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punkscowardschampions · 4 years

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Flat Whites & JJ

Mia: Mum can take four of us, so three of you are still going to need to find your way there, Dad's away on a Golf weekend 🤷 Grace: I'll ask if any of the fam can take the rest of us 🤞💜 Mia: Aw, thanks so much, babe Mia: so you're cool not coming with us then? Grace: there's like 1000s of them so 🤷🙄 someone'll will totally be talked or bribed into doing it 💅 Grace: oh yeah sure, it's like not even a problem, babes Mia: 😂😂😂 for real, got to have some upsides, yeah? Mia: Great 💗 Mia: the rest of you, you can only bring what you can hold on your laps, Dad took the range so we're in the sports, the boot is like non-existent 💁🙄 Grace: ugh IKR?! 😂😂😂 Grace: at least we can take SO MUCH of the stuff whoever's behind the wheel, you're so welcome huns Mia: Love a helpful queen Mia: Asia, are you even coming with us or are you going to ditch us for your boyfriend, again 💅 Asia: Of course I'm coming!!! Asia: Literally just got my hair done 👌👌✂ Asia: [and a million pics that nobody asked for] Jimmy: 😍😍😍😍😍 Grace: WOW! SO CUTE Mia: Yeah, but are you coming with us or coming with us like Maya's party where you left SO early with him instead of having a good time with your besties Ella: 😏🍵 Hollie: wasn't so early she didn't have a good time with ME tho! 💃💘 views to prove it Asia: UM like isn't it LAW that what happens at parties stays there?! 🤫🤫 Asia: & he doesn't even wanna come with soooooooo Jimmy: 💔 Ella: Oh, so we're your 2nd choice? 🤔🤔 Mia: 💔 is right, so rude Asia: ???!! Asia: not even Mia: We all heard you, you can't deny it Mia: at least own it, babe, omg Asia: you asked if he was coming?? Mia: Literally no one is concerned about him but you 😂 Mia: shame he's not, I might need your seat, actually Mia: but that's cool, yeah? seeing as you've got so many options Asia: ?????????? Mia: 🤫🤫 Grace: Why might you need her seat though? Spill on who you're trying to bring, thank you Mia: I'm not trying to make this convo all about me Mia: so cringe Mia: we're meant to be planning, thank you Jimmy: Go on, we're obvs all DYING to know Mia: Have to wait and 👀 Mia: be a nice surprise for you all Janis: How will we ever bear the suspense? Jimmy: there's only one of you who's getting mouth to mouth if you stop breathing, soz Janis: Things are looking up, Asia 🤞 Jimmy: I'm SO not going if Asia's not going, FYI Janis: 💔 Mia: There'll be room in whatever you're showing up in Mia: assuming she doesn't ditch you too, it's her thing rn Jimmy: put her on my lap ✔ you don't mind, do you, babe? Ella: 🤢 Jimmy: green's right Jimmy: no need to be jealous, El Ella: Don't ever call me that Jimmy: Babe 💔 come on Jimmy: this TENSION between us Ella: Repulsive and delusional, cute 🙄 Ella: Why are you even in this chat, though 👏 it's not nice to make fun of Asia, or helpful rn Jimmy: Bit rude to chuck me out of a chat she started Jimmy: but alright we can plan without her Jimmy: Mia* Mia: You aren't funny, new boy Jimmy: is that @ Asia's boyfriend or? Jimmy: he's got a name Janis: You aren't funny, babe Janis: what's to plan anyway, we have tents, we have lifts, sorted Hollie: Is Asia coming? Mia: Grace, can you please explain to your sister how much more there is left to do Mia: and Asia why are you like making people ask after you??? hello, answer a question, would you, silence ain't cute Grace: Janis does lowkey have a point, babes, it is chill Grace: she doesn't need or want to be involved in our outfit planning, obvs 😂😂 Asia: I LITERALLY SAID I'M COMING Ella: 🔉 Ella: Why are you shouting though Asia: why are you the volume police, Ells?? OH MY GOD Mia: Obviously Mia: but there's actually important stuff still to do, thanks, like who's getting the drink, for one Mia: Asia needs to calm down and find herself a seat, and a whole new tent if she's going to bring everyone down with her attitude??? Mia: don't take your relationship drama out on us tbh Jimmy: The unfunny dickhead with the unflattering fake ID, duh 👋 Jimmy: Love me again now, don't you? Mia: Don't get excited Mia: I want 2 bottles of vodka Jimmy: You gonna put me on a timeout, an' all? Cute Mia: El? Ella: Same Janis: You know it's a weekend Janis: you two don't need 4 bottles between you Janis: and you aren't even meant to have glass anyway Mia: You suddenly care about the rules? Mia: We'll pay you now, chill out 😂😂 Jimmy: I was waiting for the #flex Jimmy: can rest easy and count my 💰 now Mia: 🙄 you wanna pay for us Mia: literally none of us will be impressed Jimmy: and live off bread and water for the foreseeable? You're alright Jimmy: So poor, me, you just put the reminder out yourself Mia: 💔 Mia: like we're all SOOOO rich Jimmy: 🙄 Mia: like, bang on about it more, so not boring Mia: is anyone else going to order or are you just going to keep him waiting forever? Mia: what's wrong with you lots, like are you being shy Hollie: you bringing up Maya's party has me 🤔🤔🤔 maybe we should chill out with the 🍾🍾 idk Mia: You make those little videos sober, don't think you need to worry about being any more cringe, babe Mia: why are we going if to not have fun, come on now Hollie: WOW, ILY too babe Mia: it is what we 💗 about you Mia: so funny Hollie: 👌👌👌 Mia: OMG, this MOOD Mia: you're all stressing me out, actually over this Grace: Vodka is like totally fine for all of us, okay? Just get enough to have fun with, like Mia said Grace: without getting CRAZY like Hollie warned Grace: then we can all just move on Jimmy: 👍 Mia: Yeah, this is so much fun Mia: 🙄 Mia: I'm over this convo Jimmy: 💔 Mia: El, be ready in 15, okay? Grace: Is that everything? Mia: 🤷 Mia: Like I'm doing all the work for what? Mia: You wanna be boring, you'll have to work it out yourselves Grace: I'm literally asking so you don't have to do it all yourself, honey Mia: I said, I'm over it Mia: We're going shopping, you can all do what you want Grace: Ugh Grace: everyone stop Ella: The problem is you're doing nothing though? 💁 Grace: Excuse you? Ella: What? 😂 Grace: That's like the opposite of helping Grace: I'm trying to sort everything out Ella: 👌👌👌 Grace: Do you wanna talk to Asia rn? cos I don't think you appreciate how upset she is Grace: That's what I'm doing Ella: Such a saint 🙏 Ella: she's got nothing to be upset about, just like the rest of you, this is such a joke Grace: mhmmm Grace: we all know you wanna call the whole thing off, Ella Grace: but maybe the rest of us wanna go, so like ?? Don't be so rude Ella: That's why me and Mia are the only ones who have made any suggestions in this chat??? Ella: Okay Grace: 4 bottles of vodka isn't a suggestion, it's a shopping list Ella: We all know you can't handle your drink Ella: so why don't you ask for some cocktails in a can and get realistic about it Grace: 🙄🙄🙄 Mia: El, leave it Mia: this chat is so hormonal Grace: Call off your clone please, so over her Ella: Ha, now who's excused Ella: what was that about green? Grace: yeah cos I was so in favour before Grace: okay Grace: I literally don't care, count me out if this is how it's going to be the whole time Ella: The tantrums 😂 Ella: your sister finally invites you to something and this is how you act Grace: my sister isn't the one being a total bitch, you are Grace: eat something, you'll feel better Ella: Seen enough changing room meltdowns to know that's not worked for you, hun 😚 Mia: This is so toxic and we all know why Asia: I don't Mia: 🙄🙄🙄 Mia: God 😂 Mia: she speaks Hollie: stop shading her Mia: And another one Hollie: her and her bf will be done before the tents are set up, like hello? Hollie: it's not worth dragging her over Asia: 😱😱😱 Asia: Hollie! Mia: Wow Mia: it says so much about you that you only pipe up when things get bitchy Mia: both of you, where was this enthusiasm earlier? Damn, say how you really feel, Hols Hollie: I have to do my own dirty work 🤷 Hollie: if Ells had a twin too, I could sit back and get comfy too Mia: No one's asked you to be such a bitch Mia: this is why people don't fuck with you, so uncomfortable 😬 Hollie: yeah cos only you two are allowed, isn't it? Hollie: is it a boy you've invited? Mia: 😂 show me where Hollie: maybe where Ells is about to pull Gracie's weave out? Hollie: or when you uninvited Asia cos you're so salty that she has a bf Mia: Grace is trying to threaten she's not coming and Asia is clearly doing the same since no one uninvited her Mia: like, try to hide your drama behind us some more Mia: we're shopping for outfits, MY mum is driving us, I've paid for my drinks? Mia: sort your lives, honestly Hollie: my drama is you, you're being cringey bitches and I'm so done 👌 Asia: So I can come with you? Ella: Mime to a sad song, you'll feel better Ella: duh, Asia Hollie: I'll feel better when that boy you have a crush on, who I won't name to the entire chat cos I'm not that bitch, slides into my DMs again Hollie: thanks so much though, Ells Ella: It's tragic you think that means anything Ella: as if you've ever made it to the tent being put up Hollie: It's sooooooo funny that you think that's going to get to me Hollie: I don't want a 💍 and you know it Ella: that's lucky Ella: don't think they do engagement rings in man-sized Jimmy: Well I'm fucked then Jimmy: soz babe, the proposal's cancelled Mia: Are you two legit still here? Mia: That's even more pathetic than you three, you're in luck Jimmy: waiting on my shopping invite, no manners, you Mia: You've got your list Jimmy: But how can I join the cult if you don't tell me the dress code Jimmy: Kool-Aid's on order, like Mia: 🦗🦗 Mia: less reaction than your fake proposal bombshell, I am SO sorry, sweetie Jimmy: I proper felt that, you should go to drama school Ella: and Brits are meant to be decent at sarcasm Ella: try harder, new boy Jimmy: What's sarcasm? Please tell us, attack dog #1 Ella: Get Grace to, seeing as she's such a martyr Ella: Asia's stopped blubbing now Grace: Get over yourself and my name out of your mouth, hun Grace: your changing room meltdown atm isn't my problem Ella: OMG, a real-life 👼 Ella: deigning to talk to us commoners for a sec Ella: you wanna talk about names in your mouth, be sure to tell Asia what you said about her after she left Maya's, k 😘 Grace: Jesus loves everyone babes, even you Mia: 💁 so true Mia: make sure your hands are clean before you start pointing the finger, Gracie Grace: Oh please, I was drunk after I left that party cos OBVS I can NEVER handle my drink, DUH Grace: Do we wanna take a moment to talk about what you both said about my sister and her boyfriend after they invited us to this festival or no? Mia: Try on another excuse, see if that one fits Ella: 😏 Ella: doubt it Grace: we for sure don't wanna take any moments to discuss body image, unless of course you really would like to leave the chat and focus on your ootds Ella: 🐢🌵💚 Asia: ??? Asia: what does that even mean?? Ella: She knows Ella: Asia are you at home? Asia: not my home Asia: why? Ella: to pick you up Ella: you still need to get stuff too, right? Asia: OH Asia: I'll get him to drop me off rn Ella: 🙌 we'll wait 💗 Asia: 👌💗 Mia: We'll do nails and tan after, Dad's paying Asia: I can't tan too dark tho it'll clash with 💇 Mia: 'course, babe, that'd be so cringe Mia: you'll look amazing 😘 Asia: 💗💗💗 Mia: k, toodles 👋 Asia: SO excited Ella: Us too 💃🍾 Hollie: 🙄🙄🙄 Ella: Your negative energy is really draining Ella: speak up if you've got a problem, Hols, maybe we can help Hollie: I just can't remember stepping into a time machine and popping out again when we were like 12 tbh Ella: Your backne is acting up again? Ella: Worst timing, the sun will do it wonders though, don't worry Hollie: 😂 Ella: See, that's more like it Ella: positivity, ladies Hollie: Mia, are you really doing this? Mia: Doing what, babe? Hollie: you know Hollie: 🥶🥶🥶🥶 Mia: I really don't, though Mia: sorry 😕 Mia: DM me if you don't want to say it in front of them, yeah Hollie: okay Hollie: be really cool if you could swat Ells off your shoulder first though Hollie: just saying Mia: Why are you being like, jealous Mia: so weird Mia: we're all friends, 'cos we're not 12 😂 Hollie: check your inbox Hollie: you won't be BFFs with her when you read that Ella: Beg an invite harder Hollie: you'll be begging to keep yours, babes Hollie: gonna have to do your own tan, uh oh Ella: You'd know all about that Ella: 🍊🍪😷 Asia: OMG yay! I understood that time Ella: 😂 it'd be hard to miss, right babe Ella: bless Asia: 😂😂

