FMA Fic - The Alchemists Guide to Relationships Part One: Lust - Chapter Three
Title: The Alchemists Guide to Relationships Part One: Lust
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Summary: Join Edward Elric as he attemps 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 3
Ex Post Facto
For the second morning in a row, Ed was unnaturally awoken by something other than an alarm clock. As pleasant as the fingers trailing through his hair were, it was still an unfamiliar feeling.
Cracking open an eye, he came face to face with Clara. The previous night’s events popped into his mind when he noticed that she was still completely naked.
Lying on his stomach, he put his head back down in the crook of his arms and tried to hide the blush he knew would inevitably form. “…Hi.” He mumbled awkwardly.
“Hi yourself.” She continued to play with his hair. Sometime while he slept the tie had been removed and it tumbled freely around his shoulders and pillow.
Part of him wanted to stay right there. The feel of her hands as they stroked his head made him feel like he would begin to purr if it were possible. He also wanted to sleep with her again. He knew it had been good for him and he thought it had been good for her too, but he still wanted to try again and be sure.
Another, smaller part of him wanted to run screaming from the apartment. He couldn’t help it. In quiet moments such as this, his suspicions would arise once more. He was constantly assaulted by the fear of being caught with a fugitive and going to jail, all because he couldn’t control his libido.
“Ed? You’re not going to get weird on me, are you?” Although she was aiming for light, Ed caught the hint of worry.
“Depends on what you mean by ‘weird,’” was his muffled reply.
“Distant.”
“It’s not that I’m trying to be, I just…” with a sigh he turned over to sit up. Realizing that he was still naked, he pulled the covers up. Clara giggled at the act and his eyes were drawn to her exposed breasts. “Could you cover up or something?” he said, hastily turning around and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Leaning against the headboard on her side, Clara propped an arm on her hip and stuck her chest out, “What’s the matter? I thought you said that you weren’t a prude?”
“I’m not!” he protested.
“Then why are you so uncomfortable with the naked body” If she expected an answer, he didn’t give her one. “Or maybe,” her voice took on a mischievous tone and he felt the mattress shift behind him, “when you see me like this,” arms around his shoulders, “it makes you think,” Her breath, seductive against his ear, “of all the things,” a hand trailing slowly down his chest, “you want to do to me.” Her mouth found his neck and his groin tightened instantly.
“Wait,” he jumped up before her hand could reach his lowers, taking the sheets along with him. “We can’t just stay in bed all day and- and-“ he struggled for the right word.
“Screw? Fuck?” She offered.
“Well, yeah.”
“You’re right.” She stood and Ed looked away as she approached. “That auto-mail, can it get wet?”
At the out of the blue question, Ed looked at her, brows knit together and trying to keep his eyes above her neck. “…yeah. It’s fine so long as I don’t submerge it for long periods of time, or else it could-“
“Great!” She took his hand and pulled him, tumbling over bed sheets, out of the room and down the hall into the bathroom.
***
A couple hours later, Ed had managed to pry Clara off him and she had managed to drag him out in public.
The diner was about five blocks away from Clara’s apartment. Ed had protested at how close that put them to H.Q. but Clara just told him to relax. It was her favorite place. All the waitresses wore matching uniforms and the dusty rays of the sun filtered in pleasantly through the checkered blinds.
Business was slow on the mid-week day. Only a few customers sat at the tables and booths. A couple of regulars had taken up positions at the bar, drinking coffee and laughing with the waitresses that called them by their first names.
They had come to a compromise on where to sit. Clara had favored a table in the front, which Ed flat out refused, wanting to instead drag them to a dimly lit booth in the back corner. They had managed to meet in the middle, literally. Clara had even allowed him to take the side facing the door. Occasionally, he would look out of the booth, trying to peek around the high-back separators and see if anyone he knew was there.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you were embarrassed to be seen with me,” she said.
Ed turned from his makeshift vigil, a somewhat guilty expression on his face. The truth was, he was a little embarrassed, but not of her. Of all the scenarios running through his head, the least worst one was that someone would see him out with a woman, wearing the same, slightly wrinkled, clothes he had on yesterday. Add in the fact that the woman was much older than him and it was a recipe for disaster and harassment.
It was no secret that he was a virgin, much to his dismay. Once they heard the news, Mustang’s squad of loonies would probably throw him a party, banner and all. He could just see Mustang’s face in his head, patting him on the back and congratulating him on finally becoming a man. If he ever asked for details, he’d punch him in the face.
It had felt like all his life, he had been living for others. His skills were a weapon on the state and his loyalties lied with the people. Factor in the unimaginably long list of every thing he shared with Al - not that he minded - and there wasn’t a single thing in his life that didn’t have someone else’s fingerprints smudged on it. That wasn’t so in the case of his relationship, for lack of a better word, with Clara.
“I just want to keep this between us for the moment. Besides, it’s nice, having something all to myself.” The corners of her mouth turned up at his causal comment. It was probably the closest he’d come to admitting his feelings, or understanding them for that matter.
“So, I’m yours now, am I?”
“Well…yes, er, no, I mean…do you wanna be?” For the umpteenth time, Ed found himself stumbling to explain himself. Why couldn’t women be easy, like Alchemy?
“Relax Edward. As long as we both admit that there’s something here, we can put off giving it a name.”
Ed accepted her proposal, even though that’s what he wanted. Girlfriend, lover, whatever; just so long as it had a label. As a scientist, he needed it. They were vital. One mislabeling could ruin a whole experiment. Once again, he reminded himself that relationships weren’t alchemy; he’d have to accept things as they were.
“Hello Edward, sir!”
Ed could count on one hand the number of times his atheist beliefs had been compromised. This was one of those times. There was a God, and he was punishing him.
