A/N: Long time no see! Sorry about the long wait, but here it is, the first part of the “grande finale”. I can’t believe we are finally here :’) I’m so excited (and also terrified) to write… whatever it is that comes next. Some important figure skating info for those who are not that familiar with the sport: like I hopefully make clear enough in my fic, the competition consists of two parts, short skate and free skate, and this chapter has the short skate part.
This chapter is dedicated again to some of my very favorite people on this website, aka @criis55 and @automail-freak-and-alchemy-freak because you guys have blessed me with so many pics, and there aren’t enough words to describe how much it means to me. You are simply wonderful ♥
Please enjoy and REVIEW because that way we’ll finally get to the part you all have been waiting for 😉 (Oops now I spoiled it)
Companion pieces (note: these are all post Olympics happenings so reading the main fic first is recommended):1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Words: 2100+
Genre: general
Warnings: swearing, no news there 😀
“Brother,
you seem kinda anxious,” Al noted as the two of them were approaching the
figure skating arena. It was finally the day of Winry’s individual short
program, and like promised, Ed was taking Al to see the competition. Which of
the brothers was more nervous (about two very different things), was up for
debate.
“I do not!
You’re the one who hasn’t shut up about Mei Chang the entire morning! I don’t think we should interrupt her
today; this is her most important competition so far and I bet she is just as
focused as Winry is.”
“Since when
are you the voice of reason of the two of us?” Al frowned at his brother,
looking genuinely surprised. “Are you really the same person who left home two
weeks ago?”
“I… of
course I am! Why wouldn’t I be?” Ed asked nearly aggressively, his stuttering
and the red blotches on his cheeks betraying him.
“I don’t
know, maybe because you’re in looooove,” Al stressed the last word as
annoyingly as possible. “And you know what they say about love? They say it changes
people.”
“I… just…
Listen, can we just go inside now? It’s fucking cold out here.” The glare Ed
shot at Al would have scared someone who wasn’t as familiar with him as Al was.
He didn’t let the topic go that easily.
“We can,
but you can’t deny what I just said.”
“You can’t
deny a fist on your face soon. The automail one.” Ed lifted his right hand
threateningly.
Al snorted.
“You know, that sounds more like the Edward I know.”
Ed punched
Al on the shoulder, although just lightly, but the younger brother didn’t even
seem to notice. He stopped on his tracks, his gaze on a person who had just
come out from the arena through the side door only the competitors and staff were
allowed to use. She had dark, braided hair and a red (Xing’s national color)
coat covering her short, pink dress in which she was supposed to perform. She
seemed to be on her way for a quick warm-up jog, not noticing the two golden
haired boys near her. When she started running, a small bow fell from her dress,
and Al decided to yell after her.
“Ex-excuse
me, miss, you just dropped something!”
She turned
to look at the speaker and noticed the bow on the ground, picking it up before
turning her attention fully to the two quite fascinating looking boys.
“Oh! Thank
you so much!” She had an unreadable expression on her face for a moment, as she
kept taking them in. “Do I… know you from somewhere?
“I don’t
think so,” Al answered.
“Wait a
second…” She finally recognized them, and Ed swore she had stars in her eyes
when she asked Al: “Oh my god, are you Edward Elric? This is such an honor…”
Al just
stood there awkwardly for a moment, not knowing what he should tell her.
Finally, he decided to go for the truth: “Sorry, I believe you got us mixed…
I’m Alphonse Elric, and this is my
brother Edward.” He pointed at his shorter older brother. The girl eyed Ed suspiciously;
admittedly, he didn’t look his best at that moment. Everything about him
screamed he had just been in a fight; he had small bruises on his face, his leg
was in a cast, his untied hair was sticking to various directions, and the worn
leather jacket he had chosen to wear to avoid being associated with team
Amestris was hazily thrown on his shoulders.
“Re-really?” she asked, “I… always had a different kind of picture of
you in my head…”
Ed grumbled something incoherent under his breath, making Al laugh and
say: “Don’t mind him. He’s always been like that. I… I’m gonna assume that you
are Mei Chang, aren’t you?” he asked, suddenly more shyly.
“Yes, that’s me,” she admitted. “How did you know?”
“I may have watched your performances on TV…” Al answered, blushing just
slightly.
“That’s funny because I’ve heard a whole lot about you! My brother’s the captain of team Xing so he talks about hockey
and different hockey players a lot…” She shook her head and continued: “Honestly,
I can’t believe I ran into the Elric brothers right before my competition! Are
you going to watch it?”
