#to find a philosopher stone. Then he proceeded to get into every corner of the church and find any clues and secrets

[writehardwhumpharder]

FMA fic - Appendicitis and Fever 7k+ words

Ed didn’t think much of it when he woke up with a slight stomach ache for the second day in a row. Between researching the stone and doing missions for Mustang, he was beyond stressed and wondered how something like this hadn’t come up sooner. Al, of course, was as lively as ever, not the least bit exhausted from their nonstop work. In fact, he only seemed to get more hopeful and determined with every hour they spent reading in the library. Edward couldn’t stand to let his brother down so he put a smile on his face and got dressed. They had an early train to catch but once they were on their way to the next town in their search, Ed could spend the four hour train ride taking it easy.

“Are you ready to go brother? I don’t want to miss the train!” Al called excitedly from outside Ed’s room. They had plenty of time to get to the station and they both knew it but Edward tried to mimic his brother’s enthusiasm, throwing his coat on even quicker, the budding pain in his stomach long forgotten.

“Yeah Al just let me grab my things,” Edward laughed, grabbing the small suitcase tucked away in the corner. They probably wouldn’t be gone long enough to need a change of clothes but you never know and Ed used the rest of the space in the suitcase for a couple books and some paper that he’d need to write his report for Mustang and any other important notes he had.

Ed reluctantly allowed his to brother carry his bag for him. If he was being completely honest with himself hauling the heavy bag was making his side ache a little bit. Despite not having a human face, Al’s expression seemed to brighten at the thought of being useful. His soulfire eyes glowed happily. Ed wished he felt that good. Unlike Al, the smile on his face was a carefully constructed mask made for the sake of his brother.

They walked to the station and boarded the train fifteen minutes before its scheduled departure. Al stowed the bag on the shelf above them and sat down. Ed sank heavily into the seat across from him.

“Are you okay, brother?” Al asked, picking up on Ed’s subtle discomfort.

“I’m fine. But I make it a point not to wake up before eight and today is no exception. I’m gonna take a nap, you won’t be too bored will you?” Ed asked as he settled across the bench. His small stature allowed him to lay down on the seat easily. They had gotten up earlier than usual that morning so Al thought nothing of it when Ed laid down and closed his eyes.

“Go ahead,” he said, turning to face out the window where the city would shift into rolling hills as they went by once the train got moving. After everyone else was settled on board, the train jolted to life sending a sharp but quick pain through Edward’s stomach. He contained the grimace before his face could react and immediately went back to resting. Maybe he ate something that didn’t agree with him. Again Edward dismissed the thought in favor of drifting back into a light sleep.

Al was perfectly content to look out the window as they passed some farms and smaller towns. The hills were dotted with sheep and cows and Al wished brother was awake so he could point them out to him. But Ed was still sleeping which was a little odd. It was nearly eleven and Ed never had any breakfast. Al decided he’d rather wake up his brother with some food and coffee to offer him, knowing how cranky he got when he was hungry, so he got up and headed to the car with food and drinks. He picked out a bagel that looked good and ordered a coffee, pouring in just a hint of milk and a lot of sugar, just they way his brother liked it. Solemnly, Al thought about how he couldn’t smell or taste the food he was holding as he made his way back to where Ed was sleeping. To his surprise Ed was awake and sitting up when he got back.

“I was just about to start looking for you,” Ed said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Since Al himself wouldn’t need to leave to go to the bathroom or grab food he was surprised to wake up and see him gone.

“I just went to get you some breakfast, I figured you’d be hungry when you woke up,” Al said cheerfully, setting the bagel and coffee down in front of him. Ed was surprised to find that he actually wasn’t hungry but Al had gone through the trouble of getting it for him so he’d eat every last bite of it. He also knew that hungry or not his automail needed constant fuel to function properly.

“Thanks Al, this looks great,” he said taking a large bite from the bagel. It didn’t taste bad, but it didn’t taste good either. He wolfed down the food and coffee though like he always did, not wanting to worry Al. Which was stupid because there was nothing to worry about.

“Do you think we’ll find anything here?” Al asked suddenly. Edward drew his attention away from the window.

