I'm back! And here you have it, Story Six. I'd been wanting to do a story involving Ed and milk, and then I got the idea to do this story, which makes me smile :). Story Six takes place around the end of July in the year 1911 (second series time based!), so it occurs a little over a month before "Joy". I have to say my favorite lines to write were some near the very end, including a very adorable (to me) Edward & his reaction to a certain thing happening. I love it! Hopefully, I'll get to working on the next story or something new soon, so keeps your fingers crossed and stay tuned! And again, thanks everyone; you guys who read and review make writing fanfiction totally worth it.
StarKatt427
Story Six: Surprise
...Because they both learned milk can actually bring about good things...
The three of them, the two Elric brothers and Winry Rockbell, sat at the table, the two oldest caught in the middle of a staring contest. Edward scowled deeply at his opponent, leaning forward on the table top with his hands in fists, one of his eyes twitching ever so often from the strain of trying not to blink. Winry stared right back, expression deadly serious but holding a hint of confidence; she knew she would win. Her hands flat against the wood surface, she remained unruffled and calm under Ed's harsh glare. Alphonse sat meekly in his chair, the helmet that was now his face hiding all expression. Beyond the mask, though, he watched them nervously, waiting for one of them to win and the other to blow up, and he, like Winry, knew what the outcome would be.
Between the two facing adversaries sat the offending glass filled almost to the brim with the white substance that was milk, the cause of this confrontation, sitting contently like it had not a care in the world and knew nothing of it's crime toward the eldest Elric.
Without even the appearance of someone on the verge of blinking, Winry said, voice devoid of all emotion and holding a very commanding edge, "Drink it."
Edward's left eye twitched at the exertion of keeping his bright yellow orbs open, but he managed to. His frown intensified and a vein in his forehead throbbed. "No," he said through clenched teeth, voice hard enough that anyone else would have given up right then and there.
Winry wasn't anyone else.
"Drink it!" she hollered out, finally loosing her cool appearance; still, she didn't bat an eyelash.
"No!"
And so the glare down went on, Edward's eyes stinging and on the verge of watering, Winry's now beginning to burn as well. Still, neither would relent, and Al sat in between them, trying to prepare for the approaching explosion.
By the time both of the eleven-year-olds' eyes were trembling with effort, the whites of their eyes steadily becoming more bloodshot, Al was fidgeting in his seat, large gauntlets nervously gripping at his loincloth and wringing it in his hands. Edward and Winry were on the edges of their chairs, both ready to jump up in victory when the other lost. The milk filled glass remained where it had been placed.
Not one of them was prepared when Pinako walked into the house from outside, the door slamming shut behind her. At the last possible moment, Winry managed to force her eyelids to remain open, but Edward's slammed into place just for a fraction of a second and then they were open again, eyes disbelieving and horrified.
Winry jumped up from her chair, grin spread wide as she exclaimed, "I win!"
"Cheater!" Edward yelled, pushing up from his chair and causing it to crash to the floor, his expression livid.
"How did I cheat?" she demanded, giving him a very smug grin as she crossed her arms.
Lost for an excuse, Edward roared out a beyond irate "Dammit!" before slamming his hands down on the table, automail making an extremely hard thwack sound. The glass tipped to the side once, twice, before Al reached out and steadied it, having already been prepared for this.
"I'm not gonna drink it," Edward said in a snarl, short fingernails scratching over the wooden table's surface.
"We agreed that if you won, I wouldn't bug you about milk anymore, and if I won, you'd drink the entire glass."
"No!"
"You can't go back on it, you jerk! We made a deal."
Al, deciding silence was the best way to go, thought, That's because he was sure he'd win, even though she kicks his butt every time. But he would never say this, even if it was true; he couldn't stand to see that hurt, betrayed look Edward got when he sided with Winry.
"Screw the deal," Ed said, turning his back on her as he stomped toward the door. "I'm not drinkin' that crap."
Winry shrieked, enraged and high like a banshee, "You liar! You're never gonna get any taller if you don't drink it!"
Edward spun on her and screamed out, "I am growing, so shut up about it and mind your own damn business, you automail freak!" And with that, he stormed out of the kitchen in a mad rush.
Winry screamed in annoyance, stomping her foot for emphasis like a small child who doesn't get their way.
A moment later, Pinako popped in through the kitchen door, expression annoyed and slightly humorous. "What's with all the yelling?" she asked, hands on hips as she looked directly at Winry.
Winry knew her grandmother had heard because she was inside, but if anyone had been outside their house or just a ways down the road, they would have been able to hear the screaming match through the open windows. Everyone knew both Edward and she had very strong lungs and vocal cords and that they were the loudest children in Resembool, something that embarrassed Pinako to no end when they were caught arguing.
