And this was why, for Al's 7th birthday, Edward felt a need to make it up to his little brother. There was still no possible way he'd stand having an animal in the house, but that didn't mean there couldn't animal-like things. Edward had made up his mind that this year, Alphonse would get a bona fide stuffed animal; one that looked exactly like the real thing.
The only problem was, Edward was far too ambitious to acknowledge the stuffed animals he saw in the stores; those weren't real enough, cute enough, or… inexpensive enough. A gift for Alphonse had to be absolutely perfect; anything short of perfection wasn't worthy of being held by those tiny, almost-7-years-old hands, and there were times when Edward himself thought that he wasn't worthy of his own brother.
Edward had made up his mind about a week before Alphonse's birthday; he would create his own stuffed kitty through the use of alchemy. It'd be the perfect kitty, just for Alphonse. The hardest part of this birthday present was to keep Alphonse from knowing, and so every night, when Edward was sure that Alphonse was fast asleep, the small boy snuck into his father's study to read.
At first, all Edward could produce was a pile of white fluff. Countless sleepless nights went by, and still, the perfect kitty was nowhere to be found. Little Edward used every method he could think of to create Alphonse's birthday present, but none of the stuffed kitties he came up with were deemed worthy.
Gradually, the study began to fill itself with tufts of hair and small balls of fluff. With no explanation for the sudden infestation of fur, Edward could only transmute the fluffs into other objects – a new hat, brilliant scarves, soft pillows and blankets, and even a small, fluffy chair – all given to little Alphonse without a word, for Edward was far too tired in the mornings to utter a single sound. And little Alphonse took the items without speaking; watching wide-eyed as his elder brother's face narrowly missed the bowl of food each morning as he conked out at the breakfast table.
Finally, the morning of Alphonse's birthday arrived, and Edward found himself covered in white fluff and chalk dust and surrounded by circles and ovals of different sizes drawn on the floor, the desks, even the walls. Alphonse could be heard stirring in the other room, probably tidying up and making his way to the bathroom, as he did every morning, and all Edward had was a little stuffed ball of fur whose left ear – the only tuft of black in a sea of perfect white – was slightly smaller than the right one.
"Nii-san?" wide eyes peered out from the doorframe and fixated onto Edward. "Good morning Nii-san."
"G'morning, Al." Edward fought the urge to burst into tears as he thrust out the small, imperfect kitten. "Happy birthday."
Alphonse stared at the ball of fluff in Edward's hands, not making a move to take it. "Is that for me?"
Edward nodded, still holding out the unworthy kitten "Happy birthday," he repeated dully.
"But Nii-San has already given me my presents." Alphonse continued his wide-eyed stare, and it was then that Edward noticed the small, white pillow Alphonse was clutching against his chest. "Nii-san already gave me my presents," the little boy repeated, tightening his hold around the pillow.
"This is your present, Al," Edward cringed at the thought of those other articles being thought of as presents. "I'm sorry, but it's not perfect." Alphonse deserved perfection.
The birthday boy's small hands took the kitten from Edward and held it out at arm's length, examining it. "It's nothing like the kitties at the toy store," he observed. And then, to Edward's great surprise, Alphonse turned and smiled. "I like it a lot better."
"You do?" It occurred to Edward for a moment that Alphonse could be lying to make him feel better, but Alphonse was never much of a liar to begin with, even if it was just for Edward to feel better.
"Yes," the little boy nodded, hugging the kitten now. "Nii-san made it for me. It looks just like a real kitty. Nothing like the toys at the store." And then, it was as if Alphonse was voicing the same thing Edward been thinking that entire week: "I don't deserve such a wonderful brother."
Edward found himself smiling through his fatigue. "No, Alphonse, you deserve better."