Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ A Kiss Makes Everything Better ❯ A Kiss Makes Everything Better ( One-Shot )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Roy hated the rain. Not because water beat fire no matter how you did it; that was just his cover.

Ed is coming back to Central to give his report after a week of rainy days. Roy is locked in his office with a loaded gun. Can Ed get there in time to save him?

RoyEd. Oneshot. Please note this fic contains a male-male pairing of Roy and Ed. They do not do anything more sexually explicit than kiss. I do not own FMA, that�s Arakawa-sensei. Some violent themes are talked about but there is nothing explicit. Thank you.

Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Shounen-ai | Uploaded On: 09.23.2006 | Updated On: 09.23.2006 | Pages: 10 | Words: 7.6K | Visits: 944 | Status: Completed

Hello! This was my first RoyEd fic and it is very terrible, nonetheless I hope you enjoy. Please note this fic contains a male-male pairing of Roy and Ed. They do not do anything more sexually explicit than kiss. I do not own FMA, that's Arakawa-sensei. Some violent themes are talked about but there is nothing explicit. Thank you.

A Kiss Makes Everything Better

Ed.

Ed sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked into Roy's office. He didn't knock of course, he never did. It rather annoyed Roy, which was probably why Ed did it.

“Colonel Airhead,” Ed greeted, slapping the papers on Roy's desk.

“Halfmetal,” Roy said back. It was an insult both to Ed not fully being made of metal, and to Ed's height. “So...what did you manage to screw up this time?”

“Shut up,” Ed growled.

“Well...you only leveled a dozen buildings, not bad considering your usual amount...aah, but the report says nothing about your frequent outbursts of childish anger.”

“I AM NOT A CHILD!”

“Mmm, if you say so,” said Roy.

“Rrr....”

“Edward, sit down.”

Ed glared at him.

“I'm serious. I want to talk with you.”

Ed sat.

“You do good work.” Roy looked him dead in the eyes and Ed felt a shiver run down his spine. Those eyes were so dark. They were so expressive.

“Yeah? And?”

“That's a problem,” Roy said. “They promote people who do good work.”

“So?”

“So war is coming, you idiot. Does your height really have an effect on your intelligence?”

“WHO DID YOU SAY WAS CHIBI SMALL AND DEFORMED?!”

“Edward! No one said that, now sit down!” Roy sighed and rubbed his temples. “War is coming, and you do not want to be promoted when it gets here. I'd tell you to try and resign, but I know you won't, so I'm giving you advice.”

“Advice.” Ed snorted.

“Right. Advice. Don't get promoted.” Roy was still rubbing his temples, having almost forgotten entirely what he had gotten ready to say. “Dismissed, Halfmetal.”

“Why not?” Ed insisted. “If I'm promoted, they tell me more secrets. Like about Marcoh.” His eyes narrowed. “Unlike you.”

“I told you already I've never heard the name,” Roy snapped irritably. As usual, he'd had very little sleep the previous night. “Ed, you can't take down everything at once. You have to go one step at a time. You just don't want to get promoted because of the things they ask you to do.”

Ed gave Roy an odd look. What the hell was he talking about?

“You do those things and get promoted further,” he said. “Duh. Aren't you the one always going around trying to get promoted? Oh,” Ed's face lit up, “You don't want competition. That's right. So sure, I'll stop doing good work.”

“I said you were dismissed!” Roy snapped.

“Fine by me.”

Ed walked out just as the rain began to pour.

Roy.

Roy glanced out the window. Great, just perfect. He hated the rain. He was after all the Flame Alchemist, and water beat fire no matter how you did it. But that wasn't the only reason. It wasn't even the main reason.

It was just his cover.

Why did he have such a hard time showing emotion anyway? What was so bad about admitting you were depressed or scared?

He sighed. Some would deem it weak, that was why. And if he wanted to get to the top, he could never be weak.

He thought of Ed and his fists clenched. He didn't have soft spots for all kids, just that one. What for? Ed was annoying. He didn't understand and he was naive. “`You just don't want competition!'” he mimicked. “`You don't care about anything except yourself!' Please. What do I care anyway? Let him wind up like me, then he'll see I was right.”

He looked out of his window. He could not take another second of this. Rain reminded him of everything. Everything.

“Sara, I can't kill you!” Roy shouted at her. “You, both of you—you're my friends. I can't kill you just because of orders.”

“You have to,” Sara said. “Either that, or someone else kills us, and you'll die too.”

“Then I'll die rather than betray the people I know, I—”

A loud, jarring crash.

“Cannons,” breathed Sara. “Do it now, Roy, before you die too, or we'll kill ourselves.”

“Sara....”

“I mean it. Take care of Winry for us.”

“I—I will....”

