Hold on to your seats because this ride is about to get wild! Ed's back in his own world, Al's landed himself in Germany, and Winry has a secret. But before we go there, weren't you wondering where all those rumors about Ed and Roy came from?
Oh, ah, also, language warnings for Ed's foul mouth. He's angsty in this chap. But, I already rated this M, so do I need the warning? Ah well.
Abstractication: LAST EXILE IS ON TV?
Silent:Tears:Fall: but did Al really sacrifice everything and get nothing? … maybe he sacrificed nothing (because he's still alive) and got everything (because Ed did come back) and he still doesn't get what he wanted. Ouch. Those laws of the universe can be a bitch, they can.
Biskit: Thanks for reading! As it happens, this next chapter is THE roy/ed chapter, so do enjoy! As a side note, Roy/Ed is my favorite pairing to read, and so hence I'm kinda nervous about writing it.
Eleventy Nine: by five thousand? #dies# thankyousomuch!
ShadowBlue: thank you, im really glad that you like the way it switches in and out of the present, I think it makes it more interesting that way and it goes along with the whole theme, but I hoped it wouldn't be too confusing.
Garen Ruy Maxwell: thanks! I certainly will continue!
KristalChan: Update soon? You got it!
Stary Angel1: Thankye!
Part Two Begins
Sins of the Flesh
"C'mon, boss, your brother is enjoying himself. Why don't you let yourself have a little fun?" Havoc stood laughing before him, a champagne glass in one hand and the other twined around the slender fingers of an attractive redhead. He handed the glass to Ed, saying, "here ya go, drink up. It'll help you relax."
Edward scowled into the delicate flute, sniffing the bubbling stuff suspiciously.
"S'not gonna hurt you," Havoc teased, letting his date drag him off to the dance floor.
It was the fuhrer's birthday party. Everyone military was invited, and all State Alchemists were expected to attend. "Yes, including you, Fullmetal," the Colonel had insisted haughtily, peering at him over the piles of paperwork on his desk. Ed had stomped his foot, replying angrily that he certainly was not attending any stupid parties and he most definitely was not wearing a suit.
The Colonel could tease and order him all he liked, but it had been Al's tinny pleading of "but brother, I'd like to go to a party. I've never been to something like that before," that finally cracked his resolve. The suit was worn (brother, you look very nice, stop complaining) and the party was attended (isn't this fun brother? Look at everyone all dressed up! Oh, there's Lieutenant Colonel Hughes-) and the Fullmetal Alchemist was hating every minute of it.
He watched people interacting, chatting and flirting, laughing and dancing, and took a sharp sip of champagne. He screwed up his face. Ew. How could these people drink this stuff? The bubbles tickled in his nose as he tipped the glass for another sip. Yes, he mused as he watched the people breeze by. This is an adult's world. And as much as he felt like an adult most days, this evening he felt like his age was being waved above his head like a banner screaming just a child! Unsophisticated! Uneducated! Unable to interact normally in polite society!
Colonel Mustang thanked the bartender for the glass of brandy and turned to watch the crowd. Where had he left his date again? Was that her dancing with Havoc? His palm smacked his forehead. Ah, no! His eyes narrowed, and he intended to stroll confidently onto the dance floor and request his date returned to him, but something else caught his attention.
He gave a low whistle.
Fullmetal certainly cleaned up nicely. The suit was a perfect cut, showing off his slender build, and his hair shone softly in the light from the chandelier above. The boy caught him staring and scowled at him from across the room, and Roy smiled wryly to himself and made his way over to his subordinate.
Plucking the champagne flute from the boy's hand, he said, "Aren't you a bit young to be drinking this, Fullmetal? Wouldn't you prefer some nice apple juice instead?"
Ed made a move to snatch his drink back but Roy raised it above his head, letting Fullmetal jump for it and watching in amusement as his temper exploded.
"WHO'S SO SMALL HE NEEDS TO DRINK JUICE OUT OF A SIPPY CUP AND SIT AT THE KIDDIE TABLE AT A BIG FANCY PARTY LIKE THIS ONE?" he demanded, his face swiftly turning a bright red.
Roy chuckled to himself, this was too much fun. "You could ask the bartender for a nice, cold glass of milk," he suggested, his voice thick with false innocence. "It might help to solve your, ah, height deficiency."
"YOU KNOW I REFUSE TO TOUCH THAT FOUL DISGUSTING JUICE THAT'S SECRETED FROM A COW, COLONEL BASTARD," he roared, drawing the attention of several bystanders. He snatched the glass out of the colonel's hand, spilling some of the contents on the polished floor and downing the rest of it. He scrunched his face up in a nasty expression and shuddered. "This stuff is pretty foul too," he admitted, suddenly calm again but no more pleasant. "What do you want, anyway?" he demanded, folding his arms across his chest and wrinkling his nose at the bitter taste in his mouth.
