pairing: ed/winry, but mostly just the brothers being total dorks.

rating: k+ for language

summary: ed has horrible taste; al is sassy and impatient

a/n: this just might be my favorite fullmetal alchemist oneshot i've written yet. i adore this story, and i hope it elicits a chuckle or two out of you guys as well!

enjoy!~


"What about this one?"

Ed grunts, leaning over the glass case to peer inside. His gaze follows Al's finger, eyeing the new prospect for only a few seconds before he sneers, crossing his arms over his chest and throwing his head in the opposite direction.

"Hell no!" He spits out.

Al sighs, turning to the sales associate and smiling wearily. "I'm sorry about him. Could you give us a minute?"

She returns the kind smile, although clearly annoyed, and mumbles a polite 'of course' before going to help another customer.

Al's gentle face quickly fades as he turns back to his brother, shooting him an aggravated stare. "What on earth is wrong with you? I'm just trying to help!"

Ed avoids his gaze, grimace deepening. "I can pick out a ring on my own, goddamn it! I'm not a child!"

Al's eyebrows rise in a matter-of-factly fashion. "Oh, sure. You really think that Winry's going to want an engagement ring with a gaudy red diamond? You actually expect her to say that she'll marry you, that she'll spend the rest of her life with you with a ring that has a flame engraving on her finger? Do you honestly think that she will say yes to anything with horns sticking out of the band? She may love you, Brother, but she does not care for your horrendous sense of style."

Ed's face goes positively red, his fists balling and his jaw sticking out defiantly. "Oh, yeah? What the hell makes you think that you'll be able to find anything she'll like?"

Al smirks, lips curling upwards cockily. "Well, considering I was the one who always picked out the earrings she liked. And Iwasn't the one who insisted on wearing a certain red coat everywhere I went…"

"Oh, shut up! That was years ago!"

Al shrugs. "Old habits die hard."

"I can pick out a ring on my own," he insists.

"Oh, really? I'm not sure you can, considering you've ridiculed and rejected every single one that we've looked at."

"I just haven't found the right one yet, sheesh!"

Al rolls his eyes, motioning towards the glass counter. "Then go look. At this rate, we'll be in here all day."

Ed shoots his brother a look, begrudgingly placing his elbows on the surface and peering inside. Rings of every shape, color, size, and price imaginable sit below him; the diamonds twinkling in the light. The selection this shop offers is impressive; quite possibly the best in Central. That's the whole reason they'd even made the trip out here, just to get a ring from the this place. And of course, Ed didn't like a single one.

"See anything you like? Anything Winry might like?" Al asks from behind.

Ed sneers, shaking his head. "Nada. None of them… fit."

"Fit what? The bill for your questionable taste?"

"My style - which for the record, fucking rocks - has nothing to do with this." He insists, squinting once again at the assortment of jewelry.

"None of these are Winry. None of these would fit her right. None of them even come close. For starters, it can't be too big or else it'll get in her way when she's working."

Al interrupts his brother, stifling a chuckle and raising a curious eyebrow. "You really think she's gonna want to wear it while she's working? What if it gets damaged?"

Ed rolls his eyes cockily. "Well, it's gonna be so damn beautiful that she's never gonna want to take it off! And it's gotta sparkle just enough that it catches her eye when she least expects it. It's has to be gorgeous and stunning and brilliant, just like she is. It has to be perfect, and it has to be Winry, and none of these are," he says, his voice confident and sure as he continues to browse the rings.

Al chuckles, leaning on the glass counter. "Wow, Ed, I've gotta hand to it to you. You've actually put quite a bit of thought into this, huh?"

Ed snorts, aloof as ever. "Give me some credit, will ya? It isn't like I haven't been thinking about this for a while now."

Al smiles. It was quite a nice chance seeing his brother finally own up to his feelings; Winry, as well. It was almost painfully obvious to everyone how they felt, and Al was afraid they'd be too stubborn to ever act on it. But, then again, there were times Al feared he'd be stuck in that suit of armor for all eternity.

And here he was, standing flesh-and-blood in a jewelry store, helping his brother decide on an engagement ring.

"Hey, Al," Ed's voice pulls the younger brother out of his thoughts, turning his attention to the case. "What about this one?"

Ed points at a ring concealed below; silver band, clear cut, cushion stone in the center with smaller studs embellishing the band. Using the word small makes it sound skimpy; petite or humble fit it better. But it is very aesthetically pleasing; that was for sure.

"It's," Al starts.

"Winry," Ed finishes, eyes locked intently on the ring below.

Well, that wasn't exactly what Al was going to say, but it works.

Ed's eyes snap up, golden and persistent and excited as he flags down the shop attendant. "Hey, lady! This one, over here!" He hollars, loud and obnoxious as ever.

Al lets out a laugh as the poor girl rushes over, eyes following Ed's finger as he jabs impatiently as the glass. "Yeah, yeah, that one! Wrap it up real nice, in the most ornate box you got! Careful with it!"

Ed forks over a stack over bills, snatching the box from the girl's hands and grinning at the ring excitedly. "God, she's gonna love it," he says, completely blithe and giddy like a child.

Al rolls his eyes, opening the door for his brother as they exit the store. Immediately, Ed holds up the ring in the sun, fist-pumping and releasing a victory 'yessss!' when the light glints off the diamond.

The younger brother chuckles to himself; Winry sure is a lucky girl.


a/n: psst hey you if any of y'all are interesting in a sequel (?) of sorts like winry getting her dress or whatever, let me know! bc i'd totally be down for writing that! thank you again for reading!