At Gate's Edge

by Winds of Water

Love's never easy as it is, but it's twice as hard when you're separated by life and death. RoyEd

50. Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty

Roy was fairly certain that had he any energy at all to speak of, he'd have vomited long before now in response to Maes's driving. As things stood, he was putting everything he had into keeping his eyes open, and his hand resting through the one that Edward had reached back for him in a comfort.

At the helm, Maes sounded the horn again, squealing tires and flagrantly committing at least five traffic violations so he might steer the car up over another sidewalk to avoid the bumper-to-bumper traffic that Roy had ordered created. Good for stopping enemies from getting to Roy if he was injured, bad for reconnaissance.

Honestly, it was a miracle he hadn't hit anything or anyone yet.

It was several more minutes of reckless driving and near-misses before Maes was finally free of the traffic jam as horns from the vehicles he'd skidded around sounded in annoyance behind them. Then he was pressing the accelerator firmly down once more as the car hurtled further into the residential districts.

Once there, it took only minutes before the car was skidding in a burning rubber cloud of smoke around the street Roy lived on and roaring up the pavement before coming to a halt that fish-tailed the vehicle halfway onto the sidewalk.

Maes didn't bother correcting it, instead throwing his door open and dashing for Roy's.

Edward had the foresight to reach over and cut the engine, snagging the keys out and as he too exited the car quickly, then tossed the keys up onto the porch where they landed with a clatter. Then he was darting for the gate to the front yard, opening it before Maes had ducked back out of the car with Roy half-draped on top of him.

Maes shut the car door with his hip before bodily hauling his best friend around the car and up the sidewalk heading for the front door. The brief flicker of confusion that he'd thought the gate had been closed when they pulled up faded quickly into not caring, and he hurried them through as Roy stumbled and otherwise failed to be of much assistance.

Edward waited long enough to see that Maes was clearly digging for a key, apparently having a spare, before ducking through the door and going for the light switch. He had the hallway and kitchen illuminated just as the lock turned in the door and it was opened with a rather enthusiastic crash against the wall.

He darted back to the hallway, reaching it the same moment Hazel did.

"Ah, a blood donor." Maes announced with a grunt as the squirrel scampered over to them eagerly.

Roy felt an absurdly powerful wave of affection grip him as Hazel suddenly scurried up his body and onto his head, chittering at him in worried tones as paws began to groom his hair. "Haz – " he broke off with a groan as Maes was suddenly dragging him to the stairs.

Edward, sensing Maes's plan, bypassed the stairs and was in Roy's bedroom well before the man. Soon enough to sneak the door open and turn on the lights including the one in the bathroom before Maes had reached the top of the stairs.

Maes was panting by the time he finally hauled Roy into the man's bathroom, and was more than grateful when, after depositing him carefully down into the shower, he knew he was momentarily done with the heavy lifting. "All right," he began as he stooped down onto one knee, reaching out for the many bindings that he knew to be putting pressure on the man's many wounds. "You did a good job at this." He remarked as he began untying the binds of the ruined military jacket.

"Thanks." Edward breathed in worry as he settled onto the toilet seat to watch anxiously, but when Roy began to struggle a bit when Maes flicked open a switchblade in order to begin slicing the rest of the clothing off, he was suddenly at the man's side with a stern expression as he reached out a hand to direct Roy's gaze to him. "Stop struggling, they're just clothes. I want you – I need you better. I don't give two shits about your uniform."

"You'll see me," Roy managed to grunt out, blinking slowly at Edward against the fog suffusing his brain. "Naked."

"Nothing I've not seen before. Buy me a beer after all this and I promise I won't make too many comments about your bits." Maes remarked with a roll of his eyes as he continued slicing.

Edward smiled with fondness, holding back a chuckle at the idiocy of this man. "Oh dear, my sweet virgin eyes." He teased gently, before his voice turned a path for the more stern. "Stop fighting what needs to happen for you to stay alive. You promised me, remember?"

Roy let out a mournful noise, but didn't struggle any more as his clothing was deftly sliced away, the box that had remained tucked inside clattering to the shower floor, his boots being tossed over Maes's shoulder. He did renew his struggles when Maes began pulling free the metal shards still wedged in his skin, before the pain faded into a hazy blur once more.

Maes reached up to pluck Hazel off his owner before grabbing the removable shower head down and turning the cold water on. He snorted as Roy hissed at the freezing temperature and attempted to move, but managed to do little more than look ridiculous.

Edward watched as Roy's eyes slipped closed as the water began to stream down over him, washing the sweat and blood from his body in ever-lightening streams. He stayed there somewhat under the spray with the man, watching as little tremors of shivers began to appear from the cold water and just beginning to wonder how long Maes was going to continue when the shower was suddenly turned off.

After an effort with which Roy did try and assist, Maes had hauled the man up out of the shower and grabbed a towel to quickly pat him dry as Roy hissed at the contact with his wounds. Then Maes was practically carrying Roy into the bedroom where he dumped the man onto his bed and pulled his legs up and over to lay him flat.

"Stay." He informed his best friend needlessly, he doubted Roy was going anywhere, but he felt it merited saying anyway. "I'm grabbing your med kit and we're going to patch you up."

Maes didn't wait for a response, already hurrying back into the bathroom. He was back within seconds, with several more dry towels which he left on the bedside table before turning to fairly run downstairs to fetch the whiskey.

Edward listened to Maes go as he settled onto the bed next to Roy, casting a troubled look down the gashes along the man's body. Not all of them were deep enough to be concerning, most had already clotted. But there were three that even now, were seeping blood steadily. Looking back up he realized with a jolt of overwhelming delight that Roy's eyes were open again, and watching him through a haze of pain. "Hey, you." He whispered in a voice heavy with fondness and relief.

" – ey." Roy croaked out, his left hand twitching at his side.

