50 Themes – Set: Alpha

Pairing: Canon—Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell

By Tiasha

Prompts used to help flesh out the 2 years spent at the Rockbells before the Elrics travel at the end of FMA: Brotherhood, the time leading up to Edward returning and having two kids (photo shown during the endings credits), and the time afterwards. Some ideas were inspired by other post-series fics I read years ago, but I've lost track of them on since returning to writing. If there are similarities then I apologize—I don't believe anything is a direct copy but if it is, please let me know.

1. COMFORT

Her constant nagging would grate on his nerves after five minutes and he had no qualms telling her how annoying she was but the look of patience on her face caused him to snap at her less and less. It was an expression he was not used to seeing—not on her at least. And as he watched her with Alphonse, assisting with his physical therapy and rehabilitation, Edward noted the patience and love that was in every look and gesture from her.

Returning to Risembool had been the right choice.

Sure he and Alphonse could have stayed in Central longer—he could have stayed in the military to maintain benefits with Alphonse as a dependent and they could have stayed with Gracia Hughes; but it had not seemed right to either of them. As they weighed the pros and cons of the options before them, a feeling of unease rested in their stomachs, or at least in Edward's. And he had learned to trust his gut long ago.

One day, Alphonse had turned to him, a look of longing on his face and said he wanted—no, needed to go back to Risembool. Edward was not going to deny his brother's wish, not after what his little brother had gone through.

So here they were, in Winry and Pinako's house acting more like family than houseguests. And he took comfort in the love the Rockbells showed them by taking them in once again. He took comfort in Pinako's strength and Winry's big heart and the support his little brother showed him. There was love and acceptance in this house and he took comfort in knowing he still had a home here…despite Winry's nagging.

2. KISS

It was so small and innocuous that he wasn't sure he had even seen it; but the grin on Alphonse's face said that he had. Did he miss something here? When had those two started getting cozy and— No, he could not even finish the thought because something in his chest tightened ever so slightly when he did. Those two together? No way!

He needed to confirm this though before he let his imagination get out of hand; so it was time to confront them. Okay, so maybe just her. He owed Alphonse too much and if his little brother had truly developed romantic feelings for Winry… To tell Alphonse he could not be with her would crush his little brother's spirit. Yes, confronting Winry was the best plan.

See, he could think before leaping.

"So what was that about?" Edward asked her as she prepared to climb the stairs to the second floor, linens folded in her arms. He held a pile of clean towels in his own arms and followed her upstairs where she paused on the landing to give him a curious look. She clearly had no idea what he was referring to, so he continued.

"You and Al, in the living room earlier," he pressed and she frowned in confusion. Her confusion was frustrating to him and made him wonder if she was being purposefully obtuse about the whole situation. Or perhaps he needed to articulate further. He admitted to himself that his explanation was rather vague.

He just was not good at describing or explaining personal things unless it was related to alchemy…

"You kissed him. When did you two start to…you know."

Realization dawned on her face and Winry's brow furrowed as she considered her answer, continuing to the upstairs hallway where the linen cupboard was. He followed, intent on not letting her wriggle out of answering him.

"I don't know what you think is happening but in case you haven't noticed, Al is very tactile at the moment," she finally said, and he huffed at her response. Of course he knew, it was his little brother they were discussing after all—like Edward would not notice such a thing.

"Well yeah, of course he is. He's finally got his body back."

Winry paused at the cupboard to slant a look at him before opening it and putting the linens inside. She then turned to him and took the towels from his arms before placing them inside. Closing the door to the linen cupboard, she said rather matter of fact, "And kisses are something he missed out on. There are romantic kisses and familial kisses, Ed. With Al, it's familial."

Familial? She really expected him to buy that? "But you kissed him on the cheek!"

"And the other day it was the top of the head while he was reading."

"Oh." Edward had missed that one and truthfully, it did sound rather innocent…

She rolled her eyes at his murmured response before saying, "If I'd known you'd be jealous—"

"Who said I was jealous?!" he interrupted with a loud and quick shout of indignation.

