Chapter 2

-Skeleton in the Closet

"Really brother!?" Al's spiked knees buckled and clanked loudly. Three of the black triplet kittens were stuffed between his large gauntlets as he shook with utter joy. "You mean I can actually keep all three?" He almost sounded like he didn't believe the words that was leaving his brother's mouth. "Is this some kind of trick?"

"Of course not, Al!" Ed snapped, taking a big bite out of the sweet roll Al shoved in his face minutes ago. "I may be strict on some things, but last thing I'd do is get your hopes up." He stood up, shoving his chair back into the desk after finishing his newest military report. The hair on his neck shot up when pot riddled his bones from the swift movement, he groaned and gripped his private wound. "So yes," he muttered through gritted teeth, forcing a fake smile. "You can keep all three, so that way you won't be lonely when I'm gone."

Al was so distracted by the kittens, he didn't even see his brother's brief brush with pain. "Thanks brother!" He knelt down and caught him in a huge metal bear hug, much to Ed's discomfort.

Ed turned blue, feeling a combo of metal and fur shoved in his face. "O-okay A-Al, I can't breathe!" He gagged when the seven foot armor finally put him down. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry, I guess I just got excited. I've never had more than one pet before!"

Ed felt a real smile crack on his aging face, seeing his brother so happy, it brought a feeling as warm and sweet as honey to his gut. "Well, you're always looking out for me, felt it was only fair, so enjoy them buddy." He patted the big spike that protruded from Al's chest, automail fingers clanking against the soul inhabited suit.

When Al gave him another big hug, he turned and went back into the kitchen with his three furry friends in tow. Ed watched from his lone position on the couch as Al started up with breakfast. He didn't notice at first, but Al's armor seemed to be extra reflective today. His white hair piece that was once sheered short was now replaced with a new long stream. It was thicker than the previous armor's hair. Ed's gold eyes scanned the armor up and down, also noticing his scratches were buffed out. The hell was going on?

"If I hadn't noticed sooner Al, I'd have to say you look… cleaned up today." Ed called out, disrupting his brother's concentration on the food. "Something up?"

"N-no, just um, expecting some company later today." The armor would've been blushing if he could, but Ed could still read his body movements. It was apparent he was shying away as Al rubbed his helmet awkwardly.

"Really now, and who might that be?" Ed asked smugly, hands folded in his lap.

"P-paninya," Al whispered so low Ed could barely hear it.

Ed paused, letting the name slide in one ear and out the other. Then his eyes shot open like fireworks were blowing his brains apart. "That pickpocket? What is she coming here for!?"

"Brother, she is not a pickpocket anymore!" Al yelled in defense, knuckles balling up. "You just can't let go she stole your state military watch one time five years ago!" He jabbed a finger at Ed. "Besides, she's become a well-respected mechanic and she helps people." The armor seemed to puff up proudly at his last statement.

Sighing, Ed pressed a soothing hand to calm his pounding head. Inhaling a deep breath, he tried to respond a bit more reasonably. "Okay, sorry, so… why is the grease monkey coming here all the way from Rush Valley?

Now it was Al's turn to tense up from Ed's sudden calm demeanor. "Uh, well, y-you remember how May Chang and I tried to make it work long distance but didn't work?"

Ed crossed his arms, raising a sharp eyebrow. "Yea, and?" He prodded Al to hurry up and spit it out before he lost his patience again.

"W-well, I was pretty hurt by the break up, and well… while you were away, I went to Rush Valley to visit Winry, ran into Paninya, and we got to talking."

Alarm bells rang in his head, so that's why his little brother was acting so strange lately. "So, how long has this been going on?" Ed asked, his antenna popping up, a secret sign showing he was frustrated.

"Well, sometimes I'll write her a letter when you're gone—and… and she takes the midnight express to come up here and see me."

Ed's jaw nearly hit the ground, the shock came so fast it almost felt like a stroke was coming on. His brother, the eighteen year old whose soul was trapped inside a seven foot suit of armor, was sneaking around… with a girl!?

Al could tell Ed was severely stumped, he giggled nervously and tried to wave off the shock. "We're not dating yet brother, there's no reason to look so upset."

So many thoughts were running through Ed's head. It wasn't that he didn't like Paninya, she was a good friend when they settled their differences. But the thought of someone taking advantage of his brother while he remained an empty shell seemed to embezzle him with fury. He hadn't even seen the tomboy in over five years, so he had no idea how to take this.

"Okay, um, can say that I was not exactly expecting this." Ed leaned forward, got his beer, and took a small sip of the cringe worthy liquid. Sensing Al's hardening stare, he inwardly laughed, knowing how much Al hated it when he sipped on the adult beverage. Despite both being legal to drink now in Amestris. "All I want to know is, how and when?"

Al paused, looking a little taken aback by the sudden question. His armored arms dropped to his side, uncomfortably shifting about. "I'd say around last Christmas was when the idea kinda of came up. We started hanging out whenever we got the chance, so I'm not sure where this is going yet."

