Chapter 5

No one was prepared for how rough it was going to be.

Literally no one.

Because literally no one had ever gone through this before.

Alphonse Elric was the first case of muscle atrophy to this level of severity Amestris had ever seen.

His condition baffled doctors left and right. Even when the situation was explained, it was a hard story for anyone to truly comprehend, and an even harder one to fully accept.

A boy trapped inside an alchemic portal where his body sat for four years, gaining just enough nutrients from his brother and their connection so that his body wouldn't decay and rot away?

Unlikely.

Nonetheless, everyone was desperate to see this marvel of nature: this miracle, so to speak. Alphonse shouldn't have lived this long by any modern medical standards. Working with him was like a dream come true for many - it was rare to work with patients who had new-found conditions. It was a mystery just waiting to be solved, a puzzle to be cracked.

Al didn't see it like that, though.

He felt odd, out of place. Sometimes he hardly felt human - more a specimen or an animal in exhibition than a boy - and his sense of humanity was something he had worked very hard to gain back.

At first it was nice to have some extra attention. Then it just grew...weird.

Surely there were other patients to attend to, right? Alphonse was hardly the only patient in the hospital, yet it seemed as though just about every doctor or nurse was stopping by, checking his vitals, running tests...

Edward would ward off the overly eager doctors when he could, sensing Al's displeasure and discomfort (it wasn't difficult, Al wasn't great at hiding his emotions anymore since he had gone years without a face for others to read). But, Al's care from the medical professionals was necessary to get him back on his feet.

So, he toughed it out.

For a while, physical therapy was one of Alphonse's few releases. Doctors wouldn't come in there unless something went wrong, so it was a nice excuse to have some privacy for a couple hours every few days.

The Elric brothers were no strangers to physical therapy. Edward had gone through round upon round of it back when his arm was still made of metal. The idea of it was hardly a new one, and both knew the importance of getting back on their feet.

Ed had fallen back into the rhythm with ease at first. Day after day, he spent his time at Al's side, and whatever time was left over was spent working hard to regain his strength.

The two had the same trainer. Lisle looked to be in his mid-to-late twenties. He was tall and well-built - his dark, umber skin, deep set eyes, and dazzling smile caused most who he interacted with to leave with a smile on their face or a flush on their cheeks. The man gave good instructions, and seemed to know what he was doing, but no one could compare to Winry and Granny's expertise.

Lisle was good, but not good enough.

Edward grew tired of Lisle almost immediately. He had nothing against the guy (besides perhaps his overly-chipper attitude), but Ed believed that he didn't need an instructor. He had been practicing this sort of therapy for nearly a third of his life now: surely that was of more value than a man who had only been in practice for a few years.

Edward started to skip his scheduled times. Instead, he focused on the exercises Winry had given him years ago. Every day he woke up and worked hard but, for some reason, it didn't seem to be going quite as well as he believed it should.

Alphonse noticed fairly quickly that his brother had stopped going to his sessions. He tried to hint at it a few times, but the older brother was either completely oblivious or deliberately feigning ignorance. So, Alphonse did the only thing that he knew would get his brother's attention: he started to skip his sessions, too.

Al didn't want to, of course. It wasn't only an escape from the doctors, but he also needed to keep at it so that he would be strong enough to go home. Plus, his muscles and joints would get sore if he stayed put for too long, so in all fairness, this was something that wasn't good on just about all accounts. But, if it would prove a point where his words might not, he was willing to try.

And, as expected, Edward noticed Al's lack of sessions.

And, also as expected, he was not happy about it.

One thing led to another, and both stubborn Elrics were caught in a heated discussion. Both too stubborn to just let the other completely have their way, they ended on a compromise: Lisle knew more exercises related to regaining muscle, whereas Ed had more specialized expertise that was focused on working to reconnect and strengthen nerve endings. Edward conceded to returning to his scheduled sessions, but only on the condition that he and Al could do them together.

Whether it was a ploy for Ed to make sure Al wasn't skipping or was truly meant as just a means to spend more time together, Al wasn't sure. Either way, it was agreed, and put into practice fairly soon after.

Of course, during these sessions, the primary focus would be on Alphonse. He had further to go than Ed, and honestly he needed a lot more help even getting started. To make up for the lesser amount of attention, Lisle would give Edward a variety or routines and exercises that could be self-led and done during the time he was working with Al.