Another crash. Roy closed his eyes as Sara joined hands with her husband, then he shot the pistol. He heard the man cry out in pain and then fall. He opened his eyes, horrified at himself.

“Don't look,” Sara ordered sternly, tears streaming down her face. Another crash. “Roy, do it. Shoot me already!”

He did. And his time he kept his eyes opened. He watched her die.

Another crash drew him out of his thoughts, but this time it had flashing with it too. Thunder and lightning, not cannons and gunshots and....

Roy groaned and laid his head on his desk, feeling the cool surface against his face. He always got like this during storms, but he could handle it. It had rained a lot since then and he had survived it before. So he'd survive it now. He just needed a change of scenery, was all.

Right. A change of scenery. He got up and left the office. He'd go home early for once and maybe read a novel, instead of a book on alchemy. Hawkeye didn't even yell at him when she saw him walk out early, into the pouring rain.

She understood.

Ed.

“Al, I'm going to melt!” Ed moaned. It had been a week and it was still raining, and he was back from his next mission. “Didn't the rain let up at all while we were gone?”

“I guess not, brother....”

Ed left the train station, keeping his hood over his head. “I hope your seal doesn't wash off,” he said, suddenly worried. “What if the rain runs down in there?”

“I'll walk fast,” Al assured. But Ed took off his red jacket and threw it over Al to protect him.

“There,” he said.

“You'll get sick, brother! Stop being paranoid, I'll be fine.”

“Are you kidding me? I love the rain.” Winry had made his auto-mail so well a little rain didn't bother it at all, and even so, his black long-sleeved shirt still covered up his metal arm. He laughed, never answering the paranoid comment. “Race you back to the hotel, Al!”

Al laughed and followed him, trying to beat his older brother.

Roy.

Roy's nerves were shot.

He hadn't gone on a date in five days. This was unusual for him, Roy Mustang, the womanizer. He had been asked out and turned it down. This had not been unnoticed.

He had started drinking, though he never allowed himself to get so much as tipsy while in front of others. The Flame Alchemist was strong, cool, and in control. That control was sacrificed every time he picked up the bottle; as a result he only did this at home and allowed himself to come to work with terrible hangovers. Hawkeye had noticed and she had suggested a day off. Roy had snapped at her, as he did at everyone, telling her it would snow next and that he was fine and didn't need a day off of work.

He was even snapping Hughes more so than usual.

“Roy, are you okay?” asked said friend again and again over the phone line. “If you're still blue, I can get my sweet little girl to come visit you! Or I can show you some pictures. Yesterday she made her first little snot bubble—”

“No thank you, Maes,” Roy snapped. “I'm fine, just behind on paperwork.”

“Oh don't lie, the rain is really bothering you. Besides, you hate paperwork. How about we go over to my house this afternoon and visit with the family? Seriously, Roy.”

Roy sighed. Well, the Hughes family had always managed to make him smile, and it was better than sulking at home again.

“Fine,” he relented, hoping he'd be able to keep his composure in front of them.

“Good! See you then.” Hughes hung up, satisfied that soon he'd be able to take his friend's mind off of his brooding.

Roy watched the hands of the clock tick to five. Each flash of lightning and crack of thunder sounded like gunshot and explosions to him, each drop of rain that fell reminding him of all the lives he'd taken.

For some reason Ed popped into his head. Roy had a soft spot for Ed. He had to look out for him; he was just a kid, even if he was a prodigy. Ed was a child, only fifteen, no matter how much he dealt with. Sometimes others seemed to forget that, but Roy never could.

After all, he thought, smirking, with his height, he didn't see how everybody else did....

The Elric brothers were supposed to arrive back today, he had seen their schedule. He hoped it was soon; he actually looked forward to the verbal game of wits they played at every meeting. The elder Elric had a way of making Roy smile behind his smirks and actually challenging him to something, which was something people rarely did. They either worshipped him or were afraid of him. Ed didn't fall into either category. Roy looked forward to seeing him again.

Ed.... Roy looked at the gun lying on his desk. This is why I don't want you promoted. So you don't wince at every thunderstorm. So you don't look at guns and think of....

Roy looked away from the gun. He wouldn't do it. He'd become the Furher and change it all, he would, and that would be impossible if he died!

“Do it now, Roy.”

“Shut up,” Roy muttered, teeth clenched. Paperwork...he had to do this paperwork. It was a mark of how much he didn't want to think about this that he was actually doing it without protest.

A woman screaming, trying to get inside a burning building, with he holding her back. “My baby, my baby is in there! Ishbala, why, why did you take him from me?” Turning to him. “You do the devil's work! How could you set it on fire with my baby in there!?”

“I—I didn't know....”

Roy squeezed his eyes shut. Go away, he thought. Just go away. I'm sorry, okay?

