・┈➣ ﹕┆fathers °˖➴

༝༝༝

⤷ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ┆𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 [ 014 ] ᯓ

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐙𝐀'𝐒 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐎𝐆 𝐉𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊, 𝐓𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃.

"No Hayate, bad dog." The blonde woman lightly scolded.

Whining the dog sat beside your leg as you helped Ed up. "Sorry about that." Riza apologized.

"Don't worry, it happens all the time." Ed claimed, rubbing his head. "So we, uh, heard you were working for the Fuhrer." You cleared your throat.

A soft look crossed over Riza's features. "Yeah."

Letting you two inside you all sat at her dining room table. "Looks like things got pretty serious." She assumed.

Watching as the blood stains on her hand gun easily lifted off after she took it apart, putting the pieces in steel cleaner.

"Yeah, but I didn't use it." Ed said. "I didn't have too."

Silence filled the room as she cleaned off the main barrel of the firearm with a cloth.

"Well I... I couldn't pull the trigger." The alchemist hastily admitted, squeezing your hand for any sort of comfort.

Riza exhaled and looked up. "It's pathetic, huh? If I just- Well I was just useless."

"Tell me what happened."

Ed hung his head low, fiddling with your fingers.

"You know Scar? I found out he killed Winry's parents and [y/n's] adoptive mom."

Freezing she turned to you, brows furrowed as you gave her an affirming nod.

"She would've shot him, but deep down I knew that would be wrong, and all a sudden that gun looked like something evil. Next thing I knew I stopped her."

Glancing at you through the gaps between his bangs. "I honestly think she would've shot him if I wouldnt have been there." He claimed.

"She could hardly stop crying once I got the gun away." Sending you an apologetic glance; silently apologizing for spreading your business.

"And it's my fault. I got no resolve, I only manage to make things worse." Staring at his reflection in the cup of coffee held by his metal hand.

"It's not your fault." You said making the two look at you. "I don't think I would've shot him if you were there or not. That's what we do on our crew."

"What do you do instead of killing your enemies?" Riza questioned.

Looking up you took a deep breath and sighed. "Something worse."

The two tensed up, eyes wide.

"It's more emotionally killing them, making them think they can't build themselves back up. We end their dreams, destroying everything they worked for."

A tension filled the air before Riza sighed.

"You're just dwelling on this stuff because you made it back alive." She claimed.

Sitting up you both linked to the blonde woman. "You need to stay focused on living, that's how you'll help. That's how you'll protect her." Sending you a gentle smile.

"I mean after all." A smirk hiding in her smile as she closed her eyes, still cleaning her gun.

"You love her don't you?"

Tensing up Ed turned and spat his coffee onto Hayate, the red coating his cheeks matching yours as you nervously laughed.

"No, no, no, no! It's not like that we're just friends! She's like family to me, of course I'm gonna protect her!" Giving you an affirming side hug, trying to brush off Riza's statement.

"What happened with Scar?" Changing the subject, suppressing her laughter. "I'm sorry, this only added to your burdens." She apologized, screwing the brown grip on the handle back on.

Licking your lips you spoke up. "I've gotta ask. Does it ever feel like a burden to you?"

"I've lost the right to look at it that way. So I'd be wrong to complain, I'm not proud of it. But I've killed too many to feel sorry for myself."

Guilt written on her features as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Besides, I can't deny that I'm the one that chose this path."

Both your eyes widened, the two of you sweat dropping nervously, not expecting her answer.

Ed gulped before speaking. "You mean Ishval? Can we ask you about that, would it be alright?"

Hayate whined as Riza finished putting the hand gun back together, shoving the magazine in with a click.

"[y/n] what do you know about Ishval?" Riza began.

Placing a finger on your chin you hummed.

"Ishval is a harsh and barren country filled with rocks and sand, similar to Alabasta. Considering the terrain it's not surprising it would give birth to such a stringent religion or that its people would be so earnest and resolute."

Nodding Riza continued.

"It's only natural that a fraction of the population would protest the country's annexation by Amestris. Their mistrust was so justified."

Recalling how everything started.

"That one bullet changed everything. Their mistrust turned into outrage and dissonance spread like a cotangent. It soo escalated into a civil war and the fighting lasted seven long years, until a simple one page document determined the Ishvalans fate."

Your brows furrowed.

"Executive order 3066, the official order to initiate the Ishvalan War of Extermination. It was like hell on earth, the air was tainted with the smell of human decay and the desert sand soaked up the blood like a sponge."

