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twilightofthe · 5 years

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Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, annnnnnnd Luke Skywalker

Probs gonna be a long post since I Cannot Shut Up, so here we go!

OBI WAN (see look I told you this was gonna be long)

How I feel about them: HELLO HI YES I LOVE HIM A NORMAL AMOUNT. Okay okay, besides the fact that he is Very Nice To Look At (c’mon, I must, I have EYES), I genuinely love Obi Wan because he wants to be a good person so, so badly, and he’s always ALWAYS trying to be better because he doesn’t believe he already is a good person. His life is a literal living hellhole and he doesn’t crumple under all of that tragedy like literally everyone else does, he takes a moment, puts a cheeky smile back on his face, and gets back up and keeps going. He can be a hypocrite, he tends to look over things he really shouldn’t or gets the wrong idea about things and just shuts off what he doesn’t want to deal with, he’s overconfident and a little snobby and petty and a bit of an asshole, and he makes mistakes because he is human, and I love him for all of those flaws because if he was perfect, I wouldn’t like him as much. He’s funny and reckless and would literally die before letting anything he cared about get hurt, he wants to do everything at once so he can help everyone and he literally gives all of himself to a cause because he cares and y’all, he is the most distinguished disaster I have ever come across and he deserves peace and rest and loved ones who don’t die in his arms or betray him and he’s one of the most brilliant fighters I have ever seen and he just draws you in. You can’t help but want to watch him.

Romantic ships: I will love him and Anakin together past my dying breaths; they’re soulmates. I can also enjoy seeing him with Quinlan or Ventress, and of course Satine.

Non-Romantic OTPs: Anakin again, I just love them and will take them any way I can get. Also Cody, Cody is great. And Ahsoka-- especially post-Order 66 (c’mon Kenobi movie don’t let me down now). And Padmé! Ugh, I’m mad TCW refused to let us see the Obi/Pads friendship the movies promised us they had.

Unpopular Opinion: Two big ones. First, that Anakin is the most important person in his life. I can’t see it any other way, and I know other people would disagree. Second, that he’s a good person and ALSO kinda a jerk. He’s one of the most popular figures in this fandom with the most mercurial fanbase. I’d say a good 85% adore him, but then the 15% who don’t hate him with a burning passion. Seriously, it’s like to these people Palpatine was a better Master to Anakin than he was, jeez-- I’m digressing. Anyway, it’s like in retaliation, the other 85% have put him up on a pedestal as someone who’s done no wrong whatsoever. And here I am in the middle like, I love him to hell and back and always will, he’s legit one of my favorite characters, but he isn’t perfect. Like I said, it’s hard for me to like perfect characters with no flaws. So yea, I guess that’s it.

Something I wish would happen/had happened with them in canon: MORE OBIKIN MOMENTS BECAUSE I’M NEEDY. Ok but in reality, there’s a couple things, most I’m discovering have to do with female characters. I wish he hadn’t faked his death when Ahsoka was there. I get why Anakin had to be there to witness it, otherwise he wouldn’t believe it, but Obes, my dude, there was no reason why you had to (further) traumatize a sixteen year old over this. She really did not need to have you die in her arms, you of all people know how shitty that feels. I also want to know why he didn’t speak up (or if he did and we didn’t see it) at Ahsoka’s trial. Was he being punished for Mandalore? Going off of that, I wish we actually got to see him mourn Satine for more than 0.5 seconds of him looking sad after she died and then it literally never being brought up again (I’m looking at you here, Season 7, give me SOMETHING). I’d also like to see him having some sort of meaningful interaction with Leia that would make her naming her only child after him make more sense (I actually have a really good penpals style idea about this, but I don’t know if I’d be able to write it before the Kenobi show comes out and josses it). Also, I heard that the original Twin Suns episode of Rebels was supposed to have Kanan going to Tatooine with Ezra, and I really would like to see a Kanan/Obi Wan interaction, it just sounds like so much potential for angsty goodness!!! ;_;

AHSOKA

How I feel about them: My brave, brave girl! She was what got me into the prequels in general, if you can believe it (wow, my star wars watching order is just WEIRD), I had to know more about her after seeing literally one glimpse of her in Rebels and then saw the Tumblr fandom explode. She’s enduring and snarky and clever and a total badass and I adore how we got to see her grow from a spunky little kid into a shining, confident young woman who I’d follow anywhere. Anyway, I love her and god did she deserve so much BETTER FROM EVERYTHING. HER LIFE SUCKED TOO AND SHE TOLD LIFE TO FUCK OFF AND KEPT GOING.

Romantic ships: I adore her and Kaeden Larte from the Ahsoka novel and you can pry my headcanon that they’re still together up to the Sequel trilogy out of my cold dead hands. Also Barriss Offee (WHY DO ALL MY STAR WARS SHIPS HAVE A PATTERN? CAN WE NOT BE BETRAYING EACH OTHER FOR FIVE SECONDS PLEASE). Also Riyo Chuchi, that was really cute!!!

