Al walked down the corridors of Central Headquarters casually, sure that they would run into each other eventually. He did not expect for his brother to literally run into him.
Ed came dashing around the corner and ran face first into Al's chest plate at full speed. However, instead of the usual cursing Al would expect from him, Ed looked up at him with wide, glistening eyes and pleaded, "Al! I need you to hide me!"
Ed glanced nervously around the corner and added, "Like, now!"
Sighing, Al removed his helmet and opened his chest, allowing his brother to scramble inside before closing himself up tight.
"Brother, what are you hiding from?"
Ed shushed him and fell silent. Al made to continue walking, and then realized that with the way Ed was curled inside of his body cavity, his automail might clang up against him. So he just stood there, at the cross section of two halls, trying to look like he had every reason to be there.
Not long after, Colonel Mustang came stalking down the hall. His shoulders were hunched forward and his brows drawn tightly over dark eyes. When he spotted Al, his expression lit up, but not in a cheerful way. It was almost demonic, maniacal, and incredibly creepy. If Al had been human he was sure he would have goosebumps all up and down.
"Alphonse! I'm glad I bumped into you. Have you seen your brother?"
He fidgeted nervously, and there was a faint rustling as Ed moved slightly inside of him, whether to sneak a peek or curl into a little ball, Al couldn't be sure.
"Ah, no sir, I was actually hoping to find him myself. Have you seen him at all today?"
Mustang raised an eyebrow skeptically, then answered carefully, "No, I haven't, but I know he's been around."
He took a few steps closer to Al, and then raised his hand and rapped his knuckles on Al's stomach, hard and in rapid succession. The booming clangs echoed in the empty hallways, and even though he didn't have eardrums to cover, Alphonse flinched and instinctively raised his gloved hands to cover them.
Mustang stopped and stared at Al's chest for a moment, then shook his head, running a hand through his hair.
"If you see your brother, tell him he'd better come and see me. If he doesn't, he'll be sorry."
With that, the colonel nodded his head and turned back down the hall, leaving a shivering Al to himself. When his footsteps faded into nothingness, Ed knocked lightly on Al's chest from the inside and asked to be let out. As Al opened his chest plate once more, he asked Ed, "Brother, why does Mustang want to see you so badly?"
Ed climbed out and dusted himself off in the hall, turning back to Al with a vicious smile and said, "I ate the ham sandwich he had delivered from the deli before he got to it."