“Yes, actually! Well, Ed here is going there to see his girlfriend” (Ed’s glare towards Al was
nearly deathly this time) “but I am really looking forward to seeing your
performance!” Al said smoothly.
“Oh, really? So, Mr. Alphonse.” Mei seemed to have lost the last of her
interest in Ed with the g-word, but instead she casted Al a curious look when
she asked: “Are you the older brother?”
Ed, who understood she was referring to his height, had almost reached
his boiling point and asked angrily: “What makes you think that?”
Al immediately stepped in: “I think my brother here is simply trying to tell
that he’s the older one. But that doesn’t matter, I got the looks and the
wits.”
Mei giggled at Al’s joke. “Alphonse, you’re too much.”
“Pffft.” Al waved it off.
May checked her watch and noted: “Hey, I should be going, but do you
think we could continue this conversation maybe once my competition is over?”
“Su-sure!” Al replied, flustered and surprised by the fact that he had
managed to attract this girl’s interest so quickly. “Where should we meet? Do
you know any good cafes or restaurants here?”
“I know
some! But I really need to go now so let’s text later, OK?” She slipped a piece
of paper with her phone number into Al’s hand. “See you soon!”
“See you!”
“How… did
you do that?” Ed asked when Mei was out of hearing distance, looking beyond
shocked.
“Oh
brother, some people just have the skill. And you know, politeness can take you
far.”
Ed just
rolled his eyes and started heading towards the front doors of the figure
skating arena.
…
Winry was waiting
for her turn in her dressing room. Even though she was nervous, a weird kind of
confidence was surging through her, making her feel less awful. After all, this
time she was only responsible for her own performance, and no matter what
happened, at least it’d be over after this competition. Weirdly enough, one
part of her was very eager to find out what would happen after that… And she
realized she felt that way because she’d finally get to know what was going to
happen to her and Ed.
Ed. She
wasn’t 100% sure if she had done the right thing by asking for some space,
because after the practices, when she was alone in her room, her thoughts
started drifting towards unwanted direction. But she tried to reason that he
needed that space just as much as she did, because admittedly things between
them had progressed fast. It would probably do good to him to have some
thinking time.
She allowed
her thoughts to drift for one more second, wishing she’d see the brothers in
the audience, before someone announced that it would be her turn soon. She closed
her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, stretched her back and arms and started
walking towards the rink. There was a mirror on her way, and this time, she
could see the swan she was supposed to be for this performance more clearly. As
she observed her reflection for a moment, she realized the white dress or the
feathers in her hair didn’t do it, it was her facial expression.
The
previous skater got her points, and Winry started gliding on the ice. There
were so many people watching her that she couldn’t spot the two golden haired
boys, but she trusted they were there. Now it wasn’t time to think about them,
it was time to convince everyone who was watching her that she was worth an
Olympic medal.
Thankfully, the routine was so familiar to her that even her nervousness
couldn’t make her forget it. Her first element was the layback spin. Winry started
pretty carefully, having just enough speed to keep the spin up long enough to
not lose points. In the story she had built around this routine, it was
supposed to represent all the confusion the swan felt when she realized she
didn’t belong to the group she was in. After that she took her first steps in
the outside world, shaky and insecure. The step sequence had always been her
favorite part, because it allowed her to express the vulnerability she herself
had felt after her parents’ death, a feeling that was difficult to express
orally.
Next came the difficult triple lutz – triple loop combination, and she
knew that if she nailed it, she’d be a strong medal contender. The landing wasn’t
as perfect as she had hoped but at least she had done everything she was
supposed to do and didn’t think she’d lose a lot of points for it. After that she
was time for her axels. That was the part she was particularly nervous about
because of the outcome last time. She knew a double axel was usually no problem
for her, but… what if her foot started hurting again? She had another
performance already the next day and she couldn’t afford to get injured…
She sighed of relief (hoping it wasn’t too obvious, though, because even
her facial expressions mattered in a tough competition like this) when she
managed to land safely, and the foot didn’t react to it in any way. Now she had
gone through the hardships the swan of her story experienced, and the rest of
her routine would be easier. The last jumps, another short step sequence, and two
different spins (that she was notably more confident about than the first one)
to finish the routine. Her smile was wide and genuine when she bowed and curtsied
to the audience. Suddenly, she thought she saw a tiny bit of gold in the
audience, not too far from her, her smile widening even more. She was out of
breath and her ears were ringing a bit, but that didn’t matter at the moment.
She knew she had definitely done better than last time.
Would it be enough, though? That she couldn’t say yet, because some of
her toughest competitors were yet to skate, and a lot would naturally depend on
her free program as well.
Garfiel came to her when she left the rink and hugged her.
