*** Hi guys! Just wanted to let you know that I went back and posted the COMPLETE Epilogue chapter here on ffnet (grown up stuff and all).

I wrote this back in May for Roy/Ed day and never got around to posting it here. Sorry about that.

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Title: After School Special
Pairing: RoyxEd, mentions past MaesxRoy
Rating: PG
Timeline: Present AU
Summary: Elysia's visiting and Ed doesn't want to intrude.
AN: Some quick family fluff for 520.

After School Special
"What Makes a Family"

From his seat on the park bench, Ed gazed out at the playground area, his eyes passing over dozens upon dozens of screaming and laughing children until he found the one that he was looking for.

There was Elysia, running gleefully towards the monkey bars, her ponytail bobbing wildly behind her head. She had just started wearing her hair that way, after making a grand announcement that ten-year-olds were too old for pigtails, and while Ed had just shrugged okay and went with the flow (something he was learning to do more often where she was concerned), he also knew that Roy was a tad bit heartbroken by the gesture, which was an undeniable sign that his little girl was starting to grow up.

His heart leapt into his throat while she maneuvered her way up and through the bars with seemingly little regard for her own safety. After he was certain that she wasn't going to break anything important, he shook his head and breathed a huge sigh of relief, then turned to the man sitting beside him.

"How do you not worry that she's going to fall on her head or something?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? I worry about that all the time." Roy looked at him and smiled knowingly. "Welcome to parenthood."

Ed tried to relax as Roy wrapped an arm around him. They continued observing the commotion and waved accordingly when Elysia shouted for their attention from the top of the monkey bars and informed them that she was the queen of the world.

"Before I forget," Roy began, absentmindedly stroking Ed's left shoulder. "She wants to go out for ice cream after this."

"Okay," Ed replied. "You can just drop me off at home first."

Roy stared at him with a raised brow. "Ed, I know you hate milk but that doesn't mean you have to ditch us."

"It's not that. It's just that…"

"Just what?"

Ed watched Elysia complete a stomach-turning dismount from the bars before scampering off to the slide, her ponytail bounce-bounce-bouncing behind her.

"I just figured that the two of you would want some father-daughter time," he explained. "You don't get to see her a lot, and I don't want to get in the way of what little time you do get to spend with her."

It was something that had bugged Ed for quite a while now, the suspicion that he was intruding on Roy and Elysia's precious moments. And now that he had voiced his opinion on the matter, he waited, curious and somewhat concerned about how Roy might respond.

The last thing he expected was laughter.

"What's so funny?" Ed wanted to know.

"I felt the same way back when Maes and I first got together," Roy explained, his amused expression fading into a look of contemplation. "Elysia was his daughter and I was just some guy who happened to be living with him. That's what I thought."

Ed nodded in agreement. That was exactly how he felt now. But it never occurred to him that Roy had once felt the same way. He was such a great father that Ed sometimes forgot that Elysia was not his biological child.

"You're not just some guy, Ed. You're my partner. Don't ever think that you have to exclude yourself from any part of my life." Roy tightened his hold on Ed and added, "Besides, Elysia loves you. Almost as much as I do, I think."

He leaned over and kissed Ed on the lips, just in time for Elysia to come running over to them and accuse Roy of giving Ed cooties.

"Hey, Ed likes my cooties," Roy insisted.

Elysia scrunched her nose and then burrowed her way between the two men. "Can we get ice cream now?" she begged. "Please, please, please, pleeeeeeeeease?"

Ed looked at Roy, who merely shrugged and smirked. What else could they do? The queen had spoken.

They left the park and went to a mom-and-pop parlor that supposedly served the best ice cream in town. Ed wouldn't have known because he still firmly believed that 99.9% of all dairy products were evil. There must have been some truth to the rumor, considering the way that Roy and Elysia devoured their sundaes. Ed helped himself to the cherry from Roy's- after wiping off all traces of ice cream, of course- and almost choked on it when Roy made a subtle yet suggestive comment about tongues and cherry stems that thankfully sailed right over the girl's head.

After that, they headed home, where Ed and Elysia entertained themselves by reading and chatting and braiding each other's hair while Roy made dinner.

Later that night, the three of them got comfortable on the couch and viewed Disney movies until Elysia fell asleep sprawled between them, with her head resting on Ed's thigh and one tiny foot propped high on Roy's shoulder.

Ed peered down at her sleeping face and was consumed by a wave of affection, one that would not be matched until two years later when Martel gave birth to his niece. He then glanced up and found Roy watching him, and the lovers smiled at one another while an animated teapot and clock and candlestick rambled away on the television.

So they weren't a traditional family. But that didn't matter because they were still a family all the same.

And Ed was very happy to be a part of it.