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Edward's POV
I felt my throat tighten in a sickening way as Roma's questioning voice tuned out into the painful noise of my heart beating loudly. All I could see at that very moment was Winry's blue eyes staring back at me. I felt my mouth open but nothing was coming out, my throat tightening even further as I began to feel sick. This wasn't happening...how the hell was this happening?! I could already tell by the way Roma was drawn to her earlier that there was no way of getting her out of this, not without consequences that would endanger her life. I bit down on my tongue, hard, feeling a salty thick liquid between my teeth. It took every ounce of me to find a level head as Roma's voice began echoing back into my ears, his voice impatient and angry.
"ERIC!" Roma growled. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
I lowered my gaze and bawled my fists...maybe my anger would get the better of me after all. I contemplated punching him in the face to knock him off his feet; it would be enough time for Winry to get away. But then I'd blow my cover...Fuck it. I'd figure out some way to explain hitting him, Alfred - Christian's grandfather and head of the council, had shown favor for me after all. Raising my head back up to meet his gaze, I began to ready myself to swing, but found Winry's body standing in front of me.
"Do you have an automail limb? It's just that I recognize your behavior from my past patients when their nerves weren't connected properly, are you feeling sick? If automail isn't connected properly and something seeps into the blood system, it could very well be what's making you sick. I should probably take a look at your port - to be on the safe side."
I blinked a few times, staring down at her in shock. What was she doing!?
"I'm sorry Miss...uh, I think that older man called you Winry?" Roma cut in, placing a hand on Winry's shoulder firmly. It made my blood BOIL to see his goddamn fingers merely touch her. Winry nervously side-glanced over her shoulder and I was thankful Roma couldn't see her face.
"Yes...it's Winry..."
"Ah, well Miss Winry, if you think my dear friend here needs to be looked at - it's best you accompany us back to our place of residence. Eric here tends to suck up pain, so I'd feel much more comfortable if you took a look. We unfortunately lost our last automail mechanic to...unfortunate circumstances. Last I heard, he was really torn up about no longer being able to service us." He replied, grinning devilishly. While his demeanor always came off charming in terms of getting his way, he made sure to get his threat across whenever he had the chance. I glared at him feverishly, his words making my thoughts race.
"It's no problem!" Winry quickly said as she once again stopped me from letting my anger take control.
"What?!" I coughed. "I...I don't want her working on me! She doesn't even look fucking qualified!"
"Well, I don't really care what you want. She's coming with us."
"Why you fucking-"
"I don't think he really understands what's going on right now!" Winry cut me off, reaching her hand up and placing it on my forehead. "Yeah...I think he might have a fever. I'd be more than happy to help you guys! Do I need to bring any tools?"
Roma raised an eyebrow at me, stuffing his hands into his pockets. His eyes glanced over to Winry slowly, feeling the awkward tension in the air around us. For a second I was afraid he was suspecting something, but found myself relieved as he turned on his heel.
"We have everything we need back at the estate. Let's go." He replied over his shoulder. "You'll probably need to work on him in his room if he's sick - he will need rest, we have something to attend to tonight and I can't have his ass passing out on me."
I waited a few minutes to speak, making sure he was out of sight and earshot before I began my charade. I knew I didn't have much time before he expected us at the car and quickly turned towards Winry.
"What the fuck are you doing off base?! Winry! What the fuck! Do you know what you've just done?!" I whispered angrily, unable to control my emotions. Winry glared at me dangerously, not seeming to be very fearful at all of the current events, which made me even more pissed off.
"Calm down Eric. I'm not going to mess anything up for you! You're the one freaking out!"
I put my hands to my hair and grabbed fistfuls in frustration. Was she serious right now!?
"WINRY!" I growled, yanking my hands from my hair and wrapping my fingers around her arms, pushing her against the side of the building. Slight guilt built up as I realized I had slammed her back much harder into the brick than I meant to as she winced. "Do YOU have any idea how dangerous this is?! I'm not fucking worried for my sake - don't you fucking know that by now?! The point of you staying on base with Al was to keep you safe god damn it!"
I stared at her in desperation, my mind stuck with what to do. I wanted to protect her but how could I possibly do that now? While Roma wasn't the leader, he was always assured to get his way, and once he saw Winry...I knew he had made up his mind for the day.
