WOW! Nearly a year since I last updated this fic. I'm SOO SOOO SORRY about this. I totally lost all want, inspiration and talent for this fic and it...sorta...got put in the back of my figurative computer cupboard. BUT NO LONGER! Here's a new chapter for all you hungry and very forgiving readers (please be forgiving...) I think it's longer than the other chapers too...We all good now?

It's Not a Nap...

Five minutes later, Alphonse had managed to pull Ed's hands away from his now slowly swelling face, and Roy resigned himself to acting nurse. "Move over, Alphonse." He said to the armoured boy, and Al quickly jumped to his feet and backed away, moving to stand behind his brother as Roy crouched down.

The older Elric glared at him slightly, moving a hand back to his face to pinch his nose, trying to stop the flow of blood that was now raining down his chin. "I'm fine. Nothing that hasn't habbened before." He snapped, voice nasal as he pushed himself to his feet and staggered slightly, waving away Alphonse's worried hands as they reached out to steady him.

Roy sighed and rubbed his forehead, following the brother's back into the house and watching as Al quickly rushed around his small kitchen , grabbing a tissue box and a pack of ice before rushing after Ed who'd slid away into Roy's living room.

Worrying slightly about his clean carpets, Roy left Al to what he was obviously practiced at doing (which disturbed him a bit), to check on the elder boy. "You sure you're fine?" He asked, hanging back and watching Ed try to mop up the blood from his face.

"I told you, I'm fine, it's okay."

"That's a lot of blood." He remarked, cautiously sitting on the opposite end of the sofa from Ed. Ed watched him sit, and Roy got a good look at the slowly bruising skin around his eye. "You're going to get quite the shiner,"

"What?" Ed prodded his eye and flinched at the pain. "Oh, dammit!"

"Brother? What's wrong?" Alphonse asked as he reappeared, tissues and an ice pack with him.

"Nothing, Al." Ed snapped, reaching out for the tissues as Al knelt beside him. The armoured boy gave a small purr of annoyance at his brother's evasive answer and handed over the ice pack. Roy leant his head in his hand as he watched the brothers, wondering if he should stay or go.

"Could you stob staring?" Ed sighed, leaning his head back as he stuffed wads of tissue up his nostrils to stop the blood. Roy almost laughed, but managed to pass it off as a cough. Ed was glaring at him again, but he was distracted by Al's hand on his.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Al asked quietly. Ed picked his head up and gave Al a slightly bloody grin.

"I keep telling everyone I'm fine,"

"Sorry,"

"Don't abologise. It wasn't your fault." Ed scuffed the top of Al's helmet and leant back again. Alphonse made that unhappy sound and shuffled until he was sitting with his back to Ed, and Roy stared between the two.

"I need to call Hughes." He muttered, standing up and heading to the phone. Alphonse's head shot up in curiosity.

"Why?"

Again, Roy had to cover a small laugh with a badly faked cough. He knew the boy's were still young, and it was always a welcome surprise when they actually acted like it.

"Hughes called a few minutes ago," Roy told him, watching as the armour leant forwards with curiosity, so he carried on as he picked up the phone and dialled the number. "He wanted us to go to the carnival with him, but if Ed wants to see out of that eye I don't think we'll be going."

Al seemed to deflate, sighing without air as he slumped and leant his back on the sofa. "I've always wanted to go to the carnival..." He whispered.

"We won't be missing much," Ed said, nudging Al with his foot.

"Still, wouldn't it be fun to go and play some of the games?"

"They're all rigged you know." Ed snorted.

"Don't be so cynical, Ed." Roy reprimanded him, "Not all of them are rigged." The phone on Hughes' end was still ringing, and Roy worried for a moment that Maes had already left. "All the colour of the carnival, wouldn't it be wonderful, brother?" He heard Al enthusiastically ask Ed.

"Too colourful, too noisy, too exbensive." The elder grumbled, sounding tired now as he laid the automail over his forehead, minding the icepack held over his bruising eye.

Roy rolled his eyes at Ed's evident old-man-attitude, and turned back to the phone in time to hear it click.

