lord and granddaughter, Fu remained where he was. His sharp eyes watched as Darius helped Heinkel settle against one of the dozens of trees Pride had destroyed during his fight with Ed, Al, Ling/Greed, Hohenheim, Lan Fan, and their Animals. The lion chimera winced as his injuries flared in pain with the movements but he waved his friend's concern away. Edward, Ayala, Chester, and Calix were all asleep at the far end of the clearing with Alphonse watching over them while Hohenheim stood somewhat awkwardly in between Fu and the two chimeras, obviously unsure of what to do or whether he'd be accepted by any of them. Fu wasn't sure what exactly Hohenheim's history was with his sons but it was obvious to everyone present that his relationship with his eldest son was contentious at best.

Fu's attention was grabbed by Ayala when he spotted her moving out of the corner of his eyes and he watched as she lifted her head to check on Ed one last time before she fell asleep. Though she wasn't even remotely similar in looks, colouring, or species to Arya, the sight he'd just witnessed had the ever-present ache in his heart throb just a little bit more noticeably in his heart. He was pulled out of his grief by a soft voice calling his name and he glanced over to find Hohenheim watching him. "I was wondering if you would like to join us for a late meal?" the blonde-haired living Philosopher's Stone asked, gesturing to where there was now a joyfully crackling fire burning in front of Heinkel and Darius. "That is, of course, only if you want to," Hohenheim added.

Though he wanted to say that he couldn't because he needed to find Ling and Lan Fan, Fu nodded in acceptance. Ling didn't need them both with him and Fu trusted Lan Fan and Laika to be able to keep Ling and Greed out of trouble for another few hours until Promised Day arrived. "I would be honoured to join you in sharing a meal," Fu said, bowing deeply.

Hohenheim gestured for him to join them where they were gathering and Fu did so, moving at a more sedate pace than he normally would've if the prince was present. He couldn't, however, stop himself from constantly checking the woods for any signs of danger and he kept checking for any signs of unknown chi signatures that might represent an enemy approaching. Once at the fire, Fu settled into a comfortable sitting position, crossing his legs in a way that meant he could get to his feet in a split-second if someone attacked, in between Darius and Hohenheim, though he left plenty of room between himself and the others. Darius was busy pulling out rations out of the two packs he had near him and passing them out with an almost apologetic look on his face.

"Ain't nothing fancy but it'll fill your stomach," Darius told them, placing the last of the rations back in his pack for the morning.

"I appreciate the meal and thank you for sharing some with me," Fu said, dipping his head towards Darius, who waved him off.

"Don't worry about it," the gorilla chimera told him. "It's the kid you've gotta thank. He's the one who insisted on us having a few extra rations packs just in case. If it had been up to me and Heinkel, we woulda only had enough for however long we'd go between buying them," he said with a small chuckle. "Guess he knew there'd be a time where we'd be sharing our rations with people we weren't travelling with," he added with a smirk, though his eyes had a more affectionate expression in them when he glanced over at where Edward was currently sleeping.

Fu's eyes followed Darius' and he gave an unsurprised nod. "Edward strikes me as the kind of person who would be very organised in that kind of area despite his 'go with the flow' attitude when it comes to almost everything else I've witnessed him doing," Fu said. Both Darius and Heinkel gave fervent nods of agreement that Fu took to mean they had plenty of stories that proved Fu's words to be true.

"Mr. Fu," Hohenheim said politely, capturing Fu's attention.

"Just 'Fu' is fine," the Xingese assured Hohenheim, interrupting him to do so.

Hohenheim inclined his head in acknowledgement before he continued with what he'd been going to say. "Which clan are you from, if you don't mind me asking? I spent many years in Xing a long time ago and I find myself curious. I didn't recognise Ling's name and I don't believe I've heard you or your clansmen mention your clan name yet," he queried.

Fu considered whether he should answer this or not but he couldn't see any way that doing so would put his young lord at risk from Hohenheim. "We are of the Yao clan," Fu told him. "By Xing's standards, we are not a large clan – only 500,000 strong – but we are a strong clan. Prince Ling has shown excellent promise and we believe he would be the best fit for emperor when the time comes for a new emperor to be selected," Fu told them.

Hohenheim nodded as his eyes glazed over slightly. "I do believe I spent a fair amount of time in your clan's territory while I was in Xing," he revealed, "though I believe your clan wasn't quite that big back then," he added before he chuckled slightly. "Of course, it's been so long that I might not be remembering that correctly," he added.

"May I ask when you last visited Xing? It must've been almost two decades ago at least if you have not heard of my lord," Fu said politely.

Hohenheim nodded. "It was certainly more than two decades ago," Hohenheim said. "I believe I am known as the Philosopher of the West or the Sage of the West in your country," he revealed.

Fu felt his impeccable mask slip as he gaped slightly. "You're the one who brought alkahestry to our country?" Fu asked, voice disbelieving. He knew, of course, that Edward's and Alphonse's father was not fully human but he had no idea that he was responsible for teaching alkahestry to his ancestors.

Hohenheim inclined his head. "Yes, I am," he confirmed. "I don't know how much Edward or Alphonse has told you about my history but to cut a long story short, I unintentionally played a role in the complete annihilation of my country, Xerxes, and was turned into a living Philosopher's Stone against my will. I decided to travel to your country and teach them the healing arts of alkahestry in order to start atoning for the role I played in Xerxes and her people being destroyed so thoroughly," he divulged.

