Knock knock.

"Come in," Fuhrer Roy Mustang allows.

His personal assistant, Hawkeye enters the room. "Edward Elric has come to visit, sir."

Roy can't help but widen his eyes for a moment, his heart skipping a beat. After that moment, though, he's able to maintain his professional mask. "Let him in."

"Yes, sir."

Moments later, Roy is laying his eyes on Fullmetal, who is approaching his office. He's gotten taller since the last time he saw him, but he probably shouldn't point it out. Considering how touchy he is about his height, he's likely well aware of his growth. It would be almost as bad as admitting how beautiful he was, especially now that he'd matured into a young adult.

However, Roy can't resist at least giving Fullmetal a smile. He straightens out the papers on his desk absentmindedly. "It's been awhile. What brings you here?"

Fullmetal shrugs. "I've been doing a lot of traveling. I decided to drop by Central and see how everybody's doing."

How has Roy been doing? To put it simply: empty. He'd spent so long trying to become Fuhrer to avenge the Ishbalans and redeem his mistakes in the Ishbalan War that, once he became Fuhrer and made sure justice was brought, he didn't know what to do with himself. He threw himself into his work and relationships that ended up as one-night stands, doing whatever it took to make him feel alive again. But nothing he did seemed to fill the void within.

That's what he thought, at least. So… why did meeting with his old subordinate seem to spark some excitement within his veins?

He absolutely could not let the brat know about this.

"It's mostly just being busy, especially since I became Fuhrer." Roy pauses. "I'm surprised you're not with your brother."

Fullmetal scratches the back of his head. "Ah, well we decided to go solo for a while. We were too used to depending on each other. It's more of an adventure to do things on your own. Though, I think I'll be done with that soon enough. I'm thinking of finding a special someone and settling down."

Special someone… Since when would Roy have taken that as a challenge? Either way, however Roy looks at it, life was a lot more exciting when Ed was around, even before Roy found out about the whole homunculus situation. Whether it was with his temper or his touching determination, he always ended up getting Roy's blood flowing. He needed to know what that meant.

"So, where are you staying while you're in town?"

Ed puts his hands on his hips and tilts his head to the side. "Probably at a hotel. But I'm a little short on money, so if anyone offers then I'm all for staying with them."

"Well, you're free to stay at my place," Mustang decides. He hesitates before stating,"But I have a condition."

Ed raises his eyebrows. "Condition? I gave up my alchemy to get Al's body back."

Mustang shakes his head, a sly smirk on his face. "I'm not going to have you work. All you have to do is join me for dinner."

Ed blinks. A faint blush threatens to spread across his cheeks, but he tries to shake the feeling off. His heart rate increases. Their relationship is completely platonic, so Mustang wouldn't intend it to be a date, even if he does have an expression that draws suspicion. He's silent for a long moment, contemplating the offer in his head.

He'll find out what the man is up to if he accepts the offer. "I'm in. When and where?"

Mustang smirks. He opens his desk drawer and pulls out a note card. After scribbling something on the note card, Mustang throws the paper at Ed with enough speed and strength to give Ed a significant paper cut. Ed catches it between his fingers in the nick of time.

Ed shoots him a glare, though it's not one he would actually threaten someone with. "You could have warned me, you bastard."

The smirk still hasn't left Mustang's face. "I see you haven't lost your spunk. I'll try to be there by seven-thirty."

Edward scoffs, trying not to be drawn in by his flirtatious tone. "Whatever, douche bag." He glances at the note card. It's an address. "You better not be late." He turns his back on Mustang and walks out of his office, hoping to a God he didn't believe in that Mustang took the warmth in his face as that of anger.

XXX

It's seven twenty and Ed is on the street address from the note card. It's funny, though, there doesn't seem to be any restaurants on this street.

"Ah," Ed exclaims aloud. On the other end of the street is the familiar face of Mustang.

Mustang makes eye contact with Ed and points to the house closest to himself.

Ed dashes down the sidewalk towards the Fuhrer. Once he reaches Mustang, he notices a large plastic bag in his hands. Edward gives him a questioning look.

"Take out. We're eating inside."

Ed looks at the house. It's not small, but it definitely seems to small to be the house of a Fuhrer. "Is this your place?"

"Yes. I'd appreciate it if you keep the location secret."

Ed nods. Who knew Mustang could be modest.

Ed follows Mustang inside the building. Inside is a mediocre home, clean and empty of anything but furniture. "So… you didn't give into your money. Anyone with a decent job could afford this place. Are you really the Fuhrer?"

