#wolf in sheep’s clothing [greedling]

[valiant-noble-soul]

......

What was this feeling?

He felt so....groggy....Like when he had finally broken free from Pride’s control. He was disoriented. He didn’t feel as gross as he did before, but he was just as confused. What happened to him?

His vision instantly cleared up once he tried to sit up, only to a strong resistance keeping his limbs down. Panic began to take hold as he struggled to break free. He remembered going after his brother after he had fallen down that chasm. Crap, had Pride captured him?! Something...something was covering his nose and mouth, muffling any noise he made. He was tied up! No, no! How could he let this happen? He was-

“Will you calm down, kid? Don’t use up what little energy you have throwing a fit.”

Alphonse instantly stilled at the sound of the familiar voice. He turned his head to see Ling—although he could tell from here it wasn’t really him—sitting in a nearby chair, looking at him blankly through his dark bangs.

“Yeah, real smart, I know. Why is the best homculus on babysitting duty? I should be in the interrogation room with our brothers. Well, the fact is I need to be ready to carry you off if Mr.Prideful decides to ax you off.” Greed lowered his voice to a whisper and winked. “Or in case I need to use you as a hostage in order to make your brother come back to his senses!”

“........” Alphonse was silent as he looked around the room they were both current residing in. This wasn’t some sort of dungeon like he was expecting. It was a hospital wing. He looked down to see he was indeed tied down to a bed, but it was a breathing mask on his face, not a gag. He wasn’t captured....at least, he didn’t think he was.

Greed laughed as Al gave him a pointed look while wiggling his bound wrists. “Yeah, sorry about that. I don’t know how you got your body back, but you’re in a pretty pitiful state. It wouldn’t take much to do you in. Not that we expect that to matter to you. You’ll probably go charging after your brother regardless if you get hurt or not. So we had to strap you down for your own protection.”

Alphonse’s face shifted to a glare. He was being held there against his will? They couldn’t do that!

Greed shrugged. “Sorry, but them’s the breaks. Take it up with your military friends if you have a problem with it. They’re the ones who said you needed to be protected.”

Al shook his head, frustrated that the mask was preventing him from talking. They didn’t understand! He didn’t have time to lay around in bed! He only had one month! He wanted to see his brother!

“That little panda girl is working on something that could possibly seperate our brothers. Until then, the big guys are going to keep Edward safe and restrained, I’m gonna keep you safe and restrained, so...yeah. That’s the jist of it.”

Alphonse raised an eyebrow, something the homculus had said previously moving to the forefront of his mind.

As if reading his mind, Greed waved a hand. “Oh, the hostage thing? That’s my back-up plan. We feel like a sort of fool-proof plan into getting Pride to let go of the reigns is to make Ed feel like you’re in danger. I mean, it’s one thing if ‘ol Pride forces the body to attack you, but we believe that there’s no way Ed will be able to ignore you getting captured by mean, old Mr.Greed.”

He folded his hands behind his head, looking very relaxed despite the situation. “Now, just in case Edward doesn’t buy my bluff of holding you hostage, don’t freak out if I have to rough you up a bit. He won’t be able to resist if I suddenly switch character and attack you in front of him-“ He hissed and pressed a finger to his temple, his relaxed posture gone. “Damn it! I’m kidding, Ling! Don’t have a cow!” He grumbled and looked over at Al. “Well...I may be anyway....”

Alphonse groaned under his mask. He didn’t care about any of that. He couldn’t move. He was trapped. He just wanted to see his brother again. But maybe he was being selfish. If Mei managed to seperate Ed and Pride, he could still bring the latter to Truth. Hopefully.

But he didn’t want to be a protected hostage. He wanted to be there for Ed, let him know he was there for him. He wasn’t alone. His little brother wanted to save him. And he certainly didn’t want to stay in this bed and do nothing! Geez, was this what Ed felt like every time he went to the hospital? No wonder he always caused such a ruckus!

Al was scared. He felt so powerless. He wanted his big brother. He wanted to know how he was doing. The plan was to keep them seperated?

Nothing good ever came from seperating the Elric Brothers...

