Chapter One

Be Careful What You Say to Strangers

It was dark when Roy left the bar, his head slightly fuzzy and his feet stumbling on the sidewalk. The air was cold and the breeze made him shiver. Clutching his uniform coat to his body, he turned the corner to the road that led to his apartment, bumping into someone small and warm.

The kid bounced off him and tipped backwards, and Roy caught his right arm reflexively. Through his alcohol fog, he recognized the feel of automail through the kid's jacket. He took in the boy's ragged clothes, dirt-streaked face, and long blond hair and realized he was holding an urchin boy. The kid's head barely reached his chest. How old was he?

"Careful, shorty," Roy mumbled, slurring slightly. "Don't wanna fa--"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT?!" The kid jerked his arm out of Roy's hand and slammed his metal fist into Roy's stomach.

"Arg!" Roy fell to the ground, clutching his stomach, and the kid leaned over to him and yanked his silver pocket-watch from his pants.

"I'll take this as an apology for the insult." He thumbed his nose and pulled his tongue out at the man in the military uniform that had so gravely insulted him, and ran off.

"H-hey!" Roy was immediately sobered as the small form retreated, taking his state-alchemist's watch with him. "I need that!" He jumped up and took off running, stumbling occasionally, but still catching up to the boy. The colonel's legs were much longer than the small blond's. The boy's ragged black coat whipped back behind him as he ran down the empty alley way. Suddenly, he turned into the doorway of an abandoned building. Roy ran in after him, crashing into him again as the boy turned to slam the door shut.

They fell to the ground, Roy on top of the boy, the boy's back to the ground. The fall knocked the breath out of the both of them, and as they both lay there, gasping for breath, Roy noticed a name stitched in red on the inside of the boy's coat collar.

"Your…your name is Edward, then?" Roy asked breathlessly.

Edward glared at the man above him.

"Who's asking?"

"Roy Mustang." Roy sighed in frustration and looked at Edward's left hand, which tightly clutched his watch. " I need that back." He said, nodding at the watch.

Ed's hand gripped the watch tighter. "Yeah, well I need to eat."

Roy sighed. "Tell you what, you give me my watch back, and I'll make you dinner."

"Why would you do that?" Edward asked, shocked and disbelieving.

"Do you live in this dreadful building?" Roy asked suddenly, ignoring Ed's question. He didn't really know how to answer.

"Y-yes, I live here." Edward stuttered, confused.

"Well, that sucks." Roy frowned and thought to himself for a moment. "
Okay, then, it's settled." Roy said, getting off Edward and pulling him up by his wrist.

"What?" Ed's voice was panicked. "What's settled?"

"Well, obviously, that you're going to stay at my place."

"What?! Why?!"

"Free food, clothes, board, ect."

"But what do YOU get out of it?"

Roy paused and looked at his hand, which was still holding Ed's wrist.

"Company."