[FMA][DRABBLES] HagaRen Love 30 Themes :: 6. Offender/Criminal | 16. Bean | 21. Don't forget

[nekokoban]

Backstory: So, on a whim, I went and looked up one of the numerous "fan theme lists" that exist for FMA on the J-net--in essence, a set of words/phrases that are "themes" for the series/pairings/whatever--and among others, I've found an Ed-neesan 20 (for people who like chick!Ed *snrks*), a coupling 20 (slash or het okay, as long as they're FMA pairings), some for various specific pairings/characters--and then, finally, a few general ones, which I ended up going for in the end.

I ended up using the "Fullmetal Alchemist Love 30 Themes," whose site can be found here. I figured why not, seemed like fun--I'll give it a whirl!

So, short drabbles, yay! Comments and such are always appreciated♥♥ I hope people like♥

6. Offender/Criminal 「咎人」
[[Once again--this IS quasi-smut, here. >_> Given the wank that's been going on, I figure I might as well reiterate it, because frankly? I don't really have the time, energy, OR desire to get involved. ;;;;;;;;; With much love and gratefulness to harukami, 'cos she listened me to wibble and patted my head when I fanged at her. I'm sorry I didn't end up taking your advice--I wanted to, but in the end, I got too frustrated and changed the ending instead. ;;;;;;;;;;;]]

-----

"If they knew about what you'd done," Mustang murmured, "you'd be imprisoned, and your little brother taken to one of the research laboratories for study." He lifted his head fractionally and smiled at Ed, the fingers of his free hand tracing the patterns of scars that spread out from the automail port at Ed's shoulder.

Ed tossed his head a little to clear the bangs from his eyes and smirked back, baring his teeth. "And what about you?" he asked, canting his hips sharply; his breath caught just for a moment on the last word, then started again in laboring rasps. "Taking advantage of a--ah--a kid--like this--"

Mustang chuckled low in his throat, and shifted his grip. Whatever else Ed intended to say blanked from his mind in a sudden rush of breath from his lungs. He curled around the touch, digging into Mustang 's dark hair with both sets of fingers.

"Taking advantage, Fullmetal?" There was a certain dark thread of amusement in Mustang 's voice. "Now, may I remind you whose idea this even was in the first place? I don't have my gloves, and you've got my head between your hands." His eyes narrowed to feline slits. "Not to mention what your brother would do to me, if I hurt you."

"Shut--up--" Ed caught his lower lip between his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. He gave a sharp tug at Mustang 's hair. "You goddamn bastard, keep Al out of this--I--ahn--"

"Make up your mind, Fullmetal," Mustang purred, his head dipped so that the words were breathed against Ed's thigh. "Shall I treat you like a child, or shall we finish this?" His tongue flickered out, a brief damp squirm, and Ed's breath caught again. With a sound halfway between a growl and a sigh, he yanked at the dark hair again.

"Just do it, bastard," he snapped. His breath kept hitching in his chest, entire body shaking faintly with the effort of staying still. "I'll kick your ass later."

"Later, later--it's always later with you, Fullmetal." Mustang's finger traced slowly-closing circles, his eyes intent on every flicker of emotion that passed over Ed's face. "What if I want to deal with it *now*?"

Ed growled and scooted back, swatting Mustang's hands away. "Fuck you," he snapped. "I'll do it myself, you--"

Mustang surged forward and caught the end of Ed's words with his mouth, then pulled back and licked his own mouth. There was a secret edge to his half-smile, cast in half-shadows and stillness. "But it's more fun this way, isn't it? Edward?"

Ed's hands froze over himself, and his eyes narrowed. "You're such a bastard, *Roy*."

The man only had the gall to smirk at him, dragging the pad of his thumb across his mouth. In a single smooth motion, he leaned back, coiled in a single tense spring of muscle, like he was about to pounce. His smile widened fractionally, but under that was a single, disarming note of contemplation.

"You're free to go, Fullmetal," he said, and swept one hand towards the door; even only in shirtsleeves, mussed and lazy-eyed, there was a certain dignity of years to him. He tilted his head just a little, as though in question. "As you've said, you're quite capable of 'handling' things yourself."

