"Ed," complained the empty suite of armor, following his brother around like a helpless puppy, "You're sick, you need to stay home today."

Ed sat down at the kitchen table refusing to admit how sick his face showed he was. Sweat beaded his brow and his cheeks were a slight greenish red tint. "No, Al I'm fine, I don't need to stay home."

Al put his hands on his hollow hips. Sometimes, he could be more of a mother than a younger brother. "If you're fine then why did I catch you puking in the bathroom this morning?"

Ed didn't meet his brothers crimson eyes. He actually knew he wasn't fine, he's known for a few days now, but he'd been able to hide it pretty well . . . until Al caught him in the bathroom this morning, puking his guts into the toilet. He had been in there for a few hours, but he had told his brother a few minutes, ten at the most. Still, Ed was going to play this out as long as possible. The less Al worried about him the better.

"I ate something that didn't agree with me last night in the cafeteria."

Al moved his arms from his hips to in front of his chest. In one movement he had turned from an annoyed mother to a hard-headed father. "Ed, you ate the same thing Colonel Mustang and Havoc and everyone else ate! And none of them are sick!"

Just as Ed was about to answer, the sound of a car honk echoed outside of the dorms. Ed stood up and stretched, took a deep breath, but ended up coughing. "That's my ride. M'kay, bye Al, see ya later." And with that, Ed walked out the door before Al could protest anymore.

Once the door had shut, Ed allowed himself to calm down slightly, allowing a part of his I'm-not-sick-at-all façade to slip. He leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes, trying his best to stop the dizziness that had overcome him when he had walked, fairly quickly, out the door. Regaining his composure, Ed began walking down the stairs, noticing, when he got to the bottom, that he was strangely tired and his whole body screamed for a nice soft bed to lie on. But he ignored it and walked on to the car where a tired looking Riza was sitting.

"Good Morning, Ed." She said, with her sweet voice. Sometimes she reminded Ed so much of his mother.

"Morning." He said with a sigh. Riza looked down at the boy.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, noticing his unusually tired composure. Ed blinked a few times before looking up at her, plastering on one of his fake smiles.

"Yeah, just a bit tired, didn't want to get up so early this morning."

"Alright." Complied Riza, but she didn't believe him. Ed never acted tired in the morning. If he didn't want to get up, he would simply be a little snot and complain the whole ride to work. This was strange. Riza made a mental note to keep an eye on him today.

The car engine started up with a beautiful purr as the car slowly began to move. No sooner had Ed settled himself in his seat when the car hit a few bumps that sent him almost bouncing out of his seat, the seatbelt tightening uncomfortably into his abdomen and chest. He braced himself against the seat as more bumps continued to jerk the car around, causing his stomach to do flips inside on him.

Ed bent over, placing his head between his knees, willing the nausea to go away. There was no way he was going to puke in the car that took him to work every day. He heard Rizas' motherly tone again.

"Edward, what's wrong?"

Ed shook his head. "Oh, nothing. I just hit my head pretty hard on the door when you hit the first bump."

"Oh," said Riza, "Well we're almost off this road, it will get smoother, I promise."

"Okay."

Riza was right. In about five minutes, the car ceased to bump and the ride began to smoothen out. Unfortunately for Ed, his stomach kept persisting on emptying itself. He took a few deep breaths and sat back. You can't get sick. He thought, you haven't eaten anything. But still, his stomach persisted. The rest of the car ride was going to be agony, he knew it. This was going to be such a pain.

Since he moved out of the dorms, he hadn't been able to walk to work anymore, Riza had to stop by on her way to pick him up and it was usually at least a twenty maybe thirty minute drive. Normally he spent the time complaining or writing reports, but now he had to focus on now heaving all over the car. Ed closed his eyes, but before he could find anything else to complain about, he was pulled into a deep sleep.

"Here's the report." Said Ed with an exhausted tone to his voice. Sleeping in the car had only made things worse . . . which was strange seeing how it was a nap. When your sick naps are supposed to make you feel better. Oh well.

"Ah." Grunted Roy taking the report from the small blonde. He noticed that as soon as he had taken the paper from the boy, Ed had immediately found a spot on the couch and sat down. Also he saw that Ed's cheeks were unusually red. Huh, must be cold out today.

"Well Fullmetal, as usual, your handwriting equals that of a two year old and your report is ridiculously short. Well, I guess the work is a product of it maker."

"Yeah, that's great, can I go now?"

That was strange, Ed normally became infuriated when a small joke was made about him.

"Umm. Yes you're dismissed."

