Each individual chapter will have a different rating, different pairings, different spoilers, and a different setting and timeline. Multiple people were involved in writing this fic, I do not claim to have written anything other than my own characters. I do however claim to have come up with the plot, story idea, and organizing it all. The others who write characters in this fic are well aware that I am posting it, and contribute willingly. This fic is an ongoing project with an unknown number of parts, with alternate storyline as of the fifth laboratory incident. Enjoy!


Solutions and Old Times' Sake
Rating:
R (Language, smut...yay..)
Pairings: Do I need to keep saying this over and over?
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. Don't sue meeeee!
Spoilers: Hell if I know anymore :D
Setting: Secret medical facility, Ed's room, then Havoc's apartment.
Timeline: A day or two after the previous section.
Edward stared with half-violet eyes, idly examining the crack in the floor at his feet from where he sat, curled in a ball in the corner of the room. He was hungry, and it was uncomfortable here. There was no bed, no blankets, and his sleep was suffering from it. A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he rubbed his eyes again.

Lisa quickly checked her wristwatch, running up the front stairs of the hospital. Jean and Izumi both were supposed to meet her in the foyer, and she was fifteen minutes late, but it was worth it... in a warped way.

Izumi had found how to more completely seal off Blasphemy from Edward and she had found Al. Or, more correctly... what was left of Al.

Jean hailed her from the portico, and she ran up to him, nearly falling into his arms. "I found Al," she gasped. "He'll be here in fifteen minutes. I got a military escort for him, so..."

Jean took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Whoah, calm down, Lisa. You found Al?" She nodded. "Ed'll be happy about that."

"Are you kidding? Ed'll try to kill everything in a ten-foot radius."

Blue-green cat's-eyes narrowed as he twigged to her mood. "I think you'll have to tell Izumi..."

Ed didn't even bother looking up when he heard the deadbolt, he'd learned that no matter how many times it sounded, it would always just be more people looking in the window or sliding food through the hole. Felt like a damn jail, and he was being treated no better than some prisoner anyway. He supposed it was because of the other voice, but nobody ever told him anything...

Izumi rolled her eyes as the army officer unlocked the door. The chimerae were bickering. Again.

"No, Lisa, I am NOT going to use a handgun on Ed, no matter how obnoxious he gets!"

"That little brat has shown absolutely squat compunction about killing you. You know why? Because you're one of the sweetest men in the world, and that little terror can't stand it! If I had my way, you wouldn't even be here!"

The army officer looked at the two sulky chimerae, eyes wide. "Um..."

Izumi pushed him out of the way, snapping, "An army car will be round front in five minutes. I want the passenger here in eight. If he's late, I swear to god I'll inflict those two and Elric on you. Move it, man!" The officer ran like a rabbit.

She looked at the still-sulking Havoc. "Look, you, ignore what she says. She's just jealous –" Lisa squawked. The two chimera started fighting again. This was getting irksome.

There were voices in the hall outside his room, and Ed absently let his eyes trail from the crack in the floor towards the door. Some of the voices sounded somewhat familiar...

Izumi's eye began twitching. "Would you two SHUT UP! Havoc, if you have to, get out the gun. Lisa, I want you to go get Mustang. He was supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

"There's really no need to call in a search party... Sorry I'm late, but the nurse kept hassling me about everything she could possibly think of that could be wrong with me..." Roy flashed a smile. "Miss Delgardie... Mrs. Curtis..."

"Not surprised," Havoc commented, nodding vaguely towards Roy's neck. "Say, how much trouble am I going to be in?"

Izumi nudged the door. "Save it for later, gentlemen. The little hellion is getting restless, and I'd rather that we didn't run into Blasphemy."

Taking a moment to look around, Roy blinked. "So he's not here yet?"

"That's the damnedest part of it. Anyway, the only capacity you two are in are to restrain the liitle shit." Lisa tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "We're assuming we only have a few minutes to do the alterations, and Alphonse should be here in four minutes or so."

Edward now realized how several of the voices sounded familiar, if not all. He could clearly pick out Havoc from the mumbling somehow, and, much to his chagrin, Izumi as well.

Roy nodded, looking to the door. "Then let's get going, we've got no time to spare..."

Havoc grinned. It was forced, but it was a grin. "All the crazy-assed things I've had to do for you two, and I'm stuck baby-sitting a homicidal maniac. What is this world coming to?"

Izumi grabbed both of the men by the front of their uniforms. "Look, not a word out of you two that Al's coming. It's not going to be pretty when he does come, so let's try to keep it quiet." She gave them a small push, rather abruptly forcing them into Ed's room. "Be there in a sec."

"Well, damn," Havoc commented lightly.

A weary smile managed to quirk its way onto Ed's lips at the sight of Roy and Jean. The smile turned into a slight frown when he noticed the patch over Roy's eye, but he'd known about that incident already, though it was still painful to see.

He opened his mouth to greet them, but felt distinctly that it would be the other voice, not his, that spouted crudities, so he shut it again, merely offering that sad, weary smile once more.

Havoc smiled and nodded back. "You look better, kiddo," he offered, only slightly forced. "Did Izumi tell you at all what's going on?"

Shakily, Ed got to his feet, stumbling a bit to lean heavily against the table in the center of the room. All he could offer was a slightly confused look and a shake of his head.

Glancing around, Roy found that, to his dismay, there were no chairs in the room. What angered him more, however, was the fact that there was really almost nothing at all in the room. There was only a single table in the very center, that appeared to have straps on it for restraint. No bed, no covers, no pillows, nothing.

He'd have to have a talk with whoever was in charge of this facility, because he wasn't just going to let them off keeping Edward locked up like some kind of criminal. Perhaps soon would be better, seeing that Ed really did look a bit worse for the wear, whether because of Blasphemy, or because of the conditions, perhaps even a mixture of both, he didn't know. Nor did he really care.

Havoc warily kept his distance, but his tone of voice was still kind and gentle, the sort that he used on shellshocked soldiers. "Izumi's going to try something out on your array. She thinks that the Dragon Node is wrong. That ring any bells?"

Izumi waited quietly, needing Ed's permission to approach. She didn't particularly want to get mauled by automail, after all.

The boy nodded slowly, not quite understanding, though maybe just slightly recognizing what Havoc was talking about.

"Good. We'll explain more later..." Havoc cautiously felt for his gun. He didn't want to be caught unprepared this time. "Could Izumi come in and check you out?"

