"Edward!"
Alphonse and Winry were at Ed's side in minutes, pulling on his arms to shake him out of his panic.
"Ed stop!" Winry cried, tugging furiously as Ed's tortured scream cut through her. "Ed, please!"
Ed's screaming died down rapidly as they pulled him off of his hands and sat him the few feet away on the stairs, shaking his shoulders to get his attention. His wide, frightened eyes searched frantically as he tried to speak coherently.
"H-he-hello? A-Alphonse? S-someone-there?"
Alphonse wrapped his arms around his big brother, something that Ed usually resisted. He shook, crying as Ed relaxed in his arms and rested his head on Al.
"Al, we need to get him inside," Winry said quietly as she wiped the tears from her face. "He's still shivering; it's freezing out here."
"Yeah. C-come on, Ed." Al pulled away and tugged at Ed's arms, surprised by how quickly he responded and stood.
Guided by Al as Winry moved possible obstacles out of the way, Ed followed obediently, having no clue that his skin was pale and icy to the touch. He stumbled on the stairs, but kept going because Al caught him; never hit the kitchen table on the way in, and made it to his chair much, much more quickly than he'd ventured away from it.
Winry materialized a thick blanket, sliding herself under it as she nestled next to him. He seemed to sense her presence, responding with thankfulness as he spoke.
"Cold," Ed shivered. "You'll...get cold."
"Oh Ed," Winry laughed on a sob. "Don't you dare think I'm leaving you for something that silly." She put her arm around his middle, squeezing tenderly.
Alphonse reinserted Ed's IV as he snuggled peacefully with Winry, a smile making its way to his face. Ed had scared them senseless with his sudden screaming, waking them from their sleep.
Hadn't Ed tried calling them first?
It's not like they could ask.
Knowing where Winry would spend the rest of her night, Al shared a short kiss with her, taking up residence on the couch nearby.
"Yes, Roy, I told you. He managed to get outside. At three in the morning."
"Well, he's clearly...growing bolder," Roy replied dumbly on the other end of the phone call.
"He couldn't find his way back in, and he started screaming. I don't know if bolder is a good thing..."
"He's going to learn from that, you know. I doubt he'll go outside alone after last night."
"I hope not. I don't think I can-Edward!" Al dropped the phone as he rushed to Ed, who was up and wandering, studying the layout of the kitchen with knocks and kicks. "What are you-"
As soon as Al grabbed his arm, Ed froze in place with a guilty expression on his face. "Ummmm I was just… I want water?"
"But Ed, your IV takes care of…" Al sighed when he realized that Ed had torn out the IV again. "Fine. I'll get you water." Al led Ed to the kitchen table, sitting him down gently. He ran over to the phone, muttered an 'I'll call you back' and hung up on Roy.
Ed sat patiently as Al put the smallest amount of water into a mug for him, stood with him, and held it to Ed's lips. Tilting Ed's head back, he tipped the water-but was surprised when Ed turned his head just enough to yank away.
"Ed?"
"I can do it." Ed cupped his hands together to hold the mug, waiting expectantly. As Al reluctantly sat the mug in Ed's hands and guided it to his mouth, he released his grasp, curious to see if Ed really could do it.
And why couldn't he? It's only a cup of water.
Some of the water did make it into Ed's mouth. Most of it, however, landed on his face and trickled down to wet his shirt collar. He had tipped it up too high, and it was both comical and disheartening to see Ed sitting there with a cup balanced on his face, curious eyes darting around.
As soon as Ed moved, the mug dropped to the floor. It shattered, just an audible reminder of Ed's disability and Al's heartbreak.
"Is that all?" Ed asked expectantly, furrowing his brows. "So little."
Al sighed, quickly returning the shattered pieces into a mug and placing it out of harm's way on the table. He pulled Ed to his feet, leading him back to the living room to the recliner. Moments after he sat Ed in the seat, he was knocked over as Ed got right back up.
"Too much sitting," Ed complained, taking one step-into Al-before tripping and crashing spectacularly to the floor. "-Hell!"
"Some days, it is," Al replied quietly, pulling himself to his feet. He pulled Ed upright and led him outside, guiding him down the short flight of stairs. He smiled when he spotted the confident recognition on Ed's face.
"Outside? Is it day?"
"Of course it is, Ed. Besides, I'm with you!"
Al accompanied Ed for some time before Ed tugged his arm away.
"Brother?"
Ed began walking freely and slowly, arms held out as though welcoming the world. His eyes closed as his head tilted back, staring at the sun through lids he couldn't feel with eyes that couldn't see.
Al watched his brother in wonder, running forward only once Ed dropped to his knees and sucked in a sharp gasp. "Ed?!"
