Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters affiliated with the manga/anime.
A/N: Well, this chapter has been so much fun to write! As much as I adore the EdxWin-centric moments I really love to write about the interactions between Ed, Al and Winry. I also liked having the opportunity to explore Al and Winry's relationship which is, I assure you, strictly brother-sister. Also, I think I have some weird love for flashbacks. I have another flashback in this chapter and that makes four or five chapters I've included flashbacks in. Weird.
Anyway, just to keep all of you on the edge, this chapter includes a MAJOR plot twist which will affect everything that happens in this fic from now on.
So...
Enjoy!
Things that Never Change
Germany
24. Sept. 28
***
Winry woke up with a stiff neck.
Slowly, she raised her head and was met with a sight that made her heart swell. Ed was beside her, his heavy warm arm relaxed over her shoulders, his disheveled hair falling haphazardly over his angled features, and the tiniest trail of drool trickling from the right corner of his mouth.
He was so beautiful and she could kiss him again so easily, drool and all, but the sound of muted shuffling footsteps reminded the twenty-three year old that she and Ed were not alone in the bunker. True, their first kiss had been a very public embrace, but Winry had been so focused in the moment that she could care less if Commander Kluge himself was there to witness their frenzied kisses. And rather than regret her actions, Winry found herself wishing for more kisses, only behind closed doors and in private chambers.
Just the two of them...
But that would have to come later.
Smoothly, Winry extracted herself from Ed's side and stretched, the bones in her spine popping softly. With a tight-lipped moan, Winry stood on slightly cramped legs and began to pace as she surveyed the bunker.
"Good morning." Maes said.
Winry smiled warmly at the man who was tying up his boots by a crate near where she and Ed had fallen asleep. Hughes had lit the two kerosene lanterns, one on each side of him and the light did little to flatter the man's appearance. He had bags under his eyes, his beard was unkempt, his glasses were smudged and dull, and the small wrinkles around his eyes and mouth seemed to be severely pronounced.
"Fuck, Hughes, you look like shit."
Rolling her eyes, Winry turned to glower at Ed was stiffly rising to his feet with slow steadiness, his mouth open in a roaring yawn and his flesh hand scratching his belly.
"Have you lost all of your manners in the last five years?" Winry snorted with disgust.
"Don't worry about it, Winry. Usually I don't even get a greeting at all first thing in the morning. Ed's not exactly a morning person."
"He never was." Winry stated as she continued to glower at her friend who was doing his best to pretend that he wasn't hearing every word that was being said about him, though his grimace suggested otherwise.
It almost made Winry want to laugh.
"How long have you been down here, Hughes?" Ed asked, deciding to change the subject from his poor bedside manner to more important matters. "Are the police gone?"
"Yes. They were here for nearly six hours. I promise, there isn't a single brick, window or rat that wasn't accounted for. They really scrutinized the place."
"What about our apartment?"
"Don't worry. They didn't have the authority to search the actual apartments unless they were invited inside by the tenants, and Longstein's lawyers arrived shortly after I did to make sure those bastards kept to the law."
"Who is Longstein?" Winry asked as she combed her fingers through her hair.
"The woman who owns this apartment block." Ed answered. "She's a friend of mine and with her money and influence Al and I have been able to stay relatively safe even though we're the Nazi's most wanted."
"Couldn't stay out of trouble even in a whole new world, could you, Ed?" Winry joked ruefully as she placed her hands on her hips. Ed frowned and snorted before moving to adjust his braid which had become lopsided and messy during his rest.
"Guess we can wake everyone up and go back up to the apartment." Ed suggested. "What time is it?"
Hughes took out his pocket watch and checked.
"Just after nine o'clock in the morning." Hughes said. Winry didn't fail to notice that the watch Hughes used was identical to Luther's. It symbolized Hughes's loyalty to Edward and his cause against the increasingly popular Nazi regime.
"OK. So, let's get everyone up." Ed decided. Hughes nodded and turned to make his way towards the others, but before Winry could join him, Ed pulled at her shoulder, forcing her to face him.
"What?"
"Just wait a second, Win. Here." Ed handed Winry a small compact. "Fix yourself up a bit."
"Excuse me!" Winry all but roared.
"We're going out!" Ed roared back as he shoved the compact into Winry's face, causing her nose to brush against the glass and leave a smudge. "You can't walk around Berlin in Hughes's old work clothes. We need to get you some…girly clothes…I'll buy you anything you want."
"Yes, you will." Winry stated sharply as she took the compact from Ed and began to examine her reflection. She still had the odd grease smudge on her fact and quickly wiped those away. She looked at her teeth, glad to find that nothing unseemly was stuck in-between the bones. She would need to buy a toothbrush, and a hairbrush, and soap, and underwear…she would need to buy everything to begin her life anew. Did Ed even have enough money to do such a thing?
"I don't have anything you can wear to go out." Ed said. Looking beyond Ed to the corner, Winry noticed that the others were slowly getting to their feet, the three older children yawning and stretching while the youngest, what appeared to be a blond baby boy of about three years, was clutching tightly to Al's neck and making the young man chuckle. Catching Winry's eye, Al smiled warmly and began to walk towards his brother and childhood friend.
