Whatever Doesn't Kill You Is Gonna Leave A Scar
Roy just barely caught the fist that Edward threw at him, it was his left hand so it didn't bruise his palm or worse, force his hand back hard enough so it hit into his face anyway.
Besides that, he noted Edward's best strength was not behind that punch…
Fullmetal had only tried to punch him once before just recently and Al had stopped him that time…he supposed Edward actually had better control over his temper than Roy gave him credit for. Many times he would have deserved to be punched by the volatile teen.
Like right then.
His cold, frank words still lingered in the air between them.
Roy hadn't meant to hurt Edward by his words, he hadn't meant to bring so much rage to the younger alchemist that his eyes teared up and his teeth clenched hard enough to grind.
He was simply putting things into perspective for the capricious teen.
Edward never took a moment to look around and realize the situations he caused; he never took a moment to consider how his actions affected anyone besides himself and Alphonse.
Roy was constantly cleaning up messes and taking the backlash of Edward's violent and destructive vendetta's as he dragged his mess through Central and even across Amestris with no discretion or subtlety.
Yet still, Roy sat back and did his best to protect Edward. To protect the part of him that was fragile…his guilt.
Until now that was, until Roy had said those words that cut like a double edged sword that held Edward's guilt on one gleaming blood stained end and his fear on the other.
The fist in his hand was yanked back roughly and Roy fell short to defend the kick to his right side.
Edward's thick soled boot caught his right flank and connected slightly with his lowest rib.
He was sent stumbling back several feet, only not falling because he doubled over forward and he clutched his mid-section, staggering a bit before succumbing to his unsteadiness and falling to one knee. He felt as though he might not be able to swallow or breathe properly for the next few moments as his stomach shook from the sudden pain.
It had been a forceful kick, if Roy had been a weaker man he probably would have spat up blood and groaned in pain but alas it was no comparison to being shot – which he had been so many years ago-. He noted as he tried to reign in the queasiness he felt, that the kick had been with Edward's right leg…
…still it was a level of insubordination that could have Edward in a court room in the next few hours if Roy saw fit to write him up for hitting a superior officer. His direct superior officer.
Roy shut his eyes a moment, which wasn't the wisest thing really…Edward was still standing there, rage shaking his body so violently that even his automail arm seemed to tremble and he could have easily advanced again.
But Roy somehow knew he wouldn't…and he didn't.
He just spat, literally, on Roy's office floor,
"You…you…" He started but got no farther since in his angered state his voice seemed to rasp, like his throat was closing. Roy imagined it was, that much anger was no good for anyone.
Roy swallowed when he finally could and his side ached, the pain even shifted lower to his pelvic area and up into his chest, he'd have a bruise there from the force behind that kick and those damn boots.
He opened his eyes as he moved to stand up, a gloved hand still pressed to his side over the many layers of his uniform. Edward was still standing there staring at him with all the fire of Elric hell in his golden eyes.
He knew it wouldn't be wise to provoke Edward further, if he truly attempted to hurt Roy he'd be forced to use his alchemy on Edward and he didn't want to hospitalize the teen.
…on another note if Edward managed to get the upper hand –because he didn't have a spare glove on him right then – he might end up hospitalized himself…or dead.
From the look of Shou Tucker after having faced Edward's guilt induced rage, if Al wasn't around he was likely to be beaten to death with that cold, hard metal fist.
He knew Hawkeye was still around HQ but she wasn't likely to rush back from whatever she was doing, him and Edward arguing like they'd been doing 10 minutes earlier was so normal no one would be alarmed…by the time someone showed up the damage might already be done.
Roy glanced at his desk and then started walking toward it, mostly managing to ignore the pain from his mid-section. He felt Edward's eyes on him as he approached the desk…with the phone on it.
He could almost feel the teens question in his eyes, was Roy going to call and report Edward?
Roy's questions were more along the lines of, what would you do about it, why aren't you doing anything about it?
He reached his desk and leaned against it, very close to the phone.
He glanced at the blonde but Edward was looking at the floor, most of the tension had left his body.
Roy sighed and narrowed his eyes. Edward infuriated him, disobeyed him, embarrassed him, spoke to him any way he saw fit and now even had the nerve to STRIKE him.
And yet he felt he had no will to pick up the phone and report the teen.
"Get out…I don't want to see you in my office unless it's extremely serious military business or if I summon you." He said in a tone he'd never used on Edward, the tone of a furious Colonel who outranked him.
If Edward had a thing to say…his mouth never moved.
He simply turned and walked to the door and still had audacity to slam Roy's office door.
The older man fumed and slammed his free fist so hard against his desk that the contents upon it jumped and some papers fell and slipped off, fluttering to the floor.
"Fucking child." He seethed to himself.
Edward was as intolerable now as he had been when he was 12.
Four years hadn't changed a damn thing, if anything he was even worse.
More rude, more outlandish, insensitive, inconveniencing and more disrespectful to everyone and especially Roy who Edward seemed to think was there to do what he said and be quiet about it.
