Wounded Angel

A/N: I’m soooooo sorry for the late update, school and work coupled with slight writers block are the culprits responsible. I hope to be getting updates out faster in the future, summer vacation starts in a week and a half! But I’m going to be taking a six-week Japanese class that meets three hours a day, four days a week, so I’m not sure how much free time I’m going to have. Anyway, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: Sue me if you’d like. Its not like I’d lose anything, hell I don’t even own the computer that I’m typing this on.

Wounded Angel
Chapter 3: Answers


The angel named Roy Mustang was standing in the bedroom doorway and staring at him with eyes so dark that they looked black. In fact, they matched his wings even to the point of looking blue in just the right light. Edward gasped, the man was beautiful and it was something that he had not noticed before. He gasped again when he looked at the wound; it was easy to see since the angel was still shirtless. All of the angry lines of infection were gone, the puffiness that had surrounded the cut itself had disappeared, and now the injury itself appeared to have shrunken. None of which made any sense. He had no idea what to say, but was determined to break the silence. Unfortunately he opened his mouth before his brain had finished taking in the wonderment that stood less than ten feet away and bafflement was present in his voice, “How? Wha…why…how?”

Roy had no idea what to say in response to the jumbled question. He understood what was being asked though, not by the words themselves, but by the wonderment in his voice. The teen was not asking about his wings or his presence on Earth, but about the miraculous recovery he had undergone. It was something that he did not understand himself, but he felt like a healer had gotten to him. Granted it had not been the strongest of healers, but he still had that headache that came after any length of time spent in a treatment room. He had no desire to show the boy his confusion, though, so instead he just shrugged and looked at the questioner with his famous smug smirk. He lead the teen to believe that it was a secret of his people, one that he was not yet ready to divulge. When he spoke the words were in slightly halted English, something he vowed to work on. “What is your name?”

Edward was taken aback by the question, the anger brought on by that smirk still rolling through him. How dare the man pass his question off like that, he had saved his life! He had not taken him to a hospital where eager scientists would have turned him into their newest research project. It was infuriating to say the least. The simple question had startled him as well, especially since it was spoken in less than perfect English. For some reason he had always imaged that an angel would speak the language perfectly, even sound like a character from one of Shakespeare’s plays. It was the shock of it all that made him bark out his response in a tone meant more for an argument with his brother, “Edward.”

He was shocked by Edward’s tone, why was the boy so mad. After all he had only been smirked at, not hit over the head. He was not sure how to respond, how to thank the teen for the help. He cautiously stepped forward, knowing that the human held the upper hand here. Knowing that until he was strong enough to fly again he needed an ally here on earth and who was better than the person who already knew of his existence. Then he peered closer at the boy and stepped back so fast that he almost fell. Those eyes, that face, they were so familiar. They were slightly lighter and younger than the features that he knew, but they were still unmistakable. Recovering from the initial shock of it all, he rushed forward and grabbed Edward’s shoulders so tightly they bruised. “How old are you Edward? How old?”

Fear rushed into the golden eyes, wrinkles of worry graced the smooth brow. Defensive mechanisms Ed did not know he had kicked in and took over his mind, cutting off rational thought. “Eighteen, nineteen in a month.”

The black head fell, the shoulders slumped, and the hands loosened on the bony shoulders but did not fall away. Disappointment rushed through Roy, his brief hope that his mission would be accomplished so easily vanished. Too old, not by much, but still too damn old. The resemblance was uncanny and sent a cold shiver down his spine. How was it possible that this boy looked so much like Him, but was too old to be the one they sought? Why did fate like to taunt him like this? Then he scolded himself for acting this way, it was just a bump in the road, not a dead end. There was still time, not much, but still some. He rolled his shoulders then, subsequently removing his hands from the teen, and raised his head once more. The black orbs glinted with determination and he prepared his mind for the trial ahead, he was going to get the answers he needed and then he was going to complete his mission. First, though, he was going to have to make Edward trust him enough to help and after his little outburst he had a feeling that it was not going to be an easy task. So he turned on his infamous charm, put on a devastatingly beautiful smile that had wooed so many to become his companion of the night and readied himself for the show of a lifetime. Edward scowled at the man. No matter how many different approaches Roy tried, the teen just did not allow himself to be wooed. It was frustrating to say the least. After growling once, he muttered under his breath, in his own language.

