#withagodcomplex

His expression only grew more dark. He hated this, he hated him.  The things he was willing to do in the name of restoring his brother’s body. He was pushing him, urging him into saying something stupid, more over something dumber than he already had. 

And there is was, that hard verbal tug on his chain - reminding him of the collar he wore; shackled to the state.  He’d suffer this if it all panned out well in the end. He’d suffer anything for his brother. 

His body moved without thought as he slammed down another set of papers, messily written in ink, almost illegible as it looked like his hand drug through the words as he wrote - and if one were to look at the back side of his white gloves they would learn that was exactly the case. 

“Here’s the new one.” He snarled standing in a way that spoke of his impatience to leave, but his every intention of disrespect.  “Can I go now?” 

“Considering it took you this long to read it, that kinda proves my point, dontcha think?” He spoke stopping in his tracks as he looked over shoulder back the dark haired man behind him. He’d written that ‘report’ months ago, and he’s just getting to it now? 

Honestly, it made Ed wonder just how far he had to dig in his never ending pile of paperwork to find that thing. He didn’t have time for this, but still he doesn’t move and braces himself for the lecture. He turns, an almost chipped bounce to his footstep. His mind is screaming at himself to shut up, he knows he’s about to the next 30 minutes of his life another pointless lecture but the words are rolling out of his mouth before he has a chance to swallow them. 

    Look. He was tired. He was hungry. And Alphonse was waiting back at the barracks for him. He didn’t have time for a back and forth volley with the Colonel, nor did he have the energy.

    Yet, he still couldn’t manage to resist spitting back, “With your title, you’d think you knew how to control the crap you shot out. Looks like that’s too much to ask.” He glowered up at the man from where he was squatting, leaning heavily against the wall behind him. “Seriously, I had it under control until someone intervened-” And saved your ass- “- and nearly got me killed.”

     Yes, Edward had almost gotten lit on fire. Furthermore, and likely more importantly, he had almost gotten stabbed. He didn’t intend on going back to Alphonse missing pieces, that was for sure, but with the recent string of jobs he’d been taking and leads he’d been ( fruitlessly ) pursuing... maybe he’d been letting certain things fall by the way side more than he should have.

    “I said. I had it under control.”

    He didn’t.

    “C-Colonel!” It was as if he thought he’d done something wrong, sitting patiently, awaiting Edward’s return to the state library. Well, less that he’d done something wrong and more that he’d been caught red-handed reading what was clearly not alchemy text. No, he’d meandered to a more leisurely area of the library, plucking off of the shelf a tome that was nondescript in a way that betrayed he had clearly removed the dust jacket.