AN: Okay, first off, what the honest hell, you guys? This story is getting waaaay more love than I imagined! I feel so honored and proud and baffled and I just love you all! I'm so glad we share common interests enough for you to be so excited about concepts like this!
List of beautiful honored people: thank you's to justaislinn, TheWarriorpony, InuEdbabe, Regina lunaris, LuvversLuvvie, and Sakurita Elric and Neko. You guys are such a huge inspiration and keep me going strong!
WARNING: This chapter contains scenes of a sexual nature and distress. If you wish to skip that particular scene, you should know when it's coming by the context leading up to it. ALSO, lots of cursing. Lots and lots and lots of bad words are going to be coming at you and it may seem excessive but we're looking at a panicked and pissed Edward Elric, so beware.
Also, this chapter is going to have a LOT of dialogue, so sorry about that in advance.
Chapter Nine
Time is a meaningless thing when one has neither the sun's position to analyze or the steady hands of a clock to read. It could have been hours or days or weeks, but nevertheless the dragging eternity that Ed found himself drudging through felt so slow. It was like every time he tried to count the minutes, they passed like years.
Sometimes he blamed the water that he now gazed down at- shimmering with an undefinable color and spilling wisps of dancing steam into the cool air of the stone bathroom. The weightless, heavy liquid was like time itself. Always moving, never truly disposed of. The blonde could practically see the molecules of the H2O sliding against one another in a frantic cacophony of movement, and when a large, pale hand skimmed the surface of the deep pool in the decadent basin, his eyes locked onto the tiny ripples cast out from the motion. Ripples in time, the only thing that interrupted the blank nothingness of eternity. That's where Ed was right now- trapped in that surrounding, placid state while wishing he could just move as one of those transparent undulations.
He wanted meaning, again. He wanted to go back to before. But now he was snared and at the whims of a delusional alchemist that never seemed to tire of his own games.
How long has it been? How long will I be here?
He watched as Artabanus helped his body disrobe and sink into the steaming bath, just like so many times before. The motions were now familiar, and Ed barely gave a thought to it anymore. Baths were frequent and Ed was sure that he took more than one per day. It seemed like a luxury being wasted here, as water had to be toted across the underground complex from the single well, and then heated alchemically. The children he had a glimpse of every now and then certainly appeared like they needed a quick soak.
The blonde closed his eyes as Artabanus raised his automail arm and began to carefully wash each centimeter of metal. Oil usually came once a day at some point, and that was really the only thing left random, Ed reflected. He let his mind detach itself from the present and ran through the past few days- week?- cataloging each event in order to himself while the redhead's rough fingertips ran over metal and flesh alike, leaving goosebumps and a faint trail of weary revulsion in their wake.
At least his sick, deranged captor kept to an oddly specific schedule. Wake up, take a bath, eat breakfast, sit and read- for Artabanus at least. Ed was usually stuck sitting across from the man and just staring at him while he read, unable to do anything other than catalog the man's always pristine appearance. Then it was chore time. Which usually meant that Ed would walk around the complex with Artabanus' hand set firmly on his hip while the blonde performed several transmutations. Heating water, fixing broken dishes, expanding rooms and tunnels, creating shelves, that sort of thing. Once he had even been requested to use alchemy to bury the body of one of the children who hadn't survived the trauma of "the procedure". At Ed's angry outburst, which was quickly stifled, Artabanus had smiled thinly, 'It's eternal baptism through fire, Edward. Not everyone is accepted by God as a holy child, you understand.'
He didn't. And he never wanted to. Fucking animals with a warped sense of religion was all these people were.
After chores, Artabanus took a few hours to himself to do fuck knows what, and Ed was left chained to the bed with only candle light as a companion. He treasured these few hours of peace the most. It was the only time during the day that he actually had full control over himself, and the constant panic dimmed just the slightest bit, allowing him to breathe and contemplate instead of drifting on the emotional, mind-numbing haze of fear. Sometimes it wasn't so great, though. At least when Artabanus was latched to his side like some kind of haunting spirit he was distracted from his own thoughts.
When he was alone and in the silence he couldn't stop thinking about the Drachmans, the war that might be going on above these stone walls, about his brother, about Mustang and his men... but the one thing he agonized over the most was James. He had ruined the boy, destroyed him physically for the rest of his life. He was supposed to be the boy's teacher, someone trusted that would never hurt him, yet Ed had. There was no taking that back and Ed could still hear the brunette's screams- they followed him and rang loud and clear every moment that the blonde was alone, making his chest stutter and clench so violently he would swear he was close to having some sort of heart attack.
