Idia was not having a good day. He had only gone out to get his manga and a special order he had placed through Sam as a joke. He wanted to see if Edna would be willing to wear it.
He didn't know what this ghost princess was going on and on about, and honestly didn't care. The girl wouldn't even listen when he flatly stated she wasn't his type.
Seeing his fellow housewardens get trapped the same as him, though in a far more painful way was hilarious, and at the same time depressing. The princess' standards were ridiculously high and unreasonable.
"You know I almost pity this girl when Edna gets here. She was already spitting nails over what the ghosts did earlier, and having to rescue you is sure to anger her even more," said Azul.
"Agreed," said Vil darkly amused. "I've never seen her so catty before, and even Alphonse was surprised at her reaction to what was going on."
Edna had been apoplectic with anger over the matter, and not because the ghosts had caught her in a very awkward position.
Whatever Idia expected, seeing Edna in the outfit he had jokingly ordered for her with a makeshift lance looking beyond pissed was not it. It took everything in him not to let out yet another nosebleed because of how turned on he was. Next to her was Alphonse, carrying a large shield and keeping the ghosts away from his sister.
She looked every inch a king and Idia loved it. It didn't help that the outfit he ordered was that of 'Saber Lily', aka Artoria Pendragon before she broke Caliburn and was forced to take up Excalibur.
The outfit suited her unfairly well, and it was likely only because he was under the influence of the ghost princess he didn't have a major boner right now.
Azul and Vil shared a look and did their best not to snicker, as it was obvious how Idia felt for her.
"Who are you to interrupt my big day?" demanded Elisa.
"Like hell am I going to let you force Idia to marry you, you ghostly cow!" she snarled.
"Cow?!" shrieked Elisa.
Alphonse sauntered over to where the others were as Edna really got into it with the princess. It was almost hilarious to watch really.
"Why are you all standing so stiffly?"
"The princess has a paralyzing ability," said Vil sourly. "How did you two get past the ghosts so easily?"
"The ghosts really don't like weapons made of alchemy? For some reason my punches can land just fine, and they really didn't like Edna's arm blade," said Alphonse.
"It seems to be wrapping up," said Azul.
The boys were all stunned in silence as Edna stormed over to Idia, pulled him down and proceeded to kiss him.
If they were surprised by how forward she was being, Idia's reaction was hysterical and made Azul dearly wish he had a camera.
Though the wave of pure magic that came off the two from that kiss made everyone blink, especially Vil.
"I thought Love's First Kiss was a myth," said Vil. Because there was no other explanation for that sort of effect.
"Apparently not," said Azul, though he was pleased he could push up his glasses again.
"That is so not fair! How come you have your prince, but I can't seem to find mine!" whined Elisa.
Edna glared at her.
"Your requirements are too vague and too restrictive. Are you really that shallow that you think appearance is the only thing that matters? Idia would have made you miserable and you know it. Think about what you really want in a partner and then ask yourself who actually fits that profile," she shot back. Idia was still in stunned silence over Edna publicly staking her claim on him to speak.
"You do realize this means I won a majority of the betting pool," said Azul smugly.
"Betting pool?" said Alphonse.
"There's a school-wide betting pool that Azul runs, and Edna's relationship with Idia has been a hot topic for months," said Vil.
Coincidentally he had put some cash in the game as well, mostly as a joke.
Idia waited until the mess was firmly resolved before asking Edna why she was wearing the cosplay outfit he ordered.
Edna's face went beet red at the question.
"I was finishing up from showering after a mess in the science lab when they showed up. I barely had time to grab Rook's coat before I had to escape. The only thing Sam had in my size was the outfit you ordered," she said, blushing hard.
Idia's boner was getting worse at the mental image, though it was partially curtailed by the fact that ghosts had seen his new girlfriend mostly naked.
"So does this mean you two are finally official?" said Alphonse. While you couldn't see it, inwardly he was cackling inside.
Edna and Idia blushed at the question.
"It's a good thing the Colonel isn't here to see this. He'd never let you live it down you finally got a boyfriend," said Alphonse.
Edna's embarrassment swiftly turned to fond annoyance.
"Ugh, tell me about it. Mustang would tease the hell out of me along with everyone in his office, while Riza would have been interrogating him for hours about his intentions. Though it's a fifty-fifty guess on how Winry would react, especially once she finds out Idia rebuilt my automail."
If he could, he would have winced. Yeah...Winry would have been pissed (that Edna had gone to someone else) and interrogating Idia for an entirely different reason other than Edna finally having a boyfriend.
Idia and Edna were staring at each other, both still a little shy over the fact they were officially dating. This was the first time either of them had done such a thing, for obvious reasons.
Edna was seriously considering making her cosplay as 'Saber Lily' one of her regular outfits, because it was so easy to move in. It wasn't overly frilly or feminine, and if she could get her hands on the right materials she could replace the flimsy plastic pieces with some real armor. And the sword that had come with the costume definitely needed to be scrapped. It wouldn't last more than five minutes in a real fight, and was more for decoration than anything.
To be honest with how often she fought with her arm blade, learning how to use the real thing would improve her combat ability. She was pretty decent with a lance, but that was mostly self taught.
