AN: This a RoyEd pairing. Just a warning since I know that some people don't like that pairing. Frankly, I've only recently started becoming interested in it. Rated M just to be safe.
Longing
The hail pounded against the concrete of the sidewalks and the tar on the road with a ferocity that only nature could seem to muster; it crashed into puddles and bounced off rooftops. The streets were lit only by the dull lights set out along the road and the area was devoid of any human life and even a stray dog was leaving in search of drier, more comfortable lodgings. The sky was brightened by the flash of sheet lightning, that was soon followed by the rumble of far-away thunder. The wind picked up in speed, as if to show its displeasure at the world also. The hail slowly turned into rain; which added to the puddles and overflowing gutters.
Edward liked this weather with his current mood. It was miserable, yes. There was no denying that. But after his fight with Alphonse – a horrible fight at that – the weather seemed fitting. He and Alphonse didn't fight often, and when they did it was Al who would run off and sulk until they'd cooled down and Ed went looking for him. Not this time though. They'd fought and Ed had stormed out, quickly disappearing before Al could stop him or even catch up to him. Edward felt horrible. He couldn't even remember the reason for the fight, but the guilt was crippling and now that the rain had washed away his anger, he just felt alone and miserable. He sunk into a bench, not caring that it was soaked from the storm. He doubted that he'd get any more wet as it was. Edward leaned back and tilted his face up to the sky. The rain merged with the tears that Edward seemed to have no control over. He liked the rain for that. Shutting his eyes, the alchemist tried to get a hold of his emotions, but he couldn't seem to do it. Sitting up, Ed leaned forward to rest his elbows on his legs and dropped his head into his hands, allowing himself to cry freely.
He didn't know how long he'd sat there, but after what felt like hours – and could have possibly been exactly that – Ed rubbed at his eyes and dropped his arms. He stared at the ground below his feet and then looked up at the building across the street. A block of apartments. They were small but relatively expensive. This was the more upper-class part of the city. It was a bit of a distance from the military dorms in which he and Al were staying in. Edward hadn't noticed that he'd be walking for so long before finding the bench he was on. Ed heaved a heavy sigh and lowered his gaze to the ground again. He shivered; the wind and the rain doing nothing but aiding the chill of the evening air into seeping into his bones. It was strangely relieving. The storm seemed to share his feelings. Anger, regret and sorrow. The storm threw these emotions back at the world in an attempt to empathize with people like him. The noise of thunder roared across the sky again, but was almost drowned out by the pounding of the rain. Ed hoped that the noise of nature would silence the memories of his all too recent fight, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect.
Somewhere from the storm, Edward thought that he heard someone shout for him but he shrugged it off. Who else would be out in this weather? After a moment, he heard it again. A male voice shouting "Fullmetal" into the air. Edward looked up and from across the street he saw a figure step out onto the road, coming towards him. The figure was male and dressed darkly, hidden from the elements under a flimsy looking umbrella. Edward stood, sighing. Roy Mustang. Ed should have guessed that his commanding officer would find a way to make his mood worse. The colonel stopped in front of Ed and looked him up and down with a raised eyebrow.
"Fullmetal, what the hell are you doing?" Roy asked coldly. "In case you failed to realize, there's a storm raging."
"I noticed asshole!" Ed defended. He wasn't in the mood for the colonel. All he wanted was to be alone. "What the hell are you doing?"
Roy raised his eyebrow again. After a moment, he pointed a thumb to the building behind him. "I live here. I saw the red of that gaudy coat of yours and decided to see if you'd been beaten so many times that your brain had stopped working." Roy mocked. Despite his words though, he glanced over his subordinate in concern. What the hell was Ed doing out in this storm, and so far from the dorm too?
Edward crossed his arms across his chest, looking away before he said, "I went for a walk. What's it to you?" Edward looked back at Mustang when the dark haired man didn't reply. Looking up at him, Ed noticed that the umbrella did almost nothing when it came to keeping the colonel dry. Water dripped from the ends of his tousled black hair. Roy gazed down at Ed and the blond alchemist shifted slightly before looking away. "I had a fight with Al." He mumbled.
Roy shook his head at the boy. He wanted to get back to his home. This rain was making him miserable in its relentless assault. "Fullmetal, come with me." Roy said softly to the teen, before turning and heading home. Ed watched him for a moment and then sighed. He followed behind the colonel.
.:.:.:.
