Summary: Because being the good guy wasn't always easy, but he would be for her. He would spend all his fortune if it meant seeing her smile, he would give away anything and everything he had if it meant making her laugh at him the way she did, he would even give up his most precious treasure if it meant she was happy: her.
Pairings: Royai, EdWin, Grena (Greed X Lena), LingFan, Buccaneer & Olivier, Kimblee & OC.
Genre: SAD, heartbreak, one sided love ahead!
NOTE: Originally, the ending to Kimblee's part ways supposed to end that he would lose her to the world (expressing her need for travel and exploring the whole world). Maybe I will write it as a bonus scene and edit it later into the story!
Being the good guy
Roy & Riza
He pretended he was looking over important files as his personal assistant strolled up to him and saluted, "Sir, I'll be heading out on my break, do you need anything before I go?"
Roy paused in signing a paper he didn't even know the contents from, to raise his dark eyes up to meet the professional stance of Riza Hawkeye.
Keeping his gaze and tone professional, his answer was simple, "That would be all Lieutenant," his eyes traveled over to Havoc who was standing behind her.
Havoc noticed his friend's stare and grinned at him, playfully saluting him.
Ignoring the playful gesture, Roy sent his two subordinates off on their break.
Together.
He wasn't sure when their relationship had started, but since he had begun noticing the signs, he was beginning to understand.
Havoc told him that Riza and him used to be classmates a while ago, but that didn't quite explain their increased free time together as well as the Lieutenant and him training together or training the trainees at shooting practice.
The biggest clue had been the time where Havoc had stopped seeing other women. When Roy had once wanted to give him a false number, claimed by him to come from a very attractive woman, Havoc had surprisingly enough declined. In reality, it had been a setup, Roy had wanted to find out if his suspicions had been true.
Unfortunately, they had been.
He had talked to Hughes about it. The married man had expressed his best wishes for the secret couple, but had thoughtfully suggested they head over for a drink or two at the bar, knowing of his best friend's secret affections for the Lieutenant.
Roy hadn't said much concerning his feelings or thoughts about the new relationship within his unit, he had only stated that his suspicions had been proven to be true after all. There was nothing he could do, nor did he want to. Did he really want to risk his friendship with the both of them simply for his own selfish desires? His dark thoughts had surprised him, how despite Havoc being a good friend, he had wanted to take Riza away from him, even if that wasn't possible.
And suddenly, as he stared blankly at the now empty glass in his hand, with the image of Havoc's hand on Riza's back as they left the office together, he remembered his own words he had uttered to Hughes during their time in the Ishval War.
Can you really hold the woman you love with your blood stained hands?
Because he couldn't and never would.
Edward & Winry
He had helped her with picking an outfit to wear. Of course he had. He was her friend, that's what friends did for each-other.
It had already been the fourth date and it had been eating Ed alive from the inside.
Every time Winry left through the door with a 'I'll be home by eleven granny, Ed!' a piece of Edward had went with her and every time he heard her enter the house quietly and tip toe her way to her room, he felt his heart break a little every time.
Of course, Alphonse had noticed, of course. Nothing could get passed his perceptive brother.
He would always ask, 'Are you sure you're alright with this?' or tell him 'You can always tell me brother. I'm sure if you tell Winry how you really feel she wouldn't go out anymore with him!'
But that wasn't what Ed wanted.
He wasn't stupid. He heard the joy in her laughter whenever the bastard told a lame joke or made humorous comments about anything related to automail. He saw her bright smile whenever the punk brought her flowers at her doorstep, wearing a goofy smile on his face and always with a treat or two in his pocket for Den when he came to visit and flowers for granny or even a bottle of alcohol here and there.
He would always get something for him and Al too, but he wasn't interested in that.
He supposed the guy was good enough. Smart, kind, a real sweetheart and wasn't so bad on the eye. He knew a thing or two about automail and mechanics, something Ed did not and connected with Winry in a way Ed thought he had.
Johnny was his name. He was a guy that lived a few houses down, as far as Ed knew, he had a small farm and a budding automail shop, selling off spare parts and even automail limbs, thanks to Winry. They were business partners, friends, lovers...
