Summary: Edward finds himself struggling to fall asleep and he can't figure out why. He goes out for a walk to clear his mind when he gets the sudden urge to talk to Winry. He decides to call her in hopes of alleviating his own thoughts and because he misses hearing her voice.

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist and all of its characters belongs to Hiromu Arakawa

Rated: K+ for mild coarse language

Timeline: During episode 31 of Brotherhood

Call of Longing

The moon stood alone without the stars as it shined brightly in the sky, illuminating its light throughout Central. There were always too many lights in the city for the stars to be seen. Usually you could see at least a handful of stars in the sky, but tonight it seemed they just wanted to be kept out of sight.

Lying in bed and curled up under white sheets, Edward stared out the window to look at the empty sky that fell upon Central. He couldn't sleep, and he was frustrated with himself for not knowing why. It wasn't uncommon for him to not get the rest he so desperately needed sometimes. Some nights it was because of a nightmare; he wouldn't be able to fall asleep afterwards and ended up talking to Alphonse until morning. Other nights it would be because he was studying or reading. He either didn't keep track of the time or he was onto a promising lead and didn't want to waste time by sleeping.

But tonight it was neither of those things.

Wearing the navy tank top and light blue boxers he considered sleepwear, Ed continued to gaze at the night sky through the window located right above his bed. He was laying on his side, his automail arm tucked under the pillow his head was currently resting on. Trying to be mindful of the bandaged cut on the right side of his forehead, he had also set his hair free from the trademark braid he always put it in.

He felt so tired, and it made sense since so much stuff happened that day. Everything with getting out of Gluttony's stomach and then meeting the bearded bastard the Homunculi called Father. Him and Al weren't able to use their alchemy when they were underground, but for some reason Scar and that little girl were. After he met up with Al, they decided to get some rest back at the hotel before searching for them in the morning. They were using some kind of alchemy that Ed and Al didn't know about, and they wanted to learn about it.

Right before he and Al, who was at Dr. Knox's house, met up, Ed was at Hawkeye's apartment, giving her gun back to her. It was nice to talk to her. She always seemed to know the right words to say and always treated him like an equal. He was able to talk about what he was feeling without having to worry about her judging him.

Discussing Ishval with her was difficult, but after hearing her side of the story, he couldn't help but feel even more respect for her and the Colonel when she talked about them planning on setting things right.

Putting his thoughts away for the moment, Ed focused on looking at the sky once again. The nights here in Central were always different than back home in Resembool. It was always more peaceful and quiet in the countryside, and you were able to see a million stars twinkling in the sky. The nights back home also felt less lonely. Granny and Winry were always there to greet them and talk to them.

Winry.

He really missed her. Even though he and Al called her earlier to make sure she was okay, he couldn't help but continue to worry since she was now declared a hostage. He felt horrible for her being dragged into all this when he just wanted her to be kept safe and happy.

He began to get frustrated again. All he wanted to do was just get some sleep, but his thoughts kept plaguing him. And no matter what he did, his thoughts just kept going right back to his mechanic. All day he couldn't get her out of his head, and after that conversation with Hawkeye, it just made him think about Winry even more.

Irritated with himself and knowing he wouldn't be falling asleep anytime soon, he decided he needed to take a walk to get his thoughts together. This was something he always did when he couldn't think straight or couldn't fall asleep.

He threw his blanket to the side and got out of his bed, walking through the doorway that led to the main room. Opening his suitcase to look for some clothes, he slipped on a long-sleeved white collared shirt over his tank top and pulled up a pair of black leather pants. While braiding his hair, he heard a clank from behind him and turned to look at the couch near the center of the room.

"Brother?"

A voice resonated from within the suit of armor that was currently sitting on that couch and holding a book in his leather hands. Not being able to go to sleep, of course Al would notice Ed getting up to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

Ed knew Al was going to ask him that sooner or later and the last thing he needed was for Al to worry about him when he was just going to take a walk. He stepped up to Al and smiled, trying to sound as reassuring as he could.

