My blue walls remind me of the river that flowed near my childhood home. The freeness of it, power filling the waves that crash against the shoreline. It submerges me with relief. The waves rolling against me, its wildness pouring me into calmness.
"Em?" A small voice speaks from my door, and i turn my head, snapping away from my reverie, my own tired eyes finding big ones that are always hungry. Her hair is tied back into a ponytail, two small strands still falling in front of her face, a black and white outfit framing her skinny form.
"Hiya Winry." I say, a cheeky grin on my face. She walks towards me, smiling. She doesn't yell at me like she would Ed - 'speaking of which, where are my brothers?' I look at the door behind her, waiting to see them.
"I went to the office. I was sure you'd be there." My smile falters as she places down her backpack, the bits of metal clanking together. Her steps are light, her face clear of anything but happiness upon seeing me.
I swallow, unprepared for Winry's reaction when I tell her what my brothers hadn't. "Winry, I've been put on bed rest for three days now." Her eyes narrow as she looks at me. "Someone has been hunting state alchemists, and they came after me. They hit my automail."
I dont have to finish, for she comes over and pulls the blanket down. Her face goes white as she looks at her masterpiece. Her eyes glint with something else now, and i fear for the grumpy man myself as she yells. "Colonel Mustang!!" I hear a clamoring of footsteps, a few muttered curse words as the black haired man with stern set eyes arrives in the doorway, looking to me for some kind of pain. But the meds the Doctor provided me with are really doing it.
"Ed and Al mentioned you were on house arrest here. So at this moment, you're going to help me." Roy steps forward, eyeing the mechanic in front of him with wary eyes. "It doesn't matter what kind of meds or how much of it she's on. When I begin to remove her arm - after the stress the nerves have been through - she will feel all of it. Shes going to kick and scream. But I need her as still as i can have her." She reaches and grip my arm, my face whitens. "Hold her down."
~timeskip~
Two days later, Winry attaches a new arm to me, and adjusts my leg for height changes. Riza forces me to eat, but then I'm on the roof with my brothers, sparring.
Ed was a good fighter, but he's never beat Al, and neither have beaten me. I use alchemy to make the floor slick, waves crashing against our feet. A dance of violence being held. I catch glimpse of Roy and Winry talking, and a flash of jealousy reaches my brain cells.
Using my abilities, I reach out my mind, finding nothing but casual thoughts in both of their heads, but am brought back to the fight when Ed's fist makes contact against my new automail. Clenching the fingers and shaking it out, the familiar burn of new automail seeps its way into my skin.
"Em, I'm so-" i kick him in the face, knocking him backwards and causing him to pout over his moment of concern.
"I think I found the reason you two have never beat me." I say, turning to the onslaught on its way from Al. Spinning out of his reach, i flip over him, crashing my feet into his back and sending him skidding away from me. Right onto Ed as he attempts to stand. "You both worry too much."
I smile at them, using alchemy to clear a path for Roy to walk through my sea. He comes to stand by me, Winry hurrying to help Ed up. "You have a good relationship with them." His voice is soft, gentle. It startles me, my eyes wide as I take in his almost-kind features.
"Well, they are my brothers." I say, fondness over the two boys reaching my voice. A small smile fits itself onto my otherwise stone face, remembering the little moments with them, as i watch Winry scold them.
"Im hoping Riza will allow us to return to normal soon. What do you think, Em?" His voice is soft and strong.
I think for a moment, about the normality of this situation right now. Unlike our usual normal, this was the normal of my training days. Sparring with Ed and Al all day long, and Winry fussing over us. Even after we first came to East Command for our posts before Roy and his team got sent to Central, we spent more time sparring and talking about what had happened. "In this very moment? I wish we could be like this forever." His eyes catch mine, and through my hidden abilities, I find his lockbox tightening further. I give him a small smile, and he returns it. "But, it would be nice to get back out there. I did give a nasty promise to Scar if you don't remember."
His face falters, his eyes flashing back to the awful day. The screaming. "After what happened, you want to go out after him?" He flinches as he remembers more and more of that awful day. But all I can do is nod. He scoffs. "I'll never understand you Elrics."
I grin slightly, letting the water reach his feet again. "Neither will I."
~timeskip~
The lights are out in the office, and for once i turn the lights on myself. I sit down at my section of the desk, pulling out files and paperwork, a folder with specific information in it.
"Already working?" Riza asks, closing the door behind her. She comes to sit beside me, looking at the research in front of me. "Whats this?"
"Stuff Ed got from Liore. Information about Scar. My notes about the Philosopher stone, and letters Al wrote for me." Motioning to each pile in turn. The letters from Al are old and new. Very few opened. "Im hoping if today is calm, I can catch up on the letters. I try to read each one every night. With everything with Scar, I missed a few. Even though I was already behind."
"Does he send these here or to the apartment?" Riza asks, smiling softly at me.
"Neither. He gives them to me. When Ed sleeps, he writes about their days and what they've learned. At the end of each letter, he updates me with something he wants to try or a food he wants to try when he gets his body back." I am unare of the loving smile and relaxed expression upon my face, until someone clears their throat behind me. Turning abruptly, I see Roy standing behind us.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all, Sir." We say, simultaneously. Getting to work, the day takes forever to be done, and i count the seconds for lunch. With little talking, I watch as everyone leaves for lunch when it arrives, except for Roy and I.
I begin reading and adding Al's notes to my own, putting puzzle pieces together. His letters always make me smile, especially towards the end. "Not eating with the others, Fullwater." I roll my eyes, surprised that he didnt notice before.
"I usually don't. I'm almost always in here, or sometimes I meet Ed and Al. But they're eating with Hughes and Winry." I giggle for their expense, Hughes would most likely be gushing about his daughter Alicia.
"Dodged a bullet there, didn't you?" His voice holds a small bit of humor in it. I look at him, finding him already watching me. "Come on over here. You gotta eat something. I have crackers."
Upon the idea of food, my body seems to react, and i walk over and sit on the other side of the desk. He hands me a few crackers, and I nibble on one, watching as his eyes go back to his work. I cant help but continue glancing up, I recall our first visit together. Less frown lines, more boyish features. I cant imagine how much I have changed. I chuckle lowly at Al's writing. "What is it?"
"Al wants to try Winry's homemade apple pie, for the millionth time. And Hughes' wife's keash. Apparently it tastes like mom's." I smile, remembering her brown hair and the love she shared for us. I look up to find his usual stern face brightened by a small smile, so small, it may not have even existed but for my eyes.
He shuffles some paperwork as I move back to my letters, the door opening behind us. He does not make it seem any more or any less than what Riza sees as she walks through, to me. She hands me an apple, a baggy of nuts, smiling. Than does the same to Roy.
"You're like the big sister I never had Riza." I giggle, taking a knife out of the holster in my boot. I slice it into pieces, before offering the knife to Roy. He takes it, as i bite into a slice of the green apple. As he slices the apple, I watch his fingers carefully. The way they move surely, carefully, and quickly all at once. I receive a nudge from Riza, a knowing look in her eyes.
I take back the knife, holding it between my metal fingers, looking back to my letters and notes while chewing on the apple. I feel eyes on me, as the door opens, welcoming back more of the team, but no one speaks. No one tells me to move, as I continue writing the notes.