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edwardslostalchemy · 5 years

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Tilted Axis Part 2

This piece is filled with dialogue, just FYI, and it’s also very Long. I’m trying not to do as much exposition in my writing and I want to show you guys what’s going on rather than just telling you with a lengthy paragraph. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: FullMetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa. I just use her characters as barbie dolls to play with and write stories about them.

[Part 1]

Read on AO3 and FF.Net.

“You might feel like a prisoner of circumstance, but you are forgetting you have the jailer’s keys.”

-Ms. Moem

Part 2: Trial and Errors

“You know what I’ve realized?” Ed asked. He and Al had been staying in a hotel room, the location deep within the heart of Berlin, Germany. “It was foolish of us to have kept so much from Winry.”

Al rolled onto his side to face his brother, making the bed he laid on creak with his movements. “You’re just now figuring that out, Brother?”

“Do you think it would have been a good idea to tell her about all the dangerous shit we did?” Ed countered.

“Not entirely, but she’s smart, Ed. We probably made her feel like we couldn’t depend on her for support,” Al pointed out.

“I just didn’t want for her to worry about us,” Ed sighed, pushing back the hair from his face with his metal hand, feeling how a couple of strands got stuck in a crease. He winced when he pulled it back with enough force to take a couple with him.

“It was also for her own safety,” Al added with a sigh. “She was already getting too involved for her own good.”

“So much so that Envy had her appearance down,” Ed muttered.

“I wonder how he found out she had a crush on you,” Al mused, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

“I recall Envy-as-Winry saying you were the one she’d always loved,” Ed argued.

“Which wasn’t true. It made you freeze, Brother. Admit you felt something for her,” Al teased.

“What good would it do if I did, Al?” Ed asked, looking out the window and gazing at the moon overhead.

“It would probably help you to let it go in a way,” Al suggested. “I know you feel guilty for leaving her behind.” He waited for his brother to deny his suspicion but received no answer in its place.

“I didn’t even get to thank her in person,” Ed said absentmindedly.

“I’m sure she knows you were always grateful.” Al sat up and gave his brother a soft smile. “If we’d ever get to go back, would you still keep her in the dark about issues?”

Ed thought about it for a while, withholding an answer from Al until he’d weighed out the pros and cons of doing so. “I wouldn’t. She would deserve to know what was going on….”

“So then you would tell her we’re out searching for a bomb?” Al inquired as he raised an eyebrow.

“I mean…that gearhead would probably want to help us find it to take it apart and see what makes it tick, disregarding how dangerous of a weapon it is,” Ed offered, remembering the way Winry would get excited over anything related to machines and mechanics. “She’d probably figure out how to deactivate it in seconds.”

“I don’t doubt it. She built your automail at age eleven… She’s a mechanical genius.” Al stretched out and brought his pillow closer to his head. After a few minutes, Al suspected Ed had passed out, but he knew he was a light sleeper and even struggled to find sleep at times. The precaution they always had to take when it came to bomb hunting was probably catching up to him and made him restless. “I wouldn’t keep her and Granny at a distance anymore,” Al mentioned after a while. “They were our family.”

“I wonder how far family members can get without severing ties,” Ed answered, undoing his hair tie and loosening his ponytail.

“Not sure, but I think crossing dimensions probably fits the fill,” Al snorted.

Ed joined in on the laughter because he had a point. “I’d give anything to visit them.”

“Me, too…I miss them,” Al sighed.

___

Tools clanked against one another in Winry’s box as she searched for something Edward couldn’t figure out, but after years of working in the profession, he more than trusted her to know what she was doing. Lying on his stomach, he allowed himself to relax while his mechanic fixed up his arm. It had been so long since he had any maintenance done…. He had tried and even Al had done his best at helping him oil his metal prostheses, but their efforts would never be as precise as the ones performed by Winry’s skilled hands. Earth was far behind in that sort of technology, which was a shame. Now back in Amestris, the dream was real and here he was again with this genius of a woman that had never ceased to amaze him. Earth would have really benefited from someone so intelligent.

Edward had stalled the subject for as long as he could, but Winry was perceptive and knew that the Elric brothers wouldn’t go five minutes without getting themselves into trouble. It was stupid to try and hide things from her. However, he could not tell her everything the second they reunited. Such a wonderful moment couldn’t get ruined by the news he and Alphonse had received. There were tears of joy and lots of embraces, but no words of a trial until later. He waited until he and Winry were alone so he could explain. The confusion in her tone was justified, but he wished he’d been as ignorant as her when he got the news from Roy.

