UNBREAKABLE

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FMA

Alphonse saw his brother's true emotions, ones that only he knew about. Edward was a tough person to read, when he was injured he could hide it very well, when he was upset, he tended to go really quiet. When his brother was really upset, Alphonse couldn't get him to talk to him or anybody for days. This is one of those few days. The week had started off really bad, with the death of Nina, the death of her had such an impact on Edward. Alphonse noticed that his brother had stopped eating a lot more than what he used to. Alphonse had tried to comfort him, but Edward just told him that he was fine and that he was just tired. He wasn't fooling anyone. Alphonse noticed that when Edward and him are alone, he slumps forward, eyes dulled a bit, his position of defeat. Alphonse knew of the facade that Edward wore in front of the Colonel and the others, Alphonse watched him closely. Not even a few days after the death of Nina, Edward had went out to go check up on Hughes and his family, stating that he needed to drop off a package, a present that he had bought for them. Alphonse had stayed home, to keep researching on the philosopher's stone. When Edward didn't come home a few hours later, when it had gotten dark, he had called the Colonel.

Ring

Ring

Ring-CLick

"Hello?" The tired voice of Roy Mustang fluttered through the receiver.

"Hello, it's Alphonse I just wanted to see if brother's there?"

Alphonse heard a shuffle on the other side of the phone, and a long sigh.

"Yes, fortunately."

If Alphonse could make facial expressions his face would have been pinched into a frown.

"What do you mean by 'fortunately'?"

"Alphonse, your brother was attacked on the way to Hughes's place, though it was a miracle that your brother was there, he saved a lot of people from dying."

Alphonse was on his feet by the time Roy had mentioned the word 'attacked'.

"Colonel? What happened?!"

He could hear Roy sigh in a long tired way.

"The scarred man that had been attacking State Alchemist's had show up about half a week ago, we failed to inform your brother, and on the way to Hughes's house, he found the man attacking Major Armstrong."

Alphonse's heart 'dropped'.

"Where is he?"

"We are at Hughes's place-"

"I'm on my way."

Alphonse hung up the phone.

/

Roy stared uselessly at the phone receiver, a hand landed upon his military clad shoulder. He turned his charcoal colored eyes towards his best friend.

"I have the feeling that he hates me."

Hughes smiled, patting Roy on his back lightly and turned his attention to the small silent boy on the couch.

"Alphonse is a good kid, I don't think he'll be hateful towards you, angry maybe but not hateful."

Maes walked away from him and towards Edward who was holding the scraps of what was left of his automail arm. He was staring intensely at the floor, teeth biting harshly against his bottom lip, Hughes sat next to him, wrapping an arm around the boy's back and rubbed his flesh arm, pulling the boy to his side.

"Everything's gonna be ok Ed."

Edward pushed away from him and stood up, his gold eyes shining with vast amounts of emotions.

"No it's not."

Maes stared in slight shock at how quiet the boy's voice was.

"Edo?"

Edward hung his head, lower lip jutting out and trembling.

"I want my brother."

Roy walked over to the duo and sat down on the couch.

"He's coming, along with a few escorts."

Edward didn't say anything, choosing to stare out the living room with a haunted expression. Roy looked over at the boy, a hard look falling over his monotone face.

"Look Ed, I know you're upset but what you did saved a lot of lives, what you did was ok."

Edward twisted around, an angry look upon his face.

"No it wasn't! I-I," His face pinched up into a frightened expression and tears that had been welling up, began to fall, a moment of weakness showing.

"I killed someone…" he whispered breathlessly.

He stared wordlessly at his hand, the blood from earlier flashed across his mind and he choked back a sob. He didn't know what to do, he felt helpless.

Like a child.

He turned away from them, his mind racing with millions of thoughts of self hatred and anger. A sudden knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts. He watched as Maes went to open the door, a gun in hand, Edward's heart stopped for a moment. He watched as Maes spoke through the door.

"Who's there?"

Alphonse's voice broke through the tense silence, and Edward breathed a sigh of relief. Hughes opened the door and Alphonse rushed through hurriedly, demanding immediately.

"Where's my brother?"

Hughes pointed towards the living room as he shut the door, the huge suit of Armour made it's way to the large space, soul red eyes landing almost instantaneously on his brother's small form.

"Nissan-"

He was cut off as Edward made a large sob and tackled Alphonse in a hug. Alphonse wordlessly hugged him back, eyes looking questionably at the two adults. Hughes sighed and made a gesture across his neck. Alphonse looked down at his silent brother, taking in his appearance. His golden blond hair, tousled and caked with dirt, clothes ripped and torn in various places, and the most shocking thing on his clothing that stood out the most, even with red coat. Blood.

His brother was covered in blood.

When Alphonse finally put two and two together he looked at the Colonel.

"Was it the scarred man?"

Roy shook his head, rubbing at his temple with a slight cough.

"No, a bomber, he apparently was working with the scarred man and was about to blow up the entire eastern section of central. Luckily though, your brother was able to stop him and saved hundreds of lives."

Edward stayed silent the whole time, Alphonse rubbed Ed's back and noticed the broken automail. Edward stopped hugging him and backed off a bit, looking up at Alphonse with a sad expression.

"Winry's gonna kill me…"

Alphonse chuckled a little.

"Yeah, I bet she will."

Edward looked out the window, and it was then that Alphonse had noticed something about Edward that had never shown on his face. The bag under his eyes seemed more pronounced, giving him a tired looked, his mouth was pinched downwards and his eyes seemed more larger the iris's dulled to the point of exhaustion. He looked as if depression was weighing on him for every second of the day, getting heavier every passing day, he looked older.

And that scared Alphonse.

He knew Edward had bared a lot of responsibility, ones that would make normal people crack under pressure faster than any child Edward's age could take. But Edward was strong, it was harder for him to break under pressure, but the downside was when he did break.

It was harder for Edward to piece himself back together.

Realization dawned upon Alphonse that he did have someone to lean on, he had Edward to fall back on when he became doubtful of ever getting his body back. When he became sad when he couldn't eat or sleep, when he couldn't walk through town because he was scared that people were afraid of him. He noticed that as Edward grew, he became the splitting image of their mother, the way he moved, the way he sang, the way he would sooth Alphonse when he became sad. It brought no existent tears to his eyes as he no longer remembered what his mother looked like, sounded like, or felt like. Everytime he thought of his mother, an image of his brother came up. His brother practically raised him, took care of him, protected him, and yet all this time.

Nobody was there to protect Edward.

Nobody was there to tell him how to do things after their mother died, no one to tell him how to be strong, how to raise his younger brother, how to be a man. And yet as Al thought back to the time where Edward struggled to raise him, he realized.

He wouldn't have wanted to be raised any other way.

Edward didn't have anyone to lean on but himself. And As Alphonse stared at his brother's sad defeated pose, he promised himself that when Edward breaks, He would piece him back together

himself. After all,

That's what brothers are for.