Twelve
Ed
"Ed," it pulled him from his dreams, the soft voice like velvet and he hovered, listening to it absently as it called his name, "Edward," a warm weight pinned his right side and a bar of yielding iron held his waist tightly, forcing him to press into the steady heat. A warm gust brushed over the side of his hair and he was pulled a little farther from the deep darkness that had been cradling him.
"Come on, pipsqueak, we have to get up," don't call me short… but he could only manage a low grunt of displeasure. And who was we? Oh, shit, he had fallen asleep in Roy's bed. Then he realized just who it was he was pressed again and sleep fell away like lead weights. His eyes snapped open as the bulky presence pressed into him, over him and a kiss was pressed to his ear. Yup, he was awake. If he had slept through this, he would have killed himself. He stared at the shadowed column of a pale neck, the skin smooth as it rubbed against his nose, "Ed," Did the guy have to sound like he had something else on his mind than just waking him up? A hand traveled the length of his back but he was more occupied as there was another press of the warm lips against his ear and then something warmer and wet ran along the sensitive shell of his ear. It would have been gross if it didn't feel so good. "Edward, get up," it was a command and he might have responded it there wasn't a sudden sharp nip at his ear, a tell-tale scraping of metal saying Roy had found his earring.
He must have made some kind of sound because the dark haired Colonel pulled back and he found himself staring up into amused obsidian pools.
"Good morning, blondie," ooo, he was going to have to get the man back for that one later but he was too focused on their proximity to put much effort into it right now, "I thought I was going to have to break out the air horn to wake you up," the man teased, lips curling into that smirk he liked. Ed blinked a couple of times, wondering why he felt so secure lying pinned and prone under the other man. Then he realized Roy looked like had had just woken up and damn if it didn't look good on him. His dark hair was ruffled, not rumpled and the dark eyes just looked sleepy, not red rimmed. Beautiful and perfect as always and it made him a little self conscious because he knew how he looked in the morning and it wasn't pretty. So he licked dry lips, noticing dark eyes drop to watch the action.
"You have one of those?" he asked in a sleep cracked voice, his already husky voice even rougher and while he hated it, he noticed the eyes he was watching go from sleepy to something else. The hand on his back moved, sliding up to curl in his hair at the base of his skull. Amusement glittered down at him amongst something darker that had his heart beat just a little faster.
"Somewhere," was the offhand response and then they both stilled, aware of each other in ways Ed hadn't known were even possible. It wasn't awkward; it was full. Full of the things that needed to be said, of the burning kiss they had shared, of the strange feeling of this being so…right.
Then Roy was leaning in, every movement slow, as if he was waiting to see what Ed would do. But the blond just laid there, heart dancing erratically on the back of his tongue. The fact that they were still tangled together after having just woken up from sharing a bed did not escape him. This wasn't just some crush anymore; Ed had fallen hard and being like this, waiting for Roy to kiss him while he pinned the shorter alchemist to the bed, made everything glaringly real. Because he realized, he wanted everything, from spending time with the older man to other things; shared breath, lingering touches…Ah, Roy's kiss. Lips so warm and soft, turning a caress into something that stole air. Ed closed his eyes, unable to stop the little noise stuck in the back of his throat to bubble free and the older man must have liked that because the kiss suddenly deepened, Roy's mouth parting over his. If Ed's eyes had been open, they would have rolled back because the feel of a slick tongue running along the seam of his mouth was so new, so good, he was opening his own mouth. Oh, wait, this was even better, because now he could taste Roy as he ran his tongue over the roof of Ed's mouth, over the back of his teeth, everywhere, then, then…
It occurred to Ed that they would need to surface but if this was drowning than he never wanted to stop. The slick muscle was rubbing with his, swirling around it…He was losing it. By all rights, a tongue in his mouth shouldn't be so…he couldn't even find the right word; wonderful, erotic, fucking amazing. He was trying to keep up, trying to return it all but it was hard to do that with his brain a puddle of useless goo sloshing around in his head. Oh, crap, was that him that moaned like that? Except Roy seemed to like it because he had taken Ed's tongue into his mouth and was sucking on it. Fuck, that was good and his stupid moaning was doing a good job of letting Roy know exactly how he felt. Now the man repeated that with each of Ed's lips, top and bottom and the blond was falling, breathless, aware of absolutely nothing but what Roy's mouth was doing to his.
Two things dawned on the younger alchemist right then, before he passed from barely hanging onto his sanity to completely gone, as the tongue was back in his mouth and intent on tasting every single corner of him Roy could reach. One was that he probably still had terrible morning breath and Roy could most defiantly smell it, which was mortifying and more than a little disgusting. The second was even worse. He was getting hard. Every sensation was shooting straight down and if he didn't move, like, now, Roy was going to figure it out. So with a strangled gasp that sounded a lot like,
"Gottabrushmyteeth," he shoved the bigger man off of him and bolted to the bathroom where he slammed into the counter and doubled over, trying to catch his breath. That was close. He was actually surprised how fast he was able to move considering how tight his pants were. Crap, crap, quick, think disgusting. Russell eating worms, Miss. Eleanor falling over and showing everyone her underwear here Ed shuddered as the incident had been quiet scarring as this particular teacher had been easily three hundred pounds Breda naked. Ugh, nasty. Yup, it was helping Envy in the library. That did it. Hatred was a handy tool in case of an unwanted hard on. He would have to remember that.
