Chapter Text
Ed found himself suddenly and and insistently awake in a place that he didn’t know, the ring of blasterfire still echoing in his ears, muscles aching from the strain of running while fighting, unsure of anything but the persistent taste of fear.
He was flat on his back, and he was in pain – that bit wasn’t just part of the dream. It was dark in here, and it smelled like dirt. Was he underground? Was he back in the tunnel? A shiver ran through him, and he pushed himself upright, feeling at his waist for his lightsaber. If he was in the tunnel, the troopers would be back any moment. Where was his lightsaber?
Ed’s fingers brushed fabric, and he froze. It wasn’t the sturdy, practical fabric of his Jedi robes, it was soft and thin. It draped across his lap, and the sensation was odd. Or more, the lack of sensation – he could only feel it on his right leg.
He wasn’t in the tunnel, there wouldn’t be a bed (because that’s what it was, he realized, he was on a bed with sheets) in the tunnel. But that didn’t explain where he was.
Squinting in what little light he had, Ed tried to make out the particulars of the room. There was the bed he was in, and maybe another bed, and some shelves? It didn’t seem right for a ship, so he was probably on land. His breathing quickened as he tried to remember where he was, what was happening, and came up blank. Why was he here? Was he a prisoner? Where was Master Harnet?
He still couldn’t find his lightsaber.
There was a sudden, bright flash of light. Ed’s eyes, adjusted to the darkness of the room, were seared as he fought against the instant blindness. Somewhere in the room he could hear footsteps, tromping and heavy, like they were wearing boots.
Boots. Soldiers. The clone troopers-
Something grabbed his shoulder.
“No!” His fumbling, panicky fingers finally found his lightsaber. Ed ignited it without thinking and swung wildly, trying to stop whoever had grabbed him. There was a shout of alarm, and the grip on his shoulder disappeared. “Don't kriffing touch me!”
“Woah, take it easy, dude.”
Not a clone’s voice, or a clone’s choice of words. Ed stopped his lightsaber mid-swing. His eyes had started to adjust again, and he could make out the blurry outline of a figure standing in front of him, hands raised in surrender.
Ed watched the figure carefully, debating what to do next. The voice had been familiar. This might be a friend.
Mason, his brain supplied. Mason won’t hurt us.
Heart still racing, Ed retracted the blade. Mason relaxed a little, shifted closer to him, his features coming into focus now that Ed could see clearly again. He looked worried, like Ed’s reaction had been unexpected, and his movements were cautious as he extended him a glass of water.
Ed took it and found his hands were shaking. Well, his flesh hand was shaking. His cybernetic one was just fine – Winry’s engineering was nice that way. He held the glass in his cybernetic hand and took a sip. The sip made him realize how thirsty he was, and he downed the rest of the glass in a gulp.
“How are you feeling?” Mason asked, taking the glass and refilling it. He didn’t wait for Ed to answer before handing him the second cup and continuing, “You had us pretty worried for a bit there. The doctor said that it was mostly shock and exhaustion and that you needed rest, but when you didn’t wake up for four days… Not good. Glad you’re awake now, though! There’s a lot to talk about, so you should probably stay put until Sig gets down here.”
But Ed was already moving, because he’d spotted Master Harnet in the other bed. Bits and pieces were starting to come back to him beyond the tunnel – she’d been badly injured, they’d barely made it to a ship – and he needed to make sure she was still alive. Desperation spiked in his chest, and he threw off the blankets, tossed his legs over the side of the bed-
Leg. Only his right leg extended off the bed and touched the ground. The left…
Ed stared down at his left leg, eyes fixed to the bandages that wrapped around the end of the stump. His leg had been amputated above the knee. Why had his leg been amputated?
He looked up at Mason, the confusion that had been present since he woke up giving way to fear. “Where’s my leg?”
Mason’s eyebrows pinched in concern, and he glanced nervously toward the door. “I think we should wait for Sig. He’ll do a better job of explaining.”
Ed didn’t want to wait, he wanted answers now. Nothing made sense. The last thing he remembered was dragging Master Harnet to the ship, and now he was somewhere unfamiliar, minus a leg, and missing a whole chunk of time in between. What was it Mason had said, that it was four days he’d been unconscious?
So many things could have happened in four days.
Ed dropped his head into his hands and tried to breathe, the air coming in small, strangled gasps. What’s going on? Why can’t I remember what happened?