Our attention was caught by the sound of a car beeping, and that was my signal that I knew time was up for explanations. I'd have to ask her what she was doing off base another time. I looked back at her again, sighing deeply.
"Stay close to me, got it? I'll have to figure out something...Come on. Roma is dangerous when he doesn't get his way. We need to go now." I said through my teeth. Winry nodded and followed without hesitation. I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe how brave she appeared to be, but at the same time she didn't know what was waiting at that place...not like I did.
This didn't feel right. This didn't feel right at all.
Edward's POV continued
The ride back was awkward and cramped. Roma directed for Winry to sit in the middle of Christian and I, clearly sensing her uneasiness of entering the car. I knew he wanted to keep an eye on her, especially noticing my discomfort over it. My heart sunk at the feeling of Winry's leg trembling slightly, although she put on a brave face - she was terrified. A part of me felt like I had failed to protect her from this...but I swore my life on keeping her safe. Somehow, I'd get her out of this. Christian glanced over quickly, scanning Winry like he had known her, but at the sound of Roma clearing his throat, he turned his direction to look back out the window.
"Nice, don't you think?" Roma slyly remarked, throwing his arm back to place his hand on Winry's knee. Although Roma had an act - he was still a creep when it came to women, often seeing them as objects to be used and disposed. My heart was racing so loudly in my chest I was certain everyone in the car could hear it.
"In what sense?" Winry stated flatly, brushing his hand off her leg.
"Ahhh, you're a fiery one!" Roma chuckled darkly. "That's okay, I think everyone enjoys a challenge from time to time.." He smiled, gripping at the center compartment. Christian quickly looked over to Winry, giving her an apologetic frown before turning away again.
It took every fiber inside me to not kill him as his words spun in circles in my head. Winry as a challenge? I'd kill him first...
When we arrived, relief washed over me in tides, as all of the elders appeared to be gathered in a meeting. Alfred's mansion was large and easy to get lost in - that only meant that you could walk into the wrong room at the wrong time. Punishment was something that was hard to avoid and I still wasn't used to hearing the sounds of agony echo through parts of the halls. You'd be surprised by some of the sick and twisted things rich people are into...
I found Winry cautiously keeping close to my side as she gaped at the entranceway to the home.
"Quite spacious, wouldn't you agree?" Roma smirked, throwing his arm over her shoulder while peering around himself. I turned my sight away from him and shoved my hands deeply into my pockets. The fact that he had to constantly put his hands on women was already irritable to me, but putting his hands on Winry made me want to fucking rip out his intestines and strangle him to death with his own organs.
"Yes..." Winry replied, trying her best to keep up a positive tone but Roma knew better. He always knew better. I found myself able to breathe once more as he stepped away from her, though his fingers lingered much too long on her shoulder for my liking. I pretended to wipe away sweat from my fake fever and coughed slightly.
"Are you alright Eric?" Christian asked, concern in his voice. He looked over to Winry nervously and then back at me.
"Go ahead and take care of his issues for now. I'll have you look at my automail later on, probably in the morning." Roma sighed, rolling his eyes at me as he turned on his heel and began walking away. The second his red hair disappeared down the hall, I immediately turned my attention back to Christian and gave him a stern look.
"Is this..." He whispered.
"Yes." I replied, careful to keep my eyes connected with his as I was afraid of silent watchful eyes. I watched Christian's face slightly drain of color as he gave me a slight empathetic frown.
"How?"
"Roma saw." Shifting my eyes to Winry quickly. "Wasn't supposed to be there." I grimaced, seeing her blue eyes look away from mine regretfully.
"You should go to your room now and have her look at your automail. It does need serviced. I'll keep a lookout in that direction to be on the safe side. I'll see what I can do about her getting a room near yours the best I can. It won't look suspicious if I ask." Christian said softly, bowing his head. "Stay safe."
I grunted in reply as I beckoned Winry with my hand to follow me down the opposite hallway. We exchanged no words as we continued down the long corridor of overly lavished decorations. Alfred, Christian's grandfather, was a very materialistic man - he took pride in his valuables and ability to financially afford anything he desired. The wealth must have gone to his head, since he felt it necessary to create such a cult-like group of people...
