Title: Ohm's Law
Rating: K
Summary: "Ed's an atheist, isn't he?" A sketch of a restless night during one of Rush Valley's lightning storms. Ed/Winry, in their way.
A/N: One of those, point, what point? type fics, inspired by a line from Pratchett and because I had the scene sitting in my head forever and a half and no fic to put it in. There are lots of things I don't know about this fic - namely, what Ed and Winry are arguing about, or even why Ed is in Rush Valley to begin with. No spoilers, but lots of shenanigans.
Dedication: for nebroadwe, as thanks for her continuing encouragement with Evil Aang Fic of Doom. (And also because she's the one who, when I lamented the no-fic status of this scene, suggested that I just post it as a sketch.)
Winry Rockbell does not consider herself a light sleeper – no, Winry Rockbell considers herself a cautious sleeper. It is the difference in knowing when a surgery patient needs attention and when Garfield is just having bad dreams again; it also explains why Winry normally has no problems sleeping through Rush Valley's infamous lightning storms.
Tonight, however, seems to be the exception, and if there's been anything that Winry has learned for sure after years of living with both Pinako Rockell and Edward Elric it's that her instinct is not something to be taken lightly – after she's jerked awake by yet another crash of thunder, Winry decides that it can't hurt to just check outside, and so she rolls out of bed and steps past her slippers to peer outside her bedroom door.
The south passage reveals nothing, but when she looks to the north facing window she sees him: Garfield, wrapped in his ugly pink bathrobe, the outline of his lone hair-curler flashing in silhouette every time lightning strikes. He's leaning up against the windowpane as a five year old might to ogle the latest tin soldiers in the toymaker's window.
"Is everything okay?" Winry calls, fighting to keep her dry eyes open and feeling perplexed as to why her master might be up at such an hour.
He doesn't respond. She waits, feeling her ill temper from earlier in the day beginning to crawl back up her gut, and just as she is about to shrug and turn back to her bedroom, Garfield calls out in a tone so casual it should have made Winry's sleep-addled brain suspicious, "Edward's an atheist, isn't he?"
"So?" Winry replies, leaning against the doorframe, wondering why he's bringing the subject up. She isn't in the mood to talk about Ed. She's tired. Ed makes her tired. "Most people are."
"Yes but most people," Garfield insisted, "don't have two metal limbs attached to their body."
Please no. The pit in her stomach growing, Winry strides the five steps to the window and looks out.
"He's been throwing rocks for the last fifteen minutes. I don't think he realizes it's the wrong window." Winry frowns at the apparent amusement in Garfield's voice. Ed is soaked, and she knows he has to be freezing, but there's nothing but determination on his face as another rock – mostly mud, at this point – glances off of the window sill. "I think he wants to finish your fight."
Winry blinks down at him, a variety of feelings rushing through her – anxiety at having to face him, worry that he's going to get hurt, immature relief that she hadn't been the one to cave – but chief among those feelings, Winry isn't surprised to figure out, is anger.
She is also ready to finish their fight.
The frame squeals as she hauls the window up and leans forward. Rain splatters against her face and runs down her neck, but she ignores it entirely as she opens her mouth and bellows, "Edward!"
Ed actually stops, the determined look melting away into one of surprise at her sudden appearance and obvious rage.
"Your throwing form is all wrong!" she calls to him, and cocks an arm. The wrench, as comforting to her as a teddy bear, flies true. Lightning strikes just as the tool hits him. He flops back into the mud.
For a moment all she can do is breathe, and look at him. Then she remembers that they're both getting soaked, and that it's some kind of minor miracle that Ed hasn't been electrocuted yet. Ed doesn't need to believe in god, Winry thought. He already has me.
"Let's go get Ed," she says to Garfield. "He can sleep on the floor."
She only hopes he will sleep as well as she's going to once she gets back to bed.
A/N: Ohm's Law states that the current in a conductor is directly proportional to the voltage across two points and inversely proportional to the resistance between them. I don't know why I saw fit to apply it to Ed and Winry...