He brushed his teeth quickly, slashing water over his face, taking quick notice he was still in his uniform pants but was wearing a big white t-shirt that fell to his thighs and smelled like Roy. He was trying to tame his hair as he timidly returned to Roy's bedroom, hoping the older man hadn't been offended. That had been only his second kiss and it had overwhelmed him. God, he wondered, what would the rest be like?
Roy was in his closet as Ed rounded the corner, pulling on a clean dress shirt, already in his uniform pants. His back was turned as he did up the buttons but a single black eye glanced at him over a broad shoulder and he got the distinct impression Roy was smiling. The blond flushed.
"Sorry. Morning breath," he said, trying not to seem shy but not succeeding. The dark head tossed back as the laugh he loved so much reverberated in the tight space.
"Ed, it was fine," the Colonel laughed, turning around fully and drawing the shorter alchemist close. Timidly, as if he wasn't sure he should, he wound his arms around the trim hips, pressing his nose into the clean linen of Roy's shirt.
"It's just, we haven't really said anything. About this," his voice sounded muffled and the material was cool against his lips as he spoke. The strong arms that had held him close just ten minutes ago mirrored the position his own were in now and he heard Roy sigh.
"Said anything?" okay, the man really had to stop playing with his hair. He just fixed at and it was distracting. But Ed was really comfortable like this, being pressed to another warm, breathing body. Especially this one. He stuttered as he tried to find the words to answer the other man's inquiry and he wouldn't have been surprised if he burned a hole through the Colonel's shirt because he was blushing so hard but he already started and he might as well.
"Y-yeah, like, um," he stalled, hunted for words that wouldn't sound ridiculous and foolish. Roy pushed him back by his shoulders when he couldn't find any so he could look into Ed's face. Shit, that just made it harder.
"Like…?" there was no smile, just twin chips of obsidian watching him carefully so he took a deep breath.
"I—like I really like you, a lot, and this thing is okay. I want this. I w-want…y-you," he really just wanted to bury his face back in Roy's shoulder but he didn't because he was watching something amazing happen. The slanted, almond shaped eyes widened a fraction not in surprise or shock but with something very close to elation, as if he hadn't expected to hear those words from Ed's mouth. Pale fingers brushed up over one of his cheek bones, brushing his bangs from his face before they tangled with his hair and he really didn't care if his braid got messed up. Roy was smiling, smiling like it was the first time such an expression touched his face and he found it was the most wonderful thing in the world.
"God, Ed, me too. You have no idea," now Ed was grinning, leaning back into the older man, tipping his head back for another kiss which was sweet, gentler, backing up their words. When he parted his lips to let Roy taste him once more, it didn't overwhelm him because it didn't scald or send his heart thundering through the roof of his mouth. It was an easy promise that was flavored of toothpaste and something achingly good without a name but most defiantly belonged to Roy.
**
They got ready separately, Ed taking a shower as Roy made breakfast and after a brief but rather panicky search for his jacket (which he found on the floor in front of the book shelves in Roy's room) he joined the other man in the kitchen, both of them dressed in matching uniforms. Roy glanced at him from the stove as he walked in, mouth watering to the smell of cinnamon and cooking bread.
"Hey Major, I hope French toast is okay," Roy half-teased and Ed threw a towel at him, still grinning like a moron.
"Perhaps, though I doubt you even come close to making them half as good as my brother does," he taunted, grin turning cocky and for a second he got to see the dark eyes blaze hotly at the challenge.
"Oh, we have a doubter here. See for yourself. I bet an entire barbeque just for you tonight that they're better," Ed was tempted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it but the mention of a barbeque was too good to pass up.
"You're on!" he took the offered plate and carried it to the table so he could drench the dark squares in a flood of dark syrup. Roy joined him with his own breakfast but waited, watching him as he took a bite. Oh, and they were better. Like sex on a plate. Ed could feel his eyes going as wide at the food in front of him and noticed the satisfied smirk on the other man's face before he too took a bite. Ed glared at the plate, as if his gaze would make the rest of his breakfast to taste like crap but he knew it wouldn't.
"What's the matter?" Roy asked, eyes now worried and Ed moved the glare to pin the Colonel, who blinked in surprise, loaded and dripping fork half way to his mouth.
"I wanted a barbeque," he growled, stuffing a load of the sweet toast into his mouth. For the second time that morning, Roy threw his head back and laughed. He really needed to stop doing that because one of these days, Ed was going to choke. The older man regarded him for a moment, eyes sparkling, before leaning in quickly to catch a stray drip of syrup off of the blonde's chin with his tongue. Ed blushed, smile finding him again, though the gesture left him wanting more of what he had woken up to as Roy settled back into his own seat.
"I'll make a barbeque tonight, don't worry. I just wanted to see your reaction," he chuckled, eyes still alight and Ed hid his response and his goofy grin in another giant bite of food. They were quiet for a few moments, the scraping of forks the only sound as they ate, comfortable just in each other's company. Ed had thought it would be awkward, like he'd heard people were after admissions were made and physical contact begun but it wasn't. He wondered; perhaps it was because, for him, it was more than just liking the guy or having a crush. Whatever it was, he hoped he had it for the rest of his life.
"Can I ask you about the diamond in your ear?" Roy's question was abrupt but he had been expecting it since the other man's teeth had scraped on it that morning. Still, it would mean divulging things not even Winry knew. He studied Roy for a moment, seeing how the dark eyes only held a frank curiosity and then he sighed. Quickly, he cleaned up what was left on his plate, using a finger to clean up some of the syrup he hadn't dredged up with the French toast.