“You nailed it, girl! I’m sure you’ll win this!”
“Uh, thanks,” Winry said modestly, “but I wouldn’t cheer too much yet.
We don’t even know my points!”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve seen you perform thousands of times and I
know that was one of your best ones yet. If the judges didn’t see that… they
are blind.”
Winry just smiled as Garfiel guided her to the seats where they would
listen to the point announcement.
…
“Aand Winry Rockbell’s points are… 81,95!”
“Is that good? Is that good? Al, is that good?” a very nervous young man
in the audience asked his brother as the audience around them was roaring
excitedly.
“Hell yes it is! There are only a couple of skaters in this group who
can come anywhere near that amount of points,” Al answered, happy about Winry’s
success.
“In that case…” Ed jumped from his seat and yelled: “FUCK YES! THAT’S MY
GIRL!”
“Ed, you might want to calm down a bit,” Al reminded him. “Unless you
want that reporter to find you again…”
“If she wins this entire thing, I don’t care to whom I’ll be telling how
awesome my girlfriend is.”
“Ed. Girlfriend?”
Ed’s eyes widened when he realized what he had just said, but there was
no point in denying it anymore.
“Um… I am… kinda… planning to ask her once this thing is over…”
“That’s awesome! I’m so happy you’ve finally come to your senses!” Al
exclaimed, getting a sour look from Ed.
“I wish we could go to celebrate with her,” Ed said much more to himself
than to Al, but Al tried to cool him down:
“This competition isn’t over yet. Mei’s pretty good, you know.”
…
Everyone’s points were announced, and it turned out Winry finished the
short program in the second place. Lan Fan from Xing had bested her with 0,10
points, and Mei Chang was only 0,2 points behind her. Paninya was fourth with
78 points and Rose wasn’t far behind either. Overall, Winry was content because
she knew she had done her best, and everything was still up in the air; 0,10
points was nothing in the free program event where more points were given. When
she left the arena, she felt happier than she had in a while. But that was only
until she saw a conflicting view in front of her.
Whoops this took longer then I expected since I had to charge my pen 😅 but I finally finished another Love Can Melt The Ice drawing ✨ I honestly love drawing Winry @winryofresembool
Yesterday @winryofresembool asked me: “how do you think is LCMTI going to end?” And I told her my thoughts which can be summed up to this:
Tiia, I know I can’t reach to where you are but I can dedicate you this EdWin drawing. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have drawn this, so know that your work IS appreciated!
I want to see you smile more often! So I hope this makes your day better and let you know that there’s people out there that cares about you and your work!
Sometimes this happens during their shared practices…
A/N: 17 chapters already? Wow. And I have all you lovely people to thank for that, this fic wouldn’t exist without you guys 🙂 I keep saying that this fic is gonna end soon but now I’m almost certain there’s only the “grande finale” left (it will probably be 3 chapters, lol). If someone wants to help me to write figure skating, hit me up. Enjoy and please review because that way you’ll get the grande finale (and MAYBE even the thing you all have been looking forward to, but NO PROMISES) faster :’) BTW, if you haven’t read my companion piece A Letter to Winry yet, I do recommend reading it because it might have a role later in this fic.
Ps. Thanks again for everyone who’s been drawing stuff for this fic, you guys are incredible!
Companion pieces (note: these are all post Olympics happenings so reading the main fic first is recommended):1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Words: 1300+
Genre: general?
Warnings: mention of a miscarriage
”Isn’t it my
old student Edward? It’s been a long while.”
Like he had
decided earlier that morning, Ed called to the most maternal person he had in
his life. She was Izumi Curtis, his old “nanny” and teacher. Izumi was very
strict when it came to training and household work, but she was also someone whose
opinion Ed respected, and whose relationship with her husband was probably the
longest and healthiest one he knew. Truth to be told, Ed was sometimes slightly
scared of her because of her random outbursts, but he also knew she was fair
and wouldn’t just shrug off his issue.
“Uh, yeah,
it has…” Ed couldn’t help but rub his neck awkwardly even though Izumi couldn’t
see him. “Sorry about that… I’ve just been busy. So, how’s everything in
Dublith? How are you and Mr. Sig doing?”
“The
business has been, well, busy lately!” Izumi answered, deciding to start from a
safe topic. “Sig and I are having our hands full with our shop. But why do I
have a feeling that that’s not actually why you are calling me?”
“How can
you hear it through the phone?” Ed couldn’t hide his amazement. She was obviously
right, but he wasn’t going to jump to the reason of his call that fast.
“Because
even though we haven’t seen each other in a while, I know you, Ed. You never
call people just to ask how they are doing.”
