When Roy unlocked his front door, his stomach was in knots.

He wasn't sure what to expect. This was uncharted territory once again. Would Ed be gone? Would he be at the kitchen table like they usually were around this time? Perhaps he would still be writing the report. Or maybe he'd be on the couch reading a book. Or in bed. Without Roy. Or…

The possibilities were endless.

The first thing he noticed when he opened the door was that every single light downstairs was switched on. The day had been rather greyish today but, seriously? Couldn't Ed have at least tried to save Roy some money on bills?

The second thing he noticed was that the house smelled delicious. His house never smelled delicious when he got back from work, so it was an unusual experience.

He threw his keys on the little table next to the door, and toed off his boots. Was he meant to shout that he was home? Alert Ed in some way? He didn't know how these things went.

He found Ed in the kitchen, shirtless, in his boxers, ponytail high, and intently focused on the stove. Roy was suddenly not even mildly annoyed about his electric bill anymore.

He cleared his throat, and Ed jumped a mile. "Fuck—"

"Sorry."

Ed stared at him, a hand on his chest. "Why the fuck did you sneak up on me?"

Actually, he hadn't. He'd been trying to make some sort of noise by shutting the door loudly and throwing his keys so they jingled. "That wasn't my intention."

A beat of silence ensued, during which Ed turned back to the stove and picked up the spatula.

This truly was uncharted territory. It was different. Ed was here because he wanted to be, and not because he was alchemically chained to Roy. He was cooking because he wanted to cook—at least he hoped that was the case. He hoped Ed didn't think he had to earn his place here.

But Roy didn't know how to act, when Ed's actions showed so much. It warmed his heart, and made him feel so guilty about the thoughts that had been plaguing him all day. His logical brain fighting with his heart over whether Ed should even be here.

"You're cooking," Roy pointed out, slightly awkwardly.

Duh, he thought. Why had he said that, stupid, stupid—

"Duh," Ed said nonchalantly, opening a cupboard for plates.

Great, his thoughts were now becoming Ed.

"How was work?" Ed asked as he plated the food. His back was to Roy, and he'd never admit how distracted he got from watching his muscles tense as he moved.

"Boring." He took a seat at the kitchen table. "Did you finish that report?"

Ed grunted, bringing the two plates to the table and taking a seat opposite Roy. "Yeah, it's in the living room." With that, he began shoving chicken into his mouth, and Roy took that as the end of that conversation.

The moment the chicken touched his tongue, flavour burst all over his tastebuds.

"This is delicious," he said, only slightly surprised; Ed's cooking had been getting better and better over the past three months. But this…

Ed smiled as he chewed, bringing the back of his hand to his lips so he didn't laugh and spit food everywhere. "You're so fucking predictable."

Roy frowned, swallowing before he said, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Ed rolled his eyes. "I tried to replicate the sauce they use on your Xingese order."

Roy blinked, his tongue coming out to lick his bottom lip. Holy shit, it was similar to his Xingese order. Who would've thought that Ed was some culinary genius? "I see your genius doesn't stop at alchemy."

Ed grinned, pointing his fork at him. "Teacher always said food is alchemy too."

Roy stared at him, at his beautiful grin, at his bright golden eyes, at his broad shoulders and his strong biceps, at his golden, tanned skin, and his heart clenched. Ed did this for him, and all Roy had done today was panic over whether he should tell Ed it was too risky to keep living together.

He wasn't going to lie; Havoc's stupid comment had struck a nerve. Or rather, it had fired up a nerve and had caused an overthinking spiral. He'd convince himself Ed could stay as long as he wanted, only to convince himself it was a horrible idea within ten minutes. And then his stomach would cramp at the thought of Ed moving out, and he'd go back to square one, convincing himself Ed could stay for as long as he wanted.

Roy averted his gaze, looking back down at his plate. They ate in silence for a few minutes, during which Roy was grateful Ed couldn't feel the absolute mess he was feeling right now.

When Ed stood, leaning over to grab his empty plate, Roy must've startled more obviously than he'd thought. Ed paused, brows dipping. "You okay?"

Roy cleared his throat, taking a deep, surreptitious breath. "I'm fine. Thank you, that was delicious." Ed kept frowning, and Roy stood, taking the plates from him. "Let me do it."

He hurried to the sink, intently washing the plates, cutlery, and pans Ed had used. Ed was still behind him, but he was quiet. He had no idea what he was feeling, which meant he had no idea what to anticipate.

