Author's Notes: Hello again! This idea just popped into my head about a week ago. I've been in the mood for some Ed/Win fluff and it seems as though I've already read all the good fanfics. So, I decided to write one instead! And unlike Promise, it is actually not angsty. It is actually rather humorous once you get past this 1st chapter. This is random. Think what you want about it, but please don't tell me stuff about how awful it is. Constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames. Seriously, if you don't like FMA, what are you doing here? If you don't like Ed/Win, why are you here? I don't want to hear about how Noah is way better than Winry because I don't want to hear it. If you're gonna say something productive, please say it. If not, then please do not review me about anything even semi-relating to my story. I'm sorry if you don't like it. There would be one easy solution to such a problem—go away and read something you do like, cuz I don't want to hear about it.
Also, FMN is on a sort-of hiatus. I have, unfortunately been in no mood to write Inuyasha due to my complete obsession with FMA and Fruits Basket. One of these days I'll get bored and just sit at home all day to watch every last episode and movie that I have ad listen to all the music and look up pics and fanfiction online, and then I will say "hey, why don't I work on FMN?" And then I will. But I am just not in the mood to write Inuyasha for some reason. Sorry to FMN fans. Please don't hate me or stop reading it just because I haven't updated in 6 months…gomen nasai::bows before loyal reviewers who totally rock::
Summary: The romance of Ed and Winry, post-movie, slightly AU. It follows different holidays and special events throughout the year.
Pairings: Ed/Win
Royai
Al/OC
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters/ideas. Those belong to the best manga creator in the world, Hiromu Arakawa, Tokyo Pop, Square Enix, Action Comics, Viz, and all those other technical people.
Opening notes: this story contains fluff. If you do not like fluff, go away. This story also contains several holidays such as Christmas, Valentines, and New Years, which the people of Amestris most likely do not celebrate, and is quite often very AU. It is not out of the original concept of the story, but if you do not like things that are not completely factual, then do not complain to me about it. Just don't read it. That's why I'm telling you now. The points of view change a lot. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out, but there are usually just a couple paragraphs before I switch. In some chapters, you have more than Ed and Winry narrating.
Also, I have about a bazillion stuffed animals that I haul with me around the house on certain days. My 'muse' is the stuffed animal that happens to be sitting next to me as I type this. They help me out. Seriously, I can't type at all without one of them sitting next to me. Some help better than others, but to be fair I'm rotating, seeing as I can't just have twenty stuffed animals all stuffed around my poor little computer. They are listed as such and they're all from a certain book or anime series. They help me out. So what if I'm just a bit strange…yeah, a teenage girl obsessed with plush toys, but I just love them all to death! Plus, it makes people look at me strangely when I just come out in the middle of a conversation and say "tonight I'm sleeping with Edward". It's hilarious! Anyways, I'm gonna shut up now…
Muse: Arya
Holiday
By Midnight-Wolf314
Chapter 1: Christmas
My eyes open. The first thing I notice is the cold—much worse than Munich's winter, which is pretty bad. Next, I feel the searing pain at my prosthetic limbs. And lastly, I see Alphonse lying about three feet away from me, next to the river.
Wait a Minute…a river?
I don't remember a river…
I look around—mountains in the distance tower just barely over the millions of trees that mask them. Something is familiar about this place.
I stand up to move closer to Al…and fall over.
Where'd my leg go?
I reach down to where it used to be. I feel the stub of the fake, frozen solid already from the cold, and feel just a couple sharp wires poking out where there should have been plastic. My leg is gone.
Only one thing could have caused this. And that means, I'm finally home.
I remember this place now. Al and I crossed from Lior to Risemboul once right after obtaining the stone. At that time, we were on the run. Pass in at Winry's for a quick break and then set back out to find somewhere to hide. This time, however, we'd be back for good.
"Al…hey AL!"
He moans and rolls over.
"What is it, Brother?"
"We're home."
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My eyes open. I groan a bit, rolling over on my twin-sized bed, my nightgown shifting beneath me. I close my eyes and try to sleep. But just then, my brain kicks into high gear. I actually feel the little light bulb flickering inside my head.
Today.
Today is Christmas Eve.
I'm not as excited as I would have been ten years ago. Back then I would have jumped out of bed, danced around sang carols and Santa songs. I would have smiled all day. Nothing can compare to the joy of a child on Christmas Eve.
I may not be ten years old anymore, but the day still means a lot to me. I'm not going to go bounding through the snow (assuming we had any) like I would have before. No, these past few years I haven't had anything to covet or beg for. No lists to distant relatives and make-believe beings. I just want one thing.
They say that if you make a wish on the Christmas star when it appears in the sky, your wish will be granted. Well, I've wished and wished for ten years. Not once has it brought results. I should give up hope. I should just realize it's impossible and continue living alone. But I know I won't. I can't.
Because this Christmas, I have just one wish.
It's not for presents.
No New wrenches, screws, or automail tools.
No toys, rings, jewelry, or anything else young girls usually want.
I just want one thing.
I wish Ed and Al would return.
That's all.
Who knows? Maybe this Christmas, they will.
