Texas - There are no strings on me. (strings_on_me) wrote in elsewhere_rpg, @ 2017-10-13 23:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | fullmetal alchemist: alphonse elric, red vs blue: tex, tags for admin: year 01 |
Thread - Ed/Al/Tex
Who: Edward & Alphonse Elric, and Texas
What: Al arrives in Elsewhere
When: Oct. 12th
Where: Evening, at the edge of town.
Rating: PG-13
Status: Log - Complete
Texas had gone to pick up Ed. She’d seen the exchange between Ed and Roy on the net. She was well aware that York had been injured badly enough he’d needed to be healed. She knew it was a monster that had done it. So, she’d invited Ed to go monster-hunting.. Maybe it’d help the young Alchemist to get some of his rage out. No one knew that better than Texas (and maybe Harry), that sometimes you just had to lash out and destroy something. The monster of a Spartan was in her armor, towering over Ed by nearly two feet. She had a large gun strapped to her back, and pistols on both of her thighs. There was also a strange, nearly dumb-bell shaped object on her hip, and a few grenades. Her armor, also, looked somehow different. The shoulders were a bit more square.. There were scrapes and dents and burn marks that hadn’t been there during the tribbles. And Ed knew how hard it was to damage that armor, he’d seen Roy try to destroy it. She didn’t say anything to him when he came down, though. The woman only waited until Ed looked up and acknowledged her, then she nodded and turned to begin walking. The Alchemist would have to hurry to keep up, she had a long stride. It was dark out by now, the sun having gone down. The moon was full, and filtered through the trees as they entered the woods. Several places on Tex’s armor had lights in it-- on her helmet, on her shoulders, her chest piece, her thighs, her ankles. Just small lights, to identify where she was. She very nearly disappeared into the dark, despite the moonlight. Her visor had also gone dim and darkened to match the night around her. However, as they got further from the town, her lights started to dim, until they cut off entirely and she was little more than a shadow moving through the woods alongside Ed, impossible to see out of the corner of your eye. The quiet of the woods around them wouldn’t last forever, though, as they began to hear the sounds of movement, far off in the distance. Picking up the pace, it wouldn’t be long before they saw movement, red creatures that looked like they were nothing but muscle without skin to cover-- with huge claws and teeth. Each monster was a good twenty feet tall, and crouched over still stood at a terrifying ten feet. Each monster. There were, in fact, two of them. They seemed to be snarling at one another and then attacking something between them. Like hyenas fighting over a food source, snapping at one another but willing to work together to bring the prey down. As Tex and Ed approached, there would be a crack of blue (Alchemy, Ed would recognize) and one of the monsters would be flung back, slamming into a tree and causing it to split and fall over, before the monster snarled and got up, shaking itself off and rushing in again. Off about ten feet away, another one of those monsters already laid dead on the ground. It wouldn’t take Ed getting much closer to the scene in front of them to recognize the red-robed Alchemist (they had named him Windstorm for a reason-- that that Ed knew his Alchemist name yet), crouched atop a crate that Tex noticed looked suspiciously like the crates their armor had been stored in. Alphonse’s hair was loose and blowing around him as he kept a shield of air between himself and the two monsters trying to eat him. Now and then, the shield dropped and he threw a blast of air at one of the creatures, knocked it back, and got the dome back up before the other monster could react. Tex slowed to a stop. This was Ed’s show, not hers. --- After the fight with Roy he’d been quiet. He was hurt and angry. He was an idiot to think Roy gave a fuck about him apparently. Why he even cared was a mystery to him. They’d always just been superior officer and subordinate, so why now did it matter if they were different? Ed had seen the way he was capable of treating Al, or hell even Marco but Roy could barely speak to him on that level and that was the most frustrating part. Roy had started to talk to him, actually convinced him he had some level of worth but now all that was gone. Ed felt more worthless than he had when he arrived on knowhere. It was so fucked up that he even cared about Roy