Hi everyone! I'm back again with Story #2. So, before we start, let me tell you guys a little something. I've been waiting for almost 3 hours to upload this to because Quotev was being a 'lil bitch. You see, I write all my stories and chapters on Quotev, then I copy and paste them over onto here. But, Quotev was updating the website or something so it took for fucking ever! But, here we are, almost three hours later, with story number two. Enjoy!
Summary: Edward and Alphonse are sent on a mission to a small town in order to catch a person impersonating them. They run into a nice family and are allowed to stay the night at their house, but things go south very quickly.
Idea Came From: this writing prompt- "Well, this is a nice change of scenery." "It's a prison cell." "I was being sarcastic."
Rated: T for blood
Warnings: OC (Original Character) death, child death
Notes: this chapter is 10.5 pages long (according to Quotev), I wrote this on my phone so if you see Reese's name spelled like "Reece" that's why
Story 2: Prison Cell
"Stupid Colonel Bastard," Edward complains as he pulls his red coat closer around himself. Beside him Alphonse is carrying both Ed's suitcase and his own, not commenting on Edward's angry ranting. "Why did he have to send us so far out north!? I hate it here!"
"Brother, it isn't that bad," Alphonse finally cuts in, earning a hard glare from his older brother. He finds it funny how he is a whole head taller than Edward. It isn't that much taller, but he is taller than his older brother. "It isn't even snowing here."
"So?" It's still cold." Ed complains as he glares darkly ahead.
Colonel Roy Mustang had sent Edward on a mission further up north to a small town called Yeoz, just outside the Central Area. There has been reports of two people impersonating the "Fullemetal Alchemist and his brother" so Mustang sent the two to go check it out. Much to Edward's annoyance. Annoyance that the person would be using his title and annoyed it caused him to be sent up here.
"Brother, you never like any weather conditions."
"Blame the automail! This stuff makes it really hard to go places, Al." Ed groans as he rubs his shoulder. His ports had started to ache the second they crossed into the North Area. "Let's just get this over with."
Finding a hotel shouldn't be that hard. At least that's what Edward kept saying as they went to each and every hotel, trying to book a room for themselves. So far they've come up empty, each hotel saying their rooms are full.
"Why the hell are all the hotels full!?" Ed shouts to no one as he leans up against a brick building. Alphonse is looking at the map that had been nailed up on the building, mentally crossing off all the hotels they had already been to. "Seriously, for such a small town you'd think the hotels would be almost empty!"
"Hey, you kids looking for a place to stay?" A gruff voice calls from across the street. Edward looks up while Alphonse turns around, the two watching as a man, a woman, and two kids cross the street over to them.
The man is more on the bigger side with a full face beard and a buzz-cut. His hair, beard, and eyes are a dark brown and he is wearing a normal red shirt with white pants. His wife has short cut black hair and brown eyes with a green shirt, a white jacket, and black pants. The first child looks to be around twelve, his hair a light colored with dark brown eyes. He is wearing a long sleeved black shirt with white pants. The second child looks to be five, her hair a dirty blonde and pulled up into pigtails held by pink hair ties. She is wearing a pink shirt with a purple coat and gray pants.
"Um, who's asking?" Edward asks rudely as he crosses his arms, trying to hold back the shivers. The weather had drastically changed after they had crossed the border between the North and Central Areas. And despite the lack of snow, that doesn't stop them from seeing their own breath as they exhale.
"My name is Bob Smith. This is my wife, Becky Smith, and our two children, Benny and Reese Smith." The man introduces, gesturing to himself, to his wife, to his son, and then his daughter. "We couldn't help but notice you two wondering the streets."
"I wonder why," Ed grumbles under his breath.
"Sorry about him, he's in a bad mood." Alphonse quickly says, stepping into the conversation before his brother can scare the people off. "Say, why are all the hotels filled up?"
