Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.

Pairings: Past Kimbley/Roy

~Chapter Seven~

Roy didn't see Kimbley anywhere when he woke up and was kind of disappointed. Sighing, he noticed that he wasn't in his own clothes and that the other man had surely taken care of him last night. He was mad that he didn't think he would want to see him anymore. He found no note and sighed. Why did this always happen to him? He slapped his palms on the counter wondering where it was he could be. Of course he thought, realizing he had to quickly get into a change of clothes. He groaned and gathered up his rumpled ones before doing the sensible thing and hailing a cab.

Abby wasn't too happy to see him at the moment and he knew it. She explained how Isabella was such a little brat and that she was going to change her attitude when she married him. Roy knew the likelihood of that ever happening was as slim as him getting her knocked up so he wasn't worried. He ignored her rants and instead slipped into a clean uniform. She glared at him.

"Are you gonna be out like this at all time of the night when we're married?" He doubted it but decided to let her continue. If he broke it off now, she would whine and say he didn't love her. He didn't know about marriage himself but he knew it wasn't going to be her in the end. Besides he already had a daughter that he loved with all his heart. "Are you listening? I think I'm pregnant."

He raised an eyebrow and she showed the test to him. It did indeed look a little positive but he doubted it was a very accurate one. If she was pregnant, it wasn't his baby. He decided that he wasted enough time and handed it back to her enough to give his daughter a kiss on the cheek. He did the same with Abby less he wanted to hear her bitch some more. Really? She had to be on her period.

He walked out the door and paused to remember what had led to what had happened last night. He knew that by going to his place would possibly end up that way but he didn't seem to mind. At least he didn't have to worry about the pregnancy issue. After Isabella had been born, he was concerned about it possibly happening again if he wasn't protected. He was now but he needed painful shots in the ass every other month. The only reason he went along with it was because as much as he hated those kinds of shots, he remembered the pain of childbirth was all the more painful.

He reached the office in enough time to spare and didn't see Kimbley anywhere. He was almost disappointed until he noticed him talking to the Fuhrer. He smiled and went to go up to them but halted wishing beyond doubt that Kimbley wasn't saying what he thought he heard.

"Yes, South Bend seems the ideal place. You sure I won't have to deal with nuisance there as well?"

"Come on Kimbley; at least pretend NOT to like it."

Roy thought it best not to approach them after that. He couldn't believe he let the man trick him again. Trick me once he thought, making his way to the office. He ignored the Hawkeye's surprised look and the questioning gazes until he was head down on his desk and not worrying about having to see Kimbley look proud at what he was doing. Shame on you, he continued. He didn't regret it so why was Kimbley doing this? He wanted him and he thought the man did too. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down. Trick me again, he he thought after a shuddering breath. He didn't want to cry but how could Kimbley do that to him? Shame on me, was his final thought. Put those thoughts together and they made out what a fool he had been to believe him once again. Seeing as how the other times he had been so easy, it made sense he would again.

He waited a good fifteen minutes before he lifted his head and all his subordinates barring Hawkeye were already gone. He didn't think he could face them right now anyways. She sighed before placing an enveloped letter on his desk before leaving herself as well. Don't go he almost told her. He definitely didn't want to be left alone but somehow he knew that that wouldn't matter. He had to get ahold of himself and stop being so stupid. He wasn't going to let a damn sadist tell him what to do. With that, he slammed the envelope into his desk drawer without reading it. So mad was he that he didn't realize the one regret he would have from years to come.

Ed didn't like the colonel's attitude. According to Hawkeye, sometimes he just stopped coming into work. She also explained how Kimbley had been transferred to South Bend and couldn't help but think that it had something to do with him that had the colonel in a mood. He offered to talk some sense into him a couple of times but no such luck. He scowled thinking it wasn't fair. The lieutenant colonel was actually his friend too and not just Mustang's special one. The man called in sick the next day as a result.

He was glad that Hawkeye was the more mature of the two. Not only that she agreed that he should go and check it out but she wanted to know what it was that had had Mustang in the slumps for two whole months. Ed agreed that it was only fair before carting Al who was talking to Winry on the phone at the time, only to hang up on the poor girl rudely without caring that it was something that Al had been looking forward to. He just didn't care.

"You didn't have to be mean brother," Al told him once they were on the train heading to South Bend.

"You would've taken hours and that's something we don't have. I want to be able to talk to Kimbley about Mustang's depression. He is down and in turn it's making me want to hurt somebody. I guess it's true what they say, shit rolls downhill because when a higher ranking person is feeling horrible, we all suffer from it."

