moonstone: Roy is just full of healthy appetites according to him. He probably is eating for Ed too. Squirrel/pig/human chimera. And Ed loves him despite it XD.
Sailor Silver Rose: Yeah... a lot of people hit Roy for attacking Ed in that story. Kang is a good thing to think about so you don't get too murderous towards Roy.
Koorii: Yes, Roy does have the best spy ever. Completely undetectable. He just needs to use Ed... in many ways.
haganeno: Umm... I believe he works it off at night XD. Yes, Roy is Roy, and Roy has trouble keeping his legs together.
Hikari Kura: Yeah, can't answer that question. I can just say that it will happen. And yes, Roy can definitely eat. He'd give a living Ed a run for his money in the black hole department.
GreedxEd: Roy is a goose/rooster. The newest fad of fowl.
Kiss4theRain: Thank you, I'm so glad you got a good laugh out of it. I love it when my humor actually is humorous XD.
Twisted Vixen: I have not seen that movie. I'll have to see if the library has it. I can definitely sympathize with your hand, I do hope it's feeling better all the way by now. And yes, your own version of eloquence made sense XD. And I think Ed will change his mind about Roy dressing in very tight clothes eventually. Then he'll be drooling like the rest of us.
Mary: Well as long as I saved one night through corsets, it is a day well done for me.
Akira: Lurking for only two chapters isn't bad. And yeah... I think Roy's "healthy appetite" is bordering on obsessive.
xwhitexspiritx: I love a good belgian waffle, especially sour cream ones. Mmm throwing food? Throw some my way. I'm rather hungry at the moment.
Tana: It works, eating that much. As long as you do work it off. I tend to do the same thing. Eat my fill during the day and then have a two mile run at night. Why eat like a bird? It's not fun.
kazuko: A duck cycle? That's... cute. But not for Roy, definitely not. Glad you agree he needs a big one. And you are welcome for the motivation. And yum, cake! To go along with Roy in tight clothes! ...while he climbs things and shows off his... ahem XD. I'll send you a PM about the beta thing as soon as I get this up.
Paon: That will be a relief for Ed to get to that chapter. Poor thing.
Cheru-chan: Before I forget... I'm so glad you updated. I must go read. And as glad as I am you laughed, please don't choke on the orange juice! XD. And I'm glad you liked that scene in the market, it's one of my favorite little tender moments from the chapter.
amiegirl17: Thank you, and never fear, I will.
Rei-chan: Good. And Ed's thoughts about that do change over time of course.
anmb: Yeah, I loved that line. And unfortunately I couldn't let it have the romantic effect I dearly wanted it to. So I think I'm bringing it back. Definitely think I am. And yum! I love pomegranate things!
MandaxPanda: I don't think Roy saw that condom part coming either, even if he'd been forewarned with clues on flashcards.
Eli: Flamethrower? Oh hell... And thank you! I'm so glad you love that I made him flustered, and yes, Ed would dump the bedpans over Roy's head. Yes, Roy is a poor man who has been knocked off balance by Ed in the best ways ever.
Infinity: Thank you, I will.
mutantpenguins: Hah, yes, confessions of undying love. We're all waiting for those.
ICan'tRewrite: Just you and Roy are. But you didn't have a ghost to laugh at you for it... or do you? XD
anonimity: Yes, don't worry. It'll get there, but the story has a pace to keep. So eventually those interactions will happen, but no one will thank me if I start jumping guns.
musicaltastic: I love writing their banters. It makes me laugh. And I am feeling better, my fingers are mostly free of bruises now. Thanks for your concern.
Katsheswims: Thank you, that always makes me happy to hear.
So I've things I need to get announced relating to story type things:
1. I made a master list of all my fanfictions. The link is in my profile. You'll find it if you go looking for it. All the stories have links as well to their location. The FMA is down under the Snarry -evil laugh- so just scroll a bit.
