Here For You-- Secret Santa for Emily (FMA)

[kendisima]

Merry Christmas, Emily!! I hope it's close to what you were looking for... I've written all of 2 fanfic pieces in my life, haha. Also, I haven't watched FMA in about 3 years, so this may be a little off, or need to be seen through AU-colored glasses Anyway, enjoy, and have an awesome holiday!!

Here For You

“Al? You home, kid?”

Edward waited the required ten seconds to allow Al to come out of his room, but after counting to ten, and again, and again, he let out a sigh of relief. His brother must’ve been volunteering at that stupid cat shelter again. At least now he got some alone time.

Ed trudged to the couch and practically fell onto it. Now that the mission was finally over he could admit it; he was exhausted. His body was in throbbing pain from the beating he’d taken only hours before, his head was pounding like nobody’s business, and—

“HeEKTCH-ue!” And then there was that. The walk back from the train had been nothing short of a nightmare, and Ed cringed, burying himself into the couch as he remembered it.

He’d be lying if he said he’d felt top-notch on the train ride back to Central. The mission he’d been on had consisted of finding a rogue state alchemist and bringing him to justice—as Colonel Mustang had said, “Fullmetal, we just need him gone. Don’t burden yourself with bringing back a body.” He’d taken that order to heart.

The defeat had taken hours; the alchemist he’d taken out had been almost as skilled in water alchemy as he was with earth, and it had taken hours and everything Edward had to get rid of the guy. What was worse, though, was that the rogue alchemist had been hiding deep in the snowy mountains, and it had taken Ed days to even find him. By the time Ed finally happened upon the other man’s camp, he was freezing and hungry and tired as hell.

Colonel Mustang—who Ed couldn’t believe he was still working for after all these years—had been incredibly pleased. Although, to be fair, since Ed had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel a year and a half ago, Mustang seemed to be on his ass far less often. Ed supposed he should’ve been happy about the promotion, but in reality it just meant more paperwork.

Which was why Ed had happily gone to East City to find the rogue alchemist this weekend; he missed being in the field. He missed the high that was doing alchemy in dangerous situations. What he’d forgotten was how utterly shitty he felt after getting back from one of those missions. Maybe when he was a kid his body could handle three days trudging through the snow, followed by the beating of a lifetime and feel great after a little nap on the train, but he was twenty-three now, and spent far less time in the field. He hated to say it, but he felt like he was getting too old for this shit.

Or at least, those were his thoughts as he walked home from Mustang’s office. He’d been told to rest up, and to prepare a written statement, due the next day, but he’d also received a look of concern from his superior officer.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like an escort home, Fullmetal?” Mustang had asked, attempting to hide his concern. Ed had raised an eyebrow, confused at the concern.

“I’m fine, Mustang. Just tired. I can make it home without—huh…HETCHH-uh! Excuse me. Without any help,” Ed had countered, rubbing his nose on the back of his hand. Mustang had sighed, unwilling to fight with the younger man.

“Do as you please,” he said, stacking papers together and putting them away in files below him. “Just get some rest, alright?”

Ed had agreed, put-off by Mustang’s sincerity, and walked out of the building. Almost immediately he regretted saying no to the escort; it was freezing outside. Ed shuddered into his jacket and stifled a sneeze into his elbow—ugh. Ed had put the idea out of his mind that he might be coming down with something and made his way through the snowy streets.

The walk had been long and painful and laden with stifled coughs and sneezes, and with Ed cursing himself for saying he would walk home. By the time he’d finally shut the door to his and Al’s home behind him, he thought he’d pass out on the spot—

“Brother?”

Ed’s head shot off the couch pillow as he heard his brother’s worried voice from above him. Ed cringed into the late afternoon sunlight, and blinked until Al’s face came into focus.

“Hey, Al,” he said, his voice a little scratchier than it should’ve been. “How’s it going?”

