Al's Welcome~ [Closed, Finished]

[golden-icarus.livejournal.com]

Who: Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric
What: Ed goes to find his little brother. =D
When: A few days ago. Back when Al first arrived.
Where: All over the place. XD;
Summary: Ed finds him brother, gets him clothes and food, and then puts him to bed.
Rating: PG-13? =D; For canon incestuous undertones! >.>


It was sunny out here. He would have never known there had been rain had he not read about the flood. He was busy reading, actually. This journal was a strange, exciting thing he could talk to others through. He was waiting for his brother, sitting on the floor, not remembering where his shirt had gone and too caught up in the little book to remember to go look for it. For now, he was on the floor, by the window, waiting to hear a call for him as he fluttered his wings in amusement at how well he had caught on to moving them. This world, it was intriguing.

"AAAAAAL~" came the call as a golden-haired Edward bounded down the path, poking his head into every house by the river, a big grin on his face. He supposed he should be more upset at this, really; he certainly did not want to subject his brother to experiments, or to Envy, but he couldn't deny that he wanted to see him again, more than anything in the world. After all, what had he done for two years but to find a way to reach Al again? As he ran, he kept calling out his brother's name. "AAAAAAAL~ Where aaaaaaaaaaaaare you~?"

Al perked up, turning around and kneeling, sticking his top half out the window." Brother! Big Brother, I'm here!" he declared, waving his arm out the window with a big grin, fluttering his wings in his excitement.

"Al!" Ed heaved a sigh of relief, jogging towrards the house with his brother. He didn't realize until he set eyes on his little brother the full extent of how worried he was, and how much he missed him. "Thank goodness..."

Al stood up, though a little shaky with his legs being asleep from sitting, and opening the door for his brother. He ran out, no shoes on his feet, and flung his arms around his brother's shoulders to hold tightly onto him. "Brother! I'm glad to see you, look! Look I have wings!" he said, excited, experiment or no. He found them pretty, after all.

"Heh, you do." With a grin, Ed hugged his brother to him and ruffled his hair. Only Al could be this excited about being stuck in a random, strange place, and that cheerful attitude was starting to rub off on him, making him feel that, even if they were here, it'd be all right, as long as they were together.

Al glanced over his brother's shoulder. "Do you have them too?" he asked, smiling sweetly as he reached back by Ed's shoulders and felt the feathers. He smiled more. "They're a nice color," he added, looking at them with interest.

"Yep, everyone here does." Ed grinned again, fluttering his wings, showing off for his little brother. "Yours are beautiful, too. They fit you."

Al felt his face turn a little pink and he laughed, playing with Ed's feathers gently as a mild distraction. "Really? Thank, brother!" he piped, holding him a little tighter. It'd been so many years since he'd really been with him, and it was nice to really be able to hold him now. With the regaining o his memories, he remembered how hard it was to be afraid of hurting him just by patting his shoulder.

"Al..." And suddenly, Ed was clinging to him, holding him tightly as well, burying his face in Al's hair. He knew it was unlike him, knew that passerbys may think things of that, but, at that moment, he didn't care. How many years had it been, now, since he could hold his brother? How many years since Al was warm and soft, the way he should be?

Al looked a little bit surprised. It wasn't uncommon for him to hold onto anyone, he was just that type of person. Still, when Ed did, and in such a covering way, he got a little worried. He wasn't displeased, but nonetheless, he softly questioned Ed with a 'Brother? Are you okay?'. A soft smile was on his face, to punctuate it.

He took a breath and realized, "I missed you too..."

"Seven years," Edward whispered, blinking away the tears that stung his eyes; he couldn't be seen crying, not at a time like this. He squeezed Al against him for a moment before loosening his hold, pulling back to look over his brother. "I couldn't do that for seven years. Couldn't even see you for two. I... missed you too, Al. So much."

Al frowned a little. "Big brother..." he said, softly, with an apparent sympathy. He knew how it felt, though apparently, he realized, it had hurt Ed even more. He smiled gently, then, and wiped the tears away from Ed's eyes. "Me too, Ed, me too..." he said softly, using his name for once as a way to restablish that it was true.

"R-right... So..." Giving a soft, embarrassed chuckle, Ed pulled away, hand sliding down to grab Al's. He slipped off his jacket and flung it over his brother's shoulders with a shake of his head. "C'mon, let's go to my house here. I'll explain everything on the way."

