"Havoc, for God's sake, put out your cigarette," Mustang said quietly, his deep voice penetrating the silence around them. "We can't risk getting caught now."
Havoc muttered a quick apology and rubbed the cigarette out on the bottom of his boot. He dropped it on the grass. Mustang fought to rein his temper as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. It was bad enough that he had to be out here at this time of night, but did everyone have to be so careless right now? If they were found, then the whole plan would be ruined, and he would have to deal with a very long, tedious lecture from the Fuhrer.
"You didn't have to come with us. Could've done it without you, Mustang," Ed growled from somewhere behind him.
"Fullmetal," Roy said through his teeth, "the Fuhrer has ordered me to keep a tighter leash on you and your rather…unconventional methods."
At this, Ed snarled, his voice carrying through the trees as he spoke.
"So I blew up a fuckin' building! It's not like there was anyone in it. Besides the fucker that escaped from prison, but even he didn't die. It's –"
"Quiet. I think I hear something," Mustang interrupted, motioning for all of them to crouch down. Anticipation and anxiety made his hairline prickle with sweat, but he cuffed it off, listening intently for any disruptions in the night.
It was a cold night, and he would have given almost anything to be at home in his warm, inviting bed. The Fuhrer, however, had other plans for him. The older man had given Roy the instructions that Fullmetal was to be supervised on this mission. That was fine by him; he had figured he would just order Havoc and Breda to stay with Ed during the mission, but then the Fuhrer had specified. He wanted Roy to be there to make sure that Ed didn't do anything that the military would end up having to pay for. Again.
As he crouched down, he thought about the initial reports he had read about this mission. There had been talk for a while that a group of grave robbers were intending to steal the late Fuhrer's body and hold it for ransom. It wasn't a real threat at first – at least, not to Roy. He had just dismissed it as a rumor and written it off. But one unsuccessful grave robbing attempt later, and suddenly the higher-ups were shaken. The caretaker at the cemetery's gate had scared the robbers off, but not before one of them pulled a knife on him and scored a thin line across his throat.
The caretaker was unharmed, save for the scratch across his throat, but he decided that it would be best for him to retire at that point, telling anyone who would listen that he was too old to be dealing with that kind of tripe. That left no one to watch the graveyard whilst the grave robbers were roaming around, free.
It wasn't until earlier tonight that Roy had been contacted; the robbers were on the move. They had had someone from another division infiltrate the group and feed the military information over the course of a few weeks. Tonight was the designated night. Now the robbers just had to show up.
It seemed dimwitted to rob a grave – especially that of the Fuhrer's – but not only because of the high risk of getting caught. It was not a common custom for people in Amestris to be buried with valued possessions, money, or heirlooms. The late Fuhrer, however, had indeed been buried with his most valued possessions, some of which – if sold on the black market – would probably have paid Roy's bills for the rest of his life. How the grave robbers had gotten wind of this piece of information, no one knew.
Behind him, somebody stepped on a twig, the resounding crack echoing throughout the silent boneyard. Roy glared over his shoulder at a sheepish-looking Havoc, who put his hands up as an apologetic gesture. He could only see Jean's face in the darkness that surrounded them. He had purposefully ordered everyone to wear as much black as possible, so as not to be detected by the robbers. They had to stay hidden until the opportune moment came to take action.
He turned back to the front and trained his eyes on the field of grass ahead. Dim lamps surrounded the mausoleum that towered over the graveyard, giving them just enough light to see by, but not enough light so that they could be picked out by passerby. They were concealed in the woods surrounding the old cemetery. The military police were on standby a block away. It was the alchemists' jobs to capture the criminals. Havoc and Breda were there for backup.
Something jostled his elbow, and his eyes slid over to his right, where Ed kneeled beside him. His aureate eyes were fixed on the stretch of land in front of him. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and a plain, black beanie adorned his head. He wore a black turtleneck and his leather pants, which were a constant in his life. He moved like a trained assassin, creeping closer to the edge of the woods to get a better view.
Roy snapped out of his stupor as he heard a definite noise. Low voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but there had to be about three of them. Soon, they came into sight, and if he strained, he could hear what they were rambling about.
"Shit, Carl. Watch where you're stepping. You almost tripped me," one of them said, snarling.
"I can't see where I'm going!" the other one exclaimed. Two of them carried shovels over their shoulders, and the other one had a sack slung over his back.
They went on like this for a while, bickering back and forth, much to Roy's displeasure, but finally they found the headstone they had been searching for. One man called the other two over, and they sunk their shovels into the ground with a harsh sound.
Roy could practically feel the anticipation to do something radiating off of Ed. He tapped him on the shoulder, sucking in a breath as Ed turned around. "What?" The blond mouthed, eyebrows knitted together and a snarl on his lips. The Brigadier General tried to mouth a plan to his spitfire of a subordinate, most of which he was sure Edward didn't really catch.
A clap sounded sharply in the air, and Roy watched as a few of the tombstones around the thieves grew, twisted, and solidified into a makeshift cage, capturing two of their perpetrators in the process. The third one gazed in horror at his comrades, took one look towards the woods, and hightailed it towards the cemetery's gates.
"Ed, get back here!" Roy bellowed, as Ed took off, darting around various tombstones as he chased the other man.
Mustang hastily ordered Havoc and Breda to contact the police and to stay with the trapped robbers until help arrived. They saluted him, and he sprinted, following Ed's trail step-for-step. He could see them just up ahead. He contemplated using his flame alchemy, but it would be too risky; Ed could get caught in the crossfire, and then he would be too busy worrying about Ed's burns to chase the thief.