Seconds ticked by, counting loudly in Ed's ears. He sat forward, fisting his hands in the loose folds of his own coat, fairly vibrating with offense. Mustang's eyes refused to release his, waiting calmly. After a moment, Ed let out a slow breath, whistled through his teeth, and leaned forward onto his hands and knees, scooting forward until his knees bumped into Mustang's own. Keeping his eyes focused on the white folds of Mustang's shirt, he reached out and began to calmly undo buttons.

"I've committed a sin that I can't take back," he said, still not looking at Mustang's face. "And I won't do anything that might bring Al down to this level." At the last button, his fingers hesitated, and he glanced up into Mustang's face, through the fringe of his lashes. With a brief shift of his weight, he was halfway onto Mustang's lap, rocking his hips in slow steady rhythm.

*You see?*

For just a moment, Mustang's face softened. He leaned forward, sliding his hands down Ed's back, settling them firmly on Ed's hips to pull him forward. When he kissed Ed this time, it was slow and thoughtful, holding the moment in careful suspension.

Ed curled both hands into Mustang's shirt, and hung on--not for dear life, but for something far more tenuous and strange for its lack of words. The sound of his breathing was harsh and loud in his ears, echoed by the drum of his heartbeat.

He closed his eyes.

*Like this, my only sin is here, together with you.*

--end--

16. Bean　「豆」
[[The Elric-mama is likely one of my favorite minor characters--her and Lt. Maria Ross kick all sorts of ass, for all that we don't see them much. :D That, and somehow I couldn't drag it out of myself to be "funny," so I went for "schmoop" instead.]]

-----

Mama called him that first.

"Some people just grow faster than others, Edward," she said, stroking his hair from his face. His lowered lip fattened, and he slouched further in her lap, his face halfway hidden in her chest. "Girls grow faster than boys, that's all."

He sniffed, and rubbed his arm across his nose until she fished out a handkerchief and held it to his nose for him to blow. After she tucked it away, she leaned back again, carrying him back, pressed against her, and set the chair rocking with a gentle push of her feet. Edward shifted slightly, snuggling against her, and kept from shoving his thumb in his mouth at the last moment. He was nearly five, after all, and it was okay for Alphonse to still do that, but he was *old* now.

So why was Winry *taller* than him? It wasn't *fair*.

Mama began to hum gently, one of the lullabies she would sing for Alphonse when it was time for his nap. Edward scrunched his face against it, and this time knuckled his eyes. His mama smelled warm, like bread and cinnamon, but he was too *old* for naps, and besides, that wouldn't make him taller, would it?

Papa had been tall, Edward remembered; tall and broad-shouldered, so that he filled up nearly the entire doorway of a room when he stood framed in it. Drowsily, he turned his face up to his mother, still rubbing his eyes.

"Mama," he said, "when I get bigger, will I be as big as Papa?"

For just a moment, the movement of her hand and the murmur of her song paused. Confused, Edward scrunched up his face--but when he moved back to look at her, she was smiling at him again, the tangle of her fingers in his hair began to stroke again, softly.

"Of course you will, Edward," she said quietly. "You'll be my little string bean, who'll grow up big and take care of your mama, right?"

Edward blinked at her again, and then broke into a grin that stretched wide across his entire face. "Yeah!"

***

Years later, Alphonse Elric looked up at the sound of a loud crash, then sighed and stood at the sound of his brother's screech:

"WHO'S AN INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE BEAN THAT SO TINY YOU COULD SQUASH HIM WITH ONE FINGER?!"

Sometimes, he thought, with exasperation, he wished he knew *who* had given his brother a complex about that word in the first place. As far as he remembered, his brother didn't even *like* beans that much--not the same passionate hatred he had of milk, but a definite lack of enthusiasm for them in general. He wondered if it was Crosse's fault--she'd scored some direct hits on his height, at the very least.

*I wish,* he thought, as he waded through the crowd towards the source of the disturbance, *that people would be more careful of what they say to Brother. He picks up on the _strangest_ things.*

--end--

21. Don't forget
[[Written before ep23, but holy hell. T_T It was actually for THIS particular theme that I looked up this whole set; I am ALL FOR TEH KYOUDAI MOMENTS, whether they're angst or fluff, it seems. :D;;;;]]

-----

*We'll regain what we've lost. All of it.*

It was a whim that first inspired him, but also the memory of his house, burning, leaving behind nothing but echoes and memories of three whole lives.

