To Be Great (or to Fall in Love)
Title: To Be Great (or To Fall In Love)
Author: meredavey [or Mere on AO3]
Genre: Romance/humor/drama
Rating: R/NC-17
Word Count: 6,537 (I wish it were longer!)
Pairing/Characters: Roy Mustang/Edward Elric
Warnings: slight adult situations, some spoilers, language
Summary: Although it has it's challenges, to fall in love is one of the greatest pleasures in life.
Notes: There WILL be a sequel to this; it is one of the (three) fics I'm working on at the moment! Unfortunely it's a sequel because of all the computer issues and school issues I had this past semester. Otherwise it would have been in the Big Bang itself. ;____;
This is the gorgeous art piece I wrote for by KiiroiYumetobu
The golden glow of the sunset seemed to resonate peace, but inside the house shadows seemed to grow.
Ed glanced between the bookshelf and Roy’s fists, slightly angry but also delighted with the challenge Roy had presented him.
"I want you to choose," Roy repeated.
****
Roy’s eyebrow twitched as he unsuccessfully tried to control his facial expression. When it came to Edward, it became a challenge to control his facial movements. The young man was quite talented at provoking him on all sorts of levels.
Ed was grinning as he leaned back against the sofa twirling the pen between his fingers. “Didn’t you like it?”
“Like it Ed? How was it possible to like it?”
Ed pursed his lips and tried to look like he was thinking about why someone would dislike it.
“Well…there were some redeeming qualities.”
“What redeeming qualities? As far as I could see there weren’t any at all!”
Ed smirked and Roy knew that he had gotten his desired reaction.
“Fullmetal,” Roy began again. “It is not appropriate to treat high ranking officers like that!”
“Are you referring to just now or…?”
“In general, Fullmetal! In general!”
“Sheesh, don’t get so upset about it. It was only a joke. And it was true!”
“That doesn’t matter! He was a General! Do you not understand the word general? I know that you’re still new to the military but that doesn’t excuse you from the rules. When you joined you signed a contract that said you’d obey your commanding officer’s word!”
Ed frowned and sighed heavily, twisting his hands together.
“I know you’re only thirteen and still a child, but you need to act like an adult now. No more pranks on Generals.”
Ed grinned.
“Or anybody else. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Lieutenant Colonel.”
Roy felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation at the young man’s gall to call him a Lieutenant Colonel when he’d already been promoted to Colonel.
“As you get older you’re not going to be able to get away with as much as you do now. I’m still being lenient because you’re learning the ropes of adulthood and the military. Don’t expect the same leniency from the rest of the military.”
Ed rolled his eyes. “They don’t scare me. I’m not worried about it in the least.”
“You should be worried though. Do you know why?”
“Tell me if you absolutely have to,” Ed sneered.
“You should be worried because the thing you are hunting is forbidden and treasonous. And in a few years’ time all your actions will be considered that of an adult and not those of a child. The punishment for treason is death, which I’m sure you already knew considering you’re a genius.”
“I knew.”
“So make your choice and follow it through.”
****
Ed’s hand closed over Roy’s right fist and spoke, “This one.” Ed didn’t let his voice betray any sign of uneasiness, he made sure it portrayed confidence and decisiveness.
“Are you sure?” Roy asked, his face not revealing a single hint of emotion.
Ed licked his lips, now slightly uneasy and glanced outside at the setting sun before locking his eyes back on Roy’s closed fists.
****
There was a sureness in his footsteps now, Roy thought as he watched the fourteen year old saunter across the parade grounds. After the incident last year his actions had calmed down. Somewhat. Roy had done his best to keep the boy away from Central to hopefully lessen the amount of damage that he could cause. Roy leaned against the window in his office as his door banged open and Ed stormed in with his brother on his heels.
Alphonse was as polite as ever, greeting him with a, “Hello sir, it’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too Alphonse. Have you made any progress?”
“No,” the older brother broke in snarling, “Not with all these lame-ass missions you’ve sent me on. I tell you, I do more work for you than for myself.”
Roy cleared his throat, “You are my subordinate. And you do need to do some missions from me to keep the military happy.”
Ed shrugged, looked at Al and wriggled his hand.
“Fullmetal, please tell me you’re not storing your report in Alphonse.”
