Waltz Tango Foxtrot
A/N: This all started when I decided to re-watch Mao Asada's long program from the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The title is a play on the phrase "Whisky Tango Foxtrot", which is "WTF" spelled out with the phonetic alphabet. Chapter titles are pattern dances. The names of the dances are the ones used by the USFSA—some of the lower level dances may have different names in other countries.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and anything else that might be trademarked.
Chapter 1: Dutch Waltz
The main campus of the Amestris National Ice Training Center was located in Central city. There were satellite campuses in the North, South, East, and West Cities. The Central location had facilities for hockey, speedskating, curling, and figure skating. The other locations only had enough space for one or two of the aforementioned sports. Since it was a week out from the All-Amestris figure skating championships, the top competitors from throughout the country had descended on Central and the main campus became figure skating city.
Amestris was also home to the head of the International Skating Association. The head was a man named Kingsley Bradley. He was a former speedskater who assumed power ten years prior. While most of the members either didn't have a firm opinion on him, there were some who thought his lack of figure skating experience was hindering his ability to properly govern figure skating.
The head of the Amestris Figure Skating Association was an older man named Grumman. He was one of the first men to land a triple jump in competition and after a short coaching career, he rose through the governing ranks quickly. However, until Bradley stepped down, he was stuck in that national position.
Both of these men were currently present for the Senior level ice dance practice. Although more teams were expected on the ice at that time, only two were present. These two teams had created quite a sensation with their performances in the previous competitions of the season. Except for one competition in Xing, they each had two wins out of the first five competitions. The reigning National champions retired after the last season and so the title was up for the taking.
"Head up, Elric!" yelled a short old lady from the side of the rink.
"I'm doing that, Granny!"
"No you're not! Otherwise why did you almost steer me into Riza?" asked his partner.
"Shut up, Winry," he retorted as he dramatically stuck his chin up dramatically.
"Short dance. From the top again, you two," said the older lady tapping an empty pipe on the top of the boards.
"Yes ma'am"/"Yes Grandma," they replied as they skated to the center of the rink and resumed their opening pose.
The other team on the ice finished a lift before skating to the side of the rink as Edward and Winry's music started to play over the sound system.
"Chin up, Ed," whispered Winry as Ed took her hand and they transitioned into their first dance hold.
"Yeah yeah, just remember the timing," Ed muttered as they went into their pattern dance.
Both Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell were good at the Paso Doble for the most part. However, while Ed was sometimes sloppy in his presentation, Winry would occasionally lose track of the timing, and they would end up losing points in the short dance. However, for two teenagers from a tiny village named Resembool competing at their second National competition, they were already ahead of others with their experience and figure skating analysts expected that they would challenge for a World title before they were twenty.
They got through the pattern well enough and set up for their dance lift.
"One," said Ed.
"Two," said Winry.
"Three," they said in unison as Ed lifted Winry into a split lift. Ed started to rotate and Winry lifted one arm above her head and a second later Ed set her back down onto the ice. After a straight-line footwork sequence and some transitional steps, they were up to their last element in this short dance—their twizzle sequence.
"Here goes nothing," Edward grinned.
"Take it serious, Ed!"
"I am, I am." Both of them took deep breaths before going into the one-foot series of traveling turns.
The first of three parts of the sequence went smoothly and in sync. The second part wasn't as synchronized, but smooth nevertheless. However, during the third part, Winry felt herself leaning too far back on her blade and lost her balance. She put her other foot down and stumbled out of the sequence. Edward saw her lose balance but was too committed to own twizzles to stop. After a short transitional footwork sequence, they were back in the center of the ice and did their end pose a couple of seconds after the music itself ended.
"Take it serious, Ed," imitated Ed. Winry responded with a smack across the back of his head.
"Oi! None of that! Twenty laps around the rink! NOW!" bellowed Pinako from the side. Ed and Winry sheepishly skated over to the exit. Ed aggressively grabbed his skate guards from Pinako who responded with a second smack across his head.
"Ow! What is wrong with you two?!" he exclaimed.
"That's what you get for snatching your guards out of my hand. Why Winry smacked you, that's between you two."
"He imitated me!" Winry cried.
"Doesn't mean you had to smack him in public," she chastised sternly. "Now, twenty laps."
"Yes ma'am."/"Yes Grandma."
"Pair of hotheads, don't you think?" Bradley mused to the man next to him. He and Grumman were seated in the top row of the arena.
"Yes, but I don't think they'd want it any other way," Grumman responded.
