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: Hey there everyone~! Won't blab for long but this was a decently quick update considering I've been binge playing Breath of the Wild since it came out (sorrynotsorry). I apologize in advance for my horrible crack at humor in this chapter. Seriously, I'm so sorry. I'm clearly more suited to cheesy romances and lewd stuff ;3; But yes, things are starting to progress in this chapter, also, a lot of alcohol use. Another huge shout out to all the new favs and followers~! Seriously, I get giddy every time a new one of you pops up. So thank you so very much for your support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

This story also on ArchiveOfOurOwn .org. This will be without a lemon, the other one will have lemons.

Chapter: Dreamer

Summary: "Our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them…" - Walt Disney

WHAM!

"Ow! What the fu-! BROTHER! Get off me!" Alphonse hollered groggily as he was jolted awake by being jumped upon and squished beneath Edward's heavy weight on his bed. You'd think after spending many years without the ability to sleep, that the elder Elric would let the younger sibling sleep in a little bit in the mornings, especially on his birthday. Alphonse audibly growled as Edward chuckled and ruffled his short blonde hair.

"Nope! Not until you agree to get up! It's too special of a day to stay in bed all morning. So, you're twenty two today huh? What an old man." Edward snickered back.

"Says the twenty three year old who's currently acting like he's only three." Alphonse snapped flatly.

Edward scoffed and clambered off his poor brother. "This is just payback for all of my birthdays you jumped on me back when we were kids." At the memory, Alphonse couldn't help but smirk and snigger quietly.

"Maybe that's why you're still so shor-!" He was cut off by a pillow forcefully smacking him in the face, which was followed by Edward's irritated snort as he left the room.

"Just hurry up, don't make me kick your ass on your birthday." He said as he left Alphonse's room.

"As if you could ever beat me without the use of a bed sheet." Alphonse muttered under his breath as he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to prepare for the day ahead. Truth only knows whatever Edward has planned. As much as he hated the rude awakening, he always enjoyed the petty bickering he and Edward would have. Somehow, it made it feel as if they had grown up as normal boys, without the mistakes, pain and suffering they had to go through to get to where they are now. Alphonse believed Edward enjoyed it too, since he was generally the one who initiates it of course. Then again, Edward initiates bickering with almost anyone.

To say that Alphonse was glad that Edward had made no excessive plans for his birthday, it would be an understatement. Last year's surprise birthday party had everyone that Edward and Alphonse knew in attendance, including Ling and his whole imperial entourage. It was somewhat overwhelming to say the least. Not that he wasn't grateful or anything; he had a great time of course. Alphonse was humble, and was happy to have a low key event with his closest family and friends. Today, he would spend most of it with Edward before they were to head over to Monroe's Bar with the rest of their military friends for what is meant to be a low key gathering.

Alphonse was relieved that that's exactly how it was when they arrived that night.

At a table that had clearly been observed for the large group, and with drinks in hand sat Roy, Riza, Havoc, Breda, Fuery, Armstrong, Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, Zampano, Jerso and…

'I wonder where Juniper is?' Alphonse pondered briefly before greeting the group. "Hello everyone." He got a mixture of 'Hey' and 'Happy Birthday' from the group and a very loud 'Oh Alphonse Elric! It's so hard to believe that you were but a boy in a suit of armor when I met you, now you're a strapping young man! Oh how time flies so fast!' from a bellowing and overly dramatic Armstrong, who had Maria and Denny clinging to his arms to prevent him from stripping off his shirt. Alphonse chuckled and expertly sidestepped to take his seat at the table without getting a crushing hug. He turned to the two chimeras

"Jerso, Zampano! It's been a while since I've seen you guys. How's it going with your families?"

After journeying with Alphonse when he travelled the Eastern countries, Jerso and Zampano had decided that, even if they never got their original bodies back, they didn't want to waste the lives they could still enjoy. So with a bit of reassurance and coaxing from Alphonse, they went back to reconcile with their families and explain what had happened to them over the years. It was rough in the beginning, but they were accepted back into their family's lives and couldn't be happier. Alphonse was beaming at them as they began to talk his ear off.

Sitting beside him, Edward glanced at the only unoccupied chair then fixed his golden gaze up to Roy and Riza across from him. It was Riza who noticed his curious gaze. Edward nodded slightly at the vacant seat then looked back questioningly. Riza simply smiled softly and nodded, which made Edward slump in his seat, clearly relieved. She wasn't at all surprised that Edward had picked up on his younger brother's attraction for Juniper too.

