Chapter Text
“Oi, General Bastard, what do you have for me now?” Ed greets as he kicks in the door to Roy’s office. Ed likely will never open Roy’s door normally and Ed likes to think that Roy looks upon his insubordination with fondness by now.
“Fullmetal,” Roy greets, not even bothering to scold Ed as he looks over to asses the damage done to his walls.
Ed looks back as well to see what he managed to do this time. The door is still whole – Ed is not an idiot, he knows how to kick in a door without it breaking, he even used his flesh foot. The wall, however, is a different story. There’s an obvious dent and crack where the knob hit it.
“Whoops,” Ed grins, though he’s not sorry. That dent and crack have been there for years now and while he fixed it at the start, he has long since stopped doing that. Roy has his own alchemy to fix it, Ed doesn’t have to. Besides, it’s extra annoying to the man, since they both know Ed has his alchemy back, but still he doesn’t fix it.
Roy knows just as much as Ed that there is no actual remorse. However, he doesn’t even bother to make a comment about it, which is usually just as much a part of it as Ed’s kicking. It sets Ed on alert, because the General only does that when he has news that Ed won’t like.
He now also notes that Roy looks a little tired, rubbing the bridge of his nose, while his desk is covered in more paper than usual. Another alarm bell starts ringing in his head.
“What’s the mission you had for me?” he asks curiously when it starts to look like Roy isn’t going to start the conversation. Ed is now sure that whatever it is, he isn’t going to like it.
“We have gotten a request from a foreign organization to act as bodyguard for a kid, who is targeted by a terrorist ring, whose leader has supposedly risen from the dead,” Roy states in a professional, curt voice.
Ed can feel his own brow rising. Both of them know the dead can’t be raised. In fact, they have been forced to face that reality quite literally. Either these are just rumors, propaganda or something is going on that is close to what Ed did for Al. Or the homunculi. God, don’t let it be homunculi.
However, there is another detail that stands out to Ed, so he asks: “And why have they contacted us for this? I mean, it’s not exactly common knowledge that I have a specialization in that sort of thing.”
“Like I said, the request is by an organization, not the government,” Roy says. “Apparently the government doesn’t believe that someone who died 15 years ago returned.”
“So why are we believing them?” Ed asks, plopping down on a seat in Roy’s office. “And what organization are we talking about?”
“They call themselves the Order of the Phoenix,” Roy tells him and Ed snorts at the name. He then proceeds to choke when Roy goes on: “But the request is from one Albus Dumbledore, who is also asking on behalf of one of his students. He is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
Ed coughs for about a minute, before he manages in a strangled voice: “Why the fuck- What? You can’t be serious?”
“I wish, I wasn’t, Fullmetal,” Roy shrugs and Ed begins to get a grip on why he must look so tired.
Ed would be tired too, if he had to deal with such bullshit. Then it hits him that he will have to deal with said bullshit, because that’s what he’s been called in for. “So why are you serious?”
Wordlessly Roy holds up the picture of a lady. The lady in questions looks a little toad-like with a slimy smile that Ed knows well from the brass trying to get higher up. However, he can’t focus on any of that, because the picture is fucking moving.
“What the hell!” Ed swears, jumping out of his seat to snatch the picture out of Roy’s hand as he inspects it. The picture keeps moving, but Ed doesn’t see a seal anywhere and the movement seems to be a loop. Still, he asks the photo: “Lady, are you okay? Who sealed you in there?” No reaction. “Hello! Lady! Can you hear me?”
“It’s not soul alchemy as far as I’m aware,” Roy tells him. “The letter informs me that it’s a magical photograph, which loop a movement in the ink and to not worry about it.”
“And you’re just trusting the letter?” Ed questions.
“Of course not, that’s why I’m showing you,” Roy says. “Can you find a seal or sense anything alchemic in that?”
Ed cautiously takes another look at the photo. It looks to come from a news paper, torn out. On the back there is some blabber about some magic counsel or something, but nothing that looks like a seal hidden in the letters. The photo does loop over and over again, never deviating or reacting to Ed’s pokes like a person would. It’s also silent.
Focusing on the atomic makeup of the paper, Ed can’t find any trace of a soul. There is definitely something there that isn’t alchemic, but no soul. Ed knows what souls feel like.
“No soul,” he confirms and Roy’s shoulder sag slightly in relief.
“That’s good to hear,” Roy says.
