Hello Everyone! Siskie here with another FMA Fanfic! This series is a "before" to "An Everlasting Mark." WHICH: About that series, it is in the process of being writen. I will give a full author's note as to why I was absent, until then, here is the first chapter of "A Neverending Love" Love you guys and hope you like it! :D

Anime: FullMetal Alchemist

Pairing: None really at the moment, but hints of RoyXEd

Rating: M (mainly because of Ed's filty mouth lol)

Enjoy the story and as always: R&R!

Edward groaned as he rolled over to block the sun out of his eyes. He wanted more than nothing to just stay in bed all day and sleep, however work was calling. Literally. The phone had been ringing off the hook for about a half hour, but he just could not will his body to move. He had been stiff as a board when he and Al had walked through the door. Almost every joint felt as if it was going to snap in half. His head was stuffy and a headache was close behind.

With his head spinning, Ed forced himself out of bed and staggered towards the phone. By the time he reached the counter it had stopped ringing. Edward stood there with a grimace on his face, his hand outstretched. His hair was ruffled, his bangs sticking to his face. Sleep still held traces in his disgruntled expression. Somehow he had lost his shirt in the middle of sleeping, his boxers were a bit rumpled and his pillow had left crease imprints on his face. He was just about to turn around and flop back into bed when the door started rattling.

"Shit." Ed shuffled his tired feet to the front door of the dorm. "Hold your horses, I'm coming." He called in a low whisper. His throat felt dry and scratchy. Ed really hoped he was not catching a cold; it would be just one more thing for Roy to berate him for. "Who is it?" He called again, trying to sound a bit louder.

"Your commanding officer, or did you forget you still have a job FullMetal?" Ed blanched. Mustang sure sounded pissed. He flung open the door and sure enough, one fire breathing Mustang was there. Roy's left eye was twitching uncontrollably, his pupils formed into tiny slits, a frown was clearly apparent on his face and the knuckles on the hand holding a file were pure white. Yep, Mustang was beyond pissed.

Ed attempted his best flirtatious look and gave him a crooked grin. Lately Ed's charm had been working on Roy, or at least he thought it had. Ever since the beginning of his recruitment Edward remembered feeling something towards the Colonel, however placing it seemed to be impossible. It took him a long time before he deemed it a sort of "love" or "affection" towards the older man. For a while he thought it was only admiration, or adoration he was feeling. It was only recently when Alphonse had mentioned something to him did he put his plan into action.

Roy seemed undeterred, but the look in his eyes gave him away. Edward knew he had him cornered then. Biting his lip, he moved aside, allowing Mustang to come in. The place was a slight mess, the couch had blankets thrown everywhere, cups and a few plates littered the table, stacks of books stuffed with paper lined the walls and spilled out into the floor, and tissues were scattered here and there.

"Sorry about the mess, we sorta got in really late last night." Ed shrugged, slightly embarrassed to have Roy sitting on his couch full of his dirty blankets. Usually Edward would not give a crap about what Mustang thought of him but since Ed's view point on the man had changed, Ed wanted Roy's opinion of him to change as well.

Setting the file gently on the table upon the cleanest area he could fine, Mustang sighed and leaned back while closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "You need to go through that file when you're ready for a new mission FullMetal. It's a bit serious." Already he could feel a headache attacking the left frontal lobe of his brain. The clanging of plates brought him out of his daze. Needless to say the sight before him almost made him choke.

Roy believed that in the Elric's world Alphonse was like the domestic care giver, a house wife of sorts. Al was always so polite and very compulsive about house work. Edward, well, he was more of the "late-working-husband." Working strange hours with his military job and being extremely wore out or injured (sometimes both) afterward. It was no wonder Havoc and Breda jokingly called them an old married couple, they tended to act like such at times.

Yet here was Ed, blushing like a school girl and apologizing for the mess as he scooped up a few dishes and tissues. Mustang was completely baffled, this was a new side of Ed he had never seen before (albeit not unwelcomed just a bit surprising). Getting up slowly from the couch, as if it would frighten the boy out of this habit, Roy followed him into the kitchen. Ed had set the dirty dishes in the sink and had his back to Mustang as he threw away the trash. He took this moment to look the boy over.

Ed's shoulders seemed a bit broader, his back was obviously straighter and his hair seemed longer than the last time Roy had looked. There was no doubt Edward was growing up. Part of that thought hit Mustang like a brick, almost shattering his heart. The other half made him feel a little warm inside at the thought that he had been there to see this boy become a man. The sudden startled gasp made him flinch.

"Geez, Mustang! Warn someone next time, you nearly killed me!" Ed was leaning up against the cabinets with his automail clad hand clutching his chest and the other griping the side of the counter. "What were you doing creeping up on me like that anyway?" The slight panic in Ed's tenor was slightly amusing in this situation. Roy knew it was a bad idea, but when it came to making Edward mad he had this urge to be evil.

"Sorry for scaring you, I didn't realize you were so easily frightened Pipsqueak. Did my big, bad shadow startle you?" Mustang would be lying if he said that he tried to hold in his laughter, but the pissed look that quickly appeared on Edward's face made that extremely hard not to do.

