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

"Akasha, you should stay here." Ivy said as she threw on her jeans, ignoring the surprised look on Akasha's face. Edward and Alphonse hadn't returned at all the previous night and it didn't look like they would be getting back any time soon now that it was morning. "I don't want Ed and Al freaking out when they come back and realize that none of us are here, so you should stay to let them know where Winry and I are." Ivy's tone left no room for arguments, sticking Akasha with a harsh look for good measure.

"Fine." The brunette grumbled eventually. "I'll wait for the boys."

"Good." Ivy replied tersely, looking to Winry, whose arms were wrapped tightly around the newspaper. She hadn't let the thing go since they woke up that morning. "Hey, Win. I'm ready to head out."

Winry stood up with a loud sigh. "I can't believe it."

"I can't believe it either." Ivy reassured, placing a hand on Winry's shoulder. A man like Hughes dying didn't seem impossible, she thought as the two of them left the room.

The walk to the Hughes' apartment was a quiet one, save for the sounds of the Central residents waking up and going about their day. Ivy had thought so before, but Central really did feel more curt than Rush Valley with its more posh residents in suits and dresses compared to the more casual aesthetic Rush Valley occupants took up. Polite chattering about the news took place amongst orders for bread and eggs.

("Did you hear about the murder of that soldier?"

Ivy did her best to ignore the chatter.)

Hughes seemed to be above that politeness, familial even with her when they first met. There was the small hiccup when he doubted her identity as a citizen of Amestris, but that quickly was wiped away when he promised to do his best to help her return to Vallant. Why would anyone want to kill him?

Why would Maria of all people kill him? Ivy's knuckles burned with how tightly she clenched her fists. It makes no sense to me! Ivy remembered the short-haired woman who was stern but kind and a lot more forward than Denny who seemed to be almost shy at times with his approach. And she was the one who killed Hughes? It sounded like someone was playing a huge prank on her, a terrible prank.

But Akasha did say that there was corruption in their government. But Maria? Her?

For someone like Maria Ross to be involved in a corrupt military campaign?

Ivy didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Want me to?" Ivy asked finally when they reached the Hughes' door, neither her nor Winry making the first move to knock.

Winry looked doubtful but she shook her head before she finally knocked firmly twice. It didn't take long for the door to unlock, loud footsteps rushing to the door as Elycia's smiling face appeared, green eyes wide. "Papa!" The three-year old exclaimed happily before her smile slowly fell to one of disappointment.

Neither girl could make a move before Elycia latched onto their legs, squeezing them tightly. "Hey, Elycia." Ivy whispered, picking the girl up to give her a much proper hug.

"Do we have guests, dear?" Gracia's voice rang from the house as she stepped closer, a look of surprise overtaking her own features when she saw her unexpected visitors. "Girls? What are you both doing here in Central?" The woman asked and Ivy's eyes trailed away, looking at the newspaper Winry held close to her chest.

"We're sorry to drop by like this." Winry said.

Gracia's voice was knowing, "why don't the two of you come in for some tea?" She moved to the side. "We can make something to go with it, I don't want to depress the both of you."

We're still really sorry for your loss.

I hope you've been okay.

We found out last night.

Nothing sounded like the right thing to say to a woman whose face said she had heard it all. "Winry's been making a lot of apple pies back in Rush Valley." Ivy said instead as she walked by, giving Elycia small pats on the back. "It's been driving me crazy how often she's been making it." At least once a week Winry would bake one after going to the market to buy a basket full of apples and whatever other ingredient she was running low on.

"Winry, please for the love all that is holy," Ivy shuddered when she saw the familiar site of bright green Granny Smith apples in Winry's shopping basket. "can you make literally anything else besides apple pie!?"

"What's wrong with my apple pie?!" The blonde mechanic snapped, placing her free hand on her hips.

"You made one last week!" Ivy swore the kitchen was starting to smell like apples and cinnamon no matter how many pie tins she washed. "Even Paninya is starting to need something new!"

"Hey, don't drag me into this!" Panina grinned, snapping her fingers into a gun. "I love when Winry makes apple pie, I haven't had it in years." Ivy stuck out her tongue but the brown girl just stuck her own right back at her. Talk about having absolutely no help. "Bring on the pie, Winry, I'm ready for ya! Your pie is almost at the right amount of flakiness I love and need in my crusts."