“Yeah, but it still doesn’t make it not weird,” Ed says, crossing his arms. “I mean, magic? Really? I have heard a lot of people claim alchemy is magic and we both know that’s horseshit. But this? This isn’t something alchemy can do. Where do they get the power?”
“I don’t know,” Roy answers.
“How does it work?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do they know how it works?”
“I don’t know.”
“Dammit, Mustang, what do you know?” Ed explodes. He needs to know everything. If they can do this, then they don’t abide by certain laws. They don’t use circles. They have an unknown amount of power. Who knows how much truth is in those risen from the dead rumors now?
“I know that they have a power I can’t explain and that they have given us an in to gather all knowledge we can, with the added bonus of keeping a kid safe from a terrorist ring,” Roy deadpans, not at all phased by Ed’s outburst.
When it is phrased like that, it’s logical that Roy wants to at least know what’s happening, before he writes them off as crackpots. So, Ed deflates a little and concludes: “So you want me to go in and get to the bottom of it?”
“Yes,” Roy confirms.
“Alright,” Ed says, because he can live with that. “So, if the government isn’t on their side, how are we explaining this kid having a foreign escort?”
“Well, you won’t be going as an escort,” Roy says. “Your official reason for being there is to teach alchemy.”
“Teach?” Ed screeches. “How long is this mission going to be?”
“Ten months, you leave in two weeks,” Roy says quickly, as if trying to rip a band aid off.
“No,” Ed says, already shaking his head. “No, absolutely not. I’m not fucking off to Truth knows where for ten whole fucking months! I got kids at home, Roy. I can’t leave Winry to care for them for a whole year. Just no.”
“I’m sorry, Ed, we don’t have anyone else to send,” Roy says, genuinely remorseful for sending Ed on this hell mission. “There is a chance there is a society with unknown power that knows of us and could be on the brink of war.”
Ed hates it when Roy is talking sense while he wants to ignore him. But he’s not going down without a fight, so he stomps his foot (able to acknowledge it is a little bit of a tantrum), as he yells: “Okay, maybe, but why the fuck do you want to send me? Why not fucking Armstrong or some shit? He doesn’t have a family waiting for him.”
“We both know Armstrong isn’t the man for this job and there are no other alchemists I trust with this,” Roy says.
“Armstrong is great with kids,” Ed huffs, crossing his arms defiantly, even though he knows Roy is talking about the maybe human transmutation.
“But Armstrong isn’t great with playing political chess to figure out how bad this government is and how much that can potentially fuck us over. Not to mention the other thing.” Roy sends him a look before continuing: “I need someone who I can trust, who can teach Alchemy, who is capable of assessing how bad this magic is, whether this Voldemort guy is back and if he ever really died, if so, how the fuck he’s back, and if there will be a war and if it will come here if there is. No one but you fits that description.”
“Al fits that description,” Ed replies moodily, but they both know he’s already giving in, because he would never suggest his baby brother for something like this if he could actually take the job.
“And Al doesn’t work for the military.”
“You can do it,” Ed says, not yet willing to sit and roll over.
“I can’t leave my post,” Roy says.
“Neither can I,” Ed shoots back. “I’m a Colonel now, Mustang. I have people to order around, paperwork to do. You remember those days, don’t ya, General?”
Roy pinches the bridge of his nose and tiredly says: “Don’t do this, Ed. We both hate this and we both know it needs to be done. So, please, don’t make this harder than it is. Go spend the next two weeks with your wife and kids, while you read up before you’re deployed.”
Ed puffs himself up, then deflates. He knows Roy is right. He hates that he is and he hates it even more to admit it, but it’s true. “Fine,” he spits out.
“Thank you,” Roy says, a solemn mood now hanging around the office.
After a moment, Ed decides to put them both out of their misery by breaking the silence. “So, do you have a magical brief or something for me to read over?”
Roy snorts then pulls out a stack of fucking parchment, that has Ed regretting even asking, as he says: “I hope you like more moving pictures and other nonsense.”
Ed takes it with pain in his eyes. He hates it when he gets send on long missions, but this is the thickest brief he’s gotten yet and the longest he’s ever been deployed. He sighs: “It really is ten months, huh?” as reality sets in. Yuriy will be four by then, Trisha two. Fuck.
“Yeah,” Roy answers, sounding apologetic. He knows how much Ed loves his family and much it’ll hurt him to be away from them. “But depending on how it goes, you can try and see if you can come home for the winter break.” Then he looks around to see if anyone will listen as he leans in, Ed doing the same: “But if you finish early, you can try to wiggle out of the teaching position. I’ll cover for you here.”
