AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello, everyone! I'd like to tell you a little bit about how this fic came about if you care to know (if not, feel free to scroll past and start reading!) so here goes! I always felt extremely uncomfortable about Selim Bradley being left alive at the end of Brotherhood and I'm sure I'm not the only one on that boat. There were just so many possibilities for things to go wrong or even go right, but the mystery behind it made me very uneasy. I happened to rewatch the last episode while I was reading this amazing fic called A Boy Named Ed by BelloftheSea and (please check it out if you haven't already!) and I wanted to put Selim in a similar situation. I also found a poem by Henry Lawson called 'The Pride That Comes After' which I thought was an excellent fit for Selim's story that I had stirring around inside my head. I think he deserves his own fic (but yes, all of our favs from FMA will play a major role as well!) and the fandom deserves a little exploration when it comes to post-canon Selim. So without any further ado, here is 'The Pride That Comes After'! Please enjoy!
Disclaimer applies to entire work: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.
Crossposted on ao3
"It knows it all, it knows it all,
The world of groans and laughter,"
"It really is such a shame." Mrs. Bradley smiled after a sip of tea. "I know you and Roy have made your decision, but really, the two of you would have the most beautiful children!"
Riza politely smiled in return. She remembered when Roy asked her to follow him in his ascension to power; what she envisioned at the end of that path. More of the same, she supposed. Snapping into attention, aiming guns, and keeping her at times overly-ambitious superior in check. Always professional, always in uniform, always his lieutenant. And she was. But she was more than that. Her duties required her to be more than a soldier, but to also be a lady. The First Lady of Amestris, to be more exact. She didn't particularly mind the public appearances, the fanciful gatherings or sitting-in on meetings that would be better advised by someone who had more of an eye for decorating, but she prefered to be by his side. She would always prefer being the lieutenant over the first lady. But she was both now, and that involved her monthly afternoon tea receptions with the former first lady, a precedent set long before either of them were given the title.
"We've considered it." Riza replied kindly. "But for now at least, neither of us have the time, and it isn't fair to bring a child into the world knowing they'll never see their parents."
"Oh, I certainly understand that." Mrs. Bradley agreed. "Of course, I had much more time to be with Selim than Mr. Bradley did. But I could tell that not seeing much of his father really took its toll on him." Her eyes grew increasingly distant as she spoke, a pleasant smile forced to remain on her melancholy face. "It still does."
"And how is Selim?" Riza asked tenderly.
She witnessed the spark return to Mrs. Bradley's eyes as she replied "He's wonderful." The boy was her pride and joy, and usually wound up being their main area of conversation each month. This didn't bother Riza one bit. She had learned how to fuse her first-lady duties and her military duties when possible, and these meetings were certainly one of those times. Any information she could gain on the homunculus was invaluable to the state. "His alchemy tutor says he's running out of things to teach! Of course, he's only a master of the basics, but I imagine we'll have to hire a more advanced alchemy teacher very soon!"
"Already?" Riza asked. "That's quite an achievement."
"I know! And at thirteen years old, too!" She gushed. "You don't suppose Roy could free up his schedule enough to take on a student, do you?"
Both women laughed. "Unless you want your house burnt down, I wouldn't recommend it." Riza joked. "However, being a state alchemist, I'm sure Roy would be able to come up with plenty of willing and able alchemists to teach Selim."
"Really?" The woman's eyes nearly sparkled. "I wouldn't want to trouble—"
"It's no trouble at all!" Riza assured her with a smile. "Really."
"Thank you very much! Selim will be thrilled to find out that the famous Roy Mustang hand-picked a teacher just for him!"
"We wouldn't want it any other way."
Riza took another sip of her tea. I may be your wife, Roy Mustang, she thought. but don't forget that first and foremost, I'm your eyes and ears.
"An alchemy teacher, huh?" He said. "What makes you think I can choose a proper teacher for him when I don't even know which branch of alchemy he wants to master?"
"I assumed that your main concern wouldn't be in the alchemical ability of the boy so much as it would be in choosing an alchemist we can trust."
