Fanfiction: Wildered With Reading (FMA)

[nebroadwe]

Title: Drabble: Wildered With Reading
Fandom: FMA (manga version)
Character(s): Ed, Winry
Pairing(s): None. For reasons that will become obvious ...
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Warnings: None.
A/N: The title for this one comes from Henry Augustin Beers's sappy poem, "On a Miniature" and the inspiration from rereading the slightly overwrought prose of Baroness Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel (though the heroine thereof is less inclined to faint than rush off to save the hero, thank goodness). Concrit welcomed with vouchers for Almack's. Crossposted from nebroadwe to Höllenbeck (i.e. hagaren_manga, fm_alchemist, fma_gen, fma_writers and fma_fiction).

---

      "You actually read that stuff?" Ed asks, noticing the dime romance peeking out of Winry's bag. "It's so ... girly."

      "I'm a girl," Winry reminds him. (Sometimes she has to.)

      "Yeah, but those girls are all helpless and frilly." He pokes the frilly, willowy figure illustrated on the cover and grimaces. "Screaming 'Unhand me!' at the villain and fainting onto the hero -- you wonder why anyone wants 'em." Looking Winry up and down, he adds, "Not like you. You'd throw wrenches."

      And he wonders why she reads romances. "How do you know so much about these things, Edward?" she inquires sweetly.

---

[Acknowledgments: Fullmetal Alchemist (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi) was created by Arakawa Hiromu and was serialized monthly in Shonen Gangan (Square Enix); two anime of the same title were produced by Studio Bones. Copyright for these properties is held by Arakawa Hiromu, Square Enix, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Aniplex, Bones, and dentsu.]

Comments

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Ed grabs the book and holds it out of Winry's reach. "Uh-uh! I want to hear it from you! Not some cenz dreadful!"

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"Hey!" Winry exclaims, swiping vainly at the novel. "That's mine! Give it back!"

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Nope. I want to hear it in your words." Ed can dodge forever and he might not be taller than Winry - wait, maybe he's at least as tall as she is - but he's not giving the book back. Nope.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

This is the downside of Ed's fantastic physical coordination: he's as good at eluding her at close range as she is at wrenching him from afar. "I already said!" she retorts, hands on hips, watching him narrowly for an opening. "If you weren't listening, it's your own fault!"

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Ed screws up his face. "What, that thing about making you laugh?" Surely that's not what Winry's talking about because if he makes her laugh - none of the heroes in books like these (Not that he's admitting he's actually, you know, read them or anything) ever got laughed at by the girl. And he can't remember Izumi laughing at Sig, or...his mom laughing at that old bastard. "That doesn't seem," and he wonders what he's going to say next, because his mouth is just running ahead of his brain, "good! It sounds like you're making fun of some poor slob!"

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"I never -- !" Winry begins indignantly, then stops short, because Ed hadn't meant to be funny when he freaked out at her and he really doesn't like being teased about his height (though she's not going to be able to do that much longer, given how he's been growing lately). But they've certainly laughed together about other things ... if only she could remember one! "Well, excuse me, then, for not wanting to -- to be swept off my feet and carted away on someone's saddlebow!" That always sounded hideously uncomfortable; the hero could at least have thought ahead and provided a pillion pad -- or even a chaise!

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"I already said you weren't like that kind of girl!" Ed snaps, because, yes, she had been laughing at him, and he's used to it because she's Winry and she's always laughed at him. And he's ignoring Al's voice in his head saying sometimes he deserved it, because Ed knows Al's right, Al's always right, even about the stupidest things. But being laughed at isn't always the best thing, like he said. Winry didn't go out of her way to make fun of him, it is more teasing than anything, but a guy hates being reminded of how sh-shor lacking he is in certain normal masculine attributes.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"Then what kind of girl do you think I am, Edward Elric?" Winry snaps back. "Because I'd be really interested to hear!" (Or maybe not, but it's too late to take her words back now ...)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"A smart one - smart enough you wouldn't need rescuing, you'd figure a way out of it yourself and be sitting on the tied-up villain waiting for someone to come and take him off your hands!" Ed figures that's a compliment, but with women, who knew how Winry might take it. He braces himself for a wrench, just in case.



[ooc: which reminds me, did you see this (http://community.livejournal.com/fma_fic_contest/405452.html)?]

