Pyrometallon

Warning: Very graphic and will continue to get so in the next chapter.


As noon rolled around, ever so slowly, Roy was reluctant to meet with Ed. If their emotions got the best of them in Central they might as well paste memos to their foreheads reading "Re: Flame and Fullmetal. Sleeping together." But it was more than that. So much more.

It wasn't hard to punch Ed's buttons, and though it amused Roy he wasn't all too sure why he did it. He knew how Ed was going to react this morning to both comments, but he had made them anyway... and he couldn't give himself an honest answer as to why. Perhaps he was trying to drive Ed away before someone got hurt...

As noon came, Roy suddenly developed a great interest in the stack of paperwork in front of him and he tackled it nearly happily. He was procrastinating something he had looked forward to yesterday all because of a little fight... so brave. The Flame Alchemist was dreading a few strong words.

Clenching a fist, he sighed and pushed away from his desk a little after 1. Taking a detour, he personally delivered an envelope just recently stuffed of signed reports to the main desk before he headed to the library.

Though he got a few questioning looks from people as he strolled purposefully into the library and towards the back, he was not bothered. The study rooms were in a quiet corner and Roy silently let himself into the one he had held for Ed. He locked the door and sighed in relief that the blinds were already drawn closed.

Without a word he fished out the brown envelope with the book inside and tossed it on the table in front of Ed.

Edward had been in the middle of reading up on Arequbus when he heard something hit the table in front of him. Needless to say it startled him and he jumped. Lifting his eyes slowly, he saw first blue then the face he wanted to see the most but was kind of dreading. Roy just stood there looking at him and he winced. He really needed to apologize for this morning and he came. He really came! But he couldn’t tell if Roy was still angry or not. He had to be, but maybe Ed could fix that, a little at least.

He attempted a small sheepish smile. “Hi…about this morning…sorry.” Quickly he looked away feeling himself turn red. He’d never apologized to Mustang before and he felt like such an idiot even now. He sighed heavily. “Really I am.”

Roy looked at Ed a long moment before he sighed. He hadn't wanted an apology and it only made him feel guilty now, that Ed had thought he needed to apologize when it was Roy who had antagonized his lover this morning... walking around the table he looked at the stacks of books, the center of them all being the Flame Alchemy, and smiled briefly.

"You don't need to apologize... I guess we're both at fault, aren't we?" He sat on the edge of the table. "When I say things like that I'm not trying to make you mad. I don't mean them in the ways you think I do..." He reached down to tip Ed's chin up and look him in the eye. "Do you understand?"

Ed gave him a smile, relieved inside that there wasn’t anymore yelling and things seemed to be getting better for them, between them as apposed to this morning. He lifted his hand and took hold of Roy’s. Yes, he understood he just didn’t know why Roy felt the need to rub it in that he was short or kind of girly looking. Maybe the man just liked to be irritating.

He stood up slowly, keeping hold of his lover’s hand. “I get it, you’re a pain in the ass and so am I.” He paused a moment. “I talked to Al this morning, got him to stay with Winry a week longer. Is that okay?”

Roy nodded, "Whatever makes you comfortable. But you know he has to come back some day, and we won't be able to hide this from him." He looked down at their joined hands and pulled Ed closer. He didn't care how Ed took it; he enfolded Ed's hand between his own. He loved his hands and maybe his lover would find something antagonizing about the way he wanted to hold them but he did so anyway. "Are you going to tell him or just let him find out?"

“I know,” Ed nearly groaned. “And I want to tell him, I tell Al everything, but…I’ll figure it out before he gets back.” He smiled, looking at their hands and lifted his free hand to his lover’s face. He moved even closer and brought Roy’s head down to give him a kiss. He paused a moment, the smile fading a little, “I missed you,” That sounded so mushy but it was the truth and he didn’t care. Before Roy could say something or even smirk he pressed his lips to his gently.

Eyes widening a little at the confession, he was quieted before he had a chance to respond and all words vanished at the touch of his lover's lips. He hummed softly and pulled Ed closer, but pulled away from his lips. "Me too," he said. It had been such a long morning, full of guilt and worry and his mind running here and there unable to focus on anything.

Wanting to look his lover in the eye without stooping, he pushed away from where he sat on the table and sat on the edge of Ed's chair. Looking up at him he hooked his fingers in his lover's belt loops and pulled him close again.

Edward smiled and glanced back to see if the door was locked. It was, so he straddled Roy’s lap. “I was looking at the book…I haven’t got it figured out yet and who ever wrote it really liked guns. I think I know more about the guns themselves now than I ever wanted. And it’s not just type either, there are model numbers too. You weren’t kidding when you said I’d have fun trying to decipher it.”

He scratched his head. “I keep getting side tracked and end up looking up the guns instead of actually trying to figure out what is what, but I think I’ve got match lock narrowed down to sulfur. You read this one right?” He pleaded with his amber eyes for Roy to give him a hint, anything.

"I didn't have to," Roy shook his head, settling his arms loosely around Ed. He found himself looking at a pair of puppy dog eyes and blinked, Ed had never looked at him that way before. But had he earlier, they probably would have ended up together much earlier. Roy found himself wanting to give in. But he couldn't, not all together... "Do you have a pen and paper?"

Edward nodded, turning around to grab his notebook and pen. Roy didn’t have to read the book? Huh, did that mean he knew who wrote it or did he write it. Granted he didn’t know a lot about Roy, hell he felt like he didn’t know hardly anything save for that he liked ham, was a good cook, and several other little things he wasn’t going to think about at the moment, but he just didn’t think Roy knew a lot about guns. Hmm, time to test that, he thought.

He grinned as he turned back around with pen and paper in hand. “Okay Colonel, if an arquebuse is mounted on a wagon then how heavy is the ball they carry?”

Roy chuckled. Scooting back in the chair to give Ed more room, he slipped a hand around his stomach and pulled him up against him. "I wouldn't know that, Ed." He reached around and tapped the paper. "Draw the array from my gloves." He took another piece of paper and to the side to roll it into a long cone, smashing the bigger end so it would stand up straight on the table.

"The man who wrote that book was my teacher. He never taught me the code, or anything about weaponry. Just alchemy."

Edward watched for a moment, wondering what Roy was up to. How could he not know the code if the person who wrote it was his teacher? Somehow that didn’t make any sense to him. Izumi had taught him how to crack her code, giving he and Al little hints and letting them figure it out from there. But every teacher was different he supposed. In some cases he hoped every teacher was different. Izumi didn’t seem to have a problem kicking his ass and had done it nearly everyday. Just thinking about it made gave him the chills. That woman was scary sometimes. If she only knew that he’d gone into the military. Oh what a good ass kicking that would be.

