A/N: Um...don't kill me okay? Just bear with me here...I have to write a story as it comes to me or else it will suck, believe me.

Chapter 21

Girls will be Boys

Roy stood on the outside platform of the dusty train station with Edward and Alphonse as they waited for the brother's train to Youswell to board. It was now mid afternoon and the sun was still shining brightly over a cloudless sky. Roy had accompanied Edward back to his dorm room and waited while Ed packed and filled Al in on the assignment. There wasn't too much to say about it really, Roy had just needed a diversion for Edward and had basically given them a job anyone could complete easily. They simply needed to check on the well being of the people and inspect the old mines. Edward had been irritated by the simplicity of the mission, but Roy had lured him in with false rumors of philosopher's stone information originating from there. Another lie amongst a slew of them, he told himself.

"Hey Roy, why don't you come with us?" Ed asked eagerly.

"Uh, well, I have work to do here, Ed. Besides, I don't have time to pack," Roy reasoned quickly.

Al just looked at his brother dumbfounded; he couldn't believe Ed was trying to get Roy to come with them when they'd hardly spent any time together as it was. He was actually looking forward to any sort of time with Ed, even if the mission sounded a little boring. But he wouldn't be the one to say anything, not in front of the Colonel anyway.

Roy watched as Ed looked down at his boots, clearly something was still troubling him. The Colonel scanned the crowd briefly, then walked toward the blonde and leaned over to whisper in his ear, "What is it Ed?"

Ed's full weight rested on his automail leg as he lightly scuffed a design in the dust on the floor of the station's platform with the toe of this other boot. His gaze was focused on that one task. Then he motioned for Roy to lean over to him again. As his lover's ear came close to his lips he whispered a response, "It's just…I'm going to miss you Roy," he admitted sheepishly.

The whisper had not been quiet enough for Al's acute hearing to miss. He rolled the glowing orbs in his metal head and leaned backward to look up at the sky, as if some otherworldly being could take him away from all this man-love his brother insisted on subjecting him to. "Oh my God, brother, just take him into a corner or something and get whatever thing you have to do over with already," he groaned, obviously irritated.

"Al!" Ed reprimanded as he glared at his brother for saying something like that in front of Roy. When he looked over at Roy, he saw a smirk spread across his face, even as a blush made itself known across his cheeks. Ed stomped over to Roy and forcefully grabbed his arm at the elbow, then shot a furious glance in his brother's direction and grunted. He then led Roy off the platform and into the nearest restroom.

Roy reluctantly followed the blonde; he wasn't quite sure exactly what Ed had in mind. But when he saw Ed's beeline for the restroom and watched him open the white painted metal door, he started to struggle. Once Ed pulled him inside the cement and porcelain room, it was only a matter of seconds before Roy felt the smaller man pin him against the wall and tug his lapels downward in order to crush his lips in a passionate kiss. Roy resisted at first, but then as it finally dawned on him too that he wouldn't be feeling those lips again for few days, he pushed into it. He wrapped his arms around his lover and held him tightly. When Ed pulled away to breath, he spoke, "I'm going to miss you too, you know," Roy said tenderly as his hand came up to Edward's cheek and brushed an errant strand of hair from it.

Ed gazed up into Roy's eyes; he searched one last time for the truth, the real reason why he was being sent away. He was hoping Roy would finally come clean with him, would trust him enough to divulge whatever secret he kept hidden. He wouldn't ask about it again, he knew now the only way was to allow Roy to say whatever it was without coercion. But his lover remained silent, and Ed had to accept that. He heard the train whistle blow and knew he had only a few more minutes. He pressed his head against Roy's chest and allowed his lover to comfort him. He just couldn't shake this ominous feeling that hung over them. He was subconsciously afraid that when he'd let go, it would be for the last time. "I love you, Roy, please don't forget that," he said softly as sadness found it's way into his heart again. He was already lonely and he hadn't even left.

The train whistle blew again; it was a final warning for passengers to board. "Of course I'm not going to forget that, quit being so dramatic. It's only a day or two's trip. You'll be back in no time, driving me crazy and…" he stopped, Ed suddenly seemed too upset for the usual teasing. Instead he increased his hold on the blonde and rested his cheek on the top of Ed's hair, "I love you too, I'll be here waiting for you when you return, please take care of yourself," he said with as much sincerity as he could muster. Then he released Ed and gently pushed him away, "Ed, don't miss the train," he said as he turned to hold the door open for him.

