Fandoms FMA Short

Best Short FMA Fanfics

FMA novellas — 10k to 50k words, polished and contained. Curated from AO3 and ranked by kudos.

Anime & Manga 25 short fics Avg 24,501 words 10,000–50,000 words

Top 25 Short FMA Fanfics

Ranked by AO3 kudos. Mid-length FMA fics — 10,000–50,000 words.

1

A True King

by hatredwithpassion

Ling Yao fell to his death on the Promised Day with lingering regrets and the taste of ashes in his mouth. The Xing Prince opened his eyes to a new world where he became the heir to a prestigious clan, the Hyuuga Clan. Weighed down by his failures to become the Xingese Emperor, Ling vows to use his

4,974 kudos 27,424 words 11/? chapters General Audiences
2

This Lion is in the Garden

by Xyriath

Ed’s duties as a prince of Xerxes right now really aren’t that complicated. Establish favorable relations with the nation of Xing. Learn to get along with his betrothed. Don’t offend anyone. Especially don’t offend anyone. What he didn’t predict was getting along with his fiancé perhaps a littl

4,442 kudos 26,295 words 2/2 chapters Explicit Complete
3

Professor Elric?

by schrijverr

After The Promised Day Edward is sent on a miliary mission to Hogwarts where he will teach Alchemy to his students. He is told not to interfere with their business, but he has a hard time not getting involved with this weird Voldy prick.

3,469 kudos 19,733 words 10/10 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
4

we are the wild youth

by noodlebunny

Ling didn’t look fifteen. He looked like six feet of smooth marble sculpted by gods, while Ed looked like a twelve year old with an expression that suggested he had perpetual stick up his ass.  Ed doesn’t have a soulmate, and he doesn’t want one, thank you very much.

3,382 kudos 12,565 words 3/3 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
5

red string of fate, blue dragon

by vannral

Ed doesn't really care about soulmates. But he cares about Ling Yao.

2,602 kudos 12,601 words 1/1 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
6

Nothing Gold

by Rydia (ungarmax)

Ling has gained immortality. Ed has not.

2,257 kudos 22,219 words 1/1 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
7

We Had a Bonding Moment

by TiTaNbAbYeAmS

A series of Ed bonding with a collection of characters, some mentioned before and some not. He learns to be more comfortable than he has been so far.

2,087 kudos 28,663 words 5/5 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
8

Sun and Moon

by Moonlight_Hearts

Ed and Ling knew each other before the promised day, they were best friends and had significant impacts on each others lives. Everyone is confused about how Ed knows the Emperor of Xing though. Or: Ed gives no fucks and saves the country while stealing the heart of a prince he's finally reconnected

1,862 kudos 14,386 words 3/3 chapters General Audiences Complete
9

visible souls

by ThatDesiGirl

At this point, most of Mustang’s squad are listening with one ear into the conversation. Ed decides it’s about time to wrap this up. “So fuckin’ what?” Ed snarls, bristling. If anything, his heat makes Mustang smirk even deeper. As if his visage could get any closer to the devil that he truly was. “

1,843 kudos 21,732 words 1/1 chapters Mature Complete
10

May The Truth Set You Free

by Draconis_patronum

Edward Elric had many regrets in life; Nina Tucker, Maes Hughes and the attempted human transmutation. But there were also things he didn't regret, giving up his alchemy and starting a family with Winry. So, yeah, he was doing pretty fucking amazing, thank you very much. And he certainly didn't need

1,736 kudos 32,163 words 7/100 chapters Teen And Up Audiences
11

school night

by silentwalrus

Winry comes visiting for a whole week, primarily, she says, because she doesn’t believe Ed has friends. “I do too have friends,” Ed argues. “I have lots of friends -”“People you’ve fucked once in a train station bathroom don’t count, Ed -” “One time! That was one time!” “- and I’ll believe it when I

1,615 kudos 28,155 words 3/3 chapters Explicit Complete
12

Experimental Engineering

by metisket

Jean had gone to pick up the boss. He hadn’t anticipated any problems; the boss, despite everything, was pretty easy to get along with, and at this time of day, traffic wouldn’t even be bad.He hadn’t remembered the girlfriend until it was too late.

