Iserlohnn - continued

PREPARATIONS and A SECRET RENDEZVOUS

Lt. Colonel Hughes retuned a little after noon with two things Edward said made his day: the keys to the safe house and a bag of belly bomber burgers from McFly’s. Of the two items the food made the biggest positive impression since Edward hadn’t eaten anything in a day. Tenshi turned up his little nose at the greasy burgers and Alphonse was secretly glad he couldn’t eat because if he could Ed would have been shoving one of those slimy things into his face.

“How can you eat that?” Alphonse asked his brother as he watched the elder Elric gorge himself.

“I’m starving!” Edward replied after a hearty swallow. “The food here blows so much dog you can hear the barking all the way back at HQ!”

“I can feel my arteries clogging just watching you eat that,” Hughes commented.

Edward laughed. “This stuff is bad. I used to get slapped for even LOOKING at a cheeseburger when I was training with Izumi-Sensei. This is a serious guilty pleasure.”

Tenshi giggled. He swore Edward’s jaw unhinged itself like a snake’s when he shoved the burgers practically whole into his mouth. He had never seen anyone eat like that and it was like a train wreck, you couldn’t look but you just had to because you couldn’t believe what you were seeing. Alphonse wasn’t watching Edward make a pig of himself but Hughes found the sight amusing. He didn’t know the little guy was able to pack away so much food all in one sitting.

When the McFly’s bag was empty, Edward let out a very satisfied belch that was heard out in the hallway. Even though he thought it was disgusting Tenshi burst out laughing. Edward rarely did anything so rude, which was why it was so funny. Hughes rolled his eyes and muttered something about “teenage boys” and Alphonse just let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Thanks for the food,” Edward said grinning impishly at Hughes.

“You’re welcome.” Hughes replied and added, “You want any more of that slop you’ll have to get it for yourself.”

“Fine with me,” Edward said as he opened the envelope containing the keys and information about the safe house. It was located on the outskirts of Central in an area that was rich in substances an Alchemist could use to his advantage when creating defensive structures. He looked up at Hughes saying, “This is perfect. I’m just going to need a few things from my office to create a Ward for the house and a Receiving Array and we’ll be all set.”

“You aren’t going anywhere!” Alphonse told him and, before Edward could protest he stated, “And don’t tell me you feel fine because you don’t! You make a list of what you need and I’ll get it. You are staying here understand?”

Although he didn’t sound angry Edward could tell by his tone of voice his brother was very pissed off at him. And he knew why. He was supposed to be resting and healing and he had been doing everything but that practically since he got there. Edward sighed and grabbed a pen and paper and began to write out a list of the supplies he would need.

Tenshi watched as Edward made his list and noted he included his acid etching kit, the thing used to create portable Arrays like the Iserlohnn disk. He found that item of interest and asked, “Why do you need the etcher?”

“To make Port Keys and a Receiving Circle. I can make the Keys here and someone will have to go to the house to make the Receiver,” Edward explained.

“I could do that…after I’m fixed,” Tenshi said.

“Repaired, you mean,” Edward corrected gently. “Fixed implies a procedure I really doubt you want to have done!” Tenshi blushed pink and Hughes laughed. Alphonse ignored the comment and Edward continued, “I know you could create the array Tenshi, you’ve learned a lot since coming to Central, but it’s not safe for you to do anything on your own right now.”

Tenshi sighed. “We can’t hide forever.”

“I know,” Edward agreed. “But right now you, the Princess, and Al are all on the White Haired Man’s hit list. Until he is stopped, you three have to be extra careful.”

“He’s after you too Ed,” Alphonse pointed out.

“Yes, but for a different reason,” Edward said. “He wants me dead because I’m the one protecting all of you. And I think he believes I may be the one person who will figure out his weakness and exploit it.”

“And rightly so,” Hughes put in. “IF he did his homework – which I think he did – he knows just how dangerous you really are.”

“I’m no the only one here who’s dangerous,” Edward remarked eyeing Hughes meaningfully.

Hughes grinned. “Thanks but in this war of freaks I’m definitely a lightweight. But I will help where and when I can.”

Changing the subject Tenshi suggested, “If it’s not safe for us to go out, then maybe someone else should get your things from your office and Al should stay here.”

Edward nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re probably right. If the Colonel points them in the right direction then anyone can gather the equipment and bring it over.”

Hughes grabbed the phone and got connected to Mustang’s office. “Give me the list, Ed,” he said as he waited for the Colonel to pick up. “I’ll make sure you get what you need.” Edward handed him the paper and all three Alchemists stood by and waited while Hughes and Mustang exchanged a few quick pleasantries. However, the mood changed visibly when all of them heard Hughes say, “He was there? In your office? WHEN?”

