Title: Never Easy

Rating: M overall

Pairing: Royxed, but mainly Elricest

Genre: Romance, Angst, Horror, Hurt/Comfort... that sounds like a terrible combination 0_0

Summary: Things have never been easy for the Elric Brothers. Why would love be any different?

Warnings: Mature content, language, and violence in later chapters.

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Fullmetal Alchemist. *sobs in corner*

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The first thing I remembered was the sun. My eyes were still closed, but the sunlight made its way through the pulled curtains and manage to hit my eyes; bright enough that I winced and turned my head on the pillow. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. It took a few tries, but I finally got it. The blurry room came into focus, and I immediately felt a sense of unease. Where was I? What was going on? I tried to sit up in what I realized was a bed, but my arms refused to move and my stomach muscles barely lifted my back an inch on the bed before I collapsed back down. How long had I been asleep? My head swam and all the muscles in my body screamed at me; if I had to take a guess, I'd say two years. Groaning, I reopened my eyes and assessed my surroundings. There was a thin curtain of salmon pink fabric hanging from the ceiling on the left side of my bed, blocking off the rest of the room from my view. From what I could see though, there was a small nightstand on my right, with only a box of tissues sitting on it, the top looking kind of dusty. There was also a wooden chair placed next to the bed, but it was empty. Most obvious though was the small grouping of machines pinging next to my head. I could hear what I assumed was the beeping replica of my heartbeat, and I couldn't believe I missed it the first time around. I lifted my head and looked down at my flesh arm, only slightly surprised at what I saw. There was a needle in the crook of my elbow; a clear tube trailing off the bed and up a metal stand, originating from a plastic bag filled with a clear liquid. I was in a hospital.

Everything came flooding back at once. Al, the transmutation circle, the military ballroom. I tried desperately to sit up again, but I only made it halfway this time before falling back down, moaning in pain. Okay, so that wasn't going to work.

"Hello?... Anyone?" I called out. My voice was raspy and pain shot through my throat, cracking a bit from being so dry. I coughed, trying to turn onto my side. "Please… is anyone there?" I begged. As I tried again to prop myself up on my arms, I heard a set of heavy footsteps come in from the hallway.

"Whoa whoa there, Chief. You need to take it easy," Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc prompted, pushing my shoulders back down slightly, making sure I laid down again. "Here, let me get you a glass of water…" He started walking away, but I grabbed the sleeve of his military jacket.

"Havoc… Where's Al?" That's all I could muster to say. My heart was beating so quickly, and I couldn't hide it from him either; not with the machine next to us singing my racing pulse. I stared directly into his eyes, looking for any sign of emotion: they softened.

"He's upstairs in the ICU unit," he explained softly, turning back fully to me and trying to pull out of my grasp, but I held on tightly.

"Is he… is he alright?" I asked. My voice wavered and I couldn't stop my eyes from watering up. His gaze dropped from my face to his boots, so I held his arm tighter, feeling the muscles in my forearm burn from the effort, but I didn't pay it any notice. "Havoc… is Alphonse alright?"

"Is my brother alright?"

"Is Al?..."

"Al…"

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"Al… Al?" I sat up in the bed. At first I thought I was still in that hospital bed, but quickly realized that wasn't right. I was in my bed in our dorm room. There weren't any medical machines or needles buried in my skin either, but I was still in my clothes from last night. The room was bright, and I guessed that it was still early morning. There was a soft sighing noise next to me, and I almost jumped out of the bed from the shock, but it was just Al. He was sleeping next to me; his dinner clothes still on too and on top of the blankets. He was normally an early bird, so he must have fallen asleep very, very late, not even bothering with his pajamas as he curled up in our bed.

