A/N: Merry Christmas my fellow readers! Ah, tis the season to be writing, wouldn't you say? I'm not sure I would, but I still do it! So, here is my gift to all of you. I hope you enjoy it! Lots of love coming to you from this chicka right here... and her sisters, who helped come up with next to all of the end dialogue and the main plot after I offhandedly said something funny! :D

Disclaimer: Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the site, the writers owned many things, but not the rights; the authors they cried for not even today, would ownership of shows be coming their way. The fans were all nestled safe in their beds, reading disclaimers of the authors dreads; and friends in depression, and I in denial, had finally realized our stories were no more than fictive and fictile- Oh wow, no, I cannot do this! XD

Traditions

Christmas was such a magical time of the year. With the lights put up all over town and the fresh smell of snow mixed in with the scent of all the pine trees in people's homes, right down to the overall atmosphere that surrounded the country. It was just so peaceful, less crimes were committed -surprisingly enough- and people were very friendly. Yes, there was not a holiday in the world that compared to the one on the 25th of December.

The month had passed incredibly fast that year and everyone was looking forward to Christmas day, which loomed over all of their heads with only two days left until the big day. The bustling of the city had finally slowed to a mellow pace that had the universe breathing a sigh of relief, and most people had no work to do, allowing them to be home with their families.

Unfortunately for Roy and the rest of the team, they were not categorized with "most people" and were at the Central station bright and early that Wednesday morning, well rested and ready for whatever the day threw at them. The General was the last out of his house that day and the latest to actually get to work because the icy roads had spelled for slow traffic, a problem that Riza was not there to solve by driving him as she often did. Not that it mattered to the man since being late meant less working time for the day.

When the General stepped into the large building and began making his down the halls and up the steps to his office, he couldn't help but notice the numerous shocked looks he was receiving from soldiers and personnel of lower ranks. Many had quite literally allowed their jaws to drop and openly gaped at the alchemist while those less brave would stare with wide eyes before quickly diverting their attention to something else. It made Roy chuckle to himself and run his fingers through his hair, which was the target of everyone's surprise. Even though the locks felt the same as they had the night before, Roy could still almost tell immediately where the raven black turned to gray. There was not so much of the color that it showed further than half an inch, but the male knew it was enough to be noticeable, and after looking in the mirror that morning the General was well aware it made him look like his real age of thirty-six instead of the deceptive thirty he was normally able to pull off.

Roy still was not completely sure he liked sporting a stark reminder that he was slowly but surely aging, but tried not to think about it too much when he remembered why he was doing it in the first place.

Hawkeye had driven him home from work that evening, and instead of going back to her place like she usually did, the woman had stayed when Roy mentioned he still needed to finish decorating his tree and could use a hand.

That had gotten the ball rolling for the entire night and the two had eaten a quick dinner of leftover Xingese takeout before getting started with the decorating. Roy had coaxed Riza into having a glass of wine, which over the course of two hours led to three glasses, leaving the Colonel and General to talk about whatever came to mind with calmer and slightly fuzzier heads. Somehow towards the end of the entertaining task, when Riza was just finishing up strategically placing all the shiny ball ornaments, they got onto the topic of age. Roy swore it started with an offhanded comment about how nicely the Christmas lights highlighted the silver just starting to take hold of Hawkeye's roots, but he couldn't be sure.

The two had discussed how they had noticed several of their friends going gray, the main two being Havoc and Rebecca, who were both in denial about the small amount of silver on their heads and dyed it before most people even realized it was there. When Roy had asked why Riza didn't dye her hair the woman had just raised her eyebrow at him and explained that she saw no need to cover up something that was just a natural part of life; she wasn't vain.

The General had released a small huff because he knew for a fact that comment had been a jab at him as well, since he dyed his hair the second he caught sight of even one discolored strand. The man had been quick to defend himself then, because while he didn't like the reminder that he was getting older he did not consider himself vain in the slightest. Yes, he liked to look good, but it wasn't a must for him. He just didn't like the fact that he was grayer than everyone he knew that was his age- a fact he still chalked up to the overall stress of trying to keep up with the political tasks that Grumman constantly threw at him and helping to make sure no unnecessary wars broke out.

The alchemist had crossed his arms over his chest, having finished his fourth glass of wine, and informed Hawkeye that it made sense she didn't care, because silver went fantastically with blonde and made her look gorgeous, wheres it made someone with black hair look like they belonged on a dinner table. He did not want to be known as the "Salt and Pepper Alchemist".

