DISCLAIMER: I don't own FMA, I only own my own OCs and this particular fic. I'd say something witty but eh you get the point.
Eleven
"Hey, Ed!" Hughes yelled, barging into the room ahead of Delilah, past Ross and Brosh, who were guarding the door. "I heard you snuck a girl into your room!"
Ed fell out of his bed, and blood spurted from his side.
"Your wound!" Delilah was about to dash forward to try and seal it again, but Edward's attention was directed at Hughes; the boy was trembling in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
"SHE'S JUST MY AUTOMAIL MECHANIC!"
"So, you hooked up with your mechanic, huh?" Hughes deduced. Ed writhed in mental agony, and the man added, "Your wounds will open up if you don't watch it."
Ed sighed and finally calmed down, and Delilah took the opportunity to hurry over and inspect his wound; luckily, it was a small opening and it was already being clotted by his blood, so Delilah didn't bother to close it. Ed introduced Hughes to Winry, and it was at that point that Delilah noticed the other girl. She was happy to see a familiar face.
"Anyway, Hughes," Ed went on, "isn't there work you should be doing?"
The Lieutenant Colonel chuckled. "I have the afternoon off! Though we've been busy lately, I made Sheska work overtime."
Ed sweatdropped. "You're an evil man."
Hughes ignored the remark. "It's true that I wanted to see how you were doing, but there's another reason I dropped by. I just got some news about the Scar incident." The name worried Delilah, but the man's next words were happy. "Your bodyguards are going to be dismissed soon."
Ed brightened considerably. "Really? I can finally get these annoying chaperones off my back?" Ross and Brosh didn't seem to be impressed with his words.
Winry was startled, and she pointed a finger in Ed's face. "Bodyguards? What kind of danger have you been in?"
Ed panicked. "N-nothing, really! Don't worry about it!" He looked away. "It's no big deal."
The girl put her hands on her hips. "Figures. You and Al never tell me anything, no matter how nicely I ask." She sighed and picked up her toolbox. "Well, guess I'll see you tomorrow. I have to go find a place to stay for the night."
"You and Del can stay in the military hotel. She's been sleeping here, so I cancelled her room, but you can get another one cheap if you tell them I sent you."
Winry made a face. "Military hotel? Sounds a bit too strict for me."
"I do not want to stay there, either," Delilah added, meaning that she did not want to leave the boys at all, never mind go back to the place where Envy had threatened her. Just the thought made her blood feel cold.
Hughes suddenly had an idea. "You two can stay at my place! My family would love to have you!" He picked up Delilah's briefcase and handed it to the young girl before taking both her and Winry's hands. "This is yours, right? Let's get going!" Before anyone could stop him, he was dragging both girls out the door.
()()()()()
Incredibly nervous now that she was away from Ed and Al, Delilah stayed mostly silent and stuck close to Winry as Hughes led them through Central, stopping at various shops along the way. When Winry asked him what all the items were for, he grinned like he had been waiting the entire time for someone to ask.
"Today happens to be my daughter's birthday!" he explained, coming to a stop at the entrance to a house. He was about to set down what he was carrying, but the door opened to reveal a short-haired, lovely-looking woman carrying a pigtailed toddler.
"Welcome home, Papa!" the little girl said as her mother placed her on the ground.
"Elicia, I missed you so much!" Hughes cooed, kneeling down to snuggle his daughter tightly. He then stood and politely introduced them all to each other and explained that Winry and Delilah needed a place to stay for the night. Gracia quickly agreed, and while the Hugheses seemed to be a warm and welcoming family, Delilah silently doubted about if she was going to get any sleep that night due to her fear. Though she had been dragged into this, she graciously thanked the family along with Winry.
Winry knelt beside Elicia. "How old are you today?"
"Tw..." Elicia held up two fingers but trailed off before adding another digit. "Three!"
Hughes and Winry squirmed at the toddler's adorableness, and even with all her thoughts, Delilah couldn't help but smile.
"Is it okay for us to stay here during her birthday?" Winry asked.
