Chapter 12

Suspicions

"Roy?" Ed asked as he stirred in his lover's embrace. He'd just remembered he needed to call Riza Hawkeye to let her know Roy was all right.

"Yes?" Roy responded sleepily.

"I have to call Hawkeye, she was really worried about you today. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen her like that before," he hesitated for a moment, thinking about her out of character behavior. "Uh, she doesn't have any reason to think there's something between us, does she?" Ed questioned carefully.

"God no, why would you ask that?" Roy responded; his curiosity was peaked.

"Uh, I don't know…guess it's nothing," Ed replied uneasily as he moved forward to climb out of bed. There was no reason in worrying Roy unnecessarily, he'd decided. He made his way to Roy's bathroom and cleaned himself up. Then he walked over to Roy's wardrobe and pulled out the black shirt he'd put on earlier that morning.

"Hey Ed, I'm starving, have you eaten?" Roy asked. His stomach needed something in it now that the alcohol had processed through his system and his hangover was starting.

Ed turned around to face Roy as he buttoned the shirt, he winced as he spoke, the words were sure to give his lover fodder for a good joke, "I can cook you something, if you like," Ed offered.

Roy seized the opportunity, he sat up on his elbows, "You can? Are you sure it'd be edible?" he said sarcastically.

Ed walked toward Roy, glaring in the dark, "I'm actually a very good cook, but if you're going to be like that you can just starve," he quipped.

"A good cook, huh? Well then Edward, you'd make the perfect wife. A tiger in the bedroom and then a nice meal afterwards, hmm," Roy chastised, chuckling.

Ed stomped straight to the bed and yanked the pillow out from under Roy's head. He grinned as he saw the elder man's head jerk and fall to the mattress. Then he promptly lifted the pillow over his own head and whipped it back down on top of Roy, smacking him in the face with it. "I will never be anybody's damned wife!" he hissed.

Roy remained chuckling even as his head pounded from Ed's actions and the hangover made its presence known. He'd succeeded in riling the blonde again. The best part was it was so easy, he thought. He clumsily pulled the pillow off his face and positioned it under him again. "But you'd look so cute in an apron and a housedress!" Roy said, laughing out loud now.

Ed's anger flared as he started towards the door, "Stop it with the dress thing already!" he shouted as he flicked on lights in his search for Roy's phone in the other rooms of his house. "Asshole bastard," he muttered to himself as he picked up the phone in Roy's kitchen to call Hawkeye.

He knew she'd still be at work. It wasn't too late yet and she wouldn't leave until she'd gotten word from him, he was sure of it. He listened as the phone rang in his ear and he counted the rings, 'one, two, three.'

"This is Hawkeye," Riza said absently into her receiver.

"Hawkeye? This is Fullmetal. I just wanted to let you know that Roy is safe. I found him," Ed responded quickly. This time, he didn't even catch the name he used for the Colonel.

For some strange reason, Riza's heart stirred when she heard Ed call the Colonel Roy again. "Where was he? Is he all right?" she questioned hastily as she sat forward in her office chair.

"Well, he read the report in that pub across the street from headquarters and I guess he started wandering. He got pretty drunk, but I found him in an alley just up the road. He's fine now, just hungry and a little hung over I think," Ed replied, he shifted his weight from one food to the next, for some reason he didn't feel like talking to her, he just wanted the conversation to end.

"Where is he now?" she asked quickly.

"Uh, he's at home," Ed answered simply. He wasn't sure how much more information she'd ask for before things started to look a little suspicious and he didn't want to lie to her.

"Okay, I think I'll go over there and check on him, thanks," she informed him as she waited for his goodbye.

"No! Uh, y-you don't need to do that," Ed forced out, a little too anxiously.

"Oh? And why not?" she replied suspiciously.

"B-because he's fine, really. H-He's sleeping… I think…He wouldn't want to be bothered," Ed blurted out as he winced. He was blowing it; he just knew it, he mentally screamed at himself.

"How do you know? He might have woken up by now, maybe he needs someone to talk to," she continued. She detected his distress and she was determined to figure out what he was hiding.

Ed sat there holding the phone limply in his hand; he was stunned. What the hell was he going to say to that? How about, 'Oh no, he's already bared his soul to me. I'm already at his house, and I'm his reason for living…and, we're fucking.' He cringed as he imagined Hawkeye shouting at him on the other end of the line how disgusted she was and how she would have to notify the Fuhrer. Instead, he lifted the phone back to his ear as he heard her voice start up again.

"You see Edward, I've known Roy for a very long time. Oh, how should I put this, I'm very close to him and he probably needs me right now. Do you understand?" she admitted, confiding in the young man in order to test his reaction.