I cleared my throat, grabbing Winry's direction after I noticed hers had wondered off staring at the large painted portraits that hung on the walls.
"You really don't want to fall behind in here, stay close." I hissed, holding the door open for her, to which I immediately closed after we were both inside. For now, we were at least out of sight...
I walked over to my bed leaned against the tall frame as Winry sat down on the mattress, her eyes still drifting to different parts of the room - clearly taken aback by how ridiculous rich people could be with their possessions. Gripping at the oak, I grunted in dissatisfaction of her silence.
"Winry."
Her eyes shot back to mine, and for a second my heart skipped a beat. Of course I didn't want her here in danger, but I couldn't help but feel grateful to see her again...I silently cursed at my emotions. No, no it wasn't right for me to be happy to see her when she wasn't supposed to be here from the start!
"Eric is a bit of a close call don't you think?" She scoffed, twisting her fingers around in the comforter and then smoothing them back over, her eyes avoiding mine in all attempts. My expression twisted into confusion at her statement.
"What?"
"Well, Eric is pretty close to Elric...you couldn't think of something else?"
"I don't think that's the issue at hand here..." I growled, sitting down on the bed beside her. I was almost in disbelief at how much she was trying to avoid what I wanted to know. "Winry." I repeated sternly. "What the hell were you doing off base..."
"I...I know I wasn't supposed to be off base, but we needed parts and I was the only one available to get them who knew. I was only supposed to be about an hour, but then that older man needed help...so I stayed behind to help."
"And those soldiers fucking left you there?!"
"It wasn't their fault!" Winry tensed, waving her hands. "To be honest I was the only one being reckless...Lieutenant Phillips didn't know that I wasn't supposed to leave the base...it was my fault. I know I was being reckless. Those soldiers didn't want to leave me behind, but those parts needed to get back as soon as possible for the soldiers shipping out..." Winry trailed off. I shook my head aggressively, not content with her excuse.
"Where the hell was Al at?"
"He's been busy. You can't blame him Ed. I'm an adult. I made a poor decision. I'm the only one to blame." Winry sighed, turning her body to face me more on the bedside. I threw my head back in exasperation. The woman was literally going to be the death of me. After all I had survived, and she was going to be the reason I fucking died. Hell, at least I made it to the point of asking her to marry me I guess...
"God damn it, Winry..." I groaned, running my hand over my face, stressed.
"Edward...I know I shouldn't be here, but...it's been miserable for Al and I. We had no idea if you were dead or alive."
"I told you I'd come fucking back for you idiot." I scoffed.
"Stop swearing at me, you ass!"
"I think I have every fucking right!"
"Look, I said I'm sorry alright?" She replied carelessly, pushing her hair behind her ear.
I turned my body to face her more, glaring at her. How was she still being so god damn calm?!
"Sorry isn't good enough! You could get yourself killed here if you do or say the wrong thing. You could get brutal punishment for merely fucking up! I have to think of a way to get you back on base safely..."
"But...but you could blow your cover!" Winry said, rather loudly - a little too loudly. Quickly reacting, I leaned forward and threw my hand over her mouth, causing her to squeak slightly as her body fell backwards onto the mattress. I caught myself from crushing her with my other arm catching myself just in time, my hand sinking into the pillow nearby. Fearfully looking towards the door, I let out a sigh of relief after a few minutes of silence had confirmed that no one had been nearby.
"You can't just say whatever you feel like here! You need to keep your voice down you idiot!"
She narrowed her eyes up at me and shook my hand away.
"Get off!" Winry growled. For a second I stared at her, somehow amused and annoyed despite the severity of the situation. Get off? Really...?
"That's probably the only time you've ever said that to me. You with all of your needy physical bullshit." I retorted, rolling my eyes at the look of horror on her face. I was now laying beside her, staring up at the same ceiling I had seen for the past few months. Although we were in danger constantly here, this was the first time I had felt strangely human in what seemed like forever. While I would have much preferred Winry to be safe on base still, it was relieving to feel somewhat human again. Winry had always had that affect on me - something that I'd never admit to her as she would probably end up using it to her advantage.
