WARNING; this story will contain themes that may not be suitable for people. if you have any dark triggers, please do not read!
to be honest, when writing this im not thinking yaoi (boyxboy) but more parental. feel free to continue the story with any of these in mind though.
this is my first story on this website! im not the best writer, but I love this show so much, I had to make a story. please leave criticism; it helps me learn mistakes!
disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. All rights go to their respected owners.
A glance up. A glance around. A glance back down.
The pattern repeated every ten seconds. His hands tightened in their fists to stop their shaking. Strings of curses wouldn't stop coming out of his mouth. He had to believe he'd be there some time.
The streets were abandoned for the cloudy night. Winds from behind him whistled through his ears, but weren't loud enough to interrupt the violent pounding of his heart. The cold was starting to catch up as he suppressed a shiver. He held his bag tighter on his shoulder.
People could've helped him find the building a long time ago, if it was daytime.
He'd been wandering for two hours with non-stop walking. Every direction his brother gave him led him somewhere else. It was fine the first ten minutes, thinking he'd be there soon, but when the clock ticked further, his anger grew.
While he did trust his brother, neither of them had any sense of direction. They should've double-checked to see where he was going.
A small squeak pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked down to see big pleading eyes staring at him in curiosity.
The boy crouched down and combed his hand on the stray's soft orange fur. "I don't think you'd know where it is, kitty." he said with a hopeless sigh. The kitten leaned into the warmth of his hand.
Walking aimlessly was making him exhausted. He had the feeling he wasn't anywhere close to where he was supposed to be, and it was killing him. His legs were more tired than he'd like to admit to himself.
The kitten meowed. He smiled.
Two minutes later, he left the kitten alone. He'd need to keep moving.
His phone buzzed in his pocket but he ignored it. The stress was starting to get to him. If he opened his phone, he knew he'd send more curse words. Sending profanities now was going to get him more of a scolding than he was going to have.
With an angry twitch of his eye, he turned the curb on the street.
His legs ached with relief filled him when he spotted a bench in the middle of a grassy field. A tree hovered above the bench with a hanging beside it He was nearing a park, but more importantly, somewhere to sit.
He tightened his hold on his one-strapped bag and began his walk towards the grassy field. It wasn't too long of a walk and he was grateful.
Finally, after five minutes, he collapsed onto the bench. His neck dropped behind the back and he let out a sigh of white air into the dark skies. The pounding in his chest continued, but the aching in his legs was fading, and he was glad.
He planned on going food shopping, but that had flipped under his feet. Before he was going to leave out the door, his brother had pleaded him with puppy eyes to drop a package off at the postal office. He knew where it was- except that the postal services had been moved to another building.
It was midnight. There was no way the postal office would be open at this hour.
He had school tomorrow. If he closed his eyes, it wouldn't hurt him. His brother would understand why he wouldn't be home. So, only for a couple minutes, he convinced himself to slowly zone out the wind and the birds humming and the dogs howling.
The buzz of his phone made him violently flinch back to reality.
His eyes squinted at the bright white screen. He blinked several times to adjust his eyes on the blurry words.
Received Feb. 15th, 2001, 12:08am- from: Alphonse~
Brother are you there? Don't ignore my messages!
He groaned, the anger that had momentarily subsided coming back. The thought of walking around town again almost made his chuck his phone. He could but he'd get hit on the head by his brother and would need to earn extra money, which would mean more shifts.
The nap was starting to feel more appealing.
Blinking out the sleep he badly needed, he typed to his brother. He noticed his fingers typing slower than normal.
its ur fault im stuck on a bench you ass. y didnt u just do it on ur way to work tmrrow?
He sent it, putting his phone down on the bench on the right next to the package. As curious as he was about the mystery box, he wouldn't invade his brother's privacy. They kept each other's privacy by their exchanging of unsaid rules.
A mumbled chuckle escaped his lips. He hadn't thought of their unsaid rules in a while. It reminded him of the times they had kept each other's secrets as children. Though it didn't look like it, he knew the two of them were a devious pair growing up.
He wished they could go back to their former childish ways. He loved chasing his brother and playing games they created. It felt like they could do anything.
