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whiskeycoffeeTitle: Some Other Beginning
Author: m.jules
Rating: Hard R for the whole thing
Summary: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Alphonse Elric helps Roy Mustang face life after more tragedy than one man should endure and finds something for himself in the process.
Pairing: mainly Roy/Al, with hints of and references to others. (Including, but not limited to, Ed/Winry, Al/Paninya, Gracia/Maes/Roy/Riza, and Al/Elicia.)
Disclaimer: Arakawa would KILL me. I bow low in supplication.
Author's Notes: This was meant to be "The Story That Proves In-Character Roy/Al Is Possible." Don't know if it worked. For my![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
7stages claim, prompt "New every morning."
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
evil_little_dog did some on-the-fly beta for this, and for that, I thank her. I, unfortunately, dragged my feet entirely too long for proper beta, so anything that sucks in this chapter is all my fault. The betas are off the hook. Sorry for the delay. Real Life: 8, Megs: 0.
I am posting one chapter every other Monday-ish. Previous chapters and related one-shots can be found here.
Al knew what day it was the instant he awoke. Even if he hadn't been aware of its impending approach for weeks, Roy's absence from the bed made it clear immediately. A plaintive meow and insistent snuffling from the foot of the bed announced Tana's presence. Roy had strictly banned her from the bedroom and most especially the bed, but Al was prone to indulging her when Roy wasn't around. She picked her way over the lumps in the blankets until she could butt her head into Al's hand and he smiled as he scratched her ears and under her chin.
He wondered how long Roy had been gone already and when he would return. Tana chuffed into his palm before she trotted up to Roy's pillow, sniffing it and then chirping as if to ask, "Where'd he go?"
Al smiled a little and rolled onto his back, sighing. "He won't be back for a while," he told the cat, reaching out to stroke her fur again. Tana snuggled down into Roy's pillow, purring. "Good thing for you, too. We'd both be in trouble if he knew you were on his pillow."
Al sighed again and wondered if he should get out of bed. Probably. Roy would be gone for a while and there were things he could do in the meantime. The house always needed cleaning of some sort and he could check on the garden. Then there were the books -- he could get lost for hours in their collection of tomes. When he realized he was only thinking of things to do to pass the time until Roy returned, he frowned. My entire existence doesn't revolve around him... does it?
The thought left a sour taste in his mouth. He never liked the thought of being anything less than an individual, a whole person, complete in himself. He'd spent several years as little more than his brother's walking metal shadow and now he was afraid of becoming much the same to Roy. That would be just as bad for Roy as it would be for Al.
"Riza and Hughes were better for him," he heard himself tell the sleeping cat. "Not like anybody was arguing with that to begin with, though."
Frustrated, he flung the covers back and pushed himself out of bed, startling Tana. He apologized brusquely to her on his way to the shower. As he was shampooing his hair, the thought came to him, clear and unbidden: I should leave.
He paused, soap bubbles popping around his fingers, the shower spray beating down on his skin. Where had that come from? Leave Roy? He shook his head, flinging bubbles onto the shower walls, and finished his shower in a hurry. His legs trembled as he stepped out, and as he dried himself off with the towel, he noticed his hands were shaking.
He'll probably be gone for a while. If I had to, I could pack and be gone before...
A loud meow from the other side of the bathroom door interrupted his thoughts and he blinked, looking toward the sound. A small silver paw was reaching through the space between the floor and the bottom of the door and he smiled. Tana meowed again, protesting her exile. With a chuckle, Al wrapped the towel around his lean hips and walked to the door. The moment he opened it, Tana disappeared down the hall in a streak of grey and he shook his head. She hated having any doors in the house closed even if she had no interest in being in the closed-off room. It presented quite the dilemma when it came to love-making, since both Roy and Al clearly saw the value of closing the bedroom door when they wanted time alone, but her very vocal protests could get annoying.
"Worse than having a kid," Roy had been known to grumble, but in the end, even he held some secret fondness for the cat. Heaving a sigh, Al caught his reflection in the slowly clearing mirror, his features blurred by the steam from the shower.
Tana had distracted him from his anxious thoughts, and now those waking worries seemed silly, washed away by the hot shower and the reminder of Roy's feelings for him. He reached out and cleared a spot on the mirror, his hand squeaking over the wet glass, and smiled.
