A Little Tuning(Winry)

[edward elric]

A visit inside of Central was always great and it was good to see some old friends but that made it 8 months since he had his automail checked up. 8 months of rigorous walks, of not being home, of not seeing Winry. To be honest, he hadn't seen her much in the past two years. The last time they had a true conversation was at the train station two years ago before he left for his journey again. When he told her that he would give her half of his life.

Of course she laughed and said something about alchemists as they always put things in Equivalent Exchange terms. A blush came over his face on the train as he thought about it. Last couple of times she had come to him for his tune ups and then he went to Creta. Now he was going home, they would be in close quarters for a little while. Sweat began to beat down his head as he didn't even call Winry or Granny. At least he had time to think about what he could say to her, unlike she had.

The train stopped and he felt his stomach drop. However Ed picked up his luggage and walked off as he made his way down the long road that went to the Rockbell's. His head scrambled for things to say to her but nothing really came to him. As he approached the Rockbell house he knew that he had nothing else to think of. He would have to just talk to her. It couldn't be that hard, they had been best friends since they were kids. Ed held out his arm and knocked gently and waited for someone to answer.

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[winry rockbell]

The house had been silent for a long time, so when Winry
gave a cry of frustration, she almost scared herself. She let
the wrench in her hand slam on the table, putting her hands
over her face so she didn't rip the project in front of her apart.
Something was ruffling her feathers more than usual. The
usual tedious tasks she would work on tirelessly were making
her want to turn the table over and scream. She knew exactly
what was wrong, too. Gran has said it this morning before she
went off on her walk a few minutes ago: she was overworking
herself.

Not that overworking herself was unusual, but these days,
Winry had been pushing it. But that's what she did, work so
she didn't think so much about what was really bothering her...
The knock on the door made her raise her head, and she sighed,
pulling off her work gloves. She was in no condition to be greeting
people, as she was in her usual work attire, but no one else was
home. She put on a small smile for whoever was at the door, but
it faded as soon as she saw who it was.

"...Ed..."
Suddenly, her jaw and fists clenched, and she stomped her foot,
her eyebrows turning down in a dangerous frown. But without a
word, she slammed the door, pouted a second, then her heart
just melted and she opened the door again and glared at him,
tears already in her eyes. She gave him a half-hearted shove.
"Y-you big jerk, what are you doing here..." she said, trying
to sound angry but the lump in her throat wasn't helping.

[edward elric]

That door was pulled open as he saw the slight smile on Winry's face that faded as she said his name. "Hiya Win- But before Ed could even finish her face had turned dangerous and the door slammed shut in front of him. His eyes widened some and eyebrows turned upwards. At first he was about to let his anger turn upward but then decided that he probably deserved the treatment as the door opened again for him as she asked him what he was doing there.

"Well, um you see." Ed began to talk as his luggage was on the ground now and his pointer fingers were being pushed together in his state of anxiety. "I was stopping by because well uh.." Here it was, he needed to say something. Something that he was supposed to have thought of by now. What could he say though. At first he was just going to say that he needed automail tuning but unlike others, Ed did not want to catch a wrench with his face today like he had so many other times.

Finally he let out a sigh and the golden eyes returned to their determined look as they made eye contact. He had faced Father but what he was about to say made a blush take over the majority of his face. "I came because, uh because!" Ed began to say as he closed his eyes. He couldn't see her face for this part. "Because I missed you!" It finally came out. What he wanted to say this entire time. What he had wanted to say for a year and a half now had finally been able to be vocalized. If Winry could take the big step of saying she'd give him her entire life then he could do that!

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[winry rockbell]

All she could do was glare. Glare as she remembered all the
times she answered the phone hoping it was him, but never
was. The nights she'd stay up late because worrying about him
wouldn't let her sleep. The days she sighed and looked out the
window feeling like a stupid silly girl because she couldn't get him
off her mind. How she wondered if what she'd said two years ago
really meant something to him since he couldn't even say hello,
I'm okay, something.