"I'm just going for a walk, Al. Y'know, to get some fresh air and stuff." After completing his braid, he raised his arms in the air above his head to stretch. Continuing to try and put his brother at ease, Ed placed his automail hand on Al's helmet in a comforting gesture.

"Were you not able to fall asleep, brother?" Al asked with a metallic but soft tone. Despite Ed's attempts, Al still managed to find something to worry about. Al knew Ed's sleeping patterns could sometimes be bizarre since he was there to witness them every night. It would make sense for him to know that if Ed couldn't sleep, something was wrong.

"No, but it's fine. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll be back in a little bit to catch up on sleep later." Ed said with a smile, happy to see that he managed to calm Al down at least a little bit. He rushed over to his suitcase and put on his black leather boots. Right before he reached the doorknob to leave, Al shouted for him to wait.

"Don't forget your coat! You'll catch a cold!" Al called out, making Ed turn around with an irritated huff. Leave it to Al to always be the one with common sense.

"Yeah, yeah!" Ed chuckled, silently grateful for Al's protectiveness. He quickly went back to his suitcase and slipped on the black coat that ended at his knees. He waved to Al before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

He strolled through the hotel's hallways and down the steps to the main office. He really needed some fresh air; an open space to clear his jumbled mind.

Arriving at the front desk, he looked around and noticed that there were still people working, but not as many as there was during the day shift. He gave them a quick smile before heading over to the entrance. If the employees were curious about why he was going out so late in the night, they didn't question him about it.

Opening the front doors of the hotel, Ed took a step outside, a faint gust of wind brushing his bangs softly across his face. The night air wasn't very chilly, but it was still cold enough that a coat was needed.

He began walking the streets of Central. Despite it being night time, the roads were still lit up with yellow lights from the windows of buildings and light posts that added a soft glow to the city. Over the horizon, you could also see Central Command with its blue skylights that highlighted the atmosphere.

He noticed that it was more quiet than usual, as less people were walking the streets. Because of this, he attempted to relax and just enjoy the cool and quiet air.

He began to enter one of the many city squares located near Military Headquarters. The rush of the city didn't occur as much here now that it was night and the area had a loosened air to it.

Walking through the main path of the square that was lined with trees on both sides, Ed looked to the right of him and noticed the telephone booth he was approaching. It was the same one he had used to call Winry earlier that day.

His thoughts concerning her began to flood through his head again, and he realized that he really wanted to talk to her. He missed hearing her voice. Their earlier call was short and it was just to make sure she was safe, but this time he wanted to have an actual conversation; see what she's been doing these days. Probably working on automail as always; the damn gearhead.

Before his mind allowed his legs to move, he found himself wandering over to the booth and opening the see-through door to step inside. He slapped his flesh palm onto his face and sighed. What was he thinking? There was no way Winry would be up at this time, considering it was already one hundred hours, and she definitely wouldn't want to be bothered when trying to sleep. But then... he really did want to talk to her, and if he didn't call her now, it would be a long while before he got the chance to again.

He would try this one time, and if she didn't answer, he would walk back to the hotel.

Stepping into the booth and closing the door behind him, he reached into his pants pocket to take out some money. It was the leftovers from the 520 cenz the Colonel had given him earlier. He slipped the change into the slot and grabbed the phone with his right hand as it began to ring.

He gulped, feeling dumb for having this desperate need to speak to her, but he didn't move his grip on the phone. He hoped nothing had happened to her since the last time he called.

The phone continued to ring several times, and it didn't seem like anyone was going to answer. Ed sighed in disappointment and lowered the phone from his ear. Before he could place the phone back onto its holder, he heard a soft voice speak from the receiver.

"Hello?"

He froze and looked down at the phone that was still held in his automail hand and away from his ear. She had actually answered, and right after realizing this, he began to feel guilty. He hoped he hadn't woken her up just because he suddenly had an urge to call her in the middle of the night.

