A/N On The Universe: Okay this is kind of following cannon from the movie verse Conqueror of Shamballa. Where Ed and Alphonse are stuck in OUR world (Parallel world of earth) but instead of them being stuck in 1923, its 2013. AND they are in America, not Germany.

A/N On Reviews: I adore getting feedback and constructive criticism, but I do have one request to make. When commenting, please bear in mind that your comments and suggestions, both good and bad, are your opinion only, rather than (in general) a statement of fact. It is easy to accidentally insult or offend an author by sounding demanding and entitled in a written review, and I know that is never anyone's intention. By all means tell me if you think something seems a bit off, but give a moment's thought to how the tone of your review might be received. Thanks!

Rating Information - Rated "MA" overall due to scenes of an explicit or disturbing nature later on. Meaning Boy on boy, with incest dabbled into there. If you do not enjoy these types of stories, you may press the back button. But if you do enjoy this type of 'kink' then please stay put. Thing are about to get bumpy in here.

Warning: Adult language. Adult situation. (Late Update! I've been really sick! Getting my gallbladder taken out. Oh, what joy! Never give up, never surrender! Someone has to steer this ship! )

-You've-been-warned.-


I cut you off but you're still here
You're like a whisper in my ear
You start soft but you're getting louder
-One Ok Rock, Bedroom Warfare.

6 A.M
(Day One: Retrograde Spinning.)

The reality of Alphonse's departure from Edward's world slowly but steadily sinks in.

Edward knows he'd been the one to make the decision to move out of the apartment he shared with Alphonse. He made that decision knowing it's in Alphonse's best interest.

Edward hadn't understood at the time, how bad the separation would cut him. And it did, it sliced him bone deep, leaving him in a bloody mess. It hurt. It hurt – fucking – terribly. Life without Alphonse's bright smile to fill in the darkness of day-to-day monotony…

–The alarm clock on Edward's nightstand blares to life. The easy talking of early morning radio filters into the dim bedroom. Despite all of this, Ed's already awake laying in bed staring blankly up towards the white ceiling tiles with unseeing eyes.

A vast and empty sea circles from every side of his life. Wave after wave of panic, insecurity, and shame lap at the rickety raft of lucidity. The only thing keeping him a float on an ocean of garbage.

A begrudging sigh falls moments later with the rumpled blond sitting up and slapping blindly at his radio-clock. He silences it on the third try. The white sheets pool around his body as he peers down towards his mismatched hands resting in his lap.

The house creaks in the early morning hours. The smell of coffee brewing in the kitchen down stairs. Every sign of the day starting anew, and Edward finds himself struggling to manifest the drive to get out of bed.

He is lacking energy.

A restless night of tossing and turning. He couldn't still his mind long enough to fall asleep.

(It's an endless cycle.

Worrying, and longing. Anger to Sadness. Apathetic, too conscientious, and back to worrying again.

Endless.)

Looking around his new room, boxes stack upon boxes litter the floor. His minuscule life thrown into a couple cardboard boxes. Edward cannot bring himself to unpack. It would mean the beginning of the end of his life with Alphonse. And it hurt too much to drive the final nail into the coffin.

Throwing the covers from his bare legs, Edward swings them sluggishly off the bed. His metal knee groans and grinds against itself.

'It's time for maintenance…' He thinks looking towards his limb. The auto-mail shines in the low light of dim room. He runs his fingers over the large scar connecting to the cold lifeless metal along his thigh. 'It's an ugly transition from life to element…'

A hard knock on Ed's door stops his downward thoughts.

"Ed, you up yet?" Alfons speaks through the wood separating them.

"Y-yeah… I'll be down in a few." Ed grouses out, the sleep still hanging from his words.

"Coffee's on the stove." Alfons acknowledges through the door, "I'm going into work early." There's a pause before he continues, "I'll be back later tonight."

There's underlying concern in Alfons' voice, Edward can clearly hear it. He will not acknowledge it, merely grumbles his reply and listens to his friend's foot step fade away down the hallway.

Edward has been living like a ghost ever since leaving his old apartment. Floating inattentively throughout his days and restless nights.

A mindless drone set on autopilot.

It's slowly killing him.

'Subject A and Subject B have no known markers matched.'

'0% DNA matched.'

Thinking about the genetic test results sends chills racing down his spine. A fleeting shot of adrenaline, awakening emotions lying dormant from constant numbness.

Alphonse and Edward are no longer related. There is no correlation between them. It should make everything that much easier to move on with. It should be a revelation. A simple action of getting on with life.

Truly, it complicates everything further.

Edward's feeling towards his brother are considered no longer 'taboo' or 'incestuous.'

It's merely classified as 'love.'

Edward has been looking at everything he could find on the subject; arguments about the morality, social taboo, the need to dominate one sibling over the other, inequalities in the power struggle and he simply could not find anything to which supports the choices they had made together.

