I have made a return to add a follow up!

Since posting the first chapter, I have been wracking my brains for inspiration to add to this. And I realized that there are not very many fics with Kain Feury as a main character, which is a shame. I feel like he and the Elrics would be really close, as it strikes me how similar his personality is to Alphonse.

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It had shocked Feury, at first, the way Edward had exploded like he had. It shouldn't have, he knew. The odd days were the ones where you didn't hear Edward shouting at someone.

But something seemed different this time around. If Kain was right, there was some desperation in his voice. And, unless he was mistaken, he thought he heard Ed's voice struggling not to break, as if he was holding back tears.

...But that couldn't be it, right? Edward Elric, the great Fullmetal Alchemist, Hero of the People, wouldn't do something that would be seen so childish as crying, right?

Feury's heart stopped. That was exactly it, he realized. Of course he might do something like cry, even if it was out of sight of the people who would judge him for it, people he should be able to count on. He may be in the military, he may even outrank Feury and half the team, but he was a child. He was fifteen years old and so worn and cynical that they had a horrible, horrible habit of forgetting that.

He was too young to play the mature and serious soldier constantly.

He was too old to enjoy schoolyard games without feeling self-conscious.

Edward Elric, it became clear to him, was at that age where he was still figuring himself out, and all the pressures and stress added to his life made it infinitely more difficult to do.

Feury looked around the room, and from the stunned looks on the faces of the people around him, he realized that he must have come to this conclusion within seconds of Edward storming out. Quickly, he slipped out of the room. If he was fast enough, he might be able to catch up to Ed before he had time to take his anger out on the general population in the form of glares and snark.

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It took almost an hour, but Feury finally found Ed, lounging on a park bench so off the well worn path that it didn't surprise Feury that Alphonse hadn't even found hime yet. Wandering up to him, Feury at first thought Ed was asleep, but an eye cracked open at his approach, and it pained him a little bit to see the gaze turn cautious, as if preparing for further lecturing.

Nonetheless, Edward shifted, making room for Feury on the bench, and he felt relief that Ed wasn't shutting him out from the start. He had a chance to start making things right. He refused to blow it.

So, taking a seat, Feury took a moment to gather his thoughts before starting. Taking a deep breath, he started.

"We… forget sometimes… that you are in such a different position than us." Feury said quietly. Seeing Ed tense, whether to leave or snap at him in some way, Feury didn't know, but he continued before Ed had the chance. "You are the oldest teenager any of us have ever met, but you are a teenager, and it's not fair to you that we keep changing our opinions of how you should act."

Ed slowly, cautiously, started to relax again, and Fuery felt some tension release from his shoulders.

"I have seen amazing feats occur when you go on missions. Feats that wouldn't be possible if you were anyone other than who you are. Yes, you are a soldier, in the adult world where you are given jobs that could mean your life if something goes wrong."

Fuery paused, before a wry, bitter smile found its way on his face, looking somewhat out of place on his normally amicable features. "But you are so young that it is only by your childlike imagination and daring that you are able to keep the very life you risk."

Edward was staring at him, eyes moist, but, in true stubborn fashion, pretending nothing was wrong, His breathing was slowing down, and Feury was glad to see that he seemed to be taking his words to heart.

"You don't need to act your age, Ed. All you need to do is act in a way that, at the end of the day, you are happy with yourself. Don't think about how others will think of you. You think anyone approves how anyone in the office acts all the time?" At this, Ed seemed to startle somewhat, and Feury laughed under his breath.

"Havoc is constantly being ridiculed for obsessing over girlfriends and for smoking in the office. People look at Breda and assume by his looks that he is a simpleton that has no business being the leader of strategy on our team, that he should be the muscle of our team and not expect to have his opinions listened to. Falman is thought to not be assertive enough to belong in the army, that he is only intellectual and would be a drag in the field. I am constantly looked down on for my timid nature, and other groups often think that I am only the repair boy and mascot of our team. Hawkeye, not that they would say it to her face, is often viewed with condescending pity for being such an excellent soldier when she's a woman, They think she should be at home with children. And Mustang, for all that you two don't get along, is actually the most similar to you. The generals see him, still in his mid-twenties and already a Colonel, and they get nervous. They think he is after them, so they do everything they can to make sure he is swamped in paperwork and not out earning his next promotion."

Feury paused here, then continued. "I guess what I'm saying is: Be who you are. Don't force yourself to live up to what other people think you should be, not unless you sincerely think that will make you happy. You may be a major player in the worlds of adults already, but you have certain freedoms that only the young can enjoy."

Looking over at Ed, Feury noticed he was leaning over, almost laying down on the bench again, and his eyes were closed. There seemed to be a slight smile on his face, and a weight lifted off his shoulders. Feury at first thought he had fallen asleep until he heard a very faint "Thank you," and his eyes softened, looking at the boy, not child, but not man, as he drifted off.

They sat a while, Ed enjoying a peaceful slumber and Feury relieved he was able to help, when Feury heard a noise and looked up, spotting the team walking up, Alphonse and Hughes behind them. The group surrounded the two on the bench, Havoc clapped him on the shoulder and Alphonse managed to convey through his armor a look of gratitude. The rest merely staying with them. None of them saying a thing, simply enjoying each other's presence and the companionable silence they provided.

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A few days later, Feury arrived to work to find a package on his desk and smiles on his teammates' faces. He noticed a note on the top and read it to see it was from Ed.

To say thanks for conveying what few people bothered, and seeing what no one else did. Thanks.

Opening the package, Feury saw two books. One was an expansive guide on not-well-known technique guide for communications devices and bugging, one that Feury himself had expressed regret that he couldn't find a copy of. The other was a how-to book for beginners on something called Judo, which seemed to be a martial art style for those of slighter size.

Feury smiled. He knew Edward had appreciated the talk they had the other day, but he hadn't realized that Ed would take the time to choose such particular things just for him.

Realizing that there was not any paperwork or anything else requiring his attention just yet, he cracked open the martial arts book. Maybe next the Elrics came by, Feury would be ready to have a practice spar with them.

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So I said at the beginning that I didn't think there was enough Kain Feury in the fanfic world, and I really wanted something with Ed bonding with a team member that was not Mustang, Hawkeye or Havoc. I adore them, especially Havoc, but whenever a team member is featured, it is almost always one of them and I wanted someone else to have a turn.

I had Ed give Feury some books at the end because, let's face it, if he gives a present to anyone, it will be books. Also, I wanted to show that Ed was listening to everything Feury said, not just the parts that were specifically to make him feel better. He knows that Feury loves communications devices more than almost anything, kind of like him and alchemy, and he heard the bitterness in Feury's voice about how no one really saw him as a soldier, and got him a book on martial arts for those of a *ahem* shorter stature. I looked it up, and apparently Judo favors those of smaller builds because using the lower height, you can flip your opponents.