Flame and Fullmetal 300 km/h

A/N: To my reviewers, michelle, I can also see her doing that. But this fic does not have that kind of end. TrulyWished, the truth is so close, yet so unreachable for him. I try to update as soon as I have the chance. In my own opinion, I’ve been a little sloppy with updating recently. nomdeplume, I don’t need to say how much I appreciate that you continue to read this fic. I’m so flattered by your kind words and happy that you like the fic even though you may not like the movies. KansouAme, I’m so glad to be in touch with you! And no, I’m not gonna abandon this fic. milky, glad you like Scar in this fic. Alien, I see you have your hands full with the guys. Why don’t you send over Eddie and Roy and I’ll make sure sparks fly. Besides, they are most of the time helpful to have around when writing. Koneko, again thank you for the note. I have no idea of the police system other than what I learn on C.S.I.

Enjoy!

Chapter 28; Suspicions

"You sure look like you didn’t get laid last night," Roy told Riza as they walked into work.

She gave him a sidelong glance and shook her head. "Always in the gutter isn't it?"

"What's wrong? Did Scar not meet expectations last night, or are you saving yourself for the wedding night?"

"This coming from the great womanizer who changes woman as often as he changes his shirt?" She answered. Roy lifted the garage door open and let her go through. "Would you rather me pull a you and sleep with half of Central?"

"Don't even think about it, woman."

"Okay then."

"That still doesn't mean you don't know what you're missing."

"I can wait."

Roy spied Ed ending a quick word with Falman and heading into the office upon Winry’s call. "I can't," he replied under his breath.

Riza gave him a confused look. "What did you say?"

He shook his head dismissively. "Never mind."

Riza rolled her eyes. "You really need to get serious about your love life, Colonel." She left him to go to the restaurant through the back. He made his way toward his office but was deterred by Maes Hughes and Jean Havoc.

"What's crackin', Colonel?" Havoc said by way of greeting.

Hughes clapped Roy on the back. "Yeah. You look a little tense. Get enough sleep last night?" He raised his eyebrows up and down in a knowing fashion. Havoc snickered making it obvious that Hughes had told him what had happened the night before. Apparently the two assumed that he and Ed had left together which was more or less, actually more, true.

"And by the way, if I were you, I would steer way clear of Jenny if she happens to drop by. I ask her for my car keys in the morning and she bites my head off. I think she's got her monthly bill if you know what I mean," Havoc complained.

Hughes gave Roy the thumbs up sign and the two went back to work.

Roy shook his head. He could never get a single word in when those two were around. He passed by Fuery, Falman and Armstrong who were arguing over last night's game, and headed into his office.

Roy bit back a groan when he saw Ed in a familiar position, bent over Winry's chair in order to see what was going on in the computer. He was wearing baggier jean than usual and a white top.

Was it legal to look as good as he did?

When they heard him come in, Ed glanced in his direction and Winry sighed dramatically. "Here we go," she shook her head pessimistically. Roy ignored her and stood beside Ed, looking at the screen also.

"Is this part done yet?" Roy asked, eager to get to the actual physical part of putting the car together. Ed nodded, the motion bringing Roy’s attention to the base of the blond man’s neck. He could see Ed had covered up the evidence of last night with a strategic amount of makeup.

"Yeah, pretty much. Just wanted to check in with you. See what you like and don't like."

Roy smirked to himself. "You know exactly what I like, Fullmetal."

Ed’s lips turned up in a small smile. "Be serious."

"I am."

Winry's eyes furrowed, confused at the tone of the pair behind her. "Wait. I'm getting a thought. Were you two just... Nah," she dismissed.

Ed pointed to the screen, ignoring her. "There are the black streaks on the deep blue paint job and of course the black interior that you wanted."

"What happened to the cream?"

Ed looked at him. "You didn't want the cream."

"Yeah, but you did," Roy reminded him.

"When do you ever listen to me?"

