37Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Iron Man or Fullmetal. Everything you see here is borrowed with love. ;)
Chapter 12 – Reunion
Ed made it to Central in record time. According to his flight data they had hit mach-2 (whatever that was) and arrived in just over an hour.
Ed touched down just outside Central Headquarters. If Al was in the capital city, then Ed was going to need help tracking him down. And if anyone knew the whereabouts of his little brother, then it was one General Roy Mustang.
Ed grinned, trying to imagine the look on Mustang's face when he realized Ed was back and he was nearly five inches taller, and had returned wearing a super cool, super high-tech flying robot suit. Ed chuckled under his breath. He wasn't sure which part of his return was going to take the cake, but he wanted to make sure he savored it long after the moment passed. He ordered the AI Mustang in his suit to record the interaction, then stepped into the building.
A blue-suited receptionist met him in the lobby. She seemed weary to let Ed in at his word that the suit wasn't a weapon, but he was able to charm his way past her with a little effort. He clunked up the steps (really though, he wished he could just have flown up to the third floor) and made his way down the hall to Mustang's office.
Things had changed a lot since his departure from the military, by the look of it. Ed wouldn't know just how much until he was able to have a lengthy conversation with Mustang about it. That could wait, however. For now, Ed was only interested in finding his brother as quickly as possible.
He reached the right door and knocked loudly. Sharp footsteps echoed on the other side, coming closer. Ed knew who it was before the door opened. He grinned up at Second Lieutenant Hawkeye's shocked face, glad his suit was recording everything, and read the new stars on her uniform.
"Lieutenant Colonel," Ed greeted. He whistled. "You've been busy since I've been gone."
"Edward?" Riza couldn't believe her eyes. "Is it really you?"
"The one and only." Edward grinned. "Is Mustang in?"
Riza opened the door to reveal their guest, a light smile on her face. There was the sound of a seat grating against the floor as Roy shot to his feet. His face was white as a ghost, and for all intents and purposes, he was looking at one.
"General," Edward greeted.
Roy didn't miss a beat.
"That's Brigadier General to you, Fullmetal," Mustang replied gruffly. Then all the military sternness melted from his face and it softened into a gentle smile. "Welcome back, Ed," he said softly.
"Mustang." Ed could barely speak around the lump suddenly lodged in his throat. "Your eye," he croaked, brow furrowing.
"Ah, this old thing," Mustang touched the patch covering his left eye. "I lost it years ago." Roy dropped his arm and his only visible eyebrow knitted together. "Where have you been, Fullmetal?" the Brigadier General asked, "And what the hell are you wearing?"
Ed laughed uneasily. "It's a long story." He paused. "Where's Al?"
"Your brother is currently at Central Library, in the new First Branch," Hawkeye supplied, "I'll arrange a car."
"No need, I can just—" Ed broke off, unwilling to reveal that tidbit at the moment—knowing Mustang, the man would keep him in interrogation for hours until Ed had completely debriefed him about the Iron Man suit. "W-walk?"
"It's a long walk Ed," Mustang said, "Besides, I'd like to tag along, and I for one am not walking that far."
"A little walk might do you good, Sir," Hawkeye said politely, although the pointed look she gave Roy's midsection spoke volumes.
Roy flushed in embarrassment, mouth wagging. "Just get the car," he ordered, pressing his lips together.
"Right away, Sir," Riza replied, turning on her heel. She paused, then turned back. "Ed, I think I have a change of clothes for you if you would like," she offered.
Ed looked down at the suit he was wearing. "Probably best if I do, huh?" he replied, sheepish.
"I'll just be a minute." With that, Riza hurried away.
Mustang tapped his finger on his desk. "Alright, Ed, you've got two minutes, so give me the short version. What happened?"
Ed gritted his teeth, noting the way Roy stressed that word.
"Gee, I dunno—I crossed the Gate into another world, met the man who gave me this suit, traveled through time, and grew five inches, you ass," he replied heatedly.
Mustang seemed taken aback, but again, didn't miss a beat. The older man grinned devilishly.