2. When I made my master list and edited my profile here, I forgot to do something... save the links to all the fanart sent to me. I think I still have most of the links in my email, if they were emailed to me. But PM's? Not a chance. So if anyone -has- sent me fanart for stories... please help? I totally screwed up that one.
3. For those in possession of an LJ, or who after reading this want to get one for once a year use XD: I am wanting to host an FMA yaoi secret santa this year. I have a comm already set up for it on LJ (fmayaoiholidays). I'd like to get an idea of who on here might be interested in participating. Authors or artists. So just let me know. I know it's currently still August, but it's the end of August, and I want to have plenty of time for people to write or draw. So yeah, let me know.
Other than that really nothing to go over.
College starts up again for me tomorrow? Woo... -headdesks-
Enjoy!
Chapter Nine
Roy tried not to smile as Edward immediately went for the box labeled 'Books'. There were still a few in the stack, and the one Edward had seized had been the one he'd been pulling from during the week to give the ghost things to read.
"I figure you'll be reading them more often than I do." Roy said as he knelt down onto the floor and pulled a box labeled 'Kitchen' to him. He still was missing about half his cookware, and from the weight of the box as he slid it across the carpet, this was where they were. "I'll leave putting them on the bookshelves to you."
Edward glanced towards the bookshelves placed against the wall in the living room. "Do you need any room on them for anything else?"
Roy finished opening the flaps on the box, revealing his missing cookware. "No. Just don't cram them together. There's plenty of room."
The ghost nodded and grabbed the box of books to float over to the bookshelves. He started on the highest one first, balancing the box between a hand and a raised thigh while he plucked book after book out with his other. Each one went through a preliminary inspection of contents, author, and a quick glance at the date of publication before it was placed onto the shelf.
He was exceedingly interested however when he got to the bottom of the box of books where the books changed from actual books to leather-bound research documents that were easily several hundred pages thick. There were five in total in the bottom of the box, each stamped on the leather cover with an alchemy symbol. He didn't have to ask to know, but he did anyway as he stared at it. "The only thing missing is the actual circle but… Roy, are these yours?" He held one of them up as he looked over his shoulder at the man.
Roy glanced up from where he was wiping a small amount of traveling dust off of a roasting pan. "Oh," he blinked as he saw the leather-bound book. So that's where they'd ended up. He knew he'd packed them, but he'd thought he'd put them in a different box entirely. "Yes. They're my personal research on the flame alchemy. I'm always trying to figure out some new way to control it, use it. Those books are full of the details of my trials and errors." And he gave a short laugh. "And what successes there were."
"Were there more successes than errors?" Edward asked curiously and began to set the books on one of the shelves, off to the side, stacked together, where he'd easily remember where they were. He wanted to read them. Wanted to read them now, as it were. But he'd restrain himself.
"Can't recall." Was Roy's answer. "That's why I keep those. One of the books though… it's entirely on my efforts to insert a combination array into the transmutation circle already stitched onto my gloves that would allow me the freedom of non-flame alchemy without the use of chalk. Still snap, but cause something else to happen."
"And how's that working for you?" Edward asked as he finished setting them onto the shelf and began to float back over with the now empty box.
Roy smiled faintly. "I'm getting closer. It's difficult to explain, the stage I'm at. But I suppose to put it in simple terms… if something has the ability of generating heat, I'm able to manipulate it. But anything else rather turns out, shall we say, unstable. I tried to fix a broken window once, and while it can theoretically conduct heat… well, let's just say that it ended up more broken than before and I blamed it on Hawkeye who I had to dodge a week's worth of bullets from."
Edward set the empty box aside. "So do you want that one somewhere else? Where you can easily write in it again?"
"No." Roy shook his head and set the roasting pan aside. "It's filled to the last page. I need to get a new one before I start trying again. The only reason I may need it is for reference, but until that time it can stay on the shelf."
"How long has it been since you've not been researching it?" Edward asked as he found another box labeled as 'Books' and took it into his hands effortlessly.
Roy stiffly got up, wincing a bit as his legs began to yell at him for how he'd been sitting. "About a month now. With the plans to be transferred, and then the actual moving here, time got short for me. Now that I'm finally settled I'll find more time for research again."
