Okay, first of all, thank you for clicking on this story. Next, I wish to warn you that this is my first FMA fanfiction EVER, so please be considerate. Then, well... This fic will be a compilation of one-shots, all classic stories, like Cinderella (which is exactly this first chapter), with FMA characters. There will be mostly shounen ai/yaoi, but nothing explicit. I hope you will like it! And in the end...

I DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST TT_TT

CLASSICS

Cinderella

He was scrubbing the floor as hard and fast as he could. His arm hurt from the intensity of it, but he paid the pain no mind. Distractions would only slow him down, and slowing down meant having a bad chat with the witch. Which he definitely didn't want to happen. He'd be much happier if he didn't have to see her face for the rest of the day. Yes, that would be great. The woman, a fool in his eyes, for marrying his father, wasn't much worse than her children. Russel was a jerk, a total jerk. His brows furrowed in frustration. Why did he have to do this anyway? He'd do anything to leave this upside-down family, even joining the military.

Actually, the military was the best option there was. He was still underage, so his parents had all the authority over him. That meant he couldn't just walk out the door and make a life for himself. Even if he could, he had no money and no acquaintances that would help him get out of this situation. The military, though, would allow him to become totally independent from his father and his step-mother. Being a soldier made you a dog of the government, so only the state had the right to order you around, and your parents' opinions where discarded instantly. Also, he would be offered shelter and he would be paid for his services. Yep, definitely the best course of action.

However, it wasn't this easy. He couldn't just walk out and request to be made soldier. The country weren't in need of men for the moment, so it would be totally pointless to apply. It's not like Izumi would allow him to just do that anyway.

"Edward!" With a sigh, the teen pulled himself up and brushed the non-existent dust off his baggy pants. They smelled like old rags and no matter how many times he watched them it wouldn't let go of the used fabric. He headed for the master bedroom where he knew he would find his step-mother per usual, and drop back to his knees in front of it before knocking on the closed door. When the door opened, he was met with a scowl and angry eyes, but as it was a normal occurrence, Edward didn't flinch. He only stared at her, discarding any bad emotions that started to well as her face printed in his mind. He hated her. A lot.

"Did you finish the laundry?" Ed noted her happy aura as she walked back inside the room with light steps, probably not even thinking of the matter at hands.

"Yes," came his simple answer. That's the only thing she wanted to hear. Details were not needed.

"Did you clean the boys' room?" Her voice got slightly muffled as she fumble through her clothes hung in the walk-in wardrobe.

"Yes."

"Did you placed the books where they belong?" She placed a long blue dress on her bed before going back in the walk-in.

"Yes."

"Did you water the inside plants?" She tossed another one, shorter and with less fluffs, red with color.

"Yes."

"What about the dishes?" She tapped her chin with her thin finger a few seconds before turning back to the wardrobe.

"All done."

"And the garden?" She looked another time through all of the high-quality dresses she had.

"All done."

"I hope you didn't forget the living room." She stepped back with yet another dress in hands.

"All done."

"This one surely is pretty." She put it aside the two others and eyed them carefully. "Did you wash the kitchen floors?" Sweat began to form on Ed's brow. That's what he had been doing before she headed back home, and by being called to report, he had had to leave the work undone. He gulped in what he hoped was silence, and was rewarded when he saw no reaction from Izumi. She looked lost in her thoughts, having to choose between the three dresses in front of her. Maybe she wouldn't notice, like she sometimes did. If he stayed silent, she might simply forget about him. "Well?" His breath caught in his lungs as a shiver ran through his whole body like an electric shock.

"I'm not finished yet, ma'am." She turned toward him abruptly, her eyes looking like an owl's searching for a prey as they fell on him. They narrowed dangerously as she came up with a decision.

"Well, then, you better finish tonight. The kitchen's floor and the whole second and third floor. Do not enter in our offices, especially not your father's." With only that, Ed was highly glad she was in a good mood. It could have been much worse than that. "And, no diner tonight. I'm heading out with a friend of mine. I expect everything done when I come back." Fuckfriend, Ed couldn't hep but think bitterly. They were both hypocrites, her and Hohenheim. They were married, still, the teen suspected that Izumi's activities with her... friends, as she put it, were complete adultery. And he didn't suspect his father of anything less. Gone away from here for months, there was no doubt he would need to have fun for himself once in a while, wouldn't he? Well, it's not like it really mattered. "Do you understand? Don't make me repeat myself." He would never dream of it. Only hearing her voice managed to enrage him.