Clara seemed unperturbed as Sergeant Denny Bloch and Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, in full military uniform, approached their booth.
Casting a stricken expression at Clara, he was glad that she wore a turtle-neck to cover the marks on her neck from their shower this morning. He would have a tough time explaining them.
“We didn’t recognize you at first with your hair like that.”
Ross’s voice lacked any kind of accusation and his hand automatically went to the ponytail, his human fingers meeting the dampness surrounding the tie. “Bloch, Ross, what are you doing here?”
“We always eat lunch here, when we have the chance.”
Ed looked to the kitchen doors, praying to the God he’d just admitted to possibly existing, that their waitress wouldn’t bring out their breakfasts. Ross, with all her intuition and motherly observations would surely make something out of it. It was bad enough feeling like he had ‘I had sex’ written on his face. Paranoid, he glanced at the reflective surface of the napkin dispenser to be sure.
Clara watched Ed with interest before the two officers noticed her presence.
“Who’s your friend?” Bloch eyed Ed like a cat about to pounce.
Even though the question had been directed at Ed, Clara held her hand out and Ed watched as her whole demeanor changed. He had never met anyone, homunculi excluded, who oozed sexuality the way Clara did, in fact, he felt that it were entirely possible for her to make balancing a check book a turn on.
Normally half-lidded, bedroom eyes perked up and her come hither posture disappeared, “I’m Melissa, Ed’s cousin.” Her voice was chipper, gone were the sultry tones. Something in Ed sunk at how easily she could deceive.
“Oh, nice to meet you.” Denny eagerly shook her hand, but Ed notice Maria looking suspiciously at the other woman.
“Ed never mentioned anything about a cousin.”
‘Oh crap.’
Clara turned to the dark haired woman, “I haven’t seen him since he was a baby. I just moved to Central and I couldn’t pass up the chance to meet the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, especially when I had an excuse as good as family.
‘Please, please, please, please, please…’
Ross stared at the woman a while before she sighed, “Well, it was nice to meet you, but Bloch and I have to be going. Edward, we’ll see you later.”
She turned to leave. Bloch threw out a hasty farewell before jogging a few steps to catch up with her. They sat in silence for a while, not looking at each other. Their waitress came and went, with only a few mumbled words breaking the silence.
“You didn’t have to do that you know,” Ed said quietly.
“I know,” Clara looked to him, “but like you said, this is private, at least for now.”
Ed felt a little better and the silence became more companionable as they ate.
“So what are we going to do today?” Clara asked, “Would you believe that as long as I’ve been here, I haven’t seen any of the sights? Maybe you could take me to the zoo. I promise I won’t steal any animals.”
“Actually,” Ed rubbed his chin thoughtfully, playing along, “I have always wanted a monkey.”
Clara giggled.
The moment didn’t last long and Ed looked down at his plate, poking at an egg with his fork, “but seriously, I can’t. I have these two friends, well...not really friends, but we do collaborate at times. Anyway, they sent me something a long time ago when I was on a mission.”
“It’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I understand how brilliant men, like you, are.”
Ed figured that there was probably something wrong with him if he passed up spending an afternoon with a beautiful woman for researching in a musty library, especially on behalf of the Trigham brothers, but he was determined not to turn into a complete horn-ball.
Relieved that she didn’t think he was blowing her off, he decided to change the mood, “So, how many brilliant men have you been with.”
***
Maria grabbed the book from the shelf and filing it away in the proper section, resisted the urge to knock Bloch upside his head with it.
Scieszka had a very simple but specific filing system. A system Denny always seemed to mess up, probably because he was impatient, a little lazy, and lacked an eye for detail…
“What do you mean she’s not his cousin?”
…which also made him dense.
It had started innocently enough. Of all the officers Ed associated with on base, she was by far, the most respectful of his private life; well, her and Captain Hawkeye. The boy had enough eyes on him, criticizing his every move, and she didn’t want to be one of them. So she was content not to voice her suspicions aloud, that was, not until Denny had opened his mouth.
On the way back, he had mentioned how pretty Melissa was and hinted at asking Ed to set them up. She recognized it as what it was; an attempt to make her jealous. She had known about his feelings for her for a while and would rather give up Ed’s secret than go there.
But she wasn’t a complete traitor. She sidestepped as much as possible until they got to the office they were stationed at. He just wasn’t getting it so she had practically shouted, ‘she’s not his cousin!’
“He lied, okay. It was obvious,” she said.
“But why would he lie?”
“You know how people are around here. He probably didn’t want anyone to know he was sleeping with someone.”
“Who’s sleeping with someone?” Heymans Breda and Jean Havoc walked into the office following Scieszka. His and Havoc’s arms were loaded with reports and files they were returning.
“Ed is.”
Ross shot Denny an annoyed look. The mouths of the two men hung open. Miraculously, Havoc’s cigarette stayed in his mouth.
“With who?” Havoc demanded.
“Some older woman we met at the diner. She told us she was his cousin but Ross didn’t believe her.”
If she had the strength, Maria would have toppled the book case on Bloch’s head.
“Ed’s sleeping with a woman, an older woman!?”
Her stomach turned at the look on Breda’s face. He probably had some cruel joke in mind and she suddenly had a vision of an obituary in the paper for Ed’s virginity.
‘Damn you, Denny.’
***
Sunset came early at this time of year, casting the world in darkness before dinner time, not that you could tell the difference through the rain clouds though. The day’s earlier sunshine had given into a deluge, washing away snow and leaving ice and slush in its stead.
Ed had given in to his hunger and abandoned the library. He had made enough notes to hold him over for a while. Clutching the papers and files under his coat, he ran the last few steps to the shelter the awning of his building provided. Not that it mattered; he was already soaked.