Non-Romantic OTP’s: Snips n’ Skyguy all the way!!!! But also argh, I adore Ahsoka and Rex and everything about them and Season 7 is going to KILL ME. I also love seeing Ahsoka and Padmé interact, and I really do like the little bits we see of her and Obi Wan and I want MORE of them >:(

Unpopular Opinion: This is gonna sound weird since I just said that seeing Ahsoka in Rebels was what got me into TCW and the prequels, but I really didn’t like her characterization in Rebels all that much after I went back and saw her in TCW. I know she grew up and was traumatized and matured, but Rebels!Ahsoka just seemed a bit too severe, a bit too peaceful (she’s always been a firebrand), a bit too quiet. Yea she grew, but I feel like the environment she grew up in wouldn’t foster the personality change she got in Rebels. She was a bit of a hot mess in TCW, and the Ahsoka novel kinda showed more of that personality in an older version of her and felt more right than what we got in Rebels.

Something I wish would happen/had happened with them in canon: A GROUP HUG WITH ANAKIN AND OBI WAN IN SEASON 7, PREFERABLY HER PICKING THEM BOTH UP LEGEND OF KORRA STYLE. Ok but really there’s a LOT of things. First, that she never liked Lux Bonteri. I’m sorry, I’m petty. He just reminds me way too much of my IRL friend’s stupidass boyfriend who I Do Not Like and I never got what Ahsoka actually saw in him ;p Second is that I did not like how Ezra saved her in Rebels. It’s a grumpy point for me because I certainly like how she managed to outlive the entire Order that kicked her out, it’s poetic, and if they did have Vader kill her I’d still be grumpy because it would be just another Prequel era woman who got killed off because she wasn’t in the OT while the males all find some way to be alive despite not being in the OT. HOWEVER, you will never convince me that Kanan wasn’t the one who deserved that time-travel fixit. Kanan had a family-- a CHILD, who he left behind. Kanan had a future, and a story point that was just left unfinished and unsatisfying for me and other fans, if what I’ve heard was right. As much as it would annoy me, Ahsoka dying facing Vader makes sense from a narrative point because it would follow the path that Vader destroys everyone he ever loved until he meets Luke. Kanan’s death felt sudden and forced, and the fact that they had the audacity to use his death to be like “oh no Kanan had to die and become a Spirit Wolf solely to tell Ezra he needed to bring AHSOKA back”, come on. Rebels didn’t establish Ahsoka and Kanan having any sort of meaningful relationship, it makes no sense for that to be his final wish, so it just feels a LOT like favoritism on Filoni’s part. So yea, I don’t know what I wanted to save Ahsoka because I did want her alive, but it definitely shouldn’t have been at the expense of Kanan. Meh. Ok, but on a happier note, I really wanna see Anakin’s ghost on Endor reuniting with her again cuz that would be sweet and make me cry. I also wanna see Ahsoka interacting with Obi Wan on Tatooine in the new show because please it would be perfect, she’s already met Leia, now she can meet Luke! Also, if we could actually see her find Ezra, that would be very nice, thank you.

LUKE

How I feel about this character: Luke Skywalker is one of the bravest, most kindest men in the galaxy. He’s not the stereotypical macho hero, he’s goofy and he whines and sulks and he makes dumb jokes and he rushes right into things, but he’s determined as all hell and once he loves you, he’s never letting go. He wants to fix everything! He has so many ideas! He’s so bright and you can’t help but fall in love with his smile and his sparkling eyes and you want all his dreams and plans (because he has so, so many of them) to come true, and he will make them come true, because he is stubborn like both of his parents before him. He worked through the discovery of his beloved father being a monster, and not only did he love him despite that, he did the unthinkable and BROUGHT HIM BACK. LUKE BROUGHT ANAKIN HOME BECAUSE HE LOVED AND BELIEVED IN HIM AND HE WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO DO IT. I just wish he had gotten the happy ending his parents never did (and that he had had for 40 years before it was ripped away whoops I got salt on this haha).

Romantic ships: Complicated. I think he would be really cute with Ezra if they ever actually met; their personalities would mesh nicely and I think they’d make a great team! However, I don’t really ship him with anyone else, and me the ace again is projecting major aro/ace vibes onto him because I can *blows raspberry*

Non-Romantic OTP: BROT3 WITH HAN AND LEIA!!!! FOREVER AND ALWAYS!!!!!!!! Y’all but they literally saved the galaxy together, and Luke and Leia love each other so much they knew there was a connection from the very beginning and always supported each other and the BEST space siblings, argh that forehead kiss was my favorite part of The Last Jedi I cry but I also love the chaotic dumbass duo that is Han and Luke and how they’d legit die for each other and have each others’ backs. And, Luke and R2 will always always make my heart melt because these guys are the best team! And Chewie, cannot forget Chewie, Chewie loves his stupid blonde little brother. Ya know what, I’ll also add in Rey for the pure potentiality of what could have been.

Unpopular Opinion: Well it’s certainly not unpopular to anyone I talk to, but Lucasfilms disagrees with me, so I’m gonna put forth that I don’t care WHAT the explanation is, I could never ever ever see Luke even thinking about murdering his nephew in his sleep, not just a “slip up”, not “only for a second”, no. Yes, people can change in thirty years, and I’ve begrudgingly accepted a lot of his actions in TLJ, but not that one. Luke would NEVER. A more unpopular one I have would be that he’s not as much of a “innocent cinnamon roll” as fandom makes him out to be. We see from the beginning of Episode 4 that Luke has the Skywalker temper and he’s a bit on the rude side, even though to me that seems a little more like issues with a filter that he works on developing throughout the OT. But yeah, people tend to declaw him a bit and forget this is the same sarcastic, snarky guy that can and will happily kick the ass of basically anyone who he can’t talk his way out of trouble with (in this, he is very much Obi Wan’s apprentice).

