Aaaand the next chapter!

And today is the 8 month anniversary with my dear Meep (Mii-ch4n) ^^

So...yeah. XD

I'll try to get the next chapter out sometime next week, but as it gets close to the finals it'll be rough. Though...I've made you guys wait for like 2-3 months soo...it won't be that bad. Really X'D

I hope you enjoy this fic, thank you for all of your reviews ^^

Al's armor creaked loudly as he stepped off the train first. He wobbled a little, his footing unsteady from sitting for so long. Turning slowly so that way he would not fall over, he offered a hand for Winry to take to help her off the train.

"Thanks, Al," Winry murmured as they walked the small distance to where their luggage lay. Both were quiet and their eyes stayed trained on the ground as they left the train station.

"Winry?" Alphonse's echoey voice was especially quiet and hard to hear among the sounds of the town bustling around them. "I know it's stupid to think that after all this time searching…B-Brother will just be sitting at home waiting for us…but…"

The blonde put a hand on Al's metal arm, wishing she could feel the flesh inside of it and comfort the younger better. "I…I wouldn't get your hopes up, Al." She heard the armor clink as it nodded its head in response.

"Right."

The two continued their solemn walk out of town and up the road to their little house.

Alphonse couldn't help but glance around, looking for any changes around the house, but found none. When Winry unlocked the door, both quickly scurried into the house, only to find a thick layer of dust covering everything.

"He never came home," Winry winced as Al's voice turned sorrow-filled and almost had a childish ring to it.

"Al, come over to the kitchen, I want to see if I have something for that rust on your armor." She knew better than to try and comfort him, so instead she changed the subject. She was still looking through her supplies when she heard Al come in and sit down. "I'm not sure if I have anything that will help you, Al. The rust looks like it's gone too far." Winry observed the metal around the joints with a critical eye. Layers of rust were chipping away and she knew that what was left of the metal had to be weak.

"Al, it's not safe for you to stay in there anymore. If that metal cuts you, you could get really sick and die quickly," Winry warned as she sat across the table from Alphonse.

"I won't take it off," Al was stubborn. "I'll wear it until the arms and legs of it can't move anymore."

Winry desperately wanted to play the Brother Card: the 'your brother wouldn't allow you to stay in there' or 'do you know how angry you brother will be?'. But she knew Al would be deeply wounded if she played that card. Instead she nodded with a sigh and said, "Alright."

"I'm going to go down to the study now, Winry. I'll come back upstairs around dinner." Alphonse didn't wait for a response and merely stood up and walked out.

Winry sighed as she looked out the window. It was a beautiful May afternoon, the sun was bright and shining down on the flowers in the field between their house and the town. 'How can it be so beautiful when there's so much wrong?'

~/~/~

Maes noticed how Gracia was seemingly nervously moving her position on the stove top. "Everything all right?"

Gracia stopped as she heard her husband come up to her and she said quietly, "I'm worried is all."

Maes didn't have to ask about what. They were down to less than ten days before Roy's birthday, and Ed had still yet to say those three little words that were ever so important. "I'm worried. If Ed doesn't say anything soon, we'll be stuck like this forever." Gracia's voice broke. "Elysia will never grow up. She'll be a tea cup the rest of her life!"

Maes wished for nothing more at that moment than arms. He wanted to hold his wife tightly and comfort her, to finally be able to touch her again. However instead, he could only move closer to her and carefully rub himself against her to avoid scratching or chipping either's porcelain.

"I'm sure Ed will pull through. Do you know how many times Riza, Jean and I have walked in on those two?" Maes chuckled weakly. "I don't know what is holding Edward back, but if we really need to, I'm sure we can get him to say it."

"But Maes, he needs to say this with meaning, without being told to do so would be best." Gracia's voice continued to tremble a little. "If we tell him to say it, then it'll take away from the meaning."

"I don't think so," Maes murmured comfortingly. "If he knows that he is the key to this, then he'll happily do it. He cares a lot for Roy."

Gracia sighed again. "Let's wait a few more days before hinting."

"Alr-" Maes was cut off by Jean's loud voice.

"Why not just out right tell him now?" the candelabra had its arms crossed. Both teapots took deep breaths as Riza came in after and cuffed him over the head.

"Jean, you know we can't."

"The kid is in danger with that Dante around," he explained exasperatedly. "We'd all be able to help Roy protect him if we were human."

"Jean, Dante hasn't bothered Ed for a few weeks now." Maes said as both he and Gracia left the stove.

"You all clearly didn't hear the poor kid screaming this morning, then," Jean shook his head. "Roy had a hell of a time calming him down."

"The poor dear!" Gracia gasped. "I was wondering why they haven't been down for breakfast."

Jean shrugged a little. "I don't just want to get my body back. I feel like we could do so much more for Ed if we were human again."

"While your intentions are good, Jean, I think we should only tell Ed what to do as a last resort," Riza said as she placed a hand on Jean's shoulder. Keeping her pained expression inside, she watched Maes and Gracia lean closer together, the only way they could comfort each other. "Ed will pull through for us."

~/~/~

"Roy, really, I'm fine," Ed tried to insist as he stared into Roy's eyes. The man held him by his shoulders and was staring at him with an unreadable expression.

