Mesonoxian: Yay! Smiles are always a good thing. Thank you!
mudkiprox: Roy is just a sweet guy underneath the whole 'I can kill you with a snap' thing.
Ohsnap13: No? Wrong sort of pony? I'll have to bring this up with Roy.
PhantomMouse: I will not hurt you for not reviewing every chapter, don't worry XP And you have no idea how tempting it is to have you beg me with cookies to update. I'm hungry right now. It makes me so happy that you like the story enough to bribe me with sweets. Thank you!
dormantdrake: Harass me Saturday nights on the chat to update -cackles- But I'm glad this story makes you so happy.
Cheru: Ed's about to have a lot of conclusions to come to regarding Roy. And Roy's not really exempt either. But do I mind? Absolutely not.
elemental: Oh wow... my brain totally went down the perverted fork of the road considering your 'why the statue is different' thing.
80x18: That's great to hear! Definitely write fanfics for them! There can never be enough, really. And oooo sugary snacks. May I come read the chapter with you? hehehe
silvers-edge: I've been considering doing a little mini story of why Maes belongs with the zoo... I'll see how things go. My Maes muse is actually cooperating nicely right now, he's got quite a few cameos coming up in later chapters.
The Chemist: It's rather poetic that Maes would belong there. You could get funding to research that man as a unique specie.
moonstone: Ooo another mini story I might have to do. Ed and Al setting fire to the field. I'll have to keep that one in mind. It's something Roy would love to hear about. Hmm, UFO's... don't tempt me.
Alex: Thank you! I'm so glad I was able to give you a good wake up present. And I'll put in a request to Roy to have him make you another horse.
black klepon: No, stalk me on Twitter if so desired. I do not mind. And writing Armstrong is... it's a long story, but I blame nochick_fics for damaging my brain regarding him. And she knows it. I would text her about it every day if I knew she wouldn't send me back something mentally scarring regarding him. So for now Armstrong is not going to get as many cameos, for my own sanity.
SanitysOverrated: Bit by bit they are both starting to come around. They're kind of helping each other on the way there too, which makes it all the more fun.
Shadow Eclipse: Now what in my history of writing would give you the idea that something evil/wicked/bad might be in store for them? XDD
Zemyx: You might have to wrestle Roy for the glass Maes. Depending on who wins, you may or may not get your dragon. And I have never been given a theme song before, that's awesome!
j.d.y: Roy just strikes me as the type of man who'd learn how to use alchemy to flirt as well. And he does it well, doesn't he.
SuperNekofan: All very good questions, and thank you!
Eona: Aww thanks! And Ed is so good at being innocent. I like it equally as much as when he's being seductive.
Liloi: I totally understand those reactions. And they make me so happy! Thank you for your well wishes, as well.
Eli: You send me your dentist bill, and I'll send you my therapist bill because I am going crazy here without you know what. To anyone else reading this, it is exactly what you think, no matter how obscure or kinky.
EdxGreed: Who says I'm jumping on the emo train? I do not have a history of this, I protest!
Kuronueslover: You too are predicting I'm going to do something evil... why would I... *cackles* Oh, right, that. I'm so happy you're loving it! XD
Koneko: Roy didn't always get to the top by playing fair, although with Ed he might want to stick to playing fair. Hmm... I might have Roy make you a dragon as well.
vampirelf: Thank you! I just can't see Ed as not being protective over Maes... and it's even more fun to have a ghost protective of you XD
IchigoChu: I'm so happy to hear that, thank you. I hope it keeps being so for you.
Kimba: Writing the end to Sel Euraidd was hell on me, I think I chose a good time to have written it though, because it was while I was writing this one. They help balance each other out for me.
Marylover: Glad you are doing okay. And yeah, I had to close the anon comments on LJ due to an incident involving much spam, unfortunately.
Halftere: Thank you! I will do so.
GhostMajor: I really need to learn how to sew so I can make plushies of Hazel and send them out to people XD
Aniki: No, not too long. See what happens when you change e-mails? Tsk tsk. I'm glad to see you back.
cynder81: Yeah, Ed doesn't have it easy in that light, but I like to think Hazel tormenting Roy is some form of justice.