"So that explains why you look freshly polished mirror."

"Brother, please don't be upset, I still enjoy her compnay. Plus she doesn't care that I'm nothing but a walking suit of armor."

Though Al's words were meant to be encouraging, Ed felt his heart stop at the last part. Numb washed through his organs, turning his blood as cold as ice. Al's statement repeating in his head like a broken record.

'I'm nothing but a walking suit of armor… nothing but a walking suit of armor… suit of armor…'

"Okay, if you're happy, then you have my support." Ed whispered, his fake smile returning. The pressure building up his chest, almost crushing his heart. His breath alluded him as he gripped his chest, running his flesh thumb over the hidden stitch line above his heart.

"Brother," Al's soft voice shook, now noticing Ed grasping his chest. "Why do you keep holding that spot on your chest?" He reached forward to inspect before Ed smacked his hands away. "Brother?" He was shocked.

"It's okay Al, I'm just tired." He lied, convincing his little brother with ease. "I just need to rest, because I got a call from Mustang last night, so I have no idea if I'll have to leave soon. When does Paninya get here?"

"Oh, um, soon. She missed her train last night, so I think it'll be a day or two since she'll get here."

"Okay," Ed dropped his head, feeling little splotches of blood stain his tongue. He forced another exhausted smile. "Maybe it's good someone older is here keeping an eye on you."

"Hey! She's only two years older than me!" Al pouted. "And we're not dating yet!"

Ed chuckled at Al's voice, despite being eighteen, his voice changed very little. Still high pitched and soft, it did mature a little in the way he spoke. "I'm just kidding you, Al."

"Well, alright, but come on brother, dinner is ready." The hulking suit of armor grabbed Ed's sleeve and drug him to the table. Ignoring the cats that bounded across the floor chasing a bright yellow ball of yarn.

Both the brothers sat down across each other and ate. Ed flexed his muscular arms, feeling lighter than usual as he forced the sour tasting foods down his stomach. He'd been getting sicker lately, causing him to upchuck his food half the time. But he did well in hiding this issue from Al, since his body only seemed to shut down when the armor was off somewhere else.

Al watched Ed like a hawk, ensuring he swallowed every bite and didn't try to sneak any extra to the cats. He wasn't stupid, he knew his older brother hadn't been eating as much as he let on. So he made sure to cook extra and stuff down Ed's face if he had to. He had noticed his brother's clothes were getting loser, by the way his shirts started dropping off his shoulders.

Before Al could bring Ed's attention to the matter, a loud bang alerted the brothers. Sitting up, both awkwardly looked at the living room window. The morning sun shimmied through the window like sparkling diamonds, nothing looked odd about it. Till the glass was whooshed open and a shadow acrobatically came swinging into the room. With thick army boots landing on the sofa, the figured was revealed to be Paninya.

Ed's jaw almost hit the ground at what he saw. Her sun kissed tan shined from too much sunblock with her much darker hair tied back in a short pony tail. She wore her usual camouflage pants with a new lose fitting white tank top that gave a clear view of her muscled up upper body. She sported a silver dog tag and a few lighter shade scars cutting around her chin and eyebrows. Some black tribal tattoos inked her right arm and neck. A couple band aids and bandages wrapped around her forearms. She also seemed to stand two inches taller.

"Hey boys, how's it going?" She asked, a big white smile creasing her face. "Sorry it took me so long to get here, I missed the train, so I just ran."

"You ran half way across the desert!?" Al yelped, utterly befuddled. "Paninya, that's so dangerous, you could've gotten hurt."

"Hey, with my new reinforced automail legs, I'm one of the fastest runners in Rush Valley now!" She flashed them a thumbs up, a long wooden toothpick drooping lazily between her teeth. "Besides, I didn't want to leave the armored alchemist waiting—" she paused, just now noticing Edward looming behind his brother. "Oh, sorry Ed, I didn't see you behind Al."

"Who you calling so short you could flick me away with your pinkie!?" Ed yelled, eyes becoming boiling white plates. He felt metal arms constrict his waist and tug him back, restraining him from using Paninya's head as a kickball.

"Brother, she didn't say anything like that!" Al snapped, forcing his crazy eyed brother to sit down.

"Sorry Ed, forgot you hated to be called sh—" She covered her mouth when Ed's eyes darkened like Satan was getting ready to leap out. "I mean, you've gotten taller!"

Ed sighed and smoothed his blonde hair back coolly. "Yea, I can see you have as well, but I could only conclude you simply made your automail legs longer."

"Nope, I pretty much hit a surprise growth spurt my last birthday. So had to adjust my legs to fit the stumps." She smiled, stretching her built arms, showing her tattoos more. "Besides, I kinda had to beef up some when I was drafted into the army."

"What? Since when did-"

Paninya cut Edward off. "Don't worry, nothing I can't handle. It's just an extra job I agreed to, so I can make more money. Automail and train tickets are not cheap ya know." She waggled her finger playfully at Ed.

