Full Metal Alchemist, "Empty Nest 19: Nesting," A/D, E/R, F/W, NC-17
Ok, written mostly at Ohayocon, here we have chapter nineteen of Empty Nest. Al came up to me during the AMV competition (Russel was in one of the AMVs, by the way ... I nearly yanked Abi bald when he showed up on screen) and informed me that he was in control of this chapter, so if you don’t like it, blame him, not me.
There’s a lot of porn in this chapter. Like more than in fourteen, I think. Dunno.
NC-17 therefore, and if Fletcher loving Winry upsets you, skip this chapter and leave me a comment asking for a summary do a search for “His brain was fuzzing out” and start reading from there. If you’ve read this far in the arc, this is not a chapter to miss.
Have fun with it. I know I did. And I’m really sorry for everything. Really.
Oh, and it’s dedicated to sailormac, lifeinahole27, musemachine, and jo_monk, all of whom I met at Ohayocon and who are AMAZING. *big smooch*
And other parts, added before I forgot to add them, go me!
Prologue: Prodigal Sons
Chapter 1: Awakening
Chapter 1.5: A Matter of Pride
Chapter 2: True Test
Chapter 3: Amestris Pie
Chapter 4: Waiting
Chapter 5: Allowance
Chapter 6: Change
Chapter 7: Truce
Chapter 8: Out Alone
Chapter 9: Growing Pains
Chapter 10: Resentment
Chapter 11: Back to Normal
Chapter 12: Perspective
Chapter 13: Understanding
Chapter 14: Distraction
Chapter 15: Silence
Chapter 16: Choose
Chapter 17: Bonds
Chapter 18: Healing
[Chapter 19: Nesting]
Chapter 20: The Morning After
Chapter 21: Reaction
Chapter 22: Aftershocks
Chapter 23: Goodbye
Chapter 24: Memory
Epilogue: Family
Empty Nest
Chapter Nineteen
Nesting
by Mistress Quickly
Fletcher stretched and dropped his bag, locking the door to the apartment he shared with his lover before bending to untie his shoes, wincing at the stiffness of his back, sore from bending over his experiments all day.
“Fletch, is that you?”
“Yeah,” said Fletcher, standing and nudging his shoes to the side with his toe. “Sorry I’m late. Got to talking with one of the guys in my lab and lost track of time.” He made his way into the bedroom, smiling at the sight of his girlfriend arguing her hair out of the tightly braided bun she’d worn it in since her shower early that morning, just before leaving for the Clinic.
“That’s fine,” she said. “Your brother called a few minutes after I got home. Said he’d call again tonight after dinner.” She looked over her shoulder at Fletcher, who was flopped untidily across the bed. “He sounded really happy, too. I’m not sure I understand how someone could be happy, married to Edward Elric, but at least he is, right?”
“You know,” said Fletcher, lifting his head to watch Winry brush her long hair, kinked from being bound, “much as I love my brother, I will never understand him.”
Winry’s reflection arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh? How’s that?”
Fletcher grinned and slid off the bed, padding across the soft carpet to stand right behind his girlfriend, slipping his hands up her body to cup her breasts through the tube-top she wore under her uniform. “I’d still love you if you were a guy,” he said, lips brushing her bare shoulder, “but I would really miss these.”
Winry laughed. “You’re saying Ed would be a better husband for your brother if he had boobs?”
“Ew, no,” said Fletcher, shuddering. “I don’t think Brother’s ever really noticed breasts, to be honest. He’s always been more interested in looking at guys from the back.”
Winry set her brush on the dresser and turned, draping her arms over her boyfriend’s shoulders. “Do I want to know how you know that?” she said.
“I have two eyes that work, and I’ve been around my brother almost constantly for the past ... well, all of my life,” said Fletcher.
“Ah, that explains it,” said Winry. “Well, I’m with him on that one. You have the cutest butt, Fletch. I’ll admit to staring at it.”
Fletcher blushed. “Yours is nice, too. Makes ogling you very convenient, since you’re attractive no matter how I look at you.”
Winry’s eyes narrowed. “Fletcher Dominic Tringham,” she said, “are you buttering me up?”
“No!” said Fletcher. “I just like looking at you, is all.”
Winry leant closer. “You know,” she said, “you’ll get head faster if you say you’re buttering me up. I don’t mind it, really.”
“Oh,” said Fletcher. “Then yes, by all means, I am buttering you up.”
“Good boy,” said Winry, kissing him gently on the lips. She pulled away and sauntered over to the bed, flopping onto the soft comforter with a heavy sigh, eyes closed, spreading her legs in invitation until Fletcher licked his lips and followed her, prowling up from the foot of the bed to kneel between her legs, stroking her sides from the bottom of her bra to the waistline of her panties, then back up again, bending to kiss her bellybutton, just to make her squirm.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, shifting to lie beside her, stroking her cheek as he drew her close for a kiss. “I remember the first time I saw you, that time you came with Al to visit us because you wanted to meet my brother. You were so strong, so witty, so incredibly beautiful, I just ...” He shook his head and kissed her deeply, fingers tangling in her hair.
Winry sighed and rolled them, straddling Fletcher’s thighs, her long hair hanging around them like a curtain. “You know,” she said, “I almost didn’t make that trip. Chickened out at the very last minute, and it was Grandma who made me go. Said I’d be abandoning Al if I didn’t go like I’d said I would.”
“Why didn’t you want to come?” said Fletcher.
Winry shrugged. “Scared, I guess,” she said. “After Ed disappeared, I kind of sealed myself off from the world. I visited Al when he was still living with his Sensei, traveled to Central once to see Scheiska, but ... I don’t know. I’d already lost everyone but Grandma. Didn’t want to meet more people who could end up dying or going away.”
Fletcher blinked at her, then reached up and tenderly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m glad you came to see us,” he said quietly. “I’m glad you asked me to come here with you.” He turned his face and pressed a soft kiss to her arm, then arched up and kissed her shoulder, her neck, her chin, her lips. “And you’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere, Winry. Not without you.”
“I’m glad,” said Winry, kissing the tip of his nose. “I’m pretty fond of you, Fletcher.”
Fletcher laughed. “I’m pretty fond of you, too,” he said.
He hooked his hands under his girlfriend’s arms and tugged her down, kissing her lips until he felt her tongue brushing his lower lip, then he opened his mouth and let her in, let her control the kiss, deep and powerful and perfect, just like the girl herself. Moaning softly, he slid his fingers down to the top of her bra, feeling along the elastic to the clasp in the back. Gently, he worked it open, a skill he’d sharpened over years of sneaking around under his brother’s and Pinako’s radar, learning and enjoying the body of the woman he loved. When the soft cotton dropped onto his chest, he trailed his fingers around to Winry’s breasts, cupping them gently before catching her nipples in the join of his thumb and palm, pinching enough to make Winry squeal and wiggle, pulling away from the kiss and arching her back, giving him better access.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. Then he sat up and wrapped his arms around her, covering the nipple of her left breast with his mouth, licking and sucking and biting her until the tip hardened, switching to the other when he felt her tug his hair gently, a wordless request. He watched her, his mouth teasing her nipple, one hand slipping into the back of her underwear to stroke the soft curve of her butt. Watched her lick her lips, eyes closed and cheeks flushed with pleasure, pale throat beautifully exposed. When she opened her eyes and looked down at him, he released her breast and arched up, kissing her hard before rolling her onto her back, tugging her panties down her legs and pushing her thighs apart, licking his lips in anticipation.
Winry kicked off her panties, nudging them over the side of the bed with her toe. “Please,” she said, firm and commanding for all the softness of her tone.
“My pleasure,” said Fletcher. He slid the pad of his thumb over her clit, rubbing her as he spread her open with his other thumb, bending to lick her just as her panting began to turn into moaning.
“Fletcher, oh Fletch that’s good,” she said, bucking her hips a little, fingers stroking his hair. “Fingers. Please.”
“Mmm,” said Fletcher, shifting to hold her open with the fingers of one hand, stroking down to her entrance with the other, teasing her with the pads of his fingers only a moment before pressing his index and middle fingers inside, thrusting slowly until they were all the way in, then hooking them a little as he moved them steadily in and out, closing his eyes and imagining how she would feel around his cock, fantasizing about the warmth and the wetness surrounding his fingers, the tight suction of her body.
Soon, he was breathing as hard as she was, his rhythm speeding to the tempo he wanted so desperately to feel around his cock, his mouth kissing her clit as hard as he fantasized about kissing her mouth while making love to her, the sound of her pleasure falling around him like rain.
