Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Of Ballet and Bullets ❯ Mr & Mrs. Smith ( Chapter 8 )

Of Ballet and Bullets

 

Part 8 - Mr. & Mrs. Smith

 

A Full Metal Alchemist fanfiction, By Serenanna

 

Warnings and Disclaimers: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them to play with. I'll return them later, promise. There is violence, adult content, and sexual situations in this story. So, if you're under 18, leave now before your virgin eyes are scarred forever, if you're over 18, enjoy!

 

Story Notes: Time frame for this fic doesn't matter as my knowledge of FMA is a bit scattered but obviously before the ending and Maes's death, and set during the anime series. Also, this is an Ed/Winry and Roy/Riza fic (Two for the price of one!). Being this is fanfiction, liberties were taken with the actions of the characters and certain parts of the fic are not canonal, I just don't know which ones. This fic hinges on a lot more plot compared to the last time out in Overhaul, Overhaul 2, and A Betting Crowd, which I recommend reading before diving into this. This one has violent action scenes, suspense, humor, and mild angst in it, so the sex and romance may be few and far between. In summary, you're all getting what I call a real plot. No, really, I'm actually working on a real plot this time! Beta reading has been done by Dreximgirl. (Thank you!) Read the above disclaimers again if you're still squeamish about reading this, blood splatter included, but I assure you, it'll be worth it in the end probably. Again, no pieces of automail, skirts, guns, tuxedoes, or ballet dancers were harmed in the production of this piece of . . . well . . .

 

**********

 

This winter in Central unlike any other seemed to be plagued with snow. It was getting to be routine for the all the citizens to wake up to a fresh dusting of snow on those bitterly crisp morning. That morning in particular was no different as the snow outside the train terminal was particularly deep but not fresh, already pockmarked by random trails of foot prints. It was a miracle their car didn't get stuck in it once they were parked by the main entrance of the station next to the curb. Roy and Riza stood next to each other, leaning against the metal doors painted a taupe that looked more like brown against the blue-white snow. They were both huddled under their long coats, scarves, and the Colonel with his hat, trying to look nonchalant and bored despite the cold and the waiting. “Explain to me again why we let the kid go get her on his own?” Mustang asked, refraining from frowning, “Doesn't that defeat the purpose of protection?

 

“Because, Roy, he asked us nicely to wait, and you didn't say no,” she said with a smile, rubbing her arms through the sleeves of her dark grey wool longcoat to warm them up. It was too early for him to be this awake as he smirked, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his black coat to hide his gloves. No, that wasn't the reason he let the Major pain-in-his-rear pick up the girl on his own. It was one look from her big, brown eyes that told him to do it even if he was against it. He was a fool, probably, but the nagging worry that had gotten to them since the first strike of the snipers had lifted that morning. It almost felt . . . normal. Given their lives in the past few days, that was a significant improvement. “If he isn't out in ten more minutes, we're going in,” the Colonel muttered, “If only so I can warm up my toes.”

 

She actually giggled at that, “You get cold too easily.”

 

“Look who's talking, rub your arms anymore and you won't need me to set yourself on fire,” he said with as grin while turning towards her despite the derisive sneer she gave him, “That's why I love your place, the great heating system. Even my house doesn't have that, it just has a lot of fireplaces.”

 

“Why doesn't that surprise me? You know, you've never let me see your house.”

 

“That's because once you do, you can never leave,” he said with a grin, slowly putting an arm around her. Riza gave a long-suffering sigh while he pulled her against him until her elbow nudged his ribs. He frowned, loosening his grip slightly but not letting her go, “Where is that kid anyway?”

 

**********

 

Ed paced back and forth on the platform, waiting for the train to roll in. It was late from when the scheduled arrival time was. What if it was snow bound? It was rather deep outside of Central after last nights minor storm. What if he was on the wrong platform? No, that wasn't possible. He'd double-checked that already. What if she took an earlier train, or a later one? Maybe he should have given her the number of Hawkeye's apartment? But then again, he didn't know the number to begin with. The young alchemist groaned, his breath coming out in a puff of moist steam. It was too cold to be waiting around like this, even inside the train station. He could almost feel the oil and lubricants in his automail turning to ice, which was part of why he kept moving. It wasn't because he was nervous or anything.

