Housework

A/N Quickly here, Ed of course refers to himself as male, but Roy still thinks he's a girl, so female prepositions are used when Roy is thinking/observing, etc. Al refers to Ed as female to keep Roy thinking this way. Hopefully that'll clear everything up. Also, I think I've finally got the hang of this system, and my paragraphs are separating. Kinda. I'm so glad people are reading and enjoying it! Thank you so very much. I'm working on the next few chapters, hopefully by the end of the week, but no promises, so don't shoot me if I don't put out.

Hours later

“Brother” a whisper in Ed's ear woke him. “Get up. You remember those papers? We should fill them out. He said he had to drop some other things off, if we mix them in, maybe he won't notice. Then, he'll have to take care of us.”

“Hmm. What? If we do that, then we have to stay with him. We have to start searching again, we've been stopped for three years already, wasted all that time. We have to get going, we can't stay.” Ed murmured, still partially asleep, he was just so tired. He just wanted to sleep a bit and heal up, then they could get back on the road and reach their goal.

“Please Brother? Just for awhile? I don't mind, I really don't, and he seems so nice. He fed you and let you have a bath, and didn't even get mad when we told him about me. He'll take care of us. I want you to be safe for a bit. I want someone to care about us again.” Al's tiny voice pleaded, ripping at Ed. The blond head bowed.

“Al... I want to get your body back, I don't care what happens to me.”

“I do! Do you think I want to be normal at the cost of you? I don't, I want you to be there with me, safe and whole. You're my only family, I need you. I think it would be ok to stay here for awhile, be safe and get healthy again. Please! For me.”

“Al” Ed could hear the begging and the underlying wish of his brother for a home again. “Alright, I'll fill them out. But, as soon as I'm ready, we're off, ok? Maybe we'll use this place as a base to work from and come back sometimes. Does that sound good?” He sighed to himself, he could never deny his little brother anything.

“Oh, yes! That sounds wonderful. Thank you Brother!” Al's glee was almost palpable, warming Ed. He got up and walked softly to the door, unlocked it quietly, and poked his head out. “He's already gone to bed, I heard him.” came the helpful voice. Ed rolled his eyes and snuck down the hall and rummaged through the papers on the counter until he found the blank ones. He grabbed a pen and returned to his room.

The two boys filled out all the information; birthdays, names, parents, location of said parents. The guardian information was already filled out, for a “Roy Mustang.” 'That must be his name. Sounds kinda familiar.' thought Ed idly. They scanned the sheets once more, then Ed returned them to the middle of the stack. There. Alphonse and Edward Elric, 14 and 15 were now the wards of Roy Mustang.

In the morning, Ed woke to hear frustrated cries from the bathroom down the hall. “Argh, why won't it come out? Damn Maes anyways, had to get semi-permanent stuff didn't he?” The shower ran more, drowning out the cursing. Ed got up and put on the dress he had removed the night before. He tied his hair back quickly, using his fingers to comb it a bit. Maybe if he made breakfast and kept Mustang happy, he'd leave him alone. With that thought, he picked up Al and they wandered to the kitchen. Al, after years of cooking for his brother, knew all kinds of recipes and gave simple, detailed instructions to his older brother. Soon, an edible, if not pretty, breakfast was on the table, eggs, ham, apple pieces, and orange juice. The gross milk in the ice-box had been poured down the drain and rinsed thoroughly; it would not be tolerated in any kitchen where Ed had to work!

While Ed was finishing the last of the eggs, Roy walked, stopping at he sight in front of him. 'She's adorable.' he thought, 'Damn, don't think like that. She's way too young and traumatized.' He was dressed for work, military issue uniform, his hair mostly black, a few reddish streaks remaining. Al's attention turned from the stove where he was supervising and he let out a gasp. Ed whirled around, holding the pan. He stared, tried to speak, and stared some more. Finally, a harsh scream, low and pain filled echoed in the room. He dropped the pan, spilling egg all over the floor, grabbed Al, and retreated as far into the corner as he could, staring in horror at Roy.

Roy moved forward, “What? What's wrong?” as Ed scrambled further back, whimpering and pressing frantically against the cupboard. The older man stopped, seeing he was making it worse. “Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. Tell me what's wrong.”

“You're with the military!” Al accused. Roy could almost see the finger pointing. “You weren't dressed like that yesterday, and your hair is different.”

“Yes, I'm Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist. And, no, I wasn't dressed like this yesterday, my partner, Major Maes Hughes, and I were on a mission and couldn't be recognized. What's wrong with being in the military? It's a good, solid, respectable career.” Roy was genuinely confused, (a rare thing for him) most people may not actually like the military, but it was normally considered a decent living. It certainly didn't warrant this type of reaction just for being an officer.

