Ed was not happy.

Whether he could speak up about it or not.

So, his little brother took care of him because he needed it.

He helped him walk and get dressed, he fixed him meals.

But one thing Al never tried to do was feed him.

"C'mon, Ed!" Kain pleaded, holding out a spoon of vegetable mush. "Al said you have to eat!"

Ed raised an eyebrow and reached out for the bowl.

"No, Ed!" Kain brought the bowl away from Edward and sighed, "Al says you haven't eaten a full meal since you left the hospital."

Because it's all vegetables! I need more!

"So I'm going to make sure you eat all of it!"

The face Ed was making must've been horrible, because Kain's smile faltered. He looked down into the bowl and sighed, "You must be awfully tired of these." He reasoned, "Maybe I can find you something else to eat."

Ed looked up sharply. "Yes!"

Kain jumped, and blinked stupidly at Ed. "Did- did you just speak?"

"Yes, yes! Something different!"

Kain's smile came back full force as he got up from his seat at the kitchen table and moved to the cupboards. "Hmm, you've got some canned soups up here, would you like some of that?"

"Yes!"

Six words so far today. I've already beaten yesterday's two, even if all I say is 'yes.'

"Okay!" Kain sounded much happier than he did when he first showed up that day. "Chicken noodle soup is good for sick people, I'll heat you up some of this."

Oh, salt. Good old salt. Maybe Ed wouldn't give Al the cold shoulder for getting him what was essentially a babysitter. Not if it meant getting real food!

Eventually Kain sat back down with a new bowl, a steaming hot bowl with the most delicious smell rising with it.

Though when Kain lifted up a spoon to feed Ed once more, Ed just sighed.

"I can feed myself." Kain started a little, and Ed felt shock as he actually heard those words leave his mouth, those words that he had wanted to speak since the subject of dinner came up.

"Oh, well, as long as you eat it all, that's fine."

The bowl was pushed across the table and Ed stared down into the creamy broth.

It probably had milk or some sort of cream in it, but that didn't matter.

Not when it was the first time in a month since he had anything besides peas and carrots and chicken.

He had just barely gotten the first spoonful, the first marvelous, flavorful, wonderful, salty spoonful into his mouth when he heard the apartment door open and Alphonse call out "I'm back!"

Busted.

"The library was really empty, but they didn't have a lot of books on-" Al cut off as he stepped into the kitchen.

The soup sat innocently on the table, but the spoon was still in Ed's mouth.

"What's that?"

Al's voice was quiet. The kind of quiet their mother would get right before they got in trouble.

"Chicken soup." Kain answered honestly, "He was refusing the vegetables, and when I suggested something different, he started talking, so I thought..."

"Did you think at all?" Al's voice was rising. "I told you he can only eat vegetables and meats! I don't know what kind of chemicals and preservatives are in canned soup!"

"I-" Kain looked horrified, but more at Al's reaction than the possibility of bad soup.

"You could've hurt him! How much has he eaten?"

"Just- a mouthful." Kain almost sounded like he was going to cry. "I just thought he'd like something else to eat."

"Maybe he would, but he isn't human anymore!"

There was ringing in Ed's ears.

Al was right. Ed isn't human. But to hear Al say it like that, it just… It just hurt.

But he couldn't show that hurt. Not when the rage forced itself to the front.

Ed let out a low growl. His words would come this time, when rage and hurt overpowered the fear that kept them silent.

"It's good to know what you think, Al."

But instead of the regret Ed expected to see on his face, Al was still showing only anger.

"Oh," Al scoffed, "So you're talking now, then?"

The rage in Ed's chest was replaced with guilt. Guilt did not melt away the silence, so no more words came.

"That's what I thought."

"Alphonse!" Kain scolded, "I can't believe you!"

Al turned back to Kain. "Can't believe me? I'm not the one who's giving everyone the silent treatment!"

"Al, I really think he can't talk."

"He's not mute! HE should be able to speak a word or two whenever someone speaks to him!"

Ed didn't wait around any longer.

Steadier on his leg than he had been in a long time, he rushed for the door, stumbling only once before he was outside.

It was late evening, and the sun was going down, but the last rays of light were still warm, and they gave Ed the energy he needed to walk.

"Edward!"

He heard Kain call after him and he broke into a run. It was difficult on his prosthetic, and he wasn't going fast, but their little apartment was on the ground. There were no stairs for Ed to struggle with before he was gone, running down into the alleyways.

"Edward!"

The calls of his name still echoed through as Ed took turn after turn down the darkening streets.

Ed didn't know how long had passed before he slipped in a puddle and fell down for the last time. The sun had sunk below the horizon, and Ed curled up against the wall of some building and shivered.

He shouldn't have run, he knew that.

But the look on Al's face…

He couldn't bear it any longer.

He was just a burden.

It was his own fault he was taken from that train. If he was just paying attention nothing would have happened.

He would've fought the man off, or dodged that first attack, anyway.

It was his own fault that Al was disgusted with him. It was understandable, really. He was a reptile now.

Ed was nearly asleep when footsteps began on the edges of his hearing.

Shivers wracked his body, and he could see his breath puffing in front of him as the two large figures approached.

"Edward?" The smaller of the two realized, "What are you doing all the way out here?"

Ed couldn't keep his head up long enough to realize who it was, let alone form a response.

"We should take him home."

"We're closer to ours than his."

"Al will be worried."

"We'll call him, come on, pick him up."

Something big and warm wrapped itself around Ed, and his tail wrapped around it as he burrowed closer.

He counted four steps before he slipped into sleep.

When Ed woke up, he was in front of a fireplace and on a sofa as usual, but the blanket draped over him was thinner, and it's scent didn't bear his own, but something cat-like. It smelled of cats and woodsmoke.

When he sat up, he heard Heinkel speak up.

"So you're awake."

Ed turned to meet his eyes, and nodded.

"Good. Maybe you can tell us why you were alone on the streets last night."

Ed looked down at his lap and pulled his legs up to his chest.

He heard him sigh.

"I understand why you aren't speaking, but not everyone does. Darius and I didn't speak much after our change either. It's the trauma, and it will pass."

"Doesn't feel like it." Ed scoffed.

"No." Heinkel agreed.

"You-" Ed stopped himself. It wasn't his place to ask.

"Go on." Heinkel urged, "Ask. I don't know what you need to, but I'll answer anything I can."

"You don't eat, like cat-food, or anything?"

There was a snort, and then full-on laughter.

"No, no." He answered, "I eat human food. I might be a chimera, but I'm still more human than lion." Something must've occurred to him, as his face changed from humor to concern.

"Why?"

Ed swallowed and tried to work up the courage to speak.

"Al won't let me eat anything but raw vegetables and boiled meats. I'm sick of it and… I'm starving. It's not enough, what he gives me."

Silence, then: "Is that why you ran off?"

Ed flinched. "Al had to go to the library, and he didn't want to leave me alone, so he had Fuery come and watch after me. He made me some chicken soup, and Al was furious. He called me inhuman, and I know I am, but it still got to me." Now that the words were coming they wouldn't stop. "I spoke up, I said something rude, and all acted like I was pretending like I couldn't sometimes talk, like I'm some kid looking for attention. I couldn't just sit there and take it, so I left."

Heinkel turned towards the hallway to their left, and called out. "Darius! Set a third plate for dinner."

Part of Ed wanted to get up and leave, find his way back to Al to apologize for… For something, whatever Al felt like Ed needed to apologize for, but the allure of a filling meal…

"We're having potato pancakes."

Ed was staying.