Chapter 20 –
"Thanks for dropping us off, Havoc," Ed said as he shut the car door behind himself.
"No problems, Chief," Havoc said once his window was wound down, leaving Ed in much the same position as he had been with Browning earlier that evening. "Do you want one of us to come and pick you lot up in the morning?" Havoc asked, eyes glancing to the Black and Blue teams of Voltron and Al before they came back to Ed.
"You know what? That probably wouldn't be a bad idea," Ed said. "I think it'll be for the best if the Lions aren't seen walking around until we know how them helping me take down Buckley this afternoon was received by the public," Ed said and Havoc gave an understanding nod.
"Well, since I'll be keeping the car and Captain Hawkeye's already said she'll drive Bossman and the rest of Voltron into the office tomorrow, I'll pick you guys up. Half six in the A.M okay with you?" Havoc asked and Ed gave a nod, though his lips did quirk into a half-smirk when Lance's groan reached his ears.
"We'll be ready," Ed told him, knocking his right fist against the car roof twice. "See you then, Havoc," Ed said as he backed up and Havoc gave him a two-fingered salute paired with a cheeky grin that had Ed rolling his eyes.
"See you then, Chief," Havoc echoed before he exchanged goodbyes with everyone else, rolled up his window and pulled the car back onto the street.
Once Ed had completely rejoined the group, Gracia led them into her apartment building. "Now, I wish to apologise in advance," Gracia said, glancing over her shoulder to Shiro, Lance and their Lions. "The boys have the spare room so the only bedding available will be the couches. The Lions will have to sleep on the floor. There's no way you two will fit on the couch with your human," she told them apologetically.
"That's perfectly fine, Gracia," Shiro told her immediately.
"Yeah, Blue says she doesn't have any problems with that and I certainly don't," Lance confirmed.
"Neither does Black," Ed piped up. "She just wanted to make sure you knew that," Ed told Gracia when Black asked him to pass the message along.
Gracia gave them all a warm smile that held hints of relief in it before they fell silent once more as they continued up the stairs. By mutual unspoken agreement, they kept any chatter as quiet as possible since it was late enough that several of the other tenants may be in bed already. When they finally reached the Hughes' apartment, Gracia was quick to unlock her door and led them inside, leaving Ed to secure the door since he was the last through.
"While my daughter goes for a shower," Gracia said, giving Elysia a stern look when the young girl let out a whine, "I'll find some blankets for you all. Ed or Al can show you where everything is," Gracia said, getting nods from everyone and ignoring Elysia's pout. Ushering her daughter along, Gracia headed down the small hallway and into Elysia's bedroom, likely to get her pajamas ready.
"You can put your bags in the loungeroom," Ed said, waving at the four who didn't live in the apartment to follow him. "So, obviously, this is the loungeroom. Don't worry, the couches are really comfortable," Ed told them as Shiro and Lance placed their small bags on a couch each.
"I'd usually say something about Brother's bad sleeping habits but I can't without being hypocritical because I've fallen asleep on the couches after a few bad nights," Al said, looking and sounding rather annoyed that he couldn't sass his older brother.
Ed rolled his eyes at Al but said nothing about it, even when Lance snorted in amusement. "Through that door is the kitchen," Ed said, pointing across the room. "Next to it is the dining room," he continued saying, "then you have mine and Al's room and the bathroom on the right of the hallway and Miss Gracia's and Elysia's rooms on the left. The linen closet is at the end of the hallway if for some reason you need more blankets," Ed said, finishing the description of the apartment's layout.
"Wow, Brother. You managed to give a tour without leaving the loungeroom," Al drawled.
Ed glared at him, flipping Lance off when he didn't quite manage to hide his laughter in time. "Do you want me to smack you?" Ed asked.
"No fighting in our home. You know the rules," Gracia said as she came back into the loungeroom, arms full of blankets and pillows. Al was the quickest to relive her of some of her burden. "Thank you, Alphonse," Gracia said with a small smile.
"Did you succeed in convincing Elysia she needed to go for a shower?" Ed asked and from the way Gracia sighed, he knew what the answer would be.
"No," she said, proving Ed right. "She's too awake after everything that's happened," Gracia explained as she placed her blankets and pillow onto the couch Lance had chosen. "I was going to see if you could somehow convince her she needs to go for a shower and go to bed," Gracia admitted, looking slightly annoyed with herself.
"Course I will, Miss Gracia," Ed said immediately, giving her a reassuring smile. "The amount of practice I've gotten because of Al means I'm practically an expert in coaxing siblings into doing things their mums want them to do," Ed said, laughing when Al growled and took a swipe at him that Ed expertly dodged, grinning at his brother as he backed away from the loungeroom.
"I appreciate it, Ed," Gracia said, ignoring the boys' behaviour. "Would anyone like a hot drink while Edward wrangles my daughter?" Gracia asked, turning to face the others.
"Coffee, please, Miss Gracia!" Ed called over his shoulder as he headed up the hallway.
"No problems, Ed!" Gracia called back before looking at the three others expectantly.
"I wouldn't mind a coffee," Lance said, determined to get as much Earth coffee into his system as possible while he was in Amestris.
"I'm alright, thank you," Shiro said, turning down the offer.
"I'll have a tea, please, Miss Gracia," Al said, giving her a smile.
"Heathen!" came the shout from down the hall, followed quickly by what was quickly identified as Elysia's giggles while Lance and Shiro looked torn between amusement and surprise while Gracia tried hiding her own amusement at Al's exasperated sigh. Even Blue and Black – both of whom had made themselves comfortable in front of the couches – looked like they were laughing.
"How did he know?" Lance asked, looking at Blue and Black with a small amount of suspicion. Both Lions shook their heads.
"His hearing is pretty good and the walls in this apartment aren't as thick as you'd think," Al told them, still shaking his head at his older brother, despite the fact that Ed couldn't see him. Gracia nodded in confirmation as she headed for the kitchen. "Do you want some help, Miss Gracia?" Al asked but Gracia shook her head.
