I know, I know - this has absolutely nothing to do with FMA XD To be honest, I wrote this three-shot to help with deciding what I should do in a very similar situation.

... It didn't help much.

So all Ed's feelings I describe are actually descriptions of how I would feel. So sorry if he's OOC XD;;

Disclaimer~

Option One: The Truth

"Hey, nii-san!" I saw Al waving at me from the distance, and I couldn't prevent the smile leaking onto my face as I saw him, back in his human body for good. I flexed my new right arm - I was building more muscle tone every day, and even the piercing pain from over-exerted muscles felt good.

"Hey, Al. What are you doing all the way out here?" I chuckled as I slowed to a stop in front of my younger (yet somehow taller) brother.

"I was visiting the graves, actually. I wasn't expecting you to have the same idea at the same time." Al laughed at the brotherly coincidence and absentmindedly swung the basket of freshly-picked flowers in his hands to and fro in front of him.

"Yeah." I sighed, smiling. "We're not in Resembool often, so I took the chance while I had it."

Al smiled warmly at me, and a bubble of confusion burst in my stomach. Al didn't usually smile like that.

"What's gotten you so happy?" I said lightly.

"It's just... well, I'm happy for you, nii-san."

Another three bubbles popped rather loudly. "How so?"

"You're finally forgiving Dad - even if it is after he's died. I'm sure he would be very happy to see that. So, I'm very happy too."

You could practically feel the waves of warm contentedness and a strange sense of accomplishment radiate off of Al, and I couldn't help but show a rare sincere smile of my own. It had been years since I'd seen him this happy, and when Al was happy, I was happy.

But, wait... Forgiving Dad...?

The natural smile on my face suddenly became not-so-natural as it tried to force its way off my face and down the nearest drain. Al was happy because he thought I'd visited Dad's grave. In truth, I hadn't - I'd visited my mother's and Winry's parents' graves and completely ignored my father's. I could never forgive my father, no matter how pure his intentions in leaving us were. But if I told Al that now, he would just be so depressed - I could just imagine it... Al's face would fall, his stance would grow limp and he would probably be monosyllabic for the rest of the day.

But if I didn't tell him, he would be living in his own world, and I would be lying to him - something I promised him I'd never do. I had to tell him somehow, and for the first time in my life I completely regretted my utter lack of tact.

"Al, I... didn't visit Dad's grave."

Al did exactly as I'd predicted - his unwaveringly kind smile faltered slightly, and his warm brown eyes widened fractionally before closing in a slow blink. His shoulders sagged and his grip on the wicker basket loosened. "Oh... okay. My mistake, I guess." He tried to shrug it off with a light-hearted chuckle and a grin, but to me it appeared more like a sob and a grimace.

"... Sorry," I murmured after a while in an awkward silence, and I tried in vain to convince myself that this was only a passing occasion and Al would probably have forgotten it by tomorrow - except I knew he wouldn't. He would remember this for weeks, maybe even months.

"It's all right, nii-san, don't worry!" Al feigned exasperation and shoved me playfully in the direction of Winry's house. "Now go home," he ordered, reminding me painfully of my mother.

"Okay," I whined, mocking my childish complaints of another lifetime as I turned around and for all the world seemed utterly nonchalant as I strolled back home.

But inside, I was dying.

Okay, okay - 'dying' is an exaggeration. But I used it for effect :3

This one didn't turn out so good, even though I know it's the right thing to do T.T (I might tell them the truth next week or something... maybe...)

Tell me how it was? :3