Wounded Angel

Roy did his best to avoid contact with Ed after discovering their soul-bond. It was difficult to do in the small apartment, but he managed. Anytime the blonde would open his mouth to speak, Roy would interrupt with a quip about Ed’s height. That would always incite an outburst and anger the teen into stomping out of the room, forgetting whatever he had wanted to talk about.



He hated himself for the avoidance, but could not bring himself to allow a confrontation to occur. He was not prepared for it yet. He was not ready to be soul bonded, especially to a male. He was Colonel Roy Mustang, lover of women everywhere. If he returned to Amestris bonded to a human male he would be tormented with bad jokes from all of his subordinates, except for Hawkeye. She would just shoot him.



Roy was pulled out of his thoughts as his sensory system flared. There was another Hane nearby and it was someone he did not recognize. Extending his senses, Roy closed his eyes and attempted to find the other’s hiding spot. His eyes sprang open when he realized that the presence was inside the apartment. How had an unfamiliar Hane come so close without him knowing?



Rushing out of the bedroom, he did not allow himself to think. He skidded to a halt in the main room, where Ed had been watching television. Ed was still sitting there and the only thing out of place was the slight grimace on his young face as he rubbed at his back. Roy was not surprised that the teen was having back problems; he had been sleeping on the couch for the last week. As Ed brought his hand back to his lap and gave Roy a questioning look, the winged man checked the apartment once more with his senses and found that the presence had faded to almost nothing. Whoever had been here was long gone now. That did not matter though, if he had sensed them then they had to have sensed him. It was no longer safe here, for both himself and Ed. Not when his greeting on Earth had been a stabbing by a fellow Hane. If the rebels were here, that meant that they knew his purpose and that was the most dangerous thing of all.



He went over and sat next to Ed as he attempted to format a plan. Only one came to mind and he grimaced at the idea. He had a feeling that Ed would not enjoy being forced to join the Hane on Roy’s ship. It really did not matter to Roy whether the blonde wanted to be there or not, if it would keep the teen safe, he was going to ensure it happened.



He could still feel Ed’s questioning stare as he gathered his thoughts to broach the subject. He turned to start speaking and his obsidian eyes clashed with golden ones. They were eyes he had avoided meeting for the last week and they were filled with pain and confusion. Roy was not an idiot, he knew that he was the one responsible for putting those feelings there. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers across the teen’s smooth cheek. He watched, mesmerized, when Ed’s eyelids fluttered closed as he leaned into the touch.



Looking at where his hand caressed the tanned cheek, Roy realized what a fool he had been for the last week. He had let fear rule his life, had let it take over his brain and cloud his judgment. Things were difficult, yes, but with that there was also good. There were moments like this, moments when everything else fell away and the connection between them was almost a tangible thing. If just being in the other’s presence created this much peace, being soul bonded might not be such a bad thing after all.



…………



Ed savored the feel of the fingers on his face. The confusion and fear that had ruled him for the last week seemed to melt away. At that moment he could have sworn to any higher entity that there was something that connected him to Roy. He knew it seemed ludicrous, even to his own mind, but he could feel it, pulsing between them with a life of its own.



The peacefulness of the moment was shattered when the raven-haired man opened his mouth and spoke. “I have to return to my ship. There have been some disturbing developments. Also, I feel that it’s best for you to come with. I have unwittingly put you in mortal danger and cannot in good conscience leave you here defenseless.”



“WHAT? Oh hell no, there is no way I’m going to follow you to some angel ship just because you think that I’m in danger here!”



Roy just looked at him, one eyebrow raised in a cocky manner. He did not say a single word; just keep his gaze steady and determined. Ed stared right back, refusing to back down. His golden eyes sparked with anger and an emotion that was distinctly Edward, it was unnamable, but unmistakable. The more time stretched the more the blonde’s determination grew, he did not want to show weakness that would only help set him up for defeat later.



Roy gave him one last look, then released his breathe on a long sigh. “Fine, if you do not wish to come with me then I will respect that.”



Somehow Ed did not trust the older man’s words.



……….



