No idea where this sadness came from but I figured I'd post it. I don't own FMA.
Ed read the telegram one more time to make sure he was really reading it right. He couldn't believe that it was true but there was no doubt the letter was in Al's handwriting. Winry was dead.
Instead of the grief he expected to explode out of him, he felt numb. It was unreal to him at the moment that his young, lively, aggressive mechanic friend was dead. He folded the letter up and put it down, slowly reaching for the phone to dial a number he rarely called.
"Mustang" came the voice over the phone. The voice that usually caused all kinds of emotions to overcome Ed, made him feel nothing.
"Roy" Ed replied, in a voice that sounded..odd.
"Ed? Are you alright?" Roy asked, hearing the odd tone Ed was using.
"I need to go on leave for a few days." was all the blond said, in the same tone as before.
"Why?" Roy asked, confused and a little worried, not that he'd admit it.
"Winry's dead. I need to be with Al and Pinako." That shocked Roy into silence. For a good five minutes, neither of them said a word. Finally Roy shook himself out of it and said, "Of course you can have leave. Take as long as you need. Give Pinako my condolences"
"I will, thank you" Ed replied, before he hung up on Roy and went to make arrangements to leave for Risembol.
Ed got to Risembol thirty six hours later and was ushered to Pinako's home by his brother. Ed being there allowed Al to truly grieve for the first time. Ed went to Pinako and held her so Al could go off by himself and let go as he wouldn't allow himself with Pinako. He had to be strong for her.
Afterwards, when Al came back, it was the first time he noticed his brothers behavior. He was acting….. Well emotionless was the only word that came to mind. He was going through the motions of soothing Pinako and Al both but he looked as if he weren't even with them. As if he were a thousand miles away. Al wondered if it had even hit his brother yet. He decided he should watch Ed closely the next few days.
The day of the funeral came and Al and Ed sat on either side of their honorary Auntie and held her hands in theirs. Ed still hadn't shed a tear or even felt a shred of emotion. He was numb and had been for days. Nothing could get through. He gripped Pinako's hand but felt nothing for the old woman. Not sympathy or pity for her losing the last of her family, not kindness and love for the woman who had always been there for him, nothing. She was just there.
In the casket was just a girl, who also sparked no emotion from him. He had been truly and utterly shut down.
The day after the funeral, Ed per functionally hugged Pinako and his brother, promising to come home soon and to call when he got didn't miss the worried glance of his brother, he just didn't care.
When he got back to central, he started for home when a car pulled up to him and a familiar voice said "Get in"
Ed climbed in, saying nothing as the car started going again.
"Talk to me, Ed"
"What do you want me to say?" Ed answered the man.
"Tell me about her. Tell me how you feel. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours." Was the answer.
"She was a wonderful person, who was funny and lively. She was too young to die. And nothing is going on in my head. I'm here and that's all there is" Ed replied
"You have to feel something" He argued.
Just then, Ed caught a whiff of something familiar. "Peppermint?" he asked in surprise
"Hmm?"
Ed didn't hear him he just took a deep breath, breathing in the scent as he slowly felt everything come back to him. How she had always smelled of peppermint. How she never left home without some in her pockets. His emotions, his thoughts everything came back at the same time and he lost it. He broke down and as he did he felt the car slowly pull over to the curve and then strong arms envelop him.
He was to filled with emotion to care that he was leaving himself vulnerable or that the man that held him would most likely say something hurtful before this was all over. He just let himself go.
"That's it, Let it go. I'm here, you don't have to be strong" was whispered over and over again into Ed's ear as he remembered his friend and how much she meant to him.
"She's gone, Roy. She's not coming back" Ed whispered, through tears.
"I know" Roy replied, still holding the smaller man to him.
"It hurts"
"I know"
"Will it go away?"
"Never completely, but it'll get better. And until it does, I'll be here."
"Thank you" Ed whispered.