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"Alright, class. I hope everyone's been paying attention because I'm assigning a project. I want a presentation on chemical action and reaction, its effects, how it works and five examples of it in everyday life. Fully explained, the whole shebang in groups of two that I'll assign."
Protests were immediate. Ed couldn't really blame them, he wasn't happy about a group project either. The wood of his desk was warm against his forehead from heat generated by his arm. It served to distract him from the headache inducing volume in the room.
Usually, Ed would be in on it. Look, he'd gladly use any excuse to take a jab at Mustang and everyone knew he was the loudest in the room at any given point. However, today just wasn't the day. Like at all. Hell, he'd prefer to be doing a presentation on how the body generates heat and all the uses for it than this.
Action and Reaction. Cause and Effect. Simple topics that anyone could grasp, it was the very basics of Chemistry, the heart and soul in Ed's humble opinion. That did not make it the most interesting topic. That also meant that Ed would end up doing most of the 'research' and hard work while his soon-to-be partner prettied everything up.
Ed sighed, already exhausted by the idea. All of this was tedious and Ed generally didn't care about the whole 'taken advantage of cause you're the smartest in the room'. It was damn near a compliment really, but today was an off day.
No real way to explain it. Just off. Like the world has tilted some degrees of the axis and now Ed can't help but trip over his routine. Tiny mistakes, small inconveniences. The works.
"— as group 3. Edward Elric and Ling Yao as group 4.—"
The sigh came a second time but deeper. Another inconvenience to add to today's laundry list. Ling Yao. Ling fucking Yao.
He was ass at chemistry. There was no sugar coating it. Likely has the worst grades in the class and drags down everyone who works with him in the process. That didn't mean he wasn't smart, no that guy is smart in his own right and he has all the other subject scores to prove that he could be academic. It was just the sciences. Ed would be lucky to get a B+ this time around.
Spots bloomed in his sight when Ed lifted his head, taking a moment to blink them away before his eyes scan the room to find Ling in third to last row all the way from his own seat in the back corner. He was already looking back at him though.
Ed blinked.
Ling tilted his head.
Then Ed found himself staring at the guy's stupid ponytail as he faced front again. If only rolling his eyes wouldn't give him a headache. Ed decided that the best way to deal with this was to drop his head back into the desk and wait for the class to be over. Shouldn't be long now.
Which he was right. Ten minutes later, class was getting dismissed and Ed wasn't moving. He would eventually, probably when everyone leaves so he could have a little peace and quiet to himself before braving the hallways. A little bit of mercy he'd let himself have.
Someone was tapping his shoulder. Ed didn't bother to hide his pissed of sigh as he looked up, once again blink spots out of his eyes.
"What?" He asked, tone as flat and annoyed as it could possibly be. Ling was standing beside him, almost looming above him unintentionally with how stupidly lucky his genes decided to be. Ling didn't seem to be all that enthused with his tone by the way his lips purse and his brows furrow.
"We need to figure out when and where to meet up." Ling says, more a statement then a question and Ed… well he honestly finds himself a little bit dumbfounded by the fact that Ling wanted to participate.
To be fair though, you do need to participate in order to drag down your group members, but Ed hadn't really been expecting an earnest attempt to make this work. He still was a bit skeptical. Of course, that doesn't mean Ed should just not participate in return, that'd be one hell of a hypocritical move.
"I don't really care about where, but I can't do Tuesdays or Thursdays. I have club." Ed provides, holding up his head lazily as he does. Ling hums thoughtfully in return. The look on his face makes Ed think that he's very carefully shifting around some busy schedule in his head.
"Okay then. Wednesdays and Fridays. General Library. 4pm?" Ling offers. Well, it should work, it's not as if Ed lives that far out from the library and the school was also pretty close to it anyway. So he nods noncommittally. "That works."
Ling smiles at this and hefts his bag on his shoulder a little higher. "Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow then." He says and Ed abruptly remembers that it is in fact, Thursday today, so he has club. Ling was long gone by the time Ed realizes he has exactly none of his supplies for said club.
Ugh.
The next day, Ed was doing better. No headache, no minor inconveniences that felt like a pointed attack and standing in front of the library doors like this wasn't going to ruin his grade for this assignment. Because it really wasn't, not if he had anything to say about it.
Ten minutes after 4pm, Ling shows up. Walking as if he has no where to be, but still manages to apologize sincerely for being late. Ed only lets it go because he really doesn't have the energy to hold onto it.
