Summary: "Nii-san? What are you going here?" "Sulking," came Ed's dejected reply, "damn Mustang." When Ed gets suspended he's forced to spend a month at the local school… which so happens to be Al's. Al loves his brother, he honestly does, but Gate, could he be a handful.

Author's Notes: I think this was born by my fascination with our little Aru. When they get their bodies back (SPOILER: I chose to block my ears and hum every time Ed's loss of alchemy comes up. In my head it never happened) I can totally see Al going back to school and becoming something normal like a doctor or teacher (though I read someone on here the idea that Al becomes an ambassador for Amestris and I adore that idea as well) but I can't see Ed doing that. I hate the life he's given at the end of the series. It doesn't suit him at all. So, with my fascination with Al the idea of his friends came to mind. Come on, Al's a little social butterfly so he would have a bunch of friends… a bunch of normal friends. Then came the idea 'how would Al's friends see Ed?' Keeping in mind that these kids would be just like you or me. Then a million different situations came to mind that I might write in a collection of oneshots one day, I dunno. Though Al's friends probably aren't even going to be in this at all, so, yeah…

I don't mind the highschool cliché AU fanfictions every fandom has (about a million of them) but it does bug me a little that the entire plot is thrown outta whack. The characters kind of lose their special something… idk, it just annoys me. So this is not gunna be anything like that, 'kay?

Ok… I'm rambling. Shutting up on this subject.

NO ELRICEST! That freaks me out a little.


Al walked across campus before school, chatting avidly to three of his friends. Tuesdays were always his favourite day; he had science on Tuesdays. His brother seemed in a good mood when he left this morning as well. That meant he was least likely to bash someone's brains in. Always a plus. All in all, Al was feeling very positive.

As his friends talked, a flash of gold caught his eye… a very familiar flash of gold. But he couldn't be here, could he? Al hoped not. He really did love him, but gate could he be a hand full.

"Al?" one of his friends asked, concern lacing his tone. "What's wrong?"

Looking away from where he had seen the flash, Al realised he had been staring. Blushing slightly, he said, "Nothing… um, actually, you guys go ahead." He offered them a reassuring smile, "I just want to check something out. You guys go on ahead."

Leaving his friends behind, Al jogged away from the path and up to garden. He pushed past the large, overgrown bushes, towards where he knew a bench was located and where he had seen that flash of gold.

Finally breaking through he groaned at the sight in front of him.

"Gate… seriously? Brother, don't you have work?" he asked tiredly, "What are you doing here?"

Sprawled out on the garden bench in front of him, laid his brother. He was scowling at the branches far above his head, his arms crossed hotly, wearing… was that a school uniform?

"Sulking," came the dejected reply, "Damn Mustang."

Al sighed and sat down cross-legged on the grass. He had a feeling this would take a while.

"Come on then," he said, "Out with it."

"Out with what," asked Ed, turning his head to look at him.

"What you did."

"What? Ed cried, sitting up so to better glare at his younger brother, "Why do you always assume I did something?"

"Because you usually do do something," Al said, unfazed at his brothers expression.

"I do not!"

"Oh? So it wasn't your fault this time?"

There was a pause. Ed looked away, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head and avoiding Al's gaze.

Al sighed for the second time that day. "What did you blow up?"

"…it wasn't even an important building," Ed promised, "honestly, Al, it wasn't!"

"Then why are you here?"

Ed paused for a moment, seemingly thinking it over. "Mustang hates me," he said simply.

"Brother," Al said patiently, "which building?"

"It wasn-"

"Brother," he repeated firmly, "which building?"

Ed murmured something indistinguishable under his breath, still avoiding Al's gaze.

"Brother," he repeated once again, testily, "which building?"

"… Investigations," he said, before hurriedly adding, "but it wasn't that big of a deal! I wouldn't have even gotten in trouble but the Fuhrer… was kind of in the building, and, um… yeah," he finished lamely, looking down at his open palms.

Al took in a deep, shocking breath, his eyes going wide. "The Fuhrer?!" he exclaimed, his voice much higher than usual in his panic, "Oh my god! You killed the Fuhrer!"

"No!" Ed jumped up from his seat, standing above Al and waving his hands hysterically in front of him, "Gates, no! No!"

