Rue Ryuu: Glad you enjoyed it! Here's 38! Thanks for your review! :D

Amaranth Bun: Oh, my gosh, it's so good to hear from you again! It's kinda funny, but right before you reviewed, I was thinking about PMing you just to see how you were and BAM! - you leave a review! I am so happy you've been reading this whole time and that you've enjoyed it all the way up until now! I just hope that you'll continue to enjoy it! And Winry admitting to liking Ed is so great. I like that part a lot, too, because of how awkward and genuine it is. You're totally right about poor Al. Poor baby has had enough and he deserves to just have a good time with his friends. Thanks for leaving a review and I hope to hear from you again! :D

Hey, guys! So yesterday was the one year anniversary of me posting the first chapter on here! I tried to have this chapter edited yesterday night, but it just didn't happen. But it's ready now so I hope you enjoy it! I don't have anything else to say but enjoy and I hope to have a new chapter up soon! :D

It's noon and Winry's here. She came over with lunch for everyone which was a nice surprise. I guess she brought lunch over 'cause she's kinda worried about me and Al. Last night, I called her all panicked about the sleepover tonight. I rambled for, like, an hour about worst case scenarios and made no damn sense half the time. She was a good listener and said all the right things at all the right times so there's that. But Winry tends to worry so I think that's part of why she came over. She wants to keep us as calm as possible before the big event. I pick at my food and sigh. I'm still thinking of those worst-case scenarios. I'm still tempted to back out. I'm still tempted to just curl up in my bed and die instead of sleeping over at Ling's house. Dad has been trying to calm me down all day by saying everything will be fine and they're my friends and all that shit. And yeah, sure, they're my friends until I wake up screaming or I piss myself and then what? Kinda doubt they'll be my friends after anything like that happens. I glance around, Winry chatting with Dada and Al. Well, at least Winry will still be my friend after tonight. I mean, she likes me enough to bring me lunch when she knows I'm anxious. That means we'll still be friends after anything that'll happen tonight. Winry stands and I follow her with my head.

"Be right back," she says. I watch her leave and lean over the table to talk to Dad.

"Okay, so let's just not go," I say. Dad gives me a look and I get frantic. "I don't wanna go anymore! It's not worth it! I just wanna stay home and keep my friends!" Al looks worriedly at me and Dad simply shakes his head.

"Okay, let's talk about this," Dad sighs. He cleans his glasses briefly before saying, "I know you're anxious, but, Ed, you've made a commitment and you need to stick to it."

"But, Dada –" Dad holds his hand up and cuts me off.

"Edward," he says gently. "It'll be okay. Let's talk about the sleepover and make you feel better about going. Al had some ideas and I think we can work it out so even if something happens, we can be discrete and no feelings will get hurt." My brow furrows.

"What kind of ideas?" I ask.

"Well, uh, I was thinking that if we chicken out of sleeping over, we can call Dada and he come get us at midnight so we're still at the party for a little while, but won't sleep at Ling's house," Al tells me. I nod. I like that. I like that a lot.

"What else?" I ask.

"I never thought of what to do if we have a bad dream 'cause there's really nothing to do, but I thought that if we do sleep over, Winry could help us in the event we… well, we…." Al blushes really hard and shakes his head; "Well, you know."

"Huh?" I ask.

"Al was thinking that Winry could help with the clean-up process so no one else would even know," Dada elaborates. I blush and Dad goes on, "She already knows, honey. It's not like we've told her and asked her to help. She already knows so Al just thought you boys could recruit her to help in the event of an accident."
"I don't know," I say nervously. "I mean, if she gets up when we do it works great but she sleeps like the dead. What if someone wakes up before her? What if, God forbid, we cry? I mean, there's so much that could go wrong!"

"Calm down, Ed," Dad says gently. I swallow anxiously and Dad smiles at me. "Honey, there are other things we could do for the bed wetting."

"Like what?" I ask miserably. "C'mon, Dad, face it – we can't go. Too much is gonna go wrong."

"Sweetie, you're just anxious," Dad tells me. "You and Al can, and should, go. I thought that maybe if you go pee every two hours and stop drinking as close to two hours before you fall asleep as you can, it should help."

"Didn't help at Winry's," I mumble, recalling that sleepover we had months ago where I had a dream about the fucking fence and soaked the bed. Yeah, that was fun. Dada gives me a sympathetic look and I glare at him.

"Come on, Ed," Dad sighs, shaking his head. "Try to be optimistic. You're anxious and that's why you feel like everything that can go wrong will go wrong."

"Whatever," I grumble, crossing my arms.

"Edward," Dad says. "Ed, I did think of something else we could do but I need to ask you about it first?"

"What?" I demand, getting irritated. "D'you want me and Al to take our stupid alarms with us so everyone'll wake up?! Seems like a fantastic idea to me!"

"Ed," Al pipes up weakly, "Please be nice. Dada's just trying to help." I shake my head – yeah, I know that. I should be nice but, God! It's hard to be nice when I know nothing Dada's gonna say will help.

"We could try underpads or something disposable so all you'll have to do is change your pajamas and go back to sleep," Dad suggests and I glare at him.