"Even if this is the city you need to be at to really work at becoming Fuhrer?" Edward asked as he opened up the box of books and began to pull them free and set them on the bookshelves.
Roy stretched and bent down to pick up one of the stacks of cookware that needed to be put away. "It's easier to do it from here, but not necessary. I'll find the time, I always have for my alchemy. I'll be no good as a Fuhrer if I don't maintain being the best. And-" he grinned, "I am the best."
Edward snorted. "Surely not."
"Well," Roy amended, "there is one person I believe is alchemically more dangerous than I am. But seeing as how we both believe or wish he's dead… that means the crown falls to me."
"My father?" Edward frowned, silver eyes darkening.
Roy merely nodded, and turned to walk out of the living room with his armful of cookware.
Edward watched him go, and then turned back to his own task. He couldn't help feeling that Roy knew more about his father than he did. And really, it wasn't that hard to believe for him. Grownups learned about their alchemy rivals, surely. As a kid he'd only wanted to have 'daddy' around. Had daddy been around? …Not much. And in a way it hurt, that someone outside of the family might know more about his dad than he did. But his dad had abandoned them… family had not been what came first to his estranged father.
And now look at what had become of their family.
A dead mother, a possibly dead father of unknown location. One brother alive, and one brother dead in their pursuit to try and bring back their mother and regain a lost piece of their family. No child ever wanted to lose both parents. And never at that age.
"They were his books." Edward said quietly, darkly, as Roy came back into the room at last. "My dad's books, they had the recipe for the human transmutation. I chose to push my brother and I into doing the transmutation because I knew the recipe was there. The alchemy was there."
Roy paused in his move to pick up the last pieces of cookware. "You blame him? For giving you access, albeit unknowingly, because if you'd never had access to such a thing, never known it existed, you'd never have thought to try it."
Edward placed another book to the shelf. "Yes. I blame him. Very much for that. He left everything… everything. All those damn books… ideas. I suppose if that book had been on a high shelf it wouldn't have mattered. I couldn't reach those books and there were plenty lower down for me to reach. But no, he left that evil book sitting on his desk." And he sighed heavily. "I don't regret anything. I've come to terms with it all. But I still blame him."
"You have every right." Roy replied and finally stooped to pick up the last of the cookware. "He abandoned you, and you needed him. He had no sense of child-proofing anything. But whether he's dead or alive I suppose really doesn't matter anymore. He's not here, and neither you nor I need him."
Edward laughed shortly. "That's for sure. I need no one but you."
Roy grinned and turned to go back to the kitchen to finish putting the cookware away. He was suddenly feeling very pleased with himself. The ghost did need him… and he'd do his damn best to give Edward what he needed. And he was already forming a mental list.
At first, you wouldn't think a ghost needed much. But he knew better now.
Kneeling down to set some things in a bottom cupboard he smiled over at Hazel who scampered to his side. "I brought your new friend home with me. He's had a bit of a trying day, you should try and get him to play with you for a while." And he flapped a hand at the squirrel, "go on, shoo."
Hazel immediately turned and scampered away. He had no clue what his human was saying, but if he was being shooed, he was being shooed. And he bounded back to the sitting room where the furniture was set up perfectly for running and leaping onto. He went from couch, to display cabinet, to table, to back of an armchair, to a bookshelf before he nearly tumbled over himself stopping. He could sense it again!
Edward looked up at the noise and instantly grinned when he saw Hazel there peering over the top of the bookshelf at him and chattering excitedly. "You're awake!" He grinned and floated up higher so the squirrel didn't need to lean over. "I really need to ask Roy if he has proper toys for you."
"Roy does have proper toys." Roy chuckled as he walked back into the living room and turned his steps towards them. "Depends on for whom though."
Edward looked at him blankly for a moment before his eyes widened. "For him! You heard me say 'for you'." And he added quickly, "and not in reference to you you! You keep your toys to yourself."
