Take It All Away
Chapter 14: A Bit Of Peace
R-2-F
Just over a week had passed since the night of Ed's nightmare. Central was hectic at best and everyone was busy with something. Christmas was drawing ever nearer and the military worked diligently to make sure all of their duties were seen too. The days were becoming colder and the nights darker, and it had snowed for days on end. The stores were beginning to put out all of their Christmas decorations and the streets had been turned into a Winter Wonderland. Yet despite the cheer of the holiday that was quickly spreading through the soldiers, the State's work remained a first priority.
Jean had been unable to visit Roy as often as he would have liked due to the large piles of paperwork that constantly decorated the majority of his desk. Riza was in a similar bind and spent most of the day out of the office on official business, or confined to her desk and pouring over paperwork like the others. The crime rate in the city always sky rocketed around the holidays, and this year was no exception. The only people who managed to find the time each day to visit the General were the ever-faithful Elric brothers.
It had become a daily ritual for Alphonse to spend the morning with Mustang whilst Ed was busy with work. The General had begun to help Alphonse study up on his Alchemy, delighting the teen with his experience and vast knowledge on the subject. The two men spent the day inside, Alphonse quizzing Roy's knowledge of the use of certain alchemic arrays and possible effects. The General's knowledge had dumbfounded the youngest Elric brother. While Alphonse was aware of the Flame Alchemist's reputation, he had yet to see for himself just how much Mustang knew about Alchemy. It was no wonder why the man was one of the State's top alchemists.
Ed would return from work around mid afternoon, occasionally joining in the study sessions, but most of the time he would simply watch the duo. Over the past week Ed and Roy had engaged in countless debates over alchemy, and each time Ed had been proven wrong by the General. Edward was not one to readily admit defeat and would sulk for the remainder of the study session, shooting the Flame Alchemist dirty looks from his place at the table. After a particularly humiliating defeat the blonde man had decided it was pointless to argue with the General when it came to alchemy. Clearly, Ed's knowledge on the subject paled in comparison to Mustang's, although Ed would die before admitting that.
Al would generally take his leave just before dinnertime to return to the library, where he would eagerly look for more books to discuss with General Mustang the next day. While the suit of armor still made regular visits to the library, he spent far less time there than he had in the past. Ed was grateful for this and had told the General as much, only to have his thanks casually brushed aside. Every time the blonde brought up the subject Roy claimed that he was the one who should be thanking them, and it was left at that.
Ed continued to spend his nights with Roy. After Alphonse took his leave Ed would return to his dorm to take a quick shower and would return with food within an hour. After the two ate they usually would curl up in the bed and talk until sleep claimed one or both of them. Things were far from 'happily ever after' for the two men. They were constantly bickering over even the littlest of things, but there was no denying the connection they felt between them. Ed's choice of sleeping arrangements had never been brought up between the two of them; it simply felt right to spend the night in each other's arms. Ed continued to seek Roy's warmth out, and Roy continued to welcome the blonde with open arms.
For the first time since Edward Elric was little, he found his life revolving around a schedule. He no longer spent his nights wondering what would happen after dawn had crept it's way into the skies. No longer were his days spent dreading returning home and surrendering to the memories brought on by sleep. Now Ed found himself looking forward to the end of each day, knowing that later that night he would find himself in Roy's strong arms, being lulled to sleep by the General's steady heartbeat. His life had become predictable, and for the first time in a long time, Edward Elric found he didn't mind one bit.
R-2-F
Roy watched lazily as Ed went through the rituals of getting ready, though it was clear that the blonde was reluctant to go to work. Roy tilted his head to the side as his eyes continued to idly follow the younger man's movements. "Long day ahead?" He inquired, his deep voice still scratchy from sleep.
Ed sat on the edge of the bed and began to struggle with his shoes. "You could say that." He grunted as he successfully put his boots on. His eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of his hair in the mirror that hung innocently on the opposite wall. He tugged at the unruly blonde strands had worked their way from his braid whilst he slept. He continued to glare daggers at his reflection, cursing the knots that had surely worked their way into the stands. "I should just chop it all off and save myself the headache." He muttered absentmindedly.
"Don't you dare!" Roy growled, startling Ed from his scrutiny. Ed turned his attention away from the mirror to meet angry onyx eyes, surprised to see the General's sudden rage.
