Ten
Ed
Waking up in a bed not his own threw him off for a moment, the sun falling over dark sheets that smelled of someone else. Confusion faded quickly when he realized just who the pillows his nose was currently pressed into smelled like, unable to swallow the sudden moan that escaped to be sucked in by the large room. Terrified that he would be found out, he lifted his head just to let out a relieved sigh upon finding himself alone in the giant bed.
For a long moment he lay under the comforter, breathing in the heady, musky scent that was Roy Mustang. It was then Ed realized this was the most comfortable he had been in a long time, the feel of soft sheets against his skin smooth and the warmth of the morning sun curling around him so that he was pretty sure he never wanted to move again. His hair caught on navy blue sheets, looking like spun lines of sunlight and he thought for a minute that his hair looked better on this bed then his own. Then he realized, all over again, whose bed he had slept in half the night and wished the obnoxiously large king sized bed would swallow him whole. Was he insane, crawling into bed with the Colonel!? What the hell had he been thinking? Roy must think he was a baby, having a nightmare and then needed to find comfort by climbing into someone else's bed. Ed groaned. Maybe if he pressed his face deep enough in the pillow, he wouldn't have to think about it for much longer.
Even feathers and cotton filling his nose couldn't keep out the smell of cooking bacon so he pushed through his embarrassment and lifted himself onto his elbows, mouth watering and saw Roy's bedroom for the first time.
The space itself was huge, almost twice the size of the guest bedroom, with pale walls and a dark blue throw rug with dark wooden floors underneath. The monstrous bed took up almost all of the far end of the room and next to it was the opening to a large walk in closet. A huge picture window streamed morning light down onto the bed and three more windows were spaced evenly in the wall to his left, giving him a view of a small, neat yard and the edge of a wooden deck. Across the room from the bed were two steps and on the platform this created was a low, over stuffed couch and more ceiling high book shelves. Blushing fiercely, Ed realized this had just become his favorite room, though that may have been because it had Roy's bed in it but that was besides the point.
It took a little more prodding to get himself out of the bed, which, as he sat ensconced in its warmth, looked like it stretched forever. And it really was comfortable.
The stomach gnawing smell of sizzling bacon was his reminder that he really should get up so he slid regretfully from the covers, shivering as his single bare foot touched upon the cool wood. Roy had folded his borrowed clothes and they were piled neatly on a chest at the end of the bed. What threw him was the large vase of pink hydrangeas and he grinned at them, liking this unexpected quirk of Roy's.
There wasn't much he could really do without a tooth brush or a clean pair of boxers, but he made do and told himself he would brush his teeth twice and take a nice long shower once they got his stuff from his apartment. He settled for washing his face in the bathroom sink and pulled his long hair back into a French braid so it wouldn't fall out. A flash of his yellow eyes caught his attention as he was tying off his braid and he gave himself a long, level stare and wondered if Roy could ever see him more than just a teen aged subordinate with yellow eyes and a temper. The incredulousness stuck in his throat as he turned way and couldn't help but stick his tongue out at his reflection as he did.
The string attached to his stomach pulled him towards the source of the smell and he pounded pell-mell down the steps only to be brought up short when he caught sight of the room off the stairs he hadn't seen the night before. It was still shadowed as the shades were still drawn tight and the French doors leading into the room were shut but he still stood and gaped, wondering if he was seeing things.
It was a music room.
The room itself wasn't very big and was dominated by a black baby grand piano that was pushed catty-corner against the far wall. The bulky instrument was open as if recently played and there were sheets of music strewn on the shiny black surface, over flowing onto the floor. There was another one of those over stuffed couches against another wall (he was beginning to see a theme here) and a small table was pressed under the huge window that took up almost the entirety of the wall to the right. On the table, there was more sheet music and another one of those vases that were becoming a familiar sight with the darkest, richest red roses Ed had ever seen. Then he spotted the two guitars tucked in a corner and nearly hidden by the closed doors on their own stands and fell just a little bit more in love with the dark haired Colonel. One was a round, dark bodied acoustic and the other a sleek black electric guitar, complete with a small amplifier and a mess of cords.
The mental image of Roy rocking out on that guitar, amp up full blast and dark hair falling into his eyes made Ed's mouth go dry and a rush of heat shoot towards a part of his body that was best left unmentioned.
"Good morning," the sultry voice made him jump, turning to find Roy leaning on the wall behind him, looking resplendent in his uniform and sipping something from a steaming mug. Cool bastard, Ed thought but he felt like his heart was trying to climb up his tongue.
"Hey, um, I didn't know you played," he said as way of greeting, jerking his thumb at the room his had been caught standing in front of. Something cold passed over the older man's pale face, an expression Ed hoped he wouldn't see again anytime soon, as his remark struck something uncomfortable for other man. It was gone quickly but the smile Roy offered him afterwards was a little plastic.
"When I get time. Do you want breakfast?" hmm, a quick change in subject and a forced smile. To say the blonde's curiosity had been peaked was an understatement but he gave one of his bright, disarming smiles that seemed to have some sort of affect on the man as the pained smile softened to something more sincere.
"Breakfast sounds awesome," he said and it seemed his grin was contagious because if Roy smiled like that more often, Ed would never be able to take his eyes off him. Following the taller man down the hall and into the kitchen, he widened his grin, "It smells awesome too. Christ, is that the entire pig?" He yelped upon seeing the sheer amount of bacon piled in the frying pan and Roy gave a short laugh that warmed the blond just a little bit and he filed it away as something else he liked about the Colonel.
"I figured you liked bacon," Ed did, in fact, like bacon and he found another thing he liked about Roy. Besides the fact that the man cooked his bacon in its own grease so it just tasted that much better, of course. He also almost single handedly polished off the entire pan as well, much to Roy's amusement. God, the man could cook. There was little conversation as the two ate as Roy was lost amid the little black print of the local newspaper and Ed had never had a breakfast so good before (though he did wonder if he thought that just because Roy was the one who made it) and was trying to savor every bite. It was companionable and comfortable and the blond was loath to break it by breaking out the unwanted, overweight pieces of conversation but he had not forgotten his earlier curiosity.
