You guys are the best! I absolutely loved reading your reviews, and I can't believe how many followers and favorites I got in just two chapters! Thanks everybody!
The moment Alphonse caught up to them, Al turned back to Ed, eager to question his brother more on how he learned to transmute without a circle since he had never really explained it.
However, Ed suddenly caught his eyes and asked, "Do you think he's okay?" His voice was hushed, question clearly only for Al's ears.
The younger boy was taken aback, but quickly whispered. "You mean the older me?"
Ed nodded subtly, hoping Al's future self couldn't hear them over the crowd. "With everything that's going on." He waved his hands to indicate the dilemma they were in. "Do you think he's dealing with it alright?"
Warmth blossomed in Al's chest plate, seeing how concerned Ed was for him—even if his concern was technically directed at a future version of himself. Yet, he was also confused. "Why ask me that?" His head tilted curiously. "You could just ask him."
Ed frowned, gaze falling to the sidewalk. "I normally would, but he's been quiet all morning." His voice tightened with frustration, and Al understood why.
Alphonse was clearly evading all of their questions about the future, like when Ed tried asking him over breakfast what had caused his condition and Alphonse simply said he didn't have much of an appetite due to it. Also, when Al questioned how long since Alphonse had regained his body, his older self gave him a sympathetic look yet only said it was a fairly new change. Therefore, the future Elric either deflected their questions or answered vaguely enough that he might as well have said nothing at all.
Al inwardly frowned, unsure how to console his brother when he himself didn't know why Alphonse was being so secretive.
"I'm not sure, Brother," Al eventually said, and Ed looked up. "I mean, I thought I knew the best way to tell him he had time-traveled last night and that didn't go as planned...so maybe I'm not that good at reading myself." He sighed, still bothered by the fright they'd given his older self yesterday.
Al had thought easing Alphonse into the truth would be for the best, which is why he stayed out of the picture until his older self tumbled off the bed, but it had never occurred to him that his future self might figure out Ed wasn't the brother he knew before they could tell him about the time travel.
Ed, picking up on his brother's thoughts, sighed. "I still think you can read him better than me." He smiled at the younger boy encouragingly. "Come on, Al. Just put yourself in his place, how would you feel if you ended up in the past?"
Al slowed, humming. "I guess..." He stopped and turned to look Ed in the eyes. "I'd be okay as long as I was with you."
Ed froze, not expecting the sentiment, yet Al didn't notice as he looked up thoughtfully. "But I'd probably still be worried about my brother—the older you." He looked down, and a smirk crept into his voice as he chirped. "Because you always get into trouble when I'm not around to watch you."
Ed's jaw hit the ground, the boy gaping in shock, but soon his eyes flashed and indignation reddened his face. "Hey!" He raised his fist. "Who's the older brother here?!"
"I ask myself that sometimes," Al sighed exasperatedly, and Ed was going to yell when he noticed something.
His eyes widened. "Oh, no."
Ed swiveled back and forth while Al, confused, asked, "Brother, what—"
"We lost Al!" Ed hurried around the younger boy's bulky body, yet the other Elric wasn't there either.
"You lost me?!" Al shrieked, grasping his helmet.
Yet Ed didn't respond as he started darting around people, heading back the direction they came. Al wordlessly followed, searching over people's heads without having to worry about running into civilians since they tended to avoid what they probably assumed was a man in a suit of armor.
"Al! Alphonse!" Ed called, ignoring how it drew him some odd looks. He shouldered past people, not even sparing a few words to apologize because his little brother was missing and he should have been paying more attention! Now Alphonse might have gotten hurt or—
"I see him!" Al shouted from somewhere ahead and Ed quickly sprinted over to him.
"Where?" Ed asked breathlessly.
"Over there." Al pointed yards down the sidewalk towards the street corner. "I think he's talking to someone."
Ed had no idea what his brother was seeing—too many people were blocking his sight—but he trusted Al, so he turned to where he was pointing and broke into a run.
Alphonse's eyes grew bigger and bigger the longer he stared at Hughes. His throat constricted, a strangled sound leaving him as he took in the man's bright eyes and the slight tilt to his lips when he frowned. The man's mouth moved, but the boy couldn't hear him as all his attention was absorbed by the hand on his shoulder. The light touch radiated warmth, and the sensation stole Alphonse's breath away because he'd only known Hughes when he was a suit of armor, so this was his first time actually getting to feel the man's fatherly touch.