He smirked deciding to be a smart ass. “It’s about three and a half ounces,” he wet his lips and put the pen to paper. Carefully he drew out the array and turned the note book around. “Now what?”

Pulling out a glove, Roy pulled it on and snapped to light the top of the cone he had made. "Now you're going to put that out before it burns the table." He placed his other hand over Ed’s and onto the array he had drawn. "You don't control the flame," he explained. "But the oxygen around it. By feeding or starving the flame you can make it do whatever you want."

Starving the flame of oxygen in a room full of it… Edward suddenly had a new understanding and respect for anyone who used flame alchemy. That was the difficult part. It wasn’t just as easy as he said it. He also had to think of all the other gasses that were in the air they breathed and take them into account then focus upon the area and make sure he did it right least he set the table on fire or worse blew it up. Well ultimately oxygen played the major role so he supposed Roy was right and he certainly wouldn’t question his lover on something he was so skilled at. And he had to think quickly because the fire was eating that cone of paper like it was staving.

He took a breath and focused upon it, felt the alchemy buzz and tingle through him. He was intent upon putting it out and decided sucking the oxygen surrounding the flame would be most effective, though in the back of his mind he also thought just slapping it down a few times to put it out would work too. But that wasn’t the point and he wasn’t going to take an alchemy lesson for granted.

He did as asked and the flame was gone just before it reached the end leaving a little smoke behind, coiling up into the air. He smiled. Not as hard as he thought it might have been. He’d have to show Al.

Ed turned back to look at the array beneath their hands, only he couldn’t see it since their hands were covering it. Smiling again, he flipped his hand around beneath Roy’s. It was… enjoyable to be like this, learning from Roy, sitting this close, touching. As much as he wanted to learn more, he would rather just sit like this for a moment or more longer. “Thanks,”

Threading their fingers together, Roy squeezed his hand and brought it up to his lips. Inhaling deeply, he could smell books and paper and ink on Edward. It was strangely relaxing and familiar. "I don't mind teaching you," he replied. "But why do you want to learn it so much?" He gestured at all the books and research Ed had on the table.

Edward grinned, dropping his eyes to their hands a moment then meeting his lovers. He was happy Roy didn’t mind teaching him, no thrilled. “Because it’s fascinating,” He felt himself blush. “The first time I saw flame alchemy I thought it was really…” He didn’t want to say cool, or neat, because it was much more than that. “Interesting and awesome. It’s also another facet of alchemy that I haven’t looked at. You know before

I was looking for the stone I wanted to learn everything. Al and I used to sit in our father’s old room back home and study. I think we read every book he left. Our mom let us as long as we put everything back. Our first attempt, we made a doll for Winry and we pulled it off.”

He didn’t know why he was telling Roy this, but he found he didn’t mind in the least. He kind of liked just talking with Roy about something. He knew he could tell Roy things, maybe not everything like Al, but he knew he could talk about alchemy and Roy would understand. He could also talk about a few things related to his family because Roy knew what he’d done and wouldn’t make him say anything he didn’t want too. Roy had never asked him or pushed him.

He sighed. “We learned everything on our own at first then we found a teacher after Mom died. She was nice when she wasn’t being a sadistic witch.” He smiled. “She’d kick my ass if she knew I was in the military.”

Roy was familiar with Ed's father. He'd been looking for him for a long time now. But Ed was touchy about his father so he didn't bring it up at the moment. He chuckled then, "I bet she would. People misunderstand the military." Not that the stories weren't true. "Especially if she knew why you joined." he said softly, his thumb rubbing over Ed's knuckles. "But I think she'd understand then, wouldn't she."

He was touched by Ed's confession in his fascination with flame alchemy. Perhaps they had more in common than they thought. Roy still got a thrill, a spike in adrenaline when he used it. He snapped his fingers again and held a flame just above his palm, letting it dance. "It's like a lover, isn't it? You want to hold it but it'll burn you. You try to control it but you only can through manipulation. And all the time it ignites a sharp pain through your middle." Taking his glove he handed it to Ed and then took his auto-mail hand, passing the dieing flame to him.

Edward shrugged. “I don’t think she’d be happy, might beat me up again and Al too…” He smiled again as Roy passed the flame to him. Immediately he focused a little energy upon feeding the flame oxygen, not too much, just enough to keep it going for awhile. It was one of the most exciting things he’d done alchemically in so long and he was glad he’d finally learned something new, something so fickle and beautiful. He thought on Roy’s words and met his obsidian eyes, wondering. “Is that what I’m doing to you, burning you?”

Roy nodded slightly. "Don't misunderstand. People think all fire can bring is pain and death, but it makes way for new life by discarding old burdens. It cleanses. Even if it hurts us in ways we don't fully understand." He smiled softly at that and leaned in to whisper in Ed's ear. "Your fire is the most excruciating I've felt."

Ed closed his eyes. It couldn’t be taken in a bad way, not with how he’d spoken so softly or how he’d smiled and the confession both soothed and burned him, leaving a pleasant ache. For Ed that was as good as Roy telling him he loved him.

Letting the flame die, Ed dropped the glove and all thoughts of alchemy flew out the door. He turned his face and caught Roy’s lips gently.

Meeting Ed's lips, Roy licked them before seeking out his moist tongue. He always tasted a bit salty, and always so smooth like oil. Roy hummed a bit, hand dropping to Ed's thigh and his lips pressing a bit harder.

"I want to do something for you," he whispered, lips still brushing against Ed's.

Ed kissed him back, running his hand up Roy’s arm. “Hmm? You don’t have too,” he whispered and broke away to kiss his jaw, his neck. He wanted him, wanted to touch and taste him. He slipped his tongue from between his lips and slowly licked up his neck to his ear. Then he gently bit his ear lobe.

Roy moaned lowly, tilting his head as Ed licked his neck. "I want to," he sighed, his flesh goose bumping at the feel of Ed's teeth and warm breath on his lobe. "I think you'll enjoy it," he touched Ed, his hands sliding down his back and around to unclasp his belt. "Another alchemy lesson."

Edward smiled and bit into Roy’s neck getting a taste of him. He could feel his lover’s hands upon his belt and grew hard just from anticipation. “Mmm,” He murmured and opened up the uniform jacket. He ran his hands down Roy’s chest, feeling the muscles through the soft white dress shirt. “You don’t have to be back,” He kissed Roy’s lips. “Anytime soon do you?”

Roy shrugged and smiled, "We have time." He nibbled Ed's lower lip as he worked on the button and zipper of the pants. "I like it when you bite," he murmured. "Especially my neck." His eyes gleamed as he pushed Ed's shirt up, touching his stomach to his chest where he thumbed his nipples. "Like a dog will bite another where it's vulnerable to show it whose alpha..." He smirked. "Do you think you're an alpha, Ed?"