Ed transmuted the fingers of his automail arm into a small, delicate pick, similar to one he'd often seen lying around in the Rockbells' workshop. Winry sometimes used it for detailed work, though why anyone would want decoration on automail, he still wasn't sure. It felt peculiar to write the words with this unfeeling hand, sensing the pressure in his fingertips without actually *feeling* it.

Colonel Mustang would probably be apalled at what basically amounted to graffitti--but it was *his* watch, right? He could do with it as he pleased. Whether or not it would mean anything in the end was yet to be seen.

The door opened, and his head rose at the smell of food. Quickly, he snapped his watch closed and tucked it back into his pocket. "Al, how was it?"

"They gave us enough for two," Al said, and closed the door behind him with a nudge from his heel. "I figured, since you didn't have lunch, you might as well have my share. It's not like I can eat it."

Still wrapped around his watch, Ed's fingers tightened. There was no bitterness in Al's voice, but anxiety still gnawed in black tenacity at his gut. *I'm not the only one you have left, Al; you don't have to stay with me if you hate me for what happened--*

"Thanks," he said, and pulled his hand from his pocket. Al set the tray down at the table and sat on the floor across from Ed. Despite Ed's unease, the stew had a warmly inviting smell, and even as he reached for his bowl, his stomach made an obscenely grouchy noise.

Al chuckled. "Brother, you're such a kid, sometimes," he said.

Ed bristled, spoon halfway to his mouth. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I mean," said Al, laying his still-strange broad hands on the table, "that you go the whole day without eating because you're busy playing with new toys, and then it comes time for dinner, and then you'll stuff yourself and fall asleep on the couch. You did it all the--" he cut himself off abruptly, and suddenly the two of them found themselves staring at opposite sides of the room.

"... I'm not sure I'm hungry any more," Ed said, and put his spoon down. Before he could set the bowl aside, Al reached out and wrapped his fingers around Ed's automail wrist.

"Brother, you need to eat."

Ed pressed his lips into a thin line and scowled. Al gave his wrist a brief shake--not enough to jostle the bowl too far, but enough to draw Ed's full attention. "Brother. Eat."

For a moment, if he squinted, he thought he saw Al's real face there, scowling at him across the table. In the first few weeks after their mother's death, Ed had found himself face-to-face with that unexpected stubbornness quite a bit, and he knew the expression as well as any Al had once had.

Regret tasted sour in the back of his throat. He tried again to put the bowl down, but Al's grip didn't budge.

"I don't want you to get sick, Brother," Al said softly. "You still have your body. You shouldn't abuse it."

Ed sucked in a sharp breath and glanced up; Al's strange new eyes met his own gaze evenly. After a long, slow space of minutes, those broad fingers released Ed's wrist, and Al sat back. There was something expectant in that gaze. Ed took the spoon back up, and Al visibly relaxed.

The meal passed without talking; after a few bites, Ed's appetite reawoke with fierce insistence, and Al seemed content enough just to watch and make sure he finished. When he was down, he dropped the second bowl onto the tray with a noisy clatter and sat back with a loud sigh, folding his hands over his stomach.

"I'll take these back,"Al said, and picked the tray back up. Ed twitched, straightening a little.

"No, it's okay, I'll--"

"Didn't I say it before, Brother?" Al interrupted. Ed heard the smile in that echoing voice, and ached because it could not be echoed on Al's face. "You eat until your stomach's full, and then you fall asleep. You've always been like that. Don't worry--just this once, I'll do it for you."

Ed relaxed back into the couch and watched his brother leave. Once the heavy thunk of Al's footsteps faded down the hallway, he reached into his pocket and pulled the watch back out. With a flick of his thumbnail, he popped the lid open, then balanced it on his knee as he clapped his hands together.

Originally, he thought he'd write in the date of their failed experiement--the last day he'd seen Al's true smile. That was, after all, the true beginning of their journey.

