Back to Your Arms
AnimeCookie93

He had been nonresponsive for the past four days; the only thing symbolizing he was alive was his chest moving up and down as he breathed. His golden hair, long and dirty, was loose at his shoulders, and his face was slick with dirt, sweat, and thin amounts of blood. His eyes were shut, tears having been set under them, as if he was crying before he'd gone unconscious. He had a bruise along his chest and on both of his wrists. It was as if he was tied tightly from a pretty high distance.

The doctor concluded that he was being tortured wherever he had been hiding, and that he was resisting. There weren't any serious lacerations of any kind on or around his head and shoulders, but his back was thick with slices going down his back. Another conclusion: he had been whipped, multiple times, in the same spots.

Likewise, his brother had been caught carrying the young man in his arms, drenched in both of their blood. His brother was younger than he was, by 1 year, and looked a great deal like him. His hair was cleaner, much more tidy, and cut short and shaggy. His eyes were a deep hazel and had a gentle, warm, gaze as he stared at his brother's face. He sighed, staring at the heart monitor. His condition hasn't gotten any better… Brother…

In the room with them was their childhood friend and her grandmother, Winry and Pinako Rockbell. Winry was around the older boy's age, 25, and was a voluptuous, beautiful young woman. She was very curvaceous, tall, and had long blonde hair and big blue, concerned eyes. She had the kind of smile that could make any man fall to his knees, and was one of the smartest women the Elric brothers had ever known.

The only thing that seemed to backfire was her temper, sometimes one that would match that of the eldest Elric, who was presently lying unconscious in the hospital bed, most likely because of that fiery temper.

Winry stood in the doorway of the room, staring wide-eyed at the oldest Elric. Her mouth dropped to the floor, and a strangled cry was released from her throat. Alphonse stood up just as she began to run over, and he caught her in his arms. She cried in his arms, hugging him tightly and whispering into and soaking his clothes. She didn't care that her new blouse was going to be soaked through with blood, or that she making herself look like a fool crying like she was.

Her boys were home and alive, even if one was unresponsive.

"Al… Oh, Al…" her voice was soft, loving, and she wrapped her arms tighter around him. He returned the action. "I… You boys promised me you'd stay out of trouble. What the hell happened to that promise?" her voice was accusatory, but instead hurt and all-around depressed. Al softened his grip on her, and pulled away from her arms, brushing hairs out of her face.

Nothing would leave his mouth as he tried to form the words. His mouth opened, mouthed words, but no sound came out. He closed his mouth, and took her in his arms once again, this time joining in on the crying. "We're sorry. So sorry, Winry and Granny." His voice cracked as he cried.

Pinako had moved past them as they shared a reunion after 7 years, and went to check on Edward's condition. His hands were warm and by his stomach, folded over. His face and hair hadn't been cleaned, and he seemed to have a split lip. She shuffled over to the other end of the room and grabbed a cloth from the cabinet of fresh clothes and towels. As she made her way back, she noticed the basin of warm water by his bedside, still steaming, and she dipped the cloth into the water and started dabbing his face.

Ed's body tensed; at least he could still feel pressure.

Pinako continued to clean his face as Winry and Al relaxed and walked over, wiping their tears frantically.

"Granny, how is he doing?"

Pinako didn't look up from the task at hand, "He's very much alive, but his body is unresponsive. He can still hear us and feel us, and his heart is still breathing, but his body is paralyzed. He must've been put through some sort of hell in order to be in so much shock. His condition should get better after a few more days of rest." She looked up after a few more minutes, dipping the bloody, dirty cloth into the warm water, watching it swirl and stain the water in a matter of seconds. "Al, where were you and Ed staying where he let himself get this badly beaten? Were you in the barracks in Central?"

Unlike Winry's, Pinako's voice was very much accusatory, almost evil. Al winced.

"We were… in some sort of village, on the other side of the Gate, living with a tribe of vagabonds that called themselves 'Roma', or 'human', also known as Gypsies." As Al went on, Pinako went back to cleaning Ed. "Us knowing Brother, he found something he shouldn't have and had been kidnapped. By the time I found him, he was tied to a wall by chains around his wrists and thick, bloody lacerations on his back. He also had bruises around his chest and rib area, so there is no doubt in my mind they broke his ribs…"

"Who?" Winry's voice regained a more in-character irritation, and Al cringed as her voice got higher. "Alphonse, what have you and your stupid brother been getting yourselves into?"

