A/N Hello everyone! I am proud to announce the start of my new multi-chapter fic! If you don't know already, I deeply love Roy/Fem!Ed and love writing about them, so prepare for a long-ass fic lol. I've actually been writing this for ages, and I've written 16 chappies so far, and while the fic isn't finished yet, I feel I've left enough room for myself to write the rest before I've posted all 16.

Before you start reading please take a moment to read the disclaimer!

DISCLAIMER: This fic contains views/opinions/actions etc that may be controversial. A major part of the story is about cheating, and I just want to say that just because I write about it, there is no piece of me that supports such behaviour. If reading about this type of thing is not your cup of tea, you are free to read something else. Thanks. :) x

AU: Ed, Roy and Maes are all similar age, and all in the military academy, training to enter the military.

Also Ed's boyfriend is an OC, which I will eventually bash. So.

For those of you that stayed, welcome to the first chapter! Enjoy! :)

"Are you jealous, Edeline?"

[1]

Edeline inhaled deeply, closing one eye and taking aim.

She was lying on her stomach, gripping her rifle tightly as she concentrated. Other guns fired around her, men and women shouting and conversing loudly, but she paid them no heed; she tuned them out, readying herself. Her finger pulling the trigger, she shot thrice, one bullet hitting her target in the chest, the second on the thigh, and the third just above the hip.

She sighed, letting out the breath she had been subconsciously holding in, before she stood, taking off her ear protectors.

"Damn it." She pursed her lips, exhaling once more. She needed more practice with shooting.

She'd been at the shooting range for a few hours already and, honestly, she was starting to get hungry. Ever since she had woken up this morning she had been here, attempting to finally hit her target correctly.

No such luck. She always managed to miss after the first shot.

As if on cue, her stomach grumbled, and she grimaced, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She slung her rifle over her shoulder and, just as she was about to start walking away, a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You'll get there, Elric, don't worry."

Ed scowled, spinning round. Granted, there was nothing wrong with what had just been said, but the way it was said ticked her off. The voice was deep, smooth and entirely mocking, and Ed knew exactly who had spoken to her.

Just as she had expected, her eyes rested on Roy Mustang. A smirk stretched his face, his dark eyes glinting with mirth as he stared right back at her, his own rifle slung over his shoulder.

Edeline narrowed her eyes in a glare, her mood instantly darkening. "Fuck off, Mustang," she growled, promptly turning around and walking away.

She was used to this, as much as she hated to admit it. Roy was one of the first people she had met when she first entered the academy and, surprisingly, he was one of the few people she could call a 'friend'. Ed had even surprised herself when she had admitted that fact inside her, since Roy Mustang was the kind of person she usually avoided like the plague.

He had this cocky aura about him twenty-four-seven, and the constant teasing she had to endure made her want to bang his head against the wall. For some freaking reason, it appeared that Roy's favourite pastime was making her life difficult in any way he could.

Everyone considered him a womaniser, since he never missed an opportunity to flirt with anything that had breasts, though everyone who had their ears open to gossip had already deduced that he didn't do relationships. Why Ed hung around him, she had no idea.

No, actually, she could come up with a few things that made him kind of likeable. Despite all those irritating traits, he had a great personality and bright dreams, and a sense of humour that matched her own. Ed always found herself laughing when around him, even though he'd usually spoil the moment by teasing her about something that would get her whole face to heat up in embarrassment.

He always had his best friend, Maes Hughes, around as well, so that also helped Ed tolerate him.

Maes was a vibrant person, and when she met him they had hit it off immediately. A mere few days after she had enrolled, she had come to realise that everyone liked Maes. He was smart and constantly optimistic, always managing to boost her mood. Ed loved being around him.

"Really though, I wonder if your lack of height is the reason for your inability to shoot the target higher than the waist."

Ed ground her teeth together, conscious of Roy casually walking next to her. They had left their rifles in the shooting range just before they exited, and now they were strolling down the hallways, heading to the Mess Hall for lunch.