Ed wiped at his eyes with the back of his gloved hands. He didn't fully understand why this was so hard or why he had all these strange trepidations about going on this trip, but he'd go anyways. He walked briskly out of the bathroom and had to run, red robe billowing out behind him and braid flying, to catch up to the train as it had just begun to move over the tracks.

Ed stood on the back platform of the train and looked over the crowd for the dark head of his lover. When he saw him, he waved timidly and mouthed the words, "Goodbye."

xxx

Roy grunted as he twisted his body between military men in the hallways of Central headquarters. He couldn't shake the image of Ed standing on the caboose platform with that forlorn look in his eyes or the despairing way his hand waved at him as he left. It had cut him to his very soul to think he was sending him away like that, especially after having told him so many lies. He just hoped his plan worked, then it would be all worth the agony they were both going through. When he got to his office door, he was met by Hawkeye and she followed him in.

Roy quickly took a seat behind his desk and looked over at his assistant as she closed the heavy door to his office. It was obvious she had some news; hopefully there would be something he could use to fend off the pending investigation.

Riza made her way back to the Colonel's desk and stopped just in front of it, the information she'd gathered had pained her when she'd heard it, but she was certain she could use it to her advantage. "Sir, I have some information on the investigation," she started authoritatively.

Roy appeared a bit irritated; the whole thing was starting to wear on him. "Well, what is it then?" he questioned; agitation laced his voice.

"Apparently you were seen outside a movie theater with Fullmetal…uh, kissing, sir," she stated bluntly.

"What? By who?" Roy demanded angrily.

Riza relaxed her stance, "Permission to speak openly, sir," she asked in a less formal tone.

Roy sighed, "Of course, just…take a seat and let's get this out in the open," he told her as he stood from the chair at his desk. He walked pensively over to the black leather couch and sat down beside her. The two were angled toward each other, knees almost touching. "Just tell me everything you've heard, every detail," he requested solemnly.

Riza took a few seconds to gather all the information into a organized verbal report and then started. "I still don't know exactly who saw you, but it sounds like it was someone from the communications department. The person was working yesterday and so the rumor spread quite rapidly through all the ranks and I believe it was another individual higher up whom actually filed the complaint. Roy, why did you kiss Edward out in the open like that?" she asked incredulously after offering her information.

Roy looked down at the gloved hands in his lap, "I don't know, we were on the other side of town so I just figured we were safe. I guess it was a stupid thing to have done," he admitted glumly. He ran the story over in his mind and attempted to find a plausible way to explain away what the person saw that night, but his mind came up empty. He looked over at Riza, "What can I do? Do you have any ideas?" he asked her impatiently.

"Well, you can always say it wasn't you, or maybe you could get away with saying it was somehow not Edward you were with…" she started; then Roy interrupted her.

"Wait a minute, Ed wasn't wearing his braid that night and it was sort of dark, so I doubt they actually got a good look at his face. I wonder if…Riza, do you think you'd fit into Edward's clothes?" a solution to the situation was formulating in his mind, luckily both Edward and Riza's hair color and length were similar, maybe he could say it was Riza he was with that night and if she wore Edward's jacket, it would be more plausible.

She eyed Roy suspiciously, "What are you driving at, Roy?"

Roy grinned wickedly, "Just answer the question," he requested confidently.

"I suppose so, although I am a little taller than he is," she smiled as she realized how angry the comment would have made the young alchemist had he been in the room.

"Okay then, here is what I want you to do, go ahead and start spreading around that it was you I was with Friday night, not Edward, and the reason you fired your gun at him the other day was because he found out about us and you were warning him to keep his mouth shut, understand?" Roy blurted out eagerly.

"Just how am I to spread these rumors? It's not like me to just go out and talk about my personal life with anyone, you know that," she questioned slyly.

Roy thought a minute, then he smiled, he was on a roll, "Riza, I'm going to invite our department and the communications department out for a little drink tonight at the pub under the guise of trying to get the department's to work more closely together. I want you to go with me, wearing a jacket of Edward's, with your hair down, and we'll sort of let it slip that we're together. What do you think, genius, huh?" he said smugly.

