Oh-my-goshness~! Finished the chapter in time! I might take a day off tomorrow just to catch up with chapters and such, but based on how I do tonight, I might now. Either way, I'm so happy~! You know why? Because you fabtastical human beings are sending me so much loves ^o^ I love all your reviews and it always keeps me going! Thank you all so so so much, and please do enjoy chapter 25! :D
-Chapter Twenty-Five-(Saturday, December 21st)
Wide awake at 8:00AM, Edward Elric silently got dressed and grabbed his wallet. He opened it and counted how much money he had left before he was out: about $70. I guess I'll spend the last of it on Envy, he thought, shoving the wallet into his pocket. While pocketing his phone as well, the blonde considered writing a note to the still sleeping Envy that he was going to be gone for the day.
Er... Ed thought, taking out a pen and scrap of paper.
Dear Envy,
I'm going out for the day to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Don't try and follow me because I know you will, you palm tree. See you later.
-Ed
Suddenly, the blonde-haired boy remembered that he had yet to call Hohenheim and inquire about Envy's staying at their house. I better do that once I leave... he thought.
P.S.: I called Hohenheim. He said yes.
Might as well make him happy for today, Edward thought sweetly. God... I really hope Hohenheim says yes... I don't want to get Envy's hopes up and then have that bastard actually say no...
Ed closed the dorm door in complete silence, not waking Envy. He took out his phone, his heart pounding from nervousness, and dialed his father's number.
[Calling: HOHENHEIM]
"C'mon, please answer..." Edward whispered as the dial tone sounded. After about a minute, he heard a click.
"Hello?" His father asked on the other end, a sleepy tone in his voice. "Ed?"
"Yeah, it's me, Dad," Ed answered, sighing with a bit of relief.
"How are you, Edward? It's been a while since I've talked to you. Are you coming home for Christmas on Sunday?"
"I'm good, and yeah, I am," the son responded. "But speaking of which... Dad? Can I bring..." he paused, looking for the right word. "...a friend with me? He wants to spend it at our place." Hohenheim paused, but then slowly responded, "Doesn't he want to spend it with his family?"
"No, they... he... isn't going home. Can he come?" Ed held his breath, hoping for a positive answer.
"Sure, Ed. It's about time you made some friends other than just Winry. I'm glad you're enjoying school," the father said, smiling on the other end of the line. Similarly, Edward grinned widely at his permission.
"Great! Thanks so much, Hohe- Dad," he said happily. "Alright, so I'll see you late Sunday or Monday. Bye!"
"Bye, Edward. Get home safely."
"I will. Bye." Ed shut his phone, feeling like he could just skip around in joy.
YES! Envy can come~! He thought ecstatically. Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay~! With that, the blonde-haired boy joyfully headed downstairs to meet with Lust to buy spectacular things for his beloved Envy.
"... now would probably be a good time to wake up, right?" Envy mumbled, rubbing his eyes and sitting up in bed. "It's about 8:30, right? I'm meeting with Winry around 9..." He looked around sleepily, noticing that his little blonde boy was missing. "I wonder where he went...?" The black-haired boy stood up, scratching his head and picking up a few articles of clothing from his suitcase. It was at that moment that he noticed the note Edward left for him.
As he read each and every word, a small grin spread across his face. I guess the shrimp had the same idea as I did, Envy thought. But as his eyes finished reading the very last sentence, his heart skipped a beat.
I... I can come with Ed! He thought with an equal happiness to the boy he mentioned. This is fabtastical. No joke. Oh my god, I can actually carry out my plan~! Now I have to get the absolute best present(s) in the universe for that blonde chibi. As Envy got dressed, the wide smile on his face wouldn't disappear.
This is going to be the most amazing Christmas ever.
"So, where are you taking me?" Edward asked Lust as the two walked out of the eastern gates. The black-haired girl turned to him, a slightly devious smile crossing her lips.
"Somewhere that Envy would absolutely love," she said mysteriously.
"A male lingerie store?" Ed joked, raising an amused snort from Lust.
"No, but that is a good idea, when you get a bit more serious," she winked at the blonde suggestively, causing him to blush.
"Meh..." he mumbled.
"But as of now, do you have anything in mind for him?" Lust inquired, leading Edward off to a side street. He considered this, searching his mind for any creative spark.
"Well... for creative writing a couple of months ago..." he muttered, blushing even deeper than before.
"Mmhmm?"
"...I wrote a poem. About Envy. It's not blatantly obvious, but..." Lust looked at him pointedly, guessing the actual nature of the poem. "Okay, yes, it's blatantly obvious. And it's in a Shakespearian-language style, so... maybe he would like that?" The fair-skinned girl laughed, taking one of her black talon-like nails and poking Ed's cheek with it.
"Of course he would like that, you imbecile," she said sarcastically, getting a small rise out of Edward. "As you've probably seen, Envy is a total sucker for things like that; all the romantic things he does is really what he wants done to him. He can be such a girl sometimes." Despite his anger at the word "imbecile," the blonde had to chuckle at that.
"Girly, but..." he started, his voice quieting. "... absolutely adorable."
"I'm sure compliments like that wouldn't hurt, either," Lust remarked, stopping in front of a particular store Ed hadn't ever seen before. The small sign said in cute letters: "Fiona's Chocolates and Sweets Emporium."
"This," the black-haired girl gestured towards the shop. "Is Envy's dreamland."
