A/N: It is that time again in which I go back to school. I will be writing as much as I can, but I am not sure how often I will be able to update. I am, however, very dedicated to this story and delight in how many people have already added it to their alert list. It is wonderful to know that there are people besides myself who are interested in what will happen. I sincerely hope that everyone will enjoy this story as much as I am enjoying writing it.
x x x x x
In the weeks that passed, stories of the Fullmetal Alchemist, restored to his former title, spread across Central like wildfire. The Alchemist of the People had returned to his former glory, no longer M.I.A. or being hunted down for treason. Some had heard that the boy had brought war into the country and that all the strange happenings were linked to him. Some thought his return would bring nothing but trouble, but most still held the respect for him that they had when the young boy had fought battles for them, the people. Edward, still a part of the military, was chained to a desk until he was completely healed. He complained about the endless papers pushed in front of him and hated sitting around all day instead of meeting people and going places. Secretly, he loved being back at Central and loved being close to the man he adored even more. He had come to terms that his affection would never be returned, but still admired the man he served under, even if it caused his heart to ache when he looked at him.
The entire office was glad to hear of Ed's homecoming and welcomed him back as a fellow officer. There was a lot less tension in the office, partially due to the fact that there was no longer a Fuhrer, but a council of men that made the country's most important decisions. General Mustang could no longer aspire to the forever-closed position, so he had dedicated himself to be a loyal General to the military and his men. With a time of peace gracing the country, the office was often bright and cheerful, with small decisions to be made and the occasional disciplinary action to be taken. Still, there was a Hell of a lot of paperwork.
Even with the tranquil time upon them, Ed spent most days in the office, trying to find something he could bring to the General's attention. Most were mistakes in papers or issues Ed did not see the point in addressing or signing off on. As was the routine before he left, most of the discussions with the General ended in arguments. Mustang rarely liked to argue, unless it was with Fullmetal. He kept his mask in place most of the time and was successful in winning most of the confrontations. Every once in a while, Ed would be right, but the General would fight him, nonetheless. It was in this position that Ed would know he was right and deliver some blows beneath the belt. Mustang would become amused, then irritated, then angry. His mask would slip and the two men would end up in each other's face, yelling so loud that Hawkeye, more often than not, would enter the room brandishing her gun to get them to stop. At the end of every yelling match, the General would shoot Ed a bemused smirk as his mask fell back into place and Ed would huff and stomp off, muttering about how difficult it was to just talk to the man.
Everyone in the office suspected, but no one knew. No one else paid any mind to the fact that the General, who could still seduce just about any woman into doing anything, turned his attention solely to his office when Edward came back. No one seemed to notice that boy that had fought for the people, left, and returned a man did not care when beautiful, young women would flirt with him. It was all easily explained away: He had a girlfriend that he truly cared about, the pretty blonde that he grew up with. The only problem with this theory was that he treated her the same way. Every time she came by the office for something or another, Ed was happy to see her and talk to her. When she would give subtle hints at anything more, he would become bored or restless and ultimately find other work he had to do. The whole of General Mustang's office watched the events with growing interest, but never once was anything said. The last thing they wanted to do was get both of the men in trouble that could never be easily explained away.
x x x x x
It was like clockwork in the office. Winry would come visit. Ed would ignore her efforts towards a relationship. The General would become sullen, although no one saw it firsthand except Hawkeye. Mustang would accept a date from a woman so he could move on. Edward would notice and become extremely sensitive to any and all criticism. The two men would find something insignificant to yell at each other about and afterwards, they would calm down. Rinse. Repeat. Neither of them had the courage to talk honestly to the other and no one was going to force them and acknowledge the underlying emotions between the two. This was their schedule and everyone had grown accustomed to it. It did not make everyone happy, but there was a balance. However, a delicate balancing act is not always good for everyone all the time.
