Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Second Time's the Charm ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

*whaps self* Sorry for the wait, people...I'm a horrible person, I know. Not my fault, though! *points at alien* Blame Zim! He's been forcing plot bunnies down my throat about him, Dib, and Tallest Purple! *whaps Zim* Your fault! Anyway, read now.

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Ed blinked. What? Al had to be kidding. He turned to the brunette, who smiled nervously. The Gate had said this was one of Al's strongest desires, and Ed would admit that Al was a little softer personality-wise than most guys, but how could he desire to be a girl? He'd hardly even been able to feel what it was like to be a boy. But...Al wasn't the type to joke about this kind of stuff. Ed looked at the thin figure sitting near him. "Seriously?"

Al nodded, her thick brown hair all but hiding her entire face. "I know it's weird, brother, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense...but..." She sighed, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I think I'm happier this way." She smiled hopefully, looking at Ed for acceptance.

"But...Al, how do you even know this is what you want?" the blond asked, confusion clear in his face.

The younger frowned, looking at her lap. "Well, I don't think I've ever had a physical want to be a girl, brother," she said slowly, running her hand across her blanket. "But...well, I've watched how men are expected to act, and how women are, and...I guess I've always felt kind of jealous of girls." Al sighed again, looking back up at Ed. "Even Winry and Lieutenant Hawkeye. They might not be the most feminine women ever, but if they want to wear a dress or make-up, they can. I remember being in the armor and just wanting to be able to do that myself, and it hurt that I knew I wouldn't be able to when I got my body back." She smiled sadly. "I know this sounds really stupid, but sometimes I kind of liked not having a body. It made me feel like the only reason I couldn't dress like a girl was because the clothes just wouldn't fit over the armor."

Ed looked at his now sister in surprise. Al had never said anything to him about this before, and Ed found that it irritated him that she had never confided this to him. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly, reaching over to tuck some hair behind her ear.

Al looked at Ed, an amused smile on her face. "Brother, if you were a teenage boy having these thoughts and feelings, and you couldn't even see the changes in your body that you could feel in your mind, would you tell the only person you had for company? Risk creeping them out, and scaring them away?"

"You know I'd never leave you, Al," Ed replied, although he realized he probably would have felt the same way in her shoes.

"I know, brother. I knew then, and I know now, but it didn't stop me from being scared of telling you." Al wrapped her right arm around Ed's shoulders, squeezing gently. Ed noticed a look of sorrow in her eyes as her fingers brushed where his arm should have been, and he wrapped his remaining limb around her, squeezing back.

The door opened and a nurse walked in, holding a tray with some sort of soup. "Allie, I brought you some lunch," she said, crossing the room and sitting the tray next to the bed.

"Thanks," Al said with a smile as the nurse left the room. "Brother, d'you think you could help me with this?"

Ed nodded, and both Elrics put their hand on the tray, carefully maneuvering it onto Al's lap. "How long do we have to stay here?" Ed wondered aloud, as Al ate some of her soup.

"Well, we've already been here for four days," she said between bites. "And I have to stay at least until I can eat properly."

The blond blinked in confusion. "You're eating fine."

Al paused. "I can't eat solids, though," she replied. "It's been so long since my body's had any actual food, every time I try, I can't keep it down."

Ed nodded again. That made sense. "That nurse called you Allie," he noted boredly.

The younger smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. That's what Winry told the doctors my name was. It would've seemed kind of weird being a girl named Alphonse."

"Good point," the blond said. "So, Winry already knew you were a girl. Anyone else?"

Al nodded, swallowing another spoonful of soup. "Rose realized it while she was carrying me, and she mentioned it to the Tringhams."

Ed blinked. "So I'm pretty much the last person to know?"

"Well, no, I doubt that Granny Pinako knows. She probably doesn't even know I'm back."

"She doesn't count," Ed sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "That doesn't exactly seem fair."

"You've been asleep, brother. How could you have known before?"

Ed turned his head to look at Al, who was grinning and looked highly amused by her brother's annoyance. Ed frowned, and stuck his tongue out at the brunette. "Still isn't fair, damn it."

"Life isn't fair, Fullmetal," a voice said from the doorway. "What are you complaining about in particular?"

The blond turned to face the man entering the room. "None of your business, Colonel." He frowned. "What do you want?"

"My, my, so defensive," Roy said as he walked across the room. Ed smiled when the older man bumped his knee into a chair before sitting down. "I'm just here to offer the congrats I promised earlier."

Ed rolled his eyes in annoyance, turning back to Al. "Then give them and get out."

Mustang crossed his legs, tsking quietly. "You know, Ed, one might almost think you're not happy to see me."

"Because I'm not."

The colonel ignored Ed, turning to the brunette instead. "Congratulations on regaining your body, Alphonse," he said, smiling at the girl.

Ed sighed. "Can you leave now? We were trying to have a private conversation."

