A/N: This little piece started out as a random RP that started to be interesting, so I would like to give credit to my friend Nitzan as well (when she'll have an account I'll link to it). However, somewhere in the middle I decided this was good material for a fanfiction so I just took it from there...

I would also like to thank Darya for beta-ing this, as always :)

Enjoy! XOXO

Dental Care - part I

Roy was sitting in his office, his usually good mood a long distance away. He was grimacing as the dull pain in his mouth was throbbing with a slow torture. He knew he should probably go see a doctor, but if there was something the great colonel Mustang was afraid of, it was dentists. Ever since he was a child, he didn't like the demons that did nothing but cause you more pain than you were already in, and as he grew up and became an independent man he understood they also took insane amount of money for it.

As a colonel, he could use the military dental services for a much lower price; but it wasn't the money that stopped him. He'd rather see all his teeth falling out before he'd go to a dentist. Roy considered announcing he is taking a day off so he could go and be miserable at home, where no one could see him in this state of weakness, but he had too much work to do to be able to allow himself a day off. He was doomed to suffer in silence.

He let out a sigh, giving in for a second to the pain, when his office's door was slammed open and Roy looked up just in time to see the Fullmetal boy storming in carelessly, like he always did. Oh, he really didn't have the strength or the patience to deal with him now, he thought. Ed walked straight towards him, dropping a pack of papers on his desk.

"Your report, as you requested," he said, his tone as sassy and blaming as always. He was giving Roy a headache. Roy thought he'd leave the papers there and leave, but his hopes were crushed when the young alchemist walked towards the sofa in Roy's office, and promptly sat on it, uninvited.

Maybe if I ignore him he'll leave, Roy thought to himself. Fullmetal was a nightmare to deal with on Roy's best days; in this state of pain, he was nothing short of torture. It surely didn't help that during the last seven years the boy grew, becoming more and more beautiful as time passed. Too bad his physical attractiveness didn't do anything to make the brat's awful character disappear.

Roy let out a growl, managing only that without actually making his current state of pain too obvious.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" the elder Elric asked, his voice implying just how surprised he was with the lack of witty comebacks he was used to from Roy. "Your girlfriend's on her time of the month or what?"

"You're on your time of the month," Roy snapped back, but regretted it immediately as a new wave of pain washed him. It felt like something decided to do a construction work on his jaw: constant, painful torment he couldn't escape. He knew he wasn't able to keep his misery out of his voice, but hoped that either Edward would be ignorant enough not to notice or won't care enough to point it out. Maybe Roy's words would make him angry enough to ignore the strangeness of Roy's tone.

For a short moment, it seemed like it was working. Ed's face was red with anger and he looked like he was about to yell something. Roy braced himself for the headache that would follow, when he realized the whole atmosphere in the room changed. He looked up to see Ed watching him, his golden eyes narrowed as he examined his posture.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice sounding more worried than anything else; but Roy wasn't fooled, despite how much he wanted to be. Ed was a great actor. He survived many dangerous situations due mostly to that skill, and pretending to worry about him won't make Roy reveal his vulnerability to the brat. He knew what he was really made of – he was probably only looking for ways to torture him later, fishing for Roy's weak points so he could use it later for his own benefits. He wasn't going to give him any.

"That's none of your business, Fullmetal," he mumbled, terrified at how weak his voice sounded. He intended to appear strong and make the boy go away, not give him more reasons to stick his nose into Roy's health issues.

It seemed that Ed noticed that as well. "You're talking funny," he pointed out, and Roy wanted to choke him; but he was in too much pain by now because of talking. Just one moment and he'll stand up, put his hands around this pretty neck and make sure he'll just be pretty and shut up. Too bad for him, before he managed to do any of it the boy spoke again, his left eyebrows risen in doubt. "When was the last time you went to a dentist?"

Damn. He sometimes forgot how sharp Fullmetal was. Usually, it was a good thing; he could notice things most people usually missed, and brought many missions to a good ending with that ability. But it could be also so annoying… especially at times like this. Why did he care so much, anyway? Wasn't it supposed to be the best day of the year if Roy didn't speak to him for an entire day? Him noticing the problem was with Roy's mouth was bad enough; he didn't owe him anything. He didn't need to know that Roy's last visit at the demon's office was several years back.