Sighing, Ed stood aside to let Al approach the back desert woman. His eyes smiled down to her as he reached out and took her hand. "I'm so happy you're here, now we can go hang out."

Al and Paninya's conversation seemed to fade out of Ed's hearing range. His eyes grew hallow as he found himself climbing to his feet and leaving the room. He stepped into his room and sat on his bed, the cold sheets giving off an air of loneliness.

He watched as his brother and the tom boy continued to jabber to each other like they'd been buds since childhood. A chuckle escaped his lips, it almost reminded him of Winry and how that relationship failed. He'd wanted to marry the mechanic, but it seemed like neither of them liked the idea of doing long distance either. Plus, all Ed could find himself focusing on was Al's body and the philosopher stone.

It all fell apart, Winry rejected his marriage proposal and remained his mechanic and friend. He became further engrossed with work, it started to ail him. The philosopher stone, he swore to Al he'd never create nor use one to get them their limbs back. Now that he was running on empty, he threw out the possibility of getting his limbs back. Now he just focused on Al, unknowing to the armor who had no idea Ed gave up on himself.

Now what he saw in front of him, with Al and Paninya, it was not just a mere blooming relationship that Al made it out to be. It was a reminder, a big bloody, stabbing reminding of what Ed had taken away from his little brother. The ability to get physically intimate with someone who could love him.

That thought not only stabbed his heart, it tore a chunk out of it. The agony returned tenfold, mercilessly beating him down into the ground with its infinite fist. The pressure seemed to knock some blood vessels lose as small steams of crimson ran free from his nose and mouth.

Al, his own baby brother, couldn't feel or taste anything. But now Ed realized, the missing senses ran far deeper than just physical needs. He took away Al's ability to join together with another human being, to get married and have a family.

Ed grabbed his neck, the throbbing worsened. Small tears built up on the rims of his eyes as he mentally cried. He pleaded, please, if there was any merciful God existing, if he could take away this pain.

He slammed his hand into his bed, eyes hallow. The color in his gold eyes drained as a strangely calm look overcame him. Standing up like he was lost in a trance, he turned and walked towards his closest. Opening it, hidden away behind his clothes, was a small human transmutation circle. He weakly smiled as he kneeled on one knee and hovered over the chalk drawn circle.

The source that caused all his childhood nightmares, was right there in front of him. He ran his finger along the edges of it, he didn't dare tell Al this devil diagram lived in his closest. Ed swore the moment he drew this thing that he'd never use it. But as the years passed, something was starting to boil up in him.

Something called temptation.

The circle reflected in his dulling eyes, like the circle itself was calling to him. Inviting him with false promises on fixing all his problems. But he knew better, because it was the same voice that promised the return of his mother.

But something different had a hold on him. Ed rubbed his flesh hand up and down his metal arm, feeling the cold metal send shivers up his spine. Was he ready to do it again?

No, he couldn't, his was too exhausted and couldn't think right now. Ed forced himself away from the small drawing, shutting the door and locking it. The circle's whispers leaked through the door and seeped into his ears. But he easily pushed them back, today was not a good day to do it.

Ed stood up and limped back to his bed, lying back on the comfortable yet constricting sheets. Why he was getting so sick? Well, funny thing, he knew he promised Al he'd never transmute anything else for their benefits. But he never made any promises regarding his own self.

Al didn't know, but last year, Ed had secretly started giving up tiny pieces of himself to restore minor desires Al had. He had only done this once, but Edward had traded a small section of his immune system in exchange for Al's ability to sleep.

The suit of armor was shocked when he found himself falling asleep for the first time in years. Though it was minor and not true sleep, it was still better then him not being able to shut down at all. But Al was happy never the less, he never got tired, but he could still fall into a light slumber. It took away his lonely nights.

But he had no idea on why he suddenly could do so, even after years of being unable to. If he had known the night Ed had momentarily lost his sanity, drawn that transmutation circle, and sacrificed a small part of himself; he would've been furious.

It was almost like he was in a trance when desperation hit him at full throttle. Seeing Al sitting in the corner, hugging his knees to his steel chest and looking defeated had sent Ed over the edge. He just couldn't think, and when he gave up part of his immune system, he woke up to find Al lightly snoozing. It worked, Ed couldn't believe it.

It became like an addiction, every time Al looked defeated about something, Ed felt the need to race into the closet and sacrifice a piece of himself to give Al something back. But Ed was quickly figuring it out, if he continued to do this, he would die. So he had to fight the lethal temptation.

Though lucky for him, Paninya was here to distract Al as Ed lied withering in the corner. But, even through all the pain, Ed still smiled. Because he knew, even if he failed his promise, he'd find another way.

'I promise Al, I'll find you, and make you whole again. Even if it costs me more than an arm and leg.'

A/N: Okay, just a quick heads up, the relationship between Al and Paninya is meant to be minor and is not centered throughout the story. It's meant to serve as a reminder to Edward, and further push his drive to search.
Please forgive grammar errors!

Thanks for reading, please review.

Stay tuned for chapter 3, have a nice night.

Happy new years!