Someone Who Cares

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Hiromu Arakawa does.

The moment Edward walked into Roy's office, it was painfully clear that something wasn't right.

The appearance was so vastly different than what it always was. Unusually, Edward's hair was pulled into a neat braid, but today, however, there was nothing but a loose, messy ponytail, in which so many strands of hair had escaped the binding and had tumbled over his shoulders or stood out at the side of his head. Edward's signature red coat was just barely hanging to the boy's shoulders. Already, one of his shoulders had escaped as the coat had fallen off.

A steady, mismatched scrape reverberated around the room as Edward pushed himself over towards Roy's desk.

Out of all that was off about Edward, nothing came as a bigger surprise to Roy than the boy's eyes. Those golden eyes that always burned with a determined fire were now just a dull brass, glazed over and staring straight into the distance like there wasn't anything in the room.

The report, which was partially crumpled in Edward's uncovered mechanical arm was tossed onto the top of Roy's oak wood desk, lacking the emotion that always came when Edward threw the report at his superior.

After a few more moments of staring into Edward's dull eyes, Roy turned his gaze down towards the crumpled report lying on his desk. With the faintest bit of curiosity, Roy Mustang gathered the mauled paper in his hands and unfolded it, revealing the usual barely illegible writing. But, there was something different this time. Something amongst the hastily scrawled ink letters. A sort of smudge in sort of places. Like water had fallen onto the page, speared the fresh ink, and then dried. Roy pushed his suspicions aside and turned back to his youngest, and shortest, subordinate.

"Fullmetal?" Was how Roy began, fully expecting there to be a yelled answer in reply like usual, but only silence followed. The boy just continued to stand in place, never once moving from his spot, not even blinking. "Fullmetal?" Roy tried again, but it was no different from before.

What had gotten into him? Roy though, staring Edward up and down with a critical eye. Aside form the messy outfit, Roy noticed that the boy's skin was unusually pale and that dark bags were forming underneath his eyes, something that made him look...what was the word? Depressed...?

"Fullmetal," Ry said for the final time. "I order you to answer me." There was a strict tone in Roy's voice that he knew he had to use if there was any chance of him getting Edward's attention. It took several minutes of staring and repeating the question before Ed snapped out of the supposed trance and turned his shattered gaze to Roy.

"What is it?" he rasped, voice just barely reaching a whisper. The words were so quiet that Roy found himself leaning forward just to be able to hear.

"Why do you looked depressed?" Roy had decided to be blunt and cut straight to the point. He didn't have the time to sit around trying to figure Edward out like a puzzle. He wanted answers, and he wanted them fast. Force seemed to be the only way. "You're never like this."

Roy watched as Edward set his jaw and his hand curl into a fist at his side. "I need to go." Spinning heel, Edward made to walk straight out of the office, but Roy grabbed the tail of the limp red coat before the boy was able to make it far. However, Roy had to stand up and walk to the side of his desk quickly to get to the boy fast enough.

"I can't let you leave," Roy explained, hoping that he boy would understand him.

Edward turned himself around at a slow speed. The dull bronze gaze that landed on Roy was somewhat of a plea. "I need to go," Edward spoke again, softly, tugging his oat away from Roy, but to no avail. The man hung tight, refusing to let go, staring hard downwards at Ed.

"I don't let my subordinates leave if they're depressed," Roy explained to the young boy, but the words didn't seem to sink into Edward's mind fully. Even as Roy spoke, the boy continues tugging at the red fabric of his coat, desperate to yank it out of Roy's grasp.

"I need to go." Ed pulled at his coat a little harder now, seemingly fixated on getting free.

"I want you to tell me what's wrong first," Roy commanded.

Edward looked up to stare at Roy with such a shattered, rainy gaze. "There's nothing wrong." he averted his eyes from Roy and turned them back towards the tiled ground. "I need to go back to my dorm. Al's...Let me go."

"Then tell me what's wrong?"

"Shut up!" Ed screamed after finally finding his voice. With a single, harsh tug, the end of Edward's coat ripped and tore, allowing the boy a free bolt to the door. Roy was left standing awkwardly in the middle of his office, a fist full of red fabric. He stood there for several minutes after the last of Edward had disappeared form sight before following suit, a good idea of where the boy was forming in his mind.