Sometimes when he was alone, Ed relived that moment. Once he couldn't hold himself back and actually wretched over the side of the bed. Artabanus had acted exasperated and worried when he'd returned, but Ed refused to answer any of the man's concerned questions. Fuck that son of a bitch and whatever the hell was going on in his murderous head.
When Artabanus returned, it was then time for another bath. After that it was another meal- dinner, Ed figured, followed by drinking tea in the dining hall. This was where Ed sometimes glimpsed the children.
The dining hall was an enormous room, probably the largest one amid the tunnels, that was formed in a giant circle. There were four doorways, spaced evenly around the circumference of the room, and each was labeled with a letter- N,S,E,W, like on the face of a compass. Ed and Artabanus always entered from the west wing, but from wandering around and doing chores, Ed knew that each wing had a generally specific purpose. The north wing was like a preparation sort of area. There were rooms there dedicated to food preparation, clothing supplies, wheelbarrows to collect water on- as this was also the wing where the well was located-, and even an armory. The east wing was the medical wing, but Ed hadn't been able to explore much of that yet. The south wing was still a complete mystery to him, as apparently it was off-limits to most everyone. Artabanus had confided in Ed once that the man went there sometimes, but liked to avoid it. He'd never expanded upon that.
And of course the west wing was the largest of all the areas, being the one that housed all the living rooms, with each room having its own bathroom attached. The rooms seemed to vary in size but from what Ed had seen, his was one of the ones on the larger scale. Even his bed was more than twice as large as most. It definitely made him uncomfortable and his heart beat a little faster when he wondered why the hell he was getting such special treatment. Extra baths, better living space, meals twice a day... he was practically living in luxury here.
He couldn't help but feel like he was a hog being fattened and prepared for slaughter.
He had yet to see James after the procedure, but he did see the little eight-year old that he'd first seen James talking to- Henry- during dinner time once. He had wanted to call out to the child, but Artabanus was apparently a mind-reader because he'd quickly cut off his ability to talk with a casual press of his index finger to Ed's hand. Artabanus spoke occasionally with the other men that manned the underground town, but usually he sat and rambled on about everything and nothing to a silent Ed.
The blonde had noticed that he'd become a dumping ground for the older alchemist's every meaningless thought. The man mostly wondered about the sky- about the stars and the sun and the moon. Sometimes he talked about the clouds, and rain, and snow. Ed admitted that sometimes the man's conversation was interesting, but he never added in to anything the man said. He was too proud for that, no matter how the man's theories piqued his interest. It also gave a window in to show just how educated the redhead was. He was quick to quote several different philosophers and even recited the lengthy work of some famous astrologist once. The subject of alchemy was never broached, and Ed spoke to the man as little as possible so he didn't ever ask about it, no matter how tempted he was. He heard enough of the psycho's voice already, he figured.
After "tea time", Ed was dragged back to "his" room for the night. Artabanus would fasten his restraints and sit with him for about half an hour before leaving Ed to sleep. Oddly enough, Ed was always quick to fall into the onyx depths of unconsciousness and sometimes was out before Artabanus even left the room.
Repeat.
This routine had recycled five times already since the day he'd mutilated James. So Ed figured it was now the seventh day that he'd been in the compound, because apparently he'd been unconscious from blood loss for a full day upon arrival.
In any case, it already felt like a month had gone by in this place. And he was only on the first bath of the day.
He tuned back into reality when Artabanus began humming some exotic tune softly while the man's hand ran a scratchy cloth over Ed's honeyed skin. The pungent scent of lavender and mint had Ed's nose curling at the strength of the aroma. The redhead always had some new soaps to try on Ed every time he was brought to the bathroom. If nothing else about this man was fucking weird, there was this weird obsession with cleanliness.
'Cleanliness is next to godliness, you know,' Artabanus murmured after the song faded from his lips. Ed glanced up at him from where he had been tracking the movement of the rag over his left arm and met the man's warm blue eyes, 'I know you don't love bathing like I do, but it's for your best interest, Edward. It just adds to your infinite purity and beauty, my dearest.'
Ed's lips twisted downward and he looked away, closing his eyes once more. This had become one of the only things he could do to make his displeasure known when he couldn't speak. And even when he could speak, like at that moment, he found himself with no words to express what he wanted to.
