He made a mistake.

A big, enormous mistake.

To try to make up for another mistake that can never be fixed.

Now everything is chaos.

Al hides his face behind his knees, sitting in the corner of the restroom. The crime scene has stained the sink. Even if he knows he needs to clean up this mess and never tell anyone, he's unable to move. He knows he's going to see the mirror and he's going to see the mistake again.

He can't do this.

Maybe having already planned this, the door is locked and untouched for quite a while. Hopefully he'll be left alone.

Alas.

There's a gentle knock coming from outside, and his brother's worried voice interrupts the pathetic, sobbing sounds.

"Al? Are you okay in there?"

He doesn't reply. He doesn't even look at the door. The handle is violently shaken.

"Open this door," Ed demands but not angrily. He knocks louder, "AL!"

Al shakes his head even if he's not seen. He blasts out his tears, so he ignores Ed, and prays his brother leaves him be.

Of course, that's a very dumb belief.

"Al, I'm coming in." Soon enough, he braces and flinches at the door being hit multiple times. Ed has probably used his automail arm or leg since he knocks it over rather quickly.

Ed is deadly silent for an entire minute, which manages to be worse than Ed getting angry with him. Al can sense him finding dark blond hair all over the bathroom floor and sink, specifically the bigger chunk of it abandoned, forcibly cut.

"Alphonse—" Ed rushes over to him. Al only hides from him. "Al, what happened? What's wrong?" His brother insists, a rather kind hand reaching his shoulder, but Al flinches away. "Are you hurt?"

"S-Stop," Al begs, slapping another hand hovering over him. "L-Leave me alone."

He knows Ed's shaking his head. "Al, I can't just leave you this. I need to know what happened."

Al refuses. "Please, j-just…" he sniffs, "don't look at me."

"Why not?"

"I know I look like her, okay?!"

Ed tenses. "What?"

Except he knows what Al is talking about.

"I-I know I remind you of her! You- You always have that sad look on your face when you think I won't notice. But I do," Al calls out, somehow still squeezing himself in a ball, looking at nothing. "I know you hate me for looking like her! I know! I can't even look at myself on the mirror!"

This time, Ed doesn't have an immediate answer. He usually makes excuses. During the years they were apart, Ed has learned an unhealthy behavior – he smiles and whispers and then looks away the same way Mom did. Mom was sad all the time, but she never told anyone. She certainly didn't want to upset Ed or Al; when they were the ones that made her suffer.

"I'm sorry. I tried to fix it, b-but I can't," Al's voice rises an octave. He still sounds like a child – the reminder he's barely 13 is enough of a haunting memory. Imagine what Ed must feel.

Ed swallows something stuck in his throat, and adjusts himself in front of Al.

"Alphonse, look at me," he mumbles.

"No!"

"Please, I swear I don't hate you. I don't hate your face. S-Sometimes I just get surprised I even get to look at it," Ed might sniff if Al isn't too out of it. "I haven't seen it in seven years."

For the first time, Al stops lashing out.

"I didn't even remember your face, Al. I can really see you now, and not a giant armor. When you showed up in that armor again, and told me you were alive out there, I really couldn't imagine how you looked like."

At these heartfelt words, Al rises his head enough to expose his crying, red eyes. Ed has the softest, saddest expression he's ever seen. He's not smiling here.

"I tried to think you'd look like Alfons, since he was your counterpart here. But Alfons was definitely not you. Far from it," Ed emphasizes. "So, when I finally saw you in the flesh, I had no idea how you'd turn out to be. You looked so… different." Gulping again, he reaches out a hand to wipe out Al's tears. "But that's not a bad thing, Al. Not at all."

Then he's cupping both of his little brother's stained cheeks. Ed looks like he's about to cry, too. But Ed hasn't cried in years, so he doesn't know if he'd be able to.

Tears that can't be seen or felt. Those tears were… human.

"I won't lie," Ed brings him back to the present, "you do look more like her than I do. I'm Dad's spitting image. That bastard," Ed smirks for a split second, only to have a daunting realization. He pushes it away for now. "But only you have these little freckles you can only see up close. These big, round grayish-green eyes. Your dark blond hair is the true golden treasure." Ed gently pushes Al's bangs away from his eyes. "Your face is so beautiful because it's you. And I love getting out of bed every day to look at it again and feel like it's the first time."

