Chapter 16

Preparations

"Yeah, whatever Al," Ed quipped. He thrust his prized key into his front pocket and turned around to go make his bed. As he carefully pulled the white sheets up and folded the top down, a strange fear started to grip his heart. A date, his first date, he thought wildly. He gasped loudly and abruptly stood up straight.

"What now, brother?" Al asked from his position at the table, he was clearly irritated.

Ed turned to his brother with a shocked expression, "Al, it's my first date. Wh-what am I going to do? H-how should I act?" he posed, terrified all of a sudden.

"Come on, you've known Mustang forever, you'll do what you always do, you'll fight," Al teased.

Ed looked at his brother with disgust, "Al, this is serious," he quipped. Then he thought for a second, Al did actually have a point. His fear renewed, oh no, what if they got in a huge fight, he thought? That would be terrible, it had to be just right. He walked over to Al and leaned over the table, his hands splayed out across the edge while they held his weight. "Al, you have to help me, it has to be perfect, you know?" he implored, a pained expression on his face.

Al twisted his large metal shell and focused his glowing orbs at his brother, "Well, for one thing Ed, it would probably be nice if you actually had a decent outfit to wear. I mean, you've been wearing those black leather pants with that black jacket forever. How many of those things do you own, anyway?" Al shot back.

Ed fed upon his brother's every word, he totally missed the jab, "Don't I look good in this though?" He asked apprehensively. He'd never actually cared too much about how he looked, so he'd always worn pretty much the same thing. It made it easier for him to focus on his research for the philosopher's stone if he didn't have to decide on an outfit every morning, he reasoned.

"Ah, yeah, but something different might help. It might…keep things lively, you know, change it up a bit," Al stated. He couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation with his brother. Then he continued, "It might show the Colonel how much you really care about this date." The metal boy cringed inside all of a sudden. His brother had his fist date with a guy. Not just any guy, his freaking superior officer. Then the vision of his brother and Roy lying naked in bed together flashed back into his mind. "Ah!" he gasped involuntarily.

"What? What's the matter Al?" Ed asked anxiously.

Al mentally pushed the nasty memory away, "Uh, nothing…just…nothing." He was scarred for life, he just knew it, he thought. He shook his armored head slightly and returned his gaze to his brother. "Let's go shopping!" he exclaimed as he raised himself from the table and pounded his fist on the table cheerfully.

xxx

Ed stood in the small dressing room of a boutique-like clothing store with his flesh palm rubbing his forehead as he pondered which pants to try on with which shirt and if he should add a sport coat to the ensemble. He groaned; his brother had not let him pick out anything black, a fact that had him extremely flustered. Ed was used to certain things, and black was, after all, his color.

"Come on Ed, just put something on and come out," Al whined. His brother had been in there for at least five minutes and had yet to try even one article of clothing on.

"Don't rush me!" Ed shouted. His anxiety level rose, the tan pants or the greenish ones, he pondered. He knew Roy usually wore dark suits when he was out as a civilian and he wanted something that would compliment him. Ed, you are turning into such a girl, quit thinking that way; he chastised internally. He hastily grabbed the tan pants and put them on; then he pushed through a white dress shirt and buttoned it. He added the sport coat that matched the pants. He quickly opened the door and stumbled out of the dressing room, almost falling in the process. He heard his brother chuckling at him. "What?" he hissed before he looked down. The pant legs were so long they completely covered his feet.

Al put his hand up to where his mouth should be and laughed uncontrollably. His brother's face was so red it glowed and he was sure steam poured out of his ears. "M-maybe th-they have something in the ch-children's section…" was all he could manage before he laughed so hard no sound came out of him. Jerking armor was the only indication of his amusement.

"AL! THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!" Ed screamed furiously.

Suddenly a salesperson appeared, "Sir, can I help…oh," she started, obviously stunned by how short Edward was. She feigned a cough and then shot a pained smile at Edward. "Uh, might I suggest tailoring, sir," she offered in a very professional voice.

Ed glared at her, "Ya think?" he mocked.

"Oh come on brother, it's not like it's her fault you're so…vertically challenged," he said as a new round of snickers emanated from his armor. If his brother was going to so blatantly have sex with a man in their dorm room, he was going to enjoy this moment to it's fullest.