"We can't really give you anything of Noa's since…well…" Winry turned her attention back to Ed when his speech faltered and noticed that he was trying very hard not to look down at her chest, but of course his efforts not to look only resulted in him blatantly staring at her breasts. "…well, nothing of hers will fit you." Ed finished lamely.
"And just what do you mean by that?" Winry asked, partly out of insulted pride and partly out of the thrill of watching Ed squirm. She tucked the compact safely into her pocket as she waited for an explanation.
"Come on, Winry. You know!"
"Know what?" Winry asked, her tone carrying a teasing, but lethal, edge.
Ed needed to answer correctly and he needed to answer fast.
"You know." Ed answered lamely. Blushing terribly, the twenty-three year old once again looked down at Winry's chest. "You're just…" he raised his hands, his palms facing towards her as if he meant to cup each breast. Winry didn't know if she was more flattered or terrified. Of course, Ed didn't touch her, merely took a long moment to try and organize his thoughts and work out his words. "Well, Noa's just…she's…" and with that pathetic explanation, Ed turned his open palms towards his own chest and held them out in a demonstration of just how ample Noa's bust was compared to Winry's. He grimaced. "Get it?"
"Oh yes, I get it completely. And, you've come to this conclusion how, exactly?" Winry teased. "What would Al say if he knew you were checking out his wife?"
"It's not like that!" Ed growled, blushing so badly Winry thought he might melt his automail.
"Relax, Ed. I get it." Winry soothed as she patted the distressed man on the back.
"Morning." Al greeted hoarsely as he sauntered towards the pair, the small boy still in his arms. He was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the hand that wasn't cupped under the little boy's bottom while the boy burrowed his face deeply against Al's neck. The pair looked as if they had had a restless night.
"Clean up, Al, we're going out today." Ed announced, his voice sounding irritated and slightly panicked.. "Hurry up!"
"Yeah, yeah." Al groaned with good humor, but made no attempt to move as he was still preoccupied with getting the sleepy grit out of his bronze colored eyes. The child he was holding didn't seem particularly interested in waking up either, his head buried tightly against Al's collar and little sounds of protest coming from his small mouth.
"Ah…" Winry cooed. "Who do we have here?" Winry asked, raising her hands to take the drowsy child from Al. Smiling warmly, and excitement dancing around the corners of his eyes, Al was just about to hand the boy to Winry when Ed pushed his way between them and snatched the child with fierce protectiveness and shot his brother a frighteningly angry glower before walking towards Noa.
"We don't have time for this!" Ed snapped, as he patted the back of the boy's head, the child merely accepting his new carrier and tucking his face securely against Ed's chest. "We're going now!"
"Alright." Al said. Winry took note of the disappointed look in Al's eyes as Ed handed the baby to Noa and proceeded to give her instructions on what to do while the three of them were out.
"Don't worry about it, Al." Winry said. "You know Ed, no patience at all. I'll get to meet all of the kids when we get back."
"But Winry..." Al started, only to be interrupted as Ed threw his coat over Winry's shoulders and tossed Al his hat.
"Let's go."
"Brother!" Al snapped. "What's the rush? Why not just stay in for a few hours and go out for lunch instead?"
"No. We'll go now." Ed insisted. The two brothers glowered dangerously at each other, gold and bronze narrowing and speaking so much more than words ever could. To the untrained eye, one would merely think that Edward and Alphonse Elric were having a typical sibling squabble, but Winry's senses were extremely in tune with the shifting emotions of the Elric brothers, and she knew that this argument was over something much more important than a simple shopping trip.
Ed wanted to leave immediately, Al wanted to linger. Winry couldn't begin to understand what the issue could be, but whatever it was, it was important…at least, to the brothers. Feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over her as she realized that even after five years she could still perfectly read Ed and Al, the young woman smiled and reached out to the brothers. Bridging the gap between the boys, Winry wrapped her arms around their necks and pulled them to her effortlessly. She squeezed the Elrics tightly, her cheeks pressed against theirs, a happy moan escaping from her clenched lips as she fought back tears.
"Winry? Everything OK?" Al asked as he soothingly rubbed his friend along her back.
"Let's just go, guys." she said breathlessly as she released the pair and offered both a radiantly happy smile. "No fighting, OK. At least, not this morning. Let's just go and get me settled into this world, alright?"
"Sure, Winry." Al sighed, all of the tension he had held as he stared down Ed now melting away as quickly as ice in the sun. He wouldn't deny her this request, not when it was their first time together as a trio in so long.
"Great!" Winry exclaimed as she began to ascend the staircase that led to the basement of the apartment.
"Come on, Ed." Al instructed, the slightest tinge of malice lacing his voice. Ed didn't bother responding to his brother's upset and simple followed the others up the stairs.
He knew why Al was mad, and Ed was even madder at himself. He just needed some time to get his thoughts together and sink into the reality of Winry actually being with him on this side of the Gate. It was all still so new and even somewhat dreamlike, but Ed understood that Winry was actually with him again. He would have to speak with her, explain everything about the bomb that Kluge was after and the hostile situation with the SS. He would have to make her understand the dangers…and convince her to stay behind while he and Al left for weeks at a time to fight Kluge and keep the bomb protected.
