Fic Update - Sorrow's Dark Array Ch 8
Apr. 22nd, 2008 11:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessSorrow’s Dark Array
Author -![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cornerofmadness
Disclaimer - not mine, all characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa et al, Square Enix and funimition.
Pairing – Roy/Riza, Ed/Win (eventually) Winry/OC, mentions of Maes/Gracia and Al/OC
Rating – THIS CHAPTER IS ADULT RATED will vary from chapter to chapter, mostly Pg-13 but will eventually contain well marked adult chapters.
Time Line – anime based, spoilers all the way through the anime and the movie and does have strong manga elements such as Armstrong’s older sister and the land of Xing
Summary – As Roy and Riza prepare for their wedding, while dodging assassins, Ed and Al try to find their way back home.
Author’s Note #1– This was written after much prodding byevil_little_dog as a sequel to the source of sorrow and is now her holiday gift even if she has beta’ed part of it. So thanks to her and lyricnonsense for the beta. You do not have to read the first story to understand this. You’ll quickly pick up that Riza has retired from the military to be Roy’s wife and bodyguard. Olivia Armstrong is now president and she’s assigned Roy as the ambassador to Ishbal; oh and that Roy was severely injured in the destruction of the Gate, requiring some of Winry’s automail.
Author's Note #2 - This is a longer work and like real relationships, the ones listed in the pairings, take time to mend and come together. They have to work at it. Hope you enjoy the ride.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Second warning - contains sexual content
Chapter Eight
You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right. ~Maya Angelou
“I thought you wanted to talk about today,” Riza sat on the edge of her hotel bed, Roy’s hand sliding up her spine. She knew talking was the last thing on his mind, in spite of everything that had happened today. “That’s why Winry let you come back here. She thinks you’re overexerting yourself.”
“Don’t want to talk.” Roy kissed the nape of her neck then peeled her shirt off over her head.
Riza’s skin quivered under his warm lips as he placed kisses over the inked skin of her back. His fingers expertly traced around the burns scars, never going over their numbed flesh. That always caused her irritating pins and needles. She didn’t argue with him. Riza knew Roy’s moods intimately. They hadn’t changed in the time they had been apart; maybe not since he was a child. When Roy was upset, he wanted touched, comforted, and as he aged, desperate for the feel of skin. He was greedy for it. Mostly she didn’t mind. He was a very talented lover.
Unhooking her bra, Roy swirled his tongue slowly up one snake arching over her back. With a sigh, Riza gave over to his touch, wanting it, too. It hadn’t been much easier on her meeting Meinhard Hughes than it had Roy. Riza smoothed a hand along his thigh while her skin prickled deliciously at the touch of Roy’s talented mouth. How much had she missed this in those months of his recovery? She could take him to bed every night for a week and not get her fill after the horror lurking around the edges of her soul ever since the bombing.
Roy’s hands, the skin soft from being in gloves most of the time, massaged her breasts, tweaking her nipples. His prickly chin brushed her shoulder. She had forgotten to make sure he sat down with a hand mirror and shaved. At work, Roy was always so presentable but now, having been on his back for so long, he had gotten a little slovenly. He couldn’t really grow much of a beard and his moustache gave him a saturnine, somewhat untrustworthy appearance, so he usually shaved it. Riza didn’t resist his gentle tug, letting him maneuver around so he could press her to the bed.
Sitting back, Roy stripped off his shirt. Riza kept her eyes north of the terrible scars crossing his torso. They would eventually fade somewhat and she would be able to bear them but right now they would just remind her of how close she had gotten to losing him. She never wanted to think about it again. Of course, one shoulder bore the long scar where Bradley had dragged his sword through Roy and the other had two distinct round scars where Dev had dug in his hooks when Roy tried to pull him from the burning building. Small burn scars pocked him here and there. Riza remembered most of them from his days of training. Even before she had given him her secret, Roy was good at setting things on fire, mostly things that shouldn’t have been in flames. She had learned to love all the imperfections in his skin though she wasn’t used to them standing out so much. He had tanned a lot in the last few weeks, baking his healing body on the Rockbell’s lawn, leaving his scars stark white against glowing nut brown skin.
Roy undid her zipper, sliding her slacks off. He kissed his way up the sensitive flesh of her thighs. Riza moaned softly. Roy knew just how to play her. He loved the strong yet soft curve of a woman’s thigh. He could spend long luscious minutes worshipping her legs and most nights Riza would let him but tonight, she wanted to hold him more than anything else. Riza ran her fingers through his thick ebon hair then patted the bed beside her. Roy lay beside her obligingly. She wrapped around him, her mouth meeting his for the first in a series of long, slow kisses. Riza trailed a hand down his belly, unzipping him. Her fingers played through the coarse triangle of hair as thick as the rest of his body hair was sparse. Her strong hand curled around his cock, lightly stroking, in no hurry.
Eventually the remainders of their clothing had been shucked and Roy dug in the bed stand drawer for the tin of condoms. She almost told him not to bother and that impulse surprised Riza. She and Roy hadn’t yet talked about children. Both of them had problems being around children ever since killing them in Ishbal. Riza thought it had to be his near death spurring on these thoughts. She wanted his legacy to go on, to have his child and the intensity of that thought frightened her. Riza wanted to feel less out of control. If they chose to have children, then she wanted it to be because it was something they had considered and desired. There would be time for children but she worried that their dangerous lives would make having children seem like a selfish thing to do.
