I apologize for lateness, and shortness, and anything else I need to apologize for. AS SOON AS SUMMER COMES, I SHALL WRITE LIKE A MANIAC FOR ALL YOU LOVELY PEOPLES! Kay? =D ALSO, THIS RIGHT HERE IS REALLY IMPORTANT: So you guys know me, right? You should; this is /at least/ the second story of mine that you've read (Fading Too Fast). Since you know me, you'll know that I get random ideas for 1) New stories/one-shots/drabbles in the middle of other stories, or 2) New ways to continue stories, either in the same story or a sequel, in the middle of said story. I think you know where I'm going with this, but in case you haven't gotten it already: I HAVE AN IDEA THAT WOULD MAKE THIS SERIES A TRILOGY! And all of you Winry-haters like myself would be very, extremely happy. So, here's your choice: I can give this story one more good chapter and start another that branches off from it (a sequel to a sequel; not sure of the name...) or I can continue on with this story as it was going and end it wherever I feel the need. Your choice. I'll do whatever gets the most votes. =D

Edward: Holy fuck. That's long. O.o

Roy: Be quiet! She might change her mind!

Me: Don't be silly! I'd never do that! But be quiet!

Thank you to lovely reviewers and readers! Even if I haven't had time to reply to... well, /any/ reviews, I want you all to know that I read every single one of them multiple times, smiling and laughing the whole while! I just love reviews! Thank you, Tamyou, though for being a really loyal reviewer! I know I have more, but I just remember hers because she told me that I cuss too much but she loved it. xD

Disclaimer: I did not grow potatoes and raise cows in Hokkaido, Japan, nor do I portray myself as a cow. Therefore, I am no Arakawa-sensei and I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. -looks over at Edward and Roy- I'm getting real tired of saying that's; it's fucking depressing.

Warnings: Foul language, hints at boyxboy, Winry-bitch, self-harm, tiny bit of cuteness.

Enjoy!

"Hi, Mommy!"

"Hi, baby. Your daddy is going to go get your things and we're going to go back home to Grannie Pinako, okay?" Winry lifted Nicholas out of a shocked Edward's arms and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"W-what?" Edward stammered, the back of his throat beginning to ache.

"But I like stay here, Mommy! Daddy nice. I like Roy!" Nicholas protested, reaching out towards Edward. Behind him, he heard soft footsteps.

"Ed, who was at the... door...?" Roy stopped at his lover's elbow, fixing the woman at the door with a coldly blank stare. "Hello, Winry. What brings you by so early?" His tone was just as cold as his eyes; he despised her for taking his Edward.

"Nicholas and I are returning to Risembool today. Ed was just going to get his things." Winry replied just as coldly. The blond alchemist swallowed hard, fingers curling into fists.

"Why?" he asked, shifting so he was closer to Roy. Neither had a shirt on. Winry could easily see the marks on Ed's skin. To make it worse, there was one on Roy's neck. It made her feel nauseous.

"What?"

"Why the fuck are you going back and taking my son with you?"

"Because I'm his mother and if I want to go back, then he's going to come with me." Winry replied angrily, bouncing Nicholas on her hip for a moment. Then she stopped, glaring between both Roy and Edward. "Fine. I'll go get everything gathered up. You two can have some time to say goodbye." She passed the child between them, shouldered in, and stomped up the stairs.

"No, Daddy! No wanna go!" Nicholas placed his hand over his father's nose and mouth, fingers splayed. "Wanna stay wiff you and Roy!" the boy cried, fingers curling as tears filled his eyes and began to overflow. Edward felt as if he was about to begin crying, too. He took his son's wrist and kissed the palm of his hand lightly, holding it against his chest.

"It's okay, Nikki. We'll see each other again real soon. Daddy's not going to leave you. I'll always be here. I promise." Then he turned those large, stinging eyes on Roy, and the dark-haired man could see he was losing the internal battle against the tears. He put one arm around the blond, the other hand resting on Nicholas' back, and kissed Ed's forehead lightly. "I don't want her to take him, Roy."

"I know, Ed. It'll be fine. We'll file those papers. Get custody of him."

"Alright, Nicholas. Are you ready to go, baby?" Winry thumped down the stairs, dragging a suitcase behind her. There was another bag thrown over her shoulder. Mei was trailing behind her, towel wrapped around her head and still in her pajamas. Even she looked rather upset by everything, and as if she wished she was still asleep.

"No, no, Mommy! Wanna stay heeeeere!" he screamed as his father kissed his wet cheek, then mumbled something in his ear. "O-otay, Daddy." Winry picked him up; he let her without flailing and screaming.

