A/N: I got inspired while listening to Hinder's song Lips of an angel… but this turned out to be everything I had notplanned. Oh well. And yeah, this is a one-shot.

Leave a Message

The phone rang. It took a moment for Roy to realize it and pick it up.
"Mustang," he said on the phone, glancing at the bed room door, listening to any voices. There were none. Riza hadn't woken up.
"It's me." Roy sighed. Well of course it was… who else would be calling on this hour?
"Ed. What is it? You know, you could've woken me - us up. What if Riza would've answered?"
Ed laughed a bit. "Oh, come on. I know you're still up, working. And if she had, I would've just simply asked her to get your lame ass on the phone."

Roy sighed once again. Ed just didn't understand it, did he?
"How's Winry? Remember, your girlfriend?"
Meaning: you shouldn't be babbling with me on the phone, you should be with her.
"She's alright. Working upstairs… She's going to make me a new arm. But enough about her… I miss you."
Roy closed his eyes. Ed missed him, huh? It wasn't supposed to be like that… It had got to stop. But it was starting to seem like Ed had no intentions to stop whatever it was that was going on… And Roy… he knew it was for the best to shut the phone and crawl into the bed, next to Riza.

So why hadn't he already done it?
"If you called me to tell that then I'm going to hang up."
Ed groaned. "Don't be such an ass. I know you've missed me too, haven't you?"
There was a moment of silence when Roy was supposed to – when he was going to say no…
When he found himself saying: "Yes."

"Knew it," Ed said, Roy heard the grin from his voice, imagined him sitting on the corner of the bed, holding the phone, stretching his arms, his shirt rising up, showing his stomach… Roy swallowed.
No, no, no… he was supposed to be thinking of RIza, who was behind the door, sleeping on the bed, peacefully, her body warm and fitting into Roy's arms…

Sometimes he found himself hoping that her body would be a little less curvy. Her waist smaller… That she would have a little less height, a little longer hair…

No, no, no…He was already through with all that!
"So… what are you wearing?"
"Ed," Roy said, trying to sound warning. He had to make sure that he had his borders… the bad thing for him was that Ed had always found some way to break them.

"Roy. Don't be so fucking boring! Come on."
That's it. Roy's patience was falling apart. He had never been good with controlling himself… not, when it was about Ed. And he was just… making it worse.
"When will you finally grow up?"
"Huh? I am a grown-up!"
Roy laughed dryly. "Why am I having a hard time believing that?"
"Shut it, bastard. Well, I'm so damn sorry! Sorry that I just… wanted to hear your voice."

No. Roy should somehow get them back to the fighting-zone where everything was safe. Hearing the desperate longing in Ed's voice didn't mean safe.
"Ed… it's over."No, it isn't. You know it and I know it too. We never had a closure. Why do you still need me? Why do I still need you? Why can't we just move on as we should?
"No, it's not." Ed's answer came right away, it was absolute. And Roy just couldn't deny it.
"It should be."
"Why?"

Why, indeed… Why did Ed have to go and start asking again? Why did he have to call in the first place? What was Roy doing? Trying to live his life, nothing more! And then Ed just had to come again and again, mess everything up… Unfortunately Roy couldn't blame only Ed. He was in fault too. He could've stopped it. He had known that letting Ed come so close to him a couple years ago would do nothing good… He had known but he hadn't even tried to stop it.

"You know why. You've got Winry and I've got Riza now…"
Ed sighed. "Mm… Guess so. It wouldn't have to be that way… Sometimes I just wish she was you."
Don't say that. Please, just don't say anything like that… don't say anything at all. Don't call anymore. Don't look at me. Just… don't.
"If it doesn't work out with her, why are you with her anyways?"
"Well… in the beginning I thought it was a good idea. I mean… she's always liked me and… I thought I'd develop some feelings for her too. But I didn't. Maybe I would've but it's just that… I can't get you out of my head."

Roy counted to ten, trying not to say anything he shouldn't… like: I know exactly what you mean; I'm the same with RIza. You're stuck in my head too.
"You should leave her then… the more time you spend with her, the harder she falls for you and the more it's going to hurt her."
"Yeah, you got a point there… if I leave her will you leave Hawkeye?"

Leave Riza? Roy glanced at the closed door. Riza was… someone Roy had always depended on. He trusted his life in her hands, always had. He really cared about her – loved her but… he just wasn't in love. Not that he was in love with Ed either. It was just attraction, nothing more…

"No. This is not some negotiation. We're done, Ed. Get over it."
Roy froze when he heard a little sob from Ed. He wasn't crying, was he…? Edward Elric did not cry.
"Why are you such a bastard? Why do I – "
No, don't say it, please don't.
" – Why do I care so fucking much?"

Now was the perfect time to hang up, wasn't it? Ed would realize that Roy was nothing but bastard and let it be, move on, never call him again… that could be their closure. But no. Roy couldn't do it. He didn't want to hurt Ed. He didn't want him to cry. He wanted Ed to be happy. Roy didn't want Ed to hate him…

"Ed… look, I –"
"What do you want me to do? Alright, I'll break up with Winry! And then I can do whatever I want! You know what; I might just sleep with every fucking person! How do you like that?"
He wasn't meaning what he was saying, Roy knew that for sure. Ed wouldn't do something like that. But just thinking about it… Ed sleeping around with everyone… it hurt.
"Don't be stupid…"

"I might as well be! You have nothing to say, you can't control me! You have no fucking right because you don't give a shit about me!"
I do. I do care. I care too much. I don't want to have control over you… I want to… hold you. Make all your pain go away. I want to be there for you.
"I do care," Roy found himself saying, it was almost a whisper, something that just slipped out of his mouth. But there was no answer, only silence. Ed had hung up on him.