And then it was over. Her fingers tightened in his hair, she gasped Don’t stop in a way that sounded more like a threat than a plea, then she tightened, her muscles quivering and clenching around his fingers, head thrown back in a deep, throaty cry of ecstasy. He licked until she begged him to stop, then sat up and licked his fingers clean, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Started to say something about how much he loved hearing her come, but his words were cut off by his lover’s mouth, kissing him hard as she roughly unfastened his trousers, strong hands flipping him over as she stripped him, just enough that she could wrap her mouth around the head of his cock, thrusting him into her throat as deeply as she could take him.
“Ah! Winry!” he gasped, pushing himself up onto his elbows so that he could watch her suck on him, her kiss-swollen lips wrapped tightly around his length. “Ngh you are good at that ...”
Winry didn’t respond, focused entirely on the task of pleasuring her lover. The intensity of her expression, the firmness of her touch, drove Fletcher wild, his arms giving out under him, sending him flopping back into the soft embrace of the comforter, hips bucking as much as Winry’s grip on them would allow, balls tightening as she sucked him closer and closer to release.
“I’m close, Winry,” he whispered. “Soon ... oh just a little more, oh please, please, please ...”
His brain was fuzzing out, his balls throbbing, body tight with pleasure. When the phone rang, it was such bad timing, so very annoying, that Fletcher didn’t merely ignore it. Fletcher growled and knocked the phone to the floor, then cried out and came, screaming Winry’s name as the girl held him between her lips and swallowed, licking him clean once the pulses had abated. Panting, he dragged her up his body and kissed her, the flavor of her pleasure mixing with the flavor of his own, bitter and salty and deeply satisfying.
“Love you,” he gasped, resting his forehead against hers. “Love you so much.”
Winry smiled. “I love you too, Fletch.”
“I love you two too, but not like that,” said a voice from the floor. Fletcher and Winry looked at each other, then peered over the side of the bed, Winry cackling with laughter at the sight of her lover scrabbling to pick up the phone’s receiver, which was lying a good six inches from the base, the boy’s face glowing red.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Fletcher,” said Al. “Looks like my knack for bad timing hasn’t gotten rusty. Sorry for interrupting you two.”
Fletcher couldn’t turn any deeper red, so he moaned in embarrassment instead. “I knocked the phone off the hook,” he said. “Didn’t think it’d ... I don’t know. Didn’t really think, I guess.”
Al laughed. “I’m glad you two are enjoying your apartment, and before you even ask, no I’m not going to tell your brother. Or mine, for that matter, because Brother’s mouth is so big, all of Central would know by tomorrow morning if I told him. No promises on Danny, though. I might have to tell him.”
“He breathes a word to anyone, I kill him,” said Winry, standing and stretching, lazily slipping into her bathrobe. “Tell him that.”
Fletcher chuckled. “I trust you, Al,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Nothing so important as to interrupt your time with Winry,” said Al. “I can call you later.”
Fletcher looked across the room to Winry, who was hunched over the table, frowning at her notebook, pencil flying over her latest design. “Not necessary,” he said. “Sex inspires Winry, so she’s sketching. I’m just an accessory, really.”
Al laughed. “Well that explains why she’s had such success these past few years. Thought you two were waiting, though.”
“Oh we are,” said Fletcher. “You think she’s brilliant now, just wait until we’re married and I can properly inspire her.” He laughed. “Sorry. That was crude.”
“Fletch, you’re my best friend,” said Al, “and I just listened to you screaming my other best friend’s name in ecstasy at the top of your lungs. Telling me that you’re eventually going to have sex with Winry is not crude. That’s out of context, Russel.”
Fletcher perked up. “My brother’s there?”
“Yeah,” said Al. “Want to talk to him?”
“Yeah!” said Fletcher, bouncing up and down a little.
There was some shuffling, some muffled talking, then: “Hi, Fletcher.”
“Hi, Brother! How are you?”
Winry smiled and returned to her work. Whatever you have to tell him will just have to wait, Al, she thought. Nothing comes between Fletcher and his big brother.
And somehow, she figured Al would understand, just as much as he wouldn’t mind.
~*~*~*~
“That was quick,” said Edward, looking up from the book he’d been reading. “Everything okay?”
Al nodded. “Russel walked by,” he said, simply.
“Ah,” said Edward. “Did you even get to tell him about Danny?”
“Nah,” said Al. “He was in the middle of something when I called, then Russel came in, so I didn’t get a chance. But that’s okay, I’ll tell him sometime.”
Edward shrugged. “The longer you wait to tell Winry you’re dating a nurse-to-be, the longer you can keep Danny out of her clutches. She really likes Danny, gets along well with him.”
Al beamed. “He’s a nice guy. People can’t help but like him.” Then he saw the look his brother shot him and added, “Well, usually.”
“And you do realize that it’ll be his undoing that he’s so likeable, right?” said Edward. “Winry’s so used to having Grandma around, she’ll be really picky about the nurses and doctors she works with. If she wants Danny, she’ll get him or beat half of Amestris with her wrench trying.”
“Probably,” said Al, snickering. “Oh well, she can’t have him. I like that he’s working at Central Hospital. Means I can still be close to him.”
Edward nodded. “Works out perfectly,” he said. “Is he coming over for dinner tonight? I know you’re going into the city to see his new place, but what about after?”
Al shrugged. “Danny and I were planning to just grab something quick when we take a break from unpacking,” he said. “But if you’d prefer we not do that, we can wait. Just we’ll be back kind of late, so ...”
“Ah,” said Edward. “Russ and I will just whip something up, then. I’ve had pretty good luck with noodles lately, so we won’t starve or anything.”
Al laughed. “Russel’s not half-bad at cooking, Brother, and neither are you. You just say stuff like that to guilt me into cooking for you.”
“Yeah, so?” said Edward, waggling his eyebrows. “Is it working?”
“Sure,” said Al. “I’ve got time to make something before I have to go. What do you want?”
Edward laughed and stood, tugging his brother close. “I was joking, jeez,” he said. “You’re too good to me, Al. Get out of here, let me know when you get home, call if Danny’s not coming back so I can meet you at the station. Got that?”
“Got it,” said Al. “Make sure Russel doesn’t forget to oil your arm tonight, and get that dough out of the freezer if you want me to make rolls tomorrow.” Then he stepped back, grinning, and hurried into the hall, wobbling as he wiggled into his shoes.
“Thanks,” said Edward. “Don’t know what I’d do without you, Al.”
Al laughed and shook his head. “Bye, Brother.”
“Bye, Al. Be safe.”
Al nodded. “Always,” he said. Then he was gone, the house unusually quiet around Edward as the man sunk his hands into the pockets of his lounging pants, shoulders hunched under his ears. Russel’s hand on his neck surprised him, so much so that he jumped, making the younger man laugh.
“He seems happy,” he said, bending to kiss Edward’s lips.
“He is,” said Edward. “In love with an idiot, but happy that way, so it’s okay.”
Russel chuckled softly. “Well, you are too, Ed, but no-one’s stopping you from staying with me.”
It took a minute, but when Edward realized it was a joke, he laughed and wrapped his arms around his husband, head resting on Russel’s strong shoulder. “You’re not an idiot, Russ,” he said. “You’re amazing. And I love you.”
“I love you, too,” said Russel. “Heard Al say it’s time for me to lube your arm. Want to go have a bath so you’ll be all clean when I do it?”
Edward shrugged. “Sure,” he said. “Doesn’t really make any difference, though, if it’s clean or not.”
“No,” said Russel, “but it does give you an excuse to lube me first. Maybe not my arm, and definitely not Automail oil, but hey, it’s Equivalent Trade enough, right?”
Edward laughed. “Works for me,” he said. “Most definitely.”
Then he turned his back on the falling darkness and led his husband up the stairs to the bath, wiggling his hips just a little more than usual as he walked, the quiet of the house forgotten as Russel smacked his butt and tackled him at the top of the stairs, his husband’s warm weight and talented tongue narrowing the world to nothing but the two of them, to nothing but their lust and love.
When Russel pressed a bottle of lube into Edward’s hand, blushing a little, Edward rolled his eyes.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been carrying that with you all day,” he said.
“Want me to lie?” said Russel.
Edward snorted. “No, I don’t want you to lie, I want you to strip,” he said. “Needed to break in the hallway anyway.”
“Mmm, yes we did,” said Russel. And as he stripped out of his suspenders and shirt, trousers and briefs, he was smiling, beautiful and relaxed, more the man Edward remembered marrying than he’d been in weeks.
“Love you,” Edward whispered as he lay his husband down and began stretching and wetting him, kissing him gently wherever he could, licking and biting just to see Russel squirm.
“Love you, too,” panted Russel, spreading his legs farther apart.
