From his perch on the rooftop, he could see Resembool. The sleepy little hamlet hadn't changed much it seemed. The same stores, the same pastures, the same people. Hell, they were even living with Winry and Pinako again. They had a home again! Why would he want to go back?

Sunlight had begun to creep over the verdant hills, bathing the Rockbell property in the golden rays of an autumn morning. He'd have to decide what to do soon. Ed surprised himself when he hadn't immediately demanded a discharge. When Mustang had offered it while Al was in Central Hospital he had surprised himself again by telling him he didn't know yet. Didn't know when he would know.

Ed stuffed his hands into his jacket, his right one brushing against the cool metal of his watch. He'd forgotten it was still in there. Without much thought he took it out and held it in front of his face, studying the dents and scratches.

Ed stared at the pocket watch as it swung from its chain. When he'd told him that Mustang had only smiled and told him to take as much time as he needed and walked out. Ed hadn't even had the energy to process anything except Al's recovery until a month ago. Surely eighteen months without a response would make his commanding officer consider him gone? Then again, he knew Mustang played the long game.

Still, he owed the man an answer.

Ed sighed, letting the watch slide from his hand onto the shingles beside him before laying back. Had it really been a year and a half since he'd come back? Since Al had gotten his body back?

Since…

No. Van Hoenheim had made his choice and done the right fucking thing by them for the first time since the day he'd walked out. He wouldn't ruin the only good thing the fucker had ever given him by sulking.

Gratitude clashed with the long-held hatred at the admission. Ed found the anger slowly ebbing away each time he remembered Hoenheim's sacrifice.

Van Hoenheim died a hero, saving his youngest son while Ed fought Father. Hadn't even given Ed the chance to fix his mistakes. That stung, but even then he couldn't find any anger regarding the circumstance. His brother was whole. That was what mattered.

"Brother?"

Ed nearly rolled off the roof as Al's voice—still soft but with a new depth—derailed his thoughts.

"Dammit, Al! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"It's not my fault! I called your name! Twice!" Al's voice cracked as he pulled himself up onto the roof nowhere near where Ed had left the ladder. For a second Ed started to reprimand him for the wall climbing, but snapped his mouth shut with an audible click of his teeth. It was his body, he could break it if he wanted.

Instead, he held out an arm, having moved to a sitting position again. Al sat beside him, his own arm resting around Ed's shoulders. For a moment they sat there, basking in the quiet. Ed cast a sidelong glance at his baby brother. He still couldn't believe how far he'd come. He was nearly as tall as Ed now, though still not as broad. The black tank top he wore revealed wiry arms and shoulders with quickly growing muscles. He could feel the tightly coiled tension in them.

Ed shifted, arm still wrapped around Al's shoulder. "What's up, Al?" His eyes searched Al's face and noted a strange set to his jaw. It was almost mulish, though Ed doubted anyone else would have noticed it.

"I'm taking the State Alchemist exam."

Ed bolted to his feet. "Like hell you are, Al!"

"You can't stop me, Brother." An angry flush spread over Al's face as he stood slowly.

Ed would never admit it out loud, but the rapid growth spurt had put Al at least two inches taller than him, not 'nearly as tall'. He had to look up a bit to meet Al's amber eyes. A fact that, at that moment, pissed him off even more.

"Fuck yes I can!" Ed shouted, a vein popping in his forehead. "I'll—"

"You'll what, Edward?" To a stranger, Al's voice would have sounded innocently confused. To Ed…He heard the unspoken threat in his brother's words. Al knew that he could still hand Ed his own ass in a brawl, even after the short six months they'd been sparring again. "I'm going and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

He was right. There wasn't.

Ed sighed, the anger seeped out of him leaving him deflated. "Why, Al?" He asked, voice barely a whisper. "You have your whole life ahead of you."

"Brother…" Al's voice softened too, but Ed refused to look at him. He kept his eyes glued to the horizon. The sun had cleared the horizon and bathed the countryside in its warmth. "That's why I need to do this. We only got our bodies back because we had help. The whole team looked out for us. Now I want to help them."

"Is this because of Hoenheim?" Ed bit out before he could stop himself.

"Dammit, Ed." His brother ground out, the edge beginning to creep back into his voice. "This is because of me. No one else. I want to help. I'm not asking you."

Ed scoffed, making a stiff retreat to the ladder."Fine. Do what you want. It's your life." He slid down, landing with a soft thump against the grass. "Tell General Bastard that we'll be there next week." He stomped towards town. Guess he had his answer.