towerofanimus | He was never good at following orders.

Entry tags:

He was never good at following orders.

Characters:

unexculpable,

snacklist,

spiritsup,

princesslantern,

bowtiedup, &

groovy_mutation
Setting: Here and there. Doesn't really matter. Eventually will end up in Ed's dorm Room 2-06
Format: Prefer brackets, but I'll be more than happy to prose it up if you'd like!
Summary: Ed's going a little crazy while fighting Group A's order to kill. He goes after Milagro, is stopped by the Doctor, and then attempts to kill the Doctor for interfering. Later he goes after Romeo and is stopped by Alphonse and dragged back to his room kicking and screaming and hating everything. Charles shows up later to help calm Ed down.
Warnings: violence, language, descriptions of surgery victims, near character deaths, unstable mental states, angst, horrible memories of Ed's past. I'll add more if anything else pops up.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

--Brother!!

[the cry comes out as Alphonse comes all but skidding around the corner, his heart thumping hard and fast in his chest. the moment he'd seen signs of the others beginning to act strangely -- he had gotten a horrible... feeling. a horrible, horrible feeling, and he just... knew. he knew something was wrong with Edward.

he had ran and ran, not really sure where he was going -- just trusting his instincts to guide him and show him the way... but never did he expect to see this at the end of his search...

finding him with the boy-- Romeo, the boy he had met in the forest-floor of the Tower-- his eyes go wide.]

B... rother! What are you doing?!

[This was wrong. This was wrong, all of this was wrong. His hands were around this boy's neck and the thought of killing him makes him sick, but so does the thought of not killing him. His hands shake violently, his eyes still wide with fear and guilt.

"Big brother! Come play with me!"

Ed's hands start to tighten around Romeo's throat. It would be so easy to snap it in half, so simple. His fingers start digging into his skin.

"Why does it hurt, big brother?"

Al rounded the corner and Ed froze. Oh god what was he doing this was wrong it was sick and twisted he wanted to take this boy's life. Wanted to watch the life fade from his eyes.]

A-Al...? [Ed's fingers twitch and he squeezes his eyes shut. There's desperation in his voice. Terrified pleading. Please, don't let him do this. Please, please, please.] Al I can't... I'm supposed to kill him. I have to. Please... please help me. G-get him away from me, PLEASE.

[Tears rolled down Romeo's face, he couldn't breath, he couldn't move. He had no hands so he couldn't pry the fingers off his neck.

Was this what the bad people had wanted, to make the other people in the tower hate him? Was he going to die now? That wouldn't be too bad... at least he would get to see Alfredo again.

But it hurt and he didn't really want to die. He liked being alive and he had promised Molly he would be her friend forever, he couldn't leave her, not in this bad place.

He was dizzy though and his cries had turned to whimpers as he fought for breath.]

[to say he was horrified... was an understatement. Alphonse had never seen Brother like this before -- not ever... but he doesn't have time to puzzle out what, exactly, was wrong with him right now. there was the far pressing matter of stopping it to see to.

he's abruptly running again -- toward them, to all but scramble in a rush to pry at Edward's fingers around Romeo's throat.]

--You're hurting him!! Ed!

[E-Ed... get a hold of yourself... what are you doing?! you're scaring him...]

[Romeo's strained whimpers rang in his ears, Ed could feel his pulse beating furiously under his fingers, like his heart was trying to escape before Ed crushed it in his hand.

He could barely hear Al. All he could hear was terrified crying and pathetic whimpering and he didn't know where it was coming from. Was it him? Was it the boy? He couldn't tell. Al's hands start prying at his fingers and he doesn't stop him, but he doesn't loosen his grip either. It's all he can do to keep himself from snapping the boy's neck.

But then he hears it, Al's voice. BROTHER STOP. YOU'RE HURTING HIM. And at the same time he hears his voice yelling at him with that familiarly metallic tone, "BROTHER STOP. YOU'LL KILL HIM".

He grimaces, choking back a sob. "Big brother why are you hurting daddy?" His fingers twitch, loosening just enough for Al to yank his hands away from Romeo's throat. ]

[Romeo saw mister Al come towards him and wondered if he was going to join in, after all he was an adult too. Maybe it had been some magic spell that had made the adults so nice and now it was broken. But mister Al pulled Ed's hands away and Romeo could breath.

He stood gasping for breath, too dizzy to move for a moment. He wondered why mister Al had saved him, but was grateful.] Tha...thank you sir [and then he ran, his legs skidding as he tried to balance himself, tears rolling down his cheaks, he had to go find somewhere to hide.]

