Chapter Text
Central, Amestris
June 1919
Roy Mustang wearily looked around his office. His team was still hard at work in the outer office just as they had been two years ago when the Elric brothers had disappeared for the last time from his life. After Edward and Alphonse had left Roy had stayed in Central and resigned his enlisted position in the Northern outpost so he could resume his duty as Brigadier General. It had been one of the hardest decisions of his life, but he could no longer hide behind Edward’s death. Edward was very much alive and he wouldn’t forgive Roy for not living as well.
In the aftermath of the attack from the portal Roy’s team had come across a helmet just like the one Alphonse had worn all those many years ago. Roy had claimed that helmet and it sat now upon a bookshelf in his office. Often he felt his eyes drawn to it and thought of the Elrics and what they could possibly be doing in that other world.
Tonight Roy was by himself in the office and was working late at the paperwork he’d put off as usual. Hawkeye had informed him this paperwork would be completed before he left the office tonight as her fingers twitched toward her pistol. Meekly he’d acquiesced to her statement because he knew she was the real reason his office operated as well as it did. And so now he was doggedly trying to finish said paperwork. He was so focused on the paperwork it took a moment for him to understand the voice speaking in his office.
“General? That is you! I’ve been trying for so long to find a way to reach you. It was much harder from this side because alchemy doesn’t work over here so the soul-bonding was much more difficult. Especially since I can’t direct it as well when I’m dreaming…”
The voice sounded disturbingly like Alphonse Elric’s and Roy for a moment wondered if he’d fallen asleep in his office again. He glanced fuzzily over at the helmet and saw a white glow peering out from the eyes. Attention caught, Roy blinked once before barking out “Alphonse
Elric! Is your brother with you and well?”
If an armored head could have smiled this one did. “Yes Brother is with me and is as well as can be expected. Tell me, did you ever close the portal on your side?”
Roy frowned before admitting “We weren’t able to. I’ve got someone on guard at all times with a radio in case there’s any movement from it, but that’s the best we could do. It would have needed both you and your brother to fully close it.”
“But that’s wonderful!” the helmet gushed. “If the portal is still open on your end then all I need to do is find a power source on this end. And convince Brother that going back is the best for everyone. Thank you, General. I will contact you again when I can – this dreaming soul-bond is difficult to maintain.”
“Wait, before you go…” Roy took in a breath and let it out all at once. “Please tell Edward he is always in my thoughts. And call me Roy, Alphonse. I look forward to speaking with you again.”
“I’ll tell Brother. Thank you, Roy.” The glow faded from the eyes of the helmet and Roy knew he was gone. He laced his shaking fingers together and placed them behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. The Elrics were alive and Alphonse was searching for a way to get them home. Suddenly feeling energized Roy began to hum as he went back to the paperwork Hawkeye had given him for the evening.
Paris, France
June 1925
Alphonse slid back into his physical body and took a deep breath as his body began the process of waking up. He took a few more breaths to ground himself before blinking his eyes open and allowing himself a fierce smile. He’d reached Roy Mustang at last! He’d been trying to reach Mustang for months now and finally, finally he’d accomplished his goal.
Alphonse turned his head slightly to take in the sight of his brother asleep on the pillow next to him. The dreams where Ed cried out for Roy had been going on since they’d gone through the Gate and it broke Al’s heart every time to hear his brother’s grief. He’d brought up trying to communicate with Roy, but Ed had been ambivalent for the longest time. Alphonse was desperate to find a way back to Amestris and he needed Ed’s help to get there. He still hadn’t brought up what Ed was worried about with Roy, but he’d found the connection and the rest he could work out.
Speaking of dreams, it sounded as if a nightmare was troubling Ed at the moment. His older brother frowned and shook his head slightly while mumbling “no you can separate them, Tucker. How could you put them together without knowing how to take them apart? You have to, it’s Nina!”
Alphonse felt sorrow grip him at the thought of the girl they’d been unable to save from a terrible alchemic transmutation her father had inflicted on her. Both brothers had terrible nightmares and only the other was able to soothe the nightmare away. Al reached over and smoothed the hair out of Ed’s face before sliding himself into the crease of Ed’s tightened frame.
“It’s only a dream, it’s over we’re safe now Brother,” he whispered into Ed’s ear before kissing his cheek. He kept repeating the words and stroking Ed’s hair until Ed stilled and blinked at him.
“Al….I was dreaming about Nina,” Ed whispered. He slowly relaxed at the feel of Al’s hand in his hair and Al’s body against his own.
“I know Brother. But it’s over now and we need to get some more sleep,” Al responded lowly before sighing into Ed’s neck. “Roll over so I can cuddle you,” the younger brother ordered sleepily.
Ed obeyed and pulled Al’s arm more securely around him. “Love you Al” he muttered before drifting back to sleep.
Al nuzzled closer to Ed’s neck. I love you, too Brother. And I really hope you understand that I contacted Roy because I know how much you love him. And if Roy doesn’t want you back because of us I just may kill him myself. Al stretched cat like against Ed before settling and falling asleep.