His phone buzzed, making him flinch again. He snatched it and flipped open the top.
Received Feb 15th, 2001, 12:11am- from: Alphonse ~
Well it's not my fault you got lost Ed
Edward Elric clicked his tongue. His thumbs pressed harder on the buttons.
im not lost im searching. and how is this my fault u were the one who was impatitent. i couldve been getting done with groseries that we need
He blinked fast, centering his vision. It was getting blurry by the second and his head felt heavier. He felt his fingers numbing from the cold. He was in desperate need of getting home.
Received Feb 15th, 2001, 12:12am- from: Alphonse ~
I'm going in early tomorrow. The postal office would be closed by time I got to work and left. It needed to be delivered before then.
A second later, another text came through.
Received Feb 15th, 2001, 12:12am- from: Alphonse ~
Please hurry up and get here and deliver that package because it's very important
Ed resisted the urge to throw his phone again. He hated his brother as much as he loved him.
Received Feb 15th, 2001, 12:12am- from: Alphonse ~
I don't think I can stay up any longer
He panicked. There was no way he'd get home by himself. He needed his brother.
al wait wont u help me get back ? im near an abandened park by a place called south street
One minute later, no reply came.
al plz dont do this theres nobody anyoen around here
Ten seconds later, no reply came.
please al I need help did you fall asleep
Another ten seconds pass with no reply.
fuk u al y u do this to meeeeeeeeeeeee
WARNING- Low battery: 8%
Ed shut his phone. He needed to get back. It felt as if he'd lose his mind if he suffered through this cold any longer.
He swung his school bag over his shoulder and hulled the package back into his arms. He dropped his phone into his uniform pants while standing up from his warm spot on the bench. He shivered, wanting to hug his arms or sit by a fireplace or bundle up in blankets. At the moment, he'd take anything.
Unless he started moving, he knew he wouldn't get any of that.
Ed traveled across the grass again, heading back the way he came. He moved slower than he liked but didn't have a choice from the shakiness of his legs.
With a swallow, he kept moving. If he backtracked his steps, he should find the postal office. There was a possibility it'd be open. Alphonse said it was important, so he should deliver it. He trusted his brother had his reasons.
Though, through his foggy mind, he couldn't remember exactly which way he came from.
Instead of thinking, Ed went by instinct and started in the direction he went for the bench. He knew it was South street by signs. The apartment was... was...
Ed felt like slamming his head against a brick. He let out a groan of frustration. His brain wouldn't function right. Logically it couldn't have been far. He had to find a familiar place, then he'd recognize where to go.
He pressed his cold hand against his head. That wasn't supposed to be his goal. Ed was supposed to find the postal office, not to his brother. Except, his head was filled with cotton, and he couldn't think. He was so tired.
He forced his eyes open. His knees dug into the grass next to the sidewalk. He didn't recall falling but his couldn't feel or hear anything.
Alarms went off in his head. This was getting worse by the second, he realized. He was draining faster by the seconds.
He opened his eyes again, staring at the shards of green. There had been a noise outside his pounded headache.
It echoed louder into his ears.
Click, step, whistle, click, step
He shot his head up. It was a person he was hearing.
Through his squinted eyes, he made out the shape of a person. From what he could make out, the stranger went passed, heading towards the grass with the bench. This stranger had to be his last hope.
With all the strength he could muster, Ed stumbled onto his feet. He forced away the will to lay down.
He cupped his hands and called out to the man going further from him. "Hey, excuse me! Hey!"
Ed pushed himself up. He took seconds to balance himself before following the man's footsteps. He wondered how this person couldn't hear his yelling.
"Oi, turn around!" The man didn't stop his whistling and continued his stroll.
Ed's jaw tightened. He didn't see any headphones on him. The man must be deaf.
Finally, he stomped up close enough. Quieting his panting breaths, his shaking right gloved hand gripped the man's shoulder. "I need you're help."
The man hadn't turned around but stopped, frozen. Ed couldn't see any breathing from him either (though the dark wasn't helping his sight). Had he scared him to death? Was this man having a heart attack? He could've been traumatized.
