It was months before Ed actually saw the other Roy again. During that time, he used the coat he got that night to fend off the cold and he kept in mind to avoid that street where they met. Winter faded into spring and the snow was replaced with rain. Ed put the coat away until next year, returning to his old brown cloth one.

He was off work for the week. He'd been given some paid leave in light of his constant hard work in both helping students and teachers- he also thought that maybe his volunteer work in the library was a part of it -so he, in turn, had nothing to do. He tried staying home, but he found it shattered his nerves to be in the crowded house for more than a few days.

One of his housemates, a woman named Margaret felt for him and his struggle in finding something to do. She suggested he try one of the nightclubs downtown. It wasn't too pricey and was apparently owned by foreigners so it seemed to be a very Ed sort of place, according to her. Any excuse to get out of the house was a good one, so he decided to go.

Al could've tagged along, being eighteen now, but Ed didn't want to bother his brother so he went alone. As soon as darkness fell, he was out of the house and on the way to the club. The name of the place was The November Stallion.

Ed didn't dress much better than he normally did. He simply wore a button up shirt and a nice vest, but he wasn't going to dress in suit and tie for a one night affair. He soon found out that in this club, that didn't much matter. As soon as he stepped through the door, he was greeted by the sounds of jazz and sight of other men, his age and older, dressed in not so formal clothes and drinking.

Maybe he could fit right in.

The first thing he did was survey the area for any place he might particularly enjoy to sit. It wasn't a large club, but it was big enough to comfortably seat thirty or so people. There was a small stage along the wall where a young woman sung out to a crowd of pleased drinkers. Next to it was a small seating area for people there to mingle. Then, there was the bar, the home of the people who wanted their alcohol pronto. Every seat there was colored a light navy blue and every worker dressed in white shirts with black bowties. Everyone except the singer on the stage, who had on a white, from fitting dress.

Ed took to the bar. Not because he wanted alcohol, but because it was the least crowded due to the show. He picked a barstool off to the far right that was both facing the stage and the counter so he could see. It was kind of amazing to watch, honestly, and the woman had a beautiful voice.

He was there for a song or two before a bartender acknowledged him, asking, "What can I get you?"

Ed was immediately struck by the voice. He looked over to see Mustang behind the counter, clad in the typical server outfit. A white shirt and black bowtie. Very snazzy. Not to mention he had his hair neatly slicked back to match the style. "Just some scotch," Ed said, trying to pretend he wasn't as surprised as he was. Maybe he wouldn't be recognized.

"Alright," Roy said, seemingly unaware at first. Then, as he was about to turn away, his expression changed. His brow furrowed and a thoughtful frown came to his face. It wasn't until he gave Ed the glass that he actually asked his thought. "Hey, I know you, don't I?"

Ed gave an unenthusiastic shrug as he picked up his drink. "Dunno," he lied. "I've never been here before." He wasn't a drinker so even a soft sip left his throat warm.

Of course, Roy didn't just give up. "I feel like I know you from something else." When Ed didn't respond to him, he didn't leave. He instead leaned on the counter near Ed's seat so he could think. Then he figured it out, much to Ed's dismay. "Are you that kid from a while back? During winter? Edward, right?"

Well, Ed knew better than to lie now. "Yeah, that's me." He cursed his recognizable hair and eye color. It made him incredibly noticeable and one hundred percent memorable. It was odd, though. Despite these thoughts, he was low key pleased that this Roy remembered him.

Roy's lips broke into a real, friendly smile rather than a professional one. "Well, it's good to see you haven't died of pneumonia yet."

Ed scoffed. "Yeah, because I like walking around in the cold, freezing my ass off. I do it every day."

"Who knows, maybe you do," Roy said back his smile reflecting in his eyes. "Shit, does that means it's cold tonight? I forgot my good coat at home."

That one actually made Ed laugh. It was a good, honest chuckle and it honestly made him feel a bit better. "Don't worry, it's actually pretty nice out tonight. Well, aside from the raining but it's always raining around here."

There was a little something in Roy's eyes. A bit of softness that Ed couldn't place. It disappeared when Roy spoke, "You got that right." There was comfortable pause before he asked, "So what brings you to a place like this, shorty?"

Ed's eyes narrowed. "Not short," he clarified- earning himself a laugh -before he answered the question. "A friend of mine suggested I try the nightlife. Said it'd suit me."

"If you like listening to jazz and drinking alcohol, then yeah, it's probably for you." Roy motioned to the drink, "Check," then to the woman, "And from the way you were looking at my friend up there, I'd say check."

That almost sounded like he was being accused of liking the woman for more than just her singing, but Ed ignored that. It was a dumb thought anyway. "Well, guess I found the perfect spot for me, then." He took a quick sip of his drink.

