Disclaimer: Ughhhh. I don't own FMA. I'm very disappointed by this fact.


Chapter 10 - A Kiss, A Fight, A Plan

The cliche' teenage story.

Ed stopped right in his tracks. He felt his heart crumbling down as he dropped the flowers from his hand. At the same moment, Riza was just coming outside, and she too stopped where she was.

'How could she. . .' thought Ed. Riza was simply in shock. Winry pulled away, and looked to see Ed standing there. He backed up, and started inching away.

"Ed, wait!" Ed turned around and started running. Winry started after him down the steps.

"Don't." said Riza. Winry turned. Riza shook her head. "You can't catch up to him. Wait until he comes back. I know he will." Riza continued her glare at Roy. Even he looked confused at what he just did.

'Damnit Roy, you really messed up this time.' Damn impulses. They got to him again. He turned around to leave, but Hawkeye wouldn't let him through.

"Winry, get in the house." Winry obeyed, not having much to disagree. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She avoided eye contact with Roy, and quietly closed the door behind her. After seeing Winry was gone and out of earshot, Riza began.

"What the hell were you doing Roy?" Roy leaned on the wooden rail of the porch and rested his head in his hands. Riza grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around. "Answer me!"

"I don't know." Riza rolled her eyes and began pacing. She knew how serious this was for Edward, and even herself. Everyone knew Riza had a thing for Roy, EXCEPT Roy. The most surprising part was that Winry was just a girl, and a confused one at that, thanks to Mr. Mustang.

"God Roy, she's a kid!"

"Don't you think I know that!" Roy rarely raised his voice. He knew what he did was stupid, but he didn't know how to handle it. The truth was Roy Mustang had never felt so ridiculously confused in his life. Sitting down on the chair, he contemplated which was stupider: Kissing Winry or Joining the Military. They were pretty much tied.

Riza couldn't believe that of all people, Roy would kiss Winry. Of course then again, it would be worse if he had kissed Pinako or Ed. Still, Winry was still a child in all standards, was Roy out of his mind? If the press ever, god forbid, heard of this, Roy's reputation(though already not a good one) would be ruined. Most of all, Riza was hurt. She thought it was inevitable that her and Roy would be together. First working together, then friends, then after that maybe dating him, but she never, ever in her life thought that Winry would break the picture. Riza sat down next to him, half in sympathy half because it'd be easier to slap him from there if nessacary.

Roy ran his hand through his black hair and closed his eyes. To his disbelief, Ed came running down the path back towards the house. The look on his face wasn't happy. Ed slowed down as he started walking up the stairs to the house until he came to a stop in front of Roy.

"Ed, listen to me -"

"One, shut the hell up. Two, you have know idea what you've done." Wow. Elric had been rude, but never to that point.

"I think I do have an idea."

"I thought you had no interest in her. I thought we were friends." Roy tried to speak again.

"I said, shut up! You kissed Winry!"

"I think I know that!" Then Ed reeled back his fist and punched Roy in the side of his face, with a force that sent Roy off the chair. Roy grabbed his cheek, which was throbbing and stinging in pain, and went to punch Ed back, successfully punching him in the stomache, harder then anybody deserved. Ed felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. Roy tried to talk again.

"Are you going to listen to me now Elric?" Ed was kneeled over in pain.

"You. . .bastard." He spit blood on Roy's shoes. At that moment Roy was about to forget everything about an apology and smack Ed around.

"Elric, listen to me." Roy leaned down to Ed, but he wasn't in the mood for listening, and punched Roy in the jaw. It took only a moment to realize what had been done before he reacted by tackling Ed onto his back, who started throwing a barrage of hits into Roy's ribs. Everything that happened next was a mass of hits, kicks, and tackling - No alchemy included. Yes, this was like a hardcore wrestling match, until Riza fired a shot up into the air.

"Stop it! Are you two insane!" She somehow managed to pry Ed away from Roy.

"You have no idea Roy! I was going to tell her I love her!" Ed said before running into the house. Roy fell on his back, exhausted, in pain, and surprised.

'So he did have feelings for her.'

He felt like he deserved every single hit Elric threw.

Ed looked around the house in haste before locking himself in the bathroom. Upstairs, Winry might be there, in the Basement, Winry might be there, in the halls, Winry might be there, but the bathroom was the only vacant spot he could think of. Ed leaned against the cool, tiled walls, and tried not to cry.

