Title: Never Easy

Rating: M overall

Pairing: Royxed, but mainly Elricest

Genre: Romance, Angst, Horror, Hurt/Comfort... that sounds like a terrible combination 0_0

Summary: Things have never been easy for the Elric Brothers. Why would love be any different?

Warnings: Mature content, language, and violence in later chapters.

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Fullmetal Alchemist. *sobs in corner*

Author's Note: Okay, it's been long enough of a wait for this chapter, am I right? This one is rated T I think, but I think in the fifth chapter, it's finally going to be M, so beware. I finally found a beta reader for the moment, and they have been a great help fixing all my stupid mistakes ;) So I hope you enjoy this next part, and I promise I'll have chapter 4 out quicker.

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"So Alphonse, tell me, how have you been recovering these past two month?" Mustang asked as he passed a bowl of mashed potatoes around the small, circular dinner table.

"Really well I believe," he said, helping himself to some of the green beans. "At first it was really difficult to do small, manual tasks, and my muscles would get tired very easily and cramp up. But after a few weeks of physical therapy and exercise, I was just about as good as new again." Al looked over to me and flashed a grin. He took my left hand for a second and gave it a good squeeze before he let go and turned back to Mustang. I let my eyes linger on Al for an extra moment before I turned my attention back down to my plate. Mustang noticed.

"I'm glad to hear you're doing so well," Roy said. "What have you been doing with your time? We all know I've been working Ed to the bone."

Al chuckled and I harrumphed. "Well," Al started once his giggles died down. "I've been helping Sciezka at the library mostly, but I don't officially work there because the doctors say I shouldn't exert myself too much yet." I noticed a small frown on his face. I knew Al was starting to get a little restless. He wasn't quite as troubled as I get when I'm cooped up, but Al always liked to keep his mind and body doing something productive, even when he was in the suit of armor.

"Well that's good that you've been doing something. When the doctor gives you the okay, let me know and I'll pull some strings and get you a good job there in the library," Roy said in a matter of fact tone.

Al would politely reject the offer; anyone who knew him knew that he tended to be selfless and humble, and that was one of the many reasons that he was loved by the masses. However, we could both tell that he had no real choice in the matter. Anyone who worked with Mustang for long enough would tell you that he worked in mysterious ways that simply were not to be questioned; it took me a while to figure that out myself. Besides, it was obvious that this was just Roy thanking him for all of his help over the years.

"Thank you sir," Al said in almost a quiet wonder. He was blushing slightly.

"No need to call me 'sir' here, right Al?" he chuckled.

"Haha, I guess you're right…" Al smiled back at Mustang. He looked over at me, but I pretended not to notice. I pushed the food around my plate a little bit, put my fork down, and took a sip of my water. He was still watching me, so I glanced over and flashed another phony smile. I was desperately trying to hide the fact that Roy had been massaging my leg underneath the table the whole time, gradually moving up my thigh. Damn that Colonel Bastard.

"So Al, are there any ladies on your dating horizon right now?" Mustang asked, raising his eyebrow in a provocative manner.

I choked on the water that I had been sipping. Al probably thought it was because of the bluntness of the question. Roy knew it was because he had just grazed over my crotch with his devilish hand. I squirmed in my seat, trying to escape his adventurous advances, but he kept massaging my upper thigh, not letting me get away.

"Um, well, not really. I just got my body back after all, and it's not like I had girls lined up when I was in that suit of armor. Not that I really minded," he threw in, glancing at me. "I guess there's Mei, but I don't know…" he trailed off, playing with his napkin.

"You should go talk to this Mei girl. I'm sure she would love to go on a date with such a handsome man as yourself," Roy said, patting Al on the shoulder. "And besides, you need to start thinking about the future, settling down with a wife and kids..." he teased, sounding more and more like good ole Hughes by the second.

I stood up from the table, shaking off Roy's hand as I did so. "I need to use the bathroom," I said, starting to walk over to the hall.

"Are you okay Brother?" Al called over to me.