"Ha. Ha. You're hilarious."

"Oh come on Ed, lighten up. It's not every day you see the "great FullMetal Alchemist" doing house work. In fact," he stifled another laugh, "I thought Al was the only one who knew how to clean."

Now Roy really knew he had crossed a line somewhere. The look that now held Edward's expression was a mixed one, one of anger and sorrow. Almost as if he was remembering something he wished to forget and he hated Mustang for bringing it up. What surprised Roy even more was how quickly that look was replaced with one of pure sadness. Ed sighed and moved so that he was sitting on the counter by the sink. The blush he had been wearing earlier clearly back in place. Roy walked over to him, standing in front of where he was perched.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Colonel." Edward whispered, looking down at his feet. "After everything you put me through, kid, you'd think I would." Roy smirked, taking a few more steps closer and resting his hands on either side of Ed's body. Something about the way they were positioned almost felt right to Roy, like Ed belonged there, somewhere between his arms. Roy found that odd and honestly was slightly disturbed that it had even occurred to him. Willing that thought away, he lowered his head to match Edward's intense eyes and dropped his voice to a whisper.

"What exactly don't I know, FullMetal?" It was a test. For too long he had let Ed run around under his command without knowing much about his actual personal life. Sure, he knew the boy's secret about he and his brother, but to Mustang that was work. There was a piece of each one of his men he knew by heart that was business related, however the pieces he knew that were personal were stories and memories they now shared as a family. It worked better that way for his team; for his "family."

Now he let FullMetal have the bait, to talk some to him, allowing him to know personal things that he for some odd reason really found himself truly needing to know. That thought alone scared Roy that perhaps he should not mettle; that he should just leave their relationship the way it has been for the past four years. The thought was back as quickly as he banished it. No, this was right. Edward had to talk.

The blush darkened as Ed realized the placement of Roy's hands. It took everything within him to keep his head from reeling just at the scent of Mustang. It was dark, musky like. It was a very heavy scent, mixed with things such as cinnamon, smoke and charcoal. Ed thought it fit him perfectly. Shaking his head a few times to clear his thoughts and focus on what the man had asked, Edward regained his composure. Glancing up into onyx orbs he bit his lip again, it was starting to become a bad habit around Roy; always biting his lip whenever the man asked him something or when Ed was thinking of a reply, like now.

"Well, after Mom died," He paused a second on that as the sorrow washed over him again. Taking a shaky breath he continued, "After her death, Al and I still lived in that house. Sometimes we would eat dinner with Winry and Granny but most of the time I cooked for us." Roy felt a bit baffled, not only could he clean but he could cook? Of course to a normal person this would make sense. Edward was not incapable of learning how to do anything and as he had stated numerous times to Alphonse "alchemy first started in the kitchen."

"I started taking care of the house too. Mom always kept it nice and neat, it was almost as if she were still there. Or at least I tried to keep her memory around for Al." At this Roy hung his head; of course Ed would have learned to do these things for Alphonse. If it was just him he probably would have just gone without, but since it was for Al he had taken the time to become accustomed to adding them into his daily life. So it seems that Edward really was the older brother.

Laughing a bit he looked up at Edward, the boy had been staring at him (most likely waiting for a response to all of this). "Ed, I promise I won't tell anyone that you're more primitive than you let on." Ed laughed at how goofy Roy was acting. He honestly did not care if anyone knew; however, he was thankful Mustang respected him enough to give him a choice. The more the man acted decent around him the harder Edward fell for him and maybe one day it would become too much, but for now he relished in having Roy so close to him.

Sadly breaking the connection they had made, Roy stood back up and sighed. "I did come here for a reason FullMetal, as sad as it is you still work for the military. No day is apparently a rest day."

"I'm starting to get that feeling too." Ed smirked. That made Roy smile. "So where am I going now? Some rouge alchemists go psycho or something?" He asked while hopping down from the counter. Making his way to the living room he caught Mustang tagging along while ogling a particular piece of his anatomy. Ed smirked wider this time and tried his best to hide the chuckle escaping his mouth. It seemed as if his little techniques have been doing their job.

Roy cleared his throat and reached for the file lying on the table. "There have been a series of murders up north in a small town where General Bishop is governing." He handed the folder over to Ed who looked it over. "Apparently the killer is attacking every sixteen-year-old, blonde male in the town. The murders started around a month ago, the General was obviously reluctant to give up this case but he decided that if he could not find this killer that the FullMetal Alchemist could."

Ed raised his eyebrows at that one. "He said that?"

"His words exact. He was very specific when it came to this case. Apparently he believes the murder will, ahem, 'like you.'"

"Would you care to run that by me again?" Ed said. He was almost hysterical as he fell into one of the cushions of the couch. Roy joined him; sitting on the boy's left.

"Edward, it's not what it sounds like. I get what he means, you match the victims perfectly. You just turned sixteen, you're blonde and you're a male! You are a male…right?" Roy agreed later that, yes, he had deserved the wad of papers thrown at his head.

