To be competely honest with himself, he was terrified. Not just scared, but out of his mind nervous. Edward Elric paced teh wooden floor in his bedroom nervously. Then, ready to leave, he reached for the brass door knob with his human hand. Without even touching it, he could feel the chill it emitted into the room. Quickly, he retracted his hand with a deep sigh and begun to pace once more. His room wasn't very large which made pacing difficult. One, two, three steps, turn, one, two, three steps, turn. Edward began to get light-headed after continuous turning and sat on the end of his bed, drumming his thumbs soundlessly on his knees.
The source of his nervousness would waltz through the door any minute.
His father entered moments later, drenched head to toe from the downpour outside. It was only then that Ed heard the constand thudof the rain against the shingles on the roof.
Edward wasn't afraid of his father, it was why the older man had come to fetch his son that made him on-edge.
"Edward, I'll come to retrieve you as soon as it's ready, which will take a few hours. We only have minutes, no, seconds to actually make it work."
"Will you be coming with me?"
"No, son. but do say "hello" to your brother for me."
Every two and a half years, the bridge between the world of Alchemy and the world of Technology, Ed's world, opened. Today was such a day. Ed's plan was to visit his brother, Alfonse Elric, in Central when he crossed the boarder line into the other world. It would be his first time seeing everyone since he had gone to his father's side to save Al's life that fateful day in the lost city. Ed was eighteen and a half now, and he felt that his knowledge and understandment had greatly improved since leaving his home behind. Living with his father had opened up new posibilities for him. He no longer was able to use alchemy there, but where he lived, a different kind of science prevailed.
Now Ed's real problem had begun, Al. After two and a half years, Ed thought that maybe, just maybe he could slip by the visit without revealing a sinful secret. The sooner the time got for the worlds to link, the more Edward began to doubt himself. His secret: his lustful desire to make Al, his own flesh and blood, his, and his alone. Every time Al's face would appear in Ed's mind, his craving would take days to repress.
Now the thought of his younger brother inticed im, eating away at his hard work to contain himself. His father's long black trench coat dripped on teh floor, making a small puddle at his feet. Edward rose, picking his own gray coat off of the end of bed as he passed it on his way out. They both walked in silence down the bare streets of London. The rain pounded their heads roughly, keeping Ed from looking up.
Finally, they arrived at their, less-then-impressive destination. It was a ruddy, old appartment building, collapsing from the pressure the ceiling beams were puttin gon the supports. Add that to thirty years of rust and grime and everyone stayed away, leaving father and son to work in solitude.
They entered using the building's skeleton key without being noticed. A large antique wooden door lay in the middle of the room. The frame work was astounding and a polished silver knocker in the shape of a lions roaring mouth lay magnificently in the center. Around it were tools, workbenches, chairs, and other miscalanious objects. A large clock sat on the wall, ticking away noisily.
Edward knew this place well, coming here after school every afternoon and staying well into the night.
Books lay opened all around the door with funny symbols and characters drawn on the floor beside them.
How was he going to see everyone with having to painfully suppress himself. Again, being dreadfully honest with himself, not to much had changed regarding his physical appearence. His dull blonde hair had grown a few inches longer down his back, still messily braided. He had grown maybe three inches in two years and he cursed, ungratefully, at that. Edward still only had half his human limbs remaining, but crisp white gloves kept his hands from being exposed. His skin was the palest it had been all year, due to the lack of sun he had recieved. Despite the seemingly lack of change in appearence, there was one thing different. A long diagonal lined scar traced from his mid-forehead all the way down over his left eye to the ridge in his cheekbone. A school fight with an older boy won him that prize. His muscles weren't buldging but nobody could deny their existance either. Extensive combat training had made Ed faster then he'd ever been. Overall, he was almost completely hapy with himself, not including his being vertically challenged.
Ed and his father shared numerous laughs about Al's appearence. Both agreed he would be as tall as Ed with a more feminen look about him. That, after all, was what fueled Ed's desires.
Mr. Elric took off his coat and flung it effortlessly over a nearby table. Rolling up his white sleeves, he resumed making symbols around the door. Ed did the same, mimicking the pattern of circles and other shapes.
Edward wiped sweat off of his forehead onto a handkerchief that had been stuffed into his breast pocket earlier. He didn't dare glance at the gold pocket watch dangiling from a pant pocket.
Finally, all the signals were done and it was time to go. Ed furrowed his brow in anxiety as he waited for something to happen. His father shrugged tiredly looking sideways at the large clock on the wall.
First, the symbols glowed, then the door frame glowed, with all the light, Ed felt like he might glow too. Getting up, Mr. Elric strided over to his son's side.
"Now, hopefully, you don't end up somewhere you shouldn't be," he put a sturdy hand on Edward's shoulder.
"If I'm lucky, I'll wind up at a bar before I reach Central," Ed mumbled feeling a quisiness in the pit of his stomach.
His father lifted an eyebrow and Ed rolled his eyes. Then, he stepped foreward. He bent over to pick up the silver knocker and pulled it up, flinging the whole door open. Edward groaned in obvious dislike as he looked at their portal. It looked like any other cement floor. Unwillingly, he stepped foreward again. To his surprise, his foot sunk into the floor. Yelping loudly, his whole body began to sink into a frozen obyss. Closing his eyes, Edward held his breath, hearing his father's hearty laugh as the last of his body was engulfed.
Even after the icyness wore off, Ed refused to open his eyes.
"Edward? Edward Elric?" a familar female voice called out to him.
"Shit," Edward sighed. He had ended up exactly where his father had intended him to end up, in Central. Even worse, in hearquarters, where he wouldn't have time to plan his escape if needed. And at the moment, he needed that plan more then anything.