When Edward woke up, the bed next to him was empty and neatly remade. It was as if there was never anyone there last night, and for a split moment Edward had the insane thought that it might have all been a dream. Unfortunately for him, the note that flapped from where it was held under the photo frame beside him proved that the Colonel had been sleeping there last night.

Groaning pitifully as his golden eyes were assaulted by the sunlight through the window (Roy had presumably opened the curtains when he awoke), Ed pushed himself upwards. He had never had the curtains open when he woke before, and the warm golden rays filled the room with a glow.

Yawning loudly, Edward stretched his arms, and grabbed the note from under the photo. It was written in elegant handwriting, and said-

Fullmetal.

My appreciation for allowing me to stay the night, and I assure you such an uncomfortable situation like that will never happen again.

I would prefer if the matter were not brought up in the future, since the subject – if reaching the higher ups – would bring about quite a bit of confusion and problems.

Oh, and just a suggestion. You should contact Hawkeye some time, she is exceptional at furniture shopping, and your beds seem to be…undersized. Perhaps they were custom made?

Best regards,

Mustang.

P.S – I'd appreciate it if you dropped by HQ today, apparently there is an event being arranged for Christmas or something along those lines. In any case, your presence has been requested.

P.P.S – Oh, and I borrowed one of your umbrella's, it was still sprinkling outside when I left.

P.P.P.S – Wow, even your umbrellas are undersized!

Edward scowled at the fact that Roy had 'discreetly' called it undersized instead of his usual shrimp, tiny, midget etc.

"A celebration for Christmas, what the hell?" Edward frowned "It's months from Christmas" He paused when silence met him and a vein popped annoyingly on his forehead.

"WHO THE HELL AM I TALKING TO?"

Pissed off, he quickly had a shower in the way-too-tiny bathroom and dressed, grabbing his now dry coat off the back of the chair and pulling it on. His boots were still discarded by the wall, and he pulled them on quickly, grabbing his dorm key off the hook on the wall and slipping it into his pocket. He was just about to head out the door when he spotted a mug of hot tea simmering on the sink. Curious, Edward let go of the door handle and headed over to the counter. There was another note there.

Fullmetal.

Some tea. Hardly repayment, but I think you'd appreciate it.

Mustang.

Edward stared. The clear brown tea was sloshing gently in the bubblegum-pink cat decorated mug, sitting innocently on the counter.

--

"Hey, shit-head!" Edward pushed open the door to the Colonel's office and was surprised to see (Well, not completely surprised), Roy with his head lying gently on his pile of paperwork. At Edward's entrance, he glanced up with an expression on his face that looked like someone long-suffering.

"Oh, Fullmetal" Sitting up straighter, Roy winced and held a hand against his lower back. Edward watched him with curious amusement, before heading over to the leather lounges and flopping onto one.

"What's the matter Colonel, your old age finally caught up with you?" Edward smirked at the scowl that settled on Roy's face, but the man shook his head, leaning backwards and collapsing with a sigh against his leather covered chair.

"Hardly Fullmetal," He glanced around for a moment, before continuing with a lowered voice "Your mattresses are pain in every angle"

Edward snickered quietly to himself.

"Sir, I – Oh, hello Edward" Hawkeye entered the room, arms full of paperwork. She bowed politely to Edward in greeting and he stumbled to his feet, returning the gesture. Passing by him, she set the stack of sealed papers on Roy's desk (Pointedly ignoring his depressed sigh at the sight of the paperwork) and saluted.

"Sir, general Hakuro is in room 12, he would like to inform you on the Christmas celebrations"
Roy rolled his eyes and got to his feet, muttering-

"He probably wants us to wear matching sequined coats or something"

He nodded his head at the two blondes, and left the room. Hawkeye glanced around at the messed up desk and sighed with defeat, beginning her task of returning books to shelves and drawers, and neatening up the scattered pile of papers. Edward hurried over to help her, and they had a pleasant conversation on the Colonel's untidiness.

"I mean, with someone who holds himself like he does, you'd expect at least a little order" Edward said lightly, clipping a pile of papers together like Hawkeye showed him and sliding them into one of the shelves. Hawkeye raised an interested eyebrow very slightly.

"What do you mean, how does he hold himself?" She asked curiously. Edward shrugged roughly.

"I dunno…elegantly, I suppose," he snorted "Other times he's just a slop"

Hawkeye smiled slightly and they both hefted a pile of alchemy books into their arms.

"Would you mind returning these books to the library for me Edward? I can escort you there but as you know I can't enter…"

Edward nodded and slipped some of the books under his automail arm.

"Sure thing Lieutenant"

They left the room and headed down the hallway, signing their names out of the logbook. After a few gunshots, Hawkeye successfully managed to 'convince' Havoc to drive them down to the library, and pretty soon the two were settled comfortably in the back of the car.

"So what do you think this Christmas thing is all about?" Edward asked.

"Well, the Fuhrer has been strangely…celebratory as of late" Hawkeye said, flicking through one of the books with interest, "I suppose he's just going to hold some sort of dinner or presentation or something like that"

"Man, I just hope he doesn't do that thing he did at thanksgiving last year" Havoc visibly winced behind the steering wheel, and Hawkeye rolled her eyes.