And, for a week or so, this pattern worked rather seamlessly: Edward felt better than he had in years, and the exercises Lisle had him doing were really starting to return muscle mass to where it needed to be. Ed had to admit, his brother was right: he had the right idea but had been working the wrong muscles. Lisle said the reason Ed would get so tired so quickly was because he was trying to move his arm around like he used to, almost like waking it up from being asleep. He was trying to get the nerves back in order, but the nerves weren't what he needed to be working on. The nerves were already there this time - what he really needed to focus on was building his muscles back up from scratch. Ed had to start looking at it like he had never lifted weights before, and the process was going to take time. It wasn't going to be very difficult, but it would require a lot of resting, allowing the torn muscles to heal and become stronger before they were put to work once more.

Al had been doing well, too. First, he had worked on his legs and arms separately, sitting down and doing certain exercises to start building back the muscle. Whereas Ed had a base to work from, Alphonse could hardly keep himself upright at first. If Ed was working from scratch, then Alphonse didn't even have his ingredients gathered yet. As he started to gain more muscle, gradually building something from nothing, (an alchemical miracle, he mused) he then moved to working on standing. It was something he was only just starting to get the hang of again, something he never in a million years would've thought he had taken advantage of. It was only for a second or two at first, but eventually he had it up to a minute or two. And, once he was finally able to stand for a significant period of time, the next step would be to take a step: walk.

That was where it all started to go downhill.

The younger Elric had re-learned how to stand fairly quickly, all things considered. Walking...not so much.

One step seemed to be the average he could take before his knees buckled and sent him sprawling to the floor. Lisle was beyond kind and encouraging, always helping Al up to try again without any signs of amusement or disappointment at his expense. Throughout it all, Lisle was the cheerleader everyone deserves to have on their team. But still, it was embarrassing. Not nearly as embarrassing as needing someone else to help him go to the bathroom had been, but embarrassing nonetheless.

Every time he tried, Al only became more frustrated.

He had been able to walk with only a little bit of support during the aftermath of the Promised Day. True, that had primarily been because of the surplus of adrenaline pumping through his veins, but he knew it was still possible.

His legs weren't useless, and his body wasn't completely shut down. So, why couldn't he do it again?

After a particularly hard fall and a string of cuss words from the younger Elric that would make their mother turn in her grave, Ed turned from his book (he had finished his stretches a little while ago) to take in the scene before him.

Al sat haphazardly on the floor, his legs tucked underneath him awkwardly where they had buckled as his arms shook slightly, struggling to keep his torso propped up.

"That was so close, Alphonse. You took three steps this time! You're doing great."

The boy let out a heated huff, shakily pushing himself to his feet before almost immediately toppling over again.

This happened a couple of times in a row before Lisle finally stepped in.

"Hey, woah there. Why don't you take a break? I think you're getting a little overworked-"

"I'm fine," Al snapped back, pushing himself half-way up before his arms crumpled underneath him and sent him sprawling once more.

Lisle flashed a concerned glance towards the older teen, but Ed had already moved from his spot and closed the distance between them. He crouched and put a hand on Al's shoulder to stop him from trying again. Ed barely used any pressure, but it was more than enough to keep his brother grounded.

"Just...stop, Al. You're tired," Edward hushed, moving his hand from Al's shoulder to rest lightly on his head, raking the boy's recently cut hair away from his eyes.

"But I still have another hour," Alphonse muttered softly. "I can keep going."

"You don't want to overexert yourself, Alphonse." Lisle stepped forward, squatting so he, too, was at eye-level. He looked at Al with a soft smile. "Overdoing it won't help anything. It's a slow process, so you have to be patient. It's hard to wait now, but it'll be worth it in the long run, I promise."

Al's gaze slipped to the floor, all remaining energy seeming to leak out of his body and soak into the soft mats beneath him.

The two older men made eye contact and agreed without words that it was best to wrap up for the day.

Ed got up first, walking behind the other two to get the wheelchair parked next to the wall and bringing it over.

Lisle stood straight, dusting off his pants before offering a hand. "Let's get you back in your chair, huh?"

Al eyed the hand warily before giving a forced smile (only Ed could tell just how strained it was) and letting out a small: "I think I can manage, thanks."

True to his word, Alphonse lifted himself into his wheelchair, collapsing onto the canvas seat with a quiet grunt of pain. Lisle only had time for a quick "See you on Thursday" before Al had wheeled himself out the door.

The older teen spared Lisle an apologetic glance before he jogged after his brother, leaving the disheveled physical trainer behind.

"Right," he clapped his hands together, taking in the now-empty room around him. "I think that went well."

