The love this story is getting is making me so happy! It's doing better than RtA. Everyone loves humor and fluff! hehe. Now I shall answer a few of the questions before we move on...
Kikiko: I'm tweaking the arrays on his gloves because the image of Roy pulling out chalk just doesn't do it for me. And no, no smexxing in this fic, it's rated too low for that. One of my friends has been daring me to actually do a steamy shower scene or something, but I'm afraid I've declined so far.
Fullmetal LVR: I do know what you mean :evil grin: And only he can pull them off. ...and I mean that in the most PG way possible.
Paon: Daphne's a sharp woman... that's all I shall say on that. XD
Chapter Five
"Brother, have you decided on a honeymoon destination yet?" Alphonse asked over a glass of wine and a slice of parmesan encrusted bread.
"Not yet. I have several options though." Edward said with a vague wave of one gloved hand.
Roy looked over at him, and wisely chose to say nothing. That decision however was not one his mother shared. "If you can get him to wear anything but that hideous military uniform, anyplace will be worth it."
"A nudist beach then?" Ed suggested, ignoring Roy as he spluttered into his wine and gave way to fits of coughing.
"That would fit the change of clothes criteria…" Al mused and hid his smile behind his next bite of bread.
"Excuse me, I do believe I now want to get obscenely drunk if we've progressed to discussing nudist beaches." Roy said, and snatched the wine bottle into his hand before anyone could thwart his plan. As if to prove his point, he took a long swig from the bottle. "But why harp on me about my clothes? Ed's just as guilty. Always running around in leather pants and more layers than is sane for the weather we've been having lately."
"I didn't know my leather pants distressed you so much." Ed smirked and held his empty wine glass out. "Fill me up?"
A wicked smile appeared on Roy's face as he caught the innuendo. "Not here." He said as he poured more wine into the glass, never taking his eyes from Edward, "and certainly not in front of your impressionable younger brother."
Al bit down a chuckle. "Younger, yes. Impressionable, no. But I would appreciate it if you refrained from bedroom activities while in my presence."
"Don't forget about me." Daphne sighed, but inwardly smirked. It seemed she had a good ally in Alphonse. That boy was sharp. All of a sudden those two were back to making flippant conversation, and by all appearances, enjoying the hell out of it.
"You'll have to excuse my fiancé, Al." Ed drawled with an easy smile, "he likes taking comments out of proportion when he's getting obscenely drunk. Not that it does much for him anyway."
"What do you mean, 'it doesn't do much for me,' looking to get snapped at?" Roy asked after taking another long drag from the bottle.
"My son has become a drunkard." Daphne sighed, but did nothing about it. She knew from experience it would take a lot more than a bottle of wine being poured down his throat to get him more than just tipsy.
"No, just looking to point out the fact that you're obscene anyway." Ed smiled at him, "want me to get you a funnel? I'm sure I saw one in the kitchen. We can just stick it in and pour the whole bottle right down. Completely skip the need for swallowing it."
"You can go get the pliers out of the bottom drawer where the tools are." Roy suggested.
"And let me guess, you want me to remove the stick that's up my ass?" Edward finished with an amused smirk at Roy's disgruntled expression. "You're too predictable. Sorry to disappoint, but there's nothing up there. Hasn't been for far too long now. I swear this could border on neglect and abuse you're doing to me."
"I wonder if you can court martial him." Al wondered aloud, spinning his fork into his spaghetti as he eyed the arguing couple.
"Now Al, like they need encouragement to think of such dirty things right now." Daphne laughed and took another sip from her wine.
"I'll put him in the stockades is what I'll do." Roy said with a firm nod.
"Oh, kinky." Edward chuckled. "Do I get visits from my darling little jailer?"
"Painful ones."
"Even kinkier."
At this point Al had to wonder if he shouldn't try and redirect the conversation. Before he'd had a chance to decide though, Daphne quickly took the reins. "Ed, want to hear a story?"
"What kind of story?" Ed asked hopefully.
"About Roy's first date." Daphne said, a cheshire cat grin on her lips.
"No!"
"Yes!"
Daphne turned to Ed now conspiratorially, "her name was Jessica, and they were both fourteen."
"Oh no." Roy moaned, and clutched at the wine bottle as if it was his only salvation.
