"Everybody knows that everybody dies and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark if he ever, for one moment, accepts it."-River Song, Doctor Who

It had been a few months since you had first met Alphonse. Had he not been in the right place at the right time, it's likely your paths would have never crossed at all, even though your mother was a state alchemist. He had been in the hospital in central, waiting patiently as his brother healed, when he had stumbled onto you.

"E-excuse me, would you mind if I joined you?"

"No, not at all," You had said. It had been one of your better days, you had been able to move around in a wheelchair, and had made your way to the building's atrium. Birds and plants could often be found there, and since you couldn't actually go outside, it was your favorite place to go and read, or draw, or simply sit quietly.

"It's really pretty here," the armored boy had thought aloud.

"Yes, I suppose it is. I haven't had the chance to go and see actual nature in so long," You sighed.

Clinking emanated from the armor as it hurriedly looked at you.

"Y-you haven't gotten to see actual nature in a while?"

You chuckled, "No, I've been stuck in this hospital for so long, I can hardly remember what it's really like."

"Oh," the armor said, before suggesting, "M-maybe I could bring you an actual plant. O-or maybe a small animal?"

You looked surprised at the suit. Here was a complete stranger, offering to do something kind for you. You smiled.

"I'd like that very much. What's your name?"

"M-me? I'm Alphonse, Alphonse Elric," the now named Alphonse said, bowing politely. "But just Al is fine."

"Alright, just Al," you chuckled, "I'm (Y/n), (Y/n) (L/n). Say, your brother's Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist, right?"

"Um, yeah," Al said, sounding a little disappointed.

"I would say it's strange that we haven't met, seeing as my mom is the Healing Alchemist, but with me always being in the hospital, I guess it's not that surprising," you laughed sadly.

"Your mom is the Healing Alchemist?"

"That's right!" You said cheerfully.

That spiraled the small talk between you two into a full blown conversation, lasting a few hours as you two got to know each other. Eventually, your mother entered the atrium to find you two still chatting up a storm.

"There you are (Y/n)! I couldn't find you anywhere I'd thought you'd be, then I realized I should have checked here first. I see you've met FullMetal's younger brother. How are you two getting along?"

"Swimmingly," you grinned goofily.

"Well, it's time for you to come inside. You know your immune system doesn't handle nighttime outside very well."

"Okay, I'll come inside," you said, starting to roll your wheelchair towards the door. Before you could move even two steps, Alphonse was pushing you along from behind.

"Here, allow me."

"Th-thank you Alphonse," you said quietly.

That night, you couldn't stop thinking of the boy in the armor. He had been so nice, so sweet, so understanding. So quiet.

It didn't take you long to realize what that feeling was. In fact, before you fell asleep, you were almost certain you had developed a crush.

***

Alphonse came and visited you every chance he could. He would show up to your hospital room with plants and little things from the world outside the hospital. Whenever he was around, your heart would race. Even without ever seeing his face, you knew where your feelings had ended up.

After a few months, you were certain of it. You were in love with him.

There was just one small problem. It was something you hadn't told him when you first met him, and you hadn't told him since. It was the reason you were in the hospital in the first place.

You were dying.

That's all there was to it. An incurable disease, with the best medical care only able to keep you alive as long and as comfortably as possible.

You honestly didn't know how long it would be before you would be gone. You were the reason your mother was the Healing Alchemist. Often you would have to reassure her that it wasn't her fault she couldn't save you. She often would joke about how horrible an alchemist she was, specializing in healing, and unable to save the last bit of family she had.

But she was happy that Alphonse made you happy. She urged you to tell him how you felt eventually. She gave some good advice, even if it was mixed in with teasing.

"Good morning (Y/n)," Al called from the doorway to your room, holding a bouquet of roses in a vase.

"Hey Alphonse. What's with the roses?" You asked, staying in your bed. You didn't tell him, but you could hardly walk without having pain surge through your legs most of the time.

"W-well," Al looked down at the ground, armor tinting pink, and mumbled, "I thought, since they're pretty, and you're pretty, you'd like them."

You felt your face heat up immediately.

"Th-thanks Al. Y-you think I'm pretty?"

Still, looking down, Alphonse nodded his head, avoiding eye contact.

You saw your mother standing behind Al, unnoticed by him. You stared at her, to which she mouthed the words, 'Tell him.'

"U-um, (Y-Y/n)? There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now. I-I've just been kind of afraid how you would react," Alphonse trailed off.

You looked directly at him, waiting for him to go on.

