A/N Long chapter to make up for the short one last time ;) And a day early hehe. Hope you enjoy!

The sun's rays hit Roy's face, making him wince. His body was stiff, his neck ached. He groaned, eyes fluttering open. His head was resting in his crossed arms, which were resting on a book…

He'd fallen asleep in the library.

He turned his head, watching Ed rub at his eyes. They'd both fallen asleep in the library.

No dreams. He couldn't remember if he'd had any, and he hoped Ed didn't remember either. Maybe they'd both been so exhausted they'd been out cold.

"Good morning," Roy muttered. Ed grunted in response. His eyes were bloodshot, he looked like he hadn't slept at all in days, and from the way he felt Roy was sure he didn't look much better.

Ed looked out the window at the daylight. "What time is it?"

Roy dug out his pocket watch. "Almost eight."

Ed grunted again, slouching back in his chair. "I need to call Al and tell him I'm not coming over."

Roy nodded. "And I need to meet with Grumman."

They both paused, and stared at each other, the golden thread between them glowing in silence.

Roy sighed. "We call Alphonse first and then go to Grumman."

Ed grunted in dismay, casually undoing his braid and running his fingers through his hair. Roy paused, and stared. For some reason the sight of Ed with his hair down seemed very…private. Roy couldn't recall a time he'd seen Ed with his hair down fully, and not just bits of it that had come undone from his braid or ponytail. He watched as Ed redid his braid in seconds, throwing it once again over his shoulder.

He gave Roy an odd look as he stood from his chair. "Let's go."

Five minutes later, Roy was leaning against the wall of the library, trying to look like he wasn't listening as Ed used the front desk phone to call Alphonse.

It was impossible not to listen, considering he was basically right next to Ed.

Ed hadn't told Al the specifics - didn't want to worry him - and instead shamelessly put the blame on Roy, calling him a bastard who took back his approval of his leave and wanted to send him on a mission. Roy listened, unamused, as Ed blatantly bashed him to Alphonse.

If that was what Ed said about him in front of him, Roy didn't want to know what Ed had told Al about him in private.

It was a miracle the younger Elric didn't absolutely despise him.

"I'm sorry, Al. I'll get on the first train whenever the bastard lets me."

Ed didn't look at him once, his fingers of his free hand twirling around the phone cord. The little shit was good at lying, he'd give him that. How many times had Ed lied to him and he'd been none the wiser?

The phone call ended, and Roy gave Ed a deadpan look, letting him know just how much he appreciated the bashing. Ed just flashed him a sarcastic smile.

The walk to Central Headquarters was a short one. Ed strolled in front of Roy as he seemed to like to do, and Roy let it slide. He still felt guilty about the situation he'd put them in, so he let Ed have some leeway with his disrespect. Not that he hadn't been giving Ed some leeway the entire time he'd known the blond…

Roy absently watched Ed's braid swish back and forth as he walked, his long red coat following behind him.

What was he going to tell Grumman? Shit, what a mess.

Once they passed the front desk and were greeted by the receptionist, Ed must've decided his little show of dominance was over, cause he stopped and waited until Roy was beside him to start walking again. Together, they headed up to the Fuhrer's office.

The higher they went the more stares they received. It wasn't that unusual for Roy to be so far up the building; he was a General after all. But for Ed to be next to him, hands casually in his pockets…perhaps that didn't happen everyday. Roy couldn't even recall the last time he and Ed walked down the hallways side by side. Perhaps never.

Grumman's receptionist smiled at them in greeting, but Roy could see the question in her eyes.

"Is he expecting you, General?" A glance at Ed. "Major."

Roy inclined his head in apology. "Apologies, I haven't called in advance, but please let him know I'm here."

She nodded, pursing her lips. "I'll ask if he can see you, give me a second."

With that, she knocked on the big wooden doors, and promptly slipped inside. A few seconds passed and then she ushered them in.

Grumman was sitting at his desk, his elbows on the dark wood and his chin resting on his interlocked fingers.

Roy snapped a perfect salute, Ed next to him with his hands in his pockets.

The Fuhrer surveyed the two of them through his round glasses and gave them a smile, which was partly hidden by his grey moustache. "What an interesting visit. Please take a seat. Fullmetal, haven't seen you in a while, how're you doing, boy?"