Riza let her worries dissipate as he moved over her, love and lust mixing intoxicatingly in his onyx eye. Last night, she had been the one to dominate. Now, with his leg and balance back, she let Roy take the lead. Riza wrapped her legs around his narrow waist as Roy sank into her. He always felt so good, so right inside her. His pace was slow, honey-hipped, but the horrible bed translated that into the unmistakable thumping of the loose headboard against the wall. She should have had Roy alchemize it into something sturdier. He had been too horny last night and too exhausted afterwards. The bed was bolted to the floor at the footboard, as if someone was going to steal it, so she couldn’t yank it away from the wall. As good as Roy was making her feel, Riza couldn’t help a hint of prudery at the feeling that whole hotel knew what they were doing between the creaking and the thumping, not to mention the moans of pleasure.
Sinking deep into her, Roy whispered in her ear, “Ignore the noise.”
She laughed, kissing him. “How can you read my mind?”
“Because I love you so much.”
That was all the answer Riza needed.
X X X
Dev groaned, staring up at the ceiling. Why hadn’t he asked for a change of rooms? How much sex could two people have? Could he convince Riza to gag the bastard before hand? The pervert would probably like it. He should have bought some ear plugs. Dev turned on the bed side light, shielding his eyes. Once his vision had adjusted, Dev picked up the book off the night stand and tried to ignore the rhythmic thumping against his wall by losing himself in the pages. It didn’t help that it was a hot, stuffy night, ill-suited for easy sleep. He didn’t like all the humidity in Resembol, even if he did like the greenness.
Curling up on his side, wrapping the pillow around his head with one arm, Dev considered at yelling at Roy in the morning but he knew the smug jerk would just tell him to go make noise of his own then remark, ‘oh right, you can’t because you messed up.’ The worst part was he couldn’t argue with that. He had messed up. Dev didn’t know if he was in love. Maybe not, not if he could give Winry up so easily. Only it hadn’t been easy. It tore him up to do it but he had to do the best he could for his people and they didn’t trust him, not with an Amestrian girlfriend. Life, he reminded himself grimly, was unfair.
Abandoning his book, Dev ran a hand over his sweating skin, wishing the ceiling fan would do more to help. He didn’t like sleeping naked, didn’t like looking at his own body, but it was too hot in the room for pajamas. Dev hated the topography of his body, the etched melted candle appearance that dripped and draped down one half of him from shoulder down to the missing toes. He knew, even when he finally managed to learn to use the automail correctly, he might still be barred from the warrior’s sect of the priesthood. The thick scarring around his ankle didn’t allow his foot to go flat so he limped and his knee and hip were tight with scar tissue. Only his face had been spared the alchemic flames.
How had Winry been able to look at him and, if not find him sexy, at least not find him so repulsive that she didn’t turn away? The first girl he had ever thought he had been in love with had take one look at him without his shirt and told him he reminded her of the war and she could never think of him sexually. Hurt beyond his own ability to cope, Dev had hidden inside himself until Winry had drawn him out. Clumsy kisses turning into clumsier attempts at intimacy, a first for them both. They got better, amazingly better. Dev knew his whole attitude had changed toward life having found some acceptance.
And he had thrown it away.
Not that it mattered, Dev thought, his fingers worrying at a tender piece of scar tissue. Li-Yang had been working that scar around his hip hard, trying to break it up, leaving him pretending he wasn’t crying into his pillow from the pain as the healer worked. It had been two days and it still hurt. But not as much as his feelings did right now. That little blond boy was supposed to be gone for good but now he was back. Dev didn’t know Edward enough to hate him but Dev knew he didn’t like him. He had spent months being compared to Edward and hadn’t liked it then, mostly because he could never quite escape the fear that Winry had only tolerated his ruined body because he reminded her of Elric.
And now she could have what she really wanted. Maybe it was the best for everyone that he had let Winry go but it hurt. And it made him want her back, as selfish and destructive as he knew it was. He needed to think about his people and he needed to think of what was best for Winry. If she really had loved Edward all this time, then this would be the best for her. The one thing Dev knew for certain was, he had to let Winry make her own choices between him and Edward. She might not want Edward back. She might never forgive either of them for leaving her. Dev had accepted that but hated it. He couldn’t force the point with her. He wanted Winry to remain his friend even if ex-lovers were difficult friends to keep. It just felt nice to have someone in his life, besides his mother, who actually cared about him.
Realizing that the other side of his wall had fallen silent, Dev put the book back, killed the lights and tried to fall asleep before the bastard got his second wind.
X X X
“Maybe we should have stayed at Granny’s, Brother.” Al lay on his side on his twin bed. Beyond them, on the other side of the shared bathroom, he could hear Hughes snoring.
Ed didn’t lift his head off his pillow. “Winry looked sick and we already took up a guest room last night.”
“I think we hurt her feelings by not staying,” Al muttered, wishing that just one thing would go right but he wasn’t holding his breath. Ed still needed fixing. No one knew what to do about their return, let alone them bringing along Hughes’ doppelganger. Al kept waiting, chest tight, for his brother to do or say something moronic about Winry’s boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend or whatever the Ishbalan was.
“You don’t have to tell me that, Al. I know. We’ve screwed up everything. Winry’s probably sick because we’ve made her so mad and nervous.” Ed sighed, flopping onto his back. “This was supposed to be a happy time.”