The words echoed around them as they began to make love, alone in the darkness and warmth of each other, soothing unspoken pain with love and tenderness, stroking and loving and coming, forgetting the loneliness of their home in the afterglow of ecstasy.
Even if only for little awhile.
~*~*~*~
Danny’s apartment building was just as Danny had described it as Al had walked him to the station earlier that afternoon, old brick with wrought iron handrails on the stairs, the apartment itself small but cozy, glowing with warm light from the ceiling lamps, comfortably messy with boxes strewn about in various states of unpacking.
For all the building’s charm, however, it was Danny himself, tired-looking but smiling, dressed in an old, ripped t-shirt and cut-off sweatpants, that Al found to be breathtakingly beautiful, the man’s hair hanging limply about his face, a shy sort of smile curving his lips as he stepped back and invited Al in, stuttering a little as he said:
“This is my new home.”
Al couldn’t resist. He knew it was impolite to not want a tour of his lover’s new home, rude to want nothing more than the comfort of his lover’s mouth, but he wound his arms around Danny’s neck and kissed him anyway, no longer worrying about his manners when he felt Danny’s noise of surprise vibrate through his tongue, felt Danny’s arms wrap around his back, pulling him close and lifting him, just a little, pressing their bodies flush together. When Danny moved his hips in a gentle, rolling rhythm, rubbing and teasing, Al tried to pull back to catch his breath, whimpered and tensed, but Danny pressed forward, moaned and nipped at Al’s tongue, sucked it into his mouth. Al moaned in surprise and kissed back hard, pulling away every so often, just to get Danny to draw him back.
He’d never been kissed like that before, but he found that he liked it, Danny’s aggression arousing him harder than he’d ever been aroused before.
When Danny finally pulled away, he didn’t loosen his grip, holding Al on tiptoe, their erections pressed together, rubbing through their pants. “Now,” he growled, “this place really feels like home.”
“Home,” echoed Al. “Your home.”
Danny bucked his hips forward, hands gripping Al’s butt, holding the boy still as he rubbed against him. “Our home,” he said. “You’re here now.”
“I’ll have to go home eventually, though,” said Al, wiggling out of Danny’s grip enough to lower himself down from his tiptoes, losing his balance when the man tried to tug him close, once again, sending both of them to the floor.
“Yeah, but you’ll still be here, Al,” said Danny, nuzzling Al’s neck, lowering himself enough to rub against his young lover.
Al squirmed and sighed, turning his face away to give Danny better access to his throat.
“I’ll smell your conditioner on my shirt, even hours after you’re gone,” whispered Danny, licking a line from the boy’s collarbone up to Al’s ear.
Al moaned, fingers tightening on Danny’s muscular back as the man kissed his neck.
“I’ll remember your smile, every time I look at my front door,” murmured Danny, pushing the boy’s shirt up enough that he could brush his lips over a hard nipple.
Al arched and whispered Danny’s name, erection throbbing in his underwear.
“I’ll even find your hair on the carpet, on my clothes. Longer than mine, so I know it’s yours,” said Danny, slipping one hand past the waistband of Al’s briefs and jeans, answering Al’s throaty moan with one of his own.
“Yes,” whispered Al. “Yes, Danny, I’ll be here.”
“I know,” said Danny. “I trust you, Al. More than anyone else in my life. I trust you.”
And then they were kissing again, Al bucking under Danny’s thrusting hips, enough so that he eventually rolled the both of them, arching up to strip his shirt all the way off when Danny began wiggling out of his own. He rubbed his erection against Danny’s with steady thrusts of his hips, grinding against his lover with his brows furrowed, concentrating on the pleasure, pulling away from the kiss when Danny stiffened and started to come, soaking his boxers and sweatpants, copious and beautiful as ever.
“Al!” Danny cried, panting through the waves of pleasure. “Oh Al good ... so good, sweetheart.” He reached for Al’s jeans. “Let me-”
Al shook his head. “I’ve heard,” he said, a touch out of breath, his own erection pressed to the side of his zipper, straining just beneath Danny’s fingertips, “that guys who come easily, like you, recover quickly. I want to see if that’s true, if I can make you come more than once.”
Danny blushed. “I can come again in about five minutes,” he said, fingers leaving the tempting length in Al’s jeans to stroke Al’s bare sides. “But don’t you want to come, sweetheart? Let me suck you, make you come?”
Al moaned softly, but shook his head. “I can wait and come with you. Right now, what I really want ... I want to finger you, Danny. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” said Danny, kissing him quickly before standing and digging quickly through some of his boxes. “Fantasized about it more than you’ll ever know, really.”
He found a bottle of unscented hand lotion and dropped it to the carpet beside Al’s folded legs, then shucked his sweatpants and boxers, sticky with his release, down his legs, his cock already hardening, just a touch, under Al’s gaze. Al watched him with an appreciative little smile curving his kiss-swollen lips, popping the button of his own jeans, standing to slip out of them just as Danny lay down once again and spread his legs.
“Love you,” he whispered, kneeling between Danny’s spread legs and squeezing lotion onto his index finger. When he pressed it to Danny’s entrance, Danny moaned loudly and bucked his hips, forcing Al’s finger entirely into his body in one smooth motion.
“Don’t go slow, sweetheart,” he whimpered, tossing his head from side to side. “I do this all the time, I’m not too tight.”
Al swallowed hard. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, obediently wetting his middle finger and pressing it and his index into Danny’s warm, slick entrance, his own erection twitching at the feel of the muscles fluttering around his fingers, the sight of Danny writhing beneath him.
“You won’t hurt me, Al, just ... aah push them in, sweetheart ... deeper ... deeper ...” He arched his back, hands fisting at his sides. “G-good, that’s good. Scissor them ... stretch me ... more, Al, more ... aah ...”
Al did as he was told, stroking the tips of his fingers down Danny’s balls with his other hand before gripping his cock, squeezing and stroking the length as he fingered the man he loved. Danny moaned, watching him, bending his knees up and out.
“Just like that,” he whispered, “in my ... in my fantasies, Al. Then you ... push in. Fuck me. God, I come so hard, feeling you ...” He squeezed his eyes shut and tossed his head side-to-side, short hair scrubbing the carpet. “Fingers are never enough, in me. Never hard enough or thick enough or AH!”
Eyes opening, he watched Al watch him, the boy’s bronze eyes wide, lip caught between his teeth in concentration as he teased Danny’s entrance with the slick head of his cock, rubbing in torturously slow circles.
“Good?” said Al, his voice little more than a whisper.
Danny shook his head. “More,” he said. “All of it, Al. Please.”
Al didn’t hesitate, slicking lotion already pooled in his palm over the rest of his length before pushing in, crying out as Danny clenched around him, the man’s body enveloping him, sucking him in even as it tried to prevent him from entering.
“Oh Danny,” he moaned, pushing relentlessly into Danny’s body. “Oh it’s good, Danny. You feel so good ...”
Danny drew a deep breath, running his palms up and down Al’s arms, bucking his hips a little and wincing, exhaling raggedly when Al pulled out and thrust back in, a tentative motion. The boy paused.
“Okay?” he said. “Hurts?”
“No,” whispered Danny. “It’s incredible, Al. You’re so big, so good. More, please?”
Al nodded and thrust gently, once again, his lower lip caught firmly between his teeth, slipping free as he began to pant and moan, Danny’s body loosening around him, just enough that Danny was soon crying out in pleasure, wrapping his hand around his own cock and tugging, bucking his hips in rhythm with Al’s thrusts, the tip of the boy’s erection rubbing against his prostate every so often.
“Faster,” he gasped. “Al, I’m ... I’m gonna come, Al. Do it faster, please ...”
Al’s eyes, which had slipped shut in pleasure, opened, focusing on Danny as he stopped moving in a steady rhythm and began simply thrusting, his gentle moans of pleasure swelling to loud cries, into half-formed curses and jumbled praises. He leant forward and kissed Danny, hard, the angle of his cock in Danny’s body encouraging Danny to lift his hips, Danny’s hand rubbing Al’s belly as he stroked himself.
Danny jerked and sobbed Al’s name, his body thrashing under Al’s as he started to come, semen pulsing wetly out of his cock, all over both of them, his body clenching erratically around his lover’s cock. Al shrieked, his rhythm faltering as he watched his lover gasp in pleasure, pleasure Al knew he’d given him.
With a loud cry, he thrust desperately into Danny’s body, once again, arching his back as he started to come, hips still moving, fingers digging into the rough carpet. He fell forward, panting, his shaggy bangs tickling Danny’s throat, trembling as Danny kissed his hair, the older man’s breath making the strands dance and flutter.
