A/N: Warning for crappy writing.

Sleep never took him over.

He always sat and stayed watch, keeping an eye on his companion. Every once and a while, the teen would wake up, and the two would talk for a hour or so. But, it wasn't long before he slowly drifted off into sleep.

Roy treasured those moments.

In Iraq, when a comrade was hurt, they would beg for him to shoot them, to end their suffering. Or, they would die from the impact, right off or a few minutes after. But this was worse than helping a fellow soldier die. He watched as Edward slowly and painfully turned into one of those things. A flesh eater. A zombie. The thought of the next time he woke up almost scared Roy. Because he knew that one day, he'll wake up and not be Ed.

Day by day, his hair became whiter and paler. His nightmares woke him up more and more. It was clear that the oldest was losing his lover.

Tonight was just like any other night, clear sky, freezing cold breeze, and sweat dripping down off Edward's forehead as he shook. He silently opened his golden eyes to look up at Roy as he patted his head down with a cool cloth. The feeling of fire burned in his veins, organs twisting, and turning. His hand shook more as it traveled from his side to his companion's, squeezing it tightly.

"R-Roy..." He whispered, his mouth and throat dry.

The man looked down at him, forcing a smile. Ed was Ed today. But for how long?

"Hey...how are you feeling?" He asked.

The blonde turned his eyes away to glare at the ceiling. "Like crap." He answered, coughing afterward.

Roy sat him up and rubbed his back, handing him a bottle of water. He watched as Ed took a small sip and shook his head, pleading for him to drink more. The young teen gave in and drank almost half the bottle before he laid back down, staring at the ceiling once more. Every second or so, his sight would fade into darkness, but he shook it off, thinking that it was just part of turning. The man took the cool cloth again and placed it over his eyes, trying to relax the teen. He smiled softly and held his hand, rubbing it slightly with his thumb.

"Roy?" Ed asked, starting to fall asleep.

"I'm here. I'm right here." He muttered, looking around for any of the creatures.

The blonde turned his head slowly toward him, the sweat on his face now forcing his hair to stick to it's sides. "I'm sorry..." He whispered.

Roy looked down at him. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Ed. Nothing. It's not your fault. You'll be alright. I pro-"

"Shhh..." He said, hushing the man. "I'm sorry...if I attack you...I'm sorry...if I die...If I turn...kill me..." He muttered, his voice wavering off.

The black haired man shook his head, not wanting to accept the fact that soon, Ed might not be Ed anymore. "You won't attack me. You won't turn. You'll be alright. We'll find a cure."

The teen chuckled, turning his head away. "Finding a cure for this...it's like finding a cure...for world hunger..." He said, falling asleep.

Edward would never admit it, but he was as scared as his lover. He was scared every time he fell asleep and every time he woke up. Some days, he wasn't to scared. On those days, he just wanted all of this to end. But, today, he was. He wanted what Roy said to be true, that they would find a cure. But there was no cure for this. Ed was going to die and he was going to die soon. And he knew it. He felt it.

Crying. It was piercing into his ears and ripping out the drums.

Quickly, Roy sat up, looking around the small hunting lodge the two were staying at, looking for it's source. His heart sank deep into the pits of his stomach when he looked upon the bed and noticed that Edward was not there.

He grabbed his gun, slowly walking out of the room. "Ed?" He called out, listening for a reply.

The only thing that hit his ears was that blasted crying. It sounded more masculine then the other ones he had heard which made his heart beat even faster.

"Edward?" He called out again, turning the corner into the small kitchen.

The sight was horrible. There, the teen sat, his back to the man. His hands held his face as he sobbed, moving slightly to wipe the tears away. Slowly, he bent down, putting his hand on his thin shoulder. "Are you alright?"

The platinum blonde quickly turned his head to look at him, his eyes glowing red instead of it's normal gold. A slight growl was heard in his voice but was swallowed down as he blinked, his eyes changing back into the normal glow. His lip quivered as he stared into his lover's eyes, tears falling down from his own.

"I'm almost gone, Roy." He said, reaching up to him. "I don't want to leave."

