It was an unusually snowy February in Central City. Sure, it was winter time, but the downtown streets were reminding Ed of the Briggs mountains, minus the Drachman invaders and titanic homunculi. Luckily this time he was only watching the snowfall from a window in the warm confines of his brownstone in the heart of Central, instead of a craggy rampart atop a frozen fortress.
Leaning up against the wall, he pulled at his tie impatiently. Damnable thing, it never looked straight. Not when he looked down at it. Not when he fiddled with it in the mirror. It simply did NOT want to submit to his will. On top of that, it was restrictive...Ed made a point to always wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes in case he needed to move quickly. A quirk he'd retained from his adventuring days just a few years prior to this snowy night.
Any other day he'd refuse to even go near the two-piece suit, but he'd been advised by his army friends that a suit was to women what lingerie was to men. If that was true, well...
"I'd better be getting lucky tonight. God DAMN it." Ed mumbled, pulling his hair -still slightly damp from his shower- over his shoulder and braiding it. As he wove the soft strands into a thick rope, he made an impatient noise at the closed bathroom door.
"C'mon already, Winry! We're going to miss our reservation!"
"Hold your horses, Ed! Just because YOU get ready fast doesn't mean I do!"
Ed snorted, then replied "You can say that again. It'll be Easter by the time you're done..." But this was only grumbled, as he'd learned not to piss the blonde off on date night. After the first time he'd done so, Ed realized a silent dinner and a cold shoulder all the way home wasn't the night he'd want it to be.
Striding over to the mirror, Ed appraised his reflection once more. He yanked at his lapels, straightened the accursed tie again for the hundredth time. At least he'd found one in his trademark shade of red...grinning, Ed remembered the shout of triumph he'd let loose in the tailor upon seeing the fabric swatch for it.
Ed took in his lean but muscular frame. His shoulders looked wider in the jacket, and the golden-colored buttons set his eyes and hair off just like he'd been told by the kind old tailor. The young man decided he cleaned up pretty damn well. He scratched at his cheek as he smirked at his reflection.
The raspy sound his short-trimmed nails made against his stubble made him curse. He'd forgotten to shave. Damn it.
And Winry was still in the bathroom. DAMN IT.
"Hey!" Ed knocked brusquely on the door. "I forgot to shave!"
"I didn't!" Came the reply in a decidedly flirtatious tone of voice. Ed's mind was momentarily distracted by thoughts of smooth, soft legs.
"Winry! Come on!" The last word was stretched out in a whining, comical fashion.
"Ed! You're worse than a little kid!" Winry laughed. "Fine! But you have to close your eyes! You can't see me until I'm ready!"
"FINE! Let's just hurry up! We're going to be LATE!" Replied Ed.
"Are your eyes closed?" Her voice was closer to the door now.
"They are now!" He lied. Defiant as always was Ed.
"Ed I swear if your eyes are open I'm going to beat you to death with my wrench." A testy reply. Winry never failed to match Ed's defiance.
"You can't seriously have that thing in there with you!" A small pause, a skeptical and slightly fearing look came over his face. "...right?"
"Do you want to find out?" Giggled Winry. Ed sighed and closed his eyes, impatiently tapping his foot but wearing a small bemused smile nonetheless.
"No! They're closed, alright?"
"Promise?"
"WINRY!"
She burst out laughing. "Okay! Okay! I'm coming out!" Ed fought the urge to peek through his lashes at her. The shower had stopped ten minutes ago, and Ed's mind buzzed at the concept of the state of undress his lovely girlfriend may or may not be in. The door creaked open, and he felt the warm air flood out of the bathroom. Ed sensed Winry as she moved close to him, imagined the soft smirk on her lips as he felt the soft tap of a warm, probably metal object on his forehead.
Who the hell took a wrench into the bathroom when they showered? Answer: His Winry.
She must've been standing a hair's breadth away from him, as he felt the warmth radiating from her skin, drank deep of her scent. The sweet but not cloying scent of her apple shampoo, the feminine aroma of her perfume. Also, Ed somehow caught the whiff of automail oil. He once read an article detailing how your brain can associate certain smells with others, so he supposed his mind was supplying the sharp smell that was missing from the already intoxicating bouquet.
