Washing Out Pride, Reluctant Realization

A/N:

This was my first fanfic and I'm thinking of editing it though I don't know when

Rate: Hard T - M I'm still not sure.

Summary: Winry is going to bathe Edward and he's dreading it. He realizes things about the girl he hasn't noticed before.

Warnings: If another word for penis counts as a warning then I warn you now. Also mentions of puberty and hormonal EdWin is on the way.

He yelped when Pinako started tugging off his shirt.

"Stop it ya old bat! I could do it!", he yelled slapping away her hand. Pinako just slapped his hand back crossed her arms and lifted a thin eyebrow.

"Really now? Why didn't you just say so boy!?", Pinako yelled back with a leer.

"U-um, granny?", Winry asked timidly when she saw that Edward was about to retort.

"What is it, Hun?", the old woman asked putting on a tender smile. Winry bit her lip and shifted her weight from one foot to another hugging the basket of shampoo, soap, and bandages tightly to her developing chest. She had started the bath, making sure it was warm enough for Edward. A slight temperature change in the water could cause cramps on the skin and muscle around the automail ports. This was the first time he would take a bath in the bathtub. She was very happy that he was healing and starting to get used the foreign matter on his body and so was Al, who was currently standing outside of the door out in the hallway being ready to help out his brother when he was needed. Before, her grandmother would have to scrub down his body with a sponge and bucket of hot water which Edward would complain about. If they wanted to wash his hair, which he didn't want to cut, they had him to lie down and put his hair in a little basin of water. Winry would wash his hair out with her shampoo because it was the only shampoo she could find around the house. He complained for that too, but he stopped complaining when she told him to shut up and started running her short nails through his hair, scratching lightly on his scalp. In mid-rant he groaned and relaxed.

Anyway she was happy that he was progressing, but he was an idiot and sometimes overexerted himself . He demanded to bathe in the bathtub today and they conceded to his request, no demand. What was bothering her uncomfortably was...

"...Do I have to be in here?". It took a few seconds for Edward to process what she had said.

"HUH?!". Edward gawked, his eyes big and round, mouth hanging open.

"Yes dear you do. This is part of the rehabilitation process. Something you need so you could be an automail engineer. It's not optional."

"SHE'S NOT! No way is she staying in here hag! You seeing me naked is enough!", he yelled in frustration an horror. He thought he heard Al say "what?" in a gasp but chose to ignore it for now. Winry cannot absolutely not see him naked. He had been before, but it was during the many automail surgeries and he had a towel covering his unmentionables. The most she's seen him without clothes were when he was in only his boxers. Another thing that was bothering him was that if she was bathing him she'd have to look down there and not just look, but perhaps wash as well. This was really embarrassing because well...he wasn't a little boy anymore. He was going to be twelve soon and he was going to be a preteen. Being a preteen meant things...changing...inside and outside on his body. One of those things that were changing would be his cock. It was embarrassing to say to himself that his balls felt bigger and his cock longer...also he had a little bit of golden curled hairs growing down there. She couldn't see all that!

"NO WAY IN HELL-"

"Okay", Winry cut him off, looking at him and her grandmother with determination. Edward made a squeak and gawked at her some more.
If Winry wanted to be the best then she had to face some uncomfortable situation ahead. Besides it wasn't like she hadn't seen Edward naked before. When he was asleep her grandmother had showed her how to clean out the catheter when he was recovering from the human transmutation . She was rather embarrassed at the time and not just because Edward was naked and she could see his penis, but because of what the catheter was clogged with.

"Granny?...What is that?", Winry asked pointing at the clogged catheter." Is that urine?" Pinako clicked her tongue.

"That boy...until when had this started happening? Such a naughty kid. Heh. No dear this isn't urine. In fact far from it." Pinako said half talking to herself and to her granddaughter.

"Well is it something bad?" then the girl gasped, "Oh no, Granny is something wrong with him?"

"Be calm girl. This just means he's healing and has a good enough blood now to do this...this is just semen."

"I- I thought it happened only...during...uh...intercourse." the girl said with a blush on her face. She already knew what semen was because of the many medical textbooks lying around in her house to read, but she had never seen semen before. It was something new and foreign. she didn't know if it was supposed to gross her out or not but she didn't fell it repulsing her in the slightest.

