Ok so I'm new to writing at fan fiction because posting stories is so overly complicated and since i don't have my computer my parents can see exactly what I'm doing so it's hard to write smut in front of them.
Anywhooo . . . Please review! Hopefully good reviews, but bad ones are ok too, although for the sake of my poor low self-esteem I highly recommend positive ones.
I don't own FMA because then I'd be happy and we can't have that.
Not Beta'd sadly, so I apologize for any and all bad grammar, syntax, the works.
There will be sex in the future because if you're in the M section that's what you looking for. I'll try to stay in character but I might fail on occasion. I apologize for rambling, please R & R.
Edward sat at a desk in the library surrounded by large stacks of books. He was hiding from his brother Alphonse who was -trying and failing- to set him up with Winry Rockbell.
Edward sighed once again as he thought about it. His hand-picked up a pen, which he led to his mouth and bit. A bad habit he'd picked up from his brother.
His thoughts went back to Winry and her sudden love confession. Suffice is to say that he was not expecting it. She'd suddenly come up to him and screamed," I love you, you Idiot" then she'd thrown a wrench at him so hard he'd fainted. Yeah, that was exactly the way to get him to like her. Actually, it wasn't that he didn't like Winry, it was just, she was like a sister to him. There was no way he could ever see her in a romantic way. Plus, he didn't want to get hit with a wrench every time he did something wrong.
The truth was that Edward had never really considered anyone in a romantic way. He was too preoccupied with the homunculi and getting his brother's body back to notice people enough to fall in love with them. All these years he'd never had to worry about people developing feelings for him. Everyone saw him as a kid brother or a son. He was too young for them to see him as anything more, and he'd liked it that way.
Lately though, since his return from the gate, people were starting to notice him. He'd grown up. He was more mature, he understood the world better now, and yes, he'd grown a few inches. And perhaps, his newfound maturity and age were attractive to people.
He hadn't really noticed at first, the stares, the blushes, the pointing and whispering. He wasn't really a feelings kind of guy. He knew they only led to ruin. Missing his mother had led to losing his brother's body. His love for Winry had led to her capture and use as a hostage. He'd put her in danger by caring for her.
Still, he should have noticed it. He shouldn't have let his distance from his emotions cloud his judgement of others, he should have prepared. Instead, now he had to deal with an angry, wrench throwing Winry and a jealous brother who would do anything for his brother even if it meant losing the only woman he'd ever loved. Why women thought that abusing men would make them like them he would never understand. Then again he couldn't really understand how his sweet, calm, younger brother could fall in love with such an abusive woman.
He first noticed the attention at the library. The librarian had spent a whole hour flirting with him, a man had tried to pick him up, and coming out of the library women had asked for his number.
Ed had been so confused, thinking it was a practical joke from his brother or Maes, but no, these people where genuinely interested in him. He didn't know why, though. Other than growing a few inches his looks hadn't really changed. Sure, he filled out shirts a little more and his arm and leg were back ,but you couldn't really see that with his clothes on. He didn't want to believe people were that shallow anyway.
Was it that he was legal now? The time spent on the other side of the gate passed faster than the time here. By the time they'd gotten back Edward was twenty-five. Winry only nineteen. Being with her would make him feel like a pedophile. Seven years had passed on the other side of the gate, while here, they'd only been gone for one.
Ed sighed again, his jaw tired from nibbling on his pen for so long ,he set it down. It was covered in little bite marks going up and down the pen in random patterns. He was so immersed in cataloging the damage he'd done that he didn't even notice when someone walked in behind him.
"What did that pen ever do to you Edward?"
Ed nearly jumped out of his skin. As it was, he let out a very unmanly squeak and fell out of his chair, bruising his ass in the process. Edward would know that amused, condescending voice anywhere, The Colonel.
"What the hell, Colonel? Make some goddamn noise! You're like the freaking death!" he yelled, brushing himself off and standing up, annoyed that the Colonel hadn't even offered a hand, especially since it was his fault Edward had fallen. He sat back in his chair and turned to see the Colonel. The bastard was smirking -as always- his lips tilting up in that annoyingly knowing smile, the same knowing smile he'd always given Edward, and the same knowing smile that always gave him an uncomfortable feeling and frayed his nerves.
The Colonel's face momentarily displayed a flicker of surprise, making Edward realized that this was the first time he'd yelled since his return from the gate, the Colonel quickly masked his expression though, and responded
"I don't think making noise is appropriate in a place like this." he grinned slowly and almost purred as he said, "I would think that seeing as how you spend so much time here you would know the rules of the library by know." Ed's teeth grinded, something about the Colonel's weird tone almost making him blush. He was not in the mood to fight with the colonel.