"Uh…okay…but, I…I'm here already," he told her reluctantly. He started to shake as he realized how it might look, which would be exactly how it was.

"You are? Well, that's okay, I'm sure he'll still want to see me. I'll let you in on a little secret Edward, as long as you promise not to say anything," she told him in her friendliest voice. She was actually shocked to hear Fullmetal was with Roy, at his house. This was not like him or Roy, at all. Pieces to a puzzle were slowly fitting into place in her mind and she wanted to see how they acted together. Her heart also ached, she'd loved Roy for a very long time and if Ed was doing something sordid with her Colonel, she wasn't sure how she would handle it. She'd seen something between them for years and knew if they'd bridged the gap, it would be very different from the casual flings Roy so often had with a multitude of women, women who she knew meant absolutely nothing to him. Besides, Ed could destroy Roy's career if the knowledge of an affair between them ever got out. If nothing else, she had to protect Roy from Ed.

"Uh…okay…I promise," he stumbled out. He was sure he didn't want to hear what she had to say; something resembling panic was starting to pound in his chest.

"Ed, Roy and I, well, I have some very strong feelings for Roy. I've worked closely with him all these years, we've been through a lot together and I guess I fell for him," she chuckled nervously as she spoke. She surely hadn't told anyone about how she felt, but as far as she was concerned it was imperative for Ed to know he was occupying her territory. If, what she assumed was going on was actually going on. "I know he's a terrible womanizer, but I'm sure some day he'll be ready to settle down and when he is, I'll be there for him. Do you understand?" her confession was a threat in thin disguise. She went on before he had a chance to answer her, "So, I will come over. See you in a few minutes," she announced and abruptly hung up the phone.

Ed stood there stunned with the phone pressed to his ear until the dial tone rudely jolted him out of his daze. "Oh shit," he mumbled to himself. He dropped the phone to it's holder before he ran back into Roy's bedroom. He understood the underlying connotations behind Riza's words. The tone of voice she used had made it very clear, even for his male psyche to pick up. He hastily flicked the light switch to Roy's bedroom and heard the elder man groan as the light invaded his pupils. "Hurry up and put something on, Hawkeye's going to be here any minute,' Ed exclaimed as he raced to take off Roy's shirt and put his own clothes back on.

The light shot a sharp pain into Roy's head and he lifted his hand to shield his eyes as he sat up. "What? No food yet?" he said confused by the sudden flurry of activity.

Ed stopped what he was doing and glared at his lover, "No, Roy! Riza is on her way over right now and I'm pretty sure she knows what's going on! And she's not happy about it, so get your ass out of bed and put something on!" he shouted anxiously. After doing the clasp on his jacket, he grabbed a bathrobe out of Roy's wardrobe and picked up Roy's boxers from the floor and threw them at him. Then he grabbed his red coat and sped back into the living area. He vaguely heard Roy's questions chase him out the door as he focused his mind on making everything appear normal. He hastily threw his coat on the back of a chair and ran into the guest bathroom. He raked his metal hand through his long blonde bangs as he pulled out his hair tie to fix his braid. Just as he finished rewinding the hair tie, he heard the doorbell ring. He startled and bolted up straight. "Shit!" he shouted at his reflection in the mirror before he raced back out to the front door. He stood at the door and collected himself, primping one last time before exposing himself to her suspicious stare.

Riza waited patiently, counting the seconds before the door opened in front of her. When the door finally opened, she nodded a greeting to Fullmetal and strode in through the threshold of Roy's house. Her military trained eyes made a mental note of everything around her, the hasty placement of Ed's coat, the unusual muss of the hair in the back of Ed's head, and the open zipper on Ed's pants. She walked in a few paces and turned to lock onto Ed's eyes after he shut the door, probing for any information they held. She pointed her index finger down to his groin, "Ed, your um…" she informed, smiling at his reaction.

He was terrified, why was she pointing down there, he screamed internally? Did something show? He wasn't aroused, what was it? He fearfully looked down and then he noticed his mistake, his zipper was down on his black leather pants and his white boxers peaked faintly out of the opening. His face flushed beet red as he chuckled nervously and positioned his hands to pull the zipper back up, "Uh, sorry about that, I was…um…just in the bathroom, must have forgotten to ah…yeah," he jumbled out before he decided to just shut up and start walking into the kitchen. He sighed heavily, "So, I was just about to make something to eat, I have no idea what food the bastard keeps in here, but I'll make you something too, if you want it," he forced out. He did his best to keep his voice steady and casual, but the words were running wildly out of his mouth.

