Al's Has a Temper

"I'm not kidding! He does!" Ed protested against Mustang. It was a slow day in central and the best thing all of Mustangs crew could think of was finding different way's of calling Ed short. The whole lot of them, even Riza got in on the fun. That led to Ed losing his temper, then him saying it wasn't like he was the only one with anger management problems, then that led to him saying. "Al has a temper too."

"Then how come we've never seen it?" Mustang folded his arms and leaned back in his swivel chair.

"He just knows how to control it." Ed defended his opinion.

Al shook his head. "I really don't think that I do...being able to control my anger means I don't have a temper."

"You control it most of the time, I've seen you lose it before." Ed pointed an accusing finger. "Don't try and act all innocent."

Al blinked and then shook his head. "When have I ever lost my temper?"

All the rooms attention turned to Ed. "Do you remember that time, you were in grade two?"

Al thought long and hard, but nothing came to mind. He shook his head. "Can't say that I do."

"How in the world could you forget something like that?" Ed sighed and then took a deep breath.

Ed, Al and Winry were walking home as they usually did. Al had a paper clasped in his hand and a disheartened expression on his face. He was never really good at math, and that was the fourth test he had failed that year, if things kept moving too fast for him he would be held back a year.

"Don't worry about it Al, I'm sure Mom will help you." Ed smiled and comforted his younger brother.

"Yeah..." He said in a low tone as he bit back tears. He didn't care if his brother saw him cry, he was use to that, but Winry was right there, he had to suck it up at least till they got home. "It's not the test that's bugging me though..."

Ed frowned. "It's that damn kid again isn't it?"

Winry was a little confused. "Kid? What kid?" She inquired.

Ed folded his arms. "There's this kid in the class, you must have seen him, he's a big jerk to Al." He looked at his brother and how sad he looked. "His name is Josh, he sites right on the other side of Al. He's always picking on him and it gets on my nerves. The last few times Al didn't get good marks on his math tests this kid would pick on him and call him stupid."

Al clenched his fists. "I can't stand it..." He clenched his teeth. "I can't just tell him to stop talking, he won't listen. And he's not trying to beat me up, so I can't do anything. The teachers already talked to him, they can't do anything."

Winry put her fists on her hips. "Why don't you just get Ed to beat him up."

"We were through that already, Al said he wanted to deal with this himself. I also don't want to get suspended either." Ed put a sympathetic hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "I could get him after school though...if you really want." He grinned.

His younger sibling shook his head and smiled slightly. "Thanks brother, but I'll do this on my own."

They parted ways and Ed and Al walked up to their home. "You don't think she'll be mad do you?" Al spoke, a rather sheepish tone in his voice.

Ed took the test from his brother and looked at the mark. It read thirty-four, Ed smiled. "It's a lot better than the last one. At least you're trying." He handed the test back to Al and then opened the front door.

She wasn't mad, Trisha knew that Al really wanted to pass and he was studying his hardest for the test. She smiled and took the test from him, she gave him a hug and for the rest of the week, helped him study.

The next test rolled around and sure enough, Al tried his hardest, but could only pull off was a forty-nine. Al's head sunk down and he rested it on his desk. Despite all his efforts, he still couldn't pass. "Come on Al, you did a whole lot better this time." Ed leaned over the isle and spoke to his younger brother. "Cheer up."

"Maybe if you weren't such a dumb blond, you'd do better. They should really just stick you back in preschool." Josh spoke to Al from the other side of his desk. "You're too stupid to be in first grade, just give up!"

He spoke in a quiet tone so as no one would hear him. No one, except for Ed that is. He scowled at him. "You want I should beat the crap out of you! Shut up!"

"What was that Ed?" The teacher snapped at him, it always seemed as though the teacher was picking on him when it wasn't necessary. "Keep quiet." She pointed a finger at him.

"Grr..." Ed sat back in his chair with his arms folded.

Al, with tears welling up in his eyes, bit his tongue and kept silent. He could feel something build inside of him, was it sadness, no, he could tell this was different, this, was anger. He balled up his fists and kept them on his lap.

Then end of the day couldn't come any sooner, when the bell rang Al gathered his things and headed right out of the classroom, he didn't wait for Ed right until he got out of the school. "What did you take off on me like that for?"

Al, an emotionless expression on his face spoke quietly. "Sorry." With that said, they were off.

Al barely spoke all the rest of that day and most of that night. Normally he and Ed would stay up talking even after his mother shut the lights out, but that night was different, Al fell asleep almost right away.

The next morning was the same, all through breakfast, he only spoke when he was spoken to. And even still, it was mostly half a response. Ed could tell that something was bugging him and on the way to school, he was going to find out. Winry wasn't with them that day, she was off taking care of a patient with her grandmother. Maybe if she was there, she would have been able to talk to Al.

"Hey Al?" Ed spoke to him, Al didn't respond. He had a straight look on his face and he stared straight forward. "What's bugging you so much."

Without looking at his older brother, he spoke, an angry tone in his voice that Edward had never heard before. "If he says one thing to me today...I'm going to beat him."

Ed smirked. "You can't be serious."

Al, not turning his head. "Just wait and see."

Though he had never seen Al lose it before, he knew that Al meant what he said. All he hoped for was that his younger brother wouldn't do anything that would get him into too much trouble.

Most of the day went without incident, right up until the end of the day, the teacher stood in front of the class. "Now everyone, we're going to be having another math test a week form today, make sure you study up for it."

Josh leaned over and snickered. "Ya hear that dumbass, you only have one week to prepare to fail." He had this horrible smirk on his face.

Al clenched his fists and stoo straight up, knocking his chair over backwards and his desk over forward. He turned straight toward Josh with a completly evil look on his face.

"Al?" Ed sounded, but before he could do anything about it Al reached his hands out and grabbed the kid by the scruff of the neck and picked him up and threw him against the back wall. Ed and Al's desks were at the back of the room, but still, it was a hell of a throw. "Alphonse?!" Ed stood up in enough time to get a good view of Al tackeling the poor kid. Al, pearched on top of Josh, proceeded to wail on him, swinging his fists as hard as he could.

"Al! Stop that this instant!" The teacher yelled form the fron the of the class. The entire class had since got up to watch the scene unfold. "Ed!" She yelled at him. "Do something!"

Ed hesitated then he tried to pull Al off of Josh, but when Al went to take another swing, his elbow clocked Ed right in the forehead. "Screw that, you're on your own." Ed rubbed the sore spot and backed off.

"Alphonse!" The teacher finally managed to get throught the crowd of kids and she picked Al up from under the arms.

"Let me go!" Al squrimed and kicked his legs violently.

"Needless to say, he was suspended for a week and then he was forced to apoligize to the kid in front of the class." Ed laughed.

Al nodded. "Oh yeah...I remember that now...oh well, it's not like it was that big a deal." He shrugged.

"Not a big deal?!" Ed yelled. "Ya gave the kid a concussion, knocked out a few teeth and broke his nose...I'd say that's a pretty big deal!"

Al blushed. "Hehe, I guess you're right."

Ed smirked. "Course I'm right, I'm not stupid like you. I'm always righ--" Ed suddenly was knocked in the back of the head with a tightly balled fist. He got up to see Al standing above him, that same evil look in hs eye. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was kidding."

Al cracked his knuckles. "Glad you found it funny." He apporached his brother, a smirk on his face.

Done! Tell me what you think.
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