Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ An Alchemic Reaction ❯ The Kiss ( Chapter 6 )

Author's note: Hello! Well, I promised I would finish this story! And believe me I will! I'm just so busy with work and courses that it is tough to get myself to plunk down and write over 3,000 words! Besides you can't rush these things!

 

Anyways! There is a song that is incorporated into this particular chapter! Please take the time to listen to the song because it is AMAZING, and will give you a better feel for the mood and writing! The song is “Falling Away with You” by Muse. In the story I'm imagining it as a jazz song, due to the time period of FMA. However, it really is a great rock love song.

 

Enjoy Chapter 6! I'm halfway through Chapter 7, so I hope to post it up soon!

 

The Kiss

Chapter 6

 

The ensuing two weeks were followed by a steady pace of work for Winry. She rarely went out on any leisurely pursuits, and ever since that unusual incident with the General, she had mainly kept to herself, and had managed to avoid him for the most part. However, she found herself one uneventful evening, going utterly out of her mind with boredom. Staring out the window in longing for some modicum of entertainment she contemplated her options. At that very moment the door to her room burst open with a playful Elicia whirling around and singing in contentment.

 

Winry laughed, “Wow! You seem to be having fun! May I join you Miss Elicia?”

 

Elicia grinned, “ I'm not Elicia, I'm a Fairy Princess, I am the greatest dancer of all the fairies.”

 

Her cuteness was contagious and Winry clapped as Elicia improvised a pirouette in a sweetly childish manner. Then it hit her like thunder. `Dancing…I could go dancing!' Winry loved music more then dance but at her age, the thing to do was to go out dancing at one of the big band Jazz clubs, which were in mode. She figured it was worth a shot, and Central had to be crawling with music at night.

 

She began to raid her closet for something decent and fun to wear but found herself frowning at her lacking wardrobe. The majority of her clothing was informal due to her line of work, which mostly required her to get dirty. She sighed and lumbered over to the hallway to call out for Gracia's assistance in the matter.

 

Gracia peeked out of her bedroom, with a quizzical smile, “Yes dear?”

 

“Gracia do you by any chance have anything to wear for dancing tonight?”

 

“Oh! Yes! Come in! Come in!” Gracia waved her hands about, and moved quickly into her wardrobe.

 

To Winry's surprise Gracia seemed more excited then herself. She watched as Gracia browsed the various gowns she had stored away. It made Winry a little sad to see such a bright social life locked away in this house. The death of her husband had turned Gracia Hughes into a bit of a recluse, which was one of the reasons Winry enjoyed keeping the lonely woman company.

 

“Would you like to come along Gracia?”

 

Gracia pulled out what looked like cherry red confection of a dress from her closet.

 

“Oh, Winry, I'm just fine here, and besides that time of my life is long past.” She smiled at Winry's concerned face. “Here! I found it! Oh my…its been such a long time since I had worn this one! I wore it when Maes and I began dating! You must try it on!”

 

“Oh! No! That dress must mean so much to you then…I can't wear it Gracia….it's too…”

 

“Now Winry! Please..I want you to wear it. Besides, maybe wearing it will grab the attention of a certain someone…as it did for me!” Gracia winked coyly, and handed the gown over to Winry.

 

Winry blushed furiously, and giggled in embarrassment. “Oh…umm…no need to worry about that..I'm not really looking for any special attention. Just going out to have some fun!”

 

“Hmm…yes…whatever you say Winry dear.” Gracia smirked mischievously. “Alright lets get this pretty dress on, and get you ready!”

 

A few moments later, Winry came out wearing Gracia's red dress. Gracia and Elicia were sitting patiently on the bed and began clapping happily as Winry appeared in front of them.

 

“Oh my….Winry! You look stunning! This dress is perfect on you!” Gracia cried out in girlish glee.

 

“Winry looks like a rose!” Elicia chanted happily, twirling around the room.

 

Winry looked at her reflection in the dresser mirror, and shook her head in a fleeting moment of disbelief. The red color popped against her pale skin. The dress had a small dip on the chest which formed a sweetheart neckline, and the thick straps tied seductively behind her neck. The bodice was nearly a second skin on her tiny waist, which made her womanly curves stand out. The skirt of the dress puffed out into a sweet A-line, with a length which brushed the knees.