"No," I say shortly. Dada sighs.

"Ed –"

"I said no! We're not doing that!" I yell. "She made Al do that for years and it messed him up! No!" Dada shakes his head.

"Honey, you're shooting down every suggestion we're giving you," Dada informs me.

"Uh, duh!" I retort. "I can't believe you'd even bring something like that up! You know she used those stupid things to abuse Al since he was four! How could you say that?"

"Ed, please calm down," Dad says softly. "I didn't suggest it to hurt Al. I would never do that. It was just an idea so you could decide for yourself what you're going to do. But, Ed, you already told Ling you're going so you need to go." I shake my head, heaving angrily.

"Brother, it's okay," Al says quietly. "It's okay. Dada wasn't trying to be mean to me. It's okay."

"How are you so chill about this?!" I demand loudly, Al shaking violently.

"Edward, that's enough," Dad says sternly, pulling Al into his side. "You need to calm down. You're going to scare your brother and I know you don't want to do that." I run a hand through my hair and sigh.

"Sorry," I mumble. "It's just…. I don't know."

"Honey, you don't have to take any of my suggestions if you truly don't want to," Dad tells me. "I just wanted to make sure you know you have options. I want you to go to this sleepover and I know you wanna go, too." I nod, staring at my food.

"I wanna go," I grumble. "This isn't fair, Dada." Dad shakes his head.

"I know," Dad says softly, Winry coming back in.

"What's not fair?" She asks, sitting down.

"Never mind," I tell her. "Doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," Winry insists. I grind my teeth.

"You really wanna know?" I ask.

"Yeah," Winry says.

"Fine," I snap. "It's not fucking fair that me and Al can't do a single damn thing like normal people."

"Ed, don't use that word," Dad scolds and I glare at him.

"Oh, I guess that isn't fair," Winry says sadly. I clench my jaw and stare angrily at my food.

"Brother," Al asks quietly. I look over at him and he says, "Do you even wanna go anymore?"

"Course I wanna go," I reply. "It just pisses me off that we have to plan for every little thing instead of just throwing some clothes in a bag and leaving."

"Okay, so let's just think about all the good stuff about going," Winry suggests cheerfully. I glare at her as Al nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah, Ed!" Al cries. "Let's do that instead! It'll make you feel better!" I cross my arms.

"Doubt it," I scoff. Dad shoots me a look.

"Don't be that way," Dada tells me. "Just give it a try. It might actually help."

"I'll go first," Winry says. "We'll get free pizza." I shake my head as Al says,

"Oh, and free soda!"

"Free junk food in general," Winry laughs, Al nodding along with her.

"Movie marathon with our friends," Al chirps happily.

"Lots of video games," Winry goes on and I feel myself smile.

"Al getting slap-happy," I add, Winry cheering loudly.

"See?!" She cries, "I told you you'd feel better!" I laugh at her, Dada shaking his head at us. Okay – sleeping for me and Al sucks right now. But I gotta admit that all the other stuff about sleeping over makes me wanna go even though I know just how much can go wrong.

The sleepover starts at six. Winry plays video games with us for a while after lunch before Dada comes in and tells me and Al to start packing. We voted against the whole disposable clothing thing (obviously) so we're just packing three extra sets of pajamas on top of the ones we're gonna put on when everyone decides to sleep. After I had calmed down thanks to Winry and Al, I told them that I wanted to do as much as we physically can to prevent the whole bed wetting thing entirely, but in the event it happens, I wanna call Dada and go home. Al wants to do that, too, and he said he might even chicken out of sleeping over at Ling's all together. I told him that if he chickens out, I will, too. But if for some reason I piss myself and don't wanna go home after the fact, I agreed to let Winry discreetly help me clean it up with the idea no one else will even know it happened. The likelihood of that succeeding still seem pretty slim in my mind, but I wanna try. I wanna hang out with my friends like a normal kid. I wanna continue to get invites and if I bail on the sleepover part of Ling's party, I'm scared I won't get invites anymore.

At precisely 5:45, Winry tells us we should go downstairs. I nod and stand up, helping Al on to his feet. We grab all our stuff and walk out of our room. I walk down the stairs, swallowing nervously. Oh, God, I'm so anxious about tonight. I didn't even plan on the nightmares-thing that's totally gonna happen. I have nightmares 90% of the time. I'm gonna have one tonight. I know I am. God, what do I do?! Maybe I should back out! That would be easier than going and having a bad dream in front of my friends! Wouldn't it? I don't know! I make it to the bottom of the stairs and see Dad sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper. I hurry over and sit down next to him, Dada lowering the paper.

"Ed?" He asks as I curl up next to him. "What are you doing? Isn't it time to go?"

"I'm not going," I inform him like I'm a little kid. "I changed my mind." I can hear Winry groan but I don't really care. I'm scared. I wanna stay home and sleep with Dad. I don't wanna go to the sleepover that I also so badly wanna go to.

"Are you kidding me, Ed?!" Winry cried, clearly aggravated.

"Winry," Al tries, Winry groaning again.

"Don't be such a baby! C'mon, let's just go! It'll be fun if you'd just give it a try!" Winry snaps.

