Taken In Hand

Part 3: Before We Leave

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It wasn't very much later that Edward made his way upstairs as quietly as was possible. He had cleaned all of the dishes and kitchenware used, dried it and packed it carefully away. He wanted to make the next day run smoothly, to make the moving of his new master's household as easy as possible. This had been the first task set to him by Roy and he was going to make the best of it, doing as good of a job as possible to leave a perfect first impression on the man. He needed to stay here, he couldn't fail and be sent back, not now. It was made clear when he was sent to training that if he was returned he was not the only one to be punished, his brother would be found and hurt as well.

Edward wasn't exactly sure where his brother had ended up after they had parted ways, but it was for his brothers safety that he had allowed himself to be taken, and if he failed in his task now all of that would be in vain. he hoped his brother was safely back in Risembool, but he wasn't ever quite sure of that, and it wasn't as if he was given the opportunity to check at any point. Ed knew he would do anything to keep his brother safe though, anything that it was possible for him to do. Alphonse was the only family he had after their mother died, with their father having left at such a young age that neither son really remembered him strongly enough to seek him out and cling to him.

It had been mostly good luck on Edward's part, he thought, that he had ended up in such a relatively pleasant situation after his sale. He had been expecting, with his automail and build, that he would be put to work in a hard labor environment, not household chores and overseeing the master like he was now. And, though he didn't really want to admit it, the man to whom he had been given fascinated him greatly. He was handsome, that much was certain, and there was a certain exotic allure to the man that Ed had seen even for that brief moment of stolen eye contact in the auction, where his breath had stalled in his throat and his heart had stilled for a beat. That just made the job easier really, being obedient and cheerful for its own sake as much as the sake of the job at hand.

The room had been dark when the boy had slipped in, pulling the black shirt he was wearing over his head and popping the tie from his hair, brushing it lightly with his fingers to remove the tangles. He tried to shed his clothing as quietly as possible before climbing into bed in just his underwear, careful not to disturb the man beside him. That was until the man turned his head to show that he was still awake and Ed sighed in relief. He climbed beside Mustang, but was still surprised when he felt strong arms wrap lightly around his waist, pulling him close. The contact was remarkably tender and Edward wanted to say something then, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate with him in that endeavor so instead he just let himself be moved. Since that first day the man hadn't actually expressed any physical feeling towards him, which is not to say that he wasn't cordial and sweet at all times. It still made the boy's heart beat faster to feel those hands on his skin, fingers brushing his tanned stomach. The touch was chaste, but as he was guided to the man's chest, and he could feel the man's body pressed to his back, his pulse quickening and his breathing becoming rougher. It was purely on impulse that he pulled forwards slightly so he could turn onto his back. He leaned forwards then, and placed a small kiss on the man's closed lips, whispering a small goodnight before letting himself be snuggled back into position. He was content that night to sleep with his master's arms around him.

X

Roy woke to bright sunlight and an empty bed, and it took a moment for him to register why those things were wrong. When he rose, wrapping the silk robe Maes had gotten him for his birthday two years ago around himself, it was to muffled cacophony. He opened the door to the bedroom and he could pick the boy's familiar voice from the mixture, as he instructed the movers on what to pack into the truck. He leaned over the railing of the stairs and he could see the rooms downstairs were almost empty now. When Edward saw him descending the staircase his smile was wide.

"Good Morning Master. The men from the moving company are almost finished with everything downstairs, and they'll go upstairs soon. I packed a suitcase for you while you were still asleep, you can look through it and change things if you wish, I set it by the door with the trunks making the train trip with us tomorrow. A good deal of the kitchen items are packed away but I can make you some coffee or breakfast if you want." The man just shook his head, grinning.

"No Edward, I think that I can wait until the house is packed. Then maybe we can go into town and eat something, once we've checked into the hotel." Edward's eyes sparkled. He hadn't been out of the house in the last week, and at first that was fine by him, as he was busy submerging himself in his new life, learning everything he could in the time he had. But by the end he was starting to become restless, and the idea that Roy would let them be seen in public together made his chest puff slightly. The man obviously approved of him then, especially now that he was a General, with an image to uphold.

Edward simply smiled as he directed the men on what from the upstairs rooms they should pack away while the General headed into the small bathroom for a shower. By the time he was done the truck was packed and ready to leave, waiting only upon his final inspection to do so.

