I awoke early with a scratching pain in my throat. It was drier then the desert. I ran to the bathroom to splash some water in my face, when I remembered the water bill was way too high, and I couldn't use the water until I had paid it off.

I quickly ran to the kitchen to see if we had some juice or some cold water in the fridge, but what to my wondering eyes should I see? My worst enemy, the edible liquid drained from a cow and forced down my throat since I was but a boy. Milk. It was the only thing in the ENTIRE house that was in liquid form which was cold.

I thought I could tough it up and last the whole without a drink, until I swallowed my saliva, and it hurt like hell. My arms were crossed as I glared down at the huge jug of milk in the fridge, which gleamed up at me and told me to drink it for relief. I struggled for while, and unfortunately, I gave in.

I grabbed the jug of milk and began to chug it, trying not to taste it. Just my luck, my younger brother Alphonse just happened to wake up just at that moment.

He walked into the kitchen, but stood in the doorway, watching me chug down the milk. I noticed him there, then stopped. We glared at each other. He crossed his arms, and smirked.

"Al, it's not what it looks like!"

IT'S BACK! It may or may not have been put back up with the approval of the people who run this website… -shifty eyes- I won't say anything if you won't. So, here it is again. I will try to update it daily. But, who am I kidding? I might not…

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, any of the Fullmetal Alchemist movies, or any of the characters. The only thing that I own is myself.

Lexxa (Me!): Hello, and welcome to the Fullmetal Alchemist Dare Show of Doom!

Edward: What? When did you get here?

Lexxa: …When did you get here?...

Edward: -stares off into space-

Lexxa: To the readers out there in the fanfiction world… I WANT YOUR REVIEWS!

Alphonse: …Excuse me, scary lady?

Lexxa: Yes, Alphonse?

Alphonse: What's fanfiction?

Lexxa: -evil grin- You don't want to know.

Alphonse: Okay…

Lexxa: Anyway, onto what the reviews will be for! I WANT DARES! Give me your best dares and I will make them happen! NO DARE WILL BE TURNED AWAY! Unless, of course, it violates the rules that I will express now!

RULE ONE:

Absolutely no yaoi.

Lexxa: Sorry, yaoi fans, but I don't want to make this into something that can be disturbing…

RULE TWO:

I will only do the dares that I can understand.

Lexxa: Meaning, if you send me a bunch of gibberish, I will not use it. I don't feel like trying to decipher whatever it is that you tried to send…

RULE THREE:

The dares can only be for the people in Brotherhood.

Lexxa: Well, I might do extra chapters where the dares are for the original, but that'll only happen if it's mentioned in an author's note at the beginning of the story. I've read way too many fanfictions where it wasn't clear if it was for the Brotherhood or original cast…

RULE FOUR:

Make sure that whatever you submit won't scar anyone for life. Please.

Lexxa: It's happened many a times for me before… scary mental images… -crawls into emo corner-

RULE FIVE:

Keep things on a rated T for teen level!

Lexxa: No disturbing scenes for the young mind!

Alphonse: -looks confused- Are you saying that people are going to dare us to do stuff?

Edward: -regains his senses- NO WAY IN HELL AM I GOING TO DO THAT!

Roy: -smirks- Why not, Fullmetal. Are you chicken?

Edward: I AM NOT A CHICKEN!

Roy: Oh, right. You're just short.

Edward: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE GOT CONFUSED FOR AN ANT AT A PICNIC AND ALMOST GOT SQUASHED BY A GIANT HAND?

Alphonse: Brother! He didn't say anything like that! And Winry apologize! Let it go!

Lexxa: You know, those short rants kinda say a lot about you, Ed…

Edward: -grumbles- -stomps off into the emo corner-

Roy: -smirks- Well I'm ready for any dare as long as it gets me out of paperwork!

Riza: -shoots bullet next to Roy's head- Sir. Paperwork. Now.

Roy: -grumbles- -joins Ed in the emo corner to do his paperwork-

Lexxa: Don't forget to review!

I want to say this from the star; Al has his body in this. I am not sure just yet if he never lost his body or if he lost it and already got it back, that is a minor detail in this fanfic that I will iron out later on. Also, this is something I could never decided should I use the Conqueror of Shamballa Alphonse or Brotherhood Alphonse for the body? I'm leaning towards the Shamballa one but I want to know which you guys would prefer since it wouldn't change the fanfiction's plot at all.

I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters.

"Don't touch him!" Ed yelled as he struggled to get out of Gluttonys grip, watching as Lust held his brother Alphonse down who struggled to get up and away from the man called Father who looked just like the brothers dad.

"Now, now, don't struggled you two," Father said as he held the Philosophers Stone in his hand, "We don't want our Human Sacrifice to get hurt," He said this directed towards Ed who was the 'Human Sacrifice'.

Ed just glared, "Let my brother go!" He yelled.

Father, and the other homunculi ignored him. Father turned back to Alphonse and knelt beside him, "Lust, if you would," He said. Lust nodded before using her nails that were pinning Alphonse down, to create a cut across his cheek.

"What's he doing to my brother?" Ed demanded as he watched Father drop the Stone on Alphonse's cheek and it went into the cut.

Lust stepped back to stand beside Gluttony as Alphonse let out a scream of pain as the same red electricity like energy that happened on the homunculi when they healed, or Envy when he shapeshifted, seemed to dance over his body.

"GYAH!" Al screamed and gritted his teeth as he arched his back and slammed his face against the ground in pain.

Ed increased his struggles even more, "AL!" He yelled, "YOU BASTARD WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" He yelled at Father.

Lust answered this one, "He is creating a new Human Based homunculi," She said, "his body is right now trying to either accept or reject the stone, if the stone overcomes him, as it does for most, he will die," She said.

Alphonse let out a scream before looking at Ed, "D-Don't worry, brother-AH!" He yelled, "I...I know what I'm doing!" He let out another scream as his body twisted in pain. It was true, he'd been planning and trying to figure out how to even the playing field and by that he'd need a homunculus on his and Eds side, and the Homunculi just gave him the chance to do that, by becoming a homunculus himself.

Edward gritted his teeth, "AL! Hang in there!" He said, he couldn't believe he was praying to any god that was listening that the stone didn't overcome him, he could handle having Alphonse a homunculus, right? He just didn't want his brother to die.

Alphonse let out a scream of pain and his conscience was instantly pulled into what he presumed was the Philosophers Stone.

He let out a scream as he fell, some of the souls slammed into him, they were all identicle, and lost their singality in this torment.

He managed to upright himself as he continued to fall in the endless abyss when suddenly a a large face emerged from the endless souls. Though it wasn't actually a face, but more like a mask. It too, was red and black, just like the souls.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" The thing laughed, and Al could have swore he knew that voice, but he couldn't place a name and face to it.

"Am I really supposed to use this pathetic brat?" He asked, narrowing his eyes to scrutinize Alphonse, "Oh well, hand over your body, I guess I have no choice but to use a human body. It will be interesting I suppose, since you are an alchemist,"

A plan had already formulated in Alphonses mind. What better way to beat your enemy then become something that your enemy was?

"Fine by me!" Alphonse said, I'll help Brother this way, "You can have it!"

He coul have swore the thing was raising an eyebrow as it said the most intelligent thing out there, "Huh?"

Alphonse repeated, "I said come! I'll let you have my body!"

It titled to the side a little, "You know, people normally reject me, I am one of the more ugly sins after all," He said, clearly puzzled by Alphonse so openly accepting the sin.

"I'm not a normal person!" Alphonse argued, why was he prolonging this so much? He needed a body and Al was here willingly to give him his own body, "I'm an Elric!"

The monster just laughed, this human was just so amusing, "I do love that spunk you have, kid," He said and leaned closer to Alphonse, "Just don't go changing your mind about this."

"I'll never change my mind," Alphonse said, "My Brother is in a losing battle against your kind, If I become a homunculus, I can be more useful to him! I will not back down now! And I accept all of the risks!" he yelled, no matter how much Ed argued, the homunculi were beating him.

"Hahahaha!" The monster laughed, "Maybe you should be getting Greed instead of me, that small speech had a bit of greed in it," He laughed and his mouth finally opened, "But lets see if you can stomach it!" He said swallowing Al.

"AL!" Ed yelled as his brother stopped writhing in pain. He watched as his body gave a few twitches before straightening up and slowly standing up and rubbing the back of his neck. He stared at him, something wasn't right, something just felt so horrible wrong when he stared at his brother, "Al...?" He asked.

"Huh?" he asked and glanced at Ed, and the alchemist felt his blood freeze. That wasn't Al's voice, that wasn't Al's voice...That wasn't Al... That wasn't Al that wasn't Al that wasn't Al! That wasn't Al! "You mean the runt I took this body from? Sorry, he just checked out," He said giving a far to wide of a grin.

Ed stared in horror, he knew that voice...he knew it far to well...

"ENVY!"

Chapter One is done. Tell me what you thought, if there was anything I could do to make this better.

Also I used the part when Ling turned into Greed for a refrence on what it's like becoming a Human Based Homunculus. Also for those who might be confused the thing that Al was talking to when he accepted the stone is supposed to resemble Envys true form. I didn't want to get into detail on it because well. I want it to actually show what sin Al was given at the end.

A bright light shone across the dance hall of the underground city, underneath Central. Edward had done the taboo again, bringing back his brother, with the price of his own body, mind and soul. Even with that payment, it still wouldn't have been enough, so his arm and leg had been taken again, along with Alphonse's memories of the 4 years journey they had together. 4 years worth of sweat and blood to find a stone, forgotten.

The light disappeared, and on the transmutation circle, lay the younger brother, Alphonse Elric. He awoke to see he was in a strange and unfamiliar place. He was confused and scared, for his brother was not with him to help him.

"Nii-san? NII-SAN! Where am I?!" When he spoke those words, a terrible memory stuck his mind like a rock in a pond. The ripples of details bounced off the walls of his skull and hurt him so.

He remembered seeing the gate, then his brother walked through. Ed walked towards Al, leaned down and whispered something in Al's ear. Al couldn't make out what he said, but his brother didn't repeat, and walked on, then disappeared, as Al was dragged through, and pulled out there.

Al couldn't hold in his cries for his brother. He screamed for his eldest brother to help him. He yelled that he was afraid, then, when he was finished, he herd a door open.

Fletcher and Russel were standing at the door.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Russel called out.

"Look, brother! There's a boy on the floor over there!"

Russel and Fletcher ran over the Alphonse, who was confused and a bit scared. The brothers introduced themselves, as did Al, but when he said his name, Russel and Fletcher didn't believe him. It took a long while of explaining, until they finally helped Al out of the underground city.

Al was returned to Resembool, his hometown, where he saw Winry, who was a lot older then him. It took some more explaining until Al had Ed and his journey all figured out. Winry almost cried every time she looked at Al.

