"I'd give it a week"

"A week for what?"

"For Ed to either kill the Colonel or jump him"

Hawkeye whacked Havoc over the head – a light reprimand considering her handgun was lying within arms reach. "Don't be so vulgar, that would be illegal in at least four different ways"

They sat around in the office at HQ. Colonel Mustang hadn't reported in that morning and when Hawkeye rang his home phone he told her he was 'under the weather', a rather ironic comment seeing as the block his house was situated in was somewhat flooded.

Breda shrugged lazily, flicking over a playing card that lay on the table – a scowl on his face as the Joker grinned up at him.

"I don't know, according to Alphonse the Colonel and the Fullmetal Alchemist have been getting awfully cozy"

"Name them" Havoc interrupted, leaning over the table to Hawkeye who had a novel open in her hands.

"What?"

"Name the four different illegal points if the Colonel and Ed got jiggy"

She thought for a moment, Hawkeye hadn't told any of the others what she had seen at the park between Ed and the Colonel, and she wasn't planning to. The fewer people who knew, the less chance that they would get caught and charged – so for now she pretended to be oblivious.

"Pedophilia for one-" she began.

"Well Ed's seventeen…"

"Fraternizing," Hawkeye continued, "A relationship with a coworker and especially a subordinate isn't smiled upon in the military"
Jean muttered something along the lines of 'The Colonel must be trying to set a record or something' and crossed his arms into what could be considered as a pout.

"If the Colonel and Ed do enter a special relationship," Fuery said suddenly (and everyone listened because he rarely spoke up with an opinion) "If they get caught they could both loose their state certification"

"Worse than that," Havoc muttered, "The Colonel would either get demoted or fired completely, he could even be arrested"

Breda nodded, "Hakuro would love any chance he could get to put a scar on the face of Roy Mustang"

"Oh no!"

Bang.

Hawkeye stood abruptly, slamming her novel harshly against the table.

"Colonel Mustang and Edward Elric are not in a relationship!" she said loudly, and they all stared at her with wide eyes – Falman dropping the papers he held from across the room with surprise.

"They are not in any sort of romantic position and they will not be demoted, fired, or arrested! Now I don't want to hear any more conversation on the matter! Do you hear me?"

There was silence for a moment as Fuery wailed pitifully from where he was hiding under his desk, and Black Hayate scampered from the room with his tail between his legs. All their eyes were wide with fear, but Havoc had a victorious smirk on his face.

"You know something, don't you Hawkeye"

Twitching, Hawkeye swept up her handgun.

God damn it…men….

--

"I didn't-"

"I know"

"I mean-"

"I know"

"I was just-"

"Ed, I know"

Edward sat in the kitchen as Roy set the mug of coffee in front of him, a black rim pooling around it on the table.

"So that's your answer to everything Roy? Coffee?"

Roy froze at the sink facing away from Ed, for two reasons. One, the blonde had called him by his first name for the first time in his life (with good reason to considering what had just happened), and two, he remembered saying those exact words to another person years ago.

FLASHBACK

"So that's your answer to everything, coffee?" his words were meant to be incredulous, but they came out hollow and scratchy. The man sitting at the other side of the table shrugged lamely.

"What can I say, it works for me"
Roy snorted gently, dark bags were under his eyes and while he was young his face was worn and stretched.

"I don't think it'll work for what I've done, Maes"

Maes Hughes leant over the table, with a frown on his face.

"You didn't do anything Roy, the military did, not you"

Obsidian eyes flickered and Roy cast his gaze aside, whispering something under his breath.

Hughes leant forward further, "What did you say?"

Tears gathered at the corner of Roy's eyes, and he repeated the words louder.

"…But I pulled the trigger"

He collapsed on the table and let out a shaky sob.

END FLASHBACK

Roy's mug of coffee was untouched as he glanced over his shoulder at the alchemist that was staring at the table with a faraway look in his eyes, apparently deep in thought.

Edward's hair was mussed up, and his lips were swollen. Scrapes and bite-marks ran down his throat, and his fingernails were red from where he had grasped Roy so tightly he had split the older man's skin.

Roy had the feeling that he didn't look any better.

"I don't regret it you know" Edward glanced up at Roy for a split second before looking away again. Roy took a sip of his coffee and glanced outside to where the storm was raging.

"…I don't either"

Ed opened his mouth but the phone rang before he had a chance to speak. Sighing, Roy entered the lounge room and picked up the telephone.

"Colonel Mustang speaking"

"It's Hawkeye, I think Havoc and the others are getting suspicious about you and Ed"

Roy frowned "Damn…"
Edward limped into the lounge room, leaning against the wall with a confused face, but he didn't say anything.

"I think you should come in today sir"

Roy glanced at Ed, strands of blonde hair stuck to his throat and face.

