Resolve- A New Year, EdWinry

Resolve

Ed rubbed his automail arm, staring at the far wall, a slight crease between his eyebrows.

“I’m almost done,” Winry reported, down by where she was working on his leg. “Do you think you can last a few more minutes?” Her tone was a little irritated, and she bit her lip, trying to soften her voice. “I know you’re in a hurry.”

“Huh?” Ed gave a start. “Oh. Yeah. Thanks. We do have to hurry.”

Winry briefly glanced up at him from her place kneeling on the floor. “Is something wrong? You’re rather...distracted.” He didn’t say anything. Winry looked up again, seeing that he was staring hard at the wall again, this time frowning a little, fist under his chin. The sunlight reflected off of his eyes- when he noticed her looking and stared at her, Winry felt for a moment that she was blinded, her stomach doing a summersault.

“Ed?” She questioned, voice very quiet.

He blinked, evidently coming back from whatever faraway thoughts had consumed him.

“What?”

Winry shook her head, rolling her eyes. “Nothing. You just seem distracted.”

“Mmm.” Ed didn’t say anything else, and after a moment of silence, Winry resumed her work on his leg. A few seconds passed, the only sound being that of the metal tools clinking against automail.

“...Winry?” Ed’s voice was a little hesitant, his hand lowering form his chin to make a fist on his leg.

“Yeah?” Winry smiled a little, not looking up.

“Yesterday was the...new year, right?”

Winry cocked her head to one side, surprised. “Uh-huh. Why do ask?”

He sucked in a small breath, but didn’t speak for a moment. “I’ve just been...thinking,” He admitted. “Isn’t there this tradition for the new year...”

“Yeah?” Winry tried not to look up at him. Which tradition was he talking about? Surely not the one about kissing.......right?

“...Something about making resolutions, that have to be carried out before the start of the next new year...that’s a tradition, right?” He chose his words carefully, speaking slowly, so that he wouldn’t say the wrong thing. He wanted her to understand- to know.

“That’s a tradition, yes.” Winry tried not to feel a bit disappointed. “What are you getting at, exactly?” She tucked some hair behind her ear.

Ed exhaled slowly. A thick pause rose between them, but Winry didn’t break it, just waiting for him to say what he wanted to say- or to just dismiss it like he so often did.

“It’s a symbol of our resolve,” He said abruptly. “That’s what me and Al say about our house. That we know there’s no turning back...but I’ve been thinking lately...”

“Thinking what?” He just kept surprising her. Normally she could read him just as well as Al, but now he was just confusing her.

“I guess...well, I guess I just know that our house isn’t the only symbol resolve that we have anymore.” He looked at her, willing her to turn her head up at him. After a moment, she did, meeting his gaze with slightly bemused eyes. They stared at each other- both looking away with heated faces at the same time. Winry cleared her throat.

“You’re leg’s done. You...you can go now.” She stood up, walking around the chair he was in, determinedly not looking at him.

After a moment he stood as well, slipping on his gloves and boots. He stopped at the door, steeling himself. “I’ll come back,” he said very quietly. “Me ‘n Al- we’ll come back. We’ll come back alive. That’s...my resolve. To come home. Who am I to break tradition, right?” He grinned a little.

Winry licked her lips, desperately trying to hold in the words that came up her throat. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she said softly, eyes lowered.

“Don’t say that!” He whirled around and Winry jumped, turning to see him stomp over to her, getting right in her face, eyes hard and angry, mouth curling in a snarl. “Al and I WILL get our original bodies back, we WILL come back, and you’ll be so happy that you’ll cry! Just like I promised!” He poked her in the shoulder, moving so that their noses were almost touching. “THAT’S my resolve- my promise. And I never...” He lowered his voice. “Never...break my promises. Got it?” He was breathing hard, eyes still fierce.

Winry stared at him, the flare of anger she had felt melting away. She couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll hold you to that,” She whispered. “And in the meantime, I’ve got a resolve of my own...” She moved closer, and Ed realized just how close they were, noses brushing against each other. He felt his face flush, but found himself unable to move away, even though a part of him was screaming for him to run. The rest of him was paralyzed, a knot in his stomach that was oddly pleasurable.

“I resolve...” Winry murmured, eyelids half-closed. “To do this more often, when you come back.” She leaned in, gently pressing her lips to his. He stiffened, a small squeak escaping him, eyes going wide and blush deepening. But then his eyes closed and he responded a bit clumsily. Just as he felt he was actually doing it right- but only practice would make perfect, a sneaky voice in him whispered- Winry pulled back.

Her cheeks were pink, and she shyly lowered her eyes, before raising them to meet his again, as he leaned forward, kissing her again. He was a little unsure, but soon he grew more comfortable, and they leaned against each other, lips and tongues exploring. It was sweet, and Winry had to force herself to pull back so that she could breathe. She leaned her forehead against his, panting a little.

Ed smirked suddenly. “I like that resolve.”

Winry leaned back, rolling her eyes, lightly smacking him on the arm. Then she smiled. “I like your resolve, too.”

His face became serious, and he nodded, stepping back. He stared at her for a long moment, seeming to teeter on the edge of kissing her again, before he turned around, heading for the door. He stopped, just before it, one hand resting on the doorframe.

“I’ll come back,” He said, and his head was lowered a little, eyes on the floor. “Me and Al- we’ll come back. We’ll come back, and you’ll cry tears of happiness. I promise.” His hand tightened on the doorframe. “And I keep my promises. Remember that.” He twitched a little toward her, as if he wanted to look at her again, but then he walked out, the sound of his footsteps echoing as he went to the front door, meeting up with the suit of armor that was waiting for him.

Winry smiled, closing her eyes and touching her fingers to her lips. “I’ll hold you to that, Ed,” she whispered, looking out the window to wave at their backs as they left her again.

Al turned, giving a big wave. She was barely able to hear his shout of : “Bye Winry! We’ll see you!” And she knew that if he had his face, it would’ve been wearing a gigantic smile. As usual, Ed only gave a half wave, not turning around, coat swaying slightly behind him. Smiling, Winry waved back. She knew that a lot could happen, there was much that she worried about and wondered about their lives- but now she knew.

“That’s my resolve...” He’d said. He believed it- and Al believed it. They knew it- and now Winry knew it too. She would wait for them, only guessing at the danger on their path- for she knew that she’d only gotten a glimpse of it during the incident with Scar- but despite all of this, she would wait. She’d been doing it for so long, never sure if they would- or wanted- to come back. She’d always been waiting for them- she could do it a little longer. And Winry smiled, her forehead against the window. Now, she knew:

They would always return.