Hope Floats
Al sat in his room staring at the ceiling admiring his hand. 'She did say if I had nothing to do to call her didn't she?'
'Yes she did.'
'So it wouldn't hurt to call her.' Al stood and walked out into the hall and picked up the phone and dialed the number not even looking at his hand.
"Hello."
"Is… uh… is Siren there?"
"This is her."
"Hey this is Al."
"Oh hey Al."
"I was just wondering if…." Al began to twirl the phone cord in his hand as his nervousness began to get the better of him.
"Yes."
"I was wondering if you wanted to go and grab something to eat?" he waited while silence was heard on the other side of the line. Then he heard 'cool, thanks Cally.' In the background.
"Sure
"Okay, I'll pick you up around eight."
"Alright."
"Well I'll see you then."
"Okay bye."
"Bye." Al hung up and began to dance before running down stairs. "Mrs. Pinako." Al said running into the living room where the woman was cleaning.
"Yes Al."
"I was wondering if I could borrow your car?"
"Why not Winry's."
"Well she's busy studying and I didn't want to bother her."
Pinako sat down on the couch looking Al over. "Well . . . ." She stood up again and headed towards the rack. "Okay."
"Really! Thanks!" Al said snatching the keys.
"Just be careful."
"Okay I will."
"Or just don't doing anything your brother would."
"Okay."
o0o0()0o0o
Winry breezed into the bedroom from the hallway and stopped short, seeing Ed sitting in the window staring outside. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched with a smile as Ed slowly turned his head to look at her.
"Two more exams to study for," she remarked as she shoved herself away from the door and headed for her desk.
Ed nodded "But, it's Saturday." and kept his attention to the diary at hand.
"Why don't you read that down stairs so I can study?"
"Fine."
Ed got up and walked down stairs and flopped on the couch.
'Baka, baka, baka, baka, baka! Sometimes he drives me so crazy I could just scream! Take today, for example! He had to get into another fight and ruin his arm, which, okay, so he can't just run away from them. But can't he be a little more careful with his arm. I'm not sure if that was what caused it, but when he got back to our house Ed had his arm behind his back and a strange man was caring Alphonse in a box. I should have known he was up to something.'
Ed made a face as he read Winry's journal. He had almost forgotten about that. It struck him again, how worried he'd been at the time. He'd almost escaped Winry's wrath until Armstrong ruined it by telling her she needed to check his arm. Winry from the looks of it was literally going to kill him that time . . . . It had been too close, and he knew it. The idea of something happening was enough to worry her even if it was his arm she was worried about.
'Then it was before he left and he hugged me. Just like that. No real reason. Just a hug. A really warm hug. It was the first real hug I've ever gotten from a boy, err, guy, err, non-family male. I didn't know what to do or what to say. It isn't like him to touch anyone without a good reason, and for a moment I thought he was going to hold me for awhile, I really thought he wanted to hug me. I thought, maybe . . . Ah, Winry, who are you kidding? Ed. . . . forget it. Then he pushed me back and said good bye. Just like that . . . .'
'Nice,' Ed thought with a grimace. 'I really am an ass . . . wait . . . did she want me to hug her?' As he reread the passage, his head dropped. Yes, maybe she did. 'A huge ass,' he amended.
'The week after he left was the first day of school. I checked the mail box before I went to school. I was hoping I'd find a letter. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything, so I went on to school. It was one of those days, I swear I should have crawled under my bed and died. As if it wasn't bad enough that I met Rose and all she did was keep bugging me for details about Ed the jerk, Russell(Chris) asked me out on a date, too. I mean, Russell is nice enough, and a perfect gentleman, unlike a certain guy I know, but he's just not 'the one'. How am I supposed to concentrate on the movie when my mind is with a certain guy and his little brother?'
Ed almost growled and reigned in the overwhelming need to shred the journal to confetti. He stuck it inside his jacket instead. "She had a date?" he seethed, falling off the couch. The idea of tearing Russell limb from limb was sounding good about now. 'I could take him . . . .'
His eye narrowed as he glowered at the stairs leading to Winry. He might not know exactly what to do on a date, but he had a feeling that it wasn't something he wanted Winry running around doing, especially if it included Russell.
"Ed? Did Winry kick you out of her room?"
Ed's scowl darkened as Al stepped into the house and stopped next to him. "No."
Al looked confused. "Then what are you doing out here? Are you sure she didn't—"
"Yes, I'm sure! I was just thinking."
Al deliberately took his time before casually offering, "Maybe I could help you."
"No, that's okay Al."
