The Alchemists Guide to Relationships Part 1: Lust
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Fullmetal Alchemist › Het - Male/Female
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Adult ++
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Category:
Fullmetal Alchemist › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
5
Views:
7,036
Reviews:
27
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
I hate her, and I love her
Title: The Alchemists Guide to Relationships Part One: Lust
Author: Missb
Archived: At my Livejournal, any further archiving of my fiction is strictly prohibited unless cleared by me.
Summary: Join Edward Elric as he attempts to navigate the winding roads of adult relationships, with mixed results.
Part One Summary: Ed meets up with an old friend and develops a physical relationship that could eventually lead to more, that is, if other factors don\'t get in the way first.
Rating: NC-17 for sex scenes.
Pairings: M/F, Edward/Clara(Psiren)
Feedback: Greatly appreciated, constructive or otherwise.
Characters: Edward Elric
Beta’s: Looked over by Saturnstars
Author Notes: I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who commented after the last chapter. I really wasn’t fishing for reviews, just baffled. I especially want to thank drake220, Constantly Baffled, The Mad Fangirl, and TVO for their multiple reviews! You guys are the best and I hope that you one day come visit me on LJ. More notes at the end.
Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me and I make no profit from any of these tales.
The Alchemist’s Guide to Relationships: Lust
Chapter 5
I hate her, and I love her
He was cold.
Eyes still closed, a flesh and blood hand shot out looking for the warm body he knew he had fallen asleep next to. His eyes blinked open when his search turned up nothing but the cooling cotton sheets. Sitting up, he listened for the sound of running water, the fridge door slamming, anything that would suggest that Clara was still there. Getting up, he quickly changed into his usual black attire and smoothed his ponytail.
Checking every room, Ed still found no sign of Clara. Thinking that she had to run out for some reason, he sat on the couch and waited, tapping his foot in unease. She wouldn’t have just left without waking him. He still had a vehicle and told her he would drive her home. She wouldn’t want to walk all the way there in the shoes she wore last night.
Seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. Something was wrong. Every ounce or training and experience in him was on edge, pumping under his skin until he was ready to jump out of it. Half an hour later there was a knock at the door. He answered it more quickly than any other knock before. His face fell as he saw the soldier on the other side.
The man’s heels clicked together as he saluted, “Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric, Brigadier General Roy Mustang requests your presence immediately.”
***
The ride to headquarters helped him calm his nerves. A side effect of his military career he supposed. Traveling always soothed him.
The whole staff was gathered in Mustang’s office when he arrived. In addition, two Central City Police officers stood to the side of a pudgy man wearing civilian clothes. Ed was immediately set back on edge. The man in the middle reeked of cheap cologne. His dress shirt was tucked into his pants so that his belly spilled over the waistband. Plump cheeks looked larger when coupled with the man’s pinched face and beady brown eyes. A thick mustache hid his upper lip and a hat masked a thin head of hair. Mustang introduced him as Detective Nelson Holliday.
Ed took an empty seat, “What’s going on?”
“Have you ever heard of the Ring of Hope?” Mustang asked, sitting casually, hands forming a steeple on his desk.
He was wasting his time asking him that question. Any alchemist worth his chalk knew that it was the first gold object transmuted before it was outlawed. “Of course! Maybe next you’ll want me to define equivalent exchange.”
“It was stolen last night.” The detective blurted out, his voice as rough and thick as he was.
A whisper of paranoia and a ghost of understanding, like when he knew two lines were about to intersect. He tried to ignore it. “So, what does that have to do with me?”
“Because the thief was Psiren.”
It felt like the detective had slapped him across the face while dumping a pile of bricks on his lap and a million other metaphors that all couldn’t accurately describe the overwhelming feeling of shock, disbelief and betrayal. To put it simply, Ed’s mind reeled. The detective was explaining the particulars of the case but to Ed he sounded far, far away. It had to be a mistake.
“Are you sure it was Psiren?” He finally found his voice.
“We found her calling card,” one of the officers offered him an open folder, “and several guards witnessed her at the scene.”
“Since you were the one who caught her last, the detective was hoping you could give him a hand.” Mustang said.
“You are the only one who knows what she looks like under the mask.” The detective added.
There was silence as they waited for him to say something but he only stared dumbly at the card he recognized as belonging to Psiren. Then, the detective’s last statement registered, “But…what about the detective in Aquroya?”
Holliday glared at Ed, clearly impatient at having to explain past case facts to someone who was supposed to already know them. “He was killed when Psiren made her escape.”
Ed looked sharply to Mustang who seemed to be studying him intently. Mustang hadn’t told him that part, only that she’d escaped custody. It had been hard enough dealing with the fact that Clara was a thief, but now she was a murderer. All this time, he never knew. Ed fell back in his seat.
