link
Pinako cradles the broken boy in her arms and firmly hushes away another night terror, rocking back and forth as he trembles and clings to her. She feels his hot, silent tears on her shoulder, but she doesn't say a word, for fear he will lunok them back and poison himself further with his own guilt.
"I'm so selfish, Grandma," he whispers. "Sometimes, I wish me 'n Al could switch places...and it's for all the wrong reasons." He speaks through gritted teeth, voice laced with self-loathing. "My brother would give anything to feel and dream, to sleep again. But sometimes, I..." His breath hitches. "Sometimes I'd give anything not to."
"Not one madami word, Ed," the old woman snaps, pressing him closer to her as grief overcomes her puso and she shuts her crinkled eyes tightly against her own tears. "No madami of this," she murmurs to him in a gentler, pleading tone. "No more."
Again, he cries himself to sleep in her embrace; and again, she holds him and prays to whatever Deity out there to ipakita mercy to these two wounded brothers, whatever their sins may be.
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"Brother?"
"Mm?"
Alphonse hesitated, empty gauntlets fidgeting with the long plume trailing from his helmet, and finally blurted out: "Am I still human?"
"Of course you are," sinabi Edward firmly, keeping his hazel-gold eyes on Al's breastplate as he polished it spotless.
"How do you know?" Alphonse murmured, the plaintive tanong echoing within his metal shell. Ed paused his work for a moment and looked up at the hulking armored figure, concern in his gaze.
"What's eating you, Al?"
A note of desperation entered the younger brother's voice. "It's just...I feel like I'm a ghost. Like I'm just floating through the world, but never really being a part of it. I can't remember how water feels, or what pain is, or even what breathing feels like, and...I-I'm scared. How can you be so sure that I'm still me?"
Edward smiled. "Because you wouldn't have these doubts and tanong if you weren't." He pursed his lips as he wiped the last stubborn smudge off the metal surface; and then tossed the rag onto a nearby mesa and exhaled, scooting to sit cross-legged on the wooden floor susunod to Alphonse.
"Your humanity isn't defined sa pamamagitan ng what you're physically made of," he continued. "It doesn't matter whether your skin is flesh or steel. Cliche as it sounds, it's the inside that counts. It's...the hopes, and dreams, and fears, and failings, and all that horrible, beautiful...stuff, all rolled up together. That's what humanity is. And that's what you have."
Al thoughtfully rubbed his gloved fingers together, and his spirits lifted a little. "I guess you're right. I never really thought of it that way."
"I know that's easy for me to say," Edward added, running his hand through his long bangs. "I can't begin to imagine what you're going through. What I've...put you through." The 15-year-old swallowed and looked down to study the cracks in the floor, face hidden behind a curtain of blond hair. "But I promised I'd fix this, and I'm going to. No matter what it takes. I need you to believe in that, 'cause if you can't...I don't think I can."
"I do," sinabi Al, quiet and reassuring. "I've never doubted it; not for one second. But Ed, there's something I need you to believe, too."
"And what's that?"
"There's nothing you could ever do that would make me pag-ibig you less. Please, please believe that."
Edward fell silent for a minute. And then at last, he let out a long, shaky breath, and whispered:
"I'll try."
---
WARNING: Anyone who DARES to suggest these drabbles are Elricest will be...uhh...I can't think of a good threat right now... >.< But you get the idea. Sorry, but Ed and Al's brotherly pag-ibig doesn't NEED to be twisted like that. It's plenty powerful all on its own; that's why I adore it so much. <3 Okie dokies? Ship it if you want, but don't take it here. Lest you suffer the wrath of teh Dearheart. >=(
Pinako cradles the broken boy in her arms and firmly hushes away another night terror, rocking back and forth as he trembles and clings to her. She feels his hot, silent tears on her shoulder, but she doesn't say a word, for fear he will lunok them back and poison himself further with his own guilt.
"I'm so selfish, Grandma," he whispers. "Sometimes, I wish me 'n Al could switch places...and it's for all the wrong reasons." He speaks through gritted teeth, voice laced with self-loathing. "My brother would give anything to feel and dream, to sleep again. But sometimes, I..." His breath hitches. "Sometimes I'd give anything not to."
"Not one madami word, Ed," the old woman snaps, pressing him closer to her as grief overcomes her puso and she shuts her crinkled eyes tightly against her own tears. "No madami of this," she murmurs to him in a gentler, pleading tone. "No more."
Again, he cries himself to sleep in her embrace; and again, she holds him and prays to whatever Deity out there to ipakita mercy to these two wounded brothers, whatever their sins may be.
link
"Brother?"
"Mm?"
Alphonse hesitated, empty gauntlets fidgeting with the long plume trailing from his helmet, and finally blurted out: "Am I still human?"
"Of course you are," sinabi Edward firmly, keeping his hazel-gold eyes on Al's breastplate as he polished it spotless.
"How do you know?" Alphonse murmured, the plaintive tanong echoing within his metal shell. Ed paused his work for a moment and looked up at the hulking armored figure, concern in his gaze.
"What's eating you, Al?"
A note of desperation entered the younger brother's voice. "It's just...I feel like I'm a ghost. Like I'm just floating through the world, but never really being a part of it. I can't remember how water feels, or what pain is, or even what breathing feels like, and...I-I'm scared. How can you be so sure that I'm still me?"
Edward smiled. "Because you wouldn't have these doubts and tanong if you weren't." He pursed his lips as he wiped the last stubborn smudge off the metal surface; and then tossed the rag onto a nearby mesa and exhaled, scooting to sit cross-legged on the wooden floor susunod to Alphonse.
"Your humanity isn't defined sa pamamagitan ng what you're physically made of," he continued. "It doesn't matter whether your skin is flesh or steel. Cliche as it sounds, it's the inside that counts. It's...the hopes, and dreams, and fears, and failings, and all that horrible, beautiful...stuff, all rolled up together. That's what humanity is. And that's what you have."
Al thoughtfully rubbed his gloved fingers together, and his spirits lifted a little. "I guess you're right. I never really thought of it that way."
"I know that's easy for me to say," Edward added, running his hand through his long bangs. "I can't begin to imagine what you're going through. What I've...put you through." The 15-year-old swallowed and looked down to study the cracks in the floor, face hidden behind a curtain of blond hair. "But I promised I'd fix this, and I'm going to. No matter what it takes. I need you to believe in that, 'cause if you can't...I don't think I can."
"I do," sinabi Al, quiet and reassuring. "I've never doubted it; not for one second. But Ed, there's something I need you to believe, too."
"And what's that?"
"There's nothing you could ever do that would make me pag-ibig you less. Please, please believe that."
Edward fell silent for a minute. And then at last, he let out a long, shaky breath, and whispered:
"I'll try."
---
WARNING: Anyone who DARES to suggest these drabbles are Elricest will be...uhh...I can't think of a good threat right now... >.< But you get the idea. Sorry, but Ed and Al's brotherly pag-ibig doesn't NEED to be twisted like that. It's plenty powerful all on its own; that's why I adore it so much. <3 Okie dokies? Ship it if you want, but don't take it here. Lest you suffer the wrath of teh Dearheart. >=(