Disclaimer: No rights to FMA!
Winry had been on cloud nine the rest of the week after finding out that she would be getting her greedy hands on some of her grandmother's own automail. Wreathed in smiles and overzealous energy, the hours of classes and work had passed by quickly, and now she was halfway through her first Friday night shift at The Dark Horse. They were busy, but not as busy as she had figured they would be. Explaining that the rush wouldn't come until the game was over, Jean told her to enjoy the lull while she could. Truthfully she hoped it would get slammed, that way the rest of her shift would fly by so she would be off work and going to meet Professor Elric. Not that she was excited to spend 'quality' time with him, but more appropriately his wonderful mail.
When he had relayed the fact that her Granny had been his mechanic, she had been completely surprised. Usually Pinako and her would talk about her latest projects for customers, and sometimes she would even work on them with her careful supervision. Given that she had spent the last few years solely in her care, she was even more amazed that she hadn't met the cocky man previously. Now that she thought about it, she could recall some visits to Central throughout the time, but Winry had believed she was mostly going to meet with others in her profession to talk shop, not work on a client's automail that was located so far away. That aside, it seemed strange that they had never spoken about his work. Maybe her grandmother hadn't done the insertion and just fitted him with better mail. In either case, soon enough she would be able to touch the smooth surface that was her lifeblood.
Checking on her tables, she was starting to know the regulars and memorize their names and usual orders. Since taking the vodka tonic to the elderly woman she had come to know as Beverly, she hadn't repeated the mistake to her relief. Though she was in a good mood, she was a little disappointed that Al and Sheska hadn't made it in so far. Maybe they were busy studying, or awkwardly flirting again. Their idea of flirtation was talking about books that Winry was positive no one else in the free world had ever heard of, though neither of them would admit it. Of course it wasn't like anything had been said one way or the other, it was just a feeling she got while being around the two, but still it seemed obvious that there was a mutual interest between them. The thought warmed her. From the little that Alphonse had told her about his experience with girls, she gathered that being bound to his wheelchair had hindered his former relationship. In fact every time she considered that, she became upset on his behalf. He was one the most handsome, smart and kind people she had been lucky enough to meet, however she was hopeful that if her research and trials went well she would give him back his ability to walk. As much as she found herself wanting to tell him about her theory, she didn't want to get his hopes up in the case that it never came to fruition. Hopefully in a couple years though she would have everything completely fleshed out and be able to offer him the very first opportunity.
Returning to the work in front of her, she grabbed a clean towel and dipped it into the sanitary solution, before walking to the table that had just been bussed and wiping it down. As she stretched to reach the far side, she felt someone's eyes burning a hole into her and turned to see who could be watching her. Jumping in alarm at just how close Professor Elric had actually been to her, she angrily tugged her skirt which had ridden up some, firmly back into place before glaring steadily at the man. Noting his flushed cheeks at her quick motion of covering herself, she wondered if he had just been checking her legs out. Though she didn't really think so, she still quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly, then stealing his words from earlier in the week, she quipped snappishly at him.
"See something you like?" Instead of responding with some witty comeback per the usual, Professor Elric's face blazed feverishly and he actually fumbled in his dismissal of her words, making her laugh out loud at his reaction. This sound brought the all too familiar scowl that she had expected to his face, which only made her laugh harder until she saw that a few of the customers and Jean were looking at them with curious eyes. As he took a seat, she slipped back into work mode and spoke professionally. "Well what can I get you then, Ed?" Taking care to enunciate his name just to irritate him, she waited for his answer.
Grumbling, he responded, "Whiskey and soda."
"Is that your usual or do you switch it up sometimes?" A toothy grin replaced his sour expression at her question.
"I like to switch it up occasionally, I am a man after all." Rolling her eyes at his womanizing double entendre, Winry ignored his comment and set off to get his drink. Telling Jean his order, she replaced the rag into the bucket, then returned to wait at the counter. That man was a pain in the ass, there was no confusion about that, but she did wonder if he meant what he said. There were times that he was confident, egotistical and brash, but then there were moments when he seemed vulnerable, kind and though she hated to admit it, attractive. She had given more thought than necessary to which side of his bi-polar personality was who he really was. As much as she wanted to believe that he really was an arrogant jerk, deep down something told her otherwise and that bothered her. Really it shouldn't matter either way, but for some reason unbeknownst to her, she was drawn to the mercurial man. Maybe it was the allure of his automail, his stubborn personality or his mesmerizing amber eyes. Whatever the reason was, she couldn't afford to put herself in any situation with him. Not only was he her Professor, but she knew she was the last person he would be interested in and even if he was, which she highly doubted, she would never be one of many. Picking up his potent smelling whiskey and a coaster, she headed back to his table.
