Disclaimer: The cow owns all.
A/N: 'Kay, so today I was thinking of my dog, who happens to look a lot like Den. She has the black fur, the droopy ears, the face, the white patches of fur on her chest, etc. The only thing different is that Den is a tad bigger than my dog. Anyways, I figured I should incorporate some Ed/Winry into a story having to do with Den, and mashed it all together that I should write some post-CoS, since I've been watching that movie lately. I can't ever watch it without wanting to cry. ;_; All and all, I hope you guys enjoy~ Reviews are appreciated.
~A Grand Gesture~
"Open up your presents, Winry!" A light-haired man, approximately in his late twenties, was grinning from ear-to-ear. His wife warned him not to spoil their only daughter, but hell, isn't that fathers are for?
After much thrashing, tearing, ripping, ooh-ing, and ahh-ing, a blonde little girl— age of five— had more toys than every child in Resembool combined. Her crystal orbs were lit up like candles, the taste of cake still lingering on her taste buds. For the past four years, they've had little birthday parties like this; the amount of wrapped up gifts was questionable, due to the few people attending.
After the Elrics and a few others had left, Winry remained in the front room, scooting to every single present in sheer joy. She just couldn't play with one toy for more than ten seconds. She would get distracted, and then move on to the next toy. Meanwhile, she rambles to her father, "Look, Daddy! Look what I got! Look it! Ooooh~... Ahhh~... Look, Daddy, look! Do you see, Daddy? I got new tea cups for Gunther! Do you see?" Gunther was her white teddy bear that she has carried around since she was three, and the thing practically went everywhere with Miss Rockbell.
Urey would simply sit by on the sofa, watching his daughter beam in her adoring nature. He nodded, muttering to her, "Of course, honey. Yeah. I see. Uh-huh. Gunther will be really happy." He couldn't wipe the grin off his masculine face, while his ocean eyes squinted in thought. The day was not over.
Winry continued to play with her tea kit that Pinako carved for her, speaking to Gunther and having a long, entertaining conversation with the stuffed animal. She put the violet teacup at her bear's non-existent lips, making a sipping noise all the while.
Sara passed by; she had been cleaning up the mess that the children made during the party. She stared at her husband and daughter, wanting to snicker at the whole debacle. "Urey, dear? Weren't you going to give her—... the extra present...?" she inquired, which automatically brought attention to Winry.
"Extra pres'nt?" the little girl blinked, her eyes round and gawking at her parents. Little pieces of chocolate cake was speckling her cheeks and mouth, and fortunately, had not stained her brand new dress that Sara made for her— a light pink dress, one with a wavy hem to her knees and a lacy collar, the sleeves of the dress being puffy. It was her special 'birthday dress'.
Mr. Rockbell nodded. He almost forgot about the extra present. "That's right. Would you like to come see it, Winry?"
The girl hopped up in an abrupt motion, dropping Gunther. "Yes! Yes! Where? Where is it, Daddy? I wanna see!"
He let out a booming laugh. Winry always thought of her father's laughter as jolly, like Santa Claus or the old wise man that lived down the road— Mr. Calvert. "Follow me, then," Urey spoke softly with mirth trailing in his voice, patting the crown of her head.
She trotted behind her dad, while Sara followed close behind them. They went to a back room, and Urey reached into a cardboard box (where he had been hiding the extra present).
And there it was.
Wiggling in his meaty hands was a puppy, ebony like night with few patches of ivory on her chest and paws. To top it all off, a glistening crimson bow was placed upon the puppy's head. Its pink tongue was dangling out of its mouth, panting with frivolous glee. She was incredibly small, maybe just a few months old. Her stub of a tail wagged back and forth, staring curiously at her new owners with round coffee eyes.
Winry squealed and bounced, her lips parting to make a silent, "Ahhh~..." Diamonds sparkled in those ocean irises of hers. They had never owned a pet, and the closest she ever got with animals was having stuffed bears and bunnies. But a real live puppy? A canine to cuddle with at her bedside? To play with on quiet afternoons?
