And their world changes...
There had been an earthquake weeks earlier. It had frightened the citizens of Central and had been talked about for days. But it was mostly agreed that something like that wouldn't happen again for a very long time
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His eyes are on the sky as he moves, and he's calculating quickly in his head how to get up to one of the airships. Once he gets up there, he can get closer to his goal, but it's a matter of getting from here to there. It's a wonder that he's not tripped over anything yet, but he has damn good reflexes. They'd only fail him if he let himself stop to think about the fact that this is his home breaking to pieces, and how much danger everything is in.
But he's here to prevent it, not think about it, and if he stopped to do so, he might break. So there he is. Dodge, dodge, stare. Dodge, dodge, stare. Think. Think. A large piece of building falls and nearly hits him on the head - he claps his ( ... )
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"I guess I've got to go now," he says, and his gaze is intense as he looks up at Russell - for once, he doesn't even show one sign of caring about the height difference. "But there's one thing I want you to remember."
He hasn't let go of Russell's shoulders, and his fingers dig in a little as he speaks. "I love you," he says, and his breath is almost taken away by such an admittance of the truth. "And if there's a god up there, I fucking swear to him that I'm going to make it back to you."
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And even if the actual tears aren't visible, the way Russell's eyes are pained and his voice choked, it's clear that they're only barely being held back.
He gives no warning before launching himself at Ed in a way that is more of a lean than a hug, even if he does have to crouch slightly to manage it.
Arms wrapped tightly around shoulders and face against neck, Russell makes a sound like a muffled sob. "If anyone can do it - " his voices catches " - it will be you."
Russell holds on with everything he has, seemingly unable to let go.
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He runs out of words then, stopped far short of his goal, and it's not at all clear what he can't do. He doesn't even bother to try again, he just puts one hand in Russ' hair and the other arm around his waist, caught between attempts to comfort the both of them. The silence is crowding in, and Edward can't hide his tears enough, nor is he even trying to.
He sniffles a bit, pathetically, closing his eyes and ignoring the plant with all he has. The goddamn War can wait one moment.
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He's not sure how long he stays there, until his back starts hurting from the odd position or until it just feels right to let go.
But he finally stands and it's his turn to sniffle as he slides both hands down to catch Ed's.
"Be careful out there, okay?" he finally manages to say even if it does come out sounding broken.
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It's an attempt at a joke, but it's a pretty dumb one, and falls far from its mark.
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"I'll keep a lookout for trouble so I can find you when you come back," Russell replies in return because he couldn't leave Ed's comment without a remark of his own. Though it's difficult to tell if he's actually joking or not.
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It's a struggle to make himself let go and step away, but he finally manages it, and walks over to the beanstalk. "Just gotta wait a minute," he says. "I don't see her just yet -- "
His eyes are narrowed and his gaze intense, like an animal hunting for its prey. It may not be clear what he's looking for, but when he spots ths specific ship, he lets out a shout and jumps up to grab ahold of the plant.
"She's not expecting any resistance, but she's underjudged this world. We've gotta show her that we don't crumple just because some bitch decides to show off."
He looks down at Russell, for the first and likely only time in his life. "If you see any black crap, don't touch it. Don't let anyone touch it. It won't do you any good."
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Russell nods in understanding, "I'll remember that," he tells Ed, looking up at him. "We'll take care of this world," he promises. There is going to be a lot to put back together.
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He's not sure he could tear himself away if he doesn't do it now, so he starts climbing, now, and fast. No matter how much he wants to stay on the ground, he's the only one that knows the source of the war.
And someone needs to stop her.
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"Ed!" he shouts upward, hopefully loud enough to cover the distance that Ed has already climbed. "I love you, too!"
He may have thought to say it at the last minute, but that doesn't make it any less true. He may have only got the courage to say it himself because Ed said it first, and he only hopes waiting won't distract Ed from what he needs to do.
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"Fuck yeah," Ed announces triumphantly, as much to Russ as to the world around him, "Did you hear that, bitches? He loves me!"
He's stopped climbing for a moment, staring down the distance at Russ. "I'd crawl back down there and kiss you into eternity, if I could," Ed informs him. "But that'll have to hold off. You just think about it until you see me, eh?"
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"I wouldn't want to think of anything else," Russell assures him, raising a hand in to the air. Almost like he's trying to reach out to Ed.
Instead, he waves, his smile wide enough that he hopes Ed is able to see it.
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