Worlds Collide

A/N: I looked over the name suggestions, finding a lot wanted the little girl, yes it's a girl, named in honor of Trisha Elric. So, I made a compromise. The little girl has a name to honor both mothers, Winry's and Al's, without being exactly the same. Personally, I could see Al naming a kid this, but I NEVER would. Also, the middle name came, sort of, from a suggestion on LiveJournal.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and put your name suggestions out there. I used another one in this chapter and will probably borrow a third for Gracia and Havoc's son. Oh, and I'm giving Ed and Roy middle names here. I'm almost certain I got Ed's wrong and couldn't find one for Roy, but this was for fun.

Chapter 10

New Developments

Amestris

Seven Months later

Ed and Roy carried their children out of the Rockbell’s house, as Raine walked by them, grumbling to herself, having made the long car ride from where she’d been working at a nearby clinic. Al and Winry had arranged with her to deliver the baby at Winry’s family home, and in the meantime, Raine had worked with some local doctors dealing with local health issues and alternative methods of treating them, meaning that essentially, Raine had been bored out of her mind.

“Had to have the damned baby here in the boonies. Couldn’t have had it in a state-of-the-art hospital in Central. No, Gearhead had to have her baby here at her Grandma’s house.”

“Auntie?” Nicholas asked, looking up at Raine. “Are you mad at Aunt Winry?”

“No, Squirt,” Raine said, patting the tiny blond head, “just anxious for your little cousin to get here.”

“Me too,” the little boy said.

“So’s Al,” Ed said. “Every time Winry lets out a yell, he does too. And the things she’s calling him, well, I think he’ll be a shade of bright red for a week.” Raine laughed a bit as she went into the house.

“Why is Aunt Winry yelling so much at Uncle Al?” Aideen asked as she squirmed slowly out of Ed’s arms, her daddy trying not to wince as she accidentally pulled on some of his unbound hair as he lowered her to the ground.

“Because Aunt Winry’s really nervous about having a new baby to take care of,” Roy said, letting Nicholas down to the grassy ground as well.

For a while, the twins managed to entertain themselves, running around, playing a game they seemed to be making up on the spot. Still close enough to the house, the married couple could hear Winry from inside, in the room where her mother had delivered her, calling Al names that made even Ed blush.

“She has a mouth on her,” Roy said, turning his head to hear.

“I don’t know what I’m so shocked to hear, Winry saying some of those words, or the combinations she’s using them in.” There was another loud string of curses. “Damn. I didn’t know it was possible to put that many livestock and curse words into one sentence.”

Roy nodded, Ed feeling the slight pressure as the older man held his automail hand. “The one about the goats was different.”

“I just hope someone has hidden all of her heavy tools. In the middle of delivery or not, I think she’d crack Al over the head with one if she could get her hands on it.”

Ed readjusted their hands so that their arms were wrapped around one another slightly, putting Roy’s at Ed’s side, where the younger man could actually feel him.

“Do you ever think about having more?” Roy asked, as they stood, watching the twins doing somersaults in the grass, each determined to one-up the other.

“You carrying them?” Ed asked, putting his cheek to Roy’s shoulder.

“I mean adopting, Ed.”

“I don’t know. I know we have a lot and could give a kid a pretty good life, but… well… there are a lot of risks being our children.” Ed fought back a brief shudder as a memory from less than a year ago resurfaced. “And besides, Winry’s had a rough time of this pregnancy. Al’s already said they want a big family, but they don’t want to risk her health. I think if anyone does any adopting, it’s probably going to be them.”

Their discussion was interrupted as Aideen stood, coat off and apparently shoved under her shirt. “Look, I’m Aunt Winry.”

Not to be outdone, Nicholas quickly did the same. “I’m Daddy.”

Ed groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit he’d gradually picked up from Roy, who was currently at his side, chuckling. With a quiet hiss, Ed looked up at the dark-haired man. “Shut up, Fuhrer Bastard.”

Roy only laughed a bit harder, then kissed Ed on the top of his head.

********

Munich

Over six months and Wrath was beginning to feel like he was going to explode. He knew Edward wanted to take things at a slow pace. He just hadn’t anticipated it would be this achingly slow. He was a teenager, and his hormones were wildly screaming at him to go beyond these little moments of kissing and nibbling. But Edward was still trying to accept everything that was going on between them, giving Wrath time to gather his own thoughts, ones that usually left him a little disturbed.

