FMA Fic - The Alchemists Guide to Relationships Part One: Lust - Chapter One
Title: The Alchemists Guide to Relationships Part One: Lust
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Summary: Join Edward Elric as he attempts to navigate the winding roads of adult relationships, with mixed results.
Notes: M/F, romance, drama, angst. AU and slight OOC (since it takes place three years after the series ended, we have to assume that Ed's changed a bit.) Spoilers up to episode 48. Ed-centric
Part One Summary: Ed meets up with an old friend and develops a physical relationship that could eventually lead to more, that is, if other factors don't get in the way first.
FMA does not belong to me and I make no profit from any of these tales. Any further archiving of my fiction is strictly prohibited unless cleared by me.
The Alchemist’s Guide to Relationships: Lust
Chapter 1
Solitude
‘If I never see another cow again, it’ll be too soon.’
Walking down the Spartan like halls of Central Headquarters, he tiredly rubbed the port of his auto-mail shoulder. Outside, the night had settled peacefully after a particularly hard winter storm. His auto-mail conducted the cold straight through to his bones, causing the muscles around each to cramp up. Rubbing the sore muscles, he winced as the ports pinched into his skin, a little reminder that he should never trust anyone but Winry with his tune-ups. The mechanic in Paro had been less than spectacular and had tightened a few screws way too tight. If Winry ever found out that he’d let someone else touch her work, emergency be damned, she’d kill him.
Coming to the exit, he pulled his coat tighter around his body and took the icy steps one at a time.
“Hey, Ed!”
He’d been intent on not falling on his ass and had completely missed the military vehicle parked at the bottom of the steps. In the dim glow provided by the building’s interior lights, he could just make out a figure standing by the car, lit cigarette in mouth and waving him over. Throwing caution to the wind, Ed stomped down the last few steps and approached the car.
“I heard you were back,” Havoc greeted him.
“Yeah,” Ed stuffed his hands in his pockets, “I just got in a couple hours ago.”
“So what are you doing here?”
Ed shrugged, “I figured that there was a chance that the Brigadier General would still be here. That way I could give him my report tonight so I wouldn’t have to come in tomorrow.”
“Well, I guess tonight was your lucky night, huh?”
“I guess.” Truthfully, Ed didn’t think that getting the chance to talk to Mustang counted as being lucky, All the smug bastard did was tell him everything he was going to say before he got a chance to say it. That is when he wasn’t commenting on his growth spurt, which should have been a compliment except for the condescending way he called him a late bloomer.
“Do you want a ride home?” Havoc offered.
“Sure.” It was the most enthused he’d been in weeks.
“Okay, we’ll go as soon as Fuery comes out.”
As if on cue, Ed watched as the man in question trudged out of the building. “What did she say?” Havoc called out to him.
As Fuery got closer, Ed saw the dejected look on his face, “She said ‘no’.”
Havoc clapped the man on the back good naturedly and opened the front passenger door for him, “I’m sorry,” As soon as Fuery was seated; Havoc slammed the door and ran around the front of the car to the driver’s side. Ed opened the back door and climbed into the only mildly warmer car. “How about I buy you a beer?”
“That sounds nice,” Fuery timidly replied. “What about you, Major? Do you want to come?”
Ed shifted in his seat. Of all of Mustang’s subordinates, Fuery was the only one that stuck to formalities off duty. He wished he would just relax a little. He had so many names, why couldn’t he just address him as Fullmetal, or Ed, or Edward, or even Elric. Anything was better than that title.
“Not this time. I think I want to just go home.”
“Oh come on,” Havoc prodded, “It’ll be fun. Maybe you’ll even pick up a girl.”
Ed sighed. Ever since his eighteenth birthday, everyone had been trying to set him up with a girl. “Sorry, but I’m not interested in the kind of girl that you could find in a bar.”
“But those are the best kind.”
“Just leave him alone,” Fuery butted in, “He’s been gone for a long time.”
Havoc conceded and the rest of the short ride to Ed’s apartment was spent talking about the month long mission to Paro, a middle-sized farming town in the west. There were rumors of someone attempting to create chimeras and Ed had spent a month tracking down and autopsying what had turned out to be a mutated cow fetus. Mustang had nearly killed himself laughing during that part of the report, and Ed had to wonder if he had known it all along and the whole mission had been driven purely by revenge. For what, he had no idea.