Once again, Ed nodded, albeit a bit confused by the heavy atmosphere surrounding not one, but all of his apparent guests.

Havoc kept talking as Izumi moved cautiously forward. "I'm not quite sure what's completely wrong with you. But I'm pretty sure that you'll be good to go after we're done. I'm going to hurt the bastards that stuck you in here myself. Then I'm going to take you home for a proper meal, shower, and rest. I still owe you one, you know."

Roy sighed, standing off to the side a bit. He supposed that Havoc pretty much had it under control. Though it bothered him, that he always seemed to just stand on the sidelines in these situations...

The look on Ed's face still showed confusion, as well as a bit of skepticism. He looked from Havoc to Izumi and back, as if to say 'What? What's wrong with you guys, you're acting funny!'

Havoc nudged Roy. "A little help here?" he hissed. "I'm not a genius!"

Izumi held out a hand. "Ed, come here. There's a lot these two morons aren't telling you, and for right now, it's for your own good."

Roy, at a loss for words, simply smiled, nodding towards Edward.

Ed nodded again, stepping carefully towards Izumi as directed, stumbling just a bit still.

Acting on pure instinct, Havoc reached out to steady Ed, slipping around Izumi and Roy in the process. "Whoa, steady, kiddo. What the hell have they been feeding you?"

Ed was inclined to say 'not a whole fucking lot,' but instead it came out differently. "Hands off, jackass.."

Roy averted his gaze elsewhere, deciding to study the floor.

Havoc held off going for the gun in the slim hope that Ed/Blasphemy/whoever the hell this person was would cooperate. "You can't even walk straight, kid. I'm not letting go."

Izumi stopped dead, gauging the trouble. This could be very, very bad.

Appalled by his own words, Edward dropped his head, letting out a slow, steady breath. When he looked up again, it was apologetic.

The chimera smiled, hoping it didn't look as sickly and uneasy as he felt. "Don't worry kid. We're going to try to fix it."

Ed swayed a bit, leaning against Havoc for support.

"Don't worry... Everything will be alright..." Roy spoke up finally, though the waver in his voice was painfully obvious.

Izumi motioned for Mustang to get his butt over to where the three of them were, pronto. "All right, young 'un, you're helping me with this. It takes two to tango, and I need all the help I can get."

Havoc slipped his arms around Ed. "This shouldn't take too long, all right?"

Roy did as instructed, fearing a beating from the Ninja Housewife. At the receiving end of one of the most pathetic looks he'd ever seen on Ed's face, he did his best to force a smile, ruffling the blond's hair a bit.

Havoc held Ed more securely, bracing himself.

"You remember what the array looks like?" Izumi asked Mustang, delicately feeling around for Ed's array.

"Me? Aren't you the one working on it?" Roy answered, utterly confused as to why he would have to remember it.

Izumi sighed. "I need help genius. This is tricky."

Roy nodded this time, pointedly avoiding Edward's confused and unsure gaze. "I do... just tell me what I need to do..."

Havoc gently stroked Ed's hair. "It'll be okay, kiddo... Roy and Izumi are both here, they won't let anything bad happen..."

Izumi glanced warily at the three men, then nudged Mustang into position. "Just keep up the alchemical charge. I'll do the delicate work. On my count. Three. Two. One." The soft blue alchemical charge lit up the room, leaving a streaky white afterprint on Havoc's delicate eyes.

It was as though he'd just been plunged into freezing water, shivers spiking throughout his body. Ed twitched, almost feeling sick. This... this was like nothing he had ever felt before, worse than when they had attached his automail ports, more painful than when the limbs were reattached to the ports. Ten times worse than before when he had been thrown back at the gate by the laughing voice that insulted him.

Edward tried to keep still, knew he had to, but every muscle in his entire body wanted to act on its own... Be strong, gotta be strong.. He didn't know how much longer he could stand it, as though it was driving him mad! If he'd screamed, he didn't know, all he could hear was the ringing in his ears.

Havoc gripped the boy tighter, feeling him go limp. He knew the major discomfort of being in the backlash was almost nothing to what Ed was going through.

Izumi gritted her teeth. Something had snagged. The array didn't want to change, which was ludicrous. Any and all arrays had to respond obediently to an alchemist's touch but this was being bloody stubborn. She forced the Node to change, little by little.

Despite the pain, physically and emotionally, Roy made sure to keep everything as steady as possible. After all, it was the only thing he could do right now to help Ed..

Rationally, Havoc knew he wasn't getting the worst of the reaction. He had to keep telling himself that, or risk passing out. His entire body ached, and certain portions hurt more than others. His upper arms, for example...

A short sideglance told Roy that Havoc was a bit worse for the wear. "Hang in there, Jean..."

Havoc grinned lopsidedly. "Don't give up on me yet, old man."

Roy managed a grin back. "There you go with that 'old man' business again... I'm just reminding you of your promise..."

Havoc's smile had definately taken on a brittle, strained edge by then. "Come on, I'm too bullheaded to crap out at something like this."

"I know that..." Roy focused back on the alchemy. He wanted to ask how much longer this would take, but he didn't want to break the scary alchemist woman's concentration. For Ed's sake, and the sake of his already aching body.

Izumi bit her lip, twisting the last few marks around. Just connect the Node and... bingo.

"Is that it..?" Cautious, Roy awaited further instructions.

Izumi nodded, too tired to speak.

Nodding again in response, Roy moved to help Havoc with Ed's limp form. "Are you alright?"

As soon as Ed's deadweight was removed, Havoc thumped down onto the floor, his entire body aching. "Damn it, no."

As soon as Havoc wasn't supporting Ed anymore, Roy was reinformed of just how heavy dead-weight automail was. He hit the ground shortly after Jean, shoving just a bit so he could breathe properly. "I commend you for holding him up that long.."

"Thanks ever so," Havoc growled, forearms pressed across his stomach. He wanted to keep face, so he restrained the urge to curl up in a whimpering pile. "Dammit..."

Roy had thought it was the weight on his chest that had made it hard to breathe, but soon found it was just that the alchemical process had completely winded him. He'd ignored the aching up until now, but the splitting headache was almost enough for him to pass out. "Don't mention it..."

Havoc clamped his jaws around a pathetic little mewl. "Well, aren't we a sight to see. Three half-dead alchemists and a half-dead cat. I never signed up for any of this crap."

