towerofanimus | these truths are not gated

Entry tags:

these truths are not gated

Characters: [OU] Alphonse Elric and YOU?
Setting: Room 1-08, and then exploring the tower. Just mention where you are in your subject or tag!
Format: I'll mimic you.
Summary: Al wakes up in the Tower, and wonders what the fudgsicle is going on.
Warnings: Copious amounts of puppy dog faces? welkrj idk, none on Al's end! Will edit if anything happens.

As soon as the sleep paralysis had worn off, Alphonse was sitting bolt upright in his bed with a start, breathing hard and fast--

...

Where...?

Disoriented, his eyes quickly seek out his surroundings, but... he doesn't recognize anything. Not a single thing, and when he turns his head, he finds something odd and vaguely tight around his neck. Fingers lift to investigate, and...

A choker? Some kind of collar or tubing? He's even more perplexed and bewildered, simply confused and at odds as he almost numbly finds his feet with caution. Had someone kidnapped him...? But he doesn't remember anything unusual before he had fallen asleep, and... aside from the addition to his anatomy, he doesn't appear to be injured.

When he tests it, he finds the door isn't locked, either. (He's completely missed that handy little note, hasn't he?)

Al is wary and on his guard, uneasy -- concerned as he carefully pokes his head out of the door and into the corridor. This is all so strange... what exactly is going on here? It looks like it might take a little exploration before he can find out...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[haha. it's so strange! his brother is smaller than he remembers... it makes him realize how much Ed has grown, even though it's happened in that gradual way one doesn't notice.]

What's the last thing you remember from home?

[Ed's breath catches in his chest -- it was barely noticeable, but it hitched and caught in his throat, something akin to a grimace coloring his face. A hand instinctively moves and rests against his stomach, his body tensing as he remembers every. Single. Detail. of his last moments in Amestris.]

... Waking up at the bottom of a mine shaft.

[his eyes follow the gesture with a little furrow at his brow.]

Mine shaft...

[he really was years behind him. it was a surreal thing to think about, even if the proof was in Brother's appearance.]

You got hurt, didn't you?

[:|... :|]

... Yeah. Yeah, I did.

[and then his face falls a little more. ;( Ed...]

What happened...?

[fff don't make that face D: he will HUG YOU IF YOU MAKE KICKED PUPPY FACES, DON'T TEMPT HIM...]

[HE CAN'T HELP IT OK. IT WAS KIND OF TRAUMATIC.

Ed can't bring himself to look Al in the eye, instead he focuses at a point on the opposite wall.]

Not long after Winry left with Dr. Marcoh and the others, I got in a fight with Kimblee. I got the Stone away from him, but the bastard had another one and he knew I wasn't gonna kill him. Fell down a mineshaft, there was a lot of left over material from before it was abandoned and when I came to there was...

[He hesitates. How the hell is he supposed to put this in a way that won't make Al freak out? He knows he survives, that much is obvious, but still. This wasn't exactly pleasant.]

... There was a support beam running through my stomach.

[--w... wait...]

[...a support... beam, running through his--]

[LSKJDFLKJSDLKFJ

WOEIURLKJSLDKJF INTERNAL KEYSMASHING as he grips his brother's sleeve, looking more than a little angry.]

--And you never told me?! Brother! How could you keep something like that to yourself?!

[YEAH HE'S TOTALLY BLAMING YOU FOR STUFF YOU DIDN'T EVEN DO YET

TAKE THAT]

[And Al wonders why he never told him. Well, it's not like Ed's actually had the chance to tell him all about his super duper happy fun impalement times yet. Hell, until a few minutes ago Ed didn't think he lived through it.

But this? This is exactly why Ed knows he wouldn't have told Al under different circumstances. This reaction right here. He lived, what happened there didn't matter, it would just make Al worry about him and that was the last thing he wanted. Because really, this was never about him -- this was about putting their lives back together, getting Al his body back. As long as he didn't die, what happened to him wasn't important.

He rips his sleeve out of Al's hand. No, he absolutely would NOT take that.]

