Kimblee was onto them. No matter where Alphonse turned, a cold presence followed him; an ever-present shadow that made the sea feel like ice. Kimblee's not-so-discreet stares had kept him on guard throughout the morning, so when he finally began to creep his way, Al could feel his tense muscles relax. Though he was far from anticipating the interaction, he'd welcome it if it meant the courtier would be off his back.

Luckily for him, he wasn't as prone to slipping up as his brother was.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness. I haven't seen Prince Edward yet, is he around?"

Kimblee was no more obvious with his intentions than he was with the king. His charming words meant nothing when accompanied by his monotonous, calculating tone. Al could see right through him, and he wasn't about to allow the merman to talk him into a corner.

"Ah, he actually left early for a scavenging trip today," Al said with nonchalance. "You know how he is."

Kimblee's mouth curled up into what could hardly be considered a smile, teeth sharp like a shark's. He didn't scare Al—not one bit—but that didn't mean he would lower his guard.

"Surely he knows better than to stray near the shore, yes? I've seen him swim rather close these past few weeks, and I will say it's become worrisome." His gaze grew sharper, threatening to pierce through Al's metaphorical armor. "None of us want another accident, do we?"

"Of course. With all due respect, my brother knows better than to put himself at risk again." Al couldn't keep himself from firing back, lacing his words with venom but keeping his composure steady. "We know what we're doing. You should have trust in your future king."

Kimblee's tail flicked once, its sharp edges cutting through the water like a blade. "Certainly. I meant nothing by it, Alphonse. Just… take care, will you? The palace staff will begin to worry if he doesn't return soon." He paused, leaning in. "They might attempt to take matters into their own hands."

He gave a curt bow before swimming away, not a bubble in his wake. Al suppressed a shiver. How Ed had managed to go so long without blowing up at the courtier, he would never know.

As things were, Al was used to Ed antagonizing the guards and palace staff that demanded they keep an eye on the brothers. It was as frustrating as it was confining, and now that he was alone, Al felt their presence increase tenfold. They treated him as if he were made of porcelain, despite his many assurances that he could handle himself. Even with muscle weakness and joint pain he was a better swimmer than Ed, but one sickness too many and he'd lost all the respect he'd once had.

Frankly, it drove him mad.

He may not have been as vocal about it as his brother, but Al was anxiously awaiting going to the surface just as much, if not more. For once he'd be free from anxious eyes and nearby attendees—treated just the same as everyone else.

Despite it all, he was still just a kid.

He wanted to run, to lie in a bed of foliage with sunlight warm on his face. He wanted to taste the human's food, to listen to music, to make friends and have a place to truly call home. Above it all, he wanted to feel. He was tired of being imprisoned in his own palace, with nothing to look forward to but Ed's continued additions to their collection.

Al had his reasons for wanting to leave, and so did his brother. Even though Ed was able to leave the palace and explore, his situation was no better than Al's own.

Though Ed didn't have to worry about being coddled nonstop, Al couldn't imagine the pressure he felt from being forced into a position he didn't want. It may have been selfish of him, but Al didn't want to lose his brother. He knew what being king meant, and he wasn't naive enough to think things would remain the same after the coronation. Most likely, he'd hardly ever get to see Ed again, and that was a future he refused to believe. They stuck together, no matter what.

If things went well on the surface, maybe Ed would finally stop blaming himself. Al had tried to get through to him, telling him that they'd both wanted to pursue the ship, but Ed was as stubborn as always. Al wanted to show him that they'd be okay, that Ed hadn't failed as a big brother like he seemed to believe.

For that to happen, Kimblee needed to stay away.

Al could only hope that he would.

Ed may have overshot his newfound walking abilities. Sure, he'd gotten around fine for the majority of the day, but now his legs felt like they were stuck with pins and needles and ached to high heaven. Not that he'd ever tell Winry that.

The sand was a welcome relief, warm and familiar as he stretched out across it with his arm behind his head. Though the sun had long since sunk beneath the horizon, its warmth lingered into the night and settled around him like a blanket.

Winry had spent the time barreling him with questions about himself and Xerxes, voice hitching with excitement with every mediocre response he could muster. He knew he sucked at explaining things—Al had always told him so—but she didn't seem to mind.

There had been a comfortable silence after she'd seemingly ran out of immediate questions, and he was alerted back to her presence after she gave an overdramatic yawn.

"When's your brother gonna show up? I still have a ton of automail orders to catch up on."

That must've been what she called those mechanical limbs she obsessed over. He filed the fact away for later, knowing she was bound to mention it again. "Oh come on, is one day off really going to hurt?"

