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sapphossweetheart · 6 years ago

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It was day five of this bullshit. Ed was sweaty with exhaustion, though he’d hardly put forth any physical effort. They’d been trying for hours on end to try and get him to show his powers, but they had yet to run into any positive sign; they had tried everything they could think of, from trying to get him to show it through combat to him meditating in a room that was pitch black but one little candle to create shadow. Ed was beginning to feel hopeless. Envy had been edging him on, and Al had explained in great detail how he controlled his. Yet, they hadn’t had an ounce of success.

“Okay one more attempt, then we’re done for today,” Envy called out. Their tone didn’t show much hope. They sat on one of the many pipes running through the lair, leaning back. They weren’t even looking at Ed. Ed pouted. They could at least feign some faith.

He sighed, and went to focus his energy again. At this point, they were throwing shit at the wall, hoping something would stick. He heard Al in the background, reminding him of how he does it, but he didn’t bother to listen. He knew it all by heart at this point. He pressed his hands to the ground, tensed as he began his thousandth attempt. He focused his mind, tried to focus on the shadows, to think of transmuting them into objects like he would any other material. He strained against the restrictions of his mind, strained to get even a touch of control over the darkness.

Nothing changed.

He released a pent up breath. “Nothing,” He groaned.

Envy and Al sighed. They, too, were tired of getting nowhere, no matter what they tried or how much effort they put into it. Al patted Ed on the back, as if it was gonna make him feel any better. Envy hopped off their seat and walked over to Ed with a hand on a hip and resigned expression.

“Ugh, this is getting tiring,” Envy commented, sitting next to Ed.

“Yeah, no shit,” Ed replied, balling his hands into fists. He was more tired of it than anyone. With all the effort they put forth, no progress was made towards any conclusion. No sign of his abilities. The only thing the past five days had pointed to was the conclusion Ed didn’t want to acknowledge; there was nothing special he could do. He brought nothing to the table that any human with some alchemic skill couldn’t achieve.

Ed hadn’t been there long, but he knew three things about Father: One, he was the creator of all the homunculi, two, he was terrifying, and three, he wasn’t gonna bother with him if he didn’t prove useful. Ed didn’t know what would happen if he didn’t show anything. He didn’t care to find out.

“I think we may have to wait until Ed is forced to use it,” Al sighed, continuing to absentmindedly rub Ed’s back.

Ed looked at Al’s unchanging metal face. “Forced?”

“Well we learned about mine after I lost my body,” Al elaborated. “I was thrust from my body and reduced to a shadow. All of a sudden I knew how it felt, and that I could. At this point, I don’t think we’ll see anything unless Ed ends up in a life or death situation.”

“I gotta second that, kid,” Envy added. “We should kick this shit to the curb and hope it pops up at some point down the road.”

Ed opened his mouth to refute, to say if they keep going they’ll reach it eventually, but he knew they were right. He didn’t like it, but his distaste for it doesn’t mean it isn’t the truth.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Alright bitch wake up, we’re trying something new today!”

Ed groaned and sank deeper into his blankets. He swore he’d only been asleep for a couple hours at most, and he was not in the mood to get up, much less to get up and practice combat. There’s no way Envy could’ve thought he’d gotten enough sleep; by this point they have to, at least, have a decent grasp on his sleeping needs, and was actively ignoring them. They could fucking wait a few extra hours for him to get well rested.

His blankets were yanked off of him, introducing unwelcome cold air to his skin. “Are you gonna get out of bed or am I gonna have to drag you?”

“Why do you have to wake me up so early?” Ed whined, forcing his eyelids open against both his and their wills. He glared at Envy with all the hatred he could muster.

They were unperturbed. “What’s that look for?” they asked, feigning innocence.

“You know exactly what it’s for,” Ed pouted, turning on the bed to face away from Envy.

Envy sighed, a small smile tugging at the corners of their lips. “Aw, cheer up kid.” They laid a hand on Ed’s arm and kneeled to get on Ed’s level. “After this I’ll get you ice cream or something. Make it a fun day.”

Ed turned back over, meeting Envy’s soft gaze. “You promise?”

They ruffled Ed’s hair. “I promise, don’t worry.”

Envy stood, absentmindedly wiping their knees. “Breakfast is on the table. Meet me in the training room when you’re done,” They turned on their heel and head out of the room. They paused, and called out over their shoulder, “Don’t take too long!” and left.

