I'm lucky I'm permitted to read/watch the story.

Every now and again, either when walking home from work or stalling over his paperwork, Colonel Mustang would reflect how lucky it was that he was the one to recruit young Edward Elric, not just for himself but for the boys as well. It was a bit of a strange thought and not one he devoted much time to but it was important none the less. Though he'd never say it to the young prodigy's face, he knew that the fateful trip to Resembool was one of the major turning points in his life.

Even from the very start Edward had had a huge impact on Roy. It was when he forcefully entered the Rockbell house, trying to get the stench of human decay out of his nose and Ishbal out of his mind, that Roy first met the Elric brothers. Huddled in a wheelchair with two limbs missing, dead eyes and an armored bodyguard; Roy hadn't needed any provocation to reprimand the boy for the disastrous and quite illegal crime they'd committed. A more scrupulous man would've walked from that house and never come back, leaving the boys to the mercy of their own demons. But instead, as he grabbed the tragically young and damaged Edward Elric by his shirt he realized what an opportunity had fallen into his hands. And as he sat down and started explaining the State Alchemist program to the family, much to everyone's surprise, he smiled inwardly to see the dying embers in Edward's eyes begin to flame with purpose. He had him, possibly one of the greatest alchemists in military history and Roy had him. He even dared to smile when he left the scene because he could feel just how important this moment was.

The day they returned to the East, he came forward and said he was going to sponsor an incredibly talented eleven year alchemist. He never told Edward but he had to go through a great many hoops to allow such a young boy to take the exam which regularly turned away more experienced adults. During that year of waiting, he had been mocked and ridiculed and even sneered at for inviting a child into the military. Peers growled under their breath claiming he was desperately grasping at straws for his next promotion. His superiors looked at him with skepticism as they probably wondered if the strain of the job was finally getting to him. Even his friends and colleagues hovered nervously, waiting for this risky gamble to throw him off the career ladder for good.

Everyone who had cared for him had worried and fretted as Edward's examination day drew closer and closer, each fearing the worse. Even Hawkeye, who trusted his judgment more than he sometimes did, asked in her own quiet way if he was sure he wanted to go through with this. But Roy Mustang never doubted that Edward Elric would be magnificent and he couldn't help the flush of pride when he saw the kid just over a year later, standing on two legs with two hands in his pocket and that same fire burning in his eyes. Of course from the moment people saw the kid's alchemy everyone's doubts were replaced with bitterness and jealousy. Mustang had thrown all of his cards into a broken, crippled boy and it had paid off massively. Suddenly every military man was wishing they had been the ones to discover the miracle child of the East.

He'd been made many generous offers in those early days to transfer Fullmetal, offers that would have put him further up the command chain. But he never even considered them, merely thanking and dismissing every offer that came his way. It hadn't been a hard choice, for all that people called his callous, Roy was actually quite compassionate. Roy had known from the moment he'd picked up the half dead child in a wheelchair and saw his own shattered pride and self-hatred reflected back at him that he would protect Edward and his little brother at all costs.

And he'd smile to himself during these rare self-reflective times, as the years passed and he got to know the Elric brothers better, to think that he had indeed made the right decision. For all that people desired the power and bragging rights that came with a subordinate like Fullmetal, he knew that not one of them would treat the boy right. For every one of Edward's victories, there was a massive public damage bill to pay. For every mission report, there was a wave of insubordination and teenage moodiness. For every conversation, there was an argument and an insult or seven thrown in for good measure. The boys, both of them, were irrefutable geniuses in their own right, Edward especially. He was like a fire, bright and powerful and oftentimes out of control and these were not traits of people in the military.

Trying to image 15 year old Edward Elric decked out in a pristine blue uniform, saluting and speaking in even, polite tones was almost as fanciful as the legend which he chased. Thinking of any other person trying to deal with the hurricane that was the Fullmetal Alchemist caused him to snicker because if he didn't, he would be forced to think about that dark reality. Edward had joined the military not out of a desire for power or sense of duty but for his need to see him and his brother restored. Had they been found by anyone else, they would never have been given such freedom. When his thoughts did take such a turn, Roy would bite his bottom lip to think of brilliant and shining Edward Elric being physically and mentally beaten into submission by the more vicious State Alchemists. That spark of defiance and determination which had caused Roy to bet it all would have been snuffed out as the boys were chained to a life worse than the one they'd just escaped from.

So Fullmetal could complain all he wanted about how much of a bastard he was, how he treated Ed and Al like pawns and didn't care for them at all because it was better than those two knowing the truth. That Mustang and his crew were as close as those two boys would ever have to a sanctuary in the military. And that was fine, let Edward scream and yell and cause damage to his office, it just reminded Roy that the boy hadn't yet been broken and wouldn't be so long as he was there to watch out for them.

"Sir," he looked up from his paperwork which he'd been staring at blankly for the past few minutes to see Hawkeye looking down at him with more papers in her arms. "While I'm glad to see you're giving your paperwork due attention, I think you should be moving on now." He grinned sheepishly as he finished signing his name before moving onto the next one. "By the way, the Elric Brothers called, they were able to catch an earlier train so they should be here earlier than expected, within the next hour they believe." She said with a lightness in her tone that was always present when talking about the boys.

"Thank you Lieutenant, send them in when they get here." He said, already smirking to himself to think of all the wonderful short jokes he'd prepared just for the occasion. Hawkeye gave him a frustrated frown.

"Please try not to antagonize Edward too much Sir, you just had your desk replaced after your last meeting and I'm not sure management will pay for another." He merely chuckled.

"Don't worry yourself Hawkeye; I know how to handle Fullmetal. For his sake, he's lucky I'm the only one who has to." He said quietly as his earlier thoughts came back to him and he spun away from his desk to look out the window as if it would cause the boys in his charge to magically appear. Always able to read his thoughts, Hawkeye smiled lightly and nodded as she made her way towards the door.

"I agree Sir but I think it works both ways. You are lucky to have him here working with you." Roy turned and looked at his aide just as she was about to leave the room. "Because having them here reminds you that you can do more than just kill children, you can save them as well." He gasped at the blatant reference to Ishbal before settling his now shaking hands on his desk. After a few moments, he managed a cynical chuckle. Who'd have thought he'd be saving children by dragging them into the army? But again the image of Edward now, standing on two feet pushing forward compared to the mutilated child of four years ago made him reconsider. He smiled and leaned back in his chair, waiting for the telltale sign of the frustrating, annoying, safe Elric Brothers. So while he may have lost a chance for a few extra stars on his uniform in keeping them under his command, he gained something or rather someone much more important.

I'm not quite sure where this one came from, it kind of just happened one afternoon so I thought I'd share. I guess I was thinking about Mustang's reflections of his taking the Elrics as his charges. He acts like it's no big deal but, when you think about how close and tightknit his group, even from the beginning the fact that he accepted them was life-changing. Plus the fact that literally no one else in would treat Ed and Al like they needed to be treated. And, somewhere in there, I liked the idea that somehow Mustang was saved too when he took those kids in, they gave him back some much needed faith in himself that he save instead of kill. You guys will have to pull Paternal! Mustang from my cold, dead hands. Yeesh this author's note is a mess, I'll just end it there.