A/N: I suddenly got inspiration to write a sequel to 'Leave a message'… So this is how things are 4 years after 'Leave a message' Don't you just love those phases when you get inspiration and you write and write and write and get more inspiration and write some more…? Cuz I sure do! After writing this I started yet another sequel for this sequel... (Yeah, what the hell? : D) But I'm not sure if it will ever be finished. Anywayhoo, here it is:

Will you wait?

"Daddy, I want ice cream!" Roy smiled at his 4-year-old son.
"Remember what mommy said? No dessert before dinner."
The 4-year-old Luca pouted until his expression turned into a grin. "We don't have to tell mommy."
Roy grinned too. "Alright! It'll be our little secret."
"Yay," Luca exclaimed, full of enthusiasm.
Roy shook his head as he walked hand in hand with his son to the nearest ice cream booth. Perhaps he spoiled Luca too much... but at least Riza didn't.
"Luca, which flavor?" The kid wondered for a while. "Umm… daddy, which one will you have?"
"Toffee, as always," Roy replied.
"Me too! I'll take the same flavor as daddy."

Roy smiled and asked for two toffee ice creams. The girl on the booth made them and Roy held Luca in his lap during it, Luca insisted that he wanted to see as the girl worked. Roy paid her and handed the ice cream for Luca who almost screamed from happiness.
The sat on the park bench and started to eat. Luca's feet didn't reach the ground and he was waving them back and forth while smiling widely. Roy looked at him, smiling too. Amazing how even moments like that made Roy amazingly proud to be that boy's father.

Roy had already finished eating when he suddenly felt someone staring at him.
Roy turned his gaze and his breathe caught his throat as he saw a very familiar young man staring at him. Ed. Roy turned his gaze. It couldn't be Ed… Ed had disappeared 4 years ago… Before that he had only left one message for Roy: "You fucking idiot." He couldn't be back now… Roy was just hallucinating.

"Ignoring me, huh?" Roy glanced up, seeing that it really was Ed standing in front of him. "Ed…?"
The boy – no, the man – rolled his eyes. "No, it's Santa Claus… What did you think?"
"Santa Claus? Where?" Ed's gaze turned to Luca who was looking excited, his face covered in ice cream.
"Nowhere… when did you manage to mess your face like that?" Luca grinned as Roy started to rummage his pockets for a napkin. "Here," Ed said, handing one. "Thanks," Roy muttered, wiping Luca's face clean.
"Who are you," Luca asked, staring at Ed who had a somewhat painful expression on his face.
"Luca, he's just an old friend of mine." Luca stick out his tongue, rolling it into a tube. "I can do this, can you?"
Ed smiled somehow awkwardly, as if he wanted to be anywhere else than there. "Nope, I don't think I can."

"Daddy, I wanna go swinging!"
Roy glanced at Ed. "Alright then, let's go." Luca ran towards the swing and Roy walked behind him.
"I wanna go reaaally fast! Like mommy when she drives!" Roy laughed a bit. "Don't I drive fast?"
"No! Mommy drives faster!" Roy laughed, pushing the swing slightly, his gaze facing Ed every now and then… Ed who was sitting further away, looking at them.
When Luca got bored of the swing, he went to the slide with other kids, playing and laughing with them.
Roy went to the bench and sat next to Ed. "He really looks a lot like you… like a mini-you. So fucking weird."
Roy laughed a bit. "Yeah, I think that every single time when I see him…"
There was a moment of silence between them. "You really like that kid, don't you?" Roy glanced at Ed; it was a silly thing to ask. "Of course I do. He's my son. I never really understood Maes who was always swooning over Elysia… But now I understand completely."
"I bet Maes would love to see you now," Ed said quietly. Roy glanced at him, seeing that something about him had changed. There was somehow something melancholic about him, so deep that it hurt to watch.

"I'm sure he would. Ed… why did you come back?"
Ed glanced at him. "I keep wondering that myself too. Perhaps it's because I never really got you out of my head."
Roy turned his eyes to his son who was laughing. If Luca hadn't been born, would Roy be with Ed now, somewhere…?
"I regret a lot of things," Roy admitted. "I regret when I got together with Riza, when I never told her that even though I love her, I was never in love with her. I regret that I didn't admit to myself that it was you who I wanted. Well… I did admit, but it was too late by then. I regret that I slept with Riza. But the one thing I don't regret is Luca."
Ed was quiet for a while. "Do you regret the thing we had back then? Or when you said you would break up with her to be with me?"
"No. Why would I? Being with you was something that I truly wanted. I didn't have to pretend."

Roy glanced at Ed, hesitated only a while before he added:

"And… I still want to be with you."
Ed smiled bitter sweetly. "Sure. Let's all just be one big family. Me, Hawkeye, you and that kid. Now tell me, Roy… which one doesn't belong there? Is it you? Or Hawkeye? Or that kid? Me?"
Roy glanced at Ed, shocked to see how dark Ed's eyes were. It hurt Roy to think that the bitter sweetness in Ed was because of him.
"Ed… I'm sorry. But there's nothing I can do for now. I want him to have a good childhood and parents… I want him to be happy."
Ed jumped up. "But what about your happiness, Roy?" Roy shook his head.
"My happiness is his happiness. I can't be selfish right now. Look… I never had real parents. They died when I was a kid. I lived with my aunt, she was great really but… we moved around a lot. I never had a father-figure… My only family was my aunt and later Maes."
Ed sighed deeply, sitting down. "I get it… If that was my kid, I'm sure I would want the same for him… You know, I sure didn't have the best childhood either. But…it's just so…" Ed let out a frustrated sound, never finishing his sentence.

