The flow of time had shifted, somehow. Either that, or Winry's mind was all but trapped in a single moment.

She'd kissed him.

She'd kissed him, and he'd kissed her back.

He'd pulled away with a goofy lipstick-stained grin and stars in his eyes, and Winry hardly needed words to know how he felt.

Sometimes her impulse decisions did work out for her, despite what Paninya liked to say.

She'd done it without really thinking, but Ed had gone along just as willingly. Though it had been unexperienced and messy, she couldn't picture the night going any better. The butterflies in her stomach still hadn't fully dissipated, and Ed's smile was infectious enough for her to follow along.

Winry felt like a giddy lovestruck teenager, but she did little to shy away from the feeling. She had to tell herself she deserved this. He did too.

They somehow managed to stay on their feet for a bit longer, absentmindedly swaying to the music without saying another word. It was unusual for her and Ed to not be chattering away about something, but the silence was anything but awkward.

That is, until a heavy weight on her foot pulled her back to reality.

"Shit, sorry." Ed hastily stepped back with a wobble that was far more prominent than before.

Winry giggled, steadying him with her hands. "Maybe that's our sign to stop."

"Yeah, I think I'm all 'danced' out for awhile."

She stepped back and lowered her arms, becoming much more aware of the slowly thinning crowd. How long had they even been in the square?

"Do you know where the others went?" she asked, scanning the area for Al and Paninya.

Ed shook his head and joined her search, rising onto his tiptoes to see above the crowd. Winry decided not to comment on the fact.

After a short moment, she eventually found Al, who was stepping from side to side while holding hands with Elicia Hughes. On closer inspection, Winry noticed she was standing on his feet, trying to dance in what must've been the cutest way possible.

"Found him," she choked out, pointing in his general direction.

Ed whipped his head around to follow her gesture, and after a short moment of realization, he instantly burst into laughter.

"What the hell is he doing?" He shook his head with a disbelieving grin before rushing ahead, leaving Winry standing alone in the crowd. She moved to follow, but a tight hand on her wrist stopped her in her tracks.

She should've known better. As soon as she turned she was met face to face with a smirking Paninya, who wore her obnoxiously familiar "I-told-you-so" look.

Winry groaned. "Don't tell me you-"

"Oh I saw, all right," Paninya said smugly. "My gut's never wrong, and you two looked seconds away from jumping on the other the entire night. It was bound to happen."

Winry buried her face in her hands. "Why do you have to say it like that?"

Paninya swung an arm over her shoulders and started leading her in the direction Ed had headed. "You know I'm just jokin', right? It was adorable. Like, romance novel levels of cute."

Winry did little to protest as Paninya pulled her ahead, stuck somewhere between mortified and exhilarated. Her best friend was always blunt with her wording, but she knew how to support her like none other. She'd listen to Winry blabber about automail, and in turn Winry would listen to her talk about whatever cute girl had caught her eye. They'd gossip and stay up late and share ideas late into the night, and Winry couldn't ask for a better companion. Even if she embarrassed her like hell sometimes, it was always in her best interest. Well, usually in her best interest.

"I expect to hear a full account of all the details later, but you know what comes next, right?" she continued.

"Pan…"

"Oh come on, I won't be too hard on him," Paninya teased. "What's so wrong with wanting to learn a bit more about the weirdo who managed to swing the Winry Rockbell? I've barely said more than a few words to the guy."

Paninya was practically bouncing on her toes in excitement, and Winry couldn't deny that her enthusiasm was infectious. She supposed it wouldn't… hurt for Ed to interact with more people besides herself.

"Just don't go overboard, alright?" Winry stopped walking and faced her friend, hoping her cheeks didn't look as red as they felt. The brothers were only a few steps away now, and one glance was enough to nearly pull her right back into the moment she kept replaying in her mind.

"Don't worry, I grilled Al enough at the bakery to know that personal questions aren't gonna work. I just want a nice little chat." Paninya's grin was borderline devious, looking far more familiar on her face than any other expression. If anything, Winry was just happy she wasn't on the receiving end of it, this time.

