Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, only Del and Aaron!
WARNING: New OC to be introduced!
A/N: Aaaahh! This is so late, I'm really sorry! D: Ugh I feel terrible for not updating, I'm so sorry! ;;
By the way, I'm writing this while watching This is the End and I'm laughing so hard omfg, Jay Baruchel is in it and that's basically the only thing keeping me serious and going ugh.
Anywho, here's the new chapter!
Chapter 6
Get Well Card
"There's only you and me in this infinitely amount of loathsome crap."
Red fire, burning bright—a cloak of red flies out and destroys whilst a single hand is blinded by justice and sends Earth and iron quivering at its feet and yet a single knight stands, half human and half robot—he has a soul but no body.
It was hot and sweaty like a stove, people screamed and sang choruses of death as some fell out of the moving box, up—down—right—left.
She—the girl, had her heart beating irregularly, her breath was all but gone and her hands were clutching the ends of velvet seats as sweat beaded on her flesh and her coal eyes swimming with panic.
The iron of the moving train was rattling and the landscape which was outside shrieked as iron speeded past it, they whispered to each other and sent word for help—it was a domino effect on nature and physics, man-made items and things which were made by mother nature—the branches were doves playing drums and their leaves were feathers which came and aided the frantic people.
"Get them out!" An iron-red bird called out, his wings blocking and quivering as they avoided thunder blasts as a giant metal bird banged its feet on the ground and picked the girl up.
"But what about you, brother?!" It screamed.
"I'll be fine! Now go!" A blast separated them, "GO!"
With their backs to the wall, darkness fell and Del screamed as her cheeks turned fifty shades of green from the turbulence and hurrying of Al as they danced and flew from passenger cart to passenger cart—she was held tightly by him, her legs flopping and dancing as they evaded gaps between the carts whilst shouting, "Everyone please head to the last cart! Please, we repeat! Head to the last cart!"
They all screamed and scrambled to get there, some fell but were helped by Del and Al as they jumped from cart to cart like fairies with wings of glittering silver.
"Wait! How about the locomotive and his fireman at the front?!" Del's voice was tight and bound by lack of strength as she scraped Al's chest plate with her fingernails—they were shortening by the second.
"I'll come back for them later! We need to get these people out first!" replied he.
"I?" She shrieked, "I'm coming with you! I'm not going to watch you kill yourself!"
Al glared at her through his tin eyebrows and through the little holes of his helmet, yelling, "Then who's going to help him?!"
"Ed can take care of himself!" Del replied angrily, her fists banging on his chest.
"No he can't!" The Elric screamed, "He always says he doesn't need anyone but in reality he does! He won't live through this alone and I refuse to let my brother die alone! We made a promise, Del! A promise that we're going to keep!"
She was silent, her lips pressed together as she lowered her little pale hands and little eyes—and before she knew it, tears pooled in her eyes causing Al to frown.
"Sorry," Del whispered, her speech growing increasingly shaky, "I-I'm sorry… I won't—won't talk like… like that a-anymore, I-I'm sorry, s-s-sorry…"
His eyes were counterpoising whether to scold her or forgive her—he chose the latter.
"It's alright," He said comfortingly, holding her tightly against his metal body—his cloth fingers stroking her head gently as his voice grew quiet and soft like feathers and honey, "It's alright, Del—don't cry, please don't—brother and I will make it back, I promise you that we're going to be—"
He paused as she glanced up at him, her eyes rimmed with red and tears—guilt and anguish pooling blood in her vessels of brain cells, she was so tired.
The last door of the last cart was opened and people rushed in, feeling the small space squishing them as they squirmed and nudged each other—all except was humid except for the knight and frail girl who stood in front of everyone, ignored as they scampered close to each other—seeking solace for comfort.
Alphonse smiled reassuringly, stroking her cheek and pressing his metal chin onto her forehead, "It's going to be alright."
Gently setting her down and helping her stand stable he spoke with a tone of kindness, "I'll be back—stay here, and whatever this cart does, don't move—don't let anyone out or in either until me and brother get here, alright?"
She nodded, her eyes blinded by his concern, "I understand."
The knight nodded and scurried away, leaving the damsel not-so in distress stare after him, her body shell-shocked and empty—her eyes void and all but colorful, they were coal—grey and befitting for a blind person.