"So, are you any good?" his husky tenor broke the easy silence and he kept his face smooth when the dark eyes jerked up to meet his, confusion making the tilted corners crinkle slightly, "I mean, the piano," he explained somewhat awkwardly and the eyes pinned on him darken slightly, making Ed wonder if the Colonel knew he was prying. But the man just lowered his eyes to the gold watch as he muttered a distracted,
"Okay," then his eyes widened and he was throwing the paper down and whisking the plates away and off to the sink, saying in almost a relived rush, "I told Riza I'd be in at eight and its five-to," to which Ed winced because he knew the stern blond woman was strict about her superior officer and him being punctual.
After a flurry of activity and some precisely aimed "short" comments courtesy of a good looking, dark haired Colonel, they had managed to climb into the Corvette just a minute later and were tearing through Central.
**
Al had a rather painful shock for Ed when the blond arrived at the hospital that morning, after Roy told him he'd be back around noon.
The younger Elric looked a lot better than he had the night before, already standing at the large boring window, halo of blond hair shining in the morning sun that was trying to break through the grime on the glass and wearing blue hospital scrubs. It was a relief to see the other boy on his feet, and Ed breathed a sigh to see it. After seeing the wounds on Al's chest and abdomen the day before, he had thought the other boy wouldn't be able to stand for a week.
"Al," he called as he walked in, pretending as if he hadn't been standing for a few moments just watching his bother, glad he was still alive. The tall teen turned and a bright smile lit his handsome face, though the affect was somewhat ruined by the appearance of the bandages poking out of the neck in the loose top.
"Hey, Ed!" even his face wasn't as pale and the dark bruises under his eyes had been reduced to mere shadows. Ed grinned as he walked into the room and plopped onto the neat bed, propping his feet up on the blankets, stretching out his full length and cradled the back of his head in his hands. When Al just lifted a gold eyebrow at the display and sat carefully into a chair, he just grinned wider.
"So, you look better. How do you feel?" he asked, keeping his tone light and his brother returned with the same easiness of tone, smile as bright as ever.
"The doctors here are amazing! They gave me another exam after you left last night and gave me a few shots of this stuff and I'll get it again tomorrow and they said if I took care of my injuries, there won't be much scarring. They said I lost a lot of blood but there was only one really deep cut so it looked worse than it was. I just need to keep it clean and covered, no infections and so on," Ed, while he had asked his question with the concern masked none the less nearly deflated in relief at hearing the bright prognosis.
"So you can get out soon?" he asked happily, though that would mean he would no longer have an excuse for staying at Roy's. Damn. Though, if he was honest, he would rather have Al in once piece, having never been attacked then have ever met Roy. Double-damn. That was a depressing thought. With an effort, he focused on his brother's smile, trying not to think of never having met Roy. It was stupid as he would never have even known what it was like to know the man but now that he did, the thought of not knowing him just…sucked.
"Actually, the doctor said they could release me tomorrow as they can't do much else for me that I can't do myself," Ed sat up quickly, a ready 'that's GREAT!" waiting on his tongue when the serious expression on his brother's face caught him off guard. "Um, but brother…" Al started, eyebrows knitting in worry, he looked like he was about to tell his older brother the beloved family pet had just died, "There's something else, before you get carried away," the taller boy stalled, unconsciously scratching at the bandages edging his neck. Ed felt the smile slide off his face, wondering what could be so bad that Al had that face on.
"What's wrong?" he asked, heart dipping uncomfortably in anticipation for something terrible.
"Nothing's wrong. It's just…well...I talked to Winry…I'm going to Resembool to stay with granny Rockbell…if-if that's o-okay…" Ed blinked in surprise, wondering how he hadn't seen it coming. He had always known Al was uncomfortable living in the city and he really couldn't blame him for wanting to go back to the place where he'd always been most comfortable. Ed ran distracted fingers through the golden hair framing his face and sighed. It would be safer for Al to be in the country and far away from the city, especially considering his assailant's motive.
"Is that…would you feel safer there?" he asked, already knowing the answer and already knowing he would be giving his approval, despite how much he would miss his brother. Al looked at him with relief and guilt warring in his amber eyes.
"I would. But what about you, brother? Will you be okay…?" it was endearing, really, how much his little brother worried about him and Ed flopped back onto the bed with a sharp expelled breath.
"Don't be silly, Al. I'll be fine. You go and tell them all up there I said hi. Besides, I'm staying with the Colonel until this Scar guy is apprehended," there was a thoughtful pause in which Ed stared at the ceiling, vaguely wondering if he could count all the titles above his head in a minute. The small snort distracted him, though, his only warning before he was blind sighted by a sly question.
