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Spirit Animals Drabbles

Summary:

This will be a collections of drabbles or scene expansions that are directly connected to the main story, Spirit Animals. I will happily accept requests but will not write any romance and do reserve the right to turn down a request I don't want to write. Feel free to comment your request on a chapter or inbox my profile directly :D All requests need to be linked directly to the AU as chapters that tie up loose ends I left or expand on scenes I wrote over. There will be a separate collection I'll be calling "What if?" that you can make requests for about things that didn't happen in my AU but you wish had or to change a scene to go a different way, etc. Again, no romance though.

Chapters will be posted every Sunday, EAST until I run out of pre-written chapters. After that, they'll be posted once they're written!

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Chapter 1: Al and Ed's discussion about Calix, Hohenheim, and Ed's automail after Promised Day

Chapter Text

Eighteen days after Promised Day…

Ed walked into the hospital room his brother had been living in for the last two- and a-bit weeks since he'd gotten his body back with Ayala by his side and their lunch in a bag in his hand. After checking with Chester once the door was in sight and finding out his brother was asleep, Ed and Ayala made sure their entrance was quiet. Al still looked far too skinny but Ed could see where he'd put on weight with the liquid, high calorie diet the doctors had his brother on. Al's stomach was still far too weak to handle anything thicker than what could be sucked up through a straw at the moment so Ed had taken to buying food from restaurants that both met the doctors' requirements nutritionally and the consistency they wanted the food to be.

"How's he doing?" Ed asked Chester through their bond as he placed the bag of food on his bed and started sorting through it as quietly as he could.

"Thanks, Ed," Chester said as Ed placed his lunch in front of him, "and he's doing alright. He's been asleep the whole time you've been gone but he should wake up soon. He's still sensitive to new smells so he'll pick up on the food," Chester told him, causing Ed to wince. He hadn't considered the fact that Al would be able to pick up new scents no matter what caused them, which now that it was pointed out, seemed like something very obvious. It had been nearly six years since Al had smelled anything so it made sense that he would be very reactive to any sort of smell.

"Good," Ed said, shoving down his thoughts. "His soup will taste better if I don't have to reheat it for him," Ed stated, placing the small bowl of soup on Al's bedside table so he could grab it when Al woke up before he got Ayala's and his lunches out and gave Ayala's hers.

They fell into silence as they ate their food, waiting for Al to wake up. Ed was hoping that they'd be able to talk for a little longer than they normally did so that he could give Al Hohenheim's and Calix's last messages. It had been something that had weighed on him for the last eighteen days and he felt as though he should've done this by now and that he was a bad person because he hadn't. Of course, Ayala and Chester had both jumped on his case when they realised what he was thinking and pointed out that he couldn't have told Al any sooner since his brother couldn't stay awake for very long right now and always managed to make it so Ed didn't get the chance to pass on the messages before he did fall back asleep. Ed did believe them but every now and then those thoughts crept back in, however now he just shoved them back down and ignored them.

One by one, they all finished their lunch and Ed cleared up the rubbish, shoving it into the bag he'd carried the food in so that he could throw it out once Al had eaten his. He settled onto his bed, book open and started reading to pass the time. They weren't expecting any visitors today except for the Hughes' and maybe Mustang and his team if they got the time that afternoon. Mei had already been by to use alkahestry on Al that morning and none of the chimeras had mentioned they would be swinging by that day. He'd barely gotten two pages into his book when Al started giving signs that he was waking up.

Sure enough, by the time Ed had closed the book and swung his legs off the side of his bed, Al was blinking his eyes open and trying to adjust to the bright hospital lights again. "Morning, sunshine. Have a good nap?" Ed asked as he climbed off his bed and moved over next to Al's so he could help his brother get into a sitting position.

"Yeah, it was," Al said once he was sitting up. Ed handed him his lukewarm soup and the spoon he'd need in order to eat it before he took a seat on the chair that was in between both of their beds. Al gave him a grateful smile before he started spooning some of the liquid into his mouth. "I dreamt about Dad," Al told Ed, his voice a little hesitant after over a decade of mentioning Hohenheim setting Ed off. Ed didn't know what expression passed across his face but it didn't seem to make Al wary about how Ed was going to react. Before Ed could use this opportunity to bring up that Hohenheim and Calix had asked his to pass on messages, Al continued. "I dreamt about what he told me while we were in Truth's domain before he was…" Al trailed off, his grief obvious in his expression. Chester curled up as best he could against Al while Ayala leaned into Ed's legs.

Ed looked up, startled. He had no clue that Hohenheim had managed to speak with Al before Truth took him and Calix as payment for Al and Chester. "You spoke to him?" Ed asked, trying to keep the wavering in his voice to a minimum. His feelings about Hohenheim and Calix were still a mess but he didn't need Al to know that right now.

Al nodded, eyes looking at his soup before he kept eating. Ed figured that the only reason Al was even eating right now was because everyone and their Animal had been sure to tell Al that he needed to eat as much as he could stomach so he could start getting some weight on and stay on the path of recovery. "Yeah," Al said, his voice soft. "Truth wanted to take him right away but Dad managed to get Truth to agree to let him speak to me for a couple of minutes," he told Ed.

"What did he say?" Ed asked. He could see this topic was upsetting Al but he needed to know what their father had said and whether he still needed to honour Hohenheim's last request or whether Hohenheim had managed to pass the message along himself.

Al shifted slightly, lifting one frail hand and placing it on Chester's head while the other one kept a hold of his soup bowl. "He came over and put the jacket he'd been carrying around me while he told me that you had drawn out the transmutation circle so you could sacrifice whatever it was that you planned to but that I had collapsed before you could. He explained that my seal had broken and that you had abandoned the circle to keep Chester alive while you tried to figure out what you could do," Al started telling him. "He told me that he borrowed a coat from a random soldier and headed for the centre of the array while telling Calix what he planned to do. Calix…" Al trailed off for a moment to swallow heavily. "Dad told me that Calix was more than willing to pay the price for the two of us," he said, voice starting to crack. "He told me that you had tried to argue with him, convince him not to sacrifice himself because I wanted to have him in my life but that he couldn't let you give up anymore of yourself for me for something we wouldn't have been able to do if he hadn't left," Al told him, tears falling down his cheeks.

Ed grasped his thin hand lightly and squeezed as hard as he dared, silently telling Al that he was there and that he could stop if he wanted to but Al continued speaking. "He told me that he was pr-proud of us, proud of me, and that he loved us both. He told me that the two of us and Mum made everything he'd suffered through throughout the years' worth it," Al said, voicing hitching with sobs. "He told me not to be sad and that I should live my life with my family and that he would see us when it was our time and that he was sorry that he wouldn't be there when I woke up," Al cried. "Then he gave me a hug before he nodded to Truth. I couldn't stop him from walking through the Gate and disappearing again. He wouldn't listen to me!" Al sobbed, shoulders heaving as he finally let out the tears he'd been holding onto as he spoke.

Ed was quick to move the soup before it got spilled and join Al up on his bed while Chester crawled carefully into Al's lap and Ayala moved around the other side so she could nose her head under Al's arm. "It's alright, Al," Ed said soothingly, stroking his brother's long hair. "He made his choice and wouldn't listen to either of us. There's nothing we can do about it now except try and live our lives like he and Calix asked," Ed murmured softly. He knew his words weren't the most comforting but he hoped that the truth of them would be what Al would focus on.

They sat like that until Al had calmed down from full sobbing to small hiccupping sobs. Once Ed thought he was calm enough, he moved away to grab a glass of water for Al to sip on while he finished calming down. He helped Al hold the glass since he wasn't quite strong enough to hold the glass full of water by himself and when he'd drunk as much as he could've, Ed placed the cup back on the bedside table. Al's cheeks were still wet with tears but he soon wiped them away with the edge of his blanket before he let out a large, steading sigh. He sniffled a couple of times before he looked up at Ed and asked, "did Calix ask us to live our lives too?"

Ed nodded. "He asked me to pass on a message to you once you were back," he told his brother. "Actually, they both did but Hohenheim obviously didn't realise he'd be able to talk Truth into letting him have a couple of minutes with you before he was taken," Ed said before he took in a steadying breath. "He wanted me to tell you that every moment he and Hohenheim had with us is a moment they'll treasure no matter whether they're here with us or not. He also wanted me to tell you that he's never loved anyone as much as he loved Hohenheim but we came close to taking his place. He also wanted me to tell you that he's sorry that you wouldn't be able to say goodbye," Ed passed on, eyes filled with sorrow as he remembered the love and grief in the stallion's voice as he spoke before he was gone, his bond with Ed severing completely and leaving Ed with the haunting knowledge of how much worse it would be if he ever felt Ayala die.

The tears that had stopped flowing started up again, slipping at a faster rate with every word that Ed said on behalf of Calix until Al was sobbing again. Ed was quick to start running his fingers through Al's hair soothingly again while speaking calming words as the Animals did their best to calm Al down as well. Unlike last time though, when Ed turned back with the glass of water, he did so only to find Alphonse fast asleep again, his unshed tears clinging to his eyelashes. Worry at the fact that Al had exhausted himself after only crying for a few minutes, Ed carefully cleaned off Al's face before he set the bed so Al would be lying down. Once that was done, he packed up the half-eaten soup and placed it with the other rubbish, knowing Al didn't like eating the same thing twice in a row when he'd spent six years unable to eat anything at all.

"He'll be alright," Chester assured Ed as the blonde placed the bag of rubbish in the bin just outside the hospital room. "This was just a lot for him to go through in such a short amount of time," he said, sad eyes watching his sleeping human.

"Yeah," Ed sighed as he and Ayala climbed back onto his borrowed bed. The book lay nearby but Ed didn't feel like reading right now. The conversation about Hohenheim and Calix had caused his mixed emotions on the subject to make themselves known once more but he shoved them viciously away, burying them as deep as he could. Now was not the time for him to be trying to figure out his feelings regarding his father after everything that had happened.

"You'll be alright too," Ayala said as she curled up next to him, placing her head in his lap.

Ed immediately started scratching her ears lightly as he leaned against his pillows and the wall. "I hope so."


Ed and Ayala hadn't been in the room when Al had woken up the next day but they were soon in there when Chester told them he was up. This time, when they entered the room, Doctor Overland was in there so he could ask Al some questions and check on how he was going. Ed and Ayala slunk into the room, trying not to disturb the doctor who was listening to Al talk about how much he'd managed to eat the previous day. "It sounds like you're making excellent progress in increasing how much you're eating," Doctor Overland said, giving Al a rare smile. "Make sure you keep trying to increase when you can but don't push yourself every meal. Have some more soup or broth in between your main meals if you feel hungry," Overland instructed.

Al gave him a nod. "I will," he promised.

"Good," Overland said, placing Al's chart back in its place at the end of his bed. "I'll see the both of you at the end of my shift," Overland told them, glancing over at Ed. "We'll take your stitches out today so long as you haven't done anything to hinder the healing process," he said.

"I've been behaving myself," Ed scowled, not appreciating the laughter he could hear in his mind from the two Animals.

"Forgive me for being cautious," Overland said dryly before he left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Judgmental bastard," Ed muttered before he turned to his brother. "How are you feeling today? Do you want something to eat yet?" Ed asked, settling into the chair he normally did if there weren't any visitors at the time.

"No, I'm fine, Brother," Al said, shaking his head slightly. It was obvious that the discussion they'd had yesterday was still on Al's mind. "You should be nicer to Doctor Overland. He's put up with a lot of shit from you," Al scolded, earning himself an eyeroll from Ed.

