The Bet of the Year - Chapter 18
Apr. 19th, 2011 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jarnsaxaBeta/Co-Author and the one who provided this chapter’s title XD: Ca11iope. Thank you, honey ^-^
Notice:
“Speaking”
‘Thinking’
“Letters, reports etc...and…”
Memories & Flashbacks
A/N: The bad thing: Instead of getting longer, the chapters are short again u.u I´m sorry for that, the ending just feel right to me. I hope it´s still worth it, because the good thing is a result of it: The next chapter is already finished and I´ve send it to my dearest beta yesterday ^^ so that one should not take this long again ._.
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The Bet of the Year
Chapter 18: “I told you so!”
Ed had quite obviously been ignoring the fact that his hair was in urgent need of a trim to get rid of the split ends. And it wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed, he really was just stubbornly ignoring it. But the reason for it was simply ridiculous.
“Yeah, like I want some strange guy standing behind me, waving a cross between a needle and a dagger at my neck, talking about fashion and wonderful outfits and marvelous views of whatever the guy is visualizing. That sounds like fun.” The blond mumbled, almost gagging on the word ‘fashion’.
“It´s a barber, Edward, not an executioner.” Roy stated.
The blond snorted and tried to snatch his hair out of the Colonel’s grip. Roy was not having any of that. Still, he didn´t expect a cursing Edward to fall against him when he pulled on the blond strands to keep them in his possession. He didn´t mind though, it gave him the perfect opportunity to tease the man. Wrapping his arms around the mismatched shoulders, Roy leaned in and whispered into Ed’s ear.
“Besides, the end of your ponytail is not near your neck.”
Despite the shiver, Edward’s voice was steady.
“As if letting some strange guy near my ass with a pointy weapon is any – oh stop that, your dick is not a weapon!”
Without seeing Ed´s eyes, Roy was not sure if the blond was amused or annoyed as the older man brandished his weapon, rubbing it against the blond’s bottom. The Colonel was too busy chuckling, his face buried in the shorter mans neck. Almost too late he noticed the way Edward was shifting and hastily tightened his grip around the young man, pinning him close to his body and successfully preventing the automail elbow from bruising his ribs.
“But you are strange.” Ed concluded.
That was not one of the more colorful insults Roy usually received from the man. Instead it sounded almost amused, and Roy wondered what Edward was thinking about.
The phone’s shrill ring startled both of them.
Roy had not thought about the fact that Ed usually tended to sleep in. That the former State Alchemist had set his alarm clock this early was proof that he had plans to meet with someone. Although Roy was reluctant to let Ed stand up, the Flame held no grudge against whoever had interrupted their discussion, as long as it was not some love interest. He hadn´t forgotten about the plural form Ed used when he talked about his experience with lovers. But the disrespectful and annoyed way Edward talked to the person on the other end of the line spoke volumes about their relationship.
“Yeah, fuck off. I´ll be there in a few minutes.” The hot tempered alchemist slammed the receiver down and huffed. Running his flesh fingers through the now tangle–free strands, Edward looked up to meet Roy’s eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but the Colonel beat him to it.
“I guess that´s my cue to leave.” Standing up, the military officer internally cursed the interruption. There were still too many questions left unanswered and too many gaps in this story. But he shouldn´t complain, this would give him time to process through the new information.
“Actually, it´s mine.” Glaring at the receiver, Ed made no move to hurry up and reduce the waiting time for whoever he had talked to. Out of pure stubbornness Ed waited a few extra seconds before sighing and finally moving again.
Roy felt a bit nostalgic, watching the younger man move around the apartment, gathering all the things he would need. It reminded him of all the times he’d had to chase Fullmetal down for his reports, back when he had been the blond’s commanding officer. The young Major often returned late from long train rides, and even Alphonse had found it difficult to wake his brother at a reasonable hour to report in. Roy was sure that if he could have, the younger Elric would have delivered Edward’s reports for him, but the Fullmetal Alchemist’s organizational skills left much to be desired, and there was no point in trying to sort through a chaos that only made sense to one person – the one who caused it.
