!WARNING!

SMUT AHEAD! This chapter contains MATURE content. This means that if you DO NOT enjoy male on male, you could not stomach this story, so please leave. But if that's the case, I don't understand how you got this far without realizing it's a slash. Pity. This story has one guy banging another guy. You have been warned.

This chapter isn't critical to the plot (whatever passes for it, anyway), and can be skipped without getting hopelessly confused.

However, it IS a lemon, and thus, I take great pleasure in writing it. I got a request for it, and that was all the incentive I needed! ...my friend just called me a pervert for being this excited about writing smut. Ah well, perhaps it's true, but that doesn't make it any less fun to write XD

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

"Is this okay?" Ed whispered, as if speaking much louder would shatter the peace. Confused, Roy turned around and looked down at him. "Is what okay?"

Ed swallowed thickly, looking unsure and scared. He waved his hand between them. "This… Us," he clarified.

Roy kissed his forehead, hoping to assuage Ed's doubts. "Why wouldn't it be?" He looked into those beautiful, heart-rending golden eyes and took Ed's hands in his own.

Ed shrugged. "It's just…you're the Fuhrer, and I'm…me. Everyone watches what you do, and somehow, I doubt fooling around with me will win you any favors."

Roy's expression turned stormy, and he released Ed's hands only to grip his shoulders tightly; he was careful not to hurt Ed, and he almost backed off when Ed's eyes widened and his face paled, but he wanted—no, needed—Ed to hear this.

"I want to make this very clear, Edward," he growled, "however long this lasts or whatever happens, I am not 'fooling around' with you. You need to understand that. I am entirely serious about us—about you, Ed. I spent five years convincing myself that even though no one had seen or heard from you, not even your own brother, that you were still alive somewhere, somehow. It was like you took a piece of me when you left, and I couldn't get it back. It was like dying in a horribly slow way, losing a piece of myself every day. If that's not love, I don't know what is. Don't ever say that I'm not serious, alright?"

Ed nodded, his face softening, and kissed Roy chastely. "I'm sorry, okay. It's just…" He shook his head. "Never mind." Before Roy could press the issue further, Ed kissed him again, this time lingering as he pressed against him, arms tangling around Roy's neck.

Roy's hands were warm and splayed against his sides, simply resting there, and his lips against Ed's in a simple kiss. Ed froze at the first touch, but Roy lifted his hand and brushed back a chunk of hair in a comforting, familiar gesture. All the tension melted out of the shorter man, his body relaxing against the other as his hands went to grip his shoulders. They parted from the gentle kiss and rested their foreheads against each other, breathing quietly.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, trying to hold back the natural progression of time through the use of mutual comfort. Little by little, Ed's arms unwound from their protective embrace around his middle, and he shifted to stand up straighter. Roy didn't move, just adjusted his arms. He allowed his eyes to close, his thoughts drifting somewhere safe and warm, his body unconsciously tightening around the man he held almost defensively against his chest. He rested his cheek against the other's soft hair, breathing in his scent. It was a quiet moment that was their own, and they drew in the silence as a cloak to shield them from reality as long as they could. A silent understanding passed between them, and they started for Roy's—no, their room, hands intertwined.

Tonight, they weren't the Fuhrer and the Fullmetal Alchemist. Tonight, they weren't a former colonel and his insubordinate subordinate. Tonight, they weren't Edward Elric, big brother and researcher, and Roy Mustang, heartbreaking playboy and leader of a nation. Tonight, they were Ed and Roy, and this moment belonged to them and them only. The rest of the world could suck it.

Ed settled the palms on his hands on Roy's chest, heat seeping through the fabric. Roy felt shivers shoot like white-hot electricity down his spine and settle into smoldering embers beneath his navel. He cupped Ed's jaw lovingly in one hand, the other combing softly through his hair, and he kissed him, their lips molding together. He deepened the kiss, moving his hands to slip up the back of Ed's shirt, desperately seeking direct contact. He felt the unconscious flinch of the other man at his first touch upon his skin, and Roy waited until he felt the tense muscles relax. He wanted Ed to enjoy this; he wanted to wipe the memory of what happened away, or at least ease it. Edward had been so eager that day to get into Roy's pants, but now that he'd had time to think about it, he found himself nervous and anxious, unsure about how to proceed.

