Author's note: I guess I should clear some things up. This isn't set in any particular time, but I can tell you that Hughes won't be showing up. Al is still metal-man and Roy is still a colonel.

"Are you sure you're all right, Ed? That eye looks pretty bad."

Ed smothered a cough in his kerchief, then tucked it back into his pocket.

"I've gotten drops for it. It went untreated for a long time out on the border. It'll get better."

Riza nodded. "As long as you're getting it taken care of. We can't have you getting ill—"

She was interrupted by a spasm of coughing. Ed quickly groped in his pocket for his kerchief, but reaching for it unbalanced him and he stumbled slightly. Riza reached forward and put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

When the coughing subsided, Ed looked back up to see that Riza was giving him a strange look.

"Your shoulder is awfully bony, Ed." She said quietly. Roy frowned. He stood and walked around his desk making his way over to Ed.

Without preamble, he reached forward and slapped his hand onto Ed's chest. Ed leapt back.

"Geez, give a guy a little warning before you go doing that—"

"I can feel your ribs, runt."

It was a testimony to the power of Roy and Riza's stares that Ed didn't protest being called a runt. He looked down at the floor instead. They waited for a long moment.

Ed finally stamped his foot in frustration.

"I'm suffering from malnutrition, okay? Conditions weren't exactly great at the border, you know!"

Riza frowned and started to speak, but Ed cut her off.

"I'll get better now. It'll just take plenty of food and rest."

"Well, Ed, if that's what you need, the colonel is willing to give you a break," here she put a hand to the butt of her gun and gave Roy a pointed look. "But I wonder whether you're willing to give yourself that time. You're very prone to overworking yourself. You should be more like the colonel."

"Ha ha." Roy frowned at Riza, who didn't look at him. He turned back to Ed. "I'm concerned about this. Malnutrition can cause complications, and it looks as though you've already got some."

He gave Ed a meaningful look as the boy started to cough again.

"I just need some time, that's all. I'll—" here they saw his eyes widen, and they could hear an audible gulp. "I'll get better."

The odd look remained on his face throughout the rest of the time he was in Roy's office.

-…-

Ed dashed down the steps and swerved to the side, darting into an alley. Finding a stoop, he sat down and shuddered.

"I've never coughed anything up before." He said to himself. "Maybe I should get this checked out."

A deep feeling of foreboding felt like it was making its way up from his toes. He stood up quickly and shook the notion away with a shake of his head.

"It's fine. Just a cough. It's not going away because of the malnutrition. Once I get my weight back up, it'll go away.

"I'll get better."

-…-

Al sat in a chair, polishing his head and waiting for Ed to come home. Every few minutes he glanced toward the bedroom.

Finally unable to stand it any longer, he set his head back on his shoulders and made his way into their room.

He stepped over several papers and walked over to Ed's bed. He stood there for a moment, staring down at the pillow.

It was a pure white.

He turned back toward the door, relieved.

But he halted in the doorway. He started to turn.

He turned away.

-…-

Al was sitting on his bed in the dark when Ed came in the front door, slamming it as usual.

He heard Ed sigh as he shed his cloak and boots, and heard the bed squeak as Ed flopped down onto it.

He heard the soft shuffle of Ed turning the pillow over.