It was a lie.

Edward didn't go back to his dorms. In face, he had run the complete opposite direction. Not that he really cared where he did go, he just had to go somewhere that wasn't there.

Edward skid to a stop when he found himself outside in the rain, the double doors of Central HQ slamming closed in the wake of being thrown open in such a blind rush.

Edward came to a complete stop, breathing hard from his sudden, unexpected run. Only seconds passed, half a minute at most, before Ed found himself sitting heavily upon he puddled steps leading up to the double doors of HQ. The top step was where he currently reside, bottom wet from the water which had soaked the cemented ground and now stubbornly insisted on soaking Edward through and through.

A small sound of clanking metal was born when Edward found himself subconsciously reaching into his pocket and pulling out his State Alchemist watch. It was a fine piece of artwork, as Wiry had said when she had first laid eyes upon the metal. It was made purely of steel, with the military's six sided hexagram on the front. The symbol for a state alchemist, a dog of the military, a soulless weapon. It was something that Edward had, the moment he had received it, held proudly in front of him, showing it off for the world to see. But now it was an object he wished he could transmute away or throw it into a river of lava. Anything to rid himself of the burden he carried with him each and every day in the pocket of his pants.

That's what the watch had meant to him before he had defiled the steel and changed it to something that only few would understand. Edward had alchemically sealed the watch shut so no one, including Alphonse, could see what was inside.

It the watch were to be flipped open, which Edward did that very minute with numb, shaking fingers, words could be found engraved into the shining silver. Words that meant much for very few.

'Don't forget 3,oct,11.'

Those are the words engraved on the inside of the watch. Words Ed had never shown anyone. Words that put such a burned on Ed, especially now of all times. On this day, at this hour. The weather was certainly not helping. Such depressing weather for such a depressing day.

I'm sorry, Al, Edward though to himself, looking upwards at the dark, cloudy sky, allowing the rain to hit his face at full force, the cold rain drops mixing in with the salty water.

"Edward." It was a familiar voce that Edward had grown use to hearing each and every day. However, never once had Edward heard the voice like this. It just sounded so soft as it spoke. The rain was easily louder than the voice.

Edward, recognizing who exactly the voice belonged to, despite the kind tone, turned away. Tones didn't mean anything. Edward knew that if he turned round, he'd be met by an know-it-all sneer. That as something he didn't' need now. He didn't need ever. That's what compelled Edward to turn away from the voice, away from everything. He wished he could disappear right that moment, turn invisible, run away. But he couldn't do any of these. His body didn't want to do what he told it to, forcing him to sit still and endure everything.

"I know something's bothering you." A warmth blossomed to life beside Edward, pressing against his side. Edward tried to turn away again, but a hand caught his shoulder, holding him steady.

"I'm fine," Edward growled through gritted teeth.

"Fullmetal, please tell me," Roy pleaded softly. "I won't tell anyone. Promise."

Edward opened and closed his mouth repeatedly as he desperately tried to search for the right words, the right phrase, the right emotion. But nothing came to him. Only silence, which seemed to go on forever.

"Let's go inside," Roy offered, but he remained seated beside Ed. "You don't want to catch a cold, do you?"

Edward could tell that Roy was trying for a sense of humor, but seemed to be failing miserable at doing so.

"Don't order me around," Ed growled under his breath. "Leave me alone." Before I cry.

This time Roy Mustang rose to his feet, hand stretched downwards to where Edward still sat, puddles of water forming around him. "Come on. Let's go back to my office. It's too cold out here."

Edward Elric disregarded the hand and rose to his feet himself, legs shaking under the weight of his burden.

Ten trip to the office was a slow trek. Edward dragged behind, unsure about his decisions. Each and every time his leather boot made contact with the smooth tiled floor, a squeak echoed. Edward, being as damp as he was, left puddled behind him as he walked, not caring if someone slipping in them.

When the two finally reached Roy Mustang's office, every one of Roy's subordinates looked up from their work to see a soaking Edward and stressed Colonel standing in the middle of the office. In the end, Roy had to drag Edward into the inner office and pushed the kid onto the leather couch as the blond gave no sign of moving.

