Work Text:
There was The Central City Gazette, The Chronicle, The Central Herald, and of course, The Central Times, the latter of which was Edward’s favorite. While it was never laugh-out-loud funny, the daily comic strip got a smile out of him sometimes, and the crossword puzzle could be a real head-scratcher. The crossword even stumped Roy once, which was a newsworthy event in itself.
Having become a permanent resident of Central City, Edward had the opportunity to develop a sort of routine of which The Central Times was an integral part. Every day, at about six o’clock, he purchased his newspaper at the stand down the street and brought it with him to the coffee shop two blocks over. Before heading to his job at the Investigations Office, he would sit and drink his coffee (black), read the funnies, and then tackle the crossword, after which he would go to Roy to either brag about having finished the puzzle, or shamefully ask him for the rest of the answers.
This morning however, an article caught Edward’s eye as he turned from page six to page seven.
Loving Love: A new weekly advice and quiz column concerning twentieth-century love and relationships. ‘Does he like you?’ Take this quiz and be a hundred percent sure! These are ten subtle signs according to Amestris’s top dating experts.
Edward had never been what you would call ‘a romantic’, but from time to time, he did wonder if maybe… If maybe Roy liked him...
Tapping the eraser of his pencil against the wooden tabletop, he eyed the quiz questions and the pairs of empty boxes sitting below each one. The quiz was probably bogus, but even so, what did he have to lose? Either he’d come to an interesting conclusion, or he’d waste a couple minutes filling out little boxes… which was something he planned on doing either way with the crossword.
And so, he began.
1. Does he remember little details about you?
When Edward thought about it, Roy seemed to remember little details about everyone he met. As an ambitious military officer, it was a valuable skill; one that helped him forge social connections. While not always being emotionally invested, Roy still remembered those small conversational nuggets, such as the name of a person’s dog, where someone went for vacation last summer holiday, and whose niece just had a baby boy.
The man could barely remember his own birthday, but if you expressed an interest in something, he stored that information in his memory forever. In passing, Edward once mentioned a particular alchemy book that the Central City Library didn’t own. About ten months later, Roy handed him a parcel, and inside was the very book he had talked about: sixth edition, just like he wanted.
Roy took note of the things he saw as well. A new coat, a new tie, or a new hairstyle, never went unnoticed. Edward’s big chop, though? That was impossible to miss. While Roy wasn’t the only one to notice it, he was in fact, the only person to almost cry. Direct quote: “I can’t look at you because it hurts my heart too much.”
Whether it was a trim or forty centimeters, these little details were not overlooked… but then again, Roy noticed the little details about everyone.
For now, Edward was going to say…
[✓] Yes
[ ] No
2. Does he lean toward you during conversation? It can be a sign of his interest.
Well, Roy sure didn’t lean away from him, but perhaps that was more of an indication that he didn’t smell bad or something.
Edward wasn’t confident about this answer either, but he was going to give it another…
[✓] Yes
[ ] No
3. Does he go out of his way to make you happy?
The move to Central was harder than Edward ever could have imagined. Who knew that in a city of 700,000, loneliness would come far more easily than it did when living in a rural village of only seven hundred?
Roy, of course, took notice of Edward’s downtrodden mood and invited him out for drinks at his aunt's bar. Edward remembered the way Roy’s face lit up when he walked through the door, and the way Roy laughed at all of his stupid jokes (which only became more stupid with each round of shots they threw back).
Eventually, an intoxicated Roy stumbled toward the piano, ushered the pianist off of his seat, and played a jaunty little tune just for him. Maybe it was the alcohol, but looking over Roy’s shoulder in fascination, Edward remembered thinking that the man was quite the musical artist… an idea that came crashing down when Roy finally opened his mouth to sing. Even so, to this day, Edward found himself humming the tune whenever he needed a pick-me-up. It made him remember that wonderful night when he smiled and laughed so much, his cheeks ached for days afterward.
Roy didn’t mind being the butt of a joke if it made Edward happy… but then again, maybe this was something he did for everyone.
The answer was another tentative…
[✓] Yes
[ ] No
4. A guy who likes you might playfully tease you. Does he do that?
Roy definitely did that. Sometimes, too often.
Bonus points?
Were there bonus points?
[✓] Yes ✓✓
[ ] No
5. Does he find small ways to share physical contact with you?
Roy had a habit of putting a hand on a person’s shoulder when he walked past them, but that being said, there were other things that Roy seemed to do only in Edward’s presence.