"Your nightmares have never been that bad before, Ed," Roy stated firmly. "Just tell me what it was."

Ed shivered, not just from the way Roy's hands were still caressing both the bare skin of his arms and sides, but from the dream as well.

It had seemed so real. He was in the forest outside of the manor, but not of his own will. He was tied, gagged and in the center of an enormous transmutation circle. Envy had been beside him, promising all the things he'd do to Edward once Dante had finished with him. Edward pressed himself more into Roy's touches, feeling disgusted from the things Envy had said and he could have sworn that he could actually feel Envy's touches during the dream. And then Envy had suddenly gone away and then red alchemic electricity filled the air and a horrible pain went through him…and then he woke up to Roy's worried face.

"It…it was just the same old dream, Roy," Ed looked away from Roy, feeling uncomfortable with lying to Roy. At the hard look from his…lover (Edward blushed a little at the thought of the word) he sighed. "It was different. I'm in the forest, I can't move, and Envy's there."

"Who?" Roy raised an eyebrow and pulled Ed closer into him, as though sensing that the topic was unpleasant.

"Envy, he's…been stalking me since I moved to the village. He was the person that I was running from when I ended up here." Ed put a hand on one of Roy's arms and squeezed it. "It was just…nothing happened in the dream, but he'd been promising to do…" Edward trailed off, not wanting to think of the things Envy had said.

Roy held him tighter as he murmured, "Do you think he's in on whatever Dante's doing?"

Ed stiffened a little, before nodding slowly. "Yeah, he'd said that he couldn't wait until she was done with me, because then I'd be his." Roy tucked Ed under his arm more, and the blonde could feel Roy's head on top of his and feel his breath coming out in short angry pants. "Roy, it'll be okay, really." Edward raised a hand and stroked his arms, trying to calm him.

"I, I know it will, Edward. I'm just worried about this. I won't let either of them hurt you." Roy pulled back and Ed saw his tight smile.

"Maybe if we can find the way to get you and the others back to normal, Dante will back off?" Ed hinted quietly. Roy had been spending less time studying and helping him, and instead was trying to spend more time with Ed. Whether it be cuddling, kissing or stroking him.

…Speaking of which, Roy's hand was getting pretty low.

Ed let out a bit of a shocked, pleasured sound as he felt Roy's hand stroke him slowly.

"Roy, I don't know w-hy you've been avoiding st-udying, but we need to get back to-o it, your birthday is coming up soon."

"I know, Edward," the blonde shivered at the low tone of the man's voice. "But I think we've done enough research for the moment."

Edward put his hand on Roy's wrist, stopping the movement. "Are you just giving up?"

~/~/~

Roy wasn't sure whether to laugh or curse Ed's insistence. 'He doesn't know there's no need for studying anymore.' Roy thought to himself, inwardly smiling sadly. 'He just doesn't know it's all up to him now.' Roy decided to change his approach as Ed's aroused scent wafted to his nose.

"Of course not," he paused for a moment. "You smell wonderful, Edward."

He watched as Ed's jaw dropped a little and a light blush developed on his face. "Thanks? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you smell good," he smirked and lowered his lips to the blonde's ear. "Especially when I do this," Roy slowly stroked Ed from base to tip and chuckled at the low moan that tumbled from his mouth and his cheeks darkened.

"What's that mean?" Ed asked, squirming a little.

"It means I can smell when you're aroused," he licked around the shell of the younger's ear. He watched as golden eyes grew wide, and Edward turned completely to face him.

"Wait, you mean you can…" He trailed off, his face a deep red.

"Smell when you are or have been aroused." Roy celebrated a quiet inward victory at successfully distracting Edward. "In the beginning, I had to lock myself in the library; it was the only place in the manor that that scent of yours didn't linger." He could hear Edward's breath catch and he continued to stroke the blonde, now slowly laying him back on the bed and hovering over him.

"You mean you knew I was-"

"Masturbating? Yes. Though I didn't know it was to the thought of me until a bit later."

Edward's eyes were darting around a bit as he squirmed and moaned as Roy's thumb pressed against his tip. "Why didn't you te-ll me you knew?"

"I had wanted to wait 'til the right time, and then you walked in on me." Roy chuckled as he nipped gently at the blonde's neck. "And after all these months of smelling you, I'd like to taste you as well." Roy looked directly into Edward's eyes as he said this and watching as amber eyes widened and his breath stilled in his chest.

"You have, though," Ed's voice was quiet. "Y-you've licked me before."

A small smile grew on Roy's face. "Yes, but not here." Roy squeezed Ed's cock gently, making him shiver. "May I, Ed?"

Edward looked up at him, his cheeks slowly returning to their original color, but still holding a pale red to them.

~/~/~

'This is so embarrassing to say, to talk about, and to agree to!' Edward thought as he slowly raised his head from Roy's pillow and pecked the man's cheek.

"Yeah, if you want to," he kissed Roy's lips and added, "Bastard." Ed shivered at the look Roy gave him as he placed his lips on his collarbone and started kissing slowly down. Ed moaned softly as the elder's fingers rubbed the sensitive skin of the nipple closest to his automail as his mouth latched onto the other. When he let out a small gasp, Roy switched and mouthed at the other and Ed couldn't help the way his back arched slightly.