"What ever happened to 'The cream looks nice. You get all the chicks with the cream'?" He raised the pitch of his voice to imitate Ed’s in a mock fashion.

Ed tried not to smile. "I changed my mind."

"Black it is then," Roy smirked. "The boss always gets his way. Besides, he wouldn't want me to get all the chicks," he told Winry, loud enough for Ed to hear. Ed chose not to respond.

"That was easier than I thought," said Winry. "Went by with a lot less arguing and personal information that I so don't like hearing."

After printing out all the angles for reference, she saved the information onto a disk and dropped it into an organized drawer. "My work here is done," she said, leaving her seat and heading to the door. "Time for a breakfast break! I hope Breda has some pancakes for me.” She stopped at the door. "And before I forget Ed, did you speak with Falman about what-we-are-not-supposed-to-speak-about? And how about the parts that-do-not-exist? How do those look?"

Ed rolled his eyes. Could she be any more obvious? Well, Ed was pretty sure Roy already knew by now about what they had been plotting behind his back. He gave her the thumbs up. "Should have them by next week. That’s if Russell can’t make the drive here earlier."

Winry smiled giddily, her scientific side ecstatic at the prospect of having the newest car products at the tip of his fingers. She closed the door on the way out, giving the other two the privacy to discuss how they were going to begin to fix up Roy’s vehicle.

This is why it surprised Ed when he felt Roy’s arms wrap around his waist from behind and pull him to the man’s chest. As if by its own will, Ed’s body leaned back. Roy swept the blond hair to one side and brushed his lips against the blond’s neck, kissing Ed there softly.

"Don't give me another one," Ed murmured breathily. "It's a bitch to cover them up."

"You can't even imagine what I went through last night," Roy complained. "Just thinking about you kept me up all night. In more ways than one." As if to punish the blond for doing this to him, he nipped Ed hard, eliciting a small moan from Ed’s lips. "What are you doing to me, Edward?"

Before Ed could answer, the door opened. "Hey you guys," came Winry's voice, "I think I forgot my--"

"Get the hell out of here!" Roy barked, his voice muffled by the crook of Ed’s neck.

They heard the door shut abruptly.

Roy spun Ed around to face him and wrapped his arms more securely around the blond. Ed bit his lip and clutched onto Roy’s strong arms when the man cupped his ass, pushing Ed into him. The lead racer watched Ed’s face react to his body, the blond’s eyes closed and his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

Roy caught them with his own lips, turned on by Ed’s reaction to his boldness. Ed became lost in him, not even noticing when he was backed into the desk. Roy lifted him on top of the messy surface, not stopping to break the passionate kiss.

A small voice nagged in the back of Ed's head. It was saying something like, "Run! Get out while you can!" He squashed the voice with an imaginary foot.

Ed felt Roy’s hands hook under the bend of his knees and wrap his legs around the taller man’s waist. One hand went to his thigh as the other pulled up the fabric of his top.

In the background, the two heard the phone ring. Ed pulled back, reluctantly and breathlessly, expecting Roy to get it.

"Let it ring," Roy told him, kissing the blond again. His hands moved slowly up underneath Ed’s top, taking the time to savor the warm flesh.

"Hey, you've reached Stallion's hotspot.” Came Hughes’ recorded voice. ”Leave a quick message and we'll try to hit you up as soon as we can. That is, if it's important. If not...then... you'll probably just never hear from us."

Beep.

"Mustang you bastard. Where the hell are you? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago!"

Roy broke the kiss abruptly and hurried to the phone. "What the hell are you doing calling me on this line?" Roy demanded. Ed watched as the guy on the other line answered. "Well if I'm not answering my cell, don't you think that means I'm busy?" Roy asked, annoyed, running his hand through his disheveled hair. He checked his watch and cursed. "Shit. I forgot... exactly what I said. I forgot!" Roy turned his head away so Ed couldn't hear as well. "You bastards would do anything if it meant getting what you want. Even kill... yeah, I bet that's funny.... look, I'll be there in 15." He hung up.

