"Brother? Are you almost ready?" Al's voice asked from the other side of Ed's bedroom door, "If you take any longer you're going to be late,"

"Yeah, yeah, gimme a minute will ya?" Ed growled back. He finished lacing up his boots and checked one last time that the soul mark on his left wrist was covered, metal fingers ghosting over the small image of a flame. Supposedly that mark would guide him to his soulmate, but Ed wasn't so sure he believed that. How did the universe know who his 'perfect other half' was? Sure it might have worked out for Al and Winry, but he wasn't so sure there was someone out there who complimented him in all the right ways.

"Ed if you don't get your lazy ass out here in the next five seconds-" Winry's shrill voice pierced the air but was cut off by Ed flinging his door open and glaring at his younger brother and childhood best friend.

"You'll what? Hit me over the head with your wrench?" He asked, eyeing the tool she held in her hand, "You do that and you risk knocking me out which would cause me to miss this god damn date instead of just being late,"

He pushed past the other two blonds and made his way to the door of their shared apartment, uneven footsteps echoing off the hardwood floor. He grabbed his keys and wallet off the table by the door and shoved the wallet into the back right pocket of his black leather pants. Al and Winry watched from the other end of the hall as Ed hesitated at reaching for his white gloves that he normally wore to cover the automail hand. Both were shocked when he left them in the bowl and moved to slip on his red duster.

"What?" Ed asked upon seeing the shocked looks on his roommate's faces.

"You're not wearing your gloves," Al said, weight of this decision settling in those words.

"Nah, if this bastard wants to know me I'm not gonna hide this," he answered, waving the metal limb to make his point.

"That's very mature of you bother," Al said.

"Yeah, well, whatever- wait a minute… Did you just call me bother?"

"What? No," Al quickly defended.

"Ed, try to be nice, Riza said that Roy is a good guy, a little flirty but a good guy none the less. Give him a chance before scaring him away," Winry said as Ed turned the handle on the door.

Ed shot a dark scowl, but shook his head, "I'll try, but I'm not promising anything. I'll be back later, don't wait up," he said before exiting the apartment.

"If I'm lucky the sight of the metal will scare him off," the blond grumbled to himself as he walked through the cool October air.

The evening was pleasant, a gently breeze toyed with Ed's ponytail, causing a few loose strands to tickle his face. The fading light of day cast long shadows across the pavement, and the orange and red hues in the sky complimented the colors of the changing leaves perfectly. Somewhere in the distance, over the sound of the city's constant buzz of traffic, a dog was disturbed, it's gravely bark resonating in the twilight.

Ed approached Alchemy, a local bar that Winry had chosen as the meeting place for his date. Handing his ID over to the bouncer with a glare, something about the long yet spiked hair and the high necked crop top was off putting. The guy, or at least Ed wagered a guess that it was a guy, eyed him suspiciously but didn't say anything when he returned the ID and let Ed in. The blond maintained his glare as he brushed past the person and into the bar.

Once inside the dimly lit establishment Ed quickly made his way to the bar, claiming a seat near the end. He took a moment to let his golden eyes scan the room, taking note of how surprisingly uncrowded it was for a Friday evening. The generic pop music was still blasting as if the room was packed full. Ed felt sorely out of place but ignored the feeling, thinking once he had some alcohol in him he would loosen up a bit.

Unfortunately that concept was easier said than done. The bartender, a slim, busty, dark haired woman, was focusing all of her attention on a sandy haired man who was already past the point of tipsy and teetering dangerously on too drunk to remember. Ed tried his best to get her attention without outright shouting or throwing something at her. He was failing miserably. Just as he was reaching his breaking point, a tall dark haired man took it upon himself to occupy the seat to Ed's left. He wore a pair of dark jeans that seemed to be tailored just for him, a cobalt blue button down with the top three buttons left undone and the sleeves rolled up over his elbows.

"No luck getting her attention?" the man asked, his deep voice smooth and husky, like one would expect from someone skilled in the art of seduction. Ed instantly resented the man.

"What are you having?" he asked Ed, who just scowled at the man.

"You're asking me my drink before you even know my name? What are you planning on doing after? Throwing me in the back of your van?" Ed retorted.

"Only if that's what you're into. So since you won't tell me your drink will you at least tell me your name?"

Ed was floored by the blunt response, "Name's Ed," he finally mumbled in answer after a moment of pinning the man with a critical look.

"Ed? Edward Elric?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"I do believe you're the man Riza and her friend set me up with,"

"Shit, you're Roy?"

"I am, Roy Mustang," Roy said offering his hand in greeting.