Ed should've expected it really, that Roy would follow her, since they always had lunch together, and if they didn't walk together they would inevitably end up at the same table.

"Shut up, bastard," she snapped, trying her best to ignore him, which was becoming harder with each second. The bastard was perfectly calm while tossing the insults at her, his hands stuffed in his pants' pockets. His ever present smirk was there, stretching his lips. It made Ed want to punch him.

"PMS-ing, shorty?" Roy drawled, his smirk widening.

Ed growled, clenching her hands into fists as she picked up her pace. To her disappointment, Roy caught up with ease. "I'm fucking hungry," she snapped. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "And I'm not short!"

Really, as if enduring Roy's annoying comments wasn't enough, every person in the goddamn hallway bumped into her. It was crowded at this time of day, because everyone was either heading to the Mess Hall or was trying to leave the building to go to a cafe for a quick sandwich.

From next to her, she heard Roy's deep chuckle, though thankfully he remained silent as they entered the Mess Hall and got in line for food. Ed couldn't hold back a sigh as she tried to see the first person in the ridiculously long queue. It really didn't help that everyone was so freakishly taller than her.

She ended up craning her neck and standing on her tiptoes, taking notice of what exactly she was doing a second too late.

"Do you want me to get you a stool?"

Red flooded her cheeks in record time, and she spun around to face Roy, who was looking irritatingly amused, his hands still casually in his pockets.

He was so infuriating! Ed had absolutely no clue why everybody thought he was so great. Women swooned and men got jealous when they saw him, and Roy just held himself high and strutted from A to B. He was so cocky and overly self-confident, he'd talk to people as though he was already in the military.

Just because he wanted to become a State Alchemist didn't mean that he was more than someone else. Edeline herself was going to sit for the State Alchemist exam, and while Roy specialised in fire, using his custom-made gloves to create a spark, she was going to go for a more general approach.

She constantly tried to hurt that big overflowing ego of his, and they often got in fights, in which he'd usually retort with some insult about her height that would send her into hysterics.

Ed had just opened her mouth to reply to his very obvious short joke, when a feminine voice called Roy's name, making them both turn. A petite female giggled and waved at him, and he offered a polite smile in return, but his attention quickly shifted back to Ed, the amusement returning to his eyes.

He stared at her, as though waiting for her to speak, but Ed was too busy shaking her head at the woman, wondering just why that girl wanted to be in the military. According to Ed, one had to have a certain hardness about them to become a soldier.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Roy's voice snapped her back to reality, and she glared at him, before moving up in line. Only now did she notice they were reaching the beginning of the queue. She was positively starving.

"I'm just wondering why a woman like her would be interested in joining the army."

Roy hummed, his signature smirk stretching his face. "I bet she came because I'm here."

Ed snorted, giving him a disgusted look before turning her back to him, ready to ignore him until they got some food. Apparently, turning around had been a mistake, because a second later a warm hand rested on her shoulder and a hot breath spoke in her ear.

"Are you jealous, Edeline?" Roy's smooth voice caressed her skin and made her shiver, but she drew back, scowling, though she could feel the redness on her cheeks. Her heart had started beating rapidly, and she mentally cursed Roy for always managing to catch her off guard.

"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I care about the way you interact with your girlfriends?" She scoffed for good measure, waving her hand dismissively.

Where the hell was Maes when she needed him? He always got her out of situations like these.

Actually, Roy always seemed to act like this only when Maes wasn't around.

Roy raised his eyebrows, putting on a fake offended look. "You know I don't do the whole girlfriend-boyfriend thing, Edeline." Then, his face twisted into a teasing smirk. "Geez, Ed, I thought you knew me better than that."

Ed had just opened her mouth to say something very nasty, when a cheery voice cut her off.

"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late!"

Roy and Ed turned to see Maes running up to them, his dark hair sticking to his sweaty forehead. He stopped by them, his hands on his knees as he panted.

