So me and my friend watched the FMA live action movie last night... both of us wish we hadn't haha anyway hope you enjoy the new chapter :)
All My Sons
Spending a week in Central with Maes was like letting him lose in a sweet shop and telling him that he could have whatever he wanted. His inquisitive mind wanted to see and know everything about the place where Ed used to live and Ed was only too happy to show him. Seeing the place through Maes' eyes was like seeing it for the first time all over again. Everything Ed had thought that he had forgotten came back with a wonderful clarity and he was able to tell Maes about a lot of the good times he had had there.
Knowing that he and Maes were going to be hanging around for a while Ed moved them out of the hotel and rented a small house. It was cosy and quaint and it served its purpose. Maes was very happy to have his own room again and Ed was happy because it meant that, if they wanted to, Al or Winry could come to see them. It was almost as if they were building a life in Central and Ed had to admit that he wasn't all that sad about it.
One day he took Maes into Roy's office – which hadn't changed all that much since Ed had been a part of the team – to meet his old colleagues. Ed had no idea if Roy had told them about the whole situation but no one asked so he didn't delve into the full ins and outs. If they want to know they can ask. But no one did. It was nice to see them all again though and they all welcomed Maes like he was one of their own.
After a bit of thought (and a lot of pestering from both Maes and Roy) Ed finally made the decision to let Roy have Maes on his own for the day. 'It will give you the chance to have some time to yourself' Roy had said and, when Ed had told him about it, Al had agreed as well. It wasn't the worst idea in the world and, Ed had to admit, it did give him a chance to collect his thoughts and relax for a bit, something that he hadn't had the chance to do since Maes was born.
He had felt on edge ever since the night of the party. Every time he though of dancing in Roy's arms he felt his heart skip and, if he allowed himself to dwell on it for too long, found himself thinking what might have happened had it just been the two of them. He saw the way Roy's gaze occasionally flickered down to his lips when they were talking and he found himself doing the same thing when he wasn't careful. Even worse when he wasn't paying attention he found himself thinking about what it would be like to kiss him again. To have Roy take him in his arms, lay him down on a bed and... And then Ed would have to mentally slap himself and tell himself to stop behaving like a horny teenager.
Whenever he did find himself thinking about Roy like that he would do something that would keep him busy – like worrying about Maes and Roy spending the day together. Ed knew it was either going to go too well or it was going to be an absolute disaster.
"Now are you sure you're going to be alright?" Ed asked Roy as Maes pulled on his shoes, concentrating as he tied the laces.
"Everything will be fine," Roy promised. "We'll have a good day."
"And you won't take him anywhere dangerous, will you?" Ed asked. "And don't fill him up on junk food, he'll get hyper and I'll have to deal with the come down."
Roy sighed. "Edward, I have looked after children before."
"Sorry, I just worry," Ed said, embarrassed.
"I know you do," Roy said, "but everything will be fine, won't it?" he asked looking over at Maes, who was pulling on his jacket.
"Yeah," Maes said smiling happily.
"Okay well if you're sure," Ed said.
"Everything will be fine," Roy said brushing a lock of hair behind Ed's ear.
Ed could feel himself blushing but he tried to ignore it, shaking his head so the hair fell back into place again. "Okay well have fun," he said bending down to pull Maes into a tight hug. "You behave and I'll see you later."
"Bye Dad," Maes said.
"Good luck," Ed said turning to Roy, "please bring him back in one piece."
"Will you stop worrying," Roy chuckled as he led Maes outside.
"I was talking to Maes," Ed chuckled.
"Cheeky."
"Sorry," Ed said, still grinning. "Right I'll let you go and have a good day."
He disappeared and closed the door behind himself leaving Roy and Maes alone together for the first time since they met. Roy looked down into Maes' huge golden eyes, marvelling for a minute just how like Ed's they were before realising that he didn't know the first thing about seven year old boys. There were numerous things they could do around Central but Roy was coming up a complete empty on each and every one of them.