Since the Colonel was in no hurry to go anywhere, he waited patiently for his former subordinate, and they left the apartment together. Ed was in a hurry, but when it came to parting, he still hesitated, looking up at Roy.
“Uhm…” Biting his lower lip, it was clear Ed was contemplating something.
And Roy was quite sure he knew what had the man acting so insecure. He had seen this a million times, though usually it was with women he dated. Ed wanted to see him again. How could he not, after getting a taste of the legendary kissing skills of Roy Mustang? Roy was confident in is his ability to thoroughly captivate his prey – he had a solidly documented track record after all - and seeing this look on Ed’s face was clear proof that even the former Fullmetal was not immune to Roy’s charms.
But he could understand that Edward Elric of all people would have a hard time asking his former commanding officer out. Roy’s ego would have loved to hear it, but he was a generous man and would make it easier for Ed.
“I´ll see you later? This evening?” He offered.
“Uhm… actually… No. I´ve got plans this evening.”
Ouch.
Roy did his best to ignore the way his poor self-confidence had just been slammed face flat against a brick wall. Fine, if that was not what Ed was thinking about, what exactly was the man waiting for? Whatever it was, Ed’s indecision had passed.
“But.. uhm… I´ll call you.” This was getting worse and worse. Roy must have looked really pathetic to be on the receiving end of that line.
It seemed that Ed was teetering on the brink of either bidding Roy a “Fuck off, Bastard,” before he left, or offering a goodbye more appropriate for a lov- oh fuck. That was it. Just when the shorter alchemist muttered an uneasy ‘bye’ and turned to leave, Roy was hit with the realization that Ed had been unsure about whether or not he should kiss him goodbye. It really was kind of sweet and adorable and … so absolutely not like the Ed that had ravished Roy’s mouth up in his apartment a short time ago. What the hell, was the man bipolar or something? If Ed wanted to kiss him, he should have done so. He knew the Colonel’s reputation. The Flame was the last person anyone would expect to turn down a kiss from one of his dates. At least from one of the dates he hadn´t dumped yet.
A perfect opportunity - wasted.
Damn.
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“Fuck me.”
“I´d rather not.” Hughes chuckled at the disbelieving glances and quickly saved the photos on the desk from getting burned by the half smoked cigarette that had fallen from its place between Havoc’s lips when the man’s jaw had dropped in shock.
“This doesn´t mean anything! You faked that!” Breda accused the man, but sounded so desperate, Hughes didn’t feel obliged to respond.
Falman did. “This is Edwards’s apartment however. And that is clearly his couch,” he pointed out. Glancing between the pictures, he added. “The pictures appear to have been taken from the fourth floor of the postal office across from Ed’s building. With a very high qualitiy zoom lens, judging from the sharpness of the images.”
Both Breda and Havoc sent a dirty look at the oldest member of their crew. Fuery hadn´t said one word from the moment he had laid eyes on the first picture, and most likely he wouldn´t. The man looked unbelievably discomfited.
The angle from which the pictures had been taken was not the best, the couch in question seen from behind, but it was fairly obvious what was going on. Roy and Edward, sitting on Ed’s couch, very close together. Roy and Ed kissing. Ed in Roy’s lap, the loose fitting bath robe slipping from one shoulder. No, the perspective was not the best, but it was good enough to give Szeska a nosebleed and force her to leave the room to tend to it. Hughes’ spy had reported that something had stopped the pair from going any farther, and the moment it had been clear that nothing else would happen, the spy had sent the film to be developed.
Satisfied with the reactions his photographic evidence received, and with being able to shock the others into believing his theory, Hughes turned to the only person in the room who had yet to state her opinion. He was not surprised to find Riza flipping once again through the pictures. But the slight blush on her face had been replaced by a frown. A knock on the door had everyone look up.
“I´ve heard there’s news?” Anticipation was clearly written in Denny’s face and Maria didn´t even wait for the answer, simply taking a few of the photos from the desk.
A surprised whistle could be heard a second later.