Ed sighed. "Finally. Being in a room with you for more that five minutes is enough to make anyone go insane." He said before slamming the door behind him. Strange, Thought Roy.

"Colonel." Shouted Riza from down the hallway, quickening her pace to match with the Colonels.

"What is it?" asked Roy, looking over at her.

"Did Edward seem strange this morning?"

Roy stopped. "What do you mean."

"More in was he acting any different than normal."

Roy thought for a moment. "Actually I think he was. He seemed unusually tired and he didn't even comment when I made a small joke to him. Why do you ask? Was he any different with you?"

Riza nodded. "Yeah, this morning. He didn't complain in the car at all and he slept the entire time. Also I saw him put his head down on his knees and take a few deep breaths. He told me he had hit his head when we hit a bump on the road, but I didn't see him hit it."

"Huh. That's strange," said Roy. "Well, he and I have been assigned an investigation for today, I was just about to go and get him from the cafeteria. I'll keep an eye on him during work."

"Alright sir," said Riza, beginning to walk away, "good luck." Roy just smiled and waved.

Ed sat in the lunch room, his head buried in his arms in attempt to keep the smell of food out. Even the stench of any food was making him sick today. Suddenly there was a clap on his back by a strong hand, jolting him uneasily.

"Fullmetal," said a booming voice, "Come on, and get up. Were needed."

Ed sighed, followed by a few stifled coughs as he stood up from his chair. Roy raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Are you alright, Fullmetal?"

Ed didn't look him in the eyes. "Fine, let's just go. You can give me the details on the way."

"Alright." Said Roy, following the boy to the cafeteria exit. "Um, Fullmetal?" said Roy, stopping.

"What." Snapped Ed, turning to face him.

"The parking lots that way." Said Roy, pointing in the opposite direction in which the boy was traveling.

Ed paused for a moment before turning around. "I knew that, Geeze." He mumbled.

Roy just sighed and followed Ed to the parking lot. This was going to be a long day. Even longer that he had originally thought.

"So what's the case?" asked Ed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat once the car got onto the road. Roy turned the car with a sharp jerk and Ed nearly lost it then. This was going to be far worse than the bumps. He became faintly aware that Roy was talking to him. And he was doing him best t listen. The only problem was he was more focused on Roy's driving. Normally, Roy's driving doesn't affect him at all, but, since he doesn't feel well, His stupid brain was noticing every single thing about it. Like how sharp he hit corner or turns or the way he would speed up and slow down a bit by just barely changing the weight on the gas pedal. Oh, just thinking about it made Ed feel even worse. He probably shouldn't have tried to eat during lunch. He had had a feeling it wouldn't stay down anyways.

"Ed, are you even listening?" Roy's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh," said Ed, wincing as he felt his stomach contract slightly, "Oh y-yeah . . . sorry no. can you explain it again?"

Roy sighed, not taking his eyes off the road. "This is why you don't get anything done Fullmetal."

They turned the corner and Ed's stomach lurched again. He placed a hand on his abdomen, the other braced itself on the arm chair.

"Um Colonel." He said, in a meek voice, but Roy kept right on talking, still keeping his eyes on the road.

"You don't listen at all. You wonder why everyone gets frustrated with-"

"Colonel." Interrupted Ed as they hit yet another corner, causing Ed to move his hand up to cover his mouth as his stomach lurched again, only much more violent this time.

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about Ed." Said Roy.

Ed closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the feeling, but it only proceeded to make him concentrate even more on the speeding up and slowing down motion of the car. He hunched over slightly, taking in a deep breath, which still didn't get Roys attention. "Colonel, can you-." Ed tried again.

"No, I'm still talking and you will-"

"Pull over the damn car, Roy!" shouted Ed nearly gagging at the end of his sentence. This got Roy's attention. He looked over to see Ed, Pushed up against the back of the seat, one hand was gripped on the car door handle, the other holding his stomach so hard his knuckles were white. His breath was shallow and he was so pale it almost terrified Roy. Ed was looking at him with a mixture or pain, frustration, and . . . fear? He had never seen Ed so unraveled before.

Roy pulled over, jerking the car a little more than he had meant to. Ed scrambled to undo his seatbelt and swung the car door open, just barley making it to the curb before he doubled over, and started coughing violently. After making sure there were no cars that would come along and rip the door off its hinges, Roy jumped out of the car, going quickly to the sick boys' side.

Ed was standing, his hands on his knees and his head down. Roy saw Ed's back muscles contract before Ed gagged hard and threw up violently onto the curb.

