Seven

Roy

Once night had fallen and he had gotten most of his paperwork done (to be fair, he had taken a lot with him so he felt he could leave at least some of it for later) Roy sat in his favorite leather armchair in his living room, a glass of brandy in one hand, pondering a certain teen with blond hair and gold eyes.

Ed's eyes had almost popped out of his head when he saw Roy's sleek 1979 black Corvette, eyes running over the car with envious eyes. He had watched the boy take the last few feet up to the car with exaggerated slow steps so that he could admire the sleek design for a few more moments then met Roy's amused gaze over the top of the roof. There was appreciation and awe in the golden eyes.

"Th—this is your car?" the blond breathed reaching out a tentative hand and running his finger tips along the curve of the passenger door panel. He couldn't stop the thread of pride at how the teen was admiring his car. It gave him a little thrill, realizing the kid was genuinely impressed.

"Sure. Go ahead, hop in," he managed an air of nonchalance, pulling open the driver side door and sliding in himself. The warm black leather seats welcomed him with familiar ease and he watched Ed slip in next to him, eyes wide the entire time.

"How did you—when…wow," Ed just said, fingers sliding over the soft upholstery, taking in the entire cockpit, eyes roving from the dash to the stick shift between them then finally to Roy's amused face. Roy, in the mean time, was telling the purring creature in his chest to shut up and stop enjoying the praise he was getting.

"My father left it to me, though it was a wreck. I restored it. Took me a good four years too," he said to Ed's half voiced questions and the boy looked at him in surprise, golden eyebrows raised. To cover up his sudden discomfiture, Roy turned the key and the engine roared to life. The look on Ed's face was priceless and for a moment the older man just let the engine purr, the entire car vibrating slightly with the promise of such power.

"Wow," the blond breathed and gave a very satisfying yelp as Roy pealed from the parking lot, allowing himself a bit of fun. The thing was meant to be driven like that anyway.

The two of them talked shop for a couple of minutes, Ed proving to be extremely knowledgeable as he worked on his own car, not being able to afford to bring it to a mechanic. Roy found the conversation delightfully engaging. It was nice to find someone Ed's age so intelligent and willing to share his knowledge without showing off. They were perhaps half way back to the blonde's apartment and were sitting at a red light when Ed had fallen unexpectedly silent, wincing as he held his middle.

"Is the aspirin wearing off?" Roy asked, a little worried even though he knew the kid could handle a few broken ribs. The sheepish look the kid had given him was accompanied by a loud rumble from his stomach which Roy heard even over the idle rumble of his car.

"No. Hungry," he admitted, trying to smile easily but he couldn't hide his discomfort, "I haven't eaten all day," he muttered, hunching a bit more in the seat. Roy arched an eyebrow at him.

"Well, why didn't you say something?" he demanded then flicked the blinker off, popping the clutch out fast so he could growl up the street, earning another look from the teen.

"What're you doing?" the blond asked, sounding a bit annoyed, "You had to turn back there to get to my apartment," Roy just smirked, swerving around a car in front of him that was going too slow.

"I thought you said you were hungry? I'm taking you to get something to eat!" There were no more protests from his passenger, who seemed to have brightened somewhat at the prospect of food.

He took the blond to a small, informal restaurant that may not have looked like much but had the best steak and potatoes he's had anywhere in Ametris and he's tried the same dish in every restaurant he goes to in hopes of finding it better somewhere else So far he has been unsuccessful. Ed looked a little dubious when they rumbled into the parking lot but then it melted into surprise when Roy was greeted warmly by Manny, the owner of the restaurant. Roy was Manny's favorite customer because he had been coming to this place at least once a week since he found it three years ago and had recommended many people who had also become regulars.

They were shown to a more secluded table in the back (though Roy had explained to Manny that this wasn't a date) away from the decent crowd in the small dining room and given menus. When Ed asked what was good while looking over the small menu, Roy truthfully told him everything and nearly had a heart attack when Ed almost nearly ordered one of every item on the laminated pages. When the waiter turned to a still wide eyed Roy, Ed cut in.

