A/N: Hello everyone! This is the first Fullmetal Alchemist (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi) fanfic that I have actually been able to complete, and therefore the first one to be posted. I have another one started, but it is turning out to be rather long-ish so it is not done yet. I haven't written anything for this series until now, although it has been one of my favorites for many years now, mainly because it always seemed like such a daunting task because of its popularity and general nature of the characters and story. I guess, in short, you could say that I didn't write anything for it because I knew nothing I could ever write would do any of the characters justice and problem just bring shame to the name of the entire series... T_T Oh, well... I have done my best. My friend has urged me to write some stories for it and so now I have.
I apologize in advance if the characters are too OOC. I do appreciate reviews, however please do not just submit things telling me how much you hate the pairings, I have given you all plenty of warning, if you do not like any of these pairings then please do not read it. I just write, I don't force you to click the button and make you read it...
Pairings: Ed/Al (Main), Ed/Winry, Roy/Riza
Warnings: I think it should be obvious from the pairings but... just in case... Yes, this contains Shonen-ai/Yaoi and Elricest, meaning incest.
Please let me reiterate; WARNING-THERE IS SHONEN-AI AND INCEST IN THIS STORY- It is nothing beyond kissing, but still, do not say that I did not warn you.
Disclaimers: I think is should also be obvious that I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters since I am neither Hiromu Arakawa or Square Enix or any other company that has managed to aquire a liscence to it. What I do own consists of all the manga, dvds, games, and artbooks released in America (plus some only released in Japan), pretty much any other random things I can find, and a cat named Edward who picks way too many fights with the others. ^_^ So don't sue me... I have many cats to feed!
Crying for the Sun
"Ed… Hey Ed! Are you listening? Edward! Good grief…" The blonde sighed as she looked at her companion. He was blankly staring out the window of the tiny restaurant that they were in, with a distracted and somewhat dazed expression.
He's been doing that a lot lately… Oh Edward, what is it that keeps bothering you so?
Of course she had asked, and of course he had denied that anything was bothering him. That was how it always was with him.
Why do I bother?
Slowly she stood up and picked up a fork from a nearby empty table. It wasn't a wrench, but it would make do…
"Ow! Winry!? What the hell was that for!?" Well she had his attention now. She lazily dropped the fork back onto the table and watched as Ed rubbed the sore spot on his head where the fork had hit him.
"You were doing it again…"
"Doing what? Damn it that hurt!"
"You zoned out again. Now will you tell me what it is that you keep thinking about? And don't say 'nothing'." She added because she knew that was exactly what he would say.
"Nothing worth giving me a concussion over! How's that?"
"That was mainly to get your attention… since apparently you don't respond to your own name anymore…"
"Fine, fine… I'm sorry…"
"Oh, never mind, let's just go…" She turned to leave and stood outside to wait while Ed paid for their food. When he came out a few minutes later, she grabbed onto his arm and rested her head onto his shoulder. They slowly began walking back up the hill to Winry's house, and although she could tell that Ed was slightly uncomfortable with her actions, she refused to let go.
Now that I have him, I will never let him go… ever…
"You never tell me anything Ed… I know that there were some things that you just couldn't tell me before because you didn't want me to get in the middle of what you and Al were doing… that it was dangerous… but, that's over now, things are different. You can't keep hiding things from me."
Ed felt bad because he knew that she was right, but how could he tell her about a problem that he had yet to figure out himself? He didn't mean to get so distracted around her, and he never wanted to make her worry. He had no answers to give her.
"I'm sorry Winry, but I don't know what to tell you." Winry sighed, and they continued on in silence. When they reached her house, Winry turned to look at him.
"You know Ed… You can tell me anything… I don't care what it is, whether it is important or not. I just want you to talk to me more. Please?" She smiled at him taking a step closer to him.
"Ok." Ed smiled back at her and she leaned in close to him and gave him a gentle kiss which he returned. "Good night Winry."
"Good night Ed." She turned around and walked inside leaning against the door after she had closed it. A single tear fell from her deep blue eyes.
