A/N: This should have been updated days ago, but something is either wrong with my computer or this site much frustration

Chapter 8

Connection

Ed reluctantly followed Roy into the 'cockroach hotel' as he referred to it. They stood in the lobby, waiting for the proprietor to assist them with their room. Ed watched Roy interact with the man; he could already feel his flesh palm sweating with the anticipation of dealing with those bugs again. It was late, and he was tired from the long stressful train ride. Although he'd allowed the conversation to be dropped, the thought of Roy dating when they returned was always in the back of his mind.

"Two rooms then," he man behind the desk held out a pair of keys to Mustang and waited patiently for him to take them.

"Thank you," Roy said as he took the offered keys and turned toward Edward. The blonde was glaring at him, what on Earth had he done now, he wondered? As they ascended the stairs, he felt Ed tug on the back of his jacket. He stopped and faced him, now well out of view of any guests or the desk clerk. "What?" he asked irritably.

"Why did you get two rooms? Don't you want to sleep with me tonight?" he hissed.

Roy sighed and hunched his shoulders slightly, "Edward, of course I'll stay with you tonight, I just didn't want to turn in my expense report showing one room. I thought it might look suspicious," he advised the blonde. His explanation seemed to appease Edward for the moment and they continued to one of the rented rooms.

Roy opened the door after inserting a key in the lock and flicked on the light, as expected two large brown bugs scattered to the corner of the room. Roy smiled, he could feel Ed behind him, his hands were on Roy's arms; clutching him so tightly he thought it might leave marks. "Don't worry, they're gone," he said gently. He looked down to see Ed peeking into the room from behind him and chuckled. He heard Ed grunt his displeasure as he glared up at Roy.

"It's not funny, stop laughing at me," Ed whined.

"Lighten up, would you?" Roy demanded. He was getting sick of the apparent bad mood Ed was in ever since the conversation on the train. Things were a little tense between them and it seemed like every little thing was angering the blonde, who already had a short enough fuse as it was.

They entered the room and Roy immediately set about getting ready for bed, he passed Ed as he left the bathroom and Ed went in. He put his suitcase in the closet and started to undress. Suddenly, he heard a shriek and saw a flurry of black rush passed him, arms flailing all over his body.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Ed screamed, as he danced circles around Roy.

Roy grew flustered, "What? Get what off, what are you screaming about?"

Ed stopped long enough to rip his clothes off, wildly kicking his boots away and throwing his pants and shirt to the floor, leaving only his boxers. He settled himself and then looked over at Roy, his expression of terror relaxed slightly. Then he grew angry again, "I bet you put that bug on the ceiling on purpose so it would fall on me, didn't you!" he accused loudly.

Roy did his best to hold back a grin, he hadn't committed the heinous crime, but he wished he had. He figured Ed deserved it after all the angry glares and nagging he'd put him through today. He looked Ed in the eye and spoke calmly, "No, Ed I did not." Then he saw something dark peek it's way around the side of Ed's head on his braid, which fell forward down his shoulder. Roy smiled widely, he couldn't help it, "hold still Ed," he told the blonde as he walked forward and held out his hand to remove the offending creature. He saw Ed's eyes grow wide as he realized what Roy was doing.

"R-Roy, is-is it s-still on me?" Ed questioned, fear gripped his heart and he felt himself start to shake. He was frozen in place, in case any movement would cause the bug to touch his skin. As far as he was concerned, Roy was taking his sweet time getting the damn thing off him.

Roy stood next to Ed and carefully removed the cockroach, holding it by the sides of its body. "There, I got it," he informed the trembling young man. Then he held it up to Ed's face, "see? Nothing to be concerned about, they don't bite or anything," he said. He was trying to be helpful, hoping to reduce Ed's fear of the creatures.

Ed's fright magnified as the creature squirmed in Roy's hand only inches from his face. He jumped back and glared at Roy, "get that thing out of my face and get rid of it!" he screamed.

Roy threw the bug to the floor and it scurried away with a yelp from Ed. Roy turned his attention to his lover and walked closer to him. The blonde was clearly distressed and Roy felt badly for him. The mood tonight was very different from the first time they'd stayed here, there seemed to be no way for Roy to make Ed happy. He circled his arms around the younger man and drew him in close. He felt Ed's arms, one cool, returning the hold and they remained in each other's embrace for a moment. "Come on Ed, let's go to bed before any more disasters strike," Roy said softly as he gently kissed the top of his head.