"I made it," he answered, sucking on his finger again only to pull it out abruptly upon seeing the look Roy was giving him. He would have liked a reason to distract the older man but if this…thing was going to happen between them than he deserved to at least know some of his past. Luckily Roy didn't distract easily.
"You made it. Why?" oh, yes, the interrogation. Ed reached up and rolled the little stud tucked away in the fold of his cartilage. He usually never even gave it a second thought, sometimes forgetting it was there for months at a time. Though he could never forget why it was there.
"When I was seven my mother died. She got sick and my father had left so none of us knew until it was too late. No one could do anything for her and she left us behind, just me and my litter brother. I made matching earrings from her wedding ring and gave the other one to Al," Roy's face was impassive, eyes on the tiny jewel just peeking out from the crease in his ear.
"It's awfully small. I didn't even see it until last night," he mused, reaching over the table to push Ed's hair back so he could see the inconspicuous stud in question. The blond grimaced, the expression full of bitterness.
"I just took a little bit and buried the rest with her. She loved my bastard of a father, even though he abandoned us," the last came out as a snarl, because this much he could remember and it still filled him with a cold, familiar fury. There was a gentle brush of fingers against the side of his neck in a gesture of comfort before the other man retreated again.
"What was she like?" Roy's voice was soft but it tore at Ed because he couldn't answer.
"I don't remember," he said, voice breaking and he couldn't meet the inquiring gaze, the knowledge that he had done something that resulted in the removal of memories of a mother that had been important enough and loved enough he had risked trying to bring her back with alchemy. But Roy didn't seem to get the significance.
"What do you mean? Surely you remember something," but Ed shook his head, eyes on the reddish brown streaks of cinnamon and syrup in his plate. He had to tell him some time and Roy already knew what he had done.
"Equivalent Exchange. How much do you think a human life costs? Another human life. Naturally. But I didn't even consider that so when I tried to transmute my mother back to life they took my brother's body and my leg. When I demanded Al back, they laughed at me but agreed. Of course, I would still have to pay the price. Instead, they took my leg, all of my knowledge of alchemy and every single memory I had of my mother except the abomination I created when I tried to bring her back. It was like losing her all over again only I can't remember what I've lost. All I can recall is the twisted face of the monster I created. There are no pictures; they burned when we torched our house," he paused, swirling a metal finger in the dregs of syrup and toast crumbs. Roy was watching him with that unreadable expression on his face and he was a little relieved not to find pity in the wake of his story, "So, no, I can't remember," silence descended after his speech, heavy and dank as the weather before a thunderstorm. Nausea made him swallow thickly, as it always did when he relived his sin and he wished he hadn't eaten so fast. Roy's lips bowed into a deep frown, a line forming between his slim, dark eyebrows and Ed got a little sense of what the man was thinking. It wasn't pity and he didn't feel bad for Ed. It was something deeper than that, like Roy wanted to do something for him but there was nothing he could do and it was ripping him apart. There was more too but Ed couldn't read what it might have meant.
Finally the other man stood, collecting their plates and made as if to step away, towards the sink but he stopped at Ed's chair, leaning down so his warm breath stirred the hair over his ear.
"I'm sorry," words spoken in a voice drenched in heartache, rough and broken and Ed suddenly wanted to cry. A kiss was pressed to the stud in his ear, soft but lingering as if Roy was offering a goodbye or thank you to the original owner. His heart swelled, making him feel stupidly giddy, the urge to weep gone as fast as it came. Something about the gesture made him feel wanted, though he couldn't explain why. Somehow, he was sure he was never going to forget the little diamond in his ear again. Then the moment was broken, gone, to be picked up at another time.
"Ed, we should go or we'll be late," It was Roy's normal voice and he was wearing his normal expression when Ed stood. Another shield between them had been lowered and Ed realized that maybe, just maybe he wouldn't have to face the cruelty that was his reality alone.
Roy
Truth always felt like some kind of finality. Like whatever the mind was left to imagine was okay because it wasn't reality so he didn't really need to put any emotion behind it. As soon as he had seen the automail attached to the golden haired teen's body, Roy had, on some level, felt bad for the kid. Obviously something traumatic had to have happened to leave the boy missing an arm and a leg. He had assumed an accident, perhaps with a car or maybe he had gotten caught up in some kind of conflict as so many children tended to do and that was how he had ended up with prosthetics. Then he had heard that boy Envy talking, spilling his venom as he dug his claws into sun kissed skin. Yet even then, though he had felt horror and an aching sympathy, part of him had hoped that the dark haired kid was telling lies. Ed confirming it hadn't made it any more real, either. It had just lingered in the back of his mind like a dark shadow, waiting to become full blown darkness. He had wanted to believe that, somehow, it was all just a lie and that Ed just lost his limbs in a simple accident.
Then the blond had sat down with the gloom of remembering surging like a storm cloud behind his honey colored eyes and told his story. There had been no fancy words, nothing but cold fact and the terrible truth fell into place. Haunted golden eyes had looked at him, the pain in them ingrained so deeply he had been struck breathless. No one should have had to been taught a lesson such as that; no one should have such a burden to carry. With that story, as he sat across the table from the golden haired teen, Roy had come to see just a little of what made Ed who he was. And it made him want to cry, to scream, that such a spectacular person should have been given such a unfair lot in life like Ed had been. It was beyond the point where his heart just broke in sympathy. It went beyond sympathy all together. Feeling bad for the teen would be inconsequential anyway. Rather than that, the dark haired Colonel's heart turned to dust, crumbling away into nothing and then was remade so that it could stand up to the devastating truth of Ed's reality. The structure of it wrapped around the overwhelming knowledge until it became part of him, part of his existence, a piece of him that could never be erased or forgotten.
