Chapter 5

Roy mustang yawned and checked the clock. He'd slept in. Oh well, it was his day off anyway. He tossed his legs over the side of the bed and made himself stand up. His arms popped slightly as he stretched them out.

After getting dressed for the day he poured himself some coffee and sat down to read the newspaper. Apparently nothing was happening that he didn't already know about. He sighed.

Ding Dong!

Groaning, he walked to his front door and opened it to the sunlight.

"Wow. Talk about not being a morning person." a familiar voice laughed. Roy's eyes widened and looked down slightly.

"Wow.. It's hard to see you in this light.." he said truthfully. The comment surprised Ed, of course. He was expecting a short comment but all Roy came up with was light and his morning eyesight.

"Ya, well. Just proves you need to get up earlier. Come on." the blonde grabbed Roy's arm and Roy slipped his shoes on before closing the door behind them.

It had been about a month since Ed had been called sick. He'd gotten over it fairly quick and ever since Roy cleared things up with him, Ed seemed a little chipper. Of course, he showed this in his own fashion.

Ed seemed happy this morning and people greeted him as he walked around. Roy smiled. The boy certainly had a good reputation around the world. He remembered how much Ed had changed since he'd first met him and how much he'd aged.

He only noticed where he was when a small bouquet of flowers was shoved in his face. He took them and stared at the arrangement of flowers. All his favorites, mostly roses. Ed was half pouting, half smiling. Had he been spacing out that much?

"Why thank you, Ed." he bowed slightly and chuckled. Ed pouted cutely before turning and continuing down the road. Roy looked at the lady behind the flower cart. She gave him an 'I-know-what-you're-up-to' wink and he blushed slightly before following Ed.

Ed paused to make sure Roy was following before he spun back around to keep walking. His jacket sleeve came up slightly and Roy saw the metal arm where the white gloves ended. He remembered when he'd first seen Ed. A metal suit of armor carrying a quite helpless young man hurriedly to an auto-mail house.

'He's...' Roy grinned when Ed began bickering with a salesman about the price of a necklace he was buying for Winry.

– – – – – –

Maes Hughes was looking through reports about Ed that he'd snuck out of Mustang's office. He hmmed a lot.

'Exposure to red water fumes. Mother died of a serious illness. Mining exhaust. Sea water, though that doesn't much count. Oh now. Ed's been through a lot more hell in this job than I've ever done.' he grinned like a child at that thought.

"Hughes, what do you think you're doing?" Riza Hawkeye cocked her gun.

"Nothing!" Hughes shut the folder and put it behind his back. "Oh! By the way.. Have you seen the pictures my wife took of our trip to the ocean? Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?" he began shoving picture after picture into Riza's face.

She sweat dropped before kindly excusing herself. Hughes went back to his serious look. He obviously believed something else was going on here.. Although, he was soon distracted by his daughter's pretty face smiling up from his photo's.

– – – – –

"It's a fair, Roy. You're supposed to play the stupid games..." Ed groaned.

"Fine." Roy grabbed the toy gun and aimed at the stupid targets. Ed wasn't surprised that Roy hit every single target. In fact, he expected it.

"That one." Roy pointed and was handed a large stuffed cat. "Look Ed. It looks just like you." Roy joked. The cat looked cuddly soft and it's eyes were just like Ed's.

"Thanks.." Ed grumbled.

– – – – –

Edward Elric watched the sunset.

"Here's your food." a pretty waitress smiled as she set down their orders.

Roy and Ed were at a nice café restaurant, outside where they could see the sunset. Roy ruffled his hair.

"Come on shorty.. Your food will get cold if you don't eat it.." he grinned when Ed snapped out of his thoughts to yell at him.

"You never change.." Ed sighed.

"Neither do you, thankfully." Roy smiled and began to eat.

After dinner, Ed walked Roy to his house. Roy bent down and gave Ed a quick peck before walking into his house. Ed waved goodbye and continued walking down the street.

When the house was out of view, Ed began to cough almost uncontrollably. He paused and waited to stop. It was over quite fast. He fixed his hair and kept walking.

'He's been worrying since I got sick. I can tell. He deserved to see me okay and active. He needs to stop worrying about me. He cares.. Too much..' Ed looked back toward the house and closed his eyes as he turned back around and headed home, coughing a couple times on the way.

– – – – – –

"Brother, it's time for you to go to work, isn't it?" Alphonse Elric bent over his brother's seemingly asleep form.

"Not today, Al.." Ed rolled over.

"You're not sick again are you?" Al jumped up and was about to start calling 911 for help.

"No! I mean yes. I think I've come down with a cold.. Just the flu.. It's okay Al. Really. Calm down." Ed gave him brother a smile.

Al tried to check his temperature. "Wow. You're deathly cold, brother.."

"Al.. That's not me.. It's your hand.." Ed groaned, knocking the large metal hand away from his forehead.

"Oh. Well I'll just call you in sick then.." Al reached for the phone.

"No, Al. Don't call. But could you do me a favor?" Ed asked. Al was at his side, instantly.

"Yes?"

"Go buy some soup and give this to Hawkeye.." Ed scribbled a note, folded it, and handed it to Al. "And don't read it."

"Never!" Al saluted and rushed out of the house to go shopping.

Ed sighed and rolled over. Man, did he had a headache. It wasn't long before he fell asleep again.

– – – – – – –

Roy Mustang played with his pen. He rolled it across the table and flipped it in the air. He put it, point down, on the table and balanced it withy his finger on top, seeing how far in any given direction he could tilt before it fell over.

"Sir.."

"Not now.." Roy muttered as he reset the pen and tried again.

"Sir. You have a letter from Fullmetal." Riza held out the little note for him to read.

"Hm?" Roy looked up as the pen fell over. A small white paper was in her hand. He grabbed it.

"What's it say?" Hawkeye asked. Usually she didn't care, but she wanted to make sure Ed was okay since he wasn't here at work.

"He sick with the flu and can't come in." Roy rolled the paper into a ball and tossed it in the air. A snap later and the ball was merely a simmering cinder in Roy's trash can. "He'll be back tomorrow." Roy smiled.

As his 'keeper' walked away, Roy began his pen experiment again. Riza stopped at the door and looked back. Roy was so calm.. Ed must really be okay.

It: Sorry for the long wait. I know it's short, I'm sorry. Hope you all forgive me. it may be a while until the next post as I..dont.. have much.. inspiration.. -begins squinting- I can't read that!

Onee-chan: -hides QueCards- you could at least act like you mean it! -glaring at It-

It: I am. I just don't see the point in explaining or appologizing. if they like the story, they'll keep reading. If not, then they don't. People who only read stories that are updated on their own timeschedules or stop because the Author has writer's blockare stupid.Self-absorbed people tick me off.

Onee-chan: -sigh- whatever.. -goes to get a bag of chips-