"He was drug home by the police two hours after they left. Apparently he was trying to do indecent things with her in what he thought was an empty park. What he didn't know was that he was giving an elderly nursing home a spectacular reminder of what it felt like to be young and functional. He was very embarrassed, but damn that girl knew how to give him a hickey. I didn't think that thing would ever go away."
Edward sniggered appreciatively. He could actually see Roy doing something like that. "What ever happened to her?"
"Well, Roy became Roy." She said with a nonchalant wave of her hand and turned back to her meal. "No one's ever held onto him for a second date. Much less long enough for him to have proposed." Daphne continued thoughtfully, before looking back at Edward. "That's why I'm enjoying getting to know you so much. You're the first one he's ever really cared about, and I can see how much he cares." Daphne said, and looked at Roy who was doing his best to act as if he'd heard nothing.
The table was silent for several minutes before Roy suddenly turned to Edward. "I'm sorry."
Edward blinked at him, dropping his fork in shock. He ignored the rudely abandoned utensil however in favor of letting his eyes continue to widen. "You're… sorry?"
"Yes." Roy took a deep breath, and nodded. Let no one ever say he did not have balls, for he had two, and he knew how to use them. So he would drop his ego down enough to apologize to Edward. "I said something to you earlier today, and I shouldn't have. I apologize. I don't want you to be angry at me anymore, and I don't want us to fight anymore."
Personally Roy still couldn't understand why he was doing this, but he knew without question it was the right thing to do. Yet ever since the beginning of this it had been a rollercoaster ride for he and his emotions. Never before had he been sad, angry, happy, and wistful for something he knew not all at once. It was driving him insane. But what he did know, was that he wanted Edward to smile at him again. And not just those smiles he put on for show. That real smile, the one that made Roy feel invincible.
Edward nodded so slightly the action was almost lost, "can we talk about it then, later?"
"As long as you want." Roy agreed, and was rewarded by the smile he'd been hoping to see. Their eyes lingered for several moments before Roy suddenly turned to his mother. "And Jessica was not my first date. There was one before that."
"Oh?" Daphne looked intrigued at this new bit of information.
Alphonse meanwhile had caught his brother's eye, and gave him a wink that left Ed frowning for the meaning. But Al merely shook his head, looked uncharacteristically smug, and took another bite of his dinner.
"Heather, or Pam," Roy corrected, "but whatever her name was, she was actually a man."
Edward nearly inhaled his wine, and came up for air laughing and coughing all at once. Alphonse too had suddenly started laughing quietly to himself. Daphne just looked plain shocked.
Roy smirked and reached over to pat Edward gently on the back until the man recovered himself. "You okay, Ed dear?"
"I think I need more wine." Ed chuckled, offering the glass to Roy, who obliged with a charitable grin.
Daphne had to admit, after that, things lightened up considerably between the two betrothed.
After dinner all four of them ended up in the kitchen, getting things cleaned up and put away. Once again Ed and Roy had flipped for dish duty, and again Ed ended up at the sink. "I swear you're pulling something." He grumbled, but not unkindly as he got the water running.
"He probably is." Daphne grinned, scrubbing at the stove with a sponge she'd swiped from the sink.
"I am not!" Roy laughed, "it's not my fault you guys suck at stuff like this."
"Oh, you said suck." Ed whispered so that only Roy could hear him, and was rewarded by the snorting laugh that Roy tried to repress and failed miserably.
"What else would you like me to say?" He asked, leaning over Ed's shoulder to whisper the words. "Or do?"
Ed tried to hide the shiver that ran through him as the warm breath made contact with his skin. "What's in your job description?"
"What's in yours?" Roy asked cheekily as he caught the towel Al tossed him and began to rinse and dry the dishes as Edward washed.
"What'd you put in it?"
"What would you like in it?"
"Are you two playing one hundred questions?" Al asked, suddenly appearing on Ed's other side with more dishes to wash.
Edward jumped, splashing warm and soapy dishwater over both he and Roy. Al had managed to move out of the way just in time. "We're not." Ed growled under his breath and frowned at the mess. "Damn."
Al bit back a laugh and retreated. He wasn't sure what they'd been talking about, but he had an idea of the contents based on Ed's jumpy reaction.