“Sig! He’s awake!” Mason sounded almost as panicky as Ed felt. A weight settled next to him on the bed, and Ed could feel the warmth of a hand hovering just above his shoulder, not sure whether to land. “Just breathe, kid. It’s okay. You’re safe here.”
It was supposed to make him feel better. Ed nodded, but all the reassurance had done was raise more questions. I’m safe here? Why does it sound like I wouldn’t be safe anywhere else? Why would I be in danger?
“Edward.” There was a rough rumble of a voice in front of him. Ed lifted his face far enough out of his hands to see a man crouched on the floor, shoulders broad and eyes steady. There was something reassuring and familiar about him, something that let Ed breathe properly again, and as Ed let himself meet the man’s eyes, his name came to mind: Sig.
Apparently satisfied that Ed was calming down, Sig nodded and shifted his bulk to a nearby chair. It had been purposely positioned at his bedside, he saw, and there was another one by Master Harnet’s cot. People had been keeping an eye on them. Maybe that was what Mason had meant when he said they were safe here.
“What do you remember, son?” Sig leaned forward in the chair, arms resting in his knees. He looked beyond Ed for a second and raised his eyebrows, and Mason’s weight left the bed. Ed watched Mason for a moment as he went to Master Harnet’s side and replaced the cloth on her forehead. His Master was pale, and there was something hooked up to her arm. She didn’t respond to Mason’s touch. She hadn’t responded to any of Ed’s noise.
A sense of guilt pooled in Ed’s stomach, accompanied by the sudden urge to cry, and he wasn’t quite sure why.
“Edward?”
Ed started. Sig was looking at him expectantly. When Ed still didn’t say anything (because he’d forgotten the question), Sig gently prompted, “What do you remember?”
Ed tipped his head back to stare at the ceiling and tried to think, twisting his padawan braid through his cybernetic fingers. The hair slipped and slid along the smooth surface, and it occurred to him that he wasn’t wearing a glove like usual.
“I remember being in the tunnel. Our troopers shooting at us. Master Harnet was injured, but we were able to get to a ship. I got her into the gunner’s seat. I got into the cockpit…” He trailed off, feeling a frown crease his forehead as he searched in vain for what happened next and came up blank. “That’s it.”
Sig nodded slowly, adjusting himself in the chair. “It’s understandable. You hit your head when your ship crashed.”
There was a flash of memory, screaming alarms and laser cannon fire and spiralling out of control. It took Ed’s breath away for a moment.
“We were shot down.”
“Yes. Mason and I saw your ship go down.” Sig scratched the back of his neck and shared a look with Mason, then sighed. “It’s a miracle you both survived the impact. We pulled your master out alright, but the console had collapsed across your legs – mostly the left one. If we’d have had more time… But the ship was about to go up. We had to cut you out.”
“Oh.”
“It could have been worse. You handed me your lightsaber to do the deed. It was a clean cut, no infection. It’ll heal properly. Your master wasn’t so fortunate.” Sig stood and walked to Master Harnet’s bedside, Mason shuffling out of the way as he did so. With a little salute, Mason headed out of the room, leaving Sig staring down at Master Harnet. “She’s… She’s not doing well, son. It was a nasty wound she had to begin with, and that was before the infection set in.”
Ed clenched his fists, another memory floating to the surface. “You didn’t let me help her.”
“No, I didn’t.” Sig brushed his hand over Master Harnet’s, his fingers dwarfing hers. “She had a few moments of lucidity when I reached the ship. Made me promise to prioritize your survival. I’m not one to break an oath made to a dying woman.”
“She shouldn’t have done that,” Ed muttered, wrapping his arms around himself. The tears had come now, along with the anger. Glaring at Sig through blurry vision, he repeated, louder this time, “She shouldn’t have done that. I could have helped her! I could have kriffing helped her, and now she’s dying!”
“She made her choice.”
“It was a stupid choice! Why would she do that? Why would you do that?!” Ed lurched off the bed, gripping the chair tightly for balance as his body tried to figure out how to walk with only one leg. His right arm fumbled for the shelf and caught it, and he hopped awkwardly towards his Master. Breathless from the effort, he stared down at her, at her expressionless face and unmoving limbs. When he tried to yell at her again, his voice broke. “Why would you do that?”
His right leg was trembling. Sig helped him into the chair, lowering him slowly so he wouldn’t jar his stump. Ed bent forward, pressing his forehead to Master Harnet’s bare arm as a tear trickled toward his chin. One of Sig’s hands landed on his back and rested between his shoulder blades. It was heavy, but Ed found he didn’t mind the pressure.
