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scriveynerTitle: Breathtaking Reality
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Reverse'verse
Characters/Pairing: Ed/Rian, Al
Rating: T
Length: 1409
Summary: It had been a stupid fight.
They had gotten into a fight - which was not entirely abnormal, Edward’s default mode was set to ‘quarrel’ and Rian was headstrong and occasionally liked to yell - the difference being this time, they had had their spat in someone else’s home, and Rian did not have his usual corner to go sulk in and Edward did not have his big stuffed armchair by the fireplace to curl up in and pretend like he did not hear Rian clunking around the bedroom and inventing colorful new curses.
It had been a stupid fight - they always were, when two people of like personalities clashed. Rian had stood in the kitchen, his eyes flashing defiantly and jaw tightening in anger, before slamming out the side door. The heavy door had slammed against the wall like a gunshot and Edward had flinched despite himself, throat raw and the skin around his eyes strangely tight. The argument had escalated quickly, a slightly raised voice turning into a shout and Rian was out the door in seconds - Edward did not have time to mull over anything except the intense stupidity of getting into relationships before his brother stormed into the room.
Alphonse Elric was nearly a head taller than his older brother, something which helped immensely when he was pissed. His dark blond hair was ruffled, badly in need of a good combing - he had been taking a well-deserved nap in the den, as it was a quiet Sunday afternoon - or it had been, until certain people had decided to have it out with all the subtlety of a freight train. Edward did not even bother to look up until Alphonse hoisted him out of his chair like a petulant kitten.
“What the hell was that?” Alphonse asked, and Edward kept his eyes fixed on the table. “What was that all about?”
“Nothing,” Edward mumbled.
Alphonse sighed loudly, exasperated, and shoved his brother forward with one hand. “You are so lucky that the kids went with Winry shopping,” he said darkly. “If they had been here - if she had been here to witness that, she’d skelp the skin off your bones.” Alphonse watched his brother’s shoulders slump forward as he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed again. Edward liked a good argument, he would shout soldiers out of his office and go toe to toe with a few Generals if given the opportunity (fortunately he was kept on a fairly short leash, and Alphonse did not have to spend nearly as much of his resources on clean-up duty as he had in years past); but whenever he had a fight with Rian, it was like the end of the world. Alphonse clapped Edward’s shoulder and said, “he went out without his jacket, he couldn’t have gone far. Want me to go and get him?”
Edward shook his head sharply, ponytail flicking with the motion, before he lifted his head and looked at Alphonse. Alphonse was surprised at how tired Edward looked, as if the years of exhaustion from long hours at the office and mounds of stress had suddenly all dumped on him at once. “No,” Edward said. “No, it was stupid. I’ll go get him.”
The transmutation circle on the back of Rian’s glove glowed a brief blue, and the snow spun out, away from his hand in a dizzying vortex of wind. It was a simple transmutation, blowing the air up and away from him, sending the snow in the air swirling all around like the insides of a snow globe. The baggy, oversized sweater he had borrowed from Alphonse kept him warm, for now at least, and besides even if he started to get THAT cold, there was no way he was going back in there.
Not yet, at least.
Edward was just so, so - infuriating, there was no other word for it. Rian wanted to smack him, and what was the worst was that he was fairly sure Edward would let him. He thought he was doing better, working on Edward to realize that the worst of the world’s ills were not his personal fault nor duty to fix, but sometimes it seemed to backslide horribly into days like today. Most of the time he could ignore it, and let Edward’s self-deprecating comments slide off his back. But for some reason it needled him just wrong, and he watched Edward work too damn hard to treat himself like that. And then they had to go and fight like that.
Rian turned on his heel and punched the tree he had stopped beneath. That was a mistake on two accounts - the first being that the bark was coated in icy crystals and he split two knuckles, the second being he hit the tree hard enough to upset the snow nestled lightly in its bare branches. Rian held his hand and stared straight ahead as three inches of snow dumped over him like a wintry waterfall. “Great,” he muttered, breath frosting in the air. “Even the flora around here is mocking me.”
He heard the crunch of footsteps in the snow and did not look back, running both of his hands through his hair and shaking it out like a dog. His hand stung like hell, and Alphonse had come out to schlep him inside like he was one of the kids. Not that he really didn’t deserve it for storming outside in the middle of a snowy January day, but he was almost twenty, it was degrading.