Roy turned the small bed down, no short jokes tonight, he thought. It just didn't seem appropriate with the foul mood Ed was already in. He watched as Ed pulled out his hair tie and handed it to him. Ed loosened his hair from the grip of his braid and it spilled out around his shoulders, slightly kinked. Roy stood aside and let Ed climb in first, knowing how much his young lover wanted to get his bare feet out of reach from the bugs. He then removed the rest of his clothes and hung them all up along with Edwards hastily discarded clothing in the closet. Roy turned out the light and when he came back to bed, he noticed Ed peeking at him through his long bangs with a slightly sad expression. His face glowed faintly with the illumination of the hotel sign shining directly outside their window and through their thin curtains. He slid in next to him without saying a word.

Ed rolled over as Roy positioned himself directly behind his body. He didn't feel completely connected to his elder lover and craved his touch. He felt Roy's arm reach around him and the elder man's warm body press up against his own. Ed grasped Roy's forearm and drew it further forward, bringing his lover closer. He wondered briefly if anything would start between them, then he heard the soft scratching of a cockroach under their bed. He shuddered, "Do you think those things can get onto the bed?" he asked anxiously.

He squeezed Ed before replying, "they didn't seem to be able to last time; at least I don't think they did." He felt Ed's body soften against him and press up into his hips, seemingly searching for something. "Ed, I'm…tired, tonight," Roy whispered. He couldn't believe it himself, but he was turning Ed down. He really needed to get some sleep and he just wasn't in the mood.

Ed buried his face partially into his pillow; it hurt to hear Roy reject him. Something was definitely not right between them. "Roy, do you still love me?" he asked timidly. He knew the answer; he just needed to hear the words from his lover.

Roy sighed, lifted his head up to the side of Ed's head, and raised his arm to brush the locks of hair from his face. "Of course I do," he said tenderly.

Ed's brow tensed for a second, "Then say it," he requested.

"I love you, Edward," Roy said softly.

Ed felt tears invading his eyes and he fought to hold them back. Just go to sleep, he told himself, everything would be better in the morning.

xxx

Ed was on his way to Roy's office at Central. The hallway held an eerie glow and for some reason trepidation tore at his heart. As he arrived at the Colonel's door, he noticed it was closed. He cautiously opened the door to find only mist and the sounds of two people moaning softly. He became confused; one of the voices he recognized as Roy's, the others was from a woman. He ran forward into the fog, trying to search out the bodies belonging to the voices. Then he distinctly saw two figures entwined, as he neared them, he realized it was Roy and the woman from the flower shop. Their hands roamed each other's body and they exchanged passionate kisses. Ed approached the couple, tears stung at his eyes. He yelled at them, "Roy, stop it, stop it!" The couple halted their assault of each other and briefly glared at Ed, then resumed their motions as if he wasn't there. Ed's heart shredded, he began to sob as he grabbed Roy's arm and dragged a hand away from the woman. Roy turned to him, "Leave us alone, you know I have to do this, it's for us, Ed" he warned. Ed grabbed Roy and attempted to pry him away from the groping woman, "No, y-you don't n-need to d-do this!" Ed choked out. He was moving forward and backward as he tried desperately to tug Roy's grip from the woman.

"Ed, wake up!" Roy pleaded, he had his hand on his shoulder; he pushed and pulled at his distraught lover.

Ed slowly opened his eyes, his body was rolling back and forth on his side and he heard Roy's voice. Gradually he recognized the contents of their small room in the glow of the hotel sign and he turned around abruptly to face the elder man. When Ed's wet eyes focused on the concerned features of the elder man's face, he grabbed him roughly and buried his face in the nape of Roy's neck. All he wanted was the love of the man lying next to him.

"Ed, you were actually crying in your sleep, what were you dreaming about?" he asked, he'd never witnessed anyone do that before.

Ed didn't want to relive the dream and he certainly didn't want to revisit the conversation on the train, the one that put such a wall between them. Not when he needed his lover to prove what they had. "Roy, touch me," he demanded as he placed his hand over Roy's and guided it down between his legs to his burgeoning hardness. Ed felt his pulse quicken as Roy's hand slowly pressed on him, moving up and down over his boxers. Ed was impatient at best; he pushed Roy away and tore off his boxers in one quick move before he forcefully pulled Roy on top of him. He thrust hard into his lover and a low moan escaped him as he crushed his lips over Roy's.

