A/N: The third year, and I have watched more anime than ever, but FMA still remains right at the top. What is it about this that has drawn so many people? So this 3rd October 2018, let's commemorate the thousands of stories on the website right now just written to celebrate Fullmetal Alchemist.

Ed's eyes opened slowly. He had had a nightmare - one of those kinds that were bad enough to make one quite stricken, but not enough that he woke up sweating and shaking. What the nightmare itself entailed was something that was quickly escaped him, so he just lay there waiting for his heart to return to a normal pace, and let his eyes adjust to the dark. He didn't know what time it was, but judging by the light, it was still a few hours before dawn. He was sleeping on his side facing Al, and he could make out the shadows of the armour if he squinted.

Alphonse was really getting quite good at dimming the lights of his eyes. He could make the red glow so dim that Ed could hardly see it. At times it really was quite disconcerting, but Ed only had to say the word and Al would return them to normal.

Right now, Al's eyes were dimmed so as to not cast a light, but still be visible. He was sitting his his usual position: back against the wall and knees to the chest, best he could in the armour. His head was bowed toward the book in his hands.

What bothered Ed, though, was how eerily still Al was. Of course he had become accustomed to the stoic armor by now, but Al had been staring at the same spot for five minutes without the slightest movement to turn the page. (Not that he could say much - he had been staring a Al for five minutes without moving too.)

"Al?" Ed's voice was unusually hesitant.

Al moved as if life has been breathed into the armour and Ed took a breath of relief.

He knew that he was being overly protective of Al but he could help it.

Al's voice was quiet to match the night. "Brother! You're awake. I didn't realise. You should get some more sleep."

"Mm." He dismissed easily. If Ed was the over protective one, then Al was the over attentive one. "What are you reading?"

"Uh- I don't know."

"...huh?"

"I-I wasn't reading."

"Then what were you doing?" Ed asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Nothing in particular!" Ed's eyes widened at Al's pseudo-defensive exclamation.

"Al..." Ed stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look, Brother! Mind your own business."

Ed didn't really care about it before, but was very curious now. Al by nature was a very gentle and soft-spoken boy, so whenever he used phases like that, Ed knew that he was hiding something he found embarrassing which Ed would tease him relentlessly about if he found out. A mischievous grin graced his face.

"My, my, Al. How rude."

"Eh!? Well, no I-"

Ed was enjoying watching Al get so flustered over nothing. It really had been forever since something like this had happened.

"Are you sure you want to address your oniisama that way?"

"Shut up, brother." Al's liitle embarrassed voice made him laugh.

"Don't laugh!" Al's whine made him laugh even more.

Much later, when teasing ceased and when his laughs had dissolved into the last few snickers, he finally remembered to ask a disgruntled Al: "So what were you doing after all, Al?"

"Shadow puppets."

"What?"

"I was making shadow puppets. I was doing animals and the book was the land the animal walked on."

Such an innocent answer. Indeed the fait moonlight served as a nice backlight, but...

"But Al, you're holding the book with both hands - you can't make made if your hands are not free"

"I'm not an idiot, Brother!" Ed swore that he could see the furious blush of Al's on his helmet. "I was trying to make a unicorn, so I thought the spike on my helmet would come in handy, but it looks more like a narwhal! So I don't know what to do."

Ed blinked at Al's outburst.

"Al...that's so stupid."

It was a whole minute before the snickers started again, and this time, Al's had no choice but to join in.

And so the night was filled with mirth and laughter at the ridiculous situation Al had found himself in. The next day, found Ed and Al leaving Mustang's office, the inhabitants confused at why the pair started snickering every time they caught each other's eyes, and for goodness sake, why Ed yawned between every single word he said!