I don't think I got Winry's character right in the dialogue. She talks kinda like...Me. I wonder why? It couldn't possibly be because I'm the one WRITING it, could it?
Anyways, I fail at romance, so please don't eat me alive for this. *smiles* This was written as a small challenge-ish thing for myself. I'm trying to learn how to phrase things better. And what better way to do that then writing some EdWin? Hmm?
By the way, yaoi fans hate me. So, to my regular readers: Relationshit is currently on hold until I work up the courage to accept any hate-reviews that I may get when I update. In other words...It's gonna be a while.
So, in the meantime, read this!
Clueless
"...And I honestly didn't see it coming, you know? I mean, how am I supposed to expect something like that?"
"Mm hmm," Ed replied, although he honestly didn't know what she was talking about. He was concentrating more with his eyes than with his ears. She was- to put it one way- stunning. Perfect body, perfect face...When he thought back, though, he realized that she had always looked like this. He mentally slapped his younger self for not noticing earlier. She could probably have every man in Central gathered at her feet and begging for dates within an hour of setting foot in the city.
"Anyways," she continued, completely oblivious to his inner rambling. "It's all in the past now and there's nothing that I can do to change it." She sighed and turned to the right, taking them farther from the destination in mind.
"Winry, the hotel's that way," (1) Ed said, jerking his metal thumb in the opposite direction. "Don't you want to drop your bags off or something?"
"What's wrong a little detour?" Winry countered, glancing at him over her shoulder. "It's nice out. Just a few minutes in the park won't kill you. There's a bench right there, right in the sun. It's a sign, Eddy. What kind of idiot wouldn't accept an obvious sign from above?"
"Since when do you call me Eddy?" he asked, ignoring the question.
"I've always called you Eddy!" she exclaimed. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten?"
"You've never called me Eddy," he replied stiffly. "Did you hit yourself on the head with a wrench?"
She shrugged. "What? Do you not like the name Eddy?"
"Not particularly," he muttered, crossing his arms.
"Good. I guess your taste in names isn't as bad as your taste in clothes." She smirked, happily anticipating his reaction.
He gave her a quick, sharp glare. "And what, exactly, is wrong with my clothes?"
"I think you can answer that on your own, Eddy. For one thing, it's hot out, and you're wearing long sleeves and pants. Why don't you take off your shirt or something?"
"...What?" he asked, his eyebrows rising nervously.
She rolled her eyes. "I was just kidding! Are you body shy or something?" She sat down on the sun-bathed bench, gesturing for him to sit next to her. He didn't move. "You're incredibly slow, Ed," she said with an amused smirk plastered on her face. "You can't exactly take a hint."
"Huh?" he said dumbly. "What do you...Oh. Right." He sat down awkwardly, refusing to stretch into a relaxed position like Winry.
"You're so unbelievably stupid today, Ed. It's sad to watch. Anyways, like I was saying before..."
While Winry continued to ramble on, Ed allowed his gaze to sweep across the park. He didn't miss the looks that she was getting- and remaining completely oblivious to- from the two lanky teenage boys loitering near a shade-providing tree. He shot them both a deft glare that clearly stated 'back off, she's mine.' They had no reason to suspect that this wasn't necessarily true and willingly complied.
He had known her since childhood. They had spent countless moments together. Countless seconds, minutes, hours, days...Only the years were countable, and he held onto that number like a drowning man to a flotation device.
"Ed? Are you even listening?"
"Huh? Yeah."
"Then what did I just say?" she asked testily.
"Something about flowers," he replied in an unconcerned tone.
"No, Ed, I was talking about customers. Honestly, what kind of person doesn't listen when their friend talks to them?"
-The kind of friend that will remain 'just a friend'- he guessed, his dejected tone remaining inside his head for only him to hear.
"Well, at least I got the e-r-s part right," he said with a lopsided grin.
"Bravo, Edward Elric," she said, rolling her eyes. "You've learned about rhyme scheme. Surely a sign of the next Shakespeare." (2)
"Of course. They don't call me a genius for no reason," he said, smirking conceitedly.
