DISCLAIMER: I don't own FMA, I only own my own OCs and this fic. I do have an FMA keychain, though.
Twelve
To say Alphonse was startled would be an understatement. He nearly panicked, but he managed to calm himself down; he had to stop her crying. But what was she crying about?
He knelt beside her. "Delilah? What's wrong? …Am I still scaring you? I-I can go get Winry…."
She shook her head. "N-no, no-nothing's wro—" She broke off, coughing slightly, and she rubbed at her eyes in a desperate attempt to pretend that they hadn't been there in the first place. Her head ached.
"Delilah, tell me what's wrong," he pleaded. When she didn't answer, he shifted nervously and began to stand. "I'll go get Win—"
She suddenly latched onto his hand, effectively stopping him. "N-no, stay," she gasped. "H-he said he would hurt us i-if I said anything."
Al's eyes widened, and he immediately knelt back down again, placing his free hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"
She whimpered. "H-he said he would hurt you and Edward…."
"Listen, okay?" He tried to keep his voice soothing but also imperative. "I've told you before, Brother and I can take care of ourselves, and we won't let anything happen to you, okay? It's okay. Just tell me what happened."
She nodded, but tears kept falling from her eyes anyway. Her resolve in wanting to protect both herself and the brothers didn't break; instead, Alphonse's words gently struck something within her, causing her to open up. "I-I found out the d-doctor is missing, and h-he said they took him."
"'He'? Who are you talking about?"
She shuddered. "I-I think it was Envy."
He unintentionally tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Did he hurt you?"
She touched her cheek. "My skin. He cut it and made me heal it."
"Did he hurt you anywhere else? …Did he make you do anything?"
She shook her head. Unable to hold the rest of it in any longer, she told Alphonse about how she had discovered from the sheriff how Marcoh was missing. She hesitated at that point, but she also explained how Envy had threatened her if she told anyone, and about how he seemed angry that she was a "candidate."
"I was so scared," she sobbed. "I still feel like—like—"
"It's okay, Delilah," Alphonse soothed. "I'm glad you told me. We can protect you, okay? It'll be all right. Don't worry."
She suddenly latched onto him as if trying to hide herself under his massive chest, surprising him. "I-I want to feel safe again, Alphonse…."
After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her thin form, being careful not to apply too much pressure. "I'll make sure you will, okay? I promise. Let's go back inside for now. I can carry you in my armor, if you want some privacy, okay?"
She agreed, and he opened up his chest plate and helped her crawl inside. He closed himself, and once she assured him she was comfortable, he stood and left the alley, quietly opening the fire exit door and heading back to Ed's room. Delilah curled up inside his chest cavity, leaning her forehead against his cool stomach.
After making sure that Brosh and Ross knew that he didn't want him and Ed to be interrupted, Alphonse entered Ed's room and carefully closed the door behind him. The Fullmetal Alchemist was still seated in his bed, drawing some rather childlike figures onto some paper. He looked up.
"Hey, Al," he greeted. "I sent Winry to go get our tickets…. Where's Del?"
"Here," the younger Elric said, kneeling down and opening up his chest plate. Unprepared, Delilah slid out onto the floor somewhat gracelessly. Once she was out, Al closed himself again and helped her sit up.
To say Ed was perplexed would be an understatement. "What're you doing in there?"
"…Felt safer," she muttered, becoming a bit distant now that she was outside of Al's body.
Al saw this and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, okay? Brother and I are here, and the officers are still guarding us. You're safe."
"What's going on here?" Ed asked, both irritated at being out of the loop and concerned about Delilah's current state; she seemed mostly all right, but her eyes were red-rimmed and she looked tired.
"Envy threatened her just after Laboratory Five exploded," Al explained. "He said he would hurt her and us if she told anyone."
Ed's eyes widened. "What? But…why didn't Envy just kill you? Why threaten you?"
When it was apparent that she wasn't going to immediately respond, Alphonse spoke once again. "She found out Marcoh's missing."
"Missing?"
Delilah gripped the fabric of her dress, fisting it nervously. "H-he made it sound like they had him…and he said something about me being a 'candidate.'"
Though Ed was definitely serious at this point, his expression sobered even further. "That sounds just like why they let me live. 'Human sacrifice'…" He got out of bed and grabbed one of his papers before kneeling down and showing her his drawing of Envy. "Did he look like this?"