Edward slumped against the back of the couch, eyes sliding closed. Edward's breath caught abruptly in his throat when he suddenly hears the roaring racing flames. And then smelled the smoke. Edward was compelled to open his eyes, but he knew that the fire wasn't anywhere in the room, that the heat on his face had nothing to do with anything.

Edward could feel all of his memories rushing up inside of him, tearing him apart. A tear threatened to fall, to leak from the corner of his eyelid. His shield was the only thing that held the tear at bay.

It was a battle that already had a written ending. No matter how hard Ed fought, no matter how much the battle seemed to be in his favor, the tear won the fight and rolled down his pallid cheek. The boy instinctively brought his face into his hands, shielding off everything. He couldn't look weak by crying. He couldn't let anyone else see.

Edward ground his teeth the second every memory floating through his mind attacked him at full force, determined to break him apart. It was that fire that started this all. That fire that burnt through his house, setting everything ablaze. The fire that he started.

"Edward," Roy's familiar voice spoke softly from in the locked room. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"The date" Ed just barely managed to chock out between the sob that stubbornly tried to force its way out. The memories roared louder, still. Unrelenting.

"What about the date?" Roy asked.

He obviously didn't understand the sheer importance the date. Now lie Ed. He hadn't had to go through what the boy had suffered through for years of his pathetic life. He didn't understand the significant meaning behind he otherwise pointless number on any month. He just didn't understand.

"T-today," Ed stuttered. "Oc-October th-third." Ed let out a shaky breath heavy with stress. "I need to tell Al...I need to tell him I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, Edward. I don't understand."

It was what Ed had expected to hear, of course, since Royd didn't know nor understand. "I-I burned down my house on this date," Ed whispered, raindrop sliding through his fingers and dripping onto the couch cushion.

There was an extended silence, in which the couch dipped away on Edward's side before suddenly being replaced by a warm being, who soon became the one responsible for the hand landing upon Edward's trembling shoulder. "Ed, you can't live in the past," Roy whispered, patting Ed's shoulder as he said so. "Think about Al. You still have to get the Philosopher's Stone and restore his body, don't you? You can't stop now."

Edward found it difficult to process anything of what Roy was saying. Every word seemed blurred and uneven. Each tone that entered Edward ear was an uncertainty that was impossibly to figure out.

"Edward, look at me," Roy ordered softly abandoning the harsh ordering voice he always used if he needed Edward to listen to him. Mustang eventually grabbed the boy's chin gently in his hand and. ignoring the puffy red, stared the boy straight in the eye. "I want you to know that's it's perfectly fine to cry. Even I cry sometimes. Just cry and let it out of your system before it overpowers you. I won't judge you for something like this nor will anyone else."

"It's not okay," Ed protested, a tear falling down his face, then another. "Al can't cry with his body, so I can't cry either. I gave him that body. I'm the one torturing him. I'm not going to cry when he can't. It's not fair."

There was a moment of pure surprise when Roy reached over to Edward and, in a swift, gentle movement, pulled the boy into a hug. A hug that warmed him even through his soaked clothing. "It's okay, Ed. It's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself."

The golden boy's eyes slid shut as a chocking sound broke out of him. Then came the steady waterfall of tears and the strangled sobs, each muffled my the thick material of Roy's military coat in which Ed had buried his face into.

Edward's face remained buried in Roy's shoulder as he freely cried. It was something Roy knew he hadn't done in a long time and had to get out of hi system. The older man pat the younger on the back gently as the sobs slowly decreased before ceasing. The office grew quiet after that, with only soft breaths making any noise.

"It's alright, Ed," Roy whispered into Ed's ear as he pulled the child into his lap and pet his hand through the tangled mess of golden hair. "It's okay."

It was a sight to see to say the least when Ry rolled Ed over just the slightest and saw, to his amusement, that Edward was sleeping. He had fallen into slumber in the arms of his superior officer. However, at the same time, the reality of it was that Ed had worn himself out from crying, and had fallen unconscious from doing so. It wasn't a peaceful sleep. It was far from it, proving that looks can be deceiving, especially if one was asleep.

Roy mustang settle the young boy on the couch as best as he could before opening the cupboard across the room from where he had sat. It was a sturdy light oak wood cabinet which held mainly emergency supplies, which included a blanket if Roy recalled correctly.

