Disclaimer: I don't own FMA and never will. And I didn't come up with the title, though did get permission to use it. Thanks Leah. "Whoa! That's more than just a hug."
"More than Just a Hug"
By: Rachel L. Mustang
Hugs were always great before. It's the closest Ed could get to Roy. Hugs alone exceeded the standard Roy always kept on his emotions, so the first time it happened Ed considered it a great stepping stone from where they started.
And though Ed understood why Roy was worried to get close to anyone since Hughes' death and the rash actions it made Roy consider, it still frustrated Edward.
It frustrated him more than all the times Roy had teased him about his height, or lack there of. Frustrated him more than the time that Roy and Ed had fought on the parade grounds in the east and Bradley hadn't let them finish. More than the fact that Roy could have finished him during the fight and didn't. Even more than the fact that every time Ed went to talk to Roy at his office, he had a new lecture prepared and never failed to point out Ed's mistakes.
Now that he thought about it, Roy was one of the more frustrating people he knew. Whenever Roy was down, Ed was always there to lift him back up and all he ever got was a hug and a shy "Thank you".
But Ed wanted more and he knew that Roy, despite his lack of the ability to portray his own emotion, wanted more, too. And Ed intended to get it. He had to go see Roy anyway.
Ed hummed softly to himself as he walked down the main street toward Central Command Head Quarters. The tune was cheerful and made Edward feel like he was almost happy to be reporting back to Roy.
Sure his and Al's last mission had been a total waste of time and the large amount of collateral damage they seemed to have accumulated would not make Roy the most pleasant person, but Ed was sure that he would still be glad to see him. Or so he thought.
"What the hell, Ed?!" Roy was furious
"Do you know how much this is gonna cost to fix?!" Ed could honestly care less about the cost, "A lot." He just wanted Roy to stop yelling.
"Yes, a lot. And all the money is coming out of your research fund." Roy managed a smirk.
"What?!" Ed screamed, "You're the one who told me it might be helpful to check the place out!" the smirk now gone, Roy responded "Yah, I said to check it out, you straight up destroyed the place. And now you're paying for it."
Edward was beyond pissed "It was your fault!!" Roy was trying to use a calm voice now in hopes of getting the teen to stop screaming before Hawkeye came in and starting yelling at him for frustrating the child in the first place.
"Calm down Ed, you're almost sixteen. When will you learn to take blame for the problems you cause?" A blind person could see the anger on the boy's face.
Now, Roy knew that Ed took responsibility for everything bad that had happened in his life and soon regretted making the comment.
From where he stood at the front of the desk, Ed reached up and, with his left hand, grabbed hold of Roy's collar, and he pulled him down to where he could look at him face to face.
"Listen to me," Ed tightened his grip when Roy tried to push his arm down. "I take responsibility for all of my actions, good or bad. I accept my mistakes and my past and move on, something you could never do!" Ed could see the anger growing inside Roy.
"I do accept the wrongs I've done, and you of all people have no right to lecture me!" Roy said, trying to defend himself "I've made choices and so have you, this was simply your fault! You don't know how to take the blame!" Roy raged.
Everything that happened next was a blur to Edward. He remembered raising his right arm to Roy and Roy trying to stop him. He remembered Roy being knocked pretty far back from his swing. He remembered suppressing the urge to hit him again. He remembered running out of the building and all the way back to Roy's apartment where he unlocked the door and ran down the hall and up the stairs then into Roy's bedroom where he now sat on the edge of the bed.
"He's gonna kill me." Ed thought to himself. As his mind raced and his arm shook he tried to figure out why he'd done it.
Not only had he hit his ranking superior officer, which by itself was against the law, he had hit Roy. The man to whom he owed so much.
The one person who helped them with all their leads and he was probably the only other person who cared if Ed and Al ever got their bodies back.
"He shouldn't have all those things though; it's his fault I lost my temper." Ed was doing exactly what Roy said. He was blaming his current problem on someone else, and Ed realized it.
"Shit! He was right and I still said all those things to him, He was right and I still hit him." Edward was now more angered with himself than he had been with Roy.
