A/N: Hi everyone! This is a shortish one-shot I whipped up while making stew.

Ed: "Did you say stew?"

Yes, but you can only have a bit. My dad has been begging me (and whimpering) for more since the last time I made it. I can only make it on my days off though because it takes all day to make. Anyways...

Warnings: Language (towards the end) and MAJOR spoilers.

AU only for the fact that the FMA world does not have Christmas.

(Note the 'Presedent' is because after Bradly I think Amestris would reform its government.)


Edward Elric looked up from the book that he was quickly loosing interest in. He sighed and glanced at the big grandfather clock in the corner of the living room. It was only 18:35 but already so dark. The tree in the bay window was all lit up with bright and colorful lights, a fire was dancing in the large fireplace, and even his reading light positioned above his right shoulder was on, but nothing could clear the darkness surrounding him this night. It was Christmas Eve, and it was not the only one he had spent alone, but it was definitely the most lonely Christmas eve. There were many presents under the chaotic Christmas tree, but none of them held what he wanted for Christmas. What he wanted probably could not be wrapped in a tinny box, though Ed chuckled at the thought of his present with a big pink bow on the center of his forehead.

All Ed wanted for Christmas was one man, the love of his life Roy Mustang. Ed wanted him more than anything he ever wanted before, even more than his mother after she had passed away. He wanted all of Roy, his strong velvet voice, his thick onyx hair, his thin lips that seamed to be in a permanent smirk, his steel eyes the color of warm summer nights, the way he gave Ed a look that made Ed's heart skip a beat, the way a simple touch made Ed's whole body melt with its warmth. Ed shivered as a sudden chill swept through him. Ed decided to get a blanket.

He got off of his chair, letting the book fall to the cold floor, and went to the hall closet. When he opened the door a small white object fell out. He picked it up, feeling the rough texture. He flipped the object over and he saw the design on it. It was a small transmutation circle embroidered in read on the white glove. Ed recognized it instantly as one of Roy's old ignition gloves. Ed smirked to himself. Even though Roy does not need them anymore he still keeps them everywhere. It seems like you can not even open a door or look in a corner without finding one. A few weeks before Roy's assignment Ed had gotten so frustrated at them that they had a fight about it, but the next day Roy had gotten rid of most of them. Ed was happy now that Roy had missed this one.

Ed, still holding the glove in one hand, grabbed the blanket and went back to the living room. He paused at the entrance way, looking at the two chairs. Roy's chair was larger and plushier than Ed's, and Ed often pointed this out, saying that only girls liked plush chairs. Roy's chair was also closer to the fireplace, which was unsurprising for that pyromaniac. Ed gave up his pride and plopped into Roy's chair. it smelled like Roy, but only faintly. Ed whimpered and circled up into a ball on the old chair, covering himself with the thick blanket.

After a few minutes of just staring at the fire Ed realized that he still had Roy's glove in his hand. He brought it up to his face, and breathe deeply. The glove smelled strongly like charcoal and spices, Roy's scent.

"Why did you have to leave?" Ed asked the glove. "You didn't have to take the assignment! So why?"

'Because I need to impress the higher-ups so I can become President someday,' the glove answered in Roy's voice. The glove had answered the same way Roy did when Ed had asked a similar question after Roy had told him about the assignment.

"But you told me that it would only take a few weeks. You said that it was just a simple peace keeping mission in the east!"

'I did say that. The mission was only to settle some land disputes between two towns. They needed a state alchemist since the majority of the land was a mine,' the glove answered again.

"You promised you would be home for Christmas. You promised! Why aren't you back yet?" The glove did not answer back. Ed held the glove, which he had been holding against his cheek, away from his face and looked at it. The glove was wet. Ed touched his cheek. It was wet with tears too. Ed's eyes grew wide when he realized the implications of the glove's silence.

"C-could something have happened to h-him?!" The glove was silent once more. Sudden violent sobs wracked Ed's body and his somewhat quiet crying burst out into loud screams of sorrow.


"Roy! Roooy!" Ed called out, looking for his love among the desolate mess of the rocky mountain. Ed notices as he climbs the mountain that there were more and more bodies littering the treacherous ground. All of the splayed men had on bright blue uniforms crusted with grey dirt and brown blood. None of the men had a face, but the smooth, featureless faces did not unnerve Ed, because he was looking for one face in particular. Ed shifted through the bodies as if he was wading through thick mud, while looking at each face in turn, both hoping and dreading that he would find what he was looking for.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity Ed reaches the peak of the mound. What he sees in the valley makes his knees give out under him. In the sallow valley surrounded by monsters, was Roy, but he looked like he could not last much longer. The creatures surrounding Roy where quiet like shadows, and like the bodies, they had no faces except their large beady eyes that seamed to seep a dark red liquid as if they were crying old slimy blood. When one creature fell to Roy's flames another would easily and silently take its place. There was an endless supply of them.