“Oh Danny,” he whispered, kissing the hollow of the man’s throat. He lay still, arms braced against the floor just enough to keep his weight from crushing Danny uncomfortably, breathing slowly returning to normal. When Danny shifted under him, one hand brushing Al’s bangs back, trying to see the boy’s face, Al looked away, shuddering.
“Al?” said Danny, quietly. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”
His lover-his lover-laughed, a hollow sound compared to Al’s usual laugh. “I think I’m the one who’s supposed to ask that, Danny,” he said, pushing himself up to look at Danny properly, a sad smile on his swollen lips. Carefully, he slid out of Danny, trailing the tips of his fingers through the streaks of semen-his own semen-drying sticky on the inside of the man’s thigh, up to the wet pucker of Danny’s entrance. When Danny tensed and hissed softly at the touch to his sensitive flesh, Al yanked his hand back as though he’d been burned.
“Sorry,” he whispered.
Danny pushed himself up stiffly, wincing a little at the unfamiliar sting, then reached out with his dry hand, cupping Al’s cheek in his palm as he leant forward to kiss the boy on the mouth.
“Don’t apologize,” he said, resting his forehead against Al’s. “You were really good, Al.”
Al didn’t answer, instead rocking back and tugging his knees to his chest, his head resting on Danny’s shoulder. Danny wrapped his arms around the boy, cradled him between his legs, lips pressed to Al’s soft caramel hair. They cuddled until the drying sweat on Danny’s back had raised goosebumps on the man’s skin, until the ill-padded carpet started to make his lower back and already-sore backside ache. Only then did he tilt Al’s chin up, covering the boy’s mouth with his own, pushing his tongue inside, stroking Al’s until Al kissed back, whimpering softly. Gently, he rolled his lover, stretching over Al’s body, kissing the boy as he slid his hand down Al’s chest, over a hardened nipple and smooth ribs, pausing at the dip of Al’s bellybutton, rubbing it with the tip of his index finger.
“You were good,” he repeated, pulling away. “That was really good, Al.”
Al blinked at him, then turned and nuzzled Danny’s arm. “You’re not a virgin anymore,” he said.
“No,” said Danny. “No, I’m not.”
Al squirmed a little, looked up at his lover. “I’m not a virgin anymore, either,” he said. “Won’t be, ever again.”
Danny cocked his head. “Is that bad?” he said.
“It was just so easy,” said Al, wrinkling his nose. “Waiting was so hard, and then ...”
“Do you regret it?” said Danny.
Al opened his mouth, ready to deny it, but looking at Danny, his lover’s gentle blue eyes full of concern, so open and honest, he shook his head and looked away, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Hey,” said Danny, shifting to his lover’s side and pulling the boy close, resting his chin on Al’s head. “It’s okay, Al. Doesn’t change anything that we’ve had sex. I’m still the bumbling idiot you’ve been dating, you’re still my sweetheart. You know that, right?”
Al wouldn’t look at him. “If it doesn’t change anything,” he said, “then why did we wait so long? Why not just do it when we first started wanting each other?”
“Because we wanted to wait to make sure it would be more than just sex,” said Danny. He stroked Al’s long hair, fingers trailing further down, over the shallow dip of Al’s waist, resting on the curve of the boy’s butt. “Because we wanted each other to know that we weren’t just interested in release.”
“Why tonight?” said Al. “Why like this?”
“Like this?” said Danny.
Al shook his head. “I just ... I’m sorry, Danny. If I hurt you, if it was too fast. I’m sorry.”
“Sweetheart,” said Danny, “I was the one who told you to give it all to me. I wanted it, just as bad as you did.”
Al was quiet, kissing Danny’s chest. When he finally lifted his face, he had a sad sort of smile on his lips, eyes bright but cheeks dry. “Come home with me,” he said, softly. “A bath will keep you from being sore.”
“Sounds good,” said Danny, kissing him. “I have a tub here, though, if you’d-”
“Home,” said Al, quickly. Then, blushing, he added, “Brother will worry, anyway, if we’re not back.”
Danny didn’t argue with him, didn’t comment on the poor lie. Instead, he stood and wiped the mess of semen and lotion from between his legs with a towel from one of his packing boxes, then without a word, he made his way to the bathroom at the back of his apartment, cleaning the drying semen from his chest and belly well enough to pull his t-shirt back on without making a noticeable mess of it. He watched Al dress in silence, down the hall, slipped back into his boxers and sweatpants, wincing a little as he bent to tie his running shoes.
“Ready?” said Al, tying his hair back in a ponytail.
Danny nodded. “Sure,” he said. Then he caught his lover’s arm and pulled him close, kissing him once more, deeply, in the quiet of his apartment. “I love you, Al. Know that?”
“I know that,” said Al. “And I love you, too.” He wiggled his arm out of Danny’s grip and took the man’s hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. “Come on, let’s go home.”
And as badly as Danny wanted to argue, wanted to pull Al away from the door that led out of the apartment, wanted to tell the boy that they were home, he merely nodded again and let Al lead him out, pausing only to lock his new apartment, slipping the key into his pocket as he followed Al down the stairs and out into the crisp darkness of the evening, casting one last glance back over his shoulder at his apartment building.
“Tomorrow,” he said, squeezing Al’s hand, “I’ll get all my stuff unpacked. Looks pretty bad with boxes all over the place, huh?”
Al shrugged. “It’s nice now.”
But it’s not home, thought Danny. Then, a slow smile warmed on his lips, his heart beating with excitement he couldn’t quite name. Not yet.
~*~*~*~
Edward greeted his younger brother with a lopsided grin and a wave of a soapy hand, elbow-deep in dishwater, Russel standing quietly beside him, drying the dishes Edward passed to him. When his brother barely smiled, toeing off his shoes and hurrying upstairs, Danny following him with eyes downcast, Edward frowned and started to follow them, stopping at the feel of Russel’s hand tugging at his Automail wrist.
“Let them be, baby,” said Russel, gently.
“But something’s wrong,” said Edward. “Al’s sad. I just want to make sure-”
Russel shook his head. “No, baby. Let them be alone. They look like they need it.”
Edward sighed. “What if I did it, though? What if I can make it better?”
“Then they’ll come to you,” said Russel. He bent and kissed the pout forming on his husband’s lips. “It’s okay, Ed. They’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Edward. “Fine, I’ll stay down here. But I’m not going down to the greenhouse with you to give them ‘alone time,’ not again, not even if you tie yourself up completely in those damned suspenders of yours and beg.”
Russel laughed. “That’s fine, Ed. I’m so sore from the past few days that I don’t think you need to worry about that. Might want to worry about me attacking your ass, but only if you don’t want me to attack it.”
Edward grinned. “If my brother hadn’t just come home, I’d be very interested in seeing you make good on that threat. But ...” He sighed, face falling. “I don’t know. There’s something going on, and it’s bad. That asshole better not have done something to Al, that’s all I’m saying.”
“I’m sure Al can handle Danny, Ed,” said Russel. And from the way Danny’s limping, it’s more likely Al who’s done something to Danny, not Danny to Al, he thought, but kept quiet, bending to kiss his husband once more before returning to the stack of dishes they’d not yet cleaned.
“He’s an Elric,” said Edward. “He can handle anything. I just don’t think he should have to.”
Russel nodded. “Not unless he wants to,” he said.
They finished the dishes in silence, Edward arching an eyebrow at his husband’s haste to go call Fletcher once the last glass was put away, the other eyebrow rising to join its mate at the sound of his brother’s muffled words of concern, floating through the bathroom door, asking Danny if he was comfortable enough sitting in the tub.
“I need to talk to Al in the morning,” he muttered, closing his bedroom door and stripping out of his shirt and trousers, climbing into bed in his boxers, fidgeting with the tip of his Automail pinky as he waited for his husband to come to bed.
By the time Russel came into the room, quiet and smiling in a way Edward had long ago learned was reserved for Fletcher, Edward was asleep, snoring softly into his pillow. The younger man stripped and curled around his husband’s back, kissing the man’s long blonde hair and smooth metal shoulder before drifting to sleep, the comfort of Edward’s presence compensating for the ache of saying goodbye to his little brother, moments before.
“I love you, Edward,” he whispered.
In the darkness, they slept, none of them noticing the click of Al’s bedroom door, the thump of the boy’s feet on the stairs. None waking to the sound of Al zipping his jacket, the sound of the boy settling on the step of the entryway to tie his shoes.
As the front door closed behind Al in the pale light of the bare sunrise, his family slept, peaceful and unaware, wrapped in their own dreams.
“Goodbye, Brother,” whispered Al, pausing at the end of the walk. “Goodbye, Danny. I love you.”
And then he was gone, shoes crunching against the sidewalk as he took off jogging towards the station, alone and unnoticed in the mist of early morning.