Roy Mustang looked up from the file he was studying to meet Riza's gaze. At one time he would've been shocked to see her in a skirt and blouse and not in the blue military uniform usually worn during these sort of conversations, but he had grown accustomed to it. There was no clear line between Riza Mustang the woman and Riza Mustang the soldier.
"Dear," He said wryly, his lips twisted into a self-satisfied smirk. "Are you really suggesting we use this as an opportunity to spy on Selim Bradley?"
"Are you inferring that you don't think Selim's progression as an alchemist should be under careful surveillance?" She replied so stoically it was almost scathing. "Dear."
He smiled. "Not at all. It's an issue of national security as far as I'm concerned." He dropped the file onto his desk where he rested his elbows. "Just who did you have in mind for this reconnaissance?"
"I believe that's your call, sir." She replied. "You're the alchemist, after all."
"I have a few ideas, yes. But I know you too well to think that you haven't already thought up a good list of candidates. And…" He leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head. "If I'm not wrong, we have the same name at the top of our lists."
She sighed in agreement. "He won't be happy about this."
His smirk returned. "He doesn't have to be."
"Would you like me to give him a call?"
"No, thanks." He reached for the phone on the back of his desk. "I think I can handle this one myself."
It was a drizzly early autumn day in the quiet town of Resembool and Winry Elric had just asked her husband to call their children inside. There was going to be a rainstorm later—she could tell by Ed's complaints of a sore automail port—and she didn't want them to get stuck in it. When Ed looked outside, he could see a few rays of sunlight off in the distance, and he took in the sight of them before they disappeared. The sky was a cornflower blue; cloudy, but by no means dismal.
His children were nowhere in sight, so he stepped out onto the damp grass to check around back. He didn't have on any shoes, but that was no matter. He liked the coolness of the tiny raindrops that clung to the green blades beneath his feet, or, foot, rather. But before he even reached the backyard, he could hear the youthful voices of his son and daughter and—turning the corner—he saw them sitting in the wet grass with their dog, wagging its tail longingly at their playfulness.
"Pinny, play!" The young girl demanded, throwing a ball with all the might she held in her little body. The dog watched where it landed but made no attempt to retrieve it. "Why won't you play?"
"Because her ports or sore, dummy!" The older boy said. "She hasn't even had the automail for a year yet, and it's raining! She's probably in a lot of pain."
The little girl huffed and dropped to the ground. "Whatever, gearhead." She pet the dog dispiritedly. "If I'm the dummy then how come you can't do alchemy?"
"Because alchemy is stupid!" He shouted, his cheeks coloring in embarrassment.
"I'll tell dad you said that!" The girl shouted back, clumsily regaining her footing and running towards the little house.
"Oh no you won't!" He started after her.
Edward blinked in bewilderment. "Well that was easy."
Pinny barked at the back door from her spot in the grass and made a few attempts to inch towards the house, but she would yelp and give up after a few movements and resort again to barking.
Ed sighed. He certainly remembered those days. She was only on her seventh month of automail rehabilitation and even by Ed's standards she was handling it like a champ. But these rainy days were her achilles heel. She put on a strong face for her family, but Ed knew that this sort of weather was damn near torture with healing ports.
Ed walked over to meet her and as soon as she spotted him her tail wagged violently in excitement. He laughed at her and kneeled down to pat her on the head. "Calm down, girl! Don't hurt yourself."
It wasn't easy when his childhood dog, Din, had died a few years back. The dog had been around for as long as he could remember, her presence was both calming and comfortable. They buried her right beside granny—per Pinako's wish—and eventually they were able to cope with the losses and move forward with their lives, but as their children became older, Ed and Winry both thought that a dog would be the perfect addition to their little family. So when Winry spotted the little brown mutt with one leg missing, she nearly burst into tears right there in the animal shelter. They decided to name her after granny, Winry insisted the old woman would think of no better way to be honored were she still alive, and then fitted her for automail. Leave it to Winry to take a crippled little animal nobody else would want and give it not only a new leg but a loving home.
Ed smiled and then picked her up, cradling her so that he wouldn't irritate her port any further, and took her inside. She licked his hand in thanks as he set her on her soft bed in the living room. He stroked her head a few times before joining his family for dinner.
They sat down to a rainy day favorite—chicken and vegetable soup in rice with homemade bread—and ate their dinner in peace.