Hughes stared at him, gaze burning into his own and standing much taller than Alphonse remembered since his human body was so much shorter, before his frown deepened. "Are you oka—"
Alphonse's crutch fell with a clang as he threw himself at the man. "Hughes!" He cried, wrapping his thin arms as tightly as he could around him while a puff of air escaped the startled Lieutenant Colonel.
"Hughes, Hughes!" Alphonse cried over and over again, unable to stop while his head fell against the man's chest and he waited anxiously to hear a heartbeat. It only took a few seconds for the organ to beat loud and steady against his ear and suddenly tears sprung to Alphonse's eyes because Hughes really was alive!
"K-kid, calm down."
Hearing Hughes' voice—so close and real!—only made more tears fall, and though Alphonse distantly recalled his doctor ordering him to avoid stressful situations for the sake of his still recovering lungs and heart, he could't seem to care about the warning because Hughes was here and alive!
"Hey, hey," Hughes voice turned soothing as he started rubbing circles on his back, "It's okay, just breathe." Alphonse's breath hitched, slowing down after it had started racing without his notice.
Hughes waited patiently for the teen to calm and loosen his hold on him before pulling back to hold him at arms length. Then the man peered at him and Alphonse returned the stare, his golden eyes watery though tears no longer fell.
"I'm sorry." Hughes searched his face, expression peppered with confusion. "You clearly know me, but I don't recognize you."
Shock stabbed through Alphonse's chest, and only now did he realize this man wasn't actually Hughes. No, this Lieutenant Colonel wasn't the kind, helpful man who had visited Ed in the hospital and welcomed Winry into his home. This Hughes didn't even know Alphonse had lost his body, or kept that knowledge to himself without being asked. He wasn't the man who tried to help him and Ed just to end up being murdered—
"Al!" A breathy voice called, and Hughes looked up to see a blur of red barreling their way.
Ed skidded to a stop in front of them, eyes widening when he saw him. "Hughes?!"
The alchemist hadn't expected to see the Lieutenant Colonel until sometime after the Liore mission. However, he soon forget all about the man as he noticed Alphonse trembling. "Al?" He questioned worriedly, looking his brother over. "What's wrong?" He stopped as he caught sight of the crutch on the ground, realizing the lack of support was why Alphonse was shaking.
Ed quickly bent down to pick it up while Al jogged over to the trio. "Brother!" He stopped beside them, jolting when he saw the Lieutenant Colonel, but before he could acknowledge Hughes, he noticed his older self's pale pallor. "Are you okay?" he asked him.
Yet his future self didn't seem to hear the question while he stared at Hughes like he expected the man to disappear any minute.
"So I take it you boys know him?" Hughes asked, glancing at the three while his hazel eyes sharpened with this new detail. "I thought he looked like you, Ed."
The boy in question tensed at his words before waving his hands frantically. "No, no, no, he's not my brother!"
"I didn't say he was—"
"He's our cousin!" Al blurted, and Ed's head snapped over to him in shock. "This is Al-Alex." He corrected, barely stopping himself from saying his own name.
Hughes raised a brow. "Really? You didn't mention you were visiting family in Central."
The man thought it especially odd Alex hadn't been brought up when he offered the brothers a place to stay. Why did they accept his invitation when they could have just stayed at their cousin's home?
"We weren't planning on it," Ed said, gently pulling Alex, who was staring ahead unseeingly, out of Hughes' grip and setting the crutch under his arm. "I ran into him at the hospital last night, see?" He gestured towards Alphonse's crutch, though he didn't need to when Alex had obviously been through a great ordeal to become so thin. A bad illness must have robbed him of his health. Though, that didn't explain the boy's emotional reaction to seeing him.
"But how did you recognize me?" Hughes stared at Alex, and the teen looked back with a torn expression, his lips trembling like he desperately wanted to say something, but nothing was coming out.
"He didn't," Al interjected, seeing his future self wasn't going to speak up. "The medication he's taking has a side effect of disorientation. That's how we lost him."
"Yeah!" Ed nodded vigorously. "He must of thought you were someone else."
