Disclaimer I do not own FMA or FMAB.
Summary: Were feelings that weren't heard acknowledged? His voice and gestures were all he had to communicate with people.
If he shut his eyes and opened them would he vanish? If he looked away would his precious brother vanish and leave him?
Could they face this after everything else they've lived through? Could they face this new hell or would they be burned.
Ed groaned as he stretched his back and sighed in relief as his back cracked. Ed laid down on his bed and relaxed for the first time in two weeks. "Finally I get a break. I'm sooo glad you convinced me to call in for my vacation Al." Ed muttered sleepily and Al sighed happy that his brother was finally taking a break from all his obsessive studying and obsessive researching. The phone rang and Al answered it while Ed slept in the sun curled up into a ball.
"But this is Brother's first vacation. He has been working non stop for years!" Al felt despaired as he hesitantly woke his brother and lead him to phone. "Al, I'm tired." Ed whined rubbing his eye and grabbing the phone. "Lo?" Ed asked groggily. His eyes snapped wide open at the smug voice. "Fullmetal your vacation request has been denied. You're going on a mission with my team. You and your brother are the only ones who can help us stop a... You'd better getting over here to be debriefed." Mustang ordered hanging up. Ed slammed the phone and crouched tugging at his hair harshly. "One damn day! That's all i wanted!" Ed got up and walked to the door morosely. "Come on Al. He said you too." Al followed his brother to Central command.
"It's a trap! Run!" Ed screamed out the window to Hawkeye who was his, Al's, and Mustangs's back up. Ed pushed Al ahead of him hastily transmuting hands and spikes as Al carried an unconscious Mustang. Ed gasped as the floor was transmuted into saw dust and they fell two stories before managing catch themselves. Mustang awoke and saw the Rogue state Alchemist smirking above them and snapped his fingers. "Mustang NOOO!" Ed screamed transmuting a square shield around Al and Mustang seeing that he was too far as the area explodes in a fiery glow of destruction. Ed's scream the last thing heard as the building collapses.
A low 'beee' woke Ed up who found his self surrounded by wood and saw dust and pain. Pain everywhere, what was going on? What happened? Ed tried to push his self up but a pain in his arm had him crashing back to the floor screaming as everything began pulsing in agony. He coughed as sawdust entered his poor abused lungs and passed out.
Al made a hole in his brother's hasty transmutation shield. He saw it was safe and transmutated the walls back to the floor and looked around too see destruction everywhere and rubble everywhere. "Colonel! Edward! Alphonse!" Al heard Hawkeye scream.
"Lieutenant! Over here!" Al shouted as he laid Colonel Mustang on the floor. Al listened and heard a muffled scream coming from his right. "Brother?! Brother can you hear me?!" Al shouted in worry looking at the pile of rubble and debris. Al waited by the Colonel though because he wasn't aware enough to move if more of the building collapsed. Soon Hawkeye and a crew of medically trained soldiers were heading into the destroyed building. As soon as they reached Mustang Al was on his feet heading to the pile of debris that he knew his brother was under. "Brother?" Al called cautiously but could only hear strained wheezing and gasps of pain. He carefully began sifting through and moving rubble and debris. By the time he took notice of his surroundings he found Havoc, Breda, Fuery, Falman and others helping him look for Ed.
A groan made him freeze as he lifted a huge slab of wood to see Ed pinned to the floor By various support beams and pipes but thankfully the only thing impaling him was a small broken pipe at his right leg. Everything else fell in such a way that it held up everything from collapsing on him. His arm had a bone sticking straight through his red coat though.
"Brother?" Al called hesitantly but Ed didn't react and Al was pushed out of the way so Ed could be loaded onto a stretcher and driven to the hospital. Al watched carefully as his brother was strapped down then loaded him into an ambulance. "He'll be fine Alphonse. Your brother is a fighter." Havoc said clapping Al's arm and grinning. Now let's get you to the hospital." Al nodded and followed Havoc to his military issued vehicle.
Three days later
Brother has been in a medically induced coma for three days now. He has third degree burns on his back from the explosion and a compound fracture to the radius. He had muscle damage in his right leg from the pipe impaling his thigh. He got stitches and had a head wound that bled a lot dripping blood into his ears but it wasn't a bad wound. He was currently laying on his side propped up by pillows so he doesn't fall but I'm hopeful that he will wake up soon.
Ed groaned and opened his eyes squeezing them shut and raising his left arm to cover his eyes only to see a cast on his arm. He blinked in surprise wondering where Al was. He couldn't hear him asking if he was alright. Ed frowned distaste fully as Mustang entered the room and saw him awake. He looked surprised and had a bandage around his head before the surprise faded and he smirked. He opened his mouth saying something that didn't reach Ed's ears. Ed froze and sat up pain hit him from all sides but that didn't matter because he when he sat up he saw Al standing and waving his hands.
"Al... I can't... I can't hear you..." Ed whispered painfully ignoring all of his physical pain for the mental anguish he felt as his heart felt like it was being squeezed. He stared at Al to see him stop moving and began hyperventilating in panic and terror.
Al looked up when he heard Ed groan and stood up leaving the window and standing at his brother's back. "Brother! You're awake!" Al said excitement in his voice. But Ed ignored him. He raised his casted arm to shield his eyes from the light but frowned as he looked at his arm. "Brother? Brother what's wrong?" Al asked desperate to hear Ed's voice after three days of silence. Colonel Mustang walked into the room and Ed scowled at him. "Well, well, well. Looks like lazy bones is finally awake." Colonel Mustang said with a smirk after the surprise faded. A bandage around his head was the only sign that he had even injured in the fight.
Al watched his brother sit up, pain was evident on his face. "Lay back down brother! Your hurt really bad!" Al scolded gently getting closer to Ed and waving his hands in a placating manner. Shock flickered onto Ed's face before crumpling and pure agony was written on his face. "Al... I can't..." Mustang and Al froze at the tears in Ed's eyes and the pain that was purely emotional in his voice. Ed swallowed drily. "I can't hear you..." Devastation crossed his face and Al froze at his brother's words. He couldn't hear?
Ed hunched over gripping his shirt tightly as he began hyperventilating. "Nurse! Doctor! Anyone!" shouted Mustang as Ed's heart monitor went crazy while Ed struggled to breathe. Two nurses and a doctor entered the room pinning Ed down while he struggled and sedated him. Ed was lain back on his side and covered up. The last thing Ed saw was Mustang guilty and devastated look. "Wasn't your fault." Ed whispered before he fell into a medically induced sleep.