~oOo~

Silence crept over the brothers as they made their way back to their room. Al had been wheeling himself for the past few minutes, but he was slowing down. It was easy to see that he was tired, his arms shaking with the effort of propelling himself forward. Edward decided to step in and take over, though Alphonse was hardly willing to give up his control so easily.

"I can do it myself, Brother."

"Al, you're tired. The room is still kinda far, just let me-"

"I said I'm fine!" Al's chair skidded to a halt suddenly, its occupant turning and giving an icy glare. "I'm no baby, Ed. I can manage myself, and when I say I'm fine, I mean that I'm fine. So just back off and leave it, alright?"

Edward couldn't say he was surprised by Al's reaction. Alphonse's temper was something that rarely made itself known, but with all the frustrations and setbacks that Al had gone through recently, it was only fair that he be allowed to snap a little. Besides, God knows how many times Ed had snapped at his younger brother over the years, Al fighting back was only karma coming to bite him in the ass.

Al's face immediately twisted up, his gaze losing its bite. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean-"

"It's okay Al, really. I get it."

"No, it's not okay," the boy continued, his eyes shifting to his lap and his hands and then the floor. "I know you mean well, and I am tired. I just...I can't do anything myself anymore."

Ed smiled softly, moving so that he was in front of the younger teen before crouching down. "That's not true, Al. You can breathe, can't you?"

"Well, yeah…"

"You can feel?"

"Yes."

"You can drink, and cry, and go to the bathroom, and eat, and-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Al held back a smile, pushing his brother away from him playfully.

"Do you, though?" Edward's voice grew low, gentle, as he took his brother's hands - his warm, soft hands - and held them tight. "You couldn't do any of those things before, Al. Not one of them. And honestly, no one really knew if you would ever be able to again. The fact that you can do any of those, let alone all of them…? That's a miracle, Al. You're a miracle."

The younger boy shook his head. "But I don't want to be a miracle, Ed. That's the thing: I just want to be me again." His eyes blinked back tears, his nose sniffled softly. "I just want to be normal, and I can't even do something as simple as walk…"

"Al, look at me."

He complied, hazel eyes meeting gold as the two locked their gazes together.

"I know what you're going through," Ed started, gripping Al's hands even tighter. "I've been there, I've done that. I couldn't walk for so long, I couldn't move, I felt like I couldn't do anything. Hell - I couldn't even hold a pencil. I know how helpless that feels. I know how helpless you feel. But that doesn't mean you give up. You take breaks, you let your body rest for how long it needs to, and then you try again. You keep moving forward. You've got legs, Al," he smiled, moving a hand to the younger boy's knee and pinching it lightly, causing Al to let out a short laugh, "You may not be able to get up and use them much just yet, but you will soon."

"I know," Al stated weakly, his smile faltering for a moment. "It just feels like I'm never going to get it."

Ed scoffed. "Al, are you kidding me? You weren't standing at all a couple weeks ago, and now here you are, capable of taking a couple of steps. That's incredible, Al. You're incredible. And honestly, you'll be back up and at it again before you know it. The reason you keep falling over today is because you're not giving yourself the rest you need. Once you take a little break, you'll be so much stronger, and I'll bet you you'll be taking upwards of five steps next time."

Alphonse smirked slyly. "What will you bet me? Would you bet a drink of milk on it?"

The older teen swallowed, holding up his hands defensively. "H-hold on, Al. I never said-"

"Bet it, brother! I need incentive!"

"No you don't, your incentive is being able to walk. Besides, milk is disgusting. There's no way in hell I'm betting-"

"So you don't think I can do it, then?"

"What? No, that's not...ugh. Fine. If you take five or more steps next time, I will...I will have a sip of milk."

The younger boy squinted. "A gulp. A gulp of milk."

"Fine!" Edward threw his hands in the air, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Fine! If you take five or more steps, I will take one gulp of milk. Happy?"

"Quite," Al declared, rolling smugly past his older brother and meandering down the hallway. "I'll make you drink that milk," his voice echoed triumphantly off the barren walls of the hospital, causing Ed to break out into the biggest smile, "I'll do it, just you wait."

AN: Hi folks! Sorry it's been a while - I've had kind of a crazy summer. But! I don't have much more to do before I head back to university, so hopefully I can get a couple more chapters in before things start to get hectic again. I have the next chapter written up already, so I'm hoping to just edit it a bit and hopefully post it tomorrow. Thank you so much for your patience, and again, I'd love to hear your thoughts and prompts if you have any!