12 Days of Drabbles! Day 5 - "The Perfect Fit"
Okay, so this one's less like a drabble and more like a full length fanfic, but I don't care. It wanted to be written to completion, and so I obliged.
Day 5 - "Ring"
Title: The Perfect Fit
Rating: PG-13
Series: Manga/Brotherhood
Word Count: 1,193
Characters: Ed/Winry
Summary: Ed struggles to pick out the perfect ring for Winry.
Edward Elric didn’t know how to do this sort of thing.
He knew how to turn a carbon compound as soft as graphite into something as hard as diamond in seconds. He knew how to disarm with a single kick. He knew how to glare hard enough to stare down Mustang when he was at his most stubborn.
But he didn’t know how to do all this mushy stuff.
He knew how he felt-if wanting to punch any guy who so much as looked at Winry was any indication-but expressing it was a totally different thing.
He eventually got the hang of it. Sort of. Compliment her-tell her how she looked nice even if he thought her hair could do with a wash after she got grease and oil in it after an automail all-nighter.
Buy her gifts-he tried flowers and chocolates, but those sort of things made everyone ask embarrassing questions. Besides, she wasn’t really into that sort of thing, anyway. Usually, he settled for a new pair of earrings, and occasionally a new wrench or tool or something whenever she mentioned she needed it.
Hold her/touch her/ki-kiss her-harder than it looked. Especially since he was far too embarrassed to do anything more than hug her every so often at first. Eventually she had to resort to making the first move. He found that maybe physical intimacy was kind of nice after all. He was still too embarrassed to do much in public, but behind closed doors, he liked learning the finer points of a close relationship.
And then there came this.
When he explained to Al what had happened that day on the train platform as he visited him in Xing, he was hit with the realization that this might not be as easy as he thought. “That’s great, brother!” Al smiled as his face grew redder. “What kind of ring did you get her?”
“Ring?”
Al stared at him in disbelief. “You didn’t…you didn’t get her a ring?”
“Why would I?”
Al gave a slow, unbelieving sigh. “Didn’t you…didn’t you ask her to marry you?”
What?! “I…did I? I didn’t-!”
“That’s what she’s going to think. That’s what I thought. Why did you say that if you weren’t-?”
Ed racked his brains. He asked her to give one half of her life so it could be seen…maybe…what he really wanted was…uhhhh…
Ed didn’t think it was possible, but he was sure his face was as red as his old coat right now.
Fortunately, Al came to the rescue. “Well, maybe you should do the thing again, just to make sure. Also, you need to get her a ring. And you’d better hope she still takes you after the mess you made of things.”
“I didn’t make a mess-!”
Al gave him a look. “What guy proposes using alchemy theory, anyway?”
He had a point there. Even if Ed hadn’t been sure what exactly he had been proposing at the time.
He knew he had to man up and fix the problem, so when he got back to Amestris, he stopped in a jewelry store in East City, hoping there was no one around to recognize him. He didn’t think he could deal with that at an embarrassing moment like this.
He shuffled around to the diamond rings, wishing the lady would stop smiling at him like that. Thank God she didn’t say anything; he might’ve run out of the store without buying anything if she had. (Maybe she was used to nervous guys like him?)
As he looked at the rings, he noticed something odd about them. The diamonds were set really high on the band, and something like that might get in the way when Winry was working. She could take it off, but knowing her it might get mixed up with the bolts and end up hammered on to some poor sucker’s arm.
“Um…” he looked up at the woman who kept smiling all this time. She needed to stop doing that. “Do you have any that aren’t so…high?”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “The diamonds are set high in the band to reflect the light, you know.”
“I know, but…she-” Ed felt his face flush up at that. “She works, so it might get in the way…you think you could maybe put it in the band, like those over there?” He pointed at a sapphire ring on the other side of the case, where the gem was set completely into the band and (hopefully) easy to have underneath a set of gloves.