“Are you all right?” Edward’s voice surprised him, and Rian did look back. Unconsciously he pressed the back of his injured right hand against his mouth and forgot he was wearing gloves, so only got a taste of fabric instead of the blood he knew was there from the split knuckles.
“I’ve had worse,” Rian grunted, and Edward stared at him silently. They both knew he’d had worse, and the last thing Rian wanted was Edward listing all the ways that he would be better off without being in the military. The barbed words still sat sour on Rian’s tongue, and he grimaced and looked away. “Ed-”
“I’m sorry,” Edward said softly, beating him to the punch.
Rian looked up in shock, and caught the distasteful expression flicker across Edward’s face. “What?”
“I said, I’m sorry,” Edward repeated. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“Bullshit,” Rian said, astonished. “You like to yell at me. You like to yell at everybody.”
“That’s true,” Edward admitted. “I guess, I mean - look,” he snorted impatiently. “I don’t know what I mean. Alphonse is probably watching us from the window to make sure we kiss and make up before he’ll let us back inside.”
“You woke Al?” Rian shook his head. “Man.”
“I think you woke Al, when you call me - what did you call me again?”
Rian grinned at him. “A fucking fuckwit.”
“Ah yes. Very clever.” Edward shook his head.
“Hey, you’re one to talk,” Rian said. “The best insult you can come up with wore out about two years ago once I was legal.”
Edward slung his arm over Rian’s shoulder. “Don’t remind me. You’re bleeding through the glove, how did you bust your hand open?”
“Punching the tree,” Rian said, covering his right hand with his left.
“Smart move.” Edward steered him gently back toward the house, where he could see Alphonse at the kitchen window. “Let’s go get you bandaged up, hm?”
“You’re still a fuckwit.”
Edward pressed a kiss to the side of Rian’s head, to the damp hair plastered to his temple. 'I know.“
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
AU: Reverse'verse
Characters/Pairing: Ed/Rian, Al
Rating: T
Length: 1409
Summary: It had been a stupid fight.
They had gotten into a fight - which was not entirely abnormal, Edward’s default mode was set to ‘quarrel’ and Rian was headstrong and occasionally liked to yell - the difference being this time, they had had their spat in someone else’s home, and Rian did not have his usual corner to go sulk in and Edward did not have his big stuffed armchair by the fireplace to curl up in and pretend like he did not hear Rian clunking around the bedroom and inventing colorful new curses.
It had been a stupid fight - they always were, when two people of like personalities clashed. Rian had stood in the kitchen, his eyes flashing defiantly and jaw tightening in anger, before slamming out the side door. The heavy door had slammed against the wall like a gunshot and Edward had flinched despite himself, throat raw and the skin around his eyes strangely tight. The argument had escalated quickly, a slightly raised voice turning into a shout and Rian was out the door in seconds - Edward did not have time to mull over anything except the intense stupidity of getting into relationships before his brother stormed into the room.
Alphonse Elric was nearly a head taller than his older brother, something which helped immensely when he was pissed. His dark blond hair was ruffled, badly in need of a good combing - he had been taking a well-deserved nap in the den, as it was a quiet Sunday afternoon - or it had been, until certain people had decided to have it out with all the subtlety of a freight train. Edward did not even bother to look up until Alphonse hoisted him out of his chair like a petulant kitten.
“What the hell was that?” Alphonse asked, and Edward kept his eyes fixed on the table. “What was that all about?”
“Nothing,” Edward mumbled.
Alphonse sighed loudly, exasperated, and shoved his brother forward with one hand. “You are so lucky that the kids went with Winry shopping,” he said darkly. “If they had been here - if she had been here to witness that, she’d skelp the skin off your bones.” Alphonse watched his brother’s shoulders slump forward as he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed again. Edward liked a good argument, he would shout soldiers out of his office and go toe to toe with a few Generals if given the opportunity (fortunately he was kept on a fairly short leash, and Alphonse did not have to spend nearly as much of his resources on clean-up duty as he had in years past); but whenever he had a fight with Rian, it was like the end of the world. Alphonse clapped Edward’s shoulder and said, “he went out without his jacket, he couldn’t have gone far. Want me to go and get him?”
