WINRY'S POV
A couple hours had passed and Edward and I were still not speaking to one another since breakfast. I had shoveled my eggs into my mouth as fast as possible, knowing Granny would get tired of hearing Ed's obscenities from the workroom and connect his automail for him. Before I could make a fast break back to the work room, she came walking in with a furious golden-eyed demon behind her. I did the best I could to be mature - I DID NOT hit him...but I did stick my tongue out to antagonize him. It had worked, and once again he went on parading around the kitchen with loud insults. Granny seemed to be at her end with us and sent us both out of the house to do chores - or really anything to regain peace and quiet inside the home.
So this is how we ended up outside in the blazing heat of the sun, only a few feet away from the other. Was it a good idea to be close? Probably not. Den came running around from the back of the house, beaming with pride at his new found discovery - mud. I sighed at the blissfully happy dog and walked over to the hose that was connected to the front of the house.
"Den, you stay right there! You can't go inside until you're all clean or Granny will make sure none of us come in!" I said, pointing my finger as a warning. Den was on and off about baths, he either found them refreshing or he guaranteed you a work out chasing him around. Today seemed like he was going to behave...thank god.
I unraveled the hose and started walking back to where he was sitting, his attention now on Edward. I did everything possible not to become curious, but my eyes wandered over to the grunting blonde-haired man anyways. He had removed his shirt and tossed it aside. I bit my lip as I watched his toned arms swing towards the wood to split it in two. I was so lost in my own anger from earlier that I hadn't noticed the enormous pile of logs growing in the yard, but now it was all I could focus on. I felt completely mesmerized by the way his muscles tightened with every swing and found myself staring for much longer than I had realized. The hose spewing water all over the yard and began to flood towards Edward. He stopped swinging the ax and looked in my direction.
"What are you staring at you gear freak!" He yelled at me annoyed.
"You chose to work right there when I was already here! You could've cut wood in the back of the house!" I growled.
"STOP GAWKING AT ME THEN MAYBE YOU CAN FOCUS ON YOUR OWN TASK!"
"I WAS LOOKING OVER YOUR HEAD AT SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE IT'S EASY TO SEE OVER YOU!"
Edward's golden eyes grew wild with anger and he stared at me. I had called him short, despite that he had grown past my own height.
"YOU KNOW I'M NOT SHORT WINRY! DON'T TRY TO FUCKING PISS ME OFF!" He screamed. He then turned his back to me and swung the ax into the tree stump. I glared at his back as he walked over to the pile of wood and started to carry it to place at the side of the house. Why did it feel like the tables had turned?! We were in this whole awkward situation because of HIS actions! And he had the audacity to be upset with ME? I turned my focus back to Den who was now rolling around in the grass, biting at his tail.
"Den! Stop that!" I yelled. Den rolled back over and barked at me.
"Hey no talking back. You're the one who decided to take a trip to Mudville you goof." I chuckled at the cute pout that formed on his furry face.
I began to hose off his fur, making sure to scrub my hands thoroughly to ensure the crusty mud was being washed away. He started to whine in detest and I hushed him. Stealing one last glance towards Edward's direction, I noticed that a lot of water had made it's way through the grass by the pile of wood. Rolling my eyes at his continued ranting and raving, I inspected his fur and sighed at the sight of his muddy front paws. But before I could reach for the impatient pup's leg, he made a quick break towards the pile of wood.
"DEN!" I screamed and dropped the hose, taking after him. The wet grass stuck to the bottom of my feet with every step I took towards the now obnoxious barking animal.
I was approaching the tree stump where the ax was still in place and caught sight of Den running towards the visitor. Eric waved at me from afar and looked prepared for the wet mutt that was getting ready to pounce him for a greeting. I shouted for the dog's name one last time and saw Edward running towards me with his hand reaching out. Distracted with the look of fear that his face held, the wet grass caused my balance to fail and my feet slipped. I was ready for the impact of the cold drenched ground, but felt a burning sting rip across my side before my back came in contact with the earthly floor. I gasped with shock as I came into contact with the over watered grass.