“I’m not sure now is the best time, but...” Sig waited until Ed managed to sit himself back up and scrub the tears from his face to continue. He held out the hand that wasn’t on Ed’s back. The item within was largely hidden by his fingers, but Ed could still make it out. “You had this with you. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s been vibrating.”
“It’s a training holocron.” Hesitantly, Ed took it from Sig and held it in both hands. Sure enough, it was pulsing- Right, the Beacon. The Beacon had gone off the day that everything had gone wrong. And Ed had looked over at the HoloNet and seen the burning Temple.
He should open it. He should find out what was going on. But just looking at the holocron gave him such a feeling of dread that Ed almost put it aside. Part of him was desperate for news, desperate to know what had happened to Al and Winry, but another part of him knew that there would be no good news for him here.
The need to know won out. It usually did. Taking a deep breath, Ed placed the holocron on the bed next to Master Harnet and closed his eyes. He slowed his breathing, and there was a kind of peace in the familiar ritual as he extended himself in the Force toward the holocron.
There was a hum, a resonating note that Ed felt in his chest rather than through hearing, and Ed opened his eyes to see the holocron hovering just over the sheets. Sig had gone absolutely still next to him. And there, in the soft blue light of the holocron, stood Master Obi-Wan. He looked more haggard than Ed had ever seen him, and when the recorded message began, he understood why.
“This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. Avoid Coruscant. Avoid detection. Be secret... but be strong. We will each be challenged: our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere and, in time, I believe a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always.”
“FUCK!” Ed threw the holocron across the room. It hit the wall and fell to the ground, now inert. Ed glowered at it, breathing hard. “FUCK!”
There was the sound of running footsteps, and then Mason was at the door, eyes wide and bloody knife in hand. Ed shrank back into his chair, and summoned his lightsaber from where he’d left it on the bed, but before he could do anything else, Sig was already between them.
“No need to worry about the knife, son. This is a butcher shop. We just interrupted Mason while he was doing his job.” Sig waited for Ed to nod his understanding before turning to face Mason. “We’re alright, Mason. Edward just got some bad news. You can go back to work. Just make sure you keep an ear out for soldiers, alright?”
Mason cast one last searching look at Ed, still gripping his lightsaber tightly. Ed forced his shoulders back down from where they’d hunched around his ears. Mason nodded, then left.
Well, it all makes kriffing sense now, doesn’t it? No wonder Mason told me I was “safe here”. They’ve probably been risking their lives to hide us. That’s why we’re down here.
The sense of danger that had been living in the back of Ed’s mind flared back to life. There was something he’d been missing, something that he’d known on his first night here, and he realized what it was now. The Temple had fallen, so no Jedi were safe anywhere, but Ed was more focused on one specific Jedi.
Alphonse.
“Please,” Ed mumbled, closing his eyes and reaching for the Force once again. This time, instead of searching for the familiar stillness, he searched for a specific connection.
Ed had always been able to sense his brother. It didn’t matter where Al was, or how much distance separated them, Ed had always been able to find him in the Force. Nothing detailed, not like how it could be with his Master, not when they’d been apart for so long, but enough to feel him.
Enough to know if he was alive.
It was difficult, more difficult than it had ever been before, to find the spark of light that Al shone into the Force. Normally, it shone as big and bright as a moon. Normally, Ed could find it within moments.
Today, there was no moon. Ed pushed his sense further out, deeper into the galaxy, anxiety growing by the second. Where was Al? Why couldn’t he find him?
Just as Ed was about to give up hope, there was a tiny pinprick of light, as small and faint as a distant star. It wasn’t much, but it was achingly familiar. Ed just sat and watched that star for a few minutes, relishing the fact that it was there and he’d found it and it hadn’t vanished into the darkness forever.
He’s alive. Al’s alive.
I have to find him.
Suddenly sure of what he had to do, Ed opened his eyes and turned to Sig, who was studying him warily. Given that Ed had rapidly run the full spectrum of emotion in the last five minutes, he couldn’t really blame him, but Ed tried to appear as serious and sensible as possible.
“I have to get to Coruscant.”
Sig frowned. “Son, your message said to avoid Coruscant-”
But Ed was already shaking his head. “No, you don’t understand. I have to go to Coruscant.”
