A/N: Apparently I was in the mood for something extremely sappy and romantic… and so, this happened.

Home

Ed stepped off the train and glanced around, looking for a familiar face.

"Edward."

Ed turned around to face the person he had been looking for.

"Hi. Missed me?" Ed asked, flashing a grin.
"It's been weird, to actually have peace and quiet and to hear my own thoughts for a change," Roy replied, smirking.
Ed snorted. "Maybe you just don't have that many thoughts..."

Roy didn't reply, instead they began walking away from the train station. Ed was exhausted after spending nearly two months by travelling around... after getting Al's body back, Ed had tried to settle down but he had found it very difficult. He and Winry had tried but it had never worked out because Winry was happy at the thought of settling down with Ed, living a quiet, simple life... while for Ed, it caused only anxiety. So, Ed began travelling again. And he felt so much better. He didn't miss the life he thought he'd want to have.

Eventually, Winry got sick of being left waiting again so they ended it. Ed had swore he'd make it work this time but Winry refused, she said it would only make him unhappy and it couldn't work if either or both of them were unhappy.

Back then, Ed had felt really bad because he had always thought Winry would be the one he would eventually marry, have kids with... live with for the rest of his life. But maybe it was all a part of growing up. Now Ed was only glad they had ended it because he now knew it never could have work out.

Roy was - different. Ed had known about the man's feelings for a long time, even back when he was with Winry... but it took years for Ed to realise his own feelings. And the fact that he had been running away from them as well. What a waste of time...

Roy didn't mind that Ed got his urges to get away from time to time. Ed knew Roy had his own life and goals and needs. And somehow Ed felt that Roy liked it too, how they weren't exactly settling down. They were just... together. And that was good, that was enough.

In the beginning, Roy had made it obvious that he would sleep with others while Ed was away, it had made Ed feel like shit because he didn't feel the need to do the same, he had tried to... but he just couldn't go through with it. Ed had wanted to ask Roy to stop, had wondered if maybe he should stay with him after all, but he couldn't ask for something like that and he knew staying would just ruin everything because Ed knew he would get cranky and restless and then Roy would be pissed too...

But, when Ed had already grown used to it, Roy suddenly admitted that he hadn't been with anyone else for a long time.

"I have no idea what you've done to me... taking over my every thought so I can't even think about touching anyone else but you. Should've known it though, you and your habit of never having half of anything or anyone, but everything... you really did it, Ed. Damn you," Roy had muttered in the darkness, in the bed, staring at Ed.

And in that moment Ed had realized it wasn't even close to casual anymore. It was serious. And he didn't even think about running away. Instead, he had crawled closer to Roy and said teasingly: "Serves you right, bastard."

Ed got in the car and yawned. Roy started the car and drow away from the station. It took a while for Ed to realise that they were going in the wrong direction.

"Uh, in case you didn't know, your house is that way," Ed said, pointing back.
Roy glanced at him. "Yes, I'm aware. We're not going there."
"Oh? Are you taking me out for a dinner?" Ed asked and was excited about the thought.

He had been in Drachma and he really like the food there so if Roy would take him to his favourite restaurant, Ed would definitely gather up some strenght to pay him back later that night. And he was really hungry, he had been on the train for days.
Roy grabbed a brown paperback from his side and gave it to Ed. Ed peeked in and saw that there were two hamburgers.

"So the answer's no... and just so you know, I don't care if the other one is meant for you, I'm fucking hungry."

Roy chuckled a bit. "I knew you would be, that's why I got two for you. And I also happen to know that you'll eat anything I put before you so I wouldn't even dream of you saving some for me."
"Hahaha," Ed snorted, rolling his eyes. And then he began stuffing down the burgers. Whoa, he had really missed eating something that greasy and good. Ed had to close his eyes after taking the first bite. Was that heaven or not?

"If you're gonna moan, please don't be as loud as you are in bed, losing to a hamburger would really bruise my self-esteem."

"Bastard... it's gonna take a lot more than that to hurt your goddamn self-esteem," Ed grunted and continued eating.

