A/N: Here it is!
Warning: pseudo-incest and yaoi. You've been warned.
It was so easy.
While the days passed in a paper trail hurricane for Mustang, Ed was enjoying a slower pace of life. Or at least he was trying to and failing. Miserably. For the umpteenth time, he got up and stalked around the living room. Al came out from his study, irritation edging his voice, "Ed, please stop pacing. The poor people of Xing can hear your automail crashing on the floor from across the desert."
Bristling more than usual, Ed returned, "Don't exaggerate Al and I'm not 'crashing.' I'm just bored. I would gladly take a trip to the bookstore, if you would let me leave the house."
Al looked at the ceiling, begging his mother from beyond the grave for patience. He knew Ed could be irritating, but this was too much.
"Fine. Go to the bookstore. And if you keel over in an alley, I'll save you, if only to kill you myself," Al shut the door noisily. Ed glared at it in annoyance. He wasn't sure if Al was really going to let him leave or if when he got back his little brother would have some revenge planned. Dragging a hand over his face, he ran upstairs and knocked on the first door to his left.
"Come in," a muffled voice said.
Opening the door just to enough to stick his head in, he looked at Winry. "Hey, I'm goin' to the bookstore, need anything?"
"Oh really? Al said you could go?"
"Sorta. Come on woman. I haven't got all day."
"Fine, fine. Geez, you can be a real ass sometimes. Get me the latest issue of 'Nerves of Steel'."
Ed smiled at that. "Gearhead. Okay, I should be back in a couple of hours."
"Make sure you bundle up!"
Blond ponytail bouncing, Ed ran back down to the guest room to do just that. He cursed from nearly falling over as he rushed to pull on silk-lined long johns. He wanted to hurry just in case Al changed his mind. Finally dressed, gloved hands wrapped a long red scarf around his neck and chin. Shimmying his ponytail free and feeling fully prepared, Ed almost snuck his way to the front door.
"Bye Al! Be back in a couple of hours!" He shouted before closing the door and bounding down the gently sloping hill.
Al looked up when he heard Ed's hasty goodbye and the door slam. Sighing, he rested his chin on his fist. What am I going to do with him? There was no time to ponder as the phone began ringing. Sighing again, Al jogged to the living room and picked up the black receiver.
"Elric Residence. Alphonse speaking."
"Hello Alphonse, it's General Mustang." Al froze at the voice on the line. He still hadn't forgiven the general, but he wasn't angry enough at him to be continuously rude.
"Hello general. What can I do for you today?" The chill in his voice apparent.
"I would like to speak to Edward. Is he there?"
"No, he just left. Would you like to speak to me?" Roy understood the underlying message. You won't speak to him unless I deem it absolutely necessary. Biting back a sigh, he replied, "Yes, I'm just confirming that Edward will be back tomorrow morning. I need to schedule a driver to retrieve him."
"He is still planning on leaving tomorrow. But anything can happen between now and then according to the doctor." If I suspect anything, he will never come back.
"True, but Edward has never been one to let anyone or anything determine his future."
"If that's all, then I should get back to work."
"Right. Nice speaking with you, please tell Winry I said hello."
"I will." Al hung up and chewed on his bottom lip in contemplation. His bronze gaze drifted to the guestroom door. Ed hadn't brought up the…Incident, since the drive to Resembool and Al didn't want to either. He knew that Ed kept a journal, but understanding it would be too difficult: the man encoded everything. Sighing again, he turned to his study with thought of making Ed talk about his feelings weighing heavily on him. The image of a furiously hissing cat in water came to mind. What have I gotten myself into? He groaned as he sat in his chair. Looking at the clock and then the papers that he had left read, Al decided to immerse himself in work until Ed got home.
…
Ed knocked loudly on the door and stamped his foot in the growing dark as he waited for the door to open. Yellow light flooded across the threshold as Al opened the door.
"Welcome back Brother."