"I do not want to be a burden," Delilah added.
Hughes smiled. "The more the merrier, right? Welcome to the family!"
()()()()()
The birthday party went off without a hitch. Many people and their children came to celebrate, and Delilah joined in the cheers when Elicia blew out her candles. However, Delilah wasn't much for socialization, so she mostly tried to stay out of the way. She felt a bit lonely and nervous, but she didn't know what else to do but watch.
A while later, she felt a tug on her dress, and she looked down to see Elicia fisting the fabric; she was surrounded by a few of her young friends.
Delilah blinked in surprise. "Yes?"
"You're pretty, like sister Winry," Elicia said. "Can you do anything cool like she can? She fixed my toy!"
No one had ever called her pretty before. Not knowing how to respond to the comment, she lowered herself to Elicia's eye level, taking care to tuck her dress behind her knees.
"I can do a bit of alchemy, if you can get me a bit of paper and a pencil."
Elicia looked excited, and she ran off with her chattering friends, only to come back a few moments later with what Delilah had asked for. She drew a simple transmutation circle and put her hands on it, using the material of the paper to make a small, folded bird.
"Happy birthday," Delilah wished, nearly forgetting to put some warmth into her words.
Elicia marveled at the creation before she gave Delilah a quick hug and picked up her bird. All of the other children were envious, and they quickly gathered the leftover wrapping paper and begged Delilah to transmute more. For nearly the rest of the afternoon, she was transmuting paper birds.
()()()()()
There was only one extra bedroom, but Hughes was nice enough to move the couch cushions into the room so the girls wouldn't have to share the small bed. Delilah volunteered to take the cushions, since she doubted she would be able to fall asleep.
After her turn in the bathroom, Delilah took her medicine and settled under the covers. Winry came back from the washroom a few minutes later, clad in her pajamas. She glanced at Delilah and frowned in puzzlement.
"Sleepy already?" she asked, going to sit in her bed.
"Not really," Delilah answered truthfully.
"I am. It's been a long day. The party was fun though, don't you think?"
"It was," Delilah agreed, although for the first half she had hardly had any sort of fun. But then she remembered the rest of it. "…Elicia called me pretty," she admitted quietly.
"Hm?" Winry rolled over and propped her head up with her hand. "You are."
She blushed. "No one has ever told me that. She is only three, but…"
"Well, you're a…quiet pretty," Winry told her. "It's there, but not pronounced. Do you get what I'm saying?"
Delilah didn't feel like a pretty person, but she thought she understood what the older girl was trying to say. "…Thank you," she whispered.
Winry smiled. "It's the truth." She rolled over onto her back and was silent for a moment. "Delilah? Do you know how Ed got those injuries?"
She didn't want to lie, but she also remembered how Ed hadn't told Winry about what had happened. He had only told Delilah what went on because she had known in the first place where he and Al had gone. "Yes. But Edward should tell you."
The older girl sighed. "They never tell me anything. I know why, but still, I worry about them. But anyway, enough about them, I never got to ask you much about yourself back in Resembool, so spill! Where're you from?"
Delilah was a bit surprised at Winry's topic change, but she indulged the girl after a moment. She told her where she was from and how she was raised, always referring to Marcoh as "the doctor," and she skipped over how exactly he had healed her. She also tried to downplay how uninteresting her life had been up until she met the Elric brothers. She hadn't loved her life, that was for sure, but she had accepted it, not knowing anything different.
"But you don't want to go home yet, do you?" Winry asked quietly.
She closed her eyes. "No." I am not the person that left that town. Even after just these few weeks, I am different. I do not think I could stand it.
Not wanting to talk anymore, Delilah rolled over, away from Winry. "Good night," she wished, trying to keep herself from crying about the fact that she had no idea what to do.
"Oh. Good night, then." Winry sounded a bit surprised, but she didn't pry, and she soon fell asleep. Delilah didn't fall asleep for a long while.
()()()()()
Winry had to wake Delilah up in the morning, and it wasn't until Hughes was driving them back to the hospital to visit Ed that she fully came to her senses.
