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FMA ficlet: Home
Marissa has pointed out my excessive love for commas and such. I point out that I write these ficlets in splooges, with basically no editting or second glances before they're thrown out onto LiveJournal.
Title: Home
Fandom: FullMetal Alchemist
Pairing: (none, although characters are Maria Ross and Alphonse)
Rating: G?
Spoilers for... eh... episode... 43? 44? >_<
“I didn’t know those children didn’t have a home to go back to anymore…”
Maria Ross stared down at her hands while leaning against the counter in the kitchen of the Rockbell house. The whole thing with Edward and Alphonse’s father aside, she realized that she had grossly underestimated those children she once had the honor (or was it the exasperation?) of protecting.
The kitchen was pretty quiet, mostly because everyone was out in the living room, talking and catching up on information that they might need to know later on. Hohenheim was sitting outside the house with the dog Den and Edward was talking to the Colonel about military issues, while the rest of the people seemed to be occupying themselves with random conversations just fine.
She really hadn’t known. When she had first met Edward, she had thought him to be the younger brother of the FullMetal Alchemist (she had been assured by many people that she was not the only one to make this mistake), and could not understand how his mother would allow him to accompany his older brother around on missions- he looked too young, and much too small to be in dangerous situations. It was a complete shock to discover that he was the legendary FullMetal Alchemist, and that the boy in the giant suit of armor was actually his younger brother. Surely their parents would not have allowed their children, children as sweet as Alphonse and as small as Edward, to be running around doing errands for the military?
She had slowly gleaned the information on the Elrics from the rest of military gossip, about how their mother was dead and their father had once worked for the military as well. Perhaps it had been motherly instinct or perhaps it was because she herself had a stable childhood, but she couldn’t leave the two children to be unprotected. Children were supposed to have loving parents, and a warm home to welcome them back when the day was done.
And despite all their protests, Edward and Alphonse were still children.
Giving into a sigh, Maria straightened up again, bracing her hands against the counter as she looked around for the food she was supposed to help carry out for dinner. Pinako Rockbell had been accepting enough of the military staying at her house, but Maria couldn’t help but feel a need to help out in whatever way she could. She had her manners, after all.
Finally finding a tray of heated food, she began looking for plates and other utensils for dinner, nervously rummaging around the kitchen drawers. She felt like such an intruder, but Mrs. Rockbell had accepted her help to set the table and bring out the food, so Maria wasn’t going to go back on her promise to help.
“Lieutenant Ross?”
Maria turned sharply, recognizing the echoing voice immediately before she even heard the heavy footsteps enter the kitchen. The visage of the giant suit of armor peeking from the doorframe to the living room was not an unwelcome sight. “Ah! Alphonse, how can I help you?”
“Ah… if you’re looking for the forks, they are in the drawer next to the stove.”
Raising a hand to the back of her neck embarrassingly, Maria gave a small laugh. She moved towards the drawer in question. “Is that so? Well, that certainly helps a lot…”
“Would you like some help, Lieutenant?”
Maria opened her mouth to deny any help, but caught a glimpse of the young boy from the reflection of the silver-wear before she could say anything, and realized for someone in a suit of armor, Alphonse looked quite nervous and hesitant to go back into the living room. There was also the fact that he seemed to know where things were better than she did, and Maria would rather Al tell her where to look for plates rather than feel like she was intruding if she looked for them herself.
She turned her head towards him and offered a smile. “That would be nice.”
Al seemed to perk up, which made Maria smile even more, and immediately stepped to help her take out plates and utensils from different drawers and gather the foods. “Brother’s talking with the Colonel,” he admitted while he helped, “and Father doesn’t seem to want to talk much at the moment. Brother… well, he has never really thought highly of our Father before, and putting them in close proximity with each other doesn’t seem to be very… safe.”
He sounded quite awkward, but Maria could understand what he was talking about. Edward has been extremely tense all day, and only stiffened up more anytime someone mentioned Hohenheim, leading to stupid excuses of being busy and then stalking away. It would have been almost endearing in a childish way of one throwing a tantrum, but not for the fact that it made Hohemheim distant and subdued each time his son walked away from him, and distressed Alphonse to no ends.