Ed smiled as they both took a seat at the two armchairs by the desk. "I'm good, thanks."

"And how's your brother?"

Ed's smile widened. "He's recovering nicely."

Roy cleared his throat. While Grumman could have polite conversation for hours, genuinely interested in catching up, Roy needed to bear this bad news sooner rather than later. They needed to get back to the library, even if his body was screaming for a bed and a good night's sleep.

"I am here to report on the situation in the East, sir."

Grumman's eyebrows lifted, his friendly demeanour turning slightly more serious. He glanced at Ed. "I am assuming you took Fullmetal with you?"

Roy nodded. "Yes, sir."

He explained their findings in the two towns, of people having their souls bound together, of the alchemy coming from a woman traveller. And finally…

"We were caught off guard, sir, and now the alchemy has affected Fullmetal and I. I request permission for us to spend our working hours in Central library to research - we do not know the side effects of this alchemy, or the potential consequences, it is vital we act fast."

He conveniently left out the bit about it being his fault.

Ed was once again silent next to him. He'd slouched in his chair and seemed to be trying to keep himself awake. Perhaps they truly needed some sleep before they tackled any more books.

Grumman was silent and frowning, surveying them both opposite him. "So you're saying your souls are now bonded?"

Roy nodded, his face solemn. "Yes, sir. We are physically unable to leave each other's side."

He also left out the bit about their souls 'longing for each other' or whatever the woman had said. The last thing he needed was for speculation to start about his and Ed's relationship.

Grumman sighed, shaking his head. "I approve your request. Please keep me updated on your progress. I want regular reports. Meanwhile, I'll send out a search party for this woman you described." Then he looked back at Ed, a smile gracing his lips. "It was nice to see you again, boy, you look healthy."

Ed gave another small, genuine smile, and Roy ignored the slight irritation in his gut. Ed had never smiled at him like that, and he'd done more for the blond than Fuhrer Grumman. No, all he got was 'bastard' this 'bastard' that…

He was being ridiculous.

As they left Grumman's office, Ed was once again in front of him as they walked down the hallway. Roy pursed his lips in irritation.

"We need to inform my team."

Ed paused, turning back to him with an almost bored expression. He shrugged, stifling a yawn. "You go tell them and I'll meet you in the libr-"

He cut himself off before Roy could, and heaved a heavy, tired sigh that had Roy's guts twisting in guilt again.

Ed should be in Resembool with his family, being carefree and happy, not here heaving heavy sighs of exhaustion and stress.

He scowled, stuffing his hands in his pockets and began walking again. "Fine, let's go."

Roy sighed, rubbing at his dry, tired eyes. He was on his second book of the day, and his notepad still sat mostly empty next to him on the table. Ed had moved himself to the floor, papers and books open all around him as he studied.

Everything about Ed was chaotic, even the way he researched.

Roy glanced at the clock. It had been five hours since he had entered his office, his team in their respective seats, doing paperwork like everything was normal. Like they'd just had a normal ass day and a good night's sleep and Roy and Ed weren't soul bonded.

Hawkeye had seemed alarmed, Havoc and Breda tried to find the humour in it - "So you and the boss now have to take a shit next to each other?" Snicker - and Fuery and Falman seemed concerned. He'd given Hawkeye permission to put them all in their place and to ensure the office didn't crumble in his absence, and they promptly left.

After this ordeal was over Roy didn't think he ever wanted to sit in a library again.

Ed hadn't spoken to him in five hours. He realised, with a wince, that they hadn't eaten in those five hours either. No wonder he was struggling to concentrate. Ed, of course, seemed completely engrossed in his reading.

He stood from his seat, his back screaming as he stretched. "I'm going to get us food, Fullmetal."

Ed didn't react, so Roy started walking away, until a familiar tug had him stopping in his tracks.

He sighed.

Walking over to Ed, he gave him a quick kick to the side. Ed jumped a mile, whirling around to him with wide eyes.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Roy glared down at him. "I'm hungry."

Ed grunted, rubbing his temples. "Fine, sheesh. No need to fucking kick me."

After ensuring their research would remain untouched, thanks to some charming of the library staff on Roy's part, they decided to have a quick lunch at the cafe next to the library. Ed wanted to take the food in the library and carry on reading, but Roy was having none of it, plopping himself down at a table.