When they were walking somewhere together, Roy would gently take hold of Edward’s arm and pull him slightly closer to whisper a particularly juicy secret into his ear. Then, when they went out for coffee, Roy would put a hand on Edward’s wrist to stop him from reaching for his wallet. Every once in a while, Roy's hand would also come to gently rest upon the small of Edward’s back to let him know that he was passing behind him.
At first, Edward didn’t think anything of these small touches, but over time, they made his stomach do somersaults.
Then, there was the night of that one particular military ball. Roy took him aside and offered to fix the collar of his shirt, and Edward remembered the hand which carefully moved his hair away from his shoulder, and the warmth of those fingertips which just barely brushed over his neck. Despite having had nothing to drink at that point, Edward felt a bit dizzy after Roy did that for him.
And he felt dizzy after reflecting upon it now.
[✓] Yes
[ ] No
6. Does he act like a gentleman when you go out?
Roy acted like a gentleman around lots of people. When out in public, he was overwhelmingly polite, saying ‘thank you’, ‘yes, ma’am’, ‘no, sir’, ‘pardon me, miss’, and the like. Pesky papercuts and misplaced keys were some of the few things to ever get a swear word out of him. He held open doors, carried groceries for strangers, and even helped an old lady cross the street once (Edward couldn’t think of anything more gentlemanly than that).
There were certain gentlemanly things, however, that Roy only did around Edward. When they went out alone together, Roy pulled out his chair for him when he sat at the table, and opened the car door for him when they were driving somewhere. Roy offered his coat when it was cold outside, and his umbrella whenever it was raining. And whenever Edward went on a trip out of town, Roy would always call after him and make sure that he arrived at his destination in one piece.
At first, Edward admittedly found these things annoying. After all, he was more than capable of taking care of himself. But one day, Roy explained that while he knew he was capable, he simply wanted to do these things for him.
After that, it made Edward feel special. It made him feel cared for.
[✓] Yes
[ ] No
7. Is he there for you when you need help?
Only always.
While Edward was the one who did most of the work (searching for the Stone and giving up his alchemy and everything), there was no denying that without Roy, he wouldn’t have gotten Alphonse’s body back. For that, Edward owed Roy the world, but the man never asked for anything in return. In fact, Roy only went on to do more things for him, both big and small.
A misunderstanding concerning Edward's travel papers once left him stranded at a train station at the Cretan border. He didn’t know why he called Roy in particular, but he did, and he was allowed to complain for a while. After they hung up, Roy made a couple phone calls himself, and before Edward knew it, he was on his way again.
That was surprising, although not particularly romantic… But then, there was that time, years later, when Edward visited Central on his way to Xing. Roy offered him a place to stay the night without giving it even a second thought. And when Edward said he was too tired to go out to eat, Roy got to work and cooked him only one of the best meals he’d eaten in his entire life. With his full stomach, he then went off to get some rest. But lying against the pillows, he couldn’t help but think of the man who had given up his bed for him, and was now sleeping on the couch downstairs.
Roy’s eagerness to help only continued after the move to Central. When Edward fell ill last time, Roy was busier than ever at work, but still, the man went out of his way to fetch groceries, and bring him a container of chicken noodle soup that was made ever so slightly cold after his stop at the flower shop. Edward wasn't sure if Roy knew this, but a couple of the flowers from that bouquet were still pressed between the pages of his books.
Long story short, Roy was helpful… and surprisingly thoughtful too.
[✓] Yes
[ ] No
Edward’s eyes went wide upon reading number eight.
8. Does he act shy, awkward, or tongue-tied around you?
Roy certainly didn’t do that!
Did this mean what Edward thought it meant?!
With a deep frown, he quickly closed his newspaper and tossed it onto the table along with his pencil. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he leaned back in his seat, as if hoping to put as much distance between him and the paper as possible.
“The Times is the worst,” he muttered. “Tomorrow, we’re switching to The Gazette.”
From his spot across the table, Roy lifted head from his own copy of The Central Times and gave Edward a questioning lift of an eyebrow.
“You don’t act awkward around me,” Edward explained. “I mean, do you even like me?”
With an amused smirk, Roy turned his attention back to his own newspaper. “We’re getting married in a couple weeks, Ed. That's a rather glaring sign, don't you think?"