"I don't know, Ed. I'm still having trouble walking straight, and I think my body's taken enough damage for today. Couldn't I just stay here for a while?" he asked with a smile. "We can bond!"

The blond growled. "Colonel Shit, go away."

Roy stood up, giving an overdramatic sigh. "Well, if you're going to be this hostile, I suppose I should be on my way."

Al looked at Ed, a slightly annoyed look on her face. "Brother, you're being kind of rude. I don't think it's that big a deal if the colonel stays to talk with us for a while."

The older man smiled at Al. "Thank you, Alphonse. Clearly, Ed could stand to learn some manners from you." Ed glared at him. "Unfortunately, I probably should be going. With Hawkeye after me, it's not safe to stay in one place too long."

Al looked at him curiously. "Is she angry with you?"

Mustang grimaced. "I don't think angry quite covers it," he said, moving towards the door.

Ed laughed. "What'd you do?"

"Oh, nothing…nothing much," he said, pausing in his escape. "Really, she's overreacting quite a bit, in my opinion."

The blond grinned, glancing at Al. "Seriously, Mustang. What'd ya do to her?" He leered at his CO, his grin widening. "Were you being a pervert?"

Roy rolled his eyes, placing a hand on the door handle. "I suppose you could say that…"

Ed laughed. "Get out, I don't want her to find you here. She might accuse Al and me of protecting you."

Roy opened the door, peering into the hallway, and quickly pulled it shut again. “Fuck,” he groaned, sinking to the floor against the door. He placed a finger to his lips, motioning at the Elrics to stay quiet. The three sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Mustang decided it was probably safe in the hallway now, and peeked out again. He gave a sigh of relief, turning to face Ed again. “Well, it seems that the lieutenant hasn't thought to check for me in here. I might hide out with you two a little longer.”

“Colonel, don’t drag us into this,” Al said, smiling at the man.

“Yeah,” Ed agreed. “Leave my sister and I alone, okay?” As soon as the words were out, Ed froze, slapping his hand over his mouth. The colonel raised an eyebrow, giving the blond an odd look. Great. Now Mustang knew. Ed had not been planning on telling him anything about this, and was now pretty pissed at himself. He glanced over at Al, who was blushing a little and playing with her blankets again.

Roy stepped away from the door. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, the door swung open, catching him in the back of the head. He turned angrily to yell at whoever was there, and paled when he saw Riza in the doorway. “Shit,” he said quietly.

Hawkeye smiled pleasantly at Ed and Al. “Hello, boys,” she said before turning back to Mustang. “Sir,” she said in a low voice, stepping closer to him. “Come with me.” She grabbed the front of his shirt, and dragged him from the room as he whimpered in fear.

After the door closed, Ed turned to his sister. “Hey…Al?” She looked up at him. “Um…sorry about that. I didn't mean to tell him; it just kinda…slipped out.”

Al sighed. “I know, brother. And I’m not mad at you, I just…” She sighed again. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’m really ready to have a lot of people know yet.”

Ed nodded, and the door opened again. “Hey, you two!” Winry said as she walked into the room. “You tell him, Al?”

The brunette nodded. “Winry, do you think you could take brother to find Colonel Mustang?” she asked, looking at Ed. “He has something he needs to talk to him about.” Al yawned, and carefully lifted the tray from her lap and sat it back on the table.

The blonde nodded, crossing the room to Ed. “You get some rest, now,” she said to Al as she gripped Ed’s wheelchair. Al nodded, lying back and closing her eyes. Winry quietly pushed Ed out of the room, gently closing the door behind them. “So, where’s the colonel at?”

Ed shrugged. “Hawkeye came in to kill him. Dunno what he did, but she’s pissed,” he said with a laugh. “She might’ve dragged him back to his room.”

Winry poked Ed in the back of the head. “Dummy, that doesn't help.” She thought for a moment. “Do you have to see him right now, or can it wait a while?”

The blond shrugged again as his friend began walking down the hall. “Why?”

“There’s someone else I’ve been wanting to visit. Mind if we stop in to see him?”

“Sure,” Ed said. “Not like I have much choice, with you controlling my movement.”

~-~-~

Wrath opened his eyes and blinked. Glancing across the room, he saw that he was alone for the moment, and smiled a little. The doctors just wouldn't leave him alone, and they were really annoying. They kept coming in and questioning him about what had happened, because he was the only one who really knew. The only way he could get any peace most of the time was to pretend he was sleeping.

The boy shoved himself into a sitting position, looking around the room. It was so plain and boring here; white walls and ceiling, brown carpet, and no decorations except a tiny potted plant near the door. Wrath had gotten used to the mass of color that he'd annoyed Sloth and Envy into helping him make his room with Dante into, and this room just seemed so empty.