“I didn´t know he had a thing for guys.” Maria didn´t sound at all surprised, and most of the males in the room stared like deer in the headlights at the appreciating sound of her voice. Fuery actually whimpered and Havoc loudly protested.
“He doesn´t.” The blond lieutenant looked horrified at the thought that the Colonel could be interested in men.
“Why, because you´ve been with boner in his office?” Snickering, Breda clearly enjoyed his friend´s face turning white.
“Do tell.” Maria looked up, interested.
“Could you stop that?” Denny begged as his partner began leafing through the photos again with an admiring smile, clearly creeping him out.
But she only sent him an innocent “What?” After a second, she added. “Oh, come on. It´s not as if all of you never tried out a few things with a guy. Or girl.” The last line had Riza smiling and the men sharing glances.
Hughes coughed and forced the general attention back to the photos. “Let’s leave all the teenage, academy, and other experiences, experimental and otherwise, aside.” He smirked and shot a knowing glance at the cringing men in the room before he continued. “Let’s return to the topic at hand. I have an announcement to make.”
Maes cleared his throat and took a deep breath.
“I told you so!” he crowed.
Multi-voiced growling was the answer to that.
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When Roy returned home, he was greeted by a smiling Sue, who wanted to ‘check on him’. The woman had seen him in his underwear so often that it no longer bothered him to change clothes in front of her. He didn´t even protest when she checked his trousers the moment he was out of them. As a matter of fact, he ignored her completely, his thoughts returning to the man who had been sitting in his lap this morning.
As so often lately, Ed had been and done everything but what Roy expected of him. But the Colonel didn´t mind that his expectations had proven wrong. It was a welcome change to the predictable routine he was so used to, and he was greatly anticipating their next meeting, curious about how it would go.
Naturally Roy wanted to know more about what had happened in the young man’s past, but what interested him even more was what would happen in the future. He had finally gotten a taste of what he wanted, and it was even more exhilarating than he’d expected. Just the thought of having the young man in his lap sent hot arousal straight to his groin and oh, he thought about it. He thought about it almost constantly. About the pressure, the rhythmic movement against his trapped arousal, about the hands stroking through his hair, the skillful tongue playing with his own, and about what could have, would have, happened. Damn, he wanted to fuck the man. Never mind this stupid bet. If Ed fucked the way he kissed, it would be worth it.
There was definitely more than just one fantasy Roy hoped the blond would help him fulfill. Knowing Ed, he was probably still training, and was likely as flexible as he had been back when they’d fought each other for their State recertification years ago. Roy quickly checked himself for drooling. No, still safe.
He finally acknowledged the High Inquisitor’s presence when the woman confirmed his suspicion. Maes knew where Roy had been and what had happened. That´s why she had been sent. The investigations officer wanted to know if Roy had come from simply making out with Ed, however hot and heavy it had been. Roy felt insulted, but a tiny piece of his mind was already mocking him about how close he had been to coming just from thinking about fucking Ed, never mind touching him.
Knowing how closely he was observed, Roy felt annoyed. The Colonel was tempted to throw Maes’ control method out, but the woman was almost as persistent as the man who recruited her. However, when Sue dropped the hint that she had asked Maes to row her into the line of women the man wanted Roy to date, he felt like a car had hit him.
Dumbfounded he starred at her, but the only thing that ran through his mind was the question of how Ed would react if Roy suddenly went back to dating women.
Fuck.
Suddenly winning the bet was important again.
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Despite the fact that he didn´t have to go to work, Roy found himself in front of his outer office, dressed in his uniform. He could hear his team talking inside, but the moment he stepped into the room, silence decended.
In addition to his own command, Denny Brosh and Maria Ross, as well as Maes Hughes, were present in Roy’s outer office. Moving into the room, he noticed the objects of everyone’s attention, the stack of photographs, lying innocently on Havoc’s desk. His adversaries stared guiltily as the Colonel crossed the room. Roy barely noticed Havoc´s wince as he picked up the photos, and apprehension was thick in the air as all of them waited for his reaction. Roy felt no desire to lessen their anxiety. Instead he looked through the pictures, careful to keep his face stony and expressionless. Hughes would most likely be able to see through the façade. Maybe Hawkeye as well, but the rest would be kept on tenterhooks for as long as he could manage.
