Author's Note: This is my first FanFiction, so please criticize in reviews. I was too impatient to find a betareader, so please give me some reviews!
Chapter 1
Edward Elric slumped in the cushioned chair of his hotel room with a sigh of relief. It was good to be back from traveling. He intended to return to Resembool soon, but he had to submit his research to the Library in Central first. He was glad to be back somewhere familiar so he could relax and not think about alchemy. He still considered himself an alchemist even though he couldn't perform alchemy himself. It was frustrating sometimes, but nothing he couldn't handle.
Before he could get too comfortable Ed gathered his research notes and headed down the stairs and out onto the street. Noisy cars rumbled down the street in the midday traffic, drivers cursing at one another over the stupidest things. Ed laughed to himself about that. People so privileged to have their own cars and yet they pick over the smallest things. Still it would be nice to have a car, even if it meant being part of the petty bickering that he laughed at.
Ed made his way down the sidewalk, tying his coat around his waist so he could soak in the sun through his skin. The last place in his travels had been to Drachma, so the warmth of summer in Amestris was a pleasant change. He seemed to enjoy things that he didn't before. Just little things like the sun, the wind, the sound of a lively city. Things he used to take for granted. As Ed walked down the street with a pleasant smile on his face he got many a strange look from people he passed. His reputation as the Fullmetal Alchemist preceded him, so people were surprised not to see his signature scowl.
Let them stare. Ed would prove that he didn't need alchemy to be happy. After all, he got his brother back. Thinking of Al made his smile fade into a straight line. They'd separated all too quickly, and now they were finally going to be back together after nearly two years of traveling apart. How much had Al changed? What new alchemy did he learn? Was he taller than Ed? That last one stung a little bit. Ed hadn't grown at all since the Promised Day.
Ed waited at an intersection to cross the street when the cars finally stopped speeding by. Someone ought to design a way to guide traffic and make sure everyone got their fair turn. Maybe that's something he could do with his own bare hands, not alchemy. When the traffic finally slowed at the crossing Ed prepared to step out into the street but a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Fullmetal," called Colonel Roy Mustang's voice from a sleek black car that had stopped along the side of the street. "Back in central at last? You look as if you've gotten smaller." The colonel's smirk brought back old emotions in Ed, ones he thought he could suppress. 'Bastard.' He thought. That word was the essence of the emotion he felt toward the colonel. The man was incapable of speaking without belittling others.
"I'm just submitting my research, colonel, and them I'm off to Resembool," Ed responded coolly. To his surprise the colonel stepped out of his car and walked until he was just a few feet away from Ed.
"Huh, where'd ya go?" He teased, looking around as if he'd lost Ed. "Oh, there you are! Wow you really are a little runt aren't you?"
"Asshole," Ed murmured. From the way the colonel's smile tweaked a little wider it was obvious he heard the remark. Just as he was supposed to.
"Now you really shouldn't use such cruel words when speaking to your superior," Mustang chimed back.
"You're not my superior. I quit the military, remember?" The lack of sting on Mustang's face left Ed feeling empty. "I see you got your vision back, Mustang. Can you see this?" Ed raised a fist with his middle finger raised to flip off the man in front of him. The look of surprise on the colonel's face was satisfying. Normally nobody would expect Edward to act quite this insubordinate, but since he was a free man now this was just a little bit of honesty he'd been holding back for years.
"Oh, come on now fullmetal, can't we be civil at least?"
"Hey you started it with the jabs about my height!" Ed exclaimed, a bit louder than he intended.
"You know that's just how I tease you," Mustang said and took a step closer. "I really am bad at flirting aren't I?" Ed blushed and took a step back. Whatever Mustang was getting at, he was sure it was purely to make Ed look like a child as always.
"Did you stop me for a reason, colonel, or do you just like holding up pedestrians so you can harass them?
"In fact I do need something," Mustang said softly. "I need you." Ed blushed faintly again, reconsidering the man's earlier comment about flirting.
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean, jackass?" A familiar cocky smile crossed the colonel's face.
"Well, I need a new assistant for when I get promoted," Mustang explained casually. "You knew Grumman never intended to be Führer for a long time. You also know that I've pursued one goal single-mindedly for my entire career." Ed's eyes widened as he realized what the colonel was saying.
"You're really going to be the Führer?" he asked timidly. It was one thing tossing insults at his former commanding officer, but if Mustang was Füher he would be Ed's superior regardless of his involvement in the military.
Future-Führer-Mustang smiled with a gleam of pride in his eyes. "Everything is already in order. I just need to finish organizing my staff for the move of office, and I want you to be part of it. I want you to be standing at my side. I'll need something to rest my elbow on."
Mustang laughed hysterically as Ed tried to punch him square in the jaw. He avoided it adeptly, clearly keeping up in his physical training while Ed was away doing book work. "Oh come on Fullmetal! That was funny!" Ed took another swing at the man in front of him but this time brought his automail leg up to connect with his stomach. Mustang cringed over, still laughing.
"Yeah, just as funny as you getting your ass kicked by a little kid, right?"