Al tried his hardest to remember what his brother whispered in his ear at the gate. He even told Winry and Pinako but when he did, Winry just cried, and Pinako would just remain silent. Al believed his older sibling was still alive in the gate, little did he realize, his brother wasn't in the gate, he was through it. In a completely different world, far from each others grasps, yet close enough for travel.

One day, when Pinako was making some lunch for Winry and Al, she noticed a note, from Al, saying he was going to visit his mothers grave. Al was already told about the house.

He just stood there, staring down at his mothers grave, then sat down, and hugged his knees, like he did when he was younger. His eyes widened, then he looked to his left, to see nothing but more graves in the line of his mothers. Then he looked back at the tombstone. He was too lost in the memory of that time he sat the same. He then felt the presence of his brother. The presence whispered in Al's ear, then left. Al looked up, smiled, then began to cry.

He had finally remembered what Ed whispered to him at the gate.

"I'll always be with you, Al."

"Edward, wake up! If your just going to sleep in every day, why did you even apply for a job?"
Alfons nudged Ed early in the morning. Trying to get him up, he even pulled on his arms and nearly made him fall out of bed.
"Come on, Edward. I already made breakfast." Ed didn't move a muscle. Alfons frowned. You forced me to do this, Ed. Alfons though to himself.
"I guess you'll have to take a SMALL breakfast." And with that, Ed's head popped up.
"What, did you just say?" He questioned, angrily. Alfons laughed to himself.
"Knew that would work. Now come on, Edward! Get dressed and eat something!" Then he walked out. Ed looked on his bed, and a neatly folded pile of clothes sat there waiting for him. He smiled to himself. Just like back then. Then Ed grabbed the clothes and put them on.

Without a moment too soon, Ed was walking down the stairs. He grabbed his seat, and slumped down in the chair. All he could smell, was bacon and eggs.
"What took you, Ed?" Alfons asked, while putting some eggs on a plate.
Ed shrugged, then sat up as Alfons headed over with his plate of food. The steaming hot bacon and egg's sitting on the plate tempted Ed to eat like a pig, until Alfons headed back over with a fork and knife. Ed took the fork and knife and began to eat. As soon as he finished, he noticed Alfons didn't eat.
"Hey, Alfons. You going to eat?"
Al shook his head. "I already ate." That's what he always says. I'm a bit worried. Ed thought to himself.
"Hey, Ed, look outside!" Alfons was starring outside, and when Ed turned his head, he saw snow.
"It's snowing. Pretty bad at that." said Ed, as he grabbed his right shoulder. Alfons glanced at the door, then ran over to it.
"Lucky you, Ed. There's a good 3 feet of snow outside the door. Guess we can go to work." Ed had a wide smile of success on his face.
"-And wipe that smile off your face!" Alfons interrupted his glorious moment.
"Do you have to be such a downer?" asked Ed.
"Do you have to over-exaggerate every little chance you get to miss a day of work?" Alfons asked.
"Touché, Alfons. Touché."

"People are advised to stay inside. There is 4 feet of snow outside, and it is -15 degrees Celsius. Such a poor way to start out the Christmas holidays."
"That's right! This will be your first Christmas in my world!" Alfons said after hearing the radio broadcast.
They had set a fire in the fireplace Alfons had and they had sat beside it in chairs, reading books. Well, that's what Alfons was doing. Ed had dragged his chair to the window, and was starring out into the Winter Wonderland. He was thinking about Al and Winry. It would be his first Christmas away from them, and he would never know if his transmutation really worked. Bringing back someone had taken his arm, leg and brother, and it failed. This took him, his arm, leg, and his brother's memories, and he would never know if it worked.
"Edward? Did you hear me?" Alfons asked. Ed looked back at Alfons, as if snapping back to reality.
"Huh?" Alfons sighed, walked over to Ed and placed his arm on his right shoulder.
"Are you ok, Ed? You've seemed sorta out of it, ever since I said it was snowing."
"Well, this is my first Christmas here, and my first Christmas without my little brother."
Alfons looked down. Then he realized something. "Ed, your not alone, you have me, how about we have the best Christmas two people can, huh?"
Ed smiled and looked up at Alfons. "Ok."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not long after that, did Edward help Alfons set up a tree, and get it decorated. They also set up a whole bunch of decorations around the house. Ed tripped setting up some tinsel a few times. Alfons caught him tripping those few times. It was near 8 o'clock when they finished.
"So, Edward, what do you think of this Christmas so far?" Alfons asked Ed as they sat on the floor with hot chocolate in their hands.
"Well, I'm glad it was a snow day. We got to spent a lot of time together, I liked that part the most." Ed replied.

Title: An Inopportune Time

Chapter: 1

Word Count: 984

Pairing: Ed/oc, Roy

Rating: T

Warning: Mild shounen ai for this chapter.

Summary: Roy calls on Ed late one night concerning a mission at an inopportune time.

Not Beta'd

AN: A little unfinished plot bunny I found misfiled. Originally I intended this story to be several chapters leading up to Ed and Roy as a couple. Who knows, maybe one day it still might become that. For now it's just a short stand-alone chapter.

I like the idea of Ed being all grown up and Roy not knowing how to handle it.

An Inopportune Time

It was later than Roy intended when he finally made it to Ed's apartment. Glancing up, he could see that the blond's lights were off in his second floor flat, thought he knew that Ed was home because the curtains were now closed. Roy hesitated at the stairway wondering if it would be better just to call tomorrow morning and arrange a time to meet with Edward to discuss the mission. It wouldn't leave Ed much time to prepare, but he didn't particularly want to wake Ed up. They were fairly good friends now and he happened to know that the blond was the embodiment of hellfire and brimstone if woken up for work on the weekends.

The General lingered for several more moments on the foot of the stairs, almost convincing himself to just wait until tomorrow, when one of the blond's neighbors opened her door and stepped out onto the walk, cigarette in hand. The woman, in her late forties, eyed him speculatively and Roy inwardly cringed and made his way up the stairs. Mrs. Biemer was this particular apartment complex's gossip. If she saw him watching Ed's window for a long while and then leave the woman would assume that he was one of Edward's lovers, an idea that he didn't exactly want to get around. He'd been by often enough before, but it wouldn't do for rumors to spread about him and his subordinate being intimate. The Fuhrer would be all too happy to believe in them in order to dismiss Roy and eliminate a threat to his position. If he went up and spoke with Ed and left right away, then hopefully the nosey woman would realize that it was just work and be bored with the scenario.

He ignored the woman's hawk like stare, and rapped three times on Ed's door. It was greeted with silence, not that Roy was surprised. Ed was a fairly sound sleeper. He knocked again, louder this time, and called out, "Fullmetal," to make it clear both to Ed and his snooping neighbor that this was a work call. Just as he was about to knock a third time, the door opened to reveal a panting and disheveled Edward.

Bare chested, golden skin flushed, and bulging jeans made it quite obvious what Roy had just interrupted, and the General stammered out an apology for calling on his young subordinate so late and at such an inopportune time. "I didn't realize you were currently seeing anyone, Fullmetal, or I would not have called on you at such a late hour," the General said, falling into formal speech to hide his embarrassment.

Edward gave a breathless laugh and smirked at his superior's obvious discomfort. Despite Roy's rumored promiscuity, Ed knew the man wasn't quite the player he made himself out to be – Roy tended to use women's names as code in military operations and alchemic notes – he was actually rather old fashioned when it came to dating and quite the gentleman. Ed's own surprising promiscuity often left the older man flat-footed, particularly in moments when he caught the blond engaged with someone.

"Oh, I bet," Ed teased lightly, casually brushing bangs from his eyes. "I bet you just wanted a piece of the action.

"W-what?"

"Care to join?" the blond asked with a suggestive grin. "There's always room for one more."

Roy turned crimson at the offer, and mentally cursed his reaction when he saw the younger man's smirk widen. Ed was just trying to unnerve him and he was doing a spectacular job of it.

Clearing his throat the General said, "No thank you, Ed. I'm actually here on business."

"Of course you are," the younger alchemist said, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame, tilting his head in a manner that indicated to Roy that he should hurry and get to the point. The motion caused Ed's hair to brush along his collar bone with a faint whisper.

Earlier in the year Ed had cut his hair to the length it was when Roy had first met him as a child, claiming that he wanted change. The change had been too much for Roy, however, and he often lamented the loss of the blond's golden tresses, so much so that Ed finally agreed to grow it out again. Six months later it was just now reaching his shoulders, barely long enough to pull back into a ponytail.

"I think this perhaps isn't the time to discuss this, Fullmetal," Roy said with a wave of his hand at his subordinate and a nod of his head in the direction of Mrs. Biemer who was peaking up the stairs to see and hear all she could. "Meet me for lunch tomorrow, our usual place."

"Fine," Ed said, his gold eyes amused.

Some motion in the darkness behind Edward drew Roy's attention, and the older man was surprised to see a man of Xingian descent fall gracefully over Ed's shoulders, hands wandering freely over the blond's toned body, kisses being placed hungrily over neck and shoulders, suggestive words in Xingian whispered into Ed's ears.

Come to bed, pet. Let me make love to you. I will tie you up and have you begging with want.

Edward leaned into the man and gave a little moan, half lidded gold eyes glancing in Roy's direction once more, one eyebrow raised, the message clear, if you're not going to join then leave.

Roy quickly stuttered out a goodbye and nearly fled down the stairs, but it didn't stop him from hearing the man who was draped all over Ed asking who he was, or Ed's reply of, "a good friend."

The man then asked, "Is he this kind of friend?"

Whatever the Xingian did earned another breathless laugh from Ed, but by that time Roy was too far away to hear the blond's response.

DA: Well, this is a first. I've never written for the FMA category before. In fact, I've only just watched the series. You can blame me being bored as fuck during a long ride home one day. I had nothing else better to do than to torture poor Ed. XD

Disclaimer: Nope, it's not mine.

DA: Well then, enjoy!

Surface Appearances

by DarkAngel555

Ed stood at the edge of a building, golden eyes scanning the streets of Central beneath him. The setting sun reflected off his braided hair, dying the strands that flopped into his face red. Blood dripped onto his usually pristine white glove, some splashing to the ground in heavy drops to create miniature scarlet puddles on the otherwise grey concrete. The silver of a blade shone in his other hand, the edge crusted red.

It was his fault, it was all his fault. And he couldn't take it anymore. The pearly scars that lined his flesh wrist just didn't alleviate the pain like they used to, becoming meaningless marks rather than reminders. He'd started after their first failure in finding the stone, the pain, disappointment and guilt too much for him to bear at the time. The suit of armor that was now his brother just served to remind him of his mistakes. It was hopeless; he knew that now. So why continue? The search was taking energy that he no longer possessed and it was time to end it.