Al let his mouth curl into a smile, and he threw his arms around his older brother. “You’re finally home,” he said, relieved. He pulled away then and sat on the couch next to Ed, legs curled underneath him. Ed marveled at how amazing it was to see his human little brother, grown and confident, sitting beside him. He remembered being fifteen and thinking that he’d never see Al in a human body again.

“How was the trip?” Al asked, reaching up to close the blinds behind the couch, blocking out the harsh afternoon sun.

“Long,” Ed admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. God he was sore. Getting old sucks, he reasoned with himself. He turned to Al then, whose face was crumpled with concern.

“Are you feeling alright?” the younger man asked. Ed huffed out a laugh.

“Just sore,” he said. “The guy I took out was a lot more difficult to pin down than I anticipated.”

Al made a sympathy noise and stood up from the sofa. “Well, why don’t you go take a bath, or something? I brought home stuff to make casserole, and it’s going to take a while to cook.”

“Alright,” Ed said, standing up. “Did you have a nice weeken—huhh…HPTSHH-eh!” Ed attempted to stifle a rough sneeze into his elbow, but his body had other plans. He sniffled a little bit, cleared his throat, and stretched his neck—ow. Maybe no more trying to hold those in.

“Bless you!” Al called from the kitchen. He popped his head out and gave a little look of concern. “You sure you’re feeling alright, brother?”

“I’m fine, Al,” Ed said, rolling his eyes. “Go make dinner. I’ll be in the shower.”

***

“HuhESHHue! HRTSHHuhh!” Edward sniffled a little and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. “Excuse me,” he muttered, his voice low and gravelly.

“Bless you, brother,” Al said, concern painted all over his face. Dinner was finished, the dishes were put away, and Edward Elric was bundled underneath three different blankets on the couch.

“Brother…” Al said, wringing his hands slowly. “Are you sure I shouldn’t take your temperature…?”

“Al, don’t worry about me, okay?” Ed said, smiling at his brother, congestion tinging his voice. “I’m just tired. It was a long weekend, I just need some rest.”

“Brother, obviously you’re sick…”

“I’m not sick, Al,” Edward snapped. Or, it would’ve been a snap if it wasn’t punctuated with a breathy cough. “Sorry. I’m just tired, Al. It’s okay.”

Alphonse sighed, and stood up to turn off the radio. “If you’re tired, you need to go to bed,” he reasoned, pulling the blankets off his brother gently.

“Besides, don’t you have a report due to Mustang tomorrow? You’ll have to get up early, brother.”

Ed groaned, having completely forgot about the report. He shivered as the blankets were removed, and stifled a sneeze as he stood up.

“Alright, Al. I’m going, I’m going,” Ed said as his brother pushed him up the stairs. Al turned on the light in his older brother’s room, pulled back the covers, and guided Ed inside. Ed pulled the covers over his head and sighed.

“Thanks, Al,” he said, his eyes already closing.

“Goodnight, brother,” Al said, but Ed was asleep before Al even turned off the light.

***

Ed opened his eyes and immediately wished that he hadn’t.

A groan escaped his mouth without his meaning for it to, and he rubbed his eyes for what felt like a century. Shit. This fucking sucked.

Right as Ed was pushing himself out of bed, he heard a timid knock on the door. “Brother…?” Al called, worry seeping into his voice. Ed cleared his throat, though it didn’t do much good.

“Combe in,” he managed, his voice barely more than a hoarse, congested whisper. He tried clearing his throat again, but it just made him cough—a much more productive-sounding bark than last night.

“Brother, you sound awful,” Al said; the kid never really was one for subtleties. Ed choked out a laugh.

“Just a little cold,” he managed, sniffling back some of his congestion. “No need to worr—HUTCHHue! HUPTTCHHue!” Edward was caught off guard by two rough-sounding sneezes he didn’t bother covering. “Shit,” he said, covering his face with his arm as he realized that now his nose was running, too.

