Disclaimer - I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist

Chapter Nine - Progress

After a long drive through most of Central, Ed finally made it home. He stood on his porch, finding his house key and quickly unlocking the door. It was cold out, and he just wanted to go inside and get some sleep. He had things to do in the morning. Stepping into the living room, he took off his jacket, throwing it onto the floor and going into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and found a bottle of water in the bottom drawer, then turned and closed the fridge with the back of his foot. His eyes briefly passed his wrists as he opened the cap. Sighing, he made no attempt to block out the memories that came back.

When he told Roy that he didn't care, he really didn't. He didn't know what to focus on, or what he had to do to make this all go away. He felt like he'd tried everything he could think of only to get worse with time. He felt like his entire world had been turned upside down, everything he thought he knew somehow disproved. He was the kind of person who always thought the best of people; who thought that people didn't think thing like that, or didn't go around hurting people without a reason. Obviously that wasn't true. So then what was? And what's the logic in just hurting people like that? What do you get from that? How is that equivalency?

It's not.

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Roy sat alone in his office, typically the last one to leave. The halls of Central HQ were nearly deserted. He couldn't hear the footsteps of random soldiers anymore, or the sounds of phones ringing. He signed his name on the last form on his desk, then stood up and stretched his arms out in front of himself. He was tired. He was really, really tired. He got his things together and was almost ready to leave when he had another important thought.

Edward.

He was really worried about the teen. Had he really given up on everything he'd worked for? He couldn't. But what could he do to fix it? Sighing, he sat back down, almost nervously. He knew Ed was incredibly unpredictable. He didn't need another demonstration to prove that, especially a self-destructive one. There were people that really cared about him, and Roy counted himself as one of those people. He reached forward and picked up the phone from the corner of his desk, then dialed Ed's phone number, clearing his throat and looking up at the ceiling as he listened to the first ring.

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Ed was still in the kitchen when his phone rang. It caught him by surprise, since he was in his own little world of thoughts, and he almost dropped the water in his hands. Releasing a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, he put it down on the counter and got to the living room in time to answer it. "Hello?" He asked.

"Um, hi." It was Roy. Roy wasn't exactly the kind of person he'd expect a phone call from, particularly since he was off work. Roy's shift was just ending, too, so there was no way he needing him for anything.

"Hi." Ed replied, "What's up?"

"I just wanted to know if you were okay." Roy confessed.

"Why?"

"Because I care about you, Ed."

It was silent for a few seconds. Ed took a deep breath, not expecting those words to come from Roy of all people. "Oh," He answered plainly, "Thanks, Roy. I'm fine. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Bye." Ed replied, then hung up. He put the phone back where it belonged, and he stood there thinking. For the first time in what felt like forever, a smile crossed his face. It wasn't a one hundred percent happy smile, but it was still a smile. He really was making progress.