Fullmetal Alchemist - The End (2/?) Updated 8/18

[Emily]

Meep moop. It's been a while since I've decided to write something full-length although I can't recall a time I actually tried and managed to do finish anything on my own. Hopefully I gather the will to finish this one. It was supposed to be a drabble and then it started going past four pages and stuff. Only one sneeze here so if you're here for that, ye' get jest one, sorry!

This takes place after Ed and Al get their bodies back! And without further ado, here we go. Comments/feedback are always appreciated!

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Military life had been difficult. Always on the move, enemies in every city, a dog of the military. But being young and driven by the do-it-or-die factor, Edward never had the desire to rest. Rest was unnecessary, a hindrance, something that was meant for people with the time and patience, and Edward had neither of those. Giving up alchemy put a brake on everything he'd been working for, so suddenly that he didn't know what he was supposed to do next. Celebrate? The Colonel suggested he take a vacation. Hawkeye told him bluntly, "with all due respect, sir," to permanently retire from the military life. And if Maes Hughes were alive, he'd have told him all of the above and shown him every last photo album he had of his precious little daughter.

Al had wanted to go back home. They could have moved back to Risembool, but it was the only thing Ed had been strangely adamant about. Though disappointed, Al had let him have his way, and they now lived in a roomy three bedroom apartment. Sometimes it felt like too much private space.

In short (and he indeed still was), Ed had no idea what to do with himself. He now possessed time, money, and fame. But he only felt tired and lately he'd been feeling a lot like shit—

"hahNGKk-chiuh! The hell," Ed growled. He certainly didn't feel as though he had accomplished much. He had finished his business with the military, and taken care of his goal quicker than he had anticipated since in the final stretch, his aim had been in accordance with the military's. Did he feel a strange, twisted sort of longing to go back to that sort of life? He did, but he wasn't about to go admitting to anyone that he craved the adrenaline he got from being on duty.

About two months had passed since he and Al had gotten their original bodies back. Ed helped his brother with the rehabilitation process and took care of chores but it didn't exactly keep his hands full. After all, Al wasn't exactly Ed. He listened to the doctor's instructions cheerfully and heeded all his advice and was now well on his way to making a recovery from the years his body lied motionless. His exuberance had at first been infectious and Ed too found himself in a perpetually bright mood for the first week. The excitement wore off once he'd started taking a good look at his brother's body. It was frail and visibly deteriorated. His body had been out of use for so long that some of his organs didn't function properly, and it took some time before he could digest real food. After several weeks of IV drips and fluids, in addition to daily exercise of common muscles, he was finally able to eat a full meal.

Twangs of guilt shot through Ed's chest each time he looked at his younger brother because there was no going around it that it was entirely his fault this had happened. He didn't deserve to be the only one unscathed. His arm and leg came back to him perfectly fine. Certainly he had to train a bit to make them equal in strength to his other limbs, but it did not affect his overall physical performance. Not the way the gate had hurt Al. He cursed himself for asking for his limb back. Maybe if he didn't, Al's body would have come back healthier.

"Brother?"

Ed dropped the cup he was holding, and a resounding crash sent splinters of glass flying in every direction across the floor.

"Shit!" He bent over and scurried to pick up the pieces. "Al, don't come any closer!" He wasn't thinking at all until he threw his palms together and clapped them on the floor. His stomach sank as he realized and cursed himself for being so stupid.

What a moron.

"Brother..." Al's gentle voice washed over him. "I'll clean it up. You look tired." He found himself led away by the elbow and before he knew it, he was sitting on the couch listening to the soft clinks as Al cleaned up after him. He was always cleaning up his messes. Even now when Ed was supposed to be the one looking after him. He sighed moodily, dropping his head into gloved hands. He'd never really gotten out of the habit of wearing them. As much as the gloves were for hiding the automail from prying eyes before, they were now there for the sole purpose that he did not have to look at his own hands. Dirty hands. Dirty, useless hands.

