FMA Fic: "Brave New World" 35/?
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
Part Twenty-Seven: Over Breakfast, In the Garden
Part Twenty-Eight: Tune Up
Part Twenty-Nine: Sunburn, Kneading Bread
Part Thirty: Sharpest Cut, Washing Up, In the Cool of the Night
Part Thirty-One: Discussions IV, Nightmare
Part Thirty-Two: Go to Sleep, Morning Chores, On A Walk
Part Thirty-Three: Questions, Discussions V, Discussions VI
Part Thirty-Four: Knowledge Can Hurt
Title: Over Breakfast II
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Pinako, Alphonse, Roy, Riza
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 294
Rating: K+
Summary: Breakfast was harder this morning.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: No no, never, never, uh uh uh.
X X X
Breakfast felt strange and sullen, like a thunderhead brewed over the table. Winry claimed a need to work, and disappeared rather than eat. Intercepting the anguished look Al sent after her granddaughter, Pinako made a note to talk to Ed, who didn’t show up at all. Mustang and Hawkeye both remained quiet, eating doggedly, and Al eventually focused his attention on them.
Pinako decided she didn’t want to play poker with Mustang. He remained cool to the rising tension and heated looks Al shot his way. He was the one to break the silence, his laconic drawl visibly setting Al further on edge when he asked, “Is there a problem, Alphonse?”
“Yes,” he said, as intense as only a teenager could be. “I can’t believe - understand - you and Auntie Sarah and Uncle Urey!”
Hawkeye’s eyes narrowed and Mustang favored the skeletal boy with a long, cool gaze. Al didn’t drop his eyes, his jaw clenching. The muscles under his skin jumped and twitched. “It was war,” Mustang said finally, “I’m not sure if you or your brother would understand.”
“You’re right,” Al growled, sounding remarkably like his brother, “I don’t. They were innocent.”
“No more innocent than the Ishbalan families I destroyed,” Mustang said. “All in the name of protecting Amestris. Do you understand that, Alphonse?”
His teeth gritted audibly, his finger clenching too tightly on his fork. Pinako thought Al’s knuckle bones might cut through his skin. “This isn’t pleasant breakfast talk,” she said, cutting between them with her words. “The war has no place at my table.”
“Of course, Mrs. Rockbell.” Mustang inclined his head to her. Al, though, stared at her as if she’d hurt him. Well, she could live with that. Whatever Al had done to Winry made for what the boys called Equivalent Exchange.
X X X
Title: Man or Monster
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Winry, Edward
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 299
Rating: K
Summary: Winry considers men and monsters.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: Arakawa =/= me. Drat it.
fanfic_bakeoff Prompt: Warm.
X X X
Winry reached into the closet, taking a sweater out and pulling it on. Since she’d talked with Al earlier, she couldn’t seem to get warm. Even the sunlight reminded her of winter, despite how green everything was outside.
She understood their curiosity - they were Elrics. They had to know everything. It was the way they were made. No matter how similar this world was to their own, the differences had to make the boys crazy with wanting to know about them all.
Rubbing her eyes, Winry reminded herself they didn’t know, they couldn’t have known - they couldn’t understand what she’d been through, how she’d learned to deal with how her parents had died. How much loathing she’d had to work through to see the man who’d killed her parents as just that - a man following orders, not a monster who’d taken the two people she’d loved the most from her. If she had hated Roy for her parents, she should have hated him for taking the Elrics, too, and Winry had come to realize that the military was the best shot the boys had for getting their bodies back.
“Winry?” Ed’s voice. Raw and rough and, Winry thought, hurting. His mismatched steps let her know he entered the room, drew closer to her. She could feel the warmth of his body behind her, his breath on the back of her neck. Heard Ed shift his weight from side to side before he stroked the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”
Apologies from Ed were rarer than four leaf clovers, like snow in the summer. The words should’ve been sweet as music but made Winry shiver. She picked at the sweater, and wondered at how the day seemed so cold now, when it had been warm just a few hours ago.
X X X
Title: Cornered
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Edward, Roy
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 261
Rating: Teen, due to Ed and language.
Summary: Roy reminds Ed of a few things, like wanting to go home.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: If I owned this, I probably wouldn’t be writing fanfic.
X X X
“Edward, I need to talk to you.”
He turned slowly, eyeing Mustang as he climbed off the porch steps. “What do you want?”
“I realize you’ve been made aware of my part in the death of the Rockbells.” Mustang’s voice didn’t change, remaining as flat and level as always. How the fuck did he do that? Didn’t it tear him up inside? How the hell did he live with himself with all that blood on his hands? Either of him?
Edward folded his arms, rocking back on his heels. “Yeah, so?”
“Either you were unaware of that fact in your world, or there were more differences. However, it doesn’t change that I, and the military, are probably still your best way of returning to your home.”
