Solid Gold Rabbits

Chapter Two

By: Lunatic with a Hero Complex

The next day, he knew would be a day to try his skills. You didn't just trail the Full Metal Alchemist, commanding officer or not. It was something that he did not tolerate. It made him extremely nervous, and why not, his was a perilous life.

For the second day in a row, he awoke without a hangover. It was pure miracle, and it was just as nifty the second time in a row. Last night, he had cleared an amazing amount of paperwork; he could definitely afford to slack off a little today. Hawkeye would be especially lenient if he worked hard while he was actually there.

He was at work for two hours before Full Metal showed up to look at the files again. He had known he would. Distracted the kid may be, but once you hooked him, you hooked him hard.

Not, to mention, he felt that as of last night, Ed had found personal ties in the case. He wasn't sure how, but he knew it had to do with Sidney Raines. A dirty man if Roy had ever laid eyes on one, and he had seen his share of dirty men in his time. A veritable janitor's closet of scum and back street lackeys.

He handed over the files silently and said nothing, today was not a verbal investigation, he just had to know when to move, when to get closer, and when to fade back.

At 2:30, Full Metal rose and handed back the files, "Colonel." A quick salute.

He gave the boy a three-minute head start. He moved to Hawkeye's desk, "Lt. Hawkeye, I am taking the remainder of the day off." She looked ready to protest, but at his look, she stayed her tongue, "Yes sir."

He put on his coat, and left the building, quickly. When he exited, Ed was about mid-courtyard. He followed him casually; runners attract attention.

First, Full Metal went to the military barracks. He disappeared inside of his room for ten minutes, and emerged. His coat was wrapped tightly around him, but something looked different.

Again, Roy followed. He was careful. Twice, Edward turned around in a dead stop in the middle of the sidewalk, and Mustang was almost sure that he had been spotted. Then, the blonde would move on and Roy would once again pursue, dead set on achieving the right answers.

They went down the street that Roy had lost him on two nights ago. This time, he saw the door the boy went into.

He felt he needed to get rid of the military uniform. Something told him the type of people behind that door did not appreciate government officials.

He went back to his own apartment, and changed into blue jeans and a white button up shirt. Something that could never be mistaken for military attire.

At the door that Edward had disappeared behind, Roy felt a tinge of nervousness. For what, he had no idea. Whatever was behind that door was probably no match for a state alchemist. But, if that was so, why was Edward in there, and why was he suddenly so much more wraith like than it was ever thought possible.

He expelled his fear and knocked.

The door opened and a man ushered him in. A man in an Armani suit. Strange attire for such a run down building. The man smiled, "Welcome sir, to the Blue Leaf Rest Home, come right in." He followed the well-dressed man into a lobby of sorts. There were red velvet couches everywhere, with gold embroidery. On these couches, were women and men. All shapes and sizes. But you could tell the employees from the clients a mile away. Their clothing marked them like lepers. Fishnets, and corset tops. Chains, leather, lace. The customers were pale images of human life in comparison.

Roy felt bile rise in his throat. Neither explanation that there could be for Edward's presence in this home could bode well.

Then, his eyes landed on the far couch. And the bile rushed down his esophagus, and he felt his heart replace it.

Edward was sprawled on the red velvet in leather pants, and a mesh black top. There was no ornamentation on him anywhere else, just the automail. At the moment, there was a man sitting at Edward's feet, and sickeningly enough, Ed was flirting with him, drawing him in.

"Do you see something that pleases you sir?" The voice in his ear startled him out of his reverie. He turned and looked at the broad man that had addressed him, and again, he received a nasty shock, Sidney Raines. He'd seen enough of this man's pictures.

He recovered nicely, and he formed a plan, "Yes, actually, the blonde over there on the far left." Raines turned and looked, he smiled, "Ahhh yes, Kit, fine choice of course, we must have proof that you have the proper funds." Roy pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and showed it to the man. The smile grew, "Wonderful, I'll get him for you."

He walked over to the couch and whispered in Edward's ear. He nodded, and turned to the man still trying to win him over, a wicked smile graced his face and he caressed the cheek. He stood, liquid and graceful, and followed Sidney back to where Roy stood.

When his eyes finally rose to meet Mustang's, the utter look of horror that possessed his features was enough to tell it all. But, after a quick glance at the back of his employer, the boy hid it, and his features were all seduction.

Roy had to fight incredibly hard to match the boy's restraint.

"Here he is sir, if I might have your payment."

Roy handed over the cash without looking.

Edward smiled up at him, it looked as though every inch he stretched his mouth, it broke his heart, "Come right this way, sir, I'll show you our room."

Full Metal took his hand and led him towards the hall way on the right side of the room. They went up the stairs with Raines smiling sickly after them, Roy had vastly overpaid, it seemed.

Once they were in the room that Ed had spoken of, and the door was locked, Edward turned on him, the tears already starting to spill down his cheeks, "What are you doing here, Mustang?"

Roy felt a deep frown crease his features, "The same question could be asked of you, Edward."

The gold eyes went down and he backed towards the wall, "There are things that you don't understand, there are circumstances."

Roy's anger reached an even higher peak and he felt it begin to obscure his vision. He saw red. In two quick strides, he had Ed's shoulders in his grip, one metal and one flesh, and he was holding the boy in his eye line, "What is there not to understand, it all seems very clear to me." The eyes winced and began to tear further, not in emotion, but in pain, "Roy, please."