Edward’s breath hitched in his throat as his hands tugged upon his lover’s shirt. Alpha male? He smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe.” He grinned starting on the buttons. “Are you?” He sought out Roy’s mouth and forced his tongue inside before he could answer. In truth he liked it when Roy dominated him but he also liked dominating Roy. He’d learned that last night.

Getting the shirt open, he trailed down to Roy’s chest licking and nipping until he came to one of his nipples and sucked, swirled his tongue around it.

Moaning lowly, Roy stroked Ed's back as his lover brought his nipple to erect attention. It seemed odd in a public place but he wanted Ed completely unclothed. They had the time and privacy so he pushed aside the strangeness of it and pulled up on the back of Ed's shirt with one hand, the other cradling the back of his blond head. He was so good with his mouth!

Ed smiled and removed his shirt for him, tossing it aside. Then he bent over to remove his boots and socks before he pushed Roy’s shirt and uniform jacket over his shoulders. He still couldn’t get over how stunning Roy looked and took a moment to just take him in.

Finally he started upon Roy’s pants, leaning in, pressing their bodies against each other. He moaned softly from his warmth and sought out his lips, finding Roy’s tongue. Once he had it he sucked gently upon it.

His moan was muffled, but he couldn't help the sounds Ed was pulling out of him. Letting the shirt and uniform fall off his arms he let the arms drop to the sides of the chair and returned his hands to touching Ed's firm body, running them down his back to cup and knead his ass while he raised his hips against Ed's.

Ed slipped off Roy’s lap and pulled his pants down, kicking them off with his boxers then backed up into the table. Reaching behind him with one hand, he shoved the books and note book aside to make room then motioned with his finger for Roy to come get him. He grinned and lifted himself upon the table, waiting.

Smiling, Roy stood and shed his pants, kicking his boots off in the process. Reaching around Ed, he found the tie that held his braid closed and tugged it off gently. Leaning in he inhaled Ed's scent before licking his neck. "Are you certain? You're not sore?" His hands rested on his knees, gently pushing them apart.

A shiver ran up Edward’s spine when he felt his lover’s warm tongue upon his neck. “I’m okay…” He whispered, pulling him closer. “I promised you we’d…you know here last night. And…I want you.” With that he reached down to stroke Roy’s member to prove his point.

Roy groaned at the touch along his length. "I told you I'd give you a break," he whispered. "Besides, I forgot the bottle," and his soft gaze said he had forgotten it on purpose.

He kissed Ed's neck again, biting his collar bone and not very gently before he moved down to bite his chest, leaving a red welt. His fingers wrapped around Ed's member, began to tug and pump on his hard length.

Ed gave him a pouting look then Roy bit him and he moaned softly. This he liked and when Roy touched him he whimpered and gasped. That felt so good and he didn’t care that Roy left the bottle behind anymore. He was being considerate and he appreciated it. He wasn’t that sore, in fact he wasn’t even all that bothered, but he wouldn’t argue. One fight a day was too much.

He smiled, moving his hand a little harder and faster along Roy’s cock. The man wasn’t going to get out of here unless he came because Edward felt himself beginning to climb. He didn’t know how in the world that was possible but he didn’t care.

Gasping, Roy grabbed Ed and pulled him to the very edge of the table, pushing his hand away and locking his fist over both of them. He simultaneously thrust, rubbing his cock against Ed's, and stroked them with his hand. His other hand held onto Ed like a lifeline as he moaned and gasped lowly, trying to keep his cries quiet since he didn't want someone overhearing this. No matter how good it felt.

Ed was close. The way he squirmed and tensed... Roy doubled his efforts, leaning over and resting his forehead against Ed's neck as his mind and body reeled. He pressed his mouth to Ed's shoulder to muffle his cry when he came.

Ed whimpered when Roy locked his hand over his, preventing him from touching him really. It was so much like the first night they’d…His eyes clamped shut along with his mouth and he tried so hard to be quiet, not to scream as his hips jerked, bucking one last time as he came.

Panting, he pulled one of his hands free from Roy’s gasp and wrapped his arm around his neck to keep him there. He felt exposed sitting here naked, wanted his clothes but didn’t want to move on the off chance that Roy would also get dressed and then leave. He wanted him to stay a little longer, just a few more minutes, maybe ten, twenty… Damn if he was this bad just from being away from him for a few hours what would he be like when he had to leave for days on end? And he knew it wasn’t just the sex, though that was great. It was his smile, the way he smelled, tasted, felt, his voice. He used to try and get away from him and now he just wanted to be with him all the time.

Breathing hard, Roy smelled Ed with each breath. His sweat, his arousal, his orgasm, the soap he used. He smiled and nuzzled his neck where he had rested his head. "Maybe we should fight more often," he teased with a slight chuckle.

Groaning, Ed shook his head. “Probably will.” He sighed pulling away a little. “So what’s this alchemy lesson about and this time tell me what you want for dinner so I don’t have to guess.” He grinned. “I won’t let you leave until you tell me, at least the dinner part.”

Roy leaned back and looked at Ed. "What about what you want?" He smirked. "Anything's fine, so get what you feel like." Leaning down he got some tissues from his pants pocket and cleaned Ed's abdomen where he had splashed him. "As for the lesson: some alchemy you won't learn from any book at the library." He didn't elaborate.

Ed slipped off the table and picked up his discarded clothing and began to pull them on. He smiled; musing over something he’d been told. “That’s true, some of what my teacher taught Al and I wasn’t in any books.” Pulling his shirt over his head after zipping and buttoning his pants, Ed reached back to re-braid his hair. “More flame alchemy?”

Roy blinked in a start, had their teacher... then he chuckled nervously. Of course she hadn't, Ed's mind just wasn't where his was at the moment.

He pulled his pants back on and tightened the belt before following with his boots and tucked the pant legs in. "I should be home earlier tonight," he commented. "Maybe by dessert you'll be able to light the fire place with my glove."

Now that would be something interesting. He should probably practice a little before then. He’d head back to the dorms before getting dinner, that way one, it would look like he’d actually been there, and two, he wouldn’t risk burning anything down in Roy’s house. Just thinking about having to explain that one made him queasy. Oh and he could pick up an extra set of clothes and another note book.

He frowned thinking about what sounded good for dinner…He realized he’d missed lunch. No wonder he was a tad bit hungry. Hmm…He shrugged and finished with his hair. “Sounds good, thanks.”

"We'll have to go out some night," Roy buttoned up his shirt and tucked it in. "A park." He was reluctant to leave any time soon. It was nice to be out from under Hawkeye's attentiveness, though he didn't know what he'd do without her.

He grabbed his uniform top and slipped it on, making sure all was tidy and wrinkles were smoothed with his hands. "How do I look?"

