Winry slowly came back from the world of dreams. She was so comfortable and had had such a peaceful sleep as she had not had in a long time that she wanted to refuse as much as possible to open her eyes but even with her eyes closed her body was slowly becoming more aware of the real world. She could feel the typical softness of her bed and the light weight of the comforter covering her but her body felt an additional warmth to what the piece of cloth was providing. Her mind was still somewhat drowsy so she finally gave in and opened her bright blue eyes to make her inquiries but had no need to investigate further as the sight that greeted her brought a smile to her face.

Ed was sound asleep with a relaxed expression on his face, erasing the marks of tension, worry, and even the frown that continually accompanied him, making him look younger or rather his age as sometimes Winry perceived Ed older than he was, which didn't surprise her but saddened her because she knew that perception could be due to all that Ed had been through, which had left its mark on him.

Pushing the last part of her thought from her mind, Winry followed Ed's left arm with her eyes, which was the one that rested on her waist, and that with that single contact seemed to have made her body feel completely warm and protected.

Without wiping away her smile, Winry brought her hand up to Ed's face and carefully pushed away the part of Ed's bangs that was getting threateningly close to his nose. After doing so, she gently left her hand on his cheek eliciting only a slight sort of murmur from the blond, which made her glad that she could continue her action without interrupting his sleep.

Slowly Winry moved her fingers over his cheek and after a couple of times of repeating the motion, her smile faltered.

"What am I going to do?" She muttered to herself as the memory of Russell made its appearance in her mind.

She may not have loved Russell but she had grown very fond of him and she didn't want to hurt him after she had been the one who had unconsciously and without giving him the necessary importance, had started the relationship that was currently on the road to marriage. If Ed hadn't come back she probably would have gone ahead with those plans under the hope of being happy eventually but now that she had the love of her life in front of her and they both seemed closer physically and emotionally than they ever had been, she didn't want to let him go again. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to love him without restrictions.

As she felt her heart racing at such thoughts, Winry's smile returned to her face. She would have to act quickly about her situation with Russell but now she just wanted to focus on the present. Ed was with her and that was all that mattered to her.

With that thought in mind, Winry carefully shifted on the bed to rise slightly so she could get a better look at the blond, without moving the arm resting on her body. Her smile widened at the sight of him and, unable to contain herself any longer, she leaned down to kiss the tip of his nose. Ed wrinkled his nose and his eyes began to squeeze but before Winry could decide whether or not to follow through with her desire to kiss him, her gaze lifted enough to catch a glimpse of the clock resting on the nightstand next to the bed where Ed had slept.

"Shit!" Winry exclaimed in alarm, forgetting all care, and jumped out of bed running to her closet to grab clean clothes.

Winry's actions completely woke Ed, who after falling out of bed, stood up and got into the defensive stance his sensei had taught him so many years ago. "What? What's wrong?" He asked worriedly until he saw Winry crouched by her closet frantically searching and pulling out clothes.

"It's already 11. I was supposed to go see a client half an hour ago!" She said before standing up and rushing into the bathroom to get ready.

Relieved that he wasn't in some dangerous situation, Ed yawned and set about making the bed. Just as he was settling the pillow Winry had been occupying, his brain seemed to catch up with what he and Winry had talked about the night before and the fact that they had slept in each other's arms, freezing him with the pillow in his hands.

Just then, Winry emerged from the bathroom changed, and with her hair pinned up in a quick bun. Ed's gaze quickly met hers before Winry moved to leave the room.

"Win?"

"I have to go, Ed, I'll be back in a couple of hours. I'll bring the remaining pieces with me to work on your automail as soon as I get back."

Before Ed could utter any more words, Winry left the room, grabbed her toolbox and a folder from a desk drawer, and left the apartment. When the young woman found herself on the main street, she stopped dead in her tracks as she remembered the look on Ed's face and the conversation they must have had when they woke up. Sighing Winry struggled to focus her mind on the apologies she would have to offer Mr. Henderson and the work ahead of her. Ed had told her last night that he wouldn't leave so there was no choice but to wait a couple more hours to get their situation straightened out.

