Amanda's Recs
Full Metal Alchemist
Sleeps With Coyotes
Blood, Love & Rhetoric
Habit
Summary: {Roy/Ed} Ed is a creature of habit."I am not afraid of trying new things!" Ed exploded. "Just because I stick with what I like, that doesn't mean I can't...damn it...fine! What about this, then?"
The instant Al realized his teasing had gone too far stretched for a minor eternity, but it was far too late to back down now. Ed was already moving, shoving past him and heading towards the Colonel, and even Mustang's unflappable expression collapsed into shock as Ed reached up, fisted one hand in the man's collar, and dragged the Colonel down to be kissed.
And kissed. And kissed. It went on forever, and it wasn't just disbelief that drew the moments out. It was a full three minutes before either of them seemed to notice anything odd about the situation.
Ed jerked all at once, shoving Roy back and glaring. Whirling on Al, he growled, "There, that was new! Happy now?"
Al blinked. "...Um?"
Situation Normal
Summary: {Roy/Ed, Al/Winry} Ed figures out why everybody's acting so weirdEd glanced over at the Colonel as he slid in beside the man, but Mustang was being inscrutable again, a faint smile curving his lips as he waited for the driver to settle behind the wheel. "Green Lion," Roy said shortly, which could have been military code-babble or the name of a restaurant. Ed wished he could ask which it was, but then he'd have to put up with the Colonel's superior smirk and a reminder that the time to have asked was before he climbed into a car with someone he apparently didn't trust.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Ed glared out the side window and prepared to ignore the Colonel for the next hour at the very least.
Altered States Series
Starts with Albedo and has two sequels. Deliciously long, more than faintly smutty, snarky humor, and characterization that left me awed.
Summary: {Roy/Ed} The Stone has many names and many forms, and they seek it in many ways.Still crouched on the floor, hands dusty with chalk, Ed glanced up once at the man standing over him and grinned, swift and fierce. Roy had to be fresh from the office, curiosity strong enough that he'd come straight down to the basement without bothering to change.
"On the other hand, it's not like you to use an Array. What's it for?" Roy asked, dark eyes already skimming the design, reading the archaic glyphs with an ease that really shouldn't surprise Ed the way it did. Roy was as much an alchemist as he was an officer, which made him perfect. Half the work of explaining would be done for him the moment Roy's eyes reached--
"What on...is this...?"
Ed had been listening for that first indrawn breath, for the faint sound of surprise it couldn't mask, and as he closed the last arc of the circle and set the chalk aside, he allowed himself another glance, this time at the Colonel's face. When he'd asked for and received permission to use Roy's basement for an experiment, this surely hadn't been what the man had in mind, and he knew it wasn't too late for the Colonel to kick him out and slam the door in his face.
He didn't think Roy was going to, though. Not with that look on his face--shock without revulsion, grudging interest and sharp-edged amusement, the hint of a challenge.
Jaelle
Insane MusingsOne of my favorite authors, and with very good reason. She has written some of the most amazing, heart tugging, amusing, poignant, beautiful stories I have ever had the privalege and pleasure to read. The stories chosen are a small selection; some pure comedy, others more depth filled, all are excellent. She has even more on her website, something you'll be thankful of once you've sampled these stories. I have no more words, save "Read."
Words in the Heart
Summary: Al doesn't need outside words. But they're fun anyway.It had started out, as so many things do, as a joke.
“Magnetic poetry!” Hughes had said triumphantly, holding the small box aloft. “You just stick the little words to a metallic surface and spell out a poem. There are some spare letters too, for if there isn’t a word you want.”
He’d demonstrated the toy for everyone else, hesitantly trying to spell out a poem about his daughter and how wonderful she was. After the third time the little words had fallen off the small metal bar he was using to demonstrate them on, Alphonse had leaned over to help him pick them up... and promptly found them sticking to his fingers.
“Aha!” Hughes had crowed. “Alright, hang on a moment. Now, with the help of my lovely assistant Alphonse...”
And, carefully choosing the right words, he had stuck, “be loved daughter of my heart” across Al’s chest.
Havoc had snorted and swapped ‘daughter’ out for ‘son’. “You don’t want to cast aspersions on Al, do you?”
Research
Summary: Research is the heart and soul of alchemy. And the heart of other things too, apparently."What did you say?" Roy demanded.
"I said, kiss me," Ed repeated. "Well? Come on!"
Roy got a hold of himself. "Fullmetal, have you taken leave of your senses?"
"You're not co-operating," Ed complained. "Just kiss me already."
"WHY?"
"Al wants to know how."
At the back of the room, Alphonse blushed and ducked his head.
Roy resisted the urge to throw both boys forcibly out of his office and drew a deep breath before asserting himself to take control of the situation.
"Perhaps if you could take it from the beginning?"
After
Summary: What are heroes supposed to do after being heroes, anyway?The grave had been Ed’s idea of a joke.
After hearing his childhood friends complaining about the number of times they had had to tell pilgrims that the Fullmetal Alchemist was, in fact, very much still alive, and after having spent two hours trying to convince one very dedicated believer that not only was he not dead, but he was standing directly in front of them, he’d had enough. The next day a magnificent grave had appeared in the field where the old Elric house had been. Solid onyx, with a six foot long covering plate (and HOW everyone had teased him about that when they saw it), marble statues at every corner, and a tall, imposing headstone, it dominated the landscape.
