bakerstreet | ( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

[Can do either 2003 anime or manga/Brotherhood, just tell me your preference! Also, probably the nurse.]

[No one should have been surprised to find Edward Elric coming back to Resembol. His job is dangerous, and it constantly puts him against criminals. Or he was putting himself up against the criminals, it wasn't always easy to tell. Whichever it happened to be, the results were the same: his automail was often damaged. Instead of contracting a mechanic in Central, he instead returns to Winry, who has handled his repairs since they had installed the limbs years before.

Now, he sits on the wooden stool in the workshop. His arm is in pieces on the table in front of him, parts and pieces scattered out in what is probably some kind of organized fashion. The bruises and scraps from the fight still linger, most noticeably on his ribs, which ache when he slouches. Considering his lack of good posture, he finds shooting pains going through his body whenever he unconsciously leans forward.

Somewhere, Al is probably playing with Den. Granny's is most likely handling their usual business; considering the state of his arm, this won't be a quick fix. They really had shattered a lot of components.]

How long's this going to take? [He doesn't sound happy. He isn't happy, but his annoyance really isn't at her, but at he fight. He had won, but having to sit so straight was a pain. Literally.]

[Winry is on the stool next to Ed's pouring over the ruined automail arm, inspecting which parts of it can be salvaged and which she'll have to replace. She keeps track of what she has and what she'll need to get by scribbling notes on a note pad that lays next to her. As she works she mumbles to herself, most of it too low and unclear to hear.

While she is always glad to see Ed and Al on their rare visits back to their hometown, she wishes that their visits didn't always happen right on the tail of Ed doing something reckless and managing to wreck her beautiful automail. A thing that she has mentioned to him on multiple occasions, not that he ever listens.

Annoyance and frustration cause her to snap at Ed in response.]

Do you want it fast or do you want it to last, Ed? Or at least last longer than a week what with the way you throw your automail around. You know, if you would just be more careful we wouldn't have to do this so often.

[The boredom doesn't help his mood. It's hard for him to stay still for long periods of time, which is why he still hates train rides so much, which is why he tries to sleep whenever he knows he'll have to be in a seat for any stretch of time. Despite a talent for being able to go to sleep anywhere, anytime, even he can't manage to do it while balanced on a stool.

How could he not listen?! She told him with yelling and hits to the head! If he forgot things she said, it was because the damn woman had given him a concussion! And if he hadn't forgotten and stayed away anyway, well...Winry knows they have a mission. Al needs his body back. That wouldn't happen here.

The anger is easier to deal with. Occasionally, when he gets hurt badly enough, there's something else, something sadder in her eyes, and that's not so easy to stomach. That look brought guilt, brought doubt, made him wonder if maybe he should be careful. More dangerously, it made him wonder if he should hide things better. Ed is hardly the perfect friend, but he doesn't want to make Winry cry.

Since it is anger today, he can snap back, even if he started it.] Since you're doing this all the time, why can't you just make it both?! [He frowns and looks away, his back still straight.] You keep saying to be careful. You should tell it to the other guys. What the hell am I supposed to do when I fight 'em? Keep using the other arm?

[Winry has known Ed her whole life so she is well aware how antsy he gets when he's not able to move around freely. She has plenty of old spare automail she can give Ed in the time being, but there's a reason they're only spares. They won't hold up to any harsh treatment, which includes things like sparring.

So instead she has to put up with him hovering over her shoulder as she makes repairs, as if that's a key element to make her work faster, when in fact all it does is drive her completely insane.

Which leads her to default to a very familiar argument, one they seem to have every time they're in the same room together for any period of time. But the familiarity is what makes it so easy. In fact it keeps them from having to discuss other topics, more serious topics, such as what progress the brothers have made or what kind of mess they had found themselves in this time. Winry knows that Ed prefers to keep those things to himself, so she's grown used to not asking. Not directly anyways.]

These things take time, Ed. I can't just clap my hands together and make it all better. I have to re-calibrate, find a way to make your automail more sturdy without adding weight or taking away from your mobility. But if you'd rather take your chances...[She falls silent for a moment when he brings up fighting. Winry knows that some fights can't be avoided, not when Ed is a State Alchemist. But that doesn't mean she has to like it.] You need to know your limits. You're a smart guy, Ed. I'm sure you can figure out a way to fight without pushing yourself too far.

[The arguments are easier. Ed has learned more than once what his absence does to Winry, and there's no small amount of guilt connected to it. His goal isn't to be a burden on those waiting, and he rather childishly wishes they would trust him enough not to worry. It's hypocritical as he would worry if the situation was reversed, but he can't stop his mission. Al deserves to have a human body, and it's Ed responsibility to make sure that happens.

