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Roy heard Hohenheim had visited the boys one night and left without waking them.
It sounded nice, in theory, to look at their sleeping faces tucked close together, finally resting, finally free of the axe hanging over them.
In theory only, though. Roy couldn’t see much of anything these days. It’s okay. He’s coming to terms with it all.
Days in the hospital dragged into a week and more. Hawkeye was released and did not leave, trading shifts watching over him with the others, but never truly retreating from the room even when her time was up. The nurses left the other bed empty and he was grateful for it.
They were in their own ward, for the moment, separate from the other patients in the hospital, left to lick their wounds in the peace that befitted heroes.
The commotion in the hall woke him from a light slumber. He slept more than he was used to, a combination of always feeling as though his eyes were closed and the fact that, in his dreams, he saw. It didn’t matter much what he saw, silly things, as dreams often were. But his mind still worked as though his primary sense was vision and that did not bother him for now.
“Edward, please!” he heard a nurse cry piteously. Edward snarled, cuss words flying from his mouth and Roy sighed and sat up.
“Sir?” Hawkeye said, her voice coming from his immediate right.
“Could you do me a favor, Lieutenant, and fetch me a wheelchair?” Roy asked, gingerly folding his hands in his lap. Pushing up with them had hurt.
“Of course, sir. I’ll be pushing you, though.” She said. He could imagine her deliberate glance at his hands and he almost chuckled. Even if he could push himself, how would he keep from running into the walls?
Apparently there was a wheelchair in the room, which was news to him, but her sharp footfalls paced a couple steps and then back, the wheels on the thing squeaking ever so slightly.
“Carefully, sir.” She said as he began to shift on the bed to turn the right direction. Her hand came up beneath his elbow, her grip firm and professional and no less sincere for it. What would he do without her?
He eased into the wheelchair. The sense of motion and the sounds of Ed cursing and the nurse’s half-hearted pleading became louder, accompanied now by the softer sounds of another young man trying to reason with Ed.
After the voice called him brother, Roy realized with a shock that it was Alphonse speaking, the ever-present echo of the armor stripped from his voice at last.
“Fullmetal.” Roy said, pushing as much authority into his voice as he could.
“Don’t call me that, Colonel Bastard.” Ed snapped back, and if his voice lacked the malice often present before, it didn’t mean he sounded any less like he wanted to fight.
“You haven’t resigned yet, Edward.” Riza chastised calmly from behind Roy’s head and Roy smirked.
“Not for lack of trying.” Ed growled.
“What’s the problem here?” Roy asked.
“I’m just trying to get Edward to sign his discharge papers since his father left. And shame on you for telling me you didn’t have one, Edward.” The nurse said sternly.
“He was never here!” Ed snarled and it seemed to be in response to both of her statements.
“I wish he’d woken us up.” Al sighed from somewhere on the far side of the room. Roy imagined he was still in bed.
“I’d have killed him where he stood if he had.” Ed said. “First time you got to sleep in years. If he’d woken you up, I’d have punched him right in his bastard face.”
“Brother!” Al exclaimed, though anyone could tell he was unsurprised.
“Fullmetal, just sign the papers.” Roy sighed, wishing he could pinch the bridge of his nose and knowing it would hurt to try. He didn’t even truly have a headache, but the gesture was so familiar when he was speaking to the young alchemist.
Roy bitterly remembered he’d have to stop thinking of him that way and concentrated more on the matter at hand.
“I’m not leaving. I’m still injured, look at my arm. No way am I healthy enough to go, I’m staying!” Edward said, switching from angry to cajoling in an instant.
“Edward…” the nurse sighed.
“I’m afraid I can’t look at your arm at the moment.” Roy interrupted and the silence that followed held enough shock and regret that Roy knew he had everyone’s attention. It bothered him much less after days and days coming to terms with it, but he still felt the sting of his own words. Regardless, it probably stung Edward worse. Edward, who certainly hadn’t thought much about Roy at all with his brother finally in front of him in the flesh.
“I’m staying.” Edward said stubbornly after a long moment.
“Of course you are, you’re Al’s legal guardian as far as the military’s records show and he’s a minor. You’re almost required to stay with him.” Roy said lazily and heard Riza’s soft exhale of laughter behind him. He was sure her face had betrayed none of it.
“That’s right, so everyone needs to stop trying to make me leave!” Ed sounded triumphant, as if he had won some fight.
“Edward, no one was ever trying to make you leave, they just want to finish up your paper work and take you off the IVs and stop charging the military money for your stay. Stop creating more paperwork.” Hawkeye said and he could imagine her narrowed eyes as she reminded him just who would have to do that paperwork when they all returned to the office, whenever that would be.
“Oh.” Ed said and Al giggled across the room. Roy wondered for a moment what he looked like. He kept imagining the suit of armor laid up in the hospital bed, though he knew it wasn’t so.
But he’d never known the boy before then. Roy imagined he’d be softer than his brother, kind faced and smiling. Everything about Edward that’d always made him look so sharp, he imagined reversed for the kind hearted soul he’d known. Soft where Ed was hard, smiling when Ed frowned.