It was only when they came closer to lay flowers and pray (and maybe take some photographs and how gruesome was THAT? Winry always demanded) that they saw the writing on the headstone:
“Here lie the misconceptions of those idiots who think that Edward Elric is dead.”
Alphonse had sighed when he’d seen it the first time, Winry had snickered, and Auntie Pinako had shaken her head. So far the only person who had actually found it funny had been Roy Mustang, who’d nearly injured himself laughing when he’d seen it.
Winning
Summary: {gen} Edward thinks about winning during a debriefing.“Fullmetal? Do you understand your orders?”
“Yes.”
“Then was there anything else?”
“Yes. Do you ever get tired of winning?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Winning. Do you ever get tired of it?”
Yes, look me in the eyes. I’m serious. I mean it, I want to know. There’s a white flag waving in my head. I surrender. You win. It won’t make either of us happy right now, but it has to change.
I’m so tired of fighting all the time. I would like to try peace.
“Victory doesn’t always taste like ashes, Fullmetal. Nor is it always sweet. It varies, depending on the circumstances and the behaviour of the combatants afterwards."
I'm curious now, but I can't quite keep all the sarcasm out of my voice.
"So how does this one taste?"
I wonder if I'll get an answer. You seem to be thinking about it, and your smirk has gone.
"Like hot steel."
And I guess I can live with that.
Internal Affairs
Summary: *falls over laughing* Are they doing what we think they're doing in there?“YOU!”
Breda winced at the incoherent screams that followed. “Wow, wonder what’s got him so riled up today.”
“Hmmm...” Havok considered. “You don’t think that someone actually DID call him a bean and a micro-chibi this time, do you?”
Farman and Fury winced at the idea. Hawkeye ignored them all, focusing on her paperwork. The men all shrugged and settled back down to work, casting occasional glances at the door, ready to run if they saw even one glow of Alchemic power.
The yelling in Roy’s office ceased abruptly. Everyone pricked up their ears, trying to figure out what might have happened. Minutes ticked by slowly, and still no sound issued forth. Sweat glistened on the foreheads of the men of the office.
“My God,” Fury whispered. “He’s KILLED the Colonel!”
Hawkeye sighed and stood up, “I will see if the Colonel needs anything...” As she moved towards the door, there was a loud moan from the other side.
Everyone froze.
Branch Works
Amateur Scribblings
Gone the Sun
Summary: Roy's memories of his friend.Half an hour later Maas swept his legs out from under him for the third time and Roy stayed down when he landed.
At least Maas was breathing as hard as he was.
"The point I was making," Maas panted, "is that when something pisses you off you just put your head down and charge. You don't pay attention to anything else."
"Whereas you do?"
"I pay attention to everything, Roy. That's my gift. Yours is to barbecue things that annoy you. Apparently this makes you command-track material."
Roy hauled himself upright and eyed his friend.
"Are you really upset about that?" he asked, quietly.
Maas looked at him thoughtfully.
"No. You're good with people, you like playing politics, command will suit you. So, no."
A slow smile spread over his face.
"I'm going to jab you about it until you try to fry me, of course. But I'm not really upset."
Roy fell back with a groan.
The Circumstances Arc
Summary: {Roy/Ed} A series of short stories, each rated R to NC17, but intermixed with the simple lemons is a surprisingly deep backstory. It starts with Circumstances and gets deeper from there.Ed assuaged his irritation with the reflection that the man had mangled the pronunciation of "gyrfalcon". It didn't help a great deal. Fortunately, they managed to edge him out the door without too much further conversation. Ed heaved a sigh of relief.
Gyrfalcon... Where had he learned how to pronounce that word, Ed wondered, idly. He remembered hearing it spoken. Who...?
"... my hawk... my fractious, cross-grained gyrfalcon."
Ed stopped dead in the middle of the hall.
What had the man said?
"...food for gyrfalcons..."
And where he had read the word...
"...the king may fly a gyrfalcon..."
"Taisa," Ed whispered.
"Taisa!"
The Sucess Arc
Summary: If the story ended in complete success for everyone... what then? We all have choices to make. Divergent Future."What?" Roy snapped at him. Maas glared right back.
Roy and Ed glanced at each other, and then away at opposite corners of the room. Maas cast his eyes up. God, save me from stubborn idiots; and I thought just one was bad.
Roy heaved a silent sigh, picked up both remaining mugs, walked over to Ed and offered him one.
Maas saw Ed freeze as he registered whose hand was holding out the mug, and when he looked up, for one second, the sharp, gold eyes were wide and unguarded. Faint contrition softened Roy's face in answer to that flash of uncertainty. After a moment Ed took the mug, and bowed his head over it. They stood for another moment, while Roy regarded the bent head, before he touched Ed's shoulder, lightly. Maas wasn't sure Roy had seen Ed biting his lip, but he was sure that his friend noticed Ed let his breath out at that touch.
Maas shook his head. When these two wanted to insult each other you could hear them in the next city, but apology and reconciliation? Those were silent.
Summary:
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