At this time, Mr Munroe had approached the group while carrying a large tray of an assortment of liquor that no one besides Armstrong recognised and placed it in the center of the round table.

"Righto ladies and gents, this round is already covered for you. The finest Iraylian brews in all of Amestris. Beer, ale, whiskey, mead and even a wine for the ladies if they so desire. These are my best products, so enjoy." He said with a chuckle as he set down they tray of alcohol. Everyone was a bit stunned before they started reaching for varies glasses or mugs.

"Who footed the bill? Was it you, Boss?" Havoc snickered with a cigarette in his mouth as he reached for one of the beer mugs.

Roy narrowed his eyes, but smirked back as he reached for a glass of whiskey for himself. "Of course not. As if I'd ever buy you a round of anything." Everyone laughed.

"So who did?" Alphonse said as he inspected a dark brown glass bottle of honey mead. The label read 'Fox Estate Iraylian Honey Mead'

"That would be me, birthday boy." A femininely playful and accented voice came from behind him. Alphonse spun around and, with the brightest smile, caught Juniper's hazel gaze with his own golden one as she moved to sit in the vacant seat beside him. She turned a dazzling smile to him before greeting everyone.

"Well it only seems right that I buy a round so you can enjoy the finest fruits of the Fox family's labour for your birthday." She shrugged nonchalantly with a soft smile before reaching over and grabbing the whiskey bottle and poured some into 13 shot glasses. She passed everyone a glass before taking her own. "I will warn you though; the whiskey is potent, so go easy."

Juniper raised her shot glass up. Everyone followed suit and together they shouted "Happy Birthday Alphonse!" then knocked back the whiskey in unison.

"Thank you so much for this everyone." Alphonse beamed happily before going a little wide-eyed. His body felt hot so suddenly that it shocked him, and by the looks on everyone's faces except for Juniper and Armstrong, they felt it too. "Wow… You weren't wrong about its potency." He murmured with a chuckle.

As drinks began to flow, Alphonse introduced her to those she had not met before. Juniper was curious about the chimera, having only ever heard of what they were in books, let alone meeting not one, but two human based chimera. They were really interesting to talk to, and very funny she found out. She also conversed with Maria and Denny for a while before Armstrong stood up and offered Juniper his hand, asking for a quick dance to the lively band in the bar that was an upbeat pub tune. She gladly accepted, since it had been so long since she had been able to dance like she would normally back home in her father's tavern.

"Wait, so how does Juniper know Armstrong?" Edward questioned Roy as he leaned his arm on the table with his hand curled around a mug of beer. Alphonse listened in too as he watched Juniper and Armstrong on the dancefloor. It was an odd sight, especially when it came to their very different body sizes, but they made it look as if they had done this before. Juniper was laughing out loudly with the fun she was having. It caused a soft flutter in Alphonse's chest.

"Well, according to Armstrong, both the Armstrong and Fox families have been very close associates ever since the Fox family returned to Amestris many years ago. Juniper's father, Dorian, needed a place to reopen his brewery, and the Armstrong family had an investment property they were willing to sell to them. However, it was far out of Dorian's price range at the time. So a deal was struck. Dorian purchased the property for half the original price in exchange for a lifetime contract of free liquor. It was just a good thing that Armstrong's father is quite the liquor enthusiast. Because of his influence, the Fox family has been successfully catering the liquor needs at every military ball since 1911 when they returned, which was a huge boost for them to re-establish themselves in Amestris." Roy explained as he slowly nursed a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Edward, along with a few others that had been listening, nodded in understanding and realization. "Ah, that's pretty cool huh?"

Armstrong now came back to the table and sat down. "How is everyone fairing? Shall I get us the next round then?" Before anyone could protest, he waved at Mr Munroe then motioned to the table with a twirl of his index finger. Mr Munroe simply nodded and grinned.

"Don't spoil us too much now Armstrong, don't wanna make Fullmetal legless tonight so poor Alphonse has to drag his sorry ass home." Roy snickered.

Edward of course, retaliated. "I already am legless, you bastard." Edward kicked the older man's shin under the table with his automail leg while grinning evilly.

Roy winced then growled. "Fuck! Damn you Fullmetal, you'll pay for that!"

"No he won't. You started this, Roy." Riza intoned flatly, but with a hint of amusement as Roy slumped and pouted slightly like a scolded child. She heard Edward snickering then shot him an 'It was funny but I can't pick sides so cut it out' glare. Edward merely gulped and chuckled nervously.

Meanwhile, Alphonse looked around the bar from where he still sat. 'She sure disappears a lot.'