Ed remained for a few moments standing in the same position with his eyes fixed on the door to the room. With Winry's quick departure, it almost gave him the impression that everything that had happened had been a dream but, if he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, he could still feel the scent of her shampoo that had ended up lulling him into the night.

After they cuddled when Winry asked him to stay, the two of them slowly lay back on the bed avoiding separating. Neither said it but it was as if they were both afraid the other would disappear if they let go for a moment. Once they were lying down, Ed rhythmically moved his hand up and down Winry's back as he placed a couple of kisses on her forehead while she rested her hands on his chest and settled her head under his chin. It didn't take long for Winry to fall sound asleep and, although Ed was also feeling exhausted from the day's emotions, he was so enthralled and grateful to be with Winry in those moments that he spent a while longer with his eyes closed but enjoying the warmth that the blonde was bringing him both physically and emotionally.

Ed was so at ease that he didn't even notice the exact moment when sleep claimed him but, even if his awakening had been somewhat rude and Winry had had to leave so suddenly, he knew that he had had the best night's rest in many years, probably even better than those nights when he was still a boy who hadn't made the grave mistake of carrying out a human transmutation by dragging his younger brother with him.

It was still uncertain what the future might hold for the two of them either as friends or something more but Ed decided not to think about that for the moment and wait for Winry to return to talk thoroughly with her. In the meantime, he would hang out in her apartment enjoying the memory and feeling of having slept with Winry in his arms.

With a smile, Ed left the room to head to the patient's room to grab his things to get ready to take a bath. As he passed by the desk where Winry had taken her folder from, Ed could see that a couple of sheets of paper had fallen to the floor and more were sticking out slightly from the partially open drawer.

Willing to tidy up the mess a bit, Ed squatted down beside the desk to pick up the papers. As he lifted a couple of sheets an envelope fell from the middle of them, catching Ed's eye.

Ed picked it up and as he lifted it he could see a rather familiar seal stamped on it. Unable to contain his curiosity he took a quick peek inside it. "Oh, Winry..." He muttered to himself before sighing.

The envelope in question was the one he had sent her two months ago to cover all automail expenses. Inside the envelope was still the uncashed check he had sent her along with a small letter thanking her for her service, which included a greeting that, now that he had reread it, was so simple and distant that he was surprised Winry had been asking about him when he had made it sound like his dealings with her were solely on the professional side.

Ed set the envelope aside and placed it on the surface of the desk as he arranged the sheets which he subsequently placed on top of the folder that was up to the top of the first drawer of the desk. Once this was done, he tried to fit the sheets that were sticking out of the drawer but, unsuccessful, he had no choice but to pull them out and rearrange them, finding something that puzzled him.

It was a drawing of him made in pencil but with such precision and detail that it practically looked like a black-and-white photograph. In it, he appeared with his arms crossed and with a slight smile that gave a glimpse of his teeth. From the appearance, he was almost certain that it was a portrait of him inspired by the day he returned to Amestris during the invasion, but the curious thing was that it was more than an inspiration because, although it could be that his memory was failing him, even the detail of the clothing was quite similar (not to say identical) to the one he had worn when he returned as it also included the detail of the sleeve fastener that he had only seen worn on Earth.

The very realistic style of the drawing wanted to stir something in his memory but, unable to clearly evoke the memory, he flipped the sheet over and there he found something that stole a brief chuckle.

"Armstrong..." He muttered with a smile as he located a small drawing of a mustache that served as the artist's signature.

Ed stood thoughtfully looking at the drawing. He couldn't believe Winry had asked Armstrong for a drawing of him. Well, maybe Alex had offered it to her but Winry must have been very involved in the sketch because so few people had seen him up close that day and he believed that only she would remember such an arbitrary detail as the fastener because she had looked curiously at the piece of fabric when she had installed the automail.

