Hello and welcome back to the story. Yes it has been a long time, but every good story deserves an end and this one isn't quite there yet. If its been a while since you've read this story please go back and reread the first five chapters, all have been edited with more detail thrown in.

Happy Reading

Chapter 6: Feelings

It was getting late and Roy and Ed were shut up in Roy's office while his team finished their daily duties beyond the door. Ed had been staring at his notes for the last fifteen minutes wishing something would come to him, but nothing did. He hadn't yet told Mustang about how he had died, only because he couldn't explain it himself. Until he had a better understanding of what had happened he couldn't tell Mustang anything. So for now he had to flip through pages of information about how human transmutation was impossible, trying to find something to make him feel like he wasn't completely crazy. It could be possible in essence, when equivalent exchange was involved which was why people attempted it. And even then, sometimes equivalent exchange wasn't so equivalent. Ed had lost a leg and an arm, and yet his brother lost his whole body, even though Ed was the one who decided to bring their mother back. Ed had always thought Al being trapped in the armor was the ultimate punishment for him, living proof that he was to fail time and time again. But still, what if he was currently the product of a successful human transmutation. Yes, he knew that when it failed a homunculus was created, he had seen that happen first hand, but everything had a price. He just had to figure out what that price was. He was scared of the answer though, because maybe Al had already paid that price. He couldn't think like that though. He was here and Al... well Al was too, somewhere, Ed just had to find him first.

Ed glanced over from where he was sitting and locked eyes with Mustang for a brief moment. The man was on the phone calling in favors. He actually was trying to find Rose, so Ed had to give him that. Maybe he meant it when he said they were partners. Mustang was reclined back in his chair with his feet kicked up on the desk. His hand was draped against his head as he held the phone to his ear with the cord tangled around his index finger. It was like a never ending game of phone tag as he tried to find people who may have seen or spoken to the girl. There was a tiny military base set up in the town where Ed was hospitalized so he started there, trying to see if anyone had seen her. When Rose had brought in the pocket watch the doctors had brought it there and then they had sent it over to Central. It seemed that no matter who he called no one had answers or even wanted to talk to him. It was getting late and most of the military personnel from the base were getting ready to retire for the night, "why am I still waiting to become Fuhrer," he mumbled to himself as he hung up the phone and laid his head down on his desk.

Ed snorted before he continued on starring at his notes with a pencil hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"Something you want to say Fullmetal?" Roy questioned agitated.

"Maybe if you got off your lazy ass and actually did some work the promotion would come faster," Ed replied absentmindedly as he doodled on the edge of his notepad.

"There's a reason runts like you should be seen and not heard," he said mockingly as he stood up to stretch his muscles.

"There's a reason assholes like you won't become Fuhrer," he said back in the same tone Mustang had used. Ed waited for the next small fry, runt, midget, tiny ameba joke to come, but it didn't. Instead Mustang grabbed his new copy of the Brigg notes and headed for the doors connecting his office suite to the rest of his team's quarters.

"You coming? Or would you rather stay here and draw more pictures."

Ed glanced down at his notepad which was lacking in notes and instead was covered in tiny little drawings. He collected the few books he had and got up to follow Mustang out. The rest of the team bid them farewell as they started for the main corridor. As Mustang went to open the door someone else opened it before he could from the other side. Hawkeye stood there and saluted.

"Sir, it's been an honor working under you," she quipped before turning on her heel and walking away.

Mustang wasn't sure why, but there was something in the tone of her voice that said more than her words did, "First Lieutenant, may I speak with you."

Riza nodded as he followed her out into the hall, he turned to look at Ed before he closed the door behind him, "Give me a moment," he said to which Ed nodded.

Normally he would have had some kind of snarky comeback or insult, but he knew Riza was leaving in the morning and she probably wanted a proper goodbye, whatever that meant. Ed was suddenly overtaken with an urge of jealousy, "where the fuck did that come from," he thought. It wasn't like him to get jealous, ever. The last time he was jealous was when he and Al used to argue over who would marry Winry. He hadn't felt that kind anger in awhile. Why was he so upset that Riza and Mustang needed a moment alone. As he waited he could hear the other members under Mustang's supervision packing there things to get ready to go. How much longer did Roy need. Ed finally decided they'd had enough time alone and opened the door.

What he saw next made his jealousy multiply and spread throughout every inch of his body. He could even feeling the jealousy seeping out from him flesh and into his automail. His fists started to shake slowly as he watched Roy Mustang hold onto Hawkeye as they kissed. It wasn't a deep kiss, more of just a kiss on the lips, but he was still holding onto her. He had joked yesterday about how Mustang had probably gotten rejected by her. In all honesty he thought they were a couple outside of work and now his suspicions had come true. Damn. Wait what. Why did he care. He sucked up his pride as he strode by Mustang and made sure to bang into them a little to shake them up.

"Guess I was wrong, she didn't reject you," Ed said as he walked by and started to head down the hall.

Riza immediately withdrew herself from Mustang and stood to salute him. Her cheeks were tinted pink and she looked as if she was going to be sick. She never slipped up at work, not ever and she was overcome with a moment of complete vulnerability. She just wanted some reassurance that Roy wouldn't forget about her once she was at Briggs, "Goodbye Roy," she said as she turned on her heel to walk away.