It took everything for Ed not to flinch at his brother's light touch on his shoulder. He'd gotten better at pretending over the weeks. It was all in his head anyway, he reasoned with himself. There was really nothing he could have done to prevent Al's physical body deteriorating. He already ate enough for two people and trained twice as hard to make up for his height. But the voice pleading for forgiveness in his head never won. It had always been his fault.

"Brother." Again the voice so kind it scraped through Ed, guilt blossoming anew in his beaten and battered rib cage. "What's wrong?"

Gathering the will to look into Al's gray eyes seemed to take an infinite amount of time, but when he finally managed to make eye contact, he managed an exasperated groan and an eyeroll. "Bumped into Colonel Bastard yesterday when I was picking up your vitamins." "It was enough to give me a headache to last me through tonight."

"You have a headache?"

Wrong choice of words.

"Figure of speech."

Edward turned away before he would see Al's brow furrowed in worry. A second later his throat betrayed him with an itch he couldn't quell, and he launched into a series of dry, painful coughs. When Al began to fuss again, Ed seemed to have reached the end of his short fuse and snapped at him angrily, bringing about another round of spluttering. He managed to pass it off rather unconvincingly as a remarkable show of choking on his saliva. Finally finished, he sank back against the sofa feeling more tired than he'd ever been in his sixteen years.

"You don't look well, Brother. Maybe you should try to get some sleep."

"I've been getting plenty of sleep that I'm off-duty."

"No, you haven't," Al said seriously. "I know you haven't been sleeping well." He shuffled over to the kitchen again and pulled out a small paper bag. He placed it in Ed's confused hands.

"What's-"

"Sleeping pills."

"Sleeping pills?" Ed stared at the paper bag dumbly, and then uneasily. He did sleep restlessly, and the nightmares that plagued him had multiplied. For sure, he must have made some sort of noise to draw Al's attention to it. Though he might have caught wind of something when they started sleeping in separate rooms (upon Edward's request). He took out a bottle and scanned the label, not really reading it so it looked as though he'd at least considered it before saying, "I don't need these."

"At least give it a try. Take two tonight and see if you can sleep better."

"I don't need—"

"Please." Gray eyes were pleading again. "I don't want you to collapse from exhaustion."

Scoffing, the older brother replied, "Who's collapsing from exhaustion?"

"In case you haven't looked in a mirror lately, your eye bags are about half the size of your face. And your face isn't looking so good either," Al pointed out stubbornly. He walked into the kitchen again and reemerged with a glass of water. "Here."

"Wow, I must look like shit," Ed remarked sarcastically. He took the water anyway and swallowed two pills with a painful wince. Sore throat was coming on strong too. "There, happy?"

"Not until you get some sleep."

"It's only seven! Who goes to sleep at seven?" Ed protested, coughing. It felt like air was scraping past his throat. He realized too late that Al was looking at him with concern, but decided to ignore it and continue as if he hadn't been interrupted. "I haven't even made us dinner yet."

"Let me cook tonight. You can go to sleep. I'll save you some food."

"I'll cook. You sit there. And then I'll go to sleep after running your checkup," Ed argued tiredly. He was an older brother before he was anything else, even if at this particular moment he'd have loved to be dead asleep somewhere. At the thought of sleep, his nose prickled with excitement, and as he reached up to scratch it, "hiht'SSsh!-hah'tCH!"

It gave Al the perfect timing to compromise. "I'll cook. And you sit there. If you fall asleep I'll run my checkup myself, and if not I promise I'll let you do it, Brother." As he got up, Ed tried to follow, but whatever the hell was in the sleeping pills was doing its job pretty quickly. He stumbled as he got up, bringing Al's attention back to him. "I asked for the strongest one. It's probably better for you if you just lie down." God, even his voice sounded strange. But it was soothing and Ed found himself sitting down on the couch obediently. A far away murmur seemed to have suggested he go to sleep.

