_ Edward _
Edward Elric trudged up the familiar winding path to the Rockbell house in the dark, but that didn't bother him, his automail leg, however, had become slightly sluggish while he was away. He looked down at it forlornly, it was in need of a tune up for sure, he just hoped his mechanic wouldn't be too angry with him for its condition.
He had done everything she said when they had parted ways, looked after it as best he could.
I guess I could have gone a little easier on it at times... he considered, but then shrugged dismissively at the thought.
Edward had walked this path so many times before, that he was certain of each twist and turn. It had been two months since the retired alchemist had boarded that train to the west but he assumed nothing much had changed in that time in this small town he called home.
Ed had caught the last train home that day and had purposely avoided calling ahead to let Granny or Winry know, he wanted to surprise them.
The retired alchemist was excited to be home, but he also carried this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Winry.." he whispered her name to himself. He knew this feeling was because of her, because of what he had awkwardly blurted out to her before he had boarded that train.
She had reciprocated in her own amazing way of course, how about I just give you my whole life?! his best friend and mechanic had shouted back at him before hastily clapping her hands over her mouth, those words had echoed in his mind every day of these past two months.
Winry had been embarrassed by her outburst and had nervously tried to correct herself by counting out how much of her life would be reasonable to give him in exchange for his Uh… maybe not all of it! 90… maybe 80 percent? 75.. that's not enough. But 85... yeah, 85 is a good number!
The retired alchemist couldn't help but stare at his friend in awe as she casually counted out how much of herself she would commit to him for the rest of their lives.
He couldn't believe how amazing she was and how she had managed to cheer him up and make his heart feel warm and full with just those few stammered words.
"Winry Rockbell" Ed sighed to himself happily in the dark as he remembered the pretty blush that had crept onto her cheeks that day. How he had missed her.
His mechanic always seemed to know just what to say to cheer him up and although they did fight quite often -and quite passionately- he knew this was just one of the ways they were able to express their mutual concern and care for each other.
The retired alchemist laughed to himself quietly as he continued up the winding path, thinking back to all the times he had made her so mad that she had thrown her favourite wrench at his head. It always hurt at the time but once the pair had finished arguing about whatever it was they would go back to being best friends, laughing and mucking around together.
The thought made him even more anxious to see her again.
Suddenly, Edward had reached the front porch and his brow furrowed a little. Even though he had unceremoniously blurted his feelings out in his own way, it wasn't exactly how the retired alchemist had planned for that encounter to go down. He had meant to tell her that he had feelings for her -heck that he loved her- and to ask her to wait for him, but...he could never get the damn words out!
Shaking his head a little to clear it, Ed made his way up the front steps as quietly as he could so as to not wake anyone inside. He expected that both Granny and Winry would be in bed by now as it was quite late.
As Edward opened the door, a faint light from the sitting room immediately caused him to squint. He made his way over to it stepping into the room, still quietly, to avoid disturbing anyone who might be sleeping upstairs.
Adjusting to the dim light of the familiar room Ed registered the scene before him.
Sprawled out on the couch, an automail book clutched tightly in one hand with the other draped loosely over the edge of the cushion she was laying on, was Winry.
The automail mechanic was wearing a loose pink sweatshirt and grey pants and looked so comfortable just lying there, so peaceful, that Ed couldn't help but grin to himself.
He knew he couldn't leave her here, she would wake up super grumpy in the morning if he did, but what should he do with her?
He resolved to gently wake her so she could go to bed and so made his way over to the couch to gently tug the book free from her hand, still smiling to himself as he placed it on the coffee table beside him.
Just like Winry to fall asleep while reading a dumb automail book, Ed thought.
He was really tempted to leave her like that, looking so peaceful and happy, but he knew his automail mechanic would not get a good night's rest unless she was tucked into her own bed.
The retired alchemist proceeded to gently shake her awake "Winry... Win... wake up Winry" he whispered insistently.
It took Winry a minute to open her eyes, and she blinked up blearily to find two large golden orbs staring down at her, so close to her face that she could feel warm breath fanning her cheek.
"Ed... i-is that you?" the mechanic stuttered, sounding surprised but also still too out of it to fully comprehend what was going on.
"Yeah, it's me" he whispered back, a little louder than before "I'm home for...a visit. But shhh now or you'll wake Granny, we can talk more in the morning, K?" the retired alchemist pulled his face back a little and grinned down at her, his long blonde ponytail falling to rest over his shoulder.
"K" was all she could manage in response, smiling back at him sleepily.
Winry broke eye contact then and Edward moved away from her to give her the room she needed to stand. She rose slowly from her place on the couch, stretching and letting out a large yawn.
"Do you need me to help you get upstairs?", Ed whispered more loudly now, "or can you manage on your own?".
"I'm quite capable of climbing some stairs on my own Edward Elric!" Winry retorted rather loudly and angrily this time, she must have woken up some, "..and don't you think for even one second that just because you found me asleep and tired that I haven't remembered you didn't call to let us know you were coming home!" she seethed with narrowed eyes.
Winry gestured at him threateningly with her pointer finger "You're just lucky I don't have my wrench down here with me or you'd be sorry!".