But when he said "I missed you", the glare instantly broke, and
turned into a stare. And she continued to stare. Then, a sob
escaped her, and she threw her arms around his neck, squeezing
tight as tears dropped down her cheeks.
"Ed you never called or anything, how was I supposed to know
something didn't happen to you?" she scolded through her
tears, releasing him and wiping them away as best as they could.
Sometimes? She hated being a girl. Or at least she wished she
could be strong like Edward. She envied him, in a lot of ways,
because he could go through so much and not shed a tear. But
here she was, always wearing her heart on her sleeve.

"You could have called... said you were coming home,
something!" she grumbled with a pout, stepping back so he
could enter. Now, she was beginning to get excited that he was
there. Already she was thinking of quick things she could do to
clean, make the house nicer, cook something big and obnoxious
and delicious for dinner... because Edward was finally home. And
as much as she scolded? It was painful, how much she'd missed
him, too. She was glad he was home.

[edward elric]

As Ed's words reached Winry, he could tell at the sudden drop in the glare. Then all of a sudden a sob escaped as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His eyes widened as he almost expected to defend himself but he felt tears hit his trench coat and a soft expression appeared on his face. His arms crept around and connected behind the blond headed girl's back that he had fallen in love with. Ed pressed his head gently against the side of Winry's as he held onto her.

Winry pulled away some and began to ask of how he didn't call and how she was supposed to know something didn't happen to him. "I'm sorry! They don't have phones in Creta! I've been there for almost a half a year now." He said as he scratched the back of his head with an innocent smile on his face. Creta was still a very cultural place and the tribes refused to bring technology such as phones from Amestris to their rich culture.

"You know I like to surprise you!" Ed said with a cheesy smile as they moved inside of the house. He placed his luggage on the couch as he sat down next to it. "Also I think it's about time for a tune up Winry. It's getting harder to move my leg." The pants leg was already moved up to show the automail still in tact on his leg. Winry really was a great mechanic. Even with all the walking he did on it and damage he'd given his leg, it still held up and worked just fine.

Of course the automail work was about to come up but then Ed decided he wanted to ask her something before she began to work. "Um Winry there is something else I wanted to ask.. Uh would you.. maybe.. want to.. I don't know.. Go to dinner with me tonight." He said with a kind of bold confidence. Just the way Havoc had told him to do it.

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[winry rockbell]

Winry's mind was still spinning. She'd make a pie, for sure.
Hopefully her grandmother was thinking of stopping by the
store... perhaps she should go, just in case.
"No phones in Creta..." she grumbled, then shook her
head, "I'm sure they're not against postcards, Ed."
She sighed, pulling the bandana off her head. Work was over
for the day, that was for sure. She had a lot of cleaning and
straightening up to do. The room that Ed usually stayed in was
filled with boxes, too. At least the bed was, she was trying to
make room for more equipment.

Secretly, she was happy she was surprised. She had been
pissed, but it was mostly to save face. Seeing him again made
her want to smile and bounce around like a little school girl on
sugar, but that wasn't like her. So, she got pissed instead.
"It is about time for a tune up... especially if you're walking
around all the time, you're going to need to come in regularly,
because the parts will wear and get weak, and you can't do
much traveling with busted automail..."
'Good idea' a part of her said, mischievously, but she wasn't
that cruel. His heart was set on travel. And Winry was sort of the
girl who waited home for the one she cared about to come home.
In a way, she liked it. She was glad to be that person. It just
sucked sometimes.

She was just about to pull out a big pot from under the sink
when the word dinner split her thoughts in two. Her eyes
narrowed, and her frown returned as she stood straight and
put her hands on her hips.
"Are you asking me out on a date?" she said, then her
cheeks turned pink, and she put her hands to them, looking
almost flattered.
"You're... asking me out on a date, Ed?"

[edward elric]

A postcard would have been what normal people sent or maybe even wrote a letter. "Sorry about that. I got caught up in moving back and forth with the tribes. Just got lost with the time. I'm sorry Winry." Ed said as he scratched the side of his face with his pointy finger. It felt a lot better to do with a fingernail then a metal one. Although he would lie if he said that he didn't miss the automail arm sometimes.

