Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of the characters. They belong to Arakawa-Senpai~ I only own my OC's, my made up towns/cities/countries/other misc characters and this fanfiction.

Author's Note: I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, so please review somewhat kindly. Also feel free to PM me for any questions/queries about this story, or even just to say hello :3

Chapter: Morning Warmth

Summary: Just the smell of summer can make me fall in love..

The soft, sweet sound of twittering morning songbirds was the first thing that awoke Juniper's senses the following morning. The next was the very pleasant scent of apples and cinnamon. Her body felt warm and safe; enveloped in a strong, yet gentle embrace. Hazel eyes fluttered open and Juniper smiled softly at the sight of Alphonse lying beside her, sighing softly as he slept peacefully. They had seldom moved much in the few hours of sleep they got.

Juniper felt like she could happily lay here all day beside him, but her body had other ideas and needs that have to be tended to. Slowly, she slipped her arms away from around his waist, hoping not to disturb him as she made her way out of bed. But she didn't count on Alphonse being a light sleeper, seeing his golden eyes begin to flicker open. They were well rested, and absolutely radiant in the morning light.

"Oh, good morning Alphonse. I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep." Juniper spoke softly, her voice still groggy.

He hummed in response as his mind came to. When he did finally focus, his eyes met with bright hazel ones that were very close to his face. Alphonse gasped suddenly as he realized how close their bodies were, how close their faces were. Then memories of last night come flooding back in a wild rush, about how close their lips had gotten to one another's in what could have resulted in a near kiss. His face lit up with a bright crimson blush.

"Ju-Juniper! I-… I'm-… Uhh… S-Sorry! I-… Shit!" He spluttered out a flurry of half-assed words that failed him. His body also failed him, for in his slight panic; he had sat up and shuffled back quickly. He was trying not to invade her personal space, but forgetting how close he was to the edge of the bed had seen him falling from it completely. Landing on the ground with a loud thud with his upper body resting against the bedside chair, he let out a pained and frustrated groan as he rubbed his lower back.

"Alphonse! Are you alright?!" Juniper was alarmed at his sudden tumble, and shuffled to the edge that he just fell from with a look of concern across her face.

Before he could respond however, Alphonse heard the door to the room burst open, seeing Nurse Inez rushing in. She quickly looked at Alphonse on the floor, then at Juniper kneeling on the bed near its edge, who's hospital gown had hitched up high on her thighs. She looked at them both incredulously before fixing her gaze upon the young man.

"What's going on? What happened in here? I heard a loud thump from all the way down the hall." She said in a somewhat clipped tone, as she began having assumptions on the scene that weren't exactly going in Alphonse's favor.

Both Juniper and Alphonse quickly realized this, and while he tried to think of something to say, it was Juniper that saved their asses.

She scoffed then giggled. Before she knew it, she had broken out into a laugh as she clutched her stomach.

It left the nurse confused, and Alphonse staring up at her somewhat adoringly despite the situation. It was the first time he heard her laugh in so long, it made him too happy to even care if he was about to be knocked through a loop by the nurse.

Juniper quickly settled though, then looked up at the nurse with a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry Ma'am. I know the situation looks bad, but Alphonse was actually trying to sit down on the chair behind him when he fell. He was still half asleep and missed the mark completely." She snickered softly. "I only now could laugh about it because my initial reaction was of concern for him." With that said, she gave a megawatt smile that easily convinced the nurse.

'Damn… she's good.' Alphonse mused to himself as he considered her exceptional charisma and people skills.

"Oh good… I had actually started to think that-… Oh I'm sorry Colonel." She said as she went to help him back to his feet.

He stood then rubbed the back of his head and sheepishly smiled. "Its fine Ma'am, I think anyone would come to the same conclusion you almost did. I'm just glad you weren't Major Hawkeye… I think I'd be breathing through six holes right now."

The three chuckled knowingly.

"Alright well, Dr Knox will be along in an hour or so to examine you. In the meantime, let me escort you to the bathroom." Nurse Inez said.

Juniper nodded and turned her legs off the bed to nestle her feet into bland, but snug mint green hospital slippers. There was a white robe nearby that Alphonse picked up and gently placed around her shoulders before offering her his hand so that she could stand up without the worry of falling. She was shaky at first, but soon steadied herself then looked up at him and smiled.

"Why don't you head home for a little while? You look like you could do with a good feed and a proper grooming." She said with mirth, smirking softly as she reached a hand up and gently tickled his jawline that was covered in dark blonde stubble. The motioned caused him to flush a little and chuckle softly.

Before he could refuse however, he noticed the pointed glare from Nurse Inez, as if to enforce Juniper's request. He let out a deep sigh and held his free hand up in defeat. "Alright alright… But I'll be back again soon, okay."

"Don't rush yourself. Please." Juniper muttered softly as she let go of his hand, now being supported by Nurse Inez as they began the slow shuffle towards the door, which Alphonse held open for them before going back to gather his belongings. He deftly removed his tank shirt and replaced it with a clean casual t-shirt, then picked up the small bag he had with him and left the hospital for the first time in two weeks.