“Who?” Tenshi asked confused.

“And you’re okay?” Hughes continued not responding to Tenshi’s query. The Lieutenant Colonel looked shaken and Edward tried to take the phone from him but Hughes kept it out of his reach.

“Let me talk to him!” Edward insisted.

“This is State business Ed,” Hughes stated sharply.

“No, it’s State ALCHEMIST business and who’s the Alchemist?” Edward shot back clapping his hands together to make his circle and standing there sparkling with unspent alchemical energy.

Hughes handed him the phone and Edward powered down quickly before grabbing the receiver. “What the hell is going on?” he demanded.

“Ed?” Mustang queried.

“Yes, now what did he want?”

“He wanted the disk and he has a name,” Mustang said. “Kenton Ares.”

“Kenton Ares?” Edward repeated. “Is that supposed to mean something?”

“It may after we had a chance to look the name up,” Tenshi said.

Edward handed the phone back to Hughes saying, “I think I know why he’s after the Iserlohnn disk. We have to get that thing out of here.”

Alphonse fished the disk out of where he had hidden it in his armor saying, “Maybe Lieutenant Colonel Hughes should take this with him. He’d be the last person anyone would suspect.”

“True,” Edward agreed as he took the disk from his brother’s outstretched hand. He examined it for a long moment before motioning to Hughes to take it.

Hughes nodded in understanding but signaled to Edward to wait for a moment and went back to talking to the Colonel. Hughes gave Mustang Edward’s list of supplies and Edward could almost see the smirk on the Colonel’s face. Edward was annoyed. He was stuck in the hospital when he needed to be at Central. He was even more peeved by the fact that Mustang somehow went toe to toe with the White Haired Man and not only found out his true identity but also managed this feat without getting his ass handed to him. He had no idea how Mustang pulled THAT off but Edward was going to find out.

Edward climbed out of bed, grabbed his IV pole and took it with him as he paced out of the room. He walked right by Lt. Maria Ross, who was on guard duty and was caught a little off guard by his sudden appearance in the hallway.

“Ed where are you going?” Lt. Ross asked him.

“For a walk,” he responded in a controlled voice. “I need to get some air.”

She caught a glimpse of flashing gold eyes and knew was angry. He was also doing what he usually did to cool off so she allowed him to stalk down the hallway. He would return when he could talk without biting people’s heads off. He would be safe enough wandering the surgical floor so she wasn’t too concerned.

However, when a half hour passed and he didn’t return she decided to go and look for him. After twenty minutes of nosing into every room and closet she finally found out what became of Edward Elric: He had sneaked out wearing a pair of surgical scrubs. She found the disconnected IV in a corner in the doctor’s changing room and fumed. Lt. Ross had a good idea of where he was headed so she got on the phone and made a call…


By the time Edward made it to Central it was late afternoon. He found his office door unlocked and when he snapped on the light he noticed that someone had come in and gathered up the items he had put on his list. There was one thing he had forgotten to list and it was for that item he came: his journal. All the new things he had recently mastered were in that volume, including the arrays for a Port and Receiving Circle. And what was best about his personal notebook was that it was small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.

Edward scanned the room to make sure there wasn’t anything else he needed. While he was double checking he heard someone enter and Edward turned to see it was the Colonel.

“I had a feeling you were in here,” he remarked.

“How did you do it?” Edward demanded rounding on him. “Survive a face to face with this Ares guy?”

The Colonel smirked that self-confident smirk of his and responded; “I decided to try TALKING to him before attempting to light him up.”

“And when you finally did light him up what happened?”

Mustang’s expression sobered. “Fire had no effect on him.”

“So how did you get rid of him?”

“Banished him,” Mustang stated. He wasn’t looking at Edward when he finished, “I dumped him at the entrance to The Gate. If we’re lucky, he’ll try to open those doors…”

Edward blanched. “I didn’t know you knew how to do that,” he breathed.

Mustang turned to face him, “Just because I don’t DO a thing doesn’t mean I don’t know HOW.”

Edward didn’t reply. There were a lot of things he knew how to do but didn’t because they were wrong, either morally or legally. The Colonel closed the distance between them and took the young Alchemist into his arms. Edward sighed resting his head against Mustang’s chest. The effort it took him to get to Central had caught up to Edward. He was tired and his wound was aching but he wasn’t ready to go back to his hospital bed. There was something he needed to do.

He looked up at Mustang and asked, “Can you take me to the safe house?”
“What for?”

