Ed trudged through the miserable weather with a firm scowl on his face. The snow was knee deep, and the wind buffeted his face and pushed him backward. He pushed back, though, and managed to keep moving in the biting cold and through the wind that stung his eyes. Despite this terrible weather, he was still expected to report into Central Command after his latest assignment. "Fuckin' ass holes," he grumbled under his breath, behind him dragging his suitcase on wheels. Central Command was on the way back to his apartment anyway.
Even though he sounded angry, and had to traverse this horrible icy terrain, he couldn't help but feel excited. It hadn't been too long ago since Valentine's Day, when he and Roy finally confronted each other over a bottle of scotch. Not even a day after this "confrontation," Roy had been forced to send Ed out on an assignment that no one else could complete. And since then, they hadn't been able to talk. Ed felt the excitement bubble up in his chest, along with the apprehension. Now that Roy had time to sort things out alone, would he have changed his mind? More importantly, when would they be able to see each other alone?
Ultimately, that was what drove Ed to go into the office. To see Roy. In any other situation, he'd avoid the office like the plague. If he wasn't so excited to see Roy again, he would have just gone home and use the weather as an excuse to not come in. As he walked and Central Command came into view, he felt movement in his automail begin to restrict. A joint in his shoulder had frozen over.
Scowling, he hopped up the white stairs, trying to avoid the icy spots. He burst inside the building, and warmth swirled around his ankles and red tipped nose and cheeks. Glad to be inside, he left his suitcase by the front door and hurried past the other soldiers, disgruntled from the weather. He found the stairs quickly, and practically ran to Roy's office, only slowing once he reached the top of the stairs so that no one would give him strange looks. Even then, he felt antsy, and couldn't stop from impatiently tapping his report against his leg.
Finally, he reached Roy's office. He slammed the doors open, and found the outer office filled with the usual company. Havoc sat with his signature cigarette hanging from his mouth and reading the paper, and Breda munching on some food while he actually did some work. Fury was intensely focused on a little wire contraption that Ed had no interest in. Hawkeye looked up from her own desk, expression blank as always. She looked Ed up and down and raised a curious eyebrow.
Ed paid them all no mind and sauntered over to the inner office door, flinging it open with his usual disregard for Roy's space. Inside was firelit, bookshelves lining the wall, except for the large window behind Roy's desk - a desk, which was currently serving the same function as a bed or pillow. Ed approached Roy's desk, slapped his report on the desk, and plopped onto the couch. Roy's head snapped up as the report landed next to his head and he blinked tiredly before spotting Ed on the leather couch opposite him.
"Fullmetal," he greeted the blond, straightening his uniform and picking up the report that had woken him up. "You're back," he observed, scanning over the chicken scratch Ed called handwriting. On the other side of the desk, on the couch, Ed drummed his fingers on his thigh impatiently. He didn't want to talk about his stupid mission. He wanted some sort of subtle hint or promise to see each other later, hopefully at Roy's place. "I'm surprised you didn't burn the place down."
Ed rolled his eyes. "Burning's your specialty, bastard, not mine."
Roy placed the report back down and couldn't help but smirk at Ed. "It doesn't restrict others from using it." He leaned back and folded his hands in his lap, brain finally kicking into gear. Ed was back. Right. He met Ed's gaze and informed him easily, "A visitor stopped by yesterday, asking for your whereabouts. You were gone, so I took the liberty of giving Al permission to go into your apartment."
Ed bit back without thinking, "It's not yours; you can't give other people permission to use my apartment." Despite the words that flew off his lips, he was really thinking of the implications. Al was at Ed's apartment, waiting for him. More likely than not, Ed and Roy wouldn't be able to spend time together during Al's visit. It would garner too many questions from Al, and currently their relationship had to be a secret.
Ed crossed his arms as Roy replied without missing a beat, "What's done is done, Fullmetal. I didn't think you'd be so picky about your personal space, particularly with Alphonse. If I knew any better, I'd say you somehow got a real life. A girlfriend maybe?" Ed glowered at him as he spoke. He knew Roy was going to be a bastard at work still, but he hadn't expected the man to tease him about his love life.
"It's none of your business if I have a girlfriend or not," Ed snapped.
Roy raised both of his eyebrows, although his mirth was not lost on his guest. "Judging by your sensitive reaction, I'd say you tried and couldn't get one."
"I could get a girl if I wanted!" Ed shouted, jumping to his feet.
