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Almost
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Winry's eyes opened as she suddenly came to awareness. The room was dark around her, though she could see the faint outline of her dresser, nightstand, and bed because of the moonlight creeping in through the window.
She blinked once, then again, trying to understand why she had come awake so suddenly, when she heard it; the sound of the floorboards in the hall creaking and moaning from being stepped on. Frowning, she listened as the creaking moved away and became fainter; then there was the slight sound of the front door's hinges squeaking a little, then nothing.
After a moment, she crawled to the end of her bed and peered out the window down to the front porch. A small sigh escaped her. She should have known it would be either Ed or Al—though Al would be the most likely candidate since he didn't sleep. Yet, it was Ed who stood out there against the railing; looking over the faint, moonlit landscape beyond.
A small smile touched her lips as she watched him. It was so nice to have them both here again. It happened so rarely now, and each time they left, she felt as if they took a piece of her with them...
Winry softly chewed on her lower lip for a moment, wanting to go down and join him, but at the same time, nervous to do so as well. Ed had been twelve-years-old when he and Al had left for central. She'd missed them fiercely; after all, they'd been two of her best friends. They'd played together, laughed together, built forts, and had sleepovers.
Oh yes, the three of them had been wonderful friends... Then all that had changed with the passing of their mother. Ed had become a little more withdrawn and secretive; and Al, probably in response to Ed, had become a little nervous and antsy.
A small pang of regret and sadness pricked at her heart. If only she had known what they were up to! Maybe she could have convinced them not to do what they were planning... But she'd had no way of knowing, and when they'd shown up on their doorstep that stormy night, she'd been filled with a sick horror and a painful fear.
Through the window, Winry saw Ed look up at the full moon, then run his real hand through his long, blond hair. She smiled, thinking that if he kept growing it out, it would be longer than hers. Such a silly thing... him growing out his hair like that... But it looked nice on him, and sometimes she felt the urge to run her fingers through it...
Heat rose to her cheeks and she tried to push the thought away. Her and Ed... they were friends... He would probably think she was being silly... girly... if he knew... Maybe... maybe not...
They had been so close growing up, and yet now... Now they were almost strangers... It had been four years since Ed and Al had gone to Central, and now she rarely saw them except when Ed needed something repaired on his automail... Each time she saw them, they became more mature... Ed became more mature... in looks, in voice, in personality...
She had matured too... She'd gotten taller—was still a little taller than Ed, much to his eternal irritation—her body had become more curvy, and she'd learned so much... Every day she was learning and maturing, gathering experience of her own...
And, she'd discovered that she had needs, wants, desires... Winry often found that some of her friends—male friends—that she used to climb trees and play in the mud with, now looked at her differently, and she looked at them differently too... The carefree fun had given way to a reserved and uncertain feel...
Reaching out, she touched the window as she continued to stare down at Ed. Did he have wants, needs, and desires like her? Did he look at her differently, the way she looked at him differently? She wanted to think so, but it was so hard to tell. He was so standoffish now, in a way. He always seemed to have so much on his mind...
Ed turned to lean his back against the railing and glanced up... directly at her window... She could see a faint look of surprise on his face when he saw that he was being watched. Winry was torn between fleeing from the window in embarrassment that she'd been caught looking at him, and continuing to stare. Finally she raised a hand and gave him a small wave. Why not? She wasn't doing anything wrong...
His lips curled up into a small smile and he waved back, paused, then made a motion with his hand to invite her to come outside with him. Her heart pounded a little harder than before as she worked to control both her excitement and her nervousness. She nodded at him, then moved away from the window.
Getting off the bed, Winry started walking toward the door when she realized that she was only wearing a long nightshirt. It only reached halfway down her thighs and she quickly looked around for something to put on to cover her legs. She couldn't go out like this!!
As she looked around, a thought in her mind asked, 'Why not? Why not go out like this? He's seen your legs before.'
Yes, but that was when I was eleven! she thought, but her mind still argued with her.
'Don't you want him to look at you the way the other boys do? Isn't that what you want?'
Snatching a dirty pair of work pants, Winry quickly pulled them on. Of course she wanted Ed to look at her like that, but she was no hussy, and if Ed looked at her that way, she wanted it to be because he liked her for who she was, not because of what she could show off to him.
Creeping as quietly as she could to the front door, she let herself out and moved over beside Ed on the porch.
"You're up late," she said, voicing the obvious. With the tank top and shorts he was wearing, the automail caught the moonlight in an almost enchanting way, and she had to work to keep her eyes from fixing on them. Seriously, she spent way too much time with the stuff...
He smiled and gave a small nod. "Just thinking." He looked up. "The sky looks different depending on where you are, but it's always the best here... Did you know that in some of the big cities, like Central or East City, you really can't see the stars very well? Too much light."
She settled beside him and leaned against the railing. "Nope, I didn't know that." She had only been to Central once, and that had not exactly been the most pleasant experience... She still had nightmares about it, but then Ed would come... he would save her... Tears pricked at her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. It would be far too embarrassing if she get weepy around Ed... He just got grouchy when that happened... Winry had long ago come to the conclusion that crying women made men uncomfortable, and she didn't want the moment to get awkward.
