A/N: ARG! I had my RE GCSE exam today, and I thought it was tomorrow and only found out yesterday lunch time at work that it wasn't. I was up ALL NIGHT revising! (When I really wanted to write this fic, BTW) God that was irritating, but now it's over! Yay. And I like this chapter too, so it's all good.

Okies, it's like a whole revision of my writing style, which I will probably forget to do when I get halfway through. --; Heh, in fact, ignore that sentence, I'll forget. Just berate me about it afterwards.

Maybe then I'll remember.

Reviewer of the Chapter

JumpinPopTarts - Because you have an UBER cool name, and you left me a review that made me both laugh and feel all warm and fuzzy.

(And the runner's up prize goes to Jane Austen Girl. If you go look for her review, you'll definitely see why. Thankies again JA Girl!)

PS: Hopefully, this chapter will answer Fullmetal LVR's questions. I didn't want to give all that away in a review reply, so you've had to wait till now! And, for those who wanted it to happen sooner...Some RoyEd in this chapter! Actually, it practically takes over. Oh the fluff.

Don't Slip on The Splinters

Chapter 11 - Whoot, isn't it exciting:)

Bandaids on Heartbreaks

The metallic taste of coppery blood blossomed in his mouth, and the resounding pain that was like thunder made his vision turn to red.

He knew Kimbley was going to throw another punch, in fact he knew Kimbley was going to punch him until he was nothing more than a bloody splotch on the cement floor. This gave him great incentive to move. Unfortunately, this proved more difficult than his mind made it sound.

Roy was sure that another blow to the head would render him useless. To have any chance of winning, he'd have to, somehow, get the smirking brick that was his agressor off his stomach.

As the second punch was swung at him, he clumsilly deflected it with his forearm and elbowed Kimbley in his crotch. At least, that's where he aimed. A groan of pain told him he'd aimed well, and he seized the oppertunity to push the other man off him and disentagle himself from the writhing pile of limbs. Kimbley was curled in on himself, face scrunched up in an image of pain. It wouldn't last long, and he had to move. The world spun as he stood; blobs of colour squirming across his vision. Through this rainbow haze, he saw Kimbley stagger upright and glare at him.

"You are so dead, Mustang." He hissed, running forward to charge the police officer.

Roy ducked and sidestepped, using the same arm to smash Kimbley at the base of his skull. The enraged man let out a cry of frustration, turning quickly to kick Roy squarely in the chest. The impact sent him flying backwards, cement floor grazing the area above his eye. Whilst trying to recover his breath, Roy fumed at Kimbley's laughter, unable to pull himself up off the floor a second time.

"You see, you wouldn't have to go through all this if you'd just lighten up; get a sense of humour. Everyone else thought it'd be great seeing that kid staggering about high as a kite. But no, never the great Roy Mustang. Upstanding and civil, the perfect gentleman." Kimbley's eyes narrowed. "You always were too damn suave." He kicked Roy in the side.

"No-one could stand up against Mustang, it's what everyone's mother told their sons to aim for. 'Try to be more like Roy' they'd titter. Well, I tried, don't you know? I tried damn hard, and no-one noticed. Every employer, every good friend, every girl...All of them got charmed by you before they even looked at me. Even Sally Pincer. Remember her? You made off with her on our date."

"You're...wrong." Roy stammered out between gasps of breath. "I didn't 'make off' with...Sally Pincer. You tried to rape the poor girl. I only looked after h...Ah!" Another kick in the side quickly silenced Roy's protest.

"I was almost at fourth base too. And then you come in with the hero card, and bam! No more date." Kimbley bent down beside him and grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling him up. "It's time I got payback. Maybe I should get what you want most for once, eh? Maybe that blond you're getting so fond of..."

"I already warned you about...-"

"I really don't think you're in a position to argue. Just imagine, gripping that golden hair, the screams I'll pull out..." Roy lashed out and smashed Kimbley's jaw. Grabbing the scruff he'd abandoned so carelessly before, he threw the man into a wall with a satisfying crack of bone. Meticulously he delivered blow after blow, releasing blood, dislodging teeth. The punches Kimbley fought back with weren't felt, Roy was too incensed to take any note of the pain.

"I came here," He began. "To make sure you left those two kids alone and safe. If you won't accept that, I'll have to force you." Another punch, and another, skin ripping, blood thumping and bone smashing.

When Roy finally came out of the red haze, Kimbley was a mess of whimpering blood. The police officer turned and walked back down the corridor without a word, grim look on his face, bloodied hands in his pockets. This time nothing was going to attack him from behind.

X

Ed was woken by the front door slamming and someone slinging their shoes in the cupboard under the stairs. Quietly so as not to wake his sleeping sibling, he got up and crept out of the door, closing it silently behind him.

Downstairs only a few necessary lights were on. Snores erupted from the living room occasionally, but a look in there proved only that Riza was still asleep and Hughes had joined her in the land of dreams. Hughes was drooling slightly, and Ed pulled the blanket slipping off the police officer up to cover his freezing feet. Going through to the kitchen, he looked around for the only person unaccounted for.

"Roy?" He stage-whispered. "Where are you?" He jumped with a gasp when a shape stood up next to him. Moving into the light slightly, it turned out to be Roy holding a bottle of vodka. "What the hell did you do?" Ed exclaimed. A purple bruise covered one side of Roy's face. Blood, both dry and still thickly oozing flooded from his lip, nose and a grazed gash above his right eye. It coated his hands as well, nuckles abused and tattered.