She meant to respond, or move forward, or anything, but the thought of returning to talk to Ed after everything was just so… strange. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but more that she couldn't. Her legs felt like they'd been filled with lead, and her heart tugged in a way it hadn't since she'd been a child.

Paninya's grin fell slightly at her silence, and Winry wondered just how long she'd been staring ahead at nothing in particular. It wasn't that late, was it?

"You did enjoy it, right? I don't wanna storm in there with the wrong idea."

Winry shook her head and brought her gaze back to Paninya's worried stare. "Of course I did. I just… I don't know." She struggled for a moment to find the words that explained how she felt. "It's… like finishing a brand new piece of automail."

"Huh?"

She sighed, bringing a hand to her chin. "It's like… when it's finished, it's perfect. The metal is polished and the gears align and everything is exactly as it's meant to be. I never want to part with it, even though I know I have to."

"And this relates to now… how?" Paninya questioned, tilting her head.

"I…I feel like if I do anything else, things will change or get worse and… I guess I just want to stay in this moment for a little longer," she said, smiling softly. "It's stupid, I know."

Paninya scowled before pointing a stern finger directly between Winry's eyes. "You, Winry Rockbell, are not stupid. I can't say I get it entirely, but I know what you mean. If you're making this about automail, the entire point is for it to be used, right? How could I be walking if you were just gawking over it on your desk? You will not screw this up, and if he does, he'll have a nice chat with my fists. And my feet. Got it?"

"Got it." She continued walking, unable to hold back her grin. Leave it to Paninya to say exactly what needed to be said. "He may be an idiot sometimes, but he wouldn't do that. He cares too much."

Paninya squealed and followed behind her, practically hopping as she went. "Sappy Winry needs to show up more often. This is too cute."

They made it back to the side of the square where the brothers were, and things were already different from how they'd been the last time Winry had glanced over. Ed's face was now two shades redder than it was before, and he wore a scowl that somehow rivaled her Granny's.

"Is everything… okay?" she asked, gaining the immediate attention of the two.

Al began to say something, but was quickly spoken over by Ed. "Al's managed to convince a little kid into bullying me."

"You know that's not true," Al interjected.

"She kicked me and called me short! What kind of kid even does that?!" Ed whipped his head around to meet her again, expression absolutely serious. "Is that a thing they do here? Is this some kind of freakish ritual?"

Winry couldn't help the laugh that spilled out. "Are you sure you didn't just scare her? She didn't seem to have a problem with Al when she was dancing with him."

"He messed with her head, that's why," Ed huffed.

Al seemed to ignore his brother altogether in favor of focusing on her and Paninya, wearing a knowing smile that Winry had witnessed just moments before.

"He hasn't been like this all night, has he?"

"Not all of it." She glanced back at Ed, smiling as his blush returned.

"Oh, we saw that much," Paninya chimed in, and Winry hoped she didn't look nearly as flustered as Ed did.

"I'm glad you two had fun, really." Al beamed. "Paninya and little Elicia made the night entertaining for me, too. I never thought dancing could be so fun!"

"I can't believe neither of you have danced before, that's-"

"Shh!" Ed cut Paninya off abruptly with a raised hand, stepping forward with his eyes trained upward.

He looked serious enough for Winry to know that something was wrong, so she paused to listen for whatever it was he had heard. After a few seconds, an alarmingly loud rumble of thunder filled the square, despite the clear sky she had sworn she'd seen just minutes before.

She followed his gaze, and the sight was enough to make her stumble a step backwards. Through the festival lights and the darkened sky, enormous storm clouds filled the space above for as far as she could see. They were beyond anything typical for a Resembool storm, and advanced faster than she thought was even possible.

A look back to the brothers was telling enough that they hadn't known it was coming either. Al's eyes grew wide as he exchanged a look with Ed, and both soon turned to Winry with a panic she had never seen from them before.

Her brain took a moment to catch up, and when it did, she immediately scrambled forward.

With storms came rain, and this was no ordinary storm.

"Al, can you run?" she asked, grabbing hold of his wrist.

He hesitated for a moment and looked over at Ed, who'd already moved to hold his other side. "I don't know for sure, but I have to try."

It wasn't ideal, but it had to be enough. She would get them home in time, and everything would be fine.

