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Ed stumbles into his hotel room, shutting the door behind him and closing his eyes for a moment until the room stops spinning. Maybe he shouldn't have had that last drink. Oh well. Too late now.
He rips off his jacket and toes off his boots, leaving them haphazardly on the floor. That could be tomorrow Edward's problem. Ed's got more important things to do right now. Well, just one thing, but it's pretty damn important so the point still stands that he doesn't have time to care about anything else.
Ed picks up the phone on the little desk in his room and takes a deep breath as he dials a number he knows by heart, but rarely allows himself to call. The alcohol buzzing warmly through his veins keeps him from chickening out like he has dozens of times before.
By ring number three, the caller picks up with a rough and groggy voice, but no less alert. Shit. Ed didn't realize the time. "Mustang."
"I miss you." He blurts it out before he even realizes words are leaving his lips. Ed runs his hand down his face in annoyance with himself. Real smooth, Elric.
"Ed?" Ed can hear the slight panic in Roy's voice as he registers who exactly is calling at this hour. "It's one in the morning. Are you alright? Did something happen?"
"M'fine. M'sorry. Just want—hic—wanted to hear your voice." Ed can hear Roy sigh on the other side of the line. Whether it's of relief or exasperation, however, he can't really tell. He hopes it's not exasperation. He doesn't think he can handle being scolded by his… whatever Roy is to him these days right now. "…Sorry."
"No, please don't apologize. I miss you, too. It's always good to hear your voice, Edward." Ed thinks he can hear something of a smile in Roy's voice now. That's much better. Roy always looks and sounds so pretty when he smiles. "Are you sure you're alright? Were you drinking alone?"
"Mhm. Don't worry so much. Can take care of m'self."
Roy chuckles and Ed melts into the desk chair at the sound. "I know you can, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about you."
"Why?"
"Why do I worry about you?"
Ed nods and then remembers that Roy can't see him. "Mm."
Roy pauses, as if he's weighing his words. "I care about you. You're important to me, Edward."
Ed hums and rubs at his eye, clutching the phone more as he sees spots for a moment. "Are we ever gonna talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"You know what, Mustang. This—thing—between us. This thing we keep dancin' 'round. This thing I can't ever stop thinkin' 'bout every second of every day almost. I'm tired of pretendin' these feelin's aren't there. I don't wanna pretend anymore, Roy. I don't wanna push it away anymore. Don't wanna push you away." Ed's head throbs as he tries to focus on turning his words into the right sentences. "Think m'gettin' tired of travelin', y'know? Felt it for a year now maybe. Like I want somethin' stable; somethin' with roots. Like I kinda want somewhere to call home again. Haven't had a home since me n' Al burned ours down. And m'tired of feelin' alone. Lonely. Tired of bein' so far away from you... and everyone else"
Roy is quiet for what feels like hours, but logically can't be more than a couple of minutes. It's all blurring together in Ed's drunken state. "You have somewhere you can call home waiting for you here—if you want it."
"I do?" Ed furrows his brow and grunts in frustration. Why does Roy have to be so indirect and wordy about everything? "Can you just say what y'mean for once without all the dramatics? Please."
"Come home to me, Edward. Come live with me. Let me be your home."
Ed's grip on the phone tightens and for a fleeting moment he's even more glad he doesn't have the automail arm anymore because he probably would have crushed the thing. "You... Y're not fuckin' with me, right? You mean that?"
"I mean it, Ed. I promise. You're right, we've been dancing around each other for far too long. I spent so long convincing myself that I could not dare to hope for the possibility of… us. I didn't realize it was weighing so heavily on you. I'm sorry." Roy pauses and Ed holds his breath so he can pick up even the smallest of sounds from the other side of the line. "I've grown rather tired of being alone as well. Of being lonely. I miss my home, Edward. I miss you every moment. So will you come home so we can start making up for lost time?"
Ed's eyes widen and he lets out his breath in a rushed exhale. His face feels hot and not from the shitty liquor this time. "Yeah. Yeah, 'kay. I'll come home to you, Roy."
"I'll be waiting." Roy's definitely smiling wider now. If Ed closes his eyes, he can almost perfectly picture which smile this is. "But for now, how about you drink some water and get some sleep?"