"WINRY!" Edward yelled for me.
I attempted to sit up and felt a sticky hot sensation on my side and gripped at the area. Still a bit dazed, I brought my hand to my face and saw it covered in my own blood. My entire body froze up and tears formed in my eyes as my brain started to signal just how painful the cut felt. My head started to gather the situation as I looked up at the ax that had caught my side in the fall.
Edward dropped down beside me and looked at my side. He quickly grabbed his discarded shirt and held it against my bleeding cut and I winced from the pain.
"Eric!" He yelled, clearly putting aside his ego towards the other male. I heard Eric's footsteps quicken from the distressed call. Once standing above us he immediately began to instruct Edward to pick me up to carry me inside the house.
"Fuck!" I swore at Edward and grabbed at his shoulder. "Go slower you're fucking hurting me!"
"I'd make a comment towards that statement but I'm more concerned about getting you inside." Ed stated. Even with my side bleeding, I could have sworn it had stopped due to all my blood rushing to my face as I felt it grow hot.
"Edward!" I started hitting him in anyway I could.
"Winry stop! You're making yourself bleed more!"
As soon as the words left his mouth I winced and swore once more at the burning pain. I nodded and squeezed my eyes shut trying to focus on anything else. Eric opened the door for us and quickly walked in after.
"Take her to the work room and place her on the table. I'll be right there. I'm going to go make Pinako aware so she can give me bandage wrap and antiseptic." Eric instructed, quickly walking to find granny.
Edward kicked open the work room door and gently lay me down on the table. He removed his shirt from my wound and examined it carefully. We both looked to the door as we heard numerous footsteps hastily coming.
"Winry! Are you okay?!" Alphonse asked worried. Granny followed with a large frown on her lips. I smiled sheepishly and shrugged slightly. The only response I got from her was a sigh and her head shaking at my own stupidity. Eric carried over the medical supplies and dropped them onto the table. Quickly moving out of the way, Edward watched intently as Eric took his place at examining my cut.
"Hmmm..." Eric murmured, placing his hands on my waist. I blushed in embarrassment, feeling slightly uncomfortable. I noticed Edward appeared just as uncomfortable about his hands being on my bare skin, but he swallowed his pride for my physical health.
"I'll need to clean the area thoroughly before making a decision on whether or not you will need stitches, but I'd say it's a 60% possibility." Eric stated. He reached for the antiseptic and wet cloths and softly began cleaning away the blood to see the cut more clearly. I hissed every time he touched the area and thought about swatting his hands away. Edward made a noise in response to my discomfort, causing Eric to look up from my side.
"Don't worry Ed, I'll be as gentle as possible."
Now...I don't want to make it seem like Edward and I had our heads in the gutter, but we had both taken the extremely innocent remark in the same way. I choked on my spit and began coughing abruptly while Edward made incoherent noises and glared at the fellow blonde man. Alphonse threw him a disapproving glare, warning his brother to calm down and to let Eric focus.
"Well, luck must be on your side! Your wound is pretty nasty but you won't need stitches."
"She slipped and cut her side on a fucking ax, I'd say luck is far from being on Team Winry." Edward scoffed and crossed his arms.
"Brother! Watch your mouth!" Alphonse scolded, to which Edward muttered even more obscenities.
"I'll just put some antiseptic and wrap these bandages around your waist. You should probably stay in bed for today to let your body rest and do it's job in healing." Eric said matter of factly. I nodded my head in reply and braced myself for the stinging sensation to return from him applying the antiseptic.
"Don't worry Winry. You have nothing to worry about, okay? I'm pretty good with my fingers." Eric said smiling sweetly in response to my discomfort.
"OKAY NOW HE IS SAYING SHIT LIKE THAT ON PURPOSE!" Edward yelled.
"BROTHER!"