Edward rolled his eyes but smiled, blushing a little. “Edible,” Roy wanted to take him out in public? Could they get away with that? Surely people would see them together and it would pose some wonder. Then again it all depended on what they were doing he supposed.

He walked over to the table and began to close a few books, books he wouldn’t exactly need. He noticed the folder upon the table and frowned, picking it up. “What’s this?”

"Just some reading I thought you'd enjoy," Roy smiled. "I found it this morning. Perhaps you'll find it useful." Picking up his glove from the floor he handed it to Ed. "Be careful with that." Though he wasn't sure, he figured Ed could do flame alchemy without the glove. Perhaps they'd find out tonight.

Ed looked at the glove in surprise. He hesitated a moment before taking it. Forget the reading for a moment, Roy was giving him one of his alchemic gloves and trusting him with it. It was…Wow! “I will, uh are you sure?” He asked meeting Roy’s eyes as ran his fingers over the material.

"Yeah," Roy smiled. "Keep it safe, don't get caught with it..." he didn't have to spell out what that would mean if Ed did get caught with his glove. Though he still wasn't sure how others would take it. There had been relationships formed in Central before. But... better safe than sorry.

Leaning down he kissed Ed gently. "I should go..." But he didn't want to.

Okay, maybe practicing in his dorm would be a bad idea. Ed slipped the glove into his pocket. He smiled into Roy’s kiss and pulled back just enough to speak. “You should…but.” He kissed him slipping his tongue inside his mouth. Roy really should go, god help them if Hawkeye came in with that stern look she gave Roy when he was procrastinating. That was a scary thought and how would she react if she saw them together like this?

He sighed, almost whimpering when he pushed his lover away. “Go so you can get home sooner k?”

Roy smirked and turned to leave. "See you tonight, Ed." He slipped back out the door after unlocking it. If he really wanted to get out early as he had promised he knew he had to focus on the case awaiting him on his desk.

Edward found himself grinning as he packed up his things and the books he wanted to borrow. Quickly, he snatched up his coat and waited a few minutes before leaving the room.

Once back in his dorm, he set everything aside and pulled Roy’s glove from his pocket, running his finger over the red transmutation circle upon the back. It was touching in a strange way that Roy was lending him his glove to practice when he could easily draw the array upon the floor with chalk. He wondered what Al would say about something like this…

He sighed and tore out some note book paper, rolling up like Roy had earlier. It took a few minutes but he had twenty set up along the floor and a pot of water just in case he messed up and started a fire. He could do this, Roy made it look like child’s play and he was the Fullmetal Alchemist, a child prodigy as some said. Should be a walk in the park.

Then he pulled on the glove and took a deep breath, “Here goes,” he muttered to himself and snapped, transmuting. The flame shot to the first cone and…Ooops! It was ash before Ed could do anything else. He chuckled nervously. “Well…that didn’t work.” At least he didn’t blow the room up. Time to try again and not be so cocky.

Edward went though an entire notebook finally getting the hang of it an hour later. It was interesting and exciting and a hell of a lot harder than he’d expected. He decided to practice a little more to get it down perfectly least he disappoint. He wasn’t one to take failure so easily and he’d not given up once before.

When he was content with his practice he cleaned up the room, removing all traces and set about a little house cleaning to pass the time.

About four in the afternoon he gathered up an extra set of clothes, his books, and another notebook. Then he left, locking the door behind him.

Edward sighed as he entered Roy’s town home. First things first he set the food upon the kitchen table, hoping Roy didn’t mind Xingan food. He put his clothes in his suitcase and the books along with the folder upon the coffee table in the living room. Then he checked his pocket watch. It was a little after five…Roy said he’d be early so with that in mind Ed grabbed a few plates from the cupboard and set the food out. He’d bought several different things, pot stickers, broccoli and beef, chicken chow mien… Things he liked. Desert, now that wasn’t at all Xingan and he only wished he could make this like his mother had, but it was strawberry cheese cake.

Time ticked by slowly, crawled with Ed checking his watch nearly twice every five minutes. Well maybe he got held up.

When eight o’clock rolled around Ed was more than annoyed and left the kitchen for the living room. He was bored in the kitchen. “So much for early,” he bit, plopping down upon the sofa and picking up one of the books he’d obtained from the library. Oh it had better be good! Ed half a notion to roast Roy for being late and it was such a shock that it mattered so much to him as it did. He knew unexpected things came up when living life in general and more so in the military, but damn it! Early?! This wasn’t early!

Roy arrived on his door step after taking a ride from Hawkeye a little after 11 at night. Letting himself in he was looking tired and haggard and ready to fall into an exhaustive slumber despite hunger pains. But he hadn't forgotten his promise. In fact it had been on his mind the whole night.

"Ed...?" He called out into the dark house, flicking on a lamp near the doorway where he unbuttoned his uniform top.

Edward’s head snapped up upon hearing his name, he’d dozed off again while waiting for his lover. Yawning, he checked his pocket watch all the while listening to the sounds. Someone was here and he just bet it was Roy. He glared at the watch upon learning that it was after eleven. Early, he said. HA!

His stomach grumbled as he set his book aside and rose from the sofa. He walked with purpose into the foyer with his arms crossed over his chest and a glare that could kill. There he spotted the Flame Alchemist and he looked exhausted. Well too bad, he was late, really late. “So this is early huh?”

Roy sighed. "I'm sorry Ed, something came up..." He didn't want to explain. He was too tired to think of all that had happened today. He took off his uniform top and folded it loosely, setting it on the couch arm as he sat down. He let his head fall back on the couch, "I'll make it up to you."

Edward arched an eyebrow. Oh he wasn’t getting off that easily… “Dinner is cold… What came up?” He asked shortly. “And couldn’t you call? I know we’re hiding this but I’ve been sitting here all evening damn it!”

Roy looked up at Ed with narrowed eyes. He knew it was the exhaustion talking when he snapped, but he didn't care. "The world doesn't start and end with you Ed. I was on a case." He looked away with a frown. "Or maybe you'd have liked me to take a break right before we caught the bastard about to murder a mother's only son. Just to call you Ed. After all how could I go on about my job when you were here starving for my touch?"

Insert foot and swallow Edward. He thought. But Roy had added insult to injury. A case was important but Roy made it seem like he was only here for sex and that just wasn’t true in the least! His amber eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists at his sides.

“Case, great glad you finished it…” He turned for the kitchen. “I know the world doesn’t revolve around me but aren’t I allowed to be concerned when you don’t show up when you say you’re going to show?” He bit, starting to lose his temper. Oh he had to get away before he said something really bad.

He made it as far as the entry way before exploding. “And if you think I’m only here to sleep with you… I’ll…I’ll go home right now!” With that he headed for the bedroom to grab his suit case.

