Chapter 2

So Roy couldn't stop watching Edward. He was certain the young alchemist could tell he was being watched, and he probably knew by who. Roy was sure that Ed was becoming annoyed, if the way his fingers kept twitching on the glass he was holding meant anything. Al tilted his head and asked Ed something, to which Ed brilliantly played off his agitation. Roy could pick apart their conversation all the way from here.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare?" a grouchy voice sounded from a location much closer to the ground. Roy's face fell into one of confusion, and he dropped his gaze considerably.

"Miss Pinako," he greeted. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend anyone by staring. Forgive me?" Roy smiled in a joking manner.

"Hardly. You wouldn't have been smirking so widely if you didn't mean to be making the birthday boy uncomfortable," Pinako said, calling Roy out on his bluff. The fuhrer visibly deflated. "Say now, why were you staring so wickedly?"

Roy smiled again. It seemed she wasn't as angry as she appeared, something Ed could probably tell while talking to her in an instant. It also seemed she wanted to talk. Wasn't she the one who knew who Ed was interested in? This was perfect!

"I was teasing him earlier," Roy replied. "I heard you telling that Claus girl that Ed was interested in someone, but he says he doesn't believe in true love. I just felt like toying with him a bit. That alright with you?"

Yes. He was asking permission... for at least the time that she was here. Whether she said yes or no wouldn't matter once she was gone. Pinako grinned almost as wickedly as Roy.

"You go right ahead. I know what it's like. You just can't help picking on little Edward," she said. Across the room, Ed dropped his glass. Roy suspected he had grown some sort of sense about when people were calling him short. "I do it all the time," Pinako finished.

"That is true, ma'am," Roy laughed. "Say, you know who Ed likes, right? Think you could clue me i-"

"Nope. Sorry. Can't help you on that one. I don't know who it is either," Pinako interrupted. Roy frowned.

"What do you mean you don't know who it is? I thought you said he liked someone," Roy halfway accused her of lying.

"He does, but I don't know who it is. He didn't even have to tell me he was interested. That boy is so obvious sometimes, and he doesn't even realize it. He came by on his last visit home, and I just knew it. There was something different about him, and it wasn't his growth," Pinako explained.

Roy frowned. He was disappointed, but at the same time, he understood. Sometimes, Ed really was easy to read. He was like an open book. That's why so many people could pick on him so easily. Roy looked back at Ed with a curious look.

"Listen, Pinako... I'll know who it is by the end of the night," Roy promised, more to himself than to her. Pinako watched Roy in that odd little curious way she watched anything interesting.

Hughes interrupted the moment by springing into the room, screaming at the top of his lungs. Oh, I'm sorry. He was singing. He was carrying a large cake, too big but with all these guests it would be gone in seconds. The cake read 'Happy Birthday Elysia and Ed'. The cake had red icing and a little doll was stuck on top that made Ed burst out laughing. It was one of his signature diversion dolls, a little short and pudgy with a comical Ed head and dressed in a red coat.

Roy smiled when he heard that laugh. It wasn't often he got to hear Ed laugh like that. The kid was so serious all the time. Roy looked just off to the side of Ed and saw Russell smiling the same way he'd been smiling. No, dammit. He was going to beat that cocky, little, blonde, amateur alchemist in this contest to seduce Ed. There was no way he would let Russell Tringham 'top' Ed, as Russell put it.

"Excuse me," Roy said to Pinako and walked briskly over to the table, which was slowly being surrounded by guests eager for cake.

Hughes was pulling out matches to light the candles, which he'd forgotten to do already because of his excitement. Roy snapped his fingers and all the candles on the cake sprang to life. A few heads turned to Roy, including Ed's and Russell's. Some were mystified by the sudden flames and some just didn't care. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, all the guests were focused on the cake and singing happy birthday. Ed looked at the cake and smiled. He and Elysia shared a grin before blowing out all the candles together.

Ed reached onto the cake and grabbed the little plastic doll. He handed it to Elysia, who took it and held it like some sort of special gift. Her friends all sighed in envy, and Ed was lost at what to do. Still, it was Elysia's birthday so she got the doll. Ed hadn't realized he was so popular.

"Who wants cake and ice cream?!" Hughes called out. His response was an entire room simultaneously calling out 'me!'

Ed and Elysia got food first, then all the kids, then the adults. Al was still considered a kid so he got food at the same time as Elysia's friends, lucky guy. Roy didn't care. He was one of the first to get cake as an adult, not by choice but by everyone handing it to him. On duty or not, it seemed some of the miliary personnel just couldn't stop thinking of him as the fuhrer.

