I hope I did this chapter alright. I wrote it while on retreat to the USAF summer camp (that's united states aikido federation. A very fun martial arts. Check it out if your interested)

Chapter 13

"You just move in?" Ed asked, looking at the paintings of grapes and wine bottles on the wall. They seemed a little tacky. Like they'd only been put there to cover a hole.

After Ed's explosive confession, she had asked if she could come spend the night at Roy's house (which she was only doing because he'd spent the night at hers…equivalent exchange and all that). She was staying on the couch though and had already staked her claim with a pillow and an overnight bag.

"I've been living here for nine years," Mustang said from the kitchen where he was unloading the xingian food they'd bought. Ed padded around the peninsula to peak in the bags before fishing out her order of sesame chicken.

"Where's the plates?" Ed picked out a piece of chicken to nibble on.

Roy plucked the box from her fingers. "I'll take care of it. Why don't you go grab a book to look at while I pull everything together?"

Ed snagged one more piece of chicken before scurrying from the kitchen to look at the bookcase. No surprise, the majority of Mustang's books were about alchemy. She looked down the shelves, most of the titles jumping out as ones she'd already read. However there were a few rarer volumes. Ed snagged Earth Alchemy: A Brief Study of the Elements and settled herself down on the couch. The moment she cracked open the book a photo fluttered out and settled on her lap. It showed an older woman with dark black hair standing next to what had to be a younger Roy. He couldn't have been much older than herself and he was wearing what looked to be a brand new military uniform. His hair was shorter and his jaw less defined, but what really made him look different was his eyes. They seemed to sparkle with a mischievous mirth and his smile was genuine and open. She'd never seen him smile like that before. Roy's smile was soft and caring or sly and cunning. Never had she seen him smile in pure joy.

Her heart yearned suddenly for the handsome man in the photo and she looked over at his counter-part in the kitchen. Why didn't he smile like that anymore?

Roy set the filled plates and sodas on the peninsula and came over to lean on the back of the couch. "I forgot that was in there," Roy said and took the photo from Ed's grasp. "This is my aunt," Roy said and pointed to the woman in the photo. "She gave me that book shortly after I'd passed my state alchemist examine."

"Will I get to meet her soon?" Ed asked. "You mentioned you wanted me to."

"Maybe soon I will," Roy said. "Anyway dinners ready."

They settled down across from each other and Roy had to smirk at how Ed dug into her food like it was her last meal. After sating their hunger, Roy pulled out their fortune cookies. "So…you never did answer my question earlier," he mentioned.

"Which one?"

"What's with the dress?" Roy said and motioned to the navy blue skirt she was wearing. Ed looked down, realized her legs were open, and closed them.

"I told you I just wanted to look nice," Ed declared somewhat defensively.

"Edward," Roy pressed.

Ed put down her chopsticks, took a sip of her soda, and wiped her mouth before cracking open her fortune cookie and reading it. "If you worry about the steps you'll never see the outcome," she read aloud and laughed. "Well thank you oddly specific, annoyingly vague fortune."

Roy took the paper from her. "Why are you wearing a dress Ed? And don't pretend it's just to look nice. I could tell the moment you walked downstairs something was up."

Ed's cheeks flushed and she stood up. "I guess…" God why was it so hard to say this? Her tongue was tied three different ways and all the food now sat leaden in her gut. "I um…was worrying about being uh…ya know with you."

Roy stared at her a moment. "You mean…intimately," he said and cleared his throat.

"Yeah."

Roy felt like his brain had just about turned to mush. He'd been with women plenty of times, but to see Ed staring at him so earnestly was causing his chest to squeeze. She wanted to give up her innocence…to him. Not only that but Roy knew what Ed's true hang up was. "You do realize that once we do this there is no going back."

"Yes. I'm well aware of how sex works Roy."

"I'm not talking about sex," Roy said and stood up suddenly. His whole body felt like Ed had just lit it on fire and he moved around the peninsula towards her like a moth to a brilliant light. Ed didn't move, feeling completely vulnerable yet safe. The way he was looking at her, like she was the most precious thing in his life, made her breath hitch in her throat. "Ed…it would never be just sex with you," Roy said softly.

"Why me?" Ed asked and shook her head.

"I don't know," Roy answered truthfully. "I've dated before, but it's like I was just waiting for you. I don't know how else to explain it."

Ed felt tingly all over as she stepped in and kissed him. This wasn't like their previous kiss which had been a breaking tension of raw lust. It was more caring as they took their time exploring each other and just merging into one entity. Ed didn't even feel like she was herself anymore, but one part of a whole that was comprised of both of them.

Roy pulled back first, his eyes darkened sensually. He smiled and Ed let out a squeak as she was scooped up into his arms. She covered her mouth, embarrassed at the noise, until she realized Roy was heading for the bedroom. He kicked the door, closed it with his foot, and deposited her onto the bed with a grunt. "That automail is heavy," he said, panting a little.

"Or maybe you're just getting old," Ed taunted, the jibe coming out naturally despite the fact her heart was racing.

"I'll show you whose old." Roy shucked his jacket. He crawled down onto her and Ed gulped. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. As if sensing her worry, Roy gave her two comforting kisses on her forehead. "I'll only go as far as you're comfortable."

"I trust you," Ed nodded.

