Chapter Two
Getting Settled
Roy opened the door to his apartment and stepped aside to let Ed pass.
"Behold, my humble home."
Ed's jaw had dropped and his eyes were wide in amazement.
His apartment was big, but all Edward could see at the moment was the living room and kitchen. The living room looked like a place of relaxation, with a worn leather couch facing a large window that overlooked the street and bookshelves lining the walls. The kitchen was lined with glass cabinets, which he could see were filled with plates, cups, bowls, pots, pans, spices and herbs. There was a cupboard to store dry foods in and a fridge was in the corner. The oven and sink were stainless steel, and the whole room was spotless. Roy liked to cook. A breakfast bar separated the two areas, and the whole place was warm and inviting.
"It's wonderful," Edward said breathlessly.
"Yeah, well," Roy blushed and cleared his throat. "…Uhm, are you hungry?"
Edward's stomach growled insistently at the thought of food, and Roy smirked.
"I see you are. Well, kid, rule number one in my house; you must be clean before every meal. To the bath!"
Edward cried out in surprise as Roy picked him up, bridal style, and carried him down the hall to the bathroom. He set him down gently next to the bathtub and filled the rub two-thirds full of warm water. Roy turned to Ed, who standing awkwardly behind him, unsure of what to do.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Roy's tone was matter of fact. "Take off those rags."
Ed blushed. "But,"
"But nothing," Roy cut in. "You can't wash in those clothes, and I'm not about to leave you to bathe alone. Have you ever even had a bath before?"
Edward blushed darker and began stripping off his clothes. Roy busied himself getting out bottles of shampoo and soap, and then helped the dirt-covered boy into the water.
Edward sighed as the water warmed his chilled skin. He felt Roy's hand on his head and looked up curiously.
"Dunk your head for a moment."
Edward did, dunking under the water so that he was completely submerged, and then coming back up for air. Roy put some shampoo in his hand and lathered the boy's hair. Ed sighed again as Roy's fingers gently massaged his scalp. When Ed's hair was good and bubbly, Roy squirted some body soap onto a washcloth and began washing Edward's body, but when Edward realized what he was doing, he blushed and took the washcloth from him.
"I…I can do that."
Roy nodded and waited for him to finish washing himself. When he was done, Roy gently took the washcloth back.
"Close your eyes."
Ed complied, lightly closing his eyes.
"Close them tighter—you don't want any soap to get in them, do you?"
Edward scrunched his eyes closed and Roy gently scrubbed the dirt from his face.
"Hold your breath…"
Edward took a breath and Roy dunked him under the water, quickly rinsing off the soap. Pulling him back above the water, he told him to keep his eyes closed, and quickly ran conditioner through Ed's hair. Roy pulled the plug on the drain and turned on the showerhead, rinsing off the conditioner and any remaining traces of soap and dirt from the boy's body.
Roy turned off the water and wrapped a large white towel around the boy.
"Here, Edward, dry off and I'll go find you some clean clothes." As Roy left the bathroom, he grabbed the rags the boy had been wearing before and put them in the hamper inside the laundry room. He would wash them, on the off chance Ed wanted to keep them.
He went into his room, which was empty except for a large bed and a dresser, and grabbed a white T-shirt, boxers, and a pair of shorts. He went back to the bathroom and gave Ed the clothes. Edward pulled them on quickly, blushing.
Roy laughed suddenly.
"Your hair is a mess!" He said, pulling a brush and a hair tie from a drawer. Edward stood there quietly as Roy ran the brush gently through his golden hair, untangling it and smoothing it out. He watched him do it in the mirror, and gazed quietly at Roy's raven hair and his dark, calm eyes of coal, fully focused on his task. When Ed's hair was completely free of tangles, Roy quickly braided it and tied it off with the red hair tie.
"There." Roy smiled and turned the boy around to look at his handiwork. His breath caught in his throat. The boy's right arm and left leg were automail, and the newly clean metal shone silver in the light. The clothes he gave him were too big, the shorts hanging down to his knees and the shirt exposing his collarbone. His skin was lightly tanned, and his lashes were long and golden, like his hair. His face, too, was beautiful, but it was his eyes that took his breath away.