I guess this is what I get for falling in love with the Fullmetal Alchemist…
~~~~***~~~~
Ed slowly made his way back to his own house, it still seemed strange to him thinking that he actually had a house to go back to at the end of the day, contemplating everything that Winry had said. It was true, he really didn't tell her much. There wasn't a specific reason for it; he really didn't talk to anyone about anything that was bothering him or about anything else for that matter…
Well, except for Al…
They talked about everything together, most likely because the two of them had been through so much. Even if there was something that he didn't want Al to know or he just didn't want to talk about, Al always found a way to force it out of him anyway. Perhaps it was some sort of secret little brother power, because although Winry and a select few others can tell when something is troubling him, and sometimes even guess what it is, no one knew him like Al.
Ed looked up the long driveway to the house that he shared with his brother and saw said brother sitting on the porch with a small herd of kittens around him. He stopped and just stood still. Ed couldn't help but smile as he watched his little brother laughing and playing with all the small kittens that he adored so much. Al took great care of each kitten, being sure to pet and play with each of them, leaving no one left out, although all the greedy little kittens kept trying to push each other out of the way to crawl back up into Al's lap. When they first decided to come back to Resembool that was one of the first things Al had asked for; a kitten. Since they wouldn't be traveling anymore, there was no reason that he couldn't have one, so Ed had told him that he could have as many as he liked. Therefore, they now had more kittens around then he could count, much less remember them all. Al however, had carefully selected names for each of them and knew them all. When Ed got one of them wrong then Al was very quick to correct to him. He didn't mind though, he enjoyed seeing his brother looking so happy.
Even though it's been a little over a year now, it still amazes me… seeing him back to normal without a care in the world. So different from before… Its unbelievable how much can change in a year.
He started walking again, and as he drew closer to the porch, Al looked up and saw him. Al smiled brightly and Ed thought to himself that he would never get tired of seeing that smile. Jumping to his feet, to the dismay of many of the kittens who were tossed aside, Al ran toward his brother and tackled him, throwing his arms around his neck.
"Nii-san! You're home!" Ed laughed as he struggled to regain his footing and not fall onto the hard gravel beneath their feet.
"Hey, Al… I wasn't gone long…" Ed said still smiling.
"I know…"
"What are you doing outside? It's already dark, and it's been pretty cold today…" Ed noticed that his brother wasn't even wearing a jacket so he took off the red coat that he always wore and put it around Al.
"Thank you, Nii-san. I was waiting for you to come home…"
"You could have just as easily waited inside…"
"So how was your date with Winry?" Al asked quickly, changing the subject.
"Not so great… I made her mad… then she hit me in the head with a fork…" Ed said as he rubbed the spot on his head that was attacked. He winced slightly.
Yep, that's definitely going to leave a bruise tomorrow.
"Ow, that looks painful Nii-san… At least it wasn't a wrench though, this time."
"I don't know… I've gotten use to those… forks are pointier… and sharper too." Al fought back a laugh at his brother's statement and expression.
"So, what did you do?"
"Nothing really, she just gets angry way too easily… and then gets violent… It's like she gets some kind of sick pleasure out of torturing me…"
"Surely you did something…" Now Ed was getting angry. He was the victim in this! He was the one attacked by an eating utensil! He didn't do anything!
Well, I guess that's not exactly true…
"I kinda spaced out during dinner… she says that I've been doing that a lot."
"Oh, Nii-san…"
"She also says that I never tell her anything…"
"Well, you don't have very good people skills most of the time… You should open up more, especially since you're dating her."
"Yeah, I guess so… Come on, we need to get inside, it's getting colder by the minute out here."
During the short walk to the house, Al couldn't help but get lost in his own thoughts.
I wonder… does Nii-san really love Winry? When they first started dating a couple months ago Nii-san said that when Winry first told him that she loved him, he couldn't tell her no because he can't stand to make her cry. He also said that he once promised that he wouldn't make her cry again, unless they were tears of joy… I remember him making that promise at the train station… Is that the only reason then? He doesn't want to make her cry? Or is it an excuse? I can't tell…
It bothered Al that he couldn't figure out his brother's true motives for dating Winry, he usually could figure out anything about his brother, but not this time.