"I'd win at such a game anyway." Roy sighed in the low voice he was communicating to Ed with so their words did not carry.
"Would not." Ed smiled as he passed Roy the last of the wine glasses. "Your brain is just confused because you drank nearly an entire bottle of wine."
"And I'm going to drink more too, before tonight is over."
"Yes, because I'm sure you passed out drunk is a very agreeable sight."
Roy considered him, then gained an evil gleam to his eyes, "ever gotten drunk, Ed?"
"I should say not."
"It's about time you did."
"I'm not going to allow you to get me drunk, Roy."
An hour later, Edward was giggling fitfully on the floor in front of the fireplace in the sitting room.
"And do you know what happened then?" Daphne asked the very intoxicated Ed in amusement.
"No!" Edward gasped, his golden eyes wide and hazy from the effects of the liquor Roy had kept shoveling into him.
"He was flung headfirst straight into the dumpster filled with horse manure. I told him that ramp was unstable!"
Edward had collapsed onto the floor, rolling with fits of laughter. "Poopy Roy."
"I beg your pardon?" Roy asked as he walked back over, having seen Al out the door since Edward could do little more than wave with a goofy smile when Al had announced he should probably head home.
"Poopy Roy." Ed repeated.
"Mom, what did you tell him now?" Roy sighed as he walked over towards the giggling blonde.
"About the time we took you to Uncle Harold's farm and you landed up in the horse manure dumpster." Daphne said innocently.
"Gee, thanks." Roy said sarcastically, and finished his scotch, setting the glass up upon the mantelpiece of the fireplace.
"You're welcome."
"Hi!" Ed beamed up at Roy who blinked down at him. "You're a beast."
A hint of red flushed Roy's cheeks and he cleared his throat roughly.
"He's fun drunk. You should get him like this more often." Daphne suggested with a grin as Edward somehow managed to latch himself around one of Roy's legs.
Roy tried not to mind the feeling of Ed's hands gripping the middle of his inner thigh, but he discovered that was very difficult indeed. It took him picturing his mother in nothing but a towel to get his sudden influx of hormones under control. For once, he was thankful for that traumatizing memory. "Yeah, fun for you to watch."
"Want me to go to bed early? I wouldn't want to interrupt anything…"
"There's nothing to interrupt! We're not going to get naked and have an orgy in my sitting room!"
"You sure about that?" Daphne asked, pointing at Ed.
Edward, taking advantage of Roy's distraction, had crept his hands higher. And while they were not quite high enough to be even remotely brushing anything, Roy's eyes widened. "Little devil brat."
"Ro-oy." Ed said in a sing-song voice.
"What is it?" He asked, reaching down to begin prying the other alchemist off of him.
"You really are nice, you know that?" Ed asked happily, and allowed Roy to pry him off.
Roy flushed again, "and you're drunk. Come on, we're putting you to bed before you cause any trouble."
"Bed?" Ed asked, standing up with Roy's help.
"Probably a good idea. It's getting late." Daphne said.
Roy grunted, and hooked one of Ed's arms around his shoulders so he could support the wobbly alchemist.
"Are we walking backward?" Ed asked, leaning into Roy with a contented sigh as they began their way upstairs.
"You are." Roy grumbled.
"Roy." Daphne chastised.
"I hear Daphne, is she here?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
"What do you mean unfortunately? Ungrateful child."
"I like Daphne, you should be nicer to her." Edward told Roy in as stern a way as he could manage.
"Hark the wise one speaks." Daphne smirked at the back of Roy's head.
"Your wise one is currently drunk." Roy informed her, finally reaching the top of the stairs. Ed had certainly not helped any. "That earns you few merit points."
"But it earns me some, my dear boy."
Roy rolled his eyes and half helped, half hauled Edward down the haul back to his room. He certainly couldn't dump Ed in another room for the night. He'd just lay him out on some blankets or something on the floor.
Daphne stood at her door to watch their progress. Sure, she could have helped, but she got the feeling Roy didn't want help.
At last Roy made it to his bedroom door and half slid out from under Edward's arm to look back at Daphne. "Goodnight then."
"Yes, goodnight." She smiled, "try to make sure he gets some sleep."
"I will." Roy sighed and looked down at Ed as he opened the door and shoved it open. "Let's go then, not much farther."