"Why've you gone weird again?" Ed asked, his voice controlled and careful.

Roy paused momentarily, but then resumed his washing up. "I'm fine, Ed. Just tired."

Ed came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his stomach. They stayed like that, in silence, but Roy was waiting for Ed to speak. To say something.

"What are you feeling?" Ed asked, his voice slightly muffled by Roy's shirt.

Roy hadn't been expecting that question. What was he feeling? Anxious, a little bit. But it was being fuelled by guilt, by the stress of not knowing what the best course of action was.

No—he knew what the best course of action was. He was just stressed because he really didn't want to fucking do it.

He dried his hands on a towel and turned. Leaning back against the sink, he wrapped his arms around Ed's torso and pulled him closer. "I'm just tired, Ed. Stressed by everything that needs to be done. But everything's fine."

It wasn't technically a lie.

Ed's eyes surveyed his face. He seemed unsure, hesitant. "Okay."

Getting into bed with Ed relaxed him in ways very few things did.

In the darkness of the night, with the duvet covering them and Ed's warmth wrapped around him, Roy felt what he was sure was inner peace. It was like the world stopped for a while, like the things that mattered during the day were suddenly insignificant, far away problems.

It felt like they had all the time in the world, to just be.

Ed curled up on his side, his arm over Roy's stomach. Roy's arm was wrapped around him, bringing him as close as he could get him.

He didn't want to sleep. Time would pass too quickly that way. He'd have to wake up and go to work and do life all over again, when in reality all he wanted to do was this.

He couldn't fathom lying in bed at night without Ed by his side. The thought elicited some anxiety, but he tried not to think about that time. Because that time would come, but Roy was an expert at turning a blind eye to things. Even if those things were his inevitable future pain.

He'd live. He always lived, whether he was emotionally intact or not.

His heart squeezed as he held Ed. He must've squeezed Ed in return, because he squirmed slightly, looking up at him. "You okay?"

Roy leaned in, pecking his unfairly soft lips. "Are you sure you can't feel my feelings anymore? I'm getting suspicious."

Ed laughed, but it was tired and lacklustre. "Yeah, it's just…blank."

Roy hummed, the gaping void in his chest becoming obvious once again. It was getting better though, wasn't it? He hadn't been hyper-focused on it at work today. At some point, he could probably even claim he'd forgotten about it.

Or maybe he was simply getting used to it. The thought was more depressing than he expected.

"Do you think the…side effects of the transmutation are fading?"

Ed squirmed some more, his thigh pinning Roy's to the mattress under the duvet. He was almost fully wrapped around him. Roy didn't mind one bit. "Maybe."

Roy never liked it when Ed was vague. It usually meant he was hiding something, and often what he was hiding was something that upset him. Which caused Roy to worry that Ed wasn't as well as he appeared to be.

Roy turned onto his side, enveloping Ed in his arms, their faces inches apart. He couldn't see him very well in the dark, but his eyes had adjusted enough to see his eyes, wide and vulnerable. "Ed." He cupped his cheek with one hand, keeping his other wrapped around his back. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

Ed averted his gaze, and his cheek grew hot. Roy wasn't sure what to think of that. "Nothing's wrong…The transmutation worked fine, you don't have to worry about that."

Roy frowned. "I don't understand why the transmutation affected you more than me. It worries me."

Ed shook his head. "That wasn't anything permanent. I'm not even as tired anymore." He smiled, leaning in until his lips touched Roy's. "Stop worrying about me."

Roy smirked, unable to resist Ed's lips once again. "Never."

"Sap."

"You like it."

"Ugh."

Roy could see Ed's grin, and it matched his own, pulling at his cheeks until they hurt. He leaned over Ed, capturing his lips as though it could somehow be the last time. He couldn't fathom having a last time. He couldn't imagine a time when he didn't have access to Ed's lips. A time when Ed didn't want to give him access to his lips.

He pulled back, their noses brushing they were so close.

Ed's grin was back, his hands trailing down his biceps. "Are you planning on kissing me all night?"

"Would you mind?"

"Not really."

Roy would've loved to kiss him all night, but he also wanted him to get some much needed sleep. With one last peck, he turned to lie on his back, Ed once again curling around his side.

Ed made a vague noise of discontent. "That didn't seem like kissing me all night."