'I'm a man. I can't cry anymore.' Thought Ed, wiping away the tears in his eyes. It wasn't fair, everything he had was taken right out from under his feet. He heard a metal knock on the bathroom door, and immediately he knew it was Al, whom must've seen Ed running like an idiot.

"Come in, Al." Al opened the door and immediately saw his brother in such a terrible sight. He sat next to his brother who leaned against him. They were support systems for each other, and they always have been. Who else did they have?

"What happened brother?" Ed tried not to cry, he tried his hardest, but after telling Al the story, and replaying it himself, he was crying on his brother's shoulder. Why did it have to take so long to tell himself he cared about Winry, and why did it take so long for him to notice Winry and Roy? God he was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. As for all fights, it went into anger, to pain, to blame, and now all he blamed was himself.

"Brother, you don't have to do this anymore." Al had been quiet throughout Ed's story. Ed looked up at Al, curious as to what he had to say.

"You don't have to go through any of this anymore. I had an idea today." Ed nodded, eager to hear the rest. Anything was better then what he was going through.

"And what kind of idea is it?"

"You can quit the military, and we won't have to put all of this pressure on you." The idea sound more appealing yet repetitive now then ever. He could leave all of that trouble, and Roy, behind him.

"What would we do for money? Research? How would we survive?" Although it was pretty tough, the military let him test his alchemy skills and earn good money while he's at it.

"You can be. . .maybe a doctor, or learn how to do something else! We don't need research. If it means you're working yourself to death, then I don't want my body back anymore!" Al didn't even. . .want his body back anymore? But that was the reason Ed first joined the military in the first place. I guess that did kind of defeat the point. There was so much to think about though, a lot that was in Ed's way mentally before settling down.

"When we burned our house it was a reminder that we needed to keep going forward," Al started to look disappointed. " But that doesn't mean I won't think about it." Al laughed. Ed stood up and brushed himself off. He saw his reflection in the mirror, and god did he look horrible with red, puffy eyes, and scattered bruises. Taking some water, he splashed himself in the face and tried not to think about his breakdown.

"Really, Brother?" Ed nodded and Al couldn't be happier. For once, he was considering quitting the military, a thought that'll be strongly influenced by tonight's events. If he quit, he'd have to face Winry, if he stayed, he'd have to face Roy, both of which would end up in Ed being Humiliated. Ed left the bathroom, and quickly left the house, glad to see Roy and Riza weren't in the kitchen or on the porch. He climbed up on the roof, which wasn't a hard task with Ed's agility.

He laid down and looked at the stars, thinking about the decision that would change his life course. Which was harder to face, Roy or Winry? Each was pretty hard. Winry broke his heart, Roy would not only be his boss, but remind him how he stole the only girl Ed ever cared about. Then an idea popped into Ed's head.

'Maybe I won't have to deal with either. . .'

Meanwhile, Winry sat in the room her and Ed shared, desperately hoping he would come in. All she wanted was a chance to explain. She hadn't kissed Roy - Roy had kissed her! She hadn't kissed him back, or even thought about it. Did this mean she cared about Ed?

Of course she did! She was too blind to notice it. If it had been Ed who had kissed her, she wouldn't have minded, because she felt that way about him! Ed must feel the same way, or else he wouldn't of been that upset. . .Or perhaps he was disturbed. She covered her head with her pillow.

'Roy and Ed are both the same. The most confusing beings on Earth!'

Roy himself was sitting on the bed in the guest room still confused at the trouble he had caused. He was also still amazed that Ed had hit him, and he had hit a kid back. Roy felt like the worst, possible guy on Earth for putting Ed through that. But he had acted on temptation, impulse, but did he still feel attracted to Winry? If he did, he was a horrible guy, if he didn't, he was an idiot for the temptation. Riza walked in and sat next to Roy.

"Confused?"

"Very."

"Me too." She said gently, patting him on the shoulder. She was already changed into her night outfit, with her hair down and sat in her bed, leaning up against the wall.

"You look nice like that."

"Like what?"

"With your hair down." She blushed and nodded, sliding down under the sheets. Roy exhaled and slipped under his blanket too.

'It feels nice flirting with someone my age.'


Does that make those who are angry at Roy feel better? Cuz he feels reeaaalll bad. Please forgive him, and me for making you wait within suspension for the reaction of the characters. Haha. R&R my loyal reviewers, and I will list your names in the next chapter. You've earned this slightly long chapter.