Ed had to
admit he had never been a phone call person, not even before the Nina incident.
“Ouch. That might be kinda true, though, unfortunately.”
“Yes, I
know it is. Anyway, before we get to the reason of your call, I need to ask: how
did you allow yourself to get hurt like that?! Wasn’t playing at the Olympics
your dream even before I left your home? Didn’t I teach you to always watch
your back?”
Even though
Ed knew about his old teacher’s temper, he was still slightly taken aback by
her questions.
“Hey, it’s
not like I planned that to happen! That guy just got mad and completely blindsided
me! Do you think I’m enjoying not being able to walk not to mention to play?”
“You’re
right,” Izumi sighed, “of course you didn’t. Sorry, it’s been a tough few
months for us, and I got so worried when I saw you getting hurt…”
“What do
you mean with ‘it’s been a tough few months’? Has something happened?”
It was
quiet for a while. “Yes. You could say that.”
Ed felt he
never knew what to say in a situation like this.
“Uh, I’m
sorry. Do you… want to talk about it?”
“I guess
you deserve to know. You know how Sig and I have tried to get pregnant ever
since we got married?”
“Yeah, you
have mentioned it…”
“Well, I
finally did get pregnant about 4-5 months ago…”
“What? How come
you never told us that?” Ed asked, both surprised and confused. Hadn’t Izumi
just said something was wrong?
“Because we
lost the baby, Ed,” she replied with a shaky voice, even though she was trying
her best to keep her cool. “I was about two months pregnant when it happened…
And when the doctor did some tests on me afterwards, she said it would be
dangerous to try again. So, we won’t…”
Ed knew being
a mother had been a lifelong dream of his old teacher, and even though he
couldn’t see her, he thought he could hear the pain in her voice. “Teacher, I’m
so sorry…”
“Don’t be
sorry for things that are out of your control!” she said surprisingly harshly,
and Ed thought she might have smacked him had she been in the same room with
him. Thankfully, she wasn’t. But that didn’t make him any less worried for her.
“How… are
you feeling?” he asked cautiously once he was fairly sure she wouldn’t explode again.
“Been
better, that’s for sure. But we just have to accept this is what was meant to
happen. I have sort of gotten used to the thought by now.”
“Are going
to try adoption?” Ed asked, trying to think of a safer topic to talk about.
“I’m not
sure. I think… the wound is still too open.”
“Believe
me, I understand,” Ed said suddenly, to Izumi’s surprise. She didn’t know about
Nina yet.
“What do
you mean? You haven’t lost a child, have you?”
“No, I
haven’t. But I lost someone who was almost like a little sister to me, in the
worst possible way. That hit me so hard it’s partially the reason why I haven’t
really…”
“Been in
contact with us? You idiot! Keeping all that inside you is the worst thing you
could do to yourself! Haven’t I taught you anything?”
“Y-you h-have,
teacher!”
It was
silent for a while again, before Izumi said: “Well, I’m glad you came out about
it, now.”
A sudden thought
occurred to Ed: “Can I ask you something, teacher?”
“Edward, I
haven’t been your teacher for several years. You can stop calling me that. I’m
Izumi.”
“OK, Izumi,
can I ask you something?”
“I think
you already did.”
“Whatever…
Uh, so, after the… loss, was it difficult for you to communicate with Sig? You guys
are alright, right?”
Izumi
seemed to consider her answer for a moment before saying: “I admit that for a
few weeks I just wanted to hide from him, because I was so ashamed of myself and
felt guilty for the miscarriage, but he dragged me out of my room and said he
wouldn’t allow me to blame myself for it. It opened my eyes to see that he really
loved me no matter what, and eventually we managed to talk things through and
are now better than ever. If there’s something I learned from that experience,
it’s that I am so lucky to have found someone who has seen me on my bad day but
is there to support me no matter what. If you ever find someone like that… don’t
let them go.”
Winry’s
face flashed in front of Ed’s eyes once Izumi said that. Wasn’t that exactly
what she had done? She had seen his worst moments yet hadn’t given up on him. And
if Ed was honest? Even though the leg was a pain and having to watch the others
play was frustrating, he had also had some of his best moments in a long, long
while during the Olympics. And he had Winry to thank for that.
“Oh. Thank
you, Izumi.”
“For what?”
She asked with confusion.
“I think I
finally know what I should do.” He said quietly, smiling at the phone with
relief.
“I know a
lot of things, but I don’t know what you are talking about now,” Izumi noted,
and Ed was sure she was rolling her eyes at him on the other side of the line.
