FMA Fic: "Brave New World" 27/?
Title: Over Breakfast
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Author: evil_little_dog
Characters: Roy, Pinako
Words: 564
Rating: K
Summary: Pinako talks. Roy listens.
Warnings: Continuation of “Brave New World”, which crosses over FMA manga with FMA original anime.
Disclaimer: Arakawa absolutely owns all.
Part One: Through the Back Door
Part Two: Aftermath
Part Three: Reminders
Part Four: Under Any Circumstances
Part Five: Lost and Found
Parts Six-Seven-Eight: Cold Comfort, Equivalent Exchange and In the Hallway
Part Nine: Discussions
Part Ten: Telephone Call
Parts Eleven-Twelve-Thirteen: Simple Requests, Tell Me a Story, No Tears
Parts Fourteen-Fifteen-Sixteen: Similarities, Discussions II and Painkillers
Part Seventeen: Wake Up Call
Part Eighteen: Chance, 1,000 Yard Stare
Part Nineteen: Thoughts Of
Part Twenty-Twenty-One-Twenty-Two: Waking, Curiosity, Treasure
Part Twenty-Three: Differences
Part Twenty-Four: Discussions III
Part Twenty-Five: Dress Up, Undercover Blues, Leaving Central, Mistakes, The World According To
Part Twenty-Six: Difference, Sorrow in Her Eyes, Homecoming, Over Dinner
X X X
The smell of ham cooking roused Roy, dragging him along like a leash out of his bed and down the hall to the kitchen. It was empty, except for Pinako Rockbell, who still worked the stove, frying ham and pancakes in a pair of skillets.
“Have a seat, Corporal,” she said over her shoulder, “and before you ask, everyone else is outside. That garden needed weeding, and the kids volunteered to do it.” The old woman cackled. “It’s hard work, but the vegetables are worth it.” She nodded at a pot on the stove, and the scent of coffee suddenly filled Roy’s nostrils.
He inhaled all of the wondrous smells, and poured himself a cup of the coffee, adding a dribble of milk for color, then sat at the table. A few seconds later, a plate with a slab of ham and a stack of pancakes appeared in front of him. “Syrup’s there,” Dr. Rockbell said.
“This is,” Roy wasn’t sure how to thank her. He couldn’t remember a meal someone had prepared for him specifically, in a warm kitchen. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Corporal. Eat up. There’s work to be done. Once you wash your dishes, come join us outside.” Dr. Rockbell set the skillets aside and grabbed a cup of her own coffee, sitting in the chair across from him. “You know,” she said, “Winry told me what you did for those boys in Central City.”
Roy blinked at her across the table, his fork halfway to his mouth, syrup dripping off of the pancake. “Dr. Rockbell?”
“Even if they’re not our kids, they’re good ‘uns.” She sipped her coffee, her beady eyes studying him. Roy had the feeling those eyes didn’t miss much.
“There is, of course, always the possibility they aren’t what they seem to be,” he said.
“I think you’d’ve known by now if they weren’t.”
Roy ate a few more bites of his breakfast. “How do you feel about them, Dr. Rockbell?”
“Me?” The faint curl of her mouth told Roy she was expecting the question, despite her raised eyebrows. “I suppose…I think they’re good boys. That their family misses them, back in their world. I think they’re confused, but they’re doing what they’ve always done, going forward. They’re going to find a way to get back to their home, and their family, and we’ll either help them or stand in their way. Me, I’m gonna help them, because it’s the right thing.”
“The military,” Roy began cautiously.
“The military wouldn’t want these boys, now, would they?” Dr. Rockbell got out of her chair, taking her cup with her.
His heart squeezed in his chest. He knew how many sons Dr. Rockbell had lost to the various wars Amestris had participated in. Her husband had passed young. Her only living relative was Winry, now outside the house with two boys she should’ve grown up with, two boys who cared about her.
“You’re thinking awfully hard, Corporal Mustang.” The dry tone of her voice caught his attention.
“I’m thinking that sometimes, people deserve happiness, Dr. Rockbell.”
The old woman winked at him. “Everyone deserves a chance at happiness, Corporal Mustang. Even if they think they don’t.” She added over her shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen, “Don’t forget to wash those dishes.”