"Welcome to our world," Izumi wheezed from a corner. "This is our job, boyo."

"We don't have much time until Alphonse gets here... Are we really in any shape to deal with Edward finding out about that right now?" Roy gazed down at the sleeping boy in his lap, a bit sadly.

"I don't think so, no." Havoc smiled wistfully, reaching out painfully to brush Ed's hair. "I still have my gun, but I don't want to use that." He laughed. "Dammit, I am getting old, aren't I?"

He noted with some relief that the weird marks/arrays on his skin were fading slowly, and the pain was fading, too.

"Then what are we supposed to do? I don't think delay is such a good idea..." Roy moved Edward over so that his head rested in Havoc's lap now instead of his own. Despite a mild protest from his legs, he managed to stand, leaning just slightly against the wall. "I'd like to see Alphonse before we bring him in here... he..." Mustang hesitated, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea... but it would be better than deceiving any longer. "He was my subordinate, after all..."

Havoc's eye did a first-rate twitch. "What!"

Izumi's explosion could be heard on the other side of the base.

Roy was a bit on the pathetic side at the moment, trying to catch his breath and retain at least some amount of dignity while curled on the floor with his hands cupped between his legs. "Can I... please... explain now..."

"Two minutes," Izumi barked, looking rather bloodthirsty.

Havoc scooted as far and as fast away from her as he could. Dragging Ed along, of course.

Roy slid into a sitting position, back to the wall. "It was shortly after Edward... shortly after I was informed of his death... Alphonse came to that year's exam... I was unaware of this until the Fuhrer fobbed him off under my command as the Miracle Alchemist... I tried to get him to resign, but he refused each time.." Running his fingers through his damp hair, he sighed.

"I believe that his sole intention for joining the military was to have access to the books that Edward had read, and to revive his brother. Near the middle of the third year since Edward's death, he stopped contacting me. It was several months before I received word that he had brought Edward back. He sounded overjoyed, and told me of their current location..." Roy paused again, closing his eye.

"By the time I had arrived, he was nowhere to be found... It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I even knew what had happened..." He looked towards Izumi. "I'm sorry... that I couldn't protect either of them..."

Izumi's impending explosion was cut off by a discreet knock on the door. "Izumi? Jean? Mustang? Alphonse is here."

The hair on the back of Havoc's neck rose. Whatever that animalistic sixth sense he had now was, it screamed, 'RUN. NOW.' A whine wormed its way out of his throat.

Edward stirred slightly in Havoc's arms. "Nnngh... hhn.. ah.." One pure-golden eye opened slowly, followed by a second, no hint of violet in sight. "A... Al... where... where's Al... he's here... isn't he..." Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes, cringing just slightly at the soreness in his muscles and looking towards the door. "I... want to see him... let me... see him... Al..."

Roy sat in frozen trepidation as Ed rose, only able to watch as the boy tried to walk, staggering for the door. This would be bad... there was no doubting it...

With a curse, Havoc surged up when Ed lost his balance, gripping and supporting the kid around the waist. "Dammit, Ed, take things slow! I'll be pissed at you if you fall over and knock your head against something." He moved his hands up to Ed's back, giving him something to lean against. "Okay, now try it."

"Jean... I don't... feel.. so good..." Ed leaned more heavily back against Havoc, trying to keep his eyes focused. Not too long after, though, he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Roy let out a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding. Perhaps disaster could be averted for just a little while...

Then again, how would IZUMI react to Alphonse's current state... Okay, this could still be bad...

Havoc looked helplessly back at Roy. "Any ideas?"

Roy shrugged. Sure there were things he could think of, but none of them were necessarily appropriate for this situation... He'd wanted to see Alphonse, but he wasn't sure if he could face that right now anymore.

"Look, I'll just stash Ed somewhere relatively safe until he recovers. He's obviously not up to seeing whatever's gotten your knickers in a twist. Other than that..." Havoc shrugged, or tried to. It didn't work so well with an automail-heavy teen leaning against him.

Izumi had managed to get herself sorted out. "Well, Lisa and I will get Alphonse into a hotel or something." She flicked her fingers at the men. "Go home and get some sleep. You look terrible."

Roy nodded absently, getting to his feet in order to help with Ed. "Surprisingly heavy for being so small, hm?"

Havoc grunted, trying to get the deadweight into a manageable position. "So where we going? You're in charge now, sir, so make a good decision."

"Somewhere more hospitable than this room, that's for sure... other than that... I don't think we're allowed to leave this facility yet..." Mustang pondered just where in this place they could have at least a little privacy, he didn't want to be bothered constantly by nurses like before...

Havoc bit his lip. "Well... I used to be a pro at sneaking out of hospitals. Want to try?"

"Yes but could you sneak out of a hospital with high level security carrying a nineteen-year-old piece of deadweight? And would it really be such a good idea to leave here? Fawkes might still be around... It worries me..." Roy made to help carry Edward.

"Fawkes wouldn't need to do anything," Havoc said quietly. "He wants all three of us alive and kicking. It's no fun if we can't fight back."

"Then why this?" Roy pointed at the eyepatch. "And why Edward?"

Havoc looked slightly sick. "All I can guess is because you're in the way. He's going after the Fuhrer and..." He wavered. "I can understand what he's doing and why. It makes perfect sense. The only thing I don't get..." All the blood dropped out of Havoc's face, and he looked dangerously close to passing out.

Roy put a hand on Havoc's shoulder. "Jean, you okay? You look like..." he paused at the look on the younger man's face. "Shit... Jean?"

"'M fine," he managed. Something in his brain was trying to be heard. Whatever it was wasn't pleasant... "Oh, fuck," he breathed. "A warning shot." If anything, that made him want to throw up then pass out.

Roy was utterly confused. Pretty much all he could gather was that something was wrong. He had no idea what it was, and didn't even know if he wanted to know. Unless he could help of course. "What? What's wrong dammit, I can't do anything if you don't tell me!"

"What would you do if you were a homicidal maniac of a chimera with a rather perverse penchant for toying with your victims? You wouldn't kill them. You'd fire a sort of warning shot to them... causing as much damage as possible without actually killing them. After all, it's much more fun to torment them then actually kill them."

What disturbed him wasn't Fawkes' apparent plan, but the ease with which he understood and sympathized with that course of action.

