'Hmm... I wonder how long it'll be before they're done arguing this time...' I muse. I only smirk as I hear the unmistakable "THWANG" of Winry's wrench colliding with Ed's skull. From my place up in the tree, I see the small-ish blonde come scrambling out of the house, shouting angrily and incoherently behind him. I laugh, 'He's so cute when he's frustrated...'

Ed, having heard my laughter, looks up at me with narrowed eyes, "What are you laughing at, Midori?"

"You, silly," I reply truthfully. "How come every time you come home, you go picking a fight with Winry?"

He sighs, "It's impossible not to! She gets mad at every other thing I say!"

I giggle and, after a slight pause, clap once and touch the tree's trunk right next to the branch I'm sitting on. Another branch grows out, thick and sturdy. I smile down at Ed and pat the new limb, "Come on up."

He stares up at me for a minute before sighing again and starting the climb, "What is it with you and trees?"

I shrug, "My alchemy's strongest in nature, so I guess I've grown attached or something."

"Hippie," he teases, situating himself on the new branch.

I stick my tongue out at him, "Nyeh!"

He chuckles, "Anyway, I've been distracted arguing with Winry. I haven't seen you much seen Al and I got back. How've you been, tree-hugger? Still with what's-his-name?"

I roll my eyes, "I've been okay. 'What's-his-name' left me about a week after your last visit, though." I can feel his eyes on me even though I'm staring out at the horizon.

"Sorry... But you know, you could do better."

I smirk, "You say that every time he's even mentioned. Do you really not like him, or do you just want me for yourself?"

He laughs, "Are you kidding? I've known you since we were kids; I come before any guy you decide to date."

I laugh, "Definitely, Ed."

He smirks, "Is that sarcasm I hear?"

"Of course not." More sarcasm.

"Good." He wraps his arm around my shoulders, "I wanna know about stuff like that. I'd rather you tell me than finding out when I come to visit. That way, I can bring a hatchet along..."

I whack him, "You wouldn't, no matter how possessive you are. If you did, I'd find a bigger one to use on you."

He only laughs at my threat, "I don't doubt that for a second. ...But you will warn me next time, right?"

"Sure." I smirk, "I've already got someone in mind, actually..."

He blinks at me, "Jeez, you bounce back fast."

"...Your last visit was a month ago. It's been more than half that time since he broke up with me."

He looks really confused. "That long? Huh..." He shakes his head, "Anyway, you're gonna tell me who this guy is, right?"

I shrug, smirking again, "Why?"

"Midori..." he mutters almost threateningly.

"Edward..." I reply in a mocking tone.

He sighs, "Come on, you know it'll bug me until I find out!"

I grin, "I'll tell you anything about him but his name."

"Hmm... that could work. Okay, how much older than you is he? You always pick guys that are a little older, so..."

"Oh, not much. He's actually pretty close to my age," I answer nonchalantly.

"Err... Well, what do you like about him? Maybe I won't need to know who he is if I know he's a decent guy."

I smile to myself, "He's very protective of me, especially around other guys. We talk about everything, and he makes me laugh." I pause and rest my head against Ed's shoulder, "There's just one teeny-tiny thing I don't like..."

He looks down at me in curiosity, "And what's that?"

"He's part of the military..."

"No."

I pout, "What do you mean 'no'?"

"There's no way I'm letting my best friend date a military dog," he states.

"...Well, what if it was you? You're in the military..."

"Doesn't matter; this isn't about me. This is about some guy you're into."

I just sort of give him a blank stare.

He blinks, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I shake my head, "Never mind. But he's not just some guy I like. I've liked him for years. Like, for as long as I've known him. I never said anything because he travels a lot. ...I didn't want to tie him down or anything."

"...You're really serious about him, aren't you?"

"Duh. I have been for a pretty long time."

He chuckles, "Man, I gotta meet this guy..."

"Oh, you know him," I mumble.

"Really? Hm, that narrows it down. Is it someone over in Central?"

I shake my head, "He goes there a lot, but he's not stationed there. He goes to a lot of different places."

"And you said you've known him for years..."

I nod, "Twelve to be exact." 'If he doesn't get it now, he's an idiot...'

"...Wait, you were only four twelve years back. The only people you even knew back then were me, Al, and Winry!"

I roll my eyes for the second time in this conversation, "I'll make this real simple. He was mentioned in that last sentence."

He stares for a few seconds before his eyes bug out, "YOU LIKE AL!?" His outburst is so spastic that he actually falls out of the tree and hits the ground flat on his back.

A sweatdrop forming, I sigh and slide off my own branch, landing easily next to him.

He groans and sits up, rubbing his head.

I giggle and crouch down next to him, "Not Al." I give him a peck on the cheek and smile, "You."

He goes kinda wide-eyed, then looks away with a sort of pout, like a little kid, and a blush across his face to match mine. "...Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"Silly, that would've been too easy," I joke.

Slowly, he smirks and grabs my arms, tugging me forward into a kiss. When we separate, his lips still barely touching mine, he murmurs, "Guess I won't be needing that hatchet, huh?"

With a laugh, I lean in and kiss him again.