Disclaimer: I don't own FMA… sad for me lol

Title: A New College Life

Pairing: Roy x Ed

Summary: Ed leaves his family in Resembol to enter a college in Central City where he learns to become a science major. While in Central City he meets his new friends and starts something new. Unfortunately, with new friends comes new feelings and some things are sometimes best hidden from families.

Info: AU. Ed has real limbs. Everyone in here is in their twenty's for ages. Trisha is still alive in this story and their dad left when they were younger.

Chapter One: The Beginning

"Are you really sure that you need to go to school in Central, dear?" An older woman asked as she watched her eldest son put books into a large box. "It's so far away."

"Mom, I promise that I will return to visit when I have time," Ed replied, placing another book into the box. "You know that I love you guys but I want to learn more."

"Edward, please, there's so much for you here," Trisha tried to reason with him. "What about Winry? Don't you want to stay for her?"

Ed chuckled. "Al's in love with her, mom. They've been going out for a while now."

Sighing, she turned to leave the room but felt the arms of her son wrap around her waist before she could.

"We're going to miss you, Ed." She said quietly, patting his head.

"I'll miss you, too," he replied, squeezing her a bit before letting go and getting back to closing his last box.

"Let me feed you before you go, Eddie," she chuckled before heading down the stairs.

"Mom! Don't call me that!" Ed yelled after her as he followed with the last box to pack. It was a nickname that Winry has given him when they were all kids and he hated it very much. He stepped into the kitchen to find his mom and brother standing by the stove making dinner. "You need any help?"

Al laughed. "You can't cook, brother."

"I can cook enough to keep me alive and that's all I need until I find someone to cook for me," Ed replied, sitting at the table and sticking his tongue out at his brother.

Their dinner went from Alphonse picking on his brother about how he couldn't cook to his brother breaking down in tears when anyone mentioned Ed leaving. It had been the three of them since the boys were small and their father had left them. Even though, Pinako and their friend Winry who lived down the street visited often, they spent most of their time just the three of them. Ed learned everything he could from his mother and even more from the books he read in their father's old study whenever he wasn't in school. He would have liked to just stay at home with his family but he knew that he needed to get out of the house and explore the world outside their home. It wasn't as if he didn't like his home, he just wanted to learn more than what he already knew. After his visit in Central, he just knew that he wanted to go to school there and learn more.

**A Year Earlier**

"Come on, Edo-kun," a blonde guy said, slinging his arm around Ed's shoulders. "I'll show you around campus."

"Jean, I don't even go to school here, I'll get kicked out," Ed whined slightly, trying to pull out of Jean's grasp. "I don't really want a bad reputation before I start school here."

"You worry too much," his friend laughed, pulling him into the courtyard of the campus. "I'll introduce you to my friends."

Ed sighed and let his friend pull him through the schoolyard. He didn't really care one way or the other about meeting the other guys or not, seeing how he was going home in two days. The only reason he was at the school now was because he had to finish filling out the paperwork for enrollment and find a place to live. He still needed to go back home to pack and move all of his things to his new apartment in Central. Though, Jean did offer to help him move in once he had gotten back to Central.

Watching his surroundings, he ignored the jabbering that Jean was doing while dragging him further into the campus. Teachers greeted them like he was a student, surprising Ed but there really wasn't anything telling them that he wasn't a student. Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled to his left, stumbling slightly as he wasn't paying attention to his feet. Turning his head, he saw four other guys standing by a large fountain laughing away.

"Hey guys," Jean greeted them, letting Ed go when they reached them. "Sorry it took me longer to get here but I had to search for my friend here."

The four guys turned to look at Ed, surprised written on their faces.

"Jean, you wouldn't?" The shorter chubbier one said, glancing up at the taller blonde.

"Please say you aren't," The dark haired man with glasses whined, slightly, turning to look at Jean as well.

"Oh my god, guys, I'm not screwing the guy," Jean yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "He's just a friend."

Ed's cheeks flared slightly at the way Jean as stated his first sentence. 'Did his friend's really think that?' He thought to himself, mentally shaking his head. Looking up at Jean's friends, he saw that they were all laughing at what they had done to Jean.

"Calm down, buddy, we're just messing with ya," the dark-haired man said, turning his dark eyes down onto Ed. "We know you're really into the girl at the café."

"Her name is Melissa, if you don't mind," Jean scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Anyway, let me introduce you to Ed. Ed, this is Breda (pointing to the first one to talk), this is Maes (pointing to the second one to talk), this is Roy, he's a player be careful," Jean whispered the last part into Ed's ear. "And this here is Alex, he's a bit of a muscle head but he's harmless. Guys, this is Ed, he's gonna start school here soon."

They all greeted each other and spent the rest of the afternoon talking and chatting away before each of them had to go to their own classes. However, Ed was left standing in the courtyard of the campus with Roy, the man Jean had warned him about. Not that he would ever have to worry about the player part of it, he figured it was another joke that Jean was playing on him.

"Jean's a real pain in the ass sometimes," Roy mused, scratching the back of his head. "I don't see how you put up with him all of the time."

Ed laughed at his statement. "It's quite easy when you can tune out some of the stuff he says when he starts to drone on about certain issues."

Roy chuckled. "Man, I wish I could do that."

Checking his watch, Ed noticed that it was getting closer to eight. Sighing, he turned to look up at the man standing next to him. "I gotta get back to the hotel soon; my brother will murder me if I don't check in with him."

"Brother?"

"Yeah, got a younger brother, about a year younger but worries about me just like a mother," Ed explained, laughing slightly. "I think he would kill me for not checking in with him before mom would."

