A/N: Guys, where are all the Edwin writers lately? I've had to start resorting to other fandoms for my reading pleasure! (Not that I can talk).

The cramped, dark room was silent except for the snores of its various inhabitants. Without warning the iron door at its entrance slowly creaked open and the patter of bare feet on the icy steel floor resounded through the room. The mechanic came to the bed slowly, her footsteps mere tip toes as she attempted to conceal her entry.

Winry Rockbell dropped her hand onto the shoulder of one of the five men snoring on a military issue bed in the room and shook him back and forth. "Ed!" she hissed under her breath. No response. Winry frowned, giving the boy another violent shake, "Ed!"

This time the man rolled onto his side, his bed sheet riding down off his shoulders to reveal the flex of his muscles as he attempted to shrug her away, "Go away Al 'm sleepin'. "

What kind of idiot slept without a shirt when he was in the coldest part of the country? During winter.

"Ed, it's me!" Winry whispered harshly, shaking him for the third time.

Edwards's eyes flew open in shock, "Winry?" The boy was cut off by a frantic 'shh!' from the mechanic.

Ed shot up from the bed, narrowly avoiding bumping his head on the bottom of the bed connected to the top of his own. "What are you doing here? You can't just sneak in here this is the military barracks there are other men in this room Winry! If anyone sees you in here we're both going to be in big trouble! Do you have any idea what they're going to thi-?" Ed reprimanded frantically, whilst making sure his voice didn't rise above a whisper.

"Shut up, Ed!" Winry scolded, attempting to cut off the man's rant.

"And didn't I tell you not to wander around the fort by yourself! Idiot!" Ed shot back.

"I'm not an idiot! You're the idiot, idiot!"

"You're the one who-!"

Suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of one of the other men in the room's yawns. Thinking fast, Ed quickly grabbed Winry around the waist, pulling her into the bed and rolling her over him so she was left on the side of the bed that took her the furthest away from prying eyes. The back of Winry's head hit the wall the bed was pressed against and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from voicing her pain.

"Ed? What's going on? Who are you talking to?" The alchemist recognised the voice of Liam and relaxed somewhat, at least they hadn't woken up Karley, if they were found out by him he would drag Ed's ass straight to Olivier. Suddenly Ed grew nervous, what if Liam spoke too loudly and alerted the other soldiers unintentionally.

He had to do something! What was best? Answering him or pretending he was sleeping? Damn it, he couldn't concentrate when Winry's chest brushed against his side with her every breath! Winry decided for him, lifting her lips to his ear and whispering in it as quietly as she could manage "Sleep talking." Ed felt his face heat up as her hot breath tickled his ear. The swirl of warm air made him want to shout and cry all at the same time.

It wasn't fair, damn it! It wasn't fair! How could she have this much of an effect on him with such a simple action? Since when did his body start reacting to her in this way? They used to hide together under the sheets all the time when they were little, why was it so different now? Why did his felicity increase tenfold for every place where her skin connected with his? Why did her warm body brushing against his make him feel a different - weird! – kind of heat to just being warm? But it was more than that. It was more than just his nether regions twitching every time they touched. Maybe if it was just that then he could have ignored it, could have buried his feelings for her deep inside him and just ignored it. But he couldn't ignore the way his heart swelled every time he saw her. He couldn't ignore the way her smile made him grin. He couldn't ignore the way her eyes lit up with passion when she'd talk about automail. He couldn't ignore the way her face set with determination when she delivered that baby in rush valley. He couldn't ignore how reassuring her hand in his had been during automail surgery. He couldn't ignore how gentle her touch had been when she'd washed his hair after the operation. He couldn't ignore how much he lov- liked her, he reminded himself. 'It's just a crush, it's just a crush!' Ed chanted to himself in his mind.

Ed twitched as the subject of his reverie elbowed him, directing his thoughts back to the present. Ed ruffled the sheets around to imitate the sounds of someone tossing and turning in bed and let out a snore that he hoped was convincing.