Maybe I should just ask him?
They entered the quiet house and Al returned Ed's coat that he had still been wearing. Neither of them felt like going to sleep yet so they both settled down at opposite ends of the couch. Al figured that now was as good a time as any to ask him about Winry.
"Hey Nii-san…" Al began.
"Hm?" Ed was already busy reading a book so Al supposed that he was lucky to even get this much of a response. He sighed and crawled across the couch to where Ed was and gently lifted the book from Ed's hands. "What are you doing?" Ed asked as he reached up for the book never taking his eyes off of the page he was currently reading until Al closed it. Now that the book was closed, Ed turned to face his brother and glared at him.
"I was just wondering about something Nii-san…"
"Ok, what is it?" Ed sighed softening his gaze.
"Well… I was wondering… do you love Winry?" Al asked quietly. Ed's eyes widened slightly, of all the things that his brother could have asked, he never expected this one.
"Wha…?"
"Do you actually love her?" Al asked again. Ed paused before saying anything else. Did he love her? He was dating her in a sense… but did that mean that he loved her?
"Uh, well… I care about her, sure. I… Uh, she has always been a great friend… and she always came when I needed her help, even though I was hardly ever around…" Ed stammered as he struggled for something to figure out something to say.
"Wow Nii-san, by that definition of love then that means I love her too! Along with half of Resembool and Rush Valley…" Al said sarcastically. Ed glared at his brother once again.
"Why? Do you love Winry?" Ed decided that it would be best to get the attention off of himself and turn the question around on Al.
"No, I don't. She's just a good friend. She loves you anyway, Nii-san, not me."
"I still haven't figured out why that is either… I was never here until recently… How can you love someone when they're not around?"
"Maybe she just really missed not having you here… she always did tell us to come by more often…"
"Maybe…" Ed grew quiet as he stared up at the ceiling.
"You never did answer the question…" Al said after a minute. He wasn't going to give up so easily.
"Why is it bothering you so badly? Just drop it."
"It's not bothering me… I'm just curious is all… Just answer the question and I'll leave you alone and you can have your book back." Al smiled and waved Ed's book in front of his face.
Now that's just mean, Al…
"I don't know… It's not like we're getting married or anything…" The thought of marriage was quite unappealing to Ed, he was definitely not planning on getting married anytime in the near or, if he could avoid it for that long, distant future. "Now, can I have my book back?"
Al admitted defeat and handed over the book. The rest of the night went by uneventfully the two read quietly together before going up the stairs to their separate bedrooms.
~~~~***~~~~
The next day, as the two brothers were finishing clearing off the table from their early morning breakfast, they heard a knock at the door. Ed went to open it and saw Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye standing there in civilian clothes. Riza had her hair down and she was wearing a knee length skirt with a bright smile on her face, a far cry from how she normally appeared in her crisp uniform, hair up, and constant serious expression.
"Oh, hey… what are you doing all the way out here?" Ed asked slightly confused by their sudden visit. He stepped aside and opened the door all the way to allow them access into the house.
"Can't we just come by to visit once in a while?" Mustang said with a smirk. Ed looked up at him suspiciously, but said nothing.
"Ed, who is it?" Al called from the Kitchen. Ed went and told his brother of their new guests and Al quickly ran into the living room followed a moment later by Ed.
"Fuhrer, General, it's good to see you both again!" Al said happily.
"It's good to see you too, Alphonse. How have you've been?" Hawkeye said with a smile.
"Great!" Ed listened quietly as the others talked for a few minutes. Then something else caught his eye, something else that was unusual for Hawkeye. She wore a ring on her left hand… a diamond ring. Now Ed was even more interested in the reason for their sudden for visit to Resembool.
"So, what did you say you came here for again?" Ed asked them. The three of them turned to look at Ed. "That's a very nice ring you have, by the way." Ed said smiling as he glanced back down at Hawkeye's ring.
"I'm glad you like it." She replied simply as she held up her hand. Al looked at the ring now too.
"General! Is that a…?" Al exclaimed and Hawkeye nodded.
