ranni: Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it so far XD
moonstone: Grand bashing is fun! It should be recognized as an official sport in Amestris. Ed would be its champion.
Sapphire Nymph: We love to hate Grand here XD
Anemone Kurosaki: If Grand were put into an asylum it'd make Edward's day. He'd be able to go visit whenever he wanted, and Grand would never be able to escape.
Woobatty: Roy did so many bad things that chapter. Incinerated Ed's favorite couch, hid his chess pieces, the man is going to be in for a proper haunting unless he's careful XD
Toki Mirage: Thank you! And that does seem to be the popular vote for how people want me to end this XD
Alex: Thanks XD. Yeah, Hohenheim has my love... but Roy loves Ed. And Roy is... Roy, which means he's sometimes as hotheaded as the fire he creates.
Eli: Dates? I assure you they are not dates. They are... friendly outings XD
gali-o: There usually isn't, but I'm of the opinion that Maes is on the parent volunteer board for school activities, and he'd want the school to go all out for his baby girl. So I'll see what I can do XD
egyptian1995: Even I'm not sure I want to know where Roy hid those pieces... and no, Roy is still a failure at guessing Ed's dessert. The poor man.
Cheru-chan: Yay! I'm glad I can get away with torturing you. It's fun. And Hohenheim seems to like doing that to even the readers, talks you in circles but tells you nothing as you later come to realize.
Kat-of-Shadows: Roy really is the hugest sap. He acts all dangerous to everyone else, even blowing stuff up underneath Maes, but when it comes to Ed he's entirely doting. I just think he's precious in all his contradictions.
AlistairAmore: Yeah, I felt bad for doing that to Ed... but I had to. I know I wouldn't like my own father saying I was unnatural, and Ed and I have pretty much the same relationship with our dads. But at least he has Roy to exact punishments in the form of a prompt right hook.
MyStrangeObsessions: I think it should worry me that so many people, including myself, enjoy beating up Grand... but I'm not worried in the least XD
Koneko: Oh I was freaked out writing the Gate laughing. -shudders- And oh no, I've imagined that couch being put to good use many a time where Roy is involved.
The Awesome Squiggle: Fanfiction is so much better than brains, I agree.
cocopower1: The carnival shall be fun. I'm rather excited to get started on it.
run4life: Yes, I've experienced that moment before. And then I stay up until 3am reading. There's nothing wrong with a motorcycle obsession either... especially where Roy is involved sitting astride one. I am totally up for you making cookies, by the way! Shower us with cookies! I shall have Ed feed them to Roy. Your entire review was completely amazing, by the way, I wish I had the room to go for it here... but thank you. I'm glad I've managed to hook you on something you normally wouldn't go for, being the guyxguy thing. Definitely stick around! We all have a lot of fun here... or I do teasing everyone XD
Bonna-chan: He's never really needed to, but he'd be able to if he'd seen inside them once before. Honestly, I'd be scared of what I'd find lurking in Roy's desk drawers.
etimeturner: I take full blame with pride. And Daphne really does need to teach Ed how to shoot a gun, I think Roy would appreciate the view of Ed with a weapon XD Hopefully you'll remember some of your questions!
Look at me! A prompt update!
...yeah, I'm laughing too. What can I say, the holidays - relatives - sap all my time and energy. They're like parasites this time of year, and when it's the only time of year they want things from me, it doesn't make me too willing.
But anywho, I did buy a bunch of stuff for me over the past two months. Mostly anime. I bought my Junjou Romantica sets, which are my pride and joy of course. No more watching them online in a small box. And I also bought Roy's gloves and a flamel dog tag to wear at work. Because I just happen to appreciate the symbolism of combining the two XD
And I sent out holiday cards... that was fun. I am an artist! Sort of. Not really. Roy is damn hard to draw for me.
I also already have my holiday story written, which I believe I'll have to post up early. Which I'm sure depresses everyone.
Anyway, I believe that's all for now, other than I'm going to Egypt for a month for my 25th birthday to celebrate my ancientness. I believe I'll attempt to build myself a pyramid to house my immortal, ancient soul.
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Predawn the following day found Edward lying quite peacefully next to Roy as he listened distantly to the heralding sounds of the songbirds as they predicted the sunrise. Faintly he could hear the hums of engines as the rare car passed by on the street. And just behind him he could hear the clicking whir of the air conditioner as it debated whether or not to turn on.
All in all, it was rather hypnotic.
So when seconds later, Roy's rarely used alarm clock blared to life in disturbance of this peace, it was only reasonable that he fell through the bed with a startled jolt.
Edward managed to recover himself, and popped his head up through the mattress to stare in bewilderment as Roy growled his way through turning off the alarm clock. "Roy?" He ventured in his confusion. He'd never seen the man use the actual alarm clock before, it was always Hazel.
Roy shoved himself upright in the bed with a shallow grunt, and as he spotted Edward's head poking up from the mattress, frowned. "What are you doing down there?"
Edward blinked, making a soft noise of confusion before he realized what Roy meant, and quickly floated his way back up onto the bed itself. "Why did you set that noisy thing?"