Winry beamed, "see, Ivy? You can at least be a happier taste tester. I want to make sure I have Mrs. Hughes' recipe just right before we visit them again!"

"That sounds perfect, I have enough ingredients to make several." Gracia clapped her hands with a soft smile. "We should make some for you to take back to your lodgings. I hope you haven't grown tired of apples yet."

Ivy smiled, "I think I can have at least one more for old times' sake." It was a welcomed distraction as Gracia asked for updates on their lives in Rush Valley and exchanged her own updates about Elycia's school life. The small brunette was still one of the popular kids with as many friends as ever, Ivy was happy to hear it. Elycia would need as many friends as possible to get through the changes she had to be going through.

My parents got a divorce when I was in elementary school so I relate to suddenly not having a father figure there in your life. Ivy kept the thought to herself as she passed Winry another peeled apple to cut into moderate slices. There was no way to insert it organically into a conversation about Elycia getting a star on a portrait she made of her dream house and it felt like she would be making it about herself. At least I have Pop. It wasn't as if he was the worst dad in the universe, he just wasn't there.

They talked once in a while, mostly on birthdays and Ivy occasionally gave him updates about volleyball. But that was just about it; it felt like all the doe-y eyed glasses she had about her father and her parents one day getting back together slowly evaporated with age.

Mr. Hughes was like the dad I wanted my dad to be like when I was younger. Ivy thought, thinking of the bright-eyed man, handsome and loving and hilarious. The dad you wanted to give updates to about everything, sports, engineering, and petty arguments with friends.

Ivy's peeling halted in favor of looking at a family picture that caught her eye beside the china cabinet of Hughes, Gracia, new parents holding a crying baby with a face bright red and tiny nostrils flaring. The crying baby was almost no match for the crying parents in the photo. "You look so happy." Ivy didn't even realize that the words slipped out of her mouth until she heard Gracia's soft reply.

"We were. We were very happy." Gracia was smiling when Ivy looked back at the woman, now widowed. "Maes would be very happy to hear you say that. He always was a happy crier."

It took a couple hours for Edward and Alphonse to show up, Ivy unsure when Gracia had called them over. That hadn't been surprising. What was surprising was the fact Akasha had tagged along, giving Ivy a nod. Ivy nodded back. "Hey."

"Hey." Akasha replied. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Ivy appreciated the gesture, nodding from her spot in a chair beside the coffee table. "We've just been kickin' it, more or less." Ivy informed, nodding to Winry who had been holding a napping Elycia in her arms. "We made some pie, I think you'd like it. Technically, Mrs. Hughes and Winry did most of the work though." Ivy stood up with a stretch, reaching her hands to help pick Elycia up and set her down on the couch with a blanket. "I guess this is our cue to leave, then."

"Not yet, Ivy. I want to wait a minute." Edward's voice halted any and all movement on Ivy's end, looking back at the blond curiously. "Mrs. Hughes, there's something I'd like to talk to you about." Edward's gaze was solemn as he spoke to the woman, gold eyes duller than usual. "If I may."

Gracia's green eyes looked knowing, expectant. "Is it about Maes?"

Edward nodded, "yes."

"Winry, could you listen too?" Alphonse added, Winry's eyes widening in surprise. "We'd like you all to know what happened. It's time for the truth."

Truth, that word stung more than usual as everyone sat down around the coffee table as Edward started from the beginning. From the loss of their mother to finding an alchemy teacher and to finally committing alchemy's most forbidden rule. "I lost my leg and my arm and Alphonse lost his whole body, we've been stuck like this ever since." Edward's voice was husky, eyes downcast as he finished.

There was a small pause before Alphonse picked up where his brother left off. "So, you see, the two of us came here to research the Philosopher's Stone in hopes of getting our bodies back. When my big brother was hospitalized, Lieutenant Col… Commodore Hughes really looked after him." Really looked after me too. "He volunteered to dig up information on the Stone for us… using the resources at the Court Martial Office. Apparently he stumbled upon secret information that shed light on the darker side of the military… something he wasn't supposed to know about." Red eyes drifted to where Ivy and Winry were sitting. "That day you went to get our tickets for Dublith, the Fuhrer personally came to tell us not to probe into it further because he said it was too dangerous."