He felt like he should be embarrassed, or upset, that he was sitting here naked and another man was washing him like he was some kind of toddler, but he'd just become so numb to it all by now. He honestly didn't care what the fucker thought about him. He was still irritated by the way he was addressed and the mentions of his "pureness" but he didn't bother and try to correct the man anymore.
By nature, alchemists were selfish and proud creatures that- once their minds were made up about something or other- never strayed from their own ideals. Add whatever form of unstable fixation the older alchemist was suffering from, and a wall of pure diamond was created. Basically, Ed knew it was impossible to convince Artabanus that he wasn't something to be in awe over.
But still...
'Purity, huh?' he scoffed quietly, still watching the man's gentle hands pass over his skin, 'So when are you going to cut my dick off, then? That's the ultimate idea of pure to you, right?'
He almost regretted the question, but he wanted to be ready when the time came for him to be further disfigured. In a brief second of dark, morbid humor, Ed wondered if Winry could make automail for that.
But Artabanus became extremely serious and took Ed's chin in his hand. Not that he needed to. But the blonde was sure the man took just about every excuse to touch him in some way. Now forced to look at his captor, Ed tried for the hundredth time to decipher any sort of readable emotion in those steely pools. Something almost looked like regret, but it could also be joy, or frustration. Fuck, Ed didn't know. It was just insanity.
'Edward, you just don't see it, do you? I love you too much for that. You're perfect just the way you are- nothing could make you better than who you are right now.'
At that moment, if felt like something inside the blonde had snapped. There was no warning, no indication of the break before his heart swelled and shivered with a dark force he'd never felt before. Ed would have recognized the bubbling acid rising in him as hysteria, if he bothered to pay it any attention, but he was already deep in its grasp and a helpless laugh stuttered from his trembling lips.
'Love? Love? Who the fuck do you think you're fooling?' the laugh trickled off and formed into a yell midway, which was more emotion than he'd shown since James, but he couldn't care less at the moment, 'You're fucking sick, do you get that? Killing people without a thought, castrating children, abducting people and playing with them like they're your fucking dolls! Don't you see how crazy that is? Do you even care? Is everyone just a puppet to you- something to be moved and manipulated at will? We're not your playthings! We are human beings just like you, you bastard!' Artabanus' hand moved to cup Ed's cheek and the man's face crumpled with something that could either be hurt, anger, or confusion. The blonde closed his eyes tightly and a sob tore from him suddenly, 'Why won't you just leave me the hell alone!'
Silence followed his words, except for tiny, hiccuping noises that slid, unbidden, from his lips. Liquid warmth trickling down his face to trace over Artabanus' hand and Ed's sinuses burned from the sodium rising from his pores in reaction. It took nearly a minute in his delirious state to realize that he was crying. And now that he'd started, there was no stopping the waves of agony that scorched in his chest and radiated outward. He wanted to curl in on himself but he could only stare upward as his eyes burned with each tide of new tears.
Fuck. This is so fucking stupid. I'm not a freaking kid anymore, why the hell am I crying?
Besides a low sigh, Artabanus was oddly speechless as he continued to wash Ed's body. The minutes passed in silence while the blonde fought a losing battle in trying to gain control over his emotions. Every time he thought he was reigning in the spasms of heart-strangling feelings, an image of James tilting his face to a biting wind, or Al in the suit of armor, or all the lost people of his past would send him tumbling back over the edge into that dark whirlpool of sorrow.
Maybe it was just stress, but Ed was just as powerless to stop it as he was in moving by his own will.
'I fucking hate you,' Ed spat through the tears, turning his eyes to glare at Artabanus, who met them sadly.
'I know you do, Edward. But I'm confident I can change that. I can take care of you, protect you. You will love me, dearest. We're meant to be, after all. No one could ever love you like I do.'
The man's hand stroked Ed's hair tenderly for a few moments longer before he sighed and stood up, Ed's body immediately following. A large towel was quickly wrapped around the slender blonde and Artabanus took a long moment to consider him. Those calloused fingers trailed up the teenager's arms to his flesh and automail shoulders, leaving phantom touches that would remain long after he'd stopped. Every single piece of contact the man made with him was remembered by Ed, who would spend hours agonizing over each and every instance. It was worse because the younger alchemist was nearly always being touched by the bastard, and so he was constantly followed by those touches, even when they were mere shadows.
Disgust had been one of the most common things Ed was feeling these days, unfortunately.
