The first time Winry noticed it, it was nothing more than a prick on her arm. She had moved on with her work as usual, and hadn't thought anything of it. The second time, it was much worse. She felt as though she had been cut through with a knife, despite no physical wound. It was a sharp, almost blinding pain, and she couldn't identify the cause. The third time was when she began to suspect what was happening, as otherworldly as it seemed. There had been a burning pain searing across her right arm and left leg, in the exact spots where Ed's automail connected.

When he came back to Resembool, she had noticed the knife wound that she had felt for herself, in the exact spot she predicted. When he had offhandedly mentioned his automail bothering her, she knew it was more than a slight ache. Something was connecting them, she knew, and Ed hadn't the slightest clue. She knew it was a crazy way to think, but how else could she explain the random pains? They all matched up with him, despite any other reasoning she could force herself to believe.

Winry began to feel it more often after that. She knew whenever he was injured while travelling, or whenever his automail was bothering him again. She could tell he was confused when she called him down any time he needed it, even though he hadn't mentioned any issues. She was feeling his pain alongside him, however that was possible, and it only increased her worry for him.

Just how many times had he pretended not to be hurt, only to have suffered excruciating pain prior?

The automail pains were a near constant, she began to realize. As much as she knew about it, she had never experienced it until now. It drove her to instantly blueprint new models that caused less strain on the body, with a lighter material that would hopefully make barometric pressure changes less painful. It wouldn't fix the problem, but even if that pain was dulled by a few levels, it was enough, for now. Ed took on far too much already, and automail pain only added to that burden.

As time increased, Ed's confusion did as well. Winry knew he could tell something was going on, and with the way he was, he was determined to figure it out. He'd question her about things she had known without him explaining, and she always blamed it on intuition or just ignored the claims completely. It wasn't until she felt a piercing pain in her side that she decided to call to check on him.

"Ed, is everything okay?"

"Yeah Winry, m'fine. Why do you ask?"

Shit. She brought this one on herself, and she didn't have a way to get out of it this time.

"I was just checking up on you. Is something wrong about that?"

"Cut the bullshit Winry. You called right after I got to the hospital, there's no way you do this just by coincidence. Does Al tell you everything, is that what's going on? I swear, you don't need to worry-"

"It's not that," she cut him off, tired of lying.

"Then how?"

"I felt it."

"You what?"

"I felt the pain, it's been happening for the last few months. Every time you get hurt, I can feel it. That's how I know about your automail pains all the time. I can feel when you get into fights, too."

There was a stifling silence from the other line as Ed tried to comprehend what she had told him, no doubt.

"What are you talking about? That's not… that's not possible."

"You don't have to believe it, I just wanted to tell the truth. I don't know how it happens, or why, only that you get yourself into way more trouble than you let on."

"Are you sure it's not a- a psychological thing or something?" He didn't believe what he was saying, she could tell, but any explanation would make more sense than her own.

"I'm sure."

"Okay. Listen, I don't know how this is happening, or if it even is, but… I'll try to be more careful. I promise. I don't want you to get hurt, even if it's not real wounds. I'll uh, try not to get into as many fights… and I'll go to the hospital more often… and-"

Winry could feel the corners of her mouth rise into a smile. That was the Ed she knew, always looking out for others before himself. He didn't give a damn if he was the one getting hurt, but if someone else became involved? He'd give up everything to ensure their safety. It was why she loved him despite the stubborn way he acted. He had a big heart, and as much as he tried to hide it, she could always tell how much he cared.

"Thank you, Ed. Really."

"And I'll- wait, what?"

"I just want you safe, you know that. Even if you're only trying to protect yourself, that's all that matters to me. I know your job is dangerous and all, but even if you can prevent it a little, it means a lot to me."

"Uhh… right. I swear I won't get really hurt or anything, Winry. Just focus on your automail. I'll do my best to make sure you don't feel as much. Anyways," he coughed awkwardly. "I should get going now, nurse is calling. Let me know if anything else weird happens, all right?"

"Got it. Make sure to keep your automail safe too-"

"Bye!"

She heard the dial tone and groaned. It was always typical of him to ignore his automail and all the work that was put into it. Nevertheless, his promises to be careful, even if he wasn't fully convinced, were more than she could've ever asked of him.

A month later, and she knew he had kept his promise. As days went by, the amount of pain she'd feel was few and far between. In fact, it was so infrequent that without the typical automail pain, she'd have forgotten about the link between them altogether.