She nodded, involuntarily shuddering even though Ed's drawing skills could be viewed as something comical.
Ed frowned. "Did he hurt you?"
"I already asked," Alphonse said, knowing that the girl wouldn't want to relive the trauma of remembering what had happened. "He cut her cheeks and made her heal herself so no one could see, but she says he didn't do anything else."
Ed ran a hand through his bangs. "Are you sure Marcoh's missing?"
"No one has seen him since I left." Her breathing hitched. "All this time…" I have been enjoying myself, and he has…
"We'll do everything we can to find him, Delilah," Al told her.
"Judging by what they said, we're bound to run into them again," Ed said, standing. "Hopefully, we might be able to find something out then."
The thought of seeing Envy again filled her with terror, but she didn't make any sort of objections. She wanted to find Marcoh and make sure he was all right. But, with her being as small as she was, she wouldn't be able to do that by herself. She was weak; it was a fact that had never bothered her before, but now she could hardly stand it. "…Would it be all right if I traveled with you? I-I will try not to be a burden."
"You're not a burden," Al assured her. "You told me you wanted to learn more alchemy, right? I'll teach you. It'll be easy since you know the basics."
Ed scratched the back of his head. "Trouble seems to find us wherever we go, but I have to admit we should stick together, given the situation. You might not sleep if you stay here, knowing you," he tried to joke. "We're going to Dublith tomorrow, so be ready. And you're going to have to at least tell Hughes and the Major what happened."
"Okay." She had mostly managed to calm down at this point, but she was still extremely worried. However, she didn't want to keep being scared, so she tried to distract herself. "Why Dublith?"
"We decided that we need to go see our teacher," Al explained. "She taught us alchemy."
Ed twitched. "It might not be the best thing to bring her to see Teacher, on second thought…."
Al's body shuddered for a moment as well, but then he shook his head. "No, Teacher wouldn't…seriously hurt Delilah. So long as you stay on her good side, Delilah, you'll be fine."
She was unnerved, but she trusted the boys, so she agreed.
()()()()()
"I don't remember anything after this guy kicked me," Ed explained, holding up a picture of Envy to the Major and Hughes.
The Major crossed his arms. "Human souls trapped in artificial bodies, used as guards; "human sacrifice"; allowing you to live; an individual named Envy... Meanwhile, we have Dr. Marcoh creating a Stone for use in the Ishvalan War, and his disappearance..."
"Then there's the Ouroboros tattoo, and a transmutation circle for the Philosopher's Stone," Hughes added.
"There are too many mysteries for this to simply be an experiment to produce the Stone," said the Major.
"And the lab is a dead end because it's been reduced to a pile of rubble," Hughes mused. He turned to Delilah, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Are you sure he said nothing else?"
She nodded.
All four males pondered the information for a moment before Hughes picked up Ed's drawing of the Ouroboros tattoo. "We might be able to find something if we go through the criminal records at the Investigations Division."
The Major picked up a small stack of papers. "And I shall see if I can track down anyone who may have assisted Dr. Marcoh with his research. Miss, did the doctor ever happen to mention anyone at all?"
She shook her head, unable to recall even a mutter of a name. She was a bit unwilling to speak after explaining what had happened to her to the two men. If she would have had to say anything, she was saved by the sound of knocking, and she went to go open the door.
To say the entire group was surprised to see the Fuhrer of all people enter the room would be an understatement. "I hope I'm not interrupting?" he asked.
"F-Fuhrer King Bradley!" As one, the military boys snapped to attention and saluted, while Al and Delilah bowed.
"At ease," the Amestrian ruler said, waving a hand. "No need to make a fuss."
"Fuhrer Bradley, sir, what brings you here?" Hughes asked respectfully.
"Why, to visit the Fullmetal Alchemist, of course." He held out a basket to Ed. "Do you like melons?"
"Uh...thanks, sir." Ed accepted the gift, sweating nervously.
"I hear you've been doing quite a bit of snooping around Central Command, Major Armstrong."
The Major gave a start at the ruler's words, and he stuttered. "How...?"
"Don't underestimate my information network, Major. And you, Edward Elric...you're searching for the Philosopher's Stone, aren't you?" He leered at the boy, his voice suddenly becoming dark. "How much do you know? A great deal depends on your answer..."
