Disclaimer: Rowan tosses a coin into a wishing well and says, "I wish I had created FullMetal Alchemist! I wish Edward were mine!" There you have it: hasn't happened yet, but she's waiting patiently for the well to come through for her.

AC (Author's Claim): The OC in this chapter belongs to me, got it? Mr. and Mrs. Fury are my characters! Yay, some things here are totally and completely mine!

Note: This chapter also took a long time to write, but I am very proud that I managed to finish it in time for a Tuesday. If I had managed to keep with my original schedule, we'd be on Chapter Eight by now, but I'm sort of happy that I've been able to drag the story out a little longer than anticipated. For one thing, I get to enjoy it more, rather than rush through the story. Secondly, I finished the series on Saturday! I have now officially seen every single episode of FullMetal Alchemist. I'm sure that that has nothing to do with the writing of this story, but I just really wanted to mention that. But I will ask that you really don't leave spoilers in your reviews, just as a courtesy to other readers who may have not seen the entire series. Thank you, and on to Chapter Six!

Darling

Chapter Six- Futari wa aruki-tsuzukeru

It had been a few days since their argument and Ed yearned to speak to Alphonse. But he had restraint, he resisted, and so the days that passed went by in agonizing pain. Edward wanted to call him, wanted to apologize, just wanted to hear Al's voice, but was afraid that the mere sound of his breath would make him come. And how awkward that would be. So Edward had only his imagination and his taunting dreams.

Most nights, since Edward moved in with Fury- with Havoc almost as common a fixture as a toilet- the three ate dinner together, though some nights Havoc bribed Edward to forgo his supper so the couple could enjoy a nice candlelight dinner together. They didn't like going out in public, mainly because of the stares, but also because it wouldn't be fair on their friends if they saw them together before the couple revealed themselves as such. Anyway, it was much less complicated in the privacy of their homes. Edward didn't mind too much, especially since they were very mindful of Edward's presence at night and were kind enough not to proclaim too loudly their happiness. Not that Ed would have been envious of their luck, but it did remind him too much of another mating pair.

One evening, not too long after Ed's quarrel with Al, the three friends were sitting at dinner when Fury had the bad timing to announce that his parents were coming to Central that weekend and were staying with Fury while they were visiting, and would Ed mind sleeping on the couch those few nights? Not that Edward really minded, but Havoc, obviously not aware of this news, stared at Fury with incredulous wonder. Fury, at first, did not notice the look on his lover's face, until Havoc coughed loudly into his hand.

"Cain, if you don't mind, but when were you going to tell me this?"

Fury blinked at Havoc. "Um, well, just now, Jean."

"But…but…you're supposed to tell me these things first. Your parents are coming! That's huge!" said Havoc.

Fury frowned in confusion. "How is that? It doesn't affect where you're going to sleep."

"But it's your parents, Cain! I need a lot more time than this to prepare." Havoc's eyes were wide with his intensity.

"Prepare for what?"

"Well I'm meeting your parents soon, aren't I?" Havoc said. "I don't even think I'm mentally there yet, so we've got some work to do Cain. I mean, on our relationship, that is."

"...oh, right." Fury glanced away.

Havoc peered closely at his lover's face. "You're going to introduce them to me, aren't you?"

Fury laughed nervously, his face beginning to glow. "Uh, well..."

Edward watched with fascination the slow dawn of understanding come into Havoc's face, the blood running out of his cheeks. Havoc slowly stood from the table, his eyes hard as stone. Fury shrank beneath his shadow. "What, then, were you going to call me, Cain, if I'm not your lover?" he asked.

Fury turned his eyes down. "I...Jean, honestly I...I'm not ready for that yet. I...can't call you my lover..." He swallowed, knowing how weak his words were.

"Then what am I, Fury?" Cain flinched at his last name.

"...a...my friend."

Havoc closed his eyes as though in pain. "Well. At least you didn't say colleague." He walked over to the door leading out of the apartment.

Fury stood. "Jean-"

Havoc shook his head. "No, Cain, I don't want to hear it. I'm sorry you're so ashamed of me. But until you've figured out just what I am to you truly, I can't...I just can't be with you." Havoc turned his head towards the door, his hand resting on the knob. "I can't be your friend to the outside world, but only your lover in bed. I'm either one or the other, Cain. It can't be both ways." And with hardly a sound, he slipped out the door.

