Chapter 5

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Roy said, looking at Ed. He adopted a confused look. "Edward? Is something wrong?"

Ed was looking at his feet, hands clenched tightly at his sides. Roy couldn't see his face save for a bit of his mouth, which appeared to be pinched - as if Ed were biting his lip. His whole body seemed more than a little tense. Roy couldn't help but wonder... what was Ed thinking about to make him so stressed?

"So how long...?" Ed asked, voice rather quiet considering who he was. Roy continued to watch him with a confused look.

"...About eight years," Roy replied honestly yet able to keep his voice just as confused as he face.

"Eight years?!" Ed exclaimed, looking up at Roy. "But that's-!"

"As long as I've known you. That's right," Roy nodded, not understanding what exactly was so hard to understand about all of this.

"So do you like me for me, or are you just some sort of pedophile?" Edward asked seriously, obviously trying to wrap his head around a few more things.

"Honestly, Ed. If I were a pedophile, I would have made a move long ago. Although, this wasn't exactly the way I'd planned to let you know how I felt... It just sort of happened," Roy explained, shrugging a little.

"How did you plan it?" Ed asked, a string of curiosity lacing his voice. Roy smiled and snickered.

"I don't know. Something brilliantly suave and catchy. You know, something more my style," Roy answered. He watched Ed carefully, unsure where this was going exactly but acting like he was still in control. Ed shifted his weight onto his left foot.

"Nah, I think I liked it better this way," Ed murmured, his head down again.. Roy bent down a little to try and make a little eye contact or to at least see Ed's expression.

"Ed?" he asked. The blonde looked conflicted. Roy sighed. "Look, Fullmetal... You don't have to force yourself to come up with something on the spot, nor do you have you accept any feelings I may have. If you prefer, we can always go back to how it was, with the teasing and arguing. That was fun too," Roy said.

Ed looked at Roy with a shocked expression. He was probably surprised at being called 'Fullmetal'. Oh well... too late now. Roy used it on accident, but maybe it was a sign of his fear of rejection. He was becoming more formal... Uh oh.

"Hey, I never said-," Ed complained a little. Roy held up a hand to tell him to be quiet.

"Don't worry about it,... Edward," Roy hesitated on the name, because he'd almost said 'Fullmetal' again.

Roy dug in his bag of bought goods and pulled out a deep red hairbrush that had four hair ties around its handle. He shoved the brush into Ed's hands and smirked his natural smug smirk.

"Use them and think of me," he spoke jokingly. "I'll see you at work."

With that, Roy walked away from Ed. He heard a few protests from the younger alchemist, but paid them no mind. Ed always did that. He had a hard time accepting certain things, like presents when it wasn't his birthday... even though his birthday was just yesterday. If he just walked away, Ed wouldn't be able to object, and he'd take them home.

Roy heard a familiar clapping noise and the sound of freed electricity. He almost didn't react fast enough to avoid running into the walls put up around him. He stopped short and turned to Ed. The blonde alchemist was pouting. How adorable.

"I'm not finished yet," Ed grunted out. Roy smirked lightly.

"I do apologize. Please continue, little Edward," he replied. The short comment wasn't meant to insult Ed. It was flirtatious. Ed seemed to take it both ways. He both blushed and made that cute little 'uh!' noise he always made before he blew up about being called short.

"I'm not that short anymore! I'm not you're little brother! I don't need you telling me how and when I need to do things! And I definitely don't need your help-!" Ed half yelled. It was more like a list of complaints at a louder than needed decibel. With each proclamation, Ed took another step toward Roy.

"Help with what, Edward?" Roy asked, shifting his hold on his bag of food. Ed clenched his fists.

"I don't... need your help doing this," he said strongly. The blonde alchemist's hands found Roy's head, holding it forward. He pushed himself up a little to breach their height difference, and he finally pressed his lips against his fuhrer's. Roy's shopping bag dropped onto the ground. Ed pulled away and blushed darkly.

"See?... I didn't... need your help at all," Ed murmured in embarrassment. Roy was in shock.

"H-How long?" Roy asked and cleared his throat. Ed blushed darker still.

"Since we first met in Central," he muttered in response. Roy couldn't help the smirk that played with his lips.

"Eight years?" he asked smugly.

"Oh, shut up," Ed grumbled.

"Gladly," Roy replied, wrapping his arms around Ed's waist and pulling him back in for another kiss. The walls that Ed had created were the perfect shields for any wandering eyes... not that they cared. Ed's hands felt up the back of Roy's neck while one of Roy's hands fell down and dared to skim over Ed's ass. The younger man a sound of embarrassment and disapproval between their kisses. Roy chuckled.

– – – – – – – – – – – –

"Morning, Roy!" Hughes greeted when he popped in the next day at work.

"Will you try not to shout?" Roy asked, scribbling something on a document.

"Well I just thought I'd let you know my plan of action for speaking with Ed. I figured you'd want to make sure I didn't say anything stupid, you know?" Hughes explained.

Roy smirked a little. Hughes regarded him curiously.

"What's with that smirk?" he asked. Roy snickered softly.

"Look to your right, genius," Roy said.

On the couch to Hughes's left, Edward Elric was sleeping. He was half curled up, one hand under his head and the other hand laying limply in front of his body. His shoes were off, as was his vest, sitting neatly beside the couch. His hair was still done up in a ponytail but needed to be redone. He was covered in a small blanket Roy usually had folded up in the small closet in the corner.

Hughes adopted a concerned look.

"He's adorable, and I'm happy for you, Roy, but... You guys didn't... in here, right?" he asked, looking around worriedly before looking at Roy.

"Hughes, you're a freak. Of course we didn't. I arrived to the office on schedule. He came in early. He was awake until a few minutes ago. Now don't go and wake him up," Roy warned. He glanced at Ed's snoozing form. It really was amazing how young and adorable he could look even as an adult.

"So are you two an item now?" Hughes asked, walking to Roy's desk. Roy nodded with a smile. "Well congratulations. I suppose that means I don't have to get anything out of him now. Whatcha doin?"

Hughes leaned over the desk to take a look at what Roy Mustang was actually doing on time. Surprisingly enough, it was his normal paperwork! Roy Mustang doing his work... properly?! Was the world coming to an end?

"As you can see, I'm doing some important, official, fuhrer business. So if you wouldn't mind.. Could you excuse me?" Roy asked, giving Hughes a look that ordered 'get out before I burn you alive.'

"Got it. I gotta be getting to my own work anyway. I'll see you two later. Ta," Hughes dismissed himself, and with that he was gone.

Roy sighed and set down his pen. He stood up and walked over to his couch. Ed's chest rose and fell with every breath, every beautiful breath. Roy knelt down and pushed some of Ed's bangs out of his face. They fell right back into place. Roy smiled as if Ed was doing that on purpose as a joke. He moved them out of the way and planted a kiss on Ed's cheek. Then he released the hair again.

It took eight years and a fumbling confession to realize what was going on in that complicated little blonde head of Ed's. Everybody loved Ed. Everyone who's ever met him can't help but fall in love with him, or at least believe he's amazing. Anyone he helps joins the parade of the Edward Elric fanclub. But after eight years of being a military dog, Edward Elric only truly loved one person. He loved Roy Mustang, the fuhrer who controlled his leash, and that was more than perfectly fine in Roy's book.

A/N: Okay so Russell never made it back in (by some request). My sister says I should have put everyone else in the more but.. it was more supposed to be Roy's thoughts about it all. Eh... what did you all think?