He just managed to finish with the second burger when Roy suddenly stopped the car. Ed looked around, noticing that they had arrived to a neighbourhood, full of big houses that looked all new and nice, cozy. Roy got out of the car and walked to Ed's side to open the door for him.

"We're here," Roy said.
Ed glanced at the house and the gate that surrounded it.
"Who lives here?" Had someone Ed knew moved or something?
Roy went through his pocket and fished out a key. He grinned at Ed a bit and pushed the gates open. "Wait... you bought this house?!"

Instead of replying, Roy continued to walk towards the house, the front door. Ed rushed after him and stared at him when he opened the door with the key.

The door opened with a click and Roy finally glanced at Ed and said: "Yes, I bought this house."
He made a gesture and Ed stepped inside, taking a moment to capture it all.

Dark mahogany, stairway, a glimpse of a very cozy-looking living-room with a fireplace...
"Come on, I'll show you around," Roy said and guided Ed through the hallway, to the living-room that had a white leather coach and armchairs, to the dining hall, with a long table and elegant chairs... to the kitchen, with a huge fridge that made Ed finally say: "Okay, I definitely like this place more than your old one..."

When Roy guided him upstairs, Ed finally realised to ask: "But I don't get it... why would you buy a place like this? I mean, there's nothing wrong with your old place, is there? And to be alone in a house like this..."

Roy turned around to look at Ed, who was slightly annoyed at how short he felt when he stood there, a few steps below Roy.

"That was my house... I was thinking that this - could be our house."

Ed stared at Roy. He had bought that house for THEM?

"I mean... it's the closest thing you have to a home right now, isn't it? And yet there's nothing there that shows you spend time there, nothing that belongs to you."

"Roy..." Ed really hated himself in that moment. Roy was offering him that, a beautiful house, a home... and yet Ed felt the same old anxiety crawling in his skin again.

"I'm sorry, I - I can't..."

Ed hated the pained look in Roy's eyes, knowing he was the one causing it.

"Why not?"

"I wish I could settle down, live with you here in this house... but I know I'd just end up feeling restless, I... I'm just not ready, there are still so many places to see and I'd only make you, both of us unhappy if I'd stay for good."

Ed raised his head in surprise when he heard Roy's soft laugh. "Edward. I'm not asking you to settle down with me. I know you can't stay in one place for too long and I'm fine with that, I have no intentions whatsoever to try to chain you to some place, I know it's impossible when it's about you. All I'm asking for is that this could be the place you always come back to, no matter how short that time is. And when you're gone, you don't have to think about my place, my home, you can think about this. Your home, our home. I know, it's selfish... but I am a selfish man, Ed."

How the hell was any of that selfish? Ed tried to swallow the lump in his throat - in vain.

He hadn't had a proper home, not after he had burned the house that had been his first home. There had always been the Rockbell house and for a long time it had been the closest thing to a home... until Ed had gotten used to Roy and his apartment. But this - this amazing house could be a real home, a proper home, one that Ed hadn't had in such a long time.

"I - I don't know..."

"I know how you feel, Ed. I understand it, why you're hesitating, with your experience of home. And I know you've been on the road for such a long time and that the only places that have been the closest to home are the people close to you. I know you're scared... but you don't have to be. I swear to you, I'll do my best to make this house a place you can call a home, where you can always come to... without tragedies."

He was quiet for a while until he smiled a bit and added: "And I do hope you wouldn't burn this house down."

Ed laughed a bit. "I won't."

And then he sighed. He didn't know what to say or what to do. The lump in his throat hadn't eased up by Roy's words, because they had proved that Roy knew him so well it was almost terrifying, he seemed to know how Ed felt and thought just by looking at him...

Ed knew he was indeed scared. He could never forget the blood, the creature begging Ed to kill it... Al, his only brother - gone and the sick feeling that still took over his whole body during the nightmares, the memories...

He would never let himself forget.