“A trial?”

“Yeah…it was a surprise for me as well,” Ed finally answered, gulping in order to help clear his throat to continue speaking. “At first, I thought it was because of all the destruction that went on when the gate was opened, but it turns out the military doesn’t forget about its deserters.”

“They still have that on record?” Winry’s voice was low, quivering as she spoke.

“They’re really good about keeping track, apparently,” Ed said with a roll of his eyes.

“But that was eight years ago, Ed.” Although Ed’s arm was artificial, he could feel the way Winry used her screwdriver to tighten up the screws on his shoulder. She was still concentrated on her craft despite the information he was telling her.

“I could have come back twenty years from now and they would have still remembered. It’s a crime against the military to leave without permission, especially since I was a dog,” Ed explained.

Another clank resonated in the room, this time more deliberate and rougher, when Winry set her tools down. “You didn’t leave by choice!”

“I know that.” Ed met her gaze, fiery gold against piercing cobalt. He didn’t want for her to get upset, but he doubted he could calm her down with one look alone. He moved his metal hand, flexing the fingers to regain feeling and prompted her to take it. When she placed her gloved hand in his, he held onto it tightly, reassuring her with his grasp that he would be alright.

“It’s unfair, you know?”

Nodding, Ed let out a humorless chuckle. “What kind of equivalent exchange, right? I worked under the military for years, and now that I come back, I get court-martialed.”

Winry squeezed his hand. “I’m surprised you’re not locked up in a cell.”

“General Mustang took care of that one.” With a raise of an eyebrow, Winry prompted Ed to continue. “He didn’t go into a lot of the details on how he did it, but he said he reminded them of my loyalty before the Philosopher’s Stone was created in Liore.”

“Will he also help you with this issue?” After all, it was the General who tracked down Ed and Al all the way to Resembool and scolded them for not asking him for help.

“Yeah, he and his team are witnesses…. If we are able to convince the council and senior staff, then I can count on a shorter sentence.”

Ed saw Winry’s face light up, gasping as she realized something. “I can testify, too! And Sheska! We were both there, too!” She let go of Ed’s hand then before she reached for one of her wrenches. Edward observed her out of the corner of his eye, beginning to sweat. “We aren’t letting you go down without a fight.”

“Are you planning to hit everyone with that thing until they let me go?” His solemn expression became nervous at the sight of the metal tool.

“If needed, then yes,” Winry answered simply. “But first, I need to finish with your automail.”

___

Food and refreshments decorated the table in the conference room that had been spared as requested by General Mustang. Edward had no clue how he did it, but it seemed that his commanding officer was moving the world around to help him as much as he could. He knew it wasn’t like him and all these favors would make Edward owe him for life, but he couldn’t question his motives at the moment. There was no time to waste in arguments, only strategies. There was no telling what the government would do to Edward, but from what he gathered leniency wasn’t in the military’s vocabulary when it came to judging its soldiers. The only reasonable explanation he could think of that the military was even allowing him to walk free and stay in that room was because Roy had that much authority. Being a General had its perks.

“You should eat something, Brother.” Al’s soft voice broke Ed out of his train of thought and into the present.

“I’m not that hungry right now… I’m thinking of what it is I’ll say in that court room.”

“How can you expect to concentrate if you don’t have food in your stomach?” Al raised an eyebrow. “I know it won’t fix the problem, but you can at least think while you eat.”

“Who’s the older brother again?” Winry asked with a smirk. She set a plate of food in front of Ed and returned the glare he gave her.

“Very funny. I’ve grown in the past years, you know!” Ed picked up a carrot from his plate and bit it angrily.

“You’re not kidding on that one. I did maintenance, but I need to make adjustments to your arm and leg since you’re off balance,” Winry mused. “I might as well fit you with new models.”

Ed swallowed as he listened. “Are they as light as the ones I have now?”

“They should be. I’ve been experimenting with new alloys and metals to take strain off the body.” She swirled a piece of food in cream as she explained.

“Maybe that’s why you got taller, Brother!” Al seemed to be excited for him, his sincerity never failing to bring a smile to Ed’s face. However, he couldn’t help feeling he was also picking on him for his height and he couldn’t keep his genuine composure for too long.

“Hey now, I’ve been growing since before I got the lighter models.” He took another bite of food, but this time something clicked. “Come to think of it, you’re probably right.”

“Of course, he’s right. I started developing a lighter model around the time—” Winry cut herself short and Edward wanted to believe his ears deceived him when he heard her breath hitch. She gulped after a moment to collect herself. “By the time you came back, I had been using the lighter models already.”

She didn’t have to say what she omitted and Ed wouldn’t ask her to continue. He knew her memories went to the time he crossed over to the other side of the gate, so it made sense that she would have been working on something better. Maybe she had him in mind for it, but he wasn’t her only customer and she wasn’t the type of person to stop working just because a friend left her side.

“I see,” he nodded, acknowledging her explanation. “Thank you, Winry.”

Were his eyes playing with him as well or was that a blush on her face he saw? Winry was talented enough to receive praises from left and right. Gratitude from his part shouldn’t have been such a big deal to her, but he could have been wrong.

“I’m glad it’s helped you all this time. I was afraid…your recklessness would outlast the automail’s durability.”

She was lucky Ed’s mouth was full with food or else he would have definitely said something he would regret later. However, her smug smile showed him she’d struck a nerve and she knew it, and there was nothing he could do about it because she was right. Still, he couldn’t stay like that and let her win.

“I’m not that irresponsible. I took care of it for three years before I needed a new arm, remember?”

“And it would have lasted longer if it hadn’t been destroyed in the first place,” Winry countered.

Ed heard Al sigh beside them. “You two need to get a room…”

“Shut up, Al!” Ed and Winry said in unison.

“Alright, settle down you two!” Roy slamming folders onto the table brought their attention to him. “I could hear you down the hall. You’re in a military command center, not a market place.”

“Might as well be with the commotion the higher-ups are doing over one stray soldier,” Ed muttered.

“And they will continue to do so if you don’t behave,” Roy advised. Sighing, he took a seat in front of the trio, flipping through pages of the top folder on his pile of files. “It’s a big deal because more than seven thousand soldiers were killed in the Liore incident and then you two ran off right after. Tell me how that doesn’t look suspicious to them.”

The indignation in Edward’s expression reflected his disapproval of the accusation. “But you know what hap—”

“Yes, I know, damn it, but I’m not the one who’s going to judge you!” The commanding officer rubbed his face wearily before sighing in exasperation. “I did what I could at the time to defend you and I am doing the same now, but the senior officers are seeking retribution whether it’s justifiable or not. And right now, FullMetal, the scale isn’t tipping much in your favor.”

“So what you’re saying is I’ll get screwed over no matter what? That’s great! Thanks for the help!” As he crossed his arms, he looked away with annoyance. He felt his temple pulse and he cursed to himself in hopes of not getting a headache. By the looks of the situation, though, it wasn’t likely his head would cooperate.

“You idiot, you’re not seeing the point. Parliament is going to get involved as well and they’ll have every reason to back you up once we present the testimonies of the witnesses,” Roy reasoned. “Last time you were here, you protected the city and took down the person in charge of the flying machines. They know that was you.”

“You actually gave me credit for that?” Ed’s skepticism rose in his tone.

“Was I the one flying that contraption? I was in a hot air balloon, Edward.”

That got a chuckle out of the younger alchemist. “Alright, fine. I’ll trust you…for now.”

“Fine by me. We want for your sentence to be as short as possible. I doubt you came back to go to prison right away,” Roy said, his voice returning to his serious, authoritative tone.

“How long do you think they��ll give me?” Ed asked.

“Hold on! Is there a possibility that perhaps he won’t go to prison?” Winry didn’t mean to interrupt and she was well aware that it was imprudent to give her opinion in a matter that was beyond her knowledge. However, Edward knew her too well. She wouldn’t just sit by and let him sink.

“He deserted the military,” Roy pointed out. “But…we are counting on everyone’s versions of the story. Unless both the military and parliamentary body allow for a deal in exchange of prison time, we’re looking at many years, if not a life sentence.”

Once the words left the General’s mouth, Ed realized a loophole.

“What did you say?” Al asked. Ed turned to look at his brother, recognizing he, too, had come to the same conclusion as him.

Roy raised an eyebrow in question. “I don’t want to get your hopes up on the possibility of a deal. What we have to do right now is come up with a credible story to present to the court.”

“Then I suggest we confess about what really happened,” Ed answered.

“You would have a lot of explaining to do,” Roy refuted. “That would entail a second court martial for just attempting human transmutation. You don’t want to make it worse.”

