Happy Thanksgiving, less than a week early! I wanted to try a family type of story for FMA since I generally seem to be writing angst and romance. That can get pretty redundant. So this fic is a hurt/comfort/family Thanksgiving fanfiction. It was inspired by three things: winter, Thanksgiving, and the ending video to the second FMA theme song. The only pairing in this story is Hughes/Gracia because it's been established. I tried to keep as in-character as possible. I hope I did well. Please, let me know your thoughts on this. Enjoy!
Snow gently brushed down from the grey clouds, covering what little colour the earth had white. The ground was covered in a thick layer of snow and to an onlooker the small town might seem to be a winter wonderland. The houses were sparse and few between and the town's sole market was closed up because of the weather. The small graveyard was practically drowning in snow with only the top few inches of tombstones visible. A short figure stood before a tombstone, his head bowed. His hands were clenched at his sides, his eyes squeezed shut. He was shaking, though from the cold or something else was left up to question.
"Mom," he whispered, falling to his knees. His hands sunk into the snow and small indents in the snow appeared as the young man cried. "MOM!" His voice echoed through the wintery town although no one was outside to hear his cry. Quiet sobs escaped his lips as he knelt there in the snow, lapping at the snow-covered tombstone. "I-I hate this," he cried. "I hate everything about this!" His hands curled into fists and he pathetically threw snow at the tombstone he cried in front of. His hands shot out and furiously began swiping snow away so the teen could see the name engraved on the stone. Trisha Elric. "I have nothing!" he screamed at the word. "I have nothing to be thankful for! Nothing! Can you hear me, Mom?" he spat. "There is nothing I have to be thankful for." He let out a sob at those words, realizing how wrong he was. But in that moment, he felt like they were the complete and utter truth. He had nothing to be thankful for. Everything that had happened to him took a toll, though, and he found it hard to pull through.
Silence rang through the small graveyard as the blond teen clutched the top of the tombstone, tears falling from his eyes as he repressed sobs. He shook with the attempt at holding back his cries. A scream escaped his lips. "DAMMIT!" he exclaimed, his right fist curling tightly around the tombstone and it cracked. Another anguished scream escaped his mouth.
There was a scuffle behind him but he couldn't bring himself to turn around to see who or what it was. "Brother?" someone asked and he let out a sob. "You're… You're not thankful for me?" The blond sobbed again. "What's the matter with you?" Alphonse Elric shouted. "After everything, you can't be grateful? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"
At those words, Edward Elric leapt to his feet and spun around, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Go away, Al!" he exclaimed. "I don't want you here!"
"I can be here if I want!" the suit of armor replied. "She was my mom too!"
"I said go away!" Edward screamed, throwing himself at his younger brother. Alphonse reached out and embraced the other Elric, pulling the warm boy against his cold, steel body. Ed's hands pressed against Al's barrel of a chest and he sobbed against the cold steel, wishing for the pain to go away. "Go away, Al," Ed mumbled through his sobs. "Leave me alone. Leave me alone." He burst into loud sobs and he shoved the armor away from him, stumbling backward through the snow until he tripped over Trisha's grave, topping back into the snow. He scrambled to his elbows and crawled back, struggling through the snow to get away from Alphonse. His eyes were wide and he was still visibly shaking.
Alphonse took a few steps forward, his shoulders falling when Ed crawled away with each step he took forward. A sigh escaped the youngest of the brothers and he turned his back on Edward and took one step away. He stood there and listened to Edward's sobs, trying to imagine what was keeping him broken like that. What had triggered this sudden reaction in the Fullmetal Alchemist? Al glanced over his shoulder, saddened but somehow not surprised by the fact that Ed was still lying in the snow, tears streaking down his face and his whole body shaking. Alphonse clenched his hands into fists and he ran, his armor clanking with each quick step he took.
An anguished scream followed the armor's swift exit and Ed's arms gave out, causing him to fall completely into the deep snow. His head sunk down until there were small white walls in his peripheral vision. Snowflakes continued to fall, oblivious to the anguish of the alchemist. Said blond's breathing was shaky, his breath coming out short and sharp, leaving trails that derailed into dragons and other shapes as he breathed. Shakily, Edward brought both of his arms up over his head and stared at his gloved hands. He pulled off the gloves although it took several attempts and he held the bare hands next to one another, watching as snowflakes turned to water on his left hand and ran down his fingers while the flakes seemed to pile up on his right. He turned his right hand so his palm was facing upward and he flinched when the pile of snow fell onto his face.
His eyes fell closed and he exhaled sharply. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he whispered in a cracked voice. He rolled onto his right side and rested his cheek on his wrist, staring at his metal fingers.
