The Pen is Mightier! (penismightier) wrote in chaotic_library, @ 2013-02-19 22:22:00 |
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Current mood: | creative |
Current music: | Five Finger Death Punch - Coming Down |
[Edward Elric/Riza Hawkey; PG-13] That Summer: Chapter 4
Character/Series: Edward Elric/Riza Hawkeye; Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)
Rating: PG-13
Notes: AU to EoS. Generally, assume that Ed never went to Germany and the military group stayed status quo.
Title: That Summer Chapter 4: The Red Strokes
Author: yuuo
Word Count: 6968
Summary: Riza awoke slowly, aware of the bright sunlight coming through her bedroom window, the sounds of the morning birds twittering away on her bird feeders located just below her window, and the feeling of Edward snuggled up against her back, one arm draped over her waist.
Steam on the window, salt in a kiss.
Two hearts have never pounded like this.
Inspired by a vision,
That they can't command.
Erasing the borders
With each brush of a hand.
-Garth Brooks
Riza awoke slowly, aware of the bright sunlight coming through her bedroom window, the sounds of the morning birds twittering away on her bird feeders located just below her window, and the feeling of Edward snuggled up against her back, one arm draped over her waist.
She smiled, curling back against him, content to remain there for as long as she could. She could get used to waking up like this, in his embrace, warm and safe and hidden away from all her problems. He loved her, what did she need the military for? She wanted to sing, even if that would probably not be a good idea, given that her voice was mediocre at best. And she'd wake Edward, and she didn't want that, didn't want to leave this sensation just yet.
She'd dozed back off when she felt Edward's lips on the back of her sensitive neck and she shuddered. "Good morning," she said in a whisper, scared to break the morning serenity with speaking out loud.
He nuzzled her, then pushed himself up on his elbow a bit, looking past her. She looked up at him, then in the direction he was looking, finding herself looking right at her clock. It said ten. That couldn't be right, could it? She usually got up at seven, eight on bad days.
She saw him smile out of the corner of her eye and looked up at him. He grinned. "Looks like we slept in." He kissed her, a smoky sort of kiss, heated and slow, curling her toes and warming her blood.
"Do we have to get up?" she asked, curling her fingers against his cheek.
He kissed the tips of her fingers. "Well, not strictly, no, but I should work on the roof while we have good weather. And I don't think your bad hip would appreciate you staying in bed all day."
"Damn. You and your logic."
He chuckled. "It's a pesky thing, isn't it? Al thwarts me with it all the time." He kissed her, then yawned, sitting up and letting cold air hit her as he took the covers with him. She whined before she could help herself, and he leaned over her, kissing her on the cheek. "Come on, you, up."
"Oh, all right," she said, pushing herself up into a sitting position, legs dangling over the edge of her bed. Her feet hit the floor and she winced. The sunlight may be warm, but spring still had her floor cold.
She heard the door close behind and she looked back over her shoulder, saw that he'd left and closed the door to give her privacy. Right, his clothes were in his own room, they weren't on quite those intimate terms yet. She wanted it, worried that he may never want it, but that was a silly worry. People in love did that eventually. Her only real, legitimate worry was that her hip may never be up for lovemaking.
That possibility loomed ugly before her.
Well, something to worry about another time, for the moment. Right now, she needed to get dressed and join him for breakfast. His breakfasts were a morning perk, right up there with her strongest tea.
She got up and got dressed, pulling on a soft red cotton dress, just warm enough to ward off the chill of spring, but cool enough to welcome the heat of summer. And it was one Edward had complimented before, so obviously, it was something he liked. She checked herself in the mirror, brushing out the bedhead tangles, then braided her hair over her shoulder. There. Presentable.
She grabbed her cane and made her careful way down the stairs, praying, as she did every time, that every step her hip would cooperate with her, not give out and sending her tumbling.
Food hadn't been started yet, Edward just now pulling out a pan. but he was dressed for the day, jeans and a tank top that showed off his automail arm and some of the scarring around the port, right around his collar bone. She didn't find it unattractive at all, just another mark of the love he had to give. Love he was now sharing with her. She felt so giddy she could dance.
Edward smiled back at her. "Hey. Sit down, I'll cook."
"You usually do."
"That's because your idea of breakfast is dry toast and tea," he said with a laugh.
She frowned. "I do not eat dry toast. Heathen. And you forgot oatmeal."
He shook his head, his back to her as he cracked eggs onto the frying pan. "How could I ever forget oatmeal? You eat the best breakfast ever."
"Not all of us can cook, Edward."