It would be easy to say he imagined Al to be the sun to Ed’s moon, but that was not so. Ed was the sun, the high summer heat that you longed for all winter, only to realize it was too hot and miserable when it finally came. Al was the sun in the spring, where you burst out of your house in the shorts that still smelled of the dried flowers they’d been packed with, when it warmed enough to swim and the flowers bloomed and the whole world glowed.
“You aren’t making me leave?” Ed clarified.
“I will personally handcuff you to the bed if that’s what you want, if you will just sign the forms, Edward.” The nurse said and Hawkeye chuckled.
“I’ll lend you the handcuffs.” She offered dryly and Roy felt his smirk nearly split his face.
“Don’t look so smug, Bastard.” Ed said without venom. “Give me the pen.”
The sound of scribbling and shuffling papers followed and the wheelchair shifted as Hawkeye tensed in preparation of rolling him away.
“Thank you for coming, Colonel, Hawkeye.” Al’s voice said kindly.
“Wait, Hawkeye.” Roy said softly. He could see her inquisitive look in his mind’s eye.
“Is something wrong, Colonel?” Al asked.
“Yeah, you need something else?” Ed asked belligerently. “Ready to accept my resignation?”
“No, I’m on medical leave. Can’t do any work.” Roy said and smirked at Ed’s frustrated growl. “It’s only…I’ve never seen you outside of your armor, Alphonse.”
Hawkeye started pushing him forward and turned him. His knee brushed the edge of what he recognized as a hospital bed much like his own.
“I look a lot like Ed. But taller and handsomer. Normally, anyways.” Al said cheerfully as Edward sputtered behind Roy somewhere.
“I’m taller now, Al!” Ed exclaimed.
“For the moment.” Al fired right back and Ed growled.
“What do you mean, normally?” Roy interrupted.
“Here.” Al said and Roy could hear him move. From behind him and Hawkeye, he could hear Ed start forward hurriedly.
“Hey Al, take it easy.” Ed said.
“I’m fine.” Al sounded winded and a hand touched Roy’s carefully. It was bony and trembling slightly.
“Are you okay, Al?” Roy asked, feeling as much as he could while moving his hand as little as possible. The fingers under his own were too thin and the joints felt oddly larger in comparison.
“It turns out Brother was eating for two all this time. No wonder he ate so much, right Colonel?” Al said, still sounding a little winded.
“Edward, roll up your brother’s bed some before he collapses.” Hawkeye said.
“Right, right.” Ed said, sounding grateful for something to do and his footsteps scurried around the bed. A moment later, the bed creaked nosily next to him and the hand in his stopped it’s trembling.
“How bad is it?” Roy asked, partially afraid of the answer, imagining now a grotesquely thin Edward with a kind, smiling face.
“It’s pretty bad.” Al admitted, sounding a little self-depreciating.
“It’s not that bad.” Ed defended hotly. “The doctors say that with some food and hard work, he’ll be fine. You hear that, Al? Fine.”
“I hear you, Brother, you’re right.” The boy gave in easily. The smile in his voice was clear, but Roy had never known him to have expressions. At least with Al, he felt confident he could read him as well as he ever could.
“The doctors tell me more than they tell you because you’re my minor.” Ed said, sounding a little proud.
Hawkeye shifted behind him and he could hear her eye roll in the silence. He’d always had to discern that in public, since she would never really roll her eyes when they were out and about.
“Brother, you didn’t even know I was your minor until 5 minutes ago.” Al said, amused.
“I did so!” Ed insisted. “I’ve had to claim you on taxes every year!”
“Really?” Al sounded disbelieving.
“That’s true, Al, I had to help him with them the first year. He was your only relative and was supporting you. He got a fairly big deduction for it.” Hawkeye said.
“Deduction from his pay?” Al sounded aghast and Hawkeye chuckled.
“No, deduction from his taxes.” Hawkeye clarified. “But I think the Colonel needs to be getting back to his room. It’s almost time for dinner.”
“Urgh.” Roy said. “Hospital food. Can’t you sneak me something else, Lieutenant?”
“At least you’re allowed to have it. They still won’t let me have any solids. I got to have mashed potatoes yesterday, though!” Al concluded that sentence cheerfully, as if hospital mashed potatoes were something to be excited over. Roy resolved not to talk about food in front of the boy again.
“You aren’t missing out on much. It’d almost be worth it to hold out for Winry’s cooking.” Ed reassured easily, as if he hadn’t been throwing a fit in the hallway a couple of days ago at their refusal to feed Al dinner alongside him.
“Goodbye, boys.” Hawkeye said and began wheeling Roy away.
“Come back when your hands are better, Colonel, and you can touch my face. Maybe it’ll help you figure out what I look like!” Al called.
“Sure, Alphonse.” Roy agreed over his shoulder. It’d be something to look forward to.
“Hopefully my cheeks will be more filled in by then. I wouldn’t want to worry the Colonel.” Al said to his brother on the edge of Roy’s earshot.
Edward made a small ‘hmph’, but did not make any sort of argument about the Colonel not worrying about them, as Roy would’ve expected.
“They’re good boys.” Hawkeye said softly to him as they made a sharp turn into what Roy was pretty sure was his room.
“They are.” Roy agreed and thought that, despite his eyes and his hands and everything else, the pleasure of the two of them finally being whole and together was well worth it.