He realised that in that house human transmutation would never happen and that even if there would be bad times, nothing would ever be as bad as that. But even if he was telling himself that he had no reason to be so hesitant, it didn't go away. So many times he had found himself wishing he could have a real home but he had refused that thought because he had known he didn't deserve it, not after what he had done.

Apparently Roy saw his hesitation (well, he saw everything) because he said: "Let me show you something..."

Ed followed him when he opened the second door on the hallway.
"This is... Alphonse's room. For whenever he comes to visit."

Ed looked around, there was a table (large enough so you could flip a ton of papers on it), a bed, a bookshelf and a cat's bed and a cat tree. Ed smiled, surprised because Roy had considered everything, even Al's cat.

"It's perfect... I bet Al would love it."
"I'm glad to hear that."

Ed would've liked to stay there, because he could so easily imagine Al lying on the bed, reading a novel or working on some theory on alcahestry across the table, playing with his cat... but then Roy lead him out. "There's something more."

More? What more could there be after that?

"Don't tell me you have a room full of sex toys and shit," Ed groaned.
"Oh honey, it was supposed to be a surprise!" Roy smirked. "No, this is something you'll love even more than that."

Ed's curiosity had risen quite a bit and Roy had obviously noticed that too because he hang on a bit, observing at Ed before he opened the door that was next to Al's room.

"This is just for you," he said and smiled gently.

Ed peeked in, dying to find out what it could be and - froze.

It was... a library. With massive shelves, with neatly organized books that were just begging for Ed to touch them, a long table, a perfect lighting... Ed glanced at Roy who laughed.

"Go on, I know you're dying to."

He was right, Ed rushed to the shelves, began touching the books, flipping through them, feeling the familiar excitement and joy when he saw that they all seemed so interesting, many of them were ones that Ed had been actually wanting to read for a long time...

Ed closed his eyes and breathed in. Even the scent was the same as in libraries, old books, new books... a library. His own library.

Ed glanced at Roy, who was at the door, leaning against the frame, smiling softly at Ed.
Ed put down the book he had been holding and walked to him, grabbed his collar and kissed him on the mouth. Roy returned the kiss immediately, leaving his hand brushing Ed's hair when Ed broke free.

"I - I don't know what to say..."

He really didn't, Roy was offering all that to him, everything he had ever dreamed of and what did he have to give back? Nothing. How was that equivalent exchange?

"You could say 'yes'," Roy said, so hopefully that it was almost tearing Ed apart. "But you don't have to. If you don't want this... it's alright. If you're not ready, I'll wait for you to be."

Ed wasn't sure whether he wanted to punch him or kiss him senseless. He was acting so kind... and Ed didn't feel like he deserved it, at all.

"How much did you spend on all this, you shithead?"
"Well, I..."
Ed glanced at Roy, horrified.
"You fucker! You didn't even know what I would say!"

"Ed, I'm the Führer now. I could say I'm pretty wealthy. And it didn't matter, even if I knew you'd say no, I'd still have done all this."
"Why...?"

No one had ever done anything even close to that...

"Because - this all," Roy said, waving around, "is me showing you how important you are to me. I - I love you. I'm in love with you."

Ed stared at Roy, all the thoughts in his head had just vanished and all he could do was to stare.

That lump had grown twice its size at Roy's words so Ed could do nothing but put his head against Roy's chest and mumble: "You fucking bastard..."

Roy laughed a bit, wrapped his arms around Ed and pulled him in.

And Ed felt that same familiar warmth, comfort, happiness... which was could, why he just had to, mutter the words "Love you too" against Roy's shirt.

He did. He really did.

They stayed there for a while, and Ed thought for a while, and he knew he'd already fallen in love with that house too. Roy had told him he loved him - first time ever in that house... it surely wasn't a bad start and suddenly Ed was so sure that only better things, happier moments would be yet to come in that house.

So Ed pulled away, looked Roy in the eyes and said:

"And... for now, I want to stay. Here, home."

Ed was sure he'd never seen Roy smile so brightly at him before and he knew he wouldn't regret his decision.

"Well then... welcome home, Edward."