Summary : After the respective deaths and disappearances of Rockbell, Elric and Elric, Roy and Riza should have known better than to name their triplets after them. Strange, that they didn't notice that anything was actually odd until after quite a while--realizing that they never had had to train their children how to use the toilet...
Disclaimer: Duh. It's something I want. Which means I can't have.
AN: Yes, another story. Gah...I've been trying seriously for the past few days to write something but this is what happened instead. Almost zero chance of yaoi in any form in this one. In fact, it has established Royai from the start. 'Though I might throw a mention of HavocFuery in there or something. Maybe.
So tired...
EDIT: Thanks to ehxhfdl14, a serious problem with this chapter has been fixed. I mixed up which hand was automail. (headdesk) That is unforgivable, ne? (hides)
Mischievous Mustangs
Somehow, they always knew that if they had ever had kids, there would have to be three of them, and only one of them would be a girl. Likewise, the first would have to be named Edward, the second, Winry, and the third would be Alphonse.
If the girl was impatient and was born first, that was okay as well.
Roy's world would have severely tilted had it happened any other way.
It had been solely Riza's idea, however to give the children their original family names back in the form of their middle names.
(One did not disagree with a woman whom the doctors could not part from her gun, even while she was giving birth.)
And so, the herd Mustang became complete with the birth of Edward Elric Mustang, Winry Rockbell Mustang, and Alphonse Elric Mustang.
The rest of Amestris found this both endearing and horrifying at the same time.
Roy's subordinates only thought it horrifying after babysitting the three; little Edward liked to clap a lot when angry.
They didn't notice that little Winry would wave around the nearest metal object, or that Alphonse would look around for chalk...or just a pair of gloves with a sewn-on array.
"I wonder what kind of equivalences the Gate is playing with," a three-year old Ed said around a hair tie.
A like-wise three-year old Al sat nearby, flipping through a 'borrowed' alchemy magazine. "What now?" Al asked distracted.
Winry was sleeping on top of a tech magazine that had gotten lifted from Fuery.
Ed was forcing his still-a-little-too-short hair into a braid as he looked at Al. A few more seconds of fighting with his hair and he finally just put it in a low ponytail.
"I wonder what-"
Al sharply looked up and interrupted with, "You should ret mommy cut your hair, brwavaa."
Al, the more observant of the three, had noticed that one of their 'parents' was coming their way.
Roy, doting father that he tried to be, walked in the room when he heard them talking. "There you are!"
He paused, taking in the sight of them all with something to read in front of them (Ed had The Beginners Guide to Alchemy set open on the floor in front of him). Roy then opened his mouth, shut it, rubbed his single eye...and then backtracked out the door.
"RIZA!"
This was why they hadn't told them what they could remember.
After being scolded by Riza (thankfully only with words and not by bullets this time) that they weren't supposed to steal magazines and books, they were allowed to play by themselves with their same old toys.
They were all not amused.
"Hey Ed, what were you saying before?"
"Hmm?"
Winry was looking curiously at them now. She relished in the fact that she now knew their secrets and that they shared everything with her.
"Before Roy-Papa came in."
"Oh." Ed thought for a second. "OH! Just wondering what kind of equivalences the Gate is playing with, that's all."
Winry tapped his upped arm and when he looked at her she tilted her head to the side. As a toddler, she had a horrible lisp that embarrassed her to no end and she tended to spit. When she could get away with it, she would let body language talk for her instead.
"What we had to pay to get a new life." He held both of his hands up. "I mean, I'm even whole."
Al nodded slowly. "And it bothers you that we didn't pay anything."
Winry licked her lips. "Yeesh. Bauth ith iit wash 'n alcheemy thing..." She held her arms out to indicate herself.
The brothers had to nod at that.
Ed looked around their playroom, for the first time seeing the potential in the crayons and paper that littered the floor.
While his eyes stayed trained on the crayons and such, a huge smile broke out over his face. "Hey Winry. Would you like to learn this alchemy thing?"
She hesitated. That was what took her first set of parents away. It was what took Al's body away.
But it also could have been what brought them to this life.
Looking at them seriously, she slurred, "Onree ith yous reern ottermair."
They both nodded.
Al added, "Equivalent exchange."
It took them two years to teach Winry alchemy in secret. While they were teaching her alchemy, Ed was also teaching Al about rocketry and all that he had learned on the other side of the Gate.
Once Winry had grasped enough of the concepts of Beginners alchemy, they introduced the other world's science as well.
It crossed Ed's mind several times to be thankful that all three of them were prodigies.
By the time that they were shipped off for their first day of Kindergarten, Winry had barely started to teach them about automail.
Lunch that first day was hard.
Whispers had followed them all day from the upper years, and even a few of their own classmates were whispering about them.
It only actually hit the fan though by the time they had gotten to lunch.
"Did you hear? Those three are the Führer's children."
"The Flame Alchemist had such cute kids?"
"Did you see the officer in the corner? With the glasses? He's here to make sure they stay safe."
"That little pipsqueak?"
Ed was once again glad to have a human right hand as he brutally clenched his metal spoon. Even if they were talking about Fuery, he still didn't take kindly to the 'p' word.
In response, Al pushed the chocolate milk on Ed's tray closer to the braided-haired blond.
"I heard they were named after three dead alchemists."
At that, Winry's spoon almost snapped. "She was an automail engineer and damned proud of what she did." All traces of the remains of her lisp that she had been speaking with all day were gone. Her hair, thankfully, hid most of her face from view.
Five hours later they had to explain their black-and-blue-bruised classmates to their parents and just why they had been in time-out still when Roy had to pick them up.
TBC?
Like, don't like? Tell me. Otherwise this may remain an almost oneshot. I know only a little bit about where I want to go with this, but not much in actual plot. (cries)