Riza could hear the plod of footsteps approaching closer and closer to their room. They were paced and deliberate – overcautious – and Riza's fingers ghosted over her gun as if by instinct. There was a faint creak from the door handle, and Riza's heart jumped forwards two paces and she trained her eyes on Colonel Mustang. Her fingers tightened around the handle of her gun, ready to defend should any danger…

"Hey, Colonel Bastard!"

Riza's grip on the gun relaxed, though she half considered taking a shot just past the kid's head to frighten him into knocking next time. At least, until Edward jammed his foot in front of the door and reached just outside to wheel a boy into the room. He was a skinny slip of a thing, surely no older than about 13 or 14, but he had recently shorn and impeccably tidy blonde hair.

"Doc wouldn't let Al out of his room for two weeks because his immune system is still weak or we would have come sooner," said Ed.

Riza's lips parted ever so slightly. "Alphonse?"

The Colonel, who had been facing in Edward's direction from the very moment his foot made impact with the door, dropped his annoyed expression, and – in the process – his jaw. "Alphonse? Does he really have a body?"

Ed rolled his eyes. "Course he has a body! Wouldn't give up my alchemy just for another suit of armour."

Roy sighed. "I wasn't asking you, Fullmetal." He paused. "Lieutenant?"

Riza blinked her way out of the surprise. "Yes, sir. Alphonse has a body." She gave the boy a warm smile. "How are you, Alphonse?"

Alphonse appeared not to be listening; his eyes were wide and focused as he stared around at his surroundings, happily adjusting to the room from his new sightline. Edward wheeled him closer to the beds and the side tables, and Riza watched in faint alarm as Alphonse reached forwards and ran his hand over the wood of the side tables.

Alphonse retracted his hand and smiled at Riza. He had such a warm smile, she thought – and then thought it a shame that they had never had the opportunity to see it pasted onto a healthy adolescent's face. The child was, it dawned, hardly a child anymore.

"Sorry," he said, and there was no echo following it. "I'm still working on how to process my surroundings." His words were slow and careful, as though he had to deliberate to get his mouth to form words. "When I just process one sense at a time, I don't overload."

Behind him, Edward was smiling, though there was a sorrowful air to it. Riza supposed it was because the problem hadn't been fixed overnight.

"That's okay," said Riza. "Take the time that you need."

Ed's eyes softened, and he blinked his thanks to her.

"Alphonse," uttered the Colonel.

Alphonse turned to Roy and smiled, making a small giggling sound as he did – Riza couldn't tell whether it was a natural instinctive thing, or if he had done so for Roy's benefit. "Colonel Mustang," said Al. "I don't echo, sir."

"No," stammered Mustang. "No, you don't."

Riza's gaze become watchful once more as she fixed her attention on Roy. To his credit, he had turned the corners of his mouth up into a grimace, but the aura radiating off him was indescribably disappointed.

"Colonel," said Alphonse again, his eyes puppy-wide, "may I please touch your hand, sir?"

Both boys, in a gesture that thoroughly moved Riza, ignored the Colonel's gasp. The Colonel's left hand twitched, and then fell still.

"Uh," muttered the Colonel, and a look of confusion misted across Alphonse's face for the briefest moment before his eyes lit up in recognition.

"I'm at nine o'clock, sir."

"Ah," said the Colonel, and felt his way to the edge of the bed, and then raised his hand to hover over it. Alphonse reached forwards and took the Colonel's hands in both of his own, ignoring Edward's protest of 'you really should be wearing gloves, Al'. He thumbed over the bandages on Roy's hand as gently as he could. Several times, he ran his finger over the boundary between the bandage and the flesh, taking in the difference between the roughness of the cotton and the roughness of the Colonel's hand. The Colonel's hands were by no means soft, but they were infinitely softer than Alphonse had imagined, considering the destruction he had seen the Colonel cause at the click of a finger.

He had been expecting to feel a flint, yet he felt skin. It was taut, calloused and scarred, but it was human skin.

Mustang, too, had been wildly taken aback when he'd heard Alphonse's voice untainted by an echo, and not only was it youthful and placating, but it was soft, too. So unlike Edward. And now he could feel Alphonse's hands. Al had a gentle, cautious grip. His fingers trembled minutely, several beats per second against Roy's knuckles. Roy felt he could feel every bone, every muscle under Alphonse's skin, which was thin and rough from lack of care – so far removed from the solid armour that Roy was almost scared he might injure the boy.