"No, I'll be fine. Thank you though," Gracia said before she glanced at Lance. "How do you have your coffee?" she asked.
"Oh, milk and two sugars, please," Lance said and with a final nod, Gracia disappeared into the kitchen.
Al looked slightly uncomfortable being left alone with no one he'd known for more than a week near him. Both paladins noticed, as did their Lions, but Ed interrupted them before they could ask Al if he was alright. "She's in the shower," Ed announced, leaning against the doorway into the kitchen as he spoke to Gracia.
"Thank you, Ed," Gracia said. "What did you have to promise her?" she asked and Al just knew she had a brow raised as she silently dared Ed to say he didn't have to bribe the six-year-old.
Ed grinned. "Well, for starters, she's gonna stay up until I've had a shower and I have to read her a story when she does go to bed," Ed told her. "What she isn't aware of is that as soon as Lance looks at my arm and the bathroom's not being used, I'm going for a shower," Ed said. "She can wait with Al if you want to head to bed early, Miss Gracia," Ed added, knowing sometimes Gracia went to her room earlier than normal just so she could enjoy reading whatever novel she was without anyone nearby.
"I'm alright for the moment and I still want to hear about what you did to your arm," Gracia told him, leaving no room for argument. Ed didn't bother trying. "Thank you for dealing with Elysia. I really appreciate the help," Gracia said, her voice serious and just a little tired.
"Don't worry about it," Ed said, flapping a hand dismissively in her direction. "You said so yourself. She was too wired up after the events of today. Once she's had a shower and settled down, she'll fall asleep immediately," Ed reminded her and Gracia huffed out a breathy laugh.
"Yeah, you're right," she said. "Oh, don't forget to remind me that I have to talk to Elysia about how much she can say at school about the Lions and their Paladins," Gracia said suddenly and Ed gave her a nod.
"Shall do," he said, straightening himself up from his lean and grabbing the milk from the fridge just as the high-pitched whistle sounded from the kettle.
"Thanks, Ed," Gracia said as she took the milk from him when he handed it over. A few moments later, he was given the milk back and he placed the carton back in the fridge.
Ed followed Gracia out of the kitchen with his coffee cup in one of his hands and Al's in the other while Gracia carried her own cup of tea and Lance's coffee. "You guys could've taken a seat, you know?" Ed said, slightly amused when he realised the three humans were still standing.
"We were waiting to see how long it would take for them to figure it out," Blue whined, displeased Ed had ruined their fun.
"Sorry, Blue. Next time," Ed promised, much to the displeasure of Lance and – once he'd been told what Blue had said – Shiro.
However, their displeasure in Blue and Ed's small conversation didn't stop them from listening to Ed and making themselves comfortable on the couches, the Paladins on one, Elrics on the other and Gracia in her armchair. Lance hesitated though and glanced at Ed's left arm. "Do you want me to look at it now?" he asked when Ed raised a questioning brow.
"Ordinarily I'd tell you it doesn't need to be looked at but I did promise that I would have you look at it," Ed sighed, liked he was silently berating his past self, "however, I also promised Elysia she could have a look herself so she could see your alien meds at work," Ed told him. "I don't think she believed me when I told her that an injury I got yesterday was almost healed by now," Ed added, though more in response to Gracia's disapproving expression than Lance's surprised look.
Gracia still didn't look happy but she also knew that there was no discouraging Elysia from checking on any injury either Elric suffered. Ever since Al had started living with them after being discharged from hospital after Promised Day, Elysia had taken it upon herself to make sure any injury, no matter how slight, was healing satisfactorily. Gracia was certain her daughter would become a doctor or nurse just from how she treated the two boys. Bringing her mind back to the present, Gracia took a sip of her tea. "So what happened to your arm?" she asked.
"Lotor found me, Mustang and Den in a clearing near Granny's and fired at us," Ed told her bluntly. "He missed and the shot hit the tree behind us but freaked Den out. Den tried to go forwards to escape the noise but that was the way the tree was coming down. I grabbed him and a branch got my arm for my troubles," Ed said. "Havoc pulled all the splinters out he could find and Lance used some stuff from Blue's and Yellow's first aid kits to help the more severe scratches heal faster," Ed said, wrapping up his report just as the sounds of the running shower stopped.
"You didn't even need stitches?" Gracia asked, looking mildly surprised and Ed nodded in agreement to her statement. "Well, that's a relief," she said with a small sigh. "A little surprising it wasn't more severe but a relief nonetheless," she added, a slightly teasing note in her voice that had Ed rolling his eyes, even as he grinned.
"With the way the three Lions who were still at Granny's acted when they got the message that Brother and their two sisters were attacked, we were expecting to find Brother needing to be hospitalised once more," Al said conversationally.
Gracia smiled behind her cup of tea as Ed flipped Al off, though the offensive gesture was quickly hidden when they heard light but hurried footsteps heading their way. Soon enough, the person who was responsible for the slight noise burst into the loungeroom, dressed in her pajamas and her hair dripping wet. "Do you actually try and dry your hair, missy?" Gracia asked, making Elysia stop in her tracks.
"Yes?" the young girl said, lying through her teeth and Gracia pinned her with a look.
"Go and get your towel so I can dry it and comb your hair," Gracia instructed. Elysia pouted but did as her mother told her. "I need your comb!" Gracia called after her, just in case her daughter didn't realise that for herself.
"Okay, Mama!" came the loud reply.
"Do you mind if I use your shower while you're busy with Elysia?" Shiro asked and Gracia shook her head.
"Of course not," she told him. "Al can find you a towel while I deal with Elysia. Just hang it up on one of the hooks when you're done with it," Gracia instructed. "Oh and watch your step. I can't guarantee Elysia didn't accidentally flood the bathroom," she added warningly.