Riza had of course ignored the compliment for favor of rolling her eyes and removing the wine bottle from the General's reach when the man went to go for another glass. The blonde did not look at Roy when she spoke, but Roy was most certainly staring at her with an expression that probably told the woman she had given him incentive to stop dying his hair. Riza hummed thoughtfully, almost to herself and told the General quietly that she had actually always thought that coloring looked distinguished.

After that the night had progressed slowly, with Riza first putting the red, decision-impairing liquid back into the fridge and then coming to curl up next to Roy on the couch. They didn't say much, but it hadn't mattered to Roy, and he was certain it hadn't mattered to her either, because they were just happy to be able to see each other outside of work for such long periods of time. It didn't matter that they never did anything besides sit together, or talk, or eat, because in the past they hadn't been able to do even that for fear of what others might assume. At where they currently were in their lives, with the raven haired man being only one rank lower than the Fuhrer and the blonde being a Colonel, they truly did not care what other people decided to say about them when they decided to interact outside of work. That was one thing Roy hadn't minded coming with age.

And when Hawkeye had left that night, just after 9PM, Roy had gone to the bathroom, stared at the face that appeared more youthful than it actually was thanks to the fully colored mop sitting atop his head, and decided he could at least try it out. If for no other reason than to see Riza's reaction. The alchemist had taken a deep breath, filled the sink with water, dipped his head in, clapped his hands before placing them against his head, and watched the black dye leave his hair and stain the hot water.

That was why the man ignored the men and women's reactions and strode into the outer office where his team was already situated and hard at work. Once again, nobody said anything because it was not really that big of a deal, but Roy did note that when Fuery looked up to greet him, he did so with eyes that were slightly wider than usual. Havoc gave him a small nod of what seemed to be approval before informing Breda that he needed to grab some files from Sheska and would be right back. For the redhead's part, Breda only raised his eyebrows, not having expected the General to look so different just because of a change in hair color. Falman remained mostly impassive, but Roy did note the small, curious tilt of the man's head.

However, their reactions, while nice to have, were not the ones Roy really cared about. The gray and black haired man tried not to make it obvious that he was checking Riza's facial expression when he walked past her on his way to the inner office, but he wasn't sure if he achieved it. Though whether he did or not didn't stop Hawkeye from giving her silent opinion of a small, pleased smile, which had the General biting back a satisfied grin.

When the alchemist sat at his desk after closing the double doors that would let others in to see him he let out a long sigh before opening one of the many drawers in his desk, pulling out several stacks of papers. Roy knew the reason they were being kept in office for the holidays that year was actually good, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it in the slightest. Because really, who wanted to be reading about "Recent Tradings with Xing" and the problems the Ishvalans were having with the railways leading from Amestris into Xing through their lands, when they could be celebrating Christmas with their friends in their warm apartment? Nobody, that's who.

Unfortunately for the man and his team, that was where they were in life, and there was no use complaining about it because there was nothing that could be done about it. With that thought in mind, the General got to reading about the disputes of their country and brainstorming ways to present his suggestions on how to fix them to the Fuhrer. The man could not wait until he was able to just do everything the way he felt was right without having to get permission and wait on others to get it all done.

Roy got perhaps ten minutes into his reading when his ears caught hint of a familiar voice and he found himself smiling. He hadn't been expecting the Elrics to actually come over, given that their second child had only been born a few months before and they hadn't seemed up to travel that Thanksgiving when the General and Hawkeye had been unable to go due to the Colonel being sick and Roy not wanting to leave her alone. From the pitch of the others' voices they hadn't been aware Edward and Winry would be over either.

The alchemist made to get up from his seat, but realized he really shouldn't have bothered when the doors burst open loudly and Edward strode in like he had when he was younger and under Roy's supervision. The blond didn't bother closing the door and wasted no time throwing himself onto the long white couch that was always to be found in the General's office, lounging across it lazily with eyes closed and opening his mouth to say whatever he'd been preparing.

"So, the Colonel told me you guys wouldn't be able to make it down to Resembool and that just wouldn't do since it's Trisha's first Christmas, so we decided we'd come up here and celebrate- kind of like we used to before the Promised Day, remember?. Since, you know, it's not proper Christmas without family." The twenty-two year old stretched his arms above his head and let out a sound mixed between a yawn and a groan as his back popped. Roy nodded, a warm smile coming onto his face at Edward's words as he remembered the old office parties they used to throw specifically for his and Alphonse's sake so that they didn't miss out on fun stuff. Although, Roy wasn't exactly sure they had fun anyway, considering by ten o'clock the brothers had been surrounded by tipsy, or flat out drunk, adults.