Edward immediately put his hand through it, and immediately Roy fell quiet again with just the mere trust that he was there. "You've lost a lot of blood. So stay still for me, yeah?"

" 'm still naked."

Roy sounded almost humorously put out by that fact, and Edward couldn't help but smile as a faint laugh escaped his lips. "Are you cold? Or are you just still stupidly annoyed that I'm getting to see everything you have on offer?"

There was a correlation between being cold, and being naked for the first time in front of Ed, that Roy knew was supposed to annoy him, but struggle as he might the thought kept flitting away each time he made to grasp it.

Edward took one look at Roy's contorted face and laughed again, reaching up to brush his fingers slightly through the man's forehead as he leaned over him. "Stop worrying. I've got you, and I'm not letting you go."

Maes returned at that moment, approaching the bed as he took a swig of the whiskey himself before reaching down to raise Roy's head in one hand. "Okay, drink. You don't exactly have epidurals, and I need you to stay still." He needn't have worried that Roy wouldn't toss down a swig when he put the bottle to the man's lips.

The bottle was set aside and Roy's head laid back down before Maes opened up the med kit and began gathering the supplies he needed. Threading the suture needle he set it aside momentarily to swab the areas he was about to sew back together before picking up the needle once more and giving no warning, began on the worst gash first.

Edward wasn't entirely sure what he was saying as Roy's body clenched to stay still against this new pain. He honestly doubted that half the time they were identifiable words at all as he tried to soothe the man. All he knew was that as long as he was speaking, Roy lay quietest, but if he fell silent to watch Maes work, Roy only tensed more. So he kept talking, and stitch by stitch, Maes drew ever nearer to the end as Roy listened to his voice.

When the stitching was over and the areas bandaged and wrapped against infection, Roy practically snarled for more whiskey, and instead was given several painkillers by Maes and told to swallow – which he did, but only after glaring in a cheated manner at his best friend.

Edward didn't move from Roy's side as Maes began to turn down the comforter from the bed, damp as it was by trickles of blood and sweat. It was removed entirely and Maes left with it and the whiskey bottle under his arm with promises to come back with water and a blanket. And now that they'd been left alone again, save for Hazel perched there on top of the windowsill watching over them, Edward settled down next to the man to lie down nearly against his side. "Can I do anything?" He asked into the quiet surrounding them, broken only by Roy's heavy breaths.

"Just need sleep," the words were slow, careful in the clear exhaustion in Roy's voice.

A sad tug crept to Edward's lips as he nodded unseen into the sheets. "You'll live, right? You won't leave me?"

It didn't hurt nearly as much as it should, but then, Roy's head wasn't too clear right now, and managing to tip his head enough to bring the ghost into view, he drug his arm out along the bed to pass it through Edward and then rested it around him. "Sleep." He repeated simply, as reassuringly as he could in a voice drained of energy. "Few days off work," and he lost the fight against a jaw-cracking yawn, "to replenish blood. I'll be fine. Sexier nurse I've never seen."

Edward spluttered in flustered indignation before whipping up onto one elbow to gape down at the man in uncertain amusement. "Thought I was your wife?"

"If you insist, love." Roy agreed amiably, the painkillers already addling his thoughts so that the question of why Edward thought that slipped from his grasp.

Edward tried to say actual words, he was sure of it, but all that made it out of him was some sort of deranged sounding squawk. Which caused Roy to only beam at him brilliantly, the bastard. And when Maes re-entered the room with the aforementioned items, he was saved from having to focus too much on what that smile did to him.

"All right," Maes announced as he entered the bedroom, setting the glass of water on the bedside table next to the med kit. "You are to sleep. Doctor Hughes's orders." He declared as he unfolded the blanket and tossed it over Roy's naked, bandaged form. Reaching back into the med kit he dug out several more pills, antibiotics developed during the last war to prevent sickness setting in, and passed them into Roy's mouth before tipping the glass of water to the man's lips. "Few days and you'll be fine if you just sleep as much as possible. I've called ahead to your office, sent Havoc to borrow some blood packets from med bay. We'll get you transfused as soon as he does the handoff to Riza."

Roy grunted in approval, but found himself fighting to even try and keep his eyes open as the painkillers continued to work as quickly as he remembered. Though at this point, it was honestly a hazy memory.

"Sleep." Edward told Roy gently, reaching out to stroke his fingers along the man's brow, their tips just slightly passing through his head. "You'll be just fine, and I can't wait to scold you for putting me through this. I'm going to yell at you, Roy Mustang… so put it off as long as you can and sleep."

Maes had settled onto the edge of the bed, and watched as an overwhelming expression of peace washed over Roy's face, smoothing the lines of hurt that had lingered. Granted, there had been a pure amusement reflected in that peace… but within seconds Roy had succumbed to the pull of sleep, and he watched the man's breathing even out for several moments before pursing his lips and directing a cautious gaze across the bed.

"Guess Roy really had you worried." Maes began in a conversational lightness, "not that I didn't appreciate the help, but it's fairly obvious to someone as detail-fixated as I am when light from an opening bedroom door spills into the hallway above."

Edward froze as he was, still looking down at Roy's face, though his expression began to slowly become panicked.

"But what I don't get is why you're hiding. Or why he's hiding you. Or for that matter," Maes began to look around in puzzled confusion, "where the fuck you are hiding. Are you in the closet?"

Edward slowly began to raise his head, his eyes darting to see Maes still searching him out. But fuck… he hadn't even – but Roy had needed help, and Maes had needed help to achieve that swiftly!

"Look," Maes continued with a slight frown, "he might not be in danger of losing his life, and yeah, he might be fine in a few days, but seriously, don't let my being here stop you from staying with him. If you're who I think you are, he'll heal faster with you beside him."