She had been in her workshop when the phone rang, and putting aside the ice pack on her finger, she moved to answer it.

"Rockbell Automail, how can I help you?"

"Hello? Winry? It's Ed."

Ed was calling? That was enough of a rarity that she could barely believe it was even him.

"You never call, is everything okay? Do you need me to adjust your automail or something?"

"Did you happen to drop something on your finger today? Like a wrench or something?"

Well that was an odd question.

"Yes, actually I did. About fifteen minutes ago. Why?"

"Well… I think I know what you were talking about now, about feeling what I felt." His voice was small, but Winry knew he was sure about his statement. That meant the connection wasn't just one-sided anymore. He suddenly could feel her pain too, but why?

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"This is… weird."

"Yep. Very weird."

"How do we fix it? Does it have anything to do with alchemy?" Winry asked. It was worth a shot, after all. She didn't quite know everything alchemy could entail, and for all she knew, Ed had gotten into a scuffle with someone who dealt with this kind of thing.

"Not that I know of. I've never heard of anything like this before… even Al and I haven't experienced it, and we're technically connected at the Gate."

Winry sighed. No answers, then.

It was late at night when Ed called again, and the stubborn confidence in his voice was far less present than usual.

"Uh, Winry? You there?"

"Yes, Ed. It's pretty late, is something wrong?"

"Um, yeah… well… I just wanted to uh, make sure everything was okay."

That was strange. She couldn't even remember hurting herself lately. "Huh? Yeah, Ed. I'm fine."

"Oh… well um. When you're uh," he lowered his voice to a whisper, almost comically, "...bleeding… does that usually hurt? Like… in your lower stomach?"

Oh god. He felt that too?!

Winry tried to contain her embarrassment. Of course he'd think something was wrong. "Yes Ed, it's normal." She covered her eyes with her hand and let her head clunk against the bedrest. Perfect, this was just what she needed. It was mortifying enough that he knew when she got hurt, but now he would know her cycle?! Was anything private anymore?

"Damn… well that sucks. You deal with this every month? It hurts like hell."

"Yeah, it's normal Ed, stop being a wimp," she chuckled.

"Yeah yeah… just take care of yourself, okay? This is some next level bullshit…"

"I will Ed, promise. I'll even use a hot water bottle just for you."

"Thanks a ton. Guess I'll talk to you soon, then."

"You too, dork." She hung up before he could go on another rant, and let herself laugh freely after she knew he wasn't listening. She had to admit, it was pretty funny. Something about the situation they were in, despite its horrifying aspects, connected them in a way they hadn't been before. They were close, they had to be, and every precaution they took to prevent harm reminded Winry of their protectiveness for the other.

At least, that's what she initially thought. Months passed, and it became clear that their situation was more serious than they had let on. Ed's investigations became more dangerous, and with them, his injuries became far worse. There were days when Winry would fall to the ground in pain, doubled over and on the verge of tears. She couldn't explain why to anyone, even when Pinako would try to treat her.

The few times they had met in person, they had tested themselves to see the variables of their connection. They would check how long it would take for the pain to transfer, and what degree of pain it would take for the other person to feel it. Eventually, they discovered they could communicate via pinches if they used morse code, and it helped tremendously.

Any time Winry would writhe in pain, only for it to stop suddenly, she would anxiously await the moment she'd feel a pinch on her hand, alerting her that he was okay. That was something new, too. Sometimes Ed's injuries would get so bad that he'd pass out, and every time it happened, Winry wouldn't be able to focus on anything until she knew he was awake.

He would call her, something that never used to happen, and reassure her. He'd deal with her yelling and crying for him to be careful, and then they'd wait for it all to happen again. Winry had never wanted him to quit the military more.

Soon enough, Ed was a fugitive, and Winry never had any clue where he was. She'd feel the occasional pinch from him, and that was it. Luckily, she had soon joined him in the North, and just being by his side helped considerably. With the state Amestris was in, and the upcoming Promised Day, she had no idea what sort of danger they'd find themselves in.

The day they had to take separate paths, she hugged him longer than she ever had. "Don't be stupid and get yourself hurt, alchemy freak."

He hugged back just as tight, and something about that made her insides twist and turn with warmth. "Wouldn't dream of it, gearhead."

She left him with trepidation, and moved forward with Alphonse and the others. He'll be fine he'll be fine he'll be fine, she would tell herself in a constant rhythm, heart pounding faster than it should've.

