A/N: This began as an opening chapter of a series of chapters I had floating around in my head and had planned to write out about the few years at home that Ed and Al spend before heading off their separate ways at the end of Brotherhood. Now though I honestly don't think I will ever get around to writing any more of it. So here it was sitting on my hard drive being all lonely by itself, so I've decided to just upload it as a oneshot. Enjoy and leave comments y'all!

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.

Under the Same Roof: Chapter 1

Winry's eyes fluttered open. It was the early morning, probably three or four she guessed. A bright beam of moonlight illuminated the far side of her small neat bedroom, save for her cluttered desk, which was strewn with tools and parts. Stifling a yawn, she sat up in her bed, gazing out her window upon the tranquil green landscape of Resembool that she always woke up to. Its familiarity had brought her solace during those quiet nights when Ed and Al had been corralling through the entirety of Amestris on their quest to reclaim Al's body.

Winry sighed, the air flapping her lips. The lonely void of depression was slowly creeping into her chest. She had had a dream. A most wonderful dream. Ed had been the perfect gentlemen, lavishing her with soft caresses, hugs, and cheerful smiles. The perfect boyfriend. It was one of those dreams that was absolutely blissful, one of those dreams she never wanted to wake up from. His long soft golden hair, his carefree grin, and his automail arm. A laugh escaped her mouth. Winry didn't know whether it was sick or funny that Ed still required the use of his mechanical arm in her dreams. It was a testament to just how much of a gear-head she was. Not that she would ever take the term as an insult.

After such dreams, she would wake up and be unable to go back to sleep, so she would just lie in bed, with her arms pillowing the back of her head, and think. Just think. It was always like this after such dreams, except now they were happening more and more often with Ed home full-time now. He and Al had been back for the past three months. Life sure had changed since those quiet days when it had been just her and Granny manning the automail shop. A part of her missed those days. Only a little part though. She smiled.

During the daytime, she was genuinely happy that there were men around to help with the house chores and join her and Granny at the dinner table every evening for dinner. She seemed to be getting less and less sleep these days though. There was always something to keep her awake. If it wasn't a romantic dream that left her feeling lonely and depressed in the morning, it was Ed's rhythmic snoring coming from right across the hallway. It wasn't that it bothered her in the least; she loved listening to his gentle breathing and knowing that he was so close by. It sent shivers down her spine just thinking about it.

She swept the covers off of herself and placed her feet into her warm fuzzy slippers. Her slightly ajar bedroom door creaked as she opened it. Stepping into the hallway, she smiled to herself as Ed's snoring got a louder in her ears before she made her way to the downstairs kitchen. The room was swathed with so much silvery moonlight that it wasn't necessary to turn on the lights. Reaching into an overhead cupboard, she grabbed a large glass jar of milk, pouring some into a saucepan and heating it on the stove. Nothing beats the comfort of warm milk, she thought to herself. Except tooling away at my workbench of course. She let out a contented sigh. For the most part, life was good. But such contentedness never stopped her from dreaming about how it could all be so much better.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, with a piping mug of steaming liquid to warm her clammy palms, she looked out the window again. It wasn't that with Ed being in the house full time made her think about him more. She had thought about him just as much when it had been just her and Granny living at home. Now though, her thoughts were so much more… unrestrained. With him not in such close proximity, it had been much easier to tell herself that her fantasies were too out of line and ridiculous. Now though, his mere presence was melting away her resolution, and she could no longer stop herself from thinking about him more optimistically.

Short of some miracle, Ed would never bring himself to admit his feelings for her. Oh, she knew they were there, somewhere deep down in his heart. But the thing with Ed was that he couldn't be pushed on such matters. Doing so would only cause him to shove those feelings deeper and deeper inside, until one day, he wouldn't even be able to find them anymore. Besides, Winry wasn't one to pry. She was absolutely firm with herself, though, that she wasn't going to admit anything to Edward Elric until he made the first move, but that never stopped her from manifesting her feelings for him in other ways.

Her mug emptied of its contents, she placed it in the sink and began to retrace her steps back up to her room. Reaching the second floor, she approached Al's room. His door was open so she peeked inside. Al was sitting on the edge of his bed, his shoulders hunched with his head down, staring into his open palms in front of his face.

"Alphonse?" She cleared the threshold of his room and looked at him.

He looked up from his palms, their eyes meeting. Although Al's eyes were always kinder and calmer than Ed's, they were the exact same shade of amber, she noted. Sometimes she wished Ed's eyes would look at her the same way Al's did.

"Hey Winry," came his reply. Al's soft voice, which still sounded rather childish, certainly worked to enhance his boyish character. She couldn't imagine him with a deeper voice. He wouldn't be Al then.

"You can't sleep either?" Winry shook her head and crossed the room to sit next to Al on his bed.