'Why don't you stay in bed and rest today, Edward? I need to run to town for supplies and I think you need some time alone. What do you say?'
Artabanus smiled at him kindly. Ed didn't respond, his body already drying itself and reaching for a set of black clothing that hung on a hook by the tub. His hands pulled the soft black trousers up to his hips and tightened the string before hoisting the shirt over his head with the older alchemist's help. That was another thing that irked the hell out of Ed. He was never allowed to do anything on his own- bathing, dressing, pissing, eating- he was always being helped, and his blood boiled every single time.
'Alright, then,' Artabanus said, acting as if Ed had agreed to the proposition, 'let's get you back in bed and I'll bring you something to eat before I go.'
The whole process of restraining Ed against the bed was getting faster each time they went through it. At first it took Artabanus nearly a half hour every time Ed was being moved from and to the bed, but now everything was locked up tight before ten minutes passed and Ed was left staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror while waiting for the redhead to return.
He was still struggling to cease the rampant emotions that were attempting to drown him, but a steady, icy numbness was finally trickling into his veins. It was like a drug- that numbness. It could take him places.
Just like when he'd attempted to bring their mother back and Al had lost his body- the months following that had been spent in a mindless numbing haze, where time had no meaning and every day was the same. He drudged through that darkness, through the desensitized state, without a thought or care. Until one Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang had broken him out of the stupor with heated words and promises of a future.
He almost wished he could allow himself to fall back in that kind of trance. Mustang wasn't here now, and probably wouldn't be finding him anytime soon. But Ed just couldn't. Not when he had to await the precise moment, for the perfect opportunity, to escape. It wasn't just about him this time. He had a responsibility to the other people trapped here- to all those children and to James. He would get them all out of here safely, that was his mission now, the one thing he had to focus on no matter what. Maybe he had failed James already, but he could still salvage some kind of life for the boy if he could just get them back to freedom. Ed knew he might never be forgiven, and that was alright. He was never going to forgive himself anyway. He just wanted his student to live through this.
Artabanus reappeared with an apple and a mug of dark liquid. The heady aroma that filled the air had Ed snapping back to reality with hopeful surprise. Yeah, there was no mistaking it. That was coffee.
Finally this asshole gets a fucking clue.
Ed almost showed his gratitude in a smile or a relieved sigh but remembered that said asshole didn't deserve it.
Artabanus gave the blonde a smile despite the blank look in response and sat at the edge of the bed, placing the mug on the nightstand and withdrawing a small knife from the drawer of the small bureau. The blonde idly wondered why the hell there was a knife in that drawer as the man began slicing small pieces from the fruit and feeding them to Ed wordlessly.
The bittersweet tang of the crisp food on his tongue had him reverting back almost completely to a relaxed state- or as calm as he could be in this situation. He remembered, as he chewed, that Granny Pinako had once said that food cured all ills. It was an odd thing to remember, and cruel jocularity reared its dark head once again.
I guess Mom didn't get that memo... she never really ate much in the end, though...
After the core was the only thing left, Artabanus lifted the still-steaming mug of caffeine to Ed's lips and the younger alchemist swallowed the liquid greedily, mindless of the scorching temperature of the drink. It was the good stuff, too.
Well aren't I a lucky bastard today. Coffee and skipping out on chores. Must have gotten under Psycho's skin a bit back there.
When the mug was drained, Artabanus set it aside and just looked at Ed for many long seconds before sighing, 'I know you can't understand me, Edward. Not many people can,' the man moved his eyes away from the Fullmetal Alchemist and stared at the wall as he continued, 'I was raised by the military, you know. Not by King Bradley directly, but by his close advisers. I came from Ukreyt when I was ten years old, a prodigy in my country, wanting to share our alchemy with other nations. No one else had any knowledge of the work of my people, and I wanted others to benefit from it. Since I was an orphan, I figured I had nothing to lose, and so much to gain, from traveling and teaching our ways,' he smiled wryly, eyes becoming distant, 'The military got me when I was trying to cross the border, and when they realized what exactly I had in my possession they handed me over to Bradley's advisers. They took care of me, and I explained my alchemy, just like I first set out to do. But they had different ideas for me. When I turned sixteen a State Alchemist came to assist in tutoring me- the Crimson Blood alchemist. They thought he was the best to teach me since his alchemy manipulated the materials of a person's body. But he was too limited, and even he couldn't understand my type of biological alchemy. I work with more than just the basic elements that make up a person. My alchemy is beyond that... it's spiritual, really.'