"Want to go and get some ice cream?" he asked.
"Okay," Maes said, following Roy as he began to walk away from the door. If he gave him junk now then he should be over the high by the time Roy took him back to Ed so he wouldn't get in trouble for that. Next thing to do would be to take him to a place where there's lots of organised crime and violent, then he'd have done both of the things Ed told him not to.
Off to a good start already...
The ice cream parlour Roy finally settled on was one on the outskirts of the park, overlooking one of the parts where the most flowers grew. While Roy had never really been that fond of ice cream Maes was very happy to be both near somewhere with plants and given free reign over the menu. Just like Ed, he really can put it away.
"So your dad says you like plants," Roy said, desperate to find some topic that he could talk to him about.
"Yeah," Maes said after swallowing his mouthful. "They're really interesting and you get lots of pretty colours in the leaves and flower petals."
"So are you thinking about doing something with plants when you get older?" Roy asked.
Meas nodded. "I want to be a botanist," he said. "Dad says I'm clever enough."
"Do you think you'll stay in Aerugo to do that?"
"Probably not," Maes said. "Dad said that when I get a bit older we can go to other cool places like Amestris and I want to go out and visit Aunt May's family in Xing."
"Well your Dad never did like to stay in one place for too long," Roy said. "I'm almost amazed that this is the first time you've left Aerugo."
"Well I went to Resembool a few times, once when Uncle Al and Aunt May got married but we only went there," Maes said.
"How do you like being in Central?" Roy asked.
"Everyone I've met is really nice so it's good," Maes said smiling.
"Good."
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked Roy after a pause.
"Fire away."
"Are you and Dad going to get back together?"
Roy stared at him, taken aback. He couldn't deny that it was something he wanted; to have both Ed and Maes as permanent features in his life and for the three of them to live together as a proper family. He wished it was that simple though. Maybe he was coming on too strong but Ed seemed to be flat out ignoring any attempt he made to talk about the possibility of the two of them picking up where they left off.
"It's... it's not as simple as all that," Roy said. This was clearly something Maes wanted, otherwise why would he be asking? Roy didn't want to fill him with false hope – if Ed didn't want to get back together then Roy wasn't going to force it – and he could understand the reservations Ed seemed to have. It wasn't just the two of them anymore, there was a third party involved now and Maes would be the one who got the most hurt if they were to go their separate ways again. Despite this Roy did so want the three of them to be a family, now that he had found out he had a son he didn't want to let either him or Ed go.
"Why not?" Maes asked.
"I don't know," Roy replied with a wry smile. "It's just not."
"But you love Dad right?" Maes asked. "When you look at him you smile."
"You're very observant aren't you," Roy chuckled.
Maes nodded. "And when he looks at you he goes all pink."
"I had noticed that, yes."
"He loves you," Maes said. "He won't say it but I can tell that he does. Whenever he talked about you he used to smile and sometimes I'd catch him looking at this picture of the two of you together where you're both in that blue uniform."
"You really think he loves me?" Roy asked after a brief pause.
"See," Maes cried triumphantly, "if you didn't love him too then you wouldn't be asking."
Roy chuckled. "No, I suppose not."
"So why don't you just tell him and then he'll say it back and you can get back together and we can all live together," Maes said.
"You make it sound so simple," Roy said shaking his head.
"Because it is," Maes said. "You just need to tell him that you love him and I know he'll be happy. If you love someone then you love someone and it doesn't matter what anyone else says as long as the two of you are happy."
"Wow," Roy said as he took all that in, amazed that someone as young as Maes just understood how something this complicated could work. "How old are you again?"
"Seven," Maes replied.
"How do you know so much about all this?" Roy asked. "This is complicated stuff that even most grown ups don't understand."
"I read a lot of Aunt Cass' romance books," Maes said. "There's a load of pages taken out of the middle of them but no one will tell me why though."
Roy chuckled. "I thought Cass Marshall might have something to do with this," he mused. "So would you be alright with it? If me and your dad did get back together?"