 

And yet, it was with that mixture of nervousness and cold that he shivered, continually pacing the platform. Edward put effort into getting dressed that morning, his braid neater and his long bangs brushed carefully so that they didn't look half as rumpled as normal, well, except for the damned cowlick he couldn't get to stay down ever. Under his brown overcoat he wore a black turtle neck sweater, and black pants, going back to normal dark on dark way of dressing. Winry didn't seem to mind, and it made him feel taller. Besides, it hid all the wet stains on pants from trudging through the snow outside. He was half tempted to flop down on one of the nearby benches when there was a whistle in the distance. Hanging over the edge of the platform, he could see the iron engine rumbling down the tracks with a large plume of white steam from the stacks.

 

He always did like trains. They were about the only way to travel cross country these days. Jumping back as the engine pulled in, he turned and ran down the length of the cars, looking for a familiar length of long, pale hair. And yet, he didn't see her anywhere. Ed was just about to the end of the train without seeing Winry at all when he heard a familiar shout, “Hey, alchemy-geek!”

 

Spinning around, he stopped as he saw her standing on the metal steps from one of the passenger cars. How long had it been since he'd seen her last? Three months? No, had to be longer, more like five, not since that summer maybe. Ugh, or was it only three? It didn't matter how long it had been. His heart still leapt up into his throat as if it had been an eternity. Edward smiled despite himself then squashed the flailing beat of his heart before he acted completely like a love-struck fool. But then again, that was exactly what he was in that moment, absolutely smitten. The blond girl quickly descended the steps with a giant hop, bouncing closer to him on the concrete platform. The hooded coat of light grey felted wool she wore stopped around mid-thigh on her, the long, flowing skirt of pale blue wool she wore underneath falling to the ankles of her black boots. She carried the same heavy duty toolkit and the same brown suitcase she always brought whenever she visited. Did she ever change? In his head, maybe not, but she always was seemingly a little bit older every time he saw her.

 

The smile on her face was so calming and attractive that it set his feet into motion, walking towards her without a second thought. What the hell was he going to say to her? For being a genius, the only things he could think to say sounded so corny he'd die of shame. Maybe he shouldn't say anything as the urge to kiss her was strong within him. Might be the only chance he got to kiss her without witnesses with waggling tongues watching. The closer he got to Winry, the more the unconscious smile he wore turned into a goofy grin. Words failed him, well, almost failed him as he finally worked up the nerve to speak, just not what he intended to say, “I, um, I was wondering when you'd get here, machine-freak.”

 

Despite the nonchalant tone of Ed's voice, the power of her smile turned up to full brightness until she was absolutely radiating happiness. Suddenly, her suitcase and toolbox were on the ground and Winry was in his arms, nearly bowling him over. She kissed him as he stumbled back then tripped, pulling her down as well as he fell on his back. The tender moment was shattered completely as they knocked heads together in the crash. For a long moment, he went silent then groaned, a new sore on his rump as she laid sprawled on top of him, “Well, that was graceful . . .”

 

Above him, and pressed against into his stomach, she giggled, “Happy to see you too, Ed, miss me?”

 

“Like a tooth ache,” he joked, getting an elbow in the ribs, “Ok, ok, I missed you, a lot, Winry.”

 

She was smiling beautifully down at him, and it made his heart skip a few beats. Thankfully, it was jump-started again as she kissed him lightly on the lips. How could he not miss kisses like this especially in the cold of winter? He felt warm all over again in the gentle touch of her mouth, tilting his head to taste more of her. But then the girl pulled back as soon as his tongue felt hers. Instead, Winry laughed softly, bumping her nose against his, “I missed you too.”

 

**********

 

Roy fidgeted as his lips quirked into a smirk as they watched the entrance to the terminal still, “It's been ten minutes . . .”

 

“That cold?”