“What? What’s wrong with that?”
“Never mind,” Roy muttered as he accepted the papers from Alphonse.
He sat down at his desk and began to quickly glance over them. About half way in he stopped and looked at Alphonse.
“You should really stop writing your brother’s reports. He is the one in the military.”
Al waved his hand. “Brother does write them for the most part. I never sleep so sometimes I get bored and type them up.”
“Hmmm,” Roy tried not to let the disbelief color his words.
Ed kicks his feet out and mutters, “I would never make Al do my work for me. I’m not that lazy, unlike some other people.”
Roy raises his head from reading the report and stares intently. Edward squirms uncomfortably.
“Would you care to say that again Edward?”
“No, not really.” Edward looks abashed, a bit shameful and for a moment Roy feels bad because Edward is vivacious, he has so much energy and life. Truthfully speaking it’s nice to see someone so young yet have such…Roy doesn’t think that there is a word that could describe Edward. Edward is indescribable. He is brilliant, he is honest, he has morals, and he rarely wavers from his path.
The boy is a force to be reckoned with because of his age and prowess and it is only I who make him hesitate, make him uncertain, Roy thinks to himself.
The word that describes him, Roy decides, is actually two. He’s an old soul.
****
“No,” Ed’s mouth curved up into a small smile and slid his other hand over Roy’s left fist. “I pick both.”
The shadows from the sun seemed to shift from a deep black-brown to a dappled red and orange that highlighted the room.
Roy raised his eyebrow and said, “You can’t do that.”
Ed set his teeth and held up his head.
****
“You can’t do that Fullmetal,” Roy told the young fifteen year old who was currently looking over the side of the building. “You’ll fall to your death if you try that.”
Roy grabbed Ed’s arm and held it tightly.
Ed glared and spoke shortly, “So you’re saying that you’d rather see that person fall to their death when I can do something about it?!”
“Yes! If it means keeping you safe, of course!”
Ed jerked his arm free from the man’s grasp and looked over the edge once more.
The destroyed building swayed as its foundation pillars began to give. The fire that had torn through it had thoroughly destroyed much of it. Ed’s hands gripped the railing tightly as he swung his body over and let his feet land on the ledge. His hands trembled for just a moment before he gripped the railing tightly. Carefully he reached down and clapped, reinforcing a beam that was sticking down. He gently lowered himself to the beam and when he was settled on it he looked up. Above him the sky was darkening - snow, he thought - and Mustang was looking down. Ed didn’t want to think that he saw fear in the man’s eyes, so he ignored it and glanced below to judge where he needed to step next. Again he reached down and transmuted the building so he’d have another step. He held his breath as he moved down once more. When he was safely sitting on the new step he took a breath. He repeated the same process with the step that he was planning to use to pull the stranded young woman onto, but his foot slipped on some of the melting snow and he slid off the edge. He heard the girl scream as he scrabbled frantically at the edge of the step. He dug his real fingers in as he hung there - if he tried using his automail fingers he’d snap the step.
From above he could hear Mustang’s voice calling to him and it took all his willpower to reorient himself.
“Fullmetal! Fullmetal!”
“Shut up Mustang! I can’t think with you shouting at me!” he snarled up.
For a moment all was quiet then he could hear the Colonel’s voice again. “Are you all right?”
“I’m not dead if that’s what you mean. I can’t pull myself up though.”
“I’ll come down to you then.”
“What? No! Are you crazy bastard? It’s too slippery!”
“I’ve got more experience in this than you do. Hold on, I’ll only be a moment.”
He could hear rustling, a few swears and then suddenly two warm hands (he was assuming Mustang’s left hand was warm too, but he couldn’t feel it through the automail) were on his. The Colonel pulled him up and onto the step.
“How’d you do that so easily?” Ed scowled.
“I told you, I was trained for situations like this.”
“Who the hell trains for situations like this?!??!” Ed howled as Mustang laughed.
****
“Yes I can. And do you know why?” Smugness radiated from Ed as yellow and orange bounced off his automail and refracted onto the wall making the ancient wallpaper look like it was burning.
“Why?” Roy asked blandly as he went along with Edward.