“It’s a
long story… Or maybe not that long… I met this girl a few weeks ago, and… we have
had our fair share of problems, but I finally know what I want to do with this…
situation.”
“You met a
girl? A girl as in a girlfriend? My tiny student really is growing up!”
“I’m not
tiny! And don’t… say… that!”
“So, tell
me all about her! Who is she? Is she an athlete? Is she smart? How did you
meet?”
“Tea…
Izumi, calm down. We met at the figure skating arena, and…”
The call got
surprisingly long, with Ed describing what had happened at the Olympics
(leaving the more private things out, though, because he felt those belonged to
him and Winry only) and Izumi asking questions, but when they were finished, Ed
felt he was finally seeing clearly. Now, all he needed to do was to wait until
Winry was ready to see him again…
Happy birthday @randomlyopeneddictionary!! I was planning to draw for you at first, but then I saw @drrockbell‘s beautiful (and sad) fic and decided that I wanted to write down Ed’s thoughts as well. And since I know you like LCMTI, I thought why not. I imagine Ed wrote this letter right after the events of chapter 16, but he wasn’t actually going to give it to Winry (hence why the language he wouldn’t use otherwise). How she will learn to know about it, though, will probably be a story for another time 😉 Stay tuned and R&R (read and review, not rest&relax) because some encouragement would be much needed.
Words: 930+
Warnings: probs a couple of swear words because Ed is Ed.
Genre: fluff
Winry,
Words have
always been difficult to me.
Even though
you already know my darkest secrets, there’s still so much I haven’t told you.
I wish I could say these things out loud, but every time I try, the words… they
get stuck in my throat. That’s why I’m writing this letter, because writing my
thoughts on this paper, I have time to consider how to express myself without
making myself an idiot or saying something I might regret soon. Well, I guess I’m
still an idiot, but hopefully an idiot you like? Even though I don’t quite
understand why.
OK, on to
the actual topic of this letter, I guess. Before the Olympics, I was in a bad
place. This is probably a cliched expression, but I was alone in a locker room
full of people, and only a couple of people (mostly: Al) managed to break
through that invisible barrier that I had created. My dad tried, my teammates
tried, many girls who just cared about my hockey player status tried. I don’t
know why I just said that, but I guess I want to be honest with you. I didn’t
understand why I didn’t like any of them, even before finding out how shallow
some of them were, but now I know. They weren’t you.
When was
the first moment I realized you were someone I should keep in my life? It was as
early as when I showed you my automail for the first time and noticed you were excited. I had never, ever seen such
reaction before. Believe it or not, many seem to find it intimidating, scary,
but you were fascinated by it. It was then I knew that you weren’t like those
others.
And even
though I acted like an idiot during and after the hotel room incident, you didn’t
give up. You forgave me and were ready to start from a clean slate. You
encouraged me to talk, and somehow, even though I didn’t really even know you
yet, I felt like I could talk to you. You probably don’t notice it yourself,
but you radiate the kind of calmness and kindness and patience that makes it
easy to open up to you.
I’m gonna
be honest with you: the accident played a big part in me speaking my mind.
Hockey is one of the most important things in my life, because when I’m on the
ice, I can just focus on the moment and ignore for the rest of the world until
the game ends. I had been looking forward to this tournament for at least two
years, ever since I got the first hints that I might be chosen to the team. When
I found out I would be playing, I felt happier than I had felt for years. You know
what happened then. I found myself at the hospital, with a broken leg and a
note that I would not be playing for several months. Hell, I felt so angry and
frustrated that I nearly broke my other leg as well by kicking it against the end
of my bed too hard. And then you showed up and I was just ready to explode.
Even though
I just said the accident played a role in my outburst, I need you to know that
Al is the only person to whom I’ve talked about Nina before you. Yeah, some of
my teammates know about that incident, but only because Roy was the first
person to come to Tucker’s apartment after… everything, and he told them
about it. What I’m trying to say is that even though the situation was what it
was, I don’t just go around talking about my stuff to everyone who walks past
me. That means I already considered you someone special when I opened up.
And then I
learned to know more about you. You organized that awesome party (by the way, I
still can’t believe someone would do that to me) and when we talked that night, I realized
you understood me better than I thought was possible. You had gone through bad
things… and endured. Gotten even stronger. To that day I wasn’t sure I would
ever be able to do the same, but then I knew it was possible. And it was you
who made me feel that way.
I can’t
believe I’m writing this, but… I feel I’ve scratched only the surface of what I
feel about you so far. One thing I really like about you, though, is your
smile. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw you skating at the practice
arena, and it was the last thing I saw before you left the room this morning.