Edward stared at the door a moment, his mind not on the quiet split between his friends, but rather of Alphonse running away from him, motivated by anger and betrayed trust. When he turned his eyes to Fury, Ed felt he understood the icy look of pain on Cain's face, sure that beneath the mask of his outside face, he wore the exact same look.

"Fury..." Ed cleared his throat, and the man glanced over at him, his eyes blinking rapidly, as though he had just noticed Edward for the first time. "I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that was the wrong answer."

Fury nodded slowly. "I know, Edward. I just...didn't expect him to care so much."

"Do you think he'll come back?"

Fury screwed his eyes together, as though that would make Havoc reappear at the dinner table. "...I don't know. I think...," he shook his head. "No. I don't know."

Edward marveled at the control Fury had over his emotions the next few days. It was obvious to him how much Fury really cared about Havoc clearly he had not meant to say that he did not see Havoc as his lover, but rather that some things are said over the phone, or in a letter, better than spring it on his unsuspecting parents without the least bit of warning. But that also showed how little Fury thought of his parents, or rather he betrayed his fear that his parents would be reluctant to support their son. Edward didn't know Fury's parents, so he could not say if those fears were founded, or just a reflection of Fury's own uncertainty. He could tell, at home, when Fury was open, vulnerable, just how miserable he was without Havoc.

Three days since Havoc walked out on Fury, Edward saw him at headquarters, leaning against a pillar at the entrance, slowly smoking a cigarette. He was the image of carefree laziness, but Ed suspected that the only thing keeping Havoc from racing back inside and taking Fury back into his arms was the cigarette balanced in his hands.

As Ed walked past Havoc, he paused. Was he allowed to greet Havoc? Not that he cared much, but he was not part of their quarrel. Ed shrugged, and decided to forget it. Havoc had the appearance of one seeking solitude anyhow, and Ed would respect that.

But just as Ed moved past him, Havoc cracked an eye open and stood up suddenly, his air of calm thrown away like ashes from the end of his cigarette. "Edward!" he said, catching Ed's attention.

Ed turned around, surprised. "Yes, Second Lieutenant?"

Havoc coughed, then turned his eyes away. "Um…how's Cain?"

Ed frowned, then comprehension dawned on him. "Oh, Fury. He's…okay," he said, not sure whether that was the truth or just the lie that Fury himself wanted to believe.

"Really?" But the pain in Havoc's eyes told Ed that perhaps he wanted to hear how much Fury is suffering without him.

"…Well, he misses you, I think."

"Oh." Still unhappy, Ed thought. Did he want to hear that Fury wanted him back, that he knew he was wrong? Because Havoc would have to hear it from Fury himself, even though Edward knew that was how Fury felt. "Well, Ed, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

Ed frowned, but nodded. "What is it?"

"...I need a place to stay for a few days." Havoc glanced away, his eyes dark with embarrassment. "I, uh, haven't been paying my rent because I was always at...ahem, well, basically, I've been kicked out of my apartment."

"I...I can't make that decision, Havoc. It's really not my apartment-" Ed paused, his brows furrowed. Well, how strange. It was a lie that the apartment wasn't his; he and Fury split the rent evenly between them, which gave Ed as much right to invite Havoc to stay as Fury had to invite his parents. But even so, the apartment was not 'home.' Ed shook his head. "I'm sorry Havoc, I was wrong. If you can't find any place to stay, then I suppose Fury will have to accept that you'll be staying with us."

Havoc gave Ed a shaky smile before he brought his cigarette back up to his lips. Edward nodded and then proceeded into the building. Of course he understood what Havoc was up to; he could just as easily have stayed in the barracks for a few nights, until he got his apartment back. Havoc just could not bear being separated from Fury, despite his anger with him. Just to be near him, to watch over him, and know he's okay...

Ed lifted his chin proudly. He was stronger than Havoc; he had restraint.

But maybe Havoc had the right of it. To hell with his pride.

Fury was outwardly furious with Edward for allowing Havoc to stay with them, but Edward could see inwardly the happiness, the joy, and the bitter regret that Fury truly felt at his former lover's presence. It was similar to that damning feeling he felt blossom in his chest every time he saw Alphonse. Edward resisted many times the urge to rant at the pair of men and tell them to get over their issues and make up, because their hesitancy was driving him mad. It was frustrating to understand everything and be unable to do anything.