Sometime last week, or the week before, I convinced myself into making a list of how many WIP's I have that are not currently being posted. It was over 20. So what do I do? I start another one. Somehow I think that was the opposite effect of what was intended by this exercise. Dear me... so if any of you ever worry that I'll one day run out of stuff to be posting up, don't.
And I had way too much fun writing the Fuhrer and Grand together. This upcoming diabolical stuff is way too addictive for me. And yet? Do not stop me XD
Anyway, I am hungry as hell now, as I just spent the past four hours finishing this up to be posted, so I think I'll spare you all my ramblings this time. However if you find yourself feeling totally robbed by this decision, my ramblings are on my LJ.
So here I shall leave you. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Thirty-One
"Were you being entirely truthful when you said death wasn't so bad?"
Edward couldn't help his smug smirking as he watched Roy flop miserably onto his opposite side. Whether to get away from him, or Hazel, he wasn't sure, but either way it wouldn't help, the sun was in that direction. "Initially for me it was quite painful. But you will not die from only getting three hours of sleep, which I might remind you, is fairly normal for you."
"Yes, but I was driving most of the night." Roy felt obliged to point out, stifling a groan as Hazel scampered around to his face.
Edward let his head fall back as from the very corner of his eye he watched Hazel begin mussing Roy's hair. The high-maintenance man would surely be appreciative. "So are you telling me you regret what we did last night?"
The reaction was instantaneous.
"No!" Roy whirled up into a seated position to stare, shocked, at the ghost.
Edward tipped his head back down, shooting Roy a teasing smile. "Then there's no reason for you to want to die. So get your lazy, complaining ass in that shower before you run late. The country was never run by a ghost fuhrer."
"It might unknowingly be co-run as such." Roy pointed out as he gathered Hazel up into his arms for a morning man-cuddle, smiling as Hazel butted up against the underside of his chin to demand petting. "Okay, fine." He gave in, and as he affectionately began rubbing a hand up and down Hazel's body he swung himself out of bed.
Edward watched silently as Roy vanished into the bathroom with the squirrel and shook his head. "There he goes, thinking I'm a tool again." He grumbled with a constant smile.
When he heard the shower turn on, and shortly thereafter the sound of a body interfering with the spray, he slipped out of the bed himself. Leaving Roy in the trusted and capable paws of Hazel, he made his way downstairs. Actually making a point to take the stairs this time. And once he'd reached the landing he turned into the living room where the wooden cabinet with its glass door showcased the glass figurines – both old and new.
After they'd gotten home last night, or rather, it was more like much earlier this morning, they'd hauled in the new figurines with much care. The resulting minutes were spent rearranging what was currently in the case and manipulating the shelves in order to fit everything without the risk of cramming one at the top.
The only figurine they'd not managed to fit due to its size was the glass pony.
That had been set strategically next to the sofa, a prancing and noble creature. Tall enough not to look silly where it was, and not tall enough so as to get in the way.
Edward had been assured that if Hazel did knock it sideways onto what he was told was a very plush carpet, that even if it did break, it could easily be repaired. Personally, he was of the opinion that at the point in time he and Roy went off on their own for another weekend or longer, that the pony was being moved behind a securely closed door.
After a moment spent happily examining the fruits of Roy's alchemic show last night, he went in search of one of the man's research journals and flopped himself onto the sofa to begin reading. It seemed the more he learned about what Roy was capable of with alchemy, and the more that he saw, the more he was convinced further away from the idea that Roy was a one-trick pony.
Smirking a bit at his own thoughts, Edward found a promising looking section of the journal and began to read.
That was how Roy found him, wandering out from the kitchen where he had grabbed himself an apple to eat. A task that was more difficult than it should be, what with Hazel trying to snatch it away whenever the rodent thought he wasn't paying enough attention to the fruit.
"Budge over." Roy murmured as he came around to sit.
Edward pulled his legs up automatically to make room for him to sit, feeling the sofa dip beneath him and then level out as Roy did. "Feeling awake enough to drive?"
Roy thought fondly back to that singular cup of coffee he'd managed and proceeded to drink down in one fail swoop just minutes ago. "I will be. But we are getting more coffee on our way home tonight."
"What are we doing tonight?" Edward asked then as he turned the page.