"Say hi, girl," Urey gently rubbed the dog's belly, gesturing her toward Winry. He could feel the warmth building in his heart, just from merely looking at the sparkles in his daughter's eyes when she first saw the puppy come out of the box.
The puppy barked in a high-pitched manner, leaping into Winry's arms as she begun endlessly licking the little girl's porcelain cheek. Urey chuckled, as did Sara.
"I think she likes you," he stated, rubbing the pup's fur atop her head.
The blonde giggled and giggled, repeating, "S'op! That tickles, puppy!" But the canine continued to lick her owner's neck and face, stopping only to sniff so she could get to know Miss Rockbell.
"Oh, thank you Daddy! Thank you!" Winry beamed with the baby dog in her arms, running to her father so she could hug his waist.
"You're very welcome, sweetie," he replied with a sense of happiness in his tone, returning the hug with one arm. Really, the whole reason for getting Winry gifts was to see that glint in her eyes.
"What should we name her?" Winry asked after a while, not letting go of her puppy for a second. However, she somehow managed to break free from Winry's grasp, skipping down the hallway. "Wait, puppy!"
"Urey!" Mrs. Rockbell groaned when she noticed the canine escape. "That dog's not house trained yet! Go get her before she goes potty all over the place!"
The man didn't seem to be listening, when he noticed the animal running into a certain room where he smoked his occasional cigars and sipped on brandy. "No, pup! Not in the den!"
He immediately ran after her, only to trip on his loafers. He hissed, only getting a boast of laughter from Winry as she pointed and giggled at his clumsiness. She clapped her heads together, cheering, "Den! Den!"
"No! Not the den!" Urey didn't find his antics hilarious. He stumbled upward and chased after the puppy, the five-year-old sprinting behind him.
"Den! Den!" she continued, slapping her hands together and laughing.
The puppy barked, leaping out of Urey's reach. She seemed to be having fun with this, waving her butt in the air every time he tripped and landed on his face. At long last, the man gave up. He lied on the mahogany floor, cheek pressed to the ground as his eyelids narrowed. Winry didn't seem to have a hard time with catching her puppy, however. She knelled down and swept the puppy up into her arms, cooing, "I'mma call you Den now. Den~!"
As she scampered away, she kept on babbling as if Den were Gunther, "I can't wait for Eddie an' Allie to meet you! Allie is really cute an' nice but Eddie is really mean an' has a poo face. They're gonna lov' you, Den!"
~c~
For days, there was an eerie quiet. Almost melancholy. The apartment was dreary, dark, and even took effect on optimistic Alphonse. He told his elder brother to go upstairs and talk to his mechanic; after all, the twenty-year-old man was the only one whom could truly comfort her.
When he had enough of Al's nagging, the former alchemist trudged up the stairs and toward an off-white door. Her door. With a gulp, he braced himself before turning the brass knob and taking a few precarious steps inside. His amber eyebrows lowered at what he saw.
Her sunny blonde hair spread all over the mattress. It was free from its usual pins and ponytails. Each strand cascaded into a golden river on the cotton pillows and sheets. The entire room smelt of sitting dust and stale silence; the air was beyond stagnant. Winry was facing the gray wall, her back to Edward. The same 1920s get-up was worn on her curves— a white rumpled skirt with the hem to her knees, a coal-colored corset top hugging on her torso (with a v-shaped collar), as white, puffy, long sleeves jutted out from the corset's clutches and around her arms. Her arched, porcelain feet were bare. She must've kicked off her wedges long ago.
The blankets were perfectly untouched beneath her, only indented from the mass of her form. Edward was unsure if she was asleep or awake, being that she had the stillness of a dead woman. He wanted to say her name, just to confirm things, just to feel that word against his lips, but his voice was nonexistent.
Edward knew the exact root of her problem. He had not told Alphonse, because he didn't even like to talk about it himself.
The young man could still remember that calm autumn afternoon. The skies were dull and lethargic, which seemed unusual for Berlin. Munich, sure, but Berlin? It was a city full of life, the capital of Germany; much more vibrant than dreary Munich— full of homeless, starving people due to poverty and inflation.
