Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money off of this.

A Portrait of Life In Winter

Rizenbool in the winter. Roads and fields covered in snow, the small town a portrait in white. Winry Rockbell, blond hair straggling in her face, wet and angry. Small lips turned down in a scowl, mittened hands balled into fists. Edward Elric laughing, standing on a snow-covered rock wall, clumps of snow still clinging to his glove. Gold eyes bright in the afternoon sun, cheeks flushed with cold. Alphonse Elric, standing beneath him, nervous. Fidgeting with the string of his mittens. Winry bends, shoulders shaking. Edward has made her cry again. Alphonse frowns.

Then Winry is standing, snow in her hand. Edward falls off the rock wall from the force of the snowball, and now Winry is laughing. Alphonse laughs as well. Eventually, so does Ed.

Later, in the evening. Winry is stretched out on the floor of the Elric farmhouse. Edward is on one side, Alphonse the other. There is cocoa. Trisha Elric, the eternal matron, hums as she soaks hard winter apples. The fire crackles in the hearth. It's snowing again, white flakes pattering against the windows. Winry's hair is dry. Edward's leg is pressed against hers. Alphonse's hand rests against her own.

Winry knows that someday, she will marry Edward. That was the way of small towns. Sometimes things changed - someone left, went away to the city and lived a life there. Sometimes someone came to the city - Winry knew Edward and Alphonse's father had come from far away. Her parents had said that if that traveler hadn't come, Aunt Trisha would have married the blacksmith. They had been childhood friends. But Edward has the farm to inherit, and he talks about how he'll take care of everything when he's grown up. He won't be leaving.

Winry doesn't think being married to Edward will be bad. She likes Edward. Even if sometimes he's mean to her and pulls her hair and pushes her. Her mother always said it's only because he likes her. Winry doesn't understand that. Alphonse likes her, too, and he doesn't tease her. He holds her hand and brings her flowers. She wonders if he'll still hold her hand and bring her flowers when she's married to Edward. That would make Alphonse her brother.

Winry doesn't know how she feels about that. She doesn't think of Alphonse as a brother. She doesn't think of Edward as a brother either, but she's going to marry him someday. She can't think of the boy she's going to marry as a brother. She wishes she thought of Alphonse as her brother. It would make things easier.

Winry wonders who Alphonse will marry. She doesn't like thinking about that. There's Ellie, the dairy farmer's daughter. Winry scowls when she thinks of Alphonse bringing Ellie flowers. Alphonse brings her flowers. Only not now, because it's winter and there are no flowers. But he brings her cookies instead. Sugary ones with cinnamon on top. Alphonse says that cinnamon tastes best in winter. Winry agrees with him.

Winry wants Alphonse to live with them, when she and Edward are married. She can't imagine Edward without Alphonse, Alphonse without Edward. She doesn't want to. Her young mind hurts when she tries to picture Alphonse living a life with someone else, in some other house. That's not the way it's supposed to be.

Sometimes, Winry wonders if she could just marry them both. Then she wouldn't have to worry and wonder and feel that strange hot feeling in her stomach when she thinks about Alphonse bringing some other girl flowers. She doesn't worry about Edward, because Edward will marry her. There aren't any other girls he'd bring flowers to. If Edward brought any girls flowers. But Edward doesn't push or tease any other girl, so Winry never worries. Edward ignores other girls.

Winry doesn't say anything about her secret thoughts to anyone. She knows that only two people can get married. But she still likes to think about it. She snuggles up between Ed and Al, squirming between them like a puppy. They shift, and Alphonse throws an arm around her and Edward kicks her lightly.

Maybe when they're all older, things will be different. Maybe she can marry them both. All Winry knows is that she loves them both, and neither one like a brother. And she never wants to be alone. She wants to stay between them, just like this, and she wants to take care of them both. Because everyone knows boys can't take care of themselves - that's why they need to get married. Winry wants to take care of both Edward and Alphonse. Even though Alphonse doesn't need it as much as Edward does.

They fall asleep there before the fire, and Aunt Trisha covers them with a blanket and watches them while she knits. Winry dreams about flowers and soaking winter apples and cuddling up between Edward and Alphonse. And two wedding rings on her finger.

Winry doesn't want the dream to end.