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batsutousaiTitle: Reverti Ad Praeteritum
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood/manga
Author: Batsutousai
Rating: Mature
Pairings: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang, May Chang/Alphonse Elric, Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes, post-Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Warnings: Spoilers like whoa, Ed's potty mouth, canon-typical violence, pile 'o OCs, mute!Ed, original character death, angst, fluff, past dub-con, past adultery, Ed has all the guilt
Summary: Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come and burdened with guilt for the choices he'd made as an adult, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter what it takes.
Key: "Speech" | 'Mouthing words'
'Writing'
:Sign Language:
"In another language" | 'In another language'
Chapter Twenty-Seven, Part One
As soon as she heard about the ball, Winry started in on both Ed and Al about wanting to come – Ed's least favourite argument was probably, "I'm the only person from Rush Valley that can be invited without raising eyebrows, and we need to be included in your planning, too" – and they all knew Teacher would need to attend, too. (Sig was fine with just staying at the hotel, apparently aware that he didn't need to be a part of the planning process, especially since there was no way Teacher would let him be left out of the fight.) Roy ended up catching his team to serve as escorts, so Winry would go with Hawkeye, and Teacher would go with Falman. Havoc and Breda had, according to Roy, both found dates with women who were coming in from East City, and Fuery was happy to go stag, unless they found someone else who needed an escort.
With the Ishvalans' permission, Hohenheim disguised himself as one of them and moved into the encampment on Tuesday, where he would remain until their attack. (Al said something about him wanting to free up space in the house, since he'd been sleeping in the living room, but Ed privately wondered if their no-good father had just had his fill of helping care for Nina and Elicia.)
On Thursday, after a relatively quick dinner, Roy drove Ed, Ling, and May over to the Hugheses – Lan Fan and Fu had already sorted out their own plans to get into the Armstrong estate, and neither Ed nor Roy had asked, though Ed had warned Alex Armstrong that there would be two people wearing masks likely trying to sneak onto the grounds and they were allies – then traded them for Nina and Elicia, who he was going to leave with Madam Christmas, since he had to go over there to pick up his own date for the evening.
The only problem with going with the Hugheses, was that they had to deal with Hughes' photo fetish, but Ed and Al banded together and, with some help from Gracia, got the idiot to hand over the camera for some photos of the two of them in their white ensemble – accented with pastel green, which Ed thought suited Gracia a lot better than Hughes – then hid the damn thing and squeezed into the military car Hughes had borrowed for the evening.
They got there about five past eight, and the place was already packed, with people still arriving; even as much as he'd been out in the city, hearing people's excitement about the ball, Ed hadn't really realised that, when Armstrong had said it would be easy to slip a number of people away unnoticed, he hadn't been joking.
Given the crowd, it should have been impossible to find anyone, even with qi-sensing, but Ed knew Alex Armstrong more than well enough, and he and Hughes had at least a basic familiarity with the manor's ground floor, so it didn't take them long to find where the Armstrong family was greeting people.
"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, Mrs Hughes," Philip Armstrong greeted them when they made it to the head of the short line waiting to greet the family. "We're so glad you could both make it. And the Silent and Mending Alchemists." He paused, blinking a bit in surprise at Ling's robes.
Al cleared his throat. "If I may, sir, this is Princess May Chang and Prince Ling Yao, of Xing."
"Xingan royalty?" Philip asked, and he wasn't the only member of his family – nor of the nearby crowd – who looked surprised at the revelation.
(Ed realised, a bit belatedly, that it hadn't actually come up with Hughes' office team that his visiting Xingan guests were actually royalty.)
Ling put on his best – and most irritating – humble smile and said, "I am afraid that is not so glorious a title, in Xing, as you may believe. The emperor, our father, has forty-three children, and my half-sister and I are yet two."
"I had no idea," Philip admitted, before reaching out and taking his wife's hand. "Jocelyn and I were thinking of making a visit to Xing in the new year."
"The Yao clan would be happy to sponsor you," Ling was quick to offer.
May drew in a quick breath, her qi developing an angry edge, but Al interrupted, "This is not the place for this; let him have this one," and she subsided a bit.