"Dad?" The boy asked.
"Yeah, Andrew?"
"Do you think alchemy could make Pinny's leg feel better?"
Edward met his son's hopeful and abashed eyes. "I don't think so, kid." He finally said. "It just takes the body getting used to it which, unfortunately, takes a long time."
"Do you think there's a way to make it go faster?"
"With alchemy?"
He nodded.
Ed smiled. He knew his son wasn't the alchemy-fanatic that he was (or his sister was turning out to be) but he knew that Andrew cared infinitely for others. He's wanted to lessen the suffering of every creature since his brain could wrap around the concept of suffering. He'd been particularly interested in his mother's automail shop that she ran in Resembool and, after being allowed to assist with Pinny's operation, a passion had kindled deep inside of him.
"I don't know about alchemy, but you could definitely give alkahestry a shot."
"That's what Uncle Al and Aunt Mei can do, right?" His daughter piped up chipperly.
Edward laughed. "That's right!"
"Do you think I could learn alkahestry too?" She was practically bouncing out of her chair.
"I think you can learn anything you want, kiddo." He replied with a smile. She sat back down triumphantly.
"Maybe the two of you can work together to help out people with automail." Winry suggested.
The two children eyed each other across the table before quickly looking away.
"Yeah, maybe." The boy said doubtfully.
Ed and Winry smiled at each other. If there's one thing both children inherited from both parents. it was stubbornness.
"Oh!" Winry hopped in her chair. "I almost forgot! We have leftover apple pie for dessert!"
"Alright!" All three of them replied with wide smiles.
Winry scuttled out of her chair and towards the ice box. "Ed, can you get the plates?"
"Sure." He replied standing to his feet. He had just opened the cabinet door when a loud ringing pealed through the kitchen.
"Andrew, could you get that?" Winry asked.
The boy hopped out of his chair to pick up the phone's receiver. "Hello?" He said. "Yes, this is Andrew Elric." He paused and listened for the response. "Um, yeah, sure. Hang on. Dad?"
Edward looked over at his son who was holding the receiver out towards him. "It's for you."
"Who is it?" Ed asked, dessert plates in hand.
"Who is this?" Andrew repeated as he brought the receiver back to his face. After listening for the reply, he looked back at his father and said "Some guy called the Fuhrer?"
Ed nearly dropped the plates he was holding. Colonel Bastard had never called him at his house before. Hell, he hadn't even seen him since the commemoration and that had been five years ago!
"Ed?" Winry noticed her husband's reaction. "Would you like me to talk to him?"
Edward gulped. If the Fuhrer was calling him—him, of all people—then it couldn't be good, could it?
"No, no." He finally responded, collecting himself. "I've got it." It was probably nothing. Just the Colonel up to his stupid ways, as usual.
Ed took the mouthpiece from his son and brought it to his face.
"To what do I owe this pleasure, Colonel Birdbrain?" Ed said derisively.
Winry watched her husband carefully, waiting for the situation to get sticky, as it usually did when Mustang was involved.
"Well, it's not every day that I get a call from my idiot of a commanding officer." Ed continued to mock. "A favor, huh? I don't know what you expect from an alchemist who can no longer use alchemy but I'll keep an open mind." He smirked.
And then suddenly, the smirk was gone.
"WHAAAAAAAT?" Ed was screaming into the phone, face red and veins popping. "YOU EXPECT ME TO TEACH THAT LITTLE PUNK-ASS HOW TO CONTROL A WEAPONIZED SCIENCE? NO WAY IN HELL, MUSTANG! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!"
Winry gasped. She was used to Ed's profane outbursts, but their kids certainly weren't. He was usually able to control them around his children, but he had clearly forgotten about them. He continued to stammer obscenities as Winry rounded up her wide-eyed children. "C'mon, kids. Let's go upstairs!" She said, ushering them quickly out of the room.
"You know he tried to kill us, right? Remember that? He tried to kill the entire damn country!"
"No, Edward, he didn't." Roy replied cooly. "Pride did. Selim is just-"
"Just the same damn homunculus! I don't know what the hell you're thinking but-"
"Edward, I know he's a homunculus." Frustration grew in the Flame Alchemist's voice.