[he was seriously trying to kill him... and Alphonse can't grasp why-- can't understand the conflict in his face and the rigidity of his brother's hands as they struggle to release the chimera from that tight grip.

but finally they do, and Al is wasting no time in jerking his big brother away, pushing himself between them to give Romeo time to catch his breath and retreat.]

Ed! --ED! [what is wrong with him? he's-- he looks...

Brother... what is happening to you? Al is gripping his brother's shoulders tightly, giving him a little shake and looking imploringly into his eyes. Ed, say something...]

[Ed's stomach is churning, his heart is racing, and his entire body is shaking. Every so often he twitches violently, struggling against Al's grip. Romeo was getting away. He was leaving and it was wrong and he felt sick and he had to kill him. But he can't. He can't let that happen.

Finally the boy scrambles around the corner and Ed's breath catches in his chest and he wants to chase after him and he doesn't know why and it hurts to think of what he almost did and it hurts just as much knowing he failed to do. Tears stream down his cheeks and suddenly all he can think about is Nina. Nina with his hands around her throat.Nina with her face twisted in horror, morphing and twisting into the tortured form her psychotic father stuck her in, asking him why it hurt, why he was doing this.

He looks up at Al, panic and terror in his eyes . His voice shakes and cracks, heavy and guilt laden.]

A-Al. I... Please, I... Please don't let me... I can't...

[he's... crying. Ed's crying and something is wrong, really, really wrong... wrong in a way that has nothing to do with Romeo or Ed's intentions and everything to do with something unseen working against them. something is wrong with Ed.

Alphonse strains his ears to make sure the boy was gone-- he prayed he was alright, but right now he had to make sure he kept his brother calm lest he try to go after him again. the hands at his shoulders grip tighter... but not in demand, but reassurance.]

I won't let you hurt anyone, Brother.

[it's firm, decisive. don't worry; that is the last thing he would ever do... especially when it was innocents that his sibling was going after, and apparently against his will -- even if that will seemed confused.]

What's happening to you...? [had someone done this to him? others had been acting strangely, too... was this the work of those that ran the Tower?]

It's this place, it's... I don't know. I don't know what's going on.

[Ed's still shaking, still crying, still completely horrified about all of this, and still, despite everything, still had the terrifying urge to kill.]

I don't... I don't want to do this, Al, but I can't... I can't stop it I just --

[He just wants to go back and strangle the life out of that boy. Wanted to crush his windpipe, or snap his neck, or slit his throat, or stab him through the heart. The boy that reminded him of Nina.]

I have to kill him. I have to kill the others like him. I have to and it makes me sick, but I can't do that I CAN'T, but it's what I'm supposed to do and I don't know how to make this stop. Please, Al. Please don't let me do this. I don't want to do this!

Ed! Stop! [it's sharp-- more a demand than a request to snap his brother out of his harried frenzy, before the next is a little more gentle.] ...Stop. You don't have to tell me...

[he knows, brother. he would never let you hurt him... and he has no hesitation taking action now that he knows this isn't what Ed wants, either. he's not doing this out of an effort to protect something or try and stop something terrible -- he doesn't want to be doing this at all. he's being forced against his will.

so Al reaffirms his grip on Ed's shoulders, looking intently into his eyes.]

I won't let them use you like that. I would never let anyone use you like that!

We'll go somewhere safe and figure out how to undo this. Okay?

[it's... going to be okay. it's going to be okay!]

[Ed nods, swallowing the lump in his throat.]

R-right.

[don't look so dejected, brother... ;; it breaks his heart, and he's tempted to pull him into a hug, just-- wanting to comfort him somehow.

but first thing's first.

he is starting to guide his brother for the door -- in the opposite direction of the boy, toward the stairs.]

Let's go. Squeeze my hand if you need to.

I can squeeze right back, Ed. See? [just... keep talking, distract him...]

[Ed's hands are still shaking when as Al guides him down the hall. He's only half listening as they walk. His mind is racing, his stomach is tying itself into knots and he keeps thinking about Nina. That look on that bastard's face, that sick fucking grin, when he told them that his experiment was a success. That laugh and the crazed look in his eyes. The voice of one terrified, tortured little girl, used by her own father to save his own ass.

He doesn't look up, only stares at the floor. His voice is weak, cracking and shaking.]

He... that kid...

He reminds me of Nina.

[Al is squeezing that hand tighter as something conflicted, and... sad crosses his features, but he's trying to keep from letting too much show. he doesn't want to make it worse on Ed. it comes out quietly:]

...Me, too.

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He was never good at following orders.

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