"You're in a better mood." Ed stepped in and immediately put down six thick volumes, all of them dusty, worn and blackened with use before closing the door. Snow dusted the crown of his head and eyelashes and the high color on his cheeks gave him a childlike appearance. The blond shook off some of the snow and unbuttoned his coat. From inside he pulled out a shiny magazine. "This is for Winry. I think she'll be happy to know it's a special edition." He let his coat and scarf fall to the floor in a soft rustle. Turning to the thick stack of books, he grabbed the topmost one and handed it to Al. "That one's for you." His golden eyes twinkled in anticipation as he watched his younger brother. Al opened the cover and saw flowing Xingese characters running down the yellowing parchment. Looking at the red signature the bottom right corner. "Liu E," he read slowly. His Xingese was a little rusty since Mei went back home. "That's impossible. I've been searching everywhere for this. Everywhere."
"Heheh, I meant to pick it up on…that night." Al nodded solemnly. "I called in a favor from Ling and he said you can keep it. I would've forgotten all about it if the shopkeeper hadn't reminded meeeeAGH!" Al body tackled him into a bear hug. "Ow..."
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" The arms around his neck tightened. "This means so much to me." Ed returned the embrace, the painful bump on his head forgotten.
"Don't mention it. I'd do anything for you, Al." Propping himself up on his elbow, he ruffled the younger man's short hair affectionately, but it was getting hot with Al laying on top of him. Sensing the other's discomfort, Al sat up, unwittingly grinding himself against Ed. When both of their bodies responded to the accidental friction, they locked gazes, uncertainty and growing lust hanging heavy in the air.
"Al?" Winry's voice drifted down the stairs. The color that blazed across the brothers' faces could only be compared to a tomato. Al scrambled to his feet and ran up the stairs, leaving Ed to sink back onto the floor, groaning. Due to the abrupt end of his sex life, Ed knew his body was just reacting; it was simple biology. And he also knew that Al wasn't getting any either with a bedridden wife. That didn't make his unbelievably stiff erection any less annoying, embarrassing, or painful. Picking himself up off the floor, he winced as the fabric of his pants rubbed cruelly against his weeping member. "Fuck it," he cursed exasperatedly and opened the fly of trousers, sighing in relief when his cock sprung free. Grateful for the bathroom near the door, he rushed in, letting the door swing closed.
Leaning over the toilet, Ed pushed away his embarrassment and began to stroke himself slowly, teasing the slit with his thumb. If he had to get himself off, he might as well make it good. Succumbing to his desire and telling himself Al would understand, he imagined his baby brother on his knees, moaning around his length. The fire that had kindled in his belly flamed outward towards his chest, the pressure in his groin increasing. The elder Elric panted, head thrown back and eyes closed as imaginary Al was devotional in his attentions, going so far as to deep throat him, slightly choking on the length. Eventually, his sinfully wet mouth was gliding from tip to base with ease. Ed let out a low moan and buried his face in his outstretched arm. The flame now burned down his back and up his face, the pressure getting heavier and shrinking to pinpoint. Al scraped his teeth gently along the pulsing vein and then engulfed Ed again with force. And then he was there, the pinpoint of pressure exploding like a supernova, catapulting him into the white blaze. He stroked himself through the last of the spasms, each one sending oscillations of pleasure through him, head hanging as he gasped for air.
The toilet whirled while he washed his hands, stooping at the end to splash water on his hot face. Once dry, he opened the bathroom door, only to see Al facing him.
"Al. What's up?" he started nervously. His younger brother had an unreadable look on his face. Guilt flared in his bronze eyes, "Brother, I think you should stay at Granny's tonight."
A bit taken aback, Ed tried to keep his voice level, "Can I ask why?"
"I…I thought it was only a kiss." Al took a deep breath before continuing, "I just need some space… to be with Winry. I'm sorry."
"I see." Lids dropped to a sleepy half-mast over golden eyes in an effort to hide the hurt and the accusations. You did this to us. Within thirty minutes he was packed and bundled up for the cold air. "Tell Winry I said bye," he said quietly and walked out into the frigid night air. When the door closed, Ed heard, as if from a distance, the sound of his brother crying. I should've seen this coming. Al loved with all of himself and Ed knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that if he walked back in that house, he would lose little brother forever. He only needed space and time. I went through Automail surgery for him, I can do this, too. Guilt, his old friend, accompanied him as his feet carried him to the gate of the Rockbell house. It was technically his now, though Pinako still lived there. She had decided that it would be best, knowing that he wouldn't buy one for himself. Not wanting to explain the situation and being a terrible liar when it came to the perceptive old woman, he turned towards Resembool and made his way downtown.
