CONVULSING RAIN-

'Bastard.'

Edward seethed at the mere thought of the idiot. He had stood gawking with gaping eyes paired with the stupidest look on his (usually) smug face. A look of confusion crosshatching awe. The expression certainly did not suit him. Then again, Ed couldn't help but smirk at making the Colonel flabbergasted.

Never, in a hundred years, would he have expected the bastard to be standing inside of his room. Ed had told Mustang repeatedly to try to stay in the living room on the couch, not to wander throughout his house. This episode just proved that the man must not have been used to taking orders, especially from someone a good deal younger.

With an irritated growl Edward fished through his old clothes to try and find something to wear. There was no way in hell he was going to stay clad in a towel the entire night. Not after Mustang had dramatically reacted with only a small glimpse.

Then that posed a new thought. Why did he react so… curiously? What reason could the Colonel have for being embarrassed?

He vaguely remembered when Al had walked in on Winry as she took a shower. And Alphonse freaked out more than she did. Was this similar?

But Al had been in love with Winry. Did that mean Roy felt that too?

Edward's cheeks burned at this new development in his mind. And nearly slapped himself. What was his problem? Why should he care how the other man felt?

The strange thing was… he did.

His recent discovery of his guest's feelings made Ed incapable of looking the man in the eye. At least Roy was back to his smirking self.

"Full Metal, you have refused to even glare in my direction. It is bothering me, so I wish to know why you are doing it." Mustang clearly had had enough of what he thought to be Ed's childish behavior.

But what did he expect for a reply? 'Sorry Roy, I was just trying to figure out if you liked me?' Yeah right…

Mustang paused from his crucial stare in apparent thought. "I apologize. Perhaps you are not responding because you can't hear me from all the way down there. Being so close to the floor and all…"

That was it. Edward whipped his head up to viciously glare across the table. "You bast-" He halted his rant half way through. The Colonel was… smiling? Not smirking like he usually did. But, smiling?

Roy captured Ed's eyes in his stare again, "There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" He smiled again.

Edward's heart pounded furiously in his chest. It felt as though the raw pressure exerted would cause his fragile lungs to collapse. He realized the seriousness of the situation when his chest contracted and air became scarce. He knew that is was not just from his feelings…

"No way in hell," Edward lightly stomped his metal foot for an added emphasis.

"But Full Metal, you cannot honestly expect me to sleep on a couch. You're the host here, so be hospitable."

"You damned bastard! The guest is supposed to agree with what they're told. I repeat you are not sleeping in this bed with me."

Roy feigned a look of hurt but pressed on knowing he would have his way. "I'll get cold out there."

Ed sighed in annoyance at the irony. The Flame Alchemist was afraid he would get cold? "Fine then, there's some extra blankets in the closet, they'll keep you warm."

Mustang crept up behind the unsuspecting blonde and wrapped his arms around the cold shoulders, pulling Ed against his chest. "I'd much rather use you as a blanket to keep warm."

Blood pumped harshly in his veins. He found it humorous that his surprise encounter with Envy had caused less of a stir in his emotions. And with great difficulty Edward swallowed the cough which desired to be released. His body really did have the worst timing.

"You'd better not snore…"

Roy cuddled into his new found stuffed toy despite the heard protests for him to 'back off'.

He was so close to falling asleep, he could taste it. The intermediary state between awake and asleep. Yet Ed decided to pick now to startle him.

"Mustang, what happened to Hughes?" Edward whispered into the dark night. It had bothered him for some time now. He knew why Hughes was killed and who did it, but he found himself wanting to hear Roy confirm it.

Silence followed, making the boy wonder if perhaps the Colonel had already fallen to sleep and that he'd waited too long to ask.

A choked, "It's my fault," rang through his ears.

"What?"

"He told me there was something he had to explain to me. Something important. But like an idiot I waved him off and said I was too busy. The next day I heard he'd been killed on his late walk home. It's my fault that he died-" Roy struggled to get the words passed his raw throat and was grateful for Ed's reassuring grip on his hand.

