Tossing himself to face the other way in bed, Ed tried fruitlessly to become comfortable enough to finally shut his mind off and get some much needed rest. He'd been sitting awake thinking about the day far longer than normal. Actually, he generally tended to pass out the moment his body hit the mattress. Punching his pillow into place, he couldn't help the image that came to mind as he growled in frustration.
Winry, Ms. Rockbell, he corrected himself sternly, crouched on her knees frantically pressing napkins to his coffee soiled pants. A pink flush in her cheeks, working vigorously at the offending moisture marring his khakis that was mere centimeters from his manhood.
Being as normal as the next man when a woman touched him like that, he was no more able to control the direction of his thoughts than any other. For the hasty diligence in her actions her fingers were light on him, more like a caress than a frenzied response and that had set his pulse to thudding loudly in his ears. A small flicker of building desire for her to move her hand that extra bit of space and make contact with his growing bulge had overwhelmed him. For a moment, he had even pictured her rubbing with the same amount of enthusiasm that she was currently mustering in a much more explicit and completely inappropriate way. Before things had become embarrassing for both of them, he had taken her hands in his and removed them, grudgingly, from him. These were the images that were currently assaulting him.
Of course, he'd had a few girlfriends and even gotten physical with a couple of them, but he was still fairly inexperienced. Mostly his relationships had gotten to the point of making out and some moderate fondling, but upon seeing him shirtless or pantless and eyeing his automail, all thoughts of furthering the action were lost.
Since then, Edward had decided to put thoughts of women from his mind to focus on his career and finding some way to give Alphonse back what had been taken from him. They had been told by numerous doctors that the injury Al had received was too extensive and that all the therapy in the world wouldn't restore his independence from the wheelchair he'd grown used to. There had been hope initially that some of the issue was swelling with the nerves involved, since occasionally he was able to stand and also being lucky in the fact that he was able to control his bowel movements unlike so many others. However, as time had begun to slip by, that optimism began to wane since most recovery of movement happened long before now.
Shaking his head of the anguishing thoughts, he would have to keep working and searching for someone with knowledge of a new treatment that could help his little brother. That was part of why he had taken the job he had; he was constantly meeting others in the top percentile of their research, and he was earning a healthy amount of money. Never would he have to rely on his errant father for anything ever again. That man had been around only when it was convenient for him and Ed never wanted to owe him a damn thing. Stopping that train of thought abruptly, he sat up and flipped on his light, deciding to go over the outline of his material for class the next day.
Which of course brought him back to wondering about Ms. Rockbell. Was she an automail mechanic after all? Considering who her grandmother was, it was entirely possible, though he had initially tossed that idea away. Being around the trade might have been why she had so easily pegged his own. As much as he didn't like to think about it, he would need to find a new engineer given the news that the elder Rockbell had passed away.
She had been his own mechanic and now it made sense that he hadn't been able to reach her when he had tried to call. Knowing that Pinako was Winry's grandmother helped fill in some of the young woman's tenacity and personality. Pinako had been determined and quite a mouthy person. In fact, it was due to that strong will that he had gotten automail and not just given up at all. Certainly, she was the best around, it would be hard to find someone in Central with her caliber of workmanship. Possibly he could ask Alphonse to approach Ms. Rockbell about the matter and see if she knew anyone with the skill to perform the maintenance he needed. Then again, he wasn't sure if Al would want to now, not that he could blame him and the last thing he wanted was to impose on her either.
His brother had had no idea of Winry's relation to his engineer and had been upset with him for not saying anything previously when they had spoken about her. Though he had wanted to say something, he figured Alphonse knew who she was and had chosen to be friendly anyway since it was in his nature to easily make connections with others, unlike him. Edward had always been a bit standoffish or too blunt when he did make friends. Seeing his brother's expression when they had arrived home from the bar, he knew he was in for an earful.
After a lengthy conversation, Al had decided that regardless of everything surrounding their coincidental meeting, that he enjoyed Winry's friendship and would continue to offer his own. Though Ed had disagreed initially, he could see what Alphonse liked about her and didn't want to dissuade his sibling's choice one way or the other. In either case it didn't change where he stood with his student. She was exactly that and all other things aside, his first and foremost priorities were to further her education. Which was precisely why he needed to get their earlier encounter out of his mind.
