This was me trying to make a cute little one-shot to distract myself because I re-dislocated my knee earlier last night. This took a disastrous turn after I got a little creative. :)
It's not a one-shot now...
---
Edward groaned at Alphonse as his brother picked up a small grey kitten.
"Why do you have to, Al?" Edward asked, annoyed.
"Brother, just look at her! She's so cute, and look at how dirty she is!" Alphonse held up the dingy kitten. Brown smudged with the grey. It's blue eyes were the only thing the kitten didn't have in common with a dirty, grimy old dish-rag The kitten was a mess. "And you promised!"
"No." That's what Edward wanted to say, but he had made a promise; a stupid, foolish promise.
Edward had been trying to quickly get away as the Colonel was coming to scold him. It was on a case to catch the Goldenfinger pickpocket. That case ended with a hospital visit unfortunately. What Edward was remembering, though, was the moment he had had enough of the Colonel and ran off with Alphonse.
Alphonse had stopped and tried to pick up a kitten, or a cat. Edward didn't really pay attention or care at the time. He really didn't want to be caught by the Colonel. Scolding was inevitable as soon as the Colonel had him again.
Edward had promised to let Alphonse keep a cat the next time there was a big storm rolling in if he would just leave the cat to live its life so he could make his escape.
Now Alphonse was cashing in on that promise as large, ugly grey storm clouds came rolling in.
"Are you sure it's a girl? I'm not letting a boy cat that will start 'marking its territory' stay in the dorm with us. And that thing better be quiet. No animals in the barracks, remember?"
"Don't worry, Brother! It's a girl, see?" Alphonse showed Edward a very uncomfortable sight to prove his point.
"Whoa! Al, I do not want to see that! Let's just go and bring that thing to the dorm..." Edward felt an awful chill crawl up his spine. It was so out of nowhere.
"She's not a thing, Brother!"
Edward sighed in annoyance as his reply.
The storm, he reassured himself as the chill spiked. It was the cool of the coming storm. It was nothing, but that didn't quell the feeling that something was about to go wrong.
-
--
It wasn't going away. The chill was only growing more and more ominous with every minute. The dorms were still a good way in the distance, probably a fifteen minute walk.
Edward spotted an alleyway opening... or it could be eight minutes.
"Al, let's take a short cut. I don't want to get caught up in the rain with my automail." It was a good cover for now, but if something really bad was going to happen Alphonse deserved to know. Alphonse followed Edward as he slipped into the alley, ignoring the urge to warn his little brother of his dread.
"I wish you didn't have to be in pain ever time it rained, Brother," Alphonse sighed. He shook his helmet with a series of clanks.
"Yeah, believe me, I'm not too fond of it either. I just want to get back to the barracks and lie down in one of those, barely passes for a bed, cots," Edward replied with a nod. The chilling feeling turned to ice. He ignored it. There was no reason to freak out, right? Edward's gut was saying differently.
"Hey, Al," Edward started. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing in end.
"Yeah, Brother?" Alphonse asked.
Edward had to say it. He was sure he would lose it if he didn't. "It feels like we're being followed..." Alphonse flinched then tensed.
"Are you sure? Where?" Alphonse turned to each side, checking his surroundings. "Brother, did you see somebody?"
"No, I just feel like it, and stop making it so obvious," Edward hissed. He kept walking, forcing himself to remain at the same pace.
Alphonse nodded and kept walking as well, his armour clanking as they went.
"I don't know if someone is really following us, but I have this bad feeling in my gut and a chill up my spine." Alphonse nodded in understanding, despite the fact that he couldn't feel those same senses without his human body.
Edward's instincts shot through the roof as he felt this heavy, threatening presence; he ducked down. A flash of silver glistened above his head, shooting past where he was only moments before.
"Good insists," An unfamiliar male voice droned. It was harsh or, maybe, just a little more raspy.
Alphonse was already in a fighting stance, still holding the kitten close to his armour chest plate, when Edward was back on his feet again.
"Who are you?!" Edward shouted in the direction the attack came from. He clapped his hands, transmuting his trademark blade out of his automail plating.
"An alchemist?" The person observed, completely ignoring Edward's question, much to Edward's annoyance.
"Hey, I asked you a question! Who are you?!" Silence met Edward's ears. He felt worse in the silence. It was so uncertain.
"Alphonse..." He grabbed Alphonse's forearm. His gut twisted horribly. "Run," he whispered.
"But, Brother, what abou-" Edward interrupted him.
"I'll be right behind you. Just run!"
"I don't think so!" The voice came from behind them now. It was the same person. How did he move behind us so quickly without making a noise?
"Ahh!! Hey!!" Alphonse exclaimed as something fell from above, landing on his shoulders. He dropped the kitten on the ground. "Get off!" Alphonse tried to shake off the person, but they had already gotten a good hold on him.