"I'm having my lunch break, Fullmetal, and I'm going to enjoy it."

Ed just rolled his eyes as he sat down opposite him, and Roy pushed the irritation he felt down. He needed to get some food in him or else he would truly pick a fight with Ed.

When his food came, he could've cried.

Ed was scoffing down his meal like his life depended on it - Roy took his time, savouring it. He wasn't an animal.

"What are we gonna do when we eventually need to sleep?"

Roy blinked at Ed's words, looking up from his food. It was tempting to declare they wouldn't sleep until they'd sorted this mess - the mess he'd created - but he didn't know how long that would be. Already, he was exhausted, all he wanted was his warm bed.

But the thought of Ed seeing his dreams - and nightmares - was still grating on him.

"I'll see your dreams and you'll see mine, the violation is equal so I suppose we just don't speak of it."

Ed cocked his head to the side, and when Roy glanced at him, he thought he looked…amused.

"You scared of me seeing your dreams, Mustang?"

Roy's eyes narrowed as a feeling bloomed in his chest - that unsettled embarrassment again. He refused to let it show, his expression remaining blank, composed.

Ed smirked, and it put Roy on edge.

With an air of nonchalance, he said, "Is that not what you were asking, Fullmetal? I assume you also have things you'd rather keep private."

Ed's chuckle was low, and Roy let his eyebrows furrow in confusion. "I was asking where I was going to sleep, since I'm assuming you'd rather be dead than sleep at the dorms with me."

Roy blinked, his mind blanking. Shit, of course. They had to be in close proximity to each other. His brain had truly stopped functioning - he really needed to sleep.

Taking a gulp of his water, he thought of how this would play out. "I suppose you'll have to stay at mine."

Ed's smirk widened. "Don't sound so excited about it."

Sarcastic little shit. Roy glared at him, putting his water down. "I'm truly thrilled, can't you tell?"

But he was feeling more anxious than annoyed. This whole situation was putting him on edge. Ed put him on edge, but he never let it show. He just didn't know what to expect from the blond. They'd had such a weird relationship over the years that Roy sometimes didn't know how to act. It was so strictly professional between them Roy didn't even find it appropriate to ask him a friendly question. And now he would be inviting him to his home, to sleep at his home, for Truth knew how long.

It was only normal to be slightly nervous about it.

Ed chuckled, leaning back in his chair as he gazed at Roy. It made Roy feel on the spot, that golden gaze piercing. The familiar heat crawled up his neck, but he didn't let it show. He decided to focus once again on his food, using his knife and fork to cut into the sausage, his expression blank.

"That's so interesting," Ed said after a moment of staring.

Roy braced himself - for what, he didn't know. Without looking up, he made sure he sounded bored as he said, "Is me eating my food interesting to you, Fullmetal?"

"I make you nervous."

Roy froze, blinking at his food but not really seeing it. His gaze slowly rose to meet Ed's amused face. "Excuse me?" A careful, cautious question. His face blank, calm, collected.

But his heart was hammering in his chest.

That only seemed to amuse Ed more. "You always seem so put together, I used to wonder if you even felt emotion, but now…" He lifted his right hand, the golden thread a reminder of the mess they were in. "I can feel it - why are you nervous?"

Only years of military training had Roy's blank mask perfectly intact as he said, "I am nervous about our situation, Fullmetal. Something which, interestingly, you do not seem to be."

Ed shrugged. "I've been in worse situations. Spending all my time with you is just a giant pain in my ass, but we don't seem to be in any life threatening danger, so I'm not panicking just yet."

A giant pain in his ass. That's what he was to Ed. An image flashed in his head, but he blocked it out so fast it didn't even register. For a second he wondered if Ed was secretly hiding his own nervousness about the situation, but the only anxiety he felt was his own. For some reason, Ed's calmness about this eased a bit of the tension Roy felt. If Ed wasn't panicking, it meant he thought they would find a way out - they would find a way to unbind their souls.

Roy just hoped they found it sooner rather than later.

He wanted a shower. And his bed. And to get out of this goddamn uniform.

The library chair dug into his back, numbing his ass - it made his whole body ache. Ed was on the floor again, papers and books around him. He absently wondered how Ed's back wasn't permanently deformed from his horrific posture.