Mustang’s stupid opinion, but he did. Try as he might to convince himself that he didn’t-there was always that nagging feeling that he wanted something more but would never get it. Whenever it was in reach, something happened and he was kicked to the curb. He was getting tired of it. Roy had Marco and Al now, so maybe he would just stop trying. When Tex showed up, Ed didn’t feel much like talking either so silence was just fine. As Tex walked away toward the woods, he practically had to run to keep up her ridiculous pace. Stupid giants and their long ass legs. When she started to move quicker Ed had little choice. He took to a run and lept up onto the the armor itself much like he’d done with York and perched on the shoulder. This was easier than exhausting himself to get to where they needed. Who knew what would be ahead. Might as well have as much strength as he could. He didn’t ask permission, that wasn’t how he worked. He saw something he wanted to do and just did it. York still thought he was recovering, but he was basically fine now and longed for a chance to show it. Alchemy didn’t take as much out of him as it had a week ago. He could handle himself just fine now. Ed had been about to call out for his brother when one of those creatures he’d knocked over decided to stumble back up. Hopping off of Tex, mid air he clapped his hands together and pressed them into the dirt. The ground underneath the monster shot up, forcing it up into the air and off into the distance. That had taken some energy, but he wasn’t broken. He was alive Alchemy forced him to feel things again. Al probably could have handled them both on his own the way he was fighting, but Ed would forever fall into the protective big brother role when called for. --- Al was having a difficult time with the two of them, he couldn’t shoot a blast at both and not drop his shield entirely. Defensive. He wasn’t offensive. It was clear he acted as a shield in times of battle, more than a sword. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t capable. That clap distracted him and he jerked his head that way-- his face lighting up. “Brother!” He called, that monster thrown up and away, the second one momentarily distracted so that Al could drop his shield and shove it back with a burst of wind, standing up on the crate and turning those bronze eyes directly onto Ed. He didn’t see Tex there in the darkness. The monster, though, was getting back up and attacking again, Alphonse throwing up a shield of whipping air to protect himself once again, the beast crashing into it with an angry snarl. He’d better take care of it quickly.. That second monster would be back within minutes, all it needed to do was run back the distance it’d been thrown. They were difficult to kill. They healed quickly when damaged.. But the one lying off to the side, dead, didn’t look injured. Clearly Al had managed to take one out on his own, where York hadn’t. Imagine that, Ed. --- He’d bought time and space, which seemed to be what Al needed just then with two monsters breathing down his neck. If it came back, Ed would deal with it. For now they had time to figure out what to do with the one he was currently facing down. Ed had no problems admitting that Al was probably stronger than he was, he was actually kind of proud of the fact that his brother could take care of himself. It meant they could have a real relationship instead of Al just needing a babysitter. He might have been jealous of Al and Roy’s current relationship, but he wasn’t so jealous that he wasn’t thrilled to see him. However they had something else to worry about now then just a reunion, Al was facing that thing with a shield. He’d taken out one of them it looked like, but he seemed to be having trouble with the other. He watched that thing attack Al’s windshield and looked around for everything and anything he could use to fight back. There was plenty there. Ed had ideas. So many that it was almost hard just to pick one, but he didn’t have time to lament over which was the coolest of them. Out of the ground a few dozen solid looking spears rose, all of them flying toward the side of that creature that was completely exposed while it attacked. Sharp spears piercing at it’s side until it either paid attention to him or fell over and died. Ed didn’t care which, nor did he hold back. --- Spike after spike slammed into the creature, puncturing it and causing it to scream out. The noise made Al flinch but he held steady and dropped his shield before taking a single step back, then darting