ext_102820 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
kagome-angel.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
kinkfest2011-02-08 10:59 pm
kagome-angel.livejournal.com) wrote in kinkfest2011-02-08 10:59 pm
Entry tags:
Seize All Opportunities, Suffer No Losses [FMA - Ling/Ed, PG-13]
Title: Seize All Opportunities, Suffer No Losses
Author: Kagome
Series: Brotherhood/the manga
Word Count: 2,179
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Ling/Ed
Summary: A wise emperor once told me…
Warnings: humor, groping, silliness, some sexual situations.
Notes: Written for the prompt, “Ed/Ling: Public displays of affection – Stop touching me.”
Seize All Opportunities, Suffer No Losses
Ed began to regret his decision to visit the Emperor of Xing as soon as said Emperor met him outside of the palace walls, wearing that familiar warm and goofy smile and holding his arms open in a very obvious invitation for an embrace, which Ed took without hesitation despite what should have been his better judgment.
(However, his better judgment did not exist at this particular point in time, because he was too busy staring and trying to look like he wasn’t staring—and probably failing and hell, wasn’t it pretty rude to gawk at an emperor like that?)
Mind you, it wasn’t the embrace itself that caused the regret, but rather the event which took place a few seconds later, which caught Ed entirely off-guard, and made him break away from the perfectly innocent (and admittedly rather pleasant) hug that he was sharing with his old friend (and former lover, but that was a thing of the past, was it not?).
The past often came to bite you in the ass when you least expected it, but knowing the man whom Ed was currently latched onto, he should have expected something, but he did not because he was too busy being blindsided by memories that he currently considered to be quite mushy and inappropriate.
So imagine his absolute shock when those warm hands stopped drawing comforting, nonsensical circles and other such patterns on his back and instead decided to head south for the winter, as it were (nevermind that it was perfectly sunny and warm in Xing at this time of year). The Emperor of Xing gave Ed’s rear a nice little squeeze, and Ed released an entirely undignified and unmanly yelp, nearly leaping away from the other man (and nearly tripping over his own feet) in his hurry to get some distance between them.
The men (whom Ed did not recognize) that were accompanying Ling (apparently servants and/or guards of some sort) looked at him like he was utterly insane. The one bodyguard that Ed did recognize (the unquestionably ever-present Lan Fan) was giving him a flat look that clearly stated, haven’t you learned by now?. Obviously, Ed had not, or he had simply forgotten, or erroneously believed that Ling’s status as Emperor had changed him somehow—made him more… proper and less… grope-y.
Ling was staring at him with that familiar shit-eating grin, and Ed was seething and blushing and biting his tongue, trying his damndest to not yell and grab the nearest solid object and bash Ling over the head with it.
“Welcome to Xing,” Ling said with a flourish before reaching his hand forward, gentle fingers brushing errant strands of gold away from Ed’s face.
Ed just did some strange mix of gaping and glowering (which he was sure looked ridiculous) as he wondered why the ones accompanying Ling (sans Lan Fan) did not look at their Emperor as if he were mad (which Ling was, no doubt about that).
But, no! The looks of ridicule were reserved for Ed and Ed alone; Ed chalked it up to the fact that Ling was the Emperor of this country and could probably pretty much do whatever he damn well pleased.
On the other hand, if Ed were to do what he (kind of) wanted to do right now, he would undoubtedly be murdered on the spot, and he did not want to die today, so he told Ling through gritted teeth: “It’s nice to be here.”
(And, for all of his shock and his borderline-anger, he means it.)
Ling’s smile widens. “Come, let us begin the tour. Once we are within the palace, I shall show you how real tea tastes, and you’ll also have your choice of food from this afternoon’s menu. I will translate for you, of course.” There is a pause, and Ling tilts his head to one side. “I am certain that we will enjoy catching up.”
The subtle change in Ling’s voice (the deepening of it, the addition of that familiar teasing lilt) does not go unnoticed by Ed. His heart does this funny pitter-patter thing and his stomach ties itself into little knots that always seemed to be the norm when Ling was near him, before.
The past collided with the present, and Ling’s bright smile made Ed’s would-be-could-be anger and definite annoyance scatter like ashes in the wind, or like citizens fleeing from what promised to be a massacre.
He always found it a difficult task to stay angry and annoyed at the ridiculous, remarkable man before him.
~*~
… Until said ridiculous, remarkable man did something else to make him angry and annoyed, of course. Ling seemed to do these sorts of things often and with great glee. He’d always said that Ed was irresistibly sexy when angry, and today, Ling was milking it for all that it was worth.
