A/N: I was so nervous while writing this. I hope that everyone likes it. This is my first fic, so please leave me a lot of reviews so that I can improve.
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any of it's characters. Come on, do you think I'm that lucky?
High Stakes
by
MissGlycerine
It was a mild day in Central. The slight breeze in the air made the weather seem refreshing, compared to the warmer weeks before. And inside the Central Headquarters, the work rate that was usually fast paced was shockingly leisurely. Tranquility filled the atmosphere, and all was good with the world. Until...
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP SO SMALL THAT YOU'D NEED A MICROSCOPE TO SEE IT?!?" shrieked Edward.
Immediately, Alphonse grabbed his older brother from behind to prevent the poor soldier's eminent demise. "Brother! He never said any of those things!" he reasoned, a failing attempt to calm down the raging alchemist.
Finally, Al was able to drag Edward away from the cowering man. Edward was still steaming when they stopped just outside Colonel Mustang's office door. "Hmph!" Ed grunted, huffily. "You shouldn't have stopped me, Al! That guy deserved what he had coming!"
"Brother, I don't think mauling him would have improved your attitude any," Al sighed.
Edward ignored the remark and continued to grumble, absentmindedly kicking the wall outside the door. "Stupid low ranked toady, calling me SHORT! As if it wasn't enough that I have to report to that sarcastic waste of flesh, Mustang!"
"That 'sarcastic waste of flesh' is still waiting for your report, Fullmetal," a familiar voice said from behind them.
Edward and Alphonse whirled around, Ed's face red with embarrassment and anger. Colonel Roy Mustang was leaned against the threshold of his office door, arms crossed, finger tapping impatiently against his elbow. Without saying another word, the superior officer turned his back on the two, and strode back into the room. Edward agitatedly followed, leaving Al to wait in the hallway.
Sitting back in his chair, Roy stared at the youth before him for a few moments. A few moments more. And more. "What's up with you?" Edward blurted with annoyance. "Did you go senile and forget what you wanted to lecture me about this time?"
Roy smirked. Like a starving fish, the younger alchemist took the bait. "No need to be short tempered, Edward," Roy scoffed.
Not a second after the word "short" left his mouth, Edward was already spouting death threats and profanities. A moment later, he ran out of breath. Before he could start up again, Roy cut in. "You have a problem, Fullmetal. A problem that could get you into trouble someday."
"Problem? What problem? The only problem I have is with you!"
Another snide grin emerged on the colonel's face. "Every time I refer to you as short, or small, you erupt."
"Yea, what's it to you?" Ed hissed.
"You're a risk taker, Edward. Why don't you and I make a bet?"
Edward's eyes shone with a competitive gleam. "A bet, you say?" he chimed. "Do tell!"
Roy continued, "Here are the conditions. You must restrain yourself from going berserk when you're called short for an entire day in my presence. Meaning starting at midnight you must restrain yourself for a full twenty-four hours from then. You can't even comment to it or correct it. Do you think you can do that, Edward?"
"Piece of cake!" Edward bragged, balling his hands and placing them on his hips. "I could do that, no problem!"
"Then all that's left are the stakes," Roy inquired. "What are the conditions if you win?"
The younger man sat down on one of the couches and thought for a moment. What could possibly be so humiliating that he would get satisfaction and Mustang would be emotionally scarred for life?
"I've got it!" Ed snapped his fingers. "If I win, then you have to spend an entire day in the same room with Maes Hughes and look at every picture he shows you, and listen to every story relating to Elicia he has stored in his black hole of a brain! AND you have to walk around in womens' clothing for three hours in public, shaved legs and all!"
Roy nodded in agreement. "That's quite a lot riding on one bet, don't you think?" he asked.
"Those are my terms!" Ed confirmed. "Now let's hear yours!"
"If I win," the colonel reclined, his arms behind his head. "you have to do whatever I say for a whole week, starting the day the bet ends. You must execute every order I give you with an eye for detail. No slacking. No exceptions. No excuses. Every order must be obeyed." An evil smile graced his features, and he added, "No one but the two of us will know about this. So if you lose and you try to back out of our agreement, don't forget that I have a secret to hold over your head. Not that holding anything over your head would be that difficult..."
"WHAT?!?"
"Ah! Practice makes perfect, Ed," Roy teased the fuming boy. "If you keep this up, you won't be able to win the bet at all. At midnight tonight, the challenge begins."
With a look of satisfaction, Edward rose to his feet and held his right hand out over the desk, "Agreed!"
Roy shook his hand, and watched as the other walked out of the room.
"Like puddy in my hands," he mused.
クフフ。
"So, how did it go?" Al asked his older brother as he emerged from the room.