“Brother, I think you should call Mustang and tell him you won’t be in,” Al reasoned, pulling out some tissues from a box by Ed’s bed and handing them over. “You look like you’re about to fall over.”

Ed hated to admit it, but Al was right; he felt awful. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t even started the report…

“Shit, Al, I need to write that stupid report,” Ed said, coughing into his fist. Al was back in the doorway, crossing his arms disapprovingly. Ed sighed.

“Look, Al, I’ll just write the report really fast and take it to Central, and then I’ll come back and sleep. Okay?” Al didn’t look pleased at this solution. He walked over and placed a hand on his brother’s forehead.

“Brother, you’re burning up!” Al said, clearly worried. “Let me make you some of that medicine Granny made when we were staying with her…”

“Alphonse, I don’t—HETCHHue! I don’t need medicine,” Ed growled, the effect only slightly dampened by another harsh sneeze into the crook of his elbow. “Please. I’m an adult. Let me do my work.”

Al, caught off guard by being yelled at, just stood frozen in place. Ed felt his heart sink; he hadn’t meant to get upset with his brother, but between the headache and the sore throat and being fussed over… he just needed some time alone.

“I’ll let you work,” Al said, quietly. “Let me know if you need anything.” With that, he shut the door.

***

“Fullmetal, I don’t mean to be so blunt, but you look like you’re about to fall over.”

“Shudt up, Bustagg. Just file the—huhETSHHue!—the repordt so I cad leave.”

Mustang handed Ed a tissue and sighed as he looked over the sloppily written report. “It looks fine, Fullmetal. How in the hell did Al let you leave the house like this?” he asked, clearly not letting the subject drop. Ed sighed a wheezy, tired sigh and dropped the tissue in a basket by the desk.

“I yelled at hib, dot that it’s ady of your busidess,” Ed managed, before breaking into a fit of coughing. Mustang cringed at the sound.

“Well, it sounds like maybe you should’ve listened to him,” Mustang mused, leaning his head in a hand. “Did you pick up this bug in East City?”

“I trudged through the sndow for three days. You put the pieces together,” Ed said, rubbing his eyes in slow circles. He really did feel like hell; the headache he had this morning had turned into a full-blown migraine, his sinuses were packed shut, and his throat wouldn’t give him five seconds of peace without a coughing fit.

“Well, I’m sorry that you’ve fallen ill,” Mustang said, formal. “But I can’t let you walk home. You need to call your brother.”

Ed raised an eyebrow. “I’b dot a child adybore, Bustagg. I cad take care of byself.”

Mustang laughed a little. “Looks like you’re doing a great job of that,” he said. Ed rolled his eyes and stood from the chair opposite Mustang’s desk.

“I dod’t have to take this,” he said, but already his vision was tunneling. “I cad get hobe… by… ummbb…” Ed blinked hard three times, and collapsed on the floor.

***

“Yes, sir, we’re home now. Mmhmm, I told him not to go out, but you know how he is… Uh huh. Yeah. Okay, Colonel Mustang, thanks for your help.”

Ed made a little noise in the back of his throat as he came to; where was he? What happened?

“Oh, brother! You’re up!” Al said, coming over to his bed, smiling wide. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got run over by a truck,” Ed said, his voice barely above a whisper. “What happened? How’d I get home?”

“You passed out in the Colonel’s office, brother. He and Hawkeye called me, and I came to pick you up.” Al sat on the bed then, his face somber. “I told you not to go out, brother. Why can’t you just listen? You’re so stubborn.”

Ed’s face burned red, though this time not from the fever. “I know,” he said, trying to sit up. “I’m sorry, Al.”

Al smiled a little. “You always have to learn your lessons the hard way, huh?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood of the room. Al sighed. “Oh, well. You’re in bed now and you’re staying there until I say you can get up.”

Ed laughed a little, which turned into a fit of coughs. “Ughh. Okay, Al. Thank you.”

