Warnings: Written under some serious sleep-deprivation. Um. It helped with the creative process? Eventual Roy/Ed pairing. Total disregard to timeline.

Comments: This is written by both LCM and Sapphy, the former covering Ed and the latter with Roy. The beginning is a little awkward with the switching, but it smooths out later. Kind of.

Disclaimer: We don't own anything, and cannot be held responsible for whatever the characters decide to do during this romp.

Carpe Diem

Seize the Day

2:30 A.M.

Ed woke up because his heart was pounding too fast and too loud for him not to. There was a sticky-thick glazing of sweat down his face – warm, though chilling quickly and suffocating.

Ed woke up because he couldn't breath. Black dots danced across his vision as gold eyes blinked away the grit of sleep, flickering across the room in swift inspection for just whatever it was that could have cause the numb, desperate terror that beat at the back of his throat.

Nothing.

The smooth metal silhouette of Al's form shone as a darker shadow in the blackness and Ed sighed, automail arm coming up to tug softly at his braid. Only sixteen and he was already coming down with the symptomatic paranoia of old age. Nightmares were hardly things worth loosing sleep over, he'd had enough to know.

So. Bed.

3:15 A.M.

It was late. Ungodly late. Far too late to awake, let alone working. However, he'd promised Hawkeye to have finished all these accumulated papers by tomorrow, and it had unexpectedly demanded more time than he'd assumed. Determined, he'd taken it home and mulled over it for some odd hours, shifting through the files slowly and distractedly. He would have thought it would be easier to do at home rather than in the office (he hated staying late at the office) but his concentration seemed utterly lost.

Belatedly, he realized home was not much different from the workplace, both impersonal and simply not comfortable to relax in. Roy groaned and told himself he should have known better, but he was already sorely tired. Messing up - he did that often. He just never let anyone know.

He gave the folder a look that would have smoldered it. He could blow it off. He did that with work whenever he could get away with it, so it wasn't out of the ordinary.

But...

He'd really intended to finish it. It bothered him to not follow through and then face Hawkeye's cold disappointment because she knew he'd been honest when he gave his word. The woman knew him enough to tell when he meant what he said. She probably knew him better than any other female, and just because of that he had never gotten involved with her.

Well, no. That wasn't the first reason. The first reason was because she actually cared.

It was late. Too late for this. Pushing those thoughts aside, he stubbornly picked up the folder again and went out. He knew a coffee shop that was open 24 hours, and he really needed something to keep him up so he could finish this damn work.

4:00 A.M.

Ed tried to go back to sleep. Really he did. Wanted to with a passion that should have made it possible. Instead, the harder he seemed to grasp at its shirttails, the more that blessed state danced away from him; the bed was too lumpy, the pillow too thin, and Ed's muzzled mind had given up counting sheep when it couldn't remember what came after 100,789.

It didn't help that Ed's memory of the dream that had woken him was fuzzy at best. There had been red, he knew, but that could mean so many things. A flag, blood, a flower, his coat turning evil and destroying the world. MWHAHAH: ALL YOUR FABRICS ARE BELONG TO US! ...Or something like that.

It was inevitable that Ed get out of bed – staying still for such a long period of time was at odds with most everything he stood for – but when he did so, he did it quietly, slipping both feet over the edge slowly as to not make the mattress creak. He disturbed his brother's peace enough without vague memories of nightmares and nothings.

If Ed couldn't sleep, he wasn't about to rob Al of it. An automail hand reached out and gingerly grabbed the long crimson coat that hung on a rack by the door (just in case it was plotting world domination, you know), and threw it over his pajamas. According to the clock by his bedside, it was 4:00 in the morning. He'd go out, take a walk, and come back; no one ever need know that the Fullmetal Alchemist slept in pj's with smiley moons printed all down the front.

4:20 A.M.

The little shop was empty at this time of night (day, whatever) but that was how it should be. All the normal people were asleep, after all. Only a certain Colonel was up at such an inane hour, mug of coffee in hand and hunched stubbornly over that folder.

He'd been right this time; working in a cozy public area was much easier than his threadbare house. Not that there were people to mingle with, but he was so accustomed to being in the open, for whatever reason. It was where people would see him, recognize him, and they created their own image of him before he could reveal his true self – and he really didn't want them to know that.

He didn't like being personal.

Which meant the simple, open air of the shop suited him fine. So did the fact that they served great coffee 24/7.

4:30 A.M.

The night air was cool against his skin, and away from the muggy confines of the dorms, the thick fog on Ed's brain lifted enough to inform him that if he wanted to do something as stupid as wonder aimlessly about the city at night, he might as well do it caffeinated. To make a point, Ed was not coffee's number one fan – no, that title went with honors to the ever-smug and smirking Colonel – but he was certainly up there (top ten, perhaps). Once the craving made itself known, his feet stopped in their old course and made a beeline for the nearest espresso stand.