"I was unaware of your past," Fu confided. "Edward and Alphonse have not shared much of their own past and I only became aware of your existence earlier tonight when I sensed you approaching the fight," he told Hohenheim, whose eyes glistened with an unsurprised sadness.

"I know this is a little off topic but I must admit that I am curious," Hohenheim said, causing Fu to nod for him to continue while Darius and Heinkel watched curiously over their rations. "Were you using your chi to do so or did your Animal sense my approach?" Hohenheim asked curiously. The brief flash of intense grief that crossed Fu's face caused Hohenheim to realise something he should've far earlier. "I apologise for my words. I was unaware that your Animal was no longer with you though I should've been as I can usually sense Animals nearby," Hohenheim immediately apologised, berating himself.

Fu nodded at him. "I appreciate your apology though there is no reason for it. You simply made a mistake," Fu said, forcing his grief down as he usually did when it flared up like this. "To answer your question, I was using my chi," Fu said, rather unnecessarily.

"I'm still sorry for the grief my words caused," Hohenheim said, "and I am sorry for any painful memories I may have brought back when I said them," he stated, his tone honest and apologetic.

"You didn't cause me any painful flashbacks," Fu assured Hohenheim. "My Arya died protecting our young lord and there is no death more honourable than that," Fu said firmly.

"If you don't mind," Heinkel said cautiously, ignoring Darius shaking his head at him, "but can I ask how long ago you lost her?" he asked.

Fu considered him for a moment but there was a deep grief in Heinkel's eyes that told Fu that they shared a loss and that was what ultimately pushed Fu into answering the question. "I lost Arya when Prince Ling was six so it's been nearly ten years without her," Fu told him, voice thick with emotions but unwavering. In fact, it would be ten years since he lost Arya the day after the prince's sixteenth birthday in a few months and Fu's heart felt heavy with the realisation.

"What kind of Animal was she?" Hohenheim asked, voice soft in response to the sorrowful atmosphere around the group. He felt Calix press against their bond in concern so he sent a reassuring warmth back to his horse, promising to explain what was going on now to him later.

"She was a crested honey buzzard," Fu told them, his eyes filled with soft warmth and grief as he remembered his Animal. "She was a beautiful creature. Such lovely, warm brown and gold feathers and a protective and loyal streak that exceeded the expectations of such for any guard or their Animal for the royal family," Fu told them, his voice proud and sad.

"I've met a few of her species," Hohenheim said, eyes smiling slightly. "They are such striking birds and so very smart as well. I haven't met one yet who I was able to get something by them. I wish I could've met your Arya," Hohenheim said and Fu gave him a small smile.

"I to wish you could've met Arya. I've no doubt that she would've defied your own expectations for her species," Fu told him confidently.

"From what you've told us of her, I wouldn't doubt that," Hohenheim said, nodding slightly at Fu.

"May I ask what happened to her?" Heinkel said after a couple of moments of silence. "Darius and I – we lost our Animals when we were experimented on and turned into chimeras. Though we were merged together, we don't have the bond with our Animals any longer so we can't consider them to be alive any longer," Heinkel revealed, sharing what had happened with his Animal to show Fu that he understood the pain the old man was in.

"I had found myself curious about your abilities and whether they had anything to do with your Animals," Fu admitted. "I am sorry for the loss the both of you have suffered. It's not a loss I would wish on my worst enemy," Fu said gravely and both chimeras inclined their heads at him in agreement. Even though they used their Animals' instincts and forms every time they shifted into their chimera side, the loss they felt at not having their Animal by their side was almost completely overwhelming and if it hadn't been for the fact that they were carefully monitored for the first few months after they were experimented on, Darius and Heinkel couldn't say for certain whether they would've survived their grief.

"I lost Arya the day after Prince Ling's sixth birthday," Fu said, having decided to share Arya's story. Her death was not something he should be ashamed about and he wanted them to see just why she was still held in such high regard by the Yao guards even ten years later. "The prince was kidnapped in the early morning hours the day after his sixth birthday by another clan who wanted to hold him hostage so they could ransom him back to us. Their ultimate goal was to rob our clan of everything they had so that we would either be unable to support Prince Ling in finding something impressive to present his father when the time came or to even survive if we didn't marry into other clans, thus eliminating the Yao clan from being able to compete for the Emperor's title," Fu revealed.

"Prince Ling's mother ordered her best and more trustworthy guards to find the young prince and bring him home unscathed," Fu continued, his eyes glazing as he started getting lost in the memories. "We tracked the young lord's scent to a clan smaller than ours but richer in both money and resources. They were holding him on their chief's land in a well-fortified and guarded wing of his home," Fu said. "We sent Arya in to check on the prince's condition and to gather information that would be vital to our rescue efforts. She did her task perfectly and we soon had all the information we needed to amount a rescue and escape unnoticed," Fu said proudly. "Or we would've if the clan's chief hadn't decided to check on Prince Ling's condition at the same time we invaded the wing, thus giving us more guards to deal with as he had his personal guards and their Animals with him," he told them.

"We fought to subdue or dispose of any guard or Animal who interfered with our efforts to save our lord but we were outnumbered two to one," Fu recounted. "I was ordered by my leader to get to Prince Ling and take him home, abandoning them in the process. While it hurt me to turn my back on my friends and clansmen, my only duty was to the young lord so I did as I was ordered. I managed to get into the room he was being held captive in and get him out without any of the rival clansmen noticing until I was on the rooftop and ready to start the frantic journey home," Fu told them. "I never sensed the arrow coming for me and the young lord but Arya did," he revealed, eyes downcast.

