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scriveynerTitle: suffer the agony
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Reverse'verse
Characters/Pairing: Ed/Rian
Rating: T
Length: 1289
Summary: When Edward sneezed three times in a row, Rian looked up and frowned.
When Edward sneezed three times in a row, Rian looked up and frowned. Edward sniffed unconvincingly, he had sneezed into the sleeve of his military jacket and wiped his gloved hand across his nose, still squinting at the packet of papers he held tight in his other hand. It was nearing the end of the month, and that meant overtime as they scrabbled to get in all the reports and have everything all straightened out before the new month began. As a liaison to the unit, technically Rian didn’t have anything to do with the reporting … his job was mostly a go-fer, courier position because he was supposed to be concentrating on research to further the military’s nebulous goals.
That being said, Edward wasn’t all that efficient when it came to paperwork. It wasn’t that he tried to shirk his duty, per se - but he would occasionally get a bug in his ear about something else going on on base, or get an idea for something arcane and obscure and spend half the day in the restricted section of the library before Captain Hawkeye would go fetch him herself.
Impressively, she was not standing over Edward this evening with her usually severe expression - her renowned sharpshooting and sniper skills had earned her a new alternate duty as squadron instructor. She had not been transferred out of the unit entirely - but now she would be found more often than not training with the active duty soldiers on base to make sure no one was slacking in their shooting scores. There had been much discussion about this slightly lateral move, including the Captain’s own hesitancy. But ultimately she had gone, and now three times a week the colonel was left alone to close up shop.
Rian watched Edward read with a concerned expression. He had been a bit more listless than usual recently - not that getting him out of bed in the morning was sunshine and roses, but it had grown exponentially more difficult. Rian had ascribed that to the weather, and the winter. Edward just didn’t do winter, he was always cranky and recalcitrant and somehow put on a mask of responsibility that didn’t quite fit while on the job. But Edward didn’t really get that sick - he had a constitution made of sheer force of will. He had taken two sick days in the time that Rian had known him, and he was only genuinely sick for one of them.
Edward snuffled a bit before sneezing again, and Rian sighed. “Colonel, you’re sick.”
Edward scrubbed his gloved hand over his nose again and didn’t look up. “’m fine,” he said. “Just got something in my nose.” He snuffled again and Rian winced.
“Don’t you have a handkerchief? That’s gross.”
“Uh.” Edward wrinkled his nose. “Maybe? I think I might have-” he stopped mid-thought to scrub his hand over his nose again. “No, no it’s definitely gone.”
Rian sighed and sat forward on the couch, closing the folder and setting it on the desk. “Let’s call it a night. Everyone else has already gone home, and the last thing you need is to start snotting on the reports. Captain Hawkeye’ll have kittens if she finds crusty goop on them.”
Edward sighed and put the folder down. “I’m not sick,” he enunciated.
“You sound like you’re talking through a towel,” Rian said.
“I’m just a little congested. I’ve been worse off.”
Rian shook his head as he straightened the folders on Edward’s desk. “You’re comparing physical injury to a cold again, colonel.” He pointed at Edward as Edward settled his chin in the same hand he’d been wiping his nose on. “Oh, gross. The gloves come off now. They need to be washed.”
Edward lifted his head. “The cold will get in my joints,” he whined.
“Colonels don’t get to whine,” Rian said. “Take them off.”
#
It was bitterly cold outside. Rian didn’t miss the way that Edward shivered, even as they bundled into the military vehicle. Lieutenant Havoc had been hanging around the canteen despite having been off duty for a few hours, so he had offered to drive them both home. Technically, Rian’s home was in the barracks with the other soldiers, but Havoc didn’t even make mention of stopping off there. It was a well-known secret that Rian had taken over as Edward’s official wrangler.
(In more senses than one.)
Edward sneezed seven times before Rian stopped counting. Havoc glanced back at them both in the rear view mirror. “You all right, boss?” he asked.
“Everyone keeps asking me that,” Edward said sullenly. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t SOUND fi-”
“I’m FINE, Lieutenant,” Edward said icily. Havoc’s eyes flitted to Rian’s, and Rian shrugged his shoulders slightly and rolled his eyes. Edward side-eyed the younger alchemist hard. “I saw that, Martin.”
The walk to the flat was still swept clear, although there were patches of shiny dark ice. They crunched through the slush to the door, and once through the door Edward let out a huge sigh, and then started coughing. Rian hadn’t even unwound his scarf yet. “You are so totally not all right,” Rian said sharply, and Edward inhaled a bit and gave Rian a weak glare.
“’m fin-”
“If you say "I’m fine” one more time, I am going to disconnect all of your automail and lock you in the bedroom for a week,“ Rian said, dead-serious. Edward glowered at him - Rian was still slightly shorter than he was, but that was due to change any time now.
"I’d like to see you try,” Edward rumbled dangerously.
Rian extended one hand and shoved Edward in the shoulder, hard. Edward stumbled back into the wall, his eyes wide with surprise at how easily he went. “You’re off your game, old man,” Rian said, his tone matched to Edward’s. “You’re sick, you’re weak, and you are going to go get undressed right this instant while I make dinner.” He started to unwind his scarf. “Pick the bed or the couch, I don’t care, but you are sitting the fuck down for a while.”
Edward opened his mouth to protest, thought better of it after a moment, and snapped his jaw shut. “I’m your commanding officer, you can’t treat me like this,” he muttered, but shucked off his coat anyway. He shuffled off down the hallway muttering something about Alphonse being a bad influence. Rian exhaled the breath he had been holding - sometimes all Edward needed was someone to bully him in the right direction. Rian sniffed a bit and rubbed the back of his hand over his nose as he hung his scarf up.
Man, if he caught whatever creeping crud Edward had, he was going to make the colonel pay.