"I don't know..." Hughes' eyes narrowed because Alex had called him by name—
The man suddenly caught sight of a clock behind a store window and gasped. "The meeting! I'm going to be late!" He'd already been running late prior to encountering Alex, but now he might miss the meeting entirely!
"Oh, we're sorry!" Al sputtered, genuinely apologetic though he was also relieved the man was now distracted.
"O-oh, yeah, you better get going before your superiors chew you out." Ed agreed, already pulling Alphonse away.
"Yeah, we'll just talk next time you're in Central!" Hughes sent them a reassuring grin as he turned, though it dimmed when he saw Alex staring mournfully at him. However, Hughes didn't have time to contemplate the boy anymore, so merely waved goodbye before throwing himself into the morning crowd.
The brothers waited for him to fade into the masses, then let out relieved sighs. "That was a close one," Ed said, wondering how badly Hughes would react to learning "Alex" was actually Al's future self. Such a fact would likely make the man suspicious considering Al and Alphonse's size difference and might even lead to Hughes figuring out the truth about their bodies, and while the Lieutenant Colonel seemed nice enough, the less people that knew the Elrics had broken the taboo, the better.
"What happened?" Al asked gently, and Ed turned to see his brother observing Alphonse.
"I..." Alphonse glanced at Ed, seeming ready to explain, but then his mouth clicked shut and he bowed his head. "I'm sorry, it's...I thought..."
His hand tightened around the crutch's handle, but he didn't say more, and Ed couldn't help snapping. "What is it?" His tone was harsher than intended, but it bugged him to see Alphonse so downhearted when he didn't know what had caused his despondent state.
"I don't think I can tell you." Alphonse closed his eyes, frowning.
"Why?" Ed demanded as the other boy started walking around him. "Hey!" He grabbed Alphonse's shoulder, stopping him. "You can't just walk away, something is clearly wrong."
Alphonse heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't—"
"You mean you won't." Ed hissed, eyes narrowing.
"Brother—"
Al tried to interrupt, but Ed went on. "You can't actually think you're fooling anyone here. We know you're keeping secrets from us and I," Ed turned Alphonse around, "Want to know why—" His voice died, eyes widening at seeing tears streaming down Alphonse's face.
"C-can we please talk about this later?" Alphonse begged, voice rough with emotion, and maybe it was because Ed hadn't seen his brother cry for four years, but the sight of his tears struck Ed like a sucker punch. He would do anything to make the tears go away.
The elder Elric nodded slowly. "Yeah, of course."
Alphonse gave a shaky sigh. "Thank you," he said, then walked away.
Ed watched him, something thorny sprouting up inside him as the image of Alphonse's tears seared across his mind.
"Brother?" Al asked worriedly while glancing between him and Alphonse's departing figure.
Yet the elder Elric didn't know what to say, so simply shook his head and followed Alphonse, and after a moment, Al did the same.
An hour later, Ed was staring at the book in his lap. He was seated on the library floor, a pile of textbooks resting precariously beside him while Al sat a little further down the aisle, leafing through a bio-alchemy textbook. He seemed pretty engaged with the writing, which was great since Ed had been reading the same paragraph for the past twenty minutes, but at least one of them would get to walk out of the library more knowledgable.
"Brother," Al suddenly looked up, perhaps sensing Ed staring, "What's wrong?"
Ed opened his mouth to lie, but the younger boy softly added. "You can tell me."
Ed's mouth shut, unable to lie when faced with his brother's earnestness, and he scowled at the book in his lap.
For a second, he didn't speak, but eventually he grumbled. "There's nothing wrong with me." He crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. "It's him that's acting weird." He jerked his shoulder towards Alphonse who was sitting at a table outside of the aisle they were in.
The future Elric was reading a book with the title Theoretical Alchemy on its spine—hadn't Al read that once? Though the fourteen-year old wondered how much his future self was really getting out of the book when his hands trembled every time he turned a page, the boy clearly still agitated by his encounter with Hughes.
Al turned back to Ed. "I think he has a good reason to be upset," he suggested.
"What makes you say that?" Ed asked, brow furrowing.
"Because I don't get upset over nothing, Brother," Al said while his future self looked up from his reading to stare at them with a guilty expression before quickly turning away.
"You don't think..." Ed's jaw tightened and his arms dropped to his sides as his hands curled into fists. "It's because of what I said earlier, right?"