Searching his brain for something to say as Winry's breath continued to tickle his ear, Ed said the first words that came to mind "Stop it Winry that tickles!" The words were said between what Ed hoped to be an accurate simulation of 'sleep noises.'

There was a chuckle from the bed above them "So Ed's having that sort of dream about his mechanic, eh? Figures with the way that he acts around her."

Ed froze and felt his entire face heat up, 'Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god. No. No, no, no. He did not just say that. Oh god, please tell me Winry didn't hear that.'

Ed looked to his left to see Winry with her face burning a bright red and her cornflower blue eyes open wide. Crap! The two teen's eyes met and they hurriedly looked away from one another, suddenly becoming much more aware of each place where their bodies met.

"He's not- That's not what I- I couldn't think of anything and you were breathing on my ear and it tickled. I just said what I was feeling- wait, no, that's not what I-" Ed hurriedly tried to explain the reason behind his words, his voice steadily rising as he did so. Luckily Liam didn't clearly hear his words and assumed they were only that of a sleep talker.

"Shut up, Ed!" Winry scolded in his ear, cutting him off from his ramblings, "Just keep pretending you're dreaming."

Ed continued to blush but began to make more snoring noises.

The teenagers only had to continue the ruse for another minute before Liam's real snores joined Ed's fake ones.

Once his embarrassment had- for the most part- worn off and he was sure Liam was asleep he turned to Winry and asked her the question that had been on his mind ever since she had first tiptoed into the barracks.

"Why are you here anyway? You know it's against the rules for a girl to be in the men's barracks, right?" the boy sniped harshly, still recovering from his earlier mortification.

Winry pouted, "Duh! I'm not stupid, Ed! That's why you're coming to sleep in my room!" she retorted in a whisper, clambering over him to get out of the small bed and grabbing his arm, attempting to pull him up.

"W-what? Why? And I can't just go to the women's barracks!" Ed protested, blushing furiously at the thought.

"I'm not part of the military am I? So I'm not staying in the barracks, Mr. Kimblee set me up in a spare patients room in the Research and Development sector." Winry explained. "So come on!" She said, pulling on his arm, still attempting to drag him out of his bed.

"W-wait- Why? I can't just come and sleep in your room." Ed's entire face turned red as he did everything humanly possible to avoid making eye contact with the mechanic, "You're a girl!"

The young Rockbell made a face and plonked down next to him on the bed, her cheeks heating up in embarrassment as she said her next words, "Um… To tell the truth… I'm a little scared to sleep alone." She admitted quietly.

Ed let out a derisive snort as he cocked an eyebrow, "Scared? C'mon Win, you're not five anymore geez, what's there to be scared of anyway? There are no ghosts wandering the halls if that's what you're worried about." He teasingly conjectured.

Winry pouted and slapped his arm, "Don't be a jerk!" She looked down at her lap and let her hair fall around her face like a curtain, "It's just that, now that I know about Kimblee… and I'm in a strange place where I don't know anyone… And there's not even a lock on the door! I- I don't like the idea of sleeping totally unprotected when Kimblee can just waltz in any moment he likes and…" Winry trailed off.

Ed froze. Winry was right goddammit! Hell, she had every right to feel scared.

Ed thought back to earlier that day, when Kimblee's eyes had wandered Winry's form. "She's so passionate." Kimblee had said a sly grin on his face as his tongue darted out of his mouth to moisten his lips. "I love girls like her."

Ed's hands curled into tight fists and bile rose up in his throat as he thought back on what the man had said. His smirk, the way he had licked his lips, the look in his eyes as they roamed her body, it had all reminded Ed of a wolf stalking its prey. Damn it! He should have thought of this before! He hadn't even been thinking of what might happen to Winry, sleeping all alone in a dark room, when he had bid her goodnight.

Edwards face drooped into a frown, "You're right." Ed's face dropped down into his hands, obscuring his face from view, "You're right, I'm sorry, I didn't even think about …"

Winry's head shot up in disbelief. Had he just… Apologised? Edward never apologised, never! Not when they made up after fights, not when he made her worry, not when he broke her automail, never! But here he was, apologising. Winry stared at him in wonder; the diversion from his usual character had thrown her off.

