Another World
A/N: My first and probably only attempt at a oneshot. Its been sitting on my computer for ages, time to let it go, enjoy haha.
He watched her like a fly on the wall, taking in her every move. The hall was alight with laughter and talk fueled by celebratory drinking. Already the bartender knew his preferred drink and had refrained from questioning his sour expression in the midst of pure happiness. If this was what it was going to feel like, he didn't know how much more he could stand. It was a strange gathering of sorts, he knew what little family she had and thus the vast majority of guests he assumed were friends. Why it struck him then that she had made such an impact on so many people's lives felt reminiscent of his own realization of how much she had impacted his.
Her hair was down for a change, its luster holding the lights captive along with his attention. The large guest list had helped him remain aloof, but he couldn't hide from her forever. That and hiding from his brother was next to impossible, though that wouldn't stop him from trying.
The music suddenly stopped, the attention of the crowd gathering at the center point of the room to where a young man gripped a microphone. His dark hair was mildly unruly taking on the appearance that at least someone had tried to tame it for the evening. This made his stomach drop; he could almost picture her hands running through this stranger's hair, her determination never yielding. She was endearing, always trying to fix things.
The bloke looked like he had won the lottery and seeing as this was his engagement party Ed couldn't disagree. Marriage to just anyone seemed like a lost cause, a mindless venture that meant little in the wake of what it should mean. No, marriage to her would be impossible, unattainable and yet so profoundly perfect that even he couldn't deny his own desires anymore.
But he didn't want to stare at the lucky bastard that stood like her knight in shining armor. Instead he wanted to memorize the way she looked that night, ingrain in his mind the glowing aurora around her and the happiness she so deserved.
He knew she had caught him staring at her at this point, but she would never know who he was. This girl would never know that he pinned for someone he could never have, even if it was staring him right in the face.
"Brother!" an exasperated voice caught his ear as the man began to speak lovingly to his future bride.
Swallowing hard he tried to steal himself for his brothers sake. An explanation was on his lips but it never came. Al understood him too well, had seen the way he followed her, and seen him come tonight. He had given him space at first, but he knew his brother wasn't going to stand for it much longer.
"She's not Winry." Al reminded him gently as he felt himself shrink back to reality.
"I know." He replied back as he continued to watch the beautiful girl in front of them.
"You're not going to do something stupid are you?"He asked wearily, once again, knowing him entirely too well.
"No." He admitted more to himself, "I just wanted to see her happy again."
The two brothers left shortly after, neither speaking about their past as there was no way to make it their future.
