For Her. For Him.

A/N: I know fuhrer is screwy in spelling. I think it's a glitch on my spell checker. I'm going to work at editing this soon, going over, looking for mistakes. As far as Roy wanting to be Fuhrer before killing the Rockbells, I figure he's an ambitious nineteen-year-old in the flashback, and even if it's just jokingly, he's going to aim for the highest possible position in the military. I just don't think he's serious about it until Isbal. As for the rest of my reviews, I'm glad you like it, and I was also pleased to see the names were well-received by at least one of you, and not ridiculed by anyone.

Chapter 17

Movement

Ed felt like a blimp as he struggled to make the walk to Mustang’s house. Eight months along, and he was ready to explode. He put his hands around his stomach, swearing that with each waddling step it grew larger.

“Well, if this isn’t a pretty picture,” A voice said from behind him. Ed looked over his shoulder to find Envy, looking as smug as ever. “So how exactly do you plan to take care of those babies all by yourself?”

Defensively, Ed latched onto his stomach. “What do you mean? I have Al and Roy.”

Envy wrapped an arm around Ed’s shoulders, pulling him up the front walkway. Pushing open the door, Ed found Lust piercing through Al’s blood seal with her long talons. “Al!” Ed screamed.

“But here’s the best part. We didn’t even have to take care of Mustang. He went ahead and did it for us. Apparently, he just couldn’t take the pain. He went and got himself drunk, found a revolver and BANG!”

“No! No, Roy!”

********

“Ed,” someone said, trying to bring the teen back to reality. He could feel himself being pulled into strong arms, and he wasn’t resisting. “Ed, I’m right here.”

Ed opened his eyes, finding the bedside lamp had been turned on, and he was currently being cradled next to his commander’s chest. “Mustang?”

“Who was it this time?” A rehearsed question from the last few weeks of nightmares.

“You,” Ed answered.

“I know, me, but I mean who killed me?”

“You. You shot yourself.”

“And Al too?”

“Lust got him.” Ed rested his head against Roy’s shoulder, hoping for some reassurance. “You wouldn’t...I mean, you couldn’t actually...”

Roy pressed a cheek to the top of the blond head. “And risk you trying to transmute me back? I don’t think so.” Ed could feel the tears on his face that he must have shed during the nightmare drying, leaving his cheeks feeling very cold and a little stiff. “How many times do we have to go through this, Ed? I’m not leaving you alone. Understand?” Roy’s arms snaked around to Ed’s stomach, his fingers splaying over the rounded belly.

“But what if, I mean, dreams can sometimes predict.”

“Ed, who killed me last night?”

“Scar.”

“And before that?”

“Al. Before that, it was a car crash. And there was one where the cat and Black Hayate did it.”
Roy rubbed his hands around on Ed’s stomach. “You’ve got to start reading more of those pregnancy books, Ed. Then you’d know that these nightmares happen all the time. Knowing won’t make them go away, but at least you won’t have to wake up terrified they’re going to come true.”

Ed sighed. For thirteen nights straight, he had been having these dreams, several each night. Either they were the best damn dreams he’d ever had, or they were terrifying ones of being left completely alone. And for thirteen nights, Roy had dutifully come into Ed’s bedroom, wrapped his arms around the teen, and held him until the fear had subsided. Ed hated the dreams, and he would have given anything to get rid of them, but it was a small consolation that after each terrifying nightmare, Roy would cradle and comfort him.

Ed was not a clingy person by nature, but with Al gone exploring leads to the philosopher’s stone with Major Armstrong, the fear of being left alone nearly consumed the blond, taking over his dreams and making him want nothing more than to lock himself in the house with Mustang and not let the older man leave.

He tilted his head up, feeling as Roy moved his own from Ed’s hair. He looked up into those dark eyes, wondering how the older alchemist could even stand being around him. He knew that half of the time he was snapping at one insignificant thing or another, and the rest of the time, he only wanted to be beside the man who held him now.

“Oh my God,” Roy said, holding his hands still on Ed’s stomach and looking down at the teen’s upturned face. “I felt them.”

“I’ve been feeling them for going on three weeks.” Ed placed a hand on top of Roy’s. Guiding Roy with his automail limb, Ed shifted his hand downward. “Nicholas never stops moving. I think the boy is going to be an acrobat. Aideen only moves if she’s been kicked by Nicholas.” It had taken a month to reach this comfort level, but Ed no longer felt the awkwardness from the raven-haired man when it came to contact, and the teen was grateful. “Here, feel.” He held Roy’s hand under the rounded bump. “Can you feel him doing somersaults?”

“I think so.”

“Now, give him a minute.” Ed could feel as the little boy inside shifted and hit against his sister. In return, there was a swift kick. “I know you felt that. She’s probably what you felt a minute ago. She doesn’t move much, but when she does, you know it. The last time she kicked that way, it was a straight shot to my kidney, or at least it felt like it.”

Ed felt Roy reluctantly pulling away. “You’re going to need your sleep,” he said as he shifted from behind the blond. “And I have work.” Roy leaned down to Ed’s stomach. “And you two need to stop boxing so that your daddy can get some sleep.”