That day, he had been strolling alongside his mechanic, heading to the market. Winry's orbs of ocean were flickering around, searching for a mechanics store. She was desperate. Even if it was auto parts, she begged to see just one mechanics store...
And that's when she saw it. The dog.
A dog, fully grown with wisdom in her coffee eyes, the black fur covering her well-defined body. Yet, there were a few patches of white on her chest and paws. The canine's droopy ears gave her a friendly appearance. She lied in front of a flower shop, not tied to a leash due to her down-to-earth nature. Maybe she was a watch dog for the owner?
The blonde stopped in her tracks. If it wasn't for the dog's lack of automail, she would've almost looked like—
"Winry?" The young man beside her raised a brow at her sudden halt. When his vision landed on the object she was gawking at, however, he completely understood.
Heh. To think. Animals had alternates, too.
A frown sagged on his mouth. He grabbed hold of Winry's arm, gesturing her forward. "Let's go, Win'."
He was not blind. Edward knew how important Den was to Miss Rockbell. She had the pup ever since she was a little girl, and grew rather close to her. What he didn't know but could only guess, is that whenever he left her in Resembool, she always cuddled with Den on her bed, tears brimming in her eyelids. That dog was her source of comfort. The only thing her parents really left behind, in spite of photos.
Winry felt her heart shutter. She wondered how Den was doing on the other side of the gate, or even if she was alive at all. Den was getting old; she noticed that fact the last time she saw her, only six months ago.
She thought she heard Edward say her name again, but was too hypnotized to notice. The Elric brothers warned her not to get involved with alternates, or even be emotional by the sight of them, though Winry had proven to not pull that off well, especially when she first saw the alternate of Hughes.
Before some kind of Pinako doppelganger walked out, Edward was quick to pull his childhood friend away from the scene, practically dragging her to the market. If he saw Pinako, he'd be sure to loose it, too.
Thus, Edward's memories went back to the present. He was in Winry's room again, watching her lie there like a dead corpse. The pale skin of her neck and hands only enhanced this feature.
FullMetal was never a man of words. There was no way he could cheer her up by talking to her. He had to do something. But what? With his head lowering in defeat, he quietly exited the room as if he was never there at all.
~c~
Edward turned another corner, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his dark trousers. His brown coat was resistant to any gusts of wind, whereas his amber bangs were not. With each footstep down the sidewalk, his loafers sounded with a heavy clack against the pavement. The sun was starting to set, turning the sky into a vibrant fruit bowl of colors— blue, pink, orange, red. Black birds soared through the sky, stopping every once in a while to investigate a few crumbs on the street.
He could smell stew cooking in nearly every small, compact house he passed by. Wives were trying to keep watch on their children, multitasking in the kitchen, while waiting for their husbands to come home. Life was beginning to pick itself back up in Germany— America was helping them out with the economy, so more and more men were able to get jobs to provide for their families, meaning that more food was being produced at the markets. Winry came to this world in the right time. Fortunately, she didn't see the worst of the inflation. When children would play outside with useless paper money, making castles out of the coins; when men would walk to the store from work, dragging at wagon of their paycheck in stacks and piles so they could hurry up and buy the goods before their francs were worthless the next day.
But now, things didn't seem as gloomy. The economy may even be booming a year from now. Children wouldn't starve. People wouldn't resort to life on the streets.
Berlin kind of reminded him of Central. With the cobblestone pathways and lit up golden streetlamps. Only one place in this world resembled Central City even more. London. Edward has yet to take Winry there, even though he promised her he would.
Yalp!
Mr. Elric stopped in his tracks.
Yalp! Yalp!
He blinked. That noise, so high-pitched, so annoying...
Yet somehow, he was drawn to it.
Yalp! Yalp! Yalp!
Once again, he turned a street corner, automatically halting at what resided before him. A cardboard box, damp from what could have been rain, was full of energetic, gold-furred, black-snout puppies. There was about eight of them, all being some kind of Shepherd breed.
Sighing, he turned his body around. He almost walked away. Almost.