Ed did not like public displays of affection, especially when these sorts of displays involved touches that were anything but innocent.
Ling took full advantage of this throughout the entire tour—touching Ed at every opportunity that presented itself. Whether it was his knee or his cheek or his hair or his lips or areas dangerously close to his groin, Ling took obvious delight in touching any area within reach, and Ed was left feeling equal levels of annoyance, anger, and frustration of a very sexual nature.
(Which was exactly what he knew Ling wanted, and this only served to piss him off even more).
Ed somehow managed to take all of the manhandling with a smidgen of self-control, for the sheer sake of saving face and keeping the peace in front of Ling’s little entourage.
… For the most part, anyway.
It was only when they had settled back in their chairs – stuffed from their evening meal – did Ling decide to take things a little too far. Again, Ed should have expected this instead of giving the Emperor the benefit of the doubt. Damn him and his ‘second chances’ bullshit frame of mind.
Ling’s hand wandered beneath the tablecloth, unhindered, and right onto Ed’s right thigh. Ed squirmed a little and tried to shoot Ling a warning glare while his body reacted to the touch without his permission, and Ling ignored his feeble attempt as that same hand slid higher up, and Ed’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
“Stop touching me!” he yelled in a rather commanding tone, and the servant who’d come in to take their empty meal trays away from them paused and gaped at Ed like he’d just set the entire palace on fire. Even though Ed knew that he probably did not understand his language, the servant had to have understood what that tone meant, and he was undoubtedly shocked by it.
Ed glanced surreptitiously to his left, where Lan Fan and another guard stood. The male guard looked as shocked as the servant and he looked angry as well. The blade of a sword flashed for just that moment as the guard unsheathed his weapon just enough for Ed to worry a bit, and there was a dangerous look in his eyes, one that said, you do not insult or threaten our Emperor and get away with it.
Lan Fan, who stood to the man’s right, looked unsurprised and somewhat bored, like this was an everyday occurrence that she was well used to at this point.
Ling smiled that trademark dumbass smile of his, and waved away the male guard’s concern. He spoke to the man in their native tongue, and the guard bowed in what Ed could only figure was some weird mixture of understanding and apology.
Suddenly, Ed and Ling were alone, and Ling’s smile turned decidedly predatory. “So, I was thinking… since it’s getting late, I should show you the bath.”
Ed shook his head. “Ling, I came here to catch up, yeah, but I also came here for research, and--”
Ling pushed his chair away from the table and stood. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against the shell of Ed’s ear. “I know, and I will not keep you from your research, but can you not begin said research tomorrow instead of today?”
Ed closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. It wasn’t impatience that got the better of him this time, but something of an entirely different nature.
“… I suppose you’re right,” he acquiesced, without much thought on the subject.
Couldn’t really say ‘no’ to the Emperor, after all, could he?
(Truth be told, his inability to deny the other man had very little to do with status—he’d always had this particular problem with Ling, and time and distance had proven to not change that particular fact in the slightest.)
~*~
Ed had to admit that the bath was quite relaxing, but also quite strange—large enough for several people.
That particular fact apparently did not register in Ling’s mind, for he was pretty much as close to Ed as humanly possible, fingers gently and soothingly petting (and getting tangled in) Ed’s wet hair.
“I told you that you’d like the bath,” Ling pointed out, and Ed grunted in reply, which was his way of saying both ‘shut up’ and ‘yeah, I know’.
“It’s awfully large,” Ed commented, not bothering to berate Ling for all of his little smiles and touches—at least they were alone here.
“Well, multiple people taking a bath in a shared space isn’t uncommon in my culture,” Ling replied matter-of-factly. “Of course, this particular space is only available to myself and to those I choose to invite here.”
Ed snorted. “What, like your entire harem?”
Ling gasped in what Ed knew to be feigned offense. “Not the entire harem, no. And tonight, it’s reserved entirely for us. Just you and me.”
Ed rolled his eyes. “Oh, I feel so very special.”
Ling suddenly grew very serious, and pressed a fierce kiss to Ed’s forehead, which made Ed blush. “You should, you know. You are.”
Of course, Ling’s comment only made Ed blush all the more. “You can stop with that mushy stuff,” he said, ducking his head and burying his face in Ling’s neck. “It’s not necessary.”
Ling’s fingers trailed playfully along his back. “Oh, but it is. What good would it do to not seize the opportunity to sweet-talk you?”