Al laughed and headed toward the stairs that led to his room. "See you, Ed!"
He watched his brother go with his scowl still in place. Finally he stood up and stomped toward the door.
"Ed? Is that you?"
Ed followed the sound of Pinako's voice. She was in the kitchen, teetering on a chair as she pulled things out of a cabinet. She was in trouble, from the looks of it, and was about to drop a stack of bowls. Ed grabbed the woman and the bowls before they both crashed to the floor.
"Thank you!" Pinako said with a bright smile as Ed set her on her feet. "I was just cleaning the cupboards . . . getting started on fall cleaning." She leaned her head to the side as she stared at Ed. "Is something wrong?"
Ed stared at her mulishly for a moment before dragging Winry's diary out of his jacket and dropping it on the table. Pinako looked rather shocked and yet somehow amused. "I hate that book," he grumbled, jabbing a clawed finger at the cover of the journal.
Pinako nodded slowly. "I will assume that Winry knows you have her diary, and why don't you tell me why it is you hate it?"
"I wouldn't just take her diary, no," Ed growled, offended that Pinako would even allude to that. She started to reassure him but stopped when Ed's ears suddenly drooped. "What do you do on a 'date'?"
"You want to know what to do on a date?"
He jerked his head once.
"People do things to see if they like to do the same things and see if they want to pursue a relationship."
"A what?" Ed bellowed, shooting to his feet and sending his chair flying back. 'I'll track that bastard down and introduce him to . . . .'
Pinako stood and grabbed Ed's arm, soothing him gently back into his chair again. "If you're thinking of Winry's dates with Russell nothing ever came of them. Winry really wasn't interested in the young man."
"Dates?" he choked out. "More than one?" He glared at his hands. 'Fucking dead . . . .'
"Were you interested in taking my granddaughter on a date?"
"Fuck-."
"Ed!"
"Sorry," he grumbled at the censure in Pinako's non-gentle voice and flushed.
"You're forgiven. Were you?"
"Hadn't thought about it," he mumbled. A date. It sounded like a disaster waiting to happen but Winry's journal entry taunted him. 'Russell's just not 'the one'. How am I supposed to concentrate on the movie when my mind is with a certain guy and his little brother?'
'A certain guy and his brother? With . . . me?'
Slowly, he lifted his gaze to lock with Pinako's. If it had been Al, he never would have asked. Something about Pinako had always reminded him of his mother, and because of that, he didn't feel quite as stupid about asking the question that came next despite the rising embarrassment and the subsequent feeling of inadequacy. "Would you . . . um, could you . . . help me?"
o0o0()0o0o
'Done.'
Winry let her head fall back as she heaved a sigh of relief that her studying was over, at least for now. She might not have to take tests as often anymore, but the ones she did have to take were enough to drain her, both mentally as well as physically. It had taken nearly three hours for the English test, and the history test she'd just studied for had taken another two and a half hours. She felt a bit light-headed from concentrating so hard, but all in all, she thought she had done well.
'Ed's been extra quiet,' she mused. 'Wonder what he's doing?' She made a face, asking herself if really should have given Ed her diary in an effort to preoccupy him. 'Desperate times call for desperate measures,' she reasoned. There was no way she would have been able to concentrate on her studying at all if she hadn't given him the diary.
"How was your studying, dear?"
Winry turned away from the window and let out a deep breath as her Granny crossed the room to offer her a cup of tea, pausing next to the desk to set down Winry's diary. "Thanks, Granny. I think I did well. This smells great!" She smelled the tea appreciatively, eyes closing in dreamy enjoyment before she lifted the cup to her lips. "Granny, where's Ed?"
"Hmm, I think he's a bit preoccupied at the moment. Why don't you change into that pretty new dress I bought you? I'd like to see you wear it at least once."
Winry grimaced. "Seems like a waste to wear it around the house," she remarked as she set the tea aside.
" I thought it'd be nice to go out to dinner for once."
She shot her mother a suspicious look. "How did you convince Ed or Al to go out to dinner?"
Pinako paused on her way out of the room, hand on the door that she had started to pull closed behind her. "I asked him."
Winry smiled as her Granny closed the door. It wasn't the first time that she'd noticed that Ed seemed to listen to Pinako more often than not.
With a soft giggle, she shuffled through her closet to find the new dress. It wasn't fancy but it was nicer than most of the skirts that she normally wore. The faun colored material looked like suede but wasn't nearly as unforgiving. Tight, and the flared skirt added a flirty feel to it, saving the dress from being too formal in design.
