A/N: Sorry for any confusion, I had uploaded this chapter earlier but quickly removed it upon realizing I'd forgotten to correct a major error.
Doubt thou that the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love.
-William Shakespeare
I felt myself sag against him immediately, reveling in the feeling of his lips on mine for the first time in months as my eyelids became heavy. Strong arms curled around me to pull me flush against him and when I let out a soft moan my mind snapped to. I broke away and pushed myself back to look at him.
"Wait a minute." I panted, suddenly feeling as shy as I did when we first met and I was almost unable to meet his gaze. My hands rested on his shoulders as I breathed deep, trying to calm myself. "It's been a rough few days, and I'm still so confused about everything. I want to talk, just not right now. It's late, we should talk about this tomorrow when we're both in our right frame of mind." I said, trying to reason with him. I turned my eyes up to his and was met with a piercing molten glare that shot straight to my core. He looked serious. He looked angry. He looked gorgeous. In the span of half a second he knocked my arms away from him and grabbed the front of my shirt in his fists so he could jerk me to him and say,
"I never said anything about talking."
One swift tug was all it took, and he ripped my thin sweater down the front and yanked it off me, taking perfect advantage of my shocked gasp to crash his mouth over mine and pour his velvety tongue into me. It was by far one of the hottest things he'd ever done to me, and there was no fighting him as he hoisted me up to wrap my legs around his waist and I raked my fingers through his hair as we devoured each other. Strong hands squeezed my thighs as he moved us toward the empty bedroom, and my body sang as he turned his attention from my mouth to my neck and we descended to the mattress on the floor.
He ground his hips into mine, letting me feel his growing intention and it earned a throaty moan from me before he sat up and back on his heels to pull his shirt over his head. I savored the way the pale moonlight washed over his scarred skin, and felt my mouth water at the sight of sculpted abdominals and his gleaming metal arm. He reached back to pull his long hair free and it tumbled over his shoulders; messy and shaggy and boyishly charming while he smirked at me as if he knew something I didn't. Those golden eyes, sharp as daggers, suddenly melted into molten softness casting over me. It should've been so different; our reunion was something I'd dreamed about almost every night. I pictured the beautiful things we'd say and do, but it was never like this. I'd never imagined it could be under these circumstances. He must've noticed me lost in thought because he crawled over me again and hovered above me with his weight on one arm to softly run his fingers through my hair, and I died of happiness under the warmth of his touch. He leaned close.
"How can you think you're not right for me? You saved my life." He rested his forehead against mine. "No one else could ever be better for me, and even if they were I wouldn't want them. I love you. I want you."
He kissed me again and my heart soared as we made quick work of the rest of our clothes and savored the delicious taste of each others skin. His hands were a marvel in more ways than one; every touch and every stroke made my body scream with want while simultaneously sighing in delight at the warmth of his palm and the roughness of his fingers. Sweet euphoria seemed to sweat from my every pore as he readied himself at my entrance, but stopped and eyed me nervously.
"You still on the pill?"
I nodded as I let out a frustrated whimper, silently begging him to shut up and take me. He wasted no more time and slid himself home, eliciting breathy sighs from each of us as he pressed a hand under my knee to gain a deeper angle and kept moving. I clung to him desperately as my long legs wrapped around him and I kissed him, feeling him drive even deeper as his metal hand tangled into my hair.
The heat from our bodies would eventually warm the frigidity of his steel limbs, not that they ever bothered me. I was turned on by how strong he was despite his circumstances. How he'd risen above what King Bradley's scientists has built him for to find a purpose, and had created a life for himself that protected humanity from so much evil. Despite the awful destruction his limbs were built for, he'd mastered them to a point where he would never hurt me wether we were fucking each other hard enough to break furniture or he was loving me so carefully as though I were made of glass.
Tonight was somewhere between the two, where the high points would come with bursts of speed and hot, sweaty skin slipping against each other with hair pulling and name calling and neck biting before cascading into soft valleys of sweet whispers and treasured gazes; warm caresses with hushed "I love you's" and passionate, toe-curling kisses. When he finally sent me sky-rocketing into the heavens the force was strong enough to reduce all feeling in my limbs to pins and needles and wetness sprang to my eyes as I lay heaving underneath him, waiting for my mind to clear and my muscles to unclench. I opened my tired, half-lidded eyes to find glowing gold pouring over me before he squeezed his eyes shut and took his final thrusts.