It took a moment for Ed to muster the resolve to get out of his little patch of sleep-warmth. He forced himself to get out of bed, bemoaning the loss of his covers. Once up, he trudged over to the table, shoved the food into his mouth even though his stomach was as asleep as he wished he was, and made his way to the training room.

The room wasn’t remarkable in any way; it was a large, open room with nothing breakable inside of it. The thing was, there was nobody inside of it either. Ed frowned. He was sure this was where Envy said to meet them. Maybe he’d misheard them? He couldn’t think of any other place he might’ve misheard ‘training room’ for, but-

“THINK FAST!”

Ed dived, rolled, and got back on his feet in a matter of seconds. Right where he had been standing was Envy, crouched, the floor under them cracked from their landing. Ed opened his mouth to ask what the hell was that, but Envy leaped at him again, grinning like a cheshire cat. Ed leapt back and clapped his hands to transmute his arm.

“Absolutely not!” Envy pounced on Ed again, braced to take him down. Ed barely made it out of the way, and didn’t even have a moment to breathe before Envy attacked again.

Why won’t they let me transmute? Panic threatened to overtake him. Every time they’d fought before, he’d been able to practice using his alchemy. But Envy wasn’t letting him this time. With his lack of sleep, he knew he wasn’t gonna be able to keep dodging for much longer. He had to go offensive.

Ed ducked under an attack, and drove a punch up Envy’s chin. Or he tried to. Envy leaned back and kicked at Ed’s feet. Ed stumbled, regained his balance, and attacked again, looking for an opening.

Punch. Dodge. Miss. Duck. Block. His breath came in ragged gasps and his body felt like it was about to stop working, and Envy wasn’t getting slower. Anger bubbled in his chest; he wanted to scream with frustration, and punch that stupid grin off Envy’s face. Hard as he tried, he couldn’t get a decent hit in, not one good enough to consider him the winner.

His frustration clouded over his logical thought. Envy came at him, and he glared at them, fists raised, legs braced. They grabbed him by the shoulders to take him down, Ed’s right arm shot up to hit them in the face, and his left hand reared back and he hit them in the stomach.

And his hand came out the other side.

Envy’s grin morphed into a perfect ‘o’ of shock, and the pair fell to the ground, landing next to each other. Ed’s anger fled and was replaced with pure horror. His arm was buried to his elbow in Envy’s stomach, a red light crackling around it.

“Holy fucking shit,” Envy whispered, staring wide eyed.

Ed pulled his arm out of their stomach, staring at it with wide, terrified eyes. Where his hand used to be, a large, bone-like spike protruded out of his wrist. He clutched it with his automail hand, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight. What the hell did he do?

Envy sat up, their regeneration abilities making quick work of the gaping hole in their stomach. They looked at Ed’s face, took in his horrified expression, then followed his gaze. If their eyes could get any wider, they would’ve. No wonder their efforts to get Ed to control the shadows came out fruitless, it’s because that wasn’t part of his abilities at all. He was like Envy; he could shapeshift.

“Ed?” No response. They tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, Ed?”

Ed continued staring at his arm. Then he started screaming. His heart beat at a rate he would’ve thought impossible. Tears overtook his vision, and his lungs weren’t able to pull in enough oxygen. He recoiled away from his hand, crawling back like he could get away from his own body.

“ED!” Envy cried. They enveloped Ed in a tight embrace, gently running their hands through his hair. Ed kept sobbing and his right arm clutched Envy desperately. He buried his face in their shoulder, like he was trying to hide within them.

“W...why did it..” Ed choked out.

“Shhhh…” Envy hushed, rubbing Ed’s back. “Calm down, we can fix this.”

Ed sniffed, tears still running down his face. “H...How?”

Envy grabbed Ed’s left wrist and took his head out of their shoulder. “Okay, listen to me very closely. You listening?”

Ed nodded.

“Okay, close your eyes and picture your hand; how it is normally.” Envy ordered.

Ed took a deep breath, steadied his heart, and closed his eyes. “What now?”

“Now, try to move your left hand.”

“But I don’t have a left hand!” Ed exclaimed, his breath quickening again. “That’s the whole problem-”

“Shhhhhh,” Envy quieted. “Don’t think about it. You can’t overthink this. Just do it.”

