Chapter Text
He startled awake, and liquid golden eyes fluttered open only to force themselves shut moments later at the sight of the blinding lights. His metal hand made its way up from his side, trying desperately to block the morning as he continued to groan.
Ed's eyes snapped back open as a dark chuckle permeated the room. The young blond sat up and gazed at the sight before him, golden eyes widening in utter terror. He continued to stare at the creature- no, God before him, its gleaming white teeth grinning at him just like he remembered from so many years ago and the same default position he seemed to favour in place.
"Now, what's this? You're not even trying to get your body back, are you?" Truth smirked, a maniacal tone shifting up from somewhere deep in his throat.
The deity made a show of looking for more enthusiasm in his fingernails than he should be - if he had any Ed thought- as he pretended to pick dirt from underneath them.
Ed fixed a glare at the immortal being as he sat down, taking his time to lower himself as he felt his bones ache. His joints creaked as he finally placed himself on the ground and sat in a position much like Truth. Ed rubbed his flesh hand on the back of his head where a bump that felt like a watermelon lay, hidden beneath the deep tresses of his golden ponytail.
"Ha, as if I would ever come here to make that mistake again."
"Interesting. Well then, Edward Elric, tell me, why did you come here?" Truth glanced over at him, a hint of curiosity taking hold in his tone, for once his attention solely on the blonde brat before him.
"I was trying to escape."
"Escape what? The military, people, the disillusions of reality, life in general- then again, if I were as short as you, I would try to escape that last one." Truth offhandedly commented, his grin growing more prominent as he watched the little runt grow enraged before him.
Ed felt like punching the prick, but if he had a lick of common sense- which he did, thank you very much, Colonel Bastard- then he wouldn't lose it in front of an actual god. Of course, whether he believes in said douchebag or not is another thing, but, regardless, he didn't want to die today, so that he would play nice for now, that is.
"From that Homunculus, that fat one, Gluttony, he swallowed Ling and me whole! And that bastard Envy was there too! I thought you would know more about them, given their leaders plan to try to upsurge you and sacrifice the whole damn country! Aren't you supposed to be omniscient or something?"
If he even had one, Ed thought he saw Truth's face had darkened, and for a moment, Ed could've sworn he heard the teeth rub against one another and had to surpass the feeling of his spine-tingling.
Truth glanced over at the alchemist before him, a shadowed aura giving way to a curious one as he took in the blonde before him...almost as if he was finally noticing the blonde's presence before him.
"...humans are such fickle creatures, I'm sure you know that by now, but they'd rather ignore my warnings...after all, ignorance is bliss...which begs the question how do you know of this? Humans don't see what they don't want to believe, poor things they are, but you seem to have an uncanny knack for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong seeing things others have chosen to ignore."
Ed remained silent for a moment as he stared at the being in front of him. Then, finally, he cleared his throat; thoughts disrupted as he focused back on reality, "I mean, I didn't know what it was all about until I got stuck in Gluttony's stomach...but once I did, it was almost child's play to figure it out... now, an eye for an eye: why haven't you done anything?"
"Oh, surely you must jest! I have my own rules, my guidelines. If I don't abide by them, what is the point in creating humanity? You must save yourselves, and I can't do everything for you. You wouldn't learn if I did. Yes, I can talk, warn, give advice and take back what was once and always will be mine, but I can't interfere directly. I'd need a third party, someone to execute it for me, a human willing to do it."
Truth trails off and gives the elder Elric a look over, shuffling around him, lifting his ponytail and shifting his head, all while he continues to mutter under his breath. At this point, it's when only Ed is about to deck the ever-living shit out of him- God or not; he does know that personal space is a thing, right?- does Truth relent and steadies himself in front of Ed.
He rubs his chin, tilts his head and gives him a once-over. All is silent for a few moments before he ominously, "Unless..." and leaves it at that.
Now, Edward Elric is no dumbass, no matter what Colonel bastard the says behind his back, and that, reasonably, he is a genius. That was a fact. However, that didn't mean it didn't make him a moment to truly process what the egotistical asshole in front of him was implying.
He couldn't be suggesting that, right?
Right?
"What are you doing-!"