"...Fuck... Oh fuck, Winry..."
He groaned as he finished and we collapsed in a heap of tangled limbs and twisted bed sheets.
My eyes fluttered open to sunlight pouring in the windows, illuminating a sight I rarely got to see: Edward sleeping in. Ed usually woke up by 5am like clockwork to go for a run before heading to the gym to lift weights with Havoc and Major Armstrong. He was always up before me and rarely let himself sleep past 7 at the latest. I took the opportunity to let my eyes wash over his features and I marveled at the way the sunlight gleamed off his tousled, long strands of gold. He would've looked so serene and ethereal if it weren't for the permanent alertness in his face. Even sleeping it seemed as though he had tabs on every movement around him, and it made me wonder if he ever achieved truly restful REM sleep.
His skin was slightly tanned from his months under the Arabian sun, and dark stubble revealed evidence of his indifference for putting himself back together. Shadows still curved under his eyes from lack of rest, and I was sure all the drama wasn't helping. My moment of peaceful admiration came to a halt when his eyes snapped open, seizing me in his golden glare before he softened and the corner of his sculpted mouth curled up into a devilish smirk.
"Good morning." I whispered to him as I pulled the blankets up around my shoulders to shield myself from the chilled air. He took notice of my movements and slid himself over my body, encasing me in his natural warmth as his head dipped and I felt soft, warm kisses being pressed into my neck and jawline.
"Ed?" I said curiously, wondering what was happening in his mind and wishing we could get breakfast to talk about things. He seemed to read my mind as he slid a warm hand up my side and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, gave a small shake of his head and with eyes closed murmured,
"Still not talking." He moved his attention back to my neck, where he knew I'd be reduced to putty in his hands, and softly nipped at my skin as I exhaled and parted my legs to pull him closer. The familiar feeling of blooming warmth unfurled in my chest as my arms slid around him, and he kissed me deeply, fully invading me with his dominance as he craned my head back and loomed over me for deeper access while my arms slid around him. Dr. Marcoh's theory floated into the forefront of my mind, and I realized he was right. Ed wouldn't have come after me if he no longer wanted me in his life. All thought process was immediately snuffed out when Edward groaned and dragged his hips hard against me, silently dictating exactly how our day would begin. Who was I to get in the way of a man on a mission?
We collapsed together side by side and fought to catch our breath before blinking our eyes open a few moments later to look at each other. My gaze fell to the juncture of his neck and shoulder and my mouth fell open a little as I reached up and ran my fingers over the small purple bruise. He hooked a steel finger over the sheets I held across me and pulled the edge down a bit to survey my chest, and as my gaze cast down I was met with two equally purple little bruises on the top of my right breast. As our eyes locked again we broke into grins, which quickly turned into us laughing like teenagers at the sophomoric hickeys we'd left on each other.
It felt so good to laugh with him again, and he pulled me to prop myself over him as he lied back and supported me loosely with a warm hand smoothed over my back. His automail arm craned back to support his head as he gave me a warm smile and asked,
"How do you feel?" I traced little circles on his smooth chest in contemplation before responding,
"Unwound. Good job, Elric." I said with a grin, throwing back to the time when I still referred to him by his last name. He sent me a meaningful look and held my gaze as his hand moved to take mine, and he pressed his mouth to my knuckles.
"Only the best, Rocky." It was so like him to be a smart-ass while simultaneously being sweet and romantic. We lived in the quiet happiness for a moment longer before he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and quietly said,
"I never slept with Lust."
I paused, letting his words wash over me and recalling what Riza had said. His eyes did not read as that of a man who'd had enough of me, of a man who'd become bored or irrevocably frustrated with coming to my rescue. I could see the intensity in his smoldering expression and his concern for not just protecting my physical well-being, but for being the savior of my souring heart, with it's mold grown on the inside from the absense of him and the tortuous suspicions that picked away at my soul like vultures on a carcass. I leaned forward to kiss him softly before telling him to just start at the beginning.