"I just hope you don't do what you did at thanksgiving last year" she said, and Havoc grinned weakly. Glancing in between the two with confusion, Edward raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you two on about?"

Hawkeye smiled thinly, as the car rolled to a stop in front of the library.

"I tell you when you're older, Ed" she paused "And when your slightly less vulnerable to mental scarring"

She helped him hold the books comfortably in his arms "We'll wait for you here, ok?" she asked, but Edward shook his head.

"No thanks, I'll walk back. I could use the exercise since Al isn't here to spar with me"

Hawkeye nodded and shut the door, the car pausing for a moment before pulling out of park and driving away down the street.

Shifting the books in his arms, Edward carefully made his way up the large staircase, pausing at the door while he desperately tried to pull out his pocket watch for verification for the guard while attempting to not drop the books. Once the guard was satisfied, he helpfully held the door open for Edward, giving the blonde a sympathetic look before saying.

"There you go, little guy"

Oh dear.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A GUY SO LITTLE THAT HE'D BE CRUSHED IF AN ITTY BITTY PIECE OF PAPER FROM AN ITTY BITTY BOOK FELL ON HIM?" Edward screamed, and amazingly he prevented the books from falling out of his arms. The guy's eyes widened with fear and he quickly shut the door behind the boy, incase of injury. Cooling down, Edward cast a sheepish look about the inhabitants of the library, who had been startled out of their reading.

Heading much more quietly over to the front desk, Edward gratefully dropped the pile of books onto the wood and released a relieved sigh. The woman at the desk peered at him with exasperation.

"Mister Elric, please try and be more quiet in the library" she sighed, and began to take the books one by one, scribbling down their numbers and putting them into the box beside her.

Edward grinned "Sorry ma'am. I'm just dropping these off for Colonel Mustang, he's a bit busy at the moment" She smiled at him.

"Oh, how thoughtful!"

"Yeah…thoughtful" Edward muttered with a scowl on his face, but she apparently hadn't heard him.

"Well, you just tell the Colonel to be a bit more vigilant in his returns as you are, okay?"

Edward smiled at her and nodded his head "Will do, see ya!"

He turned and headed out the door, the guard making a sort of strangled-squeaking sound as Edward sent him a death glare as he jumped down the steps two at a time. Walking along the street was pleasant, and Edward got to say hi to the people that he had become familiar with.

Sara, the florist, and her 8 year-old daughter Jizelle were more familiar to him than others. Sara's husband had been killed in the Ishbal war, and Jizelle loved it when Edward came around and transmuted some of the flowers that her mother grew into a soft hat or a necklace for her.

Waving at Sara as he passed (She looked like she had a lot of customers so Edward didn't want to bother her) Edward faintly heard Jizelle shriek-

"Hi Eddy!" from inside the shop, and he smiled. The rain had ceased, but smoky clouds still hung overhead, promising more to come. People were more prepared this time, however, and most held closed black umbrellas in their hands. Through the clouds rays of light shone, and cast a glow over the remaining pools of water in the gutters or on the street. Droplets still hung to blades of grass and flowers, and made the air thick with the smell of pollen and flower fragrance. Edward paused by a house where a boy was struggling with his coat, which was caught on a picket fence. Helping him untie it and fixing the worn wool with alchemy, Edward waved goodbye and continued on his walk.

He grinned and jumped into one of the puddles, water splashing across his legs and boots. The wind was faint, but nonetheless refreshing, and Edward continued walking with a jump in his step. An old woman was playing an eastern instrument from her front porch, her worn and wrinkled fingers sliding along the strings easily. Edward listened for a moment, the sound reminding him of Lior for some reason.

Shrugging, he kept walking for around ten minutes until he passed by a green hill that flattened and stretched into a wide green expanse. Edward clambered up the hill – and froze. Every comfortable and happy feeling that he had developed in his walk seemed to be snuffed out like a light as he surveyed the scene before him. Grey and marble slabs protruded from the ground in rows as far as his eyes could see, new, dead, or dying flowers resting before them.

The wind seemed to cease there, and the smell of pollen died away. The instruments music seemed to be faint and now just a quiet humming in Edward's ears as he glanced at each gravestone. Realizing that if he headed through the graveyard he would reach HQ quicker, Edward began the slow and somber stride across the soft grass.

He read the names of the deceased as he went. Clive Henry, loved father. Fiona Summers, cherished daughter. After a while Edward couldn't read them anymore. Some of the names had just been worn away, but the real reason was the empty feeling that had gathered in his chest at the sight. How many of these people had been killed by the military?

Spotting a dark figure in the distance kneeling in front of a particular gravestone, Edward inspected them as he kept walking. After a few moments, Edward's eyes narrowed as he recognized the kneeling form and his stride quickened. Jogging slightly now, Edward went to call out, but when he reached the person and saw who's gravestone it was, he felt that his voice died in his throat.

His head dropped quietly, and he shifted quietly, feeling as though his didn't belong there. But after a second, he gathered his courage and spoke up.

"Mustang?"