Breathing slowly, he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Al."

Roy Mustang was engaged in a staring contest with the stack of papers Hawkeye had so graciously plopped onto his desk when the phone rang. Elated at the excuse to ignore his work, he picked up instantly. "Colonel Mustang here," he said, authority filling his voice.

"Sir, there is a call here from one Alphonse Elric. He said it was an emergency," the operator informed him, all politeness. Mustang sighed, running a hand down his face. Those boys were going to be the death of him.

"Patch him through." He mentally prepared himself for the list of complaints as the line momentarily clicked. What he wasn't expecting was Alphonse's frantic voice, thick with what would have been tears had he been able.

"Colonel, sir. Have you seen Ed? I can't find him anywhere and this note-" The young boy cut himself off, making sounds that were reminiscent of sobbing. Mustang was frozen, eyes wide, with shock. Note? Notes were only used when-

"Alphonse, what does that note say?" He attempted to keep his tone calm but stress and worry leaked through his words, causing Hawkeye to send him a strange look.

"It says that he c-can't do this anymore. He said that he's p-proud of me and he wants me to c-continue the search w-without him. Please Colonel, find him. I c-can't l-lose him too." The Colonel pressed the phone to his shoulder, already barking orders to his ragtag group of soldiers.

"Hawkeye, grab the car and pull it around front. I'll meet you there shortly. Fuery, get on the police frequency. Call my radio instantly if you hear something of interest." He placed the phone to his ear again. "Don't worry Alphonse. We're going to find your brother."

"Thank you Colonel." Sighing, he hung up the phone and stood, already making his way towards the door.

"Sir, what exactly are we looking for?" Worry burned in his gut at Fuery's question as he paused at the door, hand already on the doorknob.

"You'll know it when you hear it. Believe me." And he walked out, the door closing quietly behind him.

The radio fizzled in and out, giving small bits of intelligible information as the static cleared. So far, though, it had given nothing of value, but they were all half-listening to the device so they could figure out why the hell their superior was being so cryptic. Havoc had abandoned his paperwork to help the tech genius, a strange sense of foreboding filling him. Falman and Breda just watched from behind their desks, pens hanging loosely from their fingers. Hawkeye was going to skin all of them when she got back, seeing as absolutely none of their work was getting done. "What do you think the Colonel wanted us to listen for?" Fuery asked, pushing up his glasses. "It sounded urgent."

"I don't know," Havoc murmured around the cigarette clenched between his teeth, spewing smoke with each word. "But I have a bad feeling about this..." Silence overtook the small group, each listening to the quiet sound of the radio. Suddenly, the cigarette dropped from the blond's lips, his face an expression of shock. "Fuery turn that up!" His face confused, Fuery complied, twisting the dial to increase the volume.

"-in the vicinity please respond immediately. Again, a call has been made about a young man possibly threatening suicide at the building on the corner of 1st and 3rd. Subject is described as a child with blond hair and is wearing a red cloak. Anyone in the area respond immediately as back-up," the police dispatcher ordered urgently from within the device. They stared at the radio with looks of varying worry and fear, the Sergeant's trembling hand turning down the volume.

"Call the Colonel," Falman ordered swiftly, the first to recover from the astonishment. Fuery worked quickly, his hands shaking even worse than before. Havoc walked over to the window, eyes glinting with both anger and worry.

"Dammit, Ed..."

"Got it Fuery. Thanks for the help," Mustang said into his personal radio, pausing as more sound responded to his voice. "Don't worry. I'm sure this is all some kind of misunderstanding. We're going to sort it all out." He put the device down and glanced at his lieutenant, black hair falling over his dark eyes. He wasn't going to worry his subordinates, but she was a different story in entirety. He trusted her completely. "First and Third, Lieutenant. Hurry." Hawkeye's hands were tight on the steering wheel, her face pale.

"Please tell me this is a joke," she whispered, voice wavering slightly. She couldn't get her mind around the idea that Ed, their Ed, could even think about doing something like that. It was too out of character, too selfish. He wouldn't leave Al all alone, would he? Tears hazed her vision and she made no motion to wipe them, to do so would acknowledge their existence. Roy sighed, shaking his head.

"This is no joke, Hawkeye. God, I wish it was. Alphonse called me. He left a note; he's completely serious about this." He swallowed, trying to force saliva down his suddenly tight throat.

"But Edward? Why would he even consider this? He has his brother to think about."

"I wish I could tell you, Riza. With Fullmetal, it could be a number things." And that wasn't far from the truth. Too many things, horrible things, were stacked behind the normally energetic golden gaze each time the boy came into the office. It made Mustang shudder even thinking about it. Hawkeye pulled the car over, listening to the crowd that had congregated around the foot of the building. "Alright. You work crowd control. I'm going to go talk him down."

Ed breathed, tasting the city air for perhaps the last time. He moved his foot as the door to the roof slammed open behind him, intending to step out into open air. No matter what anyone said, he was committed to this; no regrets. All he'd done in his life is fuck everything up, and usually managed to drag his brother into his messes. Surely Al hated him, any sane person would. He clenched his automail hand into a fist, shifting his weight to fall.

"STOP!"

The cry rang out, causing the blond to freeze where he stood. He knew that voice. "Leave me be, Colonel. This is my decision. I don't give a fuck about your life's goal," he said softly, the man in question hard-pressed to hear the words. He didn't bother opening his eyes, the darkness far too peaceful for the interruption of light. The sun warmed his face as it slid down the horizon.

"Ed, think about what you're doing," Mustang yelled, voice straining with concern. The sight in front of him confirmed everything; this was real. No more passing this off as a misunderstanding. "Think about your brother. Alphonse has been worried sick."

"He's all I have been thinking about!" Ed snapped, surprised himself at the outburst. "This is best for him. I've just been failing him. He'll do better without me." His volume lowered as he continued speaking, tears burning underneath his eyelids until he finally opened his golden eyes, turning his head upward as they rolled down his cheeks. "He-he must hate me..." His voice shook. The black-haired man thought out his next words, knowing he had to be careful. One wrong word and this was all over. He had to tread cautiously on the kid's already fragile psyche.

"Al could never hate you, Edward. He'd tell you that himself. Now get your ass away from that ledge and quit being a coward. The Edward Elric I know wouldn't even consider this." Mustang watched as the boy tilted his face towards him, revealing anguished golden eyes. That look shouldn't even belong to an adult, much one so young. Thin rivers trailed down his face, a testament of his pain. "Ed..."

"A coward, huh?" Ed's shoulders shook as a humorless laugh barked from his throat. "Well, I guess I am. That's another thing I'm apparently good at. Running away and letting others fix my problems." He faced the edge again, dropping the shards of a blade from his hands and clattered to the puddles of blood at his feet. Mustang stared at them, eyes wide, but forced himself to ignore the blood. One problem at a time. "Goodbye Colonel. Take care of Al for me." Wind tousled their hair, billowing in Ed's red cloak as he moved to throw himself off. He actually did lose his balance when a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, yanking him back against a sturdy chest.

"Don't you fucking dare, Fullmetal! You've got way too much to live for. Trust me on that." They fell back, Roy onto his ass and Ed cradled between the older man's legs. Arms wrapped protectively around the younger form. The blond alchemist fought the hold, struggling against his captor. Limbs flew around to force the arms open, but they held strong, the Colonel mentally counting the amount of bruises that he would bear later.

"Let me go, you bastard! I can't do this anymore dammit. I'm too tired to deal with all this failure. I can't keep failing him." His automail pounded weakly against his superior's chest, tears streaming faster the more he struggled. "I can't go on feeling like this. I'm so fucking useless."

"Are you really so desperate to end your life, Fullmetal?" Mustang questioned, voice stern. The teen stilled the moment the words left the older man's mouth, air rushing in and out of his chest.

"Well...I..." Golden eyes met black. Ed was surprised at the amount of concern and fear in those dark eyes. His own filled with tears and he collapsed against Mustang's chest, his small form shaking violently with sobs. "I can't t-take it a-anymore, Colonel... F-failure after f-failure. I c-can't stand the d-disappointment in A-Al's voice each time we f-fail and know that it's my f-fault. He's my b-brother and I can't even get his body b-back." His words were unintelligible after that point, sobs breaking apart everything he tried to say. Roy just clutched him to his chest, rubbing the boy's arms in comfort.

"I've been where you are, Ed," he murmured, feeling a hand grasp onto his shirt, which was getting quite wet at this point. "It was just after Ishval. I thought my life was over and that I wasn't worth it because of all those that I killed. I actually had a gun pressed into my chin. Hughes talked me down. He convinced me it wasn't worth it." He paused, wincing silently at the muffled, broken sobs. "Ed, Al does not hate you. He knows that finding the stone isn't going to be easy. He knew that from the beginning. You've been through so much and still will. Don't even think of ending this now. Just give everything another chance. It'll get better. I promise." Mustang rested his chin on the blond head, rocking him gently as he had seen Hughes do to his daughter when she was crying. Soon the sobs relaxed and the boy's energy was spent. "C'mon kid. We have a few people we have to reassure." Looping his arms under Ed's knees and around his shoulders, he hoisted the young form up, back straining under the weight of the automail limbs.

Ed was still crying slightly as they reached the bottom floor, looking up at the Colonel with bloodshot eyes. He wasn't protesting to being carried, a testament to how much he craved human contact. "'m sorry..." Mustang glanced down, relief blossoming in his chest. The boy looked like hell, dark bags shadowing beneath his eyes. His face was pale and drawn and though it was kinda hard to tell with all the steel, the black-haired man swore that he had lost weight. His braid was falling out, oily strands hanging limply by his face. But all in all, Roy was relieved; he was alive. He must have been planning this for quite some time, hiding his true intentions beneath the usual mask. His latest dead-end mission had pushed him over that edge that he'd been dangling over for a while, causing him to finally make the decision to end his own life.

"Don't apologize. Just don't do it again." He was silent as he pushed the exit open with this hip, walking out into the artificially lit street. "You really scared us, kid." As they stepped into the light of the nearest streetlight, cries of joy and relief rippled through the small group that surrounded the car. Smiling gently, Roy set the boy on his feet, confident that everything would be ok now. He promised himself that he would personally check on him later, when Al had forced him to bed.

"Brother!" Alphonse cried, running towards Ed, who blinked in shock at the amount of people who had been waiting for them. He was swept up in an armored bear hug as everyone surrounded him, finding some way to manage physical contact with the alchemist.

Roy stood off to the side, the small smile still etched on his lips. Hawkeye took her place next to him, sighing in relief. "Let's go Riza. Let's leave them be."

"Yes, sir," she agreed, her voice light.