"Well, then write a poem for me."
His smile faltered. "Huh?"
She nodded. "I'll give you the first line: 'Roses are red, violets are blue.' Now you finish it."
"Winry...I was kidding," he said awkwardly.
"So was I. Now, I'm going to keep talking, alright?" She spoke slowly, as if talking to a five year old instead of an alchemic/poetic genius. "And this time, I won't let you use the powers of poetry to get out of not listening. The next topic of conversation will be the color orange."
A few words later, he stopped listening again. For some reason that was currently unknown to him, he couldn't go more than a few seconds without getting distracted by some part of her, be it her face or something more southern. Never her words, though. He couldn't convince his mind to listen to the words she spoke, and although he watched her lips closely, it wasn't the sound that he was interested in.
Bits of sentences wound their way in through his ears, and some words- and even whole phrases- made their way into his brain.
"And then...", "But I wish that...", "If only I'd...", "And it lit on fire, but..."
"You know, Ed," she said wistfully. It was probably the tone of her voice that was what gained the words access to his brain. "I think it would be nice to have a boyfriend."
His heart leapt pathetically with anticipation. "Really?" he said, attempting to sound nonchalant.
"Yeah. Like them." She pointed at a couple seated at another bench nearby. Their arms were around each other in a tight embrace and it looked as if their mouths were attached permanently.
"So...You wanna make out with someone on a park bench?" he asked in an amused tone of voice.
"Maybe not on a park bench," she said decisively, leaning slightly in the opposite direction of the park bench. "Ew. Get a room, guys." She turned to Ed. "They can't hear me, can they?"
He shook his head. "No. They can't. Subject change time."
"If you say so. So, when do you plan on finding that damn philosopher's stone and coming home? It's boring without you."
"So you think I'm 'not boring'? Thanks. That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"I've said nice things to you before," she said indignantly.
"Yeah? Like what?" he countered testily.
"Don't go fishing for compliments, Eddy," she said warningly.
He groaned. "Don't start with the Eddy thing again..."
"Mm hmm. Now, back to the subject of 'me wanting a boyfriend'. Show off your social skills and spark the conversation, Eddy."
"Oh...Alright." He bit his lip, searching for the best way to incorporate his own thoughts into the conversation. "If you want a boyfriend so badly, why don't you just go and find someone?"
She sighed. "It's not that easy, Ed. There's not a lot of people in the world who want me as a girlfriend. I live in a small town with not many people. You'd know- you USED to live there."
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Why wouldn't someone want you as a girlfriend? You're..." He looked her up and down, searching for the right word. "...Pretty. Lots of people think so."
"Oh?" she said, raising an eyebrow. "Like who?"
"Like who? Well...Um...Some people and..."
"And you?"
"Yeah, and m- huh?"
She smiled. "You're so cute when you try not to embarrass yourself! Honestly, Ed, I've been dropping hints ever since I got off the train! Were you even listening?!"
"Huh? I...I mean...Uh..." He was flustered, obviously. And to think he thought that -she- was the one who didn't notice his feelings!
"Repeat after me. 'Winry,'"
"Winry,"
"'Will you please bear my children'"
"Will you- WHAT?"
She laughed. "I was kidding! 'Winry, will you please go on a date with me?'"
"Oh. Sure."
She rubbed her temples. "Edward, you are by far the most frustrating man on the planet. You are not Winry. I am."
"Oh. Right," Ed mumbled stupidly. "Winry, will you please go on a date with me?"
She grinned. "Why yes, my darling Edward, I'd be thrilled."
The End
(1) Think of this sentence what you will. I swear there is no other meaning behind it.
(2) Camille brings up a good point- They may not know about Shakespeare. But, I've decided that this is mangaverse, because the manga takes place in our universe. At the end of book two, you see Lust sitting on a train reading a newspaper, and on the front it says 'British commander-' and the rest is blocked by her hand. Therefore, this universe. I rest my case.