The air was refreshing, at least as refreshing as Central City air could get. It reminded him of the day he got his body back and could take his first breathe of air again. The morning air was mild, promising a comfortably warm day ahead. Not even a single cloud in the sky could be seen. Today was certainly looking to be the best day Alphonse had been able to be happy about in a while. He almost couldn't help the light spring in his step as he walked home.

Entering his apartment and knowing Edward was still there, Alphonse remained quiet in case his older brother was still asleep. Not that it mattered; Edward would probably remain asleep if a steam train rolled right past him, and he could even sometimes snore as loud as a fog horn, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

Alphonse felt a long hot shower was needed first before fixing Edward and himself some breakfast. Walking through to his bedroom, he open the door to see Edward sprawled out on top of his bed, t-shirt hitched halfway up his stomach by his hand, snoring and mumbling incoherently about Winry hitting him with wrenches. Some things will never change it seemed. Alphonse rolled his eyes, and with a soft smile, walked through the room to the adjoining bathroom.

After stripping down and turning the faucets to a high temperature, he moved in under the hot stream of cascading water. He always enjoyed his showers this way; hot and almost scalding. Perhaps it was the bitter sting that crawled over his skin that he enjoyed, after years of not being able to feel anything in the hollow shelled body he once possessed. It was always the little things that Alphonse had missed the most, whether it was a positive or negative thing, he reveled in it.

Remaining under the searing stream of water for longer than usual, his mind contemplated the events of the past month. So much had happened that he had completely forgotten that his birthday was tomorrow. If birthday wishes even came true, well he felt his had already come true before even making it. After all, it's all he had wished for the past two weeks. Considering this, his thoughts went to his feelings for Juniper. It was overwhelming at how quickly he had fallen for her, let alone admitted it to himself. Was this normal, or even possible? Falling in love with someone within a month of meeting them. Sure it wasn't unheard of, at least as far as romance novels went, but he worried that he felt this way for all the wrong reasons. The worry didn't linger though, for Alphonse knew that he wasn't lusting for her, at least it wasn't the driving force behind his emotions. In fact, he'd never had a lewd thought about her in the short time of knowing her. Oh, but the lip biting; a little habit she seemed to have when she was deep in thought or contemplating something important. The way her teeth pressed into the soft fullness of her delicate pink lips, then leaving barely noticeable indentations there…. Alphonse let out an audible groan that echoed in the small shower space. There was that lewd thought that had been missing. Alphonse could feel his wayward body responding, so he dispelled the thoughts completely from his mind and finished up showering as quickly as possible.

Stepping out, Alphonse wrapped a towel around his lower half, the soft fabric clinging to his hips. A light tuft of dark blond hair trailed down from under his navel to disappear beneath towel. He went to the mirror under the sink and began the mundane task of shaving. The soft knock at the door echoed in the small room before it opened, revealing Edward who lazily leaned against the door frame with his arms folded over his chest in a nonchalant manner. A playful smirk was on his face.

"Was last night as good for you as it was for me, Handsome?" He teased as he mimicked a feminine voice.

Alphonse set down the razor blade after finishing up then picked up a washcloth and tossed it hard at his idiotic older brother while shaking his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The washcloth was wet, and landed with a splat right in the middle Edward's face. Alphonse skilfully caught it in his hand as it was pitched back at him with force, letting out a loud chuckle.

"Shut up and go make my breakfast, you wench." He spat back with mirth.

"Tch… You know everything I cook ends up either rubbery or charcoaled." Edward replied with a humored shrug. He saw Alphonse shudder, obviously thinking about his cooking. "Hey!" He snapped.

"You said it Ed, not me. Though it is odd that an former alchemist could screw up something as simple as cooking. Then again, it is you." Alphonse laughed as he raised his hands defensively while walking past Edward and into the bedroom. He listened to Edward's grumble as his brother shuffled his way out to the lounge room. Alphonse wasted no time getting dressed and began cooking up some food, as he realized how famished he suddenly was.

The brothers ate while conversing lightly. Most of everything they had to talk about was spoken yesterday after all. But it was news to Edward that Juniper had woken up from her coma.

"That's a relief. I was worried about both of you because of it, ya know." Edward said as he chewed on some toast, followed by a fork full of scrambled eggs.

"I know Ed. I'm sorry for making you worry like that. I just didn't know what to do, or how to be." Alphonse said with a sigh as he looked down into the dark brown liquid of his coffee.

"You've got nothing you need to apologize for Al. You're my brother, and I'll always worry about you." He replied as he looked up at his younger brother, who offered an appreciative smile at the comment. "Oh by the way…"

A folded up newspaper was slid across the dining table to Alphonse who picked it up and unfurled it. He was immediately drawn to the front news article. It was about the events that happened around the bank robbery.

"I managed to get my hands on a copy of that for you. It seems like the media doesn't know Juniper is actually State Alchemist yet." Edward muttered before sipping at his coffee.

Alphonse read over the article and sure enough, he realized that where it mentioned Juniper, she had been classed as a normal unnamed citizen; not as a State Alchemist or even a soldier, who had been briefly held hostage then critically injured. It also spoke of the identities of the two criminal alchemists that had been apprehended, but there was no mention of Jagger at all, only that a third unidentified assailant had escaped into the night. Another paper was slid forward from Edward, and Alphonse picked it up.

