Flame and Fullmetal 300 km/h

A/N: *munches on a candy bar* nastyscarythingunderthebed, hehe, how did I guess you would like Wrath. If you like, I’ll feature him more in later chapters, ok? Since you are one of my loyal reviewers, I’ll cut you some slack. kuragari75, glad you liked it and how Al teases his older brother Ed. *takes another bite of candy* cm34, so many reviews hehe, sorry for the dancing and other stuff you don’t like. But, I rather people hate the kind of fic I write than that they love a fic that is not ‘me’. But I’m hoping you will still continue to read ‘cause now, I’m turning the Yaoi. And Alien, nice talking to you!
*licks lips and throws away the wrapping paper* Well, let’s see if I can make the following three chapters as sweet as that candy was. Enjoy, and happy Valentine’s Day!

Chapter 17; Speed

It was hard to believe that from the crew working at the garage, Ed and Winry were the only mechanics that fixed what was under the hood. Winry spent a third of her time either working under a hood, stuck under the car and demanding tools, or sitting in Roy’s office or on a hood with her laptop. Winry’s skills were in direct proportion to how dirty her hands got. Ed had been told by the rest of the crew to avoid leaving any sharp or loud objects in her vicinity or he’d probably end up regretting it. Why, he didn’t know and neither did he want to.

Ed had that very day learned that Roy had been a mechanic as well before taking over the place, now making his money by racing and ordering people around. While planning Ed’s new ride, the junk Honda S2000, Winry had suggested Ed would ask Roy for some advice since Roy had been good at suspension and upgrades back in his days as a mechanic.

Yeah, right. Like he would ask the Colonel Bastard to help him build, literally from junk, the race car Ed was planning on using the day he would ultimately beat the lead racer in Central.

Luckily or him, the crew was a group of specialists in their own fields. Armstrong, for example, was the pro when it came down to wheels and tires, probably because he spent half of his time lifting them like weights. Well, Ed could agree that the garage served as an excellent gym even for him. Armstrong had been working at the garage for a long, long time…in fact, no one knew just how long he’d been working there. But it was a fact that the mountain of muscles could match and fit the best rims for the job.

Ed often laughed inwardly at the paradox that was the crew. Armstrong stuck out like a sore thumb with his bald and fairly large body build. Although he looked like he could be a wrestler, the man was as gentle as a dog, and was as reliable as winter tires in the snow. Winry of course was way out there, with her blonde hair and fiery attitude.

Falman was the Picasso of the car world. With a car as his canvas he could whip up some of the sickest designs, from two tones to skulls or even pretty pink sparkles. His steady hands and skill with an airbrush helped turn a paint job into something that stood out from the rest.

If Ed ever thought sewing was just for old grandmas, he thought twice after meeting Fuery. The man with the big glasses had the ultimate touch, from complete interior makeovers to customs embroidery on the head rest of a Jag.

Hughes, a former street racer until he married Gracia, was now the money manager and head of the ‘bling bling’. Among his many talents was the ability to sweet talk anyone and work a deal, not to mention his sharp fashion sense with matching outfits and slick hair. Hughes takes care of the website, photography, various media and marketing/business development and so on. If you wanted prices and dates, he was the man. Equipped with a cell phone in every pocket and a reserve 2 way pager in his sock, he had the power to kick your ass and order in custom parts from Japan at the same time. If you just loaded up the new battery, reset the stress 'o' meter and gave him four hours sleep - and he was good to go for another day.

Havoc was the man when it came to restorations and classics. He had passion for authenticity and was all about bringing back the shine of 'yesteryear'. This meant he had much free time on his hands and Roy had made sure that if something needed to be done, but nobody wanted to do it…it was Havoc’s job. Pulling the dead fish from the boardroom tank, finding out where a funky smell was coming from or going and getting the crew some smoothies and tacos...Havoc was right on the job more or less reluctantly, always with a cigarette between his lips. The crew had one more than one occasion made him wear a jacket that said: Danger!

When Ed had presented his plans to restore, and upgrade, the busted Honda S2000, the crew had offered their help. The only problem was the engine that even Winry considered a lost cause. That is where Kimblee’s metal tiger came into the picture. With a few upgrades and changes, Ed knew he could use the tiger’s engine and put it into the Honda.