"Oh, he's going to help me," the waiter shot Roy an amused look and left, shaking his head. Roy eyed Ed for a moment.

"I'm going to help?! How much of all that food you just ordered were you planning on eating?" his voice was incredulous. Ed was by no stretches of the imagination a big person and he couldn't possibly fit that much food into his stomach. Ed just looked at the Colonel.

"Whatever you don't," Roy's mouth fell open a little and Ed just shrugged, "I haven't eaten all day and I eat a lot. So what?" the Colonel sat back and just gazed at the blond for a moment.

"So what. Well, you've got to admit, you're no Major Armstrong and that's enough food to feed three of him for an entire day. Where does it all go?" he had received a glare for his rather extravagant exaggeration but he could see the twitch of Ed's lips as he tried to suppress a smile. Well, at least he wasn't going to make a scene for Roy stating the truth in public, which was somewhat of a relief.

"I have no idea. My mechanic said that's typical when someone gets automail at the age I did. Because the metal is so heavy, it stunts the growing cycle and the body tries to make up for it. Well, that's her theory anyway, although my brother says my real limbs are hollow," he laughed at the last bit and Roy smiled at the carefree expression. It was the first time he'd heard the teen laugh and he could listen to the sound all day.

As it turned out, once Ed deemed himself full enough to focus more on the company rather than the food (which took a rather long time) he turned out to be the most engaging dinner partner. Roy knew the kid was smart but he had never just had a conversation with the boy before. He knew something about everything, it seemed, all of his opinions based on fact and he was steadfast. Roy had never had such an intelligent conversation with anyone except Hughes before and it was a liberating feeling. Ed talked with his hands when he got into a topic, the cold metal flashing in the dim dining lights as he illustrated a point, punctuating it with a sweep of his hands. Vaguely Roy wondered if he realized he even did it.

Ed wasn't kidding when he said he could pack it away and while even between the two of them they couldn't finish all of the food, there really wasn't all that much left. The kid leaned on his arm with his chin in his palm as Roy paid the check (he hadn't even looked at the number, he just handed the waiter his credit card) and when he turned back, the golden eyes were watching him, shadowed by wheat colored bangs.

"What?" Roy voiced, taking the last sip of his water and noting the slight flush on Ed's face as the teen looked away.

"Nothing. I just thought it was funny you didn't want to look at the check," he was studying a gap in the maroon wall paper, that funny little smile never leaving his face. Roy arched a dark eyebrow at him, smirk in place.

"I was afraid of what I might find, seeing as you seemed to have ordered the entire menu," he said silkily and earned himself a sideways glance that he noticed seemed to be something particular Ed did when he wanted to make a point without saying anything. It was unbelievably sexy and Roy looked at the napkin he was twiddling with to keep himself from staring.

"What, afraid of heart failure, old man?" the tone was sly and Roy gave Ed his darkest look.

"Who are you calling old, shrimp?" he snapped, the nonthreatening insult wiggling under his skin. Ed's smile turned into a smirk and Roy realized Ed had just won a round of whatever game he seemed to think they were playing. The fact that he didn't react to the shrimp comment meant that was the exact reaction he had been looking for. Before any more barbs could be shared the waiter came back with Roy's card and a receipt for him to sign. Manny came back just as they were getting up to see them out and any insult was forgotten in the commotion. The owner gave Roy a suggestive wink that surprised him as it incorporated Ed and he was very glad the blond had his back turned and hadn't seen. Roy just rolled his eyes at the man, just giving him a short wave as a farewell.