Roy was taken back by the speed and urgency in which Ed was moving. It was baffling, really, to awaken Ed during a moment of such obvious duress only to be sexually assaulted. Roy tried to move as quickly as Edward, but he was still so tired and he wasn't exactly given a choice about the current situation. He felt Ed pull off his lips and hungrily devour his neck, "Ed, stop, I'm tired," he implored.

Ed heard the words of rejection once again; it sent a bolt of pain shooting through his chest. He stopped his attack on Roy's neck and pushed him up so he could see his expression. "Why don't you want to make love to me?" he asked, his lower lip trembled as his eyes searched the dark recesses of Roy's.

"I told you, I'm just tired, isn't that a good enough reason?" he replied. He wondered himself if it was really the only reason for his sudden lackluster libido. He felt Ed shove him away so forcefully; it almost sent him on the floor.

Ed turned on his side, putting his back to Roy and curled up. He wanted to cry, just lye there and weep until morning if that's what it took to release the pain in his heart. Instead, Roy seized him and firmly turned him around.

"Why are you acting so crazy?" Roy asked, frustrated.

"Why are you?" Ed shot back.

"What do you mean? I'm not the one getting turned on by nightmares!" Roy scolded.

"At least I want you," Ed quipped.

"What are you getting at? I want you, just…not tonight!" Roy said angrily.

"Why not? Since when do you turn down an invitation for sex?" Ed shouted heatedly.

"Since when do you get off being such a goddamned nag? You've been a real pain in the ass ever since the train ride; you know that? It's not exactly a turn-on, Ed." Roy confessed, he winced and was sorry he'd let it slip as soon as he said it. He knew damn well the 'dating conversation' was the reason for his lover's foul mood. No matter what, it was still his fault. Instead of waiting for Ed's reaction, he threw himself back on top of the blonde and passionately kissed him. If sex was the only thing that could make Ed feel better, then Roy would give it to him.

Ed was shocked at the ferocity of Roy's kiss, plus his hands were all over him. He wasn't sure if this was exactly what he'd wanted, but he'd take it for now. He was wounded by Roy's comment, but wanted to avoid the earlier conversation as much as Roy did. He was starting to dread tomorrow and the way their relationship might change when they got home. Ed pushed into his lover's hips and drowned his pain in Roy's insistent kisses.

Roy forced Ed's legs apart; he quickly licked his hand and wet himself before positioning himself at his lover's entrance. It didn't feel right, what they were doing, so he was trying to get it over with as soon as possible.

Ed felt Roy trying to gain entrance to him, but there was no love in it, they might as well have been two strangers. Ed tried to pull away; he pressed his legs together, trying to squeeze Roy out of position. But Roy was bigger than he and had the advantage. "Roy! Don't please!" he pleaded.

"I thought this is what you wanted?" Roy said between heavy breathing. He tried to drive into Ed, but Ed's hips moved out of position at the last minute and Roy hit the mattress. "Damn-it Ed, hold still!" he demanded.

It was all happening so fast, he wanted Roy, but not this way. "Stop it! Stop…it," a sob broke free from Ed's mouth and he let his body go limp under his lover.

Roy realized what he was doing when he heard how distressed Ed really was. He held him tightly, "Oh God, Ed, I'm so sorry." He heard a soft sniffle from the young man underneath him. It was time to bring the issue out in the open. Roy sighed, "This is all my fault, I know you're still upset about our discussion on the train. I honestly don't know what to do about it. You have to believe me when I tell you I don't want to see anyone else. Listen, it'd be strictly platonic, nothing would happen. I could…I could come back to you when the night was done," he reasoned as convincingly as he was able.

"Oh great, you'd take them to nice dinners and the theatre and then you'd come back to fuck me!" Ed said, he still was very against the whole idea and it still hurt to think about it.

"Come on Ed, you don't care about that stuff, do you?" Roy was starting to wonder about his new companion; Ed was starting to sound more like a woman every day.

Ed wasn't sure what Roy was driving at, no, he'd never cared about doing those things before. But damn-it, it didn't mean because he was a guy he didn't want to be courted. "At the risk of sounding like a damn wimp, I do sort of care about it. I do want you to…um…take me out! Okay? I said it, now drop it!" Ed couldn't believe he was actually telling Roy Mustang he wanted to go on dates. His face flushed with embarrassment, how was he ever going to live this down? He peered out the window and noticed the faint slivers of morning peeking out over the horizon.