“I’m already getting court martialed,” Ed pointed out. “I know that means that by talking about it, I’m dragging you and your team with me for just knowing about it. I’ll take full blame. You knew nothing about it.”

“Think about it, General. The Fürher was a homunculus. He was part of the conspiracy to create a Philosopher’s Stone. Your team and you are key witnesses to all of that,” Alphonse argued. “It would help clear so much—”

“I don’t think you two heard me when I said the military will punish you whether it is or isn’t justifiable,” Roy pointed out. “I’m not scared for myself. I’m concerned about the both of you. Alphonse, you would be facing prison time as well.”

“If my brother’s going down, then I’m going with him,” Al answered. “I participated in the transmutation, too.”

“I don’t want you to go to prison, though,” Ed said, avoiding Al’s gaze and opting to look at the folders under Roy’s hands. If he looked at him, Al would convince him with his fervent stare. His eyes were just as full of fire as his own, if not more.

“You didn’t perform the taboo on your own.”

“It’s very noble of the both of you to look out for each other, but this isn’t bringing us closer to a plan.” Roy spread out the folders and Ed was finally able to read some of their labels. “If you want to bargain with them, then we need a strong argument. What do we have to work with?”

The folder with the heading ‘State Alchemist Exam’ caught Ed’s attention and gave him an idea. “General, I’m risking sounding vain, but how valuable am I to the state?”

___

The time it took to wait for the witnesses to come out to Central was used to develop a plan for Ed’s trial. General Mustang and Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong would present his case. Winry and Sheska, along with Al and Roy’s team, would be part of the group that would provide evidence for why Edward was forced to desert the military. In addition, Rose, Sig, the Tringham brothers, Captain Ross, and Second Lieutenant Brosh had also agreed to speak, seeing as how they all met with Ed during that crucial time. After reviewing his files, something became apparent to Ed. One of the officers that was practically throwing him in jail was Major General Hakuro, but the young alchemist knew how to play that card, too.

He had seen a sea of blue uniforms before, but the air in the court room could drown him from the intensity in which cold eyes stared at him. General Mustang hadn’t been kidding when he said the senior officers wanted his head as a trophy. They were all vultures preying on fresh meat. The feast wouldn’t last for long and Ed hoped they could all stomach something rotten.

When the trial began, the senior staff went for Ed’s throat immediately, accusing him of genocide, calling him a traitor, yelling how dishonorable he was. If he didn’t despise the military so much, their comments might have fazed him. He didn’t give a damn about their opinions or their ‘honor’. He had never set out to make a name for himself with the military, although it had been a bonus. All he wanted was to get his brother’s body back, but they didn’t know that.

General Hakuro was quick to mention how badly he made him look, seeing as how he vouched for him to take the exam at the age of twelve. “I should have known you’d be troublesome. We should have never let you in the military in the first place!”

“With all due respect, sir, your words are exaggerated. Edward Elric completed his duties and followed orders until this unfortunate incident with Liore, which forced him to retreat.” Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong, ever eloquent and composed, countered the General’s insults. “And need I remind you that you are alive because of his involvement on the train all those years ago.”

“I repaid the favor by giving him permission to take the exam. But don’t confuse one thing for another. My life was just one. We’re talking about seven thousand men missing.” General Hakuro was adamant, the stubborn officer refusing to see reason. What could they expect from someone so arrogant?

“Edward was under orders to investigate Liore and hunt down Scar, the person responsible for the annihilation of so many soldiers.”

“Yet Scar was never found.” Hakuro’s stone-cold stare never strayed from Armstrong’s.

“He used himself as a component. It is the only explanation why he went missing along with the soldiers.”

General Mustang stepped to the front. “I have a letter written by Edward addressed to me, describing what he had seen in Liore. The council can use this as proof that he never planned to hurt the military.” He brought the documents to the body of suited men that sat across from them.

“You’re arguing that he had no intentions of using the men for the stone. Then, why did he flee afterwards? That is what a suspicious soldier does when he is guilty of a crime.” The logic General Hakuro used may have been reasonable to him, but the only thought in Ed’s mind was beating the shit out of him.

“Because Edward’s younger brother, Alphonse, was turned into the Philosopher’s Stone.” The Lieutenant Colonel’s words caused the room to gasp collectively, afterwards creating a rumble of murmurs amongst the soldiers present. Even General Hakuro had no comeback for such a bold statement.

The council spoke amongst themselves, Parliament against Military, taking their time to come to a decision. How difficult was it to think of something to do? Wasn’t it obvious to them the next action to take? Although Ed remained with a poker face, his body silently suffered from an anxious storm. His chest tightened, his left hand began to sweat, and suddenly his throat was as dry as the desert he and Al had crossed to get to Liore all those years before.

Finally, the council faced forward and Lieutenant General Grumman spoke. “We call to the stand Alphonse Elric to testify.”

Edward wasn’t nervous for himself. He was in a panic because his little brother, no matter how tall or old he was, would go up by himself to testify in front of a court. He was confident in Alphonse. He did not trust the council with him in their hands, though. He didn’t know them and they didn’t know him. He wasn’t a fragile child, but Edward couldn’t fight what he felt. He and Al had gone through so much together that the mere thought of allowing him to enter the lion’s den encouraged him to go up there and protect him. However, he couldn’t do such a thing. He couldn’t leave his seat. He had to trust his commanding officers who knew what they were doing. He dared look around and found Winry’s face among the crowd. It was a good thing she had a front row seat else he’d have difficulty maintaining eye contact with her. They weren’t allowed to exchange words, not even mouth anything to each other or else their behavior would be seen as suspicious. She blinked at him and gave him a nod of recognition, the only gestures she could offer him for comfort. It was all he needed to keep his sanity.

They turned back to look at Al, who was taking an oath to agree to say nothing but the truth. There was no sign of uneasiness in Al’s expression, just a boy who was determined to help make things right. In order to correct them, though, they had to confess their faults first. Everything always came at a price, didn’t it? This wasn’t just alchemy’s law of equivalent exchange. It was the law of the world. Nobody, not even Dante, could convince him otherwise.

“You have a story to tell, young man. What is this about being turned into a Philosopher’s Stone?” General Grumman had taken over for General Hakuro, seeing as how the other had been driven by emotion rather than staying objective. General Mustang had mentioned that Grumman supported them, seeing as how the younger commanding officer had worked under him in the past and they had respect and trust in one another. It wasn’t that he blindly believed Mustang, but rather he wasn’t a biased person to conduct a trial.

“Colonel Archer ordered the Crimson Alchemist to cause destruction in Liore. While there, we ran into each other and Scar, and Kimblee used my body to create a bomb,” Al began. “Scar saved my life by using my body to turn me into the Stone.”

“Your body?” General Grumman looked like an intelligent man, but Edward couldn’t blame him if he was confused by Al’s choice of words.

“Yes, you see… My body was a suit of arm for a few years, with my soul attached to it.”

The older commanding officer stroked his chin in thought. “We will put a tab on this issue for a later time. I don’t want to change the subject, so I hope you understand.”

Edward was frozen in place. He had never thought about ever confessing about the taboo he and Al committed. He had imagined he would either be dead or far away before that happened. Both instances had occurred more than once, yet here he was in front of a court and his biggest secret was moments away from being out.

“What happened to the Philosopher’s Stone? Clearly, your body is not a suit of armor, at least not anymore.”

“Well, in order for me to talk about that, I first need to explain how I became a suit of armor. I hope you understand.” This was the plan that Ed, Roy, and the others had come up with and Al was sticking with it. Ed knew how brave Al was, but he sometimes forgot he could be daring, even more so than him. To talk to an elder—a commanding officer—the way he did, to use his words against him, was something Ed hadn’t seen, at least not in a long time.

“Proceed then.”

“If I may, General Grumman. I believe both Edward and Alphonse should speak of this matter,” Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong interjected.

“Then bring him to the stand, too.”

“We cannot have two subjects speaking at the same stand!” General Hakuro cut in.

“Quiet, General. We want to solve this as quickly as possible. Let them speak.” This wasn’t a request, no matter how level-headed General Grumman spoke to the rowdier officer. This was an order and he outranked the younger General.

Edward reached the stand, going through the same ordeal as Al to swear to tell the truth, and mentally prepared himself. When prompted to continue, he took a deep breath before beginning.

“Alphonse and I performed human transmutation when we were kids.”