"There is going to be a carnival," the wife answers, her voice gentle and kind. Her daughter takes hold of her hand as she stares at Edward, as if wondering what the hell is wrong with him and why he looks so mad. "It's called The Carnival of the Great Snow Fairy."
"Snow fairy?" Edward asks, perking up with interest.
"Yeah, it's an old story passed down from generations all throughout the town," Bob answers with a smile. Benny-the son-only rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, and people who believe it are dumb." Benny snaps, sticking his nose in the air as he crosses his arms.
"Benny!" Becky snaps, whacking her son over he head.
"Ow!" He exclaims while Reese just giggles and laughs at him. "Well it's true! Where was the Snow Fairy when those dumb army men stormed the town and killed our parents?"
"You know better then that," Bob says, glaring at his son, ignoring the comment, before looking up at the two brothers. "Anyways, the Snow Fairy is the goddess who brings us snow every year. We throw a carnival in order to make her happy so she will bring snow."
"Huh, interesting." Edward says with fake interest as he lightly nods, glancing at Benny who seems to be fuming. "And how many times has this "Snow Fairy" failed to bring snow?"
"Only twice," Becky answers as she picks up Reese. "Those were times when the town was poor, when we couldn't afford a carnival."
"What do you do at the carnival?" Alphonse asks, more interested in the whole idea than his brother, who lazily looks at the family with disinterest.
"There are games, food stalls, candy, everything you could possibly want!" Reese exclaims with excitement, her eyes glowing with joy. Ed can't help but crack a small smile at her. "And then at the end we all share a really big dinner with our families! Mommy and daddy call it a feast."
"That sounds fun," Al replies with a chuckle.
"Well, now we know why the hotels are all booked." Edward says as he pushes himself from the wall. "Let's go Al, we still have a couple more to check."
"Oh, okay," Al says as he looks at his brother who is already walking away. He sighs and shakes his head, following after. "Brother! Wait!"
"Hey!" Bob calls after them, causing the two to turn around and look back at him with curiosity. "How about you two stay at our house?"
"Really?" Al asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it's no problem," Becky adds with a smile, rubbing her nose with Reese's. Benny glares at them, arms still crossed. "We have the space, though it's only one spare bedroom."
"That's fine," Al replies as he looks back at Edward, who has stuffed his hands into his pockets. "What do you say brother? Should we stay with them?"
"Fine, whatever, have it your way." Ed replies, doing his best to glare at Alphonse. He fails as Al smiles. He can't stay mad at his brother for a second when he is happy.
"We'll stay with you!"
"Alright! Follow us."
The walk to the house isn't all that far away. The house is a nice light blue color with a white roof, a white picket fence around it. The house is a two story with a simple layout. Upon entering there is the living room with the stairs to the left, the kitchen and dinning room just beyond the living room. Upstairs there are three bedrooms, one for the parents, one for the kids, and one spare. The spare has both a queen and a twin bed.
"I think I should get the queen because I'm oldest." Ed says as Al sets their luggage down. Becky had gone downstairs to start dinner, Bob went outside to play with Reese, while Benny went to his shared room, slamming the door shut.
"Seriously? Brother, keep I mind that I'm the one who's always carrying around your stuff." Al replies, looking annoyed.
"So? I have a job."
"I would have one to if you would let me."
"Al, just let me have the bed."
"No brother, it isn't fair that you get the bigger bed all the time!"
"Well, that's 'cause I'm older."
"...I'm taller."
The room goes quiet, Ed stiffening while Al tries to hold in his laughter. And then Edward explodes, yelling at his brother loud enough to be heard across town.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A HALF PINT MIDGET YOU COULDN'T EVEN SEE UNDER A MICROSCOPE!?" He shouts, arms flailing around.
Alphonse bursts into laughter, which only angers Ed more.
"The hell are you laughing at!?" Ed shouts as he picks up a pillow and chucks it at Al. The pillow hits Al's face and then falls to the floor, showing eyes that seem to glow as Al practically towers over his brother, popping his knuckles.