The ride to Ed's apartment had been filled with the blonde's chatter, his soft, husky tenor filling the small space, easing whatever tension Roy had left from the rather trying day. He loved listening to Ed talk; he was telling stories about when he was a kid with his brother and a girl he called Winry. They were light, filled with the trifling adventures of a child but while Ed laughed at them, as he talked, it was clear by the light tone of his voice that each memory was a treasure. Roy flied each story away as it was told and wondered if Ed was sharing this with him because he trusted him. Roy had to admit, even such a possibility ignited a little ball of warmth in the pit of his stomach. He never wanted to reach a destination less than he did that evening but Ed would know if he was stalling so he kept his disappointment to himself as he pulled up in front of the shabby little building that Ed and his brother lived in, cutting the engine.

Ed gave him that sideways look again, smiling as he did.

"Thank you for dinner, Colonel. Even if you did chicken out of looking at the check," Roy smirked in return.

"You're welcome, Edward. It was my pleasure. And please call me Roy when we're alone," he could have kicked himself for the last part but the rewarding smile he received banished some of the regret. There was no doubt the kid had one devastating smile. It made his heart skip a few beats even thinking about it now. Ed had climbed out of the car with little difficulty, though Roy suspected he was hiding the pain rather efficiently before giving the Corvette another appraising look over as he shut the door. It was that look he turned on Roy before stepping away from the car.

"See you tomorrow, Roy," By the time Roy had enough brain power to form a reply, Ed was already being let in the building by his tall brother, who gave Roy a brief wave before shutting the door.

It was the same look that had left Roy breathless that he pondered now in the solitude of his own living room. It wasn't the look itself. The boy had looked at the car the same way, as if he was looking at something he liked and didn't want to leave. No, the problem was that when he had lifted his golden eyes to fix on Roy, the look hadn't changed. Not that he was being pooled in with the car but that Ed's expression said that he had been looking at something he liked. And he had been looking at Roy.

No matter how Roy tried to forget it, he couldn't. Was it possible Ed…no, he couldn't think like that. The kid was his subordinate now and while that wasn't enough, he was more than ten years younger than Roy. Not to mention a guy.

With a frustrated sigh, Roy downed the rest of his drink and sank deeper into his couch. A long, sleepless night stretched ahead of him in which he was haunted by gold eyes and smiling lips that said his name in a way that sounded like heaven. The images teased him until he finally fell asleep at three in the morning, still lying on the couch with a prickling behind his eyes and a lonely ache in his heart.

Ed

The first thing Ed was greeted with when he finally made it home was Al's grin and a very clean apartment. His younger brother was fair exuding happiness as the taller teen bounced into the kitchen behind him. The aspirin was already wearing off when he slid tiredly into a chair, dumping his uniform onto the table top and hiding his face from his brother as it seemed the younger teen hadn't noticed the mess Envy had made of his eye yet.

"How did it go, brother?" Al asked, pulling out a chair opposite of him. Ed kept his head down, eyes seeing nothing but darkness of the crook of his elbow, the pressure on the bruise aching but bearable. He sucked in shallow breaths to keep his diaphragm away from his ribs.

"I start training tomorrow," he said, voice muffled.

"Well, that's a good thing isn't it?" Al asked, his voice now slightly apprehensive. Ed really didn't want him to know he'd been in another fight, and on the losing side this time, but he felt guilty making his brother worry.

"I suppose. The Colonel is my superior so I guess it won't be so bad," he mumbled. There was a sigh.

"Bother, what's wrong?" the tone was slightly exasperated and since it was inevitable Al find out, he lifted his head from his arm, eyes meeting Al's guiltily. Amber eyes widened briefly, worry flickering through their depths then they narrowed, just like Ed knew they would, with something very close to suspicion. Well, he'd never been able to keep anything from Al.

"What did you do?" even though his voice promised a scolding, Al was already up and moving to the freezer to pull out the much used icepack, frown in place. Ed glared.

"What makes you think I started it?" he protested, gasping when his brother shoved the gel pack none too gently against his swollen eye. At least it hadn't puffed up so bad he couldn't see out of it, as it has been known to do on occasion. Another exasperated sigh followed the first.

