Fanfiction: The Red Rose Is a Falcon (Fullmetal Alchemist)

[nebroadwe]

Title: Drabble: The Red Rose Is a Falcon
Fandom: FMA (manga version)
Character(s): Winry, Ed
Pairing: Ed/Winry.
Rating: G
Word Count: 200 (I needed a double-length drabble for this one)
Warnings: None. Implicitly post-series, but only the obvious assumptions made.
A/N: The title, in case anyone's interested, comes from a sentimental poem by John Boyle O'Reilly, "The White Rose." Crossposted from nebroadwe to Höllenbeck (i.e. hagaren_manga, fm_alchemist, fullservicefma, fma_het, fma_writers, fma_fiction, winrylovers and ed_winry).
Dedication: For lyricnonsense, who asked for an Ed/Winry 'fic in which Winry wears a slinky red dress. Happy to oblige. :-)

---

      Winry knows she can't attend the Führer's wedding in a mail-order frock, but as she vainly tries to hitch the red silk bodice a little higher on her cleavage, she regrets ever having taken Garfiel's advice at the dressmaker's. She should've insisted on sleeves -- or straps, or something (anything!) approaching a neckline. The flutter of gauze draped across her shoulders doesn't deserve the name "wrap," either. She doesn't feel wrapped; she feels naked and ungainly, trussed up like a plucked chicken ready for the oven. How does any woman walk in a skirt this ... this straight? Her slippers have no purchase on the floorboards; she's going to trip on her way downstairs and die of a broken neck, which at least will save her from the gallows for murdering Ed when he laughs at her ...

      But as she minces gingerly across the foyer to meet him, he doesn't laugh. He doesn't even blink, but the flush on his cheeks matches her dress perfectly. Winry lifts her head and lets the wrap slither down to hang from her elbows, realizing why everyone but she thought so abbreviated a top suitable for early spring. Clearly, red silk generates its own heat.

---

[Disclaimers: Fullmetal Alchemist (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi) was created by Arakawa Hiromu and is serialized monthly in Shonen Gangan (Square Enix). Copyright for this property is held by Arakawa Hiromu and Square Enix. All rights reserved.]

Comments

[lyricnonsense.livejournal.com]

*Squees happily*

It's perfect! I love it! Thank you thank you thank you. :)

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Boy, that was easy to put together. Fun, too: I've been up to my ears in everything but creativity for the past fortnight, so it's a hugeormous relief to steal a few minutes from my Japanese homework (I am so going to fail at whatever we're doing today, but I'm too tired to care) and write. And make someone happy. :-)

[terracottabones.livejournal.com]

Oh yay! What a lovely piece of work. I'm sitting here in a cubicle half-terrified someone's going to walk by and catch me falling asleep...but no! Saved by edwin. *hopping* Scandalously cute work.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Usually my work puts people to sleep, so this is a pleasant change. :-) Thanks for the kudos. I normally have so much trouble writing anything even halfway romantic that watching this spill onto the page was a little terrifying. The situation is perhaps something of a cliche, but my observation of people in love is that they seem prone to that. Must be something archetypal at work ...

[umi-mikazuki.livejournal.com]

I love fics like this. Short and sweet. :D

[monique-27.livejournal.com]

Clearly, red silk generates its own heat. <- That it does. *^.~*

Fabulous double-drabble: 'show-don't-tell', very well-written, and just entirely too cute [He doesn't even blink, but the flush on his cheeks matches her dress perfectly. <- That is _so_ Ed]. Nicely done!

~ Monique ~

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

*adores*

I'd say more but that's what I got right now. *damn headache*

[tasha-o.livejournal.com]

For the past two days I've had the flu, and this fic made me forget all about it ^_____^ *Dies of happiness*

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I like drabbles, because I can actually, y'know, finish them. I have three stories of moderate length in the queue that I just don't have the time to sit down and work on consistently. I can't wait for summer.

[c-b-syndrome.livejournal.com]

*fangirlsquees* ^^;;

Just lovely! ^^;;

And I so adore how you protrayed Winry. It's nice to see her written as she should be... NOT comfortable in something like that, but definitely seeing the advantages of it after Ed lays eyes on it ^^;;

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

"Clearly, red silk generates its own heat." <- That it does. *^.~*

This is something I know only by repute. :-)

Fabulous double-drabble: 'show-don't-tell', very well-written, and just entirely too cute ["He doesn't even blink, but the flush on his cheeks matches her dress perfectly." <- That is _so_ Ed].

I thought so myself, but it's good to have it confirmed from the outside. :-) I like a slight awkwardness in relationships; it allows them to be a little amusing, which I find much easier to write than straight passion.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

I'd say more but that's what I got right now. *damn headache*

Ouch. Hope it didn't linger too long. And thanks! Further comment always welcome. (I am getting over to Marking Time sometime this week, but a) I have to finish the first round of prep for an oral language final; and b) I have to psych myself up to it. I doubt anything good has happened to our heroes lately.)

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Wow. Thank you.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

And I so adore how you protrayed Winry. It's nice to see her written as she should be... NOT comfortable in something like that, but definitely seeing the advantages of it after Ed lays eyes on it.

But of course! :-) I suspect eventually she'll get around to viewing costume as another tool and be much more comfortable playing dress-up. She'll always prefer comfortable clothes for every day, though. Thank goodness this was a drabble, even double-length, so I didn't have to decide what Ed was wearing (with all the implications thereof as to his profession and physical state in the post-manga era. Too much backstory there.)

Peace!

[silverkatie.livejournal.com]

I love it.
:)
:)
:)
:)
:)
:)

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Those who can't do, write. Now, if I can just get my inu no monogatari whipped into shape ... :-)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Good things? In Marking Time? It is to laugh.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Well, something good has to happen to the poor buggers eventually. I mean, sooner or later the Elric brothers will be reunited, which will be a difficult moment and productive of much subsequent angst, but also a Good Thing. And if good isn't going to triumph over ill in this piece ultimately, I'll eat my (notional) hat. Despite all the awful stuff, this just doesn't strike me as a death-of-the-human-spirit piece. Don't ask me why. :-)

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm...

Part of the reunion scene is written...part of it. *grins wickedly*

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

The angsty part, no doubt. :-) But you can't fool me: there's hope hiding at the bottom of that li'l ol' box ...

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

There's always hope. *grins*

[kuribayuki.livejournal.com]

You saved me from the terrors of biology homework, Thanks :D
The last line was priceless :)

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

You saved me from the terrors of biology homework, Thanks.

You're welcome! Writing this saved me, all too briefly, from the drudgery and tedium of too many school/work/life commitments, so I don't begrudge anyone else the lifeline. :-)

The last line was priceless.

I live for the moments when good last lines crop up. It doesn't happen often enough -- usually I just write on and on and on and on, hoping for inspiration to strike so I can STOP. This stopped all on its own, thank goodness.

[densetsu-icons.livejournal.com]

Great work. I really enjoyed it. It's really lovely!

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I seem to be getting better at this kind of piece; perhaps I shall try another soon ...