 

“Yeah, think I can put my hands inside your coat to warm them up?” he asked as he grinned lecherously, just short of wiggling his eyebrows at her. Or at least, he was grinning until her elbow nudged into his ribs again. “Damnit, Riza, you've been doing that to me all morning, was I not good last night or something?” Mustang asked with a frown, dead seriousness in his voice despite the choice of topic.

 

Her head turned towards him as she nearly gasped but glared instead, “You shouldn't be asking that in public, Roy, whatever happened to discretion?”

 

“It went out the same window with normalcy. Maybe we'll see it again before the year is out.”

 

“God, I hope so,” she said under her breath with a frown as she looked off into the distance. Slowly, his arm tried to creep around her shoulders, only to get elbowed again for his efforts. Finally, Roy had enough, concern mixing into his anger, “Are you alright? Can't I show some affection to you today? . . . I didn't do anything to upset you, did I?”

 

She glanced up into his dark eyes then sheepishly down at the snow, “Nothing, just felt like a payback for yesterday.”

 

“You mean that little talk in the car? While driving to the bank?” he asked, the pieces of at least that little mystery fitting together. Riza's frown was all the answer he needed to know he was right. “Did you have to imply about my flow in front of those two and FullMetal?” she asked, bluntly.

 

“Would you rather I wasn't concerned?” Roy asked as he grudgingly shoved his hand back into his pocket, “It does take two of us to create life, remember.”

 

“I know, but I've dealt with such problems already, so don't worry about it.”

 

“You've `dealt' with it?” he asked, looking at her skeptically and with a growing sense of dread, especially with the neutral expression on her face, “There something I should know?”

 

She wished he hadn't asked, but by now the conversation was entirely unavoidable as she spoke tersely, “I'm on herbal medicine for birth control, Roy. Most of the female officers went on it after Ishbal, so don't make it such a big deal. They did legalize it for all women last year so I doubt I'm alone. It isn't a catch all, but it's better than nothing. And above all, I made this choice before our relationship happened, if you must know. I just . . . wanted to be safe.”

 

“I . . .” he started to say, but then again, what could he say? It was her body, not his no matter how much he thought he possessed her. Even if they legalized their union, she'd still never be his entirely as it was just the way she was. If there wasn't some spark of independence and stubbornness left in her, then she would be like every other woman he knew previously. But . . . he wished he would have known sooner, not that it would have changed anything. His eyes turned down towards the snow as a slight sadness settled over them. “Why didn't you tell me?” he asked, struggling to hold back the hurt tone in his voice.

 

“I never told you because you never asked. I assumed you took it for granted like you did everything else, so . . .” Riza said, the implied tone warding him off from asking further while wounding his pride too. That was harsh, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed true. He really was a bastard after all it seemed. Just as he was about to apologize though, she went on, “So . . . nothing will ever happen, not unless we choose it.”

 

His mouth dropped open slightly. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought that she was asking about kids, leaving that possibility wide open. Them with kids? As parents? It was a damned good thing he knew better. Slowly he exhaled, thankful that she didn't continue on that line of thought. No, her mind just jumped even further down the tracks as she spoke again, “Maybe it is better this way . . . Edward's right, we'd be horrible parents.”

 

When she looked at Roy for a reply to her comment, the Lieutenant choked to keep from bursting out laughing as he looked about ready to drop from utter dismay. He shook his head at her, trying to deny that she had said that as he groaned in agony. Riza finally lost her composure and laughed out loud in his face. Despite the surreal-ness of the thoughts swirling in his head, Mustang stopped once she was laughing. The sound of happiness in her voice made everything seem better. He grinned as she couldn't stop, turning away from him and covering her face as every glance caused another peal of giggles to fall from her. Unable to contain himself, Roy pulled her into a hug, stopping the laughter with a kiss.

 

She still giggled even with the crush of his lips against hers, but didn't stop him either. Little by little she was losing that need for discretion, wanting more and more for him to kiss her like this in front of everyone. But, it seemed like it would never happen, not until he was Fuhrer or they were retired. Could she wait for him that long? Gradually, her voice dissolved into a low moan, the heat of his mouth in sharp contrast to the bitter winter cold of early morning. Yes, she knew she could wait for him, and it would be worth it. At least there was no one around, or so they thought.

