FicWad

The hotel room was plush. Much more expensive-looking than she expected, but then, Ed and Al had near-unlimited funds from the military. Ed automatically dropped his bag aside the couch, lying down and stretching out. Al clunked toward the far bed, leaving the bed closest to the door for her.

"What? You can afford this huge room, but there are only two twin beds?" Winry groaned, collapsing on the empty bed.

"Hey," Ed said, sitting up, "you can't expect Mustang to pay for everything. He's a cheapskate."

She raised an eyebrow. "You call this cheap?"

"Would you rather sleep outside?" He replied with a grin.

"Hmpf." The girl leaned back. It had been a long day, and she was looking forward to some sleep. But, unfortunately for her, sleep was an amenity that she couldn't afford.

Two hours later, she realized that she was still awake, though her eyes were closed. They fluttered open, and she groaned, standing to go look in the mirror to examine the bags that were surely under her eyes by now.

"Can't sleep either?" A small, tired-sounding voice whispered from behind her.

She turned, seeing Ed curled in a ball on the couch, a blanket laying haphazardly over him.

"No."

The boy rolled over and sat up, staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"A storm's supposed to be on its way," he commented.

Argh. She hated storms. They were loud, obnoxious... and they kept her from sleeping. As a little girl, she'd hole up in Pinako's room, quietly sobbing in the corner, until the noises ceased. She still shivered at their mention.

"So the odds of you getting sleep tonight are...?" Ed asked.

"Probably really poor," she muttered, sitting next to him.

And the first crash of thunder echoed throughout the room.

"Eek!" Winry jumped, nearly falling off the couch.

Ed chuckled a little. "I love storms," he said, staring out the window. "They're almost like an alchemic reaction. Just little flashes of light and almost anything can happen. A fire can start, a tree can split in two. And then there's the sound of the rain itself. It's soothing."

Well, whatever the boy said, it didn't change anything. She'd still be scared, he'd still love them.

"...Well, I guess I'd better get back to bed. Let you sleep," she said, standing.

"Hey. Are you gonna be okay?" the boy asked.

Winry turned and replied, "Me? Oh, yeah. I'll be fine."

Slowly, he stood up. "You sure?"

His face was serious, concerned, even. The last time she'd seen him like this was when Barry the Chopper had her in his van. It was odd, seeing the usually laid back boy look this shaken up over something as simple as a storm. Didn't he have more important things on his mind, like finding a way to get him and his brother back to normal? Why was he so worried over her?

Well, regardless of his intentions, Ed was right.

Tears filled her eyes. "N-no," she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder, her arms around his neck. He had grown, she realized, wiping tears from her eyes. At first she stood there, sobbing on his shoulder like an idiot. But then...

She felt the shorter boy's arms slowly, carefully, encircle her. "It'll be alright," he whispered in her ear. "It'll be alright."

-----

Had Al had a mouth and lips, he would have smirked. Asleep though he looked, he was awake and could hear their conversation.

If anything, his brother was right.

Anything could happen in a storm.