"You never do but you still end up involved anyway, don't you?" his brother's voice had softened and he turned to fix his one eye on him as the taller boy leaned against the counter, arms folded over his chest. He wasn't as annoyed as he might have been so Ed supposed that was a good thing. He decided not to mention the broken ribs as he didn't want to upset Al any more.

"Speaking of which, what was with you this morning? I found you in my bed. Is everything alright?" Al looked somewhat surprised to have the tables turned on him and regarded Ed with raised eyebrows. Then he blinked.

"Oh. Yeah, I just couldn't sleep. I kept dreaming of h—home," Ed frowned and lowered the ice pack so he could concentrate at trying to figure out what was going on behind the pale yellow eyes. Al almost never had nightmares because he remembered less than Ed did about the whole ordeal eleven years ago but when he did, he usually kept them to himself. To have him actually come into his bed seeking escape meant it was bad. Why hadn't he just woken Ed up? Well, he knew why. Al was Al and anything that might be considered remotely selfish and his brother wouldn't even contemplate it. It was one of the things he liked best about the taller boy.

"You mean, the fire?" Ed asked, voice colored with concern. Al just shrugged, eyes looking off into a place Ed couldn't see, confirming the question.

"Yeah," When Ed and Al had turned fourteen and thirteen, the house they had once lived in had become a place haunted by nightmares and blood splattered memories. Because they could remember nothing about their mother who had raised them, there were very few good memories they had of the place so they decided they would burn it down. They would find a new home together somewhere else. It was an appealing idea to Ed as it was the place of his violent nightmares, which at the time had gotten to the point where he was afraid just to close his eyes at night. But Al, who couldn't remember very much at all, had just watched the flames listlessly. When they turned their back on Resembol all together, Ed had to pretend not to see the tears in his brother's eyes.

He studied his younger brother now and sensed that tightly wound joy again and knew it had something to do with the small, peaceful town they had left behind. Ed stood, ignoring the twinge in his side and leaned his hip against the corner of the table, peering at his brother in curiosity.

"What's that look for?" he finally asked, unable to bear the silence any longer. Al blinked at him in confusion for a second.

"What look?" Ed gestured to his face a little impatiently with an abrupt wave of his hand.

"That look. Like you had good news but you don't know how to tell me," yup, he had read his brother right because the younger of the boys broke into a helpless grin that lit up his entire face. Ed couldn't help his own smile. No one could look at Al's grin and not want to smile themselves.

"Well, you know next week's spring break, right?" Ed nodded, vaguely recalling this and let Al plough right on, "I got a call from Winry this morning and she was wondering if we could come to stay while we have off. I know you can't go, but would it be alright if I went?" It was clear Al wanted nothing more than to spend his break at the Rockbells in Resembol and not for the first time, Ed felt a stab of guilt for taking his brother away from a place that still so plainly held a place in his heart. Ed smiled.

"Of course you can go," he said softly, pressing the icepack up to his eyes again, and felt that the sweep of cold that ran through him at the touch was appropriate. It must be nice to have a place to belong. Al looked ready to burst and Ed knew he would never deny his brother a shred of happiness because he was feeling a bit selfish. An amusing worried look super imposed itself over the wild grin on his brother's face for a moment.

"Will you be okay here by yourself?" he asked in his sweet voice and Ed just rolled his eyes at the taller boy.

"It's a week Al. Go get your stuff; I'll drive you over to the train station," The bigger boy gave a loud whoop and launched himself out of the kitchen and into the hallway, slamming into his room. The smile slid from Ed's face as soon as the other blond was out of sight, hating himself for being selfish but not really being able to help it. The thought of spending any time in the apartment by himself, knowing Al wasn't going to be coming home for a week stung. He hadn't realized how used to his brother he had become until the prospect of spending any length of time apart was brought up. To distract himself, he made his way into the bathroom and rummaged in the medicine cabinet for the bottle of Tylenol. It was close enough to four hours. As he turned the sink on to wash the pills down, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and paused.

