Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. It does however, own me and all of the world. We must bow down to FMA.
(A/N: I was just so excited about this chapter, I wrote it right after the last instead of tending to my other FanFics, like I normally do. Sorry if you're reading my other ones, I'll get to them right after, and happy for those of you who only read this one .)
Chapter 15 - Keeping the moment
Bottle our moments, forget the valediction
Winry had been staring out the window when she saw Ed coming back, and Al right behind him. Al still didn't look that happy(not that you could see his facial expressions), but Ed looked content, with his hands in his pockets heading towards the house. Winry had been worried sick about Ed, so to speak, because he had been gone for hours and it was almost time for supper. By the time Pinako called Winry down, Ed and Al had already been in the house. Lately, dinner had become uneasy for everyone eating there, due to the "social difficulties" happening around the house, so Pinako took a lot of care in seating everyone.
Ed was next to Winry, who was next to Pinako, who sat next to Riza, who was beside Roy, who took his place next to Al, who was to the left of his brother, Ed. She had made sure dinner would be peaceful, and from everything she's heard and seen, it was perfect, and no too people sitting next to each other would fight. Soon, however, the group encountered a problem.
The potato salad.
Winry eyed that potato salad, that was right in front of Mr. Mustang, and she wanted it. Baddddd. She could ask Al, but he was mad at her for some unknown reason. So she did the only thing that she was comfortable doing.
"Ed, can you pass the potato salad?" Ed reached over, but his hand didn't quite make it. "I guess I can't reach. Why don't you ask Roy?" Roy smiled politely without his eyes meeting Winry's. He looked up.
"You know, Winry, I'd be fine passing the potato salad, if you asked." Winry's face attained a light blush of pink, and she was slightly angry.
"No, that's fine, I'll get it." She started to get out of her seat.
"Really, no, you sit, and I will pass it." Mustang had a slight annoyance to his voice, as did Winry. Pinako felled her heart ache as her perfect plan started to crumble.
"Oh don't you worry about that, it'd be a hassle to poison it or something. I'm a big girl, I can handle it." Then Mustang did the unthinkable, and for all you girls out there, you KNOW what the unthinkable is.
"Big girl is right. . ." he mumbled under his breath. Winry was half way to getting the salad when she pounced on him, and the rest was just a mess of shouts, yelling, screeching, pushing, pulling, scratching, hitting. Oh, and Roy did some rolling too. All you could hear was:
"NOT AT MY KITCHEN TABLE!"
"He earned it. . ."
"Wow, I hope I don't have to deal with that any time soon. . ."
". . . . They're lucky they can even eat."
You can most likely guess which phrase belongs to which fellow eater, but the rest was all unknown due to the yelps of Roy as Winry attempted to rip his arms off.
"Hide my good knives!"
"Woah boy! She's got a fork!"
"Just separate them already!"
"Alright, but you're going to help me!"
So Ed grabbed Winry and managed to yank her off Roy, whom Riza grabbed and pulled away. Both were panting, and Winry's legs were still flailing, determined to get a hit on Roy. Pinako had the angry look in her eyes, and a pan in her hand. First she started hitting Winry.
"EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. HE COULD'VE GOT THE POTATO SALAD!" You heard the clang of a pan in between words. Then she started on Roy.
"YOU SHOULD'VE KEPT YOUR MOUTH SHUT. LEARN TO PASS SALAD FASTER. YOU NEVER INSULT A WOMAN'S WEIGHT!" She, of course, hit him harder then her granddaughter, because of the fact he insulted her. She paused and stood before the two people.
"Now, we are going to continue eating. You two are not going to speak to each other, and the salad goes in middle of the table. Deal?" Roy nodded, and Winry hesitantly agreed. This was the second fight Roy had gotten into since he came, although he had it all coming after the trouble he had caused. Even though the potato salad wasn't the total cause for Winry's outburst, it felt nice to let it all out. The rest of the dinner went nicely, filled with tension, but nice. Winry was the first to leave the table(she had a lack of potato salad), and went into her room, satisfied after beating Roy up. Roy finished next and headed out on the patio, and Riza finished and followed him. It left Pinako and Al alone, and Pinako just had to ask . . .
". . .So who do you think would've won?"
Meanwhile, outside on the patio, Mustang was lost in his own world, mentally kicking himself for such an insult, when he felt a slap to the back of the head.
"What were you THINKING!" She joined him in leaning over the porch railing. "First, you KISS her, then you finally tell her you killed her parents, and then you INSULT her? Haven't you put her through enough of this?" Roy stayed silent. He knew it wasn't necessary, but neither was the comment about poisoning the food. This vacation has really changed Roy from the calm man who can put up with anyone and anything, to a short tempered jerk. It only fueled his desire to go home even more. . .
