Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist. I did make this fic, though.

Special Thanks to: My beta ReviewerWriter, who did my story's editing.

Winry's Birthday

The sun set beyond the horizon while Winry Rockbell sat on her porch looking up at the sky. Edward and Alphonse were staying in town for a just few days. This time it was not to fix the automail but to celebrate her birthday.

This was the first time in countless years that they had celebrated her birthday together. Edward and Alphonse were always off trying to find the Philosopher's Stone and never seemed to be around. But this year they made time to be with her.

There was still just one little day before her birthday and the two visitors were set to leave on that night, so they had to make their time count. Winry only wanted to do one thing before they left and that was to tell Edward how she felt about him.

The door to the house opened and Edward stepped up beside her. She blushed a little and turned her head coyly.

"The stars are nice out here," Ed explained, "not at all like in the city. With all the lights there the stars are nearly invisible. It's really nice to be here with my best friend, too."

Winry looked Edward in the eyes as she smiled. She loved Edward very much but feared to say what was on her mind.

'It would ruin our friendship if I told him how I really felt,' Winry thought in dismay. Edward took off his coat and placed it on Winry's shoulders. She looked at Edward again as he smiled back at her.

"It is cold out tonight. And don't worry about the jacket—keep it. Good night Winry."

Edward stepped back into the house and closed the door behind him. He went to sit on the couch and glanced around the place. Pinako and Alphonse were already in bed. Alphonse was still awake and waiting for his brother to come into their room.

As Ed sat there he stared blankly up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He loved Winry too but couldn't bring himself to say anything. He couldn't bare the thought of their friendship being broken if he was rejected. Edward also wanted to protect the only one he loved from the constant threats of being harmed.

What also stopped him from confessing was that he had so many enemies. If just one of them found out about his love for Winry, they could manipulate that weakness and lead to her getting injured. With a sigh he rested his head on the arm of the couch.

Winry hugged Edward's coat tightly. It was a little small on her because he was shorter than her but it still fit. She had gone to the city only once before and knew Edward was right in regards to the dimmed stars. Even the stars in Risembool were a lot better than the ones there.

Winry remembered the times when she, Edward, and Alphonse would lay on the grass at night, and just stare up at the sky. She would always sit in the middle with her two pals at her sides. They would stay that way for the longest time until they had to go home.

She even thought about the day Trisha died. Winry remembered how she had tried to talk to them and how they refused to listen. They only had each other at that point—their mother had died and their father had left a long time ago. The two brothers had stayed at their mother's gave the entire day, filled with sorrow.

Then there was the day when Izumi had come; that was the last day she had seen Edward and Alphonse completely whole. The next time she saw them, Edward was in Alphonse's arms with his right arm and left leg bleeding horribly.

Alphonse, meanwhile, was wearing a shallow suite of armor. He had lost his entire body and Edward had lost two limbs. Winry knew why; they had done something forbidden and were being punished for it.

Even though they committed the world's biggest sin, Winry had easily forgiven them. She had made Edward the automail that he would be forced to wear everyday. She even remembered the first time she had to fix his automail.

The sky was now so dark that it had to be close to midnight. Winry headed back into the house. As she stepped inside she saw the sleeping form of Edward. He looked so cold snoozing there that she returned the coat and placed it over him like a blanket. Edward unconsciously smiled in his sleep and Winry grinned back as she watched her secret love snore lightly. She was beginning to feel sleepy too so she lay down beside the couch on the floor.

That next morning Edward woke up with the coat he had lent her. The sun had not fully risen yet. He went to stretch his arms, but in his clumsiness, he fell unceremoniously off the couch. Edward landed on something warm and soft. He looked below him to notice he was crushing Winry.

"When did you get here?" Edward asked.

Winry opened her eyes to see that Edward was on top of her; she was such a heavy sleeper that the jolt hadn't woken her up. The both of them blushed at their compromising position.

"Ummm, Ed? Why are you on top of me?" Winry asked simply. He did not answer but only looked away as Winry looked at him with scrutiny. "Ed, are you ok?"

Edward returned his look back to her, his face a dark red.

'I just can't tell her how I feel; that would only put her in danger,' Edward thought distractedly.

It looked like he was going to say something so she put a hand up to his face and whispered out:

"Ed, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

Edward's eyes began to water. Winry gently wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. He got off of Winry quickly and headed for the door. Winry sat up as Edward walked outside to the porch.

'Why can't I tell him?' she thought. 'He needs to know how I feel.'

Winry stood completely up and followed him outside. She saw Edward staring out into the distance, lost in his own head. Winry put an arm around his shoulders, coaxing him out of his little daze. His amber eyes locked directly into her bright cerulean ones. Unexpectedly, she hugged him tightly.

The blond boy seemed to wince uncomfortably; she had never hugged him like this…the only time they had embraced was when they had lost their mother, and that had only been for comfort. This touch felt like something more. The sun had just started to rise up, eliminating some of the darkness. They could see the rising ball of light nicely from their place on the porch.

'I just can't tell her how I feel,' he thought sadly. 'Happy Birthday Winry; I hope one day I can tell you that I love you and always will.' Ed and her began to walk back inside, not saying anything. 'Maybe one day Winry, I'll be able to gather up my courage and tell you.'

Winry looked at Edward with a smile. It would be easy for her to tell him how she felt now but had decided to keep her silence—it was just not the right time.

'I know I'll see you again one day, when you come back to me. Maybe then I will reveal to you my feelings. Until then, I will love you in secret.' She laid her head on his shoulders as they continued their little walk inside.

One day, they would be able to say how they felt. And on that day, they would be together.

Meanwhile, Alphonse was starring out the window. He knew all too well that his brother loved Winry and he could tell that Winry loved him too. They weren't going to tell each other. He sighed heavily. 'Until then, happy birthday Winry,' he thought lightly.

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I hope you liked. Please review and let me know what you thought. Bye