A tense silence filled the air, and Delilah was about to reconsider her positive opinion of the Fuhrer before he suddenly laughed good-naturedly. "Just kidding! Don't be so uptight!"
The response was a confused one, but Hughes regained his senses first. "Delilah, maybe you should step outside for a moment," he advised.
She was about to comply when the Fuhrer held up his hand. "No worries. Any friend of the Fullmetal Alchemist is a friend of mine. And I'm sure she'll be able to keep quiet about the matters I wish to discuss with you."
In a more formal tone, he continued. "I know that there has been some suspicious activity going on in the military lately, and I want to do something about it." He picked up one of the stacks of papers that the Major had compiled and took a look through it. "I see this is a list of all the researchers who were involved with the Stone. You've done quite a job of finding all of these names. But you see, the whereabouts of all these individuals are currently unknown."
Dread settled in Delilah's stomach. Those people were missing as well? First Marcoh, and now them? Her nervousness at the information was reflected in Ed's eyes, as well as Hughes and the Major (she assumed Alphonse felt the same), but none of them said anything. No one wanted to explain that Marcoh had fled the military.
"They disappeared a few days before the explosion at Laboratory Five," the Fuhrer continued. "The enemy is always one step ahead of us. And presently, even with my vast information network, I don't know our enemy's motives…or the extent to which they have infiltrated the military."
"Sir…you're saying it could be dangerous to continue investigating?" Hughes clarified.
"Yup. But all of you—including you, young miss—I am going to give you a direct order, for your own safety. I will not allow you to speak of this to anyone or stick your neck in this matter any further! This is truly a case where you cannot tell friend from foe. Trust no one. You must be discreet in your actions and assume that the entire military is the enemy!
"However… When the time comes, I will call on you, so make sure you are prepared."
"Y-yes, sir!" Hughes and the Major stuttered, saluting along with Ed while Al and Delilah stood stiff, not knowing what to do.
"Has anyone seen the Fuhrer? Fuhrer Bradley!"
Bradley gave a start. "Oh, it's my pesky bodyguards!" Without further ado, he went to the window and opened it, giving them all a quick wave. "I slipped out earlier without them noticing. Now I must leave! Farewell." And then he hopped out the window onto the level ground and walked off.
After that, Delilah had no idea what to feel. Apparently, neither did anyone else.
At that moment, Winry came through the door. She quickly noticed the atmosphere. "What's wrong with you guys? Even the guards outside are acting weird."
"…Just a passing storm…," Ed muttered.
Winry was confused, but didn't question it. "I bought those train tickets you wanted," she said, holding up an envelope.
"Thanks," Ed said, perking up. "But you might have to go back later. Del's coming with us and needs a ticket."
"Why?" Winry hadn't been told about the Envy incident.
"Uh…" Ed scratched his head.
Seeing that he still didn't want to have Winry worrying over them, Delilah piped up. "They are going to teach me more about alchemy." She felt bad at keeping the truth from Winry, but she honestly didn't want to even think about the experience anymore, much less talk about it. She also silently agreed with Edward in not wanting Winry to fret.
"Oh, really?" Winry smiled at the younger girl, probably remembering their conversation the night before, about how Delilah hadn't wanted to go home. "That's good!"
"Where are you going this time?" Hughes asked, taking the envelope from Winry and pulling out the tickets. "Dublith?"
"Where's that?" Winry asked.
Alphonse pulled out a map and pointed to the southern area of Amestris. "Here," he said, pointing.
Winry peered at the map and suddenly screamed, causing everyone present to give a start. "Right before Dublith! Rush Valley! The automail engineers' mecca! I've ALWAYS wanted to go there!" She rounded on Edward and flailed excitedly. "Take me, take me, TAKE ME!"
Ed huffed. "Go by yourself."
"WHO'S GONNA PAY FOR MY TRAVEL EXPENSES?"
"ARE YOU PLANNING ON MOOCHING OFF ME?"
"Hey, what's the problem?" Al interrupted. "It's on the way there."
"…All right," Ed relented.
Winry cheered and rushed out the door. "I'm gonna call Granny!"
"She sure is energetic," Al commented.
"She would make someone a great wife," Hughes added. "Not as great as my wife, of course."