**EDIT: PUT DIVIDERS UP **

DA: YAY! Happy ending! I love parentalRoy!Ed fics. They just make me really warm inside, so I wrote one for myself. Hope I didn't knock the characters too out of proportion. Well, tell me how I did!

R&R please!

May your hearts stay strong,

DarkAngel555

Title: Too Close for Comfort

Author: S J Smith

Rating: K+

Summary: Someone has to tell Ed about their relationship.

Disclaimer: No, no, I'm just a fangirl.

"That was close!" Alphonse ran his hand over his hair and Roy envied him that shorter cut for a second; it was harder to muss. Of course, his own hair usually looked like he'd just climbed out of bed unless he slicked it back, so maybe Edward wouldn't suspect that his little brother had just been running his fingers over Roy's head.

"We could just tell him," Roy pointed out, earning a glare from his younger lover.

"Like that'll work," Alphonse muttered. "Think about it, Roy. Ed's…well, you know how he feels about you."

Roy considered the last time he'd been on the receiving end of Edward's tongue-lashing, one heated enough to blister paint – and Roy knew about heat. "I think what your brother needs is something to take his mind off of how iyou/i are, and what you might be doing," he shot Alphonse a lingering look that made him blush, "and whom you might be doing it with, and start having a life of his own."

Eyes narrowing, Alphonse rubbed his chin. A sudden, evil grin, reminiscent of Edward's own, flashed across his face. "I know just the person, too. Winry's been saying she wants to come to East City to visit, and Ed's always had a crush on her. Maybe it's time to let her in on our secret."

"Are you sure?" Roy asked, wondering if the boys' childhood friend would be the one to break through Edward's prickly shell.

"Oh, yeah." Alphonse's smile widened and he reached for the telephone receiver. "And if that doesn't work, trust me, she'll knock some sense into him."

The door suddenly opened again, and Edward poked his head through, a scowl on his face. "Are you coming, Al? We've got research to do! Those stupid Xingese texts aren't going to translate themselves!"

Alphonse rolled his eyes. "Coming, coming," he sighed, and winked at Roy when Edward couldn't see, mouthing the word, 'Later!' as he closed the door behind him.

Roy sighed, staring at the telephone. Yes, perhaps a woman in Edward's life might do him some good.

- end -

A/N: Hey everybody! So this is my first Elricest story. Please review because I really want to know if I did good! This is yaoi and incest, if you don't like don't read! Grr. Elricest is like my little sin. I keep grumbling at my little sister: "Grr. I should like Elricest. I should be disgusted because they are brothers and that is wrong...but it's SO DAMN CUTE." So I have accepted the fact that I shall go to hell. I mean, if I have to go, at least it's for a good reason. :D

Disclaimer: Isn't obvious that if I owned Fma that Elricest would be Canon? Sorry Winry. I'd love to own it though. I'd put Roy in a mini skirt. :3

It was a pretty normal thing for Alphonse to be woken up in the middle of the night by his older brother's muffled sobs. The cries were low and almost nonexistent, but they were there. Alphonse would open his eyes and turn to see his brother sitting up in his bed, crying and breathing heavily. When Alphonse would ask what was wrong, Edward would say that nothing was wrong. Alphonse would pester a little more, but Edward would insist he was fine. Alphonse would kiss his brother lightly and then go back to sleep. That's how it was every night. But on a particular night, exactly two years after they'd restored their bodies with the Philosopher's Stone, things were different.

Alphonse blinked his eyes open slowly, aware of the usual soft cries. He debated on whether or not he should check on his brother, because he knew what was going to happen already. The seventeen year old boy rubbed his eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a while, mentally debating. When, all of a sudden…

"Alphonse?" the soft voice of his older brother filled the silence of the night. "Al, are you awake?"

"I am, Niisan." Alphonse said in a quiet reply. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No…I just…yeah."

The younger turned to him, "What is it?"

"W-Well…I had a nightmare…" Alphonse was all too aware of the tremor in his brother's voice.

"Are you alright Niisan?" Alphonse asked kindly.

"Yeah…I just…" Edward's voice trailed off and another muffled cry escaped his lips. The light of the moon shone through the window and reflected off the tears in his eyes.

"Oh Niisan." Alphonse got out of bed and sat down on the edge of the other bed in the room, where his brother was sitting. He gently wrapped his arms around the golden haired boy, his light gray eyes never leaving those gold ones.

Edward rested his head in the crook of Alphonse's neck and tried to hold back another cry.

"You don't need to be sad Niisan. Those nightmares aren't real."

"But Al, you don't understand. They're all real; everything that's happened to us. Mom dying, trying to bring her back, Nina, the Philosopher's Stone, all the Homunculi, Dante, almost losing you so many times."

"But all that's over now. We got our bodies back and all the Homunculi are gone now. You don't need to be scared."

It was silent between the two brothers for a little while. They were both thinking back upon the horrid events that had happened to them over and over again. Edward was the first to break the silence.

"I love you, Al." he said softly.

"I know. I love you too, Niisan." Alphonse kissed his brother's cheek lightly. He ran his hands through Edward's curtain of golden blonde hair.

Edward raised a gentle hand to his younger brother's face and smiled a little to find a tear grazing Alphonse's soft skin. "What are you crying for?" he chuckled softly.

"I just…hate to see you upset."

"Well I hate seeing you upset. Stop crying."

"We're gonna be okay, you know." Alphonse said matter-of-factually.

"I know." Edward nodded.

So the two brothers sat there holding each other throughout the middle of the night, as if they would always be safe in the other's arms. And from that day on, it was a pretty normal thing for Alphonse to be woken up in the middle of the night by his older brother's muffled sobs. The cries were low and almost nonexistent, but they were there. Alphonse would open his eyes and turn to see his brother sitting up in his bed, crying and breathing heavily. When Alphonse would ask what was wrong, Edward would tell him he loved him.

So did I do good? Will I make Ed and Al proud? :D I hope so. Of course, if they were real, they would probably be horrifed by Elricest. Btw, I guess you could consider this just brotherly love if you wanted to, but I think it's incest; very small incest, but still incest. And now I'm going to hell. But wait...noooo...I have school in five hours (is currently three in the morning). Oh well. Please review! They help me make Elricest! :3

Title: No Better to be Safe Than Sorry

Author: S J Smith

Rating: Teen

Summary: Ed wakes up somewhere…different. And in the control of someone he doesn't even know.

Disclaimer: No, no, I'm just a fangirl.

Note: Thanks to D. M. Evans for her edits. Also, warnings: Misuse of Witchcraft, language. This story was partially inspired by me recently reading the graphic novel, MangaMan, and a lot inspired by the video for a-ha's Take On Me. Which probably isn't much of a warning unless you're over thirty.

The pain in his skull pounded Edward awake. He twisted his neck, ignoring the way it made his head throb, trying to figure out where the hell he was. He knew he didn't recognize this place, with its close walls and black and red curtains, and what looked like a poster of him, back to back with Mustang, hanging there. "The fuck?"

"You're awake!" someone chirped at him and Edward jerked, wincing at the way his head ached at the movement. A girl came to the bed, grinning. Her eyes were ringed with some sort of dark makeup, and her hair was partially up in a pair of dog ears, while the rest of it hung loose. She had a complexion that reminded him a little bit of Winry's thief friend, but her hair was reddish, rather than black. "Oh, you have no idea how much I've wanted to meet you! And then I found this spell based off of some really ancient music video from the '80's, and I had to try it out! So now you're here and you're with me and it's so amazing!" She squealed, and the sound of it sliced right through the headache and made its own brand of pain.

Edward tried to sit up, forcing his body to move despite the way it really wanted to lie there like a jelly blob. "Who are you?" he snarled. Wait, that wasn't important. "Where am I?"

"You're on Earth! San Francisco, to be exact." She bounced around. "No one thought I could do this but I did it, I did it!" Throwing her fists in the air, she shouted, "Take that, world!"

"Where in hell is San Francisco?" Edward swung his legs off the bed, hating he had to rest for a few seconds before he tried anything else.

"The United States, dummy. California." She rolled her eyes. "I guess Winry beating you with a wrench really did cause brain damage. Well, don't worry, you won't have to deal with her any more."

"How do you know about Winry?" Edward asked, muscles tensing as he wondered if Bradley decided to take some sort of action against her.

"Same way I know about you," the girl said, grinning brilliantly. "And I have to say, I really love you! I mean, you're my favorite hero ever. The way you just adore Alphonse!" She laced her hands together, her eyes starry. "And you'd do anything for him! And how close you are to Ling!"

Lip curling, Edward gave the girl a dismissive look as he went to the window. Outside was nothing he recognized; a huge city, as far as he could see, on steep hills that were nothing like any place he'd ever known. A chill ran through his body. "How did I get here?" He'd been asleep; he knew it, or trying to, since Mr. Gorilla snored like a saw mill.

The girl tsked. "Magic, dummy. I told you, I found that spell based on that video? Weren't you listening?"

"There's no such thing as magic," Edward said, almost absently.

"Maybe in Amestris, there isn't, but this is Earth. Your rules don't apply here."

He turned back around, hiding the fact that his legs still wobbled under him. "Yeah, but if I don't know the rules, I can't play."

"Ooo, good one." The girl smiled again, an unnerving thing. "Well, you're from a fictional world created by Studio Bones, and there's the manga, and you're now here, in my world! I kept you from getting really hurt, and now you owe me."

Edward ignored the 'really hurt' part, focusing on, "Fictional?"

"Well, yeah. You're from an animated series." She frowned, pouting. "You do look kind of weirder than I expected, with your eyes and all."

"There's nothing wrong with my eyes!" Edward snarled. "Why the fuck did you bring me here, anyway?"

"Because I wanted to meet you." She swayed her body from side to side. "You're amazing, Edward, and I just couldn't stand never meeting you. And now, you'll have to do what I say, or I'll make sure you never go home again."

X X X

Darius blinked at the hand on his shoulder, following it up the arm to stare at Heinkel. "Why'd you wake me?" he asked muzzily.

"Where's the kid?"

"Maybe he wandered off to take a piss." Darius groaned, realizing he was sleeping on a root. Or a rock. Something that poked up into his back. Rolling onto his side, he used his bent arm as a pillow.

"It's been over an hour since he was supposed to take over the watch," Heinkel said.

"An hour?"

"Yeah, and I don't smell a trail away from where he was sleeping."

That got Darius's attention. "The hell?"

"That's what I was wondering. The tree branches aren't low enough to let him grab a branch and climb up from here." Heinkel paused, cocking his head. "Well, he is a little monkey."

Darius tilted his head back to study the trees. "Still, that's probably three meters up. The kid can't jump that high from a standstill. He'd need at least a running start. And probably to use my back as a vault."

"And I'd still be able to smell him."

They looked at each other, and Darius said, "Well, damn. The little shit still owes me four hundred cenz."

X X X

"So, Ed," the girl crooned. "What do you want to do?"