One block…two…and three. There it was; heaven, with it's green and white striped awning, wide open door, sleepy ambience, and Colonel Mustang, looking over documents as he sipped the steaming contents of a squat gray mug.

…Goddamnit.

4:40 A.M.

If Roy noted how unusual it would be for someone else to be wandering in this late (early, definitely early now) he didn't fully register it, too engrossed in finishing his paperwork so he could run home to clean up before presenting Lt. Hawkeye with the folder. He would smirk, pride himself on coming through, and hope she didn't notice the sleep deprivation on his features. So he scanned and scribbled furiously, entirely missing Edward's unforeseen entrance.

It was then that he finished his mug, looked up to get another, and saw the red beacon that was the Fullmetal Alchemist's trademark coat.

Thankfully, he was simply too exhausted to do more than just...look. Stare, even. And wait for his brain to do something, because otherwise there was nothing happening.

It dawned on Ed that he was staring about the same time he realized Roy was too. Not that it made him stop, but it was a nice thing to know. What was Mustang doing in his heaven? Wait…no….What was Mustang doing in his coffee shop? When Ed had gone out, he'd had some very specific thoughts on how his walk would go – well, okay, so maybe he hadn't, but he sure as hell hadn't planned on seeing anyone he knew on his little romp, much less Mr. My-Smirk's-So-Wide-You-Couldn't-Shove-It-Up-My-Ass-If-You-Tried.

When he spoke, his words came out with all the righteous, fuzzed indignation that he felt.

"You."

That was all it took to send Roy back into professional mode. One simply did not deal with Edward Elric in a semi-distracted state unless one wanted to be bowled over. And Roy had a perfect record when it came to Ed. He wouldn't ruin it now just because he hadn't slept or showered and Hawkeye was going to scrape him over a cheese grater if he didn't turn in this work like he said.

He couldn't find it in himself to be overly lording though, and since the Fullmetal one seemed a bit below par as well, he figured there was no harm in toning it down.

"You're up rather early, Fullmetal." With any luck, Edward wouldn't notice his rumpled state and come to quick conclusions. Sometimes the boy's perception was handy, but right now he really, really didn't want to be found out.

Ed shouldn't have been surprised.

Even this early. Even this early…! Ed would never again underestimate the lengths Roy Mustang would go to annoy the living batshit out of him. Lack of batshit and simple coincidence aside. And oh crap, it was early. Suddenly, painfully aware of whose presence he was in, in fucking moon and cloud pajamas Ed nearly jumped. He needed something witty. He needed something that would explain – logically – why he was here, what he was doing, and why he had to go right now.

"Look who's talking. You look like you've probably been up the whole night." And when Ed said it, he realized it was true. Mustang was mussed and rumpled, and thoroughly miserable looking indeed. Well, well. And…and….and. The train of thought collapsed as swiftly as it came, to be replaced by the singular smell wafting out of Roy's mug. Here was life. Here was purpose. Here was coffee.

Oh, well, screw it. Roy did take notice of Ed's point-blank stare at his empty mug, and once reminded of that problem he called the lone, bored-looking waitress over. This time he ordered two, and indifferently, he gestured to the chair. "Have a seat, I've just been working." Which he needed to finish. Luckily, he was on the last few pages.

When Ed heard Mustang order two cups of coffee, he – temporarily – forgave the man every sin and smirk he'd committed for all the years Ed had known him. Well…except that one time at the lingerie store with Armstrong, but that was a memory Ed was still working to forget, so he was hardly going to bring it up again now.

The waitress came with the pot and another mug, refilling Roy's and pouring the new one for Edward. Back to the point. The Colonel had ordered him coffee. And, low and behold, coffee had come at Roy's command! …Perhaps there actually was more to that Colonel Title then snap-happy gloves and a smirk that – inexplicably – made a good ninety-nine percent of the female population swoon (Hawkeye got a whole little percent just to herself, because she was Hawkeye, had a gun, and said so). But…but. Coffee! …Roy…had gotten him coffee. For one brief, horrified second, Ed understood why women flocked to Mustang. Then it was blessedly gone and faded from his memory.

Starting on his beloved second cup of coffee that morning, Roy took time to notice the young waitress. She probably didn't get to do much, working night-shift. She would be off soon, though... He should just dismiss it – he certainly didn't have time for that now. Perking up from the caffeine though, he mentally complimented her shapely legs and made a note to stop by here some other evening.

Meanwhile, Edward sat and drank his coffee.

That was...unusual. Roy didn't know whether to be relieved or suspicious of Ed's quiet behavior. In the end he merely smiled into his own mug and went back to his papers.

Perhaps it should have alarmed him that he could still work in Fullmetal's presence, but that could have been chalked up to a number of things. Edward's rare calmness, the coffee, both their lack of sleep, or Roy himself. Sure, there were things he consciously tried to keep from him, but for the most part things just worked naturally with Ed.

