Title: Suiting Up

Author: S J Smith

Rating: General

Disclaimer: Arakawa's in Japan, I'm in the U.S., you do the math.

Summary: Edward gets his red coat.

"What's that?" Winry asked, frowning at the scarlet mass in Edward's arms as he carried it into the kitchen, Alphonse clunking along behind him.

"Fabric." Edward tossed it on the table, grinning. The wool cloth rolled and slithered, covering the entire surface of the table.

"What're you gonna do with it, pip?" Pinako asked, frowning.

"I need something to wear while we're traveling. Something that says I'm strong, and not to mess with me."

Pinako poked at the cloth with the mouthpiece of her pipe. "Something that says, 'I'm a target'!"

Gnashing his teeth, Edward snapped, "No! Red's a bad-ass color! Warms the blood!"

"Same color as blood," Pinako said placidly. "Figured you'd seen enough of that."

Edward clenched his fists. "You don't understand, you old hag."

"I don't either," Winry said, folding her arms.

"You're a girl," Edward sneered.

"Ed!" Alphonse groaned, slapping his faceplate, making it ring.

"She is!"

Winry rolled her eyes. "You're so rude, Ed!"

Ignoring her to study the fabric, Edward made his calculations. He'd been looking at all sorts of coats these past few weeks, trying to decide exactly what he wanted. Nodding to himself, he envisioned the transmutation circle in his head, and touched the fabric. Pinako let out an irritated shout, and Winry gasped, and Edward grinned as the long coat formed out of the fabric. "That's so cool!" he yelled, grabbing the coat and swinging it over his shoulders, threading his arms through the sleeves and turning in place. "What do you think?"

Winry snorted. "It's too big."

"Is not!" Edward shouted her down.

She tugged at one of his sleeves. "This one's too long! And the other one's too short!"

"And there's something wrong with the collar," Pinako said, frowning. "What is that thing supposed to be?"

"A hood, in case it rains!"

"Tch! Take that thing off, and turn it back into fabric. We'll show you how to make a coat," Pinako beckoned with her fingers.

Edward gritted his teeth together, scowling at the two women, both so sure he'd made a mistake, he just knew it. But he also knew, while he could patch clothes, and sew a button back on, for anything bigger, he'd always come to Pinako, or Winry, and before that, his Mom. Growling under his breath, he took the coat off, dumping it back on the table and transmuting it back to simple fabric. "There!" he said. "Let's see what you can do! But I have to have this before I leave for East City!"

Pinako touched the side of her nose. "We'll have it done in two days."

X X X

Edward suited up for his travels, black pants made of thick canvas; a black t-shirt, a black jacket over it. He pulled on the long red coat, seeing a distorted glimpse of himself in his brother's shining chest plate. With a grin, he grabbed his boots and gloves, stuffing the latter in his mouth as he shoved his feet into the boots, stomping them on as he ran downstairs. "I'm going to the train station!" he shouted to no one in particular, though Alphonse was right behind him.

"Good luck, kid," Pinako called from the kitchen, coming out of it and wiping her hands on her apron.

Winry appeared from the hallway, her goggles pushed up on her forehead, hands tucked into leather gloves. "You look silly," was her response.

"I look cool," Edward retorted. "Like an alchemist."

"Like a clown," Pinako muttered, "but it's your decision."

He refrained from showing off the obscene gestures he'd learned, working at the various local farms. "I'm going. When I come back, I'll be a State Alchemist!" Knocking his metal knuckles on Alphonse's chest, he made the metal boom. "You just wait and see."

"Well, have a safe trip, boy," Pinako said.

"Yeah, don't do anything too stupid," Winry added.

Edward sneered at her, but turned a smile to his brother. "I'll be back soon."

"Take care of yourself, Brother," Alphonse said.

Waving off the concern, Edward rumpled Den's ears as he headed out the front door. As he crossed the threshold, he pulled the coat a little tighter about himself. Like a suit of armor, he wore it as he went out to face his tests. He'd prove that a kid from a backwater town could be just as good an alchemist as someone who'd studied for years. And he'd do it in a way that'd make them accept him into the State Alchemists program.

Damned if he was coming back home without a certification.

~ end ~