Roy sat up, propping himself up with one hand while he ran his free hand through the untamed golden locks. He ignored the glare he received for the action. "It'd be a shame to cut it."
"And just what makes you think you have in say whatsoever in what I do with my hair?" Ed snapped, jerking his head away from the General's caress. "It's my damn hair!"
Roy eyes narrowed while he mentally prepared himself for the oncoming argument. "I am quite aware of that Edward." He said evenly, his eyes steadily meeting Ed's.
"It's a pain in the ass to braid anymore coz it's too damn long! It takes me nearly an hour to fix it anymore!"
Roy couldn't stop the smirk that tugged at his lips if he'd have tried. "Why Edward, I do believe you are coming dangerously close to sounding like a girl." Roy stifled the urge to laugh out right at the blonde's taken aback expression. The look was quickly replace by one of the eldest Elric's trademark scowls.
"Who the hell are you calling a girl, you bastard!" He demanded as he launched himself at Roy, instinctively avoiding the General's injuries. He sat gingerly on Mustang's chest, his hands fisted in the cocky General's shirt.
"Oh, I spend hours slaving over my hair!" Roy recited, manipulating the blonde's earlier words with ease. He nearly laughed as the man that currently straddled his chest began to turn an interesting shade of purple.
"Why you cocky, son of a-"
"Brother!"
The two men who were just about to engage in a wrestling match blinked before looking at the door, finding the youngest Elric brother standing there with a scandalized expression, or as scandalized as a helmet could manage to look. Ed cleared his throat and straightened, though he remained carefully perched on the General's chest. Roy made no move to drop his hands that were resting on the blonde's hips to balance him, instead slipping them behind the blonde's waist. "Oh, hey there Al." Ed greeted weakly, his face turning red enough to rival a tomato.
"Good morning, brother." Alphonse replied tightly. The suit was obviously not pleased about something, but the two men were at a loss as to what. "How many times must I ask you not to use such vulgar language?"
Ed sweat dropped, slumping so that his forehead was a hair's breath away from touching Roy's. "Yes, mom." He mumbled, preparing to tune out the lecture that was sure to follow his brother's reprimand. Alphonse was not one to disappoint and launched into one of his famous sermons. Ed had already tuned Al out however and glared at Roy though the curtain of his hair. "This is your fault." He mouthed, giving the General his best glare.
Roy didn't bother to act sheepish, instead returning the scowl with one of his playboy smiles that did funny things to Ed's stomach. "So sorry." He replied, his voice sounding far too seductive to be apologetic.
"Are you even listening to me, Brother?" Alphonse snapped, having finally noticed that his brother's attention was directed elsewhere.
"Sure." Ed replied absentmindedly.
"Edward Elric, you listen to me when I'm talking to you!"
"Easy, Alphonse. He's just half asleep." Roy covered, giving Ed a secretive wink. Ed felt a wave of relief when he realized that Roy was trying to help him get out of trouble instead of into it.
"Oh." Al replied, instantly turning a sheepish expression to the two. "Sorry, brother."
"No big." Ed replied easily, shifting the majority of his weight to his feet to ease the pressure on Roy's chest.
"Now I believe you were about to let me braid your hair, Edward." Roy announced, pushing himself into a sitting position, which resulted in Ed toppling unceremoniously into his lap. He winced as the blonde's weight was put on his leg, but the discomfort wasn't as bad as it had been only days before. He smirked as the blonde blinked owlishly up at him.
"I was?"
"Yes, you were." Roy removed the hair band from Ed's tangled hair, accidentally tugging a bit too hard in his attempts to free the band from the hair. The blonde cursed softly enough that the suit of armor would not be able to hear it, though it was still audible to the General. "Woops, sorry about that." He apologized noncommittally, his attention directed on the blonde's hair.
Ed huffed and turned so his back was presented to the General, giving him better access to his hair. "Just make it quick or I'll be late." He commanded, though his voice was losing it's edge as Roy's fingers began to work through his hair. He was so lost in the feeling of those skilled fingers in his hair that he didn't realize Roy was done with the task until the man dropped a kiss to the nape of his neck.
Alphonse stood just inside the doorway, his armor emitting a low creaking sound as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He was clearly uncomfortable by the blatant display of affection between his brother and the General, but the teen was doing his best not to show said discomfort.