Al laughed a little, holding Ed's hand with no qualms and even giving it a soft squeeze. His wings fluttered a little under the weight of the coat, but he held it together at the front soon after with his free hand. "Okay then, Brother."

Edward's expression turned serious as they walked, and he held Al's hand a little more firmly, as if afraid that he may disappear at any moment. "Al, we've... been kidnapped by some creatures called the 'Malnosso'. They wanna use us for experiments."

Al frowned some, looking down and squeezing Ed's hand back. The bad part about getting his memories back was that now words had things to trigger. He thought of Nina and all the creatures in Tucker's basement and in lab 5. He chose not to mention them. "So what do we do, brother...?"

Ed thought for a moment, his steps slowing. "Well, we've gotta find out more about them first. And then... we fight." It wouldn't be the first time they've been called upon to fight, certainly. "There're a bunch of other people brought here too. I'm guessing we'll eventually all band together, and... well... see what we can do."

Al nodded a little, smiling, but looking a little sad. "I wanted to get to... I dunno... I was hoping when I sneaked through the portal, we'd get to be together and be a little normal now... but... somehow this seems more normal for us," he said, giving a small laugh.

"We're... together, at least." Ed offered a smile, giving his hand a squeeze. Even though they were stuck in this world, stuck in these experiments, having Al beside him made everything seem okay, somehow. "And we have alchemy here! It's kinda weak, but it exists."

Al weaseled his hand so that their fingers were laced together. "I'm fine so long as we are," he replied, bumping Ed's shoulder a little. "Then we'll be okay, that's for sure. Especially with brother's skills!"

"Hehehe..." There was a grin on Ed's face, stretching from ear to ear. Yes, Al's presence definitely made everything feel okay, now. "That's right! We're the amazing Elric Brothers, after all. No one can stand against us!"

Al looked over and laughed, prodding Ed in the cheek. "That's the Ed I know," he replied, looking much more perky. "Of course, it's always been like that. We're the best team there ever was!"

"Exactly!" Another grin, though Ed grabbed his hand with a small grumble. "We're geniuses. There's no way we'll lose to a bunch of kidnappers, right?"

Al nodded confidently. "Of course not, brother. I know we can do it. We did it before, didn't we? It's just a little different now," he shrugged his shoulders and kept on smiling. "But that won't stop us."

"Yeah!" And there was hope, and there was cheer. Ed bounced a little in his step. "We'll figure it out soon. Right now, we can get more information -- they have a nice library here, s'great! I was there, but had to go back because the rain was scaring Chi... Oh yeah, forgot to tell you." Edward gave a nervous chuckle. "We have roommates. Some girl named 'Chi' and a talking cat."

Al couldn't help but giggle a little at the eager nature his brother's gait had taken. It made him happy. "Really? I haven't been to a library in a while. I was in the desert for a long time, heading to Lior," he replied, looking preoccupied in his mind. The mention of a cat brought him back to the present, though. "A talking cat? Really? Wow!"

"Yeah, I thought you'd like one." Ed laughed, reaching over to ruffle Al's hair. If nothing else, he knew the word "cat" would have caught his brother's attention, and a talking one even moreso. "Say, why were you in Lior anyway?"

Again, Al laughed lightheartedly, pushing Ed's hand away in a playful gesture. "Heey, brother, c'mon," he mock-whined, trying to flatten his mussed hair. "Hm? Oh," he tapped his chin, "Well... I got a lead and the trail lead me there."

"Whaaaaaat~?" Smirking, Ed mussed up the hair even more. "Trail, huh. To... find me, you mean?"

Al nodded his head, smiling sweetly. "Mmhmm, ever since you left... no one would tell me what happened. Not really... so I went to find you. I knew you had to be somewhere, I just needed to look hard enough."

"I tried to find you, too." Ed looked down, sighing softly. "I... I hated it there. I was never sure if it was a dream or not, especially since Alfons -- er, Heiderich -- looked just like you. Well, just like how you'd be if you were older. He was brilliant, too."

Al looked over at Ed with a more muted happiness. "Did he take good care of you? I know how you can get caught up in reading and forget things..." he replied, squeezing Ed's hand a little. "I just wanted you home... with me..."

"Me too..." Ed gave a nervous laugh, trying to avoid the subject of his brother's alter, remembering all too well the blood-stained body held in Noa's arms. "Look, I'm fine now, see? And we're... not home, but we're together."