Ed stopped in the hallway of Roy's home. The colonel shut the front door and then turned to Ed, who looked extremely uncomfortable and awkward. Roy smirked slightly and shook his head before stepping into Ed's view. "Bathroom is in there. You'll find towels in there. Hang your clothes up to dry and I'll try to find some that will fit you." Roy told his subordinate, pointing to a closed door before he walked down the hallway and into another room which Ed assumed was the bedroom. Sighing to himself, Ed walked over to the door that Roy had pointed to and pushed it open. He turned the light on and stepped into the room.
It was small and basic, but nice. The floor was tiled and there was a shelf with Mustang's things on it. Ed stepped closer, trailing his fingers over the aftershave bottle that sat there. He picked it up and popped the cap off, smelling it with a small smile. He felt heat rise to his cheeks and put the lid on, putting it back before Mustang knew he'd moved it. Turning, Ed caught a look of himself in the mirror and groaned. He was soaked and his eyes were bloodshot from crying. His cheeks and nose were pink for being in the cold wind for so long. He untied the braid in his hair and rubbed the wet hair with a towel before combing his fingers through the damp result. Ed undressed quickly, growing more embarrassed as he did and quickly wrapped the towel round his waist. He rubbed his eyes and shivered a little. Edward hung is clothes over the bath so they could dry and turned to the door.
Roy paused at the bathroom door with a small bundle of clothes in his arms. None of his clothes would fit the teen, but Ed would just have to make due with what he got. Roy himself had changed into black slacks and a white button up shirt with the top couple of buttons left undone. When Ed turned and saw him, the teen yelped from fright and jumped slightly. As he did, Ed's automail left foot hit a wet tile and he slipped, falling backwards and causing him to hit his head hard on the side of the bathtub. Edward closed his eyes and held his head, groaning at the pain, and forgot that he was only wearing a towel. When he opened his eyes he saw Roy kneel in front of him and he felt the blood rush to his cheeks when he noticed that his automail leg – which was bent at the knee – was on show as the towel had slipped off it. He shifted, moving quickly to cover up more, despite nothing being on show. At this Roy chuckled slightly and leaned over Ed. The teen blushed and turned his head away in embarrassment, but Roy ignored it for the moment, wanting to make sure that Ed hadn't seriously injured himself in the fall. Mustang pressed his fingertips to the back of Ed's head and the teen whimpered as he pulled away.
"What the hell, Colonel?" Ed snapped, turning to face Roy again and swallowing at how close their faces were. At this distance, Ed could smell the older man's aftershave and could feel Roy's breath on him.
"I was just wanting to make sure that you wouldn't need medical attention, Fullmetal." Roy murmured, smirking slightly and seemingly enjoying Ed's discomfort.
"I'm fine." Ed muttered, turning away again. Roy chuckled and placed a hand on the edge of the bathtub to steady himself. By doing this he essentially had Ed pinned to the floor with his back against the bath and Roy leaning over him. Ed pushed a hand to Roy's chest, about to push the man away and turned to face Roy again. Their noses brushed against each other and Ed gasped slightly. He was blushing furiously now. His hand forgotten about against Roy's chest. The look Ed was getting unnerved and excited him. It was a look of longing and desire. Roy lowered his gaze from the golden orbs that were Ed's eyes to his lips. Edward unconsciously licked his dry lips at Roy's look. His heart was pounding, ringing in his ears and all his previous worries about Al were distant memories. Edward noticed that his breathing was labored and he parted his lips to take in more air as he felt that he wasn't getting enough.
Roy moved his free hand, which was pressed against the floor to touch Fullmetal's cheek. It was warm under his skin and Roy guessed that it was due to the embarrassment that was obvious across his subordinate's face. Roy hadn't moved though – despite knowing that he should - because Ed was giving him a look that was similar to the one that he moments ago had given the blond alchemist. Cupping Ed's face, Roy moved closer, brushing his lips to Ed's and his eyes fluttered shut. He pulled away a little and paused, allowing Ed to react. After a long moment, Edward responded by pressing his lips to Roy's. Roy's lips turned upwards slightly in a small smile as Ed kissed him. The colonel slid his hand round Ed's neck, moving over his subordinate more so that he was straddling Ed's legs. With his hand on the back of Ed's neck, Roy moved his other hand to drag the fingers through Edward's hair and he kissed the teen.