"Al couldn't come," The man continued, opening his eyes and looking at Roy with a fond smile of his own in place, "Because he and May decided to spend Christmas in Xing. I told them to say hi to Ling while they were at it since he couldn't come down either due to the stupid railway disputes that are keeping foreigners out- but never mind, you know all about… that…"

Roy hummed in question when Edward suddenly trailed off, narrowing his eyes at the General with a strange sort of concentration on his face, as if he was seeing something but couldn't quite figure out what it was. The raven haired man decided to leave the blond to whatever it was that was bugging him and turned to his papers once more. He was glad Edward and Winry had come to Central for Christmas, because the last time Roy had seen them had been right before Trisha's birth, which was in August, and call him sentimental, but he had begun missing the Elric family.

It was quiet for another minute, save the now clearer conversations going on between Winry and the others past the open doors and the babbling noises Peter kept making, no doubt at his little sister and mother. When Roy looked up again, he frowned at the looks Edward was giving him. The man seemed to be switching between frowning, squinting, and tilting his head at the General and the alchemist was tired of seeing it after only six seconds.

Sighing heavily, Roy set the papers down once more and leveled the blond with a blank stare. "Something wrong, Edward?"

At the mention of his name Ed started, sitting up on the sofa and hooking one arm over the back as he tilted his head once more. The male seemed to be contemplating something different that time, so Roy gave him some time to gather his thoughts. However, when Edward opened his mouth to make the General aware of what was on his mind, the words he used were as blunt as they were unexpected. "You're old."

"What?!" Roy swore he all but shouted the single word, mentally going through the reasons Edward would be saying that. Was the blond just trying to get on his nerves like he often did, or- oh wait, his hair. The alchemist rolled his eyes inwardly, unable to believe how quickly he'd forgotten the change in appearance.

"Your hair," Edward stated with a slight shrug, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, oblivious to the fact that the General had already realized what he'd been referring to. "It's gray."

Roy couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose and answer in a rather condescending tone. "Well, I am fourteen years older than you, is that really so surprising?"

Where the man had been expecting Edward to retort in an equally rude tone of voice and say something immature there was only silence, and Roy stared at the blond with wariness in his eyes. It was too good to hope the once-alchemist had matured and would choose not to respond in a petulant manner, which could only mean Ed was thinking about what to say- or rather, going through his long list of insults and picking one that he liked.

True to form, half a second later Edward's eyes gained a wicked glint and the man gave the General an amused smirk. "You look like a thin Santa."

He choked. Roy actually choked on his spit and had to pound a fist against his chest to get the coughing to subside. Of all the comebacks Edward could have come up with, the alchemist had not been expecting that one. He really should have though, given that it was December and if there was anyone who had picked up the extremely irritating, Hughes-like Christmas spirit, it was the blond. Now how Roy had forgotten that little detail, he wasn't quite sure.

The General levelled Edward with an unimpressed stared that was only half effective given that he had just managed to stop the tiny coughs that always followed chokes and folded his arms atop his desk. "Knock it off, Edward, I do not."

Apparently the younger man saw no reason why he should do as Roy ordered and continued as though the older male had said nothing at all, that curve of his lips becoming sharper, leaving the raven haired General with a feeling of dread for whatever it was the blond had to say. "If I sit on your lap can I expect a pay raise for Christmas?"

"That's enough!" If Roy hadn't already learned from his mistake of sucking in breath too sharply, he probably would have done it again seeing as Edward was on a roll with comments that managed to be both aggravating and unexpected. Still, Roy knew he had to at least give a few more replies or else he would lose whatever this was. "And you don't even work here."

Edward shrugged, uncaring, and slouched in his seat, "Eh, still thought I'd ask. After all, in your old age you might have gone senile. Could you imagine the fortune I could make off of you if that was the case?"

If Edward had been looking for a reaction with that one he must have been sadly disappointed since all Roy did was narrow his eyes and shake his head without breaking eye contact. "You're not funny," The man deadpanned, not at all impressed.

Of course, that didn't deter Edward, who simply put on a sympathetic face, speaking to the General as if he were one of his children, "Are you grumpy because you need a cookie?" Roy opened his mouth to once again tell the blond to knock it off, but Edward was not to be stopped. "I think you need a cookie."

The young man leaned out of his seat on the couch until his head was visible to the outside office occupants. "Hey guys! Does the General look like he needs a cookie?"