Edward looked up at him, and with a grin and no warning whatsoever, pounced on Roy.
Daphne stared wide eyed as Edward successfully managed to knock Roy off his feet back through the doorway. She heard the crash of them landing, a yelp of surprise, and Roy's door swung shut sharply. "My, my." Daphne laughed and went into her guest room, closing her door and wishing the two the best of luck.
"Ed!" Roy flared up, finally getting his wind back after having been knocked to the floor so spectacularly.
"Roy." Ed said shortly, and with much emphasis.
Roy couldn't help but be reminded of someone trying to teach a child how to speak, the way Ed had said his name so matter of factly. However he was soon struggling to even remember how they'd ended up in this position. He was currently trapped under Ed, whose head was currently nestled under his chin. He knew he should toss the blonde off, and bind him in blankets for the night so he couldn't escape or do harm to anything. His hands instead of wanting to toss Ed off, were aching to finally feel that golden hair.
"Roy, where'd you go?" Edward asked, stirring back to life after having lain motionless atop Roy while the other man battled for control over his body. Lifting his head he spotted Roy and beamed, "found you!"
"Well aren't you a brilliant one." Roy meant to say in a grouchy tone, but it came out as anything but.
"I am." Edward agreed stoically and then grinned again, suddenly sliding up the few inches and placing his elbows on either side of Roy's head so he could stare down at the man he currently had pinned under him.
"Damn you, Edward." Roy breathed out. All his progress on controlling his reactions had been flung out the window and run over by a truck when Ed had slid up along him. "What are we doing?" He asked, not really expecting an answer as he raised his hands up to bury them in those blonde locks that had sent him out of the house this morning in such a frenzied mess. All that seemed so long ago to him now.
"Stop talking, Roy." Edward replied, his giggle fits from earlier now extinct along with Roy's previous self control.
Roy began to pull Ed down towards him, and was met with no resistance. Suddenly he pushed Edward away, his hands somehow out of that lovely blonde hair. "You're drunk, I'm not doing this." He said shakily, trying to bring his unsteady breaths back under control as he held Ed firmly by his shoulders, both of them kneeling on the floor now.
"That's never stopped you before." Edward pointed out, sensible, despite his intoxication.
Roy shook his head with a grimace, "this is different."
"How is this different?" Ed asked, showing some clear headed thoughts underneath the fog of alcohol. "You can't tell me you don't want this."
"Edward, you're drunk. Hell, you might not even remember this." Roy fretted, "I'm not going to do anything that you might regret when you're thinking clearly."
"So tomorrow morning then, when I say nothing has changed-"
"Then we'll talk about this then."
"I know what I want, Roy." Edward whispered, but made no advancement towards the one holding him firmly by the shoulders. "It won't change by tomorrow morning."
"Let's get you to bed then." Roy said, and helped Edward up. For all the blonde's moments of slur-less speech, he was still wobbly on his feet.
Somehow Roy managed to help Edward into the bed, and he made sure that he was covered by enough blankets before grabbing an extra and going over to sleep in the chair Ed had awoken from this morning. "Wouldn't have lasted long anyway." Roy muttered as he lounged in the chair, looking to where Ed already slept peacefully. Edward had fallen asleep the instant Roy had helped him lay down.
Edward had left Roy with a great deal to think about though. The phrase of 'what the hell?!' seemed to be most appropriate right now. How could he have nearly done that?! He was Ed's superior officer, he couldn't go around bedding the man. And since when did he stop seeing Edward as an annoying teenager, and start seeing him this way? He knew he was scared, and he didn't know why. But this was different from anything he'd ever encountered before.
He'd been telling Ed the truth, this was different. He saw Edward differently than all those women he'd never stopped with before, drunk as many of them had been. He just wasn't sure how differently. It was something he needed to figure out, and soon.
At four in the morning Roy gave up trying to sleep.
Getting up out of the chair, Roy laid the extra blanket over Edward, smoothing it gently over him so he wouldn't wake the sleeping blonde. He then finally changed out of his uniform, pulling on a white t-shirt and black slacks he left the bedroom and crept down the hallway while stuffing his gloves in his pockets. Minutes later he left the house entirely and began to walk to his destination.
Hawkeye's house.