"Yes it does happen during intercourse" the elderly woman said without the slightest bit of hesitation. Not at all surprised that her granddaughter knew what semen was and what intercourse brought. "But sometimes it can happen when boys and young men sleep because of what they dream. Lets just say that they sometimes enjoy their dreams a little too much.", she continued watching her granddaughters face carefully. At that Winry looked everywhere else except at her grandmother.

"NO WAY WINRY", Ed roared.

"Shut up Ed! If I'm going to be your automail mechanic then I'm going to have to learn what to do! What if you need new ports along the way?! I'm going to have to do this all over again by myself whether you like it or not!" Edward turned beet red and then she realized what she had said and her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink as well. "Oho no! You better not enjoy it Ed!". Edward waved his flesh arm in front of him turning wide eyed.

"N-N-NOOO! NO! NO! I won't I swear I-ACK!" he yelped rubbing his head with his flesh arm. Rubbing at the sore spot on his head where Pinako had smacked him.

"Stop putting your mind in the gutter boy and let us do our job!", the old woman half scolded and half chuckled.

"Okay! Whatever I don't care anymore!", he huffed wanting to cross his arms, but couldn't. He couldn't really move his automail arm yet and the skin and muscle around his port was still sore after all. Pinako started tugging his shirt off again until Winry spoke.

"Granny I want to do it.". Pinako stopped and looked at her granddaughter. Edward was about to say something, but then stopped when he saw Winry's determined glare. He slouched more against the wall. Pinako continued staring at her granddaughter then she smiled fondly a little at her.

"Okay dear...How 'bout I just talk you through this whole ordeal so that you can do all the work?"

"Really Granny? You'd let me?", Winry asked hopefully. Pinako nodded.

"Of course. Besides I really can't do it all can I? After all I cant help him into the tub.", the old woman said hands on her hips. Edward chuckled and her smirk disappeared.

"To tall for you, Granny?", he asked amusedly with a cocky smirk. Winry sighed rolling her eyes already knowing that her grandmother was going to retort back no matter what.

"No bean. I'm an old woman. You'll crush me with your fat body." she said back, smirk returned on her wrinkly face.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING BEAN YOU MINI HAG!" he then turned wide eyed when he realized what other insult she displayed in the air. "AND I AM NOT FAT!". Winry sighed again and she could hear Al in the hallway saying "brother." with exasperation. She smiled however and went her way to him. He stopped glowering at Pinako and took notice to the girl who was currently unbuttoning his shirt. He stared at her nimble fingers working at each of his white buttons.

"Just undress him and help him in the tub, Winry. It should be really simple.", Pinako assured. Winry simply nodded now slipping the sleeves carefully down Ed's arms. Feeling a flutter in her abdomen for some reason, she hoped it wasn't the start of her premenstrual cramps. Edward tried helping her to take the button down off his arms, but there was only so much he could do. He hated feeling helpless like this and he held back a dried chuckle. He couldn't really feel sorry for himself could he? His brother had it worse...way worse than he had it. He couldn't even dress or undress himself without help. This was the first time Winry was undressing him and bathe him for the matter.

He felt her hands on his boxer shorts, hooking her thumbs underneath the elastic and he held his breath. His heart was pounding and he thought his head was going to explode. This was just Winry right? He did bathe with her, but that was when they were small children. Taking no heed to the differences between them. Besides he couldn't even really remember when they had bathed together, it was all blurry, foggy.

He turned his head away, not wanting her to see his reddened humiliated face. Of course she didn't seem to notice, focusing so intently on the task at hand. He felt the soft cotton of his boxers at his feet, pooling around his ankles, the cool air hitting his sensitive parts. She stood up quickly to his side and he put his left arm around her shoulders, trying hard not to wince when he felt a little pull on the metal against the muscles.

"We're going to tub. Okay" she whispered, her breath warming his ear making the hair on the back of his neck stand. He shivered, feeling it down to the end of his spine. Seeing him shiver made her worry that maybe she was hurting him. "Are you okay?", she asked, rubbing his knuckles with her fingers. He gulped and nodded his head and she sighed not really believing him. She helped him limp to the tub and they stopped standing there for a moment, staring down at the water. This was going to be painful or him, but he had to get in somehow. She tightened her hold on his arm."Okay, Ed your going to have to step in the tub with your left foot first-no no actually sit on the edge there. I'll help you down into it.". He obliged to her request. Letting her help him sit down on the smooth surface. With her other hand she grabbed hold of his automail leg and lifted it into the tub and she heard him hiss. She hesitated for a quick second not daring to look at his face. She could feel his gaze on her, observing her to see if she was really up to it. She kept going however and he was surprised that she did.