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We'd been walking for hours. Well, I guess I should say Al had been walking for hours. He was carrying me, considering I can't move more than a couple inches a minute without my leg…plus it's very painful to drag yourself along the ground with one arm…
We must have been pretty far from Risemboul. Al was working up a sweat from all the labor, but I, just sitting there, was frozen. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to have freezing metal attached to your limbs? Well, it's not as bad as automail would have been, but these things hurt! I wish we'd just get to Winry's already so she can take them off.
I felt worse for Al, however, as he looked about ready to drop dead. At 15, carrying his 20 year-old brother (who isn't as small as he used to be, I might add.) through the forest for hours upon hours, he must be near death by now. Sometimes I think of how useful it was to have a tireless suit of hulking metal around. Then I slap myself. I did more harm than good.
It's getting dark. I'm guessing we've been going for at least 6 hours, and the temperature seems to be dropping at a steady rate.
I just hope we get to Winry's soon.
Clouds obstruct the moon. I won't be surprised if it starts snowing. Wouldn't that just be our luck?
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Darkness has fallen now. It's near midnight. I continue to look out the window, down the long dirt path, as tears brim at my eyes. I don't know why I'm so upset. I mean, I knew this would happen, right? It's just the way my life is. I'll always be alone now.
They probably won't ever come back.
I should just stop wishing.
But I can't.
It's going to snow soon. I can feel it in the air. Just another lonely winter. And another year without Ed.
I'd like to say that Christmas wishes are pointless. There's no such think as a dream come true. But it would be a lie. I couldn't ever think like that, no matter what happens.
I don't have much more patience for them I hope they know. Ed and Al better return soon or so help me I'll cross that gate myself and beat them both five feet into the ground with my wrench. Especially Ed. Cuz it's his fault.
I should go to sleep.
It's late.
But maybe I'll stay up just a little while longer.
At least until the snow starts.
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It must be close to midnight now. I don't think Al can take much more of this. I'd suggest we stop for the night to rest, but I know it's too cold. If we do, by morning we'll be like those cavemen who got themselves frozen in blocks of ice and displayed in museums 2 million years later.
But finally, the trees thin out and I see the town, small as it is, with lights burning brightly in the homes. And there, up on the hill, is my favorite pale yellow house with the light still on in the sitting room.
I poke Al and point it out to him. He grins for the first time since he woke up, and he trots down into the deserted streets of Risemboul with newfound energy.
And now, it's my turn to smile. Not grin. Not smirk. Just really smile, for the first time in over ten years. I briefly wish Winry were the one to see it.
Where did that thought come from?
I push it out of my mind.
It's good to be home.
And it will be even better to see Winry's cute, smiling face.
I haven't seen it in years. And right now, all I wish is to be up there with her.
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Fifteen minutes from midnight. I suppose it's time to go to bed.
The house seems so lonely tonight. Maybe because I've been thinking about Ed and Al. Or maybe it's because it's Christmas and I should be with family. Or maybe it's just because Den and Pinako aren't here to laugh and have fun like we used to. I'm all alone, living in everyone's memory but my own.
I shot off the sitting room light and shuffle to the door to lock up.
I just happened to look outside and…something is there. In the distance.
What is it?
I look a little closer. It's deffinatly moving towards the house. I watch it intently for a few minutes, trying to decipher it, and a cloud moves from in front of the moon. I catch a glimpse of golden hair and almost burst into tears. Or hysterics. Or both. And yet at the same time I feel like squealing like I'm five again.
They came back to me. They really did.
I rush down the familiar dirt road towards them, and I notice briefly that Ed is being carried by a half-dead Alphonse. Upon seeing me, Al drops his brother (getting a moan and a short curse from Ed) and runs up to me. I hug him tightly, almost crying again, but deciding better of it. I back up about a foot, surveying his appearance. And then I realize, he must be exhausted from carrying Ed all day.
"Go get some rest, Alphonse." He nods and smiles at me gratefully before hobbling up to the house.
I bend down next to Ed and look at him. His arm and leg are gone. That's what happens when you pass through the gate, I knew, after seeing the same thing last time he crossed. And just like the last time, I had no idea what to say. So, again I settled for the simple.
"It's good to see you back."
He smiles and I bend over to hug him as I did his brother, and notice just how cold he is.
"How long have you been outside, Ed?" he looks up at me.
"Since morning, at least." He says, and immediately I'm worried. He must be frozen. No one can stay out in the cold for that long and not wind up with at least a cold, if not hypothermia or frostbite or some other freezing disease. I noticed I was still hugging him, and pulled away. Al must have been better off from all the walking. Ed, however, was the closest thing to a human icicle I'd ever seen.
"Let's get you up to the house where it's warm."
I drape Ed's real arm over my shoulders and hoist him up. Slowly, we make it back up the path.
I guess I'll be awake tonight much longer than I had planned.
But all that matters to me is helping the boys.
It's good to have them back.
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It seems I have a habit of showing up at Winry's house when I'm weak. It used to be because I destroyed her 'work of art' (which I have begun to appreciate more and more now that I've had Dad's stuff for so long). But now, I'm completely frozen. A white blouse, vest, and trousers are all I had to keep myself warm on that trek, seeing as we were in our house until we woke up here for whatever reason. I wasn't even wearing my shoes.
