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scriveynerTitle: Arise from the Ashes
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Three Alchemists
Characters/Pairing: Kit, Ed, Al
Rating: T
Length: 1086
Summary: Edward and Alphonse had no place to go, Alphonse wobbled his arms pell-mell as Edward darted into the alley. After a moment he reached out, grabbed Alphonse by the plume of his helmet, and yanked his little brother into the alley with him.
Catie stopped in the street, and turned on her heel sharply. Edward and Alphonse had no place to go, Alphonse wobbled his arms pell-mell as Edward darted into the alley. After a moment he reached out, grabbed Alphonse by the plume of his helmet, and yanked his little brother into the alley with him. Catie propped both of her hands on her hips and sighed deeply, and then stalked back up the street to the alley that her not-so-subtle shadows had seen fit to hide in.
They had been following her since breakfast. At first it was amusing, watching the pair of them trying to be subtle - which, let’s face it, subtlety and a seven-foot-tall suit of armor just didn’t go well together. She figured that they were following her on Mustang’s orders, because there was no actual reason for them to be playing amateur detective today. Catie stopped at the mouth of the alley and scanned it for furtive alchemists. One point on their side, they could vanish quickly if you didn’t catch them off guard.
“I know you’re in there,” she called in a bored tone. “Both of you. I can wait all day.”
There was a long, pregnant pause. Then someone sneezed.
Edward’s head popped up from behind a dumpster to stare at Catie, and then he swiveled his head to the helmet and spiked shoulders that emerged next to him. “What the hell, Al,” Edward complained.
Alphonse Elric shifted his head. “Apologies, brother. I guess the dust got the better of me.”
Edward opened his mouth to retort, and then gave Catie a dirty look and shut his mouth. He sulked out from behind the bin, hands jammed in his pockets. “What do you want?"
Catie crossed her arms over her chest. "Either you two are so bored you’re practicing your utterly-horrible tailing skills, or Mustang set you two on me for a reason. Which is it?”
Edward wasn’t that much shorter than she was. He stopped well away, but jutted his chin out defiantly and stared her down. “I don’t have to answer any of that,” he said. Catie swiveled her attention to Alphonse, who had emerged as well. He shuffled a bit, towering over them both, and Catie raised an eyebrow.
“Al?”
“The Colonel just wanted to make sure that you still weren’t working for Colonel Murphy,” Alphonse said dutifully. “I think he’s just trying to keep Brother busy, though.”
“AL!” Edward snapped, and kicked his brother in the shin.
“She asked,” Alphonse said defensively. “Besides, it’s not like it’s a big secret, and she’s nice.”
“Thank you, Al,” Catie said. She inclined her head back toward the street. “It’s almost lunch time, and I’m famished. Want to go check out that Xingese place that opened by the base?”
Edward glowered at her distrustfully, and Alphonse encouraged him forward with one hand on his back. He bent over his brother and said in a low tone, “free FOOD, brother."
A good long moment passed before Edward brightened at the thought. "You’re buying, right?”
#
Edward absolutely hated it when Mustang gave him busywork. Sometimes they were lame courier missions, a special letter or specific orders that had to be shepherded in person to a specified location and signed for - other times it was a “keep out of trouble, we’re in delicate negotiations right now and I don’t want you on base, go watch this other alchemist and make sure she isn’t plotting against us.” And then Al had to go and spill the entire PLAN so she knew what they were up to.
He kept a weather eye on her as she perched on the stool, jabbing at the bowl of noodles in front of her with clumsily-broken chopsticks. He had managed to snap his correctly for once, and he gloated only for a moment. Alphonse sat between them, his hands on his metal knees as he looked unhappily down at the bowl of noodles that sat before him. Catie didn’t seem to notice Alphonse’s discomfort though, and Edward surreptitiously dumped half of Al’s noodles into his own bowl.
“So,” Catie said, and Edward jumped despite himself. “Mustang thinks I’m working for worm-bait Murphy, is that it?”
“He was just trying to keep Brother busy,” Alphonse said, and Edward kicked his leg. After a moment of the dull ringing sound, Alphonse remembered to respond. “Ow.”
Catie rolled her eyes. “This is one weird-ass unit I’ve been assigned to,” she said, poking at her noodles. “Kid soldier extraordinaire a walking suit of armor, pervert Mustang, and more besides.” She shook her head. “It almost makes me want to go back to Murphy’s unit, but then I remember that as much as Mustang’s a perv, he at least hasn’t tried to grab my ass.” She looked up at them and frowned. “He is all right, right? I mean, Mustang.”
Edward frowned. “He’s a cheap bastard with control issues.”
“Brother,” Alphonse admonished him. “Colonel Mustang is a good man.”
“Eh,” Edward said, but he looked back down into his noodles with a determined expression. “He’s … not bad,” he said finally. “You can trust him.”
Catie nodded her head. “Good,” she said, slurping some noodles. “There aren’t enough good guys in this military. It’s about time I got assigned to someone’s unit who wasn’t a dick in need of assassination.”
“Oh he’s definitely a dick,” Edward muttered.
Catie grinned to herself. “So,” she said after a long moment. “This cat wandered into my apartment the last time it rained and had kittens under my coffee table. I don’t suppose you know anyone who wants a cat?”