"Only five, huh?" he said.
It was a good thing Riza was so quick to return. Otherwise she may have walked in on Mustang's cold, bloody corpse ground into the carpet. As it was, Ed was barely able to contain himself.
"You're in luck, Ed," Hawkeye said to distract him—sharp as ever, that one. "I found this in one of the storage closets." Hawkeye passed Ed the stack of clothes in her arms, the top piece being Ed's signature red coat. Ed took it from her, speechless.
"How did you—?"
"You must have left it in your quarters the last time you were in Central. I'm surprised we still have it," Riza replied. It was, of course, a lie. The Brigadier General had instructed her to keep it when they had cleared out Ed's bunk five years ago, and since then Hawkeye had made sure she knew its exact whereabouts at any given time…just in case.
"I—wow, thanks," Edward said, not knowing what else to say.
"The car is ready whenever you are," Hawkeye replied.
Ed didn't have to be told twice. He threw off the suit at record speed. In fact, it was probably the quickest wardrobe change in his entire life. His pants and shirt were still in good shape—a little scuffed in the knees, perhaps, and the shirt was missing one sleeve, but Ed didn't care. He wasn't wasting any more time. He stuffed his arms through his coat sleeves and stashed the Iron Man suit behind Mustang's couch.
"I see you still have your automail," Mustang noted on their way to the car.
Ed shrugged. "Oh, yeah, well..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say, then stopped abruptly in his tracks. "Is Al..?"
Hawkeye placed a gentle hand on Ed's shoulder. "Your brother is fine, Ed," she reassured him.
"Oh, good." Edward let out the breath he had been holding. "Right, let's go."
The young alchemist strode forward, eager to see for himself.
Ed could barely contain himself on the ride over. Really, he wished Tony had built a stealth something-or-other into the suit so that he could fly around without being seen. After the speedy flight over from Resembool, a normal car ride felt like crawling.
"Are we there yet?" Ed growled, frowning in the back seat. He was beginning to suspect that Mustang had ordered Riza to drive extra slow, just to torture him.
"Calm down, Ed," Mustang drawled. He shuffled the newspaper in his hands and turned the page, reading lazily as they drove.
"I hope you get carsick reading that," Edward muttered under his breath. He grabbed the back of the headrest to get a look at the speedometer. "Thirty? Come on, Hawkeye, can't this tub go any faster?"
Riza pulled a handgun from her belt and aimed it at her back passenger. "One more word, Ed, and I'll show you what I do to backseat drivers," she threatened. The car never even swerved.
Mustang chuckled. "I would listen to her Ed, I've still got the scars."
Ed paled and slowly lowered himself to his seat, grumbling under his breath.
They arrived finally a few minutes later, and Ed all but ejected himself from the car. Mustang grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from running inside.
"Hold on. You're not a State Alchemist any longer, remember?" Roy reminded him, "They aren't going to let you in."
"I don't care," Edward snapped at him, jerking away. He looked about ready to pummel Mustang into the pavement. "Get out of my way, Mustang."
"Hang on a minute, Edward," Riza cut in. "I called ahead. Al is meeting us here."
"If he has access to Central Library, then he must be—" Ed broke off, his anger peaking as he glared at the one-eyed bastard in front of him. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to become a State Alchemist. Mustang knew that.
"Alphonse has a special arrangement with the military," Mustang supplied, giving Ed a faint smile, "He's a research consultant, that's all."
"Oh. That's—" Ed broke off, the words catching in his throat. Only a higher up would have the authority to organize something like that. Mustang must have something to do with this arrangement, as he called it. Ed had a feeling its only purpose was to allow Al the access he needed to search for a way to bring him home. The fact that Mustang was looking out for his little brother spoke volumes. Perhaps he'd underestimated the man.
Ed cleared the emotion from his throat. "Thanks," he said, his voice scratchy. Mustang nodded, seeming strangely affected by the show of gratitude. Ed looked away and felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment. That was the last time he was doing that. He leaned up against the car to wait.
"Here he comes," Riza said softly.