"I want to know why you're standing over here enjoying the company of potted plants instead of mingling with the rest of the guests," Roy said, his black eyes sparkling in the flickering light. "Your brother doesn't seem to be having any trouble."
Ed's expression remained dark. "Yeah, well, he hasn't been mistaken for a small child by everyone he's asked to dance," he retorted.
Roy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You asked someone to dance, and they turned you down?" he asked, incredulous.
The boy frowned, his arms remaining crossed. "No. But they probably would, if I did."
Fullmetal was fifteen, Roy remembered suddenly. He might look like a child and live like an adult, but he was very much a teenager. How did he expect him to act at a gathering like this?
"You dance with me then," Fullmetal said sharply, and Roy looked down at him, his surprise doubled.
Roy grinned, not his usual smirk but a full, wicked looking smile. "Gladly," he said, extending his hand, pulling the boy out onto the dance floor. Fullmetal was a surprisingly good dancer, he noticed, pleased. He realized he had expected that at least the sheer weight of the automail would cause him to be unbalanced, but he seemed to compensate for that perfectly. He shouldn't be surprised, he told himself. Fullmetal was a genius; he was good at everything he attempted.
And was Fullmetal always this pretty? He may not have grown much, but his face had matured from the eleven year old child he was when he first encountered him. The planes were more sculptured, the features more refined, although he still did not have the appearance of an adult. Roy groaned inwardly as he felt Fullmetal's body pressing up against his. Just a dance, he told himself, swinging the boy around the dance floor in time to the music. Where was his date when he needed her? Curse Havoc for trying to lure her away as revenge for stealing his girlfriends! It was her who should be looking longingly into his eyes, not him into the eyes of his ever so tempting and ever so off-limits fifteen year old subordinate!
"Hey, Colonel Bastard," the kid commanded, and Roy looked down, not breaking rhythm with the music.
In an instant Fullmetal had wrapped his arms around his neck, yanking him down to his level and planting his hot, wet lips on his mouth.
All stopped.
Yes, the music was still playing and yes, the people were still dancing and laughing, chatting and flirting and looking curiously out at the scene unfolding on the dance floor, storing this information away for the many post-party discussions that would take place in the weeks after. Yes, I was there when they kissed. Yes, I saw them dancing, both like it was completely natural, but I didn't think much of it until they kissed.
But Roy Mustang stopped dead in his tracks, suddenly looking down on a very startled Edward.
The kid is more surprised by this than I am, he realized with amusement, that famous smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
He felt the boy's muscles tense, and he tried to jerk away, but Roy tightened his grip. He saw those gold eyes darting around, looking for the nearest door most likely, and he forcefully began pulling the boy along in the dance steps they had broken from a moment earlier. "Don't you run off yet, the song's not over," he warned under his breath, his face a perfect mask.
Fullmetal had paled, and a faint sheen of sweat had appeared on his forehead. "People are staring!" his hissed.
Roy's hand rested on the small of his back, guiding him across the floor. "They'll stare even more if you run out of here," he said grimly. "Or worse, they'll think I was trying to seduce you."
A new wave of panic crossed the boy's face, apparently he hadn't yet thought of what his spontaneous action might do both of their reputations. "You do it to every one else," he said, his voice strained.
"I try to make sure they're legal first," came the reply through clenched teeth.
As if on cue, the music ended, and true to his prediction Fullmetal all but ran out the large double doors. Roy took a deep breath, threw his shoulders back, and went after him, trying to ignore the sensation that every eye in the room was boring into his back as he left.
He found him out on the balcony, arms flung out over the railing with his head sagging between them. When he heard the footsteps behind him he picked his head up, turning around to face him. "If you've come out here to laugh at me-" he began, but Roy interrupted.
"I'm not going to laugh at you, Fullmetal," he said sternly, coming to lean against the railing beside him. Edward's hair was backlit from the golden light of the party behind him, giving his head a faint glowing outline, and the silver light from the moon above them made his skin appear pale as marble.
"I'm so stupid," the boy muttered, looking down at the yard several stories down. "I was just- I don't know what I was thinking. Now I've probably gone and caused you all kinds of grief with the way people will talk."
When have you ever cared about causing me grief before? Roy thought incredulously. In fact, I swear, Edward Elric, you deliberately cause me grief all the time! Instead he told him, "Don't worry about it, the talk will die down in a few days. A month from now no one will even remember it." Liar!
"I mean," the kid continued, staring out across the lawn, "Every woman you meet practically falls at your feet, you can have anyone you want, I couldn't possibly-"
"Who says I want those women?" Roy said softly, his voice low. "Who says I don't want you?"
His head snapped up, anger flashing in his eyes. He straightened and folded his arms in front of him. "Quit making fun of me, Colonel Bastard," he said fiercely. "I know I made a fool out of myself in there, now just leave me alone! Why do you want to make this even worse for me, asshole?"
