A remix of "Fertility Rites" by SJSmith/Evil_Little_Dog, for Remix Madness 2014.
Daniel sat down for his lesson a bit late. Late enough that Ed, who had been reading on his own anyway, had already taken notice of it. Daniel was an extremely punctual twelve-year-old. Ed found it a little uncanny, honestly. It might be a good thing that he was late, a sign that he was loosening up and falling into the country rhythm of Resembool (maybe it was coming from a factory-owning family that did it- farmers worked in tune with the sun and the seasons; places of manufacture observed time by clockwork, just like their workings).
"Sorry, Mister- uh, Ed," Daniel opened his notebook and flipped it around so his completed self-study problems were facing his instructor. "I got distracted."
Ed was quick to dismiss what struck him as a non-issue and focus on checking over Daniel's work.
From the partially open window, a warm breeze entered the room, accompanied by the trilling of an elaborate bird song. Daniel's pale, gold-ish eyes drifted toward the greenery that was rapidly overtaking the local scenery in the wake of the final snowmelt. This was his first spring in Resembool. It might be greener than his hometown since there was less rain down south, but, in general, spring was spring, the countryside was the countryside. There were sheep in Resembool, but that hardly seemed a heart-racing difference.
There was a minor error in one of Daniel's solutions. The boy's attention came back into focus as Ed pointed it out (in alchemy there just wasn't room for this kind of mistake, which could be compounded as the process progressed- to say nothing of when making actual transmutations), but after correcting his work and taking down a note regarding the source of the problem, Daniel asked a question entirely unrelated to alchemy: "Why are Ms. Winry and Ms. Pinako in the kitchen blowing the insides out of eggs?"
"Huh?" Ed replied automatically, understanding what Daniel was asking immediately, but needing a moment more to grasp why. "You know. For Eostre."
Daniel's expression shifted to one of thoughtful frustration as he considered how to rephrase his query so as to receive a more enlightening answer. It was one of his borderline eerie looks where Ed found his resemblance to the father he had never known a bit strong for comfort.
"Umm, you celebrate Eostre back home, of course?" Ed prompted him.
"Yes," some of the tension went out of him, "But I've never done anything special with eggs."
"What, no fertility rites in Fernburg? It's a big thing here with the young guys throwing eggs full of rose perfume at the girls- who try and smack you with willow switches."
"No, we definitely don't have that. …Even though I'm practically sure Grandmom and Granddad wouldn't have let me participate, I would have to know about it."
"Huh," Ed leaned back in his chair, "I wasn't surprised to think not in the city, but I would've figured you came from a small enough town…"
Daniel was curious. "Is it fun then?"
"Well," Ed weighed his assessment, "It can be. I mean, I used to think it was kind of stupid, but my first time back home after the attempted coup…" He smiled, remembering it- Winry pushing him up against the wall, his hand around her waist, the damp of their clothes, wet with perfume from the smashed eggs, the taste of her lips… He could feel his face growing warm at the happy memory. That was one Eostre past definitely too vividly recalled to spend much more time with in front of Daniel- now, reminiscing with Winry about it later tonight on the other hand… (Well, it was going to be great until they got interrupted by the baby, which was pretty much an inevitability with their younger daughter these days)
"Mmm-hmm," Daniel nodded, waiting for Ed to finish his explanation.
Ed reconsidered his pitch for the local Eostre festivities. "…When I get down to it, I suppose maybe thing that made the difference for me was how I felt about Winry. …So, I guess it's fun if you're the kind of kid who likes to throw eggs or you have a girl that you like to, uh, tease and get teased by." …But he didn't think either of those things really described Daniel. Ed wasn't sure Daniel ever even talked to any of the kids in town aside from his own children- at least he never seemed to seek them out. He did talk with Stationmaster Coyle and Mrs. Culbertson and other adults who ran the local businesses.
Perhaps the Eostre fun would provide a quick opportunity to get in with the local kids if he so desired.