The worst thing was the silence in the apartment. The first evening, whenever Havoc entered a room, if Fury was in there, he would silently leave, passing Havoc with a pained, martyred expression on his face. Edward watched this constant dance of avoidance, how graceful and silent they would pass each other, not a single moment of weakness or tiny glance into the other's eyes. They were determined to remain mad at each other. Though Ed postulated that the true anger each man felt was inwards, rather than to the man he loved. It was enough to make him scream from the pointlessness of it all.

And by the third day, the day before Fury's parents were supposed to arrive, Edward decided that his pride really could go to hell and tell the devil hello for him, because to stay in that apartment another moment with the pair of them, like petulant teenagers, would be the death of him. Well, he could always return once Fury's parents were gone and knock some sense into his friends, but distance, he felt would be the best thing for him. And perhaps, with Edward gone, the two of them would find their own way to reconcile. Perhaps having Ed around held their emotions in check. Edward figured that his absence was the next best to locking them in the broom closet together and leaving them in there until they sorted out their problems. There were too many problems in that plan, however, for Ed to try it out. So instead of devising a way to maneuver Havoc and Fury into the closet without arousing their suspicion, Ed called Sheska.

And got a dial tone. Either she had gotten herself buried again (which would mean Ed would have to go by later to dig her out) or she was out at the moment. Ed decided to go with the latter, and gave her two hours before calling her again.

"Hello?" a female voice, not Sheska, said from the other end of the line.

Ed frowned. "Lieutenant Ross? Where's Sheska?"

"Edward? I'm sorry, Sheska left a couple days ago to visit her parents and won't be back for another week. Was it really important?"

"Uh, no. But Lieutenant Ross, what are you doing over there?" Ed asked.

"I came to pick up some documents she finished copying before she left. Um, if you don't mind, Ed, but I have to get them back to the library as quick as I can, so..." she trailed off.

"Uh, yeah, no problem. Well thanks, Lieutenant."

"Anytime, Edward. Bye."

"Goodbye."

Edward placed the phone in its cradle and frowned. Well, that was no good. He had hoped he wouldn't have to, but picking up the phone, Edward called Al.

The phone was lifted from the cradle on the first ring, and Ed hesitated to speak. What if this was Julie again, and she hung up on him as she had before? He held his breath and waited.

"Hello, who is this?" Edward slowly released his air. It was Alphonse after all, but now for the hard part. Al had not forgotten Ed's comment about home, and he certainly was not sure if Al would even forgive him for what he said about Julie, even though it was true. Ed paused a second longer, then spoke.

"Alphonse? It's me, Edward."

"...oh, hello Brother. What is it?"

Ed dropped his eyes to the ground beneath him, the grey stone of the military headquarters. Below on the street, Ed could hear cars drive past and the world buzz by, but the only sound that mattered was Al's voice in his ear, so close and so far. "I was wondering if I could stay at your house for a few days. Fury's parents are coming for the weekend and I need a place to stay."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Ed gripped the phone in his hand and held it tight to the side of his face. Alphonse wasn't that mad, was he? Edward prayed to hear something, anything, other than this torturous silence. Finally, Al spoke. "Brother, it's your home too," he said. Ah, so he hadn't forgotten. Well, okay, Ed thought, if he wants to call it my home, then I can let him do that. If that's what makes him happy. "But you can only stay here on one condition."

"What is that, Al?"

Al's voice was harsh, raw. "Answer me honestly. Do you love me?"

Edward froze. What...? Alphonse, how did he... "Of course I love you Al. You're my brother," Ed replied, his face stuck in a horrid grimace of a grin. He laughed, but nervously, transparent.

"Edward, you were right, Julie was just using me. All she wanted to do was write a biography on you." Al paused, let this new twist sink in, elate Edward for a moment, then horrify him with his affirming words. "I read her notes. Edward, be serious, I mean it." Edward could see his gentle face contort with sage seriousness. He gasped for air; he was drowning. And then, Al said them, the words that killed him.

"Brother, are you in love with me?"

