Move on Forward
----------
Edward finished polishing off his arm, and threw the rag into the bucket of soapy water. Thinking for a second of cleaning it up, Ed shrugged.
'Ah, Winry will take care of it,' He thought to himself.
Ed opened the door leading into Rockbell, the shop where his childhood friend had made him his auto-mail. He suddenly found himself looking up into the blue eyes of Winry.
"Agh, Winry! What ..."
"Ed... you were gonna leave that there for me to clean up, weren't you?"
"Yeah. So?" Ed's voice shook a bit as he looked to the side. He was never able to look Winry in the eye when she was angry.
"Clean it up, right now!"
"Why should I..." Ed began protesting, but stopped as Winry glared down at him. Ed growled softly under his breath.
*****
"You're not getting off until you've washed that clean," Winry reminded Ed as she sat down on the steps from the door.
"Agh, fine, fine. Why the hell should I have to wash a rag anyway? Dammit, it's a rag, you're gonna throw it away anyway." Ed complained before wringing out the ragged piece of cloth in his hands, "There. You happy now?"
Ed's annoyance turned into surprise when he saw Winry looking down at the ground with a sad expression on her face.
"What's wrong, Winry?"
"Ed...can't you stay here with Auntie and me?"
"What are you talking about, dummy? I told you I'd leave as soon as the auto-mail was fini..." Winry didn't let Ed finish his sentence as she burst into a fit of tears.
"Then just another week! One more week!"
"I thought I told you we were in a hurry, Winry."
"I know. I know... but... but..."
Winry searched her mind for some excuse for Ed and Al to stay, but found nothing that would have convinced him. Instead, she just said the first thing I came to mind.
"I... want you to stay."
"Winry..."
Ed walked slowly to Winry, and she looked up at him. Normally the boy was shorter than she was and always had to look up to her, but now he was looking down at her with an expression she had never seen him show before – one that was tender and kind. Ed reached his right hand out, lightly touching Winry's tear streaked cheek. Winry cringed from the sudden coldness of the metal that touched upon her cheek and sent shivers through her body. Ed quickly pulled away his hand, and the tender emotion that she saw in his golden eyes suddenly disappeared.
"Al and I will stay another day. I still need to get used to this new auto- mail, after all," Ed said quietly, "And besides, if I stay here, what will happen to Al? I promised I'd return his body to him."
Winry said nothing. She turned away from Ed, hiding the hurt expression on her face and the tears that still flowed. Ed walked away, saying something about having finished cleaning up and he was tired and hungry. She didn't hear him.
'And when I have my arm back,' Ed thought, 'I'll be able to touch you with my real hand, and not this cold, lifeless fake I have attached to my body.'
~Move on Forward – End~
----------
Edward finished polishing off his arm, and threw the rag into the bucket of soapy water. Thinking for a second of cleaning it up, Ed shrugged.
'Ah, Winry will take care of it,' He thought to himself.
Ed opened the door leading into Rockbell, the shop where his childhood friend had made him his auto-mail. He suddenly found himself looking up into the blue eyes of Winry.
"Agh, Winry! What ..."
"Ed... you were gonna leave that there for me to clean up, weren't you?"
"Yeah. So?" Ed's voice shook a bit as he looked to the side. He was never able to look Winry in the eye when she was angry.
"Clean it up, right now!"
"Why should I..." Ed began protesting, but stopped as Winry glared down at him. Ed growled softly under his breath.
*****
"You're not getting off until you've washed that clean," Winry reminded Ed as she sat down on the steps from the door.
"Agh, fine, fine. Why the hell should I have to wash a rag anyway? Dammit, it's a rag, you're gonna throw it away anyway." Ed complained before wringing out the ragged piece of cloth in his hands, "There. You happy now?"
Ed's annoyance turned into surprise when he saw Winry looking down at the ground with a sad expression on her face.
"What's wrong, Winry?"
"Ed...can't you stay here with Auntie and me?"
"What are you talking about, dummy? I told you I'd leave as soon as the auto-mail was fini..." Winry didn't let Ed finish his sentence as she burst into a fit of tears.
"Then just another week! One more week!"
"I thought I told you we were in a hurry, Winry."
"I know. I know... but... but..."
Winry searched her mind for some excuse for Ed and Al to stay, but found nothing that would have convinced him. Instead, she just said the first thing I came to mind.
"I... want you to stay."
"Winry..."
Ed walked slowly to Winry, and she looked up at him. Normally the boy was shorter than she was and always had to look up to her, but now he was looking down at her with an expression she had never seen him show before – one that was tender and kind. Ed reached his right hand out, lightly touching Winry's tear streaked cheek. Winry cringed from the sudden coldness of the metal that touched upon her cheek and sent shivers through her body. Ed quickly pulled away his hand, and the tender emotion that she saw in his golden eyes suddenly disappeared.
"Al and I will stay another day. I still need to get used to this new auto- mail, after all," Ed said quietly, "And besides, if I stay here, what will happen to Al? I promised I'd return his body to him."
Winry said nothing. She turned away from Ed, hiding the hurt expression on her face and the tears that still flowed. Ed walked away, saying something about having finished cleaning up and he was tired and hungry. She didn't hear him.
'And when I have my arm back,' Ed thought, 'I'll be able to touch you with my real hand, and not this cold, lifeless fake I have attached to my body.'
~Move on Forward – End~
