Full Metal Alchemist, "Empty Nest 22: Aftershocks," E/R, F/W, A/D, PG-13
Chapter twenty-two, finished just as fast as I could finish it and still nap like a lazy housecat all weekend. Props go out to galuxkitty for feeding me porn, sailormac for entertaining me endlessly, and chrstphrl for the wonderful news he had Friday that inspired the third-to-last section of this chapter.
Dedicated with much love to alchemistjunkie and acexkeikai, because they’re just plain amazing.
This chapter is PG-13 because after the last chapter, nobody was in the mood to shag (except for Ed and Russel, and I wasn’t feeling generous enough to let them get it on).
The other cherries in the pie:
Prologue: Prodigal Sons
Chapter 1: Awakening
Chapter 1.5: A Matter of Pride
Chapter 2: True Test
Chapter 3: Amestris Pie
Chapter 4: Waiting
Chapter 5: Allowance
Chapter 6: Change
Chapter 7: Truce
Chapter 8: Out Alone
Chapter 9: Growing Pains
Chapter 10: Resentment
Chapter 11: Back to Normal
Chapter 12: Perspective
Chapter 13: Understanding
Chapter 14: Distraction
Chapter 15: Silence
Chapter 16: Choose
Chapter 17: Bonds
Chapter 18: Healing
Chapter 19: Nesting
Chapter 20: The Morning After
Chapter 21: Reaction
[Chapter 22: Aftershocks]
Chapter 23: Goodbye
Chapter 24: Memory
Epilogue: Family
[EDIT]: Props to lifeinahole27 for the impromptu beta, because she rocks and I SUCK.
Empty Nest
Chapter Twenty-two
Aftershocks
by Mistress Quickly
It wasn’t the first time Al hadn’t been there when they woke; often, Al would wake first and go into the City to see Danny or go to the library, and when Fletcher had still lived with them, it wasn’t unusual for him to leave with Al in the mornings, going wherever they wanted, not something Edward or Russel had ever wondered about or questioned.
But on Friday morning, when the slants of sunlight from the window reached the bed where Edward slept, curled around his husband, Al’s absence from the house was deafening; the thought of leaving the warm sanctuary of the bedroom, terrifying.
Edward groaned. “Russ, what the hell am I going to do?"
“Ngh,” said Russel, burrowing under the covers.
“I fucked up so bad. He’s never going to speak to me again.”
Russel stretched and yawned, then licked his lips. “Ngh.”
Edward glared at him. “Russ, this is important, wake up.”
Blue eyes slid open. “If you’re worried,” said Russel, “that he’s never going to speak to you again, then call him. He’ll at least have to speak to you to say ‘hello,’ and if he’s said that much, he might as well say more, right?”
Edward’s glare deepened. “You know,” he said, sliding out of the bed, “you make less than no sense when you’re not awake.” But he padded down the hall to the study, nonetheless, and picked up the phone.
Russel rolled over and went back to sleep.
~*~*~*~
“Hello?”
“Hi, um ... this is Akil, right?”
“It certainly is, and this would be Al’s brother, I’m guessing?”
Edward colored up. “Yeah, how did you know?”
“No-one else ever calls me,” said Akil. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Well first of all, don’t call me ‘sir,’ I don’t outrank you anymore,” said Edward. “And secondly, do you happen to know Danny’s phone number? I need to ... give my brother a message.”
Akil scratched his head. “Nah, I don’t have his number. Don’t think he had a phone yet, when I went to see him. Sorry.”
“Oh,” said Edward. “Well could you tell me where he lives, then, please? It’s really kind of an emergency.”
“Sure,” said Akil, digging through the mess of notes on his dresser. “Got a pencil handy?”
Sorry, Pixie Stick, he thought, rattling off the man’s address. Here comes trouble.
“Thanks,” said Edward.
“This mean you’re not going to call me anymore?” said Akil, batting his eyelashes at the phone, just for good measure.
He wasn’t really surprised when the line went dead.
~*~*~*~
The whistle blew. Time was up.
“I won’t be gone more than the weekend.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
“Thank you for calling Brother for me.”
“My pleasure.”
“I love you.”
Danny wrapped his arms around his lover and hugged him, hard.
“I love you too, Al.”
~*~*~*~
His gut instinct, when he saw the long blonde braid trailing down the back of the man turning and entering his apartment building was to run, as fast as he could, in the opposite direction, but a promise was a promise, and a promise to Al was even more special than that.
Danny took a deep breath and continued home.
He arrived at his door just in time to see Edward giving up, the impressive glare on the man’s face only deepening when he saw Danny. He crossed his mismatched arms over his chest and cocked his head, shoulders hunched defensively.
Nervously, even.
“I ... I need to talk to Al,” he said. “Owe you both an apology.”
Danny swallowed hard. He knew that telling Edward that Al had already left would significantly shorten the length of the man’s stay, but he’d seen Edward throw fits before, not something he wanted his new neighbors to associate with him. Better to let him shout in the semi-privacy of the apartment, then. He gestured towards the door with his key. “Come on in.”
Edward followed him into the apartment, glancing around before bending to untie his shoes. “Is Al still asleep?” he said quietly, nudging his shoes over beside Danny’s boots. His eyes widened when he noticed Al’s shoes weren’t there. “Wait a minute, is Al even here?”
God help me, Danny prayed. “No,” he said. “He’s not here.” He watched Edward tense, teeth bared, and held up his hand. “He’s on a train to Rush Valley, going to see Fletcher and Winry, just left about ten minutes ago. Wanted me to call you when I got back here to tell you where he was going.”
For a brief moment, he thought Edward was going to cry. Then anger crept into the man’s eyes, his jaw tightened and his hands balled into fists. “Goddamnit,” he said. “This is your fault, Broche. Al used to be able to come to me about stuff. Never ran away like this. He’s just running away from you, you know.”
“That’s not true,” said Danny, his stomach twisting in anger. “That’s not true at all, and you and I both know it. Al left because he knew you wouldn’t be able to track him down as easily in Rush Valley, not with Winry there. If he’d gone to the General’s, you’d have just shown up on that doorstep this morning, instead of mine, armed with a big guilt-trip and only enough of an apology to make yourself feel better.”
He stepped back, tripping over his own feet and landing, sprawled, in the floor, but it saved him from the nasty metal-fisted punch Edward had swung at him.
“You bastard,” Edward growled, leaping at him. Danny caught him easily enough and rolled them, pinning the smaller man. Edward howled in protest and struggled hard. “Let me go!”
Danny released him and scuttled aside, crouched in preparation for the man’s next attack, heart pounding in his chest. This isn’t what Al wanted me to do, he thought, miserably. Probably never guessed that Edward would try to beat me up. Then again ... He reached up and touched the bandage on his throat, covering the wound where Edward’s blade had cut him, the night before.
“Killing me isn’t going to make Al forgive you, you know,” he said, watching Edward stand and brush himself off.
“Wasn’t planning to kill you,” said Edward. “Pretty nice move. I didn’t know you could fight.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “I was enlisted for eight years,” he said. “You think all I did was file paperwork and fall in love with your little brother?”
“That’s all I ever saw you do,” said Edward.
“Well then you weren’t paying much attention, were you?” said Danny.