Even now, knowing they aren't related; a fluttering sort of hope beings to sprout. Edward knowingly crushes it before the feeling could sprout wings. 'It's never going to happen…' he reminds himself sternly, pushing the feeling away with the numbness settling back it.

It's easier this way. Not feeling anything.

"It's time for oil maintenance…" he says out loud to no one, standing to gather the supplies for the job. Forcing his mind to stop thinking about his problems.

These are the times he misses Winry the most. Her kind smile and rough words. 'She would know how to get everything back on track…'

...but she wasn't here.

She was worlds and a dimension away. It's irrelevant to think of her and a home Edward given up permanently. It's like his missing limbs taken from him. A sacrifice for the better good. Or better yet, the longing he felt for his younger brother love and attention. A defilement of Al's trust and faith.

Yes, a sacrifice. The only kind to cleanse the slate. To let Alphonse go, to grow into what Ed has always known Al to be capable of.

'It's easier this way…'

'It's for the best…'

'It's never going to happen…'

'It should have never happened...'

'Give up.'

'Let go.'

'Move. on...'


6:30 pm
(Day 29: One step forward.)

Life moves forward. Day after day it rolls onward. Even when Edward doesn't want time to move; it does.

The pain of letting Alphonse go fades in tiny increments. Slowly it lessens into background static of daily life. The pain is still there. Yes, the wound is still healing, but Edward is no longer bleeding out from his aching heart. Stitch after stitch, he's healing.

The ache of missing his brother will never cease, though. This he knows with every fiber of his being.

The Elric siblings occasionally talk over the phone. Stiff conversation of mundane life, (things they would already know, if they still lived together.) It's the only real joy Ed allows himself to have. Even knowing it's a sad and pathetic, taking joy from their shared barely-there, dialogue. Two grown men dancing around the only real conversation they both wanted to have.

Edward will never lay that shame at Alphonse's front door again.

It's the bottom line.

Al and Ed hold no blood ties, and that was something Edward would go to his grave with. Alphonse did not need the unnecessarily information. It would only have complicated this further.

Heiderich is a great help, always trying to ease the memory of Alphonse. Constantly finding things for them to do together, to take Edward's mind off the subject.

It's helpful, but it couldn't help prevent the hollowness growing in Ed's stomach. Edward loves Alphonse more than anything in this world. It's like he's dying a hundred times trying to rid himself of these emotions. It's sickening, and Edward needs to quit this mopey-shit-routine.

The urge to kick himself in his own ass surges rapidly up.

Edward feels like a penny rolling up the walls. His thoughts breaking gravity to sneak back into his mind. It's tiring trying to keep his troubles from his thoughts.

An irrational, back-and-forth argument with himself.

"I need to stop this…" he mumbled out sternly to himself. 'It's getting ridiculous.'

He desperately needs to occupy his mind elsewhere. Into less tepid waters.

Edward decides to unpack his room from the cardboard boxes he's been living out of. The finalization of his previous life. It's hard, not surprisingly so, not to think of his life with Alphonse while unpacking. When all the evidence of their shared life rest in his hands.

When he opens the box full of papers and files, he starts sorting through it, and it's nearly impossible to not think of Alphonse. Not with his all his personal information in his hands.

"Damn…" 'He's going to need these things; I can't keep them.'

It means they're gonna need to meet face to face. And this thought sends trouble sinking into Ed's core. Just the mere implication of seeing Alphonse makes him instantly hot, like heat simmering under skin. He can't bring himself to go, so near the actual break.

It's still too soon.

The feelings of lust and platonic-love are still too blurred. Two colors swirling together to make a new shade of amber betrayal.

A light knock interrupts his racing thoughts, Heiderich appears around the ajar door. "Hey, I just thought of something…" he starts to say until he takes in Edward and the black clouds rolling above his head.

"…I-is everything alright?" Alfons queries, glancing down towards the papers in his friend's hands and then back towards Ed's disgruntled expression.

"Yes." Ed growls out, before his frown deepens and he slams the papers down onto his desk and stalks off. "No… Fuck! No, I'm not alright!" He snarls, running his hands over his face with aggravated force, before dropping them to his sides.

Alfons steps into the room, worry evident on his face. He'd been under the notion Edward was feeling better, firm in his decision to move out of his apartment and expurgate Alphonse from his life.

"Okay…" Alfons murmers, making his way over to where his friend is standing. "Why don't you explain to me what's going on," He says with a gleam in his eyes, "Maybe with a little less cursing."

Edward's face scrunches into a scowl as he gestures towards his desk. "Those -fucking- papers need to go to Alphonse." He grumbles out and flops down onto his unmade bed.

Alfons tracks what Ed is talking about. Moving towards the table, the taller male picks up the scattered papers. Reading them over, Heiderich arches a skeptical eyebrow, "That's all?"

Edward surges to his feet, "I can't see him yet, Heiderich." Ed blurts out, his anger and fear evident on his face and in his voice. "I-I'm not ready…"

Alfons finds himself sighing and dropping the stack of papers back to the desk. "I thought you said Alphonse and yourself were back on speaking terms."