Al grinned a little again, not minding the ups and downs of the conversation. He was expecting it. "I'm home wherever you are, brother, you know that," he said, letting their hands swing between them lightly. "I didn't want you to be alone anymore."

"Al..." Edward squeezed Al's hand lightly, giving him a soft smile, one that only they shared. His voice lowered to a whisper, almost shamed. "Al, I... I'm glad that you're here. Even with all the experiments and stuff. I missed you so much, and it woulda been bad for you to be stuck alone in that world, too."

Al hunched his shoulders, a little shy seeming, and squeezed Ed's hand back. He offered in return the same little secret smile. "It doesn't matter how bad it is, brother, because I feel really happy right now. I haven't felt like this in a long long time, and it's worth whatever happens."

"Everything's worth it," Ed murmured, "just to see you again." He closed his eyes, a small shiver passing through his body, knowing that all that he said was true. Life didn't feel complete without his brother by his side, the little brother he had known ever since they were infants.

Al glanced away a little, trying not to turn pink or get flustered, or at least to disguise it. He felt the other hand's little tremble. It made him smile more, somehow, along with the words. He wasn't sure what to say, so he just walked closer against Ed's shoulder.

Ed smiled back, bumping his shoulder lightly against Al's before tugging him along. "C'mon, let's get you settled in..."

Al giggled lightly. "Heyy," he complained, but not seriously, and bumped him back a little. He let himself fall just a little behind to be pulled forward. "Alright. Heh, I hope there's more shirts."

"Oh yeah!" Ed blinked, stopped, and picked another direction. "Right, we can go get you clothes first. And food! We'll get aaaaaaaaall your favourite foods!"

Al grinned, feeling excited and laughing a little. He figured Ed would try to spoil him, whether Al wanted him to or objected to it. He'd get about the protests later, but for now he /was/ hungry and kind of cold, holding his brother's jacket tight around him. "Okay!"

"Okay, this way..." At least, Ed was pretty sure it was that way. And soon enough, they came to the shops gathering of the village. "So, er... clothes or food first?"

Al scratched his nose and smiled a little. "Clothes... then I can give your coat back and not get food on it," he replied, taking hold of the front of the coat again and holding it shut a little better.

"You can keep the coat if you want," Ed offered as he pulled Al towards the clothing shop. It was strange, he knew, but his brother looked a lot like him, dressed like that, with long hair and wearing his coat. A lot.

Al shook his head a little. "That's okay, brother, it's your coat after all... and it's already chilly out. I don't want you to catch cold," he remarked, smiling at him, looking content.

"I won't..." With a small snort, Ed took Al into the shop, eyeing the selections there. "Hmmmmmm, what would look good on my cuuuuuute baby brother~"

Al made an embarrassed expression and laughed, bumping Ed in a more playful, shoving manner. "Heey cut it ooout, brother," he complained, though he couldn't help but smile broadly.

"It's the truuuuuth." Ed stuck his tongue out and grabbed a shirt, holding it up to Al. He had to admit, it was probably more for a girl, but it certainly looked cute against his little brother. "How about this?"

Al glanced at the shirt with a curious expression. "Hm... well..." He wanted to mention that it looked a little girly, but it was Ed who had picked it out. "It's fine with me. Do you like it, brother?"

"Uh-huh." A wide grin was on Ed's face as he shoved the shirt at his brother. "C'mon, put it on. Everything's free here anyway."

Al pulled the coat off his shoulders and handed it to Ed, He glanced at the shirt more carefully and smiled, noting the slots for his wings to go through. He pulled the shirt down over his head and shifted around a little. "Can you help me with my wings, big brother?" he asked, trying to reach to his back to get them fully through the holes.

"Yeah." Ed brushed his hands over the wings tentatively, almost afraid to touch them, afraid to hurt his precious brother. He made an idle hum, running his fingers over soft feathers, smiling.

Al turned a little pink and fluttered his wings. "That... kinda tickles," he said, still getting used to the fact that he had wings, let alone that he could feel them.

"Sorry, sorry." Still grinning -- clearly not all that sorry at all -- Ed let his fingers linger just a little longer over Al's wings, before pulling him deeper into the store. "See anything else you want? We should get you a jacket too. It's getting cold."

Al glanced around, and then down at his shirt. It was very comfortable, at least. He shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay," he replied, before heading forward. He nodded in agreement, crossing his arms to keep them warm. "Yea, good idea."

