General-says-what? (An Edward Elric love story) {Fluff and Depression... somehow, it works...}

I woke to feeling something moving under me. It was, actually, really odd. I didn’t really think that the feeling of breasts against my back would exactly get me off, and this just really seals the deal. I mean, seriously, no offence to anyone, but I’m a total straight chick (well, against my back anyway… though the confined space may be what’s making me say that…).

I opened my mouth to say something, but an arm clapped around my mouth again and a pair of lips shushed me in my ears.

It was then that I realized that whatever was around us was moving. Oh, wait, that meant I was in Al, oh, right! I’m with Ma-

I leaned back as hard as I could and listened to her grunt. “Don’t start this now,” she warned and I felt a pair of teeth graze against my ear.

I bit her hand back and kicked at the armor plate in front of me “LET ME OUT, ALPHONSE! IT SMELLS LIKE UGLY-ASS SNAKE IN HERE!”

“Don’t do it, Al!” Marta warned from behind me, clutching me tighter so that I had to struggle harder to get free.

“ALPHONSE ELRIC!” I screamed and fought and writhed until I couldn’t breathe. “Seriously, Al, I can’t breathe in here, let me out!” I pounded my fists against his chest, serious this time. At one point, as my lungs burned, I missed and fell out, landing on my left side and slamming my cheek into the grass.

I was coughing before I hit the ground and my ankles felt scraped, but not bleeding.

I finished coughing and rolled onto my back, gasping as I closed my eyes.

“Are you ok, Aqua?”

“I will tell you what I tell your brother. You’ll get the same answer every time and it’s that I am fine, so stop asking.” I mumbled under my breath, reaching up to feel my eyes. I moved my wrist down to cover them as I looked up secretly, grabbing my glasses and slipped them on, happily.

That weird guy who I had heard Marta mutter about being Greed during our “fight” leaned over me and asked “Are you done yet?”

I kicked up, slamming my foot into his stomach and successfully breaking my toe in the process. “Don’t rush me!” I was happy for my high pain tolerance and smiled as I stood up, wiping my mouth of blood. I noticed his shocked face but he just shrugged and ran in the other direction. I started jumping around on my normal foot. I stood up right when Greed glanced back.

“Al,” I asked, distastefully as I turned my nose up in his direction. “How can you stand having that she-witch inside you? It’s positively disgusting!”

“Why are you so adamant on hating me?” Marta snapped from inside of him.

“Why did you have to start the war!”

“Why do you have to linger on the past!”

“Why did you have to take the last of my family away from me?!”

“Why are you so selfish?!”

“Why are you such an idiot!”

By now, my cheeks were soaked and I was holding back coughs again. I didn’t last long and immediately started coughing.

~!~

I ended up staying with Al even after Marta left the next morning. It was simple as to why, really. Can you guess? I bet you can’t. But, anyway, Ed found us, with me slumped over against Al as he was in his “power down” mode and I dozed, waking every five seconds. He ended up wiping at my chin—which had dried blood, no doubt—and picking me up as he woke up Al. There was a hollow sound to his voice, and I really wanted to hug him and chase it away—to make everything better again.

“Edward,” I muttered, quietly with my lips against his shoulder.

“Yeah?” He asked, quietly. “Do you want me to put you down?”

I shook my head, just enough for him to notice as I reached up and lightly laid my hand on his metal shoulder. “No. You’re warm and comfortable. Hell, strong if you can lift me.”

“You’re light.”

“Show off,” I pouted and smiled up at him again, nuzzling into his shoulder with my cheek now. “Anyway, I just wanted to say that whatever happened to make you sound so haunted happened and we don’t love you any less no matter what happened, ok?”

There was a light chuckle and he held me closer—I swear to god, he’s fucking Hercules—and I knew he nodded as he said, quietly, “yeah, I know.”

“Then stop being such a fucking priss, idiot. If you’re tired, say so and I’ll walk and let Al carry you ‘cus’ there’s no fucking way I’ll be able to lift you.”

