Chapter 22

Lies

Ed came in through the door of his hotel room in Youswell and knew his brother would be after him again. He tried not to look at Al; he just wanted to go to bed. He walked across the room intending to get his pajamas and toiletries when Al spoke. He stopped in his tracks.

"Brother, please talk to me. I don't like not knowing what's going on in your life. I promise I'll understand, maybe we can talk it over while you eat dinner?" Al offered sympathetically.

Ed sighed heavily, "I'm not hungry, Al. I just want to go to bed, okay?" he answered miserably and continued on to the suitcase waiting on top of his bed.

"Not hungry? You're never, 'not hungry'!" Al exclaimed as he pushed himself forward and stepped off the edge of the bed. He ambled over to his brother, clanking softly all the way, and placed his hands gently on Edwards shoulders from behind him. "Ed, I'm here for you," he said tenderly.

Ed stood there, looking down into his suitcase as his vision blurred. He felt his lip trembling and struggled to keep from sobbing uncontrollably. "Al? I-I think Roy is…is lying about something," he said shakily.

Internally, Al was furious, why did Roy have to keep hurting his brother this way, he screamed inside? But on the outside, he remained incredibly calm. "Well, why do you think that?" he asked carefully.

"B-because something just doesn't…feel right," he admitted openly. He let out the air he'd been involuntarily holding in and actually felt a little better. He turned around suddenly to face Al. "He wasn't home or at the office when I called and Hawkeye wasn't at her desk either. Nobody picked up, it's like everyone just disappeared. And Roy kept telling me he loved me, but it was too many times, like he felt guilty about something," he blurted out, the dam had finally opened. His eyes darted from one glowing orb to the next on his brother's head in a desperate attempt for some understanding, some obvious thing he'd overlooked.

Al stood there thinking hard about the situation and what he could say to that, but his mind kept getting stuck on the 'Roy telling his brother he loved him too many times' part. Would he ever get used to hearing things like that? Before he could answer, Ed continued.

"And then when we made love today? He…" Ed started quickly again; but Al interrupted him.

Al lifted his hands up to Ed's face in protest, "Brother! I don't need to hear about what you and the Colonel do in bed, eeesh!" he exclaimed. Al shivered visibly when he thought about the fact that Ed had probably just been 'with' Roy shortly before coming to get him.

Ed suddenly found the situation funny, his fearful nervous energy needed an escape and laughter was as good as any way to let it out. He suddenly started to chuckle and briefly wondered if he'd gone mad. "Why not Al? Did you know he likes to tease me?" he said sarcastically.

Al took a step backwards. "Stop Ed, that's sick!" he shot back.

Ed started to laugh a little harder as he watched his brother's dismay. Taunting his brother made him feel better, it took his mind off the situation he'd been agonizing over; it was an outlet. Ed took a step forward and grinned wickedly, "He's really good at blow jobs too," he disclosed as he snickered.

Suddenly Al stopped making noises of disgust and was silent for a second before he replied, "Really?"

Ed stared wide-eyed at his brother in disbelief. All his movements and snickers were quashed.

Al was the one to start chuckling this time, "Huh, gotcha!" he teased. "But really Ed, don't tell me that stuff anymore, it's gross. You can talk all you want about, I don't know, conversations and stuff. But leave the kissing, groping, yucky-stuff out of it," the armored boy advised.

Ed nodded, "Yeah, sorry Al. I suppose it would be kind of strange to hear about you and Winry doing it," he offered. "Especially in that huge suit of armor," Ed teased as he started to laugh.

"Hey, that's not funny! Could happen, you never know…I can only hope," Al suggested. The thought had never occurred to him before; his life really was passing him by. "So, not to change the subject or anything, but we might get some information on the Philosopher's Stone here, right?" Al said a little excitedly. At the moment, that stone was his only salvation as far as he knew.