“I don’t think we’re going to pop in, grab the stone, then head back to Central but I’m sure we’ll find out something important that gets us a little closer to the stone,” Ed said with what he thought was a reasonable amount of hope. That was how these things usually went. They would go to a small town looking for the stone and inevitably find some kind of trouble. If there was anything the brothers could do for the people they would do it, using their alchemy to quickly fix things in desperate need of repair. And in the unlikeliest of places they found some important piece of information which took them right back to the library and Mustang’s office respectively.

Edward couldn’t be more relieved when the train finally rolled to a stop. He was starting to get motion sick. Al followed Ed off, carrying the suitcase with ease. Edward paused to take a deep breath, the air was just so refreshing and cold. It took some kind of weight off his shoulders.

“What is it?” Al asked.

“The weather is perfect today, being in the city makes me forget just how nice fresh air is,” Ed said. Al didn’t comment, he had nothing to say about the wind that he couldn’t feel. Ed’s heart sank, “Sorry…” he started.

“Don’t apologize,” Al said quickly, already knowing where his brother’s mind was going. There wasn’t a single day that Ed didn’t regret what he did, it should have been him. Al seemingly read his mind again, “If you were the one that lost your body, I wouldn’t have been able to bind your soul like you did for me, then I’d have to live without you. I wouldn’t want that. This way we can still be together, and we’ll both get our bodies back.” Al said.

Edward wondered just how his brother always managed to stay so positive. Maybe he was right, there was no use dwelling on it now. Why was he so emotional all of a sudden anyway?

Edward quickly shoved his feelings aside, mental and otherwise, and proceeded forward, “Come on, let’s go find this alchemist.”

***

The sun was now high in sky and the pleasant breeze hadn’t gone away but Ed felt like it was only getting warmer and warmer outside. He was glad that Al couldn’t feel things like temperature because he certainly would have questioned it when Ed was forced to take his coat off.

“Man, the sun really came out since we got here,” Ed commented casually as they walked through the small town. The cobblestone streets weren’t quite wide enough for cars so everyone walked to and from work. They were looking for a retired author whose notes on alchemy they had come across in the Central library. Thankfully they hadn’t come looking for a fight, the promise of information on the philosopher’s stone their only reason for the visit. Given the ever present cramp in Ed’s side which ached with every step he was glad he wouldn’t have to do any serious alchemy.

Ed pulled the scribbled note out of his jacket pocket and double checked the address. The house in front of them was looking a little worse for wear, not at all what they expected of a renowned scientist and author. Then again if he moved all the way out here he probably wasn’t trying to draw too much attention to himself. When they ran the idea past Colonel Bastard he said that the man had been very cooperative with the military in the past and probably didn’t pose a threat. Ed and Al were still a little on guard though as Ed approached the door, Al standing just a few steps behind him.

“Mr. Haruta?” Ed called as he knocked on the door. The door opened abruptly and Ed almost stumbled inside, finding a gun aimed right at his chest. Every muscle in his body froze up and he readied himself to jump out of the way. A startled looking man stared down at him behind a pair of glasses.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, no one has called me that name in a long time,” he sighed, lowering the gun, “You must be the Elric brothers, do come in.” he said politely as if he’d been expecting them.

Ed and Al exchanged looks, “How did you-“

“It’s my job to know these things, I may be retired but that doesn’t mean I don’t keep up with the news. What brings you here?” Mr. Haruta asked. Ed and Al stepped inside hesitantly, understanding that this may be a conversation he wouldn’t like to have on his porch in plain view.

“My brother and I have been reading some of your books on alchemy and have a few questions.” Ed explained with a smile. The older man gestured for them to sit down which Ed gladly did. Being off his feet did help a little with the growing pain in his stomach that sat like a ball of lead weighing him down. Despite his long nap this morning Ed was oddly exhausted. The couch dipped beside him as Al sat down.

“Which books would those be?” Mr. Haruta asked, sitting down in an armchair across from them.

“The fifth volume, specifically the part where you theorize about the making of a philosopher’s stone.” Ed said cautiously. Normally he wouldn’t lay it all out like that but he was hoping to catch the train back to Central later today and they didn’t have much time to waste if they were accomplish everything they came to do and avoid being stuck here an extra day. Mr. Haruta’s face hardened into an unreadable expression. Al felt his brother tense beside him, unsure of how the alchemist would react to that question.