Ed gripped Roy's shirt in his right hand and the older man shivered as the cool metal brushed the skin of his chest. Ed wrapped his other hand around Mustang's back, pulling their bodies closer. His eyes were closed and he let his tongue sweep across Mustang's bottom lip. Mustang granted Ed entrance to his mouth and the teen hesitated slightly before slipping his tongue into his commanding officers mouth. Their tongues touched and Ed arched his back, forcing his body closer to Mustang's in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Roy pulled away after a moment and Ed only just stopped the small whimper from escaping his lips. His lips were parted to ease his heavy breathing and he stared up at the colonel with wide eyes. Roy smirked and forcefully pressed his lips to Ed's again in a rougher kiss. Roy nipped Edward's bottom lip with his teeth and smirked slightly. The dark haired alchemist kissed down Ed's jaw and onto the soft skin at the teen's throat. Ed tilted his head back against the bathtub as he felt Mustang's lips on his neck. His lips parted and he found that his breathing was rapidly turning into panting. Roy flicked his tongue out and slowly dragged it up Ed's neck and held the boy tighter as Edward let out a quiet moan. His desire for his youngest subordinate was growing by the second and the urge to grab Ed and take him there on the bathroom floor was being almost unbearable.
Roy moved his hands so that one was pressed against Ed's left shoulder, pinning him where he sat and the other slowly slid down Fullmetal's bare chest. Under his fingertips, Roy could feel the toned muscles and he felt Edward's small shiver at the touch. Ed tightened his grip on Mustang's shirt and pulled him closer so that their bodies were pushed together. They kissed again and Mustang sat back, pulling Ed with him so that the blond alchemist was sitting in his lap. The feeling of Roy against him made Edward groan with a longing that he didn't know he had before. He shifted his position as he felt a stirring beneath his towel and blushed deeply. He kissed Mustang in hopes to distract his body's reaction to his commanding officer but it only increased the want. He pulled away and stared down at Roy's chest, blushing and breathing hard. The colonel was also breathing heavily and he understood Edward's embarrassment. He was having similar reactions to the body pressed against him. He put a finger under Ed's jaw and gently made the alchemist look at him with those brilliant golden eyes of his. Roy smiled at him and lovingly trailed his fingers through Edward's hair. Ed blushed even more at Roy's touch. The colonel opened his mouth as if to say something when the phone began ringing.
The noise made both males jump and Ed scrambled to get off Roy's lap to allow his commanding officer to get up. Edward stayed sitting on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor and watched the dark-haired alchemist leave the room. Once Mustang was out of sight, Ed sighed and slowly stood. He felt cold and his head hurt from when he hit it. Ed glanced to the pile of clothes that Mustang had dropped and walked over to them. He quickly dressed to avoid becoming more cold. The slacks were too long and he had to roll them up at the legs. The shirt was too big also, as it was to fit over Mustang's bigger build but it wasn't too bad on him. Edward pulled the collar of the shirt up to his nose and sniffed it; inhaling Mustang's scent and allowing himself to enjoy the smell before he left the bathroom.
Edward found Roy in the living room just as the colonel was hanging up. Roy spotted him and offered him a smile. Edward smiled back, a light blush on his cheeks at the memory of their recent kiss. He lowered his eyes from looking directly into Mustang's and cleared his throat.
"Who was on the phone?" Ed asked, glancing around the room with mild curiosity.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye. She wanted to remind me of some work I have to do over the weekend." Roy said nonchalantly and Edward found himself doubting that Mustang was going to go said work. If he did it would be last minute. "The storm is too bad to drive in, and you'll get ill if you go out in it again. You can stay here until it passes, but you're best to call the dorms and let Al know that you're here." Roy said, holding the phone to Edward.
The blond alchemist shook his head at the phone. "I don't want to talk to him." He muttered, moving away and sitting down on the couch. Roy sighed and dialed the military dorms.
"Fine, I'll have to tell him for you." Roy muttered and Edward turned to scowl at him. Mustang ignored his subordinate's refusal and told the receptionist of the dorms to get Alphonse Elric on the phone. A few minutes of silence later, Al's voice answered. "Hello Alphonse, it's Colonel Mustang. I just thought I'd call to let you know that I found Fullmetal and he'll be spending the night at mine until the storm passes."
"You found him? Is he okay? I've been so worried. I tried looking for him but I couldn't think of anywhere he'd be and I actually only just got back just now." Alphonse replied. Roy watched Edward – who had moved to Roy so he could listen in on Al's half of the conversation. Roy watched as a guilty expression filtered through Ed's features before he turned his attention back to the phone.
"Yes. He's alright. I'll bring him over in the morning. Goodnight Alphonse." Roy said, watching Ed out of the corner of his vision as he hung up and put the phone down. He then turned to Ed who then turned away. Roy shook his head and grabbed Fullmetal's wrist, stopping the teen. Edward kept his head down, his bangs falling in front of his face and hiding it from sight. Roy sighed and moved closer to Ed, feeling a little awkward.
