This chapter's one of the angstier chapters in the fic. I know where I'm going next chapter, but it'll probably take longer than a week this time. Now that we're into the more emotional stuff, it's harder to churn it out as quickly.

I spent a lot of time moving things around and playing with the timing. Probably overthought all of it, but I think it turned out well.

Enjoy! :)


Ed is bold

Roy is italic

Al is normal


Saturday AM

(8:23) Good morning :-)

(8:24) Morning

(8:25) Did I wake you?

(8:26) No. Having breakfast with Al

(8:26) Are you having breakfast too?

(8:27) Alas, no. I'm already at work.

(8:28) Work on the weekend? Ew

(8:28) And who the hell says 'alas'?

(8:29) Cultured individuals like myself.

(8:30) You mean stuck up old people?

(8:31) This may be the earliest you've ever offended me.

(8:32) We've set a record.

(8:33) I have no idea what you're talking about

(8:33) I'm nothing but pleasant in the morning

(8:34) As pleasant as Garfield on a Monday -_-


"No laptops on the table," Al said as he put two plates of pancakes on the table, one for him and one for Ed.

"Hold on, I have to look something up," Ed said as he slid his plate closer.

"If it's for that assignment they gave you in lab yesterday, you have two weeks to do it. That's plenty of time for you to do it without risking getting syrup on the keyboard." Al said. When Ed did nothing more than look away from the computer screen to read something on his phone, Al couldn't help but shake his head. "And why are you on your phone too? And smiling? Is it Flame again?"

"Yeah," said Ed, smile still on his face as he admitted it easier that he had in the past. "He's a dork," was all he added before covering his pancakes in syrup, one hand still typing on the laptop's keyboard.

"So what are you looking up?" Al asked as he started in on his own breakfast.

"Flame," Was all Ed said for a moment, catching Al's attention enough to make him look up from his plate. "He let his age slip yesterday."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Thirty. Figure there can't be many Colonels that young, right?"

And suddenly Al's breakfast wasn't the most interesting thing on the table. He stood and moved around to lean over Ed's shoulder to look at the screen. "Any luck so far?"

"Still checking."


(8:37) Thanks for that

(8:38) So you alright today?

(8:40) Yes? What do you mean?

(8:41) Idk. You got quiet last night

(8:42) Did I?

(8:43) Yeah, after dinner

(8:44) I must have been tired.


"How about that one?" Al said pointing at the screen. "Roy Mustang?"

"Looks like the only one that's anywhere near the age range," Ed said, clicking the link.

Roy Mustang, as it turned out, was a colonel that had made a name for himself through an impressive command of explosives in the Ishvallan War. Next to the description was a picture of a building—or what once was a building—crumbling in a tower of flames. Flame. Was that how he got the nickname? The name was less funny that way, but Al supposed Ed's wasn't much better. Seemed they shared a similar dark humor.

Either way, Al shied away from the black and white war photo to turn his attention to the colored one in the top left corner of the screen. There was a close up of Roy Mustang in what Al assumed was his dress uniform.

"He's handsome," he said at the same time Ed cursed. "What?" he asked, turning to look at his brother, whose face had drained of color. As Al watched, his cheeks filled with color again, only it was the wrong color, green instead of pink. "What's wrong?"

"'Tired' my ass," Ed mumbled as he shoved his plate away and slammed the laptop closed. Ed was almost out of the room before Al had even righted the chair that almost fell when he stood.


(8:46) Oops. I think my Lieutenant realized I'm on my phone.

(8:47) Time to get back to work. Ttyl.


"Brother?" Al called as he followed after Ed.


(9:41) Hey, Ling. Something came up. Can't make it tonight. Sorry. Ttyl.


"Maybe it's not him."

"Of course it's him. And he knows who I am too."

"How do you-?"

"I just know, Al….he looked me up. Of course he'd look me up."


Friday PM

(12:12) Fullmetal, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to lunch?


(12:34) Guess you're busy. Maybe dinner ;)


(5:00) Dinner in an hour?


(7:08) Everything alright?

(7:10) Maybe you shouldn't text anymore.

(7:11) Fullmetal? What's wrong?

(7:12) No, sorry, this is Al, his brother.

(7:13) Ahhh Al, I've heard many wonderful things about you. It's nice to finally meet.

(7:13) But where, may I ask, is Fullmetal?

(7:15) Uh you really don't want to talk to him right now.

(7:16) No? Is he alright?

(7:16) Did something happen?

(7:17) In a manner of speaking…

(7:19) Did you know that very few soldiers in the army reach the rank of colonel at the young age of 30?

(7:20) In fact there is only one colonel currently that young in all of Amestris.

(7:22) Congratulations, sir, that's a very impressive achievement.


Sunday AM

(3:13) Once upon a time…

(3:15) Oh am I getting another story?

(3:17) …there was a soldier

(3:17) Fullmetal, your brother told me what happened

(3:17) Who was a dick.

(3:18) And I want to say that I'm sorry.

(3:19) This absolute bastard of a soldier

(3:20) Found a kid who was at the worst point in his life

(3:20) And decided to kick him while he was down.