He had seen her eyes shoot open in panic, the clutch on his left arm tightening. All that had convinced him that maybe she would stop, that she was too scared to hurt him, but she did the opposite of that. She had kept going making sure that he get in safely and that she would help him reach this little goal. The pang in his heart intensified and he couldn't breath for a moment. He wasn't so sure that it was the pain that was suddenly shooting its way from his upper thigh to his right abdomen that caused this.

The automail leg was in the tub successfully and he felt the muscles on her back relax a little and he felt relaxed too. Moving the hand on his automail to his flesh leg, she put it under his knee lifting that warm leg and holding his weight on her upper body, sliding him down in the tub of warm water slowly. The warm water did something amazing to the skin and muscle on the automail port on his thigh, making the muscle relax and be soothed by the fluid sloshing around in the tub. He sighed and slouched down a little feeling the water sooth the muscles on his other port as well. Winry smiled, now feeling satisfaction that Edward was satisfied and enjoying the water in there. She jumped a little when she heard her grandmother speak to her.

"Good job, girl. I didn't even need to tell you how to put him in there. Here grab the basket.", she said handing the basket over to Winry who took it quickly out of her hands. She stared down at the basket looking at the contents in it again. She hadn't put in the sponge in the basket before. Her grandmother must've put it in while she was occupied with Ed. "Wash him now and careful with the automail ports. Its really sensitive there and I don't want him drowning."

"I won't drown! Why do you have to say it without meaning!", Edward yelped with a pout. Al poked his metal head in.

"Um, brother... I don't think she wants you to drown." he tried to assure.

"She sounds like she doesn't care! that's gotta be verbal neglectment!". He flailed his left arm around. Winry sighed.

"Is that even a real word, Ed? Geeze." the girl said rubbing the back of her neck with one arm and the other arm poking him a little on his shoulder. He smacked it away saying "stop that."

"Fine midget how bout this?", she cleared her throat, "Oh, please don't let dear Edward drown Winry! He's too short to be above the tub level let alone puddle level.". Pinako smirked shutting her eyes and shrugging. Edward let out a holler of anger and frustration until Winry threw the sponge at his head.

"Why the hell did that sponge feel like a brick just now!?", he cried rubbing at his abused forehead.

"Anyway,", Pinako cut in, "Where are the towels? I was sure Al washed them. They should be in here.", she said opening and closing cabinets and drawers. Al gasped.

"I-I'm sorry Granny! I forgot to bring them in here after I took them down. I left it on the railing on the porch." Al stuttered worried that Pinako might just unleash her wrath on him.

"It's alright, Al. Just help me bring them up here and thank you for doing most of the chores around here... you've done a great job." she cackled while walking down the hallway with armor Al. "I'll be back Winry! Just wash him down!", she yelled down the hallway almost at the stairs.

Winry turned to Ed and knelt down on the floor. Realizing that it wasn't the best position for her task she switched places and sat at the edge of the tub and he jumped at the close proximity.

"Geeze Ed relax. I'm just... going to wash you down an-"

"DOWN!? DOWN WHERE!?", he yelped staring at her with flushed cheeks and wide eyes.

"NO NOT THERE YOU MORON! You can do that yourself...If you like.", she trailed off flushing a little herself. She grabbed for the sponge in the water and took the bar of soap. Wetting it with the water a little she started scrubbing it against the sponge until she saw suds on it. She put the soap in the water and started scrubbing his torso, making sure she saw suds at every part.

Edward stared at her, seeing the concentration on her face once again as she was putting her mind on the task, her blue eyes dark, brows furrowed gently. She still had that flush on her cheeks he noted and he mentally smacked his forehead, thinking of his outburst earlier. He saw her hand on his shoulder again, bracing herself so she wouldn't fall in the water as she scrubbed down his body. He felt tingle a little where her hand was and wondered since when her touch had started making his skin crawl. It wasn't gross crawly, but...something else... and it frustrated him to not know what it was. He couldn't tell when everything changed, well actually he did know when, but why was he noticing until now.

She had changed as well. She wasn't that little girl that cried at every whim or his under the covers and whimpered when there was an electrical storm. Right now she seemed determined and ready to be there. She didn't cower at his pain and he suddenly saw that when she was there for surgeries and when she didn't stop when she had heard him hiss. He had ignored her when she was there helping recover from...Was that why she yelled in frustration and ran out that day? He didn't even say anything then either. He was such an ass.