Ed was feeling much better, he'd finally gotten his mind off whatever was going on at Central and it felt surprisingly good to be away with his brother, back in familiar territory. "Yes, we'll ask around tomorrow about it, but in the mean time, I'm starving! Come with me to get some dinner, okay?"

-O-

Roy was barely aware of being led down his hallway into his bedroom. In fact, he was pretty sure he didn't want to be aware of it, or anything else for that matter. Not when the person leading him was Hawkeye. He just couldn't fathom how to reject her without possibly loosing her support. She had the better of him, and she knew it. He felt their progression stop at the side of his bed. He stumbled briefly and he felt her immediately straighten him out. Then he felt soft tapping on his chest as she unbuttoned his shirt. There was a hot wet trail down his abdomen as she kissed him sensuously all the way down to his belt. He closed his eyes again and tried not to like what she was doing to him, but he was accustomed to women and his body was not obeying him. He felt her hand roam over the hardness in his trousers and he gasped softly before he bit his lip to stifle himself.

Riza smiled as she realized she had Roy aroused. She'd dreamt of doing these things to him and now she finally had him. She quickly unbuckled his belt and unfastened his pants. She shoved him lightly backwards and watched as he fell slowly to the bed. She removed both shoes and socks and threw them in the corner. Then she leaned over him and motioned for him to lift his hips slightly as she slid his trousers and boxers down and off. She stood up and marveled at the pale skin and long lean body of the man she'd only seen fully clothed. Then she heard it, it was soft at first, but then grew in intensity. He was snoring.

"God damn-it, Roy!" she exclaimed heatedly as she straddled his naked body on all fours and looked at him directly. The heavy slow breathing and limpness of his body gave it all away, he had passed out.

xxx

Roy's head was shrieking. He immediately put his hands up and pulled the pillow down over his throbbing skull. He didn't understand what the awful noise was and why it didn't stop. Then he opened his eyes and peered out between the heavy curtains, still opened, in his bedroom. He saw faint rays of sunlight hit the tree in his yard and realized it was morning and the sound was coming from his damned alarm clock on the nightstand. He rolled over and slammed the top of it with an open palm. The offending noise was quieted and he groaned as he rolled onto his back. He peeked up at the ceiling with one very red eye first; then opened the other. It was then he heard clanking in the other room and smelled the delicious aroma of coffee and bacon. He smiled, his foggy mind immediately thought Ed was in his kitchen making him breakfast. Then the memory of his lover standing on the caboose platform waving sadly at him at the train station flashed into the forefront of his mind. "Shit!" he said aloud. He quickly looked down at himself and lifted the covers up so he could peer underneath. Yep, he was naked, he thought shamefully. Only flashes of what occurred last night pushed through his memory, bits and pieces of an evening filled with too much scotch and whisky. He remembered Hawkeye telling him something about the Communications people and then the feeling of her assaulting his body with her lips.

He gasped aloud, did he have sex with her last night, he wondered? He immediately threw the covers off him and looked for any telltale signs of a night of passion left over in his sheets. However, with how many times he'd had Edward in this bed since he last washed them, it was impossible to tell if the current stains were from Hawkeye or his lover.

He winced as he climbed out of bed and walked over to the wardrobe. As his eyes roamed the discarded clothes all over the floor, he realized that was not a good sign. He opened the heavy wooden door and reached in for his cream robe. The black shirt Edward always liked to wear was hanging right next to it. He wrapped the robe around him and grabbed the black shirt; he held it to his face and breathed in. It still smelled like Edward, he missed him now more than ever. Roy's heart suddenly filled with trepidation, even though it was certain Ed would find out about his plan to trick the Fuhrer, he could never let him know exactly how badly the plan had backfired. He couldn't stand to loose Edward; he'd never loved someone so much in all his life. Even the thought of it, of never having this scent in his house again, brought tears to his eyes. For some bizarre reason, he shoved the shirt under the front of the robe and smashed it to his chest. It comforted him and gave him strength to go out and face the woman in his kitchen.