He was a decent man, he was a hard worker, honest to a fault and as loyal as Den. And he cherished Winry and her skills and abilities above all else. There really wasn't anything for Ed to dislike about him.
And yet, he did.
He disliked the idiot for knowing about automail where Ed was a hopeless case, he disliked him for managing to never fight or bicker with Winry, he disliked him for calming her down after Edward and her had one of their fights, he disliked him for even gaining Al's favor, he disliked him for so many more things but the most important of all was...
"I dislike him for stealing you away..." his whisper was only heard by the rushing wind and the green grass as the bells of the church reached his ears and a lone tear hit the ground where previously rose petals had been thrown in the path of the bride and groom.
Greed & Lena
He had to admit, he had never been a good guy. Hell, he could count on one hand how many good deeds he did in his life and still have fingers to spare.
But this time, he would do a good deed, one he was desperate not to regret.
He had had many women, in his past life at least. He had enjoyed the presence of women as they swarmed around him, like moths to a flame, and he reveled in the jealous looks he received from the cocky males.
He reveled in power, possession. That was his game.
And then, he had fought her.
She had saved him once from an angry mob and since then, he had tried to figure her out, figure out her motives for saving him, or for not blowing a hole through his head with that spear of hers.
He thought they had grown close in the years they came to know each-other. They had attended the Fullmetal brats wedding, attended the ceremony when the fraternization laws were finally annulled and Mustang and Hawkeye had a chance at love. They even helped plan out the Xingese brats and Al's wedding.
It resulted in disaster, since suddenly dancers in revealing clothes had come, both male and female, and the guests were horrified. Greed still didn't know who was to blame for that, he had a hunch it was Lena after all, but he had been a bit drunk during that time.
And then, she one day met up with him in town. Accompanied by another man.
At first, Greed hadn't thought much of it, but the more time she spent with the bloke, the harder it was to hold in the random outbursts of anger he wanted to unleash like poison over the guy that showered her with affection.
It was sickening to watch. But she seemed content. Happy.
And that was the thing that broke his heart.
He had always thought falling in love was a thing for humans, not Homunculi. But Ling had been right. Maybe Greed had grown soft, maybe he had started to develop feelings for the crazy, stubborn woman.
And when he stood in front of her doorstep one day, feeling like a total sissy, holding pathetic flowers in his hands and having to endure the stupid whispers of old hags around him muttering shit like 'Oh, I saw this young lad here before! Looks like he's popping the question!' or 'Mhm, flowers. Back in my day, you weren't a real man if you didn't visit your girl with flowers in your hands I tell ya'
Before he could knock, he heard laughter coming from inside and he sneaked close to the window to investigate.
It was Lena. With him.
He didn't care learning the bastard's name, he didn't use it or care about it. But the look on her face...how happy she was. He realized then and there, it was happier than a monster like him could ever make her feel.
Dropping the flowers under the window, Greed turned on his heel and left.
The Homunculus with a Philosopher's Stone felt like it had just shattered into a thousand pieces.
Added Scene:
It had been in the afternoon when she opened the window to let in fresh air and she noticed a few flower petals near it. When she leaned down further, she saw a medium sized bouquet of flowers lying in a heap on the ground right beneath her window.
Going outside, Lena crouched down to pick the abandoned flowers, smiling at their scent and beauty before looking around for a clue as to who could have left them here.
She didn't see anyone who could come in question so she went back inside, placing them in a vase filled with water to not let them wither away.
She stared at them for a single moment and rubbed at her eyes, feeling moisture gathering in them. She thought she may know who left them, but she shook her head. It was too late now. She couldn't have waited forever. She just hoped...it hadn't been a mistake.
Ling & Lan Fan
She was to be married off to another prince, somewhere from Southern Xing as far as he knew. Usually, members of the royal guard chose not to marry due to the dangerous nature of their job, but it seemed like Lan Fan had agreed to it. For what reason, Ling didn't want to know.
But he could see she was happy. The man made her smile, a wealthy prince from the Mao family. Ling had heard of him, but when he actually met him in order to discuss of a possible wedding between his personal guard and the prince, Ling had to admit, he wasn't the bad guy he thought he would be.
