Paint the Town Red
AN: Because I realized that I have never written a Golden Trio fic yet. OH MY GOSH. I must remedy this immediately. Post-manga.
Disclaimer: Nope, Fullmetal Alchemist definitely does not belong to me.
"Let's go out and party tonight."
Edward Elric sat up from his place on the couch and started blankly at his childhood friend. "Excuse me, what?"
"You heard me," Winry Rockbell responded, her blue eyes alight with excitement. "Al's been released after so long, I think that's a good enough reason to celebrate!"
Edward made a noise of disbelief. "Yeah, he's been released, but that doesn't mean he can go out and get himself smashed," he argued. Winry picked up a pillow from the bed and launched it, with impressive aim, at Edward's head.
"I didn't say we'd get drunk, idiot! Although I have a feeling we'll be hauling your sorry butt back to the hotel after midnight…" Winry added slyly, and giggled to herself as Edward's face turned red.
"Why, you…!"
"Brother. Stop." Alphonse was lying on the bed that Winry was sitting on, but at the sound of his brother beginning one of his tantrums, Alphonse sat up. "Geez, does no one bother to ask me what I want to do?" he joked. Winry smiled fondly and ruffled his recently-trimmed hair.
"If you have a problem, Al, say the word," she spoke, her smile motherly as she looked at him. Alphonse shook his head, his cheeks flushed with color.
"No way. It sounds like fun," he replied cheerfully. "Come on, brother, I know you and Winry will take care of me. Let's go and have a blast, please? There are so many nice places in Central that we haven't visited yet."
Edward looked from Winry's smiling face to Alphonse's eager one. "Fine," he sighed, his tone rueful. "Let's do it."
Winry squealed in delight, and Alphonse grinned broadly. Edward laughed as he allowed himself to be swept up in their embrace, feeling younger than he'd ever felt before.
"Okay, so we have a reservation at that fancy Xingese place at nine, so we have time to kill," Alphonse spoke. Winry's answering grunt came from the bathroom, where she was trying out various outfits. Edward and Alphonse were already dressed – Alphonse in a casual suit, Edward even more casual in just pants and a dress shirt.
Finally, the bathroom door opened and Winry stepped out, accompanied by various citrus scents. She twirled, the skirt of her dress flaring out, and grinned at her friends.
"Well, I'm ready!" she announced. Edward rolled his eyes and mouthed 'finally', while Alphonse looked exaggeratedly disappointed. Winry raised an eyebrow at the younger Elric brother.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," Alphonse responded theatrically. "I was just… we don't get any 'hey, so what do you think, does it look good?' I feel very let down," he teased.
Winry laughed out loud, surprised at his words. "Well, I would ask that if it was just you here, Al, but since Ed's here as well…" She trailed off and raised her eyebrows, smirking at the sullen-looking older brother.
"I still think you should have done it," Alphonse mused out loud, a wicked glint in his eyes. He scooped up one of Winry's discarded dresses and pranced towards the full-length mirror in her room, holding the dress on him and comically fluttering his lashes. He turned to his brother and childhood friend, adopting a falsetto voice as he inquired,
"Does this make me look fat?"
Winry and Edward stared for a heartbeat before bursting into laughter. While Alphonse had no problems eating or performing bodily functions anymore, his build was still skinny, and the absurdly inappropriate question made them chortle. "I-I'm sorry!" Winry spluttered, clutching her aching sides. "But you… you need something to make you look fat, my dear!"
Edward managed to control his laughter and got up, gently bopping his brother on the head. "Yes," he spoke with a completely straight face, "it makes you look like an overweight hippopotamus."
And with that, they all dissolved into laughter again.
"I never agreed to go shopping," Edward grumbled, laden with bags. Winry elbowed him playfully and took a few bags from him.
"We had to kill time, didn't we? That Drachman cultural festival had already started by the time we got there, so we couldn't get in, remember?" Edward grunted in response, and Alphonse, on his other side, chuckled under his breath.
"Brother's just crabby since no one asked him where he'd like to go, isn't that right, brother?"
Edward pressed his lips together and didn't answer. Winry smiled at him and shook her head indulgently.
"Follow me," she spoke, taking off in a completely different direction. Her heels clacked against the pavement as she made her way down an alley. Edward and Alphonse's eyes widened, and they dashed towards her at the same time.
"Stupid girl! Do you want to get yourself assaulted?" Edward muttered, while Alphonse grabbed Winry's wrist to stop her. At the feel of his bony fingers, Winry came to a halt almost at once, staring at the two brothers in bemusement.
"What?"
Edward exhaled in one sharp breath. "Now, I don't know how things work in Rush Valley, Winry, but I'm sure you're not that dense to the ways of the world," he spoke scathingly, trying to hide the slight tremor in his voice. "Don't do that, you idiotic girl."
Alphonse said nothing, but Winry could see how troubled his face was as she turned to look at him.
"I'm sorry, you guys," she spoke in a quiet voice, "but I wasn't in any danger, I promise. This is just a really short alleyway, and it was a shortcut, so I figured I'd take it."
"Shortcut to where?" Edward's voice cracked alarmingly, and Winry laughed in spite of herself. Edward scowled and massaged his throat discreetly.
"Oh shut up, it happens," he spoke crossly. Winry covered her hand with one mouth and pointed down the alley.
"To there." Edward and Alphonse both followed her gaze and saw the giant bookstore, its windows piled with thick tomes. Edward's mouth dropped open in amazement, while Alphonse looked at Winry, noticing the guilt on her face.
"Sorry, Winry," he said gently, "but we were just worried." Winry nodded, scratching sheepishly at her temple.
"I know. I really am sorry."
"Forget about that!" Edward interrupted, his expression rapt. "Let's go!" He grabbed Alphonse's wrist in one hand, Winry's in the other and hauled them towards the store.
"Wait! What about our reservations?" Winry protested. "It's almost nine!"
Edward paused, and he and Alphonse shared a look. "You're right," Edward admitted, sounding defeated as he turned back. "At least it'll still be there tomorrow, right?"
Winry sucked in a breath and looked from one face to another, after which she looked beyond both of them and at the bookstore.
"Hey, I think I see a street vendor there," she commented, a smile creeping onto her face. "Looks like he's selling hot dogs?" Edward and Alphonse frowned, flummoxed at her sudden change of topic. Winry laughed, leaning forward to peck both of them on the cheek.
"Forget about that stupid restaurant, guys. There's always tomorrow."
AN: 1,166 words. I got that line about Alphonse saying 'does this make me look fat?' stuck in my head and couldn't get rid of it, so I concocted this. I certainly hope you enjoyed it! (Why is Ed's voice cracking when he's over sixteen? Who knows?)