He ducked so Al couldn't see his face, but the armored boy heard the shame in his voice and bit his metaphorical lip. It was true having Ed genuinely upset with him bothered Al a whole lot, sometimes even causing him to run off crying while Ed would have to track him down and sputter an apology to get him to return. However, based on Alphonse's guilty expression...
"No." Al shook his head and his brother looked up hopefully. "He's not upset with you, he's upset with himself."
Ed blinked. "What?" He reeled back. "Why would he be upset with himself? He didn't do anything wrong." After all, it had been him who'd thrown a fit just because Alphonse wanted to keep a couple of secrets.
Al shrugged. "I don't know, but ever since he saw Hughes, he's been acting guilty."
Ed frowned, suddenly realizing there had been guilt shining in Alphonse's eyes when he saw Hughes. But why? Al was always so polite and kind, Ed just couldn't imagine him doing anything bad enough that would lead to him feeling guilty over the man.
"That's it." Ed snapped his book close, scowling determinedly. "I'm talking to him."
He moved to rise, but Al interjected. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said, frown in his voice.
"Why not?" Ed asked sharply, anger over their predicament hardening his tone. "He's upset, and keeping the reason he's upset to himself won't make him feel better."
Al sighed and his shoulders slumped. "He already knows that."
"How do you—"
"Because I already know that." Al interrupted before gently whispering. "Don't you think if I'm keeping secrets, especially from you, that it's not because I want to but because I have to?"
Ed paused, having not considered that, yet soon he crossed his arms. "It's not that I think you—he is doing this because he wants to." He ran a hand through his bangs. "It's not even that I really want to know his secrets." Certainly not knowing was vexing, but his curiosity always came second to Al's wellbeing.
"Then what's really bothering you, Brother?" Al asked, confusion stirring within him.
Ed's gaze dropped, and he bit the inside of his cheek. "It's just," he fidgeted, voice lowering, "I can't help thinking...if the other Ed was here, he'd know how to help him." He curled into himself slightly as realization slammed into Al.
Ed felt inadequate. Specifically, he felt like an inadequate brother, and though he knew Ed took his role as the eldest seriously, it hadn't occurred to him until now what that meant since Alphonse arrived. As of last night, Ed had twoyounger brothers—though it was possible Alphonse was actually older—and this meant Ed was probably working twice as hard to fulfill his role as the eldest. However, when Alphonse refused to explain what was upsetting him, it must have seemed like the future Elric didn't trust Ed to help him.
Of course, Al knew that couldn't be true. Yet his brother could be a knucklehead sometimes, so choosing his words carefully, Al began. "Brother." Ed flinched like he heard a gun going off, but didn't raise his head to meet Al's gaze. "You are not letting me down and I will always trust you." His words flowed out like a warm, spring breeze and Ed's eyes widened at hearing the honesty in Al's voice.
"But if it will make you feel better, I can go talk to him." Al offered, making Ed gasp.
"Really?" Ed asked, and the younger boy nodded, setting aside the book on his lap and standing up.
"You just keep reading while I see if he's okay."
The older boy watched in disbelief as Al walked over to Alphonse, but when he saw Alphonse raise his head with a slight smile, his shoulders sagged in relief. Al was great at calming people down, and two Alphonses would certainly get along regardless.
Filled with such confidence, Ed went back to reading and found himself actually absorbing the words on the page.
Alphonse didn't raise his head as his younger self's clanking footsteps drew near, though it made him slightly uncomfortable to hear them after having spent five years in a metal body that made the exact same sound.
"I remember that book." Alphonse looked up as Al tapped his finger where his chin would be. "I think I picked it up here a while ago."
Alphonse smiled slightly. "Yes, I remembered skimming through it once." His gaze fell back on the writing. "It's about experimental and theoretical alchemy."
Al quickly grasped his intentions. "You're trying to figure out what type of transmutation sent you back."
Alphonse nodded. "Not that I really need to understand since I'm sure my brother is already making a reversal as we speak." There was nothing but confidence in Alphonse's tone, and Al was reassured to see some things never changed. "But there are some details about my situation I'm hoping to better understand with this research. Hopefully, then I can explain to you and Brother why I've been keeping secrets." He smirked. "I mean, that would be more practical than Ed constantly sending you over to check on me."