Roy snickered at the ghost's distress and turned. "Set the box down and follow me. I'll show you where Hazel's toys are kept."
Edward gave him a mistrustful look. "Coming from a pervert I'm not sure that's a safe idea." But he floated to the floor to set the box down anyway and run after Roy.
Hazel immediately leapt to follow the invisible presence he could sense before it got away.
"Don't worry. If we're talking my toys we're not going to the laundry room." Roy chuckled as he led the way. "Although, the dryer-"
"No!" Edward interjected almost frantically. "I don't want to know."
Roy's chuckles gave way to full blown laughter that he only got under control when he entered the laundry room. Walking over to one of the shelves he reached up to pull down a plastic container with a heavy lid that had fasteners on each side to clamp it down. "He'll get into them and hide them everywhere if you leave the lid easy to get free." Roy explained. "And then I have to hunt for them all. So to get the lid free-" he pushed both clamps in at the same time until they clicked, and the pulled them up, "-you have to do it at the same time. Not separately. Otherwise he'd be able to get into it. If you do it separately it won't work."
Edward nodded and peered inside as Roy pulled the lid off. Hazel had jumped onto his owner's shoulder to peer in as well, chattering excitedly. Inside the container were toys that covered every spectrum of the color world, in the brightest shade possible. Some of them looked to have glitter, and some did not. But it was easily the most colorful thing Edward had ever seen.
"Now aren't you interested what my toy box looks like?" Roy grinned at the ghost wickedly.
"W-what?" Edward spluttered and floated back several feet to glare at him. "Absolutely not!"
"There's not quite as much glitter." Roy said mournfully and offered the box of squirrel toys out to Edward.
Edward took it from him with a roll of his eyes. "I wouldn't think you as one for liking glittery things."
Roy smirked, "we all have our little secrets."
"Spare me some of your more secretive ones." Edward grumbled and began to sort through the toys with interest.
Hazel, seeing the box he knew contained his toys floating in midair, immediately jumped for it. He could sense that invisible presence he couldn't touch right beside the box, the presence he knew played with him like another squirrel. And he wanted to play some more!
The result was Roy suddenly lunging forward to grab Hazel in mid-leap around his middle and hauling him away from the box as the squirrel chattered angrily. "Hazel, patience is a virtue."
"Not with toys it's not." Edward snickered and finally found a glittery pom-pom that was attached to a slender plastic rod by a string.
"Depends on the toy." Roy grinned and set Hazel onto the floor.
"I get the feeling we're talking about two different things." Edward muttered and shoved the box back at Roy who took it.
Roy grinned and replaced the lid on it. "Sorry. I do recall that I promised not to fluster you."
Edward's look was utterly deadpan as he stared at the man. "And like I said, I can take it. I'm not flustered. Merely…" he looked Roy over with a smirk, "amused." And with a snap of the slender plastic pole that the toy was attached to he made the pom-pom bounce in the air before taking to darting off through the air.
Hazel was hot on the trail.
Roy set the box of toys back up on the shelf, still chuckling and smiling to himself. He wouldn't say such things to Edward to tease him if he felt the ghost was getting upset about it. But so far they were getting along very well. Normally he only joked around like this with Maes or Riza, when she was weaponless. But he rarely saw them after work these days, such were all of their schedules. And it was nice to have someone around again he could just relax and be himself with. It was the most unorthodox friendship he'd ever known, what he had with Edward, but it was nice.
It was nice having someone here to talk to besides Hazel. You could only talk to your pets so many times before you began to question your sanity.
When he walked out to finish unpacking the boxes he grinned as he saw Edward floating up by the bookshelf, cardboard box of books balanced on his raised thighs, one hand putting the books away still, and the other dangling down the pom-pom for Hazel to chase across the carpet as his wrist flicked back and forth.
"Can you pass your own hand through your body?" Roy asked in sudden curiosity as he knelt down to grab another box to unpack.
Edward chuckled and slid another book onto a shelf. "No. I cannot contort my body in such a manner. I feel solid, to myself. If that makes sense."