Ed grumbled in defeat, turned around, and walked painstakingly back into the dressing room.

Al faced the salesperson, "Please help him, he's really very harmless and he desperately needs a new outfit, you see he has this date," Al began charming the woman into helping them.

xxx

Ed stomped up the few cement steps to Roy's simple front door and pushed his newly made key in the brass lock. It was just after seven and he was completely worn out. He'd finally figured out what to buy for tomorrow night, with much difficulty and frustration on his part, and had a quick dinner with Al. He'd still have to pick up the suit tomorrow since it needed to be, he cringed when he thought of it, hemmed for him. Why did they have to make pants to fit giants anyway, he thought?

He opened the door, walked in, and closed it again with a heavy sigh. His first task was to light up the house so he could see. Fumbling in the dark, he almost knocked over the coat rack positioned in the entry way as he flicked the light switch on the wall. The blinding light on the ceiling hurt his eyes for a second as they adjusted. He made his way to the bedroom and set his small bag with his change of clothes for tomorrow and toothbrush down on the floor just inside Roy's bedroom doorway. Then he made his way back to Roy's living room, flicking on lights along the way, and plopped himself down on the couch. He looked around smugly at his surroundings; this was Roy's house all right. Everything neatly put away in it's place, the rather expensive looking masculine leather furniture positioned just so. The couch he rested on sat against a wall adjacent to the door while two comfortable armchairs sat opposite it. Between the two rested what appeared to be a rectangular mahogany coffee table. It had matching partners on either side of the couch with simple white lamps. He scanned over the magazines that lay neatly spread across the top of the coffee table, Roy was a bit anal, Ed thought, chuckling to himself. It all reeked of a high-ranking officer in the military, but Ed liked it anyway. It was Roy's after all, and anything that was Roy's was perfect as far as he was concerned. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head, his elbows spread far apart.

It wasn't long before Edward started to feel restless. He walked into the kitchen and glared at the black phone resting on the white counter top, he hoped Roy would call soon. He missed him already. He ran a finger along Roy's dark wood kitchen table and briefly remembered Riza's smugness in knowing where everything was in Roy's kitchen. He lumbered into the kitchen and casually started opening the plain walnut cabinets and drawers in order to take inventory of their contents for later use. The kitchen wasn't large, but it was efficient in it's design. Then he opened a drawer under the phone and stopped instantly for a closer look. The drawer held a mess of pictures, mostly of Roy with his arms around various women. There was a black address book close to the edge of the inside wall of the drawer. Ed quickly picked up a few of the pictures and scanned them. All blondes, he thought, well at least he fit Roy's type. He could feel jealousy trying to take root in his heart, but he fought it. Not tonight, he thought, not after Roy had given him the key to his home.

Then he impulsively picked up the address book and opened it. Every page had numerous female names and numbers scrawled across them in Roy's handwriting. The pages were tattered on the edges and the cover was well worn. By each one was scribbled some sort of code; there were letters and various numbers of stars by them. His pulsed raced as he flipped the pages to 'H'. There it was, in black and white:

Hawkeye, Riza T,A,NE (123)456-7890

Five stars, he thought, disgusted. Why the hell did she deserve five stars? He hoped the rating wasn't the same as it would be if she were a restaurant. Quite suddenly, the phone rang shrilly and broke the silence in the house. Ed jumped and almost dropped the book out of his hands. He fumbled with it, recovered, and placed it carefully back in the drawer just like he'd found it. He quickly reached over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello? Uh, Colonel Mustang's residence," he winced; he assumed it would be Roy, but what if it wasn't?

"Ed, so you got in okay?" Roy asked happily.

"Yeah," Ed replied uneasily, he didn't want to ask about the code in the book, but his curiosity was killing him. He clenched his teeth in order keep the question from spilling off his tongue.

"You okay? You sound a little…weird," Roy questioned. He was really tired and he'd so hoped Ed wasn't angry with him again.

"Uh, no, I'm fine, really," Ed responded, a little too convincingly, he winced again.

Roy sighed, whatever it was, he just wanted to get home and deal with it there. "Okay, well, I'm on my way. See you in a few," he said as he waited for Ed to respond.