"Sure, I'd like something to eat. You can cook? Roy usually keeps noodles and pasta sauce in here," she advised as she brushed right by him and went directly to the cupboard holding the suggested foods and smugly opened it for him. Then she added, "I honestly don't know why you are so nervous Ed, I don't bite," she mocked as she turned and headed towards Roy's bedroom.

Ed stood there with his mouth hanging open, as she was obviously very familiar with Roy's house, certainly more familiar than he was. When he was sure she was out of range, he repeated her words to himself in a soft high-pitched sarcastic tone, as his head tilted back and forth, "I don't know why you're so nervous, I don't bite." Then his pitch changed to his usual timbre, "Like hell you don't," he told himself as he grabbed the sauce and noodles. He set them on the counter as he searched the lower cupboards for pots. He was sure she'd know where Roy kept his damned pots, he thought. He'd always liked Riza Hawkeye, but he immediately started to see her as a rival now that she'd made her threat masked as a confession to him.

xxx

As he heated up the pasta sauce and boiled the noodles, he heard laughter from Roy's bedroom and it started to feed his jealousy. He glared at the noodles, as if doing so would make them cook faster. He just wanted to get in there with them and see what was going on. Finally, the pasta cooked, was drained and piled onto plates. He poured the sauce over the top and set the plates on Roy's dining room table, along with napkins and silverware.

He walked quickly into the bedroom to alert the pair of the warm dinner. He stopped abruptly in the doorway as his eyes took in Riza sitting comfortably next to Roy on his bed; she tenderly grasped one of his hands between hers. The two looked over at him as he stared, waiting for whatever it was he had to say. Ed looked at the floor, his jealousy was raging, "Dinner's ready," he informed them in monotone. He turned away and counted to ten to ease the tension in his body.

He poured himself some water after searching for the glasses and then walked to the table and plopped down in a chair. He heard the duo talking as they appeared from the hallway and strolled into the kitchen. Ed watched Riza's eyes; her gaze never seemed to leave Roy. Why had he never noticed this before? Or was it she was taunting him knowingly?

"Smells good, Ed, I guess you can cook after all," Roy stated happily as he pulled out a chair to sit beside him.

Riza remained in the kitchen, "What would you like to drink Roy? I know you usually like some soda after you've been drinking," she stated as she shot a glance in Ed's direction.

Ed dropped his gaze to his plate, shoveled food into his mouth, and kept his head low as he heard Roy answer her. He heard her pour their drinks, set them on the table and then moved her plate of food so she could sit on the other side of Roy. That thoroughly pissed Ed off. He felt like the third wheel, like he didn't belong. But Roy was his now damn-it and she had yet to figure out Roy had already settled down, had chosen him to settle down with. He didn't listen to their lighthearted conversation; he was too wrapped up in his thoughts. He was too busy imagining the look on Hawkeye's face as he told her she'd never have Roy. Roy Mustang was in love with him and had turned only to him when his world was crushed. So there, Riza fucking Hawkeye, he thought with a little smirk spreading on his lips.

"…isn't that right, Fullmetal?" Roy said plainly as he waited for a response from the chewing young man.

Ed picked up his head, his eyes darted between the two of them as he realized the words were directed at him and they were now patiently staring at him. "What?" he asked, the response muffled by the noodles still in his mouth.

"Uh…don't talk with your mouth full, it's not flattering," Roy quipped.

Ed heard Riza chuckle and he shot a glare at her as his anger ignited. He hastily gulped the noodles down and took a quick sip of his water. "Well then don't ask me stuff when I'm eating," he shot back, his glare switched to Roy. He tried to let Roy know how disturbed he was by Riza's visit with his eyes and expression, but it went unnoticed.

Roy took a double take of Ed's expression and wondered what the hell Ed was getting at, but only continued the current conversation. "I was just telling Riza here how well you handled the situation in Drachma." Roy reiterated. He was confused by Ed's strange behavior, didn't Ed know Hawkeye would pick up on it and suspect something, he thought?

"Yeah, he he, I handled it really well," he said sarcastically feigning a quick laugh. He returned to his noodles and sulked. He just wanted Riza to leave. He'd never been good at hiding his emotions, especially his anger. He felt ready to explode at any minute and the only way to keep himself sane was to focus on something other than their flirtatious banter and Riza's self-satisfied expression. He was faintly aware of Riza's body language, she kept touching Roy as they talked and she practically sat in his lap, she leaned over so close to him.

He finished his noodles and stood without a word to take his plate to the sink. He started washing dishes as Riza and Roy finished their dinners. He heard Riza start down a path that disturbed him even more.

