Maybe the Elric brothers were, for some reasons or another, attracted to Taboos. Who really knew, they sure didn't, but one of the two was beginning to notice his taboo prone lifestyle. As if trying to resurrect their dead mother using alchemy, Then using a philosophers stone that was made of countless human souls, to bring back their own bodies wasn't taboo enough. No, Alphonse Elric needed more in his life, weather he knew it or not. Three weeks and four days until he once again crossed the line and indulged himself in another taboo, Edward.

4.

Al flopped down onto his bed, exhausted from the day's work at the shop, still in his work cloths. 'Now to get a good nights rest, finally' he thought to himself as he began to doze off. Al heard Ed's footsteps from the bathroom coming nearer to his room. 'I wonder what he's doing? I bet he's out of boxers again, stupid brother, he never does his own laundry.'

The door slowly creaked open as Al sat up in bed to see Ed, standing there in nothing but his work pants.

"What's the matter Ed?" Al asked wearily, Ed had a strange look on his face, and he wasn't looking directly at Alphonse. "Ed?"

Edward slowly padded over to Al's bed and sat down. ' What is he doing, and why is his shirt off?' Al's face began to burn as he gazed up and down Ed's back.

"Alphonse?" Al jumped, his mind had been somewhere else, with Ed.

"Yes brother, is something wrong."

Ed turned his head to look at Alphonse. ' Why is he looking at me like that?'

For a while the two stayed like that, eyes locked together.

Edward finally broke the silence. "Al, I know you watch me when I sleep sometimes."

'What! How does he know that! Uh oh, think of something quick.'

"Uh, Well you see Ed...Um...I..."

"You don't need to say anything, I know how you think about me sometimes too."

Al's heart stopped. "W-what do you mean Ed " Al put on his best, I-don't-know-what-your-talking-about, face.

Ed didn't reply for a while, he just stared. 'Okay, this is too much! How does he know all this? Oh no, have I been talking in my sleep?'. While Al was lost in thought, Ed slowly began to lean in closer to him.

"Broth...!"

'OH MY GOD! HE'S KISSING ME!' It was true, Ed was passionately lip-locked with Alphonse. Slowly Ed placed his hand on Al's chest and eased him down, onto his back.

'Oh my god, what do I do. This can't be happening...IS THAT HIS TONGUE?' Al couldn't resist any longer, he wrapped his arms around Ed's neck and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Ed's hands began to wander, down Al's side, lower, and lower as his mouth explored his neck.

"Alphonse." Ed gasped

"Brother."

"Al...I love you."

"Edward" Al pulled him as close as possible, he wanted to feel as much of Ed as he could.

"Alphonse."

"Yes brother." Al said breathlessly

"Alphonse, wake up!"

"What?"

"Aaalll, Wake up. We're gonna be late for work." Al was torn from his dream, and released the death-grip he had on his pillow.

'Oh! Stupid Alphonse.' Al cursed himself for having the dream, but he couldn't deny, he was slightly sad it ended.

"Hey Al, you better hurry up, I let you sleep in a bit." Ed said as he walked into Al's room, a strange look came over his face, then a wide smile. "Maybe I should have let you sleep, seems like you were having pleasant dreams."

"What?" Al realized there was a large bulge surfacing through his bed sheet, he yelped and quickly threw his hands over it, blushing many shades of red. 'Auntie pinako in a tight bikini, auntie pinako in a tight bikini.' Ed was sniggering.

"Shut up Ed!" Al shuffled out of bed, and walked to the bathroom slightly bent over.

Al was getting used to cold showers.

5.

The day was pretty uneventful at work, Al almost wished there were some auto mail parts at the post office today. Both Pinako and Winry were in their shop working on some automail limbs for a customer, and didn't really need much help. So the two just sat outside under a tree most of the day.

Ed noticed that he found Al deep in thought alot lately, and when he would ask what Al was thinking about, all Al would say was 'Nothing, nothing at all.'

But that wasn't enough to fool Ed, ' He must be thinking about coming out to Winry and aunt pinako. I didn't think it would bother him this much.'