The woman had to laugh. “Thoughtful, aren’t you? Come back in a week and we’ll have it ready.”
Ed was sure it wasn’t the summer heat that made him sweat like this. “Are you all right?” Winry asked, as he sat down at the table. “You’re usually never this tired after your trips.”
“Y-yeah…” He had waited until Granny was asleep, but if he waited too long, Winry would want to go to bed too. Damn those conductors for making his train late!
“Do you have a fever? Your face is red…” She came close to him, and he found he had to look away.
“I’m-fine!” Just do it, Elric! Just put it on the table and…
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll get you some water.” As she went to the refrigerator, Ed (heart pounding, fingers shaking, sweat rolling down his forehead), grabbed the little velvet box out of his pocket and gently set it on the table.
He couldn’t look at it. It was like the box was mocking him.
Stupid box.
He heard her turn back and come over to him-but she didn’t get a chance to pour the pitcher as she noticed the box. “Ed?” she breathed, eyes wide.
He said nothing, trying very hard to look at the wood of the table. “I got that…for you.” Damn it! Why was he still blushing! He should just be a man and-
Her fingers were trembling as well as she picked it up-slowly opened it-and gasped. “Ed?” She said in a tiny voice, and, panicked, he had to look back at her now.
Did she hate it? What if she wanted one of those fancy huge rings? He knew he shouldn’t have done this, he should have got one of the normal ones-“Its-I got it that way because you still fix automail! I thought maybe-it would fit under gloves so you wouldn’t have to take it off and-I just thought-Damn it, shit, I knew I should’ve-”
But he didn’t say anything more as she launched herself at him-the chair fell over with a loud clatter that probably woke Granny and he smacked his head hard on the kitchen floor, but then she was on him-kissing him-happy tears falling from her eyes to his cheeks and then Ed didn’t care.
Maybe he didn’t know how to do all this mushy stuff.
But for once, he thought he had done something right.
Day 4 - Carrion Crows
Day 3 - Mother Hen
Day 2 - Lovebirds
Day 1 - Even the Bird Hates It
Day 5 - "Ring"
Title: The Perfect Fit
Rating: PG-13
Series: Manga/Brotherhood
Word Count: 1,193
Characters: Ed/Winry
Summary: Ed struggles to pick out the perfect ring for Winry.
Edward Elric didn’t know how to do this sort of thing.
He knew how to turn a carbon compound as soft as graphite into something as hard as diamond in seconds. He knew how to disarm with a single kick. He knew how to glare hard enough to stare down Mustang when he was at his most stubborn.
But he didn’t know how to do all this mushy stuff.
He knew how he felt-if wanting to punch any guy who so much as looked at Winry was any indication-but expressing it was a totally different thing.
He eventually got the hang of it. Sort of. Compliment her-tell her how she looked nice even if he thought her hair could do with a wash after she got grease and oil in it after an automail all-nighter.
Buy her gifts-he tried flowers and chocolates, but those sort of things made everyone ask embarrassing questions. Besides, she wasn’t really into that sort of thing, anyway. Usually, he settled for a new pair of earrings, and occasionally a new wrench or tool or something whenever she mentioned she needed it.
Hold her/touch her/ki-kiss her-harder than it looked. Especially since he was far too embarrassed to do anything more than hug her every so often at first. Eventually she had to resort to making the first move. He found that maybe physical intimacy was kind of nice after all. He was still too embarrassed to do much in public, but behind closed doors, he liked learning the finer points of a close relationship.
And then there came this.
When he explained to Al what had happened that day on the train platform as he visited him in Xing, he was hit with the realization that this might not be as easy as he thought. “That’s great, brother!” Al smiled as his face grew redder. “What kind of ring did you get her?”
“Ring?”
Al stared at him in disbelief. “You didn’t…you didn’t get her a ring?”
“Why would I?”
Al gave a slow, unbelieving sigh. “Didn’t you…didn’t you ask her to marry you?”