“Then make it one,” Al said, his voice raising just a bit. He winced, tossing a glance back toward where Hughes slept. “We know things could get bad, really bad, but until it does, we should be happy. We’re here. We’re alive and we already know we can survive anything.”
Ed snorted at him. “Al, blind optimism was never my strong suit.”
“No, being dour is but you don’t give up, Ed.” Al pointed a finger at him. “ Don’t give up now.”
Ed made another half amused sound then asked, “Al, do you think she and that …priest are lovers?” He spat both ‘priest’ and ‘lover’ out like gristle found in an otherwise fine steak.
“Ed, if they are there’s nothing you can do about it,” Al reminded his brother sensibly, his chest relaxing. At least Ed had the sense to hold it in until they were alone. Of course, Ed could do something about it but it would be ugly. “From what the General hinted at, I think they’re no longer together but don’t go barging in like usual. Winry is probably still good with that wrench.”
“Don’t want to barge in.” Al heard Edward's throat working. “I just...I wanted Winry to be happy, Al. It's just weird thinking that maybe she’d be happy without us.”
Al sighed, kicking the sheet off. It was too sticky of a night. “I know. Just…until the military comes for us, until it all crashes down, we should enjoy this time, Edward. I know, you and I should take Winry out somewhere to eat. Well…probably here at the inn, since it’s not like there are all that many restaurants in Resembol but just us together like it used to be.”
Ed nodded. “I like the sound of that…except, well, I’ll ask the bastard for money,” Ed muttered barely loud enough to hear.
“Did we run out of your illicit gold already?” Al asked tartly.
“Almost, yeah.”
Al wrinkled his nose at the proud tones in his brother’s voice. Sometimes he wondered how Ed remained out of jail or even how he held onto his own life with all the risks and rule bending he did. “And you're not making more, Ed.” Al rolled over to fix his brother with a glare. “Bad enough you did it the first time.”
“Can’t hear you. Sleeping.” Ed replied like they were still kids.
Al smiled in the dark. Maybe everything really would be all right.
X X X
Winry knew she should be asleep but she wanted to work on the specs for Edward’s new automail. The junk – her junk, how had he managed to do that to her automail? - he was wearing now was not salvageable. She sketched feverishly, part of her thrilled to have so many new techniques she could bring to the table, things Ed had never seen her do, until that thought brought her up short. A nervous flutter whipped up a windstorm inside her. It had been so long since she had to do this for Ed.
In years past, she had kept a sketchbook with nothing but new designs she wanted to try with Ed because Winry had known he would inevitably mess up her automail. That’s what Ed did; he made huge, splashy messes without meaning to. Well, he certainly had made one now, reappearing without warning and catching her without a new sketch for him.
Winry had given up hope. She hated that she had given up before Roy had. Winry wish she had the strength to do this. All her talk to Riza about taking back Roy, forgiving him in those many months of separation, had come back to haunt her. It was harder to forgive than Winry had ever imagined. No matter how much she loved the brothers, and she did, the pain they had caused her demanded attention. It burned inside like one of Roy’s fires and there was no dousing it. Winry knew she would forgive them, eventually. Maybe she even wanted to hurt them a little, to make them feel like she did. Hadn’t she suspected Riza had done the same that time in Central when she made Roy meet her current lover, David? To rub their noses in their mistakes like errant puppies, how cruel of her, she thought.
Winry hadn’t been pleased to learn that Dev had introduced himself as her boyfriend but in some hidden and unpleasant part of her, she was also glad. Pinako had told her that Roy had sort of straightened out Ed’s conception of what was going on between her and Dev but at the same time, not really. Roy had accepted his own pain for the wrongs he had done Riza. He might want Ed and Al to do that same for her.
Winry knew that she would tell the brothers they were forgiven, sooner rather than later. She would fix Ed, give him limbs better than anything he had ever had before. She would tell Al in no uncertain terms that she loved him like a brother. Ed posed more of problem. Did she still love him? She had asked herself that many times when she had been with Dev. Did she love Edward? She had once, beyond all doubt. She might still, but she couldn’t tell him that, not yet, and it had nothing to do with punishing him. The feelings she had for Ed were tied up in the past and she'd finally let go of them for the future.
With lead-smudged fingers, Winry brushed over her stomach. At least it wasn’t currently queasy but it would come again. Winry knew it would, fearing that twist of her stomach, the running of salt and water in the back of her mouth, that signal that she was likely to retch. Her mind spooled back several weeks to one wonderful, vigorous night and the failure of that handy little piece of rubber that came dressed in embarrassing bright graphics on the paper envelope. Tomorrow, she would see the doctor, knowing he would draw blood for tests. Winry feared what they would show. What would everyone say if she turned up with a red-eyed infant?
The fear rushed back and Winry found herself dialing a number before she even gave thought to the time of night. She just needed someone to talk to and she didn’t want Pinako to know, even though Winry knew her granny had already begun to suspect.
X X X
Riza toweled off her damp hair, coming back out into the bedroom. Her lips pulled into a scowl, seeing Roy on his knees, rocking the headboard against the wall, making all the right very loud noises. She sighed. Sometimes she just had to accept that men never aged past twelve years. Riza furled her towel and laid it across his bared backside.
Roy yelped, slamming his head into the headboard before collapsing on the mattress. “That hurt!” he whimpered, rubbing his stinging butt. “What was that for?”