She touched her nose and sighed through it as realization caught the hem of her white shirt and tugged on it.
"I'm in a recording of my favorite show, I can see and speak perfectly, I can read, I've met the people of most people's dreams—and yet I manage to lose and screw up an entire timeline." Del pinched the bridge of her nose, "Great."
The cart had now stopped, the windows were dusted by debris and people were either sitting, standing, sleeping or basically lounging around the small cart—Del thanked her lucky stars and moon that there were only around fifty people who attended this train.
'The guys were smart to choose the second train—even though the decision was coincidental to our current, er—situation.'
More like her own situation—it was somewhere probably six in the afternoon right now, the sky was dipped in sunset and she could faintly recall the scent of landscape beyond the cart and glass—and yet she wondered where the other trains were, sleeping probably—like little cattle.
She leaned against the cold glass and watched as her wispy breaths misted onto the window, her eyelids were soft and her eyelashes were heavy with summer snow as they strummed guitars of darkness, how drowsy she was.
'Where are they? They should be back now, it's very late.' Del adjusted her head's position and tipped it back, her long and sharp nose pointed up and her jaw moving up and down as she swallowed her own saliva.
The people in the cart were beginning to grow peckish(including Del herself), and the children—oh the children(even if there were only three) were whining about being thirsty and hungry which honestly annoyed the brunette, she really needed her sleep.
"Mummy! I'm thirsty!"
'Maybe you wouldn't be thirsty if you stopped running around the place.' Del hissed to herself as she narrowed her eyes and refused to turn to the annoying children—annoying to her that is.
It surprised her how vile and selfish her little heart was, cold and a shivering place it was—dark, but no too dim for light to enter, perhaps she could change? Perhaps not, it was a small place nonetheless.
'Al must think of me as weak now.' She recalled the moment where she had broken into tears in front of him and the scent of charred metal still lingered on her forehead—she must've looked disgusting.
Furthermore she was actually indeed weak, her lips were chapped only after a few minutes of licking it, her body was frozen stiff and her fingers were probably cold as ice right now.
As Del looked out the window from her misty hues she could see all the little lights of Central—they were so close and yet still so far, her heart thundered at the skyline and her lips closed as she gazed at the outward boldness of the faraway mountains and deserts.
Her eyelids slowly slid close as her breathing and heartbeat slowly drew the curtains, Del's body was so deep into darkness and shock that she wished to never wake up—perhaps return home as well, and never reenter this place ever again, so that she won't ever have to ruin timelines and destroy people's lives.
She mumbled a song to herself and slipped into her dandelion-less dream of meetings.
Somebody was holding her, it was warm and tight and careful—the person was gentle and like a teddy bear, soft. The person smelled of dandelions and wood and iron, his or her chest was like a cheek of a king—smooth and delicate, she felt like a queen being handled so carefully—she felt like porcelain.
Her curtains drew open and she stared at her mystery stranger from beneath her thick lashes and eyebrows, he had brown hair and a smile on his face—a blue uniform, dark green eyes that seemed to be pools of forests and waterfalls of stars that shoot the sky with bows and brackets—he wore no cologne and he was natural, plainly gently natural earth.
"Hello." Said he.
"Hi," She replied, dazed and staring into his eyes, "Who are you?"
"I'm Aaron," He replied with a smile, "I was sent by the military to pick you up."
"Oh." Del's eyes softened like pillows, "What about the other passengers?"
"They've been taken care of, we sent them away with all of our cars—I told them to go first and that I would catch up later," Aaron replied, "Colonel said to handle you with extreme care, so I waited for you to wake up first."
Del nodded carefully and turned away, "Thank you." Most people would say she was trusting him far too quick.
"Shall we get going?" He suggested.
"Yeah."
As he brought her to the car, she wondered if there ever was a character from FMA named Aaron—he was probably a side character who didn't get a voice actor, Del shrugged it off thought, she was too tired to think anyways.
Aaron revved the engine and leaned onto his leather seat, clutching and unclutching the steering wheel whilst waiting for the engine to heat up.
"So," He began as he pushed the pedal—they moved, "What's your name?"
She snuck a blank stare at him, "Del, Delamine Wright, and you?"