Residence of the "Scary One"
He knew it was early, but he knew she was awake. He'd known her since they were kids, and he didn't know of a single day that woman had slept in past four in the morning. Walking up to the front door of the quaint one bedroom house she occupied, he knocked.
"Sir, everything okay?" Riza asked in concern as she opened the door.
"I need someone to talk to, someone to tell me I'm crazy or something, or snap me out of this." Roy rattled, burying one of his hands in his thick black hair as if he had a headache. Considering the amount of alcohol he drank, it was possible. But his headache was of a different sort.
"You look like hell you know." She said, opening the door so he could enter. "Did you sleep at all last night? Those dark circles are nearly as black as our hair. If I hadn't known you better I would have assumed someone got the better of you in a fist fight."
"I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about him." Roy groaned as he entered, pulling off his boots in the process.
"Him?" Riza parroted. "You mean Edward?"
"Yes, Edward! That brat is driving me insane!"
She laughed lightly and led Roy into the kitchen where they both pulled up chairs, and she began to pour him a cup of steaming tea. "Is he now?"
"Yes." Roy said, a bit glumly, and accepted the tea with a smile of thanks.
"Tell me what he did." Riza said, refilling her own cup of tea.
"I swear I thought you owned a coffee pot." Roy said after sipping on the hot amber liquid.
She shrugged, "it broke. Black Hayate got on the counter and thought it would be fun to use it as a chew toy."
"Where is that dog anyway?"
"Recovering his balls after I shot at him for breaking my coffee pot."
Roy had to admit, he was suddenly scared of Riza this morning. "You're very scary sometimes, you know that, right?"
"And yet here you still are." She grinned at him. "So what happened with Ed?"
At this point in time, Roy found it impossible to sit, and he began pacing back and forth clutching the helpless cup of tea as he vented. "I almost kissed him last night-"
"Almost?"
He continued as if he hadn't heard her, "-and then he's saying all this stuff. But he was drunk, so he was just babbling nonsense, right? But that smile of his, and the way he looks at me sometimes. It's like I live right now to see it, but I don't want to-"
"You don't want to live?"
"-I almost took things too far with him last night. What if he'd regretted it? What if he'd hated me for it? But he says 'it won't change by tomorrow morning,' but will it? He was drunk when he said that. Even if he did look sober right then. When he touches me though, it didn't feel wrong, and I wanted it to continue. But he was drunk and I don't know what to do."
"Do you love him?"
For once, Roy seemed to hear her. "I… I think I do. I mean, yes, I do. I've had hours to think about it. At least, I think it's love. I've never been this far."
"You mean, you've never actually cared before. You've been forcing yourselves to act engaged, what did you expect, Roy? This is what you've been wanting for years, even if you wouldn't admit it. And now this happens, and Edward comes along. Hell, I could have told you years ago that you and Ed would be good together. You two just click for some strange reason."
Roy gave what might have counted as a muffled half scream before resuming his pacing. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"
"You couldn't flirt with him, because you cared for him already. Or didn't you realize that you've cared for Ed for years now?" Riza asked as he paced.
"You have to snap me out of it, I can't fall in love with him!" Roy said as he hurried over to her suddenly, dropping to his knees.
"I'd like to say 'too late' or some sarcastic thing like that." She sighed as she looked down at him, "but I won't. Listen to me, Roy, I may be scary. But I am not scary enough to stop you from loving Edward."
"But he doesn't love me." Roy whispered, hanging his head. "He told me the first day of all this that he wouldn't fall for me. He's always kept his word."
"I've never realized until now just how pathetic you can actually be."
"Thanks for that."
"I'm serious, Roy." She shook her head at him. "There's a first time for everything, and you'll never know for sure until you talk with Edward this morning."
"I'm not sure I can…"
"Well I'm not letting you sit here the rest of the time." She snorted in amusement. "This isn't something you can run from. I know that you're scared of getting hurt, but I think you're underestimating Ed. Go back, talk to him."
"If he doesn't jump me the instant I walk in the door."
"Then you'll have an answer before you talk." She laughed.
Roy sighed, and nodded with reluctant slowness as he got back on his feet. "Thanks for the tea."
"Go back there and be a man, sir." Riza smiled at him.