Roy was completely caught off guard by her sudden display of affection. While it was true that he once could have loved her and she was always going to house a place in his heart as his possible "what if," he never expected her confession of love. She had said, "Roy, we're in a place I've always wanted. We've been closer now more than ever and right before we can begin they take that away from us," Roy knew she had feelings for him, but this was a little much, but still she was leaving and just needed reassurance. He wasn't sure how the kiss came about, he had told her that they would see each other again soon, which they would, but she leaned in at that moment to kiss him and he grabbed her. At first he was going to push her back. They were still on duty after all, but he couldn't. He decided he would succumb to her for that one moment just so she wouldn't feel so alone. That was when Runty McRuntser decided to pass by them and casually bump into Roy's side. He suddenly felt overwhelmed with guilt. He didn't want Ed to see this side of him. The womanizer side he was known for. It's not like he would ever try to hurt Hawkeye, but he hadn't stopped her advances either. Damn it all to hell.

The car ride home was painful to say the least. Ed hadn't said a word since he saw him and Riza kissing in the hall. He needed to tell Ed that it wasn't anything serious. Wait, why did he need to explain himself. He was Roy Mustang, he didn't explain himself to children. And that's when it dawned on him. Ed was still a kid. And he was feeling guilty about kissing Hawkeye while living and caring for Ed. Yes, Ed was seventeen and almost an adult, but Roy still had years on Ed. Yes, they'd both seen their share of unimaginable horrors, which had mentally aged them, but he was still too old to ever think about Ed in that way. And he wasn't really thinking about Ed in that way, at least he hoped not.

When they arrived at his home Ed was first to open the door to try to escape the silenced torture.

"Ed, hang on a minute," Roy said.

Ed hovered on the edge of his seat before he relaxed back and shut the door. What could this asshole probably want to say. Is there anything he could say to make Ed feel worse. Shit, what if Hawkeye was coming over to spend the night. No, that couldn't be it.

"What?" Ed answered trying not to sound shaken up.

"Look about what you saw before, Hawkeye and I... we're not-" Roy tried to talk, but Ed cut him off before he could finish.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me Mustang, not like I was expecting you to anyway," Ed responded with more hurt evident in his tone than he intended. He mentally cursed at himself for sounding so weak and pathetic.

"Ed I-"

"Drop it Roy," Ed said as he got out of the car and started to head for the front door.

Shit, he never called Mustang by his first name, not ever. What was happening to him. All of a sudden he was feeling flustered by the asshole and getting jealous that he liked women. Ed knew Roy liked women, he had a new woman every week. It was no surprise to him that he would hit on Hawkeye too, but he didn't need it slapped across his face. As Ed reached the front door he remembered he still needed Mustang to open it and he hated that he couldn't just storm off for the rest of the night. He turned around abruptly ready to shout to Mustang to hurry his ass up and open the door. What he wasn't expecting was Mustang to be standing right behind him. Their chests were barely an inch apart. So close, but yet they were still galaxies apart.

"Could... Could you just open the door," Ed said nervously.

Roy obliged as he slid his key into the lock and turned it to the left. With a satisfying click the door was opened and Ed forgot how to walk. He was still glued to that spot a mere inch away from Mustang's body. He could hear him breathing and see the rise and fall of his chest. Why couldn't he move. What was holding him there. There was no talking or moving on either part. Just this weird awkward positioning that for some reason felt more right than awkward. Roy cleared his throat to speak.

"Why don't you go upstairs and shower and I'll make us some dinner," he said as he opened the door and passed by Ed, gently brushing against him as he did so.

It took Ed a moment before he realized that Roy was now walking into the kitchen while he stood staring at the spot where he once was. He gulped and urged the lump in his throat to disperse as he closed the door behind himself and made his way upstairs to shower.

As the hot water hit his back Ed tried to think back, not about his death and the place where everything had happened, but about Roy and how they were so close. Their bodies had been centimeters apart and yet nothing. Ed knew if he was a girl it would have been within his right to lean up to kiss the man, but that's not how things worked when you were a guy. There was this whole unwritten rule when it came to men, like first finding out if the guy you're pursuing is even gay. And then comes the matter that it was technically his boss. Ed had never thought of himself as gay. He didn't like those kinds of labels. At one point in his life he actually thought Winry was going to be his future wife, but no matter how he looked at it Al would be a much better suitor for her. Wouldn't he be happy to know that after all these years he'd won the bet of who would marry her.

"Don't you worry Al, I will find you," Ed said to himself as he leaned his head back and let the water rush over his head and down his hair.

He looked up and grabbed Mustang's shampoo and lathered it in his hands before applying it to his damp hair. It smelled just like him. Ed sighed before rinsing the shampoo out, where were all these sudden emotions and feelings coming from. He couldn't really have a thing for Colonel bastard could he? A quick glance down at his aroused member answered the question for him. Maybe if he was lucky he was a failed human transmutation and was in fact a homunculus. At least that would explain why he didn't quite feel like himself.

After he had finished showering and dressed, Ed started to make his way down the hall to the room he was occupying when he stopped. He peered into Mustang's bedroom before deciding to go in. The room was plain and simple and resembled the guest room he was staying in. The only difference was that Mustang had a huge bed which looked so much more comfortable than what he was given to sleep on. Ed walked in and ran his hand along the side of the bed before laying down. He shoved his face into the pillow and took in a deep breath. The pillow smelled just like him and it was Ed's last thought before he drifted to sleep.

-LunaMaye