And that makes Ed smile. He and Roy have gotten better at getting along since the Promised Day and by now, Roy is counted among his closest friends and he knows they have each other’s backs. He doesn’t want to send Ed any more than Ed wants to go and he’ll make it as easy as possible, fuck what the brass’ll say. “Thank you,” Ed tells him sincerely.
“Now get out of here,” Roy says. “I’m organizing the smooth take over of your unit for the duration you’re away. Might as well get started now.”
“Yes, sir,” Ed salutes, then happily gets out before Roy changes his mind.
Soon the bell above the door of the Rockbell Automail Shop jingles as Ed enters his home through the front so he can kiss Winry. As expected, she is bend over an automail arm, brow furrowed in concentration.
Ed recognizes what she’s doing as a delicate step, so he doesn’t interrupt her just yet, content to wait on his kiss. However, Paninya is busy shelving, having Yuriy on her hip as she lets him help, as much as a three year old can help. Trisha is likely sleep ing in the back with Granny watching over her.
It’s Yuriy, who spots him first. He starts wiggling in Paninya’s arm, wanting to be let down as he excitedly calls: “Papa! Papa!”
Paninya lets him go and Yuriy comes running, sending a stab through Ed’s chest. He’s going to miss so much of his little boy. And what will he think of his father when he returns after nearly a year? Is he any different from Hohenheim? Is he just abandoning them for a greater good?
No, he can’t think like that. He’s going to finish this mission as fast as he can, then go home and he will write home every day. His children and wife will never forget how much he loves them. He isn’t going to do that to his own family. He promised he wouldn’t do that. Ever.
He sweeps Yuriy into his arms with a big grin as he kisses Yuriy’s cheek and greets him: “Hey, little man!”
Yuriy giggles as Winry finishes up what she’s doing and spins around with a happy smile: “What are you doing home early? Finally caught up with your paperwork?”
“Truth, that’ll be the day,” Ed laughs, settling Yuriy back down again. Then Ed remembers why he’s back home so early and his face drops a little. He knows Winry catches it, because her brow furrows in concern. He hates that after all these years, he’s still making her worry. Softly he says: “I’m being deployed abroad in two weeks. Roy told me to spend them at home instead of at the office.”
“Why did he say that?” Winry asks, rightfully suspicious.
Ed looks down at Yuriy, who is sitting on the ground next to his leg, playing with a few screws from the boxes he and Paninya were shelving. The action does nothing to dissuade Winry’s worries, but she drops it for now.
Instead she projects fake cheer into her voice as she says: “Well, it’s practically lunch time, why don’t we go see if Trisha has enough of her nap.”
“Sounds good,” Ed says, also smiling a little forced.
“Well, this is awkward,” Paninya finally interjects. “But I can do lunch.”
The bluntness of it breaks the weird atmosphere that had settled over them. Both Ed and Winry laugh and Yuriy happily giggles along with them. Ed is incredibly grateful Paninya took Winry up on the offer to do an apprenticeship at her new shop, because that means he won’t be leaving Winry and Granny with two young kids and no one to brighten their days.
Paninya and Winry had struck up an incredible friendship during Winry’s apprenticeship under Garfield. Ed and her only really became close when Paninya went with Winry to learn under her, automatically becoming part of the family. Now Ed can’t imagine not seeing her every day.
Before his mind can spiral again, he shakes it off. He wants to make the most of the two weeks he still has with everyone. Ed scoops up Yuriy again and pretends that he’s a bird as he swings the laughing toddler through the air.
Granny is reading through a new automail publication as she pushes against Trisha’s crib with her foot to keep it rocking. She looks up at the commotion and comments: “It’s a little early for lunch, isn’t it?” Then she spots Ed and says: “Ah, you’re leaving again are you?”
“You’re going on a mission, papa?” Yuriy asks.
“Yeah, little man,” Ed says, ruffling his hair. “Papa has to go for a little bit again. But I’ll be back and I’ll write you every single day and mommy and auntie Paninya and Granny can help you read them and by the time I get back, you’ll be reading me bedtime stories.”
Yuiry cheers at that, already babbling about all the stories he’ll read to him when he returns and how he’ll get help and write back. However, it’s clear the other occupants in the room start to realize that this will be a long, long assignment.
Granny takes Trisha from Winry’s arms as Paninya offers to go help Yuriy pick out what he wants on his sandwich.
Winry gratefully takes the two up on their offer, before dragging Ed out to the hall. She crosses her arms and demands: “Just how long are you going to be away for?”