He would protect her, too, better than he ever had back in Amestris. He would keep her safe and provided for and warm and comfortable. He would let her work on his automail to her heart's content and take every appliance in the apartment apart if she wanted to and he would let her buy whatever she wanted and decorate as she pleased…and he would tell her everything.
There would be no more secrets, Ed decided firmly as he, Winry and Al emerged from he bunker's hidden entrance into the dark, damp basement of the apartment building. He would tell her things he wanted to tell her, things he meant to tell her, and things she might not want to hear.
He would tell her everything.
Winry bit the inside of her cheek as she struggled. She shifted her weight, pushed forward and back in her seat, and even tried to ignore the irritating discomfort, but in the end there was no help for it. Trying to be as subtle as possible, Winry placed her hands high on her thighs. Taking a moment to admire the soft wool of the new goldenrod skirt Ed had purchase for her, Winry dug her fingers into the material and pulled.
She twisted and yanked, grimaced at the irritating chaffing, but then relaxed and sighed happily when she finally straightened out her stockings so that they were no longer tightening around her in the most uncomfortable places. Settling comfortably in her chair, Winry looked out of the corners of her eyes to see if anyone in the café had noticed her embarrassing struggles.
Hearing a muffled chuckle, Winry looked across the table at her companion and blushed. It appeared that she hadn't been as inconspicuous about her twisted stockings as she had hoped. Al was covering his mouth with both hands, his eyes twinkling with mirth as he stared at Winry who did her best to act as if she hadn't a clue what her dining companion found so entertaining.
"Problems?" the seventeen year old asked between his lips.
"I hate stockings." Winry answered honestly. "Do the women here really wear them all the time? No pants?"
"Well, some wear pants, but they do tend to stand out." Al said as his eyes swept the other patrons that sat around them in the enclosed outdoor café. Winry followed Al's example and looked around, unable to find a single woman in a pair of pants or a skirt that went higher than their knees.
"This place is so archaic." Winry grumbled. "My grandma didn't even have to wear skirts this long when she was my age."
"You look nice." Al offered as a means of soothing Winry's bad temper. "And besides, brother said you could wear a pair of his old trousers around the apartment."
"Yeah." Winry commented, blushing at the memory of Ed's offer. He had only said it to stop her from making a scene in the dress shop when the sales clerk had told her in a superior snotty tone that only bumpkin farmhand women wore pants. While Winry had been eager to bean the clerk with a mannequin, Ed had simply taken Winry firmly by her shoulders and directed her out of the shop, his offer of his hand-me-downs the only thing that calmed Winry enough to be led into another dress shop and amicably purchase the outfit she was currently wearing.
It wasn't that Winry didn't like the clothes. Actually, she found it rather becoming, with the richness of her goldenrod skirt nicely balanced by the red-wine color of her blouse. The ruffles at the collar and cuffs she could have done without, and Winry most certainly could have lived happily without the beige stockings, but that was the fashion and she had to suck it up. At least she had talked Ed out of purchasing the hideous hat that had been suggested to go along with the ensemble. It was a ridiculous contraption that was shaped like an upside-down pastry bowl with pearls, lace and feathers all along the trim. While Ed had agreed that the hat was out of the question, he did insist on the stockings and high-heeled boots. Winry had argued with Ed that she hadn't worn high-heels since she was a little girl playing dress-up with her mother's things, but the stubborn alchemist would hear none of it and forced Winry to buy two pairs of the torturous contraptions.
Winry didn't like the shoes, but she had had her revenge. The entire walk to the café she had tripped nearly every fifth step she took and Ed was forced to catch her, something which he had grumbled about the whole way. Winry smirked secretly to herself. After they ate breakfast, Winry was certain that the next shop they stopped at Ed would not argue with her when she asked for a pair of flat boots.
Maybe even a pair of men's shoes…
"Winry?" Al asked.
"Mmm?"
"I'm really glad you're here. It's…it's really good to see you again." Al confessed, reaching across the table to take her hands in his. Winry smiled fondly at Alphonse and squeezed his hand tightly, wanting him to understand just how much it meant to her to be with him again.
Words would never be enough to express her joy.
"I know that when I came back…when I got my body back and Ed was sent to this place…I wasn't around for long. I didn't remember anything about being in the armor. It was scary to know that five years of my life had passed and I didn't remember any of it. My last memory of Ed was when he was a boy and we were trying to bring Mom back…I wanted to find him again. I had to."
"I know, Al. Why do you think I let you go so easily? I wish I could have come with you."
"But you could have come with me!" Al exclaimed. "There was no reason for me to leave you behind in Resembool. We could have both gone to stay with Teacher and you could have worked on automail while I trained and then, when I began to travel to search for a way to bring Brother back we could have gone together."
"Oh Al…" Winry sighed as she reached over the table to stroke the boy's cheek with warm affection. "Don't you see? I couldn't have gone with you. As much as I wanted to get Ed back…it wasn't my mission. It never was. That was something you had to do, and you did it well. You got him back, didn't you?"