“You’re embarrassing me.” Riza sat on the bed next to him. “And you’re purposely antagonizing that poor young man. Honestly, your parents should have just given you a few younger brothers the way you keep collecting them for torturing purposes.”
“I didn’t hear that,” Roy replied, rubbing his forehead. He dropped his hand, favoring her with a come hither look.
Riza tried not to smile. “I just showered, Roy, and you need your rest.”
“But I’m not tired,” he wheedled like a child.
Riza sat next to him, stroking his hair. “You are tired.”
“I think I’d know if I were.”
Before she reply, the bed side phone rang making them both jump. The military had insisted on the in-room phone just in case. Riza didn’t want to answer it but if someone was calling it had to be important. “Hawkeye here,” she said into the handset. “Oh…Winry. No, it’s okay you didn’t wake me,” Riza said quickly as Roy traced a pattern on her back. She felt like slapping him to get him to behave. “Is everything all right?” Roy slithered over her legs, his mouth finding the inside of her thigh, sucking. God, the man could be so distracting. Riza was glad she didn’t wear mini-skirts on a daily basis. “No, I don’t mind talking.” Riza slipped out of bed since it was obvious Roy had decided the phone call wasn’t an emergency and if he kept doing what he was doing, Winry would get more than she bargained for over the line.
Riza let Winry talk, realizing that she should talk to the girl in person. Winry wouldn’t say over the phone what was really bothering her but Riza knew the girl needed to talk about it. Winry rang off prematurely, obviously still upset but claiming she had to get some sleep. Riza turned back to her lover and Mr. I’m Not Tired was curled up on his side, dead asleep. With a fond smile, Riza slipped in next to him, snuggling up for a good night’s sleep of her own.
X X X
Rose felt like dancing as she made the very important call. Attaway said it could wait until morning but Rose didn’t think so. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this excited. It was really good news and she just knew that Judith would want to know. The older woman didn’t even sound tired when she picked up.
“Do you have something to report?” Judith sounded as if she already knew it would be good news.
“Mr. Attaway sent people to try and find whoever accessed Edward Elric’s account and from the descriptions, it just has to be Ed and Al. I know it!” Rose barely kept her squeal of joy to herself.
Hungry as an alley dog, Judith’s voice echoed in Rose’s ear. “Are you sure?”
“Well…no, but one of the young men at the train terminal wasn’t all that tall with long blond hair and a bad limp and a fake hand. If it’s Ed, that means he’s hurt.” Rose fretted. She didn’t like that idea at all. Ed just needed to go see Winry, Rose knew her friend could make Edward right. “And his other companion had sandy hair. That sounds like Al. They bought tickets to Resembol. That’s where they’re from.”
“I see. That is very good news then,” Judith said. “What can you tell me about Resembol? You were there, weren’t you, Rose?”
“Oh yes! I stayed at their friend, Winry Rockbell’s place. If they’re going to Resembol, that’s where they’re going. It’s a small town, full of sheep,” Rose said. “I’m sure they’d go to see Winry. She’s their best friend.”
“How well do you know her then? Fairly well, I would assume if you stayed with Miss Rockbell.”
Rose bobbed her head even though no one could see it. “Winry and I got along great,” she stretched the truth just a bit. Rose always wondered if Winry were a little jealous of her because Rose knew Ed loved her, not Winry. Dante had told Rose that and Rose had more proof. He had danced with her, hadn’t he? She didn’t remember much of that town beneath the ground but Rose thought she remembered that. “And I know Ed and Al pretty well. I thought about naming my son, Ed. Al is a really sweet kid. Do you want me to go to Resembol and see if I can find them, Judith? I mean, Ed would probably want to help us in Lior.”
“No, no, no need to be hasty. If they are back, surely they’ll come back to Central. You can wait until then, introduce them to Mr. Attaway and tell them all about our cause,” Judith said. “They’ve been gone a long time from what Attaway has told me. They will need time to adjust to being home after so long. We’ll have time to work on a proper welcome back and then ask for their help here in Lior.”
“Oh, okay,” Rose couldn’t contain her disappointment. She wanted to see Ed now.
“You’ve done great work, Rose. Thank you.”
Rose beamed, wishing Judith could see how happy that made her. “Thank you.”
Judith hung up and Rose went to check on her son. She smiled at the sleeping boy. She missed Cain, had wished occasionally that her son was his but mostly she wished the boy was Edward’s. He would make a good father. Well, he was home now and she would give him his chance after he got time to adjust, just like Judith said. Content, Rose headed for bed.
Chapter nine
Author -
cornerofmadnessDisclaimer - not mine, all characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa et al, Square Enix and funimition.
Pairing – Roy/Riza, Ed/Win (eventually) Winry/OC, mentions of Maes/Gracia and Al/OC
Rating – THIS CHAPTER IS ADULT RATED will vary from chapter to chapter, mostly Pg-13 but will eventually contain well marked adult chapters.
Time Line – anime based, spoilers all the way through the anime and the movie and does have strong manga elements such as Armstrong’s older sister and the land of Xing
Summary – As Roy and Riza prepare for their wedding, while dodging assassins, Ed and Al try to find their way back home.