"How 'bout this one?" Ed, being Ed, picked something of an Eddish taste, that being something that looked rather similar to his own coat.

Al laughed a little, "We'll match then," he replied, grinning some and taking to coat, looking it over. "It's nice, though, that's for sure."

"Yep!" Ed flung the coat over Al's shoulders before taking his hand again, leading him out. "So! What do you wanna eat?"

Al tapped his chin as he laced his fingers with his brother's again and swung their arms lightly again. "Soup sounds good right now."

"Okay, soup it is!" Cheerfully, Ed took him to the nearest food place, seating him down into a booth. "Two soups please~"

Al sat down and glanced around more. He kept wanting to observe this world, get a feel for it. He was aware it might be a long long time before they made it back to Ed's new world. He wanted to know as much about this place as he could.

"So, uh..." Ed spoke as he ate, trying to fill up the silence. "How's it been for you? D-during those years where I couldn't be there, I mean..."

Al glanced up from his soup and frowned a little. "Well... I looked a long time. I traveled everywhere I got a lead.. it wasn't so bad. People took care of me because they... thought I was you."

"Thought... you were me?" That earned a small laugh, though Ed didn't know whether he was happy or not. "Well, with the way you were dressed, I'd think you were me, too."

Al nodded. "People that didn't know better just saw the appearance.. you're quite the hero still, brother," he remarked, smiling sweetly at him.

There was another laugh. "Well, then~" Ed struke a pose. "I'm glad my heroic legacy helped my baby brother!"

Al nodded, smiling. "Yes, you protected me even... even when you weren't there beside me," he said softly, looking down at his soup with a shy little glance up at him soon after. "You really did."

"I-it's nothing." Flushing, Ed crossed his arms and looked away, though he was secretly pleased, deep down. "I didn't do anything. I wasn't even there."

Al looked up again and smiled with more warmth. "Yes you did. Even if you weren't there, you did protect me, just with everything you'd done for me, brother." He looked a little sad. "Even... even just knowing all the amazing things you could do, it gave me hope that you were alive, even if everyone else... t-thought you were dead... gone forever... I knew you were better than that."

"I wouldn't die," Ed murmured, a smile touching his lips, soft and sad. He hesitated for a moment before reaching across the table, fingertips lightly brushing over Al's hand. "I wouldn't die and leave you alone. After all, who'd take care of you then?" Of course, he didn't need to mention that, more often than not, it was the other way around.

Al smiled more and nodded, though somehow he felt desperate and sad hearing these word. His hand took a light hold on the fingertips as they went to move away. "Do you... do you promise?"

"I promise." Whether he'd be able to keep it or not, Ed didn't know, but he wasn't about to deny that request. "I... I won't ever leave you again, no matter what."

Al looked relieved and smiled easily again. "Then everything will be okay," he said, squeezing the other's hand a little bit and taking reassurance in its warmth.

Ed squeezed his hand back, though there was a small flush on his cheeks. "Yeah, I'll make sure everything stays okay."

Al smiled bright and went back to eating his soup. "Then I think we can stay happy while we're here," he replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly as he finished off his dish.

"That'll be a change." Ed snorted softly, a smile lingering on his lips. "Everyone else's trying to escape, or fight, and... well, I guess we should, and we can't let them experiment on people like this, but... we've got each other, now."

"Just for a little while... I want to just spend time with you, okay, brother? Then we can start getting at trying to get to your home world but... just for a little while," he said, frowning, "I just got you back and I walked a long time... hoped a long time... you know?"

"All right." Edward hesitated for a moment, golden eyes unsure, before he stood and plopped down next to Al, draping an arm over his brother's shoulders. "We'll spend all the time together that you want, until you get sick and tired of me."

Al looked at Ed and smiled, burrowing into his side and holding onto him. "I hope you realize, brother, that's gonna be a long long long time," he replied, shutting his eyes and feeling contented. He could always take Ed's words as absolute comforts when they were meant to be. They could always calm him down as he knew his own words could do to Ed.

"Mm, hope so." Ed held him a little more tightly, giving his shoulder a squeeze as he smiled. "We've gotta make up for all the years we've lost, and more."

Al giggled a little, nodding in eager agreement. "I agree! Definitely a lot to make up for!" he piped, smiling wide and feeling full of warmth and cheer. "I haven't been this happy in a long long time... I missed it!"