From that moment on, his existence depended upon the smaller alchemist entirely.
**
Ed had turned the radio on as he drove them to work, humming along to a rock song Roy didn't recognize with a surprisingly sweet voice, one leg tapping against the car floor. The silence between them wasn't awkward but there was tension, as if Ed was still almost expecting the Colonel to reject him in some way and Roy unable to think of a way to reassure the teen. How did he go about telling the younger alchemist that Roy needed the blond even more now that he knew the truth? They stayed that way until they reached Headquarters, Ed singing quietly to the window pane. That morning, as he sat behind the wheel of his sleek black Corvette, he discovered yet another thing about the blond; the boy could sing.
Sure, it wasn't monumental; not anything like the truth that had been disclosed at the breakfast table. But it was just one more thing for him to fall in love with. The blonde's voice still held the huskiness it did when he talked, that slight gruffness in inflection giving the otherwise easy tenor a deeper, richer quality. Roy liked it when the younger man spoke but he loved it when he sang.
It was understood that they were to return to a strictly professional interaction as soon as he pulled into the parking lot but Roy couldn't resist, as he cut the rumbling engine of the car, grabbing a tan wrist before Ed could open the door and yanking the teen close for a quick peck on those sweet, full lips. Roy pulled back a second later, the contact having been barely existent only to have the smaller alchemist smack him upside the head, gold eyes sharp.
"What was that for?" he demanded, rubbing his dark head and for a moment the blonde's mouth twitched, giving an amused air to the glare he was attempting to incinerate the Colonel with.
"Control yourself, Colonel. We're at work," was the growled response and Roy had the sudden urge to stick his tongue out like a four year old. He didn't but he wanted to. As he extracted himself from the car, trying to kill the pleased smirk threatening to curl at the corner of his lips in case Ed saw, he glanced over that the blond only to find he had the same expression Roy was trying to extinguish. Ed may have discouraged it but that hadn't meant he didn't like it. The Colonel couldn't help the small, satisfied smile then as they walked together in companionable silence, which the blond seemed not to notice as he was wearing one that was identical to Roy's.
Ed stopped at the door to the outer office, turning to the Colonel with a serious expression that the older man was beginning to recognize as the blonde's all business face.
"I found a lead yesterday that I'm going to check out. If it comes to anything, I'll be sure to report it to you," his voice was a little distant, as if the gears were already turning behind the intense gold of the wide eyes. Roy nodded, hiding the fact he thought this serious, business –like Fullmetal Alchemist was really hot.
"Of course, Major," his own voice screened out any emotion as he tried to do while at work and when Ed snapped a sharp salute, he returned it with a blank expression so that the people passing by in the hall would only see a young Major acknowledging his superior officer. Just as he was about to turn away, the gold eyes caught him for the shortest moment before one closed in a swift wink, soft lips curling up slightly before the blond turned away and walked off. Roy was careful not to linger in the corridor, watching the younger alchemist walk away like he wanted to, and stepped into the office with his normal confident air, filing away that wink so he could pull it out later to replay it over and over again.
Apparently he was a little late and the entire office was already at their desks, for once looking busy. Surprised, not because he had never seen them working but because it was quiet and even Havoc was pushing a pen across a paper from a pile that was stacked alarmingly high. Trepidation trickled down his spine and he blinked at the look the tall blond gave him, blue eyes beseeching, as if asking Roy what he had done to deserve such treatment. Hawkeye rose from her desk when he walked in and waved him into his own office, face closed off as usual. He followed with misgiving thick in the back of his throat. If this was her doing, he wasn't going to be very happy.
Yet as he entered his office, the look she turned on him was far from the stern expectancy he had anticipated. Then he caught sight of the pile of paperwork on his own desk and he paled slightly.
"What the hell?" he breathed, looking at the blond woman and for once she seemed to agree, "I know I finished all my work yesterday before I left. What happened?" he asked and Riza pulled a frown.
"It came in this morning just as I was arriving. They said its important routine paperwork," Roy scoffed, glaring at the baleful pile on his desk.
"Routine…" he mouthed, furious because even the normal filing he had to do that came with his position kicked his ass. Riza shifted, very aware of his veiw on filling out paperwork.
"Yes, that's what they said. But if you ask me, I think the higher ups caught wind of your investigation and are piling up the work so that you don't have time to look too deeply," Roy met her sharp gaze and sucked in a breath, the sense of it easing the annoyance, something darker rising in its place. So they were being watched and he thought about Envy and yesterday's altercation. Just like that, he was sure that whatever the military was involved in, it was being protected against even the military itself and had something to do with this stone. Roy nodded abstractly, eyeing the papers on his desk now as more of a challenge than a chore. His curiosity had been peaked and he wasn't letting it go until he got to the bottom of it. In a split second, he made a decision.
"Right. Lt. call the rest of the office in here. I'd like to have a word with everyone," he caught her smile as she responded with a quick, "Yes, sir," Riza knew him well enough to know the Colonel was going to dive into this, full speed ahead and hang the consequences. He was standing behind his desk, absently leafing through the bland and wordy papers stacked there, dark eyes thoughtful when his five officers piled into the room, their faces all holding differing amounts of curiosity. He regarded them for a moment.