Either Ed was condemning his brother and himself for life or he would be saving them. Still, he continued, recounting the night he and Al tried to resurrect their mother, how he bonded Al’s soul to the suit of armor, and their search for the Philosopher’s Stone in order to restore their bodies. Time seemed to drag on as he and Al took turns speaking, but the more they confessed, the lighter Ed seemed to feel. It had weighed on him for years, even after it happened, even after he found out Al did get his body back, but he had to admit it still haunted him. He still felt guilty despite doing his best to move on. Perhaps…it was a blessing in disguise, but who knew? They kept their story as brief as possible, only talking about what needed to be said. The homunculi, Fürher King Bradley, Dante, and Scar were discussed, which brought them back to their initial topic: Al becoming the Philosopher’s Stone. It was convoluted and they spoke as clearly as possible, but Ed could tell this all confused the council. Nonetheless, he and Al needed to say everything, including Al’s kidnapping by the homunculi, Edward’s death, Al using himself and the Stone to resurrect him, and finally Ed using himself to revive Al.

“When I woke up, I was a ten-year-old boy with no recollection of the four years my brother and I spent searching for the Stone. A girl named Rose took me home and explained what Edward did for me. This is why there is no Stone and why I am no longer a suit of armor.” Through his peripheral vision, Edward saw how Al’s composure hadn’t faltered. His face was lightly flushed from the heat of the room, and a bit of sweat had collected on his forehead, but he wasn’t intimidated by the scrutinizing eyes that looked at them.

“And you, FullMetal?” Grumman asked.

“I ended up on the other side of the gate. If I disappeared, it wasn’t by choice. There was no way I could return since the parallel world I was dragged into did not use alchemy.”

“Is there anyone that can attest to this? I certainly believe you, but I am not familiar with alchemy. Plus…there are more people you need to convince.” General Grumman gestured to the rest of the council. If this man was genuinely saying that, Ed wondered how he had reached his rank with his easy way to trust others. Or maybe he was just messing with them and he missed his sarcasm.

“There is, and she is present with us today,” Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong answered.

“What about witnesses for the rest of the events? Surely, more than one person was there?”

“Multiple witnesses are present to confirm what the Elric brothers have discussed. We can request their presence in the stand as you wish.”

Rose was called to testify. Being the only one who had been there through the ordeal, and given the fact she was not a relative of the Elrics, her word was valid. “Edward helped my people escape through an underground tunnel. It’s because of him that so many people made it out of Liore alive. We would have all been killed by the military had he not been there. It wasn’t possible that he would create the Stone as he was far from Liore when it happened.”

“This was after the military took advantage of the civil war that broke out in the city, correct?” Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong asked.

“Yes… nobody cared to help us then. It was as if we weren’t part of the country anymore with all the cruelty and fighting.” Rose tried her best to keep herself composed. Ed saw her lip quiver, but she held it together. She had become a stronger woman and it showed in those tense moments.

“What about these sacrifices that the two brothers made for each other? Were you present?”

Rose nodded. “Dante used my son multiple times to open the gate. He still has scars around his stomach from where she carved a transmutation circle on his skin.”

“We’ll have to see those scars, then,” General Hakuro said, never giving up on a chance to try and trump Ed. However, he and the rest of the room were silenced when Rose’s son was escorted to the front of the room and raised his shirt to show that there were, in fact, scars in the shape of an outline for a transmutation circle along the sensitive dark skin of his torso. They were faint, but they were there. Edward felt sick by the sight, dizzy at the fact alchemy could be used in malicious ways. Despite having no relation to the child, he felt indignation for him, wanting for him to be protected from the ruthless stares from the senior staff.

“After Edward performed his last transmutation, Alphonse was in his place and I took him to the surface, along with one of the homunculi who had been incapacitated. Everything that those boys said was true. Take my testimony as proof.” Even through Rose’s soft voice, Ed could hear the stern tone as she pleaded for the council to think reasonably.

As for the desertion and the knowledge that Alphonse had become the Stone, General Mustang, his team, Winry, Sheska, Ross, and Brosh spoke of the incident, all having the same version of the story and coinciding with what the boys had said. Sig talked about the homunculi, including the late Fürher Bradley; and Russel Tringham talked about his meeting with Ed at the place above the underground city in Central, presenting the excerpt from his father’s journal he and Fletcher had shown Ed before he ventured into the abandoned city to confront Dante. Slowly, the pieces were coming together and the council was growing more and more satisfied with the proofs presented, but the senior staff was still skeptical, though Ed thought they must have been unsure of what to do with the information.

“I think we have enough to work with to have a verdict,” General Grumman began after the group of men took a moment for discussion.

“However, it does not outweigh or excuse the fact that you two committed human transmutation, something that is illegal and a taboo.” It was apparent that Hakuro would not tire until he saw Ed punished. He wondered if he did this all out of pettiness for tarnishing his precious name.

“With all due respect, sir, their transmutation hurt no one but themselves. They have already lost so much and have gone through hell. That should have been enough punishment for their transgression! Why punish them for something that clearly does not affect you?” Armstrong had one of the strongest voices Edward had ever heard and he was getting the chance to see him use it with all its glory and power. He was surprised the Lieutenant Colonel wasn’t boasting about the fact the strong voice had been passed down the Armstrong family for generations….

“Because as definition of ‘illegal’ states, it is against the law,” Hakuro answered.

“Then, I challenge the members of the senior staff to step forward if you are free of any action that would potentially get your court martialed,” Armstrong countered. “If you are so bold as to do so, then you may have the right to judge these two boys.”

To Ed’s astonishment, he saw no one take a step. The senior staff as well as the council remained seated, perhaps contemplating what Armstrong had said, or perhaps mulling over the fact he was right.

“Our actions are independent of theirs, Lieutenant Colonel. What we have done is not the subject matter of this court. If we leave this unpunished, then we would have to do so for anyone else who commits the taboo,” Hakuro reasoned. “This is punishable by death or a lifelong prison sentence.”

“It would be wasteful to eliminate them. Have you considered what Edward has done for the military in the past? What his skills have allowed him to do for the military? Forget the desertion. Human transmutation allowed him to become a gifted alchemist. He and his brother saved your life, something military staff wasn’t able to do. It would be to our benefit if we kept him and his brother alive. They would serve a better purpose if they weren’t locked up in a cell, too.” There was a sudden shift in the room when Armstrong went off on his speech.

“What are you suggesting?” General Grumman asked.

“We would like to bargain with you.”

The muttering seemed to come back in the room, or maybe it had been there all this time and Edward wasn’t paying attention. He had been too engrossed in the situation to even pay attention to his surroundings. If he spaced out, he would have missed his cue. He stood, locking eyes with the General that had made it his mission to see him punished. He was the true General Bastard.

“Our deal is this: In exchange for prison time, my brother and I would enlist as soldiers and the military can use us however you see fit. We will follow your orders. This country has more than enough problems that need fixing. We can help resolve them faster. Do with us what you wish.” A bead of sweat slid down Ed’s face, waiting for someone, anyone, to respond to his proposal.

General Hakuro’s tone was cutting. “Give us a reason to allow an opportunity for sinners to serve our military when they've committed a taboo shamed by their own science.”

Ed and Al looked at one another and said in unison, “Shou Tucker.” Just mentioning his name made Edward shiver and he was sure Al reacted the same way.

“What about him? He’s dead,” Hakuro scoffed.

Punching this man would have been easier than simply talking to him and it irked Edward that he had to defend ever single thing he said just so he could have him spew more nonsense out of his mouth. “Supposedly, he was executed after he turned his daughter into a chimera. However, he worked for the military, under General Basque Grand, to continue the creation of chimeras and other monsters. Explain to me how you spared him and even let him continue more research after doing something so grotesque, yet you won't spare us, who have loyally served the military?”

“Also, our taboo hurt no one except for my brother and me. It rebound on us only. You have spared sinners and they used live humans. You're not only being a hypocrite, but you are also using subjective judgement to evaluate our mistake.” It was impressive to Ed how Alphonse, of all people, wasn’t taking any bullshit and was actually calling out Hakuro. He could be so patient and gentle, but he became a different person when under a lot of stress, which was something Ed really liked. He could not only kick a person’s ass physically, but verbally as well.

Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong cleared his throat to speak. “These boys are skilled in alchemy and hand-to-hand combat. They can research as well as hunt things and people down. They would better serve the military alive than dead. Use them to your liking.”

“You know, they did stop that attack we had all those years ago with those weird machines. Not to mention that we do need some help with the recent terrorist attacks we've had going on in the country. And these two have experience with fighting people. They could be of great help with resolving the issue, General,” Roy added, a smirk gracing his features. Ed’s stomach churned from disgust. Here he went again, wanting to make himself look good by taking advantage of other people’s unfortunate situations.

“I think we can use soldiers like them. We can set up a contract. No deserting this time. No human transmutation. Work only for the state.” General Grumman nodded as he thought about possibilities.

General Haruko scoffed. “How do we know they aren't these types of homunculi creatures?”

“If we were, we wouldn't be here. It doesn't make sense to come back,” Ed answered matter-of-factly. “Besides, homunculi need to feed on red stones to survive. We wouldn’t even have a shape to begin with.”