Ed’s reaction shocked the winged man. “DID YOU JUST CALL ME A SHORT, HUMAN RUNT THAT’S TOO SMALL TO BE WOOED BY AN ANGEL!”

“I said no such thing, besides that I was speaking in a completely different language!” Why the boy would react in such a way baffled the man. Of course the bafflement could also have stemmed from the fact that he had been calling the teen short and that Ed had picked up on it.

Before either of them could continue the stand-off that they were involved in, the shrill sound of a phone ringing interrupted. Ed glanced over at the handset that was resting in its cradle and cringed when it rang again. He had no doubt that it was his mother. Roy just stood there, looking from Ed to the phone and back again. He could not help but wonder why the teen had such a look of horror on his face, so he did what any sane person would do. He goaded the boy. “Well, aren’t you going to answer that?”

The golden eyes sent piercing daggers his way as a response, but the goad worked. Edward slowly started to approach the ringing object. A pale hand reached out and picked up the handset and put it to an ear. A trembling voice cautiously said hello. Then the entire body visibly flinched. After a moment Edward spoke again, “Hey Mom, how’s everything in Vegas?”

Roy watched in fascination as Ed relaxed against the counter. It was obvious that this was a common occurrence for the teen, to act so terrified and then so calm moments later. There was a lot of head nodding going on as well, it seemed that Ed’s mother was quite the talker. Then Ed tensed once more. A frustrated growl echoed around the room and a hand closed into a tight fist. When Ed spoke it was obvious that he was angry and frustrated, but trying not to sound like it. “Yes, mom, I lost my job, but-” He got cut off in mid-sentence. “Ma-” Happened again. Roy watched in amusement as the teen kept trying to defend himself and was only allowed to get out a syllable or two. Also, besides this interaction being entertaining, it was very informative. He watched as Edward got cowed into submission by his mother and started to get ideas about how to get the answers that he needed. When the blonde hung up the phone and muttered a curse, Roy simply presented a feral smile. Ed just looked at him, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door.

“Chikusho1! He wasn’t supposed to leave.”

……..

Ed walked down the street and into Starbucks where he ordered a coffee that he probably could not afford now that he was without a job. He knew his dad would probably transfer some money into his checking account, but that angered him as well. Why was it that every time he spoke with his mother, he always ended up angry after they hung up. The antics of his angel had not helped at all. To think that the man was so pompous and aggravating when he was awake, it made Ed wonder why he even wasted so much time trying to help the man. Right after that thought entered his mind he regretted thinking it. Of course he would help someone in need, even if they can make remarkable recoveries and not want to share just how it happened.

Ed wandered to an outdoor table with his caramel frappuccino and took a seat. It was warm out and he could already feel the humidity against his skin. Taking a sip of his drink, he sighed as the icy cold beverage spread through his body. He continued to sit there and think long after he had finished his drink. His mom had said that the family was going to be coming to visit in a couple of weeks. It seemed that his father had gotten tickets to the Kentucky Derby that was held on the first Saturday in May and since they were going to be only one state away, they might as well come and check up on him. He prayed to the god that he did not believe in that his angel would be gone by the time his parents came to town, he had a feeling that he would not be able to explain the presence of the winged man very easily. It was not until the moon had emerged and the sound of tree frogs croaking created a cacophony that Ed finally gathered enough energy to moved.

He had intended to just return to his apartment and hope that his life did not fall apart any more than it already had when his stomach grumbled and he thought of food. The idea of substance made him think of the current state of his kitchen, which made him wince. So he changed directions and headed to the local Food Lion. Walking the aisles of the brightly lit store, he wondered what kind of food angels liked. He steered clear of the cereal aisle, remembering the half chewed Trix that covered his sink. Instead, he decided that he should go as natural as he could so he grabbed a carton of eggs, some fresh fruits and vegetables, contemplated whether milk would be a good choice, but decided that water would be just fine as he grimaced in distaste. He continued on to get a loaf of bread and some cottage cheese. To the onlooker it would have been humorous to watch the blonde zigzagging back and forth across the entire store. Ed ended his chaotic shopping experience in the frozen food aisle and grabbed some frozen pizzas, breakfast pastries, and T.V. dinners for himself. When he checked out he almost gagged at the price that was displayed on the register’s screen and then woefully swiped his debt card. He could not believe that three bags of food could cost upwards of forty dollars.