"Then why the hell are you trying to get me to teach him alchemy?"
"Because we need someone to...track his progression."
Mustang's carefully selected words managed to catch Edward's attention. "His progression?"
"Selim Bradley has yet to show signs of suspicious behavior pertaining to his past life as the homunculus Pride." Roy explained. "That being said, he is still the homunculus and, whether we like it or not, he is still somewhat of an alchemical prodigy. Not unlike yourself." Ed cringed at the comparison as Roy continued. "I need someone I can trust to make sure he doesn't begin showing interest in things… beyond our domain."
Roy didn't have to clarify what he meant by that.
"You want me to spy on him?"
"Essentially, yes,"
He was silent for a moment, unsure what to think of the offer.
"It would be your decision as to where the lessons would take place, in Resembool or Central. Arrangements could be made for your family to live in Central for the time being if you so desired."
A fierce protectiveness leapt through Edward at the thought. "I don't want that monster anywhere near my family."
"I understand." Roy replied. "I won't ask you to answer right away. I know it's a lot to ask. Just let me know as soon as possible."
Edward swallowed. "Fine."
"Goodbye, Fullmetal."
"Yeah." Ed said before dropping the phone back on it's base. He cursed under his breath, his hand against the wall for support.
"Oh, so you do know how to be quiet about it?"
Edward looked over to see his wife standing cross-armed in the doorway, her expression scolding.
After a moment, Ed realized what she was referring to and blushed at his mistake. "Ah.. I'll apologize to them later. Listen, Win?"
She sensed the weight behind his voice and immediately softened her demeanor. "Yeah?"
"I need you to help me figure something out."
"Well, sir?" Riza implored as her husband hung up the phone.
"He'll think it over. Until he's made up his mind, we shouldn't ask anyone else."
Riza nodded. "And do you think he'll do it?"
Roy smirked. "If there's one thing I know about Fullmetal, it's that he can't stay out of trouble for long."
Riza smiled. "Yes, you two seem to have that in common."
Selim Bradley stared out the classroom window of Central Academy, the droning of his teacher and snickering of his classmates drown out by his anticipation for tonight's big news. His mother had said it would be a surprise, but he had put enough pieces together that it involved a new alchemy teacher. The Fuhrer and state alchemist Roy Mustang had invited Selim and his mother to dinner tonight, and event that oddly lined up with his previous alchemy teacher's retirement to Aerugo. He was almost certain the two events were about as separate as sulfur and brimstone. No, Selim didn't have to delve too deep in his fantasies to expect a new teacher, but what Selim couldn't stop imagining was who it was going to be. It couldn't be the Flame Alchemist himself, though his heart did flutter at the idea. But being as he was the Fuhrer, there would be no time to be a teacher to an aspiring alchemist. He assumed it would be either a current or retired State Alchemist, any of which Selim would be more than thrilled to study under. But there was one title—one name—that kept running through his deepest hopes.
The Fullmetal Alchemist.
His stomach sank and his heart lifted when he let his mind indulge in the possibility. To be taught by Edward Elric himself was something Selim wasn't sure he could ever be used to. The man was not just the hero of Amestris, but one of Selim's personal heroes, of which there only three: Fuhrer and Flame Alchemist Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric, and his father, former Fuhrer of Amestris, King Bradley. No person would ever be held in higher regard than the three of them, and his half-hearted attempts to pay attention during class couldn't prevent his mind from playing out a million different ways that the reveal could take place. Would he be there waiting for him when he arrived? Perhaps he would show up at Selim's house beforehand...no. It was most likely that he would either be at the Fuhrer's home when dinner started or show up during. But what if—
"Selim!" A voice broke his thoughts, suddenly reminding he was sitting in literature class at Central Academy. "Why are you still sitting here? The bell rang!" He met the eyes of his best friend, Henry Meng, whose hands were planted firmly on the front of Selim's desk.
"Sorry." Selim said, finally returning to reality. "I was just thinking."
Henry rolled his eyes playfully. "You're always thinking! C'mon, we're gonna be late!"
Selim nodded once. "Coming!" He gathered his books in his arms and slid his bag over his shoulder before following his friend out of the classroom.
