Chapter Text
It's dark and the air smells foul and acrid and faintly sweet, like old blood. He doesn't want to open his eyes and look down at the thick liquid that reaches his calf. He knows what it is, and yet he refuses to even acknowledge it. He keeps moving, holding in a gag as his leg bumps against something that feels all too much like a hand.
He's afraid if he acknowledges what he's trudging though he'll vomit. He's never been queasy around blood, but this much would get to anyone sane.
He had shoved his whole arm into the mouth of the creature whose stomach he was in.
Ling thinks this is divine punishment from God for causing LanFan to lose her arm, for abandoning his clan, for a lot of things, really.
But he walks on, now with his eyes open because he can sense something ahead.
Someone.
The someone is Ed, or what he assumes to be Ed. He can't sense his chi at all, not in what feels to be a mass of writhing bodies. It's the same chilling feeling he gets around the Homunculi, a pit of despair and discomfort in his belly. He's in one's stomach now so the feeling is almost overwhelming.
Still, seeing maybe-not-Ed is a relief. Ed's hair has been tinged red and is dripping, his face is stained too. He looks like he took quite a tumble, haggard and worn but still somehow angelic to Ling right now. He's holding a torch, his golden sun eyes are wide in what seems to be relief and a healthy amount of suspicion. Ling stills a few feet away.
He's relieved at Ed's intact condition and he wants to tackle the other boy to the ground and hug him tight and never let go. But the ground is liquid and has chunks in it.
“Ed.” He says, it's much too casually for the situation they're in but it will do, “are you okay”
“Yeah,” Ed answers, and he seems out of breath, a little shocked even.
“good”
They stare at each other for a few moments before Ed speaks, “how do I know you're not Envy"
Ling rolls his eyes and tries not to look anywhere but Ed's face, “Seriously. Ed? Do you want me to recite the hotel bill for room service?”
Ed stares then starts laughing, a warm grin splitting his face, and for a moment Ling thinks it's the best thing he's ever seen, his friends smile. He doesn't doubt Ed because Envy could never replicate his smile. Never.
Once calmed Ed waves his hand, “okay its you Ling”
Ling, despite himself, smiles before he realizes how odd it looks in this situation.
“How do we get out?” He asks, returning his face to something serious.
Ed has a few ideas. First they search for a bottom. Ed claps, drops to his hands and knees and opens a well in the ground. Ling has to look away when he stands back up and there's a strand of hair stuck on his automail. They drop a torch down into the hole, and wait. There's no noise. There's no bottom.
They run for a while, searching for a wall. There's none. No matter how far they go there's no wall, no end to the black void. It goes up and around forever. Ling sort of feels like a pet mouse in a cage. He wants to puke and cry all at once.
But he and Ed march on, their torches from the fire gluttony swallowed leading their way. He's growing tired and his head is woozy in that way it is when he needs food. He's going to pass out. He tries to voice this to Ed, who's also exhausted but as he opens his mouth he trips over a log.
This results in five things.
Ed stops and starts to yell at him. Ling gets some of the blood in his mouth and can feel bile rising in his throat but he swallows it down. Ed yells some more and trudges away, then back, grumbling. Ling's torch goes out just as he realizes that he's swallowed some of the blood. And then he pukes.
This is not Ling Yao's proudest moment.
“Holy fucking shit Ling!” Ed makes a weird strangled noise that Ling registers as shock and a little bit of disgust, “Whats wrong with you!”
Ling has utterly given up.
“Just go on without me. I'll never make it.” He mumbles, only half aware of the position he's in. His mouth tastes sour and all he can think of is how LanFan is going to react, or how he's failed all his clan by dying inside of a homunculus.
“Hell no.” Ed spits out and suddenly Ling is out of the liquid and slung across Ed's shoulders like a sack of flour.
“Ed?” He manages before he's rudely interrupted by Ed's huffing.
“ive got people ill be letting down by dying here, so do you, Yao, I'm not leaving you.” He grits out, heaving both the weight of him and Ling forwards.
