strange love
˚☽˚.⋆ pairings: edward elric x reader. ˚☽˚.⋆ plot: based on the song 'strange love' by halsey. ˚☽˚.⋆ tags: enemies to lovers, you hated each other's guts at first, angst, a bit of mystery, implied/hints of slight smut, tension, gossip all around you, hints of a secret relationship. edward is 22 in this. ˚☽˚.⋆ summary: you're a doctor at central hospital. everyone seems to gossip and wonder about Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, a legend in Amestris. everyone gushes about how he is, how he must behave behind closed doors. you stand apart from it, not because you were inmune to his brilliance—because you've witnessed it too closely ˚☽˚.⋆tw: implied sexual behaviour, +18. ˚☽˚.⋆ note from the author: i love this man so much. ✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
the world outside the hospital you worked in was a constant blur of monotony: gray skies were basically the norm, a bustling city, with the hum of lives that went by without the weight of knowing. inside the white, microscopically clean walls that embraced you in your everyday life as a doctor in Central City Hospital, the whispers were sharper than the scalpels you held. you were used to them, everybody around you talks: about their lives, their dreams and desires, their envies, their hatred. people simply loved to start a conversation, whether it had a good intention or not. but, you noticed most murmurs tended to revolve around the same topic: none other than Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. like moths drawn to a flame, comments and gossip around the renowned alchemist echoed through the halls of your workplace, saturating every conversation like smoke. stories of him and his brother's journey painted them as legends, Edward standing out like the man who defied the laws of nature itself and alchemy, the one who always emerged unscathed from battles, with scars that told stories that would've broken anybody if placed in his position. they all spoke of him as he were a God in human form: untoachable, walking among mortals with a confidence that made your female peers falter. the prodigy with golden eyes and an iron will, wrapped in mystery and in myths many tried to uncover. but you, deep down, you knew better. something made you stand apart from all the worship. not because of skepticism, envy, or the fact you didn't notice the brilliance the entire city always emphasized— because you've witnessed it too closely. you've seen what no other soul has, the parts of Edward Elric that show whenever your appartment or office door closes. you've felt his touch, seen his exclusively preserved smirk he'd give you whenever the world wasn't watching, and tasted the fire that simmers underneath his carefully composed, bravado surface. you've seen the way his ego shifts whenever you teased him back, splintering into something more raw and jagged. he entered your life like a thunderstorm the first time you met him. being a respected doctor at Central City Hospital made you accustomed to high-stress situations. adrenaline rushes were something your body wasn't vulnerable to anymore, since your quick decision taking, your usual emotional composure and gifted mind helped build a reputation of an excellent skill during emergencies. that was the reason behind why you were in charge of the emergency ward sometimes at night: you were the best in the field. Edward Elric had burst into your service, helping a limping soldier with his bloodied hands. he strolled into the hospital with an air of authority that clashed with your meticulously ordered world. he was harsh, unapologetic, sure of himself, rude. you hated him instantly, the way he ordered around the room without so much of a please made your blood boil. his golden eyes then locked with yours as he asked for the person in charge, a gaze akin with challenge. your actions were quick and precise, assesing the wounds of his companion in a fast pace. you stitched the soldier, ignoring Edward's constant remarks, mentally praying you'd never had to see the state alchemisht ever again. that he also had enough of you that night he'd vanish from your life. he didn't.
instead, he became a cosntant infuriating presence. his assigned missions seemed to align in an almost orchestrated way with your shifts at the hospital. his injuries, or those of the soldiers of his team he took, forced him directly into your orbit. he'd keep the tradition of pushing your buttons and question if you knew what you were doing. he didn't seemed to like your cold responses, or the way his comments were simply background noise to you. his blood seemed to boil whenever you'd mark your line as an authority inside the hospital. his golden eyes always locked with yours fiercely, sharp and unyielding, as if he always dared you to defy him. he felt the same, he wondered if you always stepped in the exact words that made him feel bullets on skin. the tension grew like wildfire, peaking in every word, every glance. yet, there was something that felt so electric anytime you both crashed onto each other, it made you feel alive. you'd sometimes catch his smirk whenever you snapped at him, lingering a bit to long. sometimes he stood too close for your comfort, his hand carefully grazing your waist in such a calculated manner. you knew that him being the prodigy that he was, had no room for errors, you knew he'd have everything so meticulously planned for his hand to just casually brush your shoulder longer than planned without him noticing. in those moments, you'd see it— the man underneath the legend, the human behind the God. and in some moments, he'd start to see it as well— your body was trying to betray you, his mere presence had already ingnited something dangerous in you. it started slowly. glances that fixed on you as you worked, as you did your rounds, seconds longer and longer as he visited the hospital during his missions. comments that pranced around borderline flirtation, before readapting to sarcasm that infuriated you. then, at the sight of your composure, Edward Elric decided to take it up a notch, continuing with a dare. a challenge thrown into you like if you were in battle, in the middle of yet another argument.