Edward's words redirected Roy's attention instantly, and with a bit of a smirk he climbed out of the warm haven of his bed. "Come on, get up. You're seeing this."
An entirely wary expression overtook Edward's face as he tracked Roy's progress to the bathroom door. "I'm not sure I want to see that."
Roy paused with a frown of confusion, before suddenly understanding with an amused snort. "Your loss. At least get up."
As the bathroom door snapped shut behind Roy, Edward could only blink after him in puzzled wonderment. Just what was Roy doing? He was almost apt to think the man was sleepwalking, if not for the fact that an alarm clock had been involved. It was the flushing of the toilet that jerked him back to himself, and he clambered off of the bed.
"What are you doing?" Edward asked, the instant the bathroom door opened to reveal an unshowered and still-in-pajamas Roy Mustang. A sight he rarely saw.
Roy glanced over at him with a grin before making his way promptly to the bedroom doorway which stood open for Hazel's access. "You'll see. Come on, come on!" He chided eagerly, which to Edward's ears sounded almost comical coming from the man.
Curiosity and amusement caused Edward to follow after him, and he told himself it was also partly for Roy's own safety. He wasn't yet convinced the man was in his right mind. "Roy, are you certain you're fine?"
Roy scoffed as he looked back over his shoulder at the ghost, "you ask me this now? After living with me for almost a month, now?" But he said nothing further on it save for a resurgence of his grin as he led the way down the stairs, and upon reaching the bottom said cheerily "morning, Hazel!" to the squirrel who fell from his curled and asleep position atop the bottom of the banister to land in a shocked heap on the floor.
Edward could sympathize only too well with the baffled look Hazel was giving Roy, and gave the squirrel a bracing look.
Roy, on the other hand, found this all too amusing and continued on with a laugh. When he let himself out the back door he turned to smile mysteriously at Edward. "I have a surprise for you. Meet me up on the roof."
Edward hesitated only long enough for Roy to vanish from his view, and he darted out after the man, spotting him already climbing up the walls like a human incarnation of Hazel. "You do realize you are in your pajamas and haven't preened yet?"
"Yeah!" Roy called down as he swung a foot up onto a second story window ledge.
"You realize a virgin might see you and run the other way?" Edward called up to him again, before floating after him to catch up.
"Don't care." Roy declared as he scrambled up onto the rooftop.
"You don't…" Edward blinked, and considered this hard evidence that there was something indeed gravely wrong with his friend. He quickly landed on the roof as his mind whirled with the possibilities of what must have gone wrong. "Roy, you – "
"Edward." Roy interrupted firmly, but kindly, as he flopped down onto the rooftop and crossed his legs before pointing out at the sky. "Look."
Edward turned to look on reflex, and barely stifled an awed gasp. Silver eyes wide in wonderment, he slowly sank down to sit next to Roy, never taking his eyes from the horizon. "Is that… what is it?" He asked in a voice barely a whisper, as if anything louder might shatter the scene.
Roy smiled as he watched the solar eclipse, the moon now fully having centered against the sun to cast a halo of white light about it. A serene white light almost perfectly identical to the light Edward emitted, and with that undertone of mystery that could draw any living man like moth to flame. "An eclipse."
"I've never seen one before." Edward whispered in awe, glad he didn't need to blink, lest he miss even one flare of the beautiful light. The sight of it made something inside him clench tightly, as if the beauty of it would make it hard to breathe. He remembered how he'd felt when he'd first seen the sun again after so many years in confinement. That was nothing compared to how he felt now as the white light began to flare with spots of red at the edge of the darkness that was the moon.
"I heard there'd be one this morning," Roy spoke just as quietly, "the guys at work – anyway, I wanted you to see it, and I wanted to see it with you."
Edward felt a smile slip onto his face. This was the reason Roy had flown out of bed an hour early? To watch the sky with him? As he watched the moon begin to noticeably slip aside, he chanced a quick glance over to the man. "Your mother was right about you, you know." He murmured fondly as he turned back to watching the eclipse once again.
"She usually is." Roy agreed, not questioning what about.
Edward smiled to himself, even as he felt a part of him fracture in sadness. Yes, she had been right. Any person lucky enough to steal Roy's heart… he knew they'd be happy. Lucky. That Roy would pull himself out of bed just to surprise him, a friend, with watching an eclipse while knowing how much it meant to him… Roy had a big heart. He'd make someone very happy one day.
"And this is just one eclipse." Roy spoke as he rested back on his hands to keep watching the progression. "I'll make sure you see them all."
Edward could only hum in recognition he'd heard, unwilling to look away again just yet, or speak. The crescent of glowing white light was growing larger, and he feared that if he looked away now, lost focus, that it would be over all at once. That the strange comfort that ethereal light gave him would be gone all too soon. That the comforting irony of it would be gone too soon.
The sun and the moon, that together they'd create a light so similar to what he shined with.
How long ago was it now that he'd confessed to Roy why he'd not personally given up what color his hair had been? How long ago was it that Roy had reassured him with those words that had made him feel such happiness and at the same time, emotional pain.