"Fuck," Roy muttered facing his dilemma. This time, though, he chose not to think with his dick. "Important stuff," he explained. "Really have to take care of that."

Ed nodded, stepping off the desk and self-consciously pulling down his top to cover himself. Roy licked his lips as he noticed the blond’s action. "Yeah, of course. Sounded important," Ed said understandingly.

Roy cursed again. "We'll finish this later," he assured.

Ed blushed. Roy took that as a yes and walked out the door.

Ed waited a few minutes before leaving the room, wanting to make sure that Roy was really gone. He opened the door and immediately turned the corner this time instead of walking straight out into the garage, discreetly passing by Armstrong and Havoc.

Ed headed determinedly for the secluded door that he knew was there but hadn't yet bothered with. He had been told by Roy on his first day that the basement in the garage was only on-limits for certain people. These ‘certain people’ did not include him. This got Ed wondering what was in that basement that banned him from going inside. Did the guys have something to hide? And now Scar was asking about it…

Scar hadn't wanted him to check it out if it would cause him problems, but right now was perfect... Roy wasn't around and everyone else was busy.

The door read "basement," the first 'e' and 'n' missing. Ed looked around to make sure no one was watching and entered the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. It shut with a sharp click and echoed hollowly through the dark open space. He slid his hand along the wall until he could feel a light switch.

When he flipped it, only one light came on, hanging from the ceiling and dimly lighting at most half the room in a less than luminescent circle.

Ed walked down the steps, listening to the dull thud of his sneakers hit against them. It looked like a medium sized garage from what he could see. Not very full, just a few box-filled shelves.
He went over to one of them and kneeled down in front of it. The dim lighting made it difficult for him to see the lettering on the boxes. He looked around and found a tool box, searching through it and pulled out a small flashlight, shining it onto one of the boxes.

A Sony DVD player. Ed quirked an eyebrow in surprise. An old radio would fit in here, but a brand new DVD player? He shined the flashlight onto the higher shelf right above the first one, fearful of what he would find next.

'Fuck.'

Stereos, televisions, more DVD players. In all, about 25-30 in all of the shelves. Ed shook his head in disbelief. Was this what Scar had been looking for? "This is not good."

Ed flashed the light into the area of the room that wasn't lit by the dim rim of light. He spotted something big covered with brown tarp. It was in the shape of a car. He walked over to it and shined the light up and down the height of it. When the light hit the base, he spotted a big oil stain on the ground. Next to it, about three feet away was another one, and maybe three more next to that one in three feet intervals.

'This must mean there were other cars here,' Ed figured. 'But where are they?' He began to pull the covering from the car when he heard a noise.

"What the hell are you doing here?" A female voice materialized from the darkness. Jenny stood there, hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation.

Ed jumped in surprise. "Fuck, you scared the shit out of me!" Ed stalled, discreetly turning off the flashlight.

"What. The hell. Are you. Doing here?" she repeated.

Ed didn't answer, all the excuses he was thinking of sounding quite lame. So he settled for the old: "None of your business."

Jenny crossed her arms and walked in a skeptic circle around Ed. "None of my business, huh? I smell cop. And it smells like shit."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "Then maybe you should keep your nose out of where it doesn't belong."

"So you admit it? I had a feeling you were a copper," she accused, sneering. "Wait 'til I tell Roy."

Ed felt a moment of panic but then rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Who'd have known that your obsession with Roy would turn into full blown delusion?" He saw Jenny's face falter slightly. Ed walked straight towards her with confidence until the woman had to back away. "I wish I was a cop," Ed told her, venom in his voice. "Then I could kick your ass, arrest you, and not have to worry about going to jail."

Jenny glared at him. "Okay, so you're not a cop. Doesn't change the fact that you stole Roy from me."

Ed let out a mental sigh of relief and shook his head. "We've had this same conversation before, and to be honest, I'd rather fall down three flights of stairs than listen to your garbage. So if you don't mind, I'm leaving."

