Al and I were in the middle of a card game when I realized something.
I had played a lot with this deck, but as much as I had played, I realized I hadn't played a game with Edward yet. Not one-on-one, anyway.
He'd destroy me. I was sure of it.
"It's really great to play with someone who respects the rules!" Alphonse said as he dealt us both a new hand, and before I could ask what he meant, he continued on. "Brother cheats all the time at any game we play!"
I saw Ed's eyes snap open from his sleep, a pointy frown narrowing his lips as he stared at his brother.
Al turned to him. "What? You do."
Heat crept to Ed's face as he replied, muttering a little with his strange expression. "You don't gotta say it like that..."
I couldn't help but laugh, and soon Ed was sitting upright, bringing his feet down from the seat across from him.
"Alright," he was telling me, "Slide over here. Let's play a game."
I did as I was told, taking the seat across from him while continuing to grin. "So you can teach me how to cheat?" I added playfully.
He paused, meeting my eyes as I finished settling in to the seat across from him. After another moment, Ed shrugged, straightening his posture as his head tilted up, legs crossing.
"Well, I mean, if you want me to, I can. Then you'd really be able to cream that tin can over there."
If Al could cry, he probably would've. His hands curled in front of him, voice in mock anguish. "Tin can?" he repeated.
Ed just grinned, playing along with the joke. He reached forward, taking the deck of cards off of the makeshift table. "Ah, don't you worry about it, Al," he replied. He returned to his seat, and I watched the cards expertly fly from one hand to another. "I'm sure a lot of cats think of you like a can of tuna, with everything you feed them."
Al let out a whine that soon became a whimper. I finally let myself grin, still a little bit too unsettled by what Al actually was. Sometimes I'd forget there was nothing underneath that suit. And part of me thought that prods like these were a little cruel, but maybe that's how they deal with the reality. Bringing some laughter to it all.
Ed definitely knew his stuff, when it came to card games. The game of Gin was especially hard at first, but soon I found myself on top.
Heat flushed to my face, at the analogy, and I watched Ed nod.
"Good." Ed swept the cards up. "You won that one."
I raised my eyebrow. "What happened to teaching me how to cheat?" I asked.
Ed pointed at me with the deck, a mischievous look in his eye. "First rule: always let your opponent think they have the upper hand."
Another hand was played, and this time I noticed something: he was staring at me. Usually, his glances were quick, withholding of emotion if Al were around. But this time, he wasn't focusing on his hand, whatever cards he just dealt himself. That soft smile was distracting the heck out of me. I couldn't keep my focus on my own hand.
His eyes remained hooded; the expression on them dreamy, almost. The soft smile he had on his face was just adding to how much I couldn't focus on my own hand. Why was he distracting me like this?!
My hand sucked, indefinitely adding to my losing streak.
"Rule three," He laid out his cards, displaying the best hand there was. One that was statistically impossible for him to have. "Distract your opponent when you can."
I blushed furiously. "That's not fair!"
Ed grinned, laughing and leaning back into his seat. "I thought you wanted me to teach you how to cheat!"
I relaxed, realizing he had a point. But still!
"How'd you even get those cards, anyway?" I asked, anger fading to curiosity.
He raised a hand towards me, revealing the sleeve of his coat. A perfect spot to hide any extra cards.
"Rule four!" he grinned. "Always have a place to hide the good cards!"
I smiled a little, turning away. "You really are the expert at this..."
"Years of practice." Ed responded, shuffling the deck again in that crazy way of his. Definitely flashy, but it was pretty to look at. "Al's always so focused on his hand that he barely sees anything I do."
I smile a little. "Guess I'm not much better, huh?"
Ed looked to me, giving that small smile again. The same one he distracted me with. He finished rolling a card off the back of his hand, flicking his wrist and catching it in between two fingers.
"You'll get there." he said as he did this. "Let's play another hand."
He slid the single card into the bottom half of the deck, tapping it down with a finger until it disappeared. "That one was an ace of spades."
I looked to him. "How could you tell?"
Ed grinned wildly. "I've got certain cards marked." he began, bragging as he buffed his nails against his shirt. "There's a few small indentions in the back of every high card, but the marks are different for each suit. Almost like a little language that tells me which card's which."
Al's eyes went small. "You never told me that one! How long has this been happening?!"
Ed suddenly grew alarmed, like he wasn't supposed to have said that. A poor excuse for a smile came to his face.
"Uh... I dunno..." He turned to look up at his brother. "Since that train ride to North City...?"
Al huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
I turned back to Edward, and I wondered exactly how many cards he slipped into his sleeve when my focus was on Al. I smiled, the expression coy as I asked him.
Ed's eyes widened in a flash of surprise, but he quickly covered it up with a sly grin.
"You'll find out," he said, and began to deal out a new hand for both of us.
__________
We had just finished a dessert of cheesecake when Al looked above me for the second time. He had switched seats, no longer by my left side, but instead straight ahead.
He looked up again, and I had to question aloud what he was doing. I chewed on my cake, letting the flavor infiltrate and swarm my taste buds.
"Play with us!" Children cheering. From the opposite end of the car.
"Can I, Brother?" Al turned, looking to Ed, and my mind clicked the pieces together.
Ed seemed more than happy. "Sure, Al! Go ahead!"
Alphonse stood up, hearing the sounds of awe come from the children. Fear came in the far back of the car, too, though this was drowned out by praises and cheers.
"It's the Fullmetal Alchemist!"
Ed grimaced, dumbstruck, as Al smiled a little. He wasn't about to correct them, not now anyway.
Ed pulled my attention back down, and I sat, our hands connecting and pulling me closer. Edward shifted, one leg in between me and the back of the seat, his other foot flat on the floor. Gathering me in his arms, he moved, planting a quick kiss on my neck. Snuggling against his chest, I turned towards the direction of his mouth as he pulled away, looking down at me. He kissed me again, in the middle of my forehead. I grinned and quickly bobbed my head up to try and catch his lips with my own. He pulled away from me, teasing.
A moment later, his left hand was on the side of my face. Holding it. He leaned towards me and I bent my head backwards, allowing him to gently kiss my lips upside-down.
He suddenly lifted us both upright a little by leaning forward, allowing him to place his bunched up coat against the window. He leaned back, taking me with him, and I felt his chest deflate as he sighed, content at his makeshift pillow.
"Yours is softer than mine," I teased, looking at him.
A city's streetlamp passed by, the light briefly catching his eyes. I saw the light smile on his face, a memory playing out in my head. The first time I was on a train with him, he kept giving me that same smile. Adoring, if I had to place a word on it at all.
The hand that was still against my cheek moved, thumb stroking the skin of my face. He moved it again in the same path, creating a slow rhythm. I hummed, closing my eyes. Fatigue was rising up from somewhere deep in the middle of my mind, beginning to split down my brain. Ed seemed to sense this; I felt his kiss against the exact center of where my head was hurting.
He knew how to stitch me up, sewing whatever wounds I showed.