Title: Home For Christmas
Pairing: RoyxEd
Rating: T
Words: 2,329
Warnings: Ed's mouth, Roy's thoughts
Summary: Roy and Ed's first Christmas together and Roy will be spending it alone.
A/N: The song Roy is listening to is I'll be home for Christmas by Frank Sinatra. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and enjoy the RoyEd! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or the characters, only the writing is mine.
Fullmetal Alchemist © Hiromu Arakawa
It was a late December evening, the twenty-fifth to be exact, at a quarter to seven. Central lay in an opulent glow of streetlamps, festive lights and candles. Surrounded by the cheer of the season and the snow as it fell from the sky, barely visible in the stretch of pale gray-white clouds. Drifting slowly, almost softly, down; little white flakes of frozen water molecules. Tumbling onto the pavement, brushing over streets and sidewalks making them glisten wetly. Coating the bare branches of tree limbs with fine lines of snow turning the barren outstretched fingers into replicas of frosted window panes in the early hours of the morning.
It stuck to everything, tenderly clinging to the coat sleeves, scarfs, and shoulders of people walking under the canopy of clouds, fondly dusting their hats, muffs, and hair with white diamonds. Setting on their lashes and turning the tips of noses into ripe cherries and cheeks a bright shade of flushed cerise. Puffs of steam escaping from muffled mouths as they walked on. The mirth nearly visible on every face that was bundled against the cold.
Roy Mustang could see all this if he happened to look out his front window. But as it was, the raven haired Colonel sat alone in his living room on the sofa. A drink in hand and the radio the only sound to be had above the low pop and crackle of the fire. Enjoying the peace and quiet the holiday had to offer before the military, cruel mistress that she was, called her men and women back to work.
There was always one song that Roy had particularly associated with the winter holidays. One song that truly made him aware of the approaching season. It had always been a favorite growing up; when his foster mother would pull out the old phonograph record, Roy knew it meant that Christmas wasn't far off.
He'd heard it played every year. Roy had even heard it played in Ishval, over the static of a radio and the volleying of gunfire. Felt the lonely sway of the music and bittersweet taste of hope. When soldiers had huddled around the barracks and wished for the comforts of home and a loved ones arms.
That song was playing on the radio now. And Roy was loath to admit the way it pulled at his heart strings. Making him think of snow filled landscapes, a warm crackling fire and his lover, who wasn't here to share their first Christmas together.
That was the whole problem wasn't it?
Roy was not a believer in the fundamentals of Christmas. He was an alchemist and a man of principles; Mustang put his faith in his own strength and that of his men. However, he did have faith in the tradition of the holiday. Madame Christmas put her moniker to good use during the winter months and as one who had grown up under the scrutiny of her well trained eye, Roy fully believed in the essence of Christmas. There was a generous amount of snow falling outdoors, he was inside with a crackling fire and a glass of mellow scotch. He was even listening to Christmas music. But he was missing the final piece of that whole scenario.
Ed was away to the East, another lead for the stone that had turned up nothing. A brief phone call had said as much from the sullen and irate tone of voice Ed had used.
"Another dead end; I really thought that this was it,"
"You can't expect every lead to turn up a stone Fullmetal,"
"For Al, I damn well fucking can, Mustang!"
"There's nothing to be done about it. What's done is done, return to Central and report in after the holiday,"
"Yeah...hey,"
And with that one word, any hope Roy had had of a romantic first Christmas spent doting upon Ed, most of which he'd planned to spend in bed, had vanished. They were close to Resembool, as close to home as they would ever get. They were going to drop by for a visit and with the holiday so near probably stay a few days.
Roy, of course, had said that it was fine. That it was good actually, for those boys. Al would love the time to spend with the Rockbells. An Ed, Edward, needed this. As much as he had grown up, for as much as he had seen and done, Ed needed this chance to be with his brother and what they had left to call family. No matter what they were.
'What we are,' Roy thought staring into the roaring depths of the flames. What they were, was what they were not. If that made any sense to his partially inebriated brain. They were commanding officer and subordinate, Flame and Fullmetal. They were not friends. They were not lovers. They were not in love, not yet, but they were close, perhaps. At least, Roy thought they were: he, was close. He even called Ed love on occasion. Which scared Roy to admit even so much. But he was close to falling in love with Ed.
They were beyond the awkward, if not pretentious, beginnings of their relationship. They had endured the fighting and the stipulations, weathered the storm of both their emotions as they had each grappled with what was happening between them. Now he and Ed had finally found their footing, some common ground in which they could make this work. It involved a lot of compromise and patience from both of them. They still disagreed and he and Ed still argued. Although the one-up-men-ship had turned into an odd sort of foreplay of words for them. They were still working through the finer details nevertheless Roy believed they were merely at the threshold of something bigger, of what they could be.
There was a knock on the door. Well not a knock, more like five quick thuds in rapid succession. Roy got up wondering if it wasn't Hughes come to drag him to Christmas dinner(God forbid it be carolers) but when he opened the door there stood a bundle of red and wool. Aureate eyes peeking out from under the hood of his coat, the only visible feature on his face that wasn't covered by a thick red scarf.
"Are you just going to stand there gawking at me or are you going to let me in, it's freezing!"
A thousand words ran through Roy's head but the first ones he blurted out were "What are you doing here Fullmetal?"