Soft, warm hands grasped his lapels and pulled him down slightly. Teeth pulled gently at his bottom lip, which was then sucked slightly into Winry's soft mouth. Ed's hands came around to the small of her back as the kiss deepened.
Winry broke the kiss, eliciting a small grunt of irritation from Ed. She chuckled, her soft breath breezing across Ed's neck. He knew she was smiling wickedly as she guided his flesh hand down to her backside. The rough but delicate feeling of lace greeted Ed's fingers before they found soft, warm skin. He grinned openly as he cupped her round bottom, and Winry's tinkling laugh sounded, catching a bit with a hint of desire.
"Hey, Ed?" She whispered huskily, breathing over his throat.
"Mmm?" Ed grunted back.
"We're gonna be late for dinner!" She shoved him into the bathroom and closed the door just as he opened his eyes, catching a sinful grin and a length of blonde hair in the shrinking gap.
"You'll pay for that, you know that right?" Growled the young man as he rubbed his eyes with one hand and reaching for his shaving kit with the other.
"I better." She purred back.
Ed grinned as he stepped to the sink, mixing some shaving cream in his bowl and brushing it on. Skillfully honing his straight razor on his strop, he looked forward to the night ahead. A nice dinner at the ritziest place in Central was sure to make it a night to remember, and he anticipated Winry thanking him in many, MANY ways. From a soft smile to a heated kiss, Winry always made sure to let Ed know he was appreciated.
Ed swiped the razor through the thicket of foam and golden stubble. He kept himself clean shaven, avoiding looking anymore like Van Hohenheim than he already did...having long since forgiven his father, Ed still didn't like being compared to him. Unfortunately, Al and Granny knew that, and needled him relentlessly about it.
Once his face was baby smooth, Ed slapped on some aftershave and started for the door. Catching himself, he realized he'd better not walk out before his date was ready.
"Hey! Can I come out?" Ed could hear Winry humming along to the radio from behind the door. The memory of her spinning and humming in time to the music in the living room of their house in Resembool warmed his heart. He called out again.
"Yep! I'm ready!"
Ed opened the door. Sitting cross legged in the bed was Winry. She wore an azure blue dress, a few streaks of like color sequins catching the light. The dress was cut daringly low up top and short at the bottom hem. Her feet were wrapped in sequined, straps high heels that matched her dress and eyes perfectly. To top it all off, her hair was put up in an complicated and elegant fashion, gold transmuted into swirls and curls with the help of a few (hundred) bobby pins.
If Ed was a man competent with words and flowery statements, he'd tell her she looked like an angel fallen to earth, swaddled in sky and light.
Of course, Ed was NOT competent with words, nor was he skilled in hyperbole, flatter, or any of the other "romantic arts" that Mustang had tried to explain to him endlessly. Therefore, his words to her were a bit less eloquent.
"Wow, y-you...Win, you look-wow." The words tumbled from Ed's mouth wantonly, and he cursed his fumble-tongue.
Winry's laugh came graciously, but she couldn't help but poke at his embarrassment. "Close your mouth, Ed, or you'll drool all over your suit." Truly, Winry thought Ed looked like sex on legs wearing his suit, but she wouldn't tell him that. It didn't help his already inflated ego to compliment him much...but Winry knew that she'd tell him later that night, probably while they were both panting and naked.
Ed rolled his shoulders, as if to shake off the view that had suddenly overwhelmed his senses. Offering his hand to her, he grinned.
"C'mon. We're already late...I'll have to bully the poor maitre'd to keep our reservation." Though he smiled, betraying his gruff words.
Smiling back, Winry took his hand.
(A/N What? Vic is back from hiatus?! That I am. This is a one-shot, but I'd be willing to write a follow-up if anyone was interested. Anyways, reviews are always appreciated...they're like free candy to us writers.
Enjoy! I promise to write more often, too.)