THE VIOLIN

By: Misuto

Set: Fullmetal Alchemist, early series.

Disclaimers: Fanfiction based on the work of Arakawa

AN: Early series, set at Eastern Command. Ed is being dramatic because despite being a gifted alchemist, he is after all, a teenager.

I did my best at catching spelling and grammar mistakes but if I missed any, please let me know!

The strings gave a discordant twang under his fingers, the bow slicing painfully across the instrument making everyone wince. Lieutenant Havoc dropped his head with a groan, letting his arms sag and the violin bump gently against the carpet.

"Oh, this is hopeless," he moaned to the chuckling of his co-worker. Breda shook his head, his eyes never leaving his paperwork but his toothy smile was proof that he was enjoying every minute of his friend's misery.

Havoc looked up as the door to the office opened and Edward Elric walked in, his arms filled with books and papers, a pen held in his teeth. The teen gave Havoc a cursory glance, his eyes resting on the instrument in the man's hand for a fraction of a second longer as he dropped his armful on the desk by the window (the one he had started claiming whenever he was in town).

The other brother was not with him which meant the young alchemist actually intended to work. It was normal for Alphonse to wander into town when his bother sat down to write what he considered a report, which admittedly did not happen often enough.

Fullmetal blew the bangs out of his eyes as he watched the instrument in Havoc's hands critically. "Is that what that was?" he said with a hint of a sneer "I thought someone was trying to strangle a cat in here."

Breda could no longer control his mirth and he dropped his head to his desk and laughed. Even Sergeant Fuery smiled as he looked up from his radio.

Havoc gave another groan as he picked himself up, shooting Breda a dark look. "I'm trying to play the violin," he said cuttingly, bringing the bow up again. The strings ground against each other painfully and Fullmetal winced and gave an outward shudder. "Seriously, don't quit your day job," he said through gritted teeth.

The Lieutenant's indignant front collapsed and he hung his head. "Oh she's going to hate me!" he moaned.

"He promised Jenny Mackay he'd help her with her concert," chuckled Breda at the teen's quizzical glance. "Told her he could play and everything."

"I didn't think it would be this hard!" wailed Havoc. He gave a yelp as the instrument was plucked from his loose grip. He hadn't even heard the teen get up and it actually creeped him out how stealthy the boy could be when he wanted. He also knew how destructive he was.

He lunged after the violin but Fullmetal held it easily away from his grasping arms. "Wait! NO! Please, Chief, don't break it!"

The teen gave him a withering look before rolling his eyes in such an Elric manner. "I'm not gonna break it," he said, running his thumb across the strings. The sound made him grimace. As Havoc watched Edward deftly toyed with the wooden pegs on the head of the instrument, plucking the strings repeatedly as he went.

The way he held the violin made him look like a professional. "I just thought it might help-" he said forcefully when he noticed the others were staring openly as well. "-if it was tuned," he said running his left thumb over the strings again. This time, it sounded right. He thrust the instrument back at Havoc before returning to his work. "Though it doesn't make up for the skill of the player." he said under his breath.

Havoc stood in the middle of the room, the violin in his hand and stared as a revelation hit him. "You can play," he said. It wasn't a question. Edward made a point of opening the heavy cover of one of his books carefully, letting it fall open noisily on the desk and didn't answer.

"I didn't know you could play," Havoc pressed. Edward gave him a mild glare.

"I didn't say I could. But I know what it's supposed to sound like," he said evenly. The teen was uncomfortably aware of the others looking at him with open curiosity.

"But you know something, right?" continued the man.

Edward faced the window and pointedly flipped a page in the heavy tome. He said nothing, which should have been a warning sign, if Havoc had been paying attention. The thing about the Fullmetal Alchemist was that despite his fame for being a loud-mouthed, flamboyant brat, the noise was mostly for show. His fits of rage were alarming, but also somewhat comical.

There were a few people, however, who could testify to seeing the prodigy when he was angry or upset for real. He didn't yell or shout or throw things. He was quiet and those eerie amber eyes zeroed in on the source of his problem with terrifying accuracy.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to do some real work," he told his book.

"Come on, please! You have to teach me! At least the basics. She'll kill me…," begged the man, blatantly ignoring the young alchemist.

Edward shut the heavy cover of the book aggressively, sweeping it, his papers and his pens off the desk into his arms and rising to his feet, turning to face the Lieutenant in one swift and smooth motion.

"Maybe," he said with a dangerous edge to his voice that actually made Havoc flinch, "I should break your arm instead and then you'd have a legit reason why you can't play her stupid concert."

And he left.