“Has…” Maria wondered for a moment whether she had a right to ask this or not, but then figured that if she didn’t, then Al just wouldn’t answer. She reached for the warm basket of breadsticks. “Has it always been like this? For your family?”
Alphonse’s large hands halted in grabbing for another plate. “Has it always been like what?”
Edward hating your father for being gone. Your mother’s death. Not having a home to go back to.
Maria pursed her lips, but refrained from saying that. Instead, she opted for a more direct approach while making a wide broach of the subject. “Your friend Winry took us to where you used to live.”
Alphonse didn’t say anything to that, and Maria pressed on. “How long have the two of you been on your own?”
There was an awkward silence as Maria watched the boy in the suit of armor carefully, and Alphonse started to gather plates once again, putting them in one large pile to carry to the living room, before rummaging around the kitchen to find other things they would need for dinner.
“We burned our house down ourselves a few years back.” Alphonse admitted, grabbing for napkins on a shelf that Maria hadn’t seen. “If that was what you saw, you shouldn’t feel sorry for us. We did that ourselves- to make sure that we would not look back.”
Maybe it was because Maria had grown up with a loving family, and a warm home to return to everyday. She didn’t understand how the Elrics, who were children still despite Edward’s vehement protests otherwise, could not have homes to return to.
But then… Al’s familiarity with this house must mean something, Maria was convinced. Perhaps they had found another home at the Rockbell’s. She didn’t want to think of the two of them (still so young!) without a home. “Surely the Rockbells have provided you with a new home?”
“They’ve cared for us.” Alphonse replied, although there was an undertone to his voice that made Maria hesitate to placate herself. “Winry and Auntie Pinako… they’re family.”
There was that undertone. Maria found herself looking down as she counted the number of forks and spoons they would need, her hands busying themselves as her thoughts strayed into the Elrics’ childhoods. The way Al had said that… it was obvious that despite the Rockbells being family, their house wasn’t home.
“You should have a home to return to each night.” She found herself whispering in frustration. Her hands were clenched tightly into fists around the silver-wear, and she was sure that it would leave marks in her skin. But it was a leather-gloved hand atop of hers that made her unclench her fists and look up in surprise to see Alphonse looking down at her red hands.
“I believe that home doesn’t have to be a place, Lieutenant.” He said quietly. “If it makes you feel any better, I do feel that I have a home to return to everyday.”
Having said that, Al took his hand away so that he could grasp onto the plates and cups more carefully, balancing them in his hands and looking towards the kitchen door. His voice was light as he said, “We should hurry with dinner, or Brother will probably make a huge ruckus about it.”
At that very moment, Edward poked his head into the kitchen, suspiciously sniffing the air for hints of dinner. His eyes brightened as he saw what Al was carrying, and he managed to slink over to his younger brother as Alphonse chuckled at his predictability.
“Pie?” He asked hopefully as he peeked over Al’s arms at the plates of food, golden eyes taking in the rich colors and aromas of each entrée. It made Maria laugh to see him like that, because she had never gotten the chance to see him so relaxed before.
“You’re not going to eat everything before everyone else has had their share of dinner as well!” Alphonse protested, lifting the plates high enough so that Edward wouldn’t be able to reach it. Edward made a noise somewhere in-between a whine and a growl about how it wasn’t fair that Al was so big, but shoved his hands in his pockets and glared, refusing to try and reach up for the food and prove just how short he was. Alphonse was saying something else as he crossed into the living room after his brother, but Maria didn’t catch it.
Maria found her lips quirking into a tiny smile. Alphonse was right, of course. It was silly of her to think that home had to be a specific place, or a certain house. The young boy was much more perceptive than most people gave him credit for, Maria included.
She felt her smile grow as she heard Edward’s shouting outside and Al’s voice as he tried to quiet his brother down. Yes, she thought as she shifted her grasp of the utensils and also carried out the napkins, home wasn’t a place. A house could not be a proper home without the people, after all. It made her heart lighter to think that the brothers always had, and would always have, a home to return to.
