Red Roses2:
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. It belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.
!#$%^&*()_+~
Ling sat across from Greed Elric, a cold sweat running down his forehead. Greed Elric gulped down the tea the servants had set before him. The child's hands and clothes stained the cup with blood – blood from the cell guards. It grinned, showing off its frightful array of sharp teeth. It kicked its legs out, back and forth. Greed Elric stretched his tongue as far as it would go, trying to get every last drop of tea.
When satisfied, it set the cup down and gazed greedily at Ling.
"Is there more?" it asked.
"When the help comes back," Ling said numbly. "D-do you know how you ended up in my dungeon?"
It cocked its head to the side uncomprehendingly. Its eyes sparkled in recognition a few seconds later.
"Oh, that room I was in," it said, licking its lips – Ling hoped it was just to get more tea taste. "The electrical charge in combination with the alchemic build-up in my mother created an embryo of sorts for me. It's been hovering in the air since then. When I finally gathered enough energy, I let myself hatch."
Ling swallowed. "A-alchemic build-up? Your mother?"
Greed Elric nodded. "My mother was an alchemist. He gave someone a new body a long time ago, but at a price." It pointed at itself, its grin widening. "My creation. My soul has been living, but dormant, in Mother since the day Alphonse Elric was given his body back by the Gate."
Ling jumped when the door opened. In walked some servants, one with more tea, the others with food. Greed Elric clapped at the presence of tea; it surprised Ling when it said thank you. The servant blushed and told it your welcome, obviously won over already.
The servants exited, and Greed Elric eyed the food curiously.
"What is it?" Greed Elric asked.
Ling gulped down a mouthful of his own tea. "It's food. You eat it to keep yourself healthy."
"But that's humans. Do I need food?" it asked.
Ling shrugged. "Animals and plants need food, too, and they're not humans, so why not?"
It hummed thoughtfully, then popped a piece into its mouth. Ling had to admit, whatever it was, it was cute.
Then again, the cuteness could've been from the fact that Greed Elric looked just like Ed Elric, just with dark hair and eyes, was shorter, and had no automail.
Ling swallowed once more. "So why have you been born now? Why not when you were first . . . conceived?"
Greed Elric stuffed his face until his cheeks bulged out, and somehow managed to swallow it all without choking. Ling felt his disturbed meter drop a few degrees.
"I had no form. Homunculi must take some kind of form of sin before they can enter this world."
Ling furrowed his eyebrows. "That doesn't make any sense."
It shrugged. "It's been a rule since homunculi were first created. I'm a little special, though."
Ling leaned forward. "How so?"
Greed Elric grinned once more. "I'm not in the form of a greedy person. I'm in the form of someone everyone else wants. In other words, Mother."
Ling narrowed his eyes, confused.
"Not that many people like Ed like that, do they?" Ling asked.
It laughed. It laughed long and hard, its voice echoing against the walls and through the doors, down the halls, and into other rooms. Ling leaned back into his chair, becoming more disturbed by the minute.
Greed Elric stopped abruptly and leered at Ling.
"You want Mother. Alfons Heinrich wants Mother. The original Greed wants Mother. Alphonse Elric wants Mother." Ling choked on what he was eating. "And that's just the people who have touched the scar I lay dormant against." Ling widened his eyes, not comprehending how this child could have possibly known his attraction to Ed. "Now that I'm born, I'll be able to tell what people want from Mother just by touching them."
It reached over the table for the teapot. It barely managed to grab it, but it was able to pull the container closer to him. It poured itself more tea, then tried to reach the sugar bowl.
"I like this stuff. What's it called?"
Ling diverted his gaze onto his plate, though no longer hungry.
"Tea. English Breakfast tea."
Greed Elric licked its lips again. "It's good." Ling swallowed hard, wondering exactly how much this – thing knew. "Kind of tastes like Alfons Heinrich." Ling's head shot up, a fearful look in his eyes.
Greed Elric saw it and laughed.
~!#$%^&*()_+
Ed snuggled against Heinrich as the train barreled down the train tracks toward Leore. Heinrich smiled, a little uncomfortable. He glanced at the other passengers, nervous one of them would notice.
"Hey, you okay?" Ed asked, looking up at him.
Heinrich took a deep breath and ran a hand through Ed's hair. (Maybe they'd just think they were overly affectionate brothers. . . .) "I'm fine. So, who do you know who lives in Leore?"
Ed snorted. "Winry didn't tell you?" Heinrich shook his head. "I know a girl named Rose, and everyone pretty much knows me, since I revealed their prophet to be the conman that he was." Heinrich raised his eyebrows, surprised.
"Really?"
Ed nodded affirmatively.