"Like I said," He smiled fondly staring forward and not giving her a returning stare, "Aaron, but I suppose you want my full name, it's Aaron Novel."
"Novel?" She raised an eyebrow at this, "As in book?"
"Yeah, well," Aaron shrugged and let out a breathless laugh, "Not the most glamorous of names but at least it isn't anything cheesy."
"Cheesy?" She questioned, her tone dripping with something akin to sarcasm.
"Yep." The male brunette nodded, "Diamond, Bronze, Rose—they're all very common names these days."
"U-huh." Del nodded, crossing her arms over her chest with a skeptic expression on her face.
"Ehm, if it makes you feel better," He laughed awkwardly directing his gaze elsewhere, "Wright isn't a cheesy name."
She smiled, her brown hair wrapping itself around her, "That's better."
Letting out a chuckle, Aaron shook his head good-naturedly, "You are a funny girl, Miss Wright."
Del felt her cheeks heat up, it was nice being complimented properly, "Thank you, Mister Novel."
He snuck another glance at her, this one filled with absolute amusement, "Drop the Mister."
She raised her hands up in defense, grinning, "Only if you drop the Miss."
"That's quite a bargain, Miss Wright." Del jokingly glared at him and Aaron rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say, Del."
Outside, the scenery changed from the natural landscape to the industrial bustling city of night—Central was beautiful at night, with their streetlamps ablaze with fire and iron and their streets paved with iron gold stone, the night-stores were open still and Del could see the liquor, clothes, and riches people downed themselves in, there were small shops of musical instruments and other of photography and art, there were women in beautiful dresses and furry shawls, their necks were tied with diamond and pearl chokers and their husbands were in suits and ties as they roamed the streets, their arms linked together as they laughed and enjoyed each others company.
"Wow," Del breathed in astonishment, there were so many lights, sights and sounds she could feel, it was breathtaking.
"Ah, this is Central's main street where most people come for afternoon or night shopping, it's quite a sight isn't it?" Aaron chuckled as he turned around a corner, heading into a more silent street.
"It's really pretty," The brunette commented before turning her gaze away from the window, "Where are we going now?"
"Military headquarters." He answered turning right and pointing to the front, "There it is, people are waiting for you."
"Me?" Del inquired, her face endorsed in curiosity as she turned towards him, "Why?"
Aaron grinned at her, "Are you not a companion of the Elrics?"
Feeling her neck and cheeks heat up, Del stammered out a reply, "I… uh—yeah."
He laughed all the way as they rode to Central, his dimples were revealed and his nose wrinkled all the way in joy.
Del found this attractive and proceeded blush all the way to the tips of her small and slightly-pointy ears.
'Darn it.'
Holding the door out for her, Aaron extended a hand for her to which she took gratefully, "Thank you."
His hands were callous and warm, they were rugged but calm like tea—like dandelions, Del smiled at this.
"You're welcome." He replied, linking her arm with his, "Let's go in, shall we?"
"Of course." She beamed up at him, enjoying the feeling of someone without metal touching her skin, it was a nice change.
Returning the smile, they walked into the building.
People stared, some waved, some whistled and some commented—but they were all directed towards Aaron, making Del feel a bit queasy and sick, not in the jealous way but in the ignored way.
She kept her smile on though as they walked through the halls and acknowledged anyone who'd greet them ask who she was, to which she would answer with a polite bow of her head and an introduction.
When they asked if they both were dating each other, they'd both turn bright red and shake their heads while repeating 'No' various times until one made an excuse and the other agreed.
As they reached the big oak doors of Mustang's office Aaron turned towards her and released her from his hold, he bowed to which she laughed and curtsied jokingly, "Goodbye Del."
"Oh please," The brunette laughed and shook her head, "You're acting like one of those knights from princess stories."
Grinning slyly, he took her hand in his own and grazed her knuckles with his nose, "Am I?"
Del returned the grin with one of her own and felt a blush creeping from her neck to her ears all over again, she did not try and conceal it, "Yes you are."
Aaron knocked on the door and said, "Excuse me."
"Come in."
He turned to her, shrugged and pushed the door open for her, flashing another grin before gesturing for her to go in, "Go on, they're waiting for you, M'lady."
Del playfully punched his arm and rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Sir Novel."
