Merry FMA Christmas
Winry awoke on Christmas Eve morning. She sat up, yawning, trying to adjust to the sunlight of the winter morning. She leaned against the windowsill, smiling at the wonderland outside. After a little while, she got dressed and went to the kitchen.
"Good morning, Winry!" Came Al's cheery voice. No reverberations from metal echoing his now fully human voice. Ed had successfully transmuted Al back, but he himself still remained with automail limbs.
"Gives me a good reason to come back here, doesn't it?" Ed would say with a smirk. Then Al would laugh at him when one of Winry's wrenches connected with his head.
Winry smiled, "Morning, Al. How are you?"
"I'm good" he beamed, "Brother should be home soon."
"Al…"
Al nodded, "Yep. He's going to be home today. I can feel it." He looked over his shoulder at her, "I'm going into town. Need anything?"
She shook her head, no.
"Okay, See you later!" He called while shoving toast in his mouth on the way out the door.
Winry made herself some tea, her mind elsewhere.
Shortly after Ed completed Al's transmutation, the military caught wind of it. Luckily, Mustang god to him first. Apparently, there was another uprising in Liore – the third that month – and the military needed all the help they could get to suppress the Ishbalans.
They have a good right to rebel, Winry thought, If I had soldier bursting into my home to "keep the peace", I'd rebel too. She sipped at the hot tea, frowning as she thought how much she wanted Edward home.
"Yes, tell Alphonse and Winry we said hello." Riza said with a small smile.
"I will, Colonel Hawkeye." Man, that sounds weird to say… stupid rank changing… people. Ed thought irritably. He didn't know why all the people he worked under kept getting promoted.
A salute came from his superior, "Have a good Christmas break, Fullmetal."
Ed looked at Roy, raising a blonde eyebrow, "You're being unusually nice, General."
"That's Brig—"
"Yeah, yeah, "Brigadier General". Give it a rest, that's too much to say."
"Makes one hell of a difference though. Come back to Central in a couple weeks, understood?"
Ed saluted sharply – with his flesh and blood arm, of course. "Yes, Sir!" he grinned.
"That's what I like to see, even if it was sarcastic." Roy smirked right back at the Fullmetal.
"See you guys later. Tell everybody Merry Christmas!" Ed shouldered his back and took off into the streets of Risembool.
"AL! AL!" Ed called, seeing his younger brother with an armful of groceries.
Al's eyes were wide. "Br…" He turned around, "BROTHER!" he dropped everything he was carrying and ran into Ed's open arms. "You're home!"
Edward hugged Al tightly, "I've missed you." He held his sibling at arms length, "Did you take car of Winry like I asked?"
"Of course I did! She misses you thought, Ed."
Ed smiled, "That'll change tonight. Question: Do you have a big bow?"
Al blinked, "A…bow?"
"Yeah. I have something else for her tomorrow, but tonight I'm her present."
"Ohh, I think I might. What else did you get her?" Al asked as they walked to pick up the food lying randomly in the snow-covered streets.
Ed dug through his bag and pulled out a small velvet box. "Found it in Liore." He opened it up to a golden back with a sapphire in between two diamonds set into it.
Once again, Al dropped his things, "You're going to ask her to…"
"Yep. Been a long time coming, so I figured 'why not now?'" Ed smiled, pocketing the ring again. He picked up a couple bags, "C'mon, I can't wait to get home." He laughed.
When they arrived back home, Al took the things from Ed's arms, "I'll go in first." he said.
Ed nodded as Al went inside, putting the things in the kitchen. "Hey Winry?" He looked around, finding her in the living room, flipping through a photo album.
"Remember when we were kids and you slipped on that log by the river and cut your leg?"
Al sat down by her, "Yeah… it really hurt." He absentmindedly rubbed his leg.
Winry laughed a little, "Ed ran so fast to get your mom… He was so tired he collapsed when he got back…"
Al smiled, "I want to show you something." He stood up.
Winry looked up, "What is it?"
"A surprise." He lifted her up to her feet and put a blindfold over her blue eyes. He led her outside where Ed was waiting, a big red bow on his chest.
Winry could have sworn she heard the faint whirring of her automail, "Al… what's going on?" She was getting anxious.
Al smiled at his brother, "Merry Christmas, Winry." He said, taking off her blindfold.
