The Rain

Ed and Roy go for a walk in the rain… at least that was Ed’s intention. Fluffy Drama, I-2.

Character(s): Edward Elric, Roy Mustang
Pairing(s): Roy/Ed

Edward Elric had spent years living out of his suitcase, and thought it a waste of time to actually unpack when he traveled. Accordingly, he dumped his current suitcase on top of a very battered chest of drawers, opened it and considered his unpacking done.

Ed wandered into the main room of the hostel suite and glanced at Roy, who stood at the window looking out at the breaking storm. They had barely beaten it to the door. Lightning flashed, a crack of thunder hard on its heels.

“So, I guess this means you’ll spend today holed up inside?” Ed asked.

“I actually like rain, you know,” Roy answered, tone reminiscent. “I used to go out in it all the time when I was little. Especially storms like this. Even when I started specializing, I still liked walking in it. It wasn’t until later that it became,” he paused a moment before finishing, “inadvisable.”

Too dangerous, Ed translated. He gave Roy’s back a long, thoughtful look, chewing on his lip. They had almost two days, yet, before the Fel garrison commander was expecting them. He knew Roy wanted to surprise the man, but maybe they had a little time, too, for the wistfulness in Roy’s voice.

Ed went to Roy’s side and held out his hands. “Come on.”

Roy laid his hands in Ed’s with a tiny smile. “Where?” he inquired.

“Outside.”

Roy halted. Ed tightened his grasp.

“Look, no one knows we’re here yet, right? And you’re out of uniform. And neither of us have ever been here before so it’s not like anyone will recognize us. We’re about as safe as we can get.” He tugged lightly, urging Roy to come with him. After another moment of frozen hesitation, Roy did.

They had wound up in one of the second floor suites with an outside entrance. The landing in front of their door was small enough that Ed, locking up, felt the shiver that ran through Roy as the rain struck them. Roy descended the stairs slowly, looking up rather than at where his feet were going, and Ed had a momentary qualm. He couldn’t, offhand, remember Roy acting quite this absent-minded ever before.

When they reached the street Roy stood with his eyes closed for a moment, and Ed saw another shiver pass over him. Lightning flashed. In the taut silence before the thunder Roy tossed his head back, flinging his hair out of his eyes, and laughed. He spun towards Ed and held out a hand.

“Come on,” he called over a long rumble.

Ed’s eyes widened.

Roy’s smile was open and unconstrained, and his eyes were bright. He looked barely older than Ed.

“Come on,” Roy repeated. His grin practically glowed. “If you think you can catch me!” And he was off running, with another laugh, stride long and easy. Ed stood, open mouthed, for several long moments before collecting himself sufficiently to give chase.

Roy was in the town square by the time Ed caught him, standing with his face tipped up to the sheeting water. Ed touched his shoulder just a bit cautiously. Justifiably so, in his opinion, since Roy promptly clasped his wrists and proceeded to swing the both of them in circles until Ed was dizzy. When Roy finally caught him close, Ed could feel that he was laughing again.

When Roy kissed him, Ed tasted the rain on his lips. Roy’s mouth was hot in contrast to the water running down them, hot and… bright somehow. That was the only word that came to Ed, the only one that fit this open, laughing, dripping, Roy who kissed him the the middle of the town’s public center with thunder rolling overhead. Ed clung to him, dizzy again. He felt like he’d been dropped from a great height, and somehow missed the ground.

Roy drew back slowly, resting his palm against Ed’s cheek for a moment before taking his hand. They strolled back through the storm, Ed just a bit dazed, Roy with a bounce in his step that almost qualified as skipping.

“Here,” Ed said, once they were standing in their entryway again, “let me dry us off.”

Roy caught his hands, keeping them apart. “No, no, trying not to get too much water on the floor while dashing for towels is part of the fun,” he admonished, eyes sparkling.

Words failed Ed completely, and he let Roy drag him down the short hall without protest.

The bathroom was not made for two people, and Ed was laughing himself by the time they managed to peel off their soaked clothes and dump them in the tub to drain. Ed spent a moment longing for the plush robe he had stolen from Roy; cotton just wasn’t the same. They completed the afternoon’s exercise in the miniscule kitchenette, where Roy made tea.

“Is this part of the fun too?” Ed asked with a tiny grin, as he accepted his mug.

“Certainly,” Roy answered serenely. “In the summer, at any rate. Hot cocoa in the fall.”

Ed forgot his tea, gazing up at Roy instead. He had never seen Roy’s eyes this brilliant, or his mouth this relaxed, not drawn the way it usually was even when he smiled. He was absolutely beautiful like this. Roy looked up from his own mug and tilted his head, questioning. Ed caught up Roy’s free hand, bending his head over it, pressing the strong fingers to his lips. “Roy…” he whispered.

Roy knelt, coming down to where he could see Ed’s face again. “Ed? What is it?”

Ed looked at that unaccustomed, wild happiness lingering in Roy’s face and was suddenly, absolutely infuriated. He pulled Roy into his arms and buried his face in Roy’s shoulder.