"After the checkup," he mumbled. This was the last time he was taking sleeping pills. He didn't like being this fuzzy. What the hell kind of reaction was this anyway? This was mind-numbing. A strange buzzing filled his ears. He felt his head dropping to his chest. Eventually the buzzing took over his brain until he simply wasn't thinking anymore, and with a hard thump, his body slid sideways over the couch.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Emily

[VividBubbles!]

I love this. Especially since it's set after Al gets his body back and everything. And Ed's guilt and concern for Al and Al's concern for Ed are so in character! I'm just so excited for this fic, I love everything you write!

Continue soon!

Edited August 4, 2014 by VividBubbles!

[alias]

YAY!!! Very nice! I was so excited to see an FMA fic (I only just got obsessed with the show a few weeks ago, and after binge-watching it I've started it over again... and have begun the manga). I love the way you've captured their brotherly interaction. I'm admittedly a Mustang fan, but this is so good you have me interested! I hope to see more soon!

Also, VividBubbles, I LOVE the gif in your signature.

[VividBubbles!]

Also, VividBubbles, I LOVE the gif in your signature.

Why, thank you. Riza and Roy's relationship was one of my favorite parts of the show.

Edited August 4, 2014 by VividBubbles!

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

Heeheehee happiness in FMA. Perfectly in character.

[Nola]

Oh my God....a full length story!?! YAY!!!!

And as you said, don't even have to watch the show to enjoy something!!! So excuse me if I switch from English to mud while I talk about how much I loved this!

First, just men overworked and then continue working anyways, just mmmm....speaks to my heart, and other parts of me!

But he only felt tired and lately he'd been feeling a lot like shit—

Love 'shit' in every variation when describing the way a person feels

guilt blossoming anew in his beaten and battered rib cage.

Umm, did you just say 'beaten and battered rib cage'....are you psychic? I just can't.....

"You have a headache?"

Wrong choice of words.

"Figure of speech."

Yes, yes, denial....

"Wow, I must look like shit," Ed remarked sarcastically. He took the water anyway and swallowed two pills with a painful wince. Sore throat was coming on strong too. "There, happy?"

"Not until you get some sleep."

Mmm...sore throat....yes....

Uh, so yes, I frickin' LOVE all this brother stuff!! And this is full of it!! I can't even wait until Part 2....but I will

[Natto]

This is awesome so far! I only recently finished watching FMA, so I've been wanting some material in that department for a while. This is perfect! I like that you get into the psychological impact of Ed losing his alchemy. The way the series (at least Brotherhood) ended, it didn't seem like a very substantial sacrifice because they ended it as soon as he lost it. It would be really hard on him, since it's been his whole means of existing and solving problems, his livelihood, and his method of pursuing his goals, since he was a child. He'd be completely lost without it, and it would take quite a while to adapt. I also like that Al seems to be having less trouble, because even though he's having a really hard time physically, he's more emotionally resilient than Ed is.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing the rest of this story, both for plot/characterization reasons, and for seeing Ed be miserably ill. XD; Anyway, nice work!!

[snuffles]

I'm really loving this so far! I think you got the end perfectly. I could never accept that Ed and Al could be simply satisfied with their life and move on as if nothing happened. This is soooooo much more real and touching, I'm forever corrupted converted. <3

[Emily]

Part 2 will be up in just a mo'.

@VB!: OMG yes I've been itching for something that takes place right after they get their bodies back and I didn't find anything that satisfied me enough ily bby thank you!

@alias: I'm glad I caught your attention Hopefully I can keep it because the next part is admittedly a little slow. Hopefully you've finished the manga by now and have moved on to greater things like...FANFICTION. If you're into Mustang, I highly recommend you check out smileyfacegirl^^'s Water Meets Flame, an epicly epic epic of epic proportions. And the part is that it's complete!

@fang: :D HEEHEEEHEE THANK YOU!

@Nola: Jeebus, I love you "Shit" is also my favorite word in terms of fetishy usage of course This whole brothers thing is basically my entire fanfictiony life so you'll get lots more where that came from So much in fact you might grow tired of it, but who ever gets tired of BROTHERS. Part 2 is being edited right now and will be up in but an hour or so!