"Ed." Said Roy, walking over to stand by the small, sick boy. Ed retched again and Roy held his bangs out of the way for him with one hand, the other resting on his back to steady him. Ed made a terrible sound, somewhere between a cough and a gag, and he grabbed hold of Roys arm as another wave of sickness ripped out of his body.

Roy could see the pain clearly in the boys face and he felt it in the tight grip he had on his arm. Ed's breath was ragged, a few whimpers escaping through his breath, which didn't go unnoticed by Roy.

"Ed," he said, "just relax. Take a deep breath."

Ed's breath hitched as he tried to breathe in, which only proceeded to him bending over even further and retching again. Roy could tell he was trying hard not to get sick, even though he already had a few times, but he saw how much tension it was causing, which wasn't helping him at all.

"Ed," Roy tried again, "come on, straighten up a bit and relax. It's okay. If you're sick you're sick. Let it come. It'll be over soon."

This seemed to make Ed relax a little bit. His grip on Roys are loosened, but it didn't release. He took a shaky breath before he heaved again onto the curb. Roy saw Ed beginning to lean more to the side, so he shifted slightly so Ed was leaning slightly on his and wouldn't fall over. Ed vomited for a few more minutes before he finally started to slow down . . . a bit.

When he stopped for a minute, Roy asked. "Are you finished?"

Ed waited a moment, slightly afraid to open his mouth. ". . . Umm . Yeah I think ."

"Okay, let's get you back in the car." Said Roy and adjusted himself so he could help Ed back to the car. Unfortunately, as soon as Ed stepped of the curb, the sudden movement made him stop. Roy saw his eyes glass over as his hand moved back up to his stomach.

"Ed?" he said quietly.

Ed slowly shook his head. "Not done . . ."

Roy turned Ed around quickly and supported the boy by his elbow. Eds' body looked almost like a wave as he tried to resist the urge to vomit, for probably about the tenth time in ten minutes. Roy saw as his body lurched and he would double forward, but he wouldn't allow himself to get sick. He kept his mouth closed and placed one hand over his mouth , the other hand found its was back to Roys arm. It must have been a comfort to Ed, the human contact. He continued to resist, squeezing his eyes shut and moaning loudly in discomfort.

"Edward," said Roy, taking hold of the boys' shoulder, "Remember it's alright. It's gross, but it's fine. It won't last long just get it over with."

It took Ed another minute before he stopped resisting and allowed his stomach to squeeze out the last of its contents. Roy felt his Eds hand tighten as he began to dry heave.

"Hey, hey," said Roy, feeling more and more like a parent, "Calm down. Just relax now, it's done."

Roy allowed Ed to calm himself before he helped the weak boy into the car. Poor kid. Couldn't even stand on his own near the end. Roy got in the drivers seat and, being careful not to upset Ed's stomach again, got back on the road and turned the car around.

"W-Where are we going?" asked Ed, his voice was hoarse and it sounded so tired. Suddenly Ed's eyes grew very wide. "You can't take me home Colonel, please! I can't-"

"We're not going to your house," said Roy gently, "We're going to mine. I figured you wouldn't want your brother to worry, so I will call and tell him that you're staying at work overnight because I'm making you file paperwork or something."

Ed looked up at Roy. "But what about the job?"

"Don't worry about it," said Roy. "Just try to get some sleep until we get back to the house. You need it."

For some strange reason, Ed felt his throat constrict as water began stinging his eyes. Not wanting to trust his voice, Ed nodded, closed his eyes, and in seconds, we fast asleep.

In, what felt like seconds to Ed, he felt himself being woken up by a strong hand on his shoulder. "Come on Ed," he heard Roys voice say, "We're here." Ed moaned and tried to lay down in the car seat, but Roy took hold of his arm.

"Come here, Ed." He said. Ed opened his eyes to see the colonial, his back turned to him, crouching down in front of him. Slowly and half asleep, Ed turned around and reached over to wrap his arms around his Colonels' neck. Once Ed was on his back, Roy stood up and shut the car door and walked up into the house.

Roy placed Ed down on couch. Ed kept his eyes closed but soon felt something warm and soft engulf him. He cracked one eye to see Roy lying a blanket over him, only then did he notice he had begun shivering. Oh great, now he had a fever too? Ed sighed as he sank down into the pillow. He felt a cool cloth get pressed into his head as he fell back into another deep sleep.