"Before I could do anything, she put herself between the arrow and the young prince and took the shot through her chest," Fu told them, a single tear sliding down his cheek. "She saved Prince Ling's life and gave me the time I needed to locate the person who fired that arrow and repaid them in kind. Arya hadn't been killed right away and though I wanted to do so, she urged me to not waste time and risk the young lord by trying to save her when I could be using that time to get Prince Ling to safety. She succumbed to her injury just as we crossed the border back into Yao country and there was nothing I could do to try and bring her back," Fu whispered, another tear running down his cheek. "Our chief, Prince Ling's grandfather, was told of what had happened to Arya and arranged for her to be honoured in a ceremony only performed for the most highly regarded of guards who gave their life for their lord or lady. It was a beautiful ceremony that she would've been honoured and proud to have received," Fu told them.

No one spoke for several moments as they sorted through the emotions Fu had unintentionally caused them to feel with Arya's story. Calix had been becoming increasingly alarmed by the sorrow Hohenheim was feeling but his human managed to stop him from coming over and potentially waking Ed and/or alerting Al and the Animals to Fu's distress with a promise that he was fine and would explain what he could later on. In the end, it was Darius who ended up breaking the silence amongst them. "I am so sorry for you loss. I couldn't imagine losing my Animal in that way or making the unimaginably hard choices you made," he said, tone sincere.

"Neither could I," Heinkel said, nodding in agreement to Darius' words. "To chose between my Animal and my charge? I don't know what I would've done," he said, shaking his head a little.

"Arya would have never forgiven me if Prince Ling was recaptured, hurt, or killed because I chose to heal her first rather than save our young lord," Fu told them. "Though it went against every instinct I felt to do with our bond, I knew I couldn't risk Prince Ling's safety and health while still in enemy territory. We were trained from a young age on what was expected of us as royal guards and we knew there was the chance that one or both of us would make the ultimate sacrifice for our duties and Arya was prepared to pay that price. It would've been a dishonour to her and to the Yao clan if I hadn't put Prince Ling's safety first," he said firmly.

The statement brought the two chimeras who were listening up short. Though it might've been the way they were trained in Yao territory, in Amestris it would've been more accepted for Fu to have either healed Arya straight away despite the risk to Ling or to have gotten Arya and Ling further away from their enemies before stopping to heal Arya before she could no longer be healed. For someone in Amestris to put someone else – especially someone who wasn't even related to that person – ahead of their own Animal was as unheard of as it was for an Animal to sacrifice themselves for a human they weren't bonded with. Darius and Heinkel were dragged out of their thoughts by Hohenheim speaking.

"Thank you for sharing Arya's story with us. We are honoured that you chose to share her story of bravery, loyalty, and her ultimate sacrifice with us," Hohenheim said, bowing as much as he could in his seated position.

"It was my honour to share her story with the three of you," Fu said, returning the bow. Both Darius and Heinkel were quick to offer their own paraphrased versions of what Hohenheim had said and Fu accepted their words in the same way he had Hohenheim's.

When it became apparent that no one knew what to say after such an emotional conversation, Hohenheim found himself once again asking Fu a question. "Would you mind sharing some of your stories about your home with us? I would love to hear about what's changed since my last visit," he said honestly.

Fu gently cleared his throat, not bothering to wipe the tears he'd shed for Arya away since he wasn't ashamed or embarrassed of them before he nodded. "Of course," he said with a nod. "As I'm sure you're aware, the Yao clan's territory is located…"

Notes:

Here's a bit of a sad one for you since they can't all be sweet and fluffy like the last one lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if only because it answered one of the unanswered questions I left in the main story. Please let me know what you all thought to this one. Only a couple more to go before the What if...? series connected to this AU. See you all next week!

Chapter 8: What happened to Scar's Animal?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Chester shook the snow out of his fur, giving his human the stink eye as he did so. They were still holed up in the little run-down shack Scar, Mei and Xao-Mei had found once Al had managed to catch up to them, Doctor Marcoh, Jerso, Zampano, Yoki and Nova. He didn't blame Al for the snow falling but he did blame him for not using his alchemy to fix the shack so that not so much snow would make its way into their shelter. Al's argument had been that someone might see the alchemic light and come investigate it since there weren't really any alchemists this far north and both he and Ed were likely listed as missing now that his brother and Ayala had been injured and taken from Baschool in secret by the two chimeras.

Chester's counter argument had been that the fire they'd lit in the middle of the shack – on the opposite side of the room to lessen the chances that Scar's brother's research might catch fire from a stray ember – had only been countered by Al telling him that someone wouldn't think twice about a fire being lit near the northern mountains and that they would likely be mistaken for a Briggs patrol. Chester had made his displeasure known when Marcoh and the two chimeras had agreed with Al's points. He would admit that snarling at them like he had may have been over the top but he didn't regret it when both the chimeras had acted overly wary of him. It had been his entertainment up until the point where Al ruined it by telling the chimeras Chester had no intention of actually attacking them because of that argument.

"Have you spoken to Brother or Ayala today?" Al asked, ignoring Chester's glare with practised ease and Chester huffed in annoyance as he curled up next to the suit of armour, using it as a buffer for the worst of the wind and snow.

