Title: A Fangirl's Dream
Summary: Ivy has it rough. She's no anime fan or FMA fan. But when she somehow crosses the gate, she finds herself in the worst possible position: a protagonist of an Another World fic trope. And between the alchemy, automail, lack of plot knowledge, and struggling with her attraction to a pretty blonde mechanic, Ivy reluctantly teams up with the main characters in her journey to get home.
Pen Name: FanfictionIsMySideHustle

"Behold the splendor!"

Ivy could have cried when she picked up the 8 pounds worth of steel-aluminium that was her second attempt at crafting an arm. Elizabetta 2.0 was finally complete. She was a lovely silver color, she was light, she clinked and clacked smoothly at the wrist and elbow joints. She was honestly perfect. No, there was no hint of bias in Ivy's professional opinion. "Seriously guys, look at it! Look at it! I want you all to look at it!"

"Okay, okay!" Winry laughed lightly as she stepped closer. "It looks really good!" The blonde engineer praised, taking the wrist in her hands to give it a rotation test. "You've definitely improved the fluidity of the wrist joint compared to the first attempt."

"Pretty sure you helped out with it being more flexible." Ivy admitted, though her chest was still warm with satisfaction. "I tried that trick you suggested about not putting a cylinder in the wrist and instead used a small series of nuts, washers, and bolts to achieve maximum mobility yet still copy a cylinder's functions. Honestly, that's brilliant."

Winry beamed, herself. "I think we both have to thank Granny for that one."

"Should I do the same for ankle joints in legs?"

"Now for legs I still use an actual cylinder." The blonde replied, tone light and cheerful at the exchange of information. "But depending on the size of the model and who it's meant for, use a slightly smaller one in order to not just have good up and down range but side-to-side range to if the outfittee wants to move their feet in a more diagonal motion. You don't want it to be too loose but you don't want it to be too stiff."

"I'll keep that in mind for when I finally move onto making legs then."

"Ivy, please don't tell me that you're shrieking like a banshee over an automail arm." Akasha teased as she entered the room.

Ivy squinted at her friend, "appreciate my craftsmanship, knave."

Akasha rolled her eyes but she stepped forward, leaning against Ivy's frame to take a look. "It does look good though. Nothing compared to alchemy but…" Her green eyes flickered with amusement.

"I'd love to see you try to make a perfect arm of automail with your alchemy, brat." Ivy dared. "I'll lend my books so you can study the different parts first, hell I will even give you a further handicap and tell you which metal to use."

"No thanks, gearhead 1."

"That's what I thought."

"Hmm." Winry traced a pale finger lightly over Elizabetta 2.0's forearm plate. "Even if with the proper knowledge about automail and what goes where, automail made from alchemy would lack the love that goes into it." Winry smiled, her blue eyes looking into Akasha's green. "Not that there isn't any love that goes into alchemy, I don't know much about it."

"There's definitely love there, I think." Akasha replied. "You have to keep in mind everything that you want to change in order for it to be exactly in the image you want."

Ivy released a quiet breath.

It had been a few days since what she was now calling the Whore Incident and Akasha and Winry at least looked to be on better terms.

"Well maybe on the train ride to Central we can have a nice long chat about our respective crafts." Ivy proposed, setting her arm down on her work table. "Or whenever Mr. Garfiel comes back with lunch. I am starving, tired, and I wanna walk all at the same time." She'd stayed up two nights in a row to finish this arm. "Here's hoping I didn't miss a bolt in this thing." She smirked as she gave Winry a pointed look.

Winry coughed loudly, "anyway, it's nice that we finished our arms around the same time!" Edward's arm had been finished a few hours before, a little after breakfast. This time, all bolts were accounted for. "It'll really be nice seeing Mr. Hughes and his family again."

Ivy held back a strong yawn, "Yeah it will." She looked at the brunette in the room. "You're gonna love the guy. Imagine Sokka but he's a dad"

"He sounds like a fun guy." Akasha's grin looked forced and Ivy raised an eyebrow.

