run i'm a natural disaster


29. Contempt

"I really don't approve of your life choices, Ed," Winry says softly. They are standing by the freshly dug grave of Hohenheim, the father that never really was much good for anything other than sacrificing himself (perhaps he was like Ed that way). They are standing side by side, Ed in her long red coat and Winry in her navy blue one, with a white trim.

The novelty of a female Ed had worn off after the few weeks in Risembool they had spent together. Dress shopping, introducing Ed to the finer parts of femininity, as well as touching up her automail; had been fun for a while, but a grumpy boy-turned-girl that was (still) struggling to deal with the hormones that trigger difference between the male and female points of view is perhaps not the best of people to choose to go shopping with.

Ed was due to go back with those men soon. "I mean, honestly!-" Winry throws her hands up in emphasis, turning to her best friend to try and get her to listen, "- The two chimeras tried to kill you-"

"-Under orders from Kimberly, and you saved Scar and he was trying to kill you-"

"And that thing in Ling's body- it-"

"-He-"

"-He is one of the bad guys, the immortal ones with the weird tattoos, isn't he?"

"Well, he's immortal, granted, and he used to be a bad guy, but-"

Winry glares sharply at Ed, and she trails off, ruffling the back of her head with one gloved hand.

"Edward. Those people- if you can even call them that- are dangerous. Please, Ed. Don't leave Al and I behind. Stay with Granny for a while- the shop can spare me for another week, and Al still isn't well!" Winry's blue eyes are large, full of emotion and unshed tears. "Please, Edward. Don't go with them."

Ed squeezes Winry's hand somewhat comfortingly, but her eyes are hard and cold. "Don't talk about them like that, Win. You don't know them." She puts a finger on Winry's lips gently. "And, who are you to talk about working with chimeras and killers. I know that we were desperate, I know that we wanted to be alive, but those four- Ling and Greed share, ya know?- are my friends. Al is getting better very quickly, and is meeting us out there." She snorts. "You could come and visit sometime, too." She hugs Winry once, but then her voice turns as chilly as her eyes. "But, don't you ever, ever fucking insult them to my face again, no matter whether you're my best friend or not, because I won't let it slide a second time." Her voice is filled with anger and disgust, and Winry bristles, shame filling her.

Then Ed smiles. "C'mon, Win. Let's go home and bother Granny for some stew, yeah?"

Winry understands what Ed means, and grasps her hand as they pay their last respects before walking home together under the setting sun.


A.N: Not everyone's as understanding as Al when it comes to Ed's friends.

I think this one might be my favourite, actually. C: We are going to get 3/10 of the way through by my birthday. I swear it.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed

- Tom

[And to the reviewers: benihime chan (who doesn't appear to be showing up when I do these things), Dashita Tichou and Fluehatraya - you guys are awesome!]