She first said that the ending was too subtle, so I went back and added a few words. Is it too subtle now, dearie?
Title: Home
Fandom: FullMetal Alchemist
Pairing: (none, although characters are Maria Ross and Alphonse)
Rating: G?
Spoilers for... eh... episode... 43? 44? >_<
“I didn’t know those children didn’t have a home to go back to anymore…”
Maria Ross stared down at her hands while leaning against the counter in the kitchen of the Rockbell house. The whole thing with Edward and Alphonse’s father aside, she realized that she had grossly underestimated those children she once had the honor (or was it the exasperation?) of protecting.
The kitchen was pretty quiet, mostly because everyone was out in the living room, talking and catching up on information that they might need to know later on. Hohenheim was sitting outside the house with the dog Den and Edward was talking to the Colonel about military issues, while the rest of the people seemed to be occupying themselves with random conversations just fine.
She really hadn’t known. When she had first met Edward, she had thought him to be the younger brother of the FullMetal Alchemist (she had been assured by many people that she was not the only one to make this mistake), and could not understand how his mother would allow him to accompany his older brother around on missions- he looked too young, and much too small to be in dangerous situations. It was a complete shock to discover that he was the legendary FullMetal Alchemist, and that the boy in the giant suit of armor was actually his younger brother. Surely their parents would not have allowed their children, children as sweet as Alphonse and as small as Edward, to be running around doing errands for the military?
She had slowly gleaned the information on the Elrics from the rest of military gossip, about how their mother was dead and their father had once worked for the military as well. Perhaps it had been motherly instinct or perhaps it was because she herself had a stable childhood, but she couldn’t leave the two children to be unprotected. Children were supposed to have loving parents, and a warm home to welcome them back when the day was done.
And despite all their protests, Edward and Alphonse were still children.
Giving into a sigh, Maria straightened up again, bracing her hands against the counter as she looked around for the food she was supposed to help carry out for dinner. Pinako Rockbell had been accepting enough of the military staying at her house, but Maria couldn’t help but feel a need to help out in whatever way she could. She had her manners, after all.
Finally finding a tray of heated food, she began looking for plates and other utensils for dinner, nervously rummaging around the kitchen drawers. She felt like such an intruder, but Mrs. Rockbell had accepted her help to set the table and bring out the food, so Maria wasn’t going to go back on her promise to help.
“Lieutenant Ross?”
Maria turned sharply, recognizing the echoing voice immediately before she even heard the heavy footsteps enter the kitchen. The visage of the giant suit of armor peeking from the doorframe to the living room was not an unwelcome sight. “Ah! Alphonse, how can I help you?”
“Ah… if you’re looking for the forks, they are in the drawer next to the stove.”
Raising a hand to the back of her neck embarrassingly, Maria gave a small laugh. She moved towards the drawer in question. “Is that so? Well, that certainly helps a lot…”
“Would you like some help, Lieutenant?”
Maria opened her mouth to deny any help, but caught a glimpse of the young boy from the reflection of the silver-wear before she could say anything, and realized for someone in a suit of armor, Alphonse looked quite nervous and hesitant to go back into the living room. There was also the fact that he seemed to know where things were better than she did, and Maria would rather Al tell her where to look for plates rather than feel like she was intruding if she looked for them herself.
She turned her head towards him and offered a smile. “That would be nice.”
Al seemed to perk up, which made Maria smile even more, and immediately stepped to help her take out plates and utensils from different drawers and gather the foods. “Brother’s talking with the Colonel,” he admitted while he helped, “and Father doesn’t seem to want to talk much at the moment. Brother… well, he has never really thought highly of our Father before, and putting them in close proximity with each other doesn’t seem to be very… safe.”
He sounded quite awkward, but Maria could understand what he was talking about. Edward has been extremely tense all day, and only stiffened up more anytime someone mentioned Hohenheim, leading to stupid excuses of being busy and then stalking away. It would have been almost endearing in a childish way of one throwing a tantrum, but not for the fact that it made Hohemheim distant and subdued each time his son walked away from him, and distressed Alphonse to no ends.
