Unwritten

Author's Notes: I don't own FMA, someone want to get it for me for my 20th birthday? That'd be cool.

This was actually a drabble request that I started writing, and the drabble decided it wanted to go further than just a little thing, so I've decided to make it a fic. It's Alphonse/Sheska, it may be long (but I don't know), it was requested by Wing Omega and therefore is dedicated to Wing Omega, and…that is all. Oh, movie spoilers, but it deviates from the plot quite a bit; it's actually a revelation from the very beginning of the movie, so it doesn't really ruin the movie but better safe than sorry, I always say…

Anyway, enjoy!


The library was quiet, and she flipped each page slowly, engrossed. It was a captivating book on alchemy, and though she understood very little of it, the book was in the library and, therefore, lent itself to being read.

It was the door swinging open so violently that snapped her attention away from said book, and she looked up, seeing a red-cloaked figure darting through the room. She got to her feet immediately, frustrated that he had just come running in and disturbing the silence in the building; she considered it well within her rights to scold him for being so inconsiderate.

The brunette finally found him in a back corner of the library, sitting on the floor, and instantly, green eyes widened behind glasses. That red coat, the black shirt, the hair; she knew she recognized him.

"E…Edward?" she stammered, before crouching down on the floor. "Ed?" she repeated, gripping his shoulders, shaking him, "Ed, listen to me—we've been so worried, Winry's been beside herself, you've been gone for almost two years—where have you been? Your brother is convinced that—"

She fell silent when the person finally looked up.

"Alphonse!"

His eyes were just a hair darker than his older brother's, his face pallid and hair plastered against his head from running, or perhaps the rain; Sheska wasn't sure. Either way, he looked distressed.

"Al…what are you doing here? Are you all right?" She tilted Al's chin upwards, to make out the rest of his features. He looked younger than she might've pictured him, but the resemblance to his brother was uncanny. In Ed's clothes, he looked just like his brother.

"I don't know," came the quiet response.

Sheska frowned, reaching into a pocket in search of a handkerchief, towel, anything she could dry him off with. Anything. "How did you get all the way to Central?"

He only shrugged.

"Al, please," Sheska murmured quietly, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet. "I don't know what happened but…you…you're soaking wet. At least let me find you something dry to wear."

Al yanked his hand away from her, eyes narrowed defensively, and she froze, panicked. Then, her eyes flickered with remembrance.

"You don't remember me."

Slowly, he shook his head. "No," he said softly. "I don't. I can't."

Sheska frowned, but grabbed his hand again, tugging him back to where she had been sitting, before gathering her books and her umbrella, slipping on her jacket. "Sheska," she said quietly. "Winry has been writing to me, telling me how things have been going. I heard you were back with your teacher, Izumi Curtis."

He stiffened, and shook his head.

"No? Why would she say that…"

"Teacher passed away," he replied softly, golden eyes focused on the ground.

"Oh…Al, I'm…I'm so sorry," she mumbled, brows furrowed as she started towards the door. "Come on. You can't go walking about soaking wet. You'll catch your death of a cold."


The walk through the rain was silent. In the house, it was silent. Alphonse stood, still dripping wet, in her front foyer, not daring to go further for fear of tripping over books or getting things in the house wetter than absolutely necessary. Sheska finally returned, towel in tow, smiling at him, "here. I put some clothes in the washroom. It's not much. Probably won't even fit all that well but you'll get sick staying in that. Just change, dry off, and I'll make you some tea. Go ahead," she added, waving a hand to shoo him in the proper direction.

Turning to the stove, she started heating the water, quiet, concerned. She hadn't heard of Izumi's death, nor had she heard that Al had gone missing, though obviously that had to be the case, considering he had just show up all the way in Central, when he had supposedly been staying with Izumi in Dublith. Sheska could only imagine how—why—he ended up in Central, of all places, where she knew that he had no connection. He might have spent a lot of time here in his travels with Edward, but she knew that he didn't remember. She wondered if he was just trying to escape people he knew.

She didn't turn when she heard footsteps behind her, and jumped with a start when a hand was tapping her shoulder, almost anxiously. She turned to see him staring right at her, looking tired and weary but a smile resting on the edges of his mouth. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Sheska grinned at him, "wow, my father's clothes fit you pretty well! He forgot one of his bags when he visited last. You know, you're a lot taller than Edward was."

He shrugged slightly, a hand rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Can I help you with anything? I don't want to impose on you."

"It's all right. I'm just waiting for the water to heat up. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked softly,

"You've done a lot."

Sheska smiled wearily, hearing the kettle whistle behind her. She served two cups of tea, and sat him down at the small kitchen table, still smiling at him. "Just drink this, warm yourself up. You're going to have a nasty cold if you don't."

"I'll have a nasty cold anyway," he replied quietly, "and I'm not going to stay here, not going to keep imposing on you. You've helped a lot already…"

She smiled, "shut up and drink the tea, Al. Then you're going to get some sleep. Don't worry about it," she added hastily, "I'm happy to help you out." Sheska paused, looking into her cup of tea, "it's good to see you."