"With the amount of custom products I have to make and appointments I have to take care of, even a day off can throw everything off schedule."

Great, and now he felt like shit. He attempted to speak, but Winry seemed to anticipate what he was going to say before he had even gotten a sound out.

"Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade today for anything." She smiled. "I'm a top-tier mechanic, so a little extra work is nothing to me!"

He rolled his eyes, ignoring the fact that she seemed to have enjoyed being with him. He'd unpack it later. "Whatever you say."

"It's true! And besides, you don't seem like you get up to much if you can just casually hang out with some stranger!"

"Hey! I'll have you know I do plenty of cool stuff. Much cooler than messing around with machines, anyways."

"What could possibly be cooler than automail?" she asked, genuine curiosity peeking through her teasing front.

Once again, he'd talked himself into a hole. He shuffled in the sand, uncomfortably aware of the way it wove itself into his hair. "Oh, you know. Mer-stuff, nothing you'd get."

She frowned for a moment, face soon softening as she sighed. "Sorry, it's not really my place to pry, is it? You've already told me a lot, more than I've said about myself."

The shift in tone threw him for a loop, and he quickly tried to adjust. He waved her off, shaking his head. The last thing he wanted was to make things uncomfortable. "It's fine. It's… boring for the most part, anyways." That was hardly the half of it. Even thinking of the constant meetings and events he'd been forced into attending made him want to bury his head under the sand.

"I doubt anything in an undersea kingdom could be boring, but I'll take your word for it." She paused, biting her lip. "If you have anything you want to ask me, go ahead. It's only fair."

He didn't even know where to start. There was an entire world ahead of him that he'd only learned a portion about, and yet Winry herself seemed just as interesting. The life of a seemingly normal human was still fascinating to him, but there was a particular question that'd been tugging at his mind.

"Alright, then. What's up with all your swimming? You don't have fins… so what's the point?"

"Believe it or not, humans actually swim for enjoyment." That statement in itself was enough to baffle him, but she had continued before he had a chance to interrupt. "But—I do it to improve myself. I've been afraid of the ocean since I was a little girl, so I thought learning to swim would help me conquer that fear."

Winry's eyes had a far off look to them, and Ed suddenly felt like he was intruding on something far more personal than he had initially planned.

Fuck it, they'd already both breached each other's privacy—another question couldn't hurt at this point.

"Why are you afraid?"

Winry absentmindedly drew loops in the sand with her finger, not meeting his eyes. "My parents… they died in a shipwreck. It scared me—of course—but… I don't want to lose anyone else to the sea. I thought that maybe if I learned how to swim, I could save someone from the same fate." She paused, giving a small chuckle. "Funny how that person was almost me, huh?"

"But it wasn't," he said softly.

"Thanks to you." She grinned. "Really, though. It's not like I can single handedly stop ships from sinking or anything, but saving even one person's life is enough. I'm only human, but I want to be able to help others in any way I can."

Her voice was firm with purpose, and he found himself fixated on her in awe. She truly was amazing in every way possible.

Ed couldn't help but think about his own motivations. Who was he to run from those who needed his guidance? Winry devoted her entire life to helping others, yet he had fled his responsibilities for his own selfish desires. He'd do anything to be able to make Al happy, but what did that mean for Xerxes? What did it say about him?

He'd never been any good at expressing his emotions, but Winry had revealed something so personal that he found himself stumbling over his words in an attempt to say the right thing.

"Winry, I-"

He'd hardly gotten two words in when Al's head popped above the water in the distance, cropped blond hair dripping into his eyes. Ed almost sighed in relief. He'd have to thank his brother later for saving him from making a fool out of himself. Again.

Winry was on her feet in seconds, running into the shallow water to wave her arms around in excitement. A laugh forced itself from his throat as he sat up and wobbled over to her side, making sure not to let his feet touch the water. He was unsure at how much exposure would cause him to turn back, but he wasn't about to take any chances.

As soon as Al saw him, his mouth dropped open wide enough that his chin touched the water. Ed pushed all of his former musings aside in exchange for a wide smile. Enough with the self-deprecation shit, he'd deal with it later.

"I can't believe it worked!" Al gasped, eyes wide in astonishment.

Ed stuck out his leg and shook his foot. "Told you so!" He felt himself sway and quickly steadied himself by grabbing onto Winry's shoulder.

Apparently, Al found humor in his clumsiness—that asshole. After catching his breath from laughing, he swam closer, eyes trained on Winry.

"It's nice to meet you! I'm Alphonse, but you can call me Al." He paused and gestured towards Ed with a nod. "Thanks for watching over my brother, by the way. He must've been a real pain to deal with."