Exasperation tinged his words and Al laughed a little. "Is Brother really so obvious?"
"Well," Alphonse idly flipped a page, "He is staring directly at us."
Al chuckled. "Subtlety has never been one of Brother's best qualities."
Alphonse didn't laugh, but amusement danced in his golden orbs, something Al both marveled over and envied considering he couldn't express himself the same way.
Soon though, Alphonse's smile fell and he looked away. "He wants to know why I got so upset earlier...doesn't he?"
Al regarded his older self, noting the guilt twisting his face before he said, "He's just worried about you."
"I know." Alphonse's eyes lowered in shame. "I wish I could tell him, but..." He glanced at another book on the table titled Planes of Existence. "I don't think it would be safe to."
"Safe?" Al cocked his head. "I don't really get it, but you must have an important reason if you won't even tell us how you got your body back."
Alphonse blinked, not expecting such docile acceptance when he was withholding information Al had been seeking for years, but this was basically himself he was talking to, so it made sense the other boy understood.
"I do," Alphonse inclined his head, "And I should be able to explain it to you both once I finish reading these." He waved towards the short stack of textbooks on the table.
Al glanced at the grandfather clock by the window. "We have to leave in forty minutes." He looked back at Alphonse. "Do you think you can read all of these in time?"
"I'm not trying to become an expert." Alphonse frowned, eyes falling on the books he still hadn't touched. "I just need to learn the basics."
He was looking back down when suddenly his younger self's arm reached over him and grabbed a book labeled Time Symbols: Proper Usage in Alchemy. "Maybe I can help?" the armored boy offered, taking a seat in the chair across from him. "Then we can explain everything to Ed together."
Alphonse's eyes fluttered in shock, but soon he grinned. "Okay."
The two swiftly fell into a comfortable silence, one that become a lot better once Alphonse sensed Ed's gaze finally recede.
"And he calls me a mother hen," his younger self grumbled, and Alphonse realized he had also noticed Ed's staring.
Alphonse snorted and Al looked up to share a secretive smile with him before they turned back to their individual books while barely suppressing their giggles.
Al wondered if he was in a time loop—one of the many time travel theories he'd read about—when he once again watched his brother clomp down the library steps in a rage.
"I came all the way to Central, got dragged into hunting down some rogue alchemist, had to put up with annoying nurses and see Colonel Bastard's smug face all for nothing!" Ed tossed his hands in the air, fingers arched. "Can you believe it, Al?! All this time wasted chasing a dead end!"
His anger burned so hot through the atmosphere Al was surprised the potted tree they passed didn't combust while pedestrians on the sidewalk gave them a wide berth. Yet knowing Ed was liable to "redecorating" public property when he got upset, Al decided to do his best to soothe his anger.
"It's okay, Brother."
"I know, Brother."
The twin responses made Ed freeze mid-step and he slowly lowered his foot to the ground, then turned to Al and Alphonse. The two were already appraising each other in shock before looking back at Ed uncertainly.
"Oh, were you talking to—"
"Oh, I thought you meant—"
They both paused upon noticing they were talking over one another and Ed's left eye twitched, both creeped out and amused as Alphonse ruffled the back of his head sheepishly and Al glanced around bashfully.
Eventually Ed pulled himself together and sighed. "This is going to get confusing." He folded his arms, gaze turning calculative as he looked between the two Alphonses. "We need someway to differentiate you two."
Alphonse mulled it over for a moment, then said, "I guess you can call me Alphonse." Ed and his younger self appeared surprised, likely because they knew he preferred his name shortened, but he explained. "You're probably more used to calling your brother Al anyway."
Ed gave him a considering look while Al asked, "Are you sure it won't be weird for you?"
Alphonse shook his head, an amused smile quirking his lips. "Of course not, it's my name."
Ed, reassured, grinned. "Alphonse it is then."
The brothers resumed walking, though Alphonse noticed both of them were moving a lot slower than they had earlier this morning, no doubt for his sake. Yet he refrained from thanking them since mentioning the change might just remind them of his reaction to seeing Hughes.
Alphonse's face fell, the teen still not over seeing the Lieutenant Colonel alive after months of coming to terms with his death and his role in it.
"Hey, Alphonse." The future Elric looked up to see Ed eyeing him carefully. "Why didn't you tell us the library was a dead end?" His voice was subdued, question holding no heat behind it, but Alphonse still looked away.
