Title: The Silent Jealous Type
Author: drummerdancer
Verse: None
Characters/Pairings: Roy/Ed, other(s)
Word Count: 1300 total (5x100, 800)
Rating: T
Summary: Edward didn't want to go. Naturally, Roy found somebody else to take instead.

"You want to go to a ballet?"

"It's not just any ballet, Edward," Roy scolded, turning away from him as he wiped another glass dry. They were in the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast, when Roy had suddenly remembered that The Nutcracker was playing in the Central City Theatre later that night. Of course, getting Ed to go…well…

"Yeah, I'll pass. Later," Edward waved, grabbing his jacket as he head for the front door.

Not a minute later, Roy heard the door slam shut, leaving him to sigh and ponder on who else would want to go with him.

Not a single member of his office staff voiced enthusiasm about the ballet. Not even Hawkeye, who's taste in art differed only slightly from his own, wanted to go.

He sighed, sinking lowly into his leather seat in his inner office. He absolutely loved going to plays and social gatherings, but he could not go by himself. That was unheard of, especially for a man of his status and reputation.

Grabbing the phone, Roy dialed a number. It rang twice, then a low, smoky voice on the other end picked up.

"What can I get for ya, Roy?"

He smiled.

As it turned out, Vanessa was free that evening and more than happy to accompany him to the ballet. After thanking Madame Christmas for the date, Roy hung up and made arrangements for the outing. While he didn't consider the event a 'date-date', he still needed to do things for appearance's sake.

He dialed a couple more numbers, arranging for tickets and a driver as he felt a sudden wave of unease wash him.

Should he have asked Edward if this was okay? Surely he didn't mind Roy finding someone else to go with, right?

The thought nagged him.

After work, Roy dropped by the apartment to change. Upon finding the front door unlocked, the thought from earlier popped into his head, reminding him that he needed to say something about his non-date to Edward.

Opening and closing the door behind him, his plan soon derailed, however, as he heard the shower start up down the hall. Edward was notorious for taking longer-than-necessary showers, and Roy didn't have time to wait around for him to finish. Changing into some dressy but casual attire, Roy quickly scrawled out a note and left it on the kitchen table.

The ballet was as wonderful as he'd remembered. Even though the dancers were different every year, the story and memories always remained, trudging up nostalgia in Roy's chest as he watched, his eyes only occasionally leaving the stage when Vanessa whispered a comment or two in his ear. She wasn't particularly witty, but every now and then, she pointed out something on stage that made him smile. And she was better than an empty seat, that was for sure.

The performance ran a total of two hours. After it ended, Roy dropped Vanessa off and headed home in high spirits.

The door was still unlocked when Roy finally made it in. The sun had long past set, giving the entryway to the apartment an almost ominous glow. There were no sounds of movement or motion; only the ticking of the clock on the wall notified him of any life at all existing in the closed space.

Roy removed his shoes and hung his coat up in the hall closet, then risked a glance in the study to see if Edward was working.

The study was empty, leaving Roy to assume Edward had already gone to bed. He sighed; he hadn't had a chance to speak to him since that morning, and while that wasn't unusual on any given day, Roy still had a bad feeling running up his spine.

Exiting the study, Roy walked down the hallway and opened the master bedroom door. The lights were completely off when he entered, though the light coming from the hallway briefly illuminated the room as he left it open and peered in.

Edward was indeed in the bed, sleeping, his body still and unmoving. Roy almost left it at that before a single detail struck him as odd; Edward was on his right side, facing away from the middle. As far as Roy knew, Edward never slept on that side; the automail would press into his sleeping body, after all, making it difficult to sleep. It wouldn't be an easy position to rest in.

Glancing closer, Roy also noticed Edward's body lacked the relaxed, even breathing of a person in deep sleep. Sure, his chest was still rising and falling like a normal human being's would; but it was halted, like it was consciously being controlled.

Which meant Edward was awake.

And he was pretending not to be.

Roy furrowed his brow but said nothing as he shut the door and walked over to the dresser to change. The darkness of the room made it somewhat difficult, but it was easier to think when he knew his thoughts weren't being watched by anyone, awake or pretending not to be. He grabbed a pair of baggy sweats and changed into them, ever aware that Edward was silent.

After using the bathroom, Roy slid underneath the covers, his breathing low as he tried to figure out why Edward was avoiding him. Was he upset? Did Roy do something wrong?

But Edward remained still, his body language unknown under the cover of darkness.

This continued for all of five minutes before Roy became fed up with the silent treatment and decided to take action. Slipping his arms around Ed's waist, Roy pressed his chest into Edward's warm back. Roy felt him startle against him, a clear sign Edward hadn't been prepared for any confrontation at all. Which was good…or bad.

"Edward. I know you're awake."

A moment's pause, then the fakest damn yawn Roy had ever heard in his life erupted from the blond, his back stretching lazily against him as if he'd truly been woken up.

"Hm…did you say something?" he breathed, his voice tinged with none of the tell-tale signs of sleep.

Roy squeezed his arms gently around Edward.

"You were already awake. Don't try to pretend."

It took a moment for his companion to decide whether or not to give in, but when he did, Edward exhaled and relaxed a bit, his act abandoned.

"Yeah…I was."

"Is something wrong?"

"…no." Edward's voice was tight and uncomfortable, and Roy could spot the lie almost immediately. He groaned; sometimes, extracting the truth from Edward was like pulling teeth.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" he asked.

Edward shrugged. "Yeah…uh, how was your evening?"

"It was fine…except that you weren't in it." And that was the very truth of it; no matter who came along, Edward was always his preferred company. Nobody could top his wit, his humor, his insight…he was the total package, hands down.

If there had been even the faintest of light, Roy was almost positive he would've seen a vivid red on Ed's cheeks; he always blushed at compliments, no matter how many times Roy repeated himself.

"Oh…um, well…would you want to go again? Like, tomorrow maybe?"

Roy couldn't help but smile at the request. "I'd love to…but I thought ballets weren't your thing?"

"I never said that! Just…I don't want you going to that kind of stuff with anyone else but me, you hear?" By this point, Edward had squirmed out of Roy's hold and was turned back inwards, his arms wrapping around Roy's waist as his face was centimeters away.

Roy would've never pinned Edward as the silent jealous type…but he wasn't complaining in the slightest. If it meant Edward would go to the ballet with him…

"Deal."