To Die, to Sleep
She didn't die that day, but the night tells her otherwise. And—apparently—she's not the only one.
(A/N: Hi, everyone! This is my first Royai fic—I only recently watched FMA/FMA:B and thought I was too late for the fandom. Glad there's still active Royai shippers around. Also, I promise this fic is not as depressing as the title/summary implies)
Riza always held a cynical sense of relief in the thought that if Roy died first, she'd follow soon after. Yet the thought of dying herself—and leaving him behind—was more than she could bear. He had too much on the line—he couldn't die—and yet, it was quite possible he would end up destroying himself.
The look in his eyes as she lay there, dying, was one of a man on the edge of his sanity. It was a look that meant he was willing to throw away anything and everything they had been striving for all these years; eyes full of despair and devoid of hope.
Lieutenant! Lieutenant, stay with me!
PLEASE!
LIEUTENANT!
And then she did die—and as she drew her last breath and her eyes slowly closed, she jerked awake, mind racing as she screamed protests against her fate and reaching for a body that wasn't there.
Colonel. Roy. ROY.
Once the initial panic had worn off, she closed her eyes and sighed, allowing her breathing to return to a regular pace. Roy was fine. He was probably sound asleep at home, catching up on all the hours he had lost over the last few years. They were both alive. There weren't any imminent threat looming on the horizon. Everything was going to be fine.
She jumped when the phone abruptly broke the silence, her heart rate picking up yet again. Breathing a sigh of relief, she let it ring a few more times before she answered, knowing full well who it was.
"Hello, Colonel."
"Lieutenant? What are you still doing up?"
She paused, allowing herself a small smile as she let the stupidity of that question sink in. After all, he was the one calling. "I could ask you the same, sir."
There was silence on the other end. Riza heard his breath catch, and his voice quivered as he spoke. "Just…couldn't sleep."
Her brows furrowed in concern. "Is everything alright, Colonel?"
She heard him breath a sigh of relief, and—was that a sniffle she heard? "It is now, Lieutenant."
Riza said nothing, and they sank into a comfortable silence, listening to the faint sound of each other's breathing. When it was apparent he had calmed down and relaxed, she finally responded. "That's good to hear. I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning then."
"…of course." He chuckled softly.
"Thank you for calling, sir." She smiled into the receiver. "Really."
"Anything for my favorite Lieutenant," he replied somewhat teasingly.
"Whatever you say, Colonel."
He yawned on the other end. "Sweet dreams, Riza."
"Same to you. Goodnight…Roy."
She hung up before he could comment on how she'd called him Roy—ROY—when she typically avoided addressing him as such.
He always has such good timing…
She settled back into bed and closed her eyes.
Sleep came easily.