Inunabe (Dog Stew)

I make absolutely no profit from this fic; Fullmetal Alchemist is property of Hiromu Arakawa, Anniplex, ShonenGanGan, Funination, ect.

Pairing: Ed x Winry
Spoilers: None. Story is based on the premise of a happy ending to the manga. Mildly AU with a tiny bit of OOC.
Genre:Humor


This was first my very first fanfic ever posted online, in my LJ journal on April 7, 2008. It has never been beta'd by anyone except for myself, so I'm solely responsible for any goof-ups.

This short was inspired by Bill Engvall’s comedy sketch “We’ve Got A Full House” from the album Here’s Your Sign.


Inunabe


“You think they’re gone?”

“Come ON, Ed! It’s been twenty minutes since Granny and Al left. She would’ve been back by now if she’d forgotten something!”

Winry tugged on Edward’s automail arm, attempting to pull him away from the open doorway. She succeeded only in turning his body; his eyes were still affixed to the path leading away from the front of the house. The young alchemist wanted to be absolutely sure; to this day the elder Elric brother still had nightmares about the time Granny Pinako had nearly caught he and Winry in the act.

The near-horrifying incident had occurred nearly a year ago, when Granny Rockbell and the recently restored to flesh Alphonse Elric had gone to visit the neighbors; Alphonse wanted to visit Nellie, a childhood friend of Alphonse, Winry, and himself, but was still fairly weak and tended to tire easily yet. However, the elderly woman and his younger brother had returned sooner than expected, surprising them, causing them to scramble; both young adults knew if Granny Pinako caught them ‘with their pants down’ it would most certainly be the death of them both. The couple had just barely pulled on enough clothes to evade suspicion when they heard the old woman’s footsteps ascend the stairs. Panicked, Edward had resorted to scurrying onto the patio outside Winry’s room before lowering himself rather ungracefully onto the front porch in attempt to escape detection.

Only Alphonse had been sitting at the table at the corner of the open-air front porch, looking slightly confused at Edward’s unusual appearance from the second floor. But in the next moment, Alphonse had put two and two together to laugh uproariously at the expense of Edward’s pride. He never had asked his older brother what had transpired that day over a year ago, but ever since then there were times when Alphonse’s gaze would wander from Winry to Edward and he would struggle to stifle a chuckle. It took every bit of control Edward had to keep from pitching his infamous ‘Edward Elric Conniption Fit’ whenever Alphonse did this; the elder Elric brother did not want to give away to the old woman just what was really going on between her granddaughter and himself. And even though this embarrassing event happened over a year before, not long after Edward and Alphonse returned from their arduous journey, Edward still remembered it as if it had happened only yesterday.

Once more, Edward’s eyes followed the gently winding path, out beyond the stone fence, scanning for any trace of his slightly taller but younger brother and the short, elderly and very cantankerous woman. He was torn between following the beautiful blonde mechanic upstairs to the promise of nirvana and being really, really sure the other occupants of the house were truly away. He wanted to be absolutely sure there was no chance of he and Winry being...interrupted again.

Nope, no one in sight, not as far as the eye could see.

“Edward!” Winry barked his name in frustration. She tugged once more, throwing her weight into her effort.

This time he stumbled away from the doorway—and against a very soft, warm body. At first, Edward blinked with innocent confusion before his eyes went wide with surprise as it took a few more seconds for his brain to switch gears. But when Winry threw her arms around his neck, he quickly forgot about his paranoia as her insistent fingers threaded into his braid, grasped the back of his neck and pulled him into a heated kiss. Tongues touched, mingled, breathing became short, fierce, as Edward’s arms automatically encircled Winry’s waist to pull her tightly against him.

A breathless moment later they reluctantly moved apart.

“C’mon,” Winry insisted as she took Edward by his automail wrist, “They won’t be gone all afternoon. We’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.”

“Uhhhhh…….” was all Edward’s flustered brain could muster. There were times when Winry could be very direct and he found them very…exciting.

Laughing at the fatuous grin covering his face, Winry towed the muscular young man through the front room and toward the staircase. She had him right where she wanted him—or at least she would shortly….

This time Edward gave no resistance; quite the contrary. He now practically chased after her, right on her heels as they jogged up the stairs, a maniacal smile on his face. However, once on the top landing, Edward’s impatience got the best of him. He stopped, tugged against Winry’s pull, jerking her back into his arms. Winry squeaked in surprise then playfully giggled again as Edward pulled her close and lowered his face to hers.