 

There was a feminine giggle nearby, and the two officers instantly broke apart, ridged in cold and fright from getting caught. Winry stood in front of them in the snow, clutching her toolbox in one hand while hiding her grin and laughter behind the other. Ed stood next to her, struggling to tow a heavy brown suitcase behind him. Despite his difficulty, his grin was smug as he trudged up next to her, “See, I told you. They can't keep their hands off each other.”

 

She only laughed harder as the adults glared imminent death at the young alchemist until she shoved him hard towards a snow pile in retribution. The glares softened into grateful and amused looks as Ed fell sprawling into the bank, leaving an imprint as he tried to get up, “Hey! What'd you do that for, you little grease monkey?! It's true!”

 

“Mind your manners, Ed,” Winry said as she walked closer to the car, grinning, “Hasn't anyone taught you to respect the affairs of your elders?”

 

Suddenly the elders in question looked rather nervous as FullMetal snorted a small chuckle, grabbing the suitcase. Roy finally broke the silence that had fallen on them, taking off his hat and holding out his hand to take the girl's, “Miss Rockbell, my apologies you had to witness that. I hope your trip went well.”

 

“Thank you, Colonel, but there's no need to apologize. I'm sure there are worse things to see than two people kissing,” the mechanic said with a growing grin as a blush spread across his face and the Lieutenant's face. Ed came up behind her as she shook Mustang's hand, a flash behind his amber eyes along with a grim frown turning down the corners of his mouth. Roy had seen that look before, jealousy, and it was entertaining to think the kid possessed that ability. But then again, he was getting a similar if more well controlled glare from Riza the longer he held the girl's hand. Winry pulled her hand back before he did, and turned towards Hawkeye, smiling, “Lieutenant? It is nice to see you again.”

 

“Miss Rockbell.”

 

“Winry's fine,” she said with a warm smile, ignoring both of the men for the moment, “Thank you for taking good care of Ed, ma'am. I know he's a handful.”

 

A similarly warm smile crossed the older woman's face, “Riza's fine as well, there's no need for formality. You're right though, they're both handfuls, but I'm sure we'll be able to fix that once you're settled in.”

 

Winry turned to the boy standing barely over her shoulder and flashed him a playful grin, one that made his eyes shoot open. She took the suitcase from him, and followed the Lieutenant around the car to the trunk, leaving them to stare at the women with bewilderment. “This can't be good,” Ed muttered.

 

Roy nodded, “Not even a minute together, and they're already conspiring against us.”

 

“`Us'? Since when was there an `us'?”

 

“Men have to stick together, brat.”

 

“Ha, just keep saying that, maybe it'll come true some day. In the meantime, I'll be busy laughing when she shoots you in the ass,” Ed said with a smirk as he opened the door to get in the car. Mustang glared at him, the camaraderie broken. “You ungrateful little shit,” he growled, bristling with anger as he put his hat back on, “I'll be laughing too when you get a wrench to the face.”

 

For some reason, FullMetal's grin widened into mischievousness. He rolled down window, and leaned out while beckoning Roy closer. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance, but his curiosity won out as he bent down to Ed's short level. Chuckling madly, he whispered into the Colonel's ear, “If anyone's getting wrenched when this is over, it'll be you since I told her it was all your idea to invite her.”

 

Roy's mouth dropped open in shock before his face contorted in anger. The grin on the young alchemist face went from ear to ear as he wanted nothing more than to smite that look away. Gah! He'd been had! Who knew the kid could be so devious when it came to saving his own skin? If it wasn't so pissed, he might have been proud of the back-handed tactic. Slowly, Mustang's dark eyes narrowed while the brat chuckled giddily. “Edward . . .” he said with a barely disguised edge of danger on his voice, “What's the melting point of automail?”

 

“Uhhhh . . .” Ed stammered as he slowly backed away from the window and across the car seat.

