Title: Study Break
Author: jordannamorgan
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters: Edward and Alphonse.
Setting: Early in the Elrics’ childhood.
Rating: G.
Length: 275 words.
Summary: Ed has always needed reminding not to work too hard.



Frowning in concentration, five-year-old Edward Elric retraced the transmutation circle from one of his father’s books, his pencil gripped white-knuckled in his little fist.

This was the most advanced array he’d attempted to draw yet. Extraordinary as it was that he and his little brother Alphonse had already picked up alchemy at all, they continued to get better at it almost by the day—but that progress didn’t come without tremendous effort. There weren’t enough hours on the clock for Ed to cram his head with all the knowledge he wanted. As it was, he spent every moment possible immersed in a book, trying to learn more.

Except when…

“Hey, Brother.” A gentle tug at his sleeve. “Come play!”

Ed raised his head—and only then realized how oblivious he’d become to everything around him. While he was wrapped up in equations, Al had snuck off to the other end of the dining-room table, where he had pulled out the chairs and draped blankets over them to make a fort.

Of course, Al would be the one to remember that it was satisfying sometimes to make things without alchemy.

With a smile Ed padded over to the fort, and crawled inside to join Al; and for a few hours after that, they laid in the not-so-secret hideaway, nestled in its lining of pillows. They played with the toys Al had provisioned it with, and ate the snacks Mother kindly left on a tray outside it, and talked about anything that had nothing to do with alchemy.

It was good to have a brother who reminded Ed that he should still have fun now and then.

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2018 Jordanna Morgan