A/N: This kind of just... came out. I got the idea in my head and I knew I had to write about it. It feels a little rushed to me, but hopefully that's me being paranoid. This has barely been beta'd at all, but I really wanted to post something new. Let me know what you think!
Edward stood on a ledge overlooking all of Central. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, flooding the city with a hazy pinkish light. Shadows spilled from the sides of buildings, their elongated forms darkening strips of streets and windows. A cool breeze ruffled the edges of Edward's coat, playing gently with the fabric between fingers of air.
His eyes were closed. He had seen this sunrise many times, or at least glimpsed it and cursed its arrival as another night lost to failed hypotheses and inconclusive clues, and he knew this one would be no different. But it was different- his brother was dead.
Edward didn't know how, and he didn't know why. All he knew was that his baby brother Alphonse was dead, and that he was never coming back.
Suddenly an angry, agonizing scream rent the air to shreds- did that really come from his throat?- and echoed sharply off the surrounding buildings. Edward's throat burned and his chest hurt, but he found he couldn't stop, and only when his voice faded from exhaustion did he notice the wetness on his cheeks.
Immediately he drew a hand across his face to wipe his eyes dry, but the tears had only opened the door to agony. He took a shaky breath, but he could no longer stop the heaving sobs that tore their way from his chest like a caged animal. He trembled with the force of the pain that gripped him, and it was all he could do to stay standing on the ledge.
Then he remembered, his choking sobs suddenly easing: the ledge.
Heaving a deep, shaky sigh, he turned to face the outer edge of the building, inching outwards to stand on his toes on the very corner.
Edward was a calculating, logic-driven alchemist. He used every process of thought imaginable to deduce the best course of action to take- it was only natural that, after the mistake of committing the ultimate taboo, Edward would want to prevent anything like that from happening ever again.
As he stood on that ledge though, all logic escaped him. He looked -really looked- out at the sun rising over Central, at the shadows growing shorter, at the glass reflecting the now-yellowish light. A little smile turned up the corner of his mouth.
"You're right, Al. It's beautiful."
He stepped off the ledge—and awoke to a leather hand on his shoulder.
"Brother! Brother!" The hand was shaking him, and Edward opened his eyes to see a very worried Alphonse looming over his bed. He sat up and blinked a few times before realizing that he had just come out of a dream.
"You're alive," Edward mumbled, and lay back down, an arm over his eyes.
"Of course I am, Brother! But… are you okay? You were… um…"
"I was what, Al?" Edward's voice was so soft, Alphonse could barely hear.
"You were crying, and um, screaming in your sleep." The suit of armor clanked loudly as Alphonse sat on the end of Edward's bed.
Edward's face flushed. "…Oh." There was no way he could explain his way out of this one- Al had seen him scream. "Shit, Al… I wish you hadn't had to hear that. I'm sorry."
Al shook his head, the metal pieces rubbing against each other with a clang. "It's not your fault."
A long pause filled the room. Edward took a few deep, shaky breaths as he tried to stop the tears still flowing down his cheeks, and Alphonse sat patiently on the end of the bed, looking at the wall.
"I… dreamt you'd died, Al."
Alphonse swung his head around, the little glowing lights in the helmet flaring bright red.
"I didn't know how, or why, but I knew you were dead. So…" Edward's breath hitched in his throat, and he cleared it roughly as he sat up again and leaned against the headboard. "So I jumped off a really tall building in Central."
If a suit of armor could look shocked, Alphonse would have. "Brother…"
Edward let out a dry, emotionless chuckle. "Funny thing was, if you were actually-" Edward couldn't bring himself to say the word, but coughed instead- "If you were, then I would have done it. Maybe not by making a spectacle of myself, but-"
He was interrupted by a leather hand making sharp contact with his face.
"You idiot!" The anger in Alphonse's voice was far more painful than the slap. "No way in hell will you ever ever kill yourself. You can't, you can't, you can't!" Edward sat stunned- he had never seen Alphonse utter a single curse word, much less slap his older brother.
His metal body shook with emotion and the red glow behind the eye holes of his helmet looked like the sunrise- hazy and pale. "Don't you-" Alphonse faltered and couldn't finish, he was so worked up.
"Al… what do I have to live for if you aren't here?" Edward couldn't meet his younger brother's eyes, but fingered the edge of his bed sheet instead.
"Mustang and his team. Winry. Yourself. I could give you a thousand reasons. Anything but kill-" Again, Alphonse failed to continue- he was shaking violently now.
Edward twitched at the mention of the second name. "Winry's always gotten along fine without me. Same goes for Mustang's team."
"You don't get it, do you Brother? I want you to stay alive. I don't give a cat's butt about what happens to me, but I want- no, I need you to stay alive. You hear me?"
Edward's eyebrow angled upward, amused despite himself. "Cat's butt, Al? Really, you couldn't just say rat's ass?" A small chuckle escaped his lips.
"Hey! That's not the point! I was trying to-"
Edward interrupted him, understanding completely now- if Alphonse needed it, then nothing would stop Edward from making sure he got it. "Yeah, Al. I know." The smile faded from Edward's face. "I won't kill myself, okay? Promise."
Alphonse visibly relaxed- he could trust his brother's promises. "Okay."
There was another long pause.
"Cat's butt, huh?"
"Shut up, brother. You nearly gave me a heart attack today."
A/N: Oh by the way, this was inspired by Life Left to Go, by SafetySuit. Let me know how I did! Reviewers get cookies! 3 And love! 3 3
And yes, for those who are wondering, I will attempt to continue my multi-chapter fic soon... it kinda stalled on me and life got busy. Thanks to all my readers for being patient! :D