"Hmm. Colonel Mustang, huh? How is that going, by the way?" sputtering, Ed swung back into a sitting position so he could see the smirk growing on his brother's face. Trying to pretend like he had no idea what Al was talking about and wishing his brother didn't know him so well, he hunted through his still stalling brain to come up with a relatively intelligent and indignant response that would throw his brother off. Which nothing would as Al had seen more that Ed would have liked and he couldn't bluff his way out of the truth. Still…
"What do you mean by that, Alphonse? Everything's fine!" Well, okay, so he over did it but not by that much and the smirk on the other blonde's face eased a bit, the intent to tease was still there. But his soft,
"Sure it is," was disrupted by a soft, timid knock at the open door and a light, feminine,
"Al?" had them both turning in surprise to find a cute blond girl with wide blue eyes and a large, heavy looking bag slung over one shoulder standing hesitantly in the doorway. The uncertainty faded when she saw who else was in the room, a huge smile breaking out on her face as Ed swung down off the bed, "ED!" she cried and was across the room, heavy bag forgotten on the floor, throwing herself at the shorter blond to catch him in a tight hug. "Oh my God, Ed! You got tall!" the blond girl exclaimed excitedly as she pulled back and studied the older Elric, happy grin on her face. Ed nearly crowed in triumph. Somebody finally noticed! It was true. The last time he had seen the girl, he had matched her height but now he was at least three inches the taller and Winry wasn't short for a girl. He was so elated by the girl's comment that he missed the glint that came into her wide blue eyes, "Although, it's strange how Al is so much taller…" she meant to say it as a thoughtful musing but she had known well enough how Ed would react to a comment such as that. The older blond deflated visibly, pout forming on his full lips as he whined,
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" he groaned, flopping back onto the bed with one hand flung over his eyes, ignoring the shared laugh between the other two teens in the room. Really, it wasn't his fault his brother was a giant and younger than him. It's not like he had any control over how tall he was. His interest was snagged again when Al and Winry greeted each other cordially and slipped into an easy conversation before the girl started in on worried questions of Al's well being. It was Al's soft, soothing replies that surprised the older blond teen so he peeked under his arm to look at his brother.
It shouldn't really have caught him off guard, what he saw there. Al's face had an expression he was sure he had never seen before and he took a moment for it to sink in that the look on his younger brother's face was just for Winry. Ed blinked and dropped his hand to get a better look. Al was still standing on the other side of the bed somehow making the hospital clothes and the bandages crawling up his neck look good, leaning against the back of the chair as he reassured the blue-eyed girl who had come around to join him that he was going to be fine. There was a softness to his small smile and the amber color of his eyes were a shade Ed never knew they could be. For a second longer he pondered this new discovery and then had to suppress the delighted laugh that threatened to claw its way up his throat. Al liked Winry and as Ed turned his gaze to the girl, he realized, though she hid it well, the expression she was wearing was, he guessed, exclusively for his younger brother. It seemed he found one of the real reasons why Al liked Resembol so much.
Al seemed to catch wind of his thoughts because the look the taller blond shot his brother held a question. Ed couldn't stifle the sudden urge and let the corner of his lips quirk up in a knowing smirk, lifting his eyebrow suggestively. The resulting, light pink flush that suffused his brother's face as the other boy looked away nearly had him in gleeful convulsions as he tried to keep his laughter locked out of sight. Considering Winry remained oblivious to the exchange as she was retrieving her bag by the door and was depositing it with a disturbing thunk! on the floor beside the bed he must have been successful.
"So, Ed, I figured that while I was here I would even up your automail for you since you grew so much. Have you been having it adjusted by anyone?" she asked as she rummaged in the black hole that was her bag and Ed realized she must have lugged almost all of her tools all the way to Central. He shrugged, having not really thought about it much and reached for the remote so he could turn the room's TV on that hung from the ceiling on the other side of the room.
"Once, about seven months ago," he answered as he flicked through channels. Al laughed as he pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down.
"Yeah, and only because he kept tripping and breaking things. I had to practically drag him to get it fixed," Ed shot a half-hearted glare in his brother's direction as a bright laugh filled the room. The disgruntled blond deemed Winry worthy of his glare and he winced when he saw she had made the little room into a make-shift work shop so she could work on his automail.
"You haven't changed, have you?" she asked fondly to which she received another weak glare and then was making shooing motions at the long haired blond sprawled on the bed, "Let me see your automail, Ed. Oo, it was my most beautiful creation, perfect hydraulics and all shiny curves…" she gushed on as Ed rolled his eyes and sat up so he could pull his jacket and shirt off so the girl could see the metal limb bolted to his shoulder. Ed just settled back and let the conversation flow over and past him as he flicked through the meager channels, letting Winry do what she needed to do. He couldn't help but grin to himself, though. At least Al would be happy to go back home. He wondered, though, how Winry had known Al was in the hospital.
**
Ed had his attention affixed on the TV, absorbing a show about killer whales in the arctic, wearing nothing but his boxers. Both automail limbs had been detached so Winry could work on them after he had allowed her to measure the length of his real arm and leg and then the width of his hand and foot, as it seemed the automail was more unbalanced than he thought. It was easy to ignore the vulnerability of missing two limbs when he was absorbed in the show as he was and he had tuned out the friendly, seamless conversation between Al and Winry as the blond girl worked a long time ago. Though it was endearing to see his brother had pulled up a chair near where the girl worked and was watching in fascination as her fingers worked metal joints and plastic wiring. The nurses and doctors had been none too pleased with the set up when they saw the impressive operation Winry had taking up almost half of the room but with several pleas and calm reasoning respectfully from the two younger blonds, they had allowed it. Which was somewhat of a relief, as Ed really didn't want to relive tripping all over himself because his real limbs and prosthetic ones didn't match.
Which was how Roy found them upon his arrival some time after one that afternoon. Somehow, the show was interesting enough that Ed didn't even notice the Colonel's arrival, thinking the slight raising of inflection in his brother's voice was because Winry had said something but it was answered by a deep, resonating voice that had his heart in his throat and left him suddenly self conscious as he finally glanced away from the television to look at the new arrival. Roy was greeting Winry cordially who barely spared him a glace as it seemed she was nearing the end of the adjustments. Al smiled a little and offered an excuse, saying she got like that when she worked, which was true and Ed was caught in the man's answering smile. Jeeze, was that level of sex appeal fair? And how come Ed was the only one who seemed to notice?
Then the dark eyes found his and the smile changed slightly. Self-consciousness returned full-tilt under the scrutiny of those eyes, knowing full well what he looked like, nearly naked and with the portals for the automail to fit into exposed. The embarrassed flush made its ugly appearance all over his face but he forced a smile as he tried not to cover the portal of his shoulder with his hand.
