roy/ed fluff

Blame kytyngurl2 for this. When prompted for Roy/Ed fluff, I write it. :D



Ed's mission reports are always both good and bad. Good, because the boy cut his reading teeth on a diet of scientific papers, so his writing style absorbed all the principles of concise, clear, detailed writing to a greater extent than most adults Roy knew. Bad, because Edward doesn't seem to differentiate between reporting what Roy needed to know and reporting what Ed wanted to tell him. His reports are chock full of opinions, complaints, side-stories, anecdotes, and swear words.

Thus Roy has precise and detailed knowledge of Ed's sleeping habits, since the boy never fails to complain about the hardness of train seats, the unsatisfactoriness of cheap inn beds, or the injustice of being forced to sleep in dumps and on streets.

One of the (few) things Ed never complains about, though, is his automail. If Roy stopped to think about it, it's reasonable to think that it must entail a certain amount of discomfort aside from the pain of installation. The heat-draining steel; the unbalanced, unceasing weight.

It isn't until Ed limps into his office one day, small body obviously filled with pain that he won't admit, that Roy realizes how troublesome the automail is for him.

It's somewhat worrisome. Ed should be growing now, his body changing and adjusting, and the combination of automail stress and a lack of decent rest is not good for him. There's no point, however, in saying this to Ed; Ed would only react with furious indignation to any further attempt of Roy's to meddle with his life.

That doesn't mean that meddling is out of the question, though. Just... covertly.

Roy makes a few arrangements, and waits for Ed to come back again.

Ed is dragging when he reports in, early in the afternoon. Roy notes how stiffly he's holding himself, like he's fifty instead of fifteen, but doesn't offer any comment to that hostile expression. "Your report, Fullmetal?"

Ed tosses it on the desk. Roy barely glances at it, before going back to the document he was working on before Ed came in. "May I go now?" Ed asks, sounding cranky.

"No." Really, the boy's expressions were so much fun to watch. "Stay until I read your report, please."

Ed sighs expressively, then slouches over to Roy's couch and flops down. The springs squeak and bounce him slightly, and a startled expression takes over Ed's face briefly. "Hey, is this couch new?"

"Mmmm." Deliberately, Roy pushes Ed's report under a stack of loose documents, producing a scowl from Ed. The boy adopts a deliberately casual posture, hands behind his head as he leans back into the cushion.

"Geez, everybody's complaining about the budget and you go and splurge on fancy office furniture. I swear you're as corrupt as half the officials you send me to weed out. Aren't you going to read my report already?"

"I'll get to it," Roy says, flipping a page disinterestedly. "Be patient."

"Gah!" Ed looks disgusted, then settles in to wait. The clock ticks as he shifts around, tapping his toes, and repeatedly looking back at Roy. When Roy continues to make no move towards his report, Ed snorts in disgust and yanks himself sideways on the couch, deliberately putting his boots up on the uphostery. Roy sneaks a peek, and has to hide a grin. His estimates had been correct; Ed is able to stretch out to his full length on the couch, and it is deep enough for him to lie comfortably on his back with room to spare on either side.

"I swear it's a crime," Ed addresses the ceiling. "This is a damn comfortable couch, all soft and springy. And you don't even use it, you bastard. What a waste. You just keep it around to impress people, don...t... you."

"Mmmm." The clock ticks away, but the office soundproofing is good and there are few other sounds. The rain patters against the window, dimming the sunlight to a dull gray, and the atmosphere is quiet. Peaceful.

Roy risks another glance over at Edward, and sure enough, the boy is asleep, his body fully relaxed into the plush sofa and a blissful expression on his face.

Roy smiles, and tucks Edward's report at the very bottom of his to-do pile.