He moved around to his chair and sat down, finally removing the hand from his side and taking deep breaths as he leaned his elbows on his desk and pressed his gloved hands to his face, his teeth clenched tightly and coils of anger formed where the pain was before.
He didn't know how to deal with Edward, he knew he couldn't talk down to him from his rank because even though the blonde didn't always outright revolt against his ordered words, he also never just let them slide without some show of his disrespect to Roy's rank.
He couldn't have him arrested and locked up because dammit Edward was too important to the military and Roy's own ends…
…also…Edward was more fragile than he looked…of course more importantly, he was more dangerous than he looked. Roy knew if Edward had wanted to hurt him just now…short of Roy setting the teen on fire, nothing would have stopped him from rendering the older man unconscious.
Edward had never been taken down by anyone 'normal' and the abnormal types he'd fought had also had a hard time with him.
Scar was lucky he was so fast since Edward hardly managed to land any hits.
The homunculi were lucky for similar reasons, that and their semi-immortality.
Roy sighed and blinked back the spots over his eyes from pressing his fingers into them too hard, as he simmered down he begun regretting what he'd said to Edward.
Moments Earlier...
"I don't have time for your stupid fucking mission, Mustang. I have things I need to do in Central, right now finding Scar is more important than some renegade alchemist committing government fraud and skipping town." Edward said with his teeth half bared, one hand deep in his red coat pocket and his right hand leaving a hand print on the back of the couch in Mustang's office where he leaned and gripped.
"Right now…avoiding Scar is what every State Alchemist has been told to do, Fullmetal. I know you don't have an affinity for doing what you're told but under certain circumstances even you cannot always get your way. Now, he's stolen millions of-…" Roy was about to go into the mission briefing further when the blonde's mission docket landed on his desk with a slap.
It slipped across the surface, knocking a pen of Roy's so it rolled off onto the floor along with some of the mission papers.
Edward's hands came down to slam on his desk,
"You have other people to run around and keep the higher ups off your back about this stupid shit! You don't have to send me to do what you could just as easily do." He said as if it were just what Roy should be doing.
The older man tensed, becoming annoyed very quickly, he knew things were starting to get crazy in Central and that Edward was getting more restless and far more reckless about what he did, grasping at any straws he could to find solutions to his own personal problems.
But this was still a State organization and Edward was still a part of it and he was apparently yet to grasp that.
Roy stood up and looked at Edward standing across from him, the blonde stood up straight…despite being shorter he didn't look remotely intimidated…he never did.
"Fullmetal…" he would try reason again, "…I understand that you're under a lot of pressure, I know everything that's going on is making you more irrational than usual…" the blonde narrowed his eyes, "…but it's a direct insistence from the Fuhrer that all State Alchemist's avoid Scar and it is a direct order from me, that you take the mission I've assigned you and leave Central in the morning." He walked around his desk so he could cross the room and open his door, giving Edward an indirect dismissal since whenever he dismissed Edward verbally the boy always hung around and glared at him…just to be difficult.
Apparently the change of strategy didn't stop Edward from glaring and Roy didn't even make it to the door before Edward started disobeying him,
"No…I can't waste time with that. There's way too much happening here…" he wasn't yelling, he was saying it to himself.
"Did you just say, no…to a direct order?" Roy turned to face him from a few meters away, his expression one that said he wasn't in the mood for Edward's bullshit.
He saw the teens resolve waver, Edward was rude to a fault but there was a part of him that was fully aware of how much worse his situation would get if he were court martialled for insubordination.
All of his resources would be taken from his eager hands.
All leads lost.
All hope gone.
He watched the blonde's expression shift as he thought his situation over.
Roy wondered if Ed would call his bluff, Edward had always argued how he hated the errands and missions Roy assigned him that weren't related to his interests but he'd done them all the same in the end.
But Edward had never said 'no' outright before and the older man wanted to see if he would stick to that, he wanted to see if Edward would try his luck and test whether Roy would in fact have him written up.
Edward looked at him after several moments of glancing around the room,
"No, I refuse the mission." He said with less surety than Roy had seen before.
Roy took a deep calming breath and let himself consider his options, he knew there were very few ways to get through to Edward and now that he'd called Roy's bluff on reporting him, he'd have to try the only angle left to get Edward to remember that there was a hierarchy and that he was nowhere near the top of it.
He walked over to Edward in steady but slow strides and when he was finally in Edward's personal space bubble, as expected the teen didn't back down and looked up at him defiantly, his mouth set in a scowl.
Roy searched his eyes and saw no possibility of dealing with this pleasantly.
He blinked slowly and nodded once,
"Fine…" he raised a gloved hand and upturned his palm, "…I'll take this as your resignation. Give me your watch and leave the Military property immediately."
Edward's expression went from defiant to angry but in between Roy saw his shock and worry, even if it had been fleeting.
"You're bullshitting." He said angrily, glaring at Roy like he was scum.
Roy's mouth turned down into a scowl and the open palm lowered, Edward almost un-tensed but then he felt a hand at his hip. With a firm grip and a yank, Edward's link on his belt snapped and clinked against the floor, Roy had pulled his watch off his belt.