Without warning, the thief turned on his heel and pulled a something dark and small out of his jacket pocket. It glinted in the lamplight, and Roy's mind went into overdrive. His instincts screamed at him to get out of the way, but he couldn't just leave Ed there –
Ed must have realized what was going on, because he threw himself sideways and rolled into the grass, clapping his hands as he did so. He slammed his hands to the grass, and the ground underneath the man rumbled and cracked until the earth swallowed him whole. The only parts of him that were above ground were his head and one of his hands – the one without the gun in it.
"I'm going to get you for this, you little brat! Fuckin' piece of shit alchemist –" the man bellowed, twisting around to try to get free. The writhed and growled until he was worn out.
A few minutes later, the cops arrived and took all three thieves into custody – but only after digging out the last thief. They thanked Roy and his men, and bid them a good night. Roy and his team looked around, standing in the middle of the cemetery as the police loaded the would-be robbers into the back of the squad cars.
Breda and Havoc looked as if this was the most action they had seen in years, and Roy realized that was probably the case. With trembling fingers, Havoc lit a cigarette and took a drag, his posture relaxing as he did so. Breda fumbled with his fingers, glancing around; Roy recalled that Breda had a fear of the supernatural, as did Havoc. Being in the graveyard certainly wasn't doing anything to calm their anxiety.
His gaze slid over to Fullmetal. The young man was already looking at him. Roy raised an eyebrow eloquently at his subordinate.
"So, I don't have to write a report, since you were here, right?" Ed asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His amber eyes focused on Roy, who found it rather scrutinizing to be on the receiving end of all of Ed's attention.
Roy straightened up, looking every bit like the commanding officer giving orders to his subordinate. "That won't be necessary, Fullmetal. As long as you clean this up," he said, gesturing to the tangled mess of tombstones that had been transmuted into a cage.
Ed scowled, but he didn't seem to have an argument for that. Instead, he ambled over to the cage and clapped his hands, his diamond-sharp mind already figuring out a way to restore the broken headstones. It only took a few minutes, and everything looked like it had before.
They trudged to the military vehicle that they had parked behind the cemetery, clambered in, and Havoc revved the engine to life. Havoc drove cautiously, with Breda in the passenger seat; Ed and Roy sat in the back.
Roy winced as the car hit a pothole in the road, jostling all of them roughly. His back was already beginning to feel sore from being at the office all day, and then coming on this assignment tonight. Hawkeye was going to be lucky if he made it into work tomorrow on time. He glanced over at Ed to see how he was faring.
The brat looked how he usually did. A scowl on his lips, staring out of the window as the scenery flew by. His sharp, high cheekbones stood out in the shadows of the car, and the sweep of his jaw was distinct. There was no denying it; Edward Elric had grown up to be an attractive man. In his adolescence, he had been eye-catching, but now, at nineteen? Brilliant didn't even cover it.
Roy had to admit, Ed was beyond infuriating at times. He was stubborn, abrasive, and didn't care if other people saw him as such. Beneath all of that undeniable beauty, there was a dazzling mind, brilliant and still becoming more stunning each and every day.
At first, when he recognized the telltale signs of attraction in the air, Roy had been alarmed. After all, Ed was his subordinate, and he himself was almost twice his age. He had been mildly upset with himself. It didn't matter that it was a man, but why did it have to be Ed? Ed, who knew how to press his buttons. Ed, the only one who could stir his temper up with a flare. Why Ed?
After he had gotten over the fact that his mind and body weren't going to give up or be distracted so easily, he had thought that the attraction would fade over time. That was almost two years ago. If anything, it should be gone by now. They had only touched a number of times, and the touches were nothing more than the tugging of a sleeve or the tapping of a shoulder to get the other's attention. If it were lust, it should have faded a long time ago.
Before he knew it, they were back at Central Headquarters. They climbed out of the car, slamming their respective doors behind them. Roy opened his pocket watch, checking the time.
"What time's it, sir?" Havoc questioned, leaning against the black car, puffing on yet another cigarette.
"Half past eleven," Roy replied, stuffing the watch back into his pocket.
"The bar doesn't close until two. I'm going if anyone wants to go with me," Havoc said, smoke drifting out of his mouth as he talked.
"I'll go with ya," said Breda, stretching his back as they started to walk. "You two wanna come?"
"Thanks, but I have to be at the office early in the morning," Roy answered, waving a farewell as he turned toward the street.
"Okay, what about you, Boss?" Havoc asked, grinning.
"Eh, no thanks. I promised Al I'd get home at a decent time tonight," Ed responded, flashing a grin at them. He waved as he turned on his heel and caught up to Roy.
The wind felt nice, not nearly as biting as it had been earlier, as they strolled down the street, chatting amicably about nothing in particular. The trees rustled overhead, their naked branches dancing in the howling wind.
Roy tried not to think about how sinfully good Ed looked in all black. He was so used to seeing him in his red coat or black vest, and his brain was eating up this new look, storing it away in his memory for later. He shook his head, trying to keep his mind from wandering down that path while he was walking with Ed. That was the last thing he needed.
After what seemed like an eternity, they reached Roy's townhouse. It was an elegant place, with nice brickwork and a charming stairway. Roy turned to face Ed completely.
"Well, this is my stop. Are you going to be okay to walk home alone in the dark, Edward?" he smirked, sticking his cold hands in his pockets.
Ed glowered at him. "Not a kid, Mustang."
"Right, of course," he said, his midnight blue eyes twinkling with amusement as Ed flipped him off. "Have a good night, Fullmetal."
"See you in the morning, Mustang," and with that, Ed continued walking, his ponytail shining a brazen gold in contrast to all of the black he was donning. Roy slid his key into the lock and turned the doorknob, taking one final look at his subordinate before he let himself inside. He sighed to himself as he closed the door. Tonight's challenge was done. Tomorrow was another day.