Something I wish would happen/had happened with them in canon: LET HIM APPEAR TO REY WITH ANAKIN’S FORCE GHOST 2K19!!! PLEASE JJ I BEG YOU YOU LITERALLY NAMED THE MOVIE AFTER THEM. Also, please just let him take an active role in Episode 9. I understand it’s about the new protagonists, but please do not include the Sequel Trilogy in the “Skywalker Saga” if you’re just gonna sideline him the entire time. If he couldn’t have his original happy ending, please let him be happy at the end of all of this.

#i’m proud of myself i could have added a LOT more sequel salt in Luke’s section than i did you’re welcome #i also will go off completely unprompted over the IRL friend’s stupidass boyfriend and almost did #so be very thankful i showed restraint xD #our only ho #snip snap #twin sun

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just-absolutely-super · 6 years

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Of Dreams and Other Lives

AN: So this is what happens when you cry about FMA 03 Edwin while having some weird fascination with a character having insight into their AU self’s life. (If that makes any sense...)

Anyways, this fic is Winry-centric with a good dose of Edwin fluff, and while it takes place in the canonverse (the manga and FMA:B), I do dwell a little bit into 03′s continuity. So, spoilers I guess for FMA 03 and COS.

Anyways, hope you all enjoy it!

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Summary: They say your dreams are visions of a another life you are living. Winry experiences a heartbreaking one.

Timeline: Post Series

Ship: Edwin with some Resembool Trio Brot3 goodness

FF.NET LINK

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“I guess this is goodbye for good...”

Winry groans as she rouses from her sleep, feeling more tired than she did when she fell asleep that night.

She had a very strange dream. She doesn’t really remember it though. She remembers Edward and Alphonse were in the dream, but as for what they were doing she couldn’t say. Whatever it was, the dream left her feeling extremely tired.

And extremely sad, too…

Winry frowns at that. Why would she be sad? She recalls some dreams she’s had in the past where the boys never came home, but the feeling she had upon waking from those was more nervous rather than sad.

She shrugs. It’s just a dream. She doesn’t remember it anyway, so why bother dwelling on it?

Yawning, Winry rolls out of bed and trudges her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. There, she is met with the sight of her two best friends, the Elric Brothers. Alphonse (who finally managed to get his body back to a healthy state since the Promise Day) has his back to her while he fixes breakfast. His older brother Edward sits at the table, drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. She can’t help but smile at the domestic sight.

Al doesn’t bother sparing her a glance as he cheerfully says to her, “Good morning, Winry! Granny had to make a house call to Mr. Kline. His wife rushed in here saying his legs gave out while he was working in the field. She’ll be back soon, though.”

Winry nods, knowing full well whom her grandmother’s client is. Apparently the old farmer Mr. Kline is just as bad at keeping up with his automail maintenance as Ed is.

Speaking of Ed, the former alchemist glances up from his paper to smile at his mechanic, causing butterflies to flutter in Winry’s stomach. Edward really has grown into a handsome man over the past few years.

“Morning Win—GAAAH!”

Winry jumps at Ed’s outburst. One moment he’s smiling at her and then the next he’s practically jumping out of his chair, staring at her with a panicked look.

“Wh-What’s the matter with you?” Winry asks him.

“Yeah, Brother, why are you—Winry?! What’s the matter?!” Al asks her, moving from his spot at the stove to join his older brother in gawking at her. He too has a look on his face that told Winry he was shocked and worried.

Winry stares dumbfounded at the two boys, “What are you talking about? I’m fine.”

“Bullshit!” Ed spats, pointing an accusing finger at her, “You’ve been crying! What’s wrong?”

Winry blinks in confusion. Crying? She hadn’t been crying. What are they—?

Raising a hand up to her face, Winry touches her cheeks. She feels some moisture. Moving to a mirror that hangs on one of the walls, Winry examines her face. Sure enough there are tear tracks that were just now drying. Her eyes are bloodshot as well, making the blue of her irises stand out.

She had been crying. But for the life of her she doesn’t know why.

She turns back to her two best friends and shrugs, “I guess I was crying. I don’t know why though.”

Edward raises an eyebrow at her and shares a confused look with his brother at the girl’s confession. They turn back to her and examine her face, probably to make sure she isn’t lying to them or anything.

“You’re absolutely sure nothing’s wrong?” Ed asks skeptically.

“Yeah, Winry, if anything is bothering you, you know you can talk to us. We’re always here for you,” Al comforts, giving the girl a small smile.

Winry beams at the boys, “Thank you for your concern, but I really am okay. I had a weird dream last night, and even though I don’t remember it, I do remember being sad in it. I probably subconsciously cried in my sleep.”

She laughs it off, though the fact that she did cry in her sleep left her feeling uneasy. She wishes she knew what that dream was about now. It must’ve been bad if it left her feeling emotionally compromised to the point of tears.

She feels a pair of comforting arms around her. She looks up to see Alphonse. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. Whatever it was, it was just a dream. They aren’t real.”

Winry smiles at the younger boy and nods, “Yeah, of course. Thanks, Al.”

“You’re welcome!” Al removes himself from her side before shoving Edward towards her, “You’re glad she’s okay too, right Brother?”