“I need to create a Receiving Array there. It’s part of our emergency escape plan,” Edward explained and then pulling a very familiar gold disc out of his scrubs chest pocket he added, “And I need to hide this.”

Mustang’s eyes widened when he saw the Iserlohnn disk. “After the house is Warded it will be the safest place for that.” He smiled slightly as Edward put this disk back into the pocket. “Using a Port Key and Receiving Array, what your opponent used against you in the Iserlohnn library, to nail HIM. Clever plan.”

Edward smiled slightly. “So will you take me?”

“Under one condition.”

“Name it.”

“After you are done with this array you don’t pull any more disappearing acts. You stay in the hospital and get yourself taken care of, understood?” Mustang commanded his dark eyes boring into Edward’s gold ones.

Edward nodded. “Deal.”

Mustang held a pinky by Edward’s face saying, “Do you swear?”

“Stop that,” Edward protested shoving his hand away. “Only Al can ask me to do that.”

“Then how can I make sure you will keep your promise?”

“Because I said I would,” Edward stated beginning to get annoyed.

Mustang didn’t push the point. Instead he began to nuzzle Edward behind the ear and work his way down his neck ending at that sensitive spot on his shoulder where flesh met Auto-mail. Edward moaned softly. His body had a mind of its own whenever the Colonel touched him. He put up no resistance as he was laid back on the conference table and relieved of his scrubs. Mustang was enjoying the opportunity to explore Edward’s hard naked body. He was careful not to touch his wounded midsection and the spot on his chest where the IV needle was taped but even without those places there was still many places left to his tender ministrations.

Unlike their last time together, Mustang was prepared to pleasure himself as well as Edward. The young Alchemist allowed himself to be positioned for ease of rear entrance and moaned with intense pleasure as he felt a well-lubed finger enter his anus. He knew what would be happening next and he was more than ready to feel his lover inside him. Mustang was taking his time enjoying touching, stroking, licking, and nibbling while he prepared Edward to receive him.

When Mustang thrust himself inside Edward the boy moaned in delight. He sat up grabbing Mustang pulling him close. He was pressing himself hard against the Colonel to increase the amount of friction he was feeling in his groin. Mustang was a little surprised in the strength of the grip holding him and he liked the lusty glow he saw in Edward’s gold eyes. Their affair had started out a very one-sided one with Mustang being the one to do all the work but in the months that followed their fumbling first few sessions Edward had learned quickly how good it felt to do the right things in bed.

Or against a wall, on a table, a couch, a chair and a box of crates in a supply closet. The two of them have had their secret trysts in a variety of odd places. Edward had been a good sport through most of it only complaining once when he got splinters in an uncomfortable place from their supply room rendezvous. Their first time they got physical happened as the result of Edward losing a wager. All the meetings that happened after that were because during that first time the two of them connected in more ways than they thought possible.

As ecstasy came and went the pair slumped against each other still holding each other in a close embrace. The bandages binding Edward’s wound was damp with perspiration and sweat made his shaggy bangs stick to his face. He brushed the hair aside and gazed up at Mustang. He also looked a little overheated but didn’t care that his uniform looked like he’d just run a marathon in it. Once his legs stopped feeling like jelly Mustang found his way over to the water pitcher and made use of the water to clean up and refresh himself. Edward did likewise and quickly put the scrubs back on.

“We’ll set up the Receiving Circle, hide the disk, and then gather everyone back at Central Hospital to create the Ward,” Roy told Edward while the young Alchemist made use of a napkin and the cold water to wash the sweat off his face. “Anyone you want to be able to enter that house must be a part of the Warding.”

Edward nodded. “Okay, but to keep Kenton, that was his name right?” Edward paused and when Mustang nodded he continued, “To keep Kenton out we need SOMETHING that is connected to him. Even if it’s only a bit of a tentacle!”

“I have a part of him,” Mustang said grimly.

Edward didn’t ask the obvious question and went on saying, “And we’ll need something that has a spiritual connection to everyone in our group. I have the notes on how to create the Array here-” He indicated a small book tucked into the back pocket of his scrub pants. “-And I can draw it on parchment in my hospital room and do the creation there. Once it’s made it can be cast anytime.”

“I’ll gather what we’ll need of Ares,” Mustang told him. “Wait here.”

Edward made no move to follow him but stayed in his office until Mustang came back a few minutes later to collect him. Together they left Central making their way via Mustang’s car to the safe house on the outskirts of town.
=============================================================
Sorry such a long wait! AggieCOn was awesome! Our group won doing FMA in Cosplay!!
Please Read and Review!