Chapter 3

"What are you looking at?" Ed shouted at the Lieutenant. He was mostly peeved to have been interrupted more than anything else. Figures they'd have to show up now.

"Geez, Fullmetal, not happy to be rescued, huh?" Havoc replied, sarcastically. The man turned around and went in the direction of the road and other officers.

Ed grabbed his black jacket and put it over his shoulders. He did up the clasp as he picked up his red robe and jogged off in the direction of the others. As he neared the road, he could see Roy Mustang standing next to his car talking to Riza Hawkeye. Ed didn't take much notice of it at first, his eyes scanned the dark haired man he'd just become involved with, abruptly stopping at the arm of the Colonel's blue uniform. Riza's hand was perched on it, just above his wrist. Ed's heart skipped a beat as he felt a pang of jealousy fill his chest. 'Are they having an affair, for real?' he wondered. He'd never really noticed it before, but the way her head was tilted and how their bodies mimicked position suggested something intimate.

Edward tried to shrug off what he'd just noticed as he approached the Colonel and Hawkeye. The two turned toward him as he stopped, just in front of them. "So, what's happened since we were gone, any news on the homunculus?" he asked, still searching for signs of sentiment in Hawkeye's face.

"Ed, I'm so glad you two are OK. You had us all worried," she answered as she shot a glance at Mustang, a very faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Of course we're OK. What the hell did you think, we were idiots?" Ed angrily spouted back at the woman.

"What was that for?" Riza exclaimed, surprised.

Roy was growing agitated with Ed's behavior, when he looked over at him, he appeared to be sulking, face turned down at the ground, his blonde bangs covering his expression. "Ed, I think you owe Riza an apology," he said calmly. Roy had no idea what had gotten into the young man, but he had to keep up appearances in front of the others, he couldn't let anyone know what had passed between them.

Ed mumbled out a soft "Sorry…" and walked away.

During the next few minutes of updates, Mustang was told how the homunculus had indeed left the area and their whereabouts were unknown. Roy chuckled to himself, thinking how Ed had actually been right about that. Mustang went to his car and got in the backseat, Riza got in front, behind the steering wheel, and readied herself for the long drive back to Central. As Roy looked out the window of the car, he heard the door open and felt a plop on the seat next to him. When he turned to see who the intruder was, he saw Ed grinning back at him.

Riza looked briefly at the two men in the back seat and then peered over the steering wheel and pulled onto the road.

Once the trio were en route, Mustang felt a hand cover his own. He anxiously looked down at the seat next to him and saw Ed's hand on his. The young man's face was turned toward his window. Roy waited a minute, glanced up at Riza, happy to see she was focused on the road. The Colonel pulled his hand away from Ed's and placed it on his lap. Why was Fullmetal being so bold in Hawkeye's presence? Did he really think that was appropriate? Mustang turned his gaze back to the rolling hillside flowing swiftly by and started to relax again.

The next thing Roy knew, Ed's hand had found it's way to his leg, then to his hand now sitting in his lap. Ed had also positioned himself closer to the Colonel and was looking up at him with an inquiring expression on his face. Stunned, Roy shot a glance at Riza again and then pulled his hand away. He leaned over to a wounded Ed and whispered, "Stop that! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Ed glared back at the Colonel and whispered slightly louder, "She can't see anything down there, don't be so paranoid!" Ed was determined to get close to the Colonel somehow, it was a long way back and with the way Mustang was behaving, he felt discarded. Ed tried again to grab the Colonel's hand and was denied. Mustang hastily pulled his hand up high into the air, nervously taking inventory of Riza in the seat ahead of them.

"What are you two fighting about now?" Riza asked, a smirk spreading on her lips. Seems those two were always at odds over something, she thought. After a bit more commotion in the back seat and some angry sounding whispers, she glanced into the rear-view mirror to see the two at opposite ends of the seat, Roy was pressed up against his door; head turned to the window. Ed was sitting with his arms crossed on his chest, glaring at the Colonel. The scene caused her to softly chuckle and shake her head, "If you two can't behave for a few minutes in the car, I can't imagine what it must have been like to be stranded with each other for a whole night."

