Almond Milk Chai Latte

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Ingredients:

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1 black tea bag

2 whole star anise pods

2 cinnamon sticks

4 dried cardamom pods

11oz. container of almond milk

optional: ½ inch knob of fresh ginger

optional: sweetener (maple, honey, stevia, etc) to taste

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Directions:

The scent of apples and cinnamon inundated all rooms of the yellow house on top of the grassy hill. Even after two years has passed by, the fragrant scent didn't ceased to amaze the two golden brothers. Edward entered the house first, immediately followed by Alphonse. The sweet spices were already making the older Elric forget about his poor smashed thumb, the one he almost left nailed to the roof of the house thanks to Winry's "chores". The upsetting moment faded away as Edward shifted his attention to the aroma that saturated the room. It was faint but there was a scent in the air that wasn't baked apple or cinnamon spice. Whatever it was smelled really good.

Edward glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, Al?" He lazily called out to his brother who had stayed back in the foyer, contemplating all the family pictures pinned to Pinako's bulletin board.

"Yeah, Brother?" Alphonse answered as he approached Edward.

"What did you say Winry was making?"

"Tea," the younger brother said, airily, and the older blond gave him an incredulous look, one that told Alphonse it wasn't tea what he was smelling.

Alphonse shrugged. "Winry said she was making something she saw in a cookbook," he said in order to clear things out with his brother. "C'mon, Ed. You can ask her yourself."

Alphonse walked past Edward but not before pushing his older brother out of the way as he walked by.

"Hey!" Edward cried out but Alphonse ignored his whining altogether. Without looking back, he headed towards the kitchen.

Edward was shocked by Alphonse's lack of respect. The younger blond loved mortifying him from time to time, even more now that he got his original body back. The thought of his brother enjoying life cooled Edward's temperament. He still grumbled an empty threat (he had to) as he followed Alphonse closely behind.

The mixture of familiar and unfamiliar scents became stronger once the brothers neared the source. Edward entered the kitchen and watched as Winry stirred what most likely was the "mystery tea" inside a small pot. Alphonse had already went ahead and started grabbing the small plates and cutlery for the apple pie. Edward didn't have anything else to do, so he decided to bother Winry. He went over to the stove to see what she was stirring. He approached the automail mechanic from behind and peeked over her shoulder.

"What the hell is that?" Edward screeched as he curled his nose in disgust once he realized the tea was whitish in appearance.

Winry's shoulders squared for a second. She huffed, trying to calm herself as best as she could before turning around to meet the golden gaze. "It's not milk, dummy, I know you hate milk—jeez!"

"Looks like milk to me!" Edward complained. His accusations only served to irk Winry.

Alphonse, who had been calmly watching the scene unfold from the side lines, sighed, once he saw Winry twitching her eyebrows in anger. "That doesn't look like milk, Ed," he said flatly as he shook his head.

Edward blinked in confusion.

"It's almond tea chai latte, a type of Eastern tea," Winry elaborated. She pushed Edward backwards with a swing of her hip so she could fetch the cheesecloth strainer. She now grabbed the pot and begun pouring the tea through the strainer and into the first mug. "It's usually made with milk—" she added, and she shot a warning glare at Edward, one that kept him quiet and scowling. She moved on to the second mug. "As I was saying, the drink is usually made with fresh milk, but this version uses almond milk."

Winry glanced at Edward but this time around there was tenderness in her gaze. "I was thinking of you when I decided to try the recipe."

It was almost imperceptible but her prominent cheeks had definitely tinged. The adorable reaction made Edward's heart beat faster and his breath hitch; he felt his own cheeks getting warm. Edward looked away. "Yeah, yeah—whatever," he said, casually, sounding cool and collected, and in control. The truth was that he didn't want Winry to notice his blooming blush. It almost worked too, except that Alphonse's snickering ruined his efforts. Edward picked up the two mugs that Winry had already filled and brought them to the table. He had to put some distance between him and the beautiful blonde before she asked Alphonse why he was laughing. "Here," he shoved one mug into his younger brother's hands then sat down next to him, ignoring his telltale grin as he took a sip of the hot beverage.

"Wow!" Edward exclaimed as he took mug away form his lips, "this is pretty good!" He looked at the drink then at Winry. "Thanks," he added before bringing the mug to his mouth.

The sincerity of Edward's words and his bright smile made Winry's heart skip a beat. She heard Alphonse snigger and she couldn't help but to blush. She was about to send daggers to the younger Elric but he was safely hiding behind his mug as he took a sip of the tea.

"M-m! It's really good, Winry!" Alphonse blurted out, he was quite delighted with the hot drink. "Cardamom and anise go well with apple pie." He added, his expert taste buds had identified the exotic flavors.

Winry nodded, "yes, that's what the cookbook said," she smiled at Alphonse, "I'm glad you liked it." She now looked at Edward who was downing a piece of pie with the tea. "I'm glad you liked it too."

Edward finished his tea just before Winry sat next to him; she had brought a mug with her. He placed his down then wiped his mouth dry with the sleeve of his white shirt. He beamed at Winry. "Liked it? I loved it—I mean, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right?"

Winry hid her flustered face in the mug while Alphonse almost choked on his tea. Edward just realized what he just said.

"W-What I meant is that you can cook, ok? Your future husband won't starve to death, that's all," he added as he glanced at Winry, who was looking quite offended with his remark. He laughed nervously, knowing very well that he had stuck his foot inside his mouth.