"Just as long as they keep in check during actual competition."
"Naturally. But I think they might be over it," Grumman said as he pointedly looked at the duo running. If one of them was a faster runner, it wasn't apparent as they ran in perfect sync.
"What's with the fast pace, Winry?" Ed asked as they finished their fifteenth lap.
"I want to finish before they run through their program," Winry breathlessly replied looking at the rink. The other team, a pair of twenty-somethings named Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang were currently running through their Paso Doble pattern numerous times.
"Who cares?" he asked petulantly as they rounded the rink the sixteenth time.
"They're currently the World bronze medalists! That's why!"
"Pfft. How did we even end up on the same time as them?"
Ed wouldn't admit it to Winry, but he was captivated by their Paso Doble pattern. They seemed perfectly in sync and even when he thought one of them might have made a mistake, the other was there to make up for it.
"Ed!" Winry called.
"What now?!" he asked still running. He then realized that Winry had stopped running.
"We've done twenty already!"
"Gah!" Ed exclaimed as he tripped forward.
"Are you okay?!" Winry asked as she helped up up.
"Yeah yeah," he said and he was about to add another remark. However, the "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" soundtrack cut him off.
"Oh I love this movie!" Winry whispered excitedly to Ed. Ed rolled his eyes.
Riza and Roy had started about a foot apart. When the music started Riza twirled over to Roy who caught her and dipped her dramatically before raising her up and leading her into the first side-by-side dance sequence.
"This is their free dance, right?" Ed asked as Roy lifted Riza into an embrace.
"Yeah…" replied Winry dreamily. And when they accomplished their twizzles flawlessly she clapped. "They're so emotive!"
"You know they're our competition, right?" Ed said as he rested his chin on his hand. On the outside he looked bored, but on the inside he was impressed by the duo and thought this is why they're the bronze medalists.
Ed thought he heard Winry swoon after Roy and Riza finished their straight-line dance sequence. He was impressed with the lines of their legs. Almost everything was in sync or perfectly mirrored.
They transitioned into their dance spin. Roy was in a sit spin position as Riza assumed a layback position. After a few rotations, they stood up from their positions as they exited their spin and after a couple of crossovers, Roy lifted Riza into a lift. As Roy traveled down the center of the ice, Riza changed position three times.
Ed could've sworn that he saw their lips touch as Roy picked her up. If it happened, neither of their faces showed it. They had the same serene and longing looks as before. After he put her down, they weaved seamlessly around each other before Roy lifted her up one last time. She placed her skate on Roy's leg as he kept his right arm around her waist. She arched her back and lifted her arms over her head gracefully. At the end of the lift, Roy put both arms around her waist as she put her arms around his neck. He gently, it seemed to Ed, put her down and they did some more choreographed moves before ending their dance with the music. After the music ended, there was applause from the top level of the arena. Everyone on and around the ice looked up. Bradley was clapping.
"Bravo!" yelled Grumman.
Roy and Riza bowed and curtseyed to their audience before skating over to their coach, a man with long hair and tired eyes named Berthold Hawkeye. Ed noticed how they were still holding hands on the journey to their coach.
"We have to beat them, Winry," said Edward.
"We will, Ed. But realistically it probably won't be this year."
"I don't care. Just as long as we beat them," Ed said as he walked away towards a waiting Pinako.
"Can we do one more run-through?" he asked their coach.
"No can do, boy. Tight schedule. They need to resurface the ice and then the Pairs teams will be on next. You'll get another chance tomorrow."
Edward glared at nothing in particular before looking over at Team Hawkeye/Mustang. His eyes met Roy's eyes.
"WE'RE WINNING TOMORROW'S PRACTICE!" Ed yelled from the other side.
"Edward!" Winry and Pinako cried. Roy smirked and nodded.
"Pfft," Edward huffed as he walked away into the locker room.
"Care to wager any bets, sir?" Grumman asked Bradley cheekily.
"Either way, I'd lose," he replied as he got up and left.
"Not staying for pairs?"
"Not today."
Grumman raised an eyebrow before looking down at his notes. I can't wait.
A/N: I just really wanted to get this chapter done before I forgot about it. I apologize if I wasn't entirely clear on describing some things. If there are questions about terminology used or figure skating questions, feel free to ask. I know there isn't any mention of the Dutch Waltz in the chapter, but it's one of the first dances taught, so I went with it.
The Canadian ice dance team Virtue/Moir skated to "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" during the 07-08 season. Their 2008 Worlds FD is amazing.
Thank you for reading!