Despite how uncertain their future together was at that moment, Ed smiled again and continued to put the papers away feeling even warmer in his chest. Maybe he didn't deserve Winry but God... how he loved her.

With a smile etched on his face, Ed finished carefully arranging the documents and then closed the desk drawer so he could go take the bath he had planned.

When he was done feeling refreshed and more alert than before, Ed headed to the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast but stopped short when he got a glimpse of the dining room.

"Damn." Ed said when he saw all the mess that had been left in the dining room. Because of the argument last night none of them had washed the dinner dishes and even the dishes he had used to prepare dinner had yet to be washed since at the time he thought it would be more convenient to wash everything together at the end. He would have to work on his organization of the kitchen chores.

After exhaling heavily, Ed rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and set about washing up. His breakfast (or practically lunch) would have to wait a little longer but anyway... this way he'd have something to occupy himself with to keep his thoughts from ruining his memory of spending the night with Winry.

A couple of hours later, Winry returned to her apartment bringing with her a box with the parts needed to finish the repair on Ed's leg. She had barely closed the front door when Ed poked his head in from the dining room with a glass of water in his hand.

"Hi." Ed said with a shy smile.

"Hi." She said in the same manner as she bent down to set the box on the floor.

"Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. "No, I bought a sandwich on the way to Garfiel's store."

"Right." Ed brought the thumb of his automail hand to his pocket. He drummed his fingers on his pants before asking. "Do you want to talk?"

Winry bit her lower lip for a few seconds before answering. "Can we talk about something else and save that for later? I want to work on your leg first."

"After dinner?" insisted Ed. Although he liked being in his happy bubble he knew the longer it went on the harder it would be to do the right thing.

Winry sighed. "Okay." She bent down again to take a piece out of the box and headed for the room where she kept all her automail tools but, as she reached the threshold, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I could use some company."

Ed hesitated for a moment but quickly his smile gave him away. "Sure."

Despite the important unfinished business hanging over their heads, Ed and Winry spent a pleasant time chatting, so much so that the time flew by. This time they chatted without any restraint of their own, sharing any story that came to mind, whether it was about Ed's time living with Hohenheim or Winry's first weeks living in East City after Pinako's death.

The naturalness and comfort in their conversation allowed them to even take up in greater detail the subject of Earth's aircraft and airplanes, since after their initial talk at Rose's house, the subject had come up occasionally but for one reason or another, they almost always ended up talking about the same basic aspects. On this occasion they were able to advance a little more on the subject, getting to matters a little more specific to the operation of the engines used on them, but they were still having similar luck as they again had to interrupt their conversation since it was already time for dinner. By this time Winry only had the final quality check of Ed's leg left to do, so she decided to do it after dinner so that Ed wouldn't have to go through the installation on an empty stomach.

While Winry took a quick shower, Ed started on dinner prep, this time opting for some meat, salad, and mashed potatoes.

Once Winry came out of the shower wearing a tank top and capri and a small towel over her shoulders to catch the moisture in her hair, she smiled at him and began to help him, working together in the kitchen as they had done months ago at Rose's house.

Neither of them seemed very encouraged to address their current situation so during dinner preparation and dinner time as such they decided to omit that topic allowing them to have a very pleasant time for both of them, sharing anecdotes and laughing like the old friends they were finally becoming again. The conversation flowed so naturally that, without realizing it, Ed began to tell stories about the things he had done with Eddie causing an affectionate smile on Winry's face.

"He's such a cute little boy." Winry said.

Ed shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not very good at defining that but he's certainly a very funny and smart kid. Do you know he's first in his class?" He said with a tone of pride.

Winry laughed lightly. "Gosh, you can tell a mile away how fond you've become of him. But I don't blame you, Eddie is a very adorable little boy and Rose has done an excellent job raising him."