Ed, once again, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Red, alchemical light crackled around his hand. The spike split into five sections, which morphed back into flesh and muscle. After a couple seconds, Ed’s hand was back, as if it had never changed in the first place. His eyes flew open, and he stared at his returned hand, mouth agape.

Envy heaved a sigh of relief, a weight they didn’t know they had lifted off their shoulders. “See, there we go. We were able to fix it,” They smiled at Ed, who had a weak, relieved smile.

“I guess...I’m not like Pride or Al, but like you?” Ed asked, looking back at Envy.

Envy’s smile widened. “Yeah, like me.” They wrapped Ed in another hug, and pressed their face to the top of his head. “Now we’ll have to add shape shifting lessons to your schedule.”

“You’ll teach me?”

“Well, I don’t think anyone else fucking will, so yeah. I will.” Envy ruffled Ed’s hair, before standing and helping Ed to his feet.

“Will you teach me now?” An excited smile grew on his face.

“Soon. For now, about about I treat you to that ice cream I promised earlier?” Envy said, laying one arm on Ed’s shoulders.

Ed’s head bobbed excitedly. “Can I tell Al about this first?”

“Of course.” With that, the pair left the room, smiling like fools, relieved they’d finally figured out Ed’s special ability. Envy noticed their chest was lighter then it was before, and it hit them; Ed had shown his ability. He was safe from Father, and that ability kept him more separate from Pride than they’d originally thought. He was safe.

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sapphossweetheart · 6 years ago

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First Event: The shit in Liore, except their intention IS to start the riot and it doesn’t just happen. The event plays out roughly the same as it does in canon, in terms of the exposure, but they go with this shit being entirely planned.

Second Event: Envy, Lust, and Gluttony arrive in Liore to take over and give the Elrics ‘constructive criticism’ on their work. The Elrics hear on the radio that the Sewing Life Alchemist has been killed and their daughter is now missing. Scar is the culprit according to the radio.

Third Event: The Elric brothers go to the Youswell mines and the events are basically the same except the Elrics mostly did it because they hate Yoki’s mustache.

Fourth Event: They return to central, where they meet Scar. Ed’s arm is destroyed and Al’s armor is damaged. The extra light in his suit weakens Al’s powers.

Fifth Event: They return to Resembool for repairs. Along the way, they meet Dr. Marcoh.

Sixth Event: They find out how philosopher’s stones are made and they feel torn about their goals and their own stones. They still do the whole research thing and thus Ross and Brosh know how stones are made.

Seventh Event: Ed and Al escape out the window to do something for Father (a patrol?) and get pounced on by Scar, this time targeting Al bc even tho he doesn’t know what he is, he’s 100% sure it aint good. Ed takes the injuries that he otherwise would’ve taken in the 5th lab fight. They almost die again but the other Homunculi come in and drive Scar away, but he gets away. Causes a lot of damage to the area. They that the police n shit are gonna come and they don’t wanna get discovered so they leave Ed and Al in an area where they are easily seen and can be taken to be cared for without causing suspicion on their part.

Eighth Event: Ed needs his automail fixed again and Winry comes up to fix it. All the homunculi are in the hospital room checking on Ed and Winry finds it weird…. Roy also comes in to question Ed on what happens and says that the damage was caused by Scar in their fight. At some point one of the Homunculi come in and tells them their next assignment from Father: which is to head to Dublith and look for the missing Homunculi ‘Greed’ because he’s also a deserter and Father believes this is his location. They are also advised to avoid combat, and that Wrath will do the work once they find him.

Ninth Event: Winry goes with them bc she wants to visit Rush Valley. They get off with her because they wanna stick with their friend. This is also when they meet Paninya and The Gay Lesbians happen. It plays out similarly to how it does in canon. However, when the birth of that Lady happens, it completely floors Ed and Al and they begin their rethinking about humans bc look at that! A whole new life! They knew about that shit before but they never really thought about it.