~*~
*squints at it*
I don’t like it, really.
And yes, I’m working my little tush off on the next section because yes, I know, that’s like a cliffhanger and all that.
*squints some more* Gahhh ...
There’s a lot of porn in this chapter. Like more than in fourteen, I think. Dunno.
NC-17 therefore, and if Fletcher loving Winry upsets you, skip this chapter and leave me a comment asking for a summary do a search for “His brain was fuzzing out” and start reading from there. If you’ve read this far in the arc, this is not a chapter to miss.
Have fun with it. I know I did. And I’m really sorry for everything. Really.
Oh, and it’s dedicated to sailormac, lifeinahole27, musemachine, and jo_monk, all of whom I met at Ohayocon and who are AMAZING. *big smooch*
And other parts, added before I forgot to add them, go me!
Prologue: Prodigal Sons
Chapter 1: Awakening
Chapter 1.5: A Matter of Pride
Chapter 2: True Test
Chapter 3: Amestris Pie
Chapter 4: Waiting
Chapter 5: Allowance
Chapter 6: Change
Chapter 7: Truce
Chapter 8: Out Alone
Chapter 9: Growing Pains
Chapter 10: Resentment
Chapter 11: Back to Normal
Chapter 12: Perspective
Chapter 13: Understanding
Chapter 14: Distraction
Chapter 15: Silence
Chapter 16: Choose
Chapter 17: Bonds
Chapter 18: Healing
[Chapter 19: Nesting]
Chapter 20: The Morning After
Chapter 21: Reaction
Chapter 22: Aftershocks
Chapter 23: Goodbye
Chapter 24: Memory
Epilogue: Family
Empty Nest
Chapter Nineteen
Nesting
by Mistress Quickly
Fletcher stretched and dropped his bag, locking the door to the apartment he shared with his lover before bending to untie his shoes, wincing at the stiffness of his back, sore from bending over his experiments all day.
“Fletch, is that you?”
“Yeah,” said Fletcher, standing and nudging his shoes to the side with his toe. “Sorry I’m late. Got to talking with one of the guys in my lab and lost track of time.” He made his way into the bedroom, smiling at the sight of his girlfriend arguing her hair out of the tightly braided bun she’d worn it in since her shower early that morning, just before leaving for the Clinic.
“That’s fine,” she said. “Your brother called a few minutes after I got home. Said he’d call again tonight after dinner.” She looked over her shoulder at Fletcher, who was flopped untidily across the bed. “He sounded really happy, too. I’m not sure I understand how someone could be happy, married to Edward Elric, but at least he is, right?”
“You know,” said Fletcher, lifting his head to watch Winry brush her long hair, kinked from being bound, “much as I love my brother, I will never understand him.”
Winry’s reflection arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh? How’s that?”
Fletcher grinned and slid off the bed, padding across the soft carpet to stand right behind his girlfriend, slipping his hands up her body to cup her breasts through the tube-top she wore under her uniform. “I’d still love you if you were a guy,” he said, lips brushing her bare shoulder, “but I would really miss these.”
Winry laughed. “You’re saying Ed would be a better husband for your brother if he had boobs?”
“Ew, no,” said Fletcher, shuddering. “I don’t think Brother’s ever really noticed breasts, to be honest. He’s always been more interested in looking at guys from the back.”
Winry set her brush on the dresser and turned, draping her arms over her boyfriend’s shoulders. “Do I want to know how you know that?” she said.
“I have two eyes that work, and I’ve been around my brother almost constantly for the past ... well, all of my life,” said Fletcher.
“Ah, that explains it,” said Winry. “Well, I’m with him on that one. You have the cutest butt, Fletch. I’ll admit to staring at it.”
Fletcher blushed. “Yours is nice, too. Makes ogling you very convenient, since you’re attractive no matter how I look at you.”
Winry’s eyes narrowed. “Fletcher Dominic Tringham,” she said, “are you buttering me up?”
“No!” said Fletcher. “I just like looking at you, is all.”
Winry leant closer. “You know,” she said, “you’ll get head faster if you say you’re buttering me up. I don’t mind it, really.”
“Oh,” said Fletcher. “Then yes, by all means, I am buttering you up.”
“Good boy,” said Winry, kissing him gently on the lips. She pulled away and sauntered over to the bed, flopping onto the soft comforter with a heavy sigh, eyes closed, spreading her legs in invitation until Fletcher licked his lips and followed her, prowling up from the foot of the bed to kneel between her legs, stroking her sides from the bottom of her bra to the waistline of her panties, then back up again, bending to kiss her bellybutton, just to make her squirm.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, shifting to lie beside her, stroking her cheek as he drew her close for a kiss. “I remember the first time I saw you, that time you came with Al to visit us because you wanted to meet my brother. You were so strong, so witty, so incredibly beautiful, I just ...” He shook his head and kissed her deeply, fingers tangling in her hair.
Winry sighed and rolled them, straddling Fletcher’s thighs, her long hair hanging around them like a curtain. “You know,” she said, “I almost didn’t make that trip. Chickened out at the very last minute, and it was Grandma who made me go. Said I’d be abandoning Al if I didn’t go like I’d said I would.”
“Why didn’t you want to come?” said Fletcher.
Winry shrugged. “Scared, I guess,” she said. “After Ed disappeared, I kind of sealed myself off from the world. I visited Al when he was still living with his Sensei, traveled to Central once to see Scheiska, but ... I don’t know. I’d already lost everyone but Grandma. Didn’t want to meet more people who could end up dying or going away.”
Fletcher blinked at her, then reached up and tenderly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m glad you came to see us,” he said quietly. “I’m glad you asked me to come here with you.” He turned his face and pressed a soft kiss to her arm, then arched up and kissed her shoulder, her neck, her chin, her lips. “And you’re stuck with me. I’m not going anywhere, Winry. Not without you.”
“I’m glad,” said Winry, kissing the tip of his nose. “I’m pretty fond of you, Fletcher.”
Fletcher laughed. “I’m pretty fond of you, too,” he said.
He hooked his hands under his girlfriend’s arms and tugged her down, kissing her lips until he felt her tongue brushing his lower lip, then he opened his mouth and let her in, let her control the kiss, deep and powerful and perfect, just like the girl herself. Moaning softly, he slid his fingers down to the top of her bra, feeling along the elastic to the clasp in the back. Gently, he worked it open, a skill he’d sharpened over years of sneaking around under his brother’s and Pinako’s radar, learning and enjoying the body of the woman he loved. When the soft cotton dropped onto his chest, he trailed his fingers around to Winry’s breasts, cupping them gently before catching her nipples in the join of his thumb and palm, pinching enough to make Winry squeal and wiggle, pulling away from the kiss and arching her back, giving him better access.
“Beautiful,” he whispered. Then he sat up and wrapped his arms around her, covering the nipple of her left breast with his mouth, licking and sucking and biting her until the tip hardened, switching to the other when he felt her tug his hair gently, a wordless request. He watched her, his mouth teasing her nipple, one hand slipping into the back of her underwear to stroke the soft curve of her butt. Watched her lick her lips, eyes closed and cheeks flushed with pleasure, pale throat beautifully exposed. When she opened her eyes and looked down at him, he released her breast and arched up, kissing her hard before rolling her onto her back, tugging her panties down her legs and pushing her thighs apart, licking his lips in anticipation.
Winry kicked off her panties, nudging them over the side of the bed with her toe. “Please,” she said, firm and commanding for all the softness of her tone.
“My pleasure,” said Fletcher. He slid the pad of his thumb over her clit, rubbing her as he spread her open with his other thumb, bending to lick her just as her panting began to turn into moaning.
“Fletcher, oh Fletch that’s good,” she said, bucking her hips a little, fingers stroking his hair. “Fingers. Please.”
“Mmm,” said Fletcher, shifting to hold her open with the fingers of one hand, stroking down to her entrance with the other, teasing her with the pads of his fingers only a moment before pressing his index and middle fingers inside, thrusting slowly until they were all the way in, then hooking them a little as he moved them steadily in and out, closing his eyes and imagining how she would feel around his cock, fantasizing about the warmth and the wetness surrounding his fingers, the tight suction of her body.
Soon, he was breathing as hard as she was, his rhythm speeding to the tempo he wanted so desperately to feel around his cock, his mouth kissing her clit as hard as he fantasized about kissing her mouth while making love to her, the sound of her pleasure falling around him like rain.
And then it was over. Her fingers tightened in his hair, she gasped Don’t stop in a way that sounded more like a threat than a plea, then she tightened, her muscles quivering and clenching around his fingers, head thrown back in a deep, throaty cry of ecstasy. He licked until she begged him to stop, then sat up and licked his fingers clean, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Started to say something about how much he loved hearing her come, but his words were cut off by his lover’s mouth, kissing him hard as she roughly unfastened his trousers, strong hands flipping him over as she stripped him, just enough that she could wrap her mouth around the head of his cock, thrusting him into her throat as deeply as she could take him.