"Alphonse?" Winry asked softly, walking over to the suit of armor standing in the doorway. "Where's Ed?" Alphonse looked around the room, taking in all the people gathered there. Grandma Pinako was sitting in her chair with her pipe, a smile on her face as the warmth of the fire licked over her skin. Colonel Roy Mustang was leaning against a wall with a steaming cup of something in his hands. Major Armstrong was flexing and telling Lieutenant Colonel Hughes about the technique of wood cutting passed down the Armstrong generation. Gracia sat next to Hughes, holding Elicia and laughing. Riza Hawkeye was walking into the room, drying her hands on a towel and Jean Havoc was lying on the floor by the fireplace, remarkably like a cat. Winry snapped her fingers in front of Al's face. "Al!" she said sharply. "Are you in there? Don't zone out like that! Geez. Now, where's Ed?"
Al set his gaze on the blond. "Who cares about that idiot?" he exclaimed hysterically before spinning around and running back out into the snow. He ran, clanking, to the fence and he stood there, staring out at the lake.
Inside, Pinako laughed. "Those boys are quite a handful, aren't they?" she asked no one in particular. Roy was the one who answered.
"And a lot of paperwork." He sighed slowly and pushed himself off the wall. He set his cup down on a nearby table and went to the door, grabbing his coat from the hook it was on. He donned it and gave a two-fingered salute to the occupants of the house. "Someone take care of Alphonse. I'm going to visit Mrs. Elric."
Ed's eyes were feeling heavy but he knew that he couldn't fall asleep. It was so tempting though. He could sleep and then go apologize to Alphonse and try to explain things to him. A good nap would probably do him well. Ed sighed and watched his breath form soft clouds that drifted away lazily. Tears still continued steadily to fall from his eyes but his throat was too sore and his voice too hoarse to continue his sobbing and screaming. The blond had curled in on himself in an attempt to keep warm. He didn't know where his gloves had gotten off to, so his left hand was tucked in his shirt, pressing against his chest. He was shivering now, his sobs having stopped wracking his body in favour of letting the cold take over the blond. Ed blinked, certain he'd seen something black out of the corner of his eye. Deciding he was just tired, he closed his eyes and prepared for sleep.
That damn Fullmetal. Roy ran a hand through his hair briefly before he shoved his hands back in his pockets. His gloves weren't doing well at keeping his fingers warm but then again, his gloves hadn't been designed for that. The dark haired alchemist rolled his eyes and he trudged through the snow, marveling on the fact that it looked like a devastating winter wonderland around him. Or perhaps an icy wasteland was more accurate. The houses in Resembool were clustered together with three or four spread out farther in the country side. The Flame Alchemist rolled his shoulders and continued plowing on through the snow that was about up to his shins. He could only imagine how Fullmetal was faring, what with his small stature. Roy smirked at the thought of the pipsqueak getting angry and trying to kick the snow.
Chuckling, Roy mumbled to himself, "How like Fullmetal." He glanced around him, his eyes immediately drawn to the ground. Something large had passed by here recently, if the large footprints were any indication. Roy frowned, hoping that it had been Alphonse and not something else. He rarely came to Resembool so he didn't exactly know about the wildlife there. His frown deepening, the colonel quickened his pace, following the larger tracks up the hill. He took long, quick steps, almost like he was taking three stairs at a time. Roy panted with the exertion, remembering why he was content with his desk job (except for the silly paperwork). He swiped at his brow, annoyed to feel sweat seeping through the sleeves of his jacket and his shirt. "I need to work out more," he exclaimed as he took a final leap, reaching the top of the hill. His leap put him off balance, almost sending him falling back down. He shook himself and caught his balance by throwing himself forward. He stumbled around almost drunkenly until he regained balance and looked around, his worry peaking when he did not see that familiar red jacket or that bright golden hair he had come to recognize as his favourite subordinate.
Cursing under his breath, Roy hurried through the snow, trying to keep an eye open for Fullmetal while at the same time trying to watch the giant footprints. He followed the prints when he realized that the blond was not standing up. That did not bode well for the Flame Alchemist. He followed the footprints to the only cleared away tombstone, the tombstone of Trisha Elric. He walked slowly to the tombstone, fearing what he would find on the other side. He peered cautiously down and gave a startled cry. Fullmetal was curled on his side, asleep of all things! Roy's temper started to rise. The idiot had the gall to fall asleep in shin deep snow wearing nothing but his flimsy red jacket! The kid was a goddamn handful!