The heat in Ed's cheeks evinced his nerves and the more she stared at him- like he was a damn circus freak! - the hotter his cheeks became.

Realising she had paused for entirely too long, Winry blushed and stuttered out a response, "It- it's ok. I didn't think about it then either…"

They paused again and the silence loomed over them like a dark cloud. At the end of her rope, Winry attempted to fill the silence, "So um… Will you do it? Sleep with me that is…"

There was that warmth again, pooling in his cheeks and swirling in his crotch. Why did she have to say it like that dammit! "Uh, yeah, of course." Ed gulped in an attempt to swallow his anxiety and puffed out his chest in a way he hoped appeared manly. "C'mon, but we gotta be quiet, okay? I could get in a shit-load of trouble with the general over this." Winry wanted to retort that, 'duh, of course she'd be quiet' but judging it better not to initiate any more petty arguments, she held her tongue.

Edward carefully dropped his feet to the floor and rose to a crouched position, signalling that she follow him. The pair crept to the door and Edward delicately twisted the nob and begun to open the door. The door creaked and the couple startled and froze. Terror shot through them as they heard the grumbling of a soldier behind them. Turning his head ever so slightly, Edward examined the barracks, searching in dread for any sign that a soldier had awoken. Relief washed over him like water from a hose in a Resembool summer. Asleep. They were all asleep.

Not daring to open the door further, Ed slipped through the half open door. Looking back, the boy did his best to not take notice of the way Winry's breasts almost didn't clear the opening along with the rest of her body as she squeezed through. Winry Sucked in a breath to compress her chest and finally managed to clear the obstacle. The young Rockbell felt like covering her face with her hands and hiding away in humiliation. Stupid boobs! Why did they have to betray her in a moment like this? With Edward watching! Winry dropped her eyes to the ground when she noticed the blush on her best friend's cheeks, which was only serving to make her feel more self-conscious.

Nudging the distracted boy harshly with the butt of her elbow, Winry prodded him forward, "hurry up!" she growled in a whisper.

"Ow!" barked the eldest Elric; "Shut up, I'm thinking!" he lied.

Edward pressed against the left wall of the hallway and grabbed the mechanic by the hand without thinking, pulling her beside him against the wall. "Keep pressed against the wall." he advised her. "This way, if anyone comes around the corner we won't be in their direct line of sight." Winry's cheeks flushed at the feeling of his hand in hers but nodded. Ed tried to think back to all the military training he'd had on 'discreetly manoeuvring through an enemy's base' but being the egotistical twelve year old he had been, he couldn't recall listening to a word of it. Cursing the immature twelve year old who had cockily decided that 'discretion wasn't his style,' Ed blindly began to sneak through the halls of fort Briggs. He had been released from jail by Kimblee, but Major General Armstrong had given strict orders that he be escorted by a Briggs soldier at all times. What was with that woman anyway? He was a good guy, damn it!

Feeling the tug of Winry's hand as she followed closely behind him, Edward blushed. When had he grabbed her hand? Sweat immediately started forming in his hands despite the chill in the air and

Edward tried to slow the erratic beating of his heart. Dammit, his hands must feel clammy and disgusting! Winry wouldn't want to hold his hand if it was all sticky and gross! Edward's eyebrows furrowed when rational thinking finally caught up with his whirlwind of thoughts. Well screw whether it was pleasant for her or not! He wasn't holding her hand to be all gooey and romantic! He was leading her through a government base, he shouldn't be thinking about stupid, insignificant things right now! Or ever!

Ed shook any remaining thoughts he had about their interconnected hands free of his head and carefully peered round the corner into another corridor. Deciding that the passage was clear he pulled Winry into the corridor behind him. Realising that they had reached the place where he and Winry had separated and she had made her way to her own room, Edward searched for the corridor he recalled her travelling down. Spying the opening of the passageway on the opposite side to them and a little further down the corridor, he switched them to the right side of the hallway. They continued down the next passage until they reached a point where the end of the corridor extended both left and right. Edward turned to his left to consult the girl besides him, but froze halfway through his question. Footsteps. Shit, Shit!