The only part of the dress she didn't like was the neckline. It wasn't low cut but it was lower cut than she normally wore. She made a face and tried to tug the edges together. When that didn't work, she tugged at the back of the dress. She sighed and dragged on a pair of matching dress boots. 'Who are you kidding, Winry? Does it matter what you wear? Ed won't notice, anyway. He never does.'
Winry squared her shoulders and stared at her reflection in the full length mirror on the back of her door with a discerning eye. She had to admit, it wasn't bad.
Suddenly, she rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the girl staring back at her. With a giggle, she grabbed her brush and pulled up her hair into a high ponytail then pulled her long tweed coat out of the back of the closet. Draping it over her arm, she opened her door and headed downstairs.
Winry followed voices into the living room. Pinako smiled. "You look lovely, darling."
Winry frowned at her Grandma. She hadn't changed clothes at all and was still wearing the same old dress that she always wore when she cleaned the house.
"Why haven't you changed?" Winry asked.
"Oh, I'm not going," Pinako said with a laugh.
"Granny?"
"Turn around, Winry."
She did. The smile she had worn all the way downstairs faded as she gasped, eyes widening in disbelief. Her fingers rose to flutter at her lips, and she shook her head slightly.
Ed stood before her- at least, she thought it was Ed. Dressed in slightly baggy black dress pants, and scarlet button down shirt with a black jacket over that, she barely recognized him and wouldn't have if he didn't have his signature scowl in place and his pocket watch still hanging out of his pocket. It wasn't the clothes that fazed her.
It was the marked lack of hair that did.
His bangs were the same as always: long and unruly and hanging in his face, but the back of his hair-the length of it was gone. She blinked in shock, unsure what she should or even could say. Her fingers pulled away from her mouth as she settled for pointing at him instead.
"I knew this was a stupid idea," he mumbled and turned to storm back up the stairs.
Winry saw the ponytail that was stuffed in his jacket and let out a rushed sigh of relief as she ran forward and caught his arm. "No, Ed, wait! I'm sorry . . . I thought you cut your hair, that's all."
He stopped and slowly turned to face her again, his scowl still in place. He didn't smile as he stared at her. He didn't have to. The warmth that lay beneath the wariness in his expression was enough to set off a slight trembling in her belly as her knees threatened to buckle. "You…."
She smiled and ducked her head Pinako handed Winry's coat to Ed. He held it for her while she concentrated on sticking her arms in the sleeves without incident. He was hesitant and gentle as he let go to pull her hair out from under the coat. She thought his hands were shaking just a little but discounted that idea when she turned around and saw his scowl. He didn't have any reason to be nervous, did he? She had to be imagining things . . . .
"Enjoy yourselves," Pinako called as she followed them to the front door.
"Don't stay out too late," Al remarked with a wink.
Ed took her hand and pulled Winry out of the house with a sigh as he strode along the sidewalk away from the front door. He stopped at the top of the house steps and let go of her hand to jam his hands into his pockets, his gaze dropping to the ground as he shuffled his feet, kicking the toes of the loafers against the concrete. She grinned at his dress shoes. Knowing him, he hated them worst of all. 'He's nervous,' she realized suddenly. "Ed?"
"I feel stupid, but Pinako said that I have to . . . ."
Winry bit her lip as blood rushed to her face. "You don't . . . we don't . . . if you want to go back . . . ." She forced herself not to fidget and tried to ignore the sharp twinge of dismay that viciously twisted her stomach. 'He doesn't want to do this at all . . . .'
He sighed again and shifted his eyes to the side, as though he was afraid to look at her. "Winry, will you go on a date with me?" After he said it, he made a face, obviously thinking that he sounded completely stupid. He snorted. "You don't have to say yes."
Sudden understanding dawned on her. It wasn't that he didn't want to go; he simply didn't know how to ask her . . . . She smiled. "I'd love to."
He looked amazed. "You would?"
Her smile widened. "It depends. Where are you taking me?"
Ed grimaced. "Give me a break," he grumbled as he took her hand again, dragging her down the stairs. "I've never done this before."
She giggled as she glanced over her shoulder at the shrine to wave back at her family, who were all gathered in the doorway. Al grinned as he gave her two thumbs up. Pinako wiped a tear off her cheek before she waved back. The dog darted past their feet and sat down at the top of the shrine steps where Ed had asked her to go on the date. The dog barked his goodbye as Winry looked up at Ed only to find him staring back at her in that entirely unsettling way of his. "I'm glad you decided to stay tonight," she said softly.
