Really short, drabble really, but I really wanted to share the thought :D


People tended to underestimate how much Alphonse Elric knew.

Not his alchemic knowledge, everyone knew that was very extensive and impressive. Nor did anyone doubt his knowledge of his brother and his ways. No, in fact almost everyone else relied on that knowledge.

They underestimated how much Al *observed*.

It wasn't hard. While a giant suit of armor was hard to miss, it was easy to forget about, especially with Al as quiet as he was. It helped that Ed quickly attracted all attention to himself. Al took a quiet role of watching and learning. Long night hours alone gave him the time he needed to understand.

He saw how the Colonel looked at his First Lieutenant. He could hear the certain softness in his voice when he addressed her that he didn't reserve for any of the other men. He could see the connections between the entire team, not quite corporal, but there none the less. It drove them to move like a team, together and in sync.

He saw the way Mustang treated his brother. Not the way Ed seemed to portray it, but the way it really was. The careful banter that never seemed to cross lines it easily could, the inevitable compromise, and the affection with which Mustang carried out the entire affair.

He saw the way Ed and Winry both turned matching shades of red whenever they were put into situations together that implied them to be a couple. He knew of the concern she had for both of them, just slightly different when it came to his brother. He could see it in her smile, the way she dressed, her confidence around them, even hear it in the way she said his name.

Alphonse Elric saw and heard and understood and he learned.

He learned the value of a soft word and loving glance. He learned how to be a part of such a comradery of trust. He learned how to care from a distance and decided he didn't like it. He learned just how thickheaded some people could be, and resolved not to be that way in regards to a certain Xingese Princess.

Alphonse Elric saw and heard and understood and learned.

Most of all, he didn't forget.