#fullmetalsecretsanta

[tenyaiingenium]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Hi, @colerate !  Here’s my @fmasecretsanta2019 gift for you - sorry it’s so horrendously late, but I hope it brightens up your January a little!  

[alcheminary]

uhhhhh yeaaaaaah I’ve got an order for some edwin featuring parental roy and riza, hold the royai?

merry new year, @bifullmetal, I’m your secret santa for 2018!! I’m sorry this is late, I was held up by some travel plans that popped off a little earlier than I thought they would

you asked for basically anything, so my plan going in here was to deliver a wintery and modern spin on the classic mermaid au fic. of course it ran away from me, so now you get a wip of a fic, and that just seems like a bum present so I draw art to make up for that, and gosh dude I just hope you like it

thanks to @fullmetalsecretsanta for putting this event together for 2018, you guys are awesome, for sure

anyway, here’s a sneak peek at the first chapter!

(edit: sorry for the extra late posting, I saved this to my drafts again on accident which is kind of the most embarrassing mistake I could possibly make)

“The Sea Bleeds Blue” Chapter 1 (prototype)

“... the man is reported to have been under the influence of alcohol during the time of his encounter…”

The tiny little TV blares throughout the house from its perch on the kitchen counter, a feat much more impressive in possibly any other structure that isn’t a cramped beach house. Like, seriously cramped. The kind of cramped where you can barely lay flat across the floor without hitting a wall.

It’s not like Winry Rockbell hates her grandma’s beach house. In a way, she gets it. You get older, your health starts to go, the warm weather is easy on your joints and the air is just so much easier to breathe compared to city smog. And everyone else your age has the same idea, too. When you have a nest egg and no other obligations, why not? Why not just live at the beach, wake up every morning to the soothing ebb of waves, sip your coffee on a porch overlooking the scenery, be a family vacation destination in and of yourself, and just wait to die?

That’s her whole bugbear with the thing actually, now that she thinks about it. People come to the beach to die.

She blinks hard, reaches for her wire cutters, and tries not to think about it much more than that.

“... officials like park ranger Jean Havoc however say the injuries are more likely to have been caused by a particularly territorial sea lion,” the newscaster on the TV continues, her voice tinny and distorted by the on-board speakers. Honestly, she could fix those if Gran would let her...

“He might’ve been feedin’ ‘em, harassin’ ‘em… Sea lions ain’t known to be gracious about their personal space, so all it takes is one loud, persistent jerkwad to ruin their whole day. Heck, mine too! Hahaha.”

“The man was admitted to the hospital this morning, and is expected to make a full recovery…”

Paninya scoffs, loud enough to startle Winry just as she’s threading the headlight through its socket. Luckily a less delicate part of this process. “Sea lion my butt. I’ve bounced frisbees off those things and they haven’t moved.”

She pauses as she considers that image. “Please tell me you don’t make field goals out of sea lions on purpose.”

“Of course not! They’re just… big. And bouncy. And all over? You can’t go down the boardwalk without tripping on them. Like, seriously, is there like a sea lion sanctuary nearby or something? Don’t they migrate?” Paninya asks, her nose scrunching up.

“Uh, I think Mr. Hughes might—”

“No, wait, that’s beside the point,” she interrupts. “And the point here is that I’m not buying what that park ranger is selling.” Her deep brown eyes watch Winry expectantly.

Winry puts down the wires she was futzing with and turns to give her a long-suffering smile, resigning herself to the next few minutes being completely unproductive. “Alright, detective, give me the scoop. What’s really going on in Brightly Cove?”

Paninya always gets this wild grin on her face when she does this. The corner of her smile lifts up just so, her eyes glint, and she squares her shoulders like she’s the hardboiled crime noir star the situation needs.

“Okay, so,” she starts, “You saw the gashes on the guy, right?”

Winry shrugs. “A little bit.”

“Okay, well, they’re completely inconsistent with a sea lion attack. We’d be looking for bites and puncture wounds, and he got approximately uhh, NONE of those. So either sea lions have mutated to have razor sharp claws in the past week, or it wasn’t a sea lion and the park ranger is bullshitting us to cover up what it REALLY was.”

“Right, I’m following so far.”

“So, let’s set the scene.” She stands up to stalk around the incredibly small kitchen table toward Winry. “You’re a dumb tourist that came to the beach in the winter. You’ve brought a brand new jet ski with you, completely oblivious that the water is way too cold for that right now. Because you’re a dumb tourist.”