An ugly black and purple bruise circled his eye that looked a little puffy but not too bad. The cut on his cheek was already clotted, held together by the two pieces of tape and was bigger than he thought it was, the one end almost reaching the corner of his mouth. If it left as scar, he was going to hunt Envy down and kill him very slowly. Almost absently, he touched one of the pieces of tape, brushing his fingers along the edge, thinking about the bigger hands that had put the tape there in the first place. He remembered the dark eyes, so calm and gentle, mirroring the touch, as if their owner had been afraid not that he would break but that he might be hurt further.

He was caught day dreaming while staring at himself as Al peered around the doorframe, wide eyes curious.

"Brother, I'm ready…what are you doing?" Ed jumped and looked at his brother, blinking rapidly. The image of Roy kneeling in front of him, dark eyes half-lidded and full of an emotion he couldn't read superimposed over Al and Ed just kind of gaped unintelligibly for a second.

"Huh?" Al just looked at him, eyebrows knotted.

"What's wrong with you? You were just staring at yourself," realizing he had been caught day dreaming about Roy, he found himself desperately fighting a blush.

"Sorry. It's been a long day. You ready?" Al gave him a wordless nod, concern and confusion still visible on his face. Ed just brushed it off and pushed past his brother so he could grab his keys and his wallet but he knew why Al was worried. Ed didn't day dream. Sure, he got lost in thought like everyone else but it was usually at the dinner table while pondering a book he was reading or something of that nature. He never just stared into the mirror at himself while his brain was somewhere else; or with someone else. It was then he realized that since meet Roy, he'd been day dreaming a lot.

It didn't help any that they had had dinner together just an hour ago and Ed had found Roy interesting and a good listener. He hadn't been afraid to ask questions if he didn't know something and never once did his attention waver. The man had sat, entirely engrossed in their conversation the entire time. He also had a charming sense of humor (malicious teasing aside) accompanied by that breath taking smile of his. No wonder he had been day dreaming. Even in his own head, he sounded like a school girl with a crush. That's ridiculous! We're both guys! But the internal protest was weak and unconvincing even to himself. He had it bad already and he knew it.

**

The brothers were quiet on the ride to the train station, Al practically bouncing in his seat, his earlier concern forgotten and Ed staring out the windshield, pondering and just paying enough attention to obey the traffic rules and mind the other drivers. It was good that Al was happy, he really shouldn't begrudge him that but the thought of being by himself for a week was somewhat daunting. He said nothing, though, as they purchased Al's ticket and walked to the train, the last one leaving for Resembol that day. Al was talking, speaking of remembered things from his childhood, saying he couldn't wait to see Granny Pinako and Winry again. Ed really couldn't blame him for his own melancholy and made sure to keep his own depression off his face and smiled along with his brother.

Al turned to him as he was about to board, eyes still flashing in excitement but his face was serious.

"If you need anything, Ed, please just call me. I'll be on the next train back," Ed raised his eye brows as his brother used his name, something he only did when he was trying to get his older brother's undivided attention. Ed gave him a cheeky grin as an answer.

"I'll be fine, Al, but thanks. Have fun. Say hi to everyone for me," at least his enthusiasm sounded real but Al saw right through him, just as he always did. The taller boy stepped up to him and wrapped warm arms around his shoulders, enveloping Ed in the familiar scent and he relaxed. Al would come back. He would always come back.

"I'll see you in a week," Al said as he pulled away, flashing his brother a smile and leaped onto the train as the last call sounded throughout the station, waving before disappearing. Ed stood in the same spot for a good twenty minutes after the last car had slipped from the station and out of sight, curiously lonely. It was so stupid, acting like a kid, as if Al was the big brother. Ed rolled his eyes as he finally walked back to his car, taking note that night had fallen. He looked like the little brother anyway, why not act like one?

He turned the radio in his car up as loud as it would go to fend off the creeping darkness, the bass rumbling through the speakers and the wailing voices screeching almost sharp enough to cut through his chest. Al would yell at him for turning his music up so loud, demanding to know if he wanted to be deaf by the time he was thirty. But Al wasn't here now and he liked the way the sheer weight of the sound kept everything else, including any form of coherent thought, at bay.