Entire cities going up in flames with screaming, burning people running out of them. They were in pain....

The thunder crashed, followed by the lightning.

I can't take this.

Roy reached for the gun and closed his eyes, pointing it up at his chin. Just do it. Just pull the trigger. It'll all be over. Just pull the trigger....

Ed.

Ed shook like a dog as he entered the hotel they stayed at when in Central. Several guests gave him patronized looks, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

“One room, two beds,” Ed requested of the woman at the desk.

“Oh hi Ed,” she said. She was always the one to check him and so knew him a little. They usually had casual conversation while she found the right key. “Rain's terrible, isn't it?”

“Not really,” said Ed, who was soaking wet. She laughed.

“You might not mind it, but I sure do! It's been raining for a solid week, mud everywhere!”

Mud didn't do well with an auto-mail leg, but Ed still didn't mind it. He thanked her and took the key, then he and Al went into the room. Ed made Al take off his helmet so he could look inside and inspect the blood seal.

“It's fine,” he reported happily. “We were lucky no rain got in there. Glad for my jacket, huh?”

“Yes, brother...even though it made me look weird.”

Ed smiled affectionately at his brother. Al was really the only one he could be himself around. “We'll find another way to protect it in the rain,” he said. Al stuck out enough, but no way Ed would say it!

Roy.

“Why can't I do it?” Roy's whole body was shaking, his finger on the trigger. “Why? I deserve death. I'm a coward!”

“Stop that!”

Roy groaned; his mind was talking to him again. That had been Marcoh's voice, what he had said after the Rockbells had died.

“You were a soldier following orders in a time of war!”

“That doesn't make it any easier or any more right!” Roy hissed, the first tears falling down his face. “It doesn't, okay?”

Ed.

“You know, I should go over and give my report,” Ed sighed.

“Why?” Al said. “You hate doing it, and I don't want to go out in the rain again, so I'll be stuck here by myself.”

“I know, but I can use that as an excuse to get away faster.”

Laughter rang through Al's armor. “Have fun, brother.”

“See ya!” Ed jumped down the stairs and ran out, wearing his jacket again, but it was still soaking wet.

He arrived outside to see the sloping streets going down toward Headquarters. He didn't want to walk, so...hmm....

He spotted the dumpster and grinned.

Roy.

Roy stood there, shaking, the gun held to his chin. Someone knocked.

“Who is it?” Roy called. He managed to make his voice sound mostly normal.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye, sir,” came the reply, “Are you all right? You sound differ—”

“Yes, Riza, I'm fine,” Roy snapped. He was anything but, with the gun still pointing at himself and his whole body shaking. Why didn't he just ask her for help? “I'll be out in a minute for whatever you need.”

“Yes sir....”

Ed.

“Wahoo!” Ed yelled in glee as he swept through the streets. He had used a piece of scrap metal as sacrifice, then used Alchemy to give it a rounder shape so that he could sort of stand in it. With a good running start, it sped through puddles, the deeper, the better, and he'd seen some that were almost a foot deep. He had to kneel so he wouldn't fall as he “surfed,” but it was a lot of fun. “Yes!” He skirted a couple of people, getting them kind of wet. “Sorry!”

He hit a dry spot and skidded to a halt, falling out of it face first. He groaned as he got up. That was the downside of his little toy. Oh well.

It wasn't much longer to Headquarters, so Ed decided to walk. He carried his creation under his arm with him, absolutely soaked. When he got to the building, he left it in his locker so no one would steal it—as if he couldn't make another one easily. Then he walked off towards Mustang's office. He was actually looking forward to their usual banter—it kept his mind sharp.

“Colonel, I'm home, did you miss m....”

Ed stopped dead at the sight he saw when walking into the office. He never bothered to knock and Roy never bothered to lock the door, so he'd walked in at some pretty weird times—once he caught Roy kissing, and another time, sleeping on the job. But he had never expected to see something like this. Roy was standing there with a gun pointed at his chin, tears rolling down his face.

Ed met his eyes, heart pounding. “What the hell are you doing?” he whispered.

Roy.

Roy stood there, staring at him in total shock. Then he lowered the gun and wiped his eyes, ashamed to be caught like this. “Get out,” he snarled.

“No way!” Ed said. “You were about to....”

“I was testing my gun,” Roy lied.

“With all due respect sir, that's bullshit.”

Ed.

Ed walked over to Roy. He'd known the Colonel for a long time, and the thought of losing him really, really hurt. “Why?” he asked.

“My past is none of your concern.”

“It damn well is! One of the rules here is that we stand in front of bullets for superior officers, remember? When you pointed that thing at yourself you might as well have pointed it at me and everyone who works under you.” Ed walked back and sat down, after locking the door. “But I have awhile. I'll just stay here until I think you're okay.”

