Chapter 1: Change of Plans

Roy scowled as he crossed the cafeteria and made his way to the stairs leading up to his office floor. The sky outside was mottled with greys and blacks, thick drops of water leaking from the area between the minuscule patches of bright blue. Every so often a bright flash illuminated the city streets, accompanied by a chorus of thundering echoes.

Roy hated the rain and the way the earth cried heavily, as if it too were mourning his uselessness. However, he knew it was more likely mocking him, the ice-cold tears dripping absentmindedly as the world turned its back on him, scorning him for depending on a cruel science to establish his worth and meaning.

Needless to say, rainy and blustery days did little to lighten up his usually tarnished mood; if anything, they only edged him closer into agitation, much to the delight of his coworkers. If Roy wasn't so hell-bent on getting to his office as soon as humanly possible, he might have noticed the way everyone was quick to slide out of his way and avoid eye contact. Not that he'd be surprised.

"You're late," Riza stated matter-of-factly, not minding his harsh glare and the way his bangs stuck to the sides of his face, cold dripping onto the carpet below.

"And it's raining," Roy snapped back, lightly mocking her for stating the obvious.

"A dry uniform is on your desk; your other gloves are in your drawer. You have a lot of work to get done…sir," Riza droned. It would be just as easy to dry his clothes with alchemy, but with his temper fleeting between mildly irritated and deeply agitated, it was never a good idea to mess with heat.

"Thanks," he muttered dully, waltzing into his office and closing the door behind him. Sometimes he wondered who was really in charge, considering how easy it was for Riza to assume his role and instruct him as if he were nothing more than a Major. Not that he minded; he knew she helped keep him on track and if he ever dared argue otherwise, he'd be looking down an iron barrel.

Shrugging off his coat and draping it on the rack, Roy began the tedious task of peeling off the soaked layers. If he had checked the forecast like he usually did, he would have had some kind of foresight into possibly bringing an umbrella. Of course, waking up late after being up half the night with scenes of Ishval dancing across his mind, he was more focused on arriving at all than arriving dry.

He couldn't lie, the dry uniform was a welcomed blessing as the wool and cotton blend hugged his frozen skin, coating it in appreciated warmth. Riza was a damned smart woman, and Roy absentmindedly tagged this instance to the list of reasons that pointed to her secretly being some kind of supernatural, angelic being.

Settling at his desk, Roy tossed a dread-filled glance at the overflow of paperwork demanding his attention. He hadn't…been putting it off per se …he just hadn't gone through it all as quickly as he might have liked (or as Hawkeye would have preferred, not that that's surprising).

It hadn't even been a long week, if anything it had been a peaceful week. With the Elrics back in Resembool for a much-needed break for a month, Roy had had many a peaceful week. There was even a significantly smaller amount of paperwork than normal, what with the lack of Elric-related incidents that usually resulted in hospital stays and mountains of extra files.

"Sir,"

Roy had been so caught up in his spiral of self-pity and procrastination that he hadn't heard the door open, and judging the way Riza's voice was slightly more strained than usual, it wasn't the first time she'd tried to get his attention.

"Sorry," He muttered, raising his head to see what she needed.

"The Elrics are here to see you," She mused, a faint hint of a smile tugging at her lips. Roy sighed heavily, placing his head in his hands only to cringe at the coolness of his still-damp hair.

"Of course they are, of course that's today," He grumbled. It was only cruel fate that had him appreciating the lack of paperwork mere moments before it was sure to increase tenfold.

The Elrics had been back in Resembool visiting their father, who had contacted them out of the blue requesting their presence. It was supposed to be a quick trip; Ed had made it pristinely clear he didn't want to stay around his father longer than "absolutely necessary". So, when Al called Mustang, asking for a month's leave so they could spend more time with their father, Roy had been shocked. He was quick to sign the needed paperwork, and assured them a month was the least he could give them after all their hard work, but it had been strange not hearing Ed put up a fight from the other end of the receiver.

Ed was usually adamant about refusing days off, he even tried to work through Christmas years past (thankfully Riza firmly believed in having holidays off to recuperate and a stern glare from her shut Edward up and stopped any future schemes; Roy would be eternally grateful to her).