"That's how you wanna play it?" Al asks as Ed cowers. Al picks up the pillow and throws it at Ed, hitting the teen square in the face. "Then that's how we'll play!"
And just like that the two are having an intense pillow fight. They throw pillow after pillow at one another (four in total). Each skillfully dodges out of the way of the flying pillows. Neither are willing to give up the fight for the queen bed.
"Just give up Al! You'll never beat me!" Ed shouts as he stands on the queen bed, pointing at Alphonse, pillow in hand.
"Keep gloating and you'll never beat me!" Al shouts back as he throws a pillow at Ed's face. The force throws Ed back against the bed, sprawled out and breathing heavily. Al stands triumphantly, smirking.
"Hey! No fair!" Ed shouts as he quickly sits up, glaring at his brother. "That was a cheep shot!"
"This is a battle ground Ed, there are no cheap shots."
"You know," Ed says as he lays back down, arms behind his head as he stares back up at the ceiling. "I miss this. When we were kids we were always dong stupid stuff like this."
"We still are kids." Al mentions as he crawls onto the bed, laying beside his brother. It is almost as if they are cloud gazing, staring up at the ceiling with their arms behind their heads.
"Our age doesn't mean anything," Ed mumbles with a sigh. "We threw the chance of being kids away when we tried to bring mom back."
"That doesn't mean we can't still do fun things like this." Al replies with a sad smile. "When all of this is over, when everything is balanced out again, we'll go back to Winry and make up for all the lost days we've had to be kids."
"Yeah." Ed replies with a smile as he sits up. "So...does this mean I get the bed?"
"No!"
Dinner that night felt quiet, the whole aura of the room dark and brooding. Becky tries to lift the tension by asking questions, though that seems to only add to it. And it doesn't help that Benny is glaring at them all, almost as if he's been betrayed somehow.
"So, where do you boys come from?" Becky asks with a warm smile as she takes a bite of her peas.
"Um, for right now we came from the Central Area." Ed replies, face full of food as he eats quickly. Alphonse only chuckles and shakes his head, eating slower than his brother.
"What are two kids doing on their own up here?" Bob asks causing Ed to halt his eating.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT YOU COULD SQUISH THEM!" Ed shouts, arms flailing. The two parents stare, face pale, at Ed's explosion while Reese giggles. Benny scoffs and rolls his eyes.
"That's not what we said," Bob says with a nervous chuckle.
"I'm a state alchemist," Ed replies with a shrug as he continues eating quickly. "We're here on a mission."
"State alchemist?" Benny asks, dropping his fork on his plate with a clatter. Everyone looks at him, food practically dripping from Ed's stuffed cheeks as he stares, confused. "You people make me sick. State alchemists are nothing but trouble! I hate what the military does and I hate you!"
"Benny!" Bob shouts as Benny stands up. The kid then dashes out of the kitchen, his footsteps storming up the stairs followed by the sound of a door slamming.
The whole room is silent, Ed swallowing the food in his mouth.
"We're sorry about that," Becky says, shoulders slumping. She stares down at her empty plate as Bob rests a hand on her arm. "Ever since his parents were killed in the tax collecting process, Benny has hated the military."
"He's adopted?" Al asks, surprised. Sure the hair kind of threw it off, but he hadn't really thought of it.
"Yes, both him and Reese became orphans after their parents were murdered in cold blood." Bob answers with a sigh. He looks to Reese who's bottom lip is trembling. "Why don't you go check in your brother?"
"Okay." She replies with a nod. Slowly, Reese lowers herself from her chair and shuffles out if the dinning room.
"You see, we used to be a very prosperous town." Becky says as she looks up at the two brothers. Ed is currently eating his fourth helping of food while Al is sipping at his milk. "We were a good place to trade things and we had many riches. When the military caught wind of this they sent military personnel to collect taxes."
