The Start of It All

Ed thinks it's strange how this all started. Winry disagrees.

One day he takes a look at her and sees Winry Rockbell, automail engineering prodigy and childhood friend.

Another day he takes a look at her and sees Winry Rockbell, automail engineering prodigy, childhood friend, and... someone who he can't see himself without? Ever?

How does that even happen? Where and when did it begin? When was it that his mouth started to get dry and words escaped him every time he'd meet her gaze? When did his heart start behaving so erratically around her every time she so much as smiled at him?

On the opposite end of Ed's attraction sits Winry, with immediate and exact answers to the questions about her slow-burn descent into the sweet chaos that is loving Edward Elric.

She remembers when she first realized that she'd fallen for her childhood friend and best customer at fifteen. She also remembers the exact moment when she began to steal little touches of his skin through strokes and brushes during his automail maintenance at sixteen—when one of the scars on his abdomen was too grave—far too scary—to simply be glanced over.

Both of them remember when they started to take chances though.

Winry would usually make the first move, drop a hint, or just jump all in, and in an equivalent exchange of sorts he'd follow suit, taking huge leaps whenever he did step up to the plate first. Like when he proposed to her just before heading west. Placing all of his being on the line and leaving his entire fate in Winry's capable, caring hands—a small price to pay if it meant she would always be by his side.

Winry's hints were always warm gestures: holding his hand as they walked together, pulling him into hugs, giving him little pecks on the cheek... it wasn't until she stood on her tippy-toes, reached up, and kissed her almost-but-not-quite-yet-boyfriend into oblivion that he finally stopped being unsure about what he wanted and felt: he loved Winry and wanted to be with her.

The moments they shared were small, but frequent—more so than even Al or Granny were aware of—and each one became a memory in a series that told the story of how Ed and Winry came to be.

And even if someday their memories began to fade, and they couldn't remember the start of it all, it wouldn't make a difference because those are the kind of moments they create every day. Reveling in each other's love no matter how destined or how implausible it seemed to be.

A/N – Been a while. A very long while, but I'm still here. Cheers to that and a fab 2018. Thank you all.