"…What happened?" she asked, accidently interrupting Hughes and Winry's conversation.
Winry turned around to face her, smiling. "Well good morning to you, sleepyhead. We're heading to see Ed and Al, don't you remember?"
"Oh. That makes sense."
Hughes laughed. "You're probably still tired from the party yesterday. Elicia sure did have fun! She talked all about how her 'big sisters' helped to make it a special day. Thank you, girls, for making it so great."
"It was no problem, Mr. Hughes." Winry beamed at him.
Within a few minutes, they had arrived at the hospital. Hughes parked the car and walked inside with the girls, leading them to Ed's room. Along the way, Winry and Hughes chatted pleasantly while Delilah followed silently, grateful for every step that led her closer to the brothers. She felt safer just by knowing that they were near.
After greeting Brosh and Ross, Winry opened the door to Ed's room, and Delilah stuck close behind her, wanting to waste no time—
"I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS DAMN BODY!"
Winry stopped dead, and Delilah nearly stumbled into her, thrown off-balance by the strength behind the words. Her stomach felt cold at the tone; she felt the desire to run, but she was frozen as she stared past Winry, looking at the person who had shouted.
Alphonse stood tall, his stance imposing, his fists clenched. He appeared to have risen to his feet in a hurry, as the stool he had been sitting on lay on the floor, forgotten.
"I-I'm sorry, Al," Ed apologized in a small voice. From this angle, Delilah couldn't see his face, and she couldn't imagine his pained look—Alphonse was taking up all her attention.
"You're right," Ed went on. "It's my fault that all of this happened. That's why I want to get you back to normal as soon as possible."
Al's eyes narrowed. "Is there really any guarantee that we can get our original bodies back?"
"I'll get you back to normal. You've just gotta believe me!"
"'Believe' you?" Alphonse exploded. He held up his fists and glared at his hands. "What am I supposed to believe in this empty shell of a body?! According to alchemic theory, human beings are composed of a physical body, mind and soul! But has anyone ever verified that in an experiment?" He lowered his hands and stared straight at his brother. "Memories are nothing but data. When you really think about it, it should be possible to artificially construct them."
"What are you saying, Al…?"
"You told me once that there was something you were too afraid to tell me. Maybe what you wanted to tell me was that my soul and my memories are all fake and that they were created artificially." Al paused to let the information sink in, and also to wait for an answer, but nothing came, and his voice rose once more. "Well, Brother? Can you prove that a person named Alphonse Elric really existed? Isn't it possible that Winry, Granny, and everyone else is lying to me? Brother, what do you have to say to that?"
There was a loud slam, and Delilah flinched, huddling close to Winry's backside.
"…You were keeping that bottled up inside this whole time?" Ed asked quietly, tensely. "Is that what you wanted to tell me?"
Alphonse said nothing.
"…I see." A moment later, Ed walked out of the room, straight past all of them, and disappeared down the hallway.
Winry broke away from Delilah. "Ed…!" Seeing that he was gone, she opened up her toolbox and pulled out a long wrench; there was a murderous look in her eyes.
"YOU IDIOT!" she screeched at Al, clubbing him upside the head and causing his helmet to rattle. He fell to the ground.
"W-what're you doing?" he asked incredulously, his eyes wide.
Winry panted in her anger, and tears started to leak from her eyes. Alphonse showed shock, but without warning, she hit him again. "AL, YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT! You don't have ANY IDEA how Ed feels, do you? The thing that Ed was too afraid to talk to you about…it was whether you blame him for what happened!"
She fell to her knees in front of him and began to hit him in the chest repeatedly, each blow weaker than the last. "He used to cry himself to sleep every night from the pain and fever because of his automail surgery." She let out a sob. "And then you went and said that…! What idiot would risk his own life to create a fake younger brother?!" She wiped away her tears. "All you guys have is each other."
Alphonse looked down, saying nothing.
Winry suddenly pointed out the door. "Go after him."
He hesitated. "U-um…okay." He stood and hurried out the door; as he passed, Delilah moved to make room for him, unconsciously trying to look as small as possible.
