#i know i put 1844 but i cant b trusted with dates i cant do math and i suck at timelines

[edwardboyne]

@fatherfoxhound: "the ones we love have the power to inflict the greatest scars."

( flashback; 1844 )

as they leave the orphanage together, edward lets himself get a little distracted—he only half listens to laurents and what he’s got to say, feeling awfully tired (but at the same time, awfully grateful) thanks to the day he’s had. but a sentence like this was bound to catch his attention so he turns his head to face the other, with questions arising behind his eyes, coming through in his expressions, questions he isn’t sure he’s allowed to ask. they aren’t friends, after all. they’re friendly, but they aren’t friends. 

but then again, ed isn’t particularly known for sticking to rules, social customs included. he almost stops walking but the second-long hesitation in his step soon dissolves; stopping would make this conversation feel to serious, too solemn. and besides, it’s too cold.

“and are you speaking from experience?” he asks; for a second, edward hopes that the answer is yes—they should have something else in common then. because if their roles were reversed, that’s what his answer would be. he thinks about his family, his past love, both lost—and that’s possibly where most of the hurt comes from, from the absence of them.