Nightmare
by TheKittyRin
inspired by a comic/drawing by m7angela
Summary: Winry watches as the life is drained out of him. "Edward, you can't!" She lunges herself forward, clinging onto him in a final act of desperation.
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Winry feels a surge of panic rush through her body, seizing her consciousness and numbing it.
She falls.
X
Edward lies on the bed, his chest rising and falling.
He is sweating profusely, his skin hot and humid. The rest of his body is cool, damp and weary. His golden hair is now a dirty blond, greasy, as it falls into his pale face once again. The girl sighs, brushing the locks out of his eyes.
She examines him closely.
His face is ivory-white, save for the dark circles present under his eyes. She follows the curve of his neck, staring at the green veins which stand out on the paleness of his skin, and the way his broad shoulder seem so small. Her breath shortens at the sight of the scarlet scars.
They reminds her of all the pain he has had to go through.
Her eyes falter when she sees the largest scar, the scar on his right arm, where his automail arm used to be. Despite having studied his body, both as his mechanic and as his wife, his body is almost foreign to her.
She blinks.
She has seen his transformation; she has seen how his body has changed.
Still now, she is powerless.
All these years of waiting for him to come back with her brother has made her feel inadequate. She told herself back then that she would get better at automail and become independent, not for him but despite of him. She wanted to help, whatever way she could and become her own person. The scars remind her of all those times when he almost died and she was left powerless in front of Death.
"Winry..." she hears his voice, breathless and short, and she stares up once again. Despite all of this, he is smiling. Yet, in that glowing stare, she sees a broken man. She wishes she could repair him. She stares down at her own hands, recalling the time when he called them 'hands that heal'. What a lie. What use is she when she can't even save the man she loves?
Winry then does something she has only done twice in her life; once when her parents were reported missing and once when Edward and Alphonse came into her house, bloody and sobbing. She turns to prayer. She hopes that whatever higher power may exist can help her save him.
She knows that if Edward knew this, he would be furious. He calls it many things - God, the Universe, Truth - and Winry has never understood why he dismisses all three so easily.
"Still up, huh?" he asks, and she is silent. She wants to tell him that she wants to help, that she needs to help, but she cannot bring herself to say anything.
She finally nods, slowly, her lips parting and her eyes reflecting sadness.
"Where are the children?"
"Sleeping..." she whispers, her fists clenching, "They came to say goodnight but you were asleep."
"Hmm..." he lets his voice trail off, quickly interrupted by his loud cough. Winry gets up with her handkerchief, alarmed and ready to aid him, "Geez, it's okay. Just a small cough."
She is still standing still, hesitating, before she falls back on the wooden chair, gazing at him with concern.
"Winry..." he begins, mumbling weakling, "It think...I think it's time."
The words alone are enough for her to feel like her world has come crashing down. She looks at him, horrified, meeting those golden eyes that she once admired from afar. They represented everything to her. His determination always gave her strength. Now, though, there is something missing in those eyes, something she misses more than anything.
His will to live.
She freezes, feeling her whole body go numb. Her breathing is laboured and she feels her head spin uncontrollably. She is angry, angry that he would give up but also sad, sad because she isn't ready to let go.
"No," she chokes, her voice low. She gulps, swallowing her thick saliva. Her hands have begun to feel moist, sweating from fear and loneliness, "Please..." She knows that she is begging, not to Edward, but to God, to the Universe and to the Truth.
She sees Edward give her a small smile, so small it almost remains undetected. His face features are soft but frail and at that moment she realizes he has given up, "Edward! You can't!" She lunges her whole body next to him in a final act of desperation, gripping his hand with her all her might. He cracks a grin with all the strength he has left.
Please, don't take him away, she thinks.
It is the last smile he ever gives her.
"I love you."
He closes his eyes.
She screams.
X
"Winry, wake up!" She feels large hands grab her, stirring her gently awake. Soft fingers intertwine with hers, squeezing tightly. She blinks, gasping for air. Her forehead feels like it is sizzling, her brain shouting with pain. Hot tears roll down her cheeks, a cascade of humidity stroking her skin. With her free hand, she grips the blanket, trying to release her emotional turmoil.
It is dark and humid, and all she can do is remain like this for a while. She is still in agony, her heart sore from losing Edward.
It is then that she sees another figure leaning on her, caressing her skin affectionately. She takes a deep sigh and sits up, shivering as she feels her wet hair graze the skin on her back. She is cold. She is surprised to feel a pair of strong, familiar arms wrap themselves around her waist, bringing her closer. She inhales the scent; it smells a little like candles and metal.
A familiar smell.
"Edward?" she croaks hesitantly.
"Yeah, I'm here."
She feels tears forming in the corner of her eyes as the realisation finally dawns on her. It was just a nightmare. He is still alive.
She feels her stiff position melt into his arms, her shoulders falling down, defeated by the joy. The young woman turns her head, admiring her husband's honey-eyes that are still glimmering with malice and fire, even under the moonlight.
She rests her head onto one of his shoulder.
"You... died in my nightmare." she chokes, shivering.
She feels him freeze for a moment, and sighs, pulling her closer and with more strength. He holds her steadily, and it makes her feel protected.
"Hey, it's okay, Win'." he whispers. She pulls back to take a better look at his face.
"Can you do something for me?"
"Sure."
"Smile."
"Huh? Why?"
"Ed, just do it!"
Edward looks a little perplexed by the demand but does as his wife bids him to do. He grins the goofiest smile Winry has seen and it makes her laugh. She leans over to him, reassured by his vow, brushing her lips against his.
She doesn't know if she can believe in God, the Universe or Truth, but if there is one thing she believes in, it's Edward. When he promises something, he always pulls through, and that is enough to satisfy Winry.
After all, he was never one to break promises.
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This is the second time I'm writing one of my OTPs having a nightmare, aaah. Anyways, little cupcakes, I hope you enjoyed this small piece of mine and DO send in feedback and DO go check out m7angela on tumblr if you haven't already done so! She draws the best Edwin fanart out there and she manages to grasp perfectly the essence of these two dorks.