It was 6:06 pm, when his desk phone rang. Annoyed at having to take yet another call right before eating his dinner, Roy picked up the phone and barked, "Mustang!"
"What crawled up your ass and died?" Roy blinked at the phone.
"Fullmetal?"
Ed snorted at the old moniker. "Man, I must've really caught you off guard. Let's try this again. Hello general, it's Colonel Elric." Roy decided to play along.
"Colonel, what can I do for you?"
"I need a ride back to base tonight." Ed said it nonchalantly, but Roy smirked. He knew exactly what that meant. Yes, Alphonse, anything can happen.
"Certainly. But on one condition: you have to come in two hours early tomorrow."
"What! Why?"
"If you hadn't gotten sick, there wouldn't be a back up in paperwork and this wouldn't have been an issue."
"It's not my fault that I was knocked out for three days." Roy blanched. Three days? He had thought that the doctor keeping him in Resembool was just being extra cautious, not that Al had told him anything. Nothing short of impending death kept Ed unconscious. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Are you truly fit to come back to work?"
"Even if I'm not, I'm bored," Ed lied. The blond had boxed up everything he felt regarding the situation with Al and wasn't going to touch it until his younger brother spoke to him again.
"For a genius, you sure have a difficult time entertaining yourself."
"Shut up and just send the damn car. Getting you to do anything is like pulling teeth!" The words were worn pebbles, smoothed by a river of faux-annoyance.
"That wasn't very nice. Temper, colonel, temper," Roy said sarcastically. What they were doing was safe, it was routine, as if nothing was wrong and his heart wasn't about to crack his ribs with its infernal beating. "A car will be there in an hour and a half."
"Finally finished the main road, huh? Less waiting for me." Roy could almost hear the shrug in his voice. "Send it to Daedalus Bookshop, it's right across from your favorite hotel." There wasn't a single hitch in Ed's voice, no special emphasis on 'hotel' or 'favorite', but Roy was swept under by the memory of those awful two days. A gun at his face; Ed passed out in the alley. That voice whispered something sweet again and he pushed it away once more, but Ed was talking to him.
"Yo, General Morally Corrupt Ass. Are you even listening to me?" He could hear something in the edges of Ed's voice, something strained.
"Yes. Daedalus. Got it." The line went dead. Would it kill him to say 'bye' like a normal person before hanging up? But nothing was normal about Ed. The general got up and cracked his neck. He would go get his soon-to-be-again lover himself. "Colonel Hawkeye."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm going to go pick up the colonel." He didn't look at her. The burn on the back of his neck was evidence enough of her disapproval. When he felt the cold barrel of her gun replace her stare, Roy made a conscientious effort to repress a shiver. "I'm taking Havoc with me." The bite of metal disappeared.
"Very good sir. I'll have a car pulled around right away." When she left, Roy took it upon himself to inform his office of their free evening. Havoc melodramatically swooned in his chair.
"Nice try Havoc, but you're coming whether you like it or not."
"But, Chief!"
"Let's go!" he said exasperatedly and walked out into the hallway.
Ed wasn't out front when the car sidled up to store. Roy got out, leaving Havoc to sit idly. Only Ed would think spending his last night in a bookstore was any fun. A small brass bell tinkled when he entered and it brought along a tiny old man with glasses the size of teacup saucers. Roy fought back a sneeze as book dust drifted up his nose.
"Good evening young man, what can I do for you?"
"Good evening, I'm looking for Edward Elric."
"Ah, yes. A boy after my own heart. Right this way." The elder moved with surprising speed around and through the close shelves. The store was much larger than one would guess from outside and in what Roy presumed was the middle, an open square was revealed. The shopkeeper left as the general scanned the lounge area. Well-used overstuffed armchairs were scattered about and one of them held a bespectacled Ed, curled contently behind a large book. He had kicked off his shoes and was absentmindedly fingering the ends of his long bangs as golden eyes flicked over the contents of the page rapidly. Roy didn't remember the last time he had seen Ed like that; it must've been years. He was always impressed by the blond's ability to completely shut away the world while he tried to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. His interests stretched beyond alchemy now into all of the hard sciences, history, and, unexpectedly, religion. Near the foot of the chair was a large, black steamer trunk and Roy had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to be ludicrously heavy with books. Walking over to where Ed sat, he placed his hand on the man's shoulder, unflinching when he found a small, curved knife at his throat.
