Nobody would have expected this from Edward.

The young boy of only 14, sneaking around like the young ninja he's reputed to be, only to return shortly after, his mood leveled out and his clothes having a strange scent. Of course, the smell is more of a rumor than a known fact, as Ed had only appeared with it once or twice in Central, and Al doesn't have the sense of smell to confirm or deny it.

Another clue could have been that Ed hung out around Havoc quite often now. Where Ed would only wave to Havoc in passing, he would now hang with him while the older man was on smoke breaks, chatting about various meaningless things, such as girls and politics. Havoc didn't mind; he quite liked Ed's refreshing views on life, the universe, and everything; and being seen with the famous Fullmetal Alchemist is increasing his popularity with the ladies. He'd once asked Ed, though, if the secondhand smoke bothered him. Ed's reply?

"Nah, I've been through worse."

The hints were subtle; so subtle, that nobody had ever considered something amiss enough to put the pieces together.. until he had been caught.

"Fullmetal?!" Roy's eyes widen at the sight before him.

Ed leaps to his feet, yanking the offending object from his mouth and hiding it behind his back. "C-Colonel Mustang! W-what are you doing back so soon? I thought you had a meeting!"

Roy is tailed by Havoc and Hawkeye, who had accompanied him to the meeting in question. "It was a short meeting." He holds his hand out to Ed expectantly. "Hand it over."

Ed narrows his eyes. "Hell no." He holds his ground, staring at Roy with steely stubbornness.

"Give it to me, Fullmetal. That's an order." Roy stares Ed down, his own determination flashing clear in his eyes.

Ed grits his teeth, bringing the offending item into view for the other two to see. He flashes he half-smoked cigarette in full view, realization dawning on them. Why the office smells like Havoc's been in here. Why Ed hangs around Havoc so much. Why Ed's irritability has been yo-yoing so much lately.

"Would you mind telling me why a 14-year-old child is smoking? In a military building, no less?"

"Would you mind kissing my ass, you nosy old bastard? I bought them, they're mine, and there's no law in existence saying minors can't smoke, and that's including military buildings. Besides, I'm a fuckin' Major, smoking is something I have every right to do in my position."

"Most majors aren't 14 years old!"

"Sir," Riza interrupts, holding up her hand to halt Roy. She turns to Ed, taking the cigarette from Roy and holding it up in question. "How long have you been smoking, Edward?"

Ed looks up into Hawkeye's gaze; empathy, anger, and.. concern stand out.

Fuck, he can't lie to that. He sighs and mutters his answer, just high enough for all to hear. "Five months."

Roy bristles, but Riza speaks again. "How many do you smoke in one day?"

"Only four!" Ed suddenly yells, as if he was being accused of being a chain smoker. He does pause afterward, gaining a nervous look. "On average. Sometimes I only smoke one a day."

"And on the other days?" Roy prompts.

"..Some days, almost a whole pack." Ed shrinks down in the chair he had been in.

"A whole pack?! Why the hell would you do that to yourself?!"

"Oh fuck off!" Ed snaps, crossing his arms. "I could use a little fucking stress relief once in a while, okay? Stop treating me like a child!"

"You ARE a child!" Roy yells back, but their attention is turned to the doorway as a large suit of armor speaks.

"Brother? Brother, what did you do now?" Al crosses his arms, looking between Ed and Roy, Hawkeye holding the cigarette just out of view. Not that it would matter; he would think it's Havoc's.

Ed's expression immediately changes from murderous to pleading as he looks up at Roy, praying that the older man won't tell his little brother.

"Fat chance, Fullmetal. You should have thought about that before." He takes the cigarette from Riza and holds it up for Al to see. "Edward has been smoking for the past five months, right behind your back."

Al's eyes widen and he looks down at the very-guilty Edward. "What--but--Ed! He-he wouldn't do that! He knows better, he knows how bad it is!" Al looks down at his brother, who is avoiding his gaze. "..Would you, Brother?"

{Fuck, Al. Why do you have to say it like that? The.. the betrayal.} "..It's not that bad, Al! It's just a little bit of stress relief. Besides, I haven't been smoking long enough for it to make me sick."

"Five months is plenty long enough!" Al nearly screams, taking the cigarette and smashing it in his tightly-balled fist. "They can KILL you, Edward! Why would you DO something so stupid?!"