"—then I would have shared the love. Honestly, between the two of you, Al is much more receptive to affection."

He glared at her now, not liking her insinuation but not denying it either. "I don't need it."

There was a look of deep sorrow in her eyes as she absorbed his words. "That is the saddest lie you've been telling yourself, you know that? Everyone needs love, Ed, even you. You've needed Al's love and forgiveness since this all started. Yet you say you don't need love?"

"That's completely different!" he sputtered, her words opening an old wound and filling him with guilt and just a bit of self-loathing. He knew she had not meant to hurt him but the words… Those words triggered something in his heart and forced him to rethink the notion of love, just little bit.

"Whatever. Look, think what you want, but I'm not going to deny Al a hug or kiss just because it makes you uncomfortable. Understand?"

"Yeah, I get it." And he did. The depth of her love for both he and his brother still surprised him and he was grateful for it. Yet, he also could not help but wonder what it would feel like if she kissed him on the cheek.

3. SOFT

He grimaced as the skin on his right hand tore open, the tender, soft flesh of his palm lacking the years of callouses that his left one had. He had never really thought about how his arm and hand would be once he got the limb back. His only thought had been that his arm was back; how childish of him, he thought derisively.

Atrophy and tender flesh had never crossed his mind—never been a factor, but it should have. He had seen how emaciated Alphonse's body was when Truth spoke with him at the Gate. Oddly enough, Edward's own arm and leg had looked fine on Truth. So he had not given it a second thought.

He should have though.

Frowning, he stopped and leaned the rake against the porch, before examining his hand with a grunt of annoyance. Blisters had opened and damn, they were even bleeding a bit. Well, this was no good, he thought as his frown deepened. He would need to clean and bandage the hand now and keep from over using it, which would make it worse than it was. That would annoy a certain blonde mechanic who was expecting chores to be done around the place by him.

And he really did not need her nagging at him.

So he went inside to the kitchen in search of the first aid box that was typically kept there, intent on doing it himself and not telling Winry about it; at least until the day was over and she would see the bandage. Unfortunately for him, the first aid kit was nowhere to be found and he resorted to shouting down the hallway for its location. A few moments later, Winry came out of the workshop with the box in hand, curiosity and a touch of concern on her face as she looked him over. He insisted that he was not asking for help, just that he couldn't find the first aid kit and she should go right back to what she was doing.

The patient look she slanted at him as she placed the box on the kitchen table took him by surprise and effectively silenced any further retort. This side of her was not something he was used to and it unnerved him—made him cautious. Her eyes were laughing at him though and that eased his uncertainty a bit—that was more like the Winry he knew.

She took his hand and pulled it closer so she could examine the soft, torn dermis of his right palm; her brow furrowed as she looked it over before releasing it to grab a clean wet cloth. She began to wipe the blood away from the shredded flesh. The cloth stung as it rubbed at the raw sensitive skin but he held in his biting remark because honestly, she was being careful as she cleaned it. He understood that no matter who cleaned those open blisters, it was going hurt like crazy and the fact that she had yet to snap or nag him about it…

It made the whole ordeal bearable.

4. PAIN

There was a disgruntled look on his face and he was rubbing his shoulder unconsciously; in fact, he was rubbing more along the collarbone on the right side of his body—right where the automail had been.

"Ed, is it phantom pains?" she asked one evening when she caught him rubbing at his shoulder and it was just the two of them in the kitchen. He paused with a look of confusion before jerking his hand away when he realized what he had been doing. As if it would make him seem weak to her…

"No!" he stated rather hotly before frowning at the look of irritation on her face. She was about to turn back to the dishes in the sink when his frown turned to a sheepish look. "No, it's not phantom pains. Some areas still hurt from where they had to go in and remove the automail pieces," he explained. "There's still one more surgery they have to do in a few months but then that should be it."

His tone was apologetic and it flummoxed her; why would he feel sorry about that? Getting his and Alphonse's bodies back had always been the goal so why apologize for something that was expected? Did he think she would be upset about him losing his automail arm? What an idiot.

