You're (Not) Cute

Author's Note~ Been a minute since I've written for these two, but I figured it was as good an opportunity as any on EdWin Day.

Disclaimer~ I do not own FMA or any of the characters involved.

Granny had asked Winry to go shopping for some groceries. And for whatever reason, Winry had asked him to go with her.

"Carrying stuff would be good for your right arm to help build muscle," is what she had said, but after stopping by a tool shop and standing around for almost an hour while she filled up a basket at an almost frantic pace, he's starting to think she wanted him with her for a different reason.

A reason that involved his wallet.

"Winry, how much are you planning on buying?" he asks in exasperation.

"As much as I need to." And then she gasps, "Oh my gosh! It's the new Auto-wrench 300! Oh, it's a Limited Edition too."

"Sounds expensive," he mutters. He can already hear his wallet screaming. This woman seems to conveniently forget he's not in the military anymore and can't afford to buy her whole tool shops like he used to.

"Ed, you have to let me have this! It'll be so worth it, I promise! I'll even make you a pie!" She puts her hands in a pleading motion, eyes huge and so very blue. "Please?"

Don't give in, don't give in…"Fine."

"Yay~!"

You're really lucky you're cute.

"What?" Her eyes are wide now. What did he say?

"What?"

"What did you just say?"

"I said you could have your weird wrench."

"No, after that."

He huffs. "I didn't say anything after-" he trails off as it hits him. He called her cute. Of course she's cute, but he said it out loud! And she heard!

Fuck.

Wait, or maybe she didn't and she's just trying to get him to slip up. "What did you…think I said?"

Please say you don't know.

"It sounded like you called me cute." Dammit. She's smirking now and he wants to sink into the ground and never come back. Ugh, she's never gonna let me live this down, is she?

"Wh-whats cute about a bossy gearhead?" he asks, averting his eyes, face hot.

"You tell me."

"Like I would know. Sure you didn't just imagine it?"

A pause as she cocks her head, narrowing her eyes. A heavy sigh. "You're right, I must have imagined it."

"Must have."

"I guess expecting you to say something nice was giving you way too much credit."

He twitches. "Wh-? I'm nice! I'm letting you bankrupt me, aren't I?"

She rolls her eyes. "Don't be a baby, I know you barely even made a dent in all your research funds and it's not like you need them now." She pats his shoulder. "Besides, having updated tools is better for you in the long-run too."

The logic actually makes sense, but the sad part is that it isn't even necessary. It gets harder and harder to say 'No' to her these days.

"Whatever. Just hurry up so we can go home. It's hot."

"And whose fault is that? I told you wearing black was a bad idea."

She did tell him that. "Shut up, black is cool."

She looks vaguely amused. "I'm almost done." She hands over her basket. "Hold this for me?"

He watches with exasperation and more than a little fondness as she approaches the shop clerk about the fancy wrench, how her face lights up when she gets to hold it in her hands.

He's not gonna pretend to understand what it is about tools that makes her so happy, but he doesn't need to. If it makes her smile, it's enough.

But she really does need to hurry up because he's sweating through his clothes and his automail is starting to burn his skin.

"All done!" she practically sings. "C'mon, let's check out." She grabs the basket with one hand and his hand with the other, the one that used to be metal, and he tries not to blush. It's weird being able to actually feel things in this arm again. And her hand is so warm and rough. He can feel every single callus in between her fingers, the proof of years of hard work.

Years of saving people.

It makes his chest constrict with pride and a lot of other emotions he doesn't wanna get into right now.

He only vaguely hears the price and he uses his free hand to fish out his wallet.

She doesn't let go of his hand, not even once they leave the shop and start walking home. She even starts swinging them absently, every shift of her fingers sending a jolt straight to his nerves. Does she not even realize it?

He supposes he could let go himself…

…But he doesn't really want to.

She's been so hesitant with him for such a long time, his own fault since he deliberately kept her at arm's length, that it's nice that she's so casual with him now, just like when they were still kids.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watches her put a hand to her head, her pretty white sundress billowing in the breeze. "Wow, it is really hot. We were gone longer than I thought."

"Whose fault is that, Miss 'I gotta buy every tool I see'?"

"Hmph. It's not my fault." She gets oddly somber. "Since everything that's happened, automail's been in really high demand." He doesn't doubt it. And like a switch is turned, she grins manically. "So I gotta make sure I'm well-stocked and prepared. There's a lot of competition in my field, y'know, and the bills don't pay themselves." And then she gives him a smug look. "Especially not with careless teenage boys around."

He scoffs. "Well, it's not like I'm out there getting into fights every day anymore." Not making you worry about me all the time atleast.

"Yeah, that's true," she whispers. He makes the mistake of looking at her face and pauses, forgetting how to breathe. Her eyes are so soft. There's glimmers of sweat and her hair, shining from the sun, is windblown, a chunk of it falling from behind her ear on her cheek. His finger twitches with the urge to shift it, to move it from blocking his view.

"There you two are!" Al calls from the porch. We're home already? "Granny Pinako's been waiting for you." He looks down at their hands and Ed immediately lets go, regretting it the minute he does. Now his hand feels cold. Al smirks. "What took you so long?"

He's about to make a biting retort, but Winry beats him to it.

"My fault, sorry! Needed some tool upgrades." She grabs the grocery bags from his hands. "Al, can you bring these in? Thanks so much!"

Al gives her a suspicious look. "Uhh, sure."

Winry turns back to him, which makes him weirdly nervous for whatever reason. "I'm gonna go clean up my toolbox." Her cheeks are a little pink, but maybe that's from the heat. "Thanks for coming with me, Ed."

"Y-yeah, sure."

Is that all?

She pauses in the doorway and he straightens. Is there something else? "Oh, by the way…" She turns, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief and…something else he can't place. "I think you're cute too."

He jolts, face burning. So she did know? This woman…

Is she messing with him?

…Totally not cute.

Definitely not.

Review, please! :D