It’s… I don’t know another word for it, so let me use this: beautiful. It’s so
determined and full of hope, two things that I really appreciate. And when you
smile, your eyes shine in a way that makes my heart skip a beat. It makes me
want to… OK, I’m /not/ going to write that down, this letter is already cheesy
enough, but it’s one of those things that we haven’t done yet. Even though we
almost have several times. But I swore I wouldn’t let myself do that until… you know. I think this letter is a proof I’m getting closer to that point.
I could
continue longer, but Al is waiting, so I should stop writing. Just know that somehow, you have managed to break my shell even though I’ve tried to rebuild it so hard.
But I’m not gonna do that anymore. It’s still too early, and besides, you need
to focus on your competition, but one day, I hope I’ll be able to be brave
enough to tell you this: I’m falling for you too.
A/N: Whoops, somehow it’s been 17 days since my last update… *anime sweatdrop* Well, better late than never! I keep saying that we are getting closer to the end, and we are, but there’s /still/ at least 3 chapters left. I don’t really have much else to say, so please, please, read and review because it will make me happy 🙂
Edit: OH, I forgot a very important thing!! This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful @automail-freak-and-alchemy-freak who drew some beautiful figure skater Winry art for me, and I’m honestly still so amazed :’)) This is a thank you for you!
Companion pieces (note: these are all post Olympics happenings so reading the main fic first is recommended):1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Words: 2300+
Genre: ummmmm… maybe a bit of fluff, mostly just ‘general’
Warnings: swearing
Ed woke up
sweaty, his heart pounding rather fast, and for a moment he thought he had seen
a nightmare that he didn’t remember anymore. But soon he realized the cause of
his ‘distress’ was the other person in his… well, technically, her bed. She was sleeping on his right
side, using his chest as her pillow, her leg tangled with his and her right arm
wrapped around his torso. She didn’t seem to mind the automail, which was
partially under her, one bit, to Ed’s huge surprise. The expression on her face
was peaceful, even happy, and Ed couldn’t help but wonder ‘how the fuck this
happened’.
For a while
he just laid there quietly, thinking about everything that had happened in such
a short while. They had been reunited only 13 days ago, yet somehow that time
had felt much longer. Even though Ed tried to push the thought away, already
something cold seeped into his heart when he remembered they would need to say goodbye
only in a few days. What would happen after that? He surely didn’t know.
Only 13
days ago she had skated into his life (he cringed a bit at the cheesy
expression he had picked) and changed it more than he thought was possible. It
all had started with that awkward question about a figure skating lesson. She
had promised to teach him and his team, giving them a chance to catch up. Somehow he
had told her about the automail during their third meeting, even though usually
it took him much longer to open up about it. Admittedly, Winry had felt it
through his glove, making lying pretty much pointless. But the weird kind of acquaintance
hadn’t ended at that; she had come into his room a day later, and he had made
that stupid mistake that still made him feel embarrassed. Looking back to that
moment, Ed realized that somehow, she had already wrapped him around her
fingers even though he hadn’t wanted to admit it. Roy had made him understand his
feelings a bit better, yet he had screwed up again only a few moments later. Then
the accident happened, ending his Olympic journey, but making up with her
almost made the pain and frustration worth it. After that, they had somehow
gotten even closer, sharing some of their biggest secrets and now even a bed,
and as he was staring her, he wanted to open up to her so badly and tell her he
was ready, but…
There was
the but. Could he really be the person she deserved? He was messed up, practically
raised by himself, he had never been in a committed relationship, and before
the Olympics he had thought he wouldn’t even want one. Al’s words from earlier echoed
in his mind: “you think you don’t deserve happiness.” Ed leaned his head
slightly closer to Winry, smelling her hair and thinking that if this was
happiness, maybe he could get used to it.
Suddenly a
plan formed in his head: he needed to have a talk with someone whose opinion he
truly valued, someone who was good at relationships… and after that, he’d
finally make his decision. That was what she deserved.
He was
pulled back from his thoughts when he felt slight movement next to him.
“Morning.”
He saw the
bright blue eyes staring at him, and to his annoyance, he blushed again. How
the hell did she do that to him?
“Good
morning to you too,” he tried saying nonchalantly, but his voice betrayed him.
“Have you
been awake for a long while?” Winry asked, slowly disentangling their limbs as
she must have felt just as hot as he did, Ed assumed.
“Nah, just
a few minutes. I didn’t want to wake you up. You looked so peaceful.”
“Aww. That’s
sweet.” They laid there quietly for a few minutes, until Winry started tracing two
small star shaped tattoos on Ed’s shoulder with her fingers.
“I never
got a chance to ask… Do these have some kind of meaning?”