A strong wind pulled at her hair, and in an instant the scene around them began to evolve into madness. The decorative flowers were yanked from their places as chairs and lanterns began to slide across the stone ground, all as if gravity had turned on its side. Festival goers had started running back to their homes, luckily reducing the amount of eyes that would be on them in case something went wrong.

With a quick nod to Ed, Winry started the run back to the Rockbell home with a firm hand on Al's wrist.

She turned back to Paninya as she ran, hoping she wouldn't dare to follow. "We'll talk later, Paninya! Get home safe!"

Winry couldn't make out her reply as she continued onward, but Paninya seemed to have understood. After a large wave, she dashed in the other direction in her usual style, no doubt wanting to keep her automail dry.

"Where the hell did this even come from?" Ed gawked at the sky ahead, tripping over his feet as he did so. "There was no sign of a storm, I was sure of it."

"This isn't normal," Al added between breaths. He'd managed to figure out running as soon as the two had prompted him into it, but Winry could tell the task was far from easy for him. If it wasn't for their support on either side, she wasn't sure he'd have been able to continue ahead for very long.

She swore she'd apologize for it later, but that would be after she was sure they were safe and indoors. Beyond the immediate threat of rain, the storm was capable of doing substantial damage to Resembool in the long term. Though her house was secure enough, she couldn't guarantee safety anywhere else.

Winry knew storms almost as well as she knew automail. After her parents had died, she'd been absolutely terrified of them. She'd study their patterns in hopes that she could prepare enough to prevent anyone else from getting injured or killed. She tended to her patients when the barometric pressure became too much, and had helped others board their windows and secure their homes.

She devoted everything to keeping the people around her safe, and no storm was going to change that. Not even this one.

"How are you holding up, Al?" Winry held his arm tighter as she quickened her pace. The first droplets had started to fall, and though they were light, it meant the oncoming torrent would hit them at any moment.

Al choked out a laugh, breathing much harder than he'd been just a few moments earlier. "I've felt better, but this is nothing compared to sparring."

"Soon you'll be kicking my ass at running just like you do with swimming," Ed replied. "We're almost there, Al. You've got this."

The blackened sky did nothing to ease her nerves, but the yellow walls of the Rockbell house served as a beacon for their destination. It was so close, yet the rain was falling faster and stronger without daring to give them a moment of reprieve.

Winry had always been an optimist, but she still knew when her hopes were out of reach.

Realistically, they'd need a miracle to get indoors in time. Winry knew that, so she decided to change the plan as quickly as she'd devised it.

"Ed, you need to run ahead."

He gaped at her as if she'd told him to assemble a car. "What?! There's no way I'm leaving Al behind!"

"If you both want to make it home with legs, then you'll have to," she stressed. "If you hurry and bring back an umbrella, we might be able to make it."

Al nodded. "Go. It'll be better than having us both stuck here."

Ed looked between the two for a moment before relenting. "Okay. I'll be back as fast as I can."

He let go of Al and sprinted ahead without another word, growing steadier on his feet with every stride. Winry had taken a gamble by asking him to leave, but knowing that at least one Elric was safe was enough to ease her nerves, if only a little.

Immediately after Ed had run off, Al's gaits had grown more and more unsteady. Despite Winry's slower pace, he'd started leaning on her for support until she was bearing a much larger portion of his weight than before.

She was just about to tell him it was okay to stop when his knees buckled, sending them both toppling to the ground. The rain had turned the path into a muddy mess, and it smeared across both of them as they regained their bearings.

"Stupid legs!" Al cried, throwing his fists down. "Just move!"

Winry leaned forward with a hand as soon as she caught his self-deprecating look. "Hey, hey… you're fine. I shouldn't have pushed you so much."

She looked around for anything that could be used to cover him, before noticing the jacket he wore over his vest and shirt. His eyes lit up with understanding as she gestured to it, and he quickly moved to take it off. If he held it above him, it would do for a short-term shield.

Al curled into himself as he raised the jacket over his head, and Winry hoped he wouldn't try and shield her as well. He was the one who needed it, not her.

