Blah blah blah, excuses, excuses—I know I haven't updated in forever and a day, but the fact is, I had no idea what to write next. But now I do, so here you go.

Hope you all aren't too angry with me!

Chapter Thirteen
More Ghosts

When Roy arrived home that night, Edward had been there for hours.

After all that Ed had thought about in the tower, he had felt that he should do something to strengthen his newfound resolve, but all he could think to do was come home. So he did, and he thought some more while he was there, and when Roy walked through the door he was still thinking, sitting on the couch, unmoving.

"How're you doing?" Roy asked him quietly, sitting down beside him.

"I'm good," Edward responded, hesitantly smiling at the colonel. They were quiet for a moment, until Ed broke the silence. "So. You give Rae a good tongue lashing for me?"

"You bet I did, the ungrateful brat." Roy frowned furiously and Edward grinned. "He had no idea what you were worth." Edward's grin softened and he placed his hand softly on the colonel's clenched fist.

"And what am I worth, Colonel Mustang?" He bit his lip as Roy slowly turned his head to look at him.

"Everything." He said huskily. "You're worth everything."

Edward didn't bother to fight the blush that rose to his cheeks. He leaned forward, giving Roy the lightest of butterfly kisses. Then he stood, and pulled the colonel by the hand down the hall.

Edward slept in Roy's room that night.

(You can interpret that how you wish.)

A Few Days Later

Edward crouched down on the sidewalk to tie his bootlaces.

"Edward?"

Ed's back stiffened, and he stood slowly. "Hello, Raegan."

"Edward!" Raegan smiled brightly, his gleaming teeth almost blinding in their numbers. "What a coincidence!" He coughed lightly into his hand.

"Yeah." The blonde was sure his face showed his disbelief, and that was fine with him. "Coincidence."

"Oh, come on!" The edge of Raegan's face turned slightly desperate. "Surely you don't think I'm stalking you or something! Not after the not-quite-a-death-threat your new boyfriend gave me."

"He's not—"

"Yeah, yeah, everyone thinks he's just your boss and you're just his "cousin"," Raegan smirked as he made finger-quotations around the word 'cousin.' "But I know better than that. I saw the way you looked at him, and I know from experience how he feels about you."

Edward raised a brow slowly. "So you're not stalking me."

"Not at all."

"And you're not interested in coming between me and Roy?"

"Not in the slightest."

"And you know where I live because…?"

"I looked up Roy's home address in the military profiles."

Silence.

"Wha-at? I just wanna talk to you, okay?"

Oh, yes. How could I forget the wine he was so good at?

"Whatever, Rae. It doesn't really matter."

"It doesn't?"

"No." Edward sighed with resignation before smiling lightly. "Look, I'm going grocery shopping. You wanna help me carry stuff?"

Raegan's face lit up. "Yeah!"

"You found him?"

"Yes, sir. Alphonse Elric, assistant automail construct. Do you need his phone number?"

"That would be wonderful, Lieutenant Hawkeye." Roy grinned into the receiver, jotting down the numbers Riza rattled off before hanging up and dialing them.

"Hello?" It was a soft-toned boy that answered the phone, and Roy couldn't help getting just a little bit excited.

"Hello, this is Colonel Roy Mustang. May I speak to Alphonse Elric, please?" Roy twirled the phone cord around his pointer finger.

"This is him. Uhm…am I in trouble or something?"

"Oh no, no! You see, Alphonse, I'm calling on account of your brother, Edward…"

A short blonde boy stood next to a tall brunette man in the marketplace, looking at the produce. The blonde pointed at a fruit, and the taller boy picked it up while the smaller one paid for it. They moved on.

And when the small boy rose his right hand to sweep a bang back from his face, the glint of automail shone from beneath his sleeve.

Trinity grinned darkly. Both of his two most-hated nemeses' were in the same place at the same time. It was like they wanted to be kidnapped or something.

Well, want it or not, they were getting it. All he had to do was wait for them to go into an alley and—bam! They were his. Without Raegan ruling the streets, he owned the whole urchin gang city, and there weren't nobody in his gang of thugs that dared to oppose him.

"Boss? Boss, watchoo lookin' at?" Snick sniveled, suddenly by Trinity's side.

"Old enemies. You see those two guys? One short guy with a braid and a tall guy next to 'im buried in food?"

Snick frowned, unable to see any significance and unwilling to admit it until, suddenly, he hissed in surprise and annoyance. "Is that…?"

"Yup. Raegan and Edward, together again. Go fetch Johnny and Antoni. We're gonna bag us some revenge."

"Got it, Boss."

Raegan was piled high with groceries and all but forgiven by Edward by the time they decided it was too dark to do any more shopping.

And, as is usually the cliché in these types of situations, both of them were in a generally good mood, nice and unsuspecting, when their abductors clubbed them on the back of their heads.

Fruits bruised, vegetables mashed, and tomatoes exploded on the cobbled alley road, one solitary apple rolling slowly into the main street to be kicked at and tripped over.

They never stood a chance, and no one even noticed as their unconscious bodies were dragged away. And the ones who did valued their lives too much to remember.

Roy gnawed on his bottom lip, worried.

Edward had only gone to get groceries—what was taking him so long? He'd expected he'd be gone an hour, maybe two, but not five.

What if something had happened to him?

He used to be in a gang—he could take care of himself.

What if his gang-life was catching up to him?

He can do alchemy without a circle!

He's only sixteen!

Sixteen is old enough!

BANGBANGBANG

Roy all but bolted over to the door, swinging it open with desperate hope. His hope faded, however, when he saw on his doorstep not Edward, piled high with the expected groceries, but a dirty little boy, scrawny and ragged. He held out a folded piece of paper with rough hands caked with grime, and Roy couldn't help crinkling his nose in disgust as he took it. Before he could ask the boy and questions, though, he was halfway down the street.

Shrugging, Roy walked back into his home to read the paper, shutting the door soundly behind him.