The Golden Sun: Chapter Thirteen: Ling Yao
AN: Thank fuck you all like the Papa!Roy and the Edling, because it only gets worse/better from here on out.
And a huge thank you to everyone that's sent me fanart because I'm still literally sobbing over ever single piece of fanart, they're all my favorite, thanks you guys!
There were a lot of things that Al could've said, but he opted for "Hey, isn't that the same coat Lanfan was wearing? The one she said was the Yao clan heir's?" which was helpful, because Ed's brain had fucking quit the second the kid had called him cute.
But he wasn't wrong, it was the same jacket. Ed felt the texture with his fingers just to be certain, soft and heavy, a comfort during the cold nights out in the desert, no doubt. Golden yellow with white accents forming into the symbol that Lanfan had told them was the Yao Clan symbol.
"You don't think he's actually the prince she was protecting, do you?" That would be just Ed's luck, the guy passing out on him actually being one of the people that was coming to take Lanfan home. Shit. Was he really holding a prince?
"I'll go find out!" Al said brightly, leaving Ed with the passed-out boy in his arms.
"Hey! Al!" Ed yelled after his brother, but he was long gone. "Great, just great…"
Even if the kid wasn't with Lanfan, leaving him passed out in an alley seemed like a poor choice, even by Ed's standards, and he wasn't outrageously heavy -or even heavy at all, jeez, did the kid even eat?-, but after walking around with him slung on Ed's back, heading in the direction of the hospital, he began to rethink his choices.
Who called someone cute and then passed out? What a weirdo. But it still managed to fluster Ed. Usually when people called him cute it was demeaning 'aw, what a cute little kid', but he'd been mostly out of it, -dehydration could do that to you- his dazed, black eyes finding Ed's like he was an oasis in the middle of the desert.
Ed wasn't sure how to handle it apart from the fact that he'd suddenly realized he liked boys. Well, at least he and Winry would have something to talk about, because it wasn't every day that a cute Xingese boy called you cute, in turn.
Was he even Ed's type? Ed didn't think he had a type. Oh no…what if he was Ed's type?
So, Ed did what he always did when he had no idea how to deal with things; he put them completely and aggressively out of his mind.
There were other things to be worried about than the warmth against his back, the arms looped slightly around his neck, a few stray hairs tickling against his skin…yeah, absolutely. Ed was not getting distracted, nope, not at all.
Fuck. Ed was so utterly and completely gay.
Ed forced himself to focus, he could deal with his sexuality at a later date when his brain wasn't so cluttered with the decision that Mustang had left him with.
"Being a Lieutenant Colonel does mean you'll have a bit more responsibility," Mustang had carefully explained, interlocking his fingers, giving Ed his full attention, "but, at the same time, it also means that you might have more time to commit to research."
"Don't you still go on missions, though?" Ed had asked him, his brow furrowed.
"Sometimes," Mustang had admitted with a grimace and Ed could remember a time when he'd come in to give his report and Lieutenant Hawkeye had warned him to not stress the Colonel's ribs. "Not as often."
Ed still wasn't sure about it.
But it would probably be better to not worry about it when there weren't arms subconsciously tightening around him, or when there wasn't a cheek nuzzling against the back of his neck.
Ed could feel the heat rising in his face.
Thankfully for Fu's nerves, despite losing the young lord almost immediately, finding him was almost as easy, because as soon as he made it to Lanfan's hospital room, he already sensed the young lord's chi signature within.
"—he just passed out on me!"
"Oh, Ed, you sound embarrassed."
"Square up, Lanfan, I'm gonna deck you and that bed isn't gonna stop me!"
"Calm down, Brother!"
Fu eased the door open to take in the strange sight before him. The young lord was snoozing on a rather uncomfortable chair next to the bed that Lanfan was sitting on top of, dressed and ready to leave with her arm in a sling and looking in far better spirits than he'd been expecting, almost smirking at a blond-haired boy that was being held back by a rather imposing suit of armor.
