A/N Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Sorry it took a little while to get this chapter up, but I've been cramming for those pesky finals which just begged to be studied for. :P
Winry stared at Ed, not willing to believe her eyes. Ed was gone, probably dead; she knew that. But then why was he standing right there in front of her? It had been two years and he was still short, but it looked like he had gotten a little taller, at least. His golden hair was as messy as ever, tied back in a ponytail, and his warm gold eyes, even deeper than the color of his hair, were happy and excited. It didn't look like he had automail, but instead, fake limbs covered by the long, tattered white sleeves of his shirt and the equally worn legs of his pants.
"Ed…?" Winry whispered, as if for confirmation.
"Hey Winry," Ed said softly, with a sort of laugh in his voice. That was when reality seemed to come in at her from all directions. It was as if she had been absent from time ever since she learned that Ed was gone, and she was only now returning to herself. Her vision and other senses seemed clearer, like she had just donned a pair of glasses for the first time when her eyesight had been bad for so long, as well as her mind; she was able to think for once without suppressing those thoughts that she didn't want to think of. And right now she was thinking about falling into Ed's arms and hugging him tightly while crying with relief and telling him how much she had missed him; but she couldn't do that, not here, not now.
Winry smiled, a gentle gesture filled with relief and overflowing happiness, as she said, "Welcome home, Ed." God, don't let this be a dream. If it was, she didn't know how she'd live with herself when she woke up.
Ed grinned as he walked through the door, looking around at the house as he did so. "Man, nothing's changed since I last saw this place…" he murmured softly. Winry quietly shut the door behind him with a soft click and she turned to face him.
"Ed…what…how…" she couldn't even get the words out. All she could do was watch him in amazement and simply enjoy him being there.
"Did you miss me, Winry?" Ed teased, smiling with that idiotic grin of his.
"Of course I missed you, you idiot," Winry chuckled, then walked forward and hugged him tightly as she came close to him. He seemed a little surprised, but he hugged her back, well, not so much with his right arm, but he tried to. That was when Winry remembered the automail she had been designing. "Oh, Ed, you'll absolutely love the new automail I've made!" she exclaimed, backing away a little to look him in the eye.
"Alright Winry, but how about we let it wait til morning?" Ed suggested. "You look really tired, and I'm sorry for calling on you guys this late." He looked around again, like there was something– or someone– he was trying to find.
"What is it, Ed?" Winry asked, noticing this.
"Is…um, is Al…" Ed started, then lowered his eyes.
"Oh, Al will be coming in the morning," Winry informed him.
"Then he's okay?" he asked, eyes shining hopefully.
"Why wouldn't he be okay?" Winry asked, puzzled, before she remembered that Ed hadn't seen Al restored to his body; he probably hadn't even known whether he was alive or dead. Oh, well, that explained his reluctance when he asked about Al. "Al's just fine," she assured Ed. "I know he'll be overjoyed to see you tomorrow; he's been looking for you all this time, you know."
"Really?" Ed said, his eyes softening. "That's just like Al."
"Yeah," Winry replied, looking away to hide the blush that was suddenly creeping up her face. What was with her? Ed was back! Why the heck was she looking away from him, even for a second? "I guess I should tell Granny Pinako that you're here; if she came into the guest bedroom in the morning and found you lying there without warning, she'd probably have a heart attack," Winry joked. Ed smiled in return, making Winry's heart skip in her absolute happiness.
Grabbing Ed by the wrist, Winry gently guided him up the stairs to Granny Pinako's room. She knocked softly on the door, acutely aware of how late–er, early, it was. "Are you awake?" she asked quietly. No answer. She asked again, a little louder, and was rewarded by the sound of footsteps on the other side of the door.
"What is it, Winry?" Pinako grumbled, opening the door and rubbing her eyes blearily. Winry stepped aside to present Ed, and Pinako's eyes widened, her arms dropping to her sides instantly. She seemed to stare him over for a moment, then said dryly, "I suppose you'll need a place to stay tonight."
