Hey there all! I have been reading a lot of Fullmetal Alchemist fics and was inspired to write my own. This is my first attempt at an FMA fanfiction, so be nice please? That would be appreciated!

Warning: There is foul language, nothing too unusual for the characters though.

Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa, not me!

Edward let out a painful cough, subconsciously clutching at his chest as he did so. Settling back into the chair he was sitting in, he ignored the dark probing eyes from across the room... Or at least he tried to. The golden blonde groaned and glared at the ceiling, feeling too weak to glare at the person. "Calm down Colonel Bastard," he said, "just another cough, nothing more."

The said man scoffed, "Don't hand me that bullshit Fullmetal, we both know what 'just another cough' could turn into." After a moment he glared at the other, "And it's not Colonel anymore, hasn't been for awhile."

Ed let out a quiet laugh, "That's right.. I keep forgetting; it's Führer Bastard now, right?" He blatantly ignored Mustang's other comment, not wanting to get into yet another fight over his health with the man. He didn't want to keep bringing it up anyway, he could feel his body getting weaker as the days passed, he didn't need people to keep reminding him. After thinking this over he scowled and voice his complaints to the dark haired man. "Please don't bring that up..." he whispered out, "it's not like I like being reminded that I'm... dying."

Mustang's eyes shot to the younger man. He instantly felt guilty, he hadn't thought about it in that aspect.

Ed felt his hold on his emotions breaking up and he bit his lip to try and hold things together. Warm, strong arms wrapped around him and held him as his eyes began watering. Both had been happening a lot more in recent times. He huddled into Mustang's embrace and released his pent up emotions. He hated himself for being weak but he knew that he couldn't do anything about it. His body was giving out on him, a repercussion of playing the game of Equivalent Exchange with the Gate. He choked at the thought, equivalent exchange my ass. Two years he had suffered but yet his body had not given out on him yet, a miracle in itself. The more he thought about it however, the more he realized that this was just another price of trying to play God. It seemed that no matter what, the Gate always won the game.

The dark haired Führer held the blonde carefully. He was at a complete loss at what to do anymore; they had seen doctors but they had all said the same thing; Edward was dying and no one could stop it. The only thing any of them had had to offer was some pain medications to try and ease the pain they said Ed must be in.

Mustang grimaced as he thought back to when the boy had broken the news to them. Ed had known going into the Gate to retrieve Alphonse that he would probably end up dying from something; he was no stranger to the games that Truth played on people who crossed its path after all. His thoughts snapped back to the present as he felt Ed's trembling stop, he pulled back and studied the other's moist and worn out face with pity. "You okay now," he asked quietly.

Ed nodded lightly and rubbed his face. "Sorry about that," he murmured after a moment.

"Don't be Ful-.. Ed, you needed that," Mustang replied. He understood all too well how much certain things were needed at times, Hughes had opened his eyes a little more to the subject though.

Mentally, Edward sang his thanks to Mustang for not only deciding to be his caretaker and room mate but to also be his guardian. Sure he was 20 now but he liked being cared for by a father figure, it was refreshing. Even though before he had resented the idea of rooming with the cocky Führer, he now appreciated him more than ever. He had gotten in a few snags and Roy had been there every step of the way, helping him up or to the hospital. Yes, even though he'd have to be on his deathbed to say his thanks, he would make sure that the man knew of his appreciation.

"-ward! ED!"

The blonde blinked at the rising voice and looked up curiously at the dark haired Führer, "Were you talking to me?"

Roy let out an exasperated sigh, "Yes, glad I have your attention now Fullmetal."

Ed frowned slightly at the nickname, "If I have to call you Führer, then you have to call me by my name... I haven't worked for the military in 2 years, I'm not Fullmetal anymore." It wasn't that he minded being remembered by his former glory, but it was a reminder of the past and the past wasn't entirely happy.

"Right," Mustang relented, "Edward then, sorry for my forgetfulness.."

The said man shrugged, "I can make an exception for you I suppose, I still call you bastard after all. Plus I still respond to either name... Old habits really die hard, huh?"

The dark haired Führer made a grunt of agreement.

There was a momentary comfortable silence and then there came a soft knock on the door.

For an instant, molten gold eyes met charcoal. There was a silent communication between the two men and then another knock on the door.

"Führer, sir, there are some things we need to attend to," a voice sounded, "It will only take an hour at most but if you do them now you can have a few days of not worrying about anything."

"Hawkeye," Mustang murmured. Going to the door he let in the said woman so she wouldn't have to wait outside.

Per usual the woman had a small stack of papers in hand and appeared slightly flustered. She gave Edward a wave in greeting, "Hello Edward, it's good to see you up and about." The last couple of times she had visited, she had had to visit the elder Elric brother on his bed because he had been too weak to get up.

Ed gave her a tired smile and a returning wave, "Hey Riza, good to see you too. I felt a little stronger today so I got out of bed.. Yay!"

Hawkeye returned the smile after a moment, "Good, I hope things continue to get better for you." She secretly encased another message, hoping the intelligent man would be able to pick up on it.

The golden blonde nodded slightly at the message.

I'm glad you're not on your way out and that it is just a phase.

"Me too," Ed commented quietly.

At that point Mustang emerged from his bedroom, dressed to head out into the chilly weather. He sighed and grabbed his coat, noting the heavy wool coat over Riza's shoulders. "Is it really that cold out, Riza," he questioned while tugging on his coat.

The woman nodded, "Yes sir, winter is on its way after all. One of the thermometers I checked before I left read somewhere around 45 degrees Fahrenheit."

Both men present shuddered.

Ed subconsciously rubbed lightly on his automail joints, not looking forward to the coming winter. Any person with automail could tell you that the cold does nothing for them, neither the rain. For a person with automail, the cold and wet made a pain equivalent to arthritis. It wasn't fun for anyone.

After checking his pockets, Mustang nodded to himself and turned to Ed, "Will you be okay for an hour or so or should I call over Hughes?"

Edward blinked and then waved the offer away, "Nah, I'll be fine... Just.. come back as soon as you can, ok? I don't like to risk me being alone." It seemed like whenever he did happen to be alone, for any measure of time something bad happened.

Roy smiled softly and knelt down in front of the man. He grasped his shoulders and met his golden eyes, "Don't worry Ed, I'll be back as fast as I can." His words sealed a promise he didn't intend to break.

The blonde smiled back and nodded as the dark haired man left with Riza to run errands. As the door shut, Ed felt his unease triple. He recognized the signs all too well, he was going to have another attack of some kind. He mentally berated himself for being left alone, he should have had Mustang call Hughes. With fear in his gut he could only wait as the signs became more prominent. What would it be this time, he wondered. A seizure? A coughing fit? Vomiting? All of them had happened before, he only hoped it was something minor.

As the world around him began to blur, he realized which one it was and could only mentally panic as he fell from his chair onto the floor. Darkness took over his vision and he knew nothing more.

Hey! Thanks for reading chapter 1! How was it? Good, bad, meh? Tell me in a review, if you want! I plan to continue this in the next chapter. Thanks again for reading!

~Ghosties