It took Edward only another moment of flurried thoughts to decide, and suddenly, he whirled from the bed to scramble over to his own bedside table, whipping it open and finding himself only slightly regretful he wasn't seeing the look on Maes's face. Grabbing the notepad and pen he'd stashed there for when he was reading texts at night, he spun around with it in hand to walk on his knees back across the bed even as he quickly flipped to a blank page.

Maes was fairly sure his heart had stopped. Or he was dying, probably both together. And fuck if he wasn't going to blame the whole thing on Roy, because there was no way he was seeing what he was seeing. No fucking way. And while part of his base instinct told him to piss himself and run, a morbid, fearful human curiosity kept him frozen where he was.

Edward shot one quick look up to see that Maes's jaw was hanging and a look of near terror was on his face, before giving a quiet chuckle and finishing what he was penning before turning the notebook so Maes could read.

Maes was fairly sure his heart was about to flee his chest to save itself as the pen stopped and the notebook shifted, but the same morbid curiosity that kept him where he was also directed him to read the carefully written words.

Edward gave another soft laugh as Maes's eyes became nearly as big as his gaping mouth. "Roy is going to kill me." He breathed in hindsight knowledge, before his mouth quirked grimly. "Again."

"A ghost?" Maes breathed out weakly, "are you – are you fucking with me now?"

Edward quickly penned a negative response to the question and rotated the notepad once more.

Maes's response was a high-pitched, strained noise that was intended as "shit," but honestly he wasn't too sure if coherency was something he was achieving right at the moment.

Edward watched with some amusement as Maes performed some deep breathing that seemed just shy of needing a paper bag assist. But if this would give Maes time to try and wrap his head around it, and keep him from fleeing in terror, he'd give the man as long as needed.

Finally, after several long minutes that managed to ground Maes enough, he spoke again in a tone hinging on astonished. "How the blazes did you end up haunting Roy? Can he even see you?"

Edward turned the notebook back around, writing down his replies as succinctly as possible before turning it once more to Maes's perusal.

Maes stared in shock a moment more, then as something occurred to him, he suddenly began to laugh – albeit a bit hysterically, but really, only a ghost was able to judge him for it. "You're the one who's been pranking the Brigadier General! Right?"

Edward rolled his eyes, "not nearly as much as he deserves." And he wrote similarly, to have the confirmation met with more laughter. Approving laughter.

Maes stared with stunned amazement into the general space the ghost seemed to be in, Edward, as the first message had stated. "So you're his other informant I'm guessing… the one he loves." And he let out a soft huff of even more amazed laughter before glancing down to his unconscious best friend. "Fell in love with a ghost, you never do things in halves, do you."

Edward didn't confirm it, it didn't seem like Maes needed the confirmation.

"Are you two actually married? Or is he just really delusional from the pain?" Maes suddenly asked, turning back to look towards the center of the bed where the notebook and pen still hovered.

Edward was seriously going to murder Roy when he woke up, it couldn't be good for his state of mind to be this flustered this many times after the afternoon he'd just experienced. But eager to absolve Maes of any false impressions, quickly penned his denial… and after a moment of indecision, added in his hesitation about his own feelings. Just to keep everything absolutely clear.

Maes's mouth quirked into a wry, but fond smile as he nodded upon reading the words turned to him. "I'll only say that this idiot has been my friend for far longer than I care to recall, and not once has he even thought he might be in love with someone besides himself. And given what little I heard from him this afternoon, he genuinely cares for you."

Edward found himself looking back down to Roy, a heavy, worried weight in his chest. He knew Roy cared for him, had no doubts that Roy had meant it when he'd told him he loved him. That was no longer a question in his mind.

"I'll interrogate him about why he's been hiding you when he wakes up." Maes decided to himself, frowning at Roy. This was so much more than he'd been led to previously believe. "But until then," he raised his suddenly eager gaze to above where the notebook and pen yet hovered, figuring Edward was somewhere there, "do you mind if I ask you a bunch of questions? I've never met a ghost before."

Edward chuckled faintly and scribbled down a reply before letting Maes read.

Maes smiled as he read the conditions, and nodded as his gaze raised once more. "I'll tell you all the best stories, promise. By the time Roy wakes back up, you'll know stories he dared not even tell his mother." Which made him snap his fingers in sudden epiphany. "I need to call her, let her know he's okay. He'd want her to know." Before a frown began to line his brow, "and now I understand all the things she said to me, about why I'd understand all this secrecy once I met you."

"To be fair, it was all him. I didn't care if you all knew or not." And after a quick moment of debate, wrote exactly that for Maes to read.

"And I'll kick his ass for it later." Maes promised to the air, before getting to his feet. "I should call her. Once Riza gets here we have to set up the blood transfusion, and then I've got to get my wife and child sent off her way. I'd rather them not get there with news of this before I am able to tell her myself. Postpone the Q and A until a better time?"

Edward wrote down his agreement, a jolt of eagerness inside him at the realization that if Maes could be persuaded, he could communicate to Daphne too. Yet just as he was about to show the waiting man his notebook, he quickly wrote another line.

Maes leaned over to read the words, before his face fell into a saddened look of understanding and he shook his head. "Don't be silly, you've nothing to apologize for. I knew the risks when I decided to follow Roy through hell and back. I'll miss the girls, yeah… but right now Daphne can keep them safer than I can."

Edward hadn't a flicker of doubt that the woman could, he'd seen the results of her marksmanship. He'd seen the intense focus in her eye and aim. But he also knew how it felt to have family gone from your life, and while this situation was hardly as permanent as his own, family was family, and you missed them when they were gone.

He watched as Maes turned to leave the room, and glancing down once more at Roy lying there asleep, he reached a hand out to brush at the man's black hair. "I'll be right back. Promise." He whispered over him, and darted up from the bed to follow Maes just as the man turned back to try and spot him.