"I'm sorry it's still bothering you," she said, watching him carefully. He seemed surprised at her ease of 'forgiveness' and she refrained from calling him an idiot outright. It was late and she wanted to get some rest once she finished the dishes. "If you want," she continued, knowing he was more receptive to suggestions if she said 'want' instead of 'need' and did not immediately turn down the offer. "You can try that numbing gel Granny uses on the patients. It might help the aches and pain until it's healed."

The smile he gave her was genuine. "Thanks. I think I will. It can't hurt to try."

She nodded and asked if he wanted it tonight or tomorrow morning; he said to leave it until the morning and she nodded, going back to the dishes. She was happy to be of some help in easing his pain and she was content when he moved to dry the dishes without prompting from her.

5. POTATOES

Peeling potatoes was so boring and dull and even though he complained about having to do such an asinine chore, Alphonse was enjoying it. Clearly he was into anything revolving around touch, as Winry had said a few weeks ago. Even a menial task like peeling vegetables was welcomed and, dare Edward say, exciting.

For Edward, this was the exact opposite of exciting.

"Do you want me to start the carrots?" Alphonse offered when his share of the potatoes was done and Winry smiled, nodding. The younger Elric moved to the sink quickly and rinsed said vegetables as Winry thanked him and patted his arm. Edward did not miss the way his little brother beamed at the small, simple gesture. The small things that made such a difference to him…

Gritting his teeth, Edward finished his portion of the potatoes without further complaint, which was really hard because it was so boring. But it was only fair that he and Alphonse help with dinner preparations—they needed to earn their keep somehow.

"I'll get started on the biscuits then," Winry announced, heading towards the pantry and laughing at Edward's lack of enthusiasm for potato-peeling. She paused next to him long enough to pat him on the shoulder and say that there was apple pie for dessert too. He glanced up at her bright smile and suddenly the task of potato-peeling was not so bad. He got apple pie out of it at least.

6. RAIN

He rubbed at the connection point on his left leg, the flesh aching and he frowned, familiar with this type of ache by now. A peek outside at the young woman hanging laundry to dry caused him to grimace; she would not be pleased and would likely take out her frustration on him. But it could not be helped.

"Hey Winry!" he called to her and she finished tacking a bed-sheet to the line before looking at him. He stood in the doorway connected to the porch and he had a clear view of her and the yard, and coincidentally, the horizon where the clouds were starting to darken. "It's going to rain later!"

Her pout was expected but her lack of anger was unexpected, and damn if that didn't make her pout seem cuter.

7. CHOCOLATE

Central beckoned and he hated to have to go back, but it was necessary. He needed one more round of surgery, which should take care of the last bits of automail shrapnel and then sign the last of his discharge papers. All in all, he would be gone two weeks—three at most. And he adamantly refused to have anyone go with him, which angered Winry and Alphonse.

Eventually, they relented and he offered to bring something back for each of them—his way of apologizing, they knew. Not that it made his decision any easier for them to accept.

Pinako asked for a certain blend of tobacco that could only be bought in Central. Edward agreed even though he did not want the old woman to keep smoking that pipe of hers, but what could he do? He knew there was no stopping her—she was as stubborn as they came.

Alphonse asked for good news from everyone in Central and while Edward would certainly do just that, he also planned to bring back a few books for the younger Elric.

And Winry…

She asked for chocolate. Edward admitted to himself that her request had thoroughly surprised him. Naturally he expected her to request a new mechanical thingamajig or a new socket wrench or new automail plating. Chocolate? That was just so…girly and so unlike her that he frowned in confusion.

She laughed, smiling brightly and explained that it was baking chocolate. A specific shop in Central South would not ship the unique baking chocolate to Risembool, even though she expressed no qualms with paying extra for shipping. So she had to buy it there in Central and then ship it back to Risembool herself, or pack it in her belongings for the return trip.

"Why do you want it then?" he asked. "It sounds like it isn't worth the hassle to get it."