He flashed his teeth, furious at the implications. Put on that fucking collar in another world and maybe get home, he thought, or blow the bastard off, and take care of Al and learn to live here, with this Winry. But there was a girl waiting for them, one he’d promised to make cry tears of joy. Edward thrust his hands in his pockets, feeling the smooth bits of metal there; Winry’s earrings. The cool metal warmed under his fingers.
This was fucking Baschool, again - Edward had no choice but to trust someone when he wasn’t sure he should. He ground his teeth together, flexing his fingers. He couldn’t take Al with him this time; his little brother wasn’t strong enough. And Winry.
Fuck Fuck.
“Fine,” Edward snarled. “What do you need me to do?”
X X X
Title: And Yet
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Winry Rockbell, Pinako Rockbell
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 273
Rating: K
Summary: Winry and Pinako have a talk.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: Absolutely not, in any way, shape or form.
fanfic_bakeoff Prompt: Warm.
X X X
Winry sat at the workbench, staring at the automail leg in front of her. A part of her was dissecting the limb dispassionately, while another part of her wished she could compare it to Edward’s leg. The changes her doppelganger had made to the limb made her want to use them in this leg. She remembered the variations the northern weight automail had but it wasn’t as good as having it in front of her to look at and study.
And yet.
And yet, she didn’t want to talk to Edward right now. When he’d visited her in her room, she’d barely been able to speak to him. If Alphonse knew, Edward had to, too. His apology more than anything told her that.
Shivering, Winry pulled her coveralls tighter around her body. She just couldn’t seem to get warm today, and it seemed like it would’ve been such a gorgeous day, too.
“Are you going to stay down here all day?” Granny’s voice drifted down the staircase, followed by the sounds of her steps on the risers. “You didn’t eat breakfast, and it’s past lunch. You know that piece you’re working on isn’t a rush job.” Her hands, gnarled and warm, landed on Winry’s shoulders, giving her tight muscles a squeeze. “You know it’s not those boys’ fault,” she said.
“I know,” Winry agreed softly. Turning around, she let her clasped hands fall between her knees. “Granny, how different could their world be?”
“Different enough, girl,” Granny said. “But enough is the same. Those boys are still Ed and Al.” She patted Winry’s hands.
“I know.”
And yet, they were so different, too.
X X X
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
Part Twenty-Seven: Over Breakfast, In the Garden
Part Twenty-Eight: Tune Up
Part Twenty-Nine: Sunburn, Kneading Bread
Part Thirty: Sharpest Cut, Washing Up, In the Cool of the Night
Part Thirty-One: Discussions IV, Nightmare
Part Thirty-Two: Go to Sleep, Morning Chores, On A Walk
Part Thirty-Three: Questions, Discussions V, Discussions VI
Part Thirty-Four: Knowledge Can Hurt
Title: Over Breakfast II
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Pinako, Alphonse, Roy, Riza
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 294
Rating: K+
Summary: Breakfast was harder this morning.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: No no, never, never, uh uh uh.
X X X
Breakfast felt strange and sullen, like a thunderhead brewed over the table. Winry claimed a need to work, and disappeared rather than eat. Intercepting the anguished look Al sent after her granddaughter, Pinako made a note to talk to Ed, who didn’t show up at all. Mustang and Hawkeye both remained quiet, eating doggedly, and Al eventually focused his attention on them.
Pinako decided she didn’t want to play poker with Mustang. He remained cool to the rising tension and heated looks Al shot his way. He was the one to break the silence, his laconic drawl visibly setting Al further on edge when he asked, “Is there a problem, Alphonse?”
“Yes,” he said, as intense as only a teenager could be. “I can’t believe - understand - you and Auntie Sarah and Uncle Urey!”
Hawkeye’s eyes narrowed and Mustang favored the skeletal boy with a long, cool gaze. Al didn’t drop his eyes, his jaw clenching. The muscles under his skin jumped and twitched. “It was war,” Mustang said finally, “I’m not sure if you or your brother would understand.”
“You’re right,” Al growled, sounding remarkably like his brother, “I don’t. They were innocent.”
“No more innocent than the Ishbalan families I destroyed,” Mustang said. “All in the name of protecting Amestris. Do you understand that, Alphonse?”
His teeth gritted audibly, his finger clenching too tightly on his fork. Pinako thought Al’s knuckle bones might cut through his skin. “This isn’t pleasant breakfast talk,” she said, cutting between them with her words. “The war has no place at my table.”
“Of course, Mrs. Rockbell.” Mustang inclined his head to her. Al, though, stared at her as if she’d hurt him. Well, she could live with that. Whatever Al had done to Winry made for what the boys called Equivalent Exchange.