"Oh nothing… just a storm passing through." Ivy blinked in realization as she remembered that strange comment Edward had coughed out that day in the hospital before the subject got changed to travel.

So if Hughes never dug more into the Philosopher's Stone, he'd still be here. Ivy clenched her knees, fingers digging almost painfully into her flesh. I asked about the Stone too. Ivy's mind whispered like a shadow looming over her in a midnight dark forest. She barely heard Gracia's reply about Hughes' death being a message. A white hand rested atop one of Ivy's and gave it a squeeze. Winry. Ivy smiled weakly at the blonde in appreciation and Winry weakly smiled back.

Ivy couldn't lie to her anymore.

Not after this.

"I need to say something too." Ivy cut in before Edward or Alphonse could continue on. "Ed and Al aren't… they aren't the only ones who need to apologize." Ivy heaved a shaky breath. "If they need to apologize for what happened to Mr. Hughes, I do too. It's just as much my fault as theirs and I can't sit here quietly and let them take the fall." Akasha might have said Hughes' death would've been inevitable, but Ivy still added to it in her time in Amestris. That much was true.

"Ivy?" Gracia blinked in surprise.

"I… I've been lying to just about everyone for a long time, since I got to Resembool." Ivy could see Akasha's eyes widening, but she gave her a firm look. They needed to say something now. "I'm not really from Central." Ivy said at last, looking Winry dead in the eyes as she confessed. "I'm not even from Amestris, Akasha and me both."

Winry removed her hand at that, it slipping away to her lap as she processed what she was being told. "What do you mean?"

Ivy looked at the table, the sweets on the coffee table easier to look at as she destroyed everything she had built up to this point. "I mean, I'm not from Amestris. Or this world in general. I've… told Ed and Al about this and I told Mr. Hughes, when I first got here I was just trying to go home and I saw this gate and walked through it thinking it was the shortcut Akasha was telling me to go home with since I was tired that day after school. The technology was different and I snapped at Winry and I headed back thinking it would just be a straightforward walk but no matter how far I walked, the gate never reappeared. I know it sounds crazy to believe but I proved it to Ed and Al and they said they'd help me get back home with the Philosopher's Stone and headed back with them to Central and that's how I met Mr. Hughes.

I was just lying about being from Central because Winry asked if I was from there and I panicked and said yeah and it was just my cover story since it was such a big city that I thought I could get away with it, but Hughes saw that I wasn't a registered citizen here and confronted me about it. I showed him my phone as proof, our phones where I'm from can be held in your hand and you can touch it to do stuff. He said he'd help me too. He wasn't just looking for the Philosopher's Stone to help them get their bodies back, he was looking for it so I could go back to my home.

Don't get mad at Akasha though, she had nothing to do with it. I'm not sure how she ended up here but she wasn't in Amestris when I had that talk with your husband."

"We know it sounds hard to believe, Mrs. Hughes, but Ivy really is telling the truth." Edward added, he gave Ivy a nod when he saw the wide-eyed expression on Gracia's face. "Alchemy brought them here and I theory was that alchemy would be able to send them back and the Philosopher's Stone was something that might've been able to accomplish that. I could barely believe it myself, but the gate proved it. That's something Al and I have seen due to our messing with human transmutation."

Ivy felt nauseous when she heard Winry to her left say in a hushed tone, "what happens when you go back?"

Ivy paused at that question. "I… don't know." Ivy admitted before looking to Akasha. "You know more about this stuff than I do, what happens here when we leave?"

Akasha seemed to shrink as everyone looked to her for an answer, twiddling with her hands. "It's really all just theory that this could even happen in the first place but…" She paused, collecting herself. "I guess, in this case since neither of us are from here, if we were both to leave, everyone would forget we even existed because we weren't a part of the equation to begin with. Like the brain is protecting itself. We might still remember everything when we head back, but we could also forget or would think it was all just a dream or-" Akasha stopped her ramble. "It's really hard to say what would happen if we both left or if one of us just left."

Of course, fanfiction combined with multiverse theory could only be so reliable. "I'm sorry for the part I had in Mr. Hughes' death, Mrs. Hughes. And I'm sorry I was lying this whole time to you, Winry. I just… couldn't keep lying to anyone anymore, not after what happened with Mr. Hughes."