In the lobby, he grabbed his mail and took the stairs to his floor. Coming to his door, he noticed light shining through the cracks. He tried the handle and it was unlocked.
After lunch with Clara, he had stopped back to change, but he knew he had locked the door and turned down all the lights. Either he was the victim of a careless burglar or another psycho fan had broken in.
As quietly as he could he entered the apartment. Setting his notes and mail down on an end table near the door, he prepared to defend himself if needed. The sight that greeted him in the kitchen was neither expected nor unwelcome. “Clara?”
“Surprised to see me, lover?” She placed a hand on her hip, proudly.
“What are you doing here? How did you get in?” he asked.
She gave him a ‘do I really need to answer that’ look. “I thought you’d be hungry so I’m making you dinner.”
Stepping into the room, he looked to the stove. Indeed, pots and pans that had normally collected dust in his cupboard were hard at work.
“Is that my shirt?” he asked her.
Her lower body had been obstructed from view by the table. Coming around, he saw that she only wore a white button up shirt that was a little too long, the ends of it brushing the top of her bare thighs.
“Yeah, my clothes were soaked so I hung them in your shower.”
Unable to resist, Ed kissed her tenderly. Keeping her far enough away to not get her too wet, but still getting close enough to feel her heat. Either that or it was the stove. Whatever it was, his spirits were instantly lifted.
Clara’s hands came to his chest and gently pushed him away. He didn’t step away, holding his hands on her hips.
“I noticed you were out of milk.”
“Yeah, I don’t really drink it.” he shrugged.
“Well, I always have a glass with dinner, so could you go down to the store and get some?”
Ed pouted, “But…it’s raining! And I’m already cold and soaked.”
“Let me put it this way,” Clara smirked, “No milk, no dinner, no sex.”
“I’ll be right back.” He was gone in an instant.
“Take and umbrella!” she called out. The only response she got was the sound of the hall closet opening and closing. The front door slammed shut and the room was filled with the sound of her giggles.
***
“I don’t think we should do this.”
Beside him, Havoc suppressed a sigh. Fuery really needed to relax. As the doors to the elevator closed, he pressed the button for Ed’s floor. To his left, Breda whistled a nameless tune, hands in his pockets and almost bursting with glee. The news that Ed possibly had a girlfriend had left him on cloud nine. As a result, he had blabbed to most of the staff and now the whole base was talking about it.
“Do what?” Breda asked innocently, his eyes lit up with mischievous intent. “We’re just going to visit our good friend Edward.”
“…And pump him for info on his girlfriend,” Jean added dryly.
“What are friends for?”
Fuery protested, “But if Captain Hawkeye finds out about this…”
“She won’t”
“I mean, she ordered us to mind our own business.”
“If it comes to that, I’ll handle Hawkeye.” Havoc assured him.
The doors rolled open and the three men stepped off the lift. Walking down the hall, they stood in front of Ed’s door.
“Should we knock?” Havoc asked.
Breda stepped forward and tried the knob. The door cracked open easily. “Why bother? It’s wide open. Obviously he wants us to come right in.” Breda led the three inside, a hesitant Fuery bringing up the rear.
Havoc looked around the apartment. There was nothing extraordinary about it except the large collection of books stacked on a bookshelf in the living room…
“Ed, now that you’re back could you…”
…and the beautiful, half-naked woman standing in the hallway holding a bottle of wine.
“You’re not Edward.”
‘No, but I wish I was.’
Jean’s mouth hung open and he guessed it was the same for his counterparts.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Four pairs of eyes turned to see a drenched and angry alchemist standing in the doorway, a soggy brown paper bag and umbrella clutched in his arms.
“H-hi Sir.” Fuery said.
“Edward.” Breda was the first to regain his composure, “Hi buddy.”
“What are you three doing here?” Ed’s voice was low and dangerous.
“We just stopped to see you.” Havoc offered.
“Oh really?” Ed wasn’t buying it, “Did you talk to Ross today?”
“Actually, we overheard Bloch talking.” Fuery said.
“Get out.” Ed demanded.
“Come on, Ed,” Breda pushed, “we came all this way.”
The bag he was carrying was set down and Ed brought his hands up and held them inches apart, the threat evident in his eyes. The trio beat a hasty retreat, squeezing out the door single file and cautiously avoiding Ed. They made it to the elevator and got on in silence.
Once the doors closed, Breda burst out laughing, “Did you see the look on his face. He was pretty pissed!”
Havoc couldn’t help it and joined in. Even Fuery let out a small laugh, more in relief than anything.
The three were still laughing when the elevator reached the lobby. Their glee was cut short however at the person standing there, waiting for the elevator.
“Captain.” Fuery nearly choked.
Riza looked a bit confused for a moment before her face pulled into foreboding enlightenment. “Gentlemen.” She nodded by way of a greeting.
Havoc swallowed. He knew that look. They were in trouble. “Uh…going up?” He asked lamely.
***
*THUNK*
For the hundredth time, Ed’s forehead connected with the table.
“Sure it can’t be all that bad.” Clara tried to comfort him as he sat, banging his forehead on the kitchen table. The tension in his neck and back slowly eased as she rubbed them.
“Yes it can,” was the muffled reply.
“Hey!” Clara’s voice was chipper, “that little one called you ‘Sir.’”
“Yeah,” Ed sighed, “he does that.”
“That gives me an idea.”
Ed lifted his head from the space between his crossed arms and looked around to her.
“Want to play a game?”
Golden eyebrows met in first confusion then suspicion. “What kind of game?”
Clara peeled her lips back in an impish smirk and ran a finger along his hand, “A naughty one.” Grabbing the hand, she pulled him away from the table and toward the bedroom.
“But, what about dinner?” Ed looked back into the kitchen offering no resistance whatsoever.
