Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Is it really that surprising?
Warnings: End-of-series spoilers. Light Elricest (romantic pairing of EdwardxAlphonse). You can see it as brotherly love if you'd like.
Behind the sun.
Alphonse is behind the sun.
The realization hits Edward, at 1:27 AM, according to the dusty clock in the living room. Twelve roman numerals, circling the clock's face.
Ten planets, circling the sun. Ten.
Edward closes the book on his finger, stares at the creases in the binding, the gold border on the cover. Takes a deep breath, and opens it again. Musty yellowed drawings, Mars' orbital inclination, indecipherable numbers. Elliptical orbits in thick dark ink. Earth; the sun. Flaking black text from an equally ancient printing press, and Edward stares at the picture, traces it with his fingers.
Hands following the invisible lines of a transmutation circle out of habit; his fingernail digs a barely visible triangle into the yellow paper. Ten.
The Gate has taken him across the sun.
It's an unrivaled surge of adrenaline, jolting him awake and brightening the colors in the dim room. The echoed ticking of the wooden clock, something outside rustling. Ten.
A meager grin, his first genuine smile in years, and the thought surprises him suddenly, has he really never smiled like this since he was with Al? His Al. Alphonse.
He glances back down at the paper, rechecks his calculations.
A slight imperfection to Venus' orbit, and there is nothing that could mean except that something heavy is pulling it, another planet. The planet that can never be seen, and his fingers shake when he writes the last number -- the same orbit as this Earth's. Parallel.
Except that on that Earth -- his Earth -- there is alchemy, there is Alphonse. There is everything he has left to live for, everything he has ever missed, ever wanted, ever needed.
"Alphonse?"
And for a second he imagines he hears his brother respond, can feel his brother's heart pulling at him, from across the sun, from a distance Edward can barely imagine. He smiles all the same, because here is an answer, here is what he has been searching for.
"I know where you are."