Roy's face remained calm, but his inner monologue was screaming at him a mile a minute. Just do what he says and leave him alone! It's a crush, it's just a crush, for god's sake, he's a teenager, what did you expect? He's embarrassed enough as it is and he sure as hell doesn't want to talk about it with you! "Ed," he said quietly. "I think you're assuming the wrong things here."
Ed looked at him warily, arms still folded, but waited for him to continue.
"I was surprised that you kissed me, yes," he stated slowly. "But I wasn't angry. In fact," oh no Roy don't tell him that, don't do it, you do NOT have his best interests in mind here, you're not helping him in any way by telling him, you'll only make things worse "I rather enjoyed it." Now you've done it, you have just earned yourself a special spot in hell, that one ring that's reserved for child molesters and people who talk during movies.
The boy's mouth hung open, and Roy reached over and gently pushed it shut, brushing his thumb over those soft lips and across the smooth cheek. Slowly, as he leaned towards him, those gold eyes grew wider and wider until he whispered, "Ed, close your eyes," and slid his fingers under the boy's chin, tilting his face upwards and touching those lips to his own. He felt a nervous tongue dart across his lips, and smiled inwardly to himself, opening his mouth slightly and moving his other hand to the back of the boy's head, pressing them closer together.
It was Roy who finally broke away, breathless, staring at the figure in front of him, flushed, eyes bright, dragging the back of a gloved hand across his mouth.
And then the boy ran.
It was nearly midnight when the brothers returned to the dorm. They sat on their beds and Ed threw open the lone window, letting the moonlight spill across the floorboards. Al had been talking non-stop about the people he had met at the party while Ed just sat, replaying the kiss in his mind over and over again, as if he was afraid that if he forgot even the tiniest detail the moment would disappear forever. Al's next sentence, however, chilled him to the bone.
"When I get my body back, I want to dance like you danced, brother."
"Ah, you can dance, Al, can't you? Izumi taught us both," he said hesitantly.
Al shook his metal head, the joints in the armor making a faint steel-on-steel sound. "I'm too big, who could I ever dance with? And can you imagine what I would sound like, stomping around like that?" A sound came from within the armor that Ed had learned to recognize as a sigh. "Besides, what would be the point? With this body, its not like I can ever kiss anyone."
So Al had seen him after all. He had not mentioned one word about it until that moment. Seen him, or heard someone talking about it.
Ed felt like his heart was cracking in half. It was all I could do, Al, believe me. It was either use that suit of armor or loose you completely. He shuddered as another voice took over. Brother, you should have listened to me when I said trying to bring mom back was a bad idea. Al had never said that to him, he would never say something like that, but god knows what he was thinking right now. That had to have been what he was thinking.
"I'll get your body back, Al," he swore, the guilt pressing in on him. "I won't stop until I do." This was the part where Al would say, and I'll get your body back too, brother, so you don't have to deal with that automail, but he was silent. As he should be, Edward thought grimly. He could live a normal life, do normal things, have a romance, even, if not a normal one. Missing a few limbs didn't stop him from getting everything he should out of life. It wasn't fair, and he knew it wasn't fair, that while the transmutation had been his idea, it was Al who had paid the highest price.
Colonel Mustang was sitting in his living room, uniform only half off, sipping his finest brandy and listening to his favorite record when his phone rang. He reached over for the receiver lazily, not even surprised when he heard Fullmetal's voice. What he had to say, however, was not what he expected.
"Colonel," he had pleaded, his voice sounding almost desperate, "nothing happened tonight, okay? Please, just forget that any of that happened."
"Fullmet-"
"Its not that I didn't enjoy it, I did, I swear, and I thought its what I wanted, but now I just need you to pretend it never happened."
"Fullmetal," Roy said, trying to collect his racing thoughts, "I owe you an apology. I don't want you to feel like I was taking advantage of you-"
"I don't. Don't apologize. You weren't doing anything wrong, and neither was I, because nothing happened, all right?"
The clock said three am, Roy noticed pointlessly. The voice on the phone seemed in desperate need of comfort, or advice, or both. That's what you're supposed to be for him, Roy, his friend, his mentor, his superior. He trusted you, and what have you done with that trust? "Look, these things you're feeling are perfectly normal for someone your age-"
"FUCK YOU COLONEL BASTARD!" Roy had to hold the receiver away from his ear a bit. "I'm not a damn kid! I just- " there was silence for a moment, and then the voice dropped back to a normal level. "I thought it was what I wanted, but it's not, so lets just pretend it was nothing. Can we please?" The voice was strained, hurt, and Roy squeezed his eyes shut against it.
"If that's what you want," he said softly. "But if you ever want to talk-"
"I don't want to talk," Fullmetal said darkly. "I have to go to bed, me and Al are leaving in the morning. Early. We're going to Lior."
"I thought you were leaving next week?"
"Now we're leaving tomorrow." The dial tone signaled that Ed had hung up on him, and Roy slowly brought the brandy glass to his lips, letting the liquor wash over his tongue and sear its way down his throat.
"Nothing happened," he whispered to the empty room.