Unfortunately for him, Breda and Havoc caught him looking around, and knew exactly who he was looking for.

"Who are you looking for there, Chief?" Havoc said in a suspiciously curious tone with a hint of amusement. Both men wore all-knowing smiles as Alphonse snapped his attention back to the table.

"Wha- Huh? Oh… I was… It's nothing, really." Alphonse muttered quietly as he looked down into his glass of mead, which he had taken quite a liking to.

"I'm sure she'll be along soon, Romeo." Breda said then joined Havoc in their stifled laughter and snickering when Alphonse's face grew red and shot a death glare at Edward, who was now trying to stifle his own laughter as he waved his raised hands in front of him, feigning innocence.

"I've watched Winry detach your leg more than enough times to know how to do it myself, so you had better watch it, Brother." Alphonse grumbled matter-of-factly. Everyone at the table laughed as Edward paled.

Clearing her throat as she sat down, Juniper seemingly appeared from nowhere. She had heard the apparent conversation was smiling with mirth.

"Well Orpheus and Abelard, at least all the women that he likes, actually like him back." She said impudently, her bright smile never faltering. Havoc slumped dejectedly, and Breda squirmed uncomfortably.

"I bet Breda is Abelard." Roy sniggered

"Cause he got sacked in the jewels that one time." Fuery chuckled and looked at Breda, who was clearly wincing at the memory.

"And Havoc is Orpheus because he can't keep a woman long enough to get her home." Alphonse said with amusement as he turned to Juniper, who was now giggling beside him. He finally realised what the hidden meaning in her playful insult was. 'She likes me back?'

Juniper felt his eyes on her and turned to him slightly while still giving him a sideways glance. She smiled softly and winked at him. 'So, you figured it out huh?' She was sure that if it weren't for the alcohol they'd already consumed, they'd both be blushing at each other.

The night was slowly beginning to unwind, but the multiplicity of conversations was still in high swing. Alphonse, Juniper and Riza were pacing themselves slowly, while the rest of them were well past the point of being 'just a bit tipsy'. With the exception of Armstrong, who seemed unaffected by the amount of alcohol he consumed, although for his size, it was no surprise his tolerance was astounding. Maria and Denny had both left an hour earlier, although not together, but still within 5 minutes of each other. It wasn't hard to see what was going on with that of course as everyone gave them suspicious and all-knowing looks. Juniper had disappeared again, but it wasn't for very long. When she returned, she placed an immaculate and very well decorated strawberries and cream cake in front of Alphonse, who went wide-eyed. The beautiful cake was covered in white frosting and whipped cream, with neatly sliced strawberries placed about it. In the center, written in very neat cursive chocolate frosting was 'Happy Birthday Alphonse'. A single candle burned brightly above the words.

"This is a gift from Winry and I. She gave me her recipe for your favourite cake, and I baked it. I sure hope it turned out okay." She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm sorry, I perhaps should have brought it out earlier, but everyone had already started drinking. I still wanted you to have it though." She said as she, without even batting an eye, quickly snapped her hand out to smack away Edward's sneaky hand from sampling the cream and frosting.

"N-No… Don't apologise. This is amazing; it looks almost too good to eat." Alphonse was still a little stunned.

"Spe-..Speak for your shelf Al-phone..ssss. It looks de-… de-… It looks yum as hell!" Edward slurred hopelessly. He wasn't drunk enough to not know what he was saying, but he was enough to have brain-to-mouth failure.

Alphonse rolled his eyes. "Don't mind him; it's just been an awfully long time since he's been able to drink this much. Anyway, thank you so much Juniper. I've always loved having cake on my birthday." He leaned forward to blow out the candle, but was stopped by Juniper placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Wait a minute! You haven't even made a wish yet!" She exclaimed with amusement.

"Juliet is right, Romeo! Make the wish!" Roy gasped out dramatically then fell into a fit of giggles with the rest of the men there while Riza facepalmed.

Alphonse figured he'd amuse them. "Alright then." Then paused as he 'thought' about his wish before leaning forward and blowing out the single candle. Almost instantly, getting swamped with questions of what the wish was, and begging him to tell them.

"No way! It might not come true otherwise." Alphonse muttered as he plucked the candle from the cake before Juniper picked it up and took it back to Mr Monroe, who had been keeping it stored for her since she arrived. Cake would be much better enjoyed tomorrow when it was not paired with alcohol anyway.

"Come on little bro… You can tell big brother Ed... *hic* ..nnnd I'll help it come true, I will."