The majority of the photos were harmless. On some of them, the window reflected the light coming from a street lamp, completely obscuring the view inside the apartment. Others were taken before or after the two alchemists’ little make out session. Roy was relieved to note that through that particular window, his embarrassing mistake in Ed’s kitchen had not been visible. Thankfully, none of the pictures had caught him flying through the air or landing on the floor.
As for the rest of the photos however, it was more than clearly visible what had been going on. The photos became clearer as the photographer adjusted his angle, focus, and aperture for the low light and long distance. He’d certainly had more than enough time to improve the quality of his work. By the end of the stack, the photos were sharp and finely detailed.
And hot.
Roy had never seen himself photographed in such a situation. And most of the time, he had not been looking at Ed´s face. Now however, he had the opportunity to do exactly that. And damn, they really looked good together.
He was aware of his own good looks. He used them more than once to get what he wanted. There was simply no denying the fact that Roy Mustang was sexy beyond competition. It was a fact Roy had always been very self-confident about, and it was no wonder that so many women fell for him, despite his reputation as a love-them-and-leave-them kind of guy.
And yes, Ed was also good looking, even if Roy had originally found it difficult to separate the man from the brat he had once known. It had taken some time for Roy to get past that, but yes, he had finally acknowledged that Edward was indeed a very attractive man.
But knowing and seeing were two completely different things. The photos allowed him to view himself and the former Fullmetal in a more objective way. And god damn it, he liked what he saw. For the first time he became aware of how different they looked, their builds, their physiques, one pale, one tan, one midnight, one golden. But the contrast was not disturbing, it was stunning. Ed looked right, exactly where he was. Arms wrapped around Roy’s shoulders, nuzzling his neck, or fingers carding through dark hair. Some pictures showed them kissing passionately. Another, and Ed had thrown his head thrown back, exposing that smooth, tanned throat. By the shift of positions, Roy could tell in which photos the man had ground his hips against the bulge in Roy’s trousers. And what had been the reaction to it.
The pictures easily could have been placed in a porn magazine, despite the fact that both of them were more or less fully clothed, and nothing could be seen below mid back. But the atmosphere of those shots was full of sexual tension, desire, and raw lust, and the wanton, needy expressions on both their faces made the glossy images into fully qualified jerk-off-material. At least for people who got off on two guys together. If he had ever seen two men who badly wanted to fuck each other, this was it.
He needed to stop staring at the pictures. He needed to stop before his beginning arousal became visible either on his face or a good bit further down. He needed to stop thinking about what could have happened, and he needed to do so before he was forced to go find the man he saw now in his mind’s eye, sitting in his lap, legs spread and humping the erection of his soon to be lover. Because if he did that, there was no way he would be able to hold to his wager and not fuck the blond. Which would also screw up his chances to ever do so again.
Because if he lost this bet, Roy would have to date women that Hughes chose for him, and there was no way Ed would consider letting Roy near him – or his ass for the matter - if he thought he was just another one night stand.
Plastering a smirk on his face, he turned to Maes and lifted the pictures so they were clearly visible.
“Mind if I keep these?”
“What?!” The shocked question of the two blond men along with the redhead present drowned the sound of Hughes’ chuckles.
“Go ahead. You know I´ve got the negatives stored out of your reach, don´t you?” The Investigations officer waved a hand and leaned back at the smirk coming from his friend. Yes, Mustang was aware of that fact. That meant he wanted to have those pictures. Interesting.
Even though Lieutenant Ross looked ready to order her own copies, silence was once again present as Roy neatly put the pictures back into a stack and even went so far as to snatch an envelope from Havoc’s desk to put them in.
It was Havoc who finally broke the silence.
“Why did you steal all my girlfriends when you are gay?” No one commented on the lack of respect Jean showed by addressing his commanding officer in such a way. They might work as a team within the military, and Mustang might be the leader of that team, but they also trusted and cared for each other on a much deeper, personal level. And this discussion was on that personal level, off the record when it came to military procedure.