"There you two are!" A blonde greeted them in the hall. "C'mon, we've gotta get all the way to science hall!"
"I know!" Henry said in mock agitation. "You can blame Selim if we're late."
"You didn't accidentally transmute your desk again, did you?" The blonde girl asked with a smirk.
Selim blushed at the recollection. He had gotten so bored during class that he scribbled transmutation circles in his notes and accidentally activated them, transmuting his desk into an unrecognizable mass of wood. The teacher looked utterly shocked, the students were all amazed, and Selim thought for sure he would get a referral.
Henry laughed heartily. "You'd have known if he did, Nat! Selim would've been redder than Matt Hargis's hair!"
"Could you keep it down?" Selim begged urgently. "What if he hears you?"
"You shouldn't be scared of him, Selim." Natalie said. "It's not like he's strong enough to beat you up. And you can use alchemy to fight, right?"
"He's not gonna fight me." Selim said, slightly embarrassed. "He's just… annoying. I don't wanna deal with him today."
"No kidding!" Henry firmly agreed. "Oh, hey! My mom is making some authentic Xingese cuisine tonight if you guys wanna come!"
"Yes!" Natalie agreed excitedly. "Your mom is the best cook ever!"
"Alright! How 'bout you, Selim?"
"Um...actually." Selim always found it hard to refuse his friends, but this was incredibly important. "I can't tonight."
Henry's face fell. "Whaaaat?" He whined. "Whyyy? You love Xingese food!"
Selim always tried to avoid mentioning his close relations to the Fuhrer to his friend. It made him come across as self-important and he didn't want them to see him as such. "I know, but I sort of have a… thing tonight."
"What's so important that you have to miss my mom's famous cooking?" Henry bugged.
Selim sighed internally, figuring there was no way out without telling them the truth. "I'm sort of having dinner… at the Fuhrer's mansion."
Natalie's face lit up. "Wow! That is important!"
"No fair!" Henry piped up. "What for?"
"I'm not sure, exactly." He half-lied.
"Well whatever it is, it must be huge!" Natalie beamed. "You're eating with the Fuhrer himself?"
Selim nodded, clutching the strap of his bag tighter.
"That's so cool." she said dreamily.
"You're just saying that 'cause you think Fuhrer Mustang is hot." Henry teased.
Natalie flushed red. "I—I do not!" She swatted him with a notebook.
"You better watch out for his wife." He warned. "They say she's the best shot in all of Amestris! The deadliest sniper on and off the battlefield! The Hawk's Eye…"
"Sounds like you've got a crush?" Natalie bit back.
"Of course I do!" Henry smiled. "Who wouldn't? She's deadly and hot?"
"On that uh...note." Selim stepped in. "This is my class so… I'll see you guys later."
"Don't forget about us!" Henry shouted dramatically as he continued down the hall while Natalie just waved and rolled her eyes at the Xingese boy/ Selim smiled awkwardly in return and went into the classroom.
He immediately noticed arrangements of flasks, tubes, and an assortment of different liquids at each station, which could only mean one thing: today was a lab day.
Selim liked lab days. He was a couple grades younger than the rest of the students in the class (alchemy had given him a nice head start) and, because there was an odd number of students and Selim was at the top of the class, he got to perform his lab duties alone. It was nice. Chemistry was a lot like alchemy. Alchemy requires a decent knowledge of the subject mixed with a spiritual and mental control, but revisiting the building blocks was always at least fun. And since Selim was never one for unnecessary social interaction, lab days were a win-win.
He took a seat at his usual station just as the bell rang and once he was situated, he gave gave his attention to his teacher at the front of the room, only to have his breath taken. His teacher was not alone.
There was a girl.
An Ishvalan girl.
And his teacher was walking her over to Selim's station.
Selim finally noticed that he was gaping, and he threw his gaze down to his lap. Nice going. He scolded himself.
"Prima, this is Selim." His teacher spoke, and Selim slowly inclined his head to look the girl in the face, hopefully without his mouth hanging wide open. "He's the best in the class and he's in your grade, so this should be a very nice partnership."
Partnership? My grade? Selim gulped. This was not how lab days were supposed to go.
"Selim, this is Prima. She's going to be your lab partner from now on."
