Through Metamorphosis
RWThunder
Chapter IV
"We make a good team." Edward commented as they surveyed the results of their cooking. The Flame Alchemist scrutinized the fruits of their combined efforts and finally nodded his approval.
"It sort of makes you sad to eat it." He replied. The blonde took a seat.
"Not really." He began on the toast, taking a moment to spread jam. Roy followed suit, taking the chair across from Edward and serving himself some omelet.
"This is really good." The brunette noted after a moment's thoughtful chewing. Edward looked up from his orange juice and smiled.
"The labor makes it taste better." He replied.
"Either that, or we're both far too familiar with military meals." They shared a knowing grin, basking in the memories of Central and it's dreaded cafeteria.
The last few minutes of their early breakfast passed without interruption.
Roy had carried the dishes over to the sink and now turned to face Edward's back. The blonde remained at the table, leisurely finishing his juice. He pondered for a moment before walking quietly over to his fellow alchemist.
Edward started when two arms came down around him, hands that he was accustomed to seeing gloved linking over his stomach. Roy's nose brushed against his cheek and a soft sigh fleetingly warmed his skin.
"Hey, come help me out." Then the warmth and closeness was gone. Roy stood and made his way back to the waiting dishes. Recovering himself, Edward abandoned his drink and approached the brunette.
"You wash, I'll dry." The former general stated, taking up a dishrag.
"Switch it, Mustang." Roy smirked and tossed him the cloth.
"As you wish. Pay me back later." The words were playful and in no way suggestive. All the same, Edward didn't meet his companion's eyes once as they worked. Roy was even surprised to see a faint, insistent blush that the blonde tried desperately to hide with his curtain of golden hair.
Afternoon found the two alchemists separated. Edward lingered in the kitchen, taking it upon himself to maintain the immaculate state in which it had been left. He did this party to appease Winry, partly to isolate himself. After breakfast, Fullmetal doubted if his hormones could take being around Roy a second longer.
He thought back to when the brunette had excused himself, retreating into his room to read. Edward had watched him go, grateful for the time he now had to collect himself even as his body screamed for attention. Even without trying, it seemed Roy's presence was a horrible tease.
The blonde grimaced, examining the cleanliness of the window panes for the third time. There was nothing else to do. Golden eyes flicked from the pristine floor tiles to the shining surface of the table, searching desperately for another distraction.
Inside, the great conflict raged. He wanted so much to be near Roy again. Closeness, the warmth of his body and the comfort of that familiar scent. Beyond that, the alchemist was woefully undecided.
After failing to brainstorm a way that he could clean the ceiling, the blonde finally conceded.
Not surprisingly, the path of his defeat lead Edward directly to the closed door of Roy's room. Again he stopped, hands hiding in his pockets to avoid the temptation presented by the door handle. The young alchemist chewed his lower lip anxiously.
To his relief, that spark of courage that made him Edward empowered his right hand and had him opening the door without another moment's hesitation.
Roy was lying on his back amid the rumpled sheets, an arm over his eyes and a book lying open on his stomach. The blonde held his breath, right hand still gripping the door handle.
"Hey…"
The brunette shifted and Edward could make out a pair of dark eyes, just visible from beneath his forearm. They softened immediately in recognition.
The Fullmetal Alchemist had always been familiar with those eyes, even when everything else about Roy had seemed strange and confusing. He knew from years of experience that Roy's eyes could cut steel; yet now when they met his own, they were gentle and full of affection that the Flame Alchemist had yet to express fully. Black velvet over quartz.
"Good afternoon, Edward." The brunette assumed a more refined pose on the edge of his bed, offering his disarming half-smile along with the greeting.
The older Elric blinked, marveling at how he'd managed to occupy himself in the kitchen for so long. Not to mention how long Roy had reading. Perhaps they were both apprehensive, hesitant, and maybe a little bit shy in the face of being alone together.
There was pressure. It had been building since the day before, pushing Edward, doubts and all, into Roy's room.
"Do you plan on reading all day?" Fullmetal teased, pausing to take note of the book's title, which implied a certain amount of alchemical content.
"And do you mean to propose an alternate activity?" The brunette smiled again, this time raising a glossy eyebrow in question. Edward answered with a grin of his own.
This, he could respond to. Here, he was confident. A little flirting wasn't smoothing to sweat over. However, once things progressed, the blond knew all too well that he would be at a great disadvantage. Yet already, his body was commanding him, moving him forward until he stood in front of the Flame Alchemist, who watched him expectantly.
"Maybe." He pushed Roy back onto the mattress, mindful of the strength he used and of his own balance. The brunette followed along, guiding their descent with his elbows as the two of them sank down atop the blankets.
Edward let his muscles relax as the bed gave way beneath them, taking a moment to inhale the scent of midnight hair.
Presently, a hand came up and gently pulled at his hair tie, which had been put in sometime during Ed's cleaning frenzy. In a rush, golden waves of satin cascaded down Edward's shoulders and slipped over his ears to tickle the skin of Flame's neck.
