Chapter Text
June 1915 - End of the Laneway
Al sat on the broken edge of the stone wall. He rested his elbows on his legs as he hunched over to catch his breath. Ed, who was holding their suitcase, looked over his shoulder at his younger brother. “Are you okay?”
Al grinned at him but sighed in resignation. “I didn’t realize my muscles had atrophied so much on the other side.”
“Do you want me to carry you?” Ed offered.
“No. Thanks, I can walk on my own.” The younger brother confirmed as his older brother smiled down at him. Al grabbed his crutch and interlaced his arm within it. “I’ll just move at my own pace. You can go ahead if you want.” Al had felt stronger than ever after two months of extensive rehabilitation in Central City but his lack of stamina surprised him. The familiar two-mile walk from the station to the house had never been this tough before, even when he was a little kid.
“Nope, we left home together…and that’s how we’re gonna return.” Ed smiled at him patiently.
There may never have been a more beautiful day in Resembool. Cool wind blew large clouds across the early summer sky. Feeling the breeze brush against his short golden hair, Al closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose. The smell of clean air, the soft bleats of the sheep in the distance, the warmth of the sun on his face and shoulders; Al hadn’t realized how much he had missed home with all of his senses.
“Well, we better get moving then,” Al stood up as they resumed their walk. “How’s the leg?”
Ed grimaced, “well, uh, I haven’t maintained it in a while, so you know, it’s stiff.”
Al smiled, “Thank you brother.”
Ed was perplexed. “Huh. Thanks for what?”
Al suppressed a laugh. “Oh never mind.”
Ed rolled his eyes. “Quit acting so weird.”
After a moment, Al asked about Ling and whether his crew made it back to Xing. “I hope May’s okay,” he added hopefully.
Ed peered back at his brother with a knowing look on his face, “You’ve got nothing to worry about. She’s in trustworthy hands.”
“We sure made a lot of friends.”
“Especially you, Alphonse,” Ed turned to him, a mischievous grin plastered on his face, “you got pretty close with a certain princess. You aiming to be a future prince of Xing?”
Al grinned innocently. “Cmon, she’s a nice girl though.” Al was flattered by May’s obvious, and somewhat overbearing, crush. She treated him as a peer her age even in his suit of armor. May was kind and intelligent and sensitive and an incredible fighter. She impressed Al and he held her in tremendous esteem.
However, there was no use thinking about her more deeply, Al reminded himself, he couldn’t even hold himself up without a crutch. He had his own personal challenges to overcome before he should be thinking of anyone else. Not to forget, she was now two countries away; if he couldn’t go the two miles home, the distance between him and Xing seemed even more impossible.
For Edward though, the distance was closing in. They had arrived at the end of the laneway in front of the Rockbell house, which sat before them at the top of the small hill. Al smiled at Ed, “Forget about that, what about you and Winry?” He teased. Ed stopped and looked up at the house. Al had been politely taunting him about Winry for weeks now. Truthfully, Ed didn't have an answer. There was nothing to say on the matter mostly because Ed just hadn’t had the time to think about it.
The last two months in Central were intense. Al's therapies took the majority of their attention and time - physical, occupational, and speech therapy for hours daily; small food exercises to combat Al's malnutrition and vitamin deficiency; and the bizarre sensory micro-sessions in an effort to restore all five of Al’s senses. Ed barely left Al's side.
The brothers were only separated when attending the mandatory investigation meetings with the military police regarding the events of the Promise Day. Mustang and General Armstrong both urged the brothers — mostly Ed — to be as cooperative as possible with the investigation for it had little to do with reaffirming the guilt of the heads of state and more to deal with weeding out complicit figureheads in high command in order to promote a new Fuhrer-President.
What surprised Ed the most was the change in Mustang's attitude. Usually a pompous ass, Mustang exhibited a tempered kindness towards Ed and Al lately that made Ed almost respect the bastard. Their conversations mostly centered on alchemy, or rather, Ed's lack thereof. Ed's ultimate sacrifice now made him ineligible for state alchemy licensure and Mustang sought to protect Ed's status. Ed, meanwhile, could not care less and was more than eager to discuss ending his term with the military and the buffoonery that went with it.
Lieutenant Hawkeye, who often stayed silently next to Mustang, listened carefully to the conversations between the two. Once Fullmetal had left, she shared her official analysis with the Colonel. He was just a kid. He had spent a quarter of his entire life in the military already. He accomplished his goal. Both brothers needed a break. Both brothers needed to recover. Let him go home and be with the ones he wanted to protect. In bemused defeat, Mustang reasoned, it was hard for him to fully understand the desire for a simple life.
Lastly, Major Armstrong had visited the brothers at the hospital nearly everyday. It was through Armstrong's department that they discussed the terms of Ed's discharge of duty from the military. Ed wanted nothing. To him, the military gave him the means to accomplish his goal and it owed nothing to him and his brother. Major Armstrong, however, wanted Ed to have everything. His argument was simply thus that all of Amestris owed their very existence to the Elric Family and that must warrant some form of compensation.
It was an impasse. Ed merely wanted to guarantee Al's therapies under the jurisdiction of the military hospital, and once deemed fit to leave both brothers could be discharged: Al from the hospital and Ed from duty.
Weeks went by and the day Al was finally released from care, Ed first paid a visit to General Olivier Armstrong. As the highest standing official currently in Central, Ed handed his silver pocket watch to her. She clasped the watched in her gloved fingers as she looked down at him with her icy stone eyes, and responded cooly, "I see." She inquired whether Fullmetal had considered any of the terms that her brother's department had discussed and Ed shook his head. "We're good" he nodded, then turned around and casually waved behind him as he walked away, "see ya later."