"Winry, be nice," Al demands softly. "Brother's just nervous. I am, too. He didn't really change his mind. He's just scared." Dada hugs me tight before kissing my forehead.

"Al's right, Brother," Dada tells me gently. "You're just scared. But, sweetie, Winry's right, too. You'll have fun when you go. I know you will. You really haven't changed your mind. I know you still want to go." I nod. I sit up and run a hand through my hair.

"Okay, let's go before I actually chicken out of this whole thing," I say, not looking at Winry. I know she was aggravated because I've been so back and forth today about Ling's stupid sleepover all day, but her comment really bugged me. I don't wanna talk to her, at least not for a while. I'm not a baby. I just act like one sometimes, but I don't mean to. Really. Al takes my hand and we all head to the garage. Winry hurries behind me and Al and I try to make it obvious I'm mad at her without looking at her or talking to her. I get in the front seat after putting my bag in the trunk as Al and Winry get in the back. I buckle my seatbelt and cross my arms, Dada looking worriedly at me.

"Ed, are you okay?" Dad asks me.

"Oh, I'm just peachy, Dada," I grumble. "I'm just a big dumb baby who's pouting about my sleeping issues not only ruining what's supposed to be fun but ruining my friendships all at the same time." Winry looks at her feet guiltily. I put on a big, fake smile and look right at Winry; "But I'm totally fine."

"Look, I'm sorry," Winry says softly. "I shouldn't have called you a baby. I know that I shouldn't call you names and I'm sorry." I stop smiling.

"Whatever," I mutter.

"Hey, I'm sorry, okay?!" Winry cries defensively. "I shouldn't have done it and I don't wanna hurt your feelings! Stop acting like a douche."

"Brother, please don't be mad at Winry," Al begs. I look at my brother, his big hazel eyes burning a hole in me as he says, "Please?" I sigh and shake my head.

"Yeah, okay, I forgive you," I say.

"I really am sorry," Winry tells me softly. "I shouldn't call you guys names. I know what that does to you." I grit my teeth.

"Can we drop it?" I ask heatedly. "I'd rather not have my mind stuck on her all night."

"Sorry," Winry says quietly. I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

"It's okay," I exhale. "I'm just kinda on edge today." Winry smiles weakly.

"But aren't you on edge, like, every day?" Winry teases. I chuckle.

"Shut up."

We pull up to Ling's house and I feel like I'm gonna throw up. I've tried to focus on the good stuff. I've tried to only think about how much fun I'll have. I've told myself all day long that Ling's my friend and that I shouldn't bail on him. But now that his huge house is in front of me, all my fear and worst case scenarios come flooding back. What if someone sees the fresh cuts on Al's skin or the scars on mine and asks about them? What if one of us talks in our sleep and gives away something about our past I've worked so hard to hide? What if one of us has a night terror and it seems like the screaming and kicking will never end? Dad opens his door and gets out of the car. I swallow nervously and get out, too, doing my best to bury the puke fighting to get out. Winry and Al are grabbing our bags and Dada asks if me and Al need him to walk us to the door. I wanna nod and say us, but I can only imagine the image that would give to our friends. Teenagers don't have their daddy walk them to the door at a friend's house, even when they really want or need their dad to. I'd rather not start the night off like that so I say no. Dada smiles at me and gives me a big hug, whispering that I can call him and go home anytime I want, even if it's two in the morning. When he's through hugging me he hugs Al, Al's shaking fingers clinging desperately to Dada's clothes. That hug ends and Dad says good-bye to all of us. We wave at him as he drives away, sweat saturating my shirt. I'm gonna throw up. That's not something I thought would happen, but I'm gonna throw up. Great. Just another thing to go wrong.

"You okay?" Winry asks as we walk toward the front door. I shake my head.

"I think I'm gonna –" I gag and hurry on to the grass so I can puke in the bushes. I cough, vomit splattering everywhere.

"Brother!" Al cries worriedly, hurrying over to me. He rubs my back as I throw up, anxiously asking, "Ed, are you okay? Are you sick?" I cough, the puke ending. I shake my head and wipe sweat from my forehead.

"I'm just anxious buddy," I assure him weakly. "It'll pass." Al doesn't look like he's sure, but he nods. He takes my hand and squeezes it and I look gratefully at him.

"Oh, my God, Ed, I'm so sorry!" Winry cries from the concrete path leading up to Ling's huge ass porch. "I didn't mean to make you sick!" I shake my head and walk back over.

"You didn't," I reply. "I've been feeling like I was gonna barf since we left the house. I knew I was gonna, just didn't know when." Winry looks sympathetically at me.

"I'm still sorry," she tells me.

"It's okay," I insist. "Let's just forget it happened and just get to this sleepover already. The anticipation is freaking killing me." Winry nods and we keep walking. My heart is pounding as we step on to the porch and Winry rings the doorbell. I let go of Al's sweaty hand and look at the door. Okay. No turning back now. The door opens and the night finally can begin.

