Dearly Beloved
By: Nanaki BH
Alphonse stared up into the sky, past the leaves of the tree above which looked more like paper cut-outs than actual green leaves. Each one had a definite outline; their curves smooth and sharp, formed perfectly. He reached out his hand and ran his thumb over the surface of one, delighting in its texture. The simple things like sensations still thrilled him beyond words. He was like a little kid again, still discovering life. And finally, for once, he had his brother beside him to guide him and keep him safe.
Finally, for once, Edward was his big brother – for real. Al always worried that he had taken his place; that he had been protecting him instead. If there was one thing that Al really missed the most, it was the feeling of Ed's warm arms wrapped around him. Despite himself, a single tear slipped down his cheek. A small gasp passed his lips and he wiped it away with his thumb.
Making himself more comfortable in the hammock, he looked back up, comforted by the light shade of the trees. A little bird made its way from the larger tree in their backyard over to the tree above Al, settling itself in the birdhouse that hung above him. He grinned, pleased that small animals weren't afraid of his face now. The birdhouse was actually Ed's idea. It was pretty easy to catch on to Al's affinity for little cute things, so he made the birdhouse himself and hung it up in the tree for him.
Life without alchemy was pretty similar to their life with alchemy. When Ed said that the world they were living in was a parallel one, he really wasn't kidding. They studied the same as they had when they were learning alchemy, only their subject had moved on to things that pertained to the new world they lived in. When they weren't studying, Al had to find himself a new pastime. Predictably, he went back to what he used to do when he was little – he walked around outdoors, enjoying the natural gifts of life.
It was indeed very peaceful, more so than life in a giant suit of armor, at the very least. He stretched out his arms, arching his back a little, letting out a rather loud yawn. The hammock shock slightly, swaying unevenly beneath him. Closing his eyes, bringing up his arms to rest behind his neck, he reveled in the gentle wind that lazily caressed his cheeks. Al sighed, contented enough to let himself drift off into sleep.
He barely even got a wink of sleep though when his nap was interrupted by a new presence, a weight that pressed itself down onto the hammock, tipping it on its side, threatening to throw him from its comforting hold. His eyes flew open instantly to find out what was going on. He should have figured as much.
Ed.
Alphonse growled softly, trying to narrow his eyes into a threatening scowl, failing at it miserably. "Ed, hammocks aren't meant for two people! You're going to make it tip over!"
Edward didn't listen to his brother. He put a hand down on his shoulder and offered him an apologetic grin. "Just scoot over a little bit." Al sighed, a little worried still that Ed would "rock the boat", so to speak. Still, he did as he was told and moved as far over as he could without feeling like he would fall off. All at once, Ed swung up his feet and to Al's surprise, didn't cause any sort of disruption in their balance.
Lightly, he giggled, attaching himself to Ed's arm. "Wow, Ed, I guess you know what you're doing."
A smirk spread across Ed's mouth and he tucked his auto-mail arm behind his head. "Hey, have you ever doubted me?" Honestly speaking, of course Al had never doubted him. Sometimes he was a little wary of the things he did, but Ed was usually consistently knowledgeable in whatever he chose to do. This time seemed to be no exception.
Al snuggled up to his side, rubbing his cheek against Ed's warm arm. Looking down at his adorable face, he couldn't resist. He placed his auto-mailed hand at the back of his brother's head, gently stroking his hair with one metal finger. It didn't matter if he couldn't feel it; just being able to touch him again was enough. Al must have gotten used to his auto-mail enough back when he was in the armor because he never complained when he touched him. Sometimes he would giggle or shout because the metal of it could get a bit chilled, but he was never disturbed by it in the least.
In a way, Winry was right. She'd proved to him that auto-mails were the best; especially the one she had made for him for his trip back to the other side of the Gate. It was better than a real arm – he could still do tons of things with it like he had back on the other side. It was extremely responsive at least, unlike the artificial limb his father had made for him. (Though, that one did have its own unique advantages.) The only problem was that he would inevitably outgrow it. There was even the possibility that before that even happened it would break of its own accord.
