The faint smile on Roy's face lingered for a short time as he stared at little Edward. 'Where the hell have you been? What the hell happened?' With each question that ran through Mustangs head, the smile struggled to stay. He needed to be the strong, dependent commander Edward had come to know. Now was not the time to panic, he needed to help Edward right now. Answers can come later.

"Let's get you cleaned up, the mud is starting to dry." Ed gripped Roy's mud stained white button up shirt as Roy started to move. "What's wrong? I didn't think I moved enough to hurt you" Roy asked worriedly. The young man looked up at Mustang, a sudden chill ran down his spine as he made eye contact with those dark, should piercing eyes. Edward's cheeks flushed a deep pink, highly noticeable on his pale skin. Roy cocked his head to the side, mimicking a dog, confused by the sudden embarrassment Edward displayed. "Do you…um… need my help?" Edward buried his face into Roy's neck again and nodded. Roy felt his face light up as Edward's hot breathe danced across the skin on his neck. Mustang's temperature continued to rise as he stretched his arm out and pulled off Ed's only sock. Even the foot that was protected by the sock was caked in dirt and scrapes. Dried pieces of mud crumbled off his foot as he wiggles his toes.

"You've got mud in your auto mail, so we are going to need to take your pants off. Is that okay?" he asked while lifting his pant leg and examining his metal leg.

Edward took a deep breathe before nodding. He glanced down at his pants and blushed again. "Just don't look ok?" Ed mumbled.

"I'm not interested in seeing a little kid's junk," Roy grumbled.

"Don't call me little!" Ed managed to yell, causing a chuckle from Roy. He slid his hand up Ed's leg and to the top of his pants, struggling to swallow as he unbuttoned them.

"I'm going to need to move you to be able to pull these off"

"Okay." Mustang carefully lifted him off his lap, causing Ed to gasp as the pain spread throughout his body. Edward was cautiously laid on the cold bathroom floor. "Roy," Edward's voice came out very soft. Roy's faced flushed deep pink and his heart skipped a beat. "it…hurts" he winced, moaning the words again.

"Please just hang on for a minute," Roy coughed to hear his throat. Roy slid his fingers under Edward's pants and slowly pulled them down. His eyes widened as soon as he noticed this boy was not wearing any underwear. Scratches and scars traveled up his leg even to his hips. His inner thighs were covered in dried blood. "Is this blood?" Roy asked, still wide eyed. Roy's hands shook as he tried to remain calm. He glanced back up to meet Ed's teary eyed gaze. "Ed-ward…w-what happened?" Roy stuttered as he finally pulled his pants over his ankles. The poor boy was covered in bruises form head to toe.

'Jaw. Throat. Both shoulder. Four on his right arm and two on his left. Ribs. Thighs. And many more bruises down his legs." Roy counted the bruises and examined the boy's body for additional injuries. He gripped the torn up pants tightly as he could feel the rage within him rising. He gave Edward a stern look and the boy couldn't contain the tears anymore. Tears poured down his face over his hot cheeks and he began screaming. All the memories flowing back into his mind. Mustang picked him up and placed him back on his lap. Blood was dried in random places all over his body. While caressing the boy's back, Roy had finally had enough avoiding the question. "Edward, what happened?" he demanded. Edward was too upset to answer with anything but more screams and tears. His body began to shake uncontrollable, so Roy carefully placed him in the warm water. Roy just sat in silence next to the tub, watching the beaten alchemist sit against the side of the tub. The water trickling down onto him seemed to be calming him down.

Roy's eyes followed the strands of blonde hair as they danced on Ed's skin with the rushing water. His eyes traveled with the stream of water down the boy's back as it ran off his ass into the bottom of the tub. Cuts and welts even covered most of the young alchemist's back. The water was tainted a rusty brown color from the mud and chunks slowly dissolved down the drain. "How is the water Ed?"

"It feel really nice" Ed replied, tilting his head to the side and giving Roy a soft smile. Roy knew the smile was fake. His eyes were dead. There was no emotion behind them. Truly soulless eyes. Ed grabbed the crimson loofa that Roy had set on the side of the tub and the body wash. Ed glanced over his shoulder when the raven haired man cleared his throat suddenly.