The older man stepped back once and raised the watch by its chain, before twirling his hand so the chain wrapped round his hand until the watch settled in his palm, his other arm remained behind his back.
"You're indefinitely relieved of duty, Edward Elric."
Edward's words bubbled up, Roy watched his lips twitch long before he opened his mouth to yell,
"Are you fucking kidding me!"
Roy gave a very short and single shake of his head, raising an eyebrow,
"You're lucky I've given you this option instead of wasting time punishing you with more military conditioning, now you can pursue you're personal research unhindered by your duty to this country." He said calmly.
Edward looked beyond incredulous and very roughly he snatched out and grabbed the watch from the Colonel's hand,
"Don't be such a bastard, Mustang!"
Roy hadn't made any attempt to hold onto the watch but he was further annoyed by Edward's continued disrespect for the situation.
"You know I need this job for my research!" Edward said harshly, holding onto his watch tightly.
"If you need it so badly then you should take your orders seriously, Major Elric." He was still mostly calm, he could see he'd gotten through.
Edward almost cringed at the title, he hated military labels, it served as a reminder that he was in fact not in charge of everything he did.
"Fine!" Edward ground out as he stuffed his watch into his coat pocket, "…but just remember the longer I take to get Al's body back, the more it's your fault." He was about to turn.
"I haven't dismissed you…" Roy only said it because he wasn't pleased with Edward's last words.
Edward stiffened so much it looked painful, Roy was sure he was about to snap something but he turned back and stood, not with a salute or even proper posture, he just stood.
"Let me make something very clear to you Edward." he said very seriously and brought his arms forward to cross over his chest, "There is no one besides you who is responsible for Alphonse's condition. Everyday your little brother doesn't have a body is completely your fault and you need to take responsibility for that because you have to live with it."
Edward's expression became empty and his face paled significantly.
Roy relented,
"And if he never gets his body back…that will be your fault also."
He'd been lucky to see the tension in Edward's left shoulder before he raised his arm to punch, because otherwise he would have been punched unguarded and unprepared.
He should have expected his words would anger the boy, even they were unnecessary they were true. Mostly.
He milled around his office for an hour or so, thinking over his argument with the younger male until Hawkeye returned and said she was leaving for the day, which meant he could leave too.
He had thought about just going straight home but as he walked from his dark office and through the empty halls of HQ his own guilt at his words started to plague him.
Fullmetal was to blame for a lot of things…but his brothers condition was a shared mistake and he already blamed himself fully for it, Roy knew, but it was both his and Alphonse's mistake and he felt like he should let Edward know he didn't really blame him.
When he'd said it he had just wanted to see some humility in the boy's fierce eyes but he'd only seen pain and then felt pain when said un-humbled and angry boy kicked him.
Roy sighed as he walked down many sets of stairs to the military barracks in the east wing of HQ.
He had his coat slung over his arm ready to put on when he left the building once he'd made peace with Edward.
He hated that he had to be the one to make amends, the teenager really never even tried to 'be the bigger man' but Roy knew it was kind of hard for Edward, being so short and all.
He smirked to himself.
Once he reached Fullmetal's assigned barrack he knocked lightly on the dull green door and blinked patiently twice before the sound of clanking could be heard and the door was opened.
Roy raised his lazy gaze upward to meet the glowing eyes of Alphonse Elric, his frame completely outspanned the foot wide open he held the door, Roy could not see into the room at all.
"Hello, Colonel." He sounded a little less cheery than usual.
"Hello Alphonse, is Edward here?" he knew the answer was yes, he was sure that's why Alphonse wasn't being overly polite and happy to see him as usual.
"Uh…" the nod of the helmet clanked, "…yes but he doesn't want to see anyone, sir." He said as nicely and evasively as possible.
"You mean he doesn't want to see me." Roy raised his eyebrows into his bangs knowingly.
Alphonse laughed nervously,
"…he's just in a really bad mood."
Roy sighed and ran a gloved hand over his face,
"Fullmetal, I need to speak with you, it's about your mission." He lied as he spoke loudly.
"Am I still going?" Edward's voice came from somewhere inside the room.
Roy's eye twitched,
"Yes…"
"Then fuck off." Came the short reply.
"Brother!" Alphonse stepped back to turn around and look into the room, "…that's very uncalled for, I think you should apologize to the Colonel."
"No it's fine…excuse us a moment please, Alphonse."
The 7 foot suit of armor clanged when Alphonse startled, Roy was now standing in front of him as he faced his brother, Roy had slipped under Al's arm and entered the room when he stepped back.
Edward didn't look amused as he sat sideways on his bunk, his back to the wall and legs across the bed, one bent up while the other leg was straight and his lower leg hung off the edge of the bedside.
There was a moment of silence and Roy knew Alphonse was waiting for Edward's approval to leave them alone, otherwise Al wouldn't leave. He expected that to be the case but then Edward nodded to his brother stiffly and looked away to the window between the beds, his fingers fiddling with a page of the book rested against his bent up leg.