"Here you go, Ed." Nodding at his drink in thanks, he asked about her night, much to her surprise. Telling him about the fairly tame evening, she explained that before the game got over with there would be a shift change and that the woman who worked the late nights would be in to relieve her, though she would need to stay for a bit to make sure the transition was smooth. Even more to her surprise, he related that she didn't need to hurry on his account since he typically stayed up late on weekends, and was going to enjoy a couple drinks while reading over homework that had been turned in that day. At his words, she told him she would leave him to it and check back on him shortly. As she bustled around the floor refilling drinks and serving food, she flushed cherry red when she noticed him watching her attentively, rather than grading his papers, as if he was waiting for something. Seeing that he had been caught staring, he too became red and returned his eyes hastily to the stack in front of him, bringing a smug smile to her face.
Not long after the game was supposed to have ended, precisely as Jean had predicted, a steady flow of college students began to enter the business. Right about the same time, Riza, the night server came in hurriedly, throwing on a short green apron and pulling her hair up into a tight bun. They had met last night before Winry had gone home, and she found that she liked the moderately stern woman. Appearing to have a way of not putting up with any shenanigans and still managing to be polite, she had seen the respect and reverence all of the customers treated her with and had decided to like her. Riza greeted them briefly even though Jean attempted to gain her undivided attention with compliments, she went right to serving tables that were coming in. Shaking her head at her relentless boss, Winry saw that he gave her a wink and told her that he was just trying to make her jealous, to which she snorted in response to before also walking away.
After things had calmed some and people were set up as well as she could possibly leave them, she made her way to Professor Elric's table as he was sipping his second glass, to let him know that she could leave as soon as Riza signaled that her side work was good.
"You are fine Ms. Rockbell, I'm nearly done finishing these, but still have a few left." He hadn't even bothered to look up at her as he addressed her, which suited her just fine. She found his eyes intense anyway.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to grade those while drinking?" Asking in a falsely sweet tone, he then turned his gaze to meet her own scrutinizing one, without answering. "I'm just saying those smell strong and I'm sure no one would want to receive better or worse marks than they deserve." Cocking his head to the side, she tried to read his expression but it was carefully neutral.
"Ms. Rockbell, have you ever had whiskey?" Pausing warily to debate whether or not he would laugh at her, she finally shook her head minutely. Who was she to assume anything about something that she hadn't tried before, she read clearly from the look he gave her then. "Well maybe someone who had never had it before wouldn't fare too well after two, but I'm not drinking to become intoxicated. I enjoy my liquor responsibly." Feeling instantly childish for a picking a fight with him just because of what he had said earlier, she began to apologize when he spoke again. "Would you like to try mine?" His molten eyes burned into her azure ones as she waged an internal struggle over her decision, but then she remembered where she was and answered.
"I can't, I'm on the clock still." To her wonderment, she was actually disappointed. As she had told Alphonse and Sheska, she would like to try it since she never had, but now wasn't the time.
"Fair enough, if you want the offer still stands when you are off work, as I'm sure putting up with me as a customer will be no easy feat." Chuckling to himself, she couldn't help but smile at his self deprecating humor. As she began to reply, she heard someone call her name but before she turned to see who it was, she caught Ed stiffen with an expression she didn't understand at the person's entrance.
Michael and a group of his friends were heading towards them and she greeted them happily, while Professor Elric began to gather his things abruptly. Luckily right as she was getting ready to ready to talk to them, Riza let her know she was good to go and Winry wished her good luck with her tables. Returning her attention to the men in front of her, she was startled when she realized the golden haired man was by her side.
"Hey Winry, I was thinking since you couldn't make it to the game I would come and see if you wanted to come to an after party with us. There will be a bunch of people you would get to meet, it's going to be a good time." Michael hadn't even acknowledged their teacher, but maybe he didn't remember his name so she let it go. Considering his words for a minute, she thought it would be fun to get out and meet some people from campus, but she had already agreed to work on the elder Elric's leg and he had been waiting on her this whole time so tonight wasn't an option.