"I spoke to Ayala," Chester told him. "Ed's been sleeping most of the day but that's mainly because he stayed up last night to speak with Darius and Heinkel to try and figure out some kind of plan for when they were allowed to leave. Darius and Heinkel's decision to work for a construction crew for cash turned out to be a good idea. A lot of the labourers there came in from rural areas for the work so they've been able to pass on gossip from surrounding properties and towns. Their families keep them up to date with everything they've heard and they tell the men at the worksite. So far, no one has tracked them or Ed and Ayala to wherever they are holed up," Chester assured his human the moment he felt the spike of worry from Alphonse.

"I wish we were there with them," Al said and Chester sighed silently at the familiar words.

It had caused a massive argument between Al and Ed when Chester passed on the message that Ed and Ayala wouldn't tell him the name of the town they were in, which both Ed and Ayala claimed was for their protection more than theirs. If they had no knowledge of the town they were in, the military couldn't get it from them on the chance they were caught. Despite this, Al had vehemently been against the idea and it had resulted in Chester refusing to pass along any more messages from or to Ed since it was plainly obvious neither the blonde nor golden wolf were going to budge in their decision. Al hadn't appreciated that and he certainly hadn't appreciated Chester siding with the other two.

"You know why we can't be," Chester told him and Al let out one of his impossible sighs.

"I know," Al said morosely. Izumi, Sig, and their Animals would be meeting them soon at a slum Scar knew of and they couldn't risk missing that meeting with them. It didn't help that they had no clue where Ed and Ayala were so they had no idea how long it would take to get to them and they'd both agreed that Al wouldn't be spending any more time than absolutely necessary in the northern snow. They couldn't risk his seal more than they were and especially now that he'd blacked out twice, even if the first instance had only lasted a moment or two. "I still wish we were though," Al muttered, pulling his knees closer to his armoured chest as he hugged them. Chester butted his head against Al's thigh, making sure he hit it hard enough to make a dull thunk so Al would know what he was doing. A moment after resting his head back on his front paws, Chester felt a large, heavy metal glove rest on his back and he purred slightly at his human's attempt to both thank him and return the comforting gesture.

After a few minutes of silence, Chester found himself jerking out of the light doze he'd fallen in. A snarl caught in the back of his throat when he realised it had been the young Xingese princess who had unintentionally woken him from his nap. Keeping his eyes closed, he allowed himself to use his superior hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation Mei had started with Scar. After all, if he'd been woken up because of it, why shouldn't he get to know what it was about?

"Mr. Scar!" Mei's young voice said curiously. A soft grunt told her that the stoic Ishvalen was listening to her and willing to indulge her questioning for the moment. "Is your Animal with Doctor Marcoh's?" she asked and Chester almost flinched with how tense the room became in such a short time. "It's just that," Mei said, her voice a little slow and much more hesitant, showing she had noticed she'd said something wrong, "Doctor Marcoh told me that Carrie was in hiding so she could stay safe and I thought your Animal must be keeping her company," she explained, her voice barely audible, even to Chester's keen ears.

"Mei, you don't question someone so bluntly about their Animal!" Marcoh chided, a touch harshly. "Leave Mr. Scar alone. He doesn't have to tell you anything," he told the young girl.

"My Animal," Scar's gruff, normally emotionless voice drowned out the apology Mei had started stuttering out and the room once again fell deathly quiet, "died during the Ishvalen Civil War." Chester knew that Al was listening but neither he nor the leopard gave any indication they were listening, too afraid that Scar would clam up if he knew they were. "The Flame and Crimson Alchemists were destroying my village like it was nothing. My people and their Animals' corpses were strewn across the streets and roads of my village, their blood flooding the ground as it poured out of them. Those who fell to the Flame Alchemist were reduced to charred husks but the Crimson Alchemist, Solf. J. Kimblee –" the name was snarled with such viciousness that Chester nearly flinched – "took immense pleasure in killing my brothers and sisters as sadistically as he possibly could."

"My Animal, Nami, was a maned wolf," Scar went on to say. "We were fighting against the non-alchemist soldiers the military had tasked with aiding the Flame and Crimson Alchemists when Nami caught my brother's scent," he told them. The only warmth in the shelter was what was provided by the flames of the fire Yoki had lit but they did nothing to chase away the chill from their bones as Scar spoke. "When we got the opportunity to do so, we abandoned the fight to find him and his Animal. I knew my brother had been researching alchemy and I knew that if he'd discovered how to wield it, he might be able to take either state alchemist by surprise and turn the tide our way," Scar said.

"We found him in his home, his research papers strewn in a mess around him and his arm tattooed," Scar continued speaking. Chester could hear his voice shaking slightly but the Ishvalen managed to clamp down on his emotions until they were barely detectable. "His Animal was a Grey Parrot called Aliyah," Scar said and Chester caught a glimpse through slitted eyes of a barely-there grin as his lips tugged upwards in fond memory before he remembered himself and the expression disappeared, "and she was usually the voice of reason for my brother but this time she was frantically searching alongside him for something they thought was important," Scar told them.

"I am ashamed to say that I didn't listen to him or what he and Aliyah were doing until they told us they'd hidden their notes somewhere safe and that I was the only one who would know where to even look," Scar said and for the first time since Chester had known the man, he'd allowed his emotions to slip into his voice. The shame he'd admitted to was obvious enough that Chester could just about feel it. "I thought what he was saying was nonsense and I was trying to get him to fight alongside our people when Aliyah screeched a warning and Nami pushed both of us to the side just in time for the Crimson Alchemist's attack to hit my brother's home rather than us," Scar recounted, his voice hardening with anger the moment he uttered Kimblee's state alchemist title.