Maes gave a somewhat overcome laugh as a notebook and pen began to float through the air next to him, before floating over the stairwell and into open air. "This will take getting used to."

Edward found himself smiling at the thought of how Maes would react if he told the man how Roy had first reacted upon seeing him. Then decided he would, he'd make certain of it. He genuinely liked the man, and Maes deserved as Roy's best friend to know a few more innocent blackmail stories.

Together the journeyed into the sitting room where Maes promptly picked up the receiver and began to dial. Holding it to his ear he waited for it to pick up as he watched the notepad and pen circle around to perch on the arm of the couch nearest him.

"Hello?"

Maes breathed out a silent sigh of relief that she'd not been outside or anything. Though he'd been counting on the idea that she'd still be prepping for the arrival of his wife and daughter. "Hey, me again."

"They'll be fine, Maes. I promise."

Smiling at the dry tone in her voice, Maes felt an upsurge of warm affection for the woman. "It's not that. Roy got into a fairly dangerous alchemy fight, it looks like. I've patched him up and he's stable and sleeping now. I just knew you'd want to know."

There was some muted swearing that wasn't entirely audible, but what Maes could piece together made his eyes widen in equal parts shock and impressed approval.

"As soon as he's able tell him to call me so I can scold him properly."

"Of course." Maes agreed amiably, before darting a smirking look in the direction Edward appeared to still be in. "You sure you don't want me to give Edward the phone so you can scold him too?"

"He's okay?"

The hitch of desperation in her tone threw Maes off, startling him silent.

"Maes!"

"Yeah, mom," Maes answered with a quiet gentleness, his heart warming as he understood that Roy, for all his love for Edward, wasn't the only Mustang who loved the ghost. "He's been writing to me. I thought you'd want to know they both were safe… glad I was right."

"Give him the phone!"

Maes knew better than to question or refuse her, especially knowing how fiercely she protected her family, and he wasn't sure he'd ever be convinced that she didn't view Edward as a son by extension. Not after hearing that tone in her voice, the urgency she expelled. Taking the phone from his ear he held it out in the general direction Edward seemed to be, "she wants to talk to you."

Edward blinked owlishly at the words, reaching out for the phone with some hesitation. He wasn't exactly sure what Daphne had in mind, but he knew from a previous attempt to call home back in the first week after he'd died, that he couldn't be heard over the phone. Yet he took it in hand regardless, too uncertain to even really appreciate the jump that Maes didn't quite succeed in stifling. Holding the phone up to his ear he waited with a frown.

"I'm guessing you have the phone by now." Daphne's voice came over the line after several more seconds. "Here's the beauty about phones, if you push one of the buttons during the call it's going to make noise that I can hear on my end. One push for yes, two for no. Give it a try?"

Edward's face lit up in a brilliant smile, an overwhelming joy bubbling up within him as he quickly leaned over and pushed such a button once. She was trying to find a way to talk to him! And he hadn't known until just this very moment, how much it would mean to him that she would try. Even towns away, she would try.

"Yes, Edward! That was perfect!" Daphne's voice was full of praise, and a relieved happiness.

Edward's joy only spiked higher at this success.

"Are you injured at all?"

Edward quickly pushed a button twice, and moved the base of the phone from where it had previously rested and onto his lap to cradle it closer.

"Thank goodness for that." What sounded like a sigh heavy in relief left her, before she spoke again. "While I doubt anything could make you leave, will you promise me that you'll stay there with Roy? Promise me you won't do anything rash?"

Edward didn't move to push any of the buttons at first, finding himself puzzling over her words. Why would he leave Roy? What rash actions did she think he'd be doing when the man his world centered around was lying upstairs, hurt? And then he knew.

If there was one person left who had done this to Roy, it was the Fuhrer.

The hand holding the receiver clenched in tight, quiet anger. "I will kill him." Edward whispered in a voice tight with his anger, his gaze turning towards the ceiling at the angle where he knew the bedroom lay. But not yet. Despite the hatred beginning to burn inside him for what the Fuhrer had done to try and kill Roy, he couldn't go after the source.

He couldn't leave Roy. If something happened to Roy, he'd never forgive himself for not having been there to try and stop it. And besides, if his father was to be believed, killing the Fuhrer wouldn't be so easy. As loathe as he was to admit it, he would need Roy's help.

He pushed the button once.

"Good." It was more an exhale than words. "And I doubt I'd be wrong in saying this, so thank you, for whatever you did for Roy today. And I know, how he feels about you."

Edward didn't wonder as to why the words didn't surprise him, merely gave a shaky smile.

"I just want you to know that I'm so very grateful to you. Despite what happens, or how you feel for him. Thank you. He's a better man because of you."

Edward's shaky smile didn't vanish as he looked down at his knees. Roy was a great man, the best he'd ever known, though he doubted he had anything to do with it. Yet it was incredibly nice to hear.

Looking back up to the ceiling once more, he made his decision, and setting the two halves of the phone back onto the table he grabbed his notepad and pen and darted back upwards and into the bedroom. In an instant he was back on the bed, curled up against Roy to listen with eyes closed to the man's drugged breathing.

"He's gone." Maes said into the phone after retrieving the receiver and taking a seat on the couch. "Else, it sure looks like he left."

"He'll have gone back to Roy, then. It doesn't surprise me, really. Between what I learned from Edward when they both visited me, and what Roy's told me over the phone, it doesn't surprise me that he can't stay away from Roy for long right now."

"You think Edward loves him?" Maes guessed, and honestly it seemed to fit.

"I think Edward was in love with Roy well before my son was in love with him."

"I've missed a lot, haven't I?" Maes sighed, rubbing at his forehead with one hand.