“We can re-heat.” The former thief called over her shoulder. Ed marveled at how familiar she seemed with his home already. She knew exactly where the bedroom was and began digging through his closet as if it were her own. “Now, where did I see….Ah ha! Here, put this on.”
Ed stared at the clothing bag that was thrust into his hands. What did they need clothes for? He thought the whole point of sex was to get naked. Voicing his concerns, Clara just laughed at him and demanded that he get changed and meet her in the living room as soon as possible.
***
It was ridiculous. No, she was ridiculous and clearly insane. And some kind of pervert but he wasn’t really minding that. How many more times was she going to send him back in the room to fix his uniform? First she said that he needed to iron it, so he did, then she complained that he was missing his watch, and now, she was demanding that he put on his medals. How she knew he had them was a mystery, but he dutifully went about the task of pinning them on his jacket. He looked in the mirror to make sure that there was nothing else for her to pick at and was satisfied when he found none. Uncomfortably, he pulled at the bottom of the jacket. He couldn’t help it. He never wore this uniform because he spent more time in the field and in the library than at the base.
“Clara,” He called out as he stepped through the door, “I hope you’re satisfied because I’m not going back in there again.” His voice echoed in the empty living room, “Clara?”
There was a shuffling sound coming from his other bedroom and he peeked inside the door. The room had been converted into a study. He had always wanted one ever since he was twelve and learned that the librarians only let you stay at the library so long. Like his living room, there were many bookcases and a single desk and chair were pushed up against the wall - or rather, they used to be. Clara had pulled the desk out to the middle of the room and there was now a second chair, one from his kitchen, sitting in front of it. The thief was currently sitting smugly on said chair, hands cuffed in front of her.
Swallowing hard, Ed focused on that particular piece of jewelry, “Where’d you get the handcuffs?”
“You put them on me. Don’t you remember, Sir?” For being shackled, the woman didn’t seem at all subdued, staring at him with a hungry, playful look in her eyes.
‘Sir?’ Ed was becoming used to being confused by her. Taking in the scene, he was struck by a sense a familiarity. The positioning of the furniture, the uniform, the handcuffs; this was almost exactly like Mustang’s office! Did that make him Roy Mustang! Rage burned at the back of his mind before he mentally kicked himself. She’d never met Roy Mustang.
“What’s the matter Major Elric?” She blinked innocently and stretched in her chair seductively, “Did you misplace my file?”
“…No…” Ed said, unsure of what she wanted him to do. Just what kind of game was this anyway? Hesitantly, he approached the desk.
“Then, you’ve read it and seen for your own eyes that I’m clearly innocent.” Big eyes and a pouty lip were drawing him in.
Not knowing what else to say, Ed merely stared at her dumbly, “Uh…is that so?”
The thief stood and stepped right into his personal space, “Uh huh. Isn’t there,” she began playing with the buttons on the coat, “Any way I can convince you,” Fingers moved to the top button and teased at un-doing it, “to let me go?”
A light bulb went on and Ed suddenly felt very naughty. Clara’s smile revealed a full row of white teeth as his mouth formed a perfect ‘O’.
“I can think of a few things…” Ed replied, sliding into the role of the captor. Boldly, he captured her lips and felt the top button of his jacket popped open. He pushed them back toward the desk. He was thankful that she still wore only his shirt and her undergarments, it was less restricting this way for his hand to slide between her legs.
Moaning as his hands toyed with her; Clara sat back on the desk and lifted a leg to wrap around his hips. Bound hands looped around his neck; he’d have to take control this time. “What would you like me to do, sir?”
Ed’s eyes were lidded heavily with lust and he didn’t respond for a while so the thief prompted him. “Un-button you pants.” He did as he was told and pulling him close, Clara slid down his body. Hands still bound, they held firm to his buttocks and her teeth easily pulled down the zipper of his uniform pants. The look on his face was priceless. Being the only one with a free hand, Ed helped her free his erection and braced his hands on the desk at the first stoke of her tongue along his penis.
Hands firmly on his backside, she guided him into her mouth and led his hips in the rhythm of her choice, slow and deep. He moaned her name and she pulled away to look up. “Who’s Clara?” she smiled.
Edward panted and looked confused for a second. Her tongue brought him back around and this time he moaned, “Psiren.”
He was rewarded when she took him back in her mouth and allowed him the fast and hard pace he desired. When his pants were rapid and his muscles tense, she pulled away. Right on the brink, Ed muffled a pained groan and pulled her up by the shoulders. His hands hastily pulled down her panties. Papers were shoved out of the way as he laid her on the surface.
He easily spread her and pulled her hands above her head, one hand holding them there as he threw his whole body into his thrusts.
“Oh…yes…Sir…” Clara’s head was thrown back and her body rocked along with his. Ed called out the thief’s name as he neared his orgasm. He could feel it; a mass of energy collecting inside of him, driving his actions and needing to be released. His other hand slipped between their bodies to the place he had learned she liked to be touched. She moaned loudly at his first touch and he eagerly stoked her until he felt her muscles contract around him and her body quiver beneath him. He let go, collapsing when the last of the energy left his body and made his knees weak.
He looked up when Clara’s hands began brushing though his hair, the manacles lying discarded to the side. He didn’t even ask how she picked the lock so quickly. She smiled up at him, but there were lines around her eyes that had nothing to do with the expression for it did not reach that far.
“Is something the matter?” He asked.
Clara closed her eyes and shook her head, dispelling the feeling that had flittered across his mind. Laying his head on her chest, he was content for the moment to stay right there, listening to the sound of her heart beat. In a moment, he’d get up and go about the difficult task of sorting through the research notes that he had scattered in a moment of blind lust.
Author’s notes:
We have kink! Yay!