"Hey, Colonel. You're late," he teased as the dark haired man walked over to the bed and he sat up as Roy perched on the edge of the bed, giving him an inscrutable look.
"As you're superior officer, I am never late," the man positively sniffed and Ed snorted in disbelief.
"Oh, really, well I recall you saying you would be here by lunch time. It's after one," he snapped back, earning himself another unreadable glace, though his favorite smirk was in place. Roy arched an eyebrow then turned his attention to the TV Ed had previously been enthralled in. There was a short pause and the blond could see the gears ticking as amusement glittered in the older man's eyes.
"The Discovery Channel?" he snickered, turning glittering eyes back to the glaring teen on the bed next to him, "Really, Ed?" to which the boy in question huffed and would have crossed hi arms across his chest in defiance except the affect was somewhat ruined with him having only one arm to work with at the moment.
"So what? It's interesting. Some people actually like learning, you know, no matter what the source may be," now he sounded snobbish and he loved when the other dark eyebrow shot up his forehead to join the first.
"Oh really. But isn't the Discovery Channel a bit, you know…" Ed narrowed his eyes.
"You know…what," he snarled dangerously and the near feral grin that plastered itself all over the man's face made him wish he had a metal hand he could use to rearrange the pretty face.
"It's dorky, Fullmetal," he laughed and Ed growled dangerously.
"Learning is not DORKY," he yelled, half tempted to slam the man over the head with one of the brick-like hospital pillows but restrained himself and barely noticing the twin looks he received from his brother and Winry at the sound "Besides, who uses the word dorky anyway?" oh, no he was beginning to hate that look that was currently glittering in the almond shaped eyes and he liked even less that he was the one it was directed at.
"My, Fullmetal, you have quite the…short fuse," oh, he did not just go there. Ed would have leaped off the bed, snarling like an enraged cat if he had both of his legs on which to stand and as it was, he pulled himself up to his full height (well, as best he could missing half his limbs and sitting) and bellowed.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULDN'T BE OLD ENOUGH TO WATCH CABLE TELEVISION!!!" the shriek brought instant silence to the room as he panted with the effort, glaring hard at Roy so that he missed the grins he was receiving from the two blonds across the room because he was so focused on the Colonel's surprised smile. There was a second of stillness before the bastard burst out laughing, nearly doubling over and shocking Ed, who blinked and stared, not even realizing the knowing grin Al shared with their childhood friend before they turned back to the glinting metal arm and leg. He was so focused on the sound of Roy's laugh. It made him completely incoherent, the sound reverberating through the room and making his head ring. The sound was beautiful. Ed didn't realize he was staring until the older man was just snickering, wiping a tear from dark eyelashes.
"Holy, crap, Ed, do you hear some of the stuff that comes out of your mouth?" he snorted and the blond tried to will away his blush with the most scathing glare he could dig up. Luckily, a nurse popped her head into the room, eyes concerned, probably wondering who was being murdered and scolded them about keeping the volume down as there were other patients on the floor. Ed huffed and sat back, turning his eyes firmly back to the TV and ignoring the man still snickering next to him.
Thankfully, Winry chose that minute to finish the adjustments and was bounding over to Ed, both limbs in hand and proudly displayed.
"Finished!" she crowed and Ed breathed a sigh of relief because he couldn't choke his superior officer with one hand. Not that he really wanted to after hearing the man laugh, of course. Crushing his windpipe might ruin it. Winry was hovering over him, lining the limbs into the portals and Ed licked suddenly dry lips in anticipation. He had forgotten how much he hated this part. Al was next to Roy, smiling apologetically.
"It's best if you give him some room for this," he said gently and at the questioning look the older man gave the blond as he stood and stepped to the side was answered by Winry as she picked up a wrench and honed in on his leg.
"I have to reconnect the nerves in the automail to his nerves and it's not comfortable, to say the least," she explained and Ed snorted rudely before burying his fist into a pillow next to him, stealing himself, "You ready?" she asked him and he pressed his lips into a thin line, wishing Roy wasn't here to witness this. Al leaned over him with another gentle smile so he could brace his weight against his brother to keep him from kicking Winry in the face (yes, that actually happened) He sucked in a deep breath and nodded sharply once.
With a twist of the wrench, his entire body was seizing with the fire erupting in his leg as the automail was forcefully melded to his nervous system and the pressure on his leg and shoulder increased until he was being pressed into the mattress. It was a good thing because he probably would have hurt someone again as he jerked violently as the first wave of pain washed over him. He clenched his teeth, refusing to let out the scream that desperately wanted to escape. As the second wave broke over his body with another tightening of the wrench, he twisted so he could bury his face in the suffocating pillow, biting down with a groan, which was the only sound he allowed himself as the wrench continued to tighten.
"Almost done, Ed," Winry huffed and with a particularly agonizing turn and it was done, leaving him breathless and shaking. Someone pulled the pillow back from his sweaty face and he was looking into concerned amber eyes.
"You okay?" his brother asked gently and he glowered, trying to pretend Winry wasn't making her way around the bed so she could do the same thing with his arm.
"Wonderful," he croaked, giving Al a weak grin and winced as he moved his leg. He was going to be sore for a while. Roy looked paler than usual, watching wide eyed and helpless from the corner. Ed licked his lips again and offered him a small smile which was returned hesitantly.
This time there was no warning and the cry left his mouth before he could bite it back, jerking against Al's hands again. The Colonel, he noticed through the sudden lava flowing along the web of his nervous system, had taken a short step towards the bed before he realized he couldn't do anything and just stood by, the uselessness obvious in his eyes. Then Ed arched in pain as Winry gave a double turn, trying to finish it faster. Still, he wouldn't scream but the pillow became his friend, swallowing the unwanted grunts he couldn't stop slipping out.