The clanking of the armor sounded followed by the door latch clicking as it closed behind the younger boy and the sound faded down the hall.
Edward didn't look at him,
"What do you want?" he said sounding tired.
"I came to talk about earlier." Roy said evenly, not wanting to be hostile.
"Yeah I got your point, it's your way or the highway right…you win, bastard." Edward mumbled and sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall.
Roy was surprised by how calm Edward was, he could only think it was thanks to Alphonse, he had probably talked Edward down from his rage in the past hour.
He probably should have left after that but he didn't, he chose to stay and say more words…even though words never went quite well when they were had with Edward Elric…especially coming from Roy Mustang.
"I'm glad you've come to your senses, you realize now that you would be cutting off your nose to spite your face by going against the military." Roy mused, expressionless.
"That's a stupid saying…" Edward mumbled and opened his eyes, "…I get it, so get out." He glanced at the door.
Roy didn't move, why didn't he just leave?
"Is this actually about the mission?" Edward's jaw became stiff, he was getting annoyed all over again.
Roy shook his head,
"I just needed to speak to you."
"Then say whatever it is and get out!" Edward insisted, closing the book and tossing it beside him, his arms crossing over his chest.
Roy hated how quickly Edward went back to being rude, couldn't he ever just be civil?
"What I said earlier about you and Alphonse, I-…"
"Don't go there, Mustang…" the blonde's voice was low and threatening, his eyes even more so.
Roy couldn't help getting angry at Edward's nerve to threaten him.
"What will you do if I do?" he asked challengingly.
Edward's eyes narrowed and Roy saw him glance at Roy's gloves, he fumed inwardly…Edward was sizing him up for a fight!
"If you attempt to hit me again Fullmetal, you won't walk away without consequence." He made a threat of his own.
Edward smirked now tilting his head so his bangs shifted out if his face,
"Oh please, you're so full of shit. You're always threatening me about court martials, over time and suspension, you never do anything about it." He looked like he was purposely provoking Roy now and he put his hands up behind his head against the wall.
"So you realize I'm lenient with you and you still impertinent." He said lowly, his arms behind his back.
Edward shrugged,
"Yeah, I don't know why you let it happen. Probably because you look at me like a kid and feel sorry for me, I don't much like it but I'll take it when it's useful." He looked smug.
Roy was floored for a second, did Edward just admit to taking advantage of Roy's leniency purposely?
"You'd rather I did have you punished the next time you walk into my office and don't salute me?" because even that was against protocol and a sign of insubordination, he was speaking really low now.
Edward stared at him as if thinking it over,
"Maybe you should…maybe then I'd learn a lesson, right Colonel?" he moved forward and sat off the bed side, "Maybe then I'll be all submissive and look up to you like the hero you like to think you are…" he said quietly as he leaned elbows on knees.
Roy stared at the smirk on Edward's face, he knew he was being provoked for shits and giggles, Edward's way of getting revenge would be saying things that upset Roy equally as much as he'd been upset earlier.
Like saying Roy thought himself a hero…it was upsetting because Roy had only been considered a hero of war by the higher ups who commended him for killing hundreds in the war.
He narrowed his eyes at Edward, not wanting to be baited,
"I think now would be a good time to shut that fucking mouth of yours, you've already pushed me almost to my limit today." He warned and this time really considered leaving.
But if he left now though, Edward would still have won this pointless little battle of egos.
"Stop threatening me and get the fuck out…" Edward flicked his hand at Roy.
The older man's jaw clenched so tightly it hurt, he closed the gap between himself and the younger boy and Roy grabbed Edward by his face.
His hand covered the bottom half of Edward's face and his fingers dug into the back of his jaw as he pulled the teen up to stand. Edward was delayed in following the painful momentum, if not he'd have been lifted solely by Roy's strength which would have hurt more.
He frowned angrily as Roy squeezed his face and stared down at him, Edward's hands gripped his forearm and Roy felt the automail fingers squeeze threateningly around his wrist
Edward could break his wrist if he clenched that hand hard enough.
"I dare you." Roy squeezed his hand tighter around the his face.
He could feel Edward's jaw muscles work as he clenched his teeth and his breath came out in harsh huffs through his nose. But his automail hand didn't tighten, it actually loosened.
Roy felt his anger ease, even the slightest show of proper respect sated him, if only Edward realized just how little Roy expected of him, he could live up to the standard easily.
Then again, Edward was probably just thinking about how he'd be screwing himself over if he snapped his superior officers wrist, there'd be no avoiding prison after that, never mind just punishment.
"I don't ask much of you Edward, just a little mutual respect." He squeezed his hand again and then let go, shoving Edward back by his face so he landed on the bed again.
He had a red hand print over his face and his lips and some skin on his cheeks were white from the pressure Roy had been gripping him with. He knew he'd hurt Edward but he also knew the other had had far worse pains, some discomfort in his jaw and his pride being wounded wasn't so bad.