The thought of that kid sitting still and ceasing his search, his work, for an entire month to spend time with a man he only ever mentioned to Roy once - and that was through gritted teeth and flame-filled eyes - was bizarre, to say the least.

But alas, Roy's peaceful "vacation" slipped through his still-damp fingers as the blond alchemist strolled into his office. Edward glanced around quickly, his eyes darting across the room before he made his way to the desk. Anyone else may not have thought much of it, gathering your bearings is a natural instinct. However, Roy had been spending too much time with Hughes and the small notion didn't go unnoticed by him; Ed had been in the room many times, usually screaming and picking a fight.

Why was he so on edge?

"Fullmetal, it's been a while," Roy mused, a small smirk decorating his face. "Did you get even shorter in that month you were gone?"

Ed scowled at him, "You just haven't seen me in a while," he snapped.

Any hint of a smile immediately fell from Roy's face at the boy's response, or more accurately, lack of. It had been unusual for Ed to not burst in here yelling at him, and it was even more unusual for him to not react to comments about his…smaller stature.

Roy took a moment to think on it, the investigative part of his brain compiling a list of everything that seemed off.

Ed had walked in calmly and respectfully, even going so far as to let Hawkeye give Roy some warning. Usually he barged in without permission, acting as though the room was his.

Ed hadn't raised his voice at all, which was strange considering he was known by many people for his loud booming voice, something that almost made up for his short stature.

Ed hadn't gotten pissed at Roy's (smooth, though he wouldn't gloat on it… for today at least) comment about his height.

"Maybe so," Roy said after a moment of mentally categorizing Ed's peculiar behavior; he didn't want to step into matters that didn't concern him, and while he may have been a bit worried, it wasn't in his place to pester the alchemist.

Besides, Ed had just been around his father for a month after not seeing him for years, he was probably just tired.

"How was Resembool? I can't say I wasn't surprised when Al called and asked for a month off, but I'm glad to see you two finally taking some time for yourselves away from the military."

"It was fine," Ed grunted, tossing a glance at the other side of the room. Roy couldn't help but frown at the lack of emotion; surely Ed would have plenty to complain about. It was unlike him to restrain from using Roy as his emotional punching bag; the invisible list only continuing to grow.

"Glad to hear it…" Roy muttered, a bit unsure as to how to proceed.

"I need you to sign this," Ed stated as he shuffled through his pockets for a bit, eventually tossing a mangled piece of paper in front of him. Roy looked it over, his brows scrunching together in confusion.

"You're requesting removal from the dorms?" He asked. "Whatever for?" He knew the boys didn't have anywhere else to stay unless they were planning on leaving for Resembool again, this time permanently. Roy's heart nearly seized up in his chest, surely Edward wasn't thinking of leaving the military. Especially considering he hadn't gotten his brother's body back yet.

"Our…Hoenheim bought a place here in Central. We don't really need to stay in the dorms anymore." Ed said plainly, as if it were obvious and Mustang was just dense.

Roy's eyes widened and he dared look up at Edward who…was still focused on something across the room.

"Oh…"

It was silent for a moment as Roy took some time to collect his thoughts. He was stunned, to say the least. Everyone who knew Ed knew how much resentment he had for his father.

"I'm glad that he's back in your life, and that you two are getting along," Roy muttered after a while. He wasn't really sure what else to say; all of these changes were so sudden and so unlike Edward that he couldn't help but feel blind-sided. Even though it was out of his hands, and it really wasn't much of his business.

"It doesn't matter," Ed snapped, "Just sign the damn papers so I can get out of your hair and start moving stuff."

"Uh, sure, I'll get to it…" Roy trailed off, beginning to fill out the transfer request. Something was off, Edward never seemed to care if he was bothering Mustang, quite the opposite. It had seemed he thrived on taking up as much of Roy's time as necessary.

"I'll be sure to change your guardian status as well then," Roy mentioned as he was working on the paperwork. "I'm technically your legal guardian under military status, for medical emergencies and legal issues, but I can have it transferred to Hoenheim for you."

Ed paled at the notion, he understood Roy had good intentions and it was the logical next step for this kind of thing. However, the thought of Hoenheim being able to make decisions for him made him nauseous.

"Um...actually don't do that," Ed spurted.

