Helpless
It was happening again.
Roy silently watched as his lover bit off a pained moan and rolled over in bed once more, as if changing position would somehow cause the agony to cease. Edward's brow was dotted with a thin sheen of cold sweat and his human arm helplessly clutched at his automail port, so tightly that the tips of his fingers were near white.
The younger man's shifting had woken Roy out of a sound sleep over three hours ago, and the couple had remained awake since then... Both suffering in their own way.
And the night wasn't even a third over yet.
Roy started as the shuddering blond suddenly let out a strange sound, half-whimper and half-sob, and it was all he could do to not sit up-- jump up-- and offer to help. He'd do anything to be able to erase the creases of agony from his companion's face and sooth him back into a peaceful rest. Anything.
But there wasn't a damned thing Roy could do. His own research and the reports of various doctors had confirmed as much: This was Phantom Limb Syndrome, and there was no medicine or treatment that would be able to cure it. It was 'All in your head', every single specialist had said cooly.
Ed just had to wait for these spells to pass, and he would never know how long that would take or when one would come back for another pass. The infrequency of the attacks only made the waiting worse.
Now Roy was laying in bed with Edward and pretending to be asleep. His lover's pride was strong, and if he knew how often Roy lay awake at night and worried... then the younger man would be even more unhappy. Roy didn't want that.
There was another tiny pained noise, and the mattress bounced as Ed curled into a tight little ball. This particular bout really did seem to be worse than other ones, noted the silent watcher with concern. That was a depressing thought... Roy hated to think that Ed's condition was degenerating.
Mentally sighing, the dark haired man decided to risk it. Carefully, he rolled over in bed himself, eyes closed and face slack as if he was asleep. The way Edward needed to think he was. The moment he started to move, he felt the blond freeze. Roy was sure if he opened his eyes, he'd find two too-wide ones staring right back at him in horror.
Feigning a sleepy mumble, the older man moved over to Edward's side. Once there, it was a simple matter to gently throw his arms around him and pull the blond close. Roy was sure not to put any pressure on the automail and prayed it was at least comforting to his lover.
It must have been, for slowly the tenseness leaked out of that small body. Edward relaxed against him, and grew silent. All and all, a slight improvement.
Roy seriously doubted that a mere hug had stopped Ed's pain, and he understood breathing patterns well enough himself to know the other man was still very much awake. This was, sadly, no more than a mere gesture, even if it was the best he could do.
Still...
Metal fingers intertwined with warm human ones, and then squeezed.
Maybe it was enough. Almost.