He knew he had to apologize. Ed had apologized to Roy more times than he'd care to admit, and every time Roy forgave him. But this time was different, this time he'd really crossed the line. "Who am I kidding, he's gonna kill me."
Ed lay down on the bed and thought about what he would do for a long time. He must have fallen asleep because when he awoke, the sky was almost dark.
He heard the front door open and knew immediately that it was Roy. He was waiting to hear the door be slammed shut by a very angry Roy, but it wasn't.
"Maybe he's not angry." Ed thought not even believing himself. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs and a few seconds later Roy appeared in the doorway of the bedroom.
His left cheek, right by the jaw line, was bruised and had a small gash on it from where Ed had hit him. That's when Edward realized that he had hit him with his automail arm.
He winced a little now that he thought about his own strength combined with his automail and felt sorrier for Roy that he had previously.
"It doesn't feel so great either." Roy bluntly commented noticing Ed wince.
"Look Roy, I know I said some things that I shouldn't have," Ed started, feeling awful. "And you were right about how I don't like to take the blame for things, and I shouldn't have hit you, and I'm immature and I'm really sorry for what I did and I'll understand if you want me to leave."
Roy looked purely shocked. He walked over and sat down next to Ed on the bed and put his arm around the boy's shoulders.
"Ed, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten mad with you; you just made a small mistake. It's nothing I haven't done before." Ed looked on the verge of tears.
"So you don't want me to go?" Edward almost whimpered. "I could never ask you to leave, who would hit me when I lose it?" Roy smiled when he saw Ed laugh a little. "Yah, I guess you really do need me."
Roy smiled bigger and leaned over to hug the boy, but was stopped short by Ed's outstretched arm. "No, Roy, I want more this time. I want more than just a hug." Ed said looking very serious.
"What? You yell at me and hit me and still expect to get what you want?" Roy said half joking. Ed smiled a little, and answered "Well…yah." Roy lay back on the bed next to Ed and turned over to face him, "Alright. I guess you earned it."
The next morning Ed sat alone at the table in Roy's pathetic excuse for a kitchen. The room was way too small and cluttered with dirty dishes and here and there you would see a pile of important looking papers that Roy was probably supposed to do something with, but would never get done.
Roy was always like that, if wasn't of direct importance to him, it just wouldn't get done.
"Last night must have had some direct importance to him, because he sure as hell got it done." A slight smile slid across Ed's face as the thought crept through his mind.
He quickly wiped the grin away when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and through the hallway that led to the front door.
Roy appeared in the hall by the door and began to put on his coat. He had a bandage over the cut on his face. Ed tried to put on a normal attitude.
"Off to work so early?" he asked even though he knew that Roy made a point of getting to work at the same time everyday so as to not end up at the bad end of Hawkeye's gun. Ed just wanted to break the awkward silence that seemed to have filled the room the moment Roy entered the front hallway.
"Yah," Roy replied "I've got some paper work to catch up on." Ed looked around the room at the stacks of paper work on the countertops and table. He laughed softly to himself.
Roy caught glimpse of the smile that had found its way onto Edward's face. "What's the smile for?" Ed grinned a little wider at the question "Its nothing." he replied.
"It's never nothing with you Ed, but if you say so. I'm gonna go, there's food in the cabinet if you get hungry. See you later."
Roy opened the door and began to walk out when Ed ran over and grabbed hold of his wrist.
"I'll hit you back this time." Roy said jokingly as Ed pulled him back into the house. "It's not that." Ed replied as he shut the door behind him.
"I just wanted to say thanks for…you know…making it more than just a hug." Then Ed stood up on tiptoe and gently kissed Roy's bandaged cheek. "Hope that gets better."
He let go of Roy's wrist then turned and ran up the stairs, smile beaming. Roy stood in spot for a minute, his face pink from blushing.
Then he opened the door again and stepped out "Kids these days…" Roy muttered to himself as he shut and locked the door behind him.
The sun was bright, like Roy's smile, and the sky was clear. It was the perfect start to one of the best days Roy had had in a long time.
And as he walked down the street toward Central Head Quarters, he hummed to himself. It was a cheerful tune and it almost made Roy feel glad that he was going to work.