Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry that I couldn't reply to all the reviews but fanfiction is acting wonky and not letting me, but I have read all of them and I wanna say THANK YOU! xDD They make me really happy and keep me writing! For all of you who guessed, yes, it's Mei! -Gives out delicious virtual cookies- Anywho, here's the next chapter!

I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own the cool official guidebook #4 for Brotherhood cause I got to go to Little Tokyo today! Of course, I can't read it cause its in Japanese, but I will. . . eventually. ;D

Ch. 7 - No Need

x3

"I can't believe he brought that, that, BEAN GIRL!"

"Oh, shut up, Ed. And her name's Mei, not bean girl. Now, here."

He took the plate from her hands and began to dry it with a small towel, but continued to complain about Al's newest companion. He had decided to bring Mei Chang along on his trip back to Resembool, hoping to show her around the small town since she'd never been there during her short stay in Amestris months before.

"I mean, what kind of surprise is that!" he exclaimed, as he put away the dry plate. Winry simply rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated breath at his childish behavior as she continued to wash the dishes.

"Why does it matter if Mei's here or not? It's not like she's your enemy or anything, she helped us out if I remember correctly. Plus, it looks like she makes Al very happy…" she said with a small smile.

Ed groaned, completely against what she was implying. "No. I refuse to let my brother go out with that Xingese bean-"

"Ed, you have no right to tell Al what he can or can't do. He's seventeen!" she cut him off, slightly irritated.

"So! I'm still his older brother and I know what's good for him! And Mei isn't good for him. At all!" he argued.

Winry's patience was beginning to grow thin, "And why is that? You say she's no good but you give no reason to back that up, Ed!" She dried her hands and placed them on her hip, glaring daggers at the stubborn Elric.

Ed scowled at her, but with the plate in his hands, it wasn't quite as menacing as he'd meant it to be. "Because….Just because!" he said, stumped. Realizing that he didn't really have a reason as he put the last plate away.

Winry grinned triumphantly. "HA! I knew it, you don't have a reason!"

He frowned and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the kitchen counter. Winry did the same, giving him a serious look, "Ed? Then what is it?"

"Huh?" he asked, giving her a confused look. "What's what?"

"What makes you dislike Mei so much? Is it…" she stopped, trying to piece her thoughts together, "Is it because of Al?"

Ed stayed silent as he processed what she meant, staring straight ahead.

"You know you don't have to worry," she started, catching his attention. "No matter who Al meets or goes out with, you'll always be his older brother. No one can ever take that spot because its yours," Winry smiled softly at him and his heart fluttered, "You've been through too much for it not to be."

His eyes went wide as he realized the meaning of her words. That's what had kept him on edge since he first saw Mei get off the train with his brother that morning. He was afraid of losing his brother to her. Afraid that Al would forget him because of her. Afraid of her taking his place in his younger brother's heart. But Winry's words made all of his fears dissipate in an instant. It was true. No matter what happened, the link that bonded them together would never be broken because everything they'd been through had made that bond unbreakable.

He patted her head softly and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, I think that's what I needed to hear." She smiled back, glad to have helped as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close

"Just go for it! Once you get it off your chest, you'll feel much better, Ed!" Al said, trying to motivate him, "Just trust me on this, okay?"

He remembered the walk back home and the words of his little brother, who was sleeping upstairs at the moment.

"If you're not good with words then how about actions? Have you kissed her yet?" he asked, curious of Ed's reply.

"N-no…" he said, disappointed and blushed a bit more at the intimate question.

"No! What are you waiting for, Brother? Just go for it!"

It was the perfect moment for him to follow Al's advice. I should just go for it, just like Al said.

But before he could make a move, they were interrupted. "Um, excuse me, Winry?"

If Ed didn't have a reason to dislike the Xingese princess before, he definitely had one now. He scowled at Mei but stayed quiet, his arm still around Winry while she replied kindly, "What is it, Mei?"

"Sorry for interrupting, but your grandmother said you could help me find a book she needs…" she said, awkwardly as she got off the last step and onto the wooden floor.

I should've expected it by now… It's like the damn universe doesn't want me to kiss her! WHY! With every failed attempt, he felt his heart start to swell as if it was going to burst from all the emotion hidden inside. He took a deep breath and massaged his temples, trying to calm himself down.

"Ed, you okay?" Winry asked, concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I just got a little headache, it's nothing." He gave her a weak smile. "I'm gonna go outside, I think some fresh air will help."

She nodded, "Alright." She gave him a warm smile as she began to walk towards Mei. "So, what book did she need? It's probably in here…" Both girls walked into the workshop in search of the infamous book as he headed to the front porch.

Once there, he began to walk aimlessly as he recalled his earlier conversation with his brother.

"Why did you bring her here with you!" Ed reprimanded quietly, not wanting the two girls ahead of them to hear anything.

"What's wrong with having her here, Brother? She's teaching me alkahestry, she had to come with me! Plus, she has never been here before, I wanted to show her around," said Al, frustrated at his older brother's reaction.

He huffed, "Whatever you say, Al. So, tell me, how is that squinty eyes doin' in Xing? Is he the ruler yet?"

"Not officially, but he is. Ling needed to turn eighteen before he could become ruler and now that he did, he needs to have the official ceremony declaring him the emperor. He's already making changes to the way things run in Xing, but they won't be official until he is. Ling said he'll invite you to the emperor ceremony, it's in about a month." Al said, with a finger in the air.

"Eh, we'll see if I go or not." He took a look at Winry who was ahead of him, "Did he tell ya if we could bring others with us? I-If I go, I mean."