"Then what do you propose we do... We can't just hide forever, he'll find us.. We also can't just go out like we are now, either.." Roy pondered something. "Where have you been staying lately?"

Havoc looked at Roy strangely. "My apartment. Where else?"

Roy just gaped. "They let you out of here!?"

Havoc nodded, the motion clipped and tense. He didn't want to tell Roy how or why because he knew that all hell would break loose, and that was the last thing they needed then. "I can probably get the three of us out with a little hassle."

"Then let's get out of here... this room has a heavy atmosphere I don't like..." Roy stepped towards the door.

"Watch for flying bullets," Havoc said sarcastically. He followed Roy like a good little subordinate, still wrestling with something in the back of his brain.

Roy paused, hand on the doorknob. Turning, he grinned a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I feel silly for not knowing, but could you lead the way? I have no idea where this place is. I can only get back and forth from here to my own room now..."

"We're basically at a dead-end stairwell in the west wing of the hospital. The exit's fairly close by... in fact, I think you got stuck in the same room that I was in when I first got back to Central." He slid past Roy, still juggling the unconcious pile of Ed. "Come on, then."

Roy nodded, following close behind. He was glad to get out of that room, even more glad to get out of this damned hospital... place... whatever the hell this was.

Havoc ambled through the hospital, almost pretending that he wasn't carrying Ed. Not one nurse or doctor gave him a look, though many were tossed Roy's way. Havoc just ignored it.

Heaving a sigh, Roy did his best to ignore the looks as well as Havoc. It's not like he asked for them or anything!

The trick to being inconspicuous, Havoc had found out, was to walk upright, with your eyes looking straight ahead. Not half-shut or wide open, just ahead. You weren't supposed twitch or fidget, just go at a fairly sedate pace until you were where you wanted to be. And ninety-nine percent of the time, people thought you were actually doing something you were supposed to do.

His little escape was also aided by the fact he was in uniform and most of the important people knew that he was bearing the Fuhrer's tags.

"Calm down," he said conversationally to Roy. "You're making people stare."

The smaller man perked at that. He hadn't thought he was doing a damn thing wrong. "Am I that bad at this?"

"You look like you're out on review. Relax. Look straight ahead, maybe even slouch a bit. Don't look nervous about doing something you know damn well is something you're not supposed to do." Havoc shrugged one shoulder. "In short, you suck at this."

The dark-haired man let out a light chuckle at that. "I guess so, it's just that I've got a lot on my mind, you know that..."

Havoc smiled sympathetically. "I can guess. But still, relax, otherwise we're going to get caught."

Roy nodded, and did his best to act as casual as Havoc was.

A few minutes later, they were out free. Havoc grinned cheerfully. "Okay, Roy, now that we're out of the hospital, you take Ed. My knee's beginning to hurt pretty badly."

Roy nodded shortly, somehow managing to get Ed on his back (it would be easier that way, he thought). Some thought rose from the back of his mind, and Roy found himself thinking about the nature of his relationships with both Edward and Jean. It made him frown as he walked along after the taller blond, brow furrowed thoughtfully.

His feet carried him along what was now a familiar route, once he was out of that god-awful complex. He didn't notice when Havoc stopped to unlock the door, and incidentally ran right into him. By some miracle, he managed to stay upright without dropping Ed, but it roused him from his thoughts.

Havoc yelped. "Roy, what's wrong with you?" he demanded, taking off his jacket and throwing it onto a coffeetable littered with mugs, newspapers, and books. He turned around, hands on hips. "You keep spacing out on me at random intervals – are you hungry, sick, or tired?"

Roy lay Edward down on the couch, taking a seat on the chair opposite. "Is there a 'D: All of the above'?"

"Figured you'd say that. You think you can get by with a peanutbutter and strawberry jam sandwich and coffee until I actually manage to go get something from the grocery store? Or get may landlady to?"

"Sounds like a deal..." Roy managed a somewhat tired smile.

Havoc quirked a sardonic little half-smile. "Aw, hell, man. Sit back. Relax. Get some sleep if you can. I'll wake you up if your stomah growls." He went into the kitchen, humming quietly to himself.

Roy sighed, watching Havoc's retreating back. There were things he wanted more than sleep or food right now, but he'd just have to deal.

Havoc stuck the butt of the knife in his mouth, putting the third (or fifth – he was too loopy to count) together. Damn. A cigarette would be very nice right about now... the coffee was ready and he grabbed a couple of mugs and a plate and balanced the entire mess out into the living room, knife still in his mouth.

Roy got to his feet, snatching the knife out of Havoc's mouth and helping with the plate. "Shouldn't just walk around with something sharp like that in your mouth.."

"What am I going to do? Fall down and get it shoved down my throat?" Havoc handed a mug to Roy after the smaller man had put down the plate. "There. It's high-test, so drink it cautiously."

Having just taken a bite of sandwich, Roy nearly choked at his mind's reaction to Havoc's words. Clearing his throat, he nodded. "You never know, it could happen."

"What the...?" Havoc looked at Roy strangely for the second time in an hour. "What is wrong with you?"

Roy heroically resisted the urge to say 'YOU', instead opting for a shake of his head. "Nothing... nothing..."

He shrugged, pulling out a cigarette from its pack with his teeth and lighting up. "Honestly, man, you confuse the hell out of me sometimes."

"I live for it." Roy replied, not entirely sarcastic, not entirely serious either, as he finished the first sandwich.

Havoc leaned back against the wall, arms folded. "Why does this not surprise me one lick?"

"Because you know me too well by now..." Roy glanced up, a slight glint in his eye.

"You said it, not me..." That glint in his eye made Havoc want to run into the bathroom and barricade himself in... though... this could be fun...

Roy tilted his head the slightest bit, smirk quirking the corners of his lips. "It's true though... you know me too well sometimes..."

"Not entirely my fault... speaking of faults, its your fault that the crack in the ceiling is still there, even after three years."

Roy answered with a charming smile. "But I'm not wrong in saying that what you got instead was far better than fixing a crack in the ceiling... am I?"

Havoc snorted. Tapping the ash off his cigarette, he retorted, "In a manner of speaking, yes..."

"Care to forget about that crack again?" Roy's grin was purely feral. Apparantly, he'd given up on subtlety.

"Er..." Havoc pointed to Ed. "Kid on the sofa?"

Roy grumbled slightly. "He's asleep, Jean... and besides, it's not like he wouldn't join in if he woke up..."