“Ed?” Havoc had seen his eyes glaze over in shock and tried to get his attention. “Ed, what’s wrong?”
“Leave us.” Mustang ordered and the staff obeyed. Detective Holliday tried to protest but a stern look from the General had him leading his men out the door.
The door clicked shut and the two alchemists sat in silence. Mustang studied the younger man’s slumped posture and bowed head. “What’s wrong Fullmetal?” His voice was as stern as always. Ed didn’t answer, Mustang continued to examine. “You know who Psiren is,” he concluded with a sigh, “and I bet you even know where she’s hiding.”
Ed’s shoulders slumped. Somehow he knew, which meant that Ed was in big trouble. “Her name is Clara.”
“Just Clara?”
Ed nodded. He didn’t know her last name. He never thought to ask. Just one more scoop on the pile of wrongness that his relationship was becoming. “She’s the girl I’ve been seeing.” He confessed in an almost whisper.
“We know her as ‘Melissa’.” Roy sighed and leaned back in his chair, the most casual he got when he was on duty and in front of Edward. “Well, this is quite the mess.”
Ed stared at a spot on his shoe, he could feel the older man’s eyes on him, “I know.”
There was a moment of silence and then the sound of Mustang’s chair scraping back as he stood, “I’ll take care of it.” The flame alchemist headed toward the door and Ed looked at him, surprised. “I’ll tell the Detective that this is now a military investigation and my staff will get to work on this right away.”
“No,” Mustang stopped before he reached the door. “I want to be the one to bring her in.”
Mustang’s head turned to him, a smirk on his lips and Ed realized that that’s exactly what he wanted to hear. “Very well. Besides, it’ll be a point in your favor if you come under investigation.”
Ed listened as the General went out in the hall and delivered the message. There was yelling, the detective didn’t take the news well. Afterwards, Mustang re-entered, his staff filing in behind him.
“Everyone, listen up,” he addressed the officers, “For the duration of this investigation, you will report to Major Elric.”
***
The front door burst in and a group of soldiers entered single file. Weapons at the ready, they search every room. Edward waited out in the hall. This was all just useless protocol; he already knew she wouldn’t be there.
Tiredly, he leaned against the wall and let his mind slip off. The past few hours had just been one big blur of crime scene photos and witness statements. It made his heart hurt just thinking about it so instead he tried not to as much as possible. It was an easy thing to do. It felt like he had gotten lost in a dream and accidentally stepped into a nightmare. It didn’t seem real. She was just there, with him, loyal and semi-innocent in his arms…
“Sir,” Havoc snapped him out of his trance, “The apartment is clean.”
Ed stared at him dumbly for a moment until he remembered the here and now. Entering in the room, Ed noticed that nothing was different. It almost looked like she had just gone off to the store or something. The team watched him take in the apartment, looking both to him and Havoc for orders.
“You’re dismissed,” he said distractedly and barely registered Havoc’s voice as he led the troops out. Nothing he saw registered though the haze of his thoughts and when he stepped he couldn’t feel the ground beneath his feet.
For a while he just stood in the middle of the room. He didn’t know what to even look for. Walking past the desk behind the couch, he caught sight of a postcard strategically placed on the surface. To the casual observer it looked like it had just been carelessly tossed, but Ed could tell that it had been positioned just right so that it would be the first thing he saw. It was a picture of Central City’s park at night. A young couple was seated on a bench over looking the lake and in the top corner, spelled out in the stars, was the word, ‘Romance.’ Flipping it over, he saw that it was blank.
His hands clenched at the obvious invitation. She had planned this. It didn’t matter if it was recently or if she had been contemplating this for months, maybe even years. The thought made his stomach clench up into his heart and his throat dry out. Fist shaking, he tore out of the apartment, anger breaking though nearly-catatonic betrayal.
‘Was any of it real?’
***
The moon was rising up into the sky as he approached the small lake located in the middle of the Central’s state park. A light breeze swept through the bare branches and caused the surface of the water to shiver in a reflection of wintriness. Trees surrounded the clearing at the shore. Like the postcard, there were benches and a streetlight had even been installed as the location’s popularity grew. A well worn path led to the clearing and Ed stepped off and waited at the shore.
…“it’ll be spring soon.”…
He’d had hours to hone his anger into the knife point that he’d need. Hours to ask himself why he hadn’t seen this coming, and why she would do this when everything was beginning to go so well. All the smiles that had never reached her eyes, the vague assurances that she was not the criminal he had thought her to be. He had warned Al that she was bad news, why couldn’t he have held on to that belief.
“I’m glad you came.”