"I've never had a cat before," he said quietly to his reflection. "I've wanted one all my life, but I never got to have one." When he was a child, his mother had insisted they didn't have the means to care for a kitten. He would have to be content with playing with Den. He'd loved Winry's puppy, but a puppy would never be a kitten. Then later, he and his brother had been too concerned with getting their bodies back. Their quest hadn't had room for a cat. He'd understood it, but even then, incorporeal and suspended in some quirk of blood and iron, he'd wanted one. He'd been restored to his flesh in the explosive beginnings of the Northern War, and it wasn't like he had time to think about a pet when every day was filled with death and danger. Ed had lost his arm again, then Roy had taken a bullet in his shoulder not two months after Al's restoration. And then after the war, they'd lost Riza.
Al held his breath when he remembered Hawkeye during the war, her bravery and the unshakeable way she'd stood her ground, staring down homunculi without flinching time and time again. He remembered being compelled to follow her, remembered thinking he'd follow her to the ends of the earth and no wonder Mustang loved her so much. He remembered one late afternoon, with a northern sunset spreading across the snow like fresh blood, watching as she sighted down her rifle at some pawn or another. A single bead of sweat had run down the back of her neck, streaking across the dust and gunpowder on her skin, and Al had realized with a start that she was afraid. Neither her face or body betrayed it; her hands were light and steady on the trigger, her eyes clear and unblinking, but she was sweating in the quickly-dropping temperature of the mountain evening.
His fingers paused at the edge of the mirror and he bit his lip. "Roy gave me a cat," he whispered. Roy had given him a lot over the years -- in fact, his had been the first face Al had seen upon awakening in his body, sprawled in front of a fireplace with a roaring blaze. At that moment, he came to peace with himself. Hawkeye and Hughes had been good for Roy. They'd given him everything they had, and if they'd still been alive, Al had no doubt Roy would be no more to him than a very dear friend. But Maes and Riza were both gone and Al had fallen in love with Mustang instead. And Roy had given him a cat, a way of saying Al had found a place to settle -- with him.
There's no way I could leave him now, he realized, a slow smile spreading across his face. "It's all right," he told his reflection, shaking his head at his ridiculous moment of panic. "Really. Four years together last month, and I'm worried about whether I'm good for him?" He rolled his eyes. "Even Brother's not that dense."
With a laugh, he snatched the towel from around his hips and scrubbed his hair with it as he found his clothing and got dressed. He spent the rest of the morning on the couch, book in hand and a purring cat in his lap.
At five past three o'clock, Al heard the sound of a car door shutting and then another and knew Maria had brought Roy back from the cemetary. He wondered if Havoc had gone with them or not. Roy had invited Al once, but Al had politely declined. He felt that Roy should have his time at the two graves marked with the names of two of his lovers. Roy had never brought it up again. Al put his book aside and gently pried Tana off his lap. Still half-asleep, she curled her claws into his thigh in protest and he grimaced but removed her. He got up and went to the door to greet them.
Roy limped his way up the sidewalk and Maria walked by his side, one hand hovering near him in case he needed her support. Al smiled at them. Roy looked up and caught the smile, returning it.
"Welcome home," Al said warmly, and Roy paused in the doorway to kiss him lightly. Roy stepped into the house with the explanation that he was going to the bathroom and Al nodded, turning his attention to Maria. "Thank you for looking out for him," he told her, taking her hand in his. The metal of her wedding band was warm against his skin. "How's Jean?"
Jean and Maria had been married a little over three years before, once Al had inadvertently convinced them that Roy had moved on with his life. The couple had arrived early for dinner and, unbeknownst to Al, Roy had let them in. They had settled in to the living room just in time to see Al capture Mustang on his way into the kitchen to give him a smacking kiss. A strangled sound from the couch had made Al look up, blushing when he saw Jean caught between surprise and laughter and Maria staring at them with wide eyes. He smiled now, remembering.
"He's doing well, thanks." She peeked around Al to make sure Roy wasn't still in hearing distance. "How is Roy?"
Al nodded. "He seems to be fine most of the time. How was he today?"
