Disclaimer: The Fullmetal Alchemist manga is the property of its creator, Hiromu Arakawa. The Fullmetal Alchemist anime is the property of their authorised owners. This story is created by the author. All original settings, characters, etc. remain the property of the author. The two countdowns I mention are inspired from E! Entertainment Television and I don't own anything about them as well.

Author's Note: I had actually planned this fiction to be a one-shot however I liked the plot so much and carried on writing until I felt satisfied. So, since I don't like long one-shots, I divided the story into four parts. Though, I wrote it like a one-shot and I have all the chapters ready so with regular updates – one chapter in a few days – I plan to finish it within two weeks.
This story consists of several scenes in various sizes. The time between them is not the same, a few minutes up to a few years; just keep in mind that there are no flashback scenes so the story moves in one direction and if the time between any of the scenes would be important, I would mention it somehow. I hope it won't confuse you.

Starlight

A Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic
by Galliechan
© Copyright 2008

"And in the second place is, none other than, Edward Elric." said the background voice of the show, as the scene changed, "Edward Elric, with his honey coloured hair and mesmerizing eyes, is currently one of the most wanted actors in the West City. Although not the tallest of his species, his body is an eye candy with its muscular buil-"

"He is number two?!"

"Who the hell managed to pass him?"

Roy was surprised. Of course, not for the fact that Ed Elric was in the second place, but because Jean had managed to make Riza watch one of his stupid countdowns as well. She was even listening interestedly and attending, instead of throwing annoyed glances to Jean and daydreaming. Like Roy did.

What was the show about, again? Oh, a countdown of the sexiest action movie actors and actresses.

Somehow, Jean had an obsession with those kinds of countdowns.

He looked to the TV screen again, bored; a woman was talking about Elric's eye colour and how they matched beautifully with his hair colour.

What was Maes's excuse for coming late? Oh, yeah. Surprise.

--

It was three commercial breaks and one half of a reality show after that Maes decided to show up.

"Sorry guys," he said as soon as he entered the house, "I got a phone call from a friend and had to go to the airport to get him. There was fog up there and I had to drive slowly. Also I had to bring him here as well since he had no place to stay and I thought I might as well introduce him to you guys in the meantime." He finished quickly and went outside to help his friend carry his luggage.

Great, Roy sighed inwardly, another free loader. Three people living in a house was crowded enough, he didn't understand why Maes loved to bring them guests as well.

Maes started talking as soon as he entered the house with his friend, "Let me introduce to you," Roy looked up just in time to see Edward Elric walking next to his friend. The rest of his speech was lost to him.

--

"I can't explain how grateful I am for letting me stay here." Edward said, sitting on the arm of a couch in the living room.

"Again, no problem. We're already three people in this house; one more is not a problem." Roy said while putting the sheets on the couch and starting to prepare it for the night.

After the first shock of seeing a superstar entering his living room, and a few more minutes for their heartbeats to slow down and mind to find some words to talk, they had managed to chat casually. Elric was a kind, relaxed and talkative fellow; he didn't care about what others said about him at all. He had burst out laughing when Jean complained him that the channel put him in the second place at the countdown. Actually, for most of the time, he just listened to them because they already knew him, his friends and lifestyle from paparazzi. He got a small blush on his cheeks after hearing that.

"You know," Ed started after a few minutes of silence, "I'm pretty surprised that nobody offered big roles to you yet." He smirked seeing the other look at him curiously, with an increased eyebrow, "You definitely have the looks. I didn't watch any of your movies but you've graduated from a good school so I guess you have talent as well. My only explanation is that Central isn't so developed in this area." He paused for a few moments, thinking over what he said, "I think you should come to West City."

Roy was beginning to feel heat rushing to his cheeks; hearing those words from such a great actor. He should just record it and listen it for motivation.

"I'm not sure," he said, "living in West City isn't easy. I'm still playing minor roles in movies here so maybe after I get some bigger roles, I can go there and try my chance."

"Hmm." was the only reply he got. He looked up from the nearly-ready couch-bed and glanced to the blond, to see that his eyes were on him with a look he couldn't explain. They looked at each other for a few moments until he broke it, disturbed by the intensity in the golden eyes.

Edward smirked to himself. He decided.

"Do you think Hawkeye and Havoc are asleep?" Edward said suddenly, starting Roy with the change of subject.

"I guess," he answered, unsure, "it is almost an hour since they went to bed."

"How are their careers?"

"Jean is still unsure about his solo album. Riza works really hard, lots of fashion shows and photographs but I don't think she gets enough money." He sighed, none of them was economically healthy, thus is the reason they shared a house. Anyway, not the time to think these subjects, he thought and smiled, patting the bed he just finished preparing, "Your bed is ready. I hope the couch would be comfortable enough."