They parted, panting for breath, both understanding without the use of words what they were finally going to do. Roy freed one of his hands and cupped Ed's cheek, stroking the angle of the bone with his thumb as he tried to assuage his fears. Their relationship had always been more emotional than physical, and even the physical portion had stayed within certain boundaries. Roy had never wanted Ed to feel for even a second that he was demanding anything, and he had always made sure that Ed knew it was his choice, that if Roy did something Ed didn't like, to just tell him and he would stop without any questions. So far, that strategy had worked just fine for them, and the physical part of their relationship had never strayed beyond kissing and sleeping curled up together. They had never made the big jump, until now.

Ed swallowed thickly, his hands fisting Roy's shirt in an uneasy gesture. His eyes remained locked on Roy's, attempting to reassure himself that the hands on his bare skin wouldn't mark him with violent symbols of anger and prejudice, that they were capable of nothing but loving him. The hand gently stroking his face was solid and warm, the fingers clad in soft gloves that felt like silk against his skin despite their more sinister purpose.

Letting out a shaky breath, he broke his gaze and closed his eyes. He needed to break the poisonous connection. Roy was real. Ed had nothing to fear from him; he wanted this as much as Roy did, and he knew that there was nothing he should be afraid of. If Roy had wanted to hurt him, he would have already, and instead, Roy had been nothing but kind and understanding, a stable reassurance when Ed had been sure he would be swept away by the darkness inside. Roy had helped him forward, and he wanted desperately to take this final step. He wanted this connection as much as, if not more than, Roy did.

Besides the gentle motion of his hand, the dark-haired man remained still as he watched Ed's internal turmoil play out over his face, patiently waiting for the other to decide what he wanted. If Ed decided again that he wasn't ready for this, then Roy would back off, albeit disappointedly, and seek a cold shower to stop him from doing anything he might regret later.

When Ed finally looked at him again, his eyes were alive with a fire that flickered from the innermost depth of his heart, a fire that Roy hadn't seen in such a long time. Roy felt his heart lighten. He swooped down and captured Ed's mouth in a kiss again, soft and gentle as if they had all the time in the world. Ed gasped and tilted his head back as Roy's lips descended along his jawline and down his neck; he sucked in a sharp breath as the other lightly nipped the soft flesh at the junction.

Before they started pulling off clothes right then, Ed moved out of the embrace. He tugged Roy along to the foot of bed, pulling him down to sit on it heavily while he initiated a kiss. One of Roy's hands cupped the back of his neck, fingers playing with the strands of hair at the nape. Ed rested his arms on Roy's shoulders, crossing his forearms behind his neck; his human hand buried itself in the mop of soft, noir hair. The kiss deepened and blossomed, oxygen deprivation making their minds spin and the thrill filling them with heat from their heads to their toes.

When they parted, Ed reached down to tug anxiously at Roy's shirt, his fingers fumbling with the buttons. Roy shifted to ease off the shirt, removing Ed's in turn before the other could do it himself. Both were bunched into a ball and tossed off carelessly, neither bothering to see where they landed. Ed gently pushed Roy onto his back, his automail hand splayed over Roy's chest, and kneeling astride his hips. Roy allowed him to take over, content in his understanding of their dynamics within their relationship. Ed needed to do this, needed to take this step himself. There would be time enough for anything else later.

He shivered as Ed ran uncertain hands down his chest and stomach, fingers lingering with tentative curiosity on the lines muscle and bone cut into his figure. It was easy to tell the difference between the metal and the flesh; the automail was sharply cool against his heated skin, and it wasn't an unpleasant contrast—far from it. It was a struggle for the elder to reign in his responses, but he did what he could to let his partner take the first steps.

