AN: I know I promised updates to all my other stories, but this one-shot came to me randomly. This story was inspired from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus's 'Face Down' and The Backstreet Boys (don't judge me) 'Get another Boyfriend'. And you all should be proud of me, I actually had Edward and Roy act in character! And the story takes place in the actual time period of the series!
Hope you enjoy!
Warning: This is a boy x boy, don't like it don't read it.
Roy didn't know who was at his door at three in the morning, but whoever it was would be burnt to a crisp.
He stumbled out of bed, and groggily made his way down the hallway. To say that Roy was exhausted would be an understatement, work had been killing him lately. And he had found himself often staying at his office late into the night just to finish the day's work. And today, his day off, he'd been hoping to get some much needed sleep. But the persistent knock at the door had kept him up.
He groggily opened the door, "Yes?" Roy asked, his voice laced with exhaustion. He tiredly rubbed at his eyes, not even looking at his late night visitor.
"Roy.." A familiar voice said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
Looking up, Roy took in the face of his visitor. "Goddammit Ed!" Roy cursed, suddenly feeling wide awake. "Again, really?!" He said, his voice filled with anger.
Edward's face was a mess, his tanned face littered with violet coloured bruises. His cheek was visibly swollen, and had started to turn a deep plum colour. His left eye was nearly swollen shut, and the skin underneath it was bloodied and looked as though it had broken. And then there was a gash along Edward's forehead that was seeping blood. But the thing that worried Roy the most, were the bruises along Edward's neck that were shaped like fingers.
"Forget it!" Edward said, "I knew I should've just gone to the hospital!" He said, turning on his heels to leave.
Roy yanked at the hood of Edward's iconic red coat, "Not so fast." He said. "I never said I wouldn't help you, now get in here."
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"Shut up, if you'd stay still it wouldn't hurt so much."
Inside Roy's small bathroom, Edward was sitting on the counter while Roy tended to his wounds. Edward was defiantly not a good patient, he squirmed as Roy tried to clean his injuries. The scent of rubbing alcohol had engulfed the small bathroom as Roy dabbed at Edward's face in an attempt to sterilize the wounds that adorned the teens face. Roy knew that it had to hurt like hell, but if the boy would stop fidgeting he knew the pain would not be so bad.
"Sit still!" Roy commanded, he was starting to lose his patience with the boy.
Edward, surprisingly, did as he was told.
Silence fell against the room as Roy began to clean the wounds. "This happens far too often you know." Roy said as he dabbed at Edward's face with the rubbing alcohol. "This is the second time you've been here this week." Edward didn't say a word and instead just shrugged his shoulders. Roy expected that reaction, which was the reaction he got every week when he told Edward that. But tonight would be different, tonight was the last night he wanted this to occur. Feeling that the wounds were clean enough, Roy placed the bottle of rubbing alcohol back in his first aid kit. Roy pulled some gauze out of the First-Aid kit and began to dress Edward's injuries.
The silence was almost painful.
Roy sighed as he wrapped the gauze around Edward's head, he applied several layers as he didn't know how deep the wound was. "Edward, we really need to talk about this." He said, his voice serious. "This can't keep going on, I've had enough."
He waited for Edward's response as he began to apply smaller bandages to the small wounds under Edward's eye. Surprisingly the cuts did not require stiches, they were not as bad as they looked. He placed a small bandage on the small cuts before moving on to Edwards's cheek. He handed Edward a small rag that held ice inside it, Edward then placed it against his cheek and wincing at the cold. But after a few moments, the cold felt good against the tender injury. Roy's gaze then drifted to the marks on Edward's neck, he wondered how many more bruises littered Edward's petite body.
"I can handle it, Mustang." Edward said. "Really, you know I can take care of myself."
Roy had to laugh at that. "If you can handle yourself," Roy said in an almost mocking tone, "why are you at my house letting me play nurse on you?" He chucked once more as he closed the lid on the first aid kit.
Edward was silent at that comment.
"Edward, I can't watch this go on any longer." Roy said, his voice held concern. His dark eyes staring into Edward's amber coloured eyes. "You don't have to put up with this you know."