He turned to leave when Edward spoke again,
"You can't bully me into respecting you, you're just a bastard manipulator and your using the fucking military for your own personal gain…" he paused and Roy turned around, back straight, "…did you think I forgot about how guarded your little coup d'état secret is, Mustang?" he said very quietly.
Roy's blood boiled.
What was wrong with Edward? He was acting like a child going tit for tat with someone in kindergarten.
Roy wanted to slap some sense into him.
It was ironic how neither of them took the others threats seriously yet they still continued to argue.
"You think you're the only one who can make weighted threats?" Ed actually snickered, "…doesn't feel very good does it."
Roy came at him again, more annoyed now.
Edward barely struggled when Roy grabbed him this time by the front of his tank shirt and lifted his weight to his feet all too easily. Roy looked mad, like he meant business.
He'd dropped his coat onto the bed and he used both hands to drag the teenager and shove him face forward against the wall in the space at the bottom of the bed.
Roy bent Edward's automail arm up behind his back in a way that would usually hurt but since he knew Edward wouldn't feel in that arm he chose to just disarm him rather, since that was the arm that hurt to get hit with, best keep it out of the way.
He leaned against Edward trapping him in an awkward immobile position and put most of his upper body strength to Edward's right side to pin his auto mail shoulder to the wall. His right hand was holding the arm up behind the teens back and his left hand was on Ed's right shoulder, Roy's elbow against the back of Edward's head forcing his face into the wall.
And with the strength and height difference, Edward didn't really have any leverage, although he could have tried to use his free left hand for more than just pressing against the wall but he didn't, he just breathed heavily and looked very annoyed.
Aside from the fact that his face and chest hurt where he'd hit the wall, he really wasn't all that uncomfortable.
Oh and Roy's full body being pressed up against him was new. He ignored it though,
"Ok…now you've got me where you want me." He said sarcastically, "Make me respect you, bastard." He said angrily through his lips squished slightly against the wall.
Roy sighed, he was irritable –everything with Edward had to be a struggle,
"I don't even think it's possible to make you respect anything, you're a fucking brat with a superiority complex so huge its stunted your fucking growth!" he said just as angrily and applied a little more pressure so Edward was even more intimate with the wall.
Edward growled at the jibe to his height and Roy felt the strength in the younger as he tried to push himself off the wall with his left hand and his body.
Roy wasn't having it.
He removed his arm from Edward's head and shoulder and he grabbed his free hand, this time when he twisted and bent it backwards to join the other one, Edward groaned but it quickly turned into a growl.
Roy's grip was firm, he twisted the thin wrist and bent his own arm into an inner punch angle behind Edward's back so he could force his elbow onto the sensitive inner part of Edward's flesh arm in an awkward angle.
He knew it hurt, he'd had it done to him before.
Edward was growling and whining in an understandable combination of discomfort and anger.
And squirming…Roy noticed…quite a bit between himself and the wall.
"You fucking son of a – arg!" Edward pressed the side of his forehead into the wall when Roy twisted harder and pressed him up against the cool surface,
"I thought you were tougher than this…" Roy goaded, allowing his weight to keep Edward's legs from getting much further than the wall in front of him.
"You don't scare me Mustang…nothing you can do will hurt me where it counts…" Edward said angrily.
Roy laughed darkly, somehow intrigued by the challenge.
He leaned down to Edward's ear,
"…if you're not afraid of getting hurt, then I'm not afraid of how much I hurt you..." he said quietly and felt Edward shiver against him.
His tone had been deeper than usual, Edward reacted to it rather well.
But the blonde recovered easily.
"If I'd wanted, I could have fucked you up the minute you touched me bastard!" he said with so much conviction that Roy actually frowned. He hated to think it but yes, Edward could have gained the upper hand before he was disarmed this way,
"So why didn't you?" he enquired, tipping his head back slightly so he could lean his chin on Edward's head and he could feel the stray hairs tickle his chin.
"Because!" the teen shouted and squirmed more.
Roy was beginning to think the close proximity of Edward's ass to his groin was not such a great idea, also the smell of fresh shampoo in his hair was a bit distracting.
"Because what? You don't want to get thrown out of the military or locked up?" he asked in a bored tone.
"Because…" Edward growled again, "…I don't want to hurt you that badly." he grumbled.
Somehow the tension was diffusing even as it escalated.
"Awe, I'm touched. Although I would have guessed differently after you kicked me in the side earlier." He reminded the squirming shorter alchemist.
"If I'd kicked you properly you would have upchucked a bloody version of your lunch you asshole!" he admitted. "…and I kicked you on the right side!" he added even louder.
Roy did have that healing burn and wound from the fight with Lust on his left side, which he mostly didn't feel because of his pain prescription meds but still, he wasn't going to give Edward any thanks for kicking him to begin with,
"You seem very confident you could take me in a fight." Roy sounded rather amused.
"You bet I fucking am." Edward responded, "A normal fight, no alchemy…" he added as an afterthought.
Roy smirked, Edward remembered getting his ass trumped when they had their test match at HQ.