"I do." He hissed between his clenched teeth, hoping to keep his feelings at bay.

"Good. Then off to work you go." She sung with a bit too much of happiness to Ed's liking before closing the door at his face.

~ CLASSICS ~

The floor had been swept clean with carefulness and haste. His job was done, and Edward knew his step-mother wouldn't bash at him. Unless, of course, Russel decided to put the blame on him for something he never did, just like the vase that had been broken a few days ago and had learned him a good word bashing and body beating. He didn't complain though – he couldn't. Sure, he tried several times when he was younger, but he soon learned that all it did was make matters worse.

The teen perked up as soon as he heard his step-mother come in the three story house, and proceeded to hide his training equipment – things that he either found in the abandoned attic or made for himself – with a speed that he never knew he could have. If Izumi found out about his body building training, he would pass a really awful time with her screaming at him. He silently reached for the door of his room, listening intently as his half-brother came to meet the master of the house to welcome her back. He heard them talk leisurely, and what disturbed him most of all, was the trace of love that the woman held in her voice as she greeted her son. It made him long for his own mother.

"I'm back, Russel. Did you have a good day at the academy today?" A muffled sound came from the older boy which Ed could only think of as a yes. "Good. I heard you had great grades again. However," and her voice dropped to a more serious tone, "this won't suffice. It seems that results are not enough for the military to give you a proper grading. For you to start as at least a major, you will need connection." Lucky bastard. Not even did he get Izumi's support to reach a goal Ed always wanted, but he also had to find a way to cheat to get a promotion faster. Acquaintances... The one thing that the teen desperately need to free himself of this place.

"Don't worry though, my dear, everything will be fine. I'm sure of it. Actually, our house has been invited to a ball, one month from now. It seems high military officers will also be attending, so perhaps you could make a few friends there, don't you think so?" Ed's brain started working right there, muting his brother's answers out instantly. A ball with high military officers. The perfect chance for getting himself a job. The perfect chance to gain freedom. A month from now. Before he even registered it, he was ready to prepare to make a path for himself. He was going to go there, and he was going to go alone. Izumi wouldn't approve, so it was no use pleading with her. No. The best course of action, here, would be to plan everything himself, feign ignorance, then leave shortly after his sibling. That could work.

~ CLASSICS ~

Russel had come back from the academy earlier this day, and with Fletcher following him with difficulties, he entered the house where he was supposed to find his filthy older brother doing the cleaning, as he should be. Much to his pleasure, he found the long blond haired teen kneeling on the ground of the younger's bedroom, trying to clean a bad ink stain on the wooden floor. The tall teenager deliberately dropped it to make Ed's life more hellish, and he found it quite amusing. He hated him.

His half-brother was a prodigy. He learned really fast, and he learned it all by himself. When he was younger, he had often been caught in their father's study reading the advanced book the man possessed. Izumi never liked it. After all, he was only filth, born in the countryside and of a poor woman. Russel couldn't understand why Hohenheim's eyes would go soft each time he laid them on his eldest son. At first he thought it was pity – after all, he was a low-life – but he soon noticed it was love. Hohenheim loved Edward. He loved him as his own soon, and not like some stupid woman's mistake. And it angered him. Because Edward has never done anything to deserve such affection. On the contrary, he, a pure blood noble, made out of his mother's and father's union, only received a unfeeling glare when he tried to make him proud by having good results. What had he done to merit such coldness?

Although he hated him, Russel knew a lot about Edward. He hated being called short, for one. And he hated to live as a slave. He loved the color red. He definitely hated his other siblings, himself more particularly. The tall teen knew that his half-brother wanted to get into the military – like, really bad – and an idea suddenly popped up in his mind.

"Hey, pipsqueak." That earned him an angry glare, but the long haired boy didn't react more than this. Maybe he was in a good mood? What for? "You having fun?" Ignored. Well, not anything new here. "You know, I'll be going to this fabulous ball in three weeks. It's going to be the best opportunity of my life." Not even a look. Damn. "Who knows, I might actually just get the job. You know? The one you always wanted? Well, maybe you could come too... you just have to ask my mother." Yes, that should do it. As usual, the golden orbs went straight for his blue ones, and he could see... indifference? What? That definitely was new.

