Hey! This was a gift for sassyfirealchemist on Tumblr for the fma Secret Santa 2018! sassy is an amazing artist, and I'm so honored to have been able to give them this story.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own fma or the characters

There were two things that Roy believed were working rather valiantly towards making his morning effectively terrible- well, three were he not used Hughes' incessant early-morning ramblings. The first was the apologetic woman standing at the entrance of his favorite coffee spot who dared tell Roy the place had closed due to bankruptcy (immediately after this, a passing carriage horse had kicked a puddle directly at his boots, which did nothing to Roy's sour mood). And, well, the young policeman and his chatty colleague currently stood in the midst of the second noisy, colorful, terrible thing.

The bloody circus.

"When I bring Elicia she'll win every prize there is! Oh-Roy- she's going to be so excited about that carousel! Don't you think?" Hughes nearly squealed in delight at the thought of his daughter running around the amusements (wastes of money, in Roy's opinion).

"Yes Hughes, I'm sure Elicia will have great fun here. Why a circus needs two policemen to keep guard in the ass crack of the morning I'm not sure." Roy grumbled. It was currently rather cloudy and windy, and the few people actually here that weren't staff or guard seemed to regret their forwardness of schedule.

Hughes shrugged, "You know pickpockets and drunkards love to ride the coattails of these kinds of places. Oh, look! There're the acrobats!"

Just as Roy rolled his eyes at his friend's behavior, a young blonde man swathed in thick brocade and fluttering silks approached them. Looking around, Roy pegged down a similarly silky tent that must belong to this man that lay to the right of them.

Roy and Hughes shook his hand (which Roy silently noted was automail) before he spoke, "Good morning, Officers. Chief Grand sent you, right? I'll be giving you a little tour of the area, as our ringleader has a lot of last-minute preparations to take care of before the crowds really set in."

"Do we get a name, o tour guide?" Roy asked, masking his displeasure with veiled sarcasm.

The blonde' mouth quirked into an amused smile, "Ed. My brother and I are psychics." Out of adherence to decorum, Roy refrained from rolling his eyes, but his skepticism must have shown through because Ed gave him an unamused look. "Let's go see some hot spots of potential crime, shall we?"

….

They made their way slowly through the large field of gallantry and show, Ed pointing out various tents and shady areas that needed 'special supervision'. The young man seemed incredibly familiar with the layout of the area, even though the circus hadn't been set up for but a day or two. When asked, Ed simply explained that their layout was similar wherever they went, and he knew whose tents were whose and "all that shit". His teasing personality got on Roy's nerves, especially since his day hadn't started out particularly well either.

"Those are where the drunkards like to drink and flirt with ladies and whatnot" Ed gestured to several gaps between tents sporting respectively, an ashcan and several empties liquor bottles.

"Attractive," Roy muttered.

Ed cast a quick, annoyed glace at Roy, "Jeez, Who spat in your breakfast?"

Roy ignored this remark, turning to Hughes instead, "I'll patrol northern half of the grounds, you get the Southern. We can switch at noon."

Hughes gave the teasing affirmative, "Sir, yes sir," going as far as to offer Roy a salute before turning away to his patrol before Roy could snap back. When Roy turned around to Ed, he realized the blonde had disappeared into his nearby tent, leaving Roy alone to work.

—

Roy didn't see Ed until the next week, as the circus was incredibly busy in its opening days. Between shifts patrolling the northern or southern blocks of the fairgrounds, Roy and Hughes made it their personal goals to find the most ridiculous attraction there.

Roy, in a valiant attempt to top Hughes' sighting of "world's hairiest man", decided to test his luck with the fortune tellers' tent on his break that Thursday. Surely some ridiculous prognosis of his life would override some bloke who doesn't shave enough.

Roy easily recognized the tent- it was the reddest, most decorated tent of the lot (outside of the central Big Top of course), huge lettered sign notwithstanding. Because of the time and cool morning breeze, not many people were out yet, so Roy took the opportunity to slip through the silks hanging in the doorway and into the small room.