Edward snorted. “Why would I pay attention to you?” he said. “Thought for sure Al would come around and realize you’re too much of an idiot for a guy like him.”
“Oh grow up,” said Danny. “I’m so tired of you slamming my intelligence, telling me I’m not good enough for Al. Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t want to be with a brilliant Alchemist, that maybe he’s just happy with me, with who I am? Maybe there’s something about me that is so goddamned loveable that he doesn’t want someone else? Anyone else? That maybe he’s happy being in love with an idiot who will never be more than a nurse who gets tongue-tied around new people and blushes when his friends crack dirty jokes?”
He drew a deep breath. “Al’s the only person-the only person-on this earth who has ever liked who I am, who hasn’t wanted to change things about me. I don’t know why he loves me, I’ve never known why he loves me, but I love him and I’m damned glad that he loves me, damned lucky that he loves me.”
Edward blinked at him, mouth hanging open a little.
“And that’s another thing,” said Danny, “that you may have missed. Al loves you pretty fucking deeply, Edward, loves you more than anything or anyone else. You keep acting like I’m going to somehow steal him away from you, but that’s just stupid. Al will never leave you, everyone who knows him seems to know that, except for you. You know, I’d love nothing more than to invite Al to come live with me, here. Picked this place because it’s halfway between the hospital and the Senate, close enough to the station and the library to be good for Al and good for me. Do you know why I haven’t asked him if he wants to live here with me?”
Edward shook his head, eyes wide.
“Because I didn’t want to force him to choose between you and me. Biggest fight we’ve ever had was the night he called me spineless for holding back with him, out of fear that you’d try to make it so we couldn’t see each other anymore. I told him that I wouldn’t be able to stand the guilt of making him choose between you and me, told him that I knew perfectly well that he’d choose you, and that it didn’t bother me that he’d choose you, and still doesn’t.” He sighed. “He threw me out for saying it, but we all still know it’s true.”
“That’s what he threw you out for?” said Edward.
Danny snorted. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that already. Al said he told you about it when it happened.”
“No,” said Edward. “He wouldn’t tell me what you two fought about. I just knew that you’d fought.”
“Oh,” said Danny. “Well yeah, that’s what we fought about.” He watched Edward slump, watched him scrub the palm of his flesh hand over his face.
“Damnit,” he said. “Now I really owe Al an apology. I knew I should have come out here last night to talk to him, shouldn’t have listened to Russ. He’s the one who said to let Al sleep on it, to deal with it in the morning.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Stop blaming everyone else,” he said. “This isn’t my fault or Al’s fault or Russel’s fault. You can’t properly apologize if you’re just going to make excuses and spread the blame around. In a way, you’re damned lucky Al’s gone. Give you a chance to decide what you’re actually sorry for.”
Edward glared at him. “Don’t condescend to me, Broche.”
“Why not?” said Danny, crossing his arms over his chest. “I am older than you. Maybe I know more than you do about this, did that ever occur to you?”
“You’re an only child,” said Edward. “What the hell would you know about it?”
Danny shook his head. “Has nothing to do with siblings, Edward. I’m talking about Al. The day after we had our big fight? I didn’t apologize for stuff I wasn’t actually sorry for, didn’t tell him I’d change anything I knew I wasn’t ready to change. Last week, when he needed to get away and went to the General’s? I didn’t chase after him. I waited for him to come to me.”
Edward snorted. “Lazy bastard.”
“It was the best thing to do,” said Danny. “Something Akil once said, ‘if you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.’ And he was right, Al came to see me when he was ready to see me.”
“My brother isn’t yours,” said Edward. “He’s not some thing to be owned.”
“You know what I meant,” said Danny. “Al’s a lot smarter than you give him credit, Edward. You know as well as I do that he wouldn’t stay with a guy who thought of him as a possession.”
Edward waved his hand dismissively. “What’d you do to him last week that made him want to go running to that Bastard?”
“I didn’t do anything to him, actually,” said Danny. “And it’s none of your business, anyway. Al can’t trust you to stay calm enough to go to you when stuff happens, why should I betray his trust by telling you every little thing that goes on between us?”
“Al knows he can always come to me,” said Edward, panic creeping into his unusual eyes.
Danny shook his head. “No,” he said, “no he doesn’t, no he can’t. And you know that, just as well as I do.”
He watched as Edward turned on his heel, not even bothering to pull his shoes on as he stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind himself, then slumped down on the floor and cradled his head in his hands, sighing.
“I’m sorry, Al,” he said. “I tried, sweetheart.”
He knew Al would understand. And somehow, that just made it worse.
~*~*~*~
Russel already knew, but he asked anyway.
“How’d that go?”
Edward flailed. “How did what go? My conversation with my little brother? My apology? Didn’t happen, Russ, and do you know why?”
Russel shook his head.
“Because by the time I got there, Al was gone, so I got to talk to that asshole Broche.”
“Gone?” said Russel. “Where’d Al go?”
Edward flopped down into a chair across from his husband and slumped, defeated. “Rush Valley. He left and told Danny to tell me he’d gone, because he didn’t want to talk to me himself. Said all he’d get from me would be ‘a big guilt-trip and only enough of an apology to make myself feel better.’ Asshole.”
“Your brother or Danny?” said Russel.
Edward glared at him. “Shut up,” he said.
“Just wondering,” said Russel. “When did he leave?”
“About an hour ago,” said Edward, resting his cheek on the table. “I got to Danny’s apartment just as he was coming back from walking Al to the station.”
Russel checked his watch. “He’ll be in Rush Valley by dinnertime. You could call him and apologize then.”
“Nah,” said Edward. “Al needs his space. You know that saying, ‘if you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.’ He’ll come home when he’s ready.” He sighed. “If he comes home at all. Probably never want to speak to me again.”
He lifted his head when he felt Russel’s palm on his forehead, fingers stroking back his bangs. Russel smiled at him.
“I’m sure he’ll have plenty to say to you when he gets home, baby,” he said, gently. “To both of us. And we’ll deserve every moment of it.”
Edward sighed and flopped back down, his skull thumping against the table hard enough that Russel winced. “You know,” he said, “I really can’t wait.”
“I know, baby,” said Russel. “Neither can I.”
~*~*~*~
Fletcher wrapped his arms around his best friend and hugged him, hard, his cheek pressed to Al’s soft hair. “Hey, Al,” he said. “Missed you.”
“Missed you too,” said Al. “Thanks for letting me come see you. It means a lot to me.”
Fletcher stepped back. “Winry knew this was going to happen,” he said. “We were just surprised it took you so long.”
Al blushed. “It’s embarrassing, always running to other people when something goes wrong. My brother didn’t do that, and he was facing stuff that was way worse, Back Then.”
“Your brother,” said Winry, grabbing Al’s wrist and narrowing her eyes at the bandage wrapped around his hand, “didn’t need to run to anyone because he always had you, right there with him, and you weren’t a thick-headed asshole who made things worse when you should have been making them better. Made a big difference.”
Al sighed. “I wish I could remember,” he said. “I’m sure I caused trouble for him.”
“Negligible, if any,” said Winry. “What happened to your hand?”
“Nothing,” said Al.
Winry tightened her grip on his wrist. “Nothing, huh? Should’ve known Ed was involved.” Then she tugged Al close and hugged him. “Glad you’re here, Al. We really are.”