Ed bent to trail his lips up the centerline of Roy's torso, fingers ghosting against the other's sides. He pressed open-mouthed kisses to the skin above his heart and the dip of the hollow of his throat. His ministrations become more confident as he explored. He understood the importance of Roy baring himself him so passively and not reacting, and he felt own arousal take over the spot originally filled with his fear.

Roy was unable to keep from winding his arms around Ed as he moved farther up his body, needing an anchor to keep himself from being swept away in the tide of ecstasy rising within him. He was aching with the need to arch himself into the man above him, to have friction, but he resisted. His breath was heavy with need, his chest hitching as he attempted to keep his reactions in line. He couldn't scare Ed away, not after all the progress they'd made.

Ed bent to kiss him soundly, halting the nervous stuttering in his heart and allowing it to beat strongly with passion. He held the other's face between his hands, lips pliant and warm, smiling against him as he let the wall he had built against this degree of intimacy crumble and lie in ruin. He felt the hard edges of the eyepatch covering shy of half Roy's face, and he opened his mouth to ask. Roy saved him the trouble by lifting a hand and pulling it off, tossing it aside.

Ed stared down at the mix-matched eyes, sparkling obsidian and foggy white, and hesitantly traced the scar splitting Roy's face. Every time Roy looked at the knotted, shiny scar tissue that crept across his face, dipping into the cauterized empty socket, his stomach twisted and he was almost sick. But Ed, Ed only leaned down and kissed the ruined flesh, cupped Roy's face in his hand. They both had their scars, Ed couldn't forget that. These past few months had been about healing for both of them, not just Ed.

He moved off of Roy to lie at his side, pulling on the other's arm in a signal that he was okay. Roy didn't move right away to straddle him. He turned to face Ed, taking his face in his face and kissing his troubled face sweetly before moving to shift on top of him. Ed was trembling, the internal fight between reality and memory an uphill one. However, he let himself run his fingers along the scapula of Roy's shoulders, feeling the muscles and sinew shift as he molded against him.

Roy's hands were firm as they smoothed down the lines of his body, coming to reach the hem of his slacks. The older man paused, looking up into golden eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked, and Ed knew that if he shook his head, if he wanted to stop it now, Roy would back off and they would wait for another time. If Ed wasn't ready to give himself to Roy completely, then that was it.

He pulled Roy into a searing kiss. "I want this," he breathed when they broke apart. "Please, I want this."

Deft fingers unbuttoned and pulled down the zipper before Ed realized it. He arched his hips up, groaning at the friction he gained against the other man as both his pants and boxers were pulled off and thrown aside. Roy sat on his haunches as he undid his slacks, pulling them down and carelessly tossing them away.

Sparks erupting behind their eyes as skin met skin, and fire was racing through his veins as fast as any poison. They let themselves fall into oblivion within the others' embrace. Roy buried his hands in flyaway hair, lips taking in and imprinting every texture and taste of Ed's skin. He was intoxicated by his scent, by the feel of his body writhing with desire beneath him. The hands on his back kept him from pulling away, blunt nails leaving behind lines of red. Ed's automail hand was fisted in the bedding; he was always careful not to hurt Roy on accident—his automail could punch through rock, he didn't want to imagine what it could do to bone and muscle during a heated frenzy.

Ed was flushed from his chest all the way up to his ears, his eyes shut tightly. Roy kept his gaze on Ed's face, documenting every expression, every sound, every movement he made. All of it—the sound of his hitching breath, the crimson flush in his sunkissed skin, the jumping of muscles as he allowed him to lead him into bliss—made Roy's blood boil in a good way. Oh yes, in a very good way.

For Ed, the knowledge that the man cradling him wasn't capable of treating him as anything less than an equal allowed him to feel pleasure in an act that had before been used as a means of control. Roy would never hurt him, would never betray him, would never make him do anything he didn't want to. Roy would never push him.

"Roy," he murmured, opening molten eyes full of love and lust to fix on the man leaning over him.