"I would love to, but I've already got plans tonight. I'm sorry, it does sound fun though. Maybe next time?" Glancing down, she saw that their instructor's fingers were clenched tightly, stretching the fabric of his gloves and she wondered again what the hell his issue was. This time it was one of Michael's friends who spoke.
"You'll be missing out, there is going to be a keg and this is our first win. You should cancel your plans and come with us." Listening to the redhead, she got the feeling that they were a pushy group of friends and she didn't particularly like that. When she said she was busy, that meant she was busy.
"Yeah, you should just cancel, I'm sure whoever it is won't mind, we can even give you a ride there and back if you don't want to stay." Another man chimed in, as he took a step closer to her. Beginning to tell them yet again that she couldn't come, she was surprised to hear the elder Elric speak up.
"Didn't you guys hear her? She's busy." An edge in his tone alerted her to what she couldn't pick up on his face a few minutes ago, he was pissed, but thankfully for the sake of her job he hadn't even raised his voice, if anything it was lower than all of theirs had been. Looking up to him, she saw his tightly controlled anger warring his common sense to let loose.
"Yeah, we actually have to get going now, but let me know next time you plan on doing something after a game Michael." Taking care to only address him, since he appeared to be the only one who really cared about her response, Winry smiled nervously at him. His crimson eyes stared back at her in disappointment, and she felt guilty to a degree since he had asked her earlier in the week about coming to the game, but he hadn't said anything about after so she wasn't going to cave and go. Michael reached out and touched her shoulder briefly, before answering.
"Well, it was good to see you either way Winry. Maybe one night when you aren't working we can catch a movie or something." Since she didn't know why her Prof was so angry, she chose her words carefully.
"I'll let you know, see you later and congratulations on the win!" Pulling Ed out the door, she thought she heard one of the men say something about 'earning extra credit' before they were out of hearing range, but brushed it off. Unfortunately she hadn't been the only one to hear the statement.
"Those fucking pricks! Thinking I would take advantage of you for extra credit? Give me a break!" Seeing that he was furious enough to walk back in and cause a scene, she didn't loosen her grip on his wrist as she continued leading him in the direction of her home, still feeling the resistance he was giving her. Deciding that maybe not talking about the whole thing right now, in this case, would be the best solution, Winry silently led him down the sidewalk. Still, she found herself thinking about the entire situation and only becoming more confused by it.
Finally as they got further away from The Dark Horse, he began to relax and as he did he realized that she was holding his wrist. Alarmed at the casual contact they were making, he gently pulled himself from her hold, leaving her to guess at his discomfort. When they reached her home, she pulled her keys out and unlocked the door noisily. Flipping on the lights, she walked to her kitchen for a glass of water and offered him one as well, which he declined quietly. He seemed embarrassed by the events of the last ten minutes and stayed silent as she untied her apron. Letting him know she was going to change into her worksuit, she went to her room and stripped off her skirt and shirt, slipping into her coveralls and tube top. Rolling the top half of the canvas material down to under her navel, she carefully appraised herself in the mirror on her door. Why she cared how she looked to work on his mail was beyond her when she was just going to end up covered in grease, but still she smoothed her hair up into a clip and headed back towards the irritated man.
"So why were you so angry about those guys?" Immediately jumping into a conversation about what she hadn't asked earlier, Winry moved so she could watch his face. Instantly it hardened to the question, but she noted the flash of his eyes to her bare stomach before they quickly moved to focus on anything else. Biting her lip to hide the smirk that probably wouldn't help anything, she flattened the part of her pants that had risen some.
"They were just overly pushy about you coming, that's all." If that were all, then why had he had looked upset before they had even tried to talk her into coming? Saying as much, she waited again for his reason. "They are just a bunch of self serving opportunists, I hear the way they talk about girls on campus and it makes me mad." Recalling his earlier remark about switching things up when it came to woman, she eyed him steadily, calling him out with no words necessary. "Oh come on, I was just kidding before, they weren't." Exasperation clear in his voice, she considered his statement.