"Oh, sorry. You know you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that," Ed said matter-of-factly before tucking the weapon back in his sleeve. Roy knew Ed could easily kill a person with his bare hands; the knife was mostly for scare.
"I've been standing there for five minutes," Roy pointed out. Ed sucked his teeth and got up and stretched his arms over head, back popping. The older man noticed black fabric where normally tanned stomach was exposed. Curious he rubbed it with his thumb causing the blond to freeze.
"What're you doing?" he said lowly. Roy shrugged, "Old habits. What are you wearing?"
"First get your hand off of me, jackass." When the hand lingered, he pushed it away and continued, "I'm wearing thermals, helps keep my automail from freezing up on me. Now keep your hands to yourself." Again, something in the blond's voice belied the words he was saying.
"Are you sure about that?" Roy husked in Ed's ear and he could've sworn a shiver ran through the younger man's body. Feeling bold, he put one hand at the small of Ed's back, pushing his hips forward and undid the long ponytail. He was about to lean into kiss invitingly parted lips when pain shot through his groin.
"Sorry about that, but I really don't like repeating myself," Ed said. There was amusement and sympathy in his voice.
"God…dammit…. Ed," Roy wheezed as he sunk to his knees. Gold hair tickled his face as the blond threw his head over to tie it up with an elastic. The general focused intently on it, the sweet shampoo and book dust smell, the feeling of it as it brushed his face, even how the dim lighting made the darker gold strands glint. It helped to dull the ache between his legs. By the time the pain subsided enough for Roy to stand shakily, Ed was completely bundled and ready to go. His gilt irises flashed with contained merriment as he said, "Just be glad it wasn't my left knee. I hope you're up to helping me carry about 200 kilos to the car." Roy glowered at him, tight lipped, before stepping gingerly as a cat back to the front door. A few minutes later, Jean strolled in, unlit cigarette hanging off his lip.
"Hey boss! What'd ya do to the chief?"
"Do you really wanna know?" Ed smirked. The tall blond shook his head. "Didn't think so. I just need you help me with that." He pointed at the steamer trunk. With a grunt, the two waddled out of the store and Ed gave a passing wave to the shopkeeper in thanks.
…
Ed and Havoc talked about nothing important for most of the drive until they finally got to the topic of women.
"I need a girlfriend," Jean sighed. Ed chuckled at the familiar words.
"You could always try for an Ishbalan girl. I hear they're pretty faithful and now that Mustang has Viv, he won't be able to steal her away." The painful reminder made Havoc give Roy a betrayed look. "I know, finally."
"It wouldn't have been such a problem if you just moved quicker, Havoc," Roy threw out casually.
"That doesn't make it right chief! But maybe you're on to somethin', boss, an Ishbalan girl does sound…exotic." A dreamy look washed over Jean's face. "What about you?"
Ed knew the question could only be directed at him. He chose his words carefully, "I have…friends in Central."
"Sounds like you're as bad as the general here."
Ed snorted, "I'm not a manwhore like him. I'm actually friends with them; the sex is a bonus."
"I'm sitting right here," Roy snarled. He privately wondered if Ed categorized him with his other lover-friends. Most likely not, it seemed their entire goal was to see who could manipulate or hurt the other more, whether it was physically, emotionally, or mentally. Their affair was a war, plain and simple.
"That was harsh. But still boss, I had no idea. You always seemed like a one-and-only-one type of guy." Ed laughed lightly.
"I am." Maybe it was because it was just the three of them or that his recent health scare made him more honest with himself, but he felt the need to elaborate. "I actually have my eyes on someone right now, but I'm not in a rush to start anything new."
"Oh ho ho. What's the lucky lady look like?" Jean asked. Roy's ears had perked up as well. He had been observing Ed from the back seat the entire trip, the dark only mildly dimming the light he gave off.
"Nah, I'm not tellin'. I'm worried it might be someone you know," Ed said with a nervous laugh. Roy opened his mouth to ask his own question when the lights from the officer's dorm shone on their laps.
"Hey chief, think you can help the boss with that trunk?"
"Yes. You can also come in two hours late tomorrow. I'll talk to Colonel Hawkeye," the general said.
"Thanks chief. Alright boss, see you tomorrow."
"Later."
"Don't forget, you have to be in the office two hours early," Roy said before turning to go.