"S-sir?" Ed retracted his hand. The stranger wouldn't move. He didn't mean to frighten the man. Should he bring him to a hospital? He had no idea where a hospital was around here. He had no idea what to do.
He questioned if he should touch him again, but after the initial reaction, he didn't want to experiment. He should do something. He could run and pretend nothing happened. Only problem was, if this man was in pain, he wasn't going to run away. He wouldn't leave someone in their suffering.
But what solutions did he have? What exactly could he do in this situation? Was there anything he could do?
Ed shut his eyes. He should leave. This man was clearly froze, not in obvious pain. He needed to do something before he passed out, like find others who know where the postal office. He was wasting time.
Breathing in through his teeth, he turned to leave, only to feel frozen himself.
Though his skin felt numb, his face was instantly warmed. A thumb pushed his flushed cheek in circles. One hand was on top his head, going down to his braided hair.
His eyes opened to meet dark eyes.
He stared, blinking slowly for seconds.
Ed screamed, jumping back. His back slammed onto the grass, making him groan. He scooted back as fast as his pained legs could push him.
"What the fuck, you-you pervert! What-what the fuck!" Ed held his cheeks, trying to gain some of his dignity. He should've known better than to ask a stranger at midnight at an abandoned park. That was the number one rule of Stranger Danger.
He watched the man walk backward, his jaw dropped. Ed eyed him, making sure he didn't get closer.
The man mumbled something incoherent. Ed glared, trying to pick himself up again. His hands folded into fists in front of his chest. "Don't you dare get close 'cause I know martial arts. Plus, I'll have you reported to the police for harassment, pervert."
Ed struggled to get up as the seconds passed. He yelled at himself in his head, constantly screaming to move it, but couldn't budge.
The man pointed at his own chest. "you can see me?"
"Damn, you must be delusional." Ed shakily got back on his feet, his eyes not leaving the stranger. "just-just don't move because I'll be outta here in a sec'."
The stranger let out a small laugh, making Ed freeze for the second time. Edward was tempted to make a faster run for it than when he came, but he didn't have the energy. The one day he needed his fatigue, he runs into a delusional pervert.
"Holy... holy shit! You can actually see me! You can see me!" The man's laughter made Ed wince, thinking the neighboring buildings could hear this.
A crazed maniac, Ed thought. He's delusional pervert maniac.
Ed turned around, trying to make a run for it, but only shuffled a three steps forward before tilting. He needed to run, he needed to leave before it was too late. He was going to die. These were his final moments.
I'm haunting Al if I die
Suddenly the man was in front of him, forcing Ed to take steps back. Did he fall asleep while standing?
"Kid, you don't look good. You should sit,"
Ed inhaled.
He booked it, running around the guy. He wouldn't get far, but he was pushing himself. He could find a place to hide before this crazed man would get to him.
This person was crazy, and he was never going to trust another stranger. All he wanted was to get to the postal- no, fuck the postal office, he thought. He wanted to go home, sleep, then tell Al the tale of the perverted stranger and never go out at night again.
He was going to have a long talk with Al later.
Ed turned the same corner he had earlier that led to the hill. He ran down the street, hoping to find somewhere to hide. He was draining fast.
Finally, he sighed. The corners of his lips perked up as he rounded a corner into an alleyway.
He pushed his back against a dumpster. He held his right gloved hand on his mouth, holding his breath. If the man had followed him, he would pass by. It was too dark to see in the alleyway.
Seconds pass and all Ed could hear were the light breezes of wind going by. There were no footsteps.
He relaxed, slouching against the trash. The adrenaline in him was fading, along with the beating of his heart. His eyes drooped, threatening to close.
"I was trying to help."
The man was in front of him, squatting. One his hands was held out for Ed to shake.
Edward flinched. His back pressed further against the dumpster, as if trying to make himself disappear. There would be no escape for him. The man would get out his dagger any second and stab him. He was going to die.
The man slowly held his hands in a surrendering position. "It's alright, kid. How about we start off slow?" He talked as if he was speaking to a young child.
Holding back bile building up in his throat, he questioned himself. How did the man get here? What was this man's plan to do with him? Why wasn't he dead?
"My name was Roy, and you're the first person to see me as a ghost."
Ed passed out.