It's Not How The Heart Works
Chapter 5
" Time To Ourselves "

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Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda, I don't own FMA, never will, yadda, yadda, yadda.

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A/N: From this point forward I'm going to be spelling Rizenboul, Resembool. X.x;; I really need to work on spelling... faint fluff in this story, nothing too citrusy yet.

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Tomorrow was the day of the State Alchemist Entrance Exam. 4:30AM. I was lying on the couch, waiting for my arm, the same thing I've been doing for the past few days.

Ring, ring!

"Hello? Oh, hey Hughes! Uh, yeah, Elysia's probably an angel. Ed? Oh sure. Ed! It's Maes! He wants to talk to you!"

I looked over at Winry as she held out the phone. She worked tirelessly for nights on my arm.

"Hello?"

"Heya Ed! Elysia's so cute, she can dance around and swirl in her new pink dress that Gracia bought her it's just so,"

"Hughes, what did you really call me for?"

"Ahem, yes, as I was saying, Hawkeye wants you back at Headquarters to organize participants in the Entrance Exam."

"Can't Roy do it?"

"Well, actually Roy's been gone for days off with Gram and Alex Louis. We still haven't gotten word from them yet. Hawkeye's doing his job, until Fuhrer gets a replacement, since Roy's usually one of the judges for the entrance exam."

"Alright, I'll catch the train."

I gave the phone back to Winry as she continued to work on my arm.

"Done. I made your arm stronger this time, but it means it'll also be a little heavier, and you'll have to oil it more often. Since the lighter one basically was annihilated, I guess I should work on how tough your arm is. Ready to connect it to your nerves?"

I gulped. Connecting the arm to my nerves felt like burning in excruciating pain. Still, it had to be done.

"Yeah, might as well get over it."

Winry walked over to me and I got up from lying down on the sofa. She took out blue and red wires from my shoulder socket and connected them with the ones on the newly made arm. She pushed in the arm carefully and turned the handle that would connect the arm to my nerves.

As she turned the handle swiftly, I felt a burning surge of lightning pain through my arm, pulsating down to my chest, making me yelp.

"AGH!"

Winry jolted back for a moment, and took out the handle.

She went to get me a pillow and put it under my head. The pain, still in my arm, dulled to numbness, as I fell asleep.

∞

I sat next to Ed while he slept. He always looked so peaceful in his sleep, with a look of silent melancholy on his face. I took my index finger and traced it over his facial attributes. Still a child, no matter what he thinks.

"Humans cannot gain something without giving up something of equal value in return. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. Al's body was taken, along with my left leg and right arm, yet we got nowhere, our mom has seized to return to flesh and blood. Where's the equivalent exchange in that!"

I remembered when he said those words, I remembered them well. He was so hurt at what happened.

One child, one thousand sins to bear...

I wish I could take away all the pain, all the misery he endured, I wish, I wish. Yet I was only his automail mechanic, nothing more, and once he got his limbs back, I'd be forgotten forever, he'd live happily with Al.

Salty tears fell from my eyes, and landed on Ed's flesh and blood arm. His eyes instantly fluttered open and saw the water in my eyes.

"Winry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, something was in my eye."

"That's the oldest and worst lie in the book. Really, what's wrong?"

I hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell him, just in case he would leave me again, or even die...

The thought made me choke on sobs as Ed took me in his arms and pat me on the back cooingly.

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay."

I backed away from his embrace.

"N-no, it isn't okay. Once you get your limbs back, you'll forget about me forever. Like you said, I'm only your mechanic, nothing more. You'll live happily with Alphonse. Or you'll leave me again and get yourself almost killed."

"Winry..."

"No, Ed. I don't want to hear anything like, 'that won't happen' or 'I'm not going to do that.' I know you Ed, you'll do anything to get Al's body back, even if it means giving up your own life."

Ed looked down at his arm and moved around his fingers, making a fist then extending his fingers again.

"Winry, you're right, but I wouldn't block you out of my life forever. You're more than just an automail mechanic to me."

My heartbeat sped up, hoping at the next words he would say.

"You're... special... in ways that I really couldn't say in words alone..."

I looked down at my lap, hoping that he wouldn't see more tears spill from my eyes. With his left arm he touched my chin and raised my face until we met eye to eye. He looked at me with a saddening look, I couldn't really read. It was a mixture of pure angst and sadness, and somewhat longing, I don't know. I closed my eyes as more tears fell, uncontrollably, but, I had felt something on my face. Ed was kissing away my tears, starting from my cheeks, until he met my lips.

He pressed his lips against mine as I tasted my own cries on his lips. The kiss was conforting, painful, loving, needing, sweet, salty, all at the same time. Emotions could be felt through the both of us, as it felt like the kiss would never end.

I wanted to break the kiss, my mind said break away, for he will leave and put me in shambles again, but my heart screamed his name, just wanting to stay there forever, and so my heart overpowered my mind.

Ed broke the kiss slowly and looked at me through sunset orbs. A look, still childish, yet mature at the same time. He picked me up and headed to my room, where he set me on the bed.

He wrapped his arms around mine and set his head on my shoulder. It felt comforting, knowing he was with me, at this very mome—

My thoughts were cut off as I found Ed lightly sucking on the nape of my neck. I breathed in short gasps as he continued his actions. I fell back onto the bed as he fell with me, until...

Ring, ring! Ring, ring!

DAMNIT, WHO THE HELL IS THAT, I thought loudly in my mind. Both our thoughts were interrupted as the phone kept ringing.

Ed had grinned reassuringly and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"May I speak to Ed? This is the Fuhrer."

"Ed speaking Fuhrer, sir."

"Because of Coloniel Roy Mustang's absence, you are promoted to the rank Coloniel and you will also be one of the judges in the Exam."

I looked at Ed, he had a stunned look on his face.

"Understood, sir."

"What happened, Ed?"

"I'm Coloniel Ed now! Roy's absent, so I've been promoted to Coloniel!"

"That's great Ed, but... that means you'll have to go, huh?"

I looked down at the front of my hands, clenching onto the bedsheets.

Ed picked me up and stood me upright. He kissed me on the forehead then hugged me.

"Yes, I do."

I started to cry again, but instead I dug my head into Ed's chest. I could feel his heart. It was beating with mine, strangely.

"I'm coming with you."

"WHAT?"

He backed away.

"You can't come! It's the Exam and..."

I looked up at him with hopeful eyes, as he easily gave in.

"Fine, fine!"

We both started to pack, as Alphonse had come home from getting items for the train ride to Headquarters.

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A/N: Well, I guess this chapter was a little more than fluff but not exactly lime, and not lemony. Just felt like putting something in before the Exam. n.n;; To the reviews!

Kumori-hime: Alright, no need to get your knickers in a knot. Roy isn't going to stay dead forever, I'm not THAT evil. Thanks for reviewing!

AlchemistVyolet: Thanks for the info, hopefully that'll clear things up for the story in the future! Thanks for reviewing!

XKenKao12X: Yes, Kesenai Tsumi means Unerasable Sin. Just thought it matched her personality though. n.n Thanks for reviewing!

caiyoko: Yes, errors, errors. Thanks for reviewing!