"We could die tomorrow, Al. I'm going to enjoy what this world has to offer in case it's all taken away from me." Ed huffs indignantly. "If I promise to quit when we get our bodies back, will that be okay?"

Al's tensed form relaxes, and he looks down at the highly-irritated Ed. He had noticed Ed to be more relaxed lately, and in better spirits. "Well.." He glances at Roy and Hawkeye, who are both glaring at Al. He turns back to Ed, wondering if he'll regret this. "..You've done what's right so far, so.. I'll trust you on this call."

Ed grins and materializes a cigarette from his pocket, pulling a lighter out seconds after. "Perfect. Thanks, Al." He lights up the cigarette, popping it into his mouth while he ignores the disappointed face of Roy and Riza.

"I hope you realize what you're doing," Roy says to Ed, an edge to his voice. "Your best option would be to quit right now before you've become too addicted to those things."

"Addicted?" Ed snorts. "Yeah, right. I don't need these. I can do just fine without them." Nevertheless, in full view of his little brother, Ed takes a long, deep drag, feeling himself relax as the smoke fills his lungs. He looks up at Havoc as he exhales; the other smoker is still silent, but is pulling out a cigarette of his own.

"You think you can quit any time, hmm? Interesting." Roy chuckles and shakes his head. "Havoc, how many times have you tried to quit?"

Having lights up his cig, gaining a thoughtful look. "..I lost count after six. These things are just too addicting."

Ed snorts. "Yeah, sure. Get Havoc in on it." Ed shamelessly takes another deep drag, looking up when Al turns toward the door. His voice is accompanied by the exhaled smoke. "Al?"

"I'll see you back at the apartment, brother." Al leaves the office, not looking back.

"Harsh," Havoc murmurs, but Ed doesn't answer. His mood has suddenly taken a dive, and he feels sick at himself. He leaps up from the chair, running out into the hall.

Riza frowns as she watches him go. "If only we had caught him in the act sooner, we may have been able to prevent this."

"This is Edward we're talking about. Once he gets something in his head, he sees it through to the end."

She sighs. "Still.. I'm concerned. What if he can't quit?"

"He will, but only when he's ready."

"Al.. you know, smoking really isn't that bad."

"Don't try to justify it," Al replies, crossing his arms as he looks away from Ed.

"But it's not! L..Look at Havoc! He's fine, isn't he?"

"Smoking takes its toll over time, Ed. It works under the surface where we can't see. It damages your lungs over time, cutting your life short and making you slowly suffocate as you get older. Every cigarette you smoke shortens your life. Why would you even start, brother?"

Hands in his pockets, Ed's left hand fingers the pack hidden from view. "But Al, I'm not going to smoke forever. I'm going to quit as soon as we--"

"Get our bodies back? I don't know why I agreed to that. It could be years before we do. By then, those.. those things will have already done their damage." Al turns to face Ed, who is standing there, looking incredibly guilty. "Will you quit? Before they hurt you too much?"

Ed grits his teeth, squeezing the pack in his pocket. "Ah.." He gulps, staring back at Al before sighing. "..I'll try, all right? I'll try. Starting tomorrow."

Al gives a nod. "Okay. ..Thank you, Ed."

"Ah, yeah, sure." Ed grabs a book from the table nearby, sitting in the chair across from Al. After reading for a little while, Ed begins to fidget; Al catches sight of this but pretends to not notice. He stays silent as Ed slips a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, lighting up indoors and inhaling somewhat deeply, holding the smoke in for a few moments before exhaling. Ed's attention returns to his book, his body relaxing as he casually continues his cigarette.

{That's his third cigarette in two hours,} Al notes, discreetly watching Ed under the guise of reading his own book. {20 cigarettes come in a pack, if I'm correct. With the way he's smoking, he can easily smoke a pack a day.} Al forces his gaze back to his book. {He has to quit. He has to. This is much too unhealthy..}

Within minutes, Ed snuffs the finished cigarette on his automail wrist, tossing the butt into the waste bin. He resumes his reading, visibly much more relaxed than before. He's peacefully oblivious to Al's discomfort, and after reading for another hour straight, lets out a sudden drawn-out yawn. He stares at the book, closes it, and stands, stretching. "I'm turning in."