That evening, while he was the only one working on their day off and people were celebrating some anniversary in the restaurant, Ed went through his blueprints and notes involving his new project. He turned to Winry’s laptop and clicked on the file that said ‘Fullmetal’. A three dimensional figure of a racer popped up. It was only half done. Ed nodded his head in approval. Slick, fast, and just the way he liked it. Ed noticed a red banner blinking on the screen and clicked on it, a small box with numbers popping up. Even though Ed wasn’t used to planning cars on computers, he could instantly see that some numbers didn’t add up and sighing Ed slid under the car and checked the bottom where the problem most likely was.

“Just as I thought, the bottom is too low. This one has too much weight. Better turn this tummy into a six-pack if I want it in racing-condition.” Ed mumbled for himself.

“Then lose the metal weighin’ this beauty down like a girl loses her skirt.”

“What the---Ahhh!” Ed jerked up in surprise, having thought the garage was deserted, hitting his head in the bottom of the car. Someone ‘oh shit’ed and grabbed his ankles, pulling him from under the car. Ed’s vision was blurry at first, not making out face or head or hair from one another, only knowing that somebody was standing above him.

“You okay, Fullmetal?” A concerned voice asked him.

Ed blinked a few times. “No…I mean yeah…just give me a moment.” A hand on his forehead, Ed sat up with a killer headache.

“Can I get you anything?”

“I’m fine, really.” Ed ensured, looking at the man who had scared the shit out of him. Finally, his eyes adjusted and he could make out blue hair, blue eyes and a familiar face. “You! Speed wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, Speed Archer,” the man said, pulling Ed up on his feet. “Good thing you didn’t lose your memories or that kinda shit. Sorry about that though, I didn’t mean to make you crack your skull in two or anythin’.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Ed said. “So what brings you to the garage at this hour?”

“Oh,” Speed said as if just remembering something. “My ride’s messed up,” he gestured at a car that was parked right outside the garage. Ed raised a brow.

“Messed up? Sound’s fun, bring it in and I’ll see what I can do.” Ed cracked his knuckles. Even though he enjoyed the challenge of fixing up his new ride, working on it three days straight made you want new metal at your fingertips. Speed drove the car inside, the engine making a faint but unordinary sound.

“See what I mean?” Speed stepped out of the car and stood next to Ed as the mechanic popped the hood and checked the works.

“You were right in bringing it to be fixed. People don’t listen to their cars until they are screaming in pain.”
Speed watched how Ed’s hands moved across the metal, like a nurse’s hands over a bruise or a cut. Those skilled hands and focused eyes soon found the problem and with only a wrench in one hand Ed was on it.

"Why’s this place practically deserted?" Speed asked after a while.

"Some drags in the desert today. Everyone’s on the other side of town," Ed answered, closing the hood. ”This will run just fine. Hell, you could race and win the money for the bill Hughes send you tomorrow.” Ed laughed as if he’d just thought of something. "I say we go show those guys a thing or two," he said playfully, getting ready to close the place for the night and head out on the town.

Speed rolled his eyes. "Right. Why don’t you just ask me to publicly humiliate myself in front of everyone."

Ed looked up at him. "Why? You don’t think you can race someone and beat them?"

Speed shook his head. "That’s not it. It’s just that I’m not as good as...oh, say, Roy Mustang."

Ed shook his own head. "According to him, who is?"

Speed laughed and Ed thought the guy was something else. ”Do you drift, Fullmetal?” The other man asked curiously. ”Or do you just drive in 10 second races and pull one of your legendary stunts? I swear, they’re about to make a movie out of you. I might actually pay to see that kinda shit on the wide screen.”

Ed smiled at the blue haired man. ”I think that when it comes to cars and races, the real thing is always better than the wide screen version. But yeah, I have drifted a few times. Do you drift?”

”Why don’t we continue this discussion over a few drinks?” Speed suggested, already opening the door on the driver’s side. “ I’ll buy you. Consider it a thanks for fixin’ my ride. C’mon, I’ll show you a good time.” Speed smiled mischievously at Ed.

