Better Together
A/N: It's been a little while since my last update, but not too long I suppose. And since today (technically, it's now yesterday D:) is 3. Oct. 11, I got really inspired to finish this chapter and get it posted! :D Also, uh, the T rating comes in handy for this chapter. haha So, enjoy!
Chapter 6: "With only two, just me and you"
It had been a little over two weeks since Ed and Winry came to Rush Valley, and much to Ed's surprise, he had actually been having a decent time. Winry worked in the shop for the large part of every day, but Ed hung around downstairs as well and spent his time talking to some of the customers (while trying to keep his automail hidden, of course, although at times it was futile) and studying some of the many alchemy books he had collected from his travels in the west. The latter was his focus today, as he had found one of his books to be particularly interesting, and he settled into one of the chairs in the shop and flipped open the book.
He had only been reading for a few minutes before a voice he knew all too well interrupted him.
"Ed!" Winry shouted from across the room. "Will you do me a favor? I need you to go get a few supplies for me."
He groaned and threw his head back. He should've seen this coming - Winry seemed to have been making him her personal assistant lately. "Ehh... I'm kinda in the middle of something here!"
"Edward Elric!" she yelled in frustration, slamming down the tool she was holding onto the counter. "Stop being so lazy and help!"
"Oh, dear...," Garfiel whispered to himself as he could already see where this was heading. Honestly, the two of them did this almost every day. At first, he had second thoughts about both of them being in the shop, thinking this sort of thing would be bad for business. But, as he noticed all of the grinning and chuckling customers, he realized that it seemed to have turned into a form of entertainment.
Ed slammed his book shut and threw it down on the chair as he jumped to his feet. In all of his life, Winry had been the only one to ever call him "lazy," (well, maybe Teacher had said it a few times when he was much younger) and while it used to enrage him, he found that lately, it almost amused him. But, he had to suppress a smile in order to keep up appearances.
"Lazy? Well, maybe I'd be more inclined to help if you'd stop being such a slave-driver!" he exclaimed.
Silence fell between them as Winry fumed, her brows furrowed in anger. She wanted to slug him with the closest tool, but she forced herself not to. She was around customers, after all. Finally, she sighed loudly. "Look, I've made a list of what I need. Are you going to help me or not?"
Ed frowned right back at her. "Fine, just give me the damn list!"
Now, a teasing smile replaced her frown as she walked over to him and handed him the small slip of paper. "Thank you," she said as she leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning abruptly and walking away. He blushed and his scowl disappeared, but the sound of snickering and a few "ooh"s from the customers reminded him that he was supposed to be angry, so he shot them a few glares, clutched the list in his hand, and left the shop.
Once he deemed he was far enough away, he grinned and chuckled at what had just transpired. He truly didn't mind running errands for Winry - sure, he was enjoying his book, but he knew he'd have plenty of time for that later. He was just getting a kick out of irritating her, and he had a feeling she was doing the same thing. But he didn't mind. When he thought about it, he realized that that was how they'd always been, and he liked it that way. His days were never dull with her, that's for sure.
Plus, he'd started noticing a slight trend during the time that they'd been there. Maybe it was just his imagination, but it seemed like the more he pissed her off during the day, the more she wanted to make out with him later that night. And while the very thought of doing that with Winry used to make him pretty uncomfortable, they had both been realizing how much could change in just a couple of weeks when they were sharing a bedroom with each other. Suddenly, Ed was reminded of just a couple nights ago.
"So, this one customer today had an almost completely busted arm - I thought I'd have to replace the whole thing! I mean, it was like he hadn't done maintenance on it in forever. I still can't believe it was working, although barely." Winry was recalling some of the day's events to Edward, like she did almost every night. He sat on the sofa doing his best to listen and seem genuinely interested, but he cared about automail just as much as she cared about alchemy - not a whole lot. She exited the bathroom and walked toward him as she spoke, wearing a pale green sleeveless nightgown that fell a little past her knees, her long hair now free of the ponytail that it had been in all day, and she came to sit next to him on the sofa. Even after all this time, he still managed to be taken aback by her. Whether it was her presence, her beauty, he wasn't quite sure; he just knew there was something that made his pulse quicken.
"Speaking of, how's your leg?" she asked as she placed her hand on his knee. "Seems like it's been a while since I last did maintenance on it."
"It's fine," he assured her as his hand grasped hers. "But I guess you can look at it later."