It had barely been twenty-four hours since his retirement from the military and now Ed stood as an ordinary man at the end of the laneway. He hadn’t had much time to process this moment, if, he figured, the moment warranted processing at all.
The only thought running through his head at the moment was the last time he had left home. He did not leave on the best of terms. And, of course, he had not communicated with the Rockbells since. A part of him was prepared for a beatdown. Yet, maybe Winry would let it all slide this one time.
Winry. He let out of a long breath. With Al so infirm, he didn’t have the heart to talk to him about the last night he stayed home and the myriad of complicated situations that came with it. Luckily, Al hadn’t even guessed what had happened. Plus, Ed had tried not to think about it either, instead inviting all new distractions to take place in his life.
Which was a lie. Ed thought about it all the time. These memories and sensations that Winry unlocked had such a strong hold on him that whenever he felt he had it sealed in an iron vault, it’d inevitably spring a leak. How good she smelled after her shower. How soft she felt in his arms. The curves of her stomach and chest as she lifted her top. The last one he felt a bit guilty of - that was not with permission; she had no idea he was in the same room and he hadn’t said anything because he was chewing his sandwich. No way would she have consented to that, he reminded himself.
But with all that good was the bad. The fight. Her angered pleas. How he felt he couldn’t protect her anymore. His self-doubt. He was a bit ashamed of his behavior and he was unsure how Winry would feel with him actually being home now. ‘What about you and Winry?’ The chorus of Al’s question rang in his ears. What about it? What more was there to comment on it? If anything, they would continue as they always had, as close childhood friends.
Last year, Ed placed her on a train and promised that the next time she’d cry, it be with tears of joy. There were so many times that Winry wanted to give into her instincts and let the emotions flow, but she held on. She knew she could be stronger and, more importantly, she wanted Ed to fulfill his promise to her. Well, his promises. He had made several.
If there was only one person on this earth she could trust it was Edward Elric. And here he was standing before her in the yard. His golden eyes booring a confident look of satisfied determination at her while she stood in the doorway on the porch. That boy always showed up on random, no phone call or any other form of communication. She was about to tell him off when Winry glanced at Den, barking excitedly and jumping upon someone on the ground.
A young man with short golden hair and kind golden eyes, who used a crutch to stand himself fully up, shooed off the dog.
Winry choked on her breath.
The brothers were home.
Without a thought, Winry felt herself flying down the stairs and into their arms. They caught her easily despite everyone tumbling backwards into the ground. The tears were always brimming the edges of her eyes, she smiled wildly. “Welcome home, dummies!”
Al smiled sweetly at her. “Good to be back.”
Ed grinned wickedly at her, “thanks.”
Den jumped around excitedly, trying to butt his nose in between the trio, yelping and prancing back and forth around them. Winry seated herself up, and the brothers followed.
Winry met Ed’s eyes, unwavering in their self satisfaction. She couldn’t help but smile at him as she pushed the tears away with her fingers. Once she felt she had composed herself enough, she then turned to Al and placed her hands on his shoulders.
“You’re a real boy!” She exclaimed.
“Hey, I’m nearly a man!” Al chirped back.
“So you are.” She agreed softly. Her eyes switching between amusement and disbelief with every blink. She had nearly forgotten the beautiful light that shone from his face whenever he smiled. The gentleness of his countenance. The warmth he emitted when they were near each other. She pulled him towards her and wrapped him in a strong hug, pressing as much of herself into his arms and holding him there forever. “Welcome back, Alphonse. Welcome back.” She whispered in his ear between sniffles.
Alphonse was overwhelmed. Although he had dreamt of this moment over the last four years, he spent the last two months imagining how this very scene would go down. The reality, however, was more intense than he ever guessed. Winry, loving and warm in his arms, pouring emotion and value into his being as she reaffirmed her happiness to see him whole again. The hug triggered a very faint memory of comfort he hadn’t had….since his mother was alive. Al closed his eyes and frowned as a way to keep the tears at bay, but he leaned into her hug and she gripped him back even tighter.
Winry held him for a moment longer, then pulled back and looked to Ed. Before she could even open her mouth, Edward, with the same cheeky smile he had as she opened the door, raised his right hand and waved hello. His right hand. His right, human hand. It took her a moment to register something truly unbelievable: his right arm was no longer the carefully crafted metal limb that she had installed half a year ago, it was human. Something astounding had occurred, a severed limb returned to its body.
She turned her glance from his arm and looked him square in the eye. Ed was a bit unsettled by this indescribable look, his expression quickly changing from pride to worry, but Winry broke into a large smile. The feelings completely overwhelmed her, she felt elated.
She leaned over and grabbed his hand, pulling his sleeve up towards his elbow and held his arm high like she was inspecting his automail.
“Hey!” Ed responded as she ignored him.
She brought his arm down, cupping his hand between her palms and looked into his eyes. “Ed, you did it,” she said in a breathless whisper. He blushed ever so slightly, tucking his chin into his neck as he attempted to pull back. Winry held firm.
She pried his fingers open and interlaced his fingers with her own. Before he even registered what she was doing, she released one of her hands and used her fingertip to lightly trace over his hand. She began by brushing over each digit, caressing from nail to knuckle, then flipping his hand over to follow along the back and the palm. She was so quiet as she concentrated hard on examining him, confirming that every last square inch was fully there.
Ed had lost his breath, frozen in awe of her inspection. As she caressed his hand, he stayed as still as possible, worried she would jerk away if she felt any slight resistance from him. Eventually, she pressed her palm against his and turned her eyes to him. “Ed! You did it!” She shrieked happily. She had never felt more proud of him. Without another thought, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him so close he could feel her cheek against his ear. He panicked slightly at this new touch, but let go of the fear and wrapped his arms around her in return.
“Thank you, Ed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” She whispered over and over again. Ed closed his eyes and held her.