There had been the realization that he had felt a brotherly bond with Ed in his world (Maybe even that of a parent and child had Ed not been so close to Wrath’s own age.) And it had made him wonder why, then, did he feel so differently about Edward. There were all kinds of sick, twisted questions he had asked himself, including one that made him wonder if he really did feel differently about Edward. Maybe he would have been drawn to Ed the same way, or maybe there was something really wrong with him and he still felt like a brother to the man he kissed and touched each night.

But, no, Wrath realized some time ago that at the point he’d seen the differences in the two blonds, he’d stopped feeling like Edward’s little brother and more like a friend. He actually liked the differences between them, Edward’s taller, yet leaner frame; much more innocent eyes; calm demeanor; and easy laughter.

Then a few days ago, after Edward had given the Roy of this world another update on the rocketry, he’d made a confession that nearly crushed Wrath: Edward did feel a pull towards this man, an attraction that seemed to go beyond the fourteen year age difference and the man’s unmatched arrogance. Why wouldn’t he? After all, the two had been together in Wrath’s world. And the teenager had kicked himself for thinking that he could somehow circumscribe all of that by being the one with Edward. Thinking it would be a consolation to the teen, Edward told him that he had no intention of being the source of an adulterous affair. Wrath really didn’t want that to be the only reason and had yelled at Edward for the first time that night.

Because of that, he was making his teenaged hormones even more upset with him, barely talking to, let alone kissing the shorter blond. He hated being around Edward, day in and day out, seeing him every waking minute and feeling so mad at him, even a little hurt.

He left his room to join Edward and Stephen at the dinner table, the older man looking between the two of them for a moment, then saying nothing.

“So,” Wrath said, addressing Stephen, “what new plans does that crazy woman have now?”

“I don’t think she’s so crazy. Somehow, she’s managed to figure a way to break the block on the gate.”

“And that is?” Wrath said, setting his fork down on the table, looking at the older man in concern.

“She realized that our chimera wasn’t strong enough to keep the gate open for a long period of time, but something with real power, perhaps the genuine article, might be able to sustain the gate long enough that it naturally broke the blocks.”

Wrath said nothing at first. It had come as a bit of a shock when Stephen had come home telling them all that Eckhart had realized something had blocked the gate, though she assumed it had only been done on this side. Finally, he spoke up. “The real thing?”

“That thing you call Envy, I believe. She has people out trying to capture him as we speak.”

“Well, I know Envy, and he won’t make it easy for them to catch him.” Wrath returned to eating his meal, though he played with it more than anything.

“Do they realize that Envy’s chasing someone?” Edward asked.

“They suspect, but don’t know what. I’ll get the information to Hohenheim. Don’t worry.” Edward nodded.
They continued to eat their meal in near quiet, Stephen finally slamming down his silverware. “I don’t know what the hell you two have decided to argue about, but this bloody lover’s spat has to stop!”

Nervously, the two younger roommates looked at him.

“L-lovers?” Edward asked.

“Yes. I figured it out months ago and remarkably managed to keep quiet, though the two of your could be a little more quiet whenever you’re doing… whatever it is you do in that room of yours together.” Stephen nervously pulled at the sleeves of his white shirt, apparently feeling that statement had gone into incredibly awkward territory.

Wrath felt his face and neck grow hot, the inescapable blush coming to his cheeks and certainly covering his entire body. “The walls are paper thin. You’re just lucky we live above a store that’s closed at night.”

“We haven’t… I mean, we’ve never…” Wrath couldn’t even stutter out an argument.

“I don’t want to know the sordid details,” Stephen said, standing from the table, looking down on them like a disgruntled father. Though it seemed to have little effect on Edward, Wrath, knowing this man was over twenty years his senior, began to slink down in his seat. “I just want this,” Stephen waved his hand between the two of them. “to stop making my life miserable. So either make up or break up because I’m not spending another dinner with the two of you in silence. It was worse than noticing the sideways glances and shy little smiles.”

“But…”

Stephen waved his unsaid question away with his hand. “I have seen far too much to give a damn what the two of you do in your bedroom, and I never really felt that God was that much of a peeping tom either.” Then he muttered to himself. “Whenever I feel there might be one.”