forward, three quick steps across that large crate, and he was making a leap to land on the creature’s back. The monster’s tongue whipped out and grabbed hold of an ankle, yanking and pulling Al and in just a second or two, it had that automail leg in its mouth and hundreds of teeth were crunching down on it. Texas, behind Ed, shifted forward but didn’t rush in to help. This was Ed’s job. Not hers. It was just when those teeth crunched down into automail that the angry roar of the previously dismissed monster could be heard and it would come crashing through the woods, barreling straight for Ed. Alphonse was busy with those teeth and that tongue, clapping bare hands together and pressing them to the side of the monster’s head as it did its best to shake Al’s leg right off. The spikes had held it still, but wouldn’t kill it. In fact, its body was healing around the spikes, making them a part of it. It was actually pretty creepy. Watch out, Ed. --- Fuck. That thing was more persistent than he gave it credit for. “Al!” A panicked look as it bit down on his brother, and Ed paid no mind to the second one that rushed in. He was already rushing forward, a clap of blue light and his arm turning to a blade as the thing opened its mouth, Ed shoved the blade arm in. Even if it tried to bite him too Ed’s limb was also made of metal. Hard metal that could break teeth and he aimed to do so. Tearing right through the monster’s mouth into its throat to cut the tongue off that held his brother. Bad monster, no cookie. His attention was firmly distracted from the beast coming at him, he projected his energy into that attack. Using a technique he swore he wouldn’t use. But hey, it wasn’t like anyone would actually care apparently. His metal hand touching the disgusting inside of that creature’s mouth and pressing upward, caused the beast to squirm uncomfortably as it healed. No way did it expect two limbs in it’s mouth, one there willingly. But that metal limb wasn’t just sitting there to be eaten. An angry flicker of blue light caused the creature that seemed to heal around everything to completely begin to melt away into a fine powder around them. Scar’s technique. Yeah, Ed had learned it just by watching and observing. What do you think of that, Roy? As Ed began to turn, he saw that second monster coming at him, and with an upward thrust of his sword arm again he pierced it through the neck. --- When the tongue was cut off, the monster roared out and dropped Alphonse to the ground. He landed hard and with a grunt, but pushed up to his hands and knees just in town for that creature to turn to ashes. He was thankful he couldn't feel any pain in his legs, but he could feel the automail was pierced and crushed in places, because his pants were stuck in those places. He didn't have time to think on it, though, because the second monster was rushing up and Ed was running it through beneath the jaw. The monster roared and slashed out, aiming for Ed. His claws, if allowed, would slash through cloth, skin, and muscle. Just like it had done to York, cutting so deep the Spartans spine was exposed. It had been an awful injury. But perhaps Ed could avoid it. While it attacked Ed, the younger Alchemist clapped his hands and pressed them against the body of the beast, that blue charge snapping through the air, and the monster began to wiggle and thrash, knocking his head away and gasping for breath that wouldn't come. It moved violently around, away from the brothers, before it collapsed on the ground, gasping. It would die a moment later, Al watching with some sort of odd detachment, before looking at Ed again. “Are you alright?” He didn't dare stand, he was sure his leg would collapse beneath his weight. Briggs automail. --- Ed felt a couple of those claws sink into his skin, but he didn’t jerk away. If he did he wouldn’t kill the beast and he could kill this thing without remorse. Without feeling guilt. These were mindless creatures that wanted them dead, that had hurt York and now his brother. He felt it down to his shoulder blade and gasped in pain. His shoulder blade was torn up through his jacket and he was breathing hard, but he didn’t fall. He continued to do what he was doing while Al did something with alchemy and his vision swam. He couldn’t really see what his brother was doing but he could see a bit of familiar light. “I’m fine.” He didn’t realize what happened yet. His body was still processing the damage it’d suffered. He figured most of the blood was the monsters, and so he ignored it. He made his way toward al