Maybe Roy was just that good at pretending he didn't care. In any case, Ed certainly didn't, and that was good enough. That was best.

Once Edward had downed his second cup of coffee and had signaled the droopy-eyed waitress for a third, it hit him. He was sitting at a table with Roy Mustang, and nothing and/or no one had exploded/died/been turned into a picnic basket yet. In fact, they hadn't argued at all. Something was very wrong here. For a moment, Ed considered alien abduction, but then dismissed it. Who in their right mind would abduct Mustang? …Unless they were female aliens, in which case, Ed figured he should just be very, very, afraid.

As it was, Roy was doing work, and he was half-way through his third cup of coffee. Sip. Sip. Sluuuurp. Sip. Sip. Mhhh.

Finished. At last, the paperwork was conquered. Heaving a huge mental sigh of relief, he fought the urge to stretch and yawn, preferring to deal with his cramped muscles and weary state instead of letting Edward see him so unguarded. But he was done. Done.

He first reached for his watch to see how much time he had left before he truly needed to get in the office, but to his annoyance he remembered it wasn't on him. Likely it was sitting on the kitchen counter at home or some other random place, utterly useless to him here. At any rate, it was most definitely getting light out. He could actually feel the warmth of the sun hitting his back and all he wanted to do right then was doze. Oh, it was tempting.

But if he late, even with the documents in hand, Hawkeye would fry his ass, Flame Alchemist or no Flame Alchemist.

Ed had been watching and waiting for the moment where the Colonel would finish, get up and leave Ed all alone with his coffee. Well. Technically, it was Mustang's coffee, and that was still a mystery. Ed liked mysteries, but only in the solvable sense, and only when they ended in answers. So. Why did Colonel Mustang buy Edward Elric coffee? And before he could give his mind the time to contemplate the wisdom of such a question, Ed asked him.

A more-awake Colonel would have snatched that chance to haggle the Fullmetal Alchemist over such a normal question – because when did he ever not use information for his own devious means, especially when the elder Elric was concerned? But hell, he hadn't spoken a word about those silly pajamas of his, so why be obnoxious now? This particular Colonel was definitely no longer awake, so to put it simply, all bets were off.

Gathering the papers back into their folder (he swore he would never let work pile up like this again) and subtly working small cricks out of his neck, he replied as if he didn't have an image and professionalism to uphold, as if he was just Roy and not the Colonel, the Flame Alchemist, or what-have-you.

"You looked like you needed it. Enjoy your day, Edward."

The bell attached to the door did a cheery little jingle as he stepped out into the early morning. It would be good weather throughout the day, maybe even the week – one simply had a reliable hunch about these things when the very atmosphere was at their discretion. Roy wasted little time with those thoughts though, footsteps heading off for the building. Turn in files first, clean up later.

Ed didn't say anything as Mustang left, didn't know what to say. "Thanks? You too? Are you implying I'm short?" And the last one didn't make sense, even to him. Mustang had been - dare he say it - polite, nice even, and even a clear-headed Edward would have been baffled by that.

Ed realized he had stood up when he sat back down to finish his coffee. Enjoy his day indeed, and Ed had a brief vision of his forsaken bed and smiled, pulling his coat closer in the middle to hide the patterned pajamas. He'd had his caffeine and Roy had just set himself up for trouble. Later.

When Ed left the shop, some few minutes later, he gave a quick look around - just to be sure there weren't any Colonel's hiding in rosebushes – and said softly.

"You too."

Enjoy his day, perhaps he would after all.

End Part One

The Creative Process…

LCM: -pounces Roy and his vague!paperwork angst- XD
Sapphy: XD He needs TLC. Enter: Edward.
LCM: ...o.o Am I just not connecting? XD TLC?
Sapphy: Tender Loving Care. XD Usually in an R-rated format.
LCM: Ah. XD Yes. Ed!muse SQUALKS and says the Colonel can take his tender loving care and shove it up his ass. LCM then cackles at the Ed!muse and the Ed!muse turns red and stomps off
Sapphy: Roy!muse (omfg I have a Roy!muse??) just smiiiirks and says that would be fine as long as it's Ed's tender loving care.
LCM: XD! –cackles- Ed!muse spaz's at Roy!muse and says if the perverted Colonel thinks he's coming anywhere NEAR this alchemist's tender loving care, he has another thing coming to him
Sapphy: Roy!muse doesn't miss a beat and offers Ed his own (very skilled, may he add) tender loving care.
LCM: Ed!Muse is very red by now (whether its with anger or embarrassment, or.....XD who knows?) and informs Roy if his tender loving care is even half the size of his ego he might just take him up on that
Sapphy: Roy!muse looks at Ed through his lashes and merely assures him that his TLC never disappoints.