Ed turned around to head for the steps to the door but Jenny grabbed his elbow. "You never answered my question."

Ed ripped his arm out of her grasp. "Which was?"

"What the hell you were doing down here in the first place."

"I was looking to see if there were a few extra NOS tanks. Obviously there aren't," he answered simply.

Jenny shook her head at what she thought was Ed's stupidity. "If you were half competent, you'd know that the extras are in the junkyard."

Ed shrugged and walked past her. "My bad."

He made his way up the stairs and out the door. He closed it behind him and leaned against it, letting out a much needed exhale. If he could, he'd pat himself on the back for not panicking at Jenny's suspicion.

Ed nearly jumped out of his skin when his cell rang. He fumbled for the phone in his pockets, his trembling hands dropping it to the floor. Cursing he picked the still ringing cell phone and flipped it open.

”Hello?”

”Brother?” Al asked on the other line. ”Are you okay? You sound weird!”

Ed coughed, trying to make his voice sound casual. ”Of course I sound like this! I’m worried since you called my in the middle of the day like this. What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Ed asked.

”I need to ask you a favor,” Al said. ’This can not good,’ Ed thought.

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

Scar sat at his desk, rubbing his aching temples. He really needed more than three hours of sleep every night for the past month. He should just have called in sick. He felt sick. Or maybe it was just another junk-food hangover. Burgers for breakfast wasn’t the best. And the service at those drive-ins was horrible.

And speaking of bad service…

Scar pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

One, two, three, four…

”Answer goddamnit,” He mumbled.

Five, six…

"Shou Tucker. Electronics and car parts. What can I do for you?" Came the voice on the other line a bit impatiently.

"I want you to check something for me," Scar demanded, getting straight to the point.

There was a pause on the line. "Who's this?"

"Don't play dumb, Tucker. You know who this is," the detective answered, trying not to let his impatience get the best of him.

Tucker sighed. "You do know I'm trying to run a business here? I can't just drop everything just because you blue suits need my help. What do I look like? Information lady? I--"

"Save it," Scar interrupted with a stern voice. "Roy Mustang's a regular customer, right? I need you to check his tab."

"You know I can't do that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Well, a bit of both, really. Combined with a 'I don't really want to because I don't like you, Detective.'"

"So would you prefer four to six or four with two probation?" Scar could almost hear Tucker grit his teeth.

"For the last time, I was taking the lady home!"

"Right. And on the way, her mouth accidentally fell on your dick."

"Fucking prostitution charges," Tucker muttered just loud enough for Scar to hear.

"What would the wife say?" Scar continued, his dislike for this guy egging him on.

"What do you need to know?"

Scar smiled. "I need to know if there's anything strange happening with Mustang's tab."

"Besides the fact that the lesbian, Winry, is pulling it? Yeah, unfortunately for me, Mustang has found a new parts seller."

"Let me guess. Tringham’s?" Scar said, not impressed with that bit. It wasn’t good that Ed was getting his friends from Risembool involved with Mustang’s garage.

"Those ungrateful bastards," Tucker muttered. "I give them discounts on everything and they bail on me just because they've found someone else. And not to mention--"

"Discounts? On what?"

"Parts, info, stereos--"

"Info and stereos?"

Tucker paused. "Yes, so?"

"What kind of info?"

Tucker sighed. "Why don't you ask them? It's not really my place to--"

"What kind of info?" Scar asked with more conviction.

Tucker sighed again. "Just basic stuff, you know? A few weeks back, the one chick with blond hair, has a brother working at the garage..."

"Jenny Havoc?" Scar asked as he flipped through Jean Havoc’s file.

"Yeah, her," Tucker affirmed. "She called in a few weeks back wanting to know the shipping routes."

"What the hell would she want with shipping routes?"

