(A/N: Yo! I know, it's been a while. I know. I'm evil leaving it like that.

To Namindu, I usually take about a week to update each time. That's the longest I'll ever go. Guaranteed. Thanks for your reviews!

To BluezebraAFHS, your reviews meant a lot to me. Sorry I'm taking so long to just barley thank you.

To Yelrac, O.O the pressure. No, I'm kidding. I hope to meet your expectations!

To anyone else following or even reviewing, you are sweethearts just for taking the chance to read this. ARIGATOU!

SO! I hope you guys like this chapter.)

Winry and Ed awkwardly tried to get in a better position. Ed moved slightly back and Winry tried her hardest not to make anymore noise so they wouldn't get caught. Ed was beginning to sweat and he wiped his forehead. Winry was breathing a bit heavily and even she was feeling humid.

"How'd did it get to this?" Ed asked, eventually moving closer to Winry in the end. Winry yelped at the pain Ed had just caused her.

"Ed, stop moving. You're hurting me." she whispered quietly. He cleared his throat and tried his best not to move. She breathed a sigh of relief and she shifted into a better position.

"Anyway, to answer your question, Al wanted us to play hide and seek, remember? I forgot ever since we were little kids we always end up in the same hiding spot. I'm sure it's a curse." Winry said. Ed nodded and tried his best to avoid her eyes. After all, she still hadn't replied to what he said yesterday. How'd it go from a love confession to getting stuck in a closet? Ed asked himself.

~ A couple of hours earlier~

"Good morning!" Al yelled cheerfully as he entered the kitchen. He saw Winry and Ed already awake and avoiding each other. Neither of them looked at one another or bothered to acknowledge each other. Al felt his mood slowly slip away. He frowned and tried again.

"Good morning!" he said once again. Ed looked up and gave his brother a small wave. Winry tried her best to not look troubled.

"Mornin' Al. Did you sleep well?" she asked. Al shrugged and pointed at the small scratches Nikko had left on his neck. Winry rolled her eyes and gave a what are you gonna do, he's a cat look to him. Ed sat down at the kitchen table, drinking coffee that he prepared himself. Al could tell he was trying his very hardest to not spit it out. Winry was the one who usually made coffee for both her and Ed. But since yesterday just made everything weird, there was no chance Winry was preparing a cup of coffee for the poor guy. Al heard Den beginning to bark at someone outside.

"I think Connor's here." he said out loud. Both Ed and Winry stiffened. Al almost wanted to run out of the room because it was suffocating to be next to them while they were together in the same room.

"Hey brother! Let's go outside!" Al grabbed his brother's wrist and he dragged him outside, despite his protests.

"Morning, Al. Hey, Ed." Connor greeted them. Ed glared at Connor while Al made a quick conversation with him.

"Good Morning, Connor! Are you nervous about getting your automail today?" Al asked. Connor gave a small worried smile.

"Eh, kinda. Winry's been telling me it's going to hurt so I'm a bit afraid about that. It was bad enough to go through the pain of losing my arm. But now I have to go through pain again just to get it back...sorta." Connor replied.

"Equivalent exchange." Ed and Al said at the same chuckled under his breath.

"Alchemists. Always have to be thinking about alchemy, right guys?" Ed shrugged and Al nodded.

"So, I guess I'd better head inside." Connor walked past both of them. Ed watched him go inside. Regardless of the guy always flirting with Winry, he couldn't help but wish him luck. It was going to hurt and he needed all the luck he could get. Ed walked over to the tree beside the house. He plopped down, leaning against the tree. Right now, all he could think about was what he had said to Winry. He wasn't sure if that was the best way to tell her how he felt. Actually, it wasn't a good way, period. Honestly, he didn't expect it to be romantic when he was planning to tell her but during an argument? That was a huge no-no in his book. Sure, he's always a jerk to her but when it came to his feelings he wanted to be as true as possible. He buried his head in his hands and groaned.

"Brother, look what I found." Al walked up to Ed and sat beside him. He held a ring up towards Ed. Ed looked at it. It was a wedding ring.

"Why is there a wedding ring here?" Ed asked aloud. Al shrugged. Then his eyes widened.

"What if it's Connor's?" he asked. Ed raised an eyebrow at him.

"Connor's? Really? That guy couldn't stop flirting with Winry. You think a married man would flirt with a girl?" Ed stopped and thought about the General for a quick moment. He would do something like that.

"Think about it, brother. Which hand does Connor want back?" Ed tried to remember which hand it was that Connor was missing. It was the left.

"S-so? That doesn't prove anything." But Al could tell that Ed was seriously considering that possibility.

