Dancing in the Rain

Chapter Eight

Winry's parents insisted she stay home for the next couple of days. Her father said it would be too awkward trying to focus on schoolwork with her ankle hindering her. Her mother, said it was for more emotional reasons. Winry had told her time and time again that she and Edward had not benn dating. And they had not broken up. But her mother refused to listen to her.

She stayed home for about a week, and in that week, she started thinking. She thought about everything that had happened to her recently. It was all very overwhelming. She thought about Edward's past, his lifestyle. Alphonse. What he had said to her. What she had done for him. She thought about everything. It was as if she was searching for some sort of answer she could never obtain, and after mulling over everything it only seemed to make her even more depressed.

She couldn't stop herself from crying when she thought about the day in the hospital. Why had Edward been so mean? She was only trying to be nice to him. She must have mulled over the same thoughts a million times, and the more she did, the angrier she got. By the end of the week, she was boiling with anger, and couldn't wait for school to start so she could smack Edward right across the face.

But, when she did get back to school on Monday, Edward wasn't there. On Tuesday, it was the same. And Wednesday as well. By that time, she fumed with anger every time his name was mentioned. Was he going to suck lengths to avoid her that he would skip school? In her anger one lunch hour, after his name had brushed past her ears, she had accidentally cried out; "Where is that stupid shorty anyway?"

Maes had replied casually with; "He hasn't been here for the past week either. Who knows? Maybe he dropped dead in his apartment."

So, on Wednesday after school, Winry swore to find him. She knew that if he wasn't going to school, there was only one other place he would be; the hospital. So, she packed up her books, and raced out the door. She failed to notice that despite the fact she was at the back of the class, she was the first one out the door.

She managed to catch her bus, and let it take her down to the train station, where she caught the northbound train heading towards the hospital.

It was easy then to slip into the hospital, and head up to Alphonse's room.

She glanced momentarily through the window, spotting the blonde haired boy seated next to his brother's bed, his head hung low. A sudden wave of guilt washed over her. Did something happen? Why did he look so sad? Those feelings were immediately replaced with anger, and she picked the lock and stepped inside before any passing nurses asked about her behavior.

"Julie," came Edward's voice as she stepped in. "Can you just place dinner on the table? I'll eat it...later..." Winry blinked in surprise when she realized Edward had just lost consciousness. She stepped up next to him with a soft smile. He looked so cute when he was sleeping. She couldn't help it. The girl knew she was supposed to be angry at the blonde haired chibi, but looking at his sleeping form made all her anger just wash away. She couldn't stay mad at him if she tried.

Carefully and quietly, she stepped up to the cub board and pulled out a blanket, and set it on his shoulders. Winry grabbed a chair and sat next to him, smiling gently as she watched him sleep. She probably should have left, but she kept telling herself; "just one more minute" and ended up staying far longer then she wanted.

She stayed like that, gently rested against the bed, watching intently as Edward slept. She might have lost consciousness. She couldn't remember. It was all one big haze. But, her attention snapped to him, as the boy groaned, and his eyes opened. She couldn't help but smile at his drowsy expression.

"Good morning sleepy head..." she whispered.

Winry could feel her heart swell up with joy when he smiled in return. "Morning..." he replied softly.

Then, as if someone had struck them both over the back of the head with bricks, they bounded to their feet. "What do you think you're doing here?" Edward cried, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"I came here to yell at you for saying all those mean things!" Winry shot back. "But you had to ruin it by falling asleep and looking all cute!"

She turned slightly pink, and so did he. "I-I told you to leave and never come back!" Edward cried as he pointed at the door. "Now leave before I call security."

She glared into those golden emotionless eyes that seemed to peer deep into her soul. Before he could do anything, Winry walked up to him and smacked him clear across the face. Edward seemed slightly shocked, placing his surprisingly ungloved hand over his face, and turned to look at her.

"Stop being an idiot." She snapped, her eyes blazing furiously. "You can call security all you want. You can kick me out time after time, but I'm not going anywhere." She fisted her hand together in anger. She had no idea why she was saying that, but the words just seemed to keep coming from her mouth. "I'm going to stay by your side no matter the consequences. So stop being stupid already and accept the fact that I'm not going anywhere!"

Edward stared at her with a slightly shocked expression, before he sighed. He turned his golden eyes towards the ground momentarily. "You're really serious about this?" he asked, remembering her outrageous attempts to learn about his past. She nodded. "Fine," he mumbled reluctantly, causing her whole face to light up. "But the second things start to look dangerous, you're gone. Got that?"

Winry nodded. "Yes! Thank you Edward!" She said, pulling him into a tight hug in her excitement. Edward frowned at her, but didn't struggle.

A loud crack called their attention to the window, as heavy rain suddenly pelted against it. Edward frowned deeply, and Winry smiled.

"It's raining..." she said. Her eyes were bright with delight.

"Yeah," Edward said with a deep frown. "What's so good about that?"

Winry grinned, grabbing Edward's wrist. "Come with me." she said, before dragging him from the room, and out into the hall. She tore down the hall and towards the door. He had a hard time keeping up with her, and he seemed to slow down further when he realized they were heading for the exit. She pushed open the door, and tore out into the rain, twirling as it pelted down hard on her.