"Edward. Go get pillows from the closet and prop them up on Winry's bed so it's ready for her." Granny cut in, clearly tired of his bantering. Edward growled and stomped his way out of the room. With the way his attitude was, I imagined my room would have feathers floating around from him beating said pillows to death.
Eric quickly applied the antiseptic and carefully wrapped the white bandages around my waist, and just like he stated, he was good with his fingers...as in it didn't feel as painful as I feared it would. I knew his words had been innocent, but with Edward's growing jealousy and my hormones towards the angry blonde as of lately, anything set off a blush to creep on our faces.
"Don't worry about my automail, if it's alright I'd like to check on you tomorrow to see how your wound is. Later on tonight your bandages will need replaced so make sure Edward helps you with that, alright Winry?" He smiled in my direction.
"Yes of course. Thank you so much Eric, and sorry that I was unable to work on your automail." I replied. He waved his hands in response.
"No no no don't worry about it! You just make sure you get better!"
"If you'd like Eric, I can work on your automail for you tomorrow after you're done checking on her. Free of charge. Consider it my thank you for taking care of my granddaughter." Granny said.
"That works for me! Thank you so much Pinako!"
"That settles it then, we will see you tomorrow." Granny warmly smiled at the good-hearted man. I watched her follow Eric out of the room to see him off. Alphonse looked over to me and pat my head.
"I'm glad you're okay Winry. Let's get you to bed so you can relax." Alphonse said. I nodded and smiled at the kind man. Despite only being a year younger than me, he still held the same good-hearted innocence as the little boy I grew up with. Alphonse was much more careful in carrying me to my room, unlike his stupid older brother.
"You're going to make a lucky woman very happy someday Al." I said, pinching his cheek.
"I hope so!" He laughed. I knew without a doubt that he had already had his eyes on a certain princess, but I decided not to embarrass him with the topic. Alphonse was a gentleman about those sort of things, another thing Edward was also without, and yet I loved that man. Alphonse softly pushed the door with his foot and our eyes found Edward sitting on my bed waiting for us.
"Don't forget you'll need to help her change her bandages, and Eric said to make sure she doesn't do anything strenuous, so she will probably need help changing." Alphonse stated without really thinking what he said. Edward and I darted our eyes from coming into contact, causing Alphonse to roll his eyes at both of us while placing me down on the bed gently.
"Can you two stop it? It's important to ensure Winry doesn't get an infection! Grow up brother and help Winry!" Alphonse stated flatly, his eyebrows scrunched with irritation. "You guys already spoke about your relationship at the train station and you're acting like teenagers! Everyone else has been aware of you two for a while now, so stop making the house into a battlezone of awkward tension!"
And with that Alphonse humphed his way out of my room. Both of us stared wide-eyed where Al had been. Silence fell between us for a few minutes, until I heard Edward stand from my bed and walk over to the door, closing it.
"Good job, you pissed off the nicest person on the planet." Edward said.
"Me?! He was clearly speaking to you! Jack ass!"
"Why do you always have to go calling me names?!"
"Why are you always fighting with me!" I groaned, kicking my feet up onto the bed. I looked out my window and noticed the sunlight was already fading away. So much for a productive day. I looked down at my jean shorts and realized that putting and taking off clothes would be a challenge for a few days. "Hey Ed...can you get me a T-shirt from my dresser? I want to change into something more comfortable for bed. Surprisingly he didn't continue to fight with me and obliged without a single insult. I watched as he rummaged through the bigger drawers, knowing all too well that the smaller ones meant...well, smaller articles of clothing.
"Hey...isn't this my shirt?" He asked, turning around to face me as he held a black shirt in the air. I blushed and he raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah...you left it here so I use it as a night shirt a lot. You can have it back if you want." I said softly while biting my lip.
"No you can keep it. I have quite a few anyways. Is this all you need? Don't you wear some sort of bottoms to bed?" He asked and diverted his eyes to the ceiling.