"Besides getting coffee?" Roy mused aloud and took another bite out of his apple – much to Hazel's dismay – to think about it. "Well you could practice riding that bike of yours. Or we could take a little tour of some more of Central. Were there any other places you really wanted to see besides the library?"
Edward had lowered the book at this point in order to look through his knees at Roy. Slowly he began to sit up until he was directly facing Roy, the book forgotten for the moment. "There weren't. Everywhere I've lived before now has been too small to expose me to much at all. What do people do in big cities? I mean, people besides yourself."
Roy tried not to read between the lines on that one. "Well if we take Maes's opinion on the matter, it's a nice happy place of toy stores, playgrounds, the zoo, the theatre – of which I also go to on occasion I'll have you know," he told Edward with a stern expression.
"Alone?" Edward smirked back in retort.
"Clearly not anymore, as I'd have you with me." Roy rejoined smugly.
Edward rolled his eyes, "doesn't quite give me the full answer." And then he peered closely at the man. "Are you inviting me?"
"Tonight?"
Edward nodded.
Roy considered his companion thoughtfully, lips slightly pulled together in his consideration. "If there are any plays happening, yes. Would you like to go to the theatre with me?"
Edward grinned at him then, "what do I look like, a girl?"
Roy scoffed in annoyance and swatted Edward's way. "Fine. See if I ask you again."
"Please do." Edward's teasing grin had slipped into a smile clearly reflected in his silver eyes. His demeanor quite changed from the playfulness of before to something Roy couldn't quite put his finger on.
He did the only thing he could do when faced with such a request. He smiled back. "Will you come to the theatre with me? If not tonight, then one day when there is a play?"
Edward tilted his head as if giving it some thought, but his smile never faded. "I think you just might be able to convince me."
"Good." Roy passed the apple core up to Hazel's eagerly grasping paws and looked over his shoulder as the squirrel began to hurry away to munch on his new treat. "Don't you go leaving mushy bits of that where I'll step when all the lights are off."
Edward smirked at the thought, and wondered if Hazel didn't, if he would somehow be able to get away with doing that and not get the squirrel in trouble. "I take it you speak from experience?"
"You've no idea the presents that animal has left for me." Roy informed the spirit frankly as he rose up. "You ready to get going? We do need to return the car, so you could read a bit longer if you wanted."
Edward quickly closed the book he'd forgotten about, passing it over to the coffee table for later. "No. I'm ready. You'll be able to show me more of Central this way. At least for this morning."
More than amiable to the decision, Roy wandered off to get the car keys while leaving Ed to do whatever it was Ed did. Not too long later they were getting in the car and driving off in what Roy claimed to be a good direction for a scenic tour that would take them past the worst of the morning rush of people, bicycles, and the few cars and horse-drawn carts heading in from the surrounding countryside to visit the morning market.
During the drive, when Edward wasn't looking around with avid fascination, he was still attempting to convince Roy to one day teach him how to drive a car. There was a reason he spent more time staring out at the surroundings, they were far more agreeable.
Eventually they did end up at Headquarters, whereupon Roy left the car sitting at the curb and tossed the keys to one of the officers standing around on security detail at the main entrance. No direction was needed, and the officer hurried off to take care of the car after a prompt salute to the Colonel.
When they got up to Roy's office, secure in their privacy, Roy looked over to the ghost as he walked around to his desk. "Today is Friday, you know."
Edward hesitated with a bit of shock, somewhere near the ceiling and the wall. For a moment he just blinked before he dropped down to the floor to consider the man in confusion. "Wait… really?" And he tilted his head as he quickly thought about it. Three days for the exam started on Monday, then yesterday… "Why are you staying home tonight?"
"Well technically I'll be going out with you, so it's not quite staying home." Roy pointed out with a smirk as he settled into his chair with a purposeful air. "Besides, tonight is your night. Seven days in the week means every now and then my every-other-day schedule lands with you on typical date night. Last night hardly counts, you were worrying me. That matters more."
Edward continued to look dumbfounded as he slowly crossed over to sit on the edge of a couch. "Friday… I didn't even realize."