"Funny, you never seemed to complain about it before." She replied, turning on her side to face me. A familiar feeling washed over me as I glanced over and made eye contact and quickly glanced away. I pulled at the collar of my shirt as the heat rose to my face and cleared my throat, swiftly sitting up once I saw the appearance of a certain emotion on her face. I knew that look, and THAT look meant trouble.
"So ah..uh..look, I'm going to do everything I can to get you out of here." I said, returning to the originally stated topic. I gave her a stern look as she sat up, a little too close for my liking - okay well maybe not that I didn't fucking like it but, god damn it! This wasn't the time for that is what I mean!
"I...I was so worried about you. I missed you so much." Winry whispered, placing her hand on my leg. I don't know why every little touch from her caused a melt down inside me, but it was always caused my brain to malfunction and my face to overheat. I let out an anxious laugh as she drew her body closer to mine. Why the hell was she so attractive? And WHY couldn't I fucking focus?!
"Psh...after everything that should have killed me, you think this would have? Alphonse did always say if something would kill me - it would be me trying to propose to you. And that didn't blow out my heart so I guess I'm just indestructible." I grinned, sticking my chin in the air as I pointed to myself confidently. We both chuckled lightly for a second, but then I shook my head and grabbed her hand, holding it gently. "I'm serious though, the second I find someway to get you out of here, I'm taking it. I can't risk putting you in danger. I need to know you're safe Winry."
"Edw..." She hesitated, biting her lip, realizing that saying my name was something she would have to get used to not saying.
"You have to call me Eric." I smirked slightly, amused by the twisted expression on her face.
"Er...ic. Hm...It just feels so odd..." She blushed. She breathed slowly while trying not to crack a smile, repeated, "Eric."
"Exactly."
"So Eric. Got a last name?" She smiled. I frowned deeply unamused by this question. For someone who seemed fairly intelligent, you think Christian would have introduced me with a better last name - especially one that wasn't military related...But before I could introduce my alias to anyone, Christian opened his mouth and called me Eric Armstrong. Thanks to him, I had to go through strict background checks to make sure I had no relation to the Armstrong family. Was he lucky that he hadn't blown our fucking cover...And thanks to him, every time someone mentioned my full alias - the thought of a burly man with gleaming eyes sprung into my mind as punishment.
"...I didn't have a choice. Christian introduced me before I could give anyone here my last name." I mumbled, looking away from her.
"What is it?"
"I don't want to tell you."
"Tell me!" Winry chuckled, yanking at my ponytail. I hissed as she continued to pull, grabbing at her hands. She sure as hell was playful considering the situation she got herself mixed into...
"Winry what the hell!" I said through my teeth. "This isn't a game!"
"Tell me!" She repeated, pulling at my hair again. We continued this charade for the next few minutes, and somehow I had ended up laying down on the bed once again, Winry's leg's straddling me as she refused to prod her fingers from my hair, still laughing. Growling, I yanked her hands from my ponytail, causing her body to press against mine, her expression changing to a surprise as we both began to feel the intimacy of the setting. I blinked a few times, noticing her shift in mood as she rested herself against me, her hair falling to the side of my face.
"Win...this isn't exactly the time for that..." I chuckled nervously, shifting my eyes anywhere else but at hers. Jesus this woman! She was a health hazard in the way she made me let my guard down. My brain was currently fighting a losing battle with my body; my logical side trying to come up with ways to get her the hell out of here, while my body seemed to be responding to the way it had missed her. This is exactly why I preferred fucking alchemy; it made sense to me! I wasn't used to not understanding things, but the way Winry somehow had control over me was something I couldn't comprehend, and that alone drove me CRAZY. I could feel Winry staring at my lips and knew I needed to get her to focus. It really wasn't the time...no matter how much I missed her. The most important thing was to keep a clear head and get her back to base safely...without blowing my cover somehow. "Uh...Winry...can you get off?" I smiled awkwardly. As soon as the words left my mouth, I immediately regret them. The shiny wrench made contact with my skull within seconds as I bit back a yell. I gripped at my throbbing head, narrowing my eyes up at her. "What the hell Winry!"
"Why do you always do that!?" She groaned, crossing her arms while leaning back onto my hips, and at that point of time I couldn't tell if my head was spinning from the physical abuse or the way she rested her body on top of mine.