 

“Let's find out!” Roy shouted as he yanked the car door open and lunged to grab him. With a yelp, the boy flung the opposite side door wide and leaped out onto the street, taking off in a run with the Flame Alchemist right behind him. At all the shouting, the car trunk slammed shut as the two women watched them chase each other through the snow. Riza sighed, leaning over the back end of the car with her head in her hands. Winry looked on curiously, slightly worried for the other woman, “How long have they been like this?”

 

“Two days . . .”

 

“Rough . . . They haven't actually fought have they?”

 

“This would be the closest . . .” Riza said, watching the men run towards a patch of black ice that blended in with the snow, “Uhhh, Colonel? Colonel! Roy!”

 

It was too late as they slipped and fell over with a loud crack. Winry winced and sighed at the painful groaning, “It's a good thing I brought my tools . . .”

 

The Lieutenant made a noise in the back of her throat half-way between a groan and a sigh. So much for the truce between the two alchemists, but perhaps there never was one to start with. As the Rockbell girl went to go help them untangle themselves from the snow, ice, and each other, there was a prickle at the hairs on the back of her neck. In the excitement, she'd forgotten that she was supposed to still be on the look out. Riza glanced around the deserted street again then up towards the train terminal's roof. If she blinked, she could have sworn she saw a shadow up there. And yet as her eyes narrowed on the top of the glass and iron structure breaking the top of the building, she was sure that it was just an act of her paranoid mind after the day before. “No one's there . . .” she said aloud, just to reassure herself, “No one's there.”

 

Roy groaned in the distance, “Hawkeye . . .”

 

“Coming, sir, don't move,” she shouted across the way, scowling in annoyance as her voice dropped to mutter under her breath, “Or I'll shoot you myself, you dumb lug.”

 

**********

 

It was late afternoon when things had begun to resemble anything close to normalcy. The trip to the apartment had been somber after the spill on the ice. While the Colonel had taken a knock to the head resulting in a sizable lump, Edward walked with a new limp. Winry knew that meant he'd over-pulled the heel slides in his automail until they were locked. That was how he ended up sitting on the couch in the second part of the large apartment with the mechanic fussing over the metal foot in her lap. She sat before him on a small, padded ottoman, her tools scattered all over the floor along with the metal plating as she worked. A dingy rag covered the soft blue wool of her skirt, protecting it from the grease. Yet oil still ended up on her hands, smudged across her face, and spotted all over the thin shirt of lavender cotton knit she wore.

 

Occasionally, she stopped and glanced around the surroundings, the décor in the two areas as different as night and day. While the main rooms were rather sparsely decorated when she'd walked in, the further she got towards her assigned rooms, the more cheerful it became, which was so unlike the woman putting them up. She didn't know the Lieutenant could afford solid hardwood furniture on her pay compared to the two alchemists. Ed noticed her looking too, and just knew their charade would be up eventually unless he could lie to her, again. “I know what you're thinking, it is odd isn't it?” he asked as she unbolted one nut holding on a micro-slide piston.

 

The blonde looked up and nodded, “It's rather odd, like two apartments put together . . . I suppose someone before she moved in just wanted more room, and when they left, she got the furnishings too.”

 

“Actually, she got a second apartment with the help of the Colonel, and he then transmuted them together,” he admitted partially with a smirk. Winry giggled, not buying it for a moment as she went back to work. Ed sighed internally in relief, the questions avoided. With a grunt of effort, she pushed the slide back into its casing after he'd yanked it in the fall. It went back into place with a clink of metal, and she exhaled in relief, “You're lucky none of these have stuck given the cold and your recklessness,” she said as she pulled out a bottle of oil, lubricating it until the metal slid easily, “Even goofing off you manage to wreck my hard work.”

 

“I wasn't goofing off, I was about to teach that pyro a lesson,” he grumbled as she smiled softly at him. Winry just shook her head and bolted the part back into place. “It would be more mature of you if you just ignored him, or at least didn't retaliate. I think he only picks on you because you always spazz at the slightest insult like the angry bean you are,” she said with a slight giggle.