Wrath rose and went to the bedroom, looking back at Edward in a silent request he join him. Edward rose from the table.

“Three knocks on the wall means you’re being too loud,” Stephen said from his place at the sink.

Looking back at Edward, Wrath couldn’t help but notice beneath the fringe of blond hair, his face was entirely red.

********

Amestris

Ed watched as Roy tossed Nicholas into the air and caught him, the boy laughing and squealing at the thrill. He felt a gentle tugging on his pinkie and looked down to see Aideen.

“Daddy, can you throw me like Papa and Nicholas?”

Ed shook his head. “I could hurt you with my right hand if I did.” He’d tried once before, and accidentally bruised the girl when she’d been smaller than this. Aideen looked up at him, making her usually almond eyes nearly as wide as Nicholas’s, her bottom lip poking out just a bit further than the top. “No, sweetie. I don’t want to hurt you.” Ed ruffled her hair a bit, something he knew she disliked about as much as he did. “Go as your papa.”

“But… it’s so high when he does it.”

Ed raised an eyebrow. His daughter had just called him short. Looking up and beyond the black-haired girl, he saw Roy tight-lipped, still holding Nicholas partly over his head, ready for another throw. Ed glared at him, his eyes daring the older man to say a word, just one word.

“Ed!” he heard a woman call. Looking over to the nearby road, he saw a mother and son, Rose and Phillip. She was smiling, waving, looking happier than Ed could remember. It had been almost a year since the last time he’d seen the woman, who’d moved to Risembool some time after Lior had been rebuilt. The people there who had once treated her so kindly, were less than that since the destruction of the desert town, blaming her for her involvement in the whole ordeal with Scar.

Roy put Nicholas on the ground so that he and his sister could run and pounce the raven-haired little boy at Rose’s side as she ran to Ed to greet him with a hug.

“It’s so good to see you,” she said, warmth in her voice that had nearly been taken away by the bastard soldiers who’d attacked her.

“Same here.”

Roy came closer, extending a hand, which Rose shook. Had it not been for the events that led to her little boy, Ed thought, the older man might have received a friendlier greeting by now, but as the archetypical symbol of the military, it was little wonder that the woman was still a bit wary around him.

“Is Winry inside?” she asked. “I got a phone call from Pinako saying the baby was on its way.”

“Yes,” Roy said, taking a seat on the grass, still watching the children play, “little… what are they naming her again, Ed?”

“Sasha, Roy. Is your memory really that bad, old man?”

“Sasha Edwena.” Roy shook his head. “Poor girl.”

“I thought it was nice they combined Sara and Trisha,” Rose said.

“And what’s wrong with them wanting to name her after me?” Ed said, kicking Roy in the thigh with his boot.

“But Edwena… I guess it’s better than Eduarda or Edna. They looked at both of those, too.”

Ed mussed up Roy’s hair just a bit. “You’re right.” He bent down and kissed Roy’s forehead, grateful that at least here, the man didn’t feel the need for the damned patch. “Irving is so much better.”

Roy glowered at Ed, pulling him down to sit on his lap. “Get down here, Warren.”

“Irving,” Ed repeated as Roy continued to glare. From above, Rose just shook her head, keeping a hawk-like watch over her son. Almost sing-songing it, Ed continued to repeat Roy’s hated middle name, until finally the older man silenced him with a very forceful kiss.

“And you two have been married how long now?” Rose asked.

From his position, Ed looked up at her, head leaned back so far she appeared upside down. “Four years.”

“And you still act like newlyweds?”

“We didn’t exactly get to do the whole dating thing,” Ed said. “So we haven’t gotten tired of one another yet.”
Then, there was the sound of Nicholas’s whining.

“Oh,” Rose said, making her way down the hill, “he broke a toy.”

The three parents made their way down to the children, Ed fully prepared to fix the toy with alchemy when he heard Aideen.

“Stop crying, Nicholas.”

“I’m not crying,” he said as he watched, along with the other adults, in stunned silence as Aideen clapped her hands and slapped them to the ground, creating a tiny alchemic reaction that put the toy soldier back intact.

“Aideen,” Ed said, “where did you learn to do that?”

“I watched you do it, Daddy. I put it back together like Nicholas wanted.”