"You know, it's funny. I can't help but wonder if I actually had listened, would he still be alive? If I had been there, he wouldn't have died. It's so ironic. He was going to tell me the secrets he'd discovered about the military to help me. And in return I got and get him killed. I am entirely to blame." Mustang lowered his head into Edward's soft golden hair and inhaled the faint scent buried within.

Roy's pain was met with venom, "So you're saying that I killed Al?"

"What? No I-"

His hand clenched tighter. "Yes you are. If you didn't save Hughes and say it's your fault, then it's my fault Al is dead. That's what you're saying," Ed turned around to face Mustang, burying his face in Roy's neck.

"I used to think that way too. I thought that Al would've blamed me for what happened. All it gave me for a souvenir was nightmares. The beautiful memories I had of the time Al and I spent together were morphed and twisted. I nearly lost them. I wanted to kill myself to get rid of the pain. But, Al's voice stopped me, told me that it was not my fault and that he was sorry. Sorry for dying." He could tell Roy was intently listening and that most of what he was saying must have been hitting home. "I'm sure that Hughes would say the same thing."

The weak hold on Edward's back strengthened considerably.

And for the first time in four years, both slept peacefully.

Coughing. Hacking. Lurching.

Where was it coming from?

Roy blearily opened his sleep-glazed eyes to search around the dark room. Nothing seemed to be out of order. But then, where had his warm little furnace gone?

He grimaced at the cracking of his neck when he briefly stretched. The sleeping position had been so molded. And once a half is taken from a sculpture, the other suffers. That was how it felt. He had slept in a position to hold somebody, but nobody was there.

The bright moon still hung in the sky, providing him a small amount of silver glow to faintly light his path.

Who knew, maybe Ed was in the bathroom? As unlikely as the idea sounded, Mustang pursued it nonetheless and made his way to the door.

Imagine his immediate surprise when he felt himself falling to the ground. With a grunt his head smacked into the hard wood floor below and he gingerly rubbed the bruise.

Curses flew out of his mouth. What in heaven's name had he tripped in? If Ed had left out some obscure object, so help him Roy would-

-would gawk disbelievingly at the object huddled on the floor he'd tripped over. Edward lay unconscious on the cold surface.

A cool wet cloth pressed against Ed's temple and dabbed the surrounding area. He had a wicked fever, labored breathing, sweaty skin and brief periodic convulses. In short, He'd scared the shit out of Roy.

Mustang had spent what seemed like forever calling his name hysterically before it kicked in that the boy was breathing. He placed Ed back on the bed and still sat, waiting for him to wake up.

For all the military training he took it was pathetic that he couldn't help now. Out of frustration Roy kicked the bottom of the bed with his stiff foot. And hit something quite hard.

He bent to pick it up. A box that was full of papers, files and bottles. Medical bottles. 'What could these possibly be doing here?' Roy gazed back at the sleeping figure and began to rummage through.

It looked as though it all belonged to Edward as all the files and contents had his name on them. Using his speedy skills of skim reading duteous paperwork, Mustang read broken sentences.

'…prone to attacks after stressful situations…' 'Vomiting, coughing, spastic convulses…' '…medication required…' 'Contracted at twelve years of age…' '…dormant in body for life…' '…terribly weakened heart…' 'Less blood equals the lesser of oxygen transportation…' 'Fatal if not diagnosed…'

Roy felt his own heart lurch backward as he glimpsed at the quietly sleeping Alchemist. He was sick and hadn't told Roy. But for the life of him Mustang couldn't recall a time when he'd witnessed the boy taking any medication.

He scooted his chair over by the bedside and laid his head beside a heated arm. The faint scent of rain still present all over him helped loll Roy back to sleep.

'Ed…'

" 'Come back…' Moving further away until it burst.'

Roy quickly awoke, not even remembering what he had been dreaming of. And as he took in the sight in front of him, he found he couldn't care in the least.

A large dent was still in the sheets from the occupied space. His eyes flickered down to the paper forcefully pressed into his clenched hand.

'Sorry.'

Mustang held his head down and let out a shuddering breath. Ed was gone.

He blinked heavily and kept his gaze downward. Even though no one else was near him. It was raining on a bright sunny day.

'Hughes… How much more am I going to lose?'

AN: Hope you all enjoyed, and that most of you caught the line about rain.