Ed grinned even wider than before. "Thanks, Granny," he said, before she nodded and paused halfway back into her room. She glanced at him once more before muttering something incoherently to herself and shutting the door of her room behind her. Winry smiled as she led Ed to the guest room where he and his brother always used to stay the night.
Pushing open the door, Ed walked inside without hesitation. "Nothing's changed," he repeated to himself, walking over to the window and looking down on the path that wound to the front of the house.
"You're clothes look pretty worn," Winry commented. "Do you want me to go see if we have any spare clothes for you?"
"Winry, you don't have to do that," Ed replied, looking back at her. "You should get to bed, it's late."
"It wouldn't take any time at all," Winry insisted. "Besides, those clothes can't be comfortable for you." Ed blushed and turned away, muttering his assent.
Winry quickly left the room, heading downstairs to the hall closet. Shifting through the random clothes and coats hung there, she finally pulled out a blue T shirt and a pair of khaki colored shorts that she thought might fit him. Leaping up the stairs two at a time, she reached the room Ed was staying in slightly out of breath. She half expected him to be gone when she opened the door, but no, he was standing right where she had left him, staring out the window.
The way the moonlight caught his hair and made it shine ever so slightly made him seem like some sort of angel descended from heaven. Blushing profusely for thinking something like that, Winry knocked on the door frame quietly, feeling herself warm up even more as her eyes met Ed's bright, piercing golden ones.
Ed sighed in apparent relief as he accepted the clothes from Winry. "Thanks, I really appreciate all of this Winry," he thanked her, smiling again. It seemed like he was happy to be home, happy at every simple little thing that he saw. It made Winry wonder where he had been and what he had been doing these past two years that would cause everything to make him smile.
"What happened, Ed?" Winry whispered, but Ed shooed her out of the door.
"Tomorrow, Winry, it's getting late," Ed reminded her. At her look of plain disappointment, he added, "Plus, Al will be here tomorrow and Granny Pinako will be awake; I'd rather just have to explain it all once." Winry nodded, still fairly disappointed, but ready to wait. After all, she had been waiting two years for him to return.
Winry walked silently down the hall to her own room and slipped under the covers of her bed She knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep; not with Ed in the room next to hers after not seeing him all these years. She don't know how long she just laid there, listening to her breathing as it slowed and became deeper, until without realizing it, she had fallen asleep.
A knock on Winry's door the next morning woke her up. She groggily looked over at her clock: nine o'clock. "Winry, breakfast is almost ready!" Granny Pinako called from the hallway. "Come on, you can't sleep all day. Al will be getting ready to get on his train soon, and you want time to get ready for his arrival, don't you?"
Winry blinked several times, trying to collect her thoughts. She sat up with a jolt as she remembered Ed coming home last night, then suddenly wondered if it had all been a dream after all. In any case, Granny Pinako hadn't mentioned him at all just now. She felt tears well up in her eyes as she asked out loud, "What about Ed?"
"He's downstairs already," Pinako replied, the sound of her steps retreating down the hallway as she descended to the kitchen. Winry leaped out of her bed to her dresser, randomly pulling out a black shirt and jeans and shoving them on, then running downstairs to the kitchen. Looking around, Winry saw Ed already seated at the table, watching as Pinako made pancakes on the stove. His face brightened when he saw Winry.
"Hey, did you sleep well?" he asked cheerfully.
"Yeah, how about you?" Winry replied, sitting across from him.
"Fine, thanks," Ed answered. "Oh, that's right! Did you say you designed new automail last night?"
Winry's eyes shone with pride as she immediately delved into describing the new automail she had created. Ed didn't interrupt her constant stream of talk and explanations, but sat listening quietly, a slight smile on his face as he listened to her, asking a question here or there occasionally.
"With the new adjustment, your automail should be a lot lighter and easier to move around," Winry went on as Pinako set down a plate of pancakes in front of them. "It's also stronger, so maybe you won't end up breaking it as much as you used to, if that's even possible. You'll just love it, I know you will!"