Al smiled, and pulled his brother in for a hug. “You know, you don’t always have to be the big, strong older brother, Ed. I’m not a kid anymore. I can help you.”

Ed’s eyes welled up a little, though he told himself it was just from the fever. “Yeah,” he said, pawing at his face. “I know, Al. It’s just… you know. Hard. After everything.”

“I know, brother,” Al said, pushing Ed’s hair out of his face. “I just want you to know that… I’m here for you. Whenever you need me. Okay?”

“Alright,” Ed said, sitting back in the bed. “Thanks, Al.”

“Anytime,” Al said, smiling big again. “Now, open up! Time for Granny’s Homemade Medicine!” Al held out a spoon and used it to part his brother’s lips. Ed made a face, but swallowed all of it, all the while trying not to gag. Anything for his brother. Anything for Al.

[Arty]

Babes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ya know this is why FMA is one of my favorites. I just feel for these two especially Edward cause he places so much on him....poor thing. But this was great. I love that now Al becomes the care giver like how Ed was for him.

[Emily]

SO MY FIRST REACTION WAS OBVIOUSLY SDAHFSJNFGGHHHHHGHHGGNNNNNSSFFFFFOHMYGAW

But you probably wouldn't have understood a word of my purely fangirl garbled happy noises.

I've tried to articulate a proper response more than three times already because I just have so much love for you right now. YOU'RE LITERAL PERFECTION

Okay okay I'm going to try to properly say this

The whole triangle of Ed going "leave me alone I'm okay just stop omg" and Al telling him how ridiculous he is and then Mustang getting concerned for the silly kid just makes me go all ; v ; Twenty-three but definitely every bit the stubborn kid he was at fifteen. This also happens to be one of my favorite AU's, by the way, and I don't believe you've only written two fanfics in your whole life. Fever, denial, "I feel like shit," FAINTING HELLO, coughing you got AAAALLLL OF IT AND I LOVE YOU OMG AND THEN BROTHER THINGS HAHAHAHAAAAAA

I've read this for the third time now... Okay I'm just going to quote and comment on all my favorite lines :'D

His brother must’ve been volunteering at that stupid cat shelter again.

AGHHH I LOVE IT Because that's exactly the sort of thing Al would do he's such a darling

What was worse, though, was that the rogue alchemist had been hiding deep in the snowy mountains, and it had taken Ed days to even find him. By the time Ed finally happened upon the other man’s camp, he was freezing and hungry and tired as hell.

Suggestive.

He hated to say it, but he felt like he was getting too old for this shit.

Oh Ed, twenty-three is barely scratching the surface, don't be silly.

Ed marveled at how amazing it was to see his human little brother, grown and confident, sitting beside him. He remembered being fifteen and thinking that he’d never see Al in a human body again

Oh jesus, it will never be short of amazing for Ed to see his little brother in the flesh

Dinner was finished, the dishes were put away, and Edward Elric was bundled underneath three different blankets on the couch.

SCREAMS THIS IS SO ADORABLE

“I dod’t have to take this,” he said, but already his vision was tunneling. “I cad get hobe… by… ummbb…” Ed blinked hard three times, and collapsed on the floor.

HUHUHUHUHUHUHU- I mean, whoa, poor kid. The overworking thing by the way huehuehuheu almost definitely my favorite scenario and it's beautiful 8D If I had it my way I'd probably quote the entirety of this and say something about every line because I have so much to say LOL But I didn't even know where to start. Especially after this line drove an icicle into my heart:

“I know, Al. It’s just… you know. Hard. After everything.”

IT'S OKAY ED LET HIM SPOIL YOU ; v ;

I'm sorry it took me so long to thank you, but A HUGE-ASS THANK YOU TO YOU FOR THIS

MERRY CHRISTMAS INDEED 8D

[kendisima]

I'm so glad you liked it!! Yay!! Merry Christmas, hon