@alchemic-elric

valiant-noble-soul‌:

As soon as Al heard the confrontation going on outside the armor, he scampered out as fast as he could–just in time to see his brother plummet into a makeshift chasm far below the ground. Their golden eyes locked on each other’s before they were separated once again. 

“BROTHER!” His legs were too weak to just spring up on his feet. His muscles hadn’t been used in years. He opted to drag himself to the edge of the hold, frantically searching for any sight of his fallen sibling. Oh god, what if he was seriously hurt? Or worse? No….homunculi were supposed to be immortal! Ed couldn’t have gone down just like that! Al wouldn’t let him!

But what could he do? There was no way he had enough energy to move the ground back up! Leaving Ed there wasn’t an option. He didn’t want to go find the colonel either. He had Pride in his sights. He didn’t want to risk the homunculi running away with his brother’s body. 

Finally his eyes landed on his suit of armor. He quickly did the calculations in his head. He didn’t have enough energy to move a mass of earth and concrete, but maybe some metal? Yes, for his brother, he could find just enough energy to pull it off. 

He scampered over to the armor, looking at the face that had refused to for five years. It felt surreal to look at it now, slumped over lifelessly. A literal out of body experience. He ran his fingers over the ridges. Too bad he was too concerned about Ed to focus on the sensation of touch again. 

Finally he sighed. “Goodbye old friend. Thank you for everything.” He clapped his hands together, using his hands to change his armor into a long pole attached to the edge of the hole. 

Al collapsed, what little energy he had having been spent on the transmutation. He felt so weak. He wasn’t used to being tired. His breathing came in shallow gulps as sweat ran down his bare body. 

No. He couldn’t stop here. He needed to get his brother. He couldn’t waste any time. If Ed was hurt, he’d need help as soon as possible. He focused on the mental image of his brother’s face as he forced himself back up. He crawled over to the pole. He didn’t allow himself to think about it. He grabbed the pole and slid down, down into the darkness. He couldn’t help but feel like he was diving into the bowels of hell in order to save his brother. Well, he’d always he’d do it for his sake. High time he proved it. 

His grip loosened a little too soon. He fell down a few feet above ground. He gave a sharp yell from his first painful experience in years. He didn’t dwell on it long though. His brother was just a few feet away from him. He needed to be there for him. He needed him. 

He dragged himself over to his brother’s unconscience form. He placed his hands on his face, trying to get a good look at him. Somehow the feeling of being able to touch his brother made him more exhausted. Before he even knew what he was doing, he rested his head on the other’s chest, similar to how he did when they were kids and decided to share a bed. 

“You’re….so warm…” Al whispered, feeling soothed by the sound of the other’s heartbeat. In a matter of moments, his eyes closed and he joined him in his state of unconscience bliss. 

—

Mei could only provide Xio Mei with a comforting head pat as she worked fervently on her circle. Everyone was at the battlefield, getting ready to prepare for the plan Mr.Greed proposed. Nobody liked it, but no one had any better solutions. Many things could go wrong. Mei had never used her alkehestory the way she had been instructed to use it. this type was used for separating diseases from sick people. Would it really work on separating the ‘illness’ form Mr Edward’s body?

She doubted it, but the homunculus controlling her rival’s body seemed confident that it would. And since he had no way of knowing about alkehestory, the plan must have actually been her rival’s. Ling’s. He was really in there. So that meant Mr.Edward was still in there. Then they had to find a way to separate them. Nobody was willing to sacrifice him. Even that mean Briggs lady had been convinced to do whatever was necessary to save him. 

….She also really hoped Alphonse would be okay. As amazing as he was, she knew that Mr.Greed was the stronger of the two. He had the power of immortality after all. She just hoped he remembered not to hurt him when he finally caught up to the Elrics. 

“I would give up all the immortality in the world if it kept those boys safe.” Of course Mei hadn’t forgotten her clan, but the Elrics….after everything they’d been through, they didn’t deserve this. And she wanted to marry the younger one one day. She prayed that this plan turned out right, and they were returned safe and sound. 

She looked up at all the soldiers who were severely injured after the battle with the homunculi, but who refused to be treated until the boys were returned safely. They had a lot of people waiting on them. It was only right that they survived. It was only right. 

