You Won't Feel Flattered (Ace Attorney/Fullmetal Alchemist, Machi/Kimblee) Title: You Won't Feel Flattered Author:catdevigri Fandom: Crossover - Ace Attorney (Apollo Justice) x Fullmetal Alchemist Pairing/characters: Machi Tobaye/Solf J. Kimblee Rating: PG Warnings: None Word count: 509 Prompt/challenge you're answering: Somehow, Kimblee feels like Machi is someone he has met before... Author's comment: While my actual response to this prompt is small, thinking about and trying to write it triggered a very involved crossover focusing on these two characters (set in the world of Ace Attorney) that I'm still working on.
"Do I seem familiar to you?" Machi asked his wayward colleague. The feeling that they had met before this ridiculous association kept coming back to nag at him, but he resisted the idea of suddenly just asking, "Have we met before?" trying to come at the subject obliquely.
"What do you mean?"
Machi had a feeling that Kimblee knew exactly what he meant. He just enjoyed forcing the young man to spell things out. "Do I remind you of anyone?" Machi tried, noisily tapping his fingers on the tabletop. Kimblee had finally given up trying to add any milk or sugar to his coffee and chosen to remember that he liked it black. Just like Machi was sure that Kimblee asked him for clarification so often for the sake of being difficult, he was certain that if Kimblee cared to remember the way he took his coffee, he could have done so from the beginning. The man might be an eccentric and a criminal, but he was neither stupid nor forgetful.
"Yes, in some ways you do."
Machi turned to catch his eyes. What look did Kimblee wear on his face while saying something like this? ...Apparently a disarmingly sincere one. "And who that?"
"You won't like it if I tell you." Any ounce of calm sweetness evaporated from Kimblee's demeanor and he affected his usual sly grin.
"Is too late now. You have said so. You must tell me," Machi insisted, selling his demand, almost unconsciously, with a cute pout.
A twitch in Kimblee's upper lip that he was unable to hide quickly enough alerted Machi to his unintentionally coy actions. He smoothed his face instantly into a stony mask. He didn't want to give off the wrong idea. He didn't want to take this undesired partnership straight back into the territory of his last aborted working relationship. He breathed a sigh of relief as Kimblee chose not to comment on his body language. "In many ways, you have nothing in common, but if I had to liken you to anyone, I would say you remind me somewhat of my brother."
"I not realize you have any family," Machi answered neutrally. This response did nothing for him.
"He was a musician himself," Kimblee elaborated nonchalantly, leaning on the counter and sipping his coffee, "He played the piano, although he mainly wanted to be a composer. But he's been dead for years. Of course...you're by far the superior artist."
The more Machi heard on the subject, the less he liked the conclusions he drew from it. He did not want Kimblee to see him as anything like his late brother (undoubtedly a weak-willed hack), but he had been the one who asked. He would have to deal with that opinion or work to change the association. Having reached a point in his life where he no longer wanted to allow the others to call all the shots, he refused to leave things as they stood. "You remind me of someone as well," he started, "But I cannot decide who."