The voice was soft, barely piecing the silent night. Hard gold eyes turned to his right to see her, leaning casually against the tree like a lover. He faced Clara, not Psiren like he hoped. It would have been easier if it were Psiren; he expected it. What he didn’t expect was the calm looking woman standing there.
Her tranquility began to grate on his nerves.
A breeze howled through the trees, swaying the branches to and fro with light groans. The wind tossed about the ends of their hair and flapped the edges of his long brown coat. The sound only seemed to emphasize the silence.
“Aren’t you going to ask me why?” She sounded sad, as if she was the one who hurt the most in all this. It only served to piss him off more.
“No, you’d only lie anyway.”
“Very well,” she closed her eyes, resigned. “Shall we begin?” Her hand moved to the top button of her shirt.
…fingers on pearly white buttons in the moonlight…
…staring dumbly at the exposed transmutation circle on her chest…
He ground his teeth at the memory. “Yeah, I’ll even let you have the first move.”
The first four buttons on her blouse were quickly undone and the transmutation circle glowed. The surface of the lake bubbled and two streams of water charged at him. ‘Same old tricks…’ Ed thought, clapping his hands together as the water rushed at him. It was like she wasn’t even trying.
The water froze in place and Clara looked shocked at his circle-less transmutation. Ed acted quickly, bringing his hands together and slamming them to the ground.
The energy snaked through the earth and up the trees, forcing the branches down and around her wrists. Arms held out, her circle began to glow again, and Ed sprung into action, clapping his hands a third time.
“…it’s nice, having something all to myself.”
“So, I’m yours now, am I?”
The branches began to loosen as he ran toward her, his metal hand warming with every step. The bonds gave just as he reached out with his right hand. Clara’s cry of pain was amplified by the quiet night and echoed in his head.
… in this story there are two people, lovers actually, who come from completely different backgrounds…in the end, they can’t help but betray the other.
Hot metal met flesh, destroying the circle. She fell to her knees in agony and clutched a handful of snow from a nearby drift to her chest. All Ed could do was stare down at her and resist the urge to be sick. The air was thick with the smell of burning flesh and the sound of her screams, but all he could do was stand there, staring at her and what he’d done. He didn’t feel justified or avenged. His stomach caught in his throat.
***
The military vehicles had surrounded the area preventing a few late night visitors from entering the scene. Their tires tore up the thin patches of snow and exposed grass, leaving ugly, muddy tracks over the once serene location.
Most of the soldiers just stood around talking to each other, pretending to be on watch. A few congratulated Ed on the capture. He merely nodded and graciously accepted the congratulations, his eyes remaining contrite as he quickly found reasons to escape any further conversation. A medical team had arrived and was treating Clara’s injuries in the back of their wagon.
Ed approached the lone medic, “Could you give us a minute?” The man looked confused at his request but obeyed. “Are you going to be alright?” He asked.
Cuffed hands came up to stroke the tape holding the bandage in place. She played at securing it more firmly to her skin, anything to avoid looking him in the eyes. “Yeah. They tell me it’ll scar.”
He looked away. Now they were both marred; one physically, one emotionally. “I never meant to…”
“I know.”
‘hurt you.’
Their eyes never met and he waited for her to say something like ‘me too’ but it never came.
“Isn’t this the part where you ask me ‘why’?”
“No. It wouldn’t change anything.”
She knew what she had been doing. Knew that he’d find out and track her down; knew that it would hurt him. He didn’t know why she had caused him this pain. He just knew that he didn’t want to hear her try to rationalize it. It felt too raw to pick at right now. Bravely, he dared a look at her out of the corner of his eye.
Her face and shoulders fell, making her look nothing like the self-assured woman he had gotten to know. “I don’t suppose that one day you might forgive me?”
He tilted his chin enough to make eye contact, the indecision clear on his face. Clara turned away, and he could almost see the tears forming in her eyes before he walked off.
‘I honestly don’t know.’
***
Alcohol was quite possible the worst tasting thing on the planet, right after milk. No matter how it was mixed, it always left a bitter taste in his mouth and made his face wrinkle in disgust. If it weren’t for its inebriating qualities, he’d never touch the stuff. As it was, he felt very much like being drunk, so he sat at one of the nicer bars in central. A few empty shot glasses sat in front of him and he was distractedly peeling the label off his beer chaser.
Feeling a presence behind him, he looked up to the mirror behind the bar, meeting eyes with Mustang. “What are you doing here?” He asked, taking a drink.
Mustang rolled his eyes as Ed’s face scrunched in disgust. Sitting down, he pulled the bottle away from Ed’s lips as he went to take another pull.
“Hey!” He wiped a dribble of liquid off his chin and gave him a dirty look.
“You’re not a drinker Ed, don’t pretend to be.”
