Title: 僕たちの小さなヒミツ：学園物語

Pairing: RoyxAl

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance/slice of life

Timeline: Gakuen AU

Notes: Teacher!Roy and Student!Al

Warnings: Shounen-ai, Alternate Universe, Teacher/Student relations.

Notes: This is based on a collection of drabbles I wrote under a similar theme, called "小さなヒミツ", or "A little Secret". And I'm sorry if this story seems too much like something you'd see in "Tokimeki Memorial" or something of that nature…that's the feel that I'm aiming for. Actually, Tokimeki Memorial was partially to blame for this story idea in the first place. And the main pairing may be RoyxAl, but you will find interactions between the other pairings in this story…so don't be surprised if you find Ed x Winry fluff or something of that nature here.

Summary: Love isn't something you choose—it's something that just happens, latching itself on when you least expect it and hanging on for dear life. For Alphonse Elric and Roy Mustang, their romance was just a little bit more unconventional than others, even if the rest of the world didn't quite agree with that. One year, full of joy and sorrows, holding together a romance that should, for all intents, purposes, and conventions, have fallen apart at the seams…One year that both would remember for the rest of their lives.

Full Pairings List:

Roy x Al

Ed x Winry

Alfons x Sheska

Hughes x Gracia

僕たちの小さなヒミツ：学園物語

"Our Little Secret: A School Story"

Prologue:

先生のこと、好きです。　"Sensei, I like you."

If Alphonse Elric had to describe how exactly it happened, or rather, where exactly it started, he would have probably mentioned the day when the two had to sit in the gazebo to wait out the storm, eyes never meeting but their attentions still focused on each other.

If Roy Mustang had to say anything about it, it was the day he found Alphonse helping the weeping woman carry her dog off the street in tear-filled determination, after the poor thing got hit by a speeding car.

But if either of them had to make the same choice, their money would have had to be on the moment Alphonse Elric's eyes bore into Roy's from across the café table, fists clenched and jaw set, gentle voice speaking words with an innocent tenacity that surprised both present. It had been summer of course, the day before the vacation would come to its close, bringing in the new school year. Luckily the café was near empty at the time, or else there would have been quite a few frightened onlookers, some of which most likely ready to call the police at any moment.

Though, if Al had been an onlooker himself, he probably wouldn't have known what to do about what he saw, either.

"Mr. Mustang…I…I love you."

Roy's eyes had lowered towards his coffee, avoiding Al's gaze entirely as he started to take a long sip. That wasn't exactly the reaction Al had in mind to be sure; then again, he was the idiot who had to blurt out his affection in the middle of a café at nine in the morning, talking with a man who was twelve years his senior and had probably been given more confessions of this sort than he would ever dream of receiving in his entire lifetime.

He took one sip. Then two.

Al was starting to think that maybe this confession thing had been a bad idea.

A very, very bad idea.

"No…you don't, Alphonse. You think you're in love with me, but you're not."

…What? THAT was the response he got? No "I'm sorry, I'm not interested," no "You're too young for me," no "I'm already called for."?

Just "No, you're not"?

Something in Al's stomach started to lurch. Did he really not take him that seriously?

"Yes…Yes, I do." How he had managed to keep his tone even…rather, how he had managed to not squeak out an apology and run out the door, was a mystery to the boy. Roy's eyes didn't meet his, not even for the flicker of a moment…rather they stayed down towards his coffee, as Al's fingers started to unclench and wrap around his untouched lemon tea.

"Don't you think that perhaps what you feel is just a father complex? You've never had a father really, you're home alone with your brother for the most part, and you even told me yourself that you wished you had someone to look after you in lieu of the father you never had."

"I may have wished that I had a father…well, a real one anyway," Why was he still sitting there? Why was he still even talking? "But I think I know the difference between a complex and love. Unless I'm incestuous, in which case it would have been my brother that I had feelings for, and not you."

"I forgot that you already have quite the brother complex."

"You're changing the subject."

"Am I?"

Daggers started clenching into the younger Elric's gut, but lead forced his legs down, preventing the normal escape route from coming to fruition. All he had to do was stand up and apologize, setting down the money for the tea and promptly dash out the door, and he would never have to put up with these feelings of his again. He would try to fall in love with a normal girl, go on double dates with his brother and Winry, and try to have a taste of normal romance for a change…instead of all the impossible ones he seemed to want to pursue. Older women, older men, married women, taken girls…what was next? Incest? Maybe he'd chase serial murderers or insane cultists next, with the luck he seemed to have.