"Edward Elric, Ed preferably," the blond replied, taking the proffered hand in his metal one.

"You have an automail hand," Roy said, his tone lack the harsh judgment Ed normally got when someone pointed it out. Golden eyes narrowed as he searched the older man's face for any indication the he was disgusted or put off by this fact. All he found was a slight hint of curiosity and respect in the otherwise perfectly masked face.

"Actually it's the whole arm," Ed replied once he concluded that Roy wasn't going to let this fact affect his view of Ed, "My left leg is too,"

Roy nodded, figuring that if Ed wanted to tell him what happened he would so in his own time. Silence fell between them, or as much silence as the thrumming bass would allow for. The bartender still paid them no mind, too busy scribbling her number or something on the drunk man's inner arm. It was clear they weren't going to have the chance order drinks anytime soon.

"Would you like to go somewhere more conducive for conversation?" Roy inquired, he could tell Ed was thoroughly uncomfortable in the bar, the music was doing nothing to help and the poor excuse for lighting was just irritating.

It took Ed all of 0.063 seconds to agree and start for the door. Roy chuckled lightly at the younger man's eagerness to leave as he followed behind as a more leisurely pace. Outside the two men walked in comfortable silence to a small cafe that was only a couple blocks away. The wind had picked up during the time Ed had been in the bar, what was originally a cool autumn breeze now bit harshly at any exposed skin with each aggressive gust. Roy pulled his long, black military styled coat tighter around his person, thankful he had thought to bring it with him. Glancing at Ed he saw a shiver rake through his body as he forced his hands deeper into his pockets. When they reached the cafe the blond let another violent shudder course through him, this one out of appreciation for the warmth that assaulted his body.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Ed asked as they approached the counter.

Roy hesitated, still taking in his surroundings. The cafe was small but well lit, the soft yellow lighting complimenting nicely with the pale blue tones that made up the majority of the color scheme. There were three other patrons occupying two of the tables near the front, they appeared to be university students, if the books and pages of notes were anything to go by. Jazz music drifted quietly through the air completing the list of things that made a good cafe, aesthetically, in Roy's mind. If the coffee and food was as good as the atmosphere Roy foresaw himself spending more time on this side of town.

"Hmmm?" Roy asked, brought out of his reverie by a sharp jab to his side.

"I asked if you wanted anything to eat," Ed repeated with a roll of his eyes.

"Only if you let me buy the drinks, I wasn't able to do so at the bar, so indulge me?"

"Fine," Ed agreed reluctantly, "So what do you want?"

"Surprise me. And what about you? What would you like to drink?"

"Black coffee, three sugars, absolutely no milk," Ed stated as he stepped up to order food for the two of them, "Two apple turnovers and one toasted BLT with extra bacon, light lettuce and no mayo,"

"Anything else?" the girl asked, sounding utterly bored.

"No, that'll be it for me,"

"Great, that'll be eleven thirty-seven," the bored tone continued on. Ed pulled his wallet and handed her some cash, telling her to keep the change.

"I'm gonna grab a table and take a piss," Ed told Roy as he turned away from the counter. He didn't wait for the man's response as he walked over to a booth that was tucked into the corner.

When he returned from relieving himself Roy was sitting calmly at the table with two to-go cups and a white paper bag.

"Are we going somewhere? I thought we were going to stay here?" Ed asked, confusion bright in his eyes.

"I thought about it and I figured we might both be more comfortable somewhere a bit less public," Roy explained.

"And where exactly did you have in mind?"

"My apartment? It's not too far away, we'll just have to walk back to Alchemy and get my car,"

"Eh, why not?" Ed finally conceded, taking his coffee from Roy as they walked out of the cozy cafe and back into brisk night air. They made quick work of the trek back to Alchemy, not wanting to brave the chilling winds any longer than they had to. As the bar came into view Ed stopped to glance at the cars parked around the venue. Roy noticed a disappointed slump of Ed's shoulders and pondered the cause.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Is it bad I half expected you to drive a mustang?" Ed mumbled.

Roy let out a deep, rich laugh at the blond's statement, "I used to, but I've upgraded recently," he said, leading Ed over to a black 1967 Jaguar XKE.

"Holy fuck," Ed breathed out, totally in awe of the classic beauty that sat before him. Roy let another chuckled fall from his lips as he opened the passenger door for Ed. Ed shot him a glare for the gesture, not liking feeling like he was a damsel in despair or whatever the phrase was. Roy ignored the look and moved to get into the car. Ed held the bag containing their food, the warmth from the heated items a strangely pleasing sensation over his lap.