"…I have to let you in on a secret… the moon isn't any less entrancing or beautiful."
Even now, they made him smile in a happy, but slightly pained way. Even if he couldn't understand the reason of the pain. And now here he was, watching an ironic and breathtaking celestial representation of what he'd become. What he was.
It was some time before he noticed that the profile of the man sitting next to him was off from how it had been, and that was curious enough to get him to look over, away from the red glow that had nearly chased away all the glowing white light.
Roy merely smiled as Edward blinked around at him. "Can't risk looking at it too much anymore for too long. I still have mortal eyes."
Edward tilted his head slightly in concern, darting a glance to the increasingly bright red glow and then back to Roy. "You don't have to stay up here with me, if it'll be too tempting to look."
Roy chuckled lightly and shook his head with a soft smile. "Watch your eclipse, before it's over." And his smile only gentled as Edward did, even after a moment of looking indecisive. But he could see the way the ghost's eyes lit up as they watched the phenomenon. And slowly lowering himself down onto one elbow so as not to distract Edward, he rested his head in his hand as he watched over the spirit, believing that if he looked hard enough, he could see some of the reddish light reflected in Edward's own glow.
Edward wasn't sure how many missed passed before the eclipse was over. In a sudden and yet gradual way, as if it had the power to hypnotize the human mind. But the sun appeared in its full, complete glory, despite seeming somehow diminished as a closing act. And he gazed at it a moment longer in an effort to burn the scene into his mind before he turned to seek out Roy.
He fell still through his turn as he saw that Roy was watching him closely, steadily. The man was just lying there, watching him as if he had all the time in the world to just stare, and wanted to. Edward hesitated a moment longer, before lowering himself down as well to lay facing the man whose attention never wavered.
"I'm not sure Hazel will think to find you up here if you fall asleep." Edward finally whispered, having found it strangely difficult to speak and break the silence of whatever moment Roy was in.
Roy flashed a small smile before his face relaxed again. "I won't fall asleep."
"You say that now." Edward replied softly, "but isn't it tempting?"
Roy breathed out contently, curling his arm beneath his head to pillow it there as he never once lifted his gaze from Edward. From those silver eyes that gravity would be envious of. "There are far more tempting things than sleep, right now." He assured with a flicker of a smile. "Just lay here with me a bit longer."
Edward made no move to get up, only shifted closer towards Roy until they were barely apart, and closed his eyes in relaxation. "Did you really mean it when you said we'd see all the eclipses?"
Roy smiled faintly as he reached out to brush a hand unfelt through Edward's hair, and fought back the want to lay his arm over the ghost. It wouldn't work. So he forced himself to pull his hand away, and instead laid it between them as he studied Edward's face in repose. "I promise it." He answered, adding as insurance, "and if I ever break that promise, you may haunt me as you see fit."
"But aren't there a lot?" Edward asked, brows drawing together in a frown, though he didn't open his eyes.
"Not enough." Roy answered, thinking that once every few years, if that, was hardly enough. Not for the way Edward enjoyed them, with the appreciation of someone who still couldn't take seeing the sky for granted.
Edward smiled to himself, and sank a bit deeper against the pressure of the roof against him. "Making commitments, Roy?" He teased lightheartedly.
"Commitment sounds far too dreary." Roy complained, "I prefer to think of it as an oath-bound duty to a friend."
Edward made a face, opening his eyes to pin Roy with a look verging on repulsion. "Forever the soldier. I'll have you know that 'oath-bound duty' sounds far drearier than 'commitment'. Damn Military men, spouting things like that, it's no wonder so many of you are single."
"Hey!" Roy laughed in argument. "I happen to prefer being single!"
Edward rolled his eyes, "being single is sacred compared to what you do. You're not allowed to call yourself single. You may call yourself… loose and unattached."
"Flattering." Roy deadpanned through a slight growl.
"I am single." Edward continued without pause.
Roy rolled his eyes at this, and before Edward could prattle on any further, launched himself up off his side to bring his hands to rest on either side of Edward's head as the startled ghost flipped onto his back to stare up at him with wide, curious and trusting eyes. "You are not allowed to be single." He said firmly, surprising himself at just how rigidly the words had left his mouth, but he didn't dwell on it as he turned completely serious, jealousy flaring to a barely restrained life inside of him. "Being single implies the potential to fall in love with someone, and I don't want to share you like that with anyone."
"All I have is you." Edward reminded him softly as he looked up at the man hovering over him. "No matter how many people you introduce me to, you're still the one I waited seven years for. Besides, you shouldn't get so worked up over something like that anyway."
"It's entirely your fault." Roy accused without malice, and righted himself so that he was now sitting on the rooftop, gazing partially towards the sun. "We should head back inside now. I have work to get to if I want to finish in enough time to change before we go to the theater."
Edward brightened at the reminder, having forgotten entirely in the thrill of seeing his first ever solar eclipse. "I still need to find other ghosts for the other tickets!"
Roy snorted in amusement as he began to walk to the edge of the roof so that he could begin climbing back down. "Just what I need, more ghosts."