Winry takes the cue. “I’m a savvy tourist because I’ve arrived when no one is here and none of the shops are open! Locals LOVE my business! Sure hope nothing happens to me without any lifeguards!”

“You’re out on the water when you get caught… in a current! Waves come and pummel you towards the shore, one by one! Before you know it you’re smashed up against the rocks,  no shore to save you. You’re stuck.”

She musters the most dramatic slump over the back of the chair that she can manage. “Woe is the fate of a tourist such as I.”

“But wait!” Paninya raises a hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes from some kind of indoor sun. “What’s that coming toward you? It couldn’t be, is it a person, come to save you in your darkest hour? But then it comes closer, and you realize fate has never been so kind… because there, in the distance… is…“ She leans in close to Winry with a grave look.

“Is…?”

“Bigfoot with a machete.”

“Bigfoot with a—?!” Winry sputters, pushing Paninya away as she absolutely howls with laughter. “Your idea of a more likely culprit than a sea lion is Bigfoot with a machete?!”

“Uh, yeah?” She lifts an eyebrow. “Come on Winry. The gashes. The rocks. The collectible shot glass he leaves at the scene of every crime. It’s totally Bigfoot’s m.o.”

Winry turns back to the mess of robotics on the table. “I’m done with you. Completely done. I’m kicking you out.”

“What? Noooo, come oooon, I’ve got nothing else to do today! I’m gonna be so bored, Winry, pleeease,” Paninya whines, flopping bonelessly onto the table with her best puppy-dog eyes. Winry is mostly unaffected.

“Why not just go hang out with Lan Fan?” she asks. “She puts up with you way more than I do.”

“Can’t. She’s out with her grandpa ‘scoring sweet holiday deals’ at the outlets.” The complaint comes with air quotes. “Besides, you’ve been talking about how cool this project is gonna be for like, mooonths. I can’t miss it after that kind of hype.”

“I have kind of been taunting you with it, haven’t I?” Winry sighs, curling a loose wire around her finger. “Tell you what. If you can be quiet and not so… Paninya the amazing living distraction on me, then I’ll let you come with me later to do the experiment.” Paninya’s whole disposition perks up like a labradoodle. “But! That means no distractions.”

“Aye captain, no distractions,” Paninya promises with a little salute.

~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~

Several hours in that ramshackle beach house kitchen, crammed around a table and dutifully trying to keep potato chip crumbs from invading her whole zone (which, to Paninya’s credit, does not technically count as a distraction), and it’s finally complete. Just in time for low tide, too. The thing she’s been dreaming of doing for months, the senior project that will launch her college applications from drab to fab, the thing that will get her out of this backwater beach town for good...

“Okay, so. No more secrets. Tell me what your project is, Win,” Paninya demands, handing her a roll up cord out of the backpack they brought with them. Winry beams at her.

“Wwwweeell, do you remember those guys from like, San Fran who started building an aquatic robot to explore a hole that was rumored to have treasure at the bottom?”

Paninya pulls out a half-eaten bag of Ruffles from the backpack. “No, but that sounds completely rad. Is that your project? Oh shit, are we gonna find treasure?”

“Probably not,” Winry casually admits, ignoring the way Paninya deflates. “But the robot, yeah. The one they built was a world-wide collaboration across the internet. They had a goal, and people would test their builds by building one of their own, tweak it, and report their findings on those tweaks. It was super cool.”

“Yeah, cool for nerds maybe…” Paninya mumbles around a chip.

“SO,” she presses on, “I built one of my own. With some tweaks. You know, in the spirit of the thing. Now I just need to test it out, record my success, and write a whole essay on it.”

“Which is why we’re in the spooky cave that you can only get to at low tide and has a mysterious bottomless pit in it? So you can see if your ‘bot dives or fries?”

“Yep!” Winry answers cheerfully. “And why not just use Ling’s pool to do this instead? My legs don’t get good traction in here. I almost slipped earlier. I almost died.”

“Because Ling’s pool isn’t saltwater, and you’re fine.”

“Wow. Cold. Is this what a shitload of free time your senior year does to you, or is it just the overachieving itself?”

“Both,” Winry chirps, and plugs the cord into the tablet. She moves to plug in the other end into the robot itself, but frowns. The waterproof chassis doesn’t look right, like it settled in transport, skewing the whole design just slightly enough that it kind of worries her. Just that tiny bit of pressure on the cable could knock it out with the right bump, or damage the whole port.