"Edward went back on his word," she said, pouting as she sat back down, arms tight over her chest.
"About what?"
"He said he'd drink milk if I beat him in a staring contest."
"Good grief," the old woman murmured, running a hand over her head before looking back at her granddaughter. "Don't you know by now he won't drink it? Why don't you just leave him alone?"
"He makes such a big deal out of drinking it, but he's just being dramatic," Winry replied, lips pursed.
"That may be true, but Al doesn't force him to drink milk."
"He should."
"Brother listens to me about a lot of things," Al put in, "but not about that, so I know not to even try." Even though he knew Edward did need to drink milk to help his bones and teeth grow correctly, Alphonse wasn't quite brave enough to force feed milk to his older, now much much smaller brother.
"He's going to be short forever!" Winry complained.
Pinako sighed, smiling wryly. "Even if you don't notice it, he is growing. Just at a very slow pace."
"It's sad that your best friend's shorter than you when he's a guy and you're a girl."
"Oh, don't you worry. Edward's gonna catch up to you in a few years, and then he'll shoot right on past you until it's you having to look up at him."
Winry snorted, looking away. "I doubt it."
"Fine, fine. Look, I've got some work to do, so please try not to kill each other, okay?" the woman asked, walking forward to pat her granddaughter lightly on the head, then turning back toward the door.
"You really should have seen that coming," Al said quietly once Pinako had left, praying Winry wouldn't blow up at him.
"Yeah, I know. It's just that I plan on winning this argument someday."
If Al had had a mouth, he would have smiled. "You've been trying since we were little. How's that gonna work?"
She laid her head down and gently tapped it against the table. "No clue."
Alphonse laughed, a hollow, echoing sound inside his armor that made Winry's heart pinch up for just a moment. "Good luck."
"How long do you think he's gonna sulk?" she asked, staring at the table.
"This seems like a big wound to his ego, so probably a while. And you?"
"What?" she asked, glancing up at him.
"How long are you going to sulk?"
"I am not sulking."
The red glow that was Al's eyes seemed to narrow in what either was a skeptical frown or a knowing grin. "Yeah."
They were quiet for a moment, Al unnaturally so, until Winry said, "It's not that he wouldn't drink the milk."
Alphonse simply looked at her, understanding what she was getting at. "It's because he went back on his word."
Winry didn't say anything.
"Brother won't apologize willingly, you know that."
"It's got to be me, doesn't it? I have to say it first."
"Yeah."
Winry sat up straight, sighing deeply. "Fine," she said, voice unenthusiastic at the prospect of confronting a dangerously angry Edward; it made it worse that he was angry with her.
Still, this needed to be resolved, and so she left Alphonse in the kitchen, knowing exactly where Edward would be.
The tree Edward was hiding in was a large, old thing, vibrant and glorious and residing not far from the creak. Winry quickly placed her foot on the closest branch to the ground and began her climb, knowing which limbs were sturdy and which weren't, wondering how far Ed had gone up. Her question was answered at about twenty-five feet when she saw him sitting with his back against the tree, legs hanging off the limb he sat on, arms crossed and shoulders slumped. Even though she couldn't see his face yet, she knew he was frowning.
Even though Edward heard her, he didn't say anything, not even to tell her to leave, which seemed like an encouraging sign to her. She continued to move until she reached a limb that was slightly below the one he resided on, and she sat down, hand against the trunk of the tree, legs dangling over to the left.
She didn't even have time to tell him 'hey' when Ed muttered out, "Go 'way."
A slight smile spread across her face at his at words, and it grew even more when she realized he was actually pouting, bottom lip slightly jutting out, reminding her of when they were little and he would have his feelings hurt. "Come on, is that any way to greet someone?"
He didn't reply.
She sighed, smile vanishing. Winry was a prideful person, and though she was nowhere near as egotistical as Ed, this was going to be difficult, especially since she was the one who wanted an apology. She took a moment to push her feelings aside, took a deep breath, and, without looking at him, said, "I'm sorry."
Edward remained silent, but she could see from the corner of her eye that he had straightened up slightly; he was listening.
"I should have let it drop, but it's funny seeing you react to milk and about your height. You won't drink what you don't want to. So, sorry."
She twiddled her thumbs, finally looking up at him, and then her eyes grew wide when she saw that he was smiling. It wasn't exactly a grin, but she could tell he was satisfied with her apology and that he accepted it, even though he probably knew it wasn't completely true; it would be very difficult for her to ever stop trying to get him to drink milk. Edward was one to usually hold a grudge, but it was hard for him to stay angry with Winry, and she knew it. So, for the moment, this was enough.
