AU: Before you start reading and subsequently start freaking out, let me fill you in on the changes I made to the storyline.

-Ed is still in his world. He never got shoved into the world we find him in during the movie.

-Al has his body back, but Ed still has his automail arm and leg.

-They are currently living in a town close to Central.

-Basically, the movie never happens. (don't kill me! *flinches at the glares of readers*)

-Al is about 21 or so, Ed is around 23. They are in their early twenties, basically.

(Waves Creative License license)

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, sadly. If I did, Vic would be at my house right now, reading aloud Ed's lines. I can dream...

Ed moved through the surging crowd, twisting around the shoppers and trying not to run anyone over. He had to get to that store before it closed! His favorite store always closed early, damn them, making it hard to get to them in time on an extremely busy day like today. He glanced back over his shoulder, looking for a familiar head of gold hair. There stood Al, buying groceries from an old lady running a fruit stand. Ed grinned and breathed a sigh of relief. He always made sure Al was busy shopping before he snuck off to his favorite store, wanting to make sure Al didn't know about his secret hobby.

Passing by a dark alley, Ed heard some odd scuffling noises coming from within its dark, dank depths. He stopped and backed up, ducking into the alley and moving silently to the corner. The noises grew steadily louder, until he could make out two voices. One was male, deep and raspy.

"C'mere! Quit fightin', ya ain't gonna win. Jus' c'mere, nice an' quiet-like.."

It had a slur, indicating someone drunk, but also had a hard edge to it, telling Ed that whoever it was could still focus well. The second voice had gone quiet, and he was about to move away when the second voice started screaming.

"Get the HELL away from ME! DON'T TOUCH ME! LET GO OF ME YOU FUCKIN' GODDAMN DRUNK BASTARD!"

It was a girl! 'Shit,' Ed thought to himself, running around the corner. He couldn't NOT help someone screaming like that, even if it WAS none of his business. Ed stopped in the middle of the alley. A big guy, probably around 6'5", was trying to pull a young girl off of the wall where she had attached herself. He was yanking hard on her arm, and Ed knew that he'd soon pop her arm out of socket. Ed moved to the other side of the man, about to jump into the fight, when the girl suddenly let go of the wall. She landed on the man's chest with a quiet 'thump', and before he could think fast enough to get hold of her other arm, she bit hard onto the inside of the man's elbow. The man howled and pulled her off, throwing her across the alley into the wall.

Ed heard the sound of ripping flesh as the girl was torn loose, and he saw her spit out a chunk of skin and wipe her chin, spitting a few more times to get the taste out of her mouth. 'She fights dirty, I like it.' Ed grinned, slammed his hands together and put them to the ground, pulling a large iron cage from the earth to capture the drunk. The burly man shook the cage bars, shouting insults at Ed, the girl, and Ed's height. Ed's eye twitched, but he managed to control his temper. 'I'm not short, I'm 5'9", I'm not short, I'm 5'9" ' He repeated silently to himself until he calmed down. He then turned to the girl sitting against the wall where she'd been thrown. She looked up at him and flinched, pulling herself into a protective ball. Ed stood still, not wanting her to fear him as well. Instead he put his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight onto one leg, hoping to look nonthreatening.

"Well, I think that cage'll hold him for a while, huh?"

He flashed her a toothy grin, then turned to face her a little more. He slowly looked her over, noting small things here and there. Smears of dirt on her arms, tangles in her hair. 'Where are her shoes?' He spoke softly, keeping his voice level.

"Now, I'd like to check you for any injuries, but I can wait until you say it's ok."

Ed smiled a little, pulling a hand out of his pocket to run it through his messy bangs. He watched as she eyed him carefully, sizing him up and trying to decide if he was a threat or not. After a few minutes, she uncurled herself and tried to stand, only to wobble unsteadily and fall back. Ed quickly caught her before she hit the wall again, his arms around her shoulder and waist. She stiffened reflexively, and Ed held completely still until she relaxed again.

Ed set her gently on her feet, putting his hands on her shoulders to hold her up. She leaned back against the wall and looked up at him again. He was close enough this time to see the color of her eyes. They were a deep brown, like melted chocolate, with a small ring of green around the pupil. She met his gaze, and smiled tentatively.

"Um...thank you. For saving me, you know."

Ed nodded, unable to speak. Now that he was so close to her, almost pressed against her in order to keep her from falling again (at least, that's what he told himself), he could see that she wasn't the young girl he'd originally thought she was. Close up, he could see that she was older, about 18 or so. He could feel the curve of her breast against his chest. He made a mental note of their size, large enough for most to fit in his hand but not large that they didn't fit her body. He started to mentally berate himself for thinking like that about a woman he didn't even know. He may be a healthy guy with urges, but really! He pushed the increasingly naughty thoughts out of his mind with a decisive mental shove.

She shifted a little, getting more purchase against the wall. He glanced down as she moved, while she was distracted. She had well-sized hips, but the rest was hidden within pants that were obviously too large for her. He looked at her again. She was wearing an over-sized shirt that swallowed her top half, and pants at least twice too big, belted at her waist. Ed swallowed, finally realizing just how close to her he was. He moved away, making sure to keep her upright. He cleared his throat, and checked his pocket-watch for the time. His shop had already closed for the day. Damn.

"If it's alright with you, miss, I'd like to take you back to my place."

Catching the widening of her eyes and how quickly she took a hasty breath, he quickly explained.

"My brother is about your size, so we should have clothes that will fit you better, until the stores open again tomorrow. We also just went grocery shopping, so there's plenty of food. I leave the decision entirely up to you, miss...?"

"Selena. My name is Selena.."

"Nice to meet you Selena, my name is Edward. Edward Elric. Selena, would you like to come with me?"

She looked down at her bare feet, brown with dust. She thought about it hard, it looked like, then finally nodded. As she did, her stomach let out a growl. Blushing, she nodded again, meeting Ed's gaze.

"I would like to, thank you...Edward Elric."

Ed grinned, and held out his gloved hand to her. She took it, and he led her out of the alley and back towards his and Al's apartment.

"Call me Ed."

AU: Soooooooooo? How is it? Should I continue? Please let me know .;