…..

Walking into the apartment, Ed headed straight for the kitchen and set the plastic bags onto the counter. He looked at his fingers and grimaced in distaste at the red lines that the plastic had left in the knuckle creases. When he looked up and finally saw the condition of everything, he was shocked. The counters practically shined, the sink did shine, all of the food morsels that had previously been scattered were gone, and when he opened the refrigerator he found that not only had all of the old food been thrown out, but it had been scrubbed as well. The sound of a throat clearing caught Ed’s attention and he turned to see the still half-naked angel standing a few feet away.

Roy found himself mesmerized by pools of gold. He barely caught himself before he fell head first into something that would be catastrophic. Why was he feeling this way towards the boy, why was he being invaded with a whirlwind of new emotions? His momentary distraction allowed Edward to turn away, ending the moment that had almost existed between the two. The sound of something rustling then caught Roy’s attention and he stepped forward to investigate what Ed was doing. Then he saw the food and all other thoughts left him. He cursed himself for allowing his mind to be persuaded into forgetting about everything he had to do, but then again he had not eaten since the disastrous cereal incident the day before. Then he grimaced when he thought of what kind of food the teen seemed to enjoy eating.

It was not until Ed began emptying the last bag that Roy actually started to perk up. There were fruits and bread, his mouth practically started to salivate at the sight of them. He found he could not help himself, he pounced. When he emerged from the kitchen he was happily munching on an apple and ignoring the curses that were coming from behind him. He took another bite of the sweet paradise and then took a seat on the couch. There was a high pitched beeping coming from the kitchen, then the sound of a door slamming. A few moments later Edward emerged, his hair still tousled from Roy running him over to get to the food, carrying a steaming plate, on it was a personal size pizza that had once been frozen. The blonde scowled at Roy before taking a seat next to him.

After a several minutes passed where the only noise was that of food being chewed, Edward rubbed his sweaty palm on his pants and then asked the one question that had been plaguing him since he had first seen the older man, “What, exactly, are you?”

Roy almost choked on his apple, he had known that the question would be coming, but he had not thought that it would be asked so suddenly. He had figured that there would be a lot of feeler questions first, during which he would be able to concoct a partial truth that the teen would believe. So he did some quick thinking while he chewed another bite of apple. Knowing that he had to keep his answers close to the truth without telling too much information, he formatted his answer, “I’m a Colonel in the Armestris military. Also I am one of the Hané no Minzoku, Hané for short. I think that a translation would be People of the Wings, or Winged People.”

Edward digested that information and quickly realized that although it told him a lot, it also told him nothing at all. With a frown marring his face, he leaned back, took another bite of his pizza, and contemplated his word choice for his next question. He had to make sure that it left no opening for evasive answers. He contemplated the previous answer for clues; he did note that the military cut of the man’s clothes finally was explained. Then a light bulb went off in his head, if the man had been wearing his military uniform, then he had to be here on military business. “What is the reason behind the Armestris government sending you here, to Earth?”

Roy’s face remained placid, but he was mentally scowling. How had the blond figured out that he was here on military business, he had been hoping to get by on a flippant answer that consisted of sightseeing and other tourist activities. After all, those would not be complete lies; he had been interested in seeing the sights while searching the planet for his target. He decided to tell the truth, even if it would anger the teen and give away more than he wished to, “I’m on a top secret mission.”

Roy smirked at the tick that emerged above the teen’s right eye. After all, he had answered the question and still managed to give away no information that might be revealing. “Now it’s my turn to ask the questions. Where are we? I’m assuming that we are somewhere in America, but what part?”

“Hey, who said I was finished asking my questions!?”

“I did, now answer me, it’s not like I’m asking anything that a runt like you can’t answer.”

The twitch started up again, hands were balled into fists, and Roy could physically see Edward try to reign in his anger. He failed. “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT AN ANT COULD SMASH HIM TO DEATH WITHOUT MUCH EFFORT!”