Coming up: What will the reaction on the base be to ‘Melissa?’
Next Chapter
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Summary: Join Edward Elric as he attemps 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 3
Ex Post Facto
For the second morning in a row, Ed was unnaturally awoken by something other than an alarm clock. As pleasant as the fingers trailing through his hair were, it was still an unfamiliar feeling.
Cracking open an eye, he came face to face with Clara. The previous night’s events popped into his mind when he noticed that she was still completely naked.
Lying on his stomach, he put his head back down in the crook of his arms and tried to hide the blush he knew would inevitably form. “…Hi.” He mumbled awkwardly.
“Hi yourself.” She continued to play with his hair. Sometime while he slept the tie had been removed and it tumbled freely around his shoulders and pillow.
Part of him wanted to stay right there. The feel of her hands as they stroked his head made him feel like he would begin to purr if it were possible. He also wanted to sleep with her again. He knew it had been good for him and he thought it had been good for her too, but he still wanted to try again and be sure.
Another, smaller part of him wanted to run screaming from the apartment. He couldn’t help it. In quiet moments such as this, his suspicions would arise once more. He was constantly assaulted by the fear of being caught with a fugitive and going to jail, all because he couldn’t control his libido.
“Ed? You’re not going to get weird on me, are you?” Although she was aiming for light, Ed caught the hint of worry.
“Depends on what you mean by ‘weird,’” was his muffled reply.
“Distant.”
“It’s not that I’m trying to be, I just…” with a sigh he turned over to sit up. Realizing that he was still naked, he pulled the covers up. Clara giggled at the act and his eyes were drawn to her exposed breasts. “Could you cover up or something?” he said, hastily turning around and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Leaning against the headboard on her side, Clara propped an arm on her hip and stuck her chest out, “What’s the matter? I thought you said that you weren’t a prude?”
“I’m not!” he protested.
“Then why are you so uncomfortable with the naked body” If she expected an answer, he didn’t give her one. “Or maybe,” her voice took on a mischievous tone and he felt the mattress shift behind him, “when you see me like this,” arms around his shoulders, “it makes you think,” Her breath, seductive against his ear, “of all the things,” a hand trailing slowly down his chest, “you want to do to me.” Her mouth found his neck and his groin tightened instantly.
“Wait,” he jumped up before her hand could reach his lowers, taking the sheets along with him. “We can’t just stay in bed all day and- and-“ he struggled for the right word.
“Screw? Fuck?” She offered.
“Well, yeah.”
“You’re right.” She stood and Ed looked away as she approached. “That auto-mail, can it get wet?”
At the out of the blue question, Ed looked at her, brows knit together and trying to keep his eyes above her neck. “…yeah. It’s fine so long as I don’t submerge it for long periods of time, or else it could-“
“Great!” She took his hand and pulled him, tumbling over bed sheets, out of the room and down the hall into the bathroom.
***
A couple hours later, Ed had managed to pry Clara off him and she had managed to drag him out in public.
The diner was about five blocks away from Clara’s apartment. Ed had protested at how close that put them to H.Q. but Clara just told him to relax. It was her favorite place. All the waitresses wore matching uniforms and the dusty rays of the sun filtered in pleasantly through the checkered blinds.
Business was slow on the mid-week day. Only a few customers sat at the tables and booths. A couple of regulars had taken up positions at the bar, drinking coffee and laughing with the waitresses that called them by their first names.
They had come to a compromise on where to sit. Clara had favored a table in the front, which Ed flat out refused, wanting to instead drag them to a dimly lit booth in the back corner. They had managed to meet in the middle, literally. Clara had even allowed him to take the side facing the door. Occasionally, he would look out of the booth, trying to peek around the high-back separators and see if anyone he knew was there.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you were embarrassed to be seen with me,” she said.
Ed turned from his makeshift vigil, a somewhat guilty expression on his face. The truth was, he was a little embarrassed, but not of her. Of all the scenarios running through his head, the least worst one was that someone would see him out with a woman, wearing the same, slightly wrinkled, clothes he had on yesterday. Add in the fact that the woman was much older than him and it was a recipe for disaster and harassment.
It was no secret that he was a virgin, much to his dismay. Once they heard the news, Mustang’s squad of loonies would probably throw him a party, banner and all. He could just see Mustang’s face in his head, patting him on the back and congratulating him on finally becoming a man. If he ever asked for details, he’d punch him in the face.
It had felt like all his life, he had been living for others. His skills were a weapon on the state and his loyalties lied with the people. Factor in the unimaginably long list of every thing he shared with Al - not that he minded - and there wasn’t a single thing in his life that didn’t have someone else’s fingerprints smudged on it. That wasn’t so in the case of his relationship, for lack of a better word, with Clara.
“I just want to keep this between us for the moment. Besides, it’s nice, having something all to myself.” The corners of her mouth turned up at his causal comment. It was probably the closest he’d come to admitting his feelings, or understanding them for that matter.
“So, I’m yours now, am I?”
“Well…yes, er, no, I mean…do you wanna be?” For the umpteenth time, Ed found himself stumbling to explain himself. Why couldn’t women be easy, like Alchemy?
“Relax Edward. As long as we both admit that there’s something here, we can put off giving it a name.”
Ed accepted her proposal, even though that’s what he wanted. Girlfriend, lover, whatever; just so long as it had a label. As a scientist, he needed it. They were vital. One mislabeling could ruin a whole experiment. Once again, he reminded himself that relationships weren’t alchemy; he’d have to accept things as they were.
“Hello Edward, sir!”
Ed could count on one hand the number of times his atheist beliefs had been compromised. This was one of those times. There was a God, and he was punishing him.
Clara seemed unperturbed as Sergeant Denny Bloch and Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, in full military uniform, approached their booth.