Roy's fingers threaded through his hair, scratching at his scalp the way he knew Ed liked. "You need a good night's sleep, Ed."

Ed made another vague sound of displeasure, but yawned right after, proving Roy's point. "'Kay, you mother hen."

"Goodnight, Ed."

"Mm."

It didn't take long for Ed's breathing to level out, for his muscles to relax completely. Roy simply held him, glad Ed's sleeping habits were once again healthy. He was glad Ed could now sleep properly, undisturbed by Roy's myriad of issues. And he was glad Ed's own experiences didn't badly plague him anymore.

His fingers were still stroking through his hair, nails gently scratching his scalp. He should also sleep, he knew that, but he got distracted by watching Ed. He didn't want tomorrow to come, he didn't want to have to let go of Ed and spend the whole day apart.

What if it was tomorrow that Ed decided to leave? Roy wouldn't know until he got home from work, to find an empty house, void of Ed.

What if it was tomorrow that someone found out about them and Roy's whole life purpose went down the drain? No one had bothered them so far, but it was only a matter of time. They'd been living together for three months, and they hadn't made most of the cautious changes to their routines Roy had once thought up. He'd gotten distracted…

His traitorous mind decided to start going through all the things he needed to do tomorrow, some of which he was dreading. He wasn't excited to write that report. He hoped he didn't need Ed's input. Maybe he should've read Ed's report tonight, just to make sure he had all the information he needed to write the final version.

He wasn't excited to see the Fuhrer either. He'd have to pretend he was beyond happy about breaking the bond. He'd have to pretend, pretend, pretend, all day long.

He sighed, staring at the dark ceiling for a moment. Then his gaze went back to Ed, breathing softly against his chest. Would it be creepy if Roy stayed up all night watching him sleep?

He could easily have five whole hours of uninterrupted peaceful time with Ed in his arms. But he'd be so tired tomorrow if he did that…

He glanced at the clock. Shit, it was almost 3AM.

Yeah, he should sleep.

Coffee. He needed coffee.

Perhaps having that as his first thought upon waking up should be a cause for concern, but right now he was too busy groaning.

He'd probably slept three hours. Shit, why did his brain do this to him?

He reached out to blindly grab Ed, only to come into contact with a cold mattress. The spike of adrenaline was just what he needed to crack his puffy eyes open and look around.

Ed wasn't in bed with him. What time was it?

A glance at his alarm told him he had less than two minutes before his alarm went off and split his head open. He reached over and switched it off, flopping back into bed with an arm over his eyes.

Where was Ed?

The question made him sit up. It was incredible, really, how Ed's absence gave him such energy.

He could hear something downstairs, and instantly relaxed. Okay, Ed was still here.

But then he tensed; what if Ed wasn't here and someone had broken in?

Dammit.

He threw the duvet off himself and padded downstairs, belatedly remembering he was in his boxers, and therefore wildly unprepared for a fight.

Ed blinked at him from the kitchen table, and whatever momentum Roy had gained in his stride left in an instant as he froze on the kitchen threshold.

Ed was still here.

"Morning," he croaked.

Ed just stared at him. "Morning." Then he looked behind him, at the counter. "Made you some coffee; I've watched you make it enough times to attempt. Hope it's good." When Roy just stared, his cheeks turned pink, and he hastily added, "Why're you staring at me like that?"

He was an angel. Sent from heaven. To Roy.

Why? He had no idea.

He walked over to the coffee on the counter, and gulped down half in one go. Then he took the rest and sat down opposite Ed at the table. "Thank you."

Ed was staring at his empty bowl—cereal?—frowning. What was he thinking about? Was he okay? Was he thinking of leaving and didn't know how to tell Roy—

This was what a lack of sleep did to him.

"Did you sleep at all?" Ed asked, glancing up at him with what Roy identified as concern. Damn, did he look that bad?

He didn't want Ed worrying about him. "Of course," Roy said, his voice still scratchy from sleep. Or lack thereof.

Ed pursed his lips. He didn't say anything, but it didn't really register; Roy was too busy gulping down coffee like his life depended on it. It was good, too. Delicious.

"Did you have a nightmare or something?" Ed prodded. If Roy's brain had been functioning he would've probably paid more attention to the careful, tense tone he was using. It was usually the first sign he was getting agitated.

"No, you're just too pretty when you sleep."