It was late when Roy quietly approached the sleeping blond. He took a moment to just look down at the soft brow and stubborn chin of his mate, he memorized the way that the golden hair fanned out across the pillow. The attractive face was calm and the lips were parted as soft whooshes of breath escaped to flutter across the pillow beneath him. He memorized it all before he reached down and gently rested his hand on the tan forehead.



“Please forgive me for this, Edward.” He whispered softly. Just before he allowed his powers to run through his arm and out of his finger he could see the glint of gold flutter briefly before the eyelids closed completely and the teenager slipped into a state of suspended unconsciousness. He then gathered the limp body into his arms and walked out the door. When he was clear of the buildings he uncurled his midnight wings and took to the sky.



If Ed had not been in his arms he would have done several twists and turns, simply for the joy of it. For a creature born to fly, he had been land locked for far too long and the feeling of being in the air again unlocked the child that he kept hidden inside. Responsibility took over and instead of letting out a shout of pleasure; he angled his body towards the heavens. With steady wing beats he followed his senses to where his ship and his crew where waiting for him.



It took him four hours of hard flying to make it to the cruiser. It was in a small clearing, surrounded for miles by trees. He landed as gently as he could, but it was jarring enough to cause Ed to squirm in his arms and mumble something, probably an explicative, before Roy reached down and renewed the spell that he had placed on the teen earlier in the night. He then stepped forward and keyed in the code on the panel by the door.



It took a few moments, whoever was onboard must have been sleeping, but eventually a voice sounded from a small speaker. “Well hey there Colonel, whatcha got there in your arms?” Then the small door popped open and allowed access into the small vessel.



When Roy stepped inside his nostrils were immediately assaulted by cigarette smoke. That meant that Havoc had been left in charge, and if that was the case Hawkeye could not be far away, she knew what a sloth Jean tended to be when he went unsupervised. Before heading into the control room to activate the signal to return for the rest of his team he went into his quarters and deposited Ed onto the small bed.



As soon as he entered the brain of the ship the smell of smoke doubled. He gave the blond man that seated inside a pointed look. Booted feet where quickly removed from the top of the control board and a cigarette was snuffed out. “Call the others back, our position has been compromised and we have to get out of here.”



With an ironic twitch of lips now holding an unlit cigarette, the man gave a quirky salute and followed the orders before turning back to the raven haired colonel and breaking into a large smile. “Good to see you Roy-Boy.”



“I thought I told you to cease with that silly name Jean.” Regardless of his irritation, he could not help but enjoy being in the company of one of his friends, instead of an annoying teenager, even if said teenager is his mate.



“So, does us having to move out have anything with the little blonde that you carried onboard? From what I could see, she looked cute.”



Roy had to fight back a snarl, he had heard that extreme jealousy came with being soul-bonded, but he had not expected such offhanded comments from his friends to have this kind of effect on him. His blood was roaring through his veins, he unconsciously clenched his hands into fists. He had to close his eyes and count to twenty before the feelings dissipated enough for him to look at Jean without hate in his eyes. When the feeling finally passed, he shuddered once and briefly stretched his winds. He then ignored his subordinate’s questioning look and answered the without giving too much information away. “Not entirely, but I did sense another Hane’s presence near me today and after being stabbed and poisoned when I first landed to start my search, I feel that we need to disappear for at least a short time.”



“Shit Roy, what do you mean you were stabbed!? Was it by one of the humans? Was it that girl?”



“No, it was another Hane, but not the one I sensed earlier. The one who attacked me had dark green hair and wings, that’s all I saw before the poison started sinking in. The person I brought healed me somehow, I’m not quite sure what happened there, but I am thankful to whatever it was.”



The conversation was interrupted when a buzz sounded through the air. Both men reached out with their senses and felt Hawkeye and Brenda waiting outside the door. It took another hour until the rest of his team arrived, but eventually Falman came in, looking as stern as always, and they could finally take off. Once they were in route to headquarters, located somewhere in the starry sky above them, Roy wandered into his quarters to check on Edward.





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A/N: I know, I know, much too long since I last updated. I have no excuses, so you can commence with the flogging! I hope to update with more regularity from now on, so cross your fingers. I would cross mine except that would make it awfully hard to type ;-p



Wind to thy wings!