Ed twitched violently. "DON'T TELL ME THAT! AND QUIT BRAGGING!"
Delilah only found herself smiling, grateful for the fact that she didn't have to say goodbye to Winry just yet.
()()()()()
That night, Hughes offered his house to Winry and Delilah, and he kindly accepted the latter's refusal (though Winry, left out of the loop, was a tad confused, but didn't question it). He and Winry bade them goodnight, and they left to drop by the train station to buy tickets for the girls before they headed back to the Hughes household.
"…Uh, do you want the bed, and I can take the cot?" Ed asked (at Al's insistence), referring to the extremely uncomfortable mobile mattress that the nurse had brought them.
Delilah shook her head. "I will be fine. Thank you."
Ed shrugged in exasperation at a look from Alphonse and crawled into his bed. "Fine by me, I guess. You took your medicine, right?" he asked, slightly stern.
"You saw me take it," she replied, laying on her cot and trying to ignore how lumpy it was.
"Just checking. Well, goodnight, Del, Al." He turned off the light and lay down completely.
"Goodnight, Brother," Al wished. "Goodnight, Delilah."
"Goodnight." She pulled the covers nearly all the way up to her face.
Alphonse sat on his stood and stayed silent while Ed quickly fell asleep. Delilah felt incredibly tired from her lack of sleep over the past few days and her excessive crying. But, despite how the day had turned out to be a better one than it had started out as, the fact that she had broken her word to Envy weighed heavily on her mind, and nerves clawed at her stomach. Whenever she was anywhere close to unconsciousness, the thought of Envy coming in to attack them made her jerk awake.
"…Alphonse?" she whispered. For a moment she thought he hadn't heard her, but then he replied quietly.
"Are you having nightmares?"
"No. Hard to sleep." She paused and shifted slightly, drawing her knees closer to her chest. "…May I…" Normally, she would've asked the question bluntly, but part of her was still getting used to the fact that she had actually told the brothers what had happened to her, and asking her question would've aroused their suspicion if this moment had been a day before.
He tipped his head. "What?"
"May I sleep in your chest?"
He jerked in surprise. "W-why?"
"It feels safer in you."
Alphonse was silent for a few seconds, and she was prepared to stay on her cot for the rest of the night when he said, "Grab your blanket. It might get cold in my body."
She nodded and stood, gathering the sheet into her arms while Al slowly sat on the floor and opened his chest plate. Delilah crawled inside and wrapped the sheet around her as he closed himself up.
"Just be careful of my blood seal," he reminded her, even though she would have to reach up to touch it.
She found it interesting to hear his voice reverberate around her, inside him.
"Of course." She leaned her head against him; already, she felt much calmer, soothed by the cool, closed space. A few minutes later she succumbed to sleep.
a/n: I piled on the AlxDel fluff because YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING AWESOME. I got SIX reviews since the last chapter. Seriously, you guys. You guys are freaking awesome and deserve medals. Or at least all the fic I can give you. Omfg. I just. I can't. Feels, man. Feels. *gives you guys brofists*
All that aside, the fluff serves a point later, or at least it should. Things you can probably take note from in this chapter are 1) Del said what happened! 2) Al promised to make her feel safe, 3) oh hey the Fuhrer was here, 4) we're probably never going to see Hughes again *cries a river*, 5) they're gonna go to Rush Valley~, and 6) DEL'S SLEEPING WITH AL *shot*
I was asked about what plot this follows, and I wanted to point out again that this is the manga version (which I haven't read completely, by the way, not even close, but since it's so close to Brotherhood I think I'm good?). This means that, yes, we will see May. I like May as a character (sometimes she's a bit...much, I guess you could say), but honestly I have trouble accepting AlxMay because I'm a jealous person that can't accept the fact that Al is fictional (*sobs in a corner*). But just because I don't like the pairing doesn't mean I'm going to bash May, because she doesn't deserve that, nor does any character for any shipping reasons. When we do finally get to her, I'll do my absolute best to keep her in character and not make her seem like...idk. Evil.
But anyway, I have work in 11 hours and I haven't gone to sleep yet. XD;; and it takes me forever to fall asleep *slumps* Please drop a review on your way out~ (I seriously do love you all, btw. Seriously.)