Tenth Event: Dublith Time. They go all Sneaky and figure out Greed’s Location and report it to Wrath and Father. While they’re scouting, Ed makes eye contact with Izumi. Ed is like “oh that person looks familiar” but dismisses it, meanwhile Izumi sees the gold hair and red eyes and dark skin and roughly how old Ed is and is 100% sure it’s Ed or Al, and definitely follows him. The two lads sneak into the Devils Nest but get caught by Greed. They immediately attack, assuming the worst based off of what they know, and assume that Greed would’ve also attacked. Meanwhile, Greed is just confused as to why these kids are in his home and attacking him. He attacks back, but only to try and scare them off. During the fight, Ed or someone let’s something slip and Greed is also to really quickly put the dots together that somehow these two are connected with Father. Tho, based on the automail he knows Ed isn’t a regular homunculus, and he doesn’t know what the fuck is going on with Al but he assumes the same. Greed tries to appeal to them like “yo, this Father dude isn’t a good dude, you should come with me, it’ll be a lot better”, and as it goes on Ed and Al become more and more unsure about who’s in the wrong here. They know that Wrath is coming though, and they decide that even if they’re unsure, Greed should live.

Thus, they tell Greed to get his dudes outta there, and they escape before Wrath comes. Ed knows that Father will be pissed for letting Greed get away, but he’d probably die if father knew it was intentional. So he tells Greed to put some injuries on him so that it LOOKS like he lost a fight but he rlly didn’t. Al also detaches a couple armor limbs so it looks like he was also put out of the fight. This, sadly, is when Izumi finally finds and catches up to Ed, and (quite understandably) completely misinterprets the situation and just sees a grown ass man hurting the shit out of a child. They end up fighting, and Izumi doesn’t hear Ed trying to tell her what was actually happening because her vision is fucking red. Their fight doesn’t last long until Wrath end sup coming in and properly defeating Greed, And Ed and Al are filled with nervousness about what the actual fuck is gonna happen to him. They also get questioned by Wrath, who is also trying to determine whether or not they’re considering deserting. Wrath leaves with Greed and is satisfied with their answers.

Now it’s time for the Izumi Questioning and Reunion time. Izumi immediately goes to Ed and is like “Are you Edward or Alphonse Elric?” And Ed’s like “WHAT THE FUCK HOW DO YOU KNOW”, and Izumi explains who tf she is and they’re like “OH HOLY FUCK IT’S YOU!!!” And they end up having this really heartfelt reunion.

Eleventh Event: On the way back to Central, Ed, Al, and Winry meet Ling in Rush Valley. Ling is interested in the brothers’ unique chi and knows they have the secret to the philosopher’s stone/immortal life. They fight, and the Elrics win. Ling falls for Ed, HARD. When Ed returns to Winry with his now-trashed arm, Ling is also there and continues to pester the brothers. Winry talks to Ed about her gf (Paninya!) and Ed realizes he’s got feelings for Ling (bastard!). Insert flashback to when Paninya and Winry first started dating and were hanging out together, being silly and stuff.

Twelfth Event: Winry, Ling, Lan Fan, and Fu tag along with Elrics on the train back to Central. Winry is there to spend time with the Hughes family, and Ling + his crew are there because they’re stubborn and Ling is in l-o-v-e. The Elrics report back to Father about the stuff with Greed and Father tells them that they need to see the consequences of desertion. Greed, who is crucified, is melted down in a vat of molten gold. After witnessing this, the Elrics are horrified by Father’s brutality and come to realize the homunculi have been doing the wrong thing. They decide that they will try to secretly be less helpful to the homunculi and work to ruin their plans.

Thirteenth(?) Event: Ed and Al come clean about their identities and background to the Mustang gang, but not Ling (YET). They show proof about their own existences to Mustang (Al’s stone, Ed’s Homunculi lines, etc) and show off their own abilities. With proving the fact that they aren’t bullshitting out of the way, they tell them everything they know. They don’t know about the nationwide transmutation circle, but they know that there are places that need to be sites of mass bloodshed for Father’s plan. They know that Ishval and Liore were two of these, and they also know that Briggs is the next place on their list. Ed and Al tell them that it’s because of that that they are planning on heading north to try to stop their plan.

Fourteenth Event: The bros want to get away from Central and look for answers about Hohenheim, so they take Winry and they take a train to Resembool. They tell everything to Winry, and tell her that she needs to be careful because the homunculi could disguise themselves as anyone (and the Fuhrer is a homunculus). In Resembool, they ask around about Hohenheim and find out some things from Pinako. In the graveyard, when Ed goes to visit Trisha’s grave, he meets Hohenheim again. Ed is bitter about his relationship with Hohenheim but they go back to the Rockbells’ house to talk.

Fifteenth Event: Hohenheim tells Ed and Al about the creation and purpose of Amestris + the homunculi, and about why he left Father and then his mother. He also tells the bros about what he knows about Xerxes, and the original Van Hohenheim.