Meanwhile, Ed turned his extremely unimpressed qi on Ling, who was quite obviously smug about getting one over on May.
Ling grimaced at him and huffed a bit. "It's not like Cha–"
"Please remember you're outnumbered," Al cut in, before May could start puffing up in anger again, and Ling's mouth snapped shut, his qi taking on a distinctly nervous edge.
"As you can imagine," Hughes offered a bit helplessly, "there's a bit of a rivalry among the many princes and princesses; it's been an interesting visit."
"Remind me to ask you more about that at some later date, Lieutenant Colonel."
"You may be better served conversing with Majors Elric, sir, since they were the ones who lived there."
Philip glanced between Ed and Al – and their dates, who were behaving themselves again. "Of course. I'll have Alex set up a tea date with you both, sometime in the next month?"
"We'd be honoured, sir," Al replied for them both, and he and Ed both inclined their heads.
As they passed him, Alex Armstrong slipped Hughes, Ed, and Al each a small slip of paper which, Ed saw once they were well past the meet-and-greet area, had directions to the cellar, where the meeting would take place at nine.
"We'll split up," Hughes decided. "If you see someone, pass on the message. At twenty-one hundred, we'll all make our way down and see who we're missing."
Ed and Al both nodded and, as the Hugheses moved away, Al turned to Ed and asked, "Are you certain you'd rather go with Ling? May's the one who understands you."
Ed huffed a bit. :Ling and I will manage. Go enjoy your date.:
"Brother!" Al hissed, embarrassed, while May covered her face, as if that could hide her bright blush.
Ed snickered and grabbed Ling's arm to drag him back into the crush of people.
Ling chuckled himself, but, as Ed started going after the nearest familiar qi he sensed – Colourway – the prince commented, "You realise that, if May were to become empress, she could not marry your brother."
Ed stopped and shot Ling a sharp look, mouthing, 'Explain.'
Ling smiled, appearing as though he didn't really care, but there was a whisper of sorrow in his qi that Ed almost missed, as many other people as were around them. "The clans of Xing will never stand for their empress – or their emperor – to be beholden to a single lover, especially not if that lover is an outlander, as you both are, whether you've been adopted into the Chang clan or otherwise. And I think we both know that your lineage, while certainly notable, isn't going to balance the simple fact that neither of you are Xingan."
Ed clenched his jaw, hating how true that rang.
"You don't trust me to keep my word about protecting Chang?" Ling asked, tone gone flat.
Ed huffed and yanked out his journal to write, 'This is not the place for this argument'
"And yet," Ling replied, tone still flat, "this is the first chance I've had to talk to you away from May since I learnt you had foreknowledge of me."
That was...true, actually. Damn. And while it felt a little unfair to have this discussion without May, Ed understood why Ling felt the need. He sighed and motioned for them to get out of the middle of the crowd, and Ling followed him over to the nearest wall. There, Ed wrote, 'I know you'll keep your word but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see my clan at the head of the country'
Ling snorted and glanced at the crowd. "Tell me truthfully: Could you see May ruling Xing? As quick to temper as she is?"
That was a fair point, given, but, 'You realise I know exactly how impulsive + idiotic you can be'
"That's one of the more disconcerting things about you having known another version of me. However–" Ling shot him a hard, knowing look "–you also sent your princess to me for protection, which suggests that you trust me – some part of me, at least – to keep your clan and mine safe in future. I think you've seen me as emperor, and you approved."
Ed eyed Ling's assured stance for a long moment, considering the mix of nerves and hope in his qi, before looking down to write, 'It's not just Chang + Yao--like Amestris Xing is made up of many different people + you need to be willing to treat them all the same. Can you do that? Can you treat whatever clan you hate the most the same as you do Yao?'
Ling stared at Ed's message for a long moment, his qi bleeding uncertainty, before he swallowed and smiled up at Ed, cheerfully commenting, "You have some interesting thoughts on ruling a country, Edward Elric-Chang."
Ed raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
Ling sighed and looked away, blindly handing Ed back his journal. "I don't know," he admitted quietly, before shaking his head. "I'd never thought I would become embroiled in a foreign conflict, or meet the Philosopher of the West, so perhaps I've yet to truly discover all I can do." He finally looked back at Ed, equal parts uncertainty and determination burning in his qi. "What do you think?"
