Looking around at the life he had built, Edward felt oddly displaced.

Sitting around on a couch, tucked against the side of Roy Mustang, he didn't feel like he belonged.

He loved Roy, he really did, but sitting, watching the fire while the radio played calm music, he felt anxious. Like he was forgetting to do something, like he had somewhere to be.

Like everything he had now, from his stable alchemical job to his seemingly perfect love life with Roy.

Like it would just shatter around him as he could do nothing about it, nothing to stop it, nothing to put it back together. Like if he tried to place the shards of his life back together, they would turn to dust.

Ed felt himself shiver, and exhaustion made his eyes ache.

Maybe he should sleep.

Maybe things would be better in the morning.

Roy was asleep already, his head resting against the back of the couch.

Or, at least Edward thought he was, nearly jumping out of his skin when Roy's hand moved from Ed's hip to squeeze at his shoulder.

"It's okay, Edward." He said, pulling Edward closer, settling the younger man in his lap and pulling the blanket closed around them. "You're safe, I'm safe, and Al's safe."

Edward didn't respond as he tucked his head under Roy's chin.

Edward knew that, at least right now he did.

In his head weren't visions of people coming to hurt him and those he loved, but being left out in the cold, alone.

Roy pressed a kiss to the top of Ed's head and held him tight. "What's wrong?"

Edward didn't feel like he could speak.

Like if he opened his mouth the tears he was holding back would spill over.

"Edward." Roy was hugging him tight and Ed could feel the sobs he was holding in shake and rattle in his chest. "You can cry."

Edward shook his head, knowing that if he did everything around him would stop. The fire would go out, and Roy would get mad, the radio would stop playing, and Roy would kick him out and he'd have nowhere to go, and-

Roy was standing up now, moving Ed from his lap back down onto the couch, but he left the blanket around Ed's shoulders as the first tears started to fall.

Roy left the room without a word, and Ed's heart hurt.

He should've spoken, even if Roy got mad about his doubts.

He probably wouldn't be alone right now, Roy wouldn't have gotten fed up with Ed's silence, he wouldn't have left him alone in the living room to cry-

Edward heard the sink in the kitchen turn on, and the sound of the gas stove turning on, followed by the clink of the tea jar lid.

Soon, but not soon enough, Roy was back in the living room, a mug of tea in each hand, one of which he offered to Ed, who took it after just a moments' hesitation.

There were still tears running down Ed's face, and his shoulders were still shaking as Roy set his own mug of tea – chamomile, Ed could smell, on the coffee table before them as he sat down, and took Ed back into his arms again.

"You need to tell me what's wrong, Ed."

Ed clenched his teeth and let out a loud sob.

"This isn't right." He said through his tears, "This can't last. Not with me, I don't belong here-" Ed couldn't speak anymore, but it didn't matter as he was pulled back into Roy's lap, the both of them ignoring the hot splash of tea that would now stain the blanket.

"Of course you belong here." Roy shushed Ed, using the corner of the blanket to wipe at his tears.

Ed shook his head. "No."

"Yes." Roy argued, his voice still soft and calm. "You do, and you always will. This is your home, too."

Part of Ed was starting to feel better, being wrapped up in Roy's arm with a hot mug of tea and the soothing words, but the rest of him was fighting to stay sad, to stay miserable and disagreeable.

"It's your house." Edward muttered into Roy's chest, and he could feel it move with laughter.

"With me, I mean." Roy clarified. "Your home is where I am, and mine is where you are."

Ed didn't argue further.