"Go home." Edward leaned against the windowsill, folding his arms.

She pouted. "You're not going home!"

He managed to refrain from grinding his teeth, but only just. And then a thought hit him. "You know I'm supposed to be protecting my brother," he said. "Kinda hard to do that from," he gestured at everything in the room, including the girl, "here."

She huffed, irritated.

"You know I'm right."

"Just because I know you're right doesn't mean I have to like it." Her pout deepened. "You're supposed to be here for me!"

"How could I be here for you? I don't even know you, and I've got people waiting for me back home!" Edward wondered if Mr. Gorilla and Mr. Lion were waiting for him, or wondering where he was. Damn it, he needed to get back home. "I don't know how you got me here, but send me back, now, or you're really going to regret it."

"What are you going to do?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. With her dog ears, Edward was reminded of Den. He decided not to say that out loud.

Forcing a dangerous smile, Edward said, "You really don't want to know."

"No," she said, "I really do. I mean, are you going to transmute my room? That'd be so cool!" Squeezing her hands together, she wriggled in place. It reminded Edward of a little girl needing to go to the bathroom. He'd seen Elicia and Nina do that exact dance before.

"No, I'm not going to transmute your room," he said, disdainful and kind of concerned, because that had indeed been the plan. "I'm going to – to transmute your clothes!"

"Really?" she squealed. "That's so cool!" Yanking open a door, she waved a hand at the clothes inside it. "Go ahead! Do it!"

Well, fuck. That wasn't the reaction he wanted. Still, he'd made the threat, time to follow through. Edward considered the transmutation circle, running through all the possibilities, or at least those he could think of in a split second, then clapped his hands together and hit the floor of the bedroom. The familiar blue bolts sizzled under his palms and flashed into the closet, illuminating it. Clothes exploded from the closet, shredded by his alchemy into rags. There, Edward thought, satisfied, that ought to get her attention. Flashing his teeth, he smiled at the girl as she stooped to the floor, picking up a piece of…fabric.

"What. Did. You. Do?!" she shrieked, leaping at Edward.

He sidestepped her attack, letting her crash into the bed, hard. "Transmuted your clothes."

She shrieked again from the bed, her mouth twisting in rage. "You bastard!"

Edward grinned mirthlessly. "Takes one to know one. If you send me back home, exactly from where you took me, I'll fix your clothes."

Baring her teeth at him, she snarled, "You're not supposed to be like this! You're supposed to be sweet and kind!"

That struck him, and Edward laughed long and hard. "Whoever the hell you think I am, I'm not that guy."

"Yes, you are!"

"You don't know anything about me," Edward spat, "you just see something you think is true, and twist it to your own means. You're just as bad as – as Bradley!"

She recoiled, horrified. "I am not!"

Determined to make his point, Edward went on. "You're using me to get something you want – and you're not taking into consideration that I don't want to be here." He stabbed a finger at her. "Send me back home!"

"No! Not until," she glanced sideways, and then smiled, a toothy grin that made even Edward nervous. "Not until you sleep with me!"

X X X

"So, if he's not up a tree," Darius said, "and he didn't walk away, what happened to him?"

"How should I know?" Heinkel shrugged. "I mean, he's Edward Elric."

"That doesn't mean he's able to vanish."

"Maybe he made a hole in the dirt and crawled away underground."

They exchanged a long look. "Yeah, it's a stupid idea," Heinkel admitted as Darius nodded.

X X X

Edward curled his lip. "I am not going to sleep with you."

"Then you can't go home." She folded her arms.

"Are you sure? I mean, I could do something worse to your room than what I did to your clothes."

That made her hesitate, then she sneered. "Go ahead. Do your worst."

Shrugging, Edward said, "Okay. But remember, you told me to." He pressed his hands together.

X X X

"Surely we would've heard him leave," Heinkel said. "His left leg makes so much noise."

"I dunno," Darius said. "He can be kinda sneaky."

Something crashed into the underbrush, a string of familiar curses erupting from the bushes.

"Well, he's back," Heinkel said as Edward pulled himself out of the brush.

"I was kidnapped!" Edward snapped, picking a twig out of his hair.

"Kidnapped? Are you kidding?" Darius asked.

"No, I'm not kidding! Some weird girl kidnapped me."

Heinkel's eyes widened. "Kidnapped you? Whatever for?"

Edward started to reply, then his face reddened. "Never mind!"

"Oh, no, you started this, you need to finish it," Darius said, making himself comfortable.

"I'm not telling you anything!"

Heinkel rubbed his ear. "And it was so nice and quiet while you were gone."

Edward glared at both of them. "Fuck you."

"Well, you are kinda cute, but I like girls," Darius said.

Flashing him an obscene gesture, Edward limped into their makeshift campsite. "You'll never believe where I just was." He slumped down into the hole he'd made for himself earlier in the evening.

"Save it for later, kid," Darius said.

"Yeah, it's your turn for watch, anyway," Heinkel said. "I was coming to get you."

Groaning, Edward climbed out of his hollow, walking out of the site. "Yeah, sure," he muttered, "you were going to do that. I bet you'd never show up where I was." He shuddered. "Maybe I can tell myself it was a nightmare, yeah…"

"So where do you think he was?" Darius asked, when Edward was out of hearing range.

"Who cares?" Heinkel crawled into the hollow Edward had made, wriggling around to find a more comfortable position. "He's back, and he's on watch. I'm going to sleep."

Darius decided he wasn't going to think about that any more, and closed his eyes. Whatever Edward had been up to, it wasn't really his concern. Unless the kid turned them in, and he doubted that'd happen. Sighing, he drifted back off to sleep and into a dream where he was safe, warm, and full of food, and Edward Elric and all the other crazy alchemists were all a distant memory.

- end -

Patience

By BlueDemise

AN: Hey guys! This is my first fic, so don't give me any crap. It's a oneshot. EdxWin of course! Enjoy! P.S. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, THEY BELONG TO HIROMU ARAKAWA!

Winry Rockbell had always been known to be patient. She was the one who waited for something that rarely came. She waited for him. Edward Elric. The boy she'd subconsciously been in love with since the day they met. He was a boy of few words, and it often made Winry annoyed with him, but he usually got the message across. And Winry had grown used to reading his expressions. She could tell he was nervous if the right corner of his mouth twitched. If he was angry, his face would get all red and he would bear his teeth. If he was happy his face was lax and calm, and sometimes, he would smile. And she knew that deep down; Edward would always come back to her.

Edward Elric was not someone of patience. He would yell and scream and pout when he had to sit in one spot for too long. But that what made his personality. He always left. He always left everything behind. He left her behind. Winry Rockbell, the girl he loved, and the girl he'd do anything for. And he always felt terrible when he hurt her feelings. One example was that he never told her anything. But how could he? If he did, she would have been in danger. He tried his best to tell her in his own way, and that seemed to work out fine. She was the only thing, other than Alphonse, that kept him going. He made a promise to return to her, and he'd be damned if he didn't.

AN: What? Another author's note? Dang, I just don't know when to quit do I? Anyhoo… remember that this is my first fic, and while I'll love any review that I may possibly receive, please no Flames.

First Story! ^^ Please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: It would be so awesome if I owned FMA. But I don't. *cries*

There was an air about her, one he would never understand. The way she acted, her stoic presence. Most surprising, fact that she was still there after so many years. Every day he thanked the gods he had no interest in believing that he could see her face. He had been with many women in his life; more than he cares to remember on good conscience; but she was far different. She was his best friend, and his bodyguard. Reassuring enough that he was watched over by the Hawke's eye, but no one could deny fact.

Even a Hawke blinks.

A split second of darkness. That's all the enemy needs. Full well he knew this, and the Lieutenant was intelligent enough to be able to recognize her own weaknesses. Not only could he be injured, but so could his invincible lifeline. Her crimson blood spreading across the floor. The very thought…

No. Such thoughts shouldn't even need to cross his mind. He was Colonel Roy Mustang. The Flame Alchemist. And she was First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. They're a force to be reckoned with, even by the strongest forces. In her weakest moments, he would watch over her. In turn she would look after him, well… any other time. They both have scars to bear, but together the load they forged could become lighter. Even if only in the slightest.

Thank you for reading! Please review! It would help a lot to get some pointers about my writing!

The sun shined through the large window across the floor and onto the edge of the large bed. The little dog at the end of the bed stretched and yawned before rising and jumping off the bed. He walked along the bed to where his master lay, her hand hanging off the bed. The little dog licked the woman's hand vigorously, attempting to wake her. She swatted at the dog, trying to deter him but he would not go away.

"Fine, I'm up Black Hayate." The woman said as she sat up. The little dog began to bark happily and started chasing his tail.

"Riza tell your dog to shut up." Came a masculine voice from under the covers.

Riza sighed and got out of bed. "Come, Black Hayate." Riza commanded and moved towards the door to the bedroom. Black Hayate ceased his commotion and followed his master out of the bedroom. Riza closed the door to the bedroom as Black Hayate ran down the hall and down the stairs to the living room. Riza knew that the dog was sitting by the front door, waiting for his morning walk. Riza shook her head and made her way into the bathroom.

She quickly changed out of her pajamas and into her jogging clothes. Then Riza made her way downstairs to the living room. She grabbed her tennis shoes from by the front door and slipped them on. Black Hayate watched and gave a single, happy bark as Riza clipped his leash to his collar.

The two took their forty-five minute run through Central City before Riza and Black Hayate returned home.

The house was full of chaos and commotion when Riza opened the door. Two small blonde boys were running around the couch with toy swords in hand screaming. A baby was in a bassinet in the corner of the living room crying, and a young girl with blonde pigtails stood at the top of the stairs yelling for her father.

Riza sighed, it was going to be another long day. She unclipped Black Hayate's leash and hung it by the door then turned to tackle the madness taking place in her living room.

"Theodore and Edward, stop that this instant!" Riza said and both boys froze, dropping their toys. "Nina stop all that yelling!" Riza's eldest child at the top of the stairs went silent. "Now everyone take your toys to your room and get dressed!" Riza commanded noticing the boys still in their pajamas and her daughter in a nightgown.

The three children quickly jumped into action to obey their mother. Satisfied that the kids were doing as instructed. Riza crossed the living room to the bassinet and picked up the fusing infant. "Shhh, Lydia, it's okay, mama's here." Riza cooed to the blonde baby. The baby quieted down and Riza took the baby into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Riza placed the infant in a high chair and gave her several finger foods to occupy herself with. Then Riza set to work making breakfast for her little army. Today's menu included pancakes and banana slices with orange juice or milk to drink. With a cup of coffee in hand Riza placed the food on the table and then called out, "Kids, breakfast is ready."

