Second First Kiss

A/N 12/17/06: Hey everyone! Sorry I've been so quiet for so long…I haven't updated anything in like 3 weeks! School's been crazy, but next week is break so I can update all my other stories. Next Friday, the 22nd is my birthday, FYI! Well I know I was supposed to finish the next chapter of Reveries of Truth, and I totally sat down at the computer to do that, but this idea popped into my head and I had to write it all down. So, I now present another oneshot from the fabulous, procrastinating, Miss Hawkeye. Enjoy!


Winry paused from her latest project to wipe away the sweat that had gathered on her forehead. It was the middle of summer and the high temperature made working on automail in the stifling workroom almost unbearable.

She stood up and stretched luxuriously. It was about time for a break anyway, she had been laboring for hours.

First she stopped at the kitchen to grab drinks. With a slight smile on her face, she carried the cool glasses of ice water outside to watch the amusing scene being carried out on the lawn.

The two boys were at it again. Al and Ed had been outside sparring almost as long as she had been busy inside with Ed's automail.

She watched as Ed was thrown several feet by Al and landed ungracefully on his back on the ground, a small cloud of dust puffing up from the collision. He let out a groan but quickly got back up and continued to run towards his large metal brother. Al was prepared though, and as Ed launched himself into a powerful kick, Al grabbed his leg and thrust him once again into the ground. Ed didn't get up this time, and as he lay still, he admitted his defeat.

"Okay….you've won…but I'll get you next time!"

"Sure, brother." Alphonse replied, with a hint of amusement in his echoing voice.

The hulking metal figure creaked as he helped his reproachful older sibling into a sitting position. Winry laughed from the sidelines, alerting them to her presence.

"Enough you two, take a break for awhile." Her eyes shone with mirth as she approached them and handed Ed the second glass of water.

"Thanks, Win." He gratefully gulped down the refreshing liquid. She joined him on the grass and patted the empty ground next to her, motioning for Al to sit down as well.

The three relaxed in peaceful silence together for a few moments, enjoying the warm summer sun. Ed broke the tranquil calm.

"So Winry, how's my automail coming?"

She sighed. Back to business, as always.

"You know, you really did a number on it this time Ed."

He looked abashed at her scolding.

"Sorry."

"You should be! You return my works of art in scraps and pieces! Do you know how long that takes to fix?" She was angry now.

He frantically tried to placate her before her temper got too out of control.

"But…I have faith in you! You are the best mechanic in all of Amestris."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you flattery will get you nowhere, Edward?" She said dryly, but looking slightly pleased at the same time.

He exhaled in relief. Once again saved by quick thinking!

"Probably another day or two at the most." She admitted. "I do need to get some sleep eventually, you know."

"Thanks Win. I really appreciate it."

She grinned evilly. "Oh, don't thank me just yet. You're getting charged extra for the rush job, plus for all my other customers that have to move their appointments now."

"Great…" he muttered. "Now I'm gonna go bankrupt, just what I need."

"Well maybe if you took better care of your automail…"

She stood up. It was better not to get into it with him right now; she needed to get back to work.

"See you boys in a bit!" Winry gave them a mischievous grin over her shoulder as she flounced back into the house.

Several hours later, there was a small knock on the door. Winry glanced up from her project, unfurrowing her concentrated brows.

"Yes?"

Ed poked his head in, gold braid hanging over his shoulder.

"Me and Al are running out to town with Pinako for a few hours….you need anything?"

"Actually, I need some more pan head screws…you mind picking them up for me?"

"No problem." He flashed her a large grin. "See you later!"

He vanished as the door closed and she heard his footsteps fade away.

Winry shook her head slightly and a small smile played across her face as she thought about the goofball that was her best friend. She always got mad at him for coming home with his limbs busted up, but she couldn't stay mad. Not when he gave her that smile.

After the brief interruption, she hunched back over her work, immersing herself fully in the smooth metal prosthetics.

Winry always got lost in her commissions, so it wasn't a shock when she glanced out the window hours later and saw that it was evening already. Where had the time gone?