Annoyed, Ed propped his hand on his head. Not looking at Roy, he drummed real fingers on the wooden countertop, knowing full well it drove the older man crazy.
If he was irritated at all, Roy didn’t show it. “I ran a background check on your girlfriend.” He took another drink of Ed’s beer. “Clara McMartin was born in a town to the east, Samud. At thirteen, her parents were murdered in front of her. She was sent to an orphanage until she was eighteen. From then on, she had a series of jobs, all of which she was unqualified for.”
If Ed tried hard enough, he could almost pretend that this was just another mission brief. Almost. “What makes you think I care about that stuff?”
Mustang was looking at him out of the corner of his eye, pinning him with ‘that look.’ It was the look he gave off when he knew that the information he was giving out would come in handy later. In a way, he saved Ed the trouble of asking for it when he finally figured out that he really did want to know. “I just thought that it would help you understand her self-destructive nature.”
Bored gold eyes met unyielding onyx in the mirror again and Roy continued knowingly, “But I can see that you don’t care.” Roy stood and finished Ed’s beer, setting the empty bottle down in front of him. “The real reason I came is to tell you that you have guests.”
The door opened and Ed turned to see who came in, “Winry?”
She stood in the doorway of the dark pub, the sun outlining her from behind. A bare trace of a smile graced his lips, the first in days.
The General left, patting Ed’s shoulder as he passed. Winry walked into the bar, eyeing the empty bottle in front of him. “If I ever meet the person who introduced you to alcohol I’m gonna kick their ass.”
Havoc entered the bar right behind her in time to hear the comment. Ed saw his eyes widen and his mouth clench tightly around his cigarette before he quickly turned and left.
“What are you doing here?” He looked up at her.
“Well, we figured that if you couldn’t come to us, we’d come to you. Besides, I wanted to see what that vulture in Paro did to my precious auto-mail.”
Although the thought of one of Winry’s check-ups and subsequent possessive fits of outrage should have made him cringe, he found himself genuinely smiling again. He was glad to see her. As scary as she could be sometimes, she was a genuinely honest and good person. Speaking of which: “Where’s Al?”
“He’s waiting in the car with Havoc. You know he’s not old enough to enter.” She took the seat next to him, sitting sideways on the barstool to regard him. “So it seems you had a little excitement on your vacation.” At his surprised look, she continued, “Havoc told us everything.”
“Blabbermouth,” he muttered and sighed, “Is Al…mad?”
“Why would he?”
“It’s just…The first time I caught her, he was upset.”
“He’d not mad,” She assured him, “Just concerned.”
That was almost worse. He hated it when people fretted over him, especially people he knew. With Al and Winry, however, it was worse. He couldn’t help but feel guilty. He never wanted them to be worried about him.
Winry sighed when he didn’t say anything. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
Ed sneered at the comment and picked up the only remaining shot. Holding the glass before his lips, he mumbled, “‘s not your fault.”
A hand covered the rim of the glass, preventing him from throwing in back. Looking over, he noticed Winry staring at him seriously.
“Don’t do this to yourself, Ed.”
The glass was lowered but not set down. She removed her hand. “Do what?”
Winry sighed, “You know what I admire about you most?”
Ed’s interest was piqued and the bottom of the glass touched the counter.
Winry continued, “It’s that, no matter how much bad you see, you don’t let it ruin who you are. You’re a good person and it can’t touch you. Don’t let this be the one that changes that.”
Looking off in the distance, he let her words sink in. “I know, and I’ll be fine.” He assured her, then added under his breath, “geesh, I just wanted to have a drink.”
Winry didn’t react to the last comment and Ed resumed peeling his bottle. He just wanted to forget about the whole thing and move on. As if sensing his thoughts, Winry hopped off the barstool, face breaking out into an eye squinting smile. “Well, what do you say we get out of this dreary place and go out someplace where your brother can join us?”
He perked up, “That sounds nice.”
He wasn’t lying when he said that he’d be fine, but he knew that he wouldn’t feel okay for some time, that the fall out from this would not be swept away by apologies and warm hugs. But for now, this moment was prefect. Removing a few bills, he threw them down and walked out to the sunshine and his brother, his dearest friend by his side.
-FIN Part 1
Author’s Notes Part 2: Please don’t throw your tomatoes before I get a chance to explain! I knew that this was going to happen since the first chapter. I don’t think I could have stood doing a happy, happy, multi-chapter romance fic in three parts. Clara’s actions are the catalyst for the rest of the series and I tried to make it as surprising as possible, even though there was foreshadowing, (TVO, you really had me biting my nails that you had figured it out) so that you could see how Ed felt. I am looking forward to hearing what you guys think.