And Ed hates this part. Especially now. Hates how he’ll have to tell her and she’ll be upset, but put on a brave face, because this life makes Ed happy and most of the time it makes both of them happy, but not at times like these. And Ed feels so guilty about it.
“Ten months,” he grits out quietly.
“Ten month!” Winry repeats in a loud voice.
Ed cringes away from the noise (well, not the noise, the awful truth that the voice just said loud enough to make real). “But I’ll try to make it less. Roy said I’m free to dip if I get it done early and he’ll cover for me.”
“Can’t he send someone else?” Winry demands. “He knows you just can’t leave our family like this for that long. For god’s sake, he’s Trisha’s godfather!”
“Yeah, he knows. I’ve had this conversation with him already,” Ed snaps. Then sags, because he doesn’t want to fight with Winry when he’s leaving soon. They rarely fight for real, but it can get nasty when they do. “I hate this as much as you, trust me, Win. I already tried to change his mind, but he can’t. I’m the only person qualified to go.”
“You’re not the only State Alchemist alive, you know,” Winry pouts, crossing her arm, though her voice is less hostile than before.
“I told him that too,” Ed says, giving her a lopsided grin. Then he turns serious again as he lowers his voice: “We got word of a society that’s a little further away. They claim they’re magic and appear to back that claim by doing things alchemy can’t. If there are people bypassing those laws we want to know why and how and if they’re a threat. Get why the General wants me to check it out?”
He leaves out the war that might be coming and that Voldemort wizard guy maybe returning from the dead. He doesn’t want to worry her too much. He has to be able to promise that he’ll come back whole and he has confidence in that, but Winry will worry.
Besides, he doesn’t really believe in people coming back from the dead. Either this guy is a fraud and he was never really dead, or the Ministry is right and he’s still dead. Ed is inclined to believe government incompetence, but not resurrection. He’s putting his money on a fraud. And without the main guy, no war, so it’s not truly a lie.
Winry sighs. “I get why he wants you to. If I were him, I would want you to check it out too. I’m just not your superior, I’m your wife, and I want you to stay here.”
“And I thank the lucky stars each night that you’re my wife and not my superior,” Ed gives her wide grin, which earns him a light cuff on the head as Winry rolls her eyes. But they’re both smiling again as they gaze into each other’s eyes.
Then he softly says: “I don’t want me to go either. Trish has just started walking and I’ll miss all her early mischief. Yuriy will be in school when I get back. I won’t get to kiss you every morning and every night. I won’t have your stew. I won’t have Granny bitching at me or Paninya trying to steal my watch. I’ll miss all of you so much.”
“We’ll miss you too,” Winry says. “But we’ll write each day and I’ll send you photos and I’ll tell both of them how much their father loves them and how he can’t wait to come back. And those ten months will be over before you know it.”
Ed loves her so much. She’s so wise and so strong and he couldn’t have done this without her. He hugs her tightly, allowing himself to melt into her as she hugs back. A lump forms in his throat and he quietly admits: “What if it takes longer? What if Trisha won’t remember me? Or Yuriy? What if they hate me? What if I’m like him .”
Winry knows he’s talking about Hohenheim. Despite working with the man on the Promised Day, Ed has never really forgiven him for abandoning them, but now here he is, following in his father’s footsteps.
Before the thought can even begin take root, Winry squeezes him tightly to her chest and fiercely whispers: “You are not him.”
He makes a confused noise and Winry swiftly pushes him away so that she can look in his eyes as she says: “You are a better man than you r father. Your kids love you. They adore the ground you walk on. You’ve been away on long missions before and they have never – never – felt abandoned by you. This will be no different.”
“Thank you,” he whispers hoarsely, blinking back tears. He hadn’t known how much he needed to hear that – from her especially – until she told him. Unable to come up with better words, he kisses her and she kisses right back.
They’re interrupted by Paninya, who knocks on the door frame uncaring about how the two quickly step back as she grins: “Yuriy wants to eat. I made you two a sandwich as well, hope that’s okay.”
“It is. Thank you, Paninya. We’ll be right there,” Winry smiles, quickly following her friend, while Ed rushes after the two of them in turn.
Later that evening, after Ed has tucked Yuriy in and read him as many stories as his heart desired, and after he kisses the forehead of little, sleeping Trisha, he tells Granny and Paninya how long he’ll be gone. He doesn’t give them details like he did with Winry, but he does tell them he needs to go.