“Thanks, Winry,” said Al. He stepped back and cupped his wounded hand in his other hand, shielding it from Winry’s gaze. “Sorry I called so late last night.”
“Oh, we’d only just gone to bed,” said Fletcher, picking up his friend’s bag and leading the boy into the guest room of the apartment. “Remember how Maria always said there were wrinkles in time, that things will all happen at once?”
Al nodded.
“Well, this is no exception,” said Fletcher. “Belsio showed up last night, said he was in the area and wanted to come visit. We were up until about midnight, talking with him before he said he was tired and wanted to go back to the inn.”
“You should have told me that!” said Al, eyes wide. “If I’d known you already had company-”
“Not company, Al,” said Winry, draping her arm around his shoulders. “Family. And you should have heard this boy last night, after you called. Babbling about how excited he was that you were coming, how he couldn’t wait to see you. I had to wrench him, at one point, for asking too many times when I thought you’d be here.”
Al looked at his best friend. Fletcher blushed. “Not my fault,” he said. “I’ve really missed you.”
Winry snorted. “Understatement of the year,” she said. “We told Belsio we’d meet him at the inn for dinner about seven, then go to the springs next door. Sound good?”
“Sounds wonderful,” said Al. “I haven’t been to a hotspring since Trisha was born.”
“Me neither,” said Fletcher. He bounced up and down a little, then grabbed Al’s uninjured hand. “Come see my latest project, before we go. I’m so excited, it’s actually working!”
Winry chuckled, watching her lover drag Al away, beaming like the 15-year-old she’d fallen in love, then settled at her desk and picked up her pencil and notebook, working in the quiet of Fletcher’s muffled laughter, Al’s soft voice.
The apartment, to her, finally felt like home.
~*~*~*~
Al dumped a bucketful of water over his head, just to make sure his hair was rinsed, then smoothed his palms over the long, wet mess, squeezing as much water out of it as he could before twisting it into a messy bun. It was nice, bathing after a day’s train ride, washing away the sweat and dirt and soreness and-
Squirt.
He looked over at Fletcher, who was innocently filling his own bucket, soap dripping off of his body. Weird, thought Al. Fletch must’ve splashed. Shrugging, he returned his attention to bathing, lathering his washcloth.
Squirt.
That time, Fletcher’s expression of innocent inattention was ruined by the smirk tugging petulantly at the corners of his mouth. Al growled and filled his own bucket, playfully flinging a handful of water at his best friend when the bucket was half full.
Fletcher squealed, and the water-fight was on.
By the time Belsio was rising and making his way carefully across the wet tile to the bath steaming at the far end of the room, Fletcher and Al had both managed to bathe, rinse, and snipe each other with handfuls of water until the mirrors in front of their water spigots were dripping with water and they were both laughing breathlessly, tickling and teasing each other as they rose and followed the older man over to the bath.
Al slipped into the water with a sigh, tilting his head back to rest on tiled ledge surrounding the bath, lifting his arm lazily out the water when Fletcher splashed in and cozied up to him, draping his arm over the younger boy’s shoulders.
“Missed this,” said Fletcher, sighing and resting his cheek against Al’s chest. “Missed you, Al.”
Al chuckled and stroked his friend’s back. “Missed you too, Fletch,” he said. “You like it here, though, right?”
Fletcher nodded. “I’d have come home if I didn’t like it here,” he said. “Still doesn’t feel like it’s home, here. Just like Winry and I are visiting, long-term.”
Belsio chuckled. "It was three years before I felt Xenotime was my home,” he said. “When I could tell stories about each of my trees, I felt like I was home.”
“Wow,” said Fletcher, shifting so that he could look up at his foster father. “Maybe I should plant a tree somewhere so Winry and I can do that, too.”
Belsio smiled at him warmly. “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” he said. “I’ll admit I was a little taken aback when I learned you would be living together, unmarried, but the Rockbell girl seems very nice. I’m pleased you’ve found a woman who appreciates your skills.”
Al laughed softly and tickled Fletcher. “I still can’t believe you two are together,” he said. “Brother always swore Winry’d be too scary to get anyone to fall in love with her, male or female.”
“Aw, that’s mean,” said Fletcher. “She’s really sweet, just mean to your brother because he’s snarky with her.”
“Yeah,” said Al. “Brother would try the patience of a saint, I swear.”
Fletcher fanned his fingers over his friend’s ribs, rubbing slowly up and down. “You’re the most patient, saintly person I know, Al,” he said. “You’d know better about that than anyone else.”
Al sighed. “Thanks, Fletch,” he said. “Brother’s just ... I don’t know. Just when I think he can’t possibly do anything that would shock me, he ... does.”
“That’s Edward for you,” said Fletcher. “When you two first moved in with us, I thought Brother had lost his mind, falling in love with someone like that. But Edward’s not all bad. Just ... eccentric.”
Al rolled his eyes. “He’s a hypocrite, is what he is. Seems to think that the two weeks-two weeks-of peace he’s given me and Danny should be sufficient, that now we shouldn’t be entitled to privacy at all at home.”
Belsio stiffened. “You’re involved with a man?” he said.
“Yeah,” said Al. “A really great guy. He took care of me and Fletch when we were studying for the State Alchemists’ Exam, and now he’s training to be a nurse. He’s absolutely wonderful, but for some reason, my brother refuses to accept him and be nice to him.”
“He’s just jealous,” said Fletcher, sighing and closing his eyes. “Doesn’t want to share you with Danny. You remember how my brother was, when I told him I was leaving. Pouted any time I wanted to call Winry, and the fit he threw when she stopped by on her way out here ...”
Al shook his head. “Ridiculous,” he said.
“But necessary,” said Belsio, laughing softly when both boys blinked at him, Al’s hand stilling on Fletcher’s back. “You don’t think so?”
“I could have lived forever without my brother’s tantrum yesterday,” said Al darkly.
Belsio nodded. “I’m sure you could,” he said. “But if you ever want to truly move out and become independent of your brother, such struggles are necessary.” He smiled down at Fletcher, who was watching him with an almost child-like expression, curled against Al like a kitten. “Did your brother ever tell you about the fight he and I had, oh, two years back, Fletcher?”
“No,” said Fletcher. “What happened?”
Belsio sighed. “I walked in on him being ... intimate ... with Edward, and scolded him for his choice of partner, mostly because of Edward’s gender. He was very polite, apologized profusely to me for it. But then, the next time he visited, he was no longer so meek, no longer a child. It was obvious that he’d thought over what I’d said to him, that he wasn’t going to just say ‘yes, sir’ and do as I said.” He shifted and smiled. “The child I remembered him being was gone, replaced with a man. I was surprised, but ultimately very pleased.”
Al tilted his head back and let out a long, slow breath. “I hope my brother can say that about me, some day,” he said. “He’s not happy with my choice of boyfriend, I know that. Known that since he found out about me and Danny, but still. You’d think that he’d be happy just because I’m happy.”
“Unfortunately,” said Belsio, laughing softly, “that isn’t how it works, Alphonse. Not usually, anyway.” He rose from the bath, his modesty towel clinging to his thighs. “I’m going to go drink some cool tea,” he said. “The heat is making me a bit dizzy.”
“Okay,” said Fletcher. “We’ll be out in a bit.”