We really weren't ever going to get anywhere with our relationship if we continued to be like this towards one another.
"You walk around all the time in your boxers. Whats the difference in you seeing me without pants on?" I sneered. I did my best to come off like I didn't care, but the truth was that I was just as embarrassed as he seemed to be. He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.
"I guess you're right."
I stared at him in disbelief as he continued to stand in the same spot, holding onto the shirt for dear life. Drunk Edward was so much more rambunctious and daring than Sober Edward.
"Oh forget it just toss the shirt over here and turn around so I can undress myself before you have heart failure in my room." I growled with annoyance.
"No! No...I'll help you." He replied walking over and sitting down at the edge of my bed.
"This isn't exactly the most ideal situation for me either you know." I squeaked at the growing discomfort. Our faces could have been mistaken for cherries from the inability to stop blushing. I sat up slightly against the pillows and attempted to pull off the jean shorts myself, but my injured side refused to permit this action without consequences. I winced at the pain and attempted again, only to have Edward's hands wrap around my wrists.
"Stop it before you make yourself bleed out. Last thing I need is for Al to come up here and scold me because you're dead on the floor from trying to undress."
He leaned in closer to me and reached for the pillows, pushing them back further and scooted me back gently. The sudden closeness of our bodies made my skin tingle and my head fog up. I felt the same urges returning to me from the other night and held my breath. I bit back a gasp and felt the muscles in my stomach tighten as I felt Edward's fingers carefully undoing the front of my shorts. Something in the atmosphere changed for both of us and the feelings of embarrassment faded away instantly. I could tell he was still avoiding eye contact with me, but I wanted him to look at me now. I felt myself forgetting about my injury and an invisible magnetic force caused me to lean in closer towards his face that was still focused on carefully removing my shorts for me. I felt them slide down my legs and felt a sense of growing confidence, kicking them off all the way with my feet. I saw that Edward was starting to take in the situation as I lay on my bed in only a tube top and panties. After what felt like forever Edward's golden eyes locked with mine and he saw exactly what was on my mind.
"Winry..."He said in a warning tone. "You have to be careful with your side."
I got the feeling he was going to attempt at retreating. Just like him...to think that it was in my best health and blah blah blah. I quickly slid one of my legs over his lap and carefully scooted myself closer to him. I smiled inwardly when I felt his body tense into a frozen state. Despite his legs still hanging over my bed, I had trapped him between my legs from the side.
"If you get up you'll just end up hurting my side."
"You don't seem very concerned about your side." He snapped.
Oh yes, another thing Edward seemed to be wonderful at was ruining a moment. I grabbed at his ponytail and yanked at it annoyed. He whipped his face in my direction with a scowl, clearly getting ready for round two of insulting me.
"Winry what the he-"
And just like that our almost passionate moment ceased to exist as the door flew open. Edward made a rather unmanly squeak when our eyes came into contact with my tiny grandmother. Her glasses gleamed and rested on her crows feet as she took a puff from her pipe.
"Edward." Pinako stated flatly. "How about you go help Alphonse bring Den inside. It looks like he's having a bit of trouble getting him to stop running around the back yard."
With surprising yet careful speed, I watched him scoot from my side and be out the door in seconds. I glared at the warm spot where Edward had just been in disbelief. The man who had been faced with death since he was a child and been through enough trauma to land anyone in an asylum...had fear placed in him by my small framed granny. I heard the door close and listened to the soft creaking footsteps approach my bedside. I looked to my grandmother and my face twisted in confusion at the serious tension that continued to build on her face. She took another puff from her pipe and breathed out slowly.
"Granny?" I placed my hand on top of hers as my throat tightened with worry.
"Winry, we need to talk."
Sorry for the extremely late update. I have a few personal things going on and it has made it hard to find time to write. I thought I'd be slightly cruel with a cliffhanger! AH! I'm sorry! Please review without flames and thank you to everyone who has liked this story and reviewed! It is extremely appreciated! :)