Getting out of the car at his building, he thanked the other officers and bid them farewell. His apartment was on the third floor and as he made his way to the elevator he greeted the tired looking doorman at the front desk.
The building was notorious for housing military officers; in fact, Captain Hawkeye lived one floor up. Given that reputation, one would expect the rooms to be small and barrack like. This was not entirely false. The apartments were basic. Most had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living area. It wasn’t much, but it was all he needed.
Opening the door, he shivered as the cold air escaped into the tepid hallways. Setting his suitcase by the door, he walked over and adjusted the thermostat. Pulling a throw off the back of his couch, Ed wrapped it tightly around himself and made his way to the kitchen.
On the counter, he spotted a neat pile of mail, a handwritten note laid out next to it:
Edward,
I’m glad that you made it home safely. Here is all you mail from the past month. I paid all the bills with the money you left, so you don’t have to worry about it. Come by and see me tomorrow.
Love,
Gracia
P.S. I made you up a plate of dinner and left it in the oven. Enjoy.
Ed smiled at the note and opened the oven. Sure enough, inside was a foil-covered plate. Pulling back the covering, Ed smiled at Gracia’s thoughtfulness and set the oven to re-warm it.
While waiting for his food to heat, he grabbed the large pile of mail and sat down at the table to sort through it. Most of it was junk which he promptly threw away. All that remained after were a couple letters, a late birthday card from Sensei, and three thick, letter-sized envelopes. He knew for sure that one was research notes that the Tringham brothers had asked him to look over. Looking at the postmark, he felt a stab of guilt run through him on how long it had been left unattended.
Setting the card to the side, he opened one of the letters. It was from Winry. He had talked to her over the phone during his mission. She knew he wasn’t home, so why was she sending him a letter?
Unfolding the paper, he caught a picture as it fell out. It was of the last trip he had taken to Resembool right before the mission to Paro. He sat at the Rockbell kitchen table, surrounded by the people he’d come to call family. Winry stood by his side, proudly displaying the cake she made. It had “Happy 19th Birthday, Ed!” written in icing on the top. Rose sat at the side, holding her son in her arms. The three year old was caught in the middle of trying to stick his little fingers in the cake. The look on Rose’s face was priceless. On the other side of the table, Pinako posed proudly, pipe in hand and a big grin on her face. But it was the last person in the picture that brought a smile to Ed’s face. Pulling up a chair next to him, Al had thrown an arm around his older brother, and had smiled big for the picture. Ed stared at the thirteen-year old face, hoping to make it back to Resembool again soon. It had only been a month, but in the cold empty apartment, it seemed a lot longer.
Ed scanned the letter. It was nothing that Winry hadn’t said to him before. “Al’s fine….We’re fine. We miss you…come home soon.”
Tossing it to the side, Ed scooped up the one from his Sensei and opened the letter. Izumi had been insistent that they do a better job of keeping in touch and he received a letter or phone call from her at least once a month. He read up on Sig and Mason and what they had been doing. Obediently he read her reports on how the business was doing, even though he didn’t really care. She asked him how his research was going and if he needed any help and like all of her letters she ended by telling him to take care and come see her soon.
By the time he was done, his dinner had heated thoroughly and he ate it in silence. After a quick shower, he pulled his long hair back and slipped into bed. Pilling on as many blankets as he could, he tried to get some sleep despite the cold.
Notes on Chapter 1
Well that’s the first chapter. I know it's not much but I just wanted to show how lonely Ed is and give a general overveiw of his current state of affairs. But don’t worry, Ed’s going to have some company soon enough.
I figured that Ed’s birthday was sometime in the winter, at least it was in the 6th episode, so this fic takes place a month after his nineteenth birthday. I can’t give a date ‘cause I’m not sure, but it’s probably still winter.
When I thought about Ed’s auto-mail and how it behaved, I realized that it must get pretty cold, so that’s going to be something that is touched on more than once. Yes, I know I’m not the first to realize this, but that’s because it’s just common sense.
B on Ed: I think one of my favorite parts of FMA was how you watched Ed grow up. It was so natural that you hardly even noticed until after the battle with Sloth, and, even then, Izumi noticed. I always thought that without Al constantly around, Ed would retreat into himself, as is the case in my story. Obviously, Al’s not completely gone, I tried to make that clear.
Coming Up:
Ed’s first day back. Who will he run into?