@Natto: omigofda SENPAI HAS NOTICED ME First, yes yes yes I completely agree with you. There's absolutely no way Ed doesn't feel anything when he gave up alchemy. Of course he's genuinely happy to give it up for his little brother, but alchemy was his everything. He couldn't just get over it like that. That, and an angsty Ed is a happy me. I'm so happy you enjoyed this, and even happier you left a comment. THANK YOU!

@snuffles: They will never be truly happy as long as I can write about them huehuehue... Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

[Emily]

Part 2 is up!

= = = = = = = = = = = =

Al watched his brother slip into an almost effortless sleep. He checked the clock. Fifteen minutes. The doctor had really given him the most potent stuff. It helped that Ed was exhausted to begin with. Stealing a glance at him, Al ignited the stove and sighed exasperatedly. Really, why couldn't he have just gone to bed? Now he was passed out on the sofa and there was no way Al could get him upstairs. In a moment's thoughtlessness, he wished he were still a hunk of armor. He'd have had no trouble then. Although when it all came down to it, his body was the reason for his brother's constant weariness anyway. Sometimes he really did think it would have been better if he'd never gotten his body back. Then again, he sighed, Ed would have worked tirelessly until he collapsed to get it back for him anyway. Wasn't that what they'd been doing up until about two months ago?

Al heaved another sigh, like the entire universe had burst out from his lungs, and turned off the stove. There was no use pretending. He'd eaten hours ago before his brother had come home because he'd been invited in for dinner by one of the housewives he ran into often at the pharmacy. Housewives were adamant, nearly inescapable. She had guilt tripped him into having tea, and after several hours of conversation, she made him stay for dinner too, claiming it was no trouble at all and that she knew how young men went around eating junk without a woman in the house. When she finally let him leave it was past six, and his stomach had been filled exceeding its capacity. (She managed to squeeze in dessert and more tea afterward.) However, he didn't want Ed eating alone especially with the strange distance he seemed to be putting between them lately. And he had intended on cooking tonight, but the sleeping pills had probably knocked out the older Elric until at least late tomorrow morning, or so he was hoping.

Al hiked the flight of stairs up with an ease he hadn't had two months ago. Two months ago, Ed had almost carried him up the stairs. Grabbing his brother's blanket off his bed and folding it neatly in half over his arm, Al didn't pause for even half a moment before he decided to take the pillow too. Even if his brother had learned to sleep in strange, uncomfortable places over the years, a pillow was a luxury he could now afford to use more often. Quiet snoring was the only noise that greeted Al when he returned downstairs, and it became a strangled sigh when he slid the pillow smoothly beneath a bed of long blonde hair. Al paused. Observed. The quiet was a sign. It often led to the mumbling, the choked screams, then at last the frightened intake of air when it was over and panicked golden eyes met with darkness.

The snoring continued, a notch louder than it had been before the brief interlude.

Al finally let himself breathe out. The pills were working. He was afraid that even this brief fix to his brother's anxiety would prove a failure. For now, he would be alright. For now.

There was a grey, box-like contraption in the corner of the living room beside a window. It lay on a low, wooden table with all its attached wires neatly curled round it. In front was a semi-circular meter numbered zero to two hundred, with sections of red, yellow and green to distinguish good readings from bad readings. On its side was a row of clear tubes, several of which were attached to disposable needles. Al unbuttoned the end of his sleeve and proceeded to roll it up past the crook of his left arm. Wordlessly, he cleaned the spot where his veins were the most visible and inserted a needle parallel to his arm into a blue vein. The meter steadily rose until it teetered back and forth within the green range. After about ten seconds of observing this motion, Al finally pulled out the needle, satisfied with the result. He sighed in relief when the last bit of the pointed silver metal slid out of his arm. The needles had always been the worst part of this. He was looking forward to two weeks from now when he didn't need them anymore.

