The Edward Elric Guide to Being a Gentleman
A/N: Can you see Ed being a gentleman? I can't see him keeping it up. Let's see how it plays out…
Ed did not consider himself to be a gentleman any more than he considered Winry to be a high-class lady. Both were short-tempered (Ed more so than Winry), very expressive of that temper to the point of violence, and both could curse a blue streak when they lost their temper.
Whether it was his conversations with Al and Hughes, his experiences with Winry, or something else entirely, Ed decided that he needed to be a bit nicer to her. Part of this decision was made so that when he told her how he felt, it did not come out of the blue.
During Winry's stay after she repaired Ed's arm (her train did not leave for two days), he started holding doors and pulling out chairs when he remembered. However, his body, unused to going through these motions, did not always remind him that he needed to, and catching himself without looking like an idiot was rarely doable.
Cursing was the hardest thing to break.
"Damn!" he whispered as, once again, he forgot to hold the door.
Again, he cursed silently when he was too slow to pull out a chair for her.
And when she paid for her own meal.
And when he just waved instead of saying, "Good night."
The list went on and on as Ed's annoyance with himself grew and grew. The more his annoyance grew, however, the more he forgot to be kind.
It all came apart the night before Winry was scheduled to leave as Ed and Al walked back to their apartment.
"I'm just not cut out for this, Al! I'm forgetting to be nice more and more, and I'm fed up with it! Dammit, this isn't how it should be!" he fumed.
Al would have found it comical, but he knew that Ed really was making the effort to be a gentleman. That was why it had to be said. "I think she likes it better when you're you, Brother. That's the boy who was her friend- who is now, too. If she's treated in a way you've never treated her before, it probably makes her uncomfortable. I'm not saying to stop altogether, but don't do it so much."
Ed sighed and wove his fingers through the hair just above his braid, wincing as he yanked a bit of it. "Guess you're right, Al." Defeat darkened his tone.
"Brother, you're never going to be perfect, and trying only makes you frustrated," Al reasoned. "Just let Winry know you care in your usual way."
"I have a usual way?" Ed raised his eyebrows.
Al nodded. "You know, where you pretend not to care, but you give in, anyway."
Ed complained, "You're making it sound like I'm a bad guy, Al!"
The suit of armor shrugged nonchalantly. "You're the one who acts like it."
Knocking his automail hand against Al, Ed ordered, "Quit it. We're back. I need to sleep."
Al shook his head. Someday, Ed would get it. Someday…
THE NEXT DAY
"I'm going to miss you, Ed, but knowing you, I'll be back soon enough," Winry guessed the next morning as she packed.
Ed groaned. "I promise I'll be careful, Winry."
Winry grinned. "You promise that every time."
"I mean it, Winry."
"You mean it every time, too." Winry stopped. "I know you can take care of yourself, Ed, but that doesn't stop me from worrying, Ed. It just eases it."
"Glad to know I can do something right," Ed muttered.
Winry laughed. "Don't give me that- you do a lot of things right. I don't worry about that. I worry when you don't do it right and you get hurt."
Ed mumbled something.
"What, Ed?"
"Thanks," Ed said quickly. "Thanks for caring, I mean."
He may have imagined it, but it looked like Winry blushed. "It's nothing the others don't do."
"You care simply because you do, though. I don't think many other people do." Ed was now staring at her, blinking far less than he normally did, and it made Winry nervous.
Suddenly shy, she found her suitcase far more interesting than Ed. "Ed, you know that's not true."
Ed sighed. "Whatever."
It was then that Winry chose to fling her arms around him. Ed staggered back for a moment, then hesitantly put his arms around her. Much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he wished this moment could last far longer than it would. He felt safer than he ever had since his mother's death, even though Winry was not a mother to him, but something else.
"Hey, Winry…"
"Hmmm?"
"…You need to leave, or you'll miss your train," Ed finished sheepishly.
Pulling away, Winry's face fell. "Oh."
Ed cursed mentally. Damn! I did it again! At least it was an honest excuse… But for some reason, that did not make Ed feel any better.
AT THE TRAIN STATION
Al hugged Winry. "Tell Granny we say hello."
Winry smiled. "Will do, Al."
The train whistle sounded. Winry picked up her bags and dashed aboard. As the train rolled away, she waved at Ed and Al, who waved back.
"Brother," Al began as they walked out of the station.
"Give it a rest, Al! I'm waiting for the right time! If I don't do it right, there's no point!" Ed exclaimed.
Al stopped dead. "You're serious?"
Ed gave his brother a look that would have meant a beating for any other person. "What do you mean, 'serious'? Of course I am, Al! I'm not dense! I have to do this right! I don't know if you listen to the talk around headquarters or in the dorms, but a lot of guys don't do it right. I'm not adding my name to theirs. Winry deserves better, anyway, so I have to give it all I've got."
It took a moment for Al to let that sink in. Of all the things Ed had ever been serious about in his life, girls had never been in the top five until recently.
But Ed was Ed, and, perfectionist that he was, he would not settle for less than one hundred percent of what he could give. Al had to admire that in his brother.
"Al!"
"Coming!"
"Hurry!"
It was times like this that Al knew that all he could do was trust Ed. Everything would go from there.
A/N: I seem to have a trend of ending with Al's thoughts. However, his thoughts are good ones, so I don't see a problem with it. Later on, I'll start ending with the thoughts of Ed and Winry, though. I'm trying to set up the groundwork right now.
I'd say Ed and Al might have an apartment in Central. I mean, that is where Mustang is, and they report to him. They're just not there a lot. :)