"…and why not?"

"Just don't. Leave it as it is, it's fine."

Roy cocked an eyebrow at his subordinate, confused beyond confused. Having Roy remain his legal guardian on paper was strange, especially considering how often Roy had heard Edward complain about Mustang being able to control parts of his life when he had been stuck in the hospital, unable to leave until Mustang signed the papers.

"If you say so," Roy shook his head incredulously. "Just don't go doing anything stupid that makes me regret not handing you over to Hoenheim," he chuckled, trying to make light of a peculiar situation.

Edward just frowned at his words and nodded, a slight hum of agreement leaving his tightly closed lips.

Roy finished signing the needed papers and handed them to Ed cautiously, feeling as though there were something deeper going on. Something that later might have him regretting signing those forms.

"If you give those to Hawkeye she'll file them away and have them processed for you. The transfer request won't take long to go through, you'll need to be completely moved out by the end of the week," Roy explained robotically, his brain still trying to wrap itself around the situation.

"Thanks," Edward nodded to him. He grasped the papers quickly and shuffled out of the room, not waiting to be dismissed. At least that hadn't changed about him.

Ed's eyes darted around the moment the door closed behind him, as he looked for the familiar blonde sniper. He was grateful Roy hadn't prodded anymore than he had, Ed really didn't want to have to explain to him the last-minute changes in his life. Now that he thought about it, he'd rather not have to explain it to anyone.

Besides, he doubted anyone would believe him.

"Is something the matter?"

Ed jolted around quickly, nearly colliding with Riza as she stood stoically behind him.

"Shit- uh, no I was just told to give these to you for processing," Ed muttered as he fumbled with the papers, eventually holding them out in his hand for Hawkeye to take them. His cheeks were slightly heated with the embarrassment of her spooking him; he shouldn't have gotten lost in his thoughts.

She cocked an eyebrow at him, a slight frown etched on her face from the way he had nearly jumped out of his skin, and pried the crumpled papers from his automail fingers.

Hawkeye glanced at the forms below, her heart freezing for a moment as she comprehended what they meant. However, Roy's thick and messy signature scrawled across the bottom kept her from asking any prodding questions.

"Is that all?" She asked instead, taking a moment to glance at Edward and the way his shoulders hunched over, or the way his eyes didn't seem to be content staying focused on one thing.

"Yep, thanks Hawkeye," Ed nodded jerkily, the notion nearly shaking his whole body.

"Is everything alright?" Riza questioned, her voice softening ever so barely. Roy may have been hesitant to pester the young alchemist about his seemingly off well-being, but Riza held no such fear.

"Fine, everything's fine. Just have a lot to get done," Ed rambled quickly. "Hoenheim's getting stuff ready in the new place and I'm supposed to help out. He'd be pretty upset if I was super late," Ed chuckled, fumbling with the sleeves on his jacket.

"Of course. I hope everything goes well," Riza stated, her eyes trailing the blond as he walked out in a haste. She may have had other questions, but she hoped her superior would be able to answer at least a few of them.

She quickly shook her head and started walking to deliver the forms. Anyone would be stressed with moving, and he was still young. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

Everything was sure to be fine.

Edward gulped nervously as he opened the heavy wooden door, peering inside cautiously.

"Ed! You came just in time - we need your help lifting this dresser!" Al's cheery voice echoed through the hallway, and Ed sighed.

"Yeah yeah gimme a minute," He called back, running into the kitchen to grab a quick snack before helping them out. He hadn't had time to eat lunch, and dinner seemed too far away. They didn't have much at the new place yet, but it had only been a couple of days since securing the place and they had been too busy moving furniture around. Between Hoenheim having traveled so much, and the incident on October 3rd, they didn't have much furniture on hand, so Hoenheim had to purchase and move in a lot of it.

Ed was too busy rummaging through the meagerly stocked pantry, thinking about all they had to get done, to hear the footsteps slowly making their way to the kitchen.

"Did I say you could have anything?"

Ed froze, his hand wrapped around a box of crackers from the back of the shelf.

"I didn't have lunch," Ed stated plainly, trying to keep any frustration out of his voice.

"You didn't ask."

Ed bit his lip softly, still frozen in place. Slowly he lowered his hand from the box and let it rest tensely by his side.