Her back ached from being huddled over for so long. She strode over to the window, taking a brief break to admire the sunset. This was one of the best parts about the Risembool countryside, the way the fading light splayed gracefully across the hills, giving them a pink and orange tint.

In contrast to the setting sun, she could see a lone silhouette making its way up the road to her house. Who could it be? Ed, Al, and Granny hadn't returned yet.

She watched curiously from the window, pondering over the mysterious figure. As it approached, her face broke into a grin of recognition. She left the room and opened the door to outside.

"Hey!" She called out.

The handsome young man walking up the porch steps looked up in surprise but then mirrored her facial expression.

"Hey, yourself." He gave her a dazzling smile.

"Can I help you with something, Zach? You know your arm won't be ready until next week." She teased.

"Just wanted to stop by and see how the progress was coming. You mind?"

"Nah, not at all." She was always willing to show off her creations.

He followed her back into the workroom which suddenly seemed awfully small for the two of them.

Winry pulled out a step ladder and climbed on it to reach the unfinished arm that was sprawled across a high shelf.

"Sorry it's taking me so long; my schedule's been packed lately and I just had this sudden rush job, so I have to put off all my other clients until that's done…" She trailed off as she finally grasped the limb.

"Got it." She descended the ladder, arm in hand. "It won't take me too much longer to finish though, I just have to rewire a few things and update the casings along with readjusting the weight…"

She stopped as she turned around and saw how close Zach was to her. His face was inches away from hers and he had her pinned tightly against the shelf, leaving no escape. Not knowing quite what to do, Winry just giggled nervously.

While she had obliviously been chatting away about automail, he obviously had other things on his mind.

"Umm…Zach? What are you doing?" She was starting to feel the beginning of panic building within her. Maybe he was just kidding around; maybe she could joke her way out of this uncomfortable situation.

He gave her another dazzling smile, but this time it was laced with menace rather than friendliness. His dark eyes were flashing devilishly as he grabbed the incomplete arm that she was clutching to her chest and tossed it harmlessly on the ground a few feet away.

He ran his finger up her bare arm, causing her to shiver unwillingly.

"Please…" She tried again, with honesty this time. "You're making me uncomfortable."

He let out a deep rumbling laugh that gave her a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Winry, Winry, Winry…." Zach let her name linger on his tongue. "Relax, have some

fun for once."

She stared at him with wide frightened eyes. "I need to get back to work, so if you don't mind…" She tried to push him away.

He held on to her arms even more firmly. She flinched as his cold fingers traced her face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

He leaned in towards her and whispered softly in her ear, his warm breath on her face causing her to shudder.

"Just let go and have some fun."

She gasped and the panic threatened to boil over. Looking around frantically she saw her wrench lying uselessly on the table a few feet away. She was trapped and there was no way out.

"Please…you're hurting me….stop!" She pleaded.

He only laughed and closed the gap between their faces, fixedly mashing his lips on hers.

She shook her head fiercely, trying to break the lip lock, but he was strong and grabbed her chin to prevent movement.

Tears began to spill from her eyes as she weakly fought his grasp. She pounded on his chest but with little effect, he only pulled her closer to him to prevent the struggle.

How could this have happened? He had always seemed like such a nice boy. How could he do something like this? Why did this have to happen when she was home alone?

The wetness soaked her face, but left the forced kiss uninterrupted. Suddenly, Zach was pulled away from her and powerfully thrust across the room, slamming into a shelf and causing the metal objects on it to rain down upon him, immediately knocking him unconscious.

Winry had sunk to her knees out of shock, looking up through tear stained eyes at her savior and best friend, Edward Elric.

He rushed to her, cursing.

"Winry, what the hell happened? What did this asshole do to you?"

He grabbed her shoulders, but quickly released them when she flinched at his touch.

"Please…what happened?" His voice was softer now, the worry evident on his creased face.

"He….he…he forced himself on me. He…..kissed me." She managed to choke out, and then covered her face with her hands, sobbing, both ashamed and bewildered.

