Orphans, while not precisely common in Amestris, are still plentiful in the large country. But there are hardly any orphanages in Amestris, and those that are present are no better than slums. Children who find themselves without parents must fend for themselves, try to find work, and hope they can make it.

The only other option is to join the military.

Unfortunately, oftentimes the team members of these so-called "Army Orphans" are cruel, abusing their fragile position. Orphans will be forced to do extra, grueling work, while the adults can sit around. They are insulted and beaten, but they can't leave. The only other place to go is the streets.

Luckily, when Edward and Alphonse Elric joined the military after the death of their mother, they were placed in one of the few squads with any sympathy to the parentless children. Led by Colonel Roy Mustang, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Warrant Officer Vato Falman, Sergeant Kain Fuery, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, and Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda adopted the boys into their group with gusto. Most likely, this strangely kind attitude stemmed from Roy's own days as an orphan. Whatever the cause, both Ed and Al considered themselves extremely fortunate and swiftly formed a close bond with each team member.

And now the brothers, aged 16 and 15, had been invited to join the other guys of the group on a road trip across Amestris.

"C'mon, Ed, you're slowing us down!" Havoc shouted through the driver's side window of his suburban.

"Shut up, Jean! Al packed a lot of shit in here," Edward responded, hefting his suitcase (which he was sharing with his brother) over his shoulder dramatically.

Havoc's response was almost drowned out by Alphonse's irritated retort, but Ed caught it. "It smells like insubordination up in here, but I'm not sure you can tell at that low altitude of yours."

"Oh, that's it!" Edward threw the suitcase back at Al and ran towards the car, launching himself halfway through the window to get at Havoc, who in turn rolled up the window until Ed yelped, his feet dangling.

"Honestly, Jean, you're as bad as the kids," Roy snickered, walking up to the scene.

Edward grinned. He and Roy could really get into it, but when he fought with one of the other guys, Roy was almost invariably on his side.

"At least I don't sound like their proud papa," Havoc muttered, rolling the window back down.

Ed dropped back to his feet, grinning cheekily at the two of them. Roy rolled his eyes and cuffed him lightly as Havoc blew smoke in his face. Coughing, Edward surrendered and climbed into the suburban.

It could fit seven people…but with all their luggage, it was a tight squeeze. Havoc was driving, of course, and Roy sat up front, having pulled rank. The rest of them had had to gamble for their seats.

As Roy climbed into the car, Edward pushed his way into the very back. Alphonse had managed to win one of the single seats in the middle, along with Breda. That left Ed in the back with Fuery and Falman. Still, he at least got a window seat.

"Everyone situated?" Roy called back. Ed buckled in and snorted; the man really was acting like a mother or something. "Good. Let's go, Jean."

Even as he pulled away from the curb, Havoc was complaining. "C'mon, don't I at least get to be called by my title? It's been a long time since you called me Jean."

"No, you don't," Roy smirked, smug. "We're out of the office, we don't have to be formal. Besides, you call Ed and Al by their names all the time, what's the big deal?"

"They're just kids, Colonel."

"Roy."

"Roy," Havoc conceded, before a thought struck him. "You're going to get me used to that, and then I'm going to slip and call you Roy when we get back, and you're going to punish me for insubordination later."

Roy gave a rather over dramatic wink in the rearview mirror. Everyone laughed, and he turned on the radio.

The silence grew quickly, as they all settled down for the long haul, a piercing guitar solo the only sound disturbing the air.

To no one else's surprise and certainly not to his own, it was Edward who had the most difficulty sitting in the car all day. Their first stop was the desert in the east, and it was a long drive from Central. Ed was full of energy, always wanting to do something, and had a firecracker temper to boot. He just wasn't made for car trips.

When Havoc pulled up at the hotel for the night, Edward stumbled out of the car, stretching with a moan. He bent backwards until his back popped, and then flipped over onto his hands, doing a handstand for a moment before righting himself.

"Now that you're done trying out for the circus," Breda chuckled. "Help us with the bags."

The seven marched up the stairs, thanking Falman's foresight to call ahead. Roy was downstairs confirming their arrival, but everyone else was free to head up.

"Here we are," Havoc announced, standing in front of a room. "We've this one, and the one next door."

"Uhm, there are seven of us. How many beds are in each room?" Fuery asked.

"Two," came the answer. Havoc held up his hand to silence the general mutterings of discontent as they all did the math. "Yeah, yeah, we're going to have to bunk with each other, suck it up. We're all straight, no one's going to grope anyone else. You're fine."

"Too bad Riza couldn't have come, huh?" Breda hinted, causing a few snorts.

Edward shifted slightly, but said nothing. A few months ago, he had decided that he wasn't straight, actually. He liked guys, not girls. But this seemed like a really bad time to confess to that, as no one knew yet, and besides, he wasn't planning on assaulting anyone in the night. It was fine, just like Havoc said.

"So, any volunteers for sleeping partners?"

"You'll want me in my own bed," Alphonse declared. Before anyone could argue, he explained. "I…get nightmares, almost every night. And I have a tendency to kick. You might be in danger if you slept with me."

Ed winced, remembering the last time he had had to share a bed with Al. His side ached at the memory. "Yeah, it's true."

"Okay, then, who else?"

"I'll go with you, Jean," Breda rumbled.

"And I can go with Kain," Falman suggested.

"That leaves you with me, then, Ed," Roy announced as he arrived at the top of the stairs, having heard their conversation on the way up.

"No way!" Edward insisted. "You'll, like, mess me up."

The man smirked. "Mess you up how?"

That started Ed ranting. "You'll say something about my height or something, and then I'll get pissed and hit you, and you'll come right back at me and then everyone else will wake up and—" Roy covered his mouth with his gloved hand. Edward bit him, but that didn't do anything.

"I'll sleep with Ed. Me and him can share that room with Al, so we don't disturb you all."

Snickers all around. Edward flushed, and grabbed the hand away from his face, glaring up at Roy. He sighed in defeat, picked up his bag, and walked inside the first room to a chorus of cheeky good nights.

As Roy closed the door, he addressed Ed, who was already undressing for bed. "You could always sleep on the floor?" he suggested sarcastically.

"Not a chance," Edward pouted. "You just stick to your side, okay?"

And with that, he curled up in the hotel blankets, and drifted off to sleep. The last thing he registered was the bed sinking with the weight of Roy as he laid down just a foot away, and Al's quiet chuckle.