"Goodbye," Ed said quickly and hung up the phone before he screwed everything up.

xxx

Ed was sitting on the couch again trying to appear relaxed when he heard the door open and saw Roy's black head come in through the front entryway. He immediately sat upright on the couch. His pulse raced and his legs twitched, it was everything he could do to keep from running to the door and assaulting Roy with urgent kisses and desperate hugs. After hanging his black trench coat on the hanger by the door, Roy came in, dropped his briefcase on the floor, and walked over to Edward. The young alchemist watched as an almost shy smile spread over his lover's lips.

Roy was amazed by how strange but wonderful it felt to have Ed in his house when he came home from work, almost like having a doting wife, he supposed. He sheepishly sat down next to Ed in complete silence. He could tell Ed was having similarly strange feelings by the wide-eyed expression on his face and the fact that he was speechless for once. The two sat on the couch next to each other for a moment, gazing shyly at the hands sitting in their laps, each mimicking the other.

Suddenly, Ed's excitement surfaced again. He lunged at Roy and threw his arms around his neck. "Roy, I missed you," he admitted quickly as he pushed his face into the crook of Roy's neck and breathed in deeply. He loved Roy's scent.

Roy returned the blonde's hold and pushed his cheek into the side of Ed's golden hair, "I missed you too, even though it's only been a few hours," he joked. He really did treasure Ed's little emotional outbursts though, he thought. He felt Ed's embrace tighten before the blonde let him go and peered up into his face. "So, what have you been doing with yourself?" Roy asked tenderly.

Ed looked at the wall behind Roy for a second before replying, should he tell Roy about the new clothes? No, he thought, it would be a surprise. Then the memory of the phone book slammed into his mind, he struggled to push it aside again; he really didn't want to bring it up. Damn his insatiable curiosity. "I…uh, had dinner with Al," he stated slowly and then it slipped. "And I found your black phone book in the drawer!" he blurted out suddenly as he flinched.

Roy sat back stunned, so this is why he sounded so weird on the phone. Roy grinned, "And…" he said as he motioned for Ed to continue.

Ed sighed and sat back against the cushions of the couch, a confused expression fell across his face. "And…what does that code mean anyway?" he asked, frustrated he'd let his little secret out so soon.

Roy chuckled softly, "Well, number one, I'm not going to even ask you how you found it, because I know what a curious little creature you are," Roy teased, he was immediately interrupted.

Ed glared and crossed his arms on his chest, "Listen, I've had my lack of height shoved in my face enough today, so don't push it," he hissed.

Roy laughed a little harder, how he loved Ed's tantrums sometimes. "I'm sorry, Ed. I wasn't even trying to make fun of you that time," Roy insisted apologetically. He waited for some acknowledgement of his apology, but there was none.

"Just tell me what those letters and stars mean," Ed commanded. He couldn't believe how quickly he'd turned the conversation into an argument. He longed for his anger to dissipate and to gain back some of the earlier warmness and emotion they'd had between them. Then his expression softened and he tried his best to undo what he'd started, "Wait…I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't be so quick to react to…certain words," he said softly. Then he looked up at Roy to see if it worked.

Roy leaned over and kissed Ed gently. "An apology, that's unusual, but I'll take it," he replied. Roy sat back and put an arm around Edward's shoulders, he felt the blonde snuggle happily into his side. "So, the 'code' as you refer to it is just my way of keeping track of some of the more…important traits of my previous female companions," he answered cautiously.

Ed twisted his head to search Roy's face, "but what do they mean exactly?" he asked inquisitively.

Roy sighed, he wasn't sure he really wanted to tell Edward exactly what they meant. It was sort of private after all, and he was too tired for a full on blow out with his explosive lover. "Ed, if I tell you, and I'm sure you've looked up a few…select individuals already, you have to promise to drop it and not get mad at me. All that stuff was 'pre-you', you know," he suggested.

Ed agreed somewhat reluctantly to his terms, "O…K…" he said slowly.