Sig leaned back and crossed his arms, watching Ed carefully. “Why?”
“My brother… He’s a Jedi, like me. He was at the Temple because he wasn’t a Padawan yet, because-”
Because I was so excited to become a Padawan that I left him behind. Ed swallowed hard, trying to rid his tongue of the sour taste of guilt. It lingered. He clenched his teeth and swallowed again before continuing.
“And my friend, Winry, she worked in the Temple. She made cybernetics. She made my arm, and fixed it more times than I can count, and if I can find her, she can build a leg, too. She might have made it out – she didn’t live at the Temple, since she’s a civilian, so she might have been at home. Unless she was pulling an all-nighter, in which case- But she wasn’t a Jedi. They wouldn’t have hurt her, right?”
Ed looked to Sig, suddenly unsure. His bushy beard shifted as his jaw tightened. He wouldn’t meet Ed’s eyes.
They might have hurt her. They might have just gone through and killed everybody in that Temple. There’s no way of knowing whether she was there or not unless I go and find out for myself.
Conviction straightened Ed’s shoulders. He looked Sig directly in the eyes and tried again, his chest aching with longing to be with Al and Winry. “I have to go back to Coruscant. I have to look for my brother. I have to find my friend.”
“Son, are you-”
“I have to find them.” Ed poured every ounce of his hope, his desperation, and his anger into the words. He’d go up against Sig himself if it meant going to find Al and Winry, and if Sig turned him down now, it might well come to that. Ed braced himself against the chair and the bed, gathering the Force around himself in preparation to fight.
Sig looked at him for a long moment. Ed could sense him wavering.
“Mason.”
Mason appeared quickly, though this time without a knife. For a moment, the three of them watched each other in silence – Mason confused, Ed determined, Sig indecisive. Sig glanced back toward Ed, then shook his head like he couldn’t believe what he was about to do. “When’s the next shipment of cured eopie due on Coruscant?”
“Ten days time, boss.” Mason’s gaze flickered back and forth between Sig and Ed, clearly wondering what had been going on in here. Sig muttered something under his breath, waving away Mason’s evident concern. Ed perched on the edge of his seat, right leg bouncing as he waited. Sig eyed Master Harnet, then whispered something that sounded like both an apology and a promise.
Finally, he turned to Ed. Ed tamped down his excitement and tried to look like someone who could be trusted to go to Coruscant and back without getting caught by the Empire. Sig gave an exasperated sigh. “He’ll have to leave in seven days. Will you be recovered enough to go with him?”
Elation spiked Ed’s heart rate so high, he thought he might pass out for a moment. Then he remembered that he wouldn’t be able to go to Coruscant if he did stupid kark like pass out because he got too excited while he was still recovering. Reining it back in (and trying not to wince at the thought of how brutal this recovery would be), Ed managed to get himself under control and nod firmly.
“Yes.”
—
“Less than ten minutes until we leave hyperspace for Coruscant.”
Ed pulled his focus back into the present, dragging his gaze away from the blue streaks of hyperspace in time to see Mason check the navicomputer and settle back into the pilot seat. The older boy flashed him a nervous grin as he scanned the control panels, and Ed found himself wondering once again how old Mason was. Late teens? Early twenties? It was hard to tell.
Old enough for his hand-me-down clothes to fit Ed, at least. Obviously, Ed hadn’t been able to wear his Jedi robes for this particular adventure – not that he’d really wanted to, given the condition they’d been in – and the only other clothes he had were the ill-fitting pajamas someone had found for him while he was at Sig’s. So Mason had provided Ed with some of his old clothes that his mother had set aside for when his little brother was old enough to wear them.
They were comfortable enough. Black pants, black shirt, completely unremarkable.
“Are you ready for this?” Mason’s hands were on the controls now, ready for the reversion to real space. His voice was cheerful, as usual, and the only thing that betrayed his anxiety were his white knuckles.
“Don’t really have much of a choice,” Ed muttered, burrowing deeper into his borrowed jacket. Mason hadn’t had an old jacket, so discreet inquiries had been made in the small Dublith town and resulted in a bright red overcoat with a hood large enough to shadow his face and sleeves long enough to hide his distinctive cybernetic fingers.
Ed secretly hoped he wouldn’t have to give it back. He’d never admit it, but he kind of loved this jacket, even if it was far too big for him.
“Just remember to keep quiet while I’m on the comms with Coruscant Space Traffic Coordination, alright? We’ve never had issues before, and the ship should be expected, but it’s our first delivery since the Empire became a thing.”