"Well if you would let me finish a whole damn sentence." Scar shook his head. "As I was saying, Miss Havoc called in to ask for the truck routes. The trucks that I'm talking about are filled with electronics and car parts. You know, the one's that have been hit with a few hijackings throughout the past few months. They come to my place every month when I need to stock up on stuff to sell."

"So you just gave her the information because..."

"'Gave'? My friend, Shou Tucker doesn't just give. There was a little money involved. But the reason she needed the info is because it helps with her brother’s little garage business that they've got going on."

Scar's eyes narrowed, wondering how that information would help the garage.

"When the trucks roll into the area, I'm always the first to know about it," Tucker began to answer Scar’s mental question. "Because of this, I'm able to get to them first and get better prices. Illegally of course."

Scar shook his head. It looked like Tucker forgot he was talking to a cop.

"Mustang's crew knowing where the trucks are and where they're going allows them to get better deals because they can get to them before anyone else."

"That's the reason she gave you? They need the truck routes so they can get better deals?"

"What else could they want them for?"

Scar shook his head but didn't answer. "So you said you gave them discounts on stereos also?"

"Yes, I guess I said that."

"I'm going to read you a serial number and I want you to see if this stereo comes from your stock."

The phone crackled.

"Co --nd all their --emands," Scar heard Tucker complain through the static. He took the phone from his ear and looked at it. The reception wasn’t that bad. He put it back to his ear. All static.

"Fuck," Scar cursed. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. So much for that. He'd question Tucker about it later. He ended the call and put it down on his desk.

Tampered evidence…possibly taped lines…or was he overreacting? Scar shook his head, taking a sip of the horrible police-station coffee. God knew how old it was or when somebody last changed the filter. He grimaced at the bitter taste and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. This case was a real headache.

Out of old habit, when one case was too frustrating to deal with, he would let himself be distracted by old ones for a while. Putting aside the reports, crime scene photos and notes, he pulled out a few files from the bottom drawer. Normally he never took these out of his apartment, but since he practically lived in his temporary office, he had left them in his desk inside a locked drawer.

As he flipped through the pages he reached for his coffee, holding it in his hand. Three old cases from Risembool, all unsolved. A fire (although he was pretty sure the owner burned down the garage himself to get the insurance money), a boy that drowned in the river, and the case colder than ice: The disappearance of Hohenheim Elric.

Looking at the Elric family photo Scar sipped on his coffee, grimacing and almost spilling the brown sewer water passed off as coffee on the files. ’That’s it; from now on I’ll only drink tea.’

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

Roy glanced at the large portrait on the wall, faintly recognizing the man posing in it. Hohenheim of Light…Ed’s father.

He had met the man once years ago when he was recruited to become an Alchemist. Back then, the Alchemists were an elite team, the military of the underworld. Now they were just loud drunks acting like fucking gangsters.

"So you've finally decided to grace us with your presence, eh Colonel Mustang," the detestable man on the other side of the desk greeted sarcastically.

Roy didn't answer, instead deciding to let Frank Archer's provocation go to waste.

"Why don't you take a seat, Mustang?" Dante offered, gesturing toward the chair in front of her.

Roy answered by leaning on the nearby wall, arms crossed.

"You know how stubborn Roy is, ma’am," Senator Bradley reminded the people seated around the table. In the middle sat the leading lady, Dante, on her left Senator Bradley and to her right Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer.

"The only way he complies is if you threaten him and his friends a bit," Envy snickered, sitting next to Archer. The pretty boy was smirking, his arms crossed and feet on the table. Normally these things bored him to death but seeing Roy suffer was worth hanging around the ’old members’.

Still, Roy did not answer but if one looked close, they would see his jaw clench.

"So," Envy said cheerfully, "what do you have for us today Colonel?"

Roy gave him a scathing look when referring to his old rank as an Alchemist. "Nothing."

"Oh, come now Mustang," Archer said, trying to keep his patience. "There must be something."

Roy shook his head. "Nothing."