Oh well. That’s why a scout’s always prepared, right? She pulls a knife out of her pocket and carefully shaves the plastic away to make room. And just like that, the plug fits like a charm. Nice and snug.

She turns to Paninya, and nods. “It’s show time.”

“Wait, waaaait,” Paninya stops her, waving a cheese-dusted hand around as the other reaches into the backpack. “It’s bad luck to sail a ship without a name. Got one?”

“Uh… I’ve just been calling it Divebot mark 1?” she offers.

Paninya stops digging through the supplies to stare. “Come on, Win. I’ve taught you to ‘yes and’ better than that.”

“Ugh, fine, okay. Um… Divey Jones?”

“Better.” Paninya reveals a can of ginger ale, and at Winry’s own disbelieving stare, shrugs. “It’s not like I have champagne, dude. Ready?”

“Ready.”

Gently, Winry eases the newly christened Divey Jones into the pool of water in front of them at the same time Paninya starts vigorously shaking the can. It floats on top of the surface, gently bobbing, and Winry tosses a grin at Paninya. First success: buoyancy. Next: video feed.

She boots up the tablet, jailbroken to run an open framework because nobody wants you to sandbox their stuff anymore, and opens the custom app she programmed just for this project. One part video capture, one part robot controller. It saved her the parts cost of making a controller, but also? It’s just a little more impressive for whoever looks over her work. Look, she can engineer hardware and software!

When the window prompt comes up to sync the devices, she starts to get jittery. It was one thing to test out at the house, where everything seemed to work just fine, but this was it. This was what either made her winter break a vacation or a mad dash to troubleshoot whatever could have possibly gone wrong in her schematics. The only thing separating her from either possibility was the flip of a switch.

She picks Divey back up from the water, turns it over, and flips it from “off” to “on”.

Immediately, it begins whirring to life, humming in her hand as the battery does its work. She picks up the tablet and pulls out a notepad lined with little squares to check off as she goes through the boot up process: Video feed online? Check. Headlights? Check. A quick figure eight around the little pool confirms that the fins and motors are working, and she checks that off as well.

It’s time for the big moment. She and Paninya nod at each other.

She deflates the swim bladder a little bit, and as Divey Jones begins to sink into the black abyss, Paninya opens the can of ginger ale to a satisfying arc of spray across the cavern, whooping and laughing at the mess it makes. “Bon voyage!!” she calls down the hole, and Winry shakes her head, smiling and turning her attention to guiding the robot on its way.

The “bottomless pit” is an old volcanic magma tube of some sort, five feet in diameter at the top but quickly narrowing as you go down, and filled with water that pours into the cave at every high tide. The cave that contains it is only accessible on foot during low tide, and you have to be careful not to get caught in the cave during high tide. There’s a ton of warnings on a sign outside that attempt to dissuade tourists from trying to camp out in it, and for good reason.

She got stuck in here at high tide once, when she was a kid. Blacked out and woke up to an ambulance and her grandma freaking out. Couldn’t step foot into the place for a few years after that, partly because of trauma, and partly because the park rangers have tightened up their watch on the place ever since.

So. She and Paninya aren’t really supposed to be here. But, you know. It’s for science.

Paninya leans her head on Winry’s shoulder and watches the video feed on the tablet, the only indicator of where the robot is now that it’s turned a corner out of sight. She presses a chip to Winry’s lips, who mindlessly opens her mouth to accept it she’s so focused.

“How deep is this thing, anyway?” Paninya asks after a few more moments of watching video of dark gray rock walls float by.

“Hopefully less than fifty feet? The cable isn’t any longer than that.”

“Yeah, and you’re almost out of rope,” Paninya observes, looking at the coil beside them that grows thinner and thinner as the robot dives onward. “So now might be a good time to say you see the bottom.”

“Well, I don’t see anythi… wait.” Winry leans forward, bringing the tablet screen up to her face, her brow furrowing. There’s a small irregularity in the tunnels further down where it opens up a bit more. It’s like… what it looks like when an octopus camouflages itself against a rock. But the video on Divey’s tiny little camera is so grainy… and it looks so, so much bigger than an octopus.

Paninya leans in closer. “What? What do you see?”

“I… don’t know?” she answers honestly, and then something really startles her. “Oh fuck, it moved. It just moved—”

“What moved? Where am I looking?”

“Right here!” She points at the screen, at the tiny mass of pixels that is growing and changing and moving, even as the robot sits still, and she doesn’t know what it is. A thought occurs somewhere in her head that maybe she should start backing Divey up, but before she can do anything the mass surges forward in a terrifying blur and the feed cuts to static.