“We also have our memories intact whereas they didn't, unless they were forced to remember,” Al explained.

“But you mentioned you lost your memories after your last transmutation. Who is to say that Ms. Thomas didn't feed you red stones?” Hakuro asked, raising his eyebrow in suspicion.

“That makes no sense! I lost my memories of the four years I traveled with my brother, not the memories from my entire life!” Watching the way Al became angry to argue reminded Ed of himself, even if it was a tamer way of addressing the issue. He had to keep in mind that Al wasn’t a child and could argue on his own, but it still didn’t appease Ed. He couldn’t let Hakuro treat them like this.

“Maybe so, but that doesn’t explain how you two are alive, if what you are saying is true,” Hakuro countered. “Those monsters had the ability to cheat death, and you two are alive even after being killed. If we shot you right now, who is to say you wouldn’t survive?

Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong and General Mustang came into Ed’s line of sight, standing in front of Al and him as a way to shield them.

“What you said can be taken as a threat, General. I suggest you watch your words if you don’t want to be the next person to be court-martialed,” Armstrong suggested, his tone stern, a warning for the General.

“That's enough, General. We have no evidence for your assumptions. The testimonies we have are sufficient proof. Let the council decide now,” General Grumman spoke with a tinge of annoyance lacing his voice before he turned his attention to the pair of exasperated brothers that waited as patiently as they could for the procession to end. “If these two are skilled enough to perform a human transmutation as children, then I think they are more than qualified to be soldiers for the military. They are useless if they're executed, but alive, they could help us a great deal. Can you fight, Alphonse?”

Al looked a bit shocked by the question. “Yes, sir. I've trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat as well as alchemy.”

“How many people can you take on at once?”

“A good handful,” Al answered.

General Grumman stroked his beard, and if Ed didn’t know any better, then he would have assumed he was coming up with his own way to exploit their talents. He had to trust this man for now, though. “I would like to see what you can do for us. Has the council decided?”

The head of the council nodded and came forward. “Our verdict is to require both brothers to enlist as soldiers and serve the military in place of a life sentence in prison or death. Edward is to remain a state alchemist and respond to the line of duty if the country would go to war or face a national emergency.”

Edward wasn't thrilled with the outcome, but it was better than the alternatives. “I have a condition. If we are going to be your slaves, then we must be allowed leave time to visit our family.”

Grumman considered this. “That sounds reasonable to me. Do keep in mind that training and missions take time and you must have your assignment finished before you two can take a break.”

“That’s fair. My automail requires maintenance, though, so I must visit my mechanic in order to keep it in tip-top shape. It doesn’t last forever, you know?” Ed reminded, holding up his metal arm for emphasis.

“If I may request something as well, sir?” Al said, his polite voice a stark contrast from the tone he used moments prior to argue. “I ask to be my brother's assistant or bodyguard, whichever works for our assignment.”

“Is your brother not capable of protecting himself?” General Hakuro asked, rolling his eyes.

"I don't doubt my brother's ability to hold his own, sir. However, with all due respect, I doubt any of your soldiers can put up with him for more than five minutes. He can be a handful; I'm saving you the headache,” Al explained.

A stinging feeling crept through Ed’s body as he heard Al say those words. “Hey!” he exclaimed, feeling hurt at the thought of being a bothersome older brother to be around for Al. There was no point in arguing with him at that moment, though. They had other things to worry about.

“I don't see why not,” General Grumman shrugged. “I think it would be interesting to have you two here. Do you plan to take the state alchemist exam?”

“If given the opportunity, then yes,” Al nodded.

General Grumman turned his attention to Roy. “They’ll be under your command, General.”

“That was actually going to be my condition for this deal, sir,” Roy grinned, probably feeling triumphant that this could turn out in his favor.

“Well, I’m glad I beat you to it.”

General Hakuro was not as satisfied as the rest with the decision. “So that’s it, then? We are really going to allow these criminals into our military?”

Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong glared at the objecting commanding officer. “Don’t act like the military isn’t full of war criminals who have done worse, General. Or have you forgotten the insurrection in Liore, which was under your command?”

The General became quiet for a moment, having been bested in the debate. “Even so, the military academy doesn’t start taking in recruits until the summer time. What will these two do until then?”

“We’ll put them to work,” Armstrong answered. “Edward is already a state alchemist, after all. And the training for soldiers only takes around a year. They’ll be out before you know it. You’re worrying about an issue that isn’t your concern, General. Let those in charge handle it.”

The head of the council spoke once again. “The case is concluded with the deal as a verdict. We will create a contract that will be signed at the end of the day by all parties involved, holding accountable the Elric brothers for insubordination, if it were to occur, as well as desertion, breaking the laws of the state and alchemy, and failing to fulfill their duties. The Elric brothers will be allowed leave time and Alphonse will serve as Edward’s assistant. General Roy Mustang will be responsible for overseeing their progress and giving them their assignments. The State will respect the arrangement and allow for the conditions to take effect once Edward and Alphonse have completed their military training. Any changes to the contract will be discussed and will either be rejected or will be held to have the document amended. Court adjourned.”

General Grumman walked towards the brothers so as to speak to them privately. “I want to believe that you two will serve as a sort of saving grace for the country. Terrorists are getting creative.” He side-glanced Hakuro then. “Show these people you are more than what we bargained for. Prove them wrong,” he added before winking at them and walking away.

“Yes, sir,” the brothers said in unison.

It was as if a huge weight had been taken off of Ed’s shoulders. Obviously, the position his brother and him were in was not the greatest, but they had been spared the jail time. They had actually managed to come up with a better alternative instead of accepting their fate. Ed wasn’t doing it for himself as much as he was doing this for Al. He was too you…too gentle for prison and Ed would have never forgiven himself if he saw him step foot in a cell. Their human transmutation had also been excused… He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but for the time being he could only go with what Roy advised him back in the conference room. He just had to cooperate and make things the least difficult as possible. It had been tough for Ed because every so often he wanted to jump from his place to land one on General Hakuro’s face and shut him up. That man was infuriating.

The official document took the afternoon to create, so at least the council had started to fulfill their promises. Ed could only hope that this deal would hold up for decades after that official body had all hit the bucket. He and Al stepped inside Roy’s office and noticed how spacious and quiet it was without his subordinates present. None of them had interrupted their meetings, not even Major Hawkeye and that concerned Ed for some reason. He wasn’t used to there being enough silence for him to ponder on these things.

Roy took the document out of its neat manila packet. “I just want to reiterate that this deal will be for the rest of your lives,” he said. “You may have to get your hands dirty, follow unreasonable orders, and even kill people. Not to mention going through traumatic events like war. I want for the two of you to be aware of these possibilities.”

“It’s not like we’ve never dealt with those things before,” Ed mutters, his voice low yet collected. “We’re conscious of what we have decided. We’d rather have conditional freedom that have it stripped away from us.”

“At least the state will hold up their end of the bargain,” Al added. “Or should we doubt them, sir?”

“There has always been corruption in the military, but it’s been settling down in recent years. Watch your backs with General Hakuro. He definitely doesn’t like you,” Roy stated. “For now, we have to get things sorted out here. You’ll be working with the division in charge of homeland security and defense as well as working under my command.”

“How bad are these terrorist attacks, General?” Ed was more curious than cautious at this point.

“We’ve had a handful so far that haven’t escalated to large threats, but we can never be too careful. I predict they’ll be getting worse with due time,” Roy explained. “Anyway, I can’t have you waddling around with your uneven automail. Go get that fixed and report back as soon as that’s done.”

“I thought we were supposed to stay until things got sorted out,” Al said.

“Government officials will take care of that. There isn’t much you can do for the time being. Might as well take advantage and get an upgrade,” Roy suggested. “Besides, I think there’s a house waiting for you two back in Resembool. Better go visit before you’re sent off to the academy.” A small smile curved his lips, almost as if he’d known that the boys wanted to hear those words.

Ed let out a chuckle. “Why are you being so generous with us, General? I would have imagined you wanted us out of your hair.”

“Don’t get it twisted, Ed; you were my constant headache back in the day,” Roy’s face scrunched up in frustration before letting out a sigh. Ed could relate to the part about having a constant headache, which had been present for him for the past few days. “However, I didn’t find the court martial reasonable. You, of all people, know how I feel about those types of things.”

“Reach a position where you wouldn’t have to follow unreasonable orders,” Al repeated Roy’s words like a sort of mantra.

“You got it, kid.”

Ed and Al looked at one another before facing Roy once again, giving him a bow.

“What’s this?” Roy wasn’t sure if they were just teasing him. He could never be entirely sure with Ed, but if Al was giving him this gesture of respect, then it must have been serious.

