Disclaimer: As said before, I don't own Full Metal Alchemist. BECAUSE IF I DID IT WOULDN'T HAVE ENDED THAT WAY! Grr! Read my other story for happy endings galore.
A/N: This is set just before the Elrics went off to defeat the homunculi. One of them never came back. (sniff-sniff). It is Ed+Winry fluff, but is made to be plausible with the plot line.
Ed: What's with the sniff-sniffing, writer?
Melecca: You DIE you idiot.
Ed: Yeah, but I come back!
Melecca: Not to Winry, you moron! Geez, I wish I had a wrench, shorty.
Ed: WHO YOU CALLING SHORTY?
Al: Brother, calm down! Don't hit the writer, she's trying to make things better!
Ed: Can you make me taller?
Melecca: Yes. Yes I can.
Ed: On with the story!
Under the Willow Tree
Shortly before Ed and Al left Risenbool together for the last time, Al took Winry for a walk across the fields while Ed was busy writing in his room.
It had been a long time since the two of them had walked alone together. Usually when Al came back home he was too busted up to walk, but this time it was only his brother who needed repairing. It wasn't until they reached a stile and Al clambered over that Winry realised they hadn't walked this way together since that morning, after the accident, when Ed was resting upstairs. She had taken Al from his brother's beside to talk to him, then she started crying, and hurled herself against his cold, metal body. It just made her worse. She cried out all her sorrows to him, and he felt like crying back- but realised he couldn't. Then Winry cried more. She cried for both of them, and what she knew Ed would do now. She told him how afraid she had been that Ed was going to die… and how angry and upset she was that they'd been stupid enough to try and bring their mother back from the dead. It felt good to get it all out, but in the end she felt terrible for crying in front of someone who could not cry. Al told her how badly he wanted to stroke her cheek, and how much he wanted to feel her warmth again. Winry dried up her tears, and told him truthfully she'd wait forever for them to be normal again.
But she refused to cry in front of Edward, although she always harboured a secret bitterness that he'd brought this on himself- and his brother, and her. But she knew how he resented his actions, and how determined he was. She had to show him she'd be patient, and always there for him when he came back. She had to be as strong as they were.
Then he left without saying goodbye, burning down his house, and the memories of their past. It felt like they'd trapped her heart in that building, and were trying to erase her from their lives. A look, a mere glance in the directionof the house made all her old, painful memories come alive again. She blamed Ed secretly. One way or another it was always his fault. It was probably around this time Winry brought her first heavy wrench.
"You can cry, you know, Winry." Said Al, as she sat down on the stile and stared out at the distance, tears studding her eyes. "You don't have to be brave all the time. Please, cry."
Winry said nothing, but Alphonse knew her well enough to guess what she was thinking.
I'm not brave. If I were brave, I wouldn't be like this. I wouldn't feel like this at all.
"There's no point in even thinking this," she whispered, her hair sliding off her shoulders to cover her face, "But don't go."
Al said nothing in reply. Winry knew he wouldn't. She knew they had to leave again. Instead, heasked hersomething he'd been wanting toask in a long, longtime, but hadn't dared to with a wrench nearby.
"You love him, don't you?" he said. "Brother, I mean."
Winry didn't look up, just simply nodded.
"Yeah," she sighed,"I do. 'Course, I love you too, just not quite the same way."
"Then tell him!"
"I can't Al," she said truthfully, "It wouldn't make a difference, if it did, if would be for the worst. It wouldn't mean anything."
"But it could mean everything!"
Winry turned to face him, a frown knitted her brow.
"Would it?"
"Yeah! Tell him Winry, he loves you too! He never says it… but it's obvious he does! Sometimes he says your name in his sleep, and he always thinking of you. Sometimes I swear he gets beat up on purpose just so he can come back and see you!"
"That's half the problem!" Said Winry, "He hardly ever writes. He only comes back to have his automail fixed, I'm just his mechanic."