Damn, Ed couldn't help but think to himself, she's so pretty when she gets all pouty like this...
Reeling in his inappropriate thoughts before they went too far he countered, "All I wanted was to surprise you and Granny, OK?!"
The retired alchemist was no longer whispering but feeling rather frustrated himself now, adding, "why do you have to be such a crazy gear head all the time!?" a little more loudly than originally intended.
"You're one to talk, Alchemy freak!" Winry spat.
They were both on their feet now, standing just inches apart and facing each other directly, for some reason Edward's heart was racing.
She's so pretty when she's mad, Ed stared into her big blue eyes, angry though they were.
He also couldn't help but notice that Winry was on her tiptoes and still didn't reach his full height, he was secretly pleased about this and his face must have shown it.
"What are you smirking about now Ed?" Winry questioned angrily.
"Nothing.." he muttered, turning away from her, the smirk fading from his face as quickly as it had appeared.
"What is all this racket!?" Another voice yelled from the top of the stairs.
"Oh, it's you Edward" Granny said, seeming hardly surprised by this development as both Ed and Winry raced out into the hall to locate the source of the new voice.
Smirking to herself she added, "Nice to see you again, pipsqueak".
"WHO YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK, OLD HAG" Ed yelled back louder than ever. No one ever mocked his height and got away with it!
Granny just waved him off, still smirking, "Just shut your trap and get to bed Edward", the little old woman seemed quite pleased with herself for stirring him up so easily.
Turning her gaze to Winry she directed her next question at the pretty blonde, "Winry dear, is Ed and Al's room still made up?".
"No, but I'm sure Edward can figure it out on his own" Winry huffed.
The blonde mechanic stormed up the stairs, her long blonde hair sweeping gracefully over her shoulder to fall down her back.
Some welcome home.
Ed sighed, watching her leave with narrowed eyes. He suddenly felt very tired and couldn't wait to drag himself upstairs and into bed.
_ Winry _
Winry threw herself down onto her bed, not even bothering to peel back the covers first.
She turned over to position herself onto her back so that she could lay there and look up at the ceiling in the darkness.
She was wide awake now and the heat in her cheeks from her angry outburst hadn't subsided yet. Edward was home.
She sighed outwardly.
The young automail mechanic had secretly longed for this moment, but she hadn't dreamed it would turn out so badly.
She hadn't meant to get so mad at him, but she was always very grumpy when she was tired and especially when woken up from a nice nap.
She had been having such a lovely dream too. Ed and Al and herself were young again, running through a flower field with Den close behind. It was a flashback to simpler times and Winry had found herself wishing it hadn't been interrupted prematurely.
It wasn't her fault that she had snapped, Ed should have known better. He knew her better than almost anyone.
At first she had thought that it was just a lovely dream, his golden eyes staring down at her, full of laughter and…something else?
Winry wasn't quite sure what.
It had taken a second for her to wake up a little more and realise that he was actually there -right in front of her.
Her first desire was to fling her arms around his neck and crush him with a huge hug.
But once the shock of seeing him and the relief that he was back home and OK had subsided, she had come to her senses and remembered that he hadn't called or written her AT ALL in two whole months!
This thought made the anger swell inside her all over again.
What kind of man would leave her at the train station the way he did and not even call ONCE to let her know he was OK? Let alone to tell her he missed her...or whatever.
Equivalent exchange! Ed had practically yelled while pointing directly at her right as he was boarding his train. I'll give you half of my life and you give me half of yours!
She would never forget those words.
Never.
It was the first and only time he had outwardly and openly admitted any real feelings towards her. Even though she was sure he had felt them long before..
After all, he HAD protected her from Scar back in central all those years ago and he had also been very intense, almost desperate, when he had tried to send her away before the promised day.
Winry knew that was his way of letting her know that he wanted to keep her safe because he cared about her and couldn't stand the thought of losing her. He was always trying to protect her.
"Urgh!" she found herself groaning out loud, why did he have to be so frustrating!? Why couldn't he just tell her what he meant and not be so cryptic about everything all the time!?
She picked up a pillow and covered her face with it and couldn't quite help the smile that suddenly spread across her face.
Ed was back.
She squashed the pillow closer to her face smiling stupidly, barely able to contain the sudden burst of emotions.
Why had she fallen in love with such an idiot?
Suddenly she decided that she should go to him and apologise for acting so harshly. She got up and quietly made her way to her door and out into the hall.
_ Edward _
Ed had heard Winry's exasperated groan - he was only a wall away after all.
Their bedroom's had always been next to each other, ever since he and Al had moved in here with Granny and Winry, so many years ago now.
Ed found himself looking up at the ceiling of his room in the dark, wondering why Winry had sighed and groaned so loudly..."maybe she wishes I never came home" he found himself thinking.
No, that was stupid! She wouldn't have forgotten their expression of feelings at the train station that day any more than he had, he was sure of it.
Why don't I just give you my whole life.. her words echoed in his mind.
He found himself wishing that he had just carried Winry up to bed and tucked her in when he had found her earlier. It would have been nice to save their first fight for the following morning at least.