"It's done, Ed," a gentle hand ran through his rumpled hair and he extracted his face from the pillow, fire slowly ebbing from his system. He sat up slowly, breathing labored, sweating and offered Winry a glare as she gave a little tweak to his shoulder.
"A little warning next time would be nice," he growled as the girl started to gather her tools scattered around the room and Al gave a shaky laugh. As hard on Ed it always was, the process always took a toll on his younger brother as well, who was now handing him a glass of water, face still a little strained.
"You okay?" he asked, face serious as Ed sucked down the entire glass and he gave his little brother what he hoped was an encouraging sideways smile, too tired and sore to give him a nudge like he wanted to.
"I'll be fine by tomorrow," he said and swung his legs over the side of the bed as Al made way for Roy, who almost looked terrified as he sat down in the chair beside the bed. Ed breathed a sigh, rolling his shoulder and glad when he only got a slight protesting twinge.
"Sorry you had to see that," he said as he flexed the newly adjusted arm, grudgingly giving Winry the credit she deserved as he barely felt the limb was made from metal and not sinew and bone. There was no doubt the girl was good at what she did. Roy just waved his apology away, eyes still pinched around the corners with concern.
"Do you have to go through that every time someone works on your automail?" he asked a little incredulously, watching Ed move on to flexing his leg and rubbing absently at the scars that peered over the metal limb, wincing slightly. The blond looked at him flatly before reaching for his pile of clothes so he could start dressing himself.
"Yeah, well, good news is it only lasts as long as the connections are being made. I feel worse when it rains," he said darkly as he buckled his jeans over his hips and reached for his t-shirt, very happy that today the sky had decided not to weep. Roy shifted in his seat as if trying not to let Ed see he was upset by such an easy admission but the blond saw it anyway and tried to think of a way to make the other man more comfortable with the whole thing, "Hey, I'm used to it by now. It's no big deal," he said with what was supposed to be an easy smile but the dark haired man just frowned deeply, dark eyes studying the blond teen still perched on the bed. For a moment they were both quiet, Ed pulling his leather jacket on then flexing his newly attached automail some more, letting the soft conversation that had been resumed by his brother and Winry wash over him, watching the shadows in the eyes of the man sitting in front of him. It seemed Roy was having issues with what he saw but Ed couldn't figure out why.
"How long have you had your automail?" the Colonel finally asked, meeting the blonde's gaze, dark eyebrows knitted over slanted eyes. Ed blinked wondering why the man wanted to know all of a sudden.
"Since I was eleven. More than seven years, I guess," Ed shrugged and was surprised to see a pained look flicker over the pale, handsome face, wondering again what the Colonel was thinking. Maybe the man was freaked out by seeing him without the limbs attached but he discarded that thought as soon as it came to that. Roy hadn't seemed to mind when they were joking around before. It wasn't until he witnessed what it was to have nerves reconnected that the Colonel had that look on his face, like he wanted to help but didn't know what to do.
"How did it happen?" the quiet voice caught him off guard and he saw Al still, the conversation hitching as the other two occupants of the room heard the question and waited for Ed's response. The blond in question swallowed hard, no longer able to dig up a smile and just gave the Colonel a flat look, wishing he didn't have to lie.
"I made a mistake. There was an accident. That's all," he said and he saw the doubt in the dark eyes but refused to say more. Really, what could he say? That he had done something so taboo like trying to bring his mother back to life that he had nearly lost his brother and certainly lost half of his limbs and memories? Yeah, that would go over really well. Not only would he probably get investigated then kicked out of the military, Roy would probably never speak to him again. Sometimes the truth was better to hide. What he didn't see was the same curiosity he had been struck with earlier that day about Roy's musical talents dart through the man's eyes, a determination to weasel out the truth.
Perhaps it was lucky they were all getting kicked out by a nurse two seconds later so she could change Al's bandages and give him some more pain killers the tall blond would probably refuse. Winry begged her way into staying in the room, with Al's quiet persistence, but Ed and Roy were ceremoniously kicked out of the room and the door was slammed in their faces (though the nurse did do a not so subtle double take when she caught sight of Roy, who, the blond was pleased to see, didn't notice). The Colonel blinked at the door closed tightly to keep them out then glanced at Ed with a lopsided smile.
"Looks like someone doesn't like us very much," he said and the teen snorted in response, leaning against the wall as he was still a bit shaky.
"I guess they don't like bastard Colonels either," responded the blond good-naturedly and Roy sniffed, moving away from the door so he could lean on the wall.
"Impossible. Never met a woman who doesn't like me," here Ed almost gagged but the arrogant bastard ploughed on regardless, "It must be your tiny stature mixed with that loud mouth of yours that she doesn't like," the blond growled and was about to say something clever along the lines of how old men shouldn't flatter themselves so much but then his stomach decided to choose that moment to voice (rather loudly) that it wanted food. Roy gave him that half-surprised, half-amused look he was beginning to think was reserved just for him and Ed returned it sheepishly.
"We can get something to eat after this if you want," the Colonel said with a knowing look, having witnessed how much food Ed required and the teen hung his head to hide his grateful smile, wondering why the man was suddenly being so nice. The nurse was finished a few minutes later and Ed slipped back into the room while trying to ignore the look the woman was giving the Colonel. He didn't really blame her; he would stare at the man all day long if he could. Al and Winry were talking excitedly between themselves about something in hushed voices when the two alchemists walked back into the room and Ed did not like the way the conversation stopped abruptly upon their entrance as they were pinned with two deceptively innocent stares. Ed knew that look and he had never liked it.
"What were you guys talking about?" the blond demanded and amber and blue eyes blinked owlishly. Al just shrugged as he was uncomfortably good at this game where as Winry attempted to stifle a smile.