Edward Elric was sitting in the lunchroom at Central's main building poking at some food on a plate. It had been three days since he and the Colonel had returned from the woods and Mustang hadn't said more than a few words to him. It was like their encounter had never happened. Ed had grown more desperate and distraught with each day. As he poked at his food, he thought back to the few moments he'd had with the Colonel. Every time he was asked to come to his office, his heart jumped and he'd left running. But, every time, there was someone else in his office; Riza, Havoc, Fuery, whoever, just someone so they weren't alone. He'd tried to give the Colonel hints so he would ask them to leave, but the Colonel never did. Ed felt horribly abandoned and wasn't sure how to handle it.

His brother's questions were making him even more agitated. Alphonse had a keen sense about his brother's well being and always knew when something was not right. He'd been relentlessly interrogating Edward about what had happened in the woods, but Ed didn't want to tell him. He was afraid of what his brother would think of him if he let his secret out. So, Ed had just resigned himself to pouring over materials in the library and sulking.

Ed was no idiot, he knew a relationship like this was a huge taboo and the Colonel could be court marshaled if it was ever found out that they'd been together. Even so, they could get around that, right? Ed still held out hope that Mustang felt more for him than just lust. As he thought back to the night they were together by the campfire and how caring Mustang had been to him, he felt tears stinging his eyes. "Damn-it!" he shouted as he threw his fork at his plate and brusquely stood up. He heard the chatter normally found in the room die down as eyes focused on him. Without lifting his head, Ed walked quickly out of the lunchroom and headed for Roy's office.

Roy Mustang sat in his chair facing his office window, perusing the local newspaper when he heard his door shut with a loud thud. He wheeled around to see who'd so rudely slammed his door and was confronted with Edward. He was still standing by the door, appearing more than a little distressed. He watched the young alchemist turn the lock on the knob and heard the click.

"Well, Ed, I didn't send for you," he said, trying to hide a growing anticipation.

"You asshole! What's going on? Why haven't you seen me since we got back?" the blonde hissed.

"I've seen you Ed…" Mustang tried to be coy.

"Damn-it! You know what I mean!" Ed interrupted, shouting at full lung capacity.

"Sssh, keep your voice down," the Colonel demanded as he stood up from his chair and motioned with his hands.

Ed was fuming, his arms were held snug to his sides, his hands drawn up in tight fists. "Why haven't you…" he started to say through his teeth and then his words caught in his throat as Mustang approached him.

Mustang was alarmed at how upset the young man was; he was visibly shaking. He knew he owed him an explanation, he just didn't know what to say just yet. As he got close to Ed, he could see the blonde was very close to tears as his eyes glared out from behind his bangs. "Ed, listen, we have to be careful here. I have to make sure no one saw us and if they did hear or see something, then I've been trying to stay away from you so any suspicions will be forgotten. Do you understand?" he spoke gently.

The Colonel saw the young man's posture soften, so he wrapped his arms around him. He felt Ed's body fall against his and a deep sigh emitted from the blonde. Mustang had told the truth, mostly, and now he had to deal with what he hadn't said. The rest of the reason Roy had been so distant was that he was struggling with deep affection for the young man. Feeling the blonde in his arms again was tearing him apart, on one hand he wanted so badly to ravish him here in his office, but on the other he was terrified of the possible repercussions.

"Roy?" Ed asked as he turned his head sideways against the Colonel's chest, "Can I see you tonight? I mean… can we meet somewhere or something?" Ed lost himself in Roy's arms as he waited for an answer, it felt so good to finally be close to him again. He felt a familiar arousal start to overtake him. He wanted to kiss the Colonel and to hell with what anybody thought.

"Ah…actually Ed, I can't. I have… plans." The older man responded, wincing. He knew his answer would draw more questions from the young man.

