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Winry Rockbell pulled her bed sheets up to her chest, stretching out on her bed in the darkness of the room. It was fall in Resembool, which meant cool nights with a gentle breeze. She looked over to her right as she thought about the reason her body was so sore.
Edward Elric lay on his stomach, his head resting on her pillow. His breathing was deep, a small smile on his face. Winry would’ve thought about waking him up but she knew how difficult a night’s sleep without nightmares came to Ed. Instead she chose to run her fingers through his thick, golden locks. He didn’t stir.
She wanted to kiss him again. She remembered the way she’d whispered stay against his ear as her legs wrapped around him. Remembered the way Ed had been panting as he rested his forehead against her own. And the way she’d arched against him. Stay because it hurts me to see you in pain, she’d gasped out to him.
Winry swallowed. They hadn’t been intimate for too long of a time. But she couldn’t believe she’d said stuff like that in the middle of them doing it. It was hard to tell whether or not Ed took her words the right way. He’d opened his eyes and stared at her after she’d said it, and then proceeded to slow down his movements and kiss her softer than he’d had before.
As if life was listening to her fears, Ed began to stir. She tensed in the sheets. As his eyes flickered open, they came to rest on her.
“Winry,” his voice was gruff. “Mm… what time is it?” He moved his hand to let it rest upon her face, calloused fingers touching her cheek. A blush came to her face as she remembered how Ed had ran his fingers to the top of her head before he’d left for the west in the past.
“It’s around one in the morning. You should go back to sleep.”
Ed continued staring at her. “I’m sorry. I don’t usually sleep this deep after we finish. You’re not too sore, are you?”
“No,” she whispered. She turned her head to the side a bit, placing a small kiss on his palm. “Not at all.” Her voice had dropped lower.
She knew it. He’d leave in a couple of days.
Ed kept his hand on her face, tilting his hand to the side as he brushed her cheek with his thumb. “It’s okay,” he began, “I don’t have to wake up early tomorrow. In a couple of weeks I’ll probably head down to the Colonel’s place to take a vacation until I figure out what I want to do.”
Winry felt her cheeks burn. He had heard her.
Winry had been happy in the past. Ed had been going off and doing what he loved most: learning about alchemy. His journey to the west had been filled with happy memories that he’d shared with her.
But then the nightmares started. Ed had continued travelling so that he could see and remind himself why he’d done so much. To remind himself that he was worth nothing when it came to preventing Amestris from becoming a transmutation circle. Somewhere along the way, his original motivation had become meaningless in the face of self doubt.
It was then that Al and Winry together had decided that it was time to bring Ed home. He’d come reluctantly. A little nervous and annoyed at being prodded at. His irritation had increased over the initial few days. Come on, Gearhead! I don’t stop you from going to Rush Valley, do I? But she’d stayed stubborn to keep him home for some time.
She didn’t know when their dynamic had changed. They’d started off with sleeping in the same bed. Winry knew that her sleeping with Ed would have no effect on his nightmares but he seemed to feel comfortable with her consolation. Then she’d become aware of how he slept when he was comfortable, his features peaceful and calm. She’d made the first move. Stripping off her clothes before bed one night and laying down beside a bashful Edward.
She wanted him to be comfortable with her. But she’d also been selfish. She knew that it had been hard for both of them to sleep with how close she’d moved to Edward. And then, a couple of nights later, Ed had also stripped before curling around her in bed. It was then their for one another patience broke.
Since then, it had been a constant pleasurable routine. Some nights they would lay beside one another just feeling the other’s skin. Ed would be tired out and sleep quite deeply on nights they made love. There hadn’t been a drastic change in his nightmares, but Ed was sleeping deeper than he had in months.
Winry had hoped he would stay until his nightmares stopped. Al wouldn’t be going with Ed on his travels—on Ed’s insistence of course—and Winry would often feel a pang of fear. Who would console Ed if not her or Al?
Winry looked to the right again, not surprised to see that Ed had fallen back asleep. Stopping her thoughts, she turned to her side and rested a hand on Ed’s chest. As her eyes closed, she felt peaceful. Even if he wasn’t too sure of what to do afterwards, Ed would stay.