Al was leaning against the baulstrade of one of the less used rooms. The ledge was cushioned with embroidered pillows and dust bunnies puffed out everytime he adjusted his position. He gazed blankly at the outside world, warped by the stained glass windows. Through its bleary focus he counted the leaves of the maple just in front of his opening. Fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-six...

What was I doing again? he wondered. It was true that he hadn't been the same since he and May Chang broke up. He may not have fully realized how much of an influence she had on his life, but it was slowly dawning on him that his mornings weren't as happy and his days less fulfilling once she wasn't there. As for his outward appearance, not much had changed. 

It was only if you knew Al, truly knew him like Ed and Winry did, could you tell that his eyes had light shadows marking his sleepless nights, that his hair was messier than usual from his midnight wanderings, that his whole self was a depressing shplat on the backdrop of life.

Al just knew that he felt lousy but didn't want anybody else to know about it. The last thing he wanted was pity. He'd had enough of that when they were kids, and he was determined to tough it out like his brother had done so often for them in childhood. 

And Ed and Winry were so perfect together. The way they talked to each other effortlessly and laughed as if nothing could go wrong. They weren't much for public affections, but when they did, you could feel the gentle affection in the air.

He was jealous of them.

Al hit his head against the window pane. Not jealous. That didn't feel like the right word. May Chang taught me a better word for it, he thought absently. What was it again? They had been walking behind Grandma Pinako's house holding hands.They had settled under the spreading eaves of a pine and leaned against each other in the cool shade. She had on a simple light pink gi that had scrolls sown onto the sleeves and white panthers leaping up from the purple waistband.

She traced circles on the back of his hand. He said nothing, watching the soft almond shape of her eyes crinkle with happiness. She said something in her native language and Al leaned his ear to her small mouth. "Jīngshén xiàngwǎng," she whispered. She told him what it meant and he smiled softly.

"Like nothing else in the world," he said.

Now Al was staring up at the leaves of the maple outside the window. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, he had told himself that he needed to stop thinking about May Chang, because she broke it off with him, and she deserved her own happiness. At least, that's what he told himself to keep his spirits from plummetting. So long as May Chang was happy, he reasoned, he would be happy for her.

And he meant it.

Quickly breaking from his reverie he felt his suit and slacks for his pocketwatch. He pulled it out and examined the time. A good half hour before the wedding would begin. He decided to explore the rest of the abbey. Just before turning from the window he caught sight of Ed and Winry walking out of the forest. 

He turned away, not seeing them and hid a smirk.

 

"Ed are you sure this is gonna work?" Winry pestered for the hundredth time.

Ed rounded on her and put his hands on his hips. "Look, Winry, this is better than nothing! And weren't you the one saying we needed to do something, no matter how drastic the measure?"

"I think you added that last  part on your own," Winry said.

"Anyways," Ed continued, pretending not to notice Winry's response. "all we really have to make sure is the package gets there and we are in our seats when the bell tolls. Pretty simple, huh?"

"You're forgetting all the things that could go wrong," Winry tossed her hair over her shoulder and set her steely gaze on Ed. "If this doesn't work, you know you'll just be crushing Al even more, right?"

"Yes, but the benefits far outweigh the consequences," Ed retorted. He relented after seeing the fire raging in his wife's eyes. "This is for the better. At the very least, Al needs closure. Trust me, after all I've been through I would know."

Winry resisted the temptation to throttle her husband from sounding like a know-it-all and instead said "Tell me, Fullmetal Alchemist, just why you know so much about relationships?"

Ed smiled. "I've traveled a lot," and Winry could hear the unspoken statement: I've also dated way more people than you but don't worry. They were too high-maintenance.

The only thing keeping her from fully running into her husband for a tackle was the snap of a branch in the forest behind them. "Am I late for the wedding?"

Ed and Winry looked at each other.

 

Al was staring at the altar. His mouth was hanging open and drool threatened to fall out.

People were slowly filing in, murmuring in low voices and shaking hands, trying to set the stage for the next political campaign. There were many familiar faces. Master Sergeant Fuery was wearing a dark blue suit by the tables full of candles and wedding programs. Dr. Marcoh timidly held onto his bowler hat. It didn't look like he wanted to be there and he fidgeted by the entrance for some time before Second Lieutenant Falman came over to pound him on the back. Similar scnes of reunion were happening around the chapel but Al felt strangely disconnected from it.

A few minutes later Ed and Winry walked in, seperate from each other. Ed plopped himself down next to Al, who had raised an eyebrow at the obvious distance he and Winry were endorsing. Winry moved over to sit next to Sheska and struck up a conversation with the older woman.

After a second of strained silence, Al popped the tension. "Care telling me what happened?" he asked.

Ed just fumed. "Women," he grumbled.

After a moment's thought, Al agreed. "Women."

"I mean, they say one thing, but they mean something else completely! You agree with them on one thing and they manage to turn it against you in an instant! Why are they so carpicious?"

"Hey, careful now Ed," Al tried to reason. "Those words are too big for you, you might choke on them."

Ed laughed a bit at Al's nonchalant remark. He rubbed his nose and surveyed his brother. Winry was right about Al being down in the dumps, and that only intensified Ed's desire to take him out of it. Ed chose his words carefully. "Women, he reiterated. "They're a handful. It's a good thing you and May Chang broke it off before things got too serious."

Al's head whipped up and his eyes blazed, almost to the same angry shade as his brother's. "I mean," Ed continued, stretching out his limbs. "that you have your whole life ahead of you. Don't let this on romantic woe get you down. It's not worth it."

It looked like Al wanted to say something equally bitter to Ed, but his eyes lost strength and he hung his head. "Yeah," he muttered. "I'll try." He knew that Ed and Winry could see somthing was wrong with him and it pained him to be the cause of such stress on the couple. He didn't want to be a burden on anyone.

He really loves her, Ed thought, watching Al out of the corner of his eye. He didn't want to be condescending, but if the plan was to work...

Ed looked out the window and estimated the time till sundown. About three and a half hours. He had time.

There was a clatter of wood on wood and the side door opened, letting in a gust of fresh autumn air. 

A smile twitched at the edge of Ed's mouth. "Look what the cat's dragged in."