He sent her a remorseful look, but remained in place. "You've been doing so much for us, I just wish I wasn't so… useless. I don't want to burden you like this, especially after today. I mean, look at your dress! It's ruined."

Winry glanced down to her mud-stained dress, and found it didn't bother her like it would for others. There wasn't a spare piece of clothing in her closet that didn't have some sort of stain on it, after all.

"You know, you're starting to sound an awful lot like your brother. The storm's to blame for this, not you," she said.

Al sighed. "I guess you're right. It's just weird to have someone care like this; to actually treat me like I'm capable, for once. I didn't even save you like Ed did and you're still being kind."

"Why wouldn't I? You're important to me too, and I'm helping because I want to, not because I'm repaying a debt. In fact, I should've done more tonight to check on you and spend time with you. I just… lost track of time."

"Oh, don't worry, I don't mind that one bit." Al smirked. "You two needed the time together, and it was entertaining enough to see my brother acting like… that. He never does anything for himself, so… I'm really glad he's found someone like you."

Just like Paninya, Winry knew she'd get her fair amount of teasing from Al, but somehow this was much sweeter than she'd imagined. She couldn't even bring herself to be embarrassed anymore, especially not as she sat in the mud with makeup dripping down her face.

"I really don't know what that idiot sees in some small town mechanic, but I'm happy, too." She felt her smile pull at her cheeks for what must've been the millionth time that night. "Thanks, Al. And don't think this means you're getting any less human lesson times than he is, okay? As soon as my workload lightens up, you're due for a shopping trip of your own. You're never a burden, alright?"

Al's expression brightened at her statement, and she hoped it was enough to distract him from the situation they were currently in. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel like she wasn't someone he could confide in. She wanted to make both brothers feel as comfortable and welcomed as possible on the surface, and she wasn't about to let a silly storm get in the way of that.

They didn't have to wait much longer before Ed had returned while holding the largest umbrella Winry owned. Miraculously, Al had managed to keep from transforming through it all.

"Not a fan of running," Ed panted, leaning forward so Al could join him underneath the umbrella.

Winry took the jacket and helped Al stand, making sure she didn't get in the way of the umbrella. Though it helped now, as soon as the wind and rain got stronger, it wouldn't do much to shield them.

They continued their trek back home, still hurried but much less frantic than before. With the extra support back at his side, Al was able to keep up without any further incidents, and walked with an additional bounce to his step.

Winry breathed a sigh of relief once they finally reached the house, and dared to spare a final glance back at the angry sky above. Obsidian waves of swirling clouds and jagged lightning created an image above that was reminiscent of the day she'd nearly drowned—of the day her parents had left for good. She suppressed a shiver and turned to follow the brothers inside, forcing the memories away.

She wouldn't let anything go wrong this time.

She wouldn't lose anyone else.

Things were weird, now.

Well, things had always been weird after he'd gone to the surface, but that was before he'd started this whole… "sharing feelings with a human" thing.

It was before a monstrous storm had decided to wreak havoc on the town, too.

The entire thing felt wrong, but he had no way to prove his suspicions from where he was on the surface. It was far too early to be making dangerous assumptions, so despite his trepidation, he forced himself to hope for the best.

It was a line of thinking that was extremely foreign to him, but he hadn't exactly been himself lately.

Somehow, redirecting his brain to whatever had happened with Winry Rockbell was still easier than entertaining the possibilities of the current weather, so that's exactly what he did.

As soon as they'd shut the door behind them, the rain had turned to a heavy downpour that relentlessly battered at the roof and windows. They'd been too close, but there was nothing more for them to do until the storm relented. Even Winry was stuck indoors, even though she wasn't at risk of gaining a tail if she so happened to step outside.

After they'd all gotten changed into dry clothes, Al had returned to the bedroom to rest, leaving Ed alone with Winry for the first time since they'd "kissed."

She sat beside him on the couch as she dried her hair with a towel, and Ed was very aware of just how close she was sitting. She never did that before, did she?

He normally wouldn't have noticed, but lately, even being in the proximity of Winry was enough to set off the sirens in his brain. Rather than looking for something to busy himself with, he found himself speaking before he'd even found the right words to say.

"So."

Winry turned to him, moving the towel to her lap. "So."