He threw the blonde on the red comforter, "I paid your pimp and now, you are to service me, is that how it is Full Metal?" He leaned down over the boy and began to violently undue the leather pants.

Ed scrambled backwards, using his automail leg to get Roy off of him, "Roy, no please don't."

"What, you'll lie there for strangers, but you won't let me?"

Roy turned and began to head for the door, when Ed's voice rang out over the short airspace.

"He said he'd kill Al! Al and…and…"

Roy turned, waiting; it finished in a whisper.

"And he said, he'd find you."

The boy was against the wall, sitting on the corner of the bed that was farthest from Roy.

Roy stood frozen.

It was much easier to believe that Edward Elric, the proudest person in Central would be working in a second rate whorehouse to save his brother.

But something still remained.

He stayed in the same, half turned position, "Edward, why would he threaten you with me?"

Edward stayed silent for a moment, frozen on the edge of speaking some irrevocable truth.

Roy finally moved, over to the bed, where the boy's legs were stretched out, the zipper on his leather pants still partially undone.

"Edward, why would he threaten you with me, he's obviously never seen me."

His eyes moved up to meet Roy's and the force shock of their hollowness almost broke him, "Because he…he heard me tell Al that I thought I …I loved you."

Roy's head spun a little. It was more than he was expecting, and Edward saw it. He spoke. Suddenly, he seemed to possess all of the strength of will that he had been lacking in the past few weeks, "Don't worry Mustang, I don't expect it to be reciprocated, but I still can't let him kill the only people I have left that I haven't murdered myself."

He stood from the bed, and zipped the leather pants.

"Now, if you still have questions, you will contain them until tomorrow at Head Quarters, you can ask all you want, but right now, I'm exceeding my time limit, and I do not need another black eye, so cooperate Mustang."

Ed reached up past Roy's thunderstruck eyes and ruffled his hair, making it disheveled, and out of joint.

Then he smoothly moved downwards, unbuttoning two of Roy's shirt buttons, one in the middle, one at the top.

Then, casually, he unzipped his fly, but left the jeans buttoned.

He smiled tiredly at the confused look on Roy's face and explained, "I have to make it look like you got your money's worth, now don't I, and with that bemused look I know you'll be utterly convincing."

Then, he re-braided his own hair and straightened his attire, wiping away the tear tracks.

"Come on, up an at 'em."

Roy was pushed out of the door, and down the stairs where Ed saw him to the door and waved him out, with a pinch on the ass to seal the deal.

Then Roy was alone, on a snowy street in Central, with a million questions, and one tired brain. He went home and slept.

As Sid gave him his comparatively small cut of his day's earnings, Ed was given a very rare and very frightening smile, "I don't know what you did to that black haired feller, but he overpaid ya by about a hundred bucks, and he left here lookin' like a lightnin' struck five year old." Ed just grinned slightly, he was a much better actor for this man, apparently, "He was a first timer, just naïve."

Sid smiled, "Gotta love naivety kid, it's a real money maker."

Ed laughed shortly, "Yeah."

Third morning without a single drink, but not a happy optimistic morning full of clear headedness. The events of the previous day left him feeling like he'd been run over by a truck.

A large, cargo bearing, blonde truck.

He dressed haphazardly and drank six cups of coffee, and then he just drained the pot.

When he came into the office Hawkeye approached him, but stopped short when she caught good sight of him.

He went into his office silently, save for a sharply barked order for coffee, and lots of it.

Two hours passed in this fashion, lots of coffee coming in, and no paperwork coming out.

Then, at a quarter till eleven, Edward Elric walked into his office, and sat down on his couch.

Roy looked at him silently for a few moments. Then he started right in, he did not feel that preliminary small talk was really a necessity, "How long?"

The simplest question first, and it probably got the simplest answer, "Almost four weeks."

Roy's breath hitched, so it was right after he'd gotten back from the last mission. It had made Roy frustrated that it had taken him this long to get the mission report, now he saw how the time could be hard to come by.

Next question, "How often."

Edward's eyes never left his, "Every day that I'm not here, and every night, save the night you called me in for research. By the way, am I to assume that the murder case was really not as vital as you made it sound?"

Roy ignored the question and focused on the answer before it. He felt like crying. How could he not have guessed it sooner?

It seemed that Ed was not as bad an actor as Roy had mentally made him out to be. It took some skill to hide something like that for almost four weeks.

And he probably would have kept on if Roy hadn't caught him in that bar.

Now he didn't feel like crying, he felt like throwing up.

Suddenly, Ed was in front of his desk, crouching at Roy's eye level. He held his chin in an iron, but gentle, automail grip, "No, I don't need an ashamed, confused man on my side right now. There was nothing that you could have done, and nothing would have benefited from me telling you, but now that you know, I need the annoying, arrogant, powerful, Mustang that is usually there. I can't do anything with a weakling, and I tell you right now, I have to do something, I can't do this much longer."

Ed's words hit where Roy's own psyche could not. It hit his ego. And it hit something else, he didn't know if he loved him, but he certainly felt entirely too partial to Edward Elric, and he knew, now that he knew of course, that he would have to get the blonde out of that house.

He didn't want him to be anyone's. Not if that person wasn't him.

Ed saw the resolve and relief flooded his face. This was an extremely useful person to have, this soldier, Roy Mustang.

He sat down on the couch, "Now, any other questions?"