Simple Offer - Chapter 08
Title: Simple Offer
Rating: NC17 overall (PG 13 this chapter)
Pairing: Roy/Ed
Warnings: Spoilers for the series, Yaoi, AU
Disclaimer: I'm playing with them, I don't OWN them.
Summary: A little offer and what came out of it.
Last time on Simple Offer:
“We have been transferred back on request of Colonel Mustang. We're here to...' She took a deep breath. 'investigate the murder of Brigadier General Hughes.”
~Eighth Time~
Ed was eyeing his coffee. He couldn't stomach anything. Last night when the Colonel had told him that Hughes wasn't dead he was relieved and wanted to see the man immediately - to make sure the Colonel hadn't lied to him. But they couldn't just go to Central Hospital at that time of the night. Hughes was in coma - so much did Roy tell him the night before. But the man hadn't gone into detail - he didn't want to. It was late and they were tired but Ed could get over this - he had worked through tiredness before.
But the dark-haired man had shaken his head and cupped his cheek stroking softly over it with his thumb. 'Not now, Ed. Let's sleep. Tomorrow I'll bring you to him.' The teen leaned into the touch and nodded. It wouldn't have been wise to just start off. So he had lied down and closed his eyes. Moments later he had been engulfed in the warmth that provided Roy's body for him.
Now they were sitting opposite on the kitchen table. They hadn't talked much since they had woken up together. Roy had been greeted by the soft blond hair and Ed had been looking directly into a shirt-clad chest that smelled awesome to him. Neither said a word about last night. Both still feeling the warmth the other man had provided and how right it had felt to wake up in each others arms. Ed would never admit it out loud but he felt safe with Roy here and he rather liked it that - somehow - the Colonel protected him from the outside world in his house. That inside Roy's home he could think about a future he had denied himself for a long time. The teen looked up at the older man. There was still no mask in sight. Unhidden emotions playing over his face and in his eyes.
He rather liked the sight. Messy hair hanging in his eyes, stubbles shadowing his jaw. Would he ever be able to see that again without the sadness in the Colonel's eyes? He wasn't stupid. He knew what he had felt last night when Roy had been stroking his hair, taking him in his arms. He couldn't have mistaken that - he didn't want it to be his imagination running wild.
Ed blushed crimson as the Colonel looked up from his own mug looking directly at the teen. The older man raised an eyebrow. Quickly the teen looked back down to his coffee and took a sip. He grimaced as the cold liquid hit his tongue. He put the mug back down leaning back in his chair. He was surprised as he felt the Colonel's warm hand on his rather cold left one. The teen looked up and tried to read the expression on the Colonel's face as the older man stroked his thumb over Ed's knuckles.
“About last night, Edward.” The raven-haired man hesitated and searched for the right words. “For some time now I have been feeling...” He hesitated again and sighed heavily but never stopped stroking the younger man's hand. Ed's heart had started to beat faster. Could it be? Could he really hope to get something he had wanted for a long time? The Colonel licked his lips. “For some time now I have feelings... for... you... I know I shouldn't act on them but last night when you came to my door and looked so... hurt and I was... I don't know what I was... I should have send you home... Hughes... Maes he would be so angry.... and I don't know what to tell him... I must be out of my mind...” He rubbed his hand over his face. “I'm sorry.”
Ed took a small breath and let it out slowly. “You tell me that it was wrong you took me in and held me close last night?” Carefully. He didn't want to get angry. Not now when they would be visiting Hughes in some hours and he still felt so good despite what had happened.
The Colonel shook his head. “No. I wanted to comfort you and I think... I think I needed it as well. But I shouldn't take advantage of you by forcing myself on you.”
The teen inclined his head looking directly at the older man. “You say it as if we would have had sex last night. We just... comforted one another. I can't remember loosing any clothing in bed.” Talking so casually about it without blushing tomato red was really an advancement. The older man looked up - dumbstruck and a little red.
“It's not that I mind to do that with you.” More gaping from the other side of the table and Ed could feel his ears burning with the blush. Suddenly the older man laughed - he had such a wonderful laugh and Ed couldn't remember if he had heard it ever before.
“I 'don't mind' it as well. I would rather take you upstairs than to a small hidden hospital room where my best friend is lying in coma.” The teen closed his eyes feeling the sudden urge to tear up - or to get angry at the one who had done this to Hughes. Roy took his left hand in his and pressed it to his cheek.
“Promise me something?” Ed just nodded. “When this is over you'll tell me everything, okay?” The Colonel kissed his palm and let his hand go. Ed swallowed and couldn't do anything but nod and make a promise he wasn't sure he could keep.
Half an hour later there was a knocking on the door. Roy answered it and let Al in. Within his amour he couldn't show any feeling but there standing in his living room Roy could see the tears the boy had shed. Knowing that Ed hadn't told him yet, Al must have met somebody who did know - at least the official version.