Mr. and Mrs. Fury were looking forward to this visit to Central, to see their only son Cain again. Their last visit had been five months ago, and they had such fun, meeting Cain's friends and colleagues, and, Mrs. Fury recalled with a blush, the handsome Colonel who was Cain's commanding officer, Mustang. Mr. Fury glared at his wife at the mention of the dashing colonel. But both of them remembered Cain's good friend Jean Havoc with warmth. Such a nice young man, Mrs. Fury would say, Mr. Fury nodding. Decent, loyal fellow. Just the kind Cain could depend on to be there. Yes, Jean Havoc was a good man.

When Mr. and Mrs. Fury arrived at their son's apartment, they were surprised at how messy the place was. Well, compared to three months before, and Cain was so neat for a male, that surely the mess they saw in the salon- papers strewn about the table, coffee cup stains on the varnished wood- was the cause of another occupant. But where had Cain found such a disorganized young woman?

But then Cain entered the room on the way to the kitchen, dressed only in his boxers and a white undershirt. He started, then blushed bright red. By now, it was nearing noon. "Mom, Dad!" he exclaimed, and moved forward to embrace them. "I wasn't expecting you until this evening!"

"Were you planning on picking up later, Cain?" his mother sniffed, her eyes going to the mess on the coffee table in front of the kitchen.

Cain frowned in consternation, then realized she was referring to the piles of papers, magazines, and newspaper clippings on the table, and he shook his head, a look of slight irritation crossing his face. "I told Jean to clean up when he was done, but does he listen?"

"Oh, Jean Havoc?" Cain's father asked. "How is your friend, by the way?"

Cain opened his mouth to reply when a voice from down the hall called, "Oi, Cain, who are talking to?" Cain's eyes went wide. The voice was distinctly male and distinctly came from his bedroom. Cain began to blush.

"Oh!" his mother exclaimed. "Does Jean live with you now, Cain? I thought that was only temporary."

Cain laughed shortly. "Well, you know, we decided it was cheaper if he just stayed here and we split the rent..."

"So Jean is giving his room up to us while we stay here?" Mrs. Fury said. "That's very kind of him. I always thought Jean Havoc was such a good young man."

Cain turned bright red. "Actually, you'll be staying in the guest room, Mom. You see, Jean-" but before Cain could finish his sentence, Jean himself appeared in the doorway, his eyes half drooping with sleep. He too was dressed in his boxers, but he'd been too lazy to pull on a shirt, so Cain nearly fainted with embarrassment when Jean appeared beside him.

Mr. and Mrs. Fury stared in silent surprise at the two young men. Mrs. Fury was the first to speak. "Cain, I suppose this...I mean...I'm confused."

Cain burned red shame. "Well, you would have found out eventually, but I suppose now's as good a time as any. Mom, Dad, Jean is my boyfriend. We've been dating for nearly a year now." Their eyes grew large as plates. "I should have told you before, but I didn't have the courage. I hope you can forgive me?"

Cain closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to face his parents'...whatever reaction they could possibly have, rage, disgust, shock, whatever it was could not be worth watching. But then he felt the soft arms of his mother encircle him around his shoulders and, opening his eyes, watched his father shake hands with Jean, a benevolent though confused fatherly look on his face. And his mother whispered that while she wasn't sure what to say, as long as he was happy...

And, Cain was.

"...and I tell you, pregnancy suits her. She practically glows now. But, you know, I just don't know how I'm going to handle it if she has the baby tomorrow. Emotionally, I mean..."

Edward sighed in boredom, but he still could not hold back the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He supposed it was a testament to their friendship, but who would have guessed that, when it came to fatherhood, Roy and Maes would be exactly the same? It was heartwarming to Ed, to listen to Mustang gush over the baby, and at the same time sad, for it reminded him of Hughes. Though this was now the fifth time that week that Edward had to listen to Roy's bubbling-over excitement. If he didn't change the subject soon, Edward would seriously consider doing Roy's child a favor and saving it from having Mustang for a father. (Of course, he thought this all in good jest; he would never really do anything to Roy.)

Alphonse was in the kitchen preparing lunch for the four of them- Riza was resting in hers and Roy's bedroom, at her husband's insistence. Down the hall, Al could hear Roy talking Ed's ear off, how beautiful Riza was, how wonderful children were, and...Al frowned. What would Roy do if the baby was...he shook his head. "I don't mean to interrupt, sir, but babies can't be born after just five months!" Al shouted down the hall, then turned his attention back to his sandwiches.