"Do what?!" I growled, wincing at the tender area on my forehead. She could never just get her point across without attacking me with that stupid thing...
"I haven't seen you in months...I was terrified for your safety. And now that I'm here with you, you're avoiding physical contact with me."
"You're fucking sitting on me right now, are you not? Is that not physical contact?" I spat sarcastically.
"You know what I mean!"
"God damn it Winry it's not that I don't want to fucking touch you!" I blushed. Jesus why did she make those things come out of my mouth? "I'm trying to keep a level head here to think of a plan of getting you back safely!"
"Maybe I don't want to go back..."
Now this was NOT something I wanted to hear. Ignoring my throbbing head, I sat up and grabbed her by the chin. My eyes wide.
"What the hell do you mean..." I hissed angrily. She looked shocked as she tried to yank her chin away from my grasp, but I held onto her firmly, forcing her to look me in the eye. "Winry. How many times do I have to tell you it's not safe here."
"I know it's dangerous, but I want to stay with you. I was so sick to my stomach every day wondering if you were alive. Plus you need me, your automail leg will need serviced, I can help!"
I shook my head, grinding my teeth.
"Don't be stupid! I've gone plenty of times before without my automail being serviced!"
"I'm not leaving you! I'm staying!"
I breathed in deeply as I looked at her blue eyes narrowed at me, a stubborn frown on her lips. A creeping feeling began to overcome me as I realized that she wasn't going to go anywhere. I couldn't force her to go back...no matter how much I wanted her to. Winry was the only one who could match me in being stubborn - and I fucking hated it.
"You don't know what they do to people here...if anything were to happen to you..." I murmured, letting my grip soften on her chin as my throat tightened at the thought of her staying.
"And what would I do if anything happened to you?" Winry replied. "You think you can just propose to me and then get yourself killed?"
I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous statement as she playfully stuck her tongue out at me. I knew she was trying to lighten the conversation, but really? At a time like this?
"Quit trying to be cute. I'm serious! Roma took a particular interest in you too. That already means trouble." I grimaced. To this she blinked and gave me a questioning look. I felt my face flush slightly and glanced over at the door.
"What do you mean?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. "I didn't notice anything."
"Come on, Winry. You...you know you're beautiful." I muttered, pulling at my collar again. I shook my head and went back to the topic prior before she made it into some sappy shit. "I'm not trying to control you. I know at the end of the day it's your decision, but you better know that I absolutely hate it."
"You know I can take care of myself." Winry replied, tapping her trusty wrench. I found myself flinching as she raised it above her head to reflect the light against it, clearly having one of her moments. I grunted in response. I knew Winry was independent, it was honestly one of her most attractive features. I noticed from an early age that Winry was different from most girls back in Rizembool. She could handle herself and always had, even during the times where she got mixed up with Kimblee and the incidents with Scar. Winry was never the kind of girl to be a damsel in distress, especially with that god damn wrench at her hip. "Ed...I promise I'll be careful."
Despite the seriousness of the circumstances we were in, I couldn't help but slip a small smirk onto my lips as I leaned back on my elbows and raised my eyebrows at her. She gave me a questioning look, before seconds later putting a hand to her mouth.
"I mean Eric! Eric!" She stifled a laugh.
"Moron." I scoffed, shaking my head slightly. My insult earned me another whack with the wrench, but it was much lighter compared to the first. "Jesus woman will you stop hitting me with that thing!"
"It comes with the territory!" She gleamed. "I...should probably start on your leg now though, since that Roma guy expects me to fix you up for whatever dangerous event you always have going on." Winry grimaced. She looked down at my belt and snuck her fingers under it, yanking it impatiently."So! Pants, off please." The blood that was pulsing at my head rushed down my body so fast as I looked at her in shock.
"Jesus Winry why do you have to make it embarrassing..." I groaned, slapping her hand away from yanking at my belt. She fell to the side of me as I quickly stood from the bed and faced away from her; it felt too weird to be looking at her right now while slipping my belt off and undoing my pants. Yeah yeah I know, she had seen me tons of times like this, but I had a strong sense that she enjoyed making it into an awkward situation for me now. Was it a sort of punishment for my lack of physical affection? Or did she just enjoy pissing me off? Probably a little bit of both...