"Is anyone there?"

He jumped when he heard the voice speak again, and quickly lifted the phone to his ear. "Uh, yeah! Um, hey, Winry.." He spoke, slightly flustered, and not really sure what to say now that he finally got ahold of her.

"Ed?" She realized instantly after hearing his voice, and began to giggle. "What's this? Calling me two times in one day? It really is going to snow, huh?" It was like a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence when Ed called her.

Ed suddenly began to blush after hearing this, and yelled into the speaker. "H-hey, shut up! I just wanted to know what you were up to, that's all; nothing more!" He sputtered out quickly. This only caused Winry to laugh even louder it seemed, and Ed grumbled under his breath. "So this is what I get for being nice?" He said with an irritated huff.

"Sorry, sorry!" Winry's outburst of laughter finally began to die down, and she sighed with relief. "I've just really missed you, you know."

Ed was taken aback by this sudden change in demeanor, and his face began to get even redder as he replied, "Oh, y-yeah! Me too! That's why I called you, a-actually.." He spoke, his voice lowering by the end of the sentence.

Both of them were quiet for a couple of seconds until Winry broke the silence and said in a faint tone, "Thank you, Ed."

He could hear the smile in her voice, and replied in a tone just as quiet as hers. "Yeah.."

There was another moment of silence before Winry decided to speak first once again. She didn't want to waste this call because who knew when Ed would call again. "So! You wanted to know what I was up to, right?" She began, speaking in that cheerful voice of hers that always managed to lighten the mood. "I was just working on a new order of automail, actually."

Ed gaped at this realization. "You mean you weren't sleeping before I called you? You're such a gearhead! Don't you ever go to sleep at night?" He called out, starting another shouting match.

Winry was quick to retort and raised her voice to equal volume. "It's not like I have a choice! This order is due in the afternoon so I have to do an all-nighter if I want to get it finished by then!" She huffed in frustration.

Edward sighed irritably, placing his flesh hand over his eyes and leaning back against the side of the telephone booth. "Alright, alright, fine! Just promise me you're gonna get some sleep afterwards, okay?" He did feel bad when she had to stay up all night to finish an automail limb she was working on, especially when it was his own. He only hoped she was still getting a decent amount of sleep while in Rush Valley.

Winry smiled at Ed's protectiveness and reassured him. "Of course, Ed." She then dropped her smile after becoming aware that not only was she up late at night, but so was Ed. "Hold on a minute; then why are you still up? And why did you decide to call me during the night?" She questioned with an accusing tone.

Ed gulped, not expecting her to question him about it. It was bad enough when just his brother was worried about him. "N-no reason, really! I was just having a hard time going to sleep, is all!" He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head with his flesh hand.

Winry instantly calmed down after hearing this and grew quiet. "Oh.." She let out in a hushed tone. Al wasn't the only who knew about Ed's sleeping patterns. She was right beside him when he had to endure the fevers and pain that automail surgery caused, which led him to having frequent nightmares and nights where he didn't even sleep at all. "Are you alright, Ed?" She asked gently.

Ed blushed lightly at this, his voice caught in his own throat. She was so cute when she was worried about him. His face began burning up at these thoughts, and he stumbled over his own words trying to reply, "Oh, yeah! I'm fine, really! Don't worry about it, okay? It happens all the time!" He grinned, even though she couldn't see him. He decided to change the topic to cheer her up a little and to calm himself down. "Anyway, how's your work going? I hope I'm not bothering you from finishing that automail." He chuckled, placing his flesh hand back into his pants pocket. He would feel bad if that was the case.