Al breathed a sigh of relief.

"…But he is, um…. Kind of in…" Ed winced, "the hospital."

Al took a calming breath to prevent him from having the same reaction as before. In these kinds of situations it was hard to remember which of them exactly was the eldest. If anything, Al felt more like a parent than a younger brother.

"Explain," he said, feeling a lot, strangely, like Winry. "Now."

"Well, it's a long story… but basically it involved some cracks about my height, Mustang, Hughes, a box of matches, a puppy and a bottle of tequila-"

"What-"

"-doesn't matter! All that matters is that it was taken too far, the Fuhrer's in hospital and Mustang hates me."

"You haven't even told me why you're here!" Al said, standing to join his brother, "You're at my school."

"I told you," Ed said, "Mustang hates me so to punish me for… um, you know, taking it too far, he's forced me here."

"Why?" Al asked in disbelief.

"Erm, he said something along the lines of 'your too immature. Therefore, you should go back to school.' I wasn't really paying attention… he tends to dribble a bit, you know? The Higher Command got pissed and basically let Mustang have free-reign for my punishment. So here I am. That's basically it."

"How long for?"

"A month," Ed whined, re-crossing his hands, "A whole freaking month."

Al couldn't find a reply to that so he simply nodded to his brother, marvelling at what an odd sight it was to see Ed in uniform; a school uniform. He was used to seeing him in the military uniform on occasion, though, so the fact that it was a uniform wasn't too weird (Now that Ed was a Colonel, he had to wear it. Not every day, mind you, Ed was still Ed and still liked pissing those of higher rank and he still liked to break rules.) but a school uniform… that was something different altogether. Al couldn't quite say it made him look normal; Ed would never look normal, no matter what he wore. He wasn't if it was because of his golden hair and eyes (seriously? Who had golden eyes?) or if it was because of Ed's - not that Al'd ever want to say it aloud - height. In the military uniform he stood out because he was so small and so young, but in this uniform it seemed the opposite.

Compared to other students Ed definitely wasn't tall and he didn't look any older and yet… he did. Ed had been through so much; it had changed him. The way he talked, the look in his eyes, heck, the way he stood. It was different; it was older. His relationship with Mustang's men (their friendship had been growing over the years) made more sense. If anything, Ed was more their age than his - in everything but appearance. Al could tell Ed was going to stand out if he was to stay at the school but he wasn't worried; his big brother could take care of himself.

Ed wore the same baggy grey trousers as Al, the same black shoes, the same-buttoned white long-sleeve shirt (un-tucked, Al noticed, and he lacked the maroon woollen jumper Al liked to wear over the top) and the same checked maroon tie (this was hanging loosely around his neck, and the first button of his shirt was undone. This, too, was different from Al's). His hair was pulled back in the same plait as always, having gotten over that ponytail stage he had gone through, claiming it made him look too much like Their Old Man (Ed's nickname for their father, not Al's).

Al sighed once more, and turned to walk away.

"Hey!" called Ed in alarm, "Where're you going? Don't leave me here alone!"

Al could detect a hint of nervous panic in his brother's voice. Throw a serial killer at Ed any day of the week, Al thought, somewhat amused, but he wouldn't be able to handle a class full of kids his own age.

Al continued walking. Well, climbing (dragging himself through) once he got to the large shrubbery that blocked his way.

"Al!" Ed's voice was getting slightly hysterical now.

Once out the other side of the bushes Al smiled and called, "Come on, then, Nii-san. Homeroom starts soon!"

There was a flash of blue light and a direct path was cleared through the bush. Ed smiled smugly to Al for taking the smart way out as stepped up to the younger Elric's side, happy at not being left behind. Another flash of lightening-like light and the bush was there was more, looking as though it had never been touched. (AN: just to clarify with the whole Equivalent Exchange thing, Ed didn't make the bush 'disappear', he pushed it to the side.)

"Homeroom's this way," Al said, setting down the path towards the Northern end of the school. "All siblings are in the same homeroom, so you'll be in mine."

Ed nodded absentmindedly, looking around at the giant school in wonder.

"This… is going to be interesting," Ed said to Al as they continued on.

"Yeah," Al agreed, "It's definitely going to be… interesting."