Roy pulled into the driveway of his home ten minutes later, watching Ed's face closely as he studied the older man's place of residence. The house wasn't huge, a single story, though Roy had added a loft to get some extra space, not that it was obvious from the outside.

"It's… smaller than I expected," Ed commented as he shut the car door.

"Is that a bad thing? I happen to enjoy the little things in life," Roy said with a wink as he joined Ed on the pathway that lead to the front door.

"Are you calling me short?! I'll show you short, you fucking bastard!" Ed snapped, raising a fist in preparation to prove his point.

"What? No! Not, not at all," Roy defended, not voicing his actual thoughts as he put his hands up in surrender. The motion causing the sleeves of his jacket to slide down slightly, exposing one bare wrist and the other covered by an expensive looking watch. Ed's eyes were drawn to the bare wrist, specifically the right one, and, just as Winry had assured him, it was unmarked.

"Huh, Winry was right," the blond mused.

"Right about what?" Roy asked as he unlocked the door.

"You don't have a soulmark,"

"Hmmm, oh," Roy began voice falling quiet and hesitant, "Actually I do. I didn't when Riza told your friend that, but it showed up a few hours later. I didn't want to ruin this for her, she seemed genuinely happy when I even considered going on this date, I didn't want to disappoint her," Roy confessed.

"Then where- Oh," Ed whispered, golden orbs landing on the watch covering Roy's left wrist, the band just wide enough to cover a mark if there was one, "I guess we were both mislead,"

"What do you- Oh," Roy's eyes fell to where Ed was holding his own wrist, " I guess so. I can take you home if you want then, there's obviously little reason for you stay,"

"Who said I wanted to leave? Honestly, this whole conversation has me even more curious about you, not many people out there with a mark on their left wrist," Ed said, the subtext screaming like a banshee, "So are you going to invite me in or are we going to spend the evening awkwardly standing out here on your porch? Because I didn't exactly dress for a night of outdoorsing,"

"On one condition, you show me your mark," Roy stated.

"Only if you show me yours,"

"Deal,"

With that said Roy finally opened the door to his home and invited Ed in. Both men slipped their jackets off, hanging them on the coat rack Roy had near the door. Noticing Roy slide his shoes off prompted Ed to follow in suit. The metal of his foot clinked on the floor causing Ed to flinch in embarrassment. Roy just smiled at him and padded down the hall, leaving Ed in the entry way.

"I'm going to grab some plates and silverware for the food, feel free to make yourself at home," Roy called over his shoulder.

The blond meandered over to the cream toned sofa, the living room opening up directly off the entry way giving him this opportunity. Well trained eyes observing every little detail they could. He noted that even with the addition of the staircase up to the loft the living room was still pleasantly spacious and set up in such a way that no space was misused. Evidence of this was the far wall, instead of bookshelves there were insets, all full to the brim with books, journals, and a few knick-knacks. The books ranged from classics to law books, to physics texts with a focus on thermodynamics. Ed was absorbed in perusing the titles, randomly grabbing one of the physics books and paging through it, he didn't hear Roy return. It wasn't until the older man was directly behind him and reaching for the book in his hands that Ed jumped in acknowledgment.

"You like physics?" Roy asked, his deep baritone sending an involuntary shiver down Ed's spine.

"Uh, y- yeah," the younger man said, stumbling over his tongue as he became acutely aware of the heat from the other man's body against his own.

"Then why don't discuss this matter further while we eat?" Roy suggested, placing a hand on Ed's waist to guide him over to the couch. Ed, normally a very vocal person, was stunned speechless by the gesture. His face was flushed with embarrassment, a look Roy found incredibly stunning on the blond.

The two sat down on the couch, only mere inches separating them, a fact Ed was hyper aware of. Roy took charge of getting the food out and onto the plates, subtly watching the other man out of the corner of his eye.

As they ate Ed's embarrassment faded away and he was able to hold up his end of the conversation. Topics ranged from the obligatory 'getting-to-know-you' things to more in depth queries of each others personal lives. Roy learned that Ed was only twenty-one and already had two PhD's, and was working on his third. He learned the Ed worked at the local university as a professor and had a research fellowship in the chemistry department researching advances in the field of biochemistry. Apparently both Elric brothers were considered geniuses in the science community, both having graduated high school at an extremely young age and receiving offers from every high ranking university in the country. Ed only briefly touched on his past, mentioning that his mother had died and his father had left them, but said little else on the subject.

The dark haired man did his part, sharing facts about himself in response to what Ed offered. Ed learned that Roy was twenty-eight and working on his own PhD in physics, specifically thermodynamics, which explained all the books. Roy told the blond that he originally got his degree in poli-sci but after a year of working under the local senator he realized how much he hated politics and the way the government was run, thus ending that career and starting his physics degree. They were surprised to discover that they both worked at the university, even in the same building, and had for the past year and a half.

