Before It's Too Late, a fullmetal alchemist fanfic

"Lieutenant!" cried the young, black haired colonel. The young, blonde haired said nothing as she lies at his feet bleeding. She had been shot protecting the colonel. "You dare hurt my lieutenant?!" he said harshly. Before the perp could even answer the colonel snapped his fingers and burned him to a crisp. He picked up the bleeding woman and rushed outside to the car they had used to get there. "Don't die on me Riza Hawkeye. You can't." Mustang choked out, fighting back the tears.

Colonel Mustang sat in the waiting area for what seemed like days. While he was lost in his thoughts a doctor approached him. "Are you the man who came in with Miss Hawkeye?" asked the doctor. "Yes I am. The name's Colonel Roy Mustang." Mustang said in a rather sad tone. "I have the news regarding Miss Hawkeye. The surgery was successful and she is expected to make a full recovery. The bullet missed her organs so she should be cleared to return to her duties in about a month or less." The doctor informed Mustang. The colonel looked up at the doctor with a saddened look on his face. "Is it ok for me to go see her?" he questioned. "Yes you may. She is three rooms down on the right side." replied the doctor. Mustang stood up and made his way to Hawkeye's room. Upon entering the room he saw the young lieutenant sleeping. Mustang pulled a chair over to the bedside and sat down. "I'm so sorry. This should have never had happened to you. I should have protected you." Mustang choked out with his face buried in his hands. He was crying this time, something he rarely did. He stayed next to his dear lieutenant the entire day and ended up falling asleep that same night right next to her.

The following morning Mustang was awakened by the sound of the door opening. "Have you been here the whole night colonel?" asked the man who had come in. Mustang rubbed his eyes and saw Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc standing by the door. He was relieved to see a familiar face. "From the look on your face I'll take that as a yes. I had a feeling you had been so I brought you some food." Havoc said calmly, setting the food on a small table. "I'm not hungry right now Havoc." Mustang answered back tiredly. "Colonel you need to eat. It won't do you any good to starve yourself." Havoc said slightly annoyed. "I just said I wasn't hungry Havoc." replied Mustang irritated. "Dammit colonel! You're acting like a stubborn child! What the hell would the lieutenant think if she saw you acting like this?! She would blame herself and that is the last thing she needs! You need to get your shit together before she wakes up!" Havoc yelled. He has never been so angry at his commanding officer before. Before Mustang could answer back Havoc turned around and walked out slamming the door behind him. Mustang just sat there now on the verge of breaking down. "He's right. What would she think? She probably would blame herself even though it's not her fault. But what would he know? He's never had someone so close to him almost die in his arms." he thought. Mustang looked over at Hawkeye who was still asleep. "I've done fucked up again didn't I? Not only did I almost get you killed but I made Havoc furious at me. I'm such a pathetic mess." he said to her. Just then he started to sing.

"For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through it all

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
In everything I am
Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you

I'm everything I am
Because you loved me"

Little did he know Hawkeye had woken up halfway through the song. She had a weak smile on her face. "I didn't know you could sing colonel." she said weakly. Mustang's head jolted up. "Lieutenant!" he said shocked with tears in his eyes. "Did he hurt you sir?" Hawkeye asked concerned. "Please don't worry about me. Just worry about yourself just this once. Please." Mustang begged. "Yes sir." she sighed. "How are you feeling lieutenant?" he questioned. "A bit sore." she replied. "Can I get you anything?" Mustang asked. "Some water would be nice please." Hawkeye responded. "Alright. I'll be right back." he said, voice a little shaky. He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a glass of water. Mustang set the glass on the bedside table and sat on the bed. He helped Hawkeye sit up just enough to drink and grabbed the glass off the table. "Here, drink little bits at a time." Mustang said kindly, his hand on her back to hold her up. "Thank you colonel." Hawkeye said after a small drink. He said nothing as he helped her lie back down but looked down at where the wound would be. "Is there something wrong sir?" she asked a little concerned. "It's all my fault. If I had protected you better you wouldn't be here. You would be at work or home." Mustang confessed. His eye teared up as he slammed his fist into the wall. "I'm sorry lieutenant. I need to get some fresh air." he said leaving the room.

She sat there for only a few minutes before the door opened up. "It's good to see you're awake now lieutenant." said Havoc. "Havoc, the colonel doesn't seem to be himself." Hawkeye said with a hurt look on her face. "Don't worry lieutenant; he's just been worried about you. He cares a lot about you." He said softly. "He does? How do you know?" she asked. "He talks a lot when he's drunk." Havoc laughed. "But in all seriousness, he's a completely different man around you. When he's around you he has this look on his face like he wants to tell you how he feels but he can't seem to figure out how." he said. "I had no clue." Hawkeye said in a sleepy tone. "Don't worry lieutenant; none of this is your fault. He just doesn't know how to deal with these kinds of things. Now you get some rest. You both look and sound tired." Havoc said reassuring. She agreed and closed her eyes to rest.

After being gone for around a half hour Mustang returned to the room. "What are doing here Havoc?" he asked depressed. "I came to talk to you. Now you're coming with me and don't try to say no." Havoc said still a little mad from earlier. He walked out and Mustang followed behind him. They ended up in hospital courtyard. "Colonel, the lieutenant is worried about you. She feels that whatever is bothering you is her fault. I can't have both of you being emotional messes." Havoc stated. "I've done it again. Twice now. First you and now the lieutenant. I can't do this anymore. It's bad enough that I lost my best friend. I don't know what I would have done if I lost the one woman I actually love as well. I don't know what to do anymore Havoc." Mustang said. After holding everything in him he broke down crying. "I know I'm last person who should be giving any kind of advice like this but you should tell her how you feel before it's too late and you lose her for good." Havoc said as he put a hand on his commanding officer's shoulder. "But what if she doesn't feel the same way?" Mustang questioned. "It's better to tell someone how you feel and they not return the feeling than to have never said anything and miss out on something possibly good. Besides, I have a good feeling about this colonel." he said reassuringly. "For someone who can't hold a relationship for more than a week you sure know what you're talking about." Mustang laughed "You're right, I should tell her. I feel a lot better. Thanks Havoc." he said and walked back inside.

Mustang entered Hawkeye's room only to find her sitting up. She looked better than we he had left. "Hello sir." Hawkeye said. "Lieutenant can we talk?" Mustang asked nervously. "Sure. What is it colonel?" She asked. He walked over to the lieutenant's bed and sat down facing her. "There is something I've wanted to tell you for a long time but I've been too afraid to say. I could never find the words to tell you. I don't care if you don't feel the same way but it's better for me to tell you than to not say anything at all." Mustang started. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "What I've too afraid to tell you is how I really feel about you. I've been holding them in and denied them for so long. What I've wanted to say for a long time is that I love you Riza." he confessed. Hawkeye smiled and said "I was wondering how long it would take Roy." He smiled and hugged her lightly trying not to hurt her. She hugged him back and put her head on his shoulder. He had finally told her what he had wanted to for so long. He felt free for the first time in what seemed like forever.