Draped in Wires
by. Poisoned Scarlet

Theme 008: Danger Ahead

He was heading into uncharted territory.

He knew he was diving into something he had absolutely no clue about when he had brought her into his arms that fateful afternoon when no one was home. It didn't make matters any better when his brother had laughingly told him he was such a wuss when it came to trying to talk to the girl he liked.

"Shuddup, you become a condensing puddle of liquid whenever you try to talk to the bean-sprout girl so I wouldn't be talking if I were you!" he had shot back, effectively making the younger brother huff away.

But Al had a point, damn it.

He lost his macho bravado whenever it came down his childhood friend, Winry Rockbell. He didn't know why, either, which further pissed him off whenever he tried to think about. His hands became uncoordinated and his brain chose those very moments to say untactful things. His heart beat would skyrocket and his skin would feel hot and sweaty.

It was annoying.

He wanted it to go away.

And he knew the only way he'd be comfortable in his skin around her is if he followed that bartender's advice and just...went for it.

But it wasn't that easy, he had been proven so one early morning a few days after his arrival.

"What are you doing down here so early, Ed?" Winry yawned, duvet tossed over her shoulders while she drug herself to the counter, grabbing the pot of coffee Ed had made previously. Edward stared at her, the mess of blond hair and drowsy blue eyes that made her look like before; when she was five, when everything was a field of tossed flowers and going outside to play was the primary objective in their lives...

"Starting the new day, what do you think?" he retorted, sipping his hot mug of coffee. "You?"

"I've got another appointment in an hour," she yawned again, contently. "I have to get ready soon or else Drake will be mad."

"...Drake?" he felt his mouth curve downward in distaste.

"Yeah," Winry replied, adding some milk and sugar to her cup; not noticing the irked look on his face. "You remember him, don't you? His father used to be a farmer when we were kids. Well, he took up the family job and his hand got caught in a tractor a while back."

"Drake? You mean Drake Roberts?" Edward was shocked. He had been in an accident that robbed him of his hand?

"Yep," Winry confirmed. "He needs a replacement soon...but we were friends long before the accident! Sometimes he came over to keep me company!"

"I didn't know you still spoke to him," he grumbled, unable to help that flare of annoyance at the thought of another guy talking to Winry. Or at the thought of another guy coming over to keep her company...

"He's not so bad," she smiled. "A little on the weird side but he's okay."

"Weird?" Ed scowled, eyes narrowed.

"Well, yeah," she giggled. He didn't like that – why was she giggling? He didn't like that at all. "He has this strange way of showing his affection to his daughter! He lets her run around free a lot too..."

"D-daughter?" Ed spluttered, suddenly feeling very stupid for even being threatened by him. "He's married?"

"Married a long time ago, when he was sixteen," she revealed. Ed rose his brows, dropping his gaze contemplatively. "Most of our old friends are already married and with kids, Ed, it's just the way its always been here in Resembool."

"All except us," he humored, eyes rounding at his words. He snapped his head to Winry, panic draining into concern when he noticed the drawn in and rather subdued blue eyes that gazed into the beige of her coffee.

"Yeah...all except us," she murmured, lost in thought. "Um, I better go change!" she suddenly said, avoiding his concerned gaze. "If someone knocks, it's probably Drake so let him in if I'm not back in time! And, Ed, please be nice – I'll know if you were being a jerk!" her distant voice warned, footfalls climbing up the stairs and disappearing on the second floor.

Edward, meanwhile, flashed his eyes to his own black coffee.

That was...weird, he thought. Everyone's married? He was twenty two and he wasn't even thinking about marriage. In fact, he was just trying to get something out of he and Winry's shaky friendship and it edged more to simple, naughty, fun than the everlasting commitment of marriage.

We're both twenty two, he thought back to the train station two years ago, the stammering confessions from both of them; the promise to give one another a portion of their life.

That was...technically a proposal, right? He had been just meaning to tell her to wait for him a little longer because, well, he obviously liked her but now...what? What was he going to do? He had a gut feeling he knew why she had looked so sad and it had nothing to do with the fact that Drake had lost his hand in a farming accident.

Marriage.

The word looked more intimidating than it should have.

A/N: Did you guys catch the "I wanna' get in Winry's pants!" hint I added in there? XD

Review!

Scarlett.