"It… wasn't like that!" Al defended, putting his hands up defensively. "Well, maybe not for me, but I promise Ed didn't mean to be captured! He was just searching through the forest and watched some people beat up one of our gypsy friends, Noah."

At the name, the heart monitor's beeps got quicker, and Winry leapt for Ed's shoulders, trying to keep him still. "Granny, what's going on?"

Pinako said something under her breath, but the question was never answered. Instead, a warm cloth was placed over Ed's eyes, and his body jerked up from the bed, the beeps louder and moving faster. Winry stared in fear at the monitor, and made a very reckless move. She bent down and rested her forehead on his, feeling his body tense and start to relax.

Little did she know somewhere deep in his self-conscious, he knew and hoped it would be her he was feeling.

As Ed's body straightened out on the bed, Winry stayed in her spot as Pinako finished cleaning his left arm. She touched his nose with hers and breathed through it once in aggravation; why was he such a hot-headed alchemist, anyway? She smiled fondly, and felt his body jerk once before fully relaxing. His heart rate also slowed, the beeps around normal, but still going quickly.

He was nervous. Al smiled, and Pinako chortled to herself as Winry pulled herself away. Unconsciously, she slipped her hand in his right, auto-mail hand, and squeezed tight. The heart-rate monitor slowed to normal pace, and Winry could've sworn she felt his hand tighten around hers for a second before his body became engrossed in exhaustion and dozed off. Winry brought a chair over with her leg and lay down by his side, holding his hand.

Even if they broke their promise not to look for trouble, she would never break hers.

"…no matter what you do or say, I'm going to be by your side. Both of you, I promise…

Until the day I die."

The morning sun filtered through the thin blinds of the hospital window, flooding the room with hues of gold and white and every color in between. Every nook and cranny of the room was filled with the colors of the autumn sun and the music of the lark singing outside. Winry picked her head up drearily, and was shocked to be staring into the eyes of Ed.

"Ed… are you okay?" her voice was quiet, disbelieving, and she reached up to brush some hair from his face. He closed his eyes in a flutter and leaned his cheek in her hand; she was so warm, like nothing he could even remember. His mouth was parted slightly, and cleaner than and not as bloody as it was the previous night. Winry could tell, however, that he had bitten his lip sometime during the night and started the bleeding again. She wiped his lip with her thumb, and cringed at how dry his lips were.

His eyes were blank, looking at her in a way she wasn't familiar: defeated, soulless, dead. Her eyes saddened, but she fought with all of her might to keep smiling at him. He tried to move his lips, but it only resulted in a twitch, and him closing his eyes. He looked so pained, burdened, and she put her hand back on his cheek. "Can't you talk?"

He looked at her, shaking his head, his eyes tearing up. She looked around, trying not to watch her friend cry, and noticed it was just the two of them in the room. He turned his head, which he wanted in Winry's hand, and stared out the window.

Even if I could, I wouldn't be able to say what happened to me, Winry…

Winry would never tell him that she felt a tear roll into her hand.

Later in the morning, breakfast was brought in by a young nurse around Winry's and Ed's age. She seemed to take a liking to Ed, but he was too busy staring at and smiling at Winry to even notice she was there. After she made him eat a little bit of applesauce made and delivered from their friend Nellie's farm down the road from their Resembool townhouse.

Before lunchtime, Pinako came back with a basket of freshly baked pastries and some wine. She informed Winry that Al had practically gone unconscious himself as soon as they rented out a few hotel rooms. "…And before I knew it, I could hear him snoring from one of the rooms. He probably hadn't even made it to the bedroom, so he collapsed on the couch."

"You have nothing to worry about, Winry," Pinako's voice was more gentle than her normal gruff, determined voice. "Ed is one of the most stubborn patients you and I have ever dealt with. Not to mention, he's an Elric. He has a high threshold for pain, so whatever it takes to get him better, he'll do it. Besides," she smiled, looking at her grandson-in-spirit, "you'd be too bored in the hospital while I take Winry out shopping."

They could've sworn they'd heard Ed groan, and Winry smiled.

