Ed was not sulking.

Because Ed was not someone that sulked. Sulking was something Mustang did, and he and Ed were two completely separate people in literally every way.

So, Ed wasn't sulking.

But he was creatively avoiding his wife after the knock-down-drag-out they'd just had and simultaneously feeling bad about it.

Winry seemed to be of the mind that the trash should be taken out for burning before the bin got too full. Ed completely agreed, he just had an appreciation for efficiency. There was no need to waste the effort to take it outside if it wasn't completely full, and he'd managed to stack enough scrapped paper on top that there wasn't any room for his peach peel—the fuzzy texture was disgusting—and Ed had put it on the countertop to be dealt with later.

Winry had promptly lost her mind.

And Ed might have raised his voice a little bit, too.

And then they were both yelling at each other, and then stopped talking all together. Shouting at each other was not unusual in-and-of itself; Al had often joked that it was their love language, but Alphonse or Pinako had always been there to mediate.

This time, their first real fight after being married, and there was no one to mediate.

If Ed were one for introspection, he might note that it scared him a little bit. Because deep down, he knew that he could potentially be an idiot, and there were multiple ways to screw this up. What if he'd actually done it this time and they never spoke again?

But introspection was uncomfortable, so he put it out of his mind and decided to wait on her to get her act together and come apologize to him. Because he definitely wasn't the one with the problem.

He'd even taken the trash out and everything. He was so generous.

So, while he sat there and watched their paper refuse burn and smolder, he waited patiently.

But she never came out to apologize.

With a sigh, he walked back into the house, equal parts of him hoping she'd be there in the kitchen and that she wouldn't.

She wasn't.

Before he could decide what to do with that information, the phone rang. He picked it up with a gruff, "What do you want?"

"Hello to you, too, Brother," Al's voice crackled through with amusement.

Ed perked up immediately. "Al! Where are you?" Alphonse had been in Xing teaching at the Xing-equivalent of a university since he'd been well enough to travel. In their bimonthly phone calls, he'd been discussing planning a trip back to Amestris sometime soon, just to spend a couple of months with friends and family before going back across the desert.

Judging by the time of day, Al was either up extremely early, or he was a lot closer to Resembool than Xing.

"I just arrived in Youswell," he said. "My train for East City leaves tomorrow. I should be back home in a couple of days!"

A wave of excitement rushed through Ed's veins. "That's great, Al!" After years of traveling the country together, being apart from Alphonse wasn't always the easiest thing in the world. He missed his little brother, and in his enthusiasm, he almost forgot that he was mad at Winry until Al brought her up.

"So, how's Winry?"

His good mood immediately soured. "She's . . .fine."

Ed could practically hear the frown in his voice. "You're possibly the worst liar in the world, Brother. And I've seen half of it."

He crossed one arm over his chest. "Shut up, Al. It's fine, she's fine, we're just . . . fighting."

"Nothing new there, Ed." He didn't sound concerned.

"This is different!" he protested. He didn't want to bring up the little tickling of fear in his gut. "I'm right and she's wrong, and I really need her to own that."

"Is this something really big and personal?"

Ed thought a moment.

"Yes."

"What happened?"

Ed explained in as much detail as possible how terribly and deeply Winry had wronged him.

And yet, Al didn't sound impressed. "The trash? You're not speaking to each other over the trash?"

Ed was in too deep to back out now. "I'm taking it as an attack on my character."

Alphonse sighed. "Your character is terrible, Brother."

"Hey!"

"You know what mom always said to us about apologizing? The person that apologized first was either the person that was wrong—"

"Which is definitely Winry."

"—or the person that is the most mature. Which I'm afraid might also be Winry."

"I am mature!"

"Then go apologize!"

Ed opened his mouth, but no response came out.

His little brother maybe had a decent point, and he hated when that happened.

He made a growling noise in the back of his throat. "Fine. Fine, I'll go apologize to her. But I still think she's wrong."

"That's fine, Brother," Al said with a smile in his voice. "I'll assume if there is still a house standing when I get there that it went well."

"No one likes a smart aleck, Al," Ed grumbled. "Go find an inn or something. Remind them whose brother you are if they try to gauge you.

"I don't think I'll have any problems this time around," Al said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Fine, bye."

"Bye!"

Ed hung up and glared at the phone for a few moments, then with a sigh, headed down into the automail shop.

He didn't need Al to hold his hand while he apologized. He'd do this just fine without him.

He found his wife sitting at her worktable, screwdriver in hand as she furiously worked some poor, hapless screw into half an arm with more force than was probably necessary. The metal squeaked in protest, but Winry was oblivious to its cries for mercy, and Ed wondered if maybe he should give her another half hour to cool off before entering her sanctuary when she was clearly both angry and well-armed.

But there was the possibility that waiting made it worse, so he shuffled in, aware that his bare left foot made a very obvious clack! against the hardwood floor and it was too late to back out now.

He hung behind her for a moment, trying to gather his courage.

"What do you want?" Winry snapped, sudden enough to make Ed flinch.

"Um," Ed began. "I was just—"

"I don't want to talk to you right now."

"I'm trying to tell you—"

"Edward Elric, it's not about the peach peels, it's about having the decency to—"

"Winry Elric, I'm sorry!"

She froze.

Then she slowly turned to look at him over a bare shoulder, blue eyes wide. "You . . . what?"

"I said," Ed ground out. "That I'm sorry."

Ed wasn't good at saying sorry. He might have been a bit too prideful to ever be good at it, but Alphonse had certain standards when it came to the apologies Ed gave other people—like Mustang. Al liked Ed to be specific about what he was apologizing for, so Ed took a deep breath and kept his eyes glued to the floor.

"You said it was important to you that the trash was taken out before it was too full, and I ignored that and put trash on the counter too, and I shouldn't have let the situation blow up like I did, and I'm sorry."

There. He'd said it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Winry hadn't moved.

"I'm sorry, too."

He looked up, startled. Winry was looking at him, her expression equal parts surprised and thoughtful. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I was frustrated, and I'm sorry."

Well, that had gone better than expected.

He dared to step closer, and when she didn't raise a wrench or other convenient weapon to fend him off, he stepped right behind her and put his arms around her. She leaned into his touch, and he knew he was forgiven.

"Thank you," she said softly, bringing her gloved hands to rest on top of his arms.

He leaned forward, nuzzling her hair and breathing in the scent of her, his relief a palpable thing in his chest. He hadn't ruined their marriage. "I love you, you idiot," he said, voice muffled by her hair.

"I love you too, you jerk," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

He blinked, horrified. "Why are you crying?!"

"Because I love you, okay?!" she snarled, turning around in his arms to kiss him hard on the mouth.

This time, he blinked in surprise.

But he wasn't complaining.

I have never written so much in such a short amount of time. I'm wondering if my (admittedly, rather low) quality is suffering for the sake of speed xD

One more. We can do this.

Side note: the wind is blowing at a sustained 35 mph right now, with gusts up to 55. I've already gone out to rescue my plants that have been blown to every corner of my backyard. WHAT IS THIS WEATHER. It's so windy that, at the right angle, it literally snatches the air from your nostrils so it's hard to breathe xD

I know ya'll were very interested in knowing that. Don't we all feel closer already? :'D

I'll stop.

For now.

If you have the time, please drop a review, and I'll see you for the last prompt c:

God Bless,

-RainFlame