Warnings and Disclaimers: Any and all characters from the anime or manga Fullmetal Alchemist do not belong to me. I only torture them for some stories. There may be some teenage content in the story but it is very limited. This story is set after the movie which means there are some spoilers and if you have no idea what any of this may be about, then don't come crying to me please. It's not my fault, I warned you -:sheepish grin:-.

Seasons

Summer: Differences

Chapter 14

By: RomanceFanFicLover

It was finally here. The day Winry had been anticipating for a week was here. It was time to celebrate that the day was here because in the afternoon there would be even more celebration. It was Winry Rockbell's day off and it was her day to shine but that only put off Ed's mood more.

"Winry, stop dancing in front of the television." Ed commanded for the seventh time in the past hour and a half. He had missed three shows and his patience was finally threatening to snap. "Winry, stop- Winry… Winry!"

"Yes, Ed?" Winry asked in the melody she was singing and dancing ridiculously to.

"If you're going to torture Den by making him dance, do it outside please." He replied dryly.

Winry stopped singing and let go of Den's paws. "I'm not torturing him! Den! Come back!" She got up and chased after the dog.

"Peace and-"

"Brother! Can you come upstairs for a second!" Al's voice boomed down the stairs, startling Ed out of his triumphant celebration. Sometimes Al's voice resonated as though it were still coming out of a suit of armor, and it was scary.

"Why!" Ed screamed up the stairs in exasperation. The whole house was going crazy just because a bunch of people were going swimming that afternoon.

"I just need help!" Al's impatient response snapped back at him.

Looking up in surprise at Al's tone, Ed hurried up the stairs. "What's…wrong?" Blinking at the incredible mountain of clothes that towered on the bed, Ed searched the room for Al. "Are you…buried or something?" he muttered in his search.

"Over here, brother! Help me pick out what to wear." Al demanded as he continued to rummage through the almost-empty closet.

Ed stared at his brother in a mixture of shock and disgust. "Al! You've turn into…into…a woman!" Stumbling back in his shock, Ed felt his back collide with something sort of soft. "Ah!"

Al whipped around holding a red button up shirt. "Aha! Can I borrow this brother?" Looking up form the silk material, Al was granted with a single strand of blonde sticking out of a pile of multi-colored clothing. "…Brother…?"

Ed's muffled cry for help brought Al to his senses and he quickly unburied his brother.

"Thanks…Al…Thanks…a lot…" Ed managed to get in between breaths.

"No problem, brother. But, since you owe me one now, can I borrow this shirt? Really? Thanks Ed!" Ed wasn't even able to have a glimpse at the shirt as Al stormed out of the house and bellowed for Winry to see his outfit.

"What has Nelly done to Al..?" He asked the air pathetically as he flopped down into the cushion of clothing.

"That looks like fun." Winry commented from the doorway.

"How did you-…? Weren't you just…?" Ed fumbled around the words as his heart thudded brutally against his ribcage in fear and surprise. "…Yeah…" was all he ended up managing.

"Can I join you?" she asked as she stepped away from the doorway and into the room. When she received a positive nod in response she made herself comfortable on a pile of shirts beside him. "It's relaxing. But why is it here?"

"Al's gone crazy…" Ed muttered coldly under his breath and he was rewarded with Winry's light laughter.

"He's not crazy you moron, he just wants to impress Nelly. That's more than I can say for you." She sniffed as she looked away from him.

"Who do I have to impress. You know how I am anyways, and Auntie Pinako is…too old." Ed shuddered at the thought of him and Pinako ever being more then family.

"Not that, you idiot. You never dress up or try to look good." 'Although you don't really need to do more than just stand there if you want to look good…' Winry's mind betrayed her.

Ed thought over what she said before speaking. "I guess I could try for the lake party…" He finally mumbled in defeat.

"Really?" Came the excited response.

"Yeah…"

"Thank you, Ed!" Winry cried as she jumped into the pile of clothes he was resting in to devour him in a hug.

"Ah! For what?" He demanded as he tries to wrestle her grasp off of him. He stopped as Winry looked up at him, eyes shining with unshed tears and a large, happy smile plastered onto her face.

"For being here." Satisfied with Ed's sigh of defeat, Winry buried herself deeper into his chest, breathing deeply to accumulate as much of his scent into her nose as possible.

They stayed like that for about fifteen minutes in peace before Al's frantic voice brought them crashing back to Earth from Cloud Nine.

