Speed Bumps

Disclaimer: I Don't Own FMA In Any Way.

Rating: PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language.

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Late that day, at around 10 o' clock, Ed finally picked up his belongings and told the Führer that he would be heading home, doing so afterwards.

As the weary major walked down the dark street, only illuminated by streetlights, he began thinking to himself on how to invite Winry to go with him tomorrow for his assignment. Truth be told, he was extremely tired, not really in the mood to think about anything but the soft couch he would pass out on the moment he got home.

He rarely ever slept in his own bed; work built up too much stress and tiredness to be able to climb all the way up to his room. The worried look Winry gave him in the morning only added to the stress he already had, though.

The blonde sighed sadly, remembering his beloved friend. I make her worry too much…he thought forlornly. She deserves so much better that that…

He stopped and stomped a flesh foot to the ground. Alright; let me get this right he thought. "Winry" the teen whispered to himself, rehearsing what he would say to his mechanic. "I know this is a little weird, but…no, no…um…ah, forget it!" Ed's frustrated voice screamed quietly. "I'll figure this out later!" he continued towards his home, stomping his way there.

A few minutes, and several incoherencies muttered under breaths later, Ed finally came to his home. He sighed as he walked up the steps and pulled out his keys. Opening the lock for a second time today, he walked in and closed and locked the door behind him.

The Alchemist forced his blue coat off, hanging it on the coat rack, and then trudged into the living room. His blurred vision and the darkened room didn't allow Ed to see much. Silently, he sat down on the black leather sofa and looked ahead to the fireplace.

Quietly, he sighed and brought his hands to his face; so much stress in only one body. Melting his hands off his face, he leaned down and unzipped his boots, kicking them off afterwards. He leaned back and swung his Automail foot up on the sofa.

"Ouch!" Ed's eyes shot open as he heard a female's voice complain across him. "Winry?" he asked worriedly; obviously he had recognized her voice.

"Get your foot off of me, Ed!" the girl scolded as she pushed his metal limb off of her.

"Sorry; I didn't see you" the Alchemist apologized.

Winry's sigh was heard. "It's OK; I understand"

Ed looked over his shoulder and turned on the lamp on the small table next to the sofa. He then turned back to his friend; she was dressed in an old shirt of his and a pair of his old PJ pants as well. She looked pretty tired, he noted. He also found himself gawking at her, seeing she was wearing his old clothes and his black tank top was squeezing her just right.

Blinking a few times, he finally shook his head and registered his mental composure. "Winry…what are you doing down here? I thought you'd be asleep by now" he asked her sternly.

Winry shrugged. "I was worried about you; I was hoping I could catch you before you came to the couch and try to convince you to sleep in your own bed, which you haven't slept it for the past month!" she replied, scolding him as well. "But I fell asleep"

Ed rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh well, I need to talk to you anyway" he explained to her.

Winry's eyes widened and she looked to the young man, almost as if she couldn't believe what he had said. "You? M-me? W-what is it?" she asked him anxiously.

Ed let out a breath and swallowed a lump in his throat. "Winry…It's about my assignment" he said nervously.

Winry looked at him, wide-eyed, for a moment before scowling and looking away. "Let me guess, you rescheduled and are leaving today and not tomorrow, right?" the irritated mechanic muttered as she hugged herself.

Ed's eyes widened but softened. "Of course not, Win; why would you even think that? You know I can't drive when I'm so tired" he said, trying to sound humorous.

Winry only continued to glare at him.

The blonde Alchemist cleared his throat and looked away. "Actually, it was something I wanted to ask you" he clarified.

The Automail mechanic waited without a word.

"Winry…would you…like to" Ed struggled, as if the words were foreign to him. "Um…would you like to come with me on my assignment?" he asked, rather quickly but finally. He then awaited the rejection he thought he would receive from the girl.

Winry gasped silently as she brought her hand over her lips. Did Ed really ask her to join him tomorrow? Or was she hearing things? "Ed…are you serious? You really want me to come with you?" she asked as she leaned forward, fixing herself so that she was now kneeling.

The elder Elric blushed. "Well, yeah; Mustang said I could invite someone to come along with me and I chose you"

"Well" Winry said. "Why me? Why not Al? I know you always want to be hanging around with Al, after all" she asked, confused.

Ed shrugged; this wasn't going exactly as he had hoped it would. "Well, I figured we should spend a little more time together...I thought this would be a good start" he explained, slightly shocked he was able to openly admit that to her.

"Oh, Ed, you really mean that?" Winry asked as she quickly took his hands in her own.

Ed's eyes widened as he looked down at his cupped hands and then looked back to Winry, his eyes locking with hers. "Uh…Um" he swallowed another lump in his throat. "Of course, Winry" he replied, finally, with a small smile and a tint of pink across his cheeks.

"Oh, Ed, thank you!" Winry said, gratefully, as she pulled him into a tight embrace, kissing his cheek lovingly.

Ed's eyes lit up and he grinned, blissfully, from ear to ear.

The mechanic pulled away and hopped off the sofa. "I'm gonna go get ready!" she said as she ran upstairs.

Ed barely heard a word she said, as he leaned forward and fell on the sofa on his stomach, a goofy grin on his face and his eyes wide open and lit up like light-bulbs. That was a sweet kiss he thought dreamily as his eyes went half-lidded.

He turned on his back and looked up at the ceiling, smiling happily. This was the best idea Mustang's ever had Ed thought as he brought his hands behind his head.

This is gonna be the best trip ever with that being thought so blissfully, the Alchemist swung his feet off the sofa and headed upstairs to get ready and fall asleep on his own bed.

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A/N: Please R&R, constructive criticism, no flames :) thanks!