with an actual smile somewhere in all that blood. “Can you stand?” He might need Tex if he couldn’t. --- He was fine? He didn't look fine. When asked if he could stand, Alphonse tried pushing up to his feet slowly. Once he was up, he smiled and nodded. Yes, he could stand. He kept his weight on his good leg and looked Ed over again, a frown touching his lips. “You're bleeding.” At least, it looked like he was. Stepping forward (mistake!) Alphonse’s left leg buckled under his own weight, the automail collapsing on one side and bending, causing him to stumble and have to put all the weight back on that other leg. His cheeks flushed. It was only then that Texas came walking forward, her lights coming on again. Al jumped some when he saw her. Where had she been?! “You're both idiots.” She announced calmly. --- Ed on the other hand hadn’t been surprised by Texas at all since he knew she was lurking around. He was actually glad she hadn’t done anything. He’d been able to be violent about something and not care about the consequences. Nobody was going to mourn for the dead killer monsters. He hoped? Glancing over at Tex with a bit of a laugh he shrugged. “Yeah, probably. Can you carry him?” Because Ed couldn’t right then otherwise he would have gotten him immediately. He wasn’t going to try to pretend he could. He knew he was injured, he just didn’t realize how deep it’d gotten. “It doesn’t matter, what matters is you’re here and I can try to fix that when we get to the town.” Keyword try, Ed could use alchemy to fix his Al-but he didn’t know if the same trick would work on his brothers automail. Maybe it would. Or maybe Al would just have to teach him to fix things too rather than just break them. --- “Yeah, I guess.” The woman came closer, Alphonse staring up at her in wonder-- it was the first time she’d stood so close to him. She wasn’t as tall as York or North-- but the black was intimidating. He just stared. “You okay?” She questioned. “Just gonna stare at me all night, or are you okay with me carrying you?” “Oh. Yeah-- sure.” He flushed again, hopping some to get closer. She hooked both hands beneath his arms and lifted him, like he weighed nothing, and let him settle on one shoulder. Once she was sure he was comfortable and not going to fall off, a hand came out for Ed. No words. Words weren’t needed. There was no way he could keep up with her while injured. And this way, he could keep his brother company. Come on, Ed. --- Ed glared at the hand at first, but Tex eventually won once she picked up Al. But only then. Ed wasn’t interested in helping himself. He was interested in getting his brother back home. Or at least a place indoors without monsters even if it wasn’t exactly home. “You’ve met Tex right?” Ed asked once Al was off the ground. He was careful not to rest on his back, that would suck. Metal to very tender exposed flesh was not a fun thing-he knew this from experience. He was glad Al was there finally. He’d been worried his brother wasn’t going to show up at all if he was honest. Everyone else had, Al was late. In fact he stated that fact. “You’re late. Even General bastard got here before you did.” And wasn’t that fun. Ed had wished it had been Al first. Roy was probably going to want to know that Al had gotten there alive and fine but Ed hadn’t remembered to bring his tablet along. Oh well. --- With the Elric boys perched on her shoulders, Texas would walk them back home. The things that went bump in the night were nervous to come near the large, dark thing moving through the forest. Alphonse felt oddly safe there. “Yeah, we’ve met a few times.” He smiled down at the dark helmet, but Tex made no remarks. So Al leaned against it, so he could focus on his brother. “I’m sorry, Brother. I did try to get to you.” But he’d had to wait. Eventually, it’d come for him and now there he was. “And now I’ve gotten you hurt.. I didn’t mean to.” Ed wouldn’t be hurt if it weren’t for Al. His own brother wouldn’t be dead if it weren’t for him. His small smile faded. Instead, he switched to more pressing matters. “Is everyone else here?” Clearly Roy was. But Riza? York? North? His cheeks flushed a little at the thought of North. --- Ed himself wasn’t really sure what to make of this new Tex attitude. He’d noticed she was a bit...off, but he didn’t know what to say, nor did he have the energy to try to find things to say. He had Al back. That was what mattered to him. “Don’t be stupid. I’m fine. I will be anyway. There’s a hotel we’ve been staying at not far.” He responded quietly, a bit of pain