Noel

As blankets of snow began to cover the city, everything calmed, and it was as if the world was putting my worries to rest.

Roy stared out of his office window, sighing as he languidly tapped a pen in an offbeat rhythm against his desk. It had been snowing for the last two days. Snow was coming down in blankets, covering Central, turning it into a dreamy winter wonderland. The sidewalks were slippery with ice, and anyone who dared to tread on it risked breaking a leg or two. Ice frosted every window in the city, painting them like something out a picturesque greeting card. Winter was upon them, and Roy had tried to hide his displeasure, but to no avail.

To him, winter was nothing but an inconvenience. He watched the snowflakes dance to the ground, wondering how something so beautiful could be so bothersome at the same time. Winter had the power to make men in his command act like overgrown children, the way they frolicked in the snow, building snowmen, and making snow angels. Roy had to admit that winter had its own beauty, but he despised it with every fiber of his being.

He tiredly moved his gaze from the impending blizzard of doom to his stack of half-finished paperwork. He rubbed the nape of his neck and stretched his sore muscles. He absently wondered if he was the only person in the world who loathed the snowy season, because that's what it seemed like. Even Hawkeye would crack a small smile as she passed by the office windows, her eyes looking out longingly into the horizon. It was as if no one in the world understood how Roy felt about winter, because that's all anyone talked about lately. The questions were always about how much snow they were going to get, who was going out to play in it later, and if he would like to join. He felt like melting all of the snow with one snap of his fingers, but he was sure that it would be against some kind of safety law or code.

The clock ticked away, but to Roy, the hands never seemed to move. It was four in the afternoon, and he should have been getting ready to leave, but the paperwork had been taking forever today, so it looked like he would have to work late again. He sighed for probably the tenth time in an hour and started reading through the documents once more, their words leaving not even a trace behind in his mind as he did so. It was nearly impossible to concentrate. His office felt stuffy – stifling hot. He had unbuttoned one of his many buttons, still trying desperately to maintain his professional image while gaining some kind of relief; it didn't work.

The heater was working to keep his office and the rest of headquarters from freezing over, but it seemed like the damned thing was overcompensating for how cold it was outside. He had all but begged Hawkeye to fix it, but even she could not bring the temperature down much farther. The heater had a mind of its own; it was either going to be stifling hot or freezing cold – there was no in between.

Roy tried to concentrate on the monotonous task of signing the papers, distracted only by the sound of the clock ticking precious minutes away. Tonight was the army's Christmas ball at the convention center. Alchemists and soldiers alike would be drinking, dancing, and giving boring speeches – just not in that order. It was mandatory to buy a ticket, for it was a way to raise money for the military, but it was not mandatory to go. Roy figured that if he was going to be forced to buy a ticket, he may as well enjoy what he paid for. The party didn't start until seven o'clock, and for that, he was grateful. He needed a hot shower and maybe even a pre-party drink.

Ed rolled his eyes at his brother. "Al, I'm not going. I told you, you could take my ticket. No one would know or care."

Al narrowed his eyes minutely. "Ed, you bought an extra ticket! So, you have a ticket, and so do I."

"That's because I didn't know that they took the mandatory ticket out of our paycheck. I thought, since it was mandatory, that I had to buy one. So I bought one. No one told me we already had one taken out of our checks," Ed huffed, dropping onto the couch, face-first. "I don't have to go, so stop trying to get me to go, Al. I'm not going to change my mind."

"Brother, why do you have to be so stubborn?" Al questioned, more to himself than to Ed.

Ever since Al had gotten his body back, Ed was happier, although he hadn't received his own limbs in exchange. Still, even with his automail, Edward was finally content, no longer snapping at every person who looked at him the wrong way or called him short. He had matured, though he still had his moments. He was finally building himself up instead of worrying about his younger brother. Al had no doubt that Ed still worried about him on a regular basis, but it was no longer an overwhelming worry. It was more like "Did you eat today?" "Be careful not to overexert yourself; you're still new to your body." types of qualms.

Central had become their home, and although Al's heart still longed for their old home in Resembool, he couldn't deny that this city and the people in it had a permanent place in his heart. They had visited Resembool a couple of times since he got his body back, but Al could tell that Ed needed to be here. One reason was because Ed's contract was still very much intact. He had two more years on his contract, and then he could decide whether or not he wanted to reenlist. Somehow, Al had a hunch that Ed would renew his contract at the end of the two years, no matter how much Ed ranted and protested that he hated the man-eating machine that was the army.

His contract wasn't the only reason that he was still there, Al speculated, but Ed would have to admit it to himself first. He glanced at his brother sprawled out on the couch and tried to cover his smile with his hand so that Ed wouldn't see. Edward would figure everything out on his own soon enough.

"Here's your suit and tie, brother. Now get ready," Al pitched the items on top of Ed's prone figure and laughed as his older brother turned a lovely shade of red and started ranting all over again.