Ling closes his eyes and smiles, “its embarrassing being carried by someone so small”
Ed snorts and hefts Ling up again to get a better grip on his limp body. Ling is okay with being manhandled for now. There's a strange feeling in his stomach that rivals the one of the writhing bodies. It's light, warm, and feels like when he's jumping from a large height, a free fall. He likes this. He wants it to last forever.
It doesn't last because Ed trips over something and they both fall to the ground.
Ling has the knowledge to close his mouth this time.
Ed creates a platform, away from the blood and Ling climbs onto it. He sheds his outer layers and begins to wring them out. Ed does the same. One of them builds a fire, Ling doesn't remember who. He's dizzy and hungry and he can still taste the blood and bile in his mouth.
Ed suggests they eat his shoe. Ling agrees, only because he's desperate.
They sit in silence again for a while. Ling keeps his eyes closed. focusing on the warmth of the fire on his body. Ed cooks the shoe. They eat in silence and then go back to sitting in silence.
It's strangely comforting having Ed there.
Ling opens his eyes to see how Ed is faring with all this and Ed is staring at him. It's an intense gaze, one Ling has never seen on Ed's face before. His stomach twists and he blinks. Ed doesn't look away. Something in his gaze is concerned, another is angry and there's a glint of something else there. Ling cannot place this third thing.
“Edward?” Ling asks.
“Are you okay?” Ed says quickly, rushed and almost embarrassed.
Ling blinks again, “of course. Why do you ask?”
Now Ed looks sheepish, he pouts a little and Ling's stomach flips again. “you collapsed and puked earlier and I…” He pauses and looks away, straightens his back, and closes his eyes, “Are you sick or something?”
It takes Ling a moment to realize what Ed was asking. From what little Ling had heard of the brothers' past their mother died from a sudden sickness. Ed must be nervous around sick people, which would explain his strange face and sudden anxious energy.
“I'm fine, it's just…” And now Ling is embarrassed to admit how grossed out he was, “I got some of the blood in my mouth and I…”
“oh.” Ed says.
“Yeah.”
“gross”
“yeah.”
There's silence in between them again, but it doesn't last long.
Ed speaks again, softer now, “Are we going to die here?”
“I don't know,” Ling answers. He lays down on his back to stare up at the darkness.
Ed sniffs. Ling doesn't mention it. He also feels like crying a little bit. For Fu and LanFan, for all the people of the Yao clan who are going to suffer because he might die here. But Ling doesn't cry.
Eventually Ed lays down next to him, he's not crying anymore.
“Ling?” Ed's voice is shaky when he speaks.
“What?”
“What's one thing you want to do? If we get out” Ed asks, then he adds, “and don't say gain immortality. What's something selfish you want to do?”
strangely, Ling has to think about this for a while.
“Find a partner.” He says finally, “be rid of the 50 wives rule. Just one. What about you? And don't say getting your bodies back”
Ed hums and answers, “I guess… tell Al Winry and Granny something I haven't.”
Ling rolls onto his stomach, “ooo tell me. I love secrets.”
Ed turns his head and it hits Ling just how close they are. He can feel the warmth coming off Ed's body and he wants to wrap himself in it and never move again. Ed's eyes are wide and his face is something of disbelief and anger.
“No way! what makes you think I'm telling you something I haven't even told my family!”
“because we might die and you love me?” Ling tries. The word ‘love’ feels heavy and strange on his tongue. Almost foreign, wrong. Ed sits up and turns away, the tips of his ears are bright red and Ling finds that both hilarious and adorable.
“Shut up.” Ed says, but there's no conviction behind it, "you're annoying as hell.”
“I am a delight, thank you.” Ling counters. Ed laughs and sits up.
Ling stares, a little ashamed, there's a slump in Ed's shoulders and he feels guilty, ashamed. He's curled in on himself like a small animal and all Ling wants to do is hug him.
He does not hug Edward.
“Ed?”
“dont worry about it Ling, I’m just worried something's wrong with me.”
Ling sits up now, “what do you mean?”
Ed just shakes his head and closes his eyes. Envy shows up soon after and everything goes to hell.
