The Kiss

Ed strolled into the long, stone hallway of the castle's entrance, wearing a black tuxedo. His hands were full of two mugs carrying steaming-hot liquid. "Sorry it's kinda cold in here…" he mumbled, reaching out to Julia in the vast place. "I hope the hot chocolate makes up for it." He smiled nervously, handing her a mug.

"It's not cold at all," Julia said, smiling back at him. "Thanks..." She drank plentifully. Contrary to Ed's normal-attire tuxedo, Julia wore a dark violet dress that brought out the turquoise color in her eyes. Tight-fitting arm-length gloves matched, a flashy yellow ribbon tied snugly around her waist, and two more at the edges of her gloves closest to her shoulders. The dress itself stretched down to her ankles, flourishing with frills and folds that swept gracefully over the floor with her every step. A ribbon, the same violet color as her dress, held the majority of her mahogany-colored hair in a bun, her bangs curved around the sides of her face and forehead.

When she and Ed were done with their hot chocolates, Mustang, Alphonse, Winry, and the others arrived, and with their own groups, headed out the grand doors to the bicycle carts. Mustang and Riza took the second cart in the lineup, Al and Winry taking the third. The rest filed into the remaining carts, Ed assisting Julia as they climbed into the first with her heavy dress.

The bicyclists pedaled slowly down Milos Castle's spiraled exterior, the air bristling with the warning of approaching snowfall, as Ed recalled this morning and the night before. When he'd gotten to his, Al's, and Winry's suite, Winry had asked what took him so long. Surely, he wasn't able to tell her everything, so he'd bluffed and said Julia insisted he accompany her to the ball. He being the one that made the celebration of the country possible in the first place, it was the only polite thing to do.

During the day, he hadn't seen Julia at all, except when he, Alphonse, and Winry had exited the red and gold carpeted room to explore the city. She had been at her desk, scribbling so furiously on documents; she'd barely noticed them. They'd seen much new and fascinating merchandise that day, but the most elating moment had been when Ed realized he had nothing to wear at the ball, so they'd had to scramble to find him something.

Luckily, it seemed they still wore the same party-type clothes in Milos – tuxedos and dresses. Or, at least, that was what they'd been left with from being reduced to nothing the past years.

It was dry and cold as they made their descent to the bottom of the castle, where Julia would make her welcoming speech. Julia drew closer to Ed, having worn no shawl or coat around her exposed shoulders. He blushed at this motion, unsure of what to do, but the only proper thing was to wrap his arms around her. So he did.

At the bottom, Ed helped Julia again as she got out of the cart, supposing he should also hold out his arm for her to take to lead the way. She gave him that surreptitious, giggly look had before when he'd wanted to shake her hand, and held out her hand instead. He took it, and they slithered their fingers together. Neither of them noticed Winry blistering as she got out her cart beside Al.

There was already a crowd of people gathered in their own throngs on the ground floor. The ground floor, over 1,000 feet in diameter, had rectangular tables piled with more food and drinks Ed had ever seen in his life. They had every type of meat, drinks of every color, - all save milk - and many others dishes he'd never seen before. The floor was polished marble that gleamed off the crystal chandeliers' light; however, open with the darkness of night, having doorway-like windows that were 50 feet or more, lining the entire circumference of the castle.

Julia mounted the stage in the center of the round ballroom, lifting her dress accordingly up the stairs. Before she began speaking, she glanced around the circular stage, and seeing Ed, hurriedly gestured for him to join her. The whites of his eyes showed more as he shook his head, blushing. But having an audience watching, and Julia not giving up, he finally gave in. He stood behind her with his arms folded against his back as the guests hushed.

"One year ago," she said, hands crossed in front of her, "this country was nothing more than a trench in the Earth, where two countries fought to win over, shedding their blood, and sending their criminals here for the sake of their own people." She scanned the room of Milosian faces, her voice becoming softer. "They nearly destroyed all we hold dear. Our home. Our friends. Our family. But," she said, getting louder again, "we endured. We stuck it out – through to the end. We took back our land, this city, Table City, now known as the country of Milos. Now, we have enough room to live without treading through garbage every passing day. Now, we don't have to live in fear of disease, or getting shot with one wrong move." Julia dropped her hands at her sides, clenching them into fists. She gestured to Ed with an open hand. "Thanks to this young man, Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, and his brother, Alphonse Elric, we are able to have this celebration tonight. Please, give them a hand."