“Divey, no!!” Paninya squeals, and Winry nearly tosses the tablet across the room. But she’s cool. She keeps her cool. She’s smarter than to throw away the one thing containing most of the several past months of work.

“What the hell could…” She stops, the zippy sound of cord sliding across rock catching her off guard. That pitiful coil of cord that was slowly disappearing into the abyss with Divey is disappearing so much faster now, and with the tablet still connected to it.

“Winry, Winry Winry Winry, the tablet, you’ve gotta let go of the tablet—” Paninya babbles, scrambling to get onto her feet, and Winry doesn’t even think this time. She fumbles for the knife at her side, and in one swift motion, severs the line, just in time for the newly frayed end to get sucked into the hole like spaghetti.

Her mouth is dry as she looks up at Paninya.

“Run.”

[purpleillusn]

Secret Santa gift for @squidpro-quo, who asked for an AU where Roy still does badass stuff with Hawkeye after losing his eyesight. I hope you like it!

[sadtrashcandad]

Roy-boy watching the two loves of his life chat for @flourchildwrites the Fullmetal Alchemist Secret Santa!

I am soo sorry for being late. I’ve been working tons more than I thought I would. It wasn’t my original idea but I didn’t have the time ;-;

I hope really hope you like it!!

[flourchildwrites]

Cost of Living

Read on AO3

Length:  5,347 words

Rated:  Explicit

Status:  Incomplete (1/3)

Written for @fullmetalsecretsanta

A/N:  Surprise!  Guess who's your secret Santa, @vino-and-doggos .  IT'S ME!  Like Dickens's familiar trio of Christmas spirits, this will be coming to you in three parts, representing different stages of this college/omg they were roommates/coffee shop AU.  Do you think I added enough troupes?  Expect the next part when the clock strikes... tomorrow-ish.  I'll post sometime tomorrow.  Probably.

 Summary:

Change is in the air at Central University.  Due to a jealous girlfriend and rising rent, Roy and Riza find themselves on a collision course plagued by misunderstandings, white lies and the joys of social media.  The cost of living can be steep.  Is a Christmas kiss worth the risk?

Special thanks to @ruikosakuragi  for beta-ing!

Part One

Maes Hughes was like a Rubik’s cube, a tempting puzzle that begged to be twisted and turned between Roy Mustang's palms until the colors properly aligned.  In Roy’s experience, answers came when he focused on the bigger picture, as opposed to a single facet of Maes’s carefully constructed façade. But the problem presented in the answer.  Seeing past Maes’s persona was only the beginning. Accepting the contradictions, taking the genuine alongside the contrived, was a skill beyond Roy’s expertise, though he enjoyed looking all the same.

And who would blame him?  Maes was undeniably attractive.  He had a broad grin as enigmatic as the full moon on a cloudy night, and delicate freckles dusted the apples of his cheeks like an inverted array of stars.  The man’s disposition was sunny from the tip of trademark hairstyle to the toes of his polished boots, disrupted only by a pair of thin spectacles that gracefully aged him by at least five years.

Nevertheless, Roy knew that his friend’s oppressive cheerfulness was only skin deep.  Granted, there was a time when Maes hung the moon and the stars in Roy’s lovestruck eyes; however, that moment had all but passed.  More recently, the two men had settled for friendship complicated by a living situation that teetered deliciously on the brink between financially beneficial and conveniently satisfying.

Their apartment was at the center of it all.  To the untrained eye, it was just a two-bedroom, one bath condo with an open living concept.  There was nothing special about beige sheetrock and Formica countertops. But to Roy and Maes, it was residential nirvana.

In the words of the seasoned realtor Maes’s parents had hired, it was all about the location.  Close enough to Central University to keep their cars parked in the condo lot, but far enough that traffic wasn’t unbearable after football games.  It was a seven-minute walk to Roy’s coffee shop of choice, and from there, a three-minute jog to the grand threshold of Central University’s Law Center.

And, for whatever it was worth, their corner unit’s light was unrivaled.  Tall windows lined the perimeter of the living room, extending into the larger bedroom, Maes’s room.  Though Maes’s prim and proper mother had stressed the need for curtains, neither roommate had bothered considering the unobstructed view from their third story locale.  But the best thing about the light was the memory of lazy Sunday mornings spent tangled in the sheets of Maes’s queen bed, a place where sexual orientation and parental expectation had given way to a shared, somewhat primal truth.