"You sound as if you are referring to something specific." Raising a questioning eyebrow at him, she wondered just what he had heard and when. Huffing in reply, Ed averted his gaze from her own. Knowing that he wasn't going to tell her, she continued. "Well in any case, I wouldn't let anyone talk me into something I didn't want to do. As I wasn't going to tonight." Stating firmly and placing a hand on her hip, she made it clear that she wouldn't put up with anyone's crap, including his.
"Yeah, but when you are with group of people drinking, especially when you don't know your limit, you never know what could happen with people like that, Ms. Rockbell." The whole Ms. Rockbell shit was grating on her deteriorating civility.
"First of all, when you are here I am Winry, not Ms. Rockbell. Secondly, even if I did go that doesn't mean I would have drank. I don't know them and I'd rather have my first drink with people I trust. Thirdly, why does it matter to you what happens to me one way or another? You don't even like me." Well, she hadn't meant to tell him about her suspicions, but apparently her brain to mouth filter had ceased operation.
"Fine Winry, when did I ever say that I disliked you?" Between the way he said her name and his question, she decided the best course was to just lay her opinion out there.
"You didn't, but from your actions I would gather that I'm not someone you care to be around." Okay, so he had been decent to her at times also, but that wasn't what they were discussing.
"If that's what you think." Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he had responded blandly, irritating her further.
"Most of the time it is. Maybe if you didn't consistently scowl at me I wouldn't get that impression." She countered frustrated with the whole conversation and the man's indifferent attitude, well formerly indifferent attitude, she corrected herself as she saw him turn red.
"I scowl at everyone!" Yelling defensively at her, he was almost comically provoked.
"Well maybe you shouldn't! You look much better when you don't." Cupping a hand over her mouth, she just knew he would take her words differently than she had meant them.
"So what I'm hearing is that you think I look good?" The man was a yo-yo of reactions that she struggled to keep up with. One second he was shouting and the next he was wearing a lopsided grin. Inconstant, outspoken, lecherous...
"Gahhh, you are an impossible ass! Just take off your clothes so we can do this already!" Realizing her verbal quagmire, she blushed furiously and didn't even attempt to remedy her thoughtless demand for fear of somehow making it worse. His booming laughter filled the small room, and though she fought it, she cracked a smile which she quickly wiped from her face. Why did she find this so funny?
"I didn't realize you were so eager to get me undressed." Smirking cheekily, he began to comply with her request and moved to take his clothes off, though he seemed to hesitate after glancing to her, before actually removing them. Walking to the table where she had set up her tools, she began to saturate a cloth with oil but then looked up to her customer as he was pulling off his shirt, having removed his gloves. Thankfully he was focused on his task so he didn't notice when her mouth popped open at the unhindered view of his muscular chest and toned abs. Wow. The contrast between his flesh and the shining mail stunned her with it's perfect union. Simply stated, the man was overwhelmingly sexy. Shaking the unwanted thought from her head, she strove to remind herself that this was her teacher and her customer at this moment, not some handsome statue to gawk at. The sound of his zipper opening made her acutely aware of the fact that in few seconds, this would be the closest to seeing an undressed man she had ever experienced. As he pulled his tight pants down, she swallowed thickly when the fabric of his blue boxers lowered a tantalizing two inches with his jeans allowing her a teasing glimpse of the small trail of golden hair that led downwards to an area that if the rest of his magnificent body was giving her a preview of, was sure to be just as fulfilling. What the HELL had gotten into her!? She needed to get her apparently overactive imagination and raging hormones in check before he caught her ogling him! Forcing her gaze unwillingly back to the oil that she had been pouring into the rag, she noticed that she had spilled a generous amount on herself and made a small 'eep' sound as she tried in vain to wipe the substance from her stomach.
Seeing the mess she had made, Edward made a move to help her by retrieving a towel from the kitchen, that she tried to accept with trembling fingers. Unfortunately in her fluster she had dropped it, and they both bent to grab it, resulting in a collision of their heads. Muttering a curse, he reached for it again, as she did, and their hands groped each other for a second before hastily recognizing the feel of the other's warm skin and pulling back in unison. Wide sapphire eyes met deep honey and then they both laughed awkwardly at the moment's tension.