X

It wasn't much more than an hour later that the truck and the men that went with it were gone and all that remained in the house were Roy, Ed and the trunks that would accompany them on their train ride. The state car arrived promptly at 2:30, driven by a curious looking man with blonde hair and an unlit cigarette clenched between his teeth. Edward felt uncharacteristically shy around the man, especially when Mustang greeted him in such a familiar way upon arrival. They talked for a few moments while they carried the trunks into the car, leaving Edward with the small suitcase, trailing behind almost listlessly, unsure of his place in this interaction. He fell back on the training he had received, keeping to the man's heels, head down arms clasped in front of him. He only half listened to the exchange, until the blonde man plucked the suitcase from his hands and put it into the back seat of the car, the other luggage secured in the trunk. He took a drag off his now lit cigarette and turned to Mustang.

"Hey Chief! What's up with the kid?" Mustang chuckled, and walked over to the boy, laying his hand on one tanned shoulder.

"This is Edward, he was a gift from Hughes last weekend, when he was here, a sort of congratulations on the promotion." Then he squeezed Ed's shoulder briefly before trailing his fingers to rub the boy's cheek tenderly, " and this is Lieutenant Jean Havoc, he's on my staff. He'll be coming to Central with us, though not on the train tomorrow. He needs to stay here to finish things up first." Havoc grinned and shook his head, opening the back door of the car for the general and helping the boy in beside him. He didn't speak until the car was moving.

"Well Ed, its nice to meet you. Its good to see someone's taking care of the General, lord knows he needs the help." The boy was ready to speak in his Master's defense, as he was sure the man could do fine on his own if he so desired, but the man beside him laughed and the sound was beautiful.

The two men chatted back and forth for the rest of the trip, and Edward stared out the window at the passing scenery and wondered what Central city would be like when they got there. He'd never been to such a big place before. He wondered idly what Mustang would ask him to do when they got to Central. Here he had spent most of his time packing up the apartment, which was now a finished project so there wouldn't be any more of that happening. He really did want to be helpful still though, and he hoped that Mustang would find something for him to do. Maybe he'd take the boy to the office with him, the thought of that made Edward smile. The car came to a stop in front of the hotel that sat beside the train station.

"But Mustang, seriously now" Jean Havoc's voice became low and clear, "Scar has been sited all around Central City this week, so be careful when you get there. They're not sure what the guy wants right now, but its definitely not good." Then the man's voice was a bit less serious, and he smiled into the rear view mirror, "And it wouldn't do to have you die so soon after your promotion, you haven't gotten to enjoy being a General yet." Then a sly smile, "And now that you've got a little someone keeping your bed warm..." The General just rolled his eyes as he got out and proceeded to drag a trunk from the car. Ed, however, was thoroughly pink when he hustled after his Master, helping the man to lift things down before running to the lobby to grab a luggage cart from the bellhop.

He wrestled the trunks up onto the cart with almost no problem at all, and Mustang chuckled when the boy said he didn't need any help with it, but he stood back anyways and watched the boy, amused as he was. Checking in to the room was no problem as well, with Edward producing the confirmation number for the reservation from the small pouch he carried tied to his thick leather belt. The woman from the counter offered to show them to their room, but Mustang politely declined, for which Edward was grateful. He had become comfortable with the man, by himself in isolation. When the rest of the world bled in around the edges it made him nervous. Mustang was a keen observer of these things. When the elevator doors shut them off from the lobby he put a hand on the boys shoulder, rubbing light circles on his skin, and Ed relaxed under his hand, leaning into the touch, but with both hands still on the luggage cart. He shut his eyes and focussed on the man behind him, and all too soon he heard the ding that meant they had arrived at their floor, and the doors opened in a mechanical hiss and pulled back revealing empty halls.

Finding their room was easy, the suite was at the end of the hall and when they swung the door open they saw two rooms, a sort of sitting room in the front, with a view of the city laid out beneath the giant window, the curtains flung wide. Edward wheeled the cart in and placed the trunks carefully in the corner of the front room before carrying the suitcase through to the second, a bedroom of decent size with a king bed in the middle, and a small window to the side with a luggage stand beneath it where the boy placed the bag. He turned then, to take stock of the man, who smiled back at him.