I sat there on the edge of the bed, but I didn't get up; I watched him instead. He moaned softly in his sleep, probably from all the noise that I made waking up, but he himself didn't wake up. Instead, his breathing slowed again, eyes rolling around underneath his eyelids: he was dreaming. Even though he was sleeping, I could see just how tired he looked, bags underneath his eyes and worry lines on his face. I contemplated sitting there for a while longer, but I had some errands to do, and the Colonel was waiting for me. As carefully as I could, I got out of the bed, grabbed some clothes out of my dresser and got ready in the bathroom. Al was still sleeping as I was about to leave; a frown on his face and tiny moans coming from his throat. Before I could wake him up though, his face relaxed and he quieted again; so instead I scribbled a note and slipped out of the room.

I got to the Colonel's office where my desk was placed in the bullpen with Havoc, Hawkeye, Falman, Fuery, and Breda's desks too. Mustang and Hawkeye weren't there, probably in a meeting. Havoc was leaning up against the wall, drinking a cup of coffee, and he nodded politely at me when I walked in. I smiled back as I made my way to my seat to sort through the stack of paper work that currently made its home on my desk.

"Did you guys hear anything else on the prison break last week?" Fuery asked Falman and Breda, some nervousness in his voice. "I mean, are there any new developments?"

"Nah," Breda said casually, eating a donut and leaning back in his chair, "I mean, the Fuhrer has some men on it I hear, but considering how they're looking for only one guy, it must be pretty difficult."

"What was he, a bank robber or something?" Fuery asked, wringing his hands together.

"No, I heard he was an alchemist," Falman explained. "I overheard Mustang talking about it a few days ago." He looked over at Fuery and saw him worrying his lower lip. "But don't worry Kain, he's probably long gone by now," he reassured, patting Fuery on the back.

"Yeah," Havoc spoke up, "what you guys should be worrying about is finding a date for the Amestris National Day Ball in two days." There was a group moan throughout the room at that comment.

"Oh no," Fuery moaned. "I asked two girls, but they both said they had dates already."

"How about you, Vato?" Havoc asked, walking over to his desk finally. "Any better luck with the ladies?"

"No sir. I'm on the same boat with Kain here." Havoc chuckled at that. "Hey, what about you?" Falman countered, wiping the smirk off Havoc's face.

"Well, I uh… I had a date, but… she changed her mind." Everyone laughed at that one, including me. Havoc shot me a glare and walked over, placing his hand on the back of my neck in what was supposed to be a threatening manner. "What's so funny Chief? I don't see you with a date yet…"

"Please," I said, shaking him off with a smirk, "I don't need a date to go to the Ball." The guys laughed and started talking again, teasing each other about their lack of dates. I sat there at my desk and stared at the pen that I held in my hand. Mustang had told me a week ago that he would be asking some random girl to go with him to the Ball; avoiding suspicions. I think he had expected me to be somewhat upset, but to be honest, I was relieved. Going stag to a party didn't scare me, but going with the Flame Alchemist did.

"I've got the tickets boys." Speak of the devil. Mustang walked into the office with Hawkeye in tow, rolling her eyes. "I got two for each of you; one for yourselves and one for your dates," he explained, handing them out to everyone, pausing when he got to me. "Here are three tickets for you Fullmetal," he said, handing the tickets to me in an envelope. He must have seen the quizzical look on my face, because he explained even before I could ask my question. "I only got you one, since I heard you bragging about going stag to Brosh a few days ago," he said with a huge smirk on his face. It took almost all my willpower not to pop him right in that pompous mug of his.

"But what about the other two tickets?" I asked as he made his way to his own desk and started to flip through the mounds of paperwork.

"Oh, they are for Al and his date. Surely he'll be bringing someone, right?"

"Oh yeah, of course," I mumbled. Al bringing a date never even crossed my mind. Would he even want to go with someone? Did Al even know any girls? Damn, this was quite a headache. I guessed that I would just have to ask him when I got back. Maybe he met someone at the library he could bring. I racked my brain trying to remember if he ever mentioned any girls: there was Sciezka (no), and Mrs. White (definitely not, she was like 90 years old)…

"Here Fullmetal," Mustang said, breaking me out of my thoughts. "I need you to deliver these forms to the office building at the corner of 3rd and 16th. You do that and then you can go home," he explained, handing me a big yellow envelope with what felt like a whole ream paper inside.

