Disclaimer: Don't own FMA. Don't own "As Long As It Matters," which is by the Gin Blossoms by the way. Great band.
Author's Note: Wow, another long wait. Sorry 'bout that. Again, no excuse since they're useless. But anyway. Enjoy.
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Chapter 29: As Long As It Matters
Footsteps echoed in the dark room, going at a slightly fast, but steady pace. Maybe another day, another time, it would have made the room seem spacious. But instead, being able to hear the echo, adding in the definite lack of light, made the place seem cramped and forboding. It definitely sent shivers through the spine of the person walking through the room.
Upon reaching the end of the room, the feminine voice hesitantly called out, "Master! What is our next move?" Just like the footsteps, the voice echoed eerily.
The first response was silence, in which someone else may have assumed that the "master" was gone temporarily, but she knew better. Within a few more seconds, a deep, slightly gruff voice replied.
"Since your brother messed up our tracking," came the almost weary voice, "I suppose we'll need a new approach. But too long have we been dormant, letting them think we had given up. We haven't. We must strike again."
Another pause, but this time from the woman, seeking council of her next assignment. "He knows I am no longer a friend, so I cannot be of assistance when it comes to tracking them. He'll recognize me in a heartbeat," the woman said softly, hoping her words wouldn't anger her master. She'd seen what happened to those who had, and tried to avoid his wrath at all costs.
"I know." The words were heavy, but it could have just been from the weariness she heard on his voice. "I know," he repeated, this time thoughtful. "No, you cannot go. Your brother, while his talent is useful, was disobedient and is being punished. I will not show him mercy, unless we become desperate." There was another silence, but the woman knew not to speak. She could practically feel the energy radiating from her master as he thought.
At the back of the room, the woman could just barely hear the loud steps of the brother who followed her around nearly at all times. Quartarius, he had been given as a second name. It was his alias in the outside world, while his true name was Gluttony. His loyalty was quite handy at times. The woman liked having him around, as well. The others thought him a mindless eating machine with no brain for anything other than food. While that may have been true, it had served the duo well in the past.
She was drawn out of her thoughts suddenly when her master spoke. "Send in the Sloth," he said, voice cold and calculating once more, even though there was a slight tinge of amusement.
A smirk curled onto Lust's lips. "Of course, Master," she said in her usual sultry tone. "At once."
"Dismissed."
Sloth. Lust held her smirk. This meant utter trickery. Her favorite ploy.
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Winry sighed as she pushed a tray of food into the oven. The kitchen, despite the almost bitter cold outside, was very warm. She used the oven mitt on her hand to wipe the sweat from her brow. The glass of water, that used to have ice in it, had beads of condensation on the sides. A nervous laugh escaped her.
It was amazing how warm the room could become with the oven and the stove on at the same time. But, that's what happened when you suddenly had guests coming over. Winry didn't know if it was just her Christmas spirit despite what had happened the other day, or something else, but when Mr. Hughes had pulled up with his wife, daughter, gifts, and plenty of food that was waiting to be baked, it hadn't seemed rude. Sure, he had invited himself and his family, but there was something touching about it, that he would spend his Christmas with a bunch of young people. The man couldn't have been that old, but he had his fair share of gray hairs.
On that note, Winry looked over at the man's wife, Glacier. Winry had never met her before, but as the short-haired woman had stepped into the kitchen with a pan or two in her arms, the younger woman had felt an immediate connection.
That had been about ten in the morning, and it was now lunch time. Some of the food was slow cooking to be ready for dinner, while a few plates of food were aleady set out neatly for lunch. Winry looked over them, impressed, then up at Glacier. The older woman smiled as she dried her hands.
"Thank you," Winry said suddenly. "I haven't had a family Christmas in a while, since my parents passed away."
Glacier walked over and placed her hand on Winry's shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm glad that you have that feeling again." She smiled a little once more.