“Because I´m not,” Roy said with a shrug.
Protest broke out from most of the other males in the room as they suspected being played for fools. The only man aside from Roy who was not adding to the noise was Hughes, who watched the scene amused. Both women didn´t seem to be interested in making fools out of themselves either. Riza had obviously already realized the same thing as Roy, and Maria Ross observed the scene just as entertained as Maes Hughes.
“Come on, Sir, there’s the proof!” Breda pointed accusingly at the envelope.
The Colonel made a show of looking down at the white packet as if he hasn´t seen it before, then shrugged again.
Once again, loud voices rose, until this time Falman gained the speaker’s role. “With all due respect, Sir, it´s obvious you are interested in sexual intercourse with another male. By definition that would make you gay.”
Everyone winced at the salacious smirk they received. The smirk silently accused them all of far more than a casual interest in the proof of this ‘interest in sexual intercourse’, calling their sexuality into question as well. Falman remained unmoved as always under that accusing leer, Fuery buried his head back in his hands, embarrassed, while Havoc, Breda and Denny Brosh looked positively mortified at being caught looking at photographs of Roy and Ed’s make out session. Denny’s look of misery earned him a suppressed laugh from his partner.
“Stop acting like fools,” Riza said calmly. “He´s not gay, he´s bisexual.”
Although she had spoiled his fun, Roy sent a charming smile Riza´s way. Wasted, since there was absolutely no reaction to it. But he was grateful that she had stated the fact that he was not gay, thank you very much. Not gay. Bisexual and gay was not the same.
“It doesn´t matter.” Havoc rummaged through his desk and just a few seconds later, he slammed his copy of the bet contract on the table.
“You’ve lost, Sir! Pay up!”
tbc.
Chapterlist
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So, once again the attention is back on the bet ^-^ I hope you liked it enough to let me know what you think ^^
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-04-18 11:13 pm (UTC)I so love this story!!! Really don't want to see it end--but I wanna see the payoff...waaaaahhaaa!!! ::grins::
no subject
Date: 2011-04-19 05:35 pm (UTC)It´s a shame there is no fanart-equivalent of the kink meme. At least I don´t know any XD Then you -and I- could have ordered copies of the pictures ^.~
About the end... Roy is not the type to just surrender, isn´t he? ^.~
no subject
Date: 2011-04-19 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-19 05:37 pm (UTC)As for maria: I think she is a character with a lot of potential (especially for writers ^.~) And I like her for that.
no subject
Date: 2011-04-19 07:05 am (UTC)Plastering a smirk on his face, he turned to Maes and lifted the pictures so they were clearly visible.
“Mind if I keep these?”
Too funny! I cant wait for the next part
no subject
Date: 2011-04-19 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-20 03:18 am (UTC)"Mind if I keep these?" *snerk* The general may not like Roy looking at those, not right now or for the next little bit anyway! It's not hard to figure out what those pics will be used for later on tho! ^_^ Loved watching Roy tease the group about his preferences! (psst! Maria! Get Maes to send a set of those to me too!)
no subject
Date: 2011-04-20 01:16 pm (UTC)Yes, it´s not hard to imagine waht Roy could do with the photos ^-^
And if you loved watching Roy tease them, I´m curious what wou will say about the next chapter ^-^
no subject
Date: 2011-04-21 07:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-21 10:55 am (UTC)Havoc is eager to win the bet XD So of course he jumps to conclusions as well, but that doesn´t mean he´s as right as you have been with yours ^-^
I´m happy you liked the chapter and hope you will enjoy the next one as well ^.~
no subject
Date: 2011-08-04 06:34 am (UTC)Ed wanted to see him again. How could he not, after getting a taste of the legendary kissing skills of Roy Mustang? Aw heck, I want a taste of these legendary kisses. XD
Plastering a smirk on his face, he turned to Maes and lifted the pictures so they were clearly visible. “Mind if I keep these?” lol! I was wondering if he'd ask that. I would.
Loved it!
no subject
Date: 2011-09-21 06:59 am (UTC)