Casting a stricken expression at Clara, he was glad that she wore a turtle-neck to cover the marks on her neck from their shower this morning. He would have a tough time explaining them.
“We didn’t recognize you at first with your hair like that.”
Ross’s voice lacked any kind of accusation and his hand automatically went to the ponytail, his human fingers meeting the dampness surrounding the tie. “Bloch, Ross, what are you doing here?”
“We always eat lunch here, when we have the chance.”
Ed looked to the kitchen doors, praying to the God he’d just admitted to possibly existing, that their waitress wouldn’t bring out their breakfasts. Ross, with all her intuition and motherly observations would surely make something out of it. It was bad enough feeling like he had ‘I had sex’ written on his face. Paranoid, he glanced at the reflective surface of the napkin dispenser to be sure.
Clara watched Ed with interest before the two officers noticed her presence.
“Who’s your friend?” Bloch eyed Ed like a cat about to pounce.
Even though the question had been directed at Ed, Clara held her hand out and Ed watched as her whole demeanor changed. He had never met anyone, homunculi excluded, who oozed sexuality the way Clara did, in fact, he felt that it were entirely possible for her to make balancing a check book a turn on.
Normally half-lidded, bedroom eyes perked up and her come hither posture disappeared, “I’m Melissa, Ed’s cousin.” Her voice was chipper, gone were the sultry tones. Something in Ed sunk at how easily she could deceive.
“Oh, nice to meet you.” Denny eagerly shook her hand, but Ed notice Maria looking suspiciously at the other woman.
“Ed never mentioned anything about a cousin.”
‘Oh crap.’
Clara turned to the dark haired woman, “I haven’t seen him since he was a baby. I just moved to Central and I couldn’t pass up the chance to meet the famous Fullmetal Alchemist, especially when I had an excuse as good as family.
‘Please, please, please, please, please…’
Ross stared at the woman a while before she sighed, “Well, it was nice to meet you, but Bloch and I have to be going. Edward, we’ll see you later.”
She turned to leave. Bloch threw out a hasty farewell before jogging a few steps to catch up with her. They sat in silence for a while, not looking at each other. Their waitress came and went, with only a few mumbled words breaking the silence.
“You didn’t have to do that you know,” Ed said quietly.
“I know,” Clara looked to him, “but like you said, this is private, at least for now.”
Ed felt a little better and the silence became more companionable as they ate.
“So what are we going to do today?” Clara asked, “Would you believe that as long as I’ve been here, I haven’t seen any of the sights? Maybe you could take me to the zoo. I promise I won’t steal any animals.”
“Actually,” Ed rubbed his chin thoughtfully, playing along, “I have always wanted a monkey.”
Clara giggled.
The moment didn’t last long and Ed looked down at his plate, poking at an egg with his fork, “but seriously, I can’t. I have these two friends, well...not really friends, but we do collaborate at times. Anyway, they sent me something a long time ago when I was on a mission.”
“It’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I understand how brilliant men, like you, are.”
Ed figured that there was probably something wrong with him if he passed up spending an afternoon with a beautiful woman for researching in a musty library, especially on behalf of the Trigham brothers, but he was determined not to turn into a complete horn-ball.
Relieved that she didn’t think he was blowing her off, he decided to change the mood, “So, how many brilliant men have you been with.”
***
Maria grabbed the book from the shelf and filing it away in the proper section, resisted the urge to knock Bloch upside his head with it.
Scieszka had a very simple but specific filing system. A system Denny always seemed to mess up, probably because he was impatient, a little lazy, and lacked an eye for detail…
“What do you mean she’s not his cousin?”
…which also made him dense.
It had started innocently enough. Of all the officers Ed associated with on base, she was by far, the most respectful of his private life; well, her and Captain Hawkeye. The boy had enough eyes on him, criticizing his every move, and she didn’t want to be one of them. So she was content not to voice her suspicions aloud, that was, not until Denny had opened his mouth.
On the way back, he had mentioned how pretty Melissa was and hinted at asking Ed to set them up. She recognized it as what it was; an attempt to make her jealous. She had known about his feelings for her for a while and would rather give up Ed’s secret than go there.
But she wasn’t a complete traitor. She sidestepped as much as possible until they got to the office they were stationed at. He just wasn’t getting it so she had practically shouted, ‘she’s not his cousin!’
“He lied, okay. It was obvious,” she said.
“But why would he lie?”
“You know how people are around here. He probably didn’t want anyone to know he was sleeping with someone.”
“Who’s sleeping with someone?” Heymans Breda and Jean Havoc walked into the office following Scieszka. His and Havoc’s arms were loaded with reports and files they were returning.
“Ed is.”
Ross shot Denny an annoyed look. The mouths of the two men hung open. Miraculously, Havoc’s cigarette stayed in his mouth.
“With who?” Havoc demanded.
“Some older woman we met at the diner. She told us she was his cousin but Ross didn’t believe her.”
If she had the strength, Maria would have toppled the book case on Bloch’s head.
“Ed’s sleeping with a woman, an older woman!?”
Her stomach turned at the look on Breda’s face. He probably had some cruel joke in mind and she suddenly had a vision of an obituary in the paper for Ed’s virginity.
‘Damn you, Denny.’
***
Sunset came early at this time of year, casting the world in darkness before dinner time, not that you could tell the difference through the rain clouds though. The day’s earlier sunshine had given into a deluge, washing away snow and leaving ice and slush in its stead.
Ed had given in to his hunger and abandoned the library. He had made enough notes to hold him over for a while. Clutching the papers and files under his coat, he ran the last few steps to the shelter the awning of his building provided. Not that it mattered; he was already soaked.
In the lobby, he grabbed his mail and took the stairs to his floor. Coming to his door, he noticed light shining through the cracks. He tried the handle and it was unlocked.
