A/N: PLEASE READ: I'm trying yet another experiment... This story is being co-written with Kikiko. I am writing Roy's point of view and she's writing Ed's. (For anyone wondering this is a yaoi story) All of Ed's dialogue in what I post belongs to Ed, but everything else is mine. Kikiko is writing a companion story to this (with the same name, but with 'Ed's POV' in the title) where all of Roy's dialogue belongs to me, and the rest is hers.

This actually started off as a one shot New Year's Eve fic, but in writing it, the story became more. I'm not really sure what the end will be, but for those of you who decide to journey with us, I hope you enjoy the ride.

The More I learn to Care for You - Roy's POV

Chapter One

Flowers

Lying on the couch, Roy lazily opened one eye and glanced at the clock. It was almost time to start getting ready... Yawning from his nap, Roy pushed himself off the couch. As he made his way to the bathroom he yawned again as he scrubbed at his hair, then pressed his hands against his back.

Really, he needed to stop sleeping on the couch. He was getting too old for that...

When he got to the bathroom, Roy blinked and stared blearily at his reflection. His fine black hair was sticking up everywhere and his eyes looked tired and bloodshot.

"Very attractive..." he muttered and stepped away from the mirror to turn the shower on. He closed the curtain and started peeling off his t-shirt, jeans and boxers before getting into the shower.

"AAAH!" he shouted and quickly reached for the knob to make the water warmer. Unfortunately, that did nothing and the water remained cold. Muttering curses both in his language and in the Ishbalan language, curses were one of the only things he's learned in that language because they were shouted at him so often in the war, Roy stepped away from the shower and hurriedly bent forward and stuck his head in the freezing water.

After quickly washing his hair, Roy took in a deep breath and plunged the rest of his body under the cold spray. He'd taken cold showers before, but that was to be expected when you were in a war, not when you were at home...damn landlords...there must be some sort of law against letting this happen...

When he felt he was rinsed enough, Roy slammed the water off and grabbed the towel. His teeth were chattering loudly as he dried himself off.

This wasn't exactly how he'd expected to start New Years Eve, but it was just one little thing. No big deal.

After drying himself off, he looked at himself in the mirror again. He definitely looked more awake now! Sighing, Roy put on his deodorant, then dabbed the shaving cream on his face. Seriously, he hated shaving. If he didn't look so damn good clean-shaven he might be tempted to let his facial hair grow.

Dragging the razor down his jaw, Roy thought about how he was going to get to see Ed in a suit. That thought alone made him want to find the blond and drag him in the bedroom for the night. But that wouldn't do. There was just nothing like seeing Ed in something that looked nice; something that made the teen look presentable rather than a hellion.

Hissing softly, Roy patted the aftershave on his cheeks, then brushed his hair back before wandering over to the closet and pulling out his suit, a black thing with a white button-up shirt. He laid the shirt on the bed and as he was starting to put the pants on the phone rang.

Growling, Roy started over to the phone, only to trip on the pants he was trying to put on. Hurriedly pulling them up, he rushed over to the phone and picked it up.

"Mustang," he said a little more rushed than he'd like.

"Hey, it's me," Ed said softly, then paused for a moment before saying, "I was thinking...how about I just meet you in front of the restaurant?"

Roy frowned. The teen sounded way too polite. "I thought I was picking you up..." he said slowly, feeling a little confused at what was going on and not liking it.

"Well...you were...but I thought that this would be easier for you...you wouldn't have to come all the way back to the base to get me."

Roy sat on the bed and tapped his fingers on the nightstand. Meet at the restaurant? This was a high-class place. It wouldn't do to have the kid waiting outside for him or even worse him waiting outside for Ed, which is probably what would end up happening. Besides that, the teen was sounding very polite and helpful. Very not Ed. Something was definitely up.

"That's a little tacky, Ed. I don't mind picking you up. You know that," he said irritably and reached over for his shirt.

"Well, yeah...well okay, so I was kinda wanting to walk there..."

Roy grunted internally as he balanced the phone on his shoulder while trying to put his shirt on. Ed wasn't sounding so polite now that he wasn't getting his way. He made a sound of exasperation and muttered, "I wanted to pick you up..." He did. Call it the romantic in him, but there was just something about going to pick up your date. Of course, that really was the man's job. Perhaps Ed didn't like being thought of as a woman... Sighing, Roy said, "So, can I at least ask why the change?"