Bingo!

Roy puled out the thick woolen blanket out of the cupboard and walked back over to Ed, tucking the blanket around the boy as best he could to keep from waking. He was a bit concerned that Edward was sleeping in soaked clothes, but there was nothing to do for now. The worst that could happen was the boy getting a cold, and that wouldn't kill him.

Before Roy left to his desk, he brushed his hand against Ed's wet face, wiping away the tears, smiling. "Sleep well, Ed," he whispered before finally turning around.

Hawkeye had chosen that moment to walk into the office, an armful of paper sin her arms. "Sir, I have some paperwork," she said, nodding toward the mountain papers in her arms. " Her soft chestnut gaze passed over Roy's shoulder until it landed on the unconscious child on Roy's couch. "If I may ask, sir, why is Edward sleeping on your couch?"

"He's having a rough day," Roy replied stiffly, removing the heavy load of papers from his trusty lieutenant before heading over to his desk to start working.

It was a nod that ended the conversation and the clicking of the door that indicated Hawkeye's leave.

For the next few hours, Roy Mustang absent mindedly signed his papers every so often glancing over at Edward or walking over to the couch to check on the boy himself.

Edward slowly squinted his eyes open to be greeted by tan walls. Briefly, he wondered where he was, but a familiar voice from the other end of the room made his exact location finally dawn on him.

"You're finally awake." The voice was somewhat amused, yet a bit relieved as well.

Edward sat up suddenly and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, yawning. A blanket fell off him. Revealing his cold, damp clothes beneath. Immediately, Ed's face flushed a deep red when he saw Roy sitting across the room behind his sturdy oak desk, grinning.

"Hw long have I been here?" Edward demanded almost immediately.

"About three hours," Roy replied simply. "You've been sleeping like a log."

Ed grit his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet. "I've got to go," Ed announced stiffly. Immediately, the boy began to walk briskly across the office, stumbling over his own feet in an attempt to leave as fast as he could. He was red with embarrassment about what had previously happened. Just then, a hand grabbed the blonds arm, stopping him from reaching the door. "Hey! What gives?"

"Change your clothes when you get back to your dorm," Roy instructed, "or you'll catch a cold."

"Whatever," Ed muttered, pulling free from Roy's grip. His hand touched the door handle when he suddenly stopped. "Roy,' he said softly. "Thanks." Then he twisted the knob and disappeared out the door.

October 4th

Ed walked into Roy Mustangs office early the next morning, sniffing and rubbing his nose almost constantly. He eyes Roy angrily when the man decided that was the best time to chuckle.

"Looks like you got a cold, Fullmetal," Roy pointed out the obvious. "Did you forget to change your clothes like I told you to?"

"Shut up." Ed sneezed into his arm. "I'm still blaming you. You shouldn't have let me fall asleep when my clothes were wet."

"But you were sleeping so peacefully that I didn't have the heart to wake you," Roy stated innocently.

"Didn't have the heart to wake me?" Ed scoffed. "Yet you decided to call m at six in the morning on a weekend to hand in a stupid report." Ed slammed the report onto the table. "Well, here you go. I'm leaving now."

"Hold on a second," Roy announced upon glancing at the piece of paper. "You need to rewrite this. I can even read it."

"You haven't even touched it!" Ed shouted.

Roy picked up the piece of paper and pointed to the front page. On the cover, a detailed illustration of Roy being devoured by a lion in what seemed to be a rainstorm was drawn in colorful crayons. "I will not tolerate this from one of my subordinates. Hand in a real report to me by 10am sharp."

"Fine, fine, whatever," Ed muttered, walking out of Roy's office, sneezing his way down the hall.

Roy leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

Looks like he's back to his usual self, Roy thought. Rude, annoying, and short.

END~

A/N...Hello to whoever decided to read this story! This is a rewrite of an old story of mine, and I decided to rewrite it because the old one had no reviews and was terribly written. So, this is the new one! I hope you enjoyed reading this story! I greatly appreciate any feedback for this story. Let me now what you thought about it, and if you have any requests for more one-shots, I'll be happy to write them! So, that's about it! I hope you enjoyed the story!