The bastard was the one who'd found Edward and his brother after their return from the gate. Then again seeing as how they'd arrived in his office it wasn't all that big a deal. Still, the Bastard had come out looking great, "Roy Mustang finder of the Hero of the people".
Finding Edward had given him an opening back into the good graces of the military. The Bastard had even roped the brothers back into the military, forcing Edward into signing a contract and becoming a state alchemist once again. All of that made the Colonel number one in Ed's shit list. The Colonel had played them; manipulating his brother and him for his own personal gain. And now, the Bastard was here patronizing him in his only safe haven.
Edward hated being looked down upon and the Colonel had his condescending tone down to a T. Ignoring the Colonel's word's, Edward just grinned wide, showing of his canines.
"What are you doing here Colonel Bastard?" he asked suppressing his grin and making sure to keep his expression blank and his tone neutral.
"Just some research, oh and also... " for a second Edward almost felt afraid, the look that crossed the Colonel's face was downright evil. Glinting eyes, knowing smirk, and amusement scribbled all over his cocky face, "your brother's outside", he said, his face adjusting to allow a quick flash of canines, much like Edward had done ealier, somehow Edward knew he hadn't done it quite so menacingly, "he said he's waiting five minutes before he comes in to get you. Something about, accepting a certain Winry Rockbell's proposal. I didn't know you were getting married, am I invited to the wedding? Then again you'll probably be knocked out from a wrench, so it probably won't be that big of an event, not that we would have been able to see you anyway, what with your little height problem. No pun intended, of course"
Edward almost attacked the Colonel right then and there. Since his return from the gate Ed had been... passive. He no longer fell into his fits of rage, his temper just wasn't the same. He had a higher threshold for annoyance.
Everyone noticed, they all tried -rather vigorously- to get him out of control. Mentioning his still less than average height, forcing milk down his throat, and even going so far as to sing "Edward and Winry sitting in a tree".
Still, Edward remained calm, throughout the teasing and mocking. He no longer had to holler and flail everytime he something annoyed him. The only person that could even come close to making him lose control was the Colonel. Something about that infuriatingly knowing smirk and the patronizing tone always pushed Edward's buttons. Making Edward's old tantrums bang against the surface of his body, demanding release, waiting for Edward to give out just a little, so they could pounce.
Something inside him always held them back, his outbursts had caused him many a problem and now that he was older he wasn't really in the mood to get into fights. Especially with the Colonel, so Edward simply ignored the Colonel instead he counted to ten and dug his fingers into his palms knowing he would have little red crescents to trace later and finally he was able to calm down.
He sighed once again, knowing he needed to get out and see his brother before Alphonse kept his word and came to get him,or before the Colonel said something that would make Edward finally crack, and shoved him against a wall, or through a wall, or both. He didn't wan to get in trouble though, his head already ached at the thought of the future wrenches that were going to be thrown at his head, he didn't need another migraine from his brother's lectures on the effects of letting his temper rule his actions.
Edward realised he needed to get away from the Colonel and his teasing but still he took his time, procrastinating, he didn't want to face his brother so soon.
"Since when are you an errand boy?" he asked, his head tilting to the side, and his hair which he now tied in a ponytail, sliding annoyingly onto his shoulder.
For a second the Colonel faltered, his eyes displaying an emotion Edward couldn't identify, then he quickly covered it up, masking it with the annoying smirk once again. One of these days, Edward thought, I'm gonna smack that grin right off his cheeky face.
Finally he answered.
"I was being nice Edward. I can be nice "
Edward didn't like the colonel's tone it was oddly. . . nice and even a bit sad, like he was remembering something he'd rather forget. Edward didn't like this side of the Colonel, it made him feel even more uncomfortable than when the Colonel teased him.
The Colonel just didn't do nice, it was... unnatural, he decided. The Colonel could do cheeky bastard and even kiss-ass bastard when he really wanted something, but he did not do nice and definitely not with Edward Elric.
That combined with the weird show of emotion, his sad tone, and the fact that his grin was back full power like it was trying to make up for lost time, did nothing for Edward's nerves, all in all, Ed was feeling very uncomfortable. Very Very Uncomfortable.
After a long pause Edward finally replied,
"No, no you can't Colonel.", and with that Edward left, leaving the Colonel staring at his back as he walked away .