“Hah! If it's so respectable, why did the military sell us in the first place?” Ed had stopped trying to force himself through the wall and was making hush noises at his brother. “We were trying to help that woman, they were hurting her. They caught us, and tried to separate us. When Br... my friend tried to stop them, they beat her, broke her arm, and sold her. She cut me out of my body and took me too.”

Roy noticed the slip, but opted to ignore it for the moment. His eyes closed for a second, then he opened them to look at the two children. 'When did I start thinking of that piece of metal as a child?' “I'm sorry that happened to you, but not all military are like that. I can't change the past, but I can prove it to you in the future. I'm going to work, but I'll be back around one o'clock and we'll go shopping. Have a bath and try to find something that fits.” He turned on his heel and left, shutting the door carefully behind him.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The office door burst open and all heads shot up. This was most unusual, especially when the Colonel was late or in Hawkeye's bad graces, which was both today. Normally, he would slink in and slouch in his desk trying to escape notice. Not today, today he strode in, tossing out assignments in all directions.

“You,” pointing at Havoc, “Find me an auto-mail shop, best you can get immediately. You,” the finger moved to Breda, “find four shops that specialize in clothing for 12 year old girls. You,” on to Fuery, “Get that paperwork on my desk now, we're gonna finish by noon.” He proceeded into his office, not even pausing at Hawkeye's desk. Her gaze rose from her own work to watch him for a moment, then returned. As long as he was working, she didn't care what her pain in the butt supervisor was planning.

Four hours later, Roy stood, stretched, and rubbed his back. There was still a small pile of papers, but nothing urgent. It was almost 12:30 and he was ready to go home. Hawkeye noticed him not working, and came over to give him some encouragement. He managed to stand tall, even though he had to fight not to flinch. “I'm going home. Have Havoc get the car.” He felt very brave for not stuttering.

“You are not finished your work, sir. I'm afraid I can not allow you to leave yet, sir” She glared at him, making his knees bend and he found himself sitting again.

“But, I have to go shop!” This earned a sharper glare, “For my new ward, she needs clothing.” A look of disbelief crossed her face, as if Roy Mustang would go clothes shopping with a woman, never mind a girl. “It's true, ask Havoc! Or Hughes!” Oops, that was the wrong name to throw out there. New tactic! “Umm, please let me go?”

She sighed, 'He is such a slacker!' “Alright, if you finish those last papers,” He pounced eagerly, “and READ them, you may go.” She shook her head and left him to finish up, his pen flashing across the paper in an indecipherable scrawl.

Ten minutes later, he bounded out of his chair and hit for the door, dropping a pile of envelopes on the floor from his bag, and stopping only to collect the address of the auto-mail shop and the clothes stores. Hawkeye picked up the papers, noting that they belonged at the Records building and efficiently sent them to be processed and filed.

*At Roy's house, right after he left*

“AL!! What are we gonna do? We just tied ourselves to the military! Damn it! I can't believe I didn't figure it out, I knew I recognized that name!” Ed was stomping around the house. Once he got over his shock, he was ashamed of the way he had reacted, like a little child, and as usual, shame translated into anger.

“I'm sorry Brother, I thought it was a good idea. Do you want to go? He's gone and we can just take some of his clothes and food.” Al sounded so guilty and sad at he prospect of leaving that Ed couldn't admit that he wanted to.

“No, we'll stay for a bit. He didn't turn us over yet, that's a good thing, and I need some more rest and some clothes. Mine are too wrecked to be bothered fixing really. I'll just fix the coat and we'll get new ones, even if they are girl's, I'll fix them before we leave.” He tried to reassure his younger brother, “It's ok, it was just a shock. I'll, we'll, be fine. Let's get the kitchen cleaned up, alright?”

“Ok! Then we can clean the rest of the house! And sort the clothes, and maybe do laundry!” Al's voice was excited, he really liked housework, it made him feel useful and reminded him of time with his mom. Ed groaned, he should have known. Even without a body, his brother would happily watch him do all the “fun” work.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Roy walked calmly up the steps, followed closely by Havoc. He wasn't sure what to expect, if they would even still be there, but he wasn't about to show his uncertainty to his Second Lieutenant. He unlocked the door and stepped in, looking around. He blinked. There was no dust on the little tables in the entry, the floor looked clean. Further in, the living room was clean too, papers arranged neatly on the coffee table, blankets folded. The kitchen shone, the remains of breakfast long gone, dishes washed, dried, and put away. Roy was amazed, what happened? A shuffle alerted him to another presence. He turned and looked at the girl before him. She was wearing a light yellow dress that just brushed the floor. Her hair was washed and tied back in a braid and her hands were clasped in front of her.