From now on. Selim was one hundred percent certain that his face had either flushed red or drained white, but the girl kindly extended her hand and offered him a warm smile that reached her striking rose-colored eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Selim."
Selim stared at her face perhaps a second longer than he should've. "S-same to you." He stammered, accepting her handshake and praying his hands hadn't turned clammy so quickly, and she took her seat on the lab stool beside him. Her hair fell in long, flowing waves, its white color shining brilliantly against the dark blue of the school uniform. She wore glasses with large rounded frames and, while most people seemed to hide behind their glasses, this girl's alacrity seemed to shine despite them. Although nothing short of an opaque wall could dampen her stunning red irises.
Selim had to force himself to stop staring. He looked straight at his teacher who had returned to the front of the room, but his mind still lingered on the girl next to him. He had only met two Ishvalans before, one of them being General Armstrong's Lieutenant Miles, and the other being his civilian friend Pravda (formerly known as Scar). They were famous for their work in the restoration of Ishval, and they frequented Central in their work. They weren't so...scary. Is that the right word? Selim thought to himself.
"So, are you ready to get started?" She asked, breaking Selim out of his thoughts and disorienting him for a moment.
"Oh...uh...yeah." He agreed, trusting that she listened to the teacher's instructions because he certainly hadn't.
"Great!" She smiled, handing him a pair of safety goggles before applying her own. "Let's do it!"
Before Selim could put his on and finish reading the first step, Prima had already begun, pouring liquid from the flask into five different test tubes.
"Could you measure out the five substances?"
"Oh, yeah sure!" He said, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, and began drawing liquids from the smaller beakers with a dropper and carefully put three drops of each into the test tubes Prima had prepared.
"Okay, now we record our predictions…" She said, more to herself than Selim, he thought, and began scrawling her predictions on her lab sheet. Selim watched her for a moment before writing his own and much briefer predictions.
"Look at that!" She exclaimed, looking down at his paper. "We predicted the same thing without even consulting!" then she looked up at him and gave him a smile that left him momentarily breathless. "I guess we make a good team!"
He laughed nervously. "Guess so." He then shifted his gaze to the full-blown paragraph she had on her paper. "You write a bit more than I do, though."
Her cheeks turned a distracting shade of pink and she glanced down at her work. "Yeah I know… I can't help it. I just get really carried away with chemistry. It's my favorite!" She cast her burgundy eyes on him again, both to his distress and delight. "You're a first year, too, right?"
Selim blinked and then nodded.
"How did you get into the third year chemistry class?"
"Oh, um… well." This time, his cheeks were the ones to turn pink. "I sort of had a head start."
Her burgundy eyes implored for more information.
"Because I'm sort an… alchemist."
"An alchemist!" Her face lit up. "That's so cool! How long have you been studying it?"
Selim's heart seemed to calm a bit at her reaction, though he didn't know why he cared so much about her opinion of him. "Since I was eight." He replied.
"Wow. That's really amazing, Selim!"
His heart gushed inside of his chest, the sudden blood-rush making him feel somewhat light headed but, surprisingly, not in a bad way.
"Thanks." He blushed. "What about you?"
"Me?" She repeated, then shrugged. "I don't know. I've just always liked it. When I took my placement tests for transfer, they put me in this class. I thought they had made a mistake but they insisted this was the right fit." Then she smiled at him. "I'm beginning to think they're right!"
He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face any more than he could stop the dull heat that began to flush through his veins at her words. And for a moment, they just sat there smiling at each other.
"Oh!" Selim realized with a jolt. "I guess we should check our solutions!"
"Oh, you're right!" Prima laughed. "Woops!"
They examined the color, the activity, and any other variable the solutions presented them and recorded their observations on their lab sheets, Prima with thoroughness and Selim with brevity.
"I guess now we add the salts." Prima said, pulling the tray of crystals closer. She used the tweezers to pick up some of the larger crystals and then dropped them into the five tubes, both of them noting each reaction, what made them differ and what made them similar. Selim couldn't help but find himself relating to the bubbling, fizzing tubes reacting in response to the unknown substance Prima had dropped.
They wrote out their final observations and conclusion within a few minutes, and with plenty of time to spare.