X X X
Title: Man or Monster
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Winry, Edward
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 299
Rating: K
Summary: Winry considers men and monsters.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: Arakawa =/= me. Drat it.
fanfic_bakeoff Prompt: Warm.
X X X
Winry reached into the closet, taking a sweater out and pulling it on. Since she’d talked with Al earlier, she couldn’t seem to get warm. Even the sunlight reminded her of winter, despite how green everything was outside.
She understood their curiosity - they were Elrics. They had to know everything. It was the way they were made. No matter how similar this world was to their own, the differences had to make the boys crazy with wanting to know about them all.
Rubbing her eyes, Winry reminded herself they didn’t know, they couldn’t have known - they couldn’t understand what she’d been through, how she’d learned to deal with how her parents had died. How much loathing she’d had to work through to see the man who’d killed her parents as just that - a man following orders, not a monster who’d taken the two people she’d loved the most from her. If she had hated Roy for her parents, she should have hated him for taking the Elrics, too, and Winry had come to realize that the military was the best shot the boys had for getting their bodies back.
“Winry?” Ed’s voice. Raw and rough and, Winry thought, hurting. His mismatched steps let her know he entered the room, drew closer to her. She could feel the warmth of his body behind her, his breath on the back of her neck. Heard Ed shift his weight from side to side before he stroked the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”
Apologies from Ed were rarer than four leaf clovers, like snow in the summer. The words should’ve been sweet as music but made Winry shiver. She picked at the sweater, and wondered at how the day seemed so cold now, when it had been warm just a few hours ago.
X X X
Title: Cornered
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Edward, Roy
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 261
Rating: Teen, due to Ed and language.
Summary: Roy reminds Ed of a few things, like wanting to go home.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: If I owned this, I probably wouldn’t be writing fanfic.
X X X
“Edward, I need to talk to you.”
He turned slowly, eyeing Mustang as he climbed off the porch steps. “What do you want?”
“I realize you’ve been made aware of my part in the death of the Rockbells.” Mustang’s voice didn’t change, remaining as flat and level as always. How the fuck did he do that? Didn’t it tear him up inside? How the hell did he live with himself with all that blood on his hands? Either of him?
Edward folded his arms, rocking back on his heels. “Yeah, so?”
“Either you were unaware of that fact in your world, or there were more differences. However, it doesn’t change that I, and the military, are probably still your best way of returning to your home.”
He flashed his teeth, furious at the implications. Put on that fucking collar in another world and maybe get home, he thought, or blow the bastard off, and take care of Al and learn to live here, with this Winry. But there was a girl waiting for them, one he’d promised to make cry tears of joy. Edward thrust his hands in his pockets, feeling the smooth bits of metal there; Winry’s earrings. The cool metal warmed under his fingers.
This was fucking Baschool, again - Edward had no choice but to trust someone when he wasn’t sure he should. He ground his teeth together, flexing his fingers. He couldn’t take Al with him this time; his little brother wasn’t strong enough. And Winry.
Fuck Fuck.
“Fine,” Edward snarled. “What do you need me to do?”
X X X
Title: And Yet
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters/Pairings: Winry Rockbell, Pinako Rockbell
Author: evil_little_dog
Words: 273
Rating: K
Summary: Winry and Pinako have a talk.
Warnings: Part of my continuing crossover between the first anime and the manga.
Disclaimer: Absolutely not, in any way, shape or form.
fanfic_bakeoff Prompt: Warm.
X X X
Winry sat at the workbench, staring at the automail leg in front of her. A part of her was dissecting the limb dispassionately, while another part of her wished she could compare it to Edward’s leg. The changes her doppelganger had made to the limb made her want to use them in this leg. She remembered the variations the northern weight automail had but it wasn’t as good as having it in front of her to look at and study.
And yet.
And yet, she didn’t want to talk to Edward right now. When he’d visited her in her room, she’d barely been able to speak to him. If Alphonse knew, Edward had to, too. His apology more than anything told her that.
Shivering, Winry pulled her coveralls tighter around her body. She just couldn’t seem to get warm today, and it seemed like it would’ve been such a gorgeous day, too.
“Are you going to stay down here all day?” Granny’s voice drifted down the staircase, followed by the sounds of her steps on the risers. “You didn’t eat breakfast, and it’s past lunch. You know that piece you’re working on isn’t a rush job.” Her hands, gnarled and warm, landed on Winry’s shoulders, giving her tight muscles a squeeze. “You know it’s not those boys’ fault,” she said.
“I know,” Winry agreed softly. Turning around, she let her clasped hands fall between her knees. “Granny, how different could their world be?”
“Different enough, girl,” Granny said. “But enough is the same. Those boys are still Ed and Al.” She patted Winry’s hands.
“I know.”
And yet, they were so different, too.
X X X