Roy was the one to notice the suit of armor's restlessness and leaned against the headboard, putting a handful of inches between himself and the blonde. Ed seemed oblivious to his brother's unease, so when Roy pulled away he turned to give the General a confused look, unable to mask the hurt in his eyes. Instead of trying to explain his actions to the blonde Roy nodded towards the room's other occupant. Understanding seemed to dawn on Ed immediately.
"Hey Al." He called, startling Roy when he reclaimed his former position of reclining against the General's chest. The blonde went as far as twining the fingers of his flesh hand with Roy's. When Ed was certain he had his younger brother's undivided attention he continued, his voice soft. "Does this bother you?" He lifted his and Roy's joint hands.
Alphonse immediately shook his head, his armor clanking as his helmet hit one shoulder and then the other. "Not at all, brother!" He exclaimed, doing his best to give his brother a smile in his present state. He knew that he was unable to make true expressions, such as a smile or smirk, but Alphonse's eyes always managed to relay his true thoughts to the oldest Elric. "It's just…"
"Just..?" Roy prompted, his free hand moving to rest protectively on Ed's hip. The blonde was not oblivious to the movement and felt a grateful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Alphonse blushed, one of the few expressions he pulled off far to easily, before and after the accident. "W-well, Edward…" He stammered, struggling to form a reply that didn't sound offensive. "You're just…It's just that," He huffed. "You're my brother! I'm suppose to act grossed out when I see you all lovey-dovey with anyone." Alphonse looked up sheepishly. "I can't admit that I find it absolutely adorable-it's against the 'Little Brother Handbook'."
The other two men shared a good laugh at this. Roy was the first to sober down a bit and used the blonde's distracted state to give the younger Elric a thankful smile. Though Roy wasn't one to worry, he wasn't certain how Alphonse was going to take his and Ed's new relationship-whatever that relationship was. Having the armor's blessing was as if a weight had been taken from Roy's shoulders. Alphonse seemed to get the silent message and nodded his hand in understanding, the closest thing the armor could make to a smile playing on his visor.
"Thanks, Al." Ed piped up, startling the General by speaking the very words he'd been trying to relay to the younger brother. Al felt a surge of warmth pass through him as he watched Ed snuggle closer to Mustang, their joined hands resting lightly on his stomach. Mustang bent his head closer to Ed, whispering something in the blonde's ear that brought a bright smile to Ed's face. Al felt as if he was intruding on a private moment and busied himself with setting the books he'd brought with him on the table. He could still hear the two men whispering, but made a point not to try and discern what they were saying. He was simply too happy that his brother had finally found someone to worry about details such as that someone's gender or age. If Roy could bring such a bright smile to his brother's face, then Alphonse couldn't be happier for the couple. He was just glad that his life had found a bit of peace.
"Twenty minutes." Roy announced, his voice suddenly loud enough for Al to hear. Both Elric brothers gave him questioning looks, waiting for him to go on. Roy's trademark smirk was playing across his lips as he looked thoughtfully at the clock. "If you were to leave right this moment, and then run like hell, I'd estimate you would only be twenty minutes late."
Ed stared at Roy for a good thirty seconds before the General's meaning finally set in. As soon as realization dawned on Ed he launched himself out of the bed, straightening his clothes and grabbing his bag from the coat rack next to the door. "Shit! Why didn't you tell me sooner!" He raged, pulling the strap over his head and somehow managing to get it caught in his hair. "Ow, ow ow ow! The damn thing's trying to attack me!"
Alphonse dutifully untangled his brother from the 'damn thing', choosing to overlook the older alchemist's language.
"Stupid bag!" Ed swore, glaring at the offending object and choosing to shoulder the strap instead of trying to put it over his head, lest he suffer the same fate once again.
"Maybe it's not the bag…" Mustang commented offhandedly, giving the pretense of checking his nails for dirt.
"What did you say, teme-sama!"
"Nothing, my darling midget."
"Who are you calling-!"
"EDWARD, MUSTANG, BEHAVE!" Alphonse commanded, stopping the argument before it could escalate.
So much for his life having a bit of peace.
R-2-F
Author's Note: Oh wow, I nearly received thirty reviews for that last chapter! You guys are amazing! I wrote this chapter with the intent of bringing Al back into play; it was brought to my attention that he'd sort of disappeared from the story line…sorry about that!
A huge thanks to all of you who have reviewed! I love you guys!