Riza turned as she heard footsteps approaching her. "Good morning, Roy," she chirped cheerfully. She handed him a cup of coffee and smiled smugly at him.

Roy mumbled his greeting, took the coffee and sat hunched over at his table. He wanted to ask, to confirm either way how far they had gotten last night, but he just couldn't bring himself to. What if they did have sex and she found out he didn't remember it? How angry would she be at him then? No, he'd just have to keep his questions to himself and hope that she'd offer the information on her own.

Riza filled two plates with bacon, eggs and toast and then placed them on the kitchen table, one in front of Roy and one next to it. She was wearing her clothes from last night, all but Edward's jacket, as she sat down. "So, how are you feeling today? Pretty bad?" she asked, like nothing unusual at all had happened last night.

Roy slowly picked up his silverware and began to shove scrambled eggs into his mouth. He only grunted a reply as he ate the food she'd cooked for him. He couldn't bring himself to actually look at her, it was like staring down the dishonorable thing he'd probably done. So instead, he just sat at the table and ate. He nodded or made some sort of noise when necessary as she chatted with him about things he didn't care about. Of course, there was no indication given to him about what exactly happened last night and soon, she was clearing his empty dish away from him. He felt her lips graze the top of his head and then heard her speak.

"Gotta go Roy, I'll see you back at headquarters," she said hastily and then was gone.

As soon as he heard the front door close, he pulled the black shirt out from under the front of the robe and pushed his face into it. He breathed in deeply and wished with all his heart his Edward was here with him right now.

xxx

It was just after ten in the morning when Roy finally made his appearance at headquarters. He'd downed a bunch of pain medication to alleviate his headache and drank a whole pot of coffee to wake himself up. Now he was irritated he'd put so much caffeine into his system, his hands were shaking from the effects. He blew past Riza's desk and was relieved when she wasn't there. He sat down at his own desk and made himself busy with the pile of papers that had gathered on it. At some point in the morning, Armstrong entered his office and stood before him. Roy reluctantly looked up from the report he was working on. "Can I help you Major?" he asked as he flipped a pen nervously through his fingers.

"Yes, Colonel, the Fuhrer wanted me to inform you that he wants to see you in his office directly after lunch," Armstrong stated smugly.

"Okay," Roy replied. He lowered his head to his paperwork then realized the Major wasn't leaving. He lifted his head again, "Anything else?" he asked a little irritated this time.

"Yes, well, I just wanted to congratulate you on a job well done, man to man," he said as he smiled knowingly.

Roy sat back in his chair, a confused expression surfaced on his face. "Congratulate me for what?" he asked hesitantly.

Armstrong nodded his head a little before his spoke, his eyes were beaming, "Well, you know, for uh…landing Lieutenant Hawkeye. I always knew if anyone could do that, it would be you. So, well done," he stated assuredly.

Roy started to protest; then he thought better of it. He had to keep the charade up. Roy gave Armstrong his signature smirk, "Oh, that. Yeah well, she was a hard one to break, but I finally got her wrapped," he held up his hand and pushed only his pinky finger up, "right here," he stated smugly as his hand bobbed up and down. Then he winked at Armstrong for a final effect.

The Major shook his head and chuckled as he turned and walked out of Roy's office.

As soon as he was gone, Roy grumbled and returned to his pile of papers.

xxx

All during lunch in the cafeteria, Roy had noticed men giving him deliberate glances and 'thumbs up' gestures. He had no idea Riza was so popular. He cringed when he thought of how Ed was going to react when he got home. He resigned himself to a full out confession as soon as his lover stepped off the train tomorrow. That is, all except for the detail about what could have happened at his house with the Riza last night. He had yet to see her and briefly wondered where she'd been busying herself. He finished his meal, brought his plate to the dishwashing counter, and readied himself for his meeting with Fuhrer Bradley.

He stepped confidently down the hallway and passed by several more officers before he found himself at the office they kept open for the Fuhrer when he was visiting. Roy took a deep breath and walked inside.

