This was not how Roy imagined recuperating. He was supposed to be resting and he'd hoped it would be mental as well as physical. This clearly was going to happen. His mind kept wandering to Al, how much he knew… what did he remember? Shit, if Al even so much as hinted at knowing, Ed would catch on like lightning. \

It was predawn, and these worries kept the Colonel up. He was exhausted, but not one eye would flitter closed. He was greeted instead, but soft pink hues of dawn, sneaking in through the shutters and cheerfully bounding off the bed. He groaned in despair contemplating his chances of successfully getting out of bed and getting to Al. He figured it would hurt like hell, and possibly do some damage, but it could be done, it would be done if this was war. And in a way it was, a war of wills between himself and the blonde or at least it would be if Ed even suspected… Roy shuddered at the thought. He didn't sacrifice this damn much for Ed to run off again, and run off he would, if not out of anger than to find some solution to the newly arisen problem.

He eyed Ed's sleeping form tenderly. The blonde was curled on his side like a kitten, facing him. The band keeping the famous Elric braid had come undone and the gold tresses swallowed up the hospital pillow in a wave of gold. Roy's gut panged in want, he could see himself running his fingers through them and shivered in pleasure at the very thought. The image of a flushed Ed from yesterday hand at his lips brought on an uncalled for hardness between his thighs. Well, Roy thought, as he tented the sheet to check if it was very visible, he was glad it was early and no nurse would come in for another two hours at best.

"What the hell are you doing Colonel?"

Roy's head snapped up as his head went absolutely blank of any decent explanation. Ed's husky morning voice flowed over him and he didn't miss the mean chuckle that followed as Ed stretched out lazily and arched his back, moaning as the tightness left his body.

Roy's mind flashed to the zoo trip he was invited to last year. Officially, the Amestrian Zoo opened up and all the higher ranks were to attend. Roy was fascinated by a few of the animals, especially the Tiger; it outstripped the pack of Lions in weight and in bearing. It was regal, and usually solitary. Though the big cat was an accomplished killer, it was stretched out on the ground in the most lazy of positions, eyeing the people that hoarded around it with distaste.

That was Ed, Roy realized. Minus the stripes.

Roy glowered at the chuckling blonde, realizing with a heavy heart that if he hoped for a chance to get rid of his erection previously, there would be little chance of that now.

Ed flashed him a grin so catlike that Roy rolled his eyes at his own fate. "I was checking my bandages, if you must know." He huffed back, trying not to grin at his flash of genius.

Ed's eyebrows shot up in obvious disbelief, but he wasn't pushing the argument. Instead, he slid into a sitting position and ran a hand through his hair. "Ugh, feels like I haven't washed in a month." He groaned. "Is there a bathroom anywhere around here?"

"There is" Roy nodded, plan already brewing. "But you'll have to take a trip trhee floors down from here. Its in the basement, and there's also a cafeteria." He added, with a pleasant voice. "Knock yourself out."

"I'll try not to." Ed chuckled and grabbed his coat as he went, throwing it on before his hand touched the door. "Is there anything you need Colonel? Something you want?"

Roy smiled in gratitude. Ed's show of concern was touching, especially since he'd never seen the Blonde go out of his way for anyone other than Al. "Ill be fine, go."

Ed nodded and slipped out quietly, and this was exactly what Roy wanted. Technically, there was a bathroom on every floor of the Hospital, but directing Ed to the one furthest down not only spared his some extra time, but the cafeteria added a buffer Ed wuldnt be able to resist. Battle stratedy at it's finest, Roy patted himself on the back mentally and began to check for what he could unplug out of himself first. There were two tubes in his right arm, and a thimble thing on his middle finger. He quickly got rid of it all and proceeded to unstuck the shit that was glued to his chest. Job completed, he looked around for a crutch or something of the sort; nothing.

xXx

This was much fucking harder than he imagined it to be. His legs gave out almost as soon as he tried to get up, and besides the striking pain in his side, his head begun to hammer away like a construction site.