They watched the man climb out of the bath, watched him fill his bucket with water and rinse himself, watched him leave the bathing area, the door sliding closed behind him.
“All right, I gotta know,” said Fletcher, sitting up and resting his arm on the bath’s ledge. “What on earth did your brother do?”
Al sighed and tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling of the bath, watching moths flutter around the lamps. “Yesterday, Danny and I were in my room, messing around, and Brother and Russel somehow got the notion that Danny was raping me. Your brother came storming in and tied Danny up with that plant you gave me, then my brother started waving his blade around and threatening stuff. It was awful.”
Fletcher stared at him, eyes wide and jaw slack. “Good grief, they really have lost their minds, both of them, haven’t they?” he said. “Danny would never hurt you, ever. What were they thinking?”
“They weren’t,” said Al. He fanned the fingers of his uninjured hand and skimmed them across the surface of the water. “Danny let me come home with him, afterwards. I didn’t want to be anywhere near our brothers.”
Fletcher snorted. “I don’t blame you,” he said. “I wouldn’t have, either. Knowing that Winry and I had already signed our lease here was all that kept me sane, after I told Brother I was leaving. Knew I had a place to go, that the end was in sight.” He caught his friend’s bandaged hand and laced their fingers together, gently squeezing. “You know you can come stay with me and Winry any time, right, Al?”
Al smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Fletch,” he said. “I just ... I just wish I had someplace that’s mine. I feel like home is Brother’s house, and you and Winry are wonderful, but this is still your home, just like Danny’s apartment. I’m not home anywhere.”
Fletcher blinked at him. “You and Danny aren’t living together?” he said. “I just assumed when you said he’d gotten an apartment that you were going to move in with him.”
“Nah,” said Al, shaking his head. “He doesn’t seem to want me to live with him. Hasn’t mentioned it.”
“Oh,” said Fletcher. He gave Al’s hand another squeeze, then stood and stretched. “Come on, we’d better get out or we’ll turn prune-y.”
Al laughed and stood, following his best friend out of the bath, rinsing and drying and dressing together in silence. Only when Al was unbinding his hair and combing it, hissing at each snarl, did Fletcher break the silence, flopping down onto the bench beside his best friend.
“Hey Al?”
“Yeah?”
Fletcher fidgeted. “Have you asked Danny about living together?”
“No,” said Al, winding fresh gauze around his hand. “I don’t want him to feel like he has to say yes.”
“Oh,” said Fletcher. “But ... is it possible that he wants to ask you but doesn’t want you to feel like you have to say yes?”
Al turned and blinked at him, then started to laugh. “Oh that would just be sad,” he said, “wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, it would,” said Fletcher. He arched an eyebrow at his best friend, watched the boy’s laughter die down to a happy smile. “Bet you anything that’s the case.”
Al shook his head. “No way to find out.”
“Wimp,” said Fletcher.
“Quiet, you,” said Al, smacking the boy with his towel. “You’re just spoiled, having such an outgoing girlfriend. Never anything left unsaid with her, I’m sure.”
“Never,” said Fletcher, “which makes fighting a total pain in the ass, believe me.” He followed Al out of the dressing room, caught the boy’s wrist just as he was reaching for the door to the main lobby. “It’s worth it though, Al,” he said. “Just ask him. You love him, you know him. If he’s at all uncomfortable with you living with him, you’ll be able to tell. Don’t be miserable just because you’re scared. It’s not worth it.”
Al bit his lip. “Thanks, Fletch,” he said. “I’ll ask him.”
“You’d better,” said Fletcher, “or I’ll sic Winry on the situation. I doubt you want that.”
Al’s laughter echoed around the room, rich and genuine for the first time that evening, his hand squeezing Fletcher’s as they made their way out into the lobby to say goodnight to Belsio.
~*~*~*~
Winry kissed her boyfriend deeply, one last time, then stepped back and handed him the bag he’d packed to bursting with his research materials, prepared to exploit every minute of research time he had with his older brother and Central Library at his disposal.
“Love you, Fletch,” she said. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, Winry,” said Fletcher. “Try not to break anyone while I’m gone, okay?”
Winry laughed. “I’ll try. Go fix That Idiot and your brother for me.”
Fletcher rolled his eyes. “Not touching that request,” he said. “Not even for you.”
“I don’t blame you,” said Winry. Then she kissed him, once again, and pushed him towards the train, stepping back to wave to Al and Belsio as the whistle blew and the train slowly began to pull away.
Somehow, she was glad to be staying in Rush Valley.
~*~*~*~
Belsio watched Fletcher curiously. Watched the boy stroke Al’s long hair, staring absently out the window. Watched Al squirm and curl into a tighter ball, his head pillowed in Fletcher’s lap. Watched Fletcher chuckle and give Al’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
“Was it refreshing,” he said, finally, “to move into a home with a woman? Is that why you chose to live with the Rockbell girl, even unmarried?”
Fletcher blinked at him. “Huh?”
Belsio nodded to the boy sleeping happily in Fletcher’s lap. “He’s like his brother, like your brother. I thought that, perhaps, you chose to move in with the Rockbell girl to get away from that situation.”
“No, not at all,” said Fletcher, wrinkling his nose. “I moved to Rush Valley so I could work at the Clinic where my research can be put to good use. And Winry and I aren’t having sex, not yet. Waiting until we’re married, and we’re not in any hurry to do that.”
“Oh,” said Belsio. He watched Fletcher stroking Al’s hair and frowned. “Isn’t it a little odd, being so physical with him, knowing his ... preferences?”
Fletcher shook his head. “Not at all,” he said. “Al’s my best friend, and I’m pretty sure he’d kiss a horse before he’d think of me sexually.” He tucked some of Al’s hair behind the boy’s ear and smiled. “Just because Al likes guys, doesn’t mean he wants to sleep with every guy he meets. Just like my brother. After he and Edward kissed for the first time, out behind your house, he never even looked at another guy, not even when the State declared Edward dead.”
“I see,” said Belsio, looking thoroughly bemused. “Interesting.” He looked out the window, brow furrowed.
Fletcher chuckled. “There’s lots of kinds of love out there,” he said. “I’m just lucky to know a bunch of them first-hand.”
And that time, Belsio’s smile was real.
~*~*~*~
“Danny had the late shift tonight, though,” said Al, biting his lip. “If he’s eating in town, he won’t be home.”
Fletcher rolled his eyes and gave his friend a push. “Don’t make stuff up, it’s not like you. Now go get him. We’ll be waiting here.”
Al tugged his best friend into a firm hug, then twirled around and jogged down the platform, out of sight. Fletcher sighed.
“Sorry to drag you into all of this,” he said, looking up at Belsio.
Belsio ruffled the boy’s hair. “You know I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he said.
~*~*~*~
They could see Edward’s and Russel’s silhouettes, moving about upstairs in the study. Edward was gesticulating wildly, Russel had his hands on his hips. Every once in awhile, one of them would point to something on the table, then the gestures would start again, and Russel would rake his hands through his hair.
“Fighting over Alchemy,” said Fletcher. “Brother always did like to study when he was stressed out.”
“That’s one of the things that makes him so perfect for my brother,” said Al. “No-one else calms my brother down like Russel.” He scowled. “Usually.”