Edward checked for his surroundings. It didn't seem these puppies were for sale... There was an empty bowl in the box, probably used for dog food. But there was no food in it... just crumbs. Could they be abandoned? Or maybe the owner just took a break and went somewhere to eat. Either way, something urged him to pick one of them up. Only one of the Shepherd puppies noticed his presence, seeming eager to play with him as it sniffed the corner of the box and hopped up on the wall of the cardboard, clawing its paws so it could try and climb over the edge of the confinement. Unfortunately, that was hopeless for a pup of its size.
A tiny frown tugged at the edge of his mouth, narrowing his eyes. He had no time for a pet. But... even so... the look in that puppy's caramel eyes... Ed just couldn't reject it. He swooped the puppy up in his masculine hands, and in response, the puppy batted its eyelashes and dangled its tongue out of its mouth, belting out a, "Yalp!"
Edward could tell it was a boy judging from its appearance. He continued to stare down the canine, squinting his gold orbs into slants. "You better not cause any trouble, pup..."
Just then, a light bulb flickered on above Edward's crown, signifying that an idea formed in his mind. One corner of his mouth curled up into an adamant grin. Clouds formed in the sky, daring to rain, which was ironic for the sunny feeling heating up in his heart. To him, it was a bright summer day.
~c~
It would be a lie to say she wasn't homesick. A very, very, very big lie. One that shouldn't be forgiven, because the longing in her soul wasn't here. It wasn't in Germany, nor in Europe, not the entire world. Her soul longed for what the Thule Society called 'Shamballa'. Her soul longed for Amestris.
Lord, how she missed the grassy plains of Resembool, the bright blue skies above her hometown, the colorful sun sets and rises, the honeysuckles with their little white petals that dominated spring fields, the sheep and cattle, the smell of apple pie and opium smoke, the sound of cicadas buzzing and bluebirds chirping. She missed her friendly automail customers, and especially missed her busy life in Rush Valley. With the aroma of oil and steel, the noises of tinkering tools, the burly men that seemed baffled when they met the most prized mechanic in town— Winry Rockbell, a mere small town girl. Of course, most of them knew Pinako, so once they took notice of her surname, the whole idea made sense.
Pinako.
That was a woman she missed the most, alongside Sciezka, Paninya, and her loyal automail customers.
Pinako.
The independent, hell-bent elder woman with her graying hair always striking, her beady eyes always wise, and the opium pipe always placed in between her pruned lips. Even though she seemed intimidating, Pinako had the biggest heart. She practically raised Winry ever since her son and daughter-in-law died in Ishbal. She also raised the Elric brothers when their mothers passed, even though they insisted that they were fine alone.
However, Pinako always told her to wait. To be patient. And where did that get her? Sure, it kept her safe, but who said she wants to be 'safe'? She wants a thrill. She's Winry freaking Rockbell.
Overall, Winry couldn't help but feel guilt flow through her veins. She left Pinako alone; the woman did so much, and yet she wouldn't be able to see the birth of her great grandchildren. Or her granddaughter's wedding. She would just sit at home, smoking her pipe, with Den slept by her foot. And it was all because of Winry's selfish desires. Sure, she belonged in Amestris, but not without Edward and Alphonse. Life wasn't complete without them.
Then, her thoughts went back to a few days ago. When a black dog with droopy ears came into her line of vision, in front of the quint flower shop. To be honest, she hasn't been homesick until that very moment.
For the past few hours, Winry stayed in bed, Al knocking on her door and trying to convince her to come out. He gave up eventually, exhaling and strutting downstairs to watch Noah cook a meal. The mechanic heard their voices, hushed and unintelligible, one soft and wispy while the other was soft and raspy. Strangely, Winry wasn't trying to decode what they were saying. Why? Because she had a particular memory in mind, one that drew her in until there was no point of return.
Her fifth birthday. Her father, Urey. Her 'extra present'. The announcement of the name 'Den' for her new puppy. Life was happy then. She enjoyed the simplicity of it. Even when times became rough, she still had Den to cuddle with. To cry with. And Den wouldn't tell. She would gossip secrets. She was the perfect companion.
