Vanity
She's not vain – she swears that she's not. She's just the bodyguard that dresses in blacks and keeps herself hidden. All the time. And really, she has no need for the glass that hangs above her vanity (actually, she has no need for the vanity either) because she doesn't even have the time to gawk at her own image like the other ladies of the palace. Except today. Today she can't seem to tear her eyes away from her reflection in the mirror.
How embarrassing. She's not usually like this – she swears that she's not – but there's something about the face peering back at her that she can't help but scrutinize. Her cheeks are painted in blushing pinks and her hair is tied up in elaborate knots. She usually doesn't look like this – she swears she doesn't. This doesn't even look like her. Not really. But the emperor had asked her to get dressed up, sent his maids to help her. She couldn't possibly say no. Especially on his wedding day.
"Lan Fan, what's wrong with your face?"
She jumps, surprised. Not much can startle her now, but he's probably the only one who can sneak up on her like this. He's learned to hide his chi from her.
"Young Master?" His title is still a habit.
"You're doing it wrong," he tells her. "Here." And he uses his fingers to fix up to corners of her lips.
"Now there's the smile of a beautiful bride."
Just a little something I whipped up for last week's prompt, smile, at fma_fic_contest. Somehow, it won first place (I don't know how - I'm still in shock).
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! As always, reviews are loved and much appreciated!