"Brother's still sleeping?"
"Yes. He hasn't woken up yet, but his fever is coming down." Winry sighs and turns her gaze to the sleeping Edward. "I wish we could get him to eat something. Medicine's not good on an empty stomach."
Alphonse looked at the breakfast tray that he had placed on the nightstand just moments ago. He wondered if it would be a good idea to wake Edward up before the oatmeal got cold; but before he could put this thoughts into action, there came the sudden sound of rapid, heavy footsteps in the hallway.
The young man peered out from the semi-closed door of his brother's room. He was just in time to see the swiftly departing figure of his father with a bundle in his arms as the latter descended the stairs.
"Winry, stay here and look after Brother." With those words, Alphonse closed the door behind him to follow after Hohenheim.
***
A fire roared to life in the living room by the time Alphonse descended the last step of the stairway. He watched as his father tossed logs into the flames. Lying on the floor next to the man -- all wrapped up in a blanket -- was the Homunculus.
Alphonse let out a small cry of alarm and hurried over. "Dad, what's wrong with him?!"
Envy's eyes were closed. His face had turned ghastly pale and, as Alphonse further observed, was beginning to turn blue.
"Alphonse, come help me!" Hohenheim propped up his eldest son in a sitting position and leaned him against Alphonse. The Homunculus' eyes fluttered open from the jostling.
"Try and keep him warm. Don't let the fire die down. I'll be back as soon as I can." With those urgent words of caution, Hohenheim sprinted off to the basement.
Envy caught sight of his father as the latter departed. He struggled to free an arm from the confines of the blanket and from Alphonse's hold on him.
Alphonse watched as Envy raised an outstretched arm in their father's direction -- his fingers trembling.
"Come back...don't go...."
The youngest Elric took his sibling's outstretched hand in his, sending a shiver down the former's back. So cold!
"It's okay. Don't worry. Dad's gonna come back soon." He tried not to let the panic in his heart make its way to his voice.
A pair of bleary eyes meet Alphonse's gaze.
"Ed...ward?" The voice was barely above a whisper.
The dark, blond-haired teen blinks. "No, it's Alphonse. I'm Alphonse." He lets his sibling's cold fingers brush against his cheek.
"Alphonse?"
"Yes -- yes, it's me."
Realization dawns on the Homunculus. "That's right. I -- I killed Edward."
Alphonse heart misses a beat. A memory forces its way in, one that the teen had hoped he would never remember. At the time, he had been held hostage by Dante for the Philosopher's Stone that was in his armored body. His brother, Edward, desperately tried to rescue him as he fought with Envy. At the height of the battle, their father's past deeds came to light. That was when they discovered that Envy was their father's first-born son. The next thing he knew, Edward had been stabbed through the chest with a blade made by Envy's own hand.
The young man closed his eyes and shook his head, banishing the horrible memories from his mind. "No, Edward's not dead. He's alive."
Before Alphonse knew it, his sibling unexpectedly burst into tears. "I -- I killed him! I killed Edward!" Envy sobbed.
Alphonse gripped the cold hand that was still in his own. "No, no, no! Edward's alive! He's here! It's okay! We're all home now!"
But Envy proved to be inconsolable. "I killed him! I killed him!" He continued to cry and wail as tears gushed from his eyes.
"Please -- calm down! You're going to make yourself sick!" After the words were said he realized how ludicrous they were.
Flickering flames diverted Al's attention. "Ah!" He had almost forgotten about his father's warning. With his brother in one arm, the teen scooted closer to the fireplace. He picked up the poker and adjusted the burning logs.
"Just hold on. Dad's going to be back soon. Then everything will be alright." He placed Envy's arm back underneath the blanket and held him close to his own body for warmth.
The two remained where they were, with Alphonse continuing to hold Envy in his embrace. From time to time, the blond-haired teen had to reach up and wipe the perspiration from his own forehead. He did not know how much time had elapsed, but what he did know was that Envy's crying gradually died down.
All was silent, save for the sounds of the crackling fire. Then, without warning, Alphonse suddenly felt Envy's body turn limp in his arms.
"Envy?" The tone of fear was evident in Alphonse's voice. He shook his older sibling, and watched as the latter's head rolled to one side.
"Envy? Envy, come on. Don't sleep." He cupped a hand underneath the Homunculus' cheek and readjusted the position of his head. "Wake up. Come on, William. You -- don't you want to see Dad? He's home now -- with all of us -- and I'm sure he's not going to leave again. I mean -- if anything -- the three of us -- you, me, and Ed -- we can always stop him, right?"
No response.
Alphonse did not know what exactly he was trying to say. Nor did he care about the logistics of his words. He only knew that his sibling could no longer hear him. Al's vision became blurry as tears broke loose from his eyes.
"Big Brother?"
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