"The only wish I have right now, is to get you home and to bed. You've got a train home to catch tomorrow." Alphonse said with a fond smile before polishing off the last of his mead then standing up to prepare for the tedious task of getting Edward in and out of a cab, then up 4 flights of stairs to his apartment. Easier said than done.

Finally, an hour after they had decided to leave, Alphonse, Edward and Juniper made it back to Alphonse's apartment. After Edward had given every one of his old friends a lengthy goodbye, Juniper and Alphonse had dragged him into a cab. It was only a very short trip, but very awkward for them. Edward had told Alphonse he loved him, he told Juniper he loved her, and much to their utter shock, he told the poor cab driver he also loved him. Juniper swore the poor man looked ready to throw himself out of the moving vehicle. That poor guy.

Now, they stumbled into Alphonse's apartment, with the drunkest of the three being carried by the other two. Juniper was also trying to balance the box the cake was in, and managed to shimmy it gently onto the coffee table when she passed it.

"Where's he going?" Juniper grunted as she hefted a heavy arm over her shoulders.

"My bedroom… You watch, as soon as his head hits the pillow, he'll be out like a light." Alphonse replied with a slight chuckle.

He was right. As soon as Edward was more or less tossed into the bed, he mumbled incoherently for a second. "Jun-per… dun forget to… to give Al his presnnnt. You said it was at… youurrrs…" Then he was out cold, snoring louder than he usually would when he went to bed sober. Juniper couldn't believe how much alcohol could affect him and make him so jovial.

She left the bedroom, followed by Alphonse who closed the door behind him.

"He's right though."

"Hmm?"

"I still haven't given you my gift yet… Well, there's actually two."

"Well in that case, why don't we go back to yours and have some tea and a slice of this cake I'm dying to try?" He beamed before his face fell. "That is, if you're not too tired?"

"You don't want to keep an eye on Ed?"

"I've fretted over his sleeping habits for a long time in the past, especially when he's been drinking. But I know now that he will not move an inch until his own hangover wakes him with vengeance in the morning." He smiled sheepishly.

Juniper shook her head and smirked as she reached for the cake box. "Well, if you're sure, then let's go."

The sweet, yet spicy aroma of chai tea filtered through the air of Juniper's apartment as two mugs sat on the coffee table. Alphonse sat in the dimly lit, yet warm lounge room as Juniper fetched his gift from her room. Juniper preferred to use candles rather than lamps all of the time, not exactly to save power, but more because it made it feel like home to her, where there was seldom electricity to begin with. Alphonse could empathise with her on that.

He dug his spoon into the spongey texture of his slice of cake and took another bite. It was mouth-wateringly perfect, just as he imagined it would be. He smirked to himself, he honestly felt more spoilt today than he did for all his birthdays, and he felt so gratified for such a wonderful day he had. He only wished he could've still been able to share it with his parents too.

Hearing the sweet sound of her bangles clinking together on her wrists, Alphonse looked up to see Juniper walking back into the room. She sat down on the sofa beside him and picked up her tea, gingerly sipping at it then placing it back down. She turned herself towards him, and he followed suit.

On her lap, a rather large leather bound book sat. There was no writing on the front of it, which piqued Alphonse's curiosity. With hooded eyes and a soft smile, she passed the book to him. It was nothing of what he was expecting, especially from her. It was a scrapbook, no, an album full of photographs of everyone in his life. At the start was a picture of his father, Hohenheim. The next was of his mother Trisha, a baby Edward in her arms and by the looks of it, himself when he was nothing more than just a big baby bump in her tummy. He flicked through further, each page filled with more photographs of himself and Edward as boys, along with their mother, Winry and her parents, Granny Pinako and Den, Izumi and Sig. The further he went, the older he looked in the pictures until he came across the first picture that was taken of him when he was in the armor. He slowly thumbed through each page in silence, watching as Edward and Winry grew and aged in each picture, while he remained the same, unchanged. Pressing on, he made it to the first few pictures that were taken of him when he got his body back, the first being at Central Command on The Promise Day, standing beside his brother in the massive group photo that was taken after their victory over Father. He couldn't believe how much his body had atrophied inside the Portal of Truth. The following pictures were a mixture of his long road to recovery, his many friends, Edward and Winry and their wedding day, his nephew and niece after they were born, and many events since. Reaching the end of the photos, he realised that half of the book's pages were still blank.

Juniper watched him nervously; he hadn't muttered a single word since she entered the room. She began to think that perhaps this wasn't such a good present after all. Catching the curious look on his face about the mass of leftover pages, she gently cleared her throat and spoke softly. "The rest of the book is for you to add more pictures to… i-if you wanted to that is."

