The Edward Elric Guide to Apologizing
A/N: We're doing a scenario where Hughes isn't familiar with Winry. This is where the AR comes in, and it's pretty AR from here on out. A deviation from the manga and anime, if you will. If you like canon stories, here's your last chance to leave.
Edward Elric hated the hospital. It reminded him that around him, so many were injured and dying. He did not need that reminder. It also took precious time from finding a way to create a Philosopher's Stone. The only good thing about hospitals was that when he was in them, he usually got to talk to her.
Sure, it was usually loud and berating, but ed knew that Winry cared. That was why she yelled. That, and she really did not like having to repair his automail every three weeks. It was tough not to break it, though. Military duty was not the easiest thing in the world, and ed knew that his temper was partly to blame for his high medical bills, and even higher automail bills.
It was not often, but Winry sometimes cried when she came to see him. Cried. It was one of the most perplexing things about women. When that happened, Ed would usually have to console her in one way or another, but a hug was usually the best cure for crying, so his mother had told him.
And hugging is exactly what they were doing when Maes Hughes happened to walk in to visit Ed. Needless to say, he was surprised.
Hughes was so surprised, in fact, that he dropped all his photos of Elysia and whipped out a camera. He had his finger on the button when he realized that there was more to this hug than just, well, a hug. He realized that Winry was crying.
"Should I come back later?" he asked.
Ed and Winry were startled apart. Ed's features shifted into an expression of annoyance. "Major Hughes…" he hissed warningly. There really was not much he could do -he and Hughes were of the same rank- but it never hurt to be menacing when you wanted Hughes to keep a secret.
"Is everything okay?" he asked as Winry wiped her eyes.
"Depends on who you ask," Ed mumbled. "In this room, no, as a matter of fact. Couldn't you guess?"
Maes became somber. "Temper, Ed. I'm not here to take pictures or show them to you. At least, not now," he tried to joke. "I just want to know what's going on."
"I'll be right back. I need to use the rest room," Winry informed them.
Hughes took a seat by the bed. "So, Ed, what is it?"
Ed sighed. "She's my mechanic. We've been best friends ever since we were little. She and her grandmother, they have an automail business. When everything happened, Al took me to them. It's thanks to them that I'm even alive."
"Does she have a name?" Hughes asked, again trying to lighten the mood.
"Winry Rockbell."
Smiling softly, Hughes tried the name. "Winry, huh? Pretty name for a pretty girl. She seems tough, too, if she can work with automail. But Ed, just because she puts up a front doesn't mean that you can get out of anything when you break her automail. Ninety nine times of a hundred, you're in danger when you do, and she doesn't like that. People don't like it when the people they care about are hurt. It concerns them, Ed. It concerns her. Do you ever apologize?"
Ed looked at his sheets. "She never gives me time."
"Then make time, Ed."
They sat in silence until Winry returned a moment later.
"Sorry about that." She gave Maes a tentative smile and stuck out her hand. "I'm Winry Rockbell."
Maes took the offered hand. "Maes Hughes. Pleased to meet you, Winry." He pulled a picture out of his pocket. "This is my family. My wife, Gracia, and my daughter Elysia. Aren't they just wonderful?"
Winry looked taken aback at the Major's sudden enthusiasm. "They look lovely, Mr. Hughes."
"I know!" Maes continued to rattle on until he looked at the clock. "Well, I have to go home now. Elysia misses me so much during the day, you know!"
After he left, Ed and Winry looked at each other, smiling.
"Sorry about that, Winry. He tends to get carried away. I think it's his way of lightening the mood, though it usually darkens the Colonel's." He chuckled.
Winry sighed. "Must be nice, having a family like that."
Ed followed suit with the sighing and nodded. "Yeah. He's mostly at a desk, too, so it's not often that he would be in the position of winding up like this, which brings me to my next point. Winry, I'm… sorry. I shouldn't be so reckless, I know, but I made the choice to leave home and join the military. Sometimes, I think it's stupid, but I have to stay for Al, and dangerous things happen and I- Wh-why are you crying now?"
"This is the first time you've apologized for this- for the past four years. I know I shouldn't be mad at you, Ed, but I get scared when you leave, and I get scared when you get hurt!" She threw her arms around him.
Ed slowly brought his arms around her back. "Yeah, I know. And that's why I'm apologizing. I really don't want it to be like this, but until I get Al's body and my arm and leg back, well, it's gonna happen. I'm glad that you're always there, though. I wouldn't trade you for any other mechanic in the world."
Winry continued to sob as Ed comforted her, gently patting her back. It was awkward at first. He was not used to comforting her like this. Still, it made him realize what he had.
He liked it, he really did, and he wanted it to remain this way forever.
His conversation with Al in the shed popped into his head. He decided against it now. He had had enough emotion for one day, and something told him that this was not the best time.
Eventually, things went back to usual. Ed got his rant about how he should drink milk, and got a wrench to the head when he would not drink. Yet, somehow, things had changed again. Winry was gentler, even with the wrench.
Ed decided that apologizing was his new favorite hobby.
A/N: Whew! This should be called "Romance by Broken Automail"! Not every oneshot will involve it, I swear! It's just that some of them are inevitable.
Please review! What am I doing right? What could I do better? What might you like to see? I still haven't thought up two themes, you know. Maybe one of you has ideas!