For instance, recalling how much the blouse she had been wearing that night had showcased her full and perky breasts, was not pertinent to his professional connection with her and needed to be excised from his head. Yet another example would be picturing how flustered she had become when he had teased her about coming onto him. These musings were completely unnecessary from an educator's role and needed to cease. Sighing loudly, he tried to put her from his mind and imagination as he began writing his agenda for the next day.
As expected, Alphonse was slightly testy with him when they parted ways, and he found himself moody over the course of the morning. That coupled with the minimal amount of sleep he had gotten the night before, set him up for failure before he'd even had a chance for success. Downing a large cup of coffee, he made his way to class sluggishly, barely grunting greetings at fellow staff members as he passed them.
Stopping into the bathroom before going to his room, he pulled off the glove on his flesh hand and rinsed his face in an attempt to wake himself up further. Hearing the recognizable voice of the brutish football player that was in his Chemistry class the night before, he couldn't help but take notice of the topic of their conversation.
"I asked her if she was coming to the game on Friday and she said she would let me know on Thursday if she had to work or not. Though if she does, we could always go after the game and see her wherever she works." The scarred man said almost unwillingly to his friends. Collecting more water to flush his face with, Ed continued to listen curiously.
"I'm sure she will find a way to get out of working, what girl doesn't say yes to you? Is there any girl here you haven't slept with?" Another member of the team quipped casually, causing him to frown.
"Winry is different, she didn't seem to be interested one way or the other." 'Scar' responded darkly, and he hoped for her sake that she would remain uninterested. Taking his time to walk to the paper towel dispenser, he fumbled with the lever unnecessarily.
"Well that probably won't last long, just get a couple drinks in her after the game and then see if she's still oblivious." Becoming utterly disgusted at the direction the suggestions were headed; he momentarily pictured the vibrant blonde tipsy while the jock took advantage of the situation. Sucking in an audible breath, he began to dry his face with the rough paper.
"Yeah! I'm sure she'd be more than willing after some shots!" The curly redhead asshole shouted to the others.
"I don't know, she seemed like a cherry to me!" Seething anger began to shake from within him at the beyond degrading turn the conversation had taken about the young woman. Practically piercing the brunette with his eyes, he knew he needed to leave, or he would say something potentially damaging to his position. Quickly he slipped his glove back on and turned to leave, but despite best intentions was still finding himself listening to their idiocy.
"How would you know?" Scar's red eyes flashed to meet his own molten with fury in the mirror, Edward glared back menacingly at the football star. Even if he wasn't the one saying it, he sure wasn't saying a whole hell of a lot to the contrary to his 'entourage'. The brunette continued his stream of bullshit and began walking out, effectively breaking their unspoken connection.
"You can just tell, she looks like a girl who hasn't had much experience, which is even better if you ask me, minus the clingy aftermath...but then you date one of their friends, so they get the point." Their voices trailed off as they left the restroom, and Ed found himself heavily debating what he could do to prevent any harm from coming to Winry. Even knowing that it wasn't his business one way or the other didn't change the unknown need to watch out for her that was currently overtaking the logic that his brain supplied saying not to get involved. If he didn't do anything, he didn't even want to know what could happen to her and that was what really bothered him.
Heading briskly to his classroom, he hoped that she would be early so he could somehow approach her about it. Upon entering, he saw her sitting with Sheska talking about something, which stopped when he came in. Her shining blue eyes met his momentarily before a tentative smile crossed her face and the women greeted him. More students filtered in then, as he courteously responded though deflated at not being able to speak with her. Looking at the clock, he knew he had to start the lecture but instead turned to set up his things for the day. Maybe he could talk to her afterwards.
All through the class, he felt nervous at the conversation he would need to have with her. Given that he hardly knew her, he wished it had been Alphonse that had heard instead of him. Al was able to broach even the hardest topics with a tact that Ed had never developed. He was worried he would come across wrong and make things even more awkward between them.
