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Alphonse blearily sat up in bed and marveled on how he could feel himself sitting. Everything hurt but it was an oddly wonderful kind of hurt because he could feel the pain. He could feel his muscles shifting around to move him. His hands pushing into the thin hospital blankets. His joints that groaned in protest from the strain. His eyes moving and his eyelashes fluttering agains his skin. His hair flowing down his back, settled gently on his shoulders and the way the strands tickled his face. Al felt it all and it was still amazing to him even after a few days in his body.
It was a week after the Promised Day and Alphonse had been awake for two days so far, having gone into a coma from malnutrition.
Al's doctor, Dr. Saville, came into the room as Al finished sitting up in bed.
"Hello Alphonse, how are you?"
"Good thanks."
"And how are you feeling? How's the pain?"
"I'm okay, the pain is uncomfortable."
"Ok I'm afraid you might have to deal with the pain for awhile, your stomach and intestines are hurting from the long malnourishment. Not much we can do about that without the worry of overmedication. I have good news though, today we're taking you off IV, try starting to get some real food into you."
"Sounds good."
"Ok, just relax, I'm going to take the IV out."
Alphonse tried to relax as Dr. Saville untaped the tapes on the IV line, trying not to flinch at the feeling of her hands sliding the needle out of his vein. She quickly taped a cotton ball to the hole after she was done.
"Good job. Alright, just page a nurse when you're hungry and we'll start you on something light. For now I have other patients to attend to, but I'll see you this afternoon for your appointment. Bye!" Dr. Saville said, making her way to the door.
"Bye." Al called after her as she closed the door.
Al grabbed a book that Edward had left behind for him off the table beside him and began to read.
Roy was having a great day, the sun was out and the birds were chirping. There's still a lot of the rebuilding to do after the Promised Day, but the city was bustling with people going to work. Roy looked out his hospital window at them all, then turned away and slung a hospital issued robe around his shoulders. He slipped on his blue hospital slippers and tried to ignore the stench of it all, the sterile smell that clung to everything. At least it wasn't as bad as when he was blind. Roy decided to make use of his afternoon and visit Alphonse.
Roy remembered the Promised Day very well, even the parts he was blind for. He remembered the pain, the agony, the screams, but he also remembered Alphonse and Edward, feeling them all grown up, touching Alphonse's long hair and his warm skin.
He'd gone to hug them (with Riza guiding him) after it was all over, not caring who saw, relishing in the scent of his pups. The scent of Alphonse, though at the time Al smelled strongly of alpha which had assaulted Roy's nose a little. Roy had barely hesitated before scent marking Al like crazy with parental pheromones, which Al thankfully didn't mind, even marking him back a little. Ed just laughed at his brother's awkwardness regarding the situation but was soon pulled in and scent marked like crazy too.
Edward had become nicer and more respectful of Roy after Roy helped Maria Ross, and their relationship had gotten better. Roy still remembered the day, a week after Roy breastfed Edward in the cabin, when Ed walked quietly into his office, shutting the door behind him.
Roy was immediately alert, Edward was rarely quiet, especially around him.
"Fullmetal?" Roy asked carefully. "Do you need something?"
"Did you- did you-did you b-b...breastfeed me?" Edward said, face turning red as a tomato. Roy sighed, he supposed he should have figured that Al couldn't keep something from his brother to save his life.
"Yes I did, back in the cabin a week ago, after you fell asleep, you chirped and I followed my instincts and fed you. Why?"
Edward shuffled around some, somehow getting even redder in the face while Roy waited with mounting confusion.
"Could you-...could you do it again sometime?" Ed spat out it a rush, refusing to meet Roy's eyes.
"Of course Edward."
"Thank you...bastard." Edward said and left swiftly, rubbing at his face to try and cover his embarrassment.
Roy smiled at the memory as he started walking towards Al's room, two days ago when Al woke up was the first day that Roy got to really see Al in his body. He remembered bursting into tears to everyone's surprise, even Riza's who knew him better than anyone.
Roy arrived at Alphonse's room and knocked, hearing the quiet, "Come in." ,before opening the door. The sight of Alphonse still took Roy's breath away, to see him sitting there in his real body was surreal. He was still very gaunt and pale but looked a lot better than he had, though the remaining gauntness in particular had Roy's chest aching. Roy noticed Edward was also in the room, sitting on one of the chairs by Al's bedside, looking a little ragged, but otherwise fine.
"Hello Alphonse, Edward how are you two feeling?"
"Good thank you, the doctor just took me off IV, says I need to start on real food. How are you?" Al responded first.
"Fine, I'm tired of this stupid hospital though."
"Yes the hospital is starting to get on my nerves. I'm good though, a bit tired today, but I've been a bit tired since I got here. When did the doctor take you off IV Alphonse?" Roy asked.
"This morning. She said to wait until I'm hungry than call a nurse."
"Makes sense. And what about you Edward what have you been up to?"
"What is there to get up to? This is a hospital."
"That's never stopped you before." Roy replied.
Roy, Ed, and Al continued talking for another hour before a loud stomach growl from Al stole their attention.
Roy felt milk dribble down his chest, and the sweet scent of milk filled the room, causing both Al and Ed to turn and look at Roy. Then Al reached out and touched his chest, softly chirping for milk, blushing as he did so. Ed silently got up and let Roy have the seat closest to Al's bedside which Roy thanked him and took.
"Of course Al." Roy smiled and said. "Come here pup." Roy pulled his shirt up while Ed pointedly watched the door. Roy let Al adjust himself to the right angle and guided his head to his nipple. Al spared one last embarrassed look at Ed before latching on, following his instincts to suckle. Roy wasn't surprised to find that he was gentler on his nipples than his brother.
Roy shushed and whispered encouragements to Al periodically. Then a nurse came in, an alpha nurse from what Roy could smell, one that apparently hadn't caught the scent of breastfeeding omega yet.
Ed and Al smelled the alpha nurse and started growling loudly, their alpha instincts taking over and screaming for them to protect the currently vulnerable omega.
"Um, sorry." The nurse said and quickly scampered off at the sight of Al and Ed's bared teeth, scuttling out the door.
Roy released calming pheromones which quickly made the two boys relax, Al relatching onto Roy's nipple and suckling softly.
Soon Al's suckling started slowing down before coming to a stop, Al unlatched softly, Roy pulled his shirt back down and covered the marks made by his milk on his shirt with his robe.
"Thank you." Al said, turning red again.
"It's no problem Al, you or Ed can come to me whenever you want milk. You are my pups you know."
"R-r-right, thank you." They both said in unison.
Roy chuckled softly and continued talking to them until visiting hours were over. Roy said goodbye to Al and Ed each with a quick kiss on their forehead, something that embarrassed the two greatly.
Neither of them really quite knew what the future would hold for them and their relationship but that was something to figure out another day.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the story. Some of the hospital stuff might not be accurate sorry.