What?! “I…did I? I didn’t-!”
“That’s what she’s going to think. That’s what I thought. Why did you say that if you weren’t-?”
Ed racked his brains. He asked her to give one half of her life so it could be seen…maybe…what he really wanted was…uhhhh…
Ed didn’t think it was possible, but he was sure his face was as red as his old coat right now.
Fortunately, Al came to the rescue. “Well, maybe you should do the thing again, just to make sure. Also, you need to get her a ring. And you’d better hope she still takes you after the mess you made of things.”
“I didn’t make a mess-!”
Al gave him a look. “What guy proposes using alchemy theory, anyway?”
He had a point there. Even if Ed hadn’t been sure what exactly he had been proposing at the time.
He knew he had to man up and fix the problem, so when he got back to Amestris, he stopped in a jewelry store in East City, hoping there was no one around to recognize him. He didn’t think he could deal with that at an embarrassing moment like this.
He shuffled around to the diamond rings, wishing the lady would stop smiling at him like that. Thank God she didn’t say anything; he might’ve run out of the store without buying anything if she had. (Maybe she was used to nervous guys like him?)
As he looked at the rings, he noticed something odd about them. The diamonds were set really high on the band, and something like that might get in the way when Winry was working. She could take it off, but knowing her it might get mixed up with the bolts and end up hammered on to some poor sucker’s arm.
“Um…” he looked up at the woman who kept smiling all this time. She needed to stop doing that. “Do you have any that aren’t so…high?”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “The diamonds are set high in the band to reflect the light, you know.”
“I know, but…she-” Ed felt his face flush up at that. “She works, so it might get in the way…you think you could maybe put it in the band, like those over there?” He pointed at a sapphire ring on the other side of the case, where the gem was set completely into the band and (hopefully) easy to have underneath a set of gloves.
The woman had to laugh. “Thoughtful, aren’t you? Come back in a week and we’ll have it ready.”
Ed was sure it wasn’t the summer heat that made him sweat like this. “Are you all right?” Winry asked, as he sat down at the table. “You’re usually never this tired after your trips.”
“Y-yeah…” He had waited until Granny was asleep, but if he waited too long, Winry would want to go to bed too. Damn those conductors for making his train late!
“Do you have a fever? Your face is red…” She came close to him, and he found he had to look away.
“I’m-fine!” Just do it, Elric! Just put it on the table and…
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll get you some water.” As she went to the refrigerator, Ed (heart pounding, fingers shaking, sweat rolling down his forehead), grabbed the little velvet box out of his pocket and gently set it on the table.
He couldn’t look at it. It was like the box was mocking him.
Stupid box.
He heard her turn back and come over to him-but she didn’t get a chance to pour the pitcher as she noticed the box. “Ed?” she breathed, eyes wide.
He said nothing, trying very hard to look at the wood of the table. “I got that…for you.” Damn it! Why was he still blushing! He should just be a man and-
Her fingers were trembling as well as she picked it up-slowly opened it-and gasped. “Ed?” She said in a tiny voice, and, panicked, he had to look back at her now.
Did she hate it? What if she wanted one of those fancy huge rings? He knew he shouldn’t have done this, he should have got one of the normal ones-“Its-I got it that way because you still fix automail! I thought maybe-it would fit under gloves so you wouldn’t have to take it off and-I just thought-Damn it, shit, I knew I should’ve-”
But he didn’t say anything more as she launched herself at him-the chair fell over with a loud clatter that probably woke Granny and he smacked his head hard on the kitchen floor, but then she was on him-kissing him-happy tears falling from her eyes to his cheeks and then Ed didn’t care.
Maybe he didn’t know how to do all this mushy stuff.
But for once, he thought he had done something right.
Day 4 - Carrion Crows
Day 3 - Mother Hen
Day 2 - Lovebirds
Day 1 - Even the Bird Hates It