 

Ed glowered darkly at her, slouching back onto his right arm, “I am not a bean, grease monkey, and I'm not a spazz either . . . everyone else just ticks me off.”

 

Despite his words, she still kept on smiling, performing the same procedure on another slide piston in the silence. He was still murmuring to himself, and Winry knew he was thinking of something. The sound was a dead give away whenever he was thinking of something other than alchemy. Her blue eyes flashed up to him and her smile turned into a bright grin, “What is it, Ed?”

 

“Do you really think if I stopped letting him get to me, he'd stop?”

 

“Yes, but then again you'd be closer to being an adult. I don't know if I'd like that. I still like the kid in you that I remember.”

 

His other foot nudged her ankles as she giggled, “You're not so mature yourself, so stop pretending that you are. I refuse to allow you to be wiser and more mature than me.”

 

Winry's grin was still in place, unfazed by his threat as she changed the topic, “How have the sensors been working?”

 

“Good, want to check them too?”

 

Without warning, her fingers slid up the inside of his metal calf through his dark pants. Ed flinched at the gentle sensation, his leg jumping in her lap, “Gah! Ok! They work! Don't do that!”

 

The mechanic giggled, “Of course they work. I knew that, I just wanted to see you squirm.”

 

“Evil, torturous little sneak,” he grumbled as she started to screw the plates back onto his heel. Whatever he called her, Winry didn't seem to mind, humming slightly as she went about her work.

 

**********

 

Roy grumbled from the dining room table, holding a chuck of ice wrapped in a damp rag over his forehead, “You know steaks are better for this.”

 

From the kitchen, Riza laughed softly, working on peeling potatoes with a knife, “And spoil supper? I'm not wasting good meat on your foolishness. You shouldn't have been chasing him anyway. You're a grown man for goodness sake, but you're so . . . childish sometimes.”

 

He did nothing but smirk at her criticism, “So I stooped to his level, once. It won't happen again. Besides, I'm sure he's getting more torture out of the mishap from his mechanic than I am.”

 

She turned away, hiding the grin on her face from his comment while throwing away the waste. Somehow she doubted that given the lack of pained screams coming from the other side of the apartment where they'd left the mechanic girl to work on him. No, she didn't believe that for a moment. In fact, she had to wonder a moment if it was a good idea to leave them be for the completely opposite reason. The blonde woman nearly blushed at that stray thought, working on peeling another potato faster in distraction. No, no, no, she would not think that! And yet . . . it was rather odd exactly how friendly the two teenagers had been in the car . . .

 

Suddenly, Riza Hawkeye was very grateful their bedrooms were on opposite sides of the newly conjoined apartments. “Dinner will be ready soon. I'll make sure they're ok once the meat is cooking,” she announced out loud if only to sooth her thoughts.

 

“Tickets came in today according to Havoc, Falman will drop them off tomorrow with some more papers for us,” Roy said, changing the topic as she worked.

 

“Who's names did you put on them for our young companions?”

 

“Mr. Johnson and Miss Doe?”

 

“Roy . . . you should have let me pick, that's horrible of you . . . I shudder to think what you did with ours.”

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith?”

 

The knife in Riza's hand slipped, almost catching on her finger until she got control of it again after a moment. She glared at him in shock, slowly turning cherry red to the roots of her hair. He chuckled and then ducked as she threw the root vegetable in his direction. Of course he had lied to her. The tickets were actually for Mr. and Mrs. Roy Mustang, but she didn't need to know that quite yet.

 

**********

 

Finished, Winry let his foot slip off her lap as she stretched. The mechanic then stood up only to plop back down on the couch next to Edward. “Let me see the arm,” she ordered, tugging on his black sweater.

 

He complied without argument, pulling the garment over his head before tossing it down next to him. No matter how many times they'd done this before, a small thrill still ran through her each and every chance she got to see him half-naked under the pretense of automail examinations. The metal was always as perfect as his flesh, so much muscle packed in such a small, scarred body. Even the tiny lines of angry red scratches on his arm looked fitting. How he ever did it she'd never know, but she still loved to look at him. Ed didn't blush this time under her scrutiny, but poked her out of her fixated stare as she twitched.

