Title: Family
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Pairing: Jean Havoc and Cain Fuery
Theme: #2 – news; letter
Rating: G, I suppose. There are a few shounen-ai references, but they're extremely light.
Disclaimer: Still don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. Can you imagine how screwed up the series would be if I did?

Family

The Fuery household was usually very quiet. It was a picture perfect little house, for a picture perfect little family, complete even down to the little white picket fence and carnation bushes, which were carefully tended by Mrs. Fuery on her days off work. Today however, the peace was broken by a very loud and unexpected cry.

"WHAT?!" Mr. Fuery's voice echoed down the street, startling people even as far as a block away.

Mrs. Fuery came running in to the kitchen, to find her husband staring at the piece of paper he clutched in his hands, the look on his face clearly one of shock.

"Now, now, dear," she chastised him gently. "You had me startled. What on earth could be that bad?"

From her spot in the nearby living room, their daughter Therise peeked over the back of the lounge chair she was sitting on, also curious as to what could have possibly prompted such a reaction from her usually rock-steady father, but choosing to show it through much more subtle means.

Mr. Fuery handed the piece of paper to his wife with a shaky hand.

"It's from Cain," he explained, moving to the lounge chair to sit next to his daughter and leaving Mrs. Fuery to the letter.

"I've been wondering how he was," Mrs. Fuery commented. "We haven't heard from him in so long."

"What does he say?" Therise asked.

"Dear Mother and Father," Mrs. Fuery began, reading the letter out in a clear, smooth voice that had always put Therise in mind of a teacher reading to school children.

"And Therise if she is with you at the moment," Mrs. Fuery continued. "I'm sorry for not writing to you sooner, but since the Elric brothers left there hasn't been much to talk about. Colonel Mustang is beginning to act like his old self again, which is good, although I still think he's hoping to see Major Elric again some day.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye is still very patient with him, which is good I suppose, but I'm surprised that she hasn't killed him yet. There were a couple of shots the other day which came pretty close though. Breda kept complaining for at least a week after, because he was assigned to fix the bullet holes in the wall.

"Getting to the real reason why I'm writing this letter right now; Mom, Dad, Therise, I have big news. I've recently moved in with someone special. Hopefully soon you'll get to meet him..."

"Him," Mrs. Fuery repeated. "It really says 'him' on this letter doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Mr. Fuery replied.

"That's what that yell was about, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You know," Mrs. Fuery continued, sitting down on the nearest available chair, eyes still glued to the piece of paper in her hands. "I always wondered why Cain was never really interested in finding himself a nice girl."

"I don't know why the two of you are so surprised," Therise joined in. "I knew years ago."

Her parents both turned to look at her.

"Oh, come on," Therise continued. "Remember that 'friend' of his? The one, oh, what was his name, Marcos or something. Cain spent every single second he could over at his place."

Mr. Fuery and Mrs. Fuery looked at each other in bewilderment. Mr. Fuery shrugged, and Mrs. Fuery sighed.

"What else does Cain say about his boyfriend?" Therise prompted her mother.

"Huh?" her mother muttered, taking a moment to come out of her shocked stupor. "Oh, right."

"His name is Jean," Mrs. Fuery continued. "I think I've written about him before; Lieutenant Jean Havoc..."

At this point Mrs. Fuery stopped, a smile appearing on her face and twitching as though threatening to turn into a full-blown laugh. Therise wasn't nearly as successful at keeping her laughter in.

"Havoc?" Therise double-checked between laughs. "As in, Havoc who can't get a girlfriend no matter how hard he tries? You think maybe Cain sabotached some of his attempts?"

This broke her mother's resolve, and within seconds, Mrs. Fuery was laughing along with her daughter.

"Oh dear Cain," Mrs. Fuery managed to say after a few minutes of solid laughter. "The letter goes on for a bit longer I think," she said, wiping a few tears from her eyes. She cleared her throat and continued.

"He's not exactly the smartest person in the army, and he can be a bit of an insensitive jerk sometimes (Right now he's watching me write, and he has the biggest pout on. He looks like a kicked puppy. Yes Jean, you really do.) But he can also be really sweet and thoughtful when he wants to be, he has a great sense of humour, and he's really handsome. (He's still reading this, so I hope that last comment doesn't go to his head.) We'll have to come and visit you some time, so you can meet each other.

"Hugs and kisses, Cain Fuery."