As expected, Ed raised his head to look up at the Colonel's face, "Plans? What kind of 'plans'?" he questioned, a bit breathless, trying desperately to come back to the present and read the story behind the words on Roy's face.

"Um, nothing really important, Ed. Just some business, that's all." Roy pulled away from the blonde and turned around so Ed couldn't see his face. Based on the outburst he'd just witnessed, there was no way he wanted Ed to know what he was doing tonight. People were probably already talking on the other side of his door. "We'll work something out, though, I promise," he told the young man as he walked back to his desk.

Ed watched him and started to get frantic again, "When?" he said loudly.

"Just give me some time to figure things out and we'll get together…I promise" he told the young man as he turned around to face him.

Ed walked briskly toward the Colonel, "It's been three fucking days, Mustang, I…I'm going crazy here. Shit!" as he swore, he pounded his fist on his leg.

"Settle down," Mustang demanded calmly, "I'll see you tomorrow, OK? Is that soon enough for you? I'll let you know when and where tomorrow," he told him, hoping there weren't ears pressed to the other side of his door.

Ed was standing close to Mustang now, the blonde grabbed the Colonel's lapels and forcefully pulled him downward, his lips struck the Colonels and for a moment, Roy didn't care who was listening.

As Ed left Mustangs office, he didn't notice the stares that followed him. His head was in the clouds. Just as he was about to round a corner, he heard Roy's name mentioned; it brought reality crashing back down on him. He stopped in his tracks and listened. He heard Riza Hawkeye talking with someone.

"I don't know where Roy's taking me tonight, it's supposed to be a surprise, I guess."

She's giggling like a school-girl, Ed thought. Then it dawned on him, Mustang has plans with Hawkeye tonight; that demented bastard! He's going to have her tonight and me tomorrow night. Ed grinned wickedly as a plan emerged in his mind.

Ed waited outside Central's main headquarters building, hiding in the recesses until he saw his prey. A pretty blonde woman emerged with a dark haired man and Ed was on his way. Roy and Riza had changed from their uniforms into civilian clothes. Ed followed the two down the streets of Central, far enough they didn't notice him, but close enough he could see them walking arm in arm. Every now and then, the two laughed and pulled each other closer. Ed was beginning to question himself as his stomach started to feel sick.

Roy and Riza headed into a nearby restaurant and were seated on a patio. Ed was able to find a good vantage point in an alleyway. The young alchemist watched as the couple held hands across the table and chatted easily with each other. Ed started sweating; this whole scene was ripping him apart. He wanted to run away, but found he couldn't pull himself from what he saw. Then Roy raised himself up from the small bistro table, leaned across, and planted a kiss on Riza's lips. That was it; Ed was crushed. He ran from his hiding place and tore across the city. He ran as far and fast as he could, not even realizing where he was going.

When he stopped, he put his hands on his legs, right above the knees, gasping for air. The street was deserted, except for him. The pain was excruciating. "Business, huh?" he muttered to himself, his voice shaking. "That bastard!" he shouted as tears ran down his cheeks. He let himself feel raw emotion for a few moments before he collected his composure and slowly walked away, head hung low, ready to carry out the second half of his plan.

It was after midnight when Roy's car pulled up to his house with Riza. They'd had a pleasant enough evening, Roy thought. Riza was always enjoyable to be with, something about her lifted his spirits. He was hoping this night would help him wash away the constant thoughts he'd had of Ed. After Ed left his office that day, he'd found himself especially tormented by images of things he'd like to do to the young man.

The pair walked up to Roy's door, he fit his key in the lock and opened it. Roy turned on the lights as they came through the door and was immediately struck by things that were out of place. There was a pillow on the floor that belonged on the couch; a magazine was on the kitchen table. Roy wasn't super clean, but he did like to put things in their proper place. Growing concerned, he asked Riza to wait in the living room. Until he found some answers, he didn't want to alarm her. He walked through the house, looking for anything else that had been disturbed. When he came to the hallway, he saw that his bedroom door was shut; he never shut the door when he wasn't home. Roy felt his palms sweat as he opened the door; there on his bed was Fullmetal. Upon closer inspection, he saw the young man had fallen asleep, clutching one of Roy's military jackets. A smile spread across his lips.