Part Two is on the way. It’s not NC-17 (Part Three will be) so to keep it on aff.net, I think I’ll just add the chapters to this one and change the name slightly. I said I wouldn’t update this part until I had written up to chapter 3 in the first draft and I have.
Author: Missb
Archived: At my Livejournal, any further archiving of my fiction is strictly prohibited unless cleared by me.
Summary: Join Edward Elric as he attempts to navigate the winding roads of adult relationships, with mixed results.
Part One Summary: Ed meets up with an old friend and develops a physical relationship that could eventually lead to more, that is, if other factors don\'t get in the way first.
Rating: NC-17 for sex scenes.
Pairings: M/F, Edward/Clara(Psiren)
Feedback: Greatly appreciated, constructive or otherwise.
Characters: Edward Elric
Beta’s: Looked over by Saturnstars
Author Notes: I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who commented after the last chapter. I really wasn’t fishing for reviews, just baffled. I especially want to thank drake220, Constantly Baffled, The Mad Fangirl, and TVO for their multiple reviews! You guys are the best and I hope that you one day come visit me on LJ. More notes at the end.
Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me and I make no profit from any of these tales.
The Alchemist’s Guide to Relationships: Lust
Chapter 5
I hate her, and I love her
He was cold.
Eyes still closed, a flesh and blood hand shot out looking for the warm body he knew he had fallen asleep next to. His eyes blinked open when his search turned up nothing but the cooling cotton sheets. Sitting up, he listened for the sound of running water, the fridge door slamming, anything that would suggest that Clara was still there. Getting up, he quickly changed into his usual black attire and smoothed his ponytail.
Checking every room, Ed still found no sign of Clara. Thinking that she had to run out for some reason, he sat on the couch and waited, tapping his foot in unease. She wouldn’t have just left without waking him. He still had a vehicle and told her he would drive her home. She wouldn’t want to walk all the way there in the shoes she wore last night.
Seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. Something was wrong. Every ounce or training and experience in him was on edge, pumping under his skin until he was ready to jump out of it. Half an hour later there was a knock at the door. He answered it more quickly than any other knock before. His face fell as he saw the soldier on the other side.
The man’s heels clicked together as he saluted, “Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric, Brigadier General Roy Mustang requests your presence immediately.”
***
The ride to headquarters helped him calm his nerves. A side effect of his military career he supposed. Traveling always soothed him.
The whole staff was gathered in Mustang’s office when he arrived. In addition, two Central City Police officers stood to the side of a pudgy man wearing civilian clothes. Ed was immediately set back on edge. The man in the middle reeked of cheap cologne. His dress shirt was tucked into his pants so that his belly spilled over the waistband. Plump cheeks looked larger when coupled with the man’s pinched face and beady brown eyes. A thick mustache hid his upper lip and a hat masked a thin head of hair. Mustang introduced him as Detective Nelson Holliday.
Ed took an empty seat, “What’s going on?”
“Have you ever heard of the Ring of Hope?” Mustang asked, sitting casually, hands forming a steeple on his desk.
He was wasting his time asking him that question. Any alchemist worth his chalk knew that it was the first gold object transmuted before it was outlawed. “Of course! Maybe next you’ll want me to define equivalent exchange.”
“It was stolen last night.” The detective blurted out, his voice as rough and thick as he was.
A whisper of paranoia and a ghost of understanding, like when he knew two lines were about to intersect. He tried to ignore it. “So, what does that have to do with me?”
“Because the thief was Psiren.”
It felt like the detective had slapped him across the face while dumping a pile of bricks on his lap and a million other metaphors that all couldn’t accurately describe the overwhelming feeling of shock, disbelief and betrayal. To put it simply, Ed’s mind reeled. The detective was explaining the particulars of the case but to Ed he sounded far, far away. It had to be a mistake.
“Are you sure it was Psiren?” He finally found his voice.
“We found her calling card,” one of the officers offered him an open folder, “and several guards witnessed her at the scene.”
“Since you were the one who caught her last, the detective was hoping you could give him a hand.” Mustang said.
“You are the only one who knows what she looks like under the mask.” The detective added.
There was silence as they waited for him to say something but he only stared dumbly at the card he recognized as belonging to Psiren. Then, the detective’s last statement registered, “But…what about the detective in Aquroya?”
Holliday glared at Ed, clearly impatient at having to explain past case facts to someone who was supposed to already know them. “He was killed when Psiren made her escape.”
Ed looked sharply to Mustang who seemed to be studying him intently. Mustang hadn’t told him that part, only that she’d escaped custody. It had been hard enough dealing with the fact that Clara was a thief, but now she was a murderer. All this time, he never knew. Ed fell back in his seat.
“Ed?” Havoc had seen his eyes glaze over in shock and tried to get his attention. “Ed, what’s wrong?”