Ed snorted once again, though this time the sound was muffled by the skin of Ling’s throat. “Speaking of ‘opportunity’, what was with you today? Being all touchy-feely in public like that? I came to kind of expect that in Amestris, but… here?”
Ling chuckled. “You think that would have changed? But if you really want to know why, I will say this: One should seize every possible opportunity that one stumbles upon; in that way, one shall suffer no losses.”
Ed actually mulled this over for a moment before coming to a conclusion: “I think that’s just your excuse to be a pervert in public.”
Ling did a full belly-laugh, and tugged Ed impossibly closer, murmuring against his lips, “Well, are you complaining?”
“… Not really,” Ed confessed.
Well, not anymore, at least.
~*~
The days that followed fell forward far too rapidly for Ed’s liking—mornings bleeding into afternoons bleeding into nights so that dawn could be greeted once again, and when his mind wasn’t on research, it was on Ling. His time was divided between the two, although on most days, Ling admittedly received the better portion of Ed’s time… and it was nice. It was good.
Unfortunately, all good things came to an end. Ed had responsibilities elsewhere, and Ling had responsibilities within his own country that he had to attend to.
Things which did not involve private moments within Ling’s lavish bedroom.
Neither of them was great with goodbyes, and so they didn’t really bother—not as far as words went, anyway.
Their parting was a mirror image of their greeting that had taken place a month prior: Now it was Ed who was groping Ling, although the Emperor took it all in stride instead of shying away from it.
“My, my,” Ling said, sounding pleasantly surprised. “I never wound have expected this of you.”
“An Emperor that I know recently told me something along the lines of: ‘seize all opportunities and suffer no losses,’” Ed replied, smirking. “I’m paraphrasing, of course.”
Ling returned his grin. “He sounds like a very wise man.”
Ed gave Ling’s rear another squeeze before stepping back, nodding. “He has his moments.”
“He will have more of those moments in the future, when you return.” Ling’s voice was quiet, hopeful.
There was that ache again, but it was eased by the promise of tomorrow as Ed nodded in agreement. “We’ll see, when I return.”
It was a good farewell, as far as farewells go, Ed supposed. He left without feeling any sorrow, though, for they had went their separate ways before, only to reunite once again. They were like the ocean and the shore: parting only to meet yet again.
This time would be no different.
~END~
--------------------------------------------
This actually wound up giving me less trouble than I figured it would. XD I hope the one who requested this prompt enjoyed it!
Author: Kagome
Series: Brotherhood/the manga
Word Count: 2,179
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Ling/Ed
Summary: A wise emperor once told me…
Warnings: humor, groping, silliness, some sexual situations.
Notes: Written for the prompt, “Ed/Ling: Public displays of affection – Stop touching me.”
Ed began to regret his decision to visit the Emperor of Xing as soon as said Emperor met him outside of the palace walls, wearing that familiar warm and goofy smile and holding his arms open in a very obvious invitation for an embrace, which Ed took without hesitation despite what should have been his better judgment.
(However, his better judgment did not exist at this particular point in time, because he was too busy staring and trying to look like he wasn’t staring—and probably failing and hell, wasn’t it pretty rude to gawk at an emperor like that?)
Mind you, it wasn’t the embrace itself that caused the regret, but rather the event which took place a few seconds later, which caught Ed entirely off-guard, and made him break away from the perfectly innocent (and admittedly rather pleasant) hug that he was sharing with his old friend (and former lover, but that was a thing of the past, was it not?).
The past often came to bite you in the ass when you least expected it, but knowing the man whom Ed was currently latched onto, he should have expected something, but he did not because he was too busy being blindsided by memories that he currently considered to be quite mushy and inappropriate.
So imagine his absolute shock when those warm hands stopped drawing comforting, nonsensical circles and other such patterns on his back and instead decided to head south for the winter, as it were (nevermind that it was perfectly sunny and warm in Xing at this time of year). The Emperor of Xing gave Ed’s rear a nice little squeeze, and Ed released an entirely undignified and unmanly yelp, nearly leaping away from the other man (and nearly tripping over his own feet) in his hurry to get some distance between them.
The men (whom Ed did not recognize) that were accompanying Ling (apparently servants and/or guards of some sort) looked at him like he was utterly insane. The one bodyguard that Ed did recognize (the unquestionably ever-present Lan Fan) was giving him a flat look that clearly stated, haven’t you learned by now?. Obviously, Ed had not, or he had simply forgotten, or erroneously believed that Ling’s status as Emperor had changed him somehow—made him more… proper and less… grope-y.