"Yeah, but scrambled eggs to go with that for some protein aren't hard. Just crack the eggs and annoy them until they're cooked." He grinned back at her.
"That may be the most creative way to describe making food I've ever heard," she said. "Breda was too serious about the art to be creative."
Edward laughed. "Breda takes food seriously. I take eating seriously, but that's because of my automail. It's an energy hog. And if I'm going to be working today, I need the food."
"I know, Edward," she said. "I don't mind you making so much food. I know you eat most of it anyway. Which, I may add before you worry I'm not getting enough, is fine by me. I can't exercise like I used to, I don't want to eat so much and have to carry extra weight around on my bad hip."
"Next time we're around Winry, I'll have her help you come up with some rehab exercises you can do to keep your muscles strong without aggravating your hip," he said. "Rehab's sort of part of the process of getting automail, so she's pretty multi-functional. Surgeon, engineer, physical therapist, all rolled into one wrench-flinging package. So she can help you."
She smiled. "That's very kind of you. Are you sure she'd be willing to?"
"Oh yeah, she likes you," Edward assured her. "And you're important to me, that's good enough for her."
Riza smiled faintly. "It makes me acceptable, hm?"
Edward looked at her over his shoulder. "It makes you family, Riza. We Elrics take that seriously, and she's no different."
Family. The idea of being family to the Elric family, a family she'd watched grow over the years, a family she'd seen show loyalty even she wasn't sure she could match, it was a bit intimidating. But Edward had assured her of what she had to offer him, what he wanted from her, and she knew she could do that much.
"I suppose I should get used to that," she said as he served up the food, sausage patties and scrambled eggs with toast. "It smells delicious as usual, Edward."
"Thanks," he said, putting the pan in the sink and running hot water over it before taking his seat with his food. "Any plans for the day while I labor away in the hot sun?"
She crinkled up her nose. "Watch you, maybe?"
He actually turned red at that. "That'd be boring, Riza."
She laughed. "Yes, but it was worth it for that look on your face. No, I figure I'll finish the rugs, then clean a bit, then maybe read a book. I have a few more in a series I haven't finished."
"Interested in going out for dinner tonight?" he asked.
She blinked. "Where to? There's not really any place around here."
He looked back at his food. "Well, there's Chez Bubba. I'd rather take you to some place with a bit more class than to have the name 'Bubba' in it, but I think we may be out of luck on that one."
"I forgot about that place," she admitted, cutting into a sausage. "I've never gone there, so I suppose it just slipped my mind."
"Well, they have good barbecue," he said. "If you're interested."
Guilt settled on her. "I. I suppose I could give it a try." She hated barbecue! And there was nowhere else they could go in this tiny nowhere town.
He studied her for a moment, and she hated that look, like he was seeing right through her. "Never had barbecue?"
"Never liked it," she confessed, feeling her face on fire. She was sabotaging their first date before they'd even gone on it. Why had she chosen such a backwater town out in the sticks?
"Really?" He blinked. "Well, I'll remember not to cook any for you then." He smiled. "Good information to have. Okay, well, that's out, I didn't notice if they have anything other than barbecue. If we had someone to look after the animals, I'd take you out of town to somewhere bigger nearby, but I don't think we know anyone around here well enough for that."
She looked down at her plate. "I'm sorry, Edward, I'm afraid we're trapped here."
"That's not your fault and you shouldn't feel bad," he told her. "If you'd chosen any other place but this one, I never would've gotten called into your life because of a dried up well. I'll just come up with another way to treat you."
She hadn't considered it that way. The idea of never having him warming her life like a new sun on the horizon scared her, now that she knew what she had. Well, maybe it was just as well she'd picked this nowhere town in the boonies. "If you're certain," she conceded.
"I am. So eat." He finished off his plate, then stood. "I'm going to go get back on the roof, try to get that done before the spring storms hit and we're stuck with a leaky roof."
She smiled at him, feeling happier than she could remember being in a long time, if ever. She'd always felt the women in her romance books were silly things, so happy for something that they'd been just fine without before it came long, but having it now, she realized why those women were so starstruck after meeting their partners. It was a wonderful feeling, to be loved and held. She still wished they hadn't had to leave bed.
He put his plate in the sink, letting her deal with the domestic chores while he headed out. She finished her breakfast in silence, gave a small piece of sausage to Hayate, after making him go through his routine, then got up and started on the dishes. Mundane tasks didn't seem so dull now, free of that feeling of 'just another thing to do' that they'd taken on ever since she entered the military and had to grow up. Maybe this 'honeymoon' feeling wouldn't last and dishes would go back to being just another chore to get through, but for now, everything felt lighter, easier, happier.