Ed didn't want to think that far ahead though. He didn't want to have to rush through things like he had before. Sure, they had goals again but none of them were as urgent as their previous ones and nowhere near as dangerous. When Al had said that they could always start over together, he really meant it.
And looking into his gentle golden eyes, he knew it was true. They would take one step at a time together on the voyage they called life.
"You like it here, Ed?" Al asked suddenly, raising his eyebrows in a curious manner.
Edward simply shrugged and poked him between the eyes, making him wince. "I suppose," he said. Ed chose to say the least even though there was a lot he could have said on the matter. He was a lot happier with the home they bought on the countryside than the place he'd been living in above Gracia's shop. He was happy that he and Al were back together and that all of his hard work to get Al his body back had succeeded. He was happy that they could live out in a place where people didn't know the kinds of things they did together; that made him especially happy.
He didn't really have to tell that to Al though because he was sure that he understood.
Al closed his eyes, pressing his forehead to Ed's shoulder. "I guess that means you like it here. So do I, nii-san. It's really great. I can do all the things I've always wanted to do here without worrying anymore." Briefly, he picked up his head and looked away. "It's just…"
"It's not home."
Without realizing it, the sun had begun to set and was already low on the horizon. The air had cooled and sent a chill down Alphonse's spine. He shivered and huddled closer to his brother. Life was perfect and it was everything they had been looking for but… it wasn't really perfect. It was just almost perfect. Life was like a confusing puzzle. Finally, they seemed to have reached the end of the line but their journey was far from over. Their puzzle was so close to being complete just when they lost some of the pieces.
When they burned their house, they had given up their home forever. Settling down was almost impossible. It didn't matter if they had a place they could officially call their home if it didn't feel like home to them. This new house of theirs was distinctly lacking some familiar faces. They had yet to even find the corresponding Winry in their new world. Everything looked the same but nothing would ever really feel the same.
The only real comfort they had was that they had been reunited and if that's all they had then it would just have to count for everything.
"I've got you, though," Edward said, kissing the top of Al's head. "And that means the world to me."
He looked up at the sky, noticing that the stars in the sky were becoming visible; just barely but they were certainly there. Slowly but surely, Alphonse was also falling asleep beside him. It made him smile. After those years of restlessness, Alphonse was able to sleep in bed beside him just like a normal person. Sometimes people don't notice the good things in life until they're gone. That's what people say, at least… but Al was such a young boy when he lost his body. Ed couldn't help feeling responsible.
Even after Al even told him that he didn't blame him, he still felt guilty for the pain he had put him through; like everything they had done was his fault. But those eyes of his never lied; he would just have to believe him.
Without even a word of notice, Ed threw himself from the hammock, miraculously landing square on his feet. Al flailed around for a few seconds and Ed just stood by watching him, amused with his surprise. With as late as it was getting, he didn't want to be outside when all of the mosquitoes came out. It was undoubted that his younger brother must have been covered in bug bites from his hours spent outside already. There was another advantage of auto-mail: less places to get bitten.
Of course, when he picked Alphonse up he complained, whining incoherently about how old he was and that he could take care of himself without any assistance. The thought of that alone struck at Ed's heart but he brushed it off his shoulder, remembering that he should take it as another one of Al's cute excuses. Alphonse's complaining was effectively ceased when Ed closed his mouth over his.
The kiss itself was short and sweet but its effects were always felt a long time after they would part. The cold sensation of metal beneath Ed's lips never compared to the real thing. The inhuman light in Al's eyes when he was trapped in that armor could never compare to the magic behind his brother's gorgeous golden eyes either.
Ed dipped his head closer to him, holding him still tightly in his arms. Lightly, he whispered in his ear.
"I think you're getting heavy, Al."
A very regrettable punch was delivered to Ed's solid metal arm. Al recoiled immediately, blowing on his injured fist. All Ed could do was laugh as he carried him back indoors.
Author's Notes: Well, there you have my first Fullmetal Alchemist fic. I really love the pairing, so I think I might write some more for it. I've considered doing some RoyxHughes stuff, but I feel more familiar with the ways of the Elric brothers. I hope you enjoyed reading! Feedback is always appreciated.