"That's not true, Winry," said Al sadly, "Brother just finds it hard to express himself sometimes. He was your friend first, remember? We both were. Do you remember what brother said, just before we left to go train with Teacher?"
Winry shot Al a fearful glare.
"You weren't supposed to be watching!" She snapped.
Al raised his hands defensively, wondering if she had a wrench hidden under her miniskirt. So far, he'd successfully avoided being battered by Winry. Even in his metal body, he was sure it would hurt.
"I'm sorry!" He yelped, "I couldn't help it!"
Winry shook her head and smiled, remembering Ed's old words.
"Once we've finished training, I'll come back here for you," He had said, "then everything will be OK again. We'll be together."
"I always thought…" she said, dammit, the tears were coming back! "that he was talking about bringing your mother back… and it would be… the three of you together…" Her voice trailed off she clasped her hand to her mouth and turned away from Al, wiping something from her eye.
"Cry, Winry," he said, "Please. Cry for both of us. I haven't felt more human since that day you cried on me."
"Oh, Al!" Winry wept, banging her fists on his chest plate, "would it really make a difference?"
"It would show brother we do have a home to come back to."
"But what if you don't come back…"
And there, in a weeping, sobbing heap, she told him her greatest fear… that Ed would make her promise he could not keep, and say he would come back for her again.
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Back in his room, Edward finished packing his suitcase and pulled on his shirt. He heard Winry's foosteps thundering up the stairs. Shortly after, her face appeared in the door.
"W-Winry?" He frowned. There was something in her desperateface he hadn't seen before, some glint in her beautiful big blue eyes he couldn't read. She'd been running, her hair was tousled from a quick sprint home, and the clambering downstairs told him Al had followed her.
"What's wrong-?"
Winry darted across him. She flew towards him and knocked him against the bed, burying her face in his chest. She clenched his shirt in her fingers and beat back tears, but she did not cry. She knew Ed hated seeing her cry- and now, she knew why.
"Don't say anything," she whispered hoarsely, "don't promise anything. Don't tell me you'll come back when you can't, just listen."
"Winry…" He didn't know what to do. He just sat there, staring down at her pale blonde hair, wondering what on earth was going on. Winry hadn't hugged him like this since… No. That was a lie. She had tried to, but he always held back. He was afraid she'd get the wrong impression. The wrong impression of what, exactly? He was terrified she'd get hurt, that he'd hurt her- but suddenly it didn't seem to matter. He'd hurt her more by not touching her.
Without thinking about it, Ed threw his arms around her and squeezed her into his body.
"Winry!" he exclaimed.
"I love you Ed," she breathed, "I always have. And you don't need to say it back, I know."
"Win-"
"I've waited for you," she stated, looking up at his golden eyes, "for so long- and I'll carry on waiting. Just promise me… if you can, you'll come back once you've finished? Once everything's over?"
"I don't know, Win," he laughed hollowly, releasing her slowly, "that was always part of the plan. Get our bodies back… come home… to you."
Winry hastily brushed tears out of her eyes. She refused to let them fall.
From downstairs, Pinako's voice carried up the hall.
"Ed, Al, you're gonna miss your train!"
Ed stood up and finished buttoning his shirt. Winry slid to the ground, and stared along thefloor out of the window. Because she was crying. No matter how hard she tried, she always cried in front of Ed.
He picked up his suitcase and placed it down again at the door, looking straight at Winry with nothing but sorrow in his eyes. He didn't want to leave her. So many times he'd regretted and hated himself for trying to bring his mother back from the dead, but until this moment he'd never hated himself more. How had he failed to see all these years what it had done to Winry too? Why hadn't he seen it before?
He thought about what would have happened if he hadn't attempted forbidden alchemy. Where would he be now? What would he be doing? Would Winry be with him?
He remembered a promise he'd made her long ago.