“There is a reason those books are classified, they are dangerous and I will not discuss them,” He said strongly, keeping his voice from being too harsh. To be fair he’d been caught completely off guard by the question.

“Please sir, whether you help us or not we will find the philosopher’s stone,” Al interjected, his voice grew quiet, “we have to.”

Mr. Haruta shook his head uncertainly, “I am familiar with your… predicament. But I vowed never to pursue the stone again and I would advise you to do the same.” The way he said it the brothers knew that his decision was final. His face softened again, “since you’ve come all this way why don’t you stay for lunch and tea. I just made it before you arrived, should still be warm.” He said, getting up to grab the dishes from the kitchen. Since Ed was fairly certain that the man wouldn’t have had any time to poison the food he graciously accepted the offer, hoping the warm tea might ease some of the hollow ache spreading through him. He seemed like a nice man but Ed had met plenty of “nice” men before and he had to worry about these things. Mr. Haruta brought out a tea kettle and three cups as well a pot of stew. The meal had clearly been made for one but they managed to spread it between them. He poured three cups of tea and offered Ed a bowl for the stew, apparently planning on eating the meal in the living room rather than the formal dining room. Al picked up his cup of tea, unable to drink it, feel its warmth, or even smell its herbal aroma. He was grateful though that Mr. Haruta had bothered to give him any tea at all knowing he wasn’t able to drink it. It made him feel included. Ed ladled some stew into his bowl and stared at it curiously.

“Something wrong?” Mr. Haruta asked with a hint of concern. Ed started to answer him but he suddenly closed his mouth, setting the bowl down on the coffee table. He swallowed thickly and took a steadying breath before speaking.

“Actually, would you mind if I used your bathroom?” he asked, voice quivering slightly.

“Sure it’s right down that hall,” their host pointed. Ed wasted no time getting up from the couch practically running toward the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. It had come on so suddenly. The smell of the food was enough to make his stomach turn and he fell down next to the toilet, heaving up the bagel and coffee he’d had on the train. Al’s voice drifted in from outside the bathroom door.

“Brother?! Are you okay? I’m coming in.” He said. Ed quickly flushed the toilet. Though he knew Al couldn’t smell the vomit he was still embarrassed about him seeing him like this.

“Okay,” he grumbled, knowing Al would come in either way. He leaned his head on his arm which was draped over the edge of the toilet bowl. He felt miserable — sick, dizzy, achy, and suddenly way too hot. Al moved past him to the sink and wet a washcloth and wiped his mouth clean before refolding it to put on his forehead. Ed couldn’t have been more grateful and he took the cloth from his brother, holding it to his face himself. He could do that much.

“What’s wrong?” Al asked, trying and failing to hide how concerned he was for his brother.

“I don’t know, I just felt sick all of a sudden.” Ed explained, leaving out that he’d had a stomachache all day before it climaxed just now. “Let’s just go back to Central okay? Mr. Haruta won’t give us any information on the stone so we might as well go home and get some rest before I have to hand in my report.”

“We can’t travel with you feeling like this. I saw a nice inn in town by the train station, we can leave tomorrow morning if you’re feeling better.” Al said, grabbing his brother by the shoulders to help him to his feet. They still had plenty of time before the last train would leave so Ed didn’t see the harm in laying down for a couple hours. Maybe by then Al would calm down and agree to heading home. Mr. Haruta appeared at the end of the hall.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, seeing how pale Edward looked. He was pretty sure he knew what had happened but he didn’t want to pry.

“Yes everything is fine, Edward is just a little sick so we’re going to the hotel. Sorry to have bothered you.” Al said as they walked to the door.

“Wait. Hold on just a minute,” Mr. Haruta looked conflicted but he had made up his mind seeing how the brothers looked out for each other. He could make an exception for them. Finding a scrap of paper and a pen he wrote something down, thrusting it into Al’s metal hands hoping he wasn’t making a mistake that would get the two boys hurt. It didn’t seem like they could get more hurt than they already were.

“Take this before I change my mind. And good luck,” he said. Al thanked him and Edward managed to mumble a thank you as well, still looking pretty pale and shaky. After a few more steps Edward felt strong enough to walk on his own, sliding out of Al’s grip.