Maria smiled wistfully, glancing down and fiddling with her wedding band. "He spent a lot of time at both graves," she said quietly. "Talking. I couldn't hear what he said, though."
"Thank you for staying with him," Al said. "I feel better knowing someone is there with him."
"Of course," Maria said. "I'd better be getting back. Take care of yourself, Al."
"And you," Al said politely, waving as she returned to her car. He stepped into the house, closing the door behind himself, and went looking for Roy. He found the man upstairs in their bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his feet as if he'd like to take his shoes off but didn't feel like leaning over to do so. Al came into the room and closed the door softly behind him.
"Tired?" Al asked softly, crouching on the floor and beginning to untie the laces of Roy's shoes. "You had a long day."
"I am, a little," Roy admitted. One hand reached out to stroke through Al's hair. "Thank you."
Al smiled and turned his head a little to kiss Roy's palm. He finished unlacing the shoes and pulled them off, setting them to the side. He could feel Roy's eyes following him and looked up.
"Al," Roy said softly, some plaintive note of need in his voice. "Come here."
Something about his lover's expression and tone sent a shiver down Al's spine and he stood up, bending over to kiss Roy gently. "What is it?"
Instead of answering, Roy twined his arms around Al's neck and tugged at him, leaning back towards the mattress. Al resisted for only a moment, startled, before he managed to adjust his balance and crawl onto the bed on his hands and knees, hovering over his lover. He laid soft, gentle kisses on Roy's face and neck, reading the man's mood as he went, and Roy lay docilely beneath him, responding but not initiating.
It wasn't hard to know exactly what Roy wanted, and Al trusted his lover would tell him if he made a misstep. Al peeled layers of Roy's clothes away, bit by bit, kissing every inch of skin he uncovered. Roy encouraged him with every sound and Al's thirst had him lapping at Roy's pale skin like a cat with cream.
Roy hummed, arching into Al. "You," he gasped, tugging at Alphonse's pants where they still hung on his hips.
Reluctantly, Al pushed away from Roy, but before he could move too far away, Roy worked the trousers open and pushed them down Al's thighs, his movements strangely gentle and deliberate. Al chuckled and kissed Roy's temple before he rolled to the side and kicked the pants off onto the floor. He shot Roy a look to forestall any jokes about stopping to fold the pants, but for once, Mustang's face bore no trace of teasing or humor, only fondness. It made Al's heart skip a beat, and for a fraction of a moment, he remembered his worries that morning about whether he was good for Roy.
I might not be Hughes or Hawkeye, he thought to himself, but I'm me and I can give him something. He smiled, knowing he'd made peace with all his lingering doubts. The past haunted Al just as much as it ever had Roy, even if his ghosts were quieter. Now, Roy handed him the bottle of oil and laid back against the pillows, watching him. Al took his time slicking himself and Roy, stroking gentle fingers inside his lover before moving between Roy's thighs. Roy's breath hitched slightly as Al pushed his way inside, and Al propped his weight on one elbow to cup Roy's jaw with his other hand.
"Okay?" Al asked roughly, color spreading over his skin with the effort of holding himself back.
Roy nodded and Al closed his eyes with a groan when one of Roy's hands dug into his shoulder, the other sliding down to grip his ass, pulling at him. "Move," Roy said, half-command, half-plea, and Al did just that.
Afterward, spent and lazy, they lay together and just breathed. Al drifted in and out of sleep and thought Roy probably did, too. When the lingering drowsiness of being well-loved finally lifted, Roy was half-propped against the pillows with Al's forehead pressed against the side of his neck. Light scratches and snuffling from the hallway told them that Tana had found the closed bedroom door and was no happier about it than normal. Al figured she would start caterwauling at any moment.
Roy's hand stroked through Al's hair in that absent but purposeful way he had that told Al something was on his mind. Al reigned in his curiosity, knowing that Roy would eventually get around to telling him.
Sure enough, about the time Tana's semi-polite tapping at the door was becoming full-fledged scratching, punctuated with the occasional miao, Roy drew one finger down the shell of Al's ear and over his neck, the movement ponderous. "I've had an offer," Roy said quietly.
"An offer?" Al tilted his chin up to try to get a look at Roy's expression. The man's bangs fell over his eyes, throwing them into shadow, and Al could barely see past the angle of his jaw anyway.