Ed thought about it for a while. He didn’t know anything about this guy but they had somehow been acting really friendly after barely having met properly. ’What the hell,’ he thought and quickly changed from the sweaty and greasy shirt into a clean top he always brought with him to work. At least now they had a chance to get to know each other.

”Where to?” Ed asked.

”You know The Rose?” Speed wondered. Ed nodded and stepped into the passenger’s seat. Speed turned on the CD player and Busta Rhymes was on.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Ed said, smiling playfully and bouncing his head. Speed smirked at the blond, hitting the gas and taking off.

*************************************************************

The Silver Rose wasn’t that crowded but Speed suggested he and Ed would pull a chair at the bar. Ed agreed and Jay greeted them, seeming to know Speed since he asked if the blue haired man wanted the usual. Ed ordered an ice coffee.

Ed happened to look up at the TV screen, catching the last bits of a news report.

"And Federal Investigators have found the body of truck driver Joshua O’Hara." said the female news reporter. A small box popped up, with the victim's picture. "O’Hara's death is the sixth on the highway leading into Central in the last 3 months. Like the others, he was carrying car parts and DVD players, along with other valuables. We are not sure what the purpose is. Investigators say he was attacked by a gang of at least 3 hoodlums. Reportedly, they are very professional and very dangerous. They dress in all black, riding in black cars for their sneak attacks. They are very brutal and are reported to slit the throats of their victims. In other news..."

"Yeah, that is kind of ruthless. Those guys must be desperate, rippin' off DVD trucks." Speed said. Ed turned from the screen, seeing Speed with his head tilted up at the television. Speed shook his head and turned to Ed, taking a swing of his beer.

They chatted for a moment, Speed always making Ed laugh. However their conversation was cut short when someone announced that the game was starting on TV and Speed insisted to watch. He seemed to be the social kind of guy since he started talking with others watching the game, introducing themselves to each other and rooting for their teams.

Ed turned to look at the profile of the man sitting beside him. Speed was deeply concentrating on the basketball game. Only when commercial came on did his concentration break. Not only was he social, he tried to avoid an argument. It reminded Ed of the party at his place and how Speed had been out the door faster than a fox when Roy had been ready for a spar.

Ed took his opportunity to talk to the blue haired man when the other men began to argue again.

"So, you into sports, huh?" Ed asked in an attempt to break the ice before asking the blue haired man how he knew Roy Mustang. Ok, everybody knew Roy, but this guy, there was something more between him and Roy.

Speed turned to face him, nodding his head and smiling at his lame excuse for a conversation. "Yeah, you could say I’m a sports kinda guy. You?"

“I just race cars.” Ed said, his voice containing a light accent that Speed obviously couldn’t exactly pinpoint.

"You’re not from around here, are you?"

Ed rolled his eyes playfully in a "duh" motion. "How could you tell? Yeah, I’m from Risembool."

"Oh?” Speed said, taking a more comfortable position, suddenly looking very interested. “So why’d you come to Central?"

Ed hesitated, mentally kicking himself for lost opening his mouth and spilling out his guts to this stranger. It was weird, this guy just had that kind of affect on him. Speed picked up on this.

"Hey, no one’s forcing you to answer. If you don’t want me to know, then don’t tell."

Ed sighed, indicating that it was a long story. "Just needed a fresh new start far away from home," he said, ending the conversation. Speed opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted.

“Ed!” Rose said, leaning over the bar desk. “Hi!”

“Hey, Rose.” Ed replied, relieved she was talking to him after the whole kitchen-birthday-kiss-thing the week before. She looked as cheery as any other day. Rose turned to Ed’s friend, looking confused for a moment. Speed raised his brow but smiled at her.

“The name’s Speed Archer. You must be the beautiful woman who owns this place. I’ve heard so much about you,” he said with a tone of voice that made Rose blush furiously. She instantly offered him another beer, on the house of course.

‘How does he do that?!’ Ed wondered, awed over the man’s skills of seduction. Suddenly it hit him. ‘Hell no, don’t tell me he has been pulling that on me…no way!’

The three of them and Jay turned back to the game, and it just so happened that Rose and Speed were rooting for the same team. Ed just remembered that only moment earlier, Speed had been rooting for the other team. But noticing how Rose got comfortable around him, you couldn’t blame a man for turning his coat.