He heard a sigh on Ed's end then, "...well...um...how about we stay in tonight instead...?"

Roy didn't miss the 'sexy' tone the teen used, but his irritation at having his plans thrown aside won over Ed's offer and he said in surprise, "What? Ed...I've already made reservations. I had to make them a month in advance." And it had been damn hard to get them even that close to New Year's Eve...

"I told you before that I didn't want to go there for New Year's...it's so...pompous...and I got to wear a suit...what's fun about that?" Ed whined.

Buttoning up the shirt, Roy took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he tried to keep control on his temper. "Ed... Like I said, I already have reservations," he said in frustration, then continued, still trying to keep himself in check. "If you really didn't want to go, you should have whined about it before I made them. That's part of being responsible."

"BASTARD! I did whine...I mean...shut up! I did tell you I didn't want to go! And who are you calling so small he can't be responsible for his own actions!!"

Roy pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment. So small that...what? He thought a moment and shook his head. Ed was way too reactive... Putting the phone back to his ear, he said with as much amusement as he felt, "I don't think I said anything about you being small, but if you say so."

"Roy..." the teen growled.

Standing up and tucking the shirt into his pants, Roy grinned and said smoothly, "I love it when you say my name, but I like it even more when you're moaning it rather than growling it."

To that there was no answer and Roy thought that perhaps it wasn't the time for that so he said, trying to placate the teen, "Let's not have an angry night, Ed. I've already made the reservations, so let's just go. It will only be a couple of hours." He paused while reaching over to grab his tie, then said with more amusement then was probably best, "Besides, you know I love seeing you in a suit."

"tch!"

Sliding the tie through his shirt collar, Roy grinned, feeling as if he'd already won this. "Is that a yes?"

There was a pause, then, "On one condition."

Starting to do up his tie, Roy frowned and waited. Ed's conditions were never to his benefit.

"After dinner we gotta do what I want. I don't want to sit there all night until midnight," Ed said flatly.

Roy's hand's stopped tying the tie for a moment. Do what Ed wanted to do? While that could be a nice romp in the sheets, Roy didn't think that was what the teen had in mind. "What do you want to do?" he asked hesitantly.

"It's a surprise...is that a yes?" Roy frowned at having his words thrown back at him and at the grin he could hear in Ed's voice.

"Well..."

"If you say no, I'm not going to your dumb restaurant!" the kid said stubbornly.

Sighing, Roy said, "Fine. It's a yes. But only on one condition." The last was said with a note of amusement.

"What!" Ed exclaimed in outrage. "You don't get to make a condition on my condition!"

Roy grinned, "I don't see why not."

"Roy..." came the growl from the other line, then, "What the fuck is it then!"

His grin grew. "I get to pick you up."

"Tch! Fine, bastard!"

Roy cringed involuntarily as the phone was slammed down on the other line. Then with a smile of triumph, he set the phone down and straightened his tie. Ed might not like it, but Roy just had way too much experience handling people not to get his way.

Humming to himself, Roy slipped on his suit jacket and pulled some socks from his drawer. He tried not to think about whatever it was that Ed wanted to do. He was sure he'd be able to get out of it without any problem.

Roy stepped out of his apartment and looked at the vehicle the state let him use. It was meant for 'work only', and Hawkeye hadn't been too pleased with him asking for the keys. If Havoc hadn't been out of town visiting his family, Roy would have asked him for his keys, but...

He frowned as he remembered his first lieutenant's words...

Just bring it back in one piece, sir. That's all I ask.

Scowling, Roy reached into his pocket for the ring of keys and walked to the car. One piece indeed! He could drive! Just because he didn't do it very often... Well, okay... so he had failed his driving test twice when he was younger...but...

Getting into the car, Roy tried one of the keys, but it wouldn't go in. Well, at least Ed wasn't in the car to see him make an idiot of himself. Trying another key, Roy scowled when it too wouldn't fit. After three more tries, Roy finally got the right key and put the car into gear.

Unfortunately it was reverse.