Ed stared at him. Roy stared back. He needed another coffee.

"You…" Ed started, but then, understandably, trailed off.

Roy stood, pouring himself another mugful, and sat back down. "I'm fine, Ed."

Ed closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Potentially a bad sign. He gulped more coffee.

"Did you stare at me sleeping all night?"

Well, when he said it like that… "Of course not."

Ed's jaw was grinding now, and his eyes had narrowed. "Why're you being so—ugh." Abruptly he stood, pushing his chair back until it scraped against the wooden floor and made Roy cringe. He promptly left the kitchen, leaving Roy staring at the empty place he'd just occupied.

What just happened?

Was Ed mad? This early in the morning?

Maybe he shouldn't have called him pretty. Maybe he took offence to that.

Sighing, Roy stood, gulping down the last dregs of coffee before walking into the living room. Ed was on the couch, legs bent and pulled up to his chest. His chin was resting on his flesh knee, arms wrapped around his legs.

He was staring at his toes, metal and flesh, with a faraway look on his face. His ponytail trailed over one shoulder, getting trapped between his shoulder and knee.

"Ed?" Roy asked, voice finally sounding normal.

He had no idea what had just happened. He had no idea why he had woken up without Ed in his arms. He had no idea what Ed was feeling right now because he was blind—blind to Ed's emotions. And he hated it.

He sat down next to him on the couch, wary of the time. He really needed to get ready for work. Being late today would not go as smoothly as it went yesterday. But he couldn't just leave Ed here upset. What if he decided Roy wasn't worth the effort anymore and just left?

"Go to work," Ed mumbled, eyes still on his toes.

Roy faked offence. "Trying to kick me out my own house? I always knew you were so kind—"

Ed rolled his eyes. "You're so dramatic." He unwound from his position, leaning forward to grab the manilla folder on the coffee table. "Here. The report. Don't forget to take it with you because I won't bring it to you if you do."

Roy smiled, taking the report off him. "Well, you're a ray of sunshine today."

Ed glared at him. But then it crumpled, in its place something a lot more vulnerable. But just as fast as it appeared it was hidden under layers of annoyance. "Whatever, bastard."

Roy took a deep breath. He could push him, and potentially get his head bitten off. Or he could let him have some space, and hopefully he'd be okay when he got back from work.

He glanced at the clock above the fireplace.

Fuck it. He would probably be a few minutes late, but this was an investment in his productivity. He would never sign enough paperwork if his mind kept wondering what was wrong with Ed.

He scooted closer, arm wrapping around Ed's shoulders and bringing him against his chest. It went smoother than he'd thought. Ed leaned against his chest with almost no force from Roy, as though that was what he'd wanted to do to begin with.

The concern he'd felt last night resurfaced. Ed had been unusually closed off since the bond was broken. Of course, part of that must be that Roy could no long feel the wide spectrum of Ed's emotions, but there was something else too. Ed seemed unsettled. Worried. Sad.

Roy didn't like it one bit.

"Ed, what's wrong?"

Ed shuffled until he could wrap an arm around Roy's waist. "You're just being dumb."

"That's never bothered you before." If anything, it usually amused him.

Ed was quiet for a second, then untangled himself from Roy. He frowned at him suspiciously. "This isn't you procrastinating going to work, is it?"

Roy blinked. There was a slight hint of teasing there, probably, maybe, but Roy was just baffled he'd even said it to begin with. "No, Ed. It isn't."

Ed deflated, staring at his clasped hands in his lap.

What could Roy say to make him feel better?

Ah—

"We're going out for a team meal today after work. You're about to have the best steak of your life." Yeah, he was proud of that one. A steak would make Ed happy for sure.

Ed looked at him in mild surprise. "Yeah? Whose idea was that?"

"Havoc's." He gave credit where it was due.

Ed's lips twitched up. "Of course it was."

Roy smiled, feeling confident enough now to reach over and grasp Ed's hand in his own. "Swing by the office later and I'll have a driver for us all."

Ed gave him a small smile, and Roy took that win.

Upon arrival to the office, Roy announced the good news about the steak.

Havoc cheered. "Hell yeah! I knew Ed would convince you."

Roy chose to ignore that.

At his silence, Havoc, Breda and Fuery dove half onto their desks, meeting in the middle, as though having an emergency meeting. Roy chose to ignore that too. He had no time for their shenanigans right now.