Riza beamed, it wasn't a real date with Roy, but it could definitely feel like one. "Sure, I'll send out a memo immediately," she stated happily as she rose from the couch and practically pranced towards the door.

xxx

Edward and Alphonse strode from the train station and made their way to the nearest hotel. It was early evening and Edward still wasn't very hungry, even though he hadn't eaten since his lunchtime rendezvous with Roy. He'd been silent and depressed, just stared out his window the whole way to Youswell. He knew Alphonse was dying to talk to him, but he couldn't bring himself to hold a conversation, he just wanted to curl up into a bed somewhere and sleep off this bad feeling. He wanted to talk to Roy too; he wanted to call him as soon as they checked in. Maybe if he heard his voice it would somehow make him better.

The two ambled into the small town's hotel lobby, a rustic old place with wooden plank flooring and wagon wheel chandeliers, and got their room. Then they silently made their way up the stairs. When they got to the plain dark wood door, Ed sighed heavily as he pushed the key in the sliver lock and turned it. He opened the door to the sparsely furnished room and walked slowly inside. The were two twin beds pushed up against opposite walls, dark colored quilts lay across the mattresses. A plain nightstand sat between the beds with a cheap tiffany lamp perched on the surface. Ed sat his small brown suitcase on the bed and sighed again before opening it up.

"That's enough, brother," Al stated suddenly, his voice filled the silent room.

Ed turned around to face him, he felt his cheeks burning with anger, "Don't start on me, Al," he hissed.

"I won't let you go around all upset the whole time we're here, this is ridiculous! What is going on between you and Roy now?" Al demanded.

Ed twisted his body back around to face his suitcase again. He couldn't talk about it yet; if he did he was afraid he'd break down. "Just let me do what I have to do for now…please," he said softly. He heard his brother's large metal body clank away and the bed opposite his creak as his brother sat on the edge. "I'm going downstairs to call Roy, I'll be back an a few minutes," he informed his brother as he turned toward the door again.

Edward dialed the phone in the booth of the hotel lobby and waited for Roy to pick up on his end. It was late there, but he figured Roy would still be working. When he'd heard it ring ten times, he hung up. He was a little puzzled, he was sure Roy would still be at work and even if he wasn't in his office, the phone usually rang through to Hawkeye after five rings. He then dialed Roy's house and waited somewhat impatiently through ten rings again. He slammed the phone down on the holder, "Damn!" he hissed under his breath. Where the hell was Roy, he wondered anxiously? His stomach started to feel sick and his nerves were shaky, something just didn't feel right. He placed his forehead against the cool wood interior of the booth and let out a hitched sigh. He wanted to cry, but he wasn't sure what exactly was driving his emotions. Instead, he collected himself and went reluctantly back upstairs.

-O-

Roy sat in the pub across the street from Central headquarters with a host of military men. He'd successfully gotten a key to Edward and Alphonse's dorm room in order to outfit Hawkeye with Edward's new sport jacket. She now sat next to him in a booth with a very stylish brown knitted shirt on underneath the jacket and black pants. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders, just as Roy had requested and she was smiling shyly up at Roy. She had a glass of white wine on the table before her and Roy had a glass of scotch. He placed his arm casually behind her on the back of the booth. She scooted in closer to him until he felt her body press against his. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Good job, I see people are noticing us."

As Roy made small talk with the men under him and those of the other department, he kept an eye out for anyone who may be paying special attention to him and Riza. He hoped he would be able to figure out who exactly had turned him in. He was feeling very happy with himself at the moment, like he'd won some sort of a duel. Even though the memo about the little party had come out late, most all the people involved had come. Roy attributed that fact to the grueling pace the military had been through lately, everyone was just looking for an excuse to go have a drink, apparently.

Suddenly, Havoc appeared in front of Roy with a filled shot glass in his hand and a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. The tall blonde set the glass in front of Roy and smiled at him, "Drink up, Colonel," he requested as his gaze darted between Roy and Riza.

Roy took the glass in his free hand and downed it in one gulp. It was whisky, something he didn't normally drink, but wasn't too bad.

