"The Man Who Can't Be Moved" FMA Songfic
This story popped into my head when I listened to this song one night and thought, "This is perfect for a Royai fic!" Since I haven't written in a really long while, I thought I might post it before the year ends. This will be my Christmas/Hanukka/Kwazana/New Year's/what-the-heck-ever-holiday-you-celebrate-this-time-of-year-or-don't to you guys. It's not Maximum Ride, but I thought this might be good, too. First story for FMA, so no flames, otherwise you'll ruin my holiday (and birthday! I just turned 15 today! Squee! ^_^).
Deh Disclaimah: I don't own the song "The Man Who Can't Be Moved". The copyrights to that song belong to The Script. I also don't own FMA (You think I'd be sitting here on my birthday typing this?). That belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.
"The Man Who Can't Be Moved"
Colonel Roy Mustang walked down the streets of East City with his hands in his pockets, just strolling along. He had a trench coat slung across his shoulders, though it was far from rainy weather outside. Underneath his arm he carried a little piece of cardboard, with some words on it. Inside his pockets, he clutched a picture with a blonde-headed woman on it, a woman whom he secretly longed to see again.
Finally, after what seemed like hours on end – though in reality, it was only about fifteen minutes – Mustang found what he was looking for. He was now at a popular intersection, somewhere in downtown East City. There was a little coffee shop on the corner, where he went in a bought some nice hot coffee. After paying for it, he stepped outside and sat down on the curb, sipping the hot coffee. Roy then took out the slightly crumpled picture of the blonde woman, and looked at it for a moment, his dark eyes brokenhearted. Then he held up the picture, along with the little piece of cardboard, which read, "If you see this girl, can you tell her where I am?"
###
Going back to the corner, where I first saw you.
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag; I'm not gonna move.
Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hands saying,
"If you see this girl, can you tell her where I am?"
###
As Mustang sat there, never moving, except to take a sip of his coffee, he got quite a few stares from people who passed by him. He could hear them whispering things like:
"What's the Flame Alchemist doing sitting there?"
"Did he lose his State Alchemist certification?"
"I bet one of his lady friends stole all of his money, and now he's broke."
"Really? You think so?"
And so forth. But Roy didn't care. Well, until someone came up to him.
Roy had already been sitting there for a few hours, when a small boy who was no older than ten, with brown hair and the brightest blue eyes came up to him. He seemed quite intelligent for his age, and in his hand, he had a few senz, which he held out silently with a shy expression on his face.
Roy shook his head and held out a hand to stop the boy, "I don't need the money," he said.
"But then why are you sitting out here, like you do need the money?" said the little boy.
"No, I'm waiting on someone."
"Who're you waitin' on? A girl?" he said after he glanced at the cardboard sign.
Roy sighed silently. Nobody would understand the pain he felt, especially a little kid. So instead of explaining any of that, he simply said, "She's an old friend of mine."
"But what's with the sign?" said the boy, "It sounds like she don't know where you are,"
"She doesn't."
"Oh. Kay," the little boy wasn't sure if he understood Roy or not. He looked more closely at the picture for a moment, and Roy wasn't sure if he'd go away, but then the boy looked up and said, "If I do see her, I'll tell her where you are! It ain't that hard to remember! She sure is pretty!"
Roy chuckled slightly, "Well, thanks,"
"You're welcome!" The little boy then ran off somewhere, probably to his mother nearby. The little boy was still unsure of the strange man who wore a trench coat in the middle of a sunny day…
Roy watched the boy run off until he disappeared somewhere in the park around the next corner, and signed out loud again. He moved the picture and looked at it again, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "What else can I do?" He thought to himself, "How can I move on when I'm still in love with you?"
###
Some try to hand me money; they don't understand.
I'm not broke; I'm just a brokenhearted man.
I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do?
How can I move on when I still in love with you?
###
It's nighttime; Mustang was still sitting there on the corner, in front of that coffee shop. He hadn't gotten up since he sat down, though he did get some people to buy him some coffee. A few more people had tried to give him money, but once again he turned them down. What the heck? He wasn't a homeless bum. He was Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist and future Fuhrer President of Amestris. Though that last part was a bit of a stretch, he had to admit. But still, he definitely wasn't some homeless guy. He was here for a reason, and nothing will make him leave. He just hope she will wake up some day and realize she missed him…
###
'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me
And your heart starts to wonder where on this Earth I could be?