Ling was staring at him with that familiar shit-eating grin, and Ed was seething and blushing and biting his tongue, trying his damndest to not yell and grab the nearest solid object and bash Ling over the head with it.
“Welcome to Xing,” Ling said with a flourish before reaching his hand forward, gentle fingers brushing errant strands of gold away from Ed’s face.
Ed just did some strange mix of gaping and glowering (which he was sure looked ridiculous) as he wondered why the ones accompanying Ling (sans Lan Fan) did not look at their Emperor as if he were mad (which Ling was, no doubt about that).
But, no! The looks of ridicule were reserved for Ed and Ed alone; Ed chalked it up to the fact that Ling was the Emperor of this country and could probably pretty much do whatever he damn well pleased.
On the other hand, if Ed were to do what he (kind of) wanted to do right now, he would undoubtedly be murdered on the spot, and he did not want to die today, so he told Ling through gritted teeth: “It’s nice to be here.”
(And, for all of his shock and his borderline-anger, he means it.)
Ling’s smile widens. “Come, let us begin the tour. Once we are within the palace, I shall show you how real tea tastes, and you’ll also have your choice of food from this afternoon’s menu. I will translate for you, of course.” There is a pause, and Ling tilts his head to one side. “I am certain that we will enjoy catching up.”
The subtle change in Ling’s voice (the deepening of it, the addition of that familiar teasing lilt) does not go unnoticed by Ed. His heart does this funny pitter-patter thing and his stomach ties itself into little knots that always seemed to be the norm when Ling was near him, before.
The past collided with the present, and Ling’s bright smile made Ed’s would-be-could-be anger and definite annoyance scatter like ashes in the wind, or like citizens fleeing from what promised to be a massacre.
He always found it a difficult task to stay angry and annoyed at the ridiculous, remarkable man before him.
~*~
… Until said ridiculous, remarkable man did something else to make him angry and annoyed, of course. Ling seemed to do these sorts of things often and with great glee. He’d always said that Ed was irresistibly sexy when angry, and today, Ling was milking it for all that it was worth.
Ed did not like public displays of affection, especially when these sorts of displays involved touches that were anything but innocent.
Ling took full advantage of this throughout the entire tour—touching Ed at every opportunity that presented itself. Whether it was his knee or his cheek or his hair or his lips or areas dangerously close to his groin, Ling took obvious delight in touching any area within reach, and Ed was left feeling equal levels of annoyance, anger, and frustration of a very sexual nature.
(Which was exactly what he knew Ling wanted, and this only served to piss him off even more).
Ed somehow managed to take all of the manhandling with a smidgen of self-control, for the sheer sake of saving face and keeping the peace in front of Ling’s little entourage.
… For the most part, anyway.
It was only when they had settled back in their chairs – stuffed from their evening meal – did Ling decide to take things a little too far. Again, Ed should have expected this instead of giving the Emperor the benefit of the doubt. Damn him and his ‘second chances’ bullshit frame of mind.
Ling’s hand wandered beneath the tablecloth, unhindered, and right onto Ed’s right thigh. Ed squirmed a little and tried to shoot Ling a warning glare while his body reacted to the touch without his permission, and Ling ignored his feeble attempt as that same hand slid higher up, and Ed’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
“Stop touching me!” he yelled in a rather commanding tone, and the servant who’d come in to take their empty meal trays away from them paused and gaped at Ed like he’d just set the entire palace on fire. Even though Ed knew that he probably did not understand his language, the servant had to have understood what that tone meant, and he was undoubtedly shocked by it.
Ed glanced surreptitiously to his left, where Lan Fan and another guard stood. The male guard looked as shocked as the servant and he looked angry as well. The blade of a sword flashed for just that moment as the guard unsheathed his weapon just enough for Ed to worry a bit, and there was a dangerous look in his eyes, one that said, you do not insult or threaten our Emperor and get away with it.
Lan Fan, who stood to the man’s right, looked unsurprised and somewhat bored, like this was an everyday occurrence that she was well used to at this point.
Ling smiled that trademark dumbass smile of his, and waved away the male guard’s concern. He spoke to the man in their native tongue, and the guard bowed in what Ed could only figure was some weird mixture of understanding and apology.
Suddenly, Ed and Ling were alone, and Ling’s smile turned decidedly predatory. “So, I was thinking… since it’s getting late, I should show you the bath.”