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sapphossweetheart · 6 years ago

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Nothing was as loud as silence for Edward Elric.

His hotel room simultaneously felt oppressively tiny and way too open. He was curled up onto the bed, clutching his own body. He desperately wished he could drown out the sound, but he doesn’t have his little radio, and the streets and hotel were so quiet, it felt as if they were spiting him. He wished he had some annoying family in the room above him, with screaming children running around and a mother shouting at them to sleep. At least those would be the screams of people who were alive.

There were a lot of things ironic about him. The fact that he desperately wanted a philosophers stone despite having one in his chest was one irony. That same philosophers stone screaming whenever it was quiet, making the silence seem louder than honking cars and loud conversation was another. Why couldn’t all those souls just let him sleep in peace?

He gripped the blankets tighter, turning his knuckles pale. He couldn’t block them out with a pillow, because the noise was coming from within. What sort of fucking hell.

Ed heard the noise of a door opening. Thank god, Ed thought. Finally a distraction.

“Hey did you know there are restaurants here that are open till, like, 4 AM? Because they’re my lifeblood right now,” Ling burst in, muddled like he had food in his mouth. Which, Ed thought, he probably did.

Ling walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ed. “I need to stop eating so goddamn much,” Ling mumbled, “I’m probably fucking up my digestive system.” He looked over at Ed, who was staring at him, eyes half closed and with eye bags galore.

Ling suddenly remembered his manners. “Oh shit sorry, I should be quiet and let you sleep-”

“No. Don’t.” Ed interjected, sitting up on his elbows.

Ling raised an eyebrow at him. “You need sleep, I’m not gonna keep you up.”

“That’s why you need to keep talking. Please. For once, don’t shut the fuck up.”

Ling was shocked at how desperate Ed sounded. He wanted to ask why, but he knew this wasn’t the time.

“Well, the place I went to was this weird dingy place called Tom’s Takeout, which is a really dumb name honestly. It was the only place open that wasn’t some sort of bar, and of course I can’t go in there, I may be nearly six feet but I still have a baby face from hell. Um, didn’t expect much out of the place. Looked like absolute garbage. I almost expected food poisoning. But that shit is actually really good.” Ling rambled. Ed’s eyes closed, and he laid back down onto the pillow. He actually looked peaceful, Ling thought. He wasn’t sure if he’d fallen asleep, so he kept talking.

“I guess I’ll have to keep it in mind, because it was also cheap as hell. Definitely a hidden gem. I could give you directions to it if you want… I’d watch your back though there because I could imagine some criminal bastards mugging you there thinking you’d be an easy target. Not that you would be of course, but the fact still stands… ah, shit goddamn I need a new thing to talk about, shit-” spluttered Ling. His mind raced through topics. Xing politics? That’d either bore him to sleep or worry him. His feelings? Hah, no.

“You could sing.” Ed suggested, his eyes still closed.

“S...Sing?”

“Yeah. Don’t look at me like that, you preform concerts in the shower, don’t you? Do one here.” Ed looked up at Ling, smirking slightly.

Ling glared at Ed. “Wait, wait, how the fuck did you know?” He asked, his voice full of suspicion.

“Guessed.”

Ling left his suspicions to the side. There was time for that later. “I, don’t really know any Amestisian songs though, and I’m not that great of a singer...”

“You’d still be making noise, so I don’t really care. Just go.”

Ling began to hum a song he remembered his caregivers singing to him when he was younger. It was a simple tune, not much more then a verse. But he always found it comforting, and maybe Ed would find it too. He also associated it with being gently rocked and pet. Maybe Ed wouldn’t mind that too?

Ling gently lifted Ed’s head into his lap, and brush his bangs out of his face. Ed didn’t resist, and leaned deeper into the embrace. He felt warm, and Ling’s fingers felt soft and angelic against his skin. He hadn’t felt something like this ever since his mother died. Al was hard and cold, though it was through no fault of his, and Envy’s comforts were always much rougher. Ling’s voice was also relaxing, Ed thought, but his heart nearly stopped when he heard his voice, filled with warmth.

“When the day is done,

and gone is the sun,

rest your head here, little child,

we’ll deliver you home.”

