The first time Ed notices him, it's while on a train heading west with Alphonse, the Lieutenant Colonel and Hawkeye. He doesn't stand out much– he looks like any other working class man, dressed in a coat and dark khaki style pants, grey streaked hair tucked into a hat. That last bit is one of the only things that sets him apart from the others; they're in a vehicle, and wearing a hat really isn't that necessary.
Maybe, Ed concludes dismissively, he has a big bald spot on his head, and doesn't want anyone seeing it. If that were the case, Ed would definitely understand and even sympathise. However, the way he's been staring at him throughout the duration of the trip… Well, that was a bit suspicious.
Ed isn't even the first one to notice, in fact he's not even the second. It's the Colonel that does before him, quickly followed up by Hawkeye catching on to whatever's happening. It's definitely not as obvious on Lieutenant Hawkeye, what with her nearly impeccable poker face, but he can see that they both have a strange look on their faces. It isn't until he's about to argue with the Colonel about switching seats that he notices the man's persistent gaze on him. When he sees that Ed knows, he looks away quickly, leaving him just a bit confused about what's going on.
He doesn't end up arguing with the Colonel about it, and when he takes the window seat, the strange man in the other aisle one row down is obscured from his view.
The rest of that train ride, he's never left on his own. Whenever he gets up to do something either the Lieutenant or the Colonel himself follows him. It's annoying, and he really hates it, but he's uneasy and doesn't understand what's going on. So, with a frustrated huff, he lets them follow him around. And maybe if he's sure to wander throughout the train plenty throughout the trip so that the Colonel is forced to follow him, that's not too important.
It's the small things in life that bring the most amusement, you know?
Still, the fact that the Colonel keeps his gloves on from there on out doesn't escape his notice. It further lends credence to the fact that something is happening that he doesn't understand, and that whatever it is, it's dangerous enough to have Mr Stick-up-his-ass on edge.
The second time Edward meets him, just a few months after the first instance, he actually ends up talking to the man for a couple of minutes. Really, the conversation is very forgettable, just the man giving general pleasantries while Ed tried to will Alphonse back to his side using his mind. (It doesn't work, unfortunately, but he gave a concerted effort.)
Al had left to go speak to the lady behind the register up front, and really, he's not been gone long, but the man has still managed to make those few minutes feel like centuries. It gets even stranger when the man rather presumptuously takes a seat in the opposite booth seat, the one Alphonse had previously been occupying.
Whatever patience he'd had for this man is long gone by now, and he tells him that the spot he'd just sat in was already taken. A sheepish smile forms on his face, and the sunspot at the corner of his mouth pulls. As if he could sense Ed's growing temper, Alphonse returns with a to-go box gripped in his massive leather hands.
At that, the guy bids his farewell, ducking away from the younger boy, almost anxiously.
He'd been staring at him the same way he had months ago, an unsettling intensity to his gaze, analytical and… predatory.
That's the word. He's looking at Ed like a predatory animal would, hungry and perhaps even salacious.
When Al asks who that was and what he wanted, Ed really doesn't have an answer for him. He doesn't understand either.
If there is anything out there that Edward Elric hates most, it's not understanding something.
When they next return to East City, Ed means to ask Lieutenant Hawkeye about what had happened on the train six months ago. From the looks she and the Colonel had passed between one another as well as their hastily prepared plan, they clearly knew. But, well… Ed's mind is a bit flighty when research is on his mind. He's still hunting down the Philosopher's Stone, chasing every lead the Colonel gives him with gusto. So, when he returns only to be handed a new lead, he kinda… forgets about it.
He only remembers when he's four hours out of the city, playing cards with Al on the way to some small town that carries rumours of the dead returning to life.
Three months later, when unexplainable nausea settles in his gut and the world spins around him, leaving him alone and slumped against the tabletop of some shitty diner, he really comes to regret it. He should have paid more attention, should've raised the alarm to the Colonel. If he'd let him know that not only had he seen the man again, but he'd tried making himself friendly with him, he'd have probably intervened in some way. Roy Mustang is a dick, but not so horrible as to leave him to fend for himself when caught in such an ugly situation.
When Edward Elric wakes, it's not in the same place he'd previously been, his head sore and limbs sluggish.
Maybe he can allow himself to panic just a little bit.
~~~~
A/N:
Well, I have, like... a lot of fics planned for this account. A lot are started, one being a gift fic, some maybe sequels, a possible multi-chapter story and some short-ish one-shots (2-5k words, probably.)
I know this chapter is extremely short, I'm sorry about that! I tried to figure out ways to just make it one chapter, but it just felt... unbalanced, I guess? This chapter is from Ed's perspective, but the other is from Mister Stalker's, and well... There's a length disparity. The second part isn't done, but it'll probably be ready to post in a week or two.
The title, De Clérambault's refers to De Clérambault's Syndrome, which is a paranoid disorder dealing in hypersexuality. It's not a complete match to our stories, er... villain, I guess.
"Erotomania is more common in women, but men are more likely to exhibit violent and stalker-like behaviors.[4] The core symptom of the disorder is that the individual holds an unshakable belief that another person is secretly in love with them. In some cases, the person with the condition may believe several people at once are "secret admirers". Most commonly, the individual has delusions of being loved by an unattainable person who is usually an acquaintance or someone the person has never met."
"These individuals are usually timid, dependent women that are often sexually inexperienced.[4] In those with a more mild, recurrent condition, delusions are shorter-lived and the disorder can exist undetected by others for years.[5] Problematic behaviors include actions like calling, sending letters and gifts, making unannounced house visits and other persistent stalking behaviors.[4]"
These were both plucked from Wikipedia, link here!
https/en./wiki/Erotomania
So, ummm... yes, that is all for now! Once again, I'm very sorry about the short first part!
Written: 2023/01/23