A small chuckle escaped Al's mouth. "You know, I'm awfully grateful that Brother got me my body back," he began. "But it sure is taking a while for me to adjust from that bulky suit of armor I had for three years."

Winry placed a hand on his shoulder. "How are you coping?" Al certainly hadn't had any trouble readjusting to the fact that he could now ingest food and liquids again. If anything, he was much more appreciative of every single meal she and Granny cooked. His hunger must have accumulated over those three years and now he had to staunch the surplus.

"I guess I'm still not used to sleeping," he lamented. "My body is still weak and my muscles aren't entirely back to normal yet," he nudged the cane that he kept next to his bed. "I'm pretty tired most of the time, but I'm only ever able to sleep a few hours each night. I guess I got used to those long nights just listening to Brother's snoring."

Winry burst out laughing. Al looked at her strangely. He didn't think not being able to sleep was any grounds for humor. When her laughing petered out, a huge smile still decorated her features. "Sorry Al, it's just that, well, there are many nights when I'm not able to get any sleep either for the same reason."

Now it was Al's turn to laugh. "I see." He didn't inquire any further. One of the nice things about Al was that he never pried into anything that wasn't strictly his business. He had known for a long time now how Winry felt about his brother. There was an unspoken agreement between the two childhood friends that Winry's relationship with Ed was one that would work itself out in time. If she needed consoling when his brother acted like an oblivious jerk to her, Al would gladly provide it, but other than that, he kept his hands off. For that, she would always be grateful.

They sat in silence for a bit, just enjoying the stillness of the night, before Al flashed another one of his warm smiles. "Thanks Winry," he stretched his arms behind his back, taking care not to overextend his muscles. "I feel much better now. I think I'll be able to get some sleep."

She smiled back. I guess he was just lonely. "Sweet dreams Al. If you ever find yourself too lonely to sleep, chances are I'll be up too, so you can drop my room if that's the case."

"Sure Winry. You should try and get some sleep as well." He rolled onto his side, pulling the covers up snugly. Soon he had nodded off, his breathing slow and deep.

She watched his sleeping form for a full minute. In her heart, Al was always the brother she never had, and she loved him dearly. She had thought of Ed the same way too back when they were younger. Eventually though, she found that Ed had slowly migrated to a different section of her heart, one that just seemed a bit more important than the one Al occupied. She still felt a pang of guilt about it sometimes, but she knew Al wouldn't begrudge her.

Winry let out a happy sigh. I guess I just have a thing for jerks, she thought half-heartedly. Of course, she didn't really believe for a second that Ed was a jerk. Part of it probably had to do with his complex about his lack of height, but for the most part, he was headstrong, stubborn, and, dare she think it, pigheaded. In many ways, he was a lot like her. Docile wasn't a word to describe either Edward Elric or Winry Rockbell. She found herself standing in front of Ed's open bedroom door.

It was just that… well, he had had to grow up so fast. Since he was eleven really. Since Auntie Trisha had passed away. Ed was, in her mind, the epitome of self sacrifice. Her head leaning on the doorframe of his room, she closed her eyes, remembering the time when he had asked her to make a trip to Central for him on account of his dysfunctional arm, because she had forgotten to put in the stupid A-08 screw. It had been a miracle that his arm had been working at all really.

Al had been distraught for the most part while she was in Amestris's capital. He had thought, following his fight with Barry the Chopper, that he was simply an 'armor doll' created by Ed. Al had deluded himself into thinking that everyone that cared about him, Winry and Granny included, was part of some conspiracy against him. And he had questioned the very motives which had fueled Ed to work so hard as a dog of the military. She had given Al a good beating with her trusty wrench over that particular incident. But Ed, he couldn't bring himself to even really get mad at his beloved little brother. He had given up so much for Al. He had given up so much for her as well. Ed.

She was sitting on the edge of his bed now, watching him sleep, not unlike how mothers would watch their babies sleep. His long hair was splayed all over his pillow, and it really did make him look quite feminine, she thought. His mouth hung agape, but not enough that it repulsed her with his morning breath. He looked so peaceful and untroubled when he slept.

"Ed?" she whispered softly into his ear. "Are you awake?" Nope, he was out cold. Just to make sure, she poked his cheek with her index finger. Not even a twitch. She smiled at his sleeping form. You big idiot. She meant it in the most endearing way possible. Leaning down, she planted a kiss on his forehead. Only because you're asleep, and you'll never hear about this from me.

She stayed with him until the early morning rays of sunlight poked over the far off hills, sleep no longer even remotely on her mind. When he began to stir in the golden sunlight, she got up and made her way downstairs to go help Granny prepare breakfast. You'll never hear it from me, she repeated with a longing glance back over her shoulder at Ed.