"Won't people think it a bit strange that you reserved a whole box for only one person?" Edward asked, and began to follow Roy over the edge of the roof.
"Let them think I got stood up and had been planning my own entertainment during intermission." Roy offered.
Edward pulled a face, believing that on some level, the ease with which Roy was able to come up with something like that wasn't good at all. But there was another, more interesting little matter, that intrigued him more. "Have you been stood up before then?"
Roy paused in his descent down the wall to give Edward a reproachful look. "Of course not! One chance is all someone gets with me, in more ways than one."
"So in order to take me to the theater, you're now willing to let people believe the great Roy Mustang was stood up?" Edward clarified with a grin, "it's not much of an image to ruin, but really?"
Roy felt himself smirk slightly, and he shrugged before resuming his way down the wall. "As long as you enjoy yourself tonight, I don't care what anyone thinks."
Edward smiled, and said nothing further to it as he floated down to wait for Roy on the grass, and then followed the man back inside the house after one last smiling glance to the sky.
Within the hour Roy was ready to go to work, and after some brief teasing of a still confused Hazel, they left. Fortunately their walk to work this morning was uneventful in comparison to yesterday, although a small part of Edward wished they'd run into Hohenheim again. He still had yet to properly express his displeasure towards his inept father. But as things were, he was a bit grateful that nothing out of the ordinary opposed them. He just wanted today to be over with as quickly as possible.
He had his first theater play to see!
But get to Headquarters they did, and without incident. Once there they fell into their normal, easy routine. Although Roy might have protested that paperwork was more of a headache than anything easy. In his mind if everything in the Military were easy, paperwork wouldn't exist. Edward, however, had no complaints at all about the fact he still had a rather nice stack of books to read, and he happily went to it as he floated in his favorite corner of the ceiling.
It wasn't easy to tell the passage of time in the office, being so absorbed in what you were doing. But after three files of a rather intimidating size had been closed with exhales of relief on Roy's end, Edward figured they'd been here a while. He still hadn't finished with the chapter he was on, but as he saw that Roy was looking rather forbiddingly at the next file, decided they both needed a temporary reprieve from their activities.
"What exactly are these files usually about?" Edward asked as he alighted himself on top of the finished stack and cradled his book in his lap.
Roy's pen fell slack in his grip at the interruption, and he pivoted the chair to peer up at the apparition. "Normally? How our stationed troops nearly avoid starting the next war. They like to make it sound as if they're not at fault but… I've been a part of such soldiers. I'm not naïve. I review them, as one of the commanding officers and an accomplished State Alchemist and in some cases attach my review." And he glanced towards the next one awaiting his attention with a deeply calculating look. "As much as I complain about it though, I need to know these things. I need to know which troops have filed the most problems, and who their commanders in the field are. When I'm Fuhrer, I need to know where to make changes first."
Edward nodded slowly, it was a reasonable aim. One he was proud that Roy had. He'd never really given much thought or care to who was Fuhrer, as a kid, or as a ghost entrapped. As long as the country had one, he figured that there was nothing to worry about. But since meeting Roy he thought differently. For the first time in his life, he cared about the logistics of who was running the country. It wasn't at all to do with the fact that Roy was the only one truly in his life now. If he felt the man would be a terrible leader, he'd say so. He had no problems voicing his opinions when it came to Roy, he'd proved that time and time again. But he truly believed that Roy would do well as Fuhrer, and he wanted Roy to be Fuhrer.
So he'd help however he could, support him however he could, until Roy reached that goal.
"Otherwise…" Roy began to twirl his pen, "it's just members of my own team, here and several that I support elsewhere, filing for damage claims or mission reports."
"When you become Fuhrer, I'll help protect you." Edward promised sincerely. "There are evidently some dangers that exist that the others can't help much with, but you've got me."
Roy closed his eyes against the sigh he could feel building. "We're not going to have another of these arguments. I don't want you to do anything unless I need the help. Remember, out of anyone, I think you'd be able to tell if I needed it. So if I don't, I want you to stay safe. I don't care if no one else can see or touch you. I can see you. And you're as real to me as anyone else."
"We'll always have this argument," Edward smiled, "and you know it."
Roy groaned, but didn't argue that. Instead he sat straight and opened his eyes again. "Doesn't help that I can barely get mad at you for it now."
Edward grinned at him cheekily, and was about to respond when the phone on Roy's desk began to ring. Shooting it a withering frown, Edward made his way up off the desk as Roy gave him an apologetic look and reached for it. He was about to shrug it off, and tell himself that Roy needed to get back to work anyway, when something that struck familiarity in him flashed in his peripheral vision down in the courtyard the window looked out over.
It only took him the barest of curiously frowning seconds to spot what it had been, before his frown deepened. "I'll be back. I'll be safe." Was all he said, before dropping the book from his hands in order to soar through the window and out into the open air beyond it.
Roy whirled around in his chair, the phone dropping from his grip as he watched Edward do a backwards flip before pelting straight down through the air. Launching himself out of his chair he threw himself against the window, trying to see where Edward had gone, what the devilish brat was up to this time.