Ed laughed at first but his laughter suddenly froze when he realized that they were somehow starting to touch on the subject they had been avoiding all day. "Winry..." He gulped, thought for a few moments, and decided to start with a somewhat more neutral topic before properly talking about their relationship. "Would you like to explain why you haven't cashed the check I sent you?"

Winry took the last remaining sip of wine from her glass. She sighed and said. "So we're going to start getting serious now, huh."

"Winry..." Ed scolded her lightly.

Winry sighed again. "I told you you didn't need to pay me besides..." She gave him a slightly reproachful look. "It's too much. You're paying me practically the cost of four automails if not five."

Ed shrugged. "I had been owing you for the automails you gave me the day of the invasion. Besides it seems like an excellent use of my resources now that they unfroze my old bank account don't you think?"

Winry snorted, "Did I ever tell you I was going to charge you for them? I simply gave them to you because I wanted to, period. There's nothing to argue about it." She sighed. "Geez, I should have torn up that check the moment it came in." She said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"And you thought I'd never notice?"

Winry smiled. "Knowing you, no. You're too absent-minded. Besides..." She eyed him suspiciously. "If you're bringing this up now it's because you were probably snooping around my stuff right?"

Ed blushed slightly. "It wasn't my fault! You left everything all over the place."

"Aha! I suspected as much." Winry said with a satisfied smile. "What do you say we call this whole thing a draw? I won't complain about you snooping around and you never mention anything about the check to me again. Deal?"

"No." Ed said with a frown. "I'm serious, Win. If what I need to do is bring you the cash directly so you don't have a choice, believe me, I'll do it."

"Ed, I simply wanted to help you. I did it because I care about you and I want you to be okay." Winry told him in a serious tone.

"Win, I've never had any doubts about what a wonderful person you are but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with it. I'm not going to take no for an answer and you well know how stubborn I can be." Ed answered her the same way.

"Oh yeah? Well, it looks like you're forgetting who you're messing with because I'm not changing my mind. I don't want your money." Winry told him in a defiant tone.

"If you want do it like before and see it as state money, but that money has to stay with you." Ed told her pointing a finger at her at the end.

"Why? Because you say so?" Winry said starting to get upset.

"Because I want you to have it. You need it."

Winry frowned. "I'm a woman fully capable of supporting myself and my business. Thank you very much." She said with annoyance.

Ed snorted and ran a hand over his face. "That's not what I mean!"

"Then what do you mean?"

"Damn it! I want to help you accomplish your goal of owning your shop!" Ed exclaimed.

Winry's eyes widened further in surprise. She hadn't expected that answer. "What?"

Ed took a deep breath to control his temper before replying. "I know you're saving up to buy your ideal shop. Your work deserves to be better known, and while I know your own work will take you far, you need to have the best facilities to serve as many customers as possible in the conditions you deserve. With that money, you could even build and design your business the way you want it instead of having to rent or buy one that doesn't completely suit your style."

Winry also inhaled deeply as she too had been upset before the young man's confession. "Ed, I appreciate it but I can't accept it. I want to make it on my own and not with the help of your charity."

Ed snorted. "It's not charity. I'm simply paying you what's fair for the excellent job you've always done with my automail."

"You're paying me far more than I would have charged you."

"Consider it compensation or, if you prefer, interest on the overdue automail payment from three years ago." Ed said with a smile.

Winry bit her lower lip. "I shouldn't accept it."

"Sure you should. It's fair payment for your amazing work."

Winry smiled sheepishly. "It's no big deal though, I'm just doing my job."

"The best job in all of Amestris."

"Your flattery isn't going to make me take your money."

"Please?" Ed asked in a pleading tone.

"I can't do it, Ed."

Ed moved his automail hand across the table so he could take Winry's hand and bring it to the center of the table so he could hold it with both hands. "Please, Winry. Let me do this. You deserve the world but, at the moment, this is the only thing I can do."

Winry looked him square in the eye before replying. "You want to give it to me as a parting gift, don't you?" She told him bitterly.