Roy kissed him soundly, tongue caressing his own as he hummed in content. He rolled his hips lazily, Ed moaning low in his throat at the sensation. He spread his legs wider as Roy ran a hand down to his erection, palming it. He broke the kiss and let his head fall back as white-hot heat engulfed him. The intensity was almost painful, and it shocked him. It had been so long since he had been touched; this was the first time with Roy, and his body ached at the perfection of it.

Roy seemed to intuitively know exactly what to do to drive the blond insane. Each stroke infused his entire body with rapture, the skillful fingers focused only on bringing him pleasure. Ed's breaths were coming in shallow pants, his thin chest heaving with the waves of untainted ecstasy coursing powerfully through his veins. Roy was pressing kisses down the side of his throat, nipping and biting playfully at the pale skin. Ed could do nothing but clutch at the other man as his orgasm swept him beyond all thought, his mind and body surrounded by the comfort of oblivion as he let go of all his earthly reservations.

When he came back, he was breathless. Fireworks like the ones he'd seen in Germany still exploded beyond his shut eyelids, and he could feel a soft hand stroking the side of his face. He leaned into it, letting it cradle his cheek as he opened his eyes, aftershocks still coursing through his body.

Roy's face was calm despite the color adorning his cheeks. His eye was critically taking in Ed's face, and the man in question couldn't help but feel his heart swell. He loosened his arm from its death grip around the other's neck, smiling as he pulled him down into a tender kiss. His body felt relaxed from tension for the first time in way too long, his mind sated and blurry with happiness. "Thank you," he murmured, "thankyouthankyouthankyou."

Ed shifted his feet to rest against the mattress, his legs now embracing the man snugly between them. Roy hummed softly, his free hand moving to run down the length of Ed's trembling thigh. The kiss slowed and ceased, Roy brushing his lips along his jaw before burying his face into the crook of his neck. His fingers moved to prepare the other man, feeling his willpower waning.

Ed jumped with surprise and yelped when the first finger breached him, wiggling in discomfort. Roy kissed his neck and whispered apologies, and let Ed adjust before moving it. He searched for that magic spot, because as wonderful as it was to listen to Ed moan, he wanted to find the bundle of nerves that would turn him into a writhing, begging mess. He crooked his finger, and Ed sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes going wide, his body arching up against Roy, his new lover's name spilling out over his lips: "Oh, Roy, Roy, RoyroyroyROY!"

Roy grinned into Ed's neck, and added a second finger. Edward squirmed with pleasure, tilting his head back and moaning. Roy built up a steady rhythm, alternating between thrusting and crooking, synchronizing his movements with suckling and biting Ed's neck. Ed groaned long and deep when Roy added a third finger, and pushed back against it, tossing his head back. With a quick nip to Ed's lower lip, Roy's hand was gone and something else was there instead.

Flames of raw fire licked up Roy's spine as he slowly pushed in, a low groan erupting from his throat as he was overwhelmed. It was utter precision the way they fit together; it was almost as if they had been created from the beginning to complement the other. Their hearts stopped and restarted in tandem the instant they connected. Roy waited until Ed nodded before moving, and then they were moving together.

They rocked in a rhythm of their own making, entwined and united in mind, body, and spirit for the first time. Strength flowed from them, the poison of their reality fading away to nothingness, and light drove them from their hiding places. It was cathartic, this act of giving and taking so completely. They were healing and reinforcing their spirits from within as they gave themselves to each other. There was absolutely nothing that could compare.

They lay together long after, breaths slowing and quieting within the bright room. Ed's head was resting on Roy's shoulder, his human hand laying upon Roy's bare chest, the steady thumping of his heart beating against his fingertips. They fell asleep like that, legs tangled together and holding each other in a lovers' embrace. After five years, after everything that had been thrown at them, they had each other, and one way or another they would find a way to make it work.

XXXXXX

And there you have it! My first real smut! I hope you liked it if you read it; drop me a quick review to tell me if it was good, bad, or in between. Tell me where I could improve and what I did right. We'll get back to the actual plot in the next chapter.

~Nagi