When he saw, he immediately whirled to scramble for the phone again. "Maes, I need your help right away."
Meanwhile past the courtyard, and now among the shaded pathways of the inner gardens that were never used for their purpose of relaxing the State employees and instead were used for covert meetings, Edward continued to float just behind his quarry. Glad that Roy had expanded his access to Headquarters so thoroughly.
"You're falling apart before everyone's eyes." The Fuhrer assessed in disdain. "Yet you have the audacity to continue to think you are still of use to me. Why?"
Grand knew that he'd been on thin ice before, after the last talk the Fuhrer had given him. But now, he was on fractured ice, and the slightest wrong movement would send him under. "I may have run afoul of some mishaps which I now believe to have been staged against me on purpose, but I'm not your Brigadier General for a lack of not rising to the problem. I'll take care of it, whoever it is. Besides, name one alchemist who'd do what you ask of me now, besides that lunatic Kimblee. Or Archer, who you know would leave a blood trail back to the lab. They both would, but I've managed to keep this entire operation entirely off the grid since it began."
"Have you." The Fuhrer voiced neutrally, not sounding as if he cared one way or the other.
Grand scowled, continuing to hobble along with his cane. "Not even Mustang has a clue. I knew it'd be best to keep him close, keep an eye on him, once we got to this stage. We're nearly complete, and then I'll have the power to cleanly get rid of him. No collateral damage. That's why I'm still of use to you."
"You do not care for taking lives. Many men share this trait." The Fuhrer noted, dwelling briefly on the notion of what would happen if he decided to release Kimblee just for fun… and then thought better of it. "Move Kimblee in with the next group. I wonder what qualities his tainted soul will have on the end prize."
"If he still has a soul." Grand muttered sarcastically.
"The same could be said for you, I'm sure Mustang would agree. You two have never truly seen eye to eye." The Fuhrer mused, sounding almost humored by it.
"Colonel Roy Mustang," Grand spat into the begonias. "Flame Alchemist and Hero of the war, I'll be glad when I can finally kill him."
The Fuhrer hummed thoughtfully to himself, "I don't need you to kill him. There are plenty of others who could accomplish the task. But he's not the real threat right now, not to you. Find out and take care of whoever keeps debilitating you. If your injuries progress to the point where they affect your cleanliness in the operations, I'll feed you to the Stone myself. You're gravely mistaken to think I have any loyalty to you just because I made you my Brigadier General. When it comes down to it," the Fuhrer turned to stare at Grand with cold seriousness in his eye, "you're just material to me. I'll recycle you if I must."
Grand paled, unable to stop from doing so under the discomfort and pain he was in. Not to mention the threats. A façade was out of the question, and honestly, a small part of him believed it to be the best. He dared not let the Fuhrer decide he wasn't taking this seriously. "Yes, sir." He said in a strained voice.
The Fuhrer turned away from him with a disdainful huff. "Get out of my sight, and you'd best hope that the next time you see me, it's because you produced promising results."
Grand hurriedly saluted, adding in a short bow as best he was able, before hurrying away as fast as his cane and injured body could carry him.
Edward watched Grand go long enough to see him go inside before turning his attention back to the Fuhrer who still stood in the same spot. "Roy gets to kill him, not you." He disagreed softly, before his features hardened. "I know what you are now."
The Fuhrer was glaring out at the trees, their beauty lost on him as he tried to fight the urge to kill every human in sight in his frustration with one. Was what he asked for so immensely difficult? That it must take this long? Yes, he had practically eternity, but he didn't want to spend it doing this!
Edward frowned at the Fuhrer, and slowly, his determination setting in with an iron will, he stalked across the path to come up on the homunculus's side with steely fire in his silver eyes. "And you will not kill Roy. He belongs to me."
The Fuhrer's eye darkened with suspicion, and he reached up a hand to rub at his eyepatch. He was getting the strangest sensation that he wasn't alone, but that was ridiculous. Nevertheless, he slowly looked around, seeing not with his visible eye, but his other.
He'd barely managed to look to his left when he was overcome with a sharp wave of agony that sent him collapsing to his knees. As he breathed hard through the lightning flashes of pain that danced color across his normal vision, he growled as he recalled that this wasn't the first time he'd felt this. But the first time, he'd managed to avoid collapsing by already having been seated.
"What the fuck is happening to me?" The Fuhrer spat angrily as he tried to master himself. He was a homunculus!
Edward was likewise on the ground, gasping and shuddering as he fought back flashes of the Gate and that strange symbol. "Roy…" he moaned pitifully, unable to get to his feet yet, much less the air.
"Damn it." The Fuhrer snarled, looking up to be sure none had seen him collapse. Only to silently shriek as another wave hit him, and he fell fully to the earth with a solid thump.
"Wonder if I can kill you this way." Edward gasped through the pain, a hysterical laugh bubbling from him as he managed to make his arms move enough to push him up. Which was more than what the Fuhrer had managed to do. "Because I won't let you kill Roy. Even if I have to do this to myself to be sure he gets a clean shot at you. It's worth it, for him."