Because it doesn't matter! I didn't die down there! [You're proof of that, Al.]

You didn't, but you could've! If it had been me, wouldn't you want to know?!

[>: >: >: EDWARD ELRIC YOU ARE SO BAD.]

That's different! [HE IS THE BEST HYPOCRITE]

It is not different! Don't be stupid, Brother! You can't set double standards like that!

Yes I can! Whatever happens to me doesn't matter. If I got a paper cut doing research there wouldn't be a reason for me to tell you about it, in the grand scheme of things one stupid cut isn't important. I would never purposely do something to get myself killed and I'll never use a Stone, I promised you that much, but I'll do whatever I have to do to get your body back. I'll give up whatever I need to because it doesn't matter. I'm still your older brother, damn it!

[E... EDWARD. he looks torn between grabbing him and throttling him for being a stupid jerk and upset at having to hear his brother's pain not yet absolved in his memory.]

So you think getting our bodies back negates all the pain you suffered along the way? Yours and mine?

We would both do what it takes to protect each other! That's never been a question, has it? But how could you ever say the sacrifices along the way don't matter? Every single thing you gave up to help me get back in my body makes me that much more grateful to have it, brother! Don't you dare devalue everything you've done! Every papercut, every bruise... every little scrape matters, you-- jerk!

[For a minute it looks like Ed is going to keep fighting, but the tone in Al's voice, the look on his face hits him just as hard as his words. ... He definitely feels like a jerk now, his stomach twists and a lump settles in the back of his throat. Ed never meant to devalue anything, not really. His face falls, tearing his eyes away and staring at his hands.]

I...

I'm sorry, Al.

...I hate when you do that, Ed.

[his voice is quiet... but the anger is leaking from his face at his brother's expression, til it's all gone. he never was one to hold onto it for long.]

Your pain will always be important to me... it'll always matter. Always. Papercuts, or something dangerous... and everything in between. I want to know every bit of pain you went through to get my body back to me, so I can be that much more grateful and appreciative to have it.

[so come get a hug, you dumb... dumby. YEAH, take... that! shut up he's bad at this alright lskjdfsdf damnit ;; he pulls his big bro into a tight squeeze.]

I wouldn't be able to feel anything without you. Pain, or warm... or taste Winry's pie again... Thank you, Brother.

[ARE YOU DOING THIS ON PURPOSE NOW, AL? IS IT NOW YOUR MISSION TO MAKE HIM CRY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE? BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING A DAMN GOOD JOB.

But this hug is ok. Look, he'll even hug back and his voice will totally not shake at all. Nope. Because this is the most normal thing ever he is so used to giving his not soul bound to a suit of armor human brother. So used to it. All of it.

OH WAIT. NO. NO HE ISN'T. He doesn't feel there's anything to thank him for either, but Ed's not going to push it.]

You're... you're welcome, Al.

[He swallows hard and laughs a little, trying to lighten the mood a bit.] I hope you're not expecting me to have kept track of every broken bone or something. I lost count a long time ago.

[flksjdf you stupid. he gives a little quiet, almost not there kind of chuckle, hugging him tighter still. brother >:]

Remember for now on, okay?

And something big like that... definitely counts.

[m'not stupid shut up, he nods sob Al why you do this]

Heh, sure thing. I don't plan on making something like that a regular occurrence, but... I'll tell you.

[because he loves you okay. someone has to look out for you here, and it looks like that job's all his for now.]

Good...

So... don't get yourself hurt anymore. You've already been hurt enough.

I won't.

... Not on purpose, anyway. Same goes for you, too. Broken ribs are not something you ever want to deal with, trust me. It sucks.

[.......may now be poking your ribs, bro. (gently. just in case. never know with you.)]

I'm not the one always getting into trouble, Brother. But I'll keep that in mind.

[WOW. OK. RUDE???? Ed squirms and swats at his hands]

Wh-what the -- H-HEY! Stop it! My ribs are fine, jeeze!

Are you ticklish?

[sflksjdf now he's got to poke to experiment!!!]

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