"Will do," Shiro said as he dug through his small bag for his own pajamas. Al had already abandoned the couch to head to the linen closet in order to do as Gracia had asked for him. Shiro headed after him after giving Black a scratch behind the ear, dodging Elysia as she ran back to her mother, dragging her towel behind her while clutching her comb in her free hand.
"Here, Mama," Elysia said, all but throwing the towel on Gracia's lap and shoving her comb into her mother's hand.
"Thank you, honey," Gracia said, using Elysia's shoulders to turn her around so she was facing the room before she draped the towel over her head and started lightly drying Elysia's hair.
"You didn't let Lance look at your arm yet, did you, big brother?" Elysia asked as Al made his way back to the room.
"I promised you I wouldn't and I never break my promises," Ed reminded her, drinking some of his coffee as Al sat down and Elysia gave a pleased nod.
"It's very sweet that she's so attentive to you and your injuries," Black said as she watched Elysia squirm under her mother's ministrations.
"She's always been intrigued by our injuries even back when Al was still in his armour and we stayed in Central in between missions," Ed said, keeping the conversation to his bonds with the two Lions so he didn't have to repeat everything Blue or Black said to the others. "However I think she started really started channeling the nurses at the hospital after the first few weeks after Promised Day, when I started taking on missions of my own after Al was able to stay awake for more than an hour at a time," Ed told them, mentally grinning at some of the memories of Elysia fussing over his bandages or band-aids when he came back from a mission with a new injury.
"Elysia, why do you want to look at Ed's injury? Don't you find that yucky?" Lance asked. "My little sisters didn't like looking at any kind of injury we got when I was younger," he said.
"'Cuz Mama, big brother Al and all the nurses and doctors at the hosp'tal all say big brother Ed doesn't know how to look after his hurts," Elysia told him matter-of-factly.
"Really?" Ed deadpanned at the two Elysia mentioned who he could give a flat look to.
"It's not my fault you refuse to listen to the doctors or nurses about when you're fully healed," Al said innocently.
"You do have a tendency to take on missions when your doctors haven't cleared you," Gracia added, dragging the comb through Elysia's flattened curls gently. "Someone has to make sure you don't end up back in the hospital because of your stubbornness." That statement was paired with a raised brow that dared Ed to argue with the elder Hughes.
"That sounds about right," Lance said, chuckling slightly.
"You have no room to talk, Lance," Shiro said, startling most of them with his sudden presence. He didn't appear to notice most of them jumping in shock as he mimicked Gracia's earlier look.
"Yeah, from what Blue's told me over the last six months, you're almost as bad as I am," Ed said, causing Lance's betrayed pout to deepen.
"I thought we were attacking Ed, not me," Lance grumbled, sinking into the couch cushions as he scowled at them heatlessly.
"You're the one who made that comment," Blue reminded him sweetly, which only made Lance's scowl deepen while Ed repeated her words happily to the others.
"You all suck," Lance muttered, though his lips were twitching upwards slightly. Blue rolled her eyes as she hauled herself to her feet so she could nuzzle Lance's cheeks.
"You're my favourite pilot and we're only teasing," Blue told him, not giving up on her slightly smothering behaviour until Lance gave in and hugged her.
"Alright, as much as I appreciate the love, I need to go for a shower so I don't accidentally pass on something that could infect Ed's wounds if they aren't as healed as they should be," Lance said, letting go of Blue before he looked over at Gracia, who was now finishing up with Elysia's hair. "So long as that is okay with you, Gracia?" Lance asked.
"I don't mind," Gracia said as she stood, Elysia's towel and comb in her hands. "I'll find you a clean towel once I put Elysia's up to dry," she said, getting a nod from the Blue Paladin before she disappeared out of the room.
Lance was quick to grab his bag, which was on the couch Ed and Al were sitting on and go through it to grab his night clothes. "Aw," Lance suddenly said. "I never grabbed my skin care stuff," Lance whined, causing Shiro to let out a small, relieved huff since he'd thought that maybe Lance had accidentally left his pajamas at Pinako's or something like that.
"Where do you normally buy that stuff from?" Ed asked as Gracia returned with a clean, folded towel.
"Thank you, Gracia," Lance said, taking the towel from her and tucking it under his arm while Gracia went and sat back down in her armchair. "I get my face stuff from either a beauty/make-up store or a chemist," Lance said, answering Ed's question.
"Alright," Ed said with a nod. "If we get some time tomorrow before the pharmacy in the city centre closes, we'll go pay it a visit and see if they've got anything for you to use," Ed promised. Though he personally didn't understand why Lance's skin care routine was so important to the Cuban, it was important to him and that was reason enough to help him find what he needed while he was here.
"Really?" Lance asked, his eyes shining brightly with hope. When Ed gave him a nod, Lance ignored the slightly amused, slightly confused expression on Ed's face as he pulled the unprepared blonde into a tight hug. "Thanks, dude!" he cried happily.
Shiro could feel his face turning red with the amount of effort he was putting into not laughing out loud at the awkward pats Ed placed on Lance's shoulder. Gracia was grinning madly while Al was sniggering into his tea. Elysia just looked mildly confused at their behaviour since she didn't see what was funny about her big brother getting a hug from someone. She gave him hugs all the time and no one laughed at him then!
"Stop making fun of big brother Ed!" Elysia demanded, her cheeks puffing out in anger as she levelled them with her best glare. Her exclamation caused Lance to let go of Ed while Al and Shiro looked appropriately chided. Gracia just looked proud of Elysia.
"You," Ed said, grinning at Elysia, "are my favourite sibling," he told her seriously, causing the youngest Hughes to flush a very deep red and fidget with her pajamas as she tried to hide how pleased she was.
"Hey!" Al protested weakly, causing Ed to give him a side-eyed glare.
"Nope, you've been replaced," Ed told him bluntly. "Favourite siblings don't laugh when their older brother has been attacked by a surprise hug," Ed informed him. Elysia's blush only deepened with his statement and Ed soon found himself with a six-year-old girl on his lap and hugging him tightly.