There were no words for Roy to say, he was completely stunned. He'd never thought this thing through and just didn't see himself treating Ed that way. Although, while they were traveling they'd eaten together and done things like a normal couple would do, it still seemed so…weird. He smiled when he finally did find words, "So, does that mean I have to hold the door open for you and stuff too?" Roy teased.

Ed's anger flared, "No! Of course not, don't make fun of me!" he said coldly.

"Ed?" Roy asked shyly.

"What?" Ed hissed.

"Would you put on a nice dress when we go out?" Roy asked. He started to chuckle while he waited for the fireworks.

"God damn-it Ro…" Roy's lips smothered Ed's response with a passionate kiss. Ed was momentarily shocked, but then he pushed into it and closed his eyes. He felt his arousal start to swell as Roy took his hands and raised his arms over his head. The conversation was still not over, but at least they'd somehow found their way back to each other. He felt Roy's hips begin to grind tenderly, but firmly into his own. Ed let out a low moan; he finally was getting what he'd craved since last night. The sensations from Roy's body were sweet. He let himself find friction in the elder man's hip movements as his desire rose.

Roy opened his mouth and let his tongue explore Ed's in a deep kiss. Then he pulled away slightly, he teased the blonde, flicking lightly at the kiss swollen lips. He continued to pin Ed's arms to the headboard with his hands and changed his attention to Ed's neck, licking and sucking a path down to his nipple. Roy arched his back in order to gently bite at the pink nub, the action sent Ed thrusting harder into him and he heard a sharp gasp. Roy let go of Ed's arms so he could move lower onto the blonde's body. He sucked, licked and nipped his way down to Ed's groin. He moved his mouth over every inch of soft skin except the center, where it really mattered. He could feel Ed's hands on his head; they tried to guide him to the firmness in need of attention. Roy skirted around it, instead teasing the sensitive skin on either side.

Ed was throbbing painfully, he longed for Roy to stop toying with him. "Roy, uh… please," he moaned. His breathing was ragged as he desperately tried to position his lover over his erection. Then he felt Roy lift up and return to his mouth, disappointed, he jerked his head back, not allowing the intended kiss to contact. "Why didn't you…" Roy pressed hard into his lips, stifling his words. Soon thereafter, Ed felt Roy's hand brush the area he'd just licked, getting slick as it passed, and stroked Ed urgently. The action cause Ed to involuntarily buck into the sensation, he finally got some relief from the throbbing tension that built in his abdomen.

Roy enjoyed fully the frustration he'd put Ed through, because the reaction he got now was a just reward. He watched Ed's face tense and release with pleasure as his hand worked on him. His own arousal was starting to become painful; he wanted to join his lover in bliss. He turned on to his side for a moment and quickly spit on his hand before rubbing it over himself, moaning and hissing in the process as the delicious friction found its way through his body. Then he felt Ed tug him back on top and spread his legs below him; obviously they'd both had the same idea. Roy positioned himself again at Ed's entrance, but this time it was welcomed, it was right. He peered into Ed's eyes as he drove into his lover. He never tired of watching the sensual look of pleasure grace his features as he plunged himself into that one spot.

Ed rocked his hips in time with Roy's, seizing all he could from the motion and the feel of friction as he rubbed on his lover's taut stomach muscles. "Faster, uh, Roy," he requested as he felt the pressure build and he knew it wouldn't be long before his climax came. Roy hit the sweet bundle of nerves again and again, sending Ed into ecstasy each time until Ed knew he could only take a few more. "R-Roy," Ed gasped sharply as he succumbed to his urge. Slick hot fluid erupted from him, pulsing out over his stomach and into his chest.

Roy slid over Ed easily now; Ed's release pulled his own closer to the surface, too close to control. He clawed at Ed's arms and he pushed his forehead into the mattress just above Ed's shoulder. His face tensed as his body became rigid. His seed spilled into his lover, sending sumptuous pulses up and down his spine and caused him to utter a sound from deep inside his throat.

As the sensation slowed, Roy let himself relax over Ed. He didn't pay any attention to the mess between them. He just wanted to feel the warm body below him. For the moment, they'd connected and found a common ground. Whatever the rest of day held, at least they had now. Roy pulled Ed close as much as he could and spoke softly to him, "Ed, I love you, so much." Words were not enough; he wanted his lover to know whatever happened, whatever they might have to endure, it would always come back to this.

Ed stirred underneath the elder man; it warmed him deeply to hear the words. They meant so much more when they came without being requested. He knew it would be a tough day, but now he could always be drawn to this tender moment. "You know I love you too, maybe too much," Ed responded as he held him determinedly.