"Sokka?" Winry asked.

Ivy waved nonchalantly, "inside reference." She nudged Akasha lightly. 'You good?' Her eyes communicated at the brunette.

Akasha nudged back, "I'm okay, just tired."

Ivy pursed her lips, unconvinced. "Why don't we both take a walk then." Ivy linked hers and Akasha's arms together firmly. The shorter girl wouldn't be going anywhere. "I've been missing the sun and you haven't gotten a proper look at Rush Valley yet. So let's get in some of the sights before we take off on the train. Knowing Ed, he's out there buying tickets for tomorrow or something. That runt is always on the move."

Winry blinked in surprise, "what about lunch? Mr. Garfiel is probably gonna be here soon."

"Ah don't worry about it, we'll be back by then." Ivy winked. They probably wouldn't but she doubted that her engineering teacher would mind much. "If he asks, it's a small walk and I'll be back soon. Oh and tell him Elizabetta 2.0 is done if he gets back before we do."

With that, Ivy and Akasha left and Ivy welcomed the feel of the direct sunlight on her skin. "I could really use a pick me up in Gerudo town." Rush Valley sort of had that vibe to it, though it certainly wasn't an all-night sort of town. There was also a shortage of tall, brown-skinned redheaded women with six packs and high heels. But the people here were lively, engineers and automail outfittees alike. "Imagine if we ended up in Breath of the Wild instead."

Now that would be the open world adventure of Ivy's dreams.

"You would die in five seconds getting chased by a Moblin."

"Excuse you, I can run fast and I've got the muscle to beat them with sticks." Ivy snorted. "And if it did come to getting chased by a Moblin, I just have to focus on outrunning you. Then I could focus on seducing my man Prince Sidon."

"You always talk trash about my crush on Ed but at least I don't wanna fuck a fish."

"You know what, piss off."

Akasha's laugh was natural and Ivy felt a surge of relief. "So you good? You seemed pretty off when we talked about Hughes." She thought of the kind man and his hazel eyes. He could be intimidating when he wanted but he was still ultimately really sweet despite it. "Is something gonna happen?"

Akasha's feet slowly came to a halt and Ivy paused, looking at her friend with concern. "Akasha?"

"I really don't want to talk about it right now." Akasha shrugged, looking pointedly somewhere else. "But everything ends up working out, that's all I'll say."

There was a hint of finality in her voice.

"Hughes is alright though?"

"It all works out." Akasha repeated. "Anyway, I don't think I really need a tour of this place now, I already had to walk through it when I got here with Ling and his group."

Alright then, we can play this game. "I sincerely doubt you were looking at the beauty of this place though." Ivy gestured broadly at the bustling of people going in and out of shops, walking around and admiring any displayed piece of automail. "Honestly, this place is awesome. There's this one place God's Studio and that's basically the shop to beat in this place."

"I know that much about Rush Valley." Akasha allowed herself to be dragged forward without protest. "There's that place and Dominic's place. Now that guy would be fun to meet."

"I'm not taking you into the mountains." Ivy deadpanned immediately before Akasha got any ideas. "I've been there a few times though and the guy's work is amazing. It just takes forever to get there since they're still fixing this bridge that you use to get there, so we have to go over in the most roundabout way. There's still some other cool shops to check out though.

"Ashiya is this place that specializes in legs and feet, the engineers there get along pretty well with Mr. Garfiel so they stop by a lot for tea. There's Hagane and they make combat automail. The engineers there are war vets too so they're pretty passionate about it. They are the most passionate ladies I know too. Winry and I go to those places sometimes to see what we can learn from looking at their work Plus it never hurts to check out the competition too. And yes, there is some stuff here that's cool that doesn't have to do with automail."

"Somehow I don't think we're gonna be looking at any of those things."