Roy looked down at his plate, frowning slightly at the smear of syrup left behind.
X X X
Title: In the Garden
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Roy Mustang, Pinako Rockbell, Alphonse Elric, Riza Hawkeye
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 298
Rating: K+
Summary: Roy still has more chores before his day is done.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: Arakawa owns all, and Bones just pays her rent. I’m riding on a feather.
Note: Written for the fanfic_bakeoff prompt of “absent”.
X X X
Roy stepped outside after cleaning up from breakfast, following the sounds around the house to where Alphonse, Hawkeye and Dr. Rockbell were working in the garden. Well, Hawkeye and Dr. Rockbell were, Alphonse sat on the ground, the black and white dog asleep in his lap. From the women’s laughter, Alphonse had said something amusing, and Roy felt for a few seconds as if he was interrupting. Still, he cleared his throat. “Is there something I can do?”
Dr. Rockbell glanced in his direction. “The green beans won’t pick themselves, Corporal.”
Rolling up his sleeves, Roy joined the women in the garden. Hawkeye handed him a bucket and he began stripping beans off the vines.
“Al? Do you know how to clean string beans for cooking?” Dr. Rockbell called.
“Yes! We grew them back home.”
“When you fill the bucket, Corporal, dump it out on Al so he can clean the beans. I’ll cook them up later.”
Alphonse let out a protest. “I’m not a dumping ground, Granny!”
The old woman cackled. “Close enough.”
They argued, with Alphonse’s voice getting higher pitched the longer he fought with Dr. Rockbell. Roy tuned them out. The monotony of picking the beans allowed his thoughts free rein, though they kept jumbling up with the fact he was here, again, in the Rockbells’ home, with the Elric brothers. There were too many things wrong with this, and Roy expected something to happen.
He blamed his distraction for the slowness of his reaction to the absence of Edward and Miss Rockbell, though he realized he hadn’t even heard Edward’s voice this morning.
When he asked, Alphonse piped up with a shrug. “You missed them, sir. Ed’s automail was making a sound,” he rolled his eyes. “Winry dragged him off to check it out.”
X X X
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Author: evil_little_dog
Characters: Roy, Pinako
Words: 564
Rating: K
Summary: Pinako talks. Roy listens.
Warnings: Continuation of “Brave New World”, which crosses over FMA manga with FMA original anime.
Disclaimer: Arakawa absolutely owns all.
Part One: Through the Back Door
Part Two: Aftermath
Part Three: Reminders
Part Four: Under Any Circumstances
Part Five: Lost and Found
Parts Six-Seven-Eight: Cold Comfort, Equivalent Exchange and In the Hallway
Part Nine: Discussions
Part Ten: Telephone Call
Parts Eleven-Twelve-Thirteen: Simple Requests, Tell Me a Story, No Tears
Parts Fourteen-Fifteen-Sixteen: Similarities, Discussions II and Painkillers
Part Seventeen: Wake Up Call
Part Eighteen: Chance, 1,000 Yard Stare
Part Nineteen: Thoughts Of
Part Twenty-Twenty-One-Twenty-Two: Waking, Curiosity, Treasure
Part Twenty-Three: Differences
Part Twenty-Four: Discussions III
Part Twenty-Five: Dress Up, Undercover Blues, Leaving Central, Mistakes, The World According To
Part Twenty-Six: Difference, Sorrow in Her Eyes, Homecoming, Over Dinner
X X X
The smell of ham cooking roused Roy, dragging him along like a leash out of his bed and down the hall to the kitchen. It was empty, except for Pinako Rockbell, who still worked the stove, frying ham and pancakes in a pair of skillets.
“Have a seat, Corporal,” she said over her shoulder, “and before you ask, everyone else is outside. That garden needed weeding, and the kids volunteered to do it.” The old woman cackled. “It’s hard work, but the vegetables are worth it.” She nodded at a pot on the stove, and the scent of coffee suddenly filled Roy’s nostrils.
He inhaled all of the wondrous smells, and poured himself a cup of the coffee, adding a dribble of milk for color, then sat at the table. A few seconds later, a plate with a slab of ham and a stack of pancakes appeared in front of him. “Syrup’s there,” Dr. Rockbell said.