The Fuhrer had pulled free his saber, and was now using it to lever himself up from the ground, still sucking in large heaves of air. He hadn't a fucking clue what was going on, only that when he looked in a certain direction, the consuming pain smashed into him. With a furious yell, he wrenched the saber free, swinging it through the same empty air with his eyes shut.
Edward gasped and tumbled aside, even though he knew it couldn't touch him. It was easy to fall down, getting up had been the hard part. "I refuse to let my father think of us as similar beings. I'm nothing like you," he choked out as he tried to regain himself. "We never thought we'd be this way, we never asked for it, and I for one don't understand my existence, but I know now what I'm supposed to do with it! Who is it you're trying to protect?"
Another wave of agonizing pain engulfed him, and Edward knew that the Fuhrer must have looked his way again. But another slash of the saber didn't follow, and he only looked up from his trembling and gasping state when he heard crashes through the foliage.
Watching the Fuhrer stagger away in what was clearly a flight, Edward slumped back down to the path, unmoving save for the shakes that wracked his body. The Gate still flashed in front of his eyes intermittently, and it felt almost as though the image were rooted in his brain. Managing to curl up into a fetal ball, Edward continued to tremble, whimpering Roy's name helplessly.
It felt like hours he'd laid there on the path, realizing how lucky he'd been that the first time this had happened to him, he'd been able to still manage to stay afloat and get away. But this time… this time the Fuhrer must have looked at him directly. Fully. More than once. And he could barely stop trembling enough to work out the strange stiffness that had overtaken his body.
He could only guess, with bitter humor, that it was some kind of ghostly paralyzation, brought on by the pain only the Gate could give to him.
"Edward!"
Edward stirred as he heard Roy's panicked voice, and managed to raise his head as the man dropped hurriedly to his knees beside him. "Roy, I –"
"What's wrong?" Roy demanded, sounding on the verge of panicked anger.
"I'm sorry." Edward whispered, dropping his head to the path again. "I'm so sorry."
Roy looked at the ghost helplessly, before abruptly sitting in the earth and putting a hand to his head. "It was really bad this time, then?"
"Three times." Edward correctly softly, slowly managing to uncurl himself.
Roy muttered several curses under his breath before sighing and leaning forward to run his hand through the ghostly hair. "Edward Elric, you'll be the death of me. Are you going to be okay?"
Edward began to push himself up, managing to do so to a lopsided extent, before pulling himself on his hands until he rested through Roy's legs and the man's arms came around him like before, even if neither could feel it. "I knew you'd come find me… I'm sorry."
"Stop it." Roy scolded sternly. "You're impulsive and crazy and Xerxesian. Don't apologize."
Edward barely managed a glare as he worked on steadying himself. "It starts to go away faster when you're with me. I'd have followed him, but I couldn't make it. I'm sorry. He was stronger than me at pushing through the pain, he managed to get away."
"Maes told me." Roy muttered darkly, and looked around at the pruned and preened trees with a sigh. "He was the one who called right before you left. I told him to find the Fuhrer and stick with him, I had a suspicion you'd go after him more than Grand today."
"Is he around now then?" Edward asked, suddenly worried that they – Roy, was being watched while by all appearances he acted like a crazy person. Even to a best friend.
"No. He followed the Fuhrer up to his office before reporting to me that he'd seen something strange. The Fuhrer convulsing in fits of pain. Seems he was in enough pain and freaked out enough by it that he didn't notice Maes. For which I'm very grateful… but I knew you had to be in pain too. I sent him to watch Grand so I could come find you in peace."
"He and Grand… they want you dead, Roy." Edward whispered worriedly, tracing at the alchemy circle on the back of one of Roy's gloves. "I won't let them kill you."
"I don't plan on dying." Roy whispered gently in reassurance. "Don't worry, I've known they'd rather me dead for years now. Many people in the Military would. But just as many, if not more, want me alive. And while I'd feel obligated to keep living for them, it's for you now that I want to stay alive."
"They're close, they said so." Edward continued, tilting his face up to Roy's. "Then Grand plans to come for you. They mentioned a lab."
"Did they now?" Roy queried lightly as if unconcerned, but his eyes narrowed. That, combined with what Edward had mentioned before from his raid of Grand's office… Maes might only have one field trip after work. "Battling against Grand supercharged by a philosopher's stone would be difficult… even with the number you've done on him… but whether he comes for me, or I come for him, I will stop him."
"The Fuhrer, I think, is on his last straw of patience with Grand. If you want the opportunity to do what you plan, you need to hurry, Roy. Else my delightful other half of wrongness will rob you of the chance." Edward added. "You'll not find him cut into little bits you can burn, as he tried to do to me, you'll – "
"He what?" Roy asked furiously. "The Fuhrer drew his weapon on you!"
"Well, yes." Edward blinked, thinking it perfectly reasonable since the man was overcome with pain and seemed to expect an attack.
"That settles it. He dies after Grand. Painfully. Very painfully." Roy seethed, enraged at the idea that anyone would dare try to harm Edward.
