so this is a warmup based on these two posts from @arrowsbane and @shanastoryteller but youre not gonna see another fma fic from me for a hot sec, so take this for now.
(also youre prying my headcanon of the elrics having freckles out of my cold, dead hands)
edith's on top of the half-wall surrounding the park, ranting about some state alchemist's latest research paper and she's never looked more beautiful. her braid started to fall about halfway through dinner and she showed up with soot smeared across her face and shoulders, only hidden by the jacket she had shed as they left the restaurant. her jeans have been through hell, holes torn and repaired and torn yet again, showing off the scabs littering her legs from her latest stint saving yet another town. she's not some larger-than-life alchemist right now; she's a hot mess, wholly human and her, and jean is so irrevocably in love.
he doesn't fully understand what she's ranting about. the basic understanding he has of alchemy couldn't begin to scratch the surface of the topic, but it didn't matter. hearing edith talk, with passion brimming from her voice, was plenty enjoyable for him. she bitches at the "basic flaws" that filled the paper. he watches with a smile.
edith cuts herself off and snaps her gaze towards him, eyes narrowing. "what are you looking at?"
"bullshit, asshole. what are you looking at?"
her brows are furrowed with irritation as she glares. she's stunning, ethereal, exquisite, like watching a supernova explode, like watching the big bang breathe life into the universe. he tells her as much and watches the blush bloom onto her face.
"shut the fuck up!" she screeches, turning away to hide her blush. they had gotten married a month ago (with edith trapping him in his seat at the bar in front of breda and leaving absolutely no room for argument) but she still hadn't quite gotten used to all that brought with it. makeouts and sex she could handle no problem, but compliments? gentures of love? she had no clue how to respond.
jean reaches up toward her and edith catches his hand, letting him pull her down to the cracked sidewalk. her arms slip around his neck as he holds her close enough to hear the beat of his heart. in the lamplight, the splotchy blush interrupted by fading freckles and soot streaks shone on her face. the embarrassment was evident, but so was the adoration and love that filled her eyes.
his mother had yelled at him for two hours straight when she found out he had eloped, but he wouldn't trade his wife for anything in the world. who needed an extravagant wedding when he could hold edith in his arms and see her smile? what was overblown party to his wife's happiness, anyway?
"i love you," he murmurs, letting the words fill the space between them.
a smile curls across her lips as she leans up and presses her mouth against his ear.