The house smelled of pancakes.

Roy and Ed descended the stairs, Roy in full uniform and Ed in his boxers. He didn't expect anything else at this point.

It was hot today, so Roy didn't really blame him. Already he felt stuffy in his uniform, wanting to at least take off his jacket, but he stayed strong. It wasn't just Ed now, it was his whole family, and he didn't feel comfortable being in anything else.

Alphonse had opened all the windows and doors, letting the warm summer breeze enter the house, and Roy thought it all felt really homey.

They entered the dining room just as Winry was serving the pancakes.

"Good morning!" Al sang enthusiastically, looking like he'd had a brilliant night's sleep. Roy was slightly jealous.

Roy offered a polite greeting in return, and it was followed by Ed's loud yawn and stretch as he threw himself in a kitchen chair.

"I'm starving," he grumbled, going for the pancake stack.

Winry whacked his hand away. "You're only allowed four."

Ed groaned.

Roy wasn't usually a morning eater, but he wasn't about to say no to homemade pancakes. He was mostly silent as they ate, half listening to Ed banter with Al and Winry. Pinako was outside on the porch smoking, basking in the sunshine.

His tired, sleep-deprived mind was all over the place, simultaneously trying to think of and forget what had occurred last night. What Ed had said, what Roy nearly allowed to happen. The more he thought about it the faster his heart pounded.

Heart attack. For sure.

Now, in the daylight, it almost felt like a dream, like it hadn't actually happened.

It was easy to blame the bond, that it was making them both feel this weird tension charged with sexual energy. And it might as well be. But Roy couldn't deny that the bond hadn't made Ed jump into his bed last night, and it certainly hadn't been the reason Roy had allowed it. No, that had been Roy's brain simply malfunctioning.

"How long are you planning on staying, anyway?" Winry asked, setting her fork down and looking between him and Ed.

He thought the question was directed more towards him than Ed, since Ed could technically never leave. But Roy certainly had to.

"Just the weekend," Roy answered, clearing his throat. "I do need to go back to the office soon."

"Bastard thinks he's too important," Ed told them, snorting next to him. Roy shot him a side glare.

Al looked at Ed admonishingly. "Brother, don't be so rude! Especially considering the situation you've put the General in!"

Ed rolled his eyes, his cheeks flushing just the slightest bit. Roy only noticed because he was right next to him. "Whatever," he grumbled, averting his gaze.

Roy had been wondering why Ed wasn't saying Roy had been the one to put them in this situation, when Al said, "Wait a minute." They both looked at him, and Al's gaze went between him and Ed, eyes narrowed. "You can't activate arrays anymore." His gaze settled on Roy, and Roy decided it was time to fess up.

"I was the one who stepped on the array. I apologise." He apologised because surely Alphonse wouldn't just be okay with Roy putting his brother in such a potentially dangerous situation, not after everything they'd been through. He would surely be displeased.

He had been preparing to apologise further, to placate a surely angry Alphonse, when Al blinked and looked at Ed, a smirk playing on his lips. "Cute, brother."

Ed's blush grew darker, spreading to the tips of his ears, and embarrassment flowed through the bond. "Shut up, Al."

What?

Roy tried to understand what had just been communicated between the brothers. He kept his face blank as he dug into his last pancake, pretending he knew exactly what had just happened. But he had no idea.

"How's being a General been so far, sir?" Roy met Al's warm gaze; he was smiling at him.

Roy pursed his lips. "Lots of paperwork," he said dryly. Not that he'd minded much, since most of the paperwork he'd been dealing with the past several months revolved around rebuilding Ishval. He had been extremely focused on it, wanting to get everything right, create the best possible rebuilding plan.

Ed scoffed next to him. "You have the most boring job."

"My plans are big," Roy responded evenly.

"Of course they are."

Roy turned his head to face Ed, catching his gaze. He needed him to understand. "There is no room for failure."

Ed met his gaze unflinchingly. "I know."

Roy wasn't sure he truly knew.

They regarded each other for a moment in silence, before Roy averted his gaze. He noticed Al narrow his eyes at them.

"I wanna check your automail," he heard Winry tell Ed, who grunted and absently rubbed the skin by his automail port.

A few minutes later had Roy sitting on a chair by Winry's workshop door, while Ed and Winry were inside. He could hear mumbles and the occasional annoyed curse.

He had been lost in his thoughts when Alphonse approached him, holding a steaming hot mug.

"Coffee?"

Roy took the mug from him, eternally grateful. "Thank you, Alphonse."

Al sat in the chair on the other side of Winry's door, and faced Roy. "So," he started, and Roy tensed despite himself. Maybe this was the confrontation he'd been expecting before. Maybe he hadn't wanted Ed to be present for it, and this would be his only opportunity. "You and brother…"

Roy frowned just so, almost imperceptibly. He and Ed what? He didn't know what the correct response to that was, or even if there was a correct response, so he remained silent, arching a brow at Al instead.