Edward's triumphant expression melted from his face. In all the hype of the bet, he had forgotten to fill the colonel in on his recent escapade. Regaining his composure, the alchemist shrugged and began to walk away, Alphonse in tow. "It went," the blond sighed. "Same old story, you know. This time, though, I have to spend a day with Colonel Mustang tomorrow, Al. Top secret assignment. And of course, it's one that needs my special touch to be completed!"
Al was shocked. Not only was his brother in a better mood after a meeting with Colonel Roy Mustang, one of the most annoying people in the world to him, but he was going to spend the a whole day with said annoyance. "Top secret," Al started. "Then that means that I can't come?"
Ed glanced back at his brother and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Al. You'll have to sit this one out."
クフフ。
As soon as the sun was up, so was Edward Elric. He stretched. Took a shower. And then he stared himself down in the mirror. "You can do this," he coached himself. "You just have to survive a full day of Mustang calling you short!"
Ed gave himself a thumbs-up, and after dressing, he made his way to Colonel Mustang's office. When he arrived, he heaved a heavy sigh and knocked boldly upon the door. "Come in," Roy's voice called through the door.
Edward entered the room slowly, glancing at Roy once, then taking his seat on the couch. "Glad to see you could make it, shorty," the colonel comment as he sifted through his paperwork.
The blond gritted his teeth and swallowed hard. "Yea well, you know me! True to my word!"
This was going to be a long day for Edward Elric. But he had already decided that suffering insults from Roy Mustang for a full day would be well worth it in order to see him humiliated.
Nearly three hours later, 2nd Lt. Riza Hawkeye came in with two cups of coffee. "Your coffee, sir," she said, placing Roy's cup on the desk. "Edward, would you like some coffee?"
Just as Ed opened his mouth to accept the offer, Roy butt in, "He can't have any coffee. If he drinks it, his growth will be stunted. Oh! Wait! He's already as tall as he's ever going to get."
Ed was furious inside. He wanted so badly to leap over the desk and pummel Roy where he sat. He stared at the older alchemist, hoping his inner hatred would somehow burn the smirk off his face. Repressing his anger, Ed turned to Hawkeye and gave a huge fake smile, "I'll have a cup!"
The confused Lieutenant handed the cup to Ed and turned to ask Roy, "Sir, have the new uniforms arrived yet?"
Sipping his coffee, Roy looked up. "No, the delivery service called earlier. They're going to arrive late."
With that, Hawkeye saluted and left the room, leaving a steamed Edward and a stoic Roy alone.
-
Edward was on the edge of his seat. After a whole day of suffering, he was about to win the bet! He watched the clock on the wall tick away, three minutes until midnight. He just couldn't sit and wait. Ed stood and began to pace.
"You know, if you keep that up, you'll wear a hole in the floor and it won't be long before I can't see you," Roy snickered, propping his arm on his desk.
Ed ignored the comment and continued to pace. There came a knock at the door. "Will you answer that, shorty?"
Letting the "shorty" part go in one ear and out the other, Edward opened the door. What appeared to be a stack of boxes with legs entered the room, knocking into him as it did. "Oh shoot!" was heard, and the boxes tumbled on top of Ed.
The delivery man, who was carrying the boxes, commenced to digging him out of the mess. "Gee, kid! I'm sorry!" he apologized. "I couldn't see you over the boxes, you're so short."
Edward exploded, "WHAT?!? WHO'RE YOU CALLING A BEAN-SPROUT-HALF-PINT-MIDGET?!?"
He shook the poor man by the shirt collar, a look of ultimate rage plastered on his face. "Game's up, Fullmetal," Roy observed, leaning against his desk in a triumphant manner.
"What? But you didn't--" Ed started, but was cut off.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Roy shook a finger. "I never said it had to be me you went off on. I only said if you get angry at being called 'short'."
The terrified delivery man crawled out of the room unnoticed. Edward sank to the floor. "I can't believe this!" he cursed himself. "What the hell!"
Roy walked over and crouched next to the teen, placing a not so reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I expect you to be at my house in the morning, Ed. Tell Al you'll be with me on a 'special' assignment for the week."
He slid his hand down the length of Ed's arm before rising to his feet. Opening the door, he turned and said, "If you have thoughts of backing out, Edward, don't forget...I know you're secret."
He left, leaving Edward cursing and swearing. "Stupid Bastard!"
End, Ch. 1
A/N: Whew! Well, here is chapter one. Hope everyone likes this fic so far. Please leave a review, it will be much appreciated. Chapter Two is already brewing in my head, so if you want it to be continued, reviews are required. Boost mah motivation! Woo!
Thanks for reading!