Fu blinked once and then twice, both at the strangeness of the entire scene, but also because, clear as day, on the right side of the boy's throat was the exact soulmark of Ling Yao.
Well, Fu had certainly been wrong about it meaning that the young lord's soulmate was Xingese…but the boy certainly didn't seem any less fiery.
"Grandfather!" Lanfan smiled widely. "I thought you'd get here before the young lord ran into Edward."
The blond-haired boy growled.
"Brother," came a surprisingly youthful sigh from within the suit of armor.
Fu stepped forward, cataloguing Lanfan's injuries, but the scrape on her jaw had long-since scabbed over and the broken arm didn't seem to be bothering her much. Relief flowed through his spine, relaxing it faintly before his eyes flicked over to where the young lord was slumped in his seat. His mouth was gaping as he breathed evenly and deeply.
The boy named Edward rubbed at his cheek slightly. "Al found him passed out in an alley," he informed Fu, "we got some water down his throat before he passed out again."
A sound not unlike a snigger left the suit of armor and Edward turned bright red before elbowing it harshly. "Hey, zip it, Al!"
"I didn't say anything!" Al practically chirped back.
"He's probably just hungry," Fu finally decided, "that and seeing you probably overexcited him."
Edward had probably never looked so offended.
When Ling came completely around and gorged himself on Lanfan's hospital food because "Al already brought me something to eat for lunch, don't worry about it" and had drank through two cups of water, he was actually able to pay attention to what was going on.
"You didn't hear this from me," his breathtaking soulmate said with the map of Amestris spread across Lanfan's lap, "but the easiest way to get out of Amestris is probably to go out through Welosl in the Southern Region…they're not as big on border patrol as the other areas and its pretty close to the edge of the Eastern Desert. We can take you, if you want."
"Thank you," Fu said, "but you've already done so much for my granddaughter and for us, we wouldn't want to cause you any more trouble."
Edward Elric -Ed he'd told them to call him- looked up to his brother, his brow furrowing slightly. "Well, all right, if you're sure."
Fu inclined his head and Ling really wanted to disagree. If Ed took them to Welosl then he could spend more time with him! But at the same time…Amestris was an unknown entity. In Xing it was dangerous, but it was a familiar kind of danger, one that Ling could expect; Amestris was full of the unexpected.
He glanced over to Ed and when Ed caught him looking, his cheeks flushed and he turned away quickly. Lanfan arched an eyebrow in exasperation at Ling and he gave her a sunny grin in return.
"The least we can do is get you the train tickets," Al offered helpfully.
Fu opened his mouth to refuse but Lanfan had shook her head.
"Its best not to argue with Al, he can be very convincing," Lanfan laughed, "just ask Ed."
"Hey!" Ed complained before choking when his brother turned those glowing balls of light from within the armor on him and he seemed to almost wilt. He sighed. "One cat, Al, one."
"YES!"
Al's excitement shook the floor as he wound his arms around his brother, squeezing him so tightly that Ed grunted, lifting him completely off the ground, rubbing the side of his helmet to Ed's cheek in a manner that was vaguely cat-like.
Ed had one eye winced shut. "Al," he rasped through squeezed lungs, "if I'm dead, no cat."
"Right, sorry!" Al released him. "I'll go get those tickets!" He practically danced out of the room, leaving two very confused illegal aliens in his wake.
Ed rubbed his cheek, a bit bemused. "You know, I think that's the most excited he's been since Mom—"
Then Ed's teeth snapped tight, gritting together. Ling could see so many emotions flit across his face, but the one he saw the clearest was the bone-wrenching agony.
"Its been awhile since he was this excited," Ed amended tiredly.
"Must really like cats," Ling agreed with a nod, still grinning widely when Ed suddenly laughed, bright and loud and impossibly warm, like the sun.
"Al's a sucker for strays," Ed had to agree before getting up and following after him.
"Young lord," Fu sighed when he was certain that Ed was gone, Ling still staring after him with an expression akin to longing, "it seems I was wrong about your soulmate, he isn't Xingese at all…just the sun personified."