"I doubt that, you can't even get out of this…" he pressed himself to Edward just to make his point.
Edward snorted and then Roy saw stars for a second.
He hadn't seen that coming.
He let go of Ed and stepped backward with his hands over his mouth and his jaw throbbing.
Edward had head butted him! So fucking hard! With his hard head!
He grumbled angrily, he pulled his hands away and saw some blood spots on his gloves. His bottom lip was split pretty badly, he felt the split flesh with his bloodly tongue, his gums of his lower teeth were bleeding too.
Edward had gotten on his toes to head butt him!
The blonde turned around, he was massaging his flesh wrist and staring at Roy as the older man took out a handkerchief and wiped the trickle of blood off his chin.
"Am I in trouble, sir?" he raised a blonde eyebrow, voice mockingly innocent.
Roy glared at Edward, he stood with his legs apart slightly and he seemed relaxed but Roy had seen Edward train some days with Alphonse at HQ, he knew that was his fighting stance, a lax version but still.
"Dirty…" Roy mumbled and swallowed some blood with a grimace as he wiped his chin again for good measure before folding the handkerchief over and pocketing it again.
Edward put his hands on his narrow hips,
"Hah! That's a standard military fighting lesson, I've watched them train the rookies." He informed Roy.
Roy didn't even bother to threaten the boy, he figured maybe this was the best approach to dealing with Edward.
He lunged at Edward and the blonde looked genuinely startled for a second but he still ducked under the punch, getting down into an agile crouch and swiping Roy clean off his feet.
The older man dropped gracelessly, it had been too long since he'd had hand to hand combat.
He hit the ground heavily and just about managed to keep his head from connecting with the floor too hard but it did connect and so did his shoulders and tail bone. He groaned. He just groaned and laid there.
He felt Edward's presence above him and he opened his eyes as much as he could with his grimace still in place, he saw a metal fist raised to strike and he blinked in slight shock…there was a sound of connecting but no pain. He turned his head to stare at the metal fist beside his face.
Edward's automail fist punched the floor next to his head so hard that it cracked the linoleum tiling.
That wasn't really something that cracked easily.
He looked back up at the blonde kneeling over him, from that angle Edward looked strange. Yes, strange.
And attractive.
His untidy braid hung over his shoulder and his bangs hung loosely around his face, shadowing his gold eyes and making them seem more intense.
Edward smiled down at him for a moment before the teen started chuckling and then he started all out laughing.
He sat back…on Roy's crotch and continued laughing.
It really was inconvenient how clueless Edward was to human physicality.
He sighed,
"What's funny?" Roy's stared up at the teen laughing above him and he could feel blood from his split lip dribble onto his bottom teeth.
"I-ahahhah…I just…ahahahhaheeehee…" he leaned forward so his hands were either side of Roy's head as he laughed.
Roy watched him…fondly. He had a great smile.
It took a minute for him to stop and in that time the small shifts of his leather clad ass were becoming problematic for Roy.
Edward finally calmed down enough and he leaned back again so his butt fully settled on Roy's crotch again, while his hands settled on his own thighs either side of Roy.
Roy tensed below the teen.
"…I'm…just glad we had this talk…" Edward finally said and he brushed his bangs behind his ears, "…you're a bastard but I know you kinda mean well. Even if you're a total bastard about it all the time. Bastard." He was saying with an Edward like grin across his face.
Roy blinked.
Edward hadn't noticed.
Roy took it as a small blessing and he used his hands so he could sit up, knowing Edward would get up if he did so but he got as far as his elbows before Edward frowned and blinked.
'Oh no…no no no no no…" he stared at Edward's face and the blonde stared back at him before his honey colored eyes dropped down.
Roy's eyes went rather wide and his legs tensed when Edward gingerly shifted in his lap and pressed his buttocks down to the side where he felt the hardness in Roy's pants.
Edward blinked again and raised his eyes to Roy's.
The older man was straight faced…but it was a red straight face.
"Is that…are you…do you have a…Mustang…" Edward was blinking and getting a little red in his face as well, "…that's not because of me, right?" he finally settled on a way to word his awkward question.
Roy thought to say 'No Edward, I just have an erection because it was feeling spontaneous.' since the question was stupid,
"You were squirming…" Roy mumbled and blinked, "…a lot." He added still leaning on one elbow.
The blonde turned fully red now,
"Ah…that's weird." He mumbled.
"Why the hell is it weird!?" Roy was still red in his face and now frowning…Edward still made no move to get off his lap but had the nerve to call him weird!
"Because…I'm a guy!" Edward yelled right back but not angrily, just awkwardly.
"My dick doesn't know that, Edward!" he said back, though quietly and he sat up fully, pushing Edward back by his shoulder just to get the teen off so all the blushing could end.
He didn't want Edward to think logically about it and figure out that the brain decided what was attractive before the dick reacted…cause that would raise awkward questions about sexual interests that were not Edward's business.
He was just glad Edward didn't get spastic and start yelling about it.