“Leave us.” Mustang ordered and the staff obeyed. Detective Holliday tried to protest but a stern look from the General had him leading his men out the door.
The door clicked shut and the two alchemists sat in silence. Mustang studied the younger man’s slumped posture and bowed head. “What’s wrong Fullmetal?” His voice was as stern as always. Ed didn’t answer, Mustang continued to examine. “You know who Psiren is,” he concluded with a sigh, “and I bet you even know where she’s hiding.”
Ed’s shoulders slumped. Somehow he knew, which meant that Ed was in big trouble. “Her name is Clara.”
“Just Clara?”
Ed nodded. He didn’t know her last name. He never thought to ask. Just one more scoop on the pile of wrongness that his relationship was becoming. “She’s the girl I’ve been seeing.” He confessed in an almost whisper.
“We know her as ‘Melissa’.” Roy sighed and leaned back in his chair, the most casual he got when he was on duty and in front of Edward. “Well, this is quite the mess.”
Ed stared at a spot on his shoe, he could feel the older man’s eyes on him, “I know.”
There was a moment of silence and then the sound of Mustang’s chair scraping back as he stood, “I’ll take care of it.” The flame alchemist headed toward the door and Ed looked at him, surprised. “I’ll tell the Detective that this is now a military investigation and my staff will get to work on this right away.”
“No,” Mustang stopped before he reached the door. “I want to be the one to bring her in.”
Mustang’s head turned to him, a smirk on his lips and Ed realized that that’s exactly what he wanted to hear. “Very well. Besides, it’ll be a point in your favor if you come under investigation.”
Ed listened as the General went out in the hall and delivered the message. There was yelling, the detective didn’t take the news well. Afterwards, Mustang re-entered, his staff filing in behind him.
“Everyone, listen up,” he addressed the officers, “For the duration of this investigation, you will report to Major Elric.”
***
The front door burst in and a group of soldiers entered single file. Weapons at the ready, they search every room. Edward waited out in the hall. This was all just useless protocol; he already knew she wouldn’t be there.
Tiredly, he leaned against the wall and let his mind slip off. The past few hours had just been one big blur of crime scene photos and witness statements. It made his heart hurt just thinking about it so instead he tried not to as much as possible. It was an easy thing to do. It felt like he had gotten lost in a dream and accidentally stepped into a nightmare. It didn’t seem real. She was just there, with him, loyal and semi-innocent in his arms…
“Sir,” Havoc snapped him out of his trance, “The apartment is clean.”
Ed stared at him dumbly for a moment until he remembered the here and now. Entering in the room, Ed noticed that nothing was different. It almost looked like she had just gone off to the store or something. The team watched him take in the apartment, looking both to him and Havoc for orders.
“You’re dismissed,” he said distractedly and barely registered Havoc’s voice as he led the troops out. Nothing he saw registered though the haze of his thoughts and when he stepped he couldn’t feel the ground beneath his feet.
For a while he just stood in the middle of the room. He didn’t know what to even look for. Walking past the desk behind the couch, he caught sight of a postcard strategically placed on the surface. To the casual observer it looked like it had just been carelessly tossed, but Ed could tell that it had been positioned just right so that it would be the first thing he saw. It was a picture of Central City’s park at night. A young couple was seated on a bench over looking the lake and in the top corner, spelled out in the stars, was the word, ‘Romance.’ Flipping it over, he saw that it was blank.
His hands clenched at the obvious invitation. She had planned this. It didn’t matter if it was recently or if she had been contemplating this for months, maybe even years. The thought made his stomach clench up into his heart and his throat dry out. Fist shaking, he tore out of the apartment, anger breaking though nearly-catatonic betrayal.
‘Was any of it real?’
***
The moon was rising up into the sky as he approached the small lake located in the middle of the Central’s state park. A light breeze swept through the bare branches and caused the surface of the water to shiver in a reflection of wintriness. Trees surrounded the clearing at the shore. Like the postcard, there were benches and a streetlight had even been installed as the location’s popularity grew. A well worn path led to the clearing and Ed stepped off and waited at the shore.
…“it’ll be spring soon.”…
He’d had hours to hone his anger into the knife point that he’d need. Hours to ask himself why he hadn’t seen this coming, and why she would do this when everything was beginning to go so well. All the smiles that had never reached her eyes, the vague assurances that she was not the criminal he had thought her to be. He had warned Al that she was bad news, why couldn’t he have held on to that belief.
“I’m glad you came.”
The voice was soft, barely piecing the silent night. Hard gold eyes turned to his right to see her, leaning casually against the tree like a lover. He faced Clara, not Psiren like he hoped. It would have been easier if it were Psiren; he expected it. What he didn’t expect was the calm looking woman standing there.