“I certainly never said that, now answer the question.”

“Just don’t call me small, bastard, then I would be happy to tell you whatever you would like to know.” The tenseness in the shoulders and the anger in the golden eyes belied the calm tone that the words were uttered in. “You’re in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by the way.”

With that Ed stood up and stalked into the bedroom. Roy almost cringed when the door slammed. He then decided that maybe he would not provoke the teen when he wanted to get information out of him. No matter, he had gotten what he needed. He was in North Carolina, a Southern state. He needed to get to California. That was where his target was last seen. He stretched his wings, testing them, then bite back a curse when pain coursed down all of the fine muscles that allowed him to fly. It would be at least a week before he could attempt to travel across an entire country. Somehow that was not as upsetting as it should have been. With a frown he wandered back into the kitchen and grabbed a banana.

……

Edward was pacing in front of the bedroom window. He was so angry that waves of the emotion could almost be seen radiating off of his body. Then his lips started moving, the words were soft, but filled with heat. “Why are you letting him get under your skin. He has to be at least ten years your senior, but still your heart goes pitter patter at the sight of him. Idiot, idiot, idiot. The man has wings for heaven’s sake; there is absolutely no reason for attraction. Besides that, he’s a bastard, a fucking military bastard.”

Calming his emotions, somewhat, Ed went back into the living area of the apartment. His eyes immediately went to Roy’s naked chest and his mouth went dry. All rational thoughts left his mind. He walked up to where the ang- no, Hané, was sitting, planted his hands on either side of the dark hair, then leaned forward and pressed his lips to Roy’s. At first there was no response then the soft lips began to move beneath his. Something inside of both men feel into place as the kiss became more heated. Neither one of them noticed the change.

It was Roy who pulled away from the kiss. He ignored the growl that Ed let loose at the loss of contact, before he could allow things to continue he would have to figure out just why the blond had attacked him with such ferocity. Before his thoughts went much further, the teen moved away and Roy felt the loss through his entire being. He could not help it, he frowned. Why was his body acting this way, why would Edward just taking several steps away from him cause these feelings of loss. The idea of a soul-bond niggled at the edge of his mind, he pushed the thought away. There was just no way that he could be bonded to the boy, and a human to boot, the idea was just too ludicrous. There had never been a cross-species bonding in history; it would just cause too many problems for the bonded. Not that it was ever easy to be bonded, he’d seen some of his friends go through the process and sometimes they seemed nothing short of miserable because of it. Roy then asked the only question that seemed sensible, “What was that for?”

Ed snarled at him. Roy could only imagine what thoughts were whirling around the teens mind. He could feel the anger and confusion that was filling the teen’s spirit, he could even feel the attraction that was hiding behind the more dominant emotions. Then new ones crept in and began overtaking everything else, hurt and rejection. Roy understood that he was the source of all of this, that Ed thought that he was being rejected. “Kuso2.”

Roy stood up and reached for the blond. He crushed his lips to Ed’s and willed the teen to understand that there was no rejection here, just confusion. Again something changed in both of them, it pulsed to life and reached out with greedy fingers. Roy noticed it this time and cursed again. There was no denying it now, they were meant to be soul-bonded. Even as Roy accepted it, he fought against it. There could only be problems and pain and most of them would be Edwards. Roy would be there for him, but that might not be enough. He almost thought that it would be better for both of them if they attempted to reject the bonding, the only problem with that was the likelihood that the rejection would leave both of them dead.

..........

1: Chikusho: Japanese word meaning damn it
2: Kuso: Japanese word meaning shit, sometimes used interchangeably with chikusho

A/N: I’ve decided to use a smattering of Japanese words instead of creating a whole new language; I just don’t have enough time to research what letter order might create a sound that correctly represents the meaning that it is trying to convey. That being said I’ll put footnotes at the end of each chapter giving the meaning of any new words.
If anyone is wondering about just what a soul-bond is, don’t worry, it will be explained more in later chapters. For those of you who don’t wish to wait, go read Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books, the best choice would be The Last Herald Mage trilogy, I’m using her lifebond and Chosen-bond as inspiration.

Wind to thy wings!

~SW