"Soon we got too poor to pay the taxes." Bob continues with the story as a tear slowly rolls down Becky's cheek. "They started killing the people on the spot if they couldn't pay. They reported it as "refusal to pay". They would kill children to prove a point. We...we couldn't pay any taxes and they killed our daughter to prove a point."
The two are silent for a long moment, collecting themselves at the memory of their baby girl being cut down right before their eyes. Ed and Al both glance at one another, Ed's stomach twisting with rage.
"We found Benny and Reese out on the streets half a year after the military moved out. And ever since then we've been a family." Becky finishes after a minute, sadly smiling down at her lap. "Please, don't hold it against Benny. He's just hurting."
"We-"
"I'm not like most military dogs." Ed spits out, cutting off Al. "He needs to realize that not all of us are bad. That some of us have our own reasons for being here!"
With that said, Ed stands and walks out of the room. Al watches with a sigh as his brother disappears from sight.
"Sorry about that, brother can be touchy about things sometimes. He doesn't mean any harm." Al says as he looks back to Becky and Bob who look surprised and somewhat mad.
"We understand." Becky says as she stands up, smiling lightly. "We won't hold it against-"
Screaming erupts throughout the house, causing them all to jump.
"That sounded like Reese!" Bob exclaims as the two parents stand up from the table. Al stands up as well, his senses on high alert for possible danger that could be lurking around the house.
"Stay behind me!" Al says as the group swiftly makes their way through the house. They cautiously walk up the stairs, stopping when they see the door to Benny and Reese's room cracked open.
"Stop!" Benny is heard shouting before he screams. The three all burst into the room, freezing at the sight.
Edward is standing in the middle of the room, breathing heavily and slightly shaking. The protective plate of his automail has been turned into his trademark blade, blood dripping down from the tip. There is a cut on his left cheek which is still bleeding. Blood is soaking the front of his shirt, though it isn't his.
Benny is laying sprawled out a few feet away by the bed, bleeding from a gash down his shoulder. There is a bloody cut across his forehead as well, blood dripping down his face. Reece is sitting over him, her small hands shaking him as she screams his name, tears streaming down her face.
"Oh my God..Benny!" Becky screams as she runs into the room, dropping dripping down to her knees. Bob rushes into the room and stands in front of them, not knowing what to do.
"Brother, what the hell happened!?" Alphonse shouts, getting Ed's attention.
"Shit, is he okay?" Ed asks stepping towards the family, eyes wide, as if he had been snapped out of a trance. He ignores Al's question, wide eyes watching as Becky cradles Benny's limp body in her lap.
"We trusted you! This is how you repay us? By attacking our kids!?" Bob shouts, swiping his hand as Ed to keep him away. Edward's whole body freezes while Al shakes his head, a cold stone dropping in his stomach.
"What-what the hell are you talking about? You think I did this?" Ed manages to ask, sounding horrified. "No-I-I could never do something like this! I heard Reese scream so i-"
"Stop making excuses!" Bob shouts as he runs forwards. Before Ed can even react he is being thrown back, onto the floor, by a strong punch to the face.
"Hey!" Al shouts as he runs further into the room. "That wasn't necessary! My brother would never do that!"
"And you!" Bob hisses as he turns to face Al. He storms over to Alphonse. "You were just talking so you could let your brother attack!"
"No! That isn't-" Al cries, trying to defend himself and his brother.
"Don't you dare hurt him!" Ed yells as he struggles to stand, cupping his bleeding nose with his flesh hand. "I swear to God I'll-!"
Al sucks in a breath as Bob's fist punches his stomach. Hard. He feels himself sway on his feet, black dots swimming across his vision as he gasps. His knees buckle and the last thing he hears is his brother shouting before everything goes dark.
"Damn, my head hurts." Ed curses as he slowly opens his eyes. His nose throbs painfully, though he doesn't think it is broken, just bruised.
"Welcome to the club." An annoyed voice says. Ed slowly sits up and looks over at Al who is sitting on the other cot. His hand is pressed lightly against his stomach, his hair messy.