Roy started slow with a long kiss which Ed whole heartedly replied to as she wove her fingers up into his hair. All it took was a few little tugs and Roy was lost. He moved to kiss across her chin and down her throat, stopping to suck here and there. Ed gripped his hair harder and arched into him. Who knew her neck was so sensitive? It was like little shocks of pleasure lanced down through her and she moved to give him better access, her legs slipping apart so he could lie in between them. He pushed the strap of the dress to the side to gain access to her shoulder and Ed let out a needy groan.

Ed hands left his hair and tugged at his shirt, her shaking fingers trying to undo the buttons. She huffed and finally cursed as she tore the offending clothing off, sending buttons flying.

Roy stopped and looked down at his ruined shirt. "What the hell Ed," he panted, a bit pissed and turned on at the same time.

"I'll fix it later," Ed said and using a sneaky martial arts technique, hooked her automail around his leg and flipped them. She pushed open the wings of his shirt and ran her hands over the naked skin, tracing the bullet wounds and burns that marred it. She leaned down to kiss the old injuries and settled her full weight on his hips. Ed froze suddenly. A hard shaft pressed up in between her legs and Ed felt a piercing shot of pleasure every time she moved her core into it. Roy's head fell back on the pillow with a low moan and Ed lay down fully on him, reveling in the power she had. He may be a great alchemist and authoritative colonel, but with just a small erotic movement of her hips, he became a needy lust filled man.

"I could get used to this," Ed whispered and leaned down to repeat Roy's previous actions of kissing up and down his neck.

Roy was in heaven. He settled his hands on Ed's hips and tried to grind up into her. Her hair tickled his chin and he took a big inhale, soaking up her aroma like a drug. The house could fall down around them and he wouldn't care so long as Ed kept touching him. He reached up around her and started to yank the zipper of her dress down.

Abruptly Ed sat up and grabbed his hand.

"Don't…" she said a little panicked.

"We don't have to take everything off," Roy assured her.

Ed shook her head. "I have…scars..my automail," she admitted. "It's not pretty Roy. I don't want you to see it."

"I don't care," Roy said. He gestured to his chest. "Look at me. I'm not any better."

"You'll get mad at me," Ed said. Now Roy got worried. He knew Ed had a habit of hiding injuries, but what scars was she trying to hide from him? What was so bad he couldn't see?

"Ed show me!" he commanded, sitting up. "I'm going to see it sooner or later."

"No. You're not my boss anymore and you can't just tell me what to do!" Ed said her anger rising at the demand.

"No. I'm your boyfriend," Roy retorted. He took a deep breath and tried to reign in his anger. "Show me. Please," Roy begged and started to pull the dress off slowly. "Just let me see." Ed didn't fight it. She let the material start to roll off.

The remnant scars where her automail attached had not faded with the return of her arm, and there were the unmistakable puckers of old bullet wounds in her left shoulder. None of these surprised Roy. Ed had been a solider and injury was common. He pulled the dress down further and Roy had to take a minute to examine her breasts that heaved heavily beneath her bra with each breath. He kissed between her cleavage, trying to calm her as he pulled the material the rest of the way down and finally off of her. Ed was now sitting on his lap in only her bra and boxers and immediately her arms went to hug her stomach. He'd never seen her look so scared before. Ed never let fear dominate her, it always turned to anger or motivation. But she looked positively petrified, and Roy hesitated before he pulled her arms away.

There was a huge rippling of puckered and marbled skin on her right side. He ran his fingers over it, feeling that taunt roughness that indicated it had been seared shut.

"When did this happen?" he asked and took her shoulders forcing her to look at him. "Ed. Tell me."

Ed gulped. "Alphonse…it was the only way to get his body back." Ed tried to look away but Roy would have none of it.

"What are you talking about?"

"The stone was made of souls," Ed explained. "The humonculous triggered massacres like Ishval to capture enough into a stone." She looked him dead in the eyes. "But it wasn't complete. It needed a trigger to release all that energy. It needed one more soul."

Roy suddenly understood what Ed was talking about. "Ed why would you do something like that?"

"It was for Alphonse," Ed said and shoved Roy off. "Of course I would do it. I'm not an insane murderer who'd lure some innocent off the street to sacrifice. So when we started the array I did it quick. Right in the liver. It should have been fatal, but for whatever reason that son-of-a-bitch turned me into this." She gestured to her female body. "And you can't ever tell Alphonse. He didn't know and he doesn't need to know."

Roy felt so torn. He pulled her close to him, trying to envelope her body into his. "Why do you think so little of yourself?" he wondered aloud.

"It's not that. It's just there are more important things," Ed said.

"You are more important," Roy insisted. "You're the most important to me."

Ed didn't know what to say. She pressed her face into his chest, but she'd never feel ashamed for what she did. "You and Alphonse are the most important to me," Ed returned. "What's the point of living if I can't give my life to the people I love."

Roy kissed the top of her head, moving down to her lips, and caressing her back. "Then give it other ways," Roy said to her. "Alphonse would be devastated if anything happened to you."

"He has Winry," Ed said.

"I don't!" Roy said, and kissed above her heart and pressed his face into her chest. "I have you. I need you."

Ed swallowed hard again, feeling the weight of those words sink in. Was this what Gracia had meant by real love. The man in her arms felt both fragile and powerful with each heart beat being a precious commodity she would kill before she lost.

"I love you," Ed whispered, the words leaving her lips before she realized what she was saying. Roy's head lifted up to meet her gaze and to her amazement he was smiling. It wasn't the soft smile nor the smirk he typically wore, but a smile of pure undiluted joy that made her yearn for him.

"I love you too," Roy returned and kissed her again, pulling her down into sheets.