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Winry has the oddest sensation of having both dodged the bullet and taken it. Of course she's glad that smart is the first thing that comes to mind when Ed thinks about her -- she fights all the time for that at work -- and yet ... And it's a nice change to have him admit she can take care of herself rather than feel he has to keep her insulated from danger, but still ... "And ... ?" she asks, mentally cringing, because fishing for compliments is the girliest of girly sleights ... and yet ...

[ooc: No, but that's hilarious! Must pass it on ...]

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

And, because Ed is totally oblivious to the niceties and give and take of male-female relationships because he sure as hell isn't paying attention to Colonel Shit and his flirtation techniques, and Havoc bombs out, and Ling's just a jerk, and he didn't get to grow up with a proper family environment where his dad doted on his mom, he says, "And what?"

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"Oh -- never mind!" Winry exclaims, because she's at least smart enough to know when to cut her losses. She zips her toolbag shut and hefts it onto her shoulder. "I'm sorry I laughed at you. You're right; it's not nice. I'll see you later." She turns to go. "Keep the book -- it's not that frilly, and the fight scenes really are pretty good."

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Ed has the distinct feeling he's missing something here, as usual, when it comes to Winry. She's not yelling, but she's acting like she used to when he and Al told her girls weren't allowed in their clubhouse or something. Her ponytail is twitching and her shoulders are tight and HE'S NOT LOOKING ANY LOWER THAN THAT, REALLY, but she's kind of marching like she does when she's mad. Or hurt.

Girls! Ed rolls his eyes, trying to figure out what in the world he's said that could piss her off. This time. He complimented her, right? Said she was smart, showed her just how amazing her automail is, what else is there? Why didn't girls come with a manual or something?

"Oi! Winry."

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

She stops, looks back over her shoulder. "Yes, Ed?"

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"Uh," he stalls, feeling sweat break out on his forehead, "uh...your train isn't for another hour, is it?"

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"No, it isn't," Winry replies, wondering where this is leading.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"S-so," Ed rubs the back of his neck, "I-I could g-get you...we c-could...I mean..."

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Winry sighs. "If you want to get something to eat at the station café," she says, "you're going to have to put your shirt back on."

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

GULP. He's been without his shirt this long? Geeeeeze! Blushing hard, Ed yanks his shirt, then the jacket and his long coat. Smooth, Elric, real smooth. Winry probably thinks he's a great big (shut up, voice in my head) idiot.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Winry watches Ed scramble back into his clothing without audible comment. I will not laugh, I will not laugh, I will not laugh ... She owes him that much, she figures, for not just letting her walk away.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Is Winry watching him dress? What's that about? After making fun of him - well, maybe she's watching the way his automail? But it's under layers of clothes, now. Ed feels confused and embarrassed and ducks his head to hide his face. "Look, uh...the food at the station isn't that great and...there's a little place...we have enough time." He hopes.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," Winry temporizes, glancing at her watch to cover her own confusion. They've eaten together often enough, but Ed usually doesn't care where. On the other hand, he's dragged her into a startling number of holes-in-the-wall that turned out to serve food as tasty as any Main-Street diner for half the price, so this might turn out to be a bargain. "Where is it? You're sure we have enough time?"

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

"I'll have to take you there." Ed grins. "Don't worry, I'll get you on your train." And if she isn't there on time, Ed will make sure to pay for another ticket and...groan...call Garfiel himself to let the man know Winry might be a day late getting back to Rush Valley.

...of course, if she's a day late...she could spend the night...and...

He blushes hard and breezes ahead of Winry to hide it. "C'mon!" he squeaks.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Winry catches a glimpse of Ed's face, as red as his jacket, as he brushes past her. Maybe the best-friends thing makes him uncomfortable because he's ... nah. Oh, well; she'll just have to wait until he develops a crush on some completely inappropriate bimbo who won't give him the time of day. The girl next door always wins in those stories, right?

And who knows? Maybe he will pick up a few pointers from that book.

"Wait up, Ed!" she calls, and hurries after him.

[ooc: This last bit has felt like falling action to me ... you planning anything further? (Sorry for delay; choir rehearsal ran looooong last night.)]

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

[Not really? I think it's over...Ed's distracted Winry enough. And vice versa. XD]