"I'm amazed… I figured that the Great Roy Mustang would never get married… has anyone explained to him what that means exactly?" Ed asked sarcastically. Hawkeye laughed while Mustang just scowled.
"Yes, Fullmetal… and for the record I was the one who asked her." He now made sure to add that last part since a few people were under the impression that it was most likely Hawkeye who made this decision. Ed put his hands up in a gesture that stated that he hadn't said anything to the contrary…although he had been thinking it.
"So when is the wedding?" Al asked excitedly.
"We haven't decided yet, but we will let you know when we do." Hawkeye replied.
"Talking of weddings, have you proposed to Winry yet, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked, knowing what the answer would be, but still, he enjoyed teasing him.
"No! I don't plan to either!" Ed replied as his body stiffened. He crossed his arms and turned his head away from the others.
"You know Edward, if you don't really love her, then you should just tell her." Hawkeye said gently. She could be pretty scary with her guns, but when it came down to it, she really was a kind, gently person. Ed relaxed a little and looked toward the floor.
"Yeah, I know… I just can't stand to see her cry…"
~~~~***~~~~
Later that evening, everyone gathered over at Winry's house. She had made dinner and her famous pie in order to celebrate Hawkeye & Mustang's engagement. The mood was cheerful, and the food was excellent, but after a little while, Al needed a break from everyone, so he went outside to sit on the porch. It was dark although it did not feel late at all. The moon was out and the stars shone brightly. A cool breeze swept through the air and made the trees sway. It was a little cold, but not too bad, Al kind of liked it.
"It's a little crowded in there, huh?" Al turned to see Riza Hawkeye standing in the doorway. She walked outside and closed the door behind her.
"Uh, yeah, a little…" Al responded feeling kind of guilty for having left now. Hawkeye came and sat beside him.
"Do you mind if I sit with you for a minute?"
"No…"
"It's beautiful tonight isn't?" She asked as she gazed at the moon.
"Yes…" Hawkeye turned to look at Al; he was really quiet tonight…
"It is most likely none of my business, but if you don't mind my asking, what it wrong?"
"It's nothing really…" Al replied softly as he shifted his gaze to the ground.
"Would you rather me go get Edward so you talk to him about it?"
"No!" Al said way too quickly. He turned to face Hawkeye. "I mean no… that's ok."
"I see…" Hawkeye thought a moment before continuing. "Can I guess?"
"Uuhh… Sure, go ahead…" Al said as he returned his gaze back to the stars and continued to stare out blankly into the night.
"It has something to do with Ed and Winry?" Al turned his head once again thinking that maybe allowing her to guess was not such a great idea. However he nodded slowly. "Are you upset that Ed is with her although he doesn't really love her?" Once again Al nodded. "I understand. He may not love her in the way that she would like, but he does still really care about her, that much is obvious. He probably just doesn't want to hurt her… he doesn't see that in the long run, what he is doing now is going to end up hurting her more later… not to mention you as well."
"I shouldn't worry about it so much or let it upset me, but…" Al's words trailed off not sure what he should tell her.
"Winry's your friend, and Ed is your brother; it is only naturally that you care about both of them. My guess is that you don't want to see either one of them get hurt. However, I do have a feeling that there is a little more to it than that…" Al hung his head low and tried to hide his face as he felt a slight blush begin to form on his cheeks. "You love him don't you?"
"What do you mean? Of course I love him; he is my brother after all…"
Hawkeye smiled. "Yes, but that isn't what I meant, and I think you know that. It's ok… the two of you have always been really close."
"Things are finally getting better for us… Nii-san can never find out. I can't even imagine what he'd say… He would hate me…"
"I can tell you right now that Edward would not hate you. Someone who would sacrifice their right arm and risk their life on a near daily basis for their brother is not about to turn around and hate him so easily. Besides, I know very few people who would do that for their brother or for anyone else for that matter… The two of you share a strong bond. Edward loves you… just talk to him Alphonse, it'll be ok." Hawkeye smiled and stood up as the door opened. Ed appeared and looked at the two of them.
"Hey, what are you two doing out here?" He asked them.