Ed's eyes widened even more than before, mouth going dry as he tried to swallow his saliva.

"Most combat is blind a normal soldier might light fire erratically without a target in mind, but it's different for snipers. Someone is sure to die when we pull the trigger."

Her tone and words send a shiver down your spine.

"Where other soldiers don't always have a direct line of sight on the effects of their actions, snipers do. And of course, the State Alchemists."

Taking a sip of her coffee.

"It didn't take long after that, the Ishvalans were slaughtered. With no other option, the Ishvalan's surrendered. The high priest of Ishvalla; Low glow offered himself to the Fuhrer of behalf of his people."

Your eyes wavered, looking down at the dark liquid sitting in the white cup that rested on the table.

"And that's all. The war soon ended and we were all discharged and returned to our homes."

Finishing the bad portion of her story, she got on with the aftermath, and Roy's claim to become the next Fuhrer.

"But even if the Colonel does become the Fuhrer, how will it change the fact that this is still a military state?" Ed questioned.

"Well it won't. The first thing we'll have to do is restore power to the parliament, we'll take it back from the military and make it democratic again. Only after the full extent of the militay's corruption has been brought to light can this country move forward."

"What do you mean?" Ed breathed out. "For example, those who are praised as heroes during the Ishvalan campaign will be brought to trial as war criminals."

The two of you gasp, worry filling your eyes.

"That's right. In a just peaceful world, after all that we've done, we'll be seen as mass murderers."

"And the Colonel is trying to make sure this happens?" You exclaim in shock. "Isn't that just like committing suicide?" Ed added on, hitting his fist against the table.

Riza nodded.

"But the homunculi were the ones pulling the strings they caused the civil war."

"Even if they were the ones responsible for it, we were the soldiers who carried it out. You should never avert your eyes from death, never forget the people you've killed, trust me. No matter how much time passes, they will never forget the ones who killed them."

"It's not right." Riza smiled gently, watching as Ed's metal hand trembled.

"You don't have time to start worrying about us, your hands are already full, you need to look after each other, and you need to get your bodies back."

Turning to you she reached out, taking your hand.

"We've read the news reports about how you and your crew brought down the man who brought drought and manipulated the people of Alabasta, we're lucky to have you on our side in this battle. We'll get you to your crew in the end."

Glancing between the two of you she grinned. "You better get to it. You got plenty of people waiting for that day."

Taking in a breath the two of you nodded.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍊 ⋅

That night you both had left Riza's and walked along the empty streets.

"I'll get our bodies back, and Al will help me." The blonde whispered to himself. "Don't forget about me." You jokingly scoffed.

Stopping Ed looked up at you. "I made a promise to stay here and help you get your bodies back, think of it as me returning the favor to a friend."

Taking a seat on the thick and flare pavement of a circular fountain. "Yeah, friends." The blonde mumbled, kicking the ground slightly before taking a seat next to you.

"Did you mean what you said?" You suddenly asked, breaking the short silence. "What do you mean?"

Irking you huffed.

Was he really gonna make you say it or was he actually this dense?

"That we're just friends." You mumbled out, turning away from him. "Yeah, I mean- No...?" He sputtered out, blush coating his cheeks.

Turning to face him you took notice of his gold eyes glancing over your features.

Gulping under your gaze a nervous yet confident feeling washed over him. "No, I didn't mean we were just friends. I- I really do like you."

You never really felt romantic feelings for someone.

Sure you've had crushes here and there, but there weren't really any boys your age where you grew up and how could you view someone on your crew like that? They were basically your family!

But something about the alchemist beside you felt different.

His long honey blonde hair which you oddly liked, his golden amber eyes that always shone with anticipation; ready for anything.

His personality, the way he treated you, even his metal limbs. You loved him just the way he was.

Reaching out your hand cupped his cheek which you felt heat up under you touch.

Leaning in you press your lips against his.

His body tenses and all of the air leaves his lungs before he relaxes, automail hand wrapping around your waist, tugging you closer.

Breaking for air he rests his forehead against yours, breath fanning over your cheeks.

"I like you too."

Taking your hand he began fiddling with your fingers, a habit you noticed he picked up on when he was nervous.

"Does this mean, we're... together?" He asked, staring into your eyes.

"Do you want to be?"

"Yes.'' He sighed out, tone lowering slightly.

Leaning back in you place a quicker peck to his lips. "Then, yes."

Ed because [y/n] likes him back