Thinkin' maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet
And you'll see me waiting for you, on the corner of the street
So I'm not moving
Oh, I'm not moving
###
It's the next day; the Flame Alchemist was still sitting on that same curb, in front of that same coffee shop. Today, it was cloudy, which meant it was about to rain. Roy didn't like that fact at all, but he refused to get up from his curb.
He had quite a lot of people stop to look at him, and read his cardboard sign. Even a few more people came up to him and tried to give him money. No one had come up to him in the past day, which was a good thing. Probably because the last person who did went home with a burnt hole on the back of his coat.
He hadn't gone into work in the past two days, so his subordinates were curious as to why the Colonel missed work. Even if he didn't do anything all day, he would still at least come in and order them on pointless missions. He hadn't called in sick, or for some other reason, either. So then, after some arguing, they decided to send someone downtown to see if the Colonel was around.
So now, after even more arguing and this time some yelling from Lieutenant Hawkeye, 2nd Lieutenant Havoc was driving down one of the main streets of East city, keeping an eye out for the Flame Colonel.
"I still don't see why it has to be me," Havoc muttered under his breath, lighting up another cigarette while stopped. He was waiting on some pedestrians as they cross the street. As they did, he caught on to their conversation.
"…was sitting on the corner of that really popular coffee shop."
"Really? Colonel Mustang?"
"Yep. He's got a little cardboard sign up. Says he's looking for this girl."
"Wow, a girl?"
"Uh-huh."
A girl? Seriously, Colonel? Thought the Lieutenant. Without giving it a second thought, he turned the corner and drove towards the coffee shop. He knew exactly what coffee shop they were talking about; he went in there a few times to get some coffee for everyone at Eastern HQ. When he finally found it, he parked on the side of the road and stepped out.
Sure enough, there sat the Colonel, looking like he had been sitting there for a long while.
"Colonel!" Havoc called out, and Mustang looked up, "What the hell are you doing out here? You're supposed to be at work like the rest of us."
Mustang didn't answer at first, so Havoc walked up to him. He sat down on the curb next to him.
"What's with the cardboard sign? Are you broke or something?" Havoc joked. Mustang handed over the sign to Havoc so he could read it. After doing so, Havoc found it hard to keep a smirk off his face, "So the rumors are true. Mustang's looking for this girl, or really; you want this girl to find you. So who is it?" Havoc handed back the sign, and in turn, Mustang handed him the picture of the girl. He did a double take, "But this is – "
"Yes, that's her," said Mustang.
"Whoa, I didn't know you two were…um…going out,"
"Most people didn't. You're the first one that I actually know to know about it."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Mustang looked at him oddly, "Why would I?"
"Umm…because I'm you're friend?"
"You're in the military. You think I want rumors like this going around?"
"Oh yeah, that would definitely be bad on your reputation." It was against a regulation law to be dating other people that were apart of the military. Mustang nodded.
Things were quiet between the two men for a moment, and then Havoc looked up at the sky and said to Mustang, "Looks like it's going to rain soon."
"Yeah, I know," and he wasn't too happy about it.
"Well, aren't you going to go home so you can't avoid it?" Mustang shook his head. Havoc sighed, and then it was quiet again.
"You know you can't stay here," muttered Havoc while inhaling his cigarette. He took the cigarette out and exhaled, "You're going to have to eventually go to work, especially if you wanna keep being colonel."
"I know," sighed Mustang, "But I waiting on her, if it's a day – a month – a year – I'm going to wait that long."
"Sir, it's already been two days. I honestly don't think you'll last that long."
"Oh won't I?"
"Colonel…"
"I'm not moving, even if it rains or snows. Hell, even if the world were ending, I wouldn't move. If she changes her mind, this will be the first place she'll go. Now go back to HQ,"
"Bur sir –"
"I said go."
"Colonel!"
"Dammit, I said go! That's an order," Mustang looked at him, his dark eyes the eyes of pleading and heartbroke. It was a look Havoc had never seen in his superior's eyes.
Havoc contemplated between obeying the order and heading back, or disobeying it. But then he slowly got up and made his way to the car.
"Wait!" Mustang called.
Havoc paused, "Sir?"
"I want to ask you something before you leave."
"What is it?"
Mustang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Has she…um…"
"Come on, spit it out, Colonel."
"Umm…has she come in? To work?"
Havoc looked Mustang right in the eye, and said, "…She's there."
Mustang sighed, relief flooding through him, "Thank you, 2nd Lieutenant Havoc. Now you may leave."
Havoc turned around and walked to the car. He looked back at his heartbroken superior as he got in the car, sat there for a moment, then he turned the car on and drove away, mentally betting how long Mustang will last.