"We've been having a lot of fun." Roy grinned momentarily before clearing his throat. "Which means tomorrow is the weekend. I know it's short notice, but do you want to get out of the city and go anywhere?"
"Go where?" Edward blinked again, confused. "I don't want to go back to Risembool if that's what you mean. I can get there on my own now, thanks to you. I could go anytime I wanted. And I'm not sure your lies would hold up if anyone saw you again so soon."
Roy shook his head with a smile, "no, not Risembool. Actually, if you don't have any preferences, there is someplace I'd like to take you. I think you'd like it there." He considered Edward quite closely then, "I think it would be good for you to see it."
"Where?" Edward demanded in rising curiosity, almost anxious for another trip. Then suddenly added with a forbidding look, "and don't tell me it's another secret."
Roy laughed, fighting off the temptation to do just that. He'd already done that to Edward once, and for good reason, but there was no good reason to do it again now. "From most people, yes. But I'd like you to see where I grew up."
"Really?" Edward was stunned. It had always been a suspicion in the back of his mind that one day he would see Roy's first home, as Roy had seen his, but he'd thought that he would have had to ask to see. Or that Roy would just one day take him there for family-related reasons. Never as an offered vacation.
Roy nodded, a mischievous smile slipping onto his face as he tried to picture his mother's face when he just showed up on the front lawn. "Only Maes has been there before, and Riza only knows where it is." And he leaned forward over his desk with the enthusiasm of a cunning child. "It's not just anyone I'll take there, so you want to go?"
Edward grinned back, entirely taken in. "The chance to see where the Flame Alchemist grew up? Roy, don't you know anything about me? Former alchemic genius sitting here!"
"Oh, right, how could I forget," Roy rolled his eyes as he flopped backwards into his chair with a grin he was failing at concealing, "you're only with me because I'm the "Flame Alchemist"," he air-quoted petulantly.
Edward smirked at him. "That's right. It has nothing at all to do with your narcissism, your ability to see me, your personality, or the fact that you spoil me when I'm just a ghost."
Roy winked at him, but let his head fall to one side as he considered his silvery companion. And quite honestly, he said, "I'd spoil you even if you weren't. You're not just a ghost, not to me."
Edward felt his smirk fade to a smile, peaceful warmth filling him at Roy's words. Words he'd heard before, and yet, they never failed to make him feel content. And for a time he just sat there, warmly gazing at Roy with that same soft smile. "What would you have done with me had I not done what I did and lived?"
"I still would have spoiled you." Roy answered quietly, almost reverently. "Taken you, both of you, away with me. And I'd not have let you go. I still won't let you go."
Edward's head tilted to one side as his smile grew a bit, his hands gripping the edge of the couch as he began to swing his legs back and forth slowly. As if he were timing it to the time it was taking him to think. Not rushed, a steady calm as he relaxed into this peace he felt at this very moment. "I waited here seven years for you. You don't need to worry about me trying to leave you."
Roy didn't answer, he wasn't sure he could have if he'd wanted to. He knew nothing he said would be the truth, and he just couldn't bring himself to lie to Edward about it. He still worried, even after Risembool, that Edward might one day leave him, and the ghost knew it. Edward hadn't said that as some simple, sweet remark. It had been said as yet another attempt to try and gently convince him that he had nothing to fear.
But he still feared it. He knew he did.
The matter was left to the side, however, when Hawkeye entered the office with a cheerful greeting and a stack of paperwork that was significantly smaller than all the stacks before it.
"Where's the rest of it?" Roy asked, verging on sounding offended as the paperwork was set before him with a less-than-impressive thump.
Hawkeye looked at the stack she'd just been able to carry in with one hand, for once, and then looked back up at her Colonel with amusement. "I can try to find you more if you like. But it seems that yesterday might not have been quite as eventful for the country."
"Have Breda and Falman go raid explosives storage of C4 then and do some demolition somewhere. Everyone enjoys a good explosion! It makes for eventful paperwork." Roy suggested quite eagerly, sounding more than serious.
Edward rolled his eyes in sync with Hawkeye, and wondered if he might need to make a week's end visit to Grand in effort to make Roy feel better about the chaotic state of the country.
