Taken In Hand

Part 7: What the Future Holds


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The tension on the walk back to the apartment was palpable in the air, and it made Edward quite nervous. He walked behind his Master, arms clasped behind his back, head down, eyes trained on the heels of the man's black military boots as they clicked down in front of him. At least he's sober enough to walk on his own now he thought, but somehow it wasn't much of a comfort. He fidgeted a little uneasily, wanting to break the silence but not really sure what to say. He was sure the general was going to be mad at him, not only had he failed to tell the man that he could do alchemy - without a circle nonetheless - but he had actually done it in front of him, obviously without license or permit, which was highly illegal. The thought of being dismissed over this made him cringe slightly, but the thought of the trouble it could potentially cause his Master made his stomach twist, enough that he could feel a stinging behind his eyes where he refused to let tears fall.


They reached the door before Edward had noticed they were close, and he chided himself for his inattention to surroundings silently, especially after the danger they had just faced. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the key, handing it to Mustang apologetically. He opened his mouth, but wasn't sure what to say so he closed it again, entering on his Master's heels, closing and locking the door after them. When he turned around his eyes widened as they met coal black, the brow wrinkled in displeasure, and he did cry then, he couldn't help it. He tried to turn away before it started but he didn't quite make it before his knees gave out. He's going to report me, send me away, and it won't be as easy this time, it won't be a slave house, it will be something worse. And Al, oh gods Al, they couldn't do anything to Al, right?


"Edward?" The voice was softer than he expected, but it didn't do much of anything to stem the flow of tears. Then there were arms around his shoulders and his cheek was pressed awkwardly to the stiff fabric of the uniform jacket the general still wore. He was shaking but he didn't care, this was the end, there wasn't any point. Large warm hands still rubbed small circles on his back though, and it calmed him, being this close.


"Edward, why didn't you tell me you could transmute earlier?" He could feel the rumble of the words through Mustang's chest more than he could hear them, they were quiet and calm. He sniffled a little, wiping his face on one sleeve.


"I - I just - I wasn't sure how you would react. I didn't think it was important at all until I found out you were an alchemist, but I never really finished my training, and I have no legal status so I can't do alchemy legally, but I - I just didn't want to disappoint you or anything, cause you more trouble." The last part was muffled into Roy's coat as the boy snuggled closer, arms coming up to wrap around his neck, trying to say with his body what his words were failing to express, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.


"Please don't send me away, please don't..." the words were quiet, muffled by the fabric in front of the boy's face and garbled by a tongue still thick from crying. It took a moment for them to register with Roy, who creased his brow again in response.


"Edward," He paused a moment, trying to process the boy's words fully and formulate some coherent response when all he felt was HUH?? He breathed deeply, in and out, before opening his mouth again. "Edward, I'm not going to send you away, I think we went over this before. I'm never going to 'send you away,' and what happened out there doesn't really bother me as much as you not telling me about this." He felt the boy wiggling in his arms for a second more before he laid a small kiss on the boy's cheek.


Edward turned his face up then, not caring that Mustang's breath still smelled of alcohol or that they were once more awkwardly crouched on the apartment floor. He needed some assurance, needed to know the man still wanted him, or wanted him around at least. He pressed his lips to the general's gently, leaving it up to the other man to deepen the kiss at his leisure, which he did.

X

The next day, morning crept slowly and painfully into the little apartment, light oozing into the bedroom like toxic sludge, causing Mustang to groan and shift, burying his face in the pillows. Everything about him hurt, and he had this strange notion that the room was pitching around him, like a ship on stormy seas. He hadn't drank that much in a very long time, and he hadn't remembered hangovers being this bad. He felt like his head was stuffed with pain and cotton, like his brain had melted into his stomach and it wasn't sitting very well. He was almost glad that he hadn't eaten anything the night before, because it felt now like there was nothing to slosh sickeningly around in his stomach. Even this small gift turned into a curse though, when it came to really wanting to empty his stomach rather violently, and he rushed into the bathroom only to find there was nothing inside to empty.


Seeing the man so pale and miserable was almost painful for Edward, who stood in the doorway for awhile biting his lip and thinking. His mind was worrying and wishing he could stop his Master's pain, and his body took over, walking to the kitchen and gathering things together. He returned to the bathroom with a cool damp cloth and a glass of water, kneeling down next to the general on the pristine white tile to offer the water and four white pills to the man. Mustang managed a weak smile as Edward dabbed at his face lightly with the cool cloth, soothing strokes and soft whispered words helping a good deal. He swallowed the offered pills as soon as he thought he could keep them down, but he didn't dare move really, as each time he shifted the room around him spun and pitched like a carnival ride and he was forced to flop over once again, cheek on the cool porcelain beside him. He closed his eyes and winced, not really wanting the boy beside him to see him like this, he hadn't been like this for years.


