"... Lynette, is that you?"

I flinched at the all-too-familiar voice, my knees folding into my chest even more as if to hide my anguished countenance.

"W-why is it a-always you two?" Despite putting everything I had into making the words come out firm and possibly even a bit biting, my voice sounded soft and small, stuttering breaths making it difficult to speak. Wiping my eyes feverishly with my sleeves, I looked up with a watery glare, feeling all too vulnerable beneath my undoubtedly reddened eyes and stinging cheeks.

"Lynette? W-what's wrong? Are you alright?" A second young voice fretted, the clink of armor meeting my ears as Alphonse moved in front of me and crouched before my shaking form. His glowing red eyes swept over me, narrowed in what I assumed was… worry? Pity? I couldn't tell.

"Go a-away," I mumbled, gripping my arms and willing my body to stop betraying my weakness to the boys in front of me.

"The hell you think we're gonna leave you be after we saw just you running down the street like your life depended on it," Ed's voice was unyielding but not harsh, and however much I wanted to just crawl and hide in a little hole and continue my sobfest until I tired myself out, I found myself a little comforted by his words.

"I-I can take care of myself," I insisted weakly, while a part of me silently screamed at them to stay, to keep me distracted and not alone.

"Yeah, sure looks like it." I let out a surprised huff as my widened eyes looked up at the elder Elric.

"Well e-excuse me for having fucking feelings, sh-shortstack." The words slipped from my mouth almost on instinct, and I held Ed's gaze in shock as it hit him what I just said.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORTSTACK-"

"Brother, no!" Just as quick as Ed tried to descend on me, two armored arms wrapped around him to hold him back, locking him down as he began to rant profanities.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORTY WHO HAS TO BE LOOKED AT THROUGH A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO ACTUALLY BE SEEN?!"

I jerked back, forearms bracing my torso as I tipped onto the ground. Eyes wide and locked on the flailing Elric and his towering younger brother, I stared at them, not realizing at what point I began to laugh.

It started small, unintentional and probably from nerves and shock, but it slowly blossomed in intensity until it was full-blown, loud and unhinged and grossly wet-sounding with all the tears and snot from my breakdown.

My laughter broke through the sounds of the Elric brothers struggling, and Ed's temper began to die away, the both of them stopping to watch me in disbelief.

My head tipped back against the ground as I held myself up, eyes squeezed shut and an unconscious grin stretching my features as I howled with amusement through my tight throat. Soon, though, it lessened to a chuckle and I righted myself, sitting up and opening my aching eyeballs to see two of my favorite anime characters staring down at me like I had officially lost my mind.

"I-I'm sorry," I said, trying to stifle my giggles, "I just wasn't expecting that and-"

And it's just so you, I wanted to finish, but held myself back, sleeves coming up to wipe away at the tears that had pricked my eyes. My body had magically begun to relax under my laughter, leaving me feeling loose and suddenly exhausted.

"That makes two of us," Ed muttered as Al released him, eyeing his older brother worriedly in case he attempted something again. But Ed's posture changed, despite the grumpy expression returning to his face, and he stepped forward to crouch in front of me, offering a hand.

"Can we at least walk you home?" he grumbled, gold eyes flicking to my face as my hand hesitated. My chest tightened, and I withdrew my hand, looking away and pursing my lips.

As if I haven't embarrassed myself enough in front of them, there's no way I could tell them about getting kicked out, I cringed, mulling over my options.

"Lynette-"

"We can't help you if you don't tell us anything!" Ed interrupted his brother, brows pinched in irritation. He rose to his feet, letting out a huff of annoyance as he turned to leave. "If you don't want our help, fine. Al, let's go."