"So no Edward du Soleil performances?" Roy laughed and then groaned as he saw what was in the box. Pictures. He hated hanging pictures even on the best of days. With one exception. And it was currently hanging in his office at work.
"Pardon?" Edward blinked at him in confusion as he looked over his shoulder.
Roy looked up from the pictures. "It's got to do with the circus. Have you ever been to a circus? Or a carnival when you were young?"
Oh! Now it made sense. Edward did know the general theme of circus. People and animals doing impossible looking feats with ease. But he could never fit in in such a place, even as a ghost. He could not pass his arm through his leg if he wanted, much less actually have people besides Roy see him do it if he could. "No." He admitted, "whenever they were near Risembool I was never allowed to go. My mom didn't like such places, or something. Something about strange people."
"I think the next time one comes around I'll take you." Roy decided. "If you would like to go, of course. I'm the strangest person you'll meet there."
Edward laughed and shoved another book into place. "You're the only person I'll ever meet again, idiot."
"So is that a yes?" Roy grinned as he sorted through the pictures to hang. Trying to mentally decide where to put them.
"Yes. I think I'd enjoy it." Edward conceded.
Roy grinned, and between the two of them they managed to get through all but three of the remaining boxes before the clock struck three in the afternoon. At that point Edward abandoned both helping Roy with the boxes and tossing a lime green bouncy ball for Hazel.
"So, chess?" He asked eagerly as the last notes of the grandfather clock that was set propped between two walls forming a corner of the sitting room finished chiming.
Roy grinned and opened up another box. One that he had labeled 'Elysia visits'. It contained the things that Gracia and Maes had gifted to him for the times he did babysit their daughter. As he had no children of his own, and thus no child appropriate toys. The motorcycle did not count. And he rummaged through it all before finding the battered chess set and pulling it free. It was one that had seen many uses by a little girl growing up. But it would work fine.
"Who is Elysia?" Edward asked as he spotted the label.
"Maes's daughter." Roy answered and rocked back on his heels to gain momentum and stand. "The one I take out on the motorcycle sometimes. Every now and then I babysit her for them so they can have an evening to themselves."
Edward turned a saccharine smile on Roy. "Well whadda you know, you've a soft side for other people's romances. I wouldn't have thought you'd have time with all your manwhoring."
"It's not manwhoring!" Roy protested in exasperation. "Healthy sexual appetite!"
"Denial and redefining." Edward grinned and snatched the chess set away. "Tell you what. I'll shadow you for the night until you find whatever poor misled man or woman you plan to deflower in their own bed, and when you drag your ass back here before dawn I'll tell you whether or not you were manwhoring."
Roy arched an eyebrow. "You'd risk a bar? They can be a bit rowdy, rather loud." He forewarned.
Edward floated over to the coffee table set in front of the couch and drifted to the floor to sit while he opened the chess set box. "I can find my own way back here if I need to." He frowned, "or, I should. I'll pay close attention when we leave."
Roy shrugged and came to sit down across from him and help set up the chess set on the coffee table so they could begin."If that's what you want. So long as you understand that when I'm at the bar it's time for me."
"I understand." Edward replied easily. "I get that I can't monopolize your life. Besides, I get the amusement of watching you drag yourself back."
Roy glowered over the chess board at him, and put the last piece onto the board before moving a pawn forward. "Just keep the lights off. It wouldn't be the most fantastic thing to ever happen if people started getting suspicious of my lights going on or off at weird times when I'm not home. I'll leave the one in here on, so you can read."
"Don't worry." Edward smiled and moved one of his own pawns. "I'm a smart ghost. My father was Hohenheim after all." He joked lightly.
Roy could only move a pawn for a while after that one. Had Edward just made a joke like that at the expense of the father he hated? Shaking his head in a bewildered fashion he decided that perhaps it might take a great deal of his life to understand the ghost. Not that they were short on time. He'd have his ghostly companion for life.
