Easy as Pie

AN: My real 'anniversary' fic. I like writing birthdays. (:

I'm on the edge of my seat, though, after the newest FMA chapter. My goodness, Arakawa-sensei! How many cliffhangers can you possibly draw in one series?! I can't WAIT until next month!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

"… hey, Ed."

"Hmm?" He raised his arm off his face, blinking away the remnants of sleep. "What's that?"

"Are you okay?" Winry asked tentatively, letting her spanner drop to the tabletop as she turned. She hadn't been doing anything other than absently stroking the pale metal tool – she hadn't touched her equipment for a long time. Hiding out in her basement was tiring, and even though she could have gotten access to scrap metal to toy with, she'd been too busy worrying and waiting. She hadn't been in a fit state to work on any sort of mechanics.

Until Edward and Alphonse had returned.

Not yet, was the first thing he'd told her. Not yet. The Promised Day hadn't come.

Why then, she wondered, were they back?

Edward had become offended, and had huffily asked if they weren't allowed to visit a childhood friend. Winry had smiled inwardly – it touched her that they had been so worried, especially when they were the ones in real danger.

"I'm fine," Edward finally replied, taking far too long to formulate such a basic response. Winry glanced over to him and noticed how his eyes were unfocused, directed upwards at the ceiling.

Edward didn't like sitting still. Everyone knew that.

Then why had he spent the last week in Resembool, of all places?

She knew his true destination was Central. Then why had he come back?

All right, so he had been worried. As sweet as that was, Winry couldn't help but think it wasn't a very sound strategy. Any sort of enemy could have followed him. Here, in Resembool, he'd be trapped – there were none of his allies around for him to rely on. What would happen if one of those… those homunculi managed to make their way to the small town? What sort of havoc would they wreck?

"You look like you're concentrating hard," Edward remarked. Winry started, glancing over at him again – his eyes were on her. He offered her a half-smile. "What's wrong?"

"I just asked you that," she retorted, moving her eyes to her lap. Edward grunted in reply.

"I said I'm fine." His voice held an unexpected edge of anger.

"I know." Her tone was soft. "I know."

She intertwined her fingers and rested her hands on her thighs, still mulling over Edward's strange behaviour. Alphonse had been acting weirdly, too – he'd taken to running out of the house at random times, obviously in the midst of plotting something – but Edward hadn't seemed curious about his brother's antics. What was going on?

"Big brother!" Alphonse was back – Winry looked up and smiled slightly at the sight of the bulky suit of armor. She wondered what it would be like to have Alphonse back among them in his human body. It would be wonderful, of course – but just a little bit strange, because she wasn't used to his body being warm and living.

"Al." Edward acknowledged his brother with a small nod. "Hey. Been visiting again?"

Alphonse sounded sly. "Not exactly."

Winry frowned, puzzled at his tone of voice.

"I kind of invited some people over."

Edward sat up, frowning at his brother. "Why? You know we don't have time – "

"Silly big brother," Alphonse interrupted, his voice sounding gleeful. "It's your sixteenth birthday."

Edward paused in mid-lecture. His eyes widened ever so slightly, and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally settled on an appropriate answer.

"Oh," he offered, rather lamely.

Winry, on the other hand, was partly joyful and partly furious. How could she have forgotten his birthday, of all days?

Alphonse pulled open the door behind him, and a few recognizable faces streamed in. Winry's outraged feelings shifted into ones of surprise. Wasn't that Meredith, who had often played with her at school, and had been the only female friend of hers that Edward had ever deigned to talk to? And Xavier – he'd been interested in alchemy, too, she remembered. Karl and Nathan – Edward and Alphonse had fixed their parents' barn for them, once.

Her stomach flipped uncomfortably.

The faces of her childhood seemed wrong in this atmosphere. She knew that Alphonse had meant well – it must have taken him a long time to gather so many people. But…

Edward's soft laugh interrupted her thoughts. He was gazing warmly at his brother, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips.

"You're crazy, Al," he chuckled. "But thank you."

He hoisted himself off the couch and walked towards the small crowd, offering them all a smile. "Hey," he spoke breezily, "it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Winry watched him interact with his childhood friends and saw no sign of longing or pain in his features. Maybe Alphonse had really done the right thing.

But then again, Edward had always been good at hiding things.

Winry's guilt and anger returned when each of their friends presented Edward with a gift. She wished Alphonse had told her beforehand – she would have been able to buy a suitable present for him, too. What would she give him, though? An apple pie? No, that was for another time – plus, she was sure he'd get sick of those, sooner or later. An alchemy book? She wouldn't know where to start. A free auto-mail tune-up? No, she'd touched it up just the other day.

Then what could she give him?

And it suddenly occurred to her.

Edward Elric was rather puzzled about what he'd found on his bedside table.

After his party – which had gone off quite well, complete with present opening and cake cutting – he'd seen his old friends off and shut the door behind them. He'd spent a full ten minutes lecturing Alphonse about the dangers of their childhood companions getting involved, but in the end, he'd admitted that the birthday had been his best one yet. After all that, he'd had a shower and decided to head up to bed.

And it was there that he'd found it.

A… lemon?

Edward picked up the innocent citrus fruit and studied it carefully. Why had someone left a lemon on his bedside table?

Then, he saw the note.

I.O.U one lemon pie.

Because I figure you'll eventually get tired of apple.

PS: Just when do you plan on returning my earrings?

AN: … hmm.

At least it isn't an apple pie.

Winry should really widen her horizons.

1,046 words.