Half Lives: Cease Fire, pt 1

By The Binary Alchemist 2010

There's truth to be found in the bitterness of winter and the pitiless stretch of endless sand in the desert. Snow and sand give no quarter to those who wish to conceal themselves. Sooner or later the harshness of the environment will drive the hunted into the open to freeze or dehydrate, one death not preferable to the other.

There is no Ishballah. There is no tribal deity to stretch out the hand of mercy that heals and saves. Only human mercy holds the cool water to the parched lips. Only human mercy kindles the fire that drives the dark and the gnawing cold away.

It is this reason that the Solstice fires are lit and the doors flung open to friends and strangers—and enemies—alike this night. It is a night to lay down our weapons, however briefly. We may not be able to embrace as kinsmen or even clasp hands in truce…but we will each take our corner out of the dark and drink from the same bottle and sup from a common board and for one night, at the very least, we will do no further harm to one another.

Perhaps—if fortune favors us—the anger and frost in our hearts will be melted a little by the warmth of the Solstice fire….

It was Izumi who called them. "Solstice night. I want both of you under this roof with your children. If Roy can manage it, he should be here."

"But-"

"Winry, Mr Garfiel and Paninya are welcome."

"But-"

"There is plenty of room. Ed, you and Roy can take your old room you used to share with Alphonse."

"But-"

"Winry, you and the kids and Paninya can share the room upstairs. You and the kids take the big bed, and we'll make up a cot for Paninya—"

"But-"

"We'll put Alphonse in with Mason and Mr. Garfiel can have the attic—we've got a wood stove up there so he won't be chilly—"

"But-"

"And you will be civil to one another. Divorced or not, you are Maes and Nina's parents. Both of you want to share custody one day. This is how you start. By proving that you can lay your differences aside for their sake on your first Solstice apart."

"But-"

"Shut up, Edward."

"-y-yes, Teacher…"

"But Izumi-"

"Winry? You want to be a good mother? Then be one. Do this. Make this start for them."

"…yes, Ma'am…."

#####

By the third stroke of the gavel, the members of the Amestrian Parliament practically bolted for the doors as their winter recess began. From December 15th to January 3, they were given a reprieve from their duties-which no longer meant long three martini lunches and sitting on their duffs reading the paper while Grumman nattered on. No, the Mustang presidency expected results and for those who knew Roy well from his days as a deceptively lazy colonel it was downright amusing to see him in action now. If he caught someone dozing during session he would personally stride from his seat, hover over the luckless snoozer and give them eight degrees of hell in the finest military fashion. Bastard, some of the more lackadaisical members might mutter under their breaths-but the Bastard got things done. The country was making enormous progress in terms of making overtures of peace to its neighbors, airship travel was a national obsession thanks to the Elric brothers, and the long recession was finally over. The beer halls and beauty shops were as full of argument and complaint as usual—but when Roy's name was mentioned most Amestrians would nod and agree that he was doing a Damn Good Job.

The women, however, were often heard to add, '…and it's such a waste, isn't it?"

Mustang had a male companion. He did not flaunt this fact but he did not deny it either. One never saw Roy Mustang and Edward Elric holding hands in public or smooching for the camera. No, they comported themselves with dignity and reserve before the public eye. Of the two Elric brothers, Edward was the less approachable one. It was the charismatic Alphonse whose handsome features graced the covers of so many magazines. Men cheered him as the heroic airship pilot of the Xerxes. Women swooned over his clean cut good looks and affable grin. Edward's picture appeared on the covers of scientific journals-and the odd gossip rag that speculated on his love life in the Presidential palace. Nobody, however, dared to refer to Edward Elric as the First Lady of Amestris. To do so would be no less dangerous than painting ones testicles bright red and hanging them over the edge of a Cretan bull pit.

The Fuhrer was heading for a well deserved vacation, and Radio Capital was all over the story. "Like stink on shit," Ed offered for comparison. The Fuhrer had recorded his Solstice Address on acetate disc for broadcast on Dec. 21st: "I intend to spend a quiet holiday with family and friends. It has been a year of hard work and great progress—and so I plan to travel to the Eagle's Nest, Former President Bradley's hunting lodge, for two weeks of skiing, ice fishing, and eating far too much than I should, no doubt. I wish a joyous and peaceful Solstice to all my fellow Amestrians and to our neighbors and friends abroad."