Edward looks disgruntled for a moment, slipping his hands into the front pockets of his pants. "We are," He admits whilst adding, "-But only over the phone and bi-weekly at the most. And nothing ever of true standing."

Heiderich has a face-to-palm moment, "Are you seriously telling me..." Alfons pauses mid sentence, deciding not to throw anymore fuel on the already burning fire, "You know what? It doesn't matter," He says bringing his hands up between them as if surrendering his thoughts.

"The only thing that does matter, is the fact Alphonse definitely needs his personal information." Gathering up all the papers on Edward's desk, Alfons flippantly turns his head to gaze at his friend from over his shoulder. "I'll drop them off to Alphonse-" he says easily, turning towards Edward with papers in hand.

"You will?" the question escapes Ed's mouth.

"- but you're coming with me."

Edward dead pans his friend with a flat glare. "No."

"Look, you don't have to go up into the apartment with me." Alfons says with an underlining humor in his words. "Stay in the car. Read a book. Listen to sad post-love songs. Or don't. It really doesn't matter, but you are coming with me," Alfons affirms with a devil-may-care attitude.

Edward's scowl deepens, "What you up to?"

Alfons merely smiles wider, and shrugged with indifference. "Nothing," He eludes, making his way out of Ed's bedroom.

"Heiderich." Ed calls out towards his friend, who is already escaping down the hallway. "Alfons… stop. Come back here. I'm not finished..."

The taller man is no where to be seen by the time Ed reaches his open bedroom door. With a begrudging sigh, Ed returns to the center of his room, cluttered with half filled boxes and belongings strewn around different surfaces.

With another long sigh, Edward sets back to work, organizing his untidy life.


(Unbeknownst to a certain blond haired, yellow eyed male, an unquestionably important piece of paper has gone missing from his desk.

The results of the Elric brother's DNA test.)


10:30 pm
(Day 50: Two steps forward.)

Edward could still see Alphonse's haunted expression staring at him through the apartment window. The memory is strong, and it twists Ed's stomach into knots.

Staring down into his ale sitting on the bar in front of him, Edward knows his dark thoughts are detrimental to his happiness. He seemly can't bring them to halt.

From one glance, one -single- glance across a large gulf of space, Edward knew without a doubt, he'd broken Alphonse's vibrant spirit…

'I ruined him.'

"You look like you're pondering some serious thoughts, mon ami." A warm French accent lilted from Edwards left. Glancing towards the sound, Edward is greeted by a blonde with a bright smile. She's a tiny little thing, not even coming to Ed's shoulder as he sits on the rickety bar stool as she stands.

Clenching his jaw with a grunt coming as an uninviting deterrent. He wraps his metal hand around the cold glass, rising it to his lips he pulls the dark, rich liquid into his mouth.

"The name's Addie." she announces, switching the folded up twenty dollar bill she has in her right hand to her left, before she's reaching out in greetings.

Edward stares at the dainty appendage offered to him; her thin fingers with dark lacquer nails. Finally, he reaches out with his flesh hand, and gives her a tight squeeze.

"Edward." He murmurs, pulling his hand out of her surprisingly strong hold.

A small smile tugs along her face as she takes the stool next to his. "So, Edward. What do you do for a living?" She asks, strumming the bar-top with her thumbs.

Either subconsciously or not, this woman's trying to make small talk with Ed. It's obviously transparent. Edwards eyes track her movements. A silver band wraps around one of her thumbs, offsetting the tempo of her tapping.

"Construction," he answers, throwing caution to the wind and taking another large gulp before speaking. "And yourself?"

Addie smiles and tucks her head down demurely, her long blonde hair slips over her shoulder with her subtle movement. "I'm still in college. I work a crappy-low-wage job at a retail store. Nothing too special." She hums as she leans towards the bar, trying to flag down the barkeep.

"What are you studying?" The question is out before Edward realizes what he's doing.

Addie looks over her shoulder towards him giving him a hard stare before finally answering, "I'm majoring in Chemistry, but I'm thinking of switching over to Botany," She explains as the bartender finally comes to fill a large glass of lite beer.

"The compounds of plants has always intrigued me. Did you know the term 'botany' comes from the Ancient Greek word 'βοτάνη' meaning 'pasture', 'grass', or 'fodder'? 'βοτάνη' is in turn derived from boskein, meaning; to 'feed' or 'to graze'.

Edward furls his brows at the abruptly given information. "I do now," he sarcastically states, with a hidden innuendo of playfulness, to which honestly surprises him. He doesn't let it show on his face, instead lifts his glass to his mouth, finishing off the last of his beer.

A look of mortification washes over Addie's face. "Oh god, I'm rambling aren't I?" She rushes to say, a light red blush dusting her cheeks and ears. "I'm sorry, m-my friends are always telling me, I give out way too much information to people I first meet. Kinda involuntary… I guess." She shrugs while looking down into her drink.