Ed grimaced. "Why the hell are you so sweaty?" she asked, swiftly avoiding Maes' hand when it tried to rest on her shoulder for support. He reached for Roy's instead, who begrudgingly allowed it.

"I w-was r-running around the t-track," Maes panted, before taking a deep breath and straightening. He wiped his forehead with his hand, and Ed stared repulsively at his grey tank top, parts of it becoming a darker shade where it clung to his skin.

It was then that what Maes had said registered in Ed's brain and she winced in sympathy. "Hirshfeld's being rough on you again?"

Maes huffed and rolled his eyes. "I swear, that guy has issues."

Roy grunted in agreement. "He takes his frustrations out on us."

Once she realised they were in the very front of the queue, Ed quickly grabbed a tray, waiting as Maes and Roy did the same.

"He made me run fifteen laps nonstop last week," she offered, scowling. "I heard rumours that his girlfriend cheated on him or something."

"And he took it out on you," Roy drawled smugly, and Ed frowned at the undertones.

Roy's way of speaking always made her uncomfortable. She could never pinpoint exactly what was wrong with his sentences, but he made her feel like she should take a totally innocent sentence a completely different way – or like he hinted to knowing something she didn't, and she felt stupid when she couldn't get it. Maybe she was just seeing things that weren't there, and maybe that was just what Roy wanted by saying things the way he did. She had soon come to realise that he loved seeing her ponder something he'd said for a few extra seconds.

Having finished with grabbing whatever food she wanted, her eyes scanned the room for an empty table. She decided to ignore Roy's remark, her hopes of finding a table dwindling with every one she saw taken.

"There's one empty at the far back, I bet you're too short to see it, Ed." Roy sauntered past her, throwing the insult as though it was merely an everyday greeting.

Ed blinked, momentarily dumbfounded, before the insult registered and she scowled, glaring daggers at his back. She ended up following him, Maes behind her, until they reached the table. They sat like they always did; Roy next to her and Maes opposite him.

It was the way they sat every day, and Ed had stopped questioning it long ago.

As soon as she was seated her stomach let out another loud growl, reminding her of just how hungry she actually was. After a teasing, knowing look thrown her way by Roy, she dug in like a starved person, inhaling her food like her life depended on it.

Maes and Roy chatted casually, eating their lunches at a much healthier pace than her. From what she understood, Maes was once again going on about his soon-to-be girlfriend, whom he was absolutely obsessed with.

"I swear, Roy, she's the best thing in the whole world!" Maes gushed, and Roy grunted in reply, taking a huge bite out of his apple. He was evidently not paying Maes much attention, but Ed was used to that too.

Maes had recently met a girl named Gracia, and he had immediately claimed she was an angel who had descended from heaven. He'd called it love at first sight.

Gracia had turned eighteen merely a few months ago, so she still stayed with her parents, living a normal life and planning her future while working part-time at her family's flower shop. She had short brown hair with a fringe, and bright emerald eyes Maes had said staring into them was like being in a green paradise. She was kind and gentle, the complete opposite of Edeline. Ed hadn't personally met her yet, but she knew her pretty damn well, considering how much Maes talked about her. Perhaps she knew a little too much.

Only just realising his friend wasn't paying him any attention, Maes' glasses flashed, his bottom lip sticking out in a childish pout. "Roy!" he whined, "You're ignoring me! Again!"

Roy grunted, scowling at him. "My ears are working, I'm listening."

Maes puffed his cheeks out. "Don't you care about how Gracia is the best thing in my life?"

"Maes, you literally met her three weeks ago. You haven't even asked her out yet," Roy pointed out, grabbing two crackers and placing them in his mouth.

Ed completely tuned out Maes' whiny reply, and focused once again on her food, noticing with dismay that the only thing left was an apple and her juice. She grabbed the apple and munched quietly, at a much slower pace than before since now she wasn't as hungry.

Roy and Maes continued bickering, Roy throwing his usual smart and sarcastic remarks whenever he found the opportunity.