"Brother-"

"I got kicked out, okay?" The words escaped me at an unexpectedly loud volume. I pushed myself to my feet, brushing myself off and grabbing my stuff in hurried frustration as I continued despite myself, "These past two days have been nothing short of fucking awful and I never asked for any of it. I randomly woke up one day and suddenly I'm God only knows where, alone and fucking scared, with nothing but a useless piece of paper and a dead lead and I'd call this all a nightmare but if it is why can't I wake up?!"

I stilled, my back turned to them and my shoulders sagging defeatedly beneath my rucksack as I added lowly, "I didn't kill the Freezing Alchemist by the way, the Fuhrer did. Just so you know."

I made to start off toward the opposite outlet of the alley, but a rigid, gloved hand gripped my wrist, stopping me. I turned slightly, the weight of my tiredness rendering me drained and unable to be surprised by such action as I looked at Ed.

"I never believed that you killed him in the first place," Ed broke the silence, his tone uncharacteristically quiet and serious.

"Neither of us did," Al's hollow voice added somberly.

After another moment of heavy silence, I replied, "Well, at least I have that going for me."

Another pause.

"If you don't have anywhere to go, we have a hotel room nearby," Al spoke, and my fatigued eyes shifted to rest on the crackling glow of his eyes through the darkness of his helmet. "Most places don't rent rooms this late, so you're welcome to come back with us." Ed looked backward at his towering younger brother with an unreadable expression before leasing a sigh.

"That's fine," Ed said, nodding slightly as his concentration switched back to me. "You coming?"

"U-uh," I stammered, taken aback by their offer. They'll probably interrogate me about everything I just let slip, I swallowed, looking between the brothers in apprehension, but staying on the street as a young female with briefcase full of cash is like just asking to get jumped - or possibly worse - and I think I've had enough action for the meantime. Plus, a shower sounds heavenly and I'd honestly take a couch over that shitty mattress any day.

"Okay, but I'm getting my own room first thing tomorrow," I relented, glancing down at Ed's hand that still gripped me, "and you don't have to keep death-gripping my wrist, I'm not gonna run off on you. Nice automail, by the way." Even the shadows of the night couldn't hide the burning in Ed's cheeks as he released my wrist, mumbling a quiet apology.

Despite my protests, Al took hold of my things, the bags suddenly dwarfed by his size as he shifted the rucksack over his armor shoulder. With that, we left the alley and began to walk toward their hotel, Ed at my side and Al trailing along behind us, the soft clinking of metal from the two males lulling our party into a comfortable silence.

A steaming mug was set down in front of me as I casually took a seat by the small kitchen's island countertop. This hotel room really is a bit boujee for two teenagers, I mused, my gaze shifted up slightly to catch on two bright red orbs. The towel I had been drying my hair with came to rest on my shoulders as I accepted the drink.

I gave up on towel-drying my hair as I sighed peacefully into the warm drink, the curls of steam caressing my face as I took a careful sip of the hot liquid. Hot cocoa? I'm in heaven. I pushed back wet strands of my shoulder-length hair with one hand, continuing to softly sip the hot chocolate as I enjoyed my newfound relaxation from the shower I had just come out of.

That steaming hot shower was so needed, I thought to myself, reveling in the memory of how utterly calming it felt as the pounding of the warm water massaged the tension and aches from my shoulders, assuaging the remainder of my anxiety from the evening.

"Thank you, Alphonse," I remarked, shooting the armored Elric a soft smile, "mind if I call you Al?" Al shook his head, and I had the feeling if he could've given me a smile he would've.

"Of course," he answered, his hollow voice sounding adorably pleased by my suggestion. "Do you prefer to be called anything in particular?"

"You can call me Lynette, Lyn, whatever you want really," I answered, easing even further at the comfortable atmosphere of the conversation.

"Lyn?" I turned, my head whipping around to the doorway of the kitchen to spot Ed leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed.