"You know… he won't always be a kid. He will grow up someday, sadly enough. So… will you wait for me?"
Ed stared at him in disbelief. "You're trying to tell me that I should wait – what - ?"
" – 14 years. Then he'll be 18, I'm sure he's old enough by then."
Ed shook his head, laughing dryly. "Right… great… just think about this, Roy: first you fuck me for a few months like you care and make me fucking fall for you. Then you decide to get together with Hawkeye though you know by yourself that it isn't what you want. And when I start calling you 'cause I have to get something from you, maybe just hearing your voice while she's sleeping and you know you should be with her but somehow you still talk there with me. And then you suddenly decide that I'm the one you wanna be with, finally you realize it and promise to be with me… Until you find out that she's pregnant because you just had to fuck her."

"Ed – "
" – I'm not finished yet. Then I hate you so fucking much. Well, that's what I try to tell myself… Really I just hate myself 'cause I thought we really could be together after all that shit. It fucking hurt! So I start drinking. A lot. I take some pills and wish that I could just die right there you know why? Cause you're a fucking idiot. Well, I'm pathetic too but I don't really care. And then I decide to leave the fuck out of town. No one knows where I am, I travel around. Stay in one place, leave… meet some people. Fuck some. I try to develop feelings for anyone really but you know what? I can't. Because the only person I think of is you. After 4 years of running in circles, I come back. Why? I really don't know, I guess that I just can't stay away from you. And now you're telling me to fucking wait for 14 years… Isn't that so damn nice of you."

Roy was completely speechless. He had no idea what to say after an outburst like that.
"Ed… I'm sorry, I – "
" – Don't be. Doesn't really matter anymore, now does it?"
"It matters to me…"

Ed shook his head. "You know, you're right. You should be there for him. You don't want him to grow up, hating you and calling you a bastard…"
Roy smiled a bit, knowing that Ed talked from personal experience.
"No, I don't. But I'm sure that he can handle his parents splitting up when he's older."
"Guess so."

Roy watched for a while as Luca was whispering something to a boy his age. He really didn't regret having Luca. He had loved him from the moment he saw him for the first time, held him for the first time. He wanted to be a good father, he really did… He wanted his son to have everything he wanted.
Roy glanced at Ed. And then there was Ed… With whom Roy was in love with. The only one Roy had ever been in love with. He wanted to make him happy too… He wanted to give Ed too everything he wanted.
But he just couldn't pick both. Oh, if it only would be so easy… The only way Roy could make it work was by asking for Ed to wait.

"I know it's too much to ask for you to wait. I don't say you have to. You can move on, or not to. Just so you know… even if you won't wait… I will."
Ed bit his lip, staring at Roy and the dark bitter sweet tone in his eyes seemed to melt away, leaving only insecure, vulnerable expression on his face which hurt Roy even more.
"Don't make promises you can't keep..."
"Huh? I can keep this one, Ed."
"You won't know. What if you'll have another kid? What if you suddenly realize that after all, you want to grow old with Hawkeye? What if… I don't fucking know! 14 years is a long time. Anything can happen.
Roy nodded. "True. What if you get tired of waiting? What if you find someone new? I don't know what's going to happen to us… But for now I do know that I want to wait and see. Don't you?"
Ed sighed, nodded a bit. "Maybe I'm just a fucking idiot after all but… yes. I do. I've waited for 5 years already… what's another 14 to that…"

Roy smiled as Ed leaned his head against Roy's shoulder. "I promise that it will be worth it," he said, stroking Ed's hair a bit, the longing filling his every sense, to have Ed so close to him after all those years, months, days… it felt like hell because Roy knew he couldn't even pull him in for a hug. Stroking his hair already made people glance at them enough. To wait that he could feel Ed against him for 14 years… it felt like 14 years of famine… And in the same time Roy really knew that it wasworth it. It would be.

Roy hadn't even noticed when Luca had showed up until he said: "Why do you look so sad?" eyeing at Ed with a worried look on his face. Ed got up, smiling a bit.
"I'm not sad. I'm just a bit tired. Gotta go…" Ed glanced at Roy.
"I'll see you…?"
Roy nodded. "In 14 years."
Ed smiled a bit, waving his hand. "Bye."
Roy watched as he walked away, wanting to run after him. Because after all, 14 years is a long time.

Luca was explaining excitedly about the new friends he had made but Roy was barely listening. He saw Ed turning around, taking one last glance at him before he disappeared behind the corner. Roy could wait. He just had to.
"Mommy's here!" Roy watched as Luca got up, running towards Riza who smiled and hugged her son.
Time would run quickly too. Luca was already 4 years old. Soon he would be an adult… at the same time Roy was looking forward to it, to see what kind of person his son would turn out to be. To see how years would change Ed and himself too. But somehow he wanted Lucas still to be that little kid who got excited over everything really. Roy wondered what Ed would do with his life while waiting. Roy himself had his hands full of looking after Luca.

Roy got up and followed Luca. Luca and Riza started to head back home when Roy turned around to look in the direction where Ed had gone a while ago. Years would show if they really could be finally together. All that they could do now was to wait. And Roy knew he could do it. 14 years, 20 years… Roy could wait 100 years if that's what it needed for them to finally be together. He could only hope that in the end... they really would.