Title: Fifth Fence Post to the Right
Pairing: Ed/Winry
Theme: #25- Fence
Notes: Roughly set post-current manga events.

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"Oi, Granny- why do I have to fix this again?"

Pinako paused where she was sweeping on the back porch and glanced up at the young man, "Perhaps Winry should ask the same of your automail, hmm?"

Ed winced, grinning sheepishly, "Aw, come on. I didn't wreck it this time!"

"This time, he says..." She thought to herself.

"Listen here boy, Winry's working hard to get your leg done while she's here in town. You know she's busy with all the business she's been getting in Rush Valley, so coming here to make your adjustments is a favor. Understand that?"

He nodded, not wanting to explain why he insisted on having her come here. It was better if she was blissfully unaware that she could be being watched. Either way, he still felt somewhat safer from the prying eyes of the homunculi when he was back in Risenpool. And if he felt safer, then Winry surely was as well.

Pinako had welcomed the two boys home that morning, and before Ed could even remotely digest his breakfast- he'd been ushered out back to repair the fence.

And so, he'd been there most of the day- only getting a brief change of scenery mid-morning when Winry arrived and drug him inside long enough to pry his leg off and give him a temporary one to use while she adjusted his.

"She could have at least said more than a 'hello, here- let me take that- blah blah blah'..." Ed muttered to himself, taking his frustrations out on the wooden fence.

Much to his dismay, Pinako had overheard him, "If someone hadn't given her such a pressing deadline to meet, then she could talk longer."

Repressing a retort, he gathered up another pile of the fence's rotting wood and transmuted it back into the wooden beams it once was. Only about ten sections left.

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The morning passed and the sun had peaked noon at least a few hours before. As for the fence, Ed had just finished transmuting the last beam back into place; pausing beside one beam, he knelt and inspected it.

"Heh...so it's not there anymore, eh? I guess it got repaired as well..."

Smiling sadly to himself, Ed sighed. Despite all the work he'd done- it wasn't identical to the way the fence once was.

"Something wrong, Nii-san?" Al asked, coming around the side of the house.

Ed shook his head as he pulled his hand away from the wooden post, "Ah Al, you done chopping wood for the midget hag?"

"I heard that!" Pinako's voice boomed from inside the house. Ed shuddered.

"How does she do that?"

Al shrugged, "I think it's Mother-thing. Remember? Mother used to tell us she could see with eyes on the back of her head."

"I guess..."

"So what's wrong with the beam?" Al questioned, still curious about the somber expression he'd seen Ed with before.

"N-Nothing..." Ed stammered, starting to walk towards the house. Al waited until Ed was inside, knowing that the creaks of the suit would give his movement away. But once he was certain he was out of earshot, he looked over to the wooden fence.

"Wait, is this where...?" He murmured thoughtfully. Then, smiling as best he could with the armor, his eyes drifted towards the house, "Ahhh, so that's why..."

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After supper, Winry had gotten Ed's adjusted automail reattached and as usual, Ed had fallen asleep not long after. Even if it was just his leg, the entire experience of having the nerves reconnected- combined with his labor on the fence- was enough to make him exhausted.

And as usual, Al found Winry seated not too far from where Ed had fallen asleep on the bench.

"Nii-san fixed the fences today..." Al began tentatively. Part of him felt like it wasn't his place to intrude on what was seemingly Edward and Winry's ground; but at the same time, he was afraid that neither of them would do anything about it.

"Ah, so Granny finally got him to do that. They were beginning to look like nothing but mulch..." Winry shrugged.

Almost thankful that his armored exterior wouldn't show his apprehension, Al looked down at his sleeping brother.

"He seemed a bit sad. Something about the fifth fence post didn't get fixed, I guess..."

As he'd expected, Winry seemed to perk up a bit at the mention. Her eyes darted from Ed to the wall of the house that shielded that very fence from her view. Finally, she murmured her reply.

"He remembered..."

"What's that, Winry?" Al asked, not expecting her to truly answer him.

"It was the fifth one on the right, just outside the backdoor...right?" She queried.

Al nodded, "I'm pretty sure that was the one. But I'm sure Nii-san would show you once he's awake."

"No-no there's no need to..."