Ed laughed at her shining face and began to pour syrup on his plate. "Sounds like you've been kept busy while I was away."
Winry nodded as she started eating her breakfast. "You still have to explain to me where exactly you disappeared to," she reminded him through her mouthful of food.
"I know, I know," Ed answered, rolling his eyes. "I told you I was going to wait until Al got back, didn't I?"
Winry nodded and continued eating. Oh how she had missed talking to Ed! He was always so much fun to be around, even if he did always make her worry herself to near death. She had forgotten what it was like to enjoy talking so much with someone and just feeling their presence with her. She felt suddenly nostalgic as she watched Ed stubbornly refuse the milk Pinako was trying to get him to drink.
"You know why you're still so short? It's because you never drink any milk!" Pinako asserted, shoving the glass towards him across the table.
"I'm not short, miniature hag!" Ed retorted, pushing it back with a glare on his face.
"What? Shrimp!"
"Microscopic old prune!"
Winry couldn't help but grin as she watched them go back and forth insulting each other, just like the old days. "Ed, do you need anything?" Winry asked as she finished eating.
Ed glanced over at her and an eager look suddenly crossed his face. "Could you try fitting the new automail on?" he asked excitedly, already standing up. Winry smiled at him; he was like a little kid asking his mother to buy him a new toy in a store, knowing full well that his mother would give in.
"What do you think, Granny?" Winry asked, feigning thoughtfulness. "Is he ready for it?"
Pinako put on a serious face as she looked him up and down like she was assessing him. "I don't know Winry," she eventually replied.
"Pleeease?" Ed begged, looking at Winry with wide, innocent eyes that she knew perfectly well usually meant mischief.
"I think he's ready," Winry finally relented.
"Yes!" Ed cheered, throwing his hands in the air. He departed to the living room, glancing back when he didn't see the others follow. "Are you guys coming, or what?"
Winry laughed at his enthusiasm and stood up from the table. "I'll go get the automail from my room, and you do whatever Granny tells you to to get ready for us to connect the nerves," Winry instructed him, leaving the kitchen and heading up the stairs towards her room. She felt light-headed with all of the excitement in the house as she grabbed aforementioned automail and some tools she'd need from her desk and made her way back downstairs.
Ed was sitting on the couch without his fake limbs, Pinako standing next to him with a wrench in her hand. They glanced up as Winry entered the room, proudly carrying the culmination of all of her hard work over the past two years. She handed the leg to Pinako, who started to fit it to the port at Ed's knee, as she herself started to connect his new arm.
When it was all ready, Winry fit her wrench to the screw that would connect the nerves, and Pinako did the same on the leg. "Ready?" Winry asked Ed. He nodded, not quite so eager anymore as he braced himself for the nerves to connect. "One, two, three!" Winry turned the wrench deftly in her hand at the same time as Pinako and she heard a slight buzz as Ed's left hand tightened into a fist and his right leg shot out in front of him.
After a few seconds, Ed tried to move his new automail arm, bringing the hand to his face and curling and flexing the fingers. The grin on his face widened as he stretched out his left automail leg, obviously happy with the results. He stood up and nearly fell as he tried to get used to the automail again, but he quickly got back into the rhythm of it.
As Ed gleefully walked around the room, Winry felt that she had never been happier in all of her life.
A/N Okay, so I was looking through the FMA fandom, and I have to admit, I was thoroughly depressed by how many RoyEd fics I saw out there; namely every other one. Come on, people, EdWin all the way! XP
Also, does anyone know how Winry refers to her grandmother? Is it Granny, or Pinako, Granny Pinako, or even Grandma? Please help me out here if you know, because for right now I just keep switching back and forth. -_-'
Oh, and if anyone has adjectives for 'smile' and 'grin' I'd also be happy if you could share them; I feel like I used those words like a hundred times in this past chapter. T-T
I have exams this week, so I probably won't get another update in until Friday at the absolute earliest, but after that, it's summer vacation! Woohoo!