He walked into his inner office and sat at his desk, his mind already preoccupied. He set Ed's report on the desk and prepared a blank page for the final report.

He quickly stretched his back, and began reading Ed's horrific handwriting, which was, by now, as easy as breathing.

If he could get this report done and delivered today, he could kill two birds with one stone; this report and seeing Grumman were the two things he was dreading, so if he got them over and done with fast he could relax.

He would be able to enjoy going out for food with Ed later. Well, the rest of the team, too, but he would see Ed in a more proper date-like setting for the first time. The restaurant he'd told Hawkeye to book them in for was one of his favourites, but it was on the fancier side. Ed would have to dress up…

He'd look stunning.

He blinked out of his thoughts, taking a deep breath and refocusing on the report in front of him. If he wanted to finish this before lunch time he had to stop getting distracted by Ed.

How could Ed distract him when he wasn't even here? Goddamn it.

Thankfully, Ed's explanations of the reversal array were more than sufficient for Roy to produce a full comprehensive report of its use and side effects. He understood what Ed had written easily, even though he barely had any knowledge about alkahestry. Ed had more than likely taken that into account when writing.

He loved when Ed did his job right.

Just as lunch time rolled around, he was proofreading the final version of his report, feeling a weight leave his shoulders.

He would've liked Ed to read through it, maybe, just to make sure Roy hadn't written anything wrong that would cause the array not to work, but he wasn't about to call Ed here just for that.

But he didn't want to wait to deliver it to Grumman either. He wanted it done. He didn't want to have to think about this soul bond ever again. He had to get used to living without it, and he wouldn't be able to do that if he kept dwelling on it.

He stood, slipping the report into a manilla folder alongside the reversal array design Ed had drawn, and confidently strode to the Fuhrer's office.

"Oh, well done!" Grumman exclaimed as soon as Roy presented the report to him. "I'll get alchemists familiarised with the design immediately."

His secretary, who had been waiting by the door quietly, rushed forward as Grumman extended the reversal array drawing towards her. She took the paper and promptly disappeared.

"So the array worked fine for you and Fullmetal?" Grumman asked, leaning back in his chair and observing Roy from top to bottom, as though Roy could've been missing a limb or two. Roy hadn't even taken a seat yet.

"Yes, sir," Roy said, sitting in one of the chairs. "The side effects observed were as I described in the report. As of now, they have mostly faded."

"Excellent!" Grumman boomed happily. He leaned forward, elbows on the desk as he looked at Roy. "What do you want to do about Shan Young?"

Roy blinked, but it was the only indication that he was surprised by the question. "Do you have anything in mind, sir?"

Grumman waved a hand. "Up to you. If you believe she's dangerous. We found the rest of her people; they're harmless. Mostly living in tents and travelling around the country. Only three alchemists, who seemed terrified of the military and therefore not a threat to us."

Roy stared at him, brows carefully dipped as he thought. He didn't think Shan Young deserved to be in Central Prison. While what she had done deserved some sort of punishment, and perhaps a way to ensure she didn't keep on soul bonding people, he didn't think she was dangerous.

And, in a way, he couldn't help but feel a bit grateful for everything after all; she'd brought him closer to Ed. He now had Ed because of her, so whatever anger he'd initially felt towards her had more than slightly evaporated.

He nodded to Grumman as he reached his decision. "I don't believe she's dangerous. A hefty fine and some monitoring should suffice, sir."

Grumman smiled, his moustache tilting up. "Very well. I shall let you be the one to tell her the good news."

Roy pursed his lips, standing and saluting. "Yes, sir."

Of course he'd make Roy go see her. He might not be livid at her anymore, but that didn't mean he wanted to see her.

He was silently annoyed at Grumman as he walked the short walk to Central Prison, Hawkeye at his heels.

Yes, he brought Riza with him. Just in case.

The stocky middle aged man who'd been there the last time Roy was here saluted him quickly. Roy briefly wondered what it was like, having this job. Roy would despise it.

"General," he greeted.

Roy nodded. "We're here to visit Shan Young. The Fuhrer has authorised her release."

Wordlessly, the man made a call, ordering for Shan Young to be brought to the questioning room.

Then, he led them to the room. Roy exchanged a glance with Hawkeye. "Wait here."

"Yes, sir." He didn't have to tell her not to let anyone inside until he was done.