In the middle of the fight was Roy. He was aimlessly shooting off his flames at the creatures, trying to get some sense of an upper hand. He was panting heavily and he was slumped over, grasping his side where his old scar was, and his flames kept getting smaller and weaker with each shot. His uniform was nearly shredded and stained with both bright red blood and the darker red of old blood, both his own blood and other's blood. Ed felt himself call out to Roy, but he did not hear it. Roy must have heard it because just then he turned to face Ed, and it became clear why he was shooting aimlessly.

Roy had a giant cut starting at the top of his forehead, coming down the side of his nose, and ending on his pale left cheek, but that was not what made Ed gasp in horror.

Roy's hollow, dull blue eyes looked exactly the same as they had when his sight had been taken. The pale blue veil over his eyes quivered in hope for his savior.

'How did his eyes get like that again? What the Hell did they do to him?!' Ed thought to himself.

The monsters had now taken notice of Roy's gaze and they also turned to face Ed. They all stood there in a thick silence. Suddenly the creatures let out a blood curtailing and eerily familiar screech as they sprinted quietly for Ed. He could not move, as if he was cemented into place where he sat. Not being able to find anything useful around him, or anything for that matter, even the bodies were gone, he opted for the usual cowering technique of putting his hands over his face and closing his eyes as hard as he could.

In the silence three loud bangs like gunshots echoed in Ed's empty skull. He decided to take a brief peak and regretted it instantly. Roy had been shot. He was lying dead on his side, facing Ed with those vulture eyes that looked even more hollow now. Before he could realize it, the monsters had surrounded Ed.

Another screech, and Ed knew they were going to attack him now.

A deathly loud bang shot through his ears. 'I'm being shot at!'

Another bang and Ed jerked up from his seated position, his world a bit foggy around him.

The third bang sharpened his senses and he found himself under a cozy blanket in Roy's chair. It took him a few seconds to realize what happened.

"Damn. That was one messed-up dream," he mumbled to himself. "No, it was more like a nightmare." Ed glanced at the fire to see that it was just a few red coals now. He glanced at the clock to find it was 3:57. "Happy fucking Christmas to me."

The doorbell, followed by three knocks, broke the silence of the cold room. Ed groaned as he stood up. "Who the Hell could it be at this hour?" He quickly rushed over to the bay window, almost knocking over the tree in the process, to see who it was. Ed instantly noticed that it was snowing, and even though that was rare in Central and he loved snow, this time Ed found only little joy in it.

The man standing outside the front door was tallish, and that was all Ed could discern about him because he had his coat collar hiked up and his hat tilted to one side, effectively covering his face as if the intruder knew Ed would try to spy on him.

Ed grumped the whole way to the door. As soon as he swung the door open, without thinking, he said, "What the Hell do you want bastard? Do you know what time..." As soon as he identified the man in front of him Ed immediately froze mid rant.

Roy Mustang, looking a bit sheepish, shrugged his shoulders and simply said, "I lost my key."

Ed squealed and glomped onto a surprised Roy. They lost their balance and fell back onto the stone walkway outside. The ground was cold and it was seeping through his jacket, but Roy did not mind because sometime during the fall their lips had collided in the most loving and desperately needed kiss. All the "I missed you"s and "I was worried about you"s and "I love you"s that could not be put into simple words floated around them like the fat snowflakes and settled on their lips. All of the words in the world could be communicated within this one simple kiss.

Roy reluctantly broke the kiss to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him and to say, "Ed! Be careful or you might squish you present!"

Ed looked down to Roy's chest and noticed a small slightly dented package that had a big bright gold bow on it. Ed smiled widely at the thought he had earlier. 'Well it's not pink but it will have to do.'

Ed swiftly took the bow off of the package and plopped it dead center on his lover's forehead. "You are my present this year. I don't care about all of 'em other presents. You are all I wanted."

Roy smiled sweetly at Ed and leaned into another kiss. Ed ignored Roy's watery eyes, he was sure his own were betraying him, and he kissed Roy with another feeling filled kiss.

This time they mutually broke apart and Ed shifted to get up. Roy's face instantly twisted up in pain as he tried to suppress a groan. Ed bolted up at Roy's reaction, and finally noticed the cane and Roy's bandaged foot. Ed helped Roy up and inside to his chair. When Roy was settled Ed finally asked what happened.

"Accident," Roy said curtly. When Ed gave him that 'you can't fool me' look Roy continued, "Well... Um, I was training with Hawkeye and we were walking back from the range when she accidentally shot my foot. She must have thought the safety was on when it wasn't and she was carrying it by the trigger, when 'BAM'. They sent be home on medical leave." He finished with a shrug. Ed did not buy it for one second, Riza knew her guns inside and out, she would never mistreat them, but he let it go.

Being careful to not go near Roy's bad foot, Ed climbed onto the chair and snuggled into Roy's side. They stayed like that, warm and content in each other's reach, until they woke up the next afternoon.


After Note:Funny story, actually. I took Roy's story from my Mom. She almost shot her own foot once, but it missed. She was handling the hunting gun the same way Hawkeye was.

Happy Christmas Everyone! And a Merry New Year! (Yes I did that on purpose. Fun fact of the day: Did you know the phrase "Merry Christmas" did not come around until Charles Dickens published his A Christmas Story. Before then everyone said "Happy Christmas." ) Hope you enjoyed!