Heya! JumpinPopTarts back again :) hope you're all enjoying the fics so far (and if not alert this anyway! With 100 'shots planned there's bound to be one you like in here somewhere! hehe..)

Riight, so the prompt. Lightening. Not the most original, I'm afraid; I start getting creative a little further down the list...but what's better than a good dose of old-fashioned fluff? Enjoy! #big grin#

Prompt: Lightening

Rating: PG13

oo0oo

Far above the sleeping homes of Central City, a storm was brewing.

The ground trembled as thunder rippled from horizon to horizon, groaning under the bloated bellies of clouds, lightening flickering between them like some demented spirit in the sky. Rain slashed down onto roads and roofs, coursing into the streets from long-flooded drains. And all the while the people down below huddled in their homes, watching the sky and whispering, blaming anything from geography to God for the uproar in the heavens.

The clock struck eleven, its hollow gong barely louder than a whisper against the turmoil building above it, but enough to inspire hope in the citizens nearby. Eleven o'clock meant cocoa and duvets, and every one of them could soon be tucked up cosily in their beds, warm and safe no mater what the sky threw down on them.

Well, almost every one.

Colonel Roy Mustang, hero of Central City and the darling of all its female population (save the ever-disdainful Riza Hawkeye) was still sitting in his office at Central Headquarters when that fateful hour struck, pen in hand and desk lamp flickering at his side.

He was also frustrated as hell.

Damn paperwork.

Thunder rumbled again and Roy groaned despairingly; he'd been staring at this particular form for quarter of an hour, but it remained as blank and unsigned as it had been when he first picked it up. It had been the same with all the others and the paperwork pile seemed to grow, not shrink, as he steadily ploughed through it. At this rate, he was going to still be there at 7am when the rest of the staff (those that weren't on the night shift) started coming in for work.

It was no use. The man sighed, running desperate hands through his increasingly ruffled hair. He was never going to concentrate with weather like this. He'd just have to accept that Hawkeye was going to kill him.

If the Lightening didn't do that first.

Something twisted in his chest; yes, that was the truth of it, the reason why he hadn't signed a single form, why he was shaking too much to even hold the pen above the page…

Roy Mustang was scared of lightening.

Every single celestial rumble filled his heart with absolute, icy terror. Just the thought of it made him shudder, not to mention actually looking at the booming ruckus going on just outside his window. Too bad the window didn't quite shut properly, allowing every conceivable gust and rumble to come spilling into the office and torment him even more. No wonder he couldn't concentrate on his work.

Mustang sighed and massaged his temples, trying to focus on the job in front of him (and attempting to ignore just how hard his hands were shaking) instead of the storm outside, but it was no use. It had always been like this, ever since he was little, suffering from a childhood fear that everyone had told themselves he would grow out of, and failed to notice that he never actually did.

He still didn't quite know what it was that scared him. After all; he had faced down some of the most formidable opponents in some of the most dangerous locations in Amestris without batting an eyelid…so quaking over something like this should make him ashamed of himself.

And it did, but that didn't stop the shakes.

Another flash and roar barreled in from the outside, and the working man flinched visibly, the pen falling with a clatter to the floor. Mustang jerked bolt upright, his eyes wide, staring and fixed on a point directly in front of him, cold sweat beading on his brow.

…But this time it wasn't only because of the thunder

Oh no;

There was someone in his office.

By his desk.

Staring.

A figure with flames for hair and bright, burning eyes.

"WAARGH!" Roy squawked and threw up his hands, papers scattering everywhere and flame alchemy sizzling through his brain. Eyes widened and fingers tensed, about to snap, but then the intruder stepped forward and the surprise turned to angry recognition.

"F-F-Fullmetal!" Roy gasped, glad the dim light hid how red he'd gone "What d'you-"

"Of course it's me! Who did you think it was?" The blonde demanded, automail fingers clicking as they curled into an irritated fist. Ed certainly hadn't gotten any friendlier, despite the six years he'd now served in the military. As usual, he was dressed in his dark blue Military coat, hair mussed after a hard days work, and looking anything but happy to be there. "You were the one who asked to see me before I signed off my shift, damnit! And it had better be for a good reason 'cause I want to go home!"

Another roar of thunder then, and Roy's fingers jerked taut around the pile of forms he was holding. The papers rustled and scattered, skittering across the desk in a flurry of ghost-white shapes, only to be snatched back almost instantly by the colonel's panicked hands.

