Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Miss Hiromu Arakawa and I do not claim any ownership to this wonderous invention!
A/N/ hello this fic takes place in this world and this is only the first chapter I will upload chapter two if anyone reads this warning I'm a little strange so this may be a bit obscure in some peoples eyes but please fellow Elricest lovers read on!
"Nnnh." Edward Elric muttered sleepily turning away from the dusty beams of light filtering lazily through the thing curtain covering the bedroom window.
"Are you awake?" Alphonse Elric asked resting his palm lightly on his brother's bare shoulder.
"Barely." Edward mumbled curling up against his younger brother's chest. As he did this the events of the previous night flooded his thoughts jolting him without warning into awareness.
"Ok I'm awake." He sighed sliding his hand warmly into his companions squeezing tightly.
"Well then good morning." Al smiled as he spoke regarding the warmth of their closeness with a kind of special affection.
"It really happened didn't it?" Edwards tone was more that of a statement than of a question.
"Yeah I guess it did." Al's soft spoken voice was filled with love as he held his unsuspected lover close to him watching the dust particles dance in the sunbeams streaming into the room.
Willing the last dregs of sleep from his system the older man pulled himself into a sitting position planting a kiss on the corner of Alphonse's mouth. The kiss sent a shiver through his body he knew that it would take some getting used to now that he had committed himself to intimacy with another person.
"What's on your mind?" Alphonse questioned noticing the thoughtful expression that had crossed his brother's face as he retreated from the kiss.
"Nothing important I'm just not fully awake yet." The smaller man replied swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and regretfully letting go of the others hand getting to his feet.
"Hmm…ok I'll go make some coffee." Al said also pulling himself from the bed.
Lost in thought Edward began to dress for the day. Alphonse finished dressing before his brother and once Ed was fully clothed he allowed himself to think of what had been happening over the last couple of weeks.
Aside from his growing romance with Alphonse the last two or so weeks had been stressful. Faces haunted his dreams and voices clouded his waking thoughts. He sat back on the edge of the bed trying not to focus his vision on anything unparticular but against his wishes his eyes found something to distort.
The peeling paint of the walls and ceiling to on an uncouth appearance causing the room to look like it was melting. Unbidden the feeling the strangely firmilar voices rang in his ears giving him the eerie feeling that someone was tampering with his mind. Closing his eyes wasn't much of a relief the oozing walls went away but the voices remained and he was faced with the ghostly light dancing on the backs of his eyelids.
"Brother Hurry up the coffee's done!" Alphonse called loudly.
Edward shook his head sharply temporarily clearing his mind of the haunting events. He stood clumsily giving the room an inquiring look before turning hand heading towards the kitchen.
"Sorry Al I got distracted." The older man apologized entering the brightly lighted kitchen feeling as though the little episode had never happened.
"It's alright Brother, here you go." AL said brightly holding a steaming mug of coffee out to the smaller man.
"Thanks, so what's on the agenda today?" Edward asked taking the coffee and sipping it gratefully.
"I need to go get some stuff for the place but other than that I don't have any definite plans." Alphonse turned back to the counter and busied himself making another cup of coffee.
"Good I kind of need to talk to you about something later." The older man was reluctant to tell his newfound lover about his hallucinations but he had strange feeling that there was something more to what was going on then he could figure out.
"That's probably a good idea." The younger man replied taking a moderate drink out of his cup and setting it down on the counter.
Edward downed what was left of his coffee and discarded his cup. Stepping forward the smaller man wrapped his arms around the others waist pushing their lips firmly together. They lost them selves in a passionate kiss until breathing became absolutely necessary. They broke apart breathing heavily and yet another thing occurred to Edward.
"Al has anyone you know around here been acting strangely over the last few weeks?" He asked realizing that whatever was doing this to him could be doing the same to others.
"No stranger than usual, why?" Alphonse has been somewhat concerned about his brother as of late, Ed was usually stressed but he seemed unnaturally close to the edge.
"Oh ok, I'll explain later I need to go talk to someone." Kissing the younger man lightly on the lips the former state alchemist tuned and walked hastily from the kitchen.
The thought had struck him rather suddenly if his mind was being tampered with it was quite possible that others were suffering the same supernatural episodes. He bowled down the hallway of the apartment complex paying little attention to where he was going. He arrived at the superintendants door in less than a minute, when he knocked flakey chips of paint crumbled to the floor and with revulsion the image of the oozing walls invades his thoughts.
"Hellos Mr. Elric what's the problem?" The small old superintendant greeted opening the door to his shabby apartment.
"Um, I need to ask you something can I come in for a moment." The former state alchemist suggested glancing uneasily down the hallway which he realized was strangely dark for such a bright day.