Winry smiled as well then leaned against the counter. It was especially hard for her, at the moment, to remain chipper and smiling, though she was trying. What had happened the other night at the supposed "fun house" hadn't been fun at all after a while. It still weighed heavily on her mind what she'd done, that she had killed someone. Crying about it on Edward's shoulder last night had helped, a lot, but she still felt very troubled about it.
It was Christmas, though; Winry was going to try her hardest to stay happy. With that thought, her eyes strayed out the window. Mr. Hughes, Edward, Alphonse, and Mr. Hughes' daughter, Elysia were all outside, playing in the snow. Sometime overnight, a fine blanket had come down, making it the ultimate white Christmas. The smile widened when her eyes fell on Edward. He had just done a face plant into the snow after Elysia launched herself onto his back. Winry saw Al laughing at his brother, pointing his hand. Edward lifted his head, face covered in snow, and rested his chin in his fist. His lips moved like he was talking but suddenly made a face when Elysia's hands slammed into his back. That made Winry wince, since he was probably still sore from the other day. She made a small noise, lifting her hand to cover her mouth. Winry had completely forgotten that Glacier was standing right next to her until she heard the older woman laugh.
"Elysia forgets that people aren't as energetic as she is," Glacier said, turning back to finish preparing the lunch plates.
A small laugh escaped Winry. "Edward is energetic all right, when he wants to be. It's just, he's really sore. He was in a fight the other day." As Winry spoke, her voice fell a little and a small frown replaced her smile.
The young blond saw the older woman pause for a moment, but continue moving moments later. "I heard about that from Maes. He seems all right, though," she said.
Winry nodded, walking behind a chair and placing her hands on it. "Yeah, he is. He's just..." with a shrug, Winry trailed off for a few moments, "a little reckless, sometimes." She told herself that was all it was, that Ed was just reckless, but she knew that he was hurt because he'd been protecting her. She knew that she shouldn't feel bad about it on top of her other feelings, that he was doing his job, but she just couldn't help it.
As if reading her thoughts, Glacier spoke up. "Don't feel bad, Winry," the woman said softly, laying her hand over Winry's. "Be happy that it wasn't worse."
Again, Winry nodded. Mr. Hughes came in the back door, shivering a little. "Brr! It's cold out!" he said in his usual, jovial voice. He walked over to the stove and sniffed. "It smells wonderful, honey." He beamed a smile at his wife.
The two spoke for a moment, and Winry turned her gaze out the window once more to see Elysia dive-tackling Alphonse. Edward was laughing, not far from the two. Winry mused that he was wishing he had been a little further away as he suddenly fell. Winry shifted a little to see Al's hand on his brother's ankle. A small laugh escaped Winry.
"He's a great guy, isn't he, Winry?"
Winry looked over to see Hughes. His smile, which seemed to always be on his lips, was aimed at her. It nearly knocked the young woman down from the happiness she saw. This, she thought, was a man that lived life to its fullest, one-hundred percent and then some, all the time. His smile was contagious, as well, as she felt her lips curling a little. She didn't have a chance to reply, though, before Hughes began speaking again.
"I keep telling Edward he needs to find a woman and settle down. Having a family is great." His arm went around his wife's waist, pulling her close to accentuate his point. "But everytime I bring up the subject, he hangs up the phone or just walks away." Hughes said this with an ease that told Winry it was a regular occurrence that wouldn't soon discourage the man.
A small blush touched Winry's cheeks though. "Edward doesn't seem like the family type," she said cautiously, checking the food in the oven.
"Nonsense!" Hughes reached out to a tray of food, snagging a small bit of food. Glacier voiced her distaste for the action, but Hughes seemed not to notice. "Edward is great with kids. You see how much fun he's having with Elysia?" Hughes laughed when he saw his daughter tackle Edward from behind, sending him face first into the snow, again. "He's just a little rough around the edges and needs a strong woman to smooth him out."