She trailed off, seeming to catch a glint in the eye of the suit of armor that most wouldn't perceive. Winry shook her head then, eyes shifting to Ed once again.

"Perhaps...perhaps I will ask him to show me."

Gently, Al patted her on the shoulder, "I think that'll make Nii-san feel a lot better, Winry."

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"Winry..." Ed practically whined, "Where are you taking me? I'm half-awake!"

The sun was barely peering over the horizon and the stars were just about done fading away. The morning dew made the grass damp, and Ed grumbled under his breath about stupid mechanics and their stupid need to get him up so early.

"To visit a memory," She'd replied cryptically, walking the precise amount of paces out of the back door and to the right.

Ed's eyes widened as he realized where she was taking him.

"Winry...why are we..."

She reached up and placed a finger over his lips to silence him.

"I knew Granny was going to have you fix it, but it wasn't until Al mentioned it that I realized what fixing it might repair."

Ed blushed, muttering to himself and glancing away.

"Yah well... I guess I had to fix it sooner or later. I mean, I was the one who broke it."

Winry laughed to herself, hiding her own blush.

"Well, that's not all...right?"

Shyly the two met each others eyes, and without a word, they knew the other remembered. This was the fence post Ed had broken when he was younger. A childish game that ended in blood and tears. And, as they both seemed to recall well, a get-well-soon kiss.

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"Here- Momma always did this for me and it stopped hurting right away!"

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. It's like magic!"

Ed's golden eyes widened, drawn in by the thought of anything magic-like being held in such a simple action.

But sure enough, once Winry kissed his cheek, he'd forgotten all about his bloody leg and the splinters in it.

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The two teenagers fell silent, both reflecting on that day from years before. It would be silly of them to pretend it never had happened, but admitting it had wasn't any easier. After a moment, and letting a dash of impulsive thought take the lead, they both spoke up.

"Winry..."

"Ed..."

"I...err..."

"I...err..."

"You go first."

"You go first."

They both glanced away at that, trying to muster the nerve to continue. It was Winry to make the first move, edging closer to Ed and pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek.

"F-for your leg, so it'll get better soon," She murmured; a cover she knew Ed would see right through.

His face turned red, his throat going dry as he looked towards her.

Embarrassment getting the best of them, Winry was slowly starting for the back door- a safe retreat- but a firm grasp on her wrist halted her steps.

"Winry...I..." He gently tugged her closer, his mind absently noting that the sun was rising behind her. Subconsciously, he noted how beautiful she looked like this; but consciously, he was preoccupied with attempting to get words out of his mouth.

In the end, like most everything else he did, Edward let his impulsiveness guide him. And it wasn't until his lips were pressed against hers that he realized perhaps he shouldn't do everything on his brash impulse.

Pulling back, and blushing profusely, Ed countered Winry's lame cover with one of his own.

"T-take care, Winry."

She smiled, her face just as equally reddened.

"You too, Ed."

From the crack of the backdoor, six eyes watched and the three sighed in relief. Pinako shook her head and headed towards the kitchen to fix breakfast; muttering to herself that was about time they got a clue. Den, on sensing that food was about to be cooked, turned tail and followed. This left Al, who was inwardly grinning like an idiot and he knew it. Now, to get away from the door before they came back in...

"Al!" Ed's voice caught him, and with a clang Al hit into the doorframe out of surprise.

Winry just blushed and covered her face, an action that Ed soon mimicked.

"Don't you tell anyone about this, Al. Brother's honor!"

Al nodded, trying hard not to laugh.

"O-okay, I promise."

"Swear it!"

"I swear it."

Ed 'hmphed' to himself, as if that settled things and began to walk back inside. Momentarily, he paused and looked back to Winry.

"Winry, come on. Breakfast."

She frowned, figuring that Ed would try and continue like nothing had changed. Sighing in resignation, she followed him in.

"All right, all right."

But the second the two both tried to cram through the doorway at the same time- instead of the usual curses and arguments, they found themselves spluttering 'I'm sorrys' and blushing a lot.

They still had time to get everything sorted out, Al concluded as he watched them awkwardly interacting over breakfast; but until then- he figured that this was at least a good start.

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