"Nothing, brother," then the taller blond turned his attention to the Colonel standing behind Ed by the door and Ed could see the pieces of some perceived plan falling into place behind deep pool of amber, "I was wondering if my brother and I could ask a favor of you," here anxiety kicked in, wondering what the hell his brother was up to but Al studiously ignored the warning look he was getting from his older brother.
"Of course, Alphonse," and Roy suspected nothing. Damn. Short of Ed leaping across the room and shoving his fist in his brother's mouth, he could only stand and grit his teeth, wondering what the hell Al and his little side kick had up their sleeves. What bothered him was how Al knew how his older brother felt about the black haired bastard standing behind him.
"I'm going to home to live in Resembol with Winry and her Grandmother and I was wondering if it would be alright that my brother continues to stay with you, at least until Scar has been apprehended and it's safe for him to be on his own," Ed could feel himself relax a bit, thinking that was it? though he wasn't thrilled with how he made Ed seem needy and dependent on someone for safety. Roy blinked and shot a quick look at the shorter alchemist busy glowering at a silently snorting Winry as if this was all part of their plan and wasn't going to happen anyway.
"Certainly. I don't mind at all. Is this okay, Fullmetal?" Ed flushed and pinned his brother with a glare.
"It's fine," he growled and the two identical grins that flashed through the room made him want to hit something. Or someone.
"I'm sure you'll take good care of my brother, Colonel," the voice was smooth and the calm expression on the older man's face faltered, probably wondering why the younger Elric said what he did the way he did. Ed had had enough. He marched the rest of the way to his brother's side, eyes blazing and fists clenched at his side.
"I'll come back tomorrow when it's time for you to get out of here and catch your train," he practically snarled, ignoring Winry's strangled snort because the only one who didn't know why the shorter blond was so incensed was the dark haired Colonel, who was now watching the exchange with a thoughtful expression. Al just smiled at his brother.
"Okay, brother. I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun," infuriated, Ed just snarled, turned on his heel and stalked from the room, hearing Roy give the two teens left in the room a quick, polite goodbye and followed swiftly after the irate blond stalking down the hall. Ed winced when high-pitched giggles burst too loud from the room he had exited, cursing violently under his breath, aware of the Colonel catching up with him ease and shooting him a rather confused look.
"Okay, what just happened?" asked the man as they reached the elevator, the laughter still tinkling down the hall and Ed glared at the metal doors as if he would command them to open immediately, punching the down button violently. Yet he couldn't stop or hide the blush that was flaring hotly through him to spread obviously over his face.
"Nothing just happened," the blond growled moodily but Roy wasn't stupid and he had that thoughtful expression on his face that Ed didn't like as dark eyes studied his traitorous face. Lord, why couldn't the doors just open? He knew when the man figured something out when he saw two and two being put together behind those slanted eyes and he swallowed hard, careful not to get caught looking. The understanding that dawned over the pale, sharp features made his heart skip because if the Colonel had come to the correct conclusion like Ed thought he did, then he knew, to some degree, how Ed felt about him.
As the elevator doors slid smoothly open with a metallic ding and he caught the closed look on his superior officer's face, he made a mental note to strangle his little brother when he saw him tomorrow.
Roy
At first Roy was confused as to why everything seemed to be so amusing when he and Ed walked back into the hospital room. He didn't like feeling like he was missing something but he couldn't figure out why the friendly mood had changed to a sulky Ed and a barely constrained Al and Winry. Why they looked like the cat about to eat the canary with he and Ed being the poor, unfortunate meals was a mystery. Then he caught the mortified and guilty look on his subordinate's who knew exactly what was going on and he began to think. Ed was mad at his brother who knew something the older blond didn't want him to know, or at least reveal. When the hot headed alchemist stormed from the room, Roy hastily followed only to be assaulted by raucous laughter exploding from the door he just passed through. What the hell?
Ed wouldn't say anything when Roy asked him what had happened so he fell quiet while they waited for the elevator to open. He thought back, repeated Al's words in his head and then suddenly the embarrassment still painted all over the blonde's face in the form of a cute blush began to make sense. The stiffness in the slighter stature of the blond Major started when Al asked his favor but it was the way the younger brother said the thing about protecting Ed and how the teen in question had clenched his fists and the girl had nearly busted a gut trying not to laugh. And now Ed had his shoulders nearly covering his ears, his face a brilliant red and Roy figured it out.
Ed liked him.
Well, he knew the kid liked him despite how often he let Roy get under his skin. But Ed liked him.
He kept his face smooth in the elevator as he mulled through his revelation, taking note the worried and slightly petulant look on Ed's face but deciding not to comment on it. It was actually really cute but Roy wasn't mean enough to tease the teen about it. He wasn't in a teasing mood anyway. Besides, he now had a problem. Obviously the Major had a crush on him and it wouldn't have been so bad except for the fact that Roy felt the same way.
Well, what he felt for the blond was a little more mature than a crush, which actually made the whole thing worse. He was becoming dangerously attached to Ed and the fact the teen was going to be staying at his house was certainly not going to help matters. Thing was, now that he knew Ed felt the same, he was lost. There was no way he would ever be able to get over the blond now that he knew it was mutual. Damn. Why did the kid have to be so God-damn perfect?
Roy stayed quiet as they left the hospital, walking a step in front of Ed so the blond couldn't see his thoughts on his face. Perhaps it was inevitable he would fall for the blond. Ed was brilliant, frighteningly so, though it was down played a little by his hot headed personality that Roy prodded because when the teen enraged he was gorgeous. The long blond hair and the molten gold eyes along with that face and all of its sharp angles and his body (which Roy had gotten a wonderful and frustratingly long eyeful of just a half hour ago) was a combination it seemed he couldn't resist, even if Ed was, well, male. Admittedly, Roy wouldn't have him any other way.
He gave the blond a quick look as he started his car, noticing the dark look half hidden by honey colored bangs and sighed. What could he say and not make this whole thing worse?