*****

Unnoticed, a shadow darkened the shaft of light streaming through the open door. A wet, black nose tested the air, long ears perked forward as the black and white dog sought her human’s location. This was confusing; lately, whenever her human and the human called Ed were home alone, she was usually pushed outside and the door closed behind her. Yet, the door was still open, beckoning the curious canine to enter and seek her human’s companionship.

Den tentatively stepped inside before hesitating, waiting for her human’s firm command to go back outside. But when no reprimand was forthcoming, she cautiously stepped into the cool interior of the house. At first she put her nose to the floor, but her head snapped up as she heard voices from the other end of the house and footsteps thundering up the stairs. They were playing! Den’s tail wagged slightly as distant memories of her and the three humans when they were smaller, played by running through the house and up the stairs to retreat to her human’s room to jump on the bed.
It was playtime again!

*****

“I didn’t think they’d ever leave,” Edward breathed before his mouth captured hers once more. His hands briefly lit on her hips just above the waistband of her cut off denim shorts before traveling a torturously light path up her sides.

Winry whimpered in the back of her throat, shivering at his sensual, feathery touch, then pulled back from the kiss with a gasp as his hands slipped beneath her tube top, sliding it up. She shivered again as his hands captured her breasts and he leaned to gently blow in her ear. The young woman melted into his warm/cold touch, exhaling with a sigh. Edward had become a very good lover since their first awkward venture into full-fledged adulthood almost two years ago and now she was nearly defenseless against his advances. However, there was a time AND place for everything. Swallowing back a moan, she lifted her hands to arrest his touch.

“Not here,” she rasped as he kissed her neck, “I don’t want slivers in my backside like I had the last time we did it on the hallway floor.”

Edward’s response was a low chuckle, his breath warm and moist on her throat as he pressed his hips against hers. Winry’s knees nearly buckled at feeling his heat and hardness through their clothes, but instead bit her lip and steeled her resolve.

“I’m serious!” Her hands pushed against his chest until he relented and stepped back. In the next instant Edward scooped her up, causing her to squeal in surprise and throw her arms around his neck to keep from falling back.

“Your place or mine?” he quipped, an impish half-grin stretching his face.

“You choose,” she shot back, not missing a beat.

“Your place it is,” he replied and carried her down the hallway toward her room. Edward had an affinity for Winry’s room—it was where they’d first entered adulthood together, albeit haphazardly. And besides its familiar, comforting warmth and scents, there was the indispensable fact it had a easily accessible alternate escape route, unlike the second-story drop straight to the ground from his bedroom window.

The door to Winry’s room was ajar and Edward opened it wide with a quick jab of his natural foot. Carrying her the length of her room, he tossed Winry onto the sun-warmed surface of her bed. She bounced once, her laughter ringing through the still air, then lay back to smile up at Edward as he pulled his sleeveless black T-shirt over his head.

Dropping his shirt to the floor, Edward took a moment to drink in her beauty; her hair was splayed out on the sheets beneath her head, gleaming like spun gold in the sunlight streaming through the window. Azure eyes glittered with deep affection and, yes, lust as she smiled up at him. Her partially revealed bust tantalizingly peeked out from beneath the edge of her black tube top and his gaze took an extra moment to drift lower, following her graceful curves until it stopped at her hips where her shorts concealed they rest of her luscious figure. A small trickle of drool slipped from the corner of his gaping mouth as the next thought crossed through his hormone-addled brain: Gotta do something about the rest of her clothes!

With a gleeful whoop, Edward pounced onto the bed with her.

*****

Den’s nails rhythmically ticked against the wood floor with a ‘tup’ included from her automail leg as she slowly walked to the foot of the stairs. Ears pricked again as she gazed longingly up the stairs, listening to human footsteps as they receded to another portion of the house. Her sensitive nose picked up the scent of the two humans she adored, drawing their scent in from both the air and the surface of the steps. A hesitant paw touched the first step; would she get in trouble by following them? Her human’s giggle shortly followed by a boisterous whoop caused the dog to startle and retreat a few steps. But when more sounds of merriment drifted down from the upstairs rooms, Den regained her confidence: They were playing! She wanted to play, too!

With a quiet ‘woof’, the dog bounded up the stairs.