"My teeth are fine. Stop snooping around or I'll search up the worse assignment and force you to do it," he said, unable to stop the moan of pain escaping between his lips at the last word. He knew that sound was more or less an invitation for Fullmetal to question him even farther, but he had no intentions of letting him do so. "Just go away. You're dismissed, Fullmetal." There, that should solve the problem. Edward won't stick around after given permission to be away.

He wasn't surprised, then, when the boy stood up; no, that was saved for a moment later, when instead of turning and striding towards his ill-earned freedom he walked towards Roy's desk. Panic rose inside him as he realized what his subordinate intended to do. He wasn't allowed to do that! There was no way Roy would let him –

"Bet you'd give me the shittiest mission you have anyway. Might just as well drag your sorry ass to the dentist so at least I'll have the rest of the day off from you – "

"I already sent you off! Don't come back until next – ouch – week for all I care – "

"Come'on. Get up. I'm taking you to the clinic." Roy had no idea what kind of evilness drove the blonde to attempt and force him into going to the devil's lair, but he couldn't let him do that.

"No, no, no way Fullmetal!" he meant it to be a command, but it came all wrong; his tooth decided to stab him with a torturing pain and it came out as a groan, making him sound more pathetic than fierce and decisive. He whispered a swear. "That's an order," he added in a puny attempt to sound more authoritarian.

It didn't seem to do the trick, as Ed obviously only barely stopped himself from laughing. Roy could see the tension in his facial features as he held back, and Roy swore to himself that when his jaw stops acting against him, he'll make the boy pay for forcing him to talk so much.

"Stop acting like a little girl, Mustang. Bastard or not, you're still a Goddamned colonel for crying out loud. Get up!" Roy almost felt like saying something along the lines of 'make me', but then he thought better of it; it was an invitation to a challenge, and as he knew the elder Elric he'd never decline such an offer, especially not if the outcome might humiliate Roy. Also, it was too painful to move his jaw. Ed probably noticed the inner struggle going on inside the colonel's mind, as he suddenly smirked smugly and added, "that's an order."

Roy stared at him. How dare he?... "You don't get to give me orders, Fullmetal, I'm your commander – " his speech was cut by another wave of intolerable pain, and he heard himself groan again. Great, just great…

"Right now you're being an idiot. Since I'm the smarter one, I do get to give you orders. This is serious shit, Mustang. Even I know not to fool around when it comes to my mouth."

Roy had a very nasty and very inappropriate retort in response to that last comment, but both his state and his logic told him it'd be better to keep it to himself this time. Well, he could verbally abuse the brat at a later time… when he could actually use his mouth. He tried to figure out whether he could or could not say anything else to get Edward to just go away when a sudden touch on his arm made him turn his gaze sharply towards his side. He didn't even notice Fullmetal getting so close, and now he was gripping his arm. Roy had to use all of his famous Mustang self control not to lean away from the touch – or even worse, lean closer. Did Edward feel the same jolt that Roy could feel the moment he touched him? "What are you doing, Fullmetal?"

"Taking you to the dentist. Don't just sit there like someone transmuted your ass to the chair. I ain't gonna drag you around Headquarters, so get up!" Roy looked at Ed's face, and saw there nothing but determination. Well, if he was known for his self control, then the Elrics – especially the older one – were notorious for their decisiveness. It was a lost fight, especially when all that ran through his brain was pain.

"You really hate me, don't you," he said, defeated, as he got up from his chair. If he had no chance at being victorious, then he definitely not going to give Fullmetal the pleasure of showing just how much stronger he was right now. His pride could only take so much.

"As much as I hate jaundice," came the answer, and Roy was surprised when the boy didn't leave his arm.

"Then I can't see why on Earth you'd care for my dental health," he said, and glanced, angrily, at Ed's hand that was closed over his arm. It didn't hurt, even though the stiffness of the touch hinted that Ed was holding him with his right hand. It simply felt… awkward. "I can walk on my own, you know."

The hand, thankfully, left him. "Don't flatter yourself, bastard. I'm only doing this because I know that if I let you neglect your so called 'dental health' then I'm going to be the one who suffers the most from your bad mood."

In Roy's pain hazed head that sounded like a lousy excuse. The boy was just trying to spend more time with him, for sure! Then he blinked, and realized what a silly thought just passed through his mind. He shouldn't be thinking stuff like that; first, because it was his subordinate he was thinking about; secondly, because that specific subordinate was the biggest – figuratively, not literally, he noted with a chuckle in his mind – brat he'd ever met, and lastly… because there was no way anything good could come from thoughts like that.