Al glances at the window, spotting the night sky. {I wonder if I'll ever get used to not knowing if it's nighttime because I don't get tired.} "Night already? Good night, Brother."

"Night, Al." Ed heads into the bedroom, Al watching him with a sigh.

{Please quit tomorrow.}

---

All morning. All morning. Not one cigarette. And it's driving him crazy. He usually has a cigarette right after he wakes up! And here it is, 11-freaking-AM, and still no cigarettes for Ed. He groans loudly for the 200th time, causing Al to chuckle next to him. "Shut up, Al. It's not funny."

"It's your fault, Ed. If you didn't start, you wouldn't have to stop."

"No Al, it's your fault. If.. if you.. just shut up, Al." Ed shoves his hands into his pockets, gritting his teeth.

Al ignores Ed's withdrawal-induced moodswings as they head for the train station. "You can't smoke for a few days anyway. Winry would kill you if she knew you've been smoking."

"Yeah yeah," Ed mutters, flexing the slightly-stiff fingers in his arm. "You'd better not try to use that against me," Ed growls.

"Only if you give me reason to," Al replies evilly. "So you'd better behave, Brother!"

Ed tries to ignore Al's comment, which his irritability is making this simple task difficult. "Am I allowed to smoke on the train? No, I'm quitting. Right." He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"..Quitting outright like this isn't easy, but I know how determined you are once you start something."

Ed groans yet again, glaring up at Al. "Do y' have to have such faith in me, Al? Geez."

Al chuckles. "Well, I hope you wouldn't go back on your word and start smoking again, not after telling your little brother that you're going to quit."

"Dammit Al you suck. Everyone thinks you're so innocent." Ed steps onto the train, followed by Al. As he makes his way to a seat, his mind is waging war against itself; trying to figure out when and where he can have a cigarette--and trying to fight the urge to smoke at all. But damn he needs it he needs it he needs it. Fuuuuuuuck.

---

"Ed, are you okay?"

Close to the Resembool train station, Ed has begun to hold his abdomen, face showing discomfort. "Bathroom, Al. Gotta go."

"Why didn't you go before we left Central?"

"I didn't have to! I have to go now, okay?" Ed looks out the window, spotting the station in the distance. He keeps up his act, the real cause of his squirming being the nicotine withdrawal. And once he gets to the station bathroom.. well, he's just glad Al won't be able to smell the smoke on him.

"We're here, Ed."

"Finally!" Ed picks up the suitcase, handing it to Al as he scurries off the train, scampering to the station bathroom. He's in before Al makes it off the train, and proceeds to light up in one of the stalls, inhaling as deeply as he can to make up for his missed cigarettes earlier. He relaxes in relief, sighing happily. {Finally.}

{Don't you even feel bad about this one bit?}

{Why would I? It's only one cigarette. It's not that bad.}

{You promised your innocent little brother that you would quit.}

{I never said the word 'promise'!}

{Trust me, he thinks of it as a promise. And you broke that promise.}

{It-it's just one! Besides, he's not gonna find out!}

{How many more of these little sneaking sessions are there going to be before he finds out what you're doing?}

{Shut up just shut the hell up okay? He-he's not going to find out. I'm going to quit after all.}

{Yeah, you tell yourself that. It's easy to say when you're smoking, isn't it? But as soon as the nicotine wears off, you'll be looking for a place to smoke again.}

{I'm going to quit! I.. I am..} Ed looks down at the nearly-finished cigarette, silencing the battle inside his mind. He sighs, leaning his head against the stall wall. {Shit. I couldn't even go one day.}

"Brother? Brother, are you all right?"

Ed jumps, quickly tossing the cigarette into the toilet before flushing hurriedly. "Just finishing up, Al," Ed replies, keeping his voice as steady as possible. He makes sure he looks just fine, no ashes on him, before heading out of the stall. He washes his hands, keeping up the facade for Al. "You don't have to check on me, you know. I do know how to use the bathroom on my own."

"Oh stop complaining, Ed. That's just the cigarette withdrawal talking."

"You'd better not mention that to Winry!"

"As long as you don't smoke, I won't say a word."

Ed shoves his hands in his pockets as he walks with Al toward the Rockbell home, his hand fingering the pack and lighter in his pocket guiltily.