“Damn them all to hell for making you hide this,” he breathed, almost shaking with rage. He heard the faint thunk of Roy’s mug on the table, felt Roy’s hand stroke his still-damp hair.

“Ssh. It’s all right. It’s only hidden, not gone. If it were,” Roy’s voice picked up an edge of teasing, “you’d never have convinced me to surprise you, today.”

Ed relaxed again with a shaky sigh. “I just wish,” he stopped, considered, and went on anyway, “that I could see you this way more often.”

“Well, now you know one way,” Roy told him. Ed lifted his head to give his lover a wry smile.

“Guess so. Thunderstorms. Who’d have thought?”

Roy gave him back another bright grin. “Get your tea,” he directed, “I want to watch the rest of it.”

Ed trailed after him, and consented to curl up with a blanket in the open doorway, where they could see the sky, but insisted that Roy sit upwind and keep him from getting wet again.

End

Last Modified: Apr 25, 12
Posted: Mar 06, 04
Name (optional):
Kristal, 13_star_witch, Liana, Nikevi, moon01234, In Joke Taken (In_Joke_Taken), DBZVelena, order_of_chaos, daxion and 13 other readers sent Plaudits.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

20 Comments

  1. moumusu

    >D *bounces up to go read*

    Oh, BWAH! Roy running WHEE in the rain! Heh heh, that’s a LOT of fun. Roy’s a lot of fun. Um, the fic is. Heehee. …and the kissing was pretty (I feel like I don’t comment on that enough with your fics). Maybe this one just really hit the spot. It made me think of all these pretty things in nature that shine :B

    (Ed’s so protective and kyoot at the end…GWAH! *tucks him in his blanky*)

    Reply
  2. scimitarsmile

    My brain is gone. What few braincells were left, are now completely gone, and I can’t remember – did you say you’d email me the html for this? Or did I code and post already? Should I get a pizza with everything on it? Should I buy a vowel?

    I’m in the middle of a chapter that involves two completely separate timelines for the same series, neither of which match the series’ timeline, and every other paragraph I have to go back and check my notes. I hate writing like this. It’s making my head fuzzy…and making me forget what else I’ve done. Gyah, did he die at New Edwards, or did he die at the Federation Hospital, two months before? Was she captured at the lunar base, or while fleeing from Antarctica? I DON’T KNOW! I CAN’T KEEP TRACK!

    *sigh*

    This is why Roy running bonkers in the rain is such a nice break.

    *goes back to read a few more times, just as part of the process of stalling*

    Reply
  3. hikariblue

    This feels a little off, somehow. I’m not sure entirely what it is. The characterization, maybe. Ed’s probably alright, but Roy doesn’t quite feel like Roy. Maybe because he was so goshdarn grumpy when we saw him in the rain in canon.

    But then, I haven’t read all of the arc that this is meant to be a part of (Era-chan sort of pushed it at me and said ‘Read!’), so it’s quite likely that this is a place that they’ve gotten to that’s deviated so far from the series that they might as well be different characters.

    Beyond that, it’s very cute, and very romantic. ^_^

    Reply
    1. branchandroot Post author

      Oh, dear, you really need the rest of the arc to get you to this one. It took fourteen chapters for me to get them together, and another three to get them to admit it properly. A good four years of time, in the arc. Without that, I’m not surprised if Roy reads strangely, and the interaction, too.

      Reply
  4. readx0r

    <33333 I actually started laughing delightedly along with Roy when he finally allowed himself to be dragged outside. There were other people in the room, and they are now looking at me like I am completely insane, and I don’t care! XD EXCELLENT. Ed was great at the very end. A pleasure to read, as always. ^.~

    Reply
    1. branchandroot Post author

      *happy smile* Just what I was hoping for!

      I figured it couldn’t be too long before Ed started getting protective of Roy; it’s so much a part of who he is.

      Reply
  5. forochel

    *tearing*

    Oh god. That was so happily sad. ♥

    And I was laughing before that, too. Then Ed came along and snuggled and then it really hit me and *wibbles*

    Reply
    1. branchandroot Post author

      *pets* After is so totally the Smush Arc. It took about seventeen chapters to make them open up, but after that they were just… well, like this. ^_^

      Reply
  6. adicted fan

    loved this. can I make a link for this story on my gaiaonline profile page? well, since you are such an amazing writer, if you don’t mind, can you tell me how you write so amazingly so I can improve my writing skills?

    Reply
    1. Icon for BranchBranch Post author

      Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it! And certainly you can link it if you like.

      *wry smile* As for writing advice, I’m afraid the best I can tell you is to read a whole lot. The more you see of how good writers do things, the better you’ll be able to try them out yourself.

      Reply
  7. 13_star_witch

    This is….wow….

    Probably one of the most beautiful one-shots in the world….O.O…

    I was totally fascinated by Roy’s hidden personality….

    It was so sweet and just….really beautiful…O.O..