“Didn’t you just say that you didn’t want me to put you down?”

“Yes. I said I didn’t want to, but I’ll get down if you need me to.”

He shrugged and I leaned up, kissing his cheek before leaning against him again.

~!~

“I’m not sure what to say now, teacher, except that I’m sorry for all the trouble we’ve caused.” Edward apologized as we were getting ready to leave.

I leaned back on my heels, a blank expression on my face as I leaned onto my toes again and back once more. “We’re gonna go find Uncle now. With the other Ishbalan’s, too. We’re intertwined in fate now, where will she lead us next?” But, as we shared a passing glance, we both knew what was next, no matter how long either of us would make it.

“If we stayed here, we’d only bring more trouble,” Al explained.

“There’s a chance the military will come looking for you after all that’s happened….”

“Spare me, Ed,” Izumi cut him off with that gentle, motherly voice of hers and I couldn’t help but think that half of it was because of what would come next for me. The other half, was because she was Izumi and she was the best mother figure I knew. “If you guys start worrying about me, it really is the end of the world. Your goal is still the same, then?”

“Yes,” Al answered.

“We’ve gone through way too much to abandon it now,” Ed continued in that lost look of his. We’re going to keep on moving and get our bodies back,” he finally looked up, that determined look of his back into his face that made me smile gently.

Because I wouldn’t be there when it happened.

“We’ll meet again,” She guaranteed.

“I hope,” He agreed.

I stood there f or a moment longer, staring at her gently before getting their attention as I told her, “I’ve made it one, and they don’t need another, y’hear?”

Izumi stood there for a while, just staring at me before she cracked the smallest smile and closed her eyes, reassuringly. “Don’t give up like that so easily, Aqua. There’s always time in between, isn’t there? Let’s have you not make it the second—the other way around would be too devastating to more than just these three. There’s your father, too, you know.”

“I know,” I nodded, gently. “And as much of an optimistic knuckle-head as he is, he’s been able to take my mind off of that. But it’s inevitable, isn’t it? I’ve been evading it too long, and as much as I’m not ready for it, I’m going to face it head on.”

She walked forward and I expected her to place her hand on my shoulder, but instead, she slapped me (which I did expect) and pulled me into a startling hug. I smiled and hugged back, leaning against her and hugging her just as tightly. “Don’t worry, Aqua,” she told me in my ear as we stood there. “You’ll never be ready.”

And we were sent on our way.

“What was that about?” Edward asked as we walked away.

“You’ll find out—in due time.”

“Aqua” he warned.

“Ed,” I retaliated and paused before proposing “race you to the forest edge.”

“No.”

“C’mon, I’ll go easy on you!” I retorted and turned around so I was walking backwards. “C’mon, please?” I begged.

Yes, begged, go fuck yourself.

“No.”

“Edward!”

“I don’t feel like it, Aqua.”

“C’mon, we only live once.” I pointed out. “This will be the only time you may be able to race me!”

“Why wouldn’t I be able to any other time,” he arched his brow.

“Cus I feel like racing now! Any other time and it’ll be too late!”

“Fine,” he sighed, and I grinned giddily, because I had actually managed to convince him of the impossible! I mean, how cool is that?

“AQUA!” We turned to look at Izumi, who was calling out “If I ever hear you talking like that again, I’ll kill you!”

I burst out laughing and smiled waving to her before turning to Ed and counting down.

Even with a cheat-head-start I was standing there, pouting as I glared at Edward, who was laughing his ass off and smiling giddily.

“Who won?” Winry asked.

“Cheater!” I snapped at him.

“Cheater? You’re the one that started early!”

“You’re the one that pulled ahead of me!”

“How is that cheating?”

“I don’t know, but it is!”

He laughed harder, and I smiled warmly, watching it. He was out of his funk.

I looked up at the cloudless sky.

Now why can’t I get out of mine?