Ed ducked his gaze. "I hadn't thought of it that way. But I don't know, maybe-"

"Then don't even think I'm going to accept it. Besides, you said you wouldn't leave, didn't you?"

Ed looked up again. "I know, Winry, believe me when I tell you that the last thing I want is to be separated from you but maybe this is the best-"

Winry interrupted him abruptly pulling her hand away to point a finger at Ed. "If you say that shit again about it being the best thing for me, I'm going to smash your head in with my wrench."

Ed fell silent, puzzled by Winry's angry outburst.

"Tell me, Edward, do you really think what you want to do is what's best for me, or rather do you want to protect yourself?"

Ed's mouth felt dry at the accusation. Memories of Ludwig and Wynona's wedding came to his mind so he had to close his eyes. "I know Russell can make you happy, although..." He sighed. "Maybe you're right." He opened his eyes to look directly into Winry's blue orbs. "I don't know if I'd be able to see you married to someone else. I lived through it once and it almost tore me apart even though I knew it wasn't really you."

Winry softened her gaze and gave him a small smile. "At least you're being honest now." Now it was she who took the blond's left hand. "Listen, Ed, I'm really sorry for everything you've been through. I can't finish imagining how it felt to live in a world like that full of people who seemed to be other people you already knew but you have to let it go. You are back, in Amestris. For once in your life leave your regrets and suffering behind and allow yourself to be happy." She gave his hand a squeeze. "And well... I know it may sound selfish and maybe I'm asking too much, but please, Ed. I'm asking you again: don't go... don't leave me."

"Win... I don't know if I can."

"Ed, how do you feel about Rose?"

"Huh?" Ed was puzzled at the sudden change of subject.

"How do you feel about Rose?" She repeated without taking her gaze from his. "Do you love her?"

Ed ducked his gaze slightly and was quiet for a few seconds pondering his answer wanting to be as honest as possible with Winry. "Rose is someone very special. She is a noble and charitable woman. Her kindness and gentleness helped me to recognize her for the person she is, leaving behind the memory of Noah that her mere presence had initially brought me. She has been very generous to me and I am tremendously grateful to her but... the truth? No, I don't love her. I started my relationship with her in a wrong way, I can admit it now. I did it in a fit of jealousy and she didn't deserve me to do it that way, but despite that, I tried to convince myself that I could be happy with her and that sooner or later I would end up falling in love with her, being such a good woman I wanted to believe that would happen but..." He sighed. "...I like her and appreciate her a lot but I still haven't managed to fall in love with her even though I really tried to do so in our time together." He inhaled deeply before reconnecting his gaze with Winry's bluish one. "And, now that I can be honest with you and myself, I know that's because the only owner of my heart has been and still is you."

Winry was quiet for a few seconds before responding. "It's the same for me with Russell. It's not in vain that I told you yesterday that I loved you."

Ed noticed how his heart began to race. He moistened his lips before speaking. "I don't want to intervene between you and Russell. He's earned your affection."

"He has, yes, but I think it's best for both him and me if I break up with him. To trap him in a marriage to a woman who doesn't love him as he deserves would be cruel. I now realize what a big mistake I was about to make. I've been thinking and I'm finally paying attention to my heart and what it's been crying out to me since I saw you again. I... I want to be with you, Ed."

"You can't be serious." Ed said seriously although a slight smile was threatening to make its appearance on his face.

Although she felt guilt at having to break up with Russell, Winry smiled. The intense beating of her heart seemed to second her decision. "I've always wanted to be with you but you were always one step ahead of me."

Ed grimaced a little. "I'm sorry." He let go of Winry's hand and walked around the table to kneel beside where the blonde was as he took her hand. "Winry... really?... Isn't it too late for us?" He told her with bright eyes that conveyed a great illusion in them.

Winry stroked his cheek tenderly. "I think it would be foolish to waste this opportunity, don't you?" She said with a smile.

