Better Together

A/N: Look at me - I'm being a responsible fanfic writer, and you know, continuing my fanfics. :D Hope you enjoy this installment!

Chapter 5: "When the morning light sings and brings new things"

"So, you really want to come with me?" Winry asked as she pulled away from Ed after what seemed like forever.

"Yeah! I went ahead and called the station - we could catch an afternoon train if you want."

"I don't know... Are you sure we should even go at all now that, well, you know?" she said, flashing the ring at him. If Ed really was ready to get married, then she figured they would probably need to start planning everything. They would have quite a bit to do, namely finding their own place to live. Winry was sure Mr. Garfiel would understand.

"Sure. I mean, I think that's even more of a reason for us to go," Ed stated.

"What do you mean? And what made you suddenly change your mind about going, anyway?"

"Well, uh...," Ed fumbled, getting a little embarrassed. "I just thought it'd be good for us... to, you know, go somewhere on our own, just the two of us."

Maybe he was right. Winry couldn't deny that the thought of being alone with Edward for quite some time was a bit nerve-wracking, but they were getting married. Being alone with each other and doing things on their own was something they needed to get accustomed to. Besides, Winry thought, it could be a lot of fun.

She smiled at him. "Alright. Let's take that afternoon train then."

"Well, I didn't want to say anything last night, but I really didn't want you to move, Winry," Al confessed after hearing the news from Ed and Winry. The two had revealed everything to Al and Mei, but they did leave out one detail: the ring, and the now official engagement. They weren't sure why, but they just wanted to keep it to themselves for the time being. They figured everyone would find out soon enough when they actually began planning a wedding. Gushing about such matters just wasn't something either of them wanted to do.

"Yes, I'm glad you won't be moving away as well," Mei stated.

Winry just smiled, her heart swelling at the reminder of how great her friends were. She hadn't even thought about the fact that moving away would mean seeing less of them, and now, that was another reason she was glad she wasn't moving.

"And Brother," Al said, turning to Edward, "I can't believe you're going with Winry to visit Rush Valley, especially since you hate that town."

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me," Ed grumbled.

"Aw, I bet you'll have fun!" Al said encouragingly, patting Ed on the back. He really was glad that Ed was going with Winry. He just hoped that it would work out well, and Ed wouldn't do anything stupid. Rush Valley never did bring out the best in him.

"Have fun doing what?" came Pinako's voice as she entered the living room where they were sitting together.

Ed's face faltered for a moment at hearing her voice. He didn't know what she would think of all this, but he was going to have to find out.

But to his surprise, Winry spoke up before he had the chance. "I've decided to not move to Rush Valley, but I am going to visit for a short time, and Ed's going to come with me," she said with a bright smile. She knew that if Ed was in control of this discussion, he would probably end up pissing off her grandmother and ruining everything, so she had to take charge. Besides, she knew how to get her way with her granny.

Pinako saw that bright smile and immediately saw through it. She knew Winry was just trying to butter her up, so to speak, and she wasn't going to fall for it. She knew that Winry was well aware of how she would feel about her staying alone with a boy, even if it is Ed - she didn't like it.

"Well, I don't - ," Pinako attempted to voice her disapproval but suddenly stopped herself. She noticed Winry's hand resting in her lap, and something gleaming caught her eye. Winry never wore rings, so Pinako immediately knew what it was.

She sighed, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile. "Well, I don't see any problem with that. Just be careful."

Ed and Winry looked at each other in slight disbelief. What just happened? And they weren't quite sure what she meant by "be careful," but they had an idea; although, they chose not to think about that for too long.

Pinako, Alphonse, and Mei had seen Edward and Winry off at the train station. Winry, not wanting to be rude, couldn't help but invite Al and Mei to come along with them, but of course, they declined. Winry assured them that they won't be gone too long, but if they changed their minds, they would certainly be welcome.

Finally, that night, their train pulled into the Rush Valley train station, and Ed and Winry made their way to Garfiel's shop, their luggage in tow. While walking, Ed realized that he might not have as much trouble in Rush Valley as he thought since he no longer has an automail arm, just a leg. He would definitely be better at blending in now, and he sighed a sigh of relief at this thought.