"Alright, I'm gonna go for my shower before I accidentally cause a proper fight over who's the best sibling," Lance said, a grin on his lips though Shiro thought he could see some signs of melancholy and jealousy there as well but Lance walked away before he could ask if he was alright.
The Black Paladin's heart sank as he realised this scene was probably making Lance remember his family with greater heartache than he usually did and he couldn't help the pangs of guilt and regret he felt. Black, obviously sensing her pilot's inner thoughts and feelings, rubbed her head up against Shiro's thigh comfortingly and Shiro repaid her by scratching her ears. Looking up, Shiro caught the concerned look Ed shot him but he merely answered it with a small shake of his head, silently telling the blonde that he was alright. Ed didn't look like he fully believed him but he let it go without a fight.
"Have you two finished with your cups?" Gracia asked, pulling herself up out of her seat once more and grabbing the empty mug Lance had used.
"Yes, thank you, Miss Gracia," Al said as he handed over his and Ed's mugs while his brother echoed his words.
"You're both welcome," she told them before she headed into the kitchen to wash the few dirty pieces of cutlery.
Despite her complaining when she'd first turned up at Mustang's for dinner, they hadn't brought any of her Tupperware home because she'd managed to cook more food than was needed and Mustang had offered to move the leftovers into separate containers belonging to him since Gracia didn't want to take the leftovers home. As repayment for cooking the dinner, Mustang had even offered to wash up all of her Tupperware and return it to her sometime over the weekend. Gracia's initial instinct was to tell Mustang not to worry about it and that she could wash her own Tupperware but the larger part of her realised Mustang was offering to save her a decent amount of work and she ended up accepting it gratefully. Elysia – as well behaved as she was, all things considered – had been becoming a little more difficult with each day that passed that they didn't hear from the boys while they were in Ishval.
She was so focused on her thoughts and not what she was doing that she didn't even realise she was still scrubbing the first coffee mug. Shaking her head at herself, Gracia quickly placed it on the drying rack before she moved on to the second one. In the living room, she could hear her daughter talking animatedly at those still with her and Gracia couldn't help but smile at it. It was rare that they had someone new over and Gracia loved the fact that her daughter was getting the chance to make some new friends, even if they were closer to Ed's age than her own.
The fact that her daughter was bonding with Voltron made Gracia's hopes that the youngest and only female pilot would be able to achieve the plans she had for Ed's tablet, which the blonde had reluctantly surrendered to her before they'd left Mustang's home. Pidge had claimed several weeks ago that she had some ideas on how she could link Ed's tablet up so he could call their tablets on the Castle-Ship and they could call him but the only catch had been that she would need physical access to Ed's tablet – something that had obviously been impossible until now. Ed had certainly been excited about the idea that he'd be able to talk to all of them in real time and without needing to use the Lions as messengers, though the blonde had been pretty quick to hide it, lest he find himself on the end of several teasing comments from his team, brother and some Voltron members.
Gracia chuckled to herself when she realised she'd once again lost track of what she was doing and moved on to the next cup. Quickly washing up the final four and the small amounts of cutlery and plates from earlier the day, Gracia placed them all in the drying rack before she pulled the plug to empty the sink. As the water drained, she heard someone walking down the hallway and realised Lance must've finished in the bathroom. Cleaning up the last of the kitchen, Gracia headed into the loungeroom once more.
"I'm going to go for a shower and turn in for the night," Gracia said. "I don't mind how long the six of you are up," she gestured to the four boys and two Lions, "but you, missy, will be in bed once your big brother has gone for his shower," Gracia reminded her daughter.
Elysia went to pout but Ed poked her in the side. "We made a deal, Elysia," Ed reminded her, making the pout disappear before it could properly form.
"Alright, Mama," Elysia said, sighing in defeat. "G'night, Mama. Love you," she told Gracia, giving her a sweet smile that had Lance cooing slightly and Gracia smiling back at her.
"Love you too, Elysia," Gracia said, bending to kiss the top of her daughter's head before she did the same to Ed and Al, unable to resist the chance to show them a small amount of motherly affection. "Good night, you two," she said, straightening back up.
"Good night, Miss Gracia," Ed and Al said at the same time.
"Let me know in the morning if the couches aren't comfortable enough for you two. I might be able to find some old camping gear you can use instead," Gracia said, facing the two Paladins.
"I'm sure we'll be fine but thank you, Gracia," Shiro told her while Lance nodded emphatically in agreement with his team leader.
"Have a good night," Gracia said once more. "Try not to stay up too late. You do have an early morning and I suspect that someone will have Ed up in the morning so he can cook breakfast," Gracia predicted, grinning when Ed groaned and Elysia gasped with delight as she realised she could indeed make Ed get up to cook one of his famous breakfasts. Delighted with the small amount of mischief she'd caused, Gracia waved at them all before she disappeared down the hall to grab her pajamas and start her nightly routine.
Ed and Elysia's conversation about what Ed should cook for breakfast the next morning lasted long enough for Al to hear Gracia leaving the bathroom, her shower finished before he heard the soft click of her bedroom door. He waited long enough to hear that Ed had been talked into making pancakes – chocolate chip ones if they had any chocolate chips – before he got up to go for his shower. Ed had waved him off as he nodded in agreement with Elysia's declaration that they should have strawberries and whipped cream with them as well. Lance looked just as excited for the pancakes as he did whenever someone mentioned coffee and Al noticed that Shiro wasn't able to hide his own excitement all that well either. Al headed down the hallway towards the bathroom but only once he made sure Ed knew he also wanted maple syrup with his pancakes as well. The resulting grumbling about how Ed should be charging them for his culinary skills had Al chuckling as he left them in the living room.
"Do you think Gracia would mind if I made myself a tea?" Shiro asked as Al walked away and Ed shook his head.