He rolled his eyes and gently pushed her in to which gained the attention of a certain Fullmetal and his brother.
"Hey Del! Where've you been?"
"You shut up! You guys left me!"
"Terribly sorry Del, my legs were blown up and I had to go and fix them."
A man with raven hair shook his head and looked at Aaron with a blank stare on his face, "Thank you for taking her here, you are dismissed."
He didn't miss the look of disappointment and sadness that flashed through the poor boy's eyes.
"Thank you, sir." Aaron nodded and left without a single word.
And as the door clicked close, the male brunette could see Del whip her head around to face him—the look of sadness clear on her face.
The word 'goodbye' was exchanged in each others stares as the oak door separated them, leaving a cruel cold wake in its footsteps as a blizzard of emotions were fixated onto the poor girl and boy.
Mustang smiled, amused by the strange change of events, 'Looks like those two have a crush on each other.'
"Miss Wright," The colonel cleared his throat and watched her turn towards him in a frenzy of sad eyes, "Please, take a seat."
"Oh, of course." Her eyes hardened and she scurried towards her seat that was in the middle of Ed and Al.
The raven-haired man nodded, "Right, before we continue from where we left off—let's start with introductions shall we? I presume you know the Elric brothers—"
"Of course she knows us dumbass, we were the ones who asked you to pick her up!" Ed fumed angrily.
The man smirked smugly at the angry alchemist and continued, "—like I was saying, I'm Roy Mustang, their boss, but please call me Colonel Mustang—or Roy, if you'd prefer."
"Boss my ass!"
Clearing his throat, the peeved colonel continued with a weary smile, "And I have heard stories from Fullmetal saying that you… come from another world, yes?"
Her throat instantly burned and her stomach churned relentlessly as she shot both the boys a betrayed look before turning swallowing nervously, "Mhm."
"I see," Mustang said and sighed through his nose, "I can't say I can't believe you."
Ed jumped, "You mean you believe her?!"
"Of course I do, this isn't the first time I've heard of such a confession." The colonel drawled, satisfied he was able to rile the Fullmetal up.
Del drew her eyebrows together, "First time?"
"Ever heard of the green-haired wonder jumping from building to building?" He replied, his eyes observing three of them.
"… Secret?" Del whispered, obviously shocked.
"Yes," said he, "I heard her confession once before—and it can't be a coincidence to have heard the statement twice."
Ed scoffed and Del felt a pang of hurt in her chest, 'Harsh.'
"Del," Mustang began and leaned over his work table, lacing his finger together, "Please describe the world you came from."
The brunette froze.
Describe? As in, how it looked like? But she was blind! How was she supposed to know how it looked like?
'He only said describe, nothing else—he didn't ask how it looked like, only how it was like.' She reassured herself.
"It's… not totally white nor is it totally black, it's somewhere in the middle of everything—grey, my world was grey, a mixture of technology and nature." She recalled the words of her instructor, "My world is filled with metal birds flying in the air, cars which moved like lightning, boxes which show moving pictures, portable and non-portable thin and thick boxes where a library cane be stored—a computer I believe it was called."
"There are good people and bad people, everyone is constantly weary on life, safety and comfort—it's a very scary place, especially if you make a mistake there, but just because it's cruel doesn't mean it's not beautiful, at night there are sometimes no stars in the skies because they are outshined by city lights, the seas are vast and we can travel over them really fast, sometimes there are music festivals where guitars have wires that are hooked onto things called amplifiers which produce a whole different sound—there are things you can use to simulate a real event, I believe they are called video game consoles. You can make moving pictures and broadcast them anywhere, we can fly wherever we want to using the giant metal bird in the sky—but the price is quite a hefty one, I heard."
"Interesting, this is though," Mustang paused and wagged a finger in front of her face, "A very different confession to the green-haired wonder's own tale."
"You see, she said that her world was a second world to her—though we never asked her about her first one—a land filled with dragons, queens and kings and mythical creatures, wizards and witches and it was a land filled with magic divided in two, one half suffers eternal light and the other half suffers eternal darkness, but that's aside the topic."
"Even though her own version sounds less-realistic compared to yours," Mustang tapped his chin and quirked an eyebrow, "I can't help but wonder… why your story is so different from hers."
