Worlds Collide

A/N: Nomme de Plume, Thank you. I wanted something romantic and sweet. And Kain's role will only get bigger as he has befriended Frank. Kuragari, I wanted the guys to have something to laugh about. Amethyst-eyed Koneko, Frank is going to probably always be protective of Ed as though he was Edward, and Aideen has found a place in the spy's heart, so if he'd do this to Roy, and he likes him, imagine the kind of stuff he'd do to someone he didn't. I enjoy that something I write manages to get such emotional reactions, so don't worry about hurting my feelings. I'm just happy to get the reviews... and yours are always so long. I love that. The shower scene was really just a moment for the guys to have a little romance. I wanted some romantic scenes without the sex, necessarily.

Chapter 22

Celebrations

Three Weeks Later

Frank tugged at the blue wool sleeves. He hated this habit of his, one he’d had since childhood. He stood, looking into the mirror, grabbing the flap that now covered his legs and behind. “I still think this is ridiculous.”

Wrath put his arm around Frank’s shoulder, patting him on the back before grabbing the notebook in his front pocket to write, If you were an alchemist like me, you’d get to wear what you want.

“So you’re really going to go through with it?”

I just hope I can be useful at something. He gestured with the cane he still carried.

“Well, I’m going to take a guess that they aren’t going to have you barking orders anytime soon,” Frank joked, having learned that Wrath didn’t mind the occasional bit of teasing at the loss of his voice.

I’d guess not. Raine still wants me to see someone to “talk” about why I lost the thing. Wrath rolled his eyes.

“She just wants to see you get your voice back. She’s only trying to be caring with you. It’s me she wants to boil in hot oil.”

“I doubt she will easily forgive you for what you did to her brother,” Kain said. Frank nodded, looking over at his soon-to-be commanding officer and current roommate.

“It’s been weeks now.” Frank slipped on the trademark white gloves of the military uniform, finding himself once again tugging at his sleeves.

“You will be fine,” Kain said, apparently noticing the nervous habit. Frank grinned sheepishly at Kain’s reflection in the mirror as he ran a small comb through the slicked-down hair.

Frank couldn’t help it. He had preferred the original plan, to have him introduced as Stephen Archer, twin brother to Frank. It would have meant starting out as a private, but Frank knew he was capable of rising through the ranks enough to at least see a little action. Unfortunately, there were two major flaws: the first being that no one was admitted fresh into the military over the age of forty, and Frank was forty-two, the second that the Frank Archer’s parents were both very much alive and knew they only had one son.

So instead, Frank was going to have to don the persona of a man that by all rights should have been dead, not that anyone mourned that loss. Frank had been re-learning answering to his name after years of responding to Stephen, with part of him hoping that he wouldn’t have to continue, not wanting the association with that bastard to remain. Now, he was once again Frank Archer, but one with a very different history.

The “official” story was that Frank Archer, one year after being made a major had begun doing research for the military. Taking advantage of the public disappearance of the “original” Archer, an “imposter” took over. It was the “imposter” who had taken over as head of military intelligence, led troops into Lior, and become the half automail machine that shot Roy. According to the “true” story, Frank had resurfaced, having completed his research, only to find his life had essentially been stolen by the imposter, and was seeking to be re-instated.

This meant that Frank was now taking over this world’s Archer’s life, blaming everything on this supposed “imposter.” It meant that the most atrocious crimes would not be counted against him, but Frank was going to still have to pretend to be the man that had falsely accused Roy over twenty years before. It was humiliating to have to assume that man’s identity, to know that even if the military didn’t blame him for the events that followed Maes Hughes’s death, they certainly would hate him for falsely accusing their fuhrer.

A dark head poked through the door. “Are you ready Mr. Archer? I mean, Major Archer? Wrath?”

“I think so Aideen.” Frank smiled at the little girl. Wrath was nodding beside him.

“Good, because Papa’s already giving the speech to explain the two of you.” With a mischievous grin worthy of her blond father, she darted back out of the room.

Frank put an arm around Wrath. “Well let’s go so you can be greeted with open arms and I can be carried out on a rail.”

The two men walked up, with Kain leading them, to the center of the city, where Roy was already standing on a platform, speaking to the people. There were some boos, Frank assumed for him, and he felt Kain grab his arm, squeezing it lightly to show that at least he was not going to have to face the crowd alone. It was reassuring to say the least, though the man with the black-rimmed glasses didn’t seem like the type to intimidate a crowd of people.