Ed glares at the sly look Al is giving him, a bright blush on his cheeks. Coughing awkwardly, Ed faces Winry, his gaze avoiding hers, “Y-Yeah. It’s good you aren’t really sad or anything like that.”

Winry gives the older Elric a small but genuine smile. He is still very awkward when it comes to his feelings for her, but Winry knows he’s trying and really does care about her.

To her surprise, Edward quickly gathers her in his arms. The hug is so tight that her breath gets momentarily knocked out of her. Her cheeks flush as she feels his hot breath in her ear.

“But if you ever get sad again, don’t play that cool act. You come talk to me, okay? Al too. Or Granny. Hell, even Den would be a good option.” He sincerely says. His hold on her loosens enough for the girl to breathe, but thankfully he doesn’t let go. Winry melts into the embrace, wrapping her arms around him to return the hug.

“I will. Don’t worry. Thank you.”

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Winry’s eyes snap open as she gasps out.

She quickly gets out of her bed and turns on the bedside lamp. She’s trembling, tears profusely falling from her eyes as she gasps out heartbroken sobs.

It was that dream again.

She hasn’t had it for months and barely remembers it, but she just knew that’s what it was.

She wasn’t sure what was going on in the dream. It looked like Amestris, but at the same time it didn’t—like she was in a whole different world altogether.

She had been standing in a city, but it wasn’t a city she was familiar with. She remembered Al in the dream, but he didn’t really look like Al. He was younger, and his hair was a darker shade of blonde than what it should be—almost brown. It was longer too, similar to Ed’s. She recalled Roy Mustang being in the dream too, but the details of his role were fuzzy at best.

But she does remember Edward in the dream, almost to a horrifying degree with how clear it was.

He had crashed to the ground in some kind of machine Winry wasn’t familiar with. He was fine, if not a little beat up. She recalled hugging him in the dream, but it wasn’t a hug she would have normally given him.

She had held him tightly, almost as if she hadn’t seen him in a very long time. Like if she let go at that very moment, he’d disappear.

He seemed to be different too. He looked like Edward, sure, but his eyes were different. Still gold in color, but they looked colder and more distant—like he was constantly putting up walls to protect himself. He also still had an automail arm instead of the flesh one he gained back after the Promise Day.

That was another thing that was off: his automail. It was badly broken in the dream. She couldn’t find any humor that dream Ed is also reckless with his limbs because the automail he had didn’t even look like automail; at least, none she is used to handling. Winry had set to work to fix him up. She gave him new and better limbs.

This was where the dream gets fuzzier, but Winry knew what was happening all the same.

Ed had left to fight someone—who, Winry wasn’t sure—and the fight was taking place on an aircraft. Flying machines are something in the early stages of development according to Mr. Garfiel; so she’s surprised to find her subconscious showing her this contraption that shouldn’t even exist yet!

Something had happened because she saw the wing of the aircraft get torn apart. She wasn’t sure how, but she thinks it was with alchemy. Had Ed done that?

Wait, no, Ed doesn’t have his alchemy anymore. He gave it up for Al’s body. How did he…?

“That must be Ed, I know it.”

Winry’s eyes widen as she recalls her own voice echoing inside her head. The image of the aircraft was flying away into some unknown place far out of her reach.

She then remembers Mustang coming up to her in the dream and telling her that not only did Ed leave this world behind, but Alphonse did too, wanting to follow his brother.

They would never be able to come back…

“So, I guess this is goodbye for good.”

Winry gasps, sobs wracking her body. No. No, they can’t be gone forever. Edward can’t be gone forever. It was a dream. It was just a dream!

But it was so real…

It felt so real!

She runs out of her room and opens the door to one of the bedrooms that the Elric Brothers always reside in.

Empty.

‘No… No, it can’t be!’

Winry slides to the floor, her tears falling out of her eyes as she sobs. She’s shaking all over and it’s getting harder and harder to breathe. In the back of her mind, Winry knows she is suffering from a panic attack but she can’t care at the moment.

They are gone.

Edward and Alphonse are gone. They left her and they are never coming back!

“Winry!”

Winry is startled from her thoughts when she sees her grandmother. She has a candle in her hand to help her see in the dark, her face is contorted in worry.

“Winry, honey, what’s the matter? Why are you crying?” she asks as she sets the candle down and holds her granddaughter in her arms. The blonde feels a cold, wet nose nudging her side and the soothing lick of a wet tongue, indicating that Den has bounded over as well.

It takes a while for Winry to calm herself down enough to answer in between her sobs and hiccups, “E…Ed-Edward…! And Al! They….They’re gon-gone!”

Pinako strokes her hair and stares at her granddaughter in confusion, “Of course they’re gone, you silly thing. Don’t you remember? Al went out East to study that healing alchemy stuff. We got a letter from him yesterday. And Edward went to the West to do some studying of his own. They’ve been gone for a little over three months now.”

At her words, Winry finally comes back to reality. That’s right, Ed and Al did leave; but they didn’t leave to some unknown world Winry couldn’t get to. No, they just went to different countries to expand their alchemic knowledge.

They are just days away by train ride!

And they can return at any time!

This knowledge finally calms her down, though she is still shaken.

“I just… It just felt so real, Granny.”

Her grandmother raises an eyebrow at her, silently asking her to elaborate.

“I had a dream. They were there, but then I saw them leave. First it was Ed, and then I found out Al left too. The feelings I felt were so real I just woke up and wanted to see if they were really gone. If they were here then I’d know for sure the dream didn’t happen.”

