Title: Relationship
Genre: Romance/Angst
Pairing: Roy x Ed
Summary: Post-movie. After World War II, Edward finds a way back to Amestris. He now lives with Roy. One-shot.
Warnings: MOVIE SPOILERS. Shounen-ai, in this case RoyEd. Mentions of sex.
Disclaimer: I am only a rabid fan of FMA (and of RoyEd). I don't own it.

Relationship

When years later, after surviving the world war in a world that was not even his, Edward Elric returned to his own world, he moved in to live with his ex-superior in Central, while his brother married Winry and led a happy family life in Rizenbul.

Their relationship wasn't all about mind-blowing sex anymore. It was strange, because the timeline in the two countries were quite different, and for each four years in the foreign world, only about a year had gone by in Amestris. Edward was now forty, and Roy Mustang was only thirty-six. It was very awkward at first. Both of them weren't used to this small age difference, and what was even worse was that Edward was older than Roy. But, as time passed, they found that it was better this way. They were almost equivalent.

Neither of them were in the military anymore. Roy had decided he'd had enough of paperwork and missions and being a dog of the military. He had resigned two years ago and was now an assistant in a small grocery store. Edward took up a job as a waiter in some high-class restaurant.

Not being military personnel meant no more fraternization rules, which was a relief. The thrill brought by the risk of getting caught was fine by both, but it also meant they couldn't go out on dates in public. Their relationship was confined to places away from other people: the Colonel's own private office and the Colonel's apartment. Edward sometimes thought that the never-changing locations were boring, now he couldn't complain.

Their relationship had become more about feeling. Both of them knew about war. Both of them knew about pain. Both of them knew about cruelty. Both of them knew about blood. Both of them knew about sin. It was the knowledge that drew them close together than ever. Every night, they only shared a bed, and nothing else. Often there was silence. People who didn't know them would think that they didn't want to speak to each other, but in fact they were communicating with something other than words.

It was with the emotion. They had an understanding, a tacit agreement that needed no speaking. At night, when they lay down in the comforts of the same bed, they each felt that overwhelming mix of feelings in the other person. It consisted of mostly sadness and regret. But there were traces of happiness, which came from their carefree childhoods, from way before their troubles began. Several bits of this happiness were caused by their relationship, but that was rare, because their relationship had never been a sweet one, unlike most other lucky couples.

Theirs was one about anguish, one about hatred. Theirs were not based upon friendship, but on that fiery hate for each other. Now this had dissolved after all those years, leaving only the agony which weighed their hearts down. Neither could do anything to relieve that burden from the other, but all they could do is to let the other know that they bore the same pain, and that helped in some sense.

On other nights they talked. Edward talked about the years spent in the other world, about Alphonse Heiderich. He was no longer a person who held in all his feelings; neither was Roy. When he talked about the other Al, he would nearly break down in tears. And once Roy dared to ask him whether or not he had been in love with the man. He looked at Roy in shock, as if the possibility of that had never came into his mind. Then slowly, he nodded and said, "I suppose that could have happened." Years ago, if caught having a crush on someone else, he would have denied it straight away and sparked a fight between the two, but now he admitted it freely, because he knew Roy wouldn't mind.

"I wish he hadn't died."

"But then he might have died in the war."

"I lived through it. He could."

"But then when you left that world, you would still have to overcome that sorrow of never going to see him again. Isn't it the same?"

And Edward agreed, silently. "You're more important than him though." He still couldn't bring himself to say, "I love you more than him though," and so what he said instead of that was a good enough replacement for both of them. He had never once confessed his love for Roy, and Roy had never pointed that out. He knew that if Edward wasn't ready to make such a big confession yet, then he shouldn't do anything about it. Love was freely given, after all, and you couldn't force a person into loving.

So when one night, the blond said to him, "You know what, Roy? I think I'm in love with you," Roy knew that their relationship had taken a turn. The words formed an assumption, but the tone suggested otherwise.

"You know what, Ed? I'm thinking the same too."

That night was different from all the others, and it was a special one too. They finally had the courage to do what they couldn't do ever since those long years they'd spend apart. They made love, and for the first time they could actually call it the act of making 'love'. It was tender and careful, lacking in passion, because both men had forgot much about passion, but neither cared. And for once they felt a sweetness in their relationship which had never existed before.

Both were unaware that it had been Valentine's Day, and perhaps it was the ancient spell from this festival of love which had bewitched them.

The End

A/N: Finally I have written another RoyEd piece. I had to get over a writer's block, so I realize this wasn't very well-written, but I really liked the concept of this piece, this idea of change in their relationship. I hope you enjoy this. Happy Valentine's Day! Please read & review.