"I didn't forget, old man."
Tired and desperately wanting to just pass out, Roy glared over his shoulder, which made Ed laugh. It was that same free laugh that he seemed to only reserve for his brother and knowing that he was the cause this time made his chest tighten with something akin to hope. Hope? For what? Roy knew one thing for sure, nothing good awaited him as long as he was with, wanted, and obsessed over Edward Elric. Speaking of, the blond's laughter had subsided, tears of mirth wiped away by gloved hands.
"You're too easy," he sighed contentedly. Gilt orbs took on a more serious cast, as he continued, "By the way, I think I'm retiring after this." Roy's heart stopped for a moment. "I'm not really sure why I stayed as long as I did, but that's not important." Ed looked thoughtfully at the ground, his voice dropped to just above a whisper. "The way you held me that night…." Then those golden eyes were locked with his own dark gray, nearly black ones. "You're not happy with her, it's obvious, even if she doesn't see it and….I think we could have something good. So here's the deal and I don't expect you to answer right away, but I want to know what you really want. You have one year from now. I want your answer then." The finality in his voice indicated that the ultimatum wasn't up for discussion. Roy realized he must have a dumb look on his face by the way Ed was smirking at him. Forcing his features into a mask of neutrality, the general said, "Thank you for informing me of your plans, this will give me ample time to find your replacement." An unreadable emotion flashed in Ed's eyes. "Have a good night, colonel and welcome back." He desperately wanted to run to his room, but forced himself to take slow, measured steps and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the suite door open and close.
Ed sighed heavily as he shrugged out of his overcoat. A shower then bed. What Roy had said lingered in his mind. He wasn't sure if the man meant his replacement as his lover or his second-in-command. But first he had to call Al, tell him he wasn't at Granny's house. Dialing the number slowly, the wait seemed agonizingly long until Al picked up.
"Elric Residence, Alphonse speaking." There was raggedness to Al's voice.
"Hey Al, it's me."
"Oh thank goodness. I've been looking everywhere for you. I called Granny to make sure you got there safely, but when she said you never showed up…I…I…" Ed could hear the guilt in Al's voice.
"I know. I'm sorry for making you worry."
"Where are you?"
"In Ishbal."
"Oh. Brother," Ed's heart fluttered at the tone in Al's voice. "I'm sorry. After you left, it was clear to me that I was just…"
"Horny?"
"Brother!" He could practically see the mortification on Al's face. It made him chuckle.
"What? It's true right? I mean nine months is a long time to be hard up."
"You can be impossible sometimes, you know?"
"It's part of my charm."
"Hardly. What I was trying to was that I was afraid I'd do something I could never forgive myself for." Al paused, yawned, then said, "I'm glad you're safe, Brother. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, yeah. Get your ass to bed. Good night Al."
"Good night." Another yawn and then a click before the line went dead. He thought about showering, but decided to hold off until after his workout in the morning. Which was only a few hours away. Cursing Mustang for making him come in extra early, he stripped and snuggled under the covers, sleep fast overtaking him.
Roy sat heavily in an armchair, the smiling image of him and his best friend beaming at him from a simple black frame. He let his head fall back, enjoying the slight rush of blood to his head. Roy didn't think it was fair for one person to complicate his life so much. Hughes. His friend would have told him to take the risk and on some level he knew the man was right. I need a drink. That damnable brat is turning me into an alcoholic. A familiar feeling was creeping over him, making his skin pucker with goose bumps. It sat leadenly on his chest. I don't want to be alone tonight. At one point in time, he would have dispelled the feeling in the wanton embrace of a fiery-tempered blond. He supposed he should make use of the next best thing. Getting up slowly, he crossed the suite lounge and picked up the phone and swiftly dialed a number.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Viv, it's me."
"Hi," she said softly. "How are you?"
"Much better. Would you like to come over? I have a nice bottle of red and we can just talk by the fire."
"I would like that a lot. I'll be there in ten."
"I'll be waiting. I love you." The words rolled off his tongue so easily.
He could hear the blushing smile in her voice as she said, "I love you, too, Roy."
A/N: NK: That was a really hard chapter to write. Sorry it's on the short side, I just really wanted it to be over, especially since Ed decided that it would be okay to knee Roy in the balls.
Ed: Hell yeah.
Roy: Fuck you!
NK: Please review!