Roy sighed as the phone rang right beside him, dragging one hand down his face. He didn't have time for more problems right now, he thought as he hoped that it wasn't some town in deer help or something along those lines. He had his hands full already with this damn paperwork. Not to speak of how he finally (after two hours, but don't let a certain first lieutenant know that) had gotten into the groove. Didn't he deserve a fulltime secretary or something by now anyway? Without much of a choice though, if he wanted to keep climbing ranks that is, he picked up. "Mustang speaking."

"…Hi Roy, it's me," was heard from the line, and the major general immediately felt his frazzled heart soften by the familiar voice.

"Well hi on you too, how's it going back there? Done with the case yet?"

"Nah, not yet," Ed answered, and there was slight cracking on the other line.

"So what owes me the pleasure?" Roy asked, crossing his arms and smiling lightly. They had a decided schedule that if one of the pair was away, they would call when they arrived and when they left. If a mission was over a longer time span, also before going to bed, but they were most often working together if that was the case. This time though, Ed had been sent to the middle east and Roy couldn't go with (even if he would have tried pulling ranks) simply because there was too much work for him to do back at the office. Off course he'd missed his boyfriend the three days he'd been away, but he was a little confused as to why his blonde would call in the middle of the day if he wasn't done with the work yet.

"Just wanted to hear your voice," Ed answered after the briefest of pauses, and it sounded so truthful that it almost made Roy gape. It wasn't often that Ed said things like that after all, so he captured the moment by smiling and responding fondly.

"I've missed you too." He put the phone against his ear, using his shoulder to hold it up as he started stacking together smaller piles of paperwork while talking. "So is it starting to wrap up at least? The bed is kinda lonely you know," he stated suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows without thinking about how it wasn't possible for it to be seen. He expected a witty comeback or something, but all he received was a few seconds of silence before Ed spoke up again.

"…Yeah, sorry about that."

Roy hummed before continuing. "Yeah, but you're home before Sunday, right? My sis is in town again and we have apparently no other choice than to go on a double date with her new partner. What do you think of Suga's for a coffee and cake as a starter?"

"That sounds great. Suit?"

Roy laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I'll take the black one, I promise."

"Then it's a date."

"Oh just you wait until you see the one I've got in store for the wedding. You're not going to be able to speak other than a shouted 'yes!' when it's time," Roy teased, swearing as he accidentally knocked a pile of paper down from the desk. He put down the phone, quickly gathering them up before placing them down rightly once more.

When he once more picked up the line, he could hear Ed asking his name, voice seeming a little desperate and frightened. But that could just be his imagination, the old fashioned phone altered the voice quite a lot he supposed as each syllable seemed to be strangely shaky.

"Hey, I'm here. But is something up? You seem a little strained," he asked to make sure that was the problem. The boy could be riled up about some skips in the road of the mission, and if that was the case he would see if there was anything he could do to help.

"No, not really," Ed answered though. Roy waited a moment to see if he would change his mind and explain, but when the other spoke it wasn't what Roy was expecting. "Hey Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you a lot, right?"

"So I've been told," he answered light-heartedly, smiling as he thought about the first time Ed had said that. It was many years ago now, and the boy had been irritated at Roy's jumble of short teasers. "Why in the heck do I even love you?" he'd said with a straight face before slamming the door to Roy's office. The current colonel had just stared in shock after him, before smiling like crazy for the rest of the day. Riza had been sure he'd burned half of the paperwork or something when she came hours later. "But why the sudden sentiment?" he then asked, cursing slightly as his quill stopped working.

Only silence met him on the other line, excepts for the crackling of bad reception.

"Okay, you're being weird," Roy repeated after a few seconds of zero response, letting down his shoulder to hold the phone properly as he furrowed his brow, paperwork now forgotten. "You're not drunk or something are you? I swear, I'll kill Havoc if he's-"

"…Thank you, Roy," Ed mumbled, making the older stop dead in his words. It wasn't often that Ed let those kinds of feelings show, but at that moment he sounded vulnerable and pained, but thankful nonetheless. "I love you."

"Ed?" Roy asked, the concern he'd felt moments ago upped times a hundred. "Hey, what's going on?"

No answer.

"Are you okay?"

Only the whistling of wind.

"Hey?!"

And loud static as the line was abruptly cut.

"ED!"

oOo

"So why you calling?"

"Just wanted to hear your voice," Ed said truthfully, pursing his lips as soon as the words were out to supress the burning pain from being moaned out. And he did. It really meant a lot to him, even if he couldn't express it in words.

"I've missed you too." There was a small ruffle on the other side of the line, making Ed supress a fearful 'Are you still there?'. Roy had hung up on him before, most often when Riza entered the office and he wasn't allowed to chit chat, but Ed couldn't stand it if they wouldn't be able to talk now. Luckily he didn't have the chance to ask that as Roy continued talking within seconds. "You know when you're coming home yet by the way? The bed is kinda lonely," was stated flirtatiously through the line, and Ed couldn't help that small laugh to himself, even though it hurt his chest like crazy. Speaking hurt too, even breathing, but no pain would make him give up these last moments with Roy. He just wished that the man was there. To hold him tightly like he always did when Ed had phantom pains or were experiencing rough memories from the past. Roy's warm body next to his own always seemed to make everything better. Only his words were soothing enough though, and Ed could distract himself with seeing that ridiculous eyebrow wiggle (that had taken Roy weeks to learn, and no one had the heart to say that the meaning of charming didn't really reach through. It looked more like Roy was constipated and highly concentrated at the same time). The fond smile that creeped to Ed's lips was quickly washed away as he thought about the meaning of the words.