As the last 3 seconds of the game winded down, Rose leaned towards the television in expectation, biting her nails in anxiety. Ed turned to Jay who was taking the opportunity to stare down the top of her tank. Ed frowned, but didn’t do anything. Who said the guy couldn’t still be his old perverted self?
What Ed didn’t know was that the blue haired man next to him was checking him out with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.

He started when the woman jumped up off the couch screaming and yelling, giving Speed a high five. Ed looked at the screen, catching the instant replay of the Lakers winning with a three point shot.

Speed started walking around the bar holding his hands out. Four men grumbled, each digging into their pockets and handing him a $10 bill.

"Nice doing business with you guys," he said with a smirk, making sure they each had given him a ten. He then slammed the money o the bar desk and put his arm around Ed’s shoulders. "That game got me a bit thirsty. I’m buyin’ a round to the entire place, also our friends who missed the game.” He said just as a few people stepped in through the door. Ed turned around in his chair to see who came, somehow feeling guilty as hell when he recognized Winry, Havoc and Roy.

“Did you win the race, Flame?” Speed yelled out, catching the trio’s attention. Roy turned at the sound of Speed’s voice, but his expression turned a tone darker when he recognized the blond sitting next to the blue haired man.

*************************************************************

Winry turned to the bar at the sound of a very familiar voice. ‘Speed Archer, here?’
She chuckled softly. Honestly, that blue haired, blue eyed man was the last guy she would expect to find at The Rose. She heard Roy grunt, as if he were angry about something. Of course, she understood why when she noticed the blond in his company.

“Ed? I thought you’d be working late?” She asked, walking up o the two.

“Yeah, well, Speed here showed up and promised to show me a good time.” Ed explained.

“Oh really?” Roy said sarcastically. “I even bet those were his exact words.” The lead racer looked accusingly at the blue haired man who smirked and emptied his bottle, whipping his mouth with the back of his hand. Speed stood up and looked Roy in the eye, the two having a staring contest, ending with Speed chuckling and looking away.

Speed sighed and patted Ed on the shoulder, smiling. “Sorry about this, but I gotta go. I’ll keep my promise, Fullmetal. See you around.”

“Speed, what the--?” Ed asked confused but the blue haired man waved at them all and headed out the front door. Both Ed and Rose were upset, both glaring at Roy who acted as if he had saved them from the devil itself. Just when Ed opened his mouth to demand an explanation, a few women showed up and latched onto Roy’s arms. Both were already tipsy and coaxed Roy and Havoc to join them. Havoc let the women lead the way but Roy was actually reluctant at first to join the women and their party. He turned to Ed, but…

“You’ve got some explaining to do, Colonel-bastard.” Ed hissed. Roy sighed inwardly. Tipsy women or harpy wife? He’d been steaming with anger the whole weekend. Who the hell was Ed to question him about where he was going. And even more, about who he was going to fuck? Was it even any of the blond’s fucking business?

“You coming Tinkerbell?” Roy asked Winry, the blond woman shaking her head, not liking the way Roy handled the situation. Great, two harpy wives. That settled it. Roy let the women lead him and joined Havoc although he would much rather sit down with Ed and enjoy a black coffee instead of the champagne the women poured him. Well, hopefully, at least he taught the blond a lesson.

Ed growled frustrated, Winry patting him on the back, just as frustrated with Roy Mustang. Rose grabbed a whisky bottle from under the bar desk and poured the liquor in three small shots. Each took a glass and Winry raised her hand with a glass.

“To Roy Mustang, an idiot.”

“To Flame, a complete jerk.” Rose agreed.

“To the Colonel-bastard,” Ed said. “The king of asshole.”

“Amen,” the women said and all emptied their glass with bitter expressions. Ed sighed and turned to Winry.

“Tell me about Speed Archer,” he demanded. “And what’s Roy’s problem.

“You didn’t say ‘please’,” Winry pouted and Ed wasn’t going to get any info from her.

**************************************************************

Roy’s cell-phone rang and he answered, already knowing who it was.

“I told you to stay away from Fullmetal.” Roy said, making the man on the other end of the line chuckle.