"The four of us fought as hard as we could against Kimblee but it took him only moments to strike me down, giving me this," Scar gestured to the large 'X' shape carved into his face that gave inspiration to the name given to him by the Amestrian military, "and to tear off my arm." This time he gripped his tattooed arm tight enough that Chester believed he'd bruise it. No one had so much as twitched during Scar's tale, not even Yoki and Nova and for once Chester found himself thinking positively of the man and his goldfish. "At the same time, Aliyah was killed by Kimblee's raven when she tried to attack Kimblee to buy me, my brother and Nami a few seconds to get away from him. Instead, she bought my brother the time he needed to transplant his arm where mine had been and save my life." Scar's tone was now a mixture of anger, grief, heartache and a sorrow so deep that Chester was sure it would still be there when Scar died.

"Kimblee tried to attack us while my brother was helping me but Nami got in his way, allowing my brother the last few seconds he needed to make sure his arm was fully connected to my stump," Scar said. "He slaughtered her," Scar said, voice back to being flat and emotionless. "The only solace I have is that she didn't have the time to process she was going to die when he used the same array on her that he used to carve open my face," Scar told them. "I was weakened after Kimblee's attack and the death of my Animal only worsened my condition but that didn't stop Kimblee from trying to finish the job. My brother stood in his way but Kimblee cut him down like he was nothing," Scar snarled and Chester felt his heart break in a way he never thought it would for the Ishvalen who had almost successfully killed Ed, Ayala and himself.

"I don't know why but once he'd killed my brother, Kimblee decided not to bother making sure I died where I laid. Perhaps he thought I wasn't worth the effort or that my injuries and the death of my last remaining family would ensure I wouldn't survive much longer but I remember him looking down at me and grinning at me before he and his raven left. What I saw in that smile and his eyes was nothing less than pure evil and my only regret is that I wasn't able to get my revenge on the train carrying us north," Scar told them, his tone telling them that he was now done talking and that he wouldn't be discussing what he'd just revealed.

"I – I'm so – so sorry, Mr. Scar!" Mei sobbed, having finally allowed herself to give into the emotions she'd been holding back while Scar was talking. "Wh – what hap-pened to your Nami is – is awful and I – I'm so sorry I m-made you relive th-that horrible moment!" she cried, sobbing into her hands as she and Xao-Mei bowed their heads. Chester heard Al's armour creak softly as his human moved as though he was going to get up and comfort the Xingese princess but stopped himself last moment.

The two adult Amestrians and two chimeras were silent, as was everyone else, leaving only Mei's sobs and the crackling from the fire to fill the ramshackle cabin. Chester felt a hollow amusement fill him at the sight of Scar looking extremely uncomfortable with Mei's crying but that amusement was quick to vanish when he remembered the reason for why Mei was crying. He'd opened his eyes by now, too invested in Scar's tale to keep up the charade of him napping but neither he nor Al moved to comfort Mei or spoke to offer their condolences. They knew that their presence would likely not be tolerable to the one man who had more reason than most others to hate Amestrians and who was now likely feeling raw and vulnerable and their words of sympathy would be rejected or ignored without hesitation. The only thing they could do was to keep their distance and allow the Ishvalen time to pull himself together. They weren't friends, after all, and Chester knew that even Al wouldn't react well to someone like Scar offering their sympathy if their situations had been reversed.

"It's late," Scar murmured as he awkwardly hovered his hand over Mei's shoulder that wasn't currently occupied by Xao-Mei. "You should all get some rest. I'll take first watch," Scar said, standing before anyone could stop him or protest his orders. All they could do was watch the man disappear out the back of the shelter.

"Yoki, stoke and feed the fire. I think we'll all need the warmth tonight," Marcoh ordered softly. For once, the disgraced lieutenant-colonel didn't bother arguing and just did as he was asked. "We should listen to Scar. We need to get as much rest as we can while we're still safe," he said. "Come on, Mei. Go and wash your face off then get yourself to bed," Marcoh said softly.

"Okay, Doctor Marcoh," Mei said, her voice still wobbly and Chester knew there were still tears flowing down her cheeks as she made her way to the pot of melted snow near the fire so she could do as Marcoh had said.

Everyone else was arranging the ratty, half-frozen blankets they'd found in the shelter's second room into what Chester could only charitably call mattresses. No one had raised a fuss about their bedding as they chose spots close enough to the fire that they'd stay warm enough not to freeze. Marcoh set Mei's up for her while she was calming herself down and was rewarded with a trembling but grateful smile from the princess when she saw what he'd done for her. Jerso handed out the last of the blankets, leaving two for Scar to make use of when he decided to get some sleep but Chester knew that everyone else was well aware that the Ishvalen likely wouldn't be back until morning.

"Good night, everyone," Al said, speaking loud enough to be heard by those in the room still but not loud enough that it seemed out of place in the subdued shelter. There were goodnights murmured back by near everyone and Chester allowed himself to resume his previous position and rest his head on his front paws as he listened as one by one, everyone fell asleep. "I know we theorised that Scar's Animal was dead but to hear that story…" Al's voice in Chester's mind trailed off as the armour struggled to find the words he needed.