"Fullmetal, what happened between you two?" Roy asked gently, but Ed didn't reply. The boy only shook his head. Mustang moved in front of Ed, and cupped his chin, guiding Edward to look at him. The blond alchemist looked up at Roy briefly, then tore his gaze away. Roy sighed and lifted a hand to Ed's cheek. He gently stroked the soft skin under his fingertips and Edward leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. "Ed, what happened?" Roy murmured.
Edward sighed, leaning into Roy and resting his head against his commanding officer's chest. "We had a fight. I can't even remember what it was about but if was horrible." Ed whispered keeping his eyes closed. When Roy lifted his hand and combed his fingers through Ed's hair the boy smiled a little. "I do feel guilty, but I just don't want to talk to him just yet."
"You're just being stubborn, Fullmetal." Roy chuckled, embracing Ed and lightly kissing his subordinate's head when the blond grumbled a protest. Just then the lights died and left them in the dull light of the street lamps that seeped in through the window. Ed opened his eyes and looked around as Mustang sighed and moved to get some candles. He set them out on a table and pulled on his gloves. He snapped his fingers with careful precision and watched as the candles burst into life. Roy turned when he heard Edward yawn and saw the boy cover his mouth and then sleepily rub at his eyes. The simple motion was so childlike that it was cute in Roy's eyes and he smiled at Ed.
"I only have the one bedroom. You could sleep on the couch but since the storm has cut the power it might be better if we shared a bed." Roy said, a little embarrassed at the thought of having Edward in his bed for the night. It would get cold without the power so they'd need to sleep close together.
Ed must have had a similar thought because he burst out saying, "Share a bed? As in together? Y-you want to... Sleep together!" Ed's cheeks were burning with embarrassment at the thoughts he was having. Roy chuckled and moved to Ed.
"Its that or you can sleep on the couch and be cold all night?" Roy murmured, smirking at the flustered look on Edward's face. "Two men can share a bed and it be perfectly innocent you know, Fullmetal?" Roy mocked. It earned him a scowl but Ed reluctantly agreed after a moment. Roy nodded and picked up two of the of the candles, blowing the others out and led Edward into the bedroom. He placed the candles on his desk. As Ed walked in he was a little surprised to see that the room was organized and neat. Since the colonel always tried to find a way to slack off in the office, Ed has just assumed that the man's home would show the same side of Mustang, but apparently he could be organized when he chose. Roy unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off. He kicked off his boots and then held a hand out to Ed.
The blond took Roy's hand after a slight hesitation and moved into the man's arms. Roy held him for a moment, relishing in having the boy so close to him. "Ed, about that kiss, nobody can find out." Roy whispered. Edward pulled away slightly, but stayed within touching range.
"Yeah colonel, because I'm going to go around bragging that I enjoyed a kiss with my commanding officer and then willing accepted to share his bed." Ed muttered sarcastically and rolled his eyes, but even he couldn't help but smile slightly. Roy chuckled and moved to take Ed's shirt off. He dropped the shirt by his own discarded one and took Ed's flesh hand in his own. He intertwined their fingers and pulled the short alchemist to his bed. Roy pulled the covers back and gently pushed Ed onto the bed. The blond fell backwards and bounced slightly on the soft mattress. He moved back to allow Mustang to get into the bed. Roy climbed onto the bed and straddled Ed, smirking. He leaned down and kissed Ed and after a stunned moment the other male submitted to him again. Ed pulled Roy closer – their chest's pressed together and hooked his automail leg round one of Mustang's to keep the man close. The only paused their kiss to caught their breath, but even then Roy couldn't stop his hands tracing Edward's muscles. He looked beautiful in the dull light of the candles and streetlamps. Roy watched as Ed's chest rose and fell with his breathing and leaned down to ghost kisses along the boy's collarbone. Ed shut his eyes and turned his head away slightly. His lips parted slightly and Roy heard him give a soft almost inaudible moan. He rolled off Ed and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He pulled Ed to him, holding the teen to his body and pulled the covers over them both. He kissed the top of Edward's head and the younger male looked up at Roy. Roy smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Edward's lips and gained a smile from the blond that lit up his golden eyes.
"This is our secret." Roy murmured. Ed nodded his approval and acceptance before shutting his eyes. Soon the teen was asleep and Roy took a moment to treasure the moment. He filed it away in his memories and swore to keep it cherished forever. He smiled again and wrapped both his arms around Ed before he too fell asleep. The storm that still raged outside was forgotten about and even the rumbles of thunder and the sharp, bright flashes of lightning couldn't disturb them.