"Of course brother." Al said with a sigh.

Ed glared at him sternly.

"What would you know anyways? Besides I owe Mustang a favor for the lead not being as shitty as the other ones from before had."

Al nodded but knew that wasn't what it was about. He knew that Mustang didn't tell them that they did a good job just like Ed didn't want to admit that Mustang was a good commander. It would cost their pride but seeing the colonel when he was in the office, Al had the idea that he wasn't doing well at the moment. He wondered why it was that he would be skipping work though.

They were surprised that Kimbley's eyes were so bloodshot but the man didn't say anything. He looked like he had lost some sleep as well but seemed to perk up when Al mentioned there had been a letter sent to Mustang but he refused to read it. He didn't know why Kimbley felt so happy afterwards, but Al didn't want him to suffer just as much as he wanted Mustang to suddenly start bantering back and forth with his brother.

"Are you here permanently?"

Kimbley shook his head.

"I'm going to branch out and Mustang may feel bad about it but it's our goals that we have to worry about anyways. Tell the block head to calm down and be himself. I wasn't trying to run away. It looks good on me and keeps me in the good graces of the Fuhrer. Tell your dunderheaded fool that I'll see him again."

Ed nodded.

"He has been skipping work lately. If I tell him that he will be all the happier."

Kimbley just shrugged. Ed still wondered why the man was at a hospital if he was just 'branching out'. He wouldn't leave him alone about Mustang at first and now it seemed all he cared about now was his own goals. Maybe he should have kept them apart. Ed knew he would have probably saved Mustang the heartbreak of having to deal with him.

"Hawkeye is worried about him though."

Kimbley just gave him a look.

"That woman is worried when he's five minutes late to a meeting. If I told her anything, my choice words would fall along the way she babies him. He is twenty six years old and doesn't need to have people watching him. If he needs that, then I'd really be worried-"

"You know an awful lot about him, are you sure you aren't just able to come back-"

"SHUT UP!" a cough tore his throat and he turned around but Ed had already caught it. He knew why he was in the hospital now but why wouldn't he say anything to Mustang about it? The way Mustang complained about him, he seemed to hate the guy. He probably would've been delighted to hear about Kimbley's pain.

"Why are you really here?"

Kimbley just sighed.

"Don't tell Mustang but I think I may not be getting better so soon."

Ed glared at him in disbelief.

"Then how long would it take? I don't care as long as you call him and let him know that you're alright."

Kimbley gave him a look and continued to take a drag on his cigarette. The boy didn't realize Mustang's anger. It was good in a way but he would have wanted nobody to know this. Turning back, he knew that the boy could at least keep some secrets.

"I lust after your superior's body, you know?" he watched Ed's eyes grow huge and smirked. It slipped from his face when he started to cough. Al patted his back with soft blows, as soft as he could whilst being a suit of armor.

"I had an idea you did. You hated any mention of him dating," Ed added looking a little distraught at hearing that.

Kimbley just shrugged.

"It doesn't matter if he wants me back in the end. It doesn't matter about a lot of things. I don't want to get treated in Central for a reason and you will learn one of these days." The smirk returned to his face and Ed had to keep himself from hoping he would at least show some type of emotion. He hid it as well as Mustang and that man was good at hiding any and all emotions he didn't want people to know.

"It doesn't matter because I'm dying. You think he would be happy to learn that then you go ahead and tell him. I think in a way he would be devastated-"

"But it has to be better to tell him than to leave him in the dark," Ed quickly told him. He would have liked to know his mother was going to die in the first place because he would have liked to have treasured the time he had had with her. He would hate having to see her go but he would have been at least happy to have known in the beginning.

Kimbley just gave him an amused glare but shook his head.

"He doesn't need to know. If he knew, he'd want to spend more time trying to make it up to me and he doesn't owe me that. Hell, he doesn't owe me anything. I've owed him from the beginning. Besides memories become treasured after that person is gone."

Ed shook his head before deciding to try to make him see what he did. It wouldn't ever be okay. Kimbley sighed not wanting to listen to it though and grabbed the kid by his coat.

"Don't say a damned thing to him about this and we'll all be fine. Besides I'm not dying that soon. Once I find out what I need to do, I'll possibly be back. Maybe, a definite maybe."

Ed nodded before grabbing his shirt away from him. It was nice to know that Kimbley could still be an ass through all this. But he still felt sorry for Mustang who suddenly seemed to care a lot more about Kimbley that he let on.

He just didn't want him to feel the same way that Ed had about his mom.

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think!