Edward stood in the doorway, crossing his arms with a huff and watching her twirl and dance in the rain. "What are you doing?" he cried over the sound of pouring rain, the occasional crack of lightening and boom of thunder.

"Dancing!" she cried back, turning to him with a smile. Her clothes were already soaked through, her blonde hair dripping wet, and pasted to her skin. "Come dance with me!" she cried out.

He frowned. "Why would I want to do that?"

Winry quickly ran towards the door, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him out into the rain. "Because," she said as soon as they were out. "When you dance in the rain, you're blessed with good luck for the rest of the year."

He frowned, finding himself already soaked. "Where's your scientific background on that?" he asked skeptically.

She smiled despite his attempt at sarcasm. "Not everything needs a scientific explanation."

He shrugged. "Fair enough." He said, before allowing her to drag him off and dance with her as the rain soaked them thoroughly.

---

For the next couple of days, Winry was on cloud nine. She was overly happy, and also seemingly lost in her own thoughts. She was giddy though, and everyone around her seemed to notice. It was sometime on the weekend, she skipped down the stairs, and was headed towards the door when her mother stopped her.

"Oh Winry, hold on." She turned to her mother, blinking innocently.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I invited one of my friends over and she's brining her son. I promised her that he could hang out with you, is that okay?" she asked.

Winry frowned. "I was going to go and check out that mechanic's shop down town." It was true she never really got to see it, but she wasn't actually going to go and see it. She reflected momentarily on going to Edward's apartment and help him tidy the mess that seemed to swallow the entire building. She knew it was stupid to simply go over unprovoked, but she had to admit she wanted to see him.

"Oh well, take him why don't you?" her mother asked.

Winry rolled her eyes, she really didn't want to drag around some loser who probably couldn't get a date on his own. "Mom, I really don't think-"

She cut herself off as the doorbell rang, and her mother turned to answer it. She could hear her mother's giddy tone followed by the scuffles of people entering the house. Winry mentally groaned. But, she forced a smile, and turned towards the door as a tall woman and her son stepped through. She paid little to no attention to the woman, but focused down on the boy she was supposed to entertain for the next few hours.

He was taller then her, with long dark hair that almost resembled the leaves on a palm tree. He had deep purple eyes that could draw your attention, although, Winry didn't find them all that appealing. In fact, there was something off about the boy. Something she really didn't like. She merely brushed it aside and smiled.

"Winry," her mother said, stepping up next to her. "This is Envy. I know you had plans but could you entertain him for the day? I know he'd really appreciate it." Her mother said with one of those, 'you'd-better-do-it' kind of smiles.

Winry forced a smile and nodded. "Sure. I'd love to entertain him."

"Good," her mother said, patting her on the back. "We'll be in the kitchen if you need us." And with that, both women disappeared through the door.

Winry turned awkwardly back to the boy standing next to her. What was she supposed to say? Quickly, she tried to think of something to say, but Envy beat her to it. "So," he mused. "What do you do for fun around here?"

Winry shrugged. "I was going to head out to a mechanics store." The boy seemed to smirk slightly.

"Mechanics? Are you into that?" he asked with an amused look.

She nodded. "Yeah. You know anything about it?"

Envy shook his head. "Nah. But I'd like to learn, if you'll teach me."

Winry's eyes lit up as a mischievous grin took over her face. "I'd love to." She said, before glancing down at her watch and frowning. "But we have to move. Our bus leaves in seven minutes."

"No problem," Envy said with a shrug as he pulled a pair of keys from his pocket and started waving it in front of her face. "I can drive."

Winry blinked, before letting the words sink in. She then grinned.

---

"Well, that was fun."

The two were heading back towards Winry's house. Both had an ice-cream cone in their hands, and Envy was doing an excellent job of driving and eating at the same time. They had gone to the shop that Winry had previously been trying to find. She must have talked for hours. Explaining the uses for different tools, how she would build things. And he listened, nodding every now and then, and asking questions. She was delighted to have someone she could talk to about this kind of stuff.

"It's not very safe to drive and eat at the same time," Winry pointed out with a frown, watching as Envy managed to keep them on the road.

"I know," he answered, as he turned into her neighborhood. "But it's fun too. Haven't you heard the old saying that anything truly fun is somewhat dangerous?"

"No," Winry replied, and wondered if there was such a saying.

He simply smirked as they arrived at her house. Envy's mother was waiting on the driveway, frowning. Apparently she was ready to go and he took the only car they had. "It was fun," Winry said as she turned to look at him. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"About that," Envy said. "Would you like to go out Saturday? Like, on a real date?"

Winry wondered what to say. Sure, he was a nice guy, but, what would Edward say? Before she had the chance to reply, he smacked her lightly on the back with a huge grin. "Great!" he chirped. "I'll pick you up at eight!"

She frowned at his cheerfulness. "Okay," she said with a nod. "One date is fine." With that, she stepped out of the car and waved. "See you Saturday."

His grin seemed to be too big for his face. "I'm looking forward to it."

A/N: I told yah there would be Envy action. Anyway, mucho jealousy from Edward's side coming up. I hope to get more reviews on this chapter. Well, I hoped you at least enjoyed it.