Leave A Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist)

The Bright Lights of the Northern Train

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."