"This topic is pretty easy." Ed starts as they find a table inside the library. It was dead quiet and not a lot of occupants so the tables were pretty much abandoned. "I've got a pretty good understanding of it so that cuts the research time in half."
Ed would've continued from here. Would've told Ling that he'll start writing down the info while the other designs the presentation, but Ling speaks before him. "Explain it to me?" Admittedly, Ed gives him a weird look. One that Ling seems to ignore as he waits for an answer.
Oh whatever, at the very least maybe he likes science despite not understanding a lick of it.
"Well, obvious Chemistry is a fuck ton of reaction." Ed zips open his bag as he speaks to gather his stationary. "It's a whole process. Reactants transform into products, simple explanation you'll find on google or something."
"What is a reactant?"
Ed looks up. Ling is watching him, listening attentively even as he asks such a simple question. Ed purses his lips as he thinks about how to answer for a moment. Honestly, it was a simple question with a simple answer, but it's been so long since E has had to explain something like this that he almost can't remember how too.
"A substance." He says after a moment. "It's found during the beginning of a reaction. It's how you get products." Ed taps his newly acquired pencil against the table, just for something to fiddle with. Ling leans forward, perking up in a way.
"What about products?" Ling inquires further and Ed has to give him a bewildered look. "Have you been present in Chem at all the past two years? We went over these during class." Because seriously, Mustang was practically giving them a break with this topic.
Ling shrugged. "It's been some time since we went over it. I'm rusty." Rusty he says even though he was never good to begin with. Ed sighs deeply.
The questions just kept coming after that.
"What's the purpose of the reactant?"
"What about Chemical bonds? How many are there, what are they for?"
"How do they break?"
On and on.
Ed hates that he's kind of enjoying it. A lot actually. He wasn't joking about not having to explain things like these in a long time, Ed really has to think about a way to explain it that makes sense to Ling. Easy enough to understand without being different from the real definition. It's a challenge. It's interesting.
So what if his gesturing was getting more expressive the more he went on. So what if he was talking a little louder than strictly necessary. Even more than that, so what if he lights up when Ling does upon understanding?
"That sounds fake." Ling says and Ed knows, he can tell that Ling is messing with him, baiting him. It's all in jest though and he can't help but let himself fall for it. Just hook, line and sinker without a single thought as to why he finds himself both annoyed and amused.
"It's not! That's how it works you—" Ah, and there was the thought he didn't let himself have.
Why is Ed enjoying this? Why was this so easy? The back and forth and the questions. The exasperated grin on his face, the absence of the tension that's been in his shoulders from yesterday.
The thought snaps Ed back into the present almost violently. He shuts his mouth and then groans. "No, shut up. We have work to do." He says instead and grabs his notebook to bury his nose into his notes. He wasn't hiding, no matter how high up he held the book.
Ling seems to pout slightly at this, but acquiesces nonetheless and pulls out his laptop to start working on the digital aspect of the presentation. Blissfully, they fall into silence. Focused and productive like they should've started with. Like Ed should've kept it so that they could get out of here having actually done something .
A solid hour passes by in that relative quiet. Naively, Ed thinks that they may just get a lot of it done like this. He was wrong of course, because why wouldn't he be? It's not like Ling was a convenient kind of guy.
"Who is Lewis and why is he based in acid?"
Ed looks up at Ling with the most bewildered expression he's probably ever mustered in his life. "What the fuck are you on?" He asks reflexively, because honestly—what? What kind of question is that? All Ling does is shrug and smile before answering.
"Clearly not whatever Lewis is on." Ed stares, he blinks several times. Then regrettably, he snorts. A snort turns into a snicker and now he was desperately holding back wild laughter as Ling grinned his stupid smug ass off.
Chatter started back up all over again and Ed didn't bother trying to go for silence again, there was no point with a guy like Ling. He'd just find new and improved ways to get Ed talking again, or laughing, or reprimanding him.
Every action caused reaction. Ed was beginning to have mixed feelings about this topic.
Every meet up happens this way and the worst part was that it was painfully easy. Like it just worked somehow. Something clicked and then the sequence became routine.
Ling would say something dumb. Ed, equally as dumb, would respond to it and the back and forth would begin. Ling would tease and Ed would retaliate. Ling would question and Ed would answer. Along the way, Ed found himself learning things about Ling that he didn't think he would ever know.