"You can't tell me that you've never had a special person in your life, Roy!" Maes exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air disbelievingly. His voice was loud enough to attract some attention, but, thankfully, other people's chatting drowned it out and they only earned a few glances from the table next to them.

"Not romantically, no," Roy replied flatly, looking completely like he would rather run round the track under Hirshfeld's watch than have this conversation.

"Geez, Roy!" Maes huffed, looking at him as though he was a peculiar case needing investigating. "Not even a girlfriend in your teens you thought you were absolutely in love with?"

"No."

"You've never had a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Don't you want one?"

"No."

"Do you want to have this conversation?"

"No."

Maes sagged in his chair, exasperation clear in his expression. He looked at Roy with piercing green eyes, and something must've passed between them when their gazes locked, because Maes' eyes strayed to her for a fraction of a second before Roy growled.

"Don't you even think about it," he hissed, dark eyes narrowed to slits.

Ed quickly finished her apple, but she didn't take her eyes off the two for a second. For some reason, the way they were having this conversation right now intrigued her. The silent messages and the pointed glances that spoke volumes for them but for her were a mere movement of the eyes, the slightest raise of an eyebrow...

Suddenly, Maes smirked, his eyes twinkling evilly. "Ohhh I get it," he drawled complacently, rubbing his stubble.

Roy was clenching his teeth, sending Maes a fierce warning glare. Maes' expression turned from smug to serious for a moment as he said, "Don't do anything to hurt her, Roy. You'll ruin what you have, and she doesn't deserve it."

Oh. So they were talking about a girl. She had totally missed the shift in the conversation, and she only understood half of it anyway since the majority of it was just knowing looks.

Roy scowled, then, and for a moment he seemed truly angry. "I know, Maes. I haven't tried anything, have I?"

"I know, just be careful. " He nodded at a silent reply from Roy, and suddenly his giddy side was back, and he turned to her, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Soo, Ed," he drawled, giving Roy a pointed look. Roy scowled in response. "What about you? Do you have a special person in your heart?"

Ed blinked at the unexpected attention, before what Maes had asked her registered, and she flushed a soft pink. "W-What do you mean?"

Maes rolled his eyes, and she suddenly became hyper aware of Roy's gaze boring holes in the side of her face.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Maes sang, chuckling to himself.

Now the flush was fierce, spreading from her cheeks all the way down to her neck. She had no idea why she was so embarrassed right now, since usually she just gave a straight answer, but Roy's staring was making her squirm.

She had actually subconsciously planned never to tell them this.

"Y-Yeah, I have a boyfriend."

Maes' eyes went huge, the grin that spread across his face freaking her out slightly. He made an 'oooohh' sound and clapped his hands. "Atta, girl!" he yelled cheerily.

But Ed couldn't focus on Maes. All her attention was concentrated on Roy, who had froze next to her, and had yet to say anything. She was even reluctant to look at him, almost afraid to see his reaction, so she opted for whatever she could catch from the corner of her eye. He'd most likely be shocked, and there was bound to be a million teasing and sexual jokes he was going to be making from now on. Or would he be shocked because he thought she would never be able to get a boyfriend? Did he think she was lying? Was he going to burst out laughing at the incredulity?

With a deep breath she realised she actually had no idea how Roy was going to react to her revelation. He had always made her feel uncomfortable for a reason, and maybe part of that was because she could never predict him.

"So?" Maes wiggled his eyebrows, glancing at Roy and smirking before turning back to her. "What's this lucky guy's name?"

Ed was starting to feel very uneasy, Roy's uncharacteristic silence putting her on edge. Was he...mad?

But that would be ridiculous.

She was acutely aware of the blush staining her cheeks as she replied, "Derrick. I've been with him for years."

Perhaps she should've omitted the last part, because suddenly she felt like the temperature in the room had dropped significantly. Roy was still ignoring her, as though this conversation didn't interest him at all. And maybe it didn't – but she was a fool for even trying to make herself believe that. He was still staring at her, but she was too much of a coward to meet that intense dark gaze.

Maes whistled. "In love, eh?"