A cursory glance at his older brother told him one blanket would probably not be enough for tonight. Damn it. He should have insisted he go to bed. When he had gone more than halfway up the stairs he heard a very precise knock at the door. Strange. He hadn't been expecting anyone and neither had his brother, he assumed.

Another knock of the same pattern.

"I'm coming!" Al called as loudly as he dared with Ed finally asleep. When he opened the door, he couldn't decide whether to be shocked, polite, or annoyed. His face became a contortion of all three.

"C-Colonel Mustang! I wasn't expecting you here this late!" No, he'd not expected him at all. "Please come in, sir."

"Good evening, Alphonse. Is your recovery going well?" Mustang closed the door behind him, not without a decent amount of noise. He noticed a lump on the sofa. "You're keeping a dog?" He'd never let a dog sleep on any sofa of his.

"That's my brother," Al said hesitantly.

"Hah! Close enough then," laughed the Colonel. He was never one to let go of a demeaning joke at Edward Elric's expense, although admittedly it was odd that the other half of the comedy act wasn't making any snappy comebacks. "What's he doing on the couch? I thought three bedrooms would be plenty for the two of you."

"He hasn't been sleeping well lately so I gave him some pills..."

"And he was too stubborn to go to bed afterward," Mustang finished for him. A tremulous sigh from Al reconfirmed his statement. "I can't say I'm surprised." The man clicked his tongue and sat himself down at one of the chairs by the window. He gazed at the curled up form of the boy who'd worked under him steadfast for four years. Those days, giving up was the only thing he would not have done, yet he was prepared to give up all he had to give if he could protect the lives that meant so much to him. The boy was noble, Mustang couldn't deny that.

"Um...excuse me if I seem rude sir, but why are you here?" Alphonse mustered an expression of meek inquisition. "And please keep it down. My brother is sleeping. Oh, but I'm not trying to get you to leave or anything!" The colonel had given him a bemused look and shifted in the chair as if he were about to leave. If there was one thing the brothers shared, it was their inability to tolerate teasing. "I-I'll brew some coffee—"

"There's no need, Alphonse. I appreciate the hospitality, but unfortunately, I am not here to enjoy your company this particular evening. In fact, I was expecting Edward at the door. I suppose I can come back tomorrow evening, but I have some slightly urgent news to impart on the both of you. You won't be happy about it, but your brother needs to be awake to hear this," Mustang finished. He tipped his head apologetically, though his eyes remained firm.

Al sighed for what seemed the umpteenth time today. "Do I really have to wake him?"

"I can do it in your stead, if you'd prefer," offered the colonel.

"No, I'll do it." He finger combed through his short hair, already regretting what he was about to do. Not even an hour had passed since Ed fell asleep. The colonel's sudden appearance seemed to spell only trouble. Al bit his lip. Was he here to bring his brother back into military life? Officially, Ed was on leave to take care of him, but he was nearly recovered. It would not be a stretch to think they had been waiting until then to have him return. Even without alchemy, his brother was nothing short of a genius. A military asset. They wouldn't let go of him so easily.

"Brother." He shook his shoulder gently. "Brother." It would be nice if he didn't wake up. The colonel would have to leave then. Ed could sleep.

"Al?"

Oh brother.

"Sorry to wake you, but Colonel Mustang is here to see us. He said there's something important we need to know."

Ed squinted into the distance. Ears were still buzzing. Eyes still swimming. Head still hurting. He groaned inaudibly. What the hell was this, a hangover?

"How long been 'sleep?" Ugh. What a voice. Or a lack thereof, more like. The pills were making him slur his words.

"A little less than an hour," Al replied, quickly shifting his gaze to Mustang, who appeared to be examining his gloves with extraordinary concentration. "How're you feeling?"