"But at what price? That Eckhart woman came through, killed innocent people, and then Ed and I came to here and left you behind again!"
"I know." Winry said. "And don't fool yourself into thinking I wasn't angry as all hell at both of you. I cursed you two every day for weeks. I took all of your pictures and locked them away in a cupboard. The doll you and Ed made me when we were kids…I buried it with Grandma. I was trying to bury everything with her, I think…all of my hurt and anger…that's part of what drove me to go to the front lines."
"Ed was telling me about that." Al commented.
"When?"
"When you were changing at the shop."
"Ah. He's not happy about it, is he?"
"Do I really have to answer that? You know Ed's temper. I can't really blame him, though."
"Why? You think I was being reckless, too?" Winry snapped as she crossed her arms and legs and shot Al a narrowed glower.
"No." the seventeen year old said casually as he mimicked her posture and shot her a self-satisfied smirk. "I just know that Ed blows up anytime you're in some sort of dangerous situation. He doesn't like to think of you getting hurt and even worse, he's afraid that if you ever were hurt it would be his fault."
"Seriously, Al, does Ed thrive on guilt? Is it his only sustenance?"
Al laughed at Winry's semi-serious outburst.
"You're right, but that's just how brother is. Brother's very protective of those he loves. Don't you remember the beating he took from the boys in school who were teasing you after your parents died?"
Winry did remember, and even after sixteen years her heart fluttered at the memory of Ed defending her against the brood of bigger, meaner boys who had soundly thrashed the much smaller Ed, leaving the elder Elric with two black eyes, a chipped tooth and crescent shaped scar behind his right ear.
He had been a hero in her eyes.
Even so, she had lectured him on fighting losing battles, but Ed had simply rolled his eyes rudely at her before reminding her that he had fought the losing battle for her benefit.
He had claimed to do a lot of things for her benefit when they were little.
Winry didn't fail to notice what Al was trying to say.
Of course Ed loved her, and she loved him.
Romantic love aside, Winry didn't think there was ever a time when she or Ed didn't love one another. Perhaps they argued and beat on each other a lot, but that was how they expressed their concern and affection. You loved your friends, especially your best friend. It was an equation as unquestionable as equivalent exchange.
But then there was that time when platonic love grew to include romantic love. Not changed, just grew.
When Ed had returned after four years as a wandering State Alchemist, his arm completely gone and the slightest of limps affecting his confident stride, Winry had felt her feelings for her friend shift. She felt them grow, become all encompassing and consuming. There was a spark, a sharp bolt of lightning that seemed to make the air crackle whenever they were in the same room together.
That last time they were together, when Ed had dyed his hair a muddy green so as to travel undetected, Winry had pulled tightly on his hair and insisted that she would braid it for him…
Winry wondered how Ed kept his hair so soft. It was always sleek and free of tangles and so simple to style. She had thought that from years of traveling under an unforgiving sun with no hat to protect him, Ed's hair would have a more straw-like consistency, crisp and fragile, but as she finished braiding his now dark colored hair, Winry wished it was longer so that she could continue to run her fingers through it…then she could keep him with her for a few more hours.
"All done." Winry said rather regretfully as she tied his hair back.
"Thanks, Winry." Ed said as he raised his hand to feel the braid. "Not a hair out of place."
"Of course not." Winry answered smartly. "I make my braids just as good as my automail."
"You sure do." Ed agreed softly. "You make the best automail."
"I know."
"I mean it." Ed said seriously, shifting closer to her on the bed and bringing his head very close to hers. Winry stiffened, wondering what Ed was doing. He never got close to her, not since his mother's funeral. Then again, Winry didn't get very close to Ed unless it was necessary, like his ever increasingly frequent automail repairs.
She wanted to be close to him, though, and thinking that this might be the last time she saw him for a long time Winry wanted to remember every detail about him. She clung to the hue to his eyes as he looked at her, and her fingers curled in as she implored them to never forget the sleek dampness of his hair. And his scent, his body warm and clean, his breath smelling faintly of mint toothpaste. He was looking at her that way again, as if she was a feast waiting to be eaten…she didn't want to let him go!
She wanted Ed to stay, automail and all. She would take care of him, she knew she could, and she wanted to learn everything about him. She wanted him to always look at her like that. She didn't care that things had become hot and awkward between them. In fact, she was excited about the whole thing! Al was gone, already shipped to the train station in his disguise leaving them alone to do whatever their compulsions told them to.. He was leaning into her.
He could tell her anything or nothing, it didn't matter.
She just wanted him to stay.
"Thank you for everything, Winry. I'd be lost without you."
Hearing the sincerity in his voice, Winry wished for the moment to last forever…
That was the last time they had been alone together.
They had been sixteen, just discovering what it meant to truly become adults. They were young and curious, trying to learn exactly what it was that was happening between them. If Ed didn't have such a focused min, Winry wondered what might have happened in that bedroom seven years ago. After all, Ed had been clad in nothing but a towel and Winry couldn't muster up enough modesty to care that he was practically naked.
She had just wanted to be close to him.
She had wanted Ed to kiss her, hold her, and had even fancied that his towel might 'accidentally' slip from his body which would lead to her own clothes being discarded and they would make love on the rumbled bed sheets like a pair of inexperienced but so very eager and desperate teenagers.