The silence of the apartment actually left him breathless and he found himself turning on every light in the house and switching on the TV to dispel the feeling of being so alone. Yet after almost an hour of moving from kitchen to living room to bedroom then back, he realized nothing was helping. It seemed Al had cleaned the entire house, including Ed's nightmare of a room, so he couldn't even occupy his time with that. The books still piled up along the kitchen wall held his interest for about two minutes before he was tossing them away and the TV just pissed him off. And all the while he kept turning around, expecting to see his brother laughing at him for not being able to settle.

Ed wasn't aware of walking into his brother's room until his senses were filled with Al and he blinked, feeling foolish. Indecision froze him in the doorway for a moment, before he was moving forward to slide onto the meticulously made bed, glad the aspirin had dulled the pain in his side somewhat and sprawled out on top of the covers. He didn't care about what was to come the next day. He didn't care that Envy was a complete dick and had beaten the crap out if him. He didn't care he was falling for the man who was about to become his superior officer. He just drifted away, cocooned by the subtle smell that belonged to the one person he cared for most, thinking about nothing and it was wonderful. The dark behind his eyelids that night remained blissfully blank and dreamless.

Al

Al's chest buzzed with almost painful excitement and it was hard to sit still on the bench. Unfortunately, it was too dark outside for the landscape to distract him so he settled for just leaning his forehead against the cool glass and letting the memories of home seep over him. Memories of gold, sweeping fields and friendly smiles and a dog with a metal leg, of open, welcoming blue skies and small little rain storms that ended with fantastic rainbows. There had been sheep and rolling hills and so many wonderful trees to climb. A place so unlike Central it was painful and Al's heart rejoiced that he would see it once again.

It had been a long time since he had been in Resembol. Winry, who was Ed's automail mechanic, came to central to give him routine tune ups. While Al always loved seeing her, for more reasons than one, he missed home. Al had never seen Central as home but he would never tell his brother that he wasn't happy in the city. Ed had very good reasons for not wanting to live in Resembol and Al would go anywhere rather than be parted from his older brother. It didn't stop the longing in his heart, though.

Despite his excitement, however, a shadow clouded his heart. He had never left his brother alone before, as the older boy was his anchor. They had never spent a night not in close proximity. It might have been an unconscious thing, as they had been so close to losing each other completely that night so long ago that now they feared parting for even a night, and the thought of being without Ed for an entire week was unsettling. Al told himself he was being foolish, that he could call Ed whenever he needed to but he knew it wasn't the same. And he had seen the answering shadow in Ed's golden eyes before he had stepped onto the train, the desire to say something, to ask Al not to go but not wanting to take anything from the younger boy. It was in that moment, Al had never loved his brother more.

A sudden thought constricted his heart as he thought about Ed. The older teen would be completely alone while Al would at least have people in the house with him where he was staying. Then, almost as soon as that thought was darkening his mood, another one replaced it. An image of his brother staring into the bathroom mirror, hand on the cut on his cheek, a faraway look on his face. He had looked…happy. Well, maybe that wasn't quite right but Al couldn't think of any other word to describe the expression he had seen on Ed's face. Al knew who the older boy had been thinking of. It had been Ed's voice that had brought him to the bathroom door in the first place, to find out why the shorter teen had said Colonel Mustang's name. Apparently, he had been completely unaware of doing it.

Al watched as his reflection in the train's window grinned manically back at him. He got the sudden feeling his brother wouldn't be as lonely as he feared and all at once his happy excitement from before returned, sharpened with the new revelation.