"Parliament has contacted me. They wish for me to serve in an advisory capacity."
Surprised, Al sat back, his eyes going wide as they fixed on Roy's face. "You're going to join Parliament?"
Roy shook his head. "I haven't said I'll accept yet, and even if I do, I will be a consultant, not a governing member."
Al relaxed a little but kept the distance between them. He wanted to be able to read Roy's expressions and body language. "What do you think you want to do?"
Roy sighed, fidgeting with the sheets for want of something more productive to do with his fingers. Al had noticed long ago that Roy's hands were the first to betray any restlessness that man might be feeling. "I want to stay at home and live a quiet life with my lover and my garden. I want to enjoy the peace I've earned and let the rest of the world go to rot if it chooses." He frowned and Al knew what was coming next. "But they're talking about the armament again and if I can lend a voice of reason to their arbitration, I have a duty to do so. After all, if the country goes to war, there's no telling what will happen. All the homunculi aren't gone, and even if they were, human nature can be ugly enough on its own."
Al reached out and twined Roy's restless fingers with his own, anchoring him. "I would have been worried if you'd said anything else," Al answered honestly. "I would have wondered who you were."
Roy chuckled a little and shook his head. "Am I that power-hungry, Alphonse?" he joked, but Al didn't laugh.
"No. You're that honorable." Roy looked as if he were about to protest the choice of words but Al stopped him with a kiss. As far as he was concerned, the meowing in the hall was the only problem that needed solving; everything else was settled.
Author: m.jules
Rating: Hard R for the whole thing
Summary: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Alphonse Elric helps Roy Mustang face life after more tragedy than one man should endure and finds something for himself in the process.
Pairing: mainly Roy/Al, with hints of and references to others. (Including, but not limited to, Ed/Winry, Al/Paninya, Gracia/Maes/Roy/Riza, and Al/Elicia.)
Disclaimer: Arakawa would KILL me. I bow low in supplication.
Author's Notes: This was meant to be "The Story That Proves In-Character Roy/Al Is Possible." Don't know if it worked. For my
7stages claim, prompt "New every morning." evil_little_dog did some on-the-fly beta for this, and for that, I thank her. I, unfortunately, dragged my feet entirely too long for proper beta, so anything that sucks in this chapter is all my fault. The betas are off the hook. Sorry for the delay. Real Life: 8, Megs: 0.I am posting one chapter every other Monday-ish. Previous chapters and related one-shots can be found here.
Al knew what day it was the instant he awoke. Even if he hadn't been aware of its impending approach for weeks, Roy's absence from the bed made it clear immediately. A plaintive meow and insistent snuffling from the foot of the bed announced Tana's presence. Roy had strictly banned her from the bedroom and most especially the bed, but Al was prone to indulging her when Roy wasn't around. She picked her way over the lumps in the blankets until she could butt her head into Al's hand and he smiled as he scratched her ears and under her chin.
He wondered how long Roy had been gone already and when he would return. Tana chuffed into his palm before she trotted up to Roy's pillow, sniffing it and then chirping as if to ask, "Where'd he go?"
Al smiled a little and rolled onto his back, sighing. "He won't be back for a while," he told the cat, reaching out to stroke her fur again. Tana snuggled down into Roy's pillow, purring. "Good thing for you, too. We'd both be in trouble if he knew you were on his pillow."
Al sighed again and wondered if he should get out of bed. Probably. Roy would be gone for a while and there were things he could do in the meantime. The house always needed cleaning of some sort and he could check on the garden. Then there were the books -- he could get lost for hours in their collection of tomes. When he realized he was only thinking of things to do to pass the time until Roy returned, he frowned. My entire existence doesn't revolve around him... does it?
The thought left a sour taste in his mouth. He never liked the thought of being anything less than an individual, a whole person, complete in himself. He'd spent several years as little more than his brother's walking metal shadow and now he was afraid of becoming much the same to Roy. That would be just as bad for Roy as it would be for Al.
"Riza and Hughes were better for him," he heard himself tell the sleeping cat. "Not like anybody was arguing with that to begin with, though."
Frustrated, he flung the covers back and pushed himself out of bed, startling Tana. He apologized brusquely to her on his way to the shower. As he was shampooing his hair, the thought came to him, clear and unbidden: I should leave.