"Yeah," I said, pausing against the wall. "I just think I'm going to be sick…" And I was telling the truth, although it probably wasn't from anything I ate.

"Well, why don't you use the upstairs bathroom then," Roy urged, starting to get up from the table. "It's bigger and there's a window in there. Some fresh air might help…"

I raised a hand, telling him he didn't need to get up and made my way to the staircase. I already knew where the bathroom upstairs was. Once inside, I opened the window, and he was right. A cool breeze instantly drifted in and it felt amazing against my heated face. My legs were a little shaky, so I propped myself up on the sink.

"Dammit Al, why do you do this to me?"

My bangs were clinging to my forehead, hanging in my eyes. I shook them away, but that only caused a bout of dizziness that worked its way through my body.

"Just relax Ed. It's just a nice dinner with the Colonel. Nothing more."

Roy's hand on my leg flashed through my head again, and I felt my stomach lurch. I bent over and turned the tap on. I let the cool water pool in my cupped hands for a moment; watching the water slide quickly through the joints in my metal hand.

"Some things are pointless. Just like this."

With that, I splashed my face a couple of times. Breathing deeply, I turned the sink off and grabbed the hand towel, making sure I got all the parts of my right hand dried. My bangs were a little wet, but I didn't bother drying them with alchemy. Feeling much better, I closed the window, opened the door, and turned off the light. As I closed the door, I turned around to find Roy standing right there in the hall. I almost screamed. Why did he have to be standing there in the dark like that?

"What are you do—"

"I just wanted to check on you." He said in that calm voice that usually made me want to punch him in the face. Right now was no exception either.

"I'm fine. Or was until I had a heart attack from you creeping like that!"

My nagging didn't really seem to bother him. He slinked his way to close the distance between us. I tried to take a step back, but the bathroom door was right behind me and there was a rather loud 'bang' as my automail hit the wood. I was trapped.

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"It's probably a good idea if I go and check on him," Mustang said as he pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.

"Um… okay," I said. Brother had been gone for a few minutes, and I was starting to worry. Roy placed his napkin on his plate and left the room. I could hear his boots going up the stairs and fade away as he walked down the hall.

I sat there for another few minutes, alternating between playing with the scraps of food on my plate and looking around the kitchen aimlessly. It was clear that a bachelor lived here; just the necessities and almost no decorations. Mustang probably had to do a lot of grocery shopping just to prepare this dinner for us. It was nice for him to invite Brother and me, but I couldn't help but wonder why. Maybe he was just lonely. As I finished drinking the rest of my milk, I heard something crash upstairs.

"Ed? Roy? Is everything okay up there?" I called out slightly. They must not have heard me though because there was no answer. I couldn't even hear voices. Part of me said that I shouldn't go wandering around in someone else's house, but what if something had happened to them? My worries getting the best of me, I stood up from the table and left the kitchen. The stairs were just around the corner and I stood at the bottom of them for a moment. Was that someone whispering? Or was I just imagining it?

I slowly walked up the stairs, being careful not to make too much noise. When I got to the top, I saw that the hallway took a turn to the left. I could definitely hear whispering. Not really knowing what I was doing, I peaked around the corner, and I had to press my hand to my mouth to cover the gasp that I almost let out. Ed and Mustang were a little way down the completely dark hall, but I could just see them from the light coming from downstairs. Mustang had Ed pushed up against a door and his face was very close to Brother's.

He leaned down and started nipping at the skin on Ed's neck. Ed turned his head away from Roy and right towards me, but his eyes were closed. I pulled back a little, but I couldn't look away. I knew it wasn't right for me to watch this private moment, but I was still so shocked. "Roy…" Ed whispered, but it sounded pained, instead of in pleasure.

"Ed… we haven't been alone in such a long time," he accented the last four words with small bites at my brother's collar bone where flesh met steel. "I have to watch you at work and I can't do a damn thing. You're such a tease sometimes…" he trailed off as he sucked gently at his pulse point. He pushed his knee between Ed's closed legs and used his thigh to rub against Brother's groin. I could hear Ed gasp from over here.