Cursing, Roy slammed on the break and looked around in embarrassment. He sighed in relief when he saw that no one was around to see him make an ass out of himself and put the car into the correct gear.

Once he got the car going, in the right direction, Roy had an easy time of it. It was like that saying about never forgetting to ride a bike... He frowned at the memory of the last time he'd ridden a bike and tried to think of something else. It wasn't his fault he wasn't good with things that had wheels...

As he drove, his eyes feel on the flower shop and he smiled before pulling up, without incident, next to the store. All the girls he'd dated loved flowers, but of course, Ed wasn't a girl.

Roy stepped into the shop and looked around for a moment before the young lady behind the counter said, "May I help you?"

He smiled and said, "Yes, actually. I would like to get..." He thought for a moment. Besides the little black book filed with girls names, which were actually codes for something else, he'd learned the language of flowers and had used them when trying to send a code in military situations as well as trying to flatter his dates.

Thinking of Ed, Roy smiled and said, "I'd like one Alium, one Amaryllis and one Iris..." He grinned. "A yellow Iris."

"That's a strange combination," the girl said before going to gather the flowers.

Roy smiled at her words. He didn't think so. Glancing around the flower shop, Roy thought that perhaps he should encourage Ed to learn the language of flowers. It could be useful if they ever needed to get a message to each other. He shook his head. This was a date, not a military operation. He'd talk to Ed about that another time.

The girl came back with the flowers and pointed at each while naming them. The first one she pointed at was the yellow Iris, a largish yellow flower with long, drooping petals. The second, the Alium, was a purplish flower who's small, long thin 'petals' formed a round ball on top of the green stem, and lastly, the Amaryllis, a large red flower with long thin 'rod' type things coming out from the center. The pollen sat on top of those.

Roy nodded and pulled out his wallet then a thought accrued to him. With a grin, he said, "Can I get a Buttercup too?"

She nodded, told him the amount it would be and went to get the flower as he pulled out his money. After she placed the small yellow flower next to the rest, she took his money and handed him the flowers.

"Have a nice night," she said.

"You too," he answered back, before walking out the door. Glancing at the Buttercup, Roy thought that maybe it was best if Ed didn't know the language of flowers.

Straightening his tie, Roy smoothed his suit jacket, then knocked on Ed's door. There was the sound of shuffling, then a yelled, "Just a sec."

Roy shook his head at the thought that Ed probably wasn't even dressed yet. That would figure. Suddenly the door opened, and to his surprise the teen was actually mostly dressed. He was just missing his shoes and suit jacket.

"Hey, I'm almost done, Just got to get my shoes on," Ed said then moved out of the way for Roy to step in.

He grinned and eyed Ed up and down. "Looking good," he said appreciatively at how the clothes fit the younger alchemist. The thought of taking those clothes off of Ed made him grin even more. "Looking really good."

The teen snorted and said, "Thanks. Are you coming in?"

Roy grinned lecherously and said, "I'd love to 'cum' in. 'Where' is a good question, but I'm sure I know a good spot."

Ed clenched teeth together for a moment then said, "You..." A deep, red blush crept up over the boy's face. "Can wait in the hall." The blond walked away from the open door and Roy watched Ed bed over and pick up his shoes from beside the dresser. Admiring the view, he watched in disappointment as Ed stood up straight before jamming his feet into the shoes. Roy shook his head as the blond knelt on the floor to tie the laces and let himself in.

Shutting the door, Roy said, "No, no, that wouldn't do at all." Referring to being left in the hall. He wanted a little touch and feel session before they took off. Suddenly remembering the flowers, Roy said, "I have flowers for you." He held them up for Ed to see.

The teen looked up and gave him a startled look. "Flowers? Why?"

"Because, we're going on a date. I like flowers. They have their own language. You can say anything with flowers." He paused and looked around. "I guess you wouldn't have a vase..." No of course Ed wouldn't have a vase. Damn, but he should have thought of that and just bought one at the shop... "Do you have a cup or something?"

Ed pointed to a small glass on his bedside table and said, with raised eyebrows, "Are you calling me a girl."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Where in all that did you get me calling you a girl?" He walked over and picked up the glass wondering idly if he could get Ed to quickly transmute it into a proper vase then decided against it. Ed seemed a little pissy. Better just to go with the flow. Frowning, he looked into the glass and muttered, "There's no water in this..." Now that wouldn't do at all...

