Let's keep this beginning bit short: RoyEd with a parental complex, both subtle and being shoved down your throat. There is angst in basically every character except my six-year-old OC; it's kind of insane. There is so much OOC-ness that it's unbelievable. You have to be careful or it will eat your soul. Literally.

Happy Thanksgiving! (Well, to all the Americans)

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"How'd it go, Brother?" Alphonse asked as Edward walked in.

"Terrible. I don't even want to be here when he gets home. I refuse to be. Fuck this." Faster than normal people can decide on clothes to wear for the day, Edward had decided to leave. He had thought it over on the way home, and the fact that Al could back him up would probably not help him to seem justified in Roy's eyes. "Al, I'm going to Hooligan's. Are you coming?"

"Brother. It couldn't have been that bad, could it have?" Al looked at Ed with concern.

"Yes, it could have. He's a bastard—he didn't even try to understand my side." Edward scowled deeply.

"Did you even try to explain it or did you just blow up?" Al asked. He knew his brother well enough to know that there was no way that Ed was completely calm.

"Both." Edward replied.

"Brother, please. Just stay here. Please. We can work this out."

Edward's head fell forward as he tried to hide his face. "I doubt he wants me here."

That's how it came to be that Roy came home to an empty house.

---

"Where are we going to stay?" Al asked. He wasn't sure this was a good idea to leave Roy without a word, but when his brother got sad like that, he usually couldn't say no.

"Hooligan's, of course. I'm sure they have an open bedroom." Edward answered him.

"Oh."

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Roy picked up the phone and dialed. "Investigation department, please. Hello, Hughes? We're missing a certain alchemist named Edward Elric."

"When did he go missing?"

"Just today." Roy said, already knowing what Hughes was going to say.

"This is Edward we're talking about. We'll wait until tomorrow, okay?" Roy sighed. Of course: wait until tomorrow. Damn.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Hughes."

The two men hung up the phone together.

---

"We'll sleep on the floor, then." Edward replied after being told by Raphael that there were not any empty beds.

"Well, we have a few couches, if you want…" Raphael offered.

"That will do fine." Edward replied.

That night, Edward and Al attempted to help Aiden put Gabriel to bed. The outcome was that Al fell asleep on Aiden's bed and Edward finally got Gabriel to sleep by rubbing his back.

"Oh, thank God." Aiden said when he realized that the boy had fallen asleep.

"Doesn't he look just like an angel?" Edward asked, standing up.

"Yeah, anddd…so does he." Aiden pointed to the sleeping Al on his bed. Edward smiled broadly at the humor of it. "Stop smiling. This isn't funny."

"Sure it is. Now you have no place to sleep." Edward said. Aiden looked how Al was positioned—mostly on the right side (the side on the wall), and somewhat curled up on the lower half.

"Well…I could just sleep to one side. It's a twin bed, so we'd both fit. Do you think he'd mind?" Aiden asked. Ed thought a moment before answering.

"I don't think so. I should go to my couch then."

"Okay. Goodnight." The two exchanged a hug and then Edward went into another room to sleep on the couch. Aiden carefully placed a blanket over Al before lying down himself.

---

Roy was lying awake in bed, worried about Edward.

Where could he be? Probably with Aiden. What if he's cheating on me? Oh no. He…he wouldn't, would he? What was the real reason that Mr. Wellham insulted Gabriel? And why wouldn't Ed tell him? Damn it. I need him. I need him here right now, answering these questions.
Not to mention that this house is so cold and lonely without him…

Needless to say, Roy didn't sleep well that night.

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Al woke up a few hours after he dozed off to find Aiden asleep next to him. He gave a start, but soon calmed down. Half-asleep, he allowed himself to indulge. Al shifted himself so that he was parallel to Aiden, and put his arm around the other teenager. He hoped that Aiden would just think it was on accident. In fact, he hoped he didn't fall asleep, and he could shift away before he did.

He could never have predicted what happened.

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Another cliffhanger. Enjoy. Just don't let it ruin your turkey.