Inside, the tent was considerably darker than outside. The thick canvas walls blocked out the sun, and only a few candles and a dim lantern lit the inside. Ed sat on the opposite end of a small table covered in yet more silks, cards, books, and glass knick-knacks.

When Ed recognized his new customer, he smirked. "Officer, don't you have a patrol to keep up?"

Roy sat casually in the chair across from the blonde, "I'm on my break. Decided to come check out the validity of the local psychic."

"Well, you don't get to check me out for free." Ed snipped, cringing a second later when he realized how his words came out.

Roy rolled his eyes and dropped two coins into the box by the door, "Now may I check you out?"

Ed glared, "Just sit and show me your hand."

Roy did as he was told. Ed grabbed his hand, explaining as he picked opened a large book with his free hand, "Today I'm giving palm readings. I want to switch it up every week or so, but this is a pretty simple method. Good for the start of the week."

"You don't really think my hand will tell me my future." Roy stated, already not on board with Ed's 'methods'.

Ed looked up at Roy blandly, "Your hand's not telling you. I'm telling you, based on how your palm lines read."

"Well then, what do my palm lines say?"

Ed looked intently at Roy's hand for a second, tracing down one or two larger lines, "Well this one represents your inclination towards your friends over your family, and this one here means you'll have good luck in love…." Ed explained.

Roy snorted, "Now I know you're phony."

"Hey, I'm just reading what it tells me." Ed huffed, still concentrated on the hand in his grasp. He drew a finger down Roy's hand lightly, "Let's see now… despite your thrilling occupation, your occupational future looks fairly calm- see, that's this line here." Roy refrained from rolling his eyes yet again. Ed already knew his occupation; of course, he could deduce that he lived a relatively more "thrilling" life than others.

Silence reigned for a while as Ed analyzed the finer trails of Roy's palm, going so far as to open a reference book somewhere around the base of his thumb. The silence lasted long enough for Roy's palm to become lightly clammy under the pressure and heat of the other's hands before Ed broke his gaze, looking up at Roy's face almost apologetically, "Everything else's too vague, especially since all I've got is this candlelight. It sets the mood, but really messes up my vision."

Roy, taking this admission as proof of Ed's position as more of entertainment than of divine reading, stood, "Well, Edward, your services have been most interesting.

Ed wrinkled his nose, "My services- You make it sound like I'm a prostitute or something."

Roy laughed, "Hey it's you who said it."

Ed looked exasperatedly at the policeman, "Don't you have some drunkards to kick around or something?"

Roy, still amused, left the tent ever more intent to return.

He returned to Hughes after their shifts were over, finding the other man fawning over a large selection of goodies that, quote, his "darling Elicia would win for sure".

"Well, you're still winning. The psychic's more sarcastic than he is ridiculous, not that I believe a word of that superstitious crap." Roy sighed, leaning against the wall of a large pink booth.

"Where's the 'but'?" Hughes asked, knowing his colleague all too well.

"I have to make sure, so I'm going to check out his tent again next week.

Hughes' smirk was enough to make Roy wish there hadn't been a 'but', "Sure that's why."

Ed intrigued the policeman, and he was a far shot easier to talk to than the stuffy women who waited outside of attractions while their children wreaked havoc inside. So, with two coins and a healthy dose of skepticism, Roy returned the next week. Instead of palm books and cards, atop the tablecloth sat a box of stones, metal nubs, and string.

Ed, who had been fiddling with a string tied around a purple stone, looked up with interest, "Officer, I didn't think you'd turn up. Crime's been pretty high recently."

"I can take a small break, can't I?" Roy responded.

"You wouldn't be shirking your duties, would you? An upstanding police officer such as yourself?" came the rebuttal.

Roy tossed his coins into the nearby coinbox, "Well, tell me my future and maybe I can dutifully return to my post."

