A first kiss

(Minor spoilers for episode 44)

Ed stared after his brother and father heading out into the night, the grinding of his teeth all too audible. Roy feared he might just explode.
“Come on,” he said, putting a hand on the boy’s left shoulder and steering him outside.
“What!?” snapped Ed.
“We’re going for a walk,” Roy announced. He pushed Ed ahead of him.
“That’s an order.”
Grumbling and growling Ed complied.
Roy wondered for a moment whatever would happen when that line stopped working. They walked silently for a few minutes until the Rockbell house was out of sight.

“What do you want?” Ed demanded to know.
“You need to calm down,” Roy said. “Man, if you’d hit me like you hit your dad earlier I’d have killed you.”
“You could try,” Ed challenged loudly, turning to face Roy.
“Will it make you feel better to hit me?,” Roy asked. “Wait, don’t answer that”
Ed kicked a convenient boulder with his left foot. It shattered satisfactorily. He sighed.
“Of course, I’d love to punch you out but I need to lie low. It would attract too much attention if you turned up all black and blue tomorrow.”
“I hate to have you thinking you could win but you’re right,” Roy said cheerfully and gave Ed a gentle punch on the shoulder. “I’ll beat you up another time. Again.”
He was borne to the ground by Ed, who tackled him at waist height.

They wrestled through the bracken, down a slope and into a dry ditch. At the bottom Ed was on top, sitting on Roy’s chest, his automail arm leaning on his senior’s throat. He was grinning.
“You were saying?”
“This is not a real fight,” Roy argued. “No, don’t start. You were absolutely right, you need to keep a low profile now.”
“It’s no fun if you don’t even try,” Ed seemed disappointed.
Roy unthinkingly picked a twig from the boy’s hair. Ed moved his right arm and suddenly brushed his lips against Roy’s. He sat up, a faint blush on his cheeks. Roy was flat on his back in the bracken, smiling faintly. He ran his hand along Ed’s left arm.
“Do it again,” he invited, speaking softly.
Ed scowled.
“Really?” he said, uncertainly.
“Please?” Roy hardly dared to breathe.
Ed bent down and kissed the man trapped beneath him. His lips felt rough as he tasted Roy’s. He was gentle yet eager, never closing his eyes. Roy closed his and kissed back. He had often wondered what it would be like and it was damn good.