Her tranquility began to grate on his nerves.
A breeze howled through the trees, swaying the branches to and fro with light groans. The wind tossed about the ends of their hair and flapped the edges of his long brown coat. The sound only seemed to emphasize the silence.
“Aren’t you going to ask me why?” She sounded sad, as if she was the one who hurt the most in all this. It only served to piss him off more.
“No, you’d only lie anyway.”
“Very well,” she closed her eyes, resigned. “Shall we begin?” Her hand moved to the top button of her shirt.
…fingers on pearly white buttons in the moonlight…
…staring dumbly at the exposed transmutation circle on her chest…
He ground his teeth at the memory. “Yeah, I’ll even let you have the first move.”
The first four buttons on her blouse were quickly undone and the transmutation circle glowed. The surface of the lake bubbled and two streams of water charged at him. ‘Same old tricks…’ Ed thought, clapping his hands together as the water rushed at him. It was like she wasn’t even trying.
The water froze in place and Clara looked shocked at his circle-less transmutation. Ed acted quickly, bringing his hands together and slamming them to the ground.
The energy snaked through the earth and up the trees, forcing the branches down and around her wrists. Arms held out, her circle began to glow again, and Ed sprung into action, clapping his hands a third time.
“…it’s nice, having something all to myself.”
“So, I’m yours now, am I?”
The branches began to loosen as he ran toward her, his metal hand warming with every step. The bonds gave just as he reached out with his right hand. Clara’s cry of pain was amplified by the quiet night and echoed in his head.
… in this story there are two people, lovers actually, who come from completely different backgrounds…in the end, they can’t help but betray the other.
Hot metal met flesh, destroying the circle. She fell to her knees in agony and clutched a handful of snow from a nearby drift to her chest. All Ed could do was stare down at her and resist the urge to be sick. The air was thick with the smell of burning flesh and the sound of her screams, but all he could do was stand there, staring at her and what he’d done. He didn’t feel justified or avenged. His stomach caught in his throat.
***
The military vehicles had surrounded the area preventing a few late night visitors from entering the scene. Their tires tore up the thin patches of snow and exposed grass, leaving ugly, muddy tracks over the once serene location.
Most of the soldiers just stood around talking to each other, pretending to be on watch. A few congratulated Ed on the capture. He merely nodded and graciously accepted the congratulations, his eyes remaining contrite as he quickly found reasons to escape any further conversation. A medical team had arrived and was treating Clara’s injuries in the back of their wagon.
Ed approached the lone medic, “Could you give us a minute?” The man looked confused at his request but obeyed. “Are you going to be alright?” He asked.
Cuffed hands came up to stroke the tape holding the bandage in place. She played at securing it more firmly to her skin, anything to avoid looking him in the eyes. “Yeah. They tell me it’ll scar.”
He looked away. Now they were both marred; one physically, one emotionally. “I never meant to…”
“I know.”
‘hurt you.’
Their eyes never met and he waited for her to say something like ‘me too’ but it never came.
“Isn’t this the part where you ask me ‘why’?”
“No. It wouldn’t change anything.”
She knew what she had been doing. Knew that he’d find out and track her down; knew that it would hurt him. He didn’t know why she had caused him this pain. He just knew that he didn’t want to hear her try to rationalize it. It felt too raw to pick at right now. Bravely, he dared a look at her out of the corner of his eye.
Her face and shoulders fell, making her look nothing like the self-assured woman he had gotten to know. “I don’t suppose that one day you might forgive me?”
He tilted his chin enough to make eye contact, the indecision clear on his face. Clara turned away, and he could almost see the tears forming in her eyes before he walked off.
‘I honestly don’t know.’
***
Alcohol was quite possible the worst tasting thing on the planet, right after milk. No matter how it was mixed, it always left a bitter taste in his mouth and made his face wrinkle in disgust. If it weren’t for its inebriating qualities, he’d never touch the stuff. As it was, he felt very much like being drunk, so he sat at one of the nicer bars in central. A few empty shot glasses sat in front of him and he was distractedly peeling the label off his beer chaser.
Feeling a presence behind him, he looked up to the mirror behind the bar, meeting eyes with Mustang. “What are you doing here?” He asked, taking a drink.
Mustang rolled his eyes as Ed’s face scrunched in disgust. Sitting down, he pulled the bottle away from Ed’s lips as he went to take another pull.
“Hey!” He wiped a dribble of liquid off his chin and gave him a dirty look.
“You’re not a drinker Ed, don’t pretend to be.”
Annoyed, Ed propped his hand on his head. Not looking at Roy, he drummed real fingers on the wooden countertop, knowing full well it drove the older man crazy.
