The water laps at Winry's toes as she stands on the shore. She's a bit nervous watching Ed play with the kids in the water, knowing that her husband can't go in too deep in case his auotmail gives him trouble. She reminded him to be careful a thousand times, but of course now he's currently throwing their kids around, pretending to be a shark. Winry doesn't want to be overbearing but she's so nervous. This new baby is shooting her anxiety through the roof.
She's so focused on watching her family, she doesn't notice Izumi coming to stand next to her until the woman places a hand on her shoulder. "Are you going to go in?" The alchemist asks, as Winry jumps in surprise.
"Wha- oh, no, I don't think so." She blushes, "I'm not really in the mood for swimming." Her hand absentmindedly rests against her swollen belly.
"Well then come into the shade!" Izumi drags her under the umbrella, "All this heat can't be good for you!"
"B-but I have a hat!" Winry objects, wanting to make sure her family wasn't going to die a watery death.
Ed and Al's old teacher forces her to take a seat in the shade. "Don't worry, Edward won't let anything happen to the kids. And besides, Sig is on lifeguard duty." She looks out to her husband who's standing knee deep in the lake, "Good job, Honey!" She blows him a kiss.
"I know he'll take care of the kids, it's him I'm worried about." She sighs, playing with the hem of her dress. This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation but Winry feels more hair-brained than ever. Pregnancy hormones had a way of making her a little crazy. She can't remember why she let Ed convince her into having another kid.
"I understand. It takes an army to make sure those idiots don't get themselves killed." Izumi replies, reassuring the young mother. "God knows when I had them they were a handful."
Both ladies laugh as they watch Sig help Sarah out of the water. The girl totters over to them, her wet curls bouncing with the movement. "Mama, Aunty 'Zumi! Look! We caught a shell!" She thrusts the giant clam shell in her mother's face.
"Oh, wow, it's so beautiful!" Izumi delights. She notices the toddler's chubby little cheeks and nose were looking a little redder than usual. Dublith's sunrays were nothing to play with, especially with Sarah's fair complexion. "Why don't you give it to Mama so I can put some more sunscreen on you?"
Sarah pouts and sets her hands on her hips, obviously not keen on being rubbed down again. Izumi is reminded of Ed when he was little, he always had a problem with everything. "But Mama did!" She starts to whine before Winry tells her to stop acting like a brat.
"After we'll go look for more shells, I promise." Sig pats the girl on the head to calm her down.
"Ok!" Sarah quickly deposits the shell on Winry's lap and lets her aunt slather her up with the sun lotion again. Her mom helps rub it into her face as Izumi does her arms and legs.
Edward ascends the sand as Theo's follows behind him carrying his little bucket. "Look at the shells we found!" The boy smiles just like his father. "We have like a hundred!"
"Cool!" Sarah jumps out of Izumi's grip to look at her brother's collection. ""I wan' some too! Can Aunty 'Zumi and Siggy help me?"
"Sure kiddo, let's go!" Sig grabs Sarah's hand and Izumi takes the other as they walk down the pseudo beach. Theo calls at them to wait up as he dashes after them.
Edward smiles as he watches them amble down the shore. His kids have those two wrapped around their fingers. The Curtis' dote on them as if they were their own grandchildren, always jumping at the chance to watch the kids and spoil them. Dublith is just a short train ride away from Rush Valley so the two families have no problem seeing each other as much as possible. This particular visit ended up as a trip to the lake thanks to Theo's incessant begging. Not that Edward minds, days like these were far and few between.
Winry struggles to get up from the low beach chair before Ed notices and jumps to help her up, lifting her weight with ease. She squeezes his arm in thanks, smiling up at him. His cheeks feel warm and he has a feeling it's not from the sun.
"How are you feeling?" Edward can't help looking down at her belly.
"Like a beached whale." Winry sighs, stroking her bump, "I was pretty freaked there for a second, watching you in the water."
Edward huffs at his wife, displeased, "Winry! We went over this! I was being careful! We were barely two feet deep and the kids had floaties on! I told you not to worry, it isn't good for-"
"The baby." She finishes for him, rolling her eyes. "Yes. I know! I just can't help it! You're being so rough out there and your automail could drag you down any second. It's dangerous!"