Del scratched the back of her neck and gave a wry smile, "Um, if your world and my world exists—I don't see why there can't be another."
Mustang crossed his arms and stared at her though his black eyebrows, his eyes somehow twinkled, "Touche."
The brunette barely stifled a laugh.
Ed groaned and placed his head in his hands, "This is going nowhere."
"You can say that again." Del retorted, her lips pressed together in a thin line as she sighed from her nose, Del didn't need to be blind nor mute to at least figure that out; it was clear as day that Mustang was stalling—no, he was actually trying to get on Del's good side, and this irritated her, just a bit.
"Just get to the point, Mustang." Ed grunted as he crossed his arms and tipped his head back, his golden hair spilling behind him as Del watched.
"Well, since you asked so kindly," Mustang replied mockingly to which Ed responded with a growl, "I'd like to keep Del here in Central, just for a week or two—don't worry, all we'll be doing is bringing her in daily for questioning regarding her actual world."
"What?! No!" The brunette protested, disbelief and annoyance written on her face, "I'm not going to stay here!"
The room grew silent, the only sounds ever present was the girl's raging breaths and the drumming of fingers on the table that came from the corporal, his expression now bored and dreary.
"And where will you go, then?" Asked he.
"With them! Anywhere with them!"
Edward and Al looked at her incredulously, both their eyes wide and questioning, "Who said about taking you with us?" Ed asked.
Del whipped her head towards them, tresses of her hair flying frantically whilst she did so, "Didn't you?" She whispered.
"No." The blonde alchemist frowned.
She immediately turned crimson in embarrassment and turned away, her hair flying once more.
Del looked down and began clenching and unclenching her hands, they were sweaty and clammy—was this what embarrassment felt like? How horrible.
"Alright… then, Del will be kept here in Central, yes don't worry Scar won't hurt her—"
"But he knows her face."
"We've got, she'll be living with Riza."
"Are you sure it'll be enough?"
"I'm sure."
'Why not just take me with you? I'd be safer.' Actually, that wasn't the exact case, Del wanted to not only spend time with the Elrics but as well go on an adventure, she realized that she was sick of being cooped up in a small little house with nothing but a blindfold over her eyes.
"Brother, are you sure?"
"Guess so."
"Guess? She's Winry's friend!"
Ed sighed and turned to him, his lips twisted into a deep frown, "I know that."
Al widened his eyes and turned his head towards Mustang and Ed repeatedly, "You know that? Am I really the only one who actually cares?! Brother, what's going on with you?"
"Nothing is." The Fullmetal's face remained solid.
"There's something wrong! There definitely is!" The younger Elric protested, his red eyes narrowing, "Brother, you were worrying over her like crazy when I got to you when you were still fighting him on the train! You kept asking me questions about her—"
"Stop."
"—you didn't even stop! You tried shaking me by the shoulders even when you had that awful burn on your arm!"
"Al."
"And now you reject her like this? Even I agree it'd be best to take her along—what if Scar uses her against us?! I'd obviously never forgive myself, neither Winry to herself or both of us after trusting her friend to us, do you even care?!"
"Al, stop."
"She's just a girl Ed! And now after seeing her like this," he paused, "I believe her! She was once blind and mute, I believe her!"
"Al, stop it."
"—NO! I will not stop until I understand! Why are you acting like this?! Why?!"
"That is enough." Ed growled menacingly, inwardly surprised he'd ever had to use such a tone towards his own little brother.
Al was silent, his eyes hardened and widened surprised before they slunk into distrust(an emotion he thought he'd never had directed towards his brother) and turned away, letting himself fall back onto the chair, making it creak.
And there in the room, were three children lost in their own train of thought—one was incredibly afraid, her eyes were now rimmed with small tears and her lip couldn't stop trembling no matter how hard she bit it and no matter how much blood she drew, the other was incredibly annoyed and guilty—he partially blamed her for his outburst but kept the rest of his temper in check, which was quite surprising, and well, the last one was the most annoyed and confused—to a normal person, for being stuck inside metal armor for so long he sure was the most human in comparison.
"Fine then," Al said, "I'll be quiet."
"Good." His elder brother grumbled, seemingly satisfied and guilty to have heard that answer.