His eyes went wide and he picked him up, holding him as tight as he could. The boy was no heavier then ninety pounds and, right now, he knew that he needed to be held. Even if he did look like a child. He sat on the couch, just rocking back and forth with him in his arms, stroking his hair.

"You won't leave, Ed." He whispered, trying to hush the weeping boy.

The teen shook his head, digging it into his companion's shoulder. "Yes...I'm slipping...Roy, I don't want to die!" He sobbed.

The man shook his head, kissing him lightly on his hairline. "You won't die."

"Yes I will..."

"You won't, Edward." Roy said. There was a silence between the two before he finally broke it. "But, if you do, I'll go with you. And I will search for you."

Ed lifted his head and looked at Roy, his face looked as innocent as a child's. "Really? You'll look for me?"

He nodded, wiping his face with a smile on his own, pushing his bangs out of the way. "Sure I will. I love you, Ed." He said.

Those seven words were the greatest words the young teen had ever heard. He smiled a true smile, his pain fading away. "I love you, too." He whispered, leaning forward toward the man's face.

The older of the two smiled, leaning up, placing his lips onto the blonde's, slipping his tongue into his mouth. The moment seemed so pure, so special, that they didn't even notice the mob of flesh eaters forming outside, banging on the door. The youngest felt no pain, letting his loose hair fall all over him. When they finally broke apart, Roy looked out the window, sighing slightly.

"This is it." He whispered, pulling out a few pipe bombs he had stashed away, enough to make sure that nobody would survive.

Edward looked at him, tears forming in his eyes. "Will it hurt?" He asked, his fear taking over.

The man shrugged, placing them as close as possible. "I don't know. I've never died before."

He nodded, looking around. His heart was pounding in his ears, his whole body shaking in fear. The teen finally calmed down as two strong arms wrapped around him, giving him the illusion that he was safe.

"See you on the other side..."

The sound of laughter was in the air, children running around, tagging each other, and swinging on the swings. The war against the undead was over for most, but for some, it stayed. And it would continue to stay with them until the day they died.

Maes Hughes sat on the bench, watching his eldest grandchild talk with a group of girls, a smile on his face. He chuckled slightly as a few of the girls walked away, his charm obviously not working on them. With his head down, the poor twelve year old made his way over to his grandfather, obviously done for the day.

"No luck?" He asked.

The child shook his head, sitting down next to him, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. "Nope." He said.

Hughes smiled and patted the lad on the head, a sign of encouragement. "One of these days, Alphonse, a girl would be all over you." He said.

Al looked up at him and smiled. "You think so?"

He nodded. "It just takes time."

He never really liked the name Alphonse until his grandson was born. It sounded strange to his ears. When the children were young, he would ask his daughter why she named them the way she did, and the story was always the same. The names came to her. But after so many years, he finally got used to the names. Alphonse, his oldest grandchild. And Edward, the youngest. The one who was, as the two talked, sat on the far end of the playground, playing with a teddy bear.

"Why are you such a freak?" One child asked him.

The blonde didn't respond.

"What's so bad about him?" One asked the other.

The other child smirked and pointed at poor Ed. "He likes boys. He doesn't like girls."

"EWWW!"

"Gross!"

"Isn't that illegal?!"

"Who would want to be with you?!" All the children said, forcing the smallest to put his head down, holding his bear close.

"And what's so bad about it?" A mysterious voice asked.

Every child near the boy looked up to see a seven year old with short black hair glare at them. He walked over and stood in front of Ed, making sure nobody got to him. "What's so bad about liking boys?" He asked again, almost daring the kids to step forward.

But none of them did. They stared at him for a slight moment and walked away, not wanting to get in trouble today. When each child left to continue their own lives, he bent down in front of the blonde, a smile on his face.

"Ed, what are you doing over here?" He asked, holding out his hand.

The child looked up and smiled, taking it happily. "I was waiting for you, Roy." He said, standing up, his teddy in his other hand.

"Well come on, silly! There's no one at the swings now! Let's go!"

The two rushed right over, happily taking turns on one swing.

A/N: Thank you for the support! - ADAM