Like how he prefers sweet treats to sweet drinks, or that he had a favorite yellow jacket that he wore 5 days a week. He was always careful with the spine of a book because he hated the cracking sound. His humor was dumb and consisted of ridiculous puns or acting helplessly stupid when he was anything but; and he was a very good listener.
That last one especially because when he wasn't joking and just asking question after question, he listened with rapt attention to Ed's every word. Edward never really thought of Ling as quiet before, just because he's seen the way he can act, but now? Yeah, Ling could be the quiet type, he even seemed to prefer it sometimes.
Most of these things Ed never heard Ling say or confirm out loud. They were just facts that he learned over the next two weeks that they worked on the project together. He almost hadn't noticed that they spoke more than he thought, even catching each other outside the library.
It just felt so natural. So simple. As if there didn't really need to be a conversation about it, it just was.
Maybe he should've noticed what his feelings were turning into sooner. With every meet up, every terrible pun or attentive stare. Perhaps Ed shouldn't have chalked up the pounding in his chest or the steadily growing lump in his throat to indign ance or mild irritation when Ling was being especially annoying.
But what was he supposed to think? Sure, Ling was attractive, you didn't need to be attracted to him to see that. But that didn't mean he liked him. That didn't have to mean anything.
Come day of the presentation, Ed didn't feel any nerves whatsoever. Why would he? Their presentation was finished, it was accurate, it was well designed and they both knew the topic enough to talk about it and answer questions about it. It was an easy A that he hadn't at all thought they would get back in the beginning.
Ling did not seem to have the same sentiment. He was going through the presentation all over again, flipping through slides, rereading their notes and research with a quickness to display his discomfort. He was nervous, probably enough for the occasion, but Ed wasn't just gonna let the guy work himself into a tizzy.
"What's up with you?" Ed asks quietly, voice just low enough to be heard over the other ongoing presentation but not loud enough to disturb it. "Everything is right on there, y'know." Ling purses his lips at this statement and settles back into his chair reluctantly.
"I know, I know…" Ling trails off then lets out a long and deep sigh. "Caring is exhausting." That's… not what Ed expected him to say at all. Ling chuckled when he saw the growing confusion on Ed's face.
"What's that look for?" Ed should be the one asking Ling that really, but fine, he'll bite. "What the heck does that mean?"
Ling looked at him for a moment, before quietly laughing to himself. Ed, ever so patient and full of grace, shoves him in the shoulder. "Ling!" He hisses quietly and the other holds his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, okay. I confess," Ling placates as the laughter dies down. The look on his face now is mischievous yet sincere. "I never really cared for science, so I'm more nervous than I thought." He says.
And, uh, what?
Ed isn't very sure what he feels right now. It's not like it's anything deep or profound or betrayal inducing it just… didn't compute. Didn't make any logical sense. Because then what was the last two weeks? Every detailed question and dumb joke he said. Ling has no interest in science? Ed's brain was reconfiguring just to make this make sense.
"I'm sorry, no— what?" Ed splutters, still computing. "But— you always asked so many questions and made those dumb jokes. Why?"
Ling gives Ed a look. One that he absolutely could not decipher for the life of him. Then the words tumble out of his mouth as plain as can be. As if they don't emotionally ruin Ed in one fell swoop. Ling creates an action.
"I just liked listening to you talk."
Ed gives a reaction.
"Huh?"
He was blushing. Bad. Like firetruck red in the face from ears to chest, bad. His only saving grace was probably the dim light in the classroom for the purpose of the projector. He was burning, his chest was tight and the lump in his throat was growing at Mac speed. Ling's smiling only made it worse.
"What?" Ling inquires, tilting his head slightly, oh so innocently. Ed wants to crack his skull open against the desk just as much as he wants to… what? Wants to what exactly? Ed nearly croaks, desperately looking for a more logical answer. "W—what do you mean what? What does that mean?"
"It means what I said, Ed." The use of his nickname only seems to slam the final nail in the coffin. Yet Ling goes on. "You're very passionate when you talk about it, like the rigidity of it is something beautiful and interesting. I like hearing it from you."
Oh. Oh no.
Ed understands attraction. He knows what it is, how it works. This is not it. This is so much worse.
Their presentation gets an A+. When Ling beams at him, every neuron, proton and atom Ed could spare starts firing at full capacity. He couldn't give less of a damn if they had gotten a C+.
Just… shit.