"You're so sweet." He rolled his eyes, and after goodbyes were exchanged, he left.
Humble Abode of the "Engaged"
Edward had just woken up, and he sat up pushing the covers off of him as he looked around. Roy was gone. It was the first thing he noticed, and he sighed heavily. He remembered what had gone on last night, hazily. But he did.
Getting out of bed, Edward shook the wrinkles from his clothes and brushed his hair straight again. He braided it back as he walked out of the bedroom. He paused at Daphne's door, but decided he wouldn't disturb her. So he walked down the stairway and without a second look back, was out the front door.
He knew he should have looked for Roy, to talk about what had gone on last night, but he honestly felt like he needed to get his thoughts in order before such a venture. And so he headed to the one place where he could find someone to help him out with that.
After a brisk half hour walk, Edward found himself back at the flat he shared with Al. He let himself in, and shut the door behind him. All the lights were still off, so he headed back to Al's bedroom.
Al was still asleep, but Edward knew he'd be able to wake him up. So he sat down and began to repeatedly poke Al's shoulder.
Alphonse finally stirred awake, and turned wide eyes on his brother. "Brother? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" He asked as he sat up in bed.
"Roy almost kissed me last night." Edward said, in a bit of a dull voice.
Al smiled, but then it faded. "Almost? What happened?"
"Something about me being drunk and basically not knowing what I wanted." Edward sighed, and flopped back onto his brother's bed.
"What did you want?" Al asked, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to his stomach as he sat staring down at his brother.
"I certainly wanted him to finish that damn kiss!" Edward groaned, putting his hands to his face. "And then well, I wanted more but…"
"In a different area?" Al finished as his brother trailed off.
Edward peered out from under one hand at his brother, "you do realize the multiple meanings that can have, do you not?"
"Of course I do. So what happened?" Al asked.
"I thought I'd convinced him that we'd talk about this in the morning. But when I woke up he was gone. And when I left the house this morning, his shoes were gone too. I bet he went out last night after Daphne and I were asleep, had fun with one of his little lady friends." Edward theorized bitterly.
"I doubt that." Al said gently.
"It's not like I should care anyway." Edward griped, "this is just supposed to be an act. I shouldn't care what he does with who."
"But you do."
"Yeah." He sighed heavily. "I'm all messed up. And I do recall telling him I wouldn't fall for him. I've always kept my word before, now should be no different."
"Brother," Al began, "there are no guarantees in life. We know this best of anyone."
"He's out with a lady friend anyway. I'm as expendable as they are. He's only showing me courtesy because he actually has to deal with me at work."
"I doubt he is. I saw the way he looked at you last night, he wasn't looking at something expendable."
"You're sure about that?" Ed asked, a bit of hopefulness in his voice.
Al nodded firmly. "He definitely wasn't. And it wasn't acting. It may have started out like that on the first day, but somehow the two of you went beyond that not long after."
"And it doesn't bother you, that evidently I am gay for the man who used to make our lives hell?"
"He did not make it hell!" Al reprimanded, "but no, it doesn't bother me."
"So now I have to go back there and have a talk with him… that should be interesting." Edward sighed, and sat up.
"Stick around, I'll make us some coffee and you can tell me more about Daphne. I like her too, I can see why you want to stay friends with her."
So it was decided.
Edward went into his own room to take a shower while Al made the coffee and some biscuits. After Ed was done the two sat at their usual spots at their small kitchen table and began to eat and drink their coffees.
"She's planning to take us boating and fishing tomorrow I think." Edward said, and took a bite from his biscuit.
"You haven't fished in years, sure you still remember how?" Al teased.
"Of course I do! You stick the worm on the hook, and drown the poor sucker so you can catch a wriggling slimy scaly bottom feeder. And then you roast said bottom feeder over an open fire, and try not to make eye contact with the huge bug eyes as they swell from the heat."
"That's a lovely thing to say over breakfast." Al grumbled with a roll of his eyes.
"It's the truth." Edward grinned.
"Sometimes I wouldn't mind if you kept the truth to yourself."
"Apparently Roy has tried to get her lost on hiking trips and ditch her for the wolves." Ed said, bringing the conversation back to Daphne.
"Yikes." Al shuddered, "I wouldn't put it past him. Though I can see why he might want to every so often, even if he does love her."