Next Chapter
9/2/05 - Cross posted here at fma_het
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Summary: Join Edward Elric as he attempts to navigate the winding roads of adult relationships, with mixed results.
Notes: M/F, romance, drama, angst. AU and slight OOC (since it takes place three years after the series ended, we have to assume that Ed's changed a bit.) Spoilers up to episode 48. Ed-centric
Part One Summary: Ed meets up with an old friend and develops a physical relationship that could eventually lead to more, that is, if other factors don't get in the way first.
FMA does not belong to me and I make no profit from any of these tales. Any further archiving of my fiction is strictly prohibited unless cleared by me.
The Alchemist’s Guide to Relationships: Lust
Chapter 1
Solitude
‘If I never see another cow again, it’ll be too soon.’
Walking down the Spartan like halls of Central Headquarters, he tiredly rubbed the port of his auto-mail shoulder. Outside, the night had settled peacefully after a particularly hard winter storm. His auto-mail conducted the cold straight through to his bones, causing the muscles around each to cramp up. Rubbing the sore muscles, he winced as the ports pinched into his skin, a little reminder that he should never trust anyone but Winry with his tune-ups. The mechanic in Paro had been less than spectacular and had tightened a few screws way too tight. If Winry ever found out that he’d let someone else touch her work, emergency be damned, she’d kill him.
Coming to the exit, he pulled his coat tighter around his body and took the icy steps one at a time.
“Hey, Ed!”
He’d been intent on not falling on his ass and had completely missed the military vehicle parked at the bottom of the steps. In the dim glow provided by the building’s interior lights, he could just make out a figure standing by the car, lit cigarette in mouth and waving him over. Throwing caution to the wind, Ed stomped down the last few steps and approached the car.
“I heard you were back,” Havoc greeted him.
“Yeah,” Ed stuffed his hands in his pockets, “I just got in a couple hours ago.”
“So what are you doing here?”
Ed shrugged, “I figured that there was a chance that the Brigadier General would still be here. That way I could give him my report tonight so I wouldn’t have to come in tomorrow.”
“Well, I guess tonight was your lucky night, huh?”
“I guess.” Truthfully, Ed didn’t think that getting the chance to talk to Mustang counted as being lucky, All the smug bastard did was tell him everything he was going to say before he got a chance to say it. That is when he wasn’t commenting on his growth spurt, which should have been a compliment except for the condescending way he called him a late bloomer.
“Do you want a ride home?” Havoc offered.
“Sure.” It was the most enthused he’d been in weeks.
“Okay, we’ll go as soon as Fuery comes out.”
As if on cue, Ed watched as the man in question trudged out of the building. “What did she say?” Havoc called out to him.
As Fuery got closer, Ed saw the dejected look on his face, “She said ‘no’.”
Havoc clapped the man on the back good naturedly and opened the front passenger door for him, “I’m sorry,” As soon as Fuery was seated; Havoc slammed the door and ran around the front of the car to the driver’s side. Ed opened the back door and climbed into the only mildly warmer car. “How about I buy you a beer?”
“That sounds nice,” Fuery timidly replied. “What about you, Major? Do you want to come?”
Ed shifted in his seat. Of all of Mustang’s subordinates, Fuery was the only one that stuck to formalities off duty. He wished he would just relax a little. He had so many names, why couldn’t he just address him as Fullmetal, or Ed, or Edward, or even Elric. Anything was better than that title.
“Not this time. I think I want to just go home.”
“Oh come on,” Havoc prodded, “It’ll be fun. Maybe you’ll even pick up a girl.”
Ed sighed. Ever since his eighteenth birthday, everyone had been trying to set him up with a girl. “Sorry, but I’m not interested in the kind of girl that you could find in a bar.”
“But those are the best kind.”
“Just leave him alone,” Fuery butted in, “He’s been gone for a long time.”
Havoc conceded and the rest of the short ride to Ed’s apartment was spent talking about the month long mission to Paro, a middle-sized farming town in the west. There were rumors of someone attempting to create chimeras and Ed had spent a month tracking down and autopsying what had turned out to be a mutated cow fetus. Mustang had nearly killed himself laughing during that part of the report, and Ed had to wonder if he had known it all along and the whole mission had been driven purely by revenge. For what, he had no idea.