The hand continued its journey downward, sliding over shoulder blades, tracing the spine, and finally urging fingertips beneath the hem of Ed's shirt. The skin there was soon languidly explored. Pressure, the pinch of a nail, gentle kneading, and a slight tickle all made a profound impression on Edward's composure.
On cue, the blond lifted his head from Roy's shoulder and gazed down at him, content to let the former general's hand do the talking. The brunette watched, fascinated, as Edward's eye's slid shut, the power of his wandering fingers already taking effect.
"Edward?" He asked gently. A twinkle of gold from above told him that he had been acknowledged. "May I kiss you?" This time, those golden orbs opened completely. Again, the brunette observed the potency of his technique as Ed's mouth opened in a small moan.
"Yes." He met Fullmetal halfway, catching his lips soundly and leaning back again, not breaking contact. Finding them idle, Roy wrapped his arms around Edward's neck, guiding him slowly deeper into the kiss.
A pause for breath.
This time, Flame didn't wait for permission before surging upwards, hands clenching in blond locks, and seeking out Edward's taste with tongue, teeth, and lips. It was a moment of weakness, of indulgence, initiated almost violently in an effort to suppress the guilt bubbling up in Roy's stomach.
Ed's small whimpers and breathy gasps did nothing to ease the brunette's mind or body, both of these parties presently being caught in an ugly disagreement.
Lust was a natural thing, a powerful chemical reaction that affected both mind and body alike. Desire, it's preferred cousin, was of a similar nature. Neither were anything to be ashamed of. After all, who can wield the powers of true chemical attraction? This tension, this pull between two people was stronger and more profound than any alchemical achievement.
Still, the former soldier could not own both Edward and his desire for the blond. With Fullmetal alone, he longed for the reaction between their bodies, the static that crackled when skin met skin. But when he embraced this want, embracing Edward himself, Roy found himself unable to follow through, the image of Edward as an eleven-year-old boy flashing in his mind.
As if sensing his thoughts, Ed took on a more aggressive roll in their kiss, parting Roy's lips with his tongue like a pro and willing those thoughts away with every brush and swirl of the wet organ.
This was a different Edward, an older Edward.
Again Flame pictured each stage of the boy's metamorphosis in his mind, stopping at the most recent and finding it to be the very boy he had in his arms, kissing him with the purpose and drive of an adult. An adult, like Roy, equals. Equals.
The blond let his head drop down beside his companion's neck, breathing deeply and enjoying the lingering tingle from their kiss as it spread throughout his body and slowly faded.
It was interesting for Ed to compare this latest experience to the session he had shared with Roy the morning before before; Similar, hot, close, and desperate. Undertones of curiosity, subtle shyness, not-so-subtle need bordering on a fierce hunger. Even so, he felt as though they had gone so much farther.
"I…wow." Fullmetal breathed. Roy leaned back on his arms and slowly sat up, one hand coming up to hold his companion in his lap, keeping him from sliding off, keeping him close. Ed wriggled, innocently hooking a leg around Roy's hips for support while inadvertently yanking them closer. A second hand came around to keep him secure just as warm lips ghosted over his forehead.
"Indeed." Roy waited patiently for his head to clear, regarding the leg now wrapped around his waist as a temptation to be avoided, a test of willpower. A few more moments of want and he was out of the woods, the red leaving his vision as the room reappeared and he became aware of other things besides the sound of Ed's breathing and the warmth of his body in his lap.
"And I thought yesterday was intense," The blond said nervously, obviously still a bit shaken. Roy rubbed his back soothingly.
"Hm."
"I really didn't expect…I thought we'd have to go further to…" The brunette had to keep from smirking, reminding himself that Ed was still, in many ways, innocent. A tactless part of him wanted to ask, you thought that was intense? But he didn't need to, the blond would know soon enough.
"The first couple of times with someone can be overwhelming. Repetition allows you to feel more, to enjoy details you didn't notice before, a constant fine-tuning to perfection and the rise of a feeling I'll call familiarity." Roy's hand moved through Edward's hair, pausing to stroke his thumb over the shell of his ear.
"Do you feel more familiar now? More comfortable, perhaps?" The nagging tease of Ed's body so close to his didn't seem to want to leave him alone. He busied himself by turning the gentle scratching of his fingers over the blond's scalp into a full massage.
"I was comfortable before. Now I feel…"
"Confident."
"Exactly." Edward laughed softly, leaning forward to brush his nose against Roy's cheek.
"Do you suppose we should start on dinner?" The brunette waited for the warm feeling caused by Ed's spontaneous affection to fade before asking. Golden eyes pulled him in.
"Sure." He released his hold on the blond regretfully, a cold loneliness taking his place. As he started for the door, however, an a fast hand skillfully caught his own.
"Um…thank you." The voice was uncertain, but sincere. Roy could have done a lot of things, could have chuckled, grinned in response, or even said you're welcome. Instead, he leaned down and brought the warm skin to his lips, pressing a kiss to the smooth surface before pulling back.
The walk to the kitchen was silent, yet the air hung thick with satisfaction, gratitude, and the sun began its slow descent over the hills, bringing with it a spark of anticipation, of promise in the coming darkness.
TBC
-Thunder