The two fathers exchanged questioning looks.

********

Munich

Edward stood in front of the door of his bedroom, looking over at Wrath, who had taken to pulling his hair back into a short ponytail. “I chose my words very poorly,” Edward said, turning his head down toward the floor. “I am sorry.”

Nervously, the smaller man extended a hand to the teen, rubbing over the sinewy arm beneath the blue shirt. He loved Wrath’s build, that lean, muscular frame, yet with a height that was quickly overtaking Edward’s own petite build. Wrath said he’d inherited the height from his father, but the build from his mother. Personally, Edward wanted to thank them both, because as the teenager aged, and the eyes looked less wide, and the features became more that of an adult, there were times when it would take the blond’s breath away, just momentarily.

Really, Edward didn’t understand why exactly he’d said what he did. Of course, he felt a pull toward Roy Mustang. The man was handsome and Wrath himself had been telling Edward stories that in another world, he was engaged to Roy. But that Roy was not married to a woman named Riza. That Roy was not raised in a world where homosexuality was reason for murder. That Roy was not here.

And Wrath was not there.

Edward took the risk that at least at the moment, Wrath was not so furious with him that he wouldn’t be allowed to touch the dark-haired teen. He wrapped his arms around Wrath, though was disappointed that the embrace was not returned. Dipping his head down to put it on Wrath’s shoulder, partially wishing it hadn’t been such a small move and missing the days when he looked the teen in the eyes, he said quietly, “I never finished my thoughts that day.”

“What do you mean?”

“I never told you that even though there was a lot standing between Roy and myself as a couple here, you were the biggest reason. That maybe the reason Ed and Roy in your world are together is because you aren’t there.”

Then, Edward felt two hands, large and strong, grasping at his back. He tilted his head up, finding Wrath looking at him intently, eyes searching his face for something, maybe to see if he was, in fact, telling the truth. Seeming satisfied with what he saw, Wrath squeezed Edward’s thin body tightly, then moving to capture thin lips, but breaking the kiss quickly after it had started.

“You really mean that,” he said, more a statement than a question. Edward could only nod, feeling Wrath once again kiss him, tongue seeking entry, their feet moving toward the bed. This was routine, at least the act, but they’d never gone any further than kissing one another, removing their shirts. Part of that was due to Edward’s own lack of knowledge on how to continue, not to mention Wrath’s age. He felt like he was taking advantage of the teen, despite the fact that once again, he found himself to be the first one landing on the bed. But despite routine, tonight felt different.

The blond felt it was up to him to make up to Wrath for their argument, slowly flipping positions, having to guide more so than force his considerably stronger lover beneath him. He straddled Wrath, placing light kisses over pale forehead, ruddy cheeks, down to the beginnings of stubble at the jaw line. And while the younger man seemed to be enjoying himself, Edward couldn’t help but be amused by the astonished look in those deep violet eyes. He began unbuttoning that blue shirt beneath him, slipping his hands inside, running them over the pale chest, feeling those two calloused hands working at his own.

Edward moved down, straddling over hips now. He moved Wrath’s hands aside from their work on his white dress shirt and leaned down to kiss down Wrath’s neck and chest.

To gain better balance, he lowered himself to sit at Wrath’s hips, nearly squeaking as he felt a slight hardness beneath him. Wrath looked away, slightly embarrassed, and though it surprised the older man, he had to admit it was nice to know that he incited the same reactions in the teen as he felt for the brunette. Those very same reactions were gradually making themselves known as he felt himself hardening, yet Edward ignored his own needs for the moment, moving further down Wrath’s legs and watching the still-maturing face for signs that he should stop. Seeing none, Edward unfastened Wrath’s pants and slowly slid his hand inside, that black head throwing itself back at the mere contact as Edward felt the nest of curls and fully hard member beneath.

He used his other hand to pull the pants down, with Wrath’s more than eager help, to expose the teen in the open, finding himself stopping his movements entirely to stare at the sight before him. The teen looked absolutely lost in lust, chest heaving, shirt open, revealing the muscular body beneath, the black curls that nestled around a rather impressive length, particularly for one that had yet to finish growing. It was red and at full attention, the hips beneath it bucking, reminding Edward to move the hand that encircled it.

“Tell me if I’m doing anything wrong,” he said. “I’ve only done this to myself.”

