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It was a rather chilly evening in Resembool, one that found you with a sweater and high fluffy socks on. Despite the cold, it did get rather warm here in the summer time. The Elrics had told you about their trips to Dublith, how hot it had been in comparison to here. You couldn't imagine such heat since you'd never been there yourself. Speaking of the Elrics, you found Edward passed out on the sofa.
You'd been planning on settling down with a good book to read, but you froze upon seeing him snoozing away with his shirt pulled up over his stomach, hand somewhat underneath the edge of the fabric. It was a strange habit. He tended to pull his shirt up from his stomach, usually right before he drifted off or in the midst of sleep. Something about it just helped him sleep better, you guessed. Still, you couldn't help but sigh at his behavior.
"Edward..." You muttered, placing your book down in the space above his head while you left to fetch him a blanket.
After tucking him up in it, you settled in the empty space of the sofa. You glanced down at him before you began to read, hoping you hadn't awakened him with all your moving about. Edward and Alphonse... They'd been through so much. He needed all the sleep he could get. His automail arm was off for repairs, just a empty metal socket where it used to be. The automail leg he had attached now was merely a spare to wear until his other one was fixed.
Briefly, you wondered how long he'd have that lump on the head Winry gave him. You do sort of wish she'd stop hitting him with so many wrenches. He could get brain damage or something. It became a little hard for you to focus on your book, but not due to the fact Edward was snoring. He wasn't very loud and it was easy to tune out. However,... Edward seemed to hardly rest these days.
Since the incident, he and Alphonse had been relentlessly searching for the one thing that could return them to normal. You didn't blame them being in such a hurry, but you do wish they'd be more cautious and take better care of themselves. This wasn't the first time they'd come back all beaten and worn down. They weren't here as often and it was hard enough to catch Edward napping when they were.
You watched him sleep, his chest raising and falling slowly with calm breaths. It was a serene scene that had you caught up in the moment. You smiled down at him softly, expression fond yet also empathetic. It was hard to imagine just exactly what the two had been through and were going through currently since it wasn't happening to you directly, but from experiencing what you had with them, it was very rough on the two.
You tried to help in any way you could, hoping to shoulder just a small bit of their burden to ease their sorrows a little. It was a little hard when they were difficult, though. They'd put up a front, a fake smile, or chipper tone in Alphonse's case, to hide their pain and their burdens. Edward hardly showed any signs of weakness to you, Alphonse was a little more open but still put up a wall like his brother.
You assumed they didn't want you to get hurt, but they couldn't see that them shutting you out was worse than whatever they had locked away inside. When you felt you couldn't help them at all, you hugged them so tight they had no hopes of escape. Sometimes you cried silent tears when you did this. It was just so hard to want to help someone and not know how. You wanted Edward to get as much rest as possible.
The road ahead of the boys was long and hard, they needed all the comfort and rest they could get. To see Edward so peaceful made you content. His expression was soft, mouth slightly parted as he slept. Subconsciously, you reached a hand out to move a few stray strands of his bangs from his face. His bangs were so long and you yourself hated getting hair in your mouth, especially while you slept. It was gross and uncomfortable.
His hair was unbraided and sprawled all around his head and shoulders, slightly curled from being woven into a braid for so long. You ran your knuckles gently across his cheek as to not wake him and turned back to your book while you stroked his head. He shifted a moment after and you froze, eyes darting back to him. You half feared you had awoken him. How would he react to you doing this? You had to admit, it was a bit creepy.
You didn't think you'd appreciate someone stroking your cheek and messing with your hair while you slept without permission. However, what happened next broke you.
"Mom...?" Edward whispered, still asleep.
His expression shifted from at ease to pain and regret. Your own expression twisted into slight horror at the realization he was dreaming of your actions currently as being his deceased mother's. You felt tears form in the corners of your eyes at the sadness of it all. Your hand raised from him slightly in shock as tears formed in the corners of his own eyes, eyebrows drawing upward as a slightly open-mouthed frown appeared on his face.
You'd never seen Edward cry before. Never. He reached out when you moved your hand away.
"Wait! Don't go! Mom, please... I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I- I didn't- We only wanted- We only wanted to see your smile again." He spoke in a broken whisper.
You placed your book aside with little care, a hand raising to cover your mouth as his tears fell from his eyes. Yours followed soon after, making their way down your face as you stifled a sob.
"Oh, Edward..." You muttered, hugging him as best as you could from your current position.
He was quick to latch onto you, to nuzzle into you as if he were small child seeking comfort from his mother, as if you were Trisha. You couldn't help but let go of that sob as you embraced him just as tightly.
"It's okay, I've got you." You managed. "It'll be alright, Edward. I've got you..."