"What the hell was that?!" Ed wailed as he clutched above his bloody stump, the cold floor making his stomach twist in knots. "That – fuck!" The thing in the center of the circle groaned, its arm splattering on the hard floor. Alphonse's clothes were crumpled just along the edge of the circle, as if it was just a pile of abandoned laundry. Ed dragged himself over to the side of the room, leaving a blotted red trail leading to Hohenheim's small collection hoisted on wooden frames.
"Truth, you bastard..." Ed growled as he tore down the closest suit, daubing his blood in a harsh circle against the inside of the suit's neck. "You took my baby brother from me – so take my arm, my heart, my mind, I don't care! I want my baby brother back damn it!"
He clapped his hands. Blue lightning consumed his vision, the noise drowning out the searing memory of a cruel laugh and the sound of black doors slamming shut.
.
.
"The Fullmetal Alchemist, huh?" Isaac the Freezer chuckled as he spied the looming figure in the shadows. "I heard rumors... A boy and a man in a large suit, traveling together... Brothers, apparently."
"Stand down! You're endangering innocent lives!" Alphonse pleaded, pulling one chalk with one hand in case of a battle. "Alchemy should be used to help people, not to hurt them."
"It's you isn't it? You're the Fullmetal Alchemist," Isaac laughed, his eyes meeting Al's own in the darkness. "Trapped in a suit of armor after committing the greatest tab- oh holy shit what the fuck?!"
Alphonse stepped out of the shadows, squaring his shoulder down at the rogue alchemist who'd been flashing freezing and boiling half the city. He stuck an imposing figure, the blue cloth of his shoulders catching the city lights reflected in the street puddles.
"Surren - !" Al started, when Isaac raised a hand to keep his distance.
"I – I think I'm good if you stay over there, thanks," Isaac stammered, caught off guard by his opponent's cartoonish appearance. Isaac bent over, holding his knees as he ran the situation through his head. "I really wasn't expecting this. When I heard the rumors that the Elric kid wore a suit all the time, head-to-toe, I thought -"
"That it was a suit of armor?" Al finished, sighing as if he'd heard it before.
"...Yeah. Sorry." The ex-con rubbed the back of his head, looking around the alley. "Uh, how about we just..." he vaguely gestured to the alley they stood in. "Start over?"
"Um... Okay," said Alphonse, twiddling two fingers awkwardly. "That would be a good idea."
.
.
"So Chief, why did your dad collect... suits?" Havoc murmured while stirring his coffee.
"Why the hell would I know?" Ed groaned around a mouthful of bread. Havoc could barely make out his words as he jabbered on with his mouth open. Eventually, he was able to speak clearly after Havoc told him he looked like a dog by chewing with his mouth open. "If that dick ever wants to show up and write a tell-all memoir, he's welcome to do so." Havoc snorted, taking a sip from his coffee before turning around.
"Yeah, you'd think he'd at least leave you a well-stocked sewing kit." Havoc looked up from his coffee, and met the large, dyed mesh eyes of Alphonse's mask, the red glow of his soul shining from inside. "Fucking – jesus shit!" He dropped his coffee, flailing to catch it before it (inevitably) smashed on the floor. "Oh my god. Alphonse – were you -?"
"Here this whole time? Yeah."
Havoc leaned forward, propping himself on his knees as he caught his breath. It would be so much better if Al was in a suit of armor like the rumors said, because at least a metal body would make some noise whenever he moved. But cloth? Fuzzy cloth? The boy could kill an entire infantry by sneaking up on them, no matter how blue his fur was.
"Yeah, don't worry about it Havoc -" Ed swung a spoon around as he dug into his tomato soup, flicking little orange-red dots across the office furniture. "Sometimes he scares the shit out of me too – he's like a fucking cat. When you get used to it, your hearing abilities become phenomenal. Helped us out on the island."
Havoc laid down on the couch opposite Alphonse, who already went back to reading the little novel clutched in his paw-like hands.
"I just. I need to rest my heart."
.
.
"What the hell are you doing out here?!" The pudgy man's creamed into Al's face, spittle flinging from his mouth and onto the fur beside his stitched smile. "Get back in the square with the other workers!"
"Um, sir? What are you talking about?" This really was very confusing. Al had only looked away from his brother for two seconds and had already lost track of where he was going! Could you really blame him? He just wanted to check if the cat on the sidewalk had a collar or not (it didn't – it was a stray).
The man in the brown overalls sighed heavily, putting his face in his hands like the boy was on his last nerve.
"You." The man pointed the tips of his hands at Alphonse. "Them." He gestured to the groups of children crowding around costumed employees handing out balloons. "Balloons and pictures. Get to it or you're fired." He shoved a handful of strings into Alphonse's left hand, each one attached to a colorful rubber balloon.
"I – uh, I don't," Alphonse stammered, but as soon as he had the balloons in his hand, he was swarmed. Half a dozen children tugged at his side, already reaching for balloons without saying anything.
"Oh – I'm so sorry. Jason just really wants a balloon!" said one mother, who looked a little haggard as she whipped her head around to different spots of the square to keep track of the children she brought with her. A school teacher, maybe? "How much?"
"I'm - "
"40 cenz, ma'am! I'll give you a deal and the kid can have a balloon and a picture for 70!" interrupted the pudgy man from earlier – presumably the owner. He pulled Al's head closer, hissing into where a human ear would be. "Animals can't talk, stupid. Shut your trap and play a character!"
Al sighed, his head hanging low. Reluctantly, he handed balloons out to the kids who were clamoring around him for a picture.
Hopefully Ed would find him soon.