3/2/15 A/N: I'm sorry, but come on. If you had to watch the grown up Elric brother's fight shirtless, I bet you'd start thinking bad thoughts too. And Winry...she's human after all. :)

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Loud But Happy

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The young woman never thought she'd be torn between the two of them. She furrowed her brow trying to pick apart one physical aspect that rated one brother higher than the other but found none. Winry obviously loved them both, they grew up together after all. Alphonse as well as Ed knew her hopes and fears and that she really loved Granny's strong coffee first thing in the morning and that she often sneaked downstairs after working late and stole a cookie. Both boys feared her temper but rejoiced in her happiness. She fingered the pairs of silver earrings on her left ear remembering that although Ed gave them to her, both boys picked them out.

Now, they seemed to have been battling each other for the better part of half an hour and the hits got harder earning her delicious masculine grunts after each blow. She wondered how they must be exhausted and why they kept going. Historically speaking, Ed always lost to Alphonse when they sparred, so she figured that's how this outing was going to end. Still, a teeny part of her cheered for him despite the fact that she was supposed to root for Edward because he was her husband.

Winry wondered if it were sinful to enjoy watching the brother's fight. She pondered over their shirtless bodies sweating and coming in contact with each other. Sure, she always acted like it was an annoyance, that being a man meant doing stupid shit like beating your brother up for fun. However, deep inside herself, she knew she watched a piece of moving artwork: muscles rippling and perspiration flinging around as they performed intricate and definitely well-practiced acrobatic acts each trying to wear the other down without actually hurting him.

She scrutinized each young man's form. There was her Edward: shorter than his brother (and she would never say that out loud but they all knew it true) with golden hair somehow still secured into a high ponytail which whipped and whirled serving to distract his foes much like those scarves tied to the ends of spears and swords in the Xingese martial arts exhibits Ling arranged for them to watch; his big golden eyes, eyes she could never say no to, eyes that seared right into the back of your head when he was angry; and his muscled chest which was covered with scars. Some scars she gave him when he had automail and others he received in his journey to get his and Al's bodies back. Though he sometimes acted insecure of out them, Winry adored each one because they all told his story.

Now Alphonse was different. His body suffered malnutrition inside the Gate of Truth for five years. So, even though he rebuilt lost muscle, he remained lean. When he visited, Winry and Granny still offered him food out of habit from the two years fattening him up after the Promised Day. Alphonse was tall, clean cut and muscled. He lacked the hot temper of his brother and often knew exactly what upset her when she was sad and he knew how to cheer her up. Now, he focused on knocking Edward's head off with a powerful roundhouse kick.

"Who's winning?" Pinako's voice scared the girl from her musings on the brother's different physiques and personalities.

"Uh...no clear one yet." She felt a bit guilty for taking in the sight of both the brother's bodies and wondered if this was lust. The herbal smell of her grandma's pipe filled her nose and then a growl rumbled from her stomach reminding her that they were supposed to eat supper when one of the moron's won.

"I'm about to call it if they don't finish soon. This old woman's hungry." Granny cackled and sat down on the step with her grand daughter. She may be old but she wasn't dead, those two young men fighting sans shirts was positively lovely. "Winry?"

"Yeah?"

"Just how the hell did you decide you were in love with Edward over Alphonse?"

"G.g. ?" Winry couldn't believe Pinako asked such a thing. "What do you mean?" The mechanic paused for a moment but only because Ed started getting desperate, leaped through the air and tackled his brother's bare torso dragging them both down. Both women watched wide-eyed as the boys continued wrestling on the ground.

"I'm old but still breathing." She tapped her pipe on Winry's blond head. "Look at them both. Who'd figured they grow up into such fine young men."

"Granny!" Winry blushed at her granny's bold words.

"Really, girl, how did you come to fall in love with Ed?" She continued to watch the boys fight. "Both are equally handsome. Both are smart as a whip. But Al, he's considerate and kind where Ed... well, you know how Ed is."

"Ed's brash and loud." Winry finished Pinako's thoughts for her. "Hot tempered and rude. He likes to pick fights with me all the time." She began to fidget with the hem of her sundress. "He never takes care of my automail, sometimes I think, I think he breaks it on purpose to make me fix it..." The truth of the matter hit her square between her eyes just as Al's fist came down hard on the exact same area of Edward's head. She didn't mean to say it out loud. "I think I chose Ed because he knows how to keep me on my toes."

"Oh, really?"