However, before he could speak, Al said, "It's probably because he didn't want to disrupt the timeline."
Ed raised a brow. "Really?" He looked curiously between the two other Elrics. "So I'm guessing this has something to do with all those theoretical alchemy books you and Alphonse were reading."
Al nodded. "A lot of alchemists have theorized how alchemy could send someone through time, but since time travel has never actually been observed, none of their ideas have evidence backing them."
"Yes," Alphonse raised his face, expression determined, "But there are a few theories that sound more plausible given what's already happened to me."
Ed stared at him attentively. "Then let's hear it."
Alphonse looked up in thought. "Well, there seem to be three possible situations were in. The first one comes from the hypothesis that time travel isn't actually possible." Ed's eyes widened. "As in there was originally one world, the one I lived in during the year 1915, but when I time traveled, I created a separate timeline or world."
"Oh," Ed exhaled, understanding. "So you're saying me and Al aren't actually you and your brother's past selves, but other versions of you—"
"Created when my 'time travel' caused this new world to form." Alphonse gestured around them. "Which means I didn't time travel so much as traveled to another version of my world."
Ed frowned. "But there's no way we can test that, and we would never be able to tell this was another world unless something drastically different happened to me and Al which didn't happen to you and your brother."
"Exactly," Alphonse's brow scrunched up, "That's why it's the least credible theory and why I think the other theories make more sense."
"You mean the river theories?" Al asked, and Alphonse nodded, so the fourteen-year old explained. "One physicist theorized that time is like a river, meaning it flows in a straight line and time travel is when a person leaps from one end of the river to another point."
Ed gave the concept some thought and hummed. "That does make sense."
"Don't speak too soon," Alphonse said with a slight smile and Ed blinked while the future Elric continued. "The first river theory also says certain events must happen, that they're destined to occur."
"What?!" Ed scowled, incredulous since he wasn't the type to believe in fate or any other preordained nonsense.
"The theory doesn't say everything is predestined," Alphonse assured, though his nose still wrinkled distastefully as he also didn't believe in fate or destiny. "Just that certain events will happen despite any changes my presence here might cause to the timeline."
"What things?" Ed asked skeptically.
Alphonse shrugged. "Who knows? It could be anything from me being destined to regain my body," Al perked up at the idea, "Or you guys being destined to see Teacher again."
Ed and Al froze, eyes widening, and Alphonse stopped, confused until he saw fear flash on Ed's face while Al's body rattled as he trembled.
It hit him why they were reacting that way when Al screeched. "We see Teacher again?!" He pointed wildly at himself. "When I look like this?!"
Ed jumped in front of Al before the future Elric could reply, asking, "S-she doesn't figure out we broke the taboo, right?"
Alphonse stared at him, expression grave.
Horror slowly dawned on Ed's face and he made a choking noise while grasping fistfuls of his own hair. "She's going to kill us, isn't she?"
Alphonse's face went eerily blank. "Let's just say...I'm glad I couldn't feel pain at the time."
Al whimpered behind him while Alphonse smiled and resumed walking like he hadn't just scared the life out of his brother and younger self. "Anyway, I don't really think the River of Destiny hypothesis is true, but the second river theory seems much more plausible."
Al and Ed walked after Alphonse, shaking off their fright, though Ed was still pale and Al's voice shaky as he said, "I agree, the second theory makes more sense because it's basically the same as the first river theory, but doesn't rely on destiny or fate."
Ed perked up at this news while Alphonse said, "Time is still linear, but every little action the time traveler takes can alter the future since nothing is set in stone." He frowned. "In fact, this is the only theory with evidence backing it since I've already caused some changes."
He stopped and gazed seriously at Al and Ed. "Me and Brother never saw Hughes the day we got on the train for Liore." Al gasped and Ed gaped. "It took me a while to figure out why, but now I know it's because you guys ran into me last night." He looked to his younger self. "You were supposed to go back to the library yesterday and convince the librarians to let you glance at the book Ed wanted to see."
Ed's eyes widened while Alphonse continued. "They would have agreed and you would have skimmed through the pages and realized it was a dead end. However, since I arrived last night and distracted you—"
"I never went back to the library," Al exhaled in shock, "And we must have left the hotel earlier than you and your brother did, causing us to run into Hughes."
