Alright, guys. This is The Shortcut. Me and my friend [username 4485] were writing it together a few months ago and it had a few followers, and then we had a fight and it was deleted and left unfinished. We resolved the argument two days later and just never went back to the fic. But, in light of the fact that I was going through old documents on my computer and found it and that those who did read what we had of The Shortcut seemed to enjoy it, I'm re-uploading what we had finished, but chances are it's going to remain uncompleted. We might write more, I guess, but don't hold your breath.

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A/N: This is a Roy/Ed fic. Yaoi, don't like don't read, etc etc etc. Rated M for later smut. This story is written from two POVs, it switches off between Roy and Ed, and it was/is being written by two people- me (as Roy) and my friend (as Edo). Sorry for any capitalization/punctuation errors, we were writing on iPads...so yeah. Enjoy it and please review~! Chapter two coming soon.

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Something possessed me to take the shortcut. I don't know what it was. I don't know why. But I'm so glad that I did.

It had been just another normal day at work. I put up some No Smoking signs just to piss off Havoc. Riza either flirted with me or threatened me with death, I can never tell with her. I pretended to do a lot of paperwork. I turned down four job applications from girls wanting to be paid to sit under my desk and blow me all day. Walking home from such an average day, I didn't know- couldn't have known- how much my life would change forever.

The shortcut was a dark, murky alleyway. It was in the worst part of town, which I always have to pass through to get home. The alley was sandwiched between two buildings- a tiny, sleazy, undoubtedly disease ridden bar and a run-down, neon-lit place with the silhouette of a woman on the front and dance music blaring from inside. Girls leaned against the front of the building, dressed in fishnets and smoking cigarette after cigarette. The alley was so dark I could barely see. As my eyes adjusted to the low light, they registered some dumpsters, their dark green paint peeling. A few trash bags sat against one wall, distant streetlights and water from the rain- did I mention it was pouring rain?- making them shine just a bit. I walked forwards cautiously, halfexpecting to be mugged at any moment. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea... I was about to turn around and go the long way home when I heard a faint whimper. Taking a step forward, I listened closely. There it was again. It sounded almost like...a cat?

I walked forward a couple of yards and found the source of the sound. There was a large cardboard box, just big enough to hold a relatively small person, standing upright and open against the wall. Inside was a young boy, wearing nothing but torn jeans and a tight black tank top. His hair, a vibrant shade of yellow, was braided and hung, dripping with rain, down his back, letting the water run down his pale, shivering body and soak into his insubstantial clothing. He was curled in a ball, his armed curled around himself and rubbing his shoulders, trying to provide himself with any semblance of warmth. His arms were cut up, dried blood streaked down his skin and pants, slowly washing off in the freezing rain. "hey there, are you okay?" my voice came out soft, almost...gentle and comforting? It surprised me a little, i was so used to giving booming orders that I didn't know I could even BE quiet.

"eep!" he squealed and curled himself tighter, almost as if he was trying to hide in a corner of his tiny home. There was something unusual about him, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it... Suddenly, he looked up at me and I realized he had cat ears on top of his head. They were the same color as his hair and had blended in, drooping and torn. But what caught my attention more than that was his face- flawless, pale skin, long eyelashes, soft-looking red lips...huge golden eyes, pure and innocent.

He looked so afraid, it made my heart hurt. I was careful to speak even more gently this time. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Come on out. I'm not going to hurt you." Tears brimmed and he opened his mouth and whispered just two words- "help me..." he looked at the ground and added, barely audibly, "please..."

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Pulp. Plip.

I looked out the small entrance of my shelter. The sky was dark, dangerous looking.

Plop.

A drop of water, right on my forehead. Rain, just like yesterday. Sighing, I lowered the roof of my make-shift cardboard house. I would have to be sure to stay under the cover if I didn't want to catch cold. The rain became stronger, echoing through the alley all around me. My ears laid flat against my head, almost in time as I curled into a ball. A few minutes went by, when I heard footsteps. My ears sprung up, my tail started waggling. Is someone approaching? While rubbing my shoulders to warm myself up, I poked my sight through the entrance of the box, and behold! A man was coming this way. His black boots- polished, he must be well-taken care of- were getting closer and closer- then he stopped. Did he hear me?I bit my lip, then shrunk back.

"Hey there, are you okay?" came a voice, sounding in my ears like a bass guitar, deep but soft. All of a sudden, he bent down, leaving me staring into two bright, ocean blue eyes, gazing right back into mine.

"eep!" I squealed, then hid as well as I could.

"oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." a smile crossed the pale pink lips, dimples showing themselves. "come on out, I won't hurt you." Poking my head out of the box, I was terrified. Everyone who saw me pushed me away. Cat ears just aren't normal. Like I expected, he gave me a look of... Something. It was almost disgust, but... Surprise?

I spread my lips slightly, fighting tears. He wasn't afraid. He looked like he could... "help me..." I mumbled, leaning towards him. The blue gems eyeing me made me uncomfortable enough to add, "please.." I couldn't fight tears any longer, and closed my eyes to let a droplet escape. Everything was silent; one could even hear the rain around us. That is, until the blaring music of the strip club became apparent, then quieted down again-someone had opened the door.

"of course," he replied, and, before I could react, I was in the air, resting on his two arms; one under my knees and the other grasping my shoulders securely.

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My own eyes, manly as they are, almost filled with tears just looking at him. I nodded. "of course." before he could say anything, I picked him up, bridal style. I was surprised at how light he was- how small. He couldn't be more than five feet tall, and I could probably almost fit my hands around his waist if I wanted to. I was overcome by a sudden urge to kiss him- on the forehead, maybe. But I didn't. This boy had obviously been through a lot, and the last thing he needed was to be kissed by a stranger. Tired and worn though he was, he did have a bit of pride.

"put me dowwwn." The golden-haired child- no, not a child. He was young, but he was of age and anyone who had been through what he must have can't be a child- yawned. He was trying to sound tough, to seem anything but helpless, but his struggles were weak and his heart wasn't in it. "shush. You asked me to help you." He started protesting that his ears shouldnt be, couldn't be seen. He had a point, so I took my coat off and covered him with it. "I...I can walk on my own...you bastar-nnnnn." the exhaustion overcame the boy and he was limp in my arms, fast asleep. He had a cute little tail to match his ears, it hung over the side of my arm and swung in time with my steps as I took this precious creature home.

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A kiss landed on my forehead, and I flushed. "H-hey! Put me down! R-right now!" pushing away, I felt his arms readjust, stronger. I wan't going to let a stranger carry me through the streets "w-wait! I can't be seen! My ears...!" A sigh escaped his lips, then he set me down. I started back towards the box, but was stopped when a jacket wrapped around my shoulders.

"cover yourself with that, okay? Nobody gets to see those. T'll be okay." the man smiled, adjusting the coat then picking me up.

"put me dowwwwwwn...!" I growled, trying to stay strong, despite the sleep overcoming me. This was the warmest- safest- I've been in a long time.

"Hush, you asked me to help you." he smirked, obviously milking this to the maximum.

Stifling a yawn, I tried to object once more-" I can walk on my own..." my eyes flickered shut, my eyelashes brushing my cheeks. "basta-a-ard..." in my last attempt, I grasped his shirt, the fabric crumpling in my fist. His smile was the last thing I saw, as I went into dreams.

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