"I paid Kimbley a visit." Roy answered vaguely.

"Drive into a brick wall on the way over?" The blond challenged. Roy didn't answer, instead pulling out a chair and a glass. Ed pulled the glass bottle out of his hand before he could pour the alcohol into the waiting cup. Roy glared.

"I've had a long night Edward..." He warned, growling slightly.

"Haven't we all? Now Mustang, you're going to tell me what the fuck happened to your face." He gave Roy a once over, from the dirtied coat to the reddened hands. "And God knows what else."

"Fine. I went and gave Kimbley a warning. If I'd left him he'd have pulled more stunts like tonight on both you and your brother." Ed scowled.
"I can fight my own battles thank you." He muttered quietly whilst crouching down to rummage through a nearby cupboard. Roy ignored him again.

"Ed, the vodka?" Roy pressed.

"Is going to be used to dress that cut over your eye." The young skater couldn't help but feel slightly grateful that Roy had managed to get himself so completely battered for him. Well, for his brother, but he could dream.

"Oh come on...-"

"For the cut on your eye I said. It needs steralising. Now where's your first aid kit?" Roy sighed and rolled his eyes wearilly.

"In the drawer on your right." He replied, slumping on the wooden breakfast-bar stool. Ed pulled out a red box with a cross on its front and opened it up to reveal bandages, plasters (band-aids) and anticeptic wipes. He then fetched a bowl and filled it with warm water and a little of the vodka, picking up a rag as he went. Eventually he sat down next to Roy and motioned for him to turn and face him.

Taking the cloth, he wrang it out and placed it against the biggest cut. Roy let out a hiss as it connected with the wound.

"Sorry." Ed apologised. "It'll only sting at first, but there's crap all round it. I have to get that out." Roy didn't reply, and he continued to work in silence, wiping away the encrusted blood and staining the water in the bowl a murky pink. When he set the bowl aside and reached for the anticeptic wipes, Roy leant his heavy head on his hand elbowed on the table.

"How come you know so much about this medical stuff?" He asked.

"Winry and I used to fall a lot in our early training, cuts and scrapes were a daily thing. This'll sting." He leant forward and pressed the chemical-covered wipe to the cut above Roy's eye.

"Ow..." Roy complained, but he didn't really mind. He focussed on the small mouth of his carer. Pink, full lips open in concentration to reveal the tips of pearly white teeth. As Ed pulled his hand away, Roy's shot out to take hold of a slender wrist. The blond gave him a questioning look.

"Ed..." He began, unable to continue as speech chose to leave him. He grappled with the English language for a few moments, before finally giving in and settling on a phrase he could say instead of the one he'd first intended to. "Thank you." He said quietly. Ed smiled genuinly.

"You're welcome." Ed took the Vodka bottle and poured a glass for them both. "Here, cheers to the end of that perverted bastard." Roy took the glass and smiled slightly, wincing when it aggitated the cut on his lip. He nodded to Ed's toast, and downed the glass.

A while later Ed announced he was going to bed as he put the vodka up on the shelf.

"Someone will have to explain to Al what happened when he wakes up, and I've gotta' be there in case he gets worse." He said, excusing himself. Roy sat where he was for a moment in silence, pondering the strange longing he had to feel those soft fingers caressing his face again. The desire he had for a touch, for simple contact.

Summoning up the dutch courage he'd drank down, he stood himself and caught up with Edward, stopping him by winding his arms around the boy's waist and pulling him close.

"Ed, just one more thing. He...Kimbley, he threatened you specifically. To get at me as part of that vendetta he has." Roy spoke quietly, breath brushing Ed's ear. He paused momentarilly, savouring the feeling of skin covered by shirt under his fingertips. "Be careful, okay? I'm not sure what I'd do if something happened to you." He buried his face in the crook of Edward's smooth neck for a moment, and then released him reluctantly to climb the stairs without a sound.

X

Ed stood still in silence for a long while after Roy left, the warmth of his body still fading off his skin like evaporating water. He could feel the heat from the blush adorning his face no doubt making him as red as Roy's blood. His heart pounded in his chest and in his head, thought's whirling and jumping at every beat. He was so totally besotted.

Just the memory of the touch on his neck made him shiver.

Eventually, when all sound from upsatirs had ceased, he made his way up and back to Al's room. He didn't trust himself to see Roy again right then, he knew he'd do something he shouldn't; he knew he'd ruin it. So he was deathly silent. Creeping along the soft carpet, bare toes curling as it sank beneath them, he passed the master bedroom holding his breath. He practically ran the last few feet to the spare room, and there he shut the door and collapsed on a space on Al's bed.

Letting out a long sigh, he found his mind replaying the scene again. The breathy words, the heat exchange.

"Shit." He cursed in a whisper. He fisted his hand into the sheets, twisting and pooling them. He covered his face with one hand.

"Shit." He murmered aloud again.

"I'm in love."

A/N: Aw...

GAH! I wanted SOSOSOSOSO much for them to get together in this chapter, but I CAN'T because then my climatic plan won't be complete at the end of the fic! ARG! And any kissing and stuff can't exactly be put down to 'oh, you just had ketchup on your lip...' or something. So...Well, you just have to make do with the crap I tried to write out here. I really hope it tides you over, I know most people are reading for the RoyEd and not the plot, but the plot is nowhere near the place the relationship is at. :( So while the relationship it ripe to come to fruition already, I still have to get them to Russia so the real fun can start.

Damn. I'll try to go a little quicker! Hopefully it'll work. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!