"Can I get you another?" Havoc asked eagerly.

Roy shot a look at Hawkeye as if asking for approval before he answered.

"Go ahead Colonel, I'm sure a few shots won't affect your performance tonight," she stated somewhat seductively as she leaned in closer to Roy.

Havoc's mouth hung open in shock, his cigarette dangled precariously from his lower lip. Did he really hear Hawkeye correctly? Was she dating Mustang? He reexamined the way they were sitting in the booth and confirmed it. Oh, he had some news; he couldn't wait to go spread this around. He grinned at the couple, "Okay then, I'll be right back," he stated quickly as he sped off toward the bar. He was elated, if Mustang was dating Hawkeye, then maybe he'd finally have a chance with Sally or any of the other myriad of women the Colonel had kept out of his reach. When he approached the bar, he stood next to Armstrong, who was showing off his prowess to any female who would pay attention to him. He poked the muscle bound man in a solid shoulder and waited impatiently to be acknowledged. "Hey, did you know Colonel Mustang is dating Lieutenant Hawkeye finally?" blurted out loudly.

Armstrong gave Havoc a look of disbelief; then he positioned himself to get a clear view at the two in the booth. He saw Roy's arm wrapped tightly around Riza's shoulders as she leaned in closely to him while he spoke in her ear. At first he tried to shrug it off, the bar was loud with all these people crammed into it, maybe they were just trying to have a conversation. But then he clearly saw Riza twist her head towards Roy and plant a kiss on his cheek. Armstrong leaned back towards Havoc, "By God, I think you're right. Well, it's about time. Maybe the confirmed bachelor will get married after all," he told Havoc as he raised his glass to clink it against Havoc's.

Roy was surprised by the chaste kiss Riza had just given him. He suddenly wondered if they were taking this thing a little too far. He felt fleeting panic as he realized, albeit too late, there was no way now for Ed not to find out what he'd done. The way people were glancing and sometimes pointing at them was a sure sign the office would be buzzing with news of his 'relationship' with Hawkeye tomorrow. When Havoc appeared again with another shot of whisky, Roy thankfully grabbed and downed it without hesitation. Now he had to come up with some sort of explanation for all this when Ed came home. Would it never end, he wondered?

The shots kept coming, and Roy gratefully drank them as he allowed himself to be numbed by the brown liquor. He found himself leaning more and more on Riza as the night went on and his words started to slur. He remembered feeling her arm surround him and her head resting on his shoulder. Then he was standing outside the pub and he barely remembered how he'd gotten there. Riza was with him and they were waiting for his car. She was practically holding him up, his back was against the brick wall and she was pressed seductively against him. He tilted his head forward to look down at her and abruptly felt her soft lips press against his. He let himself enjoy the kiss for a moment before his senses came rushing forward. "S-stop, Riza, what are you doing?" he stumbled out as he made a feeble attempt to push her away.

She leaned into his ear and whispered, "I'm just playing the game Roy, see? There are some people over there from Communications," she stated plainly as she pushed her face into the crook of his neck.

Roy felt her hot wet mouth begin to kiss and suck deliciously on his neck. He closed his eyes for a minute as his breathing began to quicken. "N-no, s-stop it, R-riza," he said so softly it was almost a moan. His hands automatically began to roam up and down her back, the same back that was still covered in Edward's jacket. When he opened his eyes, he saw the blonde silhouette and for a second he thought Edward was the one standing against him, doing these things to him. But the breasts pressed against his chest didn't belong to a man. Thankfully, the car pulled up and she stopped her assault on his body.

Riza helped him into the back seat of his car and then tried to climb in beside him. Roy looked at her in fear, he knew if she went with him he was going to have a terrible time fending off her attacks. He put his arms out in an attempt to make her keep her distance.

Riza felt Roy's hands grab hold of her arms to keep her from entering the car. She glared at him questioningly, "Roy, all these people are watching us, if you want this to work, you'd better let me go with you," she reasoned quickly. She felt his hold on her relax as he mumbled something incoherent and she easily slid in next to him.

Roy positioned himself directly against his door, as far away from Riza as humanly possible. He leaned his head on the cool glass of the window and chastised himself for letting this happen. He felt Riza's hand on his thigh and he turned his gaze toward her, "You can stop now, no one can see us," he said a little angrily.

