Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, nor do I own the song 'As I Am'.
II: As I Am – 484 words
Lyrical themes: "To those who understand, I extend my hand. To the doubtful I demand; take me as I am."
Winry clenched her fist as she visibly shook in anger. Edward, who would have been frightened just two years ago, did not flinch in preparation for what was to be unleashed.
"Ed, drink your milk!" yelled the mechanic.
Edward, in seeming obedience, picked up the small carton of milk from his hospital tray, which resulted in a beaming smile from Winry. She tripped on her own feet as she watched Ed throw the drink out the window.
"Why did you do that Ed? Why won't you try it again? Who knows, you might like it now! For me; please drink it so you can grow nice and tall like Al is doing," pleaded Winry. She stopped her tactic however when she saw the stoic expression of the alchemist in the hospital bed.
"Winry, how many times do I have to tell you? I do not like milk, I never will like milk, and I will never drink milk. End of discussion."
Winry took a seat beside his bed, knowing that she was now beyond ever getting him to relent on this issue. She sighed, before deciding that she had to know just why he was so adamant about the argument.
"Ed, why do you always get so angry when I pressure you to drink your milk?" she asked quietly as she played with the sheet on his bed.
"It's not the fact that you want me to drink milk for my health, because I appreciate that even if I won't do what you want. I get angry because it seems like you can't accept me as I am. Ever since we were little you always demanded that I should do this and that, and you kept doing it for years. After a certain point, I figured you would accept me how I was and forget about trying to change what you didn't like."
Winry was speechless for once in her life; she had not known that was how Ed felt about her attempts at getting him to drink milk, or that he was deep enough to say something that heartfelt. It made her feel ashamed.
"I guess that's one of the things that attracted you to Riza then," she stated after having let his words sink into her for a while.
He smiled brightly, "Yeah. She never expected me to be anything, and never wanted me to be anything. Of course that doesn't mean she lets me do as I want always; only if it's something that I dislike right down to the core. She's been reduced to pulling her gun on me once when I didn't want to wash my coat." He chuckled at the memory, and Winry joined him.
Riza smiled from her spot in the doorway, having heard most of the conversation. "Even then I had to wash it for him."
Ed just laughed harder. "That is just who I am."
A/N: In truth I wanted more Ed/Riza in this one, but this was the first idea to come to me and I liked it from the start. The second idea had been of Riza telling off Havoc for trying to force Edward to go out drinking with him when he isn't interested in that kind of thing. I stuck with this, even without that much contact between the two. Hope you liked it anyway.
Cheers, Ash.