"Well, maybe you could say hello for me. Who knows, maybe someone will notice your stupidity and sends you home as an incompetent fool. Not like it will change anything for me anyway." The older teen stood up and left the room, completely unfazed by the provocation. Something was wrong here. There was definitely something up with Edward. He was happy and indifferent... Another thing he knew about his half-brother; he had a weakness for Fletcher's naivety.

~ CLASSICS ~

"What are you doing?" Ed jumped ten feet in the air at young Fletcher's voice. The boy was standing behind him, looking over his shoulder to see what the teen was doing, a look of pure curiosity painted on his face. Edward didn't hear him enter, which was weird since he was on high alert, especially now that he was doing something so... highly unapproved by his step-mother.

"I'm sewing." Indeed, the long haired boy was holding a piece of black cloth and working on it with a needle he had stolen from Izumi. It wasn't anything new, though. He often sewed to repair his own clothes or making himself new ones. They weren't top shape, that's for sure, but he didn't mind.

"Again?" Yes, Fletcher knew a lot he shouldn't be knowing. He actually often came up in his older brother's room to chat and play with him, and Ed seemed to have taken a liking to him. He would let him know of some things, secrets, that he wasn't supposed to tell anyone. And he never did, because he liked Edward and he wanted to continue playing with him.

"Yes, but it's different this time," he said with a smirk, a smirk that the boy decided he liked, a lot. "After all, it's for a great event."

"Is it the ball my brother keeps talking about? Are you going to get a job too?" Heh, if only he knew...

"Yes... but you're not repeating that to anyone, alright? I'm making myself a suit, so I can be presentable." A bit of excitation perked up in the younger boy's eyes at the prospect of seeing Edward as pretty as his brother in a suit. Although the used cloth in the teen hands wouldn't give much of a good presentation, he knew Ed would catch several eyes just by his presence. After all, who could look away from these golden eyes? Not him, that was for sure.

"Then, you'll get a job like my brother? And have money? And buy more pretty clothes? I know! You could buy me new toys!" The youth was jumping with enthusiasm all around the room.

"Sure Fletcher, my pleasure!" Edward made imitating his brother's ridicule bow. The boy giggled and ran out of the room, yelling that Izumi would be there soon.

~ CLASSICS ~

"So, what did he tell you?" Russel asked as he tied carefully his tie around his neck. His academy attire was impeccable, that he made sure of; after all, he had to be the most perfect student out there, so he could get a good rank.

"He said he was going to the ball too. He's secretly making his own gown, but he asked me not to tell you."

"You did well by telling me, little brother." The older ruffled Fletcher's dirty blond hair affectionately, offering him a warm smile. "Just keep watching over him, everything's going to be just fine." That last part was a low whisper, mostly to himself. Actually, he was planning a wonderful entertainment, the best he could have before heading to the party.

~ CLASSICS ~

All the preparations were on the run. His suit was almost finished, and he was currently thinking of a way to get one of those rare baths he desperately needed. Izumi was getting ready in her own room, talking to herself in a sweet manner, practicing whatever she planned on saying to other nobles to get in their good favors. Russel was helping Fletcher with his hair, and Ed couldn't help but hope the other teen would get a few reprimands from military officer.

Finally, today was the day. He would walk in there, make himself known, get a job, and fucking get out of here already! He really couldn't wait, but... right now he had to keep his feelings his check so his step-mother wouldn't get too suspicious.

"Edward!" Ugh! Why wouldn't she just leave him alone? He had other things to do! However, to avoid getting unwanted doubts, he went to Izumi's room and knelt before knocking. "We'll be heading out in a few, and you better do your chores accordingly to what I told you this morning! No excuses! I want to come back here tonight and see everything done, is that clear?" Her voice was strict as usual, but it didn't faze the teen. If only she knew...

"It is."

"Perfect."

Before starting on his chores, he headed for the bath and cleaned his dirty body. When he stepped out, the water was gray. He secretly passed by Izumi's bedroom to fetch her hairbrush while she made some last minute arrangements on her sons, then fled of to his own room. There, he brushed his golden bangs carefully but with haste, scared of being caught in the act. All that was left now was to get dress, and head off to the ball!

However, as he opened his wardrobe, all he saw was a ripped piece of cloth. He instantly knew what the fabric previously had been, and all his hopes came crashing down on him. Now there was no way he could go there... He couldn't steal any of Russel's suits, since he was much taller than him and none of them would fit. There was no way he could repair his gown, given that it took him three weeks to actually make it.