*****

A warm, wet tongue circled her navel, traced the firm muscles of her abdomen and followed the gentle ridge of her ribcage. Winry squirmed, moaned, then gasped as very warm lips kissed each of her now sensitive nipples before the tongue lavished attention on one, followed by cooling breath washing over it.

“Ahhh--!*hehehe*!” Winry felt her face flush warm with excitement. She knew she must be grinning like a fool, but Edward’s careful attention to her body felt so incredibly good she didn’t care.

Edward was on his hands and knees over Winry, tasting, touching, thoroughly enjoying the young woman’s soft, warm skin. It took every bit of self-control he possessed to not rip the remainder of her clothes off and ravish every inch of her. He smiled wickedly as Winry’s hands scrubbed through his thick, honey-blond hair then danced over his back before slipping around him to the closure of his pants. Mouths met, exchanged passion as Winry first undid his belt, then the zipper to ease a hand beneath his boxers.

His mind went blank with sensory overload; her grip was firm, yet tender and fearlessly relentless. His surroundings became hazy, indistinct as Winry carefully touched him, teased him before slipping her hand free. Edward lowered himself onto her, pressing his hips against hers, deepening the kiss, helplessly sinking further into his testosterone-induced haze. All that remained of his conscious awareness was the feel her soft body beneath him, her deliciously warm scent and his need.

Then...

An odd feeling crept through him, almost like an invisible finger poking him in the back. It was an indistinct but nagging feeling, persisting until it oozed into his brain, gradually returning him to a state of rational consciousness. It was an odd, familiar feeling…like…they were…being ……..

Watched.

Al?!

GRANNY?!

Edward pulled back abruptly at this thought, rising onto his elbows. His heart was now hammering from fear, not arousal, his breathing now panicked gasps.

Winry’s brows furrowed in confusion, then knitted together in frustration. Why had he pulled away so abruptly?

“Ed…what…?” she panted but fell silent when she saw his golden eyes wide with abject fear. “What’s wrong?” she inquired, now concerned.

Edward’s head swiveled about nervously, looking for the source of the invisible eyes drilling into him, causing his skin to crawl. No, there wasn’t anyone else in the room, so why--?

There, near the head of the bed, a pair of deep brown eyes peered over the mattress’s edge, staring at them with intense curiosity.

“DAMMIT, DEN!” Edward growled through clenched teeth at the voyeuristic dog, his voice deep and threatening.

Winry turned her head to follow Edward’s glare and saw her dog’s eyes boring into them with intense interest and…was that eagerness? It was almost as if Den were taking mental notes….

Okay, this was seriously creeping her out.

“Den! Out!” Winry commanded, nearly smacking Edward on the chin in her haste to free an arm from between them to point at the door.

Den slouched, her ears drooped in a dejected manner as she gave her human a pathetic, heartbroken look.

“Now!” Winry persisted, shaking her finger at the door for emphasis, her tone sharper, “Out!”

The slightest of whimpers, more of a sad whistle, crept from Den’s throat. A second of hesitation, then the dog turned away and reluctantly walked to the door. She stopped to glance over her shoulder, but quickly retreated with her tail tucked between her legs as Winry firmly jabbed a finger at her with the accompanying firm command, “OUT!”

“What the hell, Winry! Why is she in the house?!” Edward snapped at the still panting woman beneath him.

“How is this MY fault?!” she shot back, her face flushing in anger, “I wasn’t the one who had to be pried away from the door! Why didn’t you close it before we came upstairs?!”

“Because SOMEONE pulled me away from the door before I had a chance to!”

For a short moment, the panting couple glared into each other’s eyes, sparks fairly flying between them as they exchanged unspoken deadly intentions.

Then…

Winry’s hands grabbed at his head, pulling him down.

“Oh, god, you’re so hot when you’re angry!” she gasped.

“So are you,” Edward breathed just before their mouths merged for another bout of vigorous tongue wrestling.

This little interruption made Edward re-evaluate his timetable; best to dispense with the remainder of their clothing and move onto more serious play….

Clambering to his knees, Edward climbed off the bed long enough to kick off his boots and drop his trousers and boxers to the floor. By now, modesty was a thing of the past; they’d had plenty of opportunities to work beyond their shyness at this point in their relationship. The young alchemist struggled for a brief moment, tying to kick off a pant leg as it caught on his automail leg, nearly ripping the hem as he eagerly grasped the cloth and roughly pulled it free of his metal foot.