"Me too." There was just a bit of a desperate edge to Ed's hold, though he would never have admitted it, even to himself. The brother that he almost feared he may never see again, here, beside him... "I missed this, and I missed you, Al..."

Al looked up at Ed and smiled a little, reaching up a hand to pat the side of his face. "It'll be okay, big brother, I'm here now... I'm not gonna let you be alone like that again, okay? I promise too," he replied, smiling affectionately at him with bright eyes that were still as innocent and honest as they had been when they were small.

"Al..." For a moment, it seemed as if all the years were washed from Ed's face, and he smiled back, bright and cheerful and full of hope. Al would always be his beacon, he knew, even in his darkest hour. Everything would be all right, now that they were together.

The younger brother smiled kindly and poked Ed on the nose, as a playful little gesture in the emotional moment. "We should.. go home now, okay?" he mentioned, liking the sound of 'home' again. It wasn't the house, but wherever Ed was. He had his 'home' again, and it was like a breath of fresh air.

"Home..." Ed closed his eyes, smiling as he nodded. It wasn't really home, and this world wasn't theirs, but if Al was with him, then it could be "home". "Yeah. Let's go home."

Al let him go, all but his hand, for now and waited for him to leave the seat. His wings fluttered a little, in some sort of jolt of excited energy. It all seemed too surreal. Even with the down side to it through the experiments that lay ahead. Besides, what did he have to fear? Nothing with his brother by his side again. It was that strange sense of invincibility.

"All right, this way!" Bounding to his feet, Ed swept a dramatic bow, his hand still holding Al's as he led him from the shop and to the place they now called "home".

Al laughed lightly and stood up after him. "Silly brother," he remarked, keeping the other's hand held securely. He looked around again and saw there weren't many people here. He pulled his coat a little more around him. "I hope it's warm at home."

"M'not silly." Ed gave a mock pout as they walked, swinging their hands cheerfully. "Yeah, it's warm at home. Well, warmer than here, anyway. I'll get you lots of blankets if it's still cold~"

Al stuck his tongue out. "Yes you are, brother," he said, laughing lightly. He nodded at the mention of the blankets, but figured he'd rather curl up with Ed to keep warm. Still, he wouldn't voice that. He didn't want to be seen as being childish or something, even if it was how they had kept warm when they were small.

"Am noooot." Ed gave another pout, though he couldn't stop grinning inside. It was just like before, back when they were children and there was not a single worry in the world.

"Am nooot," Al repeated in a teasing attempt to trick him into saying he was. He just started giggling and walking with a little bounce in his steps. He was hoping to get to their home and relax and talk on end about everything. He wanted to know what Ed had seen in this world he had been in before arriving here so much.

"Am t--I... I mean, not!" There was a greater pout at this, and Ed swatted Al's shoulder playfully. "Hmph, Al~ If you keep doing that, I wont' take you home~"

Al just laughed more and louder when the other tripped up, feeling mischievious about it, though it was a silly little thing. But he pouted when he was swatted at and was given the mock-threat. "But broother~, I'll be so cold and lonelllyyy..." he whined

"And we can't have that," Ed laughed, pulling him close again. "I have to keep my little brother warm and happy~"

"Of course not," Al replied as he bumped Ed a little and was gladly tucked under Ed's arm. He watched around him again. Anyone who passed, he studied, and any building they passed he made sure to glance at twice. He wanted to know his way around well, as well as he could at the moment at least.

"Well!" Ed stopped in front of a building, his voice filled with a strange sort of pride. "We're here. Home."

Al looked at the building and smiled in approval. It wasn't fancy, not at all, but he liked it simple. He wasn't like Armstrong, after all. He liked that it wasn't too big. They could make it be as cozy as their birth home, if they liked. "Home, huh?"

"Yeah." Giving another flourish bow, Ed pulled his brother into the house after him. "Home, yours and mine! ...Well, and that girl and the talking cat's. But I'm sure you'll like them."

Of that, he was already sure. "If you get along with them, of course I will. I was always the people person more than you," he teased, smiling playfully. Besides, what could be not to like about a talking cat? He wondered how it could talk in the first place, though.

"Hey..." With the half-hearted protest, Ed hugged him close for a moment and blushed before kissing his forehead. "Welcome home, Al."

Al was taken back a little by the sudden hold. His lips quirked up a little bit and his turned quite pink, embracing Ed in return and nuzzling into his shoulder. "Thanks, brother..."