Ed could no longer contain the huge grin that appeared on his face. "Thank you, Winry Rockbell." He leaned over and gave her a brief kiss on the lips. "Thank you... thank you... thank you..." Ed thanked her repeatedly as he began kissing all over her face, moving down her nose, cheeks, and forehead.

When he deposited the kiss on her forehead, Winry laughed and said. "At least let me kiss you properly."

Ed laughed and was quick to comply with her wish bringing his eager lips to hers to kiss her lovingly and passionately as he slipped his arms around her waist clutching her tightly while Winry did the same placing one hand on the back of his neck and the other buried in his hair.

A few moments later, amid a small battle with their tongues, Ed groaned causing Winry to pull away with a smile on her face.

"Shit, not again." Ed moaned fearing a repeat of what happened on the night of the Gala.

Winry laughed. "Patience, Mr. Elric." She told him mockingly. "It would speak ill of me as a mechanic if you spent the rest of the night with that prosthesis."

Ed ducked his face and directed a scowl at the prosthetist. "I don't care." He said then propelled himself slightly to steal another kiss from Winry. "I only care about you now."

Winry blushed slightly. "Well... wouldn't you like a little more mobility?" She told him with a flirtatious look.

Now it was Ed's turn to blush. "Well, well. Is that an innuendo?" He said as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively despite the blush on his face.

Winry rolled her eyes in amusement. "As if that wasn't your intention all along."

Ed simply smiled and leaned down to give her a final kiss on the forehead before sitting up. "Well, maybe you're right. So let's get a move on. Time is gold." He said as he extended his hand towards Winry.

Winry stood up with his help. "It'll only be a couple of minutes." She reached over, placed her hand on Ed's left forearm, and placed a kiss on the corner of his lips. "I'll be right back." With that said she "innocently" slid her hand down until it brushed Ed's ass as it came down.

To Winry's surprise, Ed responded almost immediately by giving her a pat on the ass as she started to walk away, causing her to gasp slightly in surprise and making her look over his shoulder.

"This is a game of two, Win. Don't forget that." Ed said with a wink as he made his way into the living room to sit on the couch.

Winry could only blush before continuing on her way.

A few minutes later, Ed found himself leaning back on the living room couch as the pulsing of his nerves ceased after the installation of his leg. The fitting had been a quick process because Winry had left everything ready before dinner and because they both had a special interest in Ed being in optimal condition to move.

Knowing that Ed would need some time to recover from the pain, Winry had put a cushion under his head, placed a damp cloth on his forehead, kissed him on the cheek, and told him she would clear the table and wash the dishes while he recovered.

That had been a couple of minutes ago. Although the pain of the installation usually immobilized him for longer, Ed got over it quickly. The anticipation of what awaited him pushed the pain into the background, making Ed feel at peace and anxious for the first time in a long time about what was to come.

Winry Rockbell loved him. His best friend, the most wonderful woman he had ever known, who was a prodigy at automail and who had a heart so kind it was incredible it could fit in her chest, loved him. Him, Edward Elric. A sinner who had made mistake after mistake and brought her great suffering without intending it. And yet right now she loved him. Or rather, she still loved him. Just as he did, she had harbored those feelings for years, feelings that time, distance, and even the difference in worlds had not been able to erase. The woman he had longed for intensely and who had invaded his thoughts and dreams wanted to be with him as badly as he wanted to be with her.

All those thoughts made Ed spend all that time resting with a broad smile on his face and he was even grateful for the twinges of pain that came from where his skin connected with the automail because that pain meant that all this was real and that this was not just another dream.

Feeling able enough to move despite the occasional twinges (which, in all honesty, were already more like a small distant echo within all the thoughts that flitted through his mind), Ed removed the cloth, dropped it on the floor, and stood up to stealthily make his way to the kitchen.

Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, Ed leaned against it as he watched the woman standing there with a smile on his face.