"I think we finished a lot earlier than everyone else…" Prima said, her voice slightly unsure. "Did we miss a step?"
"I don't… I don't think so." He said. "I think we just work fast."
"Well when one of us is an alchemist, this kind of stuff is a piece of cake." She laughed.
"Have you ever thought about practicing alchemy before?" He said, unsure of how else he could proceed with the conversation.
She shrugged. "It's crossed my mind once or twice, but… it's sort of taboo in Ishvalan culture. Chemistry, though, is more widely accepted."
"Oh, that's a shame." Selim said. He could feel his tense nerves slowly unwind as they spoke of the more familiar topic. "You know… your name—Prima—has alchemical meaning."
"It does?" Her red eyes widening with curiosity.
"Uh huh! Um… have you ever heard the phrase 'all is one and one is all'?"
"I… I believe I have, actually."
He smiled. "Well, the all can also be referred to as the First Matter or, more commonly, Prima Materia."
She blinked a few times before speaking. "Okay, what does that mean?"
"Okay, well—" He shifted on his stool so that his whole body was facing her and spoke freely, his hands working in tandem with his words. "Basically, what it means is that there is the 'one',which is a thing. You, me, this desk, any singular thing you can think of, is the 'one'. Then, there is the 'all', which is essentially a vast ocean of energy. The universe, everything seen and unseen. But obviously, they can not be separate. The all can not be the all unless the one is a part of it. Otherwise, it's just almost the all. But similarly, the one cannot exist unless it is a part of the all. So while they are different, they are not separate. Prima Materia."
Her crimson eyes stared silently into his for a moment, carefully absorbing everything he had said and revealing a hint of wonder at the same time.
"That's…" she began slowly. "that's really cool, Selim."
He felt the same gushing feeling he had felt earlier, but this time it was much more pleasant. "Well… I didn't come up with it." He smiled nervously. "it's been an alchemist's code for ages!"
She laughed. "Still, it's very interesting!"
"If you think so, you should study alchemy. I think you'd be great at it."
"I'll consider it." She replied.
She had barely finished her sentence before the final bell rang, dismissing Central Academy for the day.
And, for the first time ever, Selim found himself wishing that the bell hadn't rung.
Prima stood to her feet, slung her backpack over her shoulder and once again, extended her hand towards Selim."
"Well, it was wonderful meeting you, Selim."
He shuffled out of his seat and found it in him to stand tall. He reached out with his own hand and touched her for the second time that day.
"It was wonderful meeting you, too, Prima." he said genuinely.
She broke contact and headed into the hallway. "See you tomorrow!"
"See ya." He replied, more to himself than to her, as she disappeared into the hoard of students in the hallways.
And Selim knew that lab days were going to be great from now on.
Riza Hawkeye hung up the phone in the Fuhrer's office and turned to her husband. "that was the station, sir. The train from Resembool has been delayed."
"Delayed?" Her husband repeated, organizing the finished paperwork that had been on his desk. "By how long? He was cutting it close already."
"About an hour. They had to stop for some emergency maintenance."
Roy sighed. "I suppose that would put him arriving in Central just as dinner starts."
"Should we call and postpone?"
"I don't really see a need to." Roy replied as he slid his dark jacket over his uniform. "Fullmetal always likes a dramatic entrance. I wouldn't be surprised if he caused the delay himself."
Riza smiled. "That doesn't sound too unlike him."
Roy grabbed Riza's jacket off of the coat hook and held it open for her. "Do you think Selim had any idea about tonight?"
"Well" She began, sliding her arms into the satin black sleeves. "Homunculus or not, he is very sharp. I'm sure he's at least expecting something of the sort."
"I suppose you're right. He's never been easy to surprise."
Riza nearly rolled her eyes at her husband's unwillingness to distinguish the boy from the homunculus, but she knew she found herself guilty of the same thing more often than not. After all, sending Edward had been her idea to begin with, but she couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt every time she suspected the boy.
"Whether he's surprised or not, he'll still be absolutely thrilled. And to be frank, I'll be glad to see it."
Roy felt the slightest tinge of discomfort at her words but after remembering his excitement upon learning Master Hawkeye had selected him as a student, he couldn't help but nod in agreement with her sentiment.
