Edward sat up, clinging tightly to the warmth of the blankets, to get a better look at his and his partner's bedroom. For a long, sleepy moment he wondered if he was dreaming. His head was foggy, but he was sure he remembered falling asleep in their regular, fairly plain old room. Yet now every shelf, windowsill and table, even the bed and the floor, were covered with rose petals of every colour imaginable, candles burning on every possible surface. A flickering, warm light was cast over the room; just right for his pounding head and sore eyes. A few smells floating in the air then caught his attention; lavender, vanilla, cinnamon and orange that he could pick out though he assumed there must have been more, mingling together to produce a mix that was calming and invigorating all at once.
He frowned and leaned back against the head board to ease his aching muscles as well as the dizziness that was beginning to set in, reminding him of why he'd fallen asleep in the first place, although he'd hoped he wasn't actually sick and that a proper sleep in a proper bed would be enough for his body to recover from his taxing trip out of town, which had consisted of nothing but studying and traveling and more studying, and a lot of rain. Apparently not.
His train of thought was broken by a pair of soft lips leaving a gentle kiss on his forehead, and he looked up to find Roy Mustang, the candlelight flickering in the depths of his dark eyes.
"How are you feeling?" The older man asked, a hand pressing against the spot where his lips had been a mere moment earlier.
Edward sighed. "Pretty horrible." He admitted, as the hand was withdrawn.
"You still have a temperature." Roy said in agreement, as Edward shuffled uncomfortably.
Edward took another glance around the room. The petals were still there, the candles were still there, and now he noticed a large vase of black glass, embossed and painted with elaborate patterns of wispy, gold and red swirls, intertwining and dancing around each other rather erratically, yet the design still managed to be bold and graceful, fading off toward the rim. A large silver ribbon was tied around the top of the vase, and a bunch of roses of varying colours sat inside. This was sat on top of the small set of drawers beside the bed. Once convincing himself that this was indeed reality, he cast a bleary look up at Roy.
"What's all this?" He asked bluntly.
Roy smirked, sweeping a few stray blonde strands of hair out of a pale, slightly flushed face. "What's all what?"
Edward wasn't amused. Roy hastened to answer his question.
"You came home sick; I felt like doing something nice. Do you not like it?" Roy settled on the bed beside him.
"No, I like it." Ed reassured him, moving across to rest his head on a well toned shoulder. "I just wouldn't have expected it from you."
Roy pouted mockingly. "Are you saying I'm not a perfect boyfriend? I'm insulted." He wrapped an arm around the lightly shivering man beside him. "Is it really that hard to believe? By the look on your face I could've just sprouted wings and flown out the window."
Ed smiled at this as the arm around his shoulders pulled him closer to the other body, and he wrapped his own arms around the Colonel's muscular chest, fleetingly reflecting on how much he'd missed it over the past three weeks. "It is, actually. You never struck me as the romantic type." Another thought squeezed in through the gnarled tangle filling his feverish mind, and he frowned slightly. "You're not expecting sex for this, are you?" Apprehension filled his voice.
Roy was genuinely insulted this time. "Ed, you're sweaty, white as a sheet and can hardly sit up by yourself. Trust me, sex couldn't be further from my mind," he replied sullenly. "I'm worried about you, that's all."
Ed at least had the good grace to be sheepish. "Sorry." He muttered into the crook of Roy's neck.
Roy ran a hand through his hair and nuzzled the top of his head with a small chuckle. "You, apologising? You really aren't yourself today, are you?"
Ed scowled and delivered a weak punch to Roy's ribs. Well, weak by his standards. It still managed to wind the older man ever so slightly. "That's more like it," he smirked, shielding himself with his hands from any further assault.
Edward scowled, but still proceeded to make himself comfortable in Roy's lap. "You just love pushing my buttons, huh?"
Roy smiled, beginning to gently massage Edward's tense shoulders. "I can't help it; it's just so easy."
"Bastard." Ed murmured, even as he relaxed under his lover's touch.
"I've missed you." Roy said softly, grinning.
Ed rolled his eyes, but still responded with a barely audible "I've missed you, too." He responded sincerely. "You're still a jerk."
"You're still a midget."
Before Edward had chance to elbow him in the stomach as Roy could see he was preparing to, the dark haired man quickly slipped out from behind him and stood; Edward simply slumped back into the pillows.
"As fun as it is to get on your nerves, I have a sick boyfriend to look after." Edward made a sound that sounded vaguely like acceptance of this fact, looking up at him through tired golden eyes.
"I'm gonna go make you some tea. Anything else you need?"
Edward paused for a second, locking eyes with him before looking away. "No."
"Are you hungry?"
Ed made a face of severe distaste. "No."
"Alright, fair enough." He noticed that Ed's eyes had met his again, and leaned over him to place a kiss on his cheek. "Love you." He murmured quietly, before lifting himself back up to pull the covers over his shoulders, and rapidly turned to leave.
Edward paused for moment of surprise, a smile eventually playing on a pair of dry lips. "Love you too."
The door closed, leaving him alone in the sea of rose petals and pleasant warmth of the tiny, dancing flames of the candles. Through the dizzying fog taking over his brain, he could only fathom one thing. It was good to be home.