"You sure you want me to stop? You seemed to be enjoying it," she stated flatly. She knew he was drunk enough he'd have a hard time remembering anything she did or said tonight, so why not just do or say whatever she felt like?

"I-I wasn't, I can't, I'm with Edward, I love Edward," he pleaded, as if stating that fact over and over would make his actions less immoral.

"How can you love that little brat? He's half your age… and he's a guy! You're not gay; you've always been with women, right Roy? What the hell are you doing with him anyway?" she spat; it was time she spoke her mind about the situation.

"No, he's…he's…he loves me, Riza, he really loves me. Like no one else, he was there for me when I needed someone. He accepted me when I was…was…" Roy stopped trying to explain; his mind was just not all there after drinking so much. He resolved himself to watching the city pass by outside.

"You know Roy, I love you too, just as much. If I had been there with you, I think it would be me you would be with right now," she divulged sadly as she peered into his face for some sort of sign he understood her words.

Roy saw his house just outside the window and felt the car pull up against the curb. Finally, he thought, he could get away and forget about everything for a little while. She was confusing him, making him second-guess his relationship with Edward in his vulnerable state. He heard the driver speak to him.

"Will the lady be getting out here as well, sir?" the man asked.

Roy started to say no; but his voice was drowned out by hers.

"Yes, I will, thank you," she confirmed.

Roy cringed, how could this be happening? How did everything get so mixed up? He had to pull himself together so he could fend off her advances if she tried anything again. But instead, the alcohol flowing in his system wanted him to surrender to her. He reluctantly got out of the car after the driver opened the door and allowed Riza to help him up to the front door of his house. He produced his key and she took it from him and opened the door. He stumbled through the entryway and somehow made it far enough inside to land on his couch. He lay down on his back with his arms up and bent, his forearms laid across his eyes. He sighed and tried to think of Edward, what would he be doing right now, he wondered? Sleeping peacefully probably, he told himself. He missed him terribly all of a sudden, he just wished it were Ed who was closing his door, flicking on the lamp, and walking toward him now, not Riza Hawkeye.

"Roy, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. She briefly wondered if he'd drunk enough to be sick with the way he was acting.

"No," he responded softly as tears invaded his eyes. Damn, now he was getting emotional in front of Hawkeye, he couldn't let her see him like this. It wasn't right, not only from a professional standpoint, but he was terrified of her taking advantage of the situation. He felt the couch dip as she took a seat next to him. He turned his head away from her, blinked, and felt a hot tear slide down the cheek that faced the back of the couch. Then he felt her warm hand on his thigh again, why doesn't she stop, he wondered? Can't she see she's not the one he wants?

"Let me help you," she requested as she reached up to pull his arms back down.

"Stop it! Right now!" Roy yelled as he thrust himself swiftly upward into a sitting position. He Hastily wiped the wetness from his eyes and sniffled as he did so. Then he glared at her for a moment, to drive his point home. He was in a very bad position, he realized, if he made her mad, would he loose her support when the Fuhrer arrived tomorrow? More panic and fear raced into his heart, "I-I'm sorry Riza, I'm just confused…I'm in a bad spot, but please, respect my wishes and don't…come on to me unnecessarily, please," he pleaded, his voice heavy with emotion.

"Why not Roy? How much can you love Edward if you're so easily confused by my mere presence in your house?" she stated blankly.

"I'm not, that's not it. Oh hell, I just need to go to bed," he replied, frustrated by the whole situation. He slid down around Hawkeye to climb off the couch. He lurched forward awkwardly as he stood up and felt Riza immediately come to his aid. His head felt dizzy and he allowed himself to once again lean on her for support. Then he felt her lips on his again, without thinking he instinctively deepened the kiss and pulled her close. Old habits die hard, and this was one he'd never even tried to kill off before. His eyes were closed as he pulled his head away from her and tilted it back. He thought of Edward again, his imagination put Edward in her place, made him believe he was really with his lover as her mouth sensuously sucked and licked at the sensitive skin on his neck. In the dim light with Ed's jacket on, it was easy to visualize. He felt her hand brush against him between his legs and heat immediately spread through his abdomen. "Edward," he moaned, barely audible.