“Just move,” Wrath said, one hand gripping the blankets on the bed, the other grasping Edward’s wrist and forcing him to slide his hand over the shaft. Obediently, the older blond moved, changing his grip, moving in ways he knew he enjoyed, feeling the strong hips moving upward, fighting gravity in need for more contact, for faster speed. Edward’s hand was growing slick with each movement, and he could feel, as he moved his thumb over the sensitive tip, Wrath’s muscles begin to tense, a moan low in that throat. Edward didn’t do this to himself often, but he knew well enough to know his lover was close.

Finally, one final movement of Edward’s thumb over the tip, and Wrath was shooting, yelling out Edward’s name.
It was quickly followed by three rapid knocks on the wall, making both men in the bedroom turn into fiery red beacons of embarrassment.

********

When Stephen had suggested they make up, he had never considered they would really require him to bang on the wall to get them to be quiet.

Unfortunately for him, it left Stephen with a not so little problem of his own. One that he was capable of ignoring, but was painful enough he simply wanted to be done with it. And the man had gone far too long with nothing in the way of sex for his body to be denied now.

Quickly putting away the dishes, he went to his bedroom, hoping just to face them in the morning, when they would be the only ones embarrassed.

********

Amestris

Marveling at their daughter, Ed and Roy tried to explain to the children what had just occurred, realizing that the first lesson in alchemy was coming a little sooner than they’d expected to have to give it. In surprise, Rose listened as the two men explained the workings of alchemy to the children, not seeming to care that her own son was getting the lesson as well.

Roy looked over at the prodigy he’d married, looking at the metal arm and leg that had come from too much information too soon. But what could they do? Ed had managed to perform his first transmutations at the age of six, but that was because he’d been reading books on the subject for two years. Their children seemed naturally inclined to it, obviously, since Aideen had been able to not only create a transmutation but to do it without a circle.

There were any number of reasons why she could, why her brother probably could as well. After all, they had been to the Gate, helped Ed communicate with it, and were the children of two alchemists and the daughter of one. Hell, they’d ended up surviving their mother’s death because of an alchemic transmutation. Perhaps Roy and Ed had been naïve to expect the twins to have a bit longer before alchemy became a part of their lives.

“Hey, you two, if you want to see your niece, she’s finally made her appearance!” Pinako called from the front porch. Roy grabbed Nicholas, Ed throwing Aideen onto his hip, with Rose close behind with Phillip. Ed was first to the porch, running quickly up the porch steps, into the house, while Roy was yelled at by his son to move faster, that Daddy was beating them. Entering the house, Rose remained downstairs, while Roy took Nicholas up the same path Ed had taken to the second floor.

He found Al in a cot of his sister’s design, out cold.

“He passed out about halfway through,” Raine said, moving with smelling salts in her hand to rouse the new father.

Roy looked up at Winry, who looked nearly as exhausted as Ed had after the twins, blond hair plastered to her forehead, a pink bundle in her arms. The little baby had next to no hair on her head, save for a faint dusting of brownish-blond fuzz. Her eyes were mere slits of what looked might be green one day, tiny fists near her cheeks.

“This is your little cousin.”

“But, she’s too little to play with,” Nicholas said.

“She’s just a baby,” Roy explained to their boy. “Just like you used to be.”

Ed looked down at Winry. “How are you, aside from feeling like you’ve just squeezed a watermelon out of yourself?”

“Happy,” she said, grabbing at Ed’s automail hand.

There was a faint groaning from the back of the room as Al sat up. He had a strangely goofy smile on his face as he stood, making his way to Winry and the baby, staggering a bit.

“Not so fast, there Tenderheart,” Raine said, grabbing his arm, guiding him to his wife’s side.

“That’s my little girl?”

“No, she's on loan,” Winry said with a tired roll of her eyes. “Of course it’s yours.”

Ed could see Al tear up, running a hand over each of the tiny girl’s features.

“Were we that small, Daddy?” Aideen asked at Ed’s hip, the blond nodding in response as she rested her head at his shoulder.

“We should leave the new parents alone for a while,” Roy said. He reached across the bed, patting Al on his back as Ed leaned down to kiss Winry on her forehead. The blond moved around to Al, giving him as firm a hug as he could with the one arm available.

“Congratulations, little brother.”