"damn damn damn" he whispered to himself all the way to the door. A feat he managed by shuffling along the wall and taking way too long for his liking. But it was done, he looked back to his bed with pride. Let Hawkeye call him a slacker now.

Speaking of Hawkeye, he didn't know if there was anyone outside the door. He hoped not, though there must be someone hanging around because the woman would go mad just leaving him be. He cracked the door open and peeked out. The hall was dark, the night lights still on only every four lamps or so, and this provided him with extra camouflage that he would really need in crossing the hall with nothing to hold on to.

He'd overthunk this enough, Roy decided and without hesitation, stepped out.

This was a mistake he realized, since a whole other group of muscles was needed for perfect balance and his happened to be stitched and giving way. He realized when a drop of crimson appeared on his nightgown.

The four steps was excruciating, and Roy broke a sweat from both the pain and humiliation at being so incapable of movement. When his hand touched the handle to Al's room he heaved a loud sigh of relief. He slipped inside quickly.

The lights were off, and Al was snoring. Roy couldn't help but smile in happiness at seeing the boy in human form at last. Yes, everything was worth it after all, every last goddamned stitch.

He clicked on the table light and gently shook Al's arm as he slid into the bedside chair. He hoped Al wasn't a sound sleeper, because he was feeling woozy and had no clue how much before he'd pass out.

"Al, Al please wake up." He whispered, leaning over and smiled when Al's greenish eyes creaked and fluttered right open.

"Colonel!" he exclaimed, trying to readjust his position. Roy held him down. "No need for that Al, we haven't much time."

Al nodded, all of a sudden looking grave. "You've come to ask me… Ed, Ed doesn't know does he?"

Roy shook his head, relief flooding him over Al's judgement. "He doesn't remember any of it, thank God, or else he wouldn't be here, as you and I well know."

Al nodded. "I caught myself yesterday because he ran in almost crying, saying that we did it." He looked at Roy's bandages and the wound, which had gotten a bit bigger. "He said 'we' and I knew better." He looked into Roy's eyes – the same spark of intelligence his brother possessed, the same keen intellect… But Al didn't create that spark within Roy that Ed did, nor that rush of heady need. For Roy, Al was more like family.

"How much do you know then? How much do you remember?"

Al's eyes roamed the ceiling as he swallowed hard. "Everything…"

"You'll have to keep this a secret forever Al, as long as I'm alive, Ed must never learn of the deal."

"Don't even talk like that!" Al snapped, reminding Roy more of Ed than his usual composed nature. "It wont come to that…"

"If anything happens to any of you, I will use the third chance to help, don't count on it being any different Al, and then, well.. I don't know if I die, or if I have one more chance to go.. or maybe he just takes over my body.. I have no clue really, and that was bad planning on my part. But it was a chance I had to take to save you and Ed."

Al sat speechless, his hands were shaking slightly, and Roy covered them with his own, trying to be assuring. "You would have done the same for me, I know this, and it was high time to end this journey, you know that Al. Ed was killing himself trying anyway, and I don't believe there is a way to bring a body back without meddling in some serious stone business. I think the deal that was given me was possibly the easiest and safest way out of this. Though I do think it was premeditated by that thing; and that in itself is unnerving."

"Brother said that he dreamed it up, and then that letter…" Al frowned. "It knew you would come after us, and it was you it wanted…" Al broke off, looking scared. "It knows us better than we thought it does… all of us."

Roy nodded. "Now I ask you again Al, keep Ed out of this, we will all live longer with him not knowing." He laughed gently, Al smiling faintly, as if through a haze of thoughts Roy knew were plaguing him already. "That goes for you too Al, you're no better than Ed when it comes to things like this. Don't try to make it better, it's the best we're going to get."

"And its your ass on the line now, and only yours." Al growled. When it was us, at least Ed and I had each other, we fucked up together and risked everything together. Who do you have Colonel?"

"Well, in my defense, my situation isn't anything like yours." Roy said, slightly ruffled by Al's condemning tone. "I'm still me."

"And you don't have to gamble your life to save anyone else's, of course, how stupid of me to even suggest it." Al's anger wasn't something Roy had planned on. He realized he wasn't at all prepared for that. "Ok, so I did what I think was right.. Al, listen to me." Roy leaned over and looked into his eyes. "I'd do it all, all again just to find myself sitting here with you bitching at me." He smiled. "It was well worth it."

Al flopped back into his pillow. "I'm not through with you yet Colonel. I just need to sleep on this for now." His eyes were already closing and his voice faint.

Roy nodded and stood – too quickly. He fell to the floor and hissed in pain as he felt something rip in his side. It was a small tingling and escalated to knife-like jolts. The light was on suddenly, and through a haze of pain he heard alarmed voices before he was out.

xXx

When he came to, there was silence, no people around him, though he was sure that there were many when he was last awake. He opened his eyes and the room spun quickly, he closed them and groaned. He opened them again and there was Fullmetal, standing over him, hands in pockets, glaring. "What the fuck were you thinking?" He hissed.

Roy was in no condition to answer, he felt like if he opened his mouth he'd be sick. He turned away his head and looked out the window. The sun was setting, so he'd been out a while then.

"This isn't the fucking evening you last woke up to, in case you were wondering."

Well damn, he's been out a bit longer then.

A finger came around, turning his head gently yet firmly back in the direction of the seething blonde. "What were you thinking idiot?! They found you in Al's room. He couldn't get up, but he pressed the emergency button and they came running. Imagine their delight when they found you passed out, bleeding and barely with a pulse. The fucking picture of responsibility and military perfection." Ed was furious. Roy had initially thought that he was a bit pissed, joking perhaps, but Ed was genuinely steaming at the ears.

"Why…" he would throw up, this much he knew. "would you care?" He tried to take a deep cleansing breath, but his aching ribcage refused to cooperate.

"I don't want to see you die because of a fucking stupid sense of judgement!"Ed hissed in his ear. "Just when I gained Al… I would lose… don't ever fucking do that again, nevermind, you wont, because Im not leaving here, not. Ever."

"Al?" Roy wheezed.

"They'll have to wheel him in. Obviously you cant be fucking trusted."

Roy chuckled through stringing lung pain. Ed had no idea…

"Theres nothing funny about this asshole! I almost lost you!" Roy met his eyes then. They were large and bright, there was fear and relief behind the anger, lots and lots of anger. Ed was good at getting angry fast.

"Hurtin'.. my ears…" Roy mumbled, hoping Ed would catch on.

"Yeah, well like a give a…"

Roy was happy with the timing, he managed to lift his arm and Ed was so mad he didn't see the tug coming, he pulled the blonde down and Ed had just enough time left to throw up his hands to break the fall. Plenty enough time for Roy to capture that surprised mouth in his. He smiled as he felt Ed go still. He nudged the lips above his open with his tongue and they did, the heated breath smelled of coffee and vanilla. "Im hungry, all of a sudden." He husked, not breaking their gentle contact.

"Hmmm same." Ed whispered, ad his tongue rubbed Roy's on its way to lick at the brunettes swollen lip. "very"

Roy wanted to stay like that forever, the curtain of Ed's bangs filtered out the ugly hospital room and the sensous movement of the man above him had him going crazy. He moaned once, and then suppressed a hick of pain. Ed untangled himself quickly, breathing heavily. Roy looked on with satisfaction at the hot mess he turned the blonde into. "Mmm still starving." He growled, smiling lightly as Ed ran his hand nervously through his hair. "yeah well there's some might pissed off people out there, and they're all waiting to collectively skin you." He looked from the door back to Roy, his eyes bright. "And I was supposed to tell them as soon as you woke up."

"But you decided to take the first bite, pun intended." Roy smirked.

"Well, this wasn't what I was going for but yes, essentially, something of that sort." Ed flushed.

"And how's that going for ya?

"I'd say I got my fair share." Ed smiled wickedly, sauntering to the door and throwing it open. There stood Hawkeye, Breda, Feury, Armstron and to Roy's utter terror, Madame Christmas, who elbowed her way to the front of the pack. They looked ready to kill.

"Ladies and gentlemen" Ed announced. "He's all yours."

AN: Hope you like!