Roy smiles, taking Fullmetal's words as a compliment. He walks into the dining room and places the takeout on the table. "I do have a maid come in every day at noon. There's no way I could keep this place clean alone with my workload."

Fullmetal chuckles. "Workload my ass. You got off work just after seven. When you were Colonel I could contact you at work in the early hours of the morning."

Roy rolls his eyes. Fullmetal was still a brat, that was for sure; but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He breathed life into him, and, even if that life was irritation, that was better than emptiness. "Today's not my normal schedule. I'm going to have to work my ass off even more than usual for the next couple of days just so I can have dinner with you. So you better make it worth it."

Fullmetal shoots Roy a confused look. "Why exactly do you want to have dinner with me?"

Roy hesitates. If he comes on too strong he'll either send Fullmetal running or earn a punch in the face. "Is it that weird to want to catch up with an old friend?"

Fullmetal gives him a suspicious look.

"I realize that we've never had a conversation that didn't involve work," Roy adds. "I'd like to change that."

Ed's heart skips a beat. But he tries to ignore it, unwilling to give into his body's reaction. He thought he was over this crush, but it seemed meeting with Mustang today made it blossom once again. He shrugs it off and sits down at the table in a chair across from Mustang. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Xing cuisine. Potstickers, chicken, vegetables, and rice."

Ed's stomach grumbles violently.

Roy notes the hungry stare which Fullmetal is burning a hole into the styrofoam take-out containers. He takes one of the two containers and a plastic fork out of the bag and slides it across the table. Fullmetal grins, ravaging the container the instant it reaches him.

Roy lets out an amused chuckle before calmly opening his own take-out container and taking a bite. He definitely has a lot of energy. I wonder if he has that kind of energy doing other things.

After ceasing all movements for a moment, Roy coughs to hide his embarrassment. He looks up at Fullmetal, who seems completely engrossed in cleaning his plate.

"Where have you been traveling?" Roy inquires, attempting to remove Fullmetal from his own little world.

Fullmetal pauses, before swallowing all the food in his mouth with one big gulp. "All over the west."

"I see. How have you been earning money, now that you're no longer a state alchemist?"

This time he talks with his mouth full. "Mostly odd jobs, like kicking the asses of thieves and murderers."

Roy leans forward with interest. "Without alchemy? I'm impressed."

Fullmetal grins, raising an arm and flexing it. "I don't need alchemy to be a bad ass."

"Hm?" Roy smiles. "It seems like you've really grown up, in more ways than one." He can't help but express his thoughts at this point.

Ed gives Mustang a suspicious look. "So, tell me, what is it that you want from me?"

Mustang raises his eyebrows.

"You're being excessively nice to me, there must be a catch. The old Mustang would never say the things you're saying."

Roy takes a deep breath. "Maybe the old Mustang wasn't very honest with his feelings." Or maybe the new Mustang is too honest with them!

Ed widens his eyes. F-feelings? His face turns scarlet, and his mouth hangs slightly agape.

Mustang looks completely composed, patiently leaning forward with his chin on the back of his interlocked hands. However, Ed swears he can see a pink tint to the man's cheeks.

So, Mustang… is being serious? Ed bites his lip, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath in attempt to calm his racing heart. I knew he was up to something, but this…?

Roy is both surprised and pleased by Fullmetal's reactions. A wave of confidence runs through him.

Roy stands up and slowly approaches Fullmetal.

Ed, still in shock, watches as Mustang walks around the table and nears closer to him.

Once Roy reaches Fullmetal, he notices a small splotch of sauce on the corner of the younger man's lip. He wipes the sauce off with his thumb, slowly brings it to his mouth, and licks it off of his finger. If it's possible, Fullmetal's blush burns brighter.

When Ed notices smoldering onyx eyes nearing closer to his face, he knows he has to act quick. He could say something, he could scoot the chair back and back away from him, or… he could…

Ed acts on impulse, deciding to do the thing he wants to most, but also the thing that has the most risk. He grabs Mustang by the tie and meshes their lips together. It's your turn to be in shock, Ed decides.

And he is surprised, pleasurably so. Roy deepens the kiss, basking in the reciprocation. When Fullmetal's grip on his tie loosens, Roy grabs his legs at the knees and pick the blond up, bringing him close enough he could easily wrap his legs around Roy's hips.

Ed brings his upper body weight forward, leaning into Mustang so he doesn't fall backward. "What are you doing?!" he exclaims.

"We'll be more comfortable on the couch," Mustang replies.