"I'm going to go grab you a clean towel from the dryer." Before walking away, Roy's attention was fixated on the alchemist who was fighting with the soap bottle, causing him to chuckle a bit. The sound of running water vanished into the distance as he made his way back down the stairs and into the basement. He grabbed a towel out of the dryer and the first aid kit off the shelf with a deep sigh. "Why won't he tell me what happened? This wasn't a normal fight…what happened to you Fullmetal?" Roy questioned aloud. He continued to mumble to himself as he walked back up the stairs.

A scream echoed through the house and broke Roy's train of thought. Roy jumped and rushed upstairs and into the bathroom yelling for the alchemist the whole way. "Fullmetal! Fullmetal what's wro-" he halted at the sight of him. There in the bottom of the rub, laid a naked blonde boy, soaking wet from head to toe, covered in blotches of creamy white spots. The two boys blushed and Roy held back a laugh, but wasn't able to hold back the obvious smile.

"S-sorry… The bottle just broke open…." Edward looked down at the big tare in the bottle. "Your stupid bottle wouldn't open and then it just suddenly exploded all over the place!" he exclaimed, quite embarrassed, while pointing at his glistening chest. Roy just stared at him, almost in awe, until he blushed a deeper shade and lost control of himself.

"Sorry Ed! You should see the way you look!' he laughed, placing a hand over his mouth as if to try and prevent him from laughing more. "Here, give me the loofa, I'll help you." Before he could say anything further, he was entranced with the boy's movements in the water, like a goddess dancing in the rain under the full moon. It bewitched him.

"Colonel"

"Yes?!" he shouted back.

"Are you gay or something?!" Ed hollered, trying to make it sound more insulting than it really was. Roy smirked and took off his shirt, revealing his perfectly built body. Edward watched intently as he did, mesmerized too.

Roy noticed his glace and smirked. "I could be." There was no freaked response or sly remark from Ed, like Roy was expecting. "Now you're the one staring" he chimed as he leaned into the shower and grabbed the loofa from Ed. Edward quickly turned his head away, blushed madly, and pretended to read the ingredients of one of Roy's shampoo bottles. Roy just went on with getting the boy all cleaned up from head to toe, making sure to be as gentle as possible. Once all the mud was cleaned off, he turned the water off and grabbed the towel off the sink. "You're clothes are ruined, so for now, you can borrow some of mine." Edward nodded and patted the towel against his body and face.

"Do you think you can stand yet?" Roy asked, holding his hand out. Ed nodded again and grabbed Roy's hand as he used every ounce of strength he had to stand up. His whole body shook as he stepped out of the tub. "Don't strain yourself. We can take it slowly. I'll let you sleep in my room, follow me," he stated calmly, slowly pulling the alchemist towards the door. Edward's legs wobbled with each step, making Roy feel like an ass. "Let me carry you" he said picking the boy up in his arms.

"Roy-" Edward said worriedly while gripping tightly to Roy's bare shoulders. Roy's heart fluttered a bit at the sound of his first name. He carried him down the hall and stopped in from of a door that was slightly cracked open.

"What is it?"

"My towel is falling off," Ed mumbled very embarrassed. Roy could feel the towel brushing against his knees as he pushed open the door and walked into the room. It was barely covering Edward's hips and upper thighs in only the few steps.

"Don't worry. I'll have some clothes ready for you in a minute. I doubt any of them will fit you though. You're so short,"

"Don't call me short!" Ed interrupted. Just as he took the last step at the edge of the bed, Roy's foot got caught in the towel and ripped it right off Ed's body. Ed squirmed and yelled, causing Mustang to lose his balance and fall.

"Are you okay?" Roy's voice surprisingly calm. Edward groaned as he opened his eyes, meeting the cold gaze of the commander, who was towering over him. A shiver ran up his spine as he became lost in Roy's eyes. Roy was hunched over him in a way that looked like a mamma bear protecting her cubs. He had a hand on each side of his Ed's head, one leg on the edge of the bed and the other placed in between Edward's legs. "Edward?" he asked, hoping for a positive response. Roy's voice echoed through Ed's head repeatedly as he felt Roy's warm hand caress his cheek. Ed's golden eyes glistened with the warm touch as his face flushed.

Okay, so that's it for chapter two. Hope you all enjoyed it. Starting with chapter 3, I will be changing some details so if you've read my previous story, you will notice some big differences. Anyways, please let me know what you think of it so far! Looking forward to comments and feedback!