A/N: So here it is, my first FullMetal Alchemist story. Please read this knowing that I have only seen the Brotherhood tv anime and all character relationships are based of what I saw there. There are minor changes in which Ed and Al have met the entirety of Mustang's team before the beginning of the series(this story is pre-series by the way) and I think I got the ages slightly off but it shouldn't matter here. Rejoice in the fact that this story is COMPLETELY WRITTEN! There is no fear of waiting days or even weeks for the next chapter. They are safe in my email and are even getting edited and polished as I write them up in an actual document. No beta reader though cause no one responded. Story will start humorous but fear not there be plot here! Reviewers get cookies. Flamers get burnt cookies.
30 Seconds Too Late
Edward Elric stared up quietly at the top then glanced back down at the list in his hand and back up reading the titles that were almost in alphabetical order jabbing his finger at every title he read silently. He bit his lip setting down the pile of books he'd been holding precariously balanced in one arm. He glanced back down at the list having all but one book from it found. The last book was proving to be difficult to find. He hopped up on his tippy toes trying to get a better view of the titles inching sideways away from his stack until at last he found it with a groan. Top shelf book of course. He'd been hoping to get lucky and find it at least one shelf lower. Within reach. He attempted to grab it but his fingertips just barely brushed against the actual shelf leaving no chance at all of reaching the books on the shelf. He took a step back and glared vehemently at the unruly book.
"Evasively cruelly way up high book I will have you!" Ed snarled quietly giving the book the same glare that vile glasses of milk received. This conundrum he now faced earned the same level of hate as that horrid white milk. His stomach twisted with nausea and his tongue tastes grossly just at the thought of the stuff.
He bit his lip as he went through a list of options he could take to acquire his book. His easiest option was to go find Maes, whom had driven him here since he needed a few items from here as well, and was somewhere in the library collecting his own stack of books but that would be an indirect confessional of his shortness and far to simple of a solution. He just couldn't do it. It was unacceptable. He could try alchemy to knock it off but that would probably take several books out and would be loud so he discarded the idea. Another idea popped into his head. He grabbed his pile of books already collected, set them on the floor below where his elusive book resided, and used them like a step stool hopping on top of them with one foot balancing shakily. His thin fleshy fingers were just curling around their prize when the stack of books beneath his foot wobbled dangerously then suddenly popped free going flying out from under him sending him crashing hard to the ground driving the breath from his lungs, head bouncing off the floor and pretty sparkly stars dancing before his eyes for a moment.
"I will not be defeated!" He rasped getting back to breathing. He groaned as he got back on his feet thinking of other options while he waited for the room to stop spinning. His pride felt slightly bruised and he had to redeem it! He took a moment to re-stack his books and set them out of his way against the wall. That idea was a miserable failure. Alphonse never has this trouble. His mind grumbled. He missed his brother. He scratched his head getting a horrible feeling of dread that he was going to have to either leave the book or go find Hughes to ask for help. Either way meant defeat.
"Never!" he hissed to himself. His pride couldn't take such a failure. An idea. He didn't pause to think it through, let alone second thoughts, as he ran at the shelf and leaped into the air hooking a foot onto one of the lower shelves, a few books thudding to the floor pushed out on the other side, propelling himself higher fingers latching onto his prize. His hopes lifted.
And that was where it all went wrong.
It started with an ominous loud creaking and the the orientation of gravity seemed to shift beneath him as the bookshelf that held him up began it's unstoppable fall towards the ground. He jumped away from it the instant he felt it begin pressing his back against the wall behind him. His instincts screamed at him to run and hide. Don't get caught. But he could only stand and stare in horror. It seemed to happen in slow motion, prolong the catastrophic torture. The shelf tipping to the earth falling, falling falling, colliding with the next shelf then that one hit the shelf after it, then the next and the next like falling dominoes of doom. The crashes echoed painfully in his ears, people shrieking as they fled the path of destruction. He flinched with every blow. It was over in seconds yet felt as if it had been hours. There was no chance to hide now. All eyes fell on him hatefully accusing. He would have blush had his face not already gone bloodlessly pale. His head fell forward, shoulders slumping in dismay as he spotted Maes Hughes staring at him wide eyed with shock. He knew the man was trying to decided whether he should claim knowing him or not at this moment. That was what hurt the most. He just knew he'd disappointed the man and for some reason it mattered to him.
The worst part was he had failed yet again to get his book.
Maes hughes bent to pick up another book quietly, ignoring the fiery twinge in his back, and stacked it against the wall trying to clear enough space to tip the shelf back upright. It had been quite the exciting show watching half the library tumble over and upon itself thousands of books crashing and flinging to the floor in a grand display revealing the one and only Edward Elric, famous Full Metal Alchemist, the youngest State Alchemist ever, standing at the source of it all looking shocked and mortified. Somehow Hughes hadn't been surprised. Spending time around Edward was never dull. Not that Ed would intentionally take out half the library and a few people but this was Edward and if it was going to happen to anyone it would happen to him.