"This is nice Edward, a good choice. There's only one bed though, but I can call down to room service and get you a trundle if you want." The boy blushed then, worrying the hem of the black shirt between his fingers.

"No sir, thats alright, I would much rather just sleep up with you." Then his eyes sank, and his hands stilled. "Unless you would rather I not, in which case I can sleep on the couch in the other room." He startled slightly as he felt Mustang's hand on his cheek, the man had crossed the room so silently he hadn't noticed. The man's fingers steered his face upwards, until he was forced to meet his eyes.

"That would be lovely, Edward, I just don't want it to be something you're uncomfortable with, okay?" Ed managed a weak smile then, and watched as Mustang stepped back. "Now how about we go get some brunch. I know of a great little café a block from here. Its on a quiet little street, it would be perfect, and I would love for you to accompany me there." Ed blushed again, but nodded and hurried to get things put into their places. He picked a uniform jacket from the suitcase, and as he was hanging it to keep it from wrinkling a white glove fell from the pocket. He picked it up and his eyes widened at the designs inscribed on the back. He stared at it slightly dumbstruck until a chuckle came from behind him.

"I see you found my gloves, that right there is a transmutation circle, it lets me control the element of fire." The boy looked up at him, eyes curious.

"Your an-an alchemist then?" Mustang just smiled and nodded.

"I'm a state alchemist actually, I use my alchemy in service to the state. Thats the reason I've been able to become a General so quickly, this skill gives me great worth to the military and the government." The boy smiled then, finished putting the things from the suitcase away, and he latched onto the man's arm then, which made him chuckle.

"Well come on then Edward, lets go get something to eat."

X

The meal had gone smoothly, for the most part. Roy had bought a newspaper on the way downstairs and he had settled onto one of the outside tables at one of the cafés he and Maes always went to when the man was in town, the one with the fritatta Mustang always loved. The boy had looked a bit uncomfortable but he had put that down to his aversion to groups of people. Mustang knew he'd have to help Edward overcome that, especially if he was going to come to Central. The thought of returning the boy, for his own sake, had crossed the General's mind, but it had made him frown into his paper. He was attached to Edward now, he had gotten used to having him around, not to mention that having a cute boy trailing him everywhere made heads turn, especially one with such long blonde hair and beautiful eyes.

He had looked at the boy the whole while they were waiting for their food, but they had all been quick sidelong glances as he pretended to read the newspaper, trying to appear to be focused intently on the political goings on of the eastern sector. It was all too distracting though, to have the boy sitting across the table from him, trying his hardest not to look nervous or bored. It was absolutely and irredeemably cute, and he wondered idly if the boy knew how he looked. The tone of his usual conversation hinted that he was oblivious, but Mustang was never quite sure. It wasn't like it really mattered though, he was still attractive either way and Roy would hate to give that up, even if he wasn't attached to him.

The waitress who brought the food over smiled sweetly and blushed when Roy had thanked her. He chatted with her for a second, smiling at her questions and laughing at her witty comments. Eventually she turned to go back to the kitchen, waving and promising to return, and when Mustang turned back to the table he saw the boy staring at his plate, mouth a tight line. It made Mustang smile to see the boy so obviously and transparently ... jealous? He chuckled slightly, causing the boy to redden slightly, and reached around the table to lay one hand on the boys knee, giving him a secret smile.

"Eat you breakfast Ed, the food is fantastic here. If we finish in time we can do something before we have to get on the train, okay? I'll let you pick." The boy seemed to cheer up reluctantly at that, and Mustang turned back to his own plate, the remaining Frittata getting cold but still delicious and still took small glances at the boy out of the corner of his eye until he was caught, changing then to staring at the fruit cart across the street and wondering what kind of fruit Edward liked best, and if maybe they could get something on the way out, a treat to have on the train.

When he looked back to the boy his plate was empty, and Mustang chuckled quietly, this time making the boy smile. He shook his head a little before motioning to the girl wiping tables behind him for the check. "So Edward" he began, while they waited, "What do you think would be fun for us to do this afternoon" Ed smiled a little, and pushed the fork he had been holding along the table top thoughtfully.

