Title: The Dance Hall
Author: Raykushi
Disclaimer: Rights to Fullmetal Alchemist belong to Hiromu Arakawa and others. This is a fan piece only and no monetary gain comes from its publication.
Prompt word: Comfort
Summary: A small moment with the Elric brothers at a military soiree.
Warnings: none
Pairings: none, really
Word count: 318
The Dance Hall
"Al, would you like to dance?"
Both Elric brothers straightened in shock. "U-um!" Al stuttered. He looked to his brother, but there was no help found there. Edward looked confused, as if he wasn't sure who was speaking.
Lieutenant Ross looked different out of uniform. More like a woman. Not that she looked like a man in uniform, no! But now, pale rose skirt falling to her ankles, bangs brushing her forehead instead of slicked back, she looked . . . softer somehow.
"I don't know how!" Al burst out.
The band started up then, and it sounded a bit slower than the jaunty tunes they had been playing earlier that evening. "It's not hard," she assured, putting a hand on his vambrace.
Somehow Alphonse found himself moving toward the dance floor. "Um! But!" He glanced back and saw his brother's face had changed to an expression of concern, but Colonel Mustang leaned over and said something to him, and Ed whirled and shot back a retort. And then Al was in the middle of a crowd of dancers and looking at the smiling face of Maria Ross.
She put one of her hands in his glove, moved his other to touch her back. Alphonse was pretty sure he was stuttering nonsense syllables. But she didn't look embarrassed to be standing with him or patronizing or even amused at his flustering. She looked happy. When she took a step in time with the beat, he tried to follow and just prayed he wouldn't step on her hem.
~.~.~
"That was fun, brother," Al said softly.
The music from the dance hall could still be heard spilling out onto the lamp-lit sidewalk, but they were sent home as the adults deemed it too late for children to be up. Despite this, for such a heavy suit of armor, tonight his step was light.
Sometimes, just being treated like a person is a comfort.