The audience erupted into a roar of whoops and applause. Ed waved with a sheepish half-grin, and Julia came to stand next to him, grasping his hand again. He blushed. Everyone looked so happy. Every face. Except one. Though she was clapping, the expression on her face was utterly betrayal. Ed gulped, and Julia concluded her speech.

"Everyone, now is the time to rejoice for our hardships, and thank the gods for the blessing of this wonderful land. Enjoy all the food you can!"

The crowd disbanded, the hum of conversation building up at once, while they roved toward the tables of food. A group of men and women with strange-looking instruments awaited their turn atop the stage. Julia, smiling broadly at Ed, pulled him off the stage, hurrying to the tables herself.

Being the new ruler, the others bowed of their way, allowing Julia and Ed to get their food first. She picked up two lean glasses full to the brim with yellow liquid, and when Ed gave it a suspicious look, she assured, "It's okay, try it! I swear it's not alcoholic! It's delicious!" She drank a swab of it, as if to convince him. He tipped the glass precariously into his mouth. A rush of succulent, juicy wetness bombarded his taste buds, and he nearly gasped from the opulence of the flavor. Julia commenced in thrusting a plate into Ed's hands, stacking her own with meat, deviled eggs, noodle salad, and Jell-O.

Once they'd gathered their culinary goods, Ed and Julia waded through the thick crowd, and went to eat outside, since the others were caught up in the line.

They talked about light topics, – such as the current conflicts of the world, and the crazy things some of the people they knew did, – but when they began to delve into the more intriguing subjects, such as the creation of the universe, only then did it occur to Ed that this was a date, more or less.

Well, technically he'd realized that last night, but this made it official. He'd never had a conversation like this with anyone before.

Mustang and the rest rejoined with them after eating their food, but after hearing Roy go on about the paperwork load waiting for him when he returned to Central, – and Riza reprimanding him for not finishing it prior to their visit, – Julia grasped Ed's arm and, with a finger pressed against her lips, they slipped off.

Julia brought Ed away from the din of the party, down a secret passage one level on Milos Castle, where it was cool with dampness.

"This is a cave, isn't it?"

"Yes," Julia said. Her tone was lowered as she and Ed ambled gradually through the tunnel, guiding them with the light of oil-fueled lanterns. Water had whittled holes the size of himself and larger in the limestone, the incline steep and slippery. Ed was about to wonder how Julia could go down it wearing high-heels, but when she lifted her dress at the base of the cave, he saw she had on regular brown leather boots.

Stalactites dripped, as though in rhythm to the music Ed heard so far above, he and Julia looking up at them. Some dripped on Julia's head, and she shivered, scrunching her arms close to her chest. Ed wrapped his arms around her shoulders, woodenly.

"E-Ed…" Julia stuttered, blushing. Her fingers locked smoothly over his arms. "Your hugs are… kinda awkward."

Ed scoffed, withdrawing. "How else would you have me hug you?!" he said exasperatedly.

Julia smiled, laughing, which only made Ed more embarrassed. "I dunno… less awkward maybe?"

He pretended not to be embarrassed, and turned away, crossing his arms. "Yeah, yeah…"

She pointed up. "Look."

Ed did as she said. "I don't see anything," he said quietly, "only the stalactites from before."

"Look harder," Julia said, snorting.

Ed furrowed his brows as he concentrated on the ceiling of the cave, twenty feet above him. He saw nothing but blackness – since the lanterns' light wasn't bright or tall enough to get there. The blackness shifted. Hundreds shifted.

"Bats," Ed croaked, slightly unnerved. He hadn't even seen them there before.

Julia came to stand next to him, watching them herself. "Yes." She faced Ed, keeping her eyes on the ground. "I-it's funny... This cave reminds me of before we met. When I used to be one of them." Julia's eyes finally met his. "One of the Black Bats, I mean," she finished. She stared back up at the ceiling, wonder coating her face. Unexpectedly, she gasped. Ed turned to her in question.

"Oh my…"

"Wh-what is it?" Her shocked expression concerned him.