Ed reeled back. "All those changes just because we met you?"
Alphonse nodded grimly. "Yes...so can you imagine what might happen if I told you about the future?"
The realization smacked Ed across the head and he gasped. "That's why you wouldn't answer our questions, you're trying to avoid altering the future because if you do..." He considered the innumerable possible outcomes that might result from Alphonse changing the future, including the horrible possibility that Alphonse might not get his body back.
Alphonse noticed the fear in his eyes and gently added. "But it's possible that isn't even what's happening here. The first hypothesis where this is an alternate reality instead of time travel might be true instead, in which case nothing I do here will affect your future or my future."
The fear left Ed's eyes, but his mouth still curved downwards. "I guess, but let's avoid talking about the future just in case."
Alphonse smiled. "Agreed," he said right as a low growl erupted from Ed's stomach.
They all stopped, but soon Ed chuckled and rubbed his stomach. "I guess all this theorizing has left me hungry."
Al cocked his head. "But Brother, didn't you eat two plates of food back at the hotel?"
"Yeah, so?" Ed crossed his arms defensively while Alphonse laughed.
"Well, he is a growing boy." The future Elric started walking ahead, hiding his grin. "He probably needs the extra calories so he can get taller."
Ed tensed at the reference to his height and his mouth opened to shout obscenities because he wasn't so short that fleas mistook him for their strange looking cousin! Yet his mouth snapped close when he realized exactly what Alphonse said. "Wait, I grow taller?!"
He suddenly leapt in front of Alphonse and grabbed onto his shirt collar like a dog who had found a bone, nearly sending the boy tumbling. "I grow taller?!" he demanded.
"U-uh," Alphonse stuttered, uncertain if he should reply considering what they had just discussed.
Ed rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I highly doubt you telling me my height is going to change the world that drastically. Now tell me my height!"
Alphonse, seeing his point, relaxed. "Okay, okay," he waved him down with his free hand before his expression turned thoughtful, "I'm not actually sure what your exact height is."
Ed slumped, looking heartbroken until Alphonse said, "But you're definitely taller." Ed's eyes shimmered, hands falling from Alphonse as he pictured himself towering over Alphonse, maybe even towering over Mustang!
"I knew it!" Ed cheered, his smile stretching from ear to ear as he placed to hands on his hips while straining to stand at his full height. "And I bet I'm even taller than you!"
Al grimaced playfully. "Actually, we're about the same height."
"What?!" Ed fell over dramatically, mood spiraling while he started muttering something about being the oldest and should be taller and it wasn't fair.
Feeling bad for him, Alphonse said, "Though you are taller than Winry."
Ed sprung up with wide eyes. "Taller than Winry?!" His eyes glazed over as he probably imagined his future self standing over twice Winry's height.
"How far in the future are you from?"
Alphonse turned to his younger self, replying, "It's the beginning of June, 1915."
"Wait a minute." Ed held up a hand. "So I'm still older than you?"
Alphonse blinked and then recalled how old Brother had been when they went to Liore. "Technically yes. We're both fifteen, but you're older than me by a month."
Ed gave a hearty, victorious laugh at that. "And to think I was worried my younger brother had suddenly became the older one."
Alphonse tried to wrap his head around being the eldest, and couldn't. "You're right, that would be really weird."
"Definitely." Al agreed when he caught sight of a clock in a car repair shop. He gasped. "Brother, its already eight-fifty!"
Ed, realizing they only had five minutes to reach the station in time to get tickets, immediately hurried ahead. "Come on, we can't miss the train!" he called back, forgetting all about Alphonse's inability to rush.
Yet the future Elric didn't complain, but pushed himself to move faster because if they missed that train and arrived at Liore later, there would undoubtedly be consequences.
"Sooo," Alphonse nearly tripped as he suddenly noticed Al was still keeping the pace with him and leaned down conspiratorially to ask, "Is Brother the same height as us without his boots or..."
Alphonse sent him a wink, and understanding, Al and him shared a brief laugh while continuing to hurry ahead.
It took me till one in the morning, but somehow I got this done in two weeks. You're welcome!
Anyway, next chapter will basically be episode two of Brotherhood and will involve them on a train. On the other hand, don't expect this to be Hughes last appearance.
Till next time, bye!
Revised: 7/8/21