Ling was ecstatic to see it was us at the door. He kept saying how he couldn't believe that Al and me showed and gave us a tour of his house. Mei's cat, Xiao-Mei, came up to greet Al and I could tell that calmed him down a bit. Ling took us to the basement, Lan Fan sitting on the couch with an Xbox controller in her hand. She greeted us warmly as Ling informed us we're all sleeping in the basement. There's lots of couches and even a futon so Ling figured that the basement would be the best place. My heart beat anxiously as I looked around, memories of my own basement creeping into my brain. I set my bag down and did those breathing exercises Dr. Hughes taught me. In through my nose, out through my mouth. I'm not in my basement at home. She isn't here to hurt me or Al. Winry, Ling, and Lan Fan are here. No one's gonna hurt me. I flopped down on the couch next to Lan Fan and waited with my friends for the last two guests so show up.

Once Rose and Paninya showed up Ling ordered the pizza. We talked mostly while we waited for the pizza to show up, everyone snacking on the chips and candy Ling had sitting out for us. Well, everyone except me and Al, that is. We were both too anxious to eat. No one seemed to notice, though, so that was nice. Ling's phone rang and I assumed as he got up that it was the pizza guy. He left and the conversation shifted toward school. Grades were posted before Christmas but hardly anyone actually looks at those until after Christmas. Everyone talks about how finals went and Lan Fan asks,

"How about you, Ed?" I swallow anxiously and chuckle weakly.

"Fine," I manage to say like anxiety isn't clawing at my stomach and making me feel like I have to barf again. "I got an A on every final I took." Winry scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"The nerd also managed to get 105% on Mr. Armstrong's chemistry final," Winry informs everyone.

"Holy crap, Ed, that's amazing!" Rose comments.

"Don't inflate his head, Rose," Winry instructs. "Ed's a total chemistry freak. There was some five-point bonus question that I didn't even attempt and that's where the 5% comes from."
"Yeah, but he didn't miss a single question!" Rose enthuses. She turns to me and says, "Good job! Your dad must be proud!"

"I actually haven't told Dada about it, yet," I admit. "Kinda slipped my mind, to be honest."

"How'd you do, Ally?" Paninya asks. Al smiles weakly and shrugs.

"I did okay," Al answers softly. "I mean, I managed to scrape by with a 4.0 so I guess I did fine. I think I only got a B on one final so I did okay."

"That's really good, though, for your first time," Lan Fan tells him. "Good job." Al smiles brightly, soaking up the praise.

"Ugh, but next week we have to go back to that hell hole," Paninya agrees. Rose shoots her a look and Paninya goes on, "God, I hate high school. Can't wait to graduate."

"Hate to break it to you, Pan, but we've got two years before we graduate," Winry reminds her. "Poor Al has three."

"I might graduate in the fall, though, when I'm a senior," Paninya tells us.

"Really?" Lan Fan questions. "Will the credits work out?"

"So far they have," Paninya replies. She sighs and says, "I'm just ready to start my life, you know? Do something that actually matters." I nod.

"I get that," I tell her. "I hate high school, too." She grins at me.

"I know; that's why I like you, Ed," she informs me. I cross my arms.

"I hope that's not the only reason," I snort. Paninya leans in close and asks,

"And if it was?" I push her away lightly.

"I'd have to pound on you just a little bit," I laugh. Everyone laughs, Ling coming back down the stairs.

"I brought pizza, you nerds," he announces. He sets it down on the coffee table, Lan Fan helping him move the snacks and candy aside to make room for the pizza boxes and soda bottles.

"Do you want us to pay you?" Al asks and Ling laughs. He walks over and ruffles my brother's hair, Al giggling softly.

"This is why we like you, kid," Ling says. He stops messing with Al's hair and goes on, "No, you don't have to pay me. It's my party so it's on me."

"You sure?" Al asks. "Dada gave me and Ed money."

"Seriously, bro, don't pay me," Ling assures him. "It's fine." Al nods and Winry shakes her head. Typical Al.

"You're too nice, Al," Winry says, standing. She looks at Ling and says, "I assume you have thought of ways to entertain us when the pizza's gone." Ling smirks.

"What kind of host to you take me for, Win?" He questions, his hand on his heart like Winry said something that hurt his feelings.

"The stupid kind," Paninya answers instantly. Ling glares at her.

"You can leave," Ling informs her lightly. Paninya laughs and Ling goes on, "Yeah, there's lots of things we can do. We have a hot tub we can use, lots of video games and movies, and if we get bored we can always take a drive."
"You haven't had your license long enough to drive us all around," Rose points out. Ling laughs at her.

"So?" He questions. "I break that rule all the time and I've never been caught." Everyone glares at him and he holds his hands up. "What?!"

"We're so not doing that," Lan Fan informs him. "Especially since Al's here. We don't want to get him into to trouble." Ling stares at her and Lan Fan glares at him. "I mean it. No driving." Ling groans but nods.

"Fine, guess we're homebound," he complains, Lan Fan nodding. I chuckle, thinking about how weird Ling and Lan Fan's relationship is. See, their families have known each other forever. It was really no surprise to anyone when they started dating, except that Lan Fan always sort of acted like she didn't really like Ling or something. She was always bossing him around and telling him what to do. They've been dating since seventh grade and it wasn't until recently that I realized that the reason their relationship works is 'cause they balance each other out. Lan Fan is the rational, responsible side of it. She keeps him safe and does her best to prevent Ling from doing stupid things. Ling's the sporadic, fun side of the relationship. He reminds Lan Fan that it's okay to be goofy and do stupid things sometimes. So even though they can argue like an old married couple, they work. It's just funny 'cause Ling doesn't really listen to anyone but Lan Fan.

