Al had been acting weird lately.

He was gone for many hours at a time claiming he was at the library, yet returning with no books.

He would go out for walks increasingly often, and was out longer and longer each time he left.

He'd usually come back with a new kick in his step, and Ed was beginning to wonder if Al had a sort of secret girlfriend or something.

Regardless, Ed knew that Al was hiding something, and he was determined to figure out what it was.

On that day, Al's excuse had been that he wanted to go out and look for any stray cats that might need help, as he claimed it was supposed to thunderstorm tonight. Problem was, it had been a warm and sunny day without a cloud in the sky, and normally people weren't out looking for cats for upwards of six hours.

Ed laid down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He tossed his pocket watch up in the air and caught it again absentmindedly while he waited for Al to get home. He had his flesh hand resting behind his head while he messed around with his watch using his automail. It was passing the time, and Winry said it helped with his coordination, so he figured he'd kill two birds with one stone.

As he lay there, he couldn't help but worry about whatever Al had been getting himself into. Al was a smart kid, and it wasn't likely anyone was messing with him, considering he was a seven foot tall suit of armour that also happened to be an extremely skilled fighter. Ed wasn't quite so worried that he was being bullied or anything. It also wasn't possible that he was out doing drugs or drinking or anything of the sort, as not only was it impossible for a disembodied soul to be intoxicated, Al had always been against anything like that. Al wasn't the kind of kid to be a troublemaker. Ed just couldn't figure out what on earth he could be up to, and the not knowing was probably way worse than whatever the actual situation was. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he wouldn't like what Al had been hiding.

It was then that the door to the dorm clicked open, and Alphonse quietly stepped in. Ed looked up at the commotion, catching his watch and setting it down on the bedside table.

"Catch any cats?"

Al startled at Ed's voice, his shoulders jumping up to his helmet.

"Oh, Ed... I-I didn't expect you to be awake still." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Ed kept his face straight as he sat up in the bed.

"Now what kind of brother would I be if I went to sleep knowing my little brother was wandering the streets at night alone?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Al wrung his hands together.

"Oh uh... Well.. Well you don't have to worry about me, brother." Al assured him, looking away from Ed's gaze. Ed hummed suspiciously.

"You know Al, you've been gone an awful long time." Ed observed, looking Al up and down. "You've been doing that quite a lot lately, care to explain?" He added, narrowing his eyes and crossing his legs over one another. Al shrunk into himself slightly, picking at his leather gauntlets.

"It's... It's not, it's not what you think, brother." He stammered, rubbing the heels of his feet together. Ed's eyes widened.

"So you are hiding something." He declared, uncrossing his arms and legs and stomping his feet into the ground. "Come on, then. Spit it out." He growled, waving his arms around at Al. Al tensed up, but his shoulders quickly dropped with a sigh. He pulled up a chair next to the bed in front of Ed, sitting down and laying his hands in his lap.

"Okay, brother. I suppose I should tell you sooner or later, I just don't want you to be upset." Ed's eyebrows raised in confusion. What could Al be doing that might upset him? "Okay, well..." He continued, taking a deep breath. "I've been going to see dad."

Ed's heart dropped into his stomach. His mind flashed with memories of his childhood, blood and crying, bruises and screaming, the feeling of terror as he was thrown around and beaten and having to lay there and take it to protect his little brother. His eyes froze open wide, unaware that he had began to tremble slightly.

"... rother? Brother? Ed?" Called a soft voice through his daydream. He shook his thoughts away, looking up to his brother, leaning forward in his chair, looking concerned.

"S-sorry, I-I...what?" He stuttered, hoping he had heard Alphonse wrong. Al leaned back in his chair.

"I know you told me not to look for him, but I just couldn't help it!" He confessed, throwing his hands around a bit. "He was just out there somewhere, and it was killing me not knowing!" The sense of dread pooling in Ed's stomach began spreading over his body. This could not be happening. After all these years, he couldn't go through it all again.

"Al..." He started, trying to find words through the fog of fear and shock flooding his mind. Al shook his head.

"No, brother. I have a right to know my own father." He declared, crossing his arms. "I've been meeting with him over the past few weeks, he really misses us, Ed. He wants to be a family again." He added, sounding hopeful. Ed shook his head slowly in disbelief. They had never been a family. They would never be a family, not as long as he was around. "In fact, he has a house not far from here, it's right by headquarters, it's in a really nice neighbourhood..." Ed felt the colour draining from his face as goosebumps invaded his skin. "He wants us to move in with him."

No. No. Al didn't understand. He didn't know who his father really was. He was too young to remember. This was all so wrong, and Ed didn't know how to fix it.

He could see how desperately Al longed to have a dad, a family, a normal life, and Ed wished he could give it to him. He wished he could protect his little brother from the world and all of the harshness that he was too innocent and sweet to comprehend, he just wanted Al to be happy. Maybe he couldn't do that on his own.

After all he had taken from his little brother, who was he to deny Al a chance to have a family again? Even if it was just a cruel illusion. He had endured his father before, he could do it again.

He would live, he would die, he would endure if it meant that Alphonse could be happy again.

He would sit there and take it, for Al.