Alphonse lingered a moment more, and then placed Roy's hand back down onto his lap and turned to Ed. "May I – may I touch Lieutenant Hawkeye's hand, too?"

Ed glanced at Riza, who smiled and nodded. "Let me go and find a pair of gloves, Alphonse. I don't want to make you sick."

Ed nodded approvingly, but Al shook his head. "I'm tired of touching latex," he said.

Riza did not offer her hand, instead locking eyes with Edward, who gave Alphonse a disapproving glare. He held his ground for a moment, then sighed and slumped. "As long as you wash your hands afterwards, I guess," he said.

Riza pushed herself into a sitting position, ignoring the way her blood seemed to drop right away to her feet. Ed's face adopted a look of alarm, and he moved his hand reflexively to stop her from exerting herself.

She did not stop, however, until the Colonel folded his hands in his lap and fixed her with the best glare he could manage. "Blind or not, if Fullmetal lets you move I promise I'll kick his ass."

Edward let out a disgusted scoff. "You wouldn't stand a chance," he said, but nonetheless he wheeled Al over to Riza's bed and watched them intently, pretending the image of Mustang fixing his empty eyes on the wall wasn't burned into his peripheral vision.

The attention Riza paid to Alphonse was almost maternal. She and Alphonse navigated each other's hands with more abandon than Alphonse handled Roy's. It seemed Alphonse felt Riza was less prone to break at a rough touch, and Riza's eyes weren't even fixed on Alphonse's hands, instead staring into his eyes. They held little of his personality – not as vibrant and fiery as Edward's – instead taking in his environment and keenly storing and acknowledging the people around him. Alphonse blinked, and his eyes fixed onto his lap instead as his grip on her hand relaxed.

"Alphonse," murmured Riza.

Alphonse worried his lip and swallowed hard, but did not say anything.

Edward gave the tiniest sigh and stepped forwards. "Hey, Al," he said. "Why don't we go back to our room?"

Alphonse shook his head and tightened his grip on Riza's hand again, and it was to her credit and Ed's relief that there was no visible change in her expression. Al was too tuned into that sort of stuff. Riza drew Alphonse's head onto his lap and gave Edward a little smile. "It's okay, Ed," she said quietly.

Ed felt the knot in his stomach relax, and he mouthed 'thank you' to Riza.

There was a brief moment of silence. Ed watched the tableau unfold before him, and Roy still lavished the wall with attention.

"Hey, bastard," said Ed. "Let's go outside. You look all shrivelled up – I doubt you're getting any sun at all."

Roy's jaw tensed. "I don't know if it's escaped your notice, FullMetal, but without my Lieutenant I'm not exactly able to keep myself from tripping."

"Sheesh, you're picky," commented Ed. "Get your head out of your ass and hold onto my arm," he said.

Roy crossed his arms.

"Sir," Riza warned.

Roy uncrossed his arms.

Resignedly, he let out the smallest sigh. "Fine, FullMetal. Where are you?"

Edward jabbed him in the ribs and chose to ignore Al's hitched reprimand as the Colonel flinched.

"You can't do that, Fullmetal!" spat Roy, and Edward grinned.

"You're right, Colonel," he said, Cheshire Grin still plastered across his mouth. "I am so sorry."

Colonel felt his heart pump harder with anger. "I know you're smiling, FullMetal."

Edward cackled and held his arm out for Roy, who took it grudgingly. "Let's get out of here," he said.

Roy sighed and manoeuvred himself off the bed. As the nurses put it, he could probably leave if they could trust him to be okay. He scoffed internally. They seemed to assume that just because he'd had a few nightmares and a few spells of stubborn silence that he was going to off himself as soon as he was left alone, seemingly ignorant to the fact that he was one of the most powerful alchemists in the country and if he wanted to find a way of topping himself, he would have. He clenched onto Edward's elbow and hoisted himself up.

"Wow," he said. "This is going to be hard – your arm is so far below mine."

"Tch," said Ed. "Shut up, Bastard."

It was thus that they left the room and found their way to the hospital courtyard. Roy slumped onto a bench and twined his fingers together, head bowed. Ed stretched out next to him.

"Not doing so good, huh, Colonel?"

"Shut the hell up, Elric," bit Roy.

"You have to stop brooding," chided Ed. "It's not like the rest of us have had it easy."