Al saw his brother's golden eyes stray to the girl with the sunshine hair in front of them and smiled, "Do you have someone in mind, Ed? If you go, I mean."

Ed turned and met Al's gaze. "Maybe…" he said, looking away as he put his hands in his pockets.

The younger Elric grinned knowingly. "So, Brother… are you and Winry a couple now? I saw both of you when the train arrived…" he trailed off when he saw his blushing brother.

"N-no. No, we're not," he stuttered in a low voice, keeping his eyes on the ground, trying not do anything that would catch the attention of the girls, even though they were already too far to hear them.

"You're not? Well, you looked like one to me," Al said, suddenly curious. "But why? You like her and she likes you, its obvious. So, why aren't you together yet?"

Ed's face turned red, as red as the philosopher's stone they searched for years before. "B-Because, I-I… I don't know! I-I'm just, not good with words. Not around her, anyway…" he said, frustrated and kicked a rock with his automail leg. "I don't really know what to do, what to say to her, or how to do it."

"Well then, we gotta find a way for you to tell her," Al said, as a thought hit him. "If you're not good with words then how about actions? Have you…" he smiled and nudged the eldest Elric. "Have you kissed her yet?" he asked, curious of Ed's reply.

"N-no…" he said, disappointed and blushed a bit more at the intimate question.

"No! What are you waiting for, Brother? Just go for it! Once you get it off your chest, you'll feel much better, Ed!" Al said, trying to motivate him, "Just trust me on this, okay?"

Ed was taken aback by his brother's anxiousness. His golden eyes were wide with surprise.

"With a kiss, you don't have to tell her anything, she'll just know. Trust me, Edward."

"I always have, Al. Always." He smiled at his younger but slightly taller brother, "Thanks. I think that's all I needed, a little motivation."

After walking for a while, Edward reached the old tree. It stood tall next to the ruins of his old house. He stared at it for a moment, looking away when the painful memories began to flood his mind. As he remembered that day he thought about his mother and how happy they were before she left. Their mother made this house his and his brother's home, but once she was gone and they believed that they had no home, Pinako and Winry reminded them that they wouldn't leave them alone. They would always help them, they became the brothers' family. They were his new home, the ones that would always wait for them. Ed decided to go back to them, back home. After all, home can be everywhere and anywhere because what makes it home isn't the house or the things inside, it's those waiting for him that make it home. Home was wherever the ones he loved were.

She made it home now. Wherever she went, that's where he would go. Winry was home. His home.

As he got closer to the yellow house, he saw a person sitting on the steps of the front porch. It was Winry. She turned and looked in his direction, hoping to find his golden eyes in the dark.

"Winry, what are you doing out here by yourself?" Ed asked, worried. He didn't want her to be all alone in the darkness of the night, it could be dangerous.

When she saw his face, her body flooded with relief. "Well, waiting for you, of course," she said casually, trying to brush off the worry that had been haunting her during his absence. She didn't want him to know about her worry. "You said you were gonna get some fresh air and I came to find you, but since you weren't here I guessed you had wandered off somewhere…so I waited for you." She smiled at him, still sitting on the steps as her fingers toyed with her apron nervously.

Ed smiled at her too and sat next to her. "Thanks, Win." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

"Winry?" said the golden-haired boy as he took her hand in his and turned to look at her. A worried expression on his face as he tried to confess.

"Yes, Edward?" she said, blue eyes meeting golden ones as she turned.

"I-I…" his voice failed him again at a critical moment. Winry waited expectantly, hoping he would say something. Nevertheless, Edward Elric wasn't a man of many words, he was a man of actions.

They were close, all he needed to do was to close the distance between them. He leaned in slowly and carefully, until he could feel her breath tickle his lips.

Then he accomplished what he had not been able to since he'd gotten back: he kissed her.

It wasn't exactly a passionate kiss, it was soft and warm, but slowly growing in intensity. He could feel his heart let go of all those feelings of worry, doubt and frustrations as he tasted her more and more with every passing moment. There was no words to describe how she felt as his lips consumed hers, she finally had what she'd wanted for so long. She placed a hand on his cheek and the other on his chest, where she could feel his heart racing under her palm as he had wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her as close to him as he could, not wanting to let go.

They pulled away to breathe, both smiling. "I've been wanting to do that for a while now," Ed confessed, as a little pink rose on his cheeks when she caressed his face.

"I know, Ed." Winry laughed, "But we just kept getting interrupted…"

It was his turn to chuckle. "Yeah, there was always surprises. We would always be so close too."

"Well, at least this time you got to kiss me before someone got here!" she said, with a small blush.

He smirked. "And I'll do it again too," he said, as he captured her sweet lips in a kiss again.

It turned out his younger brother had been right, with a kiss they could feel all of the overflowing emotions inside each other's heart.

There was no need for words.

A/N - I absolutely LOVED writing this chapter! xD I thought about it for a long time and had many ideas going through my head but, I finally decided I'd go with this! Al needs to meddle in order for Ed to do things right, that's what siblings are for! To help! HA! Hope you guys enjoyed it! x3 It may be Friday the 13th but it was a good Friday! At least for me, it was, let's hope tomorrow goes well -I have one last competition before the years over!- and my team can pull it off!
On another note, today is the Smallville series finale, so I'm extremely excited, I've stuck with the show for about 7 years and now, after a decade, it has finally reached its end! I will never forget it! x'D

Thanks for reading and I hope to hear your thoughts in a review! :3