Munich, Germany 1923
After returning through the Gate to Germany the Elrics had struggled with how to close the portal without alchemy. The now defunct Thule society was also working on a way to close the portal as it feared anyone else coming through. The first step was to kill Envy as the homunculus had basically been the battery for the portal. Ed hadn’t felt too badly about finally ending Envy’s existence since the homunculus had killed their father without batting an eye. Once Envy was no longer powering the portal is closed on its own.
The Elrics had briefly spent time in Munich at the flat Gracia had lent them, but after Alfons Heiderich’s memorial service they’d traveled with Noah’s fellow gypsies for almost six months. The brothers had learned much of the different areas of this new world while traveling. They had also learned that their nightmares had not abated once crossing through to the other side of the Gate. Some nights there was no sleep to be had until finally Edward and Alphonse pulled their sleeping blankets next to each other. Whenever one brother had a nightmare the other would instantly awaken and could soothe the other back from the terror.
Because of the nightmares and the return of Alphonse’s memories of the time he was armor the brothers began to discuss their situation in new ways. It had never occurred to them before, but when they had attempted to transmute their mother the brothers had sewn their souls together. Discussing alchemical theory led to a very intense conversation regarding the reality that their two souls were essentially tied together for the rest of their lives. Neither was entirely sure what this would mean for them, but both were adamant about finding a way back to Amestris if at all possible. The world they occupied currently had just been through a truly terrible war and whispers of a new one beginning had been talked about in every province they’d visited.
After returning to Munich from their travels, Edward had been pulled aside by Hughes. Gracia and Hughes were dating and she had confessed concern as to what might happen to the brothers if the rumored war were to erupt. Hughes had reached out to some of his sources and had false traveling papers produced for both Edward and Alphonse. Edward’s papers stated his age was 20 rather than his own 18 years of age and Alphonse’s papers had changed his age by two years as well. Hughes explained that brothers aged 20 and 15 would have an easier time getting through the various checkpoints than brothers aged 18 and 13.
Edward had been grateful for the documents and began researching which area would be best to flee to. He’d enrolled Alphonse in a local school and to neither of the brothers’ surprise the curriculum was material Alphonse had covered as a ten year old. But Alphonse enjoyed playing sports with the other students and so for a couple of months things went well.
Then a younger sibling of one of the students noticed Ed’s auto-mail and the brothers barely escaped the panic that ensued from the locals. They were forced to say hard and fast goodbyes to Gracia and Hughes before fleeing to Paris, France in December of 1923.
Leaving the only place they’d thought of as home wasn’t easy and traveling during the winter was painful for Ed as his auto-mail shrank a bit from the cold and his wounds ached fiercely. Still they were able to find a small apartment with a fireplace and began to settle into their new city. Ed was able to quite quickly find a position at one of the universities by showing his knowledge of physics and chemistry. After his first couple of payments he and Al began to look into programs Al could enroll in. Having papers that said Al was 15 made it easier to get him into an advanced program than if the university had known his actual age. Of course the same went for Ed’s teaching ability.
Al loved Paris with its museums, art galleries, and casual acceptance of artists and their eccentricities. Nobody commented on Edward’s long hair here as they had in Munich. After the debacle with the sight of Ed’s auto-mail Al had made the decision to stay on the outskirts of his fellow students. They were beginning to be happy here and staying on the periphery was the way to keep anyone from seeing anything unusual.
Sleeping arrangements had been simple enough as their small apartment consisted of one large room with the fireplace and another small kitchen area. The bathroom was shared between two other apartments and Ed hoped to soon have enough funds to move into an apartment that had its own bathroom. The two small mattresses were easy to push together to keep the nightmares at bay. But Al didn’t know what to do when Ed had dreams about Roy. Hearing his brother cry out for Roy in his sleep hurt Al’s heart. Those dreams only made him more determined to find a way back to Amestris.
Just after Al’s 14th birthday (well physical birthday, mentally he was 18 now) he began experiencing urges that thoroughly embarrassed him. During the day he was fine as he went about his classes and focused on homework and other projects. But at night when he woke with a throbbing he’d never had to deal with before he was miserable. Ed had noticed Al getting up to use the bathroom several times at night and asked if everything was alright. When Alphonse promptly blushed Ed thought back to his own hormonal teenage years and realized what part of the problem was.
The next evening as Alphonse was preparing their meager meal Ed casually placed a couple of jars on the counter beside him. “This might help,” he said quietly. “I remember having….issues as a teenager, too. If you aren’t careful you can get chaffing so make sure and use that.”
Al blinked at him in confusion, but Ed didn’t elaborate as he feared embarrassing his younger brother. After Ed had turned to take up his customary spot next to the fireplace Al looked over the jars and realized what Ed had procured for him.
“Brother when you were going through this….did it happen every night?” Because in all honesty Al was a bit exhausted from the demands of his body and was hoping it would be ending soon.
