Roy had his doubts about the cat. Edward wasn't always the best at remembering to take care of himself, so he wondered how well his boyfriend would manage taking care of a pet. Between getting lost in alchemy texts and his own mind, or diving head-first in something just for the sake of keeping busy, Roy thought it might have been better to have someone else take the kitten while Al was away. But the younger Elric definitely had a way with words and a direct path straight to his brother's heart, so Ed grudgingly said yes, on the condition that he could name it. Al smiled brightly and agreed, the look he flashed Mustang clearly saying 'trust me'.
Ed named the cat Bruiser, appropriate for a little thing that just barely fit into two hands, looked like it hadn't eaten in days, had matted fur and a nick taken out of one ear. The former Fullmetal Alchemist looked at his newly acquired companion as if he'd found a kindred spirit. It reminded Roy of something Maes had told him after the war, about wounded soldiers and trauma survivors being given dogs or some other pet that required their attention.
"It's really simple, Roy. You give a man something as damaged as he is, let him hold it and realize it's depending on him, and he sometimes forgets how broken he is while he's trying to fix it."
Roy hadn't really understood until he watched his lover with Bruiser. Ed had been withdrawn after Promised Day when he returned to Central. Restless, prone to distraction, itching to fight and woken by nightmares. Roy loved him regardless, and Ed had managed a fairly convincing facade, never mind that they both knew Roy saw right through it. He'd held so much of himself together for years before it all came to a head, and in the quiet of the dust settling, all the fractures were starting to show. Roy treated them as best he could, between tender touches and nights of making Ed forget everything but him. Warm hands, hungry kisses, marks of claim, mornings spent together before work. Most of the time, it was enough, but he always knew when it wasn't and felt powerless to stop it.
The kitten, however, was something different and unexpected. He hissed at everything, and for a few days, barely let either of them come near him. But Ed was persistent. Roy would leave for the office while Ed was on his hands and knees murmuring encouragingly to the dark space under the couch. When he came home, sometimes late in the evenings, there would be food waiting for him, and Ed sitting on the floor patiently combing out matted for or playing doctor to Bruiser's hurts. Roy's heart froze in his chest the night he returned to find both of them sleeping in his chair. Ed was sprawled in it like he owned it and Bruiser was tucked into the space between his neck and shoulder, nested in sleep-mussed golden hair.
Over the weeks that followed, Edward smiled more. His shoulders didn't seem so drawn and most of the time, they had a steadily growing cat perched upon them. The banter picked up between Roy and himself, heralding back to the old days where it was never perfect, but it was just right for them. Roy felt like he could reach him again, felt like the words and smiles were real. He was finally healing, just like the little cat that his brother had dropped into their lives.
Said brother returned from Xing a handful of months later, and Roy greeted him at the door. Al watched Ed walk past the kitchen doorway, getting dinner together and talking to Bruiser, who was in his usual spot on his keeper. The younger Elric smiled.
"I don't think you're getting him back, I'm afraid," Roy told him quietly.
Al's smile widened. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Mustang wanted to hug Al to him, but instead, he just smiled back. "Thank you."