"Of course come in." The frail looking old man accepted gesturing for Edward to enter.
Nodding his head in thanks the small blonde man stepped into the dim cluttered room deciding the best way to word what he needed to ask.
"What is it you need to know Mr. Elric?" The elderly man asked closing the door and making his way to the sitting area.
"Well I was kind of wondering if you had been getting any reports that things or people have been acting strangely lately." He had decided on a direct wording there was no point in beating around the bush, he needed to know.
"No more than the usual but specify strange please." The old man seated himself on an unseemly arm chair that was spilling gobs of yellow foam onto the cluttered carpet.
"Strange as in seeming fearful or nervous." Ed explained keeping his gaze down at his feet.
"No sorry everyone's been acting pretty much the way they always do." The superintendant informed him shrugging nonchalantly.
"Oh well thanks anyway I guess I'll be going then." Edward said turning to leave the room.
"Do you mind me asking why" The grey haired man questioned before Edward could leave the room.
"Oh it was just random curiosity; anyway I need to go talk to Al." With a friendly wave the former state alchemist made his way out of the room.
The hallway still seemed unnaturally dark as he headed back the apartment he and Alphonse shared. Unlike getting to the superintendants room Ed took his time walking back to his own place. So his suspicion had proved wrong whatever was messing with his mind wasn't tampering with anyone else.
"AL we need to talk." Edward stated walking into their apartment and closing the door with unnecessary force.
"What is it Brother?" Al asked in a slightly worried tone emerging from the bedroom.
"Is it happening to you to?" The smaller man asked clasping his brother's hand tightly suddenly desperate to know what was going on.
"Calm down Ed is what happening to me, are you ok? The worry in Alphonse's voice was more prominent now as he squeezed the smaller mans hands tightly.
"Strange things you're not sure if anyone else can see or hear." Edward was starting to get the feeling that he was being watched.
"I've been having strange dreams if that counts." Alphonse pulled his edgy brother into his arms he wasn't sure why but the way Edward was acting made him very worried.
"What kind of dreams?" The smaller mans voice was slightly muffled due to the fact that his face was buried in his brothers shirt.
"Just weird nothing in them makes any sense, the people and the voices are familiar but there's something wrong with them." Al explained absently toying with the older mans braid.
"AL I think something's happening that we need to figure out." Edwards tone was serious as he wrapped his arms firmly around the younger mans waist overcome with the need to know if his brother was protected from whatever was happening.
"Ed look." Al; said urgently trying to draw his brothers attention to the window.
Edward turned his head just in time to see a shadowy figure duck behind the bulky tree that adorned the apartment complex's yard. Once again his mind was pulled of into the demented illusions. The rays of sunlight seemed to be peeling colour and substance from the various objects in the small sitting room. The single light hanging from the ceiling started dripping tear shaped drops of yellow light.
"Brother is you ok!" Al sounded scared snapping Ed at least partially back to reality. Sometime during the course of that episode he had fallen to the floor although try as he might he couldn't remember it happening.
"Yeah Al I'm fine what was that." The former state alchemist replied getting up awkwardly.
"I don't know brother." Al sounded nervous like he had just encountered something ultimately evil.
"I don't know but something tells me we're going to find out." He pointed towards the window where there now stood clustered three shadowy figures. They were insubstantial as if they where just reflections of something solid.
One of them turned and looked directly at the two brothers standing in the window. The air felt cold and sharp as Al clung to his brother refusing to make eye contact with the strange thing. Try as he might Edward could not evade the shadows gaze. He held the younger man tightly and looked directly at the translucent form on the other side of the glass.
"We're surprised it took you so long to notice us." The voice that came from the shadow was not it's own it had the hallow echoing feel of someone speaking over a distance.
The shadow shuddered as if the voice coming from it disgusted it. Turning back to the other two shadowy figures it whispered an unfriendly warning.
"It would be wise of you to fear the dark Edward Elric for things lurk in the shadows that are more dangerous than these childish images." Gesturing lightly with a whispy hand they shadowy beings shimmered darkly and vanished in a cloud of dark smoke. Wisps of that smoke drifted ominously through the cracks and dents in the window sill bringing with it a rank smell like a decaying forest. Holding onto his brother tightly Ed tried to block out the images that started appearing before his eyes. The walls writhed horrifically and the voiced wailed in a kind of supernatural pain.
"AL I don't think we're going to be able to settle down just yet." The smaller man stated running his fingers affectionately through the others hair.
"I think your right but we'll figure it out just like we used to." Taking Edwards hand in his own Alphonse punctuated that sentence by planting a firm reassuring kill on his brother's lips.