"I'll get it since you are all thumbs, Ms. Rock- I mean Winry." Handing her the towel, she thanked him as she endeavored to clean her mess, only succeeding in further smearing the oil all over. Sighing loudly, she acknowledged that a shower would be her best solution later, and instead asked him to sit down so she could examine him. Filling the seat next to her, she knelt to start with his leg, since it had worried her the most. Running her fingers over the steel, she checked for damage to the outer plates and screws, beginning with each of his toes. He was lucky that her Granny had been his engineer, her automail was made to last. Skimming upwards, she stretched this way and that to look at the underside of the piece, before ending at where his skin met metal. Carefully she touched the skin that had indeed begun to pull away from the port, to look for chafing. There was some redness and she was thankful he had come to her when he did, without a tune up to tighten everything into place his flesh would have continued to separate from the anchor and gotten infected. She decided that she should take a look inside the plates as well since it had probably been quite some time between his last maintenance and now, and a deep cleaning wouldn't hurt.
Using her screwdriver, she quickly opened the exterior to expose the wiring and look over the connections to make sure there were no leaks inside. For the most part everything was pretty good, though a few of the wires were going to need replaced in the near future, from normal wear and tear. Performing a thorough cleaning to the inner panel, she replaced the plates, oiling them as well, and began to measure his natural leg to see if he had grown enough to make a difference. Anything over an eighth of an inch was sufficient to cause pain and damage to the port. After taking down his dimensions, she appraised the automail leg as well to compare the numbers. Frowning to herself, she realized that he had gained nearly two inches since his last fitting. No wonder there was such irritation! What an idiot! The image of her Granny braining the man for his stupidity played in her mind, bringing a goofy grin to her face.
"Ed. Did you realize that you have grown almost two inches since you were fitted with this mail?" Questioning tersely, Winry noticed that even though he was still awake, he seemed fairly tired and fading fast.
"I guess." Shrugging sleepily, she wondered if he would make it through her working on his arm.
"You idiot! No wonder you were favoring your other leg! If you had used this any longer, you would have ended up having to get re-insertion surgery! Does that sound like something you are interested in?" As his hazy, golden eyes opened marginally at her raised voice, he shook his head in response. "Didn't think so. From here forward you had better make sure to let me know when things aren't right, that is if you decide to let me be your regular mechanic. But either way, when you experience any pain or discomfort, you better promise to take care of it." Nodding his head, she accepted his wordless agreement. "I can have a new leg made for you in a week. We can work on your arm tonight if you want or next week after I fit you with your new piece, it's up to you." Blinking at her slowly, he stood up.
"Next week is fine, I'm pretty tired anyways." Replying with a large yawn, he stretched his arms above his head, holding for a second before reaching down to pick up his clothes and beginning to get dressed. As he bent to slip on his pants, she stole a brief look at his body again before he covered it. Glancing away, she rose to get something from her kitchen cabinet.
"Here is some salve, I want you to apply it to the skin around your port twice daily until you get the new mail. If you don't, your head will get to meet my wrench, got it?" Doing her best to sound menacing, she had a feeling it was for nothing as drowsy as he was.
"You sound just like Pinako." She hadn't been expecting that comment, but was happy to hear it nonetheless.
"Well I'll take that as a compliment, she was the best. You can pay me for tonight once I am finished installing your leg." Walking him to the door, she handed him the small container of ointment.
"Thanks, Winry." Pleased with this sudden politeness, she beamed at him.
"Of course! This is what I do after all, I'll see you Monday. If you see Al will you tell him I'll be around the coffee shop in the morning if he is bored?" With the absence his brother tonight, she wondered if he and Sheska had gone out somewhere and wanted to see if she could give encouragement in that direction if not.
"Sure. See you Monday." Shutting the door, she thought of something and reopened it to tell him.
"Hey Edward, thanks for earlier. Even if I didn't need the backup with those guys, I still appreciate you looking out." Seeing the pinch of red in his cheeks, she found herself wondering how at times he could be so cocksure and at others modest.
"Um, sure, you're welcome. Good night." Waving at him, she entered her home and tidied up her tools some, though she was distracted by the mental picture she had taken of him earlier that appeared then. Knowing just how incredible he looked shirtless, she was going to have to be mindful of her reactions around him. Besides no matter how good he looked on the outside, it was what was inside that firm chest that mattered most, and that was somewhere that was none of her business.
AN: 3/24/2016 I am currently going through and fixing this story chapter by chapter in an attempt to reconnect to it and improve it along the way. Please review if you notice anything that I have missed or just want to tell me what you like/dislike.