"C'mon, I'm starving," Winry complains. "Let's eat."

"I second that motion," Paninya says.

"Third," I add, everyone laughing.

"The motion passes!" Ling declares loudly, everyone tearing into the pizza all at once.

The pizza really didn't last long after everyone started eating. But in a room full of teenagers, you can't really expect that it would. When the pizza was gone, we all decided to play Super Smash Bros. tournament style. Since there are eight of us, we drew numbers. Numbers 1-4 played the first round and the loser of the first round had to give up their controller to number 5. That way, everyone gets a chance to play even if they suck. We did that for a while before deciding to play Mario Kart instead. While we played video games we ate junk food and talked and laughed and as the night wore on I began to forget about how anxious I was. Al was getting up to pee every two hours and I don't know. It's like my fears and anxiety took a back seat for once. It was nice. I mean, I knew it wouldn't last, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. While we played video games, we also built a blanket fort and climbed on some of the old toys and shit that Ling had in his basement. He had one of those indoor playground things with tunnels and slides and we played on that for a while before tiring out. We put a movie on around 10:30, everyone lazily talking to each other.

When the movie ends, it's almost one in the morning. Everyone's still up, though I can tell Al is slowly losing the battle of staying conscious. I'm about to get worried when Ling starts laughing wildly. Everyone stares at him, Al waking up just long enough to ask,

"What are you laughing about?"

"I was just thinking," Ling replies breathlessly. "We should do the totally cliché thing and play Truth or Dare before we crash. You guys game?" I've never played that game before, but I've seen it played on TV. I've never really liked the idea of the game, but if everyone else wants to play, I'll play, too.

"Sure," Paninya yawns.

"I just don't want it to go on for hours and hours," Rose says. "The game turns ugly if it goes on long." I nod. Yes, I agree with that. I just won't say so.

"Okay, everyone in a circle," Ling instructs. We all listen, Al one my right side and Winry on my left. "I'll go first," Ling tells us. He points at Winry and asks, "Truth or dare?" Winry rolls her eyes.

"Ugh, dare, I guess," Winry says, "But nothing gross or weird, okay?" Ling nods.

"Fine, okay, I dare you to, uh, get in the hot tub with all your clothes on," Ling says. Everyone cheers and Winry stands up.

"You're all the worst," she complains. We all walk to the hot tub and cheer as Winry gets in with all her clothes on. She sits down in the water and asks, "Good enough?"

"Perfect!" Ling laughs. "Your turn!" Winry gets out, puts a towel on and points to Paninya. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Paninya answers.

"Since Ling wanted it to be cliché, do you have a crush on anyone right now?" Winry asks. Paninya laughs and shakes her head.

"Nope," she replies. Winry shoots her a look and Paninya says, "I mean it! I don't have a crush on anyone! Not a soul!"

"Fine, I believe you, but that was so boring! I wanted juicy details!" Winry complains.

"Sorry, dude," Paninya laughs. "Okay, now I get to pick. Um, Al! I pick you!" Al swallows nervously as Paninya says, "Truth or dare?"

"Uh, truth, I guess," Al answers nervously. Paninya must catch on 'cause she gently says,

"Hey, it's okay. I won't be mean to you, promise." Al nods and she hums, "Let's see. Oh, okay! Got one. Do you still sleep with a stuffed animal?" Al blushes but nods.

"Yeah," he answers.

"Woah, really?!" Paninya asks, Al nodding. "Dude, tell me about it!"

"Uh, well, he's a cat and his name is Chico," Al says, twisting the fabric of his shirt. "My mom gave him to me when I was little and I've always slept with him."

"Did you bring him?" Paninya asks. Al hides his face, but nods.

"Yes," he admits, his voice muffled behind his hands. I stare at everyone, relieved when no one laughs or teases him. Al lowers his hands and asks, "Is it my turn to pick on someone now?" Ling nods so Al points to Ling. "Truth or dare."

"Dare, and make it a good one, Al," Ling says. Al taps his chin in thought.

"This is harder than I imagined," Al says, Ling chuckling at him. "Can I dare you to do anything?"

"Pretty much," Ling replies. "I don't have any objections like Winry. The weirder the better, I say."

"Oh, okay," Al says. "Then eat a spoon full of Xiao-Mei's cat food." Everyone laughs and Ling gets all determined.

"Yes! Good choice! I'll be right back!" Ling hurries away to get some cat food and I nudge Al in the ribs.

"Good one," I praise. Al smiles happily.

"Cat food seems gross so I thought it'd be funny to watch him eat it," Al says. "Is that mean?"

"Yeah, but you're supposed to be kinda mean in this game," Rose answers. "That's why I'm not a fan of it. People always promise they won't be mean but eventually, they are."

"I don't wanna be mean," Al says softly.

