A/N: Saw a prompt on tumblr and I took the chance, since I couldn't do anything else until this thing was written. The timeline of this fic is pretty obvious tho; takes place post-brotherhood, the moment when Roy gets his vision back, to be exact. Nothing special but -shrugs- it was worth the shot, really. And yes, RoyAi all the way. ;D
And no, a decade since sailing on this ship, I still do not own FMA, and definitely not the characters.
It crept within the edge of darkness, the underlying feeling that he had felt since the Promised Day. Though as time passed by, the weight that had been placed upon his shoulders gradually decreased in the sense of acceptance and expectance; after all, he had been pushed through situations much worse than this, and with the knowledge that he was not alone, it made everything else quite worth the while. He had his team with him, aiding him with his plan on rebuilding Ishval in order to atone for mistakes done long ago. And with the news that there was a way to fix his blindness – with the use of the Philosopher's Stone, however – he could have breathed in an air of relief if he hadn't been so used to the lack of sight then.
But nevertheless, the day came after weeks of patience. He could've had done it much earlier, though considering the type of man he was, Roy Mustang was constantly putting his team before himself and asked for a subordinate of his to go through the healing process before he did. It was a trait found admirable by others, the right aspect that should be seen in righteous and future leaders. So perhaps that had been why they found him to be so respectable, despite the reputation he had when it came to personal matters; such as in terms of women and dates.
Though little did they know that there was only ever one woman who had his heart all along.
Only ever one woman who had been by his side through all those years.
Only ever one woman who completely and utterly understood him and his misdeeds.
And such woman had been none other than the one whose hand he held then, whose smile he wished to see once more and again, and again. Though he knew that the wish was not far from coming true, not when everyone fell into the abyss of silence as a certain doctor did his supposed 'magic'. There was a whiff of a scent, one that usually followed the performance of alchemy alongside the distinct sound of crackle in the air. He furrowed his brows at the strange feel that fought against the inkling from the day that had one too many moments embedded into his mind.
It was a day to which he almost lost himself, as well as the woman he trusted more than anyone else. Memories of those moments were what played in the dark during times when he had been left to his own sources to rest and think. Though rest and think he did not do, for he only fidgeted more and pondered of the ifs, maybes, what-could-have-beens, and what-should-have-beens. He'd lie himself down onto a bed of regrets, right until he'd hear his name spoken in a tone of softness that would spread warmth across his chest. And then he would smile just as he felt a brush of calloused fingers against his.
Roy did not deserve the woman he loved, but selfish he considered himself as for not wanting to let go whenever he was given the chance to do so.
In fact, if things had not gone the way it did, he doubted he would have been able to let her go into death's arms without a fight of his own.
"Colonel?" It was a single call for his attention, pulling him out of thoughts too deep in case he was to drown in them. There was then gentle squeeze around his hand, and from that act alone, he brought himself back to reality swiftly and turned his head towards the woman's direction. His expression eased, a deep breath inhaled and exhaled after time ticked away several seconds or so. Nobody said a word after that, but as the side of his bed slightly lowered from the weight of another, Roy gradually pulled himself up into a comfortable sitting position and simply… stared with closed eyes.
The aura of anticipation covered the entire room, as he felt all attention placed on him. Someone cleared their throat, another lightly shuffled their feet, but her presence remained next to Roy, just like it always did. He continued to be silent, a tiny sense of fear lurking somewhere in his doubtful notion that alchemy did not work, that he was only going to be disappointed in the end the instant he was to open his eyes. And yet the thought of seeing her was what kept the almighty Flame Alchemist hopeful, so he did not dare to voice such pessimistic ideas out loud; not when she was there.
And so, slowly did he open his eyes, light streaming in as it had not for a long time. His vision took a while to focus, though he could outline the ever-so familiar figure before him, even as he blinked once or twice to clear his sight. Then finally, after many days of holding onto the image of her that his memory served, after many nights of fading dreams that got him almost pleading, he saw her for all that she was.
Blonde hair fell around her shoulders as brown eyes looked straight into his with a mixture of emotions. There had been a bandage around her neck, and upon seeing it, he could not deny the squeeze within the pit of his stomach. But even so, he took in the sight of the woman, just as she searched for a reaction on his features with that exquisite gaze of hers.
Then he felt himself smile; the genuine sort, too, the one she always managed to bring out of him unlike any other of his 'dates'.
"Hey," He began slowly, giving her hand a squeeze of his own, "I missed you."