“I’m alright now Al, really, the smell of the stew was just a bit overwhelming and my stomach hurt-“ Ed started, only to be cut off.

“When did that start?” He asked, knowing Ed had a tendency to hide this sort of thing.

“What?” He asked innocently, hoping to just skip over it.

“You didn’t tell me your stomach hurt.” Al said, if he still had a human face Ed was sure his brows would be scrunched together, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“I didn’t mention it because it’s not a big deal.” Ed lied.

“You promise?” Al asked with the voice of a little brother much younger than he actually was. His heart panged at the thought of blatantly lying to him.

“I promise,” He said, flashing Al a little smile as if to prove how okay he was. Al wasn’t too sure he believed him but his brother had promised so he dropped it for now. They rounded the corner and approached the small inn framed under a cheerful yellow awning.

A woman behind the counter perked up at the sight of them, “can I help you boys?”

“Yes we’d like a room for the night, whatever is cheapest,” Ed said, leaning heavily on the counter. While he did have plenty of funds from being a state alchemist he didn’t intend on spending much time in the room.

“Very well, we have a room with a queen bed on the first floor, we also serve basic meals,” she said kindly.

“Perfect, we’ll take it,” Ed handed her the money and she led them down a short hallway to the room. After unlocking it for them she handed off the key and told them she would be available at the front desk if they needed anything. There was a phone out there they could use as well since there wasn’t one in each of the rooms.

Setting down Ed’s suitcase Al watched his brother take off his coat and jacket before laying face down on the bed. Al couldn’t help but notice his movements were a little stiff, but he chalked it up to not wanting to upset his stomach further. Al could hardly remember now what having a body felt like so it was hard for him to determine whether Ed was actually okay or not. He seemed to relax as he sank into the mattress.

“I’ll call the Colonel and tell him we’re coming back tomorrow morning,” Al said. Edward abruptly sat up, concealing a wince.

“Don’t call him, we can take the train out tonight, I’m fine, really.” Ed assured him. Al hesitated by the door but ultimately gave in to his brother and sat down on the chair in the corner of the room.

“Fine, but for now you should just get some more sleep.”

“Hey, what did Mr. Haruta give you?” Ed asked. Sleeping sounded pretty good to him right about then but if they had a lead, that was more important.

“It’s a list of books in the Central library, just the call numbers and a couple names. It’s nothing we can look into now so don’t worry about it.”

Ed groaned, he was probably right.

***

When Ed woke up again it was dark outside, Al still sat in the same spot as he did before but his suitcase was open and a few things having been unpacked.

“What time is it?” Ed demanded, “why didn’t you wake me?”

“You were sick, I thought it best just to let you sleep, there’s no rush to get back home,” Al said. The hell there wasn’t. The pain in Ed’s stomach only seemed to get worse and he desperately wanted to be back in his own bed, not some random hotel room in a different city. He wondered for a second if that was Al’s plan was all along, to let him sleep through the last departure back to Central. That was crazy though, he wouldn’t be that conniving.

“I could have slept on the train, Al. Now we’re stuck here until tomorrow,” Ed whined.

“Actually it’s about 1am now, the next train leaves in four hours so stop pouting.” Al said. Crap, had he really been sleeping that long? He vaguely remembered waking up a couple times, only to resign back to sleep when the pain in his side got to be too much. He wasn’t sure how he could possibly convince Al that he was fine after sleeping through the second half of the day but he really was feeling better.

Ed got up from the bed and walked around to the desk, snatching up the slip of paper Mr. Haruta gave them.

“You said there was nothing we could get started on. I see three names listed here we could start looking into,” Ed said walking over to the small stack of books resting next to his suitcase. One of them was a book checked out of the library dedicated solely to personnel records from the last two decades. If any of these people were alchemists or military he could find out and that would give them some idea as to where to start their next search. Ed dragged the chair  opposite Al out from under the desk and sat down, opening the book on military records. He scanned through the different sections and titles looking for the names. Ed was a little surprised to find that none of the people had been state alchemists but two of the names were listed in the book. The first was a women who served as a personal assistant to an alchemist ten years ago, the second was a scientist who had also served in the military four years ago. Once they got back to Central they could start looking for a connection between them.