"Hughes residence," The voice on the other end said, "sorry, but we're just on our way out so-"

"It's me, Maes."

"Roy! Why you calling now? Shouldn't you be there?"

"The boys had a bit of an accident. Ed's a bit banged up, so I don't think we'll make it."

"But they have to come! My little Elysia's all excited about seeing them again!"

"Come on, brother," Alphonse pleaded now, "It'll be fun!" Ed replied with little more than a grunt.

"I don't think Ed's going be any fun right now." Roy said to Hughes, deadpan.

"Are you sure? We can always meet up with you guys a little later if you want..."

"I'll ask." Roy sighed, covering the mouth piece of the phone. "Hey, you two," He called, gaining Alphonse's attention. "You want to meet up with Hughes later?"

"Can we?" Al beamed, nudging Ed's leg, "Come on, Ed. You'll have fun."

"Whatever," The elder drawled, and Roy finally noticed that Ed was slowly falling asleep. Al, master manipulator, was using Ed's apathy to his advantage.

"I think we can take that as a yes, Colonel." Alphonse said, and Roy could almost see the mischievous smile on the armour's helm. Roy allowed himself to laugh a little too, especially when Ed's arm flopped back down to his side, body completely relaxed now. It was especially comical considering Ed still had twists of tissue stuck up his nose.

"Roy? You still there?" He heard Hughes's tinny voice from the earpiece.

"Yeah, I'm still here." He replied, "We can meet up later. Just give us an hour or two, Ed's fallen asleep."

"You have a camera?"

"What?"

"Nothing...So, see you where we agreed at about one thirty?"

Roy took a quick look at the clock and saw that it was still only ten in the morning. He had to stop himself from groaning. All this excitement before eleven? How did mother's cope? "Sure, that sounds fine,"

"See you then! I'll tell Riza as well."

"Shut up, Hughes." The ringtone blaring in his ear told him Hughes had cleverly hung up before Roy could get the last word. Damn him!

He turned back to the brother's, and saw Alphonse gently picking up his brother, careful to arrange the heavier automail arm across Ed's chest as Al's other arm hooked under his knees. Ed didn't seem to notice anything, even though the metal of Alphonse's armour had to be cold from being outside.

"Need any help?" Roy asked cautiously, walking up to Al to stare at Ed's sleeping face. Al had removed the icepack, since the swelling didn't seem to be getting any worse, even though the area surrounding his eye was starting to turn a nasty black colour. "No, I've got him," Alphonse whispered, cradling his older brother and meekly trying to tip-toe past Roy, "Can I go put him in bed now?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Roy quickly stepped out of the way but followed Alphonse up to their room. "Are you sure he's fine with going?" Roy eventually asked the larger boy as he settled his brother under the bedcovers.

"He...he should be..." Alphonse answered, levering himself down to sit next to Ed's head, "I don't think he hates it as much as he shows. He's just tired."

"Will two hours be enough to make him...not tired?" Roy realised he sounded stupid as he said that, and that he might be just as tired as Ed was.

"Brother just needs a nap. He'll be right as rain in an hour or two!"

"Hmm," Roy mused, "Then I think I'll go sleep a bit too, all that excitement got to me..."

"Are you sure you aren't getting old, Colonel?" Roy stared at the innocent looking armour in astonished amusement.

"You aren't nearly as innocent as your brother thinks you are." He finally quipped.

"I try, sir."

Roy beamed at the boy and took one last look at the resting elder brother, before he retreated back to his own room.

He slumped onto his pillows, huffing out a deep breath as he set his alarm. He muttered, "This is not a nap," as he yawned and his eyes started closing, "and I'm NOT old."

Well, they're all asleep again. I can finally recharge myself and this plot bunny and GET THEM TO THE CARNIVAL! Yay.

Heh, we all know that Alphonse is really the crafty underhanded one of the brothers XD All for Ed's good of course...

Reviews for a good-for-nothing author who needs a right kick up the jacksy?

Hope you're all still reading this after all this time...IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN! (Hopefully)

Inuchron xx