The guests kept coming one after another. Noble couples came to meet old acquaintances, young ladies came to meet the man of their life, young men came to get a reputation, military officers came to represent the state, and the host, the royal family, came to find a princess for their prince. A prince quite the lady-killer actually. Just a small smile and he could charm a huge majority of them. Still, he didn't care about all of that. Sure, it was good to have a little fun once in a while, but he wasn't interested in a steady relationship. He had better things to do. For instance, he had a job to do. Being a General in the army isn't just fun and games. Far from it. He had loads of responsibilities to take care of, and being present at this ball was not part of it.

Nothing really surprised him in such occasions. Women would try to win his heart, which of course never worked, and other military officers tried to become his "friend", which also never worked. Well, he did still have a few friends – real friends – within the military, and some of them were his guests for the night. He was chatting casually with a redhead, having fun playing with the lady's heart, when Hughes came up to him and started a random tirade about his wife and future child. Nothing surprising here. When the man with the glasses noticed he was being ignored in favour of nails, he sighed and turned to talk to someone else, standing behind him.

"Anyway, General," Hughes started, having become more serious, "I'd like to introduce you to a new friend of mine. It seems he'd be interested in becoming a dog of the state, and since you were looking for another crew member, I thought maybe you would be interested in recruiting him." He stepped aside, letting the other guest walk up to him, and Mustang's breath caught in his lungs. An angel. The boy – no, man – was wearing the most elegant black suit ever. The younger man's skin was pale and his long lashes made his eyes the more beautiful. No, wait, that wasn't right. His eyes were pureness itself, by the simple fact of the gold that coloured them and the life, hope and warmth that lived within their depths. Also, his long blond hair, pulled in a ponytail, looked silky and made the prince want to glide his fingers between the sunshine strands. This man. Was. Handsome. There was no denying that. A confident grin spread across the guest's face as he looked directly into the black orbs of the General.

"It's nice to meet you in person. Sir Hughes told me a bit about you, General Mustang." Roy quirked an eyebrow at that; didn't he know he actually was the prince? And it looked like he had never heard of him before his friend informed him of his existence. This was definitely not a normal occurrence.

"And who would you be?" He highly hoped the man was just another selfish noble, or else he might fall in love with him – wait, maybe he already did – and jump him on the spot. A smirk grew on the angel's face after a few seconds of contemplating the scenery behind the prince's back, before he turned away and walked to a balcony, ignoring the question.

~ CLASSICS ~

A General. Surely he couldn't be this lucky. As if to confirm his doubts, Edward saw Izumi look at him from behind Mustang's back, a few feet away. The woman narrowed her eyes, and the teen feared she would recognized him. He did the only thing that passed through his mind; h walked away.

Here, his step-mother wouldn't find him unless she invaded his personal space. He stood on the front balcony of the mansion, arms resting on the rails as his gaze was turned on the dark lake shining with the stars' reflection. How could he have reacted that way? Sure, now he was safe, as in he wouldn't get found out by Izumi, but he had voluntarily walked away of the biggest chance he had of gaining his freedom. This night didn't bode well.

Edward startled when fingers ran through his hair, and he turned sharply only to get lost into darkness. A warm black embrace, and sincerity hidden deep withing the exotic eyes that fell on him like a lion waiting the right moment to jump on its prey. He didn't know how much time passed, only staring at the General, but he was brought back to reality when the man quirked one of his eyebrow questioningly. Only then did he notice the hands on his. He instinctively retracted his right arm, hugging it to his chest with the other.

"What happened?" Th voice was soft and velvety, strangely comforting. The teen hunched his shoulder on himself, wanting to hide in the scenery of the night. He nly felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, silently encouraging him to tell his story.

... What was there to lose anyway?

~ CLASSICS ~

Roy followed Ed out on the balcony, and after a while of waiting for the man to turn around, he couldn't help himself to slide his fingers int he long hair. Silky, just like he thought. They felt even better than a woman's. He was slightly surprised when the angel turned around abruptly, but otherwise he stayed unmoving. Until he noticed the golden eyes lost in his, completely ignoring the world around them. He took the occasion to subtly grab the younger's hands, noticing how the right one felt oddly hard and cold.