"I'll be in touch, Ed. Bye." the blond mechanic mumbled as she walked out of the door. That's when Nicholas started bawling, screaming and letting tears run down his face. Winry closed the door between them, muffling the sounds. Edward's hand went up to his mouth, and he almost dropped back against Roy's arm.

"Ed, he-"

"I-I think I'm gonna be sick." The blond barreled up the stairs, hand still clamped firmly over his mouth and the other arm wrapped around his middle, doubled over. Roy, momentarily frozen in place from shock, blinked after him, eyebrows pulling together, then hurried upstairs behind his lover. Halfway up the stairs, he heard a door slam. He cursed to himself, knowing what that meant. It was silent on the other side of the door. Quietly, he leaned against it, one hand on the handle and the other on the wood. After a moment, he heard a small sound, though he couldn't tell exactly what it was.

"Ed?" Something scraped the door after he said it. Roy slid down against it as well; he knew that was what Edward had done on the opposite side. "When you want to talk..." he trailed off, knowing the other would know what he'd been about to say. Neither said anything. There was no sound on the other side. Either Edward was being very quiet or he wasn't doing anything but sitting against the door. They sat there for what either would swear was hours, but it was only a little longer than thirty minutes.

Then he heard a snap.

"Ed. Put it down." Roy hissed urgently, pressing closer against the door.

"I don't have anything." came the quiet reply. He heard something being set down lightly on the floor. Gritting his teeth, he tried the door; it was locked, just like he knew it would be.

"You do. Now put it down!"

"I don't have anything to put down!" Ed's voice was tight. Then he hissed, and Roy knew. He couldn't stop him.

"Please, Ed. At least open the door." The dark-haired man waited anxiously, not speaking a word and barely daring to breathe, for a response. He felt the door shake under his hands, heard the thud of something hitting it. His heart stopped for a moment, terrified of what could have happened. And then the doorknob turned, door slowly falling open. Edward wouldn't look at him, staring at the floor between his knees with his bangs hiding his face. "Let me see your wrists. Now." He saw the blond's fist tighten against the floor. Trails of crimson blood slipped between his fingers, running onto the floor and pooling on the laminate. Tears dripped from his hidden chin. They spattered on the floor, mixing with the thick blood and diluting it. "Ed..." he breathed, wide eyes staring openly.

"Fix it." The younger alchemist slowly lifted his hand, flipping it up so his palm was facing the ceiling. The blood trails suddenly changed course, taking a sharp turn downward to the floor, and shortened. "Make it better again, Roy."

The dark-haired man tore his gaze away from the dark, straight line across Edward's flesh arm at the sound of his name, heart stuttering at the look in his lover's eyes. It reminded him so much of that day five years ago when he'd burst into the blond's military dorm and found him close to death, blood spilling all over both him and the floor. Slowly, he reached out and gently took the young man's wrist, twisting it so he could see better. "Why?" he asked, so quietly he barely made a sound. "I was right out there, Ed. And you haven't done this for so long."

"I-I don't kn-know." the blond stammered, still refusing to look up. It was the truth. When he'd run into the bathroom, he had no intention of cutting his wrist again. But he'd seen the razor, and his head had filled with those thoughts again. When he'd reached out for it, he didn't even mean to grab it. Hell, he wasn't even sure he meant to break it when he did. He'd lied to Roy without thinking about it; his mouth had moved of its own accord when he'd placed the sharp edge against his skin.

He hadn't meant any of it.

But it was done now, and he couldn't change it.

Roy pulled his lover to his feet, turning the water on in the sink and thrusting the other's bleeding wrist under the flow. It was hot. It stung the open wound, but Edward didn't say anything. He watched Roy clean his arm off, wipe it dry, and hold a bath cloth hard against it. "Ed-"

"I'm sorry." the blond finally muttered, voice hoarse. His fingers curled into a fist. Roy gently uncurled them with his free hand so that the blood wouldn't flow faster.

"Just promise me that you won't do it again." The dark-haired man waited silently, peeling the cloth away to check; it had almost stopped bleeding by now. When the alchemist didn't answer, Roy's fingers tightened on the thin wrist he was holding. "I don't give a damn what you have to do in its place, just don't hurt yourself again! Rip shit apart, throw things, punch me until your knuckles ache, I don't fucking care! Just... don't do this again. Promise me." He finally looked up, into the mirror above the sink. Edward was staring into the mirror as well. His large, golden eyes had filled with tears again. One spilled over, racing down the slope of his cheek.

"I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I promise I won't! I won't. I won't. I won't." he finally cried, repeating the last two words quietly and dropping his head. The dark-haired man grabbed a first-aid kit- it was still there from when Ed had first come to live with him five years ago- and wrapped the wound quickly and carefully. It was bleeding only a small bit now.