All of a sudden, the sound of a door clicking shut rang through her ears. She heard the slow, cautious footsteps of a familiar pair of loafers sidling toward her. Winry didn't bother to look back, or even avert her sight from the wall. This bed was her comfort zone, and staring at the deathly wall blocked her from reality. It made her feel safe. Protected.
"...Winry..." he spoke, only to notice that his voice came out dry and raspy, shaken with nerves. His adam's apple threatened to bob. Edward crouched down at her bedside, looking to her back with glistening eyes. "...Winry, I know you're awake..."
The sound of her nostrils taking in oxygen could be heard, but very subtly. Edward sighed. He remembered when things were the other way around— when Edward was pretending to be asleep, while Winry tried to urge him to come back home. They were sixteen, then.
"I got a present for you," he added, his voice more smooth this time around. Like silk, so gentle and dreamy.
Winry made another audible breathing noise, before finally sifting onto her other side so she could face Ed. He had a faint smile on his face, apathetic for her homesickness. His topaz gems were kind and twinkling, with that gaze only a wise man possessed. She then noticed something underneath his coat. It was bulging, a tad noticeable, and seemingly... squirming?
Her eyelids fluttered. She stayed silent, though, no smile bothering to enter her lips. Either she was half-asleep, or deep in a depressing gloom. Edward wanted to frown at that. He didn't.
With nothing more being said, he pulled out the mysterious object from inside his coat. For the first time in days, Winry's eyes crystallized, widening and bringing her complexion to life. The dead corpse has risen from its grave. She let out a soft murmur, "E... Ed..." and gradually sat up.
"I found him in a liter of puppies. I think they were abandoned. It may take some getting used to, but I'm pretty sure I can handle having him in the apartment," Edward stated with the softest of voices, eyes going back and forth from the Shepherd puppy to Winry.
She admired the puppy's black snout and beauty mark, along with his triangular shaped floppy ears (which would soon perk up when he became an adult), and his golden-colored fur, coating him beautifully, all the way to his tail. Like a certain dog she once knew, there was a patch of discolored hair on his chest— ebony. The puppy panted playfully, but hadn't made that yalp-ing noise from earlier.
The woman was speechless.
"Wanna hold him?" Edward inquired, motioning the tiny puppy to her. He couldn't tell any emotion but shock on her face. Had he done something wrong? Oh God, he did something wrong.
In time, a quint smile was invited to her lips. Her pale complexion was glowing like an angel from heaven. He was... trying to be nice. Winry knew there was a soft side to Edward Elric, but this was definitely a grand gesture. Her nimble fingers grasped the puppy with care, bringing him close to her face.
"He's adorable, Ed," she finally commented in a near-whisper. Her index finger swiped across the fur of the pup's head, then itched behind his ears, getting a pleasurable "Yalp!" in return.
They both giggled, Ed reaching over to ruffle the hair on the puppy's back. He was relieved, and glad that he hadn't made a mistake. "What are you gonna name him?" he asked after some time.
Winry looked up to the ceiling in thought. Her eyes scanned around the room, as if it would give her some kind of idea. Finally, she replied, "Bolt!"
His blond brows knitted together. Makes sense that she would name the dog after a tool...
Of course, he immediately went back to smiling in assurance, wanting to burst into laughter. It was so like Winry. No matter what happens, she is still the same mechanic from his home town. The same striking, beautiful mechanic he had known since diapers.
Letting out a few sly snickers, he received a questionable expression.
The young woman pouted. "You don't like it?"
Oh no. If he didn't make one mistake, he made another. He tried to cover up his nerves by snickering some more, using the nubs of his fingernails to itch the puppy's— or Bolt's— ear. Bolt twitched, his stub of a tail wagging. He was content as ever, so innocent. That was the prize of being an animal. You keep your innocence.
"No... I love it," Ed responded, eyes on the dog as he added the remark, "Gear head."
Blood rushed to Winry's cheeks, yet she couldn't help but chuckle brightly. "Alchemy freak."
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