A series of oneshots, drabbles, and possible connecting story arcs concerning Alphonse Elric and how he - and those around him - deal with his returned body. (Set after the events of the Promised Day in FMAB. Rated T for mild language and possibly darker themes in later chapters).

(AN at the end).

Chapter 1

It had been years since a rain storm this big had hit Central so hard. Harsh clouds swallowed up normally blue skies for days on end. For some, this was an inconvenience: work still needed to get done, people still had places to be. But Alphonse, with no places to be nor work to get done, was more than content to be holed up in his hospital room and watch as the storm rolled by his window.

Ed didn't seem to quite understand why Al was so enthralled; he had seen storms before, after all, and he hadn't lost his sight or hearing when he was in the armor so this shouldn't be that big of a deal.

He couldn't be farther from the truth, however.

The windows, at Al's request, had been left slightly ajar. A fine mist made its way through the room. It settled on the boy's skin, his hair, his face, and left goosebumps behind. Petrichor wafted in too, heightened by Al's sharp sense of smell - a scent he had almost forgotten existed. Thunder clapped loud enough at times to shake his whole body and, unlike when he could only hear the metal of his armor clatter, he could now feel the quake vibrate all the way from his toes to the top of his head.

It was rough at first - it had only been about a week since the Promised Day, and Al's senses were easily overloaded.

Flashes of lightning sometimes burned his retinas, thunder rolls sometimes threatened to burst his eardrums, splashes of rain against his skin threatened to leave him cold and shivering forever.

But honestly?

He wouldn't give it up for anything.

No matter how cold he got, how loud or how bright or how painful everything became, Al could be seen beaming through it all.

He was overwhelmed, yes.

But his excitment by the mere fact that he could be overwhelmed again outshone any other feelings.

Ed called him crazy, but as he sat in the corner of Al's room, witnessing his brother revel in each and every moment of these otherwise ordinary storms, it reminded him of just how much Al had lost.

Al's laughs after a particularly strong drop splashed through the window and onto his arm, his hands over his ears after particularly loud thunder waves, his exclamations after every flash of lightning...Al seemed alive again, truly and fully, and Ed would never hesitate to give everything he had if it meant his brother would be able to smile like that for the rest of his life.

AN: Hey guys! Yikes, sorry it's been so long since my last story... I assure you I haven't stopped writing, nor do I plan to any time soon~

University is absolutely fantastic, even better than I thought it might be! But, it's been extremely busy and crazy, too. I don't have a lot of time to write, but I'll upload whenever I can!

Begin Again is going to be a series of oneshots as the summary states, and I have a few chapter ideas lined up already. But, with that being said, I'd love to hear any ideas or prompts you guys have on what to write next! Some chapters will be fluffy, some will be a little darker, and all of them will be mostly centered on Alphonse and those around him. Hit me up with any of your ideas, and I would love to try and write them out!

Anyway, sorry for the long note. Thanks for reading, and I hope to update again soon!