"I, um w-well, I-I get this feeling whenever I'm around you, a-and I've asked brother about it a-and, h-he told me that it," he paused, taking a deep breath before he continued, "that it was love."

You inhaled sharply, causing him to look at you. Your face was a bright pink, and you nodded for him to go on.

"B-but, there's another thing. Y-you see I'm, I'm not human."

"Not human?" Your head tilted slightly to the side as you asked. "How so? You seem pretty human to me."

"Well, my soul is human. B-but, my body is," he inhaled deeply again. "My body is this armor. There's nothing inside of me."

"W-what do you mean there's nothing inside of you?"

He sighed, sounding disappointed. Slowly, he walked over towards you, took off his helmet, and leaned down so you could see.

Cautiously, you peered inside, seeing nothing within the armor but a small alchemy circle drawn in blood.

"My brother and I, when we were younger, tried to bring out mother back from the dead. He ended up losing a leg, while I lost my entire body. He gave up his arm to transmute my soul to this armor. Now I can't even eat, drink, sleep, or feel. I understand if you don't feel the same way I do. Why would any girl love a walking trash can anyways?" He said, putting his head back on.

"Alphonse, you're not a trash can," you told him in a stern tone. His eyes darted up to you, and you realized that you now had his full attention. "And just because you don't have a body, it doesn't make you any less human. I actually think it's cute that you have an outward appearance that makes you look scary, when in reality you're the sweetest person I've ever met. And I love you all the same, body or not."

"Y-you feel the same way? Why didn't you tell me so first? I was so nervous about telling you how I felt."

Now came the part you had been dreading. Telling him the truth.

You sighed sadly.

"The reason I didn't tell you that I love you, is because, this sickness. This sickness that's kept me in this hospital for so long. I may not look like it, but," you looked him straight in the eye, (e/c) orbs filling up with tears, "I'm dying."

Alphonse looked taken aback.

"W-what?"

"Slowly but surely, I'm dying. I don't know when I'll go, but I didn't want to hurt you anymore than I had to. So I kept my feelings inside. I'm the reason my mom is the Healing Alchemist. She wants to try to save me, and she doesn't know how much time she has to do it."

Your tears started streaming down your face. You weren't necessarily afraid of dying, you knew it was a natural, unavoidable end. No.

You were afraid of leaving everyone you loved behind.

"A-and before I got too sick, I wanted to help as many people as I could. B-but l-look at me n-now. I can't even m-move around this hospital without a wheelchair, or even h-help. I j-just, I just don't want to be useless anymore!" You choked out.

Alphonse carefully hugged you from where he was standing next to your hospital bed. He felt selfish now. Here he was, worried you wouldn't love him because of his tantamount to immortality, while you were worrying he wouldn't love you because of your mortality.

"I'm so sorry (Y/n), I didn't know. I don't care if you're going to die. I can't help loving you, and if you can love me, even when I don't have a body, then I can love you, even when you have a limited amount of days remaining."

You sniffed, cuddled against him.

"Thanks, Al."

After a while, you ended up falling asleep. Alphonse carefully placed you back under the covers, sitting down next to your bed and holding your hand as you slept.

"Alphonse, can we talk to you?"

He turned to see your mother and his brother, standing in the doorway.

Al quickly nodded, reluctantly letting go of your hand and walking out of your hospital room.

Your mother led the brothers down the hall to a room where people would normally come visit. Entering the room, she pulled out two chairs and gestured for the boys to sit down.

When they were all seated, she turned first to Alphonse.

"Alphonse, you really love my daughter, don't you?"

Al, surprised by her bluntness, replied with a hasty, "Yes ma'm."

"I have an important question for you, then," your mother's eyes showed no trace of joking, only seriousness. "If it could save her life and allow her to live, would you be willing to give up your quest for the Philosopher's Stone, and remain as a suit of armor for the rest of your life?"

"What!?" Edward shouted. "What kind of a question is that!?"

"Would you?" Your mother asked again, keeping eye contact with Al and not sparing Ed so much as a glance.

Alphonse stared silently at her for a few minutes, contemplating what she was asking. All the positives and negatives of both options. On one hand, you could stay alive, but he wouldn't be able to feel you. On the other hand, you could die before he even got his body back. He might not have appeared so to the average person, but he really had fallen deeply in love with you. He looked back up and met your mother's unblinking eyes.

"If it means that it could keep (Y/n) alive, then I would gladly give up my quest."