He remained talking with Daphne for several more minutes, until he heard the squeal of tires out front and saw a flash of familiar blonde hair after the telltale slam of a car door shutting. Promising to have Roy contact her as soon as he was able, he hurried to get the front door open for the Lieutenant just as she reached the front stoop.

"Took the scenic route, did you?" Maes bantered with an easy grin as he held open the door.

"Havoc had to take the scenic route to avoid suspicion, I took all the alleyways." Riza corrected with a roll of her eyes as she jerked her head towards the stairs. "He up there?"

Maes gave an exhausted half-laugh and nodded, shutting and locking the door firmly behind them and offering out a hand for the long black case she had slung over one shoulder. "Need me to set that up for you?"

Riza shook her head, but rolled her shoulder forward to deposit the strap of her sniper rifle case into the man's waiting hand. "Just didn't want to leave it in the car."

Maes nodded and rested it down against the wall of the entryway. "You couldn't have taken a shot or something? He's in pretty interesting shape." He informed her, testing the waters as they mounted the stairs together, an insulated medical case swinging from her grip between them.

He well knew that if Riza had been sent to cover him with her sniper rifle, there was little chance that she hadn't noticed something odd. The scope she had was top of the line, and he was fairly certain she could pick off ants with it.

"You know how smoky he can make things." Riza growled in minor frustration, before casting a narrow-eyed look Maes's direction. "Besides, something odd was going on down there. I spotted until you showed up, and had I not seen it all myself, I'd think I was crazy. You wouldn't happen to know anything, would you, best friend?"

Maes had had a feeling… and he gave her a smile that honestly came out feeling more like a grimace. "Know? Yes. But let's get our boss on the path to recovery, then we can talk about whatever it is you saw." And as they finally reached the bedroom he waved her in ahead of himself politely.

Edward's head lifted at their entrance, and he curled himself upwards into a seated position though he did take to hovering just above the bed. He had a feeling he'd be spending quite a bit of time at Roy's side. He didn't need to be staying on it to the point where they'd finally discover how long it would take him to assimilate the bed to his own incorporeal state. Not when Roy really wasn't in any condition to go freefalling onto the floor. This was as good a moment as any to release his influence.

He watched as the two quickly, quietly got to work setting up for the blood transfusion. There was an efficiency to it that made him relieved that they clearly knew what they were doing, though he was left with the concerning hope that they didn't know all this because of Roy. They only spoke to direct each other, and soon the makeshift IV was set up and the first of two blood packets was attached.

Edward felt some of the worry weighting him down fall free as he watched that first stream of blood run down the tube and into the needle taped into Roy's arm. "You're taking me back to the library and I'm borrowing medical texts." He determined as he watched each precious drop of blood go into Roy's body. He was beginning to realize quite suddenly that protecting Roy meant this too, and he needed to know how.

"Four hours and then we'll hook up the next." Maes said aloud, more for Edward's benefit and information than their own, and he stood up straight once more to stretch with a groan.

Riza eyed the setup closely once more before turning her attention onto the pale face of her friend and commanding officer. "Do you ever stop to consider sometimes how damn lucky he is that we love him? Despite all he puts us through?"

Maes burst into tired laughter and nodded, glancing towards the other side of the bed where a familiar notepad and pen lay, and where he guessed a certain ghost lingered. "Speak for yourself, he has blackmail on me."

Riza couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped her. "Right," her tone utterly disbelieving, and taking Maes by the crook of the arm she gave a light tug. "Come on, he's as stable as he can be, and as much as I'd love to hover bedside to tear him a new one when he wakes up, we're not done with clean up just yet."

Maes groaned as he remembered. Kimblee. She was right, they weren't done. They still had to get the former State Alchemist to one of Roy's safe houses and stabilize him. Because if Roy had wanted him dead already, Kimblee would be dead. Which meant he'd been left alive but maimed useless for a reason.

"You thinking the abandoned dog kennels or the condemned nunnery?" Riza queried, ignoring Maes's initial groaning. She had a feeling he hadn't yet realized it meant they'd have to go back out into the heinous traffic, she'd enjoy those groans a bit more.

After all, traffic police could only do so much, and that meant the traffic wouldn't get much better until Roy either ordered Fuery to fix whatever he'd done, or someone managed to get lucky and somehow reverse the man's work.

"Nunnery." Maes decided after a quick moment of consideration. "It's got higher and sturdier fences than that electrical stuff around the kennels."

Riza nodded and bent to shut the lid on the remaining blood packet to keep it properly chilled. "Then while we're stabilizing Kimblee you are going to tell me everything you can about what just happened today."

Maes gave her a cautious look, glancing towards the bed on pretense of looking at Roy, but he could see no movement that would signal to him what Edward might be thinking. No raise of the pen. No flutter of the notebook paper. "At least everything that I can." And he looked back to her with a quiet seriousness in his gaze. "But not everything is mine to tell. You'll have to speak to Roy about some of it."

If Edward wasn't taking the initiative to reveal his presence, he wasn't about to risk saying anything.

Riza felt it only reasonable, and nodded in ascent before giving one last reluctant look to the figure on the bed and walking forward, leaned down to squeeze Roy's hand in hers gently. "Have you called his mother yet?"

Maes nodded as she straightened away, and together they began to move from the room. "Called her just before you arrived."

Edward watched as Riza was the first to exit the room, already heading down the hallway, but Maes had paused in the doorway and turned back.

"I'll stop by again as soon as I can. But just in case, change out that blood packet when it empties." Maes whispered into the bedroom, and then quickly turned to hurry down the hallway after Riza.

Edward heard the downstairs door open and then close. Heard the start of the car engines on the street, and then the squealing sound of tires as they made a hasty exit up the road. Then he was floating up off the bed to circle around the IV, inspecting it closely. He'd watched how they'd set it up, but just in case, he wanted to get a closer look.

Once he was satisfied he floated back down, absently missing the company that Maes had provided, but at the same time glad to be left alone with Roy.

