RoyEd, sap, light-hearted banter. PG. Thanks to femmelethale for the beta-job. ;D
Constant, Never
by Maaya
It's depressing how old he's become. Thirty-seven today, holy mother, that is almost forty. When Roy was little, he called people over twenty-five old. His father, at forty-five, had been ancient already, with wrinkled skin and stiff joints. He can imagine himself in his father's place now, with a wooden cane to lean on.
Hawkeye watches him as he, in a fit of depression, silently attempts to communicate with the clouds through the window. You cannot possibly fear old age, sir, she says, shaking her head. She has recently confronted him about a crossword puzzle he had been working on during working hours. She'd found it hidden underneath the reports from Edward. You cannot, not when you have yet to grow up.
Roy wonders how a man such as he should celebrate a birthday. He is supposed to have a wife by now, someone to give him a congratulatory kiss on the cheek and cook extra nice dinner tonight and children to present him with childish crayon-drawings they had made themselves, crooked letters wishing daddy a happy birthday.
He feels uncomfortable thinking about it. It is absurd to imagine himself as the loving family man. Roy was never family-material; it had been Hughes' forte, not his.
The sun is shining today, sometimes hidden by clouds, but it is overall a nice day. Roy's feet move without his controlling them and, after work, he finds that he has ended up at a coffee-shop, not far from the military headquarters. He's been there enough times to know that the usual waitress is twenty-five, very pretty and happy with her boyfriend. But that is fine; Roy has no wish to flirt, not today.
He is taking his first gulp of coffee when Edward walks into the shop.
Roy can't say he is surprised to see him, and Edward doesn't look very startled either. The blond glances around in the room; Roy knows the exact moment when Edward catches sight of him. He stalks up to the table, waving off the waitress who's wondering if he wants something, and slides down into the chair facing Roy's.
"Roy," he greets him while stealing the cookie that came with the coffee. That is fine, Roy hadn't planned to eat it he has never liked the chocolate kind, way too sweet. Edward chews quite happily on it though, leaning back in his chair and grinning through the crumbs, looking entirely too pleased with himself. Like a cat, Roy's mind supplies, who's just finished a whole bowl of thick, extraordinarily tasty cream. Edward finally swallows and continues. "Happy birthday."
Roy raises one eyebrow and grabs hold of his coffeecup before Edward can steal that, too. He gives Edward a warning glare, just to make sure his companion gets the message.
Edward gets it, and shrugs. "First Lieutenant Hawkeye told me you'd be here."
Figures. The first lieutenant really has magic abilities. Maybe it is one of the perks of being a woman. Either that, or it's just the fact that she knows him too well, and hell, it is Hawkeye they're talking about. No ordinary woman would, could be quite like her.
"Did she say anything else?" Roy cleans his fingernails to round out the image of nonchalance. He thinks he's laying it on too thick, but it seems to be fine, because Edward merely shrugs without looking smug.
"Well, yeah."
"Is that so."
Roy plays with the white table napkin. He'd never noticed that the shop had their logo printed on them. Huh. You learn something new everyday.
Edward eyes him for a moment, golden eyes holding a combination of disbelief and...not quite amused cynicism. How is it that the look clearly states just how stupid he thinks Roy is being? "Don't tell me," Edward drawls, breaking the expression to roll his eyes, "that you are going though a midlife crisis, Roy."
Roy curls his upper lip to show his resentment. He would have said that Edward was too young to understand, but even he realizes how stupid it would have sounded. He would never give Edward that much amusement.
"I hope you're not expecting a present," Edward leers cheekily. "You didn't give me one on my birthday."
Of course Edward would apply the law of equivalent exchange to birthday presents. Well, Roy doesn't mind that, either. There isn't much he wants that can be put in a box and wrapped in fancy paper.
Well. Edward would probably fit in a box.
Roy snorts, amused.
Edward looks at him, frowning, as if he can see in Roy's face that he had just insulted Edward's height. "What?"
"Nothing, nothing." It's Roy's turn to drawl with a glint in his eye.
Edward is suspicious, but doesn't say anything more on the subject. He changes it instead. "Will you be home tonight?"
It is nice to be able to nod. Roy is suddenly glad that Hawkeye made him take the evening off.
"I might stop by at some point. Al and I were supposed to work on Farrell's code tonight, but he got invited to some school crap."
Roy finishes his coffee. "You want me to help you break a code?"
"Don't be stupid." Edward frowns at him as if the idea is ridiculous.
"Was that an insult?" It's Roy's habit to rub his thumb and middle finger together when annoyed, really, nothing else.
"Not really. Take it as a compliment about other things." Edward gets up. "I have to go now. See you later, old man."
"Yes." Roy refuses to acknowledge the insult at the end of the sentence. Their age difference is only ever brought up as a joke; it's nothing either likes to talk about. At least Edward gets older alongside Roy.
Roy decides that his thirty-seventh birthday could be worse.
End
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