'I think,' Ed wrote in response, 'that we have people to find + a battle to win before you need to start worrying if you've grown into the emperor I know is within you'
The curl of gratitude was the only warning Ed got before Ling hugged him, outwardly obnoxiously enthusiastic, inwardly grateful and determined.
And then, out of nowhere, Colourway called, "Group hug!" and flung his arms around both Ed and Ling.
Ling stiffened, his qi sparking with surprise and a fight-or-flight urge.
Ed, for his part, just snorted, amused, which seemed to help calm Ling a bit – or he'd realised Ed's qi wasn't even a little threatened – while a woman let out a loud, resigned sigh, and called, "Max, we've talked about this."
Colourway pulled away and turned to face the voice, drooping a bit. "But it's the Silent Alchemist! He doesn't mind."
Ed freed himself from Ling and turned to look, but was a bit distracted by Colourway's hair, which had been bleached white. His clothing, on the other hand, was in as many different pastel colours as he could probably manage, which was just so him, Ed couldn't help but snicker, giving the crazy alchemist a thumbs up when he glanced over.
Colourway's face lit up and he did a ridiculous little twirl. "Isn't it fantastic? I couldn't settle on a single accent colour, so I did them all!"
Just behind Ed's right shoulder, Ling let out a choked noise, his qi suggesting he didn't know if he should laugh or not.
An older woman – Colourway's age, and dressed all in white, with a single, thin braid of her otherwise dark and loose hair dyed a pale pink – stepped up to Colourway's side and set a hand on his shoulder, stopping his spinning with the practiced ease of someone who was well-used to the man's particularities. Her qi was warm with fondness and love, and Ed suspected this was Colourway's wife, since his file had only mentioned brothers.
She held out her free hand towards Ed with a smile. "Claire Norman, Max's wife. He speaks of you rather often."
Ed gave a slightly embarrassed smile in return and accepted her hand to shake.
"Good things only!" Colourway insisted, looking way too delighted.
As Claire let go of Ed's hand, Ling smoothly stepped around him and bowed. "I am Ling Yao, visiting from Xing."
"Xing!" Colourway called, pointing at Ed. "I see. I understand." Then he tilted his head to one side, putting on a confused expression. "No sash? You could have lightened the colour."
Ed sighed and turned a bit hopefully toward Ling, who let out an amused cough, then explained, "In the clan that Edward and Alphonse were adopted by, I have been told, it is the custom to give to the young a sash in honour of their first successful hunt. It would not be considered proper to wear it for a formal occasion."
Ed nodded in agreement, when Colourway looked askance at him.
"Culture," Colourway said in a sage tone, his qi filled with a much quieter understanding.
Claire patted Colourway's shoulder, even as she asked Ling, "You're not members of the same clan, then?"
As Ling explained that little discrepancy, Ed opened his journal and quickly wrote out the information about the meeting place and time for Colourway, as well as a note that Claire was welcome to attend, if he'd filled her in. Then he ripped the page from his journal and passed it to the man, who had stepped forward and looked rather like he was trying to decide if he could get away with reading over Ed's shoulder.
Colourway read it over, his qi flattening into something a bit more grim, with an edge of worry. "Claire is more inclined toward creating interest for the gallery, than listening to alchemists debate arrays," he returned, far quieter than was his norm when he was in public and acting happy.
Ed shrugged and nodded; it was no bother to him either way.
Colourway slipped the paper into the pocket of his pale blue suit jacket and added, "She knows. I don't lie to her."
Ed quirked a smile that felt a little pained, privately wondering if that wasn't a dig about how many secrets he was keeping.
"Ah!" Claire said, sounding surprisingly like her husband for a moment, her gaze lost in the crowd of people and one hand extended back toward Colourway. "Max, darling, there's one of our donors. He had questions about that one piece of yours, and you know I always mess up the explanations."
"Coming!" Colourway chirped, wiggling his fingers at Ed in something a little like a wave, then letting himself be led back into the press of people.
Ling cleared his throat. "He was...most strange."