"Just getting some fresh air." Hawkeye replied simply. Al stood up beside her and turned to face his brother with a smile. Winry then appeared behind Edward.
"Since it's such a pretty night we decided that it would be fun to have a bon fire and sit out here." She said happily.
"A bon fire?" Al asked as he looked around the expansive front yard.
"Yep!" A mischievous look appeared on her face as she ran around the house to the back. She reappeared a few minutes later carrying a stack of logs. Al sent a questioning look to his brother, who just shrugged.
"Don't look at me Al, it wasn't my idea. Go ask the pyromaniac…" Ed said as he pointed to the door. Mustang now stood there with a completely wicked grin on his face and his flame glove on his right hand.
"Oh…" Al said simply as he watched Mustang walk over to where Winry had set the logs. They immediately began making a suitable area to create a nice contained fire under the direct instructions of Hawkeye. When everything had been successfully prepared to meet up with her safety requirements, Mustang set the entire wood pile ablaze in seconds. Ed watched the fire dance around in the dark night, casting a red glow to the surrounding area and forming shadows on the ground. Al however was not watching the fire, he was watching Edward. He watched as the red flame was reflected into his brother's golden eyes giving them a bright mysterious look that was even more beautiful than usual, if that ever be possible. Ed had his hair up in a simple ponytail today instead of his usual braid, so his long hair fell down loosely over his shoulders, glistening as bright as the sun despite the darkness.
Sun… Gold… Fire… and, Heart… Nii-san may not always show it because he gets angry so easily, but he really does have a good heart… Al smiled to himself; his brother really was perfect, even according to Alchemy's standards. Plus today is Sunday, the Sun's weekday! He laughed quietly to himself, but it was enough for Ed to hear.
"What are you laughing at?" Ed asked with a smile.
"Nothing Nii-san." Al replied still smiling.
"Come on you two!" Winry called from her place close to the fire.
"Ok!" Ed called back. "Come on, let's go before she comes and drags us into there!" Al laughed and followed Ed to join the others. They all sat around the fire together, just enjoying each other's company and the peaceful night. Al sat beside Edward and was content for the most part as the night passed on… that is until he looked over and saw Winry kissing Ed, and to Al's dismay, he kissed her back.
Nii-san… I don't understand… why? Al thought sadly as his heart clenched tightly in his chest. He couldn't take it, he couldn't sit there and watch his brother, the person he loved more than anyone else, kiss someone he knew that he didn't love. Al jumped to his feet and quickly ran to the back of the house not thinking about anything but getting away.
Hearing Al get up, Ed look over and saw Al running.
"Al?" He called after him, but Al didn't stop.
"You should go see if he's ok, Edward." Hawkeye said with a worried look on her face. Ed nodded as he stood to go run after Al.
Ed ran around the corner of the house leading into the backyard, which was considerably darker than the front since there was no fire here.
"Al?!" Ed called again as he quickly scanned the area looking for his little brother. Finally he saw him standing by a large tree. Ed could barely see him in the dim light, but it looked like his whole body was shaking. "Al? What's wrong?!" He walked over to Al and placed his hand on his shoulder. Al quickly shook away from Ed's hand and turned to face him with an angry look in his eyes.
"You! You're what's wrong! You don't love her! I know you don't! Yet you still go along with her! Why do you stay with her if you don't love her? Why did you kiss her?!"
"That's what this is about?" Ed asked confused. Why did that upset him so much? "Al… I thought you said that you didn't love her, if you do, then I'll…"
"No! I don't love her…" Even though he tried to hold them back, tears began to flow freely from Al's eyes. "I don't…"
"Ok… Al, don't cry… Please don't cry!" Ed could feel something in his heart breaking at the sight of his little brother crying before him, and it just made it worse to know that he was somehow the cause for it. Ed walked forward and wrapped his arms around Al's trembling shoulders. Al tried to push him away at first, but then gave up and just held on tightly to his brother. Ed took his left hand, the not made up of cold metal, and gently wiped the tears from Al's eyes. "I don't ever want to see you cry…"
"I thought you couldn't stand to see Winry cry…" Al said sadly.