He's making no progress. As much as he wishes he were, Al is still a suit of armor. Admittedly, he hardly reports any news to Winry at all, but the less she knows about the military, the better. Safer. No one ever accused Ed of being selfless.

Like the mature adult he always is, he sighs at the automail explanation. Yeah, he gets it, there's a lot that goes into it. He respects it, he does, even if he never shows it. Without it, fighting would be impossible, moving normally would be impossible. Despite the constant complaining, he's proud to have her as a mechanic. Admittedly, their relationship is part of the reason he comes back, but nostalgia wouldn't be enough if she couldn't make automail that would hold up in the fights.

Before he can make any comments about being an automail otaku, the situation changes, and it approaches dangerous territory, territory that would make Winry sad.

Still sitting straighter than he normally managed, he points his thumb at himself and smiles, his lips stretching across his face and teeth showing.] I won. The automail's pretty busted up, but so's the other guy. It's nothing you can't fix so I didn't go too far.

[So, he was okay. So, there's no reason to worry or be sad.]

[It bothers her that Ed is so tight lipped about his and Al's travels, but she tries not to let it show too much. She knows what they're trying to do is important, and she doesn't want to burden them with her feelings or make them feel bad. It's not as if she would be much help to them even if she did know what was going on. The only thing she can really do for them is try and make Ed's automail the best she can.

Which is the only reason they come to visit at all; because they trust in Winry's skills. But if she didn't have her knowledge of automail they would both probably run off and never come back. She knows why, of course. With a mission as important as theirs', why come all the way back to Resembol when they can continue their search? They weren't going to find their answers here after all.

That's why she tries so hard to improve upon Ed's automail and make it better than before. It's the one thing that ties her to the brothers, and them to her. If she can no longer keep up with Ed's maintenance, what use would they have for her?

She knows Ed is only trying to distract her by smiling and complimenting her work, but she lets him. A small smile appears on her face, but her eyes are sad. She knows that Ed doesn't want her to worry, but she also wishes he would trust her more.]

Fine, Ed. Think of it however you want. But I need to get back to work on this if you want it done any time soon. [She turns back to her work, picking up her wrench and tweaking a few places of the automail.] If I pull a few all nighters I can probably have it ready in a few days. Think you can be patient that long?

[If she knew, she would only worry. This much, the parts that break his automail and forces him back home isn't the most dangerous parts of his journey. Life and death are a constant part of their life, and there's no other way for it to be if they want to return Al's body. Letting her know won't change anything for him, but it would only make it harder on Winry. Which, admittedly, would probably make it harder on Ed, but...

It would fix nothing. He's sure of it.

Despite the long absences, Ed knows Winry to a degree, and Winry Ed. The smile isn't enough to distract from the look in her eyes. Resembool didn't produce very many actors.

He slides off the stool, wincing as he stands and pressure is put onto his ribs.] Yeah, yeah. [Walking isn't easy for him, which was one of the reasons he had sat down once he had made it into the workshop. The automail may have been busted up, but so was Ed. With a busted lip, injured ribs, bruises and scraps scattered along his body, and sprained wrist, it was hard to imagine he had won.

Which means he can't hold a book. He can't play with Al or Den. Despite his words, Ed stops after he's standing. What the hell is he supposed to do?]

[She catches the wince from the corner of her eye and could barely hold back one of her own. After all, Winry isn't just responsible for patching up Ed's automail. She often times has to patch the human parts of him up as well.

That's why Winry has taken to making sure they always have extra bandages and first aid supplies at the house for times when Ed and Al stumble in unannounced, bruised and bloody. Well, Ed is bruised and bloody anyways. The worst that happens to Al is damage to his suit and there's not much Winry can do about that.

But having wrapped up Ed's ribs herself, and cleaned every scrape and bruise, she knows that Ed should be taking it easy. But taking it easy has never been one of Ed's strong suits, even when he's without an arm.

She sighs, scratching her head through the cloth of her bandanna. Is she really going to do this...?]

Ed, you know, if you don't have anything better to do, I could use some help. [The answer is yes apparently. It's not that she actually needs help. But if she can keep Ed from overexerting himself out of boredom it would definitely be a weight off her mind as she works.]

[Ed is...and isn't observant. When it comes to things that catch his interest - science, fighting - he picks up rather quickly, a mixture of talent and hard work combining together to help him learn concepts faster than the average person. However, in things that he has no real interest in - appearances (his jacket was nice, though), automail (Winry has that covered) - it was easy for things to go over his head. He hadn't even known Winry had adjusted his automail very much until she had told him a second time. The first time he had been too busy celebrating and sometimes, it was hard to hear over the sound of celebration.

But the three of them, four of them counting Granny, went too far back for him to not know Winry doesn't need help from him. In the beginning, she and Pinako had worked together, but Winry had been his sole mechanic for some time now. Aside from the basic maintenance that he has to do on the road, maintenance that she never believes he does, Ed doesn't even know much about automail. When it's busted, he comes to Winry. When it's not, he oils it occasionally.