Author’s Note #1– This was written after much prodding by
evil_little_dog as a sequel to the source of sorrow and is now her holiday gift even if she has beta’ed part of it. So thanks to her and lyricnonsense for the beta. You do not have to read the first story to understand this. You’ll quickly pick up that Riza has retired from the military to be Roy’s wife and bodyguard. Olivia Armstrong is now president and she’s assigned Roy as the ambassador to Ishbal; oh and that Roy was severely injured in the destruction of the Gate, requiring some of Winry’s automail.Author's Note #2 - This is a longer work and like real relationships, the ones listed in the pairings, take time to mend and come together. They have to work at it. Hope you enjoy the ride.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Second warning - contains sexual content
Chapter Eight
You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right. ~Maya Angelou
“I thought you wanted to talk about today,” Riza sat on the edge of her hotel bed, Roy’s hand sliding up her spine. She knew talking was the last thing on his mind, in spite of everything that had happened today. “That’s why Winry let you come back here. She thinks you’re overexerting yourself.”
“Don’t want to talk.” Roy kissed the nape of her neck then peeled her shirt off over her head.
Riza’s skin quivered under his warm lips as he placed kisses over the inked skin of her back. His fingers expertly traced around the burns scars, never going over their numbed flesh. That always caused her irritating pins and needles. She didn’t argue with him. Riza knew Roy’s moods intimately. They hadn’t changed in the time they had been apart; maybe not since he was a child. When Roy was upset, he wanted touched, comforted, and as he aged, desperate for the feel of skin. He was greedy for it. Mostly she didn’t mind. He was a very talented lover.
Unhooking her bra, Roy swirled his tongue slowly up one snake arching over her back. With a sigh, Riza gave over to his touch, wanting it, too. It hadn’t been much easier on her meeting Meinhard Hughes than it had Roy. Riza smoothed a hand along his thigh while her skin prickled deliciously at the touch of Roy’s talented mouth. How much had she missed this in those months of his recovery? She could take him to bed every night for a week and not get her fill after the horror lurking around the edges of her soul ever since the bombing.
Roy’s hands, the skin soft from being in gloves most of the time, massaged her breasts, tweaking her nipples. His prickly chin brushed her shoulder. She had forgotten to make sure he sat down with a hand mirror and shaved. At work, Roy was always so presentable but now, having been on his back for so long, he had gotten a little slovenly. He couldn’t really grow much of a beard and his moustache gave him a saturnine, somewhat untrustworthy appearance, so he usually shaved it. Riza didn’t resist his gentle tug, letting him maneuver around so he could press her to the bed.
Sitting back, Roy stripped off his shirt. Riza kept her eyes north of the terrible scars crossing his torso. They would eventually fade somewhat and she would be able to bear them but right now they would just remind her of how close she had gotten to losing him. She never wanted to think about it again. Of course, one shoulder bore the long scar where Bradley had dragged his sword through Roy and the other had two distinct round scars where Dev had dug in his hooks when Roy tried to pull him from the burning building. Small burn scars pocked him here and there. Riza remembered most of them from his days of training. Even before she had given him her secret, Roy was good at setting things on fire, mostly things that shouldn’t have been in flames. She had learned to love all the imperfections in his skin though she wasn’t used to them standing out so much. He had tanned a lot in the last few weeks, baking his healing body on the Rockbell’s lawn, leaving his scars stark white against glowing nut brown skin.
Roy undid her zipper, sliding her slacks off. He kissed his way up the sensitive flesh of her thighs. Riza moaned softly. Roy knew just how to play her. He loved the strong yet soft curve of a woman’s thigh. He could spend long luscious minutes worshipping her legs and most nights Riza would let him but tonight, she wanted to hold him more than anything else. Riza ran her fingers through his thick ebon hair then patted the bed beside her. Roy lay beside her obligingly. She wrapped around him, her mouth meeting his for the first in a series of long, slow kisses. Riza trailed a hand down his belly, unzipping him. Her fingers played through the coarse triangle of hair as thick as the rest of his body hair was sparse. Her strong hand curled around his cock, lightly stroking, in no hurry.
Eventually the remainders of their clothing had been shucked and Roy dug in the bed stand drawer for the tin of condoms. She almost told him not to bother and that impulse surprised Riza. She and Roy hadn’t yet talked about children. Both of them had problems being around children ever since killing them in Ishbal. Riza thought it had to be his near death spurring on these thoughts. She wanted his legacy to go on, to have his child and the intensity of that thought frightened her. Riza wanted to feel less out of control. If they chose to have children, then she wanted it to be because it was something they had considered and desired. There would be time for children but she worried that their dangerous lives would make having children seem like a selfish thing to do.
Riza let her worries dissipate as he moved over her, love and lust mixing intoxicatingly in his onyx eye. Last night, she had been the one to dominate. Now, with his leg and balance back, she let Roy take the lead. Riza wrapped her legs around his narrow waist as Roy sank into her. He always felt so good, so right inside her. His pace was slow, honey-hipped, but the horrible bed translated that into the unmistakable thumping of the loose headboard against the wall. She should have had Roy alchemize it into something sturdier. He had been too horny last night and too exhausted afterwards. The bed was bolted to the floor at the footboard, as if someone was going to steal it, so she couldn’t yank it away from the wall. As good as Roy was making her feel, Riza couldn’t help a hint of prudery at the feeling that whole hotel knew what they were doing between the creaking and the thumping, not to mention the moans of pleasure.
Sinking deep into her, Roy whispered in her ear, “Ignore the noise.”