For once, he didn't snort, and he didn't make any of his normal commentary. "Yeah," he agreed instead. "Me, too."
o0o0()0o0o
Ed remembered Pinako's instructions to hold the door open for Winry when they reached the small restaurant near the shrine. Though not very big, it had what Pinako called 'ambience', whatever that meant. If 'ambience' meant 'dark' then the place fit the bill. Candles burned in small paper lanterns on the tables, and the place wasn't very crowded. That suited Ed.
"Welcome," a little man said after Ed followed Winry into the restaurant. He glanced at Ed's waist and held his hands out. He seemed to be waiting for something. Finally he looked down at a book standing on a pedestal. "Elric? Party of two."
"Yeah," Ed replied, feeling warmth rush to the surface of his skin. Pinako had made the reservations and had instructed him to give his last name when they arrived. He'd forgotten, which just figured. It seemed as though there was a lot to remember on a date, and Ed was pretty certain he was going to forget more of the instruction than he remembered before the night was over. He made a face and pushed away the feeling the vulnerable feeling caused by the exposed flesh on back of his neck and tried not to frown too much as the small man showed them to their table.
But when the little man tried to help Winry take off her coat then proceeded to pull out chair and lift his hand to help her sit, Ed glared at the waiter. The waiter smiled nervously and stepped aside, allowing Ed to hold Winry's chair as she sat. He draped her coat over the back of an unused chair before he sat down across from her.
He was almost scared to look at her after he was seated. Afraid that she would be angry with him for glaring at the waiter, Ed stared at the menu the man had handed him before his hasty retreat, instead.
He sighed. He didn't recognize anything on the menu, and he dared a subversive glance at Winry. She was gazing down at her menu, as well, though it didn't look like she was actually seeing anything but she did look like she was amused and when her lips quirked up in a small grin, Ed swallowed hard. Whether or not she sensed his discomfort was arbitrary. She really was enjoying herself, and that helped to assuage his acute discomfort.
"Do you know what you want?" Winry asked, finally breaking the stilted silence.
"Steak.".
"Me too." He blinked.
"Okay," he agreed, closing his menu and setting it aside.
Suddenly she giggled. He arched an eyebrow at her in silent question. "I really was worried that you'd cut your hair. I'm glad you didn't."
"Is that all you care about?"
They were walking home and she began to giggled then gasped as she tripped. He caught her around the waist and steadied her. "Clumsy," he muttered.
He stared at her in that familiar but unsettling way, the same way he had the night by the fire. She didn't look away, and she didn't run.
"Winry?"
She couldn't find her voice as her eyes locked with his. She opened her mouth to answer but no sound would come. Human for the night, maybe, but that really didn't make him any less dangerous. He was still Ed. She didn't think her heart could beat any faster but it did. The look on his face as his gaze dropped to her lips was enough to send her pulse skyrocketing as her heart hammered against her ribcage, as her hands trembled and her knees threatened to give way under her.
He sighed and looked away. Disappointment welled up in her, and she seriously considered saying 'it' to vent her frustration.
"I'm glad we came here."
Her irritation melted away as she glanced at him. He looked almost happy, and that was enough.
They skated around the rink a few more times in companionable silence. Winry caught him gazing at her more than once though each time he'd blush a little and quickly look away.
Winry stole a glance at him only to find him staring down at her. "So," he mumbled with a sigh, "this is a date, huh?"
"Nope."
His smile faded though his eyes still held a hint of amusement. "No?"
She lowered her chin, staring at their feet as the glided over the ice. "This is the best date ever."
o0o0()0o0o
Al held the chair for Siren as she sat down at the small table of the traditional restaurant. She smiled at him as he stepped over to his chair nervously and waited until he was seated before she spoke. "I'm surprised you called me," she admitted. "careful of I'll start wondering whether you like me or not.
''Gee thanks for you lack of faith." He informed as he reached for a menu.
She giggled. "You have a strange way of showing feelings."
"I suppose." He agreed. "So tell me about your family since you've met all of mine."
"Well there's my father who wants to die, I stay with my Aunt Cally, my mother died, and that is it." she said starring at the menu infront of her.
"You live with your Aunt?"
"My dad only comes by every once in a while. I just wish he would stay with us for a little longer, or I knew where that bastard was."
"Tell me why you want to find you father if he's a bastard as you say."
Siren shrugged and nodded as the waiter set down a glass of water. "Because I'd like him to stick around for once."
Al absorbed that for a moment. "When did your mother die?"
Siren sighed and fixed her gaze on the sweat condensing on the outside glass. "She died when I was born. Daddy doesn't like to talk about it. I suppose that's natural right?"