"Pagsh fyff.." Edward said as he shoveled a ridiculous mouthful of food into his mouth. It earned him a cocked eyebrow from Alphonse, who guessed he had meant to say 'page five'.

He turned to the page and found a smaller article that simply explained that the apprehended criminal alchemists would remain in high security prison while the investigations were ongoing, and that they had been uncooperative throughout the process thus far. Alphonse huffed with frustration as he folded then returned the paper to the table. He ran his fingers through his golden locks that were still slightly damp from his shower.

"I think I need to go speak with Mustang and find out what's going on." Alphonse said as he rose from his chair. "I'm going back to the hospital after leaving Central Command. Did you want to come?"

Edward polished off the rest of his food then stood, gathering the dishes on the table. "I'll clean up here at meet you at the hospital, Al."

Alphonse quickly walked into his bedroom to retrieve his pocket watch. He attached it to his belt then slid it into the pocket of his slacks. Usually he would have it pinned the mid-section of a vest he wore and tucked into one of the pockets, but today was going to be warm so he had opted not to wear one, along with ditching his usual tie.

"Thanks Brother, I'll see you there. I'll tell the General you said hello." Alphonse said with a smile as he headed for the door. Before leaving, he saw Edward's light scowl.

"Don't you dare! He'll send you back with some smartass remark that's cracking on about either my height or my temper as usual. Either way, he can go suck it." He grumbled.

Alphonse simply laughed and closed the door behind him.

"Alphonse?"

Roy was a little shocked when Alphonse came through the office doors. The young man appeared to have the same happy glint in his golden eyes once again, and he knew that some good news was here at last.

"Good morning Sir. Everyone." He acknowledged everyone with a nod and friendly smile before turning back to Roy. "Juniper is awake."

Alphonse could see everyone, especially Roy and Riza, visibly relax and let out relived sighs.

"She's getting examined this morning, so I'm not sure exactly what kind of state she's in, mentally or physically. But she's talking and walking again, and doesn't seem to be in any pain aside from a sore throat I presume."

"That's understandable." Riza said softly, knowing all too well what Juniper must be feeling like, having experienced the same thing years ago on The Promised Day.

"I know it's probably too soon to say this, but we need to speak with her about what happened once she's fully recovered and ready. She obviously had a traumatic experience with those men in the past, particularly Jagger. We need as much information as we can get, because Jagger's comrades don't seem to be planning on giving anything away any time soon. We're back to chasing our tails." Roy grumbled at his final sentence, clearly frustrated.

"Actually, there's something I found this morning that was a bit odd, and I wanted to ask you about it. Today was the first time I read the newspaper from the day after the bank robbery. Was there a reason Juniper was classed as a citizen, and not a State Alchemist?" Alphonse asked as he sat down on a chair in front of Roy's desk.

Roy leaned back in his own chair, leaning his elbow on one of the armrests. "Yes, for two reasons actually. One is obvious; she was not in uniform that night, nor was she taking orders. She acted as an individual in a spectator's point of view even though we that knew her, knows she's anything but a regular citizen. The other, is because I made sure her State certification remained on the down low from the media at the Fuhrer's request. With everything that's going on lately, the last thing we need is the poor girl getting harassed by journalist just because she's a female State Alchemist. I mean that in the most non-sexist way I can by the way."

It made more sense now, and Alphonse could understand the reasons.

"It might even work to our advantage once she's strong enough to return. But for now, I want her to focus on making a full recovery." Roy added as he leaned forward over his desk, picking up a pen and began writing.

"And me, Sir?"

"Continue to ensure Juniper's safety until she's in full health again, but come back and report on a regular basis of her progress. There's honestly not much else that can be done here for the time being." He said as he continued writing. He stopped, and with a quick flourish of his signature on the bottom half of the paper, he folded it and slipped it into an envelope before passing it to Alphonse. "Make sure she gets that once her examination has concluded."

"Yes Sir. I'll call later on and inform you of her prognosis." Alphonse said with a firm nod and final smile before turning to leave. Before he reached the doors, Roy called out to him.

"Oh and Alphonse..."

Gold eyes turned back to look at obsidian ones.

"Don't ever… ever, scare us with your grief stricken behavior again. I blame you as well as Juniper for my lack of sleep lately." He said lightheartedly. "It's good to see the old flame back in those Elric eyes of yours."

Alphonse couldn't help the genial smile on his face as he finally turned to leave. Roy was truly a good commander and friend.

"I think you're getting soft, Roy." Riza said in a hushed tone to the raven haired man. Only he would hear it.

He simply shrugged with a smile. "Maybe I am. We've watched the Elric brothers grow into fine young men that I can happily say I'm proud of. Sometimes you can't help who you get attached to, especially when you've been through so much together." He spoke softly, his dark gaze shifting up to look at her with his final words. His expression; sentimental and loving.

Riza turned her face away, her cheeks a soft shade of pink that only he would know was there.