Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Long Cool Woman ❯ Long Cool Woman ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Not mine; always returned in fairly good condition to Hiromu Arakawa and the assorted corporations that hold the rights to FMA.

A/N: Written for LJ's SpringKink community and their July 2010 round of prompts. This fic is based on the following: Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell; exotic kink - I want to see you in those Xingese clothes.

Warnings: Fluff and naughty nonsense. Canon-ish, based on the `snapshots' at the end of the manga; set a few years post-conclusion, after Ed's returned from his travels but before he and Winry tie the knot.

Many thanks to my betas, Ranuel and SilverOnTheRose.

Long Cool Woman

“I just know that squinty-eyed bastard is up to something!”

“Don't be so suspicious, Ed,” Winry chided, watching him pace up and down the hotel room from her comfortable perch on the sofa. “Lin isn't going to jeopardize the opening ceremonies of the embassy in Amestris because it would make him look bad.”

“Yeah… but why do we have to wear what he wants?” he whined. “He's gonna make me look stupid!”

The young woman caught his hand on the next pass and gave it a comforting squeeze. Ed came to a halt, searching her sincere blue eyes before stooping and pressing a kiss to her forehead. At that moment, someone knocked very firmly on their door. “Sounds like automail,” he observed before raising his voice. “Come in!”

The door swung open, revealing a familiar dark-haired bodyguard minus her mask, and carrying a stack of lacquered boxes. “Mr. Elric and Miss Rockbell,” Lan-Fan said politely, inclining her head before entering the room.

“Why are you here?” Ed demanded. “Shouldn't you be protecting His Imperial Pain-in-the-Ass-ness?”

“My emperor expressly commanded me to deliver these garments and provide escort to the ceremony,” she calmly replied, crossing to the table and briskly sorting the boxes into two piles.

“It's good to see you, Lan-Fan,” Winry smiled as she stood up. “You look well.”

“Thank you.” Handing one set of boxes to Winry, Lan-Fan added, “I also have a personal message from my emperor: `I look forward to seeing you in these Xingese clothes'.”

His worst fears apparently confirmed, Ed's hackles immediately went even higher, but Winry silenced him with a sharp look. “I'm honoured,” she said graciously. Peeking inside the topmost box, her eyes widened. “You'll have to help me with these hair ornaments, Lan-Fan.”

“Of course.” The two women shared a smile before a beaming Winry disappeared into the bedroom.

Lan-Fan indicated the remaining boxes. “I will wait outside, Edward; if you require any assistance, please ask,” she told the fuming man and left the room, presumably to lurk in the hotel corridor.

Ed glared at the innocent lacquered cases, momentarily wishing for Mustang's flame alchemy to burn them and the undoubtedly garish garments they contained to ash. Running his hand through his hair, he mumbled a few more choice epithets before opening the first box… only to find a finely-sewn pair of black silk trousers with a gleaming golden stripe adorning the seam.

Blinking in shock, Ed shook out the garment and held it up. The cut was more generous than he was used to, and the sensual fabric and the rich embroidery were pure Xing… at least, based on the exotic clothing that Al had been sporting recently as the petite Xingese ambassador's official escort. Mildly encouraged, Ed opened the next box and discovered a plain white dress shirt. A small, brocade-covered case nestled in one corner, containing a matching set of carved gemstone cuff links. A third box held a black dress jacket heavy with gold braid and styled with a stand-up collar and asymmetrical closure, while the last contained a scarlet cloak of the plushest velvet Ed had ever touched.

Pursing his lips as he considered the obvious expense represented by the luxurious clothing as well as the fact that somebody - probably his brother and Mei - had made sure the colours would be acceptable, Ed grudgingly gave in. He managed to dress himself with only minor explosions of bad language over the unfamiliar clasps and had just shouldered into the jacket when the bedroom door opened.

He momentarily forgot how to breathe.

Winry walked - no, flowed - towards him in a gleaming column of elegant black silk, so sleekly fitted that it appeared the lustrous fabric had been poured over her slim figure. A golden-eyed red dragon twisted across the bodice, its coiling tail drawing attention to the deep slit in the narrow skirt that exposed a delectable amount of slender leg with every step she took. High-heeled shoes gave her hips a distinct come-hither swing and jade bracelets jangled on her wrists, but Ed's attention was focussed on the tiny triangle of lace visible at the very top of Winry's thigh where either her silk stocking was too short or the opening had been cut too high.