Hazel chose that moment to leap onto the bed and scamper up to sit at Roy's head.

Well, Roy and Hazel.

Edward smiled faintly as he hovered near Roy's knees to keep a careful watch on his face as Hazel began carding his paws through his owner's hair. "My mother used to do that," he said quietly to the squirrel, "when I was sick. Was some of the best medicine. Did it for her… before – "

He cut himself off before his voice could break, before he could get lost in the painful memory he tried not to think of.

And he did his best to ignore the pain in his chest that came from knowing he could never give Roy that same comfort. That he was relegated to this bare existence that left him unable to provide such simple comfort to the man who meant so much to him.

But there was one thing he could do that his mother had done for him, and floating over to his bedside table he retrieved the book he'd been reading. And upon reaching his previous position in the air, he flipped open to the page he'd been on and began to read.

He read without tire, not needing to actually breathe did miracles for his stamina in this. Yet after every page he'd flick his gaze up to Roy's face to see it lined in restful peace, and to check to see the blood in the IV still moved into Roy's arm, to watch as Hazel continued to move about Roy's head to card his hair or just warm a side of the man's face with his bushy tail. And reassured that for the moment, everything was all right, he returned to the book and to another page.

He began to hear the voices of children arriving off of what was likely a very late school bus, the chirping of car alarms being set as the neighbors arrived home from work.

He kept reading.

The hours continued to fade into one another, until when next Edward looked up, it was because he heard the front door opening once more. Instantly he was dumping the book onto the bed and letting himself fall down through the floor in order to check who was coming inside. Roy still had enemies out there, and he wasn't willing to go on faith that the door had been accessed via key.

So when he saw Maes shutting the door behind him, he nodded in approval before making his way back upstairs.

Edward was waiting on top of the bed again when Maes reentered the bedroom, and he quickly wrote a greeting and a quick query in his notebook before turning it for Maes's perusal.

Maes walked forward towards the notebook immediately, even as a smile broke his tired features. "Hey, Edward." He greeted, before bending slightly to read the written words. "Kimblee is stable." He assured, and turned toward the IV equipment.

The blood bag would soon require switching, and he gave it a light tap with one finger as he nodded in approval. He then sat carefully on the edge of the bed to take up Roy's wrist and feel for the pulse.

Edward watched as the man counted, a good full minute elapsing before Maes took his hand away with a nod of satisfaction; about to start writing again when Maes turned his general direction.

"He's responding well. You may even see him wake up before morning." Maes informed the ghost he couldn't see, but could guess was eagerly awaiting a status update. "I'll switch the bags before I leave. But when this last one runs out you should probably remove the needle and patch him up."

Edward had no problem doing any of that, but he quickly wrote another question down.

Maes looked the paper over and smiled. "Just make sure he drinks only water over the next two days. If he feels like eating give him something easy, not too much work. And he's not allowed to leave the bed except to use the bathroom for at least twenty-four hours."

Edward nodded, already taking mental inventory of their pantry and refrigerator.

"I'll stop by again tomorrow morning to check on you both." Maes continued, and then his mouth tightened into a thin line. "And let him know when he does wake, that whatever it is he kept Kimblee alive for, he doesn't have much time to get it out of him. We may have stabilized him, but he's not going to last out more than three or four days at best."

Edward nodded to himself once again, and then watched as Maes stood to begin prepping to attach the next and last blood transfusion packet. And as the man did, he smiled at the reminder that came his way about a Q and A session, and thus Maes began to ask simple questions about his pranks on the Brigadier General, only to be required to answer in turn simple questions about Roy's younger years.

And it wasn't so much that he was searching for blackmail, as stories to give him some levity.

After almost another twenty minutes Maes stood to switch out the blood packets, and Edward watched closely. He knew he needed to know this for the future… though he hoped Roy would never need this again.

"Well, he's been loaded up with everything he needs to recover." Maes said as he turned from the IV back towards the bed, unaware that Edward had floated nearly next to him to watch his actions. "And don't let him reopen his stitches."

Edward nodded unseen, taking the words to heart. He suspected he could re-stitch the wounds, but he doubted Roy would enjoy it much. He wasn't precisely practiced in the arts of needlework.

"Now I get this feeling that you've been to my house already, when Roy came over from dinner that night." Maes continued as he looked about to be sure he hadn't missed anything. "If something happens tonight and you need me, you come and get me. I trust you'll find a way to wake me up."

Edward retrieved his notepad and pen, writing a quick agreement and letting Maes glance over it with approval.

"Now," Maes sighed and squared his shoulders, "I've got to get home and get the girls. Traffic to the station will be a nightmare and I want them out of this city before someone else gets hurt." And his expression fell somewhat at the realization that he was running out of time to be with his family, yet he shook it off. He didn't need Elysia thinking anything was wrong when he got home to collect them. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight." Edward called after him softly as Maes turned to leave.

He listened to the retreating footsteps and the following closing of the door before glancing Roy's way. The man's color was already improving, despite him being paler than most to begin with, and Edward smiled at the thought that popped into his head – Roy no longer looked as white as a ghost.

"Just so long as you never turn silver." Edward whispered, raising his own silvery hand to his face with a lopsided tug to his lips. "You're not allowed that yet."

Looking away from his hand he decided that Roy's breathing still looked even and deep enough, his features relaxed enough, so Edward began to make his way downstairs himself. Now was as good a time as any to be sure that food would be ready when Roy awoke, should he want anything.

A quick glance reassured him that the front door was locked, and then he continued into the kitchen.

After a fashion he managed to get a simple soup cooking on the stove. He had always wanted soup as a child when he didn't feel well, and while Roy wasn't precisely sick, he hoped it would still make him feel better.

