I wrote this because Royai Day was coming up, and I felt that Royai being my third favourite pairing, I should do something to commemorate the day. Out came my dictionary and with my eyes closed, I opened it up and pointed at a random word; lenity. The definition I got for it is the first sentence of the fic, so that's the definition I based the story on.
I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any associated characters.
Lenity: mercifulness or an act of mercy. Such was something that the man with the moniker of 'Flame Alchemist' (or less aptly titled 'Hero of the Ishbalan Rebellion') did not deserve.
The same man who had aided in the annihilation of an entire race; who slaughtered masses of men, women, and children with a simple snap of his fingers; the man whose hands were indelibly stained with the blood of a thousand people. He did not show them any mercy when they begged, so why should he receive such a blessing?
Equally, he did not expect her to bestow any sort of clemency upon him, either. She, a woman who had been impressed just as much as he by the events of the war, had also seen just as much suffering and bloodshed, albeit on a much less personal front; a gun being her weapon of choice instead of the science that was intended to help others rather than destroy all that they have. She had also taken lives, but she had never been in the situation where she was confronted by those beseeching for the mere wish to escape with their loved ones.
Bearing this in mind, perhaps the mercy she showed him that day was a way of atoning for her wrongdoings. He didn't think he'd ever understand the reason why she reacted as she did; it still rendered him perplexed at the best of times when he mused upon it. But still, the fact remained that she had come to her decision, one that he hoped she would never choose to regret for fear that he'd lose all that he had remaining unmarred and pure in his life. His body had become sullied with the blood of Ishbalans. His soul had gradually faded akin to the colouration of his face with each passing day of mayhem. His mind also accompanied, lost with the sanity of his actions and the situation. He was but a shell of a man now, or so he considered himself abjectly. Yes, in his own opinion, he was worthy of no such thing as lenity. But she seemed to think otherwise.
When he uttered his words, he was fully prepared for the worst: being ignored, denial, a slap, flat out rejections etcetera, and with each he had a planned course of action to follow up with; but he'd never contemplated reciprocation.
Roy Mustang's lenity came in the form of the words: "I love you, too."
Thank you for reading! This came out more angsty than I originally intended, but I love me some angst anyway! Happy Royai Day!!
