Leave A Scar (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Miracles On 5th Street

Ed's hands drew closer, the electricity snapping between his hands and his brother's body.

I could only hope... I could only begin to pray...

At Ed's word, I removed my hands, his own fingertips touching Al at the same moment.

Red light faded to blue, and the snarl sank down, becoming a flat piece of Al's armor.

I let out the breath I'd been holding as Al filled the silence.

"It worked..."

Ed laughed, rocking back onto his knees, throwing his head up to the sky. "Of course it worked, you lug! You really think I'd do something without being 100% sure it'd work?"

Al's eyes shrunk immediately, suit shaking with a light nervousness. "Um, yeah..."

Ed pffted, a light playful scoff sliding from his mouth as he stood up, hands shoving into his pockets as his stare turned away. "Some grateful brother you are..."

Al just laughed, that sound bringing a smile to my face as well. His giant hand outstretched, holding onto Ed's and allowing his body to stand on solid ground once again.

"So..." Al glanced to himself, helmet clicking at the action. "Are we gonna talk about what just happened, or...?"

Ed grinned. "What're you talking about? Nothing abnormal happened at all! You feelin' okay, Al?"

I tried to hold down a grin, having to push my knuckles against my mouth and now myself forward to hide my face from Al. I could still see his stare burned into my memory, hands hanging in defeat by his sides, eyes half-ovals and completely but subtly fed up with his brother.

"Oh, wait," Ed's voice was directed at me, and I tried to shake my head, get the focus off of me because I didn't want them to know how hard I was trying not to laugh. "Are we not doing the jokes anymore? Okay"—With a smaller laugh, he relaxed, and when I risked opening my eyes again, his head was tilting to the side, a small grin on his face.

"So I tested out a theory I had," he said, and then playfully pivoted away from Al, pinched lips adding, "That was totally bulletproof, I might add."

Al just put his hand to his face, eyes vanishing in pure disappointment.

"Are you just relieved it worked, or...?"

"Yeah," Ed replied, "Probably! I feel great right now, actually."

His hand came to the side of his face, eyes widening a little in thought. "What was I talkin' about? Oh, yeah! The thing we just did."

He grew serious again, attention turning to me.

"So, I've had this theory that my energy—whatever makes it red like that—can be counteracted. That it just takes the right balance of something to trigger it on and off, from red to blue and subsequent power fluctuates as well. I just used you as the polar opposite, if that's okay!"

"Of course," I replied, feeling my mind step away for a moment. Trying to hide somewhere in the back of my skin. "I'm just glad it worked! You feelin' okay, Al?"

The soul in the armored suit nodded, putting a hand to his front plate. "Yeah! I feel fine."

"Good!" Ed replied, grinning again. What was he so happy about? "Great to hear it, Al!"

He turned, attitude solemnizing as he moved one hand to his pocket. Looking over his shoulder, surveying the destruction and the burn marks scorching the grey out of the concrete.

"That was some fight, wasn't it?"

He looked to me, stare quickly sweeping over my legs, arms, moving to my face. "You're not hurt, are you?"