"Well, I might as well just be frank with you, though knowing most of you, you all have a pretty good idea what's going on. A report came to me that the conflict with Ishval and an alchemical object called the Philosopher's stone are linked. It would not be a pressing matter but for the fact that it seems someone is intent on stalling any progress we might make. Which means whoever is involved doesn't want that knowledge to be looked into. From here on in, all of you will be aiding in this investigation and no one outside of this office is to know what we are up to," expressions lit up, eager and still curious. Roy trusted every single one of his subordinates with his life so he need not remind them what they were about to do could get them into all sorts of trouble. Instead, he went on to give them the details about what had been discovered so far and give their assigned tasks. Havoc and Breda knew things and people that became invaluable resources and knew how to extract what they were looking for without anyone catching on. Falman was, surprisingly enough, in with many of the higher officers who tended to get comfortable around people they've let into their little circles, exposing things that are not meant to become common knowledge and Fury had a way with technology that bordered on frightening. The radio, the computer, anyplace that could be used as a source, he found a way.
When the group filed back from the room, the air had become charged, lit with a determined purpose and a desire not to let their Colonel down. Roy shared a slight smile with his Lt. before she too exited the room, her nod full of approval. It was, no doubt, the reaction she had been hoping to get out of the Colonel, by telling him what she did about the paperwork and he was glad she did. There was something dark going on behind the scenes and he was going to bring it to light.
**
Roy was half way through the ridiculous stack of papers, waiting for a certain blond to return with results on the lead and his stomach was telling him it was nearing lunch time when his phone rang. His picked it up and was shocked when his greeting was answered with a familiar female alto.
"Well, if it isn't Charlene!" the easy mask of flirtation slipped over his face and into his voice as his heart picked up its pace within his chest. If she was calling him rather than the other way around, something had come up that couldn't wait until he was on a secure line. He kept his voice light, charming while they spoke, though the conversation itself was short, in code and by the time he was hanging up, anticipation pulsed through him. He snatched his spare gloves from the side drawer at his desk and stepped from his office, earning himself meaningful glances from his subordinates. They didn't know his dates were actually meetings with his contacts he had throughout the city and it had helped his image when everyone thought he went out with all different girls. Not that it really mattered to him anymore but anyone who caught on to him and Ed would hopefully thrown by the "dates".
Now, Roy nodded to Riza who was the only one that knew what he really with these girls and smiled disarmingly.
"Off to lunch!" it was cheerful and earned him a glare from Havoc who was gnawing angrily at the end of his cigarette but he dropped the act as soon as he was out the door and sweeping through the halls. Charlene hadn't told him anything on the phone but to meet her for lunch. She had never, however, asked him to disrupt his schedule so he could get in touch with her before. Except that this time, she had. He just hoped that whatever it was, it would help shed some light on this current mystery because he was beginning to hate standing in the shadows.
**
By the time Roy returned to the office, he had a pounding headache and Ed was sprawled in one of the couches in front of his desk, metal limb tucked under the golden head while he frowned at a map he held in front of his face. The rest of the office must have been out at lunch because not even Riza was at her desk. He was pleased to note that on just about all the desks, the piles of paperwork had moved to the in-boxes to the out-boxes. Perhaps his little speech that morning had lit a fire under them. Despite how they goofed off most of the time, they were good soldiers who, when given an assignment, got it done, no questions asked. It was why he trusted them as much as he did. Besides the fact that they all went back to the first war with Ishval and even then they had been loyal to him.
The blond lounging on the leather cushions glanced around the chart in front of his face and his wheat colored eyebrows shot up his forehead when he saw Roy's face.
"What's wrong with you? Did your cat die?" the kid demanded, lowing the map to rest on his stomach as he could regard the older man who propped his hip against the edge of his desk and sighed, rubbing his temples. The pain throbbed right under the bone where he couldn't massage it out, rattling glaringly. Roy grimaced at the Major.
"As you know, Fullmetal, I do not own a cat," his voice sounded tired rather than annoyed and he heard a rustling of material and the creak of leather as the teen sat up, gold eyes assessing. The expression on the younger alchemist's face, though, was exasperated.
"It's an expression, Colonel," the kid said in a flat voice and Roy dropped his hand to regard Ed, "What I meant was, you look like you have something on your mind and I'm curious as it what it is," the taller man's eyebrows shot up much like the blonde's had. If he didn't know the teen as well as he did, he would have been annoyed at the assumption that Roy would tell a subordinate anything but for some reason with Ed it didn't bother him. He would have told the kid anyway, especially since what he had just learned from his contact was relevant to the case the Major was currently investigating. Roy scrubbed a hand through his dark hair.
"I still need to do some checking up on it and I'd rather not talk about it here," the gold eyes sharpened, curiosity peaked but the blond just nodded. Roy eyes traveled to the map resting on the Major's leg, "Did you find anything else on that lead?" Here Ed's eyes lit up and he leaped from the couch so he could spread the map he had been studying on Roy's desk. The Colonel marveled at how the teen could just fall into whatever he was working on with complete and utter disregard for anything else that might have been going on. Whatever he put his mind to, he did it with his entire being and an admirable determination to see it through to the end.
Now the golden head was tipped over the map, bright eyes roaming over the blue print and the red writing scrawled on it. Intrigued, Roy stepped beside the shorter alchemist, not recognizing the place the chart portrayed.
"What is this?" he questioned and Ed blinked at him for a moment, as if he had forgotten the older man was even there.