That did surprise Alphonse. After so many years, did the man wish to die? It seemed a little melodramatic. He survived the shock of loosing his wife. That, in itself, was amazing. "He doesn't have to die, does he? I mean he's already beaten the odds, staying alive this long."
"He says he made a promise, that he has to keep his word. Daddy's really big on vows. I think they're more important to him than anything.
"Are you sure that's not misinterpreting what he's told you?"
Siren smiled sadly, running her fingertip around the rim of the glass. "Nope."
'Wow this isn't a very good date Al.'
'Yeah I know.'
'But she does look good.'
'Yep.'
'Okay… and in case you didn't notice, that dress gives a great view of her rack…'
'Shut up… hentai.'
'Just look!'
'All right,' against his better judgment he looked. The low cut cocktail dress she wore did provide a very nice glimpse of her breasts, and Alphonse indulged himself for a few moments in watching the rise and fall of her breathing.
'You're looking… and you like what you see, you perv. I'm proud of you, Al. I was starting to wonder…'
'Shut up seriously. Just because I looked doesn't mean anything.'
'So?'
'So, what?'
'So… what do you think?'
Alphonse stifled a sigh as he directed his attention back to his menu again. 'So…. They're nice.'
"How's it look?"
Al looked up from his menu to see Siren smiling at him. "Fine."
"Good."
"Good I was scared you didn't like them for a minute."
"Like what?"
Siren sipped her water as a mysterious little smile surfaced in her eyes. She shrugged. "You don't think I didn't notice you staring at my rack, did you?"
Now he did it and he had to do something. 'Do it so she doesn't get offended.' "Can't help but see something so obviously that's on display," he shot back. 'Nice idiot.'
'That's true," she agreed with a giggle. "Anyways people say it's best."
"What's that."
"Beauty should be shared, and my rack is definitely beautiful."
"What-."
"Do you want to see them?"
"In the restraint?" he questioned.
"Here, there, wherever, what do you say Alphonse Elric?"
"Not here, but maybe later." Al said with his cheeks pinkening.
"Can I take your order." Al looked at the waiter.
"Two number eights."
"Okay sir I'll be back with your steaks."
Al turned to her with a smile. "I ordered for you is that okay?"
"Yeah, you picked what I wanted anyways."
She smiled. 'You like him, don't you?'
Siren shifted uncomfortably. 'He's nice enough.'
'Nice? Nice doesn't begin to cover it, Clara. He's all those indefinable things, the kind of man you could stand to be with.'
'Your kind of looking a little a head there aren't you.'
'So.'
'I'm not.'
'And I'm not breathing.'
'Sorry to hear that.'
'Yeah.'
Alphonse opened his mouth to say something but the waiter interrupted and slipped the plates onto the table and disappeared again.
"This looks good." She said taking a bite. "Um… but it's really rare." Siren remarked as she stared at the barely cooked meat. "Excuse me." She said as she caught the waiter's sleeve to stop him as he passed.
"Is something wrong ma'am?"
"Yes," Siren said with a bright smile, slipping her hand around to pat the young man's hand. The waiter blushed. "I hate to be a bother, but this meat is to rare."
"I could take it back."
"Oh, please, if it isn't any trouble." Siren cooed in a sweater more suave voice then she usually used. The waiter nodded and took her plate.
She turned to Alphonse to see that he didn't look to happy. "That was nice."
Siren cocked her head to the side and frowned. "What"
"Come on Siren you could have just asked the pour guy to take it back, you didn't have to fawn over him. You manipulated him." Al smiled and shook his head.
"I didn't-."
"Ed was right. Damn."
Siren watched in shocked silence as Al stood up and dug a wad of bills out of his pocket to drop on the table. "Let's go." After casting her one more glare he turned and left.
'That didn't go so well.'
'No it didn't Clara.'
'But he was totally wrong.'
'Was he?'
'I think.'
A/N:
Okay this is going good so far. I think, I hope. Well I am Devin Warren and I approve this story, kind of, sort of, not really. Just kidding well tell me what you feel by pushing that purple button that says submit review at the bottom of the screen. And It's true it is my only means of survival.
Reviews:
Bob's Castle: (CC)
Final Wish and Warslayer
FFNetFinal Thought From Al:
Ed's right?
Blanket Disclaimer for this fanfic (Will apply to this and all other chapters in A thin Silver Strand): I do not claim any rights to The Full Metal Alchemist or the characters associated with the anime, video game, mange. etc. Those rights belong to whoever created it, I don't know who that is right now but I will find out. I do offer my gratitude to whomever for creating characters that I can torment and make cry like babies.