[Fullmetal Alchemist] Compare and Contrast - (Greed!)Ling/Lan Fan
Title: Compare and Contrast
Author: Kagome
Series: Brotherhood/the manga
Word Count: 997
Rating: PG-13
Characters: (Greed!)Ling/Lan Fan
Summary: He draws her in and makes her want, despite her better judgment.
Warnings: sexual tension. Also, Greed is sexy-creepy.
Notes: I had to fight with this one to keep it within the word limit. >.> The line used within this ficlet is: “When I touch you, the more you shake, the more you give away.” Said line is from “Cold (But I’m Still Here)” by Evans Blue. Written for fma_fic_contest. Won third place for prompt 89: Song lyrics.
She’s been told that she doesn’t have to play bodyguard tonight, but she’s restless and her mind is uneasy, and so she finds herself standing in the cold anyway, on the alert, because this isn’t a game; it’s all she’s ever known.
She hears the sound of footsteps and she tenses. She knows who her late-night visitor is, and it is neither her grandfather nor the Young Master.
His footfalls are heavier and slower than Ling’s. His voice is lower; even his eyes are different from Ling’s, in spite of the fact that they share the same body. His eyes are entirely unlike any she’s ever seen before-the irises small and violet, the dots of the pupils nearly lost within the purple.
She doesn’t turn around when he comes to a stop behind her, well within her personal space. She doesn’t move at all other than to take a slow breath in and out.
“How’re you gonna protect him if you freeze your ass off out here?” he queries, and she cringes inwardly, unnecessarily reminding herself that the Young Master would never speak to her in such a manner.
“I’m fine,” she replies curtly. “It’s true that I’m not accustomed to such cold weather, but I’ve no need for your rude comments, and I certainly don’t welcome feigned concern.”
“Hey, now. No need for that.” Greed sounds somewhat affronted, but she knows better than to let herself be fooled by his act. Ling has already warned her about Greed, and she knows that it will bode well for her to exercise caution around him.
“Can’t a guy just take a walk outside when he wants?” he then asks her, and the question sounds innocent enough, but again, she will not let herself be fooled. She will not let him pull her into whatever twisted game he’s trying to play.
“You knew I was here,” she replies. “A walk outside isn’t what you truly wanted. You’re not a very good liar.”
She can feel his answering grin. “Ah, touché, then. Your prince likes ‘em feisty, doesn’t he? That’s something else we have in common.”
She bites back her angry retort and gazes at the snow as it falls. It’s strange how both of them - the Young Lord and this strange, invading homunculus - can cause a swell of conflicting emotions within her, though for very different reasons.
“You’re blushing,” he tells her, and he’s closer; she can feel the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck. It is both unsettling and yet… some stupid part of her almost welcomes it.
Her blush only intensifies, and she is glad that she isn’t facing him at the moment. “What do you want?” she snaps, wanting to move, wanting to put distance between them, but doing so would show weakness.
He laughs. “I’m Greed, sweetheart. I want everything; you should know that already. Now, here’s a few questions for you: Why do you watch me the way you do? You think I don’t notice? You think he doesn’t notice?”
She whirls around to face him now, both vehement and confused. She gazes angrily up into his face-notes how the angles seem more defined, and how the teeth seem so much sharper.
“I watch everything,” she hisses. And just like that, she’s become a player in his game.
“You react differently to me.” His voice is husky, full of knowing. “Is it because I’m like him, or because I’m not like him? Maybe it’s the differences that draw you to me.” He smiles then, flashing teeth, and lifts a hand to press it to her cheek.
She trembles, and blames it on the cold. “I don’t--”
But he cuts her off. “You want me,” he interrupts, obviously very sure of his statement. “Not quite in the same way you want him; there’s something darker there. I like it.”
He’s far too close, hands pulling her tight against the unnatural warmth and the hardness of his body-he’s all heat and muscle. She tries to push herself away from him, but he doesn’t let her.
“You’re insane,” she whispers, and she also hates the way her body reacts to him without her permission. The trembling is worse now.
The sensation of his lips against her throat is dizzying. “When I touch you, the more you shake, the more you give away.” His hands encircle her wrists-metal and flesh. “He’d be gentle with you, right? I wouldn’t be.” The words are full of dark promise, venom wrapped in velvet, and heaven help her, some part of her wants--
“I want nothing from you,” she says, and wishes she weren’t lying.
His tongue trails a hot, wet line along one of the pulse points in her neck. “You’re not a very good liar.”
“What do you want?” she repeats, refusing to clutch at him even though her knees are somewhat weak (and she hates that, too)-she mustn’t show further weakness, she mustn’t.
“Everything,” he (expectantly) replies, and adds: “You.”
Her breath catches for a moment, and then she recovers: “You can’t always have everything that you want.”
There is a glint of something unfamiliar in his eyes. “I suppose you know that quite well, huh?” And then his gaze softens. “Sometimes you gotta take what you can.”
He’s pulling away from her before his words truly sink in, and she stares at him, shocked and confused and still shaking. “What--?”
“The sleeping prince is waking up,” Greed explains as he walks away from her. “But trust me, sweetheart-this isn’t finished. We can pick up where we left off.” He looks over his shoulder, flashing her another grin and giving her a wink.
She stands there long after he’s gone, feeling the beginnings of anticipation coil low in her belly, and to no-one in particular, she asks: “Why?”
Out here in the wind and the cold and the nothingness, she doesn’t receive an answer of any kind.