"Oh, it's a map of Central," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and it was Roy's turn to blink in surprise.
"I've never seen one like this before," and Ed nodded, long braid slipping around to hang over his shoulder, ends brushing against the smooth surface of the map.
"That's because it shows the city from underground. See here?" a gleaming silver finger traced a double line that followed what looked a street, a wavy line indicating it was a water line of sorts, "That's the sewer that runs throughout the entire city. Every tunnel is connected which in turn connects to the buildings. It's pretty simple actually, because it's so old. It goes back, like, a hundred or some odd years," Again Roy was surprised but he didn't get a chance to ask how this was relevant to anything as Ed ploughed ahead with his explanation, "The only buildings that aren't connected to this system is the military headquarters and the north Village who are both on closed systems," the finger indicated where Ed was talking about and Roy saw that the large complex of what made up Central's headquarters was indeed as the blond said. The Colonel frowned at the mass of blue lines spread out in front of him.
"What's your point in all this, Major?" he said it more to get the kid to the reason why he was explaining all of this and was almost knocked over with that blazing glare.
"I'm getting to it," Ed snapped before jabbing his fingers at a mass of rectangles off to the side of the blocks for the headquarters, "These are the military owned warehouses, here," the digit circled the spot he was talking about and Roy frowned at it.
"Those were abandoned three years ago because of a chemical spill," he said absently, noting that the complex had extra lines running between them. Ed shook his head and rummaged in one of his pockets, pulling out a small paper.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too and that's what all the logs indicate but I did some digging around and I found this," he unfolded the paper and handed it to the Colonel, who looked at the lists of numbers in confusion.
"What's this?" he asked, eyes running down the columns, trying to make sense of them. Ed moved to his side so he could see as well.
"It's a security log. For warehouse 7. The fist column is the guard's security card numbers, the second is the time they swiped the cards and the third is the date," Roy stared at the third row of numbers that indicated the date and it began to make sense.
"That was two days ago," he breathed and jerked when Ed threw his hands up and yelled,
"Exactly!" Roy regarded the smaller alchemist and his excitement for a moment then the paper in his hands again, beginning to understand Ed's triumph. What he wasn't getting was how this was relevant to the kid's research on the stone. So he asked and again that flash of excitement shimmered through the gold eyes. Ed waved him back over to the map and pointed to the lines connecting the warehouses.
"The buildings have an open sewer system like most of the other buildings. But these here are evidence of a second tunnel system," the spot was outlined with the red pen, following along the entire system and he was surprised to find it left the boarder around the area of the warehouses and connected with another building that wasn't related. Roy pointed to it, now just as intrigued as Ed was, forgetting about his own worries for a moment.
"What is this building?" he pointed, white gloves stark next to the blush, transparent paper and Ed grunted, meeting the Colonel's eyes.
"A prison," his answer was flat and Roy suspected this was where it started. He bit his lip in thought, eyes following along the lines of the tunnels. Why would a military warehouse be connected to a prison?
"You think this has something to do with the stone," he said finally lifting his eyes to find the gold subdued, any traces of the earlier enthusiasm surpassed. Ed's full lips pursed in thought, eyes dropping to the desk top.
"I think that something is going on in there that requires it to be kept under tight security and whatever it is, they need access to the prison," Well, that much was obvious. Roy lifted one eyebrow.
"Do you have a reason to think this has something to do your case?" he asked again and Ed lifted his eyes, the wide golden depths catching the light from the window.
"Everything I read regarding the stone was vague…like…like something is missing from the research," the blond struggled with finding the words, the expression in his face troubled, "You wanted to find out what the military is up to, right? The best I can tell you is that this feels wrong. Someone is hiding something in that warehouse," Roy nodded in agreement, folding his hands behind his back and looking out the window behind the desk.
"That much is obvious. But why a prison?" They stilled when they heard voices announcing the arrival of the rest of the office back from lunch, the commotion muffled slightly through the walls. Roy's dark eyes found Ed's bright ones and the teen's gaze suddenly looked haunted.
"Human test subjects," the only sound that could be heard following Ed's remark was Havoc teasing Fury loudly about something, much to the amusement of Breda, if his booming laugh was any indication. A sharp female voice cut the merriment off a moment later and Roy looked away as complete silence fell.
"Shit," he mumbled, feeling his headache beginning to beat an unwanted rhythm behind his skull. He thought for a long moment, aware of the blond watching him as if waiting for him to make a decision. When he looked back up, the honeyed gaze was shuttered, muted, "Find out what's there," Roy finally said, resigned but not best pleased to be sending Ed into the face of possible danger again. The younger alchemist just nodded but Roy caught a wrist of automail before the teen could leave. Their gazes met once again and this time there was nothing work related between them. Ed stepped forward, closer to the taller man, head tilted slightly and a small smile crossing his face.
"We shouldn't be doing this here," the teen whispered even as he raised his free hand and touched his finger tips to Roy's bottom lip, who caught them in a gentle kiss.
"I know," but neither moved, black eyes drowning in yellow fire. The teen's fingertips were soft against his mouth and he was just about to bat them away so he could put his own lips to better use on Ed's when someone cleared their throat at the doorway. Roy whipped around, letting the blond go, who leaped away, eyes wide with panic, face pale under his tan. Riza regarded the pair from the doorway, expression a mixture of amusement and long sufferance. Ed was about to start freaking out so Roy reached out and caught his shoulder. Terrified wide eyes looked into his own and he offered what he hoped was a comforting smile.