A daunting thought, yet not one to inspire nausea.
"Does anyone from your work join you in these nightly hunts?" Edward asked at last. "Maes is married… but anyone else?"
"Maes sometimes joins me for drinks. But not for the finding of bed warmers. He's rather happy with his wife. As much as I do love his wife in the non-manwhoring," he ignored the ghost's laugh with a smile, "way, I still cannot fathom his reasoning behind getting married. I can only assume it has something to do with insanity."
Edward smiled and knocked one of Roy's pawns off the board with his knight. "I think it's different if you find someone special."
At such a thought, Roy shuddered. "I happen to think there's something special about continuing to broaden my horizons."
"Roy, your horizons have already intersected. There's no more broadening to be done." Edward rolled his eyes and frowned at Roy's next move.
"Nonsense." Roy declared, but gave no reason why it was. Instead he seized his opportunity for taking both one of Ed's pawns and a question. "Could you feel the breeze today? I noticed it didn't blow you away."
Edward blinked, it must have been a very slight breeze, for he'd not even noticed Roy's hair shifting in it. "No." He replied, "couldn't feel anything. So I doubt a breeze could blow me away. It doesn't seem that nature affects me like it would you. My existence is limited in that respect."
"Well at least don't try messing around with lightning."
"Oh don't worry." Edward snickered. "I may be a ghost, but as far as thought process goes regarding such things, I am still very much mortal in mind." And he effectively removed one of Roy's bishops from play. "I've heard you mention your mother, but what of your father?"
Roy rested his chin on his hand as he considered the board. "He died when I was three. I don't really remember him too much anymore. My mother never remarried." And he suddenly grinned. "I don't think any man alive today could handle my mother. They'd be insane by the end of the week and fleeing for it."
"That's not nice." The ghost scolded.
Roy snorted. "It's the truth. And she'd say the same. Honestly I'm not sure how my father managed to get past that week marker, much less have a child with her and then make her a widow. As cruel as it all sounds, it is how it ended. But seriously, the man had some balls or a lack of awareness. Maybe both."
Edward studied him plaintively. "I'd say your awareness outweighs any balls you have."
"And why do you say that?" Roy asked conversationally.
"Because you can see a ghost. That's a very aware thing for you to be capable of." Edward chuckled softly.
Roy grinned, "well, I am in possession of some admirable genes."
"Yeah, they're not three sizes too small. Miracle."
"Not those type of genes!" Roy corrected as Edward laughed. Rolling his eyes he completed his next move. "Fruit parfait?"
"Thank you, no. I'm on a seven year abstinence from food diet. Very radical new treatment." Edward smirked in reply.
Roy pelted Edward with one of the pieces that had already been removed from the board. As expected, it passed straight through him. But he felt better for it.
They played chess for three hours. When the clock struck six p.m. they'd played a solid eight rounds. And along the way they'd lost track of who was in the lead for winning the most. Together they packed it up, but left the chess set on the table for tomorrow. With only the lid on, Roy felt sure that Hazel would leave it alone. The squirrel had gotten into such things before, and learned fast that pooping out pawns was not pleasant.
That had not been a fun vet visit. And honestly the veterinarian had been amazed that Hazel had been able to pass it through instead of up and dying on the table.
"You mean you can't go like that?" Edward asked as he floated up the stairs next to Roy.
Roy glanced down at himself. "No."
"You're not making the pants tighter and the shirt looser, are you?"
"No. Just grabbing a different shirt."
Edward glanced at it. "I like this one though."
Roy smirked at him. "Do you now?"
Edward met his smirk with a wicked smile. "Oh yes. It's so form fitting. The corset look really will make them swoon."
"I want to dress up just a little." Roy explained as they entered his bedroom. "Something with lots of tiny buttons. It's really amusing and quite erotic the various ways people deal with them so they can get my shirt off."
Edward rolled his eyes, "you've got it down to a science, don't you." He decided.