There was a pause in the flow of Roy's rant, but a second later it started up again. "Jeez, doesn't your brother realize I'm only joking?" But Roy was laughing; he knew that Al was half-joking too- only half, because there was a part of Mustang that wondered just what he would do when the baby finally was born.

Edward was laughing too. "You know, Colonel, you are just like Hughes. Who would have thought that married life would turn you into your best friend?" There was the slightest trace of sorrow in Ed's voice; so slight that only Al's ear could catch it. Over the past five months Al had come to remember a time when he had been so attuned to his brother's emotions that he didn't even need to see Ed's face to know just how he looked; the simplest inflection in Ed's voice told Alphonse all he needed to know about Ed's mood. He wondered sometimes how it was for Edward. Did he know Al's voice so well that the merest fraction of a change in it spoke volumes of his emotions? Or was it beyond the moon of that? Could Ed see a single hair in the middle of a haystack and know Al had been there? What was it like to love that way? Al wondered, but did not know.

He picked up the tray of sandwiches and walked down the hall toward the living room.

"You know, Edward, Maes was right. Married life liberated me in a way I cannot describe. I cannot imagine life with Riza, without having that special bond of marriage tying us together, bonding us together forever. And this baby, our baby, is the result of that bond, a representation and result of it, and so I can say with confidence that this baby will be beautiful. Because...because how could it not be?" Alphonse smiled sadly at the thought, sad for Edward, who would never understand. Alphonse wished on that moment that Edward would understand that feeling Roy had described, despite and beyond his love for...his brother. Al shivered as the moment passed and continued walking down the hall.

"So, Edward, is there anyone special in your life yet?" Roy asked just as Alphonse walked over the threshold. Edward could feel Al's eye's on the back of his stiff neck. Both brothers were frozen by the question. They knew the answer, standing right in front of them, something they had promised each other never to discuss, because that was just something that was easier to ignore than fight face on.

Edward grinned. "Nope, no one," he said.

Roy's eyes were wide. "You're kidding, right FullMetal? You don't have a girlfriend yet?" Edward shook his head. Al stepped forward and placed the tray on the table between Roy and Ed. Mustang glanced up at Al as he stepped away. "What about you, Alphonse? Anyone since Julie?"

Al shook his head ruefully. "No, I've been too busy for a girlfriend," he said, but he saw Ed look away from him. They knew the reason Al wasn't dating, and Ed felt guilty anytime the subject came up. Not that it was Ed's fault that Al felt guilty, hurting his brother whenever he showed interest in someone. Alphonse just felt too terrible doing that to Edward.

"Well, I'll go bring Riza her lunch. There's a pitcher of lemonade in the kitchen if you guys want something to drink."

"Thank you, Al," Roy said with a grin. Edward tried to smile as well, but his mind was distracted and his eyes stared over Al's shoulder.

Al returned to the kitchen, grabbed Riza's sandwich, and made his way down to the other end of the hallway, where Riza rested propped up on the pillows. The curtains on the window were thrown back, sunlight flooding in and covering the room with a soft shimmer. Riza's face was turned toward the window, her face pale but glowing in the sun's rays, a faint smile playing on her lips. Roy was right, Al thought. Pregnancy had turned Riza Hawkeye into a woman conscience of herself.

At the sound of Al in the doorway, Riza turned her gaze away from the window. Alphonse hesitated at the piercing, sharp look in her eyes, then approached the bed, placing the plate on the table beside the bed. "Hello, Hawk-, erm, Riza," Al said, still not used to the fact that she was no longer Hawkeye, but Mrs. Riza Mustang. And though she insisted that they call her "Riza," neither brother was quite used to that.

Riza smiled. "Thank you, Alphonse. How are you, today?"

Al sat in the seat by the bed. "Not bad. It's good to get away from work, once in a while. And you, how are you doing?" Al nodded at the bed and Riza chuckled.

"Roy insists that I get plenty of rest. To be honest, I feel slightly cooped up in this house, but I don't want to worry Roy, so I stay in bed to humor him." She smiled as only a woman could smile, tolerance for her man's idiocy mingled with love for that silly authority. Alphonse grinned back.

"Say, Hawkeye, I-" Al blushed at that slip, but Riza waved her hand as if to say she forgave him that lapse of memory. "You know," Al observed, "it's strange. I always knew that you loved Mustang, and that somehow, you two would marry one day. But the way Roy used to be with the ladies back in those days, I don't know how I could have been so sure. Isn't that odd?"

