Title: Technical Problems
Rating: G, again
Word Count: 469
Pairing: WinrySciezska, again
For: LJ's kytyngurl2.

Sciezska had read about many things. Sciezska, for instance, had read about scrub boards. Apparently, however, using a scrub board was much more difficult than any text had portrayed.

Sighing deeply, her clumsy fingers pushed the oil-slicked clothes up and down against the grate. "Winry!" she whined. "Haven't you fixed the washing machine yet?"

Winry, however, didn't hear her. Her hands were covered with oil (and much to Sciezska's dismay, once again, her clothes were) and her eyes were shining. It was apparent to Sciezska that it was much likelier Winry had used the stuttering sound inside the machine as an excuse to take it apart.

Grandma Pinako had expressly forbid Winry from taking apart the humming machine that had inserted itself so seamlessly in their lives. Yet Winry was on her knees and elbows, slicked with grease, playing with its innards.

Standing up, holding the clothes, still stained with oil, Sciezska went over to Winry, dropping the sopping fabric in a wicker basket. "I can't do it," she said in a low voice. "Apparently having read about scrub boards isn't going to help me here."

Winry swallowed and looked up at Sciezska. "I don't think I can fix it," she admitted.

They stood there dumbly for a moment, their world shaking, just for a moment.

Wiping her oil-stained hands on her pants, Winry stood up. "Let's get the clothes to a cleaner," she said.

"And not tell Grandma?"

"Yeah," Winry answered, grinning.

"Fair enough," Sciezska said, shrugging. "But I'm driving this time."

"You always want to drive!" Winry whined, tugging on Sciezska's uniform. "You're going to get oil on that!" Sciezska snapped, slapping Winry's hand away.

Winry grinned and held her hand up, smearing oil under the brunette's eye.

Sciezska blinked, thrown for a loop.

"We're just like kids," she said after a moment.

Winry looked up at her, trying not to laugh at the black mark across her cheekbone. "How so?"

"I mean, you broke the washing machine on purpose to take it apart, we think we can do anything, we're sneaking around Grandma so we won't get caught, and now you're coloring on my face," Sciezska said. "I mean, kids in books are like that!"

"I never got a chance to be a kid in a book," Winry said, swallowing hard. "I mean, I had to sort of take care of myself after my parents died in the war.

Sciezska sighed, her arm slipping around Winry's waist.

"Tomorrow's Saturday," she whispered in Winry's ear. "Let's sleep in then run to the brook and get our feet muddy. Stay out all day and only come home, running towards the house barefoot at sunset. Eat dinner giggling, like we did something magical all day."

Winry almost cried on Sciezska's shoulder. "Thanks for understanding," she said. "Thanks."

A/N Somebunny's running back to yuri.