Ed shrugged, mind working fast to find a means of escape. "I...guess."

She'd been with Derrick for ages. They were childhood friends, and him not being in her life was simply incomprehensible. To be completely honest, she had never thought about love at all, she just knew that he had been there during the toughest time of her life, and that was enough. When he had confessed and asked her to be his girlfriend when they were thirteen, she found it to be the perfect opportunity to show him how much she appreciated him. She was by no means forced to do it, she wanted to, and looking back she might have had the tiniest of crushes on him too.

They were perfect together, and her mum agreed. They never fought, he never hurt her and he treated her kindly, just like every girl would like. He had made her childhood a bit brighter, and had accepted her for who she had become after the accident. When her mum jokingly told them to hurry up and grow up so they could get married, she hadn't objected, and neither had he. In Resembool people married at an early age, the earliest being fifteen, but she had wanted to travel and see how the rest of the world was before settling down, so she and Derrick had reached an agreement; she would join the military to see how independence felt like, and when she turned twenty-two, she would return to Resembool and get married.

She was currently eighteen, so she had four years to enjoy the military and then she'd have snotty kids pooping in their pants. The thought made her shudder, since she'd never really been one to adore kids, and she was the kind who'd rather punch someone's lights out than sit there and listen to them whine. Injuring her future children was a big no-no.

Maes had opened his mouth to speak, but Ed decided she had had enough and stood up abruptly, plastering a fake smile on her lips. "Sorry, I just remembered I promised my mum I'd call her as soon as I'm free."

Without waiting for a reply, she strode away, feeling her heart pounding in her chest when she stole a glance at Roy and noticed his carefully blank expression. Maybe he was mad at her for not telling him? Since they were friends and all...

What she had told them hadn't merely been an excuse to leave; she actually had to call her mum back. She had called in the morning, when Ed had just been ready to walk out her dorm room and go to the shooting range. Trisha had told her she wanted to tell her something, but Ed had quickly brushed her off, saying she'd call her back when she could. Her mum had seemed pretty happy anyway, so she hadn't worried.

The walk to her dorm room was short, but it helped clear her thoughts and push the conversation she'd had with Maes (and Roy, but not so much...) to the back of her mind.

She walked down the hallway until it split in two, one continuing to her left and the other to her right. Without even thinking about it, she turned right, where she knew the girl's dorm rooms were. The reason they had separated them like this was most likely to prevent men from entering a girl's dorm during the night, and vice versa. Not that like this it prevented them, but it made it harder, especially since it was forbidden for a person to enter a dorm of the opposite sex after 10PM, the threat of running twenty laps around the track all night hanging above their heads. Ed thought it was ridiculous (as if everyone was attracted to the opposite sex), but then again that rule never really affected her in the first place. She sometimes hung out with Roy and Maes in her dorm during the day, but never at night.

The moment she entered her simple dorm, she shut the door, switched on the lights and headed towards the phone beside her bed. Flopping down on the mattress unceremoniously, she groped for the handset, before entering the house number. Really, it was moments like these that she appreciated not having a roommate the most.

"Hello?" Her mum's polite voice reached her ears and Ed smiled.

"Hey, mum, it's me."

"Edeline! About time you called. How are you, sweetie?"

Ed turned on her back, staring at the ceiling absently as her mind went over today's events. The image of Roy's blank face and piercing black eyes flashed in her mind, and she shook her head.

"I'm fine. What was that you wanted to tell me this morning? Sorry about hanging up like that, by the way. I was in a hurry."

There was a soft laugh from the other side. "Oh don't worry, sweetheart. I know the military can be quite demanding at times. You'll be thrilled with what I have to tell you!" She made a weird excited sound, causing Ed to wince at the loud noise attacking her ear.

She smiled in spite of herself. "What is it?"

"I spoke to Derrick this morning and guess what! He's coming over tomorrow to see you!"

Ed's smile fell, and for an inexplicable reason she felt utter dread settle in her stomach, something that had never happened before. This wasn't her usual reaction to when Derrick was mentioned, but this time she had a valid reason.