“Do I look all right?” She fluttered nervously, her blonde hair streaming loose over her shoulders and swaying with her agitated movements.

He realized that his mouth was hanging open and quickly shut it, then opened it again. “You're beautiful.”

A lovely flush rose in her cheeks and she smiled shyly. “Really?”

“Absolutely.” Ed couldn't tear his eyes away. Aside from her arms, Winry was decorously covered up from her throat to her ankles. However, the way the fabric sensuously hugged her curves was verging on indecent and before he could stop himself, he had closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her.

Exploring the contrast between the smooth satin and the rough embroidery moulded to the firm body underneath, Ed blushed lightly at the emphatic physical reaction provoked by the sensations. Winry seemed to agree; her hands were busy testing how well the trousers fit the curve of his ass and wandering under the jacket to fondle the shirt.

Tangling a handful of her soft hair, he tugged gently to tilt up her face for a lingering kiss while curving his arm around her waist to pull the young woman snugly against him. She sighed against his lips when he snaked his hand through the slit in the skirt and ran his fingers up the back of her thigh to stroke the delicate trim on her stocking. “Do you like them?” she murmured, raising her knee to allow him better access to the warm, bare skin above the lace.

“I can't wait to get you out of them,” he rumbled. “How long does this stupid ceremony last, anyways?”

Winry's giggle turned into a gasp when Ed's fingers ventured into more intimate territory and she pressed into his touch. Peeling the skirt up out of the way and hiking her legs around his waist, he was heading for the nearest solid surface when a very loud knock made them jump. Growling in frustration, he reluctantly set Winry back on her feet and helped her to straighten her clothing before giving Lan-Fan permission to enter. “I will assist you with the hair ornaments now,” the bodyguard said demurely enough, but the wry look she shot at Ed left no doubt in his mind that she knew exactly what they'd been up to.

While the two women disappeared into the bedroom, Ed occupied himself by wrestling with the awkwardly-placed toggles securing his jacket and attempting to create that elusive `dashing' effect with the velvet cloak. When they emerged half an hour later, Winry's fair hair crowned with lavish jewels that an empress would kill for, he had a sudden thought that perhaps Lin's personal message had far less to do with him and much more to do with her. Scowling, he assessed Winry's sultry appearance in a new light.

“Ed? What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” he muttered as he swung the scarlet cloak around her shoulders. “Keep this on tonight, okay?”

She fingered the rich fabric. “Not that I'm complaining… but why?”

“Protecting Xing-Amestris relations,” he vaguely replied while adjusting the hang of the voluminous garment to effectively and thoroughly disguise Winry's curvaceous figure.

“Er... what?”

“Just preventing an `international incident' if I catch the Emperor of Xing making cow eyes at my girl.”

“Lin wouldn't!” Winry protested, quickly echoed by Lan-Fan.

“I had less-than-pure thoughts about you in that dress,” he grouchily pointed out. “Lin's not made of stone; Al told me he once offered to make you his empress.”

Winry gave him a withering glare. “That was a joke.” She looked to Lan-Fan for support, but was surprised when the bodyguard slowly nodded.

“Edward may have a point,” she reluctantly conceded. “My emperor has not so honoured any other woman of his house - not even his sisters.”

They stood in silence for a moment before Winry clapped her hands. “It would be rude to not wear these clothes since so much effort was put into them... but I have an idea. Come on, Lan-Fan.” Hauling the other woman back into the bedroom, she left Ed to again take up his agitated pacing for several long minutes.

When they returned, Winry's hair was combed back in its usual long ponytail with only a single elegant bauble clipped to the knot. The slit in the skirt was now several inches less provocative, and the teetering heels had also been replaced by dainty flats that gave her a far more dignified gait. Smiling, she handed the cloak back to Ed; he nodded in admiration of her resourcefulness as he slung it over one shoulder.

“I feel more like myself now,” she declared.

“You look great,” he replied honestly and moved in for a kiss while Lan-Fan rolled her eyes and headed for the door. Taking advantage of her retreat, Ed murmured in Winry's ear, “Did you keep the heels for later?”

“You bet... and the skirt's only basted shut,” she winked.

“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

“You can show me later.” Cheekily pinching his butt, Winry slyly suggested, “I dunno, Ed... you look pretty hot in these silk trousers. Maybe Lin actually wants to check you out?”