---------------
So fall into my eyes and fall into my lies
But don't you forget
The more you turn away, the more I want you to stay
Cold (but I'm still here)
Blind, 'cause I'm so blind (say never)
We're far from comfortable this time
Cold, now we're so cold (mine)
And you're not mine (say never)
We're far from obvious this time
Author: Kagome
Series: Brotherhood/the manga
Word Count: 997
Rating: PG-13
Characters: (Greed!)Ling/Lan Fan
Summary: He draws her in and makes her want, despite her better judgment.
Warnings: sexual tension. Also, Greed is sexy-creepy.
Notes: I had to fight with this one to keep it within the word limit. >.> The line used within this ficlet is: “When I touch you, the more you shake, the more you give away.” Said line is from “Cold (But I’m Still Here)” by Evans Blue. Written for fma_fic_contest. Won third place for prompt 89: Song lyrics.
She’s been told that she doesn’t have to play bodyguard tonight, but she’s restless and her mind is uneasy, and so she finds herself standing in the cold anyway, on the alert, because this isn’t a game; it’s all she’s ever known.
She hears the sound of footsteps and she tenses. She knows who her late-night visitor is, and it is neither her grandfather nor the Young Master.
His footfalls are heavier and slower than Ling’s. His voice is lower; even his eyes are different from Ling’s, in spite of the fact that they share the same body. His eyes are entirely unlike any she’s ever seen before-the irises small and violet, the dots of the pupils nearly lost within the purple.
She doesn’t turn around when he comes to a stop behind her, well within her personal space. She doesn’t move at all other than to take a slow breath in and out.
“How’re you gonna protect him if you freeze your ass off out here?” he queries, and she cringes inwardly, unnecessarily reminding herself that the Young Master would never speak to her in such a manner.
“I’m fine,” she replies curtly. “It’s true that I’m not accustomed to such cold weather, but I’ve no need for your rude comments, and I certainly don’t welcome feigned concern.”
“Hey, now. No need for that.” Greed sounds somewhat affronted, but she knows better than to let herself be fooled by his act. Ling has already warned her about Greed, and she knows that it will bode well for her to exercise caution around him.
“Can’t a guy just take a walk outside when he wants?” he then asks her, and the question sounds innocent enough, but again, she will not let herself be fooled. She will not let him pull her into whatever twisted game he’s trying to play.
“You knew I was here,” she replies. “A walk outside isn’t what you truly wanted. You’re not a very good liar.”
She can feel his answering grin. “Ah, touché, then. Your prince likes ‘em feisty, doesn’t he? That’s something else we have in common.”
She bites back her angry retort and gazes at the snow as it falls. It’s strange how both of them - the Young Lord and this strange, invading homunculus - can cause a swell of conflicting emotions within her, though for very different reasons.
“You’re blushing,” he tells her, and he’s closer; she can feel the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck. It is both unsettling and yet… some stupid part of her almost welcomes it.
Her blush only intensifies, and she is glad that she isn’t facing him at the moment. “What do you want?” she snaps, wanting to move, wanting to put distance between them, but doing so would show weakness.
He laughs. “I’m Greed, sweetheart. I want everything; you should know that already. Now, here’s a few questions for you: Why do you watch me the way you do? You think I don’t notice? You think he doesn’t notice?”
She whirls around to face him now, both vehement and confused. She gazes angrily up into his face-notes how the angles seem more defined, and how the teeth seem so much sharper.
“I watch everything,” she hisses. And just like that, she’s become a player in his game.
“You react differently to me.” His voice is husky, full of knowing. “Is it because I’m like him, or because I’m not like him? Maybe it’s the differences that draw you to me.” He smiles then, flashing teeth, and lifts a hand to press it to her cheek.
She trembles, and blames it on the cold. “I don’t--”
But he cuts her off. “You want me,” he interrupts, obviously very sure of his statement. “Not quite in the same way you want him; there’s something darker there. I like it.”
He’s far too close, hands pulling her tight against the unnatural warmth and the hardness of his body-he’s all heat and muscle. She tries to push herself away from him, but he doesn’t let her.
“You’re insane,” she whispers, and she also hates the way her body reacts to him without her permission. The trembling is worse now.
The sensation of his lips against her throat is dizzying. “When I touch you, the more you shake, the more you give away.” His hands encircle her wrists-metal and flesh. “He’d be gentle with you, right? I wouldn’t be.” The words are full of dark promise, venom wrapped in velvet, and heaven help her, some part of her wants--
“I want nothing from you,” she says, and wishes she weren’t lying.
His tongue trails a hot, wet line along one of the pulse points in her neck. “You’re not a very good liar.”
“What do you want?” she repeats, refusing to clutch at him even though her knees are somewhat weak (and she hates that, too)-she mustn’t show further weakness, she mustn’t.
“Everything,” he (expectantly) replies, and adds: “You.”
Her breath catches for a moment, and then she recovers: “You can’t always have everything that you want.”
There is a glint of something unfamiliar in his eyes. “I suppose you know that quite well, huh?” And then his gaze softens. “Sometimes you gotta take what you can.”
He’s pulling away from her before his words truly sink in, and she stares at him, shocked and confused and still shaking. “What--?”
“The sleeping prince is waking up,” Greed explains as he walks away from her. “But trust me, sweetheart-this isn’t finished. We can pick up where we left off.” He looks over his shoulder, flashing her another grin and giving her a wink.
She stands there long after he’s gone, feeling the beginnings of anticipation coil low in her belly, and to no-one in particular, she asks: “Why?”
Out here in the wind and the cold and the nothingness, she doesn’t receive an answer of any kind.
---------------
So fall into my eyes and fall into my lies
But don't you forget
The more you turn away, the more I want you to stay
Cold (but I'm still here)
Blind, 'cause I'm so blind (say never)
We're far from comfortable this time
Cold, now we're so cold (mine)
And you're not mine (say never)
We're far from obvious this time