"Hey don't steal the last pork dumpling." He said while snatching at it with his chopsticks. We'd pulled on some clothes and ordered from Seamless while he told me about his mission, how he didn't call because of how hard it was to be away and his concern for possibly losing concentration on the task at hand. He pulled his black pants back on -sans underwear or shirt- and stuck his gun in his waistband not caring that it was showing when the delivery arrived and he made the delivery guy very nervous upon accepting our Chinese food.
I took in the lovely view of lean muscles and low-riding tight pants and stayed in bed with the sheets pooled around my waist, wearing Ed's long sleeve black shirt because he'd destroyed mine the night before. I swam in the shirt and the wide neckline fell dangerously low on my chest making me feel playful and powerful and sexy, and I made a mental note to wear Ed's clothes more often. He descended back onto the mattress with me and we dug into the bag of food as he told me about what lead Lust to her betrayal, stopping once to kiss me chastely when he saw my face burn red with anger at his mention of Lust coming on to him. He explained the threat Sloth made against me and why he sent Lust packing early as well as the many grueling hours he'd spent infiltrating Sloth's compound before learning about and destroying the missiles.
"That's when I called." He said, setting down his half empty carton of brown rice. "I didn't know if I was going to be successful, and I needed to hear your voice just incase I wasn't." I sat in awe of his story, and needed to blink back prickling moisture. I slid my focus to his pretty eyes and saw the way they'd glazed over suddenly. I'd seen that look on him before, it was a telltale sign of stress forcing the memories of his difficult life and dangerous work to the forefront of his thoughts, and I placed a hand on his arm supportively as I waited for him to rejoin me in the present. We were on our stomachs propped up on elbows and when he blinked back to reality he turned to me.
"I was terrified that I'd lose you. Now I feel like despite the mission's success, I've still failed you."
"No you haven't," I implored,"If anyone failed it was me. I should have given you a chance to explain. I honestly felt in my gut that something was wrong, but when she came and said that you slept together... My whole world came crashing down. I believed her because I thought you didn't love me anymore."
Edward shook his head.
"That could never happen. I'll never EVER stop loving you. You've become my link back to the humanity I'd lost. I can't survive without you, and I wouldn't want to." He pulled me closer to rest his forehead on mine as gold poured into blue. "Crazy woman. I love, and love, and love you."
I blushed and smiled, and he grinned seeing how he still had that effect on me. Pushing himself up to sit back on his heels he began to pull his long, messy hair into its usual ponytail and I was gifted the beautiful sight of taught lean muscle as he flashed that deadly smile at me. I made no effort to hide how much I was turned on by him and he dropped his arms to reach for me.
"I gotta get back to Central before Roy starts blowing up my phone. Do you have another shirt? I'll need that one back." I stood up and smiled, feeling a bit saucy as I grabbed the hem and pulled the shirt up and off. His eyes glazed over like a happy dog laying on a heated blanket after a steak dinner.
"Do you really have to go right now?" I asked coyly, being the ultimate tease and feeling awesome about it. His head lilted to the side as he basked in my nakedness with a wistful look.
"Unfortunately." He said shaking his head as he took his black shirt and pulled it on. "So are we okay? Are you coming home tonight?" I nodded as he pulled on his boots, and then dropped to his knees in front of me to grab my hips. Pulling me forward, he planted a kiss on the hem of my blue, cheeky lace panties before sliding his hands higher and kissing my ribcage. His hands continued to slide up my back and he pulled me into him to place a kiss on my breasts, my chest, my neck, before carefully taking my face in his mismatched hands and giving the same attention to my lips.
"Wow," I said after he broke away. "You're being extra wonderful today."
"Making up for lost time." He responded warmly. "Come home now."
"I've got some things to take care of, bringing stuff back to Gran's house. I'll be back tonight around 6 or 7ish."
He grabbed his phone and his keys, and squeezed my hand.
"I'll be waiting.
A/N: thank you all for your kind words of encouragement, it means the world to me. To respond to a reviewer, I really appreciate that you feel I've accurately captured how it feels to wait for a loved one to return from tour of duty. I come from a military family and grew up on a military base that Central often reminds me of, and while we were blessed that my father never had to go to war, I clearly remember how it felt to have him gone for months at a time, and I remember friends and neighbors who would go to war and come back empty shells of the people they once were. I tried very hard to be respectful and somewhat realistic of such an emotional hardship. I'm going away for about a week and won't be able to update until I return, so thank you all for bearing with me and thank you for reading and reviewing.