Ed managed to stay awake until they had to get ready to head to the train station, he couldn’t fathom the idea of going back to sleep after wasting half the day before. As exhausted as he felt, he had to keep moving forward, for Al, but when he was about to stand up from his chair a flicker of doubt stopped him.

“Hey Al could you call ahead and let the bastard know I’ll report in around 9am but might be a few minutes late,” He said trying to get his brother’s back turned for a few moments so he could collect himself. Also it was better to just tell the guy that he might be late so the Colonel wouldn’t start getting irritated after only ten minutes of waiting. Once Al was out of the room Ed stood up, unsurprised when a wave of dizziness threatened to knock him back down. His blood roared in his ears and it took a minute to get his bearings. He managed to at least look steady on his feet as they checked out. The station was only a block away, Ed could manage walking for that long, couldn’t he?

He found himself shivering against the wind, the cold seemed to penetrate all the way down to his core. He wrapped his coat around himself tighter, but when that didn’t work Ed realized that nothing would because it wasn’t the weather that was messed up, it was him. Ed chanced a touch to his forehead when Al wasn’t looking, confirming that he likely had the beginnings of a fever. He’d almost gotten used to the steady throb in the right side of his stomach as well. Looking back, the fever must have been worse than he realized because the idea that something might actually be wrong didn’t even occur to him as the pain continued to worsen. If he had eaten anything since yesterday morning he was sure he would have thrown it up by now so he was glad that the biting hollowness in his stomach was worth it if it kept him from having to repeat yesterdays events.

Ed leaned his head against the cold window as he stared down at the blank page in front of him. He still needed to write his stupid report. He had gotten halfway through it when realized that he’d literally addressed it to Colonel Bastard. His brain was starting to feel like warm jello so rather than starting a fresh report like he should, Ed crossed out the name and rewrote Mustang above it. He didn’t bother to hide the mistake very well, and if he didn’t feel like his stomach might burst into flames at the action, he would have laughed at the subtle insult. Al glanced over at him often during the train ride. It was still terribly early in the morning though so both boys were happy to spend it in peaceful silence.

Edward tensed suddenly, grabbing his side under the table. Only one thought consumed his fevered mind at this point — he couldn’t let Al know. He had no idea why that was so important but he avoided showing any kind of vulnerability at all costs, even if he was just with his brother. The pain was starting to make him sweat so Ed got up to go to the bathroom to clean up a little.

“Where are you going?” Al asked, seeing his brother shift in discomfort as he got to his feet.

“Bathroom, be right back,” Ed said. Walking proved to be more of a challenge than it should have been and once he was in a different car from his brother he allowed his flesh hand to grip his stomach, curling in on himself in hopes that that would somehow help with the pain. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he got more nauseas with every second he was upright. Someone else reached the bathroom at the same time he did but they took one look at the ill boy and insisted he go first.

Ed gave a lazy nod of thanks and scrambled into the bathroom, bolting the door behind him. He used the rim of the sink to gently lower himself to the ground where he positioned his head over the toilet. There was nothing left in his stomach but his body insisted on purging it anyway. Ed dry-heaved until he thought he might actually start puking up his intestines. Every contraction of his stomach sent a wave of red hot pain through his body.

Once his body had finally given up on the futile act, Ed dabbed at the sweat gathering above his brow. He stood up carefully, being sure not to straighten up too quickly. Despite his efforts Ed was assaulted with dizziness as he lifted his head and he was back on the floor before he even knew what was happening. “Did I just pass out?” he wondered, looking up at the ceiling of the small bathroom. It could have only been a few seconds but Ed had the unmistakable feeling of waking up. Surprisingly, after having lost consciousness for a short second he didn’t feel nearly as dizzy as he did before. The fever ravaging his body was still there and the pain pulsed along like a second heartbeat but he didn’t feel like he was going to faint again so he slowly got back to his feet again, leaning on the sink for support. The mirror in front of him showed that he looked paler than usual, the thin sheen of sweat only making him look sicker. His eyes lacked their usual spark, seeming dull and glazed over. He didn’t care how bad he looked though, he was determined to deliver his report and go home without incident. Why, he didn’t know, since he did enjoy purposely frustrating the Colonel. Deep down he knew he was worried someone would send him to the hospital and his skin crawled at the thought of Al worrying about him more.