She had gotten fed up. She had been in love with her childhood friend for as long as she could remember. She had clung to the hope that he would return, but never counted on it. She had trouble keeping a relation with a man because she was always secretly hoping he would come back and they could be together. She had considered that he did not feel the same way, but the way he could be so awkward around her, how he blushed when she hugged him or held his hand amazed her. He was the last person she thought would be so shy about his feelings. He was also incredibly dense for being a genius. She knew that flirting wouldn't be enough to let him know the extent of her feelings. She would have to all but hand her heart over to him for him to realize what she wanted from their friendship. He had always been more interested in studying, missions, and books than girls, but he had grown up considerably and no longer had a daunting task hovering in front of him. Besides, he had given her little hints in letters and phone calls while he was still searching for the Philosopher's Stone, so she knew he felt the same way. It was possible he just did not know how to show it. Still, she was fed up waiting for him to accept any advance she made or to make one on his own. She was going to make it very apparent what she wanted and how she cared for him.
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In General Mustang's office, a woman had left a note. She had brought it by before Mustang showed up, after Edward had gone into work. He didn't read the note. In fact, he did the best he could to ignore it as it sat on Mustang's desk, a reminder of why he let every opportunity to admit his feelings pass even though they remained strong. The only sane thoughts he had anymore were the ones that pleaded with him to not jeopardize what he already had with the General and the friends he had made. He set his mind to doing his work instead of dwelling on the problem. Approximately a half hour later, Mustang walked into the office. Edward notified him in his most neutral voice that someone had left him something on his desk. The General nodded and kept walking.
"Maria, probably." Ed rolled his eyes and continued working. At least he didn't want to talk about her. After a couple hours of poring over boring documents, Ed stretched and yawned, contemplating taking a short walk outside. It was a beautiful spring day and he yearned to be outside. He pushed back his chair and stood as a very determined Winry strode through the door. He smiled as she marched to his desk.
"Hey, Win. I wasn't expecting you." She shifted uncomfortably. He stared at her curiously. "What's wrong?" She shook her head.
"Nothinletsgoouttodinnertonight," she said the words so quickly that the words strung together.
"What?" Ed cocked his head to one side, unable to make a sentence out of the jumbled mess he had heard. He became concerned at her strange behavior.
"What's going on?" he asked in a stern voice. Heads popped up to watch the two. Winry didn't notice. She wrung her clasped hands together.
"Uhm, I said that we should go out to dinner tonight." Ed raised an eyebrow.
"O…kay. Was that all?" Winry smiled in relief. She gave an affirmative nod.
"Yes, that was it." Ed shook his head and chuckled.
"Yeah, we can go out somewhere. Anywhere you and Al want. It'll be nice to get out for a change." Winry's smile faded.
"Actually, I was thinking just you and me… go out…" Ed's eyes widened slightly as he realized what she was asking. He almost said no. He had the words on the tip of his tongue. Then he thought of how it would hurt her to be turned down in front of so many people they both knew. And how the General certainly wasn't turning down dates. He couldn't hold on to that hope forever. It wouldn't hurt to go out with her once. She was his oldest friend, after all. He thought for a minute, lost in his own thoughts. Winry's hurt voice brought him back. The entire office was not even pretending to do work anymore. They all listened for Ed's answer. Even Hawkeye glanced in their direction, her pen ceasing its movement across the paper in front of her.
"We don't have to… I just thought…" Her sentence trailed off. He held up a hand to silence her.
"Sorry, I was just thinking of where we could go on such short notice." Her face went from despair to joy and he heard a couple of cheers go up from the other side of the room. He laughed nervously as he took his friend by the arm and led her out of the room.
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The mood in the room was light and happy, except in the office of Roy Mustang. He held his hands to his temples, massaging gently. He gave a deep sigh and speculated as to how it came to this. He knew it was coming. He saw it coming when the girl had told him of her love for Edward. And she had guessed right about the mutual affection. Part of him was hoping that maybe, just maybe, he would politely turn her down. Not because there was someone else, but just because he wasn't interested. In the privacy of his office, he mourned the death of something that had never been without shedding a tear. He thought for a while, his heart torn, and finally decided on just going home. Maybe it would be better in the morning.
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A/N: Well, let me know what you think. I should be posting another chapter shortly.