He could not recall a single moment in his life where he didn't love Winry Rockbell.

Sure, he was a stubborn idiot who took literal years to consider the possibility that it was even a reality, and even then he didn't think about until it had been assumed multiple times by multiple people.

But still. There was no doubt in his mind that he was in love with Winry Rockbell, and that his love for her would never fade, only grow. It had been five years since he had proposed to her - god, he was an absolute imbecile - and he kept in contact with her frequently over the years, something that he had obviously had trouble with before. He sent letters, packages with gifts, gave phone calls, came to visit whenever he could squeeze them in… but now? He was here to stay.

It had been nearly a year since his initial return, and though the two were not yet married in the eyes of the government, they may as well have been. Winry had moved to Rush Valley a year after his departure when Pinako insisted she start her own life and eventually she succumbed to her grandmother's insistent demands and even then, Pinako was always making frequent visits to Rush Valley when she didn't have clients to tend to. Winry proposed the idea that Edward move in when he return over one of their longer phone calls (that he admittedly hung up on at first because he panicked) and though it had been an awkward start, it didn't take too much time for everything to, well, become normal.

Their routines revolved around each other. They would both wake up in the morning at the same time - sometimes earlier to take some time to themselves - and Winry would start breakfast and Ed would go shower. When he was done he would take over completion of their meal and prep the table for the both of them. Winry would spend her day tending to clients, while he would do odd-jobs around the town. At the end of the day, they would eat dinner together, shower, and go to bed. Lately it had been busy for the both of them, as Ed was looking to find a more permanent job and Winry had gained such popularity that she gained new clients nearly every day.

Today was one of those rare days where they had it all to themselves.

It was early morning, the two had started off their day showering, making and eating breakfast together. However, they had decided to spend most of the day at home - save for a dinner date at one of Rush Valley's best restaurants and a romantic walk - and Edward could only describe his current situation as something he never wanted to forget.

It wasn't anything… mindblowing, no, but god he felt so happy and after everything that had happened in his short, miserable life he knew he deserved this. He knew that this was a step forward to a wonderful future.

The two lay in their shared bed, Ed propped with his back against the headboard and Winry laying against his chest, sitting between his legs. His chin rested on top of her head, and he could not help but notice just how they fit together like two puzzle pieces. A thin blanket lay over the two of them, and Ed's arms lined up with Winry's perfectly, the woman holding a book in her hands and the former alchemist was content to read along with her.

He wasn't sure what was really going on in the story, no, he was paying more attention to the feel of her arms against his and the warmth she radiated. He was paying more attention to the way she always seemed so reluctant to remove her free hand from his to turn the page and how she squeezed his hand gently with each time that it returned, and he took the opportunity to rub his thumb over her knuckles in gentle circles with each hand. Each time she moved even slightly he would tilt his head to press his lips in a gentle kiss on the top of her head and she relaxed against him, and each time she did this he felt as if he could weep.

After countless nights he woke up in a cold sweat, screaming and crying, he always felt he did not deserve that love that Winry gave him. But at times like these… he knew that wasn't the case. He loved her, more than anything. She was his sun, and he knew that he was hers, and that absolutely nothing would change that.

"Win?"

His voice broke the silence, and at first she seemed a little perturbed by the interruption, but he could tell the emotion washed over quickly once she realized how serious he sounded, how soft his voice was.

"Yea?" she asked, adjusting her position so that she was able to look up at him.

"I love you," he said, and even now he felt the heat rush to his face and the choked up feeling he got every time he tried to say those words. She instantly lifted up her hands and rested them on the sides of his face, brushing away the strands of hair that obscured her view of him and running her thumbs over the beard Edward had decided to grow. She pulled his face down and Edward could feel the love that radiated from her as she kissed him with such passion that he actually did feel a few tears slip from his eyes.

She brushed them away easily, and kept her eyes on his as she pressed her forehead against his own, smiling against his lips.

"I love you too, you big dummy."

He could not recall a time he didn't love Winry, and he knew that his feelings would never change.