"Drunk." He seemed to remember Al saying something about popcorn. A popcorn kernel? He yawned hugely. Kernel. Colonel. Ed blinked and sat up. To the left, he noted a dash of military blue, before his head reeled in dizziness. Goddamn that colonel. He rested his head in his hands as briefly as a minute took to pass and willed the spinning to stop. His hands shifted quickly to cover his mouth as he inhaled deeply to cough. And cough. And cough until his throat felt torn. Eyelids remained shut. If he opened them, he was afraid the dancing blackness behind the thin flesh would become a swirling mess of his living room. Slowly he became aware of a soft rhythmic rubbing on his back. It was so warm he realized how cold the rest of his body was.

"'s cold," he murmured.

"I'll make some tea for you. Just breathe slowly," Al said in a low voice. He worked his palm in circles and spared a second only to make sure the colonel knew what he was doing with the stove. Hopefully, he did.

Ed was breathing quick, shallow breaths. The effort showed on his face, which was as pale as it was glossy with perspiration. It did not look as though he was completely aware of what was going on around him. In fact, he wasn't looking at all because his eyes were shut tightly as if to ward off some impending vision no one else could see. His breathing evened at a dismal pace, and when he finally unstuck his eyelids, Colonel Mustang was making his way over with grimly set lips.

"He looks terrible," Ed heard him say. Normally, he'd have shot back some sort of retort, except he couldn't think of anything at the moment that wouldn't leave him breathless and panting. Which meant about the same thing, now that he thought about it.

"I think he has a fever," Al said worriedly. When did he not sound worried? Ed opened his mouth to tell him there was really nothing to worry about, but he found himself coming up dry, like the words were sticking to the sides of his throat. He sighed remorsefully, lamenting the few words he wished he could say, and leaned into the cool touch against his forehead.

"He definitely has a fever," Mustang frowned. "I'm not even sure if he's all there."

"...'m here." Finally. It was hoarse and cracked, but they were audible sounds. Golden eyes were slightly dull, but they were nonetheless aware.

"Edward, there's something I need to tell you. Do you understand?"

"Mm." Ed let his eyes close again. It was too bright.

"Edward."

"Yeah, got it." His eyelashes fluttered open in irritation.

Al looked at the colonel testily. "Keep it short...sir." The politeness was forced.

"As short as your brother's height allows," Mustang answered, chuckling at his own joke before he felt the younger Elric's glare intensify. "Now then, the good news is, I'm about to be promoted, but before that, I need you to do something for me that ensures both your jobs and mine. It's something only the two of you can do. Edward, are you listening?"

"'m listenin'. What?"

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Thanks for reading and/or commenting!

ETA: DOH. NO SNEEZING I FORGOT ; A ; I'M SORRY

Edited August 25, 2014 by Emily

[Nola]

Yay! An update! Just what I needed!!

First of all, I loooove how Al has been the weaker one for awhile and now has to be strong for his bro, and he feels all guilty about the reason why Ed is sick might be because of him (hrm, I'm rambling, yes?)....BUT, he is also really good at taking care of him, all sweet and concerned....*melts*

You won't be happy about it, but your brother needs to be awake to hear this," Mustang finished. He tipped his head apologetically, though his eyes remained firm.

Al sighed for what seemed the umpteenth time today. "Do I really have to wake him?"

Ohhhh, yes, you must wake him up....

Ed squinted into the distance. Ears were still buzzing. Eyes still swimming. Head still hurting. He groaned inaudibly. What the hell was this, a hangover?

D'awwww....he doesn't even remember....

Goddamn that colonel. He rested his head in his hands as briefly as a minute took to pass and willed the spinning to stop. His hands shifted quickly to cover his mouth as he inhaled deeply to cough. And cough. And cough until his throat felt torn. Eyelids remained shut. If he opened them, he was afraid the dancing blackness behind the thin flesh would become a swirling mess of his living room.

No words... just these: *clears throat* I'm going to go read this again....

Also...now that I've cleaned myself up, heh heh....I must also comment on the paragraph about Al checking his veins....that was sooo detailed, I can picture it perfectly....I love when seemingly small things are written in such detail that I literally can have no imagination because it's right there in living and breathing color...I don't even know why

And one more thing....all that sleepy talk....I have liquefied...hell, you've got me all over the phase diagram...yes, I just attempted to make Physical Chemistry sexy...