“Thank you,” the brothers said.

Roy ran a hand through his hair and puffed out a breath, meeting the boys’ eyes after they straightened up. “Don’t mention it. Now sign the contract and go home. Don’t keep Winry waiting anymore.”

“Right,” Ed smiled.

Al neatly wrote his signature on the elegantly crafted contract before handing the pen to Ed. He read over the paper one last time and signed, noting how different his writing was from Al’s. It would be interesting to see what they both could do, even if this wasn’t what Ed wanted for Al. He would have taken the bargain on his own, but he knew Al wouldn’t have let him go in by himself. How much more would they have to give up in order to be rid of their sins?

___

This was a ride to write. I really hope you guys enjoyed this because it took me weeks to put it all together. This is almost 9k words, probably the longest chapter I’ve ever written (and I’ve written some pretty long pieces)! I noticed that in the fics I’ve read over the years, I’ve never seen anyone bring up the fact that Ed was a deserter…and that would have gotten him court-martialed. This story idea had a completely different outline, but I scrapped it for something else and this was the result. Why are these two suffering more, you ask? I want to see how they handle this journey. In my previous ideas, I hadn’t paid much attention to the brothers’ relationship, but in this final version their bond is central to the plot. I’ve learned so much after re-watching both series several times over the past few months that I have come to appreciate Ed and Al as brothers and as characters, so I couldn’t not include an issue that pertained to them as the main conflict. I also hope the EdWin isn’t forced here. I also also hope that the beginning of this chapter had a smooth transition from past to present. I don’t have a clue about court martials, military academy, or anything related to these things, but I did my best to research. Arakawa-sensei didn’t give us a rubric for these situations, so I’m making it my own and using my creativity. Please let me know what you think!

#edward elric #alphonse elric #winry rockbell #roy mustang #edwin #elric brothers #fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist 2003 #fma #fma 03 #fran writes #tilted axis #WOOOKAY HERE WE GO #please please share this #it took me so long to write like hhhhh

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tysonrunningfox · 5 years

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Open Flames: Part 13.3

The working title of this is: Erestrid and We Done Fuckt Up a Perfectly Good Haddock, He’s got Anxiety and that’s...what it is.

And just fyi, the next Eret POV chapter, which is finally next, makes me cry and it’ll make you cry too.

Masterpost

Eret jumps at the knock on his cabin door, shifting from half asleep to on guard and wide awake in an instant. There's no reason to think there's trouble, but given his experience with brief periods of peace, they make trouble more likely instead of less. The second knock is comfortingly impatient, the pattern of knuckles on the wood familiar in the way that's still nostalgic even after four years away.

"Are you asleep?" Astrid's voice is muffled but loud enough that it would have woken him up. She knows that, of course, she knows how to wake him up, but she's giving him an out. He almost takes it, almost snuffs out the single candle on the ledge and waits for her to leave.

It's still tense when they're alone together, it's never quite obvious how comfortable they're supposed to act, what pieces of their past they're allowed to lean on.

"Are you alone?" She says more quietly and he can hear her curled lip, that jealousy she can only show his door.

Maybe he likes that she's jealous, even if she's jealous of nothing. But it makes this feel real instead of like a dream he could pretend to forget in the morning and he gets up to open the door. She's dressed for a feast, clothes clean and new like a physical distance between them. Maybe that's why she doesn't take her usual step back, she doesn't need to, they exist on different planes now, it doesn't matter if they're on the same ship.

"I'm alone."

"Good," she straightens her dress, "I need to talk to you."

"I have to be alone for that?"

Her eyebrows knit together in a stern glare and she weighs taking that bait for a second before sighing, shoulders slumping forward as she takes a long awaited step back. Eret holds onto the door frame to suppress the urge to follow, watching her face crumple and reassemble itself into the vulnerable mask he hasn't seen in decades.

"We need to talk about Eret." The tension between them melts immediately, worry settling thick in its place.

"Is he ok?"

"If he's not, it's my fault." She sighs, leaning back against the railing and shaking her head. "If. How can I talk about if right now?"

"What happened?" If it were an emergency, someone would have come to get him, he's sure of that, but Astrid's face is no great comfort.

"The brave little...asshole jumped in front of a throwing knife, took it right to the forearm, thank the Gods it was a shitty throw." She rubs her temple, "and he got up and made a joke and I didn't think anything of it until Hiccup was cutting the feast short and--I think--no, I know, I--He's not Hiccup."

"Well, he's half Hiccup, at least." He's not quite following her, but she's obviously upset, and he wonders why she's bringing this to him instead of her husband, especially since she seems to want to talk about that husband.

"We both did it, we talked about it so many times, we made so many decisions based on it, but we were wrong, we were both so wrong and now..." She exhales, "we spent so much time and energy keeping him from inheriting that big Haddock head and he doesn't have it, that's for sure. It's all hair."

Her laugh is bitter and miserable and the wrong shape and size for her, one of those Haddock things they'd shared sideways glances at the dinner table over and Eret struggles to see her point. It's infectious and dangerous and spreading even now and Astrid doesn't see it.

"I think if his arm is ok--"

"It's not about his arm, it's about--I don't know, I don't get it, Hiccup gets it and I don't know how." She starts pacing, holding her wrists behind her back, "I don't know how there's some part of our son--"

"Why are you here?" Eret snaps and Astrid pauses, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I don't know how there's some part of our son, yours and mine, who knows him better than we do. I don't know how someone else can explain him better than we can."

There are dark circles under her eyes and she's frayed, frazzled, deriding her edges to maintain everyone else's interiors and Eret sighs, thinking of the son he's so happy to hear that Astrid still thinks of as theirs. That's how his namesake looks, running around the island, hands shaking, shouting out orders and volunteering to do them himself halfway through.

"That's because the chief knows you so Thor-damned well." It's Eret's turn to laugh, bittersweet and out of place. He didn't see it because it was the parts of Astrid he tried to fix, the parts that dug into him like thorns while she wore herself away trying to follow Hiccup when he didn't want to be followed. The parts they both pretended weren't real.

The Hofferson altruism that can outpace even Haddock arrogance.

"What?" She sags briefly but then stands up, setting her shoulders and swallowing hard. She looks like Eret, about to tell a joke he has to so that he can deflect the pain of the situation back onto himself instead of letting it fester in everyone else. "Don't make this about Hiccup."

Eret laughs again, internally kicking himself for not seeing it before. It was so easy to focus on everything that made their son different, the red hair and the bouncy shoulders. Maybe it made him feel better to love him in spite of those things instead of because of them, especially when Hiccup re-inserted himself into the situation, but he didn't turn to lean on the things that made him like Astrid. The things that become so blinding when she's dedicated to supporting Hiccup.

And their son has been waging that war inside of himself this entire time, torn between impulse and action, between axe and shield. Between taking on the new and shouldering the old.

And it took Hiccup to see that and say something.

"I'm not," he sighs, "I'm making it about you like I should have twenty one years ago."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She's trying for a fight, because when things hurt while she's fighting, they have a place to go, the pain can be processed instead of just sitting around. Like their son, yelling when he's too overwhelmed to whisper.

"He's so much like you but we never took a minute to tell him that he can't gain anything by throwing his own happiness on the fire to make other people happy."

She smiles a sad, crooked smile and he doesn't know what he feels about the reliable set of her shoulders, the self-supporting emotion of it, like she needs to lean on someone else's flightiness to remember how to be rigid.

"The throwing knife, in this case, but exactly." She nods, "I hoped you would be able to explain that to me, it was...not quite clicking before."

"Anytime," he sighs, roles in this mess cemented for the first time in what feels like years but is probably more like decades. "We should go talk to him."

"Yeah," she laughs, "it's really bad advice to tell Hiccup to let him cool off, he'll only amp himself up in the meantime."

"That is definitely true," Eret looks towards where Stormfly has been politely waiting at the bow, beak pointed forward like she's trying to give them privacy. "I'll turn around and meet you back on Berk, if you could wait, I want to be there."

She hesitates, Stormfly's wing flicking in conjunction with her jaw flexing.

"I'll ride back with you, I could use the time to think."

He nods a silent agreement before preoccupying himself with shifting the sails.

#eret iii #open flames #festerverse #a chapter that...upsets me #erestrid kinda #idk #I can feel him letting go and holding on somewhere else and I hate it I'm so sad

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justasmallbloginabigklainefandom · 7 years

Text

The Great ATOG Reread; Grey part 2

Well, this is different.

Chapter 5

She flexes her hands, and doesn't lower her head. "I just held him. Just for a second, I just used telekinesis to - he always thinks he can walk out as soon as he wan-" "You -" Oh god no. "Jesus. Jesus, don't ever do that, what the hell were you -"

I. FUCKING. HATE. HER.

I AM LITERALLY SHAKING WITH RAGE, JUST LIKE PHALANX. I KNOW HE’S AFRAID OF HIMSELF, BUT AT THIS MOMENT I WISHED HE’S BLASTED HER HEAD OFF.