Damn that thunder!

"Did I?" Mustang answered Ed quickly, head bowed and shuffling the papers, "I don't remember doing so. Probably something to do with an upcoming mission; I-I'll brief you in the morning." He flicked a hand towards the door and tried to still the quakes in his voice, praying that the slender youth in front of him had missed that momentary stammer.

But nothing escaped Edward Elric for long.

"Colonel, what're y-…"

Those golden eyes narrowed, flicking between the papers and what looked worryingly like a blush on the face of his commanding officer, before widening with astonished realisation.

"Oh." He said, softly at first, as though surprised, then stronger and louder, with scorn curling his lips into a gleeful leer. "Oh! I see it now…"

"See what?" Mustang demanded curtly "There's nothing to 'see' here, Fullmetal, so if you would kindly leave my office, I have some very important paperwork to-"

"You're scared!" Ed cut across him as though he hadn't heard. "Scared of the storm!"

"Preposterous." Mustang snorted "I am one of the highest ranking military officials in this city! What makes you think I would ever- Aagh!" White light burst in through the window, gusts tearing at the curtains and sending shadows seething out from every corner. The dark-haired colonel blanched and buried his head in his hands for a moment, broad shoulders giving a single, convulsive shudder before remembering where he was.

And who was watching him.

"That makes me think you are." Ed smirked, the grin widening and widening until a real laugh burst from between his lips, filling the whole room.

"Fullmetal…" Roy warned, but Ed wasn't listening.

"So is that why you asked me here then?" he howled, beating his hand on the desk to try and curb his chuckling "To keep you company? Take your mind off it because poor baby Bastard is afraid of the big bad storm?"

A warning click of Mustang's glove made the blonde's mouth snap shut, but failed to banish that long, slow-burning smirk.

The smirk of a rival who knows he's won.

"I. Am Not. Scared. Of Storms." Mustang growled through gritted teeth, staring at his paperwork as though he could burn through it with eyes alone. "I just don't like them, that's all. A superstitious childhood fear, I suppose, I- "

Mustang stopped talking.

Why?

Because Edward, growing bored of the rant, had just pushed the papers aside, leaned over the desk and kissed him.

A stunned second or two passed, in which both of them hovered frozen, lips stiffly held together, Ed's eyes closed and Mustang's wide with shock.

Common sense kicked in a minute later, Roy's hands forcing the two of them apart.

"W-wh-what! Ed! What are you doing-mmph!" The snort of protest turned into a satisfied hum as the smaller Alchemist ignore him completely and pushed his hands aside, closing the gap between them and sliding all the way over the desk, keeping contact all the while.

"Taking your mind off the storm." Soft lips smirked against his "What's it look like?"

"I-" he protested, but it was no use. Once Edward Elric wanted something, nothing in the world would stand in his way. Arrogant colonels included. Defeated, Roy sighed into that eager little mouth and let his eyes flutter shut, deciding to savour this unexpected contact for as long as possible, the sheer sensation trapping every question back beneath his tongue.

Slowly, almost shyly, his arms came up and circled Ed's narrow waist, only to tighten as lightening flared again, crushing them together in a not-overly-unpleasant position.

Ah, the warmth of him! Roy marvelled over the boy in his arms. That spark, that brilliance, that energy! The breath flew from his body as he drew Ed closer, unsure whether this really was the body of his subordinate, or whether a real live lightening bolt had fallen from the sky and into his waiting arms.

Another kiss soon sorted that problem out.

For nothing but flesh, real human flesh, could feel this good for this long.

Ed smirked again, and wriggled closer, feeling a shot of possessive pride run through him as Mustang's heartbeat began to slow, calmed by the smaller man's deliberate, comforting touch.

There was no explanation. No start, no end, no promises, but somehow, neither of them needed any. This moment, for both of them, seemed finally to acknowledge the spark that had been flying between them ever since Ed returned from the world beyond the gate. A vivid, mesmerising spark that flourished between them now, consuming them both until rationality flew to the winds and the roars of the storm melted into background noise, no longer frightening, or even important, anymore. Gradually, Roy's hands stopped their trembling, the fear easing from his muscles, brushed away by Ed's attentive hands.

That night marked both the start and end of something. For from that day on, Roy and Ed were never parted.

And Roy never shuddered at storms again.

o0o

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