To humor or not to humor? Normally, Ed doesn't humor unless he feels bad enough to get out of his sometimes selfish bubble, but there really isn't nothing he can do right now. Maybe he could convince Al to hold the book for him and turn the pages when the two get back. No, he can probably convince him to, but they weren't around the house, and walking wasn't painless.

Grinning, he leans against the nearest shelf to get the pressure off his ribs. It was such a good thing that the Rockbells had such tall shelving and tables, Ed could so easily lean against them.]

The mechanical maniac needs my help? [Don't hit him, don't hit him, don't hit him, it would hurt. He doesn't always make the best decisions.] Isn't that all you do anyway?

[And just like that the urge to kill him rises. Not actually kill him, of course, but a few good hits to the head with her wrench would definitely take the edge off her anger.

Here she is, trying to be nice and offer him something to do so he doesn't go crazy with boredom, and his response is to insult her? Her eyes narrow and she makes a grab for her wrench.

However...he is hurt. That's not likely to spare him much, but she should at least give him a chance to apologize.]

What was that, Ed? Oh, you would love to assist me in fixing the automail you broke by being a reckless bonehead? How thoughtful.

[Take the out Ed. The only other option is pain.]

[The wrench does almost kill him! She's a doctor, she should know about head injuries and concussions! Can't she have pity on the already injured?

The moment her hand connects with the wrench he flinches, eyes closing as he prepares himself for a headache in addition to the other aches in his body. When it doesn't come, he tentatively opens one eye, as only his inability to see her is keeping him safe.]

I wasn't reckless, you know. The other guy started it, I was only defending myself. [True or not, he mumbles the words low enough that they were probably hard to hear.

Instead, he audibly sighs.]

What am I supposed to do, anyway?

[It's always the same story, or some variation of it. But Winry knows better than to believe them all. Ed has quite the short fuse after all. (Not unlike her own, though she would never admit to it).

But still, he relents and that's good enough for her to call a cease fire and gently place her wrench back down on its spot on the table. Well in reach, just in case. Ed doesn't have a good track record when it comes to not pissing her off.]

Well, for one, you can hand me the tools that I ask for. It'll go much quicker if I don't have to stop what I'm doing to pick up a new tools every few minutes. You do want it done faster, don't you?

[She never believed him! It was unfair! He wasn't that much of a liar! ~~Only he was~~. It was her cold heart that kept her from seeing the truth.

Winry does have a point. He does want it to go faster, and he knows she'll do it as quickly as possible. There's no plans to change mechanics any time soon, despite a possible joke about not wanting one that needed Ed's help.

Besides, she was being nice, he realizes that. For now, he can be civil too, even if teasing was more fun until it got him hurt.

Pushing himself off the table, he moves closer to the work bench she was using.]

Yeah, I want all four limbs back. [He was lucky his leg had been spared.] It never feels right being cooped up for too long.

[It's an unintentional lie, and it's not. He could sit for days and read, but that was voluntary. Being stuck indoors because of injuries isn't, and that is a major difference.]

[She can sympathize with him to a point. She's never lose a limb herself, but she spends a lot of her time with people who have and has heard many of their stories about how tough it can be, especially when their automail has to under-go repairs.]

I know, Ed. It'll just be a little longer, okay?

[Her tone is soft, encouraging even. She's trying to keep his spirits up, not liking to see him descend into one of his moody states.]

Screwdriver, please. The one with the black handle. [She's even going easy on him by not expecting him to know the tools by their names. There are at least five different screwdrivers on the table, all with different colored handles.

She holds a hand out for it, not looking up from her work.]

[Though he does sometimes fall into brooding, it doesn't last very long. Angered, impatient, grouchy states were more common in between his normal state, but he won't let himself look down for too long, especially in front of other people. Especially in front of Winry.

Immediately upon hearing that tone, he grins, as if showing he was fine. Bored, but fine. Really, that's all it is. The fight hadn't been too traumatizing, there was nothing beyond punches and kicks and a few weapons. More than anything, he wants to be able to do something. It's enough to have him impatient, but not enough to have him down.

Black handled screw driver. He can do that. Moving to take a spot back on the stool, hoping everything is within reach, he looks over at the table. What's the difference? Why does she need so many screw drivers?

Instead of handing it over, he picks up another and turns it over, noting that it has more grooves. Ed may not be efficient in tools, but he's not ignorant in what they can do. Then, does that mean the others have different grooves too? How many different combinations were there? Why didn't they just create screws with one head?

It was definitely an obsessive thing.]

( nursed back to health shipping meme. )

Winry Rockbell | Fullmetal Alchemist

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