"How many victims have there been?" Ed muttered, biting his lip once again as he skimmed through the reports.

"There were a total of seven victims found dead; however there were eight, but the third victim he attacked got away."

"Did that give us any clues?"

"A few: the attacker is male, very tall, dark haired and likes to hide in alley ways. Every attack has happened near or in an alley."

"What is he the Prince of Darkness or something?" Edward scoffed, tossing the file back down on the table and leaning back into the couch. "Do we know his motive?"

"No." Roy rubbed the bridge of his nose again. This case was already starting to take a toll on him. "Again, very little is known on this man. What I've given you is all that is in the file. I wish we knew more, FullMetal, I hate to send you out on a mission like this with such little information."

Edward bumped into him, nudging him slightly with his shoulder. "Hey, I've been through worse." He eyed Mustang for a few seconds, attempting his best smoldering look before retorting, "You're not starting to care about me, are you Colonel?"

Roy blinked at the boy's strange actions, a blush starting to creep over his face as a thought occurred to him. Could he possibly be caring more for Edward than he expected to let on? Once more he pushed those thoughts deep to the back of his mind, swearing to never let them see light again. "Honestly FullMetal, you make me sound like I'm going soft!" Roy forced a chuckle and stood up quickly. "You should probably get prepared, your train leaves at eight tonight."

"Tonight?!" Ed shouted, glancing at the clock. It was around four in the afternoon, which only gave him about four hours to pack and inform his brother about their mission. When Alphonse had left earlier he mentioned something about staying out late. Edward hung his head, "Um, Colonel? Could I ask a huge favor of you?"

"That depends on what price you're willing to pay for me to do such a considerable act, FullMetal." Roy smirked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at the boy. Now Ed was the one blushing. Although he knew the remark was not intentionally meant to be dirty, thoughts could not but help to enter Edward's mind. Placing his left knee over his right and coping Roy's arm stance, Edward plastered a huge grin onto his face.

"That all depends on what you want, Mustang." Leaning forward slightly and placing his right elbow on his knee to rest his chin in his hand Edward looked up through his lashes, the smile he had worn at the door replacing the grin.

Roy could feel the sweat drip from his forehead, swallowing became impossible and his breath was coming out ragged. Was FullMetal actually being suggestive? Licking his bottom lip, Mustang focused on getting his coherency back. "W-what exactly is it you need, Ed?"

Ed? He thought. Since when have I EVER called him Ed? This day was just getting more confusing. First Hawkeye started laughing at him for how worried he was over E-FullMetal not showing up and then she starts clucking at him like he's five when he attempted to give reasonable excuses as to why he was concerned. Honestly, could he just have a normal day for once?

"Could you tell Al?" Edward's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Al? Oh, you mean about the mission. Of course, but I am curious as why you can't."

"He's in town. I've got to pack and make a plan to get kidnapped." A smirk crawled over his features. Roy gulped.

"Kidnapped?"

"It says in the file that he hides out in alleyways and then the victims are never seen again. The one boy was lucky and I'm sure it's eating the killer inside that he got away."

Roy tilted his head to the side. "How so?"

"Most psychopaths like that have a routine they keep. As sick as it sounds it's like the routine you have at the office. You always have to have a cup of coffee before you start on your paperwork, then you take your lunch at 11:30 exactly and after that you grab more coffee before heading back into your inner office."

"How do you know that?" Roy asked, baffled that the boy had kept track of his schedule like he had.

Ed blushed. "I've been working with you for a while, Mustang. It's something you notice. Anyway, he has a schedule he keeps too. Maybe he does the attacks on certain nights, at certain times or near a specific place. Either way, the guy has to have a pattern otherwise we might just have a copycat killing for the hell of it."

"What does this have to do with the one kid, FullMetal? And what did you mean kidnapped?"

"When a victim gets away it does something to their mentality."

"What mentality?" Mustang scoffed. Ed snorted and looked up at him with a sneer.

"You know what I meant."

"Of course I do, however, I'm wondering how you know this. There isn't anything else I need to know about you, is there?"

"Please, like I could do that! Let's just say I've been on enough assignments that I know how a sociopath's brain works. The point is: he's probably pissed and wants to make up for his loss. That's where I come in. Do you think you could get me any information about where the one that got away was at? It would be good if I could get a location to start from. Maybe I can see where exactly he's going with all these murders."

"You mean you're going to try to find out his motive behind the killing? Geez FullMetal, you've got a hand full then. I'll see if I can get Hawkeye to plot the attack sites out on a map for you. Once you have a certain theory made up from what you see let me know before you leave. She'll have it to you within the hour."

"Also, do you think I could get the name and address of the surviving victim?" Ed smiled sheepishly. Mustang sighed and shook his head. "What happened to the one favor?"

"Don't make me beg." Ed laughed. "Besides, you'll do it 'cause you love me." That last part actually made Edward nervous.

Roy simply smiled and coughed lightly into his hand. "Of course, FullMetal, how could I have forgotten?" With that, he left, leaving Edward sitting on his couch with a sideways grin taking over his features.

"If you only knew, Roy. If you only knew."