Worthless

Author's Note~ Okay so I apologize in advance for this one if it starts to rain in your room. I'm not sure how this happened. I was listening to Coldplay and somehow, this was born. This is probably the most emotional piece I've ever written. I'm not great at writing pieces like this, but I think I did pretty well for the most part.

Oh, also I went to an anime convention last weekend! It was so much fun! Not gonna lie.

Rated: K+ for a couple bad words.

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist is not mine.

Al smiled tenderly at the sight of his new nieces. One of them, Sara, looked exactly like her mother, and the other Nina, had dirty-blond hair that closely resembled his mother's. They both had blue eyes and they were both adorable. His brother looked as if he was going to burst open with love and adoration. It almost reminded him of a certain deceased general. He chuckled and cooed when Sara grabbed his finger.

"How old are they now, Brother?" he asked.

"About a week," he said gently, his eyes shining. Al noticed that Nina was asleep, and he listened to her uneven breathing. Al wondered if babies were supposed to breathe so rapidly, but if his brother didn't seem bothered by it, he decided not to worry about it.

1 week later

Al stood in the front of the freshly dug grave, the stone new and shiny.

Nina Elric 1920.

His eyes watered and he hung his head down, trying not to let the tears spill. He glanced at his brother next to him, his molten amber eyes hard and angry and his jaw clenched with guilt, acting as a comfort to his wife who was sobbing into his shoulder. One of the neighbors walked up to Ed and offered their condolences.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my uncle a few weeks ago, so I know how you feel," they said sympathetically. Ed narrowed his eyes.

"No, you don't, Pitt," he hissed icily, "You don't know a damn thing!" Pitt flinched. Winry put a hand on his arm to calm him down a bit. It did nothing to stop his hands from shaking. Al would've normally scolded his brother for such behavior, but he didn't have the heart. Not today.

Later that evening, Al watched as his little nephew went to tug on his mother's skirt. She looked at him absently. Luckily, the toddler didn't grin at his mother like he normally would. Even though he didn't really understand what was going on, he knew that his mother was sad and that was enough. She got up and brushed past her son as if he wasn't there. He gave her a confused and slightly hurt look. He came running up to Al and tugged on his pants, his golden orbs questioning. Al tried his best to smile reassuringly at the boy, but it didn't reach his eyes. On the inside, his heart was broken for his small nephew. He would grow up never knowing his sister. Same with Sara. Would she even know that she had a twin at one point?

"Al," Winry said monotonously, "Ed went out earlier but hasn't come back. It's getting dark."

"I'll find him," he said softly, his heart clenching at the circles forming under her dull blue eyes. He patted her hand awkwardly, and she grimaced in response. He walked out the door, having a pretty good idea of where his brother might be. When he passed the gate, he found the golden haired young man sitting in front of the brand new tombstone. His bangs concealed his face but Al knew he wasn't crying.

"It's getting dark. You should probably head home," Al said gently, putting his hand on the older man's shoulder. Ed raised his head up slowly, meeting Al's green-tinted eyes with his pure gold ones. His irises were swirling with anguish and remorse. Al thought he could sense some anger there too.

"I can't face her, Al," Ed muttered, his voice hoarse. Al slowly sat down next to his brother, facing the tombstone that lie right next to his parents.

"Brother, she needs you," he murmured.

"I made her cry again. I hurt her," Ed's voice cracked slightly with distress. Al didn't say anything, but looked on with utter sympathy. He squeezed his brother's tense shoulder in what he hoped was a consoling gesture.

"How did this happen?" Ed asked, voice trembling, "What kind of father am I? How could I have not noticed that something was wrong with my daughter?"

"It's not your fault, Brother. Sometimes these things just happen."

"Why?" Ed yelled, making him jump, "Why did it happen? Can you explain that to me, Alphonse?" Al shook his head somberly. His brother stiffened and clenched his shaking fists.

"I'm worthless," he whispered, "Completely worthless." Al widened his eyes and felt the pain in his chest when he saw the tears start to slowly roll down the man's face and hit the ground. He was giving up. Al felt his eyes well up and shook his head to snap out of it. He couldn't cry now. He would need to reverse the roles and be the strong one, for once. For his brother. He grabbed Ed's shoulders and embraced him tightly, rubbing his back soothingly. Ed held on to his younger brother firmly, burying his face in Al's neck. Al bit his lip to keep the tears in check when his brother started to sob quietly, soaking his shirt.

"You're not worthless," he whispered to his brother, stroking the 21 year old's golden hair lightly, "You're kind, selfless, a wonderful father, and the best older brother anyone could ever ask for." His cheeks were wet now. He couldn't keep it contained. So much for being the strong one. "So please," he cried, "Don't ever say that, and don't give up. Sara and Alphie still need you. Winry needs you," he paused, "I need you!" He lost all control over the ducts in his eyes, letting the salty tears overflow and steadily stream down his face. Ed's sobs had eased into quiet sniffles, and he rested his forehead on Al's damp shoulder. Al, noticing this change whispered, "I love you, Brother," in a wavering voice. "We all do. So, please never give up because none of this is your fault. None of it." Ed tightened his hold, silently thanking him.

Al wasn't sure how long they stayed like that; just silently clasping each other on the ground, all the pent up feelings from the day running down their smooth cheeks. All he knew was that if anyone would've passed by them on the way home, they would've seen two fully-grown men, both in their twenties and in all black, arms wrapped around the other's shoulders for support, with swollen eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and sincere smiles.

A/N~ Again, I'm sorry. The next one will be happy, I promise!

Reviews, please! :D