Riza shook her head. "No, I know what you mean, Al. I never doubted in my mind that Roy loved me, even when it seemed like he never could. But in the end, he does love me, and to be honest, I never lost hope that he would." She laughed, the round sphere of her stomach moving up and down as she did so. "Perhaps that makes me the strange one, huh?"

Al frowned in thought even as he smiled at her confession. "But what made you so confident that he would love you? How could you be so sure?" he whispered. He wasn't thinking of Riza as he asked, though, but of someone else, of someone that, thinking this, his heart grew heavy with sorrow. He didn't want Edward to hope as Riza hoped, to believe as Riza had.

Alphonse hated causing Edward sorrow.

Riza glanced down at the white sheets covering her legs. "I'm not sure, Al, what made me so confident. I think it was just the strength of my love that convinced me to hold on to hope. I mean, I loved him so much; how could he not return those feelings?"

It was what Alphonse feared the most. "I suppose...you were really lucky, Riza, that Mustang didn't end up hurting you instead."

"Yeah," she said after a moment. "I suppose I was."

The entire drive home, Alphonse found himself lost in thought, contemplating Riza's words. Would Edward hold on to hope as she had and allow this terrible, horrible, fascinating love to fester like a wound within his heart? Alphonse wouldn't bear watching such love eat Edward up, the monstrous feeling growing within him until neither could stand being in the same room together- Ed for fear of succumbing to the deepest, most dangerous pent-up desires within his heart, and Alphonse for fear of submitting to them out of pity. Then they would drift, until Al's heart grew so heavy from guilt that he would seek his brother out and pretend that the guilt that drove him was love instead. But one day Alphonse would meet someone and love her with all his being and Edward would realize that all that time Al had been living a lie, and then...then Ed would realize his hope had betrayed him, clouded his vision. And then what? Because Alphonse would not leave his brother, because he did love him, but he would wilt with misery, and Edward would finally let him go. And would Al abandon his brother...but Al shook his head. He was letting his imagination run away from him, and none of that would happen. Instead they would always skirt around the subject, the fact that Ed loved Alphonse like that. And both would be miserable, but nothing more. Nothing would come from nothing, and Alphonse had no love like that to give.

And the fear that Riza was right, that the strength of one's love was enough and that Alphonse could possibly love Edward that much? It would be a lie to say that thought had never crossed Al's mind.

But he tried not to dwell on it.

When they entered the house, Edward disappeared into the library and resumed the book he was currently reading. Alphonse, silently, went into the kitchen and began to prepare dinner.

As Al watched the water in the pot begin to boil, he reflected on the past five months. The call from Edward had come about a week since he'd gotten rid of Julie, a week where Al had sat in his library, questioning, doubting what he'd read in her notebook. He'd pored over every reference to Edward in his books, to find some clue, something that would refute what he would later confirm as undeniable truth. But he found no answer in his books, instead finding confirmation of his fear in every memory of Edward. There was nothing in the world more important to Ed than Alphonse himself, and though they'd known many women in their journeys, none had managed to capture Edward's attentions. Yet whenever Al needed him, Edward came running to help him, willing to drop everything for Al. And what about that time when Ed had declared that, with a word from Al, he would purposefully fail his State Alchemist examination? Everything had pointed to the inevitable conclusion: Alphonse was the sun in Ed's sky, the apple of his eye, his everything.

And then the call came, and Ed needed a place to stay for a couple of days. Who knew that what Al said would come true, that this place would become home for them? For even when Julie had stayed there with Alphonse, there was something missing, something that only made it his house. But having Edward there in their house somehow made it home, like the one they'd burned in Resembool so many years ago.

However, Edward could only stay at the house if he answered Al's question. He knew it would be difficult for Ed to hear, especially over the phone, especially because, if it were true, it was a secret he'd kept for many years that he would have to reveal. And with a weighted, "I am," Edward verified what Al dreaded to hear. But despite the truth, Edward was still his brother, and Al allowed him to stay.

It was...Al wanted to say that it was never weird between them, that they were able to overlook Edward's feelings, but that would be a lie. Yes, they never discussed it since that phone call, and when Edward arrived later that afternoon, they acted as though everything was the same, but there was an unspoken distance between them now, an agreement to avoid contact, when before they had been so much more open with their brotherly affection. Neither of them could pretend that those feelings were still hidden away, buried somewhere within Edward, because it was out there now, like a silent specter living in the house with them, hovering over the table at dinner, residing within the bindings of books, waiting under their covers when they went to bed.