"…Yeah, sorry about that," he finally said. But the bed will be empty for a while now.

Roy hummed as Ed covered his mouth to force himself to hide the pain. He needed this moment, not Roy in panic and closing the line to run and get help, demand his position (that Ed didn't even know anymore) and scream at him to hold on, help is coming even though it was beyond possible for it to reach in time. Ed had had enough experiences with wounds to know when they were fatal, and the gaping hole in his side? Definitively was. He was too far out from civilisation, too far gone. This was the end, and he knew it. So he fought the dark spots in his vision and held on as best as he could, because if their life together was going to be teared away from them, he had to at least make it to a good bye.

"Yeah, but you're home before Sunday, right?" I'm sorry." My sis is in town again and we have apparently no other choice than to go on a double date with her new partner. What do you think of Suga's for a coffee and cake as a starter?" That would have been lovely.

"That sounds great," Ed answered, covering the phone for a moment to gasp as the pain seemed to stab him once more in his overworked lungs. It hurt. It hurt so damn bad, but he pressed through it. Trying to take no notice of the dizziness that fought to bring his consciousness away (never mind the hot and searing white pain dragging him under). He quickly gathered himself up, closing his tear burned eyes tightly to ask "Suit?"

Roy laughed, and it was so warm and lovely and Ed would miss it so much. "Yeah, I'll take the black one, I promise."

"Then it's a date," the blonde murmured, fighting more and more to keep an even voice through the blood forcing its way up his throat.

"Oh just you wait until you see the one I've got in store for the wedding." Blood wasn't the only thing tightening Ed's throat now. He opened his eyes to look at his hand, limp and bloody at his side, the golden ring shining like a small beacon through the darkness. He tried to hum, but it wouldn't come out. "You're not going to be able to speak other than a shouted 'yes!' when it's time," Roy then teased before a swear escaped his lips. Suddenly the line clicked and went completely silent.

"Roy…?" Ed quickly asked breathlessly, breath picking up painfully fast as he held the phone as tightly as he could manage. "Are you there…? Please… Roy?"

His panic went as quickly as it came when the line clicked alive again, a familiar voice resonating in his ear again. Ed couldn't supress the small sob of relief escaping him, nearly letting the phone slip.

"Hey, I'm here. But is something up? You seem a little strained."

"No, not really," Ed lied, even if he knew Roy was now suspicious enough to give him a moment before he would keep digging as always. Now he was really feeling lightheaded, the pain slowly growing dull. His eyes were slowly lowering on their own accord as his voice mumbled out a soft "Hey Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I love you a lot, right?" He asked, heart ripped open as its beats were tugged from the world.

"So I've been told," Roy answered light-heartedly, and Ed could hear the smile on his lips. He'd gotten so familiar with the man that he could easily hear the difference between that forsaken smirk or a beautiful and caring smile that could fix his broken days. Roy usually answered with an 'I love you too' or an 'but I love you more' the times Ed was the first to say it. He tried to ignore the slight pang that came with how he wouldn't get to hear those words again. It was easily ignored in the mountain of pain though, so instead he focused on relishing in Roy's familiar laughter. Roy had laughed just the same way the first time he'd said those three words as well. Ed had tried (and failed) to make omelettes for breakfast, so Roy had pulled him into a backwards hug as he sulked, asking "Is it possible to love you more?" At that time, Ed had been so shocked that he'd accidentally elbowed Roy in the stomach. That was one of his fondest memories from their years together.

And now he'd never get to hear those words again. Never experience more moments with the one he loved. They wouldn't get married, wouldn't get their new home together. Wouldn't get the chance to be parents. Would never get a day more to create any form of memories.

But it was in a strange way kind of alright, Ed realised. Because he'd never thought he'd live down such happiness. Not after all the pain he'd gone through in life, after all the never-ending trials and bits torn from his soul. He was grateful, because he'd met Roy. He'd gotten his happy ending even if it wasn't ever after.

Still, he couldn't deny that it was hard facing that it was so short. After everything was finally over, after he could finally say that he was truly fine, the new life he'd framed was suddenly ripped away again.

"But why the sudden sentiment?" His fiancé continued as he was met with silence. Ed tried to answer, but all that spilled from his lips was more blood. He had to cover the line once more, weakly coughing some of it out. He finally registered the tears dripping down his face, knowing that pain wasn't the only reason they were there.

"Okay, you're being weird," Roy repeated firmly this time when his only response was uneven and weak breaths. "You're not drunk or something are you? I swear, I'll kill Havoc if he-"

The pain was gone now. All that was left was the emptiness, the throbbing agony of knowing that this was farewell.

"…Thank you, Roy," He didn't bother to fight for his feelings to stay clear from his voice anymore. Vulnerability, gratitude and remorse. Happiness and sadness all at once. "I love you," he whispered, the last tear dripping down his cheek as his breaths died out under the whispers of the winds.

"Ed?"

No matter how happy he was that he'd had the chance to gather so many memories with Roy, it still hurt to not hear it back for the last of last times.

And so the phone slowly slipped from his hand to land in a pool of deep red, golden eyes finally sliding closed.

A/N: If you liked this, it would truly truly make my day if you spread some love by a review!

I wish you a great day love!

/hugs MJ