"I-it's nothing." Ed gave an embarrassed laugh, slowly untangling himself from his brother and taking him on a miniature tour of the house. "So, uh... here's my room. You can have the one right beside it."

Al followed behind him, glancing around the house, finding it at least to be cozy and homey looking. It wouldn't be hard to adjust to actually living in a house again. Still, he looked at the split rooms thoughtfully, and thought nothing along the lines of staying in 'the one beside it'. He didn't mention that, though, knowing Ed might disapprove.

"Er, what do you wanna know now?" With a chuckle, Ed flopped onto a couch, pulling Al down towards him. There was so much that needed to be said, he knew, that he didn't even know where to begin. His world, this world, the lost years... So many questions, not all of which he had answers for.

Al sat down beside him, automatically curling up at his side after kicking off his shoes. It was most comfortable that way. "Where you were... what was it like? Was it like Amestris at all?" he asked, deciding this to be a good opening question.

"I guess a little." Ed pondered for a moment, comparing the two worlds. "Well, kinda. Maybe. Not really. I mean, there were cities there, too, but... they were different. They had a lot more technology, and alchemy didn't work at all except the Thule Society's island, when Envy was there. It was weird, though, 'cause the people looked... so similar..."

Al looked at him with a curious gaze. "Similar? You mean they looked just like we did?" he asked, seeming very intrigued by this. "And the technology, what did it do? What did it run on?"

"Yeah..." Ed leaned back, gazing at the ceiling, remembering. "Alfons Heiderich... He looked just like you. And our landlady looked like Miss Gracia, and the policeman looked like Lieutenant-Colonel Hughes... There was even some movie producer who looked like King Bradley."

Al looked at him, feeling a strange form of curiousity. "Did they act like us too?" he asked, wondering about how this other him had been to Ed. What he had been to him. He was curious, but didn't want to fully say all of that, only holding onto Ed with a little possessiveness.

"A little." The golden eyes had a faraway look as Ed thought back to the friend who had taken care of him for two years. "He was... a bit like you. Really kind, stubborn, brilliant... Sometimes, I'd wonder if I were dreaming, if maybe he really was you. But..." And at that, Ed shook his head, turning his smile to his little brother. "...he's not you. No one could ever replace you, or the time we had together."

Al looked concerned at Ed as the other looked distant. He held the other a little tighter and rested his head on Ed's chest. "He was your friend, huh? I'm sorry he's not here, brother," he replied, shutting his eyes lightly. Somehow, though, he prefered in his own head he not be. He didn't want to share his brother unnecessarily. It was selfish, he knew, but that's why he couldn't voice such a thing.

"It's... all right." Edward shuddered for a moment, arms winding around his brother, seeing again in his memories Alfons Heiderich's dead body. He was ashamed of himself, but he couldn't help but feel a measure of relief that Alfons wasn't there, that he was with Al again, his Al. In a way, it felt more right, and more true; he owed his brother's strange doppelganger that truth, at least.

Al looked up at Ed with more concern, holding him a little tighter. "... Big brother... are you okay?" he asked, in a soft, caring tone. He was beginning to wonder just how hard it was. At least he'd had Winry and Pinako and Wrath. Everyone they'd known was still there for him. Ed was absolutely alone in that world. He couldn't think about it without feeling his heart wrench.

"I'm fine." Ed flashed a smile, bright and cheerful and so very fake, knowing that his brother would be able to see through it the way no one else could, but knowing just as well that he had to try. "It's... in the past already, anyway. No point worrying about it now, right?"

Al pouted at him. He knew better. Even with the time away, he could read through Ed's smiles. It was so easy for him to see everything about him through his eyes. "... Brother.." he said softly, shuffling up him more to rest his head on his shoulder and keep him closer. "I wish I'd been there... I wish I could have kept you company... "

"N-no, it's fine!" Ed berated himself for making Al upset, and quickly shook his head. "See? I'm fine now. I... have you here with me."

"I can see you're still... I can see you were hurt by it, brother," he said softly, looking at Ed with sympathetic caramel eyes. He nuzzled his shoulder gently. "I can't even imagine being away from everyone like that. It must have been so lonely... "

"I... I had friends." Another smile, though this was more real, and more sad. His hand reached for Al's, holding it tightly for a moment. "They weren't you or Winry, but it wasn't all bad. And... I found the old man there, too."