"That remains to be seen," Roy replied smoothly, trying to suppress a smirk.
"Ugh!" Ed grunted, spinning on his heel and stomping away. "Go fuck yourself, bastard!"
Ed, still aggravated from his 'argument' with Roy, kicked the front door a couple of times to knock the snow off his boots. Mumbling incoherently and grumpily to himself, he swung the door open, stomped inside and closed the door behind him. He didn't look around the living room for his brother. Somehow, it seemed completely natural to find an extra set of shoes by the front door, and hear someone bustling about in the kitchen. It was like Al never left.
He kicked off his own shoes, left his suitcase by the door, and announced his presence with, "I fucking hate that bastard!" He plopped down on the couch, slouching so extremely that it almost hurt. Al came in from the kitchen, an apron on, a soap covered fork between his hands. He smiled down at Ed as he continued to clean it.
"That sounds familiar," Al remarked.
Ed grinned up at Al, his bad mood relieved since he could actually see Al - handsome, silver-eyed, with his real flesh body back. He couldn't resent his brother for being taller. He responded with a quick, "Thanks for washing the dishes, Al."
Al laughed. "Wow, brother. You'd think I never left."
Ed shrugged and sat up, leaning forward to grab a book on the coffee table in front of him. He thought about starting a fire in the fireplace on the other side of the coffee table, but decided it was too much effort, and put his feet on the table before leaning back again and reading the book he'd picked up. Al shook his head and walked away to finish whatever he was doing in the kitchen. Ed bit the inside of his cheek as he wondered why Al had showed up without warning him ahead of time.
Al came back into the room and he flipped the page to make it look like he was actually reading. The couch shifted beside him and he was all too aware of Al sitting next to him, completely silent. Ed's patience snapped quickly and he put the book down, asking, "Do you need help in the kitchen, Al?" He rose to his feet, but Al grabbed his wrist and pulled him hard back onto the couch. Ed landed softly on the couch and frowned at his brother. The stern look on Al's face kept him from saying anything or protesting, though.
"We need to talk, brother," Al said. Ed mentally groaned, and winced when Al's hand tightened around his wrist. It didn't really hurt, but he couldn't help feeling sensitive. "I've been thinking since you called me on Valentine's Day." Ed clenched and unclenched his jaw in apprehension, meeting Al's inscrutable gaze. "You've been behaving strangely. At first I thought it was because you were lonely or sexually frustrated -" Ed groaned dismally as the word "sexually" left his brother's lips "- but after that peculiar call on Valentine's Day, I'm certain it's just the opposite. I came here to get information, Ed, and to meet whoever this person is, who sleeps until noon." Ed tried to stand again to get away, but was jerked back onto the couch again.
He glowered at the fireplace, angry at himself for getting into this predicament. He turned his sour look to Al, who retaliated with determination and firmness. Ed sighed and turned his face up to the ceiling. What could he say? 'I'm sleeping with Roy Mustang' didn't explain the situation very well. Did Al even know he wasn't straight? He searched the ceiling for answers and found none.
"I have all the time in the world," Al said patiently.
"I don't know what to tell you, Al," Ed said at last with a shrug.
"Just tell me the truth," Al pleaded. His tone made Ed glad he wasn't looking at Al because it meant he was using those puppy eyes, and damn if Ed didn't cave in every time he saw those adorable, begging eyes. Apparently the tone brought up enough memories to make Ed cave in anyway.
He mumbled unhappily, "I can't tell you." He didn't have to look at Al to know how he was going to react. The silence was enough. It was uncomfortable. It didn't even take five seconds for Ed to squirm uncomfortably. He sat up again and picked up the book. He didn't open it, though. He just played with the pages for a moment.
"You can't tell me anything? Not a name? A workplace? Hair color? Not one hint?"
Ed felt those scrutinizing eyes on his back and felt the need to get up or pace or run away or punch something. He bounced his leg and stared at his hands. It wasn't a matter of Al accepting the relationship, really. It was just a secret that was too dangerous for Roy's career. Ed trusted Al with everything, but somehow, it just didn't seem like this was his secret to tell. Not when Roy would end up with most of the repercussions.
"Remember when," Ed began slowly, rotating the books in his hands, "we were kids? Winry had a secret and you were keeping it from me. I kept bugging you and bugging you about it, but you wouldn't give in. Do you remember that?" Al hummed a reluctant affirmative. "It's kind of like that. Yes, it is my personal life, but it's not just mine. It's someone else's too, and frankly, I don't feel like breaking that confidentiality."