Ed’s face grew slightly irritated that he hadn’t gotten the response he’d been looking for. After a few moments he propped his chin up on the one hand whose elbow was resting on the table as he glanced to the side. In an effort to seem relaxed and at ease he slung himself slightly to the side and his automail arm over the back of his chair.
****
Al stood over his brother with hands on hips.
“Come on Brother, I know you can do better than that!”
Ed groaned as he pulled himself up from the ground. “How’re you so strong even though your body is still fairly new?”
Al’s smile was wicked. “Because I was always better than you, and lately you’ve gotten out of practice and lazy. Lazy.”
Once his Brother had regained his footing, Al struck again with snake-like quickness and knocked his brother back onto his ass.
“Sorry,” Alphonse told his brother completely unapologetic with just a hint of a smile on his face.
“Damn,” Ed muttered as he gained his feet and tried to stay planted as his brother attacked.
From the corner of his eye he saw Mustang who was leaning against the side of a building watching. At that moment however Al decided to try something new; a Xingian move that he had picked up from watching Ling, Mei and Ran Fan over the course of their time together.
Ed promptly found himself sprawled across the ground in an undignified manner that had his cheeks heating up.
He pushed himself to his knees and grabbed Al’s arm hissing as his foot touched the ground. Carefully he leaned his weight against Al and leaning down he prodded his ankle which made him hiss again.
“Damn, I think I might’ve sprained it.”
Al grinned, pulled his brother over his shoulder and carried him to the steps by the door where Mustang was leaning.
It was there Al deposited him. “Okay, lemme see Brother.”
Alphonse took Edward’s ankle in his hand moved it this way and that, tapped it, pressed against it all the while evoking hissing sounds from his brother.
“Yep,” Al said cheerfully. “Definitely sprained. I’ll go grab a bandage, and Brother? You know very well to stay off of it for a few days to let it get better. It’s nothing serious. It just needs some time and TLC.”
Ed stuck his tongue out. When he turned back he found his commanding officer sitting next to him, silent. Ed’s eyes flicked to his and away before he spoke.
“Don’t you have work to do?”
“Mmm. But it’s not interesting.”
“And watching me fall on my ass is more interesting?”
“Not per say…watching you is more interesting.”
Ed heard muffled laughter and looked up at Havoc who was smoking a cigarette in the doorway. “Chief, the Lieutenant is very upset you’re not doing your work. She sent me to come get you.”
Roy got to his feet and brushed off his military pants. “I’ll see you later,” he nodded to Ed and followed Havoc.
“He’s quite good isn’t he?” Jean remarked as they walked back to the office.
“Yes, but we always knew that didn’t we?”
Havoc didn’t respond right away and Roy realized why as they saw the younger Elric brother heading towards them down the hallway.
They nodded to him as he passed noticing that he was quite focused on getting to his brother before he decided to do something stupid like stand up on an injured ankle.
Havoc continued speaking once they had gone around a corner.
“Well, not all of us believed it, ya know.”
Roy raised his eyebrow as they entered his office where Hawkeye was waiting with a stack of paperwork.
“Just a few more, sir, then you’ll be done for the day.” She handed over the stack of paperwork and added, “Then you can continue ogling Edward to your heart’s content.”
The last they saw of him was his retreating back before the door slammed shut.
“Well,” Havoc said, “That’s one way to get him to work.”
****
Roy rather thought that Ed was less irritated and more embarrassed considering the slight rise of heat in his cheeks. Although now that he was looking closely…the position he was in was less defensive and more of an attack. Roy wondered if he should have been more careful when he’d challenged Ed because his facial expression held a hint of danger. The young began to speak again.
“Because you’re not actually hiding anything in your hands.” Ed stated succinctly.
“Oh?” Roy controlled his voice so as not to give anything away to Edward. So Ed was irritated.
****
Havoc chortled as Ed missed the cup again.
“Damn, I would have thought you’d be a better shot since you’re so good at martial arts!” Havoc told the young man with some amount of strange delight.
Ed glared at him before refocusing his vision on the beer mug and tossing the coin at it. It bounced on the rim and seemed to be about to fall out. As luck would have it, it tipped and fell into the mug to the delight of Edward.
Breda wrinkled his nose and picked up his own coin to toss it. He however, missed the cup and it tumbled to the table where it seemed to spin for several long moments before coming to a halt.
