Unfiltered (Edward Elric x Reader)

You sat in a comfortable silence with Edward, sitting in a wheelchair at his bedside. On the side table, you had colorful fabric, thread and stuffing laying about. You were focused in on your project, maneuvering the needle carelessly and muttering profanities every time you pricked your finger.

"What's that?" Al came up behind you, setting down a tray of food in front of Edward and another in front of you.

"I missed Elicia's birthday. If I want her to forgive me, I'll have to put in some work, ow-"
you winced and dropped the needle after pricking your finger for the thousandth time. "But... I'm nowhere near as talented as Miss Gracia," you held up your half done teddy bear and frowned.

"I think it's cute, she'll love it," Alphonse praised your pitiful creation.

You glanced over at Edward who harshly glared at a glass of milk on his tray. "We meet again," he was ready to fight the inanimate object. Mortal enemies, laughable,

"If you won't drink it give it to me shorty, I'll be towering over you in no time," you teased. He snatched away the glass of milk from out of your reach with a scowl.

"No way," he spat and set it down further away from you. You giggled at his reaction and got back to your project. He watched you carefully, feeling his anxiety rise. The difficult topic he's been dying to talk to you about itching the back of his throat. He couldn't hold it in anymore.

He glanced at his younger brother, who he had told earlier in the day. Alphonse didn't know if they should bring it up to you, but it felt wrong to hide it.

"Hey... (Y/n)?" Edward hesitated.

"Yes?"

"I heard about everything from Hughes... about the day your brother died," he didn't know if he could face you properly without confronting you, so he went for it. As soon as those words left his mouth, you dropped everything on the floor. He looked to you whose eyes looked as if you'd just witnessed a terrifying ghost. "(Y/n)?"

The brothers watched you with worried eyes. You looked at your hands, trying to erase the vivid image of blood by obsessively rubbing them together. There was a long silence before you decided to talk.

"I uh..." your heart was beating abnormally fast. You cleared your throat and tried to steady your ragged breathing. "He told you?"

"It came up," Edward pushed his tray off to the side, turning his full body to you. He criss-crossed his legs, giving you his full attention. Alphonse stood at a distance to give you the space you needed.

Your finger tips began to tingle, it was an awful feeling. "You know I watched it happen, when my brother was murdered," you started to get choked up.  "I was so scared. When they found me, I-I thought they were going to kill me too... I didn't mean to take it that far," you whispered. "I'm sorry, that I kept it from you. Please don't think any differently of me, please don't think I'm a monster..." you didn't want to be labeled as a murderer for self defense, especially by the boys that you've grown so close to.

You were a sickly color, looking to be on the verge of passing out. You couldn't look at them, you felt so humiliated and guilty. Edward was troubled with this news from the moment Hughes told him, and your confirmation made his heart drop to his stomach. He couldn't imagine what that must've felt like, and the damage it's permanently done to you.

"You're not a monster," Alphonse was the first to say anything. "You had a reason, that must've been terrifying for you."

You started crying. Crying like a child, crying out your bottled up emotions. A combination of remembering the traumatic event and the relieving words of Alphonse hit you like a train. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." you wiped your tears as they fell, but they wouldn't stop. Edward gulped as he tensed up, nervously watching you. He didn't know what to do, but seeing you like that broke his heart in half.