Winry lightened up at this change in subject, sighing in relief that Ed seemed okay. "No, you're not, don't worry. I needed a break anyway." She giggled. "The limb is almost finished, though. I wish you could see it, Ed! It's a new improvement to one of the functions, and it's turning out great!" She exclaimed proudly. "I've been experimenting ways to get the wrist of the automail to move more easily, and I found out a way to do just that. After creating a new piece for it, I realized that I also had to increase the percentage of chrome on it. I never put enough, which caused the pieces to rust more often and become more difficult to move." She continued with a great amount of enthusiasm, rambling on and on about automail, as always.

Ed found himself smiling at this, letting her babble. It really was nice listening to her voice, and he was glad he decided to call her after all. He rarely ever got to visit her, and he wished it didn't have to be that way. Besides, not only was she cute when she worried about him, but she was also really cute when she got excited about things and was just happy in general.

He was broken away from his thoughts when Winry spoke his name.

"Hey, Ed?"

"Hm?"

"Where's Al?"

Oh, right. Winry probably wanted to talk to him, since she hasn't talked to him in a while as well. Ed felt bad for not bringing Al with him, but he didn't think he would be calling Winry when he left. "He's back at our hotel. I can tell him you said hi if you want?" He doubted Al didn't miss her too.

"That would be great, thanks. I've missed you both." She smiled sadly. "Have you two gotten any closer to getting your bodies back?" She was the one of the many people who were waiting for the day they did.

Ed's face brightened when she asked that, glad to share his ideas with someone than just his brother. "Yeah, actually. We've got a new lead that seems pretty promising. It's about alchemy from the country Xing. Al and I are going to study it and see what we can learn." Ed decided to tell her directly. After the whole incident with Scar, he refused to keep anything from her any longer.

Winry grinned, feeling happy for them. "That sounds great! I hope it's as promising as you make it sound." She smirked playfully. "Just make sure you don't break your automail. I'm thankful that this call didn't have anything to do with you needing me to fix it."

Ed growled under his breath. "You really think I'd break it within a day? Geez, gimme some credit here!" He snapped, but they both knew that there was no real malice in those words.

Winry just giggled softly, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. Her face began to form a delicate blush as she spoke, "Well, you can come visit me whenever that happens." Even though she was happy that Ed had called, she still wished she could see him in person.

"Sure.." Ed replied in a faint voice. He knew how much Winry missed him and Al, and how much she worried over them hoping they were safe. He promised himself that he would do whatever it took to stay alive. He could never forgive himself if he was the one to make Winry cry again.

Looking up at the sky, Ed suddenly remembered how late it actually was. He needed to get some sleep if he wanted to get started on learning alkahestry from that girl with the cat early. "Hey, I should get going. Al's probably starting to get worried." He really didn't want to end the call, but he knew that him and Winry both had things they needed to do.

Winry sounded disappointed, but didn't protest. "Alright.. Just be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, I will.." Ed then remembered the conversation he had with Winry earlier and asked, "You're certain everything's alright over there?"

Winry almost began giggling again. It was rare for Ed to show compassion towards her, or for anyone, that is. She smiled warmly. "I'm fine, Ed. You're the one who needs to get some sleep. Knowing you, you'll definitely need it."

"Yeah, yeah." Ed grumbled. "You get some sleep too, alright Winry?"

"I know." Winry chuckled nervously in reply. "Well, I guess I'll talk to you again the next time you call or visit. It was really nice talking to you."

Ed nodded, "Yeah.." He began holding the phone in his automail hand with a tight grip and clenched his teeth. He didn't want to end the call now. He wanted to be close to her, to make sure she was okay and safe. What if something happened to her? What if the Fuhrer decided to cut her down after all? What if something happened to him? He wouldn't be able to call her anymore or talk to her or hear her voice-

No.

He would stay strong. He would get his and his brother's bodies back. He would come visit her with a full flesh body and eat apple pie with Al. He would stay strong for her and his little brother.

With that in mind, he loosened his grip on the phone and placed a genuine smile on his face. "Bye, Win. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Goodbye, Ed. Come visit me soon."