"Al!"

Winry ignored him, smiling back at Al. "Pleased to meet you, Al. I'm Winry." For a moment, her countenance morphed into one that Ed couldn't quite figure out, ears tinted with the slightest of pink. "We had a lot of fun, actually. Your brother is… interesting to say the least. He certainly kept me entertained."

One minute into their interaction and Ed already knew the universe had it out for him. He could handle Al and Winry on their own, but together? They were already speaking with one another as if they'd been friends for years, with Ed completely pushed aside like a child intruding on a conversation between adults.

He really needed to come up with some better insults.

"That's an understatement," Al remarked. "But if he hasn't managed to get into any fights yet, I'd say it's been a success."

Winry whipped her head around, gawking at him like she had the first time she'd seen him. "You? Fighting?!"

"The hell is that supposed to mean? You think I can't handle myself in a fight?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You've been nothing but awkward and harmless since you came up here. The worst you've done is threaten a glass of milk."

Al's laughter was deafening, and Ed felt his face heat up as he tried to think of a defense. "Well at least I don't sleep with a twisty-grabby thing under my pillow!"

Winry reeled back, eyes wide. "What were you doing in my room?!"

"You said I could look around, so I looked around!"

"That doesn't mean you can just snoop through my things!" she shouted, face turning red. "And it's called a wrench, by the way."

Al was laughing harder than Ed had ever seen him, wiping at his eyes as they began to water. Huh. He forgot that could happen.

"You… you guys are hilarious! No wonder you wanted to come up here, this is the most entertainment I've gotten in weeks."

"It's not funny," Ed said with no bite to his words. Al's happiness was infectious, and the lighthearted energy in the air was enough to fill him with pure serotonin. "Let's get you turned before it gets too late."

Al nodded and maneuvered himself onto the shore, golden tail following him until it was completely out of the water. Winry had come prepared this time, having stopped at her home to grab a bundle of towels.

The process was smoother than the first time, with Al easily drying and covering himself within seconds. Soon enough, scales began to shift to skin in a metamorphosis that should've been impossible. Al's gaze was firmly affixed onto his developing appendages, hand unconsciously gripping Ed's own.

The legs that began to form were… thin. Much more than Ed's had been, and a worried glance from Winry signified that she'd noticed it too. There was no way Al didn't, but he did a damn good job at hiding it. Light scars were scattered across them, their thin white lines stark against his newly formed skin. Ed attempted to swallow the lump that'd formed in his throat.

This was supposed to be a happy moment, not one that reminded him of his past mistake.

He felt a squeeze on his shoulder—no doubt from Winry—and tried to even out his breaths. Al would be fine; he was nothing if not resilient.

They were safe.

"Wow… this is amazing!" Al ran his hands over his legs, leaning forward to touch his toes. Not even a day had passed, and Ed was still as blown away as he had been when he'd gotten his own legs. Scars and size be damned, it was still incredible.

"Pretty awesome, huh?" he said. "Just wait until you see the town."

Al frowned. "I can't believe you went without me!"

"To be fair"—Winry butted in—"your brother was in serious need of clothes. And don't worry, I picked some up for you too!"

"Boring ones," Ed added. Winry stuck her tongue out at him, while Al simply rolled his eyes.

She stood, holding out her arm. "For you, maybe. Now come on, it should be easier to climb the hill now with three of us."

They pulled Al up to his feet, his legs shaking so severely he could hardly seem to keep them beneath himself. Winry strained to hold him up, and Ed quickly wrapped one of Al's arms behind his neck to help keep him standing.

"You've got this, Al. It'll get easier after a while."

He nodded firmly, eyes trained on his legs. With Ed on one side and Winry on the other, almost all of his weight was being supported, making it easier for him to step forward.

"Once we both get the hang of this, I'm totally challenging you to a race," Al said, putting a foot in front of him.

Ed grinned, watching as Al took his first steps. "You're on!"

Winry looked between the two, a small laugh escaping her lips. "As long as it's not in my house."

They moved slowly so Al could move at a comfortable pace, but Ed didn't mind. Winry's laughter from Ed's own trek up the hill almost seemed justified, now that he was looking at Al. Although the world wasn't as vibrant and colorful as it had been in the morning, its beauty remained untouched under the sky's indigo veil. Al's eyes were comically widened as he surveyed the world around him, and Ed couldn't help but smile from the sheer elation of it all.

"Brother, look!" Al abruptly stopped, causing Ed and Winry to stumble to remain standing.