“Got it.”
“Great. Reverting to realspace.”
There was a familiar jolt as the ship left hyperspace and descended into Coruscant’s orbit. Ed scanned the traffic entering and leaving the planet, and spotted what looked to be a couple of battleships stationed over Coruscant. A nudge of fear – the fear of discovery that was quickly becoming familiar to Ed – poked at his ribs as their comm crackled to life.
“HWK-290 light freighter, state your reason for entry.”
“This is Mason Socricut, from Sig’s Butcher on Dublith. I have a regular shipment of cured eopie that I’m delivering to Dex’s Diner.”
“Copy that. Checking your ship’s signature against the database now.”
There was a moment of silent static. Ed fidgeted nervously with the edge of his sleeve. He would have reached for his padawan braid, but that was tucked neatly into the same elastic that held the rest of his hair. It was a good thing Master Harnet had never been one to insist on the regulation haircut, because it made Ed far less distinctive of a target.
“Signature’s been located and approved. You’re clear for entry.”
“Thank you,” Mason said. Ed felt some of the fear subside as they entered Coruscant’s atmosphere and made for Winry’s area of town.
They’d decided to go there first – primarily because Ed had been warned away from the Temple and he didn’t have that much of a death wish, but also because if Al had escaped, he would have gone to Winry’s. It was the only non-Temple location on Coruscant that either of them really knew.
“Okay, you remember the plan?” Mason kept his focus out the viewport until the ship was firmly on the ground, then turned to Ed. His face was more serious than Ed had ever seen it.
“You’ll load the borrowed speeder for the delivery and we’ll go straight to the Rockbell’s. You’ll come with me that far, then go to make the delivery and head back to Dublith. I’ll stay with the Rockbells until you make the next delivery you have here. Then we’ll meet, and decide what to do next.” Ed rattled off the plan rapid fire, having rehearsed it so many times on the way here that he could probably do it in his sleep.
“Okay, great. Great,” Mason repeated softly, glancing around at the rest of the hangar. It was mostly deserted, but they could see two patrols of the Coruscant Guard at the entrance and the main control center. Mason nodded absentmindedly to himself. “This will work and everything will be fine.”
“Everything will be fine,” Ed echoed, shoving down the instinctive panic that came from seeing the troopers and trying not to flinch at the lingering remembrance of blaster fire.
They don’t know you’re a Jedi. You don’t look anything like a Jedi right now. It’s unlikely they’d recognize you on sight. They have no reason to harm you. Everything will be fine.
He snagged his crutches from where they were secured below the co-pilot’s seat and maneuvered himself to a standing position. It had taken a few days after he’d woken up to be able to be out of bed for longer than a couple of hours, and when he could finally manage that, he’d had to learn to use the crutches.
They sucked. They were slightly too tall, which made it hard to balance properly. Ed hated them, and he wanted a functioning cybernetic leg to match his arm as soon as possible. But that wouldn’t be feasible until he got to the Rockbell’s, so fight with the crutches it was.
Ed carefully wove his way through the light-freighter as Mason unloaded crates of cured eopie from the hold. Due to the ship’s design, there was no way to reach the cockpit without using a ladder – the only place to board was in the hold. Perching on the edge of the hole, Ed tossed his crutches down into the hold and began the process of getting down the ladder.
It went fine until his foot slipped off the rung. Ed hit the floor of the cockpit and lay there for a moment, panting. Pain shot down his legs and through his back, and he shoved it down, hoping that the guards wouldn’t come over to see what the noise was.
“You okay?” Mason hissed, hurrying over to help him up. Ed nodded, one arm wrapped around the ladder for balance as Mason handed him his crutches. “Good. Speeder’s loaded, let’s move.”
Coruscant wasn’t the same anymore. Ed kept his hood tugged down low over his forehead as they left the hangar and headed out into the flow of traffic. Maybe it was just his paranoia, but it seemed like the Coruscant Guard was everywhere. There was a constant sense of uncertainty with every driver they passed, as though no one was sure what was going to happen next.
Mason had clearly done this before, because he moved with ease throughout the busy streets. Ed sunk lower in his seat as they passed another pair of guards stationed on a corner and tried not to look suspicious. The closer they got to the Rockbell’s shop, it seemed, the more guards there were.