"Don't worry, she already knew," he said softly and Ed swallowed, looking at the Lt. in the doorway. He didn't push the Colonel's hand away, though. Riza's lips twisted wryly, arms crossed over her chest.
"Indeed, Colonel. I would recommend you refrain from that sort of thing while you're here because it might not be me next time," her voice was stern but he caught the underlying amusement and he dropped his hand from the other alchemist's shoulder because she was right. That could have been serious if someone else had walked in.
"Thank you, Lt." Ed was relaxing next to him, though he could tell the kid was still a little leery of anyone knowing about them. He fought his own amusement and just addressed the Lt, voice once again belonging to Colonel Mustang , "Hawkeye, if you could call the Second Lt. in here for a moment, I have a request for the two of you," Interest sparked in the hazel eyes and the blond woman barked through the door at Havoc, who was in the office a second later, blue eyes alight with curiosity.
"Yeah, boss?" Roy shared a look with Riza and she closed the door softly, face still expressionless. He nodded his thanks and waved them to his desk. Two sets of inquiring eyes studied the map.
"Major Elric has uncovered an anomaly with warehouse 7 and we suspect the military is most definitely involved. I want you both to act as his cover so he can get in there and do what he needs to do to find out what it is. It's guarded, so be careful and go armed. It would be best, however, if no one knows you where in there," Jean and Riza both just nodded in understanding then Havoc turned to study the map for a second longer.
"Where did you get this map?" he asked, glancing at Ed who flushed and looked away, suddenly uneasy. Roy had a sudden sense of foreboding as he watched the kid fiddle as if he had been caught with his hands in the proverbial cookie jar.
"Um, I overheard an Admiral talking to one of his men in the hall about a research project at a warehouse and they stopped talking when I walked by so I got curious…and raided his office," Ed's face was red with shame, as if what he had done was going to get him into trouble and the three other officers in the room stared at him in shock. The gold eyes stood out as the teen's face burned brighter until Havoc burst out laughing, clapping the young Major on the back and startling the poor blond.
"Holy crap, this kid is too much. Good work, Major," Jean chuckled and Roy couldn't help a smile, which Ed noticed with some relief, finding his own sheepish grin unsteadily.
"Alright," the Colonel's voice broke into the moment and all three eyes turned to him once again, "I don't want any official reports on this but whatever you find, make sure to pass on to Lt. Colonel Hughes as well," three sharp salutes, which he returned with less vigor. His eyes touched upon Ed's with a silent plea for him to be careful before addressing all three, "Remember not to be seen. You're dismissed," The dark haired Colonel stood by his desk, watching his three officers leave the room, catching the look Riza threw him before she left that he took as a promise to keep Ed safe. It made him feel just a little better. There were too many unknown variables but he had a feeling that whatever they found in that warehouse was important. To keep up appearances, he couldn't go himself but his Lt. was very good at what she did. With a sigh and then a wince as his headache returned full blast, he picked up the phone and dialed the number for Hughes office.
Ed
The warehouse complex was only a few blocks away from headquarters, looking dejected and derelict as the building crumbled down with neglect. Riza had driven them in her car, parking it around the back of the worn out buildings in an over grown lot that had been chained off. Rust had eaten through the chains, however, and there was just enough space between the encroaching foliage that would hide her little Focus.
Ed walked behind Havoc and Hawkeye who clung to the sides of the rotting, abandoned buildings, clutching their handguns at the ready and eyes sharp. It was deafeningly quiet, the only sound was what they made, their boots crunched along the crumbling pavement and there was no sign that anyone had been here in years. Ed had to admit the two officers preceding him were efficient. He had expected as much from the Lt. but Havoc came as a surprise. Despite how he carried on at the office, acting like a moron, when it came down to the real thing, he was as intense as Hawkeye. The blue eyes seemed to see everything and he had lost the cigarette he chewed habitually, mouth pressed into a thin line. His respect for the man went up several notches and he realized this was probably why Roy bothered to keep the man around. Ed decided then he liked the tall blond.
Warehouse 7 was located with little difficulty, the large black number painted on the front doors faded and cracking but still visible. The obstacle started when they attempted the gate that had been erected around the building. A relatively new chain was wrapped around the bars of the gate, which Havoc pointed out from their spot pressed against the edge of a wall at the side of the building. There was also a security camera that roved the immediate area in front of the doors, its single eye confirming Ed's suspicions.
"There's a electronic security lock on the doors," Riza whispered as she pulled back from peering around the wall and Havoc snorted.
"Where's Kain when you need him?" he muttered, chewing on his bottom lip as his bright eyes swept the area for another way in. Ed had already done that and the only places that were not being watched by cameras were at the highest points in the fence like right where they stood, across which was stretched a brutal looking length of razor wire. He said as much and was acknowledged by Riza, who frowned.
"Someone really doesn't want visitors," she muttered to herself. Ed grunted and decided to take things into his own hands. He pressed his palms together and concentrated, hoping no one would see the light from the alchemical reaction and opened a gap in the metal fence. With a quick peek to make sure no one was around, he slipped into the small yard and had to wave the other two in because they were staring at him like he had grown another head.
"Hurry up!" he hissed and the two filed in, eyeing him with something close to awe before taking their places on either side of the blond alchemist against the building's wall. He smiled to himself, realizing they had never seen him do alchemy before. To avoid making any noise, he transmuted a door into the side of the building and pushed it open cautiously. Riza slipped inside first and he followed when she hissed an okay, Havoc right on his heels. They waited for him to return the wall back to normal and then started down the dark hall they had found themselves in.