That's not how the scenario had progressed, though, and despite the fact that it was another seven years before she actually got to kiss him, Winry wasn't terribly disappointed with her and Ed's first romantic moment.
In fact, if the others hadn't been around, perhaps Ed's clothes would have 'accidentally' slid from his body…
"So, what's it like being a married man?" Winry asked, desperate to change the direction of her thoughts. She didn't want to think about Ed, not in that way…at least not when his younger brother was sitting across from her!
"It's OK." Al said softly. "Noa's great, really. She's come such a long way from when we first met. Did you know she taught herself to speak and read French? And she's really good with the kids. They all adore her."
"She sounds wonderful." Winry said, looking forward to the chance at getting to know Noa better. There hadn't been much time to speak last night outside of the cordial introductions, but when this shopping venture was over and they returned to the apartment there would be nothing but time and Winry truly did want to get to know the Roma woman. After all, Al was practically her little brother which made Noa a sister-in-law of sorts.
"She's psychic, too." Al whispered.
"Excuse me?" Winry wondered.
"Noa's psychic." Al repeated. "Clairvoyant, really. When she touches something she can pick up on the feelings or memories associated with it. She sometimes does it when she touches people, too. If it happens when she touches you or something you own, I just don't want you to freak out."
"Why would I freak out?" Winry asked reluctantly, still not really believing that Al's wife had mental powers.
"Well, she goes sort of funny when stuck in a vision. She'll get really quiet and go stiff, her eyes get unfocused and sometimes she mumbles. It can be a little frightening if you're caught off guard."
"Does it happen often?" Winry asked.
"Not so much now that she spends most of her time in the apartment with the kids. Did I tell you how great she is with them?"
"Yes, Al." Winry said, smiling broadly as her friend blushed. He was gushing terribly about his wife and from the content look in his eyes, Winry knew that her little Alphonse was very much in love with his wife. "You're so cute, Al." Winry teased as she reached over the table to pinch his cheek.
"What's so cute about him?" Ed asked as he rejoined the pair, three cups held delicately in his hands. "Tea for Al, and coffee for me and Winry. You still take yours with all of that shit in it, right?"
"Ed, it's called cream." Winry retorted as she blew over her steaming mug.
"And what's the point of having good coffee if all you're going to dilute it with cream? It changes the flavor and the structure and it just isn't coffee anymore when you mix that junk in it."
"Not all of us have cast-iron guts like you." Winry snorted.
"Damn right!" Ed responded proudly as he gulped half of his coffee. "So, what's so cute about Al, then?"
"Nothing's cute about me." Al said, shooting Winry warning glares but to no avail.
Grinning wickedly, Winry told Ed exactly what was so adorable about his little brother.
"He's just hopelessly head-over-heels crazy in love with his wife, that's all." Winry said through an exaggerated longing sigh. "He sounds just like Mr. Hughes the way he talks about her. Oh! Young love is just so cute! Ed? What's so funny?"
The oldest Elric was doubled over, his hands clutching at his sides as he laughed hysterically. His loud raucous laughter was drawing angry glares from the other café patrons and Al must have been holding his breath because he looked like he had gone purple as he buried his face in his folded arms.
"What's so funny?" Winry demanded again, not liking to be left out of the joke. Ed finally calmed enough to raise his face to her, his mouth still stretched into a large smile as wiped tears out of the corners of his eyes.
"What's wrong, Al? Didn't you tell her?"
"Tell me what?"
"Brother, don't! Just forget it, please."
"Tell me what, Al?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing." Ed gasped as he regained his composure and took another large gulp of his coffee. "It's really nothing. Al loves Noa unconditionally…she just doesn't know it."
"Ed!"
"Alphonse!" Winry scolded sharply as Ed began to laugh again and Al lowered his head in shame. Ignoring the roaring baboon that was sitting beside them, Winry scooted her chair closer to Al and spoke in even, comforting tones. "You haven't told Noa that you love her yet? Why did you get married then, and why did she say yes?"
"I married her to keep her safe." Al said, explaining the reasons behind the nuptials. "I wanted to protect her and right now, marriage is really the only option."
"Did you love her before you asked her to marry you?" Winry wondered.
"Yes! I've love her…for a long time now."
"Well, then why not tell her now?" Winry suggested.
"Because she…" Al cut himself off, his large bronze eyes slanting towards Ed who had managed to stop his laughter for the second time though he was still sputtering occasionally as he tried to occupy his mouth with his coffee.
He wouldn't tell Winry that Noa was in love with Ed.
He couldn't hurt her like that.
Still, the look on Ed's face at learning the truth might have been worth it, but hurting Winry never would be.
"I just don't think she sees me like that." Al offered lamely. "I mean, she knew that it was going to be a marriage in name only and I don't want to spring my feelings on her and make her feel obligated to consummate things."
"Consummate? You mean you haven't…you haven't?" Winry asked with great surprise.