Ed looked up as Alphonse stepped through the heavy doors of the library. His mouth dropped open to call out, but he was stopped speechless at the sight of his little brother. Whole, and in the flesh. Ed closed his mouth as the tears sprang to his eyes. He was beautiful.
Al hadn't seen him yet. His brother was staring at the ground, deep in thought about something. Ed felt Mustang lean up against the car next to him and cross his arms. Al was nearly to the bottom of the steps now and still hadn't seen him. Ed froze, not knowing what to do. Then Mustang cleared his throat, and Al looked up.
Time stood still as the brothers stared at one another. Ed realized he was holding his breath. He let it out and tried to remember how to speak.
"Hey, Al," he croaked.
"Brother?" Al gasped, "Is it really you?"
"Yeah, it's me," Ed replied. The emotions swirling inside of him were too complicated to name. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry I took so long," he said.
"BROTHER!"
Al shot into his arms, embracing Ed tightly. Ed gasped, trying to hold the emotion at bay and failing spectacularly. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes and trailed down the side of his face. He shut them tightly and squeezed back. "Al," he choked out, squeezing tighter, "God, I missed you."
Al pushed away, holding Ed at arm's length. A part of Ed's mind was tickled that its length was now shorter than his own. Tears glistened in the corners of Al's bright, amber eyes.
"How, Ed? How did you get back?" Al demanded, drawing a breath. "What happened?"
Ed hesitated. "It's a long story," he said finally, feeling a little weak in the knees. "But I guess now we've got all the time in the world, huh?"
Ed grinned, a thought coming to him. He couldn't wait to show Al the suit.
Mustang cleared his throat. Ed swore he saw dampness on the man's cheeks and shot him a curious look to which Mustang ignored. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere," the Brigadier General said. The four piled into the car, Al clinging to Ed's arm as the two climbed into the back seat.
Back in Roy's office, Ed had put on the Iron Man suit and was showing Al all its features.
"GPS signal lost."
"Who's that?" Al asked, looking alarmed.
"Oh, that's the suit's AI—artificial intelligence. It copilots the suit," Ed replied.
"It kinda sounds like the Brigadier General," Al said.
"Really?" Ed lied, scratching at his cheek, "I hadn't noticed."
"You modeled your copilot after me, Ed? I'm flattered," Mustang said with a smirk.
"Joke's on you, old man," Ed retorted, "Go ahead," he ordered the suit, "Introduce yourself."
"General Bastard reporting for duty. I love making things go boom-boom."
Edward doubled over in laughter, wiping tears from his eyes. "Oh man, that never gets old," he crowed.
"You'd better hope that thing is fire-proof," Mustang growled, slipping on his ignition gloves.
"Alright gentlemen," Hawkeye cut in before bodily harm could ensue, "Ed, I think you owe us the full story of what happened to you."
Sobering, Ed nodded and stripped off the suit, sitting down on the sofa and stashing it at his feet. His brother joined him and grasped his hand, waiting eagerly for him to start. Edward drew a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and dove in.
Author's Notes:
12.1: I've been waiting for this chapter from the beginning. Mainly for Roy, but of course for Ed and Al's reunion too. I had so much fun writing this one. :3
12.2: I love Roy. And Hawkeye. I really wish I could have written more of them in but one chapter is all they get. I love Hawkeye's jibe about Roy's weight. Seems life behind desk doesn't suit the Flame. ;P
12.3: "Your brother is fine, Ed." This line between Riza and Ed regarding Al is another of my absolute favorites. The emotion I was able to convey in this short dialogue still gets me. TT_TT
12.4: AI!Mustang's line about GPS signal lost is a personal joke of mine, a jab to the unreliability of modern technology. XD
12.5: About Ed's sexual orientation… This fic is not a romance, so I am intentionally vague about who Ed ends up with at the end of it. There's a little of Ed/Winry in the last chapter, and in this one we get a little Ed/Roy. I largely left things up to the reader for interpretation so that you can draw from your own preference. I've got my favorite, but I'll keep that to myself. ;)