Danny gave his lover’s hand a squeeze. “Let’s get this over with,” he said.
Then he took a deep breath and started forward, his lover and Fletcher and Belsio right behind him.
Dedicated with much love to alchemistjunkie and acexkeikai, because they’re just plain amazing.
This chapter is PG-13 because after the last chapter, nobody was in the mood to shag (except for Ed and Russel, and I wasn’t feeling generous enough to let them get it on).
The other cherries in the pie:
Prologue: Prodigal Sons
Chapter 1: Awakening
Chapter 1.5: A Matter of Pride
Chapter 2: True Test
Chapter 3: Amestris Pie
Chapter 4: Waiting
Chapter 5: Allowance
Chapter 6: Change
Chapter 7: Truce
Chapter 8: Out Alone
Chapter 9: Growing Pains
Chapter 10: Resentment
Chapter 11: Back to Normal
Chapter 12: Perspective
Chapter 13: Understanding
Chapter 14: Distraction
Chapter 15: Silence
Chapter 16: Choose
Chapter 17: Bonds
Chapter 18: Healing
Chapter 19: Nesting
Chapter 20: The Morning After
Chapter 21: Reaction
[Chapter 22: Aftershocks]
Chapter 23: Goodbye
Chapter 24: Memory
Epilogue: Family
[EDIT]: Props to lifeinahole27 for the impromptu beta, because she rocks and I SUCK.
Empty Nest
Chapter Twenty-two
Aftershocks
by Mistress Quickly
It wasn’t the first time Al hadn’t been there when they woke; often, Al would wake first and go into the City to see Danny or go to the library, and when Fletcher had still lived with them, it wasn’t unusual for him to leave with Al in the mornings, going wherever they wanted, not something Edward or Russel had ever wondered about or questioned.
But on Friday morning, when the slants of sunlight from the window reached the bed where Edward slept, curled around his husband, Al’s absence from the house was deafening; the thought of leaving the warm sanctuary of the bedroom, terrifying.
Edward groaned. “Russ, what the hell am I going to do?"
“Ngh,” said Russel, burrowing under the covers.
“I fucked up so bad. He’s never going to speak to me again.”
Russel stretched and yawned, then licked his lips. “Ngh.”
Edward glared at him. “Russ, this is important, wake up.”
Blue eyes slid open. “If you’re worried,” said Russel, “that he’s never going to speak to you again, then call him. He’ll at least have to speak to you to say ‘hello,’ and if he’s said that much, he might as well say more, right?”
Edward’s glare deepened. “You know,” he said, sliding out of the bed, “you make less than no sense when you’re not awake.” But he padded down the hall to the study, nonetheless, and picked up the phone.
Russel rolled over and went back to sleep.
~*~*~*~
“Hello?”
“Hi, um ... this is Akil, right?”
“It certainly is, and this would be Al’s brother, I’m guessing?”
Edward colored up. “Yeah, how did you know?”
“No-one else ever calls me,” said Akil. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Well first of all, don’t call me ‘sir,’ I don’t outrank you anymore,” said Edward. “And secondly, do you happen to know Danny’s phone number? I need to ... give my brother a message.”
Akil scratched his head. “Nah, I don’t have his number. Don’t think he had a phone yet, when I went to see him. Sorry.”
“Oh,” said Edward. “Well could you tell me where he lives, then, please? It’s really kind of an emergency.”
“Sure,” said Akil, digging through the mess of notes on his dresser. “Got a pencil handy?”
Sorry, Pixie Stick, he thought, rattling off the man’s address. Here comes trouble.
“Thanks,” said Edward.
“This mean you’re not going to call me anymore?” said Akil, batting his eyelashes at the phone, just for good measure.
He wasn’t really surprised when the line went dead.
~*~*~*~
The whistle blew. Time was up.
“I won’t be gone more than the weekend.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
“Thank you for calling Brother for me.”
“My pleasure.”
“I love you.”
Danny wrapped his arms around his lover and hugged him, hard.
“I love you too, Al.”
~*~*~*~
His gut instinct, when he saw the long blonde braid trailing down the back of the man turning and entering his apartment building was to run, as fast as he could, in the opposite direction, but a promise was a promise, and a promise to Al was even more special than that.
Danny took a deep breath and continued home.
He arrived at his door just in time to see Edward giving up, the impressive glare on the man’s face only deepening when he saw Danny. He crossed his mismatched arms over his chest and cocked his head, shoulders hunched defensively.
Nervously, even.
“I ... I need to talk to Al,” he said. “Owe you both an apology.”
Danny swallowed hard. He knew that telling Edward that Al had already left would significantly shorten the length of the man’s stay, but he’d seen Edward throw fits before, not something he wanted his new neighbors to associate with him. Better to let him shout in the semi-privacy of the apartment, then. He gestured towards the door with his key. “Come on in.”
Edward followed him into the apartment, glancing around before bending to untie his shoes. “Is Al still asleep?” he said quietly, nudging his shoes over beside Danny’s boots. His eyes widened when he noticed Al’s shoes weren’t there. “Wait a minute, is Al even here?”
God help me, Danny prayed. “No,” he said. “He’s not here.” He watched Edward tense, teeth bared, and held up his hand. “He’s on a train to Rush Valley, going to see Fletcher and Winry, just left about ten minutes ago. Wanted me to call you when I got back here to tell you where he was going.”
For a brief moment, he thought Edward was going to cry. Then anger crept into the man’s eyes, his jaw tightened and his hands balled into fists. “Goddamnit,” he said. “This is your fault, Broche. Al used to be able to come to me about stuff. Never ran away like this. He’s just running away from you, you know.”
“That’s not true,” said Danny, his stomach twisting in anger. “That’s not true at all, and you and I both know it. Al left because he knew you wouldn’t be able to track him down as easily in Rush Valley, not with Winry there. If he’d gone to the General’s, you’d have just shown up on that doorstep this morning, instead of mine, armed with a big guilt-trip and only enough of an apology to make yourself feel better.”
He stepped back, tripping over his own feet and landing, sprawled, in the floor, but it saved him from the nasty metal-fisted punch Edward had swung at him.
“You bastard,” Edward growled, leaping at him. Danny caught him easily enough and rolled them, pinning the smaller man. Edward howled in protest and struggled hard. “Let me go!”
Danny released him and scuttled aside, crouched in preparation for the man’s next attack, heart pounding in his chest. This isn’t what Al wanted me to do, he thought, miserably. Probably never guessed that Edward would try to beat me up. Then again ... He reached up and touched the bandage on his throat, covering the wound where Edward’s blade had cut him, the night before.
“Killing me isn’t going to make Al forgive you, you know,” he said, watching Edward stand and brush himself off.
“Wasn’t planning to kill you,” said Edward. “Pretty nice move. I didn’t know you could fight.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “I was enlisted for eight years,” he said. “You think all I did was file paperwork and fall in love with your little brother?”
“That’s all I ever saw you do,” said Edward.
“Well then you weren’t paying much attention, were you?” said Danny.
Edward snorted. “Why would I pay attention to you?” he said. “Thought for sure Al would come around and realize you’re too much of an idiot for a guy like him.”
