Reminiscence-
"Make yourself at home," Mustang dryly commented while Ed flopped onto his sofa (without removing his boots) and began rearranging the pillows to his tastes.
Sighing at his guest's disregard for personal property Roy went to retrieve a coffee before he lost his mind. Caffeine was his glorious saviour in all of the mind boggling events he witnessed daily. And the extra time would give him a moment to go over why this had to be the same kid, not merely a ghost coming to haunt him.
He peeked around the edge of the counter to secretly spy on the blonde removing his coat casually, as if it was completely natural to enter someone's home on no notice. Meanwhile, he ignored the fact that it was he who suggested Ed come back with him.
The kid looked to be alright, but something was off.
Maybe it was the stiffness he held himself upright with, maybe it was the dark understanding lurking in his eyes, or maybe it was the simple fact that that same kid he knew years ago had nearly killed him.
Suddenly, Roy began to doubt his original intentions.
Perhaps he shouldn't have brought the kid to his house.
He shook his head vehemently. To leave him alone in that alley would have been wrong.
Besides…
Roy smirked at Ed trying desperately to remove his tight gloves while snarling to no avail.
This was Edward.
The same Edward that he hadn't seen for so long, and who he thought had died without shame. He was here now, sitting in Roy's very living room. How could he have let a chance like this slip through his fingers? Who was to say if he hadn't been hospitable that Ed would not have slipped through his fingers, leaving only fine smoke-like trails?
Every fibre in his being was screaming at him that he was right. That is what would have happened.
Mustang rejoined his guest after the brief confrontation with his conscience and sat across from him.
Giving up on his gloves, Ed gazed distractedly at the house he was now in. It wasn't how he remembered.
The couches were different, the floor was more worn out, and the air seemed much clearer. Although, he did notice with a small joy that his old red coat was still hanging in the exact place he had left it. In the corner out of anyone's way, near the shamrock plants wooden stand.
Why had he kept it?
"Mind telling me what you were doing there?"
Edward snapped his attention back to Roy and swallowed nervously. He knew this was a bad idea. How bloody stupid could he be? Of course Mustang was going to ask questions.
"It's not every night that someone nearly decapitates me while I'm at work."
Yeah, and it wasn't everyday that he was paid to kill one of his old friends, without any knowledge at all of their identity.
Grinning a little too enthusiastically, Ed replied with the lame excuse of, "I-It was just a joke Mustang! You need to loosen up."
He grimaced slightly at the look of disbelief passing over Roy's face. Why hadn't he thought of something more intelligent to say?
"I seriously doubt it. You seemed to be just as surprised as I was when I saw you."
The blonde remained silent.
Disappointed, but not entirely putout, he let the lack of response slide. If he really wanted to answer the question he would have. And the fact that he didn't proved that it was far more serious than Roy had originally thought.
With shaky hands, Ed pulled out a small cardboard box from his pocket and before his host could say anything, he drew a stick and lit it. Gratefully sucking in the smoke to hopefully calm his nerves he glared at Mustang.
Once he found his voice over his blunt shock Roy reached to snatch the cigarette from Edward's hand. "What the hell are you doing?"
Ignoring the booming of an angered man, he lazily leaned back out of Roy's reach and grinned when the other slumped back defeated.
"I'm smoking. Can't you tell?"
"I sure can. I can also tell that you're underage."
Ed blinked repeatedly. Then burst out laughing.
"Got a problem keeping track of time old man? I'm not sixteen anymore."
Mustang was startled by the laughs that were slowly turning to giggles and scolded himself. Where had he been?
Sitting here like they did years ago, his mind must have drifted back away to that time without his consent. And that faint scent of smoke was an alarming bell ringing warningly saying that time had passed and things were different.
Fine. So Ed was of legal age, that didn't mean that Roy had to like the habit that he'd picked up.
To break the tense silence, Edward tried to strike up a topic that would pull the attention away from him. "So Mustang, are you still with those stiff coats?"
Roy smiled sadly. Whenever Ed would be over and he came to his home in uniform, complaints would fly non-stop over how much his clothes stank of starch. And every time, he would reply by saying that it needed the starch to keep it stiff and professional looking. A particular time, Ed had chosen to shoot back a question if Roy had ever used it elsewhere and if that was why he felt so itchy after a bed session. Mustang had been so floored and mortified by the question that he'd awarded Edward the point and the subject was never brought up again.
That is until this day at one in the morning. "No, they got tired of me."
The blonde actually appeared shocked for a moment, but before Roy could comment, he turned his smirk back on.
"That's good."
Good? His deduction of rank and title was a good thing?
"If you want to play the role of an adult and prove that you're not still a child, try using your brain Ed. There's nothing good about it."
Instead of becoming a golden eagle with ruffled feathers as Roy had thought, he remained calm.
"Sure it is. If you were still there, you'd be obliged to your duty."
At Edward's annoying word games, Mustang chose to wait for a further explanation.
"I mean, don't they still turn people in?"
This time, it was Roy who laughed, "Come on Ed. It's not like you're a criminal or anything." The absurd idea floated in his head and he kept chuckling.
That is until the silence permeated through past his emotions to his head.
For the first time that morning, Edward's smirk slipped away into a distant frown. And he refused to meet Roy's gaze.
What the hell? He couldn't actually-
Ed's right hand was shaking. And even Roy knew that only happened when he knew he'd done something wrong.
Could he-?
Gracefully standing and moving in front of the dejected blonde on his sofa, Mustang grabbed him around his collar and hauled him up to meet his own eyes.
"What have you done, Edward?"
His hands were slapped away, and Ed began to head to the front door.
Roy followed him hurriedly demanding an answer.
"Tell me what you did Ed. I may not be a cop, but I am still an enforcer of the law."
Edward's footsteps faltered slightly.