Edward had heard all these comments before, this wasn't the first time Roy had given him this lecture. "Roy, he's really not that bad." Edward said. "He just has a temper, like everyone else does."
Roy was beginning to get angry, "Edward you know that this type of temper is not normal." Roy said. "You need to get out Edward, I can't stand seeing you like this week after week."
"I'm fine Roy!" Edward said.
"Have you looked in the mirror lately?!" Roy shouted. "Have you seen what he does to you?!"
Edward fell silent once more, his golden eyes dropping to his feet.
"Look in the mirror Edward." Roy said, his voice cold and void of any emotion.
Edward didn't move.
"That's an order Fullmetal." Roy said, using the boy's military name.
Slowly, Edward turned to look in the mirror that was behind him. His eyes widened at the sight he saw, he hadn't known how bad he looked. Edward almost didn't recognize himself, as the face in the mirror was littered with bruises and injuries both old and new. He took in a shaky breath, how could he let this happen? When he could look no more he turned back to Roy, hardly able to look his superior in the eye, he let his head fall into his hands.
"Didn't like what you saw, huh?" Roy said, his voice not as harsh as before.
Edward shook his head.
"That's the face I see every time I look at you." Roy said, "And I don't like it either."
"I-I didn't know it was this bad Roy." Edward said, stuttering slightly. How did he let it come to this?
"Edward," Roy said as he slowly took a seat on the edge of his bathtub, "you don't have to stay with him you know."
Edward didn't respond, like Roy had expected, but Roy could tell the young adult was listening.
"There are people that love you," Roy started. "You can find someone else that really does love you, because Kimbley doesn't really love you Edward." Roy paused, trying to keep his own feelings in check.
Edward's head shot up at that statement, "Yes he does!" He yelled, defending the man he was romantically involved with. He knew Kimbley loved him, if Kimbley didn't love him then the relationship wouldn't have lasted this long.
Roy jumped up at that remark, he couldn't believe Edward was blind to what Kimbley was doing to him. "If he really loved you Edward, he wouldn't dare leave a mark on your beautiful face!" Roy shouted.
The room fell silent then.
Roy's eyes widened at the realization of what had just left his mouth. "Edward I'm-" He started, but Edward cut him off. "So you think I'm beautiful, huh?" He asked, his voice holding his usual feisty tone. Roy didn't know what to say, as Edward's tone could almost be considered flirtatious, but at three in the morning one is truly not that aware of what they are saying. And he didn't want to get his hopes up for something that might not be true.
Roy sighed, "Yes I do." He said. "I've always thought you were beautiful Edward." Roy felt his heartbeat quicken, nervous at what the blonde would say.
The minutes went by like hours as Roy waited for a response, he feared rejection like a teenage girl did. And he watched as Edward's lips fell into a smile, "You know," He said "I always have had a crush on you Roy." Edward said, his amber eyes drifted to the colonel's charcoal coloured orbs.
"Really?" Roy questioned, needing clarification. He watched as the golden haired boy nodded his head. "Then why didn't you tell me?" He asked, wondering why the boy had never declared his love.
"In the earlier years, it was because I didn't have time for a relationship." Edward started. "I devoted all my time to restoring Al's body and gaining my limbs back." Edward answered. "And after I had accomplished," He then reached for his right leg "well, mostly accomplished that I feared rejection so I opted for Kimbley instead." Edward paused for a moment, brushing his long bangs out of his face. "I truly thought you had a thing for Riza, and I didn't want to get in the way of that." Edward then chuckled. "I guess I was wrong."
Roy shook his head, "You really didn't notice Riza had a thing for Jean?" He asked, chuckling slightly. "Edward, why did you go for Kimbley instead?" He asked, truly curious as to why the blonde would waste his time on the maniac.
"Well," Edward said with a soft sigh. "After Al got his body back he moved back to Resembool and started dating Winry.." Edward pause momentarily, trying to think how voice his feelings. "And well… I got lonely, and when Kimbley started showing interest in me I just went with it." He explained. "I had never experience that sort of attention, and I liked it, so I decided to date him." Edward said, "I-I never thought this would happen though." He said, referring to the abuse.