Ed barked out a laugh, "You're kind of stuck up, you know that?"

Roy smirked, "So I've been told." He glanced at the stones and string atop the table at which he now sat, "What're all of these for?"

Ed's grin grew as he drew into his element, "Pendulum reading, it's a personal favorite of mine."

"How does it work?"

Ed picked up a thin chain, "I'll show you. What's your birth month?"

"February. Why?" Roy asked.

Ed sifted through his collection on stones which all had little metal loops at their bases. He pulled out a skinny little amethyst from the depths of the box, explaining, "Your birthstone- It makes the reading clearer." Roy hummed in acknowledgment, but let Ed focus on his work. He'd taken out various maps and calendars, and he had fixed the amethyst to a small chain. Once he was set up, Ed asked, What do you want to know? Location usually works best."

The reading was fun enough. Roy asked a lot of trivial questions, watching the crystal swing around until it stilled over a location on the map (he was fairly certain Ed was manipulation the rock, but he didn't comment). He liked chatting to Ed about the questions and their answers more than he did the actual reading, however.

Eventually, Roy stood up, noting his need to actually work before excusing himself from the tent.

Over the weeks, Roy saw Ed frequently through the circus grounds. They usually chatted briefly and went their separate ways. Every week, Roy also made a point to visit Ed's tent for a reading of some sort. He had given up on trying to tell himself it was merely intrigue that brought him to Ed's tent. He was fully aware that he wanted to be in the spirited blonde's company.

Despite their daily meetings in the grounds, it wasn't until two months after the circus' arrival that Roy saw Ed outside of the grounds, in plain, civilian clothing. It was a Sunday, the one day the circus was closed, and coincidentally Roy's day off.

He had been strolling down the city's main line of stores, gazing into windows for a birthday present for Elicia, when he had seen the telltale flash of golden hair through a window reflection.

After the first incident, Roy began to see Ed in the marketplace rather frequently. He never bought anything, only talked to store owners and looked into the window of the now-vacant coffee spot. Roy always saw him at side-glances and in passing, so he never actually got around to talking to Ed outside of their occasional on-duty meetings until the next Sunday.

Exiting the local grocer's, Roy nearly collided head-on with the small man he'd seen around town. Ed let out a colorful array of expletives, cursing Roy for making him drop his food without even looking up to see who he'd collided with.

Roy couldn't help his amused smile, "For a fortune-teller, you're not so perceptive on the streets."

Ed, finally recognizing the recipient of his verbal attacks, snapped his gaze up at Roy, "Officer guy! You should've looked where you're going."

"I prefer 'Roy' off-duty, thank you." He clipped back, moving from the doorway of the grocer's to let passers-by through. Ed definitely looked different in plain clothing (just a button-down and some brown slacks), though Roy did notice how the button-down's rolled-up sleeves did well to Ed's general appearance. It showed off his masterful automail wonderfully, as well. If anything, he looked more mature than he did in his circus getup.

"Want a hand?" He added as the blonde was struggling to fit his wares into the crumpled paper grocery bags.

Ed shrugged, and Roy took it as an invitation to help. He fit the remaining containers into place and, before Ed could protest, took one of the bags in his arms with the excuse, "I've got nothing better to do." In reality, Ed had become something of a fancy to Roy, and he intended to spend his valuable time seeing that fancy through. After all, the circus wouldn't stay in Central forever.

Ed looked away, either embarrassed or frustrated, muttering, "Wouldn't wanna damage your ego too badly by denying you, seems like you wouldn't be too used to the concept."

"Oh yeah, I'm never told no. The criminals simply run into the police car. In fact, they have to fight over who gets a ride; it's simply infuriating!" Roy replied, shifting the bag a bit as they crossed a stopped road two blocks from the circus grounds.

Ed rolled his eyes but didn't look particularly offended. He changed the subject, "That old coffee shop downtown: Why did it close?"

Roy shrugged, "The owner's daughter said bankruptcy. It's weird, because the location is great, and I never saw the place empty."