Breda snorted. He tipped his shot glass back and swallowed the drink. He coughed for a brief moment, but banged the glass on the table in a “manly way” before demanding, “Your turn Havoc!”
Havoc grimaced and tossed the coin which landed inside the beer mug with a resounding splat. Ed gave a slow, mocking clap before he himself picked up another coin.
Edward tossed it up and down in the palm of his hand for a few minutes.
Havoc leaned over to whisper to Breda, “I bet he’s testing the weight to determine how hard he should toss it,”
Breda responded, “It’s a wonder he doesn’t lick his finger and test the wind too,”
They both sniggered and when they stopped they could see Edward staring straight at them, not looking too amused at all. In fact he was starting to look downright pissed.
But the man smiled and hefted the coin in his hand and turned to face the cup. He let a devilish smile grace his face for a moment as the coin momentarily switched hands. He then with a great amount of strength, lobbed it at Breda’s head - Havoc interjected with, “That still counts as a shot, so if it misses you still have to drink!” - where it promptly bounced of Breda’s head and then as if the coin really wanted Ed to win, plopped into the cup.
Havoc’s jaw was on the floor and he couldn’t seem to pick it up, and Breda was still blinking, a tad bit confused as to what exactly had happened, before he realized Ed had cheated. “The coin you threw is right here! That was a different coin!”
Ed grinned, shrugged and tossed back his own shot and slammed it down on the table, accidentally cracking the glass with his automail.
Breda gave something that seemed like a giggle, but stopped it short with a hand across his mouth thirty-three minutes later when Ed had missed the sixth shot in a row. Aggravated Ed glared at the cup and chucked his final coin at it with all his strength. In the end, it hit the inside rim of the cup, dangled there for a moment before the force behind it toppled the whole glass onto the table.
Havoc sighed sadly and shook his head. He was about to collect his winnings (he had gotten the most in) when he realized there was a looming presence. He very, very carefully looked up into the face of a highly unamused Roy Mustang.
Breda and Havoc swallowed as Mustang gathered a squirming Ed-bundle into his arms and carried him off.
Ed pushed at Roy’s face complaining, “Put me down!” Down!”
But Roy shook his head and muttered in sympathy, “You’ll thank me in the morning.”
Ed pawed at his jacket and shrieked, “I know you’re hiding something you bastard!” and then he passed out.
****
Edward’s expression shifted and became more intense as he looked Roy in the face, eye to eye.
“Yes,” Ed squeezed Roy’s fists as he spoke. “Even if you did have something hidden in your fists I would still pick both. I could never just pick one.”
When Roy didn’t respond Ed continued. “Because…because I love you. And I want all of you. Not just part of you, all of you.” Ed’s voice trailed off towards the end as his embarrassment hit all sorts of levels.
****
At eighteen Ed was a force to be reckoned with. He tended to charge into things and never look back, and he seemed to glower more than usual at him.
Roy had been relaxing in his arm chair in front of the fire, when a very snowy and angry Edward had knocked on his door and bounded in upon its opening.
The Flame Alchemist studied his protégé intently. Something was off, something was wrong and Edward’s brows kept dipping and rising as his lips mouthed something.
He turned to face the older man and advanced with a purpose.
“What,” Roy began a tad fearfully but trying not to show it, “did I do exactly to earn your ire?”
This stopped Ed in his tracks, caused him to blink in confusion and tilt his head in the most endearing of ways.
“Ire?” and his mouth opened for a moment, he flushed a bright red and half turned away.
Roy decided raising a questioning eyebrow would be the best tactic, so that’s what he did and Ed gave him a funny look.
“About the other night,” the young man began. And this time Roy knew exactly what he was talking about.
“Edward,” he began with caution but was run over by Edward’s next words,
“Can we do it again?”
Roy thought that the young man had surprised him all he could, but no. Ed was still full of surprises and for once Roy didn’t even know what to say.
Edward wasn’t mad at him, he was mad at himself! Ed’s mouth flattened and he looked away, “I’m sorry, I never should have -”
But this time it was Roy who cut across. “No, I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you to…” he paused, fished for the right wording and continued. “Edward, I would like to try it again as well.”
It was well worth it to see Ed light up like a sparkler he had used to play with as a kid.
