Hello there again! So, I decided to make another little chapter because, well, I loved writing the first one! I didn't intend for this to happen, it just did, so I hope you enjoy it!
Humming ensued from the hallway where a little boy sat, happily paying with a loose string on his shirt. He didn't know why he was there, sitting patiently and waiting for his Big Brother to come back out of the wood doors where the scary people in uniforms sat and talked. Who were those people? What did they want with Big Brother? How did Big Brother know these people? He sure hadn't seen them at all in his life. Maybe Brother knew them before he was born. And why had Brother wanted him to meet these people?
But he wasn't old enough yet to know the answers to these complicated questions he was asking himself. He wasn't old enough to know what had really happened, therefore suspicion of his Big Brother never arose in his head.
The big looming doors creaked open, showing his brother. He scrabbled to his feet and smiled widely him, raising his arms high as if to ask to be picked up. His brother just smiled in that warm comforting way that he always liked about Big Brother and picked him up, hugging the boy close to his chest and sighing deeply. This was a sign that Brother was sad in a sort of way. He never knew why, but if Brother for any sort of reason hugged him, it was because he was sad, maybe a little unhappy with the world or himself. He never questioned it, for he grew to learn that Brother never hugged people, choosing to keep to himself more often than not.
"Is Big Brother sad?"
This was the question that was always asked when Brother did this sort of thing. Brother, of course, never answered. But that was ok, he didn't need to.
-0-
Mustang watched quietly as Edward picked up his little brother, hugging him to his chest and rocking him a little. After a moment's pause, Edward turned and walked back in, Alphonse still pressed flush against his chest.
"Maybe you could try reconsidering my offer."
"The answer's no."
Alphonse looked up, a startled expression on his face as he looked back and forth between the General and his brother. Mustang took the time to get a good look at his face. It was chubby with baby fat, his eyes wide and expressive, his hair a floppy mess of dark honey gold locks. Mustang never actually knew what Alphonse looked like, being in a suite of armor and all. So it was no wonder no one even knew Al when he entered the room.
Roy jerked out of his thoughts as Alphonse was shifted to sit on Edward's knees and face the General and the office. They were sitting in a wooden upholstered chair. It was one of the nicer ones in the office intended for guests only, but on occasions Roy caught some of his subordinates sitting in it too, just out of curiosity of what it felt like.
Al had begun to listen from the look of concentration on his face, and now the whole room was watching as the conversation progressed.
Roy cleared his throat. "I'm just saying that maybe a job could-"
"I already have a job." There was an edge to Edward's voice, telling Roy to just shut the hell up if he knew what was good for him.
And he backed down, looking toward the little boy in the former State Alchemist's lap. He scowled and looked back up at Edward, who stared him down. Alphonse was shaking with anticipation now, looking on more with rapt attention. Edward seemed to notice, for he wiped his face clean of emotion and painted on it in place a sweet and calming smile, one that Edward rarely used, and this frightened Roy.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye," Edward said, calling out Riza's official title, "would you mind keeping Al company while I talk to General Mustang for a moment."
There was hesitation in her eyes, like she was afraid to follow up on his request, but she soon complied with a curt nod of her head as she swiftly walked over to stand in front of Alphonse. He cringed visibly, probably not used to the smile that wasn't often shown on the Lieutenant's face. Having someone go from scary to happy in a matter of seconds was frightening, Roy would know.
"Hi, sweetie," she said, her voice a sickly sweet, making the crew wince at it, "my name is Riza Hawkeye. And your Alphonse, are you not?"
Edward just looked on, probably used to this by now. But Roy stared on along with the rest of the residents of his office in silence, waiting for Al's reaction. He seemed to still be shy, and clamored up Edward's knees to get to his lap and wrap himself around Edward's torso, refusing to let go. This could be a problem if Mustang needed to talk to Edward privately, but what were they to do? This wasn't the Al they knew, they couldn't treat him as so. Couldn't bark orders for him to stand outside and wait, dammit! He was a child, barely exposed to the outside world, and this needed to be tended to with love and care.
-0-
The scary lady came and tried to take him away. She was using a false grin almost anyone used around him, and he didn't like it. Big Brother would protect him from this lady's glare. Big Brother could do anything, he was strong and caring. So he buried himself inside Big Brother's tough stomach and clutched on with all of his might. He would be safe here.
But someone was picking him up. Someone was tearing him away from his brother. Someone was trying to separate them.