As soon as Roy had wiped the last remnants of blood from his skin, Edward buried his face in his older lover's chest, tears streaming down his cheeks, and his fists tightening against the other's lower back. He slid to the floor, dragging the dark-haired man with him. His lips were moving; Roy could feel them, but he couldn't quite make out what the blond was saying. Frowning, he strained his ears and leaned even closer, trying to hear.

"Don't leave me, Roy. You can't leave me, too. You just can't. Not you, too. Please. Don't leave me all alone." The general's eyes widened at his lover's whispered pleas, and he immediately tightened his arms around the smaller's thin frame.

"I'll never do that to you. Not until you're on your knees, begging me to leave." he assured Ed, fingers gently stroking soft golden locks. His nose nuzzled lightly into the younger's neck, heart- still broken and torn, slowly being mended- stuttering in his chest at his own words.

**~;~;~;~;~;~;~;**

"When will you and Mei be returning to Risembool?" Roy asked from the stove. It was lunchtime, and he and the blond really should've been at work by now. But, in light of the events of the morning, the general had called into the office and told Hawkeye that Edward had fallen ill, meaning he wanted to stay home and take care of him. It was close to the truth, at least. Even if she hadn't believed that, she'd known something was up because she didn't question it or argue.

"Hadn't even thought about it, really. I mean, I know Winry went back already. But Mei and I were planning on staying a while longer. If that's okay with you." Alphonse replied, shrugging his shoulders. He was seating at the table, reading the paper Roy hadn't finished yet.

"That's great, actually. I was just going to ask if you two would be interested in staying a while longer."

"Huh? Why?"

"He's done it again." The dark-haired man turned halfway, giving Al a significant, pointed look. It took a moment, but realization finally flashed across the younger Elric's face. His jaw dropped open and the newspaper fluttered to the kitchen floor.

"Please tell me that you're not talking about what I think you're talking about." Alphonse waited for an answer, but when none came, he covered his forehead and eyes with his hand, elbow resting on the table. Roy just stared at him silently for a few moments.

"He begged me not to leave him, too. He said, 'You can't leave me, too.' and 'Don't leave me all alone.'" He leaned against the counter by the stove, scratching the back of his head. "He and Winry are getting divorced. That's a lot of stress. She came and took Nicholas. I guess that's making him feel like he's abandoning Nikki like Hohenheim did you two. And soon, you and Mei will return to Risembool, as well. All of it's too much, I suppose. He just... broke. Can't say I blame him, either." A long sigh ruffled his bangs, dark eyes slowly closing. "I'm the only one who he thinks might stay, and he's terrified that I'll leave him, too."

"Roy, I didn't-"

"Stay with us for a while longer. For your brother." Roy asked, offering a weak yet welcoming smile. Al paused, then nodded his head furiously.

"Of course! I don't want Ed to... to... to ki-" Just then the sound of an automail foot tapping on the front hallway reached their ears. There was a few moments of silence before the man they'd been talking about only seconds prior appeared in the doorway. They both stared at him. He stared back, looking exhausted and pale. "H-how ya feeling, Ed?" the younger Elric finally chirped, putting on a large smile.

"Tired." Edward mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You hungry?"

"Not really." That answer made Alphonse pause. During the pause, the young alchemist walked up to his lover and leaned against his chest, wrapping his arms tight around the other's waist. "Lay down with me? Please?" Behind him, his brother's cheeks began to burn, as did the tips of his ears. Granted, this wasn't the worst thing he'd seen them doing- Anyone remember him walking in on them in the office and Roy's library?- but he did feel as if he were intruding.

"Sure. Let me eat something, okay, Ed?"

"Mmkay." Edward stretched up on his tiptoes, lips puckered just a bit. Roy, smiling slightly, leaned down and pressed a soft, quick kiss to those full lips, then pulled away. "I love you." he breathed, so quiet even the dark-haired man could barely hear him.

"I love you, too."

You thought all the cutting was behind us, didn't you? Muhaha! Nah! I'm too evil for that! Plus, from what I understand, it works like this sometimes. If not, it's how it works in my world and you can go fall in a hole if you have problems with it. -.-

Anyways, liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Want me to die so I can never write again? Let me know in a review! And, while you're leaving that review, tell me whether you wanted that sequel or if you just want me to finish this story and put it all behind us. I NEED TO KNOW!

Also, Edward and Roy shan't be saying anything right now. I've locked them in a closet- one that I've hidden a video camera in. =D You shall all receive copies.

Review! Ciao!

hugs&kisses~ Madarao