"Brother! I can't find Winry!" Al cried desperately as he slumped against the bottom step of the stairs in exhaustion. He had been running around looking for her the whole time.

"She's right here, you moron." Ed said dryly as he headed over to the stairs.

"Really!" Tearing up the stairs and barreling into his brother before reaching the room where Winry was.

"Al…" Ed groaned in pain as he peeled himself off the floor, glaring at the door that permeated the excited squeals and happy laughter of the two teenagers.

Marching into the room, Ed glared at the sandy-blonde head and then the lemon-blonde head.

"Al." He paused, waiting for his brother to make eye contact, and then he continued. "Get out. Winry." When Winry made eye contact he continued once again. "Stay here."

Al looked up at his brother questioningly but followed his orders anyways.

"Ed…?" Winry asked hesitantly as Ed closed the door behind Al.

Rubbing the back of his head absently, Ed turned to his childhood friend. Smiling sheepishly, he started to speak in a hushed tone. "Could you, uh, well that is…" Cursing his sudden lack for words, Ed took a deep breath before continuing. "Since Al is making a big fuss and all…could you help me choose something to wear?"

Winry looked at Ed in surprise but nodded enthusiastically and dove into one of the piles of clothes anyways. "What did you have in mind?" she asked as she flung a shirt in the opposite direction.

"Something to…" Ed tapped his chin in thought, something which Winry couldn't help but smile lovingly at. "to…match your outfit…" He finally decided and removed his hand from his chin to look at a slightly dazed Winry.

He waited for her to say something but she continued to stand there and blink at him. Becoming incredibly annoyed Ed snapped at her, gaining her attention. "What!"

"You, Edward Elric, the child prodigy, genius and state alchemist, want to match with me. Yet you, Edward Elric, the child prodigy, genius and state alchemist, said that matching was stupid just the other day."

Twitching slightly in annoyance, Ed tried his best to tower over her menacingly and cease the twitching. "Yes. I, Edward Elric, the child prodigy, genius and tall state alchemist, want to match with you, Winry Rockbell, the automail mechanic, Edward Elric's childhood friend and…"

Holding her breath, Winry waited for his finally statement. She stared at him expectantly and tried her best to look innocent.

Ed tried not to wince as Winry glared at him evilly and he quickly lost his confidence. "Erm…and a girl?"

Winry fumbled for her wrench which, sadly, was not in her overalls at the moment. Sighing in surrender, she turned to Ed and leered at his figure, still laughing sheepishly with his eyes squeezed shut in fake amusement. "Edward…"

"Huh?"

"Wait over there while I…search." As Ed stumbled to the clearest spot by the opposite wall, Winry pictured the outfit she had planned out and went in search of clothes to match.

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"Be good, be safe, have fun!" Pinako called out to the trio as they hurried towards the large lake where the party was being held. With both Ed and Al fussing over their newly acquired outfits they had ended up an hour late.

Ed strolled along happily on Winry's left side. He sported white shorts with black linings and stitching, a white tank top and an opened blue button-up shirt over it that flapped in the lazy wind. His trunks were under his shorts and he found himself to be very proud of the outfit that Winry had picked out for him. Sure they weren't his colors…but they were hers and that was better than wearing pink.

On Winry's right side, Al was proud to sport his own outfit that he picked out himself. His red button-up shirt was closed halfway but still allowed a blank tank top underneath to peek out from the red fabric. Black shorts ended it all and wrapped up an outfit that was incredibly close to his brother's own. It seemed as though Ed and Al had a color change for the night.

Amusement twinkled in Winry's eyes as she spied the two young men on either side of her openly admiring their own looks. Grabbing a hold of Ed's hand and Al's arm, Winry marched them to the lake confidently.

Ed stuttered a little in surprise and embarrassment but decided n simply shutting up and admiring Winry's own outfit. She had a white skirt and a new white tube top she had begged Ed for. On top of that she had on a checkered blue button-up shirt that tied under her bust.

Winry continued to chat excitedly with Al as Ed was dragged along behind them by Winry's hand. He couldn't help but feel ecstatic as Winry and Al continued to comment on the upcoming party. The food they mentioned didn't help calm Ed either, so he decided to give in and join the conversation; if he was smart enough he could find out the menu beforehand.

When they had finally reached the hill in front of the lake, Winry gasped dramatically and Ed was pretty sure he heard his jaw hit the floor.