"Just because I don't want her to cry, doesn't mean that I want you to cry instead…" In fact, Ed realized that, although he hated making Winry cry, it was nothing compared to having made his brother cry. "Please Al, don't cry anymore… I'll do anything, just please don't cry." Al leaned his head back to look into his brother's golden eyes. It looked like Ed was about to cry too, but Al figured that it was just a trick from the little light that surrounded.
"Anything, Nii-san? Then kiss me…" Al looked to the ground as he spoke barely above a whisper; a deep blush quickly spreading across his face. Ed looked at him surprised by his request. "I just thought that since you don't seem to mind kissing people that you don't really love… then maybe…" Al added bitterly. He knew that he had no right to be angry, and certainly no right to ask this of Edward, his brother, but even if it was only just one time, he would be happy.
He couldn't believe it when Ed gently turned his head so that he was looking back at him and not with an expression disgust or anger either. It was like he was in a dream; Ed leaned in closer to him and gently pressed his lips onto Al's. Al was the first to pull away.
"I'm sorry, Nii-san…" Al looked away. He felt horrible now for having made his brother feel so guilty and then taking advantage of that. He didn't want to be like Winry, he didn't want Ed to feel obligated to be with him.
"For what, Al?" Ed asked softly.
"Everything… I just… I don't know… I see you with her, and I get upset, although I know that I shouldn't… It would be different if you were actually happy when you were with her, but you're not! You keep asking if I love her… don't you see? It's not her that I love, it's you." Ed stared into his beloved younger brother's eyes. Something in him seemed to rejoice at his brother's words, like he had been waiting a long time to hear him say it. He realized then, that all of those times that he had been with Winry and became lost in thought about something else, he was always thinking of Al. He remembered his own thoughts he had about Al being the only person he really talked to… He may care about Winry, but he didn't love her; and now he knew why. Without a word, Ed pulled him into another kiss, this one different form the first. Al gasped, surprised by his brother's sudden action. Ed took advantage of that surprise and ran his tongue along Al's bottom lip before entering his mouth completely. Quickly overcoming his initial shock, Al closed his eyes and responded to the kiss. Al had had his body back for a year now and was quickly relearning how to do everything again with an actual flesh and blood body, part of that was exploring and appreciating the three senses that he had been deprived of for so many years; smell, touch, and taste. Although he had discovered many wonderful things in the past year, nothing compared to this. His senses were being flooded with waves of pleasure like he never even knew existed until now. The only problem was that pesky need to breathe that also came with being back in a human body. Reluctantly, Al pulled away panting for air.
"Nii-san…?" Al leaned back to look at Ed.
"I'm sorry, Al. I never realized how much I was hurting you before. I guess this means that I really will have to break up with Winry, huh?" Ed smiled.
"No, Nii-san… I don't want you to break up with her just because of me. You don't need to pretend that you love me just because you don't want to hurt my feelings… I just want you to be happy."
"Ok, but you know what would make me happy, Alphonse? Just being with you makes me happy… I am always happiest when I am with you, and I would give anything just to see your smiling face day after day with never a tear to stain it. I'm sorry it took me so long to finally understand, but I love you." Tears were falling down Al's face again, but this time it was not because he was sad. He was so happy that he couldn't believe it.
"Nii-san!" Al clung onto his brother tightly as Ed held him close.
"Now will you please stop crying?" Al laughed lightly.
"Ok, Nii-san…"
~~~~***~~~~
After the two had been gone for a little while, Winry began to get worried. She went and peeked around the corner of the house and saw Ed and Al. She couldn't make out anything that they were saying, but she could see that Al was crying in Ed's arms.
He never holds me like that… Winry thought sadly. She watched quietly as Ed kissed Al. Her felt like it was going to shatter into little pieces, but still, she couldn't say that she wasn't expecting something like this to happen. I always knew that if it ever came down to a choice between me or Al, Al would win every time…He always has… It was silly of me to even try and change that. She smiled sadly to herself. Looks like I'll have to let him go after all…
Winry slowly walked back to the fire and sat down next to Hawkeye.