At that same moment Edward was seized from behind by two individuals that grabbed either arm. He hadn't even noticed them coming. The danger of the attack hadn't even registered because of the sick dread that Edward was feeling from the first person. He seemed dangerous in a reckless, loose cannon sort of way, but that wasn't it. He reeked of selfish ambition. It made him far more dangerous than the others in its own set apart way. The feeling he got from them was nothing like the man in front of him.
Edward struggled and fought against the arms. "Get your paws off of me, you creeps!!" he shouted. He pulled against the restraining hands as they grew tighter and promised of future bruises. He looked to Alphonse who he could hear fighting off his attacker. "DON'T TOUCH MY BROTHER!!!"
"No, Brother!" Alphonse yelled as Edward's legs were kicked out from underneath him, and he fell unceremoniously to the ground with a painful thud. Edward winced at the sharp pain that shot up his thighs from his knees.
The man slipped up to stand in front of Edward. He snatched Edward's jaw in his hand, digging his fingers into Edward's flesh. His nails cut through the fleshy skin, dripping blood down his chin and neck. "You aren't in charge here, kid. I set the rules," He hissed.
Edward winced as he took in the pale man. His shoulder-length hair was so dark brown that it was nearly black, a strong contrast to the nearly white skin. His eyes were pale silver with flecks of brown that wouldn't be as noticeable if the man wasn't so close to his face that Edward could feel his warm breath on his cheek.
Edward growled at the man.
"Turn the lights out for these boys."
"No!" Edward yelled. He fought harder than before, almost escaping the hold on him. He hoped that the blade on his automail would at least give him the satisfaction of cutting one of his captors.
Edward froze. What would they do to Alphonse? Would they destroy his blood seal? He couldn't let that happen!
A sharp prick of pain spiked in Edward's neck. Ice-cold numbness tickled at the end of his fingers in seconds. His head grew fuzzy. All the strength in his body disappeared, leaving a numb abyss as the outcome. Before his consciousness completely left him and he allowed his exhausted, drugged body to go limp, he heard his brother yell. He didn't know what he said, but it hurt Edward's chest.
His brother sounded pained and hurt.
Edward tried to call out to Alphonse, but his tongue felt so disgustingly swollen and hot, like a foreign object in his own mouth.
A few tears slipped down Edward's cheeks as he wondered if this was the last moment he'd have with Alphonse. It sucked. He didn't want that.
Edward's consciousness abandoned him. He didn't even register hitting the cobblestone the next second or the sound of Alphonse's helmet falling against stone. It was all numb and black and cold.
-
--
"...Your brother is quite an interesting individual," a voice broke through Edward's fuzzy brain. "Not the perfect pair I had in mind for..." The voice trailed off lazily. "You will do just fine, though, Goldilocks." That irritated Edward.
Dread built up in Edward's gut quickly. A horrible feeling in the back of his clouded mind surfaced. Something was so wrong. Who was the man who was speaking? What was happening? It was all wrong. Where was he? He wasn't at the barracks; that was for sure.
Edward slowly forced his eyes open again and again until they didn't return closed again. His eyes saw a blurry face above it as he took in the room.
"Oh, so you're awake now? You're little brother was really worried about you. He's in the other room... I would have left him to snuggle you like he was, but I needed some measurements." A hand prodded Edward's fleshy stomach area.
The voice was unfamiliar. It couldn't have been from the attack, right? Edward tensed. The attack! He began to remember. Everything was unfolding his head. He fought as he remembered, but his automail had obviously been removed and his flesh limbs were restrained by leather straps. It was then that Edward processed the fact he had been stripped down to his boxers. His face was red. They had undressed while he slept!
"Oh, deary, you look embarrassed and maybe mad. Don't be; I'm a doctor. it's my job." The man's face was getting more and more clear. Ice-blue eyes met his own golden ones. The doctor had short blonde hair that was the exact same colour as Havoc's hair.
"W- wherma?" Edward slurred.
The doctor laughed a laugh of actual enjoyment. "I can't tell you that." This guy actually thought all of this was funny.
Edward frowned. "I w- want Al."
"Oh, is that your brother's name? How cute! Al the broken armour. It has a nice ring to it."
Edward shook. "What did you do to my brother?!"
"Calm down. Removing the limbs shouldn't hurt him," The doctor said, making it sound like he had started with removing limbs and not the word "broken".
"You scum! Take me to my brother now!" Edward demanded.
"The examination isn't finished."
"I DON'T CARE IF THE EXAMINATION ISN'T FINISHED!!!" Edward screamed in fury.
The doctor just kept on working above Edward as if he wasn't at all fazed by the screaming. "Once the examination is complete you can go back to your brother and have a nice snuggle until we're all prepared for the procedure."
Edward was sure he didn't want to know what he meant by "procedure". The word was obviously important. It was chilling in the same way as before.
"...After all, I wouldn't rob you of your last night with him as you. I'm not a monster." The words froze Edward's insides. "Now, back to the examination."
---
A/N: I'm stopping this here and publishing this now because I'm too exited not to. I'm already starting the second chapter don't worry. It shall have more stuff that is chimera stuff.