"So, what were you thinking about?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Stuff."
Winry rolled her eyes. Standard 'Ed' response. "That's... wow... very deep..." She looked at him and when their eyes met, they both started laughing. It felt good to laugh like this with Ed; felt good just to be with him... even if he didn't look at her the way the other boys did... the way she wanted him to...
She glanced up at him and her smile suddenly felt heavy on her face. He was looking at her, eyes fixed with a softness that accompanied his easy smile very well... He was giving her that look... That look!!
Oh my gosh... Why is he giving me that look? was her first panicked thought. It was one thing to dream about it, to wish for it, but to actually see it was nerve wracking, flattering, and unsetting all at once.
It was a look foreign to Ed and he finally looked away in embarrassment. "So..." he started, then trailed off before saying, "Thanks for fixing my automail. It's great! Good as new." He flexed his arm at the elbow and at the wrist in demonstration.
"Of course. For what we're charging you, it would be a crime not to do a good job." The bland look he gave her in response made her laugh. She glanced at him and noticed that his features had changed again to that unnamed look. Feeling self-conscious, she hooked her hair behind one of her ears and glanced away.
"You have really nice hair," Ed said suddenly in a rush. He tone was stiff, and when she glanced back at him, she could see a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. "I mean..." he said as if trying to right something that only he could see was wrong. "My hair is long too, so I look at these things. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping it nice, especially when we're on the road and stuff..."
He was rambling nervously now, and she couldn't help smiling. It was actually rather cute to watch him trip over his tongue for once. He was always so knowledgeable about everything—and when he wasn't, he faked it well enough to seem like he knew what he was doing.
Clearing his throat, Ed asked, "Can I touch it?"
"Touch it?" she repeated.
"Your hair. I mean... To see how it feels so that... well, you know... maybe I might want to change shampoos or something..." The excuse was lame, and she had a feeling that even he knew it, but she didn't mind. She wanted him to touch her hair...
When she nodded, Ed swallowed hard, looking a little less confident than normal, and reached out with his real hand to touch her hair.
"It's nice..." he murmured, moving his hand up to the hair near her ear. His thumb brushed against her face and he stepped closer. The warm summer night suddenly seemed so much hotter and thicker; hard to breath.
She opened her mouth to get more air, and the movement attracted his gaze for a moment, before he said, "It's... really... flexible..."
His awkward compliment made her blush. It wasn't 'smooth' or 'well practiced' like some of the compliments she'd gotten from more socially aware boys, but it was sincere and so very Ed...
He studied her face and asked, "Do you... um, use... um... face lotion? I mean, because... your face looks really soft..." He grimaced slightly, and she could almost hear him berating himself for not coming up with something better.
Winry nodded at his question. There was a slight moment of silence before he moved his hand away from her hair and slightly brushed it against her cheek. Suddenly he seemed unsure and he asked, "Is it alright?"
Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt like shouting, 'Is it alright?? Of course it's alright!' Instead, she simply nodded and a moment later she felt his hand against her skin. His palm was much warmer than he'd expected, almost burning compared to the night air.
His eyes were fixed on hers and when he leaned in a little bit, she suddenly wondered if tonight she would get her first kiss. She'd always hoped Ed would be her first... As he moved in closer, Winry could feel his breath tickle her skin lightly. He was so close now... so close... Closing her eyes, Winry waited, anticipating the contact, and when it came, she thought that her lips were tingling with delight.
The kiss was soft, gentle, nervous, afraid, and eager all at the same time. Ed slid his hand behind her head, threading his fingers through her hair, and held her head still so that he could continue the kiss. Maybe he feared she'd try to back away, or maybe it was just instinct... Maybe he just wanted to feel her hair again, but whatever the reason, Winry liked the extra touch. His lips were slightly rough, not soft like she'd imagined; though, that really seemed to suit him better anyway...
She felt his other hand encircle her waist and he seemed to be preparing for an even deeper kiss, when the sound of hollow laughing filled the air, then, "Brother and Winry kissing in a tree..." Ed stiffened and pulled away with a look of embarrassment and irritation.
"K. I. S. S. I. N. G..." came the sing-song voice.
He breathed in a large breath, then said tightly, "I'll be back..." Turning he started around the side of the house in a quick run. She heard a soft, "Al, I'm going to kill you when I catch you..." and then the sound of laughing and metal clangs as Al tried to outrun the wrath of his older brother.
She smiled and touched her lips. It had been a good kiss for her first one, and now she knew that Ed felt something for her... Dropping her hand, Winry hurried down the steps and around the other side of the house. She didn't have any younger siblings to embarrass her, so she supposed she's just take part in trying to catch Al to give him a piece of her mind. And, after all, why not? They were all friends, and running around like this felt nostalgic; something to remind her of when times were different, and they were all so carefree. It felt good; really good... Winry smiled as she saw Ed chasing after Al behind the house. It felt almost as good as the kiss—almost.
Well, there it is. My first ever EdWinry fic. I usually write for the yaoi fans, but it really is fun to write a het story here and there, even if I don't do it often. I hope the characterization was alright, that I did the pairing justice, and I hope it made you smile.
I'd love to know what you thought, so if you have time, please drop me a note. :) Thanks!
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