Ed is taken aback by the randomness of this strange encounter with this oddly enduring woman. A smile tugs on the corner of his lips. Daring to disperse into something more.

"The Sun, it's just a mass of hydrogen… Get too close to it and all you do is burn."

Her ears perk as she speaks, "Icarus. The boy who flew too close to the sun." Shaking her head, a little laugh escapes her, "A tragic theme of failure. I get the feeling you're making fun of me," She chortled while rising her glass to her lips for a sip.

The contagious smile spreads into a smirk, and before Edward realizes he's letting out quiet chuckle. "If the 'wings' fit..." he gibes, shrugging indifferently towards the blonde woman.

Addie scoffs ever, so, playfully, and their conversation continues well into the night.


By last call, Edward knows Addie's full name (Madeline A. Lefebvre), where her family originates from (France), Both her parent's names (Sherri and Frank Lefebvre), her two dog's names and breed (Winston and Murrie who are both Shih Tzus),The girls favorite colors, (It's a draw between green and yellow), her hobbies, (botany and reading), and of course what she is studying to become, (a chemist).

Walking out the building together, there aren't many people left in the parking lot. Most of them having left earlier in the night. Only the drunk and desperate linger at the closing bar.

Surprisingly, Edward isn't drunk. Tired, but not drunk. The late night air is cold and nipping through his thin jacket. Tucking his hands into his pocket, the cold metal of his truck keys touches his flesh hand.

"Well, Edward," Addie's chirps while jutting her hand out to be shook, "...It's been lovely speaking with you."

Edward looks at the girl's petite hand hovering in the air between them, before following the arm towards the owners face. Her brown eyes shining bright with hope. Taking his hand out of his pocket, he squeezed hers softly in his metal grip.

"Likewise," he replies, dropping his hold from her own and back into his jacket pocket.

He starts to head in the direction of his truck, but is stopped by Addie's fair hand.

"Edward," she murmurs in a small voice, her fingers uncurling from Ed's coat. He turns his attention towards her. She seems uncomfortable, squirming under Edward's stare.

"I-I just..." Addie stutters, clearing her throat before continuing, "D-do you… I-I mean to say is… merde, Je lâche tout cela " She frowns, a little disgruntled, but in a total adorable way as she slips into quick French.

"Let me start over," she breaths out, shaking her head slightly with an annoyed smile spilling onto her face. "Could I, by chance, get your phone number?"

Edward's brow dips in confusion. "I-I, sure. Sure I guess, that would be fine."

Addie's smile spreads over her mouth and into her eyes. She breathes out heavily again, and a plum of hot air rushes into the night sky. "Awesome," she announces, slipping her cell phone from her jacket pocket. Her fingers hover over the screen, and her expecting eyes turn back towards Ed.

"Well… aren't you going to get your cellphone out?"

"I don't have one." Edward states flatly.

Her eyes turn round like saucers, "W-wait what? You don't have a cellular phone?"

"Is that going to be a problem?"

"N-no. It's just surprising. Most people this day and age own some sort of portable device, I was just assuming..."

"...I guess I'm not most people."

"It would appear so." Addie says with an easy smile. "You do have a house phone, right?"

Edward huffs a laugh, "yeah. Yeah I do. Do you still want it?"

She smiles, and the light from her phone screen illuminates her straight white teeth. "If you still don't mind."

Edward rattles off the number as she taps it into her phone. Placing it back into her pocket, she draws out a pen.

"Let me see your arm?" She questions clicking the pen open and steps into Ed's personal space. Edward could smell the cherry's scent of her shampoo and alcohol on her breath as Addie wiggles closer to tug his hand from his jacket pocket. Luckily, it's isn't his metal arm she grabs, but his flesh one. Pushing up the sleeve of his jacket, her cold fingers sets goose bumps racing up and down his limbs. With precision, she writes her name and number onto his skin, with a simple heart floating next to the letters of her name.

"There," she says looking upwards into his eyes. "Now you have my number as well."

"Yeah..." he mumbles, looking down towards the bright blue ink etched into his forearm, before tugging down the sleeve of his coat.

Addie laughs, clear and sharp as she tucks her blonde hair behind her left ear. "Well, thank you Edward. It been a pleasure getting to know you."

"Same to you." Edward's surprised by his words, and the fact is, deep down, he truly is happy he'd got to know this oddly endearing woman.

Addie smiles and starts to head in the opposite direction of the parking lot. "I'll give you a call sometime soon." she hollers over her shoulder as she reaches the bar's door.

Edward smirks, and gives his head a sharp nod, then she's gone and he's left standing under a flickering street light. Shoving both hands into his jacket pockets, Ed head towards his pick up truck.

Hope is a strong feeling. It's a powerful aspiration.

And at this point, all he could do was hold on and hope for the best. Hope for Alphonse's well being, hope they could overcome what their relationship had turned into. Hope to surmount these feelings of incestuous inclination.

