Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Blood splattered all over the walls and on the floor in puddles. Ling gagged at the sight, wondering if he went too far. No, he thought, it had to be done. The sorcerer was completely dead now, but it wasn't who he was looking for. He had to convince himself not to give up, he was doing this for Lan Fan. Speaking of which, she was gasping in pain a few feet away, clutching her stomach where she was wounded badly. Her automail arm had also been torn and mangled up, almost beyond repair.

"Sir, I- I think it would be a good idea to pay...Winry a visit." She breathed out after coughing up a concerning amount of blood. Lan Fan's attempt at playing down her injuries only made Ling feel more guilty.

"Nuh uh, doctor first."

"I'll be alright sir."

Ling wasn't taking no for an answer. He hoisted her over his shoulder. Lan Fan screamed in pain and Ling immediately put her down. Instead, he held her in his arms like a baby, which seemed to cause her less pain.

"Sir, I can walk. You- you do- don't have to do this."

Ling didn't answer, he was too busy running to the nearest hospital. Dr. Knox would be able to help her.

By the time they arrived Ling could barely catch his breath. He was leaning up against the wall, heavily panting. He only now realized just how much his arms were aching. But he didn't care. His thoughts were consumed by Lan Fan and her well-being. It's not that Ling wasn't confident in Dr. Knox's abilities, no, he was one of the most talented doctors in the Hole. He didn't have a doubt in his mind about that. Despite that, anxiety still swelled in his stomach, making Ling feel sick.

"Do I need to patch you up too?"

Ling looked up to see Dr. Knox. Not once in his life did Ling catch the doctor crack a smile. He looked just as sour as ever, maybe even grumpier than usual. Ling couldn't help but wonder if he even knew what happiness was.

"No, no. How's Lan Fan?"

"Fine. Though I have to admit she was in pretty bad shape. Her recovery might take a little longer."

"Good. Thank you." The guilt returned, making him feel worse. Maybe if she stayed behind this wouldn't have happened... UGH this is all my fault!

However, Ling realized the doctor was still standing in the hallway. Still staring too.

"You sure you don't need anything? You look rough."

"I told you, I'm fine. All I need is to rest for a bit."

"Really? As far as I can tell your right leg is severely gashed and is in dire need of stitches."

Ling sighed in defeat. The last thing he wanted to do was put his problems above Lan Fan's. After all, she was in worse shape than he was.

"Alright, alright. Fix me up doc."

And that's exactly what he did. Both he and Lan Fan lay on their medical beds, which were right next to each other. She seemed to be holding herself together quite well. Ling on the other hand was on the verge of falling asleep. Luckily his constant worrying and aching pain in his leg were doing a decent job at keeping him awake.

"I'm sorry," Ling whispered.

Lan Fan looked over at him, her eyes filled with sympathy. The smile on her face was warm and gentle. "Sir, my job is to protect you. I'm willing to risk my life if that's what it takes."

"But I'd be so lonely without my best friend."

"I appreciate it, but sir, you don't have to worry about me. Plus, those sorcerers can't kill me that easily. They're gonna have to try harder.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Ling didn't believe it, and it definitely wouldn't change his constant need to protect her. But for now, it was at least reassuring.

"Okay you two," Dr. Knox interrupted, "I'll let you leave tomorrow. But Lan Fan, don't do anything stupid. Your wounds still need time to heal."

"I'm not sure she'll listen doc," Ling chuckled in response.

"She better, 'cause I'm not going to be happy."

"When are you ever?" A huge smile spread across Ling's face. At least he's feeling better now, Lan Fan thought.

"So, are we off the Winry's then?"

"Yup." Lan Fan replied without looking up at the bag she was packing. "I was thinking about getting my automail upgraded this time."

"You'll probably need it replaced too."

"Yeah... Shit, this is going to cost me a fortune!"

"Don't worry about it, I'll pay for it."

"When have you ever carried cash on you?"

"Oh shut up!"

Ling had a huge grin on his face and Lan Fan was laughing at him. He couldn't help but feel a bit sappy, it wasn't often when they could just act like friends. With Ling's status and Lan Fan's sole purpose to protect him, they had to be serious most of the time. They weren't even supposed to be friends in the first place either. So, it felt nice to just take it easy. Even if he's been on edge ever since Lan Fan lost her arm.

"Alright sir, I'm all ready."