Edward shook his head sharply, ponytail flicking with the motion, before he lifted his head and looked at Alphonse. Alphonse was surprised at how tired Edward looked, as if the years of exhaustion from long hours at the office and mounds of stress had suddenly all dumped on him at once. “No,” Edward said. “No, it was stupid. I’ll go get him.”
The transmutation circle on the back of Rian’s glove glowed a brief blue, and the snow spun out, away from his hand in a dizzying vortex of wind. It was a simple transmutation, blowing the air up and away from him, sending the snow in the air swirling all around like the insides of a snow globe. The baggy, oversized sweater he had borrowed from Alphonse kept him warm, for now at least, and besides even if he started to get THAT cold, there was no way he was going back in there.
Not yet, at least.
Edward was just so, so - infuriating, there was no other word for it. Rian wanted to smack him, and what was the worst was that he was fairly sure Edward would let him. He thought he was doing better, working on Edward to realize that the worst of the world’s ills were not his personal fault nor duty to fix, but sometimes it seemed to backslide horribly into days like today. Most of the time he could ignore it, and let Edward’s self-deprecating comments slide off his back. But for some reason it needled him just wrong, and he watched Edward work too damn hard to treat himself like that. And then they had to go and fight like that.
Rian turned on his heel and punched the tree he had stopped beneath. That was a mistake on two accounts - the first being that the bark was coated in icy crystals and he split two knuckles, the second being he hit the tree hard enough to upset the snow nestled lightly in its bare branches. Rian held his hand and stared straight ahead as three inches of snow dumped over him like a wintry waterfall. “Great,” he muttered, breath frosting in the air. “Even the flora around here is mocking me.”
He heard the crunch of footsteps in the snow and did not look back, running both of his hands through his hair and shaking it out like a dog. His hand stung like hell, and Alphonse had come out to schlep him inside like he was one of the kids. Not that he really didn’t deserve it for storming outside in the middle of a snowy January day, but he was almost twenty, it was degrading.
“Are you all right?” Edward’s voice surprised him, and Rian did look back. Unconsciously he pressed the back of his injured right hand against his mouth and forgot he was wearing gloves, so only got a taste of fabric instead of the blood he knew was there from the split knuckles.
“I’ve had worse,” Rian grunted, and Edward stared at him silently. They both knew he’d had worse, and the last thing Rian wanted was Edward listing all the ways that he would be better off without being in the military. The barbed words still sat sour on Rian’s tongue, and he grimaced and looked away. “Ed-”
“I’m sorry,” Edward said softly, beating him to the punch.
Rian looked up in shock, and caught the distasteful expression flicker across Edward’s face. “What?”
“I said, I’m sorry,” Edward repeated. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“Bullshit,” Rian said, astonished. “You like to yell at me. You like to yell at everybody.”
“That’s true,” Edward admitted. “I guess, I mean - look,” he snorted impatiently. “I don’t know what I mean. Alphonse is probably watching us from the window to make sure we kiss and make up before he’ll let us back inside.”
“You woke Al?” Rian shook his head. “Man.”
“I think you woke Al, when you call me - what did you call me again?”
Rian grinned at him. “A fucking fuckwit.”
“Ah yes. Very clever.” Edward shook his head.
“Hey, you’re one to talk,” Rian said. “The best insult you can come up with wore out about two years ago once I was legal.”
Edward slung his arm over Rian’s shoulder. “Don’t remind me. You’re bleeding through the glove, how did you bust your hand open?”
“Punching the tree,” Rian said, covering his right hand with his left.
“Smart move.” Edward steered him gently back toward the house, where he could see Alphonse at the kitchen window. “Let’s go get you bandaged up, hm?”
“You’re still a fuckwit.”
Edward pressed a kiss to the side of Rian’s head, to the damp hair plastered to his temple. 'I know.“
Tags:
- au: reverse'verse,
- character: alphonse elric,
- character: alphonse elric (lt. colonel),
- character: edward elric,
- character: edward elric (colonel),
- character: rian martin,
- character: rian martin (alchemist),
- genre: typetrigger,
- pairing: ed/rian,
- prompt list: daily fic 2013,
- series: fullmetal alchemist,
- wc: under 5000