The lake had lights all around it and candlesticks placed on plastic flowers floated elegantly across the lake's surface. Some people were already in the lake but most were conversing near the edges or flirting near the drinks. A large tent was set up with food inside and about 40 coolers held nonalcoholic drinks for everyone to share. Even some of the trees were decorated with Christmas lights that twinkled happily in the setting sun.

"Wow…" was all Ed could muster up to say and Al headed down the hill towards Nelly.

"I told you it'd be fun." Winry cooed as she stared at the whole scene in amazement. "It's so romantic…" Ed fought to contain his laughter as Winry continued to gush over the decorations and setting.

"Win-Win!"

Ed and Winry both whipped their heads in the direction of the voice and asked stupefied, "Win-Win?"

The voice drifted up to them again, this time it seemed closer and was coming from the side of the hill. "Win-Win! Edo!"

Winry snickered lightly as Ed continued to stare at the spot where the voice was coming from. "…Ed-…Edo!" As Winry burst into laughter Ed glared at her menacingly. "That's not funny."

"We're just joking, you guys are so uptight. Win-Win, Edo." Nelly dragged a giggling Al out of the trees and she skipped happily over to them. "You guys looked so funny! Come on let's go swim."

Nelly grabbed Al, who grabbed Ed, who grabbed Winry and they all ran down the hill towards the water's edge. Nelly wasted no time to take of the clothes covering her bathingsuit and she soon broke the water's surface with a large splash.

"Come on Al! I'll race you!" She cried happily as she started swimming towards the center of the lake.

"Come on, brother, Winry, let's go!" Taking off his own clothes, Al followed the girl into the lake. When he returned to the surface, he turned to Ed and Winry grinning. "It's warm too!"

Ed glared at the water suspiciously before snorting and turning away. "He's probably lying.

"Oh come on Ed, please?" Winry pouted, but Ed turned away. Winry smiled mischievously and decided to change tactics. "Alright, but at least take of your clothes so you can go swimming later." She suggested innocently.

"Sure." Ed said without thinking twice. What was Winry going to do? Pull him in? Laughing at the idea, Ed finally removed the last article. "Alright so where do you want to go then?"

Winry pointed to the lake before tugging firmly on Ed's flesh hand and pushing herself off the ground towards the lake. Yelping in surprise, Ed was dragged into the lake after her.

Sometime underwater Winry had released Ed's hand and when he came to the surface sputtering, he couldn't see her anywhere. "Winry…" Ed whined angrily as his eyes hurriedly searched the water's surface for her.

Ed started swimming slowly towards Al and Nelly; she was probably there. A soft tug on his trunks caused him to stop. Was he stuck on something? That was why he hated swimming in lakes. You never knew what was in there.

Ed gasped as the tug was harder this time, even though he wasn't swimming any longer. "What the-?" Just as Ed reached down into the water, his trunks were tugged half-off. "Ah!"

Blushing furiously, Ed slammed his hand down into the water and grabbed the thin wrist before it got away. Yanking up the giggling blonde, Ed glared angrily at her. "Winry, what the hell!" He half-whined and half-demanded at her giggling form.

Finally breaking free of her giggles, Winry blinked up at Ed innocently. "What's wrong, Edo." She giggled softly and tried to pull away as Ed's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Hey, Nelly. Look." Al pointed to where Ed and Winry were.

Nelly gaped at the scene. "Are they flirting…publicly? That isn't like Ed or Winry." Nelly turned to Al with a curious stare before swimming a little closer to them.

"Is brother tickling her?" Al asked in amazement as Ed grabbed Winry close to him and ran his hand playfully down her side and Winry squealed with laughter.

"Did Winry actually just dunk the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Nelly stared at the water where the two had just been standing.

Both Nelly and Al gasped in surprise as Winry rose out of the water horizontally with Ed holding her up before he tossed her back into the water, his bangs dripping with water as he grinned happily at the broken surface of the water.

"That's so cute…" Nelly cooed as Al placed his chin on top of her head and continued to watch the scene in front of them. Al couldn't contain the happy grin that plastered itself onto his face; it was so relieving to see his brother looking carefree like that.

"Let's go." Al insisted as Nelly tore her eyes away from the couple. Pouting, she nodded and they headed back to their friends.

Winry gasped for air as Ed tickled her mercilessly. "Ed! Stop! Can't…breathe!" She giggled and Ed ceased his movements.