"Is it alright if I ask them about it?" Al asked slowly.
Ed gave his brother a frank look. "I'd have to tell you who it is."
Al suggested eagerly, "Then call and ask if it's alright to tell me."
Ed sighed in exasperation. "It's not that simple, Al. He's busy right now and-"
"So it is a man!" Al exclaimed, evidently very pleased with himself.
Ed, on the other hand, was embarrassed and disappointed he'd let it slip. "I'm not saying anything else on the subject," he grumbled and got to his feet. He'd only really had an argument with Al a handful of times, but never when they couldn't somehow get some space from each other. He couldn't exactly leave the apartment with the snow piling as high as it was, and he didn't want to lock himself in his room for the rest of the night when he hadn't eaten since lunch, which had been a meager portion of food that the train had provided.
With that thought, his eyes landed on his suitcase. Glad for the excuse to go to his room, he grabbed the heavy thing and dragged it away. He closed the door behind him without a word to his brother and slowly began to put his things away. It didn't take very long, since he liked to pack light. Suitcase empty, he plopped onto his bed and closed his eyes. What could he say to Al...?
No sooner than he thought this did he hear the phone ring, a shrill unhappy sound. Ed hopped onto his feet and hurried to answer it. It rang a second time and he frowned when it stopped halfway through. He listened intently as he heard Al in the living room say into the phone, "Alphonse speaking... General Mustang. What a surprise... right, Brigadier General. You know, Ed mentioned you when he came home today. I thought he'd continue to send reports in to a Colonel... I didn't think he was such a handful."
Ed gritted his teeth together. What was Roy lying about now? "I assume you want to talk to Edward... Oh. Well, that's unexpected. What do you want?" Ed pressed his ear harder against the door, wishing he could hear Roy's end. "No, he seemed pretty reluctant to tell me anything about his boyfriend... Oh, well, that was an accident. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that much... Excuse me, sir, but what do you know about Ed's boyfriend? It's the reason I came up here and... I would, but I'm afraid he wouldn't believe me. You should tell him yourself... Okay. Ed!"
Ed grimaced and opened the door. Al held out the phone for him to take. Ed approached cautiously and took it from Al, watching his little brother suspiciously. He put the phone to his ear and said, "Hello?"
"Fullmetal. Tell Alphonse. Just do it. There's noth-" Ed slammed the phone down before Roy could finish what he had to say. What the hell did Roy want Ed to say? 'I'm sleeping with my boss.' Yeah, that would go over well. He crossed his arms, scowling, and tapped his foot while he tried to think his way out of telling Al. He glanced over at his brother, who was sitting on the couch, going through the books on the coffee table. Wasn't it obvious already who Ed's partner was?
Ed walked around the coffee table and plopped down with a loud exhalation, garnering Al's attention. Before Al could speak, though, Ed said, "I can't tell you. It's too embarrassing."
"Will you tell me that I'm right if I guess correctly?" Al asked. Ed shrugged, not looking at Al. He couldn't stand to look at his brother's face when he found out... "I'll start with something easy." Ed almost burst out asking what the hell 'easy' meant. "Is it General Mustang?"
Ed jumped out of his seat when he heard the unexpected name and spluttered, "Wha- Who -" He stood up and faced his brother. "Really, Al? If you knew, you should have just said so!" Al blinked a few times, his eyes wide. He had figured Roy's and Ed's relationship was too volatile to be romantic, but he was utterly wrong. He'd meant 'easy' as in definitely not possible, but... "Jeez!" Ed huffed and fell backward onto the couch again.
"Lucky guess," Al mumbled to himself.
Ed looked at him. "Did you say something, Al?"
Al shook his head vehemently. "No. So is General Must-" he stopped himself, wondering at the appropriate name to call Roy, and corrected himself, "-err, I mean, is Roy coming to our house for the holidays or...?" He watched Ed's face carefully. He had hoped Ed would be able to bring a special someone home once in a while, but it seemed like the relationship was supposed to be a secret. It made sense, if Roy was trying to become Fuhrer. To his surprise, Ed seemed nonplussed by the question and simply shrugged.
"Dunno. Doesn't matter to me," he answered. He glanced over to Al. "So are you leaving tomorrow, since you found your answer?"