Al couldn't wait for the train ride to be over…

Ed

He woke gradually the next morning in a familiar bed that wasn't his and had to think through the haze of happy sleep to remember the night before. This was Al's room. He had enough firing brain cells to remember that much but beyond that was a fuzzy blur hidden behind a wall of the first unbroken sleep he'd had in a long time. Ed was distracted by the light filtering in through the window and he blinked at it for a moment. Was it bad that it was so bright already? At the realization that he might have overslept, Ed panicked, flailing to get out of the bed and ended rolling painfully off the edge and onto the floor, his ribs giving him a blinding reminder that they were in fact broken and hadn't approved of the treatment. Gasping and eyes watering, he lifted himself up half way to peer at the clock on Al's night stand and nearly collapsed in relief. 6:15. He had plenty of time. He shuddered to think about being late today of all days. This wasn't high school. He had no doubt that insubordination wasn't tolerated very well.

After giving himself a moment to calm down, he struggled to his feet and stumbled into the bathroom so he could take a nice long shower and rewrap his ribs. As the warm water ran over him, washing way soap suds, it hit him that he wasn't going to finish school. It was kind of dumb now that he thought about it, dropping out with only two months of his senior year to go. But then again, he wouldn't be who he was if he thought things out. And he most certainly didn't regret it. What was he going to do with a diploma from a Central city public school?

He dressed in the blue uniform with some hesitancy. Blue wasn't really a good color on him and the material was stiff and alien. He was used to leather and denim. After buttoning up the lapels on the front of the outer jacket, he couldn't help the frown. Maybe it would take some getting used to but he wondered if he could ever like the way he looked in the thing. As he stared at himself in the full length mirror in his brother's room, a stranger stared back at him, looking stern and unapproachable. Ed finally had to turn away and pushed away the urge to strip off the clothing as fast as he could to replace it with something more…him. After all, he reminded himself, this isn't what becoming a State Alchemist was about.

It seemed Al had also gone grocery shopping yesterday as well and as Ed wolfed down a bowl of cereal and some orange juice, he wondered when the younger boy had had time to do everything. Maybe he should start taking notes. At least this day started out a little better than the last. Better yet, he remembered his keys on the way out the door and wouldn't be forced to walk to the military headquarters, which was definitely a plus. The thought made him smile as he slid into his little Eclipse, realizing how under appreciated his poor car was. Unfortunately for him, his day would not continue its smooth track.

**

When he arrived in headquarters, he had been in a little nervous, not knowing what to expect from his first day. He was sure he would receive training, as they couldn't just throw him into the field cold but what that training would entail left him curious. He ignored the looks he received while walking down the halls to Roy's office with little difficulty; he was still in a good mood and he didn't want it ruined. Even if people were wondering why there was a kid walking around in an Ametris uniform. Most didn't notice the silver watch chain hanging from his belt loop. It didn't really matter anyway.

Ed was only a couple minutes early when he stepped into the now-familiar outer office and was greeted with several somewhat familiar faces that all swiveled in his direction when he stepped cautiously in the room. A large blonde with unruly hair that fell over his forehead had a huge grin plastering his face as soon as he saw Ed, and he pushed away from the desk he had been sitting in top of to greet the young man at the door.

"Ah, we were told you going to be here today," he said, blue eyes twinkling in excitement and Ed wondered if this guys was completely stable, " I'm Second Lt. Jean Havoc," the man offered at the guarded look on the shorter blonde's face then leaned down to whisper in a way that suggested conspiracy, "Seems like things are going to be more exciting with you around," and he laughed as he pulled a cigarette from a pocket in his jacket, putting it to his lips without lighting it. Ed was glaring at the man.

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" he snapped just as Hawkeye walking into the room from Roy's office, arms full of papers.

"Ah, Edward, on time, I see," to which she shot an annoyed look at the door she had just exited and Ed felt a smile tug at his lips, wondering if Roy had indeed been late. He greeted her with the proper salute, which made her smile in return before she rounded on Havoc, a steely look coming into her eyes, "Your paperwork better be done before lunch, Second Lt," in a tone of voice that sent the man scrambling back to his desk and the other occupant of the room to duck his dark head and pretend like he had been working the entire time. Hawkeye then shared a look with the young blond officer in front of her, both of them hiding identical grins. Ed had no doubt this woman would become a friend. Well, if he didn't piss her off too much.