"Fullmetal!" Roy would have winced at the volume of his voice if he wasn't to busy glaring at the blond and his wife, whom he could see was nodding in answer to her husband's question. Part of him was actually laughing at the fact that the blond's former military title was still what slipped off his tongue when he'd had enough.

"Welp!" Ed threw his hands into the air, a laugh bubbling in his throat that he didn't let escape yet, "Here comes the sleigh!"

"Okay, that's enough." When Roy got up from his seat he was briefly satisfied when he saw Edward tense up, ready to bolt if the General made a move to grab at him, but he was more done than anything. It was one thing to get looks from the soldiers and another entirely to have Edward Elric refuse to shut up about it. Of course, Roy wasn't so sensitive that a few gibes from the blond would wound him and make him want to go back to looking young, but the alchemist did still head out of the office and into the bathroom. He would just have to stop dying his hair when he knew Ed wasn't in town, because while Roy didn't care that the hair was just part of aging, he did not particularly enjoy listening to the younger man reference the fact that he was getting older every other second. And he would.

If he knew Edward -and he did- the golden eyed man wouldn't have stopped at the teasing in the office, and the quips would have lasted all night until Winry dragged him back to their hotel… or Roy threw him out. One or the other.

The second Roy stalked off to wherever, Edward lost it and dissolved into a fit of loud sniggers. He couldn't believe he'd actually won and silently thanked whatever or whoever made Mustang stop dying his hair. He'd had no idea the General even did that and always figured the man was one of those few people that were blessed with the youth gene that kept them looking fresh when they were past their expiration date. Now that he knew that was not the case, he planned on having fun with the old jokes for years to come.

Although when Hawkeye walked past and gave him a sound slap to the back of the head, eliciting a small yelp from the blond, Edward decided to put those plots away for a later date.

It didn't take long for Roy to return, and when he did Edward noticed there was a distinct lack of gray and bit down an immature huff. Mustang took the fun out of everything sometimes. But then, that was always the case. The man was either the life of the party or the one who dragged it down. Why he put up with the grump, Ed didn't know.

Roy went back to his desk and shuffled through the stacks of papers he had before him, occasionally reaching up to scratch at his head. The young man understood that one; transmuting the dye into your hair always left the scalp a bit itchy. However, his sympathy for the General was quickly replaced by amusement of the fact that his mocking had made Mustang change his mind about the whole gray hair deal. Of course, Edward was sure that was because Roy knew he wouldn't shut up about it if he continued to leave it as it was- the blond had already prepared an hour's worth of one liners.

The dark haired man kept glancing up from his task of reading whatever documents were in his hands and Edward would continue to meet his gaze with a sweet smile that slowly but surely became the evil mirth he knew to be irritating to Roy.

Sure enough, the alchemist dropped his task and glared at the blond, looking for all the world like he was going to throttle Ed should he say the wrong thing. "What?"

But given that Edward was who he was, Mustang really should not have expected him to say the right thing. The blond laughed as soon as the question was out of the General's mouth and a made show of wiping a tear from his eyes as he answered. "I can't unsee it!"

And with the comment, Edward knew he'd gotten the clock started, and as he calmed down he watched Roy's face very carefully, waiting for the sign that it was time to go.

Surprisingly enough, Mustang appeared generous that year and gave him an estimate of how long exactly Ed had. "You get a two second head start."

The blond didn't need to be told twice and Edward leapt over the side of the couch, already shooting past Hawkeye, who was discussing with Winry something along the lines of how amazing it was that no matter how old those he and the General got, they seemed to regress into children the minute they were put in the same room together. By that point, Mustang was out of his chair and chasing after him, which only caused the blond to grin mischievously. It was always so fun to get Roy riled up when he should've been helping the man wind down.

When Ed was maybe halfway close to being out, Fuery snorted to himself, fiddling with one of the phone's wiring, and without even looking up he hooked his foot underneath one of the office chairs that was halfway into the doorway and pulled it out of the young man's path just as Havoc stepped through the door to take it's place. The man held a fairly large box of what Fuery assumed to be the files he'd gone to get, and the darker haired soldier laughed lightly when upon seeing Edward running for him, going too fast to stop, Jean simply lifted the box over his head and stepped to the side right as the blond dashed past, the General hot on his heels.

Havoc paused and turned to watch the pair tear down the hallways, shouting seemingly random things about age at each other. When the Major turned back to the group he had a lopsided grin in place and dropped his box onto Breda's work space as he offhandedly said, "Hey, they started early this year."

Yup. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals. ;)