The moment Havoc turned the corner, the first of the raindrops fell, and then rain started pouring down, immediately soaking Mustang's hair and trench coat. He moved the picture under the cardboard sign so that it wouldn't get messed up, and that people could still see it. He also tucked his ignition gloves into his pocket so they wouldn't get wet, either. He then repositioned his trench coat so it would cover his head, and pulled it tight around him. "I hate the rain," Mustang muttered under his breath, but still continued to sit there, "I really should have asked Havoc to buy some coffee for me…"
###
Policeman said, "Son, you can't stay here"
I said, "Someone I'm waiting for if it's a day – a month – a year"
Gotta stand my ground, even if it rains or snow
If she changes her mind, this is the first place she would go
###
Days have past, and Mustang was still sitting on that curb, in front of that coffee shop. As he sat there, rumors had flooded throughout the entire city. There were several different versions to the story; one saying that one of his ladies had left him broke and homeless, and another saying that he was fired and they took away all his money. Almost none of the rumors even pertained to any of the real reason he was sitting there. Today, he overheard some people talking about him.
"Hey, did you hear the rumors about Mustang?" said a guy.
"Yeah, he's sitting out there on the curb, just like they say," said another.
"Uh-huh, but I don't think that what they said was the real reason he's sitting out there."
"You think so?"
"Yeah. Did you see his sign?"
"No, I didn't"
"He's waiting for someone."
"Oh really? So he didn't get fired from the military?"
"Not yet. Though if he keeps sitting there, he's gonna be soon."
"I agree."
"Huh," Roy muttered, "So rumors have been going around," he wasn't surprised. He was a little afraid that these rumors might make it to Central HQ. He definitely didn't want Fuhrer president Bradley hearing about this. No doubt that his subordinates were taking bets on how long he stayed there, and how much he'll be demoted or just fired completely. But no matter what, he would not move from that spot. There weren't any holes in his shoes, but there was a big hole in his world.
Then he listened to some more of the conversation, "Who is he waiting on?" said the second guy.
"Oh, some girl," the first one replied.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's a pretty one, too. He must've taken the break up thing badly."
"So you're assuming they broke up?"
"What else could it be? It's the only thing that makes sense"
"True, true. It must be hard on him, if he's been there awhile."
"Yeah…"
Roy sighed. He didn't like their petty. It made him feel like they were looking down upon him. He was very temped to go over to them and set them straight – he even set down his sign – but then he reminded himself why he was there, and picked the sign back up. That's when he stopped listening in to their conversation.
Those guys's conversation wasn't the only one he heard. Several other people had similar conversations all around him, and most were staring at him either openly or doing so when they thought he wasn't looking. Roy was getting pretty famous around East City. He wouldn't be surprised if they talked about him over the radio. Or if his girl had heard it, and was running to the corner, because she knew it was just for her. He was the man who couldn't be moved, and that thought made him laugh more than he had ever laughed since he sat down on that curb…
###
People talk about the guy, who's waiting on a girl
Oh…there are no holes in his shoes, but a big hole in his world
And maybe I'll get famous, as the man who can't be moved
And maybe you won't mean to, but you'll see me on the news
And you'll coming running to the corner, 'cause you know it's just for you
I'm the man who can't be moved
I'm the man who can't be moved
###
Bolting up out of her bed, Riza Hawkeye woke up with the sun shining in her eyes and sweat running down her face, her hair sticking to her face. She was breathing really heavily, too. Just a second ago, she was trapped in one of her reoccurring nightmares that she'd been having for the past couple of months after she got back from Isval. They had stopped, and then they would happen every once in a while, a different version every night. But then they started coming every night, for the past two weeks.
She quickly calmed down once she realized she was in her apartment, safe and sound, and took a deep breath. She laid her head on her pillow and sighed deeply. Next to her, Black Hayate was whimpering and nudging her side.
"It looks like he's wanting some breakfast," thought Hawkeye.
"Shh…" she said aloud to the poor pup, turning over and putting a hand on his head, "I'm getting up right now." She slipped out of her warm blankets and out of bed, shielding her eyes from the harsh glare of the sunlight streaming in from her window.
She made her way over to the cabinet where she kept her dog's meals and retrieved his food dish from the floor on her way there. She filled it up, and then set it on the floor. Hayate started for it, but then Hawkeye put up a hand and said, "Wait."
The dog paused. "Sit," she commanded, and Hayate sat.
Then she said, "Lay down," and the dog did so.
"Roll over."
"Sit up."
"Shake."
"Now the other."