Grabbing Winry, Edward bolted into the closest room. The pair emerged into a crisp, white bathroom. Urinals spread evenly along the wall evinced the gender the restroom was meant for. Edward quickly jumped into a stall, pulling Winry in with him and locking the door behind him.

Edward could just barely pick out the faint sound of even foot falls. One, two, three, four, five, he counted, but the footsteps seemed to stop. Right as they reached the bathroom door. Wasting no time, Edward turned his attention to the girl before him. "Arms around my neck" he hissed. Confused, but with no time to query his order she quickly embraced the boy, her arms encircling his muscular neck. Edward bent down and grasped her upper thighs, lifting her legs around his waist and bracing her against the steel door of the stall. The girl flushed at their position, but before she could question him she caught sight of the ground and realised why he had done it. His hold on her took her feet out of sight, now if anyone checked the space beneath the stall they would only see one pair of feet. Looking over the boys shoulder to catch sight of one of the most disturbingly disgusting toilets she had ever seen she felt relieved that he hadn't sat her on there, although his actions probably weren't premeditated.

The bathroom door creaked open and the pair froze. The couple kept their eyes connected as even, steady steps made their way into the room. Edward listened intently to the footsteps outside the stall. Left, right, left, right, left, right. The steps were closing in on them and Ed subconsciously tightened his grip on the girl in his arms. Left, right, left, right, left. The young Elric had to hold in a sigh of relief. The steps had gone right past them and instead stopped elsewhere in the room. Judging from the sound of a zipper sliding down, the man had stopped at a urinal.

Finally convinced that the stranger hadn't seen them, Edwards mind relaxed. Returning to his present situation, Edwards eyes met those of the girl in his arms. The way her stare held his set his cheeks on fire. For the first time since he had awoken to the girl whispering his name, he realised that he was dressed only in his pale blue boxers. Stupid! He should have at least gotten dressed before they started running about Fort Briggs! What kind of excuse could he make up if they got caught? Oh, we were just going for a midnight walk! What? Why am I in my underwear? Oh no reason, no reason. Idiot! Stupid! Moronic! Why was he always making senseless decisions when he was around Winry?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a steady stream of urine hitting the urinal. Ugh, Winry didn't need to hear this! For the first time since they had raced into the stall he properly scrutinised their situation. Winry's arms were wrapped around his neck, her stare connected with his own. Her back was pressed against the door to the stall, and he didn't dare adjust his hold on her for fear that any movement they made might trigger the noise of the door knocking against its lock. Their bodies were wrapped around one another firmly and he could feel her chest pressed against his. Every breath she took caused her breasts to press harder against him. Hot. He felt hot. He could feel her every breath and he prayed that she couldn't feel his. His shallow, fast breaths would surely give away his less than pure thoughts. The state alchemist tried to pull his mind away from thoughts about the soft pressure of her breasts pressed up against his chest, but instead he only found himself further distracted by her. His arms were wound around the underside of her upper thighs, with her legs wrapped tightly around his hips; he couldn't help but blush at the heat from the centre of her legs. Her warmth was encasing his crotch and he didn't quite know whether to thank his luck or curse it. God she was so hot. Ugh don't think about it! Now's not the time, now's not the time! Not with her right there. Not when they were entangled with one another in a way which meant she would surely feel any- ugh- excitement he felt first hand!

