A Christmas Wish
By HephaestusBuilds
(Edited Dec 2018)
(Author's Note)
(Edited Dec 2018: Hephaestus here, I'm just fixing some wordings and typos. This was by far my favorite one-shot I had ever written, so I'll just be spending some time fixing it up and making it even better than it was. If you've read this story before I encourage you to read it again, it's a really sweet, fluffy story that I find myself reading whenever I need a little sweetness in my life. Nothing plot related is changed, don't worry. Now, back to my original AN)
Hey everyone! Merry Christmas, Happy holidays! I've been wanting to do a Fullmetal Alchemist fic for over half a year now. It was Fullmetal Alchemist that got me into anime fanfics so you can thank the FMA community on here for my anime stories.
This is my first FMA fic so I'm sorry if anyone is OOC or anything, it wasn't my intention. If this one-shot goes over well(and if I have time) I might do some FMA fics in the future, most likely not any long series but mostly one-shots and short stories. So feel free to give me some ideas for future FMA stories.
This story is set a year after the end of the series, I am using FMAB for reference here, after Ed's 'proposal' to Winry at the train station. This will be a light, harmless story unlike the general themes of my stories.
I hope you enjoy my Christmas special, please Review, Follow and Favorite and have a Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, whatever you celebrate. Hope you have a wonderful end of the year and enjoy!
Hephaestus
A Christmas Wish
Fighting off a shiver and a sneeze, Winry Rockbell held herself in a half hug in an attempt to keep herself warm as she walked up the hill through the ankle deep snow on the dirt path back to her house. She was heading back from the post office in town where she had received a letter from Al and Mei. She read the letter as she walked, hoping to fill the time it took to get back home.
Al and Mei seemed to be getting settled in Xing where Al would be doing some Alkahestry training. Al wished her a Merry Christmas and regretfully apologised that he and Mei were stuck in Xing for a winter festival that they were involved in, and that they were sorry that they couldn't make it. Winry gripped the letter a little tighter, she was hoping that they would all be together for Christmas this year, but with Al and Mei in Xing and her knowledge that Ed was far too far to make it back for Christmas, the young blonde woman put the letter in her pocket to keep it out of the snow as she forced back a few rouge tears.
Her granny, Pinako, had passed away last year around this time. The old mechanic had one day woken up with a cold and a week later, Winry woke up to find her dead in her bed. The doctor had told her that she had indeed died of old age, with her cold being only a coincidence.
So for the first time in her now nineteen years of life she was alone. After losing her parents as a child, Winry could always count on her granny to be there, but now, with Ed who knows where and with no way to contact him, she was by herself for Christmas for the first time in her life. Christmas, it was usually the happiest time of year for her growing up. The living room would sport a tall Christmas tree that was heavily decorated by Ed and Al, using the same ornaments that they had used since they were children. The dining table would be set, the same as it was every year, each plate, fork, knife, and glass in its place. From the kitchen, the smell of a honeyed-ham, homemade eggnog, sweet potatoes, fresh rolls and the intoxicating aroma of her granny's secret ingredient casserole would greet everyone in the house as they entered.
Walking up the final hill, Winry could see her childhood home in the distance, standing alone and tall on the solitary hill. Looking down at her feet as she walked Winry could see the faint signs of boot prints being covered by the falling snow. At first she believed that it must be her imagination, her house was the only thing out here and no one came out here except for automail repairs and she knew that she didn't have any appointments today. But as she made her way closer to the door she could see several snowy boot prints leading up the steps and to her front door.
Looking at the windows, she could see light coming through the blinds. And on the roof she could see smoke coming from the chimney. Puzzled, because she knew that it couldn't be a burglar - not out here, her house was too far from town for it to be a burglar - she briefly wondered who it could be as she made her way up the icy steps to the deck. Pulling her keys out of her pocket she slowly and as quietly as possible opened the front door and made her way inside, gripping the metal wrench that she kept in her pocket.
Exiting out of the hall and into the living room she nearly jumped in surprise. A tall, almost way too big Christmas tree was sitting smack tab in the center of the room, it was very obviously hastily decorated, with sparse ornaments and garland thrown on it. A single, brightly colored present sat under the tree. Across from it, laying on the couch was Den, her dog and her only living connection to granny.
Den opened one eye lazily at hearing her enter, seeing that it was Winry she closed her eye and seemed to go back to sleep. Winry raised a brow at this, whoever was here obviously knew Den and knew her, otherwise Den would be barking like mad. About to open her mouth to call out, she heard a crash come from the kitchen, followed by the smell of something burning.