"YOU'D BETTER RUN!" Winry called, standing up and shaking a fist.
"Yes, ma'am!" Alphonse called nervously, quickening his pace and disappearing around the corner.
Winry sighed and wiped away the remainders of her tears. "I'm sure they'll make up, but…ugh, they're so stupid." Her voice was a bit raspy from her shouts. She noticed Delilah standing timidly next to the door, and her face softened. "Sorry you had to see them fight, Delilah. Are you okay?"
Delilah trembled. "I—I need to go to the bathroom," she blurted, turning and leaving the room, heading in the opposite direction that Alphonse had taken. It was also the opposite way from the bathrooms.
()()()()()
She somehow found a dark, quiet corner and sat on the floor, pulling her legs up to her chest and burying her face in her knees. She struggled not to sob, but her tears were already staining her dress.
She didn't know how long she sat there, her mind running through all of the reasons to cry, but eventually she heard a clanking sound coming from down the hall. Alphonse.
She hastily wiped her eyes and stood. She couldn't let anyone see her so broken—it would lead to questions, and she didn't want to think about what would happen if Envy found out that she had broken her promise. She glanced around and saw that a fire exit wasn't more than a few steps away; she opened the door and hurried through it onto the pavement outside.
"Delilah?" Alphonse called after her, and she could tell by his loud footsteps that he was speeding to catch up with her.
She ignored him and turned left, hurrying into an alley. All she could think of was the fact that she had to get away from the questions that would come, the decisions she would have to make—to lie or to tell the truth.
She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she nearly ran straight into the dead-end wall at the end of the alley. Only moments later, she heard Alphonse behind her.
"I'm so sorry I scared you," he apologized sincerely. "Winry told me what happened, and I knew it was my fault. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry."
She touched the wall, trying to steady herself. "Y-you did," she admitted before adding quickly, "but I d-do not blame you. You were angry."
"No—you should," Alphonse insisted. He walked carefully up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It was wrong of me to yell like that; I scared all of you." He let out the slow sound of a sigh. "I wouldn't be surprised if you want to go home after this. You have to anyway, right?"
She felt cold. "Do you want me to go home?"
He shifted in surprise. "Of course not! You're my friend—Ed and Winry think of you as a friend, too. I just thought you were planning on going home after our research, and after this, I…" He trailed off.
She shook her head, recalling what she had wanted to ask the other day before Al had interrupted them. It was something that had been in the back of her mind since they had gotten to Central, but she had been too apprehensive to speak out. But now…it might be a way to keep them safe from Envy.
She turned around to face Alphonse, looking him straight in his red eyes, trying to ignore the fact that she herself probably looked very worse for wear. "W-would you and Edward teach me alchemy? I mean—can I go with you?"
His eyes widened. "What? Why? What about Marcoh?"
With the sound of the name, her worry over the man that had sheltered her for years spilled out of her, and she fell to her knees and began to sob.
a/n: Told you shit would hit the fan. Angst, angst, and more angst. Oh and Elicia also turned three. c:
But yeah, I kinda rushed through the first part, but...eh. XD Oh well. What's important is that Ed and Al are all right again, and that Delilah is sobbing in front of Al. Poor guy, he probably thinks it's all because she's terrified of him, and she was for that moment (as much as I love Al (and I REALLY love him it's insane how obsessed I am), I would probably be scared shitless when he yelled like that). But anyway, she still wants to keep them safe from Envy's threat, and she asked Al to go with them to try and distract him from asking her anything that might lead to what happened, but he asked anyway. Whoopsie.
Anyway, in the past 10 chapters, I've got 25 reviews. I know it's summer and my math is terrible during this time, but I think that's 2.5 reviews a chapter. THAT'S FREAKING INSANE FOR ME. I MEAN REALLY. AND YOU GUYS SEEM TO LIKE THIS A LOT. WHAT IS GOING ON FJKLA;FJA *flails*
Thank you for reading, and don't forget to leave a review~ They make me happy, like cats make Al happy. c: