Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or 'No Surprise' by Daughtry

Darkness.

Why was it that most of the Fullmetal Alchemist's life seemed to be shrouded in the dark, no matter how close he was to the sun?

It was like an ominous cloud that hung over him patiently, waiting for the right moments before it lets down a torrential downpour. It was ironic that he had blonde hair the color of gold and eyes that were even brighter to match. Was it so hard to understand the reason why he liked to wear flashy colors?

Maybe the way he saw himself reflected the way he wore his clothes: Black on the inside and bright on the outside, doing just enough good so people wouldn't recognize him because of his dark sins, but for his flashy, and outward demeanor. Just enough flare to hide the evidence of his stupidity.

When people thought of the Fullmetal Alchemist, they would immediately relate it to a blonde wearing a red coat. They never remembered what type of clothing he wore under. The black jacket and the black leather pants that covered his automail. And that was how it was going to stay.

Even when he was no longer here.

"Oi…Colonel Bastard! Stay with me now you hear?!"

The blonde dragged himself over to where his superior was slumped against the wall, his harsh breathing echoing around them in the small alleyway they had gotten trapped in. Roy seemed to be faring much better than Edward, sporting only a large cut on his forehead and some bullets imbedded in his abdomen, but the blood draining from him was enough to make up for it.

The Colonel looked up sharply, only to see his subordinate practically crawling on the pavement towards him, only then did he notice the large metal beam sticking out of Edward's back and the open gash near the side of Edward's head that seemed to leak blood every time he breathed.

"Fuck! Fullmetal! What the hell are you doing?! Stay still or you're never going to make it all the way over here alive!!!"

Gold eyes flashed, glaring into midnight irises as Edward continued to pull himself along with his metal arm, pushing himself with his metal leg, which didn't have a good-sized piece of glass sticking out of it.

"Oh, shut up, bastard. You know full well that I can drag myself at least 10 meters without passing out, so stop fussing like a mother hen!!"

"I would if you didn't have that thing skewering you! It's gone right through! Dammit, Fullmetal! That grating noise hurts my ears!"

Edward dropped lower and gave a long drag, wincing slightly at the pain as the metal moved slightly, but smirked at the annoyed expression on Mustang's face as the metal scraped against the ground, creating a loud screeching sound.

"Alright! ALRIGHT!!! I'll stop fussing!! JUST MAKE IT STOP!!!"

"Good to know we're on the same page."

Pulling himself alongside the man, Edward leaned on the brick wall sideways, smearing blood onto it, and being careful not to jostle the beam to much. He smiled morbidly to himself as he felt a strange feeling of déjà vu wash over him.

"What're you smiling about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just remembering how the same thing happened to me in an abandoned mining city while we were trying to get rid of Kimblee. That time, I was able to save myself because I had help, but now…"

"What?! How come you never told anyone about this??"

"Because Al would kill me for using my life span as energy to heal my wound!!...whoops…"

"YOU WHAT?!"

"I wasn't supposed to say that…"

"I can see now why Alphonse would kill you if you told him!!"

Edward chuckled darkly, not seeing the other's look of concern.

"Well, now he can't. A rebellion beat him to it."

Roy felt a pang of sympathy for the young man in front of him.

Edward Elric had a lot of fire for a man his age, but he could see the flame dying out, smothered by the heaviness of acceptance. Acceptance that he was never going to see his younger brother again.

Even the Flame Alchemist couldn't rekindle that kind of fire.

How many times had Roy Mustang looked at Edward and saw a man worth living for? Roy just stopped seeing Fullmetal as a child, and soon, his affection towards the other alchemist was more than just friendship.

He knew it was wrong, but how could he stop himself? Colonel Mustang was attracted to people who had the kind of fiery determination Edward had. The pyromaniac was an expert in controlling flames, but this was one rebel that he couldn't tame.

Edward Elric was one heck-of-a wild fire.

And for some strange reason, that just attracted him even more.

What could he say? He loved playing with things that could burn your fingers. He was drawn to any kind of spark, and one as bright as this one was a siren calling out to him.

Damn this stupid, irrelevant thing called 'love'.

Edward felt himself starting to slip. He could feel the tiredness bearing down upon him, making him want to close his eyes and just sleep.

But no, he wasn't going to go down without saying some things. Things that had plagued him ever since he saw Roy Mustang as more than a superior officer. It was wrong, and he knew it, but Edward was never one to follow the rules anyway.

In place of the bastard he once saw him as, he saw a leader, someone who could protect him, make him feel safe. Edward wanted to feel an embrace from those strong arms that belonged to someone who seemed to be able to withstand anything. When was the last time he had been hugged by someone? He hadn't even allowed Winry to hug him. Which meant that his last real hug was when his mother was still alive. 9 years since anyone had been able to wrap arms around him.

If this was his last day, he might as well get at least one.

At first, he couldn't actually place the reason why it was Mustang he fell for. It could've been because of his looks, his Xingian ancestry obvious in his facial features, or even the way he spoke, low bass tones that shot through Edward's spine like lightning, and even could've been the way he smelled, a mixture of ash and cologne. It could've been anyone.

But the blonde soon realized that what pulled him towards Roy was the cold strength that emanated from him. The slanted, raven black eyes that didn't sparkle, even when he laughed. Those dark locks that were always a mess, no matter how much he tried to keep it in place. They were all so uniform in coldness and indifference.

Hey, he couldn't help himself, Roy Mustang was someone who had the color black on the outside, but, on the inside, was a bright, burning flame that could keep Edward warm forever.

They were completely different people, but the same in matters of regret.

'Opposites attract after all.'

No matter how wrong they seemed for each other, Edward wanted to hold that flame close to him and never let go. He had been out in the cold for far too long.

Damn this annoying, irritatingly likeable thing called 'love'.

I've practiced this for hours, gone round and round
And now I think that I've got it all down

And as I say it louder I love how it sounds
Cause I'm not taking the easy way out
Not wrapping this in ribbons
Shouldn't have to give a reason why

Edward snapped back into reality. How long had they been here now? It feels as if they'd been here for eternity, but that eternity felt like just a second.

Damn, inevitable death was screwing with his sense of time, and not to mention his coherency. Looking over at the man beside him, he saw Mustang staring blankly up at the darkening sky, seems like he wasn't the only one who's been out of it for the past few hours. But they both had a lot to think about anyway.

Edward saw red pooling at their feet. That much blood lost, huh? Guess the two of them wouldn't last much longer.

"Hey…Colonel Bastard…"

"Hmm…?"

"Mind if I…lean on you…?"

It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow
I can't believe that I stayed till today
Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

It was getting harder and harder to keep the words flowing straight, and, apparently, Mustang had to cut his usual lengthy speeches to one-word syllables too.

Grinding his teeth together, Edward dragged himself a little bit more and rested his head against a broad shoulder. If Edward ever picked a way to die, he'd choose to die like this: During a battle with Mustang by his side. 'I guess some wishes really do come true.'

"We're not…going to…make it through…tonight…are we…?"

"I…guess not…Fullmetal…You should…rest…I know you're….much more tired than…I…am…"

"Oh, shut up…Roy. You know….full well I'm not….going until you're going…too."

Edward felt Roy's sharp intake of breath as he said his name. It was now or never.

"If….I told you I…loved you….what would you….say…?"

It came out like a river once I let it out
When I thought that I wouldn't know how
Held onto it forever just pushing it down
Felt so good to let go of it now
Not wrapping this in ribbons
Shouldn't have to give a reason why

"If I told you…I couldn't live without you….would you think…I….was….lying…? If…I told you….right now…that there is….no place….I'd rather be…than here….with you…would…you push…me…away…? What if….I told you….that I would….go wherever you go….even if…that place was….up there…? What would…you say…?"

Edward looked up, only to be met by intense black eyes. The pale face above him smiled gently and replied.

"That…took you…long enough…"

It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow
I can't believe that I stayed till today
There's nothing here in this heart left to borrow
There's nothing here in this soul left to say
Don't be surprised when we hate this tomorrow
God knows we tried to find an easier way
Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

Roy felt the numbness starting to sweep over him, but he didn't care. If this is what it took to feel this kind of peace, he didn't mind. He'd finally gotten rid of the thing that had been burdening him for how long. He had finally taken what was his ever since he set eyes on it.

That dying wild-fire finally belonged to him.

"Hey…Roy…"

"Yeah…?"

"I'm…starting…to feel…a little cold…"

Roy looked down at the muddy brown irises that were once the color of gold. Time was up. At least they'd be a little comfortable.

Our favorite place we used to go
The warm embrace that no one knows
The loving look that's left your eyes
That's why this comes as no, as no surprise

If I could see the future and how this plays out
I bet it's better than where we are now
But after going through this, it's easier to see the reason why

It's no surprise I won't be here tomorrow
I can't believe that I stayed till today
Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

Finally, finally.

That warm flame he dreamed of was finally his to hold.

Edward felt one strong wrap around his shoulders, pulling him closer so that he was now resting comfortably against the crook of the Colonel's neck. He heard the stuttering heart beat of the one beside him, but it didn't bother him as much as it was supposed to.

He could feel his own heart beating slower and slower as well.

Roy lifted his chin and stared into his eyes, what was once black was now turning even darker as the shine of life slowly ebbed away, giving him a soft kiss on his glistening forehead, and then letting his head return to its previous position later. Soon, there was slight weight on his head; he felt Mustang's spiky hair resting against his hair that was once the color of sunshine, now stained with dried blood.

"Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Roy."

The kiss goodnight, it comes with me
Both wrong and right, our memories
The whispering before we sleep, just one more thing that you can't keep
Our favorite place we used to go
The warm embrace that no one knows
The loving look that's left your eyes
But I know in time we'll find this was no surprise

And at last, the pain disappeared.

But the warmth that they had made traveled with them as they left their cold bodies.

A new, everlasting flame that they would keep alight together.

A/N:

Yes, yes I know I'm supposed to be working on my other fanfic!!! Don't kill me please!! D8

Anyways, I just got inspired to write this. Blame Daughtry and their awesome lyrics.

I finally made them die together~ 8D

Hope you enjoyed it!

-Corsiva V.