Ed’s arms went around his neck, his went around Ed’s waist and they were kissing.
Kissing.
What a wonderful feeling, Roy thought, and Edward’s body trembled. I’m sure the rest of it will be just as thrilling.
Roy grinned and pressed himself closer. Only time would tell if they would last.
****
Roy’s face softened and he smiled. A few seconds later he opened his right hand which held an ornate silver key. A very familiar key, one he knew Ed would have seen many, many times.
Ed’s mouth opened in surprise - and maybe a bit of horror - as Roy gave him a mischievous smirk. It was liberating to see Ed so off balance - for once - as he rarely seemed to get flustered these days. He could distinctly recall a time in the past where the littlest thing could through the young man into a fit of fury.
He watched as Ed’s eyes darted to his left fist and knew he was wondering just what Roy was hiding in it.
****
Ed tipped his head back and gasped as Roy licked his throat. Ed enjoyed Saturday mornings for this very reason. They were splendid, lovely things that made Ed all squirmy and happy.
He didn’t know how else to express the absolute delighted feeling he got when he woke up in Roy’s arms. But Roy knew. Oh yes he did.
Ed squirmed beneath Roy’s heavier body and worked his arms around the older man’s neck before grinning madly and kissing the man.
“I love Saturdays,” he purred to Roy.
Roy looked down at the imp who was giving him that look. The look that meant that there was going to be a whole lot of trouble in his future. But all the imp did was kiss him again and tug on his shoulders.
“C’mon, if you hurry up, I might actually decide to cook you breakfast.”
Ed grinned as he saw Roy perk up. Ed had soon found that Roy loved when he cooked breakfast. It wasn’t the Ed was so great at it, but nor was he horrible. It was because Roy found it so terribly amusing to see Ed doing something so…domestic.
Ed wriggled again and was pleased when Roy’s attention was diverted from the thought of breakfast and back on the fact that Ed was here and willing.
Roy kissed him.
And it was absolute heaven.
When Ed was finally able to function again, he pulled on one of Roy’s dress shirts and walked (staggered) down to the kitchen where he proceeded to cook the promised breakfast.
The only thing that could make it better would be if Roy came down and put his arms around his waist and whispered sweet nothings in his ear.
Ed liked that very much, the feeling of protection.
Oh, and the adoration. He really liked that.
And when those firm arms did slide around his hips Ed couldn’t help but lean back in the embrace and sigh.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
****
Roy opened his left hand to reveal a golden ring. It was nothing fancy of expensive, just something simple and nice to look at.
It took Ed a moment to reorient himself. He hadn’t been expecting a ring…but Roy must have known that…that…that bastard.
“You bastard,” Ed told him almost cheerfully. “You knew didn’t you?”
****
Ed was sitting in Mustang’s office chatting with his brother vigorously, swinging his arms this way and that in frantic motions.
Al looked on and waved his arms back.
Havoc and Breda along with Fuery squinted a little terrified of the two blonds who seemed far more intent than they should have been on a discussion about, what was it again? Havoc scratched his ear and chewed on a cigarette.
“No!” Ed was screeching and waving his arms in the air as if he were trying to hail a cab, “It doesn’t work like that!”
Al, a little more dignified, shouted, “YES! Yes, yes, yes! It does work like that!”
Ed shrieked and shouted something unintelligible. Al shrieked back.
Breda was pretty sure they might see some slap-fighting starting up soon.
Edward hissed and leaned forward, “You can’t tell me what to do!”
“You can’t tell me what to do! I’m nineteen and perfectly able to take care of myself!” Al hissed back.
Ed glared, sat back, pondered this and then sat forward again, “I claim big brother rights!”
“There is no such thing as big brother rights!” it was Al who shrieked this this time.
Fuery scooted his chair back as both brothers now had their hands poised to clap. Breda and Havoc looked for a good place to hide.
But the argument died as soon as it started because Brigadier-General Mustang walked in, and as Ed’s world currently revolved around him, ran to him, flung his arms around his neck and sobbed,
“Al wants a cat!”
Roy patted Ed’s back gently and sighed. “Edward, as much as I appreciate the thought that Al might kill the cat, he is right. He is perfectly able to take care of a cat.”
