"If you need ask, you'll never know. If you know, you only need ask."
The distant sound of a train whistle blew, and soon the rumbling followed. Edward clenched his right hand—a habit he found hard to break—inside his coat pocket, throwing in a murmur of assent here and there in response to Winry's yapping. He hoped she'd give him a break so he didn't have to say anything. So of course, she noticed.
"Ed! Are you listening to me?" she asked. He almost gave the noncommittal grunt again, but stopped him just in time. He shook himself, turning to look at her.
"Sorry, what?"
She sighed impatiently, blonde bangs fluttering. "I said, make sure to do correct maintenance on your leg. I'm not going to go all the way out there for a repair, you know…"
Ed sank back into the bench, letting her talk and trying to pretend that he was listening. The conversation he had with Al last night came back again.
"Are you going to do it tomorrow, Brother?" he whispered. Ed considered ignoring him and pretending he was asleep. "Brother?"
"Yes, Al, I am," he sighed.
"Are you planning to ask her?" Alphonse pressed, propping himself up on his elbows.
"Well, of course! I can't—declare—that I lo—my feelings for her," Ed said hastily. A shoe came flying and hit him on the head. "Ouch!"
Large amber eyes looked him with both amusement and infuriation, but more of the latter. "So you're just going to ask her if she loves you or not?"
Ed didn't reply, brooding over the bruise on his forehead.
"That's lame, Brother."
"WHAT?" he screeched. "It's romantic!"
"It's lame," Al repeated. "And be quiet, or we'll wake half of Resembool."
"How dare you talk to your older brother that way! After all we've been through together!"
"Listen to me. Asking her for her love is dumb. Be quiet! It is, and I'm sure Winry'll agree. It makes you look insecure, Brother. You have to take a different tack."
Edward stared at his little brother. "Where'd you get all that from, Al? Havoc hasn't been loading you with his lovey-dovey bullcrap again, has he?"
A soft thump on the other bed told him that Alphonse had flopped down again. "Just think about it, Brother."
So he had. Ed spent the entire night pondering those words, hardly getting any sleep at all. The result was his wandering attention now. Winry was reaching the end of her patience as well.
"Well, there's the conductor, Edward," she said shortly. "I guess you'd better get going now."
He picked up his suitcase slowly. This was it. The last chance he'll ever get.
"Winry," he said. "I—I want to tell you something."
She didn't turn around. "Remember what I said about wiping it down with a rag every night and not overworking it, or the metal around the joints will be worn out—"
"Winry."
"Yes, Ed?"
She was looking at him now. Golden eyes locked with blue. Now or never, he told himself.
"You know, don't you," he whispered. It was not a question. It was a statement. A statement of their bond. A statement, the thing his brother had been goading him towards all this time. A statement, a beautiful, simple thing.
"Yes," she whispered back. "Yes, I know, Ed."
He wrapped her in a quick hug. It took her by surprise. His arms were strong, his eyes tender.
"Take care of yourself, Winry," Edward smiled. Then he was gone, disappeared into the thick steam. She stood, gazing after him with a small smile. It wasn't exactly 'I love you', but it warmed her heart.
A/N: So I was watching the last Harry Potter movie yesterday, and this quote caught my attention. It's a very deep, symbolic quote, but since I don't know what to do with it in the HP fandom, I converted it into FMA :D
Greedling