The golden eyes widened in comprehension before the angel turned around, hiding his hand. As he tried to stop him from moving, Roy found himself with a single white glove between his fingers; the right one.

"What happened?" He whispered, wanting the man to trust him. After a while of silence, in which the angel's shoulders dropped a bit, golden orbs looked up at him once again, and he started telling his tale.

Trisha was sitting on the front of the carriage, reining the two horses pulling them through the dirt of the road. She and her two sons were on their way to Pinako's, an old friend of the boys' father's, for a mid-summer vacation. The children were good friends with the young Winry, grand-daughter of Pinako; Trisha even suspected that her younger son, Alphonse, took a big liking to her and secretly hoped they would eventually, you know, become a couple.

No one expected this to happen. The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly on the family while the wind softly blew in the mother's long auburn hair. Edward and Alphonse were sleeping soundly in the back of the carriage, completely exhausted from their three days long of playing outside in the fine weather. The two brown horses were trotting freely, following the human's instruction whenever she let them know of a new direction or speed. However, none of them expected the dog to jump out of the wheat field on their right to run after a flight of birds.

Both of the creatures went in panic mode, reacting violently to the sudden apparition of the canine. They started galloping to their maximum speed, pulling the carriage behind them. The children woke up to the change of rhythm. Edward didn't remember much from there. The world shook and spun for a long while until everything came to a stop mere seconds later, a loud boom resonating in the silent world. He remembered waking up, though he didn't when precisely he had lost consciousness, only to find a puddle of blood among the rumbles of the once elegant carriage.

There, right in front of his very eyes, laid his mother. Her eyes were looking straight at him, glazed over as if she was blind, while her mouth opened and closed like a fish's, though no sound escaped the blue lips.

"Mother?" He called, needing comfort from the only one who had shown him love all his life. At her son's voice, Trisha's eyes widened a bit, before she lifted her arm to reach out to the child.

"Ed..." The word was far from loud, still the youth heard it as clear as can be. Blood spluttered from her open mouth, her hand dropping back on the ground and her last breath leaving her body. She was dead. Dead.

~ CLASSICS ~

When Ed woke up after that, he was at the hospital. It didn't take long for him to notice his missing limbs, and he panicked. He wanted to see his little brother, he wanted to see his mother, he wanted to be sure they were safe, he wanted to hope this was all a nightmare. But the pain in his right arm and left leg burned the truth onto his soul; it really happened, his mother was really dead. However, he did not mourn. He still had one thing to do, an important thing to do. Al.

For the first few days, he was refused any sort of physical activity. He couldn't even get up to go to the restroom. Yet, he finally was able to see his little brother when they had judged his injuries stable. He would never forget that moment.

First came absolute happiness. His brother was in the hospital bed, in the room next to his own, and he was breathing, and moving, and living. Relief came crashing down on Edward as he watched his little sibling play with car toys on the ground next to his bed. He seemed totally unaffected by the accident. The nurse beside the older boy put a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention.

"He hit his head really hard," she explained, a shadow of a smile gracing her lips. Yet, her eyes felt empty.

Then came comprehension. His little brother hit his head and couldn't remember the accident. It might actually be a good thing. That way he wouldn't have to feel the pain and fear that it brought upon them. And the lost. Sure it would still hurt him, to know their mother was dead and all, but at least he wouldn't have felt it the way Edward did. Seeing that last violent release of breath was not something he wished for Alphonse. The small boy looked up at the taller blond in the wheelchair, eyes filled with life and happiness.

"Who are you?" Al asked.

Then came realization. Alphonse couldn't just remember the accident, but everything. For the child, Edward was now a complete stranger. His own little brother didn't know him anymore. Fine, Ed decided. I'll either make him remember and allow him to make new memories with me, as brothers.

~ CLASSICS ~

Their father never came to fetch them. The boys stayed in the hospital for two months, before their aunt Pinako came to pick them up because their father didn't. That simple fact stayed on Edward's mind. Their father had abandoned them. Starting there, the golden haired boy started hating him; Hohenheim. The worst man ever. Instead, Pinako took them in, and eventually fitted Edward with automail because he insisted that he needed them.

Edward was really intent on making Al remember and/or making new memories with him. They visited their old house, now completely recovered in dust, played old games they played when younger, sung the lullaby their mother used to sing them, look at every family picture they had, etc. However, over the years, the came to a disastrous conclusion.