"Don't worry," I assure him, "You could've dared him to do much worse." Ling hurries back in, a tablespoon full of cat food.

"Okay, ya'll, watch this!" Ling cries happily. He tilts his head back and dumps the spoon in his mouth. We all make noises of disgust as Ling crunches down on the cat food, a big smile on his face. He swallows and Al asks,

"How was it?"

"Salty, mostly," Ling replies. "It was gross, but like in the nasty salty beef jerky way. Okay, my turn. I pick Ed! Truth or dare, buddy?" I swallow nervously, trying to quickly decide which is worse.

"Oh, God, I don't know," I answer. Ling shoots me a look.

"If you don't decide, I'll have to pick for you," Ling informs me.

"Fine, you pick, then," I say.

"'Kay, truth, then," Ling says, my heart beating considerably faster than it was before. What is he gonna ask me? It could be something simple but it could also get mean – he could ask me about a deep dark secret that I don't wanna tell anyone. Ling opens his mouth and I blurt,

"Gotta pee! Be back. Just, uh, you know, keep playing without me." I hurry off, wheezing as I get to the bathroom. I shut the door, trying to get my breathing right. In through my nose, out through my mouth. In through my nose, out through my mouth. I get the rhythm right, sighing as I look at myself in the mirror. Winry's right – I am a baby. I can't even play the dumb game without getting scared. I shake my head and leave the bathroom, joining everyone again.

"Sorry," I say. "What are you gonna ask?"

"You okay, man?" Ling asks worriedly. I nod.

"Yeah," I answer. "I'm okay."

"Okay," Ling says. "Have you ever written something gross about somebody else on a stall in the bathroom at school?" I blink, a weight lifting off my chest. I shrug.

"Eh, once," I answer.

"Tell me," Ling says.

"You know the second-floor bathroom next to the library?" I ask. Ling nods and I glance over at Al. "Cover your ears, Al." I instruct. Al's brow furrows.

"How come?" Al asks.

"What I'm about to say is nasty and I don't want you to hear it," I tell him. Al nods and covers his ears. I smile and say, "I'm the one who wrote 'Ryan Voss is the biggest twat in school. He smells like infected semen and sucks dick for breakfast.' And then that little dong next to that, I drew that."

"You wrote that?" Ling demands. I nod and Ling howls with laughter. The girls just stare and Rose crinkles her nose.

"That's nasty," she tells me.

"But hilarious," Paninya laughs. "Good one, Ed!" I tap Al on the back and he uncovers his ears.

"You done?" Al asks. I nod.

"Yup," I reply. "I just admitted to writing one of the nastiest bathroom stall graffiti's in school."

"Gross," Al says.

"Not gross if it's true," I tell him sheepishly, Al giving me a look. I shrug, my little brother yawning loudly. "Okay, my turn but let's be done after this. I'm getting tired." Everyone nods and I glance over at Lan Fan. She blinks at me and I ask her, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," she answers.

"How far have you and Ling gone?" I ask.

"Third," Lan Fan answers instantly.

"Eww," Rose complains, Paninya leaning in like she wants every detail.

"Gross," she breathes. "Tell us more."

"No," Lan Fan answers shortly. "That's personal. All you losers need to know is we've been to third more times than any of you have been anywhere else." I laugh, Ling looking rather pleased with himself.

"I know how to pleasure my lady," Ling says, everyone groaning at him.
"God, dude, nasty," Winry groans. "Don't need the gory details of your third base life."

"What's third base?" Al asks innocently, everyone staring at him. He blushes and hunches his shoulders, obviously embarrassed. Everyone quickly looks at me and I chuckle nervously.

"Uh, I'll tell you tomorrow, Al, okay?" I say. Al nods, yawning again.

"Okay, kids, time to crash," Ling announces. "Claim your space and I expect battles to the death over where you sleep if someone else wants it."

"Whatever, dude," Paninya yawns as everyone begins drifting toward the place they wanna sleep. Al and I sorta claimed the futon, saying it didn't bother us to share since it's a two-person deal. Nobody fought us earlier so I doubt anyone will now. Everyone's pretty exhausted. Winry walks over with me and silently asks if I wanna call Dada so I can go home. I shake my head – I'm pretty tired so maybe I won't wake up screaming tonight. Sometimes when I'm this tired, I don't have nightmares. I just sleep. Maybe that'll happen tonight. And I've been super good about going to the bathroom so I probably won't wet the bed (futon. Whatever) either. I don't need to call Dada. Al tells her the same thing and she wishes us goodnight. We slip into our pajamas and Al pulls out Chico. I wait to take Lamby out of my bag until everyone's lying down and I'm out almost as soon as I hit the pillow.