If he was irritated at all, Roy didn’t show it. “I ran a background check on your girlfriend.” He took another drink of Ed’s beer. “Clara McMartin was born in a town to the east, Samud. At thirteen, her parents were murdered in front of her. She was sent to an orphanage until she was eighteen. From then on, she had a series of jobs, all of which she was unqualified for.”
If Ed tried hard enough, he could almost pretend that this was just another mission brief. Almost. “What makes you think I care about that stuff?”
Mustang was looking at him out of the corner of his eye, pinning him with ‘that look.’ It was the look he gave off when he knew that the information he was giving out would come in handy later. In a way, he saved Ed the trouble of asking for it when he finally figured out that he really did want to know. “I just thought that it would help you understand her self-destructive nature.”
Bored gold eyes met unyielding onyx in the mirror again and Roy continued knowingly, “But I can see that you don’t care.” Roy stood and finished Ed’s beer, setting the empty bottle down in front of him. “The real reason I came is to tell you that you have guests.”
The door opened and Ed turned to see who came in, “Winry?”
She stood in the doorway of the dark pub, the sun outlining her from behind. A bare trace of a smile graced his lips, the first in days.
The General left, patting Ed’s shoulder as he passed. Winry walked into the bar, eyeing the empty bottle in front of him. “If I ever meet the person who introduced you to alcohol I’m gonna kick their ass.”
Havoc entered the bar right behind her in time to hear the comment. Ed saw his eyes widen and his mouth clench tightly around his cigarette before he quickly turned and left.
“What are you doing here?” He looked up at her.
“Well, we figured that if you couldn’t come to us, we’d come to you. Besides, I wanted to see what that vulture in Paro did to my precious auto-mail.”
Although the thought of one of Winry’s check-ups and subsequent possessive fits of outrage should have made him cringe, he found himself genuinely smiling again. He was glad to see her. As scary as she could be sometimes, she was a genuinely honest and good person. Speaking of which: “Where’s Al?”
“He’s waiting in the car with Havoc. You know he’s not old enough to enter.” She took the seat next to him, sitting sideways on the barstool to regard him. “So it seems you had a little excitement on your vacation.” At his surprised look, she continued, “Havoc told us everything.”
“Blabbermouth,” he muttered and sighed, “Is Al…mad?”
“Why would he?”
“It’s just…The first time I caught her, he was upset.”
“He’d not mad,” She assured him, “Just concerned.”
That was almost worse. He hated it when people fretted over him, especially people he knew. With Al and Winry, however, it was worse. He couldn’t help but feel guilty. He never wanted them to be worried about him.
Winry sighed when he didn’t say anything. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
Ed sneered at the comment and picked up the only remaining shot. Holding the glass before his lips, he mumbled, “‘s not your fault.”
A hand covered the rim of the glass, preventing him from throwing in back. Looking over, he noticed Winry staring at him seriously.
“Don’t do this to yourself, Ed.”
The glass was lowered but not set down. She removed her hand. “Do what?”
Winry sighed, “You know what I admire about you most?”
Ed’s interest was piqued and the bottom of the glass touched the counter.
Winry continued, “It’s that, no matter how much bad you see, you don’t let it ruin who you are. You’re a good person and it can’t touch you. Don’t let this be the one that changes that.”
Looking off in the distance, he let her words sink in. “I know, and I’ll be fine.” He assured her, then added under his breath, “geesh, I just wanted to have a drink.”
Winry didn’t react to the last comment and Ed resumed peeling his bottle. He just wanted to forget about the whole thing and move on. As if sensing his thoughts, Winry hopped off the barstool, face breaking out into an eye squinting smile. “Well, what do you say we get out of this dreary place and go out someplace where your brother can join us?”
He perked up, “That sounds nice.”
He wasn’t lying when he said that he’d be fine, but he knew that he wouldn’t feel okay for some time, that the fall out from this would not be swept away by apologies and warm hugs. But for now, this moment was prefect. Removing a few bills, he threw them down and walked out to the sunshine and his brother, his dearest friend by his side.
-FIN Part 1
Author’s Notes Part 2: Please don’t throw your tomatoes before I get a chance to explain! I knew that this was going to happen since the first chapter. I don’t think I could have stood doing a happy, happy, multi-chapter romance fic in three parts. Clara’s actions are the catalyst for the rest of the series and I tried to make it as surprising as possible, even though there was foreshadowing, (TVO, you really had me biting my nails that you had figured it out) so that you could see how Ed felt. I am looking forward to hearing what you guys think.
Part Two is on the way. It’s not NC-17 (Part Three will be) so to keep it on aff.net, I think I’ll just add the chapters to this one and change the name slightly. I said I wouldn’t update this part until I had written up to chapter 3 in the first draft and I have.