Ed stood up and said, "Well flowers are for girls. Why are you giving them to me?"

Roy set the glass down and glanced into Ed's eyes. No anger in them, just curiosity. That was good. He didn't want this night to go badly. "I told you. I like flowers. You can say anything with them. Lovers long ago used to use them to send messages to each other using flowers. Not just lovers..." He trailed off for a moment realizing he was starting to get off subject. "But mostly lovers," he finished. Ed wouldn't appreciate him going into 'work' mode on their date.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Ed said and moved to stand next to him. The blond looked at the flowers then up into Roy's eyes. "What do these say?" he asked gesturing at the plants.

Roy smiled at the thought that Ed looked almost innocent gazing up at him like that. "I thought of you when I bought these," he said, then smirked before putting the yellow Iris in the glass. "Passion," he said, thinking not only of the teen's bedroom activities, but also of his drive to help his brother and make things right.

Next he set the Alium in the glass and said more softly, "Strength." Ed was strong... Not just physically, but also inside. He'd dealt with so much and still he never broke. He always continued. The Amaryllis made it into the cup next and he said, "Pride." Sometimes Ed was too prideful. If he was less so, perhaps he would ask for help more often...

Roy paused at the Buttercup and stared at Ed. He didn't really want to tell him the meaning of the last flower. "I hadn't intended on telling you what these meant."

"Why not?" Ed asked with a slight pout, and Roy wondered if the teen was even aware that he was doing that. "What about that one? It's really..." The corners of Ed's mouth dropped down into a frown. "...What's that one mean!" Ed demanded and Roy wondered what he'd said to make Ed react like that.

Probably nothing. Ed was able to get hidden meanings out of everything...

Twiddling with the flower, feeling slightly embarrassed, Roy dropped the little flower into the glass and muttered the meaning without looking at him.

"What's that? I didn't quite catch that!" Ed said, emphasizing each word.

Roy cleared his throat and said, "It, uh... means..." He stopped and glanced warily at Ed. "It means 'childishness'."

He expected some sort of rant, but instead, Ed only narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue, then without a word, grabbed the glass and walked into the bathroom.

Well, that could have gone worse... Roy thought as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall listening to the sound of running water. The water turned off and a moment later Ed appeared in the doorway holding the now full glass.

"So...what are you trying to tell me? You said other people used flowers to say stuff, not only lovers. Are you trying to tell me something?"

Very perceptive... Roy thought. He hadn't meant to bring it up tonight...not really, but Ed asked... Shrugging, he said, "I just think the language of flowers might be a good thing for you to learn. You never know when you may need to send a coded message, Full...er..." He cringed slightly. Talk about a mood killer... "Sorry, Ed..." Roy tried to change his tone. He didn't want this to turn into an office conversation. "You never know when you might receive a message either..." He stopped, deciding to leave it at that.

Ed glanced at the floor for a moment, with a thoughtful look on his face then said, "Okay, whatever," before walking back to the bedside table and putting the glass down. Roy rolled his eyes to the teen's back. That was probably the best he would get out of him... "Are we going? Don't forget, after dinner you're doing what I want."

Shit... Roy thought. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy doing things with Ed, but sometimes the teen liked to do stuff that...well was just not his thing... Deciding to try getting Ed to think of doing something he wanted to do, Roy grabbed the teen and pushed him against the wall with a smirk.

"I remember," he said and leaned in to kiss Ed's throat. For extra measure, he reached down and fondled the teen through his pants. "I hope you have something really interesting in mind."

"Fuck!" Ed exclaimed and squirmed under the touch. "This is what I wanted to do in the first place." He gasped and said, "Let's blow the restaurant..."

Roy stepped back with a grin and shook his head. "I don't think so. I want to enjoy seeing you in that suit for a while before I take you out of it."

"Shit..." Ed said and ran his left hand through his hair then hissed.

Roy frowned and grabbed Ed's hand. "This looks fresh," he said giving Ed a questioning look.

Snatching his hand back, Ed said, "Your fault," then grabbed his jacket from the bed and put it on.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "My fault? Would you like to explain that?" Especially since I wasn't here...