"Oh, I'm sad to hear you that won't be staying for longer, Winry, but I'm glad you're here nonetheless!" Garfiel exclaimed after they finally met with him and told him the news. "And you brought some company with you, I see!"

Winry smiled. "Yes, I hope that's alright. I'm sorry I didn't let you know about everything sooner."

"Don't worry! It's fine! You're all grown up now; you've probably got a lot of other things besides work to be worrying about, hm?" Garfiel teased, as if he could tell new developments had taken place between Winry and Ed.

Ed fidgeted a bit uncomfortably at hearing that, and Winry blushed slightly - tell-tale signs that confirmed all of Garfiel's suspicions. "Well, thank you, Mr. Garfiel," Winry said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, thanks," Ed added.

"Well, let me show you where you'll be staying," Garfiel said as he began leading them up the stairs to a small studio apartment above the shop. The room had an adjoining bathroom, as well as a small kitchenette in the living area. However, the main thing Ed and Winry noticed was the presence of only one bed.

"Now," Garfiel continued as the three stood in the doorway of the room, "I'm sorry that there's only one bed, but I didn't know you'd be sharing a room with anyone, Winry. Not that it would've mattered because it's all I have, anyway. But, as you can see, there is a couch here also."

"It'll be just fine, Mr. Garfiel, don't worry," Winry said with a smile, trying to hide her bit of nervousness at this new situation. She should've expected something like this would happen, but honestly, she hadn't even thought about it.

"Yeah, I'm fine on the couch," Ed claimed, assuringly. He was lying, of course - he wasn't spending the next couple of weeks sleeping on a couch. Sure, he'd had plenty worse before, but those days were over.

"Alright then! It's getting late, so I'll leave you two to get settled. Good night!" They said their goodbyes to him as well, and Garfiel left the room, closing the door behind him.

Winry exited the bathroom wearing her light blue nightgown, and she immediately noticed Ed sitting on the edge of the bed, also in his sleepwear which consisted of a white undershirt and plaid pajama pants.

"Uh, Winry," Ed began, "about the couch..."

"I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch," Winry replied, knowing instantly where he was going with that. She walked over and sat down beside him.

Ed paused, surprised. He didn't expect her to give in that easily. Suddenly, he felt a little nervous at the thought of sharing a bed with Winry that very night. "Are you sure?"

"Ed, we're engaged! It's okay if we share a bed. We used to all the time when we were little! But I know it's different now, and I just think that we should try to not... get too carried away, you know?" she said sheepishly and avoided eye contact with him. She still hated talking about things like this.

Luckily, Ed felt the same way - he turned his head away from her as well as a slight blush crept onto his cheeks. "Yeah, I know. We'll be fine."

Hearing that, Winry turned her attention back to him and beamed at him. "Yeah. Let's go to bed," she said quietly as she leaned in and quickly planted a kiss on his lips before moving away and climbing under the covers. Ed chuckled lightly as he too got into bed beside her and then reached over to turn off the lamp. Much to his surprise, he felt her arm wrap around his torso and she moved closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Goodnight, Ed," she whispered.

Ed smiled in the darkness before throwing his arm around her, pulling her even closer to him. He lightly kissed her head and then gently smoothed out her hair before replying, "Goodnight, Win."

Ed was surprised at how relaxed he was, his previous nerves having faded almost instantly. Winry's words on not getting too carried away since they were all alone and sharing a bed still played on his mind, though. He didn't want to do those things with Winry until she was ready. Hell, he wasn't even if sure if he was ready. So, how hard could waiting really be?

Ed wanted to believe it'd be a piece of cake, but as he trailed his fingertips down her arm, he had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to be proved wrong.

A/N: So, they're finally getting more comfortable with each other and their feelings, but the idea of being intimate is still pretty nerve-wracking. Well, maybe something will have to be done about this later on. ;) This was kind of a short chapter, but it was basically just filler. We'll get back to some good stuff next time, I promise! Thanks for reading; please review!