"Ok, we've got about twenty minutes to get there, so Ed, I need you to put this on as fast as you can. I'll get mine on, and we'll go," he pushed Ed into the bathroom, handing him a hangar with some sort of clothing on it; Ed couldn't tell because it was wrapped in opaque plastic, but it was nearly as long as he was tall.

"All right. I'll hurry up." FINALLY he was going to figure out what Mustang had in mind for this evening, and he was slightly afraid to find out what it was. At least... Until he pulled the garment from the hangar. "It's a... Suit?" Sure enough, he unwrapped a full, probably expensive, suit. It was entirely black, the dress shirt a deep wine red with a black tie on top of that. Roy had tossed him a pair of brand new, shining black dress shoes to match the suit. Ed smiled. Every day, he found more and more of a reason to like Roy, and the fact that he was being taken out to an elegant dinner had definitely raised his already high opinion of the Colonel.

He dressed as quickly as he could manage, stripping himself and then throwing on the pants and buttoning the shirt, which had been perfectly tailored to his size. He tied his tie, which he had been sure he wouldn't have remembered how to do, and pulled the jacket on. Once his hair was re-combed and retied, he looked at himself in the mirror. "Damn..." he mumbled. Normally, he didn't think too much of his appearance, but he had to admit, he felt pretty sexy in this outfit. Now, to see what Roy thought of it... Just as he was slipping his socks and shoes on, he heard a knock on the door,

"Edward, are you ready? We need to go now."

"Yeah, one second!" he called, finishing the last bow, and then threw the door open, a smile spread from ear to ear.

"Very nice. I like you in a suit," he stroked the collar of Ed's jacket.

"I like yours too." Mustang was dressed in a black suit and tie as well, his shirt a dark navy blue. He kissed Ed once on the cheek, grabbed his keys, and they were off, hopping into the car and pulling out of the driveway. "Can you tell me where we're going now?"

"A restaurant. I haven't been there in a while, but I figured this was a special enough occasion to go." Ed frowned a bit, but he didn't see the boy's expression,

"How many others have you brought here?" he was almost afraid to find out.

"Truthfully? Only... One other..." the look on the Colonel's voice told Ed that the memory was a painful one. He wanted to ask who... But it wouldn't have mattered. He probably wouldn't have known her. They were silent for the rest of the ride, but as they pulled up in front of an obviously elegant and expensive place, Ed couldn't help but smile. So, Roy was proving to him that he meant more than an easy lay... God, he was good at this. Ed admired his classy nature.

As soon as they were in, they were seated in front of the fireplace, where Roy had requested they sit, and they had had their menus a whole five minutes when the waitress came to take their orders. He chose to have something Roy picked for him, and when he'd voiced this, Roy looked astounded, and just about as impacted as he had been in the car, seeming to recall a very similar, painful memory. He ordered Ed lobster and steamed vegetables, a baked potato, and since water was the only non-alcoholic drink, he got that as well, while ordering a glass of wine and a pasta dish for himself. As soon as she had left, Ed turned to Mustang,

"Ok. I'll admit it. I'm impressed." He leaned over the table, interlocking their fingers with a grin. Roy looked down at their clasped hands, back at the fire they sat in front of, and Ed saw something that made him fall back in his chair with an astounded look on his face: tears had sprung into Roy Mustang's dark eyes, clouding his vision slightly. "R-Roy? Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry... It's nothing..." he wiped his eyes.

"You know, if there's something on your mind... Go ahead and tell me." There was a long pause, in which Roy held Ed's gaze for quite some time, and then he spoke,

"The other person I brought here... We did the exact same thing... Sat in front of this fireplace, with me here, in this very seat..."

"Did... You break up here or something?" Ed prodded on gently.

"No. Not here. When we left. Actually, this was where... Where he admitted he loved someone else, and then had the nerve to invite me to their wedding." He chuckled bitterly, wiping his eyes again.

"Wait... It was... Hughes?" Roy nodded, looking away.

"I... I'm sorry, Ed. It doesn't matter. He told me to find someone else, and I have. But out of anyone I've ever dated and lost, he hurt me the most. I had hoped that when I agreed to be with you, you wouldn't do the same."

"Hell no. The only girl I'm ever with is my mechanic, and you don't have to worry about her. I'm not going to leave you for a woman," he laid his head down on the table, "Not for anyone." Ed would probably never understand just how much that meant to Roy right now. He smiled, and reached over to stroke blond bangs away from Ed's eyes as they looked up at him. For once, Ed didn't look away from that gaze, and allowed Roy to stare back at him for a long time.