"Colonel Roy Mustang, how are you?" Bradley asked cheerily as he stood up from behind his desk.

Roy stopped in front of the man and saluted, "Well, sir!" he responded.

Bradley stepped out from behind the desk and motioned for Roy to take a seat at a rectangular conference table. "At ease," he stated smoothly while he took a position opposite Roy.

Roy sat down and twisted to look at the guard when Bradley motioned to him. The guard saluted, turned, marched, and closed the door behind him. Roy was now alone with the top man of his organization. He waited patiently for the Fuhrer to speak, all while wringing his hands nervously in his lap.

"Colonel Mustang, it's no secret why I've come here. I personally wanted to investigate a terrible crime against our militaries' culture. You know as well as I that having…relations…with persons of the same sex is, well, rather abhorrent. So, I was extremely relieved to understand the initial accusation I came to investigate was made under false pretenses," he divulged sternly. He waited for a second and seemed to be gauging Roy's reaction to what he'd just said.

Roy blinked a few times, he was having a difficult time figuring out exactly what the Fuhrer had just told him; he shouldn't have had so much to drink last night. He could feel himself break out in a cold sweat as the Fuhrer looked him over, he was positive he should just keep his mouth shut, not speak unless asked to.

Bradley sat forward and glared at Roy, "I'm telling you, you are off the hook, Colonel," he stated bluntly.

Roy visibly relaxed.

"I'm sure you heard through alternative sources you were the target of my investigation? I had a complaint listing you as an accomplice in a homosexual relationship with a subordinate." He stated sternly. Then his expression softened, "But, your reputation precedes you, I tried to tell them what a lover of women you were, but they were initially very adamant in their claim. However, they changed their tune as of this morning and let me know they were mistaken. Apparently you are dating this beautiful female Lieutenant, a Riza Hawkeye?" Bradley questioned and hesitated to wait for an answer.

"Yes, sir," Roy stated firmly.

"Well, that is definitely a welcome arrangement. I do suppose you plan on marrying this woman, Colonel? If I might be so bold, you are gaining in the years and a good woman is hard to come by," he advised smugly.

Roy blushed despite himself and looked briefly down at the table, "Well sir, I suppose that would have to be up to her," he replied as a smirk spread across his lips.

Bradley smiled briefly, "Of course. Well, you can be dismissed," he commanded.

Roy stood from the table and saluted once again, "Thank you, sir!" he stated as he turned and walked briskly out of the office. As soon as he was clear of any of Bradley's men, he crouched down slightly and pumped his fist, "Yes!" he hissed with delight at his successful dodging of the possible court marshal. Then he made a mental note to himself, he'd have to talk with Ed; they'd really need to be careful when they were out or around other people. He knew if it ever came up again, he wouldn't be so lucky.

xxx

Roy made his way back to his office and saw Riza sitting at her desk as he rounded the corner. He was feeling pretty confident now and decided he could finally face her. He strode up to her desk and stopped just opposite her. She looked up at him questioningly, "Lieutenant, can I speak with you please?" he commanded more than asked.

"Yes, sir," she replied as she stood and followed him into his office.

Roy closed the door behind her and then motioned for her to sit on the couch. He sat down beside her, not too close, but not too far away either. "Looks like our little charade last night worked…" he started, but was interrupted.

"I know, I was called into the Fuhrer's office this morning, before he spoke to you," she offered plainly.

So that's where she was all morning, he thought. "Really? Care to tell me a little more about it?" he questioned curiously.

"Well, there's not too much to tell really. He asked me if we were dating, of course I told him we were. He asked me what kind of a man you were. To which I only said good things, how loyal you are, how trustworthy, that sort of thing," she offered smugly.

Roy couldn't help but wonder if she was taking an underhanded jab at him. "Oh, well, it seems I've avoided a court marshal for the time being and I have you to thank for it. So, thank you," he stated plainly.

"You're quite welcome," she replied casually.