She went about daily chores, starting with getting that last rug back into the house and on the floor. Around noon, she made sandwiches and went outside to let Edward know that lunch was ready.
Watching her step out of habit, even though Edward had repaired that bad step on her back stairs, she walked out into the backyard to look up at the roof. Edward had stripped out of his tanktop and flung it over the top run of his new ladder, and was crouched, pounding on the roof with his hammer and generally making a lot of noise.
But the sight of his bare back, the way muscles moved under skin, the way scars made their way across his shoulder girdle, the width of his shoulders, the size of his arms as he worked, were all very appealing, and she had to resist the urge to suggest he shower and she help him with washing his back. And other things.
Flushing furiously from her own fantasies, she let out an explosive sigh of air, then called up to him. "Edward, lunch is ready."
He looked back down at her, setting his hammer down. "I'll be right down. Don't let Hayate eat my share before I get there."
She laughed. "He knows better, Edward."
"Good," he said, sitting down on the edge of the roof and grabbing his shirt, pulling it back on. "I fight dirty when it comes to my food." He climbed down the ladder and walked over to her. "I'd offer you my arm, but I'm kinda sweaty and overheated," he said.
She stood up on her tiptoes, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for the offer, though," she said, trying to ignore the way her hip protested that whole tiptoe thing.
He grinned, following her inside. "So what'd you get done today so far?"
She shrugged. "Just the usual. The rug I hadn't gotten to yesterday, sweeping, dusting. I still need to scrub the floors, but I may put that off for tomorrow, depending on how my hip feels."
He pointed at her, giving her a stern look. "Don't overwork yourself. I mean that."
She sighed. "Edward, I know my limits," she assured him.
He sat down at the table, letting her bring him his plate. "Yeah, and you've been making a habit of pushing yourself past them," he reminded her. "I don't want to have to carry you up the stairs tonight, Riza."
She looked down at her plate as she grabbed it and walked over to join him at the table. "You won't have to," she said, not looking up at him. "Which is why I said I may put it off, depending on how my hip feels."
"Good." He took a bite of his sandwich, obviously lost in thought at that point.
She picked at her own food nervously. "You're showering tonight?" He made a noise of affirmation through a bite of sandwich. She looked up at him shyly. "Maybe I could wash your back for you, then."
He promptly choked on that bite he was working on, coughing and hacking once he got it down and reached for his water, sucking down half the glass. Riza stood, got behind him and clapped her hand on his back until he stopped coughing and shooed her away. "I'm sorry," she said, "that was forward of me."
"No, no," he said, coughed once more, took a drink, then sighed. "Wasn't that, Riza. Some of it was just timing. I wasn't expecting that when I was trying to chew."
She blushed, fighting back the urge to laugh a bit. "Sorry," she said, feeling only slightly guilty. It had been rather funny timing, in retrospect.
He looked at her until she felt herself blushing harder. "I don't think that'd be a good idea, Riza-"
She nodded, feeling miserably tiny, feeling unwanted and undesirable. "Okay, I apologize for-"
He reached over and put a finger to her lips. "I wasn't done," he said. "I don't think it'd be a good idea because I don't want us to lose our brains in the shower. If you think about the logistics of it, shower sex doesn't sound very comfortable or fun, especially not with your hip. I'd rather wait until we're in bed."
She looked up at him, relief flooding over her. She smiled, a bit watery-eyed. "Yes, that does sound more agreeable."
He brushed his fingers on his flesh hand, dirty and calloused, against her cheek. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off, so we know what your hip's up for tonight?"
She felt herself turning a furious shade of red. "I- ah, yes, I will." The her own evil streak kicked in and she grinned. "I think I'll take a bath while I wait on you."
He frowned. "Sure, give me mental images to distract me while I'm supposed to be working."
She laughed. "Don't worry, I won't get started without you."
"You better not," he grumbled, then downed the last of his sandwich, chased it with the rest of his water, then stood up. "Speaking of work, I better get back out there." He kissed her cheek before heading back outside with a wave.
Part of her dearly wished he didn't have to go back to work, that they could spend the rest of the day in bed, exploring each other, but that roof needed done before the storms of spring and summer hit. Responsibilities, as ever, took precedence.
She cleaned up the small mess lunch had made, then selected a new romance book to read while she soaked, and went upstairs to the bathroom. The chill in the air made the hot water welcome as she dumped some bath salts into the running water. She didn't have many left, she'd have to order some more from her grandfather. Nowhere around there sold something as non-essential as scented bath salts.