Mustang was quiet through the entire event, knowing full well how exclusive and private sibling squabbles were—but about a friend of their friend? How creative, no sarcasm.
'This is wrong.' Del repeatedly chanted in her mind, her fingers wringing themselves together, 'Ed and Al aren't supposed to be fighting! They're brothers for God's sake! Why am I even here? All I'm doing is messing up the timeline—what's with their attitude anyways? They seem so out of character here…'
"—mine? Delamine? Miss. Wright? Hey there." Mustang waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her haze.
"Oh, sorry, yes?" She responded, her eyes meeting his.
"This here is Riza Hawkeye," He gestured to the woman next to him, "She'll be the one you'll be living with momentarily."
The acclaimed Riza was in front of her—the woman Mustang trusted with his life if he'd ever stray towards the wrong path, she remembered, her golden hair was tied beautifully and her eyes were forward and hazel—staring at her, Del could only reply open-mouthed, "Oh."
"It's a pleasure, miss." Riza replied to her stupid words, a small smile on her face.
The brunette felt an embarrassed blush creep on her neck and she bowed her head, "Pleasure to meet you too, ma'am!"
Del could here the soft chuckle that came from Riza and her neck turned even more red, her lips trembled and her hand clutched the hem of her white skirt but paused and stared at Edward from the corner of her eyes who was looking elsewhere—strange.
Shrugging him off, Del deemed him unworthy of her attention(childish, she knows) and proceeded to ignore him throughout the entire discussion of herself and her current living arrangements, only when they were to depart did she actually speak to them.
"Well," Del began, childish formalities in her voice, "It's time for me to go."
"Yeah." Al replied, his voice warm as he extended a hand, "We'll check back in a few days or so, so stay out of trouble!"
The female rolled her eyes, laughing carelessly as she shook his hand, "Look at you—acting like you're my big brother and everything!"
The Elric shrugged and Del turned towards the elder brother.
"Ed." She replied, anxious to finish it here and now.
"Del," He responded, his face stoic and silence enveloped the two.
"Guys," Al intervened with a frown, "Just—"
He was, however, silent and surprised when his brother had went up and hugged Del—squeezing her tightly and telling her, "Be safe."
The brunette was surprised, but it soon melted away with the odd feeling of reassurement that she and he were both still friends, so smiling, she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back, fitting her head in the crook of his neck—her nose ticklish because of all the gold strands of hair, "I will."
He suddenly seemed reluctant to let go and Del frowned, confused and Al all the while even more confused, "Don't let Scar hurt you—or any other person, or else—"
"Jeez Ed, relax—I'm not some kind of kid, nor am I your little sister, I'm practically the same age as you(not to mention same height, although a bit taller), Scar's not going to get me and nobody's gonna hurt me, I have Miss Hawkeye with me." She released him from her hold and smiled, weakly and naively, "And yeah, I know, or else Winry's gonna hurt you or something, I get it."
"Not to mention Al would be shitting himself." Ed grinned at her.
"H-Hey!" The younger Elric protested, an impossible red blooming on his metal cheeks, "You too, brother!"
"Shut i-it!" Ed retorted angrily, "You didn't even protest when I said you'd be shitting yourself!"
"Says the guy who still has his arms around the girl!" Al whistled, his eyebrows wiggling comically(did he even have eyebrows?).
The older Elric turned tomato and released the girl, "Sorry."
Del blinked, and turned silent but after a few seconds she grinned and punched his shoulder, "Relax! You can hug me anytime, we're friends right?" She leaned to the right and looked over Ed's shoulder, "That means you too Al!"
The younger brother only laughed causing Ed to turn around to face him, smiling—enjoying the company of his brother's laugh coupled with that of the girl's grinning face, it was nice.
"Alright," Del cleared her throat, gaining their attention, "It's getting kinda late, and I better get back inside and wait for Miss Hawkeye—so I'll see you guys later, 'kay?"
Ed and Al both nodded, and stepped away from her—she smiled and waved, yelling, "Bye!" Before running back into the building, her feet making taps on the paved ground and her body disappearing into the light of the building.
A/N: Arggg, this was such a boring chapter! I'm so sorry that it turned out like this, I'll make sure that the later chapters will be much more interesting!
But till then, mind dropping a review or two? It'll really mean a lot to me! :D
Thank you for reading!