Where a single voice becomes a Haven.

Italics - Dreaming
_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._

Nights in Resembool were lonely, Edward was always out fulfilling his duties as State Alchemist while Alphonse never strayed from his older brother. You never stopped them from leaving, no matter how much you wanted to because you knew it was all to get Alphonse's body back to flesh and bone; as well as Edward's arm and leg.

You were left alone in the house with Winry and Pinako because you couldn't do anything that would benefit the brothers. You were too scared as well so you knew that if everything turned bad in a matter of seconds and it became violent, you would surely be stuck frozen in fear and eventually a liability to them.

You couldn't handle making Alphonse and Edward angry, nor could you forgive yourself if you were the cause of a delay in their mission to obtaining the Philosophers Stone. So you stayed back and made sure they were okay when they decided to come back home. You hated being scared and you hated not knowing what could've been happening to the Elric brothers which led to the displeasing and frightful concept of nightmares.

You never told anyone about the nightmares nor did you say what they were about. It had been happening for a long while now, almost close to half a year and now you had to resort to either waiting until Winry and Pinako went to sleep or else you wouldn't sleep at all. You hated the thought of those two having to wake you up as you cried alone under your hot bed covers.
You didn't want them to watch you with sadness written all over their faces, you already felt weak and incompetent enough.

When you regularly woke up with shock-stricken eyes and a gasp locked in your throat, the tears would begin to freely cascade down your face to wet your neck and your blankets, no one would come in to help because you would helplessly swallow your voice but you didn't want it because that meant keeping the two Rockbell's awake and away from their peaceful slumbers. If you couldn't sleep then that didn't mean you had to take it from anyone else.

You would become slightly relieved when the brothers arrived home. Usually they would come inside, Edward would get his automail repaired because of his reckless and assertive behaviour, after that sometimes Edward would then have to fix his brothers armour which was only slightly common. You were left with a frown on your face but then they would proceed to tell you little stories about their adventures and how they had acquired new information about the Stone. It made you feel better.

You really enjoyed having the boys home because you knew that they were okay, you didn't need to lie to yourself and remind your brain they were fine because they were physically in the same house as you so you knew they were okay. Hence the reason you rarely got nightmares when they were home.
Plus you would feel extra guilty for making Alphonse worry if you had awoken and bursted into tears a second later. He was so sweet and caring and you felt bad that he couldn't sleep because his soul was binded to a metal armour so you liked to let him know that you were okay and sleeping well.

It wasn't like that though. Because Alphonse was always quiet, rarely moving by his brother's side because he didn't want to wake Edward when his metal plates moved by each other.
The silence enhanced the thrashing of blankets moving in your room, then he would hear little whimpers. They were heard just barely to Alphonse but after staying still and concentrated, he was sure it was coming from your room on the other side of the wall.

There was a black figure, it was too dark to see who he was or what he was doing. You felt shivers running through your spine, ragged breathes escaping your mouth and you were lucky to be able to suck in a whole breath if you did at some point. Your breaths were quick and you knew you were prone to falling unconscious even if it was a dream.

But was it? It felt so real, what could you do to find out if it was a dream or not? Fingers! You count your fingers in dreams, you held your hands in front of your face, or did you? It was too dark, you could feel yourself moving but there was nothing in front of your face, you couldn't even see your own body.

The figure laughed, or more cackled. It sent more shivers down your spines and you immediately wanted to flee, you felt your feet lifting from the ground but they never moved after that. Your eyes widened immensely to catch sight of a red, glowing stone in the grasp of the figures dark and pointed fingers.

They looked like knives and the more you stared, the more your eyes adjusted to the red lighting which emitted light over the dead bodies of Edwards and Alphonse. You screamed, or you thought you did. The sound was so loud but your mouth didn't even opened, your ears stung. They were ringing and you felt a warm liquid leaving your ears. Blood, it was blood and you felt the air leave your lungs when a piece of Alphonse's void armour was thrusted into your abdomen.