In that very short moment, Winry drank in the sight of his sculpted torso and biceps, his narrow hips, his well-toned thighs and his….oh, sweet mother of all that was, his…. All his glorious beauty was counter-balanced with his gleaming automail; automail she made. She swallowed back a gasp; Edward’s perfectly proportioned body never ceased to bring out the more primal side of her personality. Every time she looked at his god-like physique, a shiver would race down her spine, sending out shock-like sensations to every corner of her body, ending with a tingling, burning feeling between her legs. A feeling that was akin to an ache, an ache that longed for that moment of completion, a completion that only Edward could grant her.

And if he didn’t get down to business soon, she would rape him on the spot.

Taking her own initiative, Winry wriggled out of her shorts and panties, kicking them and her sandals to the floor before Edward had the chance to rejoin her on the bed. Finally free of the last of his clothing, he scrambled back onto the bed, straddling her hips before reaching for the last barrier of fabric between them: her tube top. Winry sat up slightly as he pulled it off over her head and arms then flopped back onto the bed as he lifted the scant garment high into the air to spin it mischievously a number of times on his automail index finger before tossing it across the room.

Winry laughed at his playful silliness and accommodated Edward as he eased himself down onto her body once more. Again, a flurry of touching hands, eager lips, and exploring tongues as they picked up were they left off before the rude canine intrusion.

Tick, tick, tick, tup, tick, tick, tick, tup.

This time both lovers were pulled out of their impassioned reverie at the sound. Looking over in unison, they saw Den standing at the edge of the bed once more, this time with Winry’s tube top held ever so delicately in her teeth. She was wagging her tail expectantly, waiting for one of them to take the scant garment and throw it once more.

Den was thrilled; her human didn’t mean her harsh words! They did want to play! After all, didn’t the Ed-person just throw this cloth for her to retrieve? And she did love a good game of fetch!

However, in reality, it was quite the opposite.

Edward was nearly livid at the second unwelcome interruption.

“GAAAHH!” The angry sound fairly exploded from his lungs. “Get OUT!” he shrieked, reluctantly pushing away from Winry’s warm, tantalizing body.

Den dropped the top in surprise—this was not the reaction she’d expected. When Edward’s automail foot hit the wooden plank floor with a solid thonk, the dog jumped back in fright.

“Edward, don’t hurt her!” Winry scolded after him as he brusquely grabbed one of her tools from the nightstand and threw it at the dog’s quickly retreating form. The screwdriver clattered after the dog’s heels as she scrabbled through the open door and into the hallway. Edward stomped to the door, forcefully shoving it shut with his automail foot. It clapped shut with a resounding BANG, loosening a shower of dust from the rafters, which in turn lightly coated him as he stood glaring at the closed door, panting in anger.

“Y’know, I’ve heard somewhere some cultures consider dogs a delicacy! Now I understand why!” he snarled at the closed door. Stomping back to the bed, he was nearly trembling with rage as he stood looking down at his lover.

Winry shuddered with longing; his gorgeous golden eyes were flashing, his muscular chest heaving in his outrage. God, he was magnificent when he was mad.

“Shutup, get over here and screw me, already,” she commanded, repeatedly jabbing a finger into the mattress beside her.

Happily, Edward crawled back onto the bed and to comply with her request—uh, command.

*****

Den timidly crept back to the now closed door. What had just happened? Didn’t the Ed-person want to play? Wait…maybe he was still playing. Didn’t they used to play this kind of tag when they were smaller? They would chase and she would run away, dodging their every attempt at capture.

Now strange, animal-like sounds were coming from behind the door along with a quiet, rhythmic creaking from the bedsprings. Den cocked her head in confusion; what were they doing in there? Were they jumping on the bed like they used to do so long ago? Or was this a new game?

Den simply couldn’t resist investigating these new sounds. Lifting a paw, she pushed at the door to have it fall open with ease. Unbeknownst to the angry young man, Edward’s violent attempt to close the door had only resulted in it bouncing back slightly from the doorframe without latching. The intrigued dog pushed into the room without any problem and stood looking around the door jam to see the two lying in a tangle of arms and legs on the bed, moving together in a rather odd fashion.

The canine cocked her head side to side. Yet again, Den was confused; they weren’t jumping on the bed? Were they wrestling? She recalled when the Ed-person and the human called Al used to tussle outside on the grass when they were smaller, usually in anger. Only now the Ed-person was wrestling with her human and they didn’t seem to be upset with one another. And they were speaking, but not words of anger directed toward her.