Pinako nods at the girl and rubs soothing circles on her back.

“How about I make you some tea to calm your nerves. Then you can go back to sleep. Does that sound good?”

Winry nods, “Okay…”

Pinako goes downstairs to start the kettle in the kitchen, but Winry stays behind, still staring into the empty bedroom.

It is okay… The boys are okay…

But why is she still uneasy?

Taking a shaky breath, Winry forces herself to stand and makes her way down the stairs; Den rushing ahead of her once she sees her master is okay. She pauses when she spots the telephone out of the corner of her eye, a notepad next to it. A string of numbers is written and Winry recognizes them.

A few days ago, Ed called her from a house in Creta. He had befriended a professor who was kind enough to allow the young man to stay with him and his family. The man’s youngest son took a liking to Ed and decided to tease him about his affections for his mechanic. This led to the boy finding the phone number for the Rockbell home and calling Winry to get a rise out of the former Fullmetal Alchemist. One thing led to another and the boy gave Winry his house number.

“In case you wanted to talk to your booooooyfriend—” he teased before yelping in surprise.

“GIVE ME THE PHONE YOU LITTLE—” she heard Ed’s enraged scream before the line disconnected.

Winry smiles at the memory and thanks whoever is listening that she was given this phone number.

It’s late, and she’d probably feel bad about it in the morning, but she can’t care right now. She has to call him. She has to hear his voice.

She has to make sure he really is there.

Picking up the receiver, Winry dials the number listed on the notepad.

She waits one…two…three rings and thinks about hanging up. She doesn’t know what time it is over there but if it is as late as it is here, then she wouldn’t be surprised if nobody picks up—

“Hello?” comes an unknown voice, sleep evident in their tone.

It takes Winry a bit to process that someone indeed is answering the phone.

“Uh…ummm, I’m so sorry!” she begins, feeling very embarrassed, “I just…I was calling for Edward Elric. Is he still living there?”

She holds her breath. What is she thinking? Calling at this god-awful hour! And chances are Edward won’t be there. He probably left ages ago! He’s never one to stay still, why would he—

“Who is calling?” asks the voice.

Winry shakes her head of her thoughts, “M-My name is Winry Rockbell, sir. I’m a friend of his from Amestris.”

‘Friend? Really?’ Winry rolls her eyes, ‘Not like I promised him all my life to him or anything. Geez, Winry, get a grip!’

“Hang on. I’ll get him.” The man yawns on the other line and Winry hears the sound of the receiver being put down. She fidgets on the balls of her feet, now very aware of how silly she’s being. She just hopes Edward isn’t angry with her for the disruption.

“Hello?” comes the groggy and irritated voice of Edward Elric, “Winry? Professor Rodriguez said it was you calling. What in the name of Truth are you doing calling in the middle of the friggin’ night?”

Before Winry could explain, she feels her throat close up as more tears well up in her eyes. She can’t help it, hearing his voice had triggered something deep inside her.

He is there. He is there and talking to her. He didn’t leave forever!

“W-Winry?” now Ed’s voice sounds worried, “You there?”

“E-Ed!” Winry chokes out; a new wave of sobs wracking her body.

“Winry?! Winry, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? What’s the matter?” he frantically asks, “Is it Granny? Is she okay? What about Den? Oh god, please tell me it isn’t Al! Winry, please talk to me!”

“It’s fine!” she finally manages to say to him, “Everyone’s fine! I swear. I’m just…I’m just being really stupid right now.”

She hears him let out a sigh of relief before he softly commands, “Tell me what happened.”

So she does. She cries as she tells him of the dream (more like nightmare) where he and Al left her alone forever. It takes a bit of explaining because she keeps having a hard time composing herself, but she eventually finishes the retelling, feeling very emotionally drained.

“Wow. That’s one hell of a dream…” is what Ed finally says.

Winry nods, not caring that he can’t see her right now. “I know. It’s stupid. I’m sorry for waking you and your host.”

“Nah, don’t be. With this time zone stuff it’s not as late here as it is there. I actually wasn’t asleep for that long,” he reassures, but Winry knows he is just saying that to make her feel better.

There’s a brief silence between them, Winry reveling in the sound of Ed’s breathing before he speaks again.

“Tell you what,” he begins, piquing Winry’s curiosity, “my leg is starting to feel a bit off. I guess I’ve been pretty rough on it... How about I come home so you can do some maintenance on it? I’ll try to get on the earliest train I can find tomorrow.”

Winry feels an immense amount of guilt, “No, no! You just got settled, Edward! Don’t come back for my sake! I’ll be fine, I promise! Think of your research.”

She can’t see him but she knows he is rolling his eyes, “All this information isn’t going anywhere. I can always come back. Besides, it’s been three months yet I’ve learned so much already. Aren’t you the one always telling me to take care of my automail?”

Winry deflates, “Ed, you really don’t have to…”

“I know I don’t have to,” he says, “but I want to. I miss you.”

Winry feels her heart melt at his words. “I miss you, too.”

“Good. So I’ll see you in a few days, all right? Try to get some sleep. You can’t be the best automail engineer if you’re keeling over from exhaustion!”

Winry giggles. Somehow Ed always knows what to say to cheer her up. “Okay, I will. Thank you, Ed.”