“Has…” Maria wondered for a moment whether she had a right to ask this or not, but then figured that if she didn’t, then Al just wouldn’t answer. She reached for the warm basket of breadsticks. “Has it always been like this? For your family?”
Alphonse’s large hands halted in grabbing for another plate. “Has it always been like what?”
Edward hating your father for being gone. Your mother’s death. Not having a home to go back to.
Maria pursed her lips, but refrained from saying that. Instead, she opted for a more direct approach while making a wide broach of the subject. “Your friend Winry took us to where you used to live.”
Alphonse didn’t say anything to that, and Maria pressed on. “How long have the two of you been on your own?”
There was an awkward silence as Maria watched the boy in the suit of armor carefully, and Alphonse started to gather plates once again, putting them in one large pile to carry to the living room, before rummaging around the kitchen to find other things they would need for dinner.
“We burned our house down ourselves a few years back.” Alphonse admitted, grabbing for napkins on a shelf that Maria hadn’t seen. “If that was what you saw, you shouldn’t feel sorry for us. We did that ourselves- to make sure that we would not look back.”
Maybe it was because Maria had grown up with a loving family, and a warm home to return to everyday. She didn’t understand how the Elrics, who were children still despite Edward’s vehement protests otherwise, could not have homes to return to.
But then… Al’s familiarity with this house must mean something, Maria was convinced. Perhaps they had found another home at the Rockbell’s. She didn’t want to think of the two of them (still so young!) without a home. “Surely the Rockbells have provided you with a new home?”
“They’ve cared for us.” Alphonse replied, although there was an undertone to his voice that made Maria hesitate to placate herself. “Winry and Auntie Pinako… they’re family.”
There was that undertone. Maria found herself looking down as she counted the number of forks and spoons they would need, her hands busying themselves as her thoughts strayed into the Elrics’ childhoods. The way Al had said that… it was obvious that despite the Rockbells being family, their house wasn’t home.
“You should have a home to return to each night.” She found herself whispering in frustration. Her hands were clenched tightly into fists around the silver-wear, and she was sure that it would leave marks in her skin. But it was a leather-gloved hand atop of hers that made her unclench her fists and look up in surprise to see Alphonse looking down at her red hands.
“I believe that home doesn’t have to be a place, Lieutenant.” He said quietly. “If it makes you feel any better, I do feel that I have a home to return to everyday.”
Having said that, Al took his hand away so that he could grasp onto the plates and cups more carefully, balancing them in his hands and looking towards the kitchen door. His voice was light as he said, “We should hurry with dinner, or Brother will probably make a huge ruckus about it.”
At that very moment, Edward poked his head into the kitchen, suspiciously sniffing the air for hints of dinner. His eyes brightened as he saw what Al was carrying, and he managed to slink over to his younger brother as Alphonse chuckled at his predictability.
“Pie?” He asked hopefully as he peeked over Al’s arms at the plates of food, golden eyes taking in the rich colors and aromas of each entrée. It made Maria laugh to see him like that, because she had never gotten the chance to see him so relaxed before.
“You’re not going to eat everything before everyone else has had their share of dinner as well!” Alphonse protested, lifting the plates high enough so that Edward wouldn’t be able to reach it. Edward made a noise somewhere in-between a whine and a growl about how it wasn’t fair that Al was so big, but shoved his hands in his pockets and glared, refusing to try and reach up for the food and prove just how short he was. Alphonse was saying something else as he crossed into the living room after his brother, but Maria didn’t catch it.
Maria found her lips quirking into a tiny smile. Alphonse was right, of course. It was silly of her to think that home had to be a specific place, or a certain house. The young boy was much more perceptive than most people gave him credit for, Maria included.
She felt her smile grow as she heard Edward’s shouting outside and Al’s voice as he tried to quiet his brother down. Yes, she thought as she shifted her grasp of the utensils and also carried out the napkins, home wasn’t a place. A house could not be a proper home without the people, after all. It made her heart lighter to think that the brothers always had, and would always have, a home to return to.
She first said that the ending was too subtle, so I went back and added a few words. Is it too subtle now, dearie?