Ed pouts. They'd barely talked for very long at all! He didn't want to hang up now! "Wanna keep talkin' to you. S'not long enough."
Roy lets out a chuckle, voice warm and smooth and happy sounding. "My apologies. I'll stay on as long as you'd like. I was only thinking about how the first train from Creta towards Central leaves at ten in the morning. And if you were to catch that train—if and only if you're ready to leave that soon—then you'd get in early Sunday morning and I could pick you up from the station and take you out for breakfast. If that sounds like a plan that would interest you at all, that is."
Ed's eyes had drifted closed momentarily listening to Roy speak, but they fly open now, mouth agape as he stares into the receiver as though if he just tries hard enough he can see Roy through all the little holes. "You... Did you memorize the train schedules?"
"I told you—you're important to me. I pay attention to every little detail when it comes to the important things, you know that." Roy's definitely smirking now. Ed can hear the smarm through the distant line as clear as day. "Well? What do you think of my plan?"
Ed huffs, twisting the cord around his finger. "Sounds annoyingly perfect. Bastard."
"Your bastard. If you'll have me."
Turns out breathing is a lot harder when Ed's heart is fluttering rapidly like a million butterfly wings are trapped inside his chest. Okay, this is fine. Ed can banter. Ed can tease. Ed can play at Roy's game better than probably anyone. Ed can totally avoid making a fool of himself by doing something ridiculous like melting into a gooey puddle right here in this cheap hotel room in Creta.
"Yeah, well, I was kinda under the impression that y've always been my bastard."
Ed can hear Roy breathe in sharply and for a second he worries he's said something wrong. But then Roy's voice takes on that warm, soft, sweet quality that never fails to turn Ed's knees into gelatin. "Right you are, darling."
Ed drops the phone in surprise and lets out an embarrassing high-pitched squeak at the petname. He bites at the inside of his cheek to keep himself from grinning like a fool, but then he remembers that he's alone in this hotel room and no one can see him so he lets the grin stretch his face to an almost painful degree. Roy had called him darling. Darling!
"Ed?" Roy's distant voice calls out, amusement present as Ed fumbles the receiver back up to his ear. "Is everything alright?"
Ed hums and clears his throat. "U-um. Yeah. Yeah! S'fine. S'good. Um. You?"
The actual giggle Roy lets out should be illegal. "I'm just wonderful. I'm on the phone with the most gorgeous being I've ever had the privilege of knowing. And he's going to come home to me soon, so I truly have not a thing to complain about on my end. Well, maybe the fact that he's not here with me in this moment, but I can be patient for a little while longer."
Ed flusters and sputters and overall just about dies at the sweet talk. "S-Stop that! S'not fair. You're not fair. And you know it, too, you smarmy bastard. Why did I think callin' you when I'm drunk was a good idea?"
"Because you miss me." Roy's voice sounds so smug and teasing that Ed was suddenly reminded of his Colonel days.
"Yeah, well, you-! Whatever! I'm goin' to bed. I've got a train to catch in the mornin'." Suddenly, Ed feels self-conscious, like maybe Roy didn't actually mean any of this and was just being extra nice because Ed was drunk. "Right?"
Roy dropped the teasing immediately, his voice serious once more. Quiet and a little… unsure? Which is a weird thing to hear in Roy Mustang's voice. Ed's supposed to be the only one unsure and insecure. "Only if you're truly ready."
Ed looks around the room. He hadn't even unpacked his things this trip and it's been months. "I am. I want to come home—to you. I'm ready. Are you?"
"I am. Very much so. I couldn't be more ready." Roy's deep breath is audible through the line and Ed closes his eyes to cling to every sound just that little bit more. "Then… I'll see you on Sunday?"
"Not if I see you first." Ed probably couldn't have held back that automatic response if he'd tried.
Roy's laughing again and Ed clutches both hands around the phone with a smile. Roy's voice holds the warmth of a thousand burning stars when he speaks again. "Goodnight, sweetheart."
Ed preens, grinning and nodding even if Roy can't see him. Soon. They'd see each other soon. Ed would be home soon. "G'night, Roy."