“This is,” Roy wasn’t sure how to thank her. He couldn’t remember a meal someone had prepared for him specifically, in a warm kitchen. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Corporal. Eat up. There’s work to be done. Once you wash your dishes, come join us outside.” Dr. Rockbell set the skillets aside and grabbed a cup of her own coffee, sitting in the chair across from him. “You know,” she said, “Winry told me what you did for those boys in Central City.”
Roy blinked at her across the table, his fork halfway to his mouth, syrup dripping off of the pancake. “Dr. Rockbell?”
“Even if they’re not our kids, they’re good ‘uns.” She sipped her coffee, her beady eyes studying him. Roy had the feeling those eyes didn’t miss much.
“There is, of course, always the possibility they aren’t what they seem to be,” he said.
“I think you’d’ve known by now if they weren’t.”
Roy ate a few more bites of his breakfast. “How do you feel about them, Dr. Rockbell?”
“Me?” The faint curl of her mouth told Roy she was expecting the question, despite her raised eyebrows. “I suppose…I think they’re good boys. That their family misses them, back in their world. I think they’re confused, but they’re doing what they’ve always done, going forward. They’re going to find a way to get back to their home, and their family, and we’ll either help them or stand in their way. Me, I’m gonna help them, because it’s the right thing.”
“The military,” Roy began cautiously.
“The military wouldn’t want these boys, now, would they?” Dr. Rockbell got out of her chair, taking her cup with her.
His heart squeezed in his chest. He knew how many sons Dr. Rockbell had lost to the various wars Amestris had participated in. Her husband had passed young. Her only living relative was Winry, now outside the house with two boys she should’ve grown up with, two boys who cared about her.
“You’re thinking awfully hard, Corporal Mustang.” The dry tone of her voice caught his attention.
“I’m thinking that sometimes, people deserve happiness, Dr. Rockbell.”
The old woman winked at him. “Everyone deserves a chance at happiness, Corporal Mustang. Even if they think they don’t.” She added over her shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen, “Don’t forget to wash those dishes.”
Roy looked down at his plate, frowning slightly at the smear of syrup left behind.
X X X
Title: In the Garden
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Roy Mustang, Pinako Rockbell, Alphonse Elric, Riza Hawkeye
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 298
Rating: K+
Summary: Roy still has more chores before his day is done.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: Arakawa owns all, and Bones just pays her rent. I’m riding on a feather.
Note: Written for the fanfic_bakeoff prompt of “absent”.
X X X
Roy stepped outside after cleaning up from breakfast, following the sounds around the house to where Alphonse, Hawkeye and Dr. Rockbell were working in the garden. Well, Hawkeye and Dr. Rockbell were, Alphonse sat on the ground, the black and white dog asleep in his lap. From the women’s laughter, Alphonse had said something amusing, and Roy felt for a few seconds as if he was interrupting. Still, he cleared his throat. “Is there something I can do?”
Dr. Rockbell glanced in his direction. “The green beans won’t pick themselves, Corporal.”
Rolling up his sleeves, Roy joined the women in the garden. Hawkeye handed him a bucket and he began stripping beans off the vines.
“Al? Do you know how to clean string beans for cooking?” Dr. Rockbell called.
“Yes! We grew them back home.”
“When you fill the bucket, Corporal, dump it out on Al so he can clean the beans. I’ll cook them up later.”
Alphonse let out a protest. “I’m not a dumping ground, Granny!”
The old woman cackled. “Close enough.”
They argued, with Alphonse’s voice getting higher pitched the longer he fought with Dr. Rockbell. Roy tuned them out. The monotony of picking the beans allowed his thoughts free rein, though they kept jumbling up with the fact he was here, again, in the Rockbells’ home, with the Elric brothers. There were too many things wrong with this, and Roy expected something to happen.
He blamed his distraction for the slowness of his reaction to the absence of Edward and Miss Rockbell, though he realized he hadn’t even heard Edward’s voice this morning.
When he asked, Alphonse piped up with a shrug. “You missed them, sir. Ed’s automail was making a sound,” he rolled his eyes. “Winry dragged him off to check it out.”
X X X