"Did you find them?" She asked her.
"Yeah, they're ok…" Winry replied quietly. Hawkeye looked over to Mustang who shrugged and looked back into the fire.
Eventually, the two brothers did wander back to the small group. Before Ed could sit down, however, Winry grabbed his arm and pulled him off to the side. Al watched and smiled as Ed gave him a looked that plainly stated 'Save me!'
Sorry Nii-san, you're on your own for this one… If he saw Winry starting to throw multiple wrenches at Ed, then he might step in, but not until then.
"Ed… I…I don't think this is going to work out… you know, the two of us together…" Winry began slowly. Ed stared at her.
"Huh?" He was a little confused, but hey, this made it easier on him. "Umm, ok." Winry smiled at his confused expression.
"Thank you, Edward. You really are a good friend, you know that?" She placed her hand on the side of his face for just a moment before turning and walking away. Ed just stared after her; he had no idea what had just happened. Al came up behind.
"Well, that was easy." Al stated as Ed just nodded. "Do you think she knows?"
"I don't know…" Not much longer after that, everyone was beginning to get tired and they decided that it was best that everyone turn in for the night. It was already arranged that Mustang and Hawkeye were to stay in the extra bedroom in Winry's house, so the three of them walked back up onto the porch leaving the job of putting out the fire to Ed and Al. They all said good night and went inside. Al turned back to his brother and saw the fire burning in his eyes again. He looked at the fire beside them. It was not as large as it was before, but it still was burning strong.
"How should we put the fire out, Nii-san?" Ed laughed.
"Come on Al; don't tell me you've forgotten the principle rules of the elements… I know you haven't been studying Alchemy much lately, but that's pretty basic don't you think?" Ed teased.
"Very funny, Nii-san. Of course I haven't forgotten! Water and Earth…"
"All right, well, how about you go and get the water hose from around back while I work on the 'Earth' part." Al looked back at the fire; he didn't want to have to put it out quite yet. He didn't want it's light and warmth to go away, fearing that if it did, he would wake up from this dream he was having and Ed would not really love him like he did right now. Al quickly stepped forward and kissed Ed in the light of the fire.
"You'll still be here when I get back?" Al asked, although he knew it was an incredibly stupid question.
"Yeah, why would I go anywhere?"
"Ok, then I'll go get the water."
After they had successfully put out the fire, the darkness of the night quickly closed in on them. The air around them grew bitterly cold, but Al was still captivated by Ed's eyes. Even without the light of the fire, they still shone through the darkness piercing through the night. They had a fire of their own deep inside their core. His attention was brought back to the rest of the world around him when he felt Ed's coat being placed over his shoulders.
"You really need to start remembering to bring your coat, Al. You're going to get sick if you don't." Ed said as he wrapped his arm around Al's shoulders and they began walking back to their own house.
"But why Nii-san, when I can just get borrowing yours?" Al replied with a laugh.
"Yeah, I guess… Am I going to have to start carrying around two with me?"
"No, I'll try to remember next time…" When they reached their house, the faint signs of dawn were already starting to appear. The sky had begun to lighten, and the sun could just barely be seen on her horizon.
"Wow, the Sun's already started to come up…" Ed said looking to the horizon. Al smiled.
"No Nii-san, the Sun's already here." Al reached up his arms and placed them around Ed's neck pulling him closer to him and closing the distance between them in a deep kiss. Ed's coat fell from Al's shoulders to lay forgotten on the graveled driveway. As the Sun continued to rise up further into the sky, Al ran his hands through Ed's Sun-soaked hair. This was all he ever needed, all he ever wanted. Nothing in this world can survive without the Sun, and just like the Sun, Al could not survive without Ed… Nor would he ever want to try.
A/N: By the way, if you are wondering about the Sun/Gold thing... in Alchemy, each planet (plus the Sun and Moon) are associated with specific things, like a mineral, element, weekday, body organ, Zodiac, and various herbs. For the Sun, the mineral is gold, element is fire, weekday is Sunday, and the organ is the heart.
I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at a FMA fanfic! Thank you!
~Zelas Metalium