"Oh come on, the amount of times I had to listen to you talk about alchemy, I deserve the payback." Ivy smirked. "Besides, we're heading to alchemy heaven, Central, pretty soon. There are some automail shops there too that I definitely wanna talk to so I can see how trends there differ from Rush Valley. If there even are any."

"So after the stuff in Central are you coming back here to keep training?" Akasha asked, kicking a nearby stone. It wasn't the smoothest segue into another conversation, but Ivy took the bait with a nod.

"I don't know jack about alchemy and Edward and Alphonse get into some serious shit sometimes." Ivy recalled the incident at the fifth laboratory that resulted in Edward getting sent to the hospital. Then they come back from their teacher's place all banged up again. I didn't even really help during the lab stuff or note decoding either. "So we had a talk about it and they convinced me that I should focus more on automail while they worked on getting their bodies back and sending me back home.

So yeah, I'll be coming back here more than likely. I wasn't any help then, I sure as hell won't be any help now if I decided to switch teams again. Besides, I like it in Rush Valley. It's peaceful and even if this isn't Hyrule, I ended up learning how to do something amazing. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Garfiel won't mind you staying here either even if you didn't become an apprentice. You'd have to help out sometime though with chores."

"Thanks but no thanks." Akasha clicked her tongue. "I'm gonna travel with Ed and Al after this all blows over."

Why wasn't Ivy surprised?

"Akasha, seeing the shit on TV is different than actually being part of the action." Ivy's brow furrowed with worry.

"I know that already."

"Do you?" Ivy asked incredulously. "We don't belong here. Even if we like it here or even if we sometimes feel like we really wanna stay, we don't actually belong in this place. I know you like Edward and all but he has a life that he's supposed to live out, a person he's supposed to fall in love with, and that isn't you."

At that, Akasha tore her arm away from Ivy's. "As far as I'm concerned I do belong here. You know I've never felt like I belonged back home. But this place? I actually feel at home and like this was what I was supposed to do all along. I know alkahestry and I'm actually good at it, I know this place better than the back of my hand, I'm actually useful to them if I travel with them and I know what I'd be getting into. Maybe you don't belong here but don't put us on the same boat.

You go back to where you call your home but I'm already in mine and you can't change my mind about that."

It was quiet and yet the loudest argument the two of them ever had.

Ivy bit the inside of her mouth as their stares held.

"Sorry, Ivy, but I'm not going back to that place." Akasha said softly. "I'm where I've always wanted to be and where I can live a life I want. I always really did think it was just a fangirl's dream because no matter how much I wanted it, there was no way I could think of to be here and here I am. You don't get it because you've never felt drawn here but I can feel it my bones. Ed's my soulmate and this place is where I'm supposed to be.

I missed out on some time though. When I got here, I ended up in Xing and it took a while and a lot of major stuff has happened. But I still have the rest of my life here to get to know Ed and for us to get to know each other." Akasha smiled to herself, cheeks pink. "I've waited most of my entire life for this."

Ivy's spine ran cold when Akasha looked back at her.

"You're not ruining this for me."

"Are you okay?"

Ivy jolted from her backpack and felt relieved when she looked over her shoulder and saw long blonde hair and wide blue eyes. "God you nearly made me crap my pants." Ivy placed a hand on her chest, heartbeat erratic. "I'm just packing up now before hitting the sack early. I'm fine though, Winry."

Sure enough, they would be leaving tomorrow with Ling in tow. Edward didn't pull any stops when it came to the progress in his journey. Elizabetta 2.0 was packed away in the storage room, Ivy's tools were neatly in her tool box. Then in a week she and Winry would be heading right back to Rush Valley to continue their training.

Winry didn't look convinced, closing the door behind her as she sat down on Ivy's bed Akasha had all but stolen the past few days. "Well you didn't look fine earlier when you came back. Did something happen with you and Akasha?"

"The loser thinks that alchemy beats automail by a landslide." Ivy hoped her lie sounded truthful. That was something Akasha would say. It was no secret she wasn't a big engineering fan. "She didn't even appreciate the tour." Ivy sighed. "Well, she did think Hagane was pretty cool."