“I understand your mistrust of him better than anyone,” Roy said to the crowd. “But this man is not at all the Frank Archer we all thought we knew during the Lior campaign, and years of experience has improved him even from when I knew him at the academy.”

Frank watched as Aideen seemed torn between returning to Ed, who stood at the front of a crowd of Roy’s most trusted soldiers on the platform behind him and going to Frank. She finally made her choice, turning back to Frank and grabbing his hand, pulling him up onto the stage-like area. With a broad grin, she faced the crowd, obviously an old hat at dealing with the public and media.

“I wish to introduce the newly reinstated Major Frank Archer,” Roy bellowed into the microphone in front of him. As though to doubly emphasize that Frank could be trusted, Aideen threw her arms around him. While Frank’s military training told him that this was horribly unprofessional, he returned the hug all the same, patting the little girl on her head of braided hair. There were audible whispers and even gasps from the crowd. Aideen smilied up at him, disappearing to Wrath’s side. “Major Archer will serve under Lieutenant Colonel Fuery.”

Kain stood beside Frank, more a symbolic gesture than anything. Aideen returned to the platform with Wrath in tow, pulling him to the stage and lightly embracing him with a pat to the arm before turning, her braid swinging behind her as she moved to stand by her brother’s side.

“And I wish to introduce the newest State Alchemist Ulysses Curtis.” When Wrath chose to use his Earth name, it hadn’t surprised frank too much, but the choice of the name Curtis had. Apparently, Sig saw enough of himself and his late wife in the young man that he’d told Wrath to consider him his father. “He will be known as the Wrath Alchemist and will serve under Brigadier General Havoc.”

Together, the two men were sworn in as official dogs of the military, Wrath having to nod to affirm his answer to each question asked of him.

********

It had been a long night, with celebrations and the induction ceremony, and Roy had been asleep now just over an hour. Wrath had returned home shortly after Ed and Roy, apparently after “talking” to the Tringham brothers, who had both approached Roy about setting up a time to meet and discuss a new assignment, as the two state alchemists had completed their work in the east with Ishbal. When Roy left the restaurant with Ed and the kids, Fuery, Breda, and Frank had all been at the bar, continuing to drink themselves into a stupor, save for Fuery, who could still hold his alcohol better than anyone the fuhrer had ever met.

Honestly, at that moment, Roy was rather enjoying a deep and restful sleep when he felt a heavy weight on his stomach. He tried to roll over to remove the weight, but found himself restrained on the bed.

“Roy,” a gravelly voice said. Barely registering what was happening, he kept his eyes closed, feeling warm lips on his cheek, feeling long, sleek hair tickling his neck. “Roy, it’s midnight.”

“Then why’re you waking me up?”

“It’s officially your birthday.”

“Then wake me up in a week.”

“Oh, are we going to pout now that we’re forty?”

“We have every right to.” Roy looked at Ed, who was resting his weight on hands on either side of Roy’s head, loose blond hair hanging down over his left side. Ed looked almost angelic in the white glow of the nearly full moon from the window behind him. “Why do you want an old man like me?”

“Am I going to need to go over this every time you have a milestone birthday? I love you, you idiot, and everything about you, regardless.” Ed leaned back, running his hands through white temples. “The country and your service to it is to blame for this. I don’t care about gray hairs. They only remind me how devoted you are to the people and how quickly that service to Amestris made you grow up.” He kissed Roy’s forehead twice. “Those two faint worry lines practically scream to be blamed on Nicholas and Aideen.” Roy furrowed his brows, Ed pointing to a tiny crease between them. “That one is mine.” Ed looked so proud, so happy, that Roy couldn’t help but smile, feeling two thumbs, one metal, one flesh rubbing the corners of his eyes, almost massaging over the slight crinkling of skin at the edges of his eyes that showed most prominently when he smiled. “These are my favorite.”

Ed leaned down and kissed Roy on the lips, then pulled back, putting something on his hand and snapping.

A tiny spark spread to a multitude of tiny flames erupting around the room, heating up certain reactions from the older man as well. “Do you have any idea how sexy you are doing fire alchemy?”

“And I don’t even do it that often. Imagine how I feel when I see you.” Ed pulled Roy’s glove off of his fingers with his teeth, then tossed it aside.

Roy looked around him at the numerous candles around the room. “Please tell me there aren’t forty candles here."

“Of course not. I enjoy having my house intact and not set ablaze.” Ed shifted something on the bedside table, moving three little pinpricks of light with it. “Happy birthday, Roy.”