Roy liked Maes, and Maes liked Roy.  Until they didn’t anymore. Until Maes’s secrets caught up with him, and Roy’s obsession with success warped into something more selfish than focused during his first semester of law school.

As far as their inner circle knew, they split on good terms, agreeing to swap friendship for the love they cultivated over the course of three years.  The truth was more complicated. It was a mess of leases, a great location and lingering attraction on both sides. Until one day it wasn’t.

Enter Gracia Martinez with her perfect posture, comely looks and ideal parentage, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Maes was honestly smitten by her.  Roy knew that look even though he tried not to see it. And finally, on a late November afternoon, Roy came home to a sullen Maes, sitting in their living room looking like he finally had something to say about the elephant in their condo.

“You had to know this was coming,” Maes stated solemnly after the initial awkwardness of his overdue declaration.  His words pried open a wound left by their breakup that had never properly healed. “It’s not that Gracia doesn’t trust you and I living together as friends, it’s just-”

“Gracia doesn’t trust you living with anyone you used to fuck,” Roy bitterly interjected.  The space between the two roommates on the sectional uncomfortably widened. As usual, Maes stood his ground while Roy lashed out.

Keep Reading

[puste--blume]

Secret Santa Present

Hey @maikamaika , I’m your secret santa ;). Here is the first chapter of the fanfiction I wrote for you. Don’t worry, the rest will follow asap, I have the whole story planned out and everything. I hope you like it :D It’s so much fun writing! 

(I used the M rating just to be sure, there’ll be some curse words and non-explicit sexual encounters, it’s not gonna be smut, but still, rated M to be sure ;)) 

Chapter 1 - Lizzard

Lizzard

A loud noise echoed across the field, loud and clear, piercing the warm air of this lazy day at the end of May. The shooting range was almost empty today, save for a woman laying in the dust, a rifle pressed to her shoulder. Her mouth was pressed shut and a bit of sweat ran down her forehead. She reloaded, breathed in and aimed at her target which was about 100 metres away. When she pulled the trigger a sharp pain from the ricocheting weapon made her close her eyes for a moment, and only after a while she was able to see how well she hit the target. The bullet had missed the bulls eye by a few centimetres. “Shit”, she cursed under her breath, and was almost too distracted to notice the footsteps of another person approaching. “Should you really be training again?” the voice sounded like a mother scolding a child. “Are you my doctor?” Riza Hawkeye rolled around and sat up, pushing a few short strands of blonde hair out of her face, and looked up at her friend. “No,” Rebecca smiled and reached out a hand “but I’m sure you didn’t listen to them either!” Riza took the hand and let her friend help her up. “Well, I need to get back into the trot eventually. And times are still a bit too dangerous for me not to be in my best shape.” “Those things need time, goddammit! You have been out of the hospital, what, for a couple of weeks? You almost died that day; do I need to remind you? No? Good.” Rebecca should her head “You’re just way too fucking pig-headed, but of course you know that.” Riza shouldered her rifle and mindlessly raised her hand to the scar on her neck. “At least that makes me hard to kill, apparently.” She winked at her brunette friend who just rolled her eyes. The two walked towards the changing room. “Why are you here, anyway?” “Oh, I had a feeling I’d find you here.” Riza raised her eyebrows. “Alright, Havoc told me. He was actually on his way to find you, someone called and left a message for you.”....https://archiveofourown.org/works/17125196/chapters/40275707

@fullmetalsecretsanta

[vino-and-doggos]

Flame versus Fullmetal

Read on AO3

Length: 2636

Rated: T

Status: Complete

Summary:  The Fire Nation's Army is being attacked by an earthbender. Fire Lord Ozai sends in one of his men - Colonel Roy Mustang - to apprehend the troublemaker.

This was written for @chocolateches as a part of @fullmetalsecretsanta 2018!! I noticed on your blog that you seemed to like ATLA, as well as some Evil!Roy, and... well, I couldn’t pass up an evil, firebending Roy. I sincerely hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it! Happy holidays to you and yours.

As always, thank you to @flourchildwrites for being the best beta ever.

Colonel Roy Mustang looked at his small battalion of Fire Nation soldiers before him. Inwardly scoffing once again at the ragtag group of firebenders and foot soldiers, Roy ensured that they all understood their orders for the day: rounding up another batch of earthbenders to be sent to Boiling Rock.

Maybe this time they would catch the troublesome one.

At first, it was small things. Boulders placed inconveniently throughout the Fire Nation encampment. Minor earthquakes in the dead of night. Large divots in roads. Big enough to wreak havoc on a supply-laden carriage, but not destructive enough that the komodo rhinos couldn’t navigate on their own.