Although Hughes hadn't said it, Winry knew exactly what he meant, exactly what he was implying. It made Winry blush. Her gaze turned outside once more. She didn't know if it was coincidence, or fate had a part in this as well, but Winry's eyes caught Edward's. They held each others gaze for a few moments before Ed waved a little. Before Winry had the chance to do the same, the moment was over and Edward was yanked back into the world of playing.
A moment later, Winry felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over to see Glacier smiling a little. "Do you think you could round up the children and tell them it's lunchtime?" she asked, chuckling.
Winry laughed, nodding her head. "Sure," she said, smiling at the older woman. Within moments, Winry was standing out on her porch, shivering a little. The temperature change from the very warm kitchen to the very cold outside was a little shocking to the system, but Winry didn't mind after a moment. It felt nice for the moment.
"Hey, kids!" she said, pushing open the screen door and leaning against the threshold. "Lunch is ready."
Before she had time to finish, all three people jumped to their feet, brushing themselves off a little as they walked towards the house. Winry grinned a bit at them. They all had red faces and were sniffing from the cold.
Al walked passed her first, smiling as he did. It was a smile that said he was happy, but just wished that it wasn't so cold. Then it was Elysia, quickly gaining on Al. She didn't seem to care about the cold. Or, maybe she did, which was why she was moving so quickly. But last was Edward, who was still trying to brush snow off his jacket. The grin on Winry's face spread a little.
"Here, let me help," she offered. She reached out to brush at his shoulders. A small laugh escaped her when she saw a little bit of a playful scowl touch Edward's face. Just as she was about to let him pass her, though, Ed stumbled. Why, Winry couldn't have said. It could have been that the joints in his metal prosthetic were frozen and not wanting to move right. Or, that force of fate could have pushed him. But the next thing Winry knew, she felt his weight fall against her. It brought to mind the time in her attic when he had squashed the spider. This time, though, they remained standing.
A nervous, slightly annoyed laugh escaped Edward. For some reason, Winry had no problem placing those two traits in his chuckle, so they didn't bother her. Instead, she let her own nervous laugh escape, as well, lifting both hands to Ed's shoulders. Her hands slowly curled over his coat, pushing him back a little to help him keep his balance.
"You all right?" Winry asked softly. Her lips curved a little in a slight smile as Ed looked up. That smile became suddenly plastered when she felt Ed's lips brush hers on what she thought was an accident.
Both had realized it. Both had felt it. Both seemed to be in slight denial of it, too. Edward was the first to recover, though. He stood back carefully, nodding. "Yeah," he said softly. It took Winry a moment to remember he was answering her question.
So she shook her head inwardly, shaking away the slightly longing feeling, then nodded her head on the outside. "Good," she murmured, slowly removing her hands from his shoulders. Her smile crept back onto her face, though it felt a little fake once more, like it had earlier when talking to Glacier.
There were a few moments between the two, a few moments of silence that neither moved, neither said anything. It was an understood silence where they said nothing, yet said everything they needed to hear at the same time. Winry somehow felt better as those memories of what she'd done crept up on her. Seeing Edward's face and his "always in charge" expression made Winry feel a little more secure, a little more relieved that, just maybe, things were going to start being okay again. What Edward got out of that moment, though, she couldn't say. She hoped it was something he'd remember.
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Edward peered down into a clear glass with suspicion. There was some milk-looking substance in his glass. Even though he knew it wasn't milk, he still refused to drink it. It was eggnog. It probably had milk in it. While some things were okay, this just didn't seem right. So, since he was standing beside the sink, he went to discretely pour it down the drain, hoping that the people around would think he'd drunk it already and leave him alone.
Yes, he had been receiving small amounts of grief over not drinking his eggnog. Some people, in his past, had said it was bad luck to go the entire Christmas season without a sip of it. Some people just knocked his height, mentioning that if he drank it, the milk in it would make him taller. He didn't really appreciate that. It made him detest the drink even more.