"It makes you realise he wasn't always a heartless serial killer," Chester finished for him and Al silently hummed in agreement. "When Mustang first explained why Scar being an Ishvalen made sense after he almost killed us the first time, I remember thinking that it was awful what he and his people had gone through at our hands but I didn't think it was a strong enough reason to justify his going after state alchemists," Chester admitted. "Part of that could have been simply because he'd gone after us and your brother was barely nine when the war ended with Ishval but I truly didn't think his actions could be explained only because state alchemists were the ones to turn the war in Amestris' favour," Chester said and he felt Al shift slightly as his human listened intently to him. "But after hearing what Kimblee did to his family – slaughtering them without second thought and enjoying the pain he'd inflicted – now I understand his motivation to bring down every state alchemist he can get his hands on," Chester confessed.

"I think the same thing too," Al admitted quietly, something Chester found slightly amusing considering they were speaking through their bond so as to not disturb those sleeping only a few feet away. "I'm still so angry with him for going after Brother when Ed had absolutely nothing to do with the Ishvalen Civil War but knowing what we know now, I can't find it in myself to blame him for his actions," Al said. "I couldn't even say with confidence that if you, Ayala and Ed were killed in the same manner by someone just as psychopathic as Kimblee that I wouldn't get my revenge in a similar way," he divulged.

Chester was silent for a few moments as he allowed everything to sink in a little more. "Should we tell Ed and Ayala what Scar just told everyone?" he asked, deciding not to touch the topic of what Al would've done in Scar's place.

"I think we should," Al said after a second or so of contemplation. "I think Brother and Ayala need to know about this, if only so they can understand Scar's motivations a little better," Al said.

"I'll tell Ed tomorrow when he's awake," Chester promised and Al gave him a mental nod. "What is it?" Chester asked when he realised Al was contemplating on whether to say something or to keep it to himself.

"I was just thinking," Al said a little slowly as he chose his words carefully, "that it's nice to know that Scar wasn't always so violent or cold," he confessed. "His brother was studying alchemy and alkahestry and I can't believe that he didn't share what he'd learned with Scar and if Scar was accepting enough of his brother's research to listen to him without judgement and to use it now, maybe he's always been open to the idea that alchemy isn't all that bad," Al said, a touch of hopefulness in his voice.

Chester caught what Al hadn't said though and he could admit to himself it was an intriguing idea. "You think that if what you said is true than maybe you could somehow convince Scar that his path of vengeance might be flawed, at least where it concerns Ed and us," Chester said and Al nodded through their bond. "It would be tricky. He's spent over half a decade burning for vengeance and he's only been encouraged by the fact that he's managed to kill so many state alchemists without anything stopping him, be it his God or us," Chester mused. "If you're too obvious, he'll see it as a manipulation tactic and he won't respond well to that. If you're too subtle, you won't get through to him at all," Chester told him. His heart warmed as he felt the familiar Elric stubbornness rise in his human.

"Then I'll have to make sure neither happens," Al said. "I could tell the others about our childhood and some of Ed's missions when the opportunity presents itself so that it doesn't seem forced or obvious. I could even bring up seeing our soldiers and the few Ishvalen refugees who braved showing themselves in Resembool coming through for medical treatment," Al said, his mind going a hundred miles an hour as he plotted out his plan with the same intensity and detail he did when trying to make Ed get a full night's sleep.

Chester chuckled to himself as he realised he'd lost Al to his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he decided to utilise his ears to take in their surroundings once more. He heard the fire crackling cheerfully and the warmth was enough to reach Chester so he didn't have to drain his energy supply in Ed to keep himself warm as much as he had been. He could hear the three humans, two chimeras and the panda breathing evenly as they slept soundly. Nova was too small and silent for even his hearing to pick up on her breathing but since Yoki was still asleep, Chester doubted anything was wrong with the goldfish. The last thing he searched for was any sign of Scar and only once he'd heard the slight shuffling as Scar moved against the wall he sat against did Chester give into sleep completely.

Notes:

This one is set just after Ed and Ayala told the Animals Ed's bonded to about his injury but before Al, Chester, and co. get to the northern slums to meet up with Izumi, Sig, and their Animals. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I only have one more drabble prewritten for next week then I'll be moving on to the what if...? scenarios I've got written up! See you next week!

Chapter 9: What Izumi and Mustang spoke about after dinner at the Hughes'

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Izumi listened as Ed walked her, Alphonse, Chester, Sig, Koda, and Suna through the finer details of what had happened the previous day between Ed, Archer, and their Animals. Izumi made sure she was listening close enough so she could interject with her opinions, praises, and criticisms of Ed's and Ayala's fight but her mind was more focused on the fact that her 15-year-old ex-student was a State Alchemist for the military and that this kind of fight was something he was regularly involved in. Perhaps the motivation for the fights weren't the same as Archers – Izumi certainly hoped not – but the fact that Edward was regularly going up against criminals and rogue alchemists on behalf of the military and getting injured this badly, if not worse, had Izumi's hatred for the military boiling under her skin.

"You know I understand your hatred for the military and that I agree with it but it wouldn't be a one of your better ideas if you decided to take your hatred out on those in this house," Koda pointed out from where she sat next to the couch Izumi was sitting on.

"I know," Izumi said, using their bond to do so as Ed continued speaking to them, "but that doesn't mean that it's not hard to resist the urge," she growled, dark eyes flicking to Mustang, who seemed to notice that there was someone glaring at him. Izumi didn't bother averting her eyes when Mustang looked at her and a small amount of satisfaction ran through her when Mustang immediately looked away nervously.