—while it is widely agreed upon that the inception of Amestris found its origins in Alchemy, it is still debated as to where exactly alchemy found its origins. The most common belief (and most historically supported) is that it was introduced in the area we now know as Central by a Xerxesian philosopher. However, some scholars debate whether or not—
Selim had tried reading the assigned pages from history class god knows how many times. He had been at it for an hour and had only made it to the third page of the ten assigned. This should've taken him forty-five minutes at most but he could not for the life of him get himself to focus.
His brain was all over the place. It dove into each situation that could imaginably happen at the Fuhrer's dinner, it dove into any possible candidate for his new alchemy teacher (though it prefered to entertain the idea that it was going to be Edward Elric) and for some reason he couldn't get that girl Prima out of his head!
She was pretty, he supposed. Really pretty. But that had never particularly mattered to him before. Natalie was pretty and his mind never dwelled on her. But she was also very smart. Alchemy had always given him an edge in Chemistry, but she managed to have the same edge at the same age without his head start. It was very impressive. Was that why? he supposed it could've also been that she was Ishvalan, though he didn't really believe in giving any one special treatment for their race. Amestrian, Xingese, Cretan, Ishvalan-They were all just people. There were good people and bad people. Race wasn't a factor. Although, perhaps the Ishvalans were a lot more foreign to him, thus, more enthralling. Still… that couldn't be it. So what—
"Selim?" His mother called from the bottom of the stairs. He got up from his desk and poked his head through his doorway, seeing over the foyer and into the main room and the base of the stairs.
"Yeah?" He called back.
"Why don't you get dressed for dinner. We're leaving in half an hour."
Sheesh, was it that late already? "Okay, mom!" he said before going back inside his room.
He sighed.
Dinner with the Fuhrer. The occasion didn't call quite for a tuxedo, but it did earn something a bit more formal than his khaki shorts and knit sweater. He put his history notes inside his textbook as a bookmark, not liking leaving his work space untidy, and put the book back into his school bag. Then he went to his closet and picked out a white dress shirt, black slacks, a dark sweater vest and a tie.
"Oh, Selim! You look so handsome!" His mother gushed upon seeing him. She placed a hand lovingly on his head. "You really should do something about your hair though. It's improper to keep it so unkempt."
He remembered as young child his mother always kept his hair short. She liked it that way, always said it looked so well-kept. Selim, however, grew to hate it. With such short hair, there was never anything to cover his forehead, and that meant there was nowhere for his birthmark to hide. His mother loved it. "It's special. It's part of what makes you so you." But no one else seemed to feel that way, especially the kids at school. They pointed and teased until Selim just didn't bother trying to make friends. Although, he supposed he could credit the unusual mark with his friendship with Henry. Young kids didn't take too well to young Xingese boy, especially one that spoke a strange language. They found themselves being outcasts together, and together they managed to sneak their way into normalcy and out of social torture.
"It's fine, mom." He said. "If the Fuhrer can wear his hair like this then I can, too."
"But he combs it back for special occasions." She said.
"I bet it won't be combed back tonight." He countered.
His mother laughed. "Always so stubborn." She pushed his bangs gently to the side and placed a kiss right on his birthmark. "Well, if you're ready, then I supposed we can go."
He ran his fingers through his bangs and pushed them back into place.
"Alright." He took a deep breath, feeling his dormant nerves beginning to kick back in ten-fold. The anticipation twisted through his core and rang through his head. He had to close his eyes and focus on breathing steadily for a moment, calming his nerves as much as he could under the given circumstances. He opened his eyes and gave his mother a confident smile. "Let's go."
Mrs. Bradley smiled, watching her boy walk in front of her to the car. She could tell he was nervous, and his mannerisms had reminded her of a scared little fox. But watching him walk confidently, she couldn't help but see him as the man he would soon become. Where does the time go? She thought to herself. She had watched him grow, praised him in his many accomplishments and helped through his times of uncertainty, just as any mother would for her child. How silly of them. She thought with a smile. To think that my precious boy could ever become a monster.
She followed him into the back seat and their driver started the car. They were off to the Fuhrer's mansion, where Selim was in for the surprise of his life.