Sighing, Roy stood and followed him. He hadn't meant to snap like that. Especially like that. He should be in a good mood after the kidnapper they’d caught today. They saved the life of a child, though others had to die before they could.

Coming up behind Ed he knew he'd get a fight, and he was tired of fighting. Wrapping his arms around Ed, he expected a struggle as he held him tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm tired." His voice wavered.

Ed lifted his eyes to the ceiling, trying not to turn around and just punch him. He counted to ten like Al had suggested and sighed. He didn’t want to fight, but what he’d said hurt, really hurt. He wasn’t…He wasn’t… “Is that what you think of me? Is that why you think I’m here? That I didn’t mean it when I said I loved you?” He tried to pull away even though he wanted to stay right there in his lover’s arms. “Damn it let go.”

He wasn't going to be an adult about this. He had to face it, when it came to Ed he lost a little common sense and a little dignity. And tonight was no exception. He tightened his embrace and buried his face in the crook of Ed's neck. "No, Ed. That's not what I think of you," he whispered.

Ed tried to pry Roy’s arms from around him, but as soon as he felt his warm breath upon his neck, felt him tighten his arms, he faltered. Damn it! Half of him wanted to just walk away before he was hurt further, before things got more complicated, but they were already terribly complicated, deep. The other half didn’t want to leave in the least, but stay and give in. Damn him to hell he listened to the latter half.

“Then…what do you think?” He wanted to know, needed to know. “And don’t you dare tell me what you think I want to hear. I want the truth!”

Roy sighed against Ed's neck. "I think you're baiting me with a question like that," he replied. "I don't know why you're here." He released Ed, reluctantly. "When you came to me soaking wet that night I had hoped you would stay... and you have. But I have to wonder why sometimes. Am I really worth it, to you?" He pocketed his hands, his eyes barely open from the fatigue.

Ed whirled around, his braid almost smacking him in the face. WHAT?! He thought. Since when did he waste time on anything? Since when did he ever spend time on someone or something that wasn’t worth it? Didn’t he know that by now?! But he’d asked for the truth and he’d better give it in return, fair was fair.

“I don’t know why I wandered here that night. I could have just kept walking but… You idiot!” He grabbed hold of Roy’s shirt, pulling him close. “I stayed because I love you. Maybe that’s messed up but I don’t care!”

It wasn't messed up. And Roy held Ed close in hearing it, one hand cradling Ed's head to his chest, the other around his shoulders. "Let’s get some rest," he whispered after a moment. "It's been a long day."

He crawled onto the bed and lay on his side, not particular about undressing tonight as he closed his eyes. "I'll make it up to you," he murmured.

Ed sighed softly and moved over to the bed. He must really be tired to not even take off his boots. Ed bent over and did it for him then kicked off his own before crawling upon the bed himself. Dinner, books, and alchemy all forgotten, he pulled the blanket around him, moved as close as he could toward Roy and draped it over them both. Then he leaned in close and pressed his lips to Roy’s. “I’m sorry,” He whispered then lay his head down, closing his eyes, and let sleep take him hostage.

"Ed?" He looked around before sitting up on the edge of the bed, still feeling asleep as his vision blurred. He rubbed the sleep crust out of the corners of his eyes and stood. "Ed?" Maybe he was in the kitchen.

He felt so much more awake after a shower and a change out of yesterday's clothes. Wrapping the towel around his hips he wondered what his lover was up to, why he hadn't seen him yet and felt his lips... remembering their fight, or at least bits of it, Roy headed straight to the kitchen. Where Ed wasn't.

He was alone in the house. Frowning, Roy went back to the bedroom to dress. And he noticed Ed's clothes were gone. Suddenly he noticed even Ed's smell wasn't there. Or his books. Or his notes. And the glove he had given him- on his pillow.

Roy whimpered in his sleep, his fingers clutching his pillow to his chest as early morning rays slowly peeked into the bedroom. The side of his face was moist where tears had streamed into the pillow. Dreams that vivid and hurtful didn't deserve to be called dreams.

Ed groaned in annoyance as he was stirred from sleep by some odd sound near by. He turned over, sighing he opened his eyes, blinking from the sun light shining in the room. At first he smiled when he saw Roy but it faded as he remembered last night and his brows furrowed as his mind began to defog from sleep still threatening to claim him again. Was he…

Ed sat up shaking his head. His lover lay there hugging his pillow, cheek streaked with drying tears. Roy was crying? In his sleep? Why? Something wasn’t right. It was kind of scary to see Roy cry. Sure Roy was human with human emotions but it was just…He didn’t think Roy was the type of person to cry. The man was tough.

He reached over and gently shook Roy’s shoulder. “Hey…wake up,” He said sleepily, worriedly. “Roy…wake up.”

Roy sighed as the dream faded. Took a deep breath as he felt himself being shaken, someone telling him to wake up... Ed telling him to wake up. Blinking his eyes open he saw Ed, the light much too bright, and closed them again. "Ed..."

Why was his face wet? He rubbed his cheek against his pillow before pushing it away. He groaned softly as he moved closer to Ed, his head bumping into him before he stopped moving. He smiled sadly, the dream's emotional hold on him slowly fading... but how could he be sad waking up next to Ed. "Go back to sleep," he sighed, rolling onto his back.

Ed blinked a moment. Uh…Okay, that was weird. He thought as he lay down. He frowned, forcing his way closer, resting his head upon Roy’s shoulder, the fabric of his white dress shirt soft against his cheek. Trailing, his hand down Roy’s arm, he found his hand, lacing their fingers together. He didn’t get it in the least, was it some sort of bad dream?

He took a soft breath, nuzzling closer. “What’s wrong?”

Roy was quiet for several moments before he decided to answer. "Just a dream." He wrapped an arm around Ed, shifting the shoulder his lover laid on to do so. "Are we alright, Ed?"

Ed nodded, wetting his lips. “Sorry…” He draped his arm over Roy’s chest, half hugging him. It was a moment before he spoke again, hoping that he wouldn’t be too offensive. He spoke carefully, quietly. “What were you crying about?”

"Was I?" Roy frowned. He remembered the dream, but at the moment it was still much too real for him to want to talk about. "Must have been a bad dream," he shrugged. "Did I wake you?"

Ed didn’t want to let him get away with it but he remembered all the times that Roy had never pushed him to talk about something that bothered him, so he let it go. He could return the favor, besides if and when Roy wanted to disclose that sort of information, he would, and he just had to wait for it.

He lay there for a moment and lifted his head to look into his eyes. He smiled a little. “Yeah, you did.” He grinned moving up a little and leaned down to kiss him gently.

When he came up he pulled his pocket watch from his pants and checked the time. Damn it, not too much time left and he kind of wanted to start the day off right, without a fight, and in the very least make Roy feel better…He thought suddenly about trying to make him something to eat for breakfast.

