Fire and Ice Challenge 2008
Prompt: Sharing a Blanket
Title: Small but Secure
by
zariel Disclaimer: I don’t own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters in this story. They belong to each other and Arakawa Hiromu.
It was an unusually cold day in a small old abandoned house outside of Central. The aforementioned “Promised Day” had come and gone and Winry had arranged to meet Ed and Al here to help to nurse them both back to health. Al was too weak to make the trip all the way to Risembool. He had sustained few injuries, but his body needed food and rest. Winry was so anxious to see them she just had to be the one to help them in their recovery. When Ed had called her to tell her Al’s body had been restored, but wouldn’t be able to make the trip for a few months, she could tell by the sound of his voice that they needed her.
He needed her.
Of course Ed would never admit to that. She knew he wouldn’t have called if he could wait to see her. So she came to them and greeted them each with such big hugs they could barely breathe. However, she wanted more than a hug from Ed. But that would have to wait.
It was getting late and Al had already drifted off to sleep in the one bedroom after eating a whole pie. Ed in rare form decided to pace himself with the pie-after all he was no longer eating for two! He was sitting on the couch in the main room with just his black tank top and sweat pants. He was looking a little cold. Winry had just finished cleaning up after dessert when she found him staring into space. She hastily grabbed a grabbed a red blanket from her bag and walked over to him. She sat down next to him awakening him from his daze and wrapped the “blanket” around both of them. He was surprised a bit by her sudden closeness. His face turned a light shade of pink as he smiled contentedly toward her. She then became aware that this “blanket” was not quite large enough for them. Examining it closely she discovered it was Ed’s cloak with the familiar flamel symbol on the back that they shared. It wasn’t the one that he whipped up just prior to “The Promised Day”, but the one that he had wrapped around Winry that fateful day when she had discovered who killed her parents.
“Oops,” stated Winry, a bit pink in the face. “I thought I packed my blanket, but I packed this instead.”
She often kept it with her whenever she felt a bit sad, worried or scared. It became somewhat of a security blanket for her and she felt close to him anytime she touched it. Because he had promised to make her cry tears of joy, she promised herself to be strong. His cloak helped to remind her of that.
Ed replied.
“It’s ok, I’m not that cold.”
“I…I’m surprised you still have my cloak.” He said hesitantly.
“Of course I do! It’s my security blanket!” Winry responded sounding a bit more cute than sarcastic.
Ed chuckled a little. “Security blanket?”
He laughed a bit more. He thought of asking her if she had a binky as well, but knew better. He just laughed harder.
Winry feeling annoyed at his laughter decided to knock him off his feet or rather his buttocks on which he was currently sitting. Instead of using her wrench, however, she decided to use her words (and a tug of the cloak).
“Yes it is my security blanket!” She said yanking the cover from him and knocking him to the floor looking surprised.
“It came from you, and you make me feel secure! What do you think has kept me from crying all these months while you two were fighting evil? Having this cloak makes me feel close to you! You want to know why?”
Ed looked up shockingly. “Yeah.” he said quietly.
“It’s because, because…” She started to hesitate and looked down to the floor second guessing what she was about to say. Ed rose from the floor and sat down next to her again and took her hand in his to comfort her. She in turn shared the cloak with him again still looking down.
“Yeah?” He urged her to continue.
Winry slowly raised her head to look him in the eye.
“It’s because I love you.”
Ed Gently kissed her hand and surprised her by saying :
“I love you too.”
For the rest of the night, they snuggled warmly under the small but secure “blanket.”