"I mean, he challenges me – he is challenging. Al doesn't do that." She smiled at the truth, she loved Ed because she and the former alchemist were cut from the same cloth and they loved to make the other think. There never was a dull moment being Edward Elric's wife.

"Truer words were never so eloquently spoken." Pinako stood up and smoothed her apron out. "I think we have a winner!"

"Hey Granny!" Alphonse trudged happily along, with his brother hanging on to his shoulder. "Got some ice? I think I hit Brother too hard." He smiled a big goofy grin, one that Edward tried to imitate but failed as he winced in pain.

"Out back, both of you get the hose and wash up!" She motioned with her hands for the two dirty and sweaty young men to walk around the house rather than drag their muck through it.

"Awwww, Ed whined." He kept presence of mind to wink at his wife as his brother helped him to the improvised bucket shower they had in back of the house by the kitchen door.

"I'll go and get the table set." Pinako pulled the door open and turned. "Bring those two some towels, would you?"

"Sure." Winry followed Granny back inside the house but she continued upstairs stopping at the linen closet. After pulling out two fluffy towels, she thought she'd get them some clean sweats so they'd not have to go upstairs. She cradled the towels and entered Al's room. With all the windows open to catch the cool spring breeze, Winry heard the boys playing with the garden hose outside. Ed's swear words made her blush. Putting her mind back on the task at hand, she set the towels down and opened Al's suitcase. Pushing past his many dress shirts, she finally found a pullover top and sweat pants but as she tugged them from his suitcase, a photograph fell onto the bed.

"Mei?" Winry recognized the diminutive Xingese girl immediately. She carefully replaced the picture back inside Al's suitcase and smiled. Al must have taken a shine to the little princess. Winry quickly scurried back to her and Ed's bedroom and found his clean sweats and she lugged all that back down the stairs and to the kitchen.

"Tell them to hurry up or the stew will get cold." Granny began ladling the lamb stew into bowls already set on the table as her granddaughter brushed past her and kicked open the screened door with her foot.

"Boys! I got some..." The sight before almost caused her to drop the load of clothes and towels she carried. There, in the now muddy back yard stood two gloriously golden men in their underwear. "...towels."

"Uh, thanks, Winry." Alphonse approached her first, tugging a towel free and then finding his shirt and pants. He smiled a bit as he set his clothes down on the steps and began drying his hair.

"Geesh, Win..." Ed smirked and grabbed his things from her. "Take a picture."

"Uh, sorry..." She couldn't believe they caught her gawking at them. "You're just both so...so..."

"Beautiful?" Ed mocked as he dried himself off. "Hey Al, you are I are pretty." Both Elrics erupted in laughter.

"No." Winry huffed. "You're both so stupid!" She slammed the door behind her and stormed to her seat at the kitchen table. Pinako joined her.

"Wow, your mood's changed." Granny picked a roll from a basket and passed the basket on to Winry.

"Yeah, well, I remembered why it took me so long to realize I fell in love with one of those doofs in the first place." She grabbed a roll and tossed the basket on the table.

"Oh good!" Ed sauntered inside, closely followed by Alphonse. "Stew!" He plopped down in his chair by Winry and began scooping food into his mouth like he never ate before.

"Wow!" Alphonse joined them. "It's been a good long time since I've had your stew Granny."

"I bet all that spicy Xingese food can't beat this!" Ed spoke with a full mouth earning him a soft kick in his real shin from his wife. "Ow." He glared at her. Quickly swallowing he turned his attention to said wife. "By the way, you, my dear are in trouble." Ed wiped his mouth.

"What?" She threw down her spoon.

"I caught you staring at Alphonse." Edward growled under his breath, speaking so low so only Winry could hear. "So, expect a fight after dinner." He took a swig of his water.

"If you wanna fight, we can fight now!" Winry stood up and threw her napkin on her dishes. Al and Granny only feigned surprise and kept eating their food.

"I think we'd better take this upstairs!" Ed shot up and marched out of the kitchen. He'd been beaten up by his brother and hardly got to eat but another sudden need took precedence and he didn't give a rat's ass who knew.

"I agree!" Winry followed him. Her blue eyes also followed her husband's ass as he stomped up the stairs, stirring her own set of needs. Hot lamb stew in her bowl be damned.

After a moment of eating their food and listening to the shouting match from over their heads, Al was the first to speak. "They're going to have sex, right?"

"Yup." Granny continued eating. "They really do have a happy marriage...loud, but happy."

"Yeah." Alphonse wiped his mouth and thought about a certain dark-haired girl waiting for him in Xing.