So, with a sense of morbid fascination, he watched the tinted liquid disappear down the drain in Winry's sink slowly. It left a milky residue behind. Just because he felt a strong sense of distaste for it, he turned on the faucet to wash it away, leaving no trace of what he'd done. Heck, he even decided to rinse out his glass. No evidence of eggnog any more. He smirked, feeling ten times better.
Edward cleared his throat and looked up at the small gathering of people as most of them disappeared down the hall to the sitting room, the place where Ed and Winry had first met. Most of the people...except for Hughes. Edward would have banged his head into the countertop if he didn't know that Winry would kill him for it. Whenever Hughes stayed behind, it never meant anything good for anyone. Except Hughes, himself.
Slowly, the dark haired man walked over to the counter. Ed immediately felt like the "hunted" in this situation, with Hughes being the "hunter." After blinking a few times, a plan to escape came to mind. He'd just carefully excuse himself to the bathroom, maybe, and hide for the rest of the evening. No, that wouldn't work. Winry would look for him and fuss at him for being rude. Maybe he could just slip past Hughes and join everyone else. Whenever Hughes cornered someone, it was always because of something that would really embarrass the other person if in a group or other people. For some reason, Hughes rarely brought up the subject, whatever it may be, with Ed when they were in groups. Mostly, it was because it was very often something terribly embarrassing for the younger man. Inwardly, Ed was grateful for that, but couldn't help but wonder what this situation was.
So Ed carefully began to attempt his escape, having decided to try to meet up with the rest of the people in the room with the Christmas tree. Just as he was about to slip past the bar, where Hughes was standing, the older man reached out and touched Ed's shoulder, keeping him from moving.
"Just a minute there, kiddo," he said, grinning. The light glinted in the man's glasses.
Edward frowned at being called "kiddo," but stopped anyway. May as well get it over with. So he took a deep breath and a step or two back, shoving his hands in his pockets. It was a stance that clearly said to get it over with.
Hughes sat down at the bar and tilted his head to the side, indicating for Ed to sit beside him. Not quite reluctantly, but not willingly either, Edward moved and sat down at the bar. The moment he did, he found some crumbs on the granite and began pushing them around with his metal hand. They were terribly interesting.
"So," Hughes began. He seemed to be wording his question, or whatever he had in mind. That didn't always bode well, but there were rare times it had. "How's Winry's case going?"
Edward was a little surprised, enough so that he looked up at the older man. No slightly fatherly talk or harassment about a girlfriend? No interrogation about his and Winry's relationship? Ed wasn't just surprised; he was shocked. Usually Hughes would jump right into that. He was either really asking about the case or was going to work to those questions.
With a little hesitation, Edward sat up straighter. "It's, um, good, I guess," he said carefully. "When I was in the hospital, I made a list of what's happened so far; it cleared things up in my head a lot." He paused, long enough for Hughes to speak.
"Roy told me about that. He thinks you've made some good headway." There was a brief silence, so Edward went back to pushing the crumbs around, taking the compliment silently. "He also thinks," Hughes spoke up once more, making Ed stiffen, "that you're taking quite a while with it. Maybe that you're purposely procrastinating."
Edward frowned a little. "I'm not," he mumbled. "It's a difficult case, and things have just recently started to get moving on it."
Hughes, however, continued like he hadn't heard Ed. "I might agree that you're procrastinating. For a different reason, however. Roy thinks it's to annoy him." There was a pause. Hughes leaned closer as he whispered, "I think it's because of your relationship with Winry."
He'd known it was coming, had expected it from the beginning. Why he was so startled to hear it, though, that he almost fell foward on the counter, Ed didn't know. Maybe it was because his superior had danced around it briefly. "What relationship?" Ed asked, his annoyance showing. Being startled passed into being annoyed for Edward. He was always this way when Hughes asked him about his personal life. He knew he shouldn't get this way, since the man really did care and wasn't just being nosy, but Ed couldn't help it.
