Community: 31days
Date/Theme: Sept 14/me, myself, I, and the room left for you
Fandom: Full Metal Alchemist
Pairing: Slight EdWin
A/N: This is based on what I heard about the anime ending. So, Ed and Al have gone to our world and Winry is still in their world.
…
…
"They are gone, Winry," Sheska whispers, as though she is afraid that those words will break the other girl. She quickly looks up to confirm, yes, the other girl is still standing there and has not shattered into fragile fragments.
"…" The blonde girl stares stubbornly at the ground, as though the answers she is seeking for lie there, written somewhere on the immortal stones.
"They are gone," Sheska repeats, her voice louder and more confident, trying to invoke a response from the blank girl.
"I know," Winry finally replies, clouds covering her vibrant eyes, "I know." She says nothing more, the gold of her hair covering her face, hiding it from the world for a moment.
Sheska wonders if Winry is silently mourning right now.
"So what now?" she asks carefully.
"We'll see," is the cryptic response. The real is answer is "You'll see," because Winry already knows what she's going to do.
…
…
…
And so I wait
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
In a yellow house on top of a green hill, a fairy girl waits for two lost shadows. In wonderland, she ages but still believes that those that are lost can always be found. Being alone is just temporary, she believes, for this is neverland and the time lost can always be regained.
-x-
Her house feels empty without her heart and soul. There isn't a (blood-dyed) crimson cloak or a cold, steely glint of a fakefakefake arm in the kitchen. The hollow, empty suit is just that, no bodiless voice animating it.
She probably won't see either of those brothers again for a long time, a very long time if ever, and there will be no more arguments over milk or height jokes.
(No more glances at broad shoulders and a maybeIloveyou in her dancing fingers)
She should be more depressed than she is feeling right now. Winry should be falling down the dark hole of despair and fighting off the waves of sorrow. She should be feeling beaten and trodden on, life being too strong and harsh for her.
Instead, she finds herself humming to her favourite song as she cleans the house. Her mop brightens the wooden floor and using a duster, she cuts away the dust. She removes the moth-eaten blankets on the bed and throws away unusable items. It is some time before she brings herself to stop.
The first guest bedroom is cleaned.
It's a small victory as she sets herself up to attack the second guest bedroom.
-x-
"Winry?"
"Yes?"
"It's unhealthy, you know. Getting locked up in the house all day."
"Sheska, stop worrying so much. I was cleaning last week, cleaning all of the rooms and dishes. I'm done now and tomorrow I'll start repairing more automail."
"Winry…are you sure you're not pushing yourself? I mean, even though—"
"I'm ok, honestly. I'm not depressed or going crazy, if that is what you are worried about."
"…but…are you sure you can do this now? Isn't it a bit quick for you to get back to work? Are you sure you don't need to mourn more?"
"…no. I really don't need to. There's no point."
"What?"
"Sheska, you'll see. I'm already preparing for it, but you'll see eventually. Now, I'm in a rush to go and tell my boss I'm coming tomorrow!"
-x-
Things that are normally done for one person are done for three.
Whenever she eats, she cooks just enough for her and a little more, just in case. On the table, there are three plates, three glasses, and three chairs. One for her, Ed, and Al.
The guest bedrooms are cleaned whenever she cleans her room, with fresh flowers in the spring and the clothes getting washed so they don't get ruined.
Even though she rarely has the time to do so any more, she still keeps the designs she made for Ed's arm and leg and improves them. Makes them lighter, stronger, faster. Adds little devices and objects, changes the material, and just makes it better than before.
They might be gone, but she doesn't allow herself to act like they are because there is something that Winry knows.
It isn't that Ed and Al will return—that is a given. When they show up at her door, apologizing for being late, she's going to beat them until they can barely look at yellow without cringing.
What she does know is that she has to wait for them to come back. She has to be patient and keep the door open, so when they did come back, they could relax and know that some things didn't change.
This is the reason that Winry sets the table for three, keeps fixing their rooms, and wastes the night away adjusting parts for a boy that isn't around.
As long as she keeps a space open for them, a corner in the world that is theirs', there will always be a place for them to call home.
-x-
Winry waits patiently for the two brothers because that is what she does best.
She can always be counted on to wait for them whenever they are lost, guiding them back to the path.
…
...
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
A/N: I loved the idea behind this, but…did I execute it poorly or is that just me? This is going to be a one-shot collection, updated whenever I get ideas. Give me prompts and a character/pairing if you wish.
Questions?Comments?Suggestions?
Review!