"Alphonse, you're not thinking clearly. Is (Y/n) really worth giving up the possibility to get your body back?"

"But isn't that what love is?" Alphonse turned and stared into Ed's eyes, gaze unwavering. "Isn't love sacrificing your own interests for the one you love's benefit?"

"For the younger brother, you sure know a lot more about how love works," your mother commented.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

"Calm down, brother."

"If that's your answer, then I need you, Edward, to do something for me," your mother said, glancing between them.

Both the Elrics stared, waiting for her command.

"Tell me everything you know about how you bound your brother's soul to the armor he's in now. With as much detail and information as possible, please."

***

Alphonse raced to the doors of the hospital, anticipation growing. He hadn't been able to come see you for several weeks, the brothers hadn't been in central for a while. He couldn't wait to talk to you again.

"Al, wait up!" Edward called behind him. It was rather difficult to keep up with a seven foot tall suit of armor that didn't get exhausted.

"Sorry, I'm just so excited!"

Alphonse didn't even wait to get the nurse to inform you that he was there. He raced up the stairs towards where he knew your room was.

"(Y/n)! I'm he-" He stopped, mid sentence. He stared around at your room.

It was empty. The books and sketchbooks that lined your nightstand, the pile of stuffed animals taking over half of your bed. The posters of various things that decorated your wall.

They were all gone.

"No," Al collapsed to his knees. It felt like someone had knocked him to the ground and was now repeatedly kicking his stomach.

"She can't be dead, she can't be dead," he repeated to himself, desperately wishing that to be the truth.

Edward caught up to Alphonse and, seeing his position and the state of the room, carefully came over and gently put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Al."

"M-maybe she's not dead. M-maybe her and her mom went to a different hospital or something," Alphonse sounded as though, if he had a body, he would be either on the brink of tears, or already crying.

"Al, people don't just magically get better."

"Sh-shut up! We don't know if she's dead or not! W-we," Al looked around hastily, spotting a nurse walking down the hall a few rooms away, "We can ask someone!"

Al's voice sounded shaky, desperate, and unsure. He slowly walked over to the nurse and hesitantly cleared his throat.

"E-excuse me," the nurse looked at him. "D-do you know where the girl the lives in the room over there is?"

Her gaze followed his pointing hand, before she spotted your room.

"Oh, (Y/n)'s room? I'm sorry, you must have not heard..."

Alphonse felt his stomach plummet. The nurse's tone sounded apologetic, and he was almost certain of what she was going to say next.

"Her mother checked her out of the hospital. They said to tell anyone who comes to visit them that they were going to Risembool to get automail."

Alphonse and Edward both let out audible sighs of relief.

You were still alive. Then they began to process what else the nurse had said.

"Automail?" They both asked at the same time.

"Yeah, for the Healing Alchemist's legs."

"The Healing Alchemist's legs?"

"Yes, her legs. Oh wait a minute, are you two the Elric brothers?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Edward asked.

"They wanted the hospital staff to tell you two that they were there waiting for you."

"Oh, thank you for relaying the message," Al thanked the nurse.

"Care for a trip to the Rockbell's house?" Ed questioned.

"Of course. It'll be good to see Winry again."

***

"Winry! We're home!" Edward called into the house.

The only response he received was one that sounded of muffled screams of pain.

"Winry?" Al called.

Aunt Pinako came out to greet them.

"Winry's performing the surgery on a patient right now. She can't come out to chat."

"Well hello to you too Aunt Pinako," Ed said sarcastically.

"It's the Healing Alchemist, right?" Alphonse asked.

"That's getting the surgery?"

Pinako turned to look at him, pipe sticking out of her mouth.

"Yes, it is. And she told us we could be expecting you as well. Although she didn't know exactly when you would be coming."

"Do you know where her daughter is? Al is really eager to see her," Ed said playfully.

"She informed me of their relationship. Although, her appearance might surprise you. She told me not to tell details and to let you see for yourself. (Y/n) went out for a walk, she should be back soon," Pinako told them.

"Oh, okay. I'll just wait for her to get back then," Alphonse stated, going over and sitting on a chair near the front entrance.

And so he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

When it started to get dark, Al began to get worried.

"Sh-should we go search for her or something?" He asked, nervous.

"She'll be fine," your mother called from the kitchen table. She was spending as much time sitting as she could. Not just one, but both of her legs, had needed automail. She had still refused to tell both Edward and Alphonse how she had ended up with two stumps for legs. All she told them was that she would lose them again in an instant.