2 weeks later:

Why did Ed have to come back in Central? And more importantly: why was Roy so pissed off and confused because he had returned? Why was he pissed off and confused because really he was just glad to see Ed after a long time? Roy was angry at himself because… seeing Ed made him realize that he really had missed him. More than you missed someone who was just an objection of attraction.

So… there he was, angry, sad, confused and yet – happy. Ed should have stayed away! Why, why did he have an effect like that on Roy? Roy was perfectly fine with his life, with RIza. He liked simple things, feeling simple feelings! He did not want to be the mess Ed made him! He just wanted everything to be simple and easy… but that was too much to ask when it was about Edward Elric.

Ed shut the door, glaring at Roy.
"I fucking hate you," he hissed. Roy tried to be calm. He really did but he couldn't. He couldn't control his feelings, himself, not when Ed was around. It had always been like that. Maybe… it would always be like that.
"You know what? I fucking hate you too. So, now we're even, aren't we?"
The hate was burning in Ed's flaming eyes… though… it wasn't hate. It was hurt, masked behind anger.
Roy didn't want to see it, he turned away.
"Don't you turn away from me, asshole!"

Ed's touch was burning, making Roy's skin ache, needing to be touched, to feel, to… have it all.
The kiss was full of anger, full of rage. It was barely a kiss, more likely another way to hurt each other. The hands came, clinging, trying to find more ways to hurt. They fell down, and suddenly – the anger, the hate, the rage melted into want.

And Roy knew that it was more dangerous than hate, when he realized that there wasn't just want in it. No, most of it was just that same desperate need which Roy had heard in Ed's voice. Need to be closer and closer. Roy needed Ed so much. Needed only Ed. And that's why Roy was so scared of him. Because he couldn't hide anymore. No more masks. Just the need to hold Ed tightly.

-

Roy had made a lot of decisions. But he had a feeling this was the best he had made so far. Ed had came back to Central; gotten his own apartment… he had broken up with Winry. Roy was quite sure it would've happened anyways but the fact that she had overheard Ed and Roy's last phone call only made the break up faster.

After having sex, Roy and Ed had talked it all through. And maybe talking face-to-face made it easier for Ed to rip off Roy's masks. Maybe he wanted that Ed would do it. It didn't matter.
Because he had made his decision. He wanted Ed to be happy. And if Ed would be happy… that would mean Roy's happiness too.

He would choose Ed after all. As he should've done long time ago.
Roy cursed at himself when Ed didn't pick up the phone. But he couldn't wait; he just had to tell him right away. The voice mail went on.

"Uh hi there? This Edward Elric, leave a message… unless you're Al and want to blabber about how cute your kittens are for two hours on my voice mail!" Roy laughed out loud. Beep.

"Hey, it's me. I was just calling to say that… I'm going to break up with Riza. So if you want us to…"
To what? What if Ed didn't want them to be together after all? He does, Roy told himself, taking a breath.
"I mean, I… Uh, just call me, okay!"
What the hell was that? Roy was embarrassed. Since when had he stuttered like a teenage boy over his first crush? Roy smiled. Well… that was just the way Ed made him feel. Couldn't be helped.

"This is Mustang residence. Leave a message." Ed rolled his eyes at the dull voice mail. Beep.

"I just got your message. So you're really doing it? I basically jumped on the walls…"
"Ed?"
"Oh… hi."
"Hi."
Ed realized that he was smiling widely and neither of them had said anything for a moment.
"So…"
"Yes, I will break up with her. Tomorrow."
"Oh… That's…"
"Good."
"Mm…"
"Well, from her point of view… not quite."
Ed sighed. Breaking up with Winry had been painful enough… at least Roy wouldn't get hit in the head with a wrench…

"You know, if she decides to beat you up…"
"Hmm…? What?"
"I could always make you feel better."
"How, for example?" Ed heard the grin from Roy's voice.
"As being the hurt one, I'll let you decide."
"Sounds good. How about you wear a nurse's dress… nothing under it, of course. Leave your hair open. And make sure you have some ice cubes, we're going to need them…"

Ed laughed. "You had that all planned?"
"No, what makes you think that?"
"Anything else I should prepare?"
"I'm sure I'll think of something… Gotta go now."
"Okay. See ya. Oh and maybe you should hide her gun before you tell her…"
"That's a good idea… bye."
"Bye."
Everything was going to be fine. No, everything was going to be perfect.

The following day:

"Uh hi there? This Edward Elric, leave a message… unless you're Al and want to blabber about how cute your kittens are for two hours on my voice mail!" Beep.

"Ed…" Roy swallowed. He stared out of the window, seeing the rain falling against it. Why did it always rain on days like that?
"I… I'm going to be a father. Riza's pregnant."
Saying it aloud made Roy truly realize it for the first time. The phone dropped from his hand. He was going to be a father.

"I'm sorry," Roy whispered, not quite sure if it was meant for Ed, Riza or himself.