"Just enjoy the break, finish it, and get your ass out of here early." Hawkeye told him in a mildly exasperated tone before shaking her head at him with a weary smile. "I may never know what's gotten into you, sir, but I'm glad of it."
Both Edward and Roy watched her leave, and the ghost gave a mournful sigh. "I'll never get the accolades I deserve for lighting the fire under your ass."
"As if it was entirely you." Roy scoffed, but when he turned to his paperwork it was with a smile unable to be entirely hidden by his resting his chin down into his hand.
Edward only shook his head at the man before grabbing a book and floating up to his favored corner of the ceiling and opening the book, began to read. And he stayed as long as he could manage it, but when a ghost ran out of books, he ran out of books. And mentally he made a note to have Roy switch out the selection next week. So turning his attention instead to Roy, who was a goodly way through the much slimmer stack of paperwork, he cleared his throat to catch the man's attention before saying: "do you think I have time to go visit Grand?"
Roy underlined something on one of the files before looking up at the ghost, the end of the pen tapping against his lips. "Of course. This file alone will take me almost up until the lunch hour. It's a bit detailed. Just be careful."
"You always say that," Edward smiled in humored resignation, "and you know I always am. Besides, you know nothing can happen to me."
"When the Gate stops tormenting you with the fact that it can cause you pain, I'll stop telling you to be careful." Roy rebuked him, pointing the nub of his pen in Edward's direction. "So be careful, and bring me details if you do anything to him."
Edward snorted, waving a hand flippantly. "I always do something to him." And catching Roy's look gave an amused, exasperated sigh. "And I'll be careful, mother."
Roy could only shake his head, trying not to smile in his own exasperation as Edward vanished out of the office. He had a growing suspicion every day that Edward's mother must have truly had her hands full raising him. Much like his own mother. "Perhaps if we'd grown up together in the same town our mother's would have formed a support group." And he was halfway through another page of the file when he burst into stifled laughter. "No wonder mom drinks so much."
As it was, by favor of good fortune or really bad luck, depending on how Grand took stock of his current situation, he was not in his office.
"You are trying my patience." The words not done justice with the unendingly friendly tone Fuhrer Bradley employed ninety-eight percent of the time.
But General Grand was not misunderstanding in the least, and fought to keep his shoulders squared under the weight of disapproval in the unwavering gaze he was being pinned to the ostentatious rug with. "I've run into setbacks. They happen from time to time, they always have. But they're only temporary, Fuhrer Bradley; they always are."
Bradley's eyes narrowed marginally, taking stock of the lumbering tool he was currently stuck with. For all the firm reassurances he'd been being handed over the years, it had been just that, years. "What Marcoh was able to create in the space of a month took you a year, three months, and six days."
"Tim Marcoh had his specialty." Grand defended through gritted teeth and a tense jaw. "But you gave me the information I need, it won't be much longer now."
"I gave you that information years ago when you proved yourself capable of at least muddling your way through to the step Marcoh left off at. And even with my very concise directions, you are encountering setbacks." Everything but the Fuhrer's voice indicated displeasure, and for Grand, it was downright disconcerting. "I've been lenient, but so are you being. Do not make the mistake of thinking my leniency is interminable."
General Grand did his best not to flinch at the implications of how such leniency might terminate, and he stubbornly glared at his superior. "With all due respect, sir, you're asking me to acquire numbers near to this city's population! Spacing out the acquiring of the main ingredients is necessary to avoid suspicion. Suspicion which carries implications neither of us would want to face!"
"You make the mistake of thinking that this will in any way be able to be tied back to me." Bradley's tone had suddenly gone to an almost deathly quiet, devoid of any pleasantry of before. "If you screw this up, it's being hung around your neck entirely. So don't screw up, Brigadier General. And work faster, draw from other cities if you need to. The source does not matter, just get me what I need. That's all you should be worrying about."
Grand managed not to waver under the threat only by virtue of dignity.
"And do stop injuring yourself." Fuhrer Bradley added, the friendliness back in his voice. "You're of little use to me incapacitated, remember that."
"Yes, Fuhrer." Grand answered, fighting to keep the churlish undercurrent out of his voice.
Bradley studied him piercingly a moment longer before giving a slight nod meant as dismissal. "I expect you to have better news for me next week when you report."
