Disclaimer: No own.
Author's Note: Another continuation of the continuation of the Young Elrics. Umm, happy EdWin, angsty Royai. Note, Ed and Winry are adults now, so I felt this more than appropriate.
Theme 55 :: Infectious Crying
Roy and Ed were in fine condition again, fully accustomed to their new limbs, and ready to get back to work – ready to find a way to change Al back. Al himself, through all his tireless research – had yet to find anything useful. The boys, along with Riza, were leaving in two days' time for Central, ready to return to their normal lives.
It was that quiet period after dinner, where they all sat around in the living room, Winry checking Roy's and Ed's automail for any slight alterations she might need to do before they left, Riza next to Roy with a good book, Pinako doing housework and Al alternately playing with Winry's dog and reading through some of his father's old alchemy books.
"W-winry?" Ed asked nervously, tugging on his collar for air.
"Yeah?" she looked up at him from where she was sitting on her knees, doing some minor adjustment on his knee.
"I've . . . I've been meaning to ask you for awhile."
Riza smirked, having seen this coming a mile away. In fact, she'd confronted Ed about his intentions before the accident, and he'd responded much the way he was acting now.
"Yeah . . .?" Winry tried to pull it out of him.
"Well, we've been friends for a long time, and now we're, you know, more than friends."
"Uh-huh . . ."
"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Roy whispered to Riza, who quickly shushed him.
"What I'm trying to say is . . . ugh," he turned to Roy and whispered angrily, "how did you make it look so damn easy?"
Roy just shrugged and Winry's eyes widened. "Edward . . . are you . . . ?"
"Uh, yeah," he stammered, slipping off the couch and onto one knee, now actually on the same level as her. "Winry, will you . . . ?" he held up a simple engagement ring, much like the one his Aunt Riza still wore round her neck.
Before he had a chance to finish, Winry had toppled him over, wrench still in her hand, arms tightly around his neck. "Of course, you idiot!"
Nearby, Pinako stopped sweeping the floor and watched them, dabbing at her eyes a little, muttering an "about time."
Al looked up from his book and said in a high-pitched tone, "I really wish I could cry right now."
And if one looked closer to the two blondes lying in a heap on the floor, you could see the tears of joy running down their faces as they shared brief, happy kisses.
The sniffling started with Roy. "Sir?"
"I'm not crying," he asserted.
A few seconds later, she joined in.
"Riza?"
"Not crying."
They watched for a few more moments before they had tears trailing down their cheeks, too, hands clasped tightly between them. Anyone else would have thought this the effect of infectious crying – the two war-hardened soldiers rarely cried, especially around others.
But what no-one would have known just looking at them, was that those were not tears of joy, but tears of silent sadness.
523 words.