“I’d better get back,” Ed thought, realizing he had been staring at the mirror for who knows how long, he’d kind of spaced out and when his mind did come back to him he accidentally said his thoughts out loud. Al must be getting suspicious. He rubbed as much life back into his face as he could and pushed himself away from the sink, standing on his own for a second just to make sure that he could before walking back towards the car Al was waiting in. He nearly bumped into him as he slid the connecting door open.

“Oh, brother, I was just coming to check on you. What took you so long?” Al asked as he stepped aside so Ed could walk back to their sits.

“You can’t just ask people why they took a long time in the bathroom, Al,” he chided, trying to sound vaguely offended at the question.

“Right, sorry.”

Ed picked the report back up to continue where he left off but when his eyes scanned the page letters blurred together, the words swirling dizzyingly on the paper. He blinked a couple times and decided to just add a couple more sentences summarizing their findings, then he could put it away. Mustang was used to less than stellar reports from him. Ed let the ink dry before folding the paper and sticking it in his coat pocket. Why on earth was he still wearing it? It was like 100 degrees in there. Slipping out of his coat, Ed groaned when he accidentally twisted his torso the wrong way.

“Are you alright?” Al asked. Everyone else on the train still had their coats on and seemed just fine, Ed was sweating visibly through his shirt.

“Yeah fine,” Ed said, sounding a little distracted.

***

The rest of the ride back to Central was a blur. The brothers stepped off the train, Al still carrying Ed’s luggage. Normally he would have insisted on carrying it himself but he seemed tired so Al didn’t even give him the chance. Not that Ed even noticed. They were surprised when they saw a familiar black car idling by the curb. Hawkeye sat behind the wheel, Havoc was next to her in the passenger seat smoking a cigarette, blowing the smoke out the open window. The scent almost made Ed want to hurl again but he pushed the thought out of his mind and climbed into the backseat when Hawkeye told him to hop in. Apparently Roy wanted them all back at his office immediately. The only issue was that there simply wasn’t enough room in the back for both Ed and Al. Al noticed and casually said he was just going to go straight back to the dorms, getting the hint that they probably didn’t want him going with them. It was like that sometimes, with Ed being the state alchemist and all. Sometimes things were above his clearance or there just wasn’t a reason for him accompanying Edward. Ed watched him disappear in the direction of the dorms as the car pulled back onto the street.

He took a moment to thank the gods that Hawkeye was such a good driver. She avoided every pothole with ease and made smooth, gentle turns. He wasn’t sure he could have made it if it was Havoc driving instead who paid no mind to the bumps in the road and sometimes didn’t even slow down before veering onto another street.

“Could you stop smoking please?” Ed asked quietly. He hoped that they hadn’t picked up on the way he gripped his stomach that burned with pain, or the way he grew pale whenever the smoke drifted into the backseat. Asking Havoc to stop smoking was like asking a person to stop breathing but the man reluctantly put it out and put his cigarette case and lighter back in his pocket. The fact that Ed was just a kid, far too young to be smoking, especially when he obviously still had some growing to do, made him a little more compliant. Hawkeye eyed him in the rearview mirror.

“You don’t usually mind the smoke, something bothering you today?” She asked, taking in the circles under his eyes and the unusual paleness to his skin.

“No, just didn’t get much sleep, and besides, smoking is gross,” he deflected, which might be the most boldfaced lie he’d told all year. He slept over twelve hours yesterday if you combined each of his naps but Hawkeye didn’t know that and Al wasn’t there to contradict him. All he needed to do now was turn in his written report, he could probably get out of reciting it if he played his cards right. He had to wonder though why they had bothered to pick him up at the train station.

“So what’s going on? What’s so urgent that I couldn’t just walk like usual?” He asked, forcing more strength into his voice than he had.