"Oh, I don't know. I just figured that you were taking a while with the case so you wouldn't have to leave Winry," Hughes suggested nonchalantly, obviously pretending not to notice Ed's annoyance. As usual.
Edward took a deep breath and slowly let it out. The crumbs on the counter moved a little. How was he going to respond to this? He wasn't really sure about his relationship with Winry, wasn't sure if he could even call it a relationship. And perhaps there was some truth to what Hughes was saying. At the beginning of the case, Ed had been all go, no stop about getting things done, strictly business. During the middle, though, he'd slacked off, become casual and let things take a strange, different turn. Just recently, though, since he and Winry had become closer, he'd gotten more involved in the case again. He knew he was in love with Winry; he'd admitted it to himself in the hospital, almost reluctantly. He also knew that it might have been a mistake to let himself fall in love with her because she was hiring him. It should have been a business, know-only-what-he-needed-to-know relationship, not a personal one.
Too late, now.
Maybe Hughes had become impatient waiting for Ed to respond, or maybe he knew that Edward couldn't answer it, because the older man clapped Ed on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I'm just a nosy old man."
The alchemist was just about to agree when Hughes' cell phone rang. The man brought it to his ear after a moment with the strange greeting of, "Yello'." Ed blinked a few times. Then he turned back to pushing the crumbs around, this time with his flesh hand. The crumbs stuck to his skin. "I'm at Miss Rockbell's right now. She and Ed were kind enough to let us spend Christmas with them," Hughes was saying. "Why don't you come up, too? You've got to be lonely in that apartment of yours." There was a pause from Hughes in which Ed could vaguely hear the person on the other end of the phone call yelling. It sounded like Mustang. In the middle of the yelling, Hughes interrupted, sounding like he was ignoring Mustang's outburst. "Great, I'll call Hawkeye, too. I'm sure Ed and Winry won't mind an extra person or two. See you soon." And with that, Hughes ended the call.
Edward shook his head a few times, eyes still on the crumbs. That man...was probably one of the most annoying people Ed had ever met. But in Hughes' insistance, Ed found a strange comfort. No matter how vexing the man was, he was always kind and concerned. That's why people could tolerate him.
"You don't mind two extra house guests for the evening, do you?" Hughes asked.
With a shake of his head, Edward looked up. What could he do, tell the man no? Of course not. "Don't mind at all," he said softly. No, he couldn't tell Hughes he couldn't invite people. It was Christmas. Even Edward could be nice then.
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It was very late that evening that Edward found himself out on a balcony. It was snowing lightly and there was a bit of a breeze blowing. It didn't bother him, though. He had a coat and scarf on, and his hands were shoved in his pockets. He'd let his hair down from a braid so it covered his neck. The only thing that was cold was his nose, but that was fine, really. He couldn't be completely covered, and he'd rather his face be cold rather than anything else.
Mustang and Hawkeye had come over about thirty to forty-five minutes after Hughes' calls. Both had come bearing small gifts. After they'd arrived, everyone had opened presents. In fact, Ed was wearing one of his right now: the scarf Winry had bought for him. It was soft and quite warm. Though Ed didn't have a favorite color, Winry had chosen well with blue. It wasn't dark blue, but it wasn't sky blue either. It was somewhere between, a soft shade. He liked it. It almost matched Winry's eyes...
Everyone else had liked their presents, giving and receiving them. The evening had been filled with smiles, even Edward's.
After presents, everyone had helped clean up, then eaten dinner together. Ed had been strangely comfortable around everyone, and the three police department members had mostly talked about things other than work. The three women had talked about recipes, with Elysia listening intently and asking questions as well. The four men had talked about general "man" things, sports and a few traveling issues. Apparently, Roy was going out of town to East City soon about a possible transfer. Ed wasn't sure if he liked that idea or not. That meant that Ed would have a new boss soon, if the transfer happened. Following dinner had been some time in the front room, where the Christmas tree was. The adults had talked over coffee, while Elysia had fallen asleep on her mother's lap. Edward had smiled at that. The little girl was cute.
