To all my reviewers: I am immensely sorry for how long it took to update this. As has been hinted at by my update schedules here, I have jumped fandoms into Star Trek: 2009. If any of you have made the jump and read my work there, I am happy. If not, that's ok too. And that shouldn't excuse me from posting this. Because that's just wrong and abandoning fiction isn't how I roll.

~Ember

(ps. that was a review response to all of you in general, since there are so many of you because it took so long)

Chapter 12: Hooked

There was exactly one thought running through Ed's mind over and over again: Shit.

How on Earth had Roy's idiot friend managed to plan this without anyone's knowledge? He should have seen this coming. As it was, he was simply trying to hide the humiliated blush on his face.

Funnily enough, hiding was remarkably difficult in a small practice room when trapped with someone else. It was even harder when that someone else was staring at you with a confused look in his eyes.

"What's going on?" Roy asked. "Are you all right?"

How the hell was he supposed to respond to that? He had only just accepted that he had some sort of ridiculous crush on the older teen; he sure as hell wasn't about to let that revelation slip out just yet, if at all. "I'm fine," he responded, trying to hide the tremor in his voice.

Apparently, it didn't work, as soon a warm hand cupped his cheek. "You don't look like it."

A deep blush slammed into Ed's face. When the hell had Roy gotten so close? It was terrifying. If Ed made any indication that Roy's proximity, the hand on his face, even the older teen's scent had this kind of effect on him, he had no idea what would happen. He had to hide it, all of it, before Roy even had a chance to become suspicious.

Yanking away, Ed snarled, "I'm fine!" and moved away, backing into a corner before he realized his mistake.

Roy smirked. Clearly he thought Ed was cornered and defenseless. If so, he was about to learn his mistake. Ed was not about to let the strangest and most wonderful friendship he had ever had pass him by because he couldn't realize it was only that.

Roy, however, seemed to have other ideas, and walked over to where Ed was standing. Clearly the dark-haired teen had no concept of personal space, for he was certainly invading Ed's. Had he always stood this closely, or was this some new mechanism he was using to torment Ed?

Backing away further, Ed winced as his head slammed against the wall, sinking to his knees and cradling his abused skull.

This was bad. There was no way he could convince Roy that he was fine and would be even better if the other teen would stand quietly at the other side of the practice room when he had only just obviously hurt himself. It was in Roy's nature to be concerned and caring, one of the many things Ed normally appreciated about him but now wished would temporarily go away for his own security of mind.

Sure enough, the older teen knelt beside him, gently grasping his head in both hands. "What did you do that for? Are you trying to knock yourself out?" he chided gently.

Normally, Ed would have laughed, but this time he could only manage a weak chuckle.

How the hell was he supposed to get out of this one?

By this point, Roy wasn't quite sure who he should be more amazed at: Maes or Ed.

On the one hand, Maes clearly had quite an impressive collection of love songs at his disposal, and he vaguely wondered how exactly his friend had gotten his hands on them.

On the other, Ed was clearly freaking out and nothing had even happened. All he'd done was...

Oh.

Was this what Maes was trying to get at? At first Roy had dismissed it as some kind of joke, especially given his friend's twisted sense of humor. Then again, none of Maes' jokes had ever been designed to hurt, and Roy was pretty sure he wouldn't change his pattern.

So, clearly, Maes had seen something he hadn't and had decided to force his knowledge upon the two of them.

The song changed again as Roy mulled over this realization. There was something he was missing, something that would cause Ed to panic whenever he stepped within three feet of the blond teen and yet kept the two of them together. What the hell had Maes noticed?

Instead of trying to do the impossible and puzzle out Maes' motives, Roy focused on the problem at hand. Looking over at Ed again, Roy froze in shock.

The younger teen's heated blush had faded to a light pink and his eyes were glazed and unfocused, his lips forming words that did not reach Roy's ears. After a few moments, Roy realized that Ed was lip-syncing to the song that was playing.

Smiling at the scene before him, Roy asked quietly, "You like this song?"

Ed nodded, still focusing more on the song than on the situation. That could only play to Roy's advantage, and he took the opportunity to edge closer until he was most decidedly invading what Ed would have referred to as his personal space. Ed shyly leaned even closer, vaguely surprising Roy. It seemed Ed was more willing than he was letting on to be in Roy's presence when he had something to distract him from the front he was putting up.

Thinking that maybe this crazy thing that had started wasn't just coming from him, Roy gently laid a hand on Ed's cheek, focusing Ed's gaze on his face and smiling as those beautiful golden eyes widened, a mix of hope and doubt swirling in their depths. "What are you...?" he whispered, as if he was afraid.

"I think the appropriate question is what are we doing?" Roy replied, equally quiet as Ed moved even closer, entranced.

As Roy closed the short distance between them, he couldn't help thinking, it's about damn time.

Really, Ed had had every intention of responding to Roy's comment. However, that intention had been thrown out the door and stomped on a few times when Roy started kissing him.

Had Ed been capable of thinking, he might have been amazed by how wonderful it was despite his initial assertions that it really couldn't be all that special. However, rational thought had gone with his planned response, so the only thing he could really do was cling to Roy and try not to fall apart.

Ed's eyes fluttered open as Roy pulled away. Funny, he hadn't even realized he had closed them. "What the fuck...?" he whispered slowly, attempting to come out of his daze.

"Well, not exactly," Roy smirked.

Ed scowled. "Shut up. That's not what I meant and you know it."

Roy took his time kissing the scowl off of Ed's face, and by the time the older teen pulled back Ed was breathless. "I know. But it had to be said."

Suddenly nervous once more, Ed tangled the fingers of his hand into Roy's shirt. "Listen..."

"What is it?"

"I... I've never done anything like this before," Ed admitted, feeling his face redden again.

"And?" Roy prompted gently.

"I have no idea how this works," he blurted, not knowing how else to say it.

"Well," Roy said, pausing for a moment to think or to phrase whatever he was saying, "it works a little differently every time. That's half the fun."

"I... I don't know, could we keep this quiet, just until we... or, I guess I... know what this is? I don't want this forming based on what others think it should be," Ed muttered, hoping Roy got the point of what he was trying to say.

Roy smiled. "Sure. You have a good point, you know."

Ed looked up, startled. "Really?"

Roy nodded. "If we start something and base it off of others' expectations, that's not something either of us would be happy with. So I agree; let's work out what this is first."

"Thanks," Ed said, leaning up to kiss Roy again.

When they heard the door unlock, they realized they had three minutes to make it down to the field that was a five-minute walk away.

They made it, barely, cursing Maes all the while.