"Okay," he said, and he saw a slight frown crease Ed's face.

"Get Havoc to send the car over"

"Yes sir"

Roy hung up the phone and turned to Edward, who handed him his mug of coffee.

"I have to go to HQ today, are you ok to stay here by yourself?"

Edward shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. I could see what books you have in that study of yours"

Roy nodded and drained the mug, swallowing the now-cold coffee quickly before leaving the room to get changed.

Edward went back to the kitchen and washed out the mug, rolling his head around and wincing as he heard uncomfortable pops. A few minutes later he heard Roy clatter down the stairs, wearing his uniform and tossing his black coat over his shoulders.

He passed the kitchen doorway and then backtracked, striding over to Ed and backing him against the counter – head lowered.

One blonde eyebrow raised as Ed waited for him to say something.

"Um…if you were aiming to creep me out you succeeded"
Rolling his eyes, Roy took Edward's chin and tipped it upwards, capturing his mouth in a kiss. The mug slipped from Ed's fingertips and hit the ground with a clatter.

"I'll be back soon, try to keep yourself out of harm, would you?" Roy smirked and left the kitchen; Ed could hear him striding down the hallway.

"You know I could sue you for harassment! YOU'RE NOT IMMUNE TO THE LAW YOU KNOW!" Edward called after him, and he could vaguely hear the man chuckle before the door snapped shut behind him.

Ed paused, and then grinned, bending to pick up the fallen bubblegum pink mug.

--

When Roy returned home later that night, he was surprised to see that no lights were on inside. Glancing around, he found no sign of Edward and headed up the staircase. Yet again, no lights were turned on. Frowning, Roy had the fleeting thought that Ed might have been stupid enough to go outside – but it was quickly discarded as he spotted a faint glow under the door to the study.

Heading across the hallway he pushed open the door gently. The study was surprisingly small, but the walls were filled with cupboards and shelves stacked high with leather-bound books. Large windows that spread from the floor to the roof were at the far wall, and outside rain sprinkled gently – the clouds gray and wispy.

In the middle of the room there were two lounges facing each other. In contrast to every other piece of furniture in the house, these lounges were old and worn – one of the reasons Roy found them so comfortable and couldn't bear to throw them out.

Curled up at the corner of one of the said lounges – much alike a cat – was Ed. He had a few stacks of books at the end of his feet and on the floor beside the lounge – volumes slipping off their respective piles he had placed them in and sliding down to the crevasse that his weight left on the lounge.

He seemed oblivious to Roy's presence, as he had a particularly large book open in his lap and a smaller handbook in his hands, golden eyes passing across the different pages at times as if comparing the different notes for flaws.

Roy raised his eyebrow at the fact that the only light Edward seemed to have going for him was a thin candlestick he had probably scrounged out of the bottom of one of the kitchen drawers. The flame was weak and barely shed enough light across the pages for Ed to read, but somehow he managed. Smirking slightly, Roy casually reclined against the wall and flicked on the light.

The reaction was almost instant.

"AH! WHAT THE FUCK?" Ed recoiled against the lounge, the book toppling out of his hands as he raised them to protect his eyes as the bright light assaulted them. The candle flickered and then blew out, as Ed blinked blearily as his eyes grew accustomed to the light.

"Mustang – I mean – Roy! What the hell-?" he cried, glaring at Roy like he had just found him in bed with Winry. The Colonel rolled his eyes, striding across the room.

"You know Edward, you may find this hard to believe, but this room has lighting just like the rest of the house" his sarcasm wasn't missed by Edward, and the blonde glowered at him, lightly whacking Roy on the leg with his foot. His flesh foot, not that he hadn't considered using the other one.

"Shut up, I was too lazy to get up and turn it on"

Roy sat at the other end of the lounge and glanced at the diminished candle.

"So you transmuted that?"

"Does it surprise you?" Edward raised an eyebrow and made a scoffing sound, trying to re-find where he was up to in the book.

Roy shrugged slightly, and then a small smirk crossed his lips. Getting to his feet, he headed over to one of the bookshelves and took something out of a small box. Returning to Edward, he stood behind him and slipped something over his face.

Blinking, Edward realized that Roy had hooked a pair of reading glasses over his ears.

"If this is some freaky-ass way for you to make me seem older so you don't feel that bad about us, I am really going to hurt you" he growled.

Roy smirked and tousled Ed's hair (the blonde released an undignified squeak).

"Hardly Ed, it's my 'freaky-ass way' for you to not completely ruin your eyes" he winked at the hassled younger alchemist and left the room, looking forward to a hot coffee and a warm bed.

Reaching the kitchen he paused, and then smirked.

As his eyes fell on the bubblegum-pink mug resting on the sink.