Iridescence

9.3.11

6. Hazel Consultation

No matter how far East Alphonse went or even Edward moving West, the two just so happened to meet right in the middle. A country named Colba garnered coffee and recycled metal. Within the populated city were the natives, tourists, and tall-story buildings similar to those in Central. Alphonse was departuring from the hotel he'd stayed in for the past week, bags packed and sitting in the lobby, waiting for his chimera deputies, Zappato and Jerso, to join him. Looking out the glass door, he heard a stranger call to another:

"Hey! Do you know where Colba's Hotel is?"

"You're standing right next to it!" laughed the other.

The first voice, growing rather close and, in fact, opening the lobby door, called back, "Thanks!" and bolted out the drafty November breezes. This tall young man wore a long-trained brown coat and shoulder-length blonde hair tied into a ponytail.

"B-Brother?" asked the eighteen-year-old, standing to his feet and touching the shoulder of the young man, who turned on contact.

Astounded gold eyes met gold eyes prickling with elated tears...

"Oh my God, Al!" gushed the nineteen-year-old, smiling so hard his jaw hurt, "I can't believe you're here!"

"Likewise!" Al replied, tightly hugging his brother. "What're you here for?"

"The recycled metal they have here will be great for maintaining my automail. Saves Winry the trouble of flyin' across the globe for repairs," sheepishly answered Ed.

"Have you talked with her recently?"

Ed stiffened at that question, lowering his head and blushing deeply. "I, uh...Not since I..."

"Oh..." Al smirked. "Something we need to chat over coffee, eh?"

Ed had been stirring and stirring his coffee through the departure-with-Winry story, adding the sixth pack of Sweet 'n' Low to it and - so embarrassed that it didn't occur to him - added cream to his traditionally black coffee. When he was finished, he was beet red and his espresso was a cappuccino.

Al had been cooling and sipping his scorched drink through the tale, watching Ed's face distort from bashful to overjoyed to full-bloom, chuckling genially to keep from busting out into sporadic laughter. When Ed was finished, Al had nearly abbandoned his coffee at the fact that he left the girl he swore his brother took a liking for with a hug.

"So you didn't kiss her?" Al pried, glancing at Ed's coffee before again sipping his own.

Ed waved his hand dissmissively. "Shut up. I told her how I felt, didn't I?" He gulped his own mug. Funny, the sugar made it quite creamy, not so bitter... "That's good enough."

Al grinned, setting his porcelain cup onto its coaster. "That's Edward, that's what."

Ed quirked an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"When you looked into her eyes and rested your hand on top of her head, that was the time to claim her lips, Ed!"

"When that time comes, Al, I'll let you know." He downed the rest of his drink, still unaware of its unlikely add-on.

"But," Al protested, "the chances of us meeting up again are just as rare as this!"

"Exactly," answered Ed. "That's why I'm gonna wait until you and I get back home together...So you can watch me...show Winry...this."

Al gasped excitedly, asking elated, broken questions:

"How'd you...? When...? Brother, that's...I'm so happy for you!"

In Ed's hand was a sepia Tiffany Box, and inside it a diamond betrothal.

I'm running sweet 'n' low on ideas, but I make them come with time.

I cannot begin to explain how happy I was to see 9 reviews today. Me and "Iri" felt appreciated. So Auto and Fluehatraya, mega thanks!