Edward Elric is the Fullmetal Alchemist (fullmetal_chibi) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-02-04 22:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, edward elric, neal cassidy (baelfire) |
Who:Ed and Neal
What:Being manly men and eating pizza out of boxes.
When:January 25thish
Where:Ed and Riza's
Warnings/Rating:None/low!
STATUS:complete
Edward wasn't sure how he felt about any of this, so he'd switched on the numbness. He let it wash over him like a familiar glove and didn't fight the currant as he tried to move his newly metal hand. He found himself just oddly out of place and unsure compared to the cocky brat Neal had met in the bookstore.
He'd stayed home from school that day so he was outside, sitting on the stoop of the building for most of the day trying to figure out how to move his hand properly. He nearly had it, but some movements were still stiff. His phone had been his first victim after his conversation with Raven. He was hopeful she didn't have any trouble figuring out which classes he needed school work from. He hadn't even had time to text her that. His phone was just in pieces on the stairs beside him and he rolled his eyes at it. "Fucking great."
The automail was impressive in it's own right. The metal wasn't exactly of regular metal that might be recognized by today's standards. It looked nearly like the inside of an arm the way the pieces twisted to form a human arm. They almost resembled veins. The joins in his hands were nearly like that of a human hand, and today Edward didn't need to hide it. He was dressed in a black tank top since the skin that bonded with the metal was still sensitive it hurt less. However, his leg was concealed by pants. Only the left metal foot glistened in the sun light.
It seemed like the dreams weren’t doing anyone favors lately, and that was something Neal resonated pretty hard with. He supposed the silver lining was that Ed’s sudden metal limbs hadn’t occurred while they were all knee-deep in magic and occult bullshit, pulling the Dark One’s vessel from out of the way of Death’s swinging scythe. It meant that Neal had his head on straight (mostly - but his own nightmares and PTSD weren’t the issue here) to help the kid, and do what he could to make this whole thing a little easier.
Pizza was a good start. Yeah, nothing wrong at all with starting there.
As promised, he picked up an order from the Italian restaurant he knew of that didn’t completely suck. Large cheese pizza, half pepperoni, and an order of breadsticks with sauce. What would go great with this would be a genuine egg cream, but you really couldn’t get those in any place but New York. Well, you could but it’d be sub-par.
He carried the boxes to Ed’s building, where he lived with his aunt, and found the kid on the stairs. It saved him from knocking on the door, at least? “Brought sustenance,” he offered, balancing the square cardboard box, tasty smells emitting from it. “How’s it going, kiddo?”
Ed had been fairly distracted by his new metal limbs. He didn’t even see Neal coming until he was practically face to face. He shrugged and lowered his hand, he had to do so carefully as not to crack the pavement of the stone step he was sitting on. His strength had tripled with his new body. “Killed my phone.” He gave Neal an annoyed look as he held up the pieces with his other hand.
“I’m right handed, this is going to suck.” He rarely used his left hand, and that was the one that hadn’t been sacrificed. It was the main reason he’d not gone to school, he didn’t know how to write with the left anyway.
“Riza’s out right now. At the shop I think.” Just so Neal knew he wasn’t going to be yelled at or anything weird like that any time soon. Ed had been given at least a little freedom that way, but really since he’d pulled the whole Alchemy stunt he’d been watched quite a bit closer. I was hard to get away with much anymore.
“I am starving though.” The world could be ending and Ed would still be hungry.
“It looks really good,” Neal said about the metal limb, which was well-designed if nothing else. Living with such an adjustment would just take time, but he knew that it was possible Ed wasn’t the most patient of creatures - however, he’d get through it. Just another bump in the road. “And I’m sure Riza, military background, and love of training schedules will help you with exercises and stuff, so you can learn to do things like not kill your phone.”
He slung his chin in the direction of the front door. “Lead the way, and I can at least do something about that whole starving situation.” The bottomless pit of a stomach hadn’t changed. Some things remained comforting and very much the same.
"Don't remind me. She's already scheduled out my next two weeks I think. " He paused as he shifted his eyes. "It's not freaky or anything? " He paused as he got up to lead Neal inside.
After showing him where to put things and relax he looked at the metal again. It was hard not to. " I probably shouldn't think it looks kinda cool but it does. " He should be a bit more serious about it and was mostly, but it was almost like having a robot arm. "It's called automail. Apparently I'm not the first to have it. It came around fairly close to something called the Ishbal massacre. Those pieces were more primitive though..." If asked for more details however Edward wouldn't have any, he was just going off of dream memory. It wasn't always complete.
Neal set the pizza down, the breadsticks nearby and emitting the delicious scent of grease and garlic (couldn’t really go wrong there), and went to go rummage for drinks in the fridge. Sodas would do, and he found two, popping the tabs on both. “It’s not freaky,” he grinned reassuringly. “I think it looks way more advanced than a lot of prosthetic limbs would.” It was automail, sure, but the detail on it was pretty intricate. Made it look almost like metallic skin with veins crawling beneath.