He paused, soap bubbles popping around his fingers, the shower spray beating down on his skin. Where had that come from? Leave Roy? He shook his head, flinging bubbles onto the shower walls, and finished his shower in a hurry. His legs trembled as he stepped out, and as he dried himself off with the towel, he noticed his hands were shaking.
He'll probably be gone for a while. If I had to, I could pack and be gone before...
A loud meow from the other side of the bathroom door interrupted his thoughts and he blinked, looking toward the sound. A small silver paw was reaching through the space between the floor and the bottom of the door and he smiled. Tana meowed again, protesting her exile. With a chuckle, Al wrapped the towel around his lean hips and walked to the door. The moment he opened it, Tana disappeared down the hall in a streak of grey and he shook his head. She hated having any doors in the house closed even if she had no interest in being in the closed-off room. It presented quite the dilemma when it came to love-making, since both Roy and Al clearly saw the value of closing the bedroom door when they wanted time alone, but her very vocal protests could get annoying.
"Worse than having a kid," Roy had been known to grumble, but in the end, even he held some secret fondness for the cat. Heaving a sigh, Al caught his reflection in the slowly clearing mirror, his features blurred by the steam from the shower.
Tana had distracted him from his anxious thoughts, and now those waking worries seemed silly, washed away by the hot shower and the reminder of Roy's feelings for him. He reached out and cleared a spot on the mirror, his hand squeaking over the wet glass, and smiled.
"I've never had a cat before," he said quietly to his reflection. "I've wanted one all my life, but I never got to have one." When he was a child, his mother had insisted they didn't have the means to care for a kitten. He would have to be content with playing with Den. He'd loved Winry's puppy, but a puppy would never be a kitten. Then later, he and his brother had been too concerned with getting their bodies back. Their quest hadn't had room for a cat. He'd understood it, but even then, incorporeal and suspended in some quirk of blood and iron, he'd wanted one. He'd been restored to his flesh in the explosive beginnings of the Northern War, and it wasn't like he had time to think about a pet when every day was filled with death and danger. Ed had lost his arm again, then Roy had taken a bullet in his shoulder not two months after Al's restoration. And then after the war, they'd lost Riza.
Al held his breath when he remembered Hawkeye during the war, her bravery and the unshakeable way she'd stood her ground, staring down homunculi without flinching time and time again. He remembered being compelled to follow her, remembered thinking he'd follow her to the ends of the earth and no wonder Mustang loved her so much. He remembered one late afternoon, with a northern sunset spreading across the snow like fresh blood, watching as she sighted down her rifle at some pawn or another. A single bead of sweat had run down the back of her neck, streaking across the dust and gunpowder on her skin, and Al had realized with a start that she was afraid. Neither her face or body betrayed it; her hands were light and steady on the trigger, her eyes clear and unblinking, but she was sweating in the quickly-dropping temperature of the mountain evening.
His fingers paused at the edge of the mirror and he bit his lip. "Roy gave me a cat," he whispered. Roy had given him a lot over the years -- in fact, his had been the first face Al had seen upon awakening in his body, sprawled in front of a fireplace with a roaring blaze. At that moment, he came to peace with himself. Hawkeye and Hughes had been good for Roy. They'd given him everything they had, and if they'd still been alive, Al had no doubt Roy would be no more to him than a very dear friend. But Maes and Riza were both gone and Al had fallen in love with Mustang instead. And Roy had given him a cat, a way of saying Al had found a place to settle -- with him.
There's no way I could leave him now, he realized, a slow smile spreading across his face. "It's all right," he told his reflection, shaking his head at his ridiculous moment of panic. "Really. Four years together last month, and I'm worried about whether I'm good for him?" He rolled his eyes. "Even Brother's not that dense."
With a laugh, he snatched the towel from around his hips and scrubbed his hair with it as he found his clothing and got dressed. He spent the rest of the morning on the couch, book in hand and a purring cat in his lap.
At five past three o'clock, Al heard the sound of a car door shutting and then another and knew Maria had brought Roy back from the cemetary. He wondered if Havoc had gone with them or not. Roy had invited Al once, but Al had politely declined. He felt that Roy should have his time at the two graves marked with the names of two of his lovers. Roy had never brought it up again. Al put his book aside and gently pried Tana off his lap. Still half-asleep, she curled her claws into his thigh in protest and he grimaced but removed her. He got up and went to the door to greet them.
