Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of its characters. (Are these really necessary? -sigh-)

Recent Infatuation

By Dejiko Mew Mew

The days were just getting longer and longer. Confinement to a hospital bed was not the most exciting mission 1st Lieutenant Jean Havoc had ever received... although, sadly, it was perhaps not the least. I mean, at least he had a room with a view...

And no, he did not mean the one window to the outside world. He referred to his partner in confinement, Kain Fuery. Honestly, he had never much paid attention to the boy... That is, Fuery never really stood out in his mind. And yet, when he saw Colonel Mustang push the meek young man to the hospital bed beside him, he could think only one thing: ... Damn, that was hot.

There was never really conversation between the two. Sometimes, Fuery would sigh and say things like, "I wonder if Taisa and the others are all right..." and Havoc would slur a retort or two. That was the basic extent of communication between them: worried sighs and disinterested grunts.

In his boredom, Havoc recalled earlier days in the military. One time, Breda had gone around asking all the guys, "If you had to be stranded on an island with one person for the rest of your life, who would it be?"

Havoc had shrugged and said, "I don't know... Probably some hot chick." Well, this was not quite an island, and Fuery, albeit he had the demeanor of one, was not a chick. And he certainly wasn't... Well, Havoc had to wonder. He had never thought of pondering a guy's hotness. Fuery was... cute, Havoc concluded. He was actually downright adorable, and the sudden realization of that made him blush. He quickly sat upright in his bed and reached for his cigarettes. His fingers fumbled through the package and grasped one. They trembled slightly as they brought it to his slightly-parted lips. His other hand took his lighter and ignited the stick. Havoc inhaled deeply as the smoke clouded his mouth and escaped in a sigh.

Why did all of his thoughts turn to those of Fuery? How could someone he barely acknowledged, someone he rarely spoke to, someone he thought meant nothing to him flood his mind so incessantly?

He looked over towards Fuery, as if one glance could answer his question... Perhaps it did.

Fuery lay in his hospital bed, blanket pulled up to his stomach. He hadn't bothered to change out of his military apparel. Havoc remembered that he had voiced his curiosity about it, to which Fuery replied, "I want to always be ready, for whenever Taisa may need me..." Pretty brave words for such a timid guy, Havoc had thought then.

And then, Havoc sort of noticed that Fuery's gaze rarely left the window. He was always watching... waiting. And almost all of his sighs were something about Mustang. The pieces came together quite quickly for Havoc and he suddenly became angry. He couldn't explain his sudden feelings, but he couldn't ignore them either.

He tossed his blanket aside and quickly marched to Fuery's bed, grabbing the boy's shoulders firmly, leaning his weight into it. Fuery was, obviously, surprised and his gaze was taken, without question, from the window. A quick gasp had managed to escape from his mouth as he now stared, wide-eyed with fright, into the piercing eyes of 1st Lieutenant Jean Havoc.

"Havoc...shoi...?" Fuery murmured in awe. He was caught in Havoc's intense stare and wondered immediately if he had done something to upset him.

"You..." Havoc finally started. Fuery's heart was racing. "You really like the Taisa, don't you?"

"O-Of course, I do," Fuery nodded. "I... I thought you do, too... I mean, we all--"

"I mean, you like him," Havoc corrected with heavy emphasis. He didn't realize how hard he had squeezed Fuery's shoulders until a tiny cry indicated as such. Havoc released his grip and returned to his bed, avoiding eye contact. "Sorry..." he apologized.

Why had he acted that way? It was like he was... jealous...

He glanced back at Fuery, who now had the covers half-way up his face, and tiny, shivering hands clutched the ends. His face was red, and he had yet to return his eyes to the window. Havoc had embarrassed him pretty badly.

The tiny clock on the wall clicked away at the seconds, each one resounding heavier and seemingly louder. It seemed to drill through the layers of Havoc's sanity, until he decided to try once more to find out the meaning of his recent infatuation.

"I didn't mean to..." Havoc said quickly, turning to face the timid young man once more, "... to upset you..."

Fuery didn't-- perhaps couldn't-- answer. His voice was locked inside of him. He shut his eyes tightly.

"It's... I... I...!" he tried to respond, his voice growing more distant with each attempt. Havoc returned to Fuery's bed and sat on the side of it, resting one arm opposite his body such that Havoc rested partly on him. Fuery felt the weight and opened his eyes abruptly.

"It's... annoying," Havoc explained, narrowing his eyes. "I can't stand losing... when I haven't even been given a chance."

Fuery swallowed hard.

"I don't... understand..." he whispered, still clutching the covers.

The was a moment of silence and hesitation. Only a moment, before Havoc broke it by leaning in and kissing Fuery. He only meant for it to be fleeting and, in a way, subtle, but he found he couldn't quite let go so easily and the kiss deepened. Fuery began to feel light-headed and was completely absorbed in the moment. He could hardly breathe as Havoc released him.

"I can't stop... thinking about you," Havoc explained, point-blank. He closed his eyes and tightened a hand into a fist. "... If there's... any way I can replace Taisa in your mind... please let me know."

A part of Havoc almost laughed at himself, mockingly, on the inside, for he couldn't explain-- or help-- the way he was acting. This had never happened to him before, but here he was, pouring out his heart and soul and waiting in desperate anxiety for Fuery's reply.

"I don't... know..." Fuery replied quietly. Havoc's heart twisted. "H-Havoc-shoi, I'm... flattered, really...... But I don't know you."

And with that, Fuery returned to his vigilance. Havoc returned to his own bed and lit up a cigarette. This wasn't a loss. It was a starting point. After all, the two would have plenty of alone time to... get to know each other. Havoc smiled, for he had at least that hope.

To Be Continued, I suppose!

Author's Notes:

Errrrrrrr!! So, Stray Dog is giving me mucho problems right now! XD It seems to be the last chapter, and those are always hardest for me. But I will do my best. At any rate, this was written actually, before Stray Dog, but I got stuck at a certain scene because -coughcough- Havoc wanted to... do stuff... and I was like, "You jerk!! I can't write THAT!!"

But I seem to have veered it away from pure smut. XD Although, maybe you guys are sad to hear that? -laugh-

Anyways, it got a little weird towards the end, but I hope you guys enjoy it. I suppose there will be a continuation, because... they're not quite... doing anything yet, are they?

Other notes: Even though this is written in 3rd person omniscient, the voice tends to lean toward Havoc, and thusly, I've written it much less formally. i.e. saying "guys" instead of whatever, and the overall discussion of "hotness." It's semi-Havoc's voice.

... I suppose that is it. Wow, two updates in one night! What's the occassion!? XDD