General Grand was halfway to a salute when he paused, lowering his hand as he fixed the Fuhrer with a wooden look. "What of Colonel Mustang?"
"What of him? He won't help you with this." Bradley found himself laughing at the mere thought. "The man is a decorated war hero. He'd never step a toe out of line and risk sullying his name for something we both know he would find inherently wrong. Which is a shame for you, he's brilliant."
Grand tried not to read too much into a potential implication. "I don't trust him."
The Fuhrer actually found himself resisting the entirely too human urge to roll his eyes. "If you did you'd be even more a fool than I currently find you. You wanted him here to keep a closer eye on him, so don't tell me that all of a sudden you've remembered he should scare the shit out of you. Now do your job, General. Or I'll find someone who doesn't always come to me with setbacks to do your job for you."
Grand looked at him seriously a moment longer, before quickly executing a salute followed by a short bow. Only then did he beat an as unrushed seeming retreat as possible. He was a Brigadier General, he had standards to maintain, and besides, rushing pulled uncomfortably on several of his healing injuries.
He had work to do, he knew it; and a lackey to put on Mustang's tail, just in case. He had too much at stake and couldn't afford any interference from a glorified pyromaniac.
General Grand entered his office that day not knowing he'd escaped a more imminent disaster by only minutes.
Meanwhile a certain ghost had already made his way back up to Roy's office.
"Not quite the result you were hoping for?" Roy asked as he caught sight of the silver figure entering the room, looking up to see that Edward seemed less than pleased. And he found himself completely forgetting about his paperwork in the process.
Edward was frowning as he hovered up near the center of the ceiling, before suddenly flipping upside down to look at Roy that way. "He wasn't there. I just wonder where he was."
Roy's mouth tightened towards a straight line a moment before it eased. "It is normal work hours for both Maes and Armstrong. Wherever Grand was, I guarantee you he had one of those two keeping tabs on him."
"I know, but still." Edward looked off to the side, "I guess I'm a little disappointed. Messing with him makes me feel like I can do something to help."
Roy considered a moment, before laying down his pen and getting up from his chair. Walking around the desk he stretched up a hand to Edward who was still upside down on the ceiling. "Come on down from there. All the ectoplasm is rushing to your head and muddling your thoughts." And he waited with hand outstretched until Edward gave in and floated down well within arm's reach and standing properly. "I'm going to tell you something that even Grand would understand: never rush to pull a trigger."
Edward's head tilted somewhat with a small frown. "Grand would understand that?"
"Well," Roy gave a humorless laugh as he lowered his hand from where it had rested near Edward's arm, "maybe not now. But any man with his aim would have once learned that. Sometimes you have to track a target, even if you can't always see it, before you can take a final shot."
"But you're tracking completely blind! How can you be so composed?" Edward demanded.
"Because I'm not a marksman." Roy smiled then. "I'm something far better. So be patient. Wherever he was, he was being followed there. And who knows, maybe when we get back on Monday he'll be in a far more vulnerable state after spending so many consecutive days in the clear of random acts of violence against him."
At last, Edward finally nodded, and after several seconds spent in seemingly deep thought, gave Roy a sudden bright smile. "I'll have an entire weekend with you to plan what to do to him next! You will help me, won't you?"
Roy's laugh was real this time, "my talents are always at your disposal."
Edward rolled his eyes. "Just be sure to use discretion. There are some talents you've alluded to that I don't want to know anything about. In fact, I will stick your motorcycle in a tree if I ever see more of your supposed talents than I want to see."
"Hey now," Roy complained, turning to follow after Edward who had headed past him towards the desk with a wicked smirk. "That's just below the belt, messing with my motorcycle."
"Funny how the punishment would fit." Edward shot Roy a grin over his shoulder.
"Get your mind out of the gutter." Roy rebuked moodily, and then made a mad dash for his office chair as he caught wind of Edward's intentions. He barely beat the ghost there, falling into it with a cry of success.
He didn't understand why Edward was laughing so hard until he looked up.
Hawkeye was standing at the door, both eyebrows raised towards her hairline, looking as if she didn't know whether to write this off as just her superior being strange again, or if she should call down to the medical ward. "Sir, what are you doing?"