"Don't lose focus or sight of the first goal." Edward attempted to calm the man, even though he was secretly rather pleased by Roy's defense of him.
"Of course not." Roy muttered darkly, but gave himself a mental shake. "If you can get up now we really should head back inside. It wouldn't do for me to be seen out here by any of the Fuhrer's spies, not after what just happened to him."
Edward nodded as he looked down again, as if it helped him to mentally gather himself. "You've no idea the effort it sometimes takes to get airborne." He muttered, but managed to push up from the ground with wavering progression.
"I'm not sure I'll ever entirely understand the physics of your ability to float." Roy agreed, and as soon as Edward seemed to be making steadier progress, got to his feet himself. "Still seeing the Gate?"
Edward shook his head, coming to rest only inches off the ground and slightly stooped. "I think that little delight has stopped now. But I wouldn't worry about the Fuhrer mentioning to his spies that they should be on the lookout for anything out here. I… I'm like him enough to know he won't want anyone to know he was practically crippled just like me. From what he believes to be thin air."
"Still, we don't want to take any chances. Especially of him happening to look out the right window and notice me."
Edward could agree with that sentiment and concern, and made an effort to get himself floating forward. After the first few moments it became easier, and Roy had caught up to him, hovering like a worried mother hen.
Once they reached Roy's offices again, the man fielded all queries as to why he'd apparently rushed out the door like a madman, and promptly locked himself in his office.
"You know that won't help anything." Edward pointed out wryly.
Roy ignored him, instead pointing to the remaining couch with an expression that bore no room for protest. "Lay down and rest. I don't want you even considering getting up until we have to leave. I'll bring you books, whatever you need, but you stay there."
Edward grumbled at the order, and any other day he might have protested, and still he wanted to… but he'd not noticed before just how exhausted he felt. Stretched too thin, as if the incident earlier had torn into him and just kept tearing. So he went without complaint over to the couch, curling up tightly on it.
"Just rest." Roy repeated softly, and after a moment unbuttoned and slipped free of his military jacket in order to lay it over Edward's body. He smiled with fond amusement as he saw that the jacket was quite as big as a curled up Edward, and sat himself on the coffee table to gaze down on the ghost who was blinking tired silver eyes up at him. "I know you're not anywhere close to being recovered from that. Not yet. So just take it easy for the rest of the day… I want you to be able to enjoy tonight the way I know you wanted to."
Edward nodded, ducking his head down to burrow his chin under the collar of the jacket. "I'll be strong enough one day to face him with you and not make you worry. I will be."
Roy felt something in his chest twist in an emotion that felt quite close to sadness, and he slipped from the table to kneel at Edward's side. "We'll have this argument later, brat."
"Promise?" Edward chuckled faintly and clutched the jacket tighter around him.
"Yeah… I promise." Roy agreed, and when it was clear to him that Edward wasn't going to say anything more, rose to his feet and made his way back to his desk. He still had plenty he needed to do, he was just glad that he could concentrate now, knowing that Edward was back here with him and safe again.
All through the day Roy ignored the times the others would knock on his door, the intercom queries Riza voiced through the speaker on the telephone mount, the fact that he'd still not eaten lunch. He kept the door firmly locked, so that no one might see his jacket floating above the couch, and he pushed through the paperwork with a new determination.
At one point, Edward had managed to stretch out along the couch, looking far more like his nimble self. But the ghost had stayed silent, so Roy didn't call over to him. Merely kept an even closer eye on him until the point he reached the end of his paperwork.
Gathering it all up into his arms he walked over to the couch once more to stoop down and meet the silver gaze Edward turned on him. "We'll leave as soon as I drop these off to Riza. How are you feeling?"
Edward slowly sat up, testing his limbs carefully before looking up at Roy with a warm smile. "I feel more like myself again. Not so weighted down and stretched."
"I'm glad." Roy breathed out a quiet breath of relief before straightening back up with a smile. "I'll be right back and then we can go."
Edward nodded, and as Roy finally unlocked the office door and went through to face the questions, he slipped from the couch before laying the military jacket across the back of it. He truly did feel a lot better, and the time he'd spent in silence, just laying there listening to Roy work… it had soothed a different part of him that he hadn't realized needed it.
As Roy promised, he was soon back. After the man had gathered up his personal items and pulled his jacket back on, they left the office to head for home.
"I'll have just enough time to change and have dinner brought to me before the show begins." Roy announced cheerfully enough as they walked.
Edward thought it a bit strange that Roy wanted to change clothes for the play, but then, he supposed he might not like to go in a uniform either to something meant for personal pleasure. "They serve food there?"
"They will to me." Roy smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Highest paying patrons, which I am, get special treatment. You're fortunate to have ended up with me."
Edward rolled his eyes, "I know I am… but not for that. Thank you, for taking care of me today."
Roy glanced out of the corner of his eye at the ghost, a small smile on his face. "You're welcome."