"I want to know what Ed and Al have told him about you to make him that scared of you," Koda said conversationally, watching Mustang with interest.

Izumi made an agreeable humming noise but she forced her attention back on her ex-pupil, who was now being fussed over by his younger brother. "Seriously, Al, I'm fine!" Ed told him, trying to fend of his worried brother. "Archer couldn't have fought his way out of a wet paper bag. The only reason it took me as long as it did to take him down was because I really didn't want to open up that injury on my left arm and be forced to sit through one of Doctor Overland's lectures," Ed claimed, batting at Al's hand. "Seriously, Alphonse! If I was close to death I wouldn't have done as well in our spar this afternoon as I did!" he pointed out, his voice close to a whiny growl now.

That had Alphonse pulling up short as he considered his words. "Oh, I suppose not," Al said, earning an eyeroll from Ed. "It's not like you can judge me for not believing you straight away, Brother! How many times have you claimed you were fine only to be told by Havoc or an actual doctor that you're not?" Alphonse snarkily pointed out.

"Firstly, I can judge you for anything and everything, little brother. It's one of the perks of being the older brother," Ed told him, pointing a finger at him, "and secondly, that is so not the point right now and there was no need to bring that up!" Ed hissed at him.

Alphonse gave a 'what are you gonna do about it?' shrug that had Ed glaring at him but before Ed could actually say anything, Izumi spoke. "You're an idiot for not paying attention to your surroundings. If you and Ayala hadn't been mucking around, that Archer person wouldn't have been able to ambush you like that," Izumi scolded. "I had better not hear about you falling for a similar trap like that one in the future or you'll know about it," she threatened. "That goes for both of you," she added, pinning Al with the glare she'd aimed at Ed.

"Yes, ma'am!" they both chorused, a well-earned fear in their voice and on Ed's face as they did so.

"Good," Izumi said, leaning back slightly into the couch.

Izumi could see the confusion on Ed's face and knew he'd been expecting some kind of physical reinforcement of her orders. In all honesty, she was tempted to drag him out into the Hughes' backyard and make him defend himself but his confusion mixed with the fact that it would be poor manners on her part fighting Ed in their host's backyard meant that she wasn't going to give into that temptation. She was sure she'd get the chance to beat all of the lessons she needed to into him at some stage during this visit anyways. In fact, she was certain the boys were already planning on finding somewhere open but with minimum people there just for that reason during their day out tomorrow.

Before anyone could say anything else, their attention was grabbed by the appearance of their hosts coming back into the living room after putting Elysia to sleep. Though she'd had years to work through the jealousy and unfair hatred she felt towards couples who were able to have a healthy child, it still hurt Izumi deeply when she spent time with a child as beautiful as Elysia was in every sense of the word. It always made Izumi wonder what hers and Sig's child would've been like if he had survived the pregnancy and it always made a deep self-hatred well up inside of her for her inability to carry a child to term. She knew that it wasn't her fault in any way that she was unable to support a child throughout the whole pregnancy but knowing that didn't make it any easier for her to deal with her self-loathing, feelings of failure as a woman and a wife, and the jealousy she felt towards couples like the Hughes' who could have a healthy child.

"I'm just going to clean up the dinner things," Gracia told them.

Izumi went to open her mouth to offer to help but both Ed and Al had gotten to their feet before she could. Ayala and Chester seemed to be of the same mind as their humans as they were quick to join them in heading for the dining room to assist Gracia. Hughes seemed to be intent on using this opportunity to speak to her husband and it only took a matter of moments for Izumi to figure out it was because he was interested in their butcher shop, in particular their knives. She might've been a little worried about the topic of discussion if Hughes hadn't started it out by telling Sig that he used throwing knives more than his pistol and felt more comfortable using bladed weapons to defend himself when he needed to so was always looking for the opportunity to find new ones to try out.

With Sig and the Hughes patriarch enthusiastically trading knife recommendations and stories, Izumi felt her focus fall on the only other human left in the room. Mustang was standing off to the side, likely having stood to offer his assistance to Gracia only to have the boys beat him to it but Izumi was grateful for that. It meant she wouldn't have to track him down later to have a discussion with him like she'd been planning to the moment she laid eyes on him. Stalking up to him, she noticed his lioness give him a look that clearly said 'good luck' before she laid down at his feet, pretending to doze off so he couldn't try and get out of this talk.

Mustang's betrayed look disappeared off his face the moment Izumi was standing within touching distance of him and she saw that his fear and nervousness was back. He was doing a pretty good job hiding it but she'd spent two years raising Edward and Alphonse to be better than the best at fighting, surviving off the land, fending for themselves, and using their alchemy so she knew what to look for to spot what lurked behind a mask, no matter how well practiced it was. Koda had joined her, standing just behind her and likely adding to the threatening atmosphere Izumi wanted them surrounded by. She knew that the boys would be back before too long and she fully intended to not waste a single second so she could get everything she needed to say out.

"I don't like you. I don't like the fact that you encouraged a 12-year-old boy to join the military. I don't like the fact that you essentially blackmailed him into joining the military. I don't like anything about this situation," Izumi told him, keeping her voice low so that their discussion wouldn't be overheard and so that Mustang was forced to pay attention to her words. "Having said that, there is nothing I can do to change Edward's decision or make him change his mind about honouring his contract with the military so I'm not going to waste my breath on that subject," she told him.