“I’m going to pull in here.” Mason steered them towards a speeder complex. Ed looked around, trying to get his bearings as to how close they were to the cybernetics shop, and realized they were still a couple of blocks away. He said as much to Mason, who shrugged. “Less suspicious parking here and walking than hovering on the street. Plus, less chance of the shipment getting stolen. You ready?”
Ed stared at the street and tried not to think about how close the Rockbell’s place was to the Jedi Temple. Tried not to think about the fact that Coruscant would still be on high alert for Jedi that had survived. Tried not to think about the fact that he couldn’t really fight, couldn’t even run if he needed to right now.
Focus on getting to Winry. Just think about that. Ed pictured her in his mind, the brightness of her smile, the fire of her personality, the joy in her eyes when she talked about engineering. That’s why we’re here. It’s worth the risk.
“Ready,” he told Mason.
Moving as quickly as he could without being suspicious, Ed got out of the speeder and started in the direction of Winry’s place, whispering directions to Mason as they walked. With every step, Ed fought the urge to hunch his shoulders and duck his head, but it was hard. Every pounding heartbeat was a warning that being a Jedi was now illegal, and he was walking through the center of the Empire in broad daylight.
Well, not broad daylight. More like twilight.
“We need to get inside.”
Mason was walking fast, and Ed struggled to keep up with him. “Mason, slow the kriff down,” he growled, trying in vain to catch up, but Mason shook his head.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve instated a curfew. And if they have, it’ll probably start when it’s dark. If there’s no curfew, there’s bound to be checkpoints that get set-up, and we can’t risk a run-in at one of those.”
“Shit,” Ed mumbled, because Mason was right. Ed had no identification other than his Temple identichip, and that would get him shot on sight. He glanced around at the buildings, this time with more anxiety. “We’re almost to the Rockbell’s cybernetics shop. There’s a lower entrance. Their building, it’s two stories. We go down, I get us in through that door, it’s less conspicuous. I’m just another person looking for cybernetics that way.”
Mason nodded tightly and kept walking.
The last couple of blocks felt like an eternity. Ed’s chest was so tight he thought his lungs might pop when they finally reached the store, and Mason didn’t look much better. Both of them were slightly out of breath from walking so fast, and it took a minute before Ed could do anything except force breath into his lungs.
When he could mostly breathe normally again, Ed straightened and stared up at the brightly lit sign that read “Resembool Cybernetics Shop”, suddenly afraid of what he would find when he opened the door. He had no guarantee that Winry had survived the attack on the Temple. He had hope, but the next few seconds could alter his world once again.
“Get a move on,” Mason urged nervously, shifting his balance from foot to foot.
Ed took a deep breath. Balancing his weight carefully on the crutches, he reached out and pressed the buzzer. This was new – prior to this, Ed would have just walked on in. He wondered whether they’d had an issue with thieves, or if there was something else the Rockbells were worried about. Glancing around, he spotted one security camera up in the corner of the doorway and another in the display window.
He’d just craned his neck to follow the camera’s line of sight down the street when the door slid open and a familiar, tired voice said, “Resembool Cybernetics, how may I help…”
Ed turned in time to see Winry’s eyes land on his cybernetic fingertips where they poked out from under his sleeve. Her hands flew to her mouth as she stepped forward, gaze shooting towards his hooded face. Ed reached up a hand and tugged the hood back slightly so that she could see his features.
His heart squeezed as her eyes filled with tears. A couple slipped towards her chin, and it was then he noticed the dark shadows below her eyes. Her grease-stained gloves left streaks against her cheeks, and there were matching smudges all up her arms and across her coveralls. She hadn’t bothered to tie her hair back, and it tumbled in a tangled mess over her bare shoulders. Ed had known Winry long enough to recognize the signs that she hadn’t been sleeping, that she’d buried herself in her work.
Not that he blamed her. He couldn’t even imagine what she’d been going through.
He knew he should say something, or move inside, or do something other than standing out in the street in plain view like an idiot, but… Winry was here. She was alive, and unharmed, and despite everything else he’d lost in the past couple of weeks she was standing here like nothing had changed at all.
Winry jolted forward and wrapped Ed in the tightest hug he’d ever known, the ferocity of it making him rock dangerously on his crutches. He’d have fallen over if it wasn’t for Mason’s steadying grip on his shoulders, but he didn’t care. He hugged her back as best he could, silently thanking the Force that she was alive and okay. Ed felt Winry’s breath in choking gasps against his neck and almost pulled himself loose to check if she was okay – until he realized that she was crying.