As the conversation began to die down Ed knew there was still one last thing that needed to be discussed between them, and he really didn't want to.

"So..." Ed started, "I guess I might as well show you my mark now,"

"Only if you want to," Roy said softly, laying a warm hand over Ed's left wrist.

"I know," Ed answered with a solemn sigh. He slowly removed Roy's hand from his wrist, the cool metal of the automail fingers ending a chill through Roy's nerves. Ed kept his gaze lowered as he pulled up his sleeve and took off the studded band he wore to cover the mark.

Roy watched in rapt fascination as sun kissed skin gave way to a mark no bigger than the buttons on Roy's jacket. The small image of a flame gave little away about the identity of Ed's soulmate, but the swarm of butterflies that was trying to escape Roy's stomach knew otherwise. Without saying anything the older man undid the strap of his watch and revealed his own mark.

Ed's barely audible gasp was deafening in the pressing silence. Roy's mark was clear as the sun in the sky, a gold bar with whispers of silver swirled so perfectly together. There was little doubt in either of their minds that the mark wasn't a symbol of Ed, what with his golden features contrasted with the metallic sheen of his automail. Before he realized what he was doing, Ed's flesh digits were tracing over the embellished skin, sending sparks of gentle pleasure through Roy's person.

"Why did they only appear now? We've been in the appropriate vicinity of each other for over a year?" Ed pondered out loud.

Roy hummed in agreement, equally confused by this fact. The feather light touches from Ed's fingers hazing his thoughts as the space between them, minuscule to begin with, was now practically nonexistent. Ed's flesh thigh was pressed flushed against Roy's and he could feel the older man's warm breath tickle the loose strands of hair by his ear. All too suddenly everything felt like he had stepped into a furnace, a pool of heat forming in his lower abdomen. Slowly, the blond lifted his eyes away from Roy's mark to meet a pair of half-lidded, dilated dark orbs staring hungrily back at him.

Ed couldn't be sure who actually made the first move, but when Roy's lips met his own all rational thought flew out the window. It was Roy's hands, one gently cupping his cheek and the other resting on the flesh part of his left thigh, that kept Ed grounded in this world. The kiss started out as an innocent touching of lips but rapidly grew into something much more heated. When Roy flicked his tongue over Ed's bottom lip the hand he had tangled in Roy's silky locks tightened and a gasp fell from his mouth.

The pleased shudder that passed through Ed's body when their tongues slid against each other was nothing short of erotic in Roy's mind. A low growl formed in the back of his throat and he squeezed teasingly on the blond's thigh before pulling it over his legs so Ed was now straddling Roy's lap. The hand that had been holding Ed's face had drifted back to grip the ponytail, nimble fingers toying with the elastic band that held it in place.

Ed broke the kiss when he felt Roy pull the elastic from his hair, letting it fall in a golden cascade down his back. A string of spit connected their kissed bruised lips, broken when Roy leaned down to attach his mouth to the pulse point on Ed's neck. The younger man let out a shaky groan, tilting his head back to allow his soulmate better access to his neck. Roy grinned as he nibbled lightly at the flushed skin, hands snaking around the man in his lap to find purchase on the leather clad ass.

"Why don't we take this to my bedroom?" Roy whispered into Ed's ear when he was through leaving a sizable love bite on the blond's throat.

"Fuck yes," Ed moaned out, accentuating his point by grinding down on Roy's lap. Roy laughed, a husky rumbled that went straight to Ed's crotch. Moments later Ed was lifted into the air, firm hands holding his ass so his groin was pressed close to the dark haired man's own. The friction created with each step Roy took up the stairs to the loft was met with a deep moan or breathy groan.

Ed was laid down on a king size mattress that, if Ed believed clouds to be cotton fluffs in sky, would have thought that's what comprised the interior of the bed. He didn't get to ponder that train of thought very long, because after setting him down Roy made quick work of stripping Ed of his shirt. The older physicist set about kissing and licking a wet trail down Ed's chest and stomach, stopping to swirl his tongue into the blond's bellybutton which caused Ed to grip Roy's hair for dear life. If the man was getting this kind of reaction with just his mouth and the younger's bellybutton Ed was more than excited to find out just how well that mouth could work other parts of his being.