“Ah! Winry!” he gasped, pushing himself up onto his elbows so that he could watch her suck on him, her kiss-swollen lips wrapped tightly around his length. “Ngh you are good at that ...”
Winry didn’t respond, focused entirely on the task of pleasuring her lover. The intensity of her expression, the firmness of her touch, drove Fletcher wild, his arms giving out under him, sending him flopping back into the soft embrace of the comforter, hips bucking as much as Winry’s grip on them would allow, balls tightening as she sucked him closer and closer to release.
“I’m close, Winry,” he whispered. “Soon ... oh just a little more, oh please, please, please ...”
His brain was fuzzing out, his balls throbbing, body tight with pleasure. When the phone rang, it was such bad timing, so very annoying, that Fletcher didn’t merely ignore it. Fletcher growled and knocked the phone to the floor, then cried out and came, screaming Winry’s name as the girl held him between her lips and swallowed, licking him clean once the pulses had abated. Panting, he dragged her up his body and kissed her, the flavor of her pleasure mixing with the flavor of his own, bitter and salty and deeply satisfying.
“Love you,” he gasped, resting his forehead against hers. “Love you so much.”
Winry smiled. “I love you too, Fletch.”
“I love you two too, but not like that,” said a voice from the floor. Fletcher and Winry looked at each other, then peered over the side of the bed, Winry cackling with laughter at the sight of her lover scrabbling to pick up the phone’s receiver, which was lying a good six inches from the base, the boy’s face glowing red.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Fletcher,” said Al. “Looks like my knack for bad timing hasn’t gotten rusty. Sorry for interrupting you two.”
Fletcher couldn’t turn any deeper red, so he moaned in embarrassment instead. “I knocked the phone off the hook,” he said. “Didn’t think it’d ... I don’t know. Didn’t really think, I guess.”
Al laughed. “I’m glad you two are enjoying your apartment, and before you even ask, no I’m not going to tell your brother. Or mine, for that matter, because Brother’s mouth is so big, all of Central would know by tomorrow morning if I told him. No promises on Danny, though. I might have to tell him.”
“He breathes a word to anyone, I kill him,” said Winry, standing and stretching, lazily slipping into her bathrobe. “Tell him that.”
Fletcher chuckled. “I trust you, Al,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Nothing so important as to interrupt your time with Winry,” said Al. “I can call you later.”
Fletcher looked across the room to Winry, who was hunched over the table, frowning at her notebook, pencil flying over her latest design. “Not necessary,” he said. “Sex inspires Winry, so she’s sketching. I’m just an accessory, really.”
Al laughed. “Well that explains why she’s had such success these past few years. Thought you two were waiting, though.”
“Oh we are,” said Fletcher. “You think she’s brilliant now, just wait until we’re married and I can properly inspire her.” He laughed. “Sorry. That was crude.”
“Fletch, you’re my best friend,” said Al, “and I just listened to you screaming my other best friend’s name in ecstasy at the top of your lungs. Telling me that you’re eventually going to have sex with Winry is not crude. That’s out of context, Russel.”
Fletcher perked up. “My brother’s there?”
“Yeah,” said Al. “Want to talk to him?”
“Yeah!” said Fletcher, bouncing up and down a little.
There was some shuffling, some muffled talking, then: “Hi, Fletcher.”
“Hi, Brother! How are you?”
Winry smiled and returned to her work. Whatever you have to tell him will just have to wait, Al, she thought. Nothing comes between Fletcher and his big brother.
And somehow, she figured Al would understand, just as much as he wouldn’t mind.
~*~*~*~
“That was quick,” said Edward, looking up from the book he’d been reading. “Everything okay?”
Al nodded. “Russel walked by,” he said, simply.
“Ah,” said Edward. “Did you even get to tell him about Danny?”
“Nah,” said Al. “He was in the middle of something when I called, then Russel came in, so I didn’t get a chance. But that’s okay, I’ll tell him sometime.”
Edward shrugged. “The longer you wait to tell Winry you’re dating a nurse-to-be, the longer you can keep Danny out of her clutches. She really likes Danny, gets along well with him.”
Al beamed. “He’s a nice guy. People can’t help but like him.” Then he saw the look his brother shot him and added, “Well, usually.”
“And you do realize that it’ll be his undoing that he’s so likeable, right?” said Edward. “Winry’s so used to having Grandma around, she’ll be really picky about the nurses and doctors she works with. If she wants Danny, she’ll get him or beat half of Amestris with her wrench trying.”
“Probably,” said Al, snickering. “Oh well, she can’t have him. I like that he’s working at Central Hospital. Means I can still be close to him.”
Edward nodded. “Works out perfectly,” he said. “Is he coming over for dinner tonight? I know you’re going into the city to see his new place, but what about after?”
Al shrugged. “Danny and I were planning to just grab something quick when we take a break from unpacking,” he said. “But if you’d prefer we not do that, we can wait. Just we’ll be back kind of late, so ...”
“Ah,” said Edward. “Russ and I will just whip something up, then. I’ve had pretty good luck with noodles lately, so we won’t starve or anything.”
Al laughed. “Russel’s not half-bad at cooking, Brother, and neither are you. You just say stuff like that to guilt me into cooking for you.”
“Yeah, so?” said Edward, waggling his eyebrows. “Is it working?”
“Sure,” said Al. “I’ve got time to make something before I have to go. What do you want?”
Edward laughed and stood, tugging his brother close. “I was joking, jeez,” he said. “You’re too good to me, Al. Get out of here, let me know when you get home, call if Danny’s not coming back so I can meet you at the station. Got that?”
“Got it,” said Al. “Make sure Russel doesn’t forget to oil your arm tonight, and get that dough out of the freezer if you want me to make rolls tomorrow.” Then he stepped back, grinning, and hurried into the hall, wobbling as he wiggled into his shoes.
“Thanks,” said Edward. “Don’t know what I’d do without you, Al.”
Al laughed and shook his head. “Bye, Brother.”
“Bye, Al. Be safe.”
Al nodded. “Always,” he said. Then he was gone, the house unusually quiet around Edward as the man sunk his hands into the pockets of his lounging pants, shoulders hunched under his ears. Russel’s hand on his neck surprised him, so much so that he jumped, making the younger man laugh.
“He seems happy,” he said, bending to kiss Edward’s lips.
“He is,” said Edward. “In love with an idiot, but happy that way, so it’s okay.”
Russel chuckled softly. “Well, you are too, Ed, but no-one’s stopping you from staying with me.”
It took a minute, but when Edward realized it was a joke, he laughed and wrapped his arms around his husband, head resting on Russel’s strong shoulder. “You’re not an idiot, Russ,” he said. “You’re amazing. And I love you.”
“I love you, too,” said Russel. “Heard Al say it’s time for me to lube your arm. Want to go have a bath so you’ll be all clean when I do it?”
Edward shrugged. “Sure,” he said. “Doesn’t really make any difference, though, if it’s clean or not.”
“No,” said Russel, “but it does give you an excuse to lube me first. Maybe not my arm, and definitely not Automail oil, but hey, it’s Equivalent Trade enough, right?”
Edward laughed. “Works for me,” he said. “Most definitely.”
Then he turned his back on the falling darkness and led his husband up the stairs to the bath, wiggling his hips just a little more than usual as he walked, the quiet of the house forgotten as Russel smacked his butt and tackled him at the top of the stairs, his husband’s warm weight and talented tongue narrowing the world to nothing but the two of them, to nothing but their lust and love.
When Russel pressed a bottle of lube into Edward’s hand, blushing a little, Edward rolled his eyes.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been carrying that with you all day,” he said.
“Want me to lie?” said Russel.
Edward snorted. “No, I don’t want you to lie, I want you to strip,” he said. “Needed to break in the hallway anyway.”
“Mmm, yes we did,” said Russel. And as he stripped out of his suspenders and shirt, trousers and briefs, he was smiling, beautiful and relaxed, more the man Edward remembered marrying than he’d been in weeks.
“Love you,” Edward whispered as he lay his husband down and began stretching and wetting him, kissing him gently wherever he could, licking and biting just to see Russel squirm.
“Love you, too,” panted Russel, spreading his legs farther apart.
The words echoed around them as they began to make love, alone in the darkness and warmth of each other, soothing unspoken pain with love and tenderness, stroking and loving and coming, forgetting the loneliness of their home in the afterglow of ecstasy.
Even if only for little awhile.