After lunch with Clara, he had stopped back to change, but he knew he had locked the door and turned down all the lights. Either he was the victim of a careless burglar or another psycho fan had broken in.
As quietly as he could he entered the apartment. Setting his notes and mail down on an end table near the door, he prepared to defend himself if needed. The sight that greeted him in the kitchen was neither expected nor unwelcome. “Clara?”
“Surprised to see me, lover?” She placed a hand on her hip, proudly.
“What are you doing here? How did you get in?” he asked.
She gave him a ‘do I really need to answer that’ look. “I thought you’d be hungry so I’m making you dinner.”
Stepping into the room, he looked to the stove. Indeed, pots and pans that had normally collected dust in his cupboard were hard at work.
“Is that my shirt?” he asked her.
Her lower body had been obstructed from view by the table. Coming around, he saw that she only wore a white button up shirt that was a little too long, the ends of it brushing the top of her bare thighs.
“Yeah, my clothes were soaked so I hung them in your shower.”
Unable to resist, Ed kissed her tenderly. Keeping her far enough away to not get her too wet, but still getting close enough to feel her heat. Either that or it was the stove. Whatever it was, his spirits were instantly lifted.
Clara’s hands came to his chest and gently pushed him away. He didn’t step away, holding his hands on her hips.
“I noticed you were out of milk.”
“Yeah, I don’t really drink it.” he shrugged.
“Well, I always have a glass with dinner, so could you go down to the store and get some?”
Ed pouted, “But…it’s raining! And I’m already cold and soaked.”
“Let me put it this way,” Clara smirked, “No milk, no dinner, no sex.”
“I’ll be right back.” He was gone in an instant.
“Take and umbrella!” she called out. The only response she got was the sound of the hall closet opening and closing. The front door slammed shut and the room was filled with the sound of her giggles.
***
“I don’t think we should do this.”
Beside him, Havoc suppressed a sigh. Fuery really needed to relax. As the doors to the elevator closed, he pressed the button for Ed’s floor. To his left, Breda whistled a nameless tune, hands in his pockets and almost bursting with glee. The news that Ed possibly had a girlfriend had left him on cloud nine. As a result, he had blabbed to most of the staff and now the whole base was talking about it.
“Do what?” Breda asked innocently, his eyes lit up with mischievous intent. “We’re just going to visit our good friend Edward.”
“…And pump him for info on his girlfriend,” Jean added dryly.
“What are friends for?”
Fuery protested, “But if Captain Hawkeye finds out about this…”
“She won’t”
“I mean, she ordered us to mind our own business.”
“If it comes to that, I’ll handle Hawkeye.” Havoc assured him.
The doors rolled open and the three men stepped off the lift. Walking down the hall, they stood in front of Ed’s door.
“Should we knock?” Havoc asked.
Breda stepped forward and tried the knob. The door cracked open easily. “Why bother? It’s wide open. Obviously he wants us to come right in.” Breda led the three inside, a hesitant Fuery bringing up the rear.
Havoc looked around the apartment. There was nothing extraordinary about it except the large collection of books stacked on a bookshelf in the living room…
“Ed, now that you’re back could you…”
…and the beautiful, half-naked woman standing in the hallway holding a bottle of wine.
“You’re not Edward.”
‘No, but I wish I was.’
Jean’s mouth hung open and he guessed it was the same for his counterparts.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Four pairs of eyes turned to see a drenched and angry alchemist standing in the doorway, a soggy brown paper bag and umbrella clutched in his arms.
“H-hi Sir.” Fuery said.
“Edward.” Breda was the first to regain his composure, “Hi buddy.”
“What are you three doing here?” Ed’s voice was low and dangerous.
“We just stopped to see you.” Havoc offered.
“Oh really?” Ed wasn’t buying it, “Did you talk to Ross today?”
“Actually, we overheard Bloch talking.” Fuery said.
“Get out.” Ed demanded.
“Come on, Ed,” Breda pushed, “we came all this way.”
The bag he was carrying was set down and Ed brought his hands up and held them inches apart, the threat evident in his eyes. The trio beat a hasty retreat, squeezing out the door single file and cautiously avoiding Ed. They made it to the elevator and got on in silence.
Once the doors closed, Breda burst out laughing, “Did you see the look on his face. He was pretty pissed!”
Havoc couldn’t help it and joined in. Even Fuery let out a small laugh, more in relief than anything.
The three were still laughing when the elevator reached the lobby. Their glee was cut short however at the person standing there, waiting for the elevator.
“Captain.” Fuery nearly choked.
Riza looked a bit confused for a moment before her face pulled into foreboding enlightenment. “Gentlemen.” She nodded by way of a greeting.
Havoc swallowed. He knew that look. They were in trouble. “Uh…going up?” He asked lamely.
***
*THUNK*
For the hundredth time, Ed’s forehead connected with the table.
“Sure it can’t be all that bad.” Clara tried to comfort him as he sat, banging his forehead on the kitchen table. The tension in his neck and back slowly eased as she rubbed them.
“Yes it can,” was the muffled reply.
“Hey!” Clara’s voice was chipper, “that little one called you ‘Sir.’”
“Yeah,” Ed sighed, “he does that.”
“That gives me an idea.”
Ed lifted his head from the space between his crossed arms and looked around to her.
“Want to play a game?”
Golden eyebrows met in first confusion then suspicion. “What kind of game?”
Clara peeled her lips back in an impish smirk and ran a finger along his hand, “A naughty one.” Grabbing the hand, she pulled him away from the table and toward the bedroom.
“But, what about dinner?” Ed looked back into the kitchen offering no resistance whatsoever.