Already he was more interested in her than he should be, and this was toeing a line he did not want to, especially after deciding the previous night to keep her in mind as strictly a student. The university didn't have any anti-fraternization rules, but it was for the best if he didn't form any connections with her. With that in mind, he questioned if she were any other pupil would he intervene? Not that the answer changed what he was going to do in the slightest, but he wondered at it all the same.
Finally, class wound down and thankfully almost everyone else had left before she began to pack up her things. Laughing with Sheska, they were discussing his brother apparently as they once again ceased their conversation at his nearing.
"Ms. Rockbell, may I have a minute of your time before you leave?" Feeling uncomfortable about having thought of her as Winry and then needing to refer to her as Ms. Rockbell out loud, he knew after this he needed to take a step back from allowing such informality to continue.
"Sure, Professor Elric, Sheska, I will catch up with you and Al in a little bit at the diner, okay?" The petite brunette agreed and then quickly exited after telling them both goodbye. "You wanted to speak with me?" Surprisingly, he noted that all of the halfhearted venom she had previously been treating him to had vanished in her voice.
"Uh, well yes..." Not knowing how the hell he was supposed to tell her that a stupid prick wanted to get her intoxicated and sleep with her without sounding ridiculous, he trailed off searching for neutral ground to start with. Glancing down at his hands nervously, an idea came to him. "I was curious if you knew of any automail mechanics in Central that I could contact for service?" Mentally patting himself on the back for his quick thinking, he watched as her eyes practically caught fire with interest.
"Oh! What happened to yours? Were they over booked already?" Swallowing thickly, he hadn't thought much ahead to where his question could lead, but still he answered her honestly.
"Actually, last night when you told us about your grandmother, I found out that that was why I hadn't been able to reach her about servicing my mail." Shifting his weight nervously onto his other leg, he waited for the response that he had expected if she found this out.
"My grandmother was your technician?" Eyes wide with curiosity, she sounded almost in awe of this fact.
"Yes, I didn't know that she had passed though, and I am sorry about that. She was a spitfire and one hell of a talented engineer." Cautiously he responded, eyeing her warily at his assessment of her grandmother.
"She was the best. As to anyone in Central, I don't know of any personally. I had actually planned on looking around for someone to continue my apprenticeship with." So, she did have knowledge of mail, which brought about another question.
"Are you a mechanic also?" He asked though he'd already speculated the answer.
"Yes, I've been working with mail since I was young actually. I've done two insertions and built many designs myself. That is why I'm here actually, I need more instruction for a theory I have." Wow, now that answer surprised him. She was young to have already performed such surgeries. Most engineers didn't do those until much later in their career due to not only the actual mail anchoring involved but also the health risks. He was stunned, looking at her he would have never guessed her to be so capable.
"So, you would be more than qualified to work on my automail?" Realizing that he was coming off as impressed, he attempted to level his expression so that he didn't seem overly friendly.
"Oh yes! I know my Granny's work very well!" Complete happiness lit her face as she responded enthusiastically, and her fingers curled reflexively at the thought of getting her hands on the work. Truthfully, he couldn't have planned this whole scenario any better if he had tried, not only would he be looking out for her while not appearing to, but he would also be getting Al off of his back over his leg.
"Well, are you busy on Friday after class?" A genuine smile warmed his face while he congratulated himself silently for his cleverness.
"Um, actually I'm not sure. I will know on Thursday, but either way it's the weekend and I could certainly work on it afterwards." At least no matter which the case was, he would know she would be alright. Looking to him for an answer, she seemed to shift her own weight anxiously about not being positive about her hours.
"Great, either way is fine for me. When you find out, let me know and we can finalize details." Shooting him a breathtaking smile, she spoke again.
"Alright! I will do that! Thanks for giving me a chance, Professor Elric. See you later." Watching the woman practically bounce out of his classroom, he couldn't help but stare after her. As much as he hated to admit it, she was beguiling to him, and he wished he too could allow himself a friendship with her like his brother.
Almost whispering, he replied to no one in particular, "No problem Ms. Rockbell."
AN: Please review and let me know what you think!