While everyone was distracted by cake, Roy made his way over to Ed... who was talking to Russell.

"Oh really? And how is everyone else? Is the town producing again?" Ed asked, a smile lighting up his face.

"A little. Not as much as it used to, but it's a lot better than before. Now that the sickness is leaving the land, people can concentrate on doing their jobs and making a living again," Russell replied.

"That's awesome!" Ed exclaimed with a little laugh.

The happy mood around them shifted dramatically, however, when they noticed Roy stop beside them. Roy gave a fake pained look.

"What? Am I not wanted? Edward, I'm hurt. I thought you loved me," he half whined. Ed scoffed.

"Careful, Mustang. Your head gets any bigger and it might explode," he warned. Roy just smiled.

Russell gave Roy a confused look, something along the lines of 'why are you smiling?' came across in his stare. Roy sent back 'you just don't understand.' Ed was blissfully unaware.

"So Ed, you should come visit Xenotime soon. Some of the trees are still blooming and you can pick some of the fruit already. It's as fresh as you can get it, when you pick it right off the tree," Russell said. Roy rolled his eyes.

"No really? I thought fruit was fresher two weeks after it had been picked," he muttered sarcastically to himself. Ed heard it though and so did Russell.

"You got a problem, Mustang?" Russell asked angrily. Roy glanced at Ed and found the younger male was staring at him too. He quickly returned his gaze to Russell.

"Not really, Tringham. I just found your statement amusingly faulty, but my oh my. I never thought you'd be easier to annoy than Ed," Roy replied, both genuinely surprised and obviously glad that he'd managed to get under Russell's skin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ed asked, crossing his arms and looking up at Roy accusingly. Roy just shrugged.

"I didn't think I'd ever be able to annoy someone more than I annoy you. I mean, I don't think I could annoy you anymore if you were a real little brother to me," Roy explained.

Ed dropped his arms and slid his hands into his pockets. His thumb moved visibly over his pocket watch. Ed stared Roy straight in the eye, suspicious into joking. Then Ed's eyes narrowed into a glare. Roy adopted the confused look now, as did Russell, who was just as confused about Ed's new expression.

"Mustang, you're a real asshole," Ed grunted out. "You can't think of me as a kid forever."

Then, without saying where he was going or why, Ed left the room and left their sights. A few other people were curious about the blonde's departure as well, but most just figured it was Ed going to the bathroom or something and went on with their lives. Russell seemed confused but generally happy with the outcome of Mustang's arrival. Roy was just... confused. What had he said to make Ed so angry?

– – – – – – –

It wasn't until after the party that Roy spotted Ed again. He was staying in the Hughes household before going out to his next assignment. Roy was making sure he was the last to leave. Russell and Fletcher Tringham left just before he did, going to the hotel they were staying at during their visit. Roy shut the door behind them and made his way toward the kitchen, where Ed and Al were helping Hughes clean up. He didn't dare go in. Ed was probably still angry with him.

"Hey... Did... Did either of you know that Mustang thinks of me as his little brother?" Ed asked the other two men in the kitchen. He was drying off the bowls Al had just washed and handing them to Maes.

Eh? Roy was a little confused, but soon remembered their conversation just before Ed rushed out. Oh damn. Ed had misunderstood him! He hadn't meant Ed was his kid brother, he was saying he couldn't annoy Ed anymore than he already did, even if Ed WERE his kid brother... Damn. He needed to clear that up soon.

"Eh? Did he say that?" Maes asked, sounding honestly curious... although you could never be sure with him.

"Yeah, just after cake... but... I don't want him to see me as some stupid kid brother," Ed huffed. Well there's some good news for Roy.

"Don't worry, Brother. I'm sure he sees you as his equal as well. You know he acknowledges your skills already," Al tried to help out. Ed sighed and then smiled softly at his brother.

"I guess you're right," the blonde agreed.

Roy didn't like it. Something about the way Ed looked and sounded when he said that just weren't normal. Hughes seemed to agree, what with the way he was making eye contact with Roy... Wait. Ah! Hughes was staring right at him, and he hadn't even noticed! Roy backed away from the door as quickly and quietly as possible. He almost ran into Gracia, but she was luckily watching where she was going. Then, before Hughes could come out and question him about why he'd been snooping, Roy left the house.

Then again, Hughes could just ask him about it at work the next day. Damn.