"Speak." (Hayate barked once)
"Good boy," and she let Hayate eat his breakfast.
As he ate, Hawkeye watched him, thinking about her nightmare. In it, she was back in Isval, shooting off enemies and fighting the Isvarlans for no reason, or so she thought. In the one she just had, she was in a tower, and someone had come up behind her, prepared to kill her. As she turned around, and the enemy's knife was about to come down, someone else came up and stopped the knife from killing her. The killer, who happened to be Isvarlan, stopped and turned on the newcomer. Then she noticed that it was her boyfriend (well, now her ex). They grappled for a bit, and Riza couldn't do anything but watch, frozen by her dream and forced to do nothing. Then the Isvarlan stabbed her ex, and he went down. But before he did, he got in a hit on his opponent, and he went down, too. But her ex was in worse shape, and he looked at Hawkeye with pleading eyes, saying, "Please, help me," before passing out and dying. That was always when she woke up, breathing hard and sweat streaming down her face. When she was still with her boyfriend, he would always soothe her with kisses and calming words. But, she's broken up with him about two weeks ago. And the nightmare had been occurring every night since then. And every morning she'd tell herself that it was just a dream, and to get up and forget about it. But now she'd find herself thinking about it at HQ, or really more about her ex. And before anyone realized what she was doing, she shook her head and cleared it all up.
Could she be missing him? Was that it? Was that why she couldn't stop dreaming or thinking about him? No, she didn't miss him, and she had stopped loving him, that's why she broke up with him in the first place. But deep inside, something was nagging at her, wondering about something. Where was he, anyway? Havoc had said that he was sitting on the curb of a coffee shop somewhere in downtown East city, waiting on someone. Could it be the coffee shop, the one where she had met him at, so many years ago? And was he even there anymore? Surely he's gotten up and gone back home. But he hadn't shown up at all in the past two weeks at work, and according to some rumors he was still sitting there on the curb. Could he really be there? Should she go over to the coffee shop to see for herself? To get him back?
Hayate barked once to get his master's attention, and Hawkeye was jerked from her deep thoughts. The dog had finished his meal, now he wanted to go out. She chuckled, "Alright, I'll take you for a walk. Just let me get dressed."
Hawkeye got up from where she was sitting and went to her closet. Today was her day off from work, so she didn't need to put on her uniform. She slipped into some comfortable jeans and a T-shirt, and grabbed Hayate's leash from the hook next to the door, and slipped it on Hayate's collar. Then she opened her door and walked down the hall, down the stairs, through the main lobby, and out the front door. She turned in the direction of downtown and began to walk towards the coffee shop.
###
'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me
And your heart starts to wonder where on this Earth I could be?
Thinkin' maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet
And you'll see me waiting for you, on the corner of the street
So I'm not moving
Oh I'm not moving
###
A horn blared throughout the streets of East City, which awoke Roy with a start. He was leaning against the street lantern post and using it as a pillow when he slept. He rubbed his eyes and noted that it was morning, and traffic was unusually busy that day. There were lots of people walking about again, many of them gawking at him, like usual. The warm aroma of the coffee shop behind him floated from the opened doors, sweet warm coffee and bread making his stomach growl. He hadn't had anything to eat for a day (many people had bought him bread, along with coffee, out of kindness, rather than him asking them.), but he wasn't going to get up. Not until she came to the corner to see him…
"Roy?" said a familiar voice from behind him. He turned and looked to see whom the voice belonged to and nearly fainted. There stood Lieutenant Hawkeye, dressed in regular civilian clothes, and walking her dog, Black Hayate, who had run up to Roy and jumped into his lap.
"Riza?" said the Colonel hesitantly. She nodded. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and then suddenly the Colonel got up and embraced the Lieutenant, with Hayate between them.
"I knew you were going to show up," murmured Roy in Riza's ear. She didn't say or do anything but hug him back. Then suddenly, she pulled back and pinched her nose.
"What?" said Roy, sounding very confused, but inside he was afraid he'd get rejected again.
"You stink," she said. Then they burst out laughing. And, despite the stench, Riza leaned in and kissed his unshaven mouth. Around them, everyone had stopped and were whispering in unison, "Awe," and warm smiles filled everyone's face.
###
Going back to the corner where I first saw you
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag
I'm not gonna move
WHOO! That took me a while to write! XD haha, but now it's complete. I'd better post this before my mom kicks me off, because it's 11:11 right now. –pauses to make a wish- XD lol Happy Holidays, everyone! Bye for now! And don't forget to R&R!
PS: I didn't have time to edit this, so sorry for any mistakes!