Roy Mustang sits in the chair by the window in the dark of his apartment, half curled around his third cup of coffee. He breathes deeply, taking in the scent of rising steam and the cold smell of the rain outside the open window. For a moment, he thinks it odd that rain always smells clean, even here in East City, but the thought is swept away with a wet gust of wind.
Thunder rumbles and lightening flashes among the rooftops.
Roy smiles, just a little, into his mug.
It would be wrong to look outside and think 'Fullmetal is like the thunderstorm.' That would be giving the storm too much power and the young man less credit than he deserves. Edward Elric is a thunderstorm.
Stray raindrops fall onto his face as Roy remembers. He had invited the boy to become a State Alchemist, true enough, but he hadn't expected him to sweep in, all noise and flash and strange youthful balm to the hardened men (and women - Hawkeye's never as lenient as when the Elric brothers are in town) of the Amestris military. Even after these few years of being Fullmetal's commanding officer, and these few months of their hidden relationship, Edward takes him by surprise, and, sometimes, all he can do is hope that he won't drown in the intensity. Ed's broad knowledge and blind devotion are dazzling in all the same ways as a lightening strike.
Roy can't help but find it both beautiful and terrifying.
Which, of course, is what drew Roy to Edward in the first place. Those glaring, golden eyes can hold both the deepest of loves and the most brutal of angers at once. The powerful metal arm can be a deadly weapon or a simple limb, at will, and the flesh arm, no less impressive, is shapely and strong, but warm and soft to the touch. And Edward himself is a volatile mix of indignant rage and stammering insecurities.
Both beautiful and terrifying.
The mug is empty when Roy moves to take another sip, but he doesn't get up to refill it. The storm doesn't seem to be letting up, and Roy simply sets the mug down on the floor next to his chair. Despite the fact that he has an infamous alchemical affinity for fire, he is fascinated by water.
Roy always found it amazing that, after the storm's chaos passes, the world breathes again, refreshed. The rain cleanses and nourishes, the thunder and the lightening clear the air, and, like the aftermath of Fullmetal's missions, everything is bright and certain.
The Alchemist of the People…
The front door slams open, startling Roy from his thoughts. He watches as Edward stomps into the dark room, muttering to himself as he pauses to kick off muddy boots and drop his waterlogged coat on the floor. Roy almost scolds him for it, but closes his mouth when his lover's face, wet and red from the icy rain, shuts him up with a miserable, sodden glare. When Edward hmphs, turns, and goes to drop the rest of his wet clothing on the bathroom floor (at least it's tiled), Roy allows himself a genuine smile as he looks back out the window.
A thunderstorm indeed.