Disclaimers: I don't own FMA.
A/N: Alphonse's POV. (Any typos, please excuse.)
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Weak Points and Strong Points
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I let the thin pencil slip from my fingers when I was done with the last Review-and-Assess question. It rolled off the edge of the table and I sighed irritably, my brows furrowing down as I twisted to the side, picking it up and fingering the dull point of it. Some graphite rubbed off into smudges on the pads of my fingertips. I relaxed a little, most of my annoyance sliding away with the rest of my exhalation.
I closed my text book and slouched forward, burying my face into my folded arms. I didn't want to be angry, but I was. There was something alive inside me, something burning and screaming and yanking at my insides. I think someone like my brother would call it fury. But I had no idea why I was irate, and that was what scared me.
Sure, my brother could be a bully sometimes. Okay, most of the time. But he meant well. And when he, himself, was angry, he never meant to make it seem directed at people it wasn't meant to be.
Getting ready for bed a few nights before, I had found a book that seemed to call me. It was in Edward's pile of research, but I ignored that. I opened it up and found documents that appalled me: I was disgusted that I had snooped into what he, obviously, found too advanced for me, and I was enraged that he should judge me like that.
If he could read it, I could read it, I decided.
So I did.
And my guilt and my fear and my anger all mixed together; I wasn't sure if what I had done was wrong or not, but I knew one thing for sure.
What we were both about to do was ultimately more wrong than we had figured.
And I had wondered, how long had Brother known about this and not shared with me? How long had he known the risks, the stakes, the secrets, everything about our decision, without letting me in on the knowledge?
I sighed again, heavily, squeezing my eyes shut and shaking my head on my arms gently. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if now was the moment where I, the younger brother, made the right decision and stopped the blindly determined older brother from making a life-endangering choice.
I knew that it was but I tried not to think about it.
I loved my brother and idolized him too much.
It would be like mutiny to strike him down.
"Hey, boy."
I jumped, sitting up rigid, eyes wide and heart pounding. "Hnm?" I squeaked, looking to the side. Granny was standing there, blinking at me, her arms clasped behind her back.
"Al, let's get dinner started."
"Y…yeah, okay, Granny." I smiled at her and pushed myself out of the chair. Standing up, I rubbed at the sides of my face, still watching her. She was still watching me.
"I'm sorry that idiot brother of yours is being moody."
"It's okay, Granny, I'm used to it."
"Doesn't he get on your nerves?" she squawked, moving over towards the stove.
I frowned from behind her, keeping it away from my voice so she would not notice. "Not really, Granny." In my mind, I added:
Because he's my brother.