He began opening the various containers, the smell becoming more and more drool-worthy. They could be manly men and eat out of the box but he at least got napkins. Even those same manly men appreciated napkins. “You still going to school or are you doing the home-based education thing?” He imagined that if it was difficult for Ed to fit in before, well, metal limbs would make that even more so. But there was also the possibility that kids his age would find it cool. Neal knew that half the kids at the center where he worked would fall into the second category.
“Prosthetic seemed thing of the past in that world. Automail was the new in thing. Granny found out about it I think. I don’t really remember, the pain was pretty disorienting..” It was enough to make most grown men scream. Ed hadn’t done that at all, he’d passed out in the end, but he didn’t make a sound when the actual armor fused to his skin. “It’s a little freaky..but..” He shrugged and reached for one of the pizza slices. He didn’t care about plates, who the hell ate pizza on a plate anyway?
“I think we’re doing home school a bit. Till I stop crushing things at random in any case..We’ve got the government’s attention already…” He trailed off, he didn’t need to make his situation worse if he was sued or something for crushing the wrong thing by accident. “I broke my door this morning.” There was going to be a lot of that until he was used to the strength it had given him. It was entirely new skill set.
“..I haven’t tried alchemy yet with it either.” He frowned a bit worriedly as he ate one of the pieces of pepperoni as it tried to slide off his pizza with the non metalic hand. He really didn’t wanna ruin pizza because of stupid metal arms.
Breaking shit kind of seemed like it’d be inevitable, in this situation. But Neal was confident that Ed would pull through, with a lot of practice. “The human body is kinda crazy, we adapt so well to things,” he said, dipping a breadstick into the sauce. Manly men also double-dipped and didn’t give a crap. Cue up the grunting here. “So you’ve just gotta work at it a little. People will be patient with you while you’re learning.”
It wasn’t the kid’s fault that he woke up with metal limbs. Could have been a lot worse too, so Neal was just glad that overall Ed was fine and still healthy.
“If you ever want to come by the ranch where I work, it’s sort of out in the middle of nowhere. You could practice, and lots of people there have extra gifts. You know. Powers and things. It’s where they work on them.”
Ed really didn’t have any idea how to clean metal either, did he shower it or oil it or what? If he got pizza on it then what happened? So many new confusing variables he really wasn’t sure he wanted. “The last thing I remember when it happened was Riza cleaning blood off.” He shrugged some. “I think I blacked out a while before then.” He kept shifting and moving some in various ways so it didn’t get stiff or painful one way too long.
“The ranch? What’s that?” Out of the middle of nowhere sounded creepy, but if he ever did decide to use alchemy anymore it probably wouldn’t have been overly safe in the city. “I thought you worked with kids and junk?” He was already starting in on a third piece of pizza. Manly men also didn’t give a crap about calories.
“It’s in Trabuco Canyon,” Neal chuckled, because the look on Ed’s face made it seem like he worked on a horror movie set. “It’s an outreach center, but we just call it ‘the ranch.’ We have kids staying there, ones kinda like what you’ve mentioned - they’ve got the government’s attention. Or they’ve been to juvie a few times. The ranch is where they sort of learn to pick themselves up again. It’s a good place for them, they like helping take care of the animals, and there’s a gym, they can get help with their schoolwork too. I do all of the above with them - usually ranch chores in the morning, then games in the gym, or sometimes they just want to talk to someone and I do that too.”
Another bite of pizza, and Neal was steadily working his way through the pie too. Whatever leftovers, he’d let Ed have them - if there were any leftovers. “Not just kids though, but there are some adults. Ones who have extra powers, like I said.”
The look on Edwards face didn't improve at Neals description. If anything it became a little more disbelieving. "Wait. I'm not some kind of charity case or psycho if that's what this is all about. You coming around and all. " Ed didn't understand what that offer was. "I don't need you coming over here or nothing. " He was actually angry. He didn't need pity if that was the angle here. He didn't need anyone.
Even if he did, he wasn’t about to be committed or something to whatever this place was. Any sort of mental defense he had begun breaking down was now right back up. If Neal was looking to dump him at this place and move along, he'd rather be it be at home anyway.
“Hey, hey, relax - “ Neal reached over and patted Ed’s arm, the metal one, not too hard - just giving it a reassuring kind of...squeeze? “I didn’t say you were either of those things. It’s not a place for charity or psychos either, it’s just there if you wanted to come by and not worry about breaking anything while you get used to the metal limbs. That’s all. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but if you do want to, stay five hours or fifteen minutes. You could even just visit my face. Bring me lunch, maybe.” Teasing.
Because waking up bloodied and metallic was a fucking messed up thing to happen to a teenager, and he needed safe spaces. He also needed people coming by, and caring, and sticking to their guns even throughout the storm of adolescent tempers flaring - and Neal planned to do just that.
“Just remember that I like you,” he informed the stewing fifteen-year-old. “And that’s why I come over, not any other reason.”