There was a warm hand that was placed on one her own and Ivy looked down to see a white hand clasped around hers. She looked up at Winry and saw her face looking concerned. "It looked more serious than that." The blonde pressed cautiously. "You can tell me anything, you know? I know I haven't known you as long as Akasha has and don't know her that well but I want to be there too when you're sad and upset."

Ivy's heart stuttered. "I'm fine though, I promise."

"Remember what you told me at Mr. Hughes house." Winry's lips were in a firm line. "You're not hiding anything from me anymore, right?"

"I'm not." I am. "Seriously, Winry." Ivy smiled and took a seat next to the girl, knees sore from squatting on them. "I'm okay. I'm just tired from all the all-nighters, it always gets hectic when Edward and Alphonse come around needing something. By the time I came back from my walk, the sleep finally really caught up to me."

Winry stared a little longer, eyes narrowing for a moment before her face relaxed. "Alright." She said at last. "I trust you."

Ivy smiled, relieved the blonde was dropping it. "Good, I value myself for my honesty."

"Well you haven't had the cleanest record when it comes to hiding stuff from me because you think I'll worry. You can't blame me for wondering if you were hiding something again."

"Sorry." Ivy chuckled humorlessly. "This time everything's okay though. I wanna see the Hughes family again and then come right back here to do some final tests on Elizabetta and boom, leg time." Akasha was gone on a train that Ivy couldn't stop. Still, Ivy had automail and Ivy had her friendship with Winry. She didn't need anything else to keep her occupied while in Amestris. "I'll be catching up to you pretty soon. Pretty soon ole Ivette Carter is gonna have herself clientele that isn't just composed of maintenance."

"Can I call you that?"

"What?"

"Can I call you 'Ivette' from now on?"

Ivy wrinkled her nose at the sound. "You wanna call me that ancient sounding name?"

"I think it's cute though." Winry protested.

"Barely anyone ever calls me that." Minus Mr. Maverick and Armstrong, not even Ivy's own mother called her Ivette often. Not unless she was in trouble, seriously major trouble. "It isn't like there's anything cool about calling me Ivette either." Winry's face only looked disgruntled at the protest. "Why do you wanna call me Ivette, anyway?"

There was no merit to gain at all.

Winry didn't say anything immediately, suddenly finding her feet much more interesting.

"... Winry?" Ivy gave the girl a nudge.

"I-I've been…" The blonde trailed off for a moment, her grip on Ivy's hand suddenly tightening. "I guess I've been a little jealous."

Ivy felt like the blinking guy meme when the words left Winry's mouth. "Jealous?" She repeated slowly.

"I know it's stupid." Winry muttered, eyes still pointedly avoid looking in Ivy's direction. "But when Akasha said the other day that I wouldn't get anything that you two already have between you, it bothered me and I felt left out. So I thought maybe if I were the only one calling you Ivette, it would be something that only the two of us had. And that maybe certain things you shared with her only might be shared with me too." Winry hunched over with a sigh. "It sounds even more stupid when I say it out loud. And embarrassing.

I want to like Akasha but after what happened that day with what she called you, even if it was a joke, it's hard trying to forge a relationship with her. I don't think she really likes me either. And I know you don't mean to shut me out because you two haven't spent any time together in a long time but… I guess it's been on my mind. I don't have to call you Ivette if you don't want that. I don't want to make you uncomfortable if you don't really like it."

Ivy's mouth felt dry and she looked some place else, herself.

Winry was crossing over lines that shouldn't have been crossed.

"You… you can call me Ivette if you want." Ivy said at last, mouth feeling like it was mostly moving on it's own. She still had yet to completely process what she had been told. "Call me whatever you want. It's fine if it's you."

Though she still looked abashed, Winry smiled. "Okay."

Ivy felt like she couldn't breathe.