Ed could feel a lump in his throat. “What did you call me?”

“You want to be their mommy?”

“No,” Ed answered quickly. “It’s just, what are you going to be?”

“I figured something like Papa or Father. I don’t know. I don’t think I’m quite cut out for Daddy.” Roy’s hand lingered on Ed’s stomach. “I can’t believe I felt them.”

“You can, if you want, you can stay. It’s a big bed, and they kick all night long, so you’d probably feel them again, and you can set the alarm clock by the bed. I promise not to whine too much when it goes off.” Ed rubbed his hands and looked away from the older man, realizing he was outwardly showing just how nervous his own voice must have sounded.

From the bed, Ed watched, somewhat wide-eyed, as Roy’s eyes shifted over the double bed, and he bit his bottom lip. “If you really don’t mind, I would like that.”

********

Roy swore he would wear an idiotic grin all day at work. He’d felt his babies move. He’d actually felt them shifting in Ed’s stomach, and they had distinctive personalities. They knew Aideen was on the left, and Ed was right, her movements were few, but they were the easiest for Roy to actually feel. Nicholas, on the other hand, seemed to be constantly rolling. Last night had been quite literally the most amazing night of his life.

It hadn’t even been embarrassing this morning when he woke up, one hand on Ed’s stomach, with the teen’s flesh hand resting over top, the other of Roy’s arms under the blond head and finding an automail leg twisted around his own.

He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but it had felt almost right this morning. Then again considering that for once, Ed wasn’t trying to injure Roy, that was little surprise it had felt good to wake up to a pleasant Fullmetal. Ed was clingy as hell at night, but was usually moody by morning and completely miserable by the time Roy got home from work.

After last night, he wanted to do something for the teen, but didn’t exactly know what. He decided to rely on the woman who had become his sole source of information over the last month.

“Gracia?”

“Hello, Roy. I just got back from visiting with Ed. He was very excited you had gotten to feel them last night. It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it?”

“Unbelievable,” was all Roy could answer. “Gracia, I was calling because I wondered if you had any ideas of something I could do for Ed. He’s been sulking around the house lately, and it’s getting depressing.”

“He’s bored, Roy. This is a young man who never stops moving, who has traveled since he was twelve. Now, he’s cooped up in a house with a dog and a cat to keep him company. You need to find a way for him to go out and enjoy himself.”

Roy said goodbye then sat and thought for several minutes on exactly how he was to be expected to take a pregnant Fullmetal out of the house. When the answer finally came to him, he suddenly grew quite certain that the solution would result in his own death.

Still, he knew it was the only way, and he hoped that Ed’s recent desire not to be abandoned would keep Roy from meeting a nightmarish fate.

********

Back at home, Ed was going over some of Roy’s books. He was impressed that the man’s research, and that Roy was obviously unsatisfied using existing transmutations, managing to draw his own arrays, some that were good, others that were crap. He had even discovered that the incendiary cloth that Roy used to make his gloves was actually his own creation, apparently a fact that was not widely known or else Roy would have spent most of his career making more of the fabric for purposes of weaponry. Much of Roy’s work had centered around fire and traditional alchemy, but there were enough aimed at Roy’s favorite recreational activities that Ed was gradually filling up the corner with what he called the “sex pile.”

There were a few incomplete arrays that Ed thought, with a little tweaking, he might have been able to do something with, and though part of him thought he should ask permission before messing around with the Flame Alchemist’s work, he decided that since he was stuck at home with two feuding babies in his gut, it would be just fine.

It was only 3:30, when Ed heard the main door open and watched as Black Hayate went bounding to greet his master. “Roy, you’re home early.”

“I won’t be able to stay,” Roy answered as he entered the room. “I’m going to ask you something, just please don’t shoot me.”

Blond brows knit together. “What?” Roy said nothing, only handed him a large purple bag. Ed looked inside, finding two strange flesh-colored pieces of fabric. He held it up and read the label, which said these would hide automail. Beneath those was a box of brown hair dye, a pair of wire-rimmed glasses, and what appeared to be maternity clothes. “Hell no.” Amber eyes began shooting daggers at the man standing above him.

“I’m sorry Ed, but I know you’re bored, and this was the only way I could think of. With the clothes and your current figure, the hair dye, glasses and automail covers, no one would ever think it was you. You could go out into public without any worry.”

“And you expect me to just stroll down the street in this stuff?”

“Well, no, I was actually thinking I’d be with you. Dinner and a movie? I know you haven’t really gotten to do that since the pregnancy.”

“And I’ll be pretending to be what? Your cousin from the east? What?”

“I was just going to keep it simple. We wouldn’t need any elaborate stories if people just thought you were,” Roy cleared his throat. “my date.”

Ed sat slack-jawed for a moment, part of him wanting to smack the taller man, and another part wanting to hug him.

As though trying to change the subject, Roy looked down at the mess Ed had created on the floor. “What were you doing?”

“Going through your arrays. I’ve sorted them out into type. That pile,” Ed said pointing to the one in the corner, “I’m not going through. You’re a sick man, and I can’t believe I’m going out on a date with a pervert.” Ed placed his hand over his mouth. He'd just agreed to go out with the colonel.