All Tea, No Sympathy
Edward Elric was walking down the landing, limping slightly on his malfunctioning automail leg. As he passed Winry's room he heard a stifled giggle drift through the door.
Riza wasn't one to laugh loudly, but she couldn't help the odd note from escaping as she spoke to the Rockbell girl.
"I asked Ed – you love Winry, don't you? And he spat his tea all over the dog! I only just managed to keep a straight face!"
Before Ed could escape, Winry left the room and caught him frozen in place; bright red right outside her door. She held a mug of hot beverage and the black dog Hayate was winding around her legs like a hungry cat.
"Is that true then?" she asked Ed cheerfully, taking a mouthful.
Ed couldn't colour any more than he had already, so he fidgeted and looked away instead.
"Well…I don't know, you can't believe everything Riza says, and it was just a shock question, and sort of;" He flicked a tiny glance at her and realised that she was actually less intimidating than many of his earlier trials, despite the way love was always depicted as painful and terrifying in the little media he had time to watch. But then his trials were pretty damn horrific. "Maybe…yes."
Winry registered this.
Then she sprayed her tea all over the dog.
"I thought she was joking!" spluttered the girl.
Ed said nothing, just shifted his weight awkwardly. He stared down at the dripping wet dog, which no doubt would now have an ingrained fear of tea-drinkers; whilst Winry's mind whirled.
After a few moments she wiped her mouth, raised her mug and clinked it against the metal of his right hand. "That's a deal then," she chirped, smiling widely.
Edward blinked. What?
---
"Ed!" scolded Winry, hitting him on the head with a rubber-handled screwdriver and not, thankfully, a heavy spanner. "Stop squirming and let me check your leg socket!"
No. He vowed silently. Now that they knew they liked each other, it would be far too embarrassing to let her check such a sensitive area. If he fended her off long enough, surely Pinako would take over.
No such luck. Winry just picked up her biggest wrench and brained him with it.
"You're only gonna get tough love from a mechanic," she informed him; whistling as she disconnected his automail leg with a few sharp tugs. "Get used to it!"
Semi-conscious on the couch, Ed just groaned.
Out in the hallway Riza dried Hayate off with a towel. "You poor puppy, getting covered in tea…" she crooned, ruffling his fur. "This is bad karma from your house training, got it?"