“Oh grow up,” said Danny. “I’m so tired of you slamming my intelligence, telling me I’m not good enough for Al. Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t want to be with a brilliant Alchemist, that maybe he’s just happy with me, with who I am? Maybe there’s something about me that is so goddamned loveable that he doesn’t want someone else? Anyone else? That maybe he’s happy being in love with an idiot who will never be more than a nurse who gets tongue-tied around new people and blushes when his friends crack dirty jokes?”
He drew a deep breath. “Al’s the only person-the only person-on this earth who has ever liked who I am, who hasn’t wanted to change things about me. I don’t know why he loves me, I’ve never known why he loves me, but I love him and I’m damned glad that he loves me, damned lucky that he loves me.”
Edward blinked at him, mouth hanging open a little.
“And that’s another thing,” said Danny, “that you may have missed. Al loves you pretty fucking deeply, Edward, loves you more than anything or anyone else. You keep acting like I’m going to somehow steal him away from you, but that’s just stupid. Al will never leave you, everyone who knows him seems to know that, except for you. You know, I’d love nothing more than to invite Al to come live with me, here. Picked this place because it’s halfway between the hospital and the Senate, close enough to the station and the library to be good for Al and good for me. Do you know why I haven’t asked him if he wants to live here with me?”
Edward shook his head, eyes wide.
“Because I didn’t want to force him to choose between you and me. Biggest fight we’ve ever had was the night he called me spineless for holding back with him, out of fear that you’d try to make it so we couldn’t see each other anymore. I told him that I wouldn’t be able to stand the guilt of making him choose between you and me, told him that I knew perfectly well that he’d choose you, and that it didn’t bother me that he’d choose you, and still doesn’t.” He sighed. “He threw me out for saying it, but we all still know it’s true.”
“That’s what he threw you out for?” said Edward.
Danny snorted. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that already. Al said he told you about it when it happened.”
“No,” said Edward. “He wouldn’t tell me what you two fought about. I just knew that you’d fought.”
“Oh,” said Danny. “Well yeah, that’s what we fought about.” He watched Edward slump, watched him scrub the palm of his flesh hand over his face.
“Damnit,” he said. “Now I really owe Al an apology. I knew I should have come out here last night to talk to him, shouldn’t have listened to Russ. He’s the one who said to let Al sleep on it, to deal with it in the morning.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Stop blaming everyone else,” he said. “This isn’t my fault or Al’s fault or Russel’s fault. You can’t properly apologize if you’re just going to make excuses and spread the blame around. In a way, you’re damned lucky Al’s gone. Give you a chance to decide what you’re actually sorry for.”
Edward glared at him. “Don’t condescend to me, Broche.”
“Why not?” said Danny, crossing his arms over his chest. “I am older than you. Maybe I know more than you do about this, did that ever occur to you?”
“You’re an only child,” said Edward. “What the hell would you know about it?”
Danny shook his head. “Has nothing to do with siblings, Edward. I’m talking about Al. The day after we had our big fight? I didn’t apologize for stuff I wasn’t actually sorry for, didn’t tell him I’d change anything I knew I wasn’t ready to change. Last week, when he needed to get away and went to the General’s? I didn’t chase after him. I waited for him to come to me.”
Edward snorted. “Lazy bastard.”
“It was the best thing to do,” said Danny. “Something Akil once said, ‘if you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.’ And he was right, Al came to see me when he was ready to see me.”
“My brother isn’t yours,” said Edward. “He’s not some thing to be owned.”
“You know what I meant,” said Danny. “Al’s a lot smarter than you give him credit, Edward. You know as well as I do that he wouldn’t stay with a guy who thought of him as a possession.”
Edward waved his hand dismissively. “What’d you do to him last week that made him want to go running to that Bastard?”
“I didn’t do anything to him, actually,” said Danny. “And it’s none of your business, anyway. Al can’t trust you to stay calm enough to go to you when stuff happens, why should I betray his trust by telling you every little thing that goes on between us?”
“Al knows he can always come to me,” said Edward, panic creeping into his unusual eyes.
Danny shook his head. “No,” he said, “no he doesn’t, no he can’t. And you know that, just as well as I do.”
He watched as Edward turned on his heel, not even bothering to pull his shoes on as he stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind himself, then slumped down on the floor and cradled his head in his hands, sighing.
“I’m sorry, Al,” he said. “I tried, sweetheart.”
He knew Al would understand. And somehow, that just made it worse.
~*~*~*~
Russel already knew, but he asked anyway.
“How’d that go?”
Edward flailed. “How did what go? My conversation with my little brother? My apology? Didn’t happen, Russ, and do you know why?”
Russel shook his head.
“Because by the time I got there, Al was gone, so I got to talk to that asshole Broche.”
“Gone?” said Russel. “Where’d Al go?”
Edward flopped down into a chair across from his husband and slumped, defeated. “Rush Valley. He left and told Danny to tell me he’d gone, because he didn’t want to talk to me himself. Said all he’d get from me would be ‘a big guilt-trip and only enough of an apology to make myself feel better.’ Asshole.”
“Your brother or Danny?” said Russel.
Edward glared at him. “Shut up,” he said.
“Just wondering,” said Russel. “When did he leave?”
“About an hour ago,” said Edward, resting his cheek on the table. “I got to Danny’s apartment just as he was coming back from walking Al to the station.”
Russel checked his watch. “He’ll be in Rush Valley by dinnertime. You could call him and apologize then.”
“Nah,” said Edward. “Al needs his space. You know that saying, ‘if you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it is yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.’ He’ll come home when he’s ready.” He sighed. “If he comes home at all. Probably never want to speak to me again.”
He lifted his head when he felt Russel’s palm on his forehead, fingers stroking back his bangs. Russel smiled at him.
“I’m sure he’ll have plenty to say to you when he gets home, baby,” he said, gently. “To both of us. And we’ll deserve every moment of it.”
Edward sighed and flopped back down, his skull thumping against the table hard enough that Russel winced. “You know,” he said, “I really can’t wait.”
“I know, baby,” said Russel. “Neither can I.”
~*~*~*~
Fletcher wrapped his arms around his best friend and hugged him, hard, his cheek pressed to Al’s soft hair. “Hey, Al,” he said. “Missed you.”
“Missed you too,” said Al. “Thanks for letting me come see you. It means a lot to me.”
Fletcher stepped back. “Winry knew this was going to happen,” he said. “We were just surprised it took you so long.”
Al blushed. “It’s embarrassing, always running to other people when something goes wrong. My brother didn’t do that, and he was facing stuff that was way worse, Back Then.”
“Your brother,” said Winry, grabbing Al’s wrist and narrowing her eyes at the bandage wrapped around his hand, “didn’t need to run to anyone because he always had you, right there with him, and you weren’t a thick-headed asshole who made things worse when you should have been making them better. Made a big difference.”
Al sighed. “I wish I could remember,” he said. “I’m sure I caused trouble for him.”
“Negligible, if any,” said Winry. “What happened to your hand?”
“Nothing,” said Al.
Winry tightened her grip on his wrist. “Nothing, huh? Should’ve known Ed was involved.” Then she tugged Al close and hugged him. “Glad you’re here, Al. We really are.”
“Thanks, Winry,” said Al. He stepped back and cupped his wounded hand in his other hand, shielding it from Winry’s gaze. “Sorry I called so late last night.”