He didn't have to wait long to find out. Roy had been so distracting with his tongue on Ed's stomach that the blond didn't notice that Roy had undone his pants and had them pulled half way down his legs until a gust of hot breath fell over the head of his straining cock. A barely contained scream forced it's way out of Ed's lips when Roy flattened his tongue and slowly licked up the underside of the younger's twitching member. Another swirl of his tongue over the head was all the warning Roy gave before he took it in his mouth, swallowing down until his nose was buried deep in dark gold curls. The musky scent that Ed gave off drove Roy mad as he bobbed his head up and down, entranced by the porn worthy sounds the young man produced.

"F- fuck ROY!" Ed shouted as he came, giving the man no warning, but that didn't stop Roy from drinking up every drop Ed released.

"Holy fuck," Ed gasped out when Roy finally pulled away with a wet pop that was more erotic than it should have been in Ed's head.

"I think that's a compliment?" Roy teased, leaning up to press a soft kiss to Ed's lips.

"Definitely," Ed answered, shaking arms moving to tug at the clothes his soulmate still wore, "You're far too clothed if we're going to continue with this,"

Roy smirked and pulled away from the aureate man beneath him to rid himself of the fabric barrier that kept him from fulfilling the wishes of his soulmate. Minutes later Roy pulled Ed's leather pants all the way off and reached over to his nightstand to dig around in the drawer for the bottle of lube and condoms he kept there. He guided Ed to lay further up on the bed, placing soft kisses over every inch of skin he could while pouring a generous amount of lube over his fingers.

"This may be a little cold," was all the indication that something was about to happen Ed got before a cool, slicked up finger pressed against his entrance.

"Relax," Roy whispered, pressing into the knuckle and carefully pulling it back. He soon set a steady rhythm, pushing and pulling until he felt it time to add a second and third fingers. Stretching and curling his digits inside the squirming blond, Roy searched for that small bundle of nerves that would have his soulmate seeing starts. He knew he found it when Ed arched off the bed in a bend any professional gymnast would have been proud of.

"Roy if you don't put your dick in me in the next five seconds I'm leaving," Ed groaned out between heavy breaths.

"So impatient," Roy laughed as he removed his fingers and opened the condom.

"Five,"

"Hush now, you don't really want to rush this do you?"

"Rush? Fuck it's our first date, hell our first meeting! I think we're passed the point of worrying about rushing things,"

"Fair enough," Roy said as he lined himself up and began to press in. He slid in inch by inch, giving the younger man time to adjust to his length and girth. When he was fully sheathed in the blond Roy leaned down and locked his lips with Ed's, hoping to alleviate some of the discomfort with the distraction of something pleasurable. The urge to pull out and slam back in was excruciating, but when Ed finally rolled his hips in silent permission for Roy to move, the dark haired man didn't waste time in pulling out, though slower than he wished to. When only the head was left resting in the blond Roy pressed forward, drawing a throaty moan from Ed. The slow thrusts continued for a short while, Ed rolling his hips to meet each one.

"I'm not made of fucking glass Mustang, now fuck me like you mean it," Ed snarled when the slow thrusts became to gentle for him.

A wicked gleam crossed Roy's eyes as he slowly pulled out one last time. Ed's protest died on his tongue when Roy followed his previous action with a brutal snap of his hips. The stronger thrust adding a new depth to the pleasure both men were experiencing. Roy changed his angle with each new snap, hoping to find the bundle he found earlier and hit it with each thrust. Ed gripped the sheets beneath him, metal fingers tearing at the fabric as his ass was claimed by his soulmate. Wrapping his legs around the taller man Ed proceeded to pull Roy deeper into him.

Roy felt the tight coiling in his lower abdomen and reached between the two of the to grasp Ed's hard, throbbing member, stroking it in time with his thrusts. Ed reached up and pulled Roy into a breath stealing kiss, guttural noises pouring out between their lips as Roy continued his ruthless pounding and stroking.

Suddenly Ed pulled away from the kiss, "Fuck! I'm gonna come!" he cried out seconds before he experienced the hardest orgasm he had ever experienced, blinding white light clouding his vision as he clamped down around Roy. The dark haired man followed his younger lover into the bliss of orgasm after only one more thrust, nearly collapsing from the intensity of it all. Neither knew how long it was before Roy finally slipped out of Ed and dropped down next to him on the bed.

"Fuck… that was.. I don't think I've ever had an orgasm that intense before," Ed said.

"I can agree with that," Roy murmured against Ed's shoulder.

"So… does this mean we're, y'know, together now?" Ed asked.

"Well, you are my soulmate, so I'm pretty sure we'd be going against the universe if we weren't together," Roy joked, earning a tired laugh from the blond.

"I guess you're right," Ed said, curling into the other man and falling into a deep sleep.

Roy smiled at Ed, his soulmate, and soon he too fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.