"Now about Edward…uh, I'm going to have to tell him about what we did, since the whole office is talking about us now," Roy explained with a pained expression on his face.

"Will you tell him everything, sir?" Riza taunted.

Roy shifted uneasily in his seat. Did that mean they did have sex last night, he wondered? He searched her face for more information, what did she mean, exactly? He was unsure how to reply, it seemed she still held a trump card over him. If he angered her now, would she tell Edward they had sex? He decided he still couldn't ask directly, the retribution would be too serious. He would just have to assume they did do the unthinkable. "Uh, no, of course I wouldn't have to tell him everything," he said with a nervous grin. "I mean, what we did last night, at my house, well, he doesn't need to know about that, right?" he used the question to fish for more answers.

Riza looked at him curiously, then it dawned on her, he must not remember if they had sex last night or not. What an idiot, she thought. The whole thing was starting to shed a new light on the Roy Mustang she thought she knew, the man she'd thought she loved. She had high standards for those which she had feelings for, and he was starting to drop below those standards. Should she tell him the truth, she wondered? No, she decided it would be too much fun to keep him guessing, it served him right for passing out on her. Riza grinned wickedly at him, "Right…you wouldn't want your lover to know about something like that. You never know how badly he might take it. I just know if a man did that to me, I'd probably never see him again," she stated bluntly.

Roy felt the proverbial knife enter his heart and twist. He flinched as she spoke and figured he had his answer on how far they went last night. Now panic set in, "So, you won't say anything, to Edward, right?" he quickly blurted out.

"Of course not, Roy," she replied in her sweetest, most innocent voice.

xxx

Ed sighed as he plopped himself down, face first, on the bed in their hotel room. They'd been out talking tirelessly with townspeople all day and had not found one shred of evidence to suggest there was any clues on the Philosopher's Stone here. He wondered now why Roy had told them there was? They had also inspected the mines and found them to be in exactly the same shape they'd been in last time they were here. The whole trip had been a complete waste of time, as far as Edward was concerned. Ed rolled onto his side and faced his brother, who lay on the bed opposite him. "I'm going to go call Mustang and then I'm going to bed. I'm so damned tired," he quipped.

"Sure, brother, I'll see you when you get back. Hope you get to talk to him tonight," Al responded just as tiredly.

Ed climbed off the bed and went downstairs to the lobby phone. He put a hand on his stomach and rubbed, he'd eaten a ton of food at dinner tonight and he wasn't so sure it was sitting well with him. He picked up the receiver and dialed; then he waited.

-O-

Back at Central, the phone rang in Colonel Mustang's empty office. He'd gone home a little early in celebration of his successful day and had also sent Hawkeye home. Before he left, he'd put Havoc in charge of the phones. After five rings, the phone was silent and another telephone in the hallway started to ring. Havoc jumped up and ran over to Riza's desk. He hastily picked up the handset, almost dropped it, then shoved it to his ear. "Hello? Uh, Colonel Mustang's office, Lieutenant Havoc speaking," he blurted out.

-O-

Ed had started to expect he wasn't going to get anyone on the line again tonight when it picked up and he'd begun to lean against the inside of the booth. He straightened as he heard Havoc's voice on the other end. "Oh, hey Havoc. It's Fullmetal. Is Colonel Mustang around?" he asked absently while he toyed with the cord between the handset and receiver.

Havoc was grinning from ear to ear, he finally found someone who hadn't heard the news yet. "No, he went home early tonight. So did Hawkeye. Too bad you missed the show last night!" he snickered as he spoke. He was so eager to spread his story he didn't hear the reaction on the other end of the line.

Ed gasped and felt a sharp stab of pain enter his heart. He covered his mouth with his hand and stared into the receiver, he was painfully afraid of asking what the hell Havoc was talking about. He didn't have to.

"Bet you didn't know they were an item, huh? You should have seen them last night; we were all invited to the pub across the street… They were all over each other in a booth, kissing and carrying on, like they'd been together for ages," he stated proudly, embellishing as much as possible. Then he heard a click on the other end, "Hello? Edward?" he asked, but was met only with a dial tone. He looked at the handset and shrugged as he set it down.