As it cooked he popped in and out of the bedroom to check on Roy, each time only finding him resting peacefully. The sky was darkening as the soup finished cooking and he turned the heat off on the soup, covering it to keep it warm and moving it to another burner. Then grabbing the pitcher of water he'd prepared – just in case, he hovered his way back upstairs.

He found Roy as he'd left him, and setting the pitcher down on Roy's bedside table he landed onto the floor to walk over and pick his book back up. Launching himself back into the air he took to hovering just above his own pillow, next to Roy's head where Hazel was curled around his head like a furry earmuff.

He began to read again, quietly. The longer he read, the more he seemed to fall into a peaceful trance. Something about trying to do what he could to soothe Roy calming him.

He only paused his reading when at nearly midnight, the blood packet was drained completely.

Carefully he removed the tape that secured the IV needle, then in as steady a movement as he could muster, drew the needle out. Blood tried to immediately well up, and Edward quickly grabbed for the bandages that Maes had left on the bedside table and covered the puncture to clot as quickly as he could so that the bandage would be able to touch Roy's skin. It was worryingly thin, after all, and his incorporeal influence was oftentimes far too fast for delicate matters. That done, he packed the IV equipment back into the case it had come from, and slid it up against the wall to be out of the way.

Then he settled onto the bed itself, knowing that now at least, he could remain on the bed until morning without risk of sending Roy plummeting. One day they'd have to test the limits, but this was not that day.

So settling himself in next to Roy's head once more he picked up from where he'd left off in his reading, his right hand drifting down to stroke at Hazel's fur, absently wondering if the squirrel would be soft or not.

He read well into the next morning. Hazel had at some point run off downstairs, likely in pursuit of eating something. Or destroying something. He really couldn't be sure which, and considering he had nearly reached the end of the book he'd likely find out soon when he had to go downstairs to select another. But if it was the latter… he'd rather put that off as long as possible.

It couldn't be put off forever though, and eventually he did reach the end of his book.

"Guess I get to go see what Hazel is getting up to." Edward sighed, shutting the book into one hand and tipping his head back with a groan. It was so much easier to just pass off the bad behavior results to Roy.

He would deny to the very moment this world ceased to exist, that he jumped clear off the bed when Roy's hand moved towards him underneath the covers.

The book tumbled open onto the bed with a rustling of pages.

Edward whirled, book forgotten, a pathetic strangled sort of noise catching in his throat as he was caught in a black-eyed gaze. Then before he could stop himself he had thrown himself back onto the bed and buried himself in the man – literally clear through him.

A near-silent chuckle shook Roy's chest, and he ignored the pain it caused, and the pain of maneuvering his arms from underneath the blanket and wrapping them around himself – around Edward. "I've got you." He croaked in a voice raspy from dryness, but water was the last thing on his mind right now.

Edward's voice hitched with a broken sound before he tried again, bringing his head forward on the pillow so that it was nearly against the side of Roy's neck. "Shut up."

Roy found himself smiling peacefully at the whispered words, "love you too."

The words sent a jolt through him, steadying and grounding him in a way Edward had never before experienced. Instilling in him some strange peace. After a moment of indecision Edward raised his head and slowly propped himself up on his forearms to rest just inches above the man, letting himself become lost in the way Roy was looking at him. "I wasn't aware I'd given you an answer yet." He replied softly.

"When you're finally able to say the words, then." Roy replied as he raised a hand up to stroke at the silvery hair that slipped down from around Edward's shoulders.

Edward ducked his head with a warm chuckle, before his eyes looked back up to Roy's with a mischievous sparkle. "You seem to be pretty confident. I believe you even called me your wife when you were delirious with blood loss."

"And you let me live?" Roy grinned, his grin only widening when Edward grinned back at him.

"I thought twice about it." Edward lied, leaning his head to the side towards Roy's hand still trying to fiddle with his hair.

"I'm glad." Roy whispered as he tucked his hand in towards Edward's face. "And I'm sorry I scared you."

Edward shut his eyes tightly, "you're the biggest idiot I've ever met."

Roy moved his thumb along where Edward's cheekbone lay, a slight sliver of darkness against the illuminating silver of the ghost hovering just above and through him. And as he studied Edward's face, it slowly began to filter back to him, and he found himself smiling. "I did tell Maes not to forget my wife, didn't I."

Edward let out a soft laugh, his eyes remaining closed. "Yeah. I figured you meant me." And then he gave himself a visible shake, his eyes opening once more and with a regretful look he slipped away to fetch the glass of water from the bedside table. Roy's voice wasn't getting any less rough the more he talked. "Drink." He instructed as he turned with it, passing it towards the hand nearest him.

Roy did, although it was somewhat more uncomfortable than he'd anticipated to shift up into a seated position without putting any undue stress on his stitches. But he managed, and found himself drinking the water as quickly as he dared, only to have it quickly refilled by Edward. Halfway through that second glass he finally felt sated.

"Better?" Edward asked quietly as he set the pitcher aside.

"Much." And it was, this time when he talked his voice didn't rasp, his throat didn't scratch.

Edward gave a faint smile towards the wall at the good news, before his silver eyes flashed in the white-hot anger that resurged in him now that he was assured that Roy was fine. Without hesitation, he rounded on the man. "Roy Mustang, don't you ever tell me to sit on the sidelines again! I know I can't do alchemy! I know I can't do a lot of things, but what I can do to protect you let me! Take your pride and shove it! I don't care about your fucking pride! And if you ever hesitate again to attack because I'm there, I'll kill you myself!"

"Edwa – "

"Don't make me watch you die!" Edward cut him off with a snarl. "Not like that! The only way I'll ever accept your death is if it's peaceful and you're at least eighty years old!"

Roy didn't try and speak again until he was sure Edward was done yelling at him, and it took every inch of courage and what strength he was managing to siphon up within him not to hunch down in a useless attempt to escape the heated glare he was being pinned with. And when he did speak again, his tone was quiet, chastised. "Thank you, for saving my life."