Instead, he set his welded fingers to the metal and began to carefully scrape the first loop of what would become a three, brow furrowed in concentration.

The date of their failure would inspire nothing but despair, he thought, as he worked. He would look at it and only remember Al screaming, or the awful dry-paper sound of that *thing's* breathing. They were still weak, fumbling around for answers that slipped tauntingly from their fingers.

Ed took a deep breath. Remembering the past could only carry you so far, but the moment he let Al's face slip from his memory ... that was the same as giving up.

*We don't have anywhere to return to. We made sure of that, so we'd always face forward, and not resign ourselves to what-ifs and have-have-beens.*

His fingers tightened in an involuntary twitch, and he took another deep breath to steady himself.

*Don't forget. 3. Oct 11.*

--end--

Comments

Mistakes

[tsaiko.livejournal.com]

Don't you just love it when your first comment is pointing out mistakes? ^_^;;

"Girls grow faster than girls, that's all." <- I think that's supposed to be "boys" instead of the second "girls."

"You'll be my little string bean, who'll grow up big and take of your mama, right?" <- Missing a "care"

...Ed had found himself face-to-face with that unexpected stubbornness quite a bit, and he knew the expression as as any Al had once had. <- Missing a "well"

I really liked these three. Especially the last one, between Ed and Al. The dynamics between them are so complex in the series it's always nice to see an author handle them well. I hope you don't mind me pointing out the mistakes.

Re: Mistakes

[nekokoban]

Man, I'm just happy people COMMENT. ;;;;;;; And if I DID make mistakes, I'd rather be told so directly, rather than go blithely on my way and never knowing. o_o (The ironic thing is, one of those mistakes WAS caught before posting, but apparently, in my sleep-deprived madness, I tossed up the unedited version. XD;;;;;; Thanks~)

I'm glad you liked them, and thanks again~ mistakes are now, hopefully, all fixed♥;;;;;;

[calintz.livejournal.com]

T____________T Elric mama kazoku fluuuuuuuuuuuff. (And oh GOD Elric kyoudai fic AUGH <3 but I already fangirled you about that. <3<3<3) Terra, I love you. *______* (And I see someone else has already pointed out the couple of mistakes I caught, but.) You keep this up, girl, and you're REALLY gonna tempt me into the 30 themes thing.;;;; :D;;;;

[nekokoban]

Eheh~ I was gonna show you this one first, too, but you kinda went to bed before I started it. :D;;;;;;;

I love you too♥♥♥ And come on, the 30 themes are FUN. :D Number 28 is "Milk"--imagine all the FUN YOU COULD HAVE with that one alone! [SHOT]

[ciceqi.livejournal.com]

Aaaaaaaaaahhhh...looooove! I luuuuuv you, hee...these were fantastic! The first was hawt and thought-provoking, the second was awww! and made me giggle at the end, and the last was painful and hopeful at the same time... See? this is why I adore your writing so much--there's never just one simple face to it! *huggles you*

[nekokoban]

Me-meeep! [flails][huggles back] I'm so glad you liked these, because I = in awe of you and continuously wibble a LOT that you actually like my stuff. XD;;;;; ♥♥ <--happy!

[harukami]

Oh, I LIKE these. The first one WORKS with what you've done with it, and I like how you wove the anger throughout until you got it *released*, and so ...*sweetly*. The second one is... sweet and sad, in some ways. I love the way you've underwritten his guilt and anger at his father as the reason for his current over-sensitivity. And oh, the third! THAT is what I think this story is about, in many ways. Trying to find a way to atone. And I wish, I WISH that he could let go of the despair... mmm. I love 'em. :)

[nekokoban]

♥ I'm glad the first one still passes inspection--I liked the suggestions you made, I just couldn't seem to get them to work, for me. [sheepish] And I personally maintain that first and foremost, the series is a story of trying to find redemption for their first fatal mistake, so am totally with you on that♥♥

I'm glad you liked! ♥♥ Haruluff's always so kind to me♥

[rondaview.livejournal.com]

...*SCURRIES OFF TO ADD TO MEMORIES*
(Sorry I have nothing coherent to offer. You people, you, you're always doing this to me! I don't appreciate melting into puddles of fangirl goo every other day, you know. Nnngh. XD)

[nekokoban]

[wibbles happily] I'm really glad you liked these~ :D And I appreciate you telling me♥

(Psst, should I get you a mop for the puddles? ♥ XD)

[scimitarsmile.livejournal.com]

Gyah!