Then Winry said he would have to come in regularly for tune-ups. "But Winry! You know how much a train ticket is from Creta to Amestris! Foreign travel costs and all that. It is a killer on the wallet. I'm glad I'm back home!" Ed said with a laugh as he thought about all the money he spent in his travels. Good thing the military took care of it's retirees. Winry then stopped as she realized what he asked her. That he had asked her out on a date and instead of an answer.. nope.

She began to ask if that was what Ed asked. "Uh.. Well." What did he say? Then she asked straight forward if he was asking her out on a date. Without a word, he just nodded to agree with that. "Uh yea!" He said with a slight smile on his face. They just made eye contact as he stood up. "Preferably before we do the tune up. I'm kind of hungry." Ed said with a smile as he moved towards the door and held it open for Winry to go through. "That is.."

"If your saying yes?" He asked as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. His gold ones into her blue ones.

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[winry rockbell]

She had quickly forgotten all his complaining, the thought of
the date was whirring in her mind. Answering wasn't even an
issue, because Edward Elric had just asked her out on a date.
A part of her wanted to laugh, and a part of her wanted to
cheer. But she was too happy to do either. All she could do
was smile at first, and blush when he opened the door.
"Since when did you get so romantic..." she said, but
with obvious affection behind her words. She and Ed had been
friends for years. Moving into this next step was hard. The
words at the train station two years ago had been hard enough.
For both of them. Adjusting to their feelings would certianly be
a challenge as well.
One, she had to admit, she was looking forward to.

The shock began to wear away, and she remembered the
date thing had been a question. One she needed to answer.
"You think... you can just go away forever, say nothing, turn
back up and ask me on a date and everything will be better?"
she said, softly, and smiled, "Of course, I'll go..."

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she put her hands over her
mouth with a squeak before running to the back of the house,
where her room was.
"W-wait! But not yet!" she called behind her, pulling
open her drawers and throwing options on the floor. She
squealed again when she looked at herself in the mirror. She
had been working all day, and it showed. Her hair was a wreck.
And she should put on some form of makeup, eyeliner or something...
"I have nothing to wear!" she lamented, kicking off her
clothes and rummaging through all her drawers with a forlorn
look. Dates. They weren't a common occurrence for her... at all.

[edward elric]

'Since when did you get so romantic?' The question made Ed jump upward some as a blush immediately returned to his face. "I-I didn't! I just thought that you know. It'd be nice ya know!?" He said in quick defense of himself. Now he felt so awkward for asking the question. Besides he should have known that Winry wasn't the one for dates. A tom boy to the fullest. She'd probably rather working on his automail and consider that more of a date than anything.

That was why the next words kind of took him off guard when she asked the question that kind of hurt. His eyes shifted down so they were faced off to the side. "I'm so-" The words were cut short when she said yes she'd go with him. His eyes came up and looked back into those beautiful blue eyes of her's. Then she seemed to realize something as she rushed up the stairs into her room. What was she up to but however Ed quickly figured out when she said she had nothing to wear.

Who would have thought, Winry was freaking out over a date. As was Edward but he hide his nervous demeanor extremely well. A good way that he did this was... "Hydron, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Monoxide.." The list of elements went on and on until finally Winry's door closed again and she made her way down the stairs.

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[winry rockbell]

Though it felt like years, Winry only took five more minutes
to find a skirt and nice blouse that was nicer, but didn't scream
"I'm going to a romantic dinner!". She looked at herself in
the mirror when she was all done. Yep, definitely the right
outfit. After five times of doubting and changing, she had
finally nailed it.
'That wasn't so bad...' she thought, grabbing her black
shoulder bag. She gave a final glance in the mirror, taking
in a huge breath and she frowned at herself.
"This is going to be perfect! Perfect, you hear me?"
she said, wagging her finger at herself before straightening
and walking out the door.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous, because she
was. Very much so. Showing that wasn't an option. Things
felt like they were finally real between them, like that
moment at the train station wasn't random, or a spur of
the moment thing. And now that things were starting, she
was wondering how exactly to be a girlfriend. Technically,
that's what she was... right?
'Right?!' she wondered, but as of now? She was actually unsure.