Ed shook his head. “Ling, I came here to catch up, yeah, but I also came here for research, and--”
Ling pushed his chair away from the table and stood. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against the shell of Ed’s ear. “I know, and I will not keep you from your research, but can you not begin said research tomorrow instead of today?”
Ed closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. It wasn’t impatience that got the better of him this time, but something of an entirely different nature.
“… I suppose you’re right,” he acquiesced, without much thought on the subject.
Couldn’t really say ‘no’ to the Emperor, after all, could he?
(Truth be told, his inability to deny the other man had very little to do with status—he’d always had this particular problem with Ling, and time and distance had proven to not change that particular fact in the slightest.)
~*~
Ed had to admit that the bath was quite relaxing, but also quite strange—large enough for several people.
That particular fact apparently did not register in Ling’s mind, for he was pretty much as close to Ed as humanly possible, fingers gently and soothingly petting (and getting tangled in) Ed’s wet hair.
“I told you that you’d like the bath,” Ling pointed out, and Ed grunted in reply, which was his way of saying both ‘shut up’ and ‘yeah, I know’.
“It’s awfully large,” Ed commented, not bothering to berate Ling for all of his little smiles and touches—at least they were alone here.
“Well, multiple people taking a bath in a shared space isn’t uncommon in my culture,” Ling replied matter-of-factly. “Of course, this particular space is only available to myself and to those I choose to invite here.”
Ed snorted. “What, like your entire harem?”
Ling gasped in what Ed knew to be feigned offense. “Not the entire harem, no. And tonight, it’s reserved entirely for us. Just you and me.”
Ed rolled his eyes. “Oh, I feel so very special.”
Ling suddenly grew very serious, and pressed a fierce kiss to Ed’s forehead, which made Ed blush. “You should, you know. You are.”
Of course, Ling’s comment only made Ed blush all the more. “You can stop with that mushy stuff,” he said, ducking his head and burying his face in Ling’s neck. “It’s not necessary.”
Ling’s fingers trailed playfully along his back. “Oh, but it is. What good would it do to not seize the opportunity to sweet-talk you?”
Ed snorted once again, though this time the sound was muffled by the skin of Ling’s throat. “Speaking of ‘opportunity’, what was with you today? Being all touchy-feely in public like that? I came to kind of expect that in Amestris, but… here?”
Ling chuckled. “You think that would have changed? But if you really want to know why, I will say this: One should seize every possible opportunity that one stumbles upon; in that way, one shall suffer no losses.”
Ed actually mulled this over for a moment before coming to a conclusion: “I think that’s just your excuse to be a pervert in public.”
Ling did a full belly-laugh, and tugged Ed impossibly closer, murmuring against his lips, “Well, are you complaining?”
“… Not really,” Ed confessed.
Well, not anymore, at least.
~*~
The days that followed fell forward far too rapidly for Ed’s liking—mornings bleeding into afternoons bleeding into nights so that dawn could be greeted once again, and when his mind wasn’t on research, it was on Ling. His time was divided between the two, although on most days, Ling admittedly received the better portion of Ed’s time… and it was nice. It was good.
Unfortunately, all good things came to an end. Ed had responsibilities elsewhere, and Ling had responsibilities within his own country that he had to attend to.
Things which did not involve private moments within Ling’s lavish bedroom.
Neither of them was great with goodbyes, and so they didn’t really bother—not as far as words went, anyway.
Their parting was a mirror image of their greeting that had taken place a month prior: Now it was Ed who was groping Ling, although the Emperor took it all in stride instead of shying away from it.
“My, my,” Ling said, sounding pleasantly surprised. “I never wound have expected this of you.”
“An Emperor that I know recently told me something along the lines of: ‘seize all opportunities and suffer no losses,’” Ed replied, smirking. “I’m paraphrasing, of course.”
Ling returned his grin. “He sounds like a very wise man.”
Ed gave Ling’s rear another squeeze before stepping back, nodding. “He has his moments.”
“He will have more of those moments in the future, when you return.” Ling’s voice was quiet, hopeful.
There was that ache again, but it was eased by the promise of tomorrow as Ed nodded in agreement. “We’ll see, when I return.”
It was a good farewell, as far as farewells go, Ed supposed. He left without feeling any sorrow, though, for they had went their separate ways before, only to reunite once again. They were like the ocean and the shore: parting only to meet yet again.
This time would be no different.
~END~
--------------------------------------------
This actually wound up giving me less trouble than I figured it would. XD I hope the one who requested this prompt enjoyed it!