Roy laughed. "Sounds like real brotherly love there."

"I guess, it gets overwhelming sometimes, especially when it comes to going out," Ed sighed, turning to head out of the courtyard.

"Mind if I tag along, I don't have any more classes for the night and my apartment isn't too far from here," the dark haired man asked before Ed could get too far away.

Ed thought for a moment then nodded. He didn't think anything bad would come of his joining him, besides a bit of company would keep him from being lonely.

"You can tell me more about yourself then, since all Jean talks about is Melissa," Roy said, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he followed Ed off campus.

"Really isn't too much to tell," Ed said honestly, shrugging. "I live at home with my mom and brother, dad left when we were young and just hasn't come back yet. I breezed through all of my learning, apparently mom thinks I am some sort of genius."

"I bet you are, Shorty."

This little comment sent Ed chasing Roy down the streets of Central, gaining strange looks from the others on the streets but he didn't mind he was having fun chasing the man down.

** Present Day **

After packing the last box in the trunk of the taxi waiting outside, Ed turned and gave one last hug to his brother and one to his mother. Promising to call them once he was in Central and settled in his new place, he closed the door to the taxi. He waved out the window to his family as the taxi drove off toward the next phase of his life. He would be there by the next afternoon and he would meet Jean outside the apartment building to help unload all of the boxes but for now he leaned against the window and fell asleep.

It didn't feel that long before the taxi came to a dead stop that jostled Ed awake. He sat up and looked out the window to find Jean smiling and waving at him. Ed paid the taxi driver and got out to unload his boxes from the trunk.

"Did you get my keys for me?" Ed asked, pulling the last box from the trunk and sitting it on the sidewalk.

"Not even a hello," Jean pouted, faking a sad face. "I waited for you all afternoon."

"Shut up, Jean, you make it sound like you were getting ready for a date or something." He gave his friends a glare, folding his arms over his chest. "Did you get them or not?"

"Yea, yea." Jean waved the keys in front of Ed's face before helping him into the empty apartment. "Geez, Ed, you couldn't pick a first floor apartment or allow me to use the elevator."

"We only climbed the stairs a few times and no, I didn't want to use the elevator because you smell." Ed explained, laughing as he set the last box on the floor behind the couch.

"It's your fault."

"Go shower."

Jean stood and shook his head. "Nah, I don't have anything to change into and you're so small that nothing would fit me." The next thing Jean knew, Ed was attacking him with the pillow off the couch left by the landlord for him to use.

Ed knocked Jean to the floor, straddling his friend as he tried his best to knock him in the face with the pillow. After a few minutes of pummeling, Ed laid on the floor next to Jean with them both laughing.

"That's it, you can't use my shower." Ed said, between each laugh. "Walk home sticky now and get ready to go to class."

"So mean." Jean stood and helped Ed up off the floor. "Do you need any help unpacking?"

"Nah, you go ahead and go. I'll be fine here by myself," Ed replied, brushing off his pants and putting the pillow back on the couch. "Besides, I have to call Al before he finds his way here and murders me."

After Jean left, Ed was left in his own apartment, staring at all of the unopened boxes. He hated packing his things but he hated unpacking them even more. Even though he didn't have everything he owned with him, he had the majority of it and most of his things were books that he was given or bought on his own. Reading was a passion for him and one of the few things he could do just about anywhere he wanted to but right now he hated reading. With all the books he owned, he wasn't sure if he had enough room to put them all out. Sighing, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the number for his mom. He figured that he would call her and talk to her while he began unpacking his things.

Elric Resident.

"Hey, mom, it's Ed." He grabbed the first box in front of him and moved to the room that was going to be his study and set the box on the floor, knowing that books were in this box.

Eddie, how was the trip?

His eye twitched at the nickname. "Fine, just got here like an hour ago, my friend helped me get everything in the apartment."

Glad to hear you're safe. I got the truck to pick up the rest of your stuff from your room to bring to you so that might still be a few days until you get it.

"Thanks, mom, I knew I wouldn't be able to bring everything on the first run," he stated, opening the box and pulled out a few books. "Tell Al that I got here safe so he can stop worrying."

I will when he gets home. He's over with Winry at Pinako's.

"Winry's? What's he doing over there?" Ed threw the box in the corner of the room and started putting the books onto the shelf that was already in the room. "Has he told her yet that he likes her?" He heard his mom laughing on the other end of the phone, knowing that he had hit something with her.

Not yet, I don't think but she is starting to guess.

Laughing, Ed switched ears for his phone before speaking again. "I bet she is, she isn't as dumb as she looks," he said, still chuckling as he finished putting the books away. "He'll tell her eventually, I think. He won't be able to hide that for too much longer not without me being there for his excuse when he got nervous."

That's so true. He heard his mom chuckle. Oh, he's home. Do you want to talk to him?

"No, I'll call back later this week and talk to him, I have a busy week here with starting my job and finishing the stuff for school," he replied, walking from the study back into the living room.

Okay, sweetie, I'll tell Al you are fine. I love you.

"Love you, too. Good night," Ed said before hanging up and placing his phone on the counter by the stove. "And now to finish packing and go to bed."

The rest of the evening, Ed spent unpacking the boxes that sat in his living room and putting everything where he thought it should go. He knew he wouldn't really be able to fix up his apartment until the rest of his stuff like his bed got there. For now, he did the best he could before he found himself laying down on the couch that was already there and falling asleep.

AN: This is chapter 1…. What do you think? Ed in college is going to be coming up, don't worry the whole RoyxEd will come into play soon. I promise! I'll try to be quicker with the updates on this one compared to some of my other ones. PLEASE review! I update depending on reviews ^^