Winry gave Edward a bashful smile when she reached
him, messing with her bangs to make sure they were in place.
"Sorry I took forever... I just didn't want to look like I'd just
finished working... which I had..." she said, then smiled
brighter, "But I'm all ready now. I even wrote a note for
Gran. Where are we going?"

[edward elric]

As Winry came down the stairs and Edward saw the skirt and blouse she was wearing, a bashful smile and the blush reddened on his face. She looked, well stunning to say the least. "No it's not a problem Winry. You look... uh.. well you look beautiful." Was all he could say. That was what boyfriends did, was compliment their girlfriends. Wait.. was he her boyfriend. Oh jeez, now he just opened up 1000 more questions in his head but forced them back.

"There is a little place right by the train station. Nothing fancy really but what in Resmebool is?" Ed asked with a laugh as he opened the door for Winry to go through first. It was all things that he was taught by Havoc while inside of Central. Plus he had picked up on things from random moments throughout his life. Now he was walking down the long road with Winry, a road they had walked down together many times throughout their life but never as they were now. As a.. couple?

Edward just walked with his hands inside of his trenchcoat. It was his Father's, something he held dear to him now. Even though he hated the bastard for the longest time now he could say he was proud that he was his Father. "It's weird isn't it. How many times we've walked down this street but this is kinda like the first time for us isn't it?" Edward said, this was kind of his way of asking it. Of asking Winry to be his girlfriend. Although he didn't say it aloud he hoped she knew what he meant.

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[winry rockbell]

Winry almost turned a deeper shade of pink, but distracted
herself when he complimented her, fishing the note out of
her bag and placing it on the table. Beautiful... she'd be
lying if people hadn't said it to her before. But it wasn't
something she thought or cared about often. Being pretty
didn't make automail, and that was all she really needed.
Thought she'd needed. This was definitely nice too,
whatever she and Edward were having right now. Dating
or whatever. As funny as it sounded, it also sounded... right,
in a way.
Ugh, this all sounded so cheesy, she had to resist rolling
her eyes at herself.

"Well it doesn't have to be fancy, as long as the food is
good!" she said with a laugh, relaxing a bit. Sure this
was a date but this was Ed. He was her best friend. They
just had a new title... maybe.
It was her goal to find out the answer to that by the end
of the night.

They walked out the door, her first, she noticed, and down the
street, not saying anything to each other for a little bit. It was
a nice night, though... starry. But in the country, stars were
everywhere in the sky at night. Something about it just
looked... nicer. Maybe it was the cool air, or maybe it was just
her mood.
The question struck a chord, disturbing her moment of peace.
She looked away like she was staring off into the distance,
but she didn't want him so see her panic. What did he mean?
Could he mean as a couple? Walking down the road as a
couple? No he wasn't the clever, but what else could he mean?
To play it safe, she looked over at him..
"...What do you mean, the first time?" she said, sounding
confused. Maybe it was what he meant, but she did't want to
look stupid. Or eager. Though she was... only a little bit, though.
Only a bit...

[edward elric]

A starry night, could this be anymore cheesier? Then Ed waited but didn't look over at Winry. He didn't want to look like he expected her to answer but the question she asked made it seem like she didn't understand. He looked over with an innocent smile and decided on the words to put it. "I don't really know how to say it..." Ed admitted but knew he had to say something. Lie or truth. Couldn't start something like this off with a lie.

Next came a deep breath as he prepared the words to say to Winry. "There's no easy way to say, well ask this. So I'll just ask it." He said as he looked over at the girl that he was now officially on a date with. "All the other times we've walked down this road. It's been as separate friends but now.. Well now. I want it to be more, I want it to be us walking together.." That was a better way to put it.

Now Edward's heart was about to beat out of his chest from the question. Never before had he been so brave with a woman. This was Winry though, he had been judged by her for much worse things. Now it was something that mattered, not that the things before didn't. But this was about them, and how they would advance with each other in their lives.

