Warnings/Rating: PG for fluff and Ed crushing on Roy

Copyrights Disclaimer: These are all based primarily on the manga, which is soooooo much better than either anime, but especially the first one. I do not own Edward Elric or any other characters from FMA (melodramatic sobbing and wailing)

Summary: Roy Mustang - Useless when wet, depending on the circumstances.

~*SPEECHLESS*~

Edward had been about to head to the dorms when it started really coming down hard, so he found himself lingering by the door, waiting for a break in the downpour. He squinted, trying to see the trees he knew were only yards in front of him, but the rain fell thick and heavy, and he could only make out a dim outline.

He shivered, and frowned heavily at the shudder running through his frame. It wasn't really that cold. Central usually had snow this time of year, but this winter seemed warmer than previous years had been. Despite all of this, and even though he was both under the overhang and as bone-dry as the rest of the world was wet, he was still shivering.

The automail felt heavier than usual today as well, a deadweight at his shoulder, and his back protested against the weight. Ed put his left hand over to his shoulder and massaged the meeting between flesh and steel gingerly. He could feel the metal on the ports tightening slightly from the temperature, digging into his skin. The nerve endings were aching dully, making him want to curl up under a blanket and sleep for a week. He'd rather have the sharp stabbing shock of removing or connecting the limbs than this continuous sensation of tight pressure and soreness.

"Scared of a little rain, Fullmetal?" came an amused voice behind him. Ed whirled around and cast a glare at the Colonel. Mustang was standing behind him with his arms folded over his chest. He looked like some kind of security guard when he stood like that, Ed noted.

Ed opened his mouth to make a smart-ass retort, but Roy somehow managed to cut the younger alchemist off simply by closing his eyes with a smile. Ed felt his face heat as the furious words died in his throat.

Tawny eyes followed the older soldier as though transfixed. Colonel Mustang brushed past him, clapping a hand on Ed's shoulder as he passed, and stepped out into the rain. He stopped just a pace away from the door and tilted his head back, letting the drops hit his face, soaking his hair and uniform almost instantly. The water had to be freezing cold, but the Colonel seemed to relish the sensation, his face open and so at peace, rain running down his cheeks like tears.

Ed found himself mute, and he couldn't move from his dry spot by the door. He seemed to have forgotten how to move at all, truthfully. He would not pull his eyes away from the soldier standing in the shower, shoulders relaxed and breathing deep. The rain was so heavy that, even as close as Roy stood, there was a fogginess to the edges of his figure, like he was about to dissolve into the misty air and disappear. Ed didn't want to lose sight of him, so he kept watching.

Then Roy turned, opening his own eyes, and smiled at Ed. The sudden motion was startling, like Ed had forgotten movement was possible at all, and he sucked in a breath, inaudible under the beat of the storm against the concrete. Roy's gaze being turned on him was hypnotizing. His bangs were teasing at his eyelids, slicked down from the weight of the water, but he didn't seem bothered by it. Dark coals were glowing there, filled with warmth so soft one couldn't expect it from the Flame Alchemist. The Flame was all blazes and smoke and mirrors in his eyes. Just like Fullmetal was all gleaming steel and hard edges.

Roy was unguarded and welcoming.

Ed wasn't sure what he was looking for anymore.

Edward stared at the colonel's outstretched hand, hesitating for just a split-second before reaching out and taking it, and allowing the colonel to pull him out into the rain with him.

End