Snow

Summary: Stuck in the snow. EDOxARU Elricist SLASH

Disclaimer: Down own FMA

Al shivered against the cold wind, wrapping his arms around himself to keep warm. In front of him was his older brother, Edward who seemed to be doing the same thing.

Their journey had pretty much been in silence except on the rare occasion that one of them was to start a conversation. They had been traveling through this snowy wilderness for almost a week now and Al could have sworn that his lips were now frozen shut. He only assumed the same for his brother as well.

The snow kept dropping down like bombs all around them as the two continued to push themselves forward. It was like some cruel test of endurance.

The sun was beginning to slip down of the horizon now just as the two brothers began to climb up a ridiculously large hill.

Once at the top, Al had expected freedom from the white abyss, but here he was, staring out into more snow. His lips parted then as he let out a sigh that was followed by a small trail of blood that tricked down his chin. Al half expected the trail to freeze, but it never did, it just continued onwards until he wiped it off with yet another sigh.

"It goes on forever," Edward said suddenly as he turned around to face his younger brother. Alphonse could only nod in agreement as he stared over the hill and at the snow that was still falling all around them.

If it had been anywhere else, Al decided, the snow would have been beautiful, but in the wasteland the only thing that was beautiful…was…Al shook his head at that thought as his eyes trailed over his older brother's body slowly.

"Well," Edward said, taking a step over the other side of the hill, "let's get going." Al sighed once more as his body shivered slightly before he followed his brother deeper into the white hell.

They reached the bottom in what seemed like an eternity, but at least they had finally reached it.

"When do you think it will be over?" Alphonse whispered his voice hoarse from disuse. Edward could only shake his head at that statement as he trudged on, his feet sinking slightly into the snow with each step.

"It could go on forever Al," Edward said, taking another agonizing step forward into the icy cold snow beneath his feet. Alphonse followed closely behind lest his brother trip in the snow.

"Do you think we'll die out here?" Alphonse questioned. His voice was so soft Edward almost didn't hear it over the harshness of the wind.

"It's possible Al," Edward said stepping forward once more, pressing his body against the cold wind. It almost felt like a razor cutting through him or sharp needles poking through his skin, but still, Edward stepped forward once more.

A pang of fear welled up in Alphonse's heart at his brother's statement. If it weren't so cold he would have cried over the thought of losing his brother in this wretched place. He wondered if Edward felt the same way. He probably didn't, Alphonse's feelings were foolish and forbidden, but he still felt them.

The sun was down all the way now and the wilderness began to get colder. The environment around them was so cruel Alphonse just wasn't sure if he could take it anymore. He just didn't want to see his brother suffer through one more step.

"Shouldn't we stop now, brother?" Alphonse suggested. Edward shook his head then.

"No," he answered, "we need to try and get as far as we can, we're running low on supplies and I have a hunch that there's a town just over the next hill."

"That's what you said about the last three hills," Al mumbled under his breath. Edward ignored the statement and just continued on in to the cold. Alphonse followed with not a bit of reluctance. If his brother could endure the snow, so could he.

The next hill was taller than the last. It was something Alphonse didn't notice until he was almost knee deep in snow, following his brother to the top of a hill that probably only held more of this white hell on the other side. But his brother had so much hope that on the other side a town would reveal itself…Alphonse wanted to have hope too, but it just never came. His hope had died off long ago in the moment where him and Edward fought over Winry's affections.

It wasn't Winry that Al had wanted, but he was too afraid to ever admit something like that to anyone. His feelings had scared him in that moment so he had kept them to himself for so many years. He wished so much that he could tell his brother now, but he doubted that his brother would take it well.

From the top of the next hill as the two stared down into yet more snow and no town…Alphonse wished he hadn't doubted his brother's hope. He wished that there was a town with all his heart, anything to never see that disappointed look upon his brother's face anymore.

Edward sighed then and forced a smile as he stared back at his younger brother.

"Well," Edward said, "what goes up, must come down." Alphonse cracked a small smile as well. And with a nod the two began to walk down the hill. But on the second step down, Al lost his footing and slipped. A scream escaped his lips and Edward turned around just in time to catch Al before he went flying down the hill.

Alphonse breathed a sigh of relief then, but it was too early for that because the whole hill came out from underneath Edward as the two plummeted to the bottom.

All Al could think about in that moment was his brother's arms secured tightly around his small waist. He couldn't even think about their impeding doom and because of that, his own selfish desires were realized in that moment as his lips pressed roughly against his brother's.

He could feel Edward gasp against his lips, but his mind was too filled with all of his selfish desires from past years and he just couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop, he was so tired of hiding his feelings and if they were going to die, his brother had to know right then how he really felt.

The two hit the bottom of the hill with a soft thud against the snow. Alphonse pulled back from Ed's lips then and stared into his brother's golden eyes. Al gasped then as he realized the gravity of what he had done. His first thoughts were to apologize, but the words never came before his older brother turned on him, pinning him down against the snow and kissing him deeply.

Startled, Alphonse began to struggle against his brother, but Edward showed no sigh of letting up. So Al just relaxed against him as they lay as the bottom of the snowy hill. After all, this was what he had wanted all along.