"Don't you think you aren't going to pay for it, Shorty."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You already said you're going to look up the worse assignment in the bunch just so I can have my fun with it. Heard ya, old man."

He must have been in really bad shape to make Ed ignore his most hated nickname, Roy thought to himself as he, shamefully, allowed the blonde to lead him towards the infirmary. He wanted to say something back – perhaps insult the boy again in a way he won't be able to ignore and thus leave him alone, but it hurt too much to even swallow his own saliva, so he gave it up. Better just get it over with; after all, he wasn't an idiot. He knew, deep inside, that he should see a dentist; had known for a while. Perhaps having Edward there won't be such a bad idea…

Great. Now the pain's gone into my head, Roy thought angrily. Was he really that much out of it that he was actually grateful for Fullmetal's presence?

"Get inside," he heard Ed's voice commanding him. He was in too much pain to even tell him to respect his rank, and instead just used all his strength to force his body into the dreaded clinic. He was trying to keep his expression stern, hoping he could at least keep some of his dignity – but knowing well enough that his too-sharp-for-his-own-good subordinate will probably see right through it.

He didn't know if it was because he was right, or because Ed was a bold brat, but the moment they reached the reception desk the young alchemist didn't give him even a second to start talking; not that he was so sure he could, anyway.

"Yo!" The bored-looking lady behind the bar turned to stare at them. She immediately changed her expression when noticing Roy's rank, forcing a professional appearance in an instant. "This grown baby here has a tooth pain. Care to get someone to take a look?"

Roy opened his mouth to say something offensive, probably including something about Ed's lack of height and a growth clinic, he didn't work out the exact phrasing yet, but he was attacked by another wave of intolerable pain that stopped him from saying anything. This was bad… very bad.

"Right away, eh…" the reception lady looked at them, first taking in Roy's uniform and rank and then, with somewhat confusion, looking at Edward. Roy could almost hear the wheels behind her brain trying to figure out just what a kid like the Elric was doing there, and watched as she gave up. "Sirs." With that, she turned away, heading towards the depths of the clinic.

Being familiar with the health institution, especially in the military, Roy turned from the desk and walked towards the nearby chairs, allowing his body to drop into one of them. This was going to be such a nightmare… He glanced at the door. Could be so easy to just run away now; but his dignity – and yet another flash of pain – prevented him from making any moves towards the exit.

Ed remained standing next to the reception desk, and Roy found himself staring at his broad back. He was wearing his usual outfit – his black jacket, and on top of it his dreadful red coat. How he could wear it in any weather was beyond Roy's understanding, but right now he couldn't really think about it. He watched the braid, resting over the red fabric, move as the teen moved his head in attempt to see if the girl was coming back. A sudden urge to reach there and undo the tie that forced the golden locks to remain tamed rose inside him, and Roy, surprised and ashamed, pushed it away. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. Well, at least he lingered on the boy's upper body, and didn't let his eyes fall on the leather-clad well shaped bottom. In the past he already had his fare share of looking at it, and he sometimes wondered if Ed was even aware of how he looked inside these too-tight pants. He probably wasn't, though. Not that it mattered; the outcome was the same altogether.

"Colonel, the doctor will see you now," the high voice of the reception girl tore Roy from his thoughts, and he opened his eyes to see both her and Edward looking at him. He got up from his chair, and raised one leg in order to start walking towards the dentist's office, but then he realized he couldn't move. He really, really didn't want to go there…

All kinds of different scenarios started running through his head, paralyzing him. He saw the evil smirk on that demon's face as he approaches his mouth with demonic tools, and the reception lady standing right next to him, laughing as the doctor tormented him. He saw himself sitting on that chair while the dentist pulled all of his teeth out… and he could feel the pain, throbbing and almost enough to make him faint, but just almost. He was fully conscious, way too aware of every string of torture.

No, there was no way he was going in there!

He swallowed. "Major Elric, we're leaving," he said, and didn't even care how shaky his voice sounded. Anything, even humiliation, was better than being led into that den of anguish.

"Oh hell we aren't! I didn't drag your ass here just so you'd chicken out. Get inside there!"

Roy could feel Ed's automail gripping his arm, tighter than he did earlier in his office. Now he was pulling him towards his worst nightmare, and there was no way he was letting him do that.

"That was an order, Major. Let go of my arm."