leaking through his voice but he was glad for it. It was the first time he hadn’t felt completely useless in a while now. He’d been able to help Al. Sure he’d done the thing with the tribbles, but apparently that was long past in the General’s eyes. “They’re all here. Everyone was here but you. It wasn’t right.” Ed didn’t like it. This Al wasn’t exactly his, but without him he still felt like a piece was missing. “...I didn’t like it. Don’t go away again.” He leaned on his automail to keep any weight off his fleshy side since it was starting to hurt. A bit of his blood was probably going to be left on her armor. But hey, at least it was black. “York, North, Tex, Riza, Harry,..” Ed listed off names bit grimaced as he moved awkwardly, putting his hand to his shoulder in attempt to stop the pain from throbbing. -- A slow smile covered Al’s face as Ed lifted off those names. “You called her Riza.” Instead of ‘The Lieutenant’. But he wouldn’t linger on that long. He was leaning away some so he could carefully tug his red coat off-- his brother’s red coat-- and he balled it up and reached out, leaning to press his belly into Tex’s helmet (she let out a sigh, unheard, into her helmet) and reaching around Ed to push it against his wound and help stem the bleeding. “I won’t go away again if I can help it. I didn’t like it, either.. I kept worrying about you.” His cheeks flushed some again. “Have you kissed York yet?” Sorry, Ed. --- Ed was going to hold him to that. As much as he appreciated the attempt to stop the bleeding, the last thing he wanted was Al to fall off Tex at this point. That would slow things down. Ed needed to get to a place where either York could help or Riza could. His head was starting to feel pretty badly along with the rest of him. He took the coat himself and held it there. “I got it...eh, yeah I guess I did call her Riza. I’ve gotten to know her more.” He tried to reassure Al in spite of that sickening queasy feeling that was threatening him. “Why would I kiss York?” Golden eyes watched his brother suspiciously. How long had that thought been going on in his head? Sure lately he’d thought about it, but what was the point there? York still just called him brother. It was unlikely he saw him any other way. --- With Ed holding the coat to himself, the younger Elric smiled at him and straightened, but remained holding onto Tex so he wouldn’t fall. “She’s pretty great, isn’t she?” Admittedly, Al had a bit of a crush on the Lieutenant, but he was well aware it was impossible and just enjoyed being her friend and surrogate child. But really, who wouldn’t have a crush on a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman who was so controlling? It was why students got crushes on their teachers. “And I thought, I don’t know, that you might have.. Had an urge to kiss him?” Al shrugged up his shoulders a little with a smile as he asked. “Have you?” It may have been a rather pointed question to ask, but Alphonse was curious. Had his brother figured it out yet? --- “This is getting weird..You’re weird. Go back through the portal and come back less weird.” Was that a joke from the eldest Elric? All it took was a little near death experience apparently. He used Tex’s shoulder to brace himself and frowned. “Maybe you can go faster Tex?” A.k.a that injury was starting to hurt more but Ed didn’t want to say it out right. Much like York had with him, he really didn’t feel like worrying Al. He couldn’t really lean against Tex a proper way to take any pain off. There was just pain shooting everywhere. --- “No. You’ve always thought I was weird, Brother.” His smile widened out some, but it faded when Ed asked for Tex to go faster. It made the woman turn her head a little bit and she was silent for a second before slowing her steps and coming to a halt. Ed would be shifted down, so she could hold him in against her, then Alphonse was dropped in the same manner, held in against the side of her chest. “Hang on.” It was their only warning, before Texas was breaking into what was close to a run-- a solid thirty miles an hour through brush and trees. It had Alphonse gripping on and staring wide-eyed, but it was exciting, he had to admit. Yeah, she could go faster. Getting back into the town this way would take ten minutes, tops, then they’d have to find Cas. Hopefully, Ed would remember Cas had told him that all he had to do was think about him, and he’d know it. --- Right then Ed could barely remember his own name as Tex shifted him, and he grit his teeth to keep from cursing because of the pain. He