Ed was shocked. He couldn't believe something like this had happened. What kind of jerk could do something like that to a girl? Especially Winry. She didn't deserve this.

His face contorted in rage as he stood up, angrily walking towards the unconscious Zach.

"By the time I'm done with this sick bastard, his own mother won't even recognize his face!"

He was halted in his tracks though as Winry latched onto his arm. His anger quickly dissipated as she sobbed.

"Please…just get him out of here."

He only nodded. "Sure, Winry." He hoisted the teen on his shoulder, grunting with the strain.

"I'll be right back." He gave her another worried look before exiting. This asshole didn't deserve her sympathy, especially after what he did to her. But it was only because of Winry that Ed didn't beat him into a pulp. Much. After a few good punches in the face, Ed left him out in the grass to wake up and find his own way home.

As Ed reentered the room, he noticed that Winry was looking a little bit more composed. She had stopped crying, but her face was still red and blotchy. She was shakily trying to clean up from the tornado that had destroyed her workshop.

Unsure of how to comfort her, Ed said, "Do you want me to go get Granny and Al? They're still in town, but I can run and-"

"No." She cut him off quickly. "I don't want them to know about this."

With an understanding nod, Ed bent down to help her pick up the mess. They cleaned in silence for a few minutes before Winry finally spoke.

"That was my first kiss, you know." She had a smile on her face, but it was bitter and humorless.

Ed could only stare at her with wide eyes; he didn't know how to reply. He didn't trust himself to speak right now.

"Not quite like I expected it to be…" She was quiet and thoughtful, her expression morose.

"Win…I'm so sorry. I…I….I should've been here. It's my fault."

"It's not your fault…it's my fault…I couldn't stop him."

"Don't blame yourself! He was a jerk. I can't believe a low life sick asshole like him…."

Ed was getting angry again.

She gently placed her hand on his arm to calm him.

"Please, it's okay Ed. Just leave him alone. He won't be back."

Ed just shrugged moodily, still blaming himself for the whole event. They continued to clean, neither saying a word.

Winry was slowly starting to feel better. Zach was gone, and Ed had taken care of him. He had protected her, saved her from that creep.

"You know….." She had a small mischievous grin on her face, the first Ed had seen since the incident.

"What?"

"…I always thought my first kiss would be you, Ed." She said bluntly, laughing as his face turned bright red.

"M-me?" He was astonished.

"Yeah. I mean, why not? I figured someday you would finally notice me, who knows how far into the future, but I always assumed it would happen. And I would wait for you."

His face was even darker now, if possible.

"Winry….I-I've always noticed you!" Now it was her turn to blush.

"Really?"

"Well…well yeah."

They both were furiously blushing now, awkwardly fumbling with words, and unsure of what to say. The ceiling was suddenly very interesting.

"Do…do…you want to…" Ed couldn't manage to stutter out the words.

Winry smiled at him and leaned close, bringing their faces within inches of each other. "Is this okay?" She didn't want anyone to be forced into a situation like she had been.

Ed couldn't talk, he just nodded.

Gaining his approval, she leaned in towards him, closing her eyes and pressing her lips gently to his.

It was nothing like the kiss with Zach. That had been horrible and terrifying. This was….pleasurable. His lips were soft and warm. He deepened the kiss and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. She followed suit. They both got lost in the moment, and finally pulled apart, breathless.

"That was….wow." Was all Ed could manage.

"…yeah." She touched her lip gently.

"Better than automail?" He teased, regaining his composure.

"Better than alchemy?" She fired back.

"Automail geek."

"Alchemy nerd."

They smiled at the usual mock angry banter and continued to clean the forgotten room.

"I think that was the best second first kiss I'll ever have." She announced, giving him a beautific grin.


A/N: Sooo, watcha think? Please let me know, because I just wrote as it came to me, so I'm not really sure how it all flows. I would really appreciate some comments on it! If you liked it, review, if not, I'll assume you didn't.