"What I am going to make sure you're aware of is that if I find out from Alphonse or Koda that Edward has been seriously hurt again because of a mission you or the military have sent him on, I will make sure you regret ever hearing the rumours that had you going to Resembool," Izumi snarled at him. Mustang opened his mouth but Izumi's glare had him snapping it shut. "I know that Edward's situation is as much his fault as it is yours but I have a feeling that you and the military keep forgetting that despite the fact that he is an alchemic prodigy and one of the best fighters in Amestris, he is still a 15-year-old boy," she reminded him. "He isn't going to speak up when he thinks a mission is too much for him to deal with and I know from Alphonse that there have been a few close calls in Ed's military career with missions that should've been taken on by more experienced soldiers," Izumi informed him.

"I would be the first person to tell you that Edward can handle practically everything thrown at him – he was my student, after all – but he is still only a child, no matter what he's done," Izumi snapped. "No matter what he did when he was eleven, no matter what he's done in the name of the military, no matter what he's done in his own time, he is still a child and while he shouldn't be treated like one, you should absolutely keep that in mind because there will be nowhere on this Earth that you could hide from me if one of those boys or their Animal is killed because the military or you sent them into a situation they should've never been in," Izumi told him.

Izumi's eyes and voice were filled with a promise that had Mustang not hesitating for even a split second to nod at her words. He glanced down at his lioness, who hadn't moved an inch or even opened her eyes, before his eyes flicked to the kitchen, where the sound of softly clinking cutlery and other dinner items could be heard. Finally, he met Izumi's gaze directly and said, "there is a lot with military protocols that tie my hands when it comes to what missions I can assign the State Alchemist under my command but I have been doing my damnedest to make certain Fullmetal isn't tasked a mission that I knew he couldn't handle by himself or with Alphonse and the Animals as his backup," he told her. His voice was as low as hers had been but only so Hughes couldn't overhear him and do something like tell Ed what he'd said or tease him within an inch of his life for the foreseeable future.

"There isn't a lot I regret in my life but offering Fullmetal the chance to join the military when I did is one of them. If I could go back, I would've still told him to think about joining the State Alchemy program but I would've encouraged him to wait until he was of age to do so, despite knowing what he and Alphonse had done," Mustang revealed. It was something he had never admitted to anyone other than Nala before. "I do care about Fullmetal, no matter what he or you may think because of my attitude towards him. You have my word, Mrs. Curtis, that I will make sure that I will ensure to the best of my abilities that Edward is never in a position that is more dangerous than he can safely handle," he swore to her.

Perhaps it was the fact that Mustang had used Ed's first name instead of his military title when he'd made the promise or that Nala had looked up at Izumi and gave a firm nod at Mustang's words or Mustang's honesty or something else entirely but Izumi found herself believing the colonel. "Good," she said, "because I would've hated having to get Sig and the Animals to break me out of jail for killing you," she told him.

The seriousness of her tone and expression had Mustang swallowing a little harshly. He fully believed that Izumi would kill him on Ed's behalf, whether the blonde asked her to or not, and he had a feeling that even Nala and his alchemy wouldn't be enough to save him from her if she tried. He had noticed that Izumi hadn't included Edward, Alphonse, or their Animals as part of her jailbreaking crew but he didn't bother asking why. He knew the answer. If Izumi had been in jail for any reason, Edward and Alphonse wouldn't need to be asked to get her out. They would just do it, whether Sig, Koda, or Suna were there to help them or not.

Neither of them said another word to each other as there was nothing left to say, which ended up being a good thing since Edward, Alphonse, Ayala, and Chester appeared from the kitchen only moments after Izumi's last words had been spoken. Ed was looking back into the kitchen but Gracia had obviously gestured for him to keep going since he didn't disappear back into the room to help her. Mustang didn't know what kind of expression was on Izumi's face but he found himself unable to look at Edward for long when the blonde glanced his way.

Nala huffed at him as she got back to her feet as Edward and Alphonse rejoined them all. "You're acting like Riza has just caught you hiding your paperwork for the third time that morning," she told him, her voice a touch amused.

"I will never tell Fullmetal that he's overreacting when it comes to his teacher again," Mustang informed her, keeping their conversation telepathic for obvious reasons. He could see the curious look Ed was still giving him and Izumi but he decided that he wasn't going to give his youngest subordinate the chance to ask. "I've got a couple of suggestions for when you get to Fort Briggs," he told Ed. He just knew his tone wasn't quite as authoritative as he wanted it to be but thankfully, Ed didn't call him out on it. Instead, the blonde seemed to be smirking at his wolf and Mustang found himself mildly annoyed and grateful that the wolf was distracting Ed from his curiousity, however unintentionally she was doing it. He just hoped that by the end of the night, Edward would've forgotten that he wanted to know what had happened between him and Izumi. "Something funny, Fullmetal?"

Notes:

Here is my last pre-written drabble! I'll keep the prompts on this story open so feel free to comment/message me with any prompts you want to see filled (refer to my instructions around prompts in chapter one's A/N) and I'll do my best to get them done! Though the lack of feedback on this series has been a little underwhelming, I hope those of you who have read them have enjoyed them and thank you very much for reading them and thank you to Selkierai for the lovely comments! I'll be starting my "what if...?" series next Sunday so keep an eye out for that! See you all then! Fullmetal_Bitch xx

Notes:

I'm sure those of you who've read Spirit Animals will know this was an expansion on a scene in the epilogue of the main story! Please let me know what you think to it and, as I mentioned in the summary, requests are open! I'll leave this short and sweet so I'll see you all next week!

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