A/N: Hey, guys. This is my first FMA story, so I hope it's good. It's ll from Alphonse Heidrich's POV.

Prologue

Heidrich's POV

The sound of footfalls in the living room interrupted my reading, and I looked up from my book. "Hey, Noah? Wy don't you only set two places at the table tonight." Ed said to the gypsy in he kitchen. "I'm not feeling too good, so I'm not going to be eating."

"No? Well I hope you feel better soon." I replied, and returned to the American science fiction I had been reading, after I watched my friend retreat to his bedroom.

Later that night, Ed hadn't so much as made a sound, so Noah and I had assumed he was sleeping. It turns out we were right, because as I creaked his bedroom door open with his tray of dinner, I could hear his light snoring. He must have really felt awful, because his prosthetic limbs – automail, I had to remind myself - were still strewn across the floor, and I knew he would never do anything, especially go to bed, without cleaning and then putting them away on a regular basis.

The clink of metal on wood, as I placed the tray on his little table. I stepped back, careful not to wake Ed with loud steps, but tripped over the rubber-covered leg behind me. Grabbing onto the desk chair to catch myself and stepping back loudly, I accidentally sent a pile of books crashing to the ground.

"Hmm? Alphonse?" Edward mumbled from the bed behind me.

"Sorry, about that, Ed. I left dinner on your table." I bent to pick up the pile of books up and place them back on the desk.

"Not hungry, but thanks, though. And don't worry about the books, I'll take care of them in the morning." I simply nod and back out of the room – successfully this time – and shut the door silently as he starts snoring softly again. I then went to join Noah by the radio in the living room.