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Unhappenings #O

"Have you seen Ed?" Al asked.

Roy shook his head. "Not in more than six months. You were separated?"

Al nodded, golden hair bouncing against his shoulders.

"The usual," Al said after a moment. "Thanks-- I'll head--"

"Stay," Roy said quickly. The sun was already dropping towards the horizon and he could feel rain in his bones.

"Hmm?"

"It's getting late," Roy explained. "And it's going to rain. You're probably hungry, too." Part of him was a little wary and part of him was a little curious. Enough years had passed that he could hopefully get away with hosting an Elric for a day or too.

"Yeah," Al admitted with a soft sigh. "You're right."

Roy stepped aside to let Al in, closing the door a moment later and locking it. They were in for the night. He was in for...

He admittedly hadn't spent much time with Al in the years since Al got his body back. Somehow, Roy was fairly sure he'd always think of Al as armor. This young man--

Al looked a little too much like Ed.

Roy tried not to think about it. He had calls to make - there were a few people he could still ask about Ed, after all. But just a few. It would not take long.

Al looked to be making the sofa into a bed when he returned. Not literally, thankfully.

"I'm kinda tired," Al admitted. There was something in those golden eyes that went right through Roy.

"Stay awhile," Roy replied. "I don't have any leads for you. Not yet, at least."

Al shook his head. "I don't want to trouble you any longer than necessary. But thanks... Roy."

Roy couldn't help a little smirk at the hesitation. Plenty of people still tacked a 'sir' on when addressing him, even if it didn't apply. He'd left the military far behind, after all.

"Stay awhile," Roy repeated. Al was asleep five minutes later.

For the next month, Al apologized for everything. He apologized for staying, for not making progress, for Ed being difficult to find, for Ed--

Roy just shook his head. His offer still stood and secretly he rather liked having Al around. It was nice to share his house even if Al took baths at odd hours and tended to forego a robe and spend so much time eating sweets that he took on the permanent smell of candy...

Al apologized and then staged another raid on Roy's book collection or made what seemed to be a half-hearted attempt at asking after Ed around town.

Sometimes they met the noon train together, just in case.

To no avail.

"I've been thinking," Al said softly after dinner one night. Roy had already noticed that Al had been cleaning up his debris field. This would be it - Al was going to leave.

"Mmm?" For some reason, Roy felt a little tug deep in his throat. He really had gotten used to Al's presence. He--

He turned a bit, looking more out the kitchen window as he dried the last dinner plate than at Al.

"I think the best way to get Brother to turn up is to do something he'd never approve of."

That was not at all what Roy was expecting to hear. And before he could ask exactly what Al had planned, Al had taken the plate and towel from him and was kissing him softly.

It was a terrible plan. Roy liked it. Unfortunately, it probably was going to work.