Roy limped his way up the sidewalk and Maria walked by his side, one hand hovering near him in case he needed her support. Al smiled at them. Roy looked up and caught the smile, returning it.
"Welcome home," Al said warmly, and Roy paused in the doorway to kiss him lightly. Roy stepped into the house with the explanation that he was going to the bathroom and Al nodded, turning his attention to Maria. "Thank you for looking out for him," he told her, taking her hand in his. The metal of her wedding band was warm against his skin. "How's Jean?"
Jean and Maria had been married a little over three years before, once Al had inadvertently convinced them that Roy had moved on with his life. The couple had arrived early for dinner and, unbeknownst to Al, Roy had let them in. They had settled in to the living room just in time to see Al capture Mustang on his way into the kitchen to give him a smacking kiss. A strangled sound from the couch had made Al look up, blushing when he saw Jean caught between surprise and laughter and Maria staring at them with wide eyes. He smiled now, remembering.
"He's doing well, thanks." She peeked around Al to make sure Roy wasn't still in hearing distance. "How is Roy?"
Al nodded. "He seems to be fine most of the time. How was he today?"
Maria smiled wistfully, glancing down and fiddling with her wedding band. "He spent a lot of time at both graves," she said quietly. "Talking. I couldn't hear what he said, though."
"Thank you for staying with him," Al said. "I feel better knowing someone is there with him."
"Of course," Maria said. "I'd better be getting back. Take care of yourself, Al."
"And you," Al said politely, waving as she returned to her car. He stepped into the house, closing the door behind himself, and went looking for Roy. He found the man upstairs in their bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his feet as if he'd like to take his shoes off but didn't feel like leaning over to do so. Al came into the room and closed the door softly behind him.
"Tired?" Al asked softly, crouching on the floor and beginning to untie the laces of Roy's shoes. "You had a long day."
"I am, a little," Roy admitted. One hand reached out to stroke through Al's hair. "Thank you."
Al smiled and turned his head a little to kiss Roy's palm. He finished unlacing the shoes and pulled them off, setting them to the side. He could feel Roy's eyes following him and looked up.
"Al," Roy said softly, some plaintive note of need in his voice. "Come here."
Something about his lover's expression and tone sent a shiver down Al's spine and he stood up, bending over to kiss Roy gently. "What is it?"
Instead of answering, Roy twined his arms around Al's neck and tugged at him, leaning back towards the mattress. Al resisted for only a moment, startled, before he managed to adjust his balance and crawl onto the bed on his hands and knees, hovering over his lover. He laid soft, gentle kisses on Roy's face and neck, reading the man's mood as he went, and Roy lay docilely beneath him, responding but not initiating.
It wasn't hard to know exactly what Roy wanted, and Al trusted his lover would tell him if he made a misstep. Al peeled layers of Roy's clothes away, bit by bit, kissing every inch of skin he uncovered. Roy encouraged him with every sound and Al's thirst had him lapping at Roy's pale skin like a cat with cream.
Roy hummed, arching into Al. "You," he gasped, tugging at Alphonse's pants where they still hung on his hips.
Reluctantly, Al pushed away from Roy, but before he could move too far away, Roy worked the trousers open and pushed them down Al's thighs, his movements strangely gentle and deliberate. Al chuckled and kissed Roy's temple before he rolled to the side and kicked the pants off onto the floor. He shot Roy a look to forestall any jokes about stopping to fold the pants, but for once, Mustang's face bore no trace of teasing or humor, only fondness. It made Al's heart skip a beat, and for a fraction of a moment, he remembered his worries that morning about whether he was good for Roy.
I might not be Hughes or Hawkeye, he thought to himself, but I'm me and I can give him something. He smiled, knowing he'd made peace with all his lingering doubts. The past haunted Al just as much as it ever had Roy, even if his ghosts were quieter. Now, Roy handed him the bottle of oil and laid back against the pillows, watching him. Al took his time slicking himself and Roy, stroking gentle fingers inside his lover before moving between Roy's thighs. Roy's breath hitched slightly as Al pushed his way inside, and Al propped his weight on one elbow to cup Roy's jaw with his other hand.