"It's really all our fault." Edward clasped his hands together, brow furrowing deeply. "It's our fault for getting him involved. We're so sorry."

Alphonse nodded, armor clinking as he hunched over. "If other people might get hurt as a result of our research… then we can't keep searching for a way to return ourselves to normal. Not in good faith."

There was a long pause before anyone said anything and it felt like Ivy was drowning in the silence as Gracia gathered her thoughts and Winry's eyes burned right through Ivy's entire being. Finally, the silence was broken with Gracia's melancholic smile. "He gave his life trying to save someone else. That's so typical of him." The woman's eyes looked far away from the living room everyone sat in. "He's always stuck his neck out trying to help others. That's why Maes always got the short end of the stick. But we had more than enough happiness to make up for it." Gracia's eyes wandered to the still sleeping Elycia, her hand caressing the crown of her daughter's head lovingly.

"If you all gave up on your goals, my husband's death will have been in vain." Gracia said, her face the most serious it had ever been. "If the Philosopher's Stone isn't yielding any results, then maybe there's another way to get you both your bodies. And maybe you two girls can find your way back home." Gracia continued. "I admit it does sound hard to believe, but if Maes believed you and wanted to help you, it was because there was truth he heard in it. You all have to keep moving forward and by doing whatever you think is right."

Ivy wasn't sure she knew what was and wasn't right anymore. But she couldn't say that, not after everything she put this family through. Her conviction to go home couldn't waver, not after Hughes. Not after Hughes.

She just wished the man was here to tell her what she should do.

Ivy didn't look in Winry's direction the entire walk back to the hotel, but she knew the conversation that was coming. "Hey, you should go ahead and get something to eat with Ed." Ivy muttered to Akasha, eyes staring into the dark of the room Winry sitting on her bed quietly. "Winry and I need to talk."

"No need to tell me twice, that's what I was planning." Akasha nodded, turning quickly to find her way to the dining hall.

Ivy inhaled deeply as she flicked on the light switch and closed the door behind her. "Winry-"

"You promised me you weren't going to keep things like this from me anymore." Winry's voice was quiet, but it felt like a cold hiss despite how calm her voice had been. "You promised."

"I know."

"You promised and you kept lying to me."

"I know."

The most surprising thing that happened next was the fact that Winry had thrown a pillow rather than one of her wrenches, hitting Ivy square in the face. "You lied to me!" Winry's voice was wet, tears streaming down her face angrily.

"I know, I know, but what else was I supposed to do?!" Ivy yelled back, taking a step forward. "Edward and Alphonse bought it and Hughes barely bought it, I didn't know how you would react!"

"You could have at least tried!" Winry countered, hurt all over her face. "You could have tried! You lied to me! To me! All this time, you were leaving when you told me you would come back to Resembool when Ed and Al found the Stone, when you humored the idea of us starting a shop together, and even when you knew how I-" Winry's hands flew to her mouth as she let out a muffled scream into her palms, her legs giving out as she sat back on the bed. "You knew."

Ivy took a tentative step forward, heart aching and her eyes growing hotter. "I never wanted to hurt you, I couldn't tell you because it's you." Ivy reached a hand towards her friend before pulling back. "I care about you so much, Winry, I couldn't tell you that I was planning on leaving and never coming back. It doesn't even sound right. It's been hard enough, struggling with wanting to stay and knowing I have to go back." Ivy refused to let herself cry here and let her resolve crumble. "I couldn't hear you say it and still leave, I just can't."

"I just… It feels like whenever I love someone, they get taken away from me. Or I get left behind." Winry hiccuped, her hands nestling into her hair as she looked at the ground below. "First my parents, then Ed and A, Mr. Hughesl. I think there's someone going to be there but then they leave me behind and I get so scared that I might never see them again."

"Winry…"

"But then you came and I thought..." Winry let out a shaky breath. "I thought for the first time there would be someone who would stay and I wouldn't have to wait alone in the dark anymore. There'd be someone who would stay. But the moment I think that, I find out you're going to leave me behind too. And you're going somewhere I'll never be able to follow you to. And now I have to be okay with the fact I might never even remember you!"

Ivy held herself with a humorless chuckle, "it might be better to forget. Then you wouldn't have to remember any of this."