"It's a dumb saying, anyway." Edward mentioned as he tried to save face; he didn't dare look at her, though, however, his golden gaze did travel to Alphonse, who took the opportunity to point out his gross stupidity by shaking his head in utter disappointment.

Suddenly, Winry stood up. Both siblings cautiously watched her as she walked towards the kitchen, leaving her mug and the plate with a half-eaten slice of pie next to the sink. She shot a hurt look at the brothers just before heading to the automail shop through the door connecting the basement and the kitchen.

Edward groaned in frustration once Winry had disappeared from sight.

"Why must you be so dense, Brother?" Alphonse admonished.

"I don't get what the fuss is about—"

Alphonse slammed a fist on the table. "Don't give me that bull!" He cut Edward off. "You know she went out of her way just to make you happy—ugh!" He threw his arms in the air.

Edward flinched in response; it amused him as much as it scared him how animated Alphonse had become. His younger brother had always been expressive but his expressions had gotten even more intense ever since he got his original body back. Sometimes, like at that moment, his little brother didn't know how to restrain his emotions. In the last two years he had gotten much better at it but he still had a way to go. His reaction might have been a bit excessive but Alphonse was right to be angry.

Edward looked away in shame. He chewed on his lower lip as he thought about the way he treated Winry. He knew he had screwed up, that he had acted like his usual self—as a magnificent jerk—but, he just couldn't help it. Every time he started feeling something more than affection for his childhood friend, his ego sabotaged him, and his big mouth more than gladly volunteered to let his ego speak for them both.

"I know…" Edward sighed, "it's just that—"

"You don't know how to tell her how you feel about her." Alphonse filled in for Edward.

The older blond's face changed to a deep crimson as he gawked at his brazen younger brother.

"Ed, please," Alphonse said flatly, half rolling his eyes. "You love her, you always have," he smiled, remembering all those moments that his big brother and his childhood friend had expressed their affection for each other.

A mischievous thought crossed Alphonse's mind. "You know, Winry feels the same way too," he said.

Oh, how he loved mortifying Edward.

The older blond felt the tips of his ears burning hot. Yes, he knew Winry liked him. He noticed it on the last tune-up he had before the Promised Day—

"Ow!" Edward cried out of nowhere. He looked down at his hands. He hadn't realized he had been clenching his fists hard. The thumb he had smashed earlier, now flared with pain. He tried to wiggle it but ended wincing. Had he broken it?

"You should have Winry take a look at it, Brother." Alphonse suggested what he was already thinking.

"Yeah…" Edward agreed. He hesitated though, thinking that the beautiful blonde might not want to see him at that particular moment.

"Winry will tend to it," the younger blond reassured, picking up on Edward's facial expression. "She's not one to harbor ill feelings."

Edward smiled. "You're right." He got up and headed towards the basement.

"Ed?" Alphonse called out to Edward before he reached the door.

"Tell her you're sorry," Alphonse preached; Edward nodded.

"Tell her that we're planning on taking a long trip." The younger Elric added just as Edward turned the doorknob.

"Yep," Edward replied as he opened the door.

"And don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Alphonse said loudly once the door was wide open.

Edward shot daggers at his little brother. Alphonse had practically yelled that time and he was pretty sure that Winry had heard him.

"Sleep with one eye open," Edward warned his grinning brother, feigning anger as he pointed a finger at him, and with that, he entered the basement, slamming the door behind him.

Edward stood at the top of the staircase as he dug deep inside to find the courage necessary to face the object of his affection. First, he was going to apologize to her, like Alphonse suggested, but then what? How would he tell Winry that he acted so stupidly around her because he loved her? How could he admit to her that he already knew he couldn't live his life without her by his side? Edward was drawing blanks, but right then, he chuckled. He begun laughing his worries away.

There really was no need to worry, not yet. He'll find a way to tell Winry how he really felt, that's for sure. He had plenty of time to do this before leaving for the West. Oh, he was going to propose to her alright. All he knew at that moment was that this proposal was going to be special—nay, spectacular—one that she will never forget…all she had to do was to say "yes".

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End note: It's been ages since I wrote something! I apologize about that. Life hasn't been kind to me in the last six months (well, it's actually a year but the last six months have been extra kind of "nice"). Me and the family have been through some major hits and very sad situations. I've been grieving so hard that I lost the will to write. :/

Good news: I've finally am turning a new leaf and leaving mourning behind, my inspiration is back!

Bad news: I'm in the middle of updating my entire design portfolio (both print and web) so I'm head deep in work (taking photos, doctoring photos, writing work process, updating resumes and the sort). I only wrote this fic because I wanted to post it on 5/03 (503/EdWin Day). I failed, no surprise there.

Please be gentle with me, I've been on a long hiatus and am feeling very vulnerable about my writing skills after going through a thigh, life changing/scarring moment.

To those who have asked me about Convergence, sorry. I'm not going to update that story in a long while. During this time of grief, I did some introspection, so I've decided to review and rewrite pretty much all of my multi-chapter stories. I already decided to start with all explicit fics since I plan on moving them to a different account (more on that later on). Once I finish rewriting these fics, I'll pick Convergence where I left off. I apologize for this but it's something that I've decided to do. Maybe I'll drop in a oneshot here and there if time permits. Thank you for all your support, I really appreciate it! Ciao!

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Reference

I got the recipe from loveandlemons dotcom, no it's not that type of site. XD