"Edward," Roy called, his temper giving way to terror when the blond didn't respond. He hadn't known Ed to be a heavy sleeper but perhaps the teen was just always on his guard around Mustang. The twenty-nine year old frowned at that thought but shoved it away, stepping carefully around Trisha's grave marker. "Edward," he repeated, his voice louder this time. The teen didn't move. "Fullmetal, wake up!" Roy practically shouted, panic clear in his voice. How long had Ed been asleep for? Roy leaned down and gripped the teen's left forearm, shaking him roughly. This was a problem. With obvious effort, Roy scooped the teen into his arms, grunting under the dead weight of the eldest Elric. He looked down at the blond's face, noting that he was a bit flushed and he was crying. Did that mean he was awake or was he just crying as he slept? Roy cursed once again and he carefully set off, knowing the trek down the hill would be dangerous. While he wasn't yet thirty, Roy wasn't in his prime anymore and he knew it. He would make Fullmetal pay for this effort later. Roy grunted and stumbled on a patch of ice, barely catching himself. This slip, though, caused him to clutch the teen tighter and closer to him. He looked down at Edward's face. "Goddamn it, hold on Fullmetal."
Throwing caution to the wind, Roy took off running down the hill. With each step, he could only pray that he would be able to stop without hurting Ed when he reached the bottom of the hill. He looked down at Ed's face, not liking the slight reddening of the blond's cheeks. Roy let out a breath and looked back up, focusing on where he was going. Suddenly, his vision went black and his ears were ringing. It took him a moment to reorient himself but when he did he noticed he was shorter than he had been mere seconds earlier. The good thing was that Edward was still safely in his arms. Another plus was that he was now at the bottom of the hill although he didn't remember trees facing that direction and he certainly didn't remember the sky being there. The man lay there for a moment, drinking in the scene before concluding that he was either upside-down or just lying on his back. With some effort, made clear by the gritting of his teeth and the scrunching of his eyes, Roy sat up, keeping Ed in his arms. He could see Grandma Pinako's house in the distance. It wasn't too far but it wasn't as close as Roy would have liked.
"Goddammit Edward," Roy cursed, pushing himself to his feet only to cry out in pain and fall. He did not want to look and see what happened. The next time he stood, Roy was prepared for the pain and only gritted his teeth. He had to drag his right foot behind him as he carried the stupid, stupid blond back to Pinako's place. It took some time and the sun was getting lower by the second. Soon, it would be dark. Roy hoped that they would make it back before it got too dark. Luck seemed to be on Roy's side, if only for the fact that Alexander was running toward the colonel and the major in his arms. Roy continued to move sluggishly forward until Armstrong reached them. The man frowned at Roy and took Fullmetal from him, ignoring Roy's protests.
"Colonel Mustang!" Armstrong's loud voice boomed. "Thank you for retrieving the foolish Elric! You are, indeed, a man among men!" Roy could only chuckle awkwardly and forcedly. Armstrong frowned and peered at his superior. "Colonel!" he exclaimed. "You are injured! Why did you not say anything before? Well, on the Armstrong name, I shall carry you back to Miss Pinako's house using the speed passed down through the Armstrong generations!"
Roy protested weakly, "That's not necessary, Major."
"I insist!" Armstrong replied in his booming voice. Roy sighed and allowed himself to be hoisted into the free arm of the major although he would later be denying that such a thing ever happened. Mustang cursed in surprise at the speed of his major. He'd never actually experienced (or seen) firsthand how fast the 'speed passed down through the Armstrong generations' could be. It seemed only seconds later, the trio was entering Pinako's house. Roy was gently set down on the couch and he was pleased when Armstrong set the unconscious Elric down in his arms. Roy removed his gloves and set them aside, setting his mind on the flushed Fullmetal Alchemist in his temporary care.
As he removed Edward's wet clothes, he said urgently, "Someone get me some dry clothes for him, now! I need an ice pack and a thick blanket too! Make it snappy!" His tone turned sharp when looked up to see that no one had actually moved. He glowered menacingly and Riza, Havoc, Hughes, and Winry flew into action. Roy didn't stop to see who did what, he only continued on getting Ed out of his wet clothes. "Be okay, Fullmetal," Roy whispered, looking down at the shivering teen.
Where the hell was he? Golden eyes flickered all around him but he was unable to make heads or tails of where he was at. He just couldn't figure it out. There was a faint glow in his peripheral vision but whenever he turned to face it, it would vanish only to reappear moments later. Ed's patience was beginning to run very thin with each vanishing of that stupid glow.
