Disclaimer: Dun own.

"Brother?"

Ed looked back over his shoulder from his gaze at the darkening horizon to his younger brother, his fork hanging from his mouth.

"Hm?"

Al laughed softly and walked all the way outside, closing the door behind him. He took the spot next to Ed, removing the fork from his brother's mouth as he did.

"Why are you out here? Surely you can't be thinking deeply at a time like this!" Al exclaimed, waving the fork in Ed's face. Ed stared at the utensil, crossing his eyes for a moment.

"You know how I am, Al. I can't help it." he said, turning his attention to the cake on his plate and how he was going to eat it without the fork. Al sighed. He placed the fork on Ed's plate, watching as his brother eagerly picked it up and started eating.

"What're you thinking about?"

Edward paused his chewing, wondering if he should voice his concerns about the voice he had heard earlier. Not only at the party, but other times, too. He recognized it at the first syllable as someone he'd rather forget. Sadly enough, things like those are hard to forget; especially if a certain one plagued your thoughts almost hourly.

He shrugged, putting on an act for his dear little brother. Swallowing the cake in his mouth, he muttered, "Stuff."

Al rolled his eyes, but left it alone, knowing that Ed would only avoid it longer if he continued pressing the matter.

"So...we've found Pride and Lust?" he asked, sipping his drink. Ed grinned just a bit.

"Yeah. I think there's a Greed over in Paris. Remember?"

"Ha ha! Yeah. He's a lot like the Homunculus Greed was."

At this, Ed looked at his brother, whose tone had admiration in it. "How so?"

Al thought for a moment, searching his foggy memories. "I want to say his loyalty, but I think there was something else..."

Ed blinked a few times. Well, Al had been in Greed's company more than he had and the times he was they both just fought, so maybe there was a side to the Sin he didn't know of. He shrugged a little. "He was a nice guy, I guess."

Smiling, Al nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He was." The brothers were silent for a moment, Ed chewing and Al sipping quietly. They stared at the sky beyond the buildings, savoring one of the rare calm moments that they had just gotten used to. Everything on the other side of the Gate, where they were born and learned Alchemy, was always so hectic in the search for the Philosopher's Stone; even going to visit Winry and Auntie Pinako back in Rizenbul.

Neither would say it aloud, but they both missed the wrench-happy girl more than they'd like to admit.

As if they were sharing the same train of thought, Ed said without explaining, "Do you think we can go back?"

Al, a sad look taking over his features, shrugged slightly. "I don't know, brother. We can't use alchemy here." he muttered, rubbing his eye self-consciously. Ed sighed.

"But how did the Thule Association do it? Surely Envy couldn't have been enough..." he responded, hoping Al didn't catch the little involuntary pause between Envy and couldn't that he barely did. Al shrugged.

"Same with Gluttony and Wrath." he said softly, flinching a bit at the vivid memory. Ed smiled comfortingly and patted Al's back.

"Hey, it's alright. Wrath's probably with Teacher, ne?"

Al, despite himself, grinned. "Yeah...he was real sad when she...you know..."

Ed nodded. He removed his hand from Al's back, and shoved the last piece of cake into his mouth. He chewed for a longer time than needed, mulling over the fact that he hadn't been there to say goodbye. That kind of thing always seemed to be a big blow to the human mind, and he was being hit with it right now.

Al tapped his cup thoughtfully, and gasped. "Brother! What if--" he started, but stopped short, a blank look on his face. Ed turned his head quickly to his sibling, swallowed harshly and questioned loudly in worry,

"Al? Al!"

A fearful look took place of the blank one, and Al started panicking. "Brother! The voice!! It's a voice!" he yelled, dropping his cup and clutching his head. Ed, who had been having the same issue, nearly face faulted.

"What's it sayi--"

But Al's hurried and frantic ramblings cut him off. Al was looking around everywhere, going as far as standing up and moving around comically searching for the voice's owner. Ed would have laughed his head off it weren't his brother in such a state.

"Al. Calm down. What's it saying?" Ed soothed, getting up as well. Al took a few deep breaths, his eyes still rapidly moving around.

"It's...it's telling me...telling me to...to..."

"Is it a bad thing?"

Al's paranoid look ceased as he stared at Ed for a moment, as if considering that question. "...Depends."

Ed let out a sigh. "Then do it and maybe it'll stop."

Whack!

"OW!! AL!! What was that for?!" Ed shouted, dropping his plate and fork to grab the lump on his head made by Al's ever-solid fist. Al whimpered.

"But you told me to! Both of you!"

Ed grumbled a bit longer, rubbing his injury. "Why did it tell you to do that?"

Al shrugged. "It said, 'Hit your brother for me and tell him to listen to me instead of blocking me out.' Brother, has it been talking to you, too?"

Ed blinked. And blinked again. "Oh...fuck."

"Brother!"

"It's Envy!! I can cuss if it's Envy!!"

"Envy?"

"Yes! The palm-tree, the dragon, that stupid bastard Homunculus!"

"Palm-tree?! Oh, Edo, you're gonna regret that."