"Thanks again, and again. I'm sure it's comfortable enough." He said smiling, taking note of the answer about other's careers somewhere in his mind.

"Then, good night." Roy said slowly, and started to walk to his bedroom. Though, he wasn't able to take three steps towards his destination before Ed stopped him, holding from his shoulder, still sitting on the arm of the couch.

He turned to look at him, not knowing what to say, and Ed used his opportunity to wrap his other arm around his shoulder.

Roy would ask himself even many years afterwards about how he had not noticed the small details that led to the inevitable moment. For instance, he might have noticed that the room was dark; the only light source was the light from kitchen and his bedroom. Or, he might have noticed that Edward's golden eyes were shining with that small light, his hair was shadowing part of his face and his mind reminded itself the countdown his friends watched earlier in the evening and decided that yes, the one in front of him was one of the sexiest men in the world.

Maybe, if he had noticed, it wouldn't be so inevitable. Just maybe.

Anyway, he wasn't sure how he managed to but he hadn't noticed all these things until Edward was just a few breaths away from him and his eyes - those beautiful, glowing eyes - were looking into his own, hypnotizing him. He felt vulnerable and helpless because he was lost in the golden depths and there was no way he could blink, let alone move.

"I have a girlfriend." He remembered himself saying, thinking about the reputation of the one in front of him and his long list of relationships.

"So what?" His lips were touching his slightly as he spoke.

"I am loyal to her."

A giggle was all he heard before those delicious lips captured his and all thought flew away. Who needed them anyway, instead, there were feelings; like the way his hand pulled the dark strands of hair to apply slight pressure and his other hand moved from his cheek, caressed his cheekbone and touched his neck just enough to give a shudder; or the way he nibbled his lips affirmative when Roy let his hair loose from the braid and played with it. If there was any place for a thought in his mind at that moment, it would be about what a good kisser Ed was.

The kiss took such a long time yet it was so short and when he was walking back to his bedroom, his mind still trying to regain its ability to think, he wasn't sure whether he was happy, angry or sad.

"Good night, to you too." Edward whispered smiling, as he turned off the lights of the kitchen that Roy forgot even existed.

--

"How was it?"

The question came before any greetings and Maes smiled, letting it pass for once, since it was full of curiosity and worry.

"He was a wreck," he said, smile slipping away, while sitting to his chair, "what the hell happened to him?"

Jean sighed. Riza sipped from her coffee. Somehow, it wasn't as tasteful as before.

"Nothing that you don't know," Jean said, "he's still depressed."

"Couldn't get over Catherine, yet?"

"Don't say it like that Maes," Riza interrupted, "they were thinking about marriage, you know."

"And, it was Roy, who ended their relationship suddenly." Maes said angrily, "Now, he is regretting it?" He had been so happy that his best friend found his soul mate, the girl he had been looking for after changing one after another. Roy and Catherine had been together for two years; she was a nice and beautiful girl. They were so in love with each other but one day, Roy just ended the relationship. No logical explanation or anything, nobody understood how or why it happened.

"No, he's not." Jean said firmly, "He hadn't said her name once, never even mentioned her all this time. You remember how he was like before all these happened," he added smiling, "in every three sentences, he would have mentioned her." He continued seriously, smile gone "Give him some time Maes, before questioning him about his actions, what he did was not an easy thing. For both sides."

"The problem is that, he lets it affect his career." Riza said, "I guess he can't take a role in your TV series as well, right Maes?"

"Not my TV series," he answered smiling, "I am just one of the scriptwriters. I don't even think it will be a successful show; it's not a loss not to get a role in it; though the way he is now, he may actually miss great chances."

"It is already three commercials and one movie role he didn't get that normally, he could easily get."

"Why didn't he come here with you?" Jean asked.

"He said he wanted to go home and sleep." Maes answered.

"Like he always does these days." Riza muttered.

The exact words of Riza were Roy's thoughts right now. Everyday, he found himself sitting on his bed, looking to his empty wall absently, in his dark bedroom. Sometimes, he would just look at it, his mind not able to focus on one thought and jumping from one to another. Other times, he would look to the wall but not see it; in his mind, he would be watching good memories or sad and hurtful ones.

A voice in his mind would always be saying that he shouldn't keep doing this; he should return back to real life for sitting here all day wouldn't bring any good to him. Every time he listened to that voice, he would believe it and try to act accordingly but eventually he returned back to his dark room.

It was, ironically, similar with his thoughts; they always ended up in one person, one thought. The reason his life was in the state it was in now.

