The Same Coin

Blood Wet

Winry's eyes snapped open. Her first instinct was to push herself up and off the couch, but she worried that would put Buccaneer on the defense. Already she knew he was; his entire body had gone rigid beside her. The situation didn't need to be exacerbated by panic. What was Buccaneer thinking for this strange man to walk into her home, wearing heels with a tear and a star painted under each eye, as though he belonged.

"This is Hisoka, my...friend," she said, turning her head to Buccaneer slightly so that their eyes met. Had she ever referred to him as a friend before? Winry looked back to Hisoka, and her stomach twisted into a knot as the corners of Hisoka's lips curled upward in a smile that she knew at his core was cruel.

"Friends?" he repeated back, a quiet scoff on its heels. "You're too generous."

"Silly me," Winry breathed and bit the inside of her cheek. "Have a seat."

Something ached inside her chest, in that same place she'd been struck with pain when Edward had levied his accusations at her; You just don't know when to shut up, do you. Except in a way this hurt more. By the time Ed had unleashed his anger at her, she had already resolved most of her feelings toward him. With Hisoka, however, she knew that her silent revelation that she did, in fact, consider him a friend was merely the tip of the iceberg. But, unlike with Ed, she wasn't willing to let Hisoka bear witness to her tears.

"I'm afraid I'm here for business, not pleasure," he lamented as he held up his hand for her to see the unnatural angles of his fingers.

Anger pulsed through her. It was more familiar than her grief, and it was sweet relief in the face of pain. Anger sharpened her senses and took command. Winry didn't try to beat it back. Instead she let it take her, filling her lungs like sea water, bitter and dark.

"What did you do," she snarled, launching herself to her feet and out of Buccaneer's warmth.

"What I was hired for."

"Finding an exorcist didn't need to involve ruining my automail."

For only a moment his eyes narrowed and she saw the realization arrive at its destination about what it meant for her to know that much. She grabbed his arm and pulled it toward her, bending to survey the damage, then glared at him again.

"Take it off."

Hisoka's expression was too cheeky for his own good as he slid his other hand over the injured fingers, removing the top layer of Texture Surprise. She could see the glittering of metal from underneath around the joints of the fingers; he had covered the damage with another layer to conceal his automail.

"This layer, too."

She could feel Buccaneer's eyes on them, watching. Would he realize this was Nen at work? Hisoka's hand glided down his arm, exposing his automail for her to see. The joints of the fingers were in even worse condition than she had suspected, and her head fell back in frustration, biting the inside of her cheek.

His smirk grew. She wanted to hit him and the bastard knew it. If Buccaneer wasn't here she might have, but her instincts said Hisoka would have retaliated against her even more strongly with an audience to watch. And, for all that Buccaneer had proven himself to be, he would be no match again Hisoka who had both Nen and alchemy.

"How many days to fix it?" Hisoka asked, his eyes straying to Buccaneer pointedly.

"In one, maybe two."

"I think you can do it in one," Buccaneer said with confidence that would have warmed her otherwise, and he laid a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't heard him leave his seat. "I'll be calling a car to take me to the airport tomorrow early tomorrow."