Alphonse would be a child forever. When they reached their preadolescence, Alphonse was still acting like a six years old. He would never be independent, would never work, would never marry, have children, have a life of his own. It shocked Ed, but he had to accept it. Because it was his brother, the only family he had left.

Tears silently glided down Edward's cheeks, his gold orbs staring at his feet. It was still painful, the whole accident and everything that came after, his father re-marrying, obliging him to move in with him and his new wife, Izumi, and leaving Al behind with Pinako. A huge ball caught in his throat, and all he wanted to do was cry out in pain; mourn. Something he, now that he thought about it, never did. How come he felt so much trust in this man? So much trust that he'd openly cry in his arms, the raven-haired general holding him close to his chest in an attempt to comfort him... The tall man must think he was so pitiable and weak right now, surely he would never want to hire him.

Yet, when Ed lifted up his head to look at Mustang, he couldn't even force himself to care. He lost himself in those dark depths again, forgetting about the whole world, forgetting about his past, his present, his unstable future, everything. Only the man in front of him, smelling of fire; warmth and love. And those lips, hesitantly lowering to meet his, fearing rejection and hoping acceptance, and affection, and love, and happiness.

But the bell chimed. It chimed midnight. And midnight was Edward's limit time. The teen remembered suddenly the strange encounter with his aunt in the mansion's garden. She had provided him – magically, he recalled – with a brand new carriage, with four black horses dress in armor as if going to war, an armed soldier to guide them through the town and a blond child surprisingly looking like young Alphonse as a valet. Pinako had also turned him into the most handsome young man there is by giving him something elegant to wear, without being too flashy. He was perfect for the ball.

"However," she had warned him before he went, "good things do not last forever." Midnight was the limit time. Everything would turn back to normal, and he would be left as a dirty slave in front of his only chance of being free.

His instincts told him to run, and he did.

Izumi rushed to her son's bedroom, waking him up harshly. He moaned in his half-asleep state before covering his head with the comforter.

"Get up, Russel! Hurry and get dressed! The grand duke is coming along with the prince!" Edward walked in right then, with a breakfast plate in arms for his brother. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but it seemed urgent, and he surely didn't want to have Izumi's rage flying at him for being too slow this morning.

"What for?" The sleepy teen asked, fighting to stay awake. Edward deposed the breakfast plate on the bedside table before picking up every dirty clothes that had been discarded on the floor the previous night. They reeked of alcohol.

"He's going to interview every young man who went to the ball yesterday. Apparently, he wants to hire a man for his team; a single one. You better make yourself presentable, because General Mustang is not one to take insubordination."

Ed dropped the clothes basket. Roy Mustang. The General he had met the night before and with whom spent an emotion-filled time. The Prince!? No way. That was impossible. The prince was a skirt chaser, an arrogant fool who lived on his father's fortune, a selfish bastard who passed his days flirting and having fun. Not a handsome soldier seemingly gay and interested in having an adventure with a young nameless teen. Surely he had misheard something.

"What's wrong with him?" Russel asked as he stared at Edward with raised eyebrows. Edward couldn't reply anything, still in shock of the discovery. "Anyway," he continued, "please hurry up with the laundry, and help me prepare. Today is a really important day, after all." He got up of bed, but Ed only stared ahead. Then the words started clicking in his head, and he knew he had to do something. He had to prepare. After all, the prince was coming. Roy Mustang was going to meet with him. His liberty was coming back to free him.

The teen completely ignored his tasks and headed straight for his room on the second floor. He hummed happily while he brushed his hair and pulled them in a ponytail. He had to look presentable; even if he was dressed in old rags, he still had a sens of fashion. And that's when he heard an awfully familiar click. The click that was made by a door locking. He rushed by the door with desperation and saw Izumi smile darkly at the closed door from the whole in the wooden plank. He called out to her, screamed at her to unlock his door and let him out. He cried out in hurt, because it was his only chance and his step-mother decided to rob him of it. Without this, he had nothing left.

~ CLASSICS ~

The teen was rather boring, like all of them. He was stuck up with etiquette, following the school's methods in every way and keeping the attitude of nobles. Well, nobles were boring, and school was boring. They believed in things that were absolutely plastic, and thus had no personality whatsoever. Truly boring. Strangely, he felt like the teen – no, the man – he had met at the ball was only a result of too much drinking. Maybe it had only been a dream? However, he still had the white glove, the one that had been completely forgotten after the hurtful tale of the youngster.