She heard the stomps of the two boys racing across the floor over head and then down the stairs followed by the gracefully feet of her eldest daughter. The boys skid into the kitchen and fell to the floor in a heap. They untangled themselves and quickly sat down at the table.

Nina skipped into the kitchen as the boys started eating the stack of pancakes on their plate. "Mommy, do you want me to get Daddy?" Nina asked standing in the doorway.

"Yes, please, sweetheart." Riza said as she handed the boys napkins.

"Okay, Mommy." Nina said as she skipped out of the kitchen.

" Boys, slow down." Riza said sternly to the three-year olds. "You're going to have tummy aches."

"Okay, Mommy," Theodore said with a full mouth sending bits of pancake across the table.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth." Edward said in a voice sounding like his mother.

"Edward, let me be the mommy and you worry about you." Riza said with a small smile.

Nina pushed the door open to the kitchen and came inside. "Daddy says that he is skipping breakfast today,"

"Of course." Riza said with a frown.

The young girl crossed the kitchen and took a seat next to her baby sister. "Mommy, does it make you sad when Daddy doesn't eat with us?" The little girl asked looking at her mother. "Do I need to tell him that he's making you sad."

"Don't worry about that, Nina," Riza said trying to push away her annoyance. "Just eat your breakfast so you're not late for school. You have show and tell today!"

"I know, I'm so excited!" Nina said in between bites of pancakes. "Daddy is letting me take his watch as long as I promise not to lose it."

"I hope he remembered to leave it for you." Riza mumbled with a sigh.

"I'm done, Mommy."

"Me too."

"Okay, boys go wash up." Riza said with a smile.

"I'm done too, Mommy." Nina said as she rushed out of the kitchen after her brothers.

Riza stood and cleared the table of all the dirty dishes. She then feed Black Hayate before scoping up Lydia from her high chair to take her up stairs.

Mother and daughter ascended the stairs and walked down the hall towards the nursery. Riza stopped at her bedroom and opened the door, just as she suspected the room was empty. "Daddy went to work without telling us goodbye." Riza murmured to her daughter and sighed. Riza laid the baby on the bed and quickly changed her clothes then picked up her daughter to go to the nursery. In the nursery Riza changed Lydia's clothes then the two sat in the rocking chair next to the window.

The peaceful moment didn't last long when the door to the nursery banged open "Mommy, the school bus is here!" Nina shouted causing Lydia to cry.

"Stop shouting, Nina, you've upset your sister." Riza said as she stood up and tried to calm the baby.

"Sorry." Nina said softly looking at the floor.

Riza sighed as she crossed the room to her daughter. "Did your father leave his watch for you?" Riza asked as she kneeled to her daughter's level.

"Yes!" Nina said holding up the silver state alchemist watch.

"Please don't lose it." Riza said as she ruffled her eldest daughter's hair. "Now go get your back pack and get down stairs or you'll miss the bus."

"Yes ma'am," Nina saluted then turned and ran out of the nursery.

Riza stood up and made her way down stairs to the front door. There she waited for her daughter to descend the stairs as she rocked her baby. Nina was down the stairs shortly with her red back pack on.

"Goodbye, Mommy." Nina said hugging her mother then rushing out the door to the school bus that waited in front of the house.

"Bye, Nina!" Riza called after her daughter.

"Bye, Nina!" Chorused Edward and Theodore. Riza turned to see her twin sons standing behind her, waving at their sister.

"Boys are you ready to go to Uncle Jean's house?" Riza asked with a smile.

"Yeah! We get to play with James and Nicholas." Theodore said with a big smile.

"We'll go as long as you promise not to be mean to Lilly like you were last week." Riza said sternly.

"We promise, Mommy." Edward said with a big smile.

"Okay, go put your shoes on." Riza said as she lay Lydia down in the bassinet.

The two boys raced up stairs as Riza sat on the couch next to the phone. She picked up the phone and dialed a phone number. After a few rings there was an answer at the other end. "Hello, Havoc residence."

"Good morning, Sheska." Riza said with a smile.

"Oh hello," Sheska said slightly surprised.

"Do you remember that the kids have a play date this morning?" Riza asked with a frown.

Sheska was quiet for a long moment before she answered. "Of course I remember, Riza. How could I forget?"

"You don't sound very convincing." Riza said with a laugh.

"It's been a rough morning so be nice." Sheska said with a sigh.

"Mommy, we're ready!" Edward yelled at his mother from where he and his twin stood waiting at the front door.

Riza held up her hand to silence the boys then went back to her phone conversation. "We'll be over shortly then you and I can talk." Riza said with a sigh.

"Sounds like I'm not the only one with problems. I'll see you in a couple of minutes." Sheska said then hung up the phone.

Riza hung up the phone and got off the couch. She scoped Lydia out of the bassinet and placed her in a stroller that was waiting next to the crib. Once the baby was strapped in, Riza pushed the stroller to the door. She made sure the diaper bag was in the bottom of the stroller then whistled for Black Hayate. The little dog ran into the living room and sat down next to Riza. She clipped his leash on then turned to her boys. "Okay, boys, get the door please."

The group made their way outside and down the path that cut through the front yard. "Boys stay on the side-walk and stay close!" Riza said as they left the yard and started making their way down the street. They made their way to the Havoc residence and completed their journey in ten minutes.

As the made their way up the drive way, the front door opened to reveal Sheska waiting for the family.

"Hi, Aunt Sheska!" Theodore yelled as he waved.

"Hello, Theodore and Edward." Sheska said with a smile. "James and Nicolas are up stairs waiting for you."

"Can we go, Mommy?" Edward asked.

"Go ahead." Riza said with a smile and the twins rushed into the house past Sheska.

"I have Jonathon in the play pen in the living room, you can put Lydia in with him then we can sit in the kitchen and talk." Sheska said moving out of the way to let Riza push the stroller inside.

In a couple of minutes Riza and Sheska were seated at the dining room table with cups of coffee in front of them.

"So, rough morning?" Riza asked Sheska with a smile.

"Every morning is." Sheska said with a sigh. "I don't know how you handle four kids. I want to find the nearest toy store and leave my kids there and hope they go to a good home."

Riza laughed, "I feel like that all the time."

"Then you are better at hiding your frustration than me." Sheska said with a frown. "Jean asked me this morning if I hated being a mother. I was so speechless I couldn't answer."

"Havoc is an idiot sometimes." Riza said trying to comfort her friend.

"He is but that's beside the point." Sheska said shaking her head. "He thinks I hate being a mom!"

"Do you?"

"No, I love being a mom. I'm just so overwhelmed since Jonathon was born. I just don't have time for me anymore."

"I know that feeling." Riza said with a sigh.

"I don't know how Winry can handle five kids." Sheska said with a sigh. "And she still works."

"That's because she has a husband who's around to help." Riza said with a slight smile.

"That's what we get for having husbands who are soldiers." Sheska said. "Jean told me that they are probably getting shipped out on a mission on Monday."

"What?" Riza asked spitting out her coffee.

"It's not for sure yet. They won't know until this afternoon." Sheska said handing Riza a kitchen towel. "Jean is suppose to call the minute he finds out."

"I didn't know anything about this." Riza said with a frown.

"Oh my," Sheska said. "I though you would have talk about this with-"

"We haven't talked at all lately." Riza said as she stared into her cup of coffee.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were having problems." Sheska said as she placed her hand on Riza's shoulder to comfort her.

"We've always had problem, and now he's just stopped talking to me completely. He didn't even say good-bye to me before he left this morning. The only thing he's said to me this week was 'Riza shut your dog up'." Riza said without looking at Sheska.

"I'm so sorry, Riza." Sheska said as she rubbed her arm. "Maybe it's time you get a divorce."

Riza was shocked by what Sheska had said. "After five and a half years you want me to just throw this all away."

"If you're unhappy then it's time for a change."

"I don't think I'm that unhappy." Riza said looking up from her coffee.

"I think you should consider it." Sheska said standing and getting more coffee. "Things haven't seem right for a while with you two. Winry thinks so too."

"You've talked about my relationship before." Riza said shocked and unhappy.

"I don't want you to think that we were trying to be mean. We just want to help you." Sheska said as she sat back down.

Riza sighed. "I guess that I'll try to talk to him tonight and if that fails then we separate."

"I think it would be the best decision," Sheska said with a small smile.

"I think I feel worse now." Riza said as she glanced out the kitchen window.

"You'll feel better when you resolve this." Sheska said with a comforting smile.

Just then the kitchen door opened and a small curly brunette girl came inside. She had tears running down her face. "Mommy, James said I couldn't play with the boys cause I'm a girl."

"Lilly why don't you and me read a book." Riza said standing up from the table.

"Okay!" The little girl said with a smile.

"I'll make lunch while you read her a story." Sheska said standing up and placing the coffee mugs in the sink.

"Can we have a picnic out front?" Lilly asked her mother hopefully.

"Sure." Sheska said with a smile.

After a picnic lunch in the front yard, Riza, the twins, Lydia and Black Hayate made their way home. Riza put the boys and Lydia down for their afternoon nap then took a seat in the living room to read while she waited for her eldest daughter to get home from school.

No matter how hard Riza tried she could not focus on the book she was reading. Riza picked up the phone and dialed.

After a couple of rings there was an answer. "Hello."

"Hello, Gracia, it's Riza."

"Hi, Riza, what can I do for you?" Gracia asked happily.

"I need to see if you can watch the kids this afternoon." Riza said hopefully.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Riza said with a sigh. "I just need to have an hour to go to the shooting range."

"I can do that, but you have to tell me what's bothering you. You don't go to the range anymore unless you're upset."

"Can I just say marital problems and leave it at that?" Riza asked rubbing her forehead.

"Okay, I'm leaving now. I'll see you in ten minutes."

"Thank you, Gracia." Riza said before hanging up the phone. She quickly went up stairs and got her gun out of the safe in her room. It felt so good to be holding it in her hands again. With a smile she went back down stairs to wait for Gracia to arrive.

Ten minutes later there was a soft knock on Riza's front door. She open it to see Gracia's smiling face on the other side.

"Hello." Gracia said as she stepped inside and embraced Riza.

Riza returned the embrace and tried to smile. "Thank you so much for coming."

"I can be here as long as you need. Maes is picking up Elysia from school so you don't have to worry about being home in an hour."

"You are to kind to me."

"I know you need this." Gracia said with a smile. "Now you go and I will take care of things here."

Riza nodded and left the house with her gun in hand.

Riza spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening at the shooting range. Finally it was dark outside and Riza knew that it was time to go home. She arrived home to a quiet house, the kids were in bed and Gracia had gone home.

Quietly Riza placed her gun on the top shelf of the bookcase, out of the reach of any of the kids, and went into the kitchen to get a drink before bed.

She opened the kitchen door, surprised that the light was on, even more surprised to see her husband seated at the table.