Edward made for the door among staff trying to mind their own business. As his hand reached for the handle, the door was pulled open suddenly from the other side and he came face to face with Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye a step behind and the towering suit of armor that was Al behind her.

If Mustang was surprised to find someone standing directly in the door, he didn't show it.

"Ah, Fullmetal! Just the person I was hoping to see. My office, now," he said in his usual superior way, pointing to the door at the other side of the room.

Edward opened his mouth to retort but a quick glance to Hawkeye made him change his mind. Instead he gave an exaggerated sigh, rolled his eyes and moved aside to let Mustang pass. He followed the older man back through the outer office and disappeared into the Colonel's office, slamming the door shut behind him. Al wisely decided to wait until they were finished and chose a spot on the couch outside the Colonel's office.

Breda and Falman exchanged significant looks. Fuery buried his head in his nest of wires and Havoc discreetly stashed the instrument he was still gripping under the nearest desk. Hawkeye was left standing by her own desk, a frown forming as she eyed each of them in turn.

"What is going on in here," she demanded, her hands resting on her hips, dangerously close to her firearms.

After a moment of silence, Fuery spoke up. "Elric is being a teenager, I think."

Riza raised an eyebrow, looking at Havoc who was still standing awkwardly by the desk recently vacated by said teenager.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with that violin, would it? Did he break it?" Maybe she didn't intend to sound hopeful at the thought, but the sentiment came through regardless.

At the mention that his brother might have caused damaged, Al looked between Havoc and Riza with as much trepidation as a metal face could express.

Breda broke into another fit of suppressed giggles, and at the sign of a smile appearing at the corner of the First Lieutenant's mouth, the others visibly relaxed.

"He didn't break anything did he?" asked the younger Elric, exasperation clear in his ringing voice.

Havoc sighed, "No, he didn't," he said with resignation. "I was hoping he could help me learn," he said, eyeing the Colonel's closed door. "But he just snapped at me. Guess I picked a bad day, looks like the Chief is in one his moods today," he shrugged. He'd never actually admit it, but even at 13, the kid scared the hell out of him sometimes.

When Riza turned her raised eyebrow on Falman, the man explained in his usual diplomatic monotone. "Lieutenant Havoc was under the impression that Fullmetal knew how to play the violin and kept badgering him for lessons even though the boy told him," he said with a pointed look at the man in question, "that he didn't".

"Ah," was all the blonde woman said.

That seemed to settle to matter as Riza sat herself behind her desk and the others went back to work. She glanced at the Colonel's office. It seemed to be pretty quiet in there, she supposed that was either a good sign or the two of them had already murdered each other.

In the reigning silence, it was Al who spoke up.

"But he does know how."

The staff all stared at the younger boy. "Well he does," added Al, almost defensively. "Mom sent him to lessons down in the village. And Teacher used to make him practice too."

Riza considered the suit of armor. The sheer size of Alphonse made the couch he sat on look tiny by comparison. It was easy to forget that he was just a kid inside. She tried to imagine what the real Alphonse would look like sitting, tiny, on the couch surrounded by adults. They'd been through so much already.

It reminded her, and the others as well, that the brothers were, in many ways, still strangers to them. They knew them through work, yes, but what about outside of work? What did Edward do during his spare time?

Read books, probably.

"What? I was right!" exclaimed Havoc with triumph. "That little- so he was just being pissy for no reason."

Al fixed his red-eyed gaze on him and Havoc decided that that Elric creeped him out too. What was it with these kids?

"Not exactly, Lieutenant," Al's voice rang inside the suit of armor, small and a little shy but amplified by the hollow shell. "He hasn't touched an instrument since…well..." Al pointed at his shoulder, not having to finish the sentence.

Havoc mentally slapped himself. It was also easy to forget that their little resident alchemist was actually, technically, crippled. He did such a good job of hiding it.

"Yeah, I imagine it would be rather difficult to play anything with only one normal working arm," mused Breda.

"Don't take it personally, Lieutenant," continued the younger Elric. "Brother just doesn't like being reminded of the things he used to be able to do, although he's too stubborn to admit it."

Harsh reality brought to you by an eleven year old. thought Riza wryly. "I think you'd better drop it Havoc," she said. She really didn't think Edward would appreciate them all discussing him like this. "Isn't there work you should be doing?" she remarked pointedly.

Havoc sighed and sat at his desk beside Breda with a huff. He'd just have to figure it out himself.

Still though, he mused, it surprised him. Who knew the kid could play? He is supposed to be a genius after all. Somehow, it made the little-bratty-alchemy-prodigy-turned-human-weapon seem that much more human.