"Can we just eat and forget all of this?" Al asked pathetically, his voice sounding hurt and hollow. Realizing the sore spot she had hit, Winry kissed Al's temple and returned her chair to its proper place before smacking Ed over the head for making an idiot of himself. A comfortably familiar squabble ensued between Ed and Winry and Al sighed in relief.
It wasn't as if Winry wouldn't have found out the situation with Noa eventually, but Ed's mocking laughter and the public venue wasn't how Al had wanted to inform his dearest friend of his marital status. Thankfully, Winry respected his feelings on the subject much better than his own brother did, and she didn't bring up the marriage again, instead continuing to argue with Ed until their breakfast order arrived and Ed fell silent as he proceeded to stuff his face.
"Your table manners are still the same." Winry commented.
"What table manners?" Al mumbled. Winry chuckled, but Ed's munching was so loud that he failed to notice the jab and speared another sausage which he devoured in two ravenous gulps. "So, Winry, tell me about Colonel Mustang. You said he's Amestris's Chancellor now."
"He is." Winry said, noticing that Ed had slowed down his eating so that he could hear her speak. "He really earned the respect of the people during the war. I…I never thought that I'd forgive him for what he did. I mean, how do you look your parents' murderer in the eye and forgive them? It was hard, but he was good to me after grandma died and when I went to the frontlines and he had those officers protecting me…I think being in the middle of the war I started to understand why he did it, and maybe that's why I forgave him."
Ed grunted, his own anger at Mustang's past mistake that so dramatically scarred his friend not so easily soothed.
Winry just ignored him and kept speaking.
"He married Miss Riza."
"What?!" Ed exclaimed. "He actually settled down?"
"They have two little girls."
"He spawned?!"
"Brother…" Al groaned, covering his face in pure mortification as a regally dressed old woman at the table next to them clicked her tongue and muttered to her son about the bad manners of common young people. Ed didn't care about what the old cow thought of his manners and simply stared at Winry with incredulous wide golden eyes.
"What are their names?" Al asked, trying to recover from his embarrassment.
"Collette is two years old, and the newborn they decided to name Sarah. She's just four months."
"Sarah? But that's your…"
"They asked my permission to name her after my mother when Miss Riza learned she was pregnant again. I'm her godmother."
"That's wonderful, Winry!" Al said with genuine enthusiasm.
"Both of them look exactly like their mother."
"Thank God." Ed growled. "Could you imagine if they took after their father? The poor little things would be the ugliest creatures in Amestris."
"Grow up, Ed." Winry said exasperatedly.
"Speaking of people having kids…"
"How're your eggs, Winry?" Ed asked, speaking over his brother with confident ease. Winry nodded at Ed's query to let him know that her food was good, noticing the rather furious look Al shot Ed, and the way that Ed simply ignored his brother.
"Oh! I forgot." Winry said, realizing that if she didn't say something then the rest of the meal would be spent in this tense silence. "I have a message for you, Ed."
"Really? From who?"
"It's nothing special. Truth just wanted me to tell you it says 'hello'."
Ed's consistent chewing stopped and the color drained from his face as he stared at Winry in disbelief.
"You saw Truth?" he chocked.
"When Luther activated the transmutation circle on our side we were brought to that place before the Gate. He talked to Truth and said he would exchange himself for me. Ed, that…thing is the most sadistic…sick thing I've ever seen! It played with the body parts of the SS soldiers that Luther had killed as if they were toys. What is it?!"
"Just what I call it." Ed answered solemnly as he pushed his nearly empty plate away from him, his hunger having vanished. "It's Truth. That thing before the Gate controls everything on our side and this side. It's not human, but it seems to be fascinated with human behavior."
"Yeah. It told me that you were just a selfish brat."
"Doesn't surprise me." Ed commented.
"I told it off." Winry said, earning a surprised look from both brothers. Ed's shock, however, only lasted a fleeting second before her smiled proudly at her leaned forward to push a strand of blond hair behind her ear.
"Only you would have the balls to tell a thing that could very well be God to shove it." Ed joked.
Winry couldn't find words for the moment, enjoying the pride that was shining in the depths of Ed's eyes.
All for her.
She felt a fuzzy, comforting warmth spread throughout her body and very nearly forgot that Al was sitting at the table with them.
"Did anything else happen in that place, Winry? Anything you want to talk about?" Al asked.
"Actually," Winry began, "Luther said something before he died. He asked someone named Ulrich to forgive him. Do either of you know what that means."
"Not me." Al answered. He had only ever met Luther Austerlitz once in the six months that he had been a part of Ed's organization and the man hadn't been especially forthcoming about anything that didn't involve orders.
He and Ed were like that in several ways.
"I do." Ed offered. "Luther had an older brother, Ulrich. About six years ago, Ulrich was shot outside of bar in Offenburg by officers."
"For what?" Winry demanded.
"For kissing."
"Kissing? What sort of barbaric place is this?!" Winry cried.
"For kissing a man," Ed clarified, "and in public street, no less."
"So he was homosexual. That's not a crime. You mean here it's a crime?"
"Not an actual written one, at least not yet." Ed answered. "The people here have some major issue with homosexuality. They think it's like a disease or something. The stupid thing is, if you look back to this world's history there have been homosexuals for centuries, some of them this world's great leaders. But people here are really…conservative. It's become a don't ask, don't tell situation."