There was a pause, and Ed considered the man's words. He'd never heard any of this before and it was odd that the redhead was randomly spilling all this out, but the blonde couldn't deny his curiosity. It was no shock that the military would find and adopt someone with Artabanus' sort of skills and Kimbley was always a twisted fuck, so their having known each other so long ago didn't really surprise him that much. But again- that country's name... Ukreyt... he'd never before heard anything about it.
What did surprise him was that he'd never heard about this type of alchemy before if it had been known by the military. Usually even if there was just research about it, there would be articles and notes about it somewhere at the command center or at the Central Library. And again- that country's name... Ukreyt... he'd never before heard anything about it.
Artabanus turned back to Ed and again that blank smile fixed itself on his face.
'The alchemy I use is at its core a power made from energy in the air. The only thing I can compare it to is Xingese Alkahestry, but even then, it's still different. There are strings that connect everything, every person, every feeling and every action. It's like tectonic energy, but instead it's the energy that comes from the movements and the feeling of humans. These strings are invisible, but using our arrays I can grasp them, connect them to myself- take control of them, in a way. That's how I can manipulate a person's body, their words, their emotions... and it became a huge asset to the military once I finally formulated these five different arrays.
'One for stilling movement of the being I'm attempting to control-' he raised his thumb from his fist and let Ed examine the array there, '-one for making the being perform the movement I wish them to-' here he indicated his middle finger, '-one for speech and the control of vocal cords-' the array on the index finger, '-hormones, which can manipulate emotions-' his ring finger, '- and an anti-alchemy array which was devised from Amestrian alchemy, as a sort of fallback. You've been able to use alchemy through me as a conduit, but once I quit touching you, you are powerless for at least an hour,' his pinkie finger extended itself and now all the arrays were in clear view for Ed to examine, 'That gives me a head start if I'm trying to escape the alchemist I am controlling, or it gives me the option to re-obtain them if I wish.'
Even though they were explained to the blonde, some of the symbols wrapped in those webbing, swirling lines were still a mystery and the intellectual side of him yearned to ask questions, to learn more, but he held himself back when he realized Artabanus wasn't done talking.
Joy. He already talks enough, and now I get his whole life story? Maybe I'm not so lucky today.
'The Crimson Alchemist wasted no time in tattooing these to my hands, and I was soon going through intensive training for covert operations. I was tortured, and their excuse was to make sure I would be able to handle interrogations in case I was captured and questioned. If I were ever to be captured by the enemy, I was told to kill myself in any possible way... I turned eighteen, and finally was sent out on my first mission- in Aerugo. I blended into their people and found my way to the home of one of their representatives in government. It took months, but I managed to manipulate the man enough to influence the trade market with Amestris significantly. My superiors were quite pleased with my work, and despite having to play as that disgusting old man's secret lover for so long, I was too. When I left, I slaughtered the entire family, even their two year old daughter.
'That's just one of the horrible things I've gone through and done, for the greater good. I was a covert alchemist for ten long years before I finally fled the military altogether, going back to my homeland and eventually making my way back into Amestris beside the people we now live with. Before I left, though, I heard about the Fullmetal Alchemist. And when I returned to Central over a year ago to look for good candidates for sell, I saw you.'
Ed swallowed tightly at the look on the man's face. He could only read that expression as some form of reverence. Ed was already overwhelmed with everything that was being shared, could hardly believe the words coming out of this guy's mouth, and was swarming in a sea of confusion, curiosity, disgust, horror... so many things that the blonde was just left feeling torn asunder. As if he had been on a ship and was left abandoned in the ocean on a tiny raft, with no idea how to navigate his way through a storm.
It was damn confusing.
The warm feel skin running across his cheek had Ed focusing back on Artabanus, who was now practically kneeling over his body on the bed, the man's blue eyes dark and thunderous with a heavy emotion that looked kind of like... hunger...
'You were so beautiful,' the redhead whispered, moving his knuckles across the blonde's skin and uncurling his hand so that his fingers could trace the younger's smooth jawline, 'I'll never forget that day. You must have been walking to the school, and it was raining so you were holding your briefcase above your head. The look on your face...' Artabanus smiled with obvious amusement, 'You were just so... real. Not like everyone else. You were real and there and I could see you. You don't have a mask like everyone else in this world. You are always out in plain sight, your soul laid bare for everyone to see. That honesty... it has broken me, my dearest Edward. You were too beautiful, too perfect, too real to be allowed to be tarnished by the evils of this world. And then those Drachman fools attempted to... they... and I... I couldn't stand aside any longer. I just couldn't. I hope one day you can understand. But like I said, I don't expect you to, not right now. But do not doubt me, Edward- I do love you.'