"I don't want to forget you, moron!" Winry snapped, glaring at Ivy now. "I want you to stay!" The glare quickly turned into a sorrowful look, pleading even. It made Ivy want to cry even more as Winry stood up and took a step forward, a hand on her chest. Like she was coming to Ivy from her heart. "Please." Winry pleaded. 'Choose me', were the unspoken words just on the tip of Winry's tongue. "Stay here with me and Granny and Den and-"

"I can't." Ivy couldn't humor Winry again. Not when there was so much she could be leaving behind by staying. "I don't belong here. And I can't stay here now knowing Hughes died for my sake. It'd be selfish to stay here knowing that. He wanted me to go home."

"This could be your home too!" Winry spat harshly.

"I'm really sorry, Winry." Ivy took a tentative step forward before finally enveloping the shorter girl into a hug. "I can go back to Rush Valley and work, but the moment Ed and Al say there's a way to get me back to Vallant, I have to take it. It could be a few months from now or a few years but… I have to choose that. I have to."

Winry hugged back even tighter, the squeeze almost painful.

This was the most unfair hand Ivy could have ever been dealt. If this Truth guy was the one really pulling the shots, he had a twisted sense of humor. Things would have just been so much easier if Ivy had been born here. Maybe she really was a Centralite and had an argument with her mom, only to take a one way ticket as far east as she could get only to meet the Rockbells. Or maybe Winry could've been born in Vallant, daughter to a family of mechanics who Ivy shared fifth period physics with.

Anything was better than this.

"I love you." Winry's voice was muffled from her place in Ivy's chest, but Ivy could still hear the strangled, watery tone.

Ivy squeezed back. "I love you too." She replied softly. It wasn't anything shocking for either of them to reveal to each other. Ivy was sure that somewhere down the line, they both knew. "I'll never forget you, not even when I go back. That's never gonna change. And I think that maybe you'll remember me too, deep down." She was sure Winry was agreeing when her hug grew even tighter before pulling away slightly, cheeks tear-stained.

"I promise I won't forget." Ivy repeated, feeling like she couldn't say it or emphasize it enough to the blonde mechanic she had grown so attached too in the near six months she had been here.

"I promise too."

Ivy was sure this wasn't the right time to look down at someone's lips but she leaned forward a bit, only reassured by the fact she felt Winry's body shift beside her as she seemed to grow taller in height. Ivy sighed when their lips pressed against each other, soft and chaste before they seemed to press harder against one another. Like they were trying to kiss everything they couldn't say to one another.

A first and last kiss.

Simultaneously the best and worst kiss Ivy ever had.

Author's Note

Me: aight, you should wait til next Saturday to post.

Also me: fuck it, E.

Y'all it only it only took us 23 chapters but THEY DONE KISSED, FAM. I mean, an angsty kiss. But a kiss nonetheless with them both confessing but Ivy more or less saying that an actual relationship between the both of them is slim to none due to their unfortunate circumstances. Will her mind inevitably change about this? Who knows, I mean, I know what will happen but you guys just have to wait and see now that the two of them took this major step with one another. Akasha would not be living for this the way I was, but fuck Akasha, the kiss has happened and a straightforward declaration of love. I'm happy we managed to get here, someway, somehow. I hope to get some positive reactions despite the uh, angsty circumstances surrounding this momentous moment but at least there's a shift in motion when it comes down to Ivy and Winry's relationship and how they perceive each other.

Have some virtual hugs to feel better. And listen to Utada Hikaru's Final Distance because I think that song just about summarizes our lovely mechanic gals just about. With a dash of Utada Hikaru's Sakura Drops. Huge kudos to y'all if you already have heard those songs. Her KH tracks slap hard but I love her non-KH related music as well!

5directionalpilots: TAT sorry, fam, the Hughes death was staying OTL. In a perfect world, that never happened. And Akasha getting checked is coming, I promise, you. She's not only a representation of those huge super fans from back in the day with their self insert fanfiction, but she is also a representation of those fangirls who had an irrational hatred of Winry for no reason other than the fact she was Ed's love interest. I wanted Ivy to be a foil to that as a non-fangirl and wanted her relationship in the original edition to be more sisterly with Winry, but it spiraled into a romance in this reboot and I definitely like their relationship this time. I like having the two of them be soft with one another and in-tune with each other's emotions.