He could see the usually cool and collected man get red with anger. "You've been at this for weeks Mustang! Yet you have no information for us at all? Every week it's the same damned answer! I know that you know who's up to those truck hijackings. I have half a mind to think you're involved in them."

Roy shrugged. "What do you want me to tell you, Archer? I know nothing."

"You're damn right you know nothing. You're useless!" Archer exclaimed, slamming his fist onto the table.

”Calm down Lieutenant Colonel,” Dante ordered. Archer had begun to sweat so Dante handed him a tissue which he patted his forehead off with.
Senator Bradley leaned his elbows on the table, looking sternly at Roy with his one eye, the other lost back in the days when he too had once been an Alchemist. "You know everyone in the street racing business and someone in the street racing business is responsible for those hijackings. If you do the math correctly, that means you know who's up to it. Do you know what it would mean for us to solve this case before FBI?”

”Of course he doesn't!" Archer snapped, earning a warning glance from Dante but he ignored her.

Bradley continued with a much calmer voice. "It would mean that the Ouroboros would be cleansed from suspicions and the ’Snake-Circle’ could make its real name known, working in the light like our founder had wished. We, the Ouroboros, would gain much attention and credibility. And do you know what goes hand in hand with attention and credibility, Mustang?" He paused as if waiting for Roy to answer.

"Money!" Frank Archer shouted. "Free money from the government! Just imagine. A small gig like us solving this case before FBI. And legally too. We give you a badge and a gun and you can do whatever the hell you want to solve this. You can be as shady as you want, I don't give a damn. The government will be showering us with money. Not to mention the humiliation of the FBI. I can't stand those bastards."

Roy frowned at the man's warped mind.

”I don’t see why we need the fame and glory. Why can’t we just take the money and do things like we have done them before?" Envy asked. Dante shook her head at her protégé.

”Money to buy drugs and put it on the street?" Roy asked. Envy waved him off. Roy knew that Envy was working on a drug empire. Pretty much had it built already. The fact that Frank Archer was overseeing the police departments was used to his advantage. Not to mention he had the Alchemists working for him and selling his shit. He was basically the most powerful man in the area after Greed.

"So, what if I never get any info for you?" Roy asked, already knowing the answer.

Archer chuckled and Envy said: "Then that garage and the crew working there might have a rather unfortunate accident. We wouldn't want that to happen, now, would we?"

Roy bit back his anger and left the room, assuming they were done. What the hell kind of mess had he been forced into?

Envy left soon after Roy knowing the others were going to speak boring business and politics. He quickly caught up with Roy, standing next to Roy’s car as Roy was starting the engine.

“Don’t forget, Roy. You owe me. I might call you once a week, once a day or once an hour. I don’t care if you are sick or sleeping with Beyoncé, I call, and you show.”

Roy growled and hit the gas, thinking about quickly turning around and hitting Envy with his car. Instead he drove off to the only place that could sooth his nerves, back to his innocent little blond.

Back inside the meeting room Senator Bradley turned to Frank Archer.

“If Mustang proves to be useless, I hope you have taken the extras precautions.”

Frank Archer shook his head. “If we do not find the culprit, then Mustang will take the blame. I laid out the false evidence and bribed one of the laboratory technicians. You would think they would jump at anything that would help them solve the case, but this detective they have transferred is too damn good. He dismissed the evidence and I have a feeling that while he is getting closer to solving the case, he is getting too close to us in the process.”

“You would have him killed?” Dante asked. Archer shook his head. “Well, young Edward is a lose end we need to tie up quickly. I know that he has been in contact with both Greed and Envy more than once but neither knows where Hohenheim’s son stands.”

“What will you do next? He does not respond well to you either,” Bradley remarked. Dante smiled mischievously and stood, both men being the gentlemen they were, standing as well.

“A woman has her charms and ways,” Dante said knowingly. “And Lust is the queen of spades, the card in my sleeve.”