1,602 kudos 11,060 words 1/1 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
13

several people are typing...

by luftballons99

ling yaoi: How do you feel right now?bite my shiny metal arm: Confused. Shitty. Like a teenager, basically, but not in the fun Hollywood way.ling yaoi: Don't we all

1,340 kudos 30,627 words 12/? chapters Teen And Up Audiences
14

Playing Normal

by NovaWasTaken1

Roy walked in on his roommate jerking himself off under the sheets more than once, stumbling back in from the library at half past two. And Maes always looked so awkward and embarrassed afterward, the poor guy, Roy actually let the goof walk in on him once, just so he’d feel better. It was the first

1,032 kudos 14,759 words 2/2 chapters Mature Complete
15

No Dominion

by shutterbird

Maes Hughes wakes up a changed man. Roy Mustang isn't careful what he wishes for.

472 kudos 17,796 words 1/1 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
16

You Can Keep the Dime

by kittenmittens

Hawkeye plucks the kid out of Halman’s grip and dumps him into Roy’s arms, all in one smooth, fluid motion. Roy sputters a little, instinctively adjusting his grip as Luca finally goes quiet.“Wow, Colonel.” Fuery leans over his desk, watching the baby breathlessly. “You two must have a special conne

438 kudos 21,022 words 4/4 chapters Mature Complete
17

So Much For My Happy Ending

by maisierita

He had lied to her. He had looked straight at her and lied to her, and naturally she had believed him.Gracia felt dizzy. She’d been so stupid.

401 kudos 19,399 words 2/2 chapters Mature Complete
18

The Seeds We Sow

by Calamityjim

When a cop's deal with the devil expires the team finds themselves a decade behind a killer that didn't need the head start. Aaron's warpath to catch the killer who got away isn't without casualties though, and Ed is struggling to remember he isn't a twelve year old kid in Mustang's command.   CM ep

363 kudos 18,350 words 3/3 chapters Mature
19

Worth Your Weight in Burning

by Walking_Pillar_of_Salt

"A man takes his sadness down to the river and throws it in the river but then he’s still left with the river. A man takes his sadness and throws it away but then he’s still left with his hands.”Or, Roy is blind and, in lieu of sight, follows his heart.

286 kudos 26,339 words 6/6 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
20

They Wanted Fun and Games

by Ideality

The Triwizard Tournament is historically known for being incredibly unsafe to participate in. Or to judge. Or to spectate, sometimes. Given basic pattern recognition, trying to bring it back would be a recipe for disaster. It's a shame how the people in the best position to survive it- what with bei

242 kudos 35,529 words 27/27 chapters Teen And Up Audiences Complete
21

Written Confessions

by erimeows

Struggling to cope with her life after The Promised Day, Riza Hawkeye starts writing romance to escape. When she realizes that the stories she's crafting are eerily similar to the fantasies she has about Roy Mustang, she does everything she can to keep him from finding out about her true feelings. B

232 kudos 38,297 words 13/19 chapters Explicit
22

Speaking Our Minds

by Ideality

So. There's a Dark Lord on the loose, the government has gone mad with power, and there's some important tests coming up. In some ways, that's just another year. Everyone would really like it if that wasn't normal, but it is what it is. The best way to handle this sort of thing is with clear, effect

195 kudos 29,954 words 22/42 chapters Teen And Up Audiences
23

"So You've Made Several Decisions You'll Definitely Regret Later," by Greed the Avaricious

by Silvex

Ling probably shouldn't feel so safe with the thing that took over his body, given how it keeps calling him its possession, talks about things it shouldn't know, and, oh, told everyone that he was dead while he was unconscious. He just... feels like he should, for some reason. If the two of them act

125 kudos 49,076 words 27/? chapters Teen And Up Audiences
24

Everyone wants a Stone!

by Latias_32

Two boys use an Infinity Stone to bring their mother back and it doesn’t end well.A prince gets targeted in an assassination attempt and it ends well.The Avengers meet way too many strange teens. In other words: what would happen if the Philosopher’s Stone were the Reality Stone, and if Greed were V

71 kudos 25,055 words 14/18 chapters General Audiences
25

Fullmetal: Peace of the Action

by bekanotbecky

This city liked to pretend it was civilized—brick buildings, pressed suits, polite smiles. Scratch the surface and you hit rot. Everyone worked for someone, and the ones who didn’t ended up face‑down in an alley. The gangs ran the streets, the politicians ran the gangs, and the cops were just anothe

70 kudos 29,317 words 10/? chapters Teen And Up Audiences

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About This List

25,055
median words
64%
complete
4,974
top kudos
~1.7 hours
median read time

This list of 25short FMA fanfics spans 612,516 total words. Kudos range from 70 on the newest entries to 4,974 on the most established. 64% are marked complete — check the status flag before committing to a longfic. The most common rating is Teen And Up Audiences (14 of 25 fics).

Recurring tags across this list: Alternate Universe · Politics · Mild Sexual Content · Post-Canon · Friendship.

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