"Ex-exactly," Mustang managed to choke out around his coughing and laughing. "Completely comical." Ed turned to walk away but was stopped once again when his arm was grabbed firmly. Ed prepared to turn around and sock Mustang in the face, but he fell short when he saw the beautiful, intimidating Riza Hawkeye was the one who had stopped him.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Ed exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was you!" Ed looked down in his shame at almost hitting a girl. Hawkeye's calm expression reminded him that he wouldn't have connected if he had followed through.
"Forgive the colonel's behavior, Fullmetal," she said in a calculated tone. "He truly does wish your assistance, but is a bit too thick skulled to request it without jest. If you'd like to come with us we can drive you to the library and then to the command center to discuss the terms of the position. It is in your best interest to accept this offer and establish yourself under the new Führer."
Ed looked back at Mustang who had regained his footing and now stood with his ever-present smirk on his face. "Alright," Ed said, turning his attention back to the Lieutenant. "I'll accept your ride to the Library, and then discuss your terms." He stalked past Mustang to get in the back seat of the car. To his surprise it was Mustang, not Hawkeye, who joined him in the back.
"Thank you Fullmetal, this really does mean a lot to me," he said. Ed grunted at the implication.
"I only agreed to discuss the position," he snapped back at the man beside him. "I have no intention of accepting. I spent too long under your condescending smirks and short jokes in the military, and I don't intend to see any more of you than I have to."Mustang sat silently, a strange new expression on his face. It looked almost like pain, but that surely couldn't be it.
Upon arriving at the Library Ed rushed inside to file his documents. The Library closed early on Saturdays, so he didn't have much time before he was being shooed out and assured that his work would be documented and printed as soon as possible. He reluctantly returned to the car and sat silently next to Mustang. Every trace of the strange emotion the man had displayed earlier had vanished, replaced by a familiar look of seriousness.
"Now back to the command center," he said, not making eye contact with Ed. "Grumman will be waiting for us in the Führer's office to finish the discussions. Please don't make a fool of me Fullmetal. We'll have plenty of time for teasing later." For some unknown reason that made Ed blush ever so slightly. Perhaps it was the commanding tone in Mustang's voice, but normally that wouldn't affect him.
During his travels Ed had realized he'd missed a lot of experiences as a teenager while he was fighting against the homunculus and trying to get Al his body back. One of those most prominent was sexual attraction to other human beings. He'd never really thought of it before, but after one night in a strip club in Drachma he realized he really wasn't all that attracted to girls. There wasn't anything particularly unattractive about them, but he just felt men had so much to offer.
He chuckled quietly to himself at his mind's use of the work 'man', rewarding a questioning look from Mustang. After that night in Drachma Ed had done his share of exploring his interest in other males, and so far it wasn't men he was interested in, but rather boys. He liked the frail, slender boys that were his own age or a bit younger, with big eyes that portrayed a mask of innocence. Yet there was something about the colonel… He was masculine, yes, but not overly bulky. In fact he was rather slim himself, if much taller than Ed. He was a man by all accounts, and for some reason that actually made Ed a bit more interested for once.
Edward shook his head and covered his face. This is Roy Mustang after all. Condescending Jackass and Expert Bastard. And future Führer, apparently. By the time they arrived at the command center Ed had had just enough time to confuse himself even more, and now he wasn't sure if he hated the colonel as he'd always believed or if he was just insecure in his lesser masculinity.
Without instruction Ed followed Hawkeye and Mustang up to the Führer's office where Grumman was waiting for them. "It's about time colonel," the gray haired man said with a grandfatherly smile parting his abundant facial hair. "As Führer you can't be keeping people waiting."
Mustang and Hawkeye both saluted Grumman, leaving Ed standing rigidly behind them unsure of what to do. He wasn't in the military anymore, but this man was still the Führer. "My apologies, sir," Mustang said respectfully. "Fullmetal had an errand to take care of before we could make our way here. Perhaps we should finish the discussions quickly?" Grumman chuckled at the colonel.
"Oh, Mustang, you keep me young," Grumman said. "Well, at heart anyways. Even you can't change these aging bones of mine." Surprisingly the colonel smiled sincerely to the older man.
"I'll still try though," he said. "I've finished compiling a list of my staff that will be moving with me. All that's left now is Edward's decision." 'Edward?' Ed thought to himself. 'Since when does the colonel use my name?'At this point Ed realized that all eyes in the room were focused on him.
"Well, son?" Grumman questioned. "A good Füher needs a good assistant, and you'd be perfect for the job." Ed thought for a second.
"What exactly would be my responsibilities?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"You'd be responsible for the general wellbeing of Mustang," Grumman informed him, "as well as planning and attending all of his meetings and providing advice on military and political affairs. Other than that just any other assistance that he requires."
'What a joke' he thought. He'd essentially be singing his life over to be Mustang's lap dog. "So, Fullmetal, what do you say?" Ed turned to Mustang as he spoke. "I could really use someone as brilliant as you on my team." Ed thought about exactly what he would say, all the reasons he would give for why he wouldn't stoop so low. After a few brief seconds of preparing to tell the man off, to release the years of biting remarks he couldn't say for fear of being stripped of his state license, he answered.
"Yes, sir!"
End Note: Next chapter in progress with much more romance/sexual behavior! I'll update it once I get a few reviews on this one!