The warehouse was like a maze, with long, meandering hallways and no doors for whole stretches at a time. The place itself was in much better condition inside than it was outside, evidence of recent use clear in the relatively intact walls and ceilings. Several times they had to scuttle away from getting caught by the guards that were patrolling the corridors. There were only two or three that they saw but the fact that there were any at all just made him all that much more determined to figure out what was so important about this location that the military had it announced closed and guarded it with military personnel and a rather in depth security system.
It was so dark inside the building, only lit by sporadic bluish lights that he didn't realize they had come to a large room until their footsteps suddenly echoed. Immediately, the three paused, listening hard to see if anyone had heard but no alarm was forth coming so he stepped into the room, letting his eyes adjust.
The room was huge, disappearing into the darkness before he saw the other side but at first glance it didn't seem to hold anything at all. They fanned out through the room, Havoc and Hawkeye ready for anything and Ed kept his eyes peeled for any evidence of a clue that might be helpful.
He was about ready to give up the search when he tripped over something that clinked metallically, muffling his cry of surprise as he fell to his hands and knees to the dust on the floor. His toe was caught in something heavy that was reluctant to let him go as he struggled, soft curses drawing the other two blond officers. By now he could see well enough to be able to make out what he was caught in but Riza pulled out a flashlight, deeming it safe enough and shone it at Ed's foot. The thick leather boot was ensnared by a thick metal chain, still shiny with newness and only sporting a thin layer of dust attached to a set of manacles that were clearly meant for someone's wrists or ankles.
"What is something like that doing here?" Havoc whispered, lowering his gun and Ed scrambled to get himself free, skin crawling. It was just as he was slipping his toe free when something caught his eye.
"Lt. Shine the light on the floor," his voice was strained as Hawkeye complied, swiveling the flashlight to illuminate the floor around where Ed crouched. Precisely inscribed symbols of black ink drawn onto the dirty floor, connected to one another and the more he saw, the paler he could feel himself getting.
"What is it?" Havoc voiced softly, the sound carrying through the room and Ed licked his lips, attempting to draw moisture to his suddenly dry mouth.
"It's a transmutation circle," his own voice was flat and there was a sharp inhalation of breath from where the light was being trained from. He took a moment to study what he could see of the circle. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, made up of more than one circle and with a pattern subscribed inside and around it that he had never come across anywhere in his research. Yet there was no doubt it was a circle made for alchemy. It was the circle's purpose that eluded him.
With the aid of the Lt. he walked the entire circuit of the room, drawing a complete copy of the circle in a notebook he had slipped into his pocket for exactly this reason, then going back and taking note of each symbol and its placement within the design. They also found more chains, some touched with time and coppery rust, others newer, thicker. Each set of chains had manacles attached to them, some even bolted into the floor or wall. Every single one, however, was kept within the circle. Havoc discovered flaking streaks, black in color, marring the floors and walls and Ed's stomach heaved at the sight, memories suddenly thick behind his eyes. The marks were old, dried blood.
The more he saw, the more the tunnel connecting the building to the prison just on the other side of the wall closing in the complex began to make sense. He had been right in his assumption of human test subjects. Now he just needed to figure out what for. It was with that thought in mind as they were making a final sweep of the room before they moved on to look for more clues that something shiny caught his eye in the dull gleam of the flashlight across the room. Stooping, he picked it up and squinted at it, fingers sweeping over the engraved surface so he could make out what it was.
It was a name plate.
Just then Havoc pushed a door open and tripped an alarm somewhere inside the building and they were tearing back through the way they came. In the rush, Ed pocketed the thin rectangular object he found and resolved to figure out why the name on it was so familiar. For some reason, he could have sworn he heard it before but now they just had to concentrate on not getting caught.
The name on the metal tag was Dr. Timothy Marco.
Al
Al had waited for night to fall and for Winry and Granny to fall asleep before he slipped from the warm bed and made his silent way through the house to the cellar door. He had found a flashlight in the back of the closet, where he and his brother had put it a long time ago and he was a bit surprised that after he changed the batteries, it blazed to life, throwing a long, golden beam of light to the wooden floorboards. Den pressed against the side of his thighs as he descended the stairs into the basement, darkness swallowing them whole. The dog whined softly, ears flat and tail tucked between his legs but he refused to leave Al's side. Smiling fondly, he patted the soft head reassuringly.
"It's alright, boy," he whispered as he moved the beam around the sprawling darkness of the cluttered cellar. It took a while for him to find it but as soon as the light fell upon a large, locked chest, he was weaving his way through the chaos, the dog still pressing closely to his knees.
Al swallowed hard when he reached the box, running a finger through the thick, ashy dust that had blanketed the wooden chest before crouching in front of it and contemplating the lock. No one knew this chest even existed; he had stolen it away before Ed and he had torched their house, unwilling to let what they had left of their father to be destroyed. His older brother may not be too fond of the man but Al couldn't remember him very well and he was still their father. Stroking the top of Den's head more to ease his own nerves rather than comfort the dog, he just stared for a moment, hesitating. Then he steeled himself, squared his shoulders and spun the slightly rusty lock, mouth dry.
As the heavy top creaked open and he trained the light of the flashlight into the box, titles jumped out at him, ones he had known a long time and were long overdue for a re-acquaintance.
It was time to re-read his father's alchemy books.