~*~*~*~
Danny’s apartment building was just as Danny had described it as Al had walked him to the station earlier that afternoon, old brick with wrought iron handrails on the stairs, the apartment itself small but cozy, glowing with warm light from the ceiling lamps, comfortably messy with boxes strewn about in various states of unpacking.
For all the building’s charm, however, it was Danny himself, tired-looking but smiling, dressed in an old, ripped t-shirt and cut-off sweatpants, that Al found to be breathtakingly beautiful, the man’s hair hanging limply about his face, a shy sort of smile curving his lips as he stepped back and invited Al in, stuttering a little as he said:
“This is my new home.”
Al couldn’t resist. He knew it was impolite to not want a tour of his lover’s new home, rude to want nothing more than the comfort of his lover’s mouth, but he wound his arms around Danny’s neck and kissed him anyway, no longer worrying about his manners when he felt Danny’s noise of surprise vibrate through his tongue, felt Danny’s arms wrap around his back, pulling him close and lifting him, just a little, pressing their bodies flush together. When Danny moved his hips in a gentle, rolling rhythm, rubbing and teasing, Al tried to pull back to catch his breath, whimpered and tensed, but Danny pressed forward, moaned and nipped at Al’s tongue, sucked it into his mouth. Al moaned in surprise and kissed back hard, pulling away every so often, just to get Danny to draw him back.
He’d never been kissed like that before, but he found that he liked it, Danny’s aggression arousing him harder than he’d ever been aroused before.
When Danny finally pulled away, he didn’t loosen his grip, holding Al on tiptoe, their erections pressed together, rubbing through their pants. “Now,” he growled, “this place really feels like home.”
“Home,” echoed Al. “Your home.”
Danny bucked his hips forward, hands gripping Al’s butt, holding the boy still as he rubbed against him. “Our home,” he said. “You’re here now.”
“I’ll have to go home eventually, though,” said Al, wiggling out of Danny’s grip enough to lower himself down from his tiptoes, losing his balance when the man tried to tug him close, once again, sending both of them to the floor.
“Yeah, but you’ll still be here, Al,” said Danny, nuzzling Al’s neck, lowering himself enough to rub against his young lover.
Al squirmed and sighed, turning his face away to give Danny better access to his throat.
“I’ll smell your conditioner on my shirt, even hours after you’re gone,” whispered Danny, licking a line from the boy’s collarbone up to Al’s ear.
Al moaned, fingers tightening on Danny’s muscular back as the man kissed his neck.
“I’ll remember your smile, every time I look at my front door,” murmured Danny, pushing the boy’s shirt up enough that he could brush his lips over a hard nipple.
Al arched and whispered Danny’s name, erection throbbing in his underwear.
“I’ll even find your hair on the carpet, on my clothes. Longer than mine, so I know it’s yours,” said Danny, slipping one hand past the waistband of Al’s briefs and jeans, answering Al’s throaty moan with one of his own.
“Yes,” whispered Al. “Yes, Danny, I’ll be here.”
“I know,” said Danny. “I trust you, Al. More than anyone else in my life. I trust you.”
And then they were kissing again, Al bucking under Danny’s thrusting hips, enough so that he eventually rolled the both of them, arching up to strip his shirt all the way off when Danny began wiggling out of his own. He rubbed his erection against Danny’s with steady thrusts of his hips, grinding against his lover with his brows furrowed, concentrating on the pleasure, pulling away from the kiss when Danny stiffened and started to come, soaking his boxers and sweatpants, copious and beautiful as ever.
“Al!” Danny cried, panting through the waves of pleasure. “Oh Al good ... so good, sweetheart.” He reached for Al’s jeans. “Let me-”
Al shook his head. “I’ve heard,” he said, a touch out of breath, his own erection pressed to the side of his zipper, straining just beneath Danny’s fingertips, “that guys who come easily, like you, recover quickly. I want to see if that’s true, if I can make you come more than once.”
Danny blushed. “I can come again in about five minutes,” he said, fingers leaving the tempting length in Al’s jeans to stroke Al’s bare sides. “But don’t you want to come, sweetheart? Let me suck you, make you come?”
Al moaned softly, but shook his head. “I can wait and come with you. Right now, what I really want ... I want to finger you, Danny. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” said Danny, kissing him quickly before standing and digging quickly through some of his boxes. “Fantasized about it more than you’ll ever know, really.”
He found a bottle of unscented hand lotion and dropped it to the carpet beside Al’s folded legs, then shucked his sweatpants and boxers, sticky with his release, down his legs, his cock already hardening, just a touch, under Al’s gaze. Al watched him with an appreciative little smile curving his kiss-swollen lips, popping the button of his own jeans, standing to slip out of them just as Danny lay down once again and spread his legs.
“Love you,” he whispered, kneeling between Danny’s spread legs and squeezing lotion onto his index finger. When he pressed it to Danny’s entrance, Danny moaned loudly and bucked his hips, forcing Al’s finger entirely into his body in one smooth motion.
“Don’t go slow, sweetheart,” he whimpered, tossing his head from side to side. “I do this all the time, I’m not too tight.”
Al swallowed hard. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, obediently wetting his middle finger and pressing it and his index into Danny’s warm, slick entrance, his own erection twitching at the feel of the muscles fluttering around his fingers, the sight of Danny writhing beneath him.
“You won’t hurt me, Al, just ... aah push them in, sweetheart ... deeper ... deeper ...” He arched his back, hands fisting at his sides. “G-good, that’s good. Scissor them ... stretch me ... more, Al, more ... aah ...”
Al did as he was told, stroking the tips of his fingers down Danny’s balls with his other hand before gripping his cock, squeezing and stroking the length as he fingered the man he loved. Danny moaned, watching him, bending his knees up and out.
“Just like that,” he whispered, “in my ... in my fantasies, Al. Then you ... push in. Fuck me. God, I come so hard, feeling you ...” He squeezed his eyes shut and tossed his head side-to-side, short hair scrubbing the carpet. “Fingers are never enough, in me. Never hard enough or thick enough or AH!”
Eyes opening, he watched Al watch him, the boy’s bronze eyes wide, lip caught between his teeth in concentration as he teased Danny’s entrance with the slick head of his cock, rubbing in torturously slow circles.
“Good?” said Al, his voice little more than a whisper.
Danny shook his head. “More,” he said. “All of it, Al. Please.”
Al didn’t hesitate, slicking lotion already pooled in his palm over the rest of his length before pushing in, crying out as Danny clenched around him, the man’s body enveloping him, sucking him in even as it tried to prevent him from entering.
“Oh Danny,” he moaned, pushing relentlessly into Danny’s body. “Oh it’s good, Danny. You feel so good ...”
Danny drew a deep breath, running his palms up and down Al’s arms, bucking his hips a little and wincing, exhaling raggedly when Al pulled out and thrust back in, a tentative motion. The boy paused.
“Okay?” he said. “Hurts?”
“No,” whispered Danny. “It’s incredible, Al. You’re so big, so good. More, please?”
Al nodded and thrust gently, once again, his lower lip caught firmly between his teeth, slipping free as he began to pant and moan, Danny’s body loosening around him, just enough that Danny was soon crying out in pleasure, wrapping his hand around his own cock and tugging, bucking his hips in rhythm with Al’s thrusts, the tip of the boy’s erection rubbing against his prostate every so often.
“Faster,” he gasped. “Al, I’m ... I’m gonna come, Al. Do it faster, please ...”
Al’s eyes, which had slipped shut in pleasure, opened, focusing on Danny as he stopped moving in a steady rhythm and began simply thrusting, his gentle moans of pleasure swelling to loud cries, into half-formed curses and jumbled praises. He leant forward and kissed Danny, hard, the angle of his cock in Danny’s body encouraging Danny to lift his hips, Danny’s hand rubbing Al’s belly as he stroked himself.
Danny jerked and sobbed Al’s name, his body thrashing under Al’s as he started to come, semen pulsing wetly out of his cock, all over both of them, his body clenching erratically around his lover’s cock. Al shrieked, his rhythm faltering as he watched his lover gasp in pleasure, pleasure Al knew he’d given him.
With a loud cry, he thrust desperately into Danny’s body, once again, arching his back as he started to come, hips still moving, fingers digging into the rough carpet. He fell forward, panting, his shaggy bangs tickling Danny’s throat, trembling as Danny kissed his hair, the older man’s breath making the strands dance and flutter.
“Oh Danny,” he whispered, kissing the hollow of the man’s throat. He lay still, arms braced against the floor just enough to keep his weight from crushing Danny uncomfortably, breathing slowly returning to normal. When Danny shifted under him, one hand brushing Al’s bangs back, trying to see the boy’s face, Al looked away, shuddering.