He paused in his pushing of the teen because Edward grimaced and made a sound of pain where he touched.
He pulled his hand back, he hadn't hurt Edward that badly when he pushed him against the wall had he?
Hell…he had a bleeding fucking lip, a bruised side opposite a burnt side and still he was trying not to feel bad about rough handling Edward.
He made a face somewhere between concern and 'I always did like blonde's'.
"What is it?" he leaned back on one arm again and held Edward's left shoulder as the teen grimaced and pressed a hand to his right shoulder where Roy had pushed him.
"…eh, it's my arm. It always hurts…some days just more than others." He mumbled and raised a kneeling leg, about to get up.
Roy frowned and then leaned too much of his weight on his left side to get up fully and he also let out a sound of pain and grimaced, easing back to lying down and holding his left side.
Edward didn't get up and instead settled again,
"Your burn still hurts?" he asked with a huff.
Roy had closed his eyes and opened them again at Edward's words,
"Yeah…too much exertion."
Edward shook his head,
"Sorry for kicking you, bastard." He mumbled and stopped rubbing his shoulder.
Roy blinked slowly up at Edward, an apology was rare and he found he liked the way it sounded.
"It's not your fault…"
"Of course it is dumbass, I kicked you…and you came down here and I pissed you off some more…" he sighed.
Roy shook his head,
"No no, this pain is your fault…" he said with raised eyebrows and Edward gave him a quick glare, "…I meant about what I said earlier. Alphonse…is not your fault."
There was a moment of silence where Roy just lay and Edward sat slouched over him, then Edward grimaced and rubbed his shoulder again,
"Ah fuck...it hurts…" he grumbled.
"That could be my fault…" Roy's side had eased from its pain.
Edward nodded,
"Yeah, you made it worse…with all your man handling." He rolled his eyes and smirked.
It got really quiet again and Roy stared up at him, Edward glanced down at Roy and from the look he was getting he got a little red in his face,
"What?" he raised an eyebrow.
"You're still sitting in my lap." Roy informed him.
Edward froze and blinked several time as he realized that was entirely true…and rather comfortably too.
"Ye- yeah…well…you seemed to like it just now…bas-…" he stopped talking when Roy finally pushed himself to sit up completely and Edward lost his leg leverage. He was now sitting completely in Roy's lap and leaning back slightly, bent legs either side of the Colonel's waist.
Their faces were close together, Edward swallowed.
Roy had clear fair skin, dark blue slanted eyes, his noise was slightly pointed, his lips pale and his face was angular…looking at him that closely, the reason women like the bastard so much seemed much more obvious to Ed.
Roy smiled at him and revealed nice white teeth,
"That shut you up…" he mumbled and Edward felt the words breath ghost over his lips and face, Roy smelled faintly of brandy.
Edward averted his gaze,
"…whatever…" he said stupidly, eyes curious and unsure.
Roy thought it was cute. He didn't look shy per say, just uncertain of how he should react which made sense. He also noted for the first time that Ed wore some sort of colonge or deodorant and it rather suited him.
Edward's hand still moved absently over his sore shoulder and Roy's eyes dropped to it, only a small part of the automail shoulder was covered by the tank shirt. He could see the scars and damaged skin etched into the fair skin beneath Ed's fingers that massaged where the metal met the flesh, the scars stretched over Ed's trapezius muscle like a pink skin web.
"Mustang…" Edward said quietly when Roy stared at his shoulder.
Roy lowered his face so his lips pressed to Edward's shoulder where the skin disappeared underneath the metal, he could feel Edward's fingers become still against his chin.
His shoulder smelled like well-oiled gears and was cool under half of his lips, while Edward's skin was smooth and very warm against the other half.
He let his lips rest there, opening his eyes and staring over the slouched arch or Edward's back, the teen had stilled and was breathing quietly.
"Is this where it hurts the worst …?" he mumbled against the skin with a smile, moving his lips over the skin slightly before pressing kisses to his shoulder, he felt Edward tense.
Edward's head moved and it felt like he shook his head 'no', then there was breath against Roy's ear,
"It hurts everywhere…all the time…" he said very quietly and it tickled Roy's ear, "…let me show you..?" he said even quieter.
'…so I can kiss it better…' Roy finished in his head still smiling.
He pulled back and met Edward's eyes before he nodded subtly.
Edward hesitantly leaned forward and Roy obliged the chaste kiss, with a small wince because of his cut, against the others lips. Edward's lips were warm and dry, Roy liked the feeling of the blonde bangs tickling his face.
In the back of his mind he questioned himself, he was a grown man and Edward was 16, he was very aware of that…but he was also aware of the fact that Edward was legal at 15 being a State Alchemist. So it was moral versus legal.
Roy wasn't sure which he'd choose to follow in this instance.
Edward's flesh hand came up and brought Roy's right hand with it, he used his automail hand to pull the glove off. It amused Roy sweetly and aroused him deeply when Edward directed his fingers to run over his chin and throat slowly.
Roy kissed his chin, the underside of his jaw and his adam's apple, letting his tongue wet the spot slightly.