"I think it would be great," Maes said. "Both of you would be happy and we'd all be together."
"Well I'll have to talk to your dad first," Roy said, "but I'd very much like that too."
"I know Dad still loves you," Maes said. "He might not admit it right away but he definitely does and I think he'd want us all to be together as well."
Roy studied Maes for a moment. He's definitely got Ed's logic, no doubt about that. Maybe this seven year old had it sussed out though. What did it matter what anyone thought, if he and Ed loved each other then why should they care what anyone else thought? Maybe it really was as simple as telling Ed that he loved him and wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. If Ed felt the same way there was no reason Roy could see why they shouldn't be together.
"When you're done I know a nice botany garden round the other side of the park we can go to if you want?" he asked and Maes' eyes lit up.
"Yes please!"
The rest of the day passed by as a delightful blur. After their conversation in the ice cream parlour Roy felt a lot more at ease having Maes on his own. Just knowing that he had already given Roy his blessing if he wanted to court Ed , actively encouraged it in fact, was such a weight off his shoulders. In truth now that he knew that they had a son together (and had had time to get used to the idea of how it even happened in the first place) Roy knew that he wanted to be a part of both of their lives. All those years of pining after Ed just served to prove that Roy had never stopped loving him.
As Roy thought of more places he could show Maes and Maes thought of more things he wanted to see what had started out as an morning of looking at plants turned into a whole day's worth of activity. By the time Roy took Maes back to where he and Ed were staying the sun had already set. It was much later than Roy said he'd bring him back but he hoped Ed wouldn't be too angry. At least he didn't seem as prone to his violent outbursts as he had from years ago... well... Roy hadn't called him short yet so there was still time.
When he tried the door it was locked and when he rang the bell there seemed to be no answer. Ed wouldn't have gone out so it was possible that he was already asleep.
"I don't really know what to do now," Roy stated. "I suppose you could come back to mine and stay there if we can't get hold of your dad."
"He gave me a spare key," Maes said as he began to route around in one of the pockets of his backpack. "Just need to find it."
"Good," Roy laughed with relief. "He'd probably have me slaughtered if I didn't get you back tonight."
Maes searched through his bag for a minute or two before producing the key. "Found it," he announced proudly.
"Great," Roy said smiling. He had to admit it would have been nice to have Maes spend the night at his but the thought of pissing Ed off enough that he might not let Roy see Maes again kept him from complaining too much.
Maes opened the door quietly and the two of them stepped inside. The house was silent but Roy could see soft light coming through one of the open doors. If Ed was in he had probably fallen asleep while waiting. Maes sat down on the floor and began to untie his laces.
"You okay?" Roy asked him, glancing at him over his shoulder.
"Yeah," Maes replied.
"Good," Roy said with a smile. "I'm just going to check on your dad."
Roy softly made his way down the hall towards the light. He stuck his head around the door and smiled at the sight that met his eyes. Ed was sprawled out on the sofa, sound asleep and looking so beautiful in the room's dim light. Quietly, so as not to disturb him, Roy made his way over to the sofa, kneeling beside Ed's head. He looked so peaceful and serene that Roy almost had to remind himself that this was the man who had been through so much even before he reached the age of fifteen.
With a gentle hand he reached over and brushed Ed's fringe away from his face, just enjoying the look of him sleeping. He wanted to lean over and press a kiss to his forehead and it was taking all of his self restraint not to just give in and do it. Then Ed stirred slightly, sighing softly in his sleep.
"Mmmm Roy..." It was so quiet and breathy Roy wasn't even sure that he'd heard it but he was definitely sure that Ed wasn't awake. His heart felt like it was pounding in his chest, fighting for escape as he watched Ed stir again and this time blearily open his eyes.
"Hi beautiful," Roy said as Ed's eyes managed to focus on him.
"Roy?" Ed asked, his voice still thick with sleep. "What are you doing here?"
"I brought Maes back," he said. "Sorry it's a little later than expected, we got a bit carried away."