"Really?" I asked, raising my eyebrow as I took the package from him. 3rd and 16th was only three blocks away; definitely not an all-day project.

"Yeah," Mustang sighed, that bored look on his face as he sat down again. He went to lean back and relax in his chair, but caught the glare that Hawkeye shot him, so he snapped back up and grabbed a random paper to sign. "There's not much to do around here today, so just go deliver that and we'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright…" I said, shrugging my shoulders and getting up from my desk. I put my red jacket back on and slipped the tickets into my pocket, feeling my heart drop again at the thought of them. "I'll catch you guys later then," I waved to everyone as I walked out of the office with the package in hand.

A few people said "Hello" or "Good day" to me as I walked through the halls to the entrance, but I just waved back politely; going through the motions. I was too busy thinking about this ball to pay much attention to anything else around me. Needless to say, it was going to be a disaster. Mustang would probably creep on me all night (in between wooing fifty some odd women), I would probably have to dance with someone (that was something that I was really not looking forward to), and now this whole thing with Al. I could already feel jealousy course through my veins, and the ball was still two days away. I was just hoping that there would be some good food.

Luckily, being outside finally calmed me down a bit though. It was such a beautiful day out: people riding their bikes, eating lunch out on the patios of cafes, and girls walking around in skirts that were definitely too short. Rounding the first corner to get from 5th to 3rd street, I thought about tactical retreat plans that would help me escape during the ball, but my thoughts were interrupted as some guy ran right into me, knocking me onto my ass.

The guy was easily a foot taller than me, around his thirties, and wearing a white suit. He smirked down at me and said something like, "Watch where you're going, pipsqueak," before continuing on his way.

I was about half a second away from punching him right in his self-satisfied mug, but I realized that I had dropped the envelope and some of the papers had spilled out on the sidewalk. So instead I shouted some choice words, shaking my fist angrily at his back all the while, and probably scarring a few children for life in the process. He didn't even turn around. Punk.

I sighed and turned back to the scattered mess on the ground. Kneeling down, I started to pick them up when another hand grabbed the paper that I was reaching for.

"Here, let me give you a hand with that," a feminine voice offered, picking the paper up and handing it to me. I looked up, standing before me was Mei Chang.

"Thank you," I said, picking up the last paper and standing up with Mei. I finally got a good look at her, and I was slightly surprised at how she had changed; she was just about my height (harrumph) and she actually looked like a young woman, curves in all the right places and apparently she knew how to work them too in her tight, short summer-dress. I think she caught me staring because she cleared her throat softly, snapping my thoughts back. "Ha, sorry… it's just so great to see you again, and you look great" I covered up, leaning in to give her a warm hug.

She smiled sincerely at me, blushing a little, and playing with her dress a bit. "I heard that you and Al were here in Central…" she explained as we moved to the edge of the sidewalk out of everyone's way. Her face changed suddenly and she looked very serious, "… and I also heard that Al was back," she said, leaning in very close and almost whispering. She looked at me with such hopeful eyes, and I figured that I had probably looked about the same when I asked Havoc about Al.

"Yes, he is," I said, and the worry melted off her face. "I'm sure he would love to see you again."

"Really?" she asked, suddenly beaming.

A thought popped into my head. "Yeah, of course! I know, why don't you come to the ball on Saturday?" I said as friendly as I could, despite that tiny nagging voice in the back of my head.

"What ball?" she asked, smiling even harder.

"The Amestris National Day Ball. Here..." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a ticket for her. "All the info is there on the ticket… You can just meet us there if you want," I explained as she examined the ticket.

"That would be great!" she exclaimed, but then she paused and looked a little awkward. "But, uh… you're sure you don't mind me coming?"

"Of course not! And besides, Al needs a date," I teased with a wink, even though I wanted to throw up.

