(A/N: This is dedicated to my friend Robert, for whom I am eternally grateful to God for. Also, credit goes to him for being the general inspiration of this story. Thank you to all of you who reviewed and told me my translation was incorrect. -sigh- Thanks to you , I have reposted. Enjoy!)
Edward Elric stood in front of his commanding officer and lover Roy Mustang, seething. They were arguing quite viciously (again) and they were quickly getting to the end of their respective ropes.
"I am not some damn dog, Mustang! And I'm tired of you jerking me around like one!" Edward yelled.
"Then you should have thought of that before you entered into service, shouldn't you've?" Roy snapped. Edward had reached his limits and heaved his state-issued watch at him. It narrowly missed Roy, leaving him too stunned to even think of snapping. Edward stormed out of Roy's office, crashing into Havoc, Breda, Fuery, and Falman who had been listening at the door. Hawkeye merely raised an eyebrow at the mass of twitching men piled in front of the Colonel's door before entering his office and closing said door. To be on the safe side, she cocked her gun rather close to the door, ensuring the eavesdropping officers on the other side would take the hint and beat it. She sat down in front of Roy, who currently had his head in his hands, looking relatively defeated. She waited a moment before speaking.
"Sir, I'm sorry to intrude, but perhaps I could offer a bit of advice?" He looked up briefly before nodding his assent.
"Colonel…maybe he's right." He slowly raised his head in astonishment, not responding. His perplexed look prompted her to continue.
"Maybe you do enjoy yanking his chain a little too much. You are both very dominant individuals, and neither of you react well to presumptuous authorities. Edward feels as though you are revoking his control, and control is very important to him. Just like it is to you. It is part of the reason you two clash so often. I…make no assumptions about your personal lives," Here he looked beyond bewildered, wondering, 'How the heck did she know?' "but perhaps it is time you relinquished some of your control over him. It may help in the long run."
Hawkeye stood, bowed, and left. Amazingly, the boys in the outer office had taken her earlier hint and backed off. Roy sat in his office, contemplating her advice.
Later that evening…
Edward sat in his and Mustang's apartment, brooding over their…argument. He couldn't understand how Roy had gotten him so mad. He hadn't spoken to anyone the rest of the day, not even Alphonse, who had gotten the story from Havoc and the others and wasn't put out at being ignored for the day. As he was trying to figure out what to do about Roy, the object of his musings walked through the front door, looking rather nonchalant for someone who couldn't possibly think he was sleeping on anything but a couch that night. They looked at each other warily, unsure of whether or not their fight would rekindle itself. Roy carefully took a seat next to the high-strung blonde. Edward didn't bolt from the room like every muscle in his body was clearly screaming out to do, and Roy took that as a good sign.
He started to draw something out of his pocket and Edward tensed even more, if that's possible. Tawny eyes widened in clear uncertainty at the object Roy wielded. It was a simple leash attached to a plain collar. Silently, Roy unclasped the collar and snapped it around his neck. Roy then handed the leash to the bewildered blonde. Edward hesitantly accepted it, an understandable question on his face.
Roy spoke softly, "I'm relinquishing my control. You can do with it what you wish." Silence met this quiet declaration. Then, as though testing it to make sure it wasn't a con, he yanked on the leash sharply. Roy obligingly followed. A million thoughts were streaming through his head. This gesture, if genuine, really meant something coming from Roy Mustang, the great manipulator. It was also an inconceivable show of trust on Roy's part. To sincerely surrender his power to Edward took an incredible leap of faith, so incredible, in fact, Edward hadn't even believed Roy capable of such a feat.
He stood and watched as Roy emulated the action. He walked towards their bedroom, not bothering to see if the elder man was following him. When they reached their destination, Edward pushed him roughly to his knees so that for once, Roy was looking up at him instead of the other way around. He pulled the leash taut, forcing Roy's head up. There had been no change in either man's expressions during this entire ordeal. They stood there at an impasse. Finally, Edward spoke, breaking the heavy silence. "I don't want this. I want you. I want even footing in this. To be equal to you. No more, no less. I…I love you…and all I want…is for you to…love me in return." This admission was surprising to both parties. Neither of them had ever said the 'L' word. Roy's obsidian eyes softened and Edward went to his knees. They approached each other cautiously, careful not to break the fragile peace between them. As their lips touched, Roy sank into the kiss, letting Edward dominate him. The teen drew back, his breathing slightly uneven.
"Edward…I…" Roy whispered. Golden eyes stared calmly back at him. Roy rested his hands on his lap, being careful not to touch the blonde. Edward reached up and unfastened the restraining collar. He then shocked Roy for the umpteenth time that day; he snapped the collar around his own slender neck. He allowed a small smile to grace his features. Then, in an attempt to make his lover laugh, he barked. Roy's stunned face was well worth the indignity. Finally, the brunette burst out in joyous laughter. Roy collapsed against the side of the bed, trying to stifle his amusement. Edward laughed as well and when it had subsided, he moved to sit on Roy's lap and lean his head on Roy's warm chest. They sat there for a moment, before Roy spoke again, "Edward…I…love you too." Edward looked up and with a sly smile replied, "I know." Then as an afterthought, he added, "Baka." Roy laughed again before removing the pesky collar from Ed's neck and leading him to the bed. And they lay there the whole night through beside each other, both of them relinquishing their control on the other.
-Fin-
(A/N: Well. First off, do you know how hard this was to write without adding a single reference to 'dog of the military'? I'm not as happy with the ending to be honest, but all in all, I think it turned out okay. What do you think?)