Amazed, Al shakes his head in disbelief. His brother really feels this way? It wasn't because he hated his face this whole time? He loved him this much?

Why is this all a surprise, though?

Regardless, Al sighs in defeat and looks down again.

"I s-still made a mess…" he points out.

Humming, Ed squeezes his shoulder. "I can help you clean it up. Maybe even treat that haircut of yours."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, well," Ed grins sheepishly, "I know the basics. If it sucks though we can get Noah."

Al doesn't reject the gentle, metal hand holding him in place this time. If anything, it's finally helping him calm down. The hair strands on the floor don't look so ugly anymore.

"Okay."

Ed pats his shoulder. "Let's get to work, then."

Together, they clean the bathroom in at least fifteen minutes. It wasn't that hard. Soon after, Al is sitting on a little bench in front of the sink again, trying to stay neutral while Ed does the final touches. Ed stays between him and the mirror, so his reflection doesn't bother him as much.

Ed sometimes stops and looks to see if it's right. After the final adjustments, he claps his hands together.

"Ready?" He asks.

Al breathes in. "Yeah."

"Alright. Here we go."

Ed moves away from the mirror and leans so his head is next to Al's. The latter's eyes widen a little.

"What do you think?"

It's short.

Familiar.

"It looks like…" Al pauses, "me."

"Is that good?"

He thinks about it.

"… Yeah. It's good," Al smiles.

Ed smiles too. Their faces are side by side. They do look alike, but they're entirely different people. Ed said he's just like their father, but he definitely looks like Edward Elric.

At one point, his older brother sighs. "You're gonna hate me for this."

Al frowns. "Huh?"

Immediately after, Ed is planting kisses on his face.

"Argh! No!" Al laughs.

"I told you it's a good face!" Ed says in midst of the kissing torture.

"You're gonna get spit all over it!"

Even if Al is stronger than Ed, he can't really stop his brother from kissing him at least ten times.

"You're so gross," Al hisses, wiping his cheek.

"Who told you to have such a squishy baby face?" Ed presses his hands against Al's cheeks.

"Like you don't have big cheeks, brother," Al shoves it playfully.

"You little cute bastard." Ed manages to sneak in another kiss.

"Gross!" Al repeats.

Ed messes with his hair and snorts.

"Okay, I mean it, we're gonna be late," Ed looks at his watch. "I'm gonna borrow you a suit."

Al's laughter stops, remembering why he was here in the bathroom in the first place. Ed noticeably quiets down as well.

At Ed's room, he's adjusting his tie. Then he smooths Al's hair again with his hand, and once he's done, he pats both of Al's shoulders.

"You're ready," Ed says proudly. He pouts, "I think I could get an early payment for this."

Al rolls his eyes. "In your dreams."

"Just because you're my little brother doesn't mean I can't get my money back."

"You never even gave me my lunch money back."

"You have no proof," Ed glares.

"My empty wallet can happily say the contrary."

Ed snorts, until the event they need to attend returns with the tickling clock. "Okay, I'll stop. Let me get my coat."

Al watches him going to his chair and putting the oversized coat, covering the most of his body. He also notices the scar on Ed's left cheek, it's still very much red and hurt.

At this very moment Ed is not masking himself with a smile. His eyes are tired and sad, and the face scar makes it seen.

Al is aware he's staring too much, as Ed snorts and raises an eyebrow. "What?"

Instead of words, the younger Elric answers with an immediate hug.

"Oh," Ed lets out, surprised.

Al squeezes him hard, knowing he needs this. Ed is a little tense at first, but he sighs and melts, squeezing Al back just as tight.

They don't say anything.

Finally, Noah calls them. She's wearing a beautiful, long white dress. Ed compliments her, and Al nods in agreement.

Ed walks right behind them to lock the door.

Today is quite too beautiful, as they finally arrive at the cemetery.

Al watches the photo on the top of the grave, while Noah dances for him, the music filling his ears. Alfons is not quite a mirror, his short hair is not like his despite common belief.

At some point, he wraps an arm around Ed to support him.

Today, Al finally learns what it means to grow up. You have to accept your suffering, your mistakes and embrace them.

In the end, it's worth it.