Running into the kitchen Winry was greeted with a tall, handsome blond haired man who had his back to her as he messed with something in the oven. Seeing a large pot on the floor she came to the conclusion that it was the source of the crash.
"Ed?" She forced out after a few seconds of silence. Her voice barely a whisper. This had to be a dream, Ed was home and in her kitchen cooking Christmas dinner. Cooking her Christmas dinner!
"Winry? Ow!" Ed yelled as he burned himself on the oven. Standing up he turned to see her.
She stood there motionless, sure that she must be seeing things. "Ed, what are-"
"Oh, hey Winry! How long have you been there?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes scanned over the mess he had made in the kitchen. "Sorry about the mess but-"
Whaack! "Ow!" Ed yelled as he rubbed his head where she hit him with her trusty wrench. "What was that for, Winry?" He whined.
"You dummy! Why didn't you tell me that you were coming home, Ed? What's so hard about calling ahead and letting me know that you're coming home?"
He scratched the side of his head as he looked the other direction, averting his eyes from her wrath. "Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, so I-" He was cut off once again, but this time when she crossed the room and practically jumped into his arms. He was caught off guard and had to balance himself so he wouldn't drop her. That would just not end well for him.
"I missed you." She said softly into his shoulder. "I-I'm sorry for hitting you."
Ed gave a soft smile as he increased their embrace. Holding the small of her back with one hand as the other played with her hair before turning her head up slightly to deliver a chaste kiss to her forehead. "I missed you too, Winry. Sorry for not coming for granny's…" He trailed off, not knowing how to go about talking about it. He felt her grip onto him tighter, after a few seconds he could hear her fighting back tears.
"I'm sorry, Winry. Please, don't cry. You know that I can't watch you cry." He spoke softly, his own emotions welling up inside of him, but he was able to force them to stay down in front of her. While he had never been as close to Pinako as Winry and All, he still considered her family, and her death hit him harder than he liked to admit.
"It's okay, I know that you would've come if you could." She gave him one last tight hug before letting go and pulling back from him slightly, looking up to him. "But I'm glad that you're here now… I… needed someone here this year."
He gave her a soft smile. "I figured as much. That's why I'm here, Winry. Whatever you need, whatever you want, just ask."
She blushed slightly, something that she hadn't done since they had last seen each other three years ago on the train platform. Brushing her hair to the side she looked around the room in attempt to avoid his golden eyes.
"What are you making?" She asked. Gesturing to the oven behind him.
Eyes widening and cursing under his breath he turned around and bent down to the oven. "Oh man, I forgot about the ham!"
Well that answered her question. Pulling out the ham she could see that it was a little burned around the back. Her eyes wandered the kitchen and dining room as she took in the smell of freshly baked bread that she didn't even notice at first. The table was set, not as elegant as normal, the table cloth was wrinkled and a new stain was visible, only two spots were made as well, compared to the normal four. The silverware was in the wrong order and the eggnog seemed chunkier than it should've been, but all in all, it was nothing less than perfect in her mind.
"Did you do all of this yourself, Ed?" She asked aloud as he messed with something on the counter. Turning to face her he nodded with an apologetic smile.
"Yeah, sorry about the mess but I didn't have much time to set everything-" A small bang was heard from the living room, causing the two young adults' shoulders to rise at the sound. "-Up. And that would be the angle, I couldn't get it to stay on the tree."
She looked out into the living room again and then back into the kitchen, her eyes wide with amazement. "I was only in town for a few hours…" She spun around slowly, taking in all of the sights and smells of the house. "How…? Did you really do all of this… for... me?" She asked as she looked to him again, her voice growing softer with every word.
Placing the ham down on the table he turned around to give her a smile. "Of course, Winry. You and granny would always do this for us every year… it's only fair that I do it for you."
Winry had to hold back the urge to hug him again and blush, she could hardly believe it, Ed was acting so different than normal. He wasn't normally this… affectionate? Was that the right word?
'Oh what the heck.' She thought as she lightly hugged him again, a hug that he graciously returned. "Thank you, Ed. You don't know what it means to me that you did all of this for me."
She spotted the two sets of dinnerware again and turned to him again. "Is Al really not coming or was saying that he wouldn't be here just for the surprise?" She asked, a little hopeful that her second favorite blond would be home for Christmas as well.
"No no." He shook his head slowly, a frown on his face. "It's just me. Mei got stuck at some festival so they're still in Xing."
"Oh." She deflated a little, just enough for Ed, who was watching her the entire time, to notice.
"But I'm still here, Winry. We can still have a great Christmas. Are you ready for dinner, Winry?" He asked as he motioned to the table full of food and drinks.