Roy nodded absently as he rummaged through his wardrobe. "Yes. And before you make some snarky comment about it, no. People do not always go straight for the pants. But that's why I'll add a belt. Not only is it good for-"
"Roy!" Edward glared at him as the man laughed. "I'm hiding all your belts and your button-littered shirts as soon as you're in bed tonight asleep. And then I'm finding that knife and carving out your eyes."
Roy chuckled and pulled free a silk button-up dress shirt of a deep blood red color. He loved the way red looked on him, personally. And he was feeling lucky tonight. "Between you and Hazel, I'll take my chances with you. I get a talking to from that squirrel some nights."
Edward smiled at the thought of Roy being chastised for coming home late and bedraggled by a squirrel. "Are you saying a squirrel is more dangerous than I am?"
"Yeah." Roy winked at him and drew his gray t-shirt up over his head and lobbed it into the laundry basket.
Edward let his eyes flick over the man's exposed chest and abdomen thoughtfully. Roy was still flawlessly white, and his entire torso was a sculpted series of hard muscles. "Shame, I was hoping I'd have to see you do a few hundred push-ups to work off that breakfast you ate."
Roy laughed and pulled on the red shirt to begin buttoning it up. "I have this body for a reason. It won't go away instantly from one breakfast."
"Belt." Edward reminded him once Roy had finished. Apparently the man planned to leave the last four unbuttoned, exposing a rather large portion of skin and with it the hint of muscle. "At least this shirt fits you normally."
"Can't find dress shirts that would fit the other way. They don't make the arms wide enough to fit my muscles without the seams ripping." Roy shrugged as he fished out a belt.
Edward blinked at him. "Really. And that's a problem for you when you go out to do this? You don't want to rip seams and tell the virgins it's because your arm muscles are too big? Too big to fit in a shirt that would leave nothing else to the imagination either?"
Roy burst out laughing and continued to do so as he fastened the belt. "They queue up anyway. No need to be an exhibitionist."
"What exactly does your definition of 'exhibitionist' cover?" Edward wondered mostly to himself. But in realizing who he was dealing with, quickly added. "Don't tell me. Was rhetorical."
"Figured it was." Roy smiled at him and checked to be sure his gloves were in his pocket before turning to head out for a lovely night out. "Sure you want to come?"
"Of course I'm sure. I want to be able to tell you in all seriousness having seen evidence, that you, Roy Mustang, are a manwhore." Edward dropped down through the floor and passed through the walls to beat Roy to the front door. And he watched as the man came down the stairs. "Don't worry about me. I know my limits, and I'll remember how to get back here."
Roy walked over to grab his coat. "Let's go then."
Together they left the house.
Roy hummed a bit as he walked down the sidewalk, the ghost beside him. He made sure to point out street signs with nods of his head and meaningful grunts. But otherwise their communication was null. There were quite a few people out tonight, most heading in the same general direction as they were.
When they got nearer to the bars, it became substantially more crowded. But Roy noticed that Edward stuck close by him, even if the ghost had taken to the air to avoid being walked through. And it seemed that so far the ghost was doing fine.
Edward watched as Roy chose a bar to walk into, but had to bide his time to enter when there weren't people shoving through the doorway. The chatter coming out of it was loud, but luckily it seemed that the music wasn't trying to outdo the patrons. Nervously he waited before he finally saw an opening and darted through the doorway.
Looking around he found that Roy must have already swept the bar with his eyes, and he spotted the man already sitting at a table with a mug of something foaming in hand. No one was with him yet at the table, but Edward didn't go over to him. Unsure of whether or not he'd be welcome to. After all, this was Roy's time. Yet when Roy met his eyes and nodded minutely towards an empty chair beside him, he immediately floated over. Unaware of the brilliant smile that had lit his face upon realizing he was welcome to be with the man.
Settling down into the chair he let his gaze glance over the room. "Are they always this crowded?" He asked as he watched people milling about with drinks, drinking alone, playing cards, and several groups of people who were doing things he quickly averted his eyes from.