Mustang saw his chance, "Just answer me! I can still help you out of whatever trouble you've gotten yourself into."
He turned around quickly and pressed his lips to Roy's, shutting him up effectively.
Roy's hands wound their way around Ed's waist and he pulled him closer, remaining on the small of his back. Gloved fingers lingered on the broad shoulders, squeezing tightly in fear of moving away, quickly finding their way to the head of dark hair.
Gasping a quick breath, Mustang leaned back an inch.
"What was that for?"
He fisted his hands in the long golden hair that he had successfully untied when Edward wasn't paying attention.
Ed tucked his head under the other's chin and deeply inhaled the thick scent of smoke. It was so familiar to him. Yet, so unlike the putrid smoke he inhaled daily. This was the smell of home; a home plunged into flames and wood. This was Mustang's scent, his Mustang.
"Old time's sake," he mumbled into the pale skin of a neck.
Roy stroked his hair lightly, "Then for old time's sake would you stay the night?"
Edward seemed to consider this before violently lurching himself away from the other.
Ignoring the confusion on Roy's face he gave a watery laugh.
"Someone's out to kill you Mustang, so you must be pissing that someone off. I suggest you be careful."
Roy brokenly reached to the warmth that had left him so suddenly.
But he was too late.
A gloved hand waved quickly, "Later, Mustang."
"Are you really going to kill me?"
There came no answer, Edward was already gone.
"Brother, you do realize what time it is-"
"Yes, Al."
"-and you do remember promising to be home three hours ago, right?"
"Yeah."
Alphonse tapped his foot lightly, refusing to let his older sibling past him. "Then why are you dragging yourself through the door at… let's see… 1:00 in the morning?"
Edward lightly pushed his persecutor out of his way and fell boneless onto his bed.
"I had to work late."
Al sighed and sat next to Ed, "I sure wish you'd tell me where it is you work. I mean, these kinds of hours are insane! I'd sure give them a piece of my mind if you weren't so stubborn."
Tell Al where he worked? Never. That idea was impossible and he refused to have his innocent little brother knew that the money for the food they ate came from the expense of a dead man's body. He'd go into complete denial if he knew his idolized older brother killed men nearly every night.
That was never going to happen, because Edward would make sure Al never had to know.
"Well, I got off at midnight. But I ran into someone… unexpected."
Alphonse frowned and sniffed the air delicately, "Is that why you smell like smoke?"
Ah, that was another thing Al was unaware of.
"Yep, but it was worth it."
It was that damn bastard's fault for making him so nervous. He never would have lit up if it weren't for him.
Suddenly, Al turned to him, noticing the look in his eyes.
That look he got often. The dull gleam in his eyes which said he was thinking of nothing, merely dazing around in his thoughts. And the gleam that said those thoughts of nothing meant everything to him.
"It was Roy, wasn't it?"
Ed drew in a startled gulp of air and smiled sheepishly.
"So you found him?"
He nodded, not really trusting his voice, lest he reveal something he desired to keep secret. Like perhaps how much he had wanted to stay and pretend that only Roy existed in his world, and how badly he'd desired to bask in his arms.
Alphonse grinned and put an arm around Ed's shoulders. "I sure hope it works out for you this time." Then with a combusting force his eyes brightened excitedly, "Did you get to see Mr. Sprinkles?"
"No, we were a little busy talking."
Mr. Sprinkles was a kitten that Al had found a long time ago, and one that two brothers trying to support each other could not afford to keep. Therefore, Alphonse had begged him to take it to Roy and see if he would keep it. Grudgingly, Ed had complied and the bastard accepted it as a gift. One that Al used to visit in his house weekly.
"Sure you were just talking, Brother?"
Al suggestively wiggled his eyebrows before Ed dawned in understanding and shoved him away, embarrassed. He refused to let him know that he was right.
But his blush kind of gave it away.
"You did! Well, I take it back Ed, it seems like you two don't need my prayers, you're doing just fine on your own!" Al hurried out of the room, evading the oncoming pillow, and bolted down the stairs to escape Ed's wrath.
Edward resigned to lying down and staring at his ceiling, ignoring the picture hidden beneath his pillow. Al had taken it while Roy and Ed engaged in a deadly combat of a snowball fight, and for some reason he had kept it.
Maybe that was why Roy still had his coat.
'I hope it works out for you…'
Somehow he wasn't so sure.
Defeated by his thoughts, Ed reached under and revealed the scrap of paper and gazed at it longingly.
The edges were torn and crinkled, probably because he looked at it so often.
'Mustang, you bastard! That's cheating!' Edward squawked when Roy crept up behind him and poured near melting snow down his back. He had been distracted when Al took a picture, and the flash nearly blinded him.
'It is not. It's your own fault that you have the attention span of a flea.'
Ed's face burned, 'A flea? Hey, are you trying to call me short you sneaky, manipulative-'
Roy cut off the famous rant he received daily with a warm kiss, shutting him up effectively.
The two lingered in the heat their bodies created, ignoring the currently attention deprived Mr. Sprinkles winding around their feet, and moved their bodies closer.
'Please you guys, keep it to PG before you burn my eyes out!' Al cried out as the seemingly innocent display of affection became steamier.
'Yes, Edward, we wouldn't want to scar your little brother. So try to contain yourself.' Roy smirked and pulled away from him.
Edward huffed, 'Stupid bastard.'
Tears gathered in his eyes and he blinked at them desperately, not wanting to let them fall.
'I hope it works out for you...'
"Yeah right," Ed whispered before turning over and falling into a fitful sleep, picture slowly falling form his lose hand.
It was almost easy to forget that he had nearly killed that same person without a second thought.
Almost.
AN: Thank you reviewers and I hope this satisfies all readers.
Comments are appreciated.