He picked up a book he'd been reading from the table next to his bed, propping it open against his legs. The plot was really pretty boring, but he had nothing better to do. It was one of those disgustingly sappy romance novels, the kind Envy had always loved even though he denied it. Wrath had never understood what was so great about the things, but the shape-shifting Homunculus had insisted he would when he was older. Wrath had never understood why he'd said that, either; it was highly unlikely that he ever would be older.

The door opened, and Wrath looked up. Stupid doctors, he thought angrily. Won't even give me ten minutes alone. When he saw who was in the doorway, he blinked his large purple eyes in surprise.

The Elric boy that Dante had wanted so badly was being brought in by his blonde friend, who was talking quietly to him. Wrath recognized the girl's voice; he thought she might've come by to visit him while he was faking sleep. He didn't know why, though; no one else had visited him.

Ed looked surprised as well, Wrath noticed. "Winry, what're we doing here?"

The blonde glared at Ed, smacking the top of his head. "Be nice. We're here to visit." She pushed the wheelchair farther into the room, coming to a stop next to Wrath's bed. "You're awake this time," she said happily, smiling at the young Homunculus. "I've been in to see you a couple times."

Wrath looked at Ed, wondering briefly what had happened to him. He'd had his limbs back last time he saw him. "Why?" the boy asked without looking away.

Winry paused before answering. "Well, Al's told me a lot about you, and I guess I was just kind of curious."

"What'd he say?" Wrath asked, turning his gaze to the girl.

"That you're a Homunculus, you tried to kill Ed and Mrs. Curtis, and in her opinion, you're a bit of a brat," she said with a shrug. "But she also said that before you met Envy, you were kind of weird, but an absolute sweetheart." She smiled as Wrath's cheeks turned slightly pink at Al's choice of adjectives. "I wanted to meet you for myself."

Wrath closed his book, and glared at Ed. He didn’t mind the girl being here so much, but he didn’t want the other blond in the room. He’d killed Mommy Sloth, and Wrath wasn’t the type to forgive and forget.

Ed glared back at the Homunculus, and the two sat in silence for several moments before Winry noticed the hostility in the air. She looked rather torn between letting Ed get out and staying to visit, but was spared having to make a choice between the two when the door opened and a dark-haired man slipped in.

The three looked up as the man peeked back into the hallway, then looked to see whose room he’d entered. He seemed surprised for a moment, then smiled. “Fancy running into you again already, Fullmetal.”

The blond tipped his head briefly to acknowledge the older man before speaking. “You escape from Hawkeye?”

Mustang nodded. “And I’d like to keep it that way, too,” he said, sinking into a chair near the door.

Ed turned his wheelchair to face the colonel. “We need to talk.”

“About?”

The blond alchemist motioned at Winry to push him closer to Roy, talking as he went. “You can’t tell anyone what I told you. Okay?” he said quietly, looking annoyed at himself about something. "Al doesn't want anyone else to know yet."

Winry looked surprised at what Ed said, then angry. She smacked him on the back of the head a bit harder than what Wrath thought was probably necessary, but he wasn't sure. "You told him about Al?" she growled angrily.

Ed grimaced, shielding his head as she hit him again. "It was an accident!"

The blonde shook her head angrily, forcing Mustang to take the handles of Ed's chair. "You two go get this sorted out," she said, shoving them towards the door. When the colonel tried to protest, she threw him a furious look, and he quickly left the room, taking Ed with him. "Men," Winry sighed, walking over to sit next to Wrath's bed, and the two fell into a slightly awkward silence. After several moments, Wrath broke the quiet.

"So, did you want anything?" he asked, glancing towards the blonde. "Beside meeting me."

Winry blinked, then seemed to remember something. "Oh, well, at first I just wanted to meet you, but when I visited the first time, I saw that you'd lost your limbs."

Wrath frowned. "So I'm just getting a pity visit?"

"Oh, no! No," Winry insisted, waving a hand in front of her face. "I was just curious about whether you'd like some automail. My grandmother and I have kept Ed working for years now."

So that's it, Wrath thought, seeing a hopeful look in the girl's eyes. Whether she just wanted another paying customer or simply to be able to make more automail, the boy was unsure of. From what little he knew of the girl, Wrath had to think it was probably just getting to work, but the money was probably a good bonus. He sighed, giving her an annoyed look.

Winry frowned, glancing away briefly. "I don't mean to pressure you, though," she said, smiling nervously. "You should probably take some time to come to grips with losing your limbs." She gave a slightly forced laugh, and Wrath got the feeling that this was something she forgot to let new amputees do fairly often.

The dark-haired Homunculus gave a harsh laugh. "They weren't mine in the first place," he said, flopping back in his bed.

The blonde lowered her eyes. "Al did mention that," she said quietly, then looked back up at the boy. "That doesn't make it any less painful."

"Whatever," Wrath grumbled, rolling to look away from her. Winry was quiet for several moments, then silently slipped out of the room.

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Beh…sucky ending, I know. I'm sorry! *whaps self again* Leave me some more reviews, I'll try to do better (and faster) next chapter.