Winry was still chanting it in her head when she felt it. A pain stronger than one she had ever experienced in her life, tearing through her insides with forces strong enough to knock her to the ground. The second she fell, Alphonse did too, and the rest of the team were frozen in shock. Her vision blacked out in an instant, and she could only squeeze the snow beneath her to keep herself conscious.

"Winry, what's wrong?!" Winry heard Mei's muffled voice cry out. She felt the distant clatter of knives falling beside her, and a sudden flash of alkahestry, but it did nothing to ease the torture within her.

She focused on her breaths, sucking in the freezing air until it tore at her lungs. Her stomach burned, and she kept her hand on it as if to check if it was still there. She was vaguely aware of her own screaming and the tears freezing onto her cheeks. Everything was a blur, with pain being all she knew in the moment. It could've been a few minutes, or an hour, and she wouldn't have known in the slightest. All she felt was the brutal stabbing in her side, the pain that was so very real for Ed, instead of phantom pain like her own.

Just what had happened?

When she thought it was numbing, becoming less severe, the pain suddenly multiplied, exploding through her gut with a tearing and pulling sensation. Winry could've sworn she was dying, and if that's how she felt, it must've been exactly what was happening to Ed.

Ed was dying somewhere far away, completely alone. Without help or someone to stop what was happening. Without her.

It was as if she could feel the life being pulled from him in an excruciatingly slow manner, and she wanted nothing more than to be by his side. To at least be with him, even if not easing the pain.

The pain stopped as suddenly as it had started, and Winry was left shivering on the ground with her nails digging into her midsection.

Pinch, pinch, pinch, PLEASE.

But there was nothing. Nothing to assure her of his safety. Nothing to keep her from believing he had just died, and she had died alongside him.

Al came back to consciousness, but she still hadn't felt the pinch.

They pulled her up and led her to the cabin, but she was too dazed to even pay attention. All she did was focus on her body, on her hand, awaiting the sensation that may never come.

The others were worried, she could tell, but she didn't have the heart to tell them what had happened. Not yet.

The clock ticked in an excruciatingly slow manner, and Winry listened as she tried to stop her tears from falling. She sat there until dawn, losing hope by every hour, but she refused to believe he was dead. He couldn't be. He had promised.

Another hour passed, and she felt it. It was faint, and it was short, but it was the best pain she had ever felt in her life. A pinch, right on the fragile skin of her hand. Then another, and another, until she realized he was spelling something. Her eyes stung and her head pounded, but she focused on his letters until she knew what he had written.

"Don't worry"

She sucked in a breath and held it, until bursting it out in a mixture of laughter and sobs.

That idiot.

Ed knew this was well-deserved payback for all the times he had hurt Winry, especially after that incident in Baschool. Even so, contractions were a bitch.

"Can't you get some medicine for her or something?!" he yelled to Pinako from his seat besides Winry.

"I've done all I can. Just suck it up like every other woman has to and stop complaining," she said in that harsh tone of voice he hated. Great. Now he was being insulted.

"I'd like to agree with you Granny, but I'll admit he's not overreacting this time." Winry squeezed her eyes closed as she got another contraction, and Ed clutched her hand as he waited for it to pass.

"You're doing great, Winry. Baby will be out in no time."

"I hope so," she chuckled. "You're supposed to be stressing out and comforting me right now, not screaming alongside me."

"Eh, it's better I know what you're going through, right? I swear I won't make you do this again if you don't want to," he groaned over more contraction pains.

"If you don't want to, you mean."

"Whatever, you get what I'm saying. It's our baby, so it's only fair that I have to know the pain that comes with it. It'll be worth it in the end, I swear."

She smiled, and Ed wondered how she could look so beautiful, even during childbirth. "Of course it will be."

They never truly found out why they had the connection they did, and the only reasoning they could come up with was that they were meant for each other. Soulmates, in a way, but Ed hadn't realized that until he was in her arms after the Promised Day. Their connection was a blessing and a curse, but it bonded them together in a way stronger than anything else could.

Ed held her hand tighter, and focused his gaze on her eyes. He was ready for anything at this point, and he took solace in the fact that she'd be right there beside him for whatever would come their way.

Winry pinched her hand, and Ed felt the familiar tingling spread across his own. They were linked together until the end, and Ed wouldn't have it any other way.