Ed felt like the wind was knocked out of him. At first, he bent over in the booth and slammed his forehead against the back wall. He held his breath and his face was tensed up as if to cry, but no sound came out. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and immediately felt like he was going to be sick. The air choked out of his lungs as he ran from the booth and up the stairs to his room, holding his gut the whole way.

Al jumped as the door to their hotel room slammed open and Edward flew by him and into the bathroom. "Brother?" was all he could say before Ed rocked with room by banging the bathroom door shut.

Ed thrust the toilet seat up and hung his head over the porcelain bowl just in time to empty his dinner into the water below him. The tears came hard and relentless as everything poured out of him. In between each wretch, sorrowful sobs rang out into the small room. His body shook and trembled as spasms in his stomach finally slowed and wails began to replace the vomiting. He surrendered fully to the agony inside him; he let the toilet seat slam down onto the lip of the bowl as he fell downward onto the floor. He curled himself up tightly into a ball on his side and held his head in his hands as he wept uncontrollably.

Al was at the bathroom door in a flash of shiny metal, he pounded as he heard his brother's heaving and wails through the door. He'd tried to force the knob to turn, but failed. "Edward! What happened? Let me in!" he shrieked. But there was no response on the other side. "Damn-it," Al shouted. He quickly grabbed a pen from the nightstand and drew a transmutation circle on the door, then slapped his hands to it. A hole big enough for him to pass through was made as a flash of blue lit up the room. Al rushed in to his still sobbing brother and picked him up. Ed's limp body hung across his large metal arms.

Ed felt himself being lifted, but he was too involved in his grief to protest. His body shook as he wept; the tears fell down his cheeks and spilled out over the smooth surface of his sibling's arm. He was vaguely aware of being set down on the softness of his bed. His brother's hand tenderly stroked the top of his head.

"It was Mustang again, wasn't it Ed," Al stated angrily. He watched his brother's head nod in agreement. "I don't give a shit what you think, I'm going to kick his ass when we get back. I can't stand by and let him hurt you like this anymore," he hissed furiously.

Ed peered up at his brother with red swollen eyes and tear soaked cheeks, "No, Al, please, just…stay out of it…I-I can…can handle…it," he pleaded as more tears spilled out of his eyes. Then he turned his face into his pillow and clenched the bedcovers tightly as visions of Roy with Riza kissing in a booth shot into his mind. The pain was excruciating, he curled up tightly and started to choke out sobs again.

"Then tell me what happened Ed, talk to me," Al implored.

Ed was able to finally stifle his crying enough to talk coherently, so he thought. "Um…I just called and Havoc answered the phone. He said…he said…,"Ed tried to stop it, but a hitched sob broke through, "uh, that…that…Ah!" Ed growled, as he grew frustrated with himself. He took a deep breath and then tried again, "he told me that Roy and Riza were in a booth at the pub…kissing…and…"he'd made an attempt at blurting it all out quickly, but still couldn't bring himself to finish the story. He clenched his teeth and struggled against his emotions. "God, why does it have to hurt so bad?" he groaned before he gave in to another round of tears.

"That's it, he's definitely getting an ass-kicking," Al replied angrily.

"But maybe…maybe there's a reason for it? Maybe…it's not how it looks," Ed offered. The thought actually comforted him somewhat. He could loose himself in denial, at least until he had to face Roy tomorrow. He was desperate to alleviate the pain in his heart.

Al internally frowned and externally shook his head slowly. He wouldn't argue that point with his brother, not tonight when he was still so wounded. Maybe tomorrow, when the initial pain was subdued, then he'd have a full discussion with him about how Mustang really isn't treating him very well. About how maybe he should actually consider breaking things off with the Colonel. But tonight, he'd just reluctantly agree, if its what Ed needed to hear, "Yeah, maybe that's right Ed."