Pinako decided to throw this tidbit in before turning into the washroom to ready a bath for Ed:

"And don't worry; you kids will have your own room to stay in until Ed's strong enough to carry his own weight, and perhaps maybe mine."

The color of their faces was very close to Ed's old cloak, worn by him in his younger days. Pinako giggled from the bathroom door and started the water.

Ed felt completely refreshed in a clean, loose, pair of trousers and a loose white button-up shirt. His long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and his bangs were brushed neatly away from his face. His face was clear of dirt and blood, and his eyes were beginning to show more emotion. Especially toward Winry.

Although he couldn't talk, he still tried to get out some words. He could say "eat" and "drink, and make noises in his throat when he didn't want something. Winry often knew what he wanted after spending so much time with him after his surgery, after he'd be almost too much in pain to speak. She knew his body language, and the specific noises he made, and could easily decipher what it was he wanted.

That's why Pinako left most of the taking care of Ed to Winry, because she was more familiar with him as a patient than the older woman was.

Though both women were aware that he usually was the sibling to recover quickly physically, they took no argument when they practically made him put all of his weight on them. He made very disgruntled noises and Winry could tell he was cursing at them in his mind, and she sent him a disapproving glare. All negative feelings left immediately after they looked eye-to-eye – though Ed was a head taller than Winry.

Pinako was not oblivious to the feelings of the two elder friends. She knew that they had a different relationship then they did with Al, one much closer and on a more romantic level, though neither of them would openly admit it to anyone. Not even themselves, the old woman was sure.

When it was time for dinner quite a few hours later, Pinako requested Winry take the night off from Ed-duty and get some rest before being sent back in. She quickly and confidently declined, and Pinako didn't prod further, because she knew that Ed would most likely throw a fit over it. Said man was lying down in bed, staring at the wall.

Winry looked at him and walked over. "Can you move your arms?"

He tried to move his shoulders to shrug, and he moved his lips as if saying "no", and she frowned, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration. As she thought to herself, Ed's head began to bob forward, and his head crashed onto his pillow.

It was sad, even for the long-time doctor Pinako Rockbell, that he couldn't even hold his own head up anymore for more than five minutes.

"Edward, are you actually giving in to your treatment?" Pinako's voice was laced with surprise, and Winry smiled at him as she tied a white apron around herself and placed a nurse's cap on her head. Ed stared at her, and smiled guiltily, nodding slightly. Pinako smirked and huffed in surprise, walking over to the room. "Well, then I guess there's nothing else for me to do here. His sheets were cleaned while he was in the tub, and he's eaten, so it looks like all that's left is waiting for the anesthesia to wear off before the pain comes. Remember, Winry, when the clock strikes 3AM, it's time to give him another shot, okay?"

Winry nodded firmly, and the old woman walked out of the hotel room as if she was on important business. The young woman watched her grandmother walk out, fast-paced, and then turned back to her patient as he stared out the window for the umpteenth time that day. "Geez, Ed, you're starting to depress me when you look out the window like that."

He looked over at her and flashed a fake but apologetic smile. Winry smiled and wheeled the tray of food away from his bedside, making her way back over to him and pulling the covers over him as he slid down into the bed. Just that one action alone had exhausted him, and she bent down to kiss his forehead.

She smiled at him, a pretty blush appearing on her cheeks. "Don't worry about it, Ed. The only one you need to worry about is yourself right now, until you get better. I'm not sure what happened to you that made you lose your voice, but I'm going to be here if you need to talk or if you need a shoulder to lean on."

Ed nodded at her, closing his mouth into a firm line, and watched her walk around his bed and turn off the small lamp by his bedside. Just before he dozed off to sleep, he could feel the muscles in his throat relax a little, and he unclenched his jaw.

"W…"

Winry couldn't hear him, for she was too busy, leaning over the sink and burying her head in her hands, because she'd be damned if she ever let him see how weak she was allowing herself to be.

"…in…"

She tensed, staring at the mirror that allowed her to see the side of his head. He was looking at the bed sheets, not asleep anymore, and allowing his fists to clench the fabric. "…ry…"

She wiped her tears on her sleeve and turned around to look at him. "What did you say, Ed?"