I couldn't miss how his eyes took in my appearance. His golden gaze observed me with veiled interest, traveling from my still-damp hair to the hazel irises that peeked out from swollen lids, evidence of my earlier breakdown. His eyes wandered over the towel bunched and draped across my shoulders, taking in how my dark bra straps peeked out from beneath it and the white cotton wifebeater I donned. Brushing over the thin cotton pajama slacks that ended just before my bare feet, his eyes shifted back to mine, an eyebrow cocked at my previous words.

And I couldn't help but take in how the curves of his steel automail arm caught the light, the juxtaposition of the cool grey of the metal and the white-webbed scarring jarring where it wasn't obscured by his sleeveless, dark shirt. He had ditched his wide, brown leather belt but kept his snug-fit, slightly reflective trousers on probably out of respect for the company. Dang, I always thought his pants looked like leather in the anime, but that's not it; I wonder what kind of fabric that is? His boots were nowhere to be seen, replaced by thick, battered dark socks.

"Huh?" Realizing I'd gotten lost in his appearance, I felt my ears burning as I stuttered a quick follow up, "Oh, s-some of my friends call me Lyn, feel free to use it if you want." I paused, eyes widening before shifting to the ground, "Or at least they used to." Right, I'll probably get myself killed before I ever make it back across the gate to see them again. Cheery.

"Used to?" Ed questioned, pulling himself up from the doorway to take a chair at my side. Al braced his forearms against the countertop as he leaned over, joining in with his elder brother as they both looked at me intently. Great, guess it's time for the interrogation.

I sighed, "As much as I'd love to strip my heart bare for the two of you to see and fill you in all the reasons you found me ugly crying in a trashy side street, I… can't. I'm sorry for how I've come off; the both of you seem to appear at moments that are admittedly not my best, and have even helped me in spite of that. And for that, I'm really grateful. But there's only so much I can really talk about right now." I hadn't realized how close Ed had leaned toward me until I let my gaze lift from the mug in my lap, taking a moment to register his intent expression closer than I expected.

I blinked, blushing as I couldn't help but quickly observe the slight movement of muscles on his ripped left arm, and then the skin shifting slightly over his strong collarbone. What a beast, bet he would've killed it in high school sports if he hadn't run to join off the Amestrian military circus. Though his height would definitely make it difficult-

"You don't have to force yourself to tell us anything," Al reassured, snapping me out of my mental tangent, "Please just share whatever you're comfortable with."

Focus on conversation first, ogle later, this is important and you can't keep getting sidetracked, I chastised myself, steeling my resolve and averting my gaze from the elder Elric.

"Long story short, I went from falling asleep in a bed that was most definitely not in Central only to wake up on the pavement in some trashy alley around here with nothing but a change of clothes and this." I pulled out the now-crumpled note and set it down on the counter for the brothers to read. "I went to investigate this address, but whoever it belonged to had just suddenly moved out and vanished, leaving nothing behind but the name Luka and that small pouch I showed you both yesterday. I was trying to figure out everything while hiding away in the apartment in hopes of some clues, but as you saw, the doorman caught on and security booted me out." Al stared at my sheepish, embarrassed smile in what I guessed was surprised while a brooding frown overtook Ed's expression.

"Do you have any idea why someone might've done this to you?" Al questioned, distressed by my circumstance. I shrugged, concentrating on choosing my next words very carefully.

"I think this has something to do with my pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone." Mic drop.

Both jaws dropped, the brothers stared at me incredulously, wide-eyed and speechless for a moment.

"T-the Philosopher's Stone?!" The two of them cried out simultaneously, hands slamming down on the table in shock. I jumped at the sound, startled.

"Uh, yeah," I said, feigning confusion and furrowing my eyebrows, "Why are you guys so surprised?"

"What do you know about it?" Ed's face was now dangerously close to mine, eyes set in a mix of burning curiosity and determination. I cleared my throat nervously, reaching a hesitant hand to his beautifully sculpted shoulder to push him back a bit as my ears turned red.