Winry ushered me to sit back down as she eyed my leg, starting at the connecting port.
"Hm...why is the surface here so scratched up...?" Winry asked.
"Uh...you know, just average wear and tear I guess!"
"...Really? Average wear and tear? This is steel with chromium added into it! How could normal wear and tear possibly beat that! I purposely constructed this to fit your hazardous lifestyle and you still somehow manage to ruin my masterpieces!"
"Uh..."
"And look at your port! You've actually managed to dent it in so bad that you've exposed the nerves. I don't even know how you have been walking without feeling enormous amounts of pain!"
"Well-"
"Honestly...chromium is meant to make the steel even stronger...but it still is no match for you and your stupidity." She muttered. "I'm going to need more than the tools I have in my pockets to fix this."
"I was afraid of that...give me a list of what you need and I'll get it." I replied, standing from the bed. Winry scoffed at my request and shook her head.
"You'll get the wrong things. Besides, won't that look suspicious if you go and I'm waiting here for you? Let's just go together."
I frowned deeply. In order to get to the workroom, it would mean passing Roma's room. I crossed my arms and clenched my jaw at the thought of Roma's reaction to Winry from earlier. The way he eyed her with that sly smile, the way he felt the need to put his hands on her...it was menacing. I knew his exact thoughts every single time that stupid grin was on his face.
"Listen...can you just comply with one thing?" I murmured, looking down at her.
"What is it?"
"Don't...don't ever be alone with Roma. Do whatever you can to stay away from him. He's not safe to be around for anyone, but definitely not for someone like you."
"Someone like me?" Winry repeated, confused. She crossed her arms and waited for my response, but my distraction was caught by the zipper to her tank top...bra...whatever the hell that stupid thing she wore all the time with her work pants.
"...Gahhhhh Winry." I groaned, gently grabbing her arms and uncrossing them. She made a noise of protest as I zipped her top up all the way. I eyed her work jumpsuit and pointed at the sleeves knotted around her waist. "Can you...untie that?" I pointed awkwardly, my face flushing deeply. Winry's face mirrored my blush as she looked down at herself.
"What?"
"Can you put your jumpsuit on all the way?"
"What the hell is this all about?" Winry complained, putting her hands on her hips. I threw my head back in exasperation as I realized she was always going to fight me every step of the way. Jolting my head back to meet her gaze, I untied her jumpsuit and slid the sleeves up her arms as fast as lightning - overwhelmed with embarrassment. After quickly moving my hand up the zipper as fast as I could, I jumped back to take in the sight of a very grumpy blonde woman.
"Damn it..." I muttered. Although every part of her was covered...Winry's shape was...uh, she...she had features that were...pleasant.
"Ed-ric...?" Winry questioned, catching herself again with mixing up my name. I felt a sweat drop going down my forehead as I took my hands and messed up her hair feverishly. "What are you doing?!" Winry exclaimed, slapping my hands away.
"Trying to make you look less attractive you idiot!" I growled through my teeth. "God damn it Winry, you and your hate for being clothed..."
"I am clothed! Nothing was showing before!"
I stepped back again and took in the view. Winry was huffing with annoyance, her hair out of place and her jumpsuit zipped up to kingdom come...yet...
"God damn it...it's not working." I groaned, putting a hand to my face and pinching the bridge of my nose. "Make yourself look ugly somehow."
She looked at me incredulously, and began laughing uncontrollably.
"Hey! This is serious!"
"Well-hahaha...what...hah! What do you want me to do exactly?"
I scowled and turned my face away. I honestly didn't think it was possible for Winry to not look attractive. I heard the sound of a zipper being pulled down and glanced back over, unable to take my eyes away from its motion downwards as it slipped below her chest.
"Honestly, What I'm wearing is just fine. I'll keep my jumpsuit on over my shoulders but at least let the zipper be somewhere breathable." She chuckled, brushing her tangled hair from her eyes. I heard myself make a strange noise as I swiftly snapped my head in the opposite direction, afraid she had seen my eyes caught staring at her chest.
