A/N: omg it's finally here! Enjoy everyone!
(PS: Lizzybear54: I always smile when I see your pen name; my name is also Lizzie, haha just saying)
When Roy arrived at that yellow house, Winry and old lady Pinako were really surprised to not only see him, but to see the kind of shape he was in. They bombarded him with question while all Roy wanted to do was see Ed. Thankfully, Al materialized from a room and said that Ed was sleeping. Ed must have told Al everything..., Roy thought sadly. What does Al think of him now? Al approached Roy with an expression Roy had never seen him wear before. (albeit, he hadn't really seen Al all that much since he got his body back) Al analyzed Roy and his condition. After taking it all in, he did something no one would have ever thought he would do: he slapped Roy, right on the face. Roy fell, partly due to his crutches but mostly due to Al's blow. Everyone looked at Al in disbelief.
"I... I deserved that, didn't I?" Roy asked holding his now burning cheek.
"That was for being stupid and making Brother upset." Roy looked down, ashamed. Then, Al held his hand out to Roy. "This," Al continued, "is for helping and loving Brother."
Still taken aback by this gesture, he took Al's hand and stood up with the help of the younger brother.
"He didn't tell me this, but I know you helped Brother overcome that guilt that weighed down on his shoulders since we tried the forbidden. He never told me, not even after we got my body back, but I just know by the sadness in his eyes how he feels. But he came back here changed. He looked like an emotional mess, and yeah he looked sadder than ever, but that look of regret in his eyes was gone.
He told me what went down in the warehouse, and how you got those injuries, and that he loves you."
A small blush crept across the older man's face.
"And I love him too. And I want to see him."
Al smiled. "Unfortunately," he began, "Brother just fell asleep, but you're welcome to wait in there for him to wake up though."
Roy nodded and said thanks. Roy entered the room and sure enough, Ed was sleeping. As he approached Ed, he could see the sheen of moisture on his face; the left over tears from before he fell asleep. Roy grimaced as he wiped a bit of the moisture from Ed's face, so certain that he'd been the one to cause these tears. He sat on the floor, being careful of his bad leg, and grasped Ed's hand and fell asleep.
Roy awoke to a familiar sound. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see that Ed was now awake.
"Ed! Did I wake you up? I'm sor-" Roy was quieted by Ed's finger covering his mouth to quiet him.
"Shut up and get in here bastard," Ed said with a smile.
Roy smiled back and hoisted himself into the bed, enveloping Ed in his arms.
"Why is your cheek so red?" Ed asked now that he was closer.
Rosy laughed at the memory and answered "Let's just say that your brother really knows how to greet a guy...and because I'm an idiot."
"You got that right; who travels all the way to middle-of-nowhere Risembool while he should still be in the hospital?"
"You know that's not what I mean," Roy said, his tone becoming more serious. He pulled Ed closer to him and placed a one hand on Ed's back and the other on top of his head. "You're the one who left first, I obviously upset you enough to "travel to middle-of-nowhere Risembool". I don't ever want you to feel guilty about something you shouldn't. Never again."
Ed's eyes started to tear up, his emotions from a few hours ago returning to him.
"But it really is my fault that you ended up like this, " he started, "I just feel like such a nuisance to you..." Roy pulled back and looked Ed right in the eyes.
"Why would the man I love be a nuisance? I want to protect you Ed, for the rest of my life if I can. Even if it means a few broken bone and burns, I'd do anything to make sure you were safe. Believe me Ed, I love you so much."
Ed's tears welled up and overflowed down his cheeks. He sobbed into Roy's chest and hugged him hard. "No one... Has ever loved me so much. I... I'm so happy Roy," he continued to cry into Roy's chest. Instead of hushing him to stop, Roy just held Ed for the rest of the night, smoothing Ed's hair and whispering words of love to him. Roy knew that sometimes, all you could do is cry, and that's okay; everyone owed themselves a moment of weakness.
The next morning, Al had an announcement. He waited for everyone to be seated at breakfast before he spoke.
"Everyone," he began, "I'd like everyone here to know that as of last night, Winry and I are engaged to be married." Roy almost choked on his coffee; he was unaware of the younger brother's relationship with the automail mechanic.
"Really Al? How great! But isn't it kinda soon?"
"Don't worry Brother, we aren't having the ceremony for another year or so; we want to be able to save and of course Winry wants it to be perfect. That sort of planning takes time."
"Well good for you Al, I with you both the best," Ed said.
Later that day Roy and Ed were taking a walk along the countryside and stopped to watch the sun go down together.
"Say Ed, when did you first realize you loved me?" Roy asked suddenly. Ed jumped at the question as a furious blush crept across his cheeks.
"What kind of question is that? So out of the blue…" he trailed off, obviously dodging the question. Roy laughed at the blonde's reaction and suddenly pinned Ed to the grassy ground that lay beneath them. Roy then moved in, slowly decreasing the space between their lips. Ed grew anxious and his breathing became more labored as each second passed. Only a few millimeters from making contact, Roy stopped, frustrating Ed.
"Why aren't you moving?" Ed asked breathlessly after a few moments of anticipation.
"Answer my question and maybe I will."
Ed blushed as he considered the question. He averted his eyes as he answer, "Since... Since our show down, the one where we had to fix everything afterwards... Despite how I acted, I truly did have an admiration for you that eventually turned into... into love." That was the same day that Ed saw a glimpse of the Roy Mustang only few people have seen; the side that reflects his past, the side that reflects how strong he is.
"Interesting..." Roy said closing the space between them with a deep, loving kiss. This kiss was amazing; Roy poured all his love into it and Ed's head was swimming with thought and emotions, all having to do with his beloved.
They broke apart and Ed asked breathlessly, "And...and you? When did u fall in love with me?"
Roy thought for a moment, and answered, "The day you fought Scar. You showed strength... And weakness at the same time." Roy held Ed closer and continued, "But honestly I recognized the strength that you possessed the moment I visited you here on that rainy day. The more I saw it in you, the closer I came to falling in love with you. That day was just the day I realized it was love."
They were both silent, both taking in the moment. "It seems like we've loved each other without knowing it for a long time," Ed broke the silence.
"Yeah, it does," Roy chuckled. "There's so much lost time to make up for, so I'd like to start now."
Roy sat up while still keeping Ed close. Ed had a puzzled look on his face.
"Edward Elric," Roy began. "Will you, from this day on, be my everything? In return, I, Roy Mustang, promise to love you forever. All the good and the bad that comes our way, I want to face it with you Ed."
"Roy..." Ed said, too moved for words.
"What do you say? Us together, forever."
Ed smiled and closed his eyes, bringing himself closer to Roy. "Of course I will, Colonel Bastard."
Roy laughed and said, "I love you, pipsqueak."
And Ed didn't even mind, for he pulled Roy into a kiss that perfectly defined their love.
A/N: Well, that's it! Thank you all who have been here since the beginning. It was a pleasure hearing from some of you and getting tons of support. And to those of you readers who just read this beginning to end, thank you too! I hoped you all liked it enough to consider reading some of the stories I have in store. I have a Spirited Away fic underway for those of you Ghibli fans. I'm also brainstorming new ideas for FMA fics. I was thinking that perhaps Ed and Roy adopt... A kid? *GASP* Haha, I dunno, putting them through parenthood sounds fun. Tell me what you think! I welcome ideas!
Thanks for bearing with my first fic everyone. Happy reading!
-Tama-