"More like don't ask, don't tell, don't get caught." Winry observed.
"Luther saw his brother get gunned down that night and felt responsible. I think he's been trying to find redemption ever since."
"Maybe that's why he came for me." Winry whispered. "Maybe that's why he sacrificed himself to save me."
The three friends were silent for a long while before Ed shifted and took something out of his coat pocket.
He was holding Luther's silver pocket watch in the palm of his automail hand and looking at it with deep concentration before appearing to come to some sort of important conclusion.
"Take his watch, Winry." Ed instructed, placing the timepiece by her breakfast plate. She didn't argue with Ed, glad to be given a piece of the man that had given his life for her. Taking the watch, Winry put it in her new clutch and smiled. She had made her peace with what Luther had done for her, determined not to see his sacrifice be in vain.
She was going to stick by Ed's side, no matter how much he tried to shake her off.
"Well, let's finish up." Ed declared. "We still have to get you a coat and a few more outfits. We'll have to get you all the other girly things that women need."
Winry just rolled her eyes and didn't even bother to reply.
"Just get whatever else you need, Winry. Al and I will be by the door."
"I won't be long." Winry promised.
It was the last shop on their route. Over the course of the day Ed had ensured that Winry was supplied with all manner of clothing, accessories and a pair of men's boots, her own bed linens, undergarments, ribbons for her hair, even a few new tools and oils. Finally, all they needed was a few toiletries, including a hair brush, toothbrush and various soaps. Laden with all sorts of boxes and paper bags, Winry could just imagine how eager Ed and Al were for the shopping day to be finished.
They had had a very brief lunch of fruit, bread and cheese and now it was nearing six o'clock and all three were famished. While the day had been immensely enjoyable, Winry was glad to see it was ending. She had never been one for overly feminine activities like shopping, preferring to work on her automail or play football with the boys in town or talk shop with other mechanics. It would be nice when they were all back at the apartment.
Winry was really looking forward to meeting the children and speaking with Noa.
She was looking forward to having a family again.
And it was that thought that led Winry to an important conclusion concerning herself and Ed.
She was going to forgive him.
Not that she had believed that she wouldn't forgive him for all of the reasons she was angry with him, his bull-headed decision to keep her out of his affairs when he wandered as a State Alchemist the most prominent. But Winry didn't think she would be willing to forgive Ed so soon after their reunion, yet here she was not even a full day later and she was ready to wipe the slate clean with her oldest friend.
He had changed. Matured and grown, both figuratively and literally. Winry stopped herself from chuckling as she reminded herself that Ed was now a giant five inches taller than her. He had become a man, and a man of average height no less! His chin was far more angular and chiseled, and his cheeks grew the most adorable blond stubble, though he was doing his best to keep clean-shaven and groomed. He had always been handsome and now he was simply beautiful, so much so that Winry had found herself just staring at him several times over the course of the day. He would tease her and joke with her, and he still bantered wonderfully, as if they had never been apart. Being with Ed again was like falling into one's own bed: comfortable, warm and safe. How could she stay mad at him?
She would forgive Ed anything in the end, but on the verge of their new adventure in this world beyond the Gate, Winry had made up her mind that she would let the past rest and instead move ahead into the future, Ed's hand clasped reassuringly in hers.
Getting her few items as quickly as possible, and blushing when her stomach growled so loudly that the sales clerk gave her a teasing smile, Winry strode back towards the Elric brothers, glad that she had somewhat mastered the art of walking in high-heels without tripping. She only wobbled a little, but maintained her balance as she neared the door. Just when she was about to call out to Ed and Al, a snippet of their conversation caught her attention and she stopped suddenly, hidden partially from view by a display of perfumes.
"…embarrassing me about Noa like that. And you're just being a hypocrite, Brother. You haven't come clean about your feelings for Winry, have you?"
"I kissed her last night, didn't I?" Ed retorted with a pout.
"Oh please! That kiss was ten years overdue in the first place. That was bound to happen, but you still haven't actually said how you feel. Yesterday we thought we'd never see Winry again, and now here she is. And she likes you, Brother. A lot."
"Al…"
"Which is why you need to tell her."
"I promise to tell Winry how I feel about her soon. It'll take some time, OK?"
Winry couldn't help smiling affectionately at Ed. Even as a twenty-three year old man he was still rather hopeless when it came to her. That was fine. She'd be patient with him.
"I don't mean that." Al said firmly, his voice cutting through Winry's soft feelings for Ed as effectively as a bullet through a paper target.
There was something else?!
Another secret…
"I know what you mean, Al" Ed said after a momentary pause.
"Are you going to tell her?"
"Don't have much choice. She'll find out on her own anyway." Ed grumbled.
"But are you going to tell her. You know, before she finds out on her own?"
"For the love of fucking Christ, Al! I swear on Mom's grave that I'll tell Winry before she finds out on her own!" Ed cried out exasperatedly. "Happy?"
"Yes. Where is Winry, anyway? She should be done by now." Al said, twisting his head around and scanning the shop for Winry. Ducking a little further behind the perfume display, Winry took a moment to collect herself before joining the brothers.