“Don’t mention it,” he says. There’s a pause and Winry wonders if he had hung up. Then she hears his voice quietly but gently say, “I love you.”

Winry’s smile grows, cheeks pink as she feels more tears come to her eyes. This time they are tears of happiness.

“I love you, too. Be safe, I’ll see you in a few days.”

With that they hang up. Winry goes into the kitchen to find her Granny sitting at the table, Den resting at her feet. Across from her is a freshly made cup of tea just for the blonde.

“How is Edward?” she asks, a knowing look on her face.

Winry blushes, “He’s good. He’s coming home in a couple of days. For maintenance.”

“Right, mainentance,” Pinako chuckles, stirring her own cup of tea. She gives Winry a calculative glance before speaking again.

“You know, there have been old myths and legends that say that your dreams are visions of another life.”

Winry contemplates this piece of information as she sips her tea.

“I never believed it, though,” her grandmother waves off. “It just seems like something to ponder about…”

Winry absently nods, staring at her cup in deep thought.

‘Another life, huh?’

It is a farfetched notion, but as Ed and Al would tell her, “Nothing is impossible.”

“I wonder how she’s doing.” Winry says before she can stop herself.

“Who?”

“The other me. Or dream me, I guess?” Winry replies, not quite sure how to refer to the woman she had embodied in her subconscious, “Her Edward and Alphonse left her. I wonder what she did to recover. Do you even think she did recover?”

She watches as her grandmother mulls over her questions before taking a final sip of her tea and rising from her chair to put it away. Once the task is complete, she walks over to Winry to give her a peck on the crown of her head.

“Of course she’s okay. There’s no doubt in my mind about it.”

Winry gives her a questioning look, “How do you know?”

Pinako smiles at her, “Because, darling, she’s a Rockbell. Rockbell women are strong. You’re strong.”

For the umpteenth time tonight, Winry feels more tears gather in her eyes. Honestly, how many more tears does she have in her?

Wiping away any stray tears that escape her eyes, Winry gives her grandmother a fierce hug. The old woman returns it just as fiercely. When they part, Pinako gives a tired yawn.

“If you excuse me, I’m going back to bed. You should do the same after you finish your tea. You can sleep in this morning. I’ll handle your customers until you wake up.”

“Thank you, Granny. For everything.” Winry says, giving her grandmother a kiss on her cheek.

“You’re welcome.” With that, the old woman leaves Winry alone with her thoughts.

Staring at the remainder of her tea, she continues to mull over her dream. She can’t help herself, it really did feel like she was there and experiencing everything happening. The emotions she felt were certainly real. After all, they had carried on into the waking world.

And despite Pinako’s words, she still worries for her counterpart. Is she really okay?

Winry shakes her head and decides to push it out of her mind. What good is dwelling on something that ultimately doesn’t affect her in the first place?

Finishing her tea, Winry places the cup in the sink and calls for Den to accompany her back to her room. Once there, she curls up under her covers and feels her eyelids droop. She refuses to think about the dream or this “other life” nonsense. Instead, she thinks about Edward and how he would be coming home in a few days.

He is coming home to her.

--------------

In another life, another universe, there is a different version of Winry Rockbell who experiences realistic dreams too.

In these dreams she sees Edward and Alphonse standing in front of her, smiling and laughing.

They aren’t gone. They’re with her.

Alphonse looks different than what she remembers. He looks to be the age he should have been had he not regressed those four years in the Gate. His hair color is also a lighter shade, matching his older brother’s.

She couldn’t hear what the dream Al was saying to her, but after giving her a brotherly side-hug he runs off back to the house—probably to help her Granny fix supper—and leaves her with Edward.

Looking at this Edward, she can tell he is happier and lighter here. Less burdened by the harshness of the world.

He has a flesh arm too, which she thinks is odd, but she can’t say she isn’t happy to see the lack of metal. She can’t see his left leg, though, for his long pants. Is it flesh too?

She hears herself say something to him (but again, she isn’t quite sure what it is), causing him to roll his eyes and childishly pout. She laughs at him, and is glad to see that he joins in laughing with her as well.

It’s then that the dream Edward moves towards her and pulls her into his embrace. He’s warm, and Winry feels safe. She can feel all the tension and worry leave her body.

“I love you, Gearhead.”

She smiles.

“I love you too, Alchemy Freak.”

She then finds herself inquiring, “You’ll always be here, right?”

She feels him nod against her shoulder.

“Of course. You, Al, and me; we’re a team. We’ll always be here for each other. That’s a promise!”

She melts in his embrace. “Promise…”

Winry’s eyes slide open, feeling content and happy. She always did after these particular dreams. That is, until reality kicks in and she’d feel that familiar emptiness again…

The first time she experienced them she felt such a crushing sadness at the fact the dreams were never reality. Edward and Alphonse aren’t here with her. They are having their own adventures in some other dimension she can’t access.

Her grandmother had once told her that dreams show a life another version of you is experiencing, but Winry isn’t so sure. That is such a fantastical concept.

But if it is real… That means there is a life she lives where Ed and Al came home whole and happy. And they never left.

She’s envious of that version’s Winry.

Sighing, Winry stretches and pulls herself out of bed, ready to start a new day.

No use dwelling on things that can’t be helped. What’s done is done. And she has an automail business to attend to.

Before she heads out the door, she spares one last glance to the framed photo of her two best friends. A bittersweet smile spreads across her pretty face.