She smiled at him and laid her head against the back of the couch. There was silence for a moment before she untangled her hand from his and reached up and began running her fingers through his ponytail. "What made you stop wearing your hair in a braid?" she asked softly.
He shrugged. "This is easier. Besides, I figured I look more mature this way," he answered with a small grin.
"Hm, I guess so," she said teasingly. Then, she gently pulled the hair band out of his hair, his blonde locks now falling around his shoulders. Ed said nothing, just watched her face as she lightly ran her fingers through his hair, working out any tangles. She tenderly raked her nails across his scalp, which sent a small shiver down his spine. He slowly leaned in closer to her and planted a feather-light kiss on her lips. Winry pressed her palms against the back of his head and neck and pulled him even closer and reciprocated the kiss but this time, it was more firm.
That was all the invitation Ed needed as he began to kiss her feverishly, and he brought his hands up to cup her face as he kissed her. She opened her lips against his, and he did the same, their tongues meeting and exploring inside each other's mouths before they finally found a nice rhythm with each other. Ed slid his hands down her shoulders and down to her waist before running his hands up her back against the silky fabric of her nightgown, relishing in the feel of her being in his arms.
Their lips finally parted, but Ed didn't want to stop. He wanted more of her. His mouth moved to her neck and he kissed her there, hesitantly at first but when he felt her shiver against him, he knew to continue. He planted kisses all along the slope of her neck, pausing ever so often to lightly slide his tongue across her skin. Winry let out a quiet moan, and Ed lifted his head to capture her lips again in a heated kiss. She untangled her hands from his hair and began sliding them down his shirt-covered chest, feeling his defined muscles through the fabric. Before either of them could process what was happening, Winry had begun leaning back and pulling Ed with her until she was finally laying down on the sofa with Ed on top of her. But, neither of them stopped.
Ed's mouth moved to one of her ears, gently biting and licking her earlobe but being careful of her many earrings. Winry's hands moved even farther down his chest until she found the bottom of his t-shirt and slipped her hands underneath it. Ed jolted slightly at the feel of her soft hands against his abdomen but relaxed against her touch. Everything was happening so fast, it was like his senses had been kicked into overdrive and his mind felt hazy. His lips went back to her neck once again, this time moving lower to her collarbone, and he ran his hands down her arms before resting at her waist. Winry, attempting to get more comfortable, bent her legs slightly and parted them so that he was between them, not noticing when her nightgown slid up, revealing more of her creamy legs. She removed her hands from under his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck once more. Ed leaned up and their lips met again, still as passionate as ever. His hands slid down over her hips, and he gently squeezed her thighs before moving them back up to her stomach and then even further until they very lightly moved across her breasts.
Winry gasped softly against his mouth, and it was as if that sound immediately brought Ed crashing back down into reality. He froze, breaking their kiss and realizing the position they were in and what was happening. He honestly didn't want to stop, but his nerves couldn't handle the thought of what would happen if they kept going.
"Uh, Win... I'm sorry," he said as he struggled to catch his breath.
"I-It's okay, I'm sorry, too..." She wasn't exactly sure what made him stop, but even though a part of her was a little disappointed, the other part of her was relieved because if he hadn't, she wasn't sure that she would have.
Ed pulled away from her and sat back on the couch, and she sat up as well. He didn't know what to say; he didn't know if she had gasped because she was enjoying it or because he had done something he shouldn't have. He feared it was the latter.
"I just... I don't know what came over me; everything was happening so fast," he tried to explain.
"Ed," she said as she reached out and held his hand, "I know, it's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I... rather liked it." He noticed her flushed cheeks became even redder. "But I'm sort of glad that you stopped because I don't think I would have stopped you."
"Winry, I thought staying here with you would be easy, but it's not. Even though I'm really nervous, I... I want you... all of you," he whispered, and now it was his blush that was deepening. "But not until you're ready to share it with me!"
Winry smiled warmly at him. "I know. I told you I'd give you all of my life, didn't I? Even though I was embarrassed, I meant it. And this isn't just hard for you, you know! I want you, too... But I'm just nervous. Obviously, I've never done this before, and I mean, what if... what if I, you know, get pregnant?"
To her surprise, Ed simply shrugged his shoulders. "So what?"
"What do you mean, 'so what'? This is serious!" she exclaimed.
"I know it's serious, but you're acting like that would be a bad thing!"
"Well... I guess it wouldn't be." She honestly hadn't thought about it until now, but now she couldn't figure out why not. They were going to be married; having children was just a natural progression.