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[winry rockbell]

'Damn!'
That hadn't exactly worked, she wanted him to come right
out and say it, but he didn't. Winry sure hoped that's what
he was saying, because if it was her entire week was about
to be made. As tough as she liked to sound and act, this
was her weak spot, right here. This is where he got insecure
and fell apart, and it bothered her more than anything. She
couldn't blame him, though. She wouldn't have been able to
come right out and say something like that either. In a way,
he was braver than her. Then again, he always had been...

As he explained, her cheeks grew redder and redder. She
looked down at her feet, falling quiet. Well, to not get that
would be idiotic. No pretending to try to be more clear, that
was pretty damn clear without stamping it on his head and
making a sign.
"...Oh..." she said, almost inaudibly, then looked up,
resisting the urge to break into a huge smile, "... I guess
it is our first time, then."
Now she couldn't blame him for being vague, but it wasn't
hard for him to get that she was basically saying yes. That
they were a 'them', now. Officially.

[edward elric]

'Oh' After all of his courage and anxiety all Winry could muster up was oh but then the most amazing thing happened. She said that it was their first time together. A smile and the red cheeks reappeared on Edward's face. Now it was time for the next move in the play book. Havoc's words ran through Ed's head over and over again. 'Make it smooth, don't wanna seem over eager. One quick movement!" Havoc said with a serious face in the young man's mind.

"Here goes nothing." thought Edward as he moved his hand outward and grasped a hold of Winry's. Then he intertwined their fingers together. Maybe it felt weird to do this but it also felt. It felt as though it was supposed to be like this and when that feeling overcame him. They moved closer together so that their arms were touching as they walked into the restaurant. People knew of them in there, well Ed was famous and they had lived there, their entire lives. Small town. However none of them expected them to walk in holding hands.

No point in hiding it though, especially now that they were officially a couple. They sat down and ordered their food and drinks. "Ever had the feeling someone was staring at you?" He asked with a bright smile on his face to show Winry that it didn't bother him that people knew. People had no reason to judge, a lot of them were smiling.

Their drinks came out and it was a calm night in the place. "Have you heard from Alphonse recently?" He asked with a smile, casual conversation was normal for them. They were still best friends, maybe that was why they would work out.

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[winry rockbell]

The silence between them after that wasn't awkward. It
was actually sort of nice, that they could just walk together,
not having to say anything, and that was perfectly okay.
It sort of spoke about their friendship over the years, even
though friendship didn't describe them anymore. Her heart
was pounding, but in a nice way. With that question gone
things seemed a lot simpler, not as terrifying.

Winry tensed when he took her hand, looked over at him,
then gave his hand a squeeze back. Since when was Ed
like this? He hadn't been like this to anyone ever, and she
had never even seen hints of him being this way before.
It almost came out of nowhere... but with their newly
established title, it was nice seeing this side of him.
When they entered the restaurant, she did get a bit nervous,
because she did notice the eyes. One of the perks and
disadvantages of living in a small town? Everyone knew
each other. No one seemed shocked, and if they did they
smiled. She instantly grew embarrassed, remembering all
the people that teased they would end up together or they
should be dating. They'd been right, even if it was a joke
at the time.

"... Yeah. I definitely have..." she said, glancing at
a couple who was looking at them and quickly looked
away, "I haven't... he hasn't even stopped in for a long
time. He... hasn't spoken to you?"
Well if Al hadn't even talked to Ed, then Ed not talking to
her was obviously nothing against her. She smiled to
herself. It was just an Elric brother thing.

[edward elric]

Al hadn't spoken to Winry either, it was just the way they went about doing things. "Nah I haven't seen him in about a year now. It's kind of good though." Ed said with gentle eyes to Winry. Normally his eyes always had a determined kind of fierce look to them but when he stared at her, none of those emotions can be seen. All he had was happiness with her, no need to show any kind of aggression.

"After four years of spending every day together on the journey, it's nice to see him on his own journey. Making his own path through the world." Ed said as he cut into his newly delivered food. It was good to just relax and eat some as he stuffed three bites into his mouth. He really did over indulge. "Have you heard anything about the tension between Drachma and Amestris recently?" He asked with a concerned look in his eyes.