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Reverse'verse
Characters/Pairing: Ed/Rian
Rating: T
Length: 1289
Summary: When Edward sneezed three times in a row, Rian looked up and frowned.
When Edward sneezed three times in a row, Rian looked up and frowned. Edward sniffed unconvincingly, he had sneezed into the sleeve of his military jacket and wiped his gloved hand across his nose, still squinting at the packet of papers he held tight in his other hand. It was nearing the end of the month, and that meant overtime as they scrabbled to get in all the reports and have everything all straightened out before the new month began. As a liaison to the unit, technically Rian didn’t have anything to do with the reporting … his job was mostly a go-fer, courier position because he was supposed to be concentrating on research to further the military’s nebulous goals.
That being said, Edward wasn’t all that efficient when it came to paperwork. It wasn’t that he tried to shirk his duty, per se - but he would occasionally get a bug in his ear about something else going on on base, or get an idea for something arcane and obscure and spend half the day in the restricted section of the library before Captain Hawkeye would go fetch him herself.
Impressively, she was not standing over Edward this evening with her usually severe expression - her renowned sharpshooting and sniper skills had earned her a new alternate duty as squadron instructor. She had not been transferred out of the unit entirely - but now she would be found more often than not training with the active duty soldiers on base to make sure no one was slacking in their shooting scores. There had been much discussion about this slightly lateral move, including the Captain’s own hesitancy. But ultimately she had gone, and now three times a week the colonel was left alone to close up shop.
Rian watched Edward read with a concerned expression. He had been a bit more listless than usual recently - not that getting him out of bed in the morning was sunshine and roses, but it had grown exponentially more difficult. Rian had ascribed that to the weather, and the winter. Edward just didn’t do winter, he was always cranky and recalcitrant and somehow put on a mask of responsibility that didn’t quite fit while on the job. But Edward didn’t really get that sick - he had a constitution made of sheer force of will. He had taken two sick days in the time that Rian had known him, and he was only genuinely sick for one of them.
Edward snuffled a bit before sneezing again, and Rian sighed. “Colonel, you’re sick.”
Edward scrubbed his gloved hand over his nose again and didn’t look up. “’m fine,” he said. “Just got something in my nose.” He snuffled again and Rian winced.
“Don’t you have a handkerchief? That’s gross.”
“Uh.” Edward wrinkled his nose. “Maybe? I think I might have-” he stopped mid-thought to scrub his hand over his nose again. “No, no it’s definitely gone.”
Rian sighed and sat forward on the couch, closing the folder and setting it on the desk. “Let’s call it a night. Everyone else has already gone home, and the last thing you need is to start snotting on the reports. Captain Hawkeye’ll have kittens if she finds crusty goop on them.”
Edward sighed and put the folder down. “I’m not sick,” he enunciated.
“You sound like you’re talking through a towel,” Rian said.
“I’m just a little congested. I’ve been worse off.”
Rian shook his head as he straightened the folders on Edward’s desk. “You’re comparing physical injury to a cold again, colonel.” He pointed at Edward as Edward settled his chin in the same hand he’d been wiping his nose on. “Oh, gross. The gloves come off now. They need to be washed.”
Edward lifted his head. “The cold will get in my joints,” he whined.
“Colonels don’t get to whine,” Rian said. “Take them off.”
It was bitterly cold outside. Rian didn’t miss the way that Edward shivered, even as they bundled into the military vehicle. Lieutenant Havoc had been hanging around the canteen despite having been off duty for a few hours, so he had offered to drive them both home. Technically, Rian’s home was in the barracks with the other soldiers, but Havoc didn’t even make mention of stopping off there. It was a well-known secret that Rian had taken over as Edward’s official wrangler.
(In more senses than one.)
Edward sneezed seven times before Rian stopped counting. Havoc glanced back at them both in the rear view mirror. “You all right, boss?” he asked.
“Everyone keeps asking me that,” Edward said sullenly. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t SOUND fi-”
“I’m FINE, Lieutenant,” Edward said icily. Havoc’s eyes flitted to Rian’s, and Rian shrugged his shoulders slightly and rolled his eyes. Edward side-eyed the younger alchemist hard. “I saw that, Martin.”
The walk to the flat was still swept clear, although there were patches of shiny dark ice. They crunched through the slush to the door, and once through the door Edward let out a huge sigh, and then started coughing. Rian hadn’t even unwound his scarf yet. “You are so totally not all right,” Rian said sharply, and Edward inhaled a bit and gave Rian a weak glare.
“’m fin-”
“If you say "I’m fine” one more time, I am going to disconnect all of your automail and lock you in the bedroom for a week,“ Rian said, dead-serious. Edward glowered at him - Rian was still slightly shorter than he was, but that was due to change any time now.
"I’d like to see you try,” Edward rumbled dangerously.
Rian extended one hand and shoved Edward in the shoulder, hard. Edward stumbled back into the wall, his eyes wide with surprise at how easily he went. “You’re off your game, old man,” Rian said, his tone matched to Edward’s. “You’re sick, you’re weak, and you are going to go get undressed right this instant while I make dinner.” He started to unwind his scarf. “Pick the bed or the couch, I don’t care, but you are sitting the fuck down for a while.”
Edward opened his mouth to protest, thought better of it after a moment, and snapped his jaw shut. “I’m your commanding officer, you can’t treat me like this,” he muttered, but shucked off his coat anyway. He shuffled off down the hallway muttering something about Alphonse being a bad influence. Rian exhaled the breath he had been holding - sometimes all Edward needed was someone to bully him in the right direction. Rian sniffed a bit and rubbed the back of his hand over his nose as he hung his scarf up.
Man, if he caught whatever creeping crud Edward had, he was going to make the colonel pay.