Ling's cheeks colored as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. It wasn't like he had any choice in who his soulmate was, but by the Sage, he was not complaining. Ed, on top of being unfairly cute and pretty, was so full of fire that Ling just wanted to be consumed. He'd never met anyone quite so fierce before, never mind a Xerxian that wasn't in the Eastern Desert, mostly unseen.
"Ed and Al are looking into Xerxes and Alkahestry," Lanfan offered helpfully.
That surprised both Fu and Ling. "They're not from Xerxes?" Fu arched an eyebrow. In reality, it was quite impossible for Ed -and Al, though neither had seen his body to gauge his appearance- to not be, not with the golden hair and eyes, and the copper-brown color of his skin that wasn't uncommon among Xerxians.
"They were born here." Lanfan shrugged one shoulder, her other one immobilized by the sling. "Apparently they look a lot like their father, but I wouldn't bring that up." She grimaced and Ling got the feeling that it was a point of contention. "Anyways, I promised that I'd send them some Alkahestry books once we get home as a thank you, equivalent exchange and all that…Al was the most excited about that."
Fu turned a bemused expression on her. It seemed she'd actually had some fun, despite the serious nature of pretending to be the Yao heir, and made a few friends along the way…and yet Alphonse Elric made him uneasy. He doubted that Lanfan was skilled enough to sense it, but the boy's chi fluctuated in a way that wasn't normal, going between seeming almost twisted in quality and simply not existing.
Fu had never heard of such a thing, but he knew that there was something distinctly not normal about the Elric Brothers.
"Youswell?" Ed furrowed his brow. "Never heard of it, where is it?"
"Close to the border of the Eastern Region," Mustang said on the other end of the phone, "it's a mining town."
"It doesn't have anything to do with the Philosopher's Stone, does it?" Ed used his shoulder to hold the phone in place as he dug out his small journal to find where he'd jotted down the likely places to investigate for the Philosopher Stone. Al said his journal was actually quite impossible to read since it was coded to read like a travel log that Ed hadn't initially realized but hadn't bothered to change up.
"No, I want you to look into the Lieutenant in charge over there, First Lieutenant Yoki," Mustang waved him off. "There's some discrepancy in their paperwork regarding income from the mine."
Ed scowled. "That's not my usual gig."
"Well, a lieutenant colonel has a lot more responsibility than a major," Mustang said mildly and Ed scowled, "and, speaking of which, you haven't given me a response to that yet."
Ed growled under his breath. "I'm kinda busy over here!"
"We're all busy, Fullmetal, but you can't procrastinate on this forever."
"Tough talk from the guy that waits until an hour before his paperwork is due to start working on it," Ed huffed.
There was a short stilted silence on the other end. "All right," Mustang conceded, "I'll give you that."
"Thanks," Ed drawled, "'appreciate it."
Mustang snorted. "Is your friend heading out, then? If you're calling from the hospital?"
"Yeah, her grandfather and her…" Ed floundered briefly to come up with a proper word to describe Ling Yao that Lanfan wouldn't kill him for, but all he could think about was the dazed look on his face when he'd called Ed cute and then the glances he'd cast Ed's way since. Ed could feel his blood pressure rising. "—cousin," he decided on, "are here to pick her up, I think they'll be leaving soon."
"Ah, good…I heard none of that, and we're going to keep it that way."
Ed rolled his eyes. "Sure thing, Colonel. Al and I'll head out for Youswell in a bit." And then he hung up before Mustang could say anything else.
"You aren't going to get in trouble because of us, are you?"
Ed yelped loudly, twisting wildly to see Ling standing there, giving him that bright smile, his eyes closed. If he was cute before, he was unbelievably cute now.
"Nah," Ed finally managed to force out, stumbling just slightly over his words, "I mean, I kinda snuck Lanfan into Amestris and then didn't officially tell anyone about her…so if you guys are careful, you can probably leave without the police even noticing you were here in the first place."
Ling's smile broadened. "We'll be careful."