"Just make sure you clean up after yourself," Ed told him. "Cups are in the cupboard up and to the right of the kettle, tea is next to the kettle and milk is in the fridge," Ed explained as the Black Paladin got to his feet, nodding at Ed's words.
"Do you mind if I look at your arm now?" Lance asked, making Ed sigh slightly but hold his arm out in a resigned invitation. "You're gonna have to take off your jackets, dude," Lance chuckled as he grabbed his medical kit, just in case.
"Jump off my lap for a second, you," Ed instructed Elysia, who pouted but did as she was told. The moment Ed was left in his tank top and pants, Elysia was back on his lap but this time she was sitting sideways in it so she was able to see his left arm covered in the clean white bandages. "Happy now?" Ed asked.
"Immensely," Lance deadpanned, managing to keep the straight-faced expression for all of two seconds. "Let's get this unwrapped," Lance said, once he stopped chuckling and was seated on Ed's left.
Elysia watched in intrigue as Lance deftly tapped the invisible end of the bandage, making it reappear so Lance could grab it. Ed could feel Elysia's impatience as she waited for Lance to slowly roll the bandage up while he was unwinding it from around the injury. Both teenagers had to stifle their laughter when Elysia let out a small groan at the sight of the gauze the bandage had covered. Blue and Black didn't bother since Elysia couldn't hear them. Finally, the bandage was off and placed to the side so Lance could send it through the wash later. Making quick work of removing the gauze, Lance sagged slightly in relief while Elysia blinked.
"They're not so bad," Elysia said, looking between Ed, his arm and Lance in confusion. Sure enough, the large deep gashes that had been there the previous day were practically fully healed. From the way they looked now, Ed would've been able to complain that he gotten them from a pissed-off house cat or the tip of a bladed weapon. "Why'd you cover them up?" she asked, knowing for a fact that her big brother only covered an injury if it was deep and the risk of infection was too high.
"They weren't this shallow when I first got them, El," Ed said. "Remember when I told you a tree scratched my arm up but Lance had special ointment that helped hurts heal quicker?" Ed asked and Elysia nodded. "That's what he used on my arm. In another couple of days, my arm won't even look like it had been hurt," Ed told her.
"That's amazing," Elysia said, her eyes wide with awe.
"So what is your expert opinion, Nurse Elysia?" Lance asked, waving his hand at Ed's arm in an invitation for the young girl to have a closer look at it.
Ed felt himself fighting a fond grin when Elysia took up Lance's offer by actually pulling Ed's arm into her lap and scrutinizing every millimetre of the three barely-there scratches. "They look good," she told Lance. Her small fingers lightly touched the injuries before she nodded seriously. "They're not hot neither so they're not 'fected. Big brother just needs to make sure he doesn't reopen them and they'll be all healed soon!" she said, finishing her report with one, sharp nod that had Lance and Ed grinning proudly at her.
"You are absolutely spot on, Nurse Elysia," Lance told her, keeping his tone professional, as though he really was a doctor talking to one of the new nurses. "Once your big brother's gone for a shower, I'll put some more healing goop on the cuts and by morning, they'll be completely healed," Lance said, speaking more to Ed than he was Elysia. Ed gave a nod, telling him he had his permission.
"Like he needed it," Blue said. "You know he would've just badgered you until you gave in," she told him, giving him a toothy grin.
"You're not wrong," Ed acknowledged as Elysia twisted slightly on his lap so she was facing him fully once more. Ed grabbed her lightly with his flesh hand as she adjusted herself so she wouldn't accidentally fall off of his lap.
Because he was focused on Elysia and making sure she didn't knee him in the kidney – she'd done that once before and he swore his kidney was actually bruised for a week after that – Ed didn't notice Lance moving his medkit out of the way or him relax against the couch right next to Ed. This meant that the blonde alchemist also didn't notice when Lance decided to throw an arm around Ed's neck – something he'd done several times on the Castle-Ship – so he could pull Ed into a hug, something that usually resulted in Ed grumbling in fake protest though he never pulled away from the hug immediately.
Lance's Lion had barely managed to gasp out a 'Lance, don't!' before his arm was around Ed's neck, his elbow positioned just right to drag Ed in for a hug. Lance didn't even get the chance to ask Blue what the problem was when he felt Ed go completely stiff next to him. When Lance looked back at the blonde, he could see that his pupils were blown wide while his eyes were glazed. His chest was starting to heave as Ed started to hyperventilate and Lance was willing to bet that his pulse was starting to race now. Lance barely noticed Ed's left hand tightening, increasing how much it did so with every second it was wrapped around Elysia's forearm but the little girl didn't seem to notice as she took in her big brother's behaviour.
In the two seconds it took for Lance to put all the clues together and realise he'd accidentally caused one of his friends to start having a panic attack, Elysia was shoving his arm off of Ed's neck. "Arm off! Arm off!" she cried as she put all of her strength into pulling and pushing Lance's arm away from Ed's neck. Lance snatched his arm back like Elysia had burned it, horror building in him as he realised he'd completely forgotten about Ed's aversion to having his neck touched now.
As Elysia reached for Ed, Lance went to grab her, knowing from Keith's report of what happened in the main hangar bay that Ed didn't react well to being touched when he was in the middle of a panic attack but Blue stopped him. "She knows what to do," his Lion reassured him.
Though Lance believed her, he still found himself hesitant to squash his urge to get Elysia away from Ed and calm him down himself. Part of that was caused by the fact that this was Lance's fault and he wanted to fix it but the other half was because he didn't want Ed to accidentally hurt Elysia because a panic attack that wouldn't have been happening if Lance hadn't forgotten one of Ed's triggers. Lance spotted Shiro coming out of the kitchen, likely in response to Black's concern, and he could tell that his team leader was struggling with the same choices he was. Lance kept his eyes guiltily averted from Shiro as he watched Elysia carefully, just in case he needed to intervene.