His fingers were directed over the automail shoulder and Roy kissed there again, a few slower kisses, wetting his lips as Edward trailed his hand over his shirt to stop near the center of his chest…where his heart beat fast beneath.
Roy glanced at Edward's face, the boy seemed somber.
Roy pressed his hand in Edward's grasp firmly to the cloth of his shirt against his chest before he moved his hand and tilted his head to press his lips to the spot and he smiled,
"That's a heartbeat worthy of you Fullmetal, loud and strong…" he grinned.
He felt Edward's chest vibrate when he laughed at Roy's words.
It was odd, the moment would have been completely sentimental between them had it not been for Roy's arousal and what he felt of Edward's own growing interest.
He brought his face up again and Edward looked sheepishly at him and still held his hand between them,
"That's a new look for you…" he teased.
Edward frowned more like himself,
"Shut up…" he turned his face to the side and his bangs partially covered his face.
Roy kissed the side of Edward's mouth…deciding he'd run with the excuse that Edward was legal.
Edward was gratifyingly gorgeous even if he didn't know it and he was willing.
The blonde turned his face back and his sealed lips slid rather well against Roy's for the moment, Roy kissed the puckered lips and just enjoyed it like that for a few seconds. Sweet and warm.
Edward's eyes blinked open after a while and Roy pulled back, his hand on Ed's chest slid down and around his waist, pulling Ed closer against him.
When Edward made a silent gasp Roy parted his lips over the others and tongued Edward's mouth slowly and deeply. He didn't know if Edward had kissed anyone before and it didn't matter because right then the blonde was following his lead, eyes closed and handing over his dominance without protest.
Roy wondered if this was the only area in which Edward would submit to him.
He tingled at the thought.
Edward's hands rested lightly on his shoulders as they kissed while Roy's hand experimentally slipped under the tank shirt to feel the smooth skin of Edward's well-toned lower back.
The blonde made no complaint and just allowed Roy to have his way with his mouth and tongue, apparently not bothered by the copper taste of blood in Roy's mouth at all.
Edward's hands on his shoulders had just started to slide down over his uniformed chest and Roy's hands had just started to feel their way further up the shirt…
…when a knock sounded.
It was like the silence around them shattered and everything was so noisy again…reality was noisy and Edward was not submissive, he was aggressive.
"Brother, Colonel, are you done?" Alphonse's pleasant voice rung out from the other side of the door.
Edward blanched –which wasn't surprising considering the fact that he was sitting in his commanding officer's lap and having his tongue molested accordingly- he shoved Roy back, severing the kiss a little noisily and got his feet underneath him quickly.
He was standing in seconds and in his tight leather pants his arousal was obvious.
Roy really liked how those pants looked on Edward…more so now that he knew he could get into them.
He glanced at Roy and made a face that yelled 'get the fuck up bastard!' and the older man blinked and stood up, his military pants hiding his own erection very well.
Edward took a breath,
"Yeah, Al…we're done…" Edward said as he went to sit back where he'd been on the bed and placed the book open on a random page over his lap, raising his leg as well for more cover up.
Roy picked up his coat and ran his hands over his jacket to smooth it out just before Alphonse opened the door and ducked under the frame to step inside.
"Is everything alright…it's suspiciously quiet." Al glanced between the two of them, both standing and sitting more or less exactly as he'd left them, which was odd.
He expected bloodshed and screams of terror…
Then he saw Roy's lip which had stopped its bleeding but was red and aggravated, if he could have blinked he would have.
"Colonel, is brother in trouble?" he asked nervously.
Roy shook his head airily,
"No, he apologized." He noted with a smirk.
Edward's face slipped naturally into his scowl,
"Yeah…so get out already." He mumbled half-heartedly.
Roy's smirk turned into a smile, he didn't have any illusions about Edward changing his attitude but on the bright side, he'd discovered a method to diffuse the tension between them…
"Fullmetal, come to my office in the morning…" Roy said as he stepped toward the door, Alphonse held it open for him quickly.
"Huh…" Edward looked up from the book, "…I have to leave on the mission in the morning…" he reminded.
Alphonse glanced between them.
He'd left them for so long…hadn't they discussed the mission like the Colonel had said he wanted to?
"I'm reassigning it, you need to stay in Central for a while because you have important things to do here." Roy pointed out as if it were obvious before nodding to Alphonse and walking out.
"Bye Colonel…" Alphonse said and then closed the door after Roy was out.
He glanced at Ed who was paging through book, as if trying to find his page just now only and then he looked at the floor and saw a crack in a tile between the beds where there hadn't been one.
He stayed in this room so often he was that familiar with the wall paint even.
He looked around and couldn't see anything else that was out of place but it had seemed far too calm when he'd entered. With a clanking shrug he glanced again at his brother and he saw a small smirk on Ed's face while he read a book of alchemical equations.
Very odd.
Alphonse surmised something must have happened but alas he would never know, he supposed it was just good that Ed and Mustang were getting along because they would need the Colonel on their side.