"Okay?" Al asked roughly, color spreading over his skin with the effort of holding himself back.
Roy nodded and Al closed his eyes with a groan when one of Roy's hands dug into his shoulder, the other sliding down to grip his ass, pulling at him. "Move," Roy said, half-command, half-plea, and Al did just that.
Afterward, spent and lazy, they lay together and just breathed. Al drifted in and out of sleep and thought Roy probably did, too. When the lingering drowsiness of being well-loved finally lifted, Roy was half-propped against the pillows with Al's forehead pressed against the side of his neck. Light scratches and snuffling from the hallway told them that Tana had found the closed bedroom door and was no happier about it than normal. Al figured she would start caterwauling at any moment.
Roy's hand stroked through Al's hair in that absent but purposeful way he had that told Al something was on his mind. Al reigned in his curiosity, knowing that Roy would eventually get around to telling him.
Sure enough, about the time Tana's semi-polite tapping at the door was becoming full-fledged scratching, punctuated with the occasional miao, Roy drew one finger down the shell of Al's ear and over his neck, the movement ponderous. "I've had an offer," Roy said quietly.
"An offer?" Al tilted his chin up to try to get a look at Roy's expression. The man's bangs fell over his eyes, throwing them into shadow, and Al could barely see past the angle of his jaw anyway.
"Parliament has contacted me. They wish for me to serve in an advisory capacity."
Surprised, Al sat back, his eyes going wide as they fixed on Roy's face. "You're going to join Parliament?"
Roy shook his head. "I haven't said I'll accept yet, and even if I do, I will be a consultant, not a governing member."
Al relaxed a little but kept the distance between them. He wanted to be able to read Roy's expressions and body language. "What do you think you want to do?"
Roy sighed, fidgeting with the sheets for want of something more productive to do with his fingers. Al had noticed long ago that Roy's hands were the first to betray any restlessness that man might be feeling. "I want to stay at home and live a quiet life with my lover and my garden. I want to enjoy the peace I've earned and let the rest of the world go to rot if it chooses." He frowned and Al knew what was coming next. "But they're talking about the armament again and if I can lend a voice of reason to their arbitration, I have a duty to do so. After all, if the country goes to war, there's no telling what will happen. All the homunculi aren't gone, and even if they were, human nature can be ugly enough on its own."
Al reached out and twined Roy's restless fingers with his own, anchoring him. "I would have been worried if you'd said anything else," Al answered honestly. "I would have wondered who you were."
Roy chuckled a little and shook his head. "Am I that power-hungry, Alphonse?" he joked, but Al didn't laugh.
"No. You're that honorable." Roy looked as if he were about to protest the choice of words but Al stopped him with a kiss. As far as he was concerned, the meowing in the hall was the only problem that needed solving; everything else was settled.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-03 06:54 pm (UTC)I really like how this ended: about Roy wondering if he was power-hungry, and Al thinking he was hono(u)rable. That's very in character, I think.
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Date: 2007-07-14 03:10 pm (UTC)There'll be a delay this week too, as I'm travelling and I won't be home on Monday to post.
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Date: 2007-07-04 02:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-14 03:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-14 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-04 07:33 am (UTC)Al's moment of doubt on such a painful day is poignant and completely understandable, and Roy's self-doubt over the offer from Parliment really shows how much Roy has changed since Riza's death. They're both older and wiser, but still retaining their core essence.
Just great stuff, really.
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Date: 2007-08-06 01:05 am (UTC)I'm really glad you liked this, and I'm sorry it took me so long to respond. :)
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Date: 2007-07-07 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-06 01:06 am (UTC)Sorry for taking so long on the response... again. -_-;
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Date: 2007-07-14 08:04 am (UTC)The glimpse of how Maria and Jean found out about their relationship was funny, too.
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Date: 2007-07-14 03:06 pm (UTC)And also, to let you know, this Monday there won't be a chapter because I'm travelling and won't be home to post it! It should be out shortly thereafter though.
I'm glad you liked all this. I still wonder about how I'm writing them, sometimes, trying to take their characters and figure out what they'd be like in a few years with all these events behind them...