"You look like crap." Ed chuckles as he slowly swings his legs over the side of his own cot. Al doesn't answer, he only glares down at the concrete floor.
The walls are also concrete with iron bars holding them in the small room. There is a toilet at the back of the room, with a sink and a mirror off to the side. There are also wrist restraints, keeping Ed's hands a safe distance away from each other.
"Well, this is a nice change of scenery." Edward says as he leans back, wincing at the soreness of his muscles in his flesh shoulder. He guesses that he slept wrong.
"Brother, we're in a cell." Al all but snaps, glaring.
"I was being sarcastic." Ed replies bitterly. He is in his own bad mood, a headache pounding at his brain like drums. "How long have I been out?"
"Not too long, I woke up an hour ago and it seems to be morning." Al replies, sighing. "Why, brother?"
"Why wha...wait, you're not blaming me to, are you?" Ed asks, his eyes widening with the look of hurt. "Al, you know me better then that!"
"Then why are we in here!?" Al shouts back, tears pricking his eyes. Ed recoils at the sight, frowning. "They told me a few minutes ago. Benny died shortly after he was rushed to the hospital. You're being charged with second degree murder. I'm being charged with helping."
"What the hell?" Ed whispers, the weight of everything crashing down on his shoulders. "I didn't kill him! It was someone else!"
"Tell me what happened!"
"Okay! Okay.." Ed says, sighing. "I went to the spare room after I stormed off. That's when I heard Reese scream, so I ran into her room to see what was happening. Benny was laying on the floor, bleeding from a cut on his forehead while Reese was crying and hiding under the bed. So I tried to help, but as I got to Benny some guy stepped out of the shadows and slashed him across the shoulder."
"That sounds cliché brother." Al mumbles, earning a scoff from Ed.
"That's what I thought." He replies, leaning against the wall. "Anyways, that's where the blood on my shirt came from. So I started fighting this guy and he manages to cut my cheek with this weird dagger thing. I managed to cut him across the arm and that's when he fled. And then you guys stormed into the room."
"Seriously Fullmetal?" A deep voice says. The two brothers turn to see Colonel Roy Mustang walking briskly towards the cell, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye obediently beside him. "You can't keep yourself out of trouble for a single day?"
"Colonel? What're you doing here?" Al asks before Edward gets the chance.
"I was called after Fullmetal got taken custody." Roy replies, looking to Ed who glares. "We caught a night train."
"Just so you know? I didn't do it." Ed mumbles, crossing his arms.
"We caught the guy who did," Roy replies as two officers push a struggling, cuffed, dirty blonde man in his early twenties down the hall. "It was the one impersonating you both."
"Really?" Ed asks, eyes slightly widening. "So, does that mean we can get out of here?"
"I don't know Fullemtal. I kinda like seeing you in there, not able to cause chaos."
"Just get me the hell out of here you damn Colonel Bastard!"
The two brothers wait at the train station for their train a few days later. The charges have been dropped and the funeral for Benny is being held that Friday. Al is sitting on a bench, slipping a folded piece of paper into an envelope.
"What's that?" Ed asks as he watches Al hand it to the person in charge of selling tickets.
"It's just a little note, no big deal."
Dear Mrs. and Mr. Smith
this is Alphonse, writing for both myself and Edward. I'm guessing you've already heard about the real culprit. The police say that it wasn't ever planned for Benny to die. I know that doesn't make it sound any better. In fact, it probably makes you hate us even more. Just know that we never meant for any of this to happen and if we could go back in time we would. I know brother is beating himself up pretty badly over the whole thing, he's staring off into space with that guilty, sad look he gets whenever he has a nightmare or when something goes bad. Anyways, I should probably end this, seeing as our train will be here shortly. It was nice meeting you and your kids, we did have a good time. We hope that someday you can forgive us. We're sorry.
~Alphonse Elric.