In Another Time
Chapter 4
It was another week before the soldiers came back to Amestris. The whole village was there to welcome them back. Ed and Al were in front of everyone and when they saw the men their hearts sank. They looks dejected, and as if nothing in their lives were ever going to be good again. They were carrying sleds and horses were pulling flat carriages full of bodies.
At the back of the convoy they found Maes and Roy, who was wearing a cloth over his left eye. When Ed tried to ask him about it Hughs shook his head and he dropped it.
"Well if it isn't the heroes of the war." Olivia Armstong said as she came upon Roy and Maes. Ed watched Roy flinch at the word hero.
"We are no heroes Olivia." Roy said quietly. Olivia went wide-eyed and then she got angry.
"You secured this villages future and you don't consider your self a hero?" she asked in disbelief. Even Ed was having a hard time believing the words coming out of Mustangs mouth.
Roy shook his head and walked away from them, leaving behind Maes and Ed and even Olivia. He didn't even walk, he trudged. It was possibly the most depressing thing Ed had ever seen in his life.
"What is wrong with him, is it the eye thing?" Olivia asked Hughes.
"I don't think you would understand." Hughes replied.
"I've fought in war Hughes, I know what its like to take a life." Olivia Armstrong replied through gritted teeth.
"What we just went through wasn't a war Olivia." Hughes shouted, no one had ever seen Hughes get mad before, he was always so light-hearted. "What we just went through was an extermination. We just wiped out an entire race of people!" he finished and stormed off.
Ed had never seen either men like that, it did not take long for him to realize things were much worse than he could have ever imagined. Roy came back, and he may not be in one piece, but it was much worse than outwards appearances let on.
The village was in a time of celebration. Their sons were home and they no longer had to worry about a surprise attack any time soon. The attack on the Ishvalians had let the other villages know Amestris was not playing around anymore, if they wanted war then they would get war. Pretty soon, Dracma, and every other village had backed off.
Ed found himself at Roy Mustangs door. There were parties and fun times happening all over the village but here was the man of the hour, so to speak, and he wanted nothing to do with it all. Ed knocked on the door but there was no answer. So he knocked again. After a few minutes Roy opened the door, he was wearing nothing but a towel, his black hair dripping down over his face, a cloth still over his eye.
"Hello Ed." Roy said, a softness in his voice Ed had never heard before. "You want to come in?" Ed nodded and Roy moved aside to let the shorter man in. Roy motioned to a chair in the living room and then disappeared into his room. He came out wearing a pair of jeans and a black button up shirt. He sat down in the chair across from Ed.
"Are you going somewhere?" Ed asked. He suddenly felt like this conversation could be put off. Roy shook his head.
"I don't feel like being congratulated for doing something terrible." he said not looking at Ed.
"What you did saved this village." Ed said. He wanted to keep this conversation lighthearted but that was going down the drain pretty fast.
"You have no clue what you're talking about." Roy snapped. Then he did the last thing Ed expected. He broke down. Roy Mustang was crying like a baby and ed had no idea what to say anymore. "We did such horrible things Ed. We are not men, and nor are we heros. We are just dogs. We go where were told to go and we come when were called.
His face fell into his hands and he began to sob, as if reliving those memories all over again. Ed stood up and walked across the room and crawled onto Roys lap. He was straddling the older mans hips and he lifted his head and looked him straight in the eye.
"If you and the other men didn't do what you did I doubt we would be here for much longer Roy." Ed said. Then he did something that surpirses him still to this day. He kissed him. He pressed his lips to Roys and everything seemed to melt away. Roy immediately responded, the tears stopped and it was like the man he knew was back. He stood up cupping Ed butt and walked over to the couch and laid the younger man down on his back and climbed on top of him.
At that moment the two had become one and the outside world ment nothing. It was just Roy and Ed, lips pressed firmly against each others neither giving quarter. When they ran out of breath and pulled away Roy looked down on Ed with his one god eye and Eds face turned bright red, he couldn't believe that was all it took. Just like that, he was never any good at talking, so he figured he would let actions make up for his lack of words.
Roy laid down next to Ed on the couch, and wrapped the smaller man up in his arms. "Im sorry I missed your birthday." Roy whispered. Ed had completely forgotten. Last week was his birthday, he was surpirsed Roy had remember.
"You remembered?" Ed asked.
"What and you didn't?" Roy replied.
"Maybe." Ed said and curled up against the older man.
"You mean you didn't even celebrate your birthday?" Roy asked in disblief
Ed hid his face in Roys chest, but it seemed Roy was having none of that. He pulled Ed back and looked at him.
"I know I'm all kinds of fucked up but tomorrow we are going to do something for your birthday." Roy said, he voice leaving no room for Ed to back down. He thought it over and nodded in agreement, and leaned back in on Roys chest.
"This is good enough though." Roy heard Ed mumble into his shoulder.