About an hour earlier, everyone had left. Edward had milled about the house for a while, cleaning up little things. Al had announced he was going to head into town to his and Ed's house to pick some things up about thirty minutes prior to Ed going outside. The older Elric had been out on the balcony for about ten minutes and was thinking about going inside soon. The breeze was slowly turning into actual wind, chilling him more.
As he turned around to go inside, though, Ed heard the door open. Winry stepped out in a coat and a scarf. The earrings and necklace he and Al had bought her glistened briefly in the moonlight. Her lips curled into a soft smile.
"Hi," she said, her smile carrying to her voice. She seemed happy.
Edward smiled at her, as well, really smiled. "Hey."
Winry didn't say anything as she walked over to the balcony. She leaned against the railing. The falling snow caught on her hair, melting almost immediately from the warmth it still carried from her being inside. The two remained in an understood silence for a few minutes, neither feeling the need to talk. Edward just looked out into the surrounding area. The ground was completely white from the snow. It made Ed smile a little, for some reason.
"What's funny?" he heard Winry ask from beside him.
Ed turned to look at her. Her eyes were gently fixed on him. Her lips were still curved up in a smile. "Nothin'," he said to her, grinning now, rather than smiling. "Just the snow...it's beautiful."
Winry looked out over the area, as well. "It is." She smiled a little more at it.
With a small sigh, Edward looked around again. After a moment, he turned so his back was against the railing and he was looking at Winry's house. The very red bricks were in stark contrast to the snow on the roof and the balcony floor. It made him feel funny inside. Or maybe it was the memory of his conversation with Hughes earlier that made him feel that way. His lips turned strangely into a vague frown. He wanted to ask Winry, finally, about their "relationship." Winry had openly told him she loved him, but Ed just couldn't help but wonder about it now. He'd been such a jerk to her recently that he wondered a little if she still felt that way. He hated beginning conversations like this, so he was glad when Winry spoke up.
"Ed? Is there something wrong?" She reached out to touch his arm.
Edward shrugged a little. "I just have a question, and I'm trying to figure out how to word it," he mumbled.
Winry smiled a bit. "Just ask; don't worry about it."
Her smile was encouraging, so Ed nodded. "All right." He couldn't help the pause, though. "What do you think about our...'relationship'?" he asked carefully. That was asking straight out. Winry had pretty much asked for him to be blunt, and there it was.
She didn't seem startled much. In fact, she looked like she had expected it. There was just a little surprise on her face, though. Ed was assuming it was because he'd actually brought it up without any provocation. She recovered, though, quickly enough and took a deep breath. "Well," she began, voice careful. "I, ah...I think it's difficult to explain, really."
Edward nodded, completely agreeing. He had troubles even explaining it to himself. He knew it was mostly his fault, blowing hot and cold air at her at different times. She must have been so confused about it at first, but it seemed she'd adjusted to it somewhat, since she had actually admitted loving him. But Ed couldn't help but wonder if she had really loved him, or just thought she had. Love was a difficult subject.
"If you want my honest opinion about it," Winry said after a few moments.
"Please," Edward said quickly while she took a breath, readying herself to speak.
"I don't know if it is really a good idea, if we're together because of our current situation. You're technically my bodyguard, and we shouldn't be in a relationship to begin with. You can't help who you love, though." She shrugged. "When everything is over, it might work, but it would take a lot of effort, from both of us."
So that was what she thought. Edward chewed over that. So she wasn't completely smitten and totally convinced that they were meant to be together. Not that he'd ever suspected it. She didn't seem like the over-possessive, believe-things-like-that type of person. No, Winry knew that there were rarely happily-ever-afters, and for that Edward was glad. He didn't think that he would be able to stand it if she was that type of person. He nodded a little.