"WHERE AM I?" he screamed, taking off running through the darkness. "Al?" He called. "Winry? Granny? Colonel Bastard? Anyone?" With each call, his voice got higher and his panic heightened. Where was everyone? Where was he? Ed screamed. He had so many questions at the moment and yet no answers. "Al!" He shouted, spinning quickly toward the light. "Ah, shit!" he growled, holding his head. "Al. Al. Where are you?" tears rolled from his eyes. His arm felt heavy, dragging him down. Ed groaned and let out a sob. He collapsed, sitting there holding his right shoulder. "Alphonse!" he cried.
"…etal."
Ed jumped a few inches before colliding painfully with the blackness. "Al?" he called out, hoping he wasn't hearing things.
"Fullmetal."
No. Not Al. "Colonel?" he cried, releasing his shoulder. He forced himself to disregard the heavy weight of his automail and he pushed himself to his feet. "Nn. Colonel?" he shouted. "Say something!" he screamed.
"Fullmetal, wake up!"
"ROY!" Edward shot up, sweat and tears indistinguishable on his face. The blond gasped deeply and looked around, panting slightly. Winry, Granny Pinako, Armstrong, Hawkeye, Havoc, Hughes, Gracia, and Elicia were staring at him, all wearing various looks of relief. Where was Mustang? Ed coughed for a moment before realizing that he wasn't exactly sitting on the couch. "What…?" the blond twisted around and his eyes widened when he saw he was flush against Colonel Roy Mustang. They stared at each other for a moment of silence before Roy spoke with a smirk.
"Good evening, Fullmetal. Did you have a nice rest?" his tone was teasing and Ed's eyes flashed.
"YOU BASTARD!" he shouted seconds before he erupted into a violent coughing fit. Roy's eyes softened in worry and he carefully cradled Edward, shooting Winry a quick look. The blond frowned and nodded, leaving the room. Roy rubbed Edward's back as the alchemist coughed, a frown marring the Flame Alchemist's face. "Damn… you…" Ed gasped out between coughs. Roy smiled slight at the alchemist. Winry returned shortly after, handing Roy a cup of water. Roy managed to get the blond in his arms to drink the water and laughed at the grimace Fullmetal gave him.
Ed gulped down the water thankfully, swallowing the water in almost three gulps. The blond shoved the glass off to Roy and gasped air, glaring when the colonel laughed again. His attention was soon taken by another presence; Alphonse stood in the doorway, staring at the two state alchemists.
"A-Al?" Ed asked in shock. The brothers stared at each other for a few long, silent minutes.
With a sigh, Roy began, "Ed, you've had us pretty damn wo-"
"You idiot!" Alphonse said quietly as he stepped inside the house. "What were you thinking, sleeping in the snow?"
Ed had the decency to look down at his lap, his already flushed face darkening. "I-I'm sorry, Al," he whispered. "For… For what I said at Mom's grave. I shouldn't have… I'm sorry!" The tears broke free again and he shook, his hands clenched into fists. He let out quiet sobs, leaning against the colonel who merely sat there.
"It's okay," Al replied in a small voice. "I forgive you." Edward let out a hysteric laugh and nodded, the tears rolling still. "Oh, Brother."
The two boys fell into a soft quiet that was broken by Mustang. "Well," he said with a laugh, "everything seems better now, right?" he laughed and shifted carefully. "Shall we eat?"
Ed's face lit up and he looked around at everyone, grinning. "Yeah! Let's!" He jumped up, stumbling slightly. He caught his balance and rushed off to the kitchen. The room occupants filed out, leaving Mustang and Armstrong alone. The buff major stared down at his superior and Roy stared up.
They were there in a still silence, just looking at each other. With a slight chuckle, Armstrong held out his hand and Roy took it, pulling himself up from the couch. The colonel frowned and leaned against Armstrong for support. The duo walked slowly to the kitchen, both smiling at the loud, cheerful chatter coming from the kitchen. Even Alphonse was sitting at the table, laughing. Ed looked over, an obnoxious smile on his face that slowly slid away to concern when he was Mustang.
"Colonel?" he asked, shoving his chair back, jumping to his feet. He hunched in on himself, covering his mouth as coughs racked his body.
"Sit, Fullmetal," Roy dismissed as Armstrong helped Roy into the open seat beside the Fullmetal Alchemist. Ed carefully slid into his seat and glared at the colonel who only smiled back, laughing at the look on his subordinate's face. Ed glared for a few seconds more before his face broke out into a smile.
"Hey Granny!" he shouted, giving a light cough after. "Pass the turkey!"
"Ed!" Winry shouted out in objection. "We can't eat until we say our thanks!"
