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“You should stop staring.” Alphonse says, sitting next to Edward in the bleachers.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Edward responds in time for the bell ring and the game starts again.
Edward hates game nights. He hates school events, hates the cold autumn air in the night, hates watching a bunch of students run in white helmets across the field for a ball. He hates a lot of things, Edward.
He doesn’t hate his brother, though.
Alphonse’s new crush — a quiet boy named Peter — happens to be in the football team and therefore, Al needs to attend every single school game and therefore, Izumi forces Edward to accompany him because she always says he’s your younger brother, you should protect him which Edward always replies, he’s sixteen, I’m sure he can manage.
Edward could miss game nights — he never would, he loves Al too much to leave him alone — but he has another reason to attend all games.
She’s wearing blue tonight, the same color of her eyes. Blue it’s the official team color, but still— it always amazes Edward to see her in cheerleader’s outfits. Short skirt — that have hunted Edward’s nights — and long sleeves white shirt — it is autumn after all — and the prettiest fucking smile Edward has ever seen.
It’s no wonder Al complains. The only thing Edward looks at during the entirety of the game is Winry Rockbell.
She’s the most beautiful girl in the fucking school since they were six and playing on the school yard and she looked at Edward, with her bratty attitude, are you going to play with that? Because if you’re not, then you should share it. Don’t you know that's rude? And Edwad's brain had melted, his heart twisted inside his chest until she was there, living inside of him ever since.
Al has annoyed him several times about asking her out but Edward never had the courage to do that.
Edward, with his awkward social skill and mal functioning on his brain when it comes to nice things . Edward, with his metal leg due to a childhood accident, with his too long arms and long hair. Edward, who can win the Science Decathlon easily, who has two medals for his academic work and has been invited to attend universities at the age of sixteen because they named him a child prodigy — which Izumi had quickly said no — has no ability to talk or comprehend social behaviors when it comes to humans, especially girls.
Especially the girl.
“She’s too pretty,” Edward had answered after the third time Al questioned him. “And too popular. And positively nice , have you seen how many suitors she has?”
Alphonse had snorted, punched Edward to his shoulder and left the room.
For the sixth time in that semester, Al asks again tonight.
“When are you going to ask her out?”
“Shouldn’t you be paying attention to your boyfriend?” The team starts to run and Winry jumps along the other cheerleaders, waving excitedly.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
Edward raises his brows. “Yet.”
“Stop changing the subject.” Al finishes his popcorn. “You should really ask her out.”
“She has a boyfriend, Al.” Ed still remembers the pang in his heart when he heard Russel had asked her out and she said yes. That week, they were hand in hand in the school hallways.
“Not anymore.”
Ed quickly stares at his brother. “What? ”
The little shit smirks. “Yeah, I heard she dumped him last week.”
He narrows his eyes. “Heard from who?”
“Sheska.” A reliable source — Sheska has been friends with Winry for a while. “She said Winry broke up with him a few days ago.”
“Do you know why?”
Al shrugs. “Does it matter? The important thing is: you can ask her out.”
Shit, Edward thinks when he sees her turn to the crowd and wave the pompoms.
...
Edward is returning from an interview, walking on the street alone, the sun long gone, when he sees her.
She is, again, in that outfit.
Don’t cheerleaders wear normal uniforms?
Winry is looking down at her phone, under a street light, a large bag on her shoulder. The phone light illuminates her face, the frowned eyebrows, the little pout.
Edward has his hands on one pocket, a cup of enough coffee on the other, when he carefully approaches her. He doesn’t think much when he does that, his therapist said that he should think less and do more and that’s what’s happening. He stops near her but still away, enough to give her space in case of—
Well, he doesn’t know.
It just seems a good idea to not startle her when she’s alone, in the middle of an empty street, at night.
She looks up at him, her face hostile at the first second until she realizes it’s him. Winry stares at Edward, her eyes a little round as she grips her bag a little tighter.
Say something, say something, don’t just stare at her, you dickass—
“Hey.” Edward manages to grunt.
Don’t look threatening, don’t look too much at her, maybe that will scare her. Yes, be polite. Polite like Alphonse.
“Hey.” Winry answers back and—
Her voice.
“Hm,” Edward scratches the back of his neck for a second. “Are you okay?”
Even though she doesn’t look like normal Winry — chatty, excited, happy — she still looks nice. She doesn’t smile but she’s not frowning anymore.
“Yes!” Her voice rings to his ears. “I’m fine! Why do you ask?”
He looks at the street up and down, before answering her. “Hm, maybe because it’s nine pm, it’s a desert street and you’re alone?”
“Oh,” Winry smiles a little. “Yeah, my friend was picking me up but he— well, he’s not gonna show up. I was trying to call an Uber but no one showed up.”
Edward nods, slowly processing— everything about her. Stay calm, you can do this. You are doing this. What if she’s your crush for the last eleven years? No big deal.
“Do you— do you need help?”
“Oh,” she says again, this time blushing. “It’s— it’s fine, I’m just gonna wait and maybe I’ll find an Uber or something. You can go.”
He officially rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I am not leaving you here alone.”
“I said I’m fine.” Her tone is— angry? Annoyed? Ed truly doesn’t know. “You don’t need to do this. I’m not a damsel in distress.”
Uh-Oh.
Maybe he said the wrong thing?
