A/N: I know I've had issues finishing anything, but this is just a three-patter and an incessant plot-bunny, so enjoy anyway!
He'd just walked through the doors of Central H.Q. and it already felt like everyone knew something he didn't know; and it was already starting to piss him off royally. Sufficing to make him a bit paranoid, too. Mustang's staff wasn't exactly known for being the most mature bunch in the world, except Lieutenant Hawkeye of course, and enjoyed the occasional practical joke. He'd once been the butt end of a window made of plastic-wrap and a rather long fall, he was only lucky they'd also made sure that safety precautions were intact, not that he couldn't have saved himself. Besides that though, the next person that saw him and politely turns away to snigger he was going to tear apart unless they told him just exactly what it was they were so amused by. Edward swept past a group of women talking and giggling as women do, and was he imagining it or did they laugh a little louder when they saw him?
Begrudgingly he managed to make it to the outer office without rending anyone limb from bloody limb, but the closer he got the more suspicious he became. What the hell was up, and why did everyone in the world know but him? Cautiously he reached for the handle with his hand wrapped in a fold of his red jacket, just to keep from getting the electric shock Second Lieutenant Breda had once found himself faced with. When nothing happened he pushed the door open, listening carefully and bracing himself against anything as childish as getting a bucket of red paint dumped over his blonde head. Still nothing, except the room before him had gone silent upon his entrance and every head had swiveled to look expectantly at him. Ed clenched his hands in and out of fists a couple times and urged his eye not to start twitching. "Alright," he started, looking critically at every face in the room, ending pointedly on Hawkeye, knowing that was his best chance for a straight answer. "What the fuck is going on around here?" She, unflappable as always, actually smiled at his profane demand and simply nodded towards his office. Though the word office might be a stretch, it was more like a makeshift cubicle-like area with only three walls and no door. Grumbling to himself Ed stomped over to the area, at this point not even caring if it was some kind of trick.
'That's bright…' was the first thought that came to mind, followed only milliseconds by about a hundred-thousand questions, the first of which happening to be the same question he'd been wondering all morning. Luckily, he was saved from stammering like a complete idiot by Havoc's blurted question. "Who're they from, boss?"
"Uh, I…How the hell should I know?" Alright, saved him from spending too much time stuttering and not from staring like a deer in the headlights. A door clicked open, revealing Mustang stepping from his (real) office to join in the 'Ed-badgering'.
"Have a hot date, Fullmetal?" He mocked, certainly with that damned condescending smirk.
"Shut up!" Ed snarled over his shoulder, regaining enough common sense to walk up to his desk and at least see if the flowers came with a card. "It's probably just a mistake." He decided aloud, and when no one said anything he spun to glare evilly at Havoc. "Unless, of course, you already know?" He was already cowering on the opposite side of the long table often used as a desk and behind Breda and Fuery, almost as frightened of Ed as he would have been if Hawkeye had a gun leveled at his big, snooping nose. Edward decided to forgo the torture just long enough to flick open the little red card trimmed in gold. 'To Ed Elric, because I love you', was sprawled in large looping script diagonally across the inside.
"Well?" Roy asked expectantly. He thought about shouting but just shrugged, it was easier.
"Well I don't know, it doesn't say and it's not like I was planning on getting flowers from anyone." Pursing his lips briefly Ed stepped out from his workspace to glower at everyone. "You can all stop ogling now, I'm sure you've got work to do." A hint of malice bit at the hells of each word and Mustangs other lackeys nodded, Riza Hawkeye not included. Roy Mustang shook his head, an amused smile on his mouth.
"How very interesting," he chuckled before disappearing again into his office.
"Edward's right, you all have work that needs doing." The lieutenant said sharply, drawing everyone's attention immediately elsewhere. Allowing Ed to sink back into his area and melt into his rather uncomfortable chair, still staring confusedly at the flowers.
He wasn't exactly sure if he should be pleased or a little creeped out. The gesture was pleasant, sure, but he couldn't think of anyone that would send him something like that, especially not without giving a name. Or maybe he should be offended; flowers were kind of a girly thing to receive after all. They were pretty though, an assortment of yellow, orange, and a deep offset purple. He pulled the glove off of his flesh hand and reached out to finger one of the soft petals. There was no return address, no name, so he certainly wasn't expected to send something in return so he decided he didn't have to worry about it, he supposed he could just let it go and enjoy the fact that someone sent him something nice. "Here," Riza said softly, making him jump anyway, embarrassed to have been caught playing with the gift. She didn't mention it at all, just handed him a vase that had a bit of water in the base. Blushing profusely he accepted it with a little nod.
"Thanks." She gave him another one of those I-know-everything smiles and disappeared from view again. And god damnit if he didn't believe she knew everything.
-0-
Alphonse smiled widely when his brother walked through the door carrying a large bouquet of flowers, the bottom of which was wrapped in a few damp paper towels. He'd come when he heard the door open simply to make sure Ed didn't just drop his coat on the floor and instead had the bright bushel thrust into his hand with a muttered 'hold this'. "Perfect," he breathed nearly silently.
"What's that?" Ed asked, tossing his braid over his shoulder.
"I said they're pretty, where'd they come from though?"