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Three Alchemists
Characters/Pairing: Kit, Ed, Al
Rating: T
Length: 1086
Summary: Edward and Alphonse had no place to go, Alphonse wobbled his arms pell-mell as Edward darted into the alley. After a moment he reached out, grabbed Alphonse by the plume of his helmet, and yanked his little brother into the alley with him.
Catie stopped in the street, and turned on her heel sharply. Edward and Alphonse had no place to go, Alphonse wobbled his arms pell-mell as Edward darted into the alley. After a moment he reached out, grabbed Alphonse by the plume of his helmet, and yanked his little brother into the alley with him. Catie propped both of her hands on her hips and sighed deeply, and then stalked back up the street to the alley that her not-so-subtle shadows had seen fit to hide in.
They had been following her since breakfast. At first it was amusing, watching the pair of them trying to be subtle - which, let’s face it, subtlety and a seven-foot-tall suit of armor just didn’t go well together. She figured that they were following her on Mustang’s orders, because there was no actual reason for them to be playing amateur detective today. Catie stopped at the mouth of the alley and scanned it for furtive alchemists. One point on their side, they could vanish quickly if you didn’t catch them off guard.
“I know you’re in there,” she called in a bored tone. “Both of you. I can wait all day.”
There was a long, pregnant pause. Then someone sneezed.
Edward’s head popped up from behind a dumpster to stare at Catie, and then he swiveled his head to the helmet and spiked shoulders that emerged next to him. “What the hell, Al,” Edward complained.
Alphonse Elric shifted his head. “Apologies, brother. I guess the dust got the better of me.”
Edward opened his mouth to retort, and then gave Catie a dirty look and shut his mouth. He sulked out from behind the bin, hands jammed in his pockets. “What do you want?"
Catie crossed her arms over her chest. "Either you two are so bored you’re practicing your utterly-horrible tailing skills, or Mustang set you two on me for a reason. Which is it?”
Edward wasn’t that much shorter than she was. He stopped well away, but jutted his chin out defiantly and stared her down. “I don’t have to answer any of that,” he said. Catie swiveled her attention to Alphonse, who had emerged as well. He shuffled a bit, towering over them both, and Catie raised an eyebrow.
“Al?”
“The Colonel just wanted to make sure that you still weren’t working for Colonel Murphy,” Alphonse said dutifully. “I think he’s just trying to keep Brother busy, though.”
“AL!” Edward snapped, and kicked his brother in the shin.
“She asked,” Alphonse said defensively. “Besides, it’s not like it’s a big secret, and she’s nice.”
“Thank you, Al,” Catie said. She inclined her head back toward the street. “It’s almost lunch time, and I’m famished. Want to go check out that Xingese place that opened by the base?”
Edward glowered at her distrustfully, and Alphonse encouraged him forward with one hand on his back. He bent over his brother and said in a low tone, “free FOOD, brother."
A good long moment passed before Edward brightened at the thought. "You’re buying, right?”
Edward absolutely hated it when Mustang gave him busywork. Sometimes they were lame courier missions, a special letter or specific orders that had to be shepherded in person to a specified location and signed for - other times it was a “keep out of trouble, we’re in delicate negotiations right now and I don’t want you on base, go watch this other alchemist and make sure she isn’t plotting against us.” And then Al had to go and spill the entire PLAN so she knew what they were up to.
He kept a weather eye on her as she perched on the stool, jabbing at the bowl of noodles in front of her with clumsily-broken chopsticks. He had managed to snap his correctly for once, and he gloated only for a moment. Alphonse sat between them, his hands on his metal knees as he looked unhappily down at the bowl of noodles that sat before him. Catie didn’t seem to notice Alphonse’s discomfort though, and Edward surreptitiously dumped half of Al’s noodles into his own bowl.
“So,” Catie said, and Edward jumped despite himself. “Mustang thinks I’m working for worm-bait Murphy, is that it?”
“He was just trying to keep Brother busy,” Alphonse said, and Edward kicked his leg. After a moment of the dull ringing sound, Alphonse remembered to respond. “Ow.”
Catie rolled her eyes. “This is one weird-ass unit I’ve been assigned to,” she said, poking at her noodles. “Kid soldier extraordinaire a walking suit of armor, pervert Mustang, and more besides.” She shook her head. “It almost makes me want to go back to Murphy’s unit, but then I remember that as much as Mustang’s a perv, he at least hasn’t tried to grab my ass.” She looked up at them and frowned. “He is all right, right? I mean, Mustang.”
Edward frowned. “He’s a cheap bastard with control issues.”
“Brother,” Alphonse admonished him. “Colonel Mustang is a good man.”
“Eh,” Edward said, but he looked back down into his noodles with a determined expression. “He’s … not bad,” he said finally. “You can trust him.”
Catie nodded her head. “Good,” she said, slurping some noodles. “There aren’t enough good guys in this military. It’s about time I got assigned to someone’s unit who wasn’t a dick in need of assassination.”
“Oh he’s definitely a dick,” Edward muttered.
Catie grinned to herself. “So,” she said after a long moment. “This cat wandered into my apartment the last time it rained and had kittens under my coffee table. I don’t suppose you know anyone who wants a cat?”