Al smirked slightly, his eyes alight with humour. "You can't take your eyes off him." Roy froze, his stomach twisting in knots at what Al was implying. That wasn't true, was it? Roy hadn't been staring at Ed like an idiot, had he? "Or is that part of the bond?" From the way he said it, he didn't think so.

Why were the Elrics so damn direct?

"Brother doesn't notice these things, but I do." Al smiled at him, and Roy thought that smile had an almost evil gleam to it.

"It's not like that," Roy felt the need to clarify, "Between me and Ed." The moment the words left him, he froze. Using Ed's name so casually wasn't going to convince Alphonse in the slightest. But it had just slipped out.

Al regarded him for a second before saying, "Okay."

Roy decided to change the subject. He straightened in his chair, facing Al's amused expression head on. "How come you can see the thread?" he asked, and looked at his left wrist pointedly.

Al shrugged. "I think it's cause I spent so much time as a soul. I think I have a closer connection to soul energies. I've felt it a few times, I can tell it's different. People tend to be subconsciously aware of other people's soul energies, but I'm consciously aware of them."

Roy nodded. That made sense. Perhaps they should've told Alphonse about the bond sooner; it seemed like he'd be a massive help in figuring out how to break it, whether that was with a reversal array or somehow convincing their souls to do it themselves.

Silence settled between them as Roy sipped his coffee and Al studied him. Roy remained unbothered — at least externally. He was sitting casually in his chair, enjoying his coffee, but his heart rate was slightly higher than normal, his mind wondering what Alphonse was thinking, and why he was being stared at like Al had never seen him before.

"Everyone always thinks I'm the kind one, you know?"

Roy blinked, turning to face Al with a blank expression. But internally, all he wanted to say was, What?

"And I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm nice and brother usually isn't nice by definition, but he's definitely kinder than me."

Roy cleared his throat, trying to figure out Al's angle but coming up empty. Why was Al telling him this?

"Brother sees the good in everyone, he cares about everyone, even the people that have hurt him. He thinks everyone is redeemable."

Roy gave a slow nod, taking Al's words in. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to keep it in mind. I don't want brother to get hurt."

Roy shifted in his chair, and downed the last of his coffee. He never thought he'd be having a conversation like this with Alphonse Elric. Why did he think he was going to hurt Ed? Okay, yeah, the soul bond could be classed as borderline hurting Ed, but Al seemed to be talking more emotional hurt. Roy would never physically hurt him, not on purpose, and he hoped to God Alphonse at least knew that.

Did Alphonse think he was capable of hurting Ed?

"Brother trying to take the blame for the soul bond was kind."

Roy had wondered why Ed hadn't just told everyone it had been Roy's fault. He hadn't asked Ed to do that, so why did he try to cover for him? It wasn't like Ed. Maybe Al was right in a general sense; he had seen evidence of Ed's kindness plenty times. It became more obvious when one got to know him and got past the moody exterior, but Roy hadn't really been on the receiving end of Ed's kindness. At least he hadn't been aware of a time that he had.

The only thing he could think of was that Ed hadn't wanted Alphonse to be angry with him; he knew the Elrics were fiercely protective of each other, and he perhaps had wanted to avoid a confrontation. But what if Ed hadn't said anything because he knew how guilty Roy had felt over it? He had felt his guilt through the bond; that was why he'd ended up not angry at him over it.

But Ed, being considerate of Roy's emotions? It seemed inconceivable. That Ed would be that thoughtful and caring. Towards him.

"It's what he does," Al continued. "People don't usually notice the little things, not unless you know him really well. So keep it in mind. Please."

Roy nodded numbly, his mind whirling, when a jolt of pain rushed through the bond so unexpectedly he flinched, and Ed grunted loudly from inside Winry's workshop.

Alphonse smiled at him reassuringly. "Just automail reconnection."

Roy was still catching his breath when the door between him and Al swung open, and Ed exited.

He frowned, looking between Roy and Al almost suspiciously. His gaze lingered on Roy a second longer, and Roy wondered if he'd been feeling the slight awkwardness and confusion Roy had been feeling during the conversation he'd just had. Probably.

"Everything okay, brother?" Al smiled at him, a fondness in his eyes that reminded Roy of Ed.

Ed scowled at the reminder of his automail, looking back in the room where Winry was. "Yeah, all good."

"Damn, I love Resembool," Ed proclaimed, flopping down on the grass.

Al leaned back on his hands and stretched his legs out, chuckling and looking fondly at his brother. "There's barely any grass in Central, is there?"

Ed hummed, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the sun on his skin.

Roy was sitting opposite Ed and next to Al. The sun would've been lovely had he not been slightly sweating in his uniform. He was still mulling over his exchange with Alphonse, so he was happy to simply observe the brothers engage in conversation.

"And Central Park is too busy, I can't just lie like this and sleep," Ed said from his starfish position on the grass. He was still in his boxers, but the Rockbell house was far enough away from the rest of the village that it didn't matter; no one would see him.

Al chuckled. "And you definitely can't do it naked."

Ed slept naked on the grass? Of course he did. Roy didn't even know why he was surprised.

