A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Sorry it's a little bit late, I'm having trouble updating all my fanfiction at the moment, what with a lot of school work and all. But, it's almost Christmas!
Again, I apologise if anyone is out of character. I still don't think I've quite gotten the grasp of writing them ;w;
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.
~oOo~
Illuminated
If you'd have told Roy Mustang two years ago that he would have an actual friend... He would have called bullshit.
To this very day, he still called bullshit. Edward wasn't his friend, he was just... An acquaintance!
Believe it or not, before the accident he had friends. Not many, but good, reliable friends, Maes being one of them.
He used to have many things when he was young. Friends, family, sight. It's amazing what you take for granted.
His favourite colour used to be red. Red like the sunset, red like his school uniform.
Red like fire.
But going back to friends, Roy certainly didn't count Edward's friends. The group hated him, and he was totally fine with that. I mean, he didn't need friends anyway. He'd lasted eight years without them, and he could last eight more. He could last his whole life if he wanted to.
Even adults hated him. Teachers because he was snarky and he didn't try. 'Roy has great potential' they would say 'he just doesn't apply his skills'
And why should he? It's not like he was ever going to get a job with his sight and scars. Not to mention his attitude.
Edward however... He made him feel different. He felt slightly happier with Edward around, like the world was just that little bit brighter. Every day he spent with Edward he felt just a little bit more cheery, a little bit more hopeful. It was like the longer the two were together, the more Edward was illuminating his world.
Which was complete and utter bullshit.
But Roy couldn't help thinking that it wasn't.
~oOo~
"Tell me about yourself."
Every day Edward would ask, and every day he would avoid the question. He would say that there wasn't much to say, and he would change the subject.
Usually they would go down to the lunch room, but sometimes Roy would refuse to move. Edward's short (He knew Edward was short because every time his height was mentioned, the teen would scream 'I'm not little!' or something to that extent. It sounded a lot like Napoleons complex to Roy, and he liked to exploit that as much as he could) stature couldn't move him, even with the freaky amount of muscle Roy felt under that glove (seriously, it was like the hand was made of metal or something!). On those days, Edward would call Jean and tell him that they weren't coming, and the group usually wouldn't come up, using Fuery and Breda as an excuse.
Roy preferred those days. He and Edward could talk, and no one could bother them. They would talk about random topics, sometimes serious, sometimes not. However, they somehow always managed to get round to the same topic.
Roy knew that Edward had heard the rumours. Who hadn't? It was common knowledge that Roy had burned his house down, killing his parents and best friend. That's how he got those scars. That's why he was blind.
Edward seemed to always want to ask him. They would skirt around the topic, and sometimes Roy just wanted to shout 'just ask me about my scars already!' It seemed that they always came close, and were getting closer every day.
Roy wished that day would hurry up and arrive.
He wanted someone to tell, he wanted someone to know the truth.
He wanted that someone to be Edward.
He doubted it ever would be.
~oOo~
One day, Roy Mustang found himself doing something incredibly brave and incredibly stupid.
Well, for him. For other ('normal' his subconscious hissed) people this age, it would have been practically a weekly thing, something that came naturally to him.
The only time Roy could ever remember doing this was the time he asked Maes to sleep over. The time before the accident.
He must have done it before. He had had friends, didn't he? He must have asked them at some point.
It wasn't like it mattered. He was going to do this.
'Take a deep breath Roy, you can do this. It's going to be easy as walk in the park.'
'Walks in the park aren't easy! I need my cane, and usually Claire doesn't let me out without at least her or Kevin-'
'Shut your mouth, this is going to be easy, okay!'
Roy tapped Edward on the shoulder.
The two were in the classroom again. This was the second time this week (and it was only Wednesday).
Roy was pushing his luck more often, knowing that Edward was sitting down with him quicker, protesting less. Edward hadn't even bothered to call his friends this time.
"What's up Mustang?" Edward asked, mouth full.
"First, don't talk with your mouth full Edward. It's not polite."
"Shut your damn cakehole, jerk." Ed retorted, speech coming out clear. "What did you want?"
"I was wondering..." Roy muttered. Sweat began to pool on his forehead. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach, desperate to be released. He couldn't do this, he couldn't fucking do this. "Doyouwanttocomeovertominetonight?"
There was no reply.
Thoughts whizzed through Roy's brain.
'Oh God, I fucked up. I fucked up. This is the stupidest fucking thing I've ever done. Jesus fucking Christ why did I fucking do that oh God-'
"I'd love to."
He froze.
Edward had said yes.
He had said yes.
Edward Mother Fucking Elric had willingly agreed to come over to Roy Mustang's house.
For the first time in years, Roy found a smile forming on his face.
~oOo~
The walk back from school was torture.
He had told Claire (he refused to call her mum) this morning that he would have a friend walk him home, and she was okay with that. She expressed her delight at Roy having a friend for the first time in years, and Roy wanted to hit her. He could have made friends, he just didn't want to.
'You keep telling yourself that.'
But anyway, Roy had his cane out and was walking the familiar route home, except this time Edward was with him.
Conversation was non-existent. The casual atmosphere they had at lunch had disappeared and left them with an awkward silence. Neither wanted to start a conversation, but both wanted there to be conversation.
"I'm looking forward to seeing your house." Edward commented.
"Its not much." Roy replied. He didn't actually know whether that was the truth or not, having never seen the house himself. It had been described to him, and it didn't sound too fancy, but you could never be sure. He didn't even know what his own room looked like.
"I bet you're lying." Edward laughed.
"Are you sure about that."
"No, but I can hazard a guess."
Edward grasped Roy's weak hand with his muscled one.
"You were going to walk into the road." The teen explained.
"Don't you think it looks a little bit gay?" Roy asked.
"Mustang, I am the definition of a little bit gay. Look in the dictionary and you'll just see my face."
Roy chuckled.
"We're almost there. And for the record, I was fine."
"Something tells me no." Edward took the cane from Roy's other hand, the hand he currently wasn't holding. "You won't be needing this."
"I think you're wrong. You're more than just a little bit gay."
"Shut your mouth, asshole."
~oOo~
A/N: I must use the word bullshit around once a chapter.
Please review! I really appreciate it when I get positive feedback!
Edit: I didn't have time to proof read this chapter so it was posted as all one block ;w; I've fixed it now!