Over the remainder of the walk home, the open air seemed to perk Edward up back to his normal enthusiasm, and Roy was grateful for it. He truly had been worried about the ghost. But now Edward was fairly skipping through the air in enthusiasm as he crowed happily about being able to go to the theater.
Upon reaching the house, Edward didn't even wait for Roy to get the door before zooming inside. Roy could only shake his head with quiet laughter and follow.
Edward was bouncing in the entryway, his eagerness beginning to show in a different way. "Come on, hurry!" He insisted the moment Roy had locked the front door behind him. "I don't want to be late… are you sure you need to change clothes? Can't you just take off the jacket?"
Roy turned an aghast look on the ghost as he began to mount the stairs. "I'll have you know that I don't find the pants flattering at all."
"Why does that matter? I don't think your lime green boxers are flattering on you either, yet you still wear them."
Roy nearly tripped up the next stair, spluttering. "What?"
Edward rolled his eyes and perched on the stair railing beside Roy. "You heard me. So why change?"
Roy rolled his eyes and carefully made his way up the last stairs. "I wasn't aware you paid such close attention to my boxers."
"Wouldn't boxer briefs be better for a man like you?" Edward mused thoughtfully, completely innocent in what he believed an entirely scientific question.
Roy tripped up the last stair, and barely managed to keep himself from face planting into the second-floor landing. In fact, he believed he pulled a muscle in the effort. "Dare I ask – no, I don't want to know."
But halfway to his bedroom, he had to admit… Edward had a slight point about the visual appeal. But Edward didn't approve of his "manwhoring" ways, so why? It truly was bewildering him, and he wondered if Edward wasn't completely recovered. Pain could do strange things to a person's mind.
Edward followed cheerfully but curiously after the man, ending up behind him and peering over his shoulder as Roy looked through his closet. "Don't just stand there, grab something!"
Roy looked over his shoulder with a withering glance. "I'm not going to just grab something."
Edward raised his hands up on either side of him in a gesture of defeat, and floated over to the bed where he descended with several bounces before settling in. Pulling the covers up around him until only his head poked free he continued to watch Roy root about in the closet.
At first, he wasn't sure just what Roy was doing. Initially he thought he'd seen the man act this way before, and had been about to call him out on acting like he was going out with one of those poor virgins, when he realized that Roy would have chosen something by now.
More than once it seemed Roy had settled on a shirt, just before stuffing it back away with a grunt of displeasure. He'd gone over the entire contents of the closet multiple times already, to no avail.
Edward frowned, and then curiosity softened his features as he flopped onto his stomach on the bed, snuggling deeper into the covers. "I like the dark blue one on you. Not the one with the buttons, the sweater one. It makes you look more… approachable. More like you really are. And it makes your eyes brighter."
Roy froze at first, hearing those words, and then he moved his hand over to the correct hanger, pulling the shirt free. And unlike all those before it, it stayed in his hand to the point of being slipped from the hanger. Looking down at it in his hand, he felt warm, and the uncertainty that had been eating at him before vanished. Now he was left with the clear realization of how he'd been acting, and he smiled wryly at the shirt before abruptly turning away to find the jeans he wanted.
He couldn't let himself even think about it… he couldn't.
The right jeans were much easier to find, and Roy gathered everything else he'd need before retreating to the bathroom.
Edward watched him go with a faint smile, and closing his eyes happily he rolled around on the bed, taking the covers with him, imagining he could feel their warmth.
Meanwhile in the bathroom, Roy would claim that the reason he changed his boxer attire and that the aforementioned lime green ones were now in the trash bin, was because they'd developed a rip. As for the briefs, he told himself they were the next clean pair of the stack… at the bottom. The rest of the clothing was much easier to explain in his head. Edward liked this shirt, thus he was wearing it. These jeans were dark enough to go well with it all. Very simple, really.
Yet he leaned over the counter to run the faucet and begin splashing his face with icy water as he tried to ignore the nerves he could feel. Telling himself it was just remnants of his worry for Edward earlier in the day, ignoring at the same time that they felt different.
Only once he felt he had himself under control did he leave the bathroom, and every thought he'd had left him as he saw Edward laying there on the bed, tangled up in the covers and looking absolutely delighted about it. Beginning to laugh, he walked over to sit on the edge of the bed as he smiled at the ghost. "Having fun, were you?"
Edward rolled towards Roy, his head still barely managing to poke out from his cocoon. "I never get the bed to myself."
Roy snorted and tugged on the covers that had sufficiently encased the ghost. "That's because we share it. Now come on, it's time to leave."
Edward grinned, wriggling out almost to his shoulders before stopping and looking at Roy thoughtfully, a soft smile playing on his lips. "You look really good, you know."
Roy desperately hoped he'd managed to keep himself from flushing, the shock that he had felt it coming on should have helped with that, and instead he forced a lazy, self-indulgent smile. "Of course I do. Now get out of bed, we have a theater to get to."
Edward sprung from the rest of the covers with a cheer, and trailing happily after Roy, suddenly grinned as they started going down the stairs. "You're wearing boxer briefs, aren't you."
Roy promptly fell down three stairs before he was able to catch himself to the background music of Edward snickering.