The first thing that woke Ed up was the sun shining directly onto his face. The second was realizing that his head was on Ling’s chest, and that Ling’s arms were wrapped around him. He tried to remember when he got put into this particular position, but he was coming up blank. The last thing he remembered was being put into Ling’s lap, and his gentle voice lulling him to sleep. Ling must’ve moved him there when he went to sleep. Bastard.

Ed shifted, trying to put a little extra space between them. With the total combination of the body heat, the sunlight, being under the covers, and a fourth thing Ed wasn’t going to acknowledge just yet, it was getting a bit too hot for comfort.

“You’re awake!” Ling chirped, sounding fully awake like he hadn’t gone to bed at 3 AM.

Ed blearily looked up at him, bangs falling in his face. “You could say that.”

Ling quietly chucked. Ed could feel his chest rise and fall with the laugh, and he hoped that his face wasn’t as red as it felt.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?” Ling looked down at Ed, their eyes meeting.

“Maybe.”

“Why did you want me to keep talking last night?”

Ed glared at Ling, a scowl forming on his face; Ling was nonplussed. “You know what? I do mind, actually.”

“Ed.”

“It’s not your business.” Ed pushed Ling’s arms off of him and sat up. He stared out the window, looking very intensely at the one puffy cloud in the sky.

“Ed. I want to help.” Ling said as he sat up and re-wrapped his arms around Ed. “How am I supposed to help if you don’t tell me why?”

Ed looked down, staring at his own lap. “You can just do it when I ask you too. You don’t need a reason to do that.”

“I don’t want you to have to ask.”

Ed sighed. “God, you really are a nosy bitch, huh?”

“What would I be if I wasn’t?” Ling smiled, squeezing Ed’s arm.

Ed leaned back into Ling. Ling took his hands in his, gently rubbing with his thumbs. It took a moment for Ed to collect himself and speak.

“You know how I have a philosopher's stone in my chest? I’ve told you what they’re made of, right?”

Ling thought for a moment. “Human souls, right? Isn’t it why your chi is weird?”

“Yeah. Sometimes when it gets really quiet, I-” Ed took a deep breath. “I can fucking hear them.”

“Oh.” Ling whispered. He didn’t know what to say to that.

“And it’s not like I can block them out, because it’s not some external bullshit, so I just need some other sound to ignore them, and when it’s quiet like that there’s nothing I can do.” Ed clutched Ling’s hand, and his words began to come out in a rush. “I want to help them, they sound like they’re in such fucking pain but I don’t know what to do, and trying to communicate with them just makes it worse because I can just feel their fucking agony and usually they’re just mindless but sometimes they do something that reminds me that they’re human and they used to have their own lives and families and dreams and they’ve been reduced to this-”

“Shit, sorry I shouldn’t have pried.” Ling apologized, hugging Ed tighter against his chest.

But Ed had started and he couldn’t stop the rush. “Sometimes I can hear them call out fucking names or for death, I’ve even heard some that sound like they couldn’t be older than fucking five, and they’re forced to exist like this, just forced to power my own shitty fucking existence and their one hope for refuge has to fucking ignore them because he’s an idiot that doesn’t know what to do, and… FUCK!” he choked on his own words, tears beginning to spill down his cheeks.

Ling panicked. This was not an answer he was expecting. “Shhhhh, shhhh, it’s okay. it’s okay.” he comforted, half to himself. He hugged Ed tighter with one hand, and used the other to wipe his tears.

“IT’S NOT OKAY GODDAMNIT!” Ed shouted. He could feel his breath coming in too fast and his head getting dizzy. Ed clutched himself, as if he was trying to physically hold himself together. “They’re real fucking people Ling! They were real fucking people and they’ve been reduced to this! And I’m out here living my FUCKING life doing NOTHING for them-” “EDWARD.” Ling snapped, shocking Ed out of his ramble. He grabbed Ed’s face and turned him to face him. Ed’s eyes were wide with shock.

“Don’t blame yourself for this! it’s not your fault! No one else would know what to do any more than you do!” Ling sighed and ran his thumb over Ed’s cheek. “Listen, I know I can’t fully understand, but fuck if I’m not gonna try to help. I’ll try and learn some more songs and if you need me, just ask? Okay?”

Ed opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn’t get the words out of his contracted throat. The tears began to flow again, and he tucked his head into Ling’s chest. Ling ran his hand up and down his back, once again whispering meaningless comforts.

Eventually Ed was able to speak. And He said,

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

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