“I hope the dream me never takes you two for granted.”

#edwin #edward elric #winry rockbell #fma #fmab #fma 03 #ish #kinda combines all canons #my writing #fanfiction

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justabookworm39 · 7 years

Text

I think you’re my best friend (RvB Angst War Fanfic)

Summery:

gkingoffez said: RvB Angst War prompt- Caboose breaks his leg in the middle of a fight, and Tucker gets hurt trying to drag him out. Carolina and Epsilon find them once the battle is over. Happy or sad ending, you decide. *finger guns*

Nobody wanted to admit how much they cared until then.

Warnings: Language, injuries (and abuse of said injuries b/c Caboose tried to stand up with a broken leg), emotional breakdowns(?), heavily implied but not onscreen character death.

Pairings: Blue Team BroT3 (AKA Platonic!Church/Tucker/Caboose), with a dash of some other friendships mentioned.

Notes: This is... the first time I’ve cried while writing. Maybe this is among my best works, maybe it’s just because I love these three and their friendship so much. (This is also my first time writing RvB fanfiction from the first-person P.O.V., so that might have something to do with it.) Either way, I hope this makes you guys as emotional as it did me.

Also, I was going to give it a happy ending, but I liked the sad ending too much to ‘fix’ it. If you want the happy ending, you’ll have to prompt me for it when Fluff Week starts.

Finally, the title is a quote from Fall Out Boy’s ‘The Kids Aren’t Alright.’ Combined with Jem’s ‘24 Hours’ and Matt Corby’s ‘Brother,’ it made a very sad soundtrack that I hope at least one person listens to while they read this.

“Tucker, come in. Everything alright?” God dammit, why isn’t he picking up? “Tucker, for fuck’s sake, just let me know you’re alive, got it?”

“Everything alright?” Carolina asked, returning from talking to Kimball. The battle was finally over-for now, at least-and everyone was regrouping. I hadn’t been able to keep track of everyone, but I knew Tucker and Caboose had led their respective units off in one direction. Surely they’d be fine.

Right?

“Tucker’s not answering his radio.” At that point, I glanced up and saw Green Team and Blue Team heading towards us. “Fucking finally.” Maybe they could tell me what the dipshits were doing.

One of the soldiers-Lieutenant Palomo-picked up the pace, practically running to us. “Church! Agent Carolina! Something’s really wrong! We need help! We-”

Lieutenant Smith came up behind Palomo and cut him off. “Something happened during the battle.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that out.”

Carolina ignored me, saying, “What’s wrong? Is it about Caboose and Tucker?”

Palomo piped up again, saying, “Captain Caboose broke his leg! Captain Tucker stayed behind-he told us to keep fighting, he said he’d keep Captain Caboose safe-but when we went back to find them later, they were gone!”

What?

“What we did find were a couple of space pirate bodies with sword wounds,” Smith continued. “We don’t know where they went, but we have to find them.”

Before Carolina could say anything, I found myself yelling, “Yeah, no shit, we have to find them! Palomo!” I turned to Tucker’s prize lieutenant, “Go find Wash!” He’d spent a lot of time looking for downed agents, surely he could find the guys, right? “And Smith! Where’d you lose them?”

“This way.” Smith took off with the rest of his team behind him.

“Come on, C.”

“Church, slow down. We have to be careful. They could’ve gotten captured, or-”

“No, they didn’t. They got lost because it’s Caboose and Tucker and Tucker was probably too busy bragging about killing those space pirates to look where he was going and Caboose is Caboose. They’re fine.”

All of those were lies, I was sure. Tucker would’ve been able to keep track of where he was going and Caboose wasn’t that dumb and they weren’t lost, they were hurt, maybe they were-

“Church. It’s alright. We’ll find them.”

I was starting to realize they wouldn’t find us. At least, not in time.

We’d sat in the sinkhole we’d dove into to avoid the space pirates for hours now. Our armor protected us from the worst of the impact, so we were, at least, no more injured than we’d been before the fall. Caboose played with Freckles, tossing and turning the rifle in his hands as he spoke to it, while I tried to ignore the pain in my side. Just a gunshot; I could live through this.

I hoped.

“Tucker?”

“What is it, man?”

“Why hasn’t anyone found us yet?”

“Well, we came down here to hide from the space pirates, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And we’re still alive, right?”

“Well, uh, my leg really hurts and I do not think I can really walk without somebody else using their legs… but yes. I am still alive.”

“So, clearly this was a good hiding place. Which means it’s gonna be kinda hard for the Chorus army to find us.”

“Oh, oh, that’s it! We are too good at hiding!” He looked up at the gap in the ceiling, yelling, “WE GIVE UP! COME FIND US NOW!”

“Caboose, I don’t think anyone can hear us,” I said, though that didn’t stop him from continuing to yell at the sky. I chuckled sadly. Over the past several hours, I found that Caboose was the worst person to be trapped with. Not because he could be annoying-though that really didn’t help-but because of how hard it was to explain just how bad the situation was. How hard it would be to explain if we couldn’t get out.

If I couldn’t get out.

“Tucker?”

“Hm?”

“Your face looks weird.”

I chuckled. “Hey, there’s no need to be an ass about it.”

“No, not your normal weird. Different weird. Bad weird.” Caboose sat up, trying to crawl towards me, but stopped suddenly, flinching at he moved his leg. “Ow.”