"Geez Al, give a warning next-"—his voice trailed off as he followed Al's gaze— "...time."

It was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen, and he didn't even know what it was.

Glowing yellow lights flashed all around them, seemingly floating throughout the air. It was as if the stars had decided to descend from their perches in the sky. He turned to Winry for some sort of explanation, but she hardly seemed shocked by the lights in front of them.

"Fireflies," she clarified, face illuminated by golden light.

"S'that some kind of weird bug?" Ed asked, earning a glare from Alphonse.

"What he means to say is, we haven't seen many bugs before, especially ones like this."

"Well, you got lucky then," she said, rocking on her feet. "Fireflies have always been my favorite… they're the best part about summer."

Al grinned. "I can see why. They're amazing."

Ed nodded, running his eyes over the grassy hill to try and spot every individual burst of light. They danced in sync, silently following a tune with no notes.

With nothing more to say about the strange bugs, they moved on, letting the lights guide them home.

Winry's house was odd at night. It was quiet, if not a bit lonely. Shadows danced across the walls and stretched beyond his sight, making the whole place feel more eerie than it should've. He couldn't imagine Winry spending her night alone in there, but he supposed she had the fireflies and her automail to keep her company. Crazy gearhead.

The room she'd given them was small but comfortable, with two soft beds that made gravity feel rewarding for once. It didn't take a genius to see how exhausted Al had gotten, so Winry had quickly shooed them off to bed without any room for argument.

Al loved the clothes she gave him, because of course he did—his taste was as dull as ever. He'd quickly changed into a softer pair—presumably for sleeping—and was now lying beside him looking like he could sleep for days on end.

As he watched Al's chest rise and fall, Ed couldn't help but think about how much he'd grown up. Al had always carried himself in such a way that he constantly emitted an aura of joy and kindness, despite his own inner struggles. Now, though, Ed could easily see maturity and responsibility displayed among his softer characteristics. He'd always been the stronger brother, after all.

Despite Al's masterful facade, Ed didn't miss the hints of worry that shied beneath the cracks of his mask. Above all other titles, big brother was the one Ed honored the most.

"You okay?"

Al looked up from his bed, a stray ray of moonlight streaking across his face. "I'm more than okay, why?"

"Oh, don't lie to me. I can tell something is bothering you." Al suddenly wore the face of someone who'd been caught eating too many scallops. "What gives? We'll figure this out, we always do."

Al sighed. "I know. Trust me, I'm more happy now than ever. It's just… I don't know how safe we really are, up here."

"What do you mean?"

"Kimblee talked to me before I left. I'm almost positive he knows what we're doing." Al frowned, doing the face he did when he was too focused on something. "I just don't want you to get hurt because of this. With the way I am now, we aren't really in a good spot to protect ourselves."

Guilt ran in the family, it seemed. Ed knew he had a tendency to blame himself for things, but when Al did it, it just felt wrong. It wasn't like he could control his joint pain or his own stupid immune system.

Frankly, Ed would drag himself back under the sea just to shut Kimblee up, if he had to. Whatever happened, he refused to let Al be a part of it. This was his decision and his responsibility.

"Don't worry about it, we'll be fine. Just focus on adapting, alright? If that bastard thinks he can mess with us, then he'll have my fist to talk to. Besides, I'm pretty sure one look at Winry and her wrenchy-thing would be enough to scare him off."

"Brother!"

A pillow rocketed towards him, slamming into his face before he had time to react. Things moved way too fast above water.

He picked it up with a scowl, throwing it back with more force than necessary. "I'm serious! No more worrying, okay?"

Al caught it with ease, and Ed blamed it on the extra arm. "Right. No more worrying." As quickly as it had initially formed, Al's troubled expression contorted into a smug smirk. "Now how about you tell me about all the fun things you did with Winry today?"

Ed groaned, falling back onto his bed with a thump.

Al's giggles flooded his ears, but he couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed.

sorry for skipping a week! updates might be a bit more inconsistent while i settle back into college, so please bear with me!

also, for funsies, here's some info about this story that may or may not be interesting

1.) the story still takes place in amestris, but the south-east portion is ocean instead of desert (just... shift everything beyond amestris to another continent)
2.) the setting of this rendition of "resembool" is based off of beaches in ireland, specifically achill island in county mayo (yes, i know fireflies would not exist in a place like this, but if mermaids exist i think a little bug environmental inconsistency won't hurt anyone lol)
3.) as for what's going on with al, he has what would be our juvenile arthritis, but of course slightly different due to not having legs

links to fanart can be found on my ao3, or directly on my tumblr. thank you for reading and for all the lovely feedback :)