FicWad

With thanks to Silvrethorn, who made suggestions to turn this into something that made sense.
*

She wasn't dressed for the weather. Sometime between her departure from Resembool and her arrival in Central, it had gotten cold and her skirt and light jacket weren't enough to protect her from the chill. By the time the train pulled into the station, her skin felt like one gigantic goose bump and she was shivering so much, she wasn't sure she'd be able to walk off the train.

It was easy to spot Alphonse, towering over the crowds of hugging people, running children and luggage handlers, swearing at the running children. She couldn't see Edward, though that really wasn't much of a surprise. He probably wouldn't stand on a bench to look across the surge of humanity just for her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she made her way towards Al, bouncing off of people and apologizing.

"There she is!" Al's voice rang out with a metallic echo and, despite the fact she knew the face plate of his helmet didn't move, she could almost swear he was smiling. "Winry! Over here!"

She managed to make her way through the last of the people, finally reaching her friends. "Hi Al, hi Ed," she managed to say through chattering teeth.

"What's wrong with you?" Ed asked, blunt as ever.

"Are you all right?" Alphonse asked at the same time, leaning over to study her more closely.

Winry tried to turn her wince into an embarrassed grin, rubbing at the back of her neck. "I didn't know it was going to be so cold," she said.

Rolling his eyes, Edward said, "It's autumn," as if that meant anything to her back home.

"Brother, it's warmer in Resembool," Al scolded gently. "Even if you're used to it, Winry isn't."

With an aggravated sigh, Ed shucked off his long red jacket, holding it out to her. When she hesitated, he bounced it in front of her. "Do you want to freeze to death?"

Winry accepted the jacket and tugged it on, reveling in the borrowed warmth. "Thank you, Ed," she said softly.

"Yeah, well, don't get too attached to it or anything. It's just a loan." He pointed at her. "You wait here. Al and I'll get your bags."

"It's really good to see you, Winry," Al said, trailing off in Edward's wake.

It didn't take long for them to sort out her things and take them to the hotel where she would be staying. All she really wanted to do was curl up in her warm bed once they arrived but Ed insisted that she needed a jacket of her own and some different clothing. She wouldn't have been surprised if he'd gone through her luggage just to see for himself what she'd brought but either Al restrained him or he'd learned some manners somewhere along the line. So, still wearing Ed's jacket, she went with the brothers to find some warmer clothes.

The wind felt like it was funneled through the city streets, whipping and twirling around her specifically. She huddled close in that red jacket, her head bowed as Ed led her into a shop. It felt warm inside and she dared loosen her grip on herself.

There were marvelous clothes here, colorful, warm; pretty fabrics and prettier designs and she forgot herself and marveled with her mouth hanging open.

A saleswoman dressed in lovely, tailored clothing appeared from behind a curtain. "May I help you?"

Edward reached into his pocket, pulling out his watch. Showing the case with the crest on it to the saleswoman, he hooked a thumb at Winry, still dumbfounded by the largess surrounding her. "She needs a warm jacket." He glanced over his shoulder. "And some warmer clothes, too."

"Of course, sir." She gestured to Winry. "If you'll come with me?"

Winry forced her feet to move, following the woman into the dressing rooms. They were curtained off from the rest of the store with three mirrors in front of her, angled so she could see herself from different angles. She looked a fright; hair a mess, wrong clothes for the weather, wearing Edward's jacket. Winry wished she could melt into the floor.

"Wait here, miss," the salesclerk said. "I'll bring in some clothing for you to try on." She glided out of the room, leaving Winry alone with her triple reflection. She wanted to turn away from the mirrors but felt like she couldn't.

There was a rustle of fabric behind her but no corresponding reflection in the mirror. Still, Winry looked behind her when she heard a voice whisper, "Who is that boy in the store? Is his mother here somewhere?"

"That boy, Sonja," the woman answered, "is a State Alchemist."

The first voice exclaimed, "He's just a child!"

"Not so young," the woman sneered. "He brought his woman for us to dress."

Winry found her legs moving of their own volition, striding across the dressing room. She yanked open the curtains, finding the saleswomen on the other side. The women studied Winry, silence stretching like taffy and all the warmth the girl had felt earlier seemed sucked right out of the air. She didn't have to ask herself what the saleswomen must think. Winry could see it in the pursing of their mouths, the tightening of their eyes.

Her face stained scarlet, she pushed her way into the main part of the store, stammering, "Ed, I don't think we'll find anything for me here." Turning on her heel, she made her way for the door, tears stinging her eyes. Shoving her way outside over Edward's protests, she turned left abruptly, just wanting to get away from that saleswomen and their dirty minds.

"Winry?" Al's voice followed her down the street, along with the clanking sound of his armor on the move. "What's wrong?"

Edward wasn't so gentle. "Winry!" he shouted. "Stop right there!"

Now she was being chased by a military man. With a low groan, she glanced for a place to hide, to get away from the prying eyes that seemed to surround her. Spotting a park, she dashed for the entrance, neatly avoiding a truck, a bicyclist and three women pushing baby carriages before making it through the gate.

Running was something Winry did very well and she was never so glad of it as now. She followed the twists and turns of the path under her feet, dodging around the few people risking the weather. Someone laughed at her, his voice raised in an unintelligible shout but she knew what he had to think. It just added more speed to her feet.

But she couldn't keep running forever. What started as a stitch in her side soon felt like someone shoving a sword through her ribs. Gasping, she staggered a little farther along, dragging Ed's coat off her shoulders and flinging it to the ground. There was a tree ahead, one that reminded her of a big oak tree she'd always loved. Making her way there, she slipped around the far side of it, away from the path, dropping down amongst the roots gnarled up from the ground.

Wrapping her arms around her bare legs, she leaned her forehead against her knees. The cold wind found her again, twisting itself around her, chilling her sweat-dampened skin. She shuddered, hunching even more tightly into herself, into the tree. Squeezing her eyes closed tight, she gulped at the tears in her throat.

"Winry! Damn it, where are you?"

Any second now, they'd find her.

"Brother! Your jacket!"

The girl they'd left behind.

"Winry!"

The one too stupid to find out the weather before traveling.

There was a crashing sound; footfalls in leaves and Edward all but yelled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The girl who looked like the cheap whore of a military man.