Actually that wasn't what Al was thinking about at all. His mind wandered back to the dream mostly. 'Why is this happening to me? He's my brother for god's sake. Maybe it's just a phase or something.' Al looked over at Ed, who was napping next to Den, his stomach visible.

Once again his mind was thrust back into the dream. 'Ugh, no, stop it Alphonse.' Al began to pound his temples as if trying to beat the images from his mind, but it didn't work. Now he just had a headache.

Den had raised his head to see what all the commotion was about, and in doing so he woke Ed as well.

"Uh, what time is it?"

"I don't know, you've only been asleep for a short time." Al was rubbing his head now.

"Only a little while? didn't feel like a little while. All right, that's enough lazing around." Ed got up, turned to Al and said, "On guard"

Alphonse smiled a little, 'It's been a long time since we sparred, this should be fun.'

"Hah, you dare challenge me, brother." Al said in his most threatening sounding tone, which wasn't very good.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, this time I'm gonna win." Ed began to pull off his t-shirt, Al began to panic. 'There's no way I could concentrate with him shirtless.'

"Uh, brother it's not really that hot today, maybe you should keep your shirt on. You wouldn't want to catch a cold." Al tried to sound as nonchalant as he could, unfortunately he wasn't good at that either.

"Are you kidding Al? It's blazing out here." Ed was right, it was really hot. 'Good one Alphonse, now I look like an idiot.'

"Yeah, I guess your right."

'Okay just concentrate, focus on his face, and if my eyes do start to wander, I'll use plan B.' Al reassured himself

They got into positions, choosing their spot wisely so that they were still in the shade of the tree.

"Ready Al?"

"I was born ready."

"Your so lame Al." Ed chuckled. "GO!"

Edward lunged toward Alphonse at break neck speed, throwing all his weight into a bone crushing right hook. Al quickly ducked out of the way and countered with a quick right jab to Ed's side. The blow hardly phased Ed, he quickly thrust his knee at Al's face, but Al had already backed away and was preparing for another attack. Sensing Al was going to lunge at him, Ed quickly closed the distance between them. Ed knew that if he gave Al too much room to gather momentum he'd be done for. Ed unleashed a wirl-wind of fast jabs aimed a Al's face and body, Al dodged every one. Al knew that if he kept dodging Ed's attacks, Ed would eventually tire out, and Then he'd end it. But Al was already doomed, during the fight the two had moved out into the afternoon sun, and Ed's body was glowing from all the sunlight. Al was entranced, he could see all the muscles in Ed's torso push and pull, Tighten and loosen. Before Al knew it, Ed began to connect with some of his wild punches.

'Oh no, plan B!' The image of Aunt Pinako in a tight Black Bikini posing on the beach was suddenly thrust into his mind. But it wasn't enough, Al was focused on Ed's face now. Ed's face was beautiful, Al could see his gold strands of hair sticking to his sweat slicked face. Ed's Brow was furrowed and his eye's burned with determination.

It was funny really, all Ed's mind was thinking was ' MUST DESTROY AL! ' while all Al could think of was how astonishing Ed looked.

Then it was over, Edward saw that Al wasn't concentrating enough and let his guard down enough for Ed to swipe Al off his feet. Al saw it all in slow motion, one minute he was marveling Ed's beauty, the next he was falling, falling, falling until he was flat on his back. And thus Ed won his first match against Al.

"YES! I DID IT, I BEAT YOU AGAIN!"

Al ignored the pain in his back, and came out of his daze. "Again?"

"Yeah, don't you remember the time I beat you on top of that hospital in central, after the Lab 5 incident?"

"Hey, you cheated that time!"

"Like I said before, a wins a win." Al swore he saw Ed glowing, just like Winry that one night. "I'm starving, let's go eat lunch Al."

Al watched as Ed walked toward the house, He couldn't get up. "I cant believe I lost." Al said to himself, but that wasn't really what bothered him. In the brief moment when they were fighting, just before he fell, Al realized it.

"Plan B", wasn't going to work any more.

6.

That night when the two returned home, there was an odd tension between them. Ed didn't know what was wrong, ' I wonder why he was so quiet at lunch and diner today? I hope he isn't mad about losing to me today, that would be so stupid of Alphonse. I mean he's beaten me like what one million times! I didn't think Al was the sore loser type.'