"No one ever thinks something like this will happen." Roy said, trying to make the young male feel better. "It's not your fault Edward, you know that right?"
"It's hard to believe that when someone constantly makes you feel like shit, Roy." Edward said sadly, "But I can move on."
"So does that mean you're going to leave him?" Roy said, happy at the thought of Edward getting out of his dangerous relationship. But Roy was also excited at the idea of Edward being single for the first time in months.
"Of course I am!" Edward said, shocked that Roy didn't realize that. "I'm not stupid you know."
Roy chuckled, "I never thought you were, you obviously are smart to have become a state alchemist at such a young age." He said, smiling as he remembered the rash boy that Edward once was.
"So," Roy started "Where does that leave us?" Roy asked, slightly nervous at what the blonde would say. He watched as the young boy's eyes drifted towards the floor, he seemed to have suddenly found the titled floor very interesting.
"Well," Edward started. "What do you want do you want to happen..?" He asked, his voice few pitches softer than usual.
"Edward, I'd like to show you what real love is." Roy said. "Because what happened between you and Kimbley was not real love…" He suddenly felt nervous. "I-I really love you Edward.."
Edward's cheeks flushed pink, and a soft smile fell on his lips. "I-I love you too, Roy." He said in a small voice.
The smile that graced Roy's lips could complete with the bright lights that litter the streets at Christmas time, because he was absolutely beaming with joy. "You don't know how happy I am to hear that." Roy said, rising from his seat to meet Edward at the counter. And with gentle fingers, careful not to hurt the boy, Roy lifted his chin up and tenderly kissed the boys lips. Edward had never experienced such a loving kiss, Kimbley certainly wasn't this way, and he felt almost drunk on the affection. And all too soon, the kiss ended. Edward whined at this motion, craving more of Roy's tender kisses.
"Oh don't worry," Roy said as he wrapped his arms around Ed's waist. "More kisses will come."
"I'm going to end it with Kimbley tomorrow." Edward said, burying his face in the soft cotton of Roy's night shirt.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Roy asked, scared of what might happen to the petite boy if he were to go alone.
"Yes…" Edward said, his voice expressing his slight fear of his soon to be ex-boyfriend. "I don't want to go alone, I don't want him to…you know…" Edward said, not able to voice what Kimbley so often did to him.
But Roy needed no words, he knew what the boy meant. "I understand Edward." He said, rubbing his hand up and down Edward's back in a comforting motion. A soft yawn escaped Edward's rosy lips, "Would you like to spend the night?" Roy asked. Edward nodded his head, too tired to say another word. Roy smiled at the blonde's action, "Alright, let's head to bed my love." He suddenly picked the young alchemist up bridal style, looking down he saw that his petite boyfriend had already drifted to sleep. Roy smiled, and began to walk down the hall to his bedroom.
Upon reaching his bedroom, Roy gently took Edward's large boots off. They made a loud 'clunk!' sound as they hit the floor. The iconic red coat had already been shed of when Edward entered his home. And as he laid the eighteen year old o his bed, he took the small black jacket off of his body, and he frowned at what he saw. More purple and brown bruises littered the tanned flesh of Edward's arms, Roy brought his hands to his face and took a deep breath. 'Remember Roy,' He thought to himself, 'he's breaking up with him tomorrow, this is all over.'
And after that, Roy climbed under the covers with his new lover. Wrapping his arms tightly around Edwards's waist, he could've sworn the boy smiled in his sleep.
And as Roy began to drift asleep, he uttered his last coherent words before sleep over took him.
"I love you Edward."
I know, it was really long. You guys know I have issues with writing short stories, hahaha…
I tried to keep Edward and Roy in character, but with the subject matter it was kind of hard when it came to Ed. I hope you all enjoyed it!
I had a good day today, I found out I got a B (229/275!) on my Senior Research paper, so I guess my good day sparked this story!