“C’mon Roy, we were just gonna have some fun. Nothin’ much, just a few drinks.” Speed pretending to be innocent. Roy knew better than that, the hold on his phone tightening. “Anyway, I’m not shocked you are into that guy. He is exactly what you search for in a man.”

“And you weren’t,” Roy said cruelly.

“Maybe not, but you loved me.”

Roy stiffened for a moment but loosened up. His ex was just trying to get to him.

“Right. You were cute, Speed. We had some fun, but I never loved you.”

“Maybe so,” Speed said, Roy glancing in Ed’s direction.

Ed was watching Roy while the women talked. Or more precisely, he was glaring at the woman who had her hand on Roy’s thigh while he was distracted talking to someone on the phone. Suddenly in the middle of his conversation, Roy’s head turned to catch Ed’s gaze. Ed quickly turned his head, acting like he wasn’t just staring at Roy. ’Please don’t tell me he saw me,’ he pleaded to himself.

After a few moments, Ed felt a tap on his shoulder

"What do you want, Colonel-bastard?" He inquired when he turned to face Roy.

"Well," the older man said, taking a seat beside the blond, "You’ve practically bore a hole through my shirt with all the glaring you’ve thrown my way tonight. What’s up your ass?"

Ed looked the other way. "Shut up or you’ll have a broomstick up yours. Why don’t you just go back to your female friend over there? I think she’s waiting for you," he said, referring to the women who were waving at Roy seductively.

Roy smirked. "Do I sense a bit of jealousy?” He asked raising a brow, turning to Winry. “Damn, I haven’t even known him for more than a few weeks and already he’s green with jealousy."
Winry rolled her eyes, not wanting to get involved in their fights. Ed growled low in his throath, making Roy turn his attention back to him.

"For your information, it’s ‘green with envy’ and I really could care less about what you do. You’re just my employer, right?"

"Uh huh, right." Ed could tell Roy didn’t believe him. "Why don’t we get out of here and do something else?" Roy suggested to Ed’s surprise. At Ed’s shocked look, Roy quickly added, "This place is pretty dead tonight. I figure we could, I dunno, go for a drive or something."

Ed gave him a skeptical look but he could see the blond was giving in.
"Fine," Ed answered with a slightly reluctant tinge. "But you better act like the Colonel-bastard we all hate or you’ll be sorry," the blond warned. “You freak me out.”
Roy wanted to mentally slap himself. ‘Go for a drive or something’…he hadn’t used that line since he was sixteen. He knew he wasn’t acting like himself, but when was he ever acting like himself when the blond was considered. He shrugged, putting on his arrogant, trade-mark smirk that was answered by Ed’s own knowing smirk. They stood up and walked out through the front door of the Silver Rose.

********************************************************************************

“…and then the guy did a 360 and fell down on his ass like a damn fool.”
Ed laughed, imagining the expression on the biker’s face when he lost control of his race bike. Roy had been telling him how he had won the bike race that evening, showing Ed his newly purchased, smooth, black bike. Even Ed had o admit, it was worth the money.

“Want to grab something to eat?” Roy asked, trying to sound casual as he watched Ed check out the machinery of the bike. Ed shrugged, not really listening. Roy smiled. Now that was a devoted mechanic. The raven haired man’s thought’s trailed back to Speed’s call.
‘You won’t be able to make Fullmetal love you. You don’t even know what love is. You truly are a poor bastard,’ Speed had said. For some reason it had rubbed Roy in the bad way.

Roy hated to admit it but the blond had a strange effect on him. He often found himself in new situations and had to work twice as hard around the blond to keep his composure. It was agrivating, and yet, he loved whatever the blond was doing to him.

Roy smirked. “Well then, I’ll drive and you sit on the back. I’m not letting you drive. We would just end up in an accident.” He waited for Ed los his head but the blond calmly stood up and brushed of his pants.

“I’m not hungry or anything,” he said, putting his hand’s in his pockets.

Boy, this was awkward.
"Then...what do you want to do?" Roy inquired, putting a dangerous edge to his voice.

Ed seemed to ponder for a moment, a playful smile on his lips. "Well, the night’s young. There’s a lot we can still do."

Roy chuckled. "Are you flirting with me?"