The moment Lance's arm pressed against the side of his neck, the living room and Elysia's face disappeared as his mind forced him back into that room on Zarkon's ship. He could feel Hagger's claws digging into his cheek and neck, the ghostly memory of warm blood trickling down his chin and neck from where she'd ripped through flesh. Her crooned threats seemed to echo and repeat over themselves as they replayed in his mind and Ed swore he could feel his throat being squeezed tightly by the witch once more.
Even once the pressure on his neck was gone, Ed's panic didn't cease and faintly he realised he was about to have a full-blown panic attack in the middle of Gracia's living room with Lance, Shiro, Blue, Black and Elysia as witnesses. Despite knowing this was a panic attack and that Haggar wasn't actually in front of him, tightening her grip on his throat and threatening everyone he knew, Ed couldn't get himself to calm down. His usual techniques weren't working to stop the attack in its tracks before it could get worse than just him freezing up and that was just giving his panic attack more fuel.
Then suddenly there was a small voice amongst the ugly whispers and snarls from Haggar and, although it sounded like someone speaking to him while he was underwater, Ed found himself latching onto it desperately. The moment he did so, the voice started to slowly but surely drown out the witch's and soon enough, Ed was able to identify who it belonged to. It seemed that Elysia was taking the lead in calming him down and Ed felt his panic rise once more. This wasn't the first time his adopted little sister had been there when he'd had a panic attack but she'd never tried calming him down by herself before and he didn't want to accidentally hurt her if she forgot the rules when it came to dealing with his panic attacks.
He almost jolted when he felt two small, warm palms pressed against his cheeks – the touch such a stark contrast to the memory of Haggar's grip he was vividly reliving that it alone managed to bring him almost all the way back to the present. He didn't even notice he was scrunching his eyes shut in an effort to focus on Elysia and her voice until the muscles around them started hurting but he didn't let himself relax, not trusting that he wouldn't go straight back to that memory if he did. Instead, he forced himself to concentrate on Elysia, on trying to make sense of what she was saying, on her palms pressed to his cheeks as he fought to completely escape the memory he was trapped in.
"You're okay, big brother," Elysia said, her voice dropping into the soothing tone she'd heard her mother and other big brother use when they found Ed in the middle of a panic attack. "You're at home and you're safe. You're on yours and big brother Al's favouritist couch in Mama's loungeroom and there's Lance and Shiro and Blue and Black an-and me here and you're safe. You're not where your mind says you are. It's lying to you 'cuz you're here with me and you're safe," Elysia was saying. It was obvious to the four members of Voltron that she was just about parroting lines she'd heard said to Ed in this situation before but she had to keep remembering to keep her voice steady and calm at times when her natural childish enthusiasm tried to overtake the persona she was using. "You're not there, big brother. You're here and you're safe 'cuz you're with me and I'll keep you safe from everything, big brother. Even your mind when it's not being nice to you," Elysia swore. The absolute certainty and sincerity in her voice made Lance want to coo at her just like Blue did in his mind.
Shiro and Lance were exchanging a worried glance when Ed suddenly inhaled sharply, his eyes coming back into focus as he managed to push the memories back down wherever he normally kept them. "Good job, El," Ed rasped out, the corner of his lips twitching up slightly at the little girl before he took in a low, deep breath. "You did great at protecting me," Ed told her, the rasp practically gone now that he'd had the chance to calm himself down.
"I did?" Elysia asked, eyes sparkling with pride and hope that Ed wasn't playing a joke on her, as her elder brother sometimes liked to do.
"You really did," Ed told her, ignoring the others in the loungeroom for the moment as he focused solely on Elysia. "You did super well, El. You should be really proud of yourself," Ed said, pulling her close and wrapping her in a tight hug that the young girl returned just as enthusiastically.
"You okay now, big brother?" Elysia asked, slightly muffled against his shoulder.
Ed squeezed her a bit tighter. "I'm okay now," he promised her, voice nearly a whisper.
"Ed?" The call of his name only a few seconds after he pulled Elysia in for a hug made Ed pull back slightly, though Elysia didn't let him go far. She stayed stuck to his chest, though she wriggled around enough to look at Lance and if Ed wasn't mistaken, she was giving him a slight stink-eye that had Ed a little proud, if he was being honest. "I'm so sorry," Lance said, eyes downcast and miserable. "I totally forgot Blue told me your neck being touched like that is a trigger but that's no excuse. I should've remembered and I am so sorry that I didn't," Lance apologised sincerely.
"Lance, don't worry about it," Ed said, dismissing the apology immediately and looking thoroughly uncomfortable, not just with the apology but because he'd almost had a panic attack in front of them. "Seriously, it took the team a few weeks for them all to remember that set me off and even now they still sometimes go to grab me like that for whatever reason before they catch themselves doing so," Ed said.
"Still-" Lance tried protesting but Ed flapped a hand at him.
"I can't expect you guys to know – let alone remember – the things that could set me off," Ed told him. "So don't worry about it, man," Ed said.
Lance didn't look like Ed's words were the truth but he nodded and dropped the subject, even as he fully prepared himself to find some way to make up for what he'd done. Blue gave him a knowing look that Lance ignored. His Lion wouldn't be able to talk him out of making this up to Ed, no matter what she said or tried. Ed seemed to realise what Lance's thoughts were, judging by the look he was giving the Blue Paladin but Lance ignored him just like he did his Lion. Lance was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone approaching and he swung around to find Al approaching them, his short hair still wet from his shower.
Al looked up to see them watching him and Lance wasn't sure what the younger Elric spotted on their faces but it had him shooting his older brother a concerned look. "What happened?" Al asked immediately, moving quickly towards Ed so he could start fussing over him.
"Nothing, Alphonse," Ed told him, rolling his eyes.
"I accidentally triggered a panic attack," Lance said before Al could try and wheedle the information out of Ed. The glare Al shot him made him almost flinch backwards from the ferocity behind it. "Elysia managed to help him before it got too bad," Lance mumbled.