"Stop being close-minded. You know that might be the reason he wants his hand back. And this wedding ring doesn't belong to anybody around here because nobody we know has visited recently except Connor." Al further explained. Ed sighed. He wasn't fully convinced but there was a chance that what Al said was right.

"I'm an ass, aren't I Al?" Ed asked, giving him a hopeless smile. He laid down, closing his eyes. The breeze was chilly and it was most likely going to get colder as the days went by. Al handed the ring to Ed.

"You give it to him, brother. It'll mean a lot to Winry if you do that." Ed didn't even look surprised that Al knew. After all, he was the one who had to come down to get Ed when neither of them moved a muscle the night before. Ed sighed and grabbed the ring from Al.

"Fine. But it's not like she's going to fall in love with me just because I do this." Ed said to him. This time, Al sighed.

"Both of you stress me out. You guys aren't blind toward your own feelings but you are toward each other's." Al said. Suddenly, they heard a scream coming from inside the house. Ed slowly opened his eyes. Al looked a bit frightened. He remembered the first time Ed got automail he didn't so much as let a scream. He had been so young. And now, a grown man was getting automail and the scream he gave out sounded like he was facing death itself. How much did you go through for me, brother? Al thought to himself. Ed looked at his little brother. He knew what he was thinking. Another cry came from inside the house.

"C'mon, Al. Let's go visit mom and our stupid father."Ed stood up and held out his right hand for Al to grab onto. Al nodded and took his hand.

LINE BREAK YOOOOO

When Ed and Al got back, they found Winry sitting on the steps to the house. She had her hands in her pockets from her apron. They quietly approached her.

"Hey, Winry. How's Connor?" Al asked. Winry looked at both of them and sighed.

"He's resting right now. Granny's cleaning up right now." she said. Al nodded and walked over to Winry to sit beside her. Ed just stuffed his hands in his pockets. Al found the unbearable atmosphere once again. He felt himself get frustrated. Suddenly, he thought of an idea.

"Let's play hide and seek." he suggested. Both Winry and Ed gave him a look.

"Hide and Seek, Al? Don't you think we're a little too old to be playing that?" Winry said gently.

"Just one game. Besides, we haven't' played since we were so young. One game isn't going to take away our adult pride." Al pleaded. It was a rare occurrence when Al wanted something. So Ed just shrugged and Winry sighed in defeat.

"Fine." she said at last. Al smiled and placed his hands over eyes.

"1...2...3...4…" Al began to count. Ed quietly tip-toed to the side of the house and Winry crept inside. When Al knew they weren't around, he stopped counting.

"I guess they forgot that when we played Hide and Seek, they always hid in the same spot together. Oh, well." he said innocently to himself.

~Present~

They both knelled in the closet filled Al's and Ed's alchemy books. Ed crossed his arms over his knees and Winry was using her arms to support herself. Neither of them looked at each other. Finally, Ed couldn't take it any longer.

"Ed, did you mean what you said yesterday?" Winry asked. Ed was left with the syllable stuck in his throat and his mouth slightly open. He swallowed and closed his mouth. He looked at his hands. When he got the courage to look up, Winry's face was suddenly closer than before.

"Will it change?" he asked. She tilted her head in confusion.

"My answer. Will it change our friendship?" he asked. She looked surprised.

"What? Are you trying to tell me what you said yesterday was a joke?" she scoffed. Ed tried his best to not get angry.

"Answer the question, Winry." he whispered.

"Answer mine first, dammit." she said through clenched teeth.

"Yes!" he whispered back loudly. Winry felt her heart practically bruise her ribs.

"Winry, I don't have the words to tell you how I feel. We grew up together and I watched you grow from this automail freak to a beautiful woman." He carefully grabbed the strand of hair that had fallen out of her messy ponytail. Her breath caught in her throat. Ed seemed so confident. Winry's face must have looked like a cherry.

"Winry…" Ed whispered. Winry looked down at his lips, which we're getting closer to hers.

"Yes?" she said. Or she thought she said.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked. She didn't even have time to answer before he gently placed his lips onto hers. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him in even closer. He answered by placing his hands on her waist. The kiss lasted for a few seconds longer before Winry pulled away but she rested her forehead on his.

"Alchemy geek."

"Automail freak."

They both smiled and kiss for a little while longer. It would have been longer, that is, if Al hadn't opened the door.

"Oh, sorry." Al closed the door but they could heard him laughing really loudly outside.

(A/N: SO! How'd you guys like that? Did it need more? Was it bad? Review! For sure, expect a WHOLE lot more EdWin.)