meant to tease Tex about being weirdly compliant but it seemed that his short term memory wasn’t working so great thanks to his brain’s attempt to shut down. Once Tex started running, Ed lost consciousness somewhere along the way. He regained a few points in trust for her though. She had come through. He couldn’t have done that in front of York, he might have felt guilty for letting out so much anger and frustration with little restraint. The wind felt nice. His head fell gently against Tex’s armor as she ran. Unfortunate not to see it. He wanted to, he tried to will his eyes to open but found nothing but darkness. --- When Ed finally woke up, it’d be to Al’s wide, bronze eyes, as his brother was leaned over him. The elder Elric was sprawled in the grass, Al on his hands and knees near him, as he’d been checking him for signs of life. The pain was gone. And Al smiled when he saw those eyes open. “He’s awake.” He announced to.. Someone. Then that someone was revealed, as the towering form of Castiel came to stand behind the bent-over Alphonse, looking down at Ed there on the ground. He just nodded. You were alright, Ed. “How do you feel?” Al asked with a smile, moving to sit in the grass beside him, then lay down right there, pressed up against him. Ten feet off, Texas watched from the shadows, having dimmed her lights so she was nearly invisible. She let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Ed was fine. Castiel had been pretty clear that if it’d been five minutes later, that might not have been the case. He had scolded them about letting people play with monsters. --- Blinking his eyes awake only to find Al’s hands all over him, poking at him to see if he’d respond oor something-Ed smacked one of them in annoyance. “What are you-stop that.” He said groggily as the faces came into view. One of those faces very close. Al hadn’t changed, part of him was glad but the other slightly annoyed. “I’m fine?” It was a strange sensation to be hurting so badly to the point of wanting to puke and die to the next just being purely fine so fast. Almost jarring. But he wasn’t complaining. He could get up and walk again on his own, and completely ignore Cas’s scolding. He’d had fun okay. For once in a long time he’d actually enjoyed himself a little being able to let loose. No repercussions. In fact he kind of wanted to come back to the woods with Tex sometimes to fight stupid shit. “I know Cas, I know. But it was actually fun for once. I sort of forgot what fun was like.” Reckless fun, but whatever. Fun was fun. --- Smacked back, Al laughed softly but scooted away enough to give his brother some room, then sat up again, still smiling. He was just glad his brother was okay. Castiel really was amazing. And still glaring down at Ed. Still. “Your fun should involve less chances of death.” The angel insisted, then lifted his head to glance over at Tex, and back down at the brothers. “Next time, be more careful.” And with that, the brunette was gone. Al would never get used to anyone just.. Vanishing that way. But he was able to contain his excitement and looked down at Ed again. “Come on, I’ll help you up.” Al pushed up to his feet, steady as can be (Cas had fixed him up, too!) and offered both hands down. --- “Where’s the fun in that?” Ed asked casually to that displeased face. Way to wake the reckless side in him there Roy. He’d been trying so hard lately to follow a path that would make Roy praise him more, only to gain the opposite that it’d caused something inside him to twist a little. This normally wouldn’t have been how he got his rocks off, but tonight? It’d served it’s purpose. He had his brother back, and he had gotten a little rage out. Even Al was okay again. He saw no lose here. ‘You can stand?” Cas could even fix automail? Huh..well he’d keep that in mind since he wasn’t very good at fixing his own shit. Ed passed no glances over at Tex that said he regretted their little outing. Not even the slightest. With Al’s help he stood and hugged him, draping an arm around his shoulder. “Lets go back to the hotel. Coming Tex?” --- “Yeah, Cas fixed me up.” He curled his arms around his brother in return and smiled over at Texas when Ed asked if she’d be coming with them. But the dark suit of armor only shook its head and pushed to come a step forward. “I’m sure you’ll be fine getting back.” With that, she was turning and heading back into the woods, her lights on the armor cutting out, and she was gone, disappeared into the shadows. Al leaned closer to Ed. “She’s creepy.” He admitted quietly. |