Ever since he was little, Al had a sense to stay by his brother's side no matter what. It was instinct he supposed. He didn't have a mother or father, Brother had said they died right after he was born - never said why though. There weren't many pictures of Big Brother's past, Brother had said they burned in a fire. Big Brother didn't have many friend, he said they weren't needed as long as Alphonse was around. So Al had stayed by his side, was his comfort, his stronghold, because he and Brother couldn't rely on anyone but themselves. Couldn't trust anyone but themselves. It was common fact now.
So, instead of struggling and hurting someone, he did the next best thing. He cried.
"Big Brother!"
And he cried some more. Now Alphonse wasn't a big fan of crying. His Brother never cried, why should he? But his Big Brother needed him now. He could see and hear the distress residing within him. That wasn't a good thing.
-0-
Alphonse hadn't clung to him like this in ages, since he read that old fairy tail about the princess and the criminal who fell in love, but the criminal was later executed for his crimes. Alphonse had cried, saying that they had to be together, otherwise it wasn't a happy ending. He had explained that, sometimes, people didn't get happy endings, because the higher people in power always got their way, and no one could do anything about it.
Alphonse had cried himself to sleep that night, and Edward was left to remember the night he died twice and was revived twice. Of the night that his brother didn't come back the way he was supposed to, instead coming back as a little helpless baby. But whether Alphonse came back like he did or was 10, or even 14, Edward wouldn't care, because he was the same loving Alphonse, and this was a chance to purge him of the sins of the past.
"Big Brother!"
Edward looked up, shaken from his thoughts, to realize that the lieutenant was picking Alphonse up, taking him into her arms. And Edward was startled to find him crying, crying for him, for help. It was that same plea that was issued on that night. But Edward could do nothing but sit and watch, because even though Al was crying, Edward needed to talk to Mustang.
But this is your brother, a little part of his brain told him, talk to him, console him, he's all you have left, dammit! And this little part of his brain was the only part needed to quickly move into action and talk.
"Alphonse," he said, surprised by how calm his voice sounded. It made Al look up at him, tear stained cheeks red. "Al, you need to calm down, I just need to talk for a little while, this is important. The Lieutenant will take good care of you. I'll see you in a while, ok? I won't be long."
Alphonse nodded and wiped away his tears, silently agreeing like he always did that he would do as his brother said, because Brother knew what he was doing. He always did.
-0-
The scary lady took him out into the hallway, where she set him down and reached out for him to take her hand. Alphonse complied and silently took it with some hesitation, letting her lead the way down the corridor to someplace that he didn't know of.
They were headed to the dining hall, Alphonse noted as they came up to a sign pointing out the way to go. The scary lady looked back at him with a smile and he smiled back as she led him in and sat him down, promising to be right back with something to eat.
She didn't seem all that scary, just the way about her was kind of frightening to Alphonse. And by the looks of the people in that room, they thought so too. Suddenly, he was reminded of the plush chair and lingering eyes and his mind went back to his brother, wondering what it was that he wanted to talk to the patch man about. That man was kind of creepy too, with his long black hair and eye patch that covered the whole half of his face. His smile was lopsided and demented, not like the smile of the people he met before.
Hours seemed to pass as he and Miss. Riza sat and ate the snack she had served him. It consisted of bread and jam and a slice of cake. The jam was strawberry and the cake was chocolate with vanilla frosting, nothing like he had ever had in his life, it tasted so good. And before he knew it, Big Brother came to get him.
He was standing in the doorway when Alphonse noticed him, and he was shouting to patch man about something before he was given a glare and yelled back at. He had never seen his brother more angry before. Maybe this was just another thing he didn't know about his brother. Big Brother then bowed politely to the man and turned around, looking over the sea of people as if trying to find something. Al took that as a sign that they would be leaving, and heading off to their hotel room for rest.
Alphonse got off of the chair he was on with a grunt and thanked Miss. Riza for buying him the cake before bowing and heading off toward his brother, who had spotted him and smiled, opening his arms for Al to run into. And even though this trip hadn't gone as Alphonse thought it would go, it was still a small achievement in the adventure of finding out more about Big Brother.
-0-
Mustang watched them silently leave, Edward again carrying Alphonse and Alphonse talked idly about something or another, Ed smiling the whole way. It was good to see Edward happy again, even just a little bit, for Al was back and healthy, and even though he wasn't him, he was still the same Alphonse who loved and enjoyed the same things. This break from stress could be good for Edward for once. He needed it.
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! If you have a request you would like to make for another chapter, TELL ME! I will gladly make that request come true! I'll even take pairings, nothing humorous, this is meant to be a drama type fic/angst fic.