Russel Curtis, the young noble he had been interviewing, finished his tale of loyalty and duties, and Roy didn't miss the chance to get up and out of this stuffing place.

"It was good meeting you, Russel." He bowed his head slightly, not even bothering with a handshake, and did the same with the mother, who stared at him with such coldness it left the prince indifferent. "Now, if you don't mind –" He was interrupted by a loud sound coming from upstairs, and it wasn't long before a familiar face rushed down to the entrance hall.

"Wait!" He called out, almost missing a step and falling flat out on his face. Keyword: almost. Strong arms reached out and grabbed his arm to steady the teen – the man, Roy reminded himself. The prince knew instantly this was the one who was looking for. After all, the arm he was holding tightly was the blonde's right. And it was hard as rock, or in this case, as metal.

"Who is this young man?" The grand duke asked, still standing by the door. "I thought you said there was only one here." The old-looking noble looked at Izumi harshly. She could only scowl back, having absolutely no good reason to have kept it a secret. After all, she WAS legally the boy's mother.

"General," Edward straighten himself up, taking a step away from Roy to keep a reasonable distance between them, "I'm sorry for my late introduction. My name is Edward Elric, son of Van Hoheinheim and Trisha Elric. Please accept my apologize for my sudden escape at the ball."

Then surprising everyone in the house, except for Ed, was the smirk that appeared on Mustang's face. A smirk. The prince was smirking.

"It's not problem, Fullmetal." Ed raised a questioning eyebrow. "This shall be your title starting from now. I chose it personally. I hope you like it, because there's no way I'll ever change it." It clicked instantly in Ed's mind, and he smirk back at the prince, a fire lighting his golden eyes. Determination. Happiness. Hope. Life. Freedom. And love. "Let's go then." Roy stated as he turned around to walk out of the suffocating house.

"Wait," Izumi called coldly. The situation just seemed to have sunk in her skull, and she took a few steps forward to prove her point. "I am still his mother, whether he liked it or not. And as his mother, I forbid him from joining the military. He has other things to do, to focus on." Ed walked right in front of her, smirk widening to become mocking, and he replied with a voice full of glory and pride, because he had won. He was free.

"Oh, but I am now a dog of the military, dear mother, and if the state desires me to disobey you, dear mother, I will gladly do so." His golden orbs stared deep into her eyes, without fear or hesitation. She could only stay still in shock.

"This is your first order then, Fullmetal." And Ed followed Roy outside the door, not looking back at this sick family.

~ CLASSICS ~

Once finally alone in the back of the carriage, the grand duke up front to guide the horses back to the palace, Edward Elric and Roy Mustang gazed at each other with the deepest respect for the other that was possible. And love. Yes, always love. Then Edward started laughing loudly, freely. It was the only real laugh he ever had since he left the countryside. Since he had become a slave. But there was something more to it, and the message those lips held were delivered with success as they fell onto the older man's own in a heated kiss.

And they lived happily ever after.

So, I guess you already know what I want right? Yes, you do. And you want to do it too, don't you? Please leave a review and let ME know what YOU thought of this story. I thought it was a good idea to use the fairy tales and make a FMA version out of them. It's only a test though, and I want to know what you think of it. If at least 10 people review positively, I'll work on other classic tales, and this will become a compilation of those stories.

Here is the list of the few classic tales I MIGHT do (honestly, it depends on you reader!):

- Mulan

- Aladdin

- Snow White

- Sleeping Beauty

- Little Mermaid

- Brave

- Tangled

- The Beauty and the Beast

- The Lady and the Tramp

- Alice in Wonderland

- Swan Princess

- Corpse Bride

- Pocahontas

- Robin Hood

- Peter Pan

- Pinnochio

- The Princess and the Frog

- Hansel and Gretel

- Little Red Riding Hood

So, what do you think?

Oh! And the ten reviews thingy... well, it's counting the five from when this fic was a crossover called Cinderella Elric, and it's only about chapter 3 anyway, because the second one is done and ready to be published for the Valentine's day!

Also, I think I'll start doing this small little game... I want to know my readers, you know? So every chapter of every story, I will ask you a small question, and I want you to answer in your review.

First... What's your nickname? Mine is easy, it sounds like Fox, but it's a "V" instead!

See you all, and I expect lots of reviews!

Vox