"Whatever." I grumbled, running my hand through my hair in frustration. But as I stood there, a new and alarming thought entered into my mind. My throat tightened as I looked over to the blonde woman, who raised her eyebrows curiously at me.
"Winry..." I said, worried.
"Hm?"
"What the hell is Al going to do when he realizes you're not on base?"
Alphonse's POV
I sat impatiently in Mustang's office, reading the same pages of reports that were sent months prior. There had to be something we missed! There just had to be something in these reports that would help end this entire thing! Unfortunately, after brother had left, we only received one report from the soldier, Christian, about their whereabouts. The only information he could give us was that they were keeping Ed busy after finding him capable of researching and being another able body of defense. It seemed like the letter was rushed as the soldier seemed unable to finish his sentence on the experiments that were being done. All I had to work with through the quick scribbles were:
Edward safe. Unable to find time away from Roma. Roma dangerous. Alfred keeping eye on Ed. See's promise. The experiments are going-
I sighed deeply. What was the ending to that sentence?! What about the experiments?! Who was Roma?! I rubbed my eyes and looked up from the crumpled up reports from the past, all containing more information than the last one, yet nothing helpful to us figuring out how to stop it. If it were some type of society trying to bring the homunculus Father back...then we needed to try harder - we couldn't go off these notes for much longer...
"Alphonse, you should take a break. You haven't been sleeping very much." Riza Hawkeye advised, shifting her eyes over to Mustang who shrugged in response. I shook my head and smiled awkwardly.
"No it's okay! I'm sure you both work longer hours than this anyways. I don't think I truly ever adjusted back to the timezone here since my time in Xing..." I replied. Speaking of Xing...it had been at least a week and a half since I had written Mei back...by this time she would be receiving a letter. I felt my heart ache at the thought of her waiting for my response and getting none. Although she was aware of the situation and knew that I was safely on base, I'm sure she was still worried for me...and not writing her back yet was just going to make that sense of worry so much worse.
"I think we've all had enough for one night, Winry could probably use some company by this point of time anyways - being it pretty late into the evening now. How is she by the way?" Mustang asked, neatly folding up the paperwork that had become sprawled carelessly over his oak paneled desk. I bit back a grin as my eyes drifted to a chunk of wood missing from the large desk - a mark left by an angry Edward in the past.
"She's...been pretty down it seems. Winry is strong, but I think not hearing from him this long has really got her mind trapped. We normally wrote to her whenever we could in the past. I think this might be the longest it's been without a phone call or letter of letting her know he's alive." I grimaced. "To be honest...this has been the longest for me not to hear back from him either..."
"I'm sure Edward is okay. You and your brother have been through so much that has made both of you incredibly strong." Riza said softly. "The best thing that you and Winry can do for each other now is to support one another."
"And from what I hear from Lieutenant Phillips is that she's been quite the marvel down at the automail workroom, he claims she's actually been teaching them a few things." Mustang said, allowing a small smirk to play onto his lips. "Actually he's supposed to be reporting back here any moment now. I saw him earlier today, but he left his paperwork here by accident. I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you how she's been in the military workshop. Apparently she had quite the task today."
I grinned at the thought of Winry finding some sort of peace through all of this. I know she didn't like feeling helpless and lately we hadn't gotten a chance to speak as much, so it would be good to hear she was doing better. I picked up the papers in front of me and folded them back into the folder and handed them to Hawkeye.
"I really appreciate you having her find work here. I know she was beginning to miss working on automail. I could hear it in her voice when she called her boss in Rush Valley to let him know she wouldn't be back for sometime. At least this way it keeps her mind busy instead of thinking all the time about brother being in danger. I assured her that he's too stubborn to die after all of this time." I chuckled, scratching the back of my neck as a thought hit me. "Come to think of it...if anything was going to kill him I would have pegged it for when he proposed to Winry."
Silence.
"They're engaged?" Riza asked, a stern yet small smile sneaking its way onto her face. I leaned back in my chair and sucked in a breath.
"I...uh..." I stuttered. Crap. I knew Ed didn't want to say anything about it - in terms of it being 'embarrassing'. But Winry had wanted to wait to tell anyone until after everything had calmed down again. Boy was she going to kill me when she found out I slipped the news... "Well, uh...yes...but-"
Just like clockwork, a knock came from the door, revealing an older man, tired from the day.