“Oh, Edward! Don’t stop!” groaned her human.

“Winry, oh Winry…!” moaned the Ed-person.

Curiosity got the better of the canine. She cautiously advanced toward the bed, watched a few seconds more, then her tail waved tentatively back and forth. Of course, this had to be a new game! Den’s tongue lolled from her mouth, her tail began to wave furiously: a new game! She wanted to play, too! Lifting herself so her front paws were on the edge of the bed, she looked over the entwined pair, trying to find a way to join in the game. For all practical purposes, the Ed-person had his backside openly presented to her—of course! A greeting was in order! Den leaned in to give the Ed-person a sniff; after all, it was canine etiquette to greet one another by sniffing posteriors, wasn’t it? Once they knew she was there they would surely allow her into the game!

Wouldn’t they?

*****

The afternoon was warm, pleasant, a soft breeze gently rustling the leaves on the old oak situated in front yard of the Rockbell home. Birds sang cheerfully as they gathered on the faded yellow house’s roof and patio railing, spending their time socializing and declaring territory before their next excursion for food. It was a safe, secure place to roost for a bit of rest, make new connections and warm feathers in the sun.

Until an inhuman scream shattered the quiet afternoon air.

“EEEEYYYYAAAAHHHHH!”


Terrified, the alarmed flock scattered in all directions, seeking a new, safer place to congregate, one that didn’t have an invisible, noisy predator lurking nearby.

It would be weeks before they would feel secure enough to return to their favorite roosting place again.

*****

Alphonse Elric and Pinako Rockbell returned home only an hour and a half after leaving. Alphonse enjoyed getting out, still thrilling over every tactile experience he could create, even if it were only to help Granny carry back groceries. They approached the house, engaged in conversation, at first not noticing Edward and Winry who were sitting at the table on the front porch. However, as they climbed the steps, Alphonse turned to greet his brother and the young blonde woman sitting across from him.

“We’re home, Brother…,” Alphonse’s words trailed off as Edward glared past Winry’s shoulder at him. An implied threat, almost a challenge, flashed in Edward’s golden eyes before he looked away.

“Hey, Winry,” Alphonse ventured a greeting as he and Granny reached the top step. Had Edward and Winry gotten into an argument? Wouldn’t be the first time and it most definitely wouldn’t be the last time.

“Hey, Al,” Winry responded without turning to face him, “Welcome home.” Her voice was suspiciously subdued.

Now Alphonse was curious—it was as if they were children who’d broken their mother’s favorite lamp and were trying to cover up the incriminating evidence by sounding overly innocent. He turned to Granny, who only shrugged her shoulders in response. It was obvious she sensed the same thing but found no use in pursuing the reason for the couple’s odd behavior. It was not as if they had never acted this way before.

“I’ll take the groceries in, Al,” the elderly Rockbell woman remarked, shifting her eyes to the two sitting at the table, then back to Alphonse. If anyone could calm these two combatants, it was Alphonse.

“You sure, Granny?” Alphonse asked, ever the gentleman.

“I’m more than tough enough to handle two bags of groceries,” she assured him with an amused cackle as she took the second, heavier shopping bag from him. She went on into the house, leaving the young man to sort out whatever problem was plaguing Edward and her granddaughter.

Thrusting his hands into his pockets, the tall young man walked nonchalantly toward the quiet couple. “How was your afternoon?” Alphonse asked, trying to sound casual as possible.

“It was just peachy-keen,” Edward muttered, a decidedly miffed expression on his face as he pretended to look out over the front lawn. His entire posture practically screamed, ‘Don’t push you luck, Al’ with an elbow resting on the tabletop, his chin cradled in his natural hand.

Winry seemed to slouch further into her chair, not responding.

As Alphonse neared the table, he finally noticed the raised red and purple welt on his older brother’s forehead near the hairline. Yup, these two had been fighting and he was certain Edward’s injury had been wrench-inflicted.

“You guys shouldn’t fight like this, someone is going to get seriously hurt someda--,” Alphonse started to say as he stopped at the table in front of them. But his words were lost as Winry timidly looked up at him. He could see the bridge of her nose and right eye was black and blue, even through the heavy fringe of her bangs. He could also tell by the look in her eyes that Winry was absolutely mortified he’d seen her injury.

Edward’s eyes rolled to pin Alphonse with a deadly glare. “Not. One. Word.” he growled through his teeth, not lifting his chin from his hand.

