Prelude

“Now, about young Elric.”

Roy tensed invisibly, as General Hakuro paged through one of the folders on the desk he’d taken over for his inspection of East City headquarters.

“Is the boy always this… volatile?”

“What do you mean, General?” Roy asked evenly.

“According to this he burned down the mansion of the Governor of Ketal during an altercation when the Governor’s guards found him trespassing.”

“After which,” Roy pointed out, “it was discovered that the Governor was using his mansion as a clearinghouse for an illegally developed alchemical substance.”

Which substance, Roy reflected, was of great interest to the man who had taken over Gran’s jurisdiction, however illegal the development process.

Hakuro eyed him. “Did you send him to do this?” he asked softly.

Roy was pleased to vent a perfectly honest laugh. “If I had, I very much doubt he would have arrived in the city any time this month.”

“Elric-kun does not take orders well?” Hakuro translated.

Roy pursed his lips judiciously. “Someone with a gift for understatement might put it that way,” he allowed.

“Hm. I see.”

Roy certainly hoped so.

Hakuro shuffled his papers together and put Edward’s folder at the bottom of the stack. Roy suppressed a sigh of relief.

“Very well. You are dismissed.”

Roy made his way back to his own office, counting down the days until Hakuro would be off their hands again. Perhaps catching up on his correspondence would relax him.

No sooner had Roy settled down at his desk, though, than a slip of paper puffed into existence above it and fluttered down on top of his other papers. Roy read it, and snorted.

“Well, that should put the cap on everyone’s day.”

Lude

Ed stalked into the Colonel’s office, slammed the door and flung himself down on the couch.

“That was quick,” Mustang remarked.

Ed threw an arm over his face. “That Author has the worst timing! I swear she does it on purpose!”

“Headache?” Mustang inquired, sweetly.

Ed snarled.

He heard Roy rise and come around the desk, felt the couch dip as Roy settled beside him, but didn’t look or move.

“Are you all right, Edward?”

“Just fine,” Ed muttered. “Taisa.”

“I’ll take that as a no, then.” Roy’s hand passed over Ed’s brow. Ed struck upward, with another snarl.

Roy caught it. Barely. “Edward, why are you here?”

Ed huffed.

“Just a bad mood, then?” Roy suggested.

Ed stared intently away from him.

“So. How is this, then. Just lie still.”

Ed slanted a sideways look. “Just that?”

Roy leaned over him, one arm on the back of the couch. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”

Ed had his suspicions about any offer Roy Mustang made that sounded like what he wanted. There had to be a catch. But he finally nodded grudging agreement.

Roy started tracing feather-light patterns across Ed’s forehead. After a moment’s struggle just for form’s sake Ed let his eyes drift closed.

Roy’s hands passed down his neck, over his shoulders, testing for tension and kneading it away. Ed pulled in deep breath and released it with a sigh. The soothing hands moved to his chest, and then his stomach. The muscles there quivered, and Ed gasped.

“Ssh,” Roy whispered to him, “relax, Ed. There’s nothing you need to do.”

“Mmmh.”

Gradually, under Roy’s careful hands, Ed’s entire body slackened. He lay back on the couch, almost floating except that gravity had such a very good hold on him.

Roy’s deep voice spoke by his ear, smooth as his touch. “Tell me if you want me to stop. But there’s something I want to show you, my hawk.”

Roy’s hands were undoing Ed’s pants. Ed considered protesting, the remnants of his bad temper stirring, but he was relaxed now and didn’t want to change that.

Roy’s hands were warm and gentle and the heat of Roy’s breath washed over his cock.

“Ahhh…”

Wet heat curled around him, closed over him like deep water. Ed felt entirely underwater, his movement slowed, even his reaction to Roy’s mouth on him languid. He sighed and stretched into it as Roy’s tongue burned paths up and down, slowly filling him with a heavy heat until it overflowed in long, deep waves.

Ed wallowed in a comfortable daze. He only roused from it when he realized that he was lying reclined against Roy’s chest.

“Mmm.”

“Feeling better?” There was a chuckle in Roy’s voice.

“Mm.”

Thought returned slowly. “What about you?” Ed asked.

“I’m fine.”

Ed blinked a few times. He turned in Roy’s arms to look up at him, puzzled. Roy returned one of his infuriating, unreadable, one-sided smiles, but was apparently inclined to take pity on all forms of Ed’s frustration today. Roy cradled Ed’s jaw in his hand.

“Perhaps you’ll understand later. My lover’s pleasure is enough for me, today. To see you so abandoned to pleasure that I brought you…” he kissed Ed, slowly, “…that’s enough.”

Ed gazed up at him, not knowing what expression might be on his own face.

“Why?”

Roy smiled and settled Ed more comfortably against him. “Rest. My hawk.”

As Ed closed his eyes again, he heard Roy whisper, laughing faintly.

“…my fractious, cross-grained gyrfalcon.”

End

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Ed: Eh?

Roy: *winces* You weren’t supposed to hear that.

Branch: For our readers, the significance of the gyrfalcon is documented at this handy site. Ed, don’t look yet.