Winry tried to look anywhere but the molten pools of gold posing as Edwards eyes, but failed miserably. The heat of his body was sucking her in, drawing her closer to him. With every breathe she shivered as her nipples grazed his chest. The feeling of his body brushing against hers sent an electric shock through her body, shooting down from the ever-hardening buds on her chest to the swelling pool of warmth between her legs. Winry fidgeted in the man's arms, adjusting her hold around his neck. As her fingers danced across his skin she felt the presence of his taut muscles and grasped them for support. God his body was hot. Over the years Ed had evolved from a strong but scrawny child to a muscly, broad-shouldered man. Winry's eyes flickered to his face, her top teeth worrying her bottom lip as she caught sight of his mouth. His lips were pressed together in a thin frown, his eyebrows furrowed as he listened intently to the movements of the man outside the stall and there was a slight blush present on his cheeks. God she wanted to kiss those lips. There was no denying it. She wanted him.

Edward couldn't stand it anymore. Her breasts pressed against his chest, her thighs engulfing his crotch, and now the way that she chewed on her lower lip. Resisting her was almost painful. He could feel blood begin to surge in his crotch as her small pink tongue darted out to moisten her lips. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! In a desperate attempt to preserve the mechanics blissful ignorance to his… situation, the alchemist hitched her up higher on his body. The resulting 'bang' of the stall door as it clashed with the lock keeping it in place, combined with the 'yelp' of the women in the scientists arms triggered the sound of footsteps pacing to the stall door. Oh dear. The noise of the door, he could fib about, but- what was clearly- a young woman's voice coming from the men's bathroom, he could not. His concerned amber eyes linked with hers.

"Who's there? Was that a woman?" Winry propelled herself deep into the arms of the boy, causing the door to smash against its lock again. Edward felt the girl in his arms shiver, just as he registered the sound of Solf J. Kimblee's rasp. Winry's hands were clenched in tight fists, pulling at his hair. Edward could feel her breathe again, except, rather than the even rise of her chest; her breath billowed into the nape of his neck, ragged and rapid. Edward pulled away and gazed into the girl's eyes. Fear. Complete terror and panic. Winry was afraid of Kimblee. Winry, who had darted onto the battlefield to help him without a second thought, Winry who had delivered a baby with information based solely on the insight of a poorly memorised text book, Winry who had aided in her best friend's surgery when she was only eleven years old, Winry who had faced her parent's murderer, Winry who had never been afraid of anyone before.

The realisation washed over him like an icy shower. Slowly, Edward pried the girl's hands from him and set her down next to him, no longer caring about her feet being visible underneath the toilet door. The alchemist placed an affectionate hand on top of the girl's head, before opening the stall door and carefully slipping through, shutting it again, Winry on the other side.

"What do you want Kimblee?" Edward challenged, eyes alight.

The man opposite's only reaction was a smirk, "Hey Fullmetal, I would ask if that girlish squeal was yours but-" Kimblee took a deep breath in through his nose, as if he was revelling in the smell of the air. Like a smoker, Kimblee treasured the breath before he released it with a sigh. Behind the stall door Winry shivered in disgust. The door separating them made no difference; she could still see the sickening smile on the psychopath's face. "That smell is women's perfume."

Edward growled and took a step forward, but before he could react further, the stall door flew open. Winry Rockbell stormed in front of the eldest Elric, staring down the raven haired man before her. The woman's chest was puffed, her eyebrows were knitted together and her eyes held the same steely determination Edward had seen in her eyes time and time again. The same determination he had seen when she had delivered Satella LeCoulte's child, the same determination he had seen when she had assisted with his surgery, the same determination he had seen when she begged to be Dominic LeCoulte's apprentice. The same fiery eyes that he would picture when he needed to will himself to continue his quest.

Winry stood firm and tall as she addressed her captor, "Hello Mr. Kimblee."

"Ah, Miss Rockbell, pleasure to see you." The way Kimblee's eyes roamed the mechanic's body sent chills down Edwards's spine but Winry remained cold and unyielding. The smirk on the face of the pale man quickly faded into a scowl, "Careful Miss Rockbell, we wouldn't want an accident to happen to such a-" Kimblee drew in a breath as his eyes fell to the woman's chest, taking his time to devour the sight before switching his eyes back to her face, "pretty, pretty girl."