He surveyed the books in front of him, his notebook on his right. There wasn't as much information about soul alchemy as he would've liked. Soul alchemy was complex; not many people had studied it in depth. It was likely most people didn't even know where to begin - and the fact that it was in the taboo territory of human transmutation also added to the limited text. Roy himself only had very limited knowledge on the subject, partly because of Ed and Al's situation and his brief encounter with the Gate of Truth. Ed seemed to understand a bit more, as his notebook was a few pages fuller than Roy's, but still. There had been nothing on the bonding of two souls.

Roy sighed, leaning back in his chair.

And he needed to piss. Badly.

The sun was once again dipping, golden light flowing in through the window. Roy was getting hungry again - he felt utterly drained. Not just physically, but emotionally too. The stress he felt about this situation had exhausted him, his body being on constant alert for two days now. All he wanted to do was flop down on his couch and feel sorry for himself.

"Can we please take these books and go somewhere else?"

Ed blinked, looking up at him from the floor with a mildly amused expression. "You wanna read about soul alchemy in the park?"

"No, but we could at least take the books back to mine and sit on a couch, these chairs are slowly killing my spine."

Ed's lips twitched up into a small smirk, and Roy felt the embarrassment crawl up his neck with a searing heat, but he just pursed his lips. He'd fallen right into that one.

His heart was pounding as Ed predictably said, "You're old that's why."

"I'm not."

Ed snickered.

In the beat of silence that followed, Roy thought Ed was going to go back to reading and ignore his request to leave completely, but then he asked, "How old are you anyway?"

Roy lifted a brow. "You've been under my command for seven years and don't even know my age?"

Ed shrugged. "I never asked."

Roy cleared his throat, trying to ignore the small embarrassment he felt. He wasn't old, by any means. Ed had been calling him old since the day they met, and Roy had been 25 then, the youngest Lieutenant Colonel in Amestris, courtesy of his actions in Ishval. "I'm 32 this year."

Ed hummed, casually leaning back on his hands. Amusement danced in his eyes, and Roy tried to avoid them. "I'm 19 this year."

Roy glared. "I know."

Ed smirked at him, and went back to his book. But Roy couldn't concentrate, the uncomfortable feeling in his chest prominent. After another beat of silence, Ed shrugged and stood up.

"Let's go to yours then."

When Roy unlocked his front door, it felt like he hadn't been in his house for weeks. It had only been two days. He quickly kicked off his boots and sighed in relief.

Everything was how he'd left it before he and Ed hopped on a train for a journey that would damn them. His coffee mug was on the coffee table, a newspaper next to it. As he shrugged off his uniform jacket, he noticed the dirty takeaway dishes from the night before the mission were still in a bag on the kitchen table.

In that moment, he realised Ed had never been to his house before. The urge to tidy rose in his chest, but he had to act casual - Ed wouldn't care if his place was a mess anyway, he'd stayed at much dirtier places. The knowledge didn't stop Roy's mind from going into every room and trying to remember the state he'd left it in.

Ed hung his coat by the door and kicked off his boots before walking into the living room. Like the nosey little shit he was, he took a good look around, looking into the kitchen through the archway, before plopping his ass on the couch. Roy noticed he'd left the two bags he was carrying - books - by the door, so Roy grabbed them alongside his own, and set them on the coffee table in front of Ed.

"Nice place," he said casually.

"Thanks," Roy said tensely, rolling up the sleeves of his white button up shirt. His place wasn't anything flashy or special; he chose to spend his General salary on other things…like constantly eating out and never cooking.

As Ed reached forward to grab the book he'd been reading, Roy said, "I need the bathroom."

Ed rolled his eyes and wordlessly followed Roy up the stairs. He leaned against the wall by the bathroom door as Roy disappeared inside and swiftly emptied his bladder. Those few precious seconds where he was alone in a room and Ed wasn't a thorn in his side were much appreciated.

As he exited the bathroom, he glanced at Ed. "Your turn."

Ed shrugged. "Don't really need it but might as well."

"I don't think I've seen you drink a single drop of water today."

Before he disappeared inside the bathroom, he said, "Al always tells me I struggle to drink water." With that, he shut the door.

Roy shook his head and leaned against the wall as Ed had done. How did one struggle to drink water?

