FMA: Real Estate
Title: Real Estate
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist (manga/Brotherhood)
Word Count: 396.
Rating: G
Summary: Ed and Winry go house hunting.
Warnings: SPOILERS through to the end of the manga/Brotherhood.
Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist and all associated characters, settings, etc., belong to Hiromu Arakawa-san. The only profit I make from this work of fiction is my own satisfaction and, possibly, the enjoyment of others.
Author's Notes: Written for the April 15 prompt at 31_days - "pint of paint". Takes place more or less in the same universe as The Highest Happiness and Welcome Home, but no real knowledge of those fics is necessary.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Winry sighed, clasping her hands together and spinning around in the center of the room.
Ed looked from the dirt-streaked windows to the dust caking the floor, and then to the cobwebs drooping from the light bulbs. “Gorgeous,” he answered, feeling a series of sneezes tickle the inside of his nose.
“It needs some love and attention,” Winry admitted, running a hand down the banister and frowning pensively. She quickly brightened, and for a moment Ed thought he could see sparkles radiating around her head à la Major Armstrong. He shook his head and the vision faded. “But it’ll be wonderful, Ed. Can’t you just imagine? The basement’s just the right size for a workshop, and we can have fitting rooms down here - there’s even space for a surgery, and with the big front windows we can display old models as examples.” She turned, and must have caught something on his face because when she spoke again, her voice was suddenly unsure. “What do you think, Ed? It’s going to be your house, too. There’re rooms upstairs we can use for our bedroom and guest rooms…”
He stared at her, remembering the pure joy that had infused her entire body from the moment they saw this empty building. None of the places they had visited so far had wrung such a reaction from his wife. Not such a positive reaction, anyway - he had almost thought she was going to bring out the wrench at the last house, it had been far too small.
He glanced around the room again. It was a bit bigger - a bit pricier - than he had expected, but Winry’s work needed space. And he wasn’t worried about the money, with his military stipend and her reputation as an engineer. Plus the idea of them creating their own home from scratch - more or less - definitely had appeal. Not to mention the look in Winry’s eyes as she described her plans, a look that made something warm and comforting fill his chest.
“I think it’s perfect,” he said firmly.
Winry beamed at him, twirling around again as she wondered aloud whether they should have the waiting room in the front or in one of the rooms down the hall, and Ed smiled to himself.
It was worth any amount of dust wiping and paint jobs if it made Winry this happy.
END