“Oh, we’d only just gone to bed,” said Fletcher, picking up his friend’s bag and leading the boy into the guest room of the apartment. “Remember how Maria always said there were wrinkles in time, that things will all happen at once?”
Al nodded.
“Well, this is no exception,” said Fletcher. “Belsio showed up last night, said he was in the area and wanted to come visit. We were up until about midnight, talking with him before he said he was tired and wanted to go back to the inn.”
“You should have told me that!” said Al, eyes wide. “If I’d known you already had company-”
“Not company, Al,” said Winry, draping her arm around his shoulders. “Family. And you should have heard this boy last night, after you called. Babbling about how excited he was that you were coming, how he couldn’t wait to see you. I had to wrench him, at one point, for asking too many times when I thought you’d be here.”
Al looked at his best friend. Fletcher blushed. “Not my fault,” he said. “I’ve really missed you.”
Winry snorted. “Understatement of the year,” she said. “We told Belsio we’d meet him at the inn for dinner about seven, then go to the springs next door. Sound good?”
“Sounds wonderful,” said Al. “I haven’t been to a hotspring since Trisha was born.”
“Me neither,” said Fletcher. He bounced up and down a little, then grabbed Al’s uninjured hand. “Come see my latest project, before we go. I’m so excited, it’s actually working!”
Winry chuckled, watching her lover drag Al away, beaming like the 15-year-old she’d fallen in love, then settled at her desk and picked up her pencil and notebook, working in the quiet of Fletcher’s muffled laughter, Al’s soft voice.
The apartment, to her, finally felt like home.
~*~*~*~
Al dumped a bucketful of water over his head, just to make sure his hair was rinsed, then smoothed his palms over the long, wet mess, squeezing as much water out of it as he could before twisting it into a messy bun. It was nice, bathing after a day’s train ride, washing away the sweat and dirt and soreness and-
Squirt.
He looked over at Fletcher, who was innocently filling his own bucket, soap dripping off of his body. Weird, thought Al. Fletch must’ve splashed. Shrugging, he returned his attention to bathing, lathering his washcloth.
Squirt.
That time, Fletcher’s expression of innocent inattention was ruined by the smirk tugging petulantly at the corners of his mouth. Al growled and filled his own bucket, playfully flinging a handful of water at his best friend when the bucket was half full.
Fletcher squealed, and the water-fight was on.
By the time Belsio was rising and making his way carefully across the wet tile to the bath steaming at the far end of the room, Fletcher and Al had both managed to bathe, rinse, and snipe each other with handfuls of water until the mirrors in front of their water spigots were dripping with water and they were both laughing breathlessly, tickling and teasing each other as they rose and followed the older man over to the bath.
Al slipped into the water with a sigh, tilting his head back to rest on tiled ledge surrounding the bath, lifting his arm lazily out the water when Fletcher splashed in and cozied up to him, draping his arm over the younger boy’s shoulders.
“Missed this,” said Fletcher, sighing and resting his cheek against Al’s chest. “Missed you, Al.”
Al chuckled and stroked his friend’s back. “Missed you too, Fletch,” he said. “You like it here, though, right?”
Fletcher nodded. “I’d have come home if I didn’t like it here,” he said. “Still doesn’t feel like it’s home, here. Just like Winry and I are visiting, long-term.”
Belsio chuckled. "It was three years before I felt Xenotime was my home,” he said. “When I could tell stories about each of my trees, I felt like I was home.”
“Wow,” said Fletcher, shifting so that he could look up at his foster father. “Maybe I should plant a tree somewhere so Winry and I can do that, too.”
Belsio smiled at him warmly. “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” he said. “I’ll admit I was a little taken aback when I learned you would be living together, unmarried, but the Rockbell girl seems very nice. I’m pleased you’ve found a woman who appreciates your skills.”
Al laughed softly and tickled Fletcher. “I still can’t believe you two are together,” he said. “Brother always swore Winry’d be too scary to get anyone to fall in love with her, male or female.”
“Aw, that’s mean,” said Fletcher. “She’s really sweet, just mean to your brother because he’s snarky with her.”
“Yeah,” said Al. “Brother would try the patience of a saint, I swear.”
Fletcher fanned his fingers over his friend’s ribs, rubbing slowly up and down. “You’re the most patient, saintly person I know, Al,” he said. “You’d know better about that than anyone else.”
Al sighed. “Thanks, Fletch,” he said. “Brother’s just ... I don’t know. Just when I think he can’t possibly do anything that would shock me, he ... does.”
“That’s Edward for you,” said Fletcher. “When you two first moved in with us, I thought Brother had lost his mind, falling in love with someone like that. But Edward’s not all bad. Just ... eccentric.”
Al rolled his eyes. “He’s a hypocrite, is what he is. Seems to think that the two weeks-two weeks-of peace he’s given me and Danny should be sufficient, that now we shouldn’t be entitled to privacy at all at home.”
Belsio stiffened. “You’re involved with a man?” he said.
“Yeah,” said Al. “A really great guy. He took care of me and Fletch when we were studying for the State Alchemists’ Exam, and now he’s training to be a nurse. He’s absolutely wonderful, but for some reason, my brother refuses to accept him and be nice to him.”
“He’s just jealous,” said Fletcher, sighing and closing his eyes. “Doesn’t want to share you with Danny. You remember how my brother was, when I told him I was leaving. Pouted any time I wanted to call Winry, and the fit he threw when she stopped by on her way out here ...”
Al shook his head. “Ridiculous,” he said.
“But necessary,” said Belsio, laughing softly when both boys blinked at him, Al’s hand stilling on Fletcher’s back. “You don’t think so?”
“I could have lived forever without my brother’s tantrum yesterday,” said Al darkly.
Belsio nodded. “I’m sure you could,” he said. “But if you ever want to truly move out and become independent of your brother, such struggles are necessary.” He smiled down at Fletcher, who was watching him with an almost child-like expression, curled against Al like a kitten. “Did your brother ever tell you about the fight he and I had, oh, two years back, Fletcher?”
“No,” said Fletcher. “What happened?”
Belsio sighed. “I walked in on him being ... intimate ... with Edward, and scolded him for his choice of partner, mostly because of Edward’s gender. He was very polite, apologized profusely to me for it. But then, the next time he visited, he was no longer so meek, no longer a child. It was obvious that he’d thought over what I’d said to him, that he wasn’t going to just say ‘yes, sir’ and do as I said.” He shifted and smiled. “The child I remembered him being was gone, replaced with a man. I was surprised, but ultimately very pleased.”
Al tilted his head back and let out a long, slow breath. “I hope my brother can say that about me, some day,” he said. “He’s not happy with my choice of boyfriend, I know that. Known that since he found out about me and Danny, but still. You’d think that he’d be happy just because I’m happy.”
“Unfortunately,” said Belsio, laughing softly, “that isn’t how it works, Alphonse. Not usually, anyway.” He rose from the bath, his modesty towel clinging to his thighs. “I’m going to go drink some cool tea,” he said. “The heat is making me a bit dizzy.”
“Okay,” said Fletcher. “We’ll be out in a bit.”
They watched the man climb out of the bath, watched him fill his bucket with water and rinse himself, watched him leave the bathing area, the door sliding closed behind him.