"Roy, uh—Al's right downstairs….um—this isn't a good time," Ed said somewhat strained.

Mustang sighed deeply; in frustration. "When is a good time then Ed? You know I've been waiting for so long. I need you," he said dragging his words out, frotting up against Brother again. "You said that you were waiting until Al got his body back. I understand that you didn't want to indulge in such activities when your brother couldn't feel anything at all. But what I don't understand is why you're still waiting. It's been two months, and you've been avoiding me…" Roy growled as he bit down on Brother's neck. Ed gasped, but didn't seem to mind too much considering he moaned afterward.

"Pl-please Roy…" Ed begged, finally pushing Mustang away from him. "I just need… I just need more time." Ed kept his head bowed, looking at his feet.

Roy sighed again, looking defeated. But then he reached over and gently grabbed Ed's chin, pulling his face up towards his. "Alright Edward," Roy said softly. He placed a chaste kiss on Brother's lips and then pulled him into a hug. Ed's arms hung lifeless for a second, but then he gradually lifted them up and hugged Roy back.

"Get out of here Alphonse! Now, before they discover you here!"

I shook myself out of my trance, and, as quietly as I could, I snuck back downstairs. I never realized how quiet I could actually be now that I didn't have that clunky armor to carry around. I hurried back to the table and sat down in my seat, hoping that I didn't look suspicious.

"So Brother and Mustang are together?" The thought just still seemed so weird to me. It was obvious by their conversation that they had been dating for a long time. Had I really been so oblivious to it the whole time? Why wouldn't Brother tell me? Was he afraid that I wouldn't have approved? Ed knows that I love him no matter what…right? All these questions were starting to give me a headache, but another topic popped into my head, which raised about fifty new questions.

Had Brother been denying himself again? When I had first lost my body, Ed had refused to eat or sleep for the first week. He said that if I couldn't eat or sleep, then neither would he. I had to explain to him that he couldn't reason like that. I told him that if he didn't take care of himself then he wouldn't be able to function, and he would never find a way to get our bodies back. What I didn't tell him was that I also didn't want him to blame himself so much, but apparently he had been doing it again. Sure, sex wasn't necessary, but still. I couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. If I had figured out sooner that Ed was with Mustang, then maybe I could have been able to talk to him…

I snapped out of my queries. I could hear two pairs of footsteps coming back down the stairs. Ed and Mustang walked back into the kitchen, and to be honest, Ed didn't look much better than he did when he left. I stood up and walked over to him. He didn't hesitate to put his arm around me and lean against me.

"He's still a little sick. It's probably best if you take him home Al," Mustang said, grabbing our coats off the rack in the hall. "I'll give you guys a ride back." He opened the door for us and I helped Ed walk to the car in the driveway, where Ed and I got into the backseat.

During the ride back, Ed leaned up against the window and closed his eyes. I couldn't help but notice a slight pink spot on his neck from Roy's ministrations earlier. I watched Ed sleep the whole ride back. Brother looked so peaceful; a pleasant comparison to the grimace or frown that usually graced his face. As he slept, the stress poured off his face, making him look years younger: it never ceased to amaze me. I used to watch him for hours when I was in my suit of armor. My favorite time had been just as the sun started to rise: the reddish-orange light would make Ed's blonde hair and tanned skin glow. Now that I reminisce about it, I think that was one of my best memories during those years.

We pulled up in front of Central Command. I got out of the car and went around to the other side to help Ed out. "Sorry, we had to leave early Roy. Dinner was really great," I said as Ed leaned against me again.

"Don't worry about it. I had a really great time tonight. I hope you feel better Ed."

Ed mumbled a "thanks". Roy gave us a small wave and drove away. Brother and I slowly made our way back to our room. Right away, Ed plopped down on our bed and barely kicked off his shoes before falling asleep. I sat on my own bed, by the window. I sat there watching a few stray cars drive by every once and a while. I sat there and tried to figure out what the hell I was feeling. The only thing I could actually identify was jealousy every time I thought about Roy. Things are never easy.

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