Edward's hands clenched in fists of rage, he made a move to pull his childhood friend behind him, but he stopped when Winry's calm and even voice sliced through the air like a knife. "No we wouldn't, I know there are some very influential people who would be quite upset if something were to happen to me." Her words were slow and composed, "I couldn't be safer if the Führer himself was looking out for me."

There was silence, and then disturbing and unsettling laughter filled the room. Kimblee's show of mirth reverberated off the walls and filled Edward's ears, but still Winry's eyes never left the man's face. "True Miss Rockbell, I dare say I would be in quite a bit of trouble if any harm were to befall you." This time Kimblee's eyes did not wander, instead the piercing orbs of blue watched the woman's face intently, "Such intelligence, truly a fine specimen."

With those words the twisted man glided to the door, stopping and turning his head over his shoulder, "By the way, nice boxers." Edward let out a strangled gasp as Kimblee exited, his laughter tailing him down the halls.

"Bastard." Edward growled. Moving up next to the woman, whose guard had finally disintegrated, Edward placed a comforting hand on the crown of her head, "You okay?" he interrogated cautiously. Winry took in a long, shaky breath, "Yeah. Yeah I'm okay."

Taking her hand yet again, this time consciously, Edward pulled her to the door, "C'mon, we're almost at your room, right?"

They finally reached the heavy door that led to the Research & Development sector. The pair slipped through the door and lightly padded their way across the room. Winry's hand slipped around the handle on her room's door, turning the knob, she slowly opened the door. However, before the door was completely open, a squeak erupted into the room, making the pair of teens start. Edward's ears pricked up. If one of the Briggs soldiers found them he was dead! Olivier would direct the entire fort to slay him if she caught wind that he deliberately disobeyed her orders, and he was only in his boxers! Anyone who found them would surely think they were- were… doing things! He couldn't let the whole of the Briggs Fort think he and Winry were a thing! Not that it would be bad to be a thing with Winry! Not that he wanted to be a thing with Winry! Ugh, he was going around in circles!

The pair spent the next few seconds in total silence, eyes darting around the room and ears listening so intently that the teens jumped at every creak and squeak that resounded through the research chamber. Silence. The coast was clear. Winry's body relaxed and the couple returned their eyes to the door and walked through.

"Well, well." Edward's blood ran cold. "What do we have here?" the duo spun on their heels to see Neil's mischievous face staring back at them.

"Man, just wait till I tell the rest of the guys about this! Who'da thought that this was what chaste little Edward was getting up to!" the engineer cackled.

Edward felt red hot embarrassment seep into his cheeks, "We're not doing anything!"

"Whatever kiddo." The engineer snorted with a cackle.

Edward ground out a guttural growled, "Neil, we aren't doing shit! I swear if you blab about this to everyone I'm going to ram my fist into your face so hard that your teeth will jump out of their sockets in fear."

Neil chortled, completely unintimidated, "Sure kid. Mind telling me why you're sneaking around together then?"

Edward fidgeted, "This place is… It isn't safe for her to be alone here."

Neil frowned and began to open his mouth to argue, but the way Edward avoided his eyes kept him silent. He wasn't telling him something. Neil frowned, "Whatever you say kid." The engineer's face softened, "But we look after our own here in Briggs, there's always someone here watching out for the two of you while you're here." Neil ran a hand through his ginger hair, ruffling the strands until they looked like a birds nest. "Anyways, I only came out to make sure Miss Winry got back safely." He gave a nod to the girl before turning around to return to his workshop and continue working. "Be safe." He called over his shoulder, giving a lazy wave and a suave wink before he sauntered off.

Edward coloured crimson, scoffing at the engineer's comment and pulling Winry into her room, shutting the door before they could be caught by anyone else. "C'mon Winry, let's get some sleep." The alchemist sounded out through a long, extravagant yawn. "I've got to go on that mission tomorrow to find Scar." Edward ripped one of the two pillows that lay on the single bed away and plopped it on the floor near the door.

Wiry raised a quizzical eyebrow, "What are you doing Ed?" she questioned as he lay on the hard floor and rested his head on the pillow.

Edward raised his own eyebrows, "Sleeping?"