Winry had already finished clearing the table. The leftovers should be in the refrigerator by now, and the only unfinished business was the dishes that Winry was washing to the tune she was humming as she did so.

Ed stood there for a few moments before continuing his silent advance, taking advantage of Winry's tune to position himself behind her without the blonde noticing.

Waiting until Winry was barely reaching into the sink full of water to grab another bowl, Ed closed the distance between them, drawing her to him with his hands on her waist as he deposited a quick kiss on the back of her neck.

"Ed!" Winry exclaimed startled by his silent appearance.

Ed didn't respond and began kissing and lightly sucking on the skin between Winry's shoulder and neck, drawing a moan from her.

"Ed..." She leaned her head against him, giving him greater access to her neck. "It's still too early for you to be on your feet."

Ed momentarily moved his automail hand from Winry's waist to slip one of her straps. "Right now I feel wonderful." He began to kiss her shoulder. "If you have any doubts, I think I could use my mechanic's check-up."

Winry closed her eyes at the pleasure Ed was giving her. "Oh yeah?" she smiled and brought one of her hands up to the nape of Ed's neck, beginning to slide the tie holding back his golden hair. "You have an appointment?"

Ed laughed. "Can I make one now?"

"Uhmm, I don't know." Winry turned and ran her hands down Ed's neck. "It's already night."

"Perfect, that means there won't be any other customers to interrupt us so you can give me a very thorough check-up." Ed said before bending down and depositing a kiss a few inches below Winry's neck, just above the hem of her blouse.

Winry's eyes widened at the unexpectedness of Ed's move. "I think... you just... convinced me." She said slowly as her breathing was quickening.

Winry felt Ed's smile on her chest before he moved his hands from her waist to her thighs. Instinctively, Winry gave a little jump so that she could clutch her legs around Ed's waist.

"Ready for your checkup?" Winry said with a smile.

For all response, Ed returned his lips to hers in a hungry kiss. Winry gladly reciprocated as she ran her hands through Ed's hair and back. For his part, he continued the kiss as he slowly moved them around until he placed Winry on one of the kitchen countertops, though Winry didn't let go of his legs despite the extra support she now had.

Having better support thanks to the countertop, Ed slid his hands up Winry's legs, from the part that wasn't covered by her capri to the blonde's waist, where with each repetition he slid his hands further and further down her blouse. Motivated by this and not wanting to be left behind. Winry brought her hands to Ed's chest and slid them down a couple of times before she felt it wasn't enough so she began to quickly unbutton Ed's shirt, having him a few seconds later bare-chested in front of her, making her mouth salivate and her heart race even faster.

Having had to pull away for a moment so that Winry could remove his shirt, Ed paused momentarily to take in a few good breaths of air as with so much kissing there was minimal oxygen getting through to him. Seeing Winry with messy hair and puffy lips, he smiled at her and she immediately reciprocated.

Winry brought her left hand to Ed's chest just above where his heart was, which made her smile widen as she realized that his heart was beating as hard as hers. After a few seconds of letting her hand rest there, she slid her hand to Ed's right shoulder. She drummed her fingers lightly there (causing him to flinch noticeably) and then let her hand rest on Ed's metal shoulder.

"Wow... how clumsy of me. I think I got the wrong automail. This isn't the one I was supposed to check."

Ed laughed. "That's easily fixed." That said he brought his hands to his belt, which were almost immediately accompanied by Winry's eager hands. Between giggles and heaving breaths, they unbuckled the belt and Ed let Winny slide the belt around his waist, feeling the pressure in his crotch grow at the movement knowing Winry's hands were so close to that part of him.

Winry dropped the belt to the floor and soon moved her hands to the button and zip of Ed's trousers. With slightly trembling hands, she unbuttoned the trousers under Ed's watchful eye and just as her fingers began to undo the zip a little, the sound of the phone in her apartment broke her concentration.