I know she will redeem herself, and she will even be a great friend to both of them (fuck, even Santana will redeem herself), but I am getting so tired of her attitude. I am getting so tired that she is satisfied by watching people hurt.

Just FYI, if you’re reading this, with ATOG and the first four chapters of Grey, I read them on my eReader (going against my ‘no fic on my eReader’ rule, but then again, these two are completely different stories), and then write posts afterwards. I have the actual fic open on a different tab so that I can copy quotes and shit. Because of that, I clicked the “part 5″ link and I guess chapter 5 will be a liveblog?

Anyway, back to Quinn. I will end up loving everyone on that team, including Quinn and Satan (heh), since they will redeem theirselves and they have a valid reason for their behaviour, and I am all for character growth and giving them a chance, and they will take that chance, but that still doesn’t really excuse that these two women bullied them.

"Sidekicks should be seen and not heard."

I mean, really. As a feminist, Quinn of all people should know that this is not acceptable. Change ‘Sidekicks’ to ‘Women’ and we can talk about a shit ton of history of opression and wow, Quinn would delve on that cause she’s feminist as fuck.

The conversation/fight she has with Agent Sylvester and the Ghost is the first step to redeeming herself (and to unraveling the secret)

And she stares back at him quivering with rage, but he sees the second of something else behind her eyes, because he knows every nuance of fear, every facet of it, he is as fluent in fear as in French . . .

Quinn, I love you, but you are not stronger than him.

The evening is a bit weird after that. Quinn is reserved, and as a reader you know why. Santana is bitching, but tell me something new. Phalanx is once again asking for a ‘normal’ evening, right after he got to Blaine problem no. #1. He’s not a sidekick.

(Really, I should list these problems. OKaY. For future reference, the sidekick thing and everything involved is Blaine’s problem no. #1, the want for normal non-hero shit is no. 2#. Kurt losing grip of his powers is Kurt’s problem no. #1)

It's never been like this. He didn't know it was supposed to be like this. He wants to kiss him but he doesn't want to break the dance, he doesn't want it to end, not ever, the warmth of his breathing body in Phalanx's arm and his hand given to his. He wants to say, Do you understand how rare this is - ? but he thinks that he knows that, the Ghost who never even asked to be in love, wouldn't have thought to ask to be loved, he knows that. How many people do you meet, and how many could ever know you to dance like this, slow and trusting like there's nothing but the way they move and the way the music moves them, nothing but the safety of the other's body, and the Ghost's arm tucking him closer by the waist, the Ghost's hip against his with each step because they know.

For the first time, they dared to show a little bit of themselves and their relation in front of the team.

Chapter 6

Well, I’m on a roll now.

AND HOLY SHIT GUESS WHAT’S BACK? THE FUCKING FANDOM. I can’t tell you if I’ve missed them or not.

Well, I sure as fuck did miss Draxie, BB, and Ghostly. What a way to reintroduce them. Draxie is cheerful and bubbly, talking about drabbling. BB isn’t even online, but someone recs her fic. And Ghostly is mentioned because people are afraid of her, but shit son, she’s right with her meta about entitlement.

Blaine grunts, still scrolling. Damned fandom, it's a full-time job just to keep up with it . . .

He’s right, though. He braces himself for the meta, and oh, how I missed Ghostly.

P&G: Because they, the idiot ignorant children, fetishize homosexuality in the most contorted and disturbing way possible. Because they're fine with him being gay - happy that he's gay, since they can use his name and form for all their little m/m fantasies on a whole different level of appropriation now. But how dare he, human being in his own life, how *dare* he not conform to strict gender stereotypes at the same time. He's perfectly well allowed to be gay, as long as he does it the 'right way'. God forbid he be any kind of queer that disturbs them, though. TV: There was a lot of negativity.

P&G: They don't want to see a male hero stand in a 'feminine' pose. It demeans him. It makes him less heroic.

But wait, there’s more

P&G: I have a rant brewing, if that's what you mean. The fandom entitlement complex links into fandom sexism in a really strange and powerful way. Because fandom feels like it *owns* its figures of fetishization; they are what they are because we made them that. There is an enormous sense of ownership, like they're just the scaffolding, *we* construct who they are. And of course, they can't live up to that. They're real people, not our dolls. And when they fail to live up to our particular construction we either ignore the facts and go on as before or else we get *really fucking angry*. How *dare* they be actual human beings. They're supposed to be *my doll*, not any real person. Especially not any complicated real person! They should be as simple as possible because I can't conceptualize more than three personality traits in my head at any one time, I am *actually* that dumb! TV: Ahem. Plus we live in a patriarchal society and we construct our dolls along the strict and misogynist gender lines given to us, which oversimplifies them in very dangerous ways.

The entire ‘dolls’ thing is still a thing I use to descibe how I feel about fandom and RPF shipping. I love you, Ghostly, for that brilliant metaphor.

This is not a hero/sidekick relationship. They have strengths and weaknesses and they complement each other. They actually are, in every sense of the word, partners.

Oh boy, if only more of the fandom would get this. It would save Blaine all the shit from problem 1#.

And oh shit.

Time for a...

Blaine's hit back from the post he was on - no way in hell he'll read all that text - and while he's been asleep the fandom's . . . "Oh Jesus." he mutters, and rubs his forehead. "Blaine, what?" "There, um, I don't know, something . . ."

Wankfest.

A human being, scared for real reasons in a genuinely scary world, came to us to reach out for another human being to not feel alone. You bullied them into deleting their blog within a matter of hours. Well *done*, fandom. This really is the grossest mockery of everything that the Ghost and Phalanx, unlike you, actually bother to do. Which is to think about someone else and not just themselves for every single second of every fucking day. The _1_and_only, if you do see this, fuck all of them; they don't know what courage means, they're both too stupid and too spineless to understand the concept. Not all people are like them. When you ask people for help, sometimes they will not be ugly self-absorbed morons, sometimes they will try to *help* you. The Ghost and Phalanx taught us that if nothing else. I hope that you're well, and good luck with your life and your powers. If your power turns out to be the ability to smack people at a great distance, I advise you to not be afraid to use it as much as you fucking need. And now I'm getting a drink because fandom can, very seriously, go fuck itself.

You also get someone shitting on Draxie? I mean, people shitting on Ghostly is just, well, ‘normal’, but this is Draxie and - wow, no surprises, it’s about entitlement. Did. They. Not. Read. That. Meta?

Blaine sits in his desk chair feeling strange and sad, while Kurt takes his post-aikido nap on the bed. He'd had to lie to him, earlier, after swallowing his own shock, because he doesn't know what it would do to Kurt of all people to find out that people were being abused on the internet in some weird way on his behalf. And he'd looked really honestly scared at what Blaine might have been stunned by online, Kurt doesn't understand and isn't entirely comfortable with the Ghost's fans and he'd had no idea what they might have done, in his mind it could be anything and it's really not like Blaine could tell him the truth . . .

But really, guys, doesn’t it fuck you up?

Doesn’t it fuck you up that people fight and hurt on behalf of their idols because ‘they love them’?

I never got that. I remember when Heather Morris fans were bashing Darren, because they loved Hemo. Or when Darren fans bashed Dianna. BECAUSE THEY LOVE DARREN? And so on. We do not know anything about their off-social media relationship.

People in fandoms hurt and harrass people on behalf of their idols.

BECAUSE THEY LOVE THEM.

Jesus.

Phalanx . . . it's different in difficult ways when it's him and not Blaine. People talk about Phalanx and he mostly lets it run off his back, he knows it's nothing to do with him, really. He knows the way they talk about the Ghost is nothing to do with Kurt, after all. He lets himself keep the good things. He knows that every time they say that the Ghost is brave and strong and good and beautiful it's true, so he lets himself keep the good things they say about Phalanx, and he tries to ignore the rest. Haters gonna hate. But it must be so hard to ignore them when they're saying it right to you, safe behind a computer screen's shield. How can it be okay to say that to someone just because you don't have to look into their eyes and see the person they actually are, the person you're actually hurting . . . ?

The phandom bashes the Ghost, because they love Phalanx.

The fanghosts bash Phalanx, because they love the Ghost.

And this will all lead to the combination of Blaine problem 1# and 2#. 1#, because why can’t people see they’re equal and that this isn’t hero/sidekick and 2#, because how can he stand it that people use his hero identity to hurt others?

Kurt might feel bad for leaving New York City astray, but Blaine can’t handle leaving the fandom astray.

#lb 2017 #the great atog reread #atog grey #lb reading

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