He walked in, closing the door behind him. Shan Young was once again chained to the table. She looked up at his entrance, her eyebrows shooting up in question. She was probably wondering why he was here, what he had to say.

"Good morning," he drawled, sauntering to the chair opposite her. He didn't take a seat, however. He was planning on making this visit as short as possible. "I have good news for you."

He watched as her eyes surveyed him. Then they went to the door, then back on him, to his wrist…"You broke the bond."

She was smiling. Smiling. As if she was happy they had broken the bond.

Roy outwardly dismissed her comment. "Indeed we have, which means we have no use for you in Central Prison anymore."

He expected her smile to widen, for her to be ecstatic she would no longer be living in this hellhole, but she began frowning instead, her expression becoming more and more concerned as Roy spoke. But Roy had a feeling she hadn't even been listening.

"What have you done…" she whispered, leaning forward in her chair and…studying him. It was making Roy fiercely uncomfortable. He may not believe she was dangerous enough for Central Prison, but that didn't mean he didn't think she was just a bit crazy.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her eyes closing in what seemed like true emotional pain. Roy was regretting not bringing Riza in with him.

"Excuse me?" he asked despite himself. He leaned forward, his hands bracing the back of the chair. He was trying to seem casual, but all he wanted to do was leave this room and never come back.

"Your souls," she said, her voice watery. "They've been ripped apart. How awful."

There was a sudden lump in his throat, his muscles rigid as he watched this woman almost cry because he and Ed were no longer soul bonded.

He tried to calm his heart, which had suddenly started beating a bit faster than usual. Like he'd been running.

He pushed away from the chair and pressed the button on the desk, which undid her restraints. "You're free to go, Ms Young."

She was on her feet in a flash, and Roy tensed, his thumb and middle finger ready by his side. Of course he was wearing his gloves for this. "Your souls wanted to be together, you wanted to be together!"

"My subordinate and I broke the bond through alchemical means, I can assure you—"

"The bond was only there to help you realise—people who are truly, deeply in love and committed to each other have merged souls. The people that are right for each other—"

"I regret to inform you that I simply don't care, Ms Young. Please allow me to escort you out."

Shan Young's eyes were glassy, his face pale as she stared at him, silent. Then, in a voice so low and hesitant he would've missed it had they not been stuffed in this small room together, she asked, "How is he?"

And that simple question had his gut squeezing with worry, because he had been asking himself the same thing, and he didn't know—"Ed's fine," he snapped, every part of him taut and rigid.

He should've never allowed her to rattle him like this.

He began walking away, trying his best to block out her words lest he overthink them to the depths of hell. She wasn't a reliable source, not about the bond, not about alchemy, and certainly not about Ed.

His hand had been on the door knob, relief already taking hold, when she said, "You can fix this."

And he paused. Dammit, he'd paused.

"It will heal," she said softly, and goddammit, he didn't like how much that reassured him.

He shouldn't listen to a word that came out of this woman's mouth, he knew that, but he felt so blind about everything now. He had no idea what this hollow feeling in his chest meant, if it was temporary or permanent, if something deep inside of him would always mourn the loss of Ed, whether Ed was physically next to him or not. He didn't know anything, and he hated feeling helpless.

He refused to look at her, to give her that satisfaction of knowing she had him. That he was worried about Ed, that he was having doubts that breaking the bond via alchemy had been the right thing to do.

"You need to continue, like you were. Don't change a thing. Remember, the reason your souls bonded was because you were both ignoring what your souls wanted. He needs reassurance just as much as you do. Don't let him go."

Roy could hear his heart in his skull, pounding with every beat.

Easier said than done, he thought cynically. What did she know? Nothing, absolutely nothing. She knew absolutely nothing about their situation. There was no way he could maintain the exact life they'd lived while soul bonded. Ed had his own life to live, and Roy had his. And they were very different lives, that would take very different paths. Making sure his soul had access to Ed's forever was wishful thinking.

Don't let him go. No, she didn't know that Roy had no choice over whether to let Ed go or not. Because Ed would leave, at some point. It was inevitable. And that was entirely normal. Roy was mature enough to accept when it was time to let him go. But Shan Young didn't care about all that; all she cared about was fulfilling the stupid bond's purpose.

He opened the door, finally, with a breath that was harder to inhale than it should be. "Have a good day, Ms Young."

He walked out with his head held high. He refused to show the damage these past five minutes had done to him.