Hey everyone,
This was written in response to another challenge from the Fullmetal Alchemist: A Bit of Everything forum. The details are below.
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It used to soothe him when he was small; a soft lyric-less melody that mom used to hum to them every night before they went to sleep. Brother would always close his eyes with a satisfied smile, leaving Alphonse to watch her from under his eyelashes as she tiptoed out of their room and pulled the door shut behind her. He would then stare at the ceiling until sleep finally caught up with him, the music repeating itself over and over in his head.
Al was fascinated whenever she hummed or sang. It was much gentler than her regular voice and whispered promises of warmth and safety, especially on rainy nights when the sky was dark and streaked with shocks of purple and white, thunder rattling the windows outside. She would hold them close, sometimes slowly rocking back and forth. Alphonse would feel his eyes grow heavy before he eventually lost out to his exhaustion from a long day.
Sometimes, when the day was cheerful enough and the three of them were outside, mom would add words. Al couldn't understand them most of the time, as it was mostly nonsense, but when he did she'd encourage him and brother to sing along. They'd laugh at the silliness of it all before going over it again and again until the chores were done, with her cheering them on. The melody mom sang reminded him of peaceful moments and games and laughter, while she watched on with a gentle smile on her face.
When she passed away, Alphonse had trouble sleeping. In the middle of the night he'd wake up and glance around, hoping to catch a glimpse of familiar dark hair. What he'd end up seeing was brother's worried gaze as he stared down at him in the gloom, hair and clothes disheveled from his haste to get to him.
Al knew that brother was well aware of what he'd been searching for on those nights, but he didn't mention it. Alphonse would find himself wrapped up in a firm hug which he earnestly returned. The first time that occurred he was surprised when brother started humming softly, slowly rocking back and forth, just like mom did on those rainy nights that seemed so long ago. Al was so overcome he couldn't stop himself from sobbing, but brother didn't mind. He just kept holding him, swaying gently. Sometimes he'd sing the nonsense words they remembered her singing on the better days, and Al would try and follow along through his tears.
After the incident, Alphonse found himself comforting brother instead. He always made sure to stick close by, in case something happened. Most of the time brother would brush things off, as if he were above it all. But Al knew better, and brother could never really hide things from him. He was right there next to him when he suddenly woke from a nightmare, or was thrashing about in his sleep.
He felt so strange in his armor. He couldn't eat or sleep, or even feel; Alphonse still wanted to help brother just like he did for him. He couldn't hug him, so instead he hummed. Mom's melody sounded strange as it echoed through his armor, but brother didn't seem to mind. Eventually he'd wearily slump back onto the pillows, close his eyes, and hum along until he fell asleep. Al watched over him for a while longer, still singing softly as he dozed peacefully for the rest of the night.
When brother disappeared, Alphonse was almost inconsolable. They had barely ever been apart when they were little, and even though he couldn't exactly remember what happened or where he went, Al knew that brother was still out there somewhere waiting for him. The blanks in his memory couldn't hide the deep hole inside that brother used to fill. Alphonse would stay up until the early hours of the morning staring at the ceiling, wondering how brother was doing, and if he was just as lost as he was right then. Winry had caught him sitting on the edge of his bed multiple times during the first week, but nothing she could say would change his habits.
It eventually became a ritual for the two of them to sit on Pinako's couch through those long nights. Al had been startled when Winry hugged him and began to hum that familiar tune, rocking him gently just like mom used to years ago. He found himself singing along shortly afterward, wishing that things could be different, that brother was still there with him – like he always had been.
Mom's melody reminded him of many things from his childhood that seemed so far away now, but mostly of her and brother and Winry. He hummed that old song as he wondered when brother would return. Although his past was still unclear, Alphonse knew deep down that brother would come back for him someday. But until then, at least he still had mom's melody to help him along through those rainy nights while he waited.
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This was inspired by:
reminiscent-afterthought's Alphabet Prompt Challenge – Melody
I hope you all enjoyed reading this, and until next time – peace out!
Shadowcaster01