At the sound of the phone, Ed was momentarily snapped out of his trance as well. He glanced in the direction the phone was located (on top of a small table next to the couch) before looking Winry in the eyes and giving her a quick peck on the lips. "Maybe you should answer it." He said in a whisper with a tone that made it obvious that was the last thing he wanted at that moment.

Winry bit her bottom lip. After a few seconds, she was the one who gave him a quick peck on the lips and then placed her hands around his neck. "That must be Al. Remember I asked him to call when he was Youswell."

Ed, who was leaning over to kiss her shoulder, stopped his movements. "I think that's all the more reason why we should answer."

"Ed, the trains to Xing don't leave until noon. Besides..." She pouted and turned Ed's face toward hers. "Don't you think Al would approve of what we're doing?"

Ed smiled. "He'd probably even be cheering us on." That said he kissed her again until the phone stopped ringing, at which point he pulled away from her slightly with a mischievous grin on his face. "Issue settled."

Winry laughed. "So... where were we?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Ed grabbed the bottom edge of her blouse and pulled it over her head, leaving her upper body covered only by her black bra.

"Ed!" Winry exclaimed in surprise as her cheeks flushed.

Ed looked at her breasts for a few seconds and unconsciously ran his tongue over her lips before looking into her eyes and responding with the same smile on his face. "I had to balance this out."

"Oh yeah? We'll see." Winry said with a mischievous grin as she slowly moved her hand closer to Ed's crotch without taking her gaze from the young man's face.

Letting her keep her pace, Ed watched intently as her hand moved closer to him causing his breathing to quicken and the pressure in his trousers to become more pronounced. Being within touching distance, Ed closed his eyes, waiting for the intense sensation that would undoubtedly run through his body when he felt Winry's touch. However, the phone was not on his side.

"Shit! What kind of fucking joke is this?" Ed grumbled grouchily as the phone rang again.

Winry laughed. "I think you're rather dismissive of your little brother's sincere concern." She said with a mixed tone of joking and seriousness.

Ed snorted. "And he says I'm the impatient one." He said before turning away from Winry to walk over to where the phone was located. As soon as he reached the small table it rested on, he got down on his knees on the floor and peeked under the table until he found what he was looking for. He reached out his hand and in one careless movement disconnected the device, abruptly stopping its ringing.

Winry climbed down from the counter and walked over to where the blond stood. "Ed! What do you think you're doing?" Winry asked in a tone that feigned annoyance but hinted at the approval she felt at Ed's action.

"I'm making sure no one interrupts us." He stood up and wiped his hands on his trousers, which had begun to slip a few inches. "Look, it's for the best. If Al interrupted us again he was going to wear my patience out and I wasn't going to answer for what I did. What's more, I'm sure if I had to talk to him at this very moment, I wouldn't have minded giving him all the juicy details of what I plan to do with you even if it would traumatize his young mind for life."

Winry rolled her eyes and laughed. "What a loving brother you are."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow. Now..." He looked her over from head to toe. "You're all that matters." He said as he began to close the distance between them.

Winry also began to take small steps toward him. "More like you..." Winry began as she ran a finger across Ed's marked abs. "...and me." She concluded this last by standing on her tiptoes and letting her breath brush Ed's lips.

"You and me." Ed repeated in a whisper before completely closing the distance that separated them. As anxious as he was to take the next step, Ed extended and enjoyed every second of that kiss. In a couple of minutes, the clothes would be completely gone but it hadn't been an easy road for that to finally happen so Ed would enjoy every second and movement to the fullest.

Fortunately, Winry had the same idea in mind and the night that was just beginning was there to let them be completely carried away by their passion and the pent-up feelings they were just letting completely free.

A/N: Hello down here!

At this point, we can't say that everything is settled since we can't forget about Rose and Russell's role in this story but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this chapter :) so much that I decided not to put initial notes so I wouldn't end up spoiling you what was going to happen hehe. So I hope you enjoyed this dose of EdWin.

Thanks for reading!

Golden