Then, bigger things began to happen.

Boulders were thrown at soldiers arresting an earthbender. The earthbender in custody was not the one throwing rocks; Roy was sure of it. But as they spread out and searched the area, no one else was found.

Their campsite was utterly destroyed following an earthquake that caused the ground to collapse beneath their feet. Three soldiers, one bender and two non-benders, perished in the accident. The colonel was convinced that it was no accident.

Worst yet, one of Roy’s particularly cruel (but effective) soldiers was found at the back of an alley.

A four-foot stone spike pierced the chest of his limp, lifeless body. Thick, scarlet blood coated the unnaturally jagged protrusion of earth and pooled at the soldier’s feet. His eyes were still wide with awe and fear.

The vigilante needed to be stopped. And that’s why Fire Lord Ozai dispatched Colonel Roy Mustang to the area.

Roy felt that the best way to quash the hopes of the city of Dōngchéng of was to catch the agitator. In a place larger than the small villages the Earth Kingdom was known for, yet smaller than Ba Sing Se and Omashu, it shouldn’t be as difficult as it was proving to be.

Dismissing the soldiers, Roy sat down behind his war room’s table (which was technically a war tent). The colonel’s crimson and black uniform swished and settled comfortably around him, the pauldrons at his shoulders making a gentle noise as he leaned against the tall-backed chair. Roy ran a hand through his already-mussed hair, the jet black locks falling somehow artfully over his forehead once more. Despite being only 29, he was one of the most promising soldiers, a firebender that was in line to become the immediate general to the Fire Lord.

Mustang looked down at the map of all four nations and plans for the Fire Nation’s expansion to unite the world under the flag of the flame - a new nation called Amestris. Sighing, the colonel cradled his forehead in his palm. Could this, apprehending a small-time earthbender, be the key to becoming a general for Fire Lord Ozai?

Men shouting from outside Mustang’s war room pulled the colonel from his thoughts. What nonsense had that idiotic group of soldiers gotten themselves into now? Reluctantly rising and making his way towards the slit in the tent, he felt the tell-tale rumbling of earthbending. Roy’s eyes narrowed as he flung himself out into the fray.

A young blonde girl with long, braided hair was facing three of his firebending soldiers. He rushed toward them, his pace hurried but not frantic as it wouldn’t do good to look flustered in front of his command. He reached the halfway point when a kick from the earthbender flung three pieces from the ground directly at each soldier, wiping them all out in one fell swoop.

Forcing himself to remain calm, Mustang shouted across the hubbub, “So we finally get to meet face to face. And what would your name be?”

“Heh! Like I’d ever tell you my name,” a decidedly male voice answered him. The boy looked to be around the age of ten, a dark green tunic falling over brown pants. The sleeveless tunic allowed for him to move freely to bend, but Mustang noticed that the blond’s right arm appeared atrophied in comparison to his left.

The colonel ensured that the surprise didn’t register on his face before continuing.

“Well, I can’t keep calling you The Earthbending Assailant, now can I?”

“That name isn’t nearly cool enough,” the young man complained. “How about Fullmetal?” the blond said, a cocky smirk gracing his face.

“Fullmetal,” Roy smirked right back, “I think I like that. Well, in that case, you can call me Flame!” articulating the last word with an impressive display of firebending, meant to intimidate more than maim.

Laughter echoed through the valley as Fullmetal appraised the colonel in front of him. “Showy!” he said sarcastically. “Maybe next time you’ll pay more attention to your opponent,” the blond said as he jerked his chin upward.

Roy looked above his head just in time to see a chunk of earth losing altitude fast . The colonel dove to his left, landing and rolling in the dust as a crash sounded over his right shoulder. Infuriated and somewhat humiliated, Roy rose to his feet and swiped the dust from his red and black uniform.

Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame, snapped.

Columns of fire surrounded the earthbender, effectively trapping him behind walls of flame. Fullmetal retaliated by attempting to bring sheets of rock up around himself as a shield, but at the last second, Mustang closed the towering inferno, ensuring that the boy was unable to move at all. Breathing deeply, the colonel smirked and knew he was just getting started.

Colonel Mustang moved towards Fullmetal at a deadly slow speed, deliberately ensuring each step was heavily hitting the packed ground, menacing in sound as well as look. As Roy came closer, he realized Fullmetal was sweating - whether from the heat or his nerves was anyone’s guess, but the glint of determination was still in the blond’s eyes.