"Ah, Lieutenant Phillips." Mustang greeted. "You forgot your paperwork from earlier. I knew you'd be back. I'd like you to meet Alphonse Elric, he and Miss Winry are childhood friends."
"Ah yes, a famous Elric brother!" Phillips exclaimed. I stood from my chair promptly and shook his hand.
"It's nice to meet you Lieutenant. The Brigadier General was just telling me about Winry working in your workroom." I grinned nervously as Riza's eyes were glued to me, clearly wanting to know more about the previous topic.
"Yes, yes, yes. She's a very sweet girl and a very smart one at that! That young woman knows her way around mechanics! If it wasn't for her help today, I would have been in quite a disaster. My subordinates didn't know which parts were necessary for the special forces automail, so Miss Winry volunteered to assist them off base and get the correct parts. Thanks to her, special forces were able to ship out with proper upgrades tonight!" Phillips crinkled a smile.
My eyes grew wide. From the corner of my eye, Riza looked just as concerned.
"She what?" I replied, fear rising inside me. The older man looked puzzled as he looked between the three of us.
"She left the base to retrieve the correct parts? That shop on the corner of Richmond?"
"Did you see her come back?!"
"Well, no. I saw the truck re-enter the base but my men reported that she had stopped to help someone with their automail." He frowned, his face growing with concern. I gasped and looked at Mustang who looked just as fearful. I felt my heart drop to my stomach as I exchanged glances with Mustang, who pointed his finger towards the doorway.
"Alphonse, go check her room! Lieutenant Phillips, I want those two soldiers in my office immediately. Have security forces announce a 10-65 - we need to find Miss Rockbell." Mustang demanded.
I ran out the door, Hawkeye trailing close behind me. I felt my stomach do a sickening lurch as I rounded the corner and flew down the steps, thoughts of Winry in danger rummaging through my mind. While it took every ounce of me to convince myself that my dear childhood friend was safely in her room - something told me otherwise. I slipped slightly down the stone steps, catching myself on the railing nearby.
"Careful Alphonse!" Riza warned, but I had no time to be careful. I needed to see that Winry was safe. She was my family, and I knew brother would never be the same if something were to happen to her.
The cold gust of air made my eyes burn as I ran across the base grounds, taking every shortcut to get to the dorms. Soldiers nearby looked at us curiously as we made long strides towards our destination, and over my shoulder I heard Hawkeye direct them back to their posts.
"Winry!" I yelled up, eyeing the window to her room was slightly ajar, the curtains seeping out from the suction of the night wind. No response. I swore under my breath and rushed through the door, tripping over the steps once more as I tried making my tired legs move as fast as they could go. "Sorry!" I said quickly as I scooted past a confused female soldier who clung to the wall just in time to get out of our way. I took a deep breath and threw the door open to Winry's room, hoping she was asleep in her bed.
Nothing.
Riza approached the room cautiously, looking around for any sight of Winry.
"She's...she's not here." I gasped, shock running through my system.
"Remain calm, she could be on the base somewhere."
"No...no Winry was always in here by this time if she wasn't in the workshop. She knew I came to check on her and spend time with her around this time when we were both available." I replied, grabbing a fistful of my hair and leaning against the door frame. "Something seemed off with her lately. I could tell - her and brother have that same impatient look in their eyes. I knew she was getting restless but I didn't think she would be as reckless as brother."
Riza frowned as she squinted out the window towards the automail workroom.
"There's no way she would be in the workroom if Lieutenant Phillips just came from there..." She murmured to herself.
"She would have been in here by now...Lieutenant Hawkeye...I don't think she ever made it back on base."
Riza turned away from the window to face me, her eyes mirroring the same fear as mine did. We wanted to believe Winry was safe on base, but if she hadn't made it back to her room by this point and no one had seen her...something had happened.
"Let's report back to the Brigadier General and formulate a search plan outside of the base grounds."
So! I apologize if this took a bit of time, but this chapter was on the longer side! I try to update as frequently as I can but I'm currently working full time so time to write is something I grasp for. I love writing this story for you guys and will do my best to update. :) Thank you for your patience!