"What about you?" Winry asked after a few moments.
Edward thought, staying silent. He turned around so he could watch the snow falling. What about him? What did he think? Winry must have been prepared for an answer, since she'd been able to reply so quickly. Edward, though, hadn't thought about it, really. He cleared his throat after a moment. "I don't know, really. I've been telling myself the same thing, that we really shouldn't be in a relationship because I'm working for you. If anything, we should just have a friendship, on a strict, need-to-know basis," he said, speaking his thoughts from earlier. "I don't know," he said again.
They were silent for a few minutes. Edward felt strange. They'd finally put things out on the table between them, and Ed really didn't know what to do with it. He didn't know if he should be happy that Winry shared his opinion that they shouldn't be together, at least not at that time. He didn't know if he should be sad about it, either. It was confusing. Edward slowly began to realize that a part of him, the part that had realized he was in love with Winry, was a little sad about it. That part of him had wanted her to say something different, to say that she did want to be with him. Maybe then he would have been able to tell her what he felt, on the inside. He sighed a little. The snow that had been directly in front of his face flew out of the way.
"Why do you ask?" Winry's voice was slightly indifferent, like maybe she was feeling the same way. Edward had a flash of thought that things were going to be slightly difficult between them.
Edward looked around for a few moments. "Hughes said something about it earlier, that he thinks I'm procrastinating on your case to prolong our 'relationship'. Where he got that, I have no clue." As soon as those words left his mouth, Edward wished he could take back those words, realizing that they may be a little hurtful. Too late, though.
Winry nodded. "He said something about it to me, too," she said softly.
A small laugh escaped Edward. "I think he's trying to set us up together, or something," he joked, still chuckling a little.
Winry laughed, too. "He seems like the type of guy to do that," she murmured.
With a small sigh, Edward looked down at his watch. It was around eleven. Al wasn't back yet. Ed had a bit of an uneasy feeling about his brother being gone for so long, since he'd said it wouldn't take more than about twenty minutes at the house. If Ed put everything together, Al should have been on his way home at that moment, but he would have called to say so. He'd called upon reaching the house. Ed sighed. If Al didn't show up soon, Edward was going to call his brother to check on him.
"Edward?" Winry seemed suddenly hesitant. Just moment before, she'd laughed. Before that had been slight indifference, and even before that, she'd been smiling at him.
But Edward turned to look at her. He felt that he needed to look at her for this. When his eyes met hers, he could really see the hesitance and how unsure she was about what she wanted to ask. Ed surprised himself by reaching to cover her hand with his. Her skin was cold. He saw her expression mirror his in the slightest when he touched her hand.
"Do you really think that we won't work? In a relationship, I mean," she murmured, looking away from their hands, in a totally opposite direction from Edward.
He paused, surprised still, more so than seconds before. While he hadn't paid perfect attention to each word she'd spoken earlier, he suddenly remembered what she's said, that they couldn't help who they loved. Maybe she'd sounded indifferent before because she really did want them to be in a relationship.
Edward thought hard. After a few moments, he sighed, shaking his head. "I...don't know, Winry," he mumbled. "I really don't know." He removed his hand from Winry's with the intent to put his hand back in his pocket. Before he could, though, he felt Winry suddenly leaning against him, face pressed into his chest and arms going around his waist. Edward automatically put his arms around her, resting them on her back.
"Now matters, right? Right now? We're together right now," he heard her say against his chest. Moments after, he felt her shoulders shaking as she began to weep.
He was a little puzzled at what to do, whether to try to comfort her or not. After a moment, though, he found himself nodding. "Yeah," he murmured, "It matters."
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Just a quick question for you all. How many actually look up the lyrics for or listen to the songs I title my chapters? I'm just curious, and brought it up with my mother a while back. Anyway, lemme know!