"What time is it?" Ed asked reaching up to rub one of his eyes.
"Nearly nine," Roy said. "I'm sorry we're so late."
"You only just got back?" Ed asked, still a little hazy from sleep.
"Yes," Roy admitted. "I'm sorry, we lost track of time."
Ed sighed and shook his head. "It's fine," he said. "Just maybe call next time."
"I promise," Roy said relieved. "Did you sleep well, it looks like you needed it."
"I was reading a book," Ed said, "and then I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore."
"Hi Dad," Maes said appearing beside Ed on the sofa.
"Hey Buddy," Ed said pulling him into a hug. "Did you have a good day?"
"Yeah it was so much fun," Maes said through a yawn.
Ed gave his hair a ruffle. "Go put your pyjamas on and you can tell me all about it in a minute."
"Okay," Maes said. He hopped off the sofa and, before leaving to go and change, he threw his arms around Roy's neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for today!" he said.
Roy wrapped his arms around Maes' small frame and held onto him for a moment. It was the first time Maes hadn't been shy enough to hug him and he wasn't going to waste it. "You're very welcome," he said. He pressed a kiss to Maes' forehead. "Maybe we can do it again soon."
"Yes please," Maes said, his face lighting up. He turned that radiant smile on Ed. "Can we Dad."
"Of course," Ed smiled. "Now go get ready for bed."
"Okay," Maes said. He turned to give Roy one last tight hug before he trotted out of the room. Once he was gone Roy pushed himself to his feet and sat down on the sofa next to Ed. He was so close that their knees brushed as he got comfortable and Ed felt a familiar heat creeping up the back of his neck. He cleared his throat.
"So you guys had a good day then?" he asked trying to turn the conversation to safe subjects.
"We did yes," Roy said. "He's a credit to you."
Ed blushed and looked away. "Thanks," he mumbled.
"He's incredibly bright and extremely perceptive," Roy said.
"Yeah," Ed agreed. "He's eerily perceptive."
"He asked me if we were going to get back together today," Roy said. There was no casual way for him to bring up that he wanted to be with Ed again so that was the best he could come up with.
"Oh really?" Ed asked trying to sound surprised. He had expected Maes to ask one of them at one point, he had seen it on the tip of his tongue whenever Roy had come up in conversation since they came to Central. Ed had been thinking about it too, of course he had but there was something in the back of his mind that was stopping him. "So what did you say?" he asked after he had let the silence stretch on for a little bit too long. He still couldn't quite bring himself to look at Roy yet, thinking that if he did his face would just catch fire.
"I said that it was something I'd been thinking about too," Roy replied.
"Roy..."
"I meant what I said Edward," Roy said cutting him off. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you through all this time." He took hold of Ed's chin, turning his head so that he had to look at him. "If there was anything I could want anymore in the world right now it would be for you and I to settle this and try again."
Ed's heart was pounding in his chest as he looked up into deep onyx eyes. He wanted to give in and say yes, he wanted to so badly but he knew that it wasn't just about him. "We can't just pick up where we left off," he said.
"I know we can't," Roy said. "Things are different now and I'm glad that they are. You have no idea how happy today made me, getting to spend time with Maes and get to know him."
"Do you still want to be Fuhrer?" Ed asked.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Do you?" Ed asked again. "I just need a yes or no answer."
"It's not exactly high on my priority list right now but yes," Roy said. "If the opportunity arose."
"And do you really think that you can do with Maes and I in the picture?" Ed asked. "You've had a child, out of wedlock with your male ex-subordinate. You really think that's going to fly with the people who chose who's the next Fuhrer?"
"What does it matter what they think?" Roy asked. "Surely if I love you and you love me too then what else matters?"
"It matters Roy," Ed said trying to keep his voice level. If he let himself he would just break down, tell Roy that he'd never stopped loving him and just say fuck what everyone else thinks but he knew he couldn't. "Do you really want to have to live with people speculating about our relationship? That hasn't changed. In eight years that is the only thing that hasn't changed!"