Ed nodded but had fallen in a contemplative state that Roy felt uninclined to break him from. They reached the circus grounds at this point, and Ed snapped out of it to take Roy's grocery sack and bid him adieu.

The circus was packed up two days later. Roy tried to hide his indignation, but he could tell that Hughes sensed his mad mood.

"Come on, Roy, we can go back to catching the big guys now." Hughes stated as they watched the pack of acrobats walk into the big tent with their equipment tied into large bundles.

"Yeah." Roy stated mildly, pushing off the wall, "I'll make a round."

Hughes' sigh didn't escape Roy as he ambled through the falling tents and scattered flyers. he found himself outside of Ed's tent before he knew where he'd walked. The fortune teller's blonde head poked out from behind the curtain-door, "Roy, hey! You haven't come around in the past few days."

"Yeah, there's been a lot of ruffians trying to get their final few crimes in before you all go off." He shrugged, "Need any help packing?"

Ed gave Roy a rare smile, "Yeah, come on in."

He was tasked with placing all of Ed's fragile-looking crystals and glass relics into boxes full of hay, which was difficult when the objects were all awkward shapes and curves that didn't fit nicely into a rectangular space. While working, Roy kept looking over at Ed, who seemed oddly peppy. He'd have thought moving around would be laborious and frustrating, but Ed smiled almost secretly to himself. When they were done with his packing, Roy turned to find Ed looking at him searchingly.

"I guess all that's left is the tent, huh." The policeman stated.

Ed looked around, "I guess so, but I can take that down myself. Thanks for the help."

"It's no problem," Roy dismissed, not sure what to do, "Um, I guess have good luck in the next city…"

Ed rolled his eyes and stepped forwards, grabbing Roy's arms and planting a light kiss on the other man's lips. Roy froze, not quite comprehending what was happening. He hadn't even considered his crush being a shared attraction. Through Roy's stunned silence, Ed smirked, "I don't like goodbyes. Get out of my tent, asshole, I'll see you around, yeah?"

Roy couldn't help his smile, "Yeah, see you around." He left the tent with a small skip and didn't explain to a confused Hughes how a patrol round of the grounds had so drastically changed his mood.

He didn't see Ed around that day, unfortunately, as they were all gone the next day. Only a mess of paper and trash remained of the circus, and Roy felt all the more dejected for it. It was his day off, and he walked down the downtowns strip, trying to find some way to waste his time and, maybe, distract himself from the day before.

He left a clothing store empty-handed and looked over longingly at the closed doors of the closed coffee shop, really wanting some of their past wares at the moment. What he didn't expect to see was the door open, and a young man with short, dirty blonde hair adjusting some tables outside. Curiously, he walked across the street to the man.

"Good Afternoon" he greeted, and the man looked up with a happy expression.

"Hello, you curious? We've had a lot of questions." He replied.

Roy shrugged, "I guess I am. Not many shops here go back into business so quickly."

The boy smiled, "My brother an I just bought the place yesterday. We were part of the circus that just left, and needed a change of pace."

"Oh?" Roy's interest had been effectively piqued, "What kind of store will it be?"

A voice from the doorway answered, "We're selling oddities and psychic services."

Roy whipped around, "Ed!"

The blonde laughed at Roy's surprise, "I told you I'd see you around."

"You didn't have to be so cryptic," Roy responded, but couldn't hide his excitement. Ed had an equally happy quirk of a smile behind his trained natural look, "Where's the fun in that? You don't look like you're working, wanna help set up instead of standing here pestering Al?"

Al protested his brother's comment and Roy rolled his eyes, already crossing the threshold behind Ed, "I get it- you just like to use me."

Ed feigned exasperation, "Took you long enough to figure it out."

Roy helped Ed set up shop for the rest of the afternoon, but not without first pulling him out of Al's sight and properly reciprocating Ed's earlier kiss.

His day went much better than planned.

The End