“The
tattoos?” Ed asked, surprised. “Yeah, they are for my mum and Nina… That I
wouldn’t forget. Not that I ever would, but..”
“It’s OK.
You don’t have to explain it any further. They look nice.”
“Thanks. My
father wasn’t exactly thrilled when he found out, especially since I was only
16 back then and would have needed his permission… But I managed to persuade
the tattoo artist.”
“What a rebel,”
Winry poked him on his arm teasingly.
“Oh yeah? I
don’t see any tattoos on you, woman,” Ed retorted, realizing too late they were
so close their noses were almost bumping.
“Uh, what
time is it?” He asked quickly and sighed of relief when Winry turned to check her
watch that was lying on her night table.
“About 7:45,
it would seem. Oh!” Winry exclaimed and sat up as fast as she could. “I need to
get up right away then! Got a practice in 45 minutes… Guess I forgot to set the
alarm…”
“It happens. Isn’t your
next competition in two days already?” Ed asked. “Are you nervous about it?”
“I think I
am a bit… But on the other hand, everything that has happened within the past
few days has been a good distraction. I haven’t thought about it as much as I
would have otherwise.”
“Oh… I
guess that’s good?”
“It is…”
Winry seemed to brace herself a bit before adding: “you know, I’ve been
thinking. I don’t know how I should bring this up, because I don’t want you to
misunderstand… but I feel it might be better if we don’t spend time together
before my competitions are over. No nightly visits either.”
“OK?” Ed couldn’t
hide his confusion. Not too many hours ago she had confessed her feelings, and
now this? “Why, though?”
“Like I
just said, I get distracted in your company, and that’s… not what I need right before
my competition.” Winry sighed, then looked up and gave Ed a small smile. “You do
understand this is very, very important to me, don’t you?”
“Yes, of
course.” He nodded.
“Good. And
hey,” she added as she stood up, “you should take it as a compliment. It means you have an
impact on me.”
For about
the millionth time in Winry’s company, Ed turned bright red. Somehow he still managed to get recognizable sounds out of his mouth after Winry returned from the bathroom with her training outfit on: “One question: do you want me to be in the audience? I already promised Al I’d take
him to see figure skating. You know, because of that Mei girl.”
“If that’s
what you promised, then I think nothing can stop you!” Winry told him, secretly
happy that he still wanted to see her skate.
“Good. He
would have been devastated,” Ed said
dramatically.
“Are you
sure it’s Al you’re talking about?” Winry teased but got serious soon. “Listen,
I hope you get I’m not doing this because I dislike spending time with you or
anything… It’s quite the opposite,” she blushed fiercely remembering what she
had confessed last night. “This is just something I have to do. Besides, it’s
been quite intense emotionally lately. Maybe it’s a good thing to spend some
time apart?”
“Maybe. I
guess I understand what you mean. I might do the same thing if I was in your
position.”
“I’m glad
you understand.” She surprised him by giving him a quick hug and saying: “I
gotta go now, but I’ll see you soon enough.”
“See you.
And I guess good luck! The next time we see each other, you’d better have a
medal hanging from your neck!”
Winry grabbed
her sport bag and turned to look at him once more before leaving the room. “I’ll
do my best! And hey, remember the promise you told me about yesterday… Just
think about it, will you?”
Somehow
that one sentence changed the entire atmosphere in the room. Both had red
blotches on their cheeks and all Ed could do was to nod. The nod made Winry a
bit braver and she gave him a quick cheek kiss before rushing from the room. Ed
just sat on the bed looking dumbfounded, rubbing the same cheek Winry had
kissed absentmindedly. Her lips had felt so soft, and he was afraid he wouldn’t
be able to stop imagining them until they’d see each other again.
Pan and
Rose were whispering something in their corner of the locker room when Winry
arrived there.
“What’s
going on? Has something happened?” She asked them a bit nervously, not knowing
what to expect.
“Nothing
much… The Xingese just left the ice and both Mei Chang and Lan Fan pulled some jump
combos I haven’t ever even seen before.” Rose sighed sadly and shook her head. “I
don’t know how we can beat them.”
“Hey, now,
that’s a totally wrong attitude! They might look awesome at the practice, but you
know those awesome looking things often fail? I have firsthand experience on it…”
she reminded them about her incident in the team event.
“Right,” Rose
said, a bit embarrassed.
“You guys
are lucky Garfiel isn’t nearby, he’d beat your asses if he ever heard you talk
like that near him,” Winry lectured her friends. “Let’s remember that we are
professional athletes. Of course you want to beat them, but first and foremost,
you are here to beat yourselves. If after your performance you feel you did all
you could, then you know you succeeded in your mission.”