"How about the fact that I love you?" Roy asked. "That hasn't changed."
A lump formed in Ed's throat, making it hard for him to breathe, and his eyes filled with tears. Roy's words hit him like a kick in the gut – every time Roy told him that he loved him it made him feel as if he'd been struck. How? How does he still love me after I just took off like that?
The hand that had been on Ed's chin moved to gently cup his cheek. Ed knew what was coming and he knew that he should stop it but his body didn't seem to want to move as Roy closed the distance between the two of them and pressed his lips to Ed's.
Having Roy kiss him for the first time in so long made fireworks spark to life in Ed's head. He whimpered softly, allowing himself to be swept away by the feeling of Roy's lips on his. With a trembling hand he reached up and was about to grab the front of Roy's shirt and pull him closer but he heard something hit the floor in the room above and suddenly remembered that Maes was just upstairs. He placed his hand on Roy's chest and pushed him away, breaking the kiss and the spell it had sent him into.
"We can't," he said, sounding a lot more breathless than he would have liked but at least he had managed to speak.
"You keep saying that but I don't think you mean it," Roy said sounding equally as breathless.
"I do," Ed said firmly. "Look you and I aren't going to work so we should just stop kidding ourselves because I don't want Maes to hurt because of it."
"I don't understand why you won't even consider the possibility," Roy said. "It's not like we haven't done this before; we know each other and we know how each other thinks."
"But I don't know how you think!" Ed cried getting to his feet. "If the last time we were together has proved anything it's that I don't know how you think at all."
"Then why won't you listen to me?" Roy asked, also standing to his full height, and Ed could hear the irritation creeping into his voice. "For once in your life will you just listen to me and let me get through to you."
"Yeah well that works both ways too," Ed said. "Could you just..."
Whatever Ed was about to say was cut off by the creaking of the living room door. Both he and Roy turned to see Maes standing in the doorway staring up at them, his huge golden eyes looking glassy. Fuck! He saw us! Ed ran a hand over his hair and tried to gain himself some composure before plastering a fake smile on his face.
"You okay Buddy?" he asked.
"Were you guys fighting just now?" Maes asked.
Ed and Roy glanced at each other, neither of them really knowing what to say. How do we get out of this? The unspoken question hung in the air for a moment before Roy finally cleared his throat.
"No we weren't fighting," he said. "We were just both being a bit stubborn."
"Okay," Maes said. Ed hadn't expected that to work. Normally Maes would be asking a lot more questions but he was probably too tired to think about the answer anymore than that. He looks exhausted. Ed went over to him and gave his hair a ruffle.
"Shall we get you to bed, sleepy?" he asked.
Maes nodded and yawned. "Okay." He looked over at Roy and gave him a tired smile. "Thank you for taking me out today, it was really fun."
"You're very welcome," Roy said. He came over to Maes and gave him another tight hug. "Hopefully we can do it again soon."
"Good," Maes said.
Roy stood and turned to Ed. "I'll see you soon."
"Yeah," Ed said. He could feel the light blush on his cheeks and there was a part of him screaming at him to just reach up and kiss Roy again. He knew he couldn't though, that would just open up a whole new set of problems with Maes watching.
A moment passed between the two of them, Roy looking into Ed's eyes and Ed trying to pretend that it didn't have his heart racing, before Roy turned and left. Ed waited until he heard the front door open and close before he let out the breath he had been holding. His head was spinning and he felt a little dizzy. How was it that after all this time Roy still had the ability to make him feel like he was a teenager falling deeper and deeper in love for the first time?
Another yawn from Maes brought Ed back to the real world and he turned to see him rubbing his eyes. He picked Maes up and hugged him tightly.
"Let's get you to bed," he said. "You can tell me all about it tomorrow."
"Okay," Maes said softly, resting his head on Ed's shoulder and drifting off to sleep.
'All My Sons' by Arthur Miller