An hour later, Roy had rang his favourite Xingese takeaway and he and Ed had books sprawled all over his living room. They were both sat on the floor by the coffee table, having realised that the couch was too high up to comfortably take notes. It was still comfier than the library chairs.

Ed was eating his noodles like a starved man, while Roy's mind was elsewhere, his bowl in his lap.

"What if we don't find a way to reverse this?"

Ed looked up at him, noodles hanging from his mouth.

Roy continued, his gaze on the books in front of them. "What if we stay like this for weeks, months, years."

"Mustang, it's been a day."

He glared at the blond next to him, who was once again eagerly slurping noodles into his mouth.

Ed was used to this, he realised. He was used to being the victim of some powerful, fucked up alchemy. He was used to researching day and night in the library. He knew it took time, that he just had to persevere. It took him six years to recover his brother's body. But Roy had only been the victim of alchemy like this when he witnessed the Gate, and his vision had been stripped in the process. As frustrating as that had been, a philosopher's stone had solved the problem.

But this. This had derailed his entire routine, his schedule, his life. It disrupted everything, and there was no philosopher's stone to fix it.

His mind went back to what the traveller had told them. Maybe the way out of this was hidden in her words, even though they'd barely made any sense.

Ed set the now empty bowl on the floor and went back to reading. Roy worried his bottom lip as he thought.

"What if the array really was triggered by our souls?"

Ed rubbed his temple as he turned to look at him. "I think we need sleep."

Yes, yes they did.

Roy glanced at the clock; it was 8PM. Too early for him to go to sleep usually but right now he was just so tired.

Grunting as he stood up off the floor, he stretched his back. Ignoring the small, teasing smirk Ed shot his way, he said, "I'll show you to the spare room."

The spare room was upstairs, down the hall from his master bedroom and further past the bathroom. It was relatively small; it had a double bed, a small wardrobe and a desk, which Roy predominately used as storage so it had boxes all over it.

He was too tired to be embarrassed about it.

"I'm off to have a shower, because if I don't I will die."

Ed snorted, undoing his braid once again and letting his hair loose. He ran his fingers through, untangling the knots. "You're so dramatic."

As he went to close the door, he hesitated, realising Ed hadn't brought anything with him. "Do you need any spare clothes?"

Ed shrugged and, in one fluid motion, had his tank top over his head. Roy had seen many men shirtless before in his military days, but he made sure his gaze stayed in Ed's general direction out of politeness and professionalism. "I usually sleep in my boxers anyway."

"Right." With that, Roy shut the door and went straight to the bathroom. He could feel a tug in his chest - the damn bond making him want to go closer to Ed but, as it wasn't painful, he decided to deal with it. The bathroom was basically next to the spare room anyway.

He damn soul could deal with a bit of separation.

When Roy emerged from the bathroom, he felt like a new man. The hot water had eased all the stress from the past two days, and had lulled him into a sense of calm.

The whole twenty minutes without Ed had also been a heavenly addition.

He was so ready for bed.

But as he absently walked towards his bedroom, towel drying his hair, the tug in his chest turned into a stab, and he hissed, clutching his chest.

A second later, Ed emerged from the spare room, shirtless and pantless, looking extremely annoyed. "Ow, what the fuck?"

Roy glared at him from down the hallway. "I was only walking to my bedroom."

Ed's face turned blank, and he blinked. With a groan, he let his head fall against the doorframe in a soft thud. "You're telling me your two bedrooms are too far from each other?"

Roy paused. He felt a rising panic as he realised what this meant. There was no way he was sharing his room with Ed. He would never be able to sleep knowing Edward Elric was in his bedroom, sleeping next to him in his bed. No way. Too far.

Just no.

Ed seemed to share the sentiment, as he turned his glare back into the spare room. Then back at Roy. "Help me carry this mattress. I'll sleep in the damn hallway."

A few minutes later had them dumping the spare bedroom mattress on the floor by Roy's bedroom door. They made sure Ed was as far away as he possibly could be without them feeling a tug. Roy entering his room multiple times and sitting on his bed to check made him feel pathetic, but he needed this - this tiny bit of privacy. Or he'd go insane.

He stared at the mattress on the floor, a mere step away from his bedroom door. "Right, can I go to bed now?"

Ed glared at him. "I want a shower too, bastard."

Roy wanted to set something on fire, perhaps Ed.

A/N Reviews are looveee