His eyes had a somewhat haughty appearance to them as he said, "So, you finally realize you were wrong. Alright, I accept."
Winry gave him a smile back, rolling her eyes. After a moment, she casually said, "You're so predictable."
"How?" he asked, confused and leery of her answer.
"You always come here when you're mad or upset."
He frowned, but it held none of the earlier hostility he'd expressed. "Whatever."
They sat silently looking down toward the creek, Ed's arms up behind his head and Winry's hands in her lap. The water was hard to make out from the distance, appearing almost like a winding snake, but Winry could see the small swirls it made as it rolled along. It was nice.
Out of no where, so quietly she almost missed it, Edward muttered, "Sorry."
She looked at him, slightly confused. He was still looking at the water, face strangely soft and gentle looking. "About going back on my word and all."
"Oh." She felt herself smile, happy to get the apology she had wanted. Edward was still too young to completely understand the honor of a man's word, and it would be another several years before he really grasped the principle, but for the moment, this was a very satisfyingly sweet instant that Winry enjoyed tremendously.
Instead of telling him she accepted his apology though, she smiled brightly and said, "It's cool."
Ed looked at her, giving a crooked smile. "Yeah. We're cool."
Four days later, Winry dug through the kitchen cabinets, trying to find something to snack on while she took a break from working on her and Granny's newest automail client's leg. She had just placed a packet of crackers on the counter and was about to close the cabinet when her gaze caught a bottle of dark brown syrupy substance, the label reading CHOCOLATE SAUCE. She took hold of it and, seeing it had never been opened, figured it was a new product her grandmother was testing out. Winry closed the cupboard and walked to the cutlery draw, drabbed a knife, then quickly broke the seal that surrounded the top. Flipping the cap and turning it over, she squeezed the bottle over her hand until a fat dark dot landed on her finger, and she quickly put the digit in her mouth, sucking the thick substance off.
I was amazing, all sweet and tasting like nothing she'd ever had. Winry smiled, quickly squirting more on her finger, and when she had eaten that, she grabbed a spoon and filled it up with the chocolate, popping it in her mouth.
As she sucked on her spoon, she quickly skimmed the back label, looking at all the things you could use the sauce for; there were several, but the one that caught her attention made her smile: chocolate milk.
Thus came to her the greatest idea she'd ever had.
When Edward walked into the kitchen ten minutes later, Winry was sitting at the table, a glass in her hand filled with a pale, cloudy brown liquid. She was wiping her arm across her mouth, removing the excess liquid from around her lips as he walked over toward her, eyeing her drink curiously.
"Whatcha drinkin'?" he asked, pulling a chair out to sit down.
Winry, instead of answering, handed him the glass. "Try it."
The glass was cold and wet against his hand, water drops condensing on it, and since there was no ice, Edward figured whatever it was, she had gotten it from the fridge. He sniffed at it, taking in the sweet smell and trying to figure out what it was. He smelt it once more, then sloshed it around the glass and watched the liquid cling to the sides momentarily. "What is it?" he asked, a little unsurely.
"Just try it," Winry said, laughing. "It's really good."
Watching her nervously, he scrunched up his nose and brought the glass to his lips, quickly turning it up and taking a small sip. His face relaxed immediately, eyes loosing their hesitation, and he took a larger gulp.
Winry watched him, smiling, but it wasn't a sneaky leer; it was a very pleased, slightly lopsided smile. The sight of Edward drinking milk, even if it didn't taste like it, was amazing.
He sat the glass down, grinning at her as he swiped an arm over his mouth. "Chocolate?"
"Yup."
"It's good."
She tried not to giggle, only failing slightly, but Ed didn't notice.
"What is it?" he asked again.
Winry felt guilt and nerves finally catch up with her actions, knowing she would probably have to tell him the truth. "You really want to know?"
Ed cocked an eyebrow, giving her a little laugh as he smiled. "Just tell me what it is."
She glanced at the glass for a moment, took a deep breath, then looked back up at Ed and said in a very steady, nonchalant voice, like it wasn't the big deal that it would be to him, "Chocolate milk."
Edward looked at her incredulously, eyes widening and jaw dropping. He stared at her, then at the glass of milk, then back to her, and finally to the drink once more. "What?"
"I found some chocolate sauce, and it said you can put it in milk and make chocolate milk. I just wanted to try it."
"So…so I drank milk?" he asked, voice strangely high. He looked at her, disbelieving.
She looked away, hating his expression and knowing it was her fault. Why did I even think to do this? she thought. We just got over a fight we had about milk, and then I do this to him.