(3:21) Fullmetal

(3:21) DON'T FUCKING ACT LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW MY NAME

(3:23)

(3:23) Edward…

(3:25) Right. So Roy, the dickfaced soldier, found a kid at the bedside of his catatonic brother

(3:26) Next door to his catatonic mother

(3:26) Edward, please hear me out.

(3:27) And made him feel even more guilty

(3:28) Once upon a time…

(3:28) NO. YOU DON'T GET TO FUCKING TELL YOUR STORY

(3:29) There was a soldier, who had recently returned from a warzone.

(3:30) NO ONE GIVES A DAMN ABOUT YOUR STORY

(3:30) There he had seen the men and women around him drop like flies.

(3:31) He couldn't look at his hands without seeing them covered in blood.

(3:32) He couldn't rid himself of the smell of smoke and burning flesh.

(3:32) Stop it

(3:33) And he was learning to cope, slowly, with the help of his best friend.

(3:34) This man was like a brother to him

(3:35) I said stop

(3:35) And stayed by his side after the war

(3:37) Even though the soldier suspected his friend wanted nothing more than to leave the army and stay home with his family.

(3:38) He was always talking about his family.

(3:40) Until one day he was hurt investigating something for the soldier.

(3:41) And then he was in the hospital and wasn't saying much of anything.

(3:42) And one day the doctors told the soldier that his friend would never speak again

(3:43) Would never take pictures of his family

(3:43) Would never share a drink with him

(3:44) He was gone.

(3:45) The soldier, who had never really developed good coping techniques of his own

(3:46) Unfortunately came upon a small boy when leaving the hospital.

(3:47) I say leaving, but really he was wandering the floors. Lost. With nowhere to go. No idea what to do with himself.

(3:49) So he found something to do. He lashed out at a boy who deserved a shoulder to cry on, not a slap to the face.

(3:51) He saw the boy, who had risked his brother's life as foolishly as the soldier had risked his friend

(3:52) And he berated the boy in the way he wished he could berate himself.

(3:52) He loathed the boy because he reminded the soldier of himself.

(3:53) And the soldier was awful to him.

(3:53) And the boy didn't deserve that.

(3:54) And a decade later the soldier found the boy and learned that he had done so much more with his life than the soldier ever would.

(3:55) He was brilliant and kind, and had managed to save his brother.

(3:56) He was so much better than the soldier.

(3:57) And though he didn't deserve it, the soldier hoped that the boy would forgive him.


With some combination of a scream and a sob, Ed hurled his phone across the room, where it bounced off the door to skid across the floor. He didn't want to hear anymore. Or read anymore. Whatever.

Did having a sob story of his own really excuse Flame—Roy. Mustang. Whoever—from being the villain in Ed's? Or at least a negative force. It wasn't like Flame had been the one to crash the car. No, that had been Ed. Stupid Ed, who had thought it was a good idea to drive his brother to see their mother in the hospital. Ed, who couldn't wait a few days after hearing where the ambulance had taken his mom. Ed, who'd crashed and made Al lose years of his life. He deserved to have a soldier dress him down…

Except he didn't.

He was eleven and a stupid kid, but not some punching bag for Flame. Roy. Mustang. Dammit.

Excuses, Excuses. Did he care? Why should he? Soldiers died all the time, that wasn't his fault. But what if it had been Al…?

If Al died, Ed would take out his anger on everyone. He knew that. He'd make sure everyone else was miserable, or at least miserable enough when near him to leave him alone with his grief.

But that was Al. A real brother was different than a fellow soldier who was like a brother.

But what if it had been Winry…?

Groaning, Ed turned over and buried his face into the pillow. He didn't lift his head even when he heard the door open, Al's footsteps hesitate—probably by the phone—or when the bed dipped as Al lay down next to him.

"If we have to get you another new phone, do you promise not to text anymore strangers?" Al asked as he wrapped his arms around his brother.

Ed rolled to curl against him, this time making a sound that was half laugh half sob. "Sure thing, Al."


A/N

Normally my AUs include Hughes being alive, but in this one I killed him even younger than in canon ;_; You have no idea how much that hurt me.


I appreciate every single review I get, even if I don't reply to them all. Really, they make my day :)

So I feel bad asking this, but can I make one request? If you're going to review (thank you for taking the time if you do) could you please write more than just "update soon" ? Even if it's just "I love the fic! Update soon!" I'd feel better. Although, I'd like "I can't wait for more" so much more than "update soon". Sorry, it's a pet peeve. I used to not mind so much, but now it really irks me. "Update soon" just sounds really demanding, and while I appreciate the sentiment, there are a lot more polite ways it could be expressed. I really do appreciate that you like my story enough to not only write me something but also to want to read more, but every time I see that sort of review in my inbox I cringe a little bit. This is something I do for fun, and that bossy attitude just takes the fun out of it for me. I get really excited when I see I have a review, but then I open it to find one that doesn't even necessarily let me know that the reader liked the story and that's really disappointing.

I'm going to stop now, I've said more than I meant to as it is, but please think about it. And thanks again!