It was the tiny things – things that everyone took for granted – that he found himself noticing. The slight chill of the morning air, for example. How nice it is to curl up in a warm blanket and rest. The way that words feel in your mouth when you're speaking, and how direct sunlight makes hair warm to the touch if you sit in it long enough. What it's like when a dog licks your face, or when you step into a room after someone's just finished a shower and the air itself feels wet. He never would have thought to pay them any mind before the incident. Now that it was over, he couldn't help but notice.
Not all of it had been pleasant. His initial recovery had been uncomfortable for several reasons. His regained sense of touch meant that he was constantly aware of how scratchy the hospital gowns were. It also made it difficult to lie down, due to how bony his body had been at the time. It wasn't really a problem now, but the doctors probably thought he was crazy for requesting so many extra pillows. Then there was the time a few weeks ago, when he'd absentmindedly tried to pull a cookie sheet out of the oven with his bare hands. After that, he didn't need to be reminded that he could feel pain.
There was something else, too, something that took him a while to notice. It had to be completely quiet, and it was easiest to hear when he was trying to sleep. But once the conditions were right, he just had to listen. After nearly five years of silence, there was something comforting about being able to feel his own heartbeat again. It seemed like such a small thing to be excited about. But once he gave it some thought, he decided that it wasn't a small thing at all. A heartbeat is the sound that's made by the heart pumping blood through the body. If it were to stop, the oxygen that the blood carries would be unable to reach the brain. Without that, you'd die. So with that in mind, every beat is an indicator that you're still alive. Alphonse figured that was reason enough to be happy.
He still hadn't totally gotten used to having a body again. It didn't help that the armor had been at least two heads taller than he was now, or that he'd spent several days being barely capable of walking. The fact that he'd effectively skipped puberty really didn't help. Still, he knew that he'd sort things out eventually. He was just glad to have the chance. As long as his heart was still beating, he'd keep living. And as long as you're alive, there's no shortage of possibilities.