 

Normally Winry wasn't this bad about hiding that look she always got around him. It was a look of many things, a mixture of adoration, worship, desire, and love in her deep blue eyes, and it was gratifying to see. And yet, he had to wonder at how often he had missed it before during all these times when she played doctor over his limbs. The first time he'd probably ever noticed a hint of it was during the overhaul, but had he always looked at him like that? Maybe he was oblivious after all, but it didn't matter anymore if she kept on looking at him and only him like that.

 

Winry blushed slightly before turning her attention back to his arm, where it should have been as she scolded herself internally. Sitting in silence, the alchemist watched her move to kneel beside him, looking at her looking at him. She was trying so hard not to be distracted by him that she was unintentionally distracting him from doing anything but following the blue of her eyes, and the fleet work of her fingers.. Roughly fifteen minutes into her examination of the arm, she stopped, huffing in exasperation, “Would you quit it? I can feel those eyes of yours all over me, and it's . . .”

 

She sighed and went back to work as if she'd said nothing. A grin cropped up on his face as his voice dropped low to ask, “Nervous?”

 

Winry nearly dropped the tube of oil she held and looked at him, a flash of annoyed anger in her eyes. “Nervous? What's there to be nervous about?” she asked back with an edge of defiance in her voice until it deflated, “You know, just haven't seen you in a few months, talking about all sorts of indecent things on the phone. Now here we are, sitting in an unfamiliar apartment while trying to fix you, and you keep staring at me as if you're going to eat me.”

 

Ed's grin widened as she gave a short gasp at the unintended words, turning bright red. Now that she'd mentioned it while they were alone, that didn't sound like a bad idea. “Is that a wish or a fear? To be devoured?” he asked, the sound of his voice like electricity on her nerves.

 

The seed of nervousness she had been feeling and denying as soon as he took off his shirt welled up in the pit of her stomach. It didn't help that his amber eyes took on exactly the look she'd ascribed to them, the golden flecks dancing in hunger. The nervousness flared into desire, and she suddenly felt famished herself. “If I say yes, do I get to eat you too?” Winry asked, grinning just as much as he was.

 

Edward grabbed her hand suddenly as she dropped the closed oil container. He pulled her closer and turned until she was pressed against him. She hadn't even realized his metal arm was around her back until it was there, grasping her neck and drawing her head in towards his lips. His mouth touched hers gently, warm and only growing warmer as her head tilted to the side of its own accord. It was an invitation to more she'd unconsciously became used to giving to him. Ed's arms moved down her back and shoulders, accepting it as his tongue slipped into her mouth. An inaudible sound came from the back of her throat, blooming into a louder moan the more she pressed back. Winry's hands tangled in his near-perfect braid, ruining it, but he didn't care. It only encouraged him more as the kiss hardened.

 

Her mouth made good on its promise, consuming him as much as he consumed her. Her hand yanked sharply on his hair, forcing his head up as her kiss ravaged his mouth. She was taking over again for the both of them. For a twinge of a second he felt nervous himself. There was always something about her in control that made him feel small. Not this time. With a grunt of effort, Ed grabbed her shoulders and twisted, pulling her down. Winry looked up at him as she was laid across his lap, rendered helpless to touch him in this position. His mouth didn't let up, pulling away from the barest of breaths as she struggled under him, squirming in need.

 

His metal hand slid around the side of her torso and she froze, feeling exposed and vulnerable despite still wearing all her clothes. She could feel the cold metal lift up the front of her shirt slightly followed by the fingers she'd crafted slipping under her skirt, then under her underwear. Her back arched in his lap the closer his hand got to touching her, and louder too even if her cries were muffled by his mouth. All of Winry's incessant squirming and struggling only hardened his desire and longing. He wanted her, badly, if the growing bulge in his pants had anything to say about it. The heart beat in his ears was so loud that he could barely hear the foot steps from the hallway. Wait, footsteps?