I bolt upright, looking around frantically as I heave heavily. Where am I? Where am I?! I glance around but it's too dark to really get an idea of where I am. I feel someone stir beside me and I'm relieved when I see it's Al. Oh, we're in bed at home. I shift, trying to calm down when a chill runs down my spine. Hold on. No, we're not. We're not at home. We're at Ling's house. My breathing hitches as I hesitantly put my hand down on the futon. Oh, no. No. No. I didn't. Not at Ling's. Not at a sleepover. I put my hand down, my body freezing when my worst thoughts are confirmed. I peed on his futon. It's soggy and I start wheezing. Oh, God, what do I do? I glance over at Al and decide that I could blame him. I mean, I have no proof if it was really me. But I can't do that to my poor brother. He doesn't deserve that. I put my leg on and quietly get off the futon. There aren't sheets on it. Oh, my God, what am I supposed to do?! Tears prick in the back of my eyes as my throat tightens up. I really don't know what I'm supposed to do. It's not like I can just wake up Winry to help me strip it. There aren't sheets on it. I creep through the basement, careful not to step on anyone. I really don't know what to do. I hurry to the bathroom and shut the door, the light turning on. I stare at my reflection, my lip trembling pathetically.

"I…." I lick my lips, the words spilling out of me out of habit, "I'm a bad boy. I'm a bad boy. I'm a bad boy." Over and over again, tears falling down my face. Not only am I a bad boy, I'm a disgusting one, too. I'll never get invited to anything ever again after this. I try not to, but my crying and talking gets louder. I try to calm down, to stop crying when someone knocks at the door. I freeze, tears running down my face as I cautiously turn to the door.

"Ed?" It's Ling. It's Ling! I wanna bury myself in a hole and never come out, but I can't. I want this all to be a bad dream but it's not. It's happening. I peed myself at Ling's sleepover and he's about to find out. "Ed? Are you okay? Why are you crying, man?" I shake my head and open the door. I back up and sit on the edge of the bathtub, Ling closing the door and following me. I'm still crying and Ling just lets me. It's just like when we were in sixth grade. He just lets me cry until my lungs hurt. I can't even bring myself to tell him anything. I just cry.

"Ed," Ling says softly as my crying slowly quiets, "I heard you. I heard what you said." I don't do anything. My lip just trembles pathetically and I wipe my face, though it's kind of a loss cause considering I'm still crying. "I also kinda figured out that you peed yourself." My heart stops and I slide my eyes over to him.

"Y-You did?" I manage to ask. Ling nods.

"Yeah," he sighs. "I knew there had to be a reason you never wanted to sleep over. Actually, I knew there had to be lots of reasons. I kinda suspected that you wet the bed for a while, just never said anything in case it wasn't true." I just kind of stare at him, shocked that Ling could be so observant while also preserving my feelings. Maybe he's not as dumb as I thought.

"I'm sorry," I say softly. "I'm sorry I did that and I'm sorry you heard me earlier."

"Look, dude, I gotta tell you something," Ling says urgently. I look at his face, tears still running down my face. Ling shakes his head, his chin quivering. "I, uh, know."

"Know what?" I question slowly.

"About your stepmom," Ling tells me softly. I recoil, my heart beating wildly.

"What?" I breathe.

"I mean, I don't know exactly what she did to you or Al, but I always had a feeling she didn't really treat you guys right," Ling explains. "I saw the way you hid from her, the way you'd cry in school when we were little. I remember all the times you hoarded pencils or food or the times you'd pee yourself and be so scared of getting in trouble. I remember how gross you smelled and how hungry you were and…. I don't know. It wasn't until about middle school that I realized something wasn't right. But when I finally had the courage to tell someone that I was scared you were getting hurt at home or something, your dad divorced her." Ling's voice cracks and he starts crying. "I'm so sorry, Ed. I should have said something when we were kids. Maybe I could of... Maybe I could of helped you guys somehow. If I had just been brave…." I stare at my friend, unable to believe what I just heard. Ling… Ling knows? He knows that my stepmom was abusive? He just picked up on it all on his own? I shake my head again as he cries, realizing he feels guilty just like Winry for not doing anything, even though he had a gut feeling something was wrong.

"Ling, you can't do that," I tell him, my voice wavering. "What happened wasn't your fault."

"So it's true?" Ling asks me. I nod slightly. I take a deep breath as I prepare myself to share my deepest secret with Ling.

"My stepmom abused my brother and me for seven years," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. I start crying again as I continue, "Al wet the bed when he was four and that was the trigger. After that, she did her damn best to torture us. I've never felt like I could tell you. I didn't know what you would say or do and I'm sorry. I should have just told you the truth but I was too scared. I'm so sorry, Ling." I start sobbing and Ling just pats my back.

"It's okay, buddy," Ling comfort softly, his voice strained. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone, I promise. It's okay."

"I'm s-s-sorry a-about your f-futon," I hiccup. I look pathetically at him and say, "I c-can g-g-go home if y-you w-want me t-t-to."

"No, I want you to stay," Ling tells me. "Ed, you're the best friend I've ever had. I might have failed you when we were kids, but I'm not gonna anymore. Don't worry about the stupid futon. Do you have something to change into?" I nod, my lip still trembling.

"Yeah," I answer.

"Good," Ling says. "I have some stuff you could wear if you didn't." I nod, my blood freezing as a scream echoes through the basement. I stand as Ling asks, "What was that?"

"It's Al," I inform him. "He's probably having a bad dream. This isn't gonna be pretty."

"Is there anything I can do?" Ling asks, standing next to me. I shake my head.