What was he even supposed to say? Even though he thought he understood the intent behind everything, he had no idea how humans confronted things like love. Kissing already seemed to be a form of it that merfolk didn't do, so who knew what else he was missing? Was there an order to things? A scientific method?

"What… um, what does this mean, now? For us?" He winced at his phrasing. Saying things out loud made everything feel even stranger, but he had to know.

Winry blinked, and Ed swore he saw a ghost of a smile already forming on her face. "Well, what do you want it to mean?"

"I don't know," he sighed. After seeing Winry's expression waver, he quickly scrambled to continue. "I mean, I guess I do know, but we don't do that 'kiss' thing in Xerxes and I wanted to make sure that–"

"Wait, what? You didn't know what a kiss was and I…" Winry covered her mouth with her hand, which only confused him more. "Oh my god, Ed, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that without making sure you knew what it was."

Ed shook his head, already internally cursing himself for making things awkward so early on. "It's okay. It was pretty awesome, actually."

"Awesome?"

"It was!"

Winry rolled her eyes, but her earlier smile had returned. "Dork. Well, just so you know, it's something that's normally… um. Romantic."

Ed knew his face had reddened at the word. For as much status and experience as he had as a prince, he'd never once fallen in love. It was as foreign to him as breathing air, and yet something about Winry made it feel completely natural.

If he'd have stayed in Xerxes, an arranged marriage was something he'd most likely have to expect. There were plenty of princes and princesses from smaller kingdoms that'd have been fighting for a spot beside one of the most influential figures in the sea. He knew that almost anyone pursuing him would be in it only for the power, so he'd simply shut himself off from everyone besides Al and a few trusted members of the palace staff. Even among the ordinary citizens of Xerxes, it wasn't like he was approachable. He'd always been busy, so love had never even been something he'd entertained before.

Now he was thrown headfirst into it, and he had no clue how to respond. He even hadn't known what he'd been feeling until Winry had kissed him, and that had landed him exactly where he was now. His brain might as well have been replaced with seaweed, and his stomach swam in circles until he was sure he'd be sick.

All of it was exhilarating, but terrifying all the same. He almost wished it was all as simple as solving an equation.

"Okay. Cool," he responded, not trusting himself to say much more.

"So… you're okay with that? Being 'together,' I mean? Dating?" Winry's cheeks now looked as red as his must've been, and he felt a hint of satisfaction at knowing she was struggling with this almost as much as he was.

He nodded, and hoped he'd managed to pull himself together enough to say more than a few words at a time. "Of course I am, are you kidding? You're amazing, and not just because of your automail and stuff, or just because you're a human."

Winry laughed, the sound a nice distraction from the relentless thunder. "I think you're pretty amazing too, guppy. And not just because you're a chemistry obsessed 'mer-prince' or whatever."

"Are you seriously bringing that damn nickname back? And why'd you have to word it so weird!"

Winry leaned in closer, and the awkward wall they'd placed between them slowly began to chip away back into normalcy. "Because you are weird. And it's a cute nickname. You're not exactly tall."

Ed knew his face had turned red for an entirely different reason, now. "Who are you calling short?! In case you haven't noticed, you're the same size as I am!"

"Which still isn't tall, you know. If I'm remembering right, you originally told me you're above average for your species, but I wonder what Al would say to that, hm?"

"You…" Ed grit out between clenched teeth, pausing after noticing just how close they'd gotten during their bickering.

His comeback died on his tongue, and then he was kissing her again.

The thump of his head on the couch's armrest hardly registered with him as he fell back, and suddenly nothing else seemed to matter anymore.

Winry pulled away for a moment, and though her lips were swollen and her hair was falling in her face, Ed didn't think he'd ever seen a sight so beautiful.

"We'll talk later."

"Yeah. Later." He felt himself nod, and her lips joined his once more.

happy summer! i always end up writing this exclusively in summer, but that's always when all my motivation returns. ;-; this is a bit of a transition chapter, but i decided to end here to contain the more plot-related stuff to the next ones. i'm already working on the next chapter, and i'm excited to continue! expect more chantey soon, and i hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime!

once again, thank you for reading!