He clutched her tighter. “I’m okay,” he mumbled, but that only made her cry harder. Ed shot Mason a look of panic as he frantically patted Winry’s shoulder. Mason shook his head, lips pursed like he was trying not to smile, and ushered the two of them towards the door.
“Okay, kids, let’s get inside and out of sight.”
At those words, Winry swore softly and darted back inside, tugging Ed along with her. The sudden movement made him stumble, instinctively try to regain his balance by using his left leg, and collide with Winry. She wrapped one strong hand around his arm to catch him, just above the elbow, and pulled him back upright.
The workshop was even more chaotic than the last time Ed had seen it, when he was home on furlough all those months ago. Winry rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, looking around at the cluttered workbenches and lack of seating, before guiding him to a workstool.
“Ed.” At the sound of Mason’s voice, Ed jerked his head around. Mason gave him a little wave. “I’m heading out to run those deliveries, and then going back to Dublith. Next delivery’s in three weeks. I’ll meet you here?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Mason. May the Force be with you.”
Mason nodded and slipped out of the shop, leaving Ed and Winry alone. Ed pulled his hood back and began aimlessly kicking his right leg, scuffing his boot along the ground. Winry cleared a space on top of her workbench and hopped up so that she could sit next to Ed, pulling her gloves off and twisting them in her hands. Both of them kept glancing at the other and looking away, not sure what to say.
The silence was killing Ed. “So… Yeah. I’m alive.”
“You’re alive!” Winry exclaimed. She looked him over intently, Ed squirming under her scrutiny as she took on the faint blaster burns that scarred his ears and temples (and also his legs and arms beneath his clothing, but Ed didn’t need to mention that right now). When her eyes landed on the stump of his left leg, they lingered there, her face falling. “Oh stars, your leg. Ed, what happened to you?”
She met his eyes, and Ed could see she was on the verge of crying again. Ed nudged her with his shoulder and tried for a smile. “Hey, come on, no need for tears. I promised I’d make it back, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, I just- Oh, I’m glad you’re alive.” Winry wiped her eyes quickly. Her hands were shaking. Ed was tempted to take them in his and hold them still, just to make them stop-
- What are you thinking? Ed scolded himself, glaring down at his hands. Winry took a deep breath, and Ed heard it shake on the exhale. He looked back up at her to see her starting across the room, keeping her eyes fixed on the door.
“Sorry, I know I’m a mess. It’s just been a stressful couple of weeks. There was the attack on Coruscant, and then the massacre at the Temple, and all I could do was watch. Then the not knowing… Ed, I thought you were dead.”
Winry wrapped her arms around herself. Ed hadn’t ever seen her look so lost.
Fix it, his mind whispered. Say something to fix it.
“Winry… I’m not dead.”
She glared at him. Ed winced.
Wrong thing to say, dipshit. Ed took a breath and tried again. “Look, I know it must have been hard and that you were afraid of what might have happened. I was afraid too. I thought you might have been in the Temple that night. But you don’t have to be afraid anymore. I’m right here.”
Winry gave him a watery smile. “Thanks. I’m glad you’re here. Even if it was absolutely insane of you to come to Coruscant. Really, Ed, what were you thinking? Do you know how many soldiers there are here, all with orders to shoot Jedi on sight?” A look of horror crossed her face. “You didn’t try to go back to the Temple, did you? Because they’ve been stationed at the entrances, trying to catch Jedi-”
Ed was already shaking his head. “No. We got the message that the Temple wasn’t safe. And trust me, I am very aware that it was kriffing insane of me to come to Coruscant. But I had to. I had to find out what happened to Al. I had to know if you were okay, and…”
He trailed off sheepishly as Winry raised her eyebrows. “You need me to build you a leg.”
“I do.” Ed met her eyes and practically begged her to understand. I need to be able to run. I need to be able to fight. I need to have the mobility to do whatever it takes to find my brother.
Winry hopped off the workbench and stretched, her back arching as she raised her arms above her head. Ed held his breath as she tilted her head back and forth, swinging her arms and rubbing wearily at her shoulder blades. She seemed to be considering something seriously as she gathered her loose hair and tied it up, securing a bandana over it and thoughtfully tugging on her gloves.
Then Winry turned to face him, grinning fiercely. She snatched a measuring scanner off the workbench with enough enthusiasm to worry Ed and tossed it leisurely.
“Well, we’d better get to work!”