Maybe Alfons was right. Maybe he was cursed.

He thought all of this, but why was his mouth still moving?! Why couldn't he just get up and go? What about this was so worth it that he had to ignore every signpost that told him that this whole thing was a very stupid idea?!

But what made it all the worse was that Roy wasn't even looking at him.

But I love him. Even if he hates me for it, if I don't tell him now I'm going to regret it even more later. I know that.

"I know…that you're older than me. I know that you're a man and that you're probably not interested in me at all. I know that you probably have had lots of girlfriends and you've told me yourself that you've been pretty promiscuous. And maybe this is just a crush. Maybe you're right about me not loving you. But you told me yourself that you can't help who you love, and if you care about someone…the best thing to do is tell them, right? You can try to hold it inside, but it just makes you miserable in the end…"

A sigh came from Roy's lips, and he took another sip of his coffee.

"If I had known that you were talking about me that day, I probably wouldn't…"

"Look me in the eyes and say that."

He was dead. He was in for it. He had no reason to say something like that and he just up and said it. Whatever person had said that Alphonse Elric wasn't impulsive was probably an idiot. He just hid it well, and this was one of the times that he wished he could have hid it a lot better than he did. It would have probably prevented this whole mess from coming up.

But the usual apologies were not rising to his lips. His body wasn't shaking. And the desire to bolt was strictly instinctive, his subconscious beating away the idea with a big stick as silver eyes watched cerulean lift a little bit.

No anger. No anger within them whatsoever. There was something else, but not at all unpleasant…something nice to look at. Warm, perhaps, though not like his tea or Roy's coffee. Something a little bit different from that but not quite. It was hard for Al to try to wrap himself around it without feeling a bit of pink rise to his cheeks and his hands become fidgety.

"...If we do this, do you know how much trouble the two of us could be in? This wouldn't just be a slap on the wrist, Alphonse…"

"I turn eighteen this October," Al said, ignoring the tiny bit of hope floating in his chest. "And I graduate at the end of this school year."

"I keep forgetting how old you are sometimes. You have the body of a man, but the face and the guile of a child."

"It could be worse. I could be really short and be mistaken for a twelve-year-old, like Brother."

"As always, this goes back to your brother. Even after confessing your affections to someone, your brother complex still somehow shines through."

"I don't have a brother complex."

"Of course you don't."

"I really don't, Mr. Mustang! Quit teasing me!"

"Call me Roy."

Alphonse Elric felt his irritation jerk out of him with a skidding stop, flying out his ear and replaced with that sort of numb surprise that one usually felt when they were being told that they had passed an exam that they swore they failed, or when they were told that they got the job that they swore that they weren't qualified for. Hands shaking, Al raised his lemon tea to his lips and took a tiny sip.

Gigged frog, much?

"What…?"

"If we're going to make this work," A quiet smile was forming on the corner of the older man's lips—one that made Al's heart do a flip in his chest and his face start to burn. "We should do away with the formalities."

Nothing could compare to the warmth and joy that Alphonse Elric felt gather in his stomach at that moment, his body almost lunging out of the seat of its own accord and wrapping the unwitting man in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Roy!"

…Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn't the best idea to give him a hug in a public place, but at least nobody saw them. Or at least, nobody said anything about it.

Though it was hard for Alphonse to make up an excuse as to why he had such a bounce to his step, and not cave in and tell his overprotective brother everything. At least the "I saw the cutest kitty!!" excuse seemed to suffice, though he didn't really like lying to Ed about anything.

But it wasn't as if Ed would be perfectly all right with it…

"And the assignment will be due next Tuesday. I also have last week's test graded, and if you have any questions about your score, see me after class. I don't want to hear any complaining about 'why is my grade so low' or 'why did you count this question wrong". Heiderich, if you would be so kind as to pass these out for me."

"Yes, Professor Mustang."

"Bastard teacher," "Perverted old man", "Stupid Teacher with a God Complex"…Ed called him a lot of things. And in Ed's defense, Roy hadn't exactly been too kind with the short jokes, either. Calling him a twelve-year-old wasn't the best first impression, after all.

But still…with this animosity, it was going to be hard to have to explain all of this to him when the time came.

Professor Roy Mustang glanced up from the board, shooting Alphonse Elric a look before turning and writing again. Luckily Alfons didn't seem to notice the redness that spread across his cheeks, and Ed was too busy glowering up at the man to glance over at his younger brother's features.

But for now…he could enjoy what he had.

After all, he had an entire year.

And a lot can happen in that time.