She was now rubbing at his back reaching over instead of changing her seating. Her neck was close to his face now and'since when had she have that curve when she arched her back and neck? When did her clavicle become so defined? She's eleven...right? So she was going through...those changes? Did...', he gulped, '...did she have curled pale blond hair down there too...? That didn't sound bad...that was...sexy.'. His heart pounded in his ears and he felt something flutter in his stomach, heat rising in his cheeks, but he couldn't stop looking at whatever she had hiding secretly...didn't want to stop. Her breath was on his forehead, warm and soothing, but still making the fluttering feel worse and he noticed her shoulders were rounded so softly looking smooth. Her muscles moving when she was scrubbing away. Her tank-top was cerulean blue, matching her eyes he was sure, but the straps had slipped out of their place making her top...hang...so low. 'And when that happen?'. She had little mounds growing on her chest and he could almost see something pink at the top of those mounds. They looked so soft and when she moved they moved too. 'So hot. Sexy'. It was making his throat feel dry and he felt dizzy when he inhaled through his nose smelling her scent, oil and minty, flowery soap. Something spicy hidden and sweat. Mysteriously addicting.

She felt his breath on her neck and it made her shiver a little. Then she noticed that his breathing was irregular, more hurried. She pulled away , hand on his shoulder still, when she looked at his face. What she saw made her heart beat quicken. His lips were parted breathing in air quickly, his cheeks flushed. Looking into his eyes however made the fluttering in her stomach intensify and she felt something weird down lower. His pupils looked wider, bigger, dilated, trying to see all of her and drink her in. Eyes half-lidded almost like he was tired or something maybe...hypnotized...entranced. Instead of bright gold his colored orbs were now darker, a smoldering dark rich amber and it was calling to her...all of her.

He saw her lips parted now and they looked so soft . They looked pink and he saw her tongue lick her lips and he licked his own following her own addicting movement, but it was her eyes and flushed cheeks that made him grab her arm and tilt his head up closer to her face. She looked like she was leaning down, her grasp on his shoulder tightening. His eyes were closing now and he felt her warm breath on his face. His heart was beating erratically and 'maybe...maybe her lips would be soft and moist on my chapped ones. And maybe...I could feel that pink, wet tongue on and in my lips as well...maybe feel it against my own wet tongue'.

She felt dizzy. She was getting closer and closer bringing her hand smoothly on his neck, caressing the flesh with her thumb.'Maybe if I got closer I could-'

"Winry!" Their eyes snapped open and she slipped. Her hand now deep in the water and her face collided with his torso full of soap. He yelped in surprise trying to push her off and help her sit up. Pinako walked in and placed the towel on the toilet seat. "I brought the towel and boy that Al-", she turned talking and now stopping when she saw her granddaughter full of soap and water on her torso and face. They stared at her wide eyed and she wondered why they seemed to be short of breath. "Are you guys playing around with water?"

"No old hag!" Edward roared seemingly frustrated and irritated for some reason.'What just happened? Was I going to...was I going to make out with Winry!? My childhood friend!? I actually thought she was sexy!', he thought and he groaned.

"N-no Granny I-I slipped and fell inside the tub. There was soap there on the edge!" Winry assured even though she didn't know why she was trying to assure something when there was nothing to assure. Her face was burning and her heart was thundering.'Did I just think of Edward licking and biting my...my lips!? WHY!?'. She made a whimpering noise and Pinako raised an eyebrow at the too and nodded although skeptically.

"Alright then. Winry rinse him off now. We're just gonna wash his hair in the basin. It's easier that way. After the rinse, dry him off. I gotta get to cookin' supper. Don't kill each other." She huffed and walked out the door leaving the two alone once again. Turning to each other they blushed and quickly turned away avoiding whatever eye contact they wanted to make. Winry unplugged the drain and opened the water faucet to warm. She rinsed the soap off his body and he helped too. Turning to the toilet seat and towel now, she snatched it off and started drying off his body careful with his ports and the rest of him... and he noticed.

Maybe he couldn't understand now, but it wasn't so bad anymore. Maybe she couldn't understand either, but it was soothing in a way. They weren't little kids anymore. They were growing up and maybe too fast. And he realized, although reluctantly, that she would be there too when he did understand someday...and he would share it with her too.

A/N: Read and Review please! :)