Al frowned. "I wanted to meet him."
"But you know Mustang," Ed contended, more confused than anything.
"Then I'll meet him again," Al decided aloud. "I need to make sure he isn't a creep. He did watch you grow up, brother. The age difference is a little... significant."
Ed stared blankly at Al, then rose to his feet wordlessly and locked himself in his room, unable to come up with an appropriate response.
Thus, Ed found himself standing in a restaurant, trying not to groan as a semi formally dressed Roy shook hands with Al after a brief, forced introduction from Ed. He waited as patiently as he knew how, until the two most influential men in his life finally decided to sit down. Grateful that things were moving along at last, Ed plopped down in his chair. He picked at the tablecloth while his brother and his boyfriend made small talk from across the table.
He hated this place, this situation. The stupid restaurant was much classier than himself and he didn't really want to be there. He'd rather eat at a pub or a family restaurant... not one of these expensive, tiny-dish-serving places with too many decorations and weird rules where only rich people have dinner to show off or do business... He stared up at the white blank ceiling, and wondered what would happen if he threw eggs at the ceiling, just to mar the perfect blankness.
"Ed, why don't you tell Al how we first met?" Roy requested. Ed sighed.
"You know how we met, Al," he grumbled unhappily.
"How we met outside of work," Roy clarified.
Ed lifted his head and gave Roy a frank look. Roy raised both of his eyebrows expectantly, and Ed looked to Al, who was watching him with polite curiosity. He sighed and answered quickly, "I got lost in town after you called me on Valentine's, and I bumped into Roy. He had his pants undone and was sneaking away from a girl he'd shagged." He watched Roy's lip quirk in amusement, and Al's eyebrows furrow for a moment.
Roy decided to interject here, and said to Al, "I can always count on Ed to tell it straight."
Al glanced at Ed, who was once more staring at the ceiling. He turned his attention back to Roy and returned the smile. "He's a little stubborn, though." Roy chuckled at the observation, but the conversation was interrupted by a waitress. She sauntered over to their table with a little swing in her wide hips, and a great big pretty smile.
"May I take your orders?" she asked glancing around the table. Her eyes locked last with Roy and she bit her bottom lip when they did. He kept his eyes firmly on hers, and away from her breasts, which were hard not to look at with such a tight shirt and the plunging neckline. Ed didn't notice the exchange, but continued to stare up at the ceiling. Al, on the other hand, watched intensely.
Roy smiled at her and didn't even bat an eye before stating his order. She looked away briefly so she could write it down, and glanced back up at him, only to find he was looking at Ed, saying, "Ed, what do you want?" Ed perked up and listed off three things from the menu, earning a strange look from the waitress. She tried locking gazes again with Roy between Ed's and Al's orders, but once more found he was looking at Ed, and laughingly commenting on Ed's appetite.
Forcing a smile, because honestly she was irritated at Roy's behavior, her eyes flickered to Al, who ordered his meal with his own dashing smile. She said cheerfully, "Alright. I'll be back with your food." She turned around and sauntered away, giving her hips a little more swing in case Roy was looking. In fact, Roy was not looking at her, but at Al.
"You'd think they'd give the waitresses a dress code," Al commented, more under his breath than to his companions.
Roy smirked. "I've seen better." Al raised both of his eyebrows and gave Roy a hard look. Ed noticed the exchange and frowned. That just looked like strike one. But what were they talking about?
Confused, Ed asked, "Why? What was she wearing?"
Al blinked at Ed in surprise. "You didn't notice her cleavage at all?"
Ed shrugged. "I saw it. So?"
Roy chuckled and explained simply, "So she was dressed inappropriately. That's all."
"But Al gave you that look-" Ed began.
"I didn't give him a look," Al said indignantly.
"But-"
"I didn't see a look," Roy agreed with Al. Ed glanced between the men helplessly. He'd definitely missed something. Sighing, he gave up and faced the ceiling again. This time, however, he didn't want to be out of the loop, so he kept his ears open. Roy chuckled again.
"So how did playboy Roy Mustang fall in love with my brash brother?" Al asked, tone conversational, but the very content of the question betraying his suspicious nature. Ed's gut reaction was to defend Roy, but something held him in place. Something kept his jaw shut, his face to the ceiling. He was curious. How did Roy fall in love with him? He wasn't exactly perfect...