Ed didn't feel it but he understood the gesture. The metal looked like an arm but it was just metal. There was no feeling in it. He gave Neal a unimpressed state for a moment before accepting his response with a nod. "Well....maybe. " He looked over at his pizza awkwardly. His trust was hard earned, he was still waiting to see if Neal was just humorist him or something. A distrustful glare passed his way. Ed hated it. He wanted to just be able to like this guy with out worrying about losing him ten seconds later. It was tiring and frankly he couldn't figure out why he cared so much.
"You don't have to. I'm fine on my own. " Ed had always been the one who didn't lean on anyone. He had always been the rock for Al instead as older brothers sound be. "You don't owe me anybody. ..." Ed just frowned as he finished a 4th piece of pizza. He was unsure how to react to someone wanting to be around.
In the past, Neal went through everything that Ed himself was currently going through (and had already, in his short life), their situations very similar. He understood, probably better than most people who would just look at the kid and see ‘delinquent’ and not a kindred spirit. After being tossed aside by everyone who was supposed to give a shit and protect him, it was difficult to believe that anyone would want to be there for him - even now, years later, his default was to handle problems on his own which was why he had so much trouble letting people help when he had his father in his head. But he didn’t want it to be like that for Ed. When Neal was his age, he hadn’t had anyone - maybe if he did, things would have been different.
“I know I don’t have to. I want to. And as long as you’ll let me, then I’ll keep coming around,” he promised, ruffling the kid’s hair affectionately. “Man, I thought we were gonna have leftover pizza but I think you ate more than me.” It was said jokingly, as he glanced into the abyss of the empty cardboard box.
Edward would likely keep prodding him about whether or not he was there by choice or whatever. The kid had a rough time fitting in with people, it seemed almost too easy with Neal and that worried him. It made him wonder if he was going to be dropped at any second and he couldn’t help but worry. Edward didnt mind his new found home schooling one bit right now because of that worry. However he did miss lunch with Raven a little, but that was about it.
“..Okay.” He finally admitted defeat and let it go for now. Amber eyes peered over into the box and he raised a blond eyebrow. “I’m still hungry. “ He wasn’t starving though, so he’d likely just find something in the fridge later to pick at. He shrugged “Lina and I ordered six pizzas between us last time.”
“Six....!” That made Neal laugh, but it wasn’t at all surprising. He knew Lina could pack it away like no one’s business. “You two really are almost-siblings,” he teased. She gave Neal brotherly feels, and he obviously had fatherly feels for the lion-eyed teenager here. They were like one big dysfunctional family, in a way, which was how he liked it. “Okay, I’ll make sure to stock up at Costco next time I come over, deal?”
He’d get the kid a few dozen boxes of cookies and a metric shit ton of meat for grilling, all from the super-awesome-deal warehouse.
“It gets really hard on my allowance.” Rarely did he find he had extra money for anything but snacks. Ed shrugged dramatically, but he didn’t dwell on it long. He just leaned against the counter and watched him curiously. “Siblings? How so?” He hadn’t ever really had the normal sibling relationship thing, so he didn’t get it.
“I like chocolate ones.” He added as far as cookies went, but seriously. Who didn’t like chocolate ones? Even kids who couldn’t eat chocolate wanted chocolate chip cookies. But it was an improvement anyway, he wasn’t fighting Neal against it. The guy was starting to worm his way into Ed’s life. He was still a kid after all, his resolve wasn’t yet that thick.
Doing Riza a favor (and because Neal was polite - but beyond all that, Ed’s aunt was kind of scary), he went about cleaning the kitchen up a bit from their Italian food adventure. The empty boxes were broken down and tossed into the trash, and he gave the counter and the table a good wipe-down too, in order to get at things like grease and crumbs.
“Siblings,” he tried to clarify. “Like you guys just have an easy rapport. Just without the knock-down fights that some siblings have.” He didn’t know a whole lot about it, being that he really only had his foster sister to draw comparisons from.
But that was a story for another day. “Alright, kiddo, I better get out of here before your aunt comes back. I know she’s cool with me but she might be upset we didn’t leave her any pizza.” And it was damn good pizza too. He’d probably have pouted if he missed out.
Ed watched him a little curiously. “Hm. I guess so. I mean she’s cool. Except she finishes all the food if you aren’t watching. “ He shrugged some and leaned against the counter while Neal cleaned. “ She hasn’t treated me like a baby or anything anyway.” The very last thing Ed wanted was someone like that.
“Yeah..she’ll probably be home in an a hour or so..” He trailed off as he picked up his soda to finish off the can. “Thanks..for coming by I mean. Home schooling gets kinda dull.” He admitted, as dull as school could be at least there were kids his age there.
“Lina’s good people. I’m glad you two have gotten along so well.” Neal really did; he thought it’d be beneficial for the both of them, to go over their magic stuff the way they did. For Ed, it was obvious - he’d be supervised by someone who knew their shit and wouldn’t make him feel babied, but he’d also be learning safely. For Lina, she needed something to show her she was good for more than massive destruction - she had a capability to mentor, too.
He ruffled Ed’s blonde hair in a gesture of farewell. “I’ll be back soon. Gotta save you from the boredom,” he grinned. Maybe the kid would even go back to school one day, they’d just have to see. Taking it as it comes was always a good way of dealing with things in their neck of the woods.