Fullmetal Alchemist (Three Alchemists) - Progress...? [EdKit]

[scriveyner]

Title: Progress...?
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Three Alchemists
Characters/Pairing: Ed/Kit
Rating: M
Length: 1135
Summary:

Catie sighed and sank deeper into the bathwater. Her original intention had been to shower when she got in, but she had belatedly remembered that the shower head was broken again, and was too tired to even start on the task of thinking up a good transmutation circle to repair it. So she had drawn a bath to wash away the grime of a long journey, and immediately started to stew.

It happened again just as it had the last few times they were on a mission together. When it was just the two of them, Edward came to life in a way that Catie had never seen before. He took her hand, he met her eye, he smiled at her - and then, in the hotel....

She sank in hot water, hoping to hide her blush. The first time, it had been a mistake - a drunken tumble. But every time after that? This last time was so ... deliberate. Catie really did not know what to think.

It had been her idea to keep that - whatever 'that' was, she was not sure she wanted to think too hard on it - on the road. As soon as the train began slowing in its approach to Central it was like a pall had been thrown over them both. Edward's chin was in his hand, elbow on the window ledge as the scenery migrated from sprawling hills to factories and houses. He no longer met her eye.

Which was okay, for most of the return trip Catie worked hard on the last minute revisions to the report. There had been some debate on what they needed to include and what should be left out - Edward wanted the whole bit with the bridge and the chimera excluded, which Catie argued was important to the narrative and besides, someone was going to notice the fact that the bridge was there and then it was gone - which of course had led to a good fifteen minutes of angry silent treatment. It was Catie's duty to write up the report, if only to stop them from having to submit multiple ones due to Edward's fairly atrocious handwriting. (And his penchant for finishing sentences with new and inventive derogatory terms for Colonel Mustang.)

This time, Alphonse had met them at the station. Catie knew Edward's little brother in passing - it was hard to forget a towering suit of armor with the voice of a boy. Alphonse bowed to her apologetically, already sensing the discord. "I hope brother behaved himself," he said with that strange hollow echo his voice had.

She couldn't help but think of the places Edward's hands had been just this morning. Remarkably, she didn't blush. "Nah," she said. "I only had to beat him half to death with a book once this trip." She glanced at Edward but he seemed to find everywhere to look but at her, and while that was kind of the point of all of this being a secret, she couldn't help but feel stung by it. "Shall we drop this report off at base?"

"I'll take it," Edward said, still managing to avoid looking directly at her. "Al'n'I have a lot of catching up to do."

Edward at least tossed off a wave, even if it was over his shoulder. Catie was left standing in the train station feeling a little put out at being so abruptly dismissed, and she finally skulked her way home.

She was being completely ridiculous. This entire 'keeping their relationship discrete' thing had been her idea in the first place. Catie sighed again and then glowered at the ceiling as someone knocked insistently at the front door.

The landlord had been by twice already, once kvetching about rent and the other about the mail she had forgotten to put a stop on. She considered ignoring the knocking but the landlord was a fussy older lady and if she did not answer the door the woman would let herself in. Catie got out of the bath and pulled a towel around herself, not bothering to dry completely off in the hopes that her sodden, sudsy state would be a good chance to excuse herself from another long-winded rant.

However, when she opened the door, it was not the landlord but instead a very winded Edward.

Catie blinked at him, unsure of what he was doing here. In fact, she was not even entirely sure he had ever even been to her flat before. She looked up and down the hallway, looking for the suit of armor. "Ed-?" Catie asked, the inquiry encompassing several questions.

"Sorry," Edward said, regaining his breath. He must have run all the way from base, since it took a decent amount of distance to wind him. "Sorry, I forgot something important."

"Oh shit," Catie said. "Did we leave something out of the report? I told you we needed to include the thing with the bridge-"

Edward took two large steps forward, over the threshold of the door and making Catie step back to avoid her bare feet being stepped on. Catie made a curious noise as Edward grabbed her by her chin and tugged her down into a kiss.

It was a brief kiss, but it was anything but chaste. Catie's eyes flew open and Edward grinned at her, even if it was slightly sheepish.

"Ed," Catie said again, the flush bright on her cheeks. "Close the damn door, would you?"

#

Her towel was sitting in a damp pile on top of one of Edward's boots. The other boot was still mostly on his foot, and his pants were down around his ankles. Catie smiled as she nestled her head under his chin - she might be taller than him, but she knew that Edward liked to pretend that he was taller one, and she was okay with that.

"I can't believe you ditched your brother," Catie said, tugging on the end of his frayed braid.

"I didn't ditch him," Edward said defensively. "He was watching a box of kittens that someone left on base. He probably hasn't even noticed I'm not there."

"You're horrible."

"I know."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Catie scruffed her damp hair as she finally sat up.

"I told you, I forgot something important." He was looking at her with those intense eyes of his, it was making her stomach flutter. He settled his hand on her side and encouraged her back down so he could kiss her tenderly.

Finally, Catie smiled.