 

Gracia lent her a pair of short black gloves, and added a pair of matching ruby earrings and black pumps to go with her ensemble. She forced Winry to add a side parted wave to her hair to give her a mysterious air. Winry rolled her eyes at the urging, but she sighed and simply allowed Gracia to play dress-up doll with her regardless. Besides, what's the harm in looking a little lovelier for one night?

 

Once she was dolled up, powdered and perfumed to perfection, Winry headed down the staircase to give Scieszka a call, and asked her if she would like to join her on her outing. Upon agreeing that they would meet at the nearby jazz club “Musings”, Winry wrapped one of her heavy wool coats around herself, and headed out the door with a carefree stride.

 

The night was crisp, and cool with the hum of music in the air. It was a night to be out, and be seen in Central, a night for the hard worker to relax and let their hair down, and Winry was more then willing to take advantage of this night. The smooth sultry sound of the saxophone began to permeate the air as she approached the old jazz club. Unaccustomed to being so dressed up, she took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

 

The club was rowdy, dimly lit, and charged up with energy. Winry stood at the front entrance, checking the scene and almost immediately found who she was looking for. Scieszka's eyes locked with Winry's and she stood up from the table, gleefully waving her to come and join. Winry smiled, and made her way slowly through the thicket of the gyrating crowd.

 

As she reached the front of the booth, she noticed that Scieszka and Kaine were not alone. Sergeant Breda, and Warrant Officer Falman were seated with the couple. They all seemed friendly and relaxed together, clearly enjoying their drinks and company.

 

Yelling out her `hellos' to everyone over the loud music, she felt a light push on her arm, as if someone was trying to get past her. She turned around, and suddenly felt all the nerves she had released earlier, crashing back down into her system. Barely inches apart, Roy Mustang stood in front of her, his stare was searing, and yet his face was completely unreadable. He was not in his usual blue uniform. Wearing only a white dress shirt rolled up to the elbows, with tweed brown pants and suspenders, he looked like your typical scoundrel. A very handsome scoundrel.

 

Roy couldn't believe she was here, and visibly tensed at the sight of her. She was stunning, wearing a bright red dress, that accentuated her ample curves and her hair was tousled into long loose curls. He was trying his best to stay away from her, knowing full well that any type of relationship with the Rockbell girl would be disastrous. At HQ he had nearly tied himself down to his desk, and checked on Riza after hours, when Winry was out for the day. One evening, as he stood by Riza's room at the hospital, he overheard Havoc softly speaking to his dear friend. What he heard that night shocked and enraged him to the core. The fact that this tidbit of information was kept from him was simply out of the question. He knew who was responsible for the secrecy, and he was looking right at her. The sight of her alone, made him burn within. He grimaced, and kept an intensely piercing stare upon her.

 

He sensed her apprehension, and he wasn't surprised by it. She had gone to great lengths to help him that night, just thinking about that one night had put him through a minefield of emotions.

 

The tension between them was palpable. Roy was nearly jumping out of his skin, more than ever; he felt the barstool in the far corner calling him over once again.

 

Sensing the uneasiness, Breda offered Roy to join him at the bar for a drink. Roy nodded thankfully, and made his way out of the crowded booth.

 

“Would anyone care for a drink?” His gaze surreptitiously passing Winry.

 

She shook her head, and kept her eyes travelling across the room, avoiding full eye contact with the General.

 

Winry, let out a short breath of air as she watched Mustang and Breda leave the table and head for the bar. She turned her attention to Scieszka, and began chatting with her about the upcoming nuptials, and her crazy work schedule.

 

At the corner of her eye she could still see Roy, seated at the bar. She noticed someone approach him, and decided then to simply keep her attention towards her friends.

 

Roy leaned against the mahogany bar, swishing the left over ice cubes in his glass. `So Riza is having a baby, and this little minx has kept me in the dark about it.' He mused, shuffling his feet as he turned to get a good look at the culprit. His vision was blocked at that moment, by a bubbly young redhead.

 

“Well, look who decided to come out and play.” Stated the young redhead in a predatory purr, inching herself closer to the General.