He'd been on his way to check and see how Ed was doing anyways. Thirty seconds too late. He looked over at the subject of his thoughts. Edward Elric looked so shame faced, even now, hours later, that it reminded Hughes of a kicked puppy. Libraries were sacred to the Elric brothers, the holding place of all knowledge, and this was a devastating offense in the eyes of the boy. If that weren't enough an attendant had fallen upon him, as he was already starting to clean up the horrendous mess, and had laid a lecture into him so harsh it was more like a whipping then a lecture making him flinch at each harsh whisper and only seemed to grin him into the dust. The librarian even went as far as to threaten him with banishment if he didn't get it all cleaned up by sundown. Ed had taken it silently, not exploding with anger as he usually did when accused of something, guilty or not, and then went back to picking up books. Hardly a minute later another, higher up, library manager had charged Ed, actually shoving him against the wall, hissing venomous words and declaring him banished forever from every library in all of East City ignoring the blubbering, panicked, sincere apologies and offers of financial compensation Ed offered to redeem himself. Maes had stepped in to rescue him throwing the weight of his military title, and Mustang's, to coerce the librarian into abandoning the idea of banishment.
Now, several hours later, they were still picking up books. Ed had been unusually silent the entire time. He still looked mortified at what he'd done but seems to be able to focus more on fixing it now at least. The shock must finally be wearing off. By now they had a bit of a system worked out. They would work together stacking all the books out of the way, tip the shelf upright, then Hughes would start clearing books out of the way for the next shelf while Ed organized the books into alphabetical order from the previous shelf. Once done Hughes would come back and help put the books back in place for the top shelves while Ed did the rest. It worked fairly well but was still time consuming and tedious. There was no way for it not to be really. He straightened another stack then looked at Ed again. He couldn't stand the look of dejection that seemed to encompass his entire being. Something had to be done.
"So Ed, what exactly were you trying to do anyways?" he asked startling the alchemist slightly.
"What?" he whispered looking about fearful of attracting any attention again.
"Well I highly doubt you were trying to knock down all the shelves in the library so what were you trying to do?" Maes asked careful to lace his voice with only curiosity. The young alchemist blushed and looked back to his work.
"I was trying to get a book…from the top shelf and my stack of books proved to be a bad step stool so I jumped" he confessed refusing to look at Hughes. He hadn't looked anyone in the eye since this all began. It was as close as he'd ever get, so he hoped, to admitting he was vertically challenged.
"You do know that the library has step ladders stored at the end of each row don't you?" Maes questioned trying not to chuckle. Such a simple explanation.
"You've got to be kidding me!" he groaned softly head tilting backwards eyes staring angrily at the ceiling. Hughes couldn't help but chuckle that time.
It was dark out now. They were the last ones in the library, which was closing in fifteen minutes, except for the attendants as they put the last few stacks of books, perfectly alphabetized, back in their proper places. At last. Ed's stomach had been growling for the last hour though he didn't say a single complaint the whole time they were cleaning up. In fact he only spoke when Hughes instigated it. His shoulders ached, his head ached, he had several throbbing paper cuts acquired from a few rather vicious books. Books on taxes to be specific. The mess was now officially picked up, before the library closed and everything thanks to Maes volunteering to stay and help, even though he didn't have to. Ed was really looking forward to getting out of here. He felt like he could eat a whole restaurant out of business and then eat the building left behind. The arduous task complete both Ed and Maes stood arching their backs acutely, cracking them loudly, as they rubbed the aches from their weary bodies.
"Alright, let me see your list of books. We'll grab them and get out of here before the leering librarians decide to lynch us in spite," Hughes suggested.
"Um, ok" Edward proffered the list hesitantly, unsure if it was safe to attempt to take any book out of here for a long time, if ever, as he gazed at a few of the lingering librarians. They were indeed leering murderously at them.
"Havoc wrote this list didn't he?" Maes asked rhetorically as he read the list. Sex book. Sex book. Sex fiction novel. Book of best sex positions.
"Yeah, he said they were crucial to my education, why?" Ed asked innocently not having recognized any of the book titles or their subjects.
"Let's hold off Havoc's corrupt of you another year or two, if for no other reason than to bug him" Hughes answered intentionally evading answering. By the time he was done revising the list Ed ended up getting only three of the twelve books that had been on the list. As they escaped the library, just barely with their lives, Ed suddenly froze in his tracks a look of macabre spreading upon his features.
"What's wrong Edward?" Hughes asked worriedly noticing the abrupt change.
"What if those librarians called Mustang!"