“I— I’m not trying to— I just think it’s not ok for you to be here alone while waiting for your Uber. It’s dangerous.” Yes, you’re doing ok. Try not to be a dick. Try to— wait, maybe she’s scared? Maybe she doesn’t want him. Maybe she’s scared of him. “I— I’m Edward Elric. We— we study together, at Central High. I’m in your History and Math class. I live down the 8th street and—“
She laughs. She actually laughs, and it’s so so cute. Edward blushes just from the sight of her dimples.
“I know who you are. You— you’re the guy who has the second highest grade in Math.” She tips her head sideways, her ponytail swinging. “I also know your brother. Alphonse, right?”
She—
She knows him?
She knows his name. What is happening?
Edward always thought Winry never imagined who he was. Never— never questioned, never care because he is him. The silent kid in the class because whenever he talks, Edward is always rude (unintentionally). And she—
She’s the school’s sweetheart. Everyone knows who Winry Rockbell is.
“I— yeah. Yeah, he is. Brother. Alphonse is my brother, yes. We have the same mother. And father.” He gulps down, blushing even harder. “We— well, then you know me. I’m just— I’m not trying to be a dick here. I just want to make sure you’re home safe.”
Winry looks at him quietly for a moment. “Okay then. You can— you can stay here while I call an Uber.”
Edward quickly blurts out, “Or I can walk you home.”
He blinks quickly when he realizes what he has said. Oh, shit. What if he screwed this thing over? Maybe she doesn’t want this. Oh, no. This is the longest he had ever held a conversation with her . He doesn’t want to leave her quickly. He just wants—
“Yeah, that’s a good idea actually.” Winry grabs the stripes of her bag and starts walking. “You really don’t mind?”
“No! No, of course not. If— if that’s alright with you, obviously.”
She shakes her head. “Where were you?”
“What?”
She points at his clothes. “You look— fancy. You’re not coming home from school, right?”
If it’s possible, Edward blushes even harder. “No— no, I was in an interview.”
“Job interview?”
He falls in pace with her, walking side by side but still keeping a distance. Don’t scare her, don’t lose this. There’s something inside of him telling this, this moment is important. “No, college interview.”
She whistles, impressed. “Already? That 's so nice! I hope it all works well for you.”
How many times can he blush? Shit. He’s certain his cheeks are permanently red. “Yeah, already. It’s kind of nonsense really. They call me—“ he stops shortly.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
She laughs. She actually laughs. “Come on! Tell me. I want to know.”
“They call me.. child prodigy.” He looks at his shoes when he says it. “Since I was a kid.”
Winry’s eyes shine in the moonlight, a little grin on her face.
“Argh, I know! It’s ridiculous.” He kicks a rock as he groans.
“It’s not.”
“It is.”
“It’s cute.”
Edward stops abruptly. “Cute ?”
She’s fully laughing now, her face split in a beautiful smile and Edward— ah, he will do anything to keep making her laugh like that.
“You’re terrible.” Edward shakes his head, his smile giving way.
“I’m amazing.”
Yes, you are.
You are incredible and everything and I can’t believe I’m here, talking to you, walking alongside you, making you laugh.
Edward doesn’t respond to her, he just keeps walking, feeling her heat irradiate from her, because he doesn’t trust himself with his brain right now, with his words. He really really doesn’t want to miss this moment.
“So,” Winry says after a moment of silence. “I’ve always wanted to know: your hair is naturally that color? Because, really. It’s not fair.”
Edward looks back at her, seeing the way she’s already comfortable with him, smiling, eyes shining, being just— her. Edward doesn’t answer her — because what could he possibly say about his hair — but instead he hangs deadly at what she means with always wanted to know. Has she—
Has she really been paying attention?
...
When he returns home, his cheeks are scarlet red and his face is split in a grin. He knocks into Alphonse on his way up and his brother immediately takes one look at him and asks, in a worried voice, “Brother, are you— are you having a stroke?”
...
When Math class has ended, Edward gathers his things on his back and raises his head just in time to see Winry wave her goodbye at him, smiling — beautifully, why is she so pretty — with Sheska on her arm, before leaving class.
After Edward has blinked a few times — ten, he had to count — he stumbles his way to the professor’s table, a little dumbfounded and dazzled that Winry is talking to him. At school. In front of—
Well, he didn’t expect her to talk to him at all.
Yes, he was nice enough that night — at least, he thinks? His brain was barely working just from the sight of her blue eyes — and they talked a little — a lot considering Edward’s standards — but still. He didn’t think she would want to keep talking to him.
Fair enough, she didn’t talk.
She waved at him.
And smiled.
But that’s—
“Do you need something, Mister Elric?” Miss Smith's sharp voice brings him back to reality.
“Oh, yeah. I just wanted to ask a random question.”
“Ask away.” She waves her hand around. “That’s why I’m here."
“I heard something about me having the second highest grade in your class?” It was only on the next day that Winry’s words made their way into Ed’s brain. “Is that— I mean, I just wanted to know if that’s true.”
She smiles, easily. “Yes, it is. Your grades are excellent but in my class, you’re in second place.”
“Oh.” He really never thought of that. Edward has always been— too good in any class. Well, except History. “Can I ask who had the first highest grade?”
Somehow, her smile is even bigger. “Miss Rockbell.”
After he’s in the hallway, Edward doesn’t stop himself and tosses his head back, laughing fully.
That girl.