“Hello. Did you do this?” Roy spoke softly, cautious of upsetting her. She gave a shallow nod. “It's very nice, thank you. Are you ready to go?” She held up her right foot, blushing brightly. “Ah, no shoes. Gracia's didn't fit? Well, I suppose not, her clothes were too big, makes sense her shoes would be too.” There was a flicker of something, not anything pleasant, in the gold eyes, but it was gone in an instant and they were cast down again. 'Hmm, something got to her.'

“Havoc!”

“Yes, sir?” Havoc emerged from the entry, staring at the child before him. She stared back.

“Did you give Amy those shoes yet?”

“No, sir. It's our anniversary tonight, one month! I was saving them.” He was starting to have a bad feeling about this.

“She's pretty small, bet she has tiny feet huh? Why don't you go get those out of the car and we'll see if they fit my girl here.”

“But, but sir!”

“Go on.”

Havoc stomped out, this was going to cost him another girlfriend, he just knew it. He returned with a pair of light blue sandals with closed toes and silver snaps. Roy set them down and motioned for the younger blond to try them. She grabbed them and ran back to the bathroom. When she came back, she was wearing them but not comfortably. “Too tight? We'll get shoes first then. Let's go, Havoc here will be driving us. Do you have your friend?” She stared at him, then Havoc. “He can be trusted, he won't tell anyone.” She continued to look at him, so he shrugged and turned to the door. “Suit yourself.”

The three of them settled into the car, Roy and Havoc in the front and the girl in the back. The first stop was a shoe store, as promised. Roy lead the little blond in, telling her to go ahead and choose some. She immediately chose a pair of sturdy black boots and a black pair of indoor slippers, refusing to try them on while anyone was looking. The two men turned their backs and shooed a nearby salesgirl away. Roy tried to encourage her to at least look at the girl's shoes, but she balked and edged away from the salesgirl who came to help them. He decided to let it go, if she wanted boots, let her have them. They could get more suitable ones later.

The next stop was one that Breda had found, filled with frilly dresses and pink things. Roy stood outside and looked at it; he wasn't sure he wanted her to wear that stuff, it would get sickening to look at it all the time. The girl seemed to agree, staring in horror at the shop. Roy raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she wanted to go in, and she shook her head frantically. Alright, next shop it was.

Havoc skipped the next shop, he knew that one was just as bad from shopping with his sister, and took them to a small place in the corner of a gray building. It had a mix of male and female clothing for young adults; a favorite of his sister's. Roy sighed in relief, someplace sensible. He flirted with the salesgirl while his charge browsed, spending more time in the boy's section. The alchemist finally went over and steered her to the girl's side, insisting she get something appropriate. She flushed slightly, but grabbed a few things, mostly long skirts Roy handed to her, and long-sleeved blouses. Two more shops and over an hour later, they were done. Skirts, a few pairs of pants, shirts, long socks, gloves, hair ties, shoes, and underwear, though she refused to get anything other than boy's, no matter how much the salesgirl begged. Roy opted out of that argument, preferring to chat with Havoc by the doors. It didn't really matter anyways and wasn't worth the effort.

On the way home, Roy decided to buy supper and they stopped at his favorite pasta restaurant. He wasn't sure what to get, so he got a little of everything, he'd watch and see what she preferred. They reached home and unpacked everything, carrying it to the door of the blond's room, letting her take it in herself. Roy had already decided not to enter the room unless necessary or invited. It seemed like a simple way to earn a bit of trust, this giving of privacy. He would need every bit of trust for his plan to work.

Supper went smoothly, with his girl, he had to come up with a name!, setting the table and clearing it after. Roy headed to his office to call the auto-mail shop. He had an idea, and hoped it would work. After his call, he returned to the living room to find the small blond sitting on the couch with a book. When she heard him, she tried to hide the book under a cushion. He just ignored her and grabbed a book for himself, set the phonograph, and settled in his chair. Once he had started reading, she slid the book out slowly and continued reading as well.

After a bit, Roy looked up and studied her for a moment. “What should I call you? I can't just keep on saying girl all the time.” He looked into her eyes, wide and gold, and announced, “You look like a Tammy. Shall I call you Tammy from now on?” She shrugged. “Ok then Tammy, what are you reading?” She held it up, staring at him. “Oh, that was my grandfather's book, it's pretty advanced alchemic theory. Do you understand it?” The look he got said 'Of course I understand it.' Hmm, interesting. She'd had some training, advanced training at that. “One of these days, you'll have to explain it to me, I'm not very good with theory. But, it's getting late, don't you think you should go to bed?” Another shrug was his response, but she got up obediently and put the book away. “Good night, and say good night to your friend for me.”

She stopped in the door for a moment and looked over her shoulder. She struggled visibly with herself, then walked over to the chair. Roy looked up and watched her hand reach out a bit, then pull back. She reached out again, forcing herself to touch his arm, then skittered to the door and down the hall to her room. Roy smiled; that was the most sincere thank you he had gotten in years.