He frowned. What could he make that was edible in a short period of time…Nothing but toast. “Not enough time…” He muttered slipping his pocket watch back into his pocket. He smiled though, meeting Roy’s eyes again. “You should probably change your uniform before Havoc gets here.” He leaned down and kissed him again, lovingly, tenderly. When he pulled away, just enough to brush his lips against Roy’s he whispered, “I love you Roy, don’t forget.” He figured after all that was said last night maybe Roy needed to hear it more often no matter how exposed and vulnerable it made him feel.

Roy smiled against his lips and pulled him in for another deep kiss, his tongue sweeping his mouth before he pulled back. "I worked very late yesterday... very late," he hmmed. "And solved a case." He tsked, looking at his lover's watch. He had already made the arrangements to take some time off last night, but he enjoyed teasing Ed.

"Some how, I think I should stay here today and make up last night to you. But I don't know..." he sighed as he pushed Ed away to sit up and began to unbutton his dress shirt. "I'd hate to lose a promotion for taking time off."

Ed sighed, rolling his eyes. Again with the promotions, did he ever stop? It would be great to have Roy to himself all day long and he would like that so much… He moved to his knees, behind him, and draped his arms over his shoulders. “Well if you have to leave I guess I can find something else to do. I’ll try not to burn your house down like my dorm…didn’t you hear about that?” He smiled and kissed Roy’s cheek. “Just kidding, I didn’t burn anything down at all or set anything on fire unless you count the entire note book I went through.” He swatted Roy’s hands away from the buttons and took over.

Roy chuckled and put his hands on the bed to let Ed finish. "Then I guess I'm going to have to take today off to teach you how to control yourself," he turned his head and smirked at Ed. His stomach gurgled, making him perk a brow and turn slightly red. Colonel Roy Mustang's stomach wasn't supposed to gurgle at inappropriate moments.

Edward paused on the last button, hearing the rumbling of a stomach not his own. For a moment he just blinked then he snickered, pulling the shirt open and down Roy’s shoulders. He knew he’d not put the food up last night so that was out. In fact he’d better take care of it soon and come to think of it he was a little hungry himself.

“Then shouldn’t you call in…” He frowned, thinking as much as he wanted Roy to stay home today, was even excited that he’d mentioned it; he didn’t want to have to hide in case Hawkeye came to drag Roy into the office.

He sighed. “Maybe I should go clean up my books and notes in case Lt. Hawkeye comes to drag your ass in.” He put on a smile. “I don’t want her to shoot me for keeping you.”

"Relax Ed," Roy chuckled. "I made the arrangements last night." He smiled, pulling his arms free of the sleeves as he looked at Ed over his shoulder. "Really, you worry too much."

Standing up he worked a kink in his back out with a quick stretch, groaning as he relaxed from the stretch. "Hungry as I am, I don't think I can eat before showering," he sighed and grabbed his robe off the chair. "Join me at your own risk," he chuckled, casting Ed a knowing look.

Made arrangements last night? Edward closed his eyes a moment. He’d been teasing… He needed to stop taking people so literal. Wait a minute…He grinned at the thought of Roy in the shower. “My own risk? You’re the one who’s harmless in water.”

Ed left the bed, pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the floor. He followed Roy in to the bathroom, unbraiding his hair along the way.

"Harmless? Just wait," Roy's eyes gleamed. His shower served as both a tub and shower and was snugly attached to a wall. He closed the door to trap any steam and then walked over to turn the faucets on, letting the water warm up while he unbelted his pants.

"We really shouldn't on empty stomachs," he tsked but he wasn't serious, and it showed between his legs. Stepping into the tub he held the curtain open for Ed.

Edward kicked out of his pants, almost losing his balance. He stepped in and gave Roy a smirk of his own. “Do what… take a simple shower?” He reached back for the shampoo, letting his eyes roam his lovers toned body. “Shouldn’t take up too much energy and if you collapse.” He snickered. “I’m sure I could be persuaded to bring you something to eat…Maybe.”

"Don't play innocent with me," Roy leaned in closely. "You should know better." He pressed his mouth to Ed's, his tongue not waiting for an invitation as he kissed him deeply. Bending his knees slightly, he reached down and gripped Ed behind his thighs, lifting Ed up to straddle his hips as he pressed his lover to the wall.

Ed gasped in surprise, dropping the shampoo to grab hold of Roy. He shivered as his bare skin met the cool tile. Well this wasn’t beating around the bush in the least. He closed his eyes, humming into the kiss before pulling back with a gleam in his eyes to take a breath. Then he kissed him back, this time fighting for dominance and catching hold of Roy’s tongue gently between his teeth. From there he sucked upon it, relishing his taste.

Roy groaned into his mouth. But he wasn't going to give in so easily. Fumbling a hand to his left he searched and finally grappled the bottle of conditioner he was looking for. It wasn't oil or lubricant, but it was slick and oil based... Roy hoped it was good enough as he popped it open, spurting a generous amount onto his fingers.

He reached beneath Ed's hips, gasping as he partially coated his member with the cold conditioner. Then he moved his hand up, smearing the rest between Ed's cheeks.

The cold…was that…what was that? Ed wondered squirming a little. It felt like…Oh, by the smell it was conditioner. Uh…well he supposed that would be a good substitute. A little odd though, cold like the wall behind him and his auto-mail.

Ed smiled a little, letting Roy’s tongue go and kissing his chin. He moved down to his neck and bit him, though this time he abandoned all gentleness. He didn’t bite hard enough to break skin, just enough to leave a welt. He tasted warm, a little sweet and salty. Then he moved to Roy’s shoulder biting it as well, once again leaving a welt.

Roy tilted his chin up, gasping as Ed left marks along his neck and shoulder. They felt good despite the initial pain. Something that would stick around for hours, days if they bruised well. "Marking your territory, Ed?" His voice was husky as he asked.

Lifting and supporting one of Ed's thighs, Roy drew his own hips back and reached under to guide himself with his other hand. He hadn't prepared Ed and he hoped that wasn't a mistake as he pressed his crown at Ed's tight pucker. He pushed gently a moment before he felt Ed open slightly as his crown begin to slip in.

Edward’s fingers dug into Roy’s shoulders as he felt Roy enter him. His body tensed and he gasped, whimpering softly. It hurt and oddly enough…it felt good, arousing even. He wiggled, trying to get him in deeper and that was pleasantly painful as well.

He bit a new place upon Roy’s shoulder then lapped up the droll he left behind. “Roy…” He struggled a little with this, but he wanted… “Don’t be gentle this time.”

His wiggling made Roy grit his teeth. That felt good. Too good. And his whimpering... it had to hurt, but Ed wasn't stopping.

