AN: Ah, I'm not really happy with this chapter T.T But I needed to write this one since it's important x.x And it has RoyEd fluffiness X3!

And again, this is not really angsty, but more on the drama-side I guess O.o… Maybe I should switch it XD.


Chapter 6: Goodbye

Edward hadn't felt so happy in a very long time. He glanced over at Roy who was sitting next to him in the Ferris wheel and felt his heartbeat go up as the Flame Alchemist looked back at him, a rare smile gracing his face. Not a grin nor an annoying, arrogant smirk. Just a smile. He looked back to the front—they had reached the top and gained an amazing view of the village. It was evening, the lights illuminating the fair, giving it a glow. Edward cursed himself for acting like such a girl, but he found it… romantic.

He found himself scooting closer to Roy, as one arm wrapped itself around his shoulders and another hand was placed on the side of his hip. Edward raised his head to face Roy and immediately felt warm lips pressed on his own, moving against him. His arms found their way to Roy's chest and waist and he let out a small snort as the hand that was on his hips, hit a ticklish spot.

When he felt a tongue glide over his bottom lip, he let out a small gasp in surprise. Roy took this opportunity to slip his tongue inside Edward's mouth and started to massage the latter's tongue. Edward moaned softly—he didn't care that Roy was having the upper hand, he liked it. He moved his tongue slightly and was pleased to hear that he had elicited a small moan from Roy as well.

Roy was in seventh heaven himself—he had never known that even such a simple thing as a kiss could feel so special when it was with Edward. His heart was pounding loudly, his chest was feeling weird and he wished that he could do this the rest of his life. He usually got tired of women so quickly and easily—they were nothing special and they became boring. But Edward… Roy could feel that this was different. Of course, he had known that for two years, since he had decided to wait with dating until Edward came home (he hadn't known it would be for two years, but he had prevailed nonetheless!).

The moment was over when the wheel started to turn again and they both stopped for air. Roy mentally cursed the wheel and their need for oxygen as he gave Edward another quick kiss on the lips when they stepped out of the attraction.

"Well, we'd better go home," Roy announced. "It's getting late and we still have a two hour drive ahead of us. Edward groaned.

"Ugh, don't remind me."


They arrived just before midnight at Edward's home. The drive had been terribly boring, for both Edward and Roy. Roy had wanted to make-out, obviously, but Edward had refused to do so when there was a man glancing at them through the mirror every ten seconds. Roy then had told the driver to not look in the mirror, to which Edward had smacked him, saying he was a pervert and that he should wait. It was highly unfortunate for Roy, since none of his female dates had ever had problems with public display of affection.

"Well, thanks for taking me to the fair, Roy!" Edward said, grinning. He really had enjoyed himself. Before Roy could answer though, the door immediately opened, showing a very nervous Alphonse. Edward blinked.

"Niisan! Where've you been? The military was here, they want you back in Drachma!" The happiness that Edward had felt before came crashing down instantly, leaving only a feeling of dread and fear. The same went for Roy.

"W-what?" Alphonse pulled them both inside the apartment and walked to Edward's bedroom, getting out only seconds later with a suitcase in his hands. "They want me now?" Alphonse shook his head.

"They want you back within the month. You're going to Auntie Pinako and stay there until the war's over. I refuse to let you go there!" Alphonse said, his eyes starting to tear. Edward could see Winry sitting on the couch, her face buried in her hands. He felt a trembling hand on his shoulder and found that it was Roy's, who was looking at him intently.

"They'll find him there," Roy said. "If he disappears, the first place they'll search for is his hometown."

"Well, where else is he supposed to go then! Don't tell me that you want him to go back there!" Alphonse yelled, completely losing control of his emotions. All he could think about was that his brother had to go back to fight the war, had to risk his life again. All he could think about was that his older brother could never return again.

He had been living in fear for two years and he wasn't planning to let his brother go again.

Roy's grip on Edward's shoulder tightened slightly as he tried his best to stay calm himself. "Of course not Alphonse, I'm just saying that if you send him there, he will be found and probably get executed for treason or get sent back to Drachma anyway. Edo, have you tried resigning?" Edward nodded.

"Yeah, but they wouldn't let me go. I can only resign once the war is over," Edward replied, his voice shaking slightly.

"It was a direct order from the Führer," Alphonse added. Roy nodded.

"Is there a place where they won't search for you?" Edward thought over for a moment, before he shook his head.

"Auntie Pinako is the only one we have," Alphonse said. He sat down on the couch next to Winry and gently swung an arm around her shoulders, while burrowing his face in his other free hand. "Damn it, what are we supposed to do then?" he asked to no one in particular. Edward shrugged.