The couch… Sort of like a bed… Does that mean he's implying that we're going to…? He didn't realize that he stopped blushing, but Ed can feel the heat rise back up in his cheeks. "I can walk by myself, asshole," Ed barks, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

Mustang sets Ed's feet back on the ground. "I guess I shouldn't treat you like a woman."

The suggestion infuriates Ed. "You better not. I'm a man, douche bag."

"I apologize." Mustang seals the apology with a kiss. Somehow, the kiss actually manages to cool Edward's head. It's sweet and chaste, almost loving. It causes Ed's heart to flutter violently.

Roy takes Fullmetal's hand and squeezes it, never breaking eye contact. Surely he will let him lead him to the living room, since it's not something that has a gender role.

Once Roy reaches the living room couch, he takes a seat and softly tugs at Fullmetal's hand, silently asking him to sit down. The younger man sits down, but gives him a nervous, hesitant look.

"What's wrong?" Roy asks in a tender tone.

Considering the circumstances, Mustang may try to take away Ed's virginity. As much as both his heart and body ache for the man, he doesn't want to give his body to him unless he knows it means more to him than just sex. Ed needs to decide what's more important: satisfying his pride or satisfying his libido.

The answer is obvious, whether his body likes it or not. Ed takes a deep breath and firmly declares, "Just so you know, I'm saving myself for the person I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Roy's heart cracks in his uncertainty. "Is it Winry?"

Fullmetal shakes his head, narrowing his eyes for a moment before returning to his poker face. "I don't know who it is, yet. But, whoever it is, I want them to be in love with me, strongly, unconditionally, and eternally. I'm not going to let anyone take advantage of me. I want my first to be my last, and to be their one and only from our first time on."

If it was anyone but Fullmetal telling him this, he would have dismissed it as childish ideals, and maybe subtly tempt them to change their mind. But he could tell that Ed was being serious, and he respected him for that.

Was there a chance that Roy could actually be what Fullmetal was looking for? Even if he was, he'd have to make quite a commitment. But, even so, would that be all so bad? Life without the younger man had been unbearably lonely, and committing to Fullmetal would mean a commitment in return. Fullmetal would be his, and only his forever. It was infinitely better than having any amount of one-night stands.

Though, Fullmetal could always reject him. That would do a great deal on his ego. Would he even believe him? Either way, there's only way to know.

Roy swallows. "What if I did… want that with you?"

There's a sincere look in Mustang's eyes, and behind that front Ed can tell that he's nervous.

Ed bites his lip. He trusted the man with his life, but did he trust him with this fluttering organ in his chest? To know, he'd first need to know whether or not Mustang is being earnest. He forces out a mock chuckle, raising an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that you're in love with me?"

Mustang's expression twitches into a cringe, and then back to a straight face. He seems tense. "I… I am."

Ed feels his face go from lukewarm to scalding in an instant, and his mask melts away. His stomach twists.

Roy's muscles relax and his expression softens at Fullmetal's speechless, embarrassed expression. He smirks, leaning his elbow into the couch and his face into his hand. He tilts his face towards the ceiling. "This past year I've felt like something was missing. I haven't had much passion for anything, with all my goals met. That is, until today, when you walked into my office and I realized what was missing.

"I realize that the public wouldn't be happy if they found out I was romantically involved with a man, but for the most part I keep my personal life out of the public's reach. If they were to find out about it, I could deal with it then. I'm trying to make this a fair country, where the only reason anyone should be punished in anyway is to make up for a crime. Homosexuality is definitely not a crime. I don't know about forever, but I want to get closer to you and see where our relationship can go, even if that means I have to be celibate for a while."

Ed once again encounters a look in Mustang's eyes that sends him on an emotional rollercoaster, and that along with his words makes the man too appealing to resist. He leans forward and closes the space in between their lips.

Roy smiles fondly. "So, what do you say, Fullmetal?"

Fullmetal purses his lips and glances to the side. His cheeks are a rosy pink."Call me Ed. I'm not an alchemist anymore, anyway. And... I'll call you Roy." His blush burns brighter with the declaring of Roy's name. Roy has never heard his own name sound sweeter.

Roy leans forward and kisses Ed's forehead followed by each cheek and finally his lips. "Okay, Edward." He cups the younger man's cheek with his hand and leans his forehead against his. Ed's face feels warm.

"I… I do, too, you know," Ed mutters. "I… l-love you, I mean."

Roy brings Ed into his arms. Roy replies in the gentlest voice he's ever used on his former subordinate, "I love you, too."

Although Roy hasn't yet earned the privilege of making love to his new lover, he ends up falling asleep with Ed in his arms. Just that is enough to fill his heart with boundless joy.