“But--,” Alphonse started, now concerned that more than just a mere disagreement had taken place between the couple.

“NOT. ONE.” Edward reiterated in a vicious tone.

Alphonse slapped his hands onto the tabletop, uncharacteristically challenging Edward’s threat. He slightly leaned toward his tact-challenged brother, emphasizing his displeasure. “Brother, what did you do? Did you hit Winry?!” His voice raised nearly an octave in angry distress. Surely Ed wouldn’t hit a woman? Well, there was the one time he’d hit Paninya, but Winry? Ed loved Winry too much to even entertain committing such a rash action, didn’t he? And the blow Ed had landed on Paninya’s arm had been more play than intended injury.

“I DID NOT--!” Edward rose to his feet so fast he nearly overturned his chair, furious his younger brother would even think such a thing.

“He didn’t—,” Winry yelped, cutting off Edward’s angry response. She hung her head again. “He didn’t actually mean to hit me,” she continued, quiet, meek, “It was an accident. He went to catch himself and I was in the way.”

Ed hurt her by accident?! Winry was in the way? Now Alphonse was really confused.

“But what--?”

Edward sullenly dropped back into his chair, his arms crossed firmly over his chest. “I’m not saying,” he grumbled, his gaze returning to look out over the front yard.

“Winry?” Alphonse inquired as he turned to her, hoping for some clue as to what had taken place between the couple while he’d been away.

Winry looked as if she wished she could disappear. “I-I can’t tell you,” she almost whispered, “It’s too embarrassing”.

Alphonse looked back and forth between them but neither gave any indication of offering up any more detailed of an explanation. Both Edward and Winry could be very stubborn and he knew it wasn’t likely he’d ever know the whole story. Finally abandoning any notion he would get an answer, he shrugged, standing straight. “Fine, don’t tell me,” he sighed as he placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head in disappointment. “Granny and I will make dinner, then. Any suggestions?”

An excited bark came from the side of the porch and shortly Den climbed the porch steps to approach Alphonse. Edward turned his head toward the dog like a person possessed as Den stopped at his younger brother’s side to nose at Alphonse’s arm.

Edward’s anger flared once more, nearly coloring his vision in a red haze. “I know,” he snarled as he leaned forward and glared daggers at the dog.

Recent events played back like a very bad horror movie in his mind’s eye: He and Winry moving together in near-perfect sync, quickly approaching critical mass. Then an unexpected wet cold touching him on the…well, the most tender, sensitive, and PRIVATE of all places. A deafening scream of shock tearing from his throat, his body involuntarily lurching forward as he tried to get away from the wet, frigid assault on his nether regions. Winry’s head jolting up in surprise at his tortured cry, just as his hand came forward to catch himself against the headboard. Hands striking out at his chest, knocking the wind from his lungs, then falling to the floor with a thud as Winry pitched him off with a howl of pain. White-hot pain and bright sparkles dancing in his vision as the tempered steel of Winry’s favorite wrench connected with his forehead, even as he lay stunned, naked, and prostrate on the floor….

“Why don’t we have DOG STEW?!” Edward suggested through clenched teeth in a sinister tone, looking as if he were ready to leap off the chair after the dog that stood at Alphonse’s side. A fevered rage shown in his eyes as his fingers dug into the edge of the table, his automail hand leaving faint indentations in the weathered wood.

Den cowered at Edward’s obvious threat, retreating behind Alphonse’s legs.

At first, the venom his brother directed toward the dog puzzled Alphonse. They had all grown up with Den and it was as if the dog belonged to all of them, not just Winry.

But dog stew?

What had brought that idea on?

It was then Alphonse’s quick mind began to piece together a vague idea of what could have possibly happened, especially when he noticed the pair’s somewhat disarrayed hair. He didn’t know how, but he suspected Den had interrupted the certain goings-on between his brother and Winry, and that it hadn’t ended well. A chuckle bubbled up from Alphonse’s throat, which quickly escalated into full-blown mirth when Edward’s eyes went wide with embarrassed horror as he blushed a furious red.

Hunching further into his chair, arms firmly crossed over his chest once more, Edward seemed as if he wished he could implode and remove himself from sight.

Winry looked as if she wished she could simply evaporate, her face expressing her humiliation as it deepened yet another shade of crimson.

“How am I ever going to explain this to Grandma?” she groaned with a sigh, slouching even further into her chair.

Alphonse laughed only that much harder.

Fin.