The older Elric looked at his brother and then to Roy confirming what the Colonel had thought. Al had met Szieska on his way to the Colonel's house. The young woman was distressed to say at least and told Al everything what she knew about how and when it had happened. Ed hugged his brother around the cold spiky shoulders and whispered soothing words. Al had to be calm before his older brother could tell him that Hughes wasn't dead but in coma and that Ed was about to visit the older man.
“Hush-hush. Calm down, Al. I have to tell you something. Hush.” Slowly the younger Elric calmed down. “What I tell you now has to stay here between us. You're not allowed to anybody - not Gracia nor Winry or anybody else. Do you understand?” The amour boy nodded his helmet. “Good.” Ed took a deep breath and looked to Roy to calm himself down a little. “Hughes is not dead. The Colonel buried a fake body.” Al was silent for some moments. He looked to Roy who just nodded and confirmed was Ed just had said.
“Where is he? Can we see him? Is he all right?”
“Calm down, Al.” Ed stroked the cold metal helmet as if it was his brother's real head and hair - somehow it calmed the younger Elric until he was just sitting on Roy's floor waiting for whatever Ed would tell him. “Hughes is in the hospital. He's lying in coma and the Colonel will let me see him..' he hesitated a moment and sighed 'but you can't come with us.”
“I can't come with you?”
Ed shook his head looking apologetic at his younger brother. “I'm sorry but too many people know you and we can't really disguise you. I'm sorry.” Al understood.
Two hours later when the streets were busy and too many people were walking around to recognise anybody walking next to them, the Colonel in civilian clothing and Ed - his hair dyed black and glasses on with blue jeans and some sweater they had found in Roy's wardrobe - were taking the last turn to Central Hospital where they would visit Hughes. The Colonel had gotten quieter the closer they came to the hospital. As they entered the hospital the raven-haired man turned left and walked straight to the stairs. Nobody was watching them, nobody was asking them what they were doing there.
They walked upstairs until they reached the top where they could only walk through a plain grey painted door. The Colonel opened the door and held it open for Ed to walk through. They walked through a white corridor until they reached another door. Roy knocked once and entered immediately. They were greeted by a nurse who eyed them warily. “To visit your... brother, I presume?” The Colonel nodded friendly. “And you are?”
The Colonel laid an arm around the teen's shoulder.
“He's my son and wants to see his uncle.”
The nurse nodded curtly and made some notes on her chart.
“You can go through. There is nothing new to his condition.”
Roy nodded briefly and took Ed's hand. The teen nearly pulled his hand out of the Colonel's but remembered that he acted as the older man's son - and they would have to talk about that when they were back at the older man's house.
They walked through the door. Ed hated hospitals. Everything was white and sterile and it smelled... he didn't want to think about it. He looked at the figure lying in the bed. Hughes was pale - nearly as pale as Roy - his eyes closed and his face still. He nearly looked as if he was asleep but Ed knew otherwise. For nearly a month the man has been lying there in this bed and hadn't moved at all.
“Go to him. They say he may hear you but they don't know. I usually speak to him. Can't let him be lonely.”
Ed walked over to the bed and sat on the chair next to it.
“Hey Hughes. Long time not seen.” Ed smiled sadly down at the man. “You may wonder why I'm here. We were on an assignment and wanted to visit you, Gracia and Elysia. I was really looking forward to see you again. I had...' his eyes flickered up to Roy who was looking out of the window pretending not to hear anything at all 'questions... about some stuff. I had hoped you could answer them. Al is fine by the way. But we couldn't bring him here. I had to dye my hair, Ba... Roy made me do it. I' wearing glasses as well and some stuff the Colonel had hidden in his wardrobe.”
They stayed silent for the rest of their visit. Roy had taken a seat as well and laid an arm around Ed's shoulders kissing the top of the teen's hair. Then there was a knock on the door and they knew that they had to go.
They walked back through the halls and down the stairs until they reached the main entrance. Ed stopped in his tracks and fidgeted with his hands.
“Colonel?”
Roy turned around and raised an eyebrow.
“I... I have to go somewhere. Could you tell Al I'll be back soon?”
“Sure. Where are you going?”
“I just have to look something up. I'll be back soon...”
With that he was gone and Roy walked home alone.
Some time later the young alchemist came back with an envelope tucked under his arm.
“Al? Colonel?”
He got out of his coat hung it up and got out of his boots.
“I'm here, Nii-san.”
Ed went into the study where his brother's voice came from. Al was sitting on the floor with piles of books around him.
“Where' the Colonel?”
“He had to got to work. Lieutenant Hawkeye had called. They have found a lead or something. He couldn't tell me more.”
His older brother nodded and sat beside his younger brother. He took some documents out of the envelope and laid them between them.
“Al. I think we have to talk.”
(07) (chapter index) (09)