Mustang was ready to quash that gleam of hope. He chuckled menacingly as Fullmetal met his eyes.

“Did you know,” the colonel started, “that firebending is not just producing fire?” He smirked and watched as the earthbender visibly swallowed.

“Accomplished firebenders are able to control fire in ways that run-of-the-mill firebenders are not. For example, I can make this fire burn bigger, hotter than it should,” he explained with a complicated kata that raised the temperature of the fire noticeably. Fullmetal whimpered; the colonel considered himself lucky that he was able to hear it at all over the crackling inferno.

“But something that I have figured out,” Mustang continued, “is how to manipulate the fire so that the oxygen is so depleted that you’ll suffocate.”

Watching eyes widen in fear was one of Colonel Roy Mustang’s favorite parts of his job. He wasn’t disappointed when the striking golden eyes of his captive did exactly that.

The firebender began a kata that moved his hands and arms in a complicated pattern and watched with delight as Fullmetal struggled to breathe. He could tell that the kid was on the verge of collapsing and pushed it just a bit farther.

Fullmetal went limp.

Mustang relinquished the fires burning around the earthbender, allowing oxygen back into the space. Fullmetal was unconscious just as he’d hoped.

A small crowd of Fire Nation soldiers stood watch as Roy calmly straightened his uniform. He motioned two soldiers forward. “Take him to the interrogation area. Tie him up. Make sure all of the metal shields are in place so he can’t bend. Set a guard. Get me when he wakes up.” Though the orders were barked appropriately for a colonel of high regard, his voice was ragged, simultaneously filled with accomplishment and tinged with exhaustion.

The men scrambled to follow their colonel’s orders, dragging the blond away.

Roy needed a drink.

Unfortunately, the opportunity to pour himself a stiff drink never presented itself. Cleaning up the camp took far too long for his liking. Even after that tedious task was done, Roy still had to write General Bujing about the new captive, reschedule the earthbender sweep in the village, and debrief the platoon regarding the day’s events. So much to do, so little time.

As he finished his letter, his adjutant entered the room. Her blonde hair, unusual for a native of the Fire nation, was clipped in its normal, professional fashion at the back of her head, never touching her black uniform as demanded of female soldiers by the Fire Lord himself.

“Sir,” she started, her voice firm. “The boy is awake.”

“Hm,” Mustang sounded in response. He stood muttering, “Thank you, Hawkeye,” as he exited.

Entering the metal-shielded room, the colonel’s face split into an evil grin seeing the earthbender bound and surrounded by guards. Shadows crossing the man’s visage made the grin appear even more sinister, as the light from the torches placed around the room flickered. With every shift of the flame, more darkness encroached on Mustang’s face as he saw the small person, weakened and unable to escape. He nodded, dismissing the soldiers to take their posts at the door instead.

Fullmetal sat on the iron stool that was attached to the floor, jaw set and eyes glaring. His head was raised, fully upturned and making eye contact with the colonel. Despite the flame also illuminating his face, somehow the flickering did not travel into the valleys made by domination; rather, the flame just reflected youth, promise, and determination. Mustang smirked in response.

“What were your goals when you started this?” the colonel asked condescendingly. “Did you really think you would be able to take down the entire Fire Nation by wiping out a small platoon of soldiers?”

Silence.

“What’s the matter, Fullmetal?” he taunted. “Cat owl got your tongue?”

Another glare was the only response. Mustang decided to play dirty.

“I wonder if you have any family that will even miss you. Whether you’re sent to Boiling Rock or you’re dead by my hand, they’ll never know.”

A shadow passed over the younger male’s face; the colonel knew he found a nick in the boy’s armor. Now to exploit it.

“It really is a shame,” the dark-haired man continued. “Maybe your mother would cry. She would be missing her son, after all.”

A soft snarl escaped Fullmetal.

“Do you have siblings?” Mustang waited for a response that would never come, then continued as if the silence answered him.

“You’ve made your brother or sister mourn you. If you hadn’t acted out, you would have been able to go home tonight. Will they cry, as well, when they realize you aren’t coming home?”

“SHUT UP!” Fullmetal screamed. Mustang smiled evilly. Fire Lord Ozai was right, he realized; all other benders are unworthy of survival past the unification of all lands under the Fire Nation. A firebender wouldn’t have given up, wouldn’t have caved so easily. All other benders were weak in comparison to firebenders. Before, this was a platitude that Roy believed because he was told to believe it. Now, he was seeing it with his own eyes.