Her mind had gone straight to Roy and his odd reaction to her having a boyfriend. Edeline was a million percent positive she did not want those two to meet. They were polar opposites, and Truth knew what Roy would do to the poor guy. He tended to pester her to death, she did not want to know what he'd do to Derrick.

But that wasn't the only problem with this.

Derrick had an irritating habit of telling stuff to her mum – because those two were positively best friends – and that, more times than not, got her in trouble. She had to be careful with what she told him and how she worded it, because she knew that it would go to her mum whenever those two hung out.

Ed had thought that her boyfriend getting along with her mum so well had been good – another reason they were perfect together – but now the only thing she could think of was ways she could hide and never see Derrick again. She was being ridiculous, she knew, but she hadn't told her mum the whole truth about her friends.

She knew about Maes, since he was basically the epitome of a great best friend for her, but she had lied about having a couple of female friends – because her mum had never agreed with her hanging out only with guys – and she had never mentioned Roy. She didn't know why, but she had felt the urge to hide their friendship from her. It was most likely because of the sure reaction she would receive if she told her mum she hung around a womaniser.

To make things worse, Derrick always agreed with her mum.

But how was she supposed to tell Roy to not talk to her and act as though she didn't exist until Derrick left? And how was she supposed to find two females willing to pretend to be her best friends? As far as Ed was concerned, the females didn't even know her name – she had never spoken to most of them and had kicked the asses of the rest during a sparring match at one time or another.

This was bad. Like, really, really bad.

She and Derrick had never talked about him visiting her during these four years, but now that she thought about it, spending four years without seeing each other without any valid reason and then just returning to get married was absurd. Of course he'd want to visit at some point. Actually, Ed was surprised he had waited two months to do it.

She had never given his future visits any thought at all, because she had actually had no reason to. She'd had nothing to hide.

But now she had.

"Sweetie? You still there?"

Her mum's concerned voice snapped her out of her stunned reverie, and she blinked, taking notice of how dry her eyes felt. She must have been staring at the ceiling without blinking.

All of a sudden she felt heavy, her mind already dealing with the stress that had been dumped upon her. She rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the headache that was slowly but surely coming. "Yes, mum, I'm here."

There was a pause. "Are you all right? Aren't you happy Derrick's coming? You haven't seen him in two months! I thought you were going to die without him!"

Ed pursed her lips to stop from snapping at her mum as a sudden burst of annoyance made itself known inside her. She had tried time and time again to convince her that she was not dependent on Derrick, and that, if she wanted to, she could spend the rest of her fucking life without him, but Trisha would have none of it, telling her they had never been apart and that she wouldn't know how horrible that would feel.

And of course that made Ed bite her tongue, because she had immediately known that she was referring to her bastard of a father, who had abandoned them when she was five, leaving her mum in a state of depression. Seeing Edeline happy was what made Trisha feel better these days, and Ed would never ruin that for her.

"I'm really happy he's coming, mum. I actually thought he'd come sooner!" She forced a laugh at the second sentence, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to work, because her mum emitted that weird excited sound again.

"I know right! I asked him and he just said he would let you settle in a bit because being in a new environment would surely be stressful. Isn't he the cutest? Oh, Ed, I'm so happy you have him."

Ed smiled at that. Derrick had always thought about stuff like that. He had been really helpful when she had been recovering from the accident. Absently, she let her hand brush against the cold metal of her knee, over her trousers, and it suddenly occurred to her that she had never mentioned anything about her automail to Roy and Maes.

"I am too, mum."

"You'll introduce him to your friends, won't you, darling?"

That wiped the smile off Ed's face completely. She worried her bottom lip, fruitlessly thinking of a way out of this. There was no escape and she knew that. Once Derrick came he'd want to meet her friends and become friends with them, because that was just how it went each time – her friends were his friends and vice versa – but there was no way in hell Derrick would manage to befriend Roy. Even Ed sometimes wondered how in the world she managed to make him like her. Maybe that was because she was a girl – but even this was different; he didn't befriend girls. He flirted with them and broke their hearts, but he had never really tried anything over the top on her, like random groping in the hallways. It was like he respected her, something that Roy Mustang didn't show towards a woman often – never.