"-PHONSE NO~"

You were roughly tugged awake, vision blurred by tears and on the verge of a panic attack. Your lungs felt constricted and you felt so hot but you were cold at the same time. You heard someone yelling your name, or multiple people were because either way your ears were stinging and it felt as if your ear drums had bursted and caused a ripple-effect to pierce into your brain. Your hands were roughly tugging onto your shirt, right on your abdomen and finally adjusting your eyes to what was in front off you, your salty tears ceased to stop when you saw a stoic Alphonse, a concerned Edward, a pitiful and fearful Winry and a sleepy but worried Pinako.

You cringed to yourself as your brain mentally scolded yourself for becoming such a nuisance, the feeling of Alphonse's large hands on your shoulders suddenly become known as you roughly tugged them off in humiliation. You despised the looks in their eyes, and you stood shakily whilst still attempting to calm your breath, "A-are you okay (Y/N)?"

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment at the sweet and echoed voice of Alphonse and you turned to leave but halted when your heart beat was resonating through your ears and doing nothing but increasing rapidly from the close proximity between yourself and the boy whose metal was just used to kill you.

Your face scrunched up in anger and you breathed in to relax the tears, you took in your surroundings and noticed that you were near the front door on the house.
You had gotten out of bed, down stairs and through the house while dreaming about the brothers dead bodies. How that happened was beyond you, but you couldn't leave because of the hand that reappeared and gotten tighter on your shoulder, "I asked if you're okay (Y/N), please tell me."

"I'm Fine!" You didn't mean to but you had screamed and it was loud, you thrashed away from the people in front of you, flailing as you almost slapped a shocked Edward before he ducked in time.

Your voice was scratchy and it hurt to speak, you were hiccuping now because of the excessive crying and you felt so chocked up, breaking down again before running past everyone in a flash to leave a sad Alphonse who felt too incompetent to help you while in a metal body who couldn't feel anything.

_._._._._

It was bedtime in the Rockbell household and a week had past, Alphonse refused to leave until he could help you in some way because he wouldn't give up on you, he would never even dream of it- even if he couldn't dream at all, "Big brother, I'm not leaving.. I-I want to he-help (Y/N)."

Edward smirked at Alphonse's frigid behaviour when speaking about you, or even thinking of you. Edward had always been the one Alphonse told everything to so it wasn't surprising when Alphonse revealed he had developed a crush on you. Edward, or most likely everyone within a kilometres radius could tell that the metal boy had feelings for you; their childhood friend.
When Edward teased Winry and vice versa that was when you and Alphonse were together, talking about whatever passed through your brain and out of your mouth. You were best friends, only Alphonse wanted more.

"No problem Al, Do whatever you can, alright?" Alphonse smiled, not that it could be seen, but Edward knew he had made his little brother content, that was all he wanted after all. If this would make Alphonse feel better about you and your nightmares, Edward would continue without hesitation.

Edward had gone off to bed, that was after he forcibly made Alphonse sit in your room after you had accidentally fallen asleep. Alphonse was afraid at first because he had expected you to scream at him and kick him out but that wasn't the case because as soon as Alphonse had gotten a glimpse of your peaceful face, he was hypnotised.

It saddened him to think that behind those eye lids were beautiful and bright (E/C) orbs that had cried so many times here, alone. He would be lying if he said he didn't hear you crying a lot of times during the night this past week. It made him feel even worse when you would come out of your room, dressed casually and smiling but also having sunken eyes that were usually red with dark bags under them.

He didn't know how to react, nor what to do and he wished he could do something immediately before he left. He was going to leave soon, had you been having these types of nightmares all the time while he was absent as well? The thought made him want to cry, but that was something he was also incapable of.

It was just passed midnight, everyone was undergoing their slumbers with dreams that were unlike your own. Alphonse had found some books on your desk, using the moonlight as a light to read, he was abruptly interrupted when he caught movement in the corner of his eye. He looked up to see you hastily releasing yourself from the bed covers. Sweat forming on your forehead, short and ragged breaths leaving your mouth while pain and fright was laced on your face.