"You don't need to sleep on the floor, Edward!"

Edwards's eyes widened and he bolted up. "B-but you're a girl and there's only one bed! A-and-" he stuttered out as he stared at the bed in the centre of the room apprehensively.

"It's fine!" Winry cut him off, hands on her hips. "We used to sleep together all the time when were kids, right?" Ok so it wasn't exactly the same, but she couldn't make him sleep on the floor, after all, she had been the one who had made him leave the comfort of his own bed.

The alchemist blushed a deep red as his eyes impulsively flickered down to her ample chest. She most certainly wasn't a kid anymore. "Well… Yeah…"

Winry slid under the thin blanket, laying on her side, and sticking to the right edge of the mattress. "C'mon," she managed to grumble through a yawn, "It's too late to argue."

Red faced, Edward gulped and slipped in beside her. The bed was only a single mattress and Edward reddened at the feeling of her warm body touching his. Winry shuffled further into the bed and Edward felt her bottom graze against his own. All the blood that had been seeping into his cheeks was now making a direct beeline for his crotch. 'Shit!' he swore mentally, 'Don't get hard, don't get hard. There's nothing sexy about that crazy gearhead. Not cute! Not sexy! Not at-'

"Edward?" Winry's voice startled him out of his reverie and he hesitantly turned to face her, face still aglow.

The eldest Elric contorted his face into a frown, attempting to appear annoyed in his distraught state, "What do you want Winry? It's frickin' late."

"He knew I was out of my room the whole time…" The teen's eyes flickered closed as she took in a deep breath. "Briggs, it's just like Resembool, isn't it? Everyone watches out for one another… Remember when we were kids and we would run along that dirt path on our way to school, and every time we did there was always someone working in the fields, and they'd wave to us when we went by in the morning, and they'd still be there in the afternoon when we went home?"

"Yeah, I remember. Still happens." Ed responded inquisitively, taken aback by the serious, wistful tone of her voice.

Winry chuckled fondly, raising a hand to brush a stray hair from her face, "They still do it to me too. Remember that one time, when we stayed at the lake too long? Then we walked home along the dirt path, and Pitt's dad was still working in the fields, and we asked him why he was out working so late and he said he was waiting for us to come past, to make sure we were safe."

"Now that you mention it… Yeah. I can't believe I forgot about that. I… I'll need to thank Mr. Renbak next time I'm back…"

"It's really lovely, isn't it, to have a community like that, where everyone's looking out for one another." Winry said tenderly.

Edward felt a smile tug at his lips as he watched her. "Yeah. Mustang's team is kind of like that… The colonel may be a creep and a jerk but… He looks after his own." The alchemist admitted grudgingly.

Winry caught his eyes and smiled brightly, "It's a relief to know that you've got somebody looking out for you when you're away. You're so short tempered, you're always getting yourself int-"

"I'm not short!" Edward growled, inducing a giggle from Winry.

"Right, right, sorry." The pair laid in silence for a long moment. Winry could feel the heat emanating off Ed's body and found herself gravitating towards him in the cold Briggs climate, he was always so warm. There was nothing miraculous about Edward's body heat; Winry felt the need to remind herself. A muscular body consumes more energy and hence gives off more wasted energy in the form of heat, it was rudimentary biology. Winry bit her lip as her eyes travelled along the protruding muscles of Edwards's shoulders and chest. Suddenly the thin blanket that was covering her was too warm. Winry shifted the blanket down her shoulders and glanced at Ed. Winry's movements screeched to a halt as she registered the serious expression on his face.

"I'm sorry." The words fell out of his mouth before he could think about them.

Winry shot him a confused glance, her lips twisted down in a frown, "What are you apologising for? If it's about your automail th-"

"No." He cut her off. "I'm sorry about this whole situation. You have to put up with Kimblee, and you're a hostage, and it's my fault. Winry, I'm so sorry. I really tried not to get you involved in all this… All this crap! I didn't want you to have to- I didn't mean for them to- I'm sorry." The words were spewing forth now, like vomit they were gushing out without end. Winry could feel the remorse that had seeped into Ed's voice like a heavy weight was pressing down upon her.