Getting out of the car at his building, he thanked the other officers and bid them farewell. His apartment was on the third floor and as he made his way to the elevator he greeted the tired looking doorman at the front desk.
The building was notorious for housing military officers; in fact, Captain Hawkeye lived one floor up. Given that reputation, one would expect the rooms to be small and barrack like. This was not entirely false. The apartments were basic. Most had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living area. It wasn’t much, but it was all he needed.
Opening the door, he shivered as the cold air escaped into the tepid hallways. Setting his suitcase by the door, he walked over and adjusted the thermostat. Pulling a throw off the back of his couch, Ed wrapped it tightly around himself and made his way to the kitchen.
On the counter, he spotted a neat pile of mail, a handwritten note laid out next to it:
Edward,
I’m glad that you made it home safely. Here is all you mail from the past month. I paid all the bills with the money you left, so you don’t have to worry about it. Come by and see me tomorrow.
Love,
Gracia
P.S. I made you up a plate of dinner and left it in the oven. Enjoy.
Ed smiled at the note and opened the oven. Sure enough, inside was a foil-covered plate. Pulling back the covering, Ed smiled at Gracia’s thoughtfulness and set the oven to re-warm it.
While waiting for his food to heat, he grabbed the large pile of mail and sat down at the table to sort through it. Most of it was junk which he promptly threw away. All that remained after were a couple letters, a late birthday card from Sensei, and three thick, letter-sized envelopes. He knew for sure that one was research notes that the Tringham brothers had asked him to look over. Looking at the postmark, he felt a stab of guilt run through him on how long it had been left unattended.
Setting the card to the side, he opened one of the letters. It was from Winry. He had talked to her over the phone during his mission. She knew he wasn’t home, so why was she sending him a letter?
Unfolding the paper, he caught a picture as it fell out. It was of the last trip he had taken to Resembool right before the mission to Paro. He sat at the Rockbell kitchen table, surrounded by the people he’d come to call family. Winry stood by his side, proudly displaying the cake she made. It had “Happy 19th Birthday, Ed!” written in icing on the top. Rose sat at the side, holding her son in her arms. The three year old was caught in the middle of trying to stick his little fingers in the cake. The look on Rose’s face was priceless. On the other side of the table, Pinako posed proudly, pipe in hand and a big grin on her face. But it was the last person in the picture that brought a smile to Ed’s face. Pulling up a chair next to him, Al had thrown an arm around his older brother, and had smiled big for the picture. Ed stared at the thirteen-year old face, hoping to make it back to Resembool again soon. It had only been a month, but in the cold empty apartment, it seemed a lot longer.
Ed scanned the letter. It was nothing that Winry hadn’t said to him before. “Al’s fine….We’re fine. We miss you…come home soon.”
Tossing it to the side, Ed scooped up the one from his Sensei and opened the letter. Izumi had been insistent that they do a better job of keeping in touch and he received a letter or phone call from her at least once a month. He read up on Sig and Mason and what they had been doing. Obediently he read her reports on how the business was doing, even though he didn’t really care. She asked him how his research was going and if he needed any help and like all of her letters she ended by telling him to take care and come see her soon.
By the time he was done, his dinner had heated thoroughly and he ate it in silence. After a quick shower, he pulled his long hair back and slipped into bed. Pilling on as many blankets as he could, he tried to get some sleep despite the cold.
Notes on Chapter 1
Well that’s the first chapter. I know it's not much but I just wanted to show how lonely Ed is and give a general overveiw of his current state of affairs. But don’t worry, Ed’s going to have some company soon enough.
I figured that Ed’s birthday was sometime in the winter, at least it was in the 6th episode, so this fic takes place a month after his nineteenth birthday. I can’t give a date ‘cause I’m not sure, but it’s probably still winter.
When I thought about Ed’s auto-mail and how it behaved, I realized that it must get pretty cold, so that’s going to be something that is touched on more than once. Yes, I know I’m not the first to realize this, but that’s because it’s just common sense.
B on Ed: I think one of my favorite parts of FMA was how you watched Ed grow up. It was so natural that you hardly even noticed until after the battle with Sloth, and, even then, Izumi noticed. I always thought that without Al constantly around, Ed would retreat into himself, as is the case in my story. Obviously, Al’s not completely gone, I tried to make that clear.
Coming Up:
Ed’s first day back. Who will he run into?
Next Chapter
9/2/05 - Cross posted here at fma_het