Ed laughed and nodded as he slipped his journal away, then motioned that they should keep on themselves; Roy was within his range, and Ed wanted to torment him a bit.
Ling caught his elbow in an attempt to keep from getting separated, then they dove into the crowd again. When they caught sight of Roy chatting with a couple members of the brass, Ling let out a quiet, "Ah-ha," noise, understanding and disapproval – the latter aimed at Roy's date, Ed was nearly certain – sharing space in his qi.
Roy caught sight of them almost immediately and politely excused himself, then turned and moved around the couple separating them, while his date for the evening – that ridiculously pretty woman that had visited the house with Madam Christmas and Helen the first time, Lucinda or something – smiled vapidly on his arm. "Edward, Prince Ling," Roy greeted, and his date startled, her qi taking on a sharp note of interest, even as she carefully returned her expression to pretty-but-dumb. "Edward, I think you remember Lucy?"
Ed nodded and offered a polite incline of his head, while she offered him an absent smile in return. Ed raised an eyebrow at Roy, then signed, :Forgot to tell your aunt you have royalty staying with you?:
Roy blinked, his qi surprised for a moment, before easing out into a resigned sort of understanding. "You're cheating again, Edward."
Ed flashed him one of his sharper smiles.
Roy's qi just warmed with fondness and he admitted, "It's been a rather busy few weeks; some things may not have been passed on fully."
"I'm thirsty, Roy," Lucy said, her voice edging towards a whine. "You promised me an open bar."
"Of course, darling," Roy soothed.
Ed rolled his eyes and signed, :Meeting's at nine in the cellar.:
Roy inclined his head. "Of course. Also, the lieutenant and Miss Rockbell should still be around here, somewhere, if you wanted to say hello."
Ah, now that Ed thought to look for her, he did sense Winry, and he flashed Roy a smile, then pulled Ling in the right direction.
Winry and Hawkeye were talking with Havoc and his date, Second Lieutenant Rebecca Catalina, and it was the last who spotted them first, calling out an uncertain, "Al?"
Havoc looked over and let out an amused snort. "Try again."
"Ed!" Winry called as she saw him, her qi sparking with pleasure and annoyance, though the latter didn't seem to be aimed at him. :I just saw your boyfriend–: she started signing.
Ed flailed a hand at her hands, which made Havoc and Ling both snicker. :Have you been listening to Al's lies? He's not my fucking BOYFRIEND.:
Winry rolled her eyes. "For someone who can't talk, you sure get literal about terminology," she said, very likely speaking aloud to make her point.
Ed pinned her with a flat stare.
She huffed. "Whatever," she muttered, before signing, :He's with some woman.:
:L-U-C-Y,: Ed signed back with a shrug. :They're friends.:
:That's not what it looked like to ME.:
"This never gets any less annoying," Ling commented cheerfully.
Ed offered Winry a tired look, even as he elbowed Ling, then signed, :It's not like we can be public; I'm only fifteen.:
Winry opened her mouth, then paused, a sort of constipated look of understanding coming over her features. "Oh," she said. "Shit. I forgot."
Ed couldn't quite help a tired laugh and caught one of her hands to give it a gentle pat.
Winry huffed and lightly smacked his hands. "Have you seen your brother? I need someone to commiserate with, since you're useless."
Once again, Ling and Havoc let out amused snorts, this time also joined by Catalina, while Hawkeye's qi sparked with amusement.
Ed snorted and signed, :You can talk to him when we meet up in the cellar at nine.:
Hawkeye and Havoc's qi both sharpened, and Riza signed, :Directions?:
Ed quickly signed the same basic directions he'd given Colourway – the manor was large, but the cellar wasn't all that hard to find, so long as you stayed on the ground floor and weren't afraid to go back in the servant halls – then they all parted ways to pass on the news to anyone else they could find.
"You know," Ling commented as Ed cast around for any other familiar qi, "I think I remember something about food."
Ed sighed and nodded, then led the way to the buffet tables. And when they found about half of Hughes' office team over there, well...
Ed tried not to notice the smugness in Ling's qi, if only as a defence against the urge to beat the idiot prince senseless.
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