I missed all these!

*runs off to code*

Hmm, can't really pick a favorite, although the whole 'string bean' middle story definitely put a smile on my face, if a bittersweet one.

[nekokoban]

Eheh. ^^ I'm glad you liked these~ (especially 'cos right now, I am SUCH on an Elric-parents kick, that I don't get it myself o_o)

Just a note, though, these three drabbles will eventually be part of a set of thirty (she says, ambitiously), so they're vaguely connected, even if the stories are not. ^^

[scimitarsmile.livejournal.com]

Hm, then, if they're part of a series, you want to give the arc a name, and I'll set them on their own page so they don't get lost?

[nekokoban]

It's not so much an *arc* as a *set*, really. ^^ The J-fandom has these "theme lists" floating around for pretty much every fandom I've seen; I just took the generic HagaRen Love 30 Themes for this one. (And am currently plotting on inflicting inspiration for it upon other artists/writers I know, but shhhh. It's a secret plan. XD)

[scimitarsmile.livejournal.com]

I went to the site - any chance you might be willing to translate those 30 themes for those of us who only get the kanji, and not the kana? ;D

[nekokoban]

[grins] Ahead of you, there--I had to translate them out myself so I could have some idea of what I was doing. XD So! (Feel free to use whichever English translation you want; I listed them all to keep the options open.)

1. 「エルリック兄弟」 (ERURIKKU Kyoudai) -- The Elric Brothers
2. 「練成」 (Rensei) -- Training/Drilling
3. 「鋼の錬金術師」 (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi) -- The Fullmetal Alchemist
4. 「機械鎧」 (OOTOMEIRU) -- Automail
5. 「禁忌」 (Kinki) -- Taboo
6. 「咎人」 (Toganin) -- Offender/Criminal
7. 「等価交換」 (Touka Koukan) -- Equivalent Trade
8. 「賢者の石」 (Kenja no Ishi) -- The Philosopher's Stone　
9. 「ウロボロスの入れ墨」 (UOROBOROSU no Irezumi) -- The Tattoo of the Ouroborous
10. 「悪よのぅ」 (Aku Yo nou) -- Evil (?? this one, I couldn't be sure about, so I just went with the kanji's direct translation)
11. 「神話」 (Shinwa) -- Legend　
12. 「無能」 (Munou) -- Inefficient/Incompetent
13. 「軍部」 (Gunbu) -- The Military
14. 「忠誠」 (Chuusei) -- Loyalty/Sincerity
15. 「軍の狗」 (Gun no Inu) -- Dog of the Military
16. 「豆」 (Mame) -- Bean
17. 「創る者と壊す者」 (Tsukuru Mono to Kowasu Mono) -- Creators and Destroyers
18. 「幼少期」 (Youshou Ki) -- Childhood [lit., the period of childhood]
19. 「母と子」 (Haha to Ko) -- Mother and Child
20. 「地獄」 (Jigoku) -- Hell
21. Don't forget
22. 「師弟」 (Shitei) -- Teacher and Student
23. 「修業」 (Shuugyou) -- Pursuit of Knowledge/Studying/Training
24. 「組手」 (Kumite) -- (Paired) Kata/Wooden Joints (both definitions listed, despite being fairly separate things >_>)
25. 「解読」 (Kaidoku) -- Deciphering/Decoding
26. 「力の循環」 (Chikara no Junkan) -- Cycle of Power
27. 「整備工」 (Seibikou) -- Mechanic
28. 「牛乳」 (Gyuunyuu) -- Milk
29. 「真理」 (Shinri) -- The Truth
30. 「家族」 (Kazoku) -- Family

[scimitarsmile.livejournal.com]

28. Milk

Hunh? What kind of milk? Any idea what's meant by milk? Hm. What are the connotations for 'milk' in Japan? I know beef is expensive...but milk?