"Seems like it," Roy said back. "Am I gonna be seeing more of you, then?"

Just then, the music came to a pause, cutting an answer out of Ed's mouth. He glanced up at the stage and saw the woman exiting to the right of it. Her attention was immediately on the bar. She passed the crowd with ease and it wasn't until she was up close that Ed actually recognized her.

Miss Hawkeye was always such a reserved woman at the office, Ed didn't realize how pretty she could be all dressed up with her hair pinned up in curls and her face done up in make up. He honestly hadn't been able to tell it was her up on that stage until she was right in front of him. It was obviously just another look-alike who didn't know him, but Ed didn't mind seeing her again.

"Riza, can't you take one more song?" Roy asked her. His voice pleaded but his happy expression on his face didn't match up. "I'm trying to make us a long-term customer right now."

"You're not gonna slack just because you want to chat up a customer, Roy," she said in that commanding tone Ed knew so well. "Up there. Now."

Roy didn't put up as much of a fight. He slipped out from behind the counter, letting Riza in before he closed it off again. He was about to leave for the stage, but before he did, he turned to Ed and said, "Make sure you're watching, alright short stuff?" It was accompanied by a wink. Then he turned and walked toward the steps onto the stage.

Ed would've been more angry about the short thing if he hadn't been completely caught off guard by that wink. Thank god the lighting was dim because he was halfway sure that he his cheeks were flushed.

He watched as Roy walked onto the stage and could visibly see him become a different person under those lights. He was suddenly a well-practiced singer, a so-called lady's man, cocky and honestly attractive. Ed was sure it was too obvious that he was staring, but he didn't care enough to stop.

The music began to play. It was a song Ed didn't know, but it was definitely jazzy, as was expected, and plenty nice to the ears. It was half a minute of the slow instrumental before Roy began to sing and when he did, well, there was no way to describe it other than breathtaking. It sucked all of the air from Ed's lungs in a single second.

Ed could feel his lips fall into soft gasp as he was taken aback by not only the singing itself but also by how oddly natural Roy seemed up there as he sang and moved to the beat of the music. Watching him was mesmerizing and listening to him sing the notes of the song, well it left a legitimately pleasant ache in his chest.

Before he knew it, the song had ended. This was when Ed realized his staring would start getting more obvious so before he could be enthralled by the next one, he turned his attention to the scotch. He wasn't that much a fan of alcohol, but he was definitely enjoying himself enough not care as much about the strong taste. He took a long sip. This was when he noticed a pair of hazel eyes on him.

"I can see you're a fan," Riza said, a warm smile on her lips. "I haven't seen you around before. What's your name?"

Again, he had to say who he was to someone who should already know. He wore a smile regardless. "Edward Elric, ma'am."

"I'm Riza Hawkeye," she said in return. "I'm guessing you already know that idiot up there."

Ed nodded, laughing as he did. "Yeah," he confirmed in a happy tone of voice. "We met a while back in winter. I didn't know he worked here, though."

He knew she said something else to him, but he found himself listening to a certain note of the new song a little more closely than he did her. He gave her an apologetic look, but she didn't look offended, just shook her head and went on to cater to the other customers. Ed continued to watch the performance now that he was by himself, amazed by the voice Roy had on him.

He was sitting there for a long time like that. He nursed on his drink as he watched the stage. One song after another played, each more mesmerizing than the last until Roy was giving his final bow. He got off the stage and a different performer took his place. Soon, he was back behind the counter and refilling Ed's glass.

"You enjoy the show?" Roy asked him with an oh so familiar smirk present on his face. He was a bit flustered and a tad sweaty, probably from all of the singing under the stage lights. Ed couldn't blame him. He'd look worse if he tried the same thing.

"You sounded like a dying sheep," Ed joked, grinning up at him. When Roy mocked offense, Ed laughed, but took back his statement and amended it, "I'm kidding. You sounded great."

"You're damn right I did. Bet I had you falling out of your seat."

Yes, yes he did. Of course Ed wasn't going to say that, so he denied he even thought of it. There's no way he'd admit something like that. Roy's head was already big enough as is. It didn't need to be inflated anymore. "I wouldn't go that far," he said. "But it was definitely amazing. I never imagined you could sing like that."

Roy shrugged rather dramatically and couldn't help but top off the compliments with an air of cockiness. "What can I say? I'm just full of amazing surprises." He certainly was. "I do my show every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday if you want to come see me more."

"Don't tempt me," Ed said back. "You'll never get rid of me."

"Maybe that's what I'm planning on." Que Mustang's second perfectly timed wink of the night. Ed was the one drinking and Roy was the one being flirty. That didn't sound right to him, but who was he to question it?

Ed shook his head of the thoughts and tried to brush off his reddened cheeks by rolling his eyes at the statement. "Well, I think you just got yourself a new regular."