"Why can't I do anything right?" he whispered into the darkness.
He was startled out of his thoughts suddenly by the sound of a soft knock at the door.
"Ed" he heard Winry's voice whisper from the other side "you awake?" She sounded more relaxed now.
"Yeah" he whispered back.
"Can...can I come in?" She asked hesitantly.
"Sure" he replied.
He felt a slight change in air pressure as his door opened and Winry slowly made her way into the room.
"Look Ed I..." She began.
"You can sit if you want you know" he interrupted, not wanting her to be uncomfortable while they talked.
"Oh...OK" she replied calmly and a little hesitantly, and carefully sat down at the end of his bed
She's so close I could reach out and touch her, he thought to himself, and how he longed to do so...
When Edward was younger he was almost immune to her closeness, she would regularly tune up or replace his automail arm and leg while he lay there on the operating table, wearing nothing but his shorts, and the only thing on his mind would be alchemy, his latest research on the philosophers stone or the most recent trouble he and Al had gotten themselves into while trying to get their bodies back.
Even though she leant over him, so close in her black tube top that her soft hair would sometimes fall into his skin and cause involuntary goosebumps.
He found that he was very aware of her presence now.
He could hear her slow steady breathing and just make out her silhouette in the darkness. His mind had just began to wonder again when Winry broke the silence.
"Ed, I'm sorry about earlier.." she began again "I didn't mean to snap...you just...you caught me off guard and I.."
"It's OK Winry" he found himself waving away her apology in the darkness. "I...should have called to let you and Granny know I was coming back" he admitted hesitantly.
"Damn right you should have!" Winry replied roughly. "But I'm.. well.. Ed.. I'm just glad you're home" She stammered softly, sounding kind of embarrassed by her subtle admittance to missing him. He was certain she was blushing in the darkness, even though he couldn't see her cheeks very well.
"Well.. that's all I wanted to say" Winry finished, and she started to get up to leave.
"I missed you too Winry" the words had spilled out before he even knew what he was doing.
Crap, why did I say that? he thought, and found himself blushing also, embarrassed by his sudden admittance.
She hesitated "Oh Edward, you idiot" she whispered, almost to herself. She sounded relieved.
She continued making her way to the door but he found himself not wanting her to go.
He sat up and quickly scrambled to the end of his bed, catching her wrist before she had made it out the door completely.
"Stay?" he blurted out the question more loudly than he had intended, his cheeks were red hot at this point but he didn't care.
He held his breath a little waiting for her response, "and do what Ed?" Winry asked quietly.
"I.. don't know" he fumbled for words, "just... how about we talk some more?" he added quickly.
"What do you want to talk about?" Winry asked him, sitting down next to him on the bed once more.
She was so close to him now that he could feel her shoulder against his and smell the faint sweet scent of her hair mixed with the familiar smell of the grease and oil that she worked with every day.
Suddenly he was too aware that he was still clutching her wrist, he released his grip hastily, letting her hand drop to her side.
Why was it suddenly so hard to speak?
She was sitting there impatiently, waiting for him to say something.
"I was.. wondering if you could have a look at my automail tomorrow?" was all he could manage. He immediately knew it wasn't enough when she sighed in response.
"Sure Ed, but couldn't that have waited until tomorrow?" she asked tiredly.
It could have waited, he knew that, but he was finding it incredibly difficult to express what he really wanted to say.
"I guess" he replied, finally adding "I picked up some new books for you while I was away".
Sensing her sit up a little he decided to continue "I thought you might like to read about automail techniques and models specific to the west".
As close as they were now he could just make out her smile in the darkness.
"That was so thoughtful of you Ed!" she exclaimed happily.
He gulped silently, attempting to prepare himself for his next words.
"Winry…" he trailed off again.
Damn it! Why was it so hard to say?!
"Ed…" Winry paused, snapping him out of it, "how... how long are you staying for this time?" she asked tentatively.
"As long as you like" he replied.
"Ok."
He wasn't sure she really believed him -which was probably fair- he and Al had always left fairly soon after returning home in the past.
But this time he really did mean it. He just wasn't quite sure how he could tell her that in a way that would make her believe him.
Suddenly, gently, he reached out his hand and ran his fingers through the soft blonde hair just below her shoulder. It was soft, like fine golden silk strands. She didn't shy away or say a word, just stared at him in the darkness.
His confidence increased and his heart beat fast as he leaned in towards her face and pressed his lips to hers.
His blonde best friend didn't pull away, better yet, she didn't hit him or yell or throw anything, she just kissed him back.
It was messy, slow and a little bit awkward, but Edward was the happiest he had ever been.
He had so many feelings for this girl. He wanted to show her the world, no, he wanted to share the world with her.
As they broke apart, panting slightly and grinning at each other like idiots, Ed couldn't help the words that tumbled out of his mouth.
"Winry I..." he faltered once more.
"Yes?" she pressed, leaning in so close that he could feel her breath fanning his face.
"I love you."
It was all he could do to drown out the pounding in his ears as he waited for her response.
"I know" she replied, closing the gap between them to whisper in his ear "I love you too." before kissing him again.