Havoc's cheeks pinked. "Er..."

Roy smirked again, leaning forward, gaze half-lidded. "Well...?"

Defiant to the last, Havoc said petulantly, "Well, what?"

"It's been a long week..." Roy rose from his chair finally, draping himself against Havoc and effectively pinning the taller man against the wall. "Come on, Jean... humor me...?"

He sighed, finally giving in.

Roy practically purred, nibbling at Havoc's collarbone through his shirt. Several thoughts crossed his mind at the time, all of them logical, though he didn't really care to trust them.

The taller man gave out a strangled 'meep'. "Look, maybe we should move this into the bedroom?"

One eye looked up at Havoc through a fall of black bangs. "I can get what I want right here..." One hand trailed slowly up the inside of Havoc's thigh, rubbing lightly at the juncture of hip and leg.

Havoc yelped. His knees almost gave out on him (it was because it was still sore dammit!). He inhaled slowly. "Fucking bastard."

Roy nipped playfully up under Havoc's chin, toying with the button on his pants idly. "Come on..."

"Not like I'm stopping you or like I particularly can..."

"Sure you could, if you wanted to... you could at least enjoy it a little, you know..." Roy paused for a moment, glancing up at Havoc again. "I'll even get down on my knees for you if you want me to..."

Havoc bit his lip, eyes startled. "You don't have to..." He smiled. "That's my job, anyway..."

Licking his lips, Roy grinned. "Then by all means... do your job..."

"All right, But I'm not undressing you."

Roy shrugged at that, tugging a bit at his shirt to loosen it from where it had been tucked into his rather plain dress pants (he hadn't felt like getting decked in military garb today, anyway, this was more comfortable, and handy in such situations as the current), undoing the buttons one by one.

He was a bit miffed though that it couldn't be more like that first time. Mostly because Jean wouldn't do the honors in removing his pants.

Havoc grinned mischeviously at the look on Roy's face, guessing easily the reason. "Your own silly fault for not keeping me on a short leash," he purred.

Now Roy had thought about leashes before... "I wanted you to find new ways to surprise me..." He undid the last button, running his fingers through his hair as he looked back up at Havoc.

"Oh? Like what? Sorry, you'll have to help me, I'm a bit dense." He removed his cigarette, pinching it out and tossing it easily into an available ashtray.

"Idiot, if I told you how to surprise me, then it wouldn't be surprising..." The smaller man dragged Havoc down into a rough kiss.

He chuckled. "I can't do anything if I don't know what you want..." He pulled back, nipping gently. "And if you insult me again, I'll lock you in the bathroom."

Roy growled softly. "I want you to make your own decisions, if you're doing something I don't like, I'll make sure you're the first to know about it."

Havoc sighed in mock-distress. "See? It's things like this that make me believe that I can think for myself." He twisted, shoving Roy back and up against the wall. "Shouldn't encourage the little kitten, now should you?" he murmured, running his tongue wetly down the smaller man's neck.

Roy tilted his head back a bit, arms sliding around Havoc's waist. "That was my intention from the beginning, though..."

Havoc's eyes flicked up to Roy's face briefly, before returning to nibbling his shoulder. "I feel loved."

"Oh, hush..." Roy managed to slip two fingers down the back of Havoc's pants, rubbing at the base of his spine.

Havoc yelped, his entire body shuddering briefly. He braced himself on his arms. "What is with you and that spot?"

Roy grinned, taking a moment to nibble Havoc's earlobe. "It's your reactions that make it so fascinating..."

Havoc stared at him. "Damn, you're weird," he said finally.

Roy bit down lightly. "Come on, enough talk..."

"Impatient, are we?" Havoc nipped his way down Roy's chest and stomach, finally pausing to nibble on his waistband.

Roy shivered lightly, looking down at Havoc. A vision from the past skirted across his vision, and he smiled softly, the fussing of little kitties on the other side of a bedroom door ringing in his ears for a moment.

The not-so-distant past flashed next, the memory of a semi-rough, warm tongue made him shudder involuntarily. That part would make this just that much better than the first time...

Havoc purred quietly, popping the catch and gently drawing down the cloth. "Do you think that you can stay quiet until I'm done?" he challenged, tongue flicking out to briefly touch bare, sensitive skin.

Roy shuddered again, grinning just a bit. "This again, hm? As long as you're not going to pull something like last time..."

He paused to consider that. "What a good idea."

Roy groaned. "But you remember... we're not alone this time, Jean..." He shifted slightly, trying to get a bit more comfortable.

Havoc smiled up at him, blue-green eyes innocent as daisies. "What makes you think that we were alone then?"

Roy frowned. "They were cats, Jean... I doubt that listening to humans fuck makes them horny.."

"That wasn't quite what I meant. Severn was pissed at me for days." His tongue flicked out again.

A small shiver made its way up Roy's spine. "Well damn for smart cats then..." He was getting just slightly more than a little impatient.

Havoc hummed agreement, finally giving Roy what he wanted.

Obediently (or stubbornly, depending on who was looking at it), Roy bit back a groan. Idle fingers, in dire need of movement, sought out Havoc's hair, twining through two-toned strands.

Havoc purred at the not-quite-a-pet that he was recieving from Roy. He may have been almost-human, but there were a few perks that went along with the territory.

Roy felt the purr rather than hearing it, lips quirking into a bit of a smile. Shifting his fingers slightly, he began to scratch a bit more than rub.

Licking slowly and languidly, Havoc tilted his head a bit, allowing Roy to scratch more. His eyes lidded halfway, content.

Roy tilted his head back, hitting the wall with a dull thud. His hand continued to scratch, half-lidded gaze slipping in and out of focus as he stared at the ceiling, breaths coming in shorter intervals.

Havoc purred harder; Roy's fingers had hit a particularly nice spot. Fair's fair. He returned the favor twice over.

Forcing himself to relax, Roy found it much easier to stay quiet and not move. Eye closed and breaths short but steady, he almost felt that this way, it could last forever..

Carefully, gently, Havoc alternated hard licks with softer ones, always minding his tongue. He didn't mind doing this at all... he never minded submitting to either alchemist. Nipping softly, he smiled to himself. It's what made life so fun, anymore.

Roy felt he could spend eternity basking in this heat, melting into it, he could get used to this.. One swift, unchecked jerk of his hips and a moan nearly let slip reminded him that such things never were meant to last forever..