She laughed, kissing him. “How can you read my mind?”
“Because I love you so much.”
That was all the answer Riza needed.
X X X
Dev groaned, staring up at the ceiling. Why hadn’t he asked for a change of rooms? How much sex could two people have? Could he convince Riza to gag the bastard before hand? The pervert would probably like it. He should have bought some ear plugs. Dev turned on the bed side light, shielding his eyes. Once his vision had adjusted, Dev picked up the book off the night stand and tried to ignore the rhythmic thumping against his wall by losing himself in the pages. It didn’t help that it was a hot, stuffy night, ill-suited for easy sleep. He didn’t like all the humidity in Resembol, even if he did like the greenness.
Curling up on his side, wrapping the pillow around his head with one arm, Dev considered at yelling at Roy in the morning but he knew the smug jerk would just tell him to go make noise of his own then remark, ‘oh right, you can’t because you messed up.’ The worst part was he couldn’t argue with that. He had messed up. Dev didn’t know if he was in love. Maybe not, not if he could give Winry up so easily. Only it hadn’t been easy. It tore him up to do it but he had to do the best he could for his people and they didn’t trust him, not with an Amestrian girlfriend. Life, he reminded himself grimly, was unfair.
Abandoning his book, Dev ran a hand over his sweating skin, wishing the ceiling fan would do more to help. He didn’t like sleeping naked, didn’t like looking at his own body, but it was too hot in the room for pajamas. Dev hated the topography of his body, the etched melted candle appearance that dripped and draped down one half of him from shoulder down to the missing toes. He knew, even when he finally managed to learn to use the automail correctly, he might still be barred from the warrior’s sect of the priesthood. The thick scarring around his ankle didn’t allow his foot to go flat so he limped and his knee and hip were tight with scar tissue. Only his face had been spared the alchemic flames.
How had Winry been able to look at him and, if not find him sexy, at least not find him so repulsive that she didn’t turn away? The first girl he had ever thought he had been in love with had take one look at him without his shirt and told him he reminded her of the war and she could never think of him sexually. Hurt beyond his own ability to cope, Dev had hidden inside himself until Winry had drawn him out. Clumsy kisses turning into clumsier attempts at intimacy, a first for them both. They got better, amazingly better. Dev knew his whole attitude had changed toward life having found some acceptance.
And he had thrown it away.
Not that it mattered, Dev thought, his fingers worrying at a tender piece of scar tissue. Li-Yang had been working that scar around his hip hard, trying to break it up, leaving him pretending he wasn’t crying into his pillow from the pain as the healer worked. It had been two days and it still hurt. But not as much as his feelings did right now. That little blond boy was supposed to be gone for good but now he was back. Dev didn’t know Edward enough to hate him but Dev knew he didn’t like him. He had spent months being compared to Edward and hadn’t liked it then, mostly because he could never quite escape the fear that Winry had only tolerated his ruined body because he reminded her of Elric.
And now she could have what she really wanted. Maybe it was the best for everyone that he had let Winry go but it hurt. And it made him want her back, as selfish and destructive as he knew it was. He needed to think about his people and he needed to think of what was best for Winry. If she really had loved Edward all this time, then this would be the best for her. The one thing Dev knew for certain was, he had to let Winry make her own choices between him and Edward. She might not want Edward back. She might never forgive either of them for leaving her. Dev had accepted that but hated it. He couldn’t force the point with her. He wanted Winry to remain his friend even if ex-lovers were difficult friends to keep. It just felt nice to have someone in his life, besides his mother, who actually cared about him.
Realizing that the other side of his wall had fallen silent, Dev put the book back, killed the lights and tried to fall asleep before the bastard got his second wind.
X X X
“Maybe we should have stayed at Granny’s, Brother.” Al lay on his side on his twin bed. Beyond them, on the other side of the shared bathroom, he could hear Hughes snoring.
Ed didn’t lift his head off his pillow. “Winry looked sick and we already took up a guest room last night.”
“I think we hurt her feelings by not staying,” Al muttered, wishing that just one thing would go right but he wasn’t holding his breath. Ed still needed fixing. No one knew what to do about their return, let alone them bringing along Hughes’ doppelganger. Al kept waiting, chest tight, for his brother to do or say something moronic about Winry’s boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend or whatever the Ishbalan was.
“You don’t have to tell me that, Al. I know. We’ve screwed up everything. Winry’s probably sick because we’ve made her so mad and nervous.” Ed sighed, flopping onto his back. “This was supposed to be a happy time.”
“Then make it one,” Al said, his voice raising just a bit. He winced, tossing a glance back toward where Hughes slept. “We know things could get bad, really bad, but until it does, we should be happy. We’re here. We’re alive and we already know we can survive anything.”
Ed snorted at him. “Al, blind optimism was never my strong suit.”
“No, being dour is but you don’t give up, Ed.” Al pointed a finger at him. “ Don’t give up now.”
Ed made another half amused sound then asked, “Al, do you think she and that …priest are lovers?” He spat both ‘priest’ and ‘lover’ out like gristle found in an otherwise fine steak.
“Ed, if they are there’s nothing you can do about it,” Al reminded his brother sensibly, his chest relaxing. At least Ed had the sense to hold it in until they were alone. Of course, Ed could do something about it but it would be ugly. “From what the General hinted at, I think they’re no longer together but don’t go barging in like usual. Winry is probably still good with that wrench.”