His eyes were molten gold, gazing through Roy's eyes and straight to his soul.
Roy cleared his throat.
"Right, now that you're decent, how about we go and make some dinner?"
Edward was excited immediately. "Oh boy, really? What are you making?"
"What do you want?" Roy asked as they walked together into the kitchen.
"Something wonderful!" Roy smirked. "Er, I mean, if its not too much trouble."
"Of course not. I'll make you anything you want." Roy pulled on an apron that said 'If the food is good, Kiss the Cook' on the front, and Ed put his left fist in his mouth to keep from laughing. Roy scowled at him. "You got a problem with my apron?"
"No, no," Ed said, giggling. " I was just wondering if anyone would actually kiss someone who was dorky enough to wear one of those aprons."
"I just so happen to have many women competing for my kiss."
"Have any of them seen you in that apron?"
Roy blushed. "D-do you want to eat or not?"
"Yes, yes, please! I'm sorry!" Ed rushed over to Roy and hugged his waist. "I was only kidding, please make me food!"
Roy blushed darker as Edward snuggled closer to him. "I-I'll make you some steak and peas and corn if you go sit down, Edward."
"Yay!" Ed skipped to the breakfast bar and sat on a stool. He watched as Roy cooked two steaks and a small pan full of corn and peas.
Roy pulled out two plates and two cups. "What do you want to drink?"
"What do you have?" Ed asked as he watched him pull out two knives and forks and start to pile food on the plates.
"Wine, juice, water, soda, milk-"
"Juice, please. I HATE milk."
Roy smirked and poured them both some cranberry juice. He walked to the other side of the bar and set the two plates on the counter. Sitting down next to Edward, he smiled. "Dig in."
Edward cautiously cut a small piece off the steak and put it in his mouth. His eyes closed and he moaned in pleasure at the taste.
Roy's eyes widened and he blushed as he watched the boy's reaction to his cooking. Sure, the steak was good, but did Edward really have to…
Edward's eyes opened and he looked at Roy with worshipping eyes. "This is amazing, Roy. Thank you."
"Yeah, well, eat it then." Roy looked down from Edward's eyes and focused on the plate in front of him, trying not to think of how beautiful this urchin boy was.
Edward finished his food slowly, making little sounds of contentment while he ate. Roy, however, ate his meal quickly and was washing the day's dishes when Edward walked up behind him.
"Do you want me to wash my own dishes?"
Roy glanced at him quickly, then continued scrubbing the pan. "No, I'll do it –just go sit on the couch while I finish, and then I'll take you to your bedroom."
"Okay." Roy chanced another glance at Ed's face as he set his dishes on the counter. Damn, his eyes were gorgeous!
Roy hid his blush by turning back to the sink. He heard the couch compress as Edward sat down and he finished washing the dishes. He dried and put them away quickly, but by the time he got to the couch, Edward had fallen asleep, looking like nothing short of an angel.
Roy's heart melted at the sight. He gently lifted Edward from the couch, and his cheeks stained pink as Ed instinctively wrapped his arms around his neck. He carried him down the hall to the bedroom across from his and tucked him in gently.
Roy was about to leave the room when he heard Ed speak softly. "What?" Roy whispered, leaning closer to hear the half-asleep boy.
Edward's right hand snaked up to Roy's neck and brought him down to the boy's face by weight alone. Roy's eyes widened and he was about to pull away when Edward lifted his head slightly. Their lips brushed together for only a moment before Ed lay back on the pillow, his metal arm falling back to his side.
"If the food is good, kiss the cook…" Edward mumbled softly, then turned on his side to get more comfortable.
Roy stood there for a moment, stunned. Why hadn't any girl been able to give him THAT feeling before? He shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. Edward was half asleep; he couldn't have meant anything by that, he probably wasn't even thinking clearly! Roy straightened and left the dark room, shutting the door behind him.
He went into his own room and fell into bed without bothering to shut the door or change his clothes. Edward couldn't have meant anything by that kiss…but what if he did?
Edward opened his eyes to the darkness and lightly pressed his fingers to his lips, blushing.
It was a while before either of them could get to sleep.