They both lingered on the call in silence, wanting to say more but knowing that they had said all they needed to say. The stillness lasted for a couple more seconds until Edward heard a small click on the other line. He lowered the phone from his ear and stared down at it. The night air suddenly seemed much more quieter than before. Placing the phone back into its holder, he left the telephone booth and began walking back the way he came.

He had a feeling he wouldn't be seeing Winry for a while.

Arriving back at the hotel room, 502, Ed slipped out of his black coat and threw it next to his suitcase. Turning to the hunk of metal still sitting on the couch, Ed smiled and greeted his brother. "Hey, Al."

Alphonse looked up from the book he was reading and rotated his helmet to look at Ed. "Brother! Are you feeling better?"

"Yep!" He exclaimed, kicking off his boots and leaving them near the door. He walked over to Al and plopped down onto the couch to sit to the left of him. He leaned back into the cushions and crossed his legs, letting out a sigh of relief. "Actually Al, I called Winry." He spoke, raising his head to look at his brother. "She wanted to say hi," he grinned.

Al held the book over his his face and giggled. "No wonder you're in such a good mood, brother." He teased, automatically receiving a glare from Ed, whose face began to heat up. If a suit of armor could look smug, then that would definitely be the expression on Al's face right now.

"Hey, sh-shut up Al!" He flustered, and crossed his arms over his chest. "It was just a civil conversation, nothing more!" He turned his head away, groaning as Al continued to sneer at him and chuckle evilly under his breath.

Despite enjoying teasing his brother, Al really did miss Winry and wanted to know how she was doing. "What else did Winry say?"

Ed turned back to face his brother, replying in a bored tone. "Nothing much, really. The gearhead's just being obsessed with her job as always."

"I hope her work is doing well in Rush Valley."

"Of course it is! She's the best automail mechanic in the world!" Ed retorted, as if that was something everyone was supposed to already know.

There was a moment of silence after that and Ed realized something was wrong. His expression grew soft and he quietly spoke his brother's name. "Al?"

Alphonse lowered the book in his lap and looked down at his feet. His metallic voice sounded small and timid. "Brother... do you really think that studying alkahestry is going to help get our bodies back?"

Ed smiled sadly and turned his body towards Al, placing his automail hand on his brother's left gauntlet. He leaned over a little, wanting Al to look at his face as he said this. "Trust me, Al. We're going to talk to that May girl and learn all there is to know about it. We'll be back in our bodies in no time, and then you'll get to eat all the apple pie you could ever want!" He exclaimed, his smile beaming by the end of the sentence and his eyes burning with determination.

Al nodded enthusiastically, brightening up at his brother's confidence. "Yeah!" He giggled.

Ed then stood up and placed his hands on his hips, arching his back to stretch. The events of the whole day finally began to weigh down on him, and he found himself yawning.

"You should try going to sleep again." Al vocalized after noticing how tired Ed looked.

Ed lightly smiled at Al and let out a soft, "Hm," as he walked over to his suitcase to discard his leather pants and white collared shirt. Left in his tank top and boxers, he made his way over to the bedroom. Ed yawned once more before calling out to his baby brother behind him. "Night, Al."

"Goodnight, brother."

Ed entered the other room and took out the rubber band from his hair, letting the golden strands fall over his neck. After placing the band on the table in the middle of the room, he slipped into his bed and embraced the warmth that the covers gave him. Looking up at the moon in the night sky, Ed began to think about Winry once more. He hoped that she would be alright and continue to succeed in Rush Valley. She deserved it; she deserved it more than anything.

He had no idea what challenges were going to appear up ahead for him, Al, and Winry, but they would do whatever it took to overcome them.

He closed his eyes and fell into an untroubled sleep; something he had been trying to do all night.

He had been longing to call Winry, and he was glad that he did.

Author's Note:

And that's the end! Yay! So this is the first fanfiction I've ever written. I'm pretty proud of it tbh !

Edwin is my OTP omg, I hope I did it justice here and kept everyone in-character.

Anyways, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the Edwin!

-Sofia