"That doesn't mean I should let him get away with sassing me like that," Ed said.

"So why didn't you say that to his face?" Al asked pointedly.

"Are you kidding me?! That man has access to a lot of drugs and sharp things! I'm not gonna piss him off in any other way than I normally do!" Ed told him, looking at his brother like he was an idiot.

The exchange had Chester and Ayala giggling at the pair of them but Ed's final retort had all of them and Al laughing. Ed smiled softly at the sound of Al's laughter now that it didn't have the tinny tone it used to have while he was in the armour. The laughter continued until Al managed to calm himself down and relax against his pillows once more. "Oh!" Al gasped softly, looking over at Ed. "I meant to ask yesterday while we were talking but did Dad manage to get you your limbs back?" he queried, looking at Ed's right arm and left leg as though he might be able to see through the material covering them.

Ed knew his expression had answered Al's question from the look on his brother's face but he still gave him a verbal answer. "No, he didn't," Ed said, resisting the urge to grasp at his right wrist.

Al's eyes immediately welled up with tears, much to Ed's, Chester's, and Ayala's horror. "I'm sorry, Brother!" he wailed, causing Ed to almost fly off his chair so he could sit next to Al and try to calm him down. "I'm so sorry!" he sobbed. "You were supposed to get your limbs back at the same time! That was our whole goal and the chance for you to get them back is gone!" Al cried. "I-I-I…" Al cut himself off as his sobbing started turning into hyperventilation, causing Ed and the Animals to panic further.

"Hey, it's okay. Calm down, Al," Ed started saying, rubbing his left hand up and down Al's arm while Chester and Ayala did their best to comfort Al as well. "Calm down. It's all okay. I'm not mad about it. It's completely fine. Just take some deep breaths," Ed soothed, exaggerating his own breathing to try and get Al to match his.

"Al, it's okay," Chester tried when Al didn't seem to be responding to Ed's words. Al's breathing stuttered as his Animal's voice sounded in his mind but his words weren't registering. "Ed's fine. Everyone's fine. You just need to calm down. Listen to Ed and try taking some deep breaths," Chester instructed calmly.

Ed and Ayala shared a look as Chester did his best to get Al to start calming down. They knew that if Al kept hyperventilating and upsetting himself that they would need to get a nurse to come in and sedate him for his own good but none of them wanted that. "Al, it's Ayala," the golden wolf said, her voice as level and calm as she could make it. "Please listen to what I'm saying. Ed isn't upset or mad about having his automail still. He's completely fine with still having them. You're going to make yourself sick if you don't listen to what Ed is saying and start calming down so breathe," she instructed and, much to Ed's and Chester's relief, this time Al showed signs of listening.

"That's it, little brother," Ed said encouragingly when Al's erratic breathing started calming down. He was still sobbing heavily but at least he was no longer hyperventilating. "In and out for me. Just like this," Ed said as he drew in an exaggerated breath and let out an equally exaggerated one. Al started mimicking him as best he could and Ed continued walking him through the attack, helping him regulate his breathing and bring his sobbing down to cries.

They all breathed a silent sigh of relief when Al finally managed to stop crying altogether. Ed fully expected Al to fall asleep from the emotional exhaustion he would have felt like he'd done yesterday so he was surprised when Al didn't. Instead, Al looked up at him with watery eyes and said, "I'm sorry we couldn't get you your body back as well, Brother." Ed sighed but Al continued, the tears spilling down his cheeks as he kept apologising. "I'm so sorry!" was repeated over and over again, preventing Ed or the Animals from getting a word in.