Edward never has been particularity good with hope. Somehow, someway, it always finds a way to screw him over in the end.


Days 85: A moments breath.

Another week passes without much of a change. Then another week comes and goes, this time with a phone call from Addie. They schedule a meet up, this time not at a bar. They end up going to the cinema and catching a burger after. It's a nice. Mundane. Everything Edward needs in his life. Normalcy.

Life moves along. Day in and day out, Edward trudges forward, wading through the universe's scraps being tossed at him.

His friendship with Alfons, and the sudden occurrence of Addie in his life, is truly and honestly what keeps Edward going. Of course he still speaks with Alphonse over the telephone, but not nearly as often as he truly wants. They keep it to one call, per-week.

It's the only life line Edward has into Alphonse's existence. It's merely a glimpse into his brother's world, that he dearly misses being a part of.

This is how he discovers Reese has moved into Alphonse's apartment. Into Edward's old room.

To say he isn't livid would be like cutting his own hand off, and saying he could still punch someone in the face.

Edward is exhaustively infuriated.

The moment he hears those six, little-vile words, "Reese is moving in with me..." Ed wants to rip into that snot nose, weasel of a man. There is something about Reese that has always rubbed Edward the wrong way. He's never been able to put his finger on a reason, but Ed's gut instinct screams something is direly not consistent about Reese.

There's nothing Edward can do. Alphonse has made his decision. So Ed is forced to sit on his idle hands, watching as a snake slips belly first into his home, into his (rightful) place, into Alphonse's world.

It's heart breaking. And there is nothing Edward could do.

He's truly and utterly powerless to stop it.


11:30 P.M
Day 112: Two giant steps back.

Alphonse abruptly stops calling Edward.

It starts with less frequent calls. Short brisk conversation of nothing important.

Then Alphonse's stops calling all together.

Edward tries multiple times to reach out to Al, but every time he's left to talk to the answering machine.

'Hi this is Alphonse, and Reese! Were not home...'

Edward scrapes his memory, trying to figure out why Alphonse would be actively ignoring him. But he comes back with empty hands. There is no obvious reason for Al's retreat.

Eventually, as time passes Ed reluctantly gives up. Chalking it up to Al's recently discovered happiness; and not to the fact Alphonse is lividly pissed at Edward for some unknown reason.

No matter how hard Ed struggles though, there is a large part of him that longs to just sit and listen to his brother speak. To feel his warm body next to his own, to kiss him and tell him stupid jokes. There's something vacillated in his heart, something which goes back and forth between wanting to be cautious and just wanting Alphonse for himself.

At the very least he misses listening to him breathe. Existing in the same room, or merely being with him across the phone lines. It feels like a slap to the face, being shut completely out of the younger Elric's life entirely.

'A suiting punishment for the pain I've wrought.' Edward thinks sullenly.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Addie announces, interrupting the quietness of the truck as Edward thoughts dip into the dark curves of his mind.

Honest curiosity floods her root-beer colored eyes.

Edward glances over at her, checking her mouth for a smile he could hear in her voice. It's there, a subtle wise-to smirk lifting the edges of her lips.

Returning his attention back to driving, "Just thinking..." he says, maneuvering the truck into an empty parking space and shutting the engine off.

Addie hums thoughtfully in her throat, "Thinking of what?" she questions tactfully, resting her head against the truck's headrest to look fully at Ed's profile.

Edward's silence rewards him with a sigh from the woman sitting next to him.

"Y-you...always," Addie pauses, tasting her words before speaking them. Rising her head from the cushion before continuing, "You always look..." Edward's attention slips towards Addie, causing her to pause again, a sweet smile spreads from her lips and into her kind brown eyes. "You always look so sad, when your 'Just thinking.'"

She leans a little forward, unbuckling her seat belt along the way. "You know, Edward, you can always talk to me…" She whispers, looking over her brow as she speaks lowly. Her delicate hand reaches across the empty space between them and traces the edges of Ed's bare hand resting on the steering column.

It was meant to be a reassuring gesture. Edward feels only guilt climbing up the back of his throat. Somewhere in Edward he knows he's using Addie as a crutch to dull the exasperating emotion he still harping over for Alphonse.

It's not a kind thing to do, leading on this perfectly respectable person, who genuinely feels something for him. It's so fucking obvious that it wounds him, but he can't bring himself to stop. He couldn't. He needs the reassurance of someone actually wanting him. Craves the normalcy of a simple relationship. Something, anything proving he isn't corrupt and wrong.

Edward lets Addie's thin finger slip through his, sliding their palms together. He gives hers a tight squeeze. "I know," He reassures, even feeling the way he does. "I-I'm okay..." he barefacedly lies.

Addie's lips purse, the only outer sign of irritation.

'How much longer can she take of this? When will she walk away?'