You think maybe I should list these somewhere, so folks have a reference point for what you're doing? Will put in a link back to the original site. Gyah, there's no way I know enough Japanese to write the original site to let them know...sheesh!

[nekokoban]

[laughs] It's cow milk--the running gag is that Ed hateshatesHATES milk, and Winry and Al keep harrassing him for it, because they tell him he's so short because he won't drink it. ^^

Hey, you DO have that subpage for orphaned plot bunnies and the like, don't you? ^^ I'd be sincerely interested in seeing if other people take up the challenge, so it would be interesting if you tossed it out as a general "hey, anyone can do this too! It doesn't hurt that badly, really!" kind of thing. XD

[scimitarsmile.livejournal.com]

hadn't thought of putting it there - will do that! thanks for the idea! ;D

[ayatsujik.livejournal.com]

♥

Cos I'm a slashh0, of course you knew I like the first one best (I really dig how it felt like a doujin script hubba hubba zoot zoot), but much enjoyment for the other two as well. I leave the touching stuff to writers like you - and that is not being in any way ironic - because you take care of it so damned capably. ^__^*

[nekokoban]

*nikonikoniko* I'm glad you liked them♥ And come on, it's not so much the "touching" stuff I do as pure and ordinary SAP, I just dress it up in fancier clothes. XD

[loveforShi-chan!]

[lit-chick.livejournal.com]

I know this is good because I really felt the angst slipping under my ribs like a subtle knife. Poor Edward! No wonder you want to fluff the series so much if it's like this in canon all the time.


Wonderful as always ^.^

[beckymarie.livejournal.com]

It wasn't until I was thinking these three drabbles over that I noticed that each one of them seemed to revolve around the theme of someone important in Ed's life tempering the anger/spazzing he has and turning it into somethingotherthananger, which I loved to see in three different ways.

I honestly can't pick a favorite. I want to go with the first one for the Roy/Ed and because I'm in love with the imagery, but I think the second one touches me more. I love Elric-mama and this was just... heartwarming to see a nice, warm, happy moment with her. But then there's also the third one that I can just see slipping into canon, filling it out a bit, and god knows I love that, too.

Ed took a deep breath. Remembering the past could only carry you so far, but the moment he let Al's face slip from his memory ... that was the same as giving up.

I loved that line. Because it just pops the entire moment into my head, crystal clear. I can see the look on Ed's face, the look in his eyes, just get what he's feeling, and was such an Ed way to look at things. *__*

[nekokoban]

Heeeeee♥ I actually didn't intentionally write those drabbles to have connecting themes between them, but hey--given my penchant these days to scream that Ed NEEDS TEH LURVE--or at least the chance to relax, poor guy--the fact doesn't surprise me. XD;;; Maybe I do things subconsciously, I dunno. :D;

I'm especially glad people have been liking the second one; I'm on this huge Elric family kick, to the point where I really want to try writing Trisha+Hoenheim fic, despite not knowing a DAMN THING about the man's actual personality. >_> My brain, it snarks and laughs at me behind my back. u_u

Still, I'm very glad you liked these♥ Thank you for commenting♥

[beckymarie.livejournal.com]

I really want to try writing Trisha+Hoenheim fic, despite not knowing a DAMN THING about the man's actual personality. >_>

I'm hoping that at some point we get some info about the man, because there're conflicting hints in canon--he seems to be involved with the sins and Ed really, really doesn't like him. He also pretty much abandoned his family (I assume he knows Trisha is dead, so why not come back for his kids...?). But... there must have been something there for Trisha to love so much, despite her not having much screen time, she didn't seem like the type who would fall for someone unlikable. I would lovelovelove to see Trisha+Hoenheim fic, though, they could be either fascinating or adorable or just simply touching. *encouragesencouragesencourages* XD

[inarticulate.livejournal.com]

Incoherence again! Gah. ♥! Stringbean=adorable. Love how Al is more mature and, well, pragmatic, I guess, than Ed-- they have the cutest interactions ever, even when the undertones are so much darker.

[nekokoban]

Meep♥♥! And, yeah, it's sort of my personal thing that Al is, in many ways, more mature and settled than his brother--but I love how they just balance each other out so perfectly in spite of everything.

♥♥ Thank you for commenting~ :D