“We can re-heat.” The former thief called over her shoulder. Ed marveled at how familiar she seemed with his home already. She knew exactly where the bedroom was and began digging through his closet as if it were her own. “Now, where did I see….Ah ha! Here, put this on.”
Ed stared at the clothing bag that was thrust into his hands. What did they need clothes for? He thought the whole point of sex was to get naked. Voicing his concerns, Clara just laughed at him and demanded that he get changed and meet her in the living room as soon as possible.
***
It was ridiculous. No, she was ridiculous and clearly insane. And some kind of pervert but he wasn’t really minding that. How many more times was she going to send him back in the room to fix his uniform? First she said that he needed to iron it, so he did, then she complained that he was missing his watch, and now, she was demanding that he put on his medals. How she knew he had them was a mystery, but he dutifully went about the task of pinning them on his jacket. He looked in the mirror to make sure that there was nothing else for her to pick at and was satisfied when he found none. Uncomfortably, he pulled at the bottom of the jacket. He couldn’t help it. He never wore this uniform because he spent more time in the field and in the library than at the base.
“Clara,” He called out as he stepped through the door, “I hope you’re satisfied because I’m not going back in there again.” His voice echoed in the empty living room, “Clara?”
There was a shuffling sound coming from his other bedroom and he peeked inside the door. The room had been converted into a study. He had always wanted one ever since he was twelve and learned that the librarians only let you stay at the library so long. Like his living room, there were many bookcases and a single desk and chair were pushed up against the wall - or rather, they used to be. Clara had pulled the desk out to the middle of the room and there was now a second chair, one from his kitchen, sitting in front of it. The thief was currently sitting smugly on said chair, hands cuffed in front of her.
Swallowing hard, Ed focused on that particular piece of jewelry, “Where’d you get the handcuffs?”
“You put them on me. Don’t you remember, Sir?” For being shackled, the woman didn’t seem at all subdued, staring at him with a hungry, playful look in her eyes.
‘Sir?’ Ed was becoming used to being confused by her. Taking in the scene, he was struck by a sense a familiarity. The positioning of the furniture, the uniform, the handcuffs; this was almost exactly like Mustang’s office! Did that make him Roy Mustang! Rage burned at the back of his mind before he mentally kicked himself. She’d never met Roy Mustang.
“What’s the matter Major Elric?” She blinked innocently and stretched in her chair seductively, “Did you misplace my file?”
“…No…” Ed said, unsure of what she wanted him to do. Just what kind of game was this anyway? Hesitantly, he approached the desk.
“Then, you’ve read it and seen for your own eyes that I’m clearly innocent.” Big eyes and a pouty lip were drawing him in.
Not knowing what else to say, Ed merely stared at her dumbly, “Uh…is that so?”
The thief stood and stepped right into his personal space, “Uh huh. Isn’t there,” she began playing with the buttons on the coat, “Any way I can convince you,” Fingers moved to the top button and teased at un-doing it, “to let me go?”
A light bulb went on and Ed suddenly felt very naughty. Clara’s smile revealed a full row of white teeth as his mouth formed a perfect ‘O’.
“I can think of a few things…” Ed replied, sliding into the role of the captor. Boldly, he captured her lips and felt the top button of his jacket popped open. He pushed them back toward the desk. He was thankful that she still wore only his shirt and her undergarments, it was less restricting this way for his hand to slide between her legs.
Moaning as his hands toyed with her; Clara sat back on the desk and lifted a leg to wrap around his hips. Bound hands looped around his neck; he’d have to take control this time. “What would you like me to do, sir?”
Ed’s eyes were lidded heavily with lust and he didn’t respond for a while so the thief prompted him. “Un-button you pants.” He did as he was told and pulling him close, Clara slid down his body. Hands still bound, they held firm to his buttocks and her teeth easily pulled down the zipper of his uniform pants. The look on his face was priceless. Being the only one with a free hand, Ed helped her free his erection and braced his hands on the desk at the first stoke of her tongue along his penis.
Hands firmly on his backside, she guided him into her mouth and led his hips in the rhythm of her choice, slow and deep. He moaned her name and she pulled away to look up. “Who’s Clara?” she smiled.
Edward panted and looked confused for a second. Her tongue brought him back around and this time he moaned, “Psiren.”
He was rewarded when she took him back in her mouth and allowed him the fast and hard pace he desired. When his pants were rapid and his muscles tense, she pulled away. Right on the brink, Ed muffled a pained groan and pulled her up by the shoulders. His hands hastily pulled down her panties. Papers were shoved out of the way as he laid her on the surface.
He easily spread her and pulled her hands above her head, one hand holding them there as he threw his whole body into his thrusts.
“Oh…yes…Sir…” Clara’s head was thrown back and her body rocked along with his. Ed called out the thief’s name as he neared his orgasm. He could feel it; a mass of energy collecting inside of him, driving his actions and needing to be released. His other hand slipped between their bodies to the place he had learned she liked to be touched. She moaned loudly at his first touch and he eagerly stoked her until he felt her muscles contract around him and her body quiver beneath him. He let go, collapsing when the last of the energy left his body and made his knees weak.
He looked up when Clara’s hands began brushing though his hair, the manacles lying discarded to the side. He didn’t even ask how she picked the lock so quickly. She smiled up at him, but there were lines around her eyes that had nothing to do with the expression for it did not reach that far.
“Is something the matter?” He asked.
Clara closed her eyes and shook her head, dispelling the feeling that had flittered across his mind. Laying his head on her chest, he was content for the moment to stay right there, listening to the sound of her heart beat. In a moment, he’d get up and go about the difficult task of sorting through the research notes that he had scattered in a moment of blind lust.
Author’s notes:
We have kink! Yay!
Coming up: What will the reaction on the base be to ‘Melissa?’
Next Chapter