The atmosphere is somber and Ed doesn’t like it, but he’s also not in the mood to make it better, wanting to wallow in the inevitable as well. So they sit in the melancholy living room and quietly talk about nothing and everything.
In the days following, Ed makes sure to send a letter to Al and Mei at the Xing court to tell him he’ll be out of town, asking Al to keep an ear out and come visit his niece and nephew while Ed’s gone.
He wishes he could see Al before he has to leave, but the travel time will be too long. He keeps his fingers crossed that they have to go past Xing to get to this England, but he knows better than to get his hopes up.
Ed also makes sure to spend as much time with his family. He holds Trisha’s little hands as she attempts to toddle around, plays with Yuriy as they pretend to be dragons and knights. He helps Winry around the shop and holds her tightly during the night. He helps Granny around the house and goes on his morning runs with Paninya.
During the evenings, when he’s curled up on the couch with Winry, the kids both in bed, he reads up on the case. Everything making less and more sense as he does. It’s still ridiculous and he can’t believe he’ll have to teach at a magic school (Winry laughed for ten minutes straight when he told her).
Ed also stops by the office a few times to make sure his team will keep running without him and to hear whatever new intelligence Roy has managed to find. Not to mention that he’s going to miss these people too.
Then, two weeks after he kicked in Roy’s door for what is probably the millionth time, he enters it once more to leave. He doesn’t kick it in this time, knowing betters when there are others around (see, he can learn and be mature or whatever). Instead he enters respectfully and salutes: “Colonel Elric reporting for mission send off, sir.”
“At ease,” Roy says as Ed falls into parade pose. Roy then gestures to the severe looking woman in the room, though her severity is offset by the ridiculous pointy hat on her head. Did she have to be a stereotype? “This is Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts,” Roy says, the ‘be polite’ remaining unsaid.
“Edward Eric. It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Ed greets her, holding out his hand for her to shake as he gives a polite smile.
“Minerva McGonagall. The pleasure is mine,” she says as she shakes it. While she does, she sizes Ed up and if Ed hadn’t know Teacher, he’d be intimidated. “You’re quite a young man,” she comments.
Great, Ed thinks, another place where he has to establish himself before anyone respects him due to his age. A little bit snappish, he replies: “I’m the most qualified for the job or I wouldn’t be here. I have a wife and kids at home.”
McGonagall looks taken aback by those facts and Roy quickly smooths the whole thing over: “Colonel Elric was called in for this pretty last minute. Please excuse his temper. I assure you that he will be on his best behavior while abroad.”
“Of course,” McGonagall says, also smoothing it over. “I apologize for my comment. How old are your kids?”
“Yuriy is three and Trisha is one,” Ed smiles, unable to help as he talks about his kids. “They’re growing like it’s nobody’s business.”
Another day Roy would have made a joke about them not getting it from his side, but he remains quiet and lets McGonagall give Ed a nice smile as she says: “It never stops to amaze me how quickly kids grow.”
Then she turns back to Roy and says: “I hope you have everything you need for your paperwork, but we must be off now, before we miss our portkey.”
“Ah, yes, I do. Thank you very much, Professor McGonagall,” Roy gives her his charming smile as he tells her that and Ed has to stop himself not to roll his eyes.
Instead he quickly signs departure paperwork, before saluting and following McGonagall out of Central Command, curiously asking: “What’s a portkey? Is it similar to a train?”
McGonagall looks amused at the question, which irks Ed slightly, however, as a teacher she is used to explaining. Besides, anyone who has answers for Ed’s questions can be irking as irking as they please .
“A portkey,” she explains, “is not like a train. It’s an object charmed to take you from point A to B. It’s set on a time, so if you miss it, then no transport for you. And being out here, it’ll take awhile before the Ministry can approve of a new one being made.”
Ed nods thoughtfully, mentally noting down that the Ministry keeps track of at least one mode of transportation. He is immediately yanked out of said thoughts when McGonagall picks up an empty bottle that has been abandoned outside. “Uhm, what are you doing?” he asks.
“Getting our portkey,” she answers, holding out the bottle. “Here. Hold on. We’ll be leaving shortly.”
Cautiously and confused, Ed takes a hold of the bottle, wondering if McGonagall is insane and what the rumors will be if anyone sees him holding the bottle with the strange woman.
However, before he can get too self conscious about it, there is a tugging behind his bellybutton and h e is pulled away from the ground as he is sucked into some sort of centrifuge. Or at least, that’s what it feels like. It pulls on his leg and fucking hurts, but Ed is used to gritting his teeth and letting go seems way more dangerous.