Roy snuck a glare towards the gaily laughing ghost, who only laughed harder as a result, and primly sat himself up straight in the chair. Holding his head high, he picked up his pen again as if nothing had happened. "My paperwork, of course."
"And that little… maneuver was?" She asked, head weaving slowly side to side with each word as if it would help her understand.
"I was judging an acceptable leaping distance for matters regarding the State." Roy held up the topmost file, brandishing it to her disbelieving eyes.
"Right." Hawkeye said, in a tone that implied the exact opposite. "You know, sir, if you are missing your old glory days of being active in the field, I am sure the regular officers would not mind you joining them on the obstacle course. You can jump around as much as you like."
Roy barked out a laugh and threw his pen down in exaggerated disgust. "I'd wound their egos. Now what do you want?"
"Lunch?" She posed the question as if it should have been obvious. "I tried paging you but you didn't pick up the phone. I assume now that it was because you were trying out for the Military long jump team."
Roy shot her a fond scowl, "shut up." And he looked over to the clock, mouth pulling together in thought before looking back to her. "I'm going to skip it today. You all go on ahead without me. I want to finish these up – " he tapped the thin pile of files, " – and then get out of here. I have things I need to get done today, I'll catch lunch on my way out."
"Just make sure you won't be reprimanded for cutting out early." Hawkeye sighed, giving her Colonel up as a lost cause as far as today was concerned.
"You're the one who suggested it!" Roy couldn't help but point out with a grin.
Her eyebrows twitched upward again in a slight mockery, "I'm not your superior though, am I."
Roy shuddered and gagged childishly. "The Fuhrer won't mind. All I have to do is claim State Alchemist business and show him my library log of how many books I've checked out recently. We are meant to be self-sufficient and motivated, something more than what you regular officers are."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that last bit." Hawkeye deadpanned, but she was smiling. "Just leave the files on my desk when you're done, sir." And with a resigned shake of her head exited the office with a perfunctory salute.
Roy waited until he was certain the door was firmly closed and Hawkeye wouldn't be coming back through before he quickly rounded on Edward and flung his pen at said ghost who 'eeped' and dove to the floor for cover. "Brat."
Edward surfaced with Roy's pen and fresh laughter, and his silver eyes glittered with his mirth as he threw the pen right back at the man. "Idiot."
Roy stuck his tongue out petulantly before rescuing his pen and getting back to work, ignoring Edward when the ghost came over to rummage through his desk – quite literally through. All he knew, on the edge of his consciousness, was that Edward pilfering pieces of blank paper and a pen couldn't lead to too much chaos. At least, that was the general working theory when dealing with a bratty apparition.
And together they worked on their various projects in silence until Roy closed the last file with a groaning stretch and a pleased expression.
It didn't take any effort at all to convince Edward that it was time to leave, and walking over with the small stack of paperwork, he looked down to see what the spirit had been working on. His eyes widened almost immediately, and a grin began to tug at his lips.
"Think they would work? I haven't done one of these since I died." Edward admitted, staring down at the pieces of paper that were littered with drawings of alchemy circles. There was only enough space between each circle to distinguish them as separate.
Roy let slip an amazed laugh. "Well I'll be damned. Edward, if anyone could pull some of those more complicated ones off, it'd have been you."
"You won't try?" Edward teased then, brightly folding up the papers to take with him.
"On Hazel." Roy determined as seriously as he could manage, strolling towards the office door. "When we get back Sunday evening and he has destroyed the house again." And promptly ignored Edward's protests with a wide grin as he ducked out of his office and hastily shut the door between them. As if it would stop the ghost.
It took Edward several blocks after they'd left Headquarters to convince the man to admit he wasn't serious. Only to realize a short time later that they were heading the opposite direction of home, or anywhere else Edward had ever been for that matter.
There was certainly enough of that old, white world fading away to signal he was entering new territory. Although by the way Roy confidently walked along, it was familiar to him.
"Where are we going?"
Roy didn't answer at first, only shot him a quick wink before moving forward just a bit more purposefully. They were almost there, and then Edward would have all the answers he needed.