So, Ed had another secret, one she was inevitably going to discover whether he told her or not it seemed. Feeling a little deflated, Winry acknowledged that some things just stayed the same even after five years of separation. Ed had always had his secrets from her, even when they were children. She hadn't pried, showing respect for Ed and his privacy, but that didn't mean that his choice not to share things with her didn't hurt.
However, he did confess that he was going to tell her, and that confession alone was something Ed wouldn't have even considered five years ago. It was a sign of maturity…and he had said that he had feelings for her…feelings which she strongly believed were akin to her own…
Biting down on all of the negative emotions that were swelling within her, Winry resolved to give Ed the benefit of the doubt. He was keeping a secret from her, but he was going to tell her. She could wait.
And she wouldn't get mad at him.
Nodding to herself in acceptance of her decision, Winry emerged from her hiding spot, and continued towards the Elrics as if nothing had transpired.
"Let's go, guys." she said through a happy huff.
"Finally!" Ed exclaimed, leading the trio out of the shop and back towards home.
They had just made it to the seventh floor, puffed out and exhausted as they had been burdened with so many packages while climbing the stairs. Taking a moment to catch their breath, Ed, Al and Winry reclined against the hall wall, breathing deeply.
"I never want to see another fucking shopping bag as long as I live." Ed announced.
"Same here." Winry agreed, though Ed threw her a disbelieving glare.
"I'll get these." Al said eagerly, snatching all of the packages and making his way to their apartment a few doors down. Winry didn't miss the urgent look Al shot at his brother, just as she wasn't ignorant of the fact that Al had lagged behind her and Ed during their walk back to the apartment, thus granting his brother a somewhat private opportunity to tell Winry of his secret, whatever it may be.
He hadn't.
Al turned the key in the lock and walked into the apartment and left the door agape, leaving Ed and Winry alone in the hallway. For a few moments, neither adult said a word. Winry waited, hoping Ed would finally tell her what his secret was, but the young man seemed to be oddly interested in his shoes at the moment. Realizing that he wasn't ready to tell her, Winry swallowed her disappointment and pushed away from the wall and began to make her way towards the open apartment door.
"Come on, Ed." Winry said. "I'm hungry."
"Wait, Win!" Ed called urgently, taking her arm in his automail hand, the cool press of the metal sinking into her skin through the blouse and calming her nerves. Ed's eyes were hot and intent, flickering with nervousness and trepidation and it frightened Winry a little. Whatever the secret Ed had to confess it was most certainly important.
Still, he hesitated.
Suspecting that he wanted absolute privacy, Winry reached out to close the apartment door so that the others wouldn't catch any of Ed's words.
"No, don't!" Ed cried, stepping closer to stop Winry from touching the door, bringing his body into the door frame.
"Ha!" an excitable little voice cried, followed immediately by rushing footsteps. Winry spotted a flash of yellow launch itself at Ed's legs so hard that the twenty-three year old staggered a little, but he maintained his balance and looked at Winry with wide, completely horrified eyes.
Winry's face dropped, not understanding why Ed was so afraid.
He looked down at the child holding his leg in a fierce hug and Winry followed suit.
Blond hair.
It was the youngest of the children, the child that Al had been carrying around in the bunker earlier in the morning.
"Daddy!" the boy cried in a delighted high pitched voice that seemed to echo off every wall in the building.
Feeling her stomach bottom out, Winry stared as the boy lifted his face from Ed's leg to look up at him.
She gasped and stepped back.
If Ed had not been standing before her as a man she would have easily believed that the child was her dear friend returned to his three year old self. The same round face, the same wide grinning mouth, the same upturned nose, the same haphazard yellow hair and the same large golden eyes.
Daddy?
Unable to speak, Winry looked up from the boy to find that Ed was staring at her with a sad, guilty expression, his mouth pressed into a grim line and his eyes half lidded in apology.
She didn't have to ask him.
"Winry, this is Eddie. He's my son."
Well, did that freak everyone out?
Good.
In case anyone is wondering, Ed was always meant to have a child in the fic so it's not some random plot bunny I stuck in here. The only issue was I had trouble deciding if I wanted Ed to have a girl or a boy, but the thought of a chibi-Ed (who goes by Eddie) running around Germany was just too hard to resist. While working out plot and characteriztion for this fic, I tried to determine why Ed would have matured so much in the five years that he and Al had been living on our side of the Gate. While working for a secert organization and tryign to stop the SS from gaining high political office is a huge thing, I realized that it wasn't very different from the stuff Ed was doing as a State Alchemist. I needed something more, something more personal and life-altering and that's how Little Eddie was born.
The next chapter, of course, will detail Winry's reaction to Ed's fatherhood. Will she and Eddie get along? Will Winry accept that Ed had tried to move on without her? And where (and who) is Eddie's mother?
Most of these questions will be answered in the next chapter.
Mostly...
To all of my reviewes, thank you so much for your comments, opinions and general enthusiasm for this fic.
If you liked this chapter or if you have any questions (thought I'm not promising I'll answer since I don't want to give too much away) take the time to review!
No flames, please and thank you!
I remain respectfully yours,
Giant Nickel