It was too dark, where was the light? You need the light, you heard the same laughter as before as it had been haunting you for nights on end. It was dark and malicious and it made you so scared, it was like a thousand needles of frozen ice was being plunged into your veins. You were frozen and you felt so constricted, both internally and externally. You had to leave, farther away from the murderer of the boys you cherished, the younger one that you adored.

You were out of bed in a flash, just missing Alphonse when you approached the door to your bedroom. You had stopped when sliding your hand on the door to unconsciously find the doorknob but, unknowingly to you, an abnormally large hand stopped you, followed by their voice, "Hey, (Y/N)? You're okay- let's go back to bed."

That voice, it was so surreal and peaceful. You wanted to follow the voice, if only you knew which direction it came from. You felt yourself moving and struck petrified in your spot again at the sight of the familiar red glow. You felt your breath leaving you; out, out, in, out, out; it wasn't regular and your brain hurt. The voice that had echoed in your mind was gone, like a person was yelling through a tunnel. The laughter was back.

Alphonse tightened his grip on your shoulders, relieving one from your right shoulder to lightly rub your lower back. He felt your tense muscles relax at his touch and he almost stopped in awe before realising you were reaching for the door again, "Hey, don't worry- nothing's going to hurt you. Ju-Just follow me okay."

You could breath again as soon as the voice came back, it was loud at first but it was good because it had managed to block out the laughter when the red light began to expand. You shut your eyes tightly, feeling the familiar wetness travelling down your face. You felt something warm on your face as well as you feet moving backwards, you felt alleviation flooding into your body as you involuntarily uttered a single word, "Al.... Alphonse."

Alphonse gasped at your voice, it was so frail and he felt slightly guilty when thinking it was so adorable that he would've blushed deep red, "Al.... Alphonse."
He proceeded to wipe the tears off of your troubled face, guiding you back to your bed as he slowly led you to the warmth of your sheets as your hands found his chest plate, revelling in the coldness that graced your finger tips. Alphonse was so content with the outcome of his actions, he felt like he had succeeded as he laid you into your bed when you cuddled into the blankets that had become cooler due to your absence.

"Alphonse.. Wh-where are you?" The words left your mouth though you felt your jaw still the whole time, you looked around and it was still dark, "I'm...... Right....... Here."
You cried again, it felt like you were in a bubble as if the words surrounded you for a minute before fading away. You felt happy now, the darkness wasn't scary and you felt yourself hugging an unknown object that gave you much needed relief as if it were a haven to help you through your sleep.

"Alphonse.. Wh-where are you?"
The words left your mouth again, scratchy but melodic at the same time, he immediately answered though because he knew it was making a huge difference because this would've turned out to be a replay of your last nightmare if he wasn't here. You had grabbed his arm as if on instinct and he was happy you hadn't awoken in your slumber because of how awkward it could've been with you cuddling his huge, metal arm but he allowed it as he scooted closer while sitting on the floor beside you.

Your dream was peaceful, you had gone back to sleep while listening to an incoherent murmur of a voice that was extremely familiar to you, "I.. I wish I was human again, maybe I could've helped more. M-maybe we could even be cuddling instead of you hugging my cold and hard arm an-"

"I love you Alphonse.."

Alphonse gasped, rooted still as a statue as your words echoed in his thoughts like a spiral causing an eruption of excitement, happiness and devotion to swell inside the seven-foot tall boy.
Alphonse was happy, watching a small smile grow on your face as he spoke gently and cautiously, "I.. I-I love y-you too.. (Y/N)."

For now, Alphonse had to contain himself but he knew that when you awoke to him beside you, he would confess immediately upon watching your auroral orbs open and adjust to him as he had and always will be by your side from now on.

_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._

ahhh so Kawaii!:3 i liked this one:) thoughts?????
thanks for reading, hope you have a lovely day xxx

- Oriana__3