She giggled furiously at that and shuffled her feet. "Well… okay then. Tell Al I can't wait to see him again," she said with a flourished wave of her hand and started to walk away. "See you boys later then!"

"See you," I said, waving back. Once she was out of sight, I continued on my way to the office building, having an internal battle all the while.

"Why would you invite her? You know you don't want Al to go with anyone!"

"I know, but it's not about what I want, it's what's best for Al. And I guess if I had to pick someone, Mei's one of the best choices…"

My internal monologue continued along those lines the whole rest of the walk, finally pausing long enough for me to deal with the secretary of the office and hand her the envelope. I left, and while standing on the front steps, took a few deep breathes, and then checked the time: 1:00 pm. Well, it was probably time to go back. As I started walking home, strolling casually and staring up at the clouds most of the time, I wondered if Al was awake yet.

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When I finally woke up, it was 11:30 am. Damn. I hated sleeping in so late; I always felt like I wasted the day, but it could be worse; Ed sometimes slept until one in the afternoon. I stretched, waking up my muscles, and tried to recall my dreams, but I couldn't. There was a vague feeling of discomfort in my thoughts, but nothing else, and as I inhaled deeply the mingled scent of myself and Ed on the pillows and blankets, whatever little remaining dreams there might have been left in my consciousness swam out of my head with every exhale. Sighing, I sat up, and realized that Ed wasn't in the bed next to me; or anywhere else in the room for that matter.

"Oh, Thursday… right," I mumbled to myself, shaking away the heavy silence that hung in the room. Ed was at work. I got up and decided that I would get dressed, have lunch, and probably help out at the library. As I walked over to the dresser to grab some clothes for the day, I saw a piece of paper sitting on the top. Upon closer inspection, I recognized Ed's handwriting scrawled on it:

"Dear Al,

Went to work. Probably be back around five. Want to go to that Xingese restaurant by the park for dinner tonight? Have a good day.

- Ed"

"Haha, that's Ed," I chuckled to myself, "always thinking about food." I got dressed quickly and was about to leave when there was a knock at the door. People rarely visited us at our dorm, never mind in the middle of the day, so a wave of unease rushed through me. I went to the door and opened it a crack.

A man was standing there in front of the door. He was a relatively young man, wearing a white suit. He had his long, black hair pulled into a ponytail with a few strands of hair hanging in his face from underneath a matching white fedora hat. He looked surprised to see me for a second, but then smiled instead, making my skin crawl even though I couldn't place why.

"Uh, hello," he started, his smile looking faker by the second. "I think I might have the wrong room; I'm looking for the Fullmetal Alchemist…" he explained.

I relaxed a bit. The weird vibe was gone now, and I figured it must have just been the awkward moment when he thought he had the wrong room.

"No," I said, trying to sound welcoming, "this is his room, he's just at work right now, but, uh," I paused trying to read his intentions, but I got nothing. "But could I help you with anything?"

He smiled at me again, and for the second time I felt unnerved by it. 'Oh, I'm just a friend," he said offhandedly. "I have something I need to talk to him about. Do you mind if I come in?" he asked, gesturing with his hand.

"Uh… I guess not…" I said opening the door and letting him walk in past me. He took a few steps in, took off his hat, and placed it on the desk. He turned back to me, and make quick glances from me to the door; silently asking if I was going to close the door. Part of me screamed not to, but I did anyways; pushing it slowly without taking my eyes off of him, until I heard it click behind me.

"So, Edward is at work, huh? And he won't be back until later?" he asked, playing with a picture frame of Winry and Granny that we kept on the desk.

"Yeah," I said, uneasy. "I'm—I'm sorry, what did you say your name was again?"

He turned to me and with an outright predatory grin on his face, took a few steps forward until he was just a few inches away.

"Where are my manners? My name is Solf J. Kimblee. It's nice to meet you Alphonse. I've been watching you for quite some time."

Damn. Things are never easy.