Roy quietly left Ed, closed the door and returned to Riza. "Um, I'm sorry Riza, something must not have agreed with me at the restaurant tonight. Can I call you a cab?" he asked, putting his hands over his stomach and bending over a bit.

Riza appeared concerned and disappointed at his request. "Sure, Roy. We can catch up another time, huh?" she said softly.

After the cab had come and left with Riza, Roy went back to his bedroom. He opened the door to find Edward sitting up on the bed, wiping his eyes with the back of his gloved hands. The light from the hallway illuminated his blonde hair. "Oh, I see you're awake," Roy spoke smugly to him. Ed peered up at him with wide eyes, his eyebrows gradually dropped in the center of his face.

"You lied to me! You were out on a date with Riza Hawkeye tonight!" Ed accused furiously.

"Oh shit, how the hell did you find out about that?" Roy asked, bewildered. He was so looking forward to spending an intimate evening with the young man and here they were getting into another argument. As Ed glared at him, Mustang sighed and said loudly, "So what, we've been seeing each other for a while now Fullmetal, did you think I was just going to drop her to be with you?" he taunted.

Mustang's words stung Ed beyond belief. Yes, that's exactly what he'd thought. He didn't know if it was Hawkeye the Colonel was seeing, but whoever it was, he thought Mustang would leave them for him. "Damn you, Mustang! Don't I mean anything to you? Or am I just your little fuck-toy?" Ed's anguish was building and he felt tears threateningly close. He moved off the bed and stood up to face the Colonel directly. "Well?" he asked forcefully.

Roy didn't have an immediate answer to that question. He was shocked to hear the vulgar term come out of the young man's mouth. "Ed, that was uncalled for. Sit back down, let's talk this out." Roy knew they needed to come to some sort of understanding if this thing between them was going to be able to continue. He couldn't have Fullmetal barging into his office anytime he liked and doing what he did today. For one thing, he'd never get any work done.

"No, I won't sit down and talk. Tell me right now, do you have any real feelings for me?" he yelled, his voice starting to falter.

Roy was silent; he couldn't bring himself to tell another man he had feelings for them, he had a hard enough time saying those words to women. He just stared down at the floor.

Mustang's lack of acknowledgment ripped Ed to the core. He felt hot tears spilling onto his cheeks, "So that's it, huh. You just get some sick pleasure out of messing with me…" he couldn't finish all he had to say, his sobs drowned out any words that came. He turned and headed for the door.

Mustang felt momentarily paralyzed. He really didn't want to hurt Ed this way, it wasn't like he said; he did have feelings for Ed. Roy finally pushed through his indecision and reached out to grab Ed's flesh arm. "Ed, please I want you to stay with me!" he pleaded. He pulled hard on the blonde; the action sent Ed reeling backwards and into Roy's arms.

Ed felt himself getting pulled backward and he ended up surrounded by the Colonel. He heard what he said; he was just too wounded to accept it. His cries were still audible as he feebly struggled with the stronger man, he could have gotten away, but he didn't really want to. "No, Mustang, leave… me…alone…" he spoke between sobs.

Roy wouldn't let go; he was determined to make him see that what they had was worth something to him. He held tightly on to the blonde and spoke softly to him, "Please Ed, stop fighting me". He was aware of Ed's body melting.