"You want pizza for lunch?" he asked quietly, hoping the mention of food would cheer the teen up a little. Shining eyes met his and he forgot a moment to breathe.
"Yeah, that's fine," the usually animated voice was muted and Roy floundered for a second wanting desperately to find a way to wipe the frown from the full lips but as he turned the key and the car roared to life, his mind stayed unhelpfully blank and words just spilled from his mouth.
"There's a great little pizza place right around the corner from your block and since we have to go that way anyway, if figured, you know, we could grab a couple of slices, or, perhaps a two whole pies just for you. Their meatball and sausage pizza is the best, by the way—"
"Roy. You're babbling," the teen's husky tenor was sharp, bringing the older man's sudden verbal hemorrhage to a halt, feeling particularly foolish. He had never babbled when he was nervous but it seemed there was always a time to start. Of course, hearing Ed call him by his name rather than his rank had a disturbing affect on him, making his heart stutter for a moment.
"Sorry," he muttered, pealing out of the hospital parking lot with more force than was required but the little snicker to his right banished the dark cloud forming over his head.
"Really, I can only polish off one and a half pies. Honestly, what do you take me for, a pig?" the Colonel peeked at the smile on the blonde's face and grinned himself, wondering why he was even worried. If this was what it was like to be hopelessly attracted to the young alchemist and have said alchemist attracted to him, well, wasn't that a good thing?
"Well, your certainly short enough and I don't know what else you would be considering how much food you can shove down your throat," the resulting roar of anger made even louder by the close, closed in proximity was music to his ears and the ride was that much easier, even if they were trading good-natured barbs the entire time. Well, he meant well but when he took in the force of the golden glare from the younger man, he realized Ed was at least half serious. Okay, was it necessary to call him old? Really, he was only thirty-one! That wasn't old. Then he looked at his blond companion as they pulled up to the front of a familiar pizza restaurant and stepped from the car and realized that maybe the kid really did think he was old.
That thought definitely brought the clouds thundering back over his head. He hadn't come to the wrong conclusion about if the teen was interested in him, had he? Why would a gorgeous eighteen year old kid even want to think about him like that? He was twelve years older than Ed. The reality of the whole thing made his throat constrict and he barely managed to force a smile as he held the door open for Ed to pass through, earning himself a small little quirk of full lips in return. Lord, how he hoped he hadn't come to the wrong conclusion because he would really like to find out what that little smile of Ed's tasted like. Then he had to tell his brain to shut up before his thoughts took him farther and forced him to visit the restroom to take care of a rather embarrassing problem.
"Are you okay, Colonel?" the curious voice pulled him from his rather dark musings and he forced his face into something like a smirk.
"I'm fine. Now, do you want two or three pies?"
**
Ed only managed to finish a single pizza by himself, much to Roy's amusement as he was only able to eat two slices and they agreed to bring the rest of it home for breakfast the next day (something else to like about the blond as it was Ed who suggested it and Roy had cold pizza for breakfast at least once a week; he was thrilled to find the teen shared that quirk) The conversation during lunch had been light, successful in pulling him from his funk. While his brain was telling him it was improbable the kid liked him the way he wanted him to, he couldn't help by notice the shy glances he kept getting whenever Ed seemed to think he wasn't looking. Maybe he hadn't been wrong after all.
They ended up staying longer than necessary, as Ed had asked him an endless stream of questions about his fire alchemy and he had just been happy the kid was even interested. Actually, Ed had been more than interested. He had hung onto every word Roy spoke, honey colored eyes wide and fixed on Roy's face. The Colonel might have been self conscious of the attention except each question was thought provoking and intelligent and he loved just talking to the blond.
His mood had lightened considerably as he pulled up in front of the dull grey apartment building Ed lived in (he had taken the long way around to avoid the parts of the street still broken up from yesterday) the blond now talking about some theory he had read about somewhere along the way concerning using tattoos as transmutation circles as a way of conducting alchemical reactions. Though some of it was a little over his head, Roy did his best to listen and contribute. They were in the apartment building and the blond was opening the door to his living space when suddenly he stopped.
"I'm sorry if I'm talking too much. My brother keeps telling me it's a bad habit when I'm nervous and—" the gold eyes avoided his as Ed flushed and Roy had to stop him with a firm hand on the blonde's shoulder as the shorter of the two started to step into the dark entrance of his apartment. The wide eyes were shadowed when they met his own dark ones so Roy eased his reassurance with a little smile.
"You can talk as much as you want, Fullmetal. I was listening," the look the younger man gave him was nothing short of relived before he was then following the teen into the unlit receiving area, watching Ed disappear through the kitchen and down the hall where Roy knew the bedrooms were.
"This should only take a few minutes," the blond called to him as he wandered slowly into the kitchen and looked around the small space, which was tidy, no evidence of being lived in for more than just two days. Probably Al's doing because Roy know from working with the older of the two brothers that Ed wasn't one for cleaning up after himself. Yet as he inspected the place, taking in the place where Ed and his brother had lived for who knew how many years, that was small and dingy, a dull ache wiggled into his chest to take residence. He thought back onto how Ed had looked, propped up on the hospital bed without his automail attached, long honey colored hair captured in a tight braid, watching the TV with avid interest and had seen a young man who had lost too much when he was too young and even while his brother and the blond girl whom he had supposedly known since he was a child were there, he was separated from them, somewhere else, alone. The teen was powerful, sure, and smart and had a rank as an alchemist and a Major in the military but he was still just an eighteen year old teenager who had a sad past that had left him more alone than he probably realized. And it just wasn't fair; how such an incredible person could have been dealt such a shitty hand in life.