It worried him about another possible war with a big country like Drachma. Especially with the East having a direct path to the frozen country. "I heard things were getting bad. Spies in both countries. All that's waiting to happen is one flick and war will be engulfed in our states." Ed said, times like that he was glad he wasn't a dog of the military anymore.

[/limg]

[winry rockbell]

Nodding as he spoke, she began to eat. She knew they
were independent and not the type to sit around and do
something boring for the rest of their lives, but it always
worried Winry when she didn't hear from them. How could
she help it? She cared, maybe too much but the two had
been through so much... still, she had to agree. It was nice
that Al was making his own path.

"The war... bits and pieces..." she said, a frown
forming on her face, "Everyone's on pins and needles,
especially in Central. Things are weird.. we don't need
another war, though. Its unrealistic, but I wish we didn't
have another war ever again..."
War was a somewhat sensitive subject for Winry. She took
few bites of her food, then sighed.
"Just be careful... don't do anything stupid that get you
into trouble" she said, taking another bite of her food.
Yeah she could be very mother like and stern, but she
meant well. She always meant well...

"I hope Al stays out of all of that mess, too... you guys
should come back regularly. I could help pay, I'd help in
any way I can, you know that... you've always known that..."
All she ever wanted to do was help. But again, they were
independent. Why would they need her help? Sure
Edward needed her auto mail expertise, but she wanted
to do more than that for them. And it always bugged her
when she couldn't.

[edward elric]

Bits and pieces but there was still that worry. Winry told Ed to stay out of trouble but that smile he returned told her that it wasn't going to happen. "Come on Winry. You know trouble is my middle name." He said with a slight amount of arrogance about him. Still he had no need to get involved in any war. That was Mustang and the rest of the military's deal. He was out and without alchemy he doubted he would be a point of interest for any of them to come and try to recruit.

A sigh escaped his lips. "I doubt the military even keeps tabs on me anymore." He said as he took another bite. "I just hope they don't try and get Al to come help their cause." Ed said as he continued to eat and drink. His brother wasn't cut out to be a murderer. He was meant to help people. Last he heard he was in Xing, studying. That was where he belonged best. Away from the troubles of Amestris.

Warmness reached him as Winry said that she'd help pay. That she thought they should visit regularly. "If it makes you feel better I don't plan on going anywhere for a while. Besides what kind of boyfriend would I be if I just left my girlfriend hanging dry." He said in almost a hoarse voice towards the end. He had just said the words, boyfriend and girlfriend. Now to see how Winry reacted to that as he stood still with his drink still lifted half throughout the air.

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[winry rockbell]

Her eyebrow raised. Trouble... yeah, trouble always did
seem to surround him, and his brother. All the stories she
had heard of their travels certianly proved it. In a way,
she liked that about him. Even though it was the main
reason she was so nervous all the time. One only gets
lucky so many times... but they'd had a lot of close scrapes,
too. It was a wonder, looking back, they were even alive.
And she was thankful for that, or this moment wouldn't be happening.
And she quite liked this moment.

The comment about the military not keeping tabs made
her laugh, and she took a sip of her drink.
"Yeah, sure they're not. You can still get into trouble,
Ed, they're going to be watching you for the rest of your life."
Which wasn't so terribly bad. There were some good eyes in
the military. A few years ago she would have objected to
something like that, saying the military was nothing but harm
and hate. But some very special people had proven her wrong,
and for that she was grateful.

Those words. While she was afraid to say them, feeling like
they would come out wrong for some weird reason, they sent
chills down Winry's spine. Boyfriend and girlfriend... it made her
smile, too. She looked down to try to hide it, instantly changing
to a smirk to fight it.
"Good question," she said, looking up at him smugly,
"That would make you a pretty lousy boyfriend, so even
when you do leave you're going to have to write, call, and
surprise me with coming home, aren't you?"
Leave it to her to find a way to use this to her advantage.
Winry always found a way to do that. It was a gift.