"It's on the day of?"
"Yep."
"I guess…" Daniel's face read close to neutral before his decision regarding the matter revealed itself with a smile, "…I'll try and work myself up for it. I, uh, hope it'll be warm that day…I'm gonna feel bad throwing eggs if I'm worried about making some girl catch a cold."
"Don't give it another thought," Ed assured him, "Everyone will keep warm with all the running around, but if the weather's bad, we'll be sure to bring some towels to dry off on."
"So, I heard from Daniel that you were busy getting all geared up for Eostre earlier today," Ed came up behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"It's not long to the Spring Equinox now," Winry put the pencil in her hand down on her worktable on top of the schematics she was busy tweaking, since she didn't want to lose it on the floor and risk anyone stepping on it later if things in the workroom went the way she thought they were headed.
"I was thinking if your lips aren't too tired from blowing out all those eggs that maybe they'd be up for some kissing?" Ed whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling just a little.
His delivery honestly made Winry more inclined to laugh than swoon, but laughing was just another part of what made her marriage to Ed so wonderful, so she grinned and went along with it. "Oh, the eggs were nothing more than a warm-up for how I hope you're going to take my breath away."
Their lips met with familiar passion and the freedom of a lack of prying eyes that wasn't going to get any more common the more additions they were to their household (until all the kids were old enough to be away at school, maybe). It was late and they were unlikely to be interrupted anytime soon. Ed's hands made their way slowly up Winry's torso, sliding over the fabric of her top.
Their lips parted and Winry twisted around in his arms to swing her legs over the other side of the seat so she was facing her husband.
"Eostre coming up and all," Ed said, "I was remembering that first one after Al got his body back."
"If I remember right, it didn't work out all that amazingly for Al, but it isn't as if there were really any girl back here in Resembool on his mind, so I guess he had fun enough just being able to participate."
"Yeah, that's true," he went on, "But that wasn't the part I was thinking about…"
"Oh?" Winry linked her hands behind Ed's neck and gently encouraged his lips back almost level with hers, touching them softly with her own between phrases, "It's not, huh? …Was it the part… …More like this then?"
"Oh," Ed breathed, "Yes. Yes. The way your dress… And how you pushed against me… And…"
"Yeah, that was a good Eostre..."
Daniel caught sight of his reflection in the front window and frowned. His clothes were neat and clean, but that persistent cowlick was at it again. He licked his index finger and tried to make it stay down. It made him look like such a kid. It wasn't going to leave a good impression on strange girls…then again, Ed had some pretty notable cowlicks himself with those sort of antenna-ish sticking up parts and he was married to Ms. Winry, so…
His musings about girls (he wasn't really sure what he thought about girls in that sort of way anyway aside from Ms. Winry, who wasn't just a girl) were interrupted by vague sound of not particularly harsh bickering from the kitchen. "You know I wanted grandchildren in my lifetime plenty, but that meant how much I wanted them, Ed, not how many," Pinako quipped, "I'm not telling you to stop, but maybe you should put some forethought into spacing them out a little?"
"Pssh, you're complaining now, Granny? You're the one who went to so much trouble impressing how spring is all about sex on me when I first settled back down here! I know you were glad when it turned out Winry was knocked up and I couldn't possibly not turn around and come back early."
"Sure, the kids were all tucked in, but I was still awake!" Pinako chuckled, "You know how that door to the workroom opens on its own if you don't check it? Consider this your reminder to replace that latch!"
"Ugh, geez, Granny, you could've just come and pushed the door closed. It's not like you can see what's going on down there when the only light in the room's that lantern-"
"You say that, Ed, but what about the time-"
So it was that sort of conversation. But "spring is all about sex?" Well, the May pole, sure, but…
"Hey, Daniel!" Simon rushed up and interrupted that particular train of thought before he'd gotten too far into parsing Resembool's local Eostre tradition beyond the obvious girls versus boys context. "Hey! You're gonna help me right? We'll team up and it won't make any diff'rence that Ellie Renbak is way too tall for it to be fair when we're the same age 'cuz you're a whole bunch taller than her, Daniel!"