Roy paused then, had he heard that right? All the blood pounding in his ears, nothing more. He looked at Ed. Maybe it was just his imagination but... "Ed, do you... you mean?" He pushed deeper with a groan. "Are you sure?" He'd never asked for this before.

Ed gasped, holding back a whimper. He just wanted…Why did he have to ask? It was a little uncomfortable for him to ask in the first place. He didn’t know if…If Roy would be open to something like this. But he’d…He’d had fantasies, darker and involving certain things or what some people might find dirty about Roy doing things to him that he wouldn’t dare utter out loud.

He met his lover’s eyes and almost looked away but nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah,”

Something changed in his eyes as he looked at Ed, as he agreed to do this for his lover. His already ash colored eyes grew even darker before he claimed Ed's mouth in a fierce kiss. He didn't wait or get him accustomed to it but began driving himself into Ed immediately. His thrusts were brutal and hard against Ed, ramming himself into his lover as if he didn't know him, didn't care for him...

But he did care. And he did know. Everyone had a dark side. He knew Ed's had to have come out eventually. He'd give Ed what he needed because he cared... but part of him was questioning if he wasn't taking it too far.

Holding onto one thigh to keep Ed up against the wall, he raised his other hand to tangle into Ed's hair. He gripped his hair in a fist, not letting him move his head away as he invaded his mouth with a bruising kiss. If it could be called a kiss, his tongue fucking his lover's mouth the way he was fucking his body.

Groaning, whimpering and gasping into Roy’s mouth, Ed’s fingers clawed at his shoulders, hands grasping. He couldn’t move his head in the least, not with Roy holding him still and his trusting…Oh god! He couldn’t get enough of it and tried to meet him. The pain and pleasure mixed together felt so exquisite.

He shuddered feeling that coiling feeling begin to build and managed to move his head enough to break the kiss. “Haa…bite me…uhh…” He panted digging his fingers harder into his lover’s shoulders.

His ring was so tight, tighter than usual, around his cock. It was torture but Roy was helpless not to love it. They had just begun but he knew Ed was close, knew he was going to slip and fall any moment now. As Ed wrenched his head free, Roy grabbed his thigh and lifted it higher onto his side which changed the angle; just enough, that he was thrusting into.

He was growing slippery, and Roy dug in that much more to keep him up on the tile wall. Dug in with his hips, his hands under his thighs, and his teeth as requested. Lowering his head he inhaled, sounding more like an animal as it came out in a harsh snort before he bit down on a sensitive tendon.

He bucked now, harder, as he worked the tendon back and forth in between his teeth. His own moans were growls as he climbed that ladder with Ed, muffled next to his lover's flesh until he tore free with a loud moan as it hit him. His hips slowed as he trembled, bucking once, shaking. Again, crying out and slipping on the tub floor. Harder, buried deep but softening and then slumping forward, his hold on Ed weakening.

Ed cried out when he was lifted higher, the angle a little different. Roy bit him and he closed his eyes with another cry, his lover’s teeth sharp. The coiling was coming faster now and he gave up trying to hold back, he just couldn’t, all he could really do was hang on to keep from falling or slipping and he didn’t want to slip away from this, from Roy before… His body began to shake and shudder violently. Screaming loudly, his mind going blank as he came more aggressively than ever, Ed was lost somewhere, floating on waves of ecstasy.

He clung to his lover weakly as he came back, trembling, panting, almost sobbing. He’d never…He didn’t want to fall, didn’t want him to let go. He wrapped his legs around his waist, wrapped his arms around his shoulders like a life line, his rear pleasantly sore and aching, throbbing. “…Roy.” He managed after a moment. He tightened his arms turning his head to bury his face in the crook of his neck. “Don’t…let go, not yet…” He was still coming down and didn’t want Roy to push him away or leave his body just yet.

Breathing hard, Roy could only nod numbly and rest his head against Ed's. He wasn't going to go anywhere after that. Still buried inside Ed's warmth, still one with his other half... pulling away from the wall slightly he wrapped an arm around Ed's shoulders tightly. His legs shook as he did so but he lowered them both to the tub's floor, his body relaxing with something to lean his back against.

The hot shower continued to pour over them, steam billowing up over the curtain rod as Roy held Ed close. He stroked his back slowly and nuzzled his hair gently. He couldn't remember the last time he'd come like that, or felt like this afterwards... he never felt so attached or satisfied. He was in over his head, and he hadn't a clue what he was going to do if it was taken from him...

Between the soothing warm water and Roy’s slow gentle hand rubbing his back…Ed’s eyes began to droop a little, his body sated and calming down, a little sore and still throbbing a little, but he didn’t mind in the least. He didn’t want to sleep now he wanted to stay awake.

He sighed a contented sigh and moved his flesh hand to brush his wet bangs from his face then lay his hand gently upon his lover’s shoulder, letting his fingers trace over the welts he’d left behind. He hoped he’d not hurt him but remembering Roy’s question from earlier, yes he supposed he had been marking his territory. Roy was his; he wanted him, all of him. He wanted to know everything; every secret, fear, joy; everything and he’d wait patiently for his lover to tell him and show him, let him in.

Edward still wanted to know what it was that had made someone as strong and seemingly unbreakable as Roy cry. In his mind even with all the fighting, teasing, bickering, and annoyance, he’d always believed nothing could faze the Flame Alchemist he secretly admired. Nothing could make him hurt or cry. Maybe that’s why seeing it this morning was so frightening. Perhaps there were things that hurt him, he was human after all, not made of stone but flesh and blood and had the same feelings and emotions as everyone else.

He smiled a little at that thought letting his eyes close, not so unbendable, not so unreachable and if anyone tried to take him away he’d fight them off with all he had. He nuzzled Roy’s neck before lifting his head and kissed Roy’s lips gently. The little movement caused some discomfort but nothing that warranted any sound or a wince.

Roy sighed, between the warm water and very contented body he didn't want to move. But his stomach was complaining to the point of making him feel light headed; especially after what he had just done... he smiled, kissing Ed slowly. "That was nice," he murmured softly, ignoring the hunger pains for the moment. He hoped he hadn't hurt Ed, but he knew by now that what they had just done wasn't something to be discussed, just accepted and cherished.

Edward nodded, “Mmm hmm,” he said softly, leaning forward a little more to kiss him again. His own stomach growled at him accompanying the little protests Roy’s was making. He snorted and kissed his lover again.

“We should probably eat something before you pass out but I don’t want to get up.” He turned his head looking for the shampoo. How Roy had managed to not step on it was beyond him, but he reached over to pick it up, the movement combined with Roy still inside of him made him shiver and gasp softly. Still he picked up the bottle and sat up stifling a moan. It felt good, really good and he nearly abandoned the shampoo.