Havoc nuzzled the other man. "You can come any time now," he purred sweetly.

Oh, is that so? Good to see I have your permission, Lieutenant.. Roy simply grinned softly, letting this be drawn out as long as he could stand it.

"Bastard," Havoc said affectionately, catching the grin and knowing precisely what it meant. Half-sheathed claws raked over bare skin, accompanied by a particularly teasing lick.

Head tilted back once more, Roy took in a sharp breath, letting it out in almost a sigh. Claws sent shivers up and down his spine, and that lick was just almost enough to see him slumped over Havoc's shoulders.

Cool blue-green eyes looked up and held coal black as Havoc slowly and deliberately repeated the scratch and lick, digging his claws in just a bit harder – not enough to break the skin, but enough to make their presence insistant. He nipped hard flesh, then soothed the sting away with a careful tongue.

Roy almost didn't catch the low moan that was rising in his throat, though his voice caught there and only wordless breaths slipped free. His hand had long since ceased its motions in Havoc's hair, in favor for a bit more of a solid grip, one hand on his shoulder to keep himself upright.

Havoc growled softly, eyes narrowing at the hard grip in his hair. He pulled back, pouting up at Roy, though his claws did run, breath-light, over sensitive skin.

Roy let his head drop to look down at Havoc, realizing his grip and releasing it. He leaned down, best he could, a silent apology in a gentle kiss, a somewhat rough nip serving as an unspoken urge to continue.

Havoc obediently resumed, nipping, licking, and all together playing with Roy.

This pace is too slow... One hand tightened on Havoc's shoulder, sweat beginning to bead on Roy's skin, dripping every so often downwards.

Havoc's muscles twitched, though he refused to notice it. Of course, he did notice the unspoken plea and completely gave in to Roy.

Worked up so high already, it didn't take long before Roy couldn't tell if he made a sound or not. It didn't take long then for his grip to tighten almost painfully, before going completely slack as he collapsed, barely holding himself up against Havoc.

Once he could focus again, Roy lifted his head, just enough to see the awed look on Edward's face. He still felt too heavy to move, only able to meet golden eyes, unknowing of what that look meant.

Havoc slowly put his arms around Roy, wincing as his shoulder complained. That was going to leave one hell of a bruise.

All Ed could do was stare. He'd never seen Roy like that before! He knew damn well what was done, but it didn't make sense to him how Jean could make Roy lose it like that, and he couldn't... even though they did the same damn thing! Was Havoc just that much better than him? His hands clenched the edge of the couch cushions.

Roy swallowed hard, noting the boy's grip. "Ed..." He paused, really not knowing what to say.

Havoc froze solid. Ohhhh, damn.

The ponytailed blond stood, making his way swiftly over to the two. Leaning down slightly, almost in the same movement, Ed captured Roy's mouth with a rough kiss.

Roy's one eye widened profusely, as the unquestionable prickling of a blush spread rapidly across his cheeks. That was... different... Not to mention entirely unexpected.

Ed pulled away, seemingly satisfied, and returned to the couch in order to munch on the leftover sandwiches.

Havoc let Roy go, squirming uncomfortably.

Roy's gaze was now set on the floor, as he subconsciously began rebuttoning his shirt. He still couldn't quite be sure what Edward's reaction to this incident was... the boy was downright confusing.

Havoc got up, wordlessly brushing down his pants. Then he disappeared into his room, presumably to get more comfortable clothes.

Running his fingers through his hair, Roy sighed, opting to curl up in the chair he'd been sitting in earlier, back to Ed for the time being.

Golden eyes focused solely on the food in front of him, and, suddenly, Ed remembered how awful the food had been back at... How did he get here? This was... unmistakeably Jean's apartment... Oh well, enough about that, there was edible food in front of him, and damn if he wasn't going to lick the plate.

Havoc returned in a few minutes, dressed in heavy denim work pants and a half-buttoned work shirt. "Ed, if you're hungry, I can go get something for you." His voice sounded eerily hollow in the somewhat strained silence.

The younger blond shivered at the sound, realized there were crumbs all over his face and that he was, indeed, licking the plate, put the plate down and stared. Edward's eyes focused again after about a minute, and he bolted off the couch in order to nearly bowl Havoc over.

The taller blond yelped, feeling like a miniature elephant had just gotten him in the midriff. "Or not?" he said weakly.

Roy slid from the chair to the couch, stretching out and making himself comfortable. Burying his face in the pillow, he attempted to doze.

"Where's Al... He's nearby, I know it..." Ed mumbled into Havoc's shirt.

Havoc's hand came up to gently stroke Ed's hair. "Izumi and Lisa are taking care of him at a hotel near the base. Lisa has my phone number, and they'll call sometime tomorrow. Don't even think about complaining," he said, cutting the boy off. "I have strict orders to get you fed, washed, and safely in bed." All right, so he was fudging things a bit. But the kid really did need some sleep and decent food.

Ed frowned slightly, thinking. "Why can't I go see him now, I'm perfectly fine!"

"Look, I don't want to get Izumi on my ass. She already did a number on Roy, and I'm pretty sure I'm next on her list if I screw up." He grabbed Ed's chin, forcing him to look up. "You will do as I say, got that? No fighting, no arguing, no whining. You're a mess, you're half starved, and damn it, you need rest." He could only hope the kid was together enough that he could understand.

Ed threw his arms up around Havoc's neck, pulling just enough so that their noses touched. "Hmmm... I'll be a good boy and go to sleep if you'll agree to come tuck me in..." The grin on his face couldn't be a good thing.

Havoc sighed, closing his eyes in defeat. "Yes. If that's what you want, fine. But –" His eyes snapped open, shining with their own impish glee. He scooped Ed up easily. "You'll have to take a bath, first."

Edward squirmed in the taller man's arms, "Hey! HEY! Lemme down I can walk myself!" Despite his protests, he grinned, even laughed at this turn of events. "C'mon, I'm not a little kid you know!" Clinging to Havoc's neck, he planted a kiss on the chimera's cheek. "You gonna wash my back for me, then?"

Havoc chuckled, opening the door to the bathroom and somehow manouvering the both of them through it. "Well, yeah. Otherwise, you're not going to do it properly, yes?" He set Ed down and started rummaging around for towels, soap, and a washcloth. Nice to have you back, kiddo...

