Like I've said before, music inspires me. This one-shot was inspired by Cut My Wrists, a song by the geniuses of Hawthorne Heights, which I discovered thanks to Tower Prep…I really need to work on my TP fics…I'll work on my procrastination problem later. This is kind of a song fic, kind of not… This is an AU, as you will soon be able to tell. Alchemy does exist, and Ed and Al's accident happened exactly as in the series. Italics= Ed's thoughts. I don't own Never Too Late or Cut My Wrists or FMA…though I wish I did… I only own an Alphonse beanie and an Ed plushie and manga/anime…XD
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Winry walked past Edward's room, looking depressed. Edward raised his eyebrows for a split second, but shrugged it off.
Drama queen
Ed jumped in fright when her stereo exploded in music.
Hey there,
I know it's hard to feel like I don't care at all
Where you are and how you feel
Put these lights off as these wheels
keep rolling on and on
Slow things down or speed them up
You're running now for way too much
Or you are not gone?
Hawthorne Heights? Edward loved the band, but knew for a fact that Winry hated them. He'd gotten a few blows to the head for playing his stereo too loudly…
And I can't make it on my own
Because my heart is in Ohio
So cut my wrists and black my eyes
So I can fall asleep tonight and die
Because you kill me
You know you do, you kill me well
You like it too, and I can tell
You never stop until my final breath is gone
Wait… why that song?
Edward tried to think why Winry would play a song by a band she despised, much less a song so… suicidal. He shrugged it off. Winry was a level-headed person who had helped him out when he had suicidal thoughts. There was no way she could be contemplating it…could there?
This world will never be what I expected
And if I don't belong who would have guessed it
She hates Three Days Grace, too…
Edward got up and went to Winry's door.
"Winry?"
She didn't answer.
Fucking stereo…
"Winry!"
"What?" She'd been crying, Ed could tell. Not her 'my-parents-were-killed-you're-never-around' crying. She had been really crying.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah." She sniffled.
"You hate Hawthorne and TDG, Winry. Why are you listening?"
"I don't narrow my opinion of music by its genre, Ed."
"But you hate them. You've told me enough times."
"I can relate, okay?"
"What the hell do you mean, you can relate?" Edward threw the door open to find Winry kneeling in the middle of her room hanging her head.
"Ed…" Edward rushed down to Winry fiercely. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and shook her.
"Ed what? Don't you dare pass this off, either!"
"It's getting to be too much."
"WHAT'S getting to be too much? You think you have it hard? Imagine having a father who's never around and then a mother who died! Imagine trying to bring her back and losing your only brother! Then you tell me what's hard! I know what you're going through! You're the one that told me that things may seem bad, but they'll turn out better in the end! Winry, you were always there for me when I needed you. Now I'm here for you."
"No you aren't. Nobody is."
"Yes I am! I'm sitting here with you, aren't I?"
"What's it matter if you are? Two days and you'll leave again. Maybe less. You never stay anywhere, Ed."
"Is that why? Because I'm never here?"
Winry averted Edward's gaze. Why did he have to stop her? It's not like he ever visited, called, or wrote. He didn't care, the only reason he was even there was because it would look bad for him, especially if anyone read the letter.
"Because if that's why-"
"What? You'll actually stay here for once? Don't make me laugh. You said that after Al got his body back, and you left again."
"I will stay, Winry. I'll never leave again, except to go to town and stuff. I-if I ever do leave, you can come."
"Stop it, Ed. You know that's not true."
"Yes it is, damn it!"
"Do me a favor and just go, okay?" Winry's eyes rested on the razor blade lying a few feet away.
"Why? So I can let you do the stupidest thing anyone could ever do? No."
Winry slowly reached for the small object, trying not to let Edward see. She almost had it, and then Edward saw. He pinned her to the ground and knocked the blade away.
"What the hell?" Winry burst into tears.
"Winry, stop it! You don't have to do this! What happened to 'it'll get better'? Winry, you're just a hypocrite!" Winry struggled under Edward's grip, but to no avail. He held firmly, and as far as she could tell, he wouldn't let go.
"It's my life, Ed. Just go away like you always do. Why stop now?"
"Because you've apparently got a serious problem! I'm not moving until I fix this! Winry…I swear, I'll never leave again. Please, don't do this…"
A tear fell onto Winry's cheek. Edward's tear. Winry remembered the last time she saw Edward cry. It was when they were 12 and they were almost killed. It had been seven years…
"Ed,"
"Stop it, okay! Don't say anything else! Just…stop, okay? I've told you I'm not going to leave anymore, isn't that enough?"
"D-do you promise?"
"With all my damn heart, Winry!"
"You're bleeding."
"What?"
Winry reached for Edward's hand. A small cut was leaking a small stream of blood.
"When you knocked the razor away. You need to clean it up."
Edward stood and quickly pulled Winry up. He took her wrist and pulled her behind him to the bathroom. He sat her onto the edge of the bathtub and turned on the sink.
"Are you going to drag me everywhere you go now?"
"Pretty much."
"What about at night?"
"Take a wild guess. I'm a light sleeper now, so I wouldn't try to sneak off."
"Ed, you aren't serious, are you."
"Do I look like I'm kidding? It's either this or I tell Granny." Edward said, sticking a band aid onto the cut.
"Tell me what?" Edward turned on his heel to face Pinako.
"That uh Winry tried to…" Winry looked at Edward with pleading eyes.
"Sneak out last night. I guess there was this party or something."
Pinako gave Winry a disapproving look and continued on her way to the basement.
"You didn't tell her."
"I told you I wouldn't. Now you just have to keep up your end of the deal. It'll be weird, but you're going to be where I can see you all the time. I'm not going to let you do anything stupid, Winry."
(*)
So…there you go. You like? You hate?