5A/N: Just a good little Baby Elric story! The definition for lightning is from wisegeek .org. Also I don't own anything here aside for the idea. This is one of my first Fullmetal Alchemist fics, but I have more in the works, so please let me know how I did!
~Spring
A storm had been brewing for the better part of the entire evening, dark clouds gathering just beyond the horizon ominously, blocking out what otherwise could have been a splendid sunset. The rain had just begun to fall when their mother tucked them into bed, kissing their foreheads and wishing them a good night.
Ed sighed heavily, it had been a long day full of studying and alchemy, he was more than ready to let the rain lull him to sleep.
At first, Ed wasn't sure what had pulled him from his fitful slumber; there was no sound of rain or thunder to awaken him. Figuring it was just a strange occurrence, Ed rolled over and snuggled a little deeper beneath his covers, fully content with drifting back off to sleep.
A soft, fear-filled whimper from across the room caused his eyes to snap back open, his mind immediately alert and any thoughts of sleep quickly abandoned.
"Al?" He questioned softly into the darkness.
He heard a gasp from across the room, his younger sibling clearly not expecting anyone else to be awake. Al sniffed softly and when he spoke it was obvious he was attempting to sound casual, but the slight tremor in his voice betrayed him. "Yes Brother?"
"What are you doing awake pal? It's pretty late."
"I could ask you the same thing." Al immediately shot back, making Ed sigh fondly.
"I would be but something woke me up."
"Sorry." Al sounded sheepish at least.
Ed sat up all the way and faced the direction of his brother's bed, where he could just make out the small lump that was his sibling. "So what's going on Al?" Ed questioned gently.
Suddenly the room flashed a deep purple, a rumbling crack following mere seconds behind, and from the way the Al-shaped lump whimpered and trembled, Ed could very easily guess what the problem was.
The elder Elric hopped out of bed, shivering at the sudden loss of warmth, and crossed to his brother's half of the room. "Afraid of the lightning?"
Al simply nodded, wide gold eyes poking out of the blanket-cocoon he'd constructed for himself.
"Don't worry, lightning is nothing to be afraid of."
"Why?"
The simple question had Ed halting in his tracks. 'Why?' Since when had Al ever needed an actual explanation? He was older, ergo he was right, no need to ask why. Although, if Al was becoming inquisitive enough to need a reason, Ed assumed 'because I said so' would not be a suitable answer. "Uh," Ed fumbled for a moment, desperately willing his tired brain to come up with a solution. "Because, it's just the Sky Alchemists!"
"The Sky Alchemists?" His solution didn't sound nearly as brilliant when echoed in his brother's skeptical tone.
"Yeah, Alchemists in the sky. The flash is just light from their transmutations."
"Oh." Al blinked up at him innocently, "I always thought lightning was a sudden discharge of atmospheric electricity triggered by a buildup of differing charges within a cloud."
"What?" Ed dismissed, "That's ridiculous. Nope, Sky Alchemists!" He continued with a forced laugh, refraining from the urge to smack his own forehead; he was a horrid liar.
"So what do these Sky Alchemists make?" Al asked, still not quite believing his brother but wanting to hear more all the same.
"Oh uh, all sorts of things. Like the clouds! I bet we're gonna see some really neat ones tomorrow. And the really big flashes, those make the stars!"
Al's wide eyes stared up through their open window in awe. "Wow."
"Wow is right. Now how about you let the Sky Alchemists do their work, and we go back to sleep?"
The small bundle shifted nervously, still not one hundred percent satisfied with his brother's answer. "You promise it won't hurt me?"
Ed bent down so his eyes were level with Al's, a very serious expression overtook his golden orbs as he promised, "Alphonse, I won't ever let anything hurt you."