Ed pouted and the Brigadier-General continued, “You’re just jealous because now you have to share your brother with someone else.”
The whole office seemed to gasp and for a moment there was complete stillness before chaos broke out.
Later, alone, Roy whispered into his ear, “I love you, you know.”
And Ed grinned at him.
****
“Of course. I’ve known you for over five years haven’t I? I’m your lover, right? I know that you like breaking rules, and generally doing the exact opposite of what I ask. You’re also a cheater.”
“That’s not true-!”
Roy raised an eyebrow. “Cards the other week?”
“Well, not always! But really, what would have happened if I really had picked one or the other.”
Roy just smiled at him and didn’t say a word.
“Cheater,” Ed accused him when it became obvious that his older lover had no intention of giving him an answer. “This wasn’t fair! You had it all planned out from the very beginning, I never had a chance.”
“No, you really didn’t, but I still love you if that makes you feel better.”
“No, not really,” Ed said through gritted teeth.
“So…no then?”
****
Ed enjoyed coming over to Roy’s house. It was a beautiful place, just inside the city but it had a lawn and a porch. Ed had always been very excited about the porch. He watched as Roy took out a silver key and slotted it into the keyhole before opening the door. Roy laughed at Ed’s impatience to get into the door.
“This,” Roy asked as he swung the door inwards, “has nothing to do with,” he jiggled the plastic bag he held over one arm, “this food, now does it?”
Ed shoved past him and into the hall and eagerly darted to the kitchen where he helpfully began to pull dishes from their respective cupboards. Roy locked the door back and hung up his coat before making his way to the kitchen where Ed was rattling about impatient as always.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Roy said, but the words weren’t harsh in the least, they were the words of someone who was used to this - this routine impatience.
Ed grinned and nearly mobbed him and the food as he set it on the counter.
“I surely hope that it’s not just the food you’re coming for anymore.”
Ed looked at him, blinked, smiled and stood on tiptoes to kiss his lover.
The kissing devolved into more kissing and the dinner was cold before they got back to it.
“I love you,” he said. And blinked as if in surprise, then laughed and Roy laughed with him, gathering the young man into his arms and hugging him tight,
“I love you, I love you, I love you.”
****
“No,” Ed stuck up his nose and turned away, putting his back to Roy.
Roy laughed. “No? So you actually mean ‘yes’ because ‘no’ would mean ‘no, not ‘no.”
Ed glared. “Stop making things complicated!”
“Complicated?” Roy asked and laughed again. “You are complicated.”
Ed couldn’t help the little smile that graced his face.
“You bastard,” he spoke without anger, “stop making fun of me.”
“I would never dream of it, my love. Now let me ask a question since you evaded my last one, what would you have done if I’d only said you could pick one and refused your choice of both?”
Ed narrowed his golden eyes and furrowed his brows to make himself look angry. “I would have shown you my two fists.”
****
They were swaying in slow movements, Roy’s longer legs pushing the porch swing as he stroked the golden head of hair in his lap.
The soft breeze floated around them and there was the smell of flowers on the wind mixed with the sweet scent of summer.
Ed sighed and stretched as he opened amber eyes to gaze at his surroundings. Roy’s hand stopped for a moment as Ed tilted his head back to look up at him.
Roy looked down and smiled. Edward looked so lovely laying half in his lap with the bright afternoon sunshine reflecting off his automail.
Ed’s eyes closed and he let his head drop back into Roy’s lap with a soft huff of breath.
Roy resumed stroking Edward’s hair, his fingers tangling ever so slightly in the thick lengths.
They wished they could stay here forever, without need of words that they so often hurt each other with.
For now though, all was calm and that was what mattered, here. Now.
****
Roy’s lips twitched. “It seems that you still have some of that childishness you say you lost left in you.”
“Says the man who throws snowballs even when they make him useless.”
“Hey!” Roy protested even as he laughed.
Ed grinned at him, “I can make more jokes at your expense, old man, if you want me to.”
“Old man?”
“Old man,” Ed repeated firmly.
“Cruel, evil, little brat.”
“Of course,” Ed replied, “I keep you in line; without me you’d be even more useless than you already are.”
“So would you like to spend the rest of your life looking after this old man then?”
Ed sighed and shook his head, “I suppose if I have to.”
