Time line: 1 year after the promised day
Outline: Alphonse discovers what it means to have a cat.
Al sneezed for up tenth time today. It was just his luck that he'd caught a cold. Yes a cold. Nothing else. Since getting his body back, things like this would happen often. Within the year of being in the flesh, he'd been sick fourteen times. That's averaged more than once a month! He grunted inwardly at it.
"Bless you" Edward commented nonchalantly, attention focused on the book he was reading.
The small tabby kitten Al had recently brought in was curled up in his lap purring softly while he scratched behind her ears and on the back of her neck.
The kitten mewed and as if on cue, Alphonse sneezed once again.
Ed looked up from his book. "Bless you"
"Thank you" Alphonse replied, expecting Ed to go back to reading. When he didn't he voiced his next words. "What?"
"Oh, nothing" Ed said, but it was obvious he thought he knew something Al didn't.
"Don't do that" Al complained, "tell me"
Ed looked up at him again and hesitated before speaking, "Well, have you noticed that your 'cold' didn't start until you brought home that cat. That was almost a month ago, Al. Colds don't last that long without you promoting them to"
Al's eyebrows furrowed at this. What was he implying?
"What I mean is, what if you're allergic to the cat?"
Alphonse choked, "Seriously?"
"Well, it's a logical explanation."
"But you don't know for sure"
"No" Ed looked back to his book, "why don't you ask the neighbors-what was their names?- to watch it for a few days. You should be able to tell by then if it really is allergies or just a cold"
Al sighed and just like that, the cat was arranged to stay with the neighbors for a few days and Alphonse was ordered no visiting.
And that's how they discovered Alphonse's cat allergy.