With that, Artabanus brought up his other hand and held Ed's face and began to lean forward.
Ed's eyes widened but even the gut reaction to flinch and pull away couldn't kick in.
He's not seriously...
Just as the thought was forming, though, his own neck was arching forward and up, mouth presented like an invitation.
The feel of lips covering his own was an alien sensation, and Ed clenched his eyes shut tightly at the wetness of the man's tongue entering his mouth- the only rejection he could enact. Their mouths moved together fluidly, passionately. The blonde tried to detach himself from the situation, but it was just too much to block out. His own tongue teasing at the other man's, his own teeth nipping teasingly at thin, chapped lips. It held his reluctant attention because it was so odd and out of the blue. Artabanus moved one of his arms to wrap around Ed's waist and pressed their bodies closer until they were chest to chest, hip to hip.
This isn't at all how everyone described kissing... I guess it's because I hate this stupid bastard.
With mounting disgust, the younger of the two could feel an obvious hardness against his thigh, but the revulsion quickly turned to panic when the fingers not latched to his face traveled down and reached under his shirt to stroke at his skin. A large hand molded itself around his hip and the man became more rigorous in his assault on Ed's mouth.
Get off! What the fuck am I supposed to do here?! How can he- this is- STOP!
Again, Ed found himself clawing at the confines of his skull desperately, shouting and yelling and growling on the inside as he was spectator to this turn of events. Pain, he could handle. Humiliation, he was used to it.
This was something completely new and terrible, and his puzzlement was giving way to horror at the thought of just what this man wanted to do to him.
Just as he was certain he would lose his mind in the new-found hysteria, Artabanus pulled away. Ed suddenly wanted nothing more than to wipe that fucking smile from that smug face- preferably with a sharpened blade made from cold, hard automail. Screw escaping, screw being the hero, he wanted to murder this motherfucker.
'As much as I would love to continue this, I must go. I'll be back soon, Edward, my dearest,' it was a promise lined with the most sultry of tones, which was feeding the flames of simmering rage in Ed even more.
This time when Artabanus leaned forward to steal a farewell kiss, the blonde's golden eyes stayed open and narrowed, hoping the bastard could feel his scathing anger through the look.
Finally, finally, the man pulled away and gathered the mug in his hand before striding towards the door.
'I'm going to kill you, you disgusting piece of shit,' Ed snarled at his retreating back, 'you just wait, I'm going to fucking KILL YOU!'
At the door, Artabanus turned and gave a cheerful wave before exiting. The sound of a padlock clicking into place was the only response Ed received.
The blonde exhaled loudly and his high-strung body fell back against the cushions with only the tiniest amount of relief. The older alchemist would be back soon, just like he said- probably within a few hours.
There's no way I'm just going to wait around for round two. No way in hell.
Steeling himself and already having been fueled to the brim by hatred, he yanked hard on the cuffs around his wrists, thrashing his legs and struggling against his confines with a new, vehement fervor. The panic that had just begun to unwind from his mind and body returned full-force, and his voice came out in broken shouts as he fought so hard against the restraints that blood trickled down his wrist right away. But he simply gritted his teeth and renewed his efforts. No amount of pain was going to stop him from getting free.
He was sick of this place and that sadistic, perverted bastard. Sob story or not, he was a monster. Ed wasn't about to let himself become one as well.
AN: End of Chapter Nine! Chapter NINE guys! I honestly can't believe I'm moving this fast, and originally I wanted to get through this one big scene that was supposed to be in this chapter but uh... well... then this one chapter might have ended up over ten thousand words and that's just ridiculous. xD Sorry, but I will have to leave y'all in suspense until tomorrow.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Let me know in a review how you felt about this one! I know not a lot happened, and that was a lot of background to throw at you guys but I think it needed to be written for me to move forward.
And I also realize after reading it over that it seems almost... choppy? Does it feel that way to you guys as well? I'm really sorry if it does, I have no idea how else to write everything that went into this- not without spreading the information over several chapters, and then we would have long periods of total inaction, which I really don't like to do. Just editing this chapter pushed it way over 5k words.
I promise I'll try my hardest to do better in the future.
Love y'all, see you next chapter~!