A/N: I keep writing the exact same scenario of "Al shows symptoms of trauma/mental illness and gets a hug". But honestly this kid does need a hug and I'll give him all the hugs he deserves.

It's the middle of the night when it happens.

It's not the first time it does, but it never stops being terrifying.

Al feels… something.

Something, really, he has no idea what is.

It feels like he might throw up, but there's nothing coming out of his throat.

The anticipation, however, is scary. There is something wrong that never comes and Al never knows what it is, he doesn't know what to do and he can't breathe—

He breaks free from all the covers, and he runs and searches for a way out. Al eventually meets the cold wind outside, and he crashes and shatters like a car.

Despite its great strength, especially with Al's fragile body, he tries to breathe the air and remember, nothing is gonna happen, nothing is gonna happen, nothing bad will happen, everything is okay, he's okay.

It's hard convincing himself of that, though.

Suddenly something is enveloping him, and he gasps out loud, trying to escape, but it looks like he's being restrained.

"Al!" He hears his brother's voice, "Al, what's wrong?"

It's just Ed, Al realizes, and the thing around him is a blanket, but he wants to run away and hide.

"Al, calm down, it's me," Ed reassures him, "it's just me. I'm not gonna hurt you. You know I'd never ever hurt you, right?" He knows, but he doesn't get it. "Al…"

The cold air makes Al shudder and cry harder, he doesn't want to be seen like this.

"G-Go away, please just go away," he begs.

"There's no way I'm leaving you like this, Al."

"Go back to bed, please."

"No, not until you're safe, Al. Tell me what's wrong."

Al shakes his head. "I don't know!" He yells, "I d-don't know…"

"Alright, okay, it's okay. Are you feeling cold?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"I'm gonna take you inside. Is that okay?"

Al shakes again. "I-I'm suffocating."

"Okay, then, but I'll keep you warm," Ed says and rubs the blanket around Al's arms.

Al sobs, shivering at the soft action. He finds himself sinking against his brother, begging to have more of that contact. Ed thankfully manages to hold him closer than they are.

"There you go," Ed repeats, "you're okay, Al."

For once, the thing seems to listen to Ed, and Al starts relaxing. Even if it's slow.

The thing is there but it's not deafening at least, and Al's sobs grow quieter. The cold isn't so cold anymore.

"I don't know why this keeps happening," Al vents.

"You mean you've felt this before?"

Al nods. "I-It keeps happening when I'm sleeping. I just- I wake up and I get terrified."

Ed squeezes his shoulder. "Oh, Al, why didn't you say anything?"

Al avoids his brother's big eyes. "I didn't want to scare you, too."

Ed sighs. "Al, you need to tell me these things. What if you get hurt like you almost did now?"

"I'm supposed to take it, aren't I?"

"No, Al. You're not."

Al shrugs and mumbles, "I did when I was an armor…"

"But you're not an armor anymore. And even then, you never deserved to get hurt when you were, either."

Al doesn't believe him.

"Sometimes I hate having a body again," Al sniffs, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

"You got me back to normal and I'm not feeling better, brother."

"It's okay, Al. It's okay if you're not okay." Ed cups his face and wipes some of his tears for him. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to come out completely okay after everything you've been through."

The younger Elric melts at his brother's hand. It's almost pathetic.

"Promise me you'll come to me when you feel like this, okay?" Ed insists. "Okay, Al?"

Al either avoids or looks back, hating seeing his brother getting so worried about him. Ed never really takes care of himself, so Al is the one that does. Not that he's complaining about it; he loves his brother more than anything.

"Are you sure?" Al asks.

"More than anything."

While conflicted and unhappy, Al nods. "Okay, brother. I promise."

Ed sighs in relief, "Good."

He rubs and pats Al's arms again to keep him warm.

"A-Are you feeling cold, brother?" He realizes.

"A little. But I can handle it."

"Ed…"

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah… I think."

Ed nods. "You think we can go back inside now?"

Al thinks. "I don't know if I can sleep again…"

"It's okay, I'll stay with you."

"You need to rest, brother."

"I can't rest knowing my little brother is hurt. You know that, Al."

Al sighs. "Can I really stop you?"

"No, you can't," Ed smirks.

Exasperated, Al nods, so Ed helps him get on his feet and takes him in, leaving the cold wind behind. They go straight to the couch, Al pretty much lying on his brother's lap. He's too tired to really apologize for being such a baby.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Ed asks.

Al hums, "I think some tea would be nice."

"Alright. I could use some too…"

While Ed tells him he'll be right back, Al follows him to the kitchen, glued to his back. Making tea is an easy task, so Ed isn't too restrained. Then they return to the couch and Al lies against Ed. It kind of works now that Al is shorter than him.

Al feels a lot better with the tea, the thing in his chest quieting down for good. But there's still one thing left…

"Brother, could you… read me something?"

Ed seems a little surprised by the request, and Al is about to change his mind when he accepts it. "Sure, Al. Anything specific?"

"No, not really. You can choose."

"Okay."

Ed takes the closest thing he finds, an old alchemy book. Ed reads out loud – though not too loudly, enough for Al to hear – chemical compositions and combinations. Sometimes Al corrects them now that they've studied more than enough.

When Al stops correcting the book, it's when he's finally fallen asleep.

At least Al is not heavy, so Ed doesn't get a sore back in the morning.