Ed slumped into his seat. "Aw, but Winry!" he whined.
"Now Edward," Armstrong scolded. "That is no way to treat a lady! We shall say thanks in the way that it has been passed down through the Armstrong generations!"
"Sit, Major Armstrong," Pinako's strong voice interrupted. "We will say thanks how the Rockbells say thanks. It is our house after all." Armstrong sat down and voiced his agreement. "I'll start," the old woman said. "Everyone take hands. We'll go clockwise." When everyone had taken hands, she began. "Dear Lord, I am thankful for this family gathering you've provided me. And I'm thankful for the business shorty over there has been giving me lately." She laughed when Ed complained and she looked to her left, nodding at Winry.
"Dear Lord, I am thankful for my life and my brothers," Winry smiled toward Ed and Al, "and the great tools I have to build even greater automail with!" She looked to her left, smiling at Elicia.
"Dear Lord," the three year old began, "I'm thankful for my mommy and daddy! And my giant teddy bear!" Everyone around the table laughed.
Gracia smiled at her daughter and smiled at her husband before speaking. "Dear Lord, I am thankful for my beautiful baby girl and my amazing husband. And I am definitely thankful that I didn't have to cook dinner alone this year!"
"I'm thankful for my darling Elicia and my beautiful Gracia!" Hughes exclaimed, leaning over to kiss Gracia on the cheek. "And I'm thankful that there's no paper work for me to do!"
Riza Hawkeye sighed and glanced to her left at Havoc and back to her right at Hughes. "I'm thankful," she said, "for this welcoming home on Thanksgiving. And I'm thankful that Colonel Mustang hasn't gotten himself killed just yet." Roy objected and was promptly ignored as Havoc said his thanks.
"I'm thankful for the free food," he said nonchalantly. "Oh, and that I have great friends to be with."
Armstrong kept a tight grip on Havoc's hand and on Alphonse's hand as he stood. "I am thankful for this beautiful evening with all of you!" he cried, tears streaming down his face. "I am so thankful!" He sat down with a plop and his chair gave a groan of protest.
Beside Armstrong, Al laughed nervously before saying, "I'm thankful for my brother and for Winry and for everyone," he said before adding, "and I'm thankful that Dan hasn't eaten all the food this year!"
Al looked to Mustang who sighed. "I'm thankful for the kindness the Rockbells have shown me this holiday." He grinned teasingly at the blond to his left. "And I'm thankful that Fullmetal didn't die because man, that would be a lot of paperwork."
With a twitch under his eye, Ed said, "I'm thankful that Colonel Bastard didn't change a bit tonight." Roy glared and Ed smirked triumphantly. "But mostly…" Edward trailed off and looked around the table at all the faces he saw there staring back at him and he gave Al a brilliant smile. "Al, I'm thankful for you the most." He sighed and looked down in embarrassment. There was a warm silence that Ed couldn't help but bask in. As it would have it, the silence was broken by his stomach and he laughed along with everyone else. "Let's eat then!" He shouted, jumping to his feet despite his slight cough. "Hey Colonel Bastard, pass the beans!" he said, nudging Roy with his elbow, laughing at the discomfort on Roy's face. Roy glared before laughing as well and the whole table fell into warm, happy chatter and laughter.
Edward sat back in his seat once his plate was filled and he smiled around him, laughing at Alphonse awkwardly waving off Elicia's attempt at feeding him. Roy and Ed exchanged grins and Ed set his gaze on the kitchen window. Roy frowned slightly at Fullmetal's odd behavior and set his hand on the blond's knee. Ed looked over with a soft smile on his face and he shook his head at the black haired man. Roy's mouth opened before he murmured, "Hm," and smiled softly at him, turning his head away to join back into the conversation with Hawkeye and Hughes.
A quiet chuckle escaped Edward's lips and he looked back out the window, smiling up at the sky.
"HEY ED!" Winry shouted. "Drink your milk!"
Ed's eye twitched and he spun around. "You know I hate that crap, Winry! Shut up!"
"Edward!" Armstrong cut in, his voice full of righteous anger. Edward groaned and sunk down into his seat, trying to hide from Armstrong's righteous fury. Beside him, Roy covered his mouth, laughing into his hand. The duo exchanged looks and Roy started laughing even more.
"Bastard!" Edward shouted, throwing himself at Roy who tried to bat Edward off.
Alphonse laughed at his brother's antics, amused by the bantering between the two state alchemists. He was definitely thankful for his brother. Ed glanced over at the suit of armor. He was definitely thankful to have Alphonse with him. The brothers laughed with each other and set to enjoy this Thanksgiving with their family and friends.