Ed moved back on Roy’s legs, allowing him to lean forward to blow out the candles, only half-noticing that Ed was fooling with something behind him. The candles out, Roy watched as Ed leaned forward, kissing Roy on his lips before removing the candles and pulling out a pastry bag filled with what looked like a kind of whipped cream. Ed squeezed a bit of the white stuff onto the chocolate cupcake. “You can eat that. I didn’t bake it.”

Roy took a dollop of the icing onto his finger, sucking it into his mouth. “Damn, Roy.” Ed slowly began pushing up Roy’s white tank top, slithering down the older man’s legs until his head was flush with Roy’s crotch, the heat from the blond’s breath causing Roy to fully tent his pajama pants. Roy felt as fingers curled under the waistband, slowly pulling the pants over Roy’s hips. Barely remembering to take his finger out of his own mouth, the older man anticipated Ed’s actions, only to find himself pleasantly surprised as the pastry back reappeared and was squeezed in a line from Roy’s naval down over Roy’s member.

Ed licked away the upper part of the icing, dipping his tongue into Roy’s bellybutton, then following the trail down to Roy’s hardened length. “Better eat your dessert.” Ed darted out his tongue and ran it up the bottom of Roy’s length. “I’m working on mine.” The blond’s tongue made circular patterns around the base, moving toward the sensitive tip, and finishing it off by surrounding the rounded head with his mouth. Roy could barely control himself as his toes began to curl against the bedding, hands twisting the sheets in his fists. Ed moved his head down, bobbing at a speed that was enough to evoke moans out of the fuhrer, but much too slow to suit him.

“Oh, Ed!” he cried out as Ed managed to take his entire length into his mouth, Roy feeling the tight constriction around his member as it slipped into Ed’s throat. He couldn’t believe how much the young man was improving at this, nor how grateful he was for it. Then, as Roy was nearing the point of completion, Ed moved his hand, sliding his body up Roy’s and nuzzling his neck, allowing their bare hips and cocks to rub suggestively against one another.

Roy looked down, surprised that Ed had been naked all along without his noticing. “Now, Roy, let’s see if you can manage to tire me out tonight. Prove you aren’t wearing out with age.”

Again, Ed rubbed against him, this time encircled both of their members with his left hand, grinding his hips against Roy’s. The older man grabbed hold of Ed’s waist, rolling the younger man over and positioning himself between Ed’s thighs. “I think I prefer this tonight.” Roy nipped at Ed’s neck, biting at the flesh until he was sure he’d leave a suitable mark. “I want to watch you.”

Roy slipped a hand between Ed’s legs, brushing over the aching member, watching with a smirk as Ed’s hips bucked upwards of their own volition. Finding his way to the smaller man’s opening, Roy was surprised to find the slickness of oil around it.

“What’s taking you so long?” Ed asked with a smirk. “I’m ready when you are.”

Tightly grabbing hold of Ed’s legs, Roy pulled Ed’s body onto his lap, positioning himself at his husband’s opening before pushing into Ed’s waiting body. He moved slowly, but only for a moment as he slid deeply into Ed’s heat. Roy helped as the mismatched feet moved up to the older man’s shoulders, ankles linking themselves behind Roy’s head. This usually took more time, but Ed seemed desperate for Roy to go deeper. More than willingly, Roy complied before pulling out and slamming back in.

“Call me an old man,” Roy grunted out at Ed, as the rhythm became almost fierce, and Ed was forced to grab hold of his own member and pump in time with Roy’s movements, as both of the older man’s hands were occupied in grabbing tightly to the blond’s hips, almost certainly leaving thumb-sized bruises.

At first, all that left Ed’s lips were a series of needy whimpers, then they grew into pants until all Ed could yell were either curses or Roy’s name. “Shit, Roy. Damn it. Shit. Harder.”

“Ed… close…” Roy panted. “Are you…” Before he could hear an answer, he heard Ed shout.

“Rooooy!”

Roy could feel the walls of Ed’s body clenching around him, feeling as Ed was pulling him into orgasm. Desperately slamming into that tightness and watching as he moved inside of Ed’s accommodating and twitching body, Roy heard only the sound of Ed’s sustained cry and their flesh smacking together. His own climax came as he released inside of Ed’s young body, finding some of the white substance seeping out along his cock. He looked down at the blond and seeing that he did seem to have worn his husband out.

Allowing the boneless afterglow to capture him, Roy kissed Ed’s head before withdrawing and pressing his lips to the sweaty forehead.

********

London

“Why are you so kind to me?” Noa asked Hohenheim as they rode on a train to Scotland, where the older man hoped they would be safe.