"Hush, I'm thinking. I'm considering it. I'm interested. Yes, you'll do nicely."
"...what just happened?"
"I thought it was obvious; I want you to be my third party and get rid of this 'Father' character and his Homonculus."
"What part of that was obvious?" Ed muttered under his breath, eyes wide and disbelieving.
Truth looked at him as if he had grown a third head and mumbled in an astonished voice, " Dear me, look at you. You're so tired. I truly envy you."
"You envy me?"
"You mind...it's placid, straightforward, barely used. It must be relaxing."
"I would ask a god, any god really, to save me from you but oh, look, here he is standing in front of me, and it's just my luck that he's a gigantic prick!" Ed whispered.
"So, you'll do it then?"
"Me? Are you kidding? Hell no! I'd probably fuck everything up, scratch that, I will fuck everything up! I'm the last person you want to help save a country filled with millions. No, no way am I doing this!"
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Ed protested under his breathe.
The 15-year-old grumbled as he trekked through the streets of Central, a black jacket and hood covering his face from any prying eyes and curious ears, not that Ed believed anyone would recognize him down here. Commonly called the Red Light District, it's officially known as the Canal District on the city maps.
No one would believe that Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist and Hero of the People, would be slumming it down here with the nitty and gritty side of town where bars, brothels and shady people thrived.
Ed travelled through the back alleys and dimly lit streets if there was something out there because Ed doesn't think he could sleep without one eye open. Not after the night that he's had, not after the truths he learned and the monsters he's faced.
No, right now, Ed's damn glad that he's a paranoid bastard.
Now, if only he could find that damn bar the Colonel mentioned. He hadn't been paying attention, too busy trying to focus on writing something down in his notes, but as the Colonel walked Ed to the train station after he had become a state alchemist, he mentioned a haven.
A place to go if he could trust no one in the military. Ed either couldn't get to the Colonel or couldn't tell him what he was doing. Ed hadn't put much thought into it before, never really believing he'd need to go to her.
But, regardless, alongside gun control, the art of disguises and emergency first aid, one of the many things Mustang drilled into his head was the location of Madame Christmas's bar.
Roy always was a fucking mother-hen.
Ed let all doubts wash away as he pushed open the heavy oak door of the bar, soaking up the bright lights, the sounds of people fiddling with small knick-knacks and the sharp smell of cigarettes wash over him. He took a deep breath, and suddenly, he was back home: watching Winry tinker with her automail, the smell of Granny Pinako's pipe and the brilliant sunrise of Resembool's countryside rush through him in a swirl of memories.
As fast as it had come, it was gone, and he let his golden eyes flicker across the bar, taking in the multiple exits, the possible weapons and, more importantly, the patrons. It was empty, but none of its regulars seemed to mind, and it was classy. That much was true.
All the girls- escorts, as Winry would call them- dressed in elegant dresses that clung to their bodies like a second skin and wore their hair in elaborate styles. Shiny jewelry hung off necks and ears like decorations from a Christmas tree, and they wore heels of different shapes and sizes, each giving them new heights that allowed them to give off power only they could give.
But the person who truly caught his eye was the woman behind the bar. She was in her late 40's no older than her sleek black hair suggested. She was rather big-boned and wore a deep purple dress covered in a fuzzy overcoat. She wore two necklaces, one of them of pearls and another made of gold.
A mole made a stark contrast against her pale skin from where it rested beneath her bottom right cheek. Her lips were the colour of blood, and a cigarette- the one he smelled earlier his mind supplied- hung from her mouth, much like Havoc's did.
She was more than just a brothel and bar owner, and he knew it the moment her eyes laid on him, familiar dark black eyes that burned like charcoal eyed him as he approached the bar and flipped off his hood revealing his golden hair and youthful face. It took him a moment, but Ed finally recognized where he'd seen those eyes before.
Colonel Bastard.
Huh, so that's why he drilled this location into his head. She's his relative, probably that aunt Riza mentioned. Madame Christmas, Roy Mustang's aunt and the only place Ed found himself turning to in his time of need.
Ed let himself slink into a bar seat and set his arms atop the bar, his chin propped up on his hand and his other resting nonchalantly atop the shiny wooden counters. He let his golden eyes glance over at Madame Christmas, eyeing her and every other occupant in the room as he began to tap his finger on the wood.