Although maybe Edward could make some. She'd have to ask.
She soaked until the water started turning tepid and her hip felt suitably relaxed from the waning heat. The book did nothing towards getting her out in a reasonable amount of time.
It was Edward's voice that pulled her out of her book and back to cooling water. "Riza? You okay in there?"
How long had she been in there? Enough time that her feet were wrinkled prunes. "I'm fine, Edward, I just lost track of time, I'll be right out."
"Mind if I come in?" he asked from the other side of the door.
Did she mind? Part of her did. She wasn't clothed, she wasn't even wrapped in a towel, but she had plans that would involve that eventually, so maybe her modesty wasn't the best reason to chicken out.
Another part of her wanted him to join her, to warm the water back up and touch her all over.
Well, she figured nothing like that would happen, Edward would probably just be looking to grab something or take her book from her before it distracted her further. "No, come on in," she said, pulling herself up to the edge of the tub to hide behind the porcelain.
He opened the door, stepping in and pausing, studying her for a moment. She flushed, but before she could say anything, he reached over and grabbed her book, setting it on the commode lid. "Come on, you, out of there. I have to shower before I can cook dinner."
"I am perfectly capable of getting out of a tub by myself, Edward," she protested, sitting back a bit.
He froze, then frowned. "Yes, I know, but I'm going to help you out this time, because the floor is slick and I don't want you hurt. Humor me."
She sighed heavily. "Oh, all right," she said. "You'd have me in a wheelchair for all the babying you do to me."
"Not true," he protested, crouching down and putting his arms under hers and slowly hauling her to her feet. "I'm babying you today because I thought we had plans tonight."
She blushed hard, clinging to him, her body molded against his as she carefully stepped out of the tub with his assistance. "S-so we did," she managed to say, her voice hushed. She wanted her hip at its best for that.
She shivered in the cool air as he let go of her, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead. "There. I'll step out so you can dry up and dress, then I'm taking a shower so I can get started on dinner."
Riza nodded, watched him with adoration as he stepped out, then got to drying herself and pulling on her robe. She babied herself with every step, walking back down the hall to her room to change. "Bathroom's free, Edward!" she called down the stairs as she passed them.
"Thanks!" he called back up, a pot hitting the stove, then his heavy, mismatched footsteps heading to the stairs.
She retreated to her room, poking through her closet for something nicer to wear, something suitable for their romantic evening together. But her closet was pitifully empty of anything of the sort, just a bunch of summer dresses and jeans and long-sleeved turtlenecks for the cold months.
Damnit. All her few nice clothes were back East at her grandparents' home. She finally gave up and selected a blue sundress, one that came to her knees and clinched at the waist. It was one she hadn't worn around him yet, so at least there'd be the surprise factor, even if she thought she looked mediocre in it.
Sorely tempted to ask him to carry her downstairs to save her hip the trouble, she pushed that thought aside and walked down to the stairs, one hand firmly on the banister and the other on her cane. Despite her excessive worry, she made it down in one piece, and made her way into the kitchen.
Edward was still in the shower when she got to the kitchen, so she fed Hayate, putting him through his paces before putting his food on the floor for him. Edward came down a few minutes later, quick in the shower, dressed in jeans and a button up that she hadn't seen him wearing yet. He stopped, staring at her as he finished tucking in the back of his shirt, then smiled. "That's a good dress on you. Haven't seen it before."
She blushed. "Same with you. I thought all you had were t-shirts and tank tops."
He grinned, stepping over to the stove. "I always keep one good shirt on hand, in case I need it," he said. "Now, what do you want for dinner?"
Biting her lip, she gave him an apologetic look. "Oh, Edward, I think I'm too nervous to be hungry."
He scratched his cheek, turning a funny shade of red. "Well, uh." He smiled faintly, looking down at the ground. "We could always eat afterwards."
"What, and get redressed?" Riza said. "Come on, we'll make something simple." She started to get up, but he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, making her sit back down.
"All right, all right, I'll make us something. Make up your mind, woman." He bent down and kissed her, a light kiss, then deeper, hungrier. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him as he stole her breath away. When he withdrew and rested his head against hers, his eyes were glassy. "Right, okay, we'll eat afterwards. Grab your cane."
She blinked, grabbing her cane, then gripped him tightly as he picked her up and gave her a heart attack. "Warning next time, Edward!"
He laughed, kissed her once, then headed for the stairs. "It's more fun this way," he said, as he took them up to her room.