Ed frowned a bit in concern. “How often are you having problems Al? Don’t be embarrassed, every guy goes through it.”
Al worried his bottom lip a bit before clearing his throat and offering “It’s a lot. Sometimes three or four times a night and then again in the morning.”
Ed’s eyebrows raised at that as he realized this was more than what he’d gone through. “That IS a lot, Al. I mean, I got horny but usually it was just in the morning right after I woke up and then occasionally I’d dream about Roy and….yeah. I wonder….” He’d thought of something and was frowning fiercely over it as it occurred to him that some simple jars of lubrication may not take care of the problem.
“Just tell me what it is, Ed. I’m embarrassed enough already, if there’s something potentially wrong I need to know what it is.” Alphonse watched his brother with narrowed eyes as he finished putting the stew makings together. After thoroughly cleaning his hands he walked over to join Ed near the fireplace.
“It’s just a thought, but it might be because when you should have been experiencing adolescence the first time there was no physical form for the hormones to build in. What if….there’s a slight possibility that you might be experiencing two sets of hormones now.”
Al sank down on one of the poor excuses for a chair they’d found and tried to gather his thoughts. “But what does that even mean? How could that even work? The human body isn’t made to be that way Ed!”
“Yeah but both of our bodies have been through things that aren’t normally possible Al. Our souls are tied together for crying out loud! You had no hormones during your first time around as a teenager and now it seems like your hormones are going haywire because you’ve got a body for your second adolescence. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.” Ed wasn’t happy with his conclusion, but it WAS the only thing that made any sense. He rubbed his forehead in irritation and glanced over at his brother.
Al stared blankly into the fire for a few moments. “Okay if you’re right what does that mean? I can’t keep waking up to go into the bathroom and masturbate every night Ed. What did…how did you manage your hormones when you were a teen?”
Edward’s eyes met his briefly then slid away. “I had Roy,” he answered quietly.
Al frowned fiercely as he tried to work this out. “Okay you had Roy and you and Roy had lots of sex and that was it? So I just need to find someone to have sex with? That’s not going to be a problem at all since I’m only 14 years old physically and, oh yeah, WE CAN’T GET CLOSE TO ANYONE. Ed what the hell am I going to do?” Alphonse was practically screeching by the end of his rant.
Ed looked a bit pained but pointed out “It wasn’t just the sex, Al. Roy and I…we loved each other. We shouldn’t have, but we did and that was the end of it. We belonged to each other in a way I’ve never belonged to anyone but you. And I don’t know exactly what we’re gonna do yet, but we’ll figure it out together.”
Ed got up to come sit next to Alphonse and wrapped him in a soothing hug. Al couldn’t help breathing in his brother’s scent and relaxing just from the familiar smell. They sat like that for a couple of minutes then Ed got up to dish out the stew and day old bread they were having that night.
May 1924, Paris
It had been going on for three weeks now and because Al was becoming exhausted Edward had told him to stop getting up in the middle of the night to go out to the communal bathroom. Ed made sure there were lots of extra cloths and a jar of lubricant next to Al’s side of the bed and on the few occasions when Ed woke up in the middle of the night he would rub his brother’s back soothingly until he finished. It was awkward, but at least Al wasn’t as exhausted as he had been.
And try as he might Edward was no closer to finding a solution to their problem. Alphonse had been right that they couldn’t get close enough to anyone else for Al to have a sexual relationship with them. And when he thought about it Ed wasn’t at all comfortable with the idea of some relative stranger touching his brother sexually. It just seemed wrong that Al should have to resort to that when Edward knew what a loving sexual relationship was like.
The only good thing that had come from Al’s hormonal attack was the nightmares had lessened. It was like his body could only concentrate on one type of sleep disturbance at a time. Ed’s nightmares were still happening as they normally did, and sometimes he would dream of Roy and wake up feeling worse than if he had been having a nightmare.
There seemed no end to it until the night their bodies hijacked both the brothers with hormones and emotional turmoil. Edward dreamed of Roy’s lips on his, Roy’s hands caressing him, Ed joining their bodies together. The dream felt more real than any other he’d had of Roy since they’d come to this side of the Gate. As he was waking from the dream he realized he was on top of Alphonse and while both had their boxers on it was obvious their erections had been rubbing against each other for more than a few seconds. Al had his hands against Ed’s ass through his boxers and his body was very happy to be where it was. So happy that almost at the same time Ed realized what was happening Al finished with a grunt. Ed felt some of that warmth spill onto him and couldn’t stop his own release. He managed a gasped out “Oh fuck” before moving off his brother and half falling into his pillow. His breathing was still ragged and he heard Al murmur with some amazement “That was so much better…”
“Al…we have a problem,” he panted wearily.
“I know, Brother. Can we talk about it tomorrow?” Al hesitantly reached over to rub Ed’s back.
“Yeah, okay. Tomorrow,” Ed mumbled sleepily. How is it that having almost sex with my brother made me closer to Roy than I’ve felt since we got here? Slightly horrified, Ed allowed himself to fall into an uneasy sleep.