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Chapter 10 - Going Crazy With Excitement

Thursday the 14th of January … Still!

They sat facing each other, both glaring heartedly. Roy's determined, and Ed's pure, hard, anger. How dare Roy bring up his father! What was there to say? The guy was a prick - end of discussion. Ed really couldn't see where Roy had got the idea they needed to have a little chit chat about the bastard. Roy, on the other hand, slid down against the door and made a motion with his hand which he made whenever he wanted one of his patients to 'open up' or 'share'. It only served to anger Ed more, who slammed his fist into the elders desk.

"What the fuck do you want me to say?" he spat. Roy gave a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. He brought his thumb and forefinger of his right hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose.

"Why don't you start with telling me how old you were when he left." He suggested.

"Don't remember." Ed replied stubbornly. Roy gave him a pointed look, so Ed leant back against the dark haired man's desk and carried on, "about 5 or 6."

"And you've hated him for that long?" Roy asked, a hint of surprise colouring his words. Ed glowered.

"Yes!"

"Why?"

Ed shifted slightly, snarling at the floor in his anger. Talking about his father always got him riled.

"Because he left my mother when she was suffering; that's why." he eventually answered. Roy lowered his eyes to the floor. He knew talking about these things was hard for Edward, but he was his counsellor, was supposed to get Ed to talk about things that concerned him. But more importantly, Ed was someone he cared about and wanted to help out.

"So, because he abandoned her?" he asked, and Ed nodded. "And you and your brother?" Ed coloured slightly, but nodded nonetheless.

"But you went to his home. You came to central and found his home, which you now live in." Roy stated, "Were you looking for him?" he asked, and watched Ed bite his bottom lip between his two front teeth.

"Why would I be?" he growled, as if daring Roy to challenge him. Roy didn't; opting to let it slide.

"Edward." he said, pronouncing the name in such a way that had Ed's head snapping up to look at him, as if a disobedient child. Or rather, he was looking down at him, as Ed was now sat on the desk, and Roy on the floor. Roy was certain that had to make Ed feel pretty good about himself. "You need to give up on him. Hohenheim Elric has his reasons for leaving, and he isn't coming back."

Ed clucked his tongue in annoyance.

"I told you. I already know that. I never thought he would be."

"Then why are you so angry?"

Edward was silent, seething with anger. What was Roy insinuating? That Ed was still chasing pathetically after his father? Hoping that someday he'd come home and they could play at happy family again? No. He didn't have any hope that Hohenheim would return. The guy was a bastard, there was no escaping it. No matter how hard he tried.

"Because he's a dick." The blonde lied, clutching on to the metaphorical rope of hope he'd created in the back of his mind. Someday he'd be able to climb that rope and he'd find out what was at the top. Be it someone to look after him and Al, or the gates of hell. But then someone's hands would reach out, and cut that rope, and he'd find himself falling.

He was falling, falling and falling, right into Roy's arms.

"Edward?" Roy said when he found a tired looking blonde making his way to him. Ed sat down next to the older man and rested his head on the other's shoulder.

"I don't wanna worry any more Roy." he admitted. "Will you catch me, when I fall?"

Roy clutched Ed's overworked and beaten down by stress body closer to him.

"Always."

- X -

Saturday the 23rd of January

1 week and 2 days later, and Ed couldn't have been in a happier mood. He was semi-skipping around the house in his boxer short, reading books that he'd got for his birthday, back in October, and hadn't got around to reading. Usually when reading he would prefer to be snuggled up on the sofa with a blanket wrapped round him, but he was way to excited to sit still.

Why was he so excited?

Al and Winry were out on a date.

No. That wasn't why he was excited.

He flopped on the nearest chair in giddiness, disregarding his book in favour of grinning like a mad-man at the ceiling. He was excited because while Al and Winry were out canoodling, Roy was coming to his to 'catch up on the counselling he missed during his 1 weeks worth of report and detention'. Or at least, that was what the counsellor had told Headmaster Bradley. Ed was certain, however, that Roy probably had more interesting activities planned for when he got there.

He told the blonde his plans the day before when they'd caught each other in the hallway. At first Ed had been wary, but he thought Roy's excuse was perfect. Besides that. In the comfort of Ed's own house, unless Russell was very adapt at spying, the boy wouldn't be able to get any evidence against them.

So, Ed had hurried home, spring cleaned the house - it was Roy's first time really visiting after all - and put up with lots of teasing from Al about acting like a housewife. The only upside to Al knowing about his plans for the next day was that Al had then made plans of his own with Winry to make sure he was out of the house.

He then told Ed not to do anything dirty on the sofa, which Ed was still kinda puzzling over. He didn't think he was a dirty person…

He made a grand jolting motion when the phone in the back pocket of his jeans went off. He fished it out, and held it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said, perhaps a little too excitedly. He heard a non-committal grunt on the other side of the line. Ed recognised it as Roy's normal form of greeting whenever the man was annoyed at something. "You okay?" he asked, switching the phone to the other ear and getting comfy.

"Yeah Edward." the voice trailed off, and Ed could tell he was trouble. He kept quiet, however, knowing Roy would continue - or else he wouldn't have called to begin with. Roy wasn't one to just call for a chat. And Ed was right; Roy did continue: "I don't think I'm gunna be able to make it today."

Ed gulped quietly, his excitement very suddenly washed away.

"Oh." he said. Roy, on the other side of the line, wince, though Ed didn't know as much. He hated hearing the disappointment in the kids voice.

"I want to be there." he carried on, "But something really important came up." he explained.

"It's fine." Ed stated, through an immature, selfish part of himself that just wanted to see Roy was telling him that it wasn't fine. "Works important." he added.

"Well yes, work is important." Roy agreed, but he sounded surprised. "However, this is a family thing."

It was Ed's turn to be surprised. He'd just assumed it was work. There was a brief silence, then:

"I wouldn't blow you off for work."

Ed decided not to mention all the times Roy had blown him off for work.

"It's fine." he repeated, "It's not like I was going crazy with excitement or anything…"

"You were going crazy with excitement?"

"No! I just said I wasn't! Weren't you listening?"

Roy laughed.

"Alright, alright." he chuckled. "I've got to go; I promise to make it up to you."

Ed poked his tongue out at the ceiling, happy that Roy couldn't see his childish actions.

"Whatever Colonel." he said, when he realised that Roy was waiting for him to speak. "You better get going. You don't wanna be late for your family thing."

Roy grunted, obviously not looking forward to going to said family thing: which made Ed feel a bit better. There was some shuffling on the other side of the line, and Ed thought he heard the older man mutter 'damn it Coco!' and he let out a small giggle at the mental image that came to mind of what Roy could be doing.

"Sorry Ed. You're right. I've got to get going. Bye. Love you." and then he hung up, leaving Ed staring at the ceiling; dumbstruck and still holding the phone to his ear in shock.

Roy had said 'love you'.

As far as Ed could remember Roy had only ever said it once before, and that was ended in the two of them rolling around in the snow, Ed trying his hardest to physically harm the elder.

But Roy had said it again, and this time he'd said it so casually Ed wasn't even sure how he'd caught it.

'Love you'.

Ed couldn't held a little of his excitement coming back. Even if Roy wasn't come round today.