When Ed woke up he was groggy for a second and then he remember what had happened. Roy had taken care of him, doing the exact opposite of what he had thought the man would do. Ed looked over and saw Roy, bent over a desk obviously writing something. Ed remembered the last time he had looked at someone sitting at a desk from behind was when he was small and he saw his father. An empty pang struck Ed's heart all of a sudden when he realized, that was the only thing he could really remember about his father that had nothing to do with alchemy or his mother. . . and his throat constricted when he also realized . . . he had no memories of his father actually being a father. . .

Ed started down at the floor as he felt a single tear trickled down his cheek. Ed sighed and wiped it away, which got Roys attention. He turned around in his chair and smirked when he saw Ed awake. He stood and walked towards him. "Well, good morning sleeping beauty." Ed rolled his eyes which made Roy chuckle . . . he even sounded like his dad.

"How are you feeling?" asked Roy, sitting down at the end of the couch.

"better actually." Ed answered. Which in truth he did. He didn't feel like puking anymore, which was a good sign and he was as sleepy.

"Do you want something to drink?" asked Roy. Ed nodded and Roy walked out to get him a glass. When he came back he helped Ed sit up and then handed it to Ed.

"Drink it slowly, we don't want you to get sick again." Ed nodded, but found he could only take a single, small sip before he handed the glass back to Roy.

"What the matter, Ed?" he asked, setting the cup of water down on the coffee table.

Ed looked down at his hands. "It just feels strange. . ."

"What," asked Roy, kneeling down, "Your stomach?"

Ed shook his head. "No, no. I feel a lot better . . . I'm just not used to anyone . . . caring. . . well except Al . .. but its still . .." Ed trailed off, unable to finish his sentence because his throat had constricted.

Roy looked at Ed intently. "Ed, there are a lot of people who are about you."

"I know I know . . . it's just . . ."

Roy arched an eyebrow. "Just what?"

Ed shook his head again "It's just . . . its stupid, never mind."

Roy moved to sit on the couch, Ed shifted to his side so Roy could sit. "What is it, Ed?"

Ed felt the tears sting again and when he talked his voice began cracking. "It's just . . . I . . . I feel like in the past few hours . . . I got a dad back . . ."

Roy was slightly surprised by what he had just said, mostly because Ed never usually said things right or well for that matter and people usually didn't understand. But this he understood perfectly. He was surprised Ed felt this way. I mean, people had known for awhile that Roy thought of Ed and Al as his own sons, but never would he had guessed that he was like a dad to Ed. He was even more surprised when Ed's face scrunched in sadness as he began shaking his head.

"Dammit, dammit," he cursed, "What's wrong with me . . . I shouldn't be crying."

Roy, suddenly feeling very parental, slide off the couch and crouched down so he was eye level with Ed.

"Edward," Roys tone made Ed look up from his pillow, "It's alright."

Those two words seemed to break Ed. Roy heard his breath hitch and Ed lunged forward and caught Roy around the neck. He could see Ed's tiny body become wracked with sobs and the boy tried his best not to cry. Roy picked Ed up with ease and sat down on the couch, the small boy in his lap. Even though Ed was fifteen and tried his best to act and be and adult, it was times like this when people, like Roy, had to remember he was still just a kid. A scared, sad, lonely child. Ed clutched the front of Roy's shirt and held his breath as he tried to prevent the tears from falling.

Roy held the boy closer. "Ed, it's alright. It's okay. No one else is here." Ed melted. He melted into a puddle of tears and angry shouts. He shouted everything that he could possible think of that he wanted to say to his dad until there was nothing left to say. He eventually just found himself crying. Crying for his mother. Crying for Al. Crying from fear, rage, loneliness and anything else he could think of. All he while, Roy just sat there, cradling the small boy as if he was made of glass and could shatter at any point in time.

Eventually, Ed calmed down, but he found himself not wanting to leave the place he was in. It was so warm, so comforting. It was almost like a father's touch. It was a father's touch.

"Thank you . . ." said Ed quietly.

Roy just gave Ed a gentle squeeze on the arm, and Ed knew, that he would always have someone who would treat him like family. Like a son. Someone who would put up with his nasty ways, and smile at his good ways. Someone who would laugh with him when he was happy, and comfort him when he was crying. Someone who would always be there. That one touch told Ed everything. The Father's touch.

Okay so I know that was a loooong one shot, but I just got the idea for the story this morning and I really wanted to write it so I did, ha-ha. I know they are both a bit out of character, but I really wanted to write it this way. (And yes, I also know I have another story with a similar name ((a fathers warmth)) but I found this title really fitting for this story. So I hope you liked it! Please comment!