"Um...about that kiss you gave me before..." started Idia.
"That wasn't a spur of the moment decision," she said firmly, gaining a little bit of confidence. "You're the first person I've ever really connected to on that sort of level and I had no intention of sharing you with someone so selfish."
Idia's hair turned bright pink in surprise.
"You're the first person besides Ortho that I've ever had feelings like this for too," he admitted. "It doesn't hurt that I don't have to hide...that...from you."
'That' being the story of why Ortho was given a robot body in the first place. The fact Edna not only understood the deep pain he had gone through, but had suffered a similar fate as well had been the tipping point really. Idia wouldn't wish that pain on anyone, but Edna had come out stronger for it.
She didn't pressure him into social situations and actively tried to understand his interests and hobbies. Her intelligence meant she could mostly keep up with him and she accepted there were things he was better at than she was.
The two of them could spend hours of comfortable silence using each other as a pillow while reading the latest manga or science journal and not have to fill the void. It was nice, and calming for him.
Edna could care less about fame or fortune, and was unlikely to care about his true identity.
Both of them had agreed to having a serious talk before they went any further.
"I want to be clear that if we do go any further, I'm not the sort to have a brief fling. And while I do want kids, I want it to be after graduation once we've managed to establish ourselves," said Edna firmly. "If we are going to be dating, I want it to be in it for the long haul."
"Agreed," said Idia, with some relief. Being around most people terrified him, especially with what his family was like. And while he might entertain the idea of having kids, he was glad Edna wanted to wait rather than jump into things.
The two talked well into the night, and only broke it off when Ortho came in to check on his brother. He had been playing board games with Alphonse for the past few hours, understanding his brother needed this time to have a private chat with Edna.
When she came back to the dorm, she was confronted by Vil.
"Do we need to have a chat about..." he started.
Edna glared at him.
"I know the basics of how children are made, thank you," she said tartly.
"Actually I was going to ask if you knew about the modern methods of preventing children while still having fun with your boyfriend," he replied.
Edna's face blanked.
"Say what now?"
"I don't know what it was like in your time, but in this time period there are a myriad of ways to prevent pregnancies that cause no harm to the mother," replied Vil.
Seeing he had her full attention, Vil smirked.
"I'll make you a deal. You agree to join me in a photo shoot next week and get dressed up properly and to my standards and I'll introduce you to some of the assistants I work with regularly. They can direct you to some of the more popular methods of protecting yourself and explain anything you're curious about."
"...Are they male or female?"
"The two I'm talking about are both female and have had multiple relationships," said Vil.
"Deal," said Edna.
It had been bad enough when Gracia Hughes, Maes' wife, had to explain what a period was to Edna when it first started.
Edna didn't know how to feel about the outfit Vil had selected for her. To be fair, she had little interest in fashion or modeling, but she understood it was a tough job on it's own and very particular about who could make a living with it.
She had seen the extent of what Vil put himself through just to maintain his appearance daily, and while he humored her by teaching her the basics of ballet instead of the usual stretching, he did not slack on his own training.
She was still very much a beginner in ballet, but she had begun to adjust her gait and movements to better suit the style by instinct now.
Even Idia had picked up on it, but had said nothing.
Instead of her preferred combat boots, Edna wore a pair of comfortable flats. She wore knee-high socks that went up a bit past her prosthetic leg, and a thick red leather jacket that neatly covered up her arm. Her short was short sleeved, but comfortable and she wore a skirt that went down to her knees as she found the shorter styles a bit too revealing for her tastes. It was a deep navy blue with a more fashionable chain that held the pocket watch marking her as a State Alchemist.
Vil had styled her hair himself, as well as her make-up as Edna usually put the bare minimum on most days. All in all she looked like a proper young woman, rather than the somewhat tomboyish standard she usually set for herself.
She only really wore skirts for Idia, a fact Vil and many others had taken notice of.
At least Vil didn't have to worry overly much about her manners. Edna had been taking some discreet lessons on proper etiquette from Professor Trein to better fit into Pomefiore. As he had raised two daughters, Professor Trein was well aware of what was required of a proper young lady in polite society.
Alphonse was among the first to comment on how their old friends wouldn't even recognize Edna now.
He really doubted that even Granny would recognize her, or their Teacher.
"Tres bein!" said Rook, looking between the two closely. "Though are you sure you two aren't related somehow?"
It wasn't the first time someone had commented on it. When Edna started to follow Vil's strict beauty routine, Rook had been the first to notice the physical similarity between the two.
It wasn't just the physical similarities either. Both were quite driven, unrelenting in whatever goal they put before themselves, and were highly intelligent. They also had a similar kingly aura, though Vil's was more pronounced, likely as a result of becoming housewarden. Edna had a similar charisma, but had yet to fully develop it or have reason to.
Watching Edna emulate Vil on an instinctive level was something of a delight for Rook, as it was clear she was a bird learning how to truly fly and trust her wings for the first time under the watchful and protective gaze of another.
Vil dismissed it as he always had. Edna openly admitted she had no other sibling save Alphonse, who had been stuck as a suit of armor for years. He had been too young at the time to find a lover, or to have any interest in that sort of thing. And her father would have likely died long ago. The odds of them being related were almost nonexistent.