"P-personal space," I spluttered, and his face turned red as he quickly stuttered out an apology, giving me space. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding, eyes darting between the brothers. Don't mess this up because you haven't had a boyfriend in seventeen years and you get flustered easily, don't slip up that you know more than they ever should, I continuously reminded myself, throat tightening in apprehension as I took a moment to think my next words over.

"I just know about the legends and some accounts of what it is - I've followed up on a couple of the more recent rumors but they all seem to be dead ends," I said nervously, but before I could continue I was interrupted.

"What rumors? Where? What kind of dead ends?" Ed interrogated, and I waved my hands, overwhelmed.

"Hey, hey! Chill out!" I said, holding up my hands emphatically, "What's got you all riled up? Why do you care?" Ed stopped, an intense look exchanged between the brothers before Ed yielded.

"Al and I are also looking for the Philosopher's Stone," he answered, and his eyes backed by a fire that seemed to threaten to swallow me whole. He broke our eye contact to look down at his prosthetic arm, eyes coming back to rest on me as I focused on the metal.

"Why?" I can't give the impression I know anything before it's blatantly revealed to me.

"Because we committed the unspeakable," Al's voice seemed small as it echoed through his empty armor, "and it's our only shot at getting our bodies back." My eyebrows shot up as Al lifted his helmet to reveal the emptiness inside him, the dark brown-red of the blood seal catching the light before it was concealed once again by the armor head.

"Human transmutation." It wasn't a question, but that phrase lacked the disgust that the brothers had gotten used to. They eyed me dubiously for my reaction, but I kept my expression neutral if not a bit sympathetic, something they didn't expect until they had at least explained their innocent intentions to bring their dead (and basically single) mother back to life. A reaction that didn't pressure them to explain themselves in defense.

"And you said you just dabble in alchemy," Ed chuckled humorlessly, and I bit my lip.

"Trust me, I probably know far less about the technical aspects of it than you may think," I countered, sighing.

"Then why are you looking for the Philosopher's Stone?" The underlying vehemence and slight accusatory tone in Ed's voice heightened my apprehension.

"It's not for human transmutation or anything like that," I insisted, and silently continued, it's for something even more insane. Both brothers waited for me to continue, but I shook my head. "I would tell you, trust me, I would, and I want to, but… there are a couple aspects of it that just by knowing would put both of you - and me for that matter - in far more danger than the satisfaction of knowing is worth." Ed's eyes searched my face intensely, observing every little movement and emotion passing through it, in search for truth. I stared back, completely honest in my endeavor to protect them and a little bit desperate for him not to push it, and his gaze softened.

I relaxed slightly and took a sip of my cocoa.

"You should come to Liore with us." Al and I both seemed to be taken off guard by Ed's words. "We're following up a potential lead on the stone, we're leaving in a couple days." I nearly spat out my sip, coughing as the liquid caught in my trachea.

"W-what?" I stuttered, astonished. "You trust me that much?"

"Trust, not necessarily," Ed said, posture slackening a bit as he stretched his non-prosthetic limb behind his head, eyes fluttering closed for a moment as he eased into the stretch, "but if we put our efforts together we may actually find something, and even though you don't seem to have bad intentions, I think you know more than you let on, possibly even more than we do." Al hesitantly agreed with his older brother, red eyes flicking to me as I attempted to clear my lightly scalded throat after nearly suffocating on the very hot drink that had been so soothing to me minutes earlier.

"What about the state alchemist exam? I'm supposed to pick up the paperwork tomorrow and take the exam in two weeks, I have to study and I really wasn't kidding about not knowing much about the technical aspects." Ed's eyebrows furrowed at the obvious worry in my tone.

"Why did you ask about taking the exam if you're not prepared?" He questioned and I threw up my hands in exasperation.