Taking her hand out of Edward's, she lifts it and caresses his cheek in an affectionate way. "When you're ready," She says, looking directly into Ed's eyes, "I'm here waiting."

Guilt.

Guilt. Guilt.

Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.

Edward's remorse piles into a mountain. Higher, higher, higher, up it goes…

He nods even when his insides curl with self loathing. "Come on, Alfons has to be waiting for us by now," He deflects, getting out of the truck before Addie has the chance to answer.

They walk hand and hand into the club, even as an awkwardness surrounds them. Edward feels it in the air with every breath. It's awful.

They manage to track down Heiderich, and his date Rosé Thomas. A petite olive skinned, brunette. Rosé and Alfons work together, but in separate departments at the labs. All of Heiderich's friends are gathering to celebrate Alfons's twenty-sixth birthday. It's meant to be a joyous occasion. Ed doesn't feel like celebrating, but for his best friend, he'd do anything.

"Edward!" Alfons calls out, his long arm darting high above his head as a beacon. He's sitting off towards the back of the room with a crowd of people surrounding him. The table is far enough away from the dance floor and speakers so they could still mingle and chat among one another.

"Oh, there they are," Addie says, dropping Ed's hand to crowd in closer towards him. She threads her arm between Edward's metal one, and holds on. Edward's stomach clenches with anxiety. She smells like cherry pie. Ed shuffles away slightly. Addie doesn't seem to notice, or she doesn't show it if she does. Ed isn't sure which is more unsettling.

Making their way over towards the group of people, the uncertainty of the situation beginning to take hold. Ed grows even more restless. Addie squeezes tighter into Edward's arms as they approach.

Alfons greets them, "You've finally made it," He slurs, sauntering up with a wide smile on his rosy cheeks. "I was s-sc-sceptical for a lil' bit. Thought, you's guys might've ditched out."

Edward knows his friend is little more than drunk already. Considering Addie and himself were an hour late. Alfons took it upon himself to becoming inebriated in the time it took them to arrive.

'It's his birthday, let him go wild…' Edward thinks with a fleeting smile.

"You, my friend, are drunk." Ed clarifies with Alfons swaying somewhat towards them. Reaching out with both hands, Ed helps the drunken man to stand upright by holding his shoulders. Slowly he turns the blond around, "Lets get you back to the table," he chuckles, steering Alfons to the large round table in the corner.

"B-but Ed~die," Alfons crows sweetly, twisting into Ed's hold.

Edward's jaw hitches in agitation upon hearing that dreaded fucking abbreviation of his name.

It's his birthday.
It's his birthday.
Mantras through Ed's mind. It's the only thing saving his dear, dear friend.

"...Y-you still needs drinks." Alfons drawls, with his tongue too large for his mouth, before stopping abruptly. "Hey, wheres my drin~nk gone?"

Addie snickers off towards Ed's right side. And Edward has to admit Heiderich is ridiculously comical when he is under the influence.

"Alright- Let's go big guy."

"No, w-wait…" Alfons whines pitifully, swaying to his own drunken current. "You needs alcohol. I need s-some too."

A small smile tugs on Ed's lips. "Nope. To the table with you." He huffs a laugh, looking towards Addie for help to get the drunk man back towards the table.

"...and I'll go get you and you?" he tilts his chin towards Addie, "-Something from the bar?"

"Gin and tonic, please," Addie answers over her shoulder as she helps Alfons towards the table by tucking herself up against his side with Heiderich's long arm across her narrow shoulders. Alfons acts like he just realized Addie is there.

With a shake of his head, Edward moves through the crowded club towards the bar. It's like swimming in a mass of bodies, everyone's rubbing elbows together.

By the time Ed actually makes it to the bar, he's already breaking into a sweat, and it's only the start of the fight. Edward now has to flag down the bartender, which was easier said than actually accomplished. Every patron was competing for the bar keep's eye. The bigger the spender, the higher chance of getting your order taken and mind you; a pretty face always up the ante.

With his order being filled, Edward turns his attention back towards the crowd of people filling the room. The pulsing sound of music flowing through the space is deafening. The dance floor is filled with writhing masses of bodies as if they moved together as one unity. It's mesmerizing to watch the natural flow of motion.

Moving his eyes away from the dancing, Ed scans the edges of the dance floor, where people stand off to the side lingering. Some waiting for a chance to catch someone's eyes, some moving off to the side to become more intimate with their partner.

Edward has never been one for public shows of affection. Something about revealing that part of himself to the world makes him feel uncomfortable. This also includes other people displays.

Off in the distance, Ed's eyes lock on to a tall man practically fucking a petite girl up against a wall. The only thing saving everyone from a full show was that they both still had clothing on.

The lighting from the dance floor left cutout silhouette of light cascading through the room. Everything was dimmed and back lit inside the club. Ed couldn't make out faces, only body shapes from this distance. He's sure the guy in the far corner seemed familiar. Watching for a moment longer, Ed is certain he knows this guy. He just can't place his face.