Collapsing against his wet chest in exhaustion, Winry almost didn't even notice that Ed was holding her and it wasn't against his will. Almost.

Grinning giddily into his chest, Winry sighed happily before looking up at Ed's smiling face. "I wish you did that more often."

Ed looked at her in confusion. "Tickle you?" Winry laughed and shook her head in a negative. "Then what?"

"Smiled." At Ed's mystified stare, Winry explained. "You never used to smile anymore, but now you smile more. I'm glad. It suits you too." Ed's grin widened and Winry reveled in the realization that he was smiling for her.

Ed didn't hesitate as he found his head leaning towards Winry's, his eyes trained on her lips. He paused when he was close enough to feel her soft breath on his lips and watched as her eyelids lowered slightly before she made eye contact with him.

Ed froze and then pulled away from the laughing blonde quickly. He cursed his stomach for ruining the moment and it growled loudly again in return.

"Let's go eat." Winry insisted as she appeared by his side, tugging his flesh arm lightly. Ed followed her sadly; he was pretty sure that she simply pitied him for his stomach's ignorance.

Winry piled as much food onto Ed's plate as she could. If that was the only thing stopping him then she would destroy everything in her path to him. Ed watched in slight fear as Winry charged around the food tent, her eyes ablaze with something.

When she handed him his food and demanded he finish it quickly so they could go for a walk Ed hesitated slightly. But that didn't stop Winry, and neither did the slight choking sound he made as she forcefully fed him the first few bites.

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Winry kicked a loose stone angrily. Her plan didn't go so smoothly; Ed had in fact eaten too much and he could barely walk with her when they had started out down the forest path. Now they sat side by side in a clearing only a couple of feet away from the trail, but as long as they were sitting no one would be able to see them.

It was private, it was quiet, it was beautiful and Ed's stomach ruined it again; this time with Winry's help. She pouted angrily as Ed once again groaned at his indigestion. Plan "Destroy Everything That Resists the Natural Flow of My Love" didn't seem to work well for Winry.

Ed sighed unhappily and lolled his head to the side for a better look at the girl beside him; she was clearly upset. He sighed again, "I'm not good at this stuff…" He mumbled to himself in self-pity and slight anger.

"Me neither." Winry whispered angrily as she pulled her knees to her chest and hugged her shins tightly.

Ed blushed lightly at her response but only grew even angrier with himself. "You weren't supposed to hear that." He admitted grudgingly and she giggled lightly, the color returning to her cheeks.

They remained in silence for a little while before Ed spoke up. "I'm feeling a little better now, we can walk if you'd like." He shivered involuntarily at his tone and choice of words; he was becoming Al, he was sure of it.

To his surprise, Winry didn't comment. "No, it's nice here." She gasped softly and grabbed Ed's arm before pointed excitedly at the middle of the clearing and whispered excitedly, "Fireflies." She whispered, mesmerized.

Ed grinned before getting up and pulling her up with him. Holding her hand loosely in his own, Ed slowly walked into the group of fireflies and they flew up above them before twirling back around them.

Winry's excited giggled caused him to tear his eyes away from the twinkling light hanging around him. She stood with her hands outstretched and three fireflies danced happily across her palms.

The light they emitted was reflected in the cerulean pools she possessed and Ed soon found himself drowning in their watery depths. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her closer to him and bent his head down towards her awaiting lips.

Fireflies long forgotten, Winry raised her hands up around Ed's neck and shoulders as his rough lips secured themselves onto her own silken lips. Her mind buzzed excitedly as memories of their previous and quick kisses danced teasingly in her mind; they were nothing like what she was experiencing now.

Soon the images blurred into each other and the only thing Winry could focus on was the handsome man in her arms and in her heart. He felt so alien to her, yet at the same time being in his arms felt like home. She felt miserably blissful, as though an ecstatic sadness had settled itself over her. Everything was so rightfully wrong and she had never been more lost in her life as she found herself melting into him.

Ed's heart fluttered dangerously as her soft lips glided over his own. It wasn't like in the books and it wasn't like in the movies but it was wonderful in its own way. He didn't get shivers down his spine because the warm body that was pressed against him prevented it. He wasn't necessarily lost in her because she was what led him home.

Her lips were a foreign thing but Ed adapted, just like he adapted to all the foreign countries and cities he had been in. He memorized every millimeter of her lips with his own and every single scent that she possessed as he stood there with the woman who loved him, the woman he loved.