Ed grumbled something unintelligent and surely nonsensical, and then repeated, "W…in…ry…"

She walked over to wear he was laying and he moved his head over to look at her. Normally, she had to walk on the other side to talk to him, because he couldn't move, but it seemed that he was getting more feeling in his body. She smiled and he smiled back at her. "You… said my name? Can you say anything else, Ed?"

"Tor…ture…" his voice broke, and she looked at him sympathetically, pressing him on. He started tearing up, but blinked away the surfacing tears. "I… fought… back…" he seemed more triumphant, though his voice was very hoarse, and she smiled at him. He smiled at her. "I… missed… you…"

She felt her cheeks heat up suddenly, and she grinned sheepishly at him. "I missed you too, Ed. You and your brother both. Oh, and if you're wondering where that brother of yours is, he's resting at the hotel down the road. I'll be taking you out of here, in a few days it looks like, and you and I will get our own hotel room so I can make sure you heal properly."

Ed smiled at her; she was always one step ahead of him, and always had been since they were children. "Thank… you…" he was beginning to get his voice back after a few moments, and Winry shrugged her shoulders at him, almost like brushing him off. Ed sighed and rested his hand on hers, sending a gratifying smile. "Ser…ious…ly."

Winry's cheeks were surely the color of a tomato by now, and she looked down at his hand on hers. "N-No problem, Ed. You know I've always been here for you whenever you need me."

There was a second of hesitation before Ed pulled her hand over to him and rested her hand on his chest. She extended her fingers to try to stop herself, but gave in when she felt the stitches on his chest. It looked like a stab wound, and apparently it was deep and major enough for stitches. The bruise that had been there before had almost begun to fade from being in the hospital for five days.

She stared into his eyes, trying to keep the terror in the back of her mind. "Ed, I…"

Her heart beat hard against her chest, and she wished she could make it quiet down, because Ed's eyes flickered to her chest and back at her. Her cheeks heated up again, and she leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek.

For some reason, she wasn't surprised when he moved his head to the side and met her lips in a sweet kiss.

I know I promised myself I wouldn't let myself do this, Winry thought to herself as she tilted her head at just the right angle so Ed nip her top lip sweetly, but I think I've fallen in love with you, Edward.

The lights were turned off by a nurse an hour later, where the young nurse who thought she'd have a chance with Ed saw that Winry had fallen asleep listing on Ed's shoulder, holding his left hand in hers at her chest.

After a month of physical therapy and long nights re-teaching Ed how to talk – as well as hearing his smart-ass comebacks and knowing he was back to normal grammatically – Ed was released from the hospital. His back had scarred over beautifully, and his chest had healed completely, the stitches having been removed albeit roughly the night before when Ed got annoyed and needed to rebel against his best friend. Winry didn't complain; she missed getting angry at him for the littler things.

Winry brought him to their hotel room for some much-needed relaxing and recuperating. After all, he wasn't one to enjoy sitting at the hospital with nothing to do but get annoyed and hit on by that obnoxious nurse. That, and be with Winry for the remainder of his hospital time.

Well, at least he could be with her without being irritated.

"Here we are; room sweet room," Winry sighed, taking in the smell of the hotel room. It was good to get the sterile smell of the hospital out of her head, and she knew Ed was also enjoying being home-free. Well, at least out of the hospital.

"Yeah," Ed said, his voice not as hoarse as it had started out, but still very quiet. "I thought I'd never get out of that hell hole." He dropped his dufflebag by the sofa located by the door and stretched, a loud crack reverberating off the walls and back into his ears. He cringed and lowered his arms to his sides. "My body's still a little sore, though."

Maybe a full-body massage is in order, Winry thought seductively, and she walked over to the bookcase to see if she could distract herself from taking that thought any further. She bent down to view the second-to-last shelf on the bottom, and suddenly lost her balance. She crashed into a pair of legs, which were straight and strong against her back, and she saw a hand creep into her view and cover her eyes. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from releasing a sigh.

"Why would you want to read a book, when we're finally in a room alone, together?" Ed's voice, although strained, was very husky and low, and Winry smirked playfully. "It's been a long time since we were alone, I think we need to make up for a few years. Whaddya say, Winry?"