:heart:

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

Update update update! I wonder what wonders Mustang will bring to the boys?

[VividBubbles!]

Alright alright alright. So, first, obviously you did an amazing job with this. I ditto everything Nola said. Al was perfect and Mustang's jokes were hilarious and Ed was adorable, but you couldn't have thought that you'd get away with that cliffhanger, right? No no no no, I would never allow it, you must be chastised for leaving your audience in such suspense! How dare you. You're so evil.

But anyway, you did a stupendous job and I will be (im)patiently waiting on the edge of my seat until this is continued.

[snuffles]

OMG OMG OMG cliffhanger noooooo!!!!

I mean *cough* sorry, yes, everything was simply perfect. Oh my poor heart, I could just feel Al's worry, concern, and guilt as so tangible it made me melt!

The little details really do bring everything about this out to life, I'm so infatuated I hadn't realized the lack of sneezing until the second pass through when I noticed your little quip on the bottom.

[SapphireSong]

EMILY!!!!!!

This piece is amazing. Like, seriously. You're making me remember why I love FMA so much. xDDD I've been really lazy with leaving comments on the forum lately, lapsing into lurker-dom and all BUT I HAD to come on here and tell you how much I love this story. It's sososo good!! I've never read anything about them post-series like this, and it's so interesting!! I can't wait to see what Mustang has in store for them because something tells me it'll make things.. fun... for Ed because I'm a sucker for plot! Seriously though, I am always on the lookout for good storytelling, and you, my dear, have put it in this fic. X3 And DUDE your characterization is fantastic. I can hear all the voice actors in my head lol xDD;; but like, you write them just as I see them in canon - Ed and his stubbornness and.. well, Ed-ness, how do you even describe Ed And AL OMG T^T Nobody seems to give Al enough screentime (or enough credit) But he's so adorable and sweet and I just love him and UGH. You really capture all that in this fic, how deeply he cares for and worries about his brother, and how he's so... human. =w= And then of course you have Colonel Arrogant-but-Well-Meaning Mustang being himself. It's beautiful, I tell you. xDDD AH and then the sneezes/sickness element of course, sdkfljdfksldf >/////< I absolutely adore the way you write fetishy stuff, and I'm dearly looking forward to more. X3 Ed is just so... miserable... and that's what I love to see. (I'm such a terrible person when it comes to attractive fictional characters... ) So yeah. I love this and I can't wait to read more!!

Finally, I'm glad to see you around/writing again!!! I've missed you!! I hope you've been doing well.

If you're into Mustang, I highly recommend you check out smileyfacegirl^^'s Water Meets Flame, an epicly epic epic of epic proportions. And the part is that it's complete!

WAAAH!! Y-You're way too kind ^^;;;;; I'm so glad you liked it that much that you'd recommend it, thank you!! I'm honored.

[alias]

AHHHHH I NEED PART THREE!

This is SO GOOD. I can sense the love you put into these characters, because you have them spot on! It's great to get a story with so much of Al's perspective, and I love the way you have captured his voice. And Ed's. And Mustang's. MUSTANG! I'm so happy he came to the door.

I didn't even realize there was no sneezing until I got to your comment at the end because it was so interesting and you do such a good job at torturing Ed with all that other good stuff.

I will be anxiously waiting for the next installment!

[SterlingSilver]

Oh man, oh man, oh man.. You have no idea how much I got for like, woozy, sick, half-there ill people who are then fretted over by their friends and rivals alike <33. This is SO AMAZING EMILY. I AM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH THIS~

You have such a genuine and simple writing style-- well detailed, but not overly so-- that make your work so fun to read. And the characters here are captured subtly but so accurately~

I am looking forward to more, and will be checking daily <33

And probably reading your other stuff too ;D

Thank you so so so so much for writing this!