Madame Christmas eyed the little brat in front of her, the one who strutted in and placed himself at her bar. She knew he wasn't legal, and the last time a child his age was allowed in her bar was when she was raising Roy.
She looked over at Vanessa and let her eyes flicker over to the back where her gun was, the one that Roy gave to her before he got deployed to Ishval. The young blonde nodded briefly and made her way to the back as she strode over the little brat. She stopped in front of him and let herself look over him once more.
She opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted before she could.
"Shots of Whiskey, please?"
Ed held back his smirk as he eyed her startled expression and eyed her up, noticing the nod she sent to the older blonde who had made her way to the back. Oh, so he was a threat, was he? Oh well.
"Are you even legal, brat?" Madame Christmas's gruff voice asked him.
Without blinking, Ed threw his state alchemist watch and gazed on with fond eyes as she caught it with one hand, barely even flinching as she did it. "There's only one state alchemist who's as young as you...what's the Hero of the People doing here ordering a drink? Better yet, does Roy know you're here?" She asks as she pours him his shot and passes it to him.
"Nope," he answers before knocking it back. "That's why I'm here, Madame."
"Oh?"
"...I need your help."
Madame Christmas eyed him with her small beady eyes," Why are you coming to me? Shouldn't you be going to Roy? He is your superior officer, after all."
Ed didn't say anything. He merely grabbed a note from his pocket and pushed it towards her. Ed grabbed another one of the shots lined up in front of him before knocking it back. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she picked up the thin paper and read it, her eyes briefly widening before she sighed and grabbed the last shot he had in his hand and chugging it back herself.
She set the small shot glass on the countertop, "I know Roy said you were a handful, but dear god kid, you need help."
Ed barked out a laugh," Trust me, God will definitly be no help to me. But, on the other hand, you're the best thing I've got, so, what d'ya say? Think you can help me?"
Madame Christmas let a small smile grace her lips, and Ed was stunned at the resemblance between Roy and her at that moment that he almost missed what she had to say to him, "Yeah, kid, I think I can help you. But I've just got one thing I've gotta ask you."
"Shoot."
"Who knows about your little plan?"
"Including us, it'll be six."
"I'm gonna take a guess and say Roy isn't one of them?"
"No, and he can't ever know. No one can know. My friends, family and the military will be hearing the news about my death how I sacrificed myself for my country, my people. Hell, I'll probably get promoted, not that it'll do me much good. But for this to work, Edward Elric can't live. I can't complete this mission myself, and there are too many eyes looking at my every move to take action. No, I have to become someone else. That's why I needed your help. You're my only hope, Madame Christmas."
She didn't say anything, merely handed him another shot he took before she leaned back and crossed her arms, eyeing him as if contemplating what to say next to him or rather ask.
"If you don't mind me asking, why? Why all the secrecy? This mission, what's so damn important?"
Ed gave her a grateful nod before downing it, "The military's compromised from the inside. Anyone who ever finds out too much gets killed; Roy knows this. Or rather he was close to figuring out the Truth before I went missing and 'killed.'" Ed made air quotes as he explained.
Bemused, he watched as Chris's eyes widened. She dropped a glass on the floor, not even noticing it shattering at her feet or hearing the concerned calls of her girls, and it took her several moments to process what Ed had just told her. He could see it in her eyes as the gears turned, and her eyes light up in understanding before they darkened as the severity of his statement went through her head.
"Roy was right; you are a complicated brat. Vanessa, take him upstairs and put him in Roy's old room. You can crash here tonight. I doubt you have anywhere you can stay, what with you being 'dead' now. Get plenty of rest. The real shit show is only the beginning."
Ed gave her a tired salute as he slipped off the barstool and stumbled a bit though he managed to catch himself. He followed the blonde, who gave him a friendly smile that he made an effort to return. Then, just as they were about to head up the stairs, Madame Christmas called out to him, "Hey, brat!"
He stopped with his back turned towards her, "Just promise me something?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"Promise me you'll keep him safe...Roy is all I have left in this world."
"...I promise. He means a lot to me as well."
"Thanks, brat...now scram!"