“Don’t want to barge in.” Al heard Edward's throat working. “I just...I wanted Winry to be happy, Al. It's just weird thinking that maybe she’d be happy without us.”
Al sighed, kicking the sheet off. It was too sticky of a night. “I know. Just…until the military comes for us, until it all crashes down, we should enjoy this time, Edward. I know, you and I should take Winry out somewhere to eat. Well…probably here at the inn, since it’s not like there are all that many restaurants in Resembol but just us together like it used to be.”
Ed nodded. “I like the sound of that…except, well, I’ll ask the bastard for money,” Ed muttered barely loud enough to hear.
“Did we run out of your illicit gold already?” Al asked tartly.
“Almost, yeah.”
Al wrinkled his nose at the proud tones in his brother’s voice. Sometimes he wondered how Ed remained out of jail or even how he held onto his own life with all the risks and rule bending he did. “And you're not making more, Ed.” Al rolled over to fix his brother with a glare. “Bad enough you did it the first time.”
“Can’t hear you. Sleeping.” Ed replied like they were still kids.
Al smiled in the dark. Maybe everything really would be all right.
X X X
Winry knew she should be asleep but she wanted to work on the specs for Edward’s new automail. The junk – her junk, how had he managed to do that to her automail? - he was wearing now was not salvageable. She sketched feverishly, part of her thrilled to have so many new techniques she could bring to the table, things Ed had never seen her do, until that thought brought her up short. A nervous flutter whipped up a windstorm inside her. It had been so long since she had to do this for Ed.
In years past, she had kept a sketchbook with nothing but new designs she wanted to try with Ed because Winry had known he would inevitably mess up her automail. That’s what Ed did; he made huge, splashy messes without meaning to. Well, he certainly had made one now, reappearing without warning and catching her without a new sketch for him.
Winry had given up hope. She hated that she had given up before Roy had. Winry wish she had the strength to do this. All her talk to Riza about taking back Roy, forgiving him in those many months of separation, had come back to haunt her. It was harder to forgive than Winry had ever imagined. No matter how much she loved the brothers, and she did, the pain they had caused her demanded attention. It burned inside like one of Roy’s fires and there was no dousing it. Winry knew she would forgive them, eventually. Maybe she even wanted to hurt them a little, to make them feel like she did. Hadn’t she suspected Riza had done the same that time in Central when she made Roy meet her current lover, David? To rub their noses in their mistakes like errant puppies, how cruel of her, she thought.
Winry hadn’t been pleased to learn that Dev had introduced himself as her boyfriend but in some hidden and unpleasant part of her, she was also glad. Pinako had told her that Roy had sort of straightened out Ed’s conception of what was going on between her and Dev but at the same time, not really. Roy had accepted his own pain for the wrongs he had done Riza. He might want Ed and Al to do that same for her.
Winry knew that she would tell the brothers they were forgiven, sooner rather than later. She would fix Ed, give him limbs better than anything he had ever had before. She would tell Al in no uncertain terms that she loved him like a brother. Ed posed more of problem. Did she still love him? She had asked herself that many times when she had been with Dev. Did she love Edward? She had once, beyond all doubt. She might still, but she couldn’t tell him that, not yet, and it had nothing to do with punishing him. The feelings she had for Ed were tied up in the past and she'd finally let go of them for the future.
With lead-smudged fingers, Winry brushed over her stomach. At least it wasn’t currently queasy but it would come again. Winry knew it would, fearing that twist of her stomach, the running of salt and water in the back of her mouth, that signal that she was likely to retch. Her mind spooled back several weeks to one wonderful, vigorous night and the failure of that handy little piece of rubber that came dressed in embarrassing bright graphics on the paper envelope. Tomorrow, she would see the doctor, knowing he would draw blood for tests. Winry feared what they would show. What would everyone say if she turned up with a red-eyed infant?
The fear rushed back and Winry found herself dialing a number before she even gave thought to the time of night. She just needed someone to talk to and she didn’t want Pinako to know, even though Winry knew her granny had already begun to suspect.
X X X
Riza toweled off her damp hair, coming back out into the bedroom. Her lips pulled into a scowl, seeing Roy on his knees, rocking the headboard against the wall, making all the right very loud noises. She sighed. Sometimes she just had to accept that men never aged past twelve years. Riza furled her towel and laid it across his bared backside.
Roy yelped, slamming his head into the headboard before collapsing on the mattress. “That hurt!” he whimpered, rubbing his stinging butt. “What was that for?”
“You’re embarrassing me.” Riza sat on the bed next to him. “And you’re purposely antagonizing that poor young man. Honestly, your parents should have just given you a few younger brothers the way you keep collecting them for torturing purposes.”
“I didn’t hear that,” Roy replied, rubbing his forehead. He dropped his hand, favoring her with a come hither look.
Riza tried not to smile. “I just showered, Roy, and you need your rest.”
“But I’m not tired,” he wheedled like a child.
Riza sat next to him, stroking his hair. “You are tired.”
“I think I’d know if I were.”