After the twelfth sobbed apology, Ed reached his breaking point and placed a hand gently but firmly over Al's mouth and forcefully stopped him from talking. "I need you to listen to me now," Ed told him, keeping eye contact with his startled brother. "Ever since we first decided to use a Philosopher's Stone to get our bodies back way back when I was still recovering at Granny's, I had decided that getting my limbs back would only ever be a bonus. If I could've got you back whole and my limbs back, I would've been happy but if I ended up with just you back whole, I would've been just as happy," Ed informed him. "There was nothing fair about what happened to you that night. It wasn't equivalent exchange at all and I knew that if all was said and done and you got your body back while I was stuck with my automail, I would consider it Truth's way of making sure we both didn't get out of our payment and I am completely okay with being the one to stay paying for our hubris that night," Ed told him.

"Brother-" Al started saying, voice muffled since Ed's hand was still over his mouth but Ed cut him off.

"Not to mention that I am used to having my automail," Ed said, acting as though he hadn't heard the start of Al's protests. "Can you imagine what would happen during the first fight I got into once I'd recovered if I'd gotten my left leg and right arm back? I would've wound up back in the hospital because I would've tried to block a blow with one of them and broken it," Ed told him casually. "Doctor Overland would probably have to permanently assign me a room here because I would constantly be in it with the amounts of times I was hospitalised for a broken bone before I got used to not having automail anymore," Ed said, shaking his head. "Nah, I'd prefer having my automail limbs to having to listen to Doc Overland's lectures every two months about breaking a leg or arm," he told Al firmly.

"I feel like I need to point out that I would be there to stop you from getting that many broken limbs," Ayala said, a touch huffily.

Ed could see that Al still wasn't as okay with him having his automail as Ed was himself but he knew his brother would eventually make his peace with it. "Yeah, but I would still likely wind up holding the record for the most times someone has broken their arm and/or leg in their lifetime if I didn't have my automail," Ed told her, knowing full well that she'd spoken in Al's mind as well. "Plus, how many times have I gotten hurt enough that Winry's automail has been damaged?! Imagine if any of those times it had been my real limbs! I would've ended up going to Winry to get automail surgery anyway!" he exclaimed.

Ayala huffed but had to concede to his point, as did Al but that didn't mean the youngest Elric was anywhere near okay with the fact that Ed hadn't gotten his arm or his leg back. He gently pushed at Ed's hand, making his brother remove if from his mouth so he could speak. "Do you want to try and find a way for us to get you your limbs back, Brother?" Al asked.

"No," Ed said firmly, putting a hand up to stop Al's protest. "We never found any other way except for a stone to do that kind of thing and there is no way on this Earth that I would let you or anyone else sacrifice a soul for my limbs," Ed told him. "I know you don't believe me right now, Al, but trust me when I say that I really don't care that I didn't get my real limbs back," Ed said, a hint of pleading in his voice. "My goal was to always get you back in your flesh body and here you are! I've kept my promise to you and there is nothing else I need to do to keep my promises made from the events of that night," Ed told him firmly.

Maybe it was hearing that Ed considered his promise to have been fulfilled or maybe it was the conviction in his voice or perhaps even both that had Al swallowing back the argument he'd been ready to give. He couldn't see any signs that Ed was lying just to make him feel better and he remembered thinking that there was no deceit in Ayala's voice when she was trying to calm him down so Al had no reason to not believe that his brother was truthful. He could still feel the anger and sense of failure he'd felt when Ed had confirmed he still had his automail limbs and he still felt the desire to start researching for ways to get Ed his real limbs back but for right now Al was going to accept his brother's words and leave the subject be. Maybe in a few days or weeks he might see if Ed wanted to find another way to get him whole again but he would leave it for the moment.

"Okay, Brother," Al said with a small nod and sigh as he leaned back into his pillows. He knew from the look in Ed's eyes that his brother didn't believe for a moment that Al was going to let this matter rest but it seemed as though Ed was also willing to drop the subject for now as well. So since they weren't going to talk about this further and Al wasn't quite tired enough, despite his emotional outburst earlier, to go to sleep, he decided to change the subject. "What's been happening in Central, Brother?"