"I think that, maybe, we should go back and take a nap." Roy raised on eyebrow and smirked at the boy, wondering if he knew exactly how that sounded. The boy's voice stuttered back to life then, "I-Its just that you look so tired and I know you've been working so hard lately, because of the transfer, and you probably won't get a chance to relax when you get to Central, at least not for awhile. I just thought that maybe..." His voice trailed off, and his cheeks colored slightly. He can't know how cute that is, he really can't because if he does he the most skilled manipulator I've ever met and he just can't be, not Edward. The man sighed, and shook his head slightly.

"Edward thats sweet. If thats what you really want to do I won't argue. Maybe we can come out a little before the train gets here and we can get a treat form the market to eat on the way." Then the girl was there with the check and Roy smiled sweetly at her, but made sure to only keep his eyes on her a second before flitting back to Edward's face. He was trying to avert his eyes, blushing softly, and the thought made Roy's chest tight. He stood then, and reached for the boy's hand, throwing his coat over one arm. Ed looked confused when he raised his head but Mustang just smiled at him and squeezed his hand once, telling him as loudly as he could without speaking that it was all okay.

The boy followed suit then, standing and moving close to Mustang, one hand clenched in the older man's. He leaned in closer for one second and set his forehead against the General's chest before smiling and pulling back, inclining his head slightly at the now confused waitress and letting himself be led out of the restaurant and over to the hotel. The sun was warm on Mustang's skin, and the man thought it would be a nice day to sit in the park, but the boy had requested they return to the hotel for whatever reason and he was going to honor that request. After all, he had asked the boy what he wanted to do, and this had been it.

Mustang let Edward unlock the door to the room and put the key back in that pouch he carried everywhere, hanging from his belt. The man watched him as he walked in, hanging up the coat he had been wearing on the hook by the door then turning to the man and starting to unbutton. Mustang just smiled and let the boy do as he pleased, knowing that in a round about way this would all end up in the same place anyways, and the boy was right, he was actually quite tired still, but he knew that Maes would have fixed things so that the workload those first couple of days would be lighter than usual, to give him time to adjust. Besides, he also had to worry about finding a house and all of that, but he knew that Maes would have secured an apartment for him by the time he arrived. Maes did so much for him, as his best friend, and he was happy to be able to be close to the man again. He smiled, perhaps the best thing Maes had done for him yet was standing in front of him now, staring up into his eyes.

"You went somewhere else just then" the boy's voice was low, he had Mustang's military jacket over one arm, "Where did you go in your head just then?" the last part was almost whispered, but the man heard it anyways, and reached out for the boy, taking the jacket and throwing it over a chair. He had another hanging in the closet, he knew, this one would be okay.

"It was nothing, nowhere, Im back now." Then a different kind of smile, warmer but sharper around the edges, as he gathered the boy close, breathing deeply in his blonde hair, "Come one Edward, lets see about taking that nap." The boy seemed to come back to life then, and Mustang let himself be led into the bedroom gently, one of the boys arms hooked around his elbow. The man sat himself on the edge of the bed, and deftly started unbuttoning his shirt, sliding it down his arms and off, throwing it towards the luggage rack in the corner. Ed colored slightly, but Mustang still saw him stealing glances at his bare chest now, which made him smirk slightly.

"Edward, please come over here." The boy paused, then hurried over. Roy smiled at the slight hitch of the boy's breath when the man's fingers lifted the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head. They then fell tot he button of the boy's pants, but not without first trailing over the newly revealed skin, causing the boy to tremble slightly under the touch. There was a slight gasp as his pants came down, and Mustang smirked harder.

"We can't let you take a nap in all that clothing, you'll just wrinkle it and Im not sure we have a change for you here. We'll have to take you shopping when we get to Central, so you can pick out some new things. I can't have you running around in just anything you know, Im a General and I have a certain image to uphold." Roy stood then, nudging the boy backwards a bit and bending down to drop a kiss on his forehead before undoing his own pants, watching them pool at his feet before kicking them away. When he lay back down he pulled the boy down beside him, the two bodies nesting together almost perfectly. The boy turned a little then and planted a tentative and questioning kiss on the man's lips, making him smile. Mustang kissed back, deepening and broadening the contact until it was an open-mouthed ocean he was drowning in. The man hadn't meant to actually fall asleep, he hadn't planned on giving up that easily, but when the boy finally pulled back he lay his head back down and drifted into sleep.