Then Ed gave him a shit eating grin and walked away saying, “I’m hungry, what do you have to eat here?”
***
Ed stood in the doorway to the house, biting his lip just a bit. He rocked back on his heels and reached for the door, but dropped his hands just as quickly. He frowned a bit more and heaved a sigh.
Ed blinked in surprise as the door opened in front of his face. Roy stood framed in the doorway, a slightly imposing figure at this time of night Ed thought. The older man was staring down at him with a quizzical look, one eyebrow raised.
“Do you need to be invited in?” Roy asked.
Ed opened his mouth and looked up at Roy with confusion in his face. He let his tongue poke inside his cheek and he counted to ten just to make sure Roy wasn’t making fun of him and asked, “What?”
Roy grinned and stepped back from the entryway ruffling his hair with one slender hand, his body shaking in amusement.
“You don’t get it? Well, come on it then.”
Ed shook his head and stepped into the house. “Explain, would you?”
Roy leaned forward into Ed’s space grinning, “In legends a vampire can’t come into a house unless invited.”
Ed’s breath caught and was extremely displeased with Roy relating him to a vampire, “Bite me,” he snapped and stomped around Roy.
Roy laughed, “I’m sure there’ll be plenty of that later.”
Edward’s eyes narrowed and he swung about to face Roy. “Okay, so, you know that whole, let’s move in thing? I take it back!”
Roy managed to get one arm around Ed’s hips before Ed could turn about again. “No, no, don’t be mad, I was simply trying to tease you.” Roy hugged him. “It wasn’t supposed to be an insult, but I’ll take it back anyways.”
Ed let himself be hugged.
***
Sometimes, Ed thought as he lounged on the grass in their backyard, I wish that the dusk would never end and the day could go on and on and on. He buried his fingers in the grass and felt the softness as it swayed beneath the breeze. He could taste the first hint of autumn on the wind as the sun began to set. It was a light breeze, just a bit chilly as it riled up the leaves and set the porch swing swaying. There were dead flowers in a vase next to several cups sitting on the porch, left over from that summer when they’d spent long days simply rocking, sometimes they talked, other times they didn’t.
He could hear the rustle of leaves on the tree, though the sound was different, harsher as the leaves cracked and turned rusty reds and oranges and eventually to brown as they tumbled off the tree. The few that littered the ground were whirled up and away by the wind every so often, and Ed watched.
As fall rapidly approached Ed felt his uneasiness draining away the longer he lived here in Roy’s - their - home now. There was something special about knowing that he would always have a place to come home to, that everything he had done had caused this. This thing that still seemed so new to him, although it had been a summer already. He rather thought that it could never become old.
He could hear footsteps on the porch and then Roy’s voice, warm and perfect, “Edward?”
“Roy,” he responded with a grin as he tilted his head back so he could see him. With his head at this angle he could see Roy clearly. He was standing on the porch looking down with an expression that seemed to have a bit of amusement, a bit of love and desire. His military uniform wasn’t wrinkled in the least, still perfect as if he had just put it on despite the fact that he had the collar undone along with many of the buttons. Ed knew that meant Roy was relaxed and more than likely in a good mood. Ed let one of his arms flop over his eyes and one over his belly. He heard the creak of the stairs as Roy descended to the grass below. Roy’s boots were muffled by the grass as he walked closer to Ed.
He removed his arm and opened his eyes to look up at Roy.
Roy held out his head and Ed flipped over onto his belly and dragged himself to his knees taking the man’s hand and was pulled up with ease. He stood in front of the military officer as he plucked at the leaves in Ed’s hair.
“You’ve got lots in here today since you left it down.”
Ed shrugged and felt his hair slide this way and that across his shoulders. “That’s the price of long hair.”
Roy combed through it again gently. “Come inside and shower, I’ll help you get them out.” He took Ed’s hand gently and led him onto the porch and into the house. He tuned and locked the door before continuing on to the upstairs bathroom. Ed eagerly shed his shirt and pants and then moved on to help Roy with his. Their hands got tangled at Roy’s belt and they laughed. Roy leaned forward and kissed Ed slowly and gently as he carded his firm hands through Ed’s tangled hair.
“Welcome home,” Ed murmured against his lips, smiling.