“Sometimes
I’m so amazed by your confidence,” Rose stated. “In fact, I think you have
gotten even more confident during this tournament compared to before… How do
you do that?”
“Because I
know there are people behind me who support me, no matter what.” Winry looked
at Rose and Paninya meaningfully. “Trust me, I haven’t always been like this. And…
talking about things has helped me a lot. I’ve had a very strange two weeks
here… but it has made me readier for this competition, I think.”
“Winry,”
Paninya said suddenly. “You’re glowing. Did you sleep with him?”
“What? No!” she denied immediately. “Although… technically I guess you could say that.”
“Did he spend
the night in your room again?” Paninya asked.
“He… may
have…” Winry blushed. “But nothing happened!”
“You don’t
look like ‘nothing’ happened. Just tell us,” Paninya urged and Rose nodded encouragingly next to her.
“I… Fine, I
confessed him.” Winry cringed of embarrassment when she remembered what she had
told Ed. “I believe my exact words were ‘I’m starting to fall for you’.”
“I’m so happy
for you!” Paninya threw her arm in the air as a sign of victory. “But what did
he say? Please tell me he said he likes you too.”
“I think he likes me back,” Winry answered
a bit uncertainly. “I mean, it sure seems that way. But he says he needs to be
sure he’s mentally ready for a relationship before he says or does anything he
might regret.”
“To me it
sounds like he’s completely smitten over you,” Paninya noted. “I know guys who
would just fuck with the girl, screw the consequences. But he’s spent two nights
with you now and hasn’t even tried to kiss you? That requires some willpower.”
“What are
you talking about?” Winry asked with confusion.
“Girl, have
you seen yourself? You’re gorgeous, and smart, and funny, and everything anyone
would want in their partner. I may
have had a crush on you when I was like 12,” Paninya confessed.
That was
news for Winry. “You did? You’ve never told me that.”
“Hey, like
I said, we were 12 back then. I got over it a looong time ago. Now I see you
more as some kind of a coach-sister-rival-friend combo. Rose, you know I love
you and only you, right?”
“Of course
I do, silly,” Rose smiled at her girlfriend and rubbed her back as a sign of
understanding.
“I still
can’t believe I won you over,” Pan shook her head with amazement. “What an awesome
thing it was that Winry’s guy told you to continue skating because otherwise we
wouldn’t have met.”
“You’re
right! What a small world and funny coincidence. I think I need to thank him at
some point. Win, will you send him my regards?” Rose asked, smiling softly.
Winry
rubbed her neck awkwardly. “I would, but… I sort of told him we shouldn’t see
each other until the competitions are over because I need to focus on this.
Gosh, what if he’s mad at me now? I tried to explain it to him but what if he
didn’t get my point?”
“Relax,
Winry. He’s a pro athlete. If he didn’t understand, he’s a lot stupider than
your boyfriend should be,” Paninya remarked.
Winry’s
eyes grew wide. “B-boyfriend?”
“Aha. Weren’t
you just talking about a relationship? Being in a relationship with him would
mean he would be your boyfriend. Are you sure you understand the concept?”
“Of course
I do!” Winry exclaimed, slightly embarrassed. “I’ve just… never… thought about
that word… before. In this context.”
“Oh boy, two dense people like you really deserve each other,” Pan sighed. “Rose, we have
always been great at sharing our emotions, haven’t we?”
“Sure, if
you ignore the fact that you were crushing for me for half a year before telling me.”
Rose winked at her girlfriend.
“It was
different! I was worried you were still too upset about… you know…” Paninya stammered,
referring to Rose’s late boyfriend’s accident.
“Right… And
I appreciate you giving me the time and space,” Rose said, taking Pan’s hand
into hers. “You seem to know exactly what I need, and that’s why I love you.”
“Aww, guys,
you are so sweeeeeeet,” Winry said with a slightly teasing tone.
“Yeah yeah,
you are not the only one who’s allowed to have an Olympic romance, you know.”
Pan retorted, and suddenly all three girls burst out laughing.
“No matter
what happens, I guess we can still say this journey has definitely been an
experience,” Winry concluded for all of them.
Finally finished it! I based her costume off one that @winryofresembool drew since it looks adorable on Winry. Hopefully you like it!
(Seriously is none of you have read Love Can Melt The Ice yet then you are seriously missing out ✨I highly recommend it)
@automail-freak-and-alchemy-freak you are an angel ❤ I adore it! The dress looks absolutely amazing too!! And she has that confident smirk on her face that tells the others be prepared :’D
FMA appreciation life 