one late night, he appeared into your office after a long shift. he knocked on your wooden door as you sat on your desk, reviewing reports. "come in." you replied, expecting to see your chief. Edward Elric entered your office, with a mischevious look that didn't surprise you. what did surprise you, was that his golden orbs showed a darkness you'd never seen. that's when you realized the game of pushing and pulling had changed. "what the hell do you want?" you asked, voice sharp enough to draw blood, after a long, tiring day. he didn't answer inmediately, stepping inside and the door clicking shut behind him. his usual smirk formed across his face. you'd had grown used to that smirk whenever he taunted you as you worked. but this time, it had a different hint to it, as if he was looking for something else than make you mad. "what a warm welcome." he said, if it were the most surprising thing to him, strolling into your work space as if he owned it, taking his time to glance around. "I thought you'd be thrilled to see me." "i'm not." you replied flatly, returning your gaze to your reports. your voice said a thing, but your body said another: your heart was already racing, his presence picking on your nerves in a way you couldn't even describe. his smirk grew wider. "you know, for someone who always works so hards to avoid me, you seem awfully tense when I show up." "you annoy me, that's why." you corrected, signing on the last document, crossing your arms and looking up at him, as he leaned against the edge of your desk. he crossed his arms as well, tilting his head, studying you. you hated the way his golden eyes traveled from your eyes, lingered on your lips, and returned. "i'm not buying it, doc." you rolled your eyes, and stood up to organize the cluttered papers you had worked on previously. "you're delusional." "and you're awfully predictable." he shot back, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusment. "seriously, do you have any other expressions besides being irritated?" "Elric, if you're here to waste my time, you can leave now." you returned, crossing your arms again. "come on," he started, walking around your desk to shorten the distance between the two of you. "admit it. you'd miss me if I stopped showing up to piss you off." "miss you? come on, i'd celebrate." the golden haired man stepped closer to you, and as he advanced you could feel the warmth radiating from his body. "sure you would," he said, his voice taunting, dripping with mock sincerity. "who else would keep you on your toes? who else would drive you crazy?" "I don't need anyone driving me crazy, this work is giving me enough of it already." you snapped, your irritation taking over you. "oh," he chuckled, sending another shiver down your spine. "you definitely need it. you'd get bored without me." this time, you stepped closer, your frustration overriding your better judgment. "try me, Fullmetal. go ahead, leave. see how bored I get." for a single moment, his smirk seemed to falter, replaced by something hungrier. the proximity between the two made you feel his breathing onto your skin, the tension crackling like static electricity, like the electric hue he emitted whenever he did alchemy. his golden eyes never left yours. "what's the matter, doc?" he murmured, his voice low and teasing, leaning even closer. "you look a little flustered. did i hit a nerve?"
your eyebrows furrowed. the steel-like composure you always seemed to mantain felt like betraying you at the sight of that damned smirk. "not even close." you returned, afraid your voice was about to betray you first. "you sure about that?" he asked, his tone laced with challenge, as he always was whenever it came to you. "I am. what about you, Fullmetal? got something to hide? you seemed tense." "nothing." he said, tilting his head to the other side, close enough to barely graze his lips over yours. his smirk now shifting into something almost triumphant. "liar." you remarked, your eyes travelling down to his lips. the words hung in the air for a few moments before someone— probably both of you — closed the distance. your lips met his in a battle of dominance, sharp as the arguments you two always had. his hands were on your waist in an instant, pulling you closer, a mean grip, showcasing his possesive side. he dug his fingertips deeper into your flesh, like you're the only thing anchoring him, pulling you closer. your chest made contact with his, a whimper unvoluntarily leaving your lips as the kiss went deeper. it was all fire and fury, teeth and heat. your egos collisioned, leaving you breathless. he kissed you like when he fought, with everything he had, and you matched him blow for blow. two forces met, too strong to resist each other. when you pulled back with your lips swollen, your heart racing, and his blonde strands of his hair framing your face, you knew there was no going back. your relationship was born in the dark, in secrecy. by day, you were still adversaries: his comments as annoying and sharp as ever, while your disdain mantain a carefully and calculated facade. at night, he was yours. in the quiet of your office or the shadows of his quarters, you unraveled each other. he was different then, cheekier, dominant, possesive. you learned to read him in ways no other soul could: the way his breath hitched when your teeth grazed his neck, the way his fingers found themselves knitted in your hair, the way his teeth bit your bottom lip every now and then to get a response from you. he was a legend to the world, but to you, he was something real— he was yours. the whispers in the hallways didn't stop. each day, they grew louder and louder. talking about his bravery, his determination, his confident look. many of your peers where fueled by the mystery of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. they saw a God where you saw a man who'd memorized every curve of your body. they didn't know the legend smirked against your lips when you teased him, that his voice was rough whenever he murmured your name, like it was the only thing keeping him sane. those whispers would sometimes follow you, but you've learned to let them pass. everybody wants to know what lies behind Edward Elric. everybody yearns for scraps of truth, gossip to fill the empty spaces of their theories. sometimes, you hated the secrecy. you hesitated when holding back your words whenever someone mentioned him in a conversation. you had to bite your tongue whenever one of your female peers gushed about his long blonde hair, his toned arms, his always angry look. but then, he'd find you in the shadows, his hands rough and desperate on your skin— remembering why it was worth it. so you decided to let them. let them worship their idol, anyone could have their stories about the brilliant alchemist, the fearless warrior— the world could have their golden hero, but you'd take in the man who whispered sweet nothings in your ear, who laughed when you gave him an infuriating look or pointed out his arrogance, who's bravado facade quickly gave away to his vulnerable state whenever you embraced him. Edward Elric was a walking contradiction: a man of light and shadow. fire and ice. and you loved him for it. you loved the way he pushed your buttons, the way he challenged you, the way he made you feel alive. the world didn't know the real Edward Elric, but you did.