Roy clenched his jaw, and wished he could clench his fists. "What's your point?"

"I'm just saying – I had a couple weeks of brooding after I lost my arm and leg and everything turned out fine."

Roy released a harsh sigh. "They don't make automail eyes, FullMetal."

Ed bit back a curse. "Sure, and it was great to have a hunk of metal attached to my nerves without an anaesthetic. All for the better if they can't fix your eyes or hands with automail."

The next moment, Ed's cheek was smarting. Mustang might not be able to clench his hands for a punch or hit him at all accurately, but hell if his feet – which stunk, Edward maintained – could still cover enough area to leave Edward thoroughly hacked off.

"What the hell was that for!?"

"I know what you're doing, FullMetal," growled Roy, "and I am not that far gone."

Ed relaxed. He was still the Colonel – he was still fine. "Fine. Just checking."

The Colonel took a few deep breaths to dispel any lingering anger. "And you and Alphonse – how are the two of you?"

Ed sighed deeply. "You know he's struggling to sleep?"

Roy's lips parted. He had expected Alphonse to sleep for hours on end, considering how long he had been without it.

"Yeah, he's terrified of all the stuff he's going to miss, or that something's going to happen to us."

Roy managed a brief smile. "He was 11 when you tried to bring back your mother, wasn't he?"

"Yeah," said Ed. "Pretty young for all that." He paused and placed the back of his hand over his eyes. "He wasn't even the arrogant one."

"Do you want me to hit you again, FullMetal?"

"No!" snapped Ed, "your feet stink and your aim is crap; how long does it take for all that acute sense of hearing shit to kick in, anyway?"

"Really, FullMetal? You're a scientist – I'd have thought you of all people would know that's a myth."

Edward gritted his teeth. "I was being facetious, asshole."

Roy raised his arms, fingers poised in a weak imitation of a stately demeanour. "Big word, Edward!" he taunted.

This time, Edward was the one to strike out, hitting the Colonel upside the head with his right arm (flesh, flesh, flesh). "I don't know why I bothered to worry about you."

Roy flashed his cockiest smile and leaned back. "You always were charming, FullMetal."

"Shut up," said Ed, and stood up. "Take my arm. We're going back to the room."

Roy did as he was told, holding to Ed's arm. The boy (he was 18, the Colonel reminded himself. Hardly a boy, now) walked carefully, but was not so presumptuous as to walk slowly. There was not the ease of walking with Hawkeye who – even wheelchair bound as she still was – directed Roy in such a way that a spectator would not be able to guess that he was blind.

Edward nudged the door open with his foot, concerned about startling Alphonse. His worries seemed unfounded, however. Though Alphonse's eyes were still red and a little watery, he and the Lieutenant seemed to have set up some sort of a book group, with Alphonse bright and eager as he relayed the details of his most recent read – he had always devoured fiction, and the weeks in hospital had only served to provide him with the time to read them.

The Lieutenant seemed happy to listen to Alphonse's excited spiel, and Edward wondered for a moment whether she shared his brother's love for fiction. Either way, it was nice to see that Alphonse was happy.

Hawkeye glanced up when she heard the door, flinching slightly. Edward cringed slightly – he'd forgotten how she was still jumpy.

"It's just us," said Ed. Hawkeye relaxed into a smile.

"Sorry, Ed," she said.

"Hey, Alphonse," said Roy, "you might want to try teaching Ed to knock."

"Shut up!" said Ed. The bastard had no right to comment on his upbringing.

"Ed!" said Al, "Lieutenant Hawkeye has read Acton Bell's novels!"

Ed smiled. "That's great, Al," he said, and lead the Colonel to his bed. Al looked tired, he noticed. He wasn't used to being upright for so long, Ed thought. He eased Al back into his chair. "I think it's time we were getting back," said Ed, and shared a brief, warm look with the Lieutenant.

As Ed stopped to open the door, Roy glanced over to Al. "If you liked Acton Bell and his brothers, Alphonse, you might enjoy Adeline Stephens' book. She's a new and upcoming author, but she's been spreading like wildfire all over Central."

Alphonse smiled. "Thank you, sir, I'll bear that in mind."

Ed shot a smile over his shoulder, and then they were gone.

A/N: Wow, the last time I wrote for this fandom was when I was 13! This is really just a sample; I've got all sorts of AUs and Post-Promised Day stories piecing together in my head that should hopefully make it up here at some point. I really hope you enjoyed this!