Edward's glare softened a fraction, though it still remained. "You're welcome."

"And…" Roy hesitated a moment, before finally owning up to it. "You're right. I may not like it, but you're right."

Edward nodded firmly.

"I'm sorry for trying to control you." Roy continued quietly, "for scaring you. I can't promise I'll change overnight… I've relied on my own strength in these matters for so long. But I'm willing to try, for you."

"But you rely on Riza," Edward frowned, warring against the hurt feeling sparking inside him. "On Maes. On all of them. Why can't you rely on me like that, too? Is it because you don't trust me as much as you do them?"

Roy frowned at the mere implication, "I trust you with my life, Edward."

"So let me help you protect it! Don't hold me back!" Edward snapped at him in confusion.

"No." Roy made a concerted effort to gentle his tone, and reaching forward to slip his hand along the silvery length of Edward's hair, he shook his head minutely. "No, Edward. That's not…" and he sucked in a deep breath before offering a tremulous smile. "I care about them, love them. But not the way I do you. It would kill me if you got hurt because of me."

"But I can't get hurt." Edward reminded him with an uncertain frown.

"And tell me how it would make me a better man to view the one I love so recklessly? Even if it's true?" Roy's voice had dropped to almost a whisper, and his hand fell away. "Tell me how I could ever dare try to ask you to be mine if I treated you carelessly?"

Edward hesitated a moment before giving a slight nod of acceptance, even as he felt that fluttering warmth rise up in his chest again at Roy's words. "Then can we agree that I'll never do anything I don't want to? By now you should know you can't force me to do anything. But will you trust me to do what I can for you?"

"I trust you." Roy assured him gently, "and I'll try better at showing it from now on."

"Idiot." Edward breathed the insult, before shaking his head abruptly and pinning Roy with a silver-eyed gaze that hinged on exasperated affection. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Roy finally relaxed back, though he was under no illusions that he was in the clear regarding the matter. He'd have to do something, beyond his promises to try and change, to make it up to Edward. He'd likely put the ghost through hell and back with worry because of his injuries. "Information."

Edward floated around to the middle of the bed and perched in the air beside the man. "Maes stitched you up and he and Riza got some more blood into you. He and Riza took Kimblee to some safe house of yours at a condemned nunnery?"

Roy nodded, a faint smirk quirking his lips. He'd always found some amusement in that locale.

"And you're not to leave this bed except to use the bathroom until tomorrow." Which was well over the twenty-four hours Maes had told him, but Edward wasn't about to take any chances with Roy's health. "I'll take care of everything else for you. I even made you soup."

"You made me soup?" Roy echoed with a growing grin, filing everything else away in the absent manner that someone who'd been injured like this before did.

"Yes." Edward informed him with an answering smile. "And you will eat every bite, Roy Mustang. Else I'll be even angrier with you."

Even though laughing hurt faintly, Roy did so anyway as carefully as he could as Edward scowled at him. "I would never dare slight your cooking in such a manner." And then he glanced towards the window, "am I right in thinking I was out overnight?"

"Yes. I removed the IV sometime around midnight." Edward told him. "They gave you two bags of replacement blood. I'm guessing it helped. You lost far too much."

Roy gave a slight nod, and glanced down at the bandages against his chest and abdomen critically. "All luckily missed arteries, but yes… by tomorrow I shouldn't be stumbling around like a newborn horse."

Edward chuckled faintly at the assessment, and smiled as he rested his gaze on the man. "I did always want a pony."

Holding back innuendos had rarely been so difficult for Roy, but he managed not to put anything on offer. Barely.

"What else do you need to know?" Edward pressed gently, finally settling down onto the bed just beside Roy's knees.

"That you're okay." Roy answered without pause to even consider there might be anything else.

"I – " Edward stopped abruptly, and his expression fell as he stared into the middle space between their bodies. "I will be, when you are again."

Roy had suspected as much might be the case, he knew he hadn't imagined Edward curling up against his side, or talking him through the pain of being stitched back together. "I'll be back on my feet before you know it." He comforted the ghost gently, "you'll be glad to be rid of me as a patient, too. Because I'm going to do my utmost best to enjoy having you as a nurse."

Edward sent him a suspicious, narrow-eyed look from under his lashes. "How hard was it for you to stop yourself from calling me a sexy nurse this time?"

"Well, if you insist you are…" Roy teased, breaking out into more shallow, pained laughter as Edward glared at him hotly. But the pain was worth it. Yet as soon as he could catch his breath he offered out, "but I vaguely recall you insisting that you were my wife, right before I passed out."

"You certainly seemed to think I was." Edward replied with a shy smile, fighting down the nervous sensations rising warmly up within him as he met Roy's amused, but affectionate gaze. "Called me your life, too. When you tried to correct yourself. At least, I think you meant me."

Roy barely remembered the hazy incident, shadowed as it was by pain and blood loss, but he could remember Edward's silver eyes and anxious voice. "Well, even if you choose against the first, the second will always remain true."

Edward ducked his head with a hesitant smile, "you really – "

Both of them startled as the front door slammed shut.

"Maes." Edward breathed out weakly, his eyes widening as he was hit with a sudden frontal attack of nerves.

Roy didn't get a chance to ask as he heard footsteps hurrying up the stairs, and giving Edward a concerned frown he was forced away from the question that had jumped to the forefront of his tongue. There was no time, for Maes was making exceptional time up the stairs.

"Oh, good." Maes declared as he burst into Roy's bedroom, finding his friend sitting up and awake already. Then he stopped short where he was, sending Roy an evil smirk as he realized the man hadn't dug out a spare set of ignition-cloth gloves from his bedside table. "And a good morning to you, Edward."