"Yeah, but you and Ellie are the same age and I'm not just bigger; I'm older. Maybe I can help you a little, Simon, but I don't want to be mean."
"No!" Lizzy interrupted forcefully, toddling over as fast as her tiny legs would carry her, "Daniel will help me!"
"It's not like there's anything he can help you with- it's not like when I was small and could barely carry more than two eggs at once. Now that Melissa's born you're not the baby anymore," Simon fussed at his sister before turning around to instruct Daniel just as knowingly, "She's just gonna hit you with her willow whip."
"Umm, that's okay," Daniel shrugged, "I don't mind."
"You know I heard all of that, Simon," Winry spoke up, as she approached, decked out in her colorful spring finest, "And you know I fully expect every member of this family to play nice out there today, especially if you want to keep practicing with my tools-"
"But Mom…!" Simon complained at this warning he thought was unfairly directed specifically at him.
"Don't worry about it and I'm sure it won't be a problem. Now, come on, Lizzy, why don't we go outside and you can help me find a pretty flower to put in my hair…" Winry supposed she ought to take advantage of the fact that Melissa wasn't very grabby yet and wouldn't have to worry about her pulling the flower out of her hair.
Lizzy instantly latched onto this last activity before heading to the town square and accompanied her mother outside, suggesting either of the sorts of flowers- crocuses or daisies- that made up the crown that Winry had wound into a braid of ribbons to decorate her own blond hair.
"…I'm sure not gonna waste any of my eggs on Lizzy," Simon grumbled.
"Your dad said it's more fun if there's a girl you like."
"Eh," Simon looked down at his shoes, "I dunno…"
Daniel just smiled. He wasn't going to tease Simon, but he was a bit curious now to pick out Ellie Renbak from among the kids he had observed here and there around town.
"I remember the first time your father was around for Eostre," Pinako remarked to Ed as Winry gave Lizzie some last tips about using her willow switch as she left her situated with the other girls. "Of course, you know how clumsy he could be. He immediately tripped over his own feet and smashed all of his eggs against his chest."
"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me one bit," Ed scoffed. "I could do better than that when I was five years old."
"Oh," Winry rejoined them, adjusting her grip on Melissa, who merely yawned, "I hope they all have a good time and Lizzie doesn't fall and scrape her knees like last year."
"Is that one Ellie?" Daniel leaned over to ask Simon, gesturing with a fairly discreet sweep of his hand to a girl with curly brown pigtails.
"That's her," Simon confirmed, awkwardly juggling his slightly heftier load of eggs than perhaps he should've tried to manage.
"Ha ha, hey, she's looking right back at you, Simon."
The girl in question smiled when she made eye contact with Daniel, but snapped her willow switch when the countdown began, turning her focus back to Simon Elric, who let out a rather Ed-like groan in nervous anticipation.
"And, of course, you brought the camera, right?" Winry quizzed Pinako.
"As if I would ever neglect to bring it along," she grinned.
"Hmm…maybe we should've taken one of the kids before they got all messed up," Winry mused.
Ed laughed, "I guess we could've, but I wouldn't sweat it. The being a complete mess part of this celebration is the memorable part anyway."
The assembled players sprung into action the moment the countdown elapsed. Lizzie swatted Daniel's knees with her willow switch, Simon was thoroughly trounced by Ellie Renbak's strong arm and longer stride not matter how he ran (though he did get a few good hits in), and Daniel took a rather large splash of rose water to the face from an egg that hit Lizzie on the top of the head while she was positioned directly in front of him.
By the time they were sitting down to eat, all three were, indeed, a complete mess. But every member of his family was smiling. Ed wouldn't have had it any other way.