"Let's head out then." Ling searched around for Dr. Kox before heading out the door. "Bye doc! Thanks for everything again!" he shouted, hoping the doctor would be able to hear him.

As they left Ling had time to take in the Hole. It was a filthy, run-down city with crime and sorcerers lurking around almost every corner. It's kinda stressful, having to constantly stay on your toes. The sun never shined either, it's was always overcast and grey. Maybe to an outsider, it would seem depressing, but to humans, this was their life. And they made the best they could out of it. Humans always kept going no matter what.

A bell happily wrung when Lan Fan opened the door. The automail shop was quaint and tidy with light green walls that felt welcoming, heavily contrasting with the outside world. Ling could also smell something cooking from upstairs where Winry lived. His stomach growled and his mouth began to water. Whatever she was cooking it smelled heavenly, and Ling wasn't going to leave without some.

"Lan Fan! Ling! It's so good to see you!" Winry welcomed them both with a tight hug, ecstatic to see them. However, her mood immediately switched when she saw Lan Fan's arm. Before she could say anything she gasped dramatically with a horrified expression plastered on her face. "What the hell happened to you!? It's only been a month since the last time you were here!"

Lan Fan laughed nervously. "Yeah... Sorry about that."

"We ran into a sorcerer who was a bit more than could handle... He wasn't the one though." Ling interjected.

"Ugh, you two, always getting into trouble."

"Oh, Ed! Just in time! Could you give me a hand?"

The shorter of the two glanced and ling and then walked over to her. "Sure, what do you need?"

"Could you make a piece that looks like this?" She held up a chart to his face. "But I need it extra durable, nothing brittle."

"No problem!"

With that black smoke burst out of his hands and when it cleared away, the piece Winry asked for layed on the table. Along with a chunk of the table missing. Ling's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Sorcerer!" He hollered. Ling drew his sword and jumped to his feet in a spilt second. Ed also seemed ready to fight. More smoke erupted from his hands, this time his entire right arm turned to metal. At the top of his forearm, a sharp blade protruded out. Ling wasn't nervous in the slightest bit, only determination and anger boiled up inside him. They both charged at each other at full force. Just as Ling was about to land his first hit, a wrench was chucked at Ed's head, making him fall to the ground with a loud thud.

"Oww! Fuck Winry, that hurt!" He whined in pain.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!? The last thing I want is for you to wreck up my shop because of your unbelievable stupidity!"

"But why me? I'm not the one attacking people for no reason!"

"Ling and Lan Fan ate customers, I'm not going drive away business." She said it like it was completely obvious, not caring that Ed looked more annoyed than before.

"But we're friends!"

Ling couldn't take it anymore. Why was a sorcerer friends with Winry? He felt a bit betrayed, he thought he could trust her. She knew what happened to Lan Fan. So why was Ed here? "Can I also ask what the hell is going on? Why is a sorcerer here, more importantly, why are you friends?!"

Winry sighed, she looked exhausted and beyond pissed. "Ed and Al are my childhood friends. They grew up in the Hole, their mom is human. Trust me they're not bad people. They mean no harm."

"I don't think we need to worry sir," Lan Fan added, "he's not the one."

Ling still distrusted them both, unsure what to think. A younger sounding voice then came from the back of the room. It was Ed's brother, Al.

"Umm, what do you mean 'not the one'?"

"It's none your business." Ling retorted.

"But sir, they might be able to help."

Ling thought about it for a bit. If Winry's telling the truth, then they could be very helpful. But I'm supposed to do this myself! I don't need help from deplorable sorcerers!... It has been a year though, and we haven't gotten any leads once. "Ughh... Fine." Ling felt ashamed to be asking sorcerers for help. That's the last thing he wanted. "About a year ago me and Lan Fan were attacked by a sorcerer. At first, we weren't worried, this wasn't our first rodeo. But it went south really quickly. They were clearly very skilled, more skilled than any other sorcerer we'd faced before. I'm not sure how it happened, we were knocked out so badly none of us remembered who it was. But whoever it was destroyed an entire building and Lan Fan's arm. The last thing I remember was a huge explosion."

Ed and Al appeared to be deep in thought. "Do you have any idea who it could be?" Ling asked.

"Hmmm, a type of combustion magic probably." Al said it was more of thinking out loud than an answer.

"Kimblee!" Ed suddenly shouted. "He's the only son of a bitch we know who has combustion magic!"

"You think so brother? But no one has seen him for ages."

"I'm sure of it Al. It has to be him."