It's in the moment the taller brunette breaks away from the female, does the identity of said male clicks inside Edward mind.

"Reese..."

Edward is moving before he realizes what he's doing. On auto pilot he rips through the crowd with awkward shoves.

'I'm going to fucking kill him!'

Ed's metal hand wretches the man off the woman by the back of his head, while he flings him towards the floor. Reese cries out words Ed cannot hear with the poison swirling in his ears. His flesh fist collides with Reese's chiseled jaw with a satisfying crunch. The tall man falls back onto his ass, but the hold of Ed's fist in his hair prevents him from going far. With another draw of his fist, he brings it down directly in the center of Reese smug fucking face.

Blood erupts from the mans busted nose, "My nose!" The man exclaims, muffled through his hands cupping his face.

"Serves you right, you fucking dick."

Edward feels sick off the rage circling inside. He's breathing heavily and his chest hurts, and he can't believe this utter bullshit.

It's like a light turns on in Reese's head as to whom Edward is, "Look, I don't want any trouble," He says thickly, the blood from his broken nose trickles down into his mouth, painting his white teeth pink. Raising his hands up in a defensive matter Reese continues, "This isn't what this appears to be, Edward. I was only-"

Edward interrupts, taking a step forward as Reese cowards backwards, "Bullshit… I saw exactly what you were doing..."

Ed feels disgust wash over him. To think this person was intimate with Alphonse. That this greedy slim bag has touched Alphonse in a lover's grasp. Alphonse obviously doesn't know any of this is going on… That this monster could bring home a STD… that he could, in the long term be slowly killing Al…

Edward see's red and he attacks again.

By the time the police arrive Reese has a sprained wrist, his face is littered in bruises and cuts, and his nose is most definitely broken as well. They are both booked at the precinct and then placed in separate holding cells for the time being.

Hours inch by, and by the time Edward makes bail, the sun is cresting on the horizon.

It's Addie who greets him in the waiting room of the jail house. And it's guilt cultivating in Ed's stomach upon seeing her.

She looks tired, dark circles hang under her eyes. Her face is creased in dark red sleep-lines as if she been sleeping up awkwardly against a wall. She gives a subtle smile upon seeing Edward.

"I am so sorry, Addie."

She quiets him with her thin fingers raising in the air, "There's no need for apologizes," She says in her light accent, stepping forward to cup Ed's cheeks, "Are you alright?" She questions, letting her delicate thumb stroke over a bruise on his cheek, where Reese had gotten in a lucky shot.

"Yeah." Ed reply, touching her thin wrist with his metal hand. "Mostly just embarrassed."

His chest hurts, his everything hurts. But he couldn't tell her such. Instead he laces her fingers with his own and exits the police station with his head held high and promises of paying Addie back for bailing him out.

The air outside is sharp and clear with the morning breeze. The sky is riding the cusp of darkness, morphing into early light.

Sitting on the bottom steps of the police station is a lone blond figure wearing a blue hoodie staring off into the distance.

"Alphonse?"

The younger Elric turns upon hearing his name being spoke. His eyes the color of maple leafs in Autumn, his expression is hazy as they first take in Edward standing before him, and then they follow the line of Ed's metal hand towards Addie hand still tangled with the older Elric.

Pulling his fingers from Addie's, Edward shifts her to the side of him. Alphonse's face changes, his eyes taking on a darker color. He's trembling, the hurt evident on his face. It's blatant, the anger, the hurt in his stare, it makes Ed's eyes water.

'There is such hatred in those lovely eyes. It's measureless.'

"Al..." Ed croaks out feeling like the worlds worst brother.

It provokes Alphonse into action. In the matter of seconds Edward finds his back against the wall, with Al's freezing hands fisting his shirt. He could break away, he knew he could, he just couldn't make himself move.

He deserves this. Alphonse's blatant anger is all Ed's fault.

"Y-you bastard." Alphonse says weakly. Tears prickling in his voice. "I-I can't believe you..." he cries, bringing Edward forwards to merely slam him back into the wall.

"Why?!" he bellows towards Ed. "Reese has done nothing to you!" Al continues, shaking as each word falls from him mouth. "He was there when I needed… He was there when you weren't" Al adds, much quieter with a hitch in his voice.

Something inside Ed chest clenches, and his throat feels constricted, like he can't swallow or breathe. It's the truth Alphonse is speaking and it fucking hurt to hear it.

"I-I know." Edward whispers, lowering his chin in shame.

"What did you just say?"

"I said, I know! Alright?!"

Alphonse laughs, and it full of cyanide. "You know what, you're some piece of work… Do know that as well, Edward?"

Ed squeezes his eyes shut trying to chase the feeling away… He nods his head.

Al laughs again.

Edward knows he has to tell Alphonse the truth. Not only that his new boyfriend is cheating on him, but the fact they are no longer related. It's becoming harder to breathe by every second. The truth harder to speak by every minute.