"I'm lost," Ed cried, hands squeezing the cool grass. "No matter... I'm still... I can't get free..." He shuddered and started crying in anguish.
"Ed, please..." Al wrapped his arms around Ed's shoulders with a squeeze, shocked when Ed threw him off.
"At least Al could see and hear in the armor!" Ed screamed, lashing out once again and slamming his hand into Al's face. He stood rapidly, bolting away from the house at an alarming speed.
"Brother!" Al leapt to his feet, chasing madly after Ed. "Stop!"
Ed may have been the older brother, but the unfamiliar terrain slowed him down enough for Al to tackle him. This made Ed fight harder, trying to escape as Al restrained him.
"Let me go, let-me go! I don't-I can't do this anymore!"
"Ed, calm down!" Al wrapped his arms around Ed, pinning his arms to his sides. His already aching heart shattered as Ed tried to pull away from him, failed, and started screaming as loud as he could.
"Winry! Winry!" Al cried as loud as he could, forcing Ed to his knees on the ground. Ed's screaming was ear-splitting, and he knew if his cries didn't summon her, the screams would.
Winry abandoned her work when she heard the commotion, racing out of her workshop so quickly that she nearly didn't open the door in time. Crossing the distance in record time, she arrived to help Al try and comfort Ed.
"What happened?!"
"He just-it got to him, Winry! His condition is-Ed, stop!" Al yanked back on Ed, who had nearly freed himself. He somehow forgot that Ed's training allowed him to slither away from danger, and within moments, Al and Winry were chasing after him again, the screaming abated... if only momentarily.
"He's going to get himself injured!" Winry cried, reaching Ed just after Al grabbed him again.
"No, he's-not!" Al twisted his body, throwing them both to the ground. "Take his leg!"
Winry froze with a wide-eyed gasp. "Wh-what?"
"Take his leg off, Winry!"
"Alphonse! He has so little freedom, and you're going to limit him even more?!"
"He's going to get himself killed!" Al suffered an elbow to the ribs, pinning Ed once more. "Do you want him to die, Winry?"
"He already did," Winry whispered quietly, tears beginning as she knelt down to take Ed's greatest tool to freedom.
Ed's cries had since become incoherent babbling, mixtures of pleas to be freed and yells of resistance. He was crying more than Winry, but his strength hadn't waned one bit in the struggle.
It took only moments for the leg to slide out of the port, becoming a dead weight of medical technology rather than the hopeful freedom it had been moments ago. Winry clutched it to her chest as she stood and backed away, still shaking with silent sobs as she watched Al release his handicapped brother.
Finally freed, Ed swung out to connect with only air. He gasped from the stress he had been under, trying to make it to his feet to run.
And failed.
Ed cried out as he fell down, attempting again to repeat the process. He tried a second time, his fervent anger turning to panic as he made a third bid for freedom and only landed on his side in a debilitated heap.
He remained there, heaving and gasping as his condition slowly sunk in.
Al and Winry cringed, awaiting the yelling and screaming-
But he only curled up on himself, tucking his head into his arms as he went still.
I didn't scream. I didn't lash out.
They took my leg, my last vestige of freedom.
I'm a shell of who I was, what I was. I can't live like this.
Every glimpse of freedom reminds me of how hard I have to fight just to do the smallest things. It's a reminder of how limited I am.
And dammit, I need more interaction with people. But I can't do that anymore.
Freedom, my ass. I'm just a prisoner, stuck forever in this inescapable cage.
My only true release will be death.
She's denied me even that.
Please, if you care for me, if you knew me before, give me the ultimate mercy.
Let me die.
Free me from this prison.
I tear out the IV again, as I do every day. I don't want this fucking lifeline. I want death, can't you figure it out?
I can't run from your forced care, because you took my leg.
And I fear it's only a matter of time before you restrain my arms so that I can't remove that damn IV.
It doesn't matter. I've heard that heartache can kill a person.
And with my morbid past, I have enough to kill a homunculus. Death should come quick. After all, it's not like I can open my eyes to escape the terrors of my mind and return to the loving faces of those around me.
My prison isn't just physical limitations. Though that's probably what you think.
I've had a lot of love and happiness in my life.
It's not enough to chase away the demons. They're carving at my soul just the way I'm carving at the IV.
Don't-no, get off me! I swing wildly as I feel restraint, realizing that I've probably drawn blood at the IV site. Good.
I feel a new sort of pain, a tiny prick in my neck. It's gone as soon as it arrives, leaving behind a small pressure. My hand reaches up to it, but slides back down to my lap as I feel a sudden heaviness to my whole body.
She...she drugged me.
All I can think of as I slip away from consciousness is reaching for the sun, consumed by darkness as Gluttony swallows me whole.
My entire world goes white, and I'm out.