FMA: Gilded (Hodophobia)
Eighth chapter of Gilded! First chapter/explanation of this fic can be found here, with links to later parts.
Title: Gilded
Prompt: Hodophobia
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist (manga/Brotherhood)
Word Count: 500.
Rating: G
Summary: In which Winry allays some fears.
Warnings: SPOILERS through to the end of the manga/Brotherhood.
Author's Notes: Hodophobia - the fear of traveling. Don't worry, I had to look it up too. ;)
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.
Al was asleep. The book he had been trying to read had fallen into his lap, his head rested against the couch’s cushion, and he breathed quietly through an open mouth.
Ed glanced up at him from his own book now and again. Sometimes he caught Winry doing the same thing from Al’s other side. Other than the soft turning of pages and the tick tock of Granny’s old clock, the room was silent.
Until Winry suddenly barked out a laugh. She quickly covered her mouth with one hand, but her shoulders still shook. She dropped her book onto the armrest, not bothering to mark her page, losing herself in silent amusement.
“What’s so funny?” Ed whispered. He hadn’t seen Winry laugh so hard at anything since the time he and Al had been so intent on sparring they hadn’t noticed how close they were to the river - until they both fell in.
“This book!” Winry replied in a quiet exclamation. She held it up so he could see the cover; it was not, as he’d expected, her Monthly Mechanic, but one of those bodice-rippers he often saw girls reading on trains. He’d never seen Winry reading one, though.
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Sally down the road - you remember her? She was in school with us - told me I had to read it. The girl in it keeps begging the hero not to leave her again, because she will just die if she has to spend one moment without him. And he says - let me find it,” she flipped through the pages, “here we go, ‘Darling, I will never move from your side, as long as you never move from mine. There is no life for me without you; the world is a barren wasteland when you are not beside me. You are my world.’ And then they get married, the end!”
“And you, uh…” Ed trailed off. Did she like that sort of thing? Was that what she thought was romantic, some guy gluing himself to her forever? He could feel his shoulders hunching defensively.
Apparently she wasn’t listening. “This is just ridiculous. Who would want the guy she’s in love with to give up his life for her? Doesn’t she have anything she wants to do?”
Ed couldn’t help the wave of relief he felt. “So you… don’t like that?” he asked, realizing the words sounded ridiculous as soon as they left his mouth.
Winry looked up at him and smiled. She stood and walked around the couch to perch on the armrest next to him. “A life with a guy like that would just be - well, boring.” She smoothed his hair with one hand. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her close for a kiss. When he let go, she gave him a very smug grin and wandered from the room. Ed stared after her, only vaguely aware of the dopey look on his face.
“Awwww, how sweet,” said a voice to his left.
“Alphonse!"
TBC ( Part 9 - If)