"Enough, Alphonse," Ed snapped, glaring at his brother. "It's not like you or Winry have never accidentally triggered an attack so quit glaring at Lance like that. It wasn't his fault and if I don't blame him, you certainly have no reason to," Ed informed him, a warning tone in his voice.
"That was uncalled for, Edward," Al said, turning his glare onto Ed, who met it unflinchingly.
"So is making Lance feel worse for something he didn't mean to do, Alphonse," Ed told him pointedly, his glare not lessening in the slightest. "I don't know what your problem is, little brother, but you had better resolve it before something irreparable happens between you and Voltron because I, for one, am at a loss for why they're getting attitude from you. You're not as subtle as you think you are," Ed told him, making Al flush with embarrassment and anger.
"Ed, that's not-" Shiro was saying but Ed held his hand up to stop him from talking.
"No, I know you guys have noticed it. Hawkeye and Havoc have definitely noticed it. I bet Mustang has as well," Ed said. "We weren't raised to dislike or hate people we don't know for no good reason," Ed told Shiro, though his eyes never left Al. Elysia was still tucked up against Ed's chest but she was keeping herself still and quiet in the face of the tension that was overtaking the room. "I'm gonna go for a shower while Elysia picks out whatever book she wants me to read to her and you, Alphonse Elric, will either go to our room and figure out your problem and how to deal with it so it isn't one or you will talk it out with them," Ed said, gesturing to Shiro, Lance and the two Lions, who were sitting quietly, not offering any comments about the situation rapidly unfolding in front of them. Ed didn't let them say anything in response as he got up from the couch, pulling Elysia up with him. "Say good night to everyone, El," Ed instructed quietly.
"Can I hug them goodnight?" Elysia asked, her voice quiet as though she thought she might make Ed angry if she asked any louder.
"Course you can," Ed told her, placing her on the floor and watching her give both Lance and Shiro – who looked rather surprised to be getting a hug from a child who hadn't known them more than five hours – before she gave Blue and Black as big a hug as she could manage.
Al scooped her up into a hug at her request and gave her a tight hug that she returned. Ed could see her whispering something into Al's ears and almost asked what is was since Al's cheeks pinkened once more and his brother had an expression that Ed thought might have been sheepishness but didn't get the chance when Elysia asked to be put back on the floor. "Night, everyone," she said, waving to them all as she headed for Ed's side.
"Good night, Elysia," Al said, giving her a smile and a wave, though he didn't make eye contact with anyone else once Elysia's attention was grabbed by Lance.
"Night, princesa," Lance said, causing Elysia to flush slightly since it was pretty easy for her to translate Lance's Spanish into Amestrian, even if Ed didn't sometimes call her 'princess' in Spanish, Cretan or whatever other language he knew and she didn't already knew what it meant.
"Night, Elysia," Shiro said, before both he and Lance (this time without the Spanish) repeated the well-wishes on behalf of Blue and Black.
"I'll be back once she's in bed," Ed told them, looking specifically at Al, who ignored his look. Knowing Al had seen it though, even for a moment, was enough for Ed to leave the subject where it was. Grabbing Elysia's hand, Ed led her out of the loungeroom and towards her bedroom. "I'm sorry you had to listen to us fight, El," Ed said to the young girl.
"It's alright, big brother," Elysia said, giving him a smile. "Big brother Al shouldn't have been mean to Lance when he didn't do anything wrong on purpose," Elysia said seriously.
"He only acted like that because he was worried about me but you are absolutely right," Ed told her. "He shouldn't have acted like that even if he was worried," Ed said, a little bit of disappointment in his tone. It had been almost 72 hours since Voltron and Lotor had arrived in his dimension and nearly 70 hours since Ed had first noticed Al's attitude around the Voltron members – how he didn't initiate conversation with them if he didn't need to, always took any opportunity so he wasn't left alone with any of the Voltron members – and not only did he not have a reason for it but he was sick of it. Hopefully now his brother would sort his shit out because a petty grudge like this could get someone hurt during a fight.
"I'm gonna pick out a story now," Elysia announced once Ed stopped at her bedroom door.
"Pick two," Ed told her. "Let's give your other big brother some time to talk to the others without me or you there," he said, giving her a wink. The delighted squeal she gave made sure the grin Ed had on his face stayed on there until he was in the bathroom.
From the time it took for Ed and Elysia to leave the loungeroom to the time it took for them to hear the shower running, Alphonse didn't move an inch, not even to stop glaring at the floor like it was personally responsible for the awkward and tension-filled atmosphere. Shiro and Lance exchanged looks, both feeling completely out of their depths in this situation and not knowing what they should do next. Both Blue and Black exchanged their own look before they shot each person a glare that told them to sit down and start talking to one another.
Both Shiro and Lance did the wise thing and took a seat on the couch Shiro had claimed as his bed for the duration of their stay but it took Al a few more moments to do the same on the other couch. It took another half a minute of silence before Black and Blue huffed at their humans before Black locked eyes with her human. "Ask him what Ed was talking about," Black instructed.
"Black wants to know what Ed was talking about," Shiro dutifully relayed.
Al hissed out an annoyed sounding sigh, still glaring out the ground. "I don't have a problem with you," Al told them. "Or, I suppose, I shouldn't have a problem with you or your team is what I should be saying," Al said, heaving another sigh and sinking into the back of the couch cushions.
"But you do?" Lance pressed, getting a reprimanding look for his blunt question from Shiro.
"It's stupid. I know it's stupid," Al told them, shaking his head at himself. "You've got to understand; ever since Mum died, it's been me and Ed," Al said, finally looking up and making eye contact with them both. "Even those few months between Mum's death and us moving to Dublith to stay with Teacher and Sig where Granny and Winry were looking after us, the only person who we could really count on, who we knew could truly understand what we were feeling and how we were dealing with everything was the other," Al told them.