"Because God for-fucking-bid my unpreparedness for how suddenly my survival is contingent on learning alchemy and government funding for doing so sounds real appealing when I've been stranded here with nothing," I bit out. "Besides, I have some tricks up my sleeve that should more than give me a fighting chance with the exam, depending on what it's composed of." Ed cocked an eyebrow and Al let out a questioning hmm? but I merely sat and stared at the two, making it clear I wasn't going to elaborate.

"We'll help you study," Ed offered after a moment of contemplation, "the soonest train to Liore isn't for another two days, and we'll have you back in Central by the day of the exam." My eyebrows shot up again, and I mulled it over for a moment, weighing my options.

It would be invaluable to have actual expert teachers instead of just a few random books, I contemplated, but if they're going to watch me as close as I know they will - they both have caught on that I know more than I'm letting on - I have to be very, very careful so that I don't do anything to cause some questions that may interfere with their timeline. I just want to go home, not damn them to a fate worse than the one they're already set up to deal with… Especially seeing them like this, them helping me when I needed it, it's not just an anime or some weird dream anymore - they're people, just from an alternate universe. People I've rooted for for years outside of this world and people I want to protect in it, and the best way that I can think of doing that for now is by being as careful and passive as I can be when it comes to how this all plays out.

"How do you feel about this?" I looked at Al, who nodded his head slowly.

"I think Brother's right," he said, deep in thought, "I think it may be helpful to stick together or at least remain in contact about any potential leads, if you're okay with it." I carefully looked back and forth between the brothers, eyes narrowed as I observed them, before easing my expression and sitting back.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to accept your offer," I sighed, letting a small, contented grin creep onto my face, "I have to admit, it hasn't been fun dealing with everything alone and regardless of our reasons, the company is welcome and honestly a bit relieving." Ed offered me a wistful, slightly sad hint of a smile in return.

"Why don't you just get some rest?" Ed suggested, taking in how my posture was starting to slump in exhaustion. "You look like you've been through hell and you're gonna drop dead any minute now." I snorted.

"Gee, thanks," I quipped, rolling my eyes and letting out an amused huff, a good-humored smile playing across my lips. "It's nice to know that I look as terrible as I feel." Ed chuckled.

"You're not that bad," Ed replied, eyebrows raised slightly as he appraised me, "but you definitely look much better when you're smiling." My eyes widened at the unexpected compliment, followed quickly by a tired yet genuine smile.

"I could say the same," I replied, trying to fight down the wide grin threatening to overtake my face as butterflies stampeded through my stomach. When the meaning of my words dawned on him, a deep blush overtook his cheeks and he turned away, grumbling to himself embarrassedly. I just watched him through half-lidded eyes, smiling sleepily as I rested my face on a palm.

Having faded into the background of the conversation, Al observed the two teens before him, holding back giggles of amusement as he picked up on the vibe. Looks like Winry may have some competition.

ooooOOOOOoOOoOoO

Winry has some competition? oooOOoO

Also Ed and Al being kind and the most helpful guys in their own ways is definitely a vibe, especially when it comes to Ed unintentionally flirtatious to his own chagrin when he realizes his mistake (or is it a mistake? when he's checkin out our protagonist like she's a full snAC) and idk I just had fun with this chapter!

This chapter has a couple of hints at some important things to come, notably things associated with the state alchemist licensing exam that'll make a lot of preceding choices and situations make more sense. I'm approaching this go around of the previous TGHB from a first-person omniscient perspective instead of just first person, which gives me a little more freedom with withholding information from/revealing information to the reader much like third-person omniscient.

There's nothing like the joy of revamping a semi-ridiculous plot spawned from my very young noggin, ahahahahaha! The original TGHB was originally just out of pure fun and writing practice and looking back on it it definitely shows… *sweatdrop* It's definitely been a few years since I stretched my fingers like this, but I assure y'all, this is just the beginning *eyes gleam in determination*

Feel free to drop a comment on your thoughts/reactions, and don't forget to follow/favorite this story and me as an author for updates if you're interested!

My lovely readers, thank you and until the next chapter!