"Shitshitshitshit..." Envy muttered, rushing down the stairs while pulling on a coat. "How long does it take for a gorgeous guy like me to take a shower? Obviously more than 45 minutes... aargh, I've cut down the time to shop for Ed! Shiiiiiiiit!" He burst through the dormitory doors, pushing aside a couple of students, and instantly started to sprint towards the northern gates. His violet eyes spotted Winry's blonde hair waiting around by the gateway, most likely very impatiently.
"Winry!" He shouted, gasping for air. "I'm here! I'm here!" The girl turned to face his general direction, waving and smiling as if the boy wasn't frantically running to her.
"What took you so long?" She asked, as Envy approached her and bent down to catch his breath.
"Ugh..." the black-haired boy grumbled in response. "Just don't mention it. Where are we going today?" Winry looked a bit unnerved at first from the taller boy's disgruntled mutterings, but then smiled softly.
"Eager to get started, huh?" She commented. "We'll hit a bunch of stores that I have a feeling Ed would like." Envy nodded, straightening up and walking out the gates.
"Alright. Shall we get going?" He proposed, glancing back at Winry; she nodded.
"Yep, let's go."
"Whoa..." Edward mumbled, staring hungrily at the desserts in front of him. "I think I've died and gone to heaven." Lust snickered.
"Don't get too carried away; we're here for Envy, remember that." The blonde waved his hand in acknowledgment.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," he said, eyeing the price tags. "Some of this stuff is expensive. Sheesh..." In front of him were arrays of delicious sweets and scrumptious treats: chocolate-covered strawberries, walnut fudge, cherry cordials, chocolate-covered marshmallows, sour gummy slices, caramel apples, and butterscotch cookies, but that was only a small selection of things that were in the extravagant store.
"If you want, I could tell you which things Envy would like best," Lust mumbled; at least, it sounded like mumbling to Edward since the store was quite crowded.
"Nah, I think I can figure it out myself," Ed responded, grinning. "I mean, I have to do some work here." The black-haired girl smiled back, thinking about how happy her brother will be upon receiving the increasing amount of sweets the blonde was selecting.
By the time he was done, Ed only had a measly $10 left in his wallet; the other $60 went into the huge red box that the shop attendant was filling up for him.
"Is this for Christmas?" The girl behind the counter asked.
"Yeah; will it last that long?" The blonde questioned, concerned if the sweets would still be good after a few days.
"Totally," the shop girl gushed. "The bigger boxes come with cooling insulation and are wrapped in plastic, so it'll definitely stay good until the holidays.
"Great," Edward said, smiling. The attendant blushed at his mellowness, feeling a bit of attraction for him. However, with Ed being as notoriously oblivious as ever, he didn't notice. But, with the black-taloned girl being as perceptive as ever, she had a clear idea of what was going on.
"So, is this for someone special?" The attendant asked, placing about five chocolate-covered strawberries in the box.
"Um... yeah, someone really special," Ed responded, blushing a bit at the thought of Envy.
"Well, that special someone is going to get fat after eating all this!" The girl commented bluntly, sending a shock of displeasure through the blonde's veins.
"Uh..." he muttered.
"You know what's my favorite sweet here? The caramel chews," she continued assertively, pointing at the said sweets. "You should get those."
"Uh... well..." Ed tried awkwardly. "I don't think..."
"Any person who doesn't like caramel doesn't know how to appreciate their close ones." Another cold sensation ran into Edward's blood.
"Well..." It was at this point where Lust spoke up, placing a hand on each of the blonde's shoulders.
"Sorry, honey, this boy bats for the same team, if you know what I'm getting at," the black-haired girl said snidely, a bit disgusted by the shop girl's behavior. "Stop flirting while on the job and do what you're paid to do." The attendant looked at the two of them in shock; she finished packing the box in silence, handing it to Edward without touching him and quietly shuffling away with his payment.
"Wow, that was... awkward," Ed muttered, blushing a bit. Lust smiled at him reassuringly.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "What d'you get him?"
"Holy fudge..." Envy gasped, gazing up at the endless shelves of books upon books upon books. He looked back at Winry, who stood behind him with a small smirk on her face.
"Well?" She asked smugly.
"... is this seriously all Ed is interested in?" The black-haired boy chuckled. "I mean, I know books are great and all, but doesn't he have other interests?"
"You mean other than chemistry and you? I haven't noticed," Winry joked. "But yeah, Ed is a total bookaholic. I would think this would be a good place to start. Can you think of any genres or series you like?" Envy thought about this, his mind searching through all the books he's read in his lifetime. What would be absolutely perfect for him...?
"... bring me to the science fiction section."
Meanwhile, Lust and Edward exited the sweets shop and were making their way around town. They stopped to glance at a couple of store windows, but Ed failed to spend a dime for, as said before, he only had a $10 bill left. But as they turned around a corner, the blonde-haired boy immediately recognized a certain sight.
"Hey, Edward," Lust called, nudging him in the side as his blood turned icy. "Isn't that...?"
"Yes, it is..." he mumbled, blushing. "But I'm not getting it. First of all, I only have $10. Second of all-"
"I can lend you money," the black-haired girl interrupted, grinning deviously.
"Second of all, that's humiliat-"
"It would make Envy happy..." Lust stressed the last word, causing Ed to turn redder.
"I know, but..."
"I'll pay you to do it."
"I don't need your bribes, Lust."
"Just think about how happy Envy would be. Imagine what he would want to do to you..." Lust continued seductively, inexplicably sneaking the fantasy into the blonde's mind. Instantaneously, his heart pounded and a warm shiver ran down his spine.
"Holy shit..." Edward mumbled. He turned to face the black-haired girl, and finally gave in. "Fine. For Envy..."
"That's my girl," Lust joked, handing over the required money and sending the embarrassed blonde into the familiar clothing store.