@alchemic-elric

“Lieutenant report.  What happened to Fullmetal? To Alphonse?”  Mustang sounding feeling the heavy squeeze on his shoulder that was his queen’s grip. Something obviously bad had happened considering the sound of Fullmetal’s voice and the sound of Alphonse screaming. Little fool probably did something reckless again. 

“It seems Alphonse was returned to his body, Sir and so Edward took the ground out underneath himself to keep himself away from his brother, Colonel. He just fell a great distance and Alphonse went after him.”  Hawkeye explained, her grip tensing up as she spoke, doing everything in her power to keep her composer. 

“Then why are you still here? Go after them. Retrieve the Elric Brothers, Lieutenant.” 

“Sir.” 

Hawkeye only took a second to look towards the Armstrong pair before racing to the long pole that Alphonse had transmuted only moment’s ago. She’s diving head first into the situation to save the children she’s grown so fond of over these long years.  When she’s close enough she jumps down to the ground and races over to the fallen pair of alchemists.  

“They’re still breathing but I need help getting them back up!” She sounds cupping her hands around her mouth in hopes it would help her voice to carry. 

Armstrong is at her side as quickly as he’s able. Stopping only to look the two boys over. Edward is covered in blood but seems otherwise uninjured. The power of the stone within him no doubt. Surely such a fall would have killed him otherwise. 

“Stay close to them, Lieutenant.”  Armstrong commands, pulling back his fist to slam his gauntlet into the ground causing the earth beneath them to rise. 

Both boys were brought to a section of Command that hadn’t been destroyed in the fighting - Alphonse given medical treatment as quickly as possible and a fresh pair of clothing. Armstrong was setting with him, as was Hawkeye - waiting for the younger to wake. 

-  

‘Ugh…’

There’s a groan as the teen’s face started to twitch as consciousness returned.  Slowly he opened his eyes to be met with nothing but pitch black surrounding.  What? What was going on?

‘W-What happened?’ The alchemist sounds as he lifts his head up slowly still feeling groggy from the events of before.  

“Edward?”  A voice chimed in the darkness, causing the blond to look in the direction of the sound.  

“Colonel?”  Edward met him in response to his name.  “What’s going on? Why’s everything black? Why are the lights off?” 

“You’re blindfolded Edward. Your friend Greed explained the problem at hand to us. So please forgive us for restraining you.” 

“Restraining me?”  As if just to check the validity of the statement the boy leaned forward to both his arms were firmly fastened to back of the chair he was seated in. He twisted, twisted and shook trying to get himself free for a moment.  “What the hell Colonel?!  What’s going on?! What the hell - “ 

“You’ve been possessed by one of those beasts, Elric.”   General Armstrong’s voice rang through.  “In fact it’s the one who tore up my men while you were at Briggs. It can’t activate it’s power if we keep it in darkness, so that means we need to keep you in darkness.” 

“Wait… what… what are you….” 

“Pride.”  Mustang cuts him off striking Edward to silence when he starts to feel a pain rooting it’s self in his skull like it’s tearing him apart. 

Edward’s leaned over, letting out a pained cry as he heard that cry of inner agony stir inside himself all over again. He’s shaking his head as if he can get it out, the voices - the tormented screaming not unlike fighting Envy in that beastly form.  Make it stop. Make It Stop. Make it STOP. 

“I can make it stop, Edward Elric. Fade away and join them and you’ll never have to hear them again.” 

Selim’s voice echoed from inside him, as his eyes went wide despite his inability to see. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. 

It all came back in a flash - everything that had happened hours before. He’s breathing heavy - heaving quickly as he starts to panic, remembering all that occurred only to feel like he’s being pulled back inside his own body and to lose control of himself. To become a spectator of his life through his own eyes. 

The teenager’s body calmed, breathing slowed and shaking stilled. He became all too composed at once, leaning back in the chair he was bound to looking up and turning his head in the direction that Mustang’s voice had been coming from. 

His lips took a dark expression. 

“So then Colonel Mustang.”  The voice that left him was both Edward and not all at once. “Tell me….what happened to my brother?”