"This isn't the ocean Winry, there aren't waves and shit. It's just a lake." He tries to keep his voice from sounding too condescending. It was a hard habit to break.
"Water is water, Ed!" She jabs her finger into his chest. "I don't care what you say, it's dangerous with automail."
"Do you remember our honeymoon? You dragged me into the ocean because you said it would be fun? How is this any different?"
"Because I was in there with you, I could make sure you didn't drown! And, we didn't have two little people to chase after back then!"
Edward frowns down at his wife, their faces as close as they can get with their baby in the way. She's standing on her tip toes to make herself seem more intimidating, but it doesn't really work since she's still smaller than him. Ed knows he'll never let her live that fact down.
Suddenly an idea comes to him and he perks up, surprising his wife. "Well the kids are entertained now." He looks out to the four figures down the shore. "Why don't you come in with me and make sure I don't drown, huh?" He smiles and offers his hand to her but she's hesitant to take it.
"Oh, Edward, this isn't exactly the same. I'm pregnant now if you haven't noticed."
He holds in his laughter, deciding not to answer that question. He knows a trap when he sees it and he's not going to fall for it this time. "Come on, Win, don't you trust me?" He extends his hand back out to her.
Sighing, she tentatively places her hand in his, "Of course, I do Ed, it's just-"
"Ah Ah Ah! Too late, there's no turning back!" He smiles wide and tugs her towards the shore. "You're coming with me!"
"Wait! My dress!" Winry digs her heels into the sand to stop him. What is with people dragging her around lately?
After she changes and adjusts her bathing suit, Winry huffs in annoyance at her husband. How did he always manage to persuade her into doing stupid things? He can't handle how cute her little pout is, she's pretty damn adorable.
Patting her on the head Ed asks, "You good? Do you need sunscreen? Some Water? Another hat?"
"No, Ed, I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Yes!" She hisses.
"Alright, alright, come on." He gently takes her hand and leads her to the lake. Winry looks down the shore and sees Izumi and Sig walking with their kids. They were pretty far off in the distance, still searching for shells.
The lake water was cool but refreshing. It was a shame really. Winry loves the beach and swimming, she just couldn't enjoy it when she was looking after her family and had to waddle around with a baby inside her. It wasn't fair.
"Careful Ed," She warns when Edward takes them a little further out, "You don't have to go so deep, you know."
"Quit your worrying, woman." He pulls her close as they wade around. "I told you to trust me."
Snapping her mouth shut before she can give him another retort, Winry leans back and lets her hair soak in the water, trying to relax.
"We should do this more often." He muses, watching her tip her head back. "Maybe go to the actual beach."
"Mhm, I think the kids would love that." Her eyes are still closed as she soaks up the sun. Ed pulls them a little further into the lake and Winry jolts up, grabbing onto his shoulders.
"Ed, seriously, were going to drown!"
"Would you stop! My feet are still touching the ground!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!" They glare into each other's eyes before he leans in for a kiss. Her arms twist around his neck as the kiss deepens. Suddenly Winry pulls back, telling him to swim back to shore but he tells her to shut up and kisses her again for good measure.
This reminds Ed of their honeymoon, on that beach in Aerugo, where they had a lot of fun in the ocean. Those memories put ideas in his head as his hand gets braver, reaching down below the water. Winry blushes and giggles, clearly into whatever he was doing. What is he going to do with her? One second, she's nagging him about his automail, the next she's all over him.
They hear some commotion and pull apart to see their kids and his old teacher waving at them to come out of the water. "Break it up, lovebirds! The kids want to go on Yock Island!" Izumi calls out to them.
"Alright!" Ed yells back, still holding onto Winry, "We'll be out in a minute!"
"I guess that means it's time for us to go." She whispers demurely. The evening sun is low in the sky and it casts a soft glow across her face, igniting her eyes. He kisses her again just because he can, and they set off back to their family who's waiting by the shore.