"When did you do all this?" He whispered hoarsely.

"Back when I was training with Izumi. I have my own photo album you see, and I was adding to it one day when she became quite fond of the idea. So she took to gathering and hunting for as many pictures as she could get her hands on of you, Ed, and her family and made one of her own. She also made one for Edward, which he got last year from her, and I had the privilege of putting yours together. They're very personal, more so than a journal or diary. Edward's book and this one are exactly the same, up until the end here in the middle. I can only imagine that Edward would have been adding to it since then." She explained while being cautious. She still wasn't sure of his reaction yet. The last thing she wanted was to upset or offend him.

"Juniper?" He murmured softly.

"Yes?"

"Thank you… Thank you so much." He whispered on a shuddered breath. He felt so touched and moved by the very sweet and sentimental gift, and would forever cherish it. He couldn't wait to start adding to it himself.

Juniper had to hold back from letting out a rush of air as relief flooded through her. "You're very welcome. You were a very cute baby, if you don't mind me saying." She said with a fond smile as she watched he cheeks and the tips of his ears reddened slightly.

Alphonse placed the book upon the coffee table and turned towards her more as she took a sip of her tea. When she placed it back down, she mimicked his position and their eyes met. Her eyes twinkled as they caught the flickering light of the small flames dancing atop the candlesticks. It momentarily took his breath away as he stared deeply into the pools of mixed color, feeling lost and found all at the same time. Juniper too, found herself caught up in his spellbinding golden gaze, and she wasn't really sure if she wanted to get out of it either.

"There's still one more present." She murmured softly.

"There is?" He replied in the same manner as her.

Her hand came up and gently took his, her fingers intertwining with his own. Alphonse couldn't help the small affectionate smile on his face as he briefly glanced at their locked hands fitting perfectly with one another. Her skin was soft, her hands calloused; proof of her devotion to her work at her family business. "Yes. Though I think it was a bit late coming." She said after a beat.

"Why is that?"

The movement wasn't rushed, nor was it slow. But Alphonse's eyes flew open wide nonetheless as she gently pressed her soft lips to his own. He faintly could taste the sweetness of the strawberries and tea upon her lips, heightening the rush of sensations he felt. The pleasant shiver that shot throughout his body was overwhelming as he felt the multitude of sparks between them. Not just one, but a flurry of them that made his head feel like it was spinning. Before he could respond though, she slowly pulled away. Her cheeks were tinted pink and the adoring look she gave him melted him completely.

"It was late coming because it was the first thing I wanted to do when I woke up and found you at my bedside in the hospital, holding my hand just like this." Juniper gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and he squeezed back.

Alphonse refused to hold back anymore, now that he knew for sure how she felt. Letting go of her hand, he moved it up to cup her cheek tenderly while the other grabbed her waist and gently pulled her closer to him. "You know, I don't think my wish will come true, but my dream has."

"Why's that?" She murmured as she lightly nuzzled her cheek into his hand, where he began to caress it with his thumb.

"There's a saying; 'a dream is a wish your heart makes'. Well, my wish was from my heart, so I guess that makes it a dream now, right?"

Juniper giggled softly at his logic. "Okay. So what was your dream then?"

"I dreamed that I no longer had to suppress or hide how I feel about you." His eyes hooded slightly as she moved her face closer to press her forehead to his, their noses rubbing together affectionately.

"And you feel?" She snickered quietly as his face burned a little brighter. Juniper was sure hers was the same.

"I feel that I am absolutely, irrevocably and utterly in love with you Juniper." He said with a light peck on her cheek.

"Then I can assure you, that I am absolutely, irrevocably and utterly in love with you too."

Alphonse cupped her cheeks and pulled her delicate lips to his once again, falling backwards with her onto the sofa and holding her tightly against his chest as they continued to fall deeper and deeper.

Author's Notes: A few things I just wanna fill people in on. Saves you googling it xD

Orpheus – Orpheus' wife, Eurydice, dies and so he traveled to the underworld and his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone, who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. In his anxiety he forgot that both needed to be in the upper world, and he turned to look at her, and she vanished for the second time, but now forever. Makes me think of poor Havoc, unable to keep a lady ;-;

Abelard - Abelard and Heloise fell deeply in love, conceived a child, and were secretly married. But Fulbert (Heloise's uncle) was furious, so Abelard sent Heloise to safety in a convent. Thinking that he intended to abandon Heloise, Fulbert had his servants castrate Abelard while he slept. Yep. Castrate. Figured it would be a funny name to call someone if they got kicked in the jewels.

Told you my humor is awful xD