“Then prepare to get comfortable, Halfmetal, because it's a feeling that never goes away.”

Ed sat stubbornly, and, just as stubbornly, refused to let himself get angry at the other even though he wanted to beat Roy's face in for that comment. Roy sat down as well. He shuffled through his papers but he really couldn't see any of them. Silence ruled.

“You're soaking wet,” Roy said, glancing up. “What did you do, take a bath in a puddle? I thought you'd drown.”

Steam came out of Ed's ears. Ignore it, he told himself furiously, though this was easier said than done.

“Don't change the subject,” Ed told him. “You mentioned it was in your past...how long ago? A year? Ten? What triggered it to bring it back?”

Roy looked back down at his papers.

“Do you want me to call Hughes or something, maybe you'll talk to him—”

“Don't drag anyone else into this, leave it alone,” Roy snarled. “If you must know, it happened in the Ishbal War.” He said it as though it was nothing, flipping through the papers again. “Because I was so high in the rankings, they gave me all the important tasks, like killing doctors who treated both the military and Ishbalans.” Roy looked up and met Edward's eyes. “They were two friends of mine, and I had to kill them. Still think I just wanted to eliminate the competition?”

“No, and I'm sorry.”

“Rain reminds me of that. Of a lot of terrible things I did in Ishbal. No decent person should be allowed the breathe after doing such things.” He dug his fists into his eyes to stop the tears from coming. Ed thought it so odd to see the tough Colonel cry. “Are you satisfied now?”

“No...you're still upset....”

“Mommy!”

Alphonse, four, ran up to his mother and brother, in tears.

“What is it, Al?” Trisha leaned on her knees to look down at him. “What's wrong?”

“Mommy...me and Winry were playing and she pushed me and....” He indicated his knees, which were scraped up.

“Shh, don't cry, now,” Trisha said, sitting them both down on the grass. Ed watched as she tenderly kissed each knee. “There, see? A kiss makes everything better! Now we'll go inside and clean it up....”

Ed walked over to Roy, who sat there, still shaking, his shaking growing worse with each clap of thunder. Ed stared down at him, then snatched away the gun and threw it out the window. The glass shattering was earsplitting, and soon Hawkeye was at the door again, which was now locked.

“Sir, are you all right?” she called.

“WE'RE FINE!” Ed and Roy yelled.

“Yes sir....”

They heard her footsteps fade away.

“What the hell did you do that for?” Roy said, rising. “Look, my whole office is getting wet.”

“Yeah, but with all that water outside it'll be awhile before you find that gun again, and it might not even work when you do.”

“There are other ways.”

“I'm sure there are. But I can't take it out all at once, I've gotta go one step at a time.”

Roy.

So Ed was using his own words against him now?

I give up.

Roy laid his head down on his desk, burying his face in his arms to hide the steady flow of tears. “I can never make this bearable and you're just making it worse,” he said, his voice soft with emotion. He never wanted to break down like this—not in front of Ed, not in front of anybody!

“Am I really,” Ed said flatly. “Well I'm sorry sir, but I can't let you go through with what you were doing.”

Why wouldn't Ed leave him alone? Just let him do it?

“I almost had the nerve when you stopped me!” Roy said. “What do you care if I live or die?” He was almost sobbing now, but he bit his lip and managed to keep it to silent crying.

Ed.

“Don't...please, don't...if you hadn't killed those people someone else would have.”

Ed lifted Roy's head up to stare him in the face. A kiss makes everything better....

Roy.

“So why are you being so nice to me, now, Edward? Is it pity? Because if it is, I don't want any.”

“Good, because you don't have it. I just...it scared me shitless coming in and seeing you like that.”

“Why?” Roy asked. He really wanted to know.

“I—I don't know what it is,” Ed whispered. “I mean, you're such a jerk...but for some crazy reason...you mean something to me....”

Roy's eyes widened in pure shock when he felt a pair of warm, soft, lips press against his own. The screaming of his mind was reduced to a tolerable level in the wake of the shock. Without even realizing what he was doing, Roy wrapped his arms around the other and kissed back, deeply, passionately, letting his heart pour out into the kiss.

Then all the sudden the world fell back into place and he yanked himself away.

“What—what are you doing?”

“Someone once said that a kiss makes everything better,” Ed said. “I know it can't possibly make everything better, but I know it helps. And I told you, you mean something to me. You mean a lot to me.”

Roy pulled Edward down and kissed him again. Ed didn't resist or anything, just kissed him back deeply. “You mean a lot to me, too....”

“Then don't leave me.”

“I....”

“Colonel...Roy...please.”

“I won't, Ed. I promise.”