 

Edward's hand slipped so quickly and roughly that she yelped, going from bliss to annoyance in record time, “What the-?”

 

And then she heard the sound from the hall too.

 

Winry jumped off of his lap quickly only to slip and fall onto the carpeted floor. Normally, he would have been very concerned for her if he wasn't struggling to get his sweater back on. The mechanic didn't act injured at all as she scrambled to clean up the tools all around her. Ed had barely managed to tuck his shirt back into his pants when Lieutenant Hawkeye walked into the room and stopped dead at the scene. Were they caught? Maybe they were. Winry looked pretty frightened when she saw the other woman, but then again, so was he probably as his face tightened. “Am I interrupting something?” Riza asked, eyeing them both suspiciously.

 

“No-.”

 

“No, I was just finishing up. Edward should be fine now unless he slips on ice again,” Winry said with a smile that reached up to her eyes, “Maybe next time he'll be more fortunate to crack his head instead.”

 

“Hey!” he yelled as she giggled, whacking him with a handy wrench on his real knee as he jumped from the pain, “Ouch! Quit hitting me!”

 

The mechanic girl stuck her tongue out at him, and Riza bought it all, smiling as she turned away to go back down the hall. “Dinner will be ready soon, don't take too long,” she said after before disappearing from where she came.

 

As soon as the woman was gone, Winry let out the breath she'd been holding, “Explain to me again why we shouldn't let them know we're more than just friends?”

 

“Because I'd never hear the end of it from the Colonel?”

 

“Why is it any of his business given what you've told me about what he does with Riza?”

 

“Because he'd tell the office too, and all those guys would eventually tell Al . . .”

 

“Why don't you tell him yourself?”

 

That was a thought he'd given time in his head before. It still didn't sit right with him to let his younger brother know that he was sleeping with their childhood best friend, not when his brother didn't stand a chance with her himself. The pitiful look on Edward's face was enough to tell her that the answer to her question wasn't worth prolonging an argument. And yet, it still nagged at her insecurity, “You're . . . not ashamed of me are you?”

 

A look of dismay came over the alchemist's face, and he shook his head violently before asking, “Winry? How can you even think that? Why would I ever be ashamed of you?”

 

“Because you don't want anyone finding out we're together . . .” she said, not holding back on the hurt tone as she went back to cleaning up, ignoring him. Winry heard him get up from the couch and felt his presence over her shoulder before his hands on her. Edward slowly drew her to her feet then wrapped his arms over her body. Slowly, she relaxed and melted into the embrace, shivering as his breath tickled the fine hairs on the back of her neck. His face nuzzled close to the side of her neck, his nose rubbing against her metal earrings as he whispered, “I love you, and one day, when everything I've done has been fixed, then the world will know how much, just wait for me.”

 

A beautiful smile he couldn't see spread across Winry's face, “You know just how to make a girl feel better.”

 

Pulling away momentarily, she spun around in his arms and kissed him, quick and hard before he even stood a chance of moving or responding. Moments later, she was gone from Edward's hold and dancing across the floor with a bounce in her step as she moved towards the hallway. He stood there, stunned, helpless to do anything as she giggled at him. It took her voice teasing him with his own name to break him out of the reverie, “Edward . . .”

 

He turned to face her, the dumbest grin ever on his face as she continued, “Time for dinner, short-stuff.”

 

The insult never even registered in his brain. She could have called him the shortest short-short that was even short, and he probably could have taken it as a compliment. Edward didn't even seem to care about dinner . . . so long as he got Winry for dessert. “And after?” he asked, the hungry look back in his amber eyes as she giggled.

 

Slowly, her grin diminished into a gentle smile even if her blue eyes promised much more while moving down the hall, “Tonight, leave your door open a little.”

 

The dumb grin only got stupider as he followed her, “Aren't you worried about getting caught?”

 

“Somehow, I think our supposed guards will be too busy with each other, wouldn't you agree?”

 

**********

 

To Be Continued in Of Ballet and Bullets, Part 9, Deep Throat