"Of course not. I mean, to be honest, the idea of being a parent scares the hell out of me, but I know I'll be fine if you're there. After all we've been through, I know we can handle anything," he said reassuringly, and Winry couldn't help but wonder when Ed had become the voice of reason. But, it made her smile because she believed him. She trusted him, and she knew everything would be alright. She had been afraid that they were moving too fast, but now, she realized that it didn't matter. They had been together all their lives, and they always would be.
"Thank you," she said quietly as she threw her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I love you, Ed."
Ed smiled and embraced her as well. "I love you, too, Winry."
Ed was thankful for what took place between them that night. He felt like a weight that he didn't even know he was carrying had been lifted off him. For much of his life, his focus had been alchemy and trying to return Al to his body. During the two years after Al got his body back and before they set off on their travels, he and Winry had some time together, but most of his focus was on nursing his brother back to health. And, then, for another year, his focus was primarily on traveling, but that's why he proposed to her before he left. He wanted to know that she would be there when he returned, and he wanted her to know that she was who he wanted to return to. Now, finally, his focus was Winry. He wanted to experience everything with her, and he knew that they were ready for anything.
When Ed finally made his way back to the shop with Winry's supplies in hand, he was shocked to see two familiar faces inside the shop. It was Al and Mei.
"Ed!" Winry exclaimed excitedly from behind the counter. "Look who decided to surprise us with a visit!"
"Brother!" Al said happily before greeting his brother with a quick hug.
"Hey, Al, Mei! What made you decide to come out here?" Ed asked, wearing a big smile. He really was happy to see them. It had only been a couple of weeks, but it seemed longer than that for some reason.
"Things were a little slow back home for the time being, so we decided to just surprise you two," Al replied.
"And, we wanted to make sure you two were doing okay out here all by yourselves," Mei teased.
"Well, of course we are!" Ed retaliated.
"Yeah, besides Ed driving me crazy on a daily basis, I'd say we were pretty fine," Winry said jokingly. Everyone laughed, of course, except Ed.
"Well, hey," she continued, "I'm almost done here for the day, so we should all go eat dinner together. We know a good place."
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Al and Mei agreed.
The four young adults spent dinner catching up on everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks since Ed and Winry had left. Winry was especially interested in hearing how her grandmother had been doing - she couldn't help but worry a bit since Pinako was definitely getting older - but Al and Mei assured her that everything back home was fine.
It was also on this night that Ed and Winry decided that they didn't want to keep a secret from Al and Mei any longer. Or, rather, Winry decided. She had flashed them her ring, and they immediately knew what it meant. Of course, they were ecstatic, especially Al. He was so proud that his brother had finally gotten the courage to do it.
"So, have you decided on a date?" Mei questioned both Ed and Winry.
"A date?" Ed asked immediately. Winry had been doing most of the talking regarding the engagement, and as a result, Ed had stopped paying much attention after the original announcement. He still didn't care for discussing this with others, anyway.
"She means for a wedding, dummy!" Winry hissed at him, before turning her attention back to Al and Mei. "But, no. We, uh, haven't really talked about that."
"It'll be soon," Ed remarked nonchalantly.
"Soon?" Winry turned back to him in confusion. They hadn't even discussed it, so what was he talking about?
"Well, yeah. Why not?"
"No reason. I just didn't know that you had even thought about it," she said.
"Well, of course I have. It's April now, so I'm thinking in the fall. October, maybe," Ed said. Truthfully, he wished it could be sooner, but he had something that he needed to do first.
He couldn't help but notice the look his brother gave him when he mentioned that month. It was just a small smile, but it spoke volumes. Al knew the significance of that month, but he thought that would be a perfect time for Ed and Winry to get married. Not that they would ever forget about what took place then so long ago, but to symbolize that they were finally starting anew and allowing themselves the happiness that they deserved.
Ed felt Winry eyeing him as well, and she placed her hand on top of his that was resting on the table. "I-I'd love that," she said quietly. He took her hand in his and simply smiled back at her.
After a moment or two, Al decided to change the subject and before long, the four of them were talking and laughing once again. Al was thrilled that he and Mei had decided to visit because he was so glad to finally see his brother and Winry together like this. To anyone else, they would probably seem almost like they always had, maybe slightly more affectionate, but Al had known them all of his life. He knew them better than anyone. He could tell that they were closer than ever, and that they were both truly happy. And, Al was truly happy for them.
A/N: Well, I wanted to get this posted on the actual 3rd, but it's 2am, so it's really the 4th now. :( But oh well, close enough! Thanks for reading, please review!