"Nice of you to finally come home." He said looking up from his coffee mug.

"Are you talking to me again?" Riza asked crossing her arms across her chest.

"I was never not talking to you."

"Then why has your daughter been telling me goodbye in the mornings for you and most nights you wait until after everyone's asleep to come home."

"Things have been bad at the office."

Riza felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't care about any of your excuses. If you don't want to be with me anymore you don't have to come home." Riza couldn't hold back the tears and they started streaming down her cheeks. "I know you never wanted this so you don't have to come back. I'm not going to force you to stay!" Riza realized she was shouting and quickly shut her mouth.

"Is that what you really think? That I don't want to be here?"

Riza whipped the tears from her face and tried to take deep breaths to calm herself. "What am I supposed to think?"

Riza listen to her husband sigh deeply. "What made you think this?"

"You've been leaving without breakfast for the past two weeks and you haven't been coming home until after I'm in bed at night. You never talk to me about work or anything. In fact, when were you planning on telling me you might be leaving for a mission?"

"I'm not going on the mission so what does it matter?"

"You use to tell me everything, now you didn't even want to tell me you might be getting shipped out!"

"I didn't want you to worry about it, there's so much else for you to take care of."

"Like your children and your house?" Riza asked angrily as she crossed the kitchen to the sink, to stare out the window into the night.

"Their our children and this is our home."

"Then how come it doesn't feel like home anymore." Riza mumbled.

"I'm sorry you feel like that."

"Maybe Sheska was right," Riza said with a sigh.

"Right about what?"

"That it's time for us to get a divorce." Riza said turning to face the man seated at the table.

"You want to throw away more than five years together over this?"

"You never wanted this to begin with! Six years ago we slept together and I ended up pregnant so my grandfather forced us to marry. I'm surprised that it lasted this long."

"Really, that's what you think?" His fist hit the table hard in frustration.

"It's true."

"I've loved you for a long time, even before one drunk night together. I wanted to date you before that, I just didn't know how to go about asking you out."

"I find that hard to believe." Riza said as she tried to keep the tears from falling again.

There was a long silence. "If you really want to end this then fine, I'll pack my bags and leave now, but if you want me to stay at all, tell me now so we can fix this." There was another long pause. "I want to stay, I really do. I love you, I love our children, and I want our family to stay together. I'll do whatever it takes to fix this."

Riza could only nod as she listened. She opened her mouth to try to speak but she couldn't make the words come out.

"I remember the day we got married. Winry came out and whispered in my ear that you had changed your mind. I was so upset I nearly started crying in frustration."

Riza looked up shocked.

"I was going to go get you myself but your grandfather stopped me and said he would talk to you. He told me to stay right where I was at."

"He caught me trying to leave out the back door of that church." Riza said with a small smile through the tears. "He asked me why I was leaving the church when I was obviously dressed for a wedding. He told me that if I really had cold feet then I would have left the wedding gown behind." Riza chuckled softly. ""He told me that anyone who looked at me could tell I was in love so why couldn't I admit it to myself."

"We didn't tell each other 'I love you' until the night you went into labor."

"I know, I think the pregnancy hormones finally got the best of us." Riza said laughing.

"It was one of the best days of my life, you told me that you loved me and our daughter was born,"

"I thought you would never stop telling me that you loved me as I held Nina for the first time."

"I never wanted to stop."

"You've told me 'I love you' less and less with every passing day."

"I'm sorry, I never realized that I wasn't saying it as much as you wanted to hear it."

"It's not that I want you to say it all the time, I want to feel like you still love me."

"How can I do that?"

"Eat breakfast with us in the morning, tell me what's going on at work again, come home in time for dinner with your family. Lay in bed at night and talk to me." Riza mumbled as tears fell down her face.

"I think I can do that"

Riza whipped the tears away and closed her eyes. She was silent for a long time then she felt warm arms wrap around her. She set her head on his shoulders and wrapped her arms around him.

"So if I can do all that, can I stay?"

"Yes, don't leave."

"I won't leave. I love you."

Riza pulled back and looked into the golden eyes of her husband. With a big smile Riza said, "I love you too, Edward."

Mew: I recently got into FMA. I found this song, Far Away by Nickelback, and thought it suited Edward and Winry perfectly. I don't own anything, not FMA, not Far Away, not anything. Enjoy!

Far Away

Edward Elric sighed as he lugged his suitcase to the train station, long blonde hair in a simple ponytail, brown coat flapping out behind him. As he sat down on a wooden bench to wait for his train, it struck him that it was somewhere similar where he had asked Winry out. A small smirk graced his face.

~Just one chance, just one breath, just in case there's just one left~

Edward blushed furiously. "Equivalent exchange!" He spat out the words quickly. "I'll give you half my life if you give me half of yours," he continued hastily.

Edward glanced at his pocket watch before looking at the station clock. A long gone echo of a train whistle echoed in his ears like a beautiful, haunting melody.

~I'd give it all, I'd give for us, give anything but I won't give up~

Edward hissed as the hammer slammed down on his thumb. "Ouch!" He complained. Looking off into the distance, he smacked his hands together then brought them to meet the roof.

"I suppose not," he sighed, picking up his hammer and nails again. "I lost my alchemy a long time ago... But it was for the best."

The blonde man looked back down at his hands, his real, in the flesh hands. Edward thought that even though the price was a great cost, it was still worth it.

~That I love you... And I loved you all along, and I miss you... Been far away for far too long~

Edward looked down at his beloved's head, her soft hair tickling his nose, her sweet smell intoxicating him. He breathed in deeply before whispering in Winry's ear.

"I'll be back soon," he murmured. Winry's hold tightened for a brief second before she released him.

"Yeah," she whispered back. "I know."

Edward smiled fleetingly before grabbing his briefcase and getting onto the train, waving to Winry as it departed. She chased him to the end of the wooden walkway, waving as he disappeared into the distance.

As the time ticked into 3:00 pm, he heard the incoming whistle of a train, smelled the burning smoke, heard the sound of home.

~So keep breathing, 'cause I'm not leaving you anymore... Believe it, hold onto me never let me go~

"I'm coming home," Edward said into the phone. On the other end, he could imagine Winry smiling happily.

"That's great Ed!"

"I'm coming back for good now," he said hesitantly. "I think I'm done with traveling. Al does enough by himself; he's all over the world. I'd... Like to settle down, and start a family."

Winry was silent for a few moments. "Yeah," she replied softly. "I would too, Ed."

As the train came to a stop, and the doors opened, Edward Elric picked up his suitcase, and walked towards the train, towards home, towards his loved ones.

"I'm coming home Winry," he murmured as he sat down. "Just wait for me, and I'll be home soon. I promise."

Revenge

Neusuada: I'm sooo sorry this took so long, cus I got this request like a few weeks ago, -that's long to me- but please forgive me! Anyway, thanks to the person who gave me the idea and I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I hope that you do. This is not in any timeline at all, just some random time in Brotherhood.

Ashe: But…by it being Brotherhood, isn't that in a timeline, cus it's the secondseries out of two…

Neusuada: I-um. Oh, shut up!

Ashe: Heh heh. We don't own anything.

Winry smiled evilly.

She finally had thought of a way to get revenge on Ed for always breaking her precious auto mail. It was a simple plan really, but just enough so that it was sure to work. Now the only part of the plan that she had yet to do, was to find Ed and let the suffering begin…

Winry quickly grabbed her bowl full of torture, and a spoon from the kitchen and put a glass of milk on the counter. She then walked up the stairs to where she was sure that Ed was resting in his room.

"Ed?" Winry asked cautiously as she lightly knocked on the door. When she heard no response from the other side of the door, Winry slowly opened it and walked into Ed's room.

He was, of course, sleeping soundly on the bed, but Winry knew that his well-trained senses would make him wake up immediately if she so much of stroked his hair, or touched his arm.

"Ed. Wake up," Winry said, lightly pushing on his arm to wake him up.

"Winry? What are you doing in here?" Ed asked, after he had woken up a bit.

Winry held up a bowl of chili with a spoon in it, and smiled a little too nicely at him.

"I made you a snack. I figured that you would be hungry after a nap," Winry said. He would never be able to turn down a stack, so this was going to be great!

"Uh thanks?" Edward said, weary as to what she was planning, but took the food anyway. It was food after all.

Ed took the spoon, and started shoveling the food into his mouth without a second thought about Winry's motives. He regretted eating the chili as after he had already eaten more than half of it.

Winry swore that she saw smoke coming out of Ed's ears after he realized how hot and spicy the food was.

"Hot! Hot! W-Winry, what the heck! Get me water!" Edward yelled.

"Sorry Ed, but water won't take away the burn," Winry said innocently.

"What!" Edward was now fanning his mouth to try to cool it down.

"Water doesn't help. I do know something to help though, but you might not like it," Winry said, faking going into thought about the subject.

"Anything!" Edward yelled.

"Okay. I'll be right back," Winry said, then ran out of the room, leaving a panting Edward in the room. Winry smirked to herself as she went a torturously slow speed down the stairs, but quickened her pace knowing that waiting enough time could make the burn go away too. She grabbed the milk off the counter and then took off up the stairs.

"Here Ed, drink this. It will make the burn go away," Winry said, showing him the bottle of milk once she got in the room and closed the door.

"Milk? Oh, heck no!" He yelled, but soon gave in after his mouth only seemed to heat up.

"Oh fine! Give it to me!" Ed yelled, snatching up the milk and gulping it down.

"That was terrible, Winry. Why did you do that to me?" Ed whined.

"It was revenge for you breaking my auto mail all the time," Winry said smugly.

Edward was about to give a snarky retort, but an idea suddenly popped into his head.

'Revenge, huh' Edward thought, as a smirk appeared on his face.

Winry was getting slightly fearful at the expression that Ed was giving her. Edward stepped towards her, making Winry back up in response. They continued this until Winry's back hit the wall, making her stop.

"E-Ed?" Winry asked nervously at the look in his eyes, before Edward put his hands on the wall on either side of her, successfully trapping her.

"E-Ed what are you-"Winry started, but was cut off by her own gasp, as Edward pressed his body flush up against hers. Winry weakly tried to push him off, but she would be lying if she said that she was actually trying.

Winry's weak attempts stopped when he started kissing her neck, and moving closer and closer to her lips.

"E-Ed, w-why are you d-doing th-this?" Winry weakly asked as she felt his lips ghost over hers tauntingly. Edward moved and put his lips to her ear and whispered to her in a husky voice.

"Revenge." And with that, Edward pulled away from Winry and simply walked out of the room, closing the door. Tossing a casual 'later' over his shoulder as he went, as if none of that had just happened.

Winry, however, was not so casual, as she slid down from the wall into a sitting position, groaning and putting her face in her hands.

"What the heck just happened?" Winry asked no one, her voice muffled slightly by her hands.

