A/N: Originally posted on ao3 under the pen name youngjusticewriter.
If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality - Desmond Tutu.
Alex was pretty good at her Amestrian history - though not as much as a wiz as she was at math - it's just she'd been pulling extra hours at work. Both her and Maxine's greasy burgers needed it since the fast food restaurant was understaffed since ever since Brock couldn't get anymore tabs (the supply of substance d the blond was buying from had been busted by the police apparently and the guy couldn't find another supplier) and Ciz had take automail surgery because of some dickwads that had been bullying her (jokes on the bullies because they're entitled asses being sued were the reason Ciz could pay for the surgery).
Anyway, Alex was going to have to write her report last minute because she'd been working so much. Elissa, who knew they would not (and Alex would repeat that) be getting each other off, had anyway decided to spend some time with Alex since they've barely had any time with each other this week. The company was welcomed by Alex but she couldn't help but wonder as she ranted if her girlfriend was regretting her choice. She hoped not but Alex wouldn't voice of that of course.
"Yeah well that's because I reckon that Al loved the wife - Winry, that's her name - who was this mechanic nut. Supposedly as nutty about automail as Colonel Edward Fullmetal Elric was about alchemy and finding that sorcerer's stone. Which is why the brother - younger brother- wore that crazy, huge ass armor. To get the girl's attention."
"You reckon?" 'Lisa asked, an blonde eyebrow raised.
There was a pause - admittedly that said something because even she'd knew she talked a lot - as Alex grimaced before kicking some pebbles with her left ankle boot, dust now staining the black leather.
"My older brother, Terry, well, uh, he use to have this phase when he was younger where he was such a follower of the state alchemist. You'd think Fullmetal was that stolen Cretan woman whose city was razed to the ground by the way he pinned." Alex rolled her brown eyes. Anything was worth doing than thinking of Terry; anger was better than regret. She'd seen what regret had done to her mom: worn and wasting away. Faster than any oldie should unless they were hooked on something like substance d.
Despite rolling her eyes, telling herself angry and not caring were better than regret and grief, Alex's eyes were filling with tears. Damn it; damn it all.
She tilted her head back to look at the cloudy sky and kept walking, pebbles crunching under her feet; that helped with the tears thankfully.
Alex didn't need Elissa in the corner of her to know her girlfriend was looking at her because she was worried for Alex. She'd been worried for Alex ever since her brother got shipped off to the Sunnydale hospital that specialized in druggies and the insane. Alex had barely told her anything on how Terry kept seeing bats, apparently the damage from mom making him go cold turkey on substance d (a new drug at the time) was Terry losing his mind. Alex's brother had thought their house was infested with the flying vermin.
In the end, Terry had ended up killing their father thinking he was shooting at the bats with their mom's gun. (After that - after their dad dying in the kitchen and the blood - ohgod ohgod daddy's blood - on her hands - Alex understood why people wanted gun control.)
"Anyway dad had kept all the stuff they got us when we were kids and put it the attic." Alex continued speaking as she kept on looking at the grey sky with her neck tilted back. "I'm willing to bet that those history books and biographies they got for Terry on Colonel Elric are packed up in there somewhere."
"I wonder if there's any pictures in those books that also have the hot Fuhrer in them."
"Sure, I mean that's why he was sentenced for genocide - he was the original flame alchemist. Plus if I remember correctly he's the one that decided to recruit a kid to become a living weapon so it's likely the dick will be in a photo or two of his subordinate."
There was another pause between them before 'Lisa let out a exasperated sigh. Oh boy, Alex thought some what heartedly, what went over my head now?
"Alex," 'Lisa said before pausing for a second, "my bi heart wasn't being literal. Flame alchemist and dick he might be I loved it when we covered the Ishvalan genocide."
Alex once again rolled her eyes though this time the subject was nicer than the last. This was why she was dating 'Lisa; the girl may be ridiculous but she made Alex smile which was admittedly a hard thing lately.
"He recruited an Ishvalan child to become a human weapon - the weapons that slaughtered Edward's people - when the kid had yet to go through automail surgery for his amputated leg that he lost during the genocide that - that the bastard committed. You know that's how historians believe Edward met his wife. The doctors that treated Ishvalans during the genocide were Rockbells. Anyway - I'm sorry hot or not that's not someone I wouldn't want you to date even if we weren't dating Elissa!"
"Okay, okay. Keep going and your going to make my underwear wet, Alex," Elissa joked. "You know how much I love it when you get protective of me. Anyway is it really Roy's fault? I'm sorry but if Roy recruited an Ishvalan to join the State Alchemist program than isn't that on Fullmetal? I mean he was the one to willingly join the army that slaughtered his people. Tell me that's not more fucked than Roy recruiting a kid?"
There was a painful silence between them and the rain finally started sprinkling. There was no way Alex - moody teenage who worked at a burger joint - could answer what famous historians had been trying and failing for years. Somethings you just would never know.