Winry's eyes fell on Ed. He was standing right there, flesh and blood… and metal.
"E-Edo…"
Ed smiled his cocky smile, "Glad to be b-ACK!" Ed fell to the ground with a thud. Winry lay on top of him, her arms securely around his neck, "you're home!" She sobbed, "You're really home!"The blonde laughed, "I'm home and I'm cold." He rubbed her back. When Winry didn't budge, he asked, "You're not getting off of me, are you?"
"Never." Winry shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Ugh, alright then." He pushed himself – and the extra weight – up into a sitting position, somehow managing to get to his feet. He followed Al (who was enjoying every minute of this) inside and sat on the couch.
"I missed you… Oh, Ed, I missed you so much." She pulled back, cupping his cheek with her hand. He leaned into her touch.
"I thought of you every night… I really did." He kissed her cheek lingeringly, "Mustang got sick of me talking about how much I wanted to get home in time for Christmas." He laughed, "So he made it happen."
"How are he and Riza doing?"
Ed nodded, "She's still the man of the relationship. But they're doing good. Cant find any time to themselves, but they get to go back to Central now that things in Liore have settled down."
"That's good to hear."
"Wait until you hear this. Havoc's got himself a girlfriend."
Winry couldn't help but laugh. "Are you serious?"
"That's what I said!" Ed exclaimed. "Apparently they must just before we all had to leave. I would hate to see his phone bill after all of this. The thing was like… surgically attached to his head. It was awful."
"You never called…" Winry said, her gaze falling to her hands in her lap."
Ed frowned, "You never got my letters?"
"Letters?"
"I wrote you just about every day. Winry, I know I never called… but I didn't have anything good to say at the time." He tilted her chin up with his cold metal hand, "I'm sorry… if I knew you never got my notes, I would have called instead…"
Winry nodded, "I-Its okay…"
Ed hugged her close, "I'm sorry."
Winry closed her eyes, curling into Ed's form. Al smiled from the doorway, mouthing to his brother that dinner was in the kitchen when they were ready. Ed nodded with a small smile. Al disappeared back to his room to catch up on his alchemy studies.
"Its too cold in here." Ed said mainly to himself. He sat Winry on the couch and made a fire. He went back over to Winry, putting his good arm around her.
"I'm glad you're home…" Winry said, closing her eyes.
"Me too, Winry… me too…" Ed yawned silently, putting his head on hers.
"Ed…Ed, wake up…" Al's voice came.
"Mmm… whatsit…"
"It's Christmas." Al stated.
Ed opened a golden eye, seeing Winry's head in his lap. He laughed and stroked her hair, "Hey, wake up." It took a while, but Winry slowly got up.
Al had brought in the few presents from under the tree in the next room, "Merry Christmas." He smiled, handing Ed and Winry their presents.
"Merry Christmas." Ed and Winry said in unison.
They all got to opening their gifts right away. Al got more Alchemy books from Winry and, much to his surprise, a kitten from Ed! (Ed had gotten it early that morning and put him in a box with holes under the tree.) Winry received new tools from Al and Hawkeye. She wondered why Ed didn't get her a present. Ed got a card that said: This is good for one free tune up. Love, Winry. Just what he needed too. Al got him a new jacket since his trademark red one was just rags coming back from the uprising.
"This was the best one yet!" Al exclaimed.
Winry nodded, "It was."
"But it's not over." Ed stated, standing up. "Winry, I have one last thing for you." He disappeared to his room and got the box. Now or never. He reminded himself.
He returned to the living room. Winry looked up at him puzzlement. Ed smiled softly and got down on one knee in front of her, opening the box. She put her hands over her mouth, her blue eyes immediately filling with tears.
"Winry Rockbell… will you marry me?"
She let out a squeak in response and nodded, "Y-Yes… Yes!" He slipped the band on her finger and she stared at it. "E-Ed, its beautiful…"
Al clapped, "Congrats you two!"
Ed laughed and hugged Winry, picking her up off her feet, twirling her around. "Merry Christmas, Winry."
"Merry Christmas, Edward." She smiled.
Al coughed, "Ah… you guys..." They looked at him and he pointed a finger above them. "Mistletoe."
Ed looked at Winry with a grin.
"C'mere you." She put one hand on the back of his head and kissed him deeply.