"Oh that's a rich way to say hello," Ed scoffed as he trudged his way inside, kicking snow from his boots. " I was expecting something a bit more like 'Won't you please come in so I can screw you on the couch',"
"Please do not confuse my sentiments for yours, Edward," Roy quipped shutting the door firmly.
"Right, how could I forget, you're the romantic one," the blonde said with a roll of his eyes.
Before Ed could take another step Roy caught him by the tail end of the scarf, spun him around into his arms and crashed their mouths together. Mismatched arms wrapped themselves around his neck as Ed pulled him closer, at the same time as Roy tried to pull him up against his body. They staggered punch drunk with their passion, holding each other up, neither willing to be the first to break away. Roy could feel the cold press of Ed's body against his, no doubt from his walk from the train station, felt the pounding of his heart so near his own.
There was a name for this, this bouncing fluttering sensation in his stomach, almost like having butterflies. It made him feel invincible, this feeling that breathed life like molten gold into his veins. Built him up and broke him down anew again. This awareness, life, came from the beautiful man in his arms. Having Ed here meant more than Roy cared to express. Most of all, it made Roy feel happy. Ed made Roy happy.
They broke apart panting, leaning heavily against one another as they struggled to catch their breath. Roy looked down at the blonde head pressed against his shoulder and hoarsely asked again "What are you doing here?"
Ed looked up at him, still breathing arduously, he took deep gulp of air before he said in almost a whisper "I wanted to be with you,"
"What about your brother? What happened to staying in Resembool?"
"Well, we kinda have Al to thank for that," Ed chuckled. At the questioning look on Roy's face, he continued. "When we got to Granny's house and everything I guess I was acting a bit bummed, I was kind of pissed actually, cause I wasn't going to get to see you. An Al noticed, Al notices everything, and you know what that little shit did? The next day he told Granny and Winry that I had to report back to Central then he handed me a train ticket and told me tell you Merry Christmas."
When he stopped a slow smile spread across his face then Ed looked up into Roy's obsidian eyes, the full blinding force of his happiness fixed on his lover, "I have the best little brother in the whole world,"
"Yes you do," Roy hummed placing affectionate kisses along what bit of skin the scarf did not hid. Ed gave a pleased moan; Roy relished the sound, delighted in the way it shot a shiver up his spine. At the same time desire flared low in his belly. Now was not the time however, later though Roy would give his lover a good seeing to.
"Would you like some coffee?" he asked, releasing the blonde and trying to clear the husk from his voice.
"Coffee sounds great," Ed said kicking his boots off.
By the time Roy walked back into the living room where he'd left Ed to warm by the fire, Roy realized he wasn't empty handed. Open on the floor by the couch was the battered old suitcase that Ed practically lived out of. Clutched in his hands was undoubtedly a Christmas present. Ed must have caught his gaze because as soon as he set the mugs of coffee down he thrust the wrapped package at Roy with a terse 'here'.
Roy held it in his hands for a moment, before he sat down beside Ed; it was obviously a bottle of some kind. But the wrapping paper was something else all together. Just visible under a shiny film of purple was the newspaper headline from yesterday. Roy couldn't help but smirk. Raising the package to his nose he lightly sniffed it and under the stench of alchemy was the faint smell of caramel. Trust Ed to transmute wrapping paper out of a newspaper and a candy wrapper. Turning the object over in his hands, Roy looked for a corner to rip the package open, becoming slightly puzzled when he couldn't find one. Until it dawned on him.
Roy looked at over at Ed who was watching him out of the corner of his eye, as he drank his coffee.
"What?"
"You fused the ends of the paper together," he deadpanned.
"So? It was a bitch to wrap!" Ed exclaimed.
"How am I supposed to open it?"
Ed gritted his teeth and yanked the package out of Roy's hands. Muttering under his breath what sounded suspiciously like baby before he stuck an automail finger through the paper and handed it back.
"Aren't you going to unwrap it for me?" Roy smirked.
"Will you just open it already!"
So he did. Beneath the caramel scented newspaper was a bottle of cologne; the brand he wore for special occasions.
"We never really celebrated Christmas like you do," Ed announced at once, seeming to find his hands far more interesting than normal. "Our mother wasn't anymore religious then Al and I are. But she always emphasized that the spirit of the holiday was about giving. And us being alchemists we saw it as the law of Equivalent Exchange. In order to receive something we had to give something of equal value."
"We were never really rich, you know, being from the country but it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. Al and I always made gifts, well except when Al was still too small to really do alchemy; that year I gave him an orange. But we would try to make what someone wanted or what they needed. An I noticed you're almost out and I really like that smell on you. I tried to make it so you wouldn't have to buy it anymore but it kept smelling like toilet water," Ed said wrinkling his nose a bit.
Roy didn't have the heart to tell him that another name for cologne was toilet water.
"Since we burned our house down we don't really celebrate holidays anymore. Except birthdays and that's because Al always reminds me about mine. We promise each other the same thing every year though,"
He didn't say but he didn't have to, Roy could guess what it was. The same thing they promised each other every day.
"So, I thought you'd like it," Ed shrugged, ducking his head and hiding behind his bangs as a crimson blush covered his cheeks. "I mean it's okay if you don't, S'not like I care or anything."
Roy looked from the bottle in his hand to Ed, his beautiful and awe-inspiring Edward, before setting his present down on the coffee table. "Thank you Ed, but there's only one thing I need,"
Ed looked up a questioning look in his eyes.
Roy reached a hand out, cupped his face and kissed him.
"Merry Christmas love,"