"Don't apologise E-"

"No Winry, I have to! You- You're in so much danger and it's because of me! I should have protected you! This isn't your fight, and now I've got you involved in all of this and-"

"No!" Winry's voice cut through the room like a knife. "After all this time Edward, you think you'd get it!" Edwards backed his torso away in surprise at her unanticipated reaction. "I don't want you to protect me. Stop pretending I'm not involved. Stop pretending this isn't my fight. Stop jumping to shield me at the first sign of trouble."

"But-" Ed began to counter, but Winry's level voice ripped through his own.

"No, Edward, you still don't get it! I don't want to be the person who stands behind you while you fight. I won't be that person, dammit! I want to be the person who stands by your side and fights with you. I don't care what kind of hell and torture I have to go through to do it, Edward! You didn't get it when we were kids and you still don't understand. Edward you don't have to protect everyone. Al too! Edward, I know you don't want Al and I getting hurt but guess what you idiot? We don't want you getting hurt. For once in your life let me stand with you for god's sake! I won't watch your life- No- My life, from behind you. I don't know who you think I am Edward, but I'm a Rockbell, and Rockbells don't watch from the sidelines while other people fight the battle, we fight for ourselves." Winry's strong stare bore into Edward. Her face was set in a frown and her lips were pressed tightly together, her whole body tense. There was that determination again, that unwavering fire. Why did he keep trying to pull her behind him? He had always envied her will to go on, her strength.

Edward let his head drop back down onto the pillow, "Sorry. You're right, I know you are." He said with a breath, overwhelmed by her strength. The same strength he kept ignoring and disregarding in favour of his egotistical bravado.

"It's fine, just… Let me in." There eye's met and Edward felt himself be pulled into her earnest blue eyes.

"Yeah, sorry. I just-"

"I know."

Silence.

"You're coming tomorrow, aren't you?" Edward didn't really need to wait for her answer.

Winry bit her lip; Al had told her not to tell him, that he wouldn't accept it. "Yeah." Winry watched him cautiously for his reaction.

"Good, we… We could really use your brains. I still don't like it when you're in danger, but… You're right; the three of us are a team."

Winry grinned and slowly inched her head forward, resting it on his chest. Edward felt warm where her body pressed against his, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her, but his arms were heavy with uncertainty. The few short seconds passed like years before Winry shifting back away. "Thank you."

Not long after, the childhood friends succumbed to the welcoming embrace of sleep.

A/N: Well… I hope you enjoyed that, I'm sorry the the writing drops at the end a bit; to be honest by the end of this I kind of just got sick of it! This oneshot is actually my longest story ever; it actually beats my only multi-chapter story! I might write a second chapter if people really want it, I was actually going to write a longer ending here involving my idea for that but… well I wanted to get this out there today! I've been slowly building up this story for a long time and I figured since it's finally school holidays for me I'd finally finish it off! Sorry if I made any embarrassingly stupid grammar mistakes in this fic!

If you guys are looking for good Edwin stories to read, I strongly suggest anything by either hangonsilvergirl (Check her out on AO3, my two favourites are 'It's Not a Big Deal' and 'A Study in Bad-Ass, Blood Boiling Red') or ec-writes (my favourites are 'Apartment Life', 'An Alchemist's Tale' and 'In Deep'). They both have an incredible sense of humour and are just brilliant writers in general!

Yikes, I just gave this a read through and it's written more awkwardly then I thought it was, especially the ending…Oh well. While I was writing this I was focusing less on brilliant writing and more on specific things to do with writing, like presenting dynamic and three dimensional characters (I feel like I did okay at this with Winry and completely failed with Ed (although I don't think I was really trying with Ed)) and building suspense (something I feel like my other stories severely lack and to be honest one of my favourite parts about reading).

If you have the time, please critique this, I'm always up for receiving advice about my writing! Thanks for reading, I hope you have a spectacular day!