Ed felt the Colonels strong arms around his body and Mustangs breath on his face. Now that Roy had a powerful hold on him, Ed's despair came full force and he found himself leaning against the Colonel and weeping into his chest. Every bad thing that had happened to him until that day seemed to pour out of him as he found solace in the older man's embrace. Memories of death and loss came forward, one after the other, feeding his misery. He'd had to be so strong for his younger brother all these years after their mother died, he never really got a chance to get over anything; he'd just kept trudging on. As he became aware that his tears no longer had much to do with the man that was holding him, he realized why the last few days had bothered him so much, he needed to feel valued by someone and Mustang was the one person he believed fulfilled this need. Although they traded insults constantly, Ed knew deep down, he could always count on the Colonel to be there. The protectionist behavior Mustang exhibited since the day he found out Hughes had died is what sealed his adoration.

Mustang felt Ed's emotions calm, the blonde had his arms wrapped tightly around the Colonel and his face pressed into his neck. He thought he felt the young alchemists kisses gently touching his skin. Mustang pulled his head back so he could see Ed's face, but Ed secured his grip tighter onto the taller man.

Ed was rapt in the closeness of his body against the Colonel's. As his senses returned, he began caressing the Colonels' neck and chest with his lips. Ed could smell the scent of the Colonel's skin, how he loved that smell. His pulse was racing and he felt himself harden. He started moving his hands up and down the other man's back. Ed licked his lips and tried to lean in closer to the Colonel. Why was he so aroused every time the man was near?

Mustang noticed another transformation in Ed's demeanor and almost smiled as he thought how quickly his moods changed. A few minutes ago, he thought the young man was ready to throw punches, then he was sobbing in his arms, and now he seemed to purr. Roy could feel Ed's hardness and knew the intimate evening he'd wanted was about to begin.

Ed felt the Colonel release him suddenly and turn him around. In one movement, the Colonel held the blonde from behind and was hungrily kissing and gently biting his neck. Ed's desire was mounting and he let out a sharp moan. The Colonel's hands were stroking Ed's chest, making tiny bumps appear through his black shirt. Then the hands moved steadily down to his belt and undid the buckle. Ed could feel the Colonel's manhood pressing against his backside as the older man's hands reached into the top of Ed's pants and fondled him. The sensations made his knees weak, he collapsed slightly, Mustangs arm pulled him back up.

Roy felt Ed's pelvis pushing into his hand as he stroked him. The motions caused him to press himself harder onto the blonde's back. He softly moaned his pleasure. This time, he wasn't sure if he could settle for anything less than the real thing. He stopped what he was doing and pulled Ed to the bed. The two fell backwards; the Colonel was now lying behind Edward. He jerked Ed's pants and boxers down and off, all the while paying special attention to his hardness and neck. He pulled away only long enough to tug off Ed's shirt and undress himself.

When Roy returned to Ed, they were both naked on the bed. Ed could feel the older man's skin contacting his own and Roy's member rubbing on his behind. The hand between the blonde's legs was stroking faster sending him closer to climax as he reached his hands out. His metal hand found the bedcovers and gripped them tightly while his flesh hand covered the Colonels and guided him even faster. Before Ed knew what was happening, he felt a burning pain in his rear-end. Was the Colonel entering him? He winced, cried out, and felt the Colonel stop his progression.

"Are you OK, Ed?" the dark haired man asked anxiously, out of breath.

"Ah…yeah, I think so" Ed replied, pain in his voice. "It's OK…keep going, I want you to do it," he continued.

"Are you sure? I'll stop if you want me to" Roy told him, not sure if he really could.

Ed was tired of the conversation; he pushed himself all the way down onto the Colonel and bit his lip to muffle his cries. He heard the Colonel gasp and grab a hold of him, again.

As Roy entered the young alchemist, an instant gratification racked his body and he involuntarily thrust himself deeper. It felt exquisite and he didn't think he could contain himself for very long.

Once the two established a rhythm, Ed found the extra sensation enhanced the feeling of the Colonel's hand on him. He rocked and twisted with indulgence on the bed in front of the Colonel. As the pair approached climax, the Colonel tightened his hold on the blonde and Ed's hands frantically searched for the bedcovers. Once he got a good hold on the cloth, he felt the Colonel push hard against him and his own contractions rocked through his body.