"Let's just GO already, or maybe we should stay in..." Ed leaned into Roy's chest, but he recognized the last ditch effort, so he only chuckled and kissed Ed on the cheek before wrapping an arm around him and guiding him toward the door.

"How about we stay in after we're done eating," again trying to plant the idea into Ed's mind.

"No, we're not. I got plans." This was said as the teen quickly grabbed his winter dress coat from the hook on the back of the door.

Roy frowned, but grinned quickly. He didn't want Ed to know that he was displeased with the idea. "Plans can change."

"Not according to you," Ed said, putting on his jacket and opening the door.

Roy shrugged and gestured with his hand for Ed to go out first. "Some plans are more flexible than others."

"I don't think my plans are those type of plans," Ed said before walking out into the hallway and turning around.

"We'll see," Roy murmured as he walked out and shut the door behind him.

Without a word, Ed locked the door and started down the hall toward the building entrance. Sighing at not getting his way yet about the after dinner plans, Roy quickly followed Ed, slipping past him and opening the door for him.

The gesture was apparently not appreciated given the look Ed threw at him and the pressing of the lips, but again the teen said nothing and simply walked to the car. Well, Ed was his date, like it or not, and Roy was going to open doors for him, which he made a point of doing with the car door as well.

Ed paused for a moment, then got on, and Roy shut the door behind him before walking around to the driver's side and letting himself in. After shutting his door, Roy grabbed the steering wheel for a moment, trying to remember exactly what the key to the ignition looked like. He didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Ed.

Reaching into his pocket, Roy pulled out the ring of State issue keys. "Hmm..." he hummed while staring at the keys. They all just looked way too much alike... "I think it's this one," he said and held up one of the keys, in his nervousness forgetting he wanted to seem like he knew what he was doing.

Ed raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "You don't know which key it is?" he asked incredulously.

Mentally hitting his head on the steering wheel, Roy muttered, "Its not like I drive all that often you know..." He stuck the key in the ignition and silently rejoiced that it was, indeed, the correct key. "Besides, these are State keys, not mine. Hawkeye and Havoc usually have them...

Why am I explaining this to him...? Roy wondered irritably and forced himself to shut up.

Ed made a "hn" sound and turned to stare out the window.

Turning the ignition, and putting the car into gear, Roy gently put his foot on the gas only to send the car backwards...again... "Ooops," he said with a laugh trying to make it a joke. "Wrong way."

Ed turned and looked at him in disbelief before mumbling, "I should have walked..."

Roy glanced nervously over at Ed, before putting the car into the correct gear. Maybe he should have just let Ed walk... Driving was not his strong point and it made him feel awkward as if he were a teenager himself. Really...he didn't know what he'd been thinking when he though about using the car for this date...

"I told you I don't drive that often," he said in a slightly embarrassed tone at having to admit such a dumb fault.

"I don't even know how to drive yet, but I bet I can still do it better than you," the teen said in a taunting voice.

Little shit... Roy thought at having his already wounded pride poked at. Trying to recover a little, Roy said with a smirk, "Maybe if you had stilts to reach the pedals."

Ed looked at him silently for a moment then said in a very calm and even tone, "...you know...I'm trying to be good and not get angry as this is a 'special' night...and here you are, deliberately trying to provoke me...who's the childish one now?"

Roy stared at Ed blandly. Didn't Ed just try to provoke him a moment before? Turning his attention back to the road, Roy decided to let the teen have his way. After all, Ed had been rather calm since he'd come to pick him up...calm like a pissed off snake ready to strike, but still calm.

"Alright, Ed, I'm..." He paused. He was what? Sorry? For taunting Ed back? No, he wasn't, and he wouldn't say it either. His pride was already wounded enough from having to admit he sucked at driving. Not finding anything appropriate to say, Roy simply kept quiet, hoping things would be better when they got to the restaurant.

Roy expected at least one more comment from Ed, but he simply looked out the window and kept his peace.

We hope to have the next chapter posted within 24 hours or so of posting this. We'd like to at least get through all of New Year's Eve ON New Year's Eve... haha Oh and I'll post links to where you can see those flowers in my profile if you want to see.

Please be sure to read Kikiko's version on Ed's POV. The link will be in my profile.

Happy New Year all!!