Yet over time, things began to grow normal again. They developed a routine, an order of doing things, that domesticized the ghost living within them and helped exorcize the spirit from the halls of their home. At times, Alphonse allowed himself to forget completely what kept them still at such a distance. But there was always something there that would provide him with a rude awakening, a reminder that nothing between them would ever be normal again.

The water reached a boil, and Alphonse poured the pasta into the welcoming water. Mindlessly, thoughtlessly, he finished cooking the sauce and the pasta, then laid out the table in the kitchen. Leaving the simmering spaghetti on the stove, he went to get Edward and try to tear him away from his novel.

When Alphonse entered the library, he found Edward sleeping, his book resting open on his chest. Al smiled at his slumbering brother, who looked so innocent as he slept. His face relaxed and his mouth was turned up in a tiny, content smile. Al picked up the book and placed it on the table beside the armchair, then brushed a stray hair out of Ed's eye. It reminded him of the time, so long ago, when he'd been a suit of armor, clamoring behind Edward across the country. Edward had acted so grown-up, but of course, they were both only children and had to look after each other. Ed, always the more reckless one, would often get himself into many parlous situations, though Al got into many of his own scrapes as well (but that, Ed argued, was due to Al's stupidity. But he paid for those comments; it is not wise to insult a seven-foot sheet of metal.) Alphonse found himself watching over Edward a lot in those days though, not just when Ed got himself into trouble (for he usually managed to get himself out of that) but when Ed forgot the time with research, it was Al's responsibility to see his brother ate and got his rest.

How is that any different from now? Al wondered silently as he brought his hand back from Ed's soft face. Without realizing it, his fingers had fallen to caressing Ed's cheek, the skin there soft and smooth, delicate beneath the tips of his fingers. A small, frightened smile tightened Al's lips. Once, he had longed for nothing more than to touch that face and feel the warmth in that cream-colored skin. And now...? Strangely, Alphonse felt those old desires, from his armored days, rise full-blooded into his chest, twisting his heart into a tight knot and blocking the natural flow of air in his lungs. Yes, there was a time when Al had longed to cover that face with kisses, to place his lips against his brother's smirking lips, and pay him thanks in love.

Slowly, Alphonse lowered his face toward Edward, until his quiet breath tickled Al's flushing cheeks. This was crazy, what was he doing? Al thought even as he moved closer still, until his mouth hovered over Ed's mouth. And closer still, until Al's wide eyes could see each individual lash on Edward's eyelids. Closer, and their lips were touching; Alphonse was kissing his brother, softly, gentle, and his eyes were beginning to close, because what if Edward woke up? Al watched and waited for a moment, his lips glued to Edward, frozen, hesitating. But nothing happened, and Al closed his eyes and, imagining for a moment this was...this was...but the only face that came to him was Edward, and yet he continued to kiss him, drove closer even. What was he doing, what was he thinking...was he insane? Probably, who could say?

But the fact of the matter was, Alphonse continued to kiss Edward. And then, Edward woke up.

Chapter Six- The two of us must keep on walking

So, I'll first address the matter of that scene from last chapter: it was the one between Edward and Mustang, and I originally was going to have Edward confess his feelings for Al to Roy. Only when Ed turned around did I realize that Ed would never do something like that! So to everyone who guessed that scene, here is a cookie! As for the "speedy update," I think this was a little sooner than last chapter (I think.) But I promise that I will not leave you guys hanging on this scene, waiting to know what happens next, for long! I know I said something about uphill, but...well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we? Well, at least this chapter was a little more uplifting, imo, than last one. Edward's back in Al's house again, Julie's gone, and, to verify that you really did read right, Alphonse kissed Edward! Ah, you say, why did he do that? Well, be patient, and I'll tell you in Chapter Seven! Until then- Rowan

P.S. For the person who leaves the lengthiest review for this chapter, Rowan will owe you an FMA one-shot of your specifications once "Darling" is complete. This is to encourage you all to say something- anything- about this other than "It was good. Update." This is Sakura, promoting healthy reviewing.

P.P.S. Somehow, each chapter is longer than the preceding one, and with this chapter it's no different. Once again, past the 6000 word mark!