Snapping out of her thoughts she shook her head lightly and turned back to him before looking down to herself. "Yeah, just let me get out of my coat first, 'kay?" She said as she head to the closet to put her coat away.
Coming back to the dining room, Winry heard the soft sound of a record playing in the background. Walking in she saw that he had turned off the lights and lit some candles at the center of the table and along the counters. She paused a foot away from her chair, surprised at the romantic atmosphere that he was setting. It was so unlike him. Did he know how this was looking?
"...E-Ed-" She only managed to say his name before he walked over to her and pulled her chair out for her. Silently asking for her to sit. Wordlessly she sat and he pushed her chair in before sitting across from her.
"I hope that everything takes okay." He said as he nervously scratched his head, not daring to look directly at her. "I'm not as good a cook as you, Winry." She couldn't help but feel her face flush a little as she began to fill her plate.
oooOooo
"Dinner was great, Ed. Thanks again for everything." She said as she was sitting down and leaning next to him on the couch. The radio was playing softly in the background, the only other sound in the house was the soft, ambient crackling of the fire. The previous silence feeling comfortable for the pair, both satisfied to just enjoy the others' company.
"No problem, Winry, but it's not over yet." He said as he pulled away slightly to reach under the tree and grab the brightly colored and poorly wrapped present.
"Oh?" She asked as he sat back down and showed it to her, she had completely forgotten about it.
"It's for you." He said as he sat back down and with his free hand he reached over and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He tried to act natural about it but she noticed and felt his heart rate increase just like hers did. "Go ahead, open it." He nodded to the present.
She stared at the gift as she took it from his hands. "But I didn't get you anything." She said softly.
He gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it, Winry. Just open it." He said softly.
She started to open the gift, it was on the small side, being rectangular and fairly light. Removing the wrapper she saw a black box in its place. After a 'go ahead' look from Edward, she slowly opened the box.
"Aaah! Ed!" She practically shrieked as she saw her gift, carefully she removed it and held it in her hands. It was a sparkling diamond necklace with several smaller diamonds and one larger diamond at the center. Ed carefully took the diamond laced necklace and ever so gently placed it around her neck, using one hand to make sure that her hair didn't get caught up in the clasp.
She looked down at the necklace and held it with one hand gently. "I-, you… it's beautiful, Ed." Tears attempted to form in her eyes but she held them back.
"I was going to get you some more earrings but when I saw this at the jewelry store I couldn't help but get it." He spoke with a smile, a blush on his cheeks. "I couldn't get out of my head how beautiful it would look on you."
Hugging him as she tried to hold back a deep red blush, Winry let herself stay in his arms for a while after the hug. "Thank you, Ed. For dinner, for the tree, for this beautiful necklace, for everything. You don't know how much it means to me."
"You're welcome, Winry." He said into her hair. "I'm just glad that you liked everything."
"Of course I did." She said as she pulled back and leaned against him again. "How could I not? You did all of this," She gestured around the room and to her necklace. "For me."
The two sat in silence once again, listening to the soft sound of the radio as they looked out of the large window, watching the snow slowly dance out of the sky as the soft winter breeze blew. They drank eggnog as they huddled together in a big quilt for hours, not a single word spoken between the two, for no more words needed to be spoken tonight. Or, so Winry thought.
"I have one more gift for you, Winry." Ed spoke softly, stirring Winry from her groggy state. He slowly made his way to a standing position and held out a hand to help her up. Not knowing what was going on, but trusting him completely that he had a good reason for her to get out from under a warm and comfortable quilt, she accepted his hand easily and he helped her to her feet.
"What is it?" She asked as they walked up the stairs to the second floor. She was slightly behind him on the stairs and wondering where they were going. To her room maybe?
"It's a secret, Winry." He gave her a smile. "It would ruin the surprise."
She was correct, they had stopped right outside of her room, she had to admit, her curiosity was waking her up slightly. What kind of gift could he of gotten her in her bedroom? Maybe some tools? But then why in her room and not in the workshop? She looked up to him expectantly, he flashed her a smile before opening the door and motioning her inside.
She turned from him and stepped into her room, her eyes widening a little from her previously sleepy eyes. Sat on the floor in front of her bed were a pair of beaten up suitcases and a medium sized wooden crate. So looked from the items in front of her bed and back to him. Her eyes wordlessly questioning what this meant.
"This is every single thing that I own." He said as she stood beside the suitcases and crate.
"Okay…? And?" She asked, confused. Even for Ed, this was a little weird.