The next morning, Sheska was up first. Opening the shades, she yawned, wondering what she had planned for the day; thankfully she had a day off. It was when she crossed her apartment and saw Al sleeping on the couch that she remembered that he was still here.

His breathing was a bit heavy, brow covered with sweat. Frowning, she approached him, pulling the blanket back up to his shoulder. She brushed her fingertips against his forehead, and sighed; he had a fever. She walked to the kitchen, heating up another kettle to get hot water for tea, and also grabbing a washcloth which she dipped in cool water and a rice cake, in case he was hungry. When the tea was ready, she walked back into the other room, crouching beside the makeshift bed.

"Well, you went and caught yourself a nasty cold just like I thought you would," she said softly, folding the washcloth and placing it on his head. "You know, you're unbelievable? You even have a fever." The girl sounded far less annoyed than she did concerned, and placed the cup of tea and rice cake on the table beside the couch.

"Hey, Al? I'm going to go get you some medicine," she mumbled, well aware that he was asleep and that she was not his babysitter, and that she was fully capable of leaving the house without telling him where she was headed. She couldn't bear to just leave him without telling him at least where she had gone, so she grabbed a small piece of paper, and scribbled a short note for her.

Grabbing her coat, she sighed, "and maybe a book on how to make you feel better."


It was almost noon by the time Sheska returned to the apartment, bag in tow, and several books piled in her arms. It had been her only solution, she defended quietly—she didn't know how to help Alphonse if he had a bad cold, but the nurse in the infirmary at the military base did know. But she should've known that showing up at work would've ended up in getting work to do on her day off.

Placing the pile of books on the kitchen table, she walked over to Al. He was still asleep, but she noticed that the tea had been sipped at, at some point in her almost four-hour absence. The rice cake was exactly where she had left it, and the note had something written on it. From the angle she was standing at, she couldn't quite make out the handwriting. Picking it up, she smiled. His handwriting was sloppy when he didn't feel well, but it was the thought that counted, correct? All his note said was 'Thank you, Sheska'.
"Hey, Al?" she asked softly, placing the note back on the table and shaking his shoulders just slightly. "The nurse in the infirmary at work told me what medicine I should give you, that will help your fever go down."

He stirred only slightly, but didn't wake up. She shook him again, concerned. "Come on Al, I have to give you this. Please?"

She could feel him stretching wearily under the blanket, and then he sat bolt upright, somewhat puzzled. Golden eyes stared directly into her green, and he blinked, in a state of attempting to process what was going on, exactly.

"Sheska?"

The brunette grinned, nodding emphatically. "Yeah! I just got back from—"

"Thank you," he mumbled, his throat dry. She shook her head, and then sat on the couch next to him.

"I have some medicine for you," she declared, digging through the bag from the store, finally producing the thick purple liquid. "The nurse said it's rather disgusting, but it works really well."

"I don't need any medicine," he replied starkly.

"Yes you do. You have a fever."

"Which will go away on his own."

Sheska shook her head, "nope. The nurse said I'm going to give this to you, so I'm going to give it to you, and that's the end of it. I'll get you water." Knowingly, she kept the medicine bottle in hand as she went back to the kitchen, getting a glass of water and returning with it. She mumbled quietly to herself as she read the directions on the bottle, before giving him the proper dose.

"Sheska, I don't think I really…"

"Just take the medicine!" she ordered, one foot stomping on the ground. "It will make you feel better!"

"But I don't think I need it."

"Well I do, and it's my apartment. You're so stubborn, Al, just take it."

The grimace she was met with reminded her of Ed's dislike for milk, and she debated pouring the medication down his throat if necessary. Sheska crossed her arms, her look like a mother scolding a naughty child. "Take the medicine, Al."

He sighed, shaking his head, but didn't even bother to protest. He swallowed the small cupful in one gulp, and then quickly downed the entire glass of water. The escapade was completed with him coughing, as he hadn't paused to breathe between the consumption of the two liquids. When Al looked back at her, his gaze was dark, brow furrowed.

"That stuff is disgusting."

"Well, it's medicine. It's not going to taste like candy, if that's what you were expecting!"

Al cracked a small smile, nodding a bit. She was right, and they both knew it.

"I need to unpack the groceries, and then I have some paperwork to do. Just transcribing. I can't believe they suckered me into working on my day off!"

"How'd they do that?" Al asked, coughing again to clear his throat, though his voice was still hoarse.

"I told you, I wasn't sure what medicine would be helpful, so I asked the nurse at the military base. I just didn't get away fast enough, Lieutenant Ross found me and said that there was a huge pile of work on my desk that needed to be addressed. I tried to tell her it's my day off, but she wasn't really all that interested."

"I'll help you, if I can," he said quietly, getting to his feet. Sick as he was, he still offered her his hand to pull her to her feet, the smirk on his face lopsided.

"You need to rest," Sheska replied.

"I'm all right, I was only up for about ten minutes when you were out, it's almost noon, isn't it?" Al questioned rationally. "Think of it as…a thank you present—you really don't have to do this for me."

"I know," she replied brightly, grabbing his arm as he helped her up, beaming at him. "I want to."