"Then after our accident and Ed joined the military, we really were all we had. Our time in the military meant we had a massive barrier between us, Winry and Granny and what happened to us that night meant we couldn't trust anyone outside of General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye with it because if they knew and weren't trustworthy, they could've had us arrested and Ed would've been killed but we couldn't trust General Mustang and Captain Hawkeye at the beginning any more than we could've the others because they knew what we'd done and could sell us out at any time if Ed wasn't useful to General Mustang anymore," Al told them, his eyes going back down to the floor for a moment before he steeled himself and looked back up.
"What that means is that for the best part of the last seven years, Edward has been the only person who knows everything about me. He's the only person who knows my secrets, my fears, my dreams and who can keep me level when things go bad," Al said, "and I'm that person to him. No one else is closer to one of us than we are to each other," Al stressed. "I don't actually know if what I'm saying is making any sense to you four," he said, chuckling a little self-deprecatingly.
"You know Ed told Shiro a lot of heavy stuff and to you, that means you're no longer the only person he can rely on the most," Lance said. The shocked look on Shiro's face almost Lance crack a grin but the subdued nod Al gave him had him holding it back.
"How did you know that? Black and I swore to Ed we wouldn't tell anyone and I know the other Lions did as well," Shiro asked, pulling them slightly off track for the moment.
"That night, Blue woke me up when she heard whatever Ed was feeling at the time, probably because of Black's feelings as well," Lance explained. "None of the others woke up because of their Lions so I figured it was because Blue's so good at sensing others' emotions that I got like a feedback loop, you know? Like me being bonded with her meant that I'd feel whenever she senses other people's emotions and kind of loop it back to her, amplifying it, you know?" Lance said, trying to explain what he was talking about. "Anyways, it woke me up and I realised Shiro, Black and Ed were missing so I put two and two together and figured since you two and Ed weren't nearby and as good as Blue is, she can't sense people's emotions when they're too far away unless she's bonded to them, that it was Ed's feelings she was sensing."
"That makes sense," Shiro said after a couple of moments of absorbing the information. "I've noticed she's the quickest out of the Lions to react to someone in distress, with the exemption of their own Lion, of course," he added almost offhandedly before he shook his head as though to clear it. "However – and I apologise if this sounds insensitive – I'm not sure I quite understand what this has to do with your feelings towards us, Alphonse," Shiro said, wincing a little at his wording.
"How would you feel if the person who you shared every aspect of your life with and shared everything with you suddenly started sharing things they hadn't shared outside of you with people they'd known for a week at most?" Lance asked. Both Blue and Black looked proudly at Lance while Al and Shiro looked approving and shocked, respectively.
"I see your point," Shiro said, clapping Lance on the shoulder before he locked eyes with Alphonse. "We don't want to replace you and Edward would never put us or anyone else over you," Shiro told him. "I won't break your brother's confidence with what he's told me and I know the Lions won't either. They're much like Ed in regard to keeping their word," Shiro said, giving Alphonse a small smile. "But, Alphonse, we have no intention of taking your brother away from you. And I'm sure," Shiro said, raising a brow when Al opened his mouth to say something, "you rationally know that but emotionally is a whole different ballpark. From what Ed and you have told us about your childhood, the only friends you had your age while growing up were Winry and each other. It's completely natural and understandable that you're protective of your emotional ties, especially when you're as close as you and Edward are," Shiro told him.
"Yeah, man, we get it," Lance said, voice far more cheerful than it had been since Ed had had his panic attack. "We don't expect you to like us straight off the bat just because we're Ed's friends but – and I can really only speak for myself and Blue here – I would really prefer it if we all got along with no issues and maybe even become friends in the process," Lance said enthusiastically.
"I think that goes for all of us," Shiro said, giving both Lance and Al a smile of his own.
"Our sisters and I agree," Black told Shiro, who told both Al and Lance.
Al gave them all a tired nod. "I am sorry for my behaviour. You're right, Shiro," Al said, glancing at the Black Paladin before speaking to the room as a whole once more. "Rationally I know that you guys aren't trying to – to steal Ed away from me. I know how childish that sounds; trust me, I know." Al gave a cynical sounding laugh. "But when Ed told me that he voluntarily told you about his nightmares and what his three most frequent ones are, all I could think was that he wouldn't need me anymore because he'll have you guys to talk to," Al confessed. "But I promise I will work on my problems so they're aren't issues anymore," Al promised. "I am very sorry about my behaviour though. It was uncalled for and completely unnecessary and Ed was right. If I didn't deal with before we came across Lotor next, something could've happened. I'd like to think it wouldn't have but I also didn't think I'd act like this towards people who are Ed's friends and Ed's friends alone," Al said with a small chuckle.
"We appreciate the apology, Alphonse, and we accept it but it wasn't necessary. We understand now why we were copping the slight attitude so there's nothing to apologise for," Shiro said. "Thank you for clearing the air with us." Shiro gave him a warm smile.
"Yeah, it means a lot that you trusted us enough to tell us this," Lance said. "We know you're as stubborn as Ed can be on his good days. If you didn't trust us even a little, you wouldn't have said nada and it wouldn't have mattered what Ed ordered or asked you to do," Lance told them in response to Al's and Shiro's intrigued looks.
"That's fair," Al said with a light chuckle. "We are pretty well known in Amestris for our stubbornness," he told them.
"That we can believe," Shiro said with a wry smile that made the four others chuckle slightly. "So what about we put all of this behind us and start fresh?" he suggested.
Al gave him a tentative smile. "I think I'd like that."
A/N - Here is chapter 20 for you and we finally get to the bottom of Al's issues with Voltron! Also please note that I have never personally suffered a panic attack or a PTSD episode so all I could off in that scene were things I'd researched. If you think it's inaccurate in any way, please comment or pm me and let me know what I need to fix. Thank you to my single reviewer and I hope you all have a great week. See you next Sunday!