Edward was in the hospital when the idea struck him. The doctors were all gone, his arm was a mass of bandages, and the room was empty save his brother.

"Alphonse, I just thought about something."

Al looked at him warily. "What?"

"The gun wouldn't have been much use, anyway," Ed admitted. It was hard to say, but now that he had had time to think about it, he realized how pointless his earlier actions were. He couldn't even call them a plan; there was no method to his frantic attempt at shooting.

His brother nodded. "I know. What could you have done with a gun? You wouldn't have known how to get Roy out even if you were a good shot."

Edward scrunched his face up, not having realized Alphonse had also worked this out. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Brother, you wouldn't have listened. You would have told me I was just trying to slow you down and kept going. I was waiting for you to realize what you were doing wasn't the right thing on your own."

Ed brushed away his irritation. If he was honest with himself, he knew Al was right. He was stubborn that way. "Well, I thought of something else."

"Do I really want to know?"

"I don't have to tell you," Edward snapped. "I just thought…"

"Brother," Alphonse said gently, placing his hand on Ed's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know this is really…"

"Devastating."

"…devastating for you, and I'll do whatever I can to help you get Roy back."

Edward actually didn't want his brother's help. What he had in mind was dangerous and probably foolhardy, and Al would most likely be needed elsewhere. Still, how was he supposed to explain that?

He decided to elaborate on his plan first. "See, it's really quite simple. If I can't figure out how to get him back from the outside—which I won't, Father would never tell anyone—I might be able to think of something from the inside."

Alphonse's face paled. "Please, please tell me you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting."

"I need that new homunculus, Glusttony—"

"What?"

Ed waved his brother off. "Glusttony, it's hard to keep all these homunculi straight without names."

"Brother, that's…terrifying."

"Can I continue?" Edward asked, irritation clouding his features. This was important, and Al was getting hung up on some stupid name? Once his brother nodded, he continued. "I need to get inside of her, be absorbed like Roy was. Then maybe I can get him out from the inside."

Alphonse was silent for a moment. "You realize how many things are wrong with that plan, right? What if the homunculus doesn't work right, what if instead of being inside…Glusttony, you die?"

Ed's breathing hitched, and he tried to banish the idea from his mind. If that was the case, Roy…Roy was dead. No, no, no, he couldn't think that! Edward shook his head vigorously, dispelling the thought. "Roy's alive, Al," he whispered. "So that must mean that he's inside Glusttony."

Alphonse's voice was quieter than his own. "Brother…what if he's not?"

Edward looked up at his brother, golden eyes hard. "If there's any chance Roy's alive, I'm going to do what I can to save him. I can't give up on him just because he might be gone. He didn't stop looking for me…" Maybe it was cruel to mention that time to Al, but it was true. When he was stuck in that whorehouse, Roy hadn't called off the search after the first week of his absence, he kept looking, kept the option open that Ed was alive, and he would do the same.

Another pause. "Even if that's the case, how will you get out? You have no idea what it's like in there. What if you can't escape, what if you get stuck?"

Ed bit his lip, not sure if he wanted to say the words. That was such a rough time for both of them, the brothers generally tried to not bring it up. But this was important, and he said it. "Al, I'm going to be blunt with you. Roy risked his life for me. That homunculus that was controlling you threatened to cut off his hands and send him through the same torture I went through, but he still protected me. I don't care if I get stuck. I don't care if I die. I know he would take this risk for me, and I can't not repay the favor.

"Have you considered," Alphonse responded, "that he won't want you to come after him? He offered himself up so that you wouldn't end up inside Glusttony. What makes you think Roy wants you to go in there anyway just to try to save him? Besides, if there is a way out, don't you think he'll figure it out himself?"

"Al!" Edward finally lost it, slapping his hands down on the thin hospital sheets. "I have to do something! I can't just go on with my life, knowing he's stuck in some homunculus's stomach, hoping he'll find a way out himself! I know I can't use alchemy anymore, and I know I don't understand the situation, but I'm still stubborn, still someone who needs to help! I can't sit back and wait for my big, strong boyfriend to handle this on his own; I need to be there with him!"

Alphonse sighed. "How?"

Ed was taken aback at this. "What do you mean?"

"How are you going to get into Glusttony?"

"Just head over to Father's little hideout and get her to poke me? That's the easy part, Al."

However, his brother hit upon the one thing that he couldn't avoid. "You're going to need someone to distract Father. He probably won't want you in there."

"I know," Edward admitted.

"I'll do it."

Ah, yes. This was what Ed had been avoiding, what he had to explain to Alphonse. "As much as I appreciate that, you can't risk yourself like that. Roy needs me more than anyone out here does at the moment, but the military still needs you. Father's planning something, obviously, and they need to be ready to stop him. You have to help with that."

Al only smiled. "Brother, I may be replacing you as a dog of the military, but my first loyalty is still to my family and friends, to you. If you need my help, I'll give it."

Edward tried again. "Al, this really isn't necessary—"

This time the smile was gone. "Actually, it is. I know it wasn't really me, but do you know how guilty I feel about what happened to you? I couldn't resist the homunculus, and you were hurt more than I could ever imagine as a result. When I first came back to consciousness and you wouldn't hug me, that was devastating, and every time you flinch when touch you—I can see it, even when you try to hide it—I just feel worse and worse. I need to do this. I know it's not technically my fault, but I need to repay you somehow. What better time than now?"

Ed swiped a hand across his eyes, trying to control himself. "You know, you're truly the best brother anyone could ever hope to have, Al."

"I try, Brother. I try."


What is it about me and hospitals, honestly?

Thanks for all the faves/follows guys, glad to see people are still keeping up with the series! I've never written one before, so this is a new and exciting experience for me and the support is awesome!