Almost a week went by filled with tension and hours spent keeping Roy and Winry out of the same room. When Winry woke up one day, once again Ed was up and gone already. There were five days left until he had to leave, and every time she woke up to see him gone the fact made her sadder. She put on her casual clothes, and went downstairs. It was early and nobody, not even Riza, was in the kitchen yet. Winry went outside and looked at the tire swing that slowly swayed in such a melancholy beat. The mornings in Resembool were like no others, calm and quiet with the most beautiful sunrise anyone could wish for. So Winry took her seat on the old tire and watched as the sky illuminated the hills colors of red and orange. It looked like everything was on fire.
She spun around on the swing, enjoying the swift nostalgia that came over her. Al and Ed would always fight over who would sit on the swing, and now the old friend was left to rot, hanging from a tree branch that didn't seem so high anymore. It was then that she felt a pair of hands catch her, and instantly she knew it wad Ed. After all, who creaked when they moved their joints?
"Lonely today?" He asked her. Winry didn't even look behind her, she just nodded. "Five days." His voice said to her. He acted as if she didn't know, and as if she wasn't counting.
"Let's not waste them." She said spinning on the tire swing until she faced them. She looked into his golden eyes and thought of how much she would miss them.
"It's gonna be heard, you know. I'm going to be gone a lot, Win, do you think you're up to it?" Winry nodded.
"We can do it, Ed, we can make it through." Ed accepted her answer, but he still looked unsure, and she couldn't blame him. He'd be gone for such long periods of time, that he might even begin to question her fidelity, if she would stay with him.
"I'm going to miss you. . ." His voice trailed off, but Winry stopped him.
"We don't have to say goodbye, yet. There's not enough time for goodbye." She jumped off the tire swing.
"Lately, there's barely time for anything." They faced each other for a moment, both of them hanging on the word of goodbye. Time stood still as both were thinking of ways to make everything easier for both of them, when Ed's eyes lit up.
"We don't need time on our side today. Come on, let's go." He took her hand and started to run, Winry being startled by his spontaneity, but Ed led her to the lake that they used to go to when they were kids. He threw off his coat and jumped off the edge, landing with a splash. Winry giggled when he tried to pull her in, but eventually, she let in and jumped in next to him. Normally, she would have been worried to death about her clothes, or catching a cold, but for some reason she didn't care. The world seemed to be holding it's breath and stop it's ticking, and the two teens felt like they were the only people on earth.
They had quite a water fight, of Ed trying to throw Winry underwater and her kicking and yelping not to get dunked. Looking up, they saw that the bright sun had been hidden among gray dreary clouds, trying to ruin the moment, but they didn't mind getting out from the lake and hiding under a huge, oak tree. Watching the rain cascade down the leaves surrounding the scene wasn't ruining the moment - It was rather beautiful.
Ed kissed Winry lightly, and she kissed him back, hoping the moment would never end. She knew that she was one hundred percent, truly in love with him. It was pretty blissful that the only worry in the world was when Monday came and he had to go. The moment so serene, even people as young as them could appreciate, and not a word had to be said. Both knew they were madly in love with each other, and both knew even when the day was over, it wouldn't ever be forgotten.
The rain was letting up, but it's scent still hung heavily in the air. Even though they could've left out from under the tree, they still stayed sitting on the now damp grass. By now people in the house would be waking up - wondering where the couple had disappeared to, but neither cared, because the place they were in could last forever, and they still wouldn't want to move. Winry's hair was a complete mess, but Ed didn't care. He still thought that she was gorgeous, and even though Ed was freezing cold, she still felt warmth when she was so close to him.
"I can't believe you're leaving so soon." She whispered, his hands still around her waist.
"I don't really want to dwell on that topic. . . It's gonna be tough." Winry nodded to him. "As long as you write, I think I'll live."
"You think? That's not too reassuring. . ." She knew he was smiling without having to look up. "Maybe you shouldn't go, and then you can be sure I'll live." He laughed.
"Well, promise that you won't die on me when I'm gone."
"Only if you promise not to do anything dangerous while you're gone."
"That's a deal. . .I'm not that bad am I?"
"At what?"
"Getting into danger?" Winry couldn't help but laugh. No, not only had he just recently been shot, nearly killed himself in a human transmutation, and many, many other encounters.
"Do you want me to tell you a total lie or the truth?"
"A lie."
"You're the safest person in the world."
"You got that right." She laughed, and they spent the rest of the day wishing it wouldn't end.
The remaining days flew by fast, faster then anyone could have imagined, and when Winry woke up that Monday, she was anything but content. Ed was up and already packed up, the room looking so empty then it had yesterday. After dressing, she headed downstairs, sad to see what was the last breakfast with the group. Conversation fell short, the only bits of words being compliments to Pinako's cooking, and even Ed didn't say anything. The only person wanting to part with the house was Roy, who was becoming increasingly silent since his insult to Winry, only talking to Riza.
