I am legit loving writing this again! And if I haven't said it before or enough, thanks for the support, especially after all these years!

Chapter 3: Past Responsibilities

Hughes was waiting for Roy to say something. Hell, he was waiting for him to do anything; move, blink, talk, anything. It felt like they had been stuck in this moment for hours, though it was only technically minutes.

Roy had taken in the information and was just staring at the letter, his head in his hands. He could not fully wrap his brain around what was happening. Here he was, a colonel, still in his 20's, trying to climb his way up the political ladder to fuhrer, and now he had a kid to worry about.

"I…I…This can't be right." were the only words that he could manage out of his mouth.

"Oh, it's no mistaking Roy boy." Hughes mused. "The kid is yours. Same attitude and all."

Roy threw the letter down on his desk and stood up. "That doesn't mean anything. Without a DNA test, there's no way to be sure."

Hughes had to say that even he was disappointed in his friend right now. Sure, this was a lot to take in, but he would have at least given the kid a chance before trying to come up with reasons to get rid of him.

"Look, if you don't want the kid, that's fine. And if you want to get tested, that's ok too. But there is a 7-year-old boy on the other side of that door who deserves some answers that he can only get and will only accept from you; his FATHER."

Roy was taken aback by Hughes. He had never seen him so worked up over something that involved him, especially since he usually supported him through anything. But, Hughes was a family man and Mustang had forgotten that. He probably looked like some dad running out on his kids right now.

Taking a steady breath, Roy sat back down and rubbed his hands through his hair and down his face. "I'll meet the kid." he agreed. "You're right. He does deserve to talk to me." Besides, it has been years, but the Trisha he knew wouldn't do something like try to pin a kid on him that wasn't his.

Hughes frowned. He was glad that he was willing to cooperate, but there was more to it. "It's not about meeting the kid. It's about giving him a fair chance." He wasn't so sure Roy understood this. "He's been through a lot already and having someone else come in and out of his life will be rough."

Hughes had a point, though Roy was reluctant to admit it. He didn't want to hurt the boy, but he had to accept that maybe he wasn't ready to be a father…Damn, he really wished he would have known about this earlier. Why would Trisha hide something like this until now? They were good friends; hell, to have a kid, they were better. Why wouldn't she say something?

"Do you want to meet Ed now?" Hughes asked, pulling Mustang from his thoughts. He was standing by the door with his hand on the knob.

"Uh…yes, send him in." Roy swallowed.

Hughes smiled. "And a little advice, loosen up. It's a kid, not a subordinate."

He opened and closed the door behind him, giving Roy a little time to get himself together and probably, Roy guessed, helping Ed prepare also. He had no idea what he would say to the kid. How do you have a conversation like this anyway? 'Hello and how are you' just seemed too normal for this.

The door to his office reopened and this time, a small boy stepped in, leaning against the frame as it closed behind him; his hands in his pockets and a very noticeable scowl on his face. Mustang had to say, he could see what Hughes meant about the attitude.

"So, Edward is it?" Mustang cleared his throat and tried to put on a smile to put the boy at ease. "I guess me, and you have a lot to talk about, huh?"

Ed eyed him and then scoffed. "I guess we do…Let's start where you tell me why you're a dead-beat bastard." he commented coolly, moving from the door and going to sit on the couch.

Mustang arched a brow. This kid was more advanced than a 7-year-old. He forced his irritation down and continued to speak calmly. "I understand the hostility towards me, but the situation is not what you think."

"Go ahead and make up a lie."

"I'm not lying."

"Doubt it's the truth."

"If you would let me explain."

"No."

There was a pregnant silence between the two where the tension could be cut with a knife. Roy could already feel his patience slipping and his irritation rising. Why the hell was this kid so damn arrogant and insubordinate? Didn't Trisha tech him what manners and respect was? Did he even know the damn words?

Ed on the other hand was extremely calm. He already had his plan in his head. He would just make it so that Mustang didn't want him and then he would get sent back home to his mom. "I don't need you and neither does mommy…We made it this far without you." he yelled.

Roy froze for a minute. Ed said that Trisha 'doesn't' need him. Why didn't he say 'didn't' need him? Did he know? "Ed, where…where is you mom?" he asked.

Ed stared. "She's home. Mommy only sent me because she says I need to get to know you."

Mustang's head fell into his hands. Just great! The kid didn't know. He cursed wondering what the hell Trisha had been thinking or planning when she decided to pull a stunt like this. Did she even think about how this could affect Ed?

"That's right kid. We do need to get to know each other…We're going to be spending a lot of time together."

Roy wasn't sure what he was doing but knowing what the kid had been through and what he was still about to have to go through, he just knew that he couldn't abandon him. As odd as it sounded…this was his…son. He chuckled; never thought that he would end up with a kid this way. With all the dating and sex, he was sure that one day he would slip up, but who would have thought it would have been from Trisha, his ex-fiancé.

*****^w^*****

After sending Ed into the office, Hughes leaned against the door and smiled. Things in central were certainly about to get a lot more interesting. Especially, for the flame alchemist. Riza noticed the look on his face and questioned what was going on. She had tried talking to the boy, but after so long; he had ceased responding to her.

"What's going on here?" she asked Hughes.

He smiled even harder. "Oh nothing. Just that Roy is about to get a life lesson."

"Life…lesson?" she asked and looked at the back of the closed door. Just who was that boy. I'm not sure that I follow."

Hughes knew that she was curious, but if Roy wanted others to know, that would be his business to tell. He looked at his watch and saw that everyone else would be pilling into the building soon for another day of work.

"Hey, I have an idea." Hughes draped his arm around Hawkeye, leading her away. "How about we go grab the two of them some breakfast out of the cafeteria?"

"…Sure." she agreed, giving one last look to the door.

*****^w^*****

Ed continued to glare at Mustang from his spot on the couch. He was not happy that his plan did not seem to be working. At first, he could see the irritation the man was getting, but now, it was like it completely disappeared. This newfound calmness was pissing him off.

"So, is there anything you want to know about me?" Roy asked.

Ed growled. "I don't need to know anything about you. I don't plan on sticking around."

"Oh really, and where are you going to go?" Roy sounded amused.

Ed crossed his arms and looked away. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going back home, or I'll stay with Hughes if necessary."

Roy smirked. So, his own son didn't want to stay with him. Couldn't say that he blamed the kid. But Hughes! Hell no! The last thing HQ needed was for Hughes to have another kid to run around and brag about. Especially his. He did enough bragging about the one that wasn't even here yet.

"And what makes you think that plan is going to work?" He asked, curious to hear the answer.

"Simple. You're a bastard who I'm refusing to stay with and Hughes is better than your sorry ass. See how it works." Ed stated clearly, glaring him dead in the face.

Roy stared and all it took was that one second for Roy to be over the desk and holding Ed up by the back of his shirt, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "Look kid, obviously you didn't get a lot of discipline in your life, but this ends here."

"PUT ME DOWN." Ed screamed, wiggling and fighting in his grasp. "YOU CAN'T TREAT ME LIKE THIS!"

Mustang smirked. "You're wrong. 1, I'm you father and 2…" he made sure to emphasize this point. "I'm BIGGER than YOU."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE CAN BE PUSHED AROUND LIKE A.."

"No one said any of that!"

"WE'RE BACK EVERYONE." Hughes announced cheerfully as he and Riza walked back into the office, food in hand, and right into the glaring match that was going on between father and son.

They paused and stared between the two before Hughes groaned. "Damn it Roy. Ed! Already?"

They both looked between each other and then to the new occupants in the room and pointed their fingers at the other.

"He started it!"

Thanks for reading everyone! Keeping this going!