armoured | Open RP Post

[Nobody knows Ed better than Al, and the same is true visa versa, so it's no surprise that this lie isn't one that Al buys even for a moment. But that doesn't matter, it's the sentiment behind it which eases the pain a little.]

Mm.

[He finally releases his grip on Ed's shoulders, forcing his own voice into some crude semblance of normalcy.]

She's right, you know, you should drink your milk.

[Don't talk about the pain, the healthiest coping mechanism ever.]

[ maybe they should talk about it more together. maybe Ed's doing them both a disservice by trying to cover up the shadows of the past. they live with them enough, don't they? looking for the Philosopher's stone, their bodies torn apart by alchemy. they live it every day. ]

Oh come on, Al, not you, too! [ he groans, shifting his position in bed to look up at Al. sometimes it's easy to picture the bright eyed boy instead of the armor. he flops back on the bed, arms and legs sprawled out. ]

Besides, you wouldn't know what to do if I was taller than you! And I will be, one day, just you wait and see! [ he grins, snickering to himself, but it fades as easily as it arose. half-metal boy and a suit of armor. what a pair they made. ] I'll get your body back, Al. I'll find a way.

I know.

[Teasing melts into fondness, which in turn banishes the last of the sorrow from Al's voice. They might go through a lot, and they're only human so their struggles are bound to take their toll, but Al has never lost his hope.]

But not just my body, okay? We have to get yours back too, I want us both to be whole again.

[He won't let Ed make a martyr of himself for this. They are both broken, and Al will make sure they're both fixed. Silence falls between them for a while, until Al finally speaks again into the gloom of the dimly lit room.]

Hey, Brother? What's the first thing you're going to do when we're back to normal?

Yeah, I know.

[ it's started raining outside, thick dark clouds filling the sky, the droplets pattering on the window. he'd get their bodies back, of course, but if the exchange meant only getting Al's back? that would be enough. Ed had a working arm and leg, automail to replace the others. he could survive. when the silence falls he looks outside, his thoughts drifting until Al speaks again. ]

What? [ he turns back to look at Al, grinning broadly, trying to dispel the strange sadness that's gripped him. ] Well, give you a real pounding with both of my good arms. Finally win against you, little brother. I'll be the champion of all Resembool. Then maybe race you -- your body and my two good legs. But if you come back taller than me, then we'll have real problems!

[ he holds up one fist, shaking it in jest. ] Then they'll still call me pipsqueak and small and tiny and you'll just be Al and where's the fairness in that? [ a huff. ] What about you, Al? What're you going to do?

[Al listens in silence as Ed speaks. It might be hard to tell what he's thinking and feeling, as his metal face is incapable of displaying emotions, but Ed would surely know that Al is enjoying the recitation by the subtle tells of the way he's leaned in closely to listen and the brightness of his eyes.]

Hm. You mean after beating you in the fight and the race?

[He thinks for a solid thirty seconds. It's a tough choice.]

Definitely eat a whole cream cake to myself!

[ even if Al is restricted to a suit of armor, he has come to recognize the boy's emotions, his thoughts, even in the simple way he holds himself. seeing the way Al leans closely, the brightness of his eyes? even that spreads some warmth through Ed's chest. ]

W-what?! You can't beat me, Al! I'm your older brother, I'm supposed to win! And I will! [ he flails his arms broadly for emphasis, but pauses when Al mentions the cake. of course, eating, sleeping, dreaming, all of these simple things that Ed takes for granted. ]

Well, I'll find you the biggest cream cake in all of Amestris, okay?

Mm, I can hardly wait.

[He can practically feel his stomach grumbling with anticipation, even though he knows that's far from possible. It's just a phantom sensation, like the moments when he's sure his throat is blocked with the need to cry, or when he feels his heart stop when Ed does something dangerous.]

Do you want to know a secret, Brother?

[He leans in closely, voice a whisper and full of suppressed laughter.]

I think I want to get fat.

Mm, what is it, Al?

[ he leans in to listen to the secret, but the suppressed laughter is a dead give away. his own laugh comes bubbling up out of his chest, bright and loud. ]

You want to get fat? I won't stop you, but maybe you should think a little bit more about that before you do, huh? I'm not going to cart you around, after all.

[ he stretches his arms behind his head and flops back onto the bed, a smile spread across his face. ] But I guess I won't stop you. Just don't get fat on cake only, there's chocolate and ice cream -- tons of things you can get fat on. At least make sure you have an impressive list of things, first!

[Al giggles as he sits down beside the bed, and stretches his legs out across the floor. It warms his heart to know they can both still laugh even after everything, and it makes him ever more proud of his brother's strength.]

Of course not! You know I still have my snack book, and it's getting pretty full.

[He fishes it out and opens it to add 'cream cake' onto the bottom.]

I wonder if Granny would make me some of her stew.

[ if he closes his eyes, it's almost as though they haven't lost anything. that when he opens his eyes Al will be next to him, whole and human. he leans in against the metal armor, peering at the little book. ]

Oh man, Al, we'll just have to get you another one soon won't we?

[ he grins, resting his cheek on the cool metal of Al's arm. ] I'm sure Granny would make you some of her stew, why wouldn't she? She loves cooking, and I bet she'd even enlist you to help. Just hang in there, Al.

No.

[His voice is still calm and warm, but firm nonetheless.]

I'll just write smaller, I don't want another one.