 

Roy forced a wide smile, as he stepped back unsuccessfully trying to recover some form of personal space. To his misfortune he recognized her face, but due to the four glasses of whiskey he had consumed earlier, he couldn't come up with a name.

 

“Why..hello there….Jess-“

 

“It's Allison.”

 

“Right, wow! How could I forget you? Allison!” Roy nervously swept his hair back, trying to keep cool from the notoriously mad woman. He couldn't help but recall the many nights he had to reroute his way home to avoid the redheaded stalker. His one night liaison with Allison was of the drunken kind. Naturally, he had no idea that he would become a fixture of her mad obsession. How long had it been since he encountered her? Three years?

 

“Isn't it just amazing how we have found each other once again?” She brushed her fingers around his shirt collar. “Some might call it fate? Don't you think so….Roy?”

 

Roy simply stared at her with a look of sheer apprehension, he had to get away from her.

 

“Dance with me! Oh yes! You must dance with me Roy!” She bounced around clapping her hands.

 

“Oh…uhh…I can't…Allison..I..uhm” He scratched his head, fearing the solution to his problem.

 

Her sweet doll-like face, quickly turned dark with a hint of mad rage.

 

“Why not?”She quietly hissed.

 

Roy nearly fumbled as he said. “I'm engaged!”

 

Allison's dark state turned into one of shock. “Oh?” She crossed her arms together. “And who is this especially lucky woman?”

 

Breda overheard the whole conversation, and decided that for Roy's sake, it was best to keep to himself.

 

Roy passed his hand over his chin nervously, as he pointed in Winry's direction.

 

Allison turned around to have a look, and gave a contemptuous look of disapproval. “Her? That plain, little blonde? Isn't she a bit young?”

 

“Ah-ha…that is my…fi-fiance'.” Roy coughed, barely able to pronounce the words. He needed to move away from Allison and get to Winry, before she could figure out that he was lying to her.

 

“In fact, I owe my dear fiancé a dance. So if you would excuse me, Allison. It was a pleasure seeing you again.” He cautiously made his way around Allison, and back to the seated group. Nervous as he was, he kept his cool cat façade on, as he approached the table.

 

Besides getting Allison out of his hair, he figured he could also use this opportunity to interrogate the young doctor and auto-mail mechanic as to the reasons for her secrecy.

 

One moment she was comfortably seated, and the next she felt a strong arm pull her up out of her seat. Winry blinked, and looked up at the General, bewildered by the sudden closeness, she asked. “What exactly do you think you're doing?”

 

He smirked.“Dancing.”

 

The sound of cymbals crashed and the band started a new tune. The lead singer began his soft croon.

 

I can't remember when it was good…

 

The next thing she knew, she felt his arm pressed firmly on her back, and a large hand twined through her right hand. Winry couldn't quite gather what was going on; all she could do was look at the General in a state of utter confusion as he swiftly moved her toward the dance floor.

 

moments of happiness elude…

 

“Are you feeling alright General Mustang?”

 

“Better than ever. How about you?” He responded coyly, as he deftly let go of Winry's back, making her execute a perfect twirl, before pulling her back into his arms. He couldn't help but take some measure of pleasure from her discomfort. He smiled as he watched her cheeks creep with a furious blush.

 

maybe I just misunderstood…

 

“Are you absolutely sure you don't want me to check your temperature?” Winry asked with growing concern.

 

“I'm just dancing with you Miss Rockbell, I just needed a moment with you…so that I could properly thank you for your help the other night. I'm sorry to have been such a burden.”

 

all of the love we left behind

watching the flash backs intertwine

 

“Oh…Uh…yeah, no problem at all. I had to do it. I mean, it is my duty.”She couldn't help but feel that the General had other reasons for yanking her away from her comfort zone. She felt his arm tighten around her waist. He pulled her flush against his chest, and felt the warmth of his breath near her ear. Her mind was a storm of thoughts, `What is he doing!?' `Does he know who he is dancing with?' `Why is he acting like this!!?' `Is he drunk? He must be drunk!' `Why am I still allowing this?'

 

memories I will never find…

 

“I know you have been keeping something from me, Winry.” His husky voice whispered into her ear. Her eyes widened at the statement. “I know about Riza's condition. I know she is pregnant.”