This is the last time. He always said it to himself, because there was no reason for it to be otherwise. There was no reason for him to come and see Roy while half of the world was begging to be seen by him. But there was always a next time. Always, he came back to see him again.

However, Roy kept on repeating it. He knew the time would come when it would be the last time. He wanted himself to be ready when the time come, just smile and a goodbye, then his life would be back to normal. But, lately he was asking himself, why bother with it when nothing was left from his normal life?

It started with Catherine. His dear, lovely Catherine; his love, the center his life spun around. One day, her kisses weren't taking his breath away like they used to do. Her scent wasn't as sweet and her taste wasn't as addictive as it used to be. Her touches didn't create pleasurable shivers moving down his spine; her laughter wasn't enough for him to feel better. And, her eyes; when he looked at them, he could only see some emotions behind them, nothing more nothing less. It was another pair of eyes that he lost himself in; he saw the most hidden emotions of the one in front of him in those golden eyes. Lips that just to taste them, feel them he gave up on breathing until his lungs hurt. And, he heard another laughter, one that makes him smile regardless of his mood. He wasn't able to lie to Catherine anymore, looking into her eyes; so he finished it. And it hurt.

Then, it affected his job. Every time he started acting, he remembered him; the movies that he loved to watch and his great acting in them. Roy loved his job, he loved acting the moment he started it in his high school drama club. But, he wasn't able to act while he was thinking of another actor instead of the character he was playing.

He couldn't even go drinking with his friends anymore because he had a secret that he didn't want them to know. He couldn't behave and talk normally with them; they knew him well enough to understand his secret the moment he made a mistake in his acting.

None of them knew about the secret meetings with Edward. The hot kisses, whispers or the talks all night long just to know the other a little bit more.

In all of them, he reminded himself that this is the last time but when Ed called him saying he was is Central, he forgot what he repeated himself over and over again and met him.

Roy harshly removed the covers of the bed and lay down. He wanted to be angry to Ed but didn't manage to. He didn't want to meet him the next time he called but he knew that he wouldn't be able to.

He would just go happily, saying this was the last time.

--

It was late afternoon when Roy woke up and got out of his bedroom. Jean and Riza haven't retuned yet, so for a moment he just stood there and looked around; trying to find something that would keep his mind occupied enough that he wouldn't return back to his dark room for a few hours.

Ten minutes later, he emerged from the kitchen with a sandwich and a mug full of coffee. With the same bored expression, he moved to the living room and sat on a couch. He was about to take a bite from his sandwich when a familiar face caught his eyes. A disturbingly familiar face that he tried his hardest not to remember.

Edward Elric was smiling from one of the covers of Jean's magazines.

He slowly reached out to take the magazine and looked at its cover. The next thing he felt was the hotness spreading to his leg starting from his thigh. The moment after that, he saw the coffee mug on the couch, all of its contents spreading to his leg. By the time his mind registered that he is burning!! over the shock, his pants and some part of the couch had been dyed to dark brown.

Anyway, in the end, he spent some hours outside his bedroom; now the couch was only a few shades darker than its original beige colour.

He sat on his bed, placed his plate of sandwiches carefully and looked to the magazine again.

There he was, Edward Elric, with all his gorgeous looks and devilish smile, looking to him from the cover. A smaller wave of shock hit him when he reread the small sentence next to him, "Yep, I'm gay."

The poor sandwich forgotten again, Roy read through the interview quickly, memorizing every word. When he finished it, his heart was beating fast and his breaths were short and quick.

A small part of the interview kept on repeating itself in his head.

"Then, do you have a boyfriend?

Yeah, I have. He's a great guy. But, no more questions about him, I will introduce him to you guys when the time comes."

Roy repeated it again.

He's a great guy.

Was Ed talking about him?

He hoped so.

But, a great guy?

Roy slowly moved to the mirror in his room and looked to his reflection. Oily and entangled hair, empty looking eyes, dark circles under those eyes, sickly yellowish white skin, days of unshaved beard, baggy and dirty clothes and a hopeless expression. Who was this man? Definitely not himself, right?

And, definitely not someone a guy like Edward would call 'great'.

He ran and opened his curtains to see it with more light. No, the reflection was still the same, if not worse looking.

What happened to him?

What did he do to himself?

A determined light entered into the empty eyes. A worldwide superstar, one of the world's most wanted men, a man that had never took a place less than twenty in the world's sexiest men list showed interest in him. And, what was he doing about it, going into depression?

The next time Ed came to Central, Roy would be worthy of him.

And it wouldn't be the last time.

No man, not at all.

Now, Roy mused, let's start with shaving. Then a good bath and some presentable clothes.