Edward stared at the ceiling. He was tired but ever since his panic attack, which Alphonse freaked out about and unfairly blamed himself for at that time, he had found sleeping even harder. What if he fell asleep and had one in his sleep? Would he suffocate? Could he have a panic attack in his sleep? He hadn't asked. He hadn't really wanted to think about it at the time.

Edward saw a panic inducing movement out of the corner of his eye.

"No!" A hand reached out and touched Edward's shoulder. He shook with fear. "Don't, please, don't! I didn't do anything. I don't even..." Edward hadn't known that he'd been talking, but he trailed off quickly when he came to the realisation that Alphonse was the one to touch his shoulder. Edward actually started to cry. It may have been relief that it wasn't Gunner Pierce, but it also may have been the long hours lying sleeps and in fear. Whatever it was, Edward sobbed. He couldn't keep this up, could he? He was breaking down. His life was falling apart. Alphonse. He needed his little brother.

Edward tried to move closer to Alphonse but the IV, which had to be moved to Edward's wrist, was being pulled taut. "A- Al... I want to..." He trailed off, gasping between sobs. Edward ripped out his IV line with his automail hand. He lunged at Alphonse from the hospital bed. Edward surely would have fallen face forward onto the tiles if not for Alphonse's quick hands. Unfortunately, Alphonse hadn't been fast enough to save the IV, though. Edward sobbed and Alphonse just held him. Alphonse probably should have gone to get a doctor, but he couldn't just leave Edward. Edward couldn't just be left alone. And Alphonse wasn't ready to disturb Edward's release of emotions.

The floor was now home to Alphonse's armour, Edward's blood, and the sobbing owner of the blood. "Al... Al... Al..." Edward just kept repeating it over and over again between his racking sobs. There was no way this was normal. Edward sobbed and just clung to Alphonse like Alphonse was his last life line. Like all the rest had snapped and all he was left as was a depressed kid.

The tears just kept coming, choking the boy they escaped. Soon the sobbing was reduced to a quiet sniffle and a few tear tracks. Soon after that Edward was quiet. He had fallen asleep, too exhausted to keep going in his uncharacteristic breakdown.

Alphonse just remained sitting there with his brother sleeping in his lap. He was a little scared of the panic Edward had experienced. It was just not like Edward at all to show weakness, and surely he would have thought of the tears as weakness. It was just the way Edward saw it. But crying wasn't a sign of weakness but of humanity. Edward's tears hadn't shown Alphonse that his brother was weak but that like every other human, Edward had reached his breaking point. It shouldn't have happened to him like this, but this was when it happened. Alphonse was just glad that he had been there to hold Edward as he fell asleep.

Mustang was cleaning up his library. He was making sure that he didn't leave any of his research there. He intended to let Alphonse and Edward read as they pleased but there was no way that he could have either one of those prodigies learn about the secrets of flame alchemy. He had not burned Hawkeye's back so that there could be another pyromaniac out there. By no means did Roy think Edward or Alphonse would ever be a pyromaniac, but things never tended to stay silent once someone knew the secret.

Roy had no desire to have to face the consequences of his secret escaping.

That was the last of it. All the books were dusted off and replaced back on the shelves.

One day left. There was one day left. Tomorrow Edward would be released from the hospital. He would stay with Roy. This was a mistake. This was a mistake! Roy couldn't do this. He couldn't take care of two boys. But he couldn't back out now.

Edward probably doesn't even want my help.

"He would be better at the dorms..." But he can't stay the dorms. And he doesn't know about the discharge yet. Roy sighed. He'd already made the commitment. He needed to do this at least until Edward was well enough to go to Resembool and have his automail repaired. At least one week maybe two. He surely wouldn't kill Edward in that time.

"I need to calm down. Edward wouldn't be the one to die. I would," Roy said frowning.

There was a loud knock at the front door. Roy sighed. He climbed up the stairs and out of the basement with the last box of his research under his arm. He set the box on the couch and went to open the door.

Maes Hughes stood there with a box suspiciously the size of a pie.

"You remember this is my house and you have your own, right?" Maes smiled widely.

"Nice to see you again too!" Maes slid past Roy, careful of his box.

"That box better have something really good in it," Roy said as he shut the front door.

"It's for when Edward is here."

"Then why did you bring it now?"

"We need to talk. Have you gone to see Edward recently?" Roy looked guilty.

"It's been a few days. What about it?"

Maes sighed and looked unto Roy's eyes. "He had a panic attack. They had to sedate him."

Roy felt his gut twist. This was definitely going to be harder on him than he first anticipated. Now, his fearful reconsideration only earlier had reason, but not a valid enough reason to break his word but reason.

"What am I supposed to do? I can't go back and tell the kid 'I'm sorry but because you're flawed, and I think you will be to much work you can't come and stay with me'."

"That's not what I was going to say! Roy, he might need more... He might need more help."

Roy gave Maes a questioning look. "What are you going at? A therapist? Maes, you know how well that went for me. Do you think Ed will like it anymore then I did?"

"No, Roy, I think you should talk to him about the times you had attacks."

"Talk," Roy whispered sardonically.

"You know what I mean!" Hughes said exasperated.

"Hughes... You know I can't do that."

"Why not?" Maes questioned.

"I don't..."

"Maybe because you don't want to look weak? Well, Roy, Edward is weak. He needs to know that it's okay to be weak."

"I would rather drink a barrel of whiskey than look weak in front of one of my subordinates."

"Roy, in the time that Edward was admitted I wouldn't be surprised if you had. You can't just drown all your problems in alcohol." Maes wanted his friend to stop his unhealthy behavior.

"Not now, Hughes," Roy groaned to his friend.

"Just be there for Ed." Hughes went to the door. "I just came to tell you about Ed. I'll see you tomorrow when we pick up the boys. And don't eat that pie!"

When the nightly nurse came in for her rounds, she was rather annoyed with Alphonse. She called in a doctor and scolded Alphonse with a tight expression.

"Stop that. He didn't know. He was just staying with his family," The doctor said to the nurse.

"He surely knew that he should have gotten someone."

"I'm sorry. I would have gone to get a doctor, but he- he was crying. H- he wanted me. I couldn't... I couldn't just leave him."

The doctor had a sympathetic understanding look on his face. "It's fine. I'm Doctor James Wise, by the way. I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting yet." The doctor outstretched his hand to show his greeting.

"No, I'm Alphonse Elric." Alphonse met the outstretched hand with his gauntlet.

"Nice to meet you Alphonse. I am glad you didn't leave your brother, but sometimes it's safer to get a doctor. If your brother was in pain than we could have helped," The doctor grew steadily more serious as he spoke.

"I'm sorry. I- I didn't think..."

"No, no, it's fine," The doctor said, all seriousness dropping from his voice. "Just next time be more careful."

"Yes, Sir."

"Oh, don't call me 'sir'. Call me Wise or James."

"Okay, James?" Alphonse said somewhat awkwardly.

The man smiled. "Now, let's just hope we don't have another incident like this."

A/N: So sorry. This had been sitting in my manager waiting to be edited for about two weeks. I've been having migraines so sorry. And also sorry it really isn't that good.

Thanks for reading! Please review!

-UNAU/IME