Roy ran his teeth over the hardened nipple and also moved to tease the scarring from the automail as well. Edward was left panting from Roy's ministrations and his fingers scrambled to thread themselves through the soft, long hair-like fur on Roy's head. He fought back a whimper as Roy's mouth went elsewhere, kissing down his stomach. He jolted and made a startled noise as he felt a slick, warm tongue slide into his belly button. Ed squired and groaned as Roy continued to dip his tongue in and out and grazed the soft skin with his teeth.

When Ed felt Roy's hands settle on his hips, he opened his eyes, not realizing he'd closed them, and stared into Roy's dark blue eyes. His eyes grew wide as he watched Roy open his mouth and lap at his shaft; a moan tumbled from his own mouth at the sight. When the man took hold of his erection and stroked slowly as he wrapped his lips around and sucked at Ed's tip, the blonde tilted his head to the side, unable to stand looking into Roy's eyes as he was pleasured like this. He let out a cross between a gasp and a moan as he suddenly felt his cock be enveloped in a moist, warm cavern.

"Roy," Ed panted quietly as he kept one hand threaded in the man's hair and the other rose to his mouth. When Roy answered with a hum that vibrated around Edward's length, the blonde practically melted into the bed. As Roy's fingers kneaded the tense muscles around his hips as well as held him down, he slowly bobbed his head up and down, his tongue pressing against him.

Edward closed his eyes again as he pressed his hand to his mouth, trying to quiet himself if only a little. He arched his back and writhed on the bed. He didn't expect to react this way when Roy sucked and moaned around him, he didn't think he'd feel this much pleasure. He hadn't thought that Roy's teeth that would occasionally glide along his length would feel so good.

"Roy," he moaned through clenched teeth. So badly wanting to say those three words but refraining, remembering his decision to wait. "I…I-" he could feel Roy quicken his actions and bring the end all the sooner.

Edward's hand left his mouth and clutched the sheets as he arched his back and came. He was left gasping as Roy's teeth slid over his extremely sensitive skin, and continued to gently suck on him. Ed loosened his grip on Roy's hair and the hand fell down onto the bed with a thud. As his body quivered slightly, he could feel the ticklish feeling of Roy's fur on his skin as the man made his way back up to him.

Ed longed to whisper those three words, to just say them, to see Roy's response…but he stuck to his resolve. Wrapping his heavy arms around Roy's neck, he kissed the man deeply, faintly tasting himself on the other's tongue.

~/~/~

Roy sighed happily into the blonde's mouth. He had been completely surrounded by the source of Ed's aroused scent and he'd been able to taste him too. He could see the love in Ed's shining golden eyes and couldn't help but wonder why he wouldn't voice it.

He pushed the thought away and pulled back from Ed to place one short kiss on his cheek before smiling and saying, "We should get down to breakfast so that way they won't send someone up to check on us."

Ed frowned. "But, you're still," when he went to reach for Roy, the man merely took his hand and shook his head.

"I'll be fine, Ed. We should get going," Roy placed a soft kiss on the blonde's forehead before standing up and tossing Ed the clothes that had been thrown carelessly onto the floor the night before. Putting on his own clothes, he could hear the bed creak as Ed stood.

He was surprised when he turned around to find Edward standing behind him, still naked. Roy opened his mouth to say something to him and found the words halted in his throat as the younger wrapped his arms around him tightly. Roy smiled and returned the embrace.

"Roy, I just really want to find a way to get you to be normal again," the words were muffled by his fur, but Roy heard them all the same.

"I know, Ed," Roy tried to keep the sadness out of his voice. If Edward did not confess soon, he would not be able to love him the way the blonde deserved to be. He would still be a beast, and there was a good chance he'd return to the way he looked when Ed first came to the manor, all the progress he had made gone. He could even lose his mind and become a true beast.

Roy led Ed quietly down to the dining room, surprised but glad to see all of his friends in the dining room preparing their breakfast. When they had seen the two walk in they were greeted warmly, though Roy could nearly physically sense the tension in the room.

Once he and Edward had sat down, and midway through their meal, Roy cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.

"My thirtieth birthday is coming up, and I know you all will disagree with this decision of mine. However, I have decided that that day we shall celebrate. If I am human or not, we shall celebrate," his words echoed through the suddenly-quiet room.

"But, Roy," Ed spoke up first. "If you're not human by the twentieth, then that day we should be searching for any way possible to reverse it!"

Roy had to look away and he heard Riza hit Jan so he would not say anything.

"We will celebrate on your birthday, Roy." Riza stated. "Regardless of you still being a beast or being a human. Though we will do our very best to insure you will be human." Roy saw the quick glance she sent to Ed before meeting his eyes again.

"Thank you," Roy said softly and relaxed in his chair again. He reached out and took the hand Ed had rested on the table and squeezed it. "Everything will be alright, Edward," he murmured despite the odd sense of foreboding he had in his gut.

The golden blonde nodded a little, looking unsure still. "I hope so."