Goals
Roy studied the ceiling, admiring the way the bright moonlight had illuminated the room and savoring the peaceful feeling all homes seemed to get when all sane people had gone to bed. It was late at night and Roy had an early day the next morning. So of course he had insomnia. He always did when he had a particularly unpleasant meeting to look forward to the next day. Even after all these years, Hakuro still seemed to find a perverse joy in getting the Flame Alchemist's goose.
He had assumed that Edward had fell asleep hours ago, but, apparently, he was wrong. Roy was finally drifting off to sleep when his lover shifted in bed and suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "Roy?"
The older man blinked and turned, finding his lover sitting up in the bed, blankets pooled around his hips. Edward looked almost ghostly... his bare flesh accentuated by the pale light and many of his features shadowed. Seeing the other was indeed awake, Ed brushed a bit of hair out of his face sleepily and leaned towards Roy.
"I was just thinking..."
'...At two a.m?' was what the dark haired thought, but instead the words that came out of his mouth were "About what?"
"It's been a while."
Roy sat up himself to pay better attention to Ed at that, noting the serious tone his lover had.
"I mean," Ed continued, "You are... well... still a General. It's been years since you've gotten a promotion. Did something... happen?"
"That..." He paused to think of a good answer, one that would not unnecessarily upset the other alchemist. It really was too early in the morning for this sort of discussion. He anticipated one day being asked this, his lover was a highly clever person after all... one of the traits Roy particularly loved about him... but his pre-planned speech has deserted him, probably sometime between the hours of midnight and one.
"That is..."
"You are supposed to be getting promotions." As if noticing Roy's unskilled attempts to dodge the question, Ed shot him a sharp look. "Otherwise you'll never be Fuhrer. Isn't that your goal...?"
Roy sighed. This obviously was going to be one of those times when Edward was going to be stubborn. "It's a bit of a complex situation, Ed. And really... wouldn't discussion of this be better saved for a more... appropriate... time of day? You picked a hell of a time to just notice this."
There was a snort of laughter. "I waited until now for a reason."
His lover really did know him too well. That was disturbing.
"It's..." The laughter died and Ed suddenly sounded young again, more insecure than the older man had heard him sound in years. "It's not anything bad is it?"
Reaching over, Roy put an arm around his lover's shoulder and drew him closer to him. It was a comfortable feeling, having Ed's bare skin against his. He personally always found the sensation of the other man's heartbeat reassuring, and hopefully Edward would as well.
Telling the truth probably would be for the best. Sighing, Roy trailed careful fingers through Ed's unbound hair. "We've been noticed, Ed. Likely my fault. I assumed the dates..." A sore subject that had been, too. "...would keep them from noticing my tastes. And my relationship with you. Apparently I was wrong." He let his digits fall from his lover's hair and settle to rest on Edward's shoulder. Then the man braced himself.
"They... they know!" Ed lurched forward, then quickly twisted around to stare at the older alchemist, his eyes wide and aghast. An arm, thankfully his human one, caught Roy's own tightly. "For how long! And how much--!"
"From the sound of it... everything... and for quite a long while. Likely not long after I became a Brigadier General from what I understand." The dark haired man winced at the tight grip, idly wondering how long it would be before Edward started shouting. Or blaming Roy for the slip-up... not to mention a decent chunk of the higher-ups in the military apparently knowing very private details about his love life.
Edward's response to that information was not what Roy had expected at all.
"I'm... OH geez..." The grip on the Flame Alchemist's limb relaxed then disappeared. "It's my fault then?" Golden eyes no longer looked shocked now, instead they looked horrified.
"Edward...?" Roy blinked dumbly at his lover. This conversation was turning out a bit differently that he had expected it to.
"I'm so sorry!" A second later, Roy found himself with his lover in his lap, Ed's face tucked into the crook of his neck, and two limbs wrapped desperately around him. "It was your cause-- and--"
"I..."
The dark-haired man shook off his surprise, slowly returning the hug. Noting his lover's continued tenseness, he gently ghosted fingers down the blond's back. "Edward, I'm," he tipped the other man's chin up to make sure Ed could see his eyes and expression, "not upset. At all."
His lover's mouth opened than closed, and then... for a brief moment... he simply stared at Roy. "...Wasn't it your--? I mean, you had been working on being Fuhrer for years. That's what I'd call a pretty damn big deal, Roy!"
"It had been my life's ambition, yes."
A regretful look settled over his lover's countenance again and Ed's mouth opened widely to speak. Shaking his head, the older man pressed a finger softly to the other's lips. "Let me finish now."
"When I had nothing else, it had been my goal. Something I had latched onto in... darker times. Perhaps it was possible, and perhaps impossible..." Roy removed his finger to press a quick kiss to Ed's lips, then continued. "Though I highly suspect that having you as a State Alchemist has done more for the country than me as Fuhrer ever would have."
"Then..."
Finding himself smiling widely, Roy lay back and pulled the blond on top of him. He probably would be an exhausted mess at work tomorrow, but it wasn't like the day would go well anyways. He was more concerned in the now.
Edward was more important than a meeting any day.
"What I don't think you understand..." He shifted so the blond could straddle him and pulled Ed forward. "Is that though it was a dream of mine, it was also a distraction."
His lover bit off a moan to give him a look both annoyed and confused. "Well, goals are important. Hell... Al and I--"
"Different situation. One your happiness truly rested upon." Roy ran a finger over Ed's chest, hoping his lover would get a clue and see that he really wasn't upset.
"If I had to choose between you and a life of single-mindedly running towards a likely impossible goal... One I had chosen under... certain circumstances... Well," he smiled softly at Ed, "I'd take you. I would take a fairly normal and happy life."
For a moment, Ed only stared. Then, slowly, a smile spread over his face and Roy was rewarded with seeing his lover with a rare and genuinely happy expression. The blond nodded, then leaned down.
After that, well, there wasn't much speaking.