He had a good home, came from a wealthy family, but he wasn't arrogant or spoiled. He seemed nice enough. But still, Ling sent his own spies to monitor him during the day and report to him in the evening, in the rare absences of Lan Fan.
Nothing was suspicious and he seemed honorable enough, but...he didn't know if he was good enough for her. For Lan Fan.
He had given his blessings, had given his consent and much to Ling's secret heartbreak, Lan Fan did as well eventually.
He didn't know if it was due to his own incompetence and failure at expressing his feelings towards her more clearly and sooner or her own changed feelings.
However, the day when he had the honor of seeing her in white, of seeing the beauty that her under armor and mask...he knew he was a fool.
And when he let her hand go, so tightly clutched into his, to be given off to the man that wasn't him, standing next to her at the altar, he knew...
He was a fool.
Buccaneer & Olivier
For him, realizing his feelings but never acting on them was hell.
But working under the woman you loved and seeing her every day was even worse.
She was a unstoppable force in the wake of the enemy, unrelenting in her commands and merciless in defeating her foes.
He knew, for her, there was only the battlefield, her country and her men. No love fitted in that equation.
There were many cute girls, but none quite like her. She radiated a subtle beauty encased in ice, under her ice cold exterior dubbed as 'The Ice Queen', she displayed a side she rarely even showed to her family, but he had caught glimpses of it.
To her men, who fell in battle and have sacrificed their lives for her safety.
To her younger brother, where she would curse him and ask for his wellbeing in the same sentence.
To him, once, when he had nearly died of frostbite from not switching his automail to endure the cold climate better. One brief glimpse. But it had been there.
Concern.
Worry for someone like him, beneath her status, beneath her rank, beneath the beauty and strength she symbolized and displayed.
For him, she was like a mountain of ice.
An unmovable force and when attempted to climb upon it, you either only slide down it's cold smooth surface or die of the numbing chill trying to reach its peak.
She never let people close, that much he learned. So he stayed close to her in the only way she would allow.
As her fighting comrade.
But in his final moments in life, she remained a mystery to him.
He hadn't lost her to another man, no. He had lost her to her fierce beliefs and the war and her men.
However, taking in his dying breath, he was sure he never even had her in the first place.
For mighty creatures such as her deserved the bittersweet freedom they desired.
Kimblee & OC (unnamed)
Explosions were what made his blood sing.
Explosions were what made him delirious with joy and bloodthirsty with the screams of his opponents echoing in his ears like a lullaby.
But she...
She wasn't an alchemist like him, but her personality were like the explosions themselves. And to his surprise, she didn't mind his sadistic streak nor his love for his explosions.
To a certain degree she even shared his interests.
She was many things he wasn't.
Genuinely caring, where his kindness was played with a fake smile and a charming tilt to his smooth voice. Sweet, where his honey coated words served to follow an alternate agenda. Helpful, where his assistance came with a price. Fierce, where she matched his own viciousness with her own. Brave, where she didn't flinch when one of his explosions had accidentally come close to her. Seductive, where his usual interest of explosions had suddenly shifted to the inviting red of her swollen lips when he took her breath away with a fierce clash of his own lips against hers. Shyness, where her rare moments of shyness clashed with his bursting pride.
And...
Her laughter. Rich in quality, smooth in sound and angelic to his ears.
He often compared it to his explosions. The sound of her laughter and his explosions was nearly the same, making his blood boil, but in a different way, making him hungry, not for killing, but to hear more of her voice.
She complimented his psychotic persona and yet soothed the bloody beast that dwelled within an invisible cage, roaring to be freed.
It was with a heavy heart he watched her board the train.
It was with sadness in his eyes he watched her wave at him a final time.
It was with desperation, he rushed to the end of the train to grasp her hand in his when she extended it with tears in her eyes and a warm smile on her face.
It was with heartbreak, he watched the tears slide down her smooth cheeks as she held his gaze for as long as she could.
It was with love he let her go.
It was with unadulterated horror, he watched as the train she had just disappeared into blew up in one of the biggest explosions he had ever seen before.
And it was with a feeling of guilt that would haunt him for the rest of his life, that he unclasped his hands as they fell limply to their sides and watched the roaring fire burn.
Hope it was half decent this time! :) Reviews are always appreciated!