 

Winry snapped her head back in outrage from his accusatory declaration. “How dare you! You have no business General in-“

 

“No business?” At that moment, he locked his left arm tightly around her waist, and swept his right hand to the bottom of her neck. Pressing her face close to his, he wanted to look her in the eyes, and make her understand the personal hell he was going through. With his lips nearly centimeters away from her own, from a short distance, they may have appeared as rapt lovers, but within close quarters a hostile war was erupting between them.

 

so I'll love whatever you become

and forget the reckless things we've done

 

“No business of mine? You are greatly mistaken Miss Rockbell, if you think that anything having to do with Lieutenant Hawkeye is none of my concern.” He spoke quietly, but with a firm authoritarian tone.

 

Matching his intense stare with her own, Winry confidently spoke, “General Mustang I believe you are drunk, and this is not the time for you to bring this sort of matter up.”

 

She felt his hand clench into her hair, and became a bit concerned with the General's behavior. A strange sensation overwhelmed her that she couldn't quite understand. “I suggest you let go of me, and leave me alone General.”

 

A dark laugh escaped him, as he sank deeper into her cerulean gaze.

 

“Leave you alone…try as I might Miss Rockbell, I would. However, it seems that no matter where I go, there you are. So tell me…why is it that when I am finally comfortable with my solitude, or even death itself…. you have to show up and be a reminder that I am still here…in this world…alive?”

 

Winry was rendered speechless by his bizarre outburst. His cool demeanor defying the emotional turbulence that this man was clearly going through. She couldn't help but feel guilt creep upon her.

 

“So no Winry….you must leave me alone. I will make you hate me again. You have to hate me again. I will make you leave me alone.”

 

The cryptic words caught her by surprise, and her senses overwhelmed her to the point that she could barely move. The crowd of people seemed to blur from her sights and all she could see was him. `What is happening?' she thought.

 

“I will make you despise me once more…Winry.” He whispered merely inches away from her blushing face.

 

I think our lives have just begun…

 

There was a cruel edge to his mouth, but when he fitted his lips over hers, the kiss was soft, slow, utterly consuming.

 

 

I think our lives have just begun…

 

He kept his hands by her waist as the other rubbed the base of her nape. He could feel her soft body pressed against his, and strangely didn't feel any resistance. The thought frightened him. `What if she is enjoying this? What if I am…' However, the thoughts were quickly buried by the soft warmth she was consuming him with.

 

and I'll feel my world crumbling

I'll feel my life crumbling

 

Winry's mind was in a state of blank astonishment, her instincts telling her to run far away, but something deep within her craved this overriding need to be touched. She was transfixed by the sweet, hot flowering of sensation that spread rapidly and made the downy hairs all over her body rise. She lifted her hands to his face in a halfhearted attempt to push him away, but he angled his head and kissed her harder, and any thought of resisting him vanished.

 

I'll feel my soul crumbling away

 

His tongue ventured inside her mouth, teasing, stroking. He tasted of whiskey, and some pleasant masculine essence that lured her own tongue to respond timidly.

 

and falling away

 

The feathery touch seemed to excite him. Breathing deeply, he twisted his mouth over hers in long searching kisses, each one more tender than the last. Ignoring the many stares they were gathering, all that existed was sensation, every part of him focused on the consuming delicacy of her mouth.

 

falling away with you…

 

With a suddenness that stunned him, Winry tore her lips away from Roy, and pinned him with a simmering gaze of mixed lust and anger. /He instantly felt a stab of regret, as he watched her bright blue eyes water. His tactic worked, perhaps more then he wanted it to.

 

“I'm sorry…Winry.” The words spilled out of him, breathlessly. In all his years of womanizing, he had never experienced such a rush. Placing his hand upon his rapidly beating heart, he needed to recover.

 

Her lips trembling as she spoke. “I must go now… General.”

 

Her mind and heart were muddled with conflicting emotions. She couldn't stay at the club any longer. Her chest heaving, hungry for fresh air, she turned around and left his sight.

 

Falling away with you…

 

Author's Note: Hope you liked it! The next chapter will involve a new twist to the story, and bring about a new and important event. So stay tuned!