"Can I have something to eat?" He asked after a while, head still hung low.

"Look at me when you're talking to me," Hoenheim's voice was cold, and it sent shivers down Ed's spine. He'd never gotten physical with him, at least not yet, but the emotionless voice that sent commands and instructions Ed's way weren't very comforting.

Ed tore his gaze from the floor and forced his head to turn until he stared Hoenheim in the eyes. His gaze was stern and unforgiving, and he seemed to wear a permanent scowl whenever he was around Edward.

"Can I have something to eat?" Ed asked again.

"Sir," Hoenheim corrected.

It took every ounce of willpower for Ed to not roll his eyes at the comment.

"Can I have something to eat…sir."

"No," Hoenheim stated. "You need to help your brother with the dresser. You can wait and eat at dinner."

Ed clenched his fingers in a fist, his arm shaking in anger.

"I…I don't know if I can wait that long, I have automail to keep up with!"

Ed cringed at how his voice caught as raw emotion threatened to engulf his conversation, and that wouldn't be acceptable. Hoenheim hated when he got too emotional, angry or otherwise, and would only take more things from him.

"You should have thought of that beforehand."

Ed's eyes widened, and he had to clench his teeth to keep from saying something he'd regret.

"I-"

"If I hear one more word from you about it you won't be getting dinner either," Hoenheim snapped, his eyes blazing with anger that threatened to boil over.

Ed shut his mouth, and nodded quickly to him. He hated how submissive he had to act, how he couldn't stand up for himself and advocate for things he knew were wrong. But Ed was scared, scared that if he argued back too much Hoenheim would snap and take things too far.

Words hurt, but were much easier to brush off than bruises and broken bones.

"Hey Ed! What's taking you so long?" Al popped his head into the doorway. Ed grit his teeth together and dared glance up at Hoenheim, who looked as if he'd snap Ed's neck if he said the wrong thing.

"Nothing Al, I'm coming. Where are we even putting this dresser?" He tried to keep his voice light and cheery, but there was still a slight edge to it no matter how much he tried. Al thankfully didn't seem to notice, at least not this time.

"Upstairs! Dad wants it in his room but his back's bad and he can't carry it up there," Al rambled.

"Yeah, of course…" Ed trailed off. Hoenheim had anything but a bad back, though Ed would never dare say that out loud. He couldn't risk Hoenheim getting too mad at him, and he was scared of what he'd do to Al if Ed misbehaved too badly.

Ed shook his head as he grabbed the dresser, helping Al lift it slowly up the stairs.

When did he get to be such a coward?

When did things get this bad?

He knew the answer of course, but didn't care to dwell on it. He had furniture to move, and with the way his stomach was rumbling and his automail was starting to feel heavy, he needed all the distraction he could get.

Riza was lost in thought as she made her way back to Roy's office. Most of the staff had cleared out, it was nearing the end of the day and nearly everyone was on their way home.

Latching onto the heavy wooden door, she gently clicked it open.

"Sir?"

"Hawkeye, come in."

Roy was sitting at his desk, finishing off the last bit of paperwork for the day. He still had a decent pile left in the corner, but Riza decided it wasn't worth it to mention it today. From the way Roy's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and the way his hair stuck out in odd places as a result of him running hands through it for the better half of the day, Riza could tell he was stressed.

She decided to cut to the chase. No point in dancing around the elephant so clearly standing in the room.

"How long has Fullmetal been wanting to move in with his father?"

Roy sighed, finishing the form he was on before setting the pen down and aside. He slowly brought his hands together and rested his forehead atop them.

"I don't know. He said his father has already bought a place in Central, so he had to have known about it for a while."

Riza hummed in response, moving to sit on the couch.

"Do you think this has to do with why they were in Resembool for so long?"

"Probably. I mean, they were there to spend time with their father. Maybe they worked things out and he decided to move up here so they could…make up for lost time or something," Roy muttered coldly.

Riza nodded, "That would make sense…" She trailed off.

"But?"

"But…if that were the case, why do you seem so stressed by it? I understand this is sudden and surprising, but surely it's a relief to have the Elric boys taken off your hands. Maybe having their father up here, and closer in their lives, will do them good," Riza pointed out.