“Big meeting, we can’t get into it now but he wants to brief us all on a new threat,” She said. Being Mustang’s assistant Ed had no doubt she knew exactly what was going on but it was apparently secret enough that they couldn’t talk about it until there were behind closed doors. Ed briefly considered telling them that he was sick at the thought of enduring a meeting on top of reporting in but he couldn’t bring himself to admit how much pain he was in. He also suspected his fever had gone up significantly since leaving the hotel, oh well, he could sleep when he got back to the dorms. He probably just caught some stupid stomach bug.

As they neared the building Ed started to panic as he realized he’d have to walk up all those steps. His legs felt weak, like they might not support him when he stood up. Edward was stubborn though, he’d make it through this meeting with sheer will power if he had to. He was the god damn Fullmetal A-

“Are you coming Fullmetal?” Hawkeye asked, holding the door open for him. He hadn’t even noticed that they had arrived.

“Yeah of course,” Ed said, hopping out of the car only to start swaying when his feet hit the ground. Hawkeye quickly grabbed his elbow to steady him. He looked much worse out in the sunlight where she could see the slight shine of sweat on his skin that came with the fever.

“Really, be honest, are you okay?” Her voice was stern yet caring.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I swear. It’s just this heat,” Ed said, shooting a glare at the looming sun.

“What heat?” She asked, really starting to get concerned. Shit, he had slipped and his mind was moving too slowly to come up with a realistic excuse for it.

“Oh nothing,” he smiled, jerking his arm out of her grasp. She followed him up the stairs, he still looked a little shaky but seemed okay. Maybe he really was just tired. Mustang had a tendency to overwork the boy, partly to keep him from getting into more trouble and partly to instill some level of military work ethic.

They made their way to Roy’s office where a few other military personnel were waiting including Hughes and people Ed didn’t recognize.

“Thank you for joining us Fullmetal, I hoped to address everyone at once but since you’re late as usual you missed most of the briefing.” Mustang said, leaning against his desk. Then he looked out at the officers sitting and standing near the two couches, “If you have no further questions you are dismissed.”

Everyone got up and filed out of his office. Havoc followed them out leaving only Mustang, Hawkeye, and Ed. The room somehow got more suffocating with just the three of them if that was even possible. Ed didn’t wait for permission to go sit down on one of the couches. The pain was getting to be too much to bear and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hide it. Roy didn’t comment on Ed’s lack of manners. That was nothing new. He set down a folder on the coffee table for him to look at and started talking. Ed took the opportunity to reach one hand under his jacket while he was hunched over the file, pretending to read it. He caught bits and pieces of what Mustang was saying but it didn’t quite make it through his brain.

“..so make sure to be careful of that.” He said, walking around his desk to sit down. Hawkeye took up her position next to him.

“About what?” Ed asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Have you been paying any attention at all? This is serious,” asked the Colonel, frustration evident in his voice. He sighed deeply, “Just bring it here,” he said, talking about his mission report.

“What? You mean… the file?” he said, looking at he pages in front of him. He gathered them up and made to stand but before he got that far sharp pain exploded from his right side at the movement and he gasped, falling back onto the sofa.

“Did you hit your head or something? I meant your mission report. Turn that in and you can go home and get some rest.” Mustang said as if it was painfully obvious, which it was to everyone but Ed.

“What report? Why are you yelling at me?” Ed said, cradling his head in one hand. His words slurred slightly and both Mustang and Hawkeye caught it, exchanging worried glances. At Roy’s nod Hawkeye approached Fullmetal.

He tensed suddenly, folding in on himself with his arms wrapped tightly around his middle, “Oh god…” he moaned in pain.

Riza crouched down in front of him, “What’s wrong?!” she asked looking him over for wounds. His face was scrunched up in pain now and his breathing became ragged. Hawkeye tried to move his hands away from his stomach so she could get a look at him but Ed only curled tighter. When she successfully forced him to straighten out a little he yelped loudly.

“Fuck, fuck it hurts.” Ed said through clenched teeth. She felt bad causing him more pain but they needed to figure out what was wrong so they could help him. She held the back of her hand up to his forehead, drawing it back quickly.

“Oh my god, he’s burning up. Roy, call a medic,” She said urgently. Mustang picked up the phone at his subordinate’s orders and started barking into it to whoever was on the other side.