When Mustang had first returned from Ishbal, he'd had many many mornings like this, waking alone in his small apartment with the weight of the world digging heavily into his skull, but he had always been alone. It was painful and miserable, but he always suffered through it alone, because he'd been old enough then to know that there wasn't much that could be done at that point. He'd stopped drinking that heavily though, when he'd been promoted and given his own unit. It had been a gradual shift really, from that lone and desperate spiral to the duty and poise of being a commanding officer. There was something about the way that his unit stood around him that let him shift that awful need to atone for his sins from the cycle of escape and perdition to a quest for the power he really needed to be able to say for certain that something like that would never happen in this country again.


But now here he was, on the tile floor again, only this time there was someone watching him, and it made him uncomfortable. The fact that it was someone he needed to maintain authority over and respect from made him even more nervous, and it certainly didn't help the roiling emotions when the boy dabbed at his forehead with a damp rag and shushed him quietly like a baby. If he had been up to moving he would have waved the boy away, and even the sound of his own voice only made the throbbing pain in his head worse so he just gave up, closing his eyes and hoping that maybe it would go away.


The boy beside him left the room and relief flooded him, as did the urge to empty his stomach, but he bit it back and struggled to keep in control. Everything made his head throb harder. He was startled when the foot steps returned, uneven and still soft on the tiles, and two strong arms, one soft one hard, scooped him up, dragging him to his feet and half leading half carrying him to his bed. Mustang was grateful for the softness and quiet, and he noticed distantly that the shades had been drawn tightly in the windows, to room now uniformly dim and diffused. He registered the boy speaking, pushing a glass of water on the bedside table and a large mixing bowl on the floor beside the bed before he left. Mustang smiled then, as he hadn't done all morning, and proceeded to fall back to sleep.

X

It was well into the afternoon before Mustang stumbled from the darkened bedroom, his now thoroughly empty stomach demanding something to eat and his aching head demanding coffee and more painkillers. He winced at the light that flooded the rest of the apartment, cursing the choice of large windows, even if they did present a beautiful view of the city. As soon as he shut the bedroom door, rather louder than he'd planned, Edward was at his elbow looking a bit worried. His golden eyes were wide and his lips pressed together.


"How are you feeling?" he asked, quietly in case the man's head was still splitting. Mustang forced a brave smile onto his face.


"I'm - actually, I'm feeling a lot better now, but I could use some coffee if there's some about, and maybe something light to eat." The blonde nodded as he proceeded to run some water and set the kettle on the stove to heat, kicking the little stool he hated to use towards the cupboard and hopping up to grab the french press. He walked over to the icebox and peered inside, cocking his head slightly before casting a glance at Mustang over his shoulder. The man had flopped down onto the couch and laid his arm across his eyes, and it was almost cute. Edward smiled.


"We have bread here, fresh yesterday so I could make you some toast, there's fresh butter in here to. I can make you some oatmeal if you'd like, thats bland enough that it shouldn't give you any problem, and I have some apples I can cut up into it, but no brown sugar so it would have to be honey instead but that would probably work out fine and..." he trailed off, looking over at the man on the couch for some kind of answer, but when none was forthcoming he just sighed and went about making some toast, slicing the bread thick and slipping it under the broiler while he put on some water to make oatmeal.


Mustang sat on the couch watching him move, watching the complex dance in the shuffling of steps as Edward moved from one task to the next, keeping his attention focused, but split between so many little tasks. And as he moved from one to the next, with more grace and poise than Mustang would have thought automail allowed, he hummed softly to himself. The tune was soft and lilting, melancholy but calming, almost like a lullaby, and it was surprisingly soothing to the man's aching head and frazzled nerves. Roy had never doubted the beauty of the boy, ever since he'd first locked gazes with the golden eyes and soft blond hair, but now, dressed in Roy's pajama pants hanging low on his hips and a soft undershirt, hair flowing down his back he could easily have passed for one of the woman he had courted back east, but for the lack of feminine curves under the thin fabric.


Roy found he didn't mind though, because where Edward's body was more solid and muscular, it still possessed that certain sleek quality, muscles flowing smoothly under the tanned skin, now returning to the even tone Roy was sure it once had. The boy looked much better than he had that first day, now that he was clean and well dressed, but somehow Roy didn't think that was all of it. The real difference was in his carriage, that new degree of self assurance he saw in Edward's steps. It came out in the little things, like fixing breakfast or folding laundry or laying that damp cloth on Roy's forehead. These were the things Edward knew, the softer, more practical things, actions with precise outcomes that he had been taught well. It made Roy smile, and he watched as Edward took the toast from under the broiler carefully, setting the slices on a plate before buttering each one. He turned to Roy then, and carried the plate over carefully, setting them on the small coffee table in front of him.