Roy could hear the blond banging around in a room down the hall and on impulse, followed the sound, his boots muffled on the dingy carpet of the hall until he came to two open doors, one on either side of the hall. He found the blond standing in front of a large duffle bag open on a sloppy, unmade bed and seeing the way the room looked as if a bomb had gone off, he assumed this must be Ed's bedroom. Why that thought had him shutting his mind off a moment later because of thoughts he shouldn't be having he had no idea and to mask his sudden discomfort, he opted for amusement instead. He just leaned against the door jamb and folded his arms across his chest, watching the blond shoving clothes haphazardly into the bag.
Apparently Ed had no idea he'd been standing there as when the blond turned, towards the door he flew backwards, a curse flying from his mouth.
"Shit, Roy! What the hell are you doing, sneaking up on me?" he fumed, tossing the pair of pants hanging from his hands into the bag violently before yanking the zipper closed. Roy just watched, dark eyes shadowed and when he didn't say anything snarky like he might have, the blond turned back to him, a question in his eyes.
"What?" still, Roy hesitated. He wondered if it really was a good idea to comment on the use of his given name but he wanted to see Ed's reaction so he said it anyway.
"I like it when you call me Roy," he said quietly and was rewarded with a startled blush as the golden eyes widened to see if the Colonel was serious and when the teen realized he was, the gaze dropped, the flush deepening. There was a short, heavy silence in which Roy just watched the younger man twitch anxiously, metal fingers plucking at the black zipper still in his hands.
"I-I'm just going to grab some things for Al and then we can go," he said shakily, not meeting Roy's eyes once as he hoisted the bag onto his shoulder and slipped past the Colonel and disappeared into the room across the hall. Roy rolled his eyes toward the ceiling, the smirk starting to tug on the corner of his mouth. Well, the kid reacted to it the way he had hoped he would. At least it silenced some of the doubt. Deciding not to push Ed too much, he just turned around and moved to the opposite door to lean against, noticing the suitcase he was packing was shabby but large, his own duffle bag slouched by the neat bed he was working over. The bedrooms themselves were like night and day, this room being impeccably neat, all the clothes put away into a small dresser and hung neatly in the closet and it seemed Ed was taking his brother into consideration as he was actually folding the clothes neatly before putting them into the suitcase.
"So I was thinking, you should take your car and just follow me to my house. That way you can drive your brother to the train station tomorrow," Roy said into the quiet bedroom and Ed paused for a moment to look at him. The room was too shadowed to see the expression clearly but the quiet response said everything.
"Thank you…Roy," Yeah, he definitely liked the way his name sounded in that husky voice.
By the time they were stepping from the apartment, the blond locking the door behind them, Roy was carrying the large (and heavy) suitcase and Ed had his duffle) slung over one shoulder. He followed the blond ashe made his way over to a little black Eclipse sitting unobtrusively in the apartment's parking lot, setting the suitcase by the rear tire and watching as the teen threw the luggage in the trunk. Roy smirked as Ed opened the driver side door, a rather bad idea sparking.
"Think you can keep up?" he challenged and got a perverse pleasure at the glint that sparked in the gold eyes as the blond looked at him through his bangs, mirroring his smirk with a wide, lopsided grin.
"You bet I fucking can!"
**
Perhaps racing through the streets of Central was not the best idea he'd ever had and they were lucky that it was a time of day the streets were not well traveled or that they never passed a cop along the way. Still, the speeds at which the two black cars ripped through the city were certainly never going to be made legal. If he had thought about it before he had issued the challenge, he would have thought of consequences. They could have demolished both their cars and themselves with very little wreckage left over to tell the tale had either of them lost control over their vehicles. If Ed had gotten hurt because of his stupid mouth he would have hated himself. As it turned out, the blond was quite the driver, having kept up with the Corvette even in his little Mitsubishi and while Roy shouldn't have encouraged such a breaking of the rules, the adrenaline rush was too good to ignore.
Yet as he screeched to a halt in his drive way, watching in the rear view mirror as Ed pulled up short on the street, the buzz of adrenaline worked through his veins and he realized that was more fun than it should have been. He tried to keep the grin off his face as he stepped from his car and waited for Ed but failed miserably upon seeing the shit-eating grin the blond was wearing as he slammed his door closed. They looked at each other for a moment, Ed grinning like an idiot and Roy realized the kid was a bit of an adrenaline junkie.
"See! Piece of cake! You drive that thing like an old man, Colonel," the blond mocked and Roy pretended to be put off, though he couldn't kill the grin entirely.
"Please, I saw you falling behind a couple of times. I wasn't even really trying and you could just barely keep up. Bet it sucks to fall short to an 'old man'," he quipped as Ed grabbed his bag from the trunk and whirled to glare at him.
"Why do you always resort to the short insults, bastard?" Ed snapped, allowing the older man to take the duffle bag from his hands so he could lock his car. Roy waved absently at his neighbor watching them curiously as she trimmed her rose bushes that separated their property then shot a look over his shoulder at the glaring teen as he followed the older man towards the front door.
"Because you are always calling me old…bean," the resulting roar of anger probably alerted the entire neighborhood to his new house guest but as he let himself into his house, the object of his affections raging behind him, he realized he would let the blond call him whatever he wanted as long as it was Ed calling him the names.
At a dark desk buried in a shadowed corner of the expansive library books piled precariously on the polished surface, spilling over onto any other available surface, such as the chair and the floor. The dark haired Lt. Colonel that had ensconced himself with his research for the last few days poured over his notes for a third time and then sat on the lumpy seat with a huff, bright emerald eyes fixed on the opposite wall, unseeing.
It couldn't be true but he had deciphered carefully, going over it piece by piece and the words never changed no matter how many times his eyes had swept over them. It was still an incomplete theory but of it was true…
Ink-stained fingers ran through black hair, smoothing if from a pale face.
"Oh fuck," it seemed it was time to employ some outside assistance and soon those hands that had been expressing frustration a few moments before were now frantically set to work covering his tracks…
To be contiued...