Testing the water, Ed found that it had still been switched to the showerhead, promptly getting minorly soaked before ducking out of the way. Since he had no doubts about who'd used it last, he set his water-strewn revenge on Havoc, shaking his head to splatter the taller man.

Havoc burst out laughing. Reaching out, he switched the water catch (setting the bath on at 'mildly hot') and flicked more water at Ed. "Strip down and get in while I get something clean for you."

One arm still held up in defense mode, Ed laughed. He felt like everything that had happened these past three years was just a dream, and that they were just living not-so-normal, normal lives like before. "Yeah, yeah." It wasn't hard to get out of the clothes he was in, though, seeing as somehow, Jean and Roy had managed to get him out of the hospital still dressed in those stupid clothes...

Disappearing briefly, Havoc returned with some really old clothing that probably had belong to... a cousin or something. He set them down on a stool. "Come on, slowpoke, get in. Unless you want me to bodily dump you in..."

Ed pouted cutely, doing as told nonetheless. "You're not coming in too?" He continued the cute look.

Havoc lifted his eyebrows. "No." He tossed a washcloth at Ed. "You and I both know what would happen if I did that, and right now, that's pretty low on my list of priorities – I need to get you back up and functional, first."

"I'm perfectly fine!" Ed flung water in Havoc's general direction once more, still pouting.

"No, you are not," Havoc said with asperity, watching the water sail past. "You're running on a boost of energy and adrenaline. Sit down and be good."

"Are fucking too!" Ed threw more water at Havoc, mostly his at his face. After that, though, he seemed to quiet down, simply sitting cross-legged with his back to the rest of the bathroom. He was, of course, still pouting, though to look close enough would reveal that he was blushing as well.

Havoc groaned, his once clean, warm, dry shirt sticking inconvieniently to his body. "Goddamn little gopher," he muttered, half affectionate, half annoyed.

Ed pointedly shoved his head underwater, getting his hair wet, then came back up, dripping. "I still say I'm perfectly fine." At least now his sopping bangs mostly hid his face, blush included.

"I don't think you are," Havoc retorted, eyeing Ed suspiciously. "Let me amend my previous statement to 'you're running on adrenaline and hormones.'"

Spinning around (and thusly slinging water from his hair all over the bathroom), Ed sent a full on glare (blush included) directly at Havoc. "Shut UP!"

He spread his hands non-threateningly. "Just saying, kiddo. No need to get fiesty at me." He looked down at his now-plastered and translucent shirt. "You're washing this, gopher-boy."

Ed just continued to glare (and blush furiously), in silence, both hands covering his lap.

Havoc grinned impishly at him. "Don't glare at me like that. It's not my fault."

Edward's left eye twitched slightly. His vision was a bit blurred due to the water that gathered in his eyes. It was just bathwater, not tears. Or so he would claim if asked about it.

Noticing the twitch, Havoc frowned, concerned. He reached over. "Something in your eye?"

The smaller blond turned his head to the side, swatting lightly at the hand that reached for him. "Nothing, I'm fine!" He would deny any and all crack in his voice, too.

"All right, all right." Havoc got up. "I'll let you alone now."

Ed blinked, looking up at Havoc with a slightly hurt look on his face. "You're leaving?"

Havoc winced at the look and the tone. "Well, not if you don't want me to..." Dear god, that sounded painfully lame to his own ears...

"You're all wet..." Ed pointed out the obvious. "Besides... you said you'd wash my back..." He was still hopeful for more than a back-washing, though.

Havoc put his hands on his hips. "I'm not going to wash your back if you keep sulking and pouting at me."

Once again, rather than a pout, Ed presented a glare.

Havoc threw a washcloth neatly at his face. "You're sulking. Wash your own back."

"I am not sulking! You're just pissing me off!" Man, if they had a lie detector in here, Ed...

"Oh, really." Havoc developed an eyetwitch of his own. "Please bear in mind that I am neither stupid nor new to this. I've known you for quite some time now, Edward, and you are most definately sulking."

"Shut up..." Ed drew his knees to his chest, trying his damnedest not to cry. It wasn't working. He was frustrated, dammit!

Havoc's eyes flicked briefly heavenward. "Ed, just calm down and relax. This isn't helping you one bit."

"You're not helping either you know..." Ed didn't bother holding back tears anymore. "What with all that 'take it easy' bullshit..."

Havoc knelt, gently but firmly holding Ed's shoulders. "Yes, take it easy. After what you've been through..." He paused. "I'm worried sick about you. I don't know what could happen to you right now, because not even the other three alchemy geniuses know what's going on. You're sick, you're tired, you're hungry. You're not even close to your normal level of functioning before this mess started."

"None of that makes any difference to me right now though..." Ed tried to shrink away from Havoc's touch, but it wasn't working.

Havoc sighed. "And they wondered why I was so glad to get away from Central."

"What's Central got to do with any of it!" Ed turned his head, glaring rather half-assedly.

"Never mind." Havoc ran his fingers affectionately through Ed's hair. "I'll make a deal with you. If you calm down and let me take care of you, then I'll be your personal toy for the night, okay?"

Ed flushed crimson at that, wriggling uncomfortably. "I'll be good... just don't say anything else like that until you're through, dammit!"

"Right, right. Sorry." Havoc carefully smoothed the evil grin from his face, calmly soaping up a washcloth. He took Ed's flesh arm in hand and begain to run the cloth over his skin. "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow morning?"

Relaxing minimally, Ed shrugged his automail shoulder. "What do you have?"

"Not much. That's the problem. I've been living off Xingian takeout ever since I got out of the hospital. I don't particularly want to leave either of you alone right now, so going out to get something could be tricky. My charwoman or landlady may be willing to help me out." He ran the cloth over Ed's ribs, tickling gently. "So it's pretty much up to you. I do have to ask that some meat be involved, though."

Ed held back laughter. "Quit it! Hey! I don't care what's for breakfast as long as it's not m-m-m..." He blanched a rather unsightly shade.

Tugging gently to turn Ed around, Havoc snorted. "That's one hell of an anti-obession there," he remarked. "Don't worry, I can't have the stuff in the house anymore. I'm lactose intolerant now, remember?"

Edward blinked. "But I thought cats liked that stuff..."

