There was no way for Ed to know what Al was thinking, no way for him explain that he'd left for Al even if he would at this point. He hadn't because it felt important that Alphonse not know the truth, that his disappearance was for his brother's sake. That he left to fix things so he could focus on being here with his brother and not caught up in the what-ifs of Val's disappearance. It's a good thing Edward doesn't know what Al is thinking, because he probably wouldn't take too kindly to the thought that everything they suffered was dimmed in comparison to the last few months in his eyes, not with all the lives lost and pain they went through over those years.

He frowns as Al clings to him with the question, resting a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, but knowing there was something more going on that he was not aware of. It was a given in his mind, no question whether or not he loved Alphonse but the way his brother is asking makes him wonder what he'd done to cause Al to doubt it. Did they have a fight he didn't know about?

"Of course I do, Al." Simple, straight forward. No reason for him to think anything of answering that question, even if they didn't say it all that much - or ever, unprompted. Alphonse was drunk and concerned, and he wanted to do what he could to make his brother feel better. "Don't be ridiculous, why wouldn't I?"