"Al and I had gone there to investigate about the Philosopher's Stone. Upon further inspection, it looked like the prophet was using one. Rose was a loyal follower, and trying to convert us, she took us straight to him. The prophet had promised to resurrect her dead boyfriend. She's really sweet, just couldn't open her eyes to the fact that he was tricking her and everybody else." Ed grinned. "She and Winry hit it right off when they met. I wasn't there, but Al said it was kind of funny."
Heinrich made a thoughtful grunt, glancing at the other passengers nervously. Ed noticed and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Heinrich nodded. Ed shrugged, leaned away from Heinrich's shoulder, and gazed out the window, watching the scenery fly past.
Scar sat across from them, ignoring their cutesy couple stuff completely. There would only be so much of this he could take.
~!#$%^&*()_+
Knock, knock, knock. Pinako carefully set her wrench down as she crossed the work room, walked through the kitchen, and to the front door. Knock, knock, knock.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Pinako shouted as she turned the doorknob.
Her eyebrows flew up at the person on the doorstep.
A tall, dark man with sunglasses and an ouroboros tattoo on his hand stood there, his elbow pressing against the doorway.
"This the Rockbell residence?" he asked.
Pinako nodded. "Yes. We have all your automail needs."
The man narrowed his eyes, bored.
"Edward Elric lives here, right?" he said.
"Ed hasn't lived here for almost four years. But he will be coming for a visit, if you don't mind the wait."
The man groaned, but entered the house anyway. Pinako closed the door behind him.
"Who are you exactly, anyway? I thought all the homunculi perished three years ago." Pinako said.
The man halted and looked over his shoulder.
"I can tell from your tattoo. Edward said all of them had those."
The man smirked and pushed his sunglasses farther up his nose.
"Name's Greed. I guess you could say I'm an admiring acquaintance of Ed's." Greed pulled up a chair in the kitchen and sat in it backwards, draping his arms over the back. His eyes glazed over as he remembered when he first decided he wanted Ed. "When's he showing up?"
"In about a week."
Greed grunted agreeably. "Guess I'll wait here, then."
Pinako narrowed her eyes, not sure she liked this person.
~!#$%^&*()_+
Fuery stared down at the note. His shoulders slumped and his glasses slipped down his nose.
Ed, how could he give him such an impossible task while he was away?
And of all the people to give it to, in his moments of emotional and mental stress, he just had to use his romantic problems to make himself feel better.
Fuery sighed and read the note for the millionth time.
It read: Ask Riza Hawkeye Out.
Capital letters and all.
Fuery pocketed the note and took a deep breath. Okay. He was going to do this. He was. Really.
He strode nervously to Hawkeye's desk. He swallowed the frog that just jumped into his throat and stood at attention.
Hawkeye looked up from her papers, surprised.
"Hello, Master Sergeant Fuery."
"1st Lieutenant Hawkeye."
"Is there something you wanted to say to me?"
Fuery gulped.
"Yes, Lieutenant. I – I'd appreciate it if you didn't shoot at me when I finished. I – I'm aware this isn't really the appropriate place to bring this up," he glanced at everything around them, refusing to look at her. Eventually, he focused on the papers on her desk. "but I was wondering if you would like to go out with me sometime. O – on a date." Fuery closed his eyes and stood straighter. "Please forgive the inappropriateness!"
He squinted it eyes open slightly. Hawkeye stared at him, nonplussed.
"You're asking me for a date," she stated neutrally.
Fuery's face burned. "Yes, Lieutenant. I am."
She looked down at her papers and signed her name on the dotted line. Sweat rolled down Fuery's forehead.
"Would Saturday evening be all right for you, Master Sergeant?" Hawkeye said after several moments.
Fuery gasped. "Y-Yes! That's be perfect, Lieutenant! Thank you very much! Where would you like to meet?"
"That café Havoc takes Sheska to would be nice."
Fuery pushed his glasses farther up his nose.
"Havoc takes Sheska to cafés?"
Hawkeye smirked. "How about I pick you up and show you the way, in that case?"
"All right. Thank you, Lieutenant."
Hawkeye's expression softened. "No. Thank you, Kain."
Fuery blushed heavily.
From the crack in his office door, Mustang watched, a small smile twisting on his lips. By the looks of things, he was the only one alone. That was okay, though. Mustang stepped away from his door and sat behind his desk once more. His eyes landed momentarily on the one thing he refused to let anyone else see: a photograph of Gracia and Elysia. It was a recent picture, seeing that Elysia was eleven in it. Mustang sighed as he returned to his work.
He deserved to be alone if he could fall for his best friend's wife. Even if Hughes was long dead, he still deserved better than to have a back-stabber like him for a friend.