"I'm sure the Colonel would like to brief you on your first training assignment," she said after the moment of amusement passed then moved to her own desk to deposit the armload of papers. Ed took a deep breath and walked to the open door of the office where he knew Roy was, knocking on the door jamb.

"Come in," said the deep baritone that sent shivers up Ed's spine. Annoyed at being so susceptible, he marched into the office and tried to ignore the way the dark eyes lit up slightly at his entrance. He stopped right at the desk and folded his arms over his chest, attempting to look unaffected.

"Good morning, sir," was all he said, watching Roy's face war between surprise and amusement at the formal greeting. Apparently the amusement won out because a second later, the smirk that set his heart thumping erratically in his chest was plastered over his handsome face.

"I see. Well, in that case, I have your training assignment and the name you will be known by from now on," he lifted a folder and made to open it but Ed was blinking in confusion.

"Name?" he asked, wondering what the hell could mean and felt a surge of annoyance when that smirk grew.

"Yes, name, Edward. All of the Alchemists are given one. It helps to identify them among the ranks. Mine is the Flame Alchemist," somehow, Ed knew this already and wondered when it had slipped his mind. He dropped his arms and just looked at the man across the desk who was now pulling a few sheets of paper from the yellow folder. The loud bark of laughter caught him off guard. What the hell was the bastard laughing at now? Roy looked back up at him with his lips pressed into an amused line, eyes glittering.

"Well, it seems the Furer has an interesting sense of humor. From now on, you will be known as Fullmetal Alchemist," Talk about irony. Ed blinked and thought for a moment then felt a somewhat feral grin spread across his face. Yeah, he could definitely live with that.

**

The "assignment" he was made to do was nothing more than drills and tests that would continue for the next two weeks as he was assessed as to what type of asset he would be in the ranks. The physical tests were nothing and he aced them with almost perfect scores. Intelligence tests were also issued and these he did get perfect scores on. They weren't easy but Ed wasn't one to give up either and he would be damned if he got anything less than perfect.

The tests themselves were unconventional as they actually had him doing tasks that partnered with recon missions or intelligence information. The last "test" they had him take, if you could call it that, had him on an overnight trip to a town just outside of the city. He had been told the location and the description of the man he was looking for and nothing else. He understood that the test was more about him asking the right questions and finding a lead without alerting anyone to his real intentions.

It seemed he was good at the asking subtle questions part but with his forceful personality and his wide gold eyes, he was a hard person to forget. Ed supposed it was a good thing he wasn't wearing his uniform because that just made him more obvious. His questions and subtle probing through the town didn't seem to raise too much suspicion but after a full day and well into the night, he was unable to find a lead. It was quite possible that, as he had never done such a thing before, he wasn't looking in the right places. Perhaps, he thought as he caught the last bus back to Central, he would speak to Roy about it in the morning.

By that time, Al had come back from his visit to Resembol, looking happier than Ed had ever seen him and slightly tanner too. Even though the younger boy was reluctant to be back in Central, Ed couldn't help the selfish relief that flooded him every time he came home long after the sun went down and his brother would be sitting on the couch or fiddling in the kitchen, waiting for him to come home. It was good to see Al's smile after spending a week by himself.

Between going, well he supposed it could only be called work as he was getting a rather startling income now, and having his brother to come home to, he found a routine he realized he liked, which was saying a lot. Ed never liked anything to do with routine. He didn't like feeling trapped in a box but for some reason this was different. It was a change but he believed it to be a good one, with a direction starting to solidify out of his formally directionless life. Not to mention he enjoyed just being able to talk to Roy every day, to be able to stare at him under the guise of receiving orders as a subordinate.

He didn't realize how much his life was going to change until he arrived at Central the day after the last test and his failure to find a lead and perhaps it wasn't as good of a change as he had thought.

To be continued...