It's been a hot second since I poked my Hamilton au. Might I interest you fine fellas in a crumb of it in honor of edling week? (day 5: triumph) @edling-week
Ed & Ling, 1782, That Would Be Enough first reunion
When Ling finally—blessedly—returns home after months of leave, it’s to a little girl opening the door for him.
He nearly does a double-take at the sight, and he needs to check the apartment number beside the door before reaffirming that, no, he didn’t get the wrong address.
More accurately, this is perhaps the wrong person.
“Um... This is the residence of Edward Elric-Yao, yes?”
When the child only blinks at him, he tries again, “Edward Elric?”
That is the name Ed’s more commonly recognized by around these parts, despite his and Ling’s three-year anniversary coming up in a few months.
There’s still no recognition in the child’s eyes.
“Daddy says not to answer weird stranger’s questions,” she tells him, a little mercilessly, honestly. Ling’s getting the strangest sense of deja vu.
“Right… Well, could you call your daddy, then, and I can ask him instead?”
Whoever this “daddy” is.
“Hmmmmmm…”
Ling sweat-drops as the girl takes her time considering.
He’s saved by a very familiar voice calling from the hallway, “Nina, who’s at the door?”
Mismatched footsteps approach from what Ling remembers is the direction of the study. Pit-pit-pat—the uneven yet steady pace matches to the pounding of Ling’s heart as he can swear a spontaneous warmth opens up all his airways.
His throat goes dry when Ed finally steps into view.
He’s slightly obscured by the crate he’s carrying, calling his question from behind the cover of messily protruding scrolls and notebooks. He hasn’t craned his neck to directly address the little girl—Nina, apparently—yet.
Nina’s perhaps far more familiar with Ed than Ling suspects, then, as she isn’t fazed by the sight, just as Ling isn’t, and only repeats herself, “A weird stranger, Daddy!”
Ling isn’t sure what Ed shifts the crate to look at, then. Nina’s words—or Ling abruptly choking on his spit.
Possibly the former, as Ed rolls his eyes. “You’re gonna have to be a little more specific than that, Ni—”
He cuts off on a hitched breath when his eyes land at the door.
Their eyes meet across the expanse of the universe.
“Ling?” Ed breathes.
Ling’s heart could explode from his ribcage. His tongue leaps without thinking.
“Honey, I’m home,” he says weakly.
He must sound so foolish, but that’s never stopped Ed before.
Ed’s eyes widen at the words alone—or perhaps the tone, or the awkward strain of Ling’s smile, all such familiar things to Ed too—holistically softening in a single motion like magic.
The box crashes noisily to the hardwood floor.
“AAAH, Daddy! You made a—!”
“LING!”
It’s a good thing Nina’s moved forward to point a finger at the mess of papers and notes, because Ed barely dodges her before he’s already leaping.
Ling barely catches Ed on steady feet in time himself, chest already quaking with laughter as he cries, “Ed!”
Ed makes a noise between a laugh and shriek when Ling inadvertently spins him in the process to restore balance, kicking his feet as he laughs, “Ling! Ling, put me down!”
“Not a chance,” Ling says with a wide grin, and burrows his face into that warm neck, feeling that brilliant heartbeat under his lips, racing and skipping to match his own.
“Not a chance,” he repeats, softer. “Ed. Ed, sunshine…”
Ed relaxes above him, finally. Ling could leap out of his own baking skin when arms drop around his shoulder and hold him closer.
“That’s what I figured,” Ed rumbles warmly. “Welcome back, idiot.”
Dear Sunshine,
It’s been a little while.
The last time we talked
I had so many plans.
We were gonna work on our PMA.
I was gonna love you for you,
But I haven’t.
I’ve started hiding you again,
So here’s a reminder of the things
I’m learning to love about you again.
You’re energy, Not “your energy.”
I did that on purpose. You are energy.
You’re changing and shifting,
And sometimes “you’re electrifying!”
But that’s okay.
You’re silly.
You love spinning in circles and
You drag your friends to play in the rain.
I know you worry about what others think,
But, honey, I think it’s great.
There’s nothing wrong with being a little weird and adorable.
Who’s it gonna hurt?
You love, care, and wear your heart on your sleeve.
You put your heart into everything,
And sometimes it gets broken.
I know it hurts,
And it seems so easy to just close it down,
But think about this:
How many people have you helped
Just by loving them when they couldn’t love themselves,
Even when they didn’t love you back?
And, baby girl, I know you’ve had it rough.
I know, and I’m sorry.
I should’ve validated your feelings
Instead of pushing them away.
I know that you’ve grown ashamed of your family and past sometimes.
I know you use humor to try to cover those feelings up.
You say you want to normalize discussing abuse to the world,
But in reality, you’re trying to normalize it to yourself.
I know you want people to know they can come to you,
But, baby, you need to be able to come to yourself first.
You are different,
And that’s okay.
I know it feels like you’re too different sometimes,
But, sweetie, there’s no such thing.
Everyone comes from vastly different pasts
That make them who they are today.
Nobody chooses how their story starts,
But we get to choose our next step.
I love you,
And I promise I haven’t forgotten my promise to you.
I just had a hiccup along the way.