Roy hummed thoughtfully, and Ed wondered if Roy wouldn't just lie about it to make Al happy. Slowly, Roy began his explanation. "I wasn't in love with Edward when I first met him. He was eleven - I have a conscience. I wasn't even in love when he turned eighteen." He paused and Ed wished he knew what the man was doing, but he didn't dare show interest in the conversation or Roy might change his story.
Roy continued, "But I guess that was when I realized he was an adult. A mature person, and all that the word implies." Ed almost smiled, but Roy remained solemn and polite as he spoke. "The rest of this story is long. Would you care for an abridged version?" Al hummed an affirmative, so Roy said, "Simply, after realizing Ed was indeed mature, I became more aware of him and his... body." He stopped there, and Ed felt something brush against his arm. He turned his head and found the waitress handing out their drinks, smiling widely at Roy, and walking away after a curt exchange. His lip twitched and he looked back up at the ceiling.
Roy sipped from his glass of water before continuing, "I never really intended on pursuing him as a romantic interest, but fate has a strange way of biting me in the ass. I don't really know when it started, but some days I found myself missing him while he was away on a mission. That's when I realized what I felt for him. I didn't exactly give it a name until the day Edward mentioned earlier."
"So this isn't exactly a new emotion for you," Al observed quietly.
Ed could hear the forced smile in Roy's terse tone as he answered, "No; our relationship was not a hasty decision ruled by a bottle of scotch."
Al laughed politely, a clear ringing tone. "Ed didn't mention any scotch."
"Well, you didn't exactly ask to hear what happened after Ed found me with my pants undone," Roy replied easily, earning a snort that was both amused and derisive. Ed held back his own laughter, but couldn't help the small twitch of his lip.
"Isn't it weird that he's so much younger than you? I mean, you watched him grow up."
The answer came without missing a beat. It almost sounded practiced, or like it had been composed very carefully and edited a thousand times so that it could be as concise and convincing as possible. "I did watch him grow up, but I think that's why it was effortless to fall in love with him. I've known him for years. I know what he's struggled with and who he really is by watching him grow. I know that doesn't really make up for the age difference, but the age difference shouldn't matter; he's of legal age. He can decide to join the military or drink a beer, so he can decide who he wants to be with." He stopped himself abruptly and apologized softly, "I'm sorry; I was rambling."
"It's fine," Al replied, seemingly indifferent to the speech. "It's clearly something you've thought about."
"It's my job to be thorough," Roy responded smoothly.
Ed, getting impatient and no longer interested in the conversation, picked up his head and looked at Al and Roy. Al seemed unusually stiff, but that was explained by his overprotective nature. Hell, if Al had been involved with any other girl than Winry... Ed shuddered to think what he'd be like. So he understood Al's behavior, annoying as it was. Roy, on the other hand, was completely unreadable as always. His shoulders weren't tense or squared, and he didn't look particularly stiff, but... was he uncomfortable? It was impossible to tell.
"Are you two girls done bickering?" Ed asked, irritation lacing his voice.
Al smiled at Ed, slowly becoming at ease. "Almost, brother. There's just one more thing I'm not so sure about." As he said this, he returned his gaze to Roy, the amusement in his eyes dying just a little and turning cunning. Roy sipped his water, completely unperturbed by whatever Al threw his way - partially because he knew what he wanted with Ed, and knew he wasn't doing anything wrong. More importantly, he knew he was a capable man and could accomplish anything he set his mind on.
Ed frowned. "What do you mean?" On cue, the waitress returned, this time beside Roy, hands full with their meals. She placed three of them in front of Ed, and the other two in their appropriate spots, making sure Roy had a great view of her breasts as he leaned over to hand out the food.
"Anything else I can get for you boys?" she asked, flashing a special smile to Roy.
"We're fine, thanks," Al told her with a polite smile. Her eyes trailed on Roy before she left.
Ed forgot about his earlier inquiry and began to eat, glad to find something actually worth coming here for. He was right about the tiny plates, and was pleased with his decision to get three plates of food - damn the money. He could pay for his portion. Still, he kept his ears out for Roy's and Al's conversation, hoping he could understand exactly what it was Al was "unsure" about.
Al whistled lowly. "Wow, Roy. She was practically shoving them in your face."
Roy smirked. "What can I say? I'm beautiful. I can't help it when others are attracted to me."
Al stabbed his salad with a fork. "But you know how to say 'no' to a woman, right? I know you're out of practice, so I'm sure Ed would cut you a little slack if you kissed a girl or something."