“All right, I gotta know,” said Fletcher, sitting up and resting his arm on the bath’s ledge. “What on earth did your brother do?”
Al sighed and tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling of the bath, watching moths flutter around the lamps. “Yesterday, Danny and I were in my room, messing around, and Brother and Russel somehow got the notion that Danny was raping me. Your brother came storming in and tied Danny up with that plant you gave me, then my brother started waving his blade around and threatening stuff. It was awful.”
Fletcher stared at him, eyes wide and jaw slack. “Good grief, they really have lost their minds, both of them, haven’t they?” he said. “Danny would never hurt you, ever. What were they thinking?”
“They weren’t,” said Al. He fanned the fingers of his uninjured hand and skimmed them across the surface of the water. “Danny let me come home with him, afterwards. I didn’t want to be anywhere near our brothers.”
Fletcher snorted. “I don’t blame you,” he said. “I wouldn’t have, either. Knowing that Winry and I had already signed our lease here was all that kept me sane, after I told Brother I was leaving. Knew I had a place to go, that the end was in sight.” He caught his friend’s bandaged hand and laced their fingers together, gently squeezing. “You know you can come stay with me and Winry any time, right, Al?”
Al smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Fletch,” he said. “I just ... I just wish I had someplace that’s mine. I feel like home is Brother’s house, and you and Winry are wonderful, but this is still your home, just like Danny’s apartment. I’m not home anywhere.”
Fletcher blinked at him. “You and Danny aren’t living together?” he said. “I just assumed when you said he’d gotten an apartment that you were going to move in with him.”
“Nah,” said Al, shaking his head. “He doesn’t seem to want me to live with him. Hasn’t mentioned it.”
“Oh,” said Fletcher. He gave Al’s hand another squeeze, then stood and stretched. “Come on, we’d better get out or we’ll turn prune-y.”
Al laughed and stood, following his best friend out of the bath, rinsing and drying and dressing together in silence. Only when Al was unbinding his hair and combing it, hissing at each snarl, did Fletcher break the silence, flopping down onto the bench beside his best friend.
“Hey Al?”
“Yeah?”
Fletcher fidgeted. “Have you asked Danny about living together?”
“No,” said Al, winding fresh gauze around his hand. “I don’t want him to feel like he has to say yes.”
“Oh,” said Fletcher. “But ... is it possible that he wants to ask you but doesn’t want you to feel like you have to say yes?”
Al turned and blinked at him, then started to laugh. “Oh that would just be sad,” he said, “wouldn’t it?”
“Yeah, it would,” said Fletcher. He arched an eyebrow at his best friend, watched the boy’s laughter die down to a happy smile. “Bet you anything that’s the case.”
Al shook his head. “No way to find out.”
“Wimp,” said Fletcher.
“Quiet, you,” said Al, smacking the boy with his towel. “You’re just spoiled, having such an outgoing girlfriend. Never anything left unsaid with her, I’m sure.”
“Never,” said Fletcher, “which makes fighting a total pain in the ass, believe me.” He followed Al out of the dressing room, caught the boy’s wrist just as he was reaching for the door to the main lobby. “It’s worth it though, Al,” he said. “Just ask him. You love him, you know him. If he’s at all uncomfortable with you living with him, you’ll be able to tell. Don’t be miserable just because you’re scared. It’s not worth it.”
Al bit his lip. “Thanks, Fletch,” he said. “I’ll ask him.”
“You’d better,” said Fletcher, “or I’ll sic Winry on the situation. I doubt you want that.”
Al’s laughter echoed around the room, rich and genuine for the first time that evening, his hand squeezing Fletcher’s as they made their way out into the lobby to say goodnight to Belsio.
~*~*~*~
Winry kissed her boyfriend deeply, one last time, then stepped back and handed him the bag he’d packed to bursting with his research materials, prepared to exploit every minute of research time he had with his older brother and Central Library at his disposal.
“Love you, Fletch,” she said. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, Winry,” said Fletcher. “Try not to break anyone while I’m gone, okay?”
Winry laughed. “I’ll try. Go fix That Idiot and your brother for me.”
Fletcher rolled his eyes. “Not touching that request,” he said. “Not even for you.”
“I don’t blame you,” said Winry. Then she kissed him, once again, and pushed him towards the train, stepping back to wave to Al and Belsio as the whistle blew and the train slowly began to pull away.
Somehow, she was glad to be staying in Rush Valley.
~*~*~*~
Belsio watched Fletcher curiously. Watched the boy stroke Al’s long hair, staring absently out the window. Watched Al squirm and curl into a tighter ball, his head pillowed in Fletcher’s lap. Watched Fletcher chuckle and give Al’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
“Was it refreshing,” he said, finally, “to move into a home with a woman? Is that why you chose to live with the Rockbell girl, even unmarried?”
Fletcher blinked at him. “Huh?”
Belsio nodded to the boy sleeping happily in Fletcher’s lap. “He’s like his brother, like your brother. I thought that, perhaps, you chose to move in with the Rockbell girl to get away from that situation.”
“No, not at all,” said Fletcher, wrinkling his nose. “I moved to Rush Valley so I could work at the Clinic where my research can be put to good use. And Winry and I aren’t having sex, not yet. Waiting until we’re married, and we’re not in any hurry to do that.”
“Oh,” said Belsio. He watched Fletcher stroking Al’s hair and frowned. “Isn’t it a little odd, being so physical with him, knowing his ... preferences?”
Fletcher shook his head. “Not at all,” he said. “Al’s my best friend, and I’m pretty sure he’d kiss a horse before he’d think of me sexually.” He tucked some of Al’s hair behind the boy’s ear and smiled. “Just because Al likes guys, doesn’t mean he wants to sleep with every guy he meets. Just like my brother. After he and Edward kissed for the first time, out behind your house, he never even looked at another guy, not even when the State declared Edward dead.”
“I see,” said Belsio, looking thoroughly bemused. “Interesting.” He looked out the window, brow furrowed.
Fletcher chuckled. “There’s lots of kinds of love out there,” he said. “I’m just lucky to know a bunch of them first-hand.”
And that time, Belsio’s smile was real.
~*~*~*~
“Danny had the late shift tonight, though,” said Al, biting his lip. “If he’s eating in town, he won’t be home.”
Fletcher rolled his eyes and gave his friend a push. “Don’t make stuff up, it’s not like you. Now go get him. We’ll be waiting here.”
Al tugged his best friend into a firm hug, then twirled around and jogged down the platform, out of sight. Fletcher sighed.
“Sorry to drag you into all of this,” he said, looking up at Belsio.
Belsio ruffled the boy’s hair. “You know I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he said.
~*~*~*~
They could see Edward’s and Russel’s silhouettes, moving about upstairs in the study. Edward was gesticulating wildly, Russel had his hands on his hips. Every once in awhile, one of them would point to something on the table, then the gestures would start again, and Russel would rake his hands through his hair.
“Fighting over Alchemy,” said Fletcher. “Brother always did like to study when he was stressed out.”
“That’s one of the things that makes him so perfect for my brother,” said Al. “No-one else calms my brother down like Russel.” He scowled. “Usually.”
Danny gave his lover’s hand a squeeze. “Let’s get this over with,” he said.
Then he took a deep breath and started forward, his lover and Fletcher and Belsio right behind him.