“Because my friends asked me to be, and because it isn’t fair that you be treated the way you are just because you have a ‘gift.’” Hohenheim was honestly surprised to hear the young woman speak. She had done so very rarely in the time they’d been traveling together, almost making the alchemist wonder if she could speak at all.

“You think I’m lying about my ability.” She lowered her eyes. “I would never lie about something that has only caused me pain.”

“You’re right,” Hohenheim said, folding his hands on his lap. “I do not believe you could possibly have such a talent. I don’t believe it exists.”

“But alchemy, that is believable?” The young woman folded her arms across her chest. “Or the fact that someone can live hundreds of years if they accept a half existence, or that a teenage boy can be a father to twins and be the one carrying them?”

Hohenheim’s face was deadpan, and he looked around to see that they were nearly alone in the train car, and late as it was, quiet as she was speaking, no one could have heard her.

“You doubt my gift, but you have been careful not to touch me without gloves on until last night when you caught me from falling off of this train. Since then, I’ve been trying to decipher what I saw in your head.” Noa sighed. “You want to see your family again, but you don’t want to risk their lives by opening the Gate. You’re torn by it and by the fact that the son you created is being used as a key to open it.” She smiled for the first time since they’d met. “Perhaps there is another way.”

********

Amestris

Ed had waited until Roy had drifted to sleep before pulling himself from the bed to get dressed and hopefully get Roy dressed as well. While it was true that tonight, Ed had managed to lock the doors, and soundproof the room, tomorrow was definitely Roy’s birthday, and the twins would undoubtedly be coming in the moment they woke up. Ed got himself cleaned off and put on a pair of pajamas, putting some clothes on his husband as well. Then, he unlocked the door and removed the soundproofing. Returning to the bed, he alchemically cleaned the sheets—he was grateful he’d finally figured out how to break down the chemical components of the mess they’d made into a powder that was easily brushed off of the bed. Finally, feeling the room no longer reeked and was safe for the twins to come into in a few hours, Ed relaxed back into bed, ready to get some well-earned sleep himself.

The blond crawled beneath the sheets pressing his body to Roy’s back, throwing his right arm over the bare-chested man.

No sooner had his metal arm made contact with Roy’s skin, than Roy flipped over, hands immediately wrapping themselves tightly around Ed’s throat. For a split second, Ed found himself stunned, not that this had been the first time that a night terror had taken over Roy’s better judgement—and considering the recent battles, Ed had been expecting this far sooner—but never had it followed sex, and usually, it began with Roy futilely snapping his ungloved fingers, giving Ed enough warning to restrain the man before it went any further.

Ed struggled against the larger man, his hands clawing at Roy’s, his lungs struggling to draw air, but finally used his own strength and heavier weight to throw his husband back on the bed. Ed straddled Roy’s chest, gasping for air. Quickly as he could, he transformed the bedding into a series of restraints as Roy began to yell out, fingers snapping, demanding the Isballans and Rockbells seeking vengeance on him release him, seemingly unable to remove himself from his nightmare. Roy’s yelling was causing enough of a ruckus that Black Hayate was now barking outside of the door, and there was the distinctive sound of footsteps, some light, some heavy.

The door swung open, the twins, Wrath, and the dog running in.

“Nightmare,” Ed croaked out, wondering if his voice would return enough for the ball being thrown in honor of Roy’s birthday, let alone soon enough for him to convince Roy that the unconscious attack had been nothing at all. He leaned down and kissed Roy’s face, tapping his cheek with his hand, unable to get his husband to wake up.

Wrath, using his cane, turned on the ceiling light, making his way over to the thrashing fuhrer.

“Papa,” Nicholas said, climbing onto the bed beside Ed, Aideen sliding her way between the bed and the small table beside it. “Papa, please wake up.” The blond boy placed a hand on Roy’s clammy forehead.

Then, a swift smack was heard, and a tiny red mark appeared on Roy’s face. For a moment, Ed wasn’t even sure he’d seen it happen, then realized as Aideen shook her left hand in stinging pain, she had been the one to smack him.

Coal black eyes opened, looking at the surroundings, a hand moving, only to find itself restrained, to the reddened cheek.

“What did I… Oh, damn it, Ed, what did I do to you?”

“Just startled me,” Ed said hoarsely.

“Well happy birthday to me,” Roy said, cynically as Aideen alchemically returned the bed to its normal state, Nicholas immediately wrapping his arms around his fathers. He didn’t say he loved them, still preferring just to show it. Aideen, as though still afraid of what her papa might do, remained aloof, watching silently.