"Y-yeah," she said weakly, staring down at her hands that rested in her lap. "Sorry. I just thought it would be good and then you came in, and I thought you might like it too…"
Edward didn't say anything for a full minute, simply staring at the glass of chocolate milk. Winry would look up every now and then to watch him, but always ended up looking back down.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Edward muttered nonchalantly, "Ah, well…it wasn't that bad."
She jerked up and looked at him. Edward's mouth was in an extremely loose frown, a fake one, and he was looking at her with somewhat astounded eyes.
He was lying, and they both knew it.
Winry smiled, giving a little laugh, and Ed looked away, blushing slightly.
Now that that was settled, Winry reached out for the glass, wanting more. She had taken two sips and was about to take another when Edward asked, timidly, "Can I have some more?"
He gave her a little guilty smile, expectant, and Winry found herself thinking it was a very cute smile. She nodded, handing him the glass.
Ed took a few sips before passing it back to her, this time forgetting to wipe his mouth and leaving a dark ring above his upper lip. Winry giggled.
He frowned, quickly annoyed, his mood switching in a flash. "What now?"
"Nice mustache."
Edward's frown lightened to a small grin and he gave a little embarrassed laugh, looking away from her as he realized what she had been amused at. "Oh." He lifted his hand, preparing to wipe the back of it over his face, but stopped when Winry leaned forward on top of the table.
"Here, I got it," she said, thumb stroking over the milk on his lip and wiping it away. She took her hand and brushed the bottom of her palm over his mouth, removing the rest she hadn't seem from across the table.
Her hand still on his mouth, it suddenly dawned on her what she was doing: touching Ed. Touching Ed's mouth. With her hand and fingers.
And, coming as a complete shock to her, she liked it. His lips were more thin than thick and were slightly chapped, but tremendously warm. She hadn't realized it when she'd first brushed her thumb over his lips, but at the contact, Edward had gone stiff, his breathing stopped. He watched her with doe wide eyes, blinking them owlishly in shock as his cheeks blushed dark pink, then light red.
Now that she was aware of what she was doing and who she was touching, her own breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened, staring straight into Ed's, face growing uncomfortably hot.
His lips moved underneath her hand and brushed against her palm, the action managing to pull her back to her senses.
Winry jerked back into her seat and she glared down at her feet, too mortified to look at him. "Ah, s-sorry."
Since she wasn't looking at Ed, she didn't see the soft, very innocently spellbound expression cross his face, lighting his eyes and pulling a smile to his lips that he never knew had existed. He lifted his flesh thumb and lightly touched his lip where her own finger had been.
This moment of wonder only lasted a second though, because he quickly found himself grimacing at the way he was acting like a stupid little kid, and, horribly aware of the heat crawling down his neck, he immediately pulled his hand away, looking down at the table, at the floor, anywhere but at the girl a few feet away from him.
Nerves made his voice strangely husky, deeper, as he said, "It's fine."
He said noting else, and neither did she, and they sat there in a strange silence that they'd never experienced before and didn't know what to make of.
When Winry finally found the courage to look up, instead of seeing Edward, she saw the glass of milk in front of her face, Ed's fingers curled around it.
"Here," he said.
She took it from him, careful not to touch his fingers, and took a drink, the cold liquid thick and chocolaty and sweet as it went down her throat. She took a few more sips before pulling it away from her face, tongue flicking over and around her mouth for a second, licking at the remaining milk on her lips.
Winry looked over at Ed, who was slouched forward in his chair, elbows on the table and chin resting on his palm. His yes momentarily darted to her, then quickly looking away in a uneasy manner. She felt herself smile, still a little nervous and unsure at what had just happened between them, but she thought that it might not be such a bad thing.
The glass was now a little less than half full, so when she pushed it toward Ed, she said, strangely shy, "You can have the rest."
He looked at the milk, then her, and for a moment, Winry was afraid he wasn't going to take it. Her mind was put at ease, though, when he gave her a small nod, smiling that same embarrassed smile from earlier. He took the glass and held it in his hand, gazing at it thoughtfully.
She felt herself laugh a little as she asked, "What's wrong?"
Edward looked up at her, giving her a very big grin that was serious and joking at the same time. "If you tell anyone I drank milk, I'll kill you."
Winry laughed, a real laugh this time, nodding her head. So Edward did like milk, as long as it has chocolate in it. They would have to do this more often, now that she knew he would actually drink it as long as it was just the two of them. "I got it. I won't tell."
His grin turned just a fraction of an inch softer, as did his eyes, and his cheeks were dusted with pink. "Thanks."
She just smiled.