[ Al gets defensive about the strangest things. Edward shrugs his shoulders. ]

Alright then. [ he smiles, looking down at the long list of food items. of course there's so much that Al would miss, that Ed doesn't even think twice about. his eyes are growing heavy again and he bites back a yawn. ]

I'll get you two of everything on the list, maybe even three, when we get your body back. Then you'll be nice and fat and I can roll you all the way home for some of Granny's stew. I promise, okay?

[He would never tell Ed, because it would make him feel guilty about the length of time it's been since they first set off on their journey, but Al doesn't want a new book because he promised himself, a long time ago, that he'd have his body back before he filled in the last page. It had kept him going for years, knowing it couldn't be much longer, and to actually complete the last page would break something inside him.]

R-Right...

[He curls his fingers into a fist and makes a small bump in the air.]

...You should get some more sleep, Brother. You have to take care of yourself.

Good. It's settled, then.

[ he laughs a little again, an easy smile in place where the firm grimace had been before. ]

Yeah, well, I have to take care of you, too, you know. I slept a lot already. [ he rises from the bed, stretching his arms as far over his head as he can, wincing when he feels a tiny shock of pain in his right shoulder. the rain always did make the stumps hurt. ] See, I'm rearing to go, Al. Nothing can hold me back. Ready to get out there and fight, and research and --

[ and there's pain in his leg, the same sharp pinch from before and he stumbles a little, teetering and very nearly falling over. ] Maybe not. [ a tired, but silly grin. ]

[Heart panging a little bit, Al reaches out to catch hold of Ed's arm supportively before he can topple onto his stupid face.]

You're pushing yourself too hard, you're really going to get hurt if you keep this up. You need rest, and now it looks like you need maintenance too. Maybe we should head back and see Winry for a few days?

[ how embarrassing all of this is, really. Ed sighs, thankful for Al's help, and rights himself, frowning. ]

It's just the rain, Al. I get a little creaky when it starts to storm. Moisture and pressure change. I'm fine, I promise.

[ but Al's probably right -- he should go back to Winry, it's been some time and he's likely overdue for a tune up. ]

We can't go back, Al, not yet. I'll be fine for a little while longer. It's just the storm. It'll pass. [ but that doesn't stop him from returning to the bed to sit down, wincing as he bends his knee, rubbing at it. ]

We can go back, and we should. Winry's right, you don't take good enough care of your automail and then it gets damaged.

[He's only lecturing to get a rise out of Ed, and thus hopefully distract him from the pain and the melancholy that's gripped his poor older brother since he jolted awake.]

You should listen to her more often.

[ ... really, Al, really? Ed lets the first few comments slip by with little regard, but it's only when he suggests he listen to Winry more that his demeanor changes. his cheeks fill with color and he frowns, brow furrowing. ]

It's not my fault that evertime we go out someone's trying to kill us! I didn't exactly put a sign on my back you know, Al. "Look! Here's the Full Metal Alchemist. Please try to rip off his metal arm, that's his favorite!"

[ he huffs and points at Al. ] And you. Siding with her? You can't side with her, you're my brother! If I listened to her I'd be... she'd make me drink milk. [ he sticks his tongue out, making a face. even the idea of drinking milk makes his stomach churn. ] Traitor. [ he folds his arms over his chest, quietly fuming. ]

It's not being a traitor to look out for you, Brother! Winry is an excellent automail mechanic, and she knows what she's talking about when she tells you how to care for it.

[He folds his own arms, looking down at Ed forbiddingly from his much higher vantage point.]

...Besides... she gets mad at me too when you damage yourself.

You've called her already, haven't you?

[ he loves his brother, he truly does, but sometimes he wishes he didn't have to go all the way back to Resembool, where things were too familiar. it's Al's vantage point over him, though, that makes the alchemist frown, cheeks puffing up, going red. ]

Don't look at me like that, all right, Al? Jeez. I'll go, okay? I'll go back and have her look at it. But it's just the rain. She'll tell you the same thing you know.

Maybe, but she'll also tune your arm and leg to make them work better and minimise that sort of pain.

[He sounds so cheerful now that he's got his own way.]

So go back to sleep, Brother, we have a long journey tomorrow.

[ Ed lets out a long sigh, looking both annoyed and grateful, somehow. he can't deny Al, no matter what he wants. ]

You two can't keep teaming up against me. It's not fair, you know. You're supposed to agree with me, not her.

[ there's no heat behind his voice though, and he shifts to lay back down, arms behind his head. ]

I'm sorry, Al. Can't keep my arm and leg in decent shape. It's slowing us down. I just want to get you your body back.

Don't apologise.

[It's gentle, but firm at the same time. He doesn't give a reason why not, it's just an order that he expects Ed to obey.]

We're both going to get our bodies back soon, I promise, so don't worry about it. Worry more about what Winry's going to say when we show up for repairs again.

[ count on Al to turn a situation around. he groans aloud when he mentions Winry's reaction. whenever he returns home to show off his damaged automail, it's never, ever a happy "welcome home" that they get from Winry. Ed's amazed he's not gotten a concussion, how many times a wrench or two have been chucked at his head. ]

She's going to kill me. You'll have to go on without me, Al. Adventure into the wide world all alone, because I was killed by a girl. Just make sure they don't put the cause of death on the certificate, okay? Bludgeoned by wrench doesn't exactly have a very nice ring to it, you know.

[He can't help but chuckle at that, finally relaxing again now that the tension seems to be ebbing and the darkness of the nightmares has been alleviated.]

Sorry, Brother, but I don't think I can lie about something like that, you'll just have to be remembered as the state alchemist who was killed by his mechanic.

Open RP Post

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that icon is hilarious.

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