"Listen, it's my own goddamn fault that I went there in the first place. This is my problem and I'll just have to go back th—" Roy cut him off with a chaste kiss, grabbing both of the older Elric's shoulders with his hands and, after pulling back, he looked at him in the eyes.

"This is not your problem, this is our problem. Alphonse, Winry and I have a say in this too." Edward was quiet and cast his eyes down to the ground. He didn't want to go back, he didn't want to leave everybody behind again. He didn't want to kill people anymore, he didn't want to see other's die in front of him. He didn't want to fight for his life anymore. He just wanted to live with his brother, his childhood friend and the person he loved.

But what could Alphonse and Winry do against the military? Absolutely nothing. They could hide him for a brief moment, but that would also mean that they were involved in his running away from the military, which would cause a lot more trouble for them as well. And Roy could hardly do anything, since he was a General and it had been a direct order from the Führer and had probably been requested by General Bell.

If he went back, chances were that he would never see his brother, Winry and Roy again. The chances of him dying there on the battlefield were immensely high and, even if he did survive, he had no idea of how much he could take. The nightmares were already severe—he didn't want to see any more blood or bodies for the rest of his life.

He couldn't do anything. He was trapped.

"I think we should all think about this. Edward, come outside with me for a moment. I need to talk to you," Roy said. Alphonse and Winry both stood up.

"No, you can stay here. We're going to bed as well," he quickly said, giving a small smile before grabbing his fiancée's hand and heading to their bedroom. Edward turned to face Roy and was surprised when he felt the man's lips pressing on his hungrily, his tongue immediately entering Edward's mouth, taking advantage of the smaller boy's surprise. Roy's arms snaked their way around the smaller man's waist and pulled him closer, their bodies pressing together. Edward threw his arms around Roy's neck and ran a hand through his black hair, lingering on the back of the General's head.

When they finally parted for breath, they let their foreheads rest against each other, both of them panting slightly and never once breaking the eye contact they had made.

"Edward," Roy breathed. "I love you." Edward thought that, at that moment, he couldn't breath.

"I love you too Roy," he said, his voice shaking. Roy gave him a soft and warm smile, before he pressed his lips on Edward's forehead. "I have to go. Bye." Roy gave him a look Edward couldn't identify, before he walked out the door. The older Elric stood rooted at the same spot for over fifteen minutes, just looking at the door, before he headed towards his own bed for a restless night.

Roy sighed as he stepped into the car and ran a hand through his black hair. He honestly didn't know what he was doing, all he knew was that he wanted to do this for him. He didn't want him to go back, he didn't want to miss Edward, but some things just couldn't be helped. What Roy was going to do could kill him, could scar him even more, but he would do it.

He would do this for him.

Roy didn't sleep that night.


The next day, Edward's only reason to go to work was to see Roy again. He wanted to see that face as much as possible, before he had to leave to Drachma. Edward just couldn't see any other solution—all involved a high risk for the people he called his family getting into trouble just for him. He didn't want them to suffer because he made, yet again, a stupid mistake. That had happened too many times before and he didn't want it to happen again.

When he entered the office, he saw, to his surprise, Riza sitting behind Roy's desk, her face buried in her hands. Edward thought he could hear her sob slightly and found out seconds after he had closed the door behind him, she actually was.

"What's wrong?" he asked her. She looked up, tears streaming down her face, before she took a piece of paper that was lying on Roy's desk. Edward's heart started to pound louder as he felt fear welling up inside of him. There was something wrong, something very wrong. He immediately grabbed the paper and started to read it.

"T-this," he started. Riza nodded.

"There was also this," she said, wiping the tears away from her face. She gave Edward another letter, this time sealed in an envelope and addressed to him. He opened it.

Dear Edward,

I'm sorry that I have to tell it to you like this, but there was no time to visit you, nor did I have the courage to do so. I called the Führer yesterday and I managed to convince him to withdraw his order. There was one condition—that I would go in your place.

By this time, Edward's eyes started to tear and it dawned on him why Roy had acted so weird—why Roy had told him that he loved him and why Roy had looked at him as if he would never see him again.

By the time you read this, I'm already gone. I hope you can wait for me to return to you, which, I assure you, I will.

With all my love,

Roy.

"T-that idiot," Edward sobbed.

Riza could only agree with him.


AN: Kyaaaa, I was actually planning on letting Edward hide out with Roy so that there was oobermuchos fluffiness, but I think this'll be a little more exciting, ne? x3 And, don't worry about anything, I'm a firm believer of happy endings x3… well, most of the time. I still haven't decided—happy, or not? I'll let the audience choose n.n