So sorry for the ten-minute late Father's Day fic. I was drugged on cough medicine when I wrote this so submitting it a few minutes late is not completely my fault. I really hope you enjoy my first Ed and Al fic. It was a small idea so I'm writing a small fic. Please review and I must warn you there are tiny spoilers for the end of the manga and Brotherhood. Sorry if it's terrible!

-Silence

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, Arakawa does!

Alphonse Elric had never truly had a father figure. Van Hohenheim, his biological father, hadn't always been around. Al had always seen him as a father, though Ed didn't, and in the end he did prove himself to be a true dad, but he had not fathered the boys. In all actuality, Al never knew who to call "dad". There were a few men Al had in mind, but never matched the dad figure.

Al respected Roy Mustang all in all, and while he knew his brother didn't see eye to eye with the famous Flame Alchemist, he knew Ed valued the man as well. But respecting, even idolizing, was completely different from seeing one as a father.

Sig Curtis, being his teacher's husband, was another man of influence for the time when the boys lived with Izumi. While their teacher acted like a mom, sort of, Sig was more of an uncle. He taught the boys what to do when she was being difficult, he taught the boys how to survive in the forest behind Izumi's back, and he even showed the boys how to sneak junk food at night and not leave a trace in the morning. He was a nice man, but he didn't mean as much to Al as others.

Al sighed, tracing his fingertip tracing the rim of his cup. Although he was a man now, Al still wished he and Ed could have a dad to turn to for advice. Sometimes he wished Ed could turn to someone if he had trouble with the children. Roy and Sig didn't have children and his real dad is dead. And even if Hohenheim was alive, he wasn't around long enough to know what raising a child was like.

Ed walked into the kitchen, seeing his brother with a far away look in his eyes. He sat down and pulled Al's cup over to him. Peering inside he saw it was milk, made a face, and slipped it back toward Al.

"You okay? You seem upset or something." Ed commented, sitting back in his chair trying to read his brother's thoughts. Al, snapping out of his trance, turned to Ed and plastered his smile on his face. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter.

"Brother, can I ask you a question?" He asked with a shaky voice. Ed stopped cutting a piece of pie for himself and sat up a little straighter too, knowing Al was about to ask something semi-serious. He nodded once and prepared himself.

"Who do y-What's it like being a dad?" He asked, changing his question at the last second. Ed tilted his to the side with a confused look on his face.

"Well I guess it's almost like alchemy in a way. You have to understand children first of all. You gotta know what they do and don't like, what they think about, how they have fun and a bunch of other stuff. Then you deconstruct, or take away what they don't like or what you don't want them to learn and then reconstruct, or give them, their personality, how they are supposed to react to things, and give them what they like. In the end you hope for the experiment to end well and have a smart kid that you won't have trouble sending off into the world when they grow up. I guess that's the best way for people like us to see it." He said with a shrug. He turned back to Al to see a huge smile on his face.

"Brother, you are a parental genius. I don't think there's anything to worry about." Al said standing up. He put his dishes in the sink and made his way outside. Ed shot up as Al neared the door, grabbing his coat off the hanger. He still had a smile on his face which confused Ed.

"What are you talking about, Al? Worry about what?" He called as Al opened the front door and headed down the stairs. Ed raced after his brother stopping at the threshold. Al was grabbing Den's leash and mumbled about the dog needing a walk.

"You're a great dad, Brother." He said softly, throwing Ed a wide and bright smile. Ed stood there shocked as he caught Al's double meaning and he returned Al's brilliant smile with a softer one of his own. Watching Al walk away into the distance, Ed closed the door, his face still turned upward and walked back to the table.

He plopped down and began eating the forgotten sliced piece of pie. Ed shook his head. He realized throughout the entire journey Al had subconsciously saw him as the father figure he never had. Sitting there, smiling like a fool, Ed knew he was a dad, even before he had children of his own.

Knowing he'd done something right during his teen years had Ed feeling great. He raised Al to be the man he was today.

And he was proud.

I completely blanked on the ending so excuse the crappiness. I am so happy you actually made it to the end of this little thing. I really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, let me know! Happy Father's Day!

-Silence