Winry lifted her hand up and rested it on his hand, a sigh escaping her lips which glimmered with lip gloss. "I say, I'm too tired to stand up myself and might need some help." She threw her other hand in the air desperately, and a chuckle erupted from Ed's chest. He bent down, groaning quietly, and threw his arms around her middle, aware her breasts were resting on his arms which were bare. He lifted her up and turned her around, kissing her lips passionately. Winry moaned in his arms and was lifted into his arms, him carrying her bridal style toward the couch.

He rested Winry's head on the arm of the couch and she spread her legs as he settled in between them. It was days like this she regretted wearing the thin-cloth blouse and a short skirt. It made her all the more susceptible to Ed's delicate touches, not that she was complaining. In her subconscious, she'd been waiting for this moment for ten years. She sighed in his mouth, and he moved from her mouth to her neck, hearing a high-pitched moan and feeling her swallow. She was either really nervous or really excited.

He was sure it was a little bit of both, as it was with him.

Winry was sure she was about to explode, and it was even worse when she felt his left hand move up her leg up and rest on her thigh under her skirt. She squeaked in surprise, and ground out, "Do you even know what you're doing, moron?" when she moaned again, he moved from her neck to rest his forehead on hers.

"Will it be a problem if I say no?" he said between breaths, and he pecked her lips tenderly and gulped.

Winry stared into his eyes, which were closed, and she sighed through her nose. "Yes and no, Ed. It would be nice if at least you had a little bit experience. It wouldn't bother me, ya know."

Ed leaned up slightly and looked at her, his eyes slightly guilty. "But, it bothers you that I don't, right? Winry, I've never kissed anyone before you, unless kissing my mom counted. But I never kissed her like I have you," Winry nodded, and frowned. "What, is that bad? Winry, you're not going to yell at me for not being in a romantic relationship with anyone, are you?"

Another sigh escaped Winry and she leaned up to look at him with a serious gaze. "Ed, it doesn't bother me that you haven't, but a part of me wishes you had so at least one of us knew where we were going from here." She looked away from him, a light blush on her cheeks, and he looked away as well, watching the clock. "Where… do you want to go from here?"

Ed looked back at her, but couldn't find the right words to say. He had known for a long time that the pain in his chest whenever he left wasn't heartburn or anything close to it. In fact, it was lovesickness, and after a few years of sorting out his feelings on the other side of the Gate – with Al and his input as well – he discovered that ever since after his sixteenth birthday, he'd fallen in love with his childhood friend.

Even though he knew full well in his mind and heart that he loved her, the hardest part would in fact be saying it. To her face, no less. He sighed through his nose, which made Winry look back at him. She still had the serious look on her face, and Ed would never be able to admit to himself that she looked absolutely sexy when she was serious, like right now.

A smile broke onto Winry's face; he was lost in his own thoughts, which in itself meant he was actually taking the question seriously. That was all the answer she needed, and she stood up, fixing her outfit. Ed watched her and started to panic. He stood up and looked at her as she put her hands on her hips. "If we're going to do this, then," she started, looking out the window as the sun became hidden by a white cloud and a shiver shot up her spine as she saw a familiar shape fly from the sky in front of the window. "we're going to do this right. Which includes taking it slow until we find out what the hell we're doing. Does that sound okay with you?"

Trick question; if he answered 'Yes', then he could risk a "You're a liar" from Winry and receive a wrench to the skull, landing him back in the hospital. And if he said 'No', well… he'd most likely never see the light of day again, because he wouldn't be taking her emotions into account, and he didn't want to make the same mistakes again that he did when he was a teenager. He sighed and stood up with her, standing in front of her. He took in a breath, and then, "Sounds like a plan, Win."

Winry, for the umpteenth time this month, smiled at him and pecked his lips. "Good, because that's the only answer that's keeping you alive."

Ed nodded and took her in his arms, embracing her. Her arms wrapped around his middle and he brought his hand behind her head, smiling as she sighed happily in his arms.

And it was then he had a realization: he wouldn't even be holding his best friend in his arms if he hadn't gotten in that fight...

Heh. Of course I had to write a one-shot. I had a sudden inspiration, and this is what happened. I was going to do a lemon, or something citrus-y, but decided some harmless making-out and some discussion wasn't too bad.

Feedback is good!

~Cookie

(PS There will be a Prequel leading up to this. I just need the extra time.)