The burning pain started to blur along with his vision and Ed pitched over sideways onto the couch when he got too dizzy to stay sitting. Riza muttered comforting words that he couldn’t quite understand. He started to go slack and she slapped at his face desperately, “You have to stay awake Fullmetal, medics are coming but you have to let us help you. Let me know if this hurts.” She knew the pain was coming from his stomach by the way he kept trying to curl into a ball with his arms covering it. In the brief moment that he was too out of it to stop her she pressed down and Ed jolted back to alertness screaming in a way that they had never heard from him before. When she removed her hand he only seemed to scream louder. His eyes rolled back, trying to escape into unconsciousness but Hawkeye wouldn’t let him.

“No I don’t know what’s wrong with him just send help and hurry,” Mustang slammed the phone down in frustration. The medics knew where to find them and he didn’t have any more answers so their questions so he hung up and ran to where his subordinate laid on the couch in utter agony.

“What’s going on?” He asked, a little out of breath.

Hawkeye’s face hardened, “I think its his appendix, he has a really high fever and the pain seems to be coming from the right side of his stomach. Roy brushed away some of the hair sticking to Ed’s forehead, getting a feel for his temperature. He too jerked his hand back as if afraid he was going to get burned.

“I’ll, I’ll get a cold cloth,” he stammered, completely out of his element.

“Don’t… don’t make me go…” Ed whined deliriously. Hawkeye’s heart broke at how young and fragile he looked in that moment, “don’t let them take me.”

“Shhh, calm down Ed we’re here to help you.” Ed blinked at her as if he didn’t recognize her face. She had no idea what he was talking about but she tried to comfort him anyway, “No one is taking you anywhere yet.”

Ed started to shake, his face grew even more pale, a deathly white compared to the rest of his flushed skin, “I don’t want to go to the hospital,” he cried hysterically. If it really was his appendix they would have no choice but to take him. He’d likely need surgery, and soon.

Mustang came back a moment later with a wet cloth that he laid on Ed’s burning forehead, he used it to dab at his face and neck too. They both cursed themselves for not noticing sooner. He must have been in terrible pain for a while now for it to be this bad.

Ed lurched, leaning over like he was going to throw up again but there was nothing left to throw up. His stomach convulsed sending a wave of pain worse than anything he’d ever felt through his body. His breath caught in his throat, unable to even get enough air in his lungs to scream in agony. His eyes grew vacant as he came close to blacking out from the pain.

“Stay with us, Fullmetal,” Roy ordered as he gripping the boy’s shoulder to keep his attention. To his surprise Ed snapped his eyes open again, fighting to obey the order. He stared at the two of them, you could see it in his face somehow that his mind wasn’t working right, that he was delirious from the fever.

“Where’s Al?” he whimpered, “he needs me.”

“Al is fine Ed, don’t worry about that,” Roy said, still dabbing at the kids neck. If he weren’t worried for his subordinate’s life he might have felt awkward about touching the kid’s face so tenderly, “you’re gonna be fine too,” he said, trying to be soothing. He turned to Hawkeye, “guide the medics in, they should be here any second.”

She got up and rushed out the door returning two minutes later with two medics and a gurney. Ed had deteriorated even more in those short minutes. Roy was glad no one was there to see the single tear that escaped his eye as fear started to take over. A woman shoved Roy aside, none too gently, to get immediate access to the patient. Ed was still conscious, barely, moaning in pain and staring off into space. The two medics got the gurney level with the couch and lifted him as gently as they could. Ed didn’t have the energy to scream but he did make some horrible strangled sound of pain. The woman shined a light in his eyes as the man raised the gurney and reached under Ed’s shirt to assess him.

“He’ll need to go straight into surgery. I think his appendix already burst.” The medics talked to each other as they wheeled him out at top speed, leaving Hawkeye and Mustang standing there speechless. Luckily the military hospital was connected to this building and they could get him into surgery in no time. They just had to hope that it was enough, knowing that if his appendix already ruptured it might be too late.

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Hawkeye asked quietly.

“He’s too stubborn to let his own organ kill him, I’m sure he’ll recover. After all he has been through worse,” Mustang said sadly, though with a little bit of parental pride. Ed was a strong kid, he was sure of that.

#Fullmetal alchemist #Edward Elric #whump #whump fic #pain #fever #appendicitis #delirious