I love this story. I'm definitely proud of it, so yes I WILL brag. :D But anyways, it's my first FMA fic, so I hope you enjoy. No Yaoi involved, just parental love. 3 Roy is definitely one of my more favorite characters in FMA. His personality type is so interesting to write about- alot of his feelings are complex, while others are quite simple in nature. Anyways, enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I DONT OWN FMA!!! TTToTTT

As a State Alchemist serving in Ishval, Colonel Roy Mustang had seen his share of pain and violence. Hell, he'd killed more innocents than he would ever dare to count, and he swore he'd seen all of the worst expressions captured in the faces of the damned.

Until he saw Edward Elric's eyes, that is.

The first time Mustang saw them they were lifeless, cold, empty. The body they inhabited slumped in a wheelchair, a bereaved and crippled child. Roy had had to suppress a shudder- the enormity of the despair in those dull golden orbs was overwhelming, and for a kid as young as Edward? Damn, it made his throat clench just thinking about it. If Edward's head hadn't moved, Mustang thought, I would have figured he was dead. Taking a deep breath as he brought himself back to the present, Roy stood and ran a hand through his fine dark hair. Thinking about all this made him thirsty. Crossing the room in a few strides, he took a heavily labeled bottle from the counter. Mustang idly contemplated the color of the liquid- deep gold- as he poured himself a glass. He started to put the bottle back, but then thought better of it and tucked it under his arm. "How goddamn ironic," he muttered as he sat down heavily and took a swig of his scotch. The alcohol burned the inside of his nose as it traced a searing trail through his heart and down into his stomach. He closed his eyes, reveling in the sensation that had already begun to fade into soft warmth. As he rested his head against the back of the couch, his thoughts slid smoothly back to their previous engagement: Edward.

The next time Roy had seen his eyes the despair was gone- no, almost gone, more like shoved forcefully back- and replaced with more determination than an Ishvallan rebel. Ed wanted to be a State Alchemist, right now. Chuckling slightly to himself, Roy took another drink. There's no easy way to say no to that kind of resolve, even for a war-hardened Colonel. The only means by which to rationalize refusing the younger alchemist involved keeping him (and Roy's other subordinates, for that matter) safe. That's what superiors do- they protect their men. It's a dependence system, one that Edward refused to follow if it involved the military. He'd spent so long protecting only himself and his brother that he wouldn't rely on anyone else for assistance. Idiot, Mustang drained the last amber dregs from his glass. Why didn't the kid just ask for help every once in awhile? Pouring himself more alcohol, he frowned. Maybe he just didn't know how. Maybe he was too scared to try. Roy smirked; he could almost hear Ed's objections: "I'm NOT scared, Colonel Bastard! I just don't need anyone's help, okay?!?! Especially YOURS!" God, that kid flipped out all the time, especially when anyone even hinted at the word "short". ("WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M SO SMALL THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE ME WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS?!?!?!")

Roy liked to think that when he offered Edward the way to the military, he'd started the fire that now raged in his eyes. After all, the Flame Alchemist does have a reputation for that sort of thing. Drama, intensity… now all it needed was some womanizing. He chuckled as he reconsidered that last thought. Ed, womanizing? Yeah, right. There's no way he would ever have Roy's sex appeal, much less hold down a girlfriend with that temper of his. Mustang shook his head, a smile touching the corners of his mouth. That kid was stubborn. At the same time, though, his stubbornness was what made him so goddamn determined. Ed held onto his goals like a terrier gripped a rat in its jaws- unrelenting, focused, using every last ounce of energy to make sure its quarry was good and dead. That was the kid's life: forcing his way forward to right his wrongs and get his brother's body back. Roy could never quite wrap his head around the devotion Ed had to Al; the kind of bond they shared was like something otherworldly. There's no way to even begin to imagine how he must feel. There was just so much there- so much love, so much room in Ed's heart for Al because his brother was the only one Ed really let in.

A range of emotions surrounded Edward in the Flame Alchemist's mind. He felt a sort of fatherly love towards the kid, though he would never admit it to anyone. Roy was Ed's superior, and he would never publicly regard Fullmetal as anything but. I wonder if he even knows that I care, Roy reflected. I haven't treated him all that great except for the whole "keeping him safe" thing, and it's not like he cares about me at all. His eyebrows furrowed- he wasn't quite sure how he should react to that. Should he be disappointed that they could never be closer? Angry that Ed failed to recognize Roy's efforts to protect him? Happy that Ed would never have to suffer through the loss of a loved one again should Roy die in service to the state? Ah, hell with it, he thought. I've got a good buzz going and I don't want to ruin it by arguing with myself. His head was fuzzy from the alcohol, and his arms and legs felt heavier: nothing new. He'd drunk his way out of many a reminiscent night alone, only to expel his reconciled conscience into the toilet bowl along with the scotch the next morning. Roy blinked and looked blearily at the now-empty bottle under his arm. Sighing heavily, he tossed it, aiming for the armchair across the room. He heard, rather than saw, the impact of the glass against the side of the cushion, and its subsequent shattering on the tiled floor. Glittering shards exploded across the expanse of granite, startling the Colonel back to consciousness. For a moment, all he could do was stare at the delicate catastrophe littering the floor. He tried to stand, immediately letting out a soft cry of surprise as his legs trembled and gave out beneath him. His vision faded around the edges, and the last thing he saw before blacking out was chunks of glass reflecting the golden light of the setting sun.

Reviews? Please? Let me know how I did!