Ed smiled. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

Their playful banter was broken when they heard multiple motors in the distance, followed by the sounds of men making whooping noises. Ed instinctively grabbed Roy’s arm. "What was that?" he asked.

Roy shook his head. "Probably just a few drunk guys having boy’s night out."

The noises began to get closer, and the grip on his shirt, tighter.

"Sounds like more than boy’s night out to me," Ed said worriedly.

They both jumped in unison when a motorcycle revved right behind them. They turned around and saw more than five more coming towards them.

"Fucking Alchemists," Roy muttered so that only Ed could hear him. The men on the bikes circled around them as if they were in some kind of old gang flick.

"My, my, my, look what we have here," Kimblee taunted when he stopped his motor. It was just when Ed thought he couldn’t get any more pissed off…

"Yes, what do we have here?" A sarcastic voice asked. Ed’s eyes grew wide. ’What the hell is Envy doing with these assholes?’ Ed’s half-brother laughed. "Looks like Mustang’s got himself a new boy-toy."

The other men roared with laughter. Roy snorted. "Let’s not even get on you Envy. I’m still questioning your sexuality."

Envy snorted. Ed suddenly realized that Roy might not know he and Envy were related. Hell, they didn’t even share he same last name. It was clear Envy anted to keep it that way, not wanting to be associated with his half-brother any more than Ed wanted everybody to know he was a son of the mafia.

"I must say, though.” Envy stated, hands on his hips. ”This one’s a pretty little thing. Looks like you and Greed have finally found good taste in men." Envy caught Ed’s glare with ease.

"Take it as a compliment blondy," Kimblee added.

Envy smirked. "But I do think you can do a little better, Mustang."

Roy began to breathe heavily with anger and Ed grabbed onto his arm as if preventing him from attacking.

"Better?" Marta asked with mock curiosity.

"Yes," Envy answered. "You see, Mustang. I have this brother who’s a real knockout." He ignored Ed’s look of pure hate, the younger brother holding his tongue.

"Which one?" Dorchet called. "The one in Xenotime?"

Envy shook his head. "No, you idiot. The other one. Half-brother actually. I’m sure the two of them would be a perfect match, wouldn’t you say?"

The men all nodded in agreement, some of then glancing at Ed for the briefest moment so Roy couldn’t suspect he was being played. Roy tried to keep his anger in check. He knew he was outnumbered.

"Even if he was the last man on Earth, I would have nothing to do with him," Roy said through clenched teeth.

Ed stiffened beside him.

"Oh?" Envy asked, raising his eyebrows curiously.

"Hell no," Roy continued.

"And just why not?"

"I’d rather burn in hell ten times over than have anything to do with a bastard from the Ouroboros. Especially a pretty one. Who knows how much they get around."
Envy smirked. Any other day, Roy wouldn’t have gotten away with those comments. But tonight, the lead racer had helped to get a point across to Ed that Envy wouldn’t have possibly been able to get across by himself. Maybe the blond didn’t even really like the guy. But Envy had to take precautions. Happiness and love was a luxury he wasn’t going to let his half-brother enjoy.

"Well, if that’s the way you feel," Envy said, sighing with a shrug. "I was just trying to hook you up.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Roy spat.

"My brother will be disappointed that you shot him down like dirt," Envy continued, looking at Ed. "I’ll just let him know that Roy Mustang’s just too damn good for a child of Hohenheim."

The men sped off on their motorcycles, leaving the two behind in their dust.

"Damn right I’m too good." Roy growled even though they were already gone.

Beside him, Ed bit his lip to keep from crying. He knew Envy had done that on purpose. To remind him that this was strictly that he was what he was, and he was all alone. He should have know better than to get his heart involved.

"Are you okay?" Roy asked sincerely upon noticing Ed’s state.

"Yeah," the younger man answered, trying desperately to keep the tears out of his voice. He slipped on onto the back of Roy’s bike, wrapping his arms around Roy’s waist and molding himself to Roy’s back.

"Let’s just go," he whispered. Roy nodded and they took off into the sunset.

*************************************************************

A/N: I won’t be able to update for a while, maybe on the weekend. But when I do, it will be worth the waiting, I promise.