"Dunno," he shrugged his coat off of his shoulders and appeared to think about letting it fall to the ground but seemed to note Al's presence and opened the hall closet. "They were just kind of at the office when I got there this morning."
"No note or anything?" Al asked slyly, reaching up to pet one of the soft purple petals he'd picked out the day before. The arrangement was very simple and elegant, exactly what he'd asked for. He just hoped the card was right.
"Well," there was an adorable dusting of red across Edward's cheeks and nose that he tried to hide with a wide, confused grin. "Yeah, but it didn't make much sense."
"Come on, Brother, what'd it say?" Alphonse pressed, running his free hand back through his short hair nonchalantly.
"Here," Ed shoved a small folded rectangle at him and headed off to the kitchen, obviously a little embarrassed. Alphonse followed hurriedly after him, to make sure he didn't mind the flowers too terribly much, so he'd know not to do it again if he did. He read the note on the way; it said just what it was supposed to.
"That's so sweet!" He laughed, coming up on Ed standing in front of the open refrigerator. "You have no idea who they're from?" Edward shook his head.
"Uh-uh." Al noted just how pretty his brother's hair was for about the thousandth time as he swung around a carton of juice in his hand. "Would you get rid of those already?" He snapped. Alphonse furrowed his brow slightly.
"You want me to throw them away?"
"No!" Ed answered hastily, but regained his composure quickly. "I mean no, they cost somebody money sure seems like a waste to do that doesn't it?" Al smiled; his brother was so cute, trying to pretend he didn't care about having gotten the gift at all. Maybe it wasn't especially nice to tease him since he knew who they were from. It was fun though, Ed really was so adorable when he was embarrassed and he guessed a little guilty indulgence was okay, particularly since it was what Ed would expect if someone else had sent them. "Find a place for them, or something."
"They can go on the table in here just fine, I'll get some water."
"Thanks Al, you're the best." He huffed sinking into a table chair. Still grinning like an idiot over his secret, Al began searching through the cabinets for something to put the flowers in, still holding them in one hand.
"Well, other than these, did you have a good day, Brother?"
"It was alright, kind of boring, like usual. Signed a bunch of crap and listened to Mustang complain about not having enough time in the day for dates and work. Not that that stupid bastard does any damned work." He fished an old dusty vase out from the back of a cabinet full of glassware that had been left in the house when they bought it. Setting the flowers gently aside first he turned the tap to warm, listening to Ed continue on about the colonel, it was the same speech every evening but he never got tired of hearing his brother talk. Even if, in most cases, he thought Ed was simply nitpicking because he had a grudge against Colonel Mustang. He thoroughly rinsed the vase and wiped the outside down, inconspicuously watching Edward's reflection on the window as he undid his braid and tugged the glove off of his left hand with his teeth to run muscular fingers through the unorganized locks all the while.
"Are you hungry?" He asked when Edward finished with a sigh.
"Yes." Al pulled the paper-towel from the stems and tossed it into the trashcan so he could situate the flowers neatly in the newly acquired vase.
"What do you want for dinner?" He set the arrangement in the center of the table then propped his hip against it to talk to Ed. "We've both been so busy lately I haven't really had the chance to cook for you."
"It's not like you're my wife or anything Al, you don't have to cook for me."
"Don't be silly, I like cooking for you." Alphonse yawned, stretching up towards the ceiling rocking back and forth. "You alright, Ed?" He asked, glancing back at his brother's face, it was a little red. He nodded slowly.
"Uh-huh, I'm fine."
"Well then, what would you like to eat?"
-0-
Sometimes he wondered if Al had any idea just how god damned sexy he looked doing something as simple as yawning. The way the muscles in his arms bunched as he reached and his shirt rode up over his abdomen; he felt his face turn red as he thought about being able to wrap his arms around Al's bare stomach and lean up just a little to kiss his mouth. "Uh-huh, I'm fine." He answered once he'd pulled his thoughts from pressing against his brother's body.
"Well then, what would you like to eat?" Ed shrugged and stared up at the ceiling as not to be so obvious about watching even the slightest movement Al made.
"What do we have?"
"Not much, I'd reckon. We've done nothing but take-out for so long I'll bet anything we bought fresh last time we went shopping's rancid by now." Al scratched his cheek thoughtfully, "But I think there's a can of chicken in the cabinet and I know we've got rice. I think I even froze some vegetables so we'd have them. I could make fried rice."
"Make whatever you want, 'Phonse." Edward loved the little smile when he used his pet name for his little brother; it wasn't really anything special, just the other part of Al's name. But it was his, and he was the only one that to call him that. Maybe it was wrong to feel so possessive of Alphonse; he just couldn't seem to help it and anything, anything at all, to earn that warm, little smile was worth it.
"Does rice sound alright?"
"'Course it does, stop askin'."
"Okay, Edward, I know you're going to ask if I need any help and no, I don't, so why don't you go grab a shower." Al smiled and patted him on the head like a child, before he could start complaining about being the older brother Alphonse bent over to start rummaging through the cabinets swaying his hips unconsciously and suddenly a shower seemed like a very good idea… a very cold shower indeed.
Much lurv,
SeeInBlackAndWhite