Roy raised his glass to his lips to hide their movement. "No. But Friday and Saturday evenings around this time can get pretty busy." And he took a sip of his beer. "It'll get more crowded too." He set the glass down with a chink of cheap glass on wood.
"I'll leave when it gets to be too much for me." Edward muttered as he put his arms around his middle and grasped his elbows. The noise was loud, and grated on him, but it was better than this morning at the market. The culture shock was lessening bit by slow bit. "So what," he asked, turning to Roy, "you just sit here and drink until they come to you?"
Roy smirked and nodded.
"That's messed up." Edward decided. "You're not even trying. Well, aside from exposing a large section of chest. Lazy bastard."
Roy grinned, but said nothing in reply. Only sipped on his beer again.
Edward rolled his eyes and sat back to wait and see what happened. "I bet you don't get anyone tonight."
"Think again." Roy muttered under his breath as he used his glass to hide his lips once more. "Four o'clock from my seat."
Edward blinked owlishly and turned to look. There was a man, maybe just a bit older than he was if he were alive, and this man was staring at Roy with lustful green eyes from beneath messy brown hair. "How can you even see him?"
"Glass." Roy replied simply.
It was then that Edward noticed that the glass filled with that beer was indeed reflecting things like a mirror. "You are impossible."
Roy chuckled softly.
Edward turned to look at the man Roy was waiting for again. "He's the opposite of you, wearing jeans three sizes too small. Where'd he put it?"
"That's for me to find out."
"He's coming over now." Edward alerted and sat back to observe this. And his eyes continuously narrowed further as the man came nearer to where he was sitting.
"Excuse me," the man said as he came over, stopping beside the chair Edward was sitting in. "Is this seat taken?"
"Yes!" Edward glared up at him.
Roy's eyes twinkled mirthfully. "No, please." He waved a hand at it while locking a wicked gaze on Edward.
Edward gasped at him, and squeaked as the chair was pulled back. "Roy!" He dove out of the way as his seat was commandeered. "That was not nice." He chastised the man as he popped his head up from under the table to glare at him.
"Name's Brad." Brad winked at him. "And you are?"
"Available." Roy said boldly, "at least for tonight."
Edward snorted. "You're disgusting. How is that a turn on? Listen to this guy, he sounds like he's done this before. He's not a virgin! He's wearing pants tighter than your shirts!"
That got a smirk out of Roy, but he continued to ignore Edward.
"Your place or mine after we finish our… drinks?" Brad glanced at Roy's thoughtfully. "You want another? Something stronger?"
"I'm fine." Roy glanced at Edward pointedly. "Your place."
Edward scowled but got the point. "Okay, leaving. I don't want to see you two lose control in the alley." He rolled his eyes, and with an evil smirk, knocked the drink Brad had left unattended on the table off with one good smack.
Brad jumped up with a startled yelp as his drink spilled on his lap, showering him with cold alcohol.
"Woops." Edward grinned mischievously.
Roy gave the ghost an amused look and shook his head trying not to laugh before he turned to aiding his would be bed warmer for the night. "Oh dear, we best get you out of those so they can be washed. Wouldn't want them to stain."
"Hey! Don't use my revenge for him stealing my chair as a pick-up line!" Edward chastised him, but smirked in a self-satisfied way. "Evidence obtained. I'll see you in a few hours to laugh at you with Hazel." And he turned to flee the noisy bar through the walls.
Roy watched the ghost go with a smile before turning to Brad. "I hope your place isn't far-"
Meanwhile Edward had floated up high enough into the air so that the noise was not so great. And he floated back towards his new home feeling peaceful. If not just a bit lonely to be going back alone. At least he had Hazel there. And Roy… Roy would be back eventually.
And he could harass the man on how absolutely business-like he'd handled the whole thing. There hadn't even been any flirting.
When he reached Roy's house at last he paused as he was about to sink down through the roof. Hazel was inside… but after a moment he floated down to sit on the stoop in front of the front door and propped his head in both hands as he stared at the sidewalk beyond the fence, waiting for Roy to come shuffling back.