Ed snorted, opening his eyes to flash Al an amused glance. "I mean I could, but the poor kids…"

"You'd get done for public indecency and I don't want the paperwork, Fullmetal."

Ed lifted his head, staring at Roy thoughtfully with an evil glint in his eye. "Damn, maybe I should do it then."

"Brother!" Al scolded, but he was laughing.

Roy glared at him, and Ed pushed himself up on his elbows, flashing him a boyish grin.

Did last night even happen? Maybe Roy had in fact slept and it had all been a dream. Because Roy couldn't fathom how he and Ed could act like normal so easily after Ed had nearly had his hand down Roy's pants.

The thought was sobering, and he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and averted his gaze, aiming it to the grass by his legs instead.

There was a beat of silence, during which Roy tried to ignore Ed's existence, and Al cleared his throat. "I'll go get us some drinks, Winry's made lemonade."

With that, he up and left, and Roy silently cursed at him in his head. He tried to act nonchalant, avoiding Ed's gaze and picking at some grass by his leg. He hoped Alphonse wouldn't be long, because the sudden silence wasn't comfortable in the slightest.

He knew that perhaps the mature thing to do would be to broach the subject of last night, tell Ed it wasn't right and they had to remain as professional as possible, fight the bond's influence. And it was what he would've done, had this been anyone other than Ed. There was just something about Ed that twisted Roy in knots and made him feel awkward and frozen.

It had only really started after they'd been forced to spend time together out of office; in the office, he could ignore his Ed-specific curiosity, the small moments where he noticed just how stunning Ed was. But now he couldn't, not when he was so close all the time.

Ed's knee nudged his own, and Roy glanced at him briefly. "What's got you moody?"

"I'm not moody, Fullmetal. That's juvenile."

Ed snorted. "You're surprisingly the moodiest person I know."

Roy looked at him, unimpressed. "Second only to yourself, I presume?"

Ed threw his head back and laughed, the sound deep and loud and carefree, and Roy could only stare.

He stared at the bits of Ed's golden hair that escaped his braid and framed his face. He stared at his neck, his broad shoulders, one marred by his old automail scar. The skin of his chest, which was already a shade darker than it was when they arrived. Roy could never tan; he only got burned, which he'd always thought slightly ironic.

"Probably." Ed grinned at him, and Roy noticed how the sun had caught his face and reddened his cheeks, the mirth in his eyes, and he thought that Ed looked beautiful. The fondness fluttering in his chest caught him by surprise.

And then Ed's eyes softened, his grin becoming an affectionate smile he was trying to stifle, and Roy's breath got caught in his throat, his body growing hot all over.

Why was Ed looking at him like that?

Roy broke the eye contact as he heard Alphonse carrying the drinks behind him, the ice clinking in the glasses. A second later Al was standing next to him, handing him a glass of lemonade. He mumbled a thank you.

"Thanks Al," he heard Ed say as he accepted his glass.

Roy barely drank the lemonade Al had handed to him. He was too busy slightly panicking over what had just happened with Ed. Not that anything happened, exactly. But Ed had never looked at him like—like that.

The way he was so aware of Ed scared the hell out of him. His intrusive thoughts scared the hell out of him.

Ed and Al were too busy chatting, and Roy tuned them out.

Not for the first time, he wondered what went through Ed's mind. Being able to reach inwards and feel his emotions was one thing, but what was he thinking? Though, really, Roy was sometimes too much of a coward to even reach for Ed's emotions, too scared of what he'd find. He was so good at ignoring his own feelings, he could easily ignore Ed's too. What would he really do if he could read Ed's mind?

He'd probably actually have that heart attack that was brewing.

He didn't know how long he'd been lost in his thoughts, but he looked up as Al excused himself again, saying he'd promised to help Winry prepare lunch.

And he was alone with Ed again.

"Aren't you hot in that uniform?"

Ed was looking distastefully at his uniform, a frown on his face.

"A little," Roy admitted. He really wanted to take off his jacket. Perhaps now that it was just the two of them he could.

He looked at the sky just as a breeze ruffled his hair, and he yawned, bringing a hand to cover his mouth.

Ed yawned after him, and then huffed a laugh. "Come on, take off that stuffy ass jacket and lie on the grass. It's great." As if to prove his point, he flopped down again, sighing in contentment.

Roy silently took off his jacket and lay it next to him on the grass. Automatically, he rolled up the sleeves of his white button up. Already he felt much better, the slight sweat cooling on his skin in the breeze.

He looked down at the grass. It was dry so there was no mud, but he still didn't think he could live with soiling a pristine white shirt on purpose.

Ed yawned again, and Roy suddenly felt so tired. The lack of sleep was catching up to him. All he wanted was to return to his house, alone, and sleep the day away. He wanted his dreams private and inaccessible again.

His body felt heavy so he lay down on the grass anyway, softly sighing. He stared up at the bright blue sky, watching the clouds as they passed.

The silence now was comfortable, and his body was calm, calmer than it had been in a while.

And Roy closed his eyes.