Winry is helping me hobble up to the house. I briefly notice how warm her body is against the cold. Then I inwardly slap myself. Now is not the time to be thinking like that.
As we make it up to the house, I sigh in relief.
I'm finally home.
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Eventually we make it up to the house and I immediately turn on the light I had just recently turned off. I drag Ed inside wondering why Al hadn't turned on the light, Then I realize, he probably went to bed. The poor kid, having to carryhis brother around for about twelve hours, if not more.
I set Ed down on the couch and relight the dying fire, then ruse to get blankets, hot water, and extra clothes. When I return, I see that he's managed to prop his foot up on one end of the couch, and is currently staring into the fire. It briefly crosses my mind to ask what he's thinking about. He hasn't said much since I found him. He's not that cold…
I walk over to him.
"Ed?"
I meep it out quietly as I drape one of the lighter blankets over him, and then the others.
"Yeah?"
Great. Now what was I going to say? "What's wrong? You're not being your blabbermouth self."? I'd get yelled at. I hate it when he yells at me for no reason. I feel not needed.
Like six years of coming and going didn't make me feel like that enough.
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She's talking to me. Is that a bad thing? No. I like hearing her voice. It's been so long…but what do I say?
She seems to regret speaking now. Her face turns towards the fire, then to the stairs. She starts shuffling toward them. She's trying to mask sadness with sleepiness, but I know better. I've seen her cry too many times to not.
I grasp her wrist gently with my remaining hand.
"Winry?"
She looks down. "Yeah, Ed?"
"Stay down here? You don't have to all night. Just for a little while. I like having you near me."
She looks shocked for a moment, and then blushes. She tries to hide the smile playing at her lips, but I know better than that too. She joins me on the couch.
I sit up and release my hair from its tie, then lean back resting my head on her shoulder.
She gently leans my head down to her lap instead. "You can rest like that if you want. Must be tired."
We fall into silence yet again.
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Silence. For the longest time we sat there like that.
"Are you warm enough?"
He doesn't answer. Perhaps he's fallen asleep? I look down. My hands are stroking against his hair. When did that happen? I don't remember. I hadn't even noticed, to be honest. I continue to do so, however, and even start running my fingers through the soft strands a little. Who would have thought Ed's hair was so soft?
"I'm fine." He answers and I jump just a bit. "What was that for?"
"Sorry," I blush. "I thought you were asleep."
For some reason, I don't really think he's telling the complete truth to me with that answer, but I don't push it. He seems as though he wants to be left alone.
I stare out the window. My mind spaces out (that happens a lot lately), and I find myself thinking about Ed. I remember those many years ago, how carefree he was. I remember after his mother's funeral, when we couldn't get him to laugh for months on end. He always had his face in an alchemy book. I remember the picture of Al and him, showing up at the door one night all bloodied. I remember Mustang's visit, and I remember waking up to find them both gone—just gone without a trace.
Most of all, I remember how he disappeared…and how the memories started to fade away like old photographs. I hated myself for it. For forgetting the few years that we were truly happy, before the war, and before alchemy. But now that I see him, now that I'm sitting here with him, all those memories are restored. I find tears in my eyes again. But I can't cry in front of Ed. Not tonight anyway.
And now, I think of what he's been up to these past four years. I saw a brief glimpse of him two years ago, and then he left, just as suddenly as he'd come. I used to think about what I would say if he ever came back—so I could have a better conversation then "Welcome home". I came up with many things. Conversation starters, things we'd talk about, and what we'd do with him here all the time like in the old days. Assuming he did stay, of course.
Here he is, sitting right next to me…yet none of those conversations seem to be right.
"Winry?" My daze breaks and I look down at him. He face holds worry. He must have noticed me spacing out. Or seen the near-tears. Or both. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, Ed." I mention, wanting to continue to relive days past from so many years ago. But as I look at the window, I notice something. "Look, Ed, it's snowing!"
We haven't had a white Christmas in Risemboul since the one before Ed and Al left for Central.
"This is the best Christmas I've had since I was five," I note, remembering Ed attempting to produce a wrench for me through alchemy and failing—but he tried. I think I kissed him on the cheek for it too. It's hard to remember that long ago now.
His eyes widen at my statement.
"It's Christmas?"
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I can't believe it! No wonder it was so cold out. Christmas! Wow. And then, something hit me. "It's really Christmas? You're not joking, right? This isn't play a trick on Ed day?"
"Yes, Ed, it's really Christmas."
All the sudden, I don't feel too well. I open my mouth to speak—I have to apologize for not getting her something. She must think I'm an idiot. What freak doesn't know when it's Christmas? (Well, actually, it was June in Munich…)
She speaks first, however. "Don't worry about it." I think she just read my mind. Is she psychic? Why didn't I know about this talent? "I already got everything I wanted."
She smiles, as do I, and I drift to sleep in the warmth of the fire, Winry still stroking my hair.
End Chapter 1
Next Chapter: New Years