I thought for a moment. Maybe I should tell him. I felt woozy. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out… “Want me to sit next to you, buddy?” I saw him do a double take. Usually, calling him ‘buddy’ was a Church thing. I wasn’t sure why I said it. Maybe I thought it’d made him feel better.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.” I crawled across the stone, only to stop a few feet away from him, wincing and throwing a hand over my side. “Tucker?” I heard him gasp dramatically, and he grabbed my shoulders, sitting me down next to him. “Stupid Tucker, that’s not good! You-you do not move when you are shot!”

I felt tears running down my face, partly due to the pain, and partly due to the fact that I couldn’t hide this from him any longer. “Hey, big guy. I need to tell you something.” I swallowed thickly. “I… I hate to have to tell you this, but… I don’t know if I’m gonna make it out.”

Caboose was quiet for a second. Then, “Tucker, don’t be stupid. You-why would they get me out of this hole, and not you? I-now you’re just being silly.”

“That’s… not what I meant.” I took a deep breath. He’d… never had a great grasp on the concept of death. When it came to when we thought Freckles was dead, Wash told me that Caboose never caught onto what it meant. Not to mention Church… Then again, if he kept coming back, it was kinda hard to blame Caboose for that.

But I wasn’t like Church, or Freckles. I wouldn’t come back.

“...I got hurt pretty badly, Caboose. I… by the time somebody gets here to rescue you, I’m probably not gonna be here.”

Caboose stared at me, wide-eyed. “But-but where would you go?” He still didn’t get it.

“I-I think I’m going to die before help gets here. And I’m not coming back.” Saying it out loud made me sick to my stomach. It hadn’t fully set in-I was worrying about my teammate-but just then, I realized it. I was going to die.

Oh god, I was going to die. I wouldn’t get to see any of my other friends again. Church, Wash, Carolina, Grif-

I’d never get to see Junior again. He’d be an orphan.

I was caught up in my own thoughts, so I didn’t notice Caboose moving until I heard him whimper. Looking down, I realized he was trying to force himself to his feet, holding me in his arms. “Caboose? Buddy, what-”

“I-Maybe, if I stand up…” I heard him sniffle in pain, as when I looked up at him, I saw fat tears rolling down his cheeks. “Maybe… Maybe I can boost you out… Then somebody will can you and find us…”

“Caboose, stop!” I shifted just enough to place a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t do anything, you’re just going to hurt yourself!”

“No! I-I will be fine, just-” He yelped, his broken leg crumbling beneath him, and we tumbled to the floor. “I-I-No! No, I…” He looked down at me, terrified. “But-But, Tucker, I-I don’t want you to leave!”

“I… I know, Caboose. I’m sorry.” I fought back tears. I didn’t want to make him sadder. “Hey, it’s okay, you can put me down.” I don’t want you to have to hold my corpse.

“Tucker…” Caboose gently put me on the floor. He looked away, then said, “Do you want to talk to Freckles?”

I smiled slightly. “Heh, sure, buddy. Might make me feel better.”

I don’t know how much Tucker was sleeping before somebody found us. I let him hold Freckles, because Freckles made me feel better, and Tucker probably would have also liked talking to Wash or Agent Carolina or even Church, but-

But none of them were there. It was just me and Tucker. And I had to make Tucker feel better. Because he’s my friend.

I don’t know what happened after that. My memory gets fuzzy sometimes, when things get scary, and my memory was really fuzzy then. I remember Smith was there. He was happy I was alright. The scary doctor lady was there, too, and-and so was Church.

“Caboose! Oh, fucking Christ, you’re alive!” He was all ghosty-like, so he couldn’t hug me, but Wash could, and he did, and I think Church wanted to hug me, too.

Tucker still wasn’t waking up.

I remember Church crying-I think he was crying-because he was happy that I was safe again. But then I heard him ask somebody else something that made me sad.

“Is Tucker alright, too?”

I remember Agent Carolina and Church talking.

“Church, you should stay with Caboose.”

“I know, but I think he’s fine. What about Tucker?”

“Church, please, just… stay over there.” Carolina always sounded so brave, but not now.

“Why? What’s wrong, Carolina?!”

Then Wash joined them. I think he was crying again. “Oh, god. No…”

“What? What is it?”

“Church, please, don’t-”

Silence. Then I heard Church screaming. “Oh, fucking… No! No, he can’t- Tucker! Tucker, wake up! You can’t just- No, goddammit, no!”

I started crying. “I-I-I’m sorry, Church. I tried to help him-” I curled up, closing my eyes. I wanted everything to be alright again. “I couldn’t, I’m sorry, he’s sleeping now, he’s gone, I’m sorry.”

I felt something appear next to me, and I opened my eyes to see Church floating in front of me. “I know you did, buddy. It’s OK. You must’ve been really brave.”

I reached up, wiping my eyes. “But-but he’s gone. I couldn’t...”

“I know.” Church sat down in mid-air, and he flickered. His helmet went away and I saw his face-I hadn’t seen it in a while, and even though his hair was more red than it was last time I saw it, I knew it was him. He smiled sadly at me. “But you tried. And sometimes…” He looked away. “Sometimes, that’s all you can do.”

#rvb angst war #fanfic #my writing #red vs blue #blue team #blue team brot3 #leonard church #epsilon church #micheal j caboose #lavernius tucker #agent carolina #character death

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