“Al?” said Danny, quietly. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”
His lover-his lover-laughed, a hollow sound compared to Al’s usual laugh. “I think I’m the one who’s supposed to ask that, Danny,” he said, pushing himself up to look at Danny properly, a sad smile on his swollen lips. Carefully, he slid out of Danny, trailing the tips of his fingers through the streaks of semen-his own semen-drying sticky on the inside of the man’s thigh, up to the wet pucker of Danny’s entrance. When Danny tensed and hissed softly at the touch to his sensitive flesh, Al yanked his hand back as though he’d been burned.
“Sorry,” he whispered.
Danny pushed himself up stiffly, wincing a little at the unfamiliar sting, then reached out with his dry hand, cupping Al’s cheek in his palm as he leant forward to kiss the boy on the mouth.
“Don’t apologize,” he said, resting his forehead against Al’s. “You were really good, Al.”
Al didn’t answer, instead rocking back and tugging his knees to his chest, his head resting on Danny’s shoulder. Danny wrapped his arms around the boy, cradled him between his legs, lips pressed to Al’s soft caramel hair. They cuddled until the drying sweat on Danny’s back had raised goosebumps on the man’s skin, until the ill-padded carpet started to make his lower back and already-sore backside ache. Only then did he tilt Al’s chin up, covering the boy’s mouth with his own, pushing his tongue inside, stroking Al’s until Al kissed back, whimpering softly. Gently, he rolled his lover, stretching over Al’s body, kissing the boy as he slid his hand down Al’s chest, over a hardened nipple and smooth ribs, pausing at the dip of Al’s bellybutton, rubbing it with the tip of his index finger.
“You were good,” he repeated, pulling away. “That was really good, Al.”
Al blinked at him, then turned and nuzzled Danny’s arm. “You’re not a virgin anymore,” he said.
“No,” said Danny. “No, I’m not.”
Al squirmed a little, looked up at his lover. “I’m not a virgin anymore, either,” he said. “Won’t be, ever again.”
Danny cocked his head. “Is that bad?” he said.
“It was just so easy,” said Al, wrinkling his nose. “Waiting was so hard, and then ...”
“Do you regret it?” said Danny.
Al opened his mouth, ready to deny it, but looking at Danny, his lover’s gentle blue eyes full of concern, so open and honest, he shook his head and looked away, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Hey,” said Danny, shifting to his lover’s side and pulling the boy close, resting his chin on Al’s head. “It’s okay, Al. Doesn’t change anything that we’ve had sex. I’m still the bumbling idiot you’ve been dating, you’re still my sweetheart. You know that, right?”
Al wouldn’t look at him. “If it doesn’t change anything,” he said, “then why did we wait so long? Why not just do it when we first started wanting each other?”
“Because we wanted to wait to make sure it would be more than just sex,” said Danny. He stroked Al’s long hair, fingers trailing further down, over the shallow dip of Al’s waist, resting on the curve of the boy’s butt. “Because we wanted each other to know that we weren’t just interested in release.”
“Why tonight?” said Al. “Why like this?”
“Like this?” said Danny.
Al shook his head. “I just ... I’m sorry, Danny. If I hurt you, if it was too fast. I’m sorry.”
“Sweetheart,” said Danny, “I was the one who told you to give it all to me. I wanted it, just as bad as you did.”
Al was quiet, kissing Danny’s chest. When he finally lifted his face, he had a sad sort of smile on his lips, eyes bright but cheeks dry. “Come home with me,” he said, softly. “A bath will keep you from being sore.”
“Sounds good,” said Danny, kissing him. “I have a tub here, though, if you’d-”
“Home,” said Al, quickly. Then, blushing, he added, “Brother will worry, anyway, if we’re not back.”
Danny didn’t argue with him, didn’t comment on the poor lie. Instead, he stood and wiped the mess of semen and lotion from between his legs with a towel from one of his packing boxes, then without a word, he made his way to the bathroom at the back of his apartment, cleaning the drying semen from his chest and belly well enough to pull his t-shirt back on without making a noticeable mess of it. He watched Al dress in silence, down the hall, slipped back into his boxers and sweatpants, wincing a little as he bent to tie his running shoes.
“Ready?” said Al, tying his hair back in a ponytail.
Danny nodded. “Sure,” he said. Then he caught his lover’s arm and pulled him close, kissing him once more, deeply, in the quiet of his apartment. “I love you, Al. Know that?”
“I know that,” said Al. “And I love you, too.” He wiggled his arm out of Danny’s grip and took the man’s hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. “Come on, let’s go home.”
And as badly as Danny wanted to argue, wanted to pull Al away from the door that led out of the apartment, wanted to tell the boy that they were home, he merely nodded again and let Al lead him out, pausing only to lock his new apartment, slipping the key into his pocket as he followed Al down the stairs and out into the crisp darkness of the evening, casting one last glance back over his shoulder at his apartment building.
“Tomorrow,” he said, squeezing Al’s hand, “I’ll get all my stuff unpacked. Looks pretty bad with boxes all over the place, huh?”
Al shrugged. “It’s nice now.”
But it’s not home, thought Danny. Then, a slow smile warmed on his lips, his heart beating with excitement he couldn’t quite name. Not yet.
~*~*~*~
Edward greeted his younger brother with a lopsided grin and a wave of a soapy hand, elbow-deep in dishwater, Russel standing quietly beside him, drying the dishes Edward passed to him. When his brother barely smiled, toeing off his shoes and hurrying upstairs, Danny following him with eyes downcast, Edward frowned and started to follow them, stopping at the feel of Russel’s hand tugging at his Automail wrist.
“Let them be, baby,” said Russel, gently.
“But something’s wrong,” said Edward. “Al’s sad. I just want to make sure-”
Russel shook his head. “No, baby. Let them be alone. They look like they need it.”
Edward sighed. “What if I did it, though? What if I can make it better?”
“Then they’ll come to you,” said Russel. He bent and kissed the pout forming on his husband’s lips. “It’s okay, Ed. They’ll be okay.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Edward. “Fine, I’ll stay down here. But I’m not going down to the greenhouse with you to give them ‘alone time,’ not again, not even if you tie yourself up completely in those damned suspenders of yours and beg.”
Russel laughed. “That’s fine, Ed. I’m so sore from the past few days that I don’t think you need to worry about that. Might want to worry about me attacking your ass, but only if you don’t want me to attack it.”
Edward grinned. “If my brother hadn’t just come home, I’d be very interested in seeing you make good on that threat. But ...” He sighed, face falling. “I don’t know. There’s something going on, and it’s bad. That asshole better not have done something to Al, that’s all I’m saying.”
“I’m sure Al can handle Danny, Ed,” said Russel. And from the way Danny’s limping, it’s more likely Al who’s done something to Danny, not Danny to Al, he thought, but kept quiet, bending to kiss his husband once more before returning to the stack of dishes they’d not yet cleaned.
“He’s an Elric,” said Edward. “He can handle anything. I just don’t think he should have to.”
Russel nodded. “Not unless he wants to,” he said.
They finished the dishes in silence, Edward arching an eyebrow at his husband’s haste to go call Fletcher once the last glass was put away, the other eyebrow rising to join its mate at the sound of his brother’s muffled words of concern, floating through the bathroom door, asking Danny if he was comfortable enough sitting in the tub.
“I need to talk to Al in the morning,” he muttered, closing his bedroom door and stripping out of his shirt and trousers, climbing into bed in his boxers, fidgeting with the tip of his Automail pinky as he waited for his husband to come to bed.
By the time Russel came into the room, quiet and smiling in a way Edward had long ago learned was reserved for Fletcher, Edward was asleep, snoring softly into his pillow. The younger man stripped and curled around his husband’s back, kissing the man’s long blonde hair and smooth metal shoulder before drifting to sleep, the comfort of Edward’s presence compensating for the ache of saying goodbye to his little brother, moments before.
“I love you, Edward,” he whispered.
In the darkness, they slept, none of them noticing the click of Al’s bedroom door, the thump of the boy’s feet on the stairs. None waking to the sound of Al zipping his jacket, the sound of the boy settling on the step of the entryway to tie his shoes.
As the front door closed behind Al in the pale light of the bare sunrise, his family slept, peaceful and unaware, wrapped in their own dreams.
“Goodbye, Brother,” whispered Al, pausing at the end of the walk. “Goodbye, Danny. I love you.”
And then he was gone, shoes crunching against the sidewalk as he took off jogging towards the station, alone and unnoticed in the mist of early morning.
~*~
*squints at it*
I don’t like it, really.
And yes, I’m working my little tush off on the next section because yes, I know, that’s like a cliffhanger and all that.
*squints some more* Gahhh ...