"Am I taller than you, Ed?"

Ed felt the circuits inside his head combust. Why would she bring up something like that now?! Wait, what exactly was he implying by asking it like that?

He shouted, "THAT'S NOT MUCH OF AN ACCOMPLISHMENT, BUT THANKS FOR POINTING IT OUT." It reverberated down and around the far depths of the cave.

"Hmm... What was that thing Winry always tells you…?" Julia ruminated. She put a finger to her chin, as though thinking really hard. "Oh yeah, 'drink your milk'?" Julia chuckled. "Should I go get you some?"

"You don't have to say it, too…" Ed whined, remembering, "They don't have milk here, anyway."

"I won't, don't worry," Julia promised. Then she muttered, "It could help though."

"It might, but I still hate it," Ed said, more forcefully this time.

"That's too bad for you." Julia teased, "You're not gonna hit a growth spurt until you're an old man."

"Ah, quiet! I'll hit a growth spurt when my body deems necessary!" he announced, annoyed.

Julia giggled even more. "Deems necessary? Aha!"

Ed glared at her, his cheeks glowing pink. "W-what's so funny?!"

"Nothing." Julia grinned, wiping a tear out of her eye. "You just have an amusing vocabulary."

Ed fumed irritatedly, coming forward. The reason he'd assumed Winry as "just a friend" was because of her saying things like this to him. If Julia began to as well... Well, what? What was "this"?

In the midst of her laughter, Ed in mid stride, the toe of his shoe tapped a notch poking up from the ground. He stumbled, accidentally pulling Julia down with him.

Julia blushed, peeking at Ed above her head. "U-um… I didn't mean to make you that mad..." she said quietly. "Sorry..."

It wasn't until then Ed realized where he'd grabbed. He jerked off of her in horror. "I – I –!" He didn't know what to say. Ed put a hand to his mouth, unable to meet Julia's eyes after what he'd done. "I'm sorry," he repeated, though one little "I'm sorry" was not nearly enough to atone for his mistake. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

While Ed chanted his apologies, Julia had stood. She startled him by putting a hand on his shoulder. "I – I know you didn't mean to..." Julia stuttered, her face so red she couldn't say much either. She turned him around, seeing his expression mirrored hers. She really wasn't much taller than him...

Julia had her hand on his cheek, some sort of desire in the way she did it. Something... Ed had never seen before. He probed her face for what that might be, but she kept her eyes away from him. He felt something. The way his heartbeat slowed... what was this?

Subconsciously, Ed's metal hand caressed the nape of her neck. A shiver traveled up her spine, but it fastened her eyes on his. They were drowning in each other's breath. There was no room for anything else. Her hands found his face, and before they got any closer, she made sure she read his expression clearly. Ed gave her the most earnest of stares he could. Only a millisecond passed, when suddenly their lips sealed.

They flexed the muscles of their necks, angling their heads to better reach the other. Her saliva mingled with his, creating a strange, but delightful taste in his mouth. She arched her back downward, ensuring she didn't fall as she clutched him. He held her around the waist, her dress crinkling softly.

As suddenly as the kiss had begun, it ceased. But it wasn't Ed who'd pulled away. At first, he wondered what could have caused Julia to stop so abruptly. However, then he saw the shadow – the lanterns' flames flickered around her.

Winry.

Her eyes were alight with tears, though they only spilled down her face when she he saw her. Alphonse stood behind her, creating a larger shadow. A pang of guilt struck Ed, and he wasn't sure why.

She spun, pushing past Al.

And that's when Ed realized he'd made the true horrible mistake.


It's difficult writing about something you've never experienced. The end of this chapter took me ages, even if I was mostly focusing on one paragraph. Compared to my others, this story is pretty sappy, but I guess I'm writing it mostly for experimentation, and to make peace with myself for deleting another story of mine, that I seriously regret doing so, now. I also deleted the document for the story from my computer, my backup flash drive, and my backup flash drive's backup flash drive.

I'm usually related to Olivier Armstrong by my Fullmetal Alchemist friends, as she is called the Ice Queen. I'm not that great with emotion or expression, so your input would be greatly appreciated. Last chapter will come soon! Thanks for reading (and possibly reviewing)!