"Well, that's—" Ed made a meaningless gesture with his right arm and his metal arm caught the light briefly, directing Ling's attention downwards. He grimaced instantly. It was true that Ed didn't try too hard to hide his automail. The leg was almost always hidden unless his pants got ripped, but his arm was only hidden so long as his sleeves didn't roll up or his glove wasn't damaged, and Ed hated explaining his prosthetic to people.
"I heard that Amestris had a type of steel prosthesis." Ling's eyes gleamed with intrigue, leaning his head forward slightly to the arm. "We don't have anything like that in Xing."
"You don't?" Ed blinked in surprise.
"May I?" Ling held out his hands and Ed deliberated for a moment. Ling seemed honestly curious about the prosthesis, though, and it was probably the first time he'd seen anything like it. Ed wasn't ashamed of Winry's craftsmanship.
He took his glove off and held the arm out to Ling. The arm was wired to sense pressure, so he easily registered even the lightest of touches as Ling's fingers smoothed over the arm, fitting over grooves and the metal plates running together. Even though he couldn't really feel it, though, a tingle went down his spine.
Ling was very close, Ed realized a bit belatedly, and it was that closeness that was flustering Ed beyond belief. This had never happened to him before and Ed could practically feel his brain short-circuiting.
Ling's attention was completely focused on Ed's arm, giving Ed the chance to get a closer look at him without being too blatant.
He knew that Mustang was half-Xingese, but the only similarities he could see between Ling and him were their dark hair and eyes. Ling's cheeks had a healthy glow to them, faintly tanned from traveling the week through the desert, his bangs falling over one eye, hiding it almost entirely from view. He was wearing the exact same thing as Lanfan; a light cheongsam with all the buttons done up, the yellow jacket open and over his shoulders, and loose white pants.
But Ed's eyes caught the most on a thin scar across his throat, looking almost like it had been caused by a thread.
"Assassination attempt when I was twelve," Ling supplied and Ed had to mentally shake himself, realizing that Ling had seen him looking.
"Oh! Um, sorry for—" Ed didn't know if he was more embarrassed to have been caught staring or by the reason for the scar.
But Ling waved him off, his smile still here. "Don't worry about it, you've probably got scars of your own."
There was something almost knowing in his voice that Ed didn't quite understand, but his free hand drifted to his side where he'd been stabbed at nearly thirteen, his thoughts drifting to the thick scarring at his shoulder and over his thigh where his limbs had been ripped off, where the automail ports had been placed.
"Ah, that was a bit forward, sorry," Ling said quickly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with the hand that wasn't holding onto Ed's.
Ed wasn't in a hurry to bring it up; mostly, he was stunned. Of course, Winry and Granny touching his automail limbs wasn't that big of a deal, they made a living out of it; Winry had personally made Ed's limbs, but other people tended to flinch at the sight of them. Automail was more advanced than standard prosthetics, but they were still a sign that you weren't complete, that you were missing something…there was nothing natural about having steel grafted to skin.
But Ling had touched it freely, and thoughtlessly. It might've been his own arm of flesh and blood, but Ed knew it wasn't, Ling knew it wasn't…and he hadn't found it unsightly or startling…he'd found it intriguing and curious.
Ed's heart leapt in his chest. Fuck. He had the looks and this? Ed was so screwed.
And Ling's hand was still on his wrist.
He swallowed thickly. "That's all right, Al says I'm too reckless; scars kinda come with the territory."
Ling Yao's laugh was completely and utterly golden and Ed wanted to melt into a puddle.
"I hope the young lord didn't overwhelm you," Lanfan said as she made her final goodbyes to the Elrics, her grandfather and Ling already on board with another thank you to Ed and Al. "He can be a bit…clingy."
Ed snorted tugging on one ear awkwardly, cheeks still pink, trying not to think about how just before Ling had climbed onto the train he'd wound himself around Ed like an octopus and kissed his cheek. Ed was still trying to calm his racing heart, not that it was doing him much good. "Clingy…yeah…that sounds about right."