Al had been very quite after the sparring match, he couldn't really explain it himself. All he could think about was the match and how easily he was distracted by Ed's body.

'I'm so confused, if only I had someone to talk to about this. But who would want to talk about my obsession with brother, without thinking I'm some sick and demented freak?' Al got an idea then. ' I could talk to Winry! But I won't tell her who it is. Oh, but first I have to tell her I'm gay. All right I'll tell her tomorrow and then I'll ask her about my "problem".'

Ed was already in the shower now so Al decided to read one of his books on alchemy while he waited his turn. Meanwhile, in the shower, Ed was still trying to guess what Al's problem was.

'I really hope he isn't freaked out about coming out. I could understand his behavior if he were coming out to me, it's only Winry and aunt Pinako. He wasn't even this weird when he did come out to me. Then, what could it be?' Ed stood in the hot water for a while, in the classic thinkers position, except he was naked. One arm on his hip and the other raised so he could scratch his head, as if this would help him come up with a solution. 'Ah, I don't know. Maybe I should just ask him, but he might try to act as if nothings wrong. Well, I guess if it's that important, he'll eventually tell me.'

Ed finished washing up and walked out of the shower and to his room to get changed. Once that was done, he noticed the bathroom was empty. Usually Al takes his shower after Ed. After searching in Al's room without luck, he found Al asleep on the living room couch with an alchemy book over his face.

Ed laughed a little, 'I remember when we were little, I would always find Al out side sleeping in the grass, with an alchemy book over his face. Just like this. Wow, that was so long ago, I cant believe how much we've changed.' Ed's smile faded away as his mind wandered over all the events that happened in the years since they were young and happy.

Deciding he had better wake Al up, Ed knelt next to Al and shook his shoulder. "Hey Al, wake up. Come on wake up."

Alphonse only mumbled something, Ed couldn't make it out. Then Al did something strange, he reached for the small sofa pillow he was lying on and wrapped his arms around it. 'I wonder what he's dreaming about?' Ed thought, before he tried to stir him from his sleep again.

"Alphonse, come on get up."

"Ed..." Al muttered in his sleep.

"Yeah Al, it's me Ed."

"Edward...I love you."

Ed gave Alphonse a strange look, then smiled a little.

"Heh, your such a sap Al, I love you too, now get up." Ed shook Al a bit harder making the book slide off his face.

Al finally opened his eyes but he wasn't quite awake yet. "Wh-why'd you stop?"

"Stop what?"

'What is Al talking about?'

Al began to lean closer to Ed, then stopped suddenly, and began to blush furiously.

"Oh, did...did I doze off? " Al said as he released the pillow and raised himself to a sitting position.

"Yeah I thought I'd wake you up so you wouldn't have to sleep on the couch all night." Ed noticed Al was a bit tense and his face was still very red. "Are you feeling sick, you've been acting funny all day." he raised his hand to Al's forehead.

Al intercepted the hand and lowered it back to Ed's side. "Yes, I'm fine...I just had a...a nightmare, that's all." Al's voice was a bit shaky.

'Why does he keep lying to me? Okay Al if you want to play this game I'll just leave you alone.'

"All right Al," Ed sighed "well I'm done with the bathroom so you can go take a shower, I'm going to sleep."

Ed stood up and walked to his room shutting the door behind him. Al watched him go from the couch.

'Ed never shuts his door.' Al thought sadly.

Al turned on the shower and stepped into the hot stream, he could feel his muscles relax instantly.

'I can't believe I said that.' Al could vaguely remember telling Ed he loved him. 'Thank god I didn't say anything else. He knows I'm lying to him, but what can I do, I can't tell him what I was dreaming.'

Al thought back to the dream, it was the same as before but this time it lasted a bit longer.

"Damn it." he cursed 'Ed must be mad at me, he never shuts his door.' Al finished washing up and went to his room to change. Once he was in his sleeping cloths he got into bed.

All he wanted was to apologize to Edward, and to tell him. Tell him everything, but he couldn't. No matter how much his heart ached, he could never let Ed know. He didn't know what hurt worse, the overwhelming feeling of loneliness he felt at that moment, or the thought of Ed leaving him.

Al cried for a long time that night.