"Just… just keep everyone away from us," I instruct. "I know you and Winry won't do anything but…." I trail off as Al screams again and I know I have to get to him. My baby brother's scared. I hurry out of the bathroom, Ling trailing behind me. I make it back to the futon, everyone's eyes on me.

"Did he wet the bed?" Paninya asks as Rose worriedly says,

"Is he okay?" Winry shoves passed them and hovers over me as I sit on the edge of the futon.

"It's just a dream, Rose," I tell her. Ling watches as I say, "Al has nightmares sometimes. And yeah, he probably did piss himself, but I did too so if you have anything to say about it, go head." Everyone just kind of stares at me and I stand. "I mean it! If you got anything to say, just say it! I can take it!" Everyone exchanges glances as Al screams again. I look down at him as Winry walks over to me.

"No one's saying anything, Ed," Winry tells me gently. "We're just worried about Al." I nod and sit back down.

"B-Brother!" Al screams, writhing on the futon pathetically.

"Al," I coo softly, "Al, it's okay. You're dreaming. Wake up, buddy." Al's eyes snap open and he sits up right. He looks over at me, his whole body shaking, and he asks,

"Brother?" I nod and Al flings himself on to me. He starts wailing loudly, crawling up into my lap and staying there.

"Shh, it's okay, you're okay," I assure him softy. "You're okay. You're okay."

"Uh, hey, guys?" Ling says awkwardly. "Let's go up to my room for a bit. Give them some space, you know?" Everyone nods, Winry staying behind. She walks over to the futon and sits down, Al sobbing on my lap.

"Well, that could have gone worse," Winry says, obviously trying to cheer me up.

"Could have gone better, too," I grumble, rubbing Al's back.

"I know," she sighs. "If it's any consolation, I think everyone's more worried than they are grossed out or anything like that."

"I'll take worried, I guess," I say. "I hate when people pity me so as long as they aren't doing that, I'm good."

"Want me to call Uncle Vic?" Winry asks. I shake my head.

"Ling wants me to stay," I inform her. Her brow furrows and I sigh. "Before Al started screaming, I had a bad dream and woke up to the wet futon. I went into the bathroom and started crying. I also said those four horrible words and he heard me. I let him talk to me and he told me he kinda had a feeling that Al and I were abused, and he kinda figured we wet the bed and that's why we never came to his sleepovers. He told me he wanted me to stay, even though I saturated his futon, so I guess I will." Winry nods and asks,

"What about Al?" Al clings to me and I shake my head.

"He probably doesn't want to leave my side right now," I tell her. "I mean, he just had a nightmare and peed himself in front of our friends. Kinda embarrassing." Winry laughs lightly.

"Okay, so what are you gonna tell everyone else?" Winry asks. "Are you gonna tell them now that Ling knows?" I shake my head.

"I… I can't. It's too hard and I already had to go through it once tonight. Can't do it again." Al shifts in my lap, his head resting on my chest.

"Ling knows?" Al asks softly. I nod.

"Yeah," I answer. "Sorry, buddy."

"It's okay," Al replies. "They're gonna find out eventually."

"I know," I say. "Just sucks that he found out like this." I kiss his sweaty hair and ask, "You okay?" I feel him nod.

"I am now," Al answers. "That is, I'm okay until Ling comes back down. As soon as I see him, I'll be a mess again." I nod and Winry stands up. I hear someone coming down the stairs, Al whimpering.

"You guys okay?" Ling asks, finally visible.

"We're fine," I answer, Al crying again.

"S-Sorry, L-Ling," Al cries pathetically. "Sorry. I r-ruined your p-party." Ling shakes his head and walks over to us.

"Don't say that," Ling tells him. "It's okay. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Al, let's change, okay?" I suggest. "You'll feel better." Al nods and we both stand up.

"Can everybody come back down?" Ling asks. I nod.

"Yeah, but I have a request," I tell him.

"Anything," Ling replies.

"I don't want to answer any questions about what happened right now," I say. "Just tell everyone they have to wait 'til tomorrow for answers. Okay?" Ling nods.

"Okay, will do," Ling assures me. He leaves and I dig out clean clothes for me and Al. We take turns in the bathroom like we do at home, never speaking. There's not much to say. We have a lot to answer for in the morning. When we're done we walk back to where everyone is. Everybody's back in their sleeping spots. Al and I find a forgotten air mattress and curl up on it, hoping everyone will forget about everything that happened in the last hour.

Fat chance of that happening.

I just wanted to take some time at the end of the chapter to thank everyone who's read, favorited, followed, or reviewed this story in the last year. This story was literally just an experiment in first person I was doing and I never anticipated this sort of reaction to it. I never even really planned on continuing past, like, five chapters but your amazing support and feedback kept me going. I mean this when I say Fullmetal Alchemist made me a better person and a big part of that are the characters of Ed and Al. They are both amazing, hard working, forgiving people and I strive to be that way everyday. It was my hope that Ed would shine through in the narrative and it's obvious that he has. You guys are amazing and it's been an awesome year of writing. I don't know how many more chapters it'll take, but this story can't end until Ed's told his story and he's got a bit more to tell. Thanks for sticking by me for a year and I can only hope you guys continue to do so. You're all amazing and I'll see you all next time.