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

"They told me you went home early," Roy greeted when Ed finally opened the door. He was going to say something else but was distracted by Ed’s appearance. The blond was wearing an apron and a big puffy cooking glove.

Ed whipped his brow with the cooking glove. “Well sorry, Colonel-bastard! But Al called and said he had something urgent, a paper or something, and needed to go to the library. He is going to be late so he needed me home to watch Wrath. And I didn’t have anything better to do so…”

“Oh,” Roy said simply, not starting to argue about the ‘nothing better to do’ at work. “Well, I said we were going to continue what we started so I came looking for you.” Roy smirked, loving the way Ed blushed. Confidently he walked inside, leaning down to kiss Ed but caught the smell of smoke in the air.

"Ed!" they heard a small voice yell in the background. "It’s burning!"

Ed ran cursing into the kitchen followed by Roy. The blond moved the child out from in front of the oven and opened it. Smoke billowed out, setting off the smoke detector.

"Roy! Get a pillow and fan under the detector," Ed instructed over the beeping. "Wrath, open the windows." The boy nodded and proceeded to do what Ed had said.

Ed cautiously took out the burnt food and set it on the counter. After a while, the beeping had stopped and the smoke had wafted out the open windows. Roy fell onto one of the chairs by the kitchen table, exhausted from the fanning. "Well, as much fun as that was, anyone wanna tell me why we were all almost burnt to a crisp?"

"That’s what I get when Al forgets to leave us food in the fridge and then make the mistake of letting Wrath make the pizza by himself after much begging and puppy-eyes," Ed said, plopping down right next to Roy. "I don’t care if it just needs to be baked, Wrath. Next time I’m making it," he told the young boy.

Roy looked at Wrath, who was staring at him with a look of fascination.
"You’re not the one Ed was out with yesterday. Why are you here?" The kid asked, frowning adorably.

"Can’t I just come visit my friend?" Roy asked. Ed flinched at Roy’s use of words, the word ‘friend’ to be precise.

Wrath shrugged. "Well, I don’t care. I like you more than Ed’s other friend."

Ed glanced at Roy nervously and then looked back at the boy. The blond laughed nervously. "So, uh....anyone up for some burnt pizza?"

They moved to the living room and started watching a movie, having a casual guys-night-at-home. It wasn’t what Roy had been planning but it was nice. He was sipping on a beer and Ed on lemonade like Wrath. If Ed had an alcohol beverage the kid would be sure to demand for one as well.

Wrath laughed as Martin Lawrence’s character made another funny quip on the television. Ed and Roy shared a look, rolling their eyes at the boy’s finding everything so funny.
They were all seated on the bigger couch watching ‘Big Momma’s House’. Wrath was lying down in between the other two, his legs on Roy’s lap, and his head on Ed’s.

"That was funny," Wrath said, still laughing.

"Right," Ed said, rolling his eyes again. "You also thought ‘Scary Movie’ was funny. Which, by the way, you shouldn’t have been watching."

"Can you please keep it down Ed," Wrath asked, snuggling deeper into the couch. "Some of us are trying to watch the movie, you know."

Roy chuckled at the look on Ed’s face. He casually draped his arm on top of the couch, absently toying with Ed’s blond hair. Ed had finally left it down tonight, too lazy to tie it up.
Ed felt Roy’s hands in his hair and turned to look at the other man. His onyx eyes were glued to the television and he let out the occasional laugh when something funny happened. Ed felt the air change around him and his heart and breaths began to speed up.

"Why doesn’t Martin just tell her that he’s a cop?" he heard Wrath ask.

"Because he’s undercover," Roy answered. "You’re not allowed to tell when you’re undercover."

Wrath snorted. "That’s a dumb rule. Then no one ever knows who you really are. No wonder you guys hate cops."

Roy was going to reply but he felt Ed’s eyes on him. He could always feel Ed’s eyes on him.
Ed quickly turned his head back to the movie when Roy looked at him.

"What’s wrong, Ed?" Roy wanted to know.