"Please, sir, this is only a check up," said the reception lady, and Roy shot a glare in her direction. She was smiling softly, but Roy could see the lines of evilness in her features. She was a part of the conspiracy too! They were all just trying to kill him.

"No." He said, using his most authoritarian voice.

"Can you stall him, just for a moment, Major?"

"Sure."

Roy had no idea what was about to come, but he knew he wouldn't like it. "Let go of me, pipsqueak! I'm your commanding officer, not one of your friends, and I gave you an order!"

"Nope, not gonna obey that one."

"You little – I'm going to make your life a living hell, you know that!"

"You'll do that anyway, might as well watch you suffer for a little bit before."

"Ed…" he was using his most dangerous tone, glaring at his subordinate. "Let me go, and I'll consider not putting you on a trial for insubordination – stop this right now!"

"I'm really sorry, sir, but from the way you speak there's no choice, really."

Roy was too busy threatening Ed to notice the girl even coming back, let alone fight against her when she attached an inhaler to his mouth, preventing him from saying anything farther. He gasped, accidently taking a deep breath of the gas flowing into his mouth. He was so going to make them all pay for that later… he'll give the three of them – Fullmetal, the reception girl and the doctor – the maximum punishment his rank would allow him. He'll make them suffer, he'll…

But the words were fading as he was thinking them. He watched the world rapidly blur in front of him, and soon enough comfortable warmth filled his body, spreading like music through all his muscles, relaxing him. He was still aware, but he just didn't care anymore. He sat down, vaguely aware that the chairs were still right behind him.

"What was that?" he could hear Ed's voice talking, not too far above him. Of course, the kid was so short that when Roy was sitting down he was finally able not to look down at him. The thought caused a smile to appear on his face; or at least, he thought it did. Didn't matter, anyway.

"Laughing gas. Usually we don't use it like that, but the colonel seemed to be a second from running away." The girls' voice sounded somewhat distanced. Why won't she leave him alone? Alone with Ed. Yeah, that could be nice. He won't run away if it's just him and Ed. "Generally, it's used for kids, but… well, sometimes adults are terrified of dentists as well. It's a rather common phobia." He felt hands – soft and warm, not strong. Too bad they weren't strong, he hoped Ed would hold him right now – gripping his arm. "I'm sorry to ask for it, Major, but I'm going to need your help getting him to the dentists' office. I gave him a really high dosage, he probably won't be able to walk properly now."

Another set of hands held his other arm now. Strong, tough hands. Good. Now if the lady would be so kind as to leave them alone, that'd be great. "Sure. Up you get, you little piece of shitty colonel."

Dirty talk. Mmm… yeah, that could be a good idea. Roy's smile broadened, and he felt his body being forced up by the two sets of arms holding him. Well then, might just as well stand up, he thought, and helped them by using his own strength to get up. They started leading him towards a corridor, but his legs were too heavy to actually walk. He did his best, though. Probably wasn't a good idea to do stuff with Ed in the lobby anyway.

They led him through the darkish corridor, when suddenly he saw bright light shining through one of the opened doors. He could smell sea, and hear the birds chirping as they got closer.

A vacation! He's being taken to a vacation. He tried to walk a little faster, but the strong hands that held him stopped him.

"Easy there, Roy. Don't be so eager to see your dentist that you'd break your leg in the process," he could hear the smile in Ed's voice. A dentist? But he hated dentists. They were evil, mean beings. Maybe there was one on the island, and he stole a princess and they had to save her. But Ed was right next to him; it was impossible. It was probably some kind of mistake.

They entered the room, and Roy bathed in the bright light, letting it surround him in a pool of happiness. He was led towards a chair, where he allowed his body to sink. It was comfortable, so very comfortable… He felt the hands leave him, and instantly glanced in Ed's direction. "You gonna leave me alone with the monster?" he asked, feeling somewhat betrayed.

For a moment, all he could hear was the fine, ringing music filling his ears. But then a new character added to his little paradise, hovering over him. "Don't worry, colonel, there are no monsters here. We're only going to do a little check up, alright?"

"I'm going to be just outside, Roy, alright? Let the nice man check you and when you're done I'll help you out."

Roy considered his options; he could try and fight that statement, demand that Ed stays there, but it seemed like so much effort. He'll be just outside, waiting for his check up to be over and then they can start their vacation. He nodded, and relaxed in his comfortable chair. It won't take long, he was sure.

~TBC~

A/N: Next part will be up on next Tuesday, May 28th.