Outside the room, Edward was snickering to himself as he walked down the stairs and saw Alphonse sitting on a chair, reading an alchemy book.

"Hi brother," Alphonse said casually, looking up at Ed and closing his book. "I haven't seen you all day. Were you doing something with Winry?"

"Yeah, I was actually," Edward said, grinning.

"You were? What were you doing?" Al said, putting the book down on the side table to put his attention on his older brother.

"You know. The usual," Ed said, waving it off.

"The usual? What would that be?" Al said curiously.

Edward smirked.

"Just some classic revenge."

Done! I hope you all liked my story, and sorry if you didn't. Sorry to the person who requested the idea if you did not like the revenge thing. Currently I am working on two more Edward/Winry stories, but I still need ideas. I have to go, because my computer charger was broken by my cat, so my computer is going to die soon, so yeah. REVIEW!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

It's rather funny, really. Any sort of relationship between the two beyond that of simply coworkers or old friends was never acknowledged. Whether Roy spent sleepless nights guessing the color of her underwear or Riza had to remember not to stare when he was taking his fitness tests were topics that were never brought up. But it had always been that way between them, albeit less so when they were kids in her father's house.

When they were teenagers, Roy nearly drowned in his own sweat when he worked up the nerve to ask her to a dance. And when he did ask her, Riza blushed despite her best efforts to hide the excitement. They would get butterflies in their stomachs and their nerves would dance on end when they got too close to each other. They both felt electricity when their lips finally did touch and comfort when he held her in his arms when her father was away. These sensations only amplified when she gave him the secrets. Of course, there was an air of depression in the house after the passing of her father, and worse so after Roy left for the army. But when he came back, there were many nights spent wrapped in the warmth of each other

When they were younger there was kissing and handholding and snuggling and chicken noodle soup when Riza was sick and ice packs when Roy was sore. Then he left for Ishbal, heartbroken knowing that things would never be the same. But Riza followed, because the string holding their souls together was starting to pull a little too tightly when she watched the sparkling flames of the fireplace late at night. When they met again, things had changed – understandably so, given the dramatic difference in their environment. But when he met up with her that night, he held her closely to him, stroking her hair and trying to express what he couldn't bring himself to say in the hell that surrounded them.

There was some sort of understanding, though. The understanding that there really was no need for Riza to move her leg when his rested against hers under the conference table. The understanding that there's nothing odd at all about the fact that Roy raids her chocolate boxes on Valentine's Day, eating all of the kinds that she hates (of course, his box to her is already Riza-proof). There's nothing weird about the way he framed the target of her perfect shot from a record distance…or the way he continues to every time she tops that record. The others in the office notice the way their eyes light up when they recall some memory, not bothering to share with the rest of them. But the two just carry on this way, clearly caring for each other. They never talk about it, it just happens. And it all feels like the most comfortable thing in the world.

Maybe they don't talk about it because they know that acknowledging it all was too risky. Even still, Roy made it a point to tell her about every date he went on, maybe to make it clear that they weren't dates at all. Every year, Riza declined invitations to military balls because she knew that he was going to ask her at the last minute when his other "dates fell through." For years this goes on, and they are content with this happiness of simply being together. At least for some time.

At some point it's not the most comfortable thing in the world. Roy never got used to the coldness that attacked his bed when she wasn't there to shield him from it. It had been years since they'd been so intimate, but he knew that the love was still there. Love. Strange that he never thought to put a name to the feeling. Of course, she hadn't either, She also misses his breath against her neck, his hands in her hair, his hips-well, it had been a long time, and she feared he might not feel the same pangs of desire. But, of course, he did.

They were working late in the office, stacks of paperwork positioned around the floor. Roy and Riza sat on the floor, back to back, leaning against each other as they tackled the work. He had chugged his mug of coffee – and, of course, she noticed. She took a sip of hers and passed it behind her, wordlessly and without looking up from her work. Feeling the movement and smelling the coffee, he took it in the same manner, took a sip, then passed it back. It was all so natural for them.

"Hey," Roy said as if he just saw the most intriguing work of art and wondered if she had noticed the same telling detail that he had. Riza, not looking up from her work, mimicked his tone as she replied with a "hey" as well. Roy set down his pen and turned slightly to the side, taking her face in his hand and drawing her in for a kiss. She stiffened slightly at the initial contact, but relaxed when their lips connected. It was short, but so natural. His body surged with electricity as it recalled all of the moments so long ago – too long ago! – when he had captured her lips with his own. When they parted, they just looked into each other's eyes for a few moments.

Quickly, the neutral expression on Riza's lips quirked up into a smile, which Roy answered with a grin.

"So," he began nonchalantly, "what are you doing later?"

Riza chuckled before turning around and gripping the lapels of his uniform jacket, pulling him closer. "That's funny, I was just wondering what you were doing now."

Title: Friendly Advice

Author: S J Smith

Rating: Teen

Summary: Edward's upset; Roy's bored enough to find out why.

Disclaimer: No, no, I'm just a fangirl.

Roy knew he was taking his sanity in his own hands, but he had to ask. "What is it, Fullmetal?"

"I told you not to call me that. I'm not an alchemist any more, and I've already signed the papers to leave the military."

From the petulant note in the younger man's voice, that definitely wasn't the problem. Roy blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus. Dr. Marcoh had warned him it would probably be up to ten days before his sight was returned to the clarity he'd had prior to his encounter with Truth.

Day three was a bitch.

Almost as bad as dealing with a discontent teenaged boy.

"That doesn't mean that something isn't wrong." Roy wasn't sure why he pressed, even more than he wasn't sure why Edward was in his recovery room. Hawkeye had been wheeled away for further exams on the healing wound in her neck (or the doctors wanted to ooh and ahh over alkahestry, Hawkeye'd warned him she didn't know which it was, but as the little Xingese girl had been spirited away with Yao Ling, it would be difficult for the doctors to question her), leaving him bored – until Edward made his appearance in his wheelchair. Which begged the question, where was Alphonse? Edward generally didn't leave his brother's side – unless he'd possibly taken him away, too; maybe to physical therapy? Whatever the reason, Edward had deposited himself in Roy's room, and seemed even more snappish and curt than normal – though, oddly, more introspective. "Obviously, you came here for a reason, Edward, which makes me think that Alphonse cannot assist you in this matter."

Edward jerked – a direct hit. "He ought to -" The bluster faded almost as soon as it started raging, and he slumped in his wheelchair. "Yeah," Edward mumbled, so softly Roy had to strain to hear him, "you're right. Something is wrong."

Hoping it had nothing to do with Alphonse, and his health – which was a subject of great concern to nearly everyone – doctors, nurses, interns, the military, the Curtises, and probably people who weren't even in the hospital, much less Central City – Roy knew the little Xingese girl had feelings for Edward's little brother, and then there was the matter of those friends the brothers had made while traveling, not to mention the people in Risembool, waiting for them to come home. "It isn't Alphonse," he said tentatively, and relief spread throughout his tensing body at Edward's snort.

"Al's doing great," he said, somewhere between proud and amazed. "Considering his muscles atrophied and everything – he's lucky he didn't have organ damage from wasting." There was a hint of self-loathing in that last part that lingered for a bit. "But he's going to be fine. He's already put on a lot of weight, and his therapist is amazed at what he can do already." The pride came back.

"That is excellent news," Roy said, meaning it. He flexed his hands reflexively. Dr. Marcoh had also used the Philosopher's Stone to heal his hands – the tendons had been almost completely destroyed, and being forced to use his fingers for alchemy had taken their toll on them as well. But it had either been do that, or die; and Roy had things he wanted to accomplish yet for Amestris. Mentally shaking those thoughts away, he turned his attention back to the problem at hand. "So, if it isn't Alphonse, what is it?" He speculated. "Your friend has left Amestris to return to Xing with the Philosopher's Stone to present to his Emperor – is that it?"

A twitch – not quite as good of a guess this time, but close. "You miss him?"

Edward snarled, "He's my friend, of course I miss him." The fire wasn't quite as intense as usual, though.

"Ah," Roy said, smiling, "did you develop feelings for the Xingese prince? Edward, that is a natural thing, nothing to be ashamed - "

"No! Ling's my friend," Edward snapped, and there, yes, there was the fire again. "We went through a lot together!"

"Yes, I suppose you did." Edward had been somewhat reticent regarding all of that, and Roy, while he could push for a report, decided not to. There would probably be drinking stories plenty once everyone was healed, whole and well. "Well, if it isn't Yao Ling's departure," because he couldn't resist twisting the knife a little more, just to hear Edward squirm, "what is it?"

"Al and I, we're going home soon."

Roy wished he could clearly see Edward's expression, because he hadn't heard that particular note in the younger man's voice before – never. Somewhat reverent, somewhat nervous. He wondered why he knew it. "And?"

"And that bastard Ling will probably go through Risembool on his way to the Eastern Desert!" Edward spat out, and Roy could tell he bristled up at the idea.

"It is the most efficient way to cross the desert. Stopping in Risembool will allow his party time to stock up on food and water before - "

"I know that!" Edward snapped. "I've been there, remember? You sent me there." The word 'asshole' remained unsaid, but Roy was sure he could hear it in the air through the sheer force of Edward's will. "And it's the way I'd go, if I had to cross the desert," he said, though that was considerably lower in pitch, and Roy almost had to strain to hear it.

Something clicked and Roy leaned forward, not bothering to hide the stupid smirk arching the corners of his mouth. "And your mechanic is in Risembool, isn't she? Hiding out?"

Another twitch, and Edward growled, "That bastard proposed to her!"

"And you think she'd accept?"

"He's a prince! Why wouldn't she?"

Roy sighed, wondering if this was how Aunt Chris had felt, when he'd come home, worried about his lovers. Maes and Riza, and the way things affected them, and in turn, him. He wondered briefly if Edward was still a virgin, then decided not to think about that very long. That way madness lay. "Edward, do you trust this girl?"

"Yes." The intense, almost dangerously low sound belted out of his mouth.

"Do you trust Yao?"

"With her? No farther than I could throw him."

Something was missing from that answer, Roy thought, and remembered Edward had two flesh hands now. The creaking of an automail hand being fisted was one he wouldn't hear in regard to the Fullmetal Alchemist again. "Well, your way is clear, then."

"Clear how?" Edward cocked his head.

"You have to propose to her yourself." Roy hesitated. "Unless you think the prince would share, then you could each have her, and each other and - "

Ah, yes, the steamwhistle response. Roy grinned to himself, listening to Edward's screamed protests. Funny, he thought, he'd miss them once Edward was actually retired.

Best goad him into as many repeat performances as he could until the day the boy left Central, then.

- Note: This story takes place in the same universe as "Not Three of a Kind", but you don't have to read both to know what's going on.