"S-so…" Ivy coughed, mind scrambling for another topic to move onto. "Ed, right?"

Winry raised an eyebrow. "What about Ed?"

Ivy cleared her throat. "Here's hoping the guy doesn't completely bust his arm up again while we're in Central. Imagine if he broke it right before we head back and we end up stuck there even longer."

"Please don't jinx it." Winry groaned, head drooping considerably. "He's such a kid sometimes, there's no point in me ever telling him to be more mindful of his maintenance because he just wrecks it."

"At least this time it took a few months instead of two weeks for it to be wrecked." Ivy offered her comfort with a chuckle. "So maybe we'll luck out this time and he'll actually be responsible seeing he keeps using me as his human shield to hide from your wrenches."

Winry glared at her but it was light. "You make it sound more like we're parents and I'm the mean one."

"I'm just his favorite sister and the awesome supporting cast to what is a beautiful childhood friends to lovers relationship sprinkled in with old married couple arguing." Ivy grinned, untangling hers and Winry's hands from one another. "You should be careful though, someone might snatch him up if you keep being in denial about the whole thing. Maybe engrave a heart next time in his automail that says 'E+W' forever. Be bold. Daring!" Ivy stood up, pumping a fist. "You've got my support all the way."

Edward had a love interest already and it wasn't Akasha.

Winry had a love interest already and it wasn't Ivy.

Things had to be balanced, even if Akasha was completely throwing that out of the window.

Even if Ivy couldn't make her leave.

Ivy could at least hold up her half of the equation.

"Of course, if that doesn't work out, you and Al would also be a cute couple, I think." Ivy squatted down back at her backpack and dresser, ready to fold more clothes into it. "Just letting you know right now though, if you're planning to date Alphonse, we need to have a long talk about the torture I will put you through if you ever break his heart. The boy is delicate like a flower and cuddly like a cat and-"

"Ivette, you…"

"Yeah?"

"You're such an idiot."

Ivy choked at that, nearly falling over as she stood up. "Hey, watch where you throw the 'idiot' card!"

"No, you are an idiot!" Winry barked right back, standing up herself. "How much more obvious do I have to be about my feelings and then you keep throwing Ed and Al back in my face!" The blonde's shoulders trembled. "Are you really not seeing anything or are you trying to tell me in a roundabout way that you don't feel the same way? I don't get you! I thought that you maybe…" Winry grabbed her bangs in frustration.

Don't say it.

"I really don't get you. I don't like Ed or Al, you idiot. Not like that. I like-"

"Please don't say it." Ivy's eyes felt hot as the words tumbled out of her mouth. "I know what you're going to say, Winry. But I can't hear you say it."

"Why not?" Winry clutched her skirt tightly, eyebrows knit in confusion.

"If I hear you say it, I'll end up doing something stupid and I can't…" Ivy took in a shaky breath. "I can't give you what either of us want even if we want the same thing. But that'll go right out the window if I hear you say it." Ivy looked down at her sandals. "I should share my bed with Akasha tonight instead. I'm sorry, I can't return your feelings."

Ivy felt like her entire world was crashing, falling at her feet.

But she ignored it, turning back around to pack in silence.

She ignored it when Winry left quietly.

And she ignored it when she was sure she heard Winry quietly sniffling to herself that night while Ivy was pressed firmly into Akasha's side.

God, I hate myself.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter!

This story fell a bit to the way side while I was inspired by another project the moment I found it hard to generate some more in-advanced chapters. But I am back in the game, homies. The gang is gonna be heading to Central and Akasha's clearly hiding the truth, not to mention being a total creep when it comes to this Ed thing. I'm really having fun with that since it was the intention all along. Meanwhile, Ivy's rejected Winry's feelings deciding to place going back home over anything else. Hell, the girl couldn't even get the full confession out.

Someone give Winry a hug *sigh*. Hope to have the next chapter out soon!

No comments to respond to this chapter. Maybe next time though!