Ed sees those trapped souls and he freezes. There's a look of horror and guilt on his face. He looks sick and close to tears. So Ling fights for him. When Ed is lifted into Envy's mouth after going completely still, Ling panics and he starts yelling whatever he can think to snap Ed out of it.
Ed snaps himself out of it and once free he has a plan.
The plan is insane, but Ed seems confident and Ling has nothing to lose. As he and Envy jump into the portal he sees Ed's eyes for the last time and they are filled with a strange kind of acceptance.
“This better work!”
When he wakes again he's leaning on Envy's hulking form, Ed is neck to him with Alphonse crouched in front.
“Al… you're back in your body” Ed says wonderingly. Ling reaches out for Ed and is met with a fist bump.
“We made it out,” Ling says, weakly holding his ribs. His whole body aches. But they did it. They're back and he didn't fail. Ed helps him stand up and his vision swims a little and he sways but he remains upright.
He's not fully paying attention anymore, the world around him seems fuzzy and there's one horrible sinking feeling in his gut. It's coming from a blonde man on a throne. The feeling is the same as the Homunculi but worse. It's like he's a part of the writhing mass, a part of all the people squirming around, being swallowed by them whole and losing himself to the screaming.
“What the hell are you?” He challenges the creature, pointing one of his swords at him, “What's inside of you?”
The next ten minutes is a blur. His ribs hurt and he swears if he moves too much he'll puncture his lung. And then suddenly he's pinned down underneath Envy's big hand and he can't get himself free.
He doesn't understand anything ‘father’ says, only that he's going to give Ling a philosopher's stone. And Ling is more than willing to take one, even from a creature this sickening.
It hurts like hell. His whole body is burning and he knows he's screaming but he can't stop himself or say anything. Ed calls out for him and then Ling is flung into a red moving vortex. The red looks like people, squirming and paying at each other in endless agony.
In front of him there is one large face-like thing.
“woah hey” The thing laughs, “this your body?”
“Yes.” Ling says, “go ahead, take it.”
“Kid, you know what I am right? You would welcome a monster into your blood so easily?” It laughs again.
“I would, you're going to give me immortality and make me emperor of Xing.”
This seems to shock the thing before it grins, "you're my kind of guy kid! too bad you'll be gone after I take over your body”
“No I won't, I'll take my body back from you, I promise you that you won't hold onto it forever.”
“Im greed kid, If I want it its mine, and right now I want this body”
“Then take it.”
And Greed does. But Ling doesn't fade away, he watches. He watches with held breath as the thing inside his body fights Ed, he watches as Ed is escorted away by Envy. He watches as Greed talks to the thing called Bradley.
It's quiet when he and Greed have their first proper conversation.
‘So, Emperor of Xing huh?’
The question surprises him a bit but he nods and answers, “I have to, to save my people.”
“Wow, how selfless. I am so inspired” He hears the sarcasm is Greed's voice, “you aim too low kid, what about the world”
Ling thinks for a moment, “too much responsibility, I'd prefer just Xing and let other countries deal with their problems.”
“Huh,” Greed says after a while, “well good luck with that”
“I'll get my body back.”
“youre not strong enough to kid, I'm a homunculus, ‘better than humans’ is in my job description” Greed chortles, “leave me alone kid, you're annoying as hell”
“I'm a delight, and you started this conversation!” Ling argues back.
He can hear Greed roll his eyes as he huffs, “okay but now I want you to shut up.”
“I will if you do me a favor.”
“Oh great.” Greed huffs again and Ling realizes he's kind of like a moody toddler, “what?”
“I need you to give a message to the Elrics so they can pass it on to someone else.”
Greed seems to contemplate this for a few seconds before his gross face is back in front of Ling, “fine what do you want me to say,”
“I want you to write it down,” Ling demands.
Surprisingly Greed agrees to let Ling write his message, it's quick and he knows his handwriting is horrible and janky but he writes. ‘I have obtained a philosopher's stone. our clan is saved’
And then he watches as Greed hands the fabric scrap to Ed, who looks up at Greed like Ling suddenly going to pop back out and demand food. But Ling can't, even though he wishes he could.
He's just going to have to be patient to get what he wants.