Friends and family meant Edward Elric, and one tasteless wag on the radio joked that the Fuhrer was sending out Solstice cards featuring a naked Edward on a bear skin rug in front of the fireplace at the Eagle's Nest with Mustang wearing the traditional green robe and candle wreath of the Holly King, gazing down at his lover's bare rump with lusty intent and the caption, "Comin' Down The Chimney". Bradley would have had the comic thrown in prison; Mustang simply laughed it off while Ed grumbled and cursed and punched the bed pillows until the feathers flew.

One call from Izumi Curtis and the plans of the Fuhrer and his entourage changed abruptly.

"Of course we'll go," Roy told his lover as soon as Ed hung up the phone, uncharacteristically meek and stinging after Izumi's sharp words.

Ed looked surprised. " 'We'? But—hey, I know we were gonna go up to the mountains-"

"Your children come first," Roy reminded him.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, asshole!" Ed snapped back. "Look," he sighed, ruffling his fringe in frustration. "This is my problem, not yours. I mean…it's gonna get…y'know…tense. I'm not saying we're gonna be at each other's throats…but…shit. Y'know?"

Roy slid his arms around Ed's shoulders, massaging gently. "Yes. And if you're laboring under some heroic delusion that you have to 'face this alone', you can forget it. Izumi's invited Paninya and Garfiel, and of course Al will be there too. She's deliberately making sure that you have friends around to make it less stressful. Winry is coming, isn't she?"

Ed nodded. Since their divorce their few phone conversations had been polite and civilized, a far cry from the shouting matches that characterized the bitter weeks before their divorce. What had cooled their wrath was the final recognition on both sides that neither one of them was blameless when it came to laying the blame for the end of their marriage. Best friends and childhood companions, even Winry was forced to finally accept, do not automatically guarantee that two people can live together as man and wife. Things had escalated out of hand and at least now, for the sake of their two children, they were determined to agree to lay the blame aside and concentrate on "not fucking up their little heads and making them hate us," as Ed bluntly put it.

"All right. I'll make the arrangements. We'll stay with Izumi. Riza and the guards can head to Eagle's Nest with my decoy. I'm sure that in a house with your teacher I'm probably safer than if I had a squadron of sharpshooters surrounding the house. You and Al can take the train together—if there's talk we'll say you'll be visiting your children for Solstice and then traveling up north before New Year's. All right?"

"Decoy?"Ed looked puzzled. "You've got a decoy? Where the fuck did you find someone stupid enough to pull that off in front of the press?"

#####

"Don't scratch," Hawkeye warned him.

"But this wig is driving me nuts," he wailed. "It itches like hell—"

"—and you're scratching like that makes it looks like the Fuhrer has head lice, so knock it off!"

"I wanna cigarette."

"Forget it." She laid her hand on the holster concealed at her hip. "If you so much as put a filter tip to your mouth I'll shoot it off."

"Damn it, how long is this ride gonna take?"

'Quit whining, Jean—and wave. We're passing through another town and the people can see you through the window."

"Did I mention how much these black contact lenses suck?"

#####

"Did I mention how much these blue contact lenses suck?'

"Shut up, asshole. And don't even think about kissing me without brushing your teeth and gargling. Goddamn, don't know how Hawkeye stands it. Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray."

Under the fake blonde fringe, "Jean Havoc" offered his lover a sly, cool smirk. "Coming from the man who swallows, that's hysterical."

"Suck my—Al? What is it" Ed glanced up at his brother, looking rakish and dashing in his silk aviator's scarf and brown suede flight jacket. How his kid brother managed to look wind-blown and photogenic after five ass-numbing hours on the train south was beyond Ed's reckoning.

"We'll be pulling into Dublith station in about fifteen minutes,' Al announced eagerly.

"Pardon me—I gotta take a dump," Ed announced, rising to his feet.

Al and Roy grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved in back into his seat. "And lock yourself in the can and then tell us, 'oh, hey—bad case of the shits. Sorry I missed the stop—I'll catch a return train when I get to Resembool-"

"And have Granny beat my ass…yeah…I know…I know…can't blame a guy for trying…"

"Ed—it'll be okay. You'll see."

His older brother leaned his head against the window and sighed.

"Merry fuckin' Solstice, you sons of bitches."

…to be continued…