"I'm being ghost-napped again." Edward muttered, hopping up into the air and floating after him at the quicker pace. There was not much he could do about the fact that his legs were short and Roy's legs were unfairly long, he refused to run to keep up with the man. He just knew Roy would tease him endlessly for it.
And then he began to notice the state of the current surroundings and groaned. "Roy, I know I get tonight with you and all, but you could have warned me you were wanting to pick up a specific sort of lunch."
The look Roy gave him was entirely offended, and he huffed in indignant pride as he marched on. Doing quite admirably, he thought, in not smirking. And he led them past the upscale bars and restaurants, and several flower shops until he reached his destination; stopping to look up at the sign affixed to the façade with a certain smug contemplation.
Edward stopped as well, and not ever having seen a building like this before, with a curious frown he followed Roy's gaze to the sign reading: 'Central Theatre Group'. It took a moment to sink in, and then in his shock he could clearly feel Roy's eyes on him, waiting.
Roy's question was clear in the arch of an eyebrow, and the challenging twinkle in those dark eyes which exactly matched his smile.
Edward grinned, and nodded. "See when there's a play next. I'll go with you."
Roy winked at him then, smile broadening in a pleased way as he sauntered over to the ticket office where a bored, pockmarked teenager who should have still been in school was manning the desk behind the plexiglas window. At least there was someone there, that was a good sign.
"Can I help you, sir?" The teen asked, seeming to come a bit more to life when faced with someone from the militia who might find cause to interrogate him if he didn't extend gratuitous customer service.
"Not just yet." Roy said dismissively, but was pleased to note that the teenager's attention didn't stray. Quickly he glanced at the schedule of upcoming events, and finding that there would be another show starting next week, turned his attention back onto the teenager. "Show me the chart of open seats for the Tuesday night performance."
The chart was quickly tendered through the slot at the bottom of the window, a teenager's hand along with it as the boy gripped onto a pen with which to point. "Anything that is not colored in by the green, sir." He said, tapping at a green square in indication. You could never really know, after all, if someone was colorblind.
Roy only had to look for less than a minute before he motioned at the teenager, who quickly turned over to him a green pen. "Here. I want it reserved entirely." He said, placing a rather blatant green 'X' over a square that he knew from experience denoted a private box seat almost right against the stage. It was the best view he could manage when he wanted to take Edward. He wanted to be able to talk to the ghost after all, and he couldn't do that if they weren't in private.
"Yes, sir!" The teenager perked up even more, and drew the chart back to him along with the pen. Quickly writing up the bill he tore off the customer copy which bore the monetary damage about to happen to Roy's bank account.
Roy couldn't find it in himself to care. It would be entirely worth it to do this for Edward. So pulling out his wallet, he paid up. When he had the tickets in hand – four of them – he made his way back to Edward who had waited for him near the curb while he'd dealt with the transaction.
"Well?" Edward asked eagerly as Roy walked back over.
"You could have come over with me." Roy teased, despite being quite obviously in public, and began to make his way back how they'd come.
"I was nervous." Edward defended in a muttering way, as if ashamed to be heard.
Roy cut through an alley so they could talk, directing a frown over at his companion. "Why were you nervous? You do want to do this, right?"
Edward flipped around in front of Roy to get the man to stop, nodding eagerly. But he quickly looked away with an almost shy smile, which Roy couldn't help but smile back at, and he waited patiently for Edward to explain.
"I've never been able to do anything like this before, and with you?" Edward gave him an amazed, searching look. "It feels kind of too nice to be real. I think it's all still a bit much for me sometimes."
Roy felt his smile slip, but his eyes were fond as they rested on Edward. "Well, you're perfectly welcome to bring a support group of two other ghosts." And he held up the four tickets, fanning them out so that Edward could see. "I wanted us to have privacy, but I'm not opposed to you bringing a few friends."
Before Edward knew it, and although he didn't understand why, he was laughing. And he was still laughing even as he followed after Roy who had flashed him a grin and resumed walking for home. Finally when he was able to get control over himself, he reclined in the air to float backwards and reach his hands out to where Roy held forward the tickets for him to see. "I'm not sure you could handle two more of me, Roy."
Roy looked down at the four tickets in contemplation, and then shrugged as he looked down smilingly into Edward's eyes. "I'm happy with just you."