"Do you want anything else on your toast? I know you like a little jam but Im not sure if your stomach's up to that right now." Roy shook his head slightly, and grabbed the first piece, chewing speculatively as he watched the blond return to his cooking in peace.

X

As the day wound down around them, Roy found himself feeling much better. He sat on the couch still, and sipped his coffee, skimming over the newspapers spread out over the table in front of him. Edward sat on the floor between the table and the couch, head leaned back on Roy's knee, reading the real estate listings intently, circling anything that met the man's criteria for a house. Mustang didn't really want anything big, but he had quite a bit to spend so anything could work out for him. He was thinking maybe something with three or four bedrooms, a small yard might be nice, maybe a study where he could put all the books he never had room for in his apartment in East City. He didn't really cook much, but now that Edward was with him he supposed a decent kitchen was a must, but he had told the boy that that was up to his discretion because Roy didn't really know what to look for from that standpoint.


The man sighed and reached for the page Edward had just set in front of him, thick red lines circling some of the listings, with hastily scribbled notes next to some. He smiled at the looping scrawl before he read each one. Some of these were quite promising, though one or two weren't available for move in for a month or two, and that was longer than he'd ideally like to stay in this apartment. It wasn't that he minded living n such cramped quarters very much, especially with such a charming companion as Edward, but he hated the idea of his things sitting in the dank little storage locker for that long. Then there were the books and papers he would need for his research, but that wasn't as important as finding the right place.


Edward laid the last page of newsprint on the table delicately before smiling up at the man above him, watching Roy read, sipping idly at the mug he clutched in one hand, eyes intently scanning the paper in front of him. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with this, he hadn't really been taught how to shop for a house, and he'd very honestly never thought it would come up in his life. But here he was, sitting at his Master's feet, trying to figure out how to go about it. There was a rather loud voice in the back of his head that wondered why the hell Mustang was asking him to do this, like his opinion counted in some way, and there was some bitter note in the background of that voice that whispered about the man just doing this so that he could laugh in the boy's face later. He remained silent because this was a request from his Master, and he would try his best, but he clamped a lid down on that thought, because it was Mustang, not someone else, and the man had been nothing but kind to him. Edward had been conditioned to expect the worst however, and that little voice still whispered the worst in his ear.


He was startled from his brooding thoughts by a hand running through his hair, and he leaned into the gentle touch on pure impulse, blushing a little as he turned his face up to look at the man above him. Roy was smiling, he had set the empty coffee mug on the table and he was just laying the last of the property listings down beside it.


"I think I may have narrowed the list down to three places, if you wouldn't mind making a few calls we can make some appointments to view the properties." The man was smiling, and Ed almost blushed, but instead he just stood up, straightening the pants that were riding dangerously low on his hips before he walked over to the phone. Before he could pick it up it rang loudly, the bell shrill in the silent apartment. Ed jumped, and shot a glance over his shoulder at Mustang. He just nodded silently and Ed picked up the phone.


"Hello, Mustang residence, how may I help you?" His voice was rather unsure, never quite sure what to say when answering the telephone. He relaxed a little when he heard a familiar voice on the other end, but his face was still tight, his mouth almost disapproving now, but he pushed that away.


"Ah Edward, It's Maes. Just calling to extend an invitation to you and your illustrious Master if he's there."


"If you hold on for just a moment I can see if he's around." His voice was a little strained, not liking the sarcasm leaking into the man's voice but he refused to be rude to one of his Master's friends, even if he was a bad influence. He smiled over at Roy, holding one hand over the mouthpiece so he could speak with the man. "Sir, Maes Hughes is on the phone, he wishes to extend an invitation. Would you like to speak with him?" Roy chuckled softly, and let a little sigh escape his lips as he stood, stretching high before walking over to relieve the boy of the handset he held.


Edward stepped away then, letting the man have his privacy as he set to work gathering the scattered pages of the newspaper into a neat pile, keeping those that Mustang had marked out. He scooped the rest into one arm, grabbing the empty coffee cup and the bowl that had held Mustang's oatmeal and setting them both in the sink. He wrestled the newspaper into a bag for recycling as he struggled not to listen to the conversation on the other side of the room. It was private after all, and if his Master wanted him to have details of it he would tell him. Edward set to work washing the few dishes set in the sink to distract himself, as he really was curious as to what Hughes wanted with Mustang right now, hoping to god it wasn't anything like last night, because that hadn't worked out so well for either of them.


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A/N: now if all that domesticity hasn't scared you off, don't worry the smex will be returning shortly, this was a v-day fluff present for my boys at home, hope they enjoyed it ^.^ aaaaaaannnnnnnnddddddddd it would still be nice to get some reviews, and im a bit busy with cliché challenges and Uchihacest PWP right now, but if you have a request im open to trying anything right now, trying to expand my repertoire atm and love to yous all, if theres anyone still reading give me a shout out, because im slightly worried to be honest *sweatdrop*