"And I was wondering if your offer still stood?" He asked. His face unreadable to her, she thought for a second that she saw a blush on his face but she dismissed it, Ed didn't blush. Right?
"My offer?" She asked, even more confused. Looking back towards his belongings her eyes slowly widened as she had remembered their conversation from over a year ago on the phone. She had offered him a place to stay once he stopped his travels and decided to settle down. Wait… did that mean…? Her eyes immediately snapped up to his golden ones, they were soft, the softest that she had ever seen. He gave her a loving smile as he lightly took her hand.
"Winry, I've decided to stop traveling the world and decided to stay here… with you." He continued his smile as the revelation hit her, her eyes widened. "With you, forever."
Her knees went weak and he had to help her stand by wrapping an arm around her. "Is- are you serious, Ed?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you really going to stay with me?"
He nodded his head. "If you'll let me, of course."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and reached up for a hug. "Of course you can live here, this is practically as much my home as yours."
They separated and she looked back to his belongings, something wasn't making sense though. "But why did you put your things in my room?" She asked. "Why not put them in your's and Al's room?
He seemed to get a little flustered at this, obviously fighting back a blush and scratching the back of his head. "Well uh, I was hoping that we could… uh, share the room? You know, like a…" Each word was softer until then last one was just above a whisper.
She gave him a confused look as she felt her cheeks turn pink. What was he talking about? Sharing her room? Did he mean like-.
"Winry." He said suddenly, shaking her from her thoughts. His voice seeming a little more direct than normal. She was wondering what he was doing and was about to ask when he lightly took her hand again and steadily bent down on one knee.
Her eyes widened the furthest that they ever had before as she realized in an instant what he was doing.
"Winry," He said again, looking up into her eyes. "I know that I kind of already asked, and I'm sorry for asking randomly like that, it wasn't what you deserved, but…" He slowly pulled his free hand from out behind his back, revealing a small, black box. He opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "Will you grant me this Christmas wish and make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?"
Her free hand shot to her mouth to hold back a squeal, her knees felt like they would give out, her cheeks felt like they were on fire, she felt like she would faint at any second and her eyes were tearing up more than ever before. She looked up from the ring and into his deep, golden eyes.
"Of course!" She practically cried as she hugged him tightly. He returned the hug and she could hear him let out a sigh of relief. He gave her a comforting hug before stepping back slightly and reaching for her hand again. Softly holding her small hand in his large one, he slid the ring onto her finger and Winry found herself unable to control herself as she embraced him again, crying happy tears into his shoulder as he rubbed her back.
"I love you, Winry." He said softly. At his words she felt even more tears begin to flow from her eyes. Leaning back slightly he held her face with his free hand, gently wiping a tear away with his thumb. "These are the only tears I ever want to see." His voice loving and kind.
"I love you too, Ed." She cried into his shoulder again before taking a look at the ring around her finger. "It's beautiful."
"I hope so." He said with a smile. "It cost me an arm and a leg."
She softly punched his shoulder. "Not funny, Ed. Besides, it's supposed to cost a lot." She moved her hand from the ring and to her necklace. "Wait, how did you afford these? You don't have a job."
"Oh yeah, that's simple. I retired from the military after the fight with the homunculus Father right?" He asked. She nodded and he continued. "So combined with my annual research fund and my compensation for retiring at my rank I get pretty hefty monthly checks. I'm the richest nineteen year old in Resembool. Maybe even in Central too." He ended with a smile.
"So don't worry about the cost, Winry." He pulled her in for a hug. "Like I said, I'll get you anything you want, you only have to ask."
They separated after a minute and Winry found herself holding the ring again, it was beautiful. "I just wish that Al and Mei were here so we could tell them." She said as she sat down on the bed, looking at her outstretched hand which wore the ring.
"Al already knows." He said, sitting next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"He does?" She asked, looking at him. "You already told him?"
"Yeah, he was planning on coming home for Christmas but I asked him not to come so that we could have some time with just the two of us." He said as he scratch his head wearily. "Hope you're not mad that I asked him to to come for Christmas."
He had expected her to be a little upset but when she just hugged him again he knew that she wasn't. "How could I be mad?" She asked softly. "You love me." She said before leaning in to kiss him.
(Author's Note)
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! Please, show your support by leaving a Review, Following and Favoriting. It really helps and makes my day. Let me know in a Review if you guys would be interested in another FMA one-shot or short story. I'm more than willing to look into it if you guys are interested.
With all that being said, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy holidays. Whatever you believe in I hope that you have a great end of the year. Thank you all for the support, until next time this has been Hephaestus.