The Water Alchemist

Where We Stand

Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Where We Stand

***

"The... gate?" Ed blinked, not seeming to comprehend. I nodded.

"Of Truth. I'm from the other side of... that gate," I clarified. A few strained minutes passed as his jaw went slack, and his shoulders slumped, but he didn't say anything. I was getting nervous watching him in a frozen state, and I shifted uncomfortably beneath the covers. It was too muted a response from someone like him. After a few more wrought moments, I had to know. "Why aren't you freaking out?"

He opened his mouth slightly, then closed it again. He did this a few times, furrowing his brow before settling on something to say.

"You made me promise not to," he said, his voice a little rigid. Right. Yes. That I did, I thought dumbly as he took a deep breath, his hands coming to rest over his knees. "Would you— excuse me, a minute."

"Sure," I agreed warily as he stood and staggered from the room, closing the door behind him. I felt my heart racing in my chest, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, on the other side of the door came a loud bang and a strained outcry. "Ed?"

"The Gate of Truth?" he exclaimed, followed by a string of colorful obscenities, with the phrase 'From the other side of the goddamn gate!' peppered in.

I clutched the sheets tightly as he stomped up and down the hallway. I felt incredibly helpless. He went on like that for a while until Pinako finally yelled at him to shut his trap; her words, not mine. He yelled back, telling her to butt out, but quieted. The hall went almost silent, and I wondered for a moment if he was even going to come back. I was too petrified to check. I heard a soft muttering just before the handle to the room twisted, and he lurched back in, returning to his place on the stool by my bed. We sat in awkward silence, and I couldn't read him at all. I leaned over and placed my hand over his, and he gave me a stunned look. I smiled weakly.

"I, uh, appreciate you not freaking out in front of me," I started, trying to get any kind of response from him.

He finally met my gaze, and I relaxed a little. He at least regarded me and that I could work with.

"The gate. The other side of... I don't even— I don't..." Ed trailed off, and I noticed how he dug his nails into the fabric of his pants and how glassy and unfocused his eyes were. I frowned. "I just... I wasn't ready for that. I think I was ready for— anything but that."

"I know. I'm going to do my best to try and explain. Okay?" I asked hopefully.

He took a breath, seeming to prepare himself, then nodded. Feeling a little more secure, I pulled from his grasp.

"It'd better be a damn good story, Freckles," he said, shaking his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's certainly one for the books," I joked at my own expense, folding my hands over my lap. The corner of his mouth rose just slightly, and I began from the beginning.

***

We talked for quite some time, and I attempted to provide him as much detail and backstory I could before getting to the meat of things. Eventually, as the sun's rays danced over the windowsill and faded into the night, Pinako brought some dinner up for us. We paused our conversation to thank her, and she made me promise I'd finish the whole plate to 'get better quicker' after I coughed once in her presence. I indulged her with a promise, though it wasn't until she left that I noticed she had snuck in some mushrooms beneath a bed of carrots. I couldn't help but feel like Pinako had tainted my plate with the horrid vegetable on purpose, but I had already gone and promised her to finish the whole thing. I considered loading them off on Ed, who ate nearly as eagerly as I did – being my first real meal in a day – but when I finished the bulk of my plate, I decided to just suck it up. I grumbled, eating the few pieces there were altogether, trying to choke them down. After a bit of resistance, the cluster of mush slid down my throat, and I chased it with some water. Ed gave me a funny look, but I ignored it and continued.