Draped in Wires
by. Poisoned Scarlet

Theme 037: Two Roads

"Winry?" Ed whispered, pressing his lips together when he saw her spread out on her bed; holding a pillow close to her chest and curled up on her side. She made no move to answer him but he knew she was far from asleep. "Win...?"

"What is it, Ed?" She said, quietly; tone thick from crying.

He felt his stomach drop again.

He neared her quietly, kneeling by her bedside as she clutched the pillow against her chest tightly. It was silent for a moment, before his hand reached out to grab the fingers that dug into the pillow. He eased them open, standing up to sit on the edge.

She avoided looking at him but he knew she was waiting for him to speak.

"I know you're angry," he softly began, "but this is something I'm actually good at. I know I promised you and Al that once I restored his body, I would defect from the military officially and find somewhere else to work but..." He dropped his gaze to his hands, his normal working hands. The hands that had once been able to awe a crowd; scare an army. "I never anticipated losing my alchemy. I've—tried to find something else but...it's just not possible for me."

"Yes, it is!" Winry countered, fiercely. "You have other options, Edward! You don't have to join the military again!"

"I don't have other options." He quietly denied.

"Yes, you do! You do, if you-you just try you can find something else you're good at!" Winry lifted herself off the bed. "Edward, you're not just good at alchemy. Why can't you see the whole picture: you're a wonderful guy with more talents than you give yourself credit for!"

"What are some things I could do then?" He challenged, crossing his arms.

She hesitated. "You could become a constructor!"

"And retire when I'm forty because my back can't take the labor anymore?" He rose a skeptical brow.

"You...you can become a professor or a teacher! You've always been a natural at being able to teach someone new things!"

"I never even attended preparatory." Ed quickly shot down. "There would be no way for me to get a job as a professor without at least having my prep degree."

"You can always take the preparatory exam or get your GED!" Winry insisted. "Then you can definitely get your teaching credentials and—!"

"How long would that take?"

Her brows creased. "I-I don't know...I heard it takes at least four years..."

"Exactly." Ed sighed. "Winry, I need a job now. I can't be living off you guys for a whole four more years!"

"And why not!" Winry cried, tears welling in her eyes again. "You didn't have a problem with it before, whats the difference now?"

His tone was still soft. "I grew up."

Her face crumpled and she sank back down, clutching her pillow tighter to her chest. Edward gazed at the tears that had escaped her eyes and he reached out to wipe them away, softly caressing her cheek as he did. "I know you probably hate the idea of me being a dog of the state again – I'm not too excited myself – but it's the only job I can actually tolerate and the payroll is the best right now." He thumbed away more tears. "It's the best choice I have."

She sucked in a sob and grabbed his hand tightly, shutting her eyes.

Edward narrowed his eyes a fraction and he leaned in. "What's really bothering you?" He asked, tilting his head to try and get a good look at her hidden face. "Winry, this isn't just about me reenlisting in the military, is it?"

"I just..." She hiccuped. "I just don't want you to go away like m-mom and dad did!"

Edward wasted no time scooping her up into his arms. Her hands gripped his shirt, shudders wracking her body as he held her. "I'm not going to die." He whispered, comfortingly. "The last thing that will kill me are some disturbed bunch of mutts, I can promise you that."

"Please don't promise me things you can't control." She whimpered, more tears welling in her eyes. "Because...because my mom and dad told me they'll come back, too, but they never did!"

"I'll always come back to you." He swore, fiercely. "Don't you ever forget that. I'll always come back, no matter what!"

She sniffled, her arms tightening around his chest. "Always?" Her voice cracked.

"Always." He assured, a small smile in his words. "Stop crying, you're making me feel like a jackass." He wiped more tears from her cheeks. "I don't want to go to work feeling like the shit. Being there with Mustang is already bad enough."

She softly laughed. "Okay..." She swallowed down the thickness and wiped her own eyes away, blinking away some excess tears. "Y-you're uniform..." She cleared her throat. "Did you get it yet?"

"It came yesterday in the mail." He soured his face.

"You're going to wear it, right?"

"Yep." He sighed. "I hate to leave you like this but in a few days I have to return to Central for at least three weeks to get settled in. Once I get a schedule set up, I can predict the days I'll be able to come back home."

"I... It's okay." She forced smiled, feeling better with his fierce words still resonating in her mind. "Just come back to me no matter what."

"Promise!" He grinned.

"Alright, lets get you fitted then!"

"Fitted? What do you mean by 'fitted'?"

"Well, that uniform of yours has to be fitted, Ed, didn't you know?"

"...You mean it it isn't 'one size fits all'? That bastard lied to me!" He cried.

"Idiot! Of course not! Now, c'mon, you're leaving in a few days and we have to make sure you look sharp for your first day!"

"Aw, Winry!"

"Don't 'Winry' me! Get moving!"

Ed rested his head against her forehead, mumbling: "You're lucky I like you or else I wouldn't take this!"

She kissed his cheek fondly. "Come on, before it gets any later!"

He grunted and watched as she hastily walked out of the room, heaving himself up and resigning himself to a few hours spent being fussed over, with the hag snickering in the background at his misfortune...