He smiled, popping the lid and squeezing out a little into his hand. Then he set the bottle aside and began to work the goop into Roy’s hair gently, leaning in again to kiss him, slipping his tongue into Roy’s warm mouth.

Tilting his chin up slightly to prevent any suds from slipping down into his eyes, he hummed into Ed's kiss. Ed's fingers in his hair and massaging his scalp gave him a shiver down his spine that he couldn't quite still. He didn't have the energy to start anything so soon, but he knew if he had the energy that his lover's fingers in his hair would be enough to start it again.

"We have to get up if you want my hair rinsed," Roy smirked as they broke apart.

He waited until he was satisfied Roy’s hair was adequately soapy before rinsing his hand. It took a moment but he finally got his legs unwrapped from around his lovers waist, the movement of it making him whimper softly. Ed rested his hands upon Roy’s shoulders and gently lifted himself up, gasping as he left his lover’s body. It hurt a little, but he didn’t mind in the least, mourned the loss of their joined bodies. His legs trembled a little, but he finally stood, picking up the shampoo for him self and setting it back in its place for a moment later.

Ed smiled, holding out a hand to Roy. “Come on, up.”

Taking Ed's hand Roy stood, the strength in his legs returning though he still felt them trying to shake. He turned away from the shower's spray and tilted his head back to rinse the shampoo out with a brief massage from his own fingers.

"You're pretty good with your auto-mail, I had forgotten about it..." He perked a brow, surprised Ed hadn't ripped a good portion of his scalp out moments ago now that he thought on it.

Edward looked at his auto-mail hand, flexing his fingers a moment. He smiled a little sadly to himself. Then he reached back to grab the shampoo and poured some into his flesh hand and returned the bottle its place. Working the shampoo into his long blonde hair, he shrugged. “I guess…took me awhile to get used to it. I used to get my hair caught in it and Al would have to rescue me from making it worse.”

The sadness that passed over his lover's face didn't go unseen. Roy waited for Ed to start before he stepped in close and gently pushed his hands down. Smoothing his bangs back away from his face Roy began to massage the shampoo into his hair and scalp, turning Ed so he could get to his longer strands.

"Did you get anything else caught in it?" Roy hid a smirk as he made sure to scrub the hair behind Ed's ears and along his nape.

Letting his eyes close, Ed smiled. That felt so good, so relaxing… Was Roy good at everything he did? “Haven’t you noticed my red coat or black jacket? I get my sleeves caught in it sometimes and it tears. I can’t really remember anything else, but probably in the beginning before I got use to handling things.” He snorted. “I once broke a vase because I squeezed it too hard. Winry had a fit…” He sighed.

“I can’t feel warmth or textures like with my flesh hand. I can feel pressure and it doesn’t hurt if someone hits it or if I bump into something. It’s kind of nice sometimes. I can punch someone and not worry about my knuckles hurting.”

Roy smiled as he finished up by rubbing the last few inches of his hair between his hands and then, after pausing a moment, drew Ed into the stream of warm water to rinse his hair out. He gently scrubbed his hair from the top of his forehead, moving over his head to his ears and then down his back. He did it again to make sure all suds were accounted for.

This was nice and the pains in his stomach were forgotten as he turned the bottle of conditioner upside down and squeezed some into his hand. He rarely used it himself, he rarely needed it, but with Ed's long hair he knew he wanted to comb these strands and not have to fight Ed about it because he was hurting his lover. So he quickly worked it into his hair before then going over it again with a slower massage to work it in.

Edward blushed. He knew he was never going to be able to look at another bottle of conditioner, smell the substance ever again with out having fond memories. He just hoped he didn’t blush around Al when thinking about it, Al might tease him or ask why he was blushing over conditioner… No, he wouldn’t be able to explain it! There were some things you just didn’t tell your brother even if he was your best friend and you told him everything.

He sighed contentedly about to speak when he sneezed and sneezed once again. “Ugh,” He grumbled then glared. “Someone is talking about me behind my back again.”

Roy chuckled at his superstition. "Ed, you're an alchemist. You really believe in that?" He began to rinse out the conditioner beneath the spray of water.

Ed shrugged scratching his nose. It did sound rather silly come to think of it. “Scientifically no, but on a sentimental and nostalgic standpoint yes, my Mom used to say that. I have no idea where she got it. I have only heard her say that. There has to be something weird that you believe in?”

Smiling fondly, Roy turned his lover around. "I haven't thought about it in a long time. Let me think about it and I'll let you know," he didn't often think about the past. It brought up unpleasantness most of the time.

Grabbing the bar of soap Roy sniffed it slightly before pressing it to Ed's chest. "Do you mind a massage while I wash you?" He began to gently massage Ed's shoulders as he lathered them.

“Guess I don’t have much of a choice,” Ed smiled. It felt really good to have someone rub his shoulder, well the real one anyway. And Roy was gentle, like always. He started to wonder what was up, Roy was being really nice…Or maybe there wasn’t some sort of catch, maybe he just wanted to be nice. It was strange; he’d been relatively nice in the last few days aside from the two arguments and Ed hadn’t really had this much attention focused solely on him in…He couldn’t remember. It was kind of nice.

“Keep this up and I’ll fall asleep in here,” He half whispered, leaning in closer to rest his head upon his lover’s chest, placing a light kiss there before hand.

Roy chuckled and moved his hands down Ed's flesh arm to his hand with the soap. "We can't have that, it's barely morning and we have all day together," he nearly purred as he soaped Ed's torso. Curious, he ran the soap lower, gently scrubbing Ed's groin.

Gasping, Ed lifted his head. That wasn’t fair and he was…becoming aroused again! But it wasn’t like he was going to tell him to stop. He rested his auto-mail hand upon Roy’s shoulder and the other he trailed down his lover’s chest. He decided he wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon.

“Mmm…cheater,” He smiled and danced his finger tips over Roy’s member. Two could play this game; he just wished he had soap.

Chuckling, Roy pushed Ed's hand away. "Not yet, Ed," he gently chided as he continued down Ed's thighs, kneeling in front of him to wash his legs and feet. "There's something I want to show you... but first let me wash your back," he turned Ed and scrubbed down his back, running his fingers between his cheeks to tease his puckered hole briefly.

Putting the soap back in its place Roy opened the curtain and stepped out onto the rug. "Rinse yourself off; I'm going to grab something." He hadn't expected Ed to be so responsive after the near beating he'd just had, but this was good...

Ed frowned, backing into the stream of water. What in the world did he need in the shower? He sighed and made sure he was rinsed then stood under the warm water just enjoying how nice it felt. This was probably the longest he’d spent in the shower in a long time as he’d always been about getting it done and getting out.

Suddenly he remembered to wash his face and did so quickly, hoping to be finished before Roy returned with what ever he’d gone after.