"Did Reese tell you what happened?"

Edward didn't want to play the villain, to destroy Alphonse newly found happiness. Reese is the true monster behind this whole thing, and if it took him being the villain in this story to reveal the real anomaly than so be it…

Alphonse eyes narrows, his fist tightening in Edward black shirt. "He did… at the hospital, where he was being fitted for a splint. You attacked him unprovoked at his job. And thanks to you now, Reese has been fired."

"-Attacked unprovoked!" Ed exclaims, knocking his brother's hands from his shirt. "You think..." He pauses to collect himself. "You think I intentionally walked into his job to attack him? To get him fired maliciously?"

Alphonse looks bewildered towards Ed, as if this is the only answer to which makes sense. "Yes."

His chest hurts and he can't believe how much it hurts. Walking off a few paces he sighs, running his fingers through his hair before turning back around.

"He's cheating on you Alphonse." He says deftly, "I saw him with my own eyes."

There's a moment of silence after the words have been spoken. There's no taking them back now. Alphonse whole face melds into a burning red color. The empty air is filled with Al's tight breathing.

It's almost physical, the pain he feels for Alphonse as he watches his brother's heart shatter and break into a million pieces. Ed clutches his hands so tight, the metal fist groans under the pressure.

They both stare at each other, hazel eyes to gold.

Alphonse and Edward share many memories, most of them good; some even better. They also share many sad and hurtful times. The kind of memories to which hurt the worst to think about. Those are the memories Ed has been healing from, they don't hurt as much as they used to. They've gotten flimsier, worn through with age like rice paper from time. Not gone, not transparent, but thin enough to let in the light.

The pain of breaking things off with the one he loves the most, couldn't compare to seeing that person you love hurting because of something someone else did to them.

There is nothing Edward could do to make this pain for Alphonse go away… –and it fucking sucks.

The worse part; he'd been the one to bring the truth to the light.

The feeling of dread winds itself snugly around his heart, settling in his chest like weaving vines around a tree. He just wants to take Alphonse into his arms and tell him everything will be alright, but it's a lie, and it cannot be afforded.

"I-I don't believe you." He states in a small voice, a single tear escapes down his cheek. Angrily he bats it away with the back of his hand.

"Al...Listen..."

"No. I'm done listening. I'm done waiting. I'm..." He lets out a long, wet, sigh, "I'm just done."

"Alphonse. Please."

"Why-Why should I? After everything you've done. Why?"

"-Because, I…"

"No. You don't get to explain yourself anymore." Alphonse shouts, shoving Edward away from him.

Edward doesn't know what is happening, doesn't understand how this ordeal had spun so out of control but he's beginning to panic as he can't get any air into his lungs.

He is suffocating.

"Al, please. L-lets talk this through..." Ed could hear the wobble in his words. He's on the verge of begging.

Alphonse merely shakes his head no, turning his back towards Ed.

Desperation gnaws on Edward bones. 'How could he walk away, pretending all is well… That his boyfriend isn't cheating. That... That… What he shares with Reese is nothing compared to what I feel for Alphonse… I love… I feel…

'How could he pretend that...'

"You can't pretend he's not cheating on you Alphonse." Ed bellows down the street, the sound of it bouncing off the building walls in the early morning light.

Alphonse stops. Then slowly he turns around as his jaw works like he's biting down on something.

Edward has never seen such vicious heat in his brother's eyes before. In quick even strides Alphonse surges back up into Edward face. Ed is fully intending to be some sort of physical retaliation; he's surprised when there is none.

Instead Al stops right in front of Ed with a look of pure hurt etched into his haunted expression.

"You stay away from me," Alphonse growls, looking over across Edward's shoulder to where Addie stands. "And I'll stay away from yours." Al voice quakes as he says it, his hazel eyes sliding back to Edward one last time as a warning before turning and walking away.

It's meant as a threat, but Edward knows Alphonse. The threat is idly at best. It still twists Ed's insides hearing Al speaking with such dark undertones.

"E-Edward." Addie questions in a meek voice, and the reality of the fact she'd witness everything hits Edward right in the chest.

He has a lot of explaining to do. At this very moment though, he couldn't even begin to explain. His throat is stuck together. His heart clutches in a tight fist. His stomach churns like the roaring sea.

He feels like if you wet a finger and traced the edges of the crystal goblet, the glass will make a sound; a haunting hollow sound.

He feels like the mournful sound watching his brother walk away.

Empty. Hollow. Haunted.

He is the epitome of the word, 'shatter'

To be continued...


'Five reviews for update.'


A/N: Well this is awkward. Time really got away from me on this one. In my defense, I have been really ill. My doctor finally figured what was going on in my body, and I should be on the road to recover very soon! (here's hoping!) I listen to a lot of Nine In Nails during this process. Hurt. Something I'll Never Have. Only. And Les Friction; Torture. And, One Ok Rock; Take Off. Bedroom Warfare. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate every single one of you.