"See that's the thing," Roy grumbled. "They're not off my hands. Not completely. Fullmetal refused to let me sign over guardianship to Hoenheim, I'm still technically his legal guardian as of now."

"Oh," was all Riza could manage. "That is a bit strange."

"I don't know, it's been bothering me all day. There's just something that's not adding up, and with the way Fullmetal was acting, I get the feeling he's hiding something." Roy sighed, sliding the completed form into the tray on the edge of his desk. He stood, grabbing his now-dry coat and pile of wrinkled clothes from this morning.

"Maybe he is, but he could also be stressed about moving so suddenly. Maybe he just didn't want to change everything all at once, I can see how that might be overwhelming for him," Riza countered.

"Hmmm…" Roy paused for a moment. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm just overthinking it, and was just shocked by the sudden development."

Riza stood as Roy pulled his coat on, motioning towards the door. The two of them exited the office, walking out of the building and into the night. The rain had ceased, but the cold feeling of unease that had come with it earlier hadn't left Mustang.

"Just try and get some rest sir, I'm sure things will be alright. Fullmetal will be running through your doors tomorrow demanding a new assignment now that he's back in town, just you wait," Riza attempted to reassure him. She wouldn't admit she was a bit unsure of the situation herself, and that something wasn't adding up.

"I hope you're right," Roy chuckled. "Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd want Fullmetal to yell at me and act as childish as he usually does."

Riza smiled, her face softening with the lightness of Roy's voice.

"Thank you Riza," Roy turned to her. "You always seem to know what to say."

"I have known you for a long time, sir," She smirked. "It comes with the trade."

Roy rolled his eyes, a similar smirk doting his face as he turned and headed towards his apartment. He threw up a hand in farewell, and was grateful his back was to Riza so she couldn't see the frown that fell upon his face.

Everything was going to be fine, but that didn't mean he wouldn't worry about it until the next day arrived and could prove it to himself with his own eyes. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

Riza watched as he walked off, also grateful to be seeing his back. It was much easier to reassure someone else, than it was to reassure herself.

Ed stared up at the ceiling, his stomach churning with unease and a lack of food. He had accidentally turned the dresser too sharply when they were walking into the room, scratching the doorframe and some of the paint on the wall. It had been a simple accident, but Hoenheim's furious glare told Ed all he needed to know, and that was that any hopes of dinner were off the table.

Al had asked him what was up when he skipped out on their meal, instead asking to be excused to his room. Ed just shook him off, telling him he had eaten a big lunch at the cafeteria before coming back home, and wasn't hungry. Thankfully his younger brother seemed appeased by his half-assed lie, and went back to telling Hoenheim about some new book he had started. Just because he didn't need to eat, didn't mean he wanted to be left out while Hoenheim sat at the table.

It frustrated Ed that Al didn't notice, or didn't see what Hoenheim was doing. How cruel of a person he really was, how controlling he had to be. Then again, Hoenheim was careful not to ever get angry with Al, or look at him with the same disgust he did with Ed.

In a way, Ed was grateful for that. Sure, it was irritating that he was suffering alone, and couldn't talk to Al about it or share the problem with him. However, he was grateful Al was left untouched. Not that there was much Hoenheim could do to hurt Al physically - what with the armor and all – but Al didn't need the mental baggage that Hoenheim could whip out like it was nothing.

Ed turned onto his side, his hands grasping the thin comforter. He still wasn't used to the new bed, and some part of him ached for the uncomfortable, military-issued ones back at the dorms. At least there he could still sleep instead of stay up worrying about when his next meal would be, or if today would be the day Hoenheim got physical with him.

Sighing, Ed closed his eyes, attempting to ignore the hunger that was starting to gnaw at his stomach. It had only been a day, but with his automail leeching energy off his body, it felt like two.

Tomorrow would be better.

They were going to finally move their stuff from the dorms, and as long as Ed was quiet and minded his tongue, he'd at least be getting meals and avoiding harsh conversations whispered when Al wasn't around.

Tomorrow would be better.

Ed was relying on that hope, that tomorrow would be ok and that things would start to look up.

If only he'd known, that with Hoenheim moving to Central, and all of them living in close quarters once more, things would only get much much worse, before they got any better.