"Judging by your actions, you’re the oldest child,” the colonel deduced. “I grew up with many siblings myself, and although I fell right in the middle, I remember how my older sisters acted. So which is it, Fullmetal? Do you have a younger sister at home? Or a younger brother? Maybe both?” Roy prodded. When he was met with hard eyes, he tried again.

“I’ll bet it’s a younger sister. Many older brothers aren’t fond of their younger brothers, or so I’m told. Younger sisters, though… you’ll need to protect them from the harsh realities of life, won’t you? Boys that will break their heart, bullies that will push them into the dirt, bad things -”

“It’s a brother!” the blond exclaimed. “My younger brother,” he clarified quietly. Even softer, almost under his breath, Fullmetal continued, “And he’s sick.” Almost as soon as it was out of his mouth, the boy looked horrified that he had revealed so much information.

Colonel Mustang puffed out his lower lip in a pout. If the kid thought playing the sob story would work, he was sadly mistaken. “What a shame that you won’t ever see him again, then.”

“No, no, no,” Fullmetal said quietly. As he repeated the word, it grew louder and louder. “No, no, no , you can’t! He’s sick; he needs me! You can’t !”

“I can, and I will. I’ll ask you again, Fullmetal: what did you think would happen when you continually attacked Fire Nation soldiers and our camp? Did you think you would get away with it?”

The kid’s head dropped, his hair hanging over his eyes. “I don’t know,” he admitted quietly. “I thought that maybe the avatar would -”

“Would what?” interrupted Mustang. “See an earthbender attacking firebenders and step in? And on whose side would you have liked him to intervene? You were the one attacking!”

“Like hell!” Fullmetal spat. “Have you been paying attention? The Fire Nation is trying to capture Ba Sing Se! You’re getting rid of all of the benders by sending them to prison, and Ozai is just plotting to become some sort of supreme leader. Would I have been any better letting that happen, Mustang? Tell me!” Throughout the tirade, the blond’s voice continually rose in pitch and volume, becoming more frantic.

“You would have been better to obey me,” Mustang said, deadly quiet. He approached Fullmetal, towering over him, and bent down to stare straight into the boy’s burning eyes. “I am the law.”

Fullmetal was a spitfire, Roy could tell. He didn’t expect the physical spit, though, and only after it hit his face did he realize that there was only one way to deal with this brat.

Raising his hand, he hit Fullmetal - hard - and if he weren’t bound to the chair that was bolted to the floor, the boy would have flown across the room. The blond’s head snapped back to meet the eyes of the colonel before him, a red mark already appearing on the boy’s cheek.

“You’ll pay for that, you fucking BRAT!” Mustang yelled, smacking the boy again. The sound echoed off the metal walls.

In the blink of an eye, Colonel Roy Mustang produced fire from his hands, ready to direct it at the face of the child in front of him. At the last second, though, he felt heavy hands grasp his shoulder, jerking him backward.

“Colonel Mustang, what are you doing?” a rough voice with a heavy lilt asked.

“I thought I was very clear in my intentions, Captain Havoc,” he responded sternly, letting the flames he carried diminish but not extinguish entirely.

“Colonel, you’re better than this. He’s just a damn kid,” Havoc said, a pleading tone evident but not explicit.

“A kid that won’t obey my orders,” Mustang reminded his captain, danger seeping into his voice.

Havoc shook his head. “That doesn’t mean you should kill him, sir.” He paused for a moment before taking a different approach.

“If you kill him, they’ll launch an investigation. You could face an Agni Kai. It doesn’t matter that he’s a bender or the one they’ve been searching for. Turning him in alive is far better than turning him in dead.”

Another lull.

“Fine,” Mustang answered grudgingly, his eyes still alive with the light only a firebender could muster. “Take him to Boiling Rock. He’s their problem now,” he said coldly, stalking out of the room.

Mustang went back to his tent, still thinking about the kid. About Fullmetal. He knew he let his temper get the best of him; if there was one thing Roy couldn’t stand, it was a lack of respect. This child, this boy, knew exactly how to push every one of his buttons. The two could become quite formidable adversaries given a few years.

A smirk began to form on the officer’s face.

Flame versus Fullmetal.

Roy liked the sound of that.

[anowlyabovethenorthernlights]

Royal - “Married Life”

So this is my @fullmetalsecretsanta gift for @bishieobsessed . I am sorry this is so late it’s more of a valentine’s gift than a Christmas one lol. Still I hope you enjoy this Royal edit.