Roy nodded briefly and then went on, "well, if they have a 'T', then it means they have nice, uh, breasts. And if they have an 'A' it means they have a nice…ass," he paused for a moment to make sure Ed was not getting angry. Then he went on, "Of course 'E' stands for 'easy' and if it was not easy to uh, get in their skirt, then I put an 'N' in front of the 'E' for not easy." He reluctantly explained.

Ed's eyes widened as he gazed at the wall in front of him and understood what Roy told him. Riza did have a nice rack and a great behind. He snickered softly as he realized Roy wasn't able to get in her skirt; then he abruptly stopped as it dawned on him, Roy had actually tried. "OK, so I guess the stars are self explanatory then?" Ed asked, still trying to quell his jealousy at discovering Roy had probably come on to Riza at some point.

"Well, yes Ed. The more stars, the more I liked them. Five stars are the highest amount, the crème de la crème," Roy reiterated with his usual smugness.

Ed pondered a minute; then he sat forward and turned to face Roy directly. "So what would you rate me?" he asked indignantly.

Roy's mind raced, what the hell had he put in there next to Riza's name anyway? He just knew Ed would be comparing himself against her. Then he smiled as he formulated a way out of his sticky situation. "Of course Ed, I'd give you the highest marks. A 'T' for the nipples I love to fondle, an 'A' for the perfectly round ass I adore, an 'E' for how easy you are in bed, and six stars for how much I love you," he spoke confidently as he waited for his shower of affection.

"What do you mean an 'E' for how easy I am in bed? I am not easy!" he hissed as he glared angrily at Roy.

Roy looked down at the hand in his lap and let out a huge breath. "You're impossible," he stated as he rose from the couch and walked briskly into his bedroom. He was incredibly tired now and just wanted to feel his nice comfortable bed. He knew Ed would be hounding him again any second, but if he could hurry up and get into bed first, at least he could sleep through most of what Ed had to say. He quickly brushed his teeth, washed his face, and walked back to his bed. He pulled the covers down and undressed before he slipped between the cool thin sheets. He wondered briefly why Ed had not come in yet.

Ed sat on the edge of the couch with his head lowered looking at his clenched fists perched on his thighs. As the metal and flesh started to blur, his lip trembled slightly. Why couldn't he just accept and be glad for what Roy had told him, he wondered? Why did he have to always point out a flaw? Why did he always get so damned angry all the time? Was he just immature? Or was there something more, deeper, hidden, in his psyche that caused it? He really wanted everything to go just right tomorrow, but how could it if he couldn't even keep his anger in check for less than an hour?

He promptly wiped the wetness from his eyes and stood. He walked into Roy's bedroom with his head still lowered, grabbed his bag and made his way to the bathroom, on the way he heard Roy say his name, but he didn't answer. He just silently got ready, came back to the bed, undressed, and climbed in beside his lover. He curled up into a tight ball and was surprised when the tears broke through. What was wrong with him?

Roy rolled over in the bed when Ed entered it, toward his lover's body. Then he saw the blonde's body jerk and heard soft sobs. He sat up suddenly on an elbow and leaned over his young lover, "Oh my God, what's the matter, Ed?" he asked hurriedly, his voice laced with alarm. He quickly pulled his weeping lover to his side and held him tightly. He didn't see this coming, not at all.

'I…I'm sorry…R-Roy. Y-you must h-hate…me. Y-you were so…so nice…giving me y-your key and…and s-saying all those…nice things…and I-I just…ruined…it," he tried to explain through hiccups and choked sobs.

Roy increased his hold on his lover and pushed his face against his cheek, "Ed, you didn't ruin anything and I certainly don't hate you," he said comfortingly as he kissed his cheek.

"Y-yes I….I did. H-how can you…stand me?" he asked, his voice rose in pitch as he spoke and he tried to curl his body up tighter against Roy's hold.

Roy was baffled, what the hell was Ed talking about? Nothing was ruined as far as he could tell; clearly something else was going on in Ed's mind. "Ed…listen to me…I love you and nothing you do or say is ever going to change that. So please, just stop crying and let me hold you, just forget this and let's go to sleep," he implored gently. Roy was so tired and finished with drama.

"Really? Nothing?" Ed asked as he sniffled and slowly turned his body around to face Roy.