Ed shook his head, his heart still beating quickly. "Nothing,” he answered. He gently pushed Wrath’s head off of his lap and got off the couch. "I’m gonna go check on the pizza," he informed distractedly.

"You’re lucky it’s going to commercial," Wrath said, positioning his head on a pillow. "I expect you’ll be back in time for the movie so I can get my spot back?"

Ed didn’t answer, just went to the kitchen.

"What’s eating him?" Wrath asked.

Roy shrugged, leaving the couch also. "I’ll be right back," he said, following the blond into the kitchen. Ed was standing next to the oven, tapping his fingers on the counter while he waited for the ringer to go off.

Roy silently slipped his arms around Ed’s waist, bringing the blond’s rigid back to his chest.

"What’s the matter Ed?" Roy asked close to Ed’s ear.
Ed didn’t know whether or not he liked the way Roy’s voice reverberating into him, turned his previously stiff body into liquid. He decided that he liked it, leaning his head onto Roy’s chest and wrapping his arms around Roy’s which were down at his waist.

"I’m just tired is all," Ed lied. Truth was, he’d just felt something out there that he’d never felt before. He decided not to put a name to it, instead choosing to let it flow.
Roy didn’t believe him, but chose not to pry, placing a kiss behind Ed’s ear.

"It’s back on!" they heard Wrath’s voice call from the living room.

"We’ll be right there!" Roy called back. He spun Ed around in his arms so he could see the blond’s face. "If you’re tired, I could leave and see you tomorrow."

Ed shook his head, wrapping his arms around Roy’s waist and pulling him closer. "No. Stay a while."

Roy sighed in relief that Ed didn’t want him gone. Ed buried his face in the crook of Roy’s neck, and Roy felt content to just stay there the whole night. Roy gasped in surprise when he felt Ed’s lips brush against the side of his neck. Ed pulled back to look at him. Grabbing Ed by the hips, Roy lifted the blond onto the countertop and set himself between Ed’s legs.

Roy was never that great with words. So, he let his eyes do the talking. He guessed that Ed had understood what he wanted to say because the blond leaned in, kissing him passionately. Roy’s arms wrapped more tightly around Ed’s waist by their own doing.

"Are you guys coming already? They’re about to find out that Martin’s a cop." The angry voice came from the young boy who was standing at the kitchen entrance with his hands at his hips.
The other two pulled away blushing. Ed licked his lips quickly and practically jumped off of the counter.

"We were just getting the pizza," Ed tried to explain. The alarm beeped as if proving his statement.

Wrath rolled his eyes. "Right. Like I don’t know what you guys were just doing. I’m young. Not dumb."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Ed kept trying.

"I have been seeing you guys make with the moony eyes at each other all night," he continued. “And now you two are making suck-faces. Disgusting! Get a room, at a hotel please!” Wrath turned to go back into the living room. "Geez," they heard him mutter. "First Mina is making moves on me, and then Scar ‘gets lucky’ with a waitress, and now Ed is ‘riding steady’? What’s this world coming to? All I need now is for Al to find a girl. Then I’ll totally give up!"

The pair in the kitchen just laughed. Suddenly Roy’s cell began to ring. He checked the called ID and frowned deeply. He looked like he was going to throw the phone out the window. Instead, he looked at Ed with dark eyes and leaned in for a kiss. Ed didn’t like it; it felt like a ‘goodbye’ or ‘I’m sorry’ kind of kiss.

“Roy, what—“

“I got to go,” Roy said angrily, but not angry with Ed. Afraid he had scared Ed he gently caressed the blond’s cheek. Without another word he walked out of the kitchen. Ed could hear him say bye to Wrath, the kid asking him where he was going but Roy didn’t answer and soon after the door was opened and closed.

Ed felt his heart sink, leaning against the counter. He didn’t like this feeling deep in his gut. He was pulled back to the present when the smell of something burnt reached his nose.

“Fuck!”

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