"Well, the Sheep Festival is soon and I thought it would be nice to bake something for all of us."

And that made him smile, because even though it was her 'present,' she was thinking of those around her—of sharing with everyone.

Edward agreed to bring back the requested baking chocolate, but he also planned to bring her back a little confectionary chocolate too.

8. HAPPINESS

He was glad he made the decision to bring her a little chocolate candy in addition to the baking goods. The genuine happiness in her eyes and in her smile and—hell, it was worth it. Especially since he got a hug for it too.

Then she had to go and share the confectionary sweets with Alphonse. And his little brother gave him a knowing look and a little smirk as if to taunt Edward…but that wasn't like Alphonse, so maybe he was imagining that smirk.

Her smile had been only for Edward though and that pleased him.

9. TELEPHONE

"I must have the wrong number," the distinctly male voice said, uncertainty in his tone. Strange was all Edward thought before asking if the man needed to speak with one of the Rockbells. When the caller said yes, Edward gave a shout for either Winry or Pinako. Pinako was closest and answered, chuckling when she realized who the caller was.

Edward did not recognize the name as anyone that he knew and went about his business, not sparing a second thought to the call. At least until Pinako rapped him on the head with her pipe rather harshly.

"What the heck was that for?!" he shouted at her, hoping no cinders came out of the pipe and onto his golden locks. His hands encountered nothing but ash so he was safe on that front.

"Did you answer by saying Rockbell Residence or Rockbell Automail?" she gave him a scrutinizing look and he glared back, annoyed and insulted at the question.

"Of course I did. It's your house and business, Auntie."

When all she did was nod, he frowned, becoming even more annoyed and he opened his mouth to say something about her rough treatment when she said, "Good."

That was it. Nothing else. What the heck? After bludgeoning him on the head with her pipe and nearly setting his hair on fire, all she had to say was 'good?' Just what was in that pipe of hers today anyway? "Auntie, why did he think he had the wrong line?" he asked, knowing it was a valid question. After all, if he answered with Rockbells Automail and the guy needed the Rockbells…

The old woman pulled a long drag on her pipe before shrugging, "He wasn't used to men answering the phone around here."

Edward frowned; it was a logical reason but again, if he answered with—

"It had him worried until I said you boys were family. Maybe that young man will get moving and ask my granddaughter to marry him."

Edward stared at the old woman dubiously as he tried to ascertain if she was joking or serious and by the looks of it, she was serious. What the heck?! His stomach twisted at the idea of Pinako hustling Winry off on some poor sap—she was rude, ill-tempered, weird, patient, kind, caring…

And where did Pinako get off making those kinds of decisions, anyway?

"So should I not answer the phone for you?" he asked by way of distracting himself from the direction of his thoughts and to lessen the irritation he felt. This was not a healthy topic for him and if he could put an end to it, the better. She took another drag of her pipe before smiling rather smugly at him.

"No, keep answering for us. She might get more suitors that way," Pinako said, taking pleasure in the irritation on the oldest Elric's face.

Edward refused to answer the phone for nearly a month after that.

10. EARS

Her ears were pink, damn it. Pink!

Edward did not like this Joseph guy one bit, he decided once he heard them talking about things other than automail. In fact, the guy commented on how her hair looked nice and then her ears pinked with embarrassment. And then that shy smile of hers when she thanked the guy…

"Well, he did compliment her," Alphonse reasoned but his little brother's words of logic did not lessen the discomfort Edward felt. So Edward left the house to wander outside, Den following him as he stomped about.

Her ears, damn it!

She'd never been that embarrassed before and he wondered why such a compliment would elicit such a reaction. Did she actually like this Joseph guy? Was that the reason for her reaction—for the embarrassment and shyness?

The very notion made his stomach twist so badly that Edward stayed well away from the front door, keeping it in sight so that he could see when Joseph left but not be roped into conversation. He would not be able to handle seeing Winry embarrassed like that with her blush creeping all the way to her ears.

Her ears…damn but she had looked…cute…

As always, constructive criticism is welcomed. Flames are meh. :)