    Wow…priceless….O.O…

    I am officially, speechless…O.O…

    Thank you for making my bad day better with this piece!

    Reply
    1. Icon for BranchBranch Post author

      *sparkles* Thank you, it’s lovely to hear you enjoyed it so much!

      I always figured someone as controlled as Roy probably has a lot hidden away, and since this is the arc for fluff, I couldn’t resist giving him a happy, open moment.

      Reply
      1. 13_star_witch

        You’re welcome…

        I like the original Roy but I won’t complain if I get to see this side of Roy occasionally…

        …cute…^ – ^…

        I look forward to more of your amazing works~ ^ – ^…

        I’m currently doing my homework while reading Glow ^ – ^

        Reply
  8. Glow

    ……..love your work but, you stole my name. O.O

    I no longer like you.

    This should probably be posted on glow…. I’m to lazy to switch pages.

    *meh name is glow for all those who couldn’t figure that out*

    I like you again.

    Bye now! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Ephemeral_Is_The_Light

    You know… I think I’ve read and reread all of your writings (in fandoms I’m familiar with) more time than I dare count… lest it appear obssessive lol. I wonder… Have you ever read any of Anne McCaffery’s books? Particularly the Dragonrider’s of Pern? That fandom is in sore need of more authors, and one with your talent would be a very good addition. That’s probably becuase I’m stuck in a tri-rut between FMA, Naruto and DROP (lol, Dragonriders of pern). Oh and the occasinoal 07-ghost, which I was very pleased to find you wrote for!

    Reply
    1. Branch Post author

      *laughs* That’s a wonderful thing to hear!

      I have tried to write Pern fic. In fact, I even have an arc outline, all about the gender-selection engineering coming undone in the third generation and how there are suddenly queens choosing men and bronzes and browns choosing women, and how this changes the political equation to say nothing of the sociosexual one. But the plot bunnies ran off on me! I was so disappointed. I come back to poke at it every now and then, but it hasn’t gone anywhere yet. *sighs*

      Reply
  10. Katrina

    That was so sweet. I love thunderstorms too, and Roy’s mad giddiness…It rang true, and is absolutely charming. I love that Roy can still be like that, and I totally agree with Ed that it’s a terrible shame that he can’t be that way more often. Though personally, I drink tea for late spring and summer, mulled cider for most of autumn, and late autumn and early spring get cocoa. But to each his own.

    On another note, ever since I read Nikke Femme’s “Full Circle,” I’ve always felt like someone seriously needs to give Roy a lighter. For back-up, when his gloves aren’t an option for whatever reason. It’s just more sensible–the gloves are certainly more dramatic, but that’s no reason not to have something to fall back on when they’re not an option. You can’t tell ME that fires can’t burn in the rain! Anyway, I feel like Ed needs to give Roy a lighter so that he doesn’t have to worry about rain and can enjoy it properly again. Poor Roy, not being able to enjoy the rain very often anymore…!

    Reply
    1. Branch Post author

      Thanks! I know so many people who love storms like that, and it made a poignant kind of sense that Roy might be one of them even though he can’t let go and appreciate them often any more.

      *laughs* Yes, one does have to wonder how often Roy just swipes Havoc’s lighter in an emergency, and how much the rain is the excuse his subordinates use to keep him out of the way of trouble.

      Reply
      1. Katrina

        I used to sit out on the roof in the pouring rain under an umbrella, just listening to the sound of it. Then my mom found out and threw a fit…

        Except no one in Amestris seems to have thought of the idea that gloves aren’t the only way to make a spark! I mean, seriously. For that matter, why not just either dry his gloves with alchemy or convert the water in them to oxygen and hydrogen?? For that matter, I rather suspect that an adequate spark could be made simply by converting some of the rainwater in the air into hydrogen and oxygen, and then just letting them react! YOU ARE AN ALCHEMIST, ROY. There are so very many ways the wet-gloves thing could be surmounted, and no-one ever seems to think of any of them. Whyyyy are you all so daft?? Seriously. Either the subordinates (or, possibly more likely, Roy) is totally using that as an excuse. Actually, that would be awesome: can you imagine a fic where Ed and Roy are kidnapped, or attacked, or something, in the rain, and they take Ed’s automail and tie him reeeaaalllyy well, because, well, ED, but leave Roy less encumbered because DUR FLAME ALCHEMIST USELESS WHEN WET and then they’re pointing a gun at Ed or something and Roy goes FLAAAME and Ed goes “WHAT I THOUGHT YOU COULDN’T DO THAT IN THE RAIN” and Roy says “Of course I can, I just tell people I can’t because that means I have an automatic get-out-of-jail-free card whenever I come in contact with water” and Ed says “I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW LAZY YOU ARE COLONEL BASTARD” but of course in the end there is a sweet scene where it turns out that Roy keeps up the deceit in order to avoid having to kill people so often, because that means if it is raining no-one can tell him “BURN THEM.”
        …Okay, that’s officially my private canon now. At least, Roy’s reasoning is.

        Reply