Pulling away, Ed stared into her half-lidded eyes and took in the sight of her bruised-red lips and flushed skin. Rubbing his thumb lightly over her cheek, Ed tried to fight the contented smile that twitched the corner of his lips up.

"Ed…" She whispered as his thumb traced the swell of her lips.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers. Her deliciously warm skin contrasted with the cold feeling Ed felt as he prepared himself to speak.

'Just say it. You can't be afraid of her. Say it damnit!' Ed's conscience scolded him as he fought to find his voice. This was a perfect moment, if he said he loved her she wouldn't turn away; he knew that, she had told him herself that she loved him.

"Winry, I lo-"

"Brother! It's time to go!" Al called into the forest as he and Nelly walked up the trail.

Ed looked up just as Nelly pointed at them and he quickly stepped away from Winry, heading over to his brother while Nelly gossiped with Winry.

Winry fought from murdering the girl in front of her. He had been so close to saying it! The sweet words her ears longed to be blessed with. She stared at his back as they walked; absently taking part in the conversation Nelly was basically taking part in by herself.

She had caught Ed glancing back at her over his shoulder twice now. The first time he had blushed and looked away, walking slightly faster, and the second time he smiled lightly before whipping back around and engaging Al in conversation.

..+..-----------------------------..+..

When Nelly left and Al asked why the two were so quiet, Winry blamed it on fatigue and Ed simply shrugged it off. Thankfully, Al took the bait and they all headed up to bed without argument.

As Winry left the bathroom, Ed headed towards it. She smiled up at him shyly as he walked by, but he didn't seem to notice. Disappointed, she turned to speak to him but was met with Ed's cold eyes before he slammed the door closed on her face.

"Ed…?" She called through the door. When she received no response she dragged herself back to bed, trying to convince herself that he was just tired or that al had been questioning him and now he was upset. But for some reason, the sharp aching in her heart wouldn't cease and she fell into her bed in a mass of muffled sobs and angry curses.

Sliding down the bathroom door, Ed sighed pathetically as Winry's heartbroken voice called his name through the door. He bit into his hand to keep himself from responding and finally released the flesh when her bedroom door closed.

Ed stared at his bleeding hand for a moment before getting up and washing it off in the sink. Washing off his face, Ed looked up into the mirror in front of him.

Angry eyes peered at him through soppy, blonde bangs. 'She is probably upset with me and didn't want to talk to me now.' Ed concluded gloomily as he continued to stare at his reflection. Glaring at his image, Ed ran his hand down his face and across his jaw line before angrily turning around and muttering, "Great, now I'm vain."

Leaning against the sink, Ed sighed miserably again and hung his head low. "I should probably avoid her…" he decided half-heartedly. "Maybe if I just talk it out with her…Ah! I need a sign or something."

As if on cue, the sink beneath Ed jerked downwards quickly with a snap and Ed whipped his head up in alarm. "What the-?" Before Ed could finish his statement, the sink gave way under his weight and came crashing to the bathroom floor.

"Brother!" Al called out of his room and hurried towards the bathroom. When he didn't receive a response Al threw open the bathroom door to find his brother in a pile of ceramic and dust. "Brother…?"

"Edward Elric what have you done to my washroom!" Pinako cried out as she shoved Al aside and glared menacingly at Ed.

"Auntie, I just-"

"You're just going to buy a new one tomorrow, that's right! And you're also going to install it yourself. No alchemizing!" Pinako commanded angrily before bidding the brothers goodnight and returning to her room.

When Ed had cleaned up most of the dust and debris he realized that Winry hadn't come out her room to see what happened. As he made the return trip to his room, he spared a glance at Winry's room. The door was slightly ajar and the lights were off.

Sighing in disappointment, Ed collapsed onto his bed and dug deeper into his sheets. Rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling, Ed once again glanced out his room towards Winry's bedroom door.

His view was obscured by Al's figure in the doorway. "Goodnight Brother." He called happily before trotting off to his own room.

"G'night Al…" Ed muttered sleepily as he kept his eyes trained on her bedroom door. "G'night…Winry…" Yawning deeply, Ed's eyelids fluttered closed and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

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A/N: This chapter took so long! I'm sorry guys; I had a bit of writer's block. I'm so happy that I'm edging closer and closer to completing this story! Only SIX more chapters to go!

Xoxoxoxo!