"Well, Roy, I'm sure you're very tired. I can take Fullmetal home for you if you'd like," she offered, a little louder than normal so Ed would hear her suggestion.

Ed paused his actions in the sink and listened.

"Oh, I don't think that's necessary. I wouldn't want to trouble you with," Roy started to find a reason for Ed to stay, but was interrupted.

"It's no trouble, really. I insist," she stated bluntly. She knew he couldn't argue with that and she smiled knowing she'd won this round.

Ed visibly slumped at the sink. This was worse than he'd ever imagined. Then, he thought deviously, after he got home maybe he could just climb back into a cab and come back over. He smiled as his idea took hold, he wouldn't let her get the best of him. Riza suddenly stood beside him and set her and Roy's empty plates and glasses on the counter next to him to be washed.

She leaned in close to his ear, "Roy needs some rest, so you better come with me after you finish the dishes," she whispered to him threateningly.

Ed lost control, he turned and glared at her, "Who died and put you in charge? I'm not leaving yet," he shot back angrily.

Riza stood back and thought for a second, "Why Ed, I don't understand. Why would you want to stay here any longer? Shouldn't you get back to your brother?" she said in a sweet voice, but her underlying tone was mocking.

Ed grunted disapprovingly and grabbed the dishes from the counter. He glared at her one more time, "Leave me alone, I'll let Roy decide if and when I should go," he informed her determinedly. Then, he realized what he'd just let on, why the hell did he have to say 'if'?

"Oh, I see. You were planning on staying the night?" Riza caught his slip and forced his hand.

Ed chuckled nervously and did his best to lighten his voice; he focused his gaze on the dishes in the sink as he spoke, "Of course not, why would I stay the night at Colonel bastard's house?" He turned in the opposite direction of Hawkeye's stance to search out Roy, where the hell had he gone? Help me, please, Roy, he pleaded internally.

"Then it's settled, you're coming home with me. Hurry up and finish the dishes," she shot back at him; her own anger was just below the surface. She left his side to return to Roy, she wanted to let him know Ed was happy to go home with her.

When Ed was certain Riza was outside of earshot, he mimicked her words again, using his high-pitched voice, "Hurry up…finish the dishes." Then he muttered to himself, "I'm not your fucking maid."

Ed washed, dried, and put all the dinner dishes away. The kitchen was clean and he was proud of himself, he figured he'd done as good a job or even better than Riza could have done. He walked out to the living area to find Roy sitting on the couch with Riza beside him. He sighed and raked his hand through his blonde bangs.

Upon seeing Ed, Riza stood up and headed for the door, "Coming Edward?" she stated smugly.

Ed shot a look of desperation to Roy, but Roy just shrugged and motioned for him to go. When Ed's gaze returned to Riza, she was standing impatiently with a hand on her hip. "Just go, I'll be out in a minute," Ed told her, defeated. Thankfully, she turned and started out the door towards her car. Ed took the opportunity to hastily go to Roy's side, "Roy, I'll come back, okay? As soon as she drops me off, I'll hop in a taxi and…" Ed blurted out before he was interrupted.

"No, Ed. I think it's best if you just stay home tonight." Roy said softly as he frowned.

"What? Why? Don't you want me here?" Ed asked feeling thoroughly dejected. He hadn't slept alone since they left for Drachma and he'd just assumed he'd be spending the night tonight.

Roy knew something wasn't quite right between Ed and Riza and he didn't want to make things worse. He thought it would be better, for now, if they'd give each other some space, just for appearances. He wanted to take Ed's hand, he wanted more than anything to kiss Ed's lips to calm his lover's apparent fears, but he couldn't. Roy was actually concerned Riza might see somehow. So, he kept his distance and leaned away even as Ed's face drew close to him. "Stop it Ed, you know I'd like you to stay, but I think it would be better if you just went home tonight," he whispered cautiously.

"Are you kidding me? She won't know if I come back," he argued, not believing what Roy was telling him. Just then Ed was faintly aware of a presence in the doorway. He was about to sit next to Roy and intended on taking his hand or kissing him to pressure the elder man into letting him return. However, Ed turned in time to see Hawkeye silently glaring at the two of them through the doorway.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow, Fullmetal," Roy stated firmly, glaring at Ed. He hated to do that to him, but he had no other choice with the circumstances as they were.

Ed stood upright, briskly grabbed his red coat from the back of the chair, and walked slowly to where Riza still waited; he wanted Roy to change his mind. He wanted Roy to call him back and maybe whisper in his ear to return to him tonight. But there was no such request from his lover.

"Ed, thanks for dinner and cleaning up," Roy managed as he watched the crestfallen young man walk out his door with Riza.