Pinako volunteered to drive everyone to the train station, where they were going to catch the one o' clock train. Winry had helped loading the bags, disappointed to see Ed's alongside the others in the back of the truck. When they all piled in, Ed held Winry's hand the whole way there. During the car ride, there were a few attempts of starting a conversation, but most attempts failed. Roy was practically a mute, Riza was depressed of having to go back to the military way of life, Winry and Ed were being practically separated, Pinako was going to be almost alone in the house again, and Al . . .well, no one was quite sure why Al was depressed.
At the train station, there were tons of people, some saying goodbye, some saying hello, and some saying nothing at all. Winry's hand was still tightly grasped in Ed's as they sat down on the bench, practically afraid of the moment the big, black train would come rolling up the tracks. It may have been silent, but it was meaningful just for the two to have their hands laced together one more time before they had to part. Lately, there hadn't been a moment Winry hadn't wanted to bottle up in time, but this was one she'd rather have let go. She didn't want to remember goodbye, she wanted to remember hello.
As soon as the whistle blew, Winry practically jumped, knowing it was Ed's. He picked up his suitcase and stared as the train slowed to it's stop. Both of them stood up, and stopped, facing each other. His golden eyes met her blue ones as they locked in place trying to read each other's feelings. Uncertainty met regret, until finally Winry spoke.
"I guess this is goodbye." She hugged him, and he held her. Winry found herself feeling like she was becoming just like all the other couples at the train station. Holding each other and crying at the other's departure.
"It's just a see you later. I promise I'll write to you."
"Remember our deal. No dangerous stuff."
"Of course I'll remember. I'm the safest person in the world, remember?"
"And I'll remember not to die while you're gone." He broke away from the hug and he looked at her. She tried to blink away her tears, but she failed and Ed brushed them away.
"I'll miss you, Win." He leaned in and kissed her for what was going to be the last time in a great while. She felt the same way as she did every time he kissed her on the lips, the shock that seemed like it would last forever, until he broke away.
"Get a room. Oh, and goodbye." Riza said, unhappy with her own romantic life climbing aboard the train.
"Miss you Ed. . ." He nodded before climbing onto the train, disappearing into the seats. Al stepped on the train without a word to Winry, and Roy stopped before her. She could tell he wanted to talk, that he was holding something back, but he just stayed silent with his hands in his pockets.
"I'm really sorry Winry."
"I can forgive you, Roy." His stare broke and he furrowed his eyebrows.
". . .Really?" She nodded and smiled, hating to end things on such bad terms. He had hurt her, and anyone but Winry would have really hated him for that, but she remembered the man that she had befriended when he first came.
"I'll try my best. . ." Roy nodded. It was mercy that she'd even talk to him after all that he did, but at least she said she'd try.
"Goodbye, Winry."
"Bye, Roy. Oh, yeah! You have to promise me one more thing." He stopped on the step of the train that was about to move.
"And what's that?"
"Ask Riza out, don't be an idiot." He forced a smile and went aboard the train. It started to move and she saw two head pop out of the train.
"Bye!" Riza said waving her hand as the train started to pull away from the station. Ed called out her name.
"Winry!" For a moment, she was worried.
"What is it!"
"I forgot something." Her heart skipped a beat.
"I love you!" She heard his voice call out to her.
"I love you too. . ." She whispered, just saying it aloud so she could hear it herself. So much had happened within the past three weeks, she was amazed that it was ending. . .
Smiling the best smile a girl could when the love of her life was leaving, she waved back, until the train was out of sight. Her and Pinako drove home, not a word was said as Winry sunk into her own world. When they finally got home, Winry went into the basement, as she did whenever she wanted to escape. The only thing that kept her from breaking down and crying was the fact that soon there would be a letter addressed to her, signed by her true love, Edward Elric. He loved her and she loved him, and even through there were thousands of miles that tried to keep them apart, they'd still manage. Neither of them would were willing to let go. . .
I tried to make it long, and trust me this isn't the end. There will be more chapters, more problems, and more Roy. . .dear I love that Roy.
Thank you reviewers!
Anicka - Thank you! Hopefully you liked this one too
SavannahX - Al isn't really my favorite either. . .I'm updating my other one ASAP, I just had to move this one along. . .Thanks!
Erica - Thank you! I think this one was pretty interesting too, and the next ones will be too. Never a dull moment in the world of my imagination
winryrockbell2 - Hehe, I thought this was pretty fluffy fluff fluff filled. Thanks!
blaznxrapture - I thought about making Winry follow along, but it'd slightly interfere with the rest of the plot that's gonna be happening. There's still going to be some RizaXRoy, and a lot of EdXWinry of course, until I make the next plot moving decision :) Thanks!