"You're not worried at all about her? What if she falls and she doesn't have anyone to help her? Or thugs come and try to steal her things? Or worse..."

"Alphonse, calm down. I'm her mother, I'm supposed to be the one worrying about her. But I do think it's adorable that you're so concerned with her safety," your mother chuckled.

"Do you know when she'll probably be getting back?" Winry asked from the kitchen.

"She likes to be alone with her thoughts. She'll come back when she feels she's ready," your mother sighed. She tried to stand up, holding onto her chair for support as she made for her bedroom.

"Welp, I'm tired. Having all your nerves bonded to metal tends to take a lot out of you. Tell (Y/n) I said goodnight, alright Alphonse."

"Okay, will do," Al sighed.

It was a long time before you returned, everyone ended up going to bed before you arrived back at the house.

Alphonse remained in the chair, patiently awaiting you. Eventually, he heard the porch creek outside, and he sighed in relief. You were finally back.

He sat in silence, planning to wait until you were inside before he said anything. The door slowly swung slightly open, revealing not a (s/c) face, but a metallic helmet with (e/c) orbs peering curiously at him. It was the same height as you, as well having a similar body structure. Indeed, the armor had been crafted to be the same size as you.

"Um, hello," Al said, surprised.

The unknown armor looked down, appearing to have been a little hurt. Then a familiar voice squeaked out.

"H-hi, Alphonse."

"(Y-Y/n)!?" Alphonse rushed over to the smaller suit of armor.

You cautiously stepped fully into the house. Alphonse stared you up and down for a moment, before lunging forward and taking you in a hug.

"(Y/n), I was so scared when you weren't at the hospital. I-I thought you were dead," Al's grip on you didn't loosen in the slightest. He continued to hug you protectively, simply glad that you were alive.

Although you could no longer physically feel, you happily returned the hug.

"No, I'm fine Al. My mother gave up her legs to bind me to this armor," your voice held a sad smile. Your newly acquired metal face was dusted pink, similar to when Al's helmet showed his blush.

"B-but, now you're like this! I didn't want anyone else to suffer through being unable to do all the things normal people could do," Alphonse had his face somewhat buried in your neck, but you didn't mind.

"It's okay Alphonse. Sometimes, I think pain is easier to deal with when you're not alone. And now, you're not the only one who has to deal with it. We'll be alright," you said calmly, stroking his back comfortingly.

"Is, is this why your mom asked if I would be willing to give up my quest if it could save you?"

You sighed, remembering your mother's explanation.

"Yes. She said that she wanted me to be able to keep living. But she knew that I would be stuck like this permanently, since my actual physical body is too weak to go on. So I'll be stuck like this for the rest of my life. She doesn't want me to be all alone, watching everyone I love die as I live on. She, she told me your answer was yes. Is that still the case?"

Al stared down at you, still not used to your new appearance. He quickly answered you.

"Of course! I can't have you being all alone, not when I've been through what you're likely going to go through. If it'll make you happy, I'll stay exactly as I am now."

You sighed in relief.

"Thank you so much Alphonse. I was so scared that I was going to be stuck like this alone."

"Of course not, I wouldn't just abandon you. Not when I love you so much."

You could feel your now gray face tint pink again.

"Thanks again Alphonse. And, I love you too."

You two remained hugging for a while longer, metal against metal, each of you waiting for the other to move.

"So, um, what should we do now? Neither of us can go to sleep anymore, so," Al trailed off.

"We could just sit and talk. Or we could go out and walk. They wouldn't have to worry about us anyways," you suggested.

"Okay, sounds good to me!"

And so you two walked down to the lake, two suits of soul-bound armor. You were shyly holding each other's hands as you made your way to the body of water.

This would be the first of many instances where you two stayed together after everyone else had fallen into sleep.

"Everybody knows that everybody dies. But not every day. Not today. Some days are special. Some days are so, so blessed. Some days, nobody dies at all. Now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days, when the wind stands fair and the doctor comes to call, everybody lives."

(A/N- *Hears the cheering of Whovians because of the Doctor Who quotes* The quotes were too perfect, I couldn't help using them. Sorry not sorry.

Overall, I am REALLY happy with how this turned out. I've been wanting to write this for a while, I even said something about it in my ongoing Alphonse x Reader. But it's finally written!

Unfortunately, I won't be on for almost two weeks starting June 12th, because I'll be in Europe for about ten days. But I'll try to write a bunch once I get back!

I've announced my hiatus, this author's note is now over. Thanks for reading!)