"She can be a bit overbearing. All the times she's bossed Roy around, it's been hilarious to watch. But sometimes I do feel for him."
"Yes you would find that amusing." Alphonse laughed.
"Did she like you?"
"I'd say it's safe to say that she did. She made me tell her all about Winry."
"What was her conclusion?"
"That she wants to meet the possible Mrs. Elric at the wedding." Al grinned, "speaking of which, when is the blessed event?"
"Oh who knows."
"The fake one or the real one, maybe? Surely you have a date at least for the fake one to tell her."
"Real one?" Edward repeated, and laughed shortly. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I still haven't talked to Roy about what happened last night."
"Finish your coffee then." Al instructed as he downed his own cup.
Edward smiled and worked on that. Five minutes later he was out the door with a hug from Al and wishes for good luck.
When Edward made it back, he saw Roy's boots were back as well. That meant he'd returned from wherever he'd been. Frowning, Edward tried to remember what Al had said, and pulled off his own shoes before going on a hunt for his fiancé.
He found said fiancé storming down the stairs. "Where'd you go last night?" Ed called up to catch his attention.
"Me? Where'd you go this morning?!" Roy called back as he hurried up a bit.
"To talk with Al… not that it's really any of your business."
"Then where I went is none of yours."
"Yes it is! You went and saw a girl last night, didn't you." Edward sighed at the look on Roy's face. "You can admit it, you know."
"There's nothing to admit to. You don't need to know the details."
"I'm not sure I want them." Edward admitted, folding his arms over his chest. "Now if I remember correctly, we need to have a talk."
"Yes, we do." Roy said, and led Edward into the library where the two took seats on opposite facing tables.
"Why'd you try and kiss me last night?" Edward asked instantly.
"Why'd I… why'd you tackle me?"
"This isn't a question game. I was obviously drunk, apparently I thought you needed to be tackled." Edward said firmly, "but you were not. So why'd you try and kiss me?"
"I wanted to." Roy admitted. "But you were drunk."
"Again, that's never stopped you before. So why'd you stop?"
"Because I care about you." Roy finally admitted. "I… I didn't want us to make a mistake last night, and have you hate me for it."
"I don't hate you."
"Because I didn't do anything."
"Which technically should have made me hate you. But I'm willing to ignore that."
"Ed, listen," Roy sighed, and bowed his head. "I care for you, more than I have for anyone else. But we can't do this."
Edward frowned at him, sliding off the table to walk over to stand before Roy. "Why not? Why, if you care for me, would you push me away?"
"Because, I don't want to hurt you." Roy said, meeting Ed's painfully confused eyes. "I don't think I'm ready yet to have a real relationship."
Ed's hands clenched at his sides, and he looked away. "I never realized until now how stupid you actually can be."
"Just, forget I ever said anything."
"You think you can just tell me that you care for me, shove me away, and then tell me to forget about it?!" Edward fumed. "You really are a bastard."
"I know."
"You know this isn't right." Ed whispered, unclenching one hand to raise it to Roy's face. "Why are you so scared?"
"Leave it alone."
Ed looked away sharply, and started forward towards the door. "Just so you know, I still want what I did last night. Just because I'm drunk does not mean I can't think. And feeling the way I did actually felt really good, at least until you went off like that."
"Ed, I don't think I know how to even be in a real relationship."
"Let me know when you realize that you actually do know how. Because in case it escaped your notice, we've been having that for the past two days." Edward looked down at the ring on his finger, and suddenly pulled it off, walking back to Roy to lay it on the table next to him. "I love you, Roy." He said, and met the startled look Roy gave him, "let me know when you've finally come back to your senses."
With that, Edward strode out of the library.
"Ed, there you are. Where's Roy, have you seen him?" Daphne asked as she homed in on the blonde.
"He's in there, being an idiot." Edward snapped, and stalked for the kitchen.
Daphne watched Ed stalk off and sighed. Things had been looking up last night. It seemed that Roy had managed yet again to piss Edward off somehow. Shaking her head, she entered the library, and rolled her eyes at the hopeful and then disappointed look that came over her sons face. Walking over to him she took a seat on the table as well. "Out with it, what happened?"
"I love him." Roy whispered, hanging his head while he clutched the ring in one hand.