A Full Metal Alchemist ficlet
by Nozomi
And so they had had to trudge through three miles of mud and muck, and then across what had felt like half of the country, to get back to Central City. And he was filthy.
"I need a shower now," the blond reiterated, movements hampered by the covering of mud and other distasteful things that clung to him and his clothes. He glanced down at himself and groaned; well, this pair of gloves was ruined. Carefully, he stripped them off and tossed them into the trash, then headed for the bathroom door, grabbing a towel on the way. His report could wait until after he was clean and sufficiently rested. Otherwise, in the state he was in, he'd end up trying to kill the Colonel before a single word had left that too-smug mouth.
One of the benefits of being a National Alchemist was that Ed got his own bathroom. It wasn't much, but it was his, and it was very good knowing that he wouldn't be interrupted.
Ed's clothes made wet slapping noises as they hit the tile floor. He ignored both them and the splattering of mud on the floor that throwing the clothing created, intent on getting clean and then getting some much needed sleep.
The spray of the water, heat turned up until it was almost scalding, loosened his muscles and calmed his frayed nerves. He sighed, eyelids drooping contentedly closed for a moment. After a pause to enjoy the sensation of the water pounding his aching muscles, Edward washed himself clean with swift precision. In just a few moments the only part of his body unwashed was his hair, which-- he grimaced-- was half out of its braid, tangled, matted, and still quite filthy.
The blond had to wash his hair four times before he deemed it sufficiently clean, and by then it had become a hopeless nest of tangles. The only thing that would even partially help him in the upcoming struggle to untangle his hair was the special conditioner he kept exclusively in his Central City quarters, though he was rarely there to use it. Luckily, he had just bought a new bottle of the solution the last time he was here, so--
He paused, wide-eyed.
"All right, who swiped my conditioner?!"
A ways down the hall, a certain Colonel smirked, quite pleased with himself despite the stack of paperwork on his desk. Life was good.
As always, comments of any kind are very much appreciated, and encourages me to write more (or not, if you didn't like it...)! ^.^
Cheers!
Nozomi