The Secret's in the Telling, an EdWin Drabble
AN - I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I don't own the manga or the anime. I am just a fan who enjoys writing down scenes that I could see happening between characters. That is all.
This is just a one-shot about something that happened before Ed and Al left on their journey to find the Philosopher's Stone. It focuses on Winry and Ed's relationship, and starts right before Ed burns his house down.
"There is a secret that we keep: I won't sleep if you won't sleep because tonight may be the last chance we'll be given. We are compelled to do what we must do; we are compelled to do what we have been forbidden." -The Secret's in the Telling; Dashboard Confessional
Winry had never told anyone what had really happened the night Ed and Al left. She had known they were thinking about leaving, but when Ed came to her room after dinner to talk to her, she knew they were going for sure.
She turned away from Ed, the boy who had suddenly grown up. She couldn't bear to look him in the eye, worried that he would see how much he actually meant to her. "So you're going?" she managed to choke out.
"Yeah," he mumbled, and she saw his reflection in the mirror. He was looking at his feet, and she couldn't see his face. She had no way of knowing how torn apart he actually was about all of this.
"Al's going with you?" she asked. Winry knew he would be. Wherever one went, the other followed. That was their promise to each other. That was the one thing they kept close to their hearts. For a moment, she wished Ed would hold more than that promise close to his heart, but she knew she could never be as close to him as Al. Winry didn't share flesh and blood with him.
"Yes. But Winry," Ed said, and Winry saw him looking up in the mirror. His bright golden eyes that she thought were the most beautiful in the world stared into hers through the reflection. "Can you please look at me?"
Slowly she turned to Ed; blinking back the tears which she was sure would fall if she looked him in the eye. So she looked down at her hands instead.
"Are you going to look at me or not?" Ed asked, and she could hear the hint of frustration in his voice. She forced herself to look him in his golden eyes, and saw sadness. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you and Pinako have done."
She nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. Ed saw this, and sighed. "Win, don't cry. Me and Al, we'll be okay. Just you wait and see; I'll get him his body back." He led her to sit down on the bed, and wrapped his automail arm awkwardly around her shoulder. She felt the cool smooth metal against her skin, and couldn't hold the tears in any longer.
"I'm sorry!" Winry exclaimed. "I can't make automail that's like your arm. It's not good enough for you. It's only metal!" She started to sob violently, and Ed looked surprised. Recovering quickly, he wrapped both of his arms around the crying girl next to him and let her head rest against his chest.
"You know… only you would worry about the automail before whether I'm going to be alright," Ed said jokingly, but Winry thought she heard a trace of disappointment in his voice.
"That's not true!" she protested while sitting up and looking directly at Ed, but before she could defend herself any further, Ed placed a gentle hand on her face. Winry flushed.
"Win, I'm going to miss you," Ed said, honesty apparent in his eyes. He leaned towards her slightly, and then paused for a moment, thinking about something. Ed bit his lip.
Winry couldn't remember a time when she had seen Ed looking so calm and… she wasn't sure what the word was. Loving? Caring? None of these words suited Ed's personality. None of it clicked in her mind until his lips met hers for a brief kiss before he pulled away, flushed, and ran out of the room.
Winry turned bright red after she realized what had happened. She placed a hand on her cheek where Ed's hand had been, and tried to calm her racing heart. She was left to wonder alone what that incident could have meant. Walking downstairs later, Pinako asked her what was wrong, and she only blushed and ran back to her room. She stayed in her room all of the next day, refusing to leave it except for meals. At dinner that night, she didn't speak and didn't look at Ed, though she was sure she could feel his sad eyes on her. That night, Ed told Pinako he and Al were leaving. It was October 3, 1910.
Ed and Al left to pack up some clothes after dinner. Winry helped Pinako with the dishes. She hadn't talked to Ed since the incident in her room. She looked out the window while she was thinking, only to see the Elric brothers' house on fire. Without explaining, she ran out the door and towards the hill Ed and Al lived on. Pinako followed, and the two found Ed and Al standing outside their burning house.
"No turning back now," Ed said, and Winry found tears in her eyes. She couldn't explain why she felt this way, but for some reason, she didn't want Ed to go. No. It was more than that. A longing she couldn't explain, a need for him to be by her side. She wouldn't understand why she felt this way until years later, when she saw the boy filled with determination in Central.
She wouldn't understand until then that that was the night she had fallen in love.