He was a mystery to her, and she felt a pull she could not fathom. She wanted to explore him, to dig out truths about him and be the one who understood him better than anyone. She wanted to have silent conversations with him like he did with Maes. Intimate things like that – that no-one but them knew about.

Ed felt the blush reddening her cheeks with the way her thoughts were going.

"O-Of course, m-mum," she stuttered awkwardly, wincing at the way her voice came out.

Trisha didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. "Great!" she chirped, sounding almost relieved, though Ed knew that was the answer she had been expecting all along, and if she hadn't gotten it hell would've froze over.

There was a bit of shuffling around from the other side of the line, and then Trisha's voice was back. "Oh sweetie, Al wants to talk to you. Speak to you soon?"

At the mention of her little brother Ed grinned brightly. Talking to Al always made her feel better. "Put him on! And yeah, I'll speak to you soon, bye."

She talked to Al for ages, about meagre things, like Winry's birthday present and what the funny kid did at school today, but it calmed Ed. Listening to her brother's soft voice made her feel content. She and Al were the closest siblings could ever be. Al would always take her side, unless what she wanted to do was 'naughty' as he used to say when they were kids, and their conversations would last forever, even until she fell asleep with his gentle voice wishing her sweet dreams.

Ed worried her bottom lip, waiting anxiously at the train station. Derrick's train was to arrive in exactly five minutes, and every second that passed made Ed even more nervous.

In the end, she hadn't found any volunteers to act as her two female friends, and she hadn't seen Roy since yesterday, so she hadn't told him to act as though she was nobody to him.

Derrick would be here in four minutes and she was doomed.

Maybe she would be lucky and Roy would be too mad to talk to her? Perhaps he was going to avoid her all day, so there would be no reason to tell him to ignore her.

The train coming to a screeching halt had her wincing, biting her lip so hard she tasted blood. She watched as people filed out, the station suddenly flooding, and that was when she saw him.

Fuck.

He was just like he always was, with his short brown hair and olive skin, his baggy trousers and sneakers, and his shirt and cardigan. He looked around, and when he spotted her a large grin spread across his face.

"Edeline!" he yelled in his thick Resembool accent, running over to her, waving. She waved back with much less enthusiasm – though she was trying to hide that – and plastered an overly fake smile on her face, wrapping her coat tighter around herself. She was starting to get cold.

"Hey, Derrick," she greeted as soon as he stopped in front of her. He was about an inch shorter than her, but that never bothered him. His brown eyes sparkled as he looked at her, and he enveloped her in an overzealous hug.

She winced at the close proximity, but allowed it.

"I missed you so much, Ed!"

Ed smiled lopsidedly. "Stop yelling, you're attracting attention, idiot. And yeah, missed you too."

Derrick chuckled, before he grabbed her wrist and tugged her forwards. "Come on! I want to meet your friends! And I want to see your dorm!"

Oh boy, Ed thought, worry settling in her chest.

She led the way to the dorms as Derrick chatted away, but her mind was completely preoccupied. She'd find two females later, her first priority was Roy, since he had a habit of waiting outside her dorm room in the mornings so they could go to their politics class together. She was planning on skipping today, but Roy didn't know that.

Would he be there now or was he really angry at her?

She stared at the floor as she walked, Derrick 'wow'ing and commenting whenever they passed something he thought was impressive. Soon she recognised the dorm doors and lifted her head, only to freeze in shock as she stared at the familiar tall figure waiting outside her dorm room, leaning casually against the wall.

Oh, shit.

A/N Yes, that was the first chapter! I'm so excited to be posting this, as I started it in August 2017! All chapters will be around 5,000 each, which I think is a decent length for a chapter.

Hope you enjoyed this first chapter! :)

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