Title: Of Blood and Equivalent Exchange
Harry took the stairs at a dead run, knapsack held firmly by its strap in one hand. When he saw Ed slumped in the chair, head fallen forward so that it lay awkwardly on his chest, he really wanted to take him off to the hospital wing right then. He dropped the knapsack to the floor in front of the chair, and closely watched Ed's chest...Only daring to breathe himself when he saw a slight rise, followed by a fall.
'Just asleep...' Harry thought. 'He's too heavy for me to lift all that way alone. That arm weighs a ton. Maybe I could float him there?'
Harry chewed his lip, about to go back to the room for his invisibility cloak, when his scar seared with pain. He could only hiss and slap a hand to it. Feelings of sheer frustration and anger filled him, and he skewed up his eyes as the scar seemed to burn the fingers of his hand.
Then..it just stopped. Leaving Harry gasping at air and more than a bit confused.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself looking at the unruly mess of blond hair that was on Ed's slumped head. He felt increadibly tired; drained, really. The incantation for the float spell was nowhere in his brain, no matter how hard he chased after it in his head.
'Just sleep.' Harry thought. 'I..I think I'll watch over him. Just for now. 'til someone wakes up, or I remember the spell. Or something..'
Not wanting to define the 'something' even to himself, he eased his hand down to his side. Then, he changed his mind; He reached over, and gently lifted Ed's chin just enough to set the blond's head so that it rested somewhat against the chair wing. It was still awkward to look at, but Harry thought he might have saved Ed from a rather stiff neck when he awoke.
Harry then sat down and took out his homework, of which he had amassed a rather ungodly amount during the past few days. Snape's essay on moonstones was first on his long list, as he didn't relish having to recieve a detention from the man just over not handing in an assignment. He was nearly finished with it, and knew it to be an abysmal job, when he heard Ed's voice mumble something in that language of his.
Harry looked, half-hoping Ed had woken up. His stomach sank a bit when he saw that Ed's lids were still absolutely closed.
"Ed..?" Harry said anyway. "Wake up for me?"
"Alphonse..?"
"Ed..come on. Wake up." Harry said. "You've got to eat something, 'member..? I've got.." Harry rummaged in the knapsack, and grabbed a muffin. This, he held out under Ed's chin. "I've got something for you to eat."
Ed's eyes didn't open, but eerily both of his hands reached for the outstretched muffin. At the same time, Ed's face scrunched up in confusion.
"Al..? ..Englich..?"
"I'm not.." Harry said, then instantly regretted saying it as Ed hands slowly lowered.
"Talk vith me...!" Ed breathed, nearly pleading.
"Ed. Just...Eat that. Come on now."
"A-al..?" Ed whimpered, and folded his arms about himself, metal one gripping the flesh of the living forearm. Then the whimper became something else..much like.. like babbling, only in a high whine. Harry could only pick out a few words from the jumbled mess that came out of Ed's mouth. "I'm sorry..I so sorry..i can't..i can't .. people... mean nodhing.. I can't. I can't..."
"Ed..?" Harry said, feeling quite unnerved that Ed, of all people, whimpered at all.
'What am I supposed to do..?' Harry thought.
Ed brought his legs up to the chair, forcing Harry to back up a bit to keep from being kicked or kneed. He couldn't quite remember which one was the metal one, so decided to pretend both were just to be safe. Ed continued on with his whimpering babble. "..you h-hate me...have to..."
Harry watched helplessly as a metal finger began tracing the round shaped, scabbed over scar. He grabbed the hand to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge no matter how hard he tugged. The scar was oozing blood within a few traces, and Harry could clearly see that it actually had a pattern to it. Something like a triangle within a circle..only not. And it was..if anything, precise.
'Like those circles he drew on paper in McGonagall's class today..'
Knowing well Ed couldn't afford to loose any more blood..Harry knew he had no choice. He went for his wand in his bookbag, pointed it, and focused on the spell he needed. Then, he took a steadying breath.
"Ennervate!" He said firmly, and let the spell fly.
Harry saw Ed's back arch a fraction of a second before the spell struck. But strike him it did. Ed didn't exactly fall from the chair, but he did land on his hands and knees on the ground, nearly crushing the contents of his knapsack beneath him.
"Vha dhe s..tsssst! Ooow!!" Ed lifted his left arm and looked at it with a grimmace on his face.
"Awake now?"
Ed snapped his gaze to Harry and glared, gold eyes burning with an inner light of fury.
"No shit..! Fuck!" Ed reached back and pulled himself back up to the chair with his right arm, carefully holding his left out in front of him. "Never heal at dhis rate...just keep opening dhe fukken dhing..."
Ed gingerly rolled his sleeve down, wincing now and then as it covered scar. Then, he carefully placed his metal palm down on it and held it there.
Harry lowered his wand and sat down. Once Ed stopped muttering what could only be obscenities, Harry looked at him.
"I was beginning to think you couldn't feel any pain."
Ed glanced, or rather, glared at him.
"Tch! Of course I feel pain." Ed snapped. "I'm human aren't I?"
"Could you tell me how you got that..?"
Ed narrowed his eyes.
"Look, it's an honest question. I'll tell you how I got this.." Harry brushed back his bangs from his forehead, and pointed at the lightening shaped scar. "..in exchange, alright?"
Ed smirked.
"Not vreally equivalent. Nearly everyvone here has spoken about dhat alvready." Ed said. "A lot."
Harry frowned.
"Moldy-shorts did dhat to you vhen you vere baby, and vhatever-it-vas-he-did rebounded on him instead." Ed continued and tentively lifted his metal palm to look at the scar. "Goot..didn't go too deep dhis time.." He muttered, then reached into the knapsack and removed a muffin.
:::
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