"Kittens love it – it's all they can eat before their meat-teeth come in. Older cats – especially the big hunters, like myself – can't drink it anymore. I'm not sure why, it just is." Havoc poked around Ed's back for a bit. "Lord almighty, you're hard as a rock."

"Oh..." Ed twitched at the poking, then blushed again. "What the hell is that supposed to mean anyway!"

Havoc poked at Ed's human shoulder. "It means you're tense." He gently began to knead hard muscles. "Have you ever just stopped running?"

"Huh?" Ed blinked, not quite understanding what Havoc meant by that.

"Never mind." Havoc moved lower. "Does this tickle?"

Jerking slightly, Ed winced. "No, it hurts.."

Havoc gave a growly sigh. "That's even worse. Come on, Ed. Up and out. I'm going to do some serious work on your back."

Sighing, Ed did as instructed, he was going to be good and do what Havoc said until he got what he wanted anyway. The man had promised, dammit.

Havoc threw a towel at Ed and went into his bedroom. A few minutes later, a yelp and hiss let the world know that he had run afoul of his closet again.

Towel around his waist and still dripping, Ed wandered after Havoc, staring at the mess that had been created. "Are you... okay?"

Flat on his ass, Havoc threw Ed a Look. "Does it – OW!" A heavy-looking leather collar decided to bop him one on the top of his head. He winced, glaring at the collar and chucked it into his closet. "Stupid sodding bastards. On the bed. Now."

Ed eyed the collar suspiciously, thoughtfully, and then proceeded to sprawl out comfortably on his stomach. "What's something like that doing in your closet anyway, Jean?"

Havoc extracted himself from the mess of books and extra bedding. "The guys from my new unit thought it would be cute and amusing to give me a collar along with some documents I requested. I yelled at them for about three hours straight, then threw the damn thing in my closet." He glared at the gaping mess in question. "I was sort-of hoping that I'd forget about it and that the closet would eat it."

Ed blinked, dismissing the thought. "Remember what I said before about a collar?"

"M'mm... what? That you'll stick me in a collar if I comment on being old one more time?" The taller blond slid onto the bed, easily straddling the youth. "But... that was a while ago, wasn't it?"

Swallowing hard, Ed brought up his arms to use them as a pillow, staring at the headboard. "Well... it wasn't that long ago... just a few weeks..."

Havoc ruthlessly pressed down onto knotted muscle. Conversationally, he remarked, "Well, for a man who can't even remember if he had breakfast, it's a while."

"You've got the-OW-memory span of a-CAREFULWITHTHAT-butterfly, you know that?" Ed squirmed a bit, wanting halfway to get away from the pain, but halfway knowing that yes, it did feel pretty nice.

"And the brain capacity of a mosquito's elbow," Havoc said cheerfully, slowly working his way down Ed's back. Every time he found a knot, he showed no mercy.

Clenching his fists, Edward forced himself to stay still, but goddamn it hurt! The only plus to this (aside from the fact that it was Havoc, and Ed was only wearing a towel), was the fact that it felt better once Jean was done.

"H'm. You have a really nasty knot right about here –" Havoc proceeded to prod and pummel the point "– that's going to take a bit of work. Ready to wave the white flag yet?"

Ed whined, squirming slightly at that one. "Are you done yet!"

"No."

"Almost?"

"Define 'almost.'" A nasty-sounding crack reverberated through the small room.

"I told you to take it easy with that! You tryin' to kill me or something!" Ed made an attempt at rolling over, failing of course due to Havoc pinning him down.

Havoc leaned over. "If you pay attention," he said gently. "You'll find out that you feel a lot better."

Blinking, Edward simply buried his face back in his arms, flushed and grumbling.

"And," the bigger man continued, fingers rubbbing the back of Ed's neck, "you'll probably find out that you don't have a headache anymore."

Ed blinked again. "Since when did I have a headache?" He was rather confused.

Havoc smiled. "Then I haven't finished yet."

Now that was just utterly confusing. "What... in the hell are you talking about!"

Havoc's fingers began to massage the nape of Ed's neck. "When you're tense, the blood vessels up to your brain constrict. That starts a chain reaction that gives you a mild headache. You never really notice until you're completely relaxed."

"I'm never completely relaxed... you should know that by now..." Ed mumbled into his arms.

"Says who?" Havoc dropped a brief kiss on the back of Ed's neck. "You do know that you can make yourself seriously sick like that, right?"

"I don't have the time to be completely relaxed, I always have to be ready in case somebody's after my life again..."

Havoc smiled sadly.

"So are you finished yet?" Ed yawned briefly, trying to sneak a glance over his shoulder at Havoc.

"If you want me to be, yes."

Golden eyes blinked again. "I didn't mean it like that..."

"Neither did I." Havoc began to gently rub Ed's back. "Are you feeling better, though?"

Ed was still a bit confused with Havoc's words. "Well... yeah..." He did feel quite a bit better, actually.

"Good." Havoc flopped over onto his back, stretching painfully until his spine popped.

Ed turned his head, looking at Havoc from the cradle of his arms. "That sounds like it's got to hurt.."

"I'm just stressed. I'll get over it by tomorrow with a few mugs of coffee to help me along."

"You should get some sleep then..." Ed felt rather content to lay right where he was for the time being.

"Can't. Not yet, at any rate. I need to look at some papers." He got up, limping a little over to the door. "Photostats aren't allowed to be made of medical records and I'm technically not supposed to have them... 'specially since your and my files are classified."

Ed sat up, blinking. "Photostats?" Once again, Havoc was utterly confusing the shit out of him.

Havoc stared at him. "Where the hell have you been for the past fifteen years? Photostat copying."

"..." Ed stared blankly. Resting his hands in his towel-covered lap, he blinked at Havoc. "I've been a good boy like I said..." He frowned, half-glaring.

A smile found its way onto Havoc's face. "Fair's fair. You'll have to ask."

Ed's frown grew slightly more serious. "...Come here then.."

Havoc obeyed silently, standing easily next to the boy.

Patting the bed next to him, Ed continued frowning. He must've been thinking. "Lay down then."

Still mute, Havoc eased himself onto the bed. He looked at Ed, eyebrows up.

A bit annoyedly, Ed shoved Havoc over onto his side, curling up behind him. "Now get some sleep. No arguing, you promised."

Havoc grinned to himself, closing his eyes. Not a bad day. Not a bad day at all...


Please review, constructive criticism and questions appreciated, flames will be deflected back at you by Roy. n.n;