"There won't be a need," Roy assured Al with a pleasant smile. "I'm sure Ed will be more than enough to satisfy me." Al choked on his salad, but Roy was not disturbed. He just picked at his food and took a small bite. Ed glanced at the choking Al, finally understanding what Al was getting at. Roy was used to having woman after woman. Would he be faithful? And even if he intended on being faithful, did he know how to say 'no' to a woman who was clearly coming on to him? Ed turned a cautious gaze to Roy. It had occurred to him before, but he'd always pushed the thought aside.
"You might still want to see other people, though," Al supposed, "to keep up pretenses at work."
Roy raised both of his eyebrows. "No, actually. It's common knowledge that I'm taken."
Ed blinked and asked through a mouthful of food, "It is?"
Roy smirked. "Yes, Ed. My new lover is a mystery, though. No one knows who it is. The only hint is that I've fallen madly in love." Ed swallowed, and blinked a couple times more. Roy was giving him a look that was impossible to decipher, except that it was really hot. Not only that, but what Roy had said - 'fallen madly in love.' It surprised Ed. He'd never been a fan of incredibly romantic situations or words, but the implication that Roy Mustang was completely smitten...
"You have yet to prove to me that you can keep your hands to yourself," Al interjected.
Roy looked away from Ed and to Al, smiling pleasantly once more. "I'm afraid I don't know how to convince you, Alphonse. You'll just have to trust me based on your own experience dealing with me." With that, he turned back to his meal and continued eating. Ed decided that was a good idea, and went back to his almost finished meal. Al did the same, figuring that Roy was right. Only time would tell. With the three of them eating, it left a silence between them that was tense and awkward, given the note Roy had left it on.
The waitress returned as Ed finished his meal and touched Roy's shoulder gently. "Are we all set over here?" Ed's eyes flickered over her hand, and finally figured out that she'd been particularly flirty with Roy, which added a layer of interest onto the conversation Roy and Al had. He watched with interest as Roy did not remove the hand or tell her to go away. Nor did he smile at her, or even look at her for that matter.
"Could we get the bill?" Al asked.
"Of course," she purred, and patted Roy's shoulder before walking away.
Roy reached for his napkin and blinked at it, nonplussed. "Smooth," he murmured before wiping his mouth with it, regardless of the number and name written in neat, angled, feminine handwriting. He put the napkin back down and Ed spotted the name and number as well. At least it didn't seem like Roy was interested in her, but it would be incredibly stupid of Roy to act interested while Ed or Al were present. Ed wouldn't want to spend the rest of his life with someone stupid. Al saw the number before both of them, and wondered what Roy would do if Ed and himself weren't there.
The waitress returned moments later, the bill in hand. Once more she touched Roy's shoulder, and Roy passively ignored her. Her lip twitched in irritation at being ignored, and turned away to leave. Roy pulled out money for his part of the meal, as did Ed. "I can pay for you, if you want, Al," Ed offered. Al agreed, and while they fumbled around with the numbers, Roy rose to his feet.
"I'll be right back," he promised. Al looked up and watched Roy suspiciously. Ed was none the wiser, figuring Roy just had to use the restroom. Roy stopped their waitress on her way into the kitchen. Al's eyebrows rose, and he tugged on Ed's sleeve. Ed looked at Al, saw Al's gaze fixed behind him, and turned around to see.
They couldn't hear what was being said, but Roy was speaking. The waitress's jaw fell in surprise, and then she said something brief. Roy didn't smile at her, not when she lightly touched his collar or smiled coyly. He took her hand and very purposefully placed it back at her side, earning a hurt expression. He continued to speak, and the hurt turned into mild unhappiness. She slapped him and walked away. Seemingly unfazed, he came back to the table and smiled at his companions. "Sorry about that. Are we ready to go?"
Ed stood and asked with a soft frown, "What did you say to her?"
Roy smiled wryly. "Something guaranteed to make a girl hate you. I learned it through an unfortunate friend, and its devastating effects never change. But never mind that. You and I have work in the morning and we need to get home." Ed hesitated, but let it go with a shrug. It didn't matter to him, as long as that girl left Roy alone now. Al followed the older men outside, and was surprised when he suddenly became the third wheel, while Ed and Roy immersed into conversation, talking about nothing in particular, but having fun all the same. That, more than his own interrogation, helped Al realize Ed was in good hands.