Al tittered inside his armor and Ed shot his brother a glare, still flushed, before turning back to Lanfan, his face serious. "But seriously, if you guys ever need help, come find us."
With that said, Ed ripped out a page from his journal and wrote down a number quickly and a name, shoving it at Lanfan.
The name was 'Roy Mustang' and Lanfan arched an eyebrow remembering the Xingese man in the military uniform that had come to the hospital, concern over Ed coloring his chi.
"We don't have our own phone yet," Ed supplied helpfully, "so if you want to get a hold of us, you'll need to go through that number."
They almost had the house in Central, but now they were waiting on the appropriate paperwork.
"I hope things go okay in Xing," Al fretted, twisting his gauntlets together. "What happens if you get back and they try another kidnapping or assassination?"
Lanfan patted his arm, eyes soft. Al did that to people, he made people go sweet on him without hardly even trying. "Don't worry too much, Al, the young lord has Grandfather and I, and I can kick some ass even with my arm broken."
Ed gave a conceding nod. "She can," he agreed, remembering the two bodies Lanfan had kicked from the cart as he'd pulled himself from the wreckage of that truck he'd helped crash ('helped' was definitely putting it mildly, but Ed wasn't about to admit that).
Lanfan definitely smirked, and it was in a way that made Ed want to take several steps back and remain on guard at all times.
"If we ever find ourselves in Amestris, we'll come see you," she promised as she heard the whistle for the last call before the train would leave. "Besides…the young lord's got a soft spot for you." Her smile was too knowing as Ed's face light up, and she gave the pair one last wave before hopping inside and making her way to where Ling and her grandfather were sitting.
She arched an eyebrow towards Ling, settling into her seat. "You didn't want to tell him?"
It'd been on his mind, she could tell, and there was a rather forlorn expression on his face as the train gathered speed, moving down the tracks and away from the station, leaving Ed and Al behind.
Ling sighed morosely, resting his head on his fist. "Didn't seem safe," he muttered.
If Xing Ying knew about his soulmate on top of the Emperor? Ed could handle himself, there was no doubt about that, but these were dangerous times they lived in, and Ling didn't want to paint an even bigger target on Edward Elric's back.
It was safer, for now, if he didn't know.
One day, hopefully, one day soon, Ling would be able to push his shirt aside and show Ed the identical mark on his chest to match to the one on the side of Ed's throat.
Ling could suffer in silence until then, knowing, at least, that he was safe.
"So…Ling, huh?" Al sounded like the cat that got the canary, the red lights that were his eyes within the armor seeming to almost glow more brightly.
"Oh, shut up," Ed hunched his shoulders, "you heard Lanfan, he's clingy!"
"Yeah, yeah, but!" Al held up a finger incredibly cheerfully, which was generally a bad sign. "You're the one he called cute, remember?"
"He was delirious!"
"He hugged you and kissed you on the cheek!"
"Maybe that's traditional in Xing!" Ed fired back, face burning hotter and hotter as Al continued on.
"Oh, yeah, totally, that explains why Fu and Lanfan did the exact same thing." Ed could practically hear Al rolling his eyes at him.
"You—!" Ed's tongue betrayed him and he couldn't quite get any words out before growling in defeat. "You're the worst, Al, let's just get those fucking tickets to Youswell."
"Sure thing, Brother." Al's words dripped in saccharine and Ed hated him so very much.
His cheek still felt warm where Ling's lips had brushed against his skin…and fuck was Ed utterly and completely gay.
He rubbed a hand over the soulmark on the side of his throat and tried not to think too hard about it. Ed had other things to worry about.
Youswell sounded pretty standard, and after this week, what could go wrong?
AN: Al hugging Ed after he agrees to the cat is slightly based off the scene in CoS where Al's armor hugs Ed on Earth after coming through the portal. And yes! Al is getting a cat! Its very exciting for him.
Ed's very gay and Al is sweeter than pie, but what else is new?
Canon is, of course, out of wack, and you'll be seeing some more characters popping up earlier than in FMA :)
As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!