Al took Ed's hand gladly and gave it a little squeeze. "You found Dad?" he said, smiling brightly up at Ed. "Did you talk to him? How is he? Did he stay with you at all?" he asked, all in a rush of words.

"He's..." Ed gave himself another mental kick. Well, that went great; that was one thing he didn't really want to tell Al either. But he couldn't lie, not to his brother, and not about this. Al deserved to know. "...He died..."

Al froze and held his breath, staring with wide eyes at Ed. It was... much harder to hear than even he thought. He never had the heavy grudge against their father that Ed had. He never felt malice towards him, even when he had disagreed with him. In the end, when it came to their father, Al had always wanted to get to know him and be close to him. But now there was no way. There would never be a way to ever have a chance. He hid his face in Ed's neck and tensed up, trying not to cry over it.

"I'm sorry, Al." What other words were there to say? Ed could only hold him, stroking slow circles over his back, pressing a kiss against his hair. "I'm sorry. He... did it to open the Gate. So we could... be together..."

"Does... does it mean he r-really did love us, brother?" Al choked out, the soft comforts making it too hard to hold in tears as he started quivering. He drew in some deep breaths and tried calming down the best he could.

"I... I guess it does." Ed never thought of it that way -- or rather, never admitted it to himself, but he knew Al was right. In the end, their father had understood, and had brought them together. Another sacrifice on a road built with his mistakes.

Al remained silent, in tears still, while the overflow of a mourning feeling continued to wash over him. He was afraid his voice would crack and give him away, even though he knew Ed could feel the tears through his shirt. He didn't have anymore words at the moment, not any thoughts. They were too washed out by emotion.

"Al..." Ed held him more tightly, giving him a gentle squeeze, awkwardly comforting though he didn't quite know how. He could feel Al's tears staining his shirt, and knew that his brother cried enough for both of them, for the tears that he himself did not dare to shed. He had to be strong.

Al sniffed and glanced up at Ed, eyes trying to be happy. His smile wobbled. He sighed. "Sorry, brother, I-I didn't mean to start crying like that.... I..." he said, attempting to give a weak laugh and excuse for it.

"Shh, it's okay..." Ed hugged him tightly, pressing a small kiss against his hair. "You're always so gentle, Al."

Al sniffed and smiled a little. "Sometimes it's my downfall, big brother," he replied up at him, still latched on tight to his side.

"Well, you wouldn't be you otherwise." Shaking his head with a smile, Ed hugged him again.

Al sighed a little, nodding his head. "I guess that's true too," he replied, shutting his eyes again, quieter now as he lay his head more comfortably on Ed's shoulder. He felt tired, and for as much energy as he'd had, it had wore out and he still felt the aches from the morning. It had been so easy to ignore with the rush of excitement of all of this. Now he was winding down instead.

Ed tilted his head, watching his brother for a moment before grinning and hoisting Al into his arms. "To bed with you!"

Al made a whining noise of protest. "But brother, I don't wanna go to sleep yet," he complained, though his body betrayed him. He yawned with a wide mouth and looked upset about it. He didn't want to sleep while Ed was still awake. There was so much time to make up and here he was, tired and ruining it.

"Sure, you don't." With a small snort, Ed poked his nose, carrying him to the spare room. He could tell that Al was upset, but knew his little brother needed rest. "Look, Al, I won't disappear while you sleep, okay? I'll stay right by your side."

Al pouted, resting his head on Ed's shoulder again and holding onto him. He allowed himself to be carried, wondering how heavy he was to have this done. His brother, after all, looked a little skinnier than he had in any of his memories. "... Promise? You'll stay right here?"

"I promise." Ed bumped his nose against his brother's before dropping Al onto the bed and cocooning him with a blanket. He himself grabbed a chair, plopping down next to it. "See? I'll stay right here. Won't move an inch."

Al smiled a little as he turning a light shade of rose. It was easy to curl into the blankets with the reassurance, but he still weaseled out a hand and grabbed lightly for Ed's to hold. He'd had dreams, as he was sure Ed had, where things like this had happened. So he would rather be childish than be unsure right now.

"Al?" Ed didn't remove his hand, though he was surprised. Then again, he realized, he probably shouldn't be, not after how long they'd been apart. With a reassuring smile, he squeezed Al's hand gently, keeping it in his hold. "Sweet dreams, Al."

Al smiled lightly, that certain sweetness he had injected back into it by the reassuring hold. He nuzzled his head into his pillow and shut his eyes, drifting off easily soon after.