Title: Fixing Things
Author: S J Smith
Series: Manga (chapter 108 spoilers)
Word Count: 500
Rating: K+
Characters: Edward Elric; mentions of Alphonse and Winry
Summary: He's just started his journey.
Warnings: Chapter 108; speculations
Disclaimer: I promise to put the toys back just as soon as I'm done.
Written for : Live Journal Community, FMA_Fic_Contest, for the prompt 'repair'.
A.N.: Thanks to D. M. Evans for the edits.
A.N. 2: Another of my 'Little Things' stories.
The remains of a meal lay on the table in front of him. Edward leaned back on his stool with a sigh. "Thanks for supper, Mrs. Dahlgren."
"No, Ed, it's the least I can do for you after you caught my cow and fixed my fence."
Ducking his head at the praise, Edward smiled. "I'm glad I caught her before she got in your garden!"
The woman, maybe close to Izumi's age, began clearing the table. Edward offered to help but she waved him back down, saying this wouldn't take long. "You're from the east, right? We've had some travelers here before, with your accent. But aren't you a long way from home?" Mrs. Dahlgren glanced over her shoulder at him, reminding Edward of one of Winry's curious expressions.
"My brother and I decided to do some traveling before we settled down." It was pretty close to the truth, after all.
"Really? That must be interesting!" Mrs. Dahlgren returned to the table with two cups of coffee, setting them before Edward.
"We'd been traveling, I guess, most of our lives." Edward took the cup closest to him, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a sip. "Always looking for something." A way to repair what we'd broken.
"Hmm." Mrs. Dahlgren added sugar to her cup and stirred. Her dark eyes peered at him from under a fringe of bangs. He wondered if she'd say it sounded lonely; or that someday, he'd want to return home. Both comments were true; it was strange traveling without Al at his side. And he'd discovered he really did miss Winry. A few years could set patterns, he guessed, that might be able to last a lifetime. "Well, I'm glad you found my cow!" Mrs. Dahlgren's exclamation broke into his musings.
Later, she offered him a place in the barn to sleep. It wasn't like he hadn't spent nights in rougher places. Hay was comfortable, and smelled sweet. A loose board rattled in the wind, enough to keep him awake, enough to let in rain to spoil the hay. Edward stared at the board, then at his suitcase, finally opening it and removing a piece of chalk. The circle he drew was perfect, and he touched his palms to it. The blue glow flared around the chalk lines and the aged wood and nails reformed and knitted themselves back to the frame of the barn. Repair complete, Edward carefully replaced the chalk in his suitcase and lay down, staring at the roof above him.
He'd sacrificed his ability to be his own transmutation circle when he met with the Truth that last time, but his alchemic talent didn't all stem from his original exchange of his leg for a toll. He wondered if Al had realized.
He wondered how Al was.
Tomorrow, Edward thought, he'd find a telephone and call Winry. It would be a quick fix, just enough to keep him going.
He hadn't learned enough yet. It wasn't quite time to head home.