"Winry," he started, "we're eight years old. We've been playing kiss chase and I caught you. We both outran Al, and we're alone, standing underneath the old willow in the meadow."
Winry stepped up. Her eyes never left his.
"And it's summer. There's a light breeze ruffling the branches. I remember."
"Then I kissed you."
"Yes you-"
Before Winry could finish what she was saying, Ed covered her mouth with his and pulled her into his kiss. He placed his right hand on her hip, and left his left- his real one- softly caress her cheek. Flesh on flesh. She was so warm, so perfect… he wanted the moment to last forever. But it couldn't. A second later, it was nothing more than a memory.
"I can't make you anymore promises, Winry." He said, dropping his arms.
Winry turned her face away, not wanting him to see her tears. Gently, he pulled up her chin in his left hand, and slowly brushed them away. "I'm sorry." He whispered, "But I'll stay by that old one. The old promise I made to you all those years ago… under the willows."
He placed his head on hers and she held his hand. His real one. This surprised Ed somewhat- had she ever needed to reach for his hand before, she would always grab his automail one, as though she were reminding herself of her great work. Sometimes she even stroked it when she thought he wasn't looking, enjoying the cold feel of metal under fingers. It hurt him she seemed to like the machine parts of him more than human ones. But none of that mattered now. Nothing mattered now. He was here, with Winry, for one, final moment. That was all he needed.
"Hell, Win, I love you too." He muttered under his breath, pressing his head against hers. And he kissed her… one last time.
"I know, Ed." She breathed.
"Brother!" Al's echoing voice reached him from the bottom of the stairs. "We really are going to miss our train."
Ed struggled to pick up his suitcase, all the time facing Winry. He didn't want this to be the last time he saw her. He couldn't let it be the last time he saw her.
"Hey, Winry," He gulped, searching for words, "Edward Elric keeps his promises!"
She smiled weakly.
"So I'll wait." She chirped, "Patiently. At least I know I'm waiting for something now, eh?"
"Brother!" Al moaned.
"Coming Al!" He called. He turned back to her. "I'll write." He said. Then he left.
Winry watched the two of them disappear down the road, dry-eyed and smiling. It was the last time she ever saw the two of them like that, walking down the road together like they'd done so many times before. She cried for them several times, each time wondering if she'd ever see them again, knowing she was the only one left to cry for them. But right after they had left, she found Pinako bellowing deep throaty sobs by the fireplace.
"I-I'm sorry Winry!" She wailed into her apron, "I- I overheard what Edward said to you! Wahhh! It was so… so beautiful! Wah!"
Maybe she was wrong, maybe others cried for them too.
If so, let this be their day, she thought, because my boys are coming home!
She couldn't know, of course, she couldn't be certain. But Edward always kept his promises. He'd find a way, she was sure of it. No matter how long it took him, Ed would get their bodies back, and come home. And she'd wait for him, no matter what.
Edward Elric keeps his promises…
And she smiled again, and remembered what he had told her, all those years ago under the willow.
"Winry, when I'm grown up, I'm going to marry you!"
So she'd wait. And she be sitting out on the porch, smiling and waiting, when Edward and Alphonse came back home to greet her, back in their own bodies.
Because Edward Elric keeps his promises.
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Ed: You didn't make me taller! Not once in that whole story does it say 'Ed is tall'!
Melecca: The occasion never called for it. Besides, I never said 'Ed is short' either.
Ed: Who you callin' short?
Melecca: Never mind. Anyway, did you like it?
Ed: I would NEVER say that.
Al: Well, you should have.
Ed: AL!
Al: It's true! Tell him, writer.
Melecca: Yep. It's true. You should have. Damn all writers of the movie and the last episode.
Al: I like your stories better, writer.
Melecca: Thank you Al! In 'The Reunion' you to be taller than you're brother.
Ed: HEY!
Melecca: Shut up or I'll write you and Winry out of it.
Ed: Meep!
Al: See? I knew you liked her.