"Yes. Really." Roy stated plainly as he pulled Ed's face up to his and gave the blonde a lingering kiss. He felt Ed's body slowly meld into his own, every part of it touched some part of him. He reestablished his hold on his lover, pulling him as close as physics would allow and closed his eyes.

xxx

Ed woke up to the sensation of something poking him in his rear end. "Mmm, Roy," he mumbled. Then the poke came again, harder, more intense. He heard his lover chuckling behind him as the fog from sleep cleared his mind. "Don't you have to go to work or something?" Ed asked, irritated. He was not accustomed to waking so terribly early in the morning. Then he felt an arm wrap around his waist as a slick grip took hold of his morning erection and began to pump enticingly on him. He moaned softly with the pleasurable sensation his lover's hand invoked. He felt Roy's already slippery member thrust between his thighs as he involuntarily pressed into the hand movements. Damn, he thought, did Roy already break out the massage oil while he was asleep? Then a wicked smile spread on his lips. He could just lay here and pretend to be asleep while Roy did everything.

Roy pressed up against his lover and whispered in his ear, "Come on, Ed, work with me here," he said seductively. Roy started to kiss and nip sensually at the back of Ed's neck as he continued to rock into the warm recess of his lover's thighs. He moaned softly as the sensation pushed pleasure through him. As he felt Ed's hip movements become more urgent, he brought his palm up and circled Ed's tip, he hoped teasing would bring his lover around quicker. The action seemed to produce the desired response as he felt Ed's body shudder and a more insistent moan escaped from the blonde's lips.

"Uh, Roy," Ed said softly as the expert hand movements surged deliciously through his body. He reached behind Roy and positioned a hand on his lover's hip; he pulled gently at first as he tried to initiate faster action out of the elder man. Then his hand gripped harder and tugged persistently as sharp gasps mingled with Roy's. The proximity of Roy's member to his entrance teased him relentlessly as a sweet tension gained momentum in his groin. He shifted position, curving his lower back and felt Roy's erection rub directly against his entrance. The action caused his body to shiver involuntarily and he wanted more, now. "Roy, do it," he pleaded as he groaned sharply with each passing of his lover's hard member against him.

Roy happily obliged, his own desire had grown intensely and he wasn't sure how much more he could take of just Ed's thighs. He tilted his hips slightly and slowed a bit as he entered his lover. As he felt the wet heat surround him, he closed his eyes, tensed his brow, and squeezed Ed's erection firmly. A low moan pushed through his lips into the soft skin of Ed's neck.

Ed gasped sharply as he felt Roy graze the sweet spot inside him. "Roy!" he whined as he moved his hand over the one between his legs and guided it back to stroking him, the blonde was frustrated that he'd stopped in the first place. Then he returned to tugging eagerly on Roy's hip. Roy's thrusts came fast quickly; Ed could feel his lover's body shaking behind him. He wondered briefly if Roy had done a few other things while he was asleep to be so aroused already. As he heard Roy's gasps turn into drawn out urgent moans, he returned his hand to the one stroking him. Roy seemed so caught up in his own desire he was apparently forgetting about Ed's.

Roy felt his body grow rigid as an intense tingling overtook him and he surged helplessly into his lover. He pushed his forehead against Ed's back as he arched into the delicious sensation. He was vaguely aware of Ed's hand covering the one he held on his lover as he surrendered to his body's pleasure.

Ed clenched his teeth as he felt Roy's release behind him. He struggled briefly to maintain the closeness of his own climax but then moaned loudly as it took control of his body and he spilled into the entwined digits covering his pulsing member. The ensuing waves of concentrated sensation rocketed through his body and left him gasping for air. "Damn-it Roy, what were you doing while I was asleep, anyway?" he asked through still heavy breathing.

"Nothing, why?" Roy replied guiltily as he cuddled into the blonde's back.

"Yes you were," Ed insisted, he'd caught the culpable tone of his lover's response.

"Well, if you must know, I was sort of…watching you sleep and you were so…appetizing, I couldn't help it." The elder man admitted reluctantly as he pulled his lover close and kissed him on the shoulder.

"Oh," was all Ed could say as he understood his lover had indeed started before him. He pushed himself backwards into Roy and tugged the elder man's arm tightly around him, satisfied.