Before she reply, the bed side phone rang making them both jump. The military had insisted on the in-room phone just in case. Riza didn’t want to answer it but if someone was calling it had to be important. “Hawkeye here,” she said into the handset. “Oh…Winry. No, it’s okay you didn’t wake me,” Riza said quickly as Roy traced a pattern on her back. She felt like slapping him to get him to behave. “Is everything all right?” Roy slithered over her legs, his mouth finding the inside of her thigh, sucking. God, the man could be so distracting. Riza was glad she didn’t wear mini-skirts on a daily basis. “No, I don’t mind talking.” Riza slipped out of bed since it was obvious Roy had decided the phone call wasn’t an emergency and if he kept doing what he was doing, Winry would get more than she bargained for over the line.
Riza let Winry talk, realizing that she should talk to the girl in person. Winry wouldn’t say over the phone what was really bothering her but Riza knew the girl needed to talk about it. Winry rang off prematurely, obviously still upset but claiming she had to get some sleep. Riza turned back to her lover and Mr. I’m Not Tired was curled up on his side, dead asleep. With a fond smile, Riza slipped in next to him, snuggling up for a good night’s sleep of her own.
X X X
Rose felt like dancing as she made the very important call. Attaway said it could wait until morning but Rose didn’t think so. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this excited. It was really good news and she just knew that Judith would want to know. The older woman didn’t even sound tired when she picked up.
“Do you have something to report?” Judith sounded as if she already knew it would be good news.
“Mr. Attaway sent people to try and find whoever accessed Edward Elric’s account and from the descriptions, it just has to be Ed and Al. I know it!” Rose barely kept her squeal of joy to herself.
Hungry as an alley dog, Judith’s voice echoed in Rose’s ear. “Are you sure?”
“Well…no, but one of the young men at the train terminal wasn’t all that tall with long blond hair and a bad limp and a fake hand. If it’s Ed, that means he’s hurt.” Rose fretted. She didn’t like that idea at all. Ed just needed to go see Winry, Rose knew her friend could make Edward right. “And his other companion had sandy hair. That sounds like Al. They bought tickets to Resembol. That’s where they’re from.”
“I see. That is very good news then,” Judith said. “What can you tell me about Resembol? You were there, weren’t you, Rose?”
“Oh yes! I stayed at their friend, Winry Rockbell’s place. If they’re going to Resembol, that’s where they’re going. It’s a small town, full of sheep,” Rose said. “I’m sure they’d go to see Winry. She’s their best friend.”
“How well do you know her then? Fairly well, I would assume if you stayed with Miss Rockbell.”
Rose bobbed her head even though no one could see it. “Winry and I got along great,” she stretched the truth just a bit. Rose always wondered if Winry were a little jealous of her because Rose knew Ed loved her, not Winry. Dante had told Rose that and Rose had more proof. He had danced with her, hadn’t he? She didn’t remember much of that town beneath the ground but Rose thought she remembered that. “And I know Ed and Al pretty well. I thought about naming my son, Ed. Al is a really sweet kid. Do you want me to go to Resembol and see if I can find them, Judith? I mean, Ed would probably want to help us in Lior.”
“No, no, no need to be hasty. If they are back, surely they’ll come back to Central. You can wait until then, introduce them to Mr. Attaway and tell them all about our cause,” Judith said. “They’ve been gone a long time from what Attaway has told me. They will need time to adjust to being home after so long. We’ll have time to work on a proper welcome back and then ask for their help here in Lior.”
“Oh, okay,” Rose couldn’t contain her disappointment. She wanted to see Ed now.
“You’ve done great work, Rose. Thank you.”
Rose beamed, wishing Judith could see how happy that made her. “Thank you.”
Judith hung up and Rose went to check on her son. She smiled at the sleeping boy. She missed Cain, had wished occasionally that her son was his but mostly she wished the boy was Edward’s. He would make a good father. Well, he was home now and she would give him his chance after he got time to adjust, just like Judith said. Content, Rose headed for bed.
Chapter nine
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Date: 2008-04-23 09:45 pm (UTC)(I'll tell u later what I think about it)^-^
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Date: 2008-04-23 10:41 pm (UTC)and I'll be thrilled to hear what you think
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Date: 2008-04-25 05:34 pm (UTC)But I hope winry isn't going to have a baby because that would really suck. -_-
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Date: 2008-04-25 05:42 pm (UTC)as for Winry you'll have to wait and see
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Date: 2008-05-02 05:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-03 02:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-03 09:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-24 12:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-24 01:37 am (UTC)those feelings are a complicated thing
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Date: 2008-05-29 10:52 pm (UTC)*runs off to next chapter*
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Date: 2008-05-29 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-22 07:41 pm (UTC)Resemboolthe fic*Wow! Now I want to read it all in one go. This is brilliant. I can't believe Winry might be pregnant (well, I can believe it - but I'm just imagining the awkwardness between her and Dev, and lets not forget Ed. XD Just imagine you adapted to a 1920's frame of mind, and then the woman you love is suddenly a young mother, completely on speaking terms with the father. XD XD Actually, just the irony makes that irresistible.)
And I'm really holding out for Hughes, that he'll fit in, make friends, the lot. I'm totally keeping my fingers crossed for a chance meeting between him and Elicia. Guess I'll have to read and see. ;)
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Date: 2008-09-22 09:21 pm (UTC)As for Hughes, well he'll get his time in the sun too
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Date: 2010-09-23 04:14 am (UTC)Kane's name changed to Cain in the last paragraph.
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Date: 2010-09-23 04:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 11:30 am (UTC)*ducks*
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Date: 2010-09-23 07:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-24 12:47 am (UTC)