AN: So hi everyone! My name is Madetine. I was always a fan of the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime, way back when it first came out in America and I was president of my high school anime club, and over the years I've thought a lot about Royai. I saw that Brotherhood was on Netflix recently and I binge watched it and holy shit, I loved it. I've read a lot of wonderful fics recently from some really talented authors and I wanted to humbly offer this story. It's been over 10 years since I've written any fanfic (if you want to read anything else that I've written, it's all under my old profile, Lady Celestia17. There's no FMA and nothing was particularly great though) so I hope that this turns out okay. I have a pretty complex idea for this story and I hope that I can pull it off. It is going to be multi-chaptered. This takes place about a year after the end of the series. This is un-beta'd and I'm sorry if the formatting sucks. I really hope that you all like it!
EDIT: I've made some alterations to this chapter to flesh it out a bit more. Hopefully it's better!
The morning started like every other. Roy's alarm went off at 6:30 like it always did. He showered, shaved and dressed like he always did. He ate the same breakfast that he had every morning; orange juice and toast. And at 7:30 he left his house, locked the door and walked to his car.
It was a Monday in July. The sun was bright already and he knew that he would have to adjust the blinds in the office so that it wasn't too sunny. He sat with his back to the windows and by midday he could feel beads of sweat on his neck, and see Riza squinting at the paperwork in front of her. Maybe he could have a fan put in to help cool the room. It was a lot bigger than his old office, but maybe it felt that way because it was so empty. While Fuery, Falman, Havoc, and Breda all still worked in the East City Headquarters, they were no longer in positions under his direct employ, so it was just him and Riza. It was quieter too and he missed the constant bantering and bickering that often carried on in his old office. Not that Riza wasn't good company... in fact, he enjoyed her company too much. That was part of the problem.
Maybe he'd ask her if she wanted a fan tucked into the corner. Or maybe not. He liked to tease her when he noticed her fidgeting with the many layers of her uniform and see the blush rise in her cheeks before she tartly rebutted him. That was part of the problem too.
That's what he was thinking about, the blinds and the office and the air conditioning, when he turned the key into the lock of his car door. And that's when the bomb went off.
"General? General, can you hear me?"
The ringing in his ears was too intense and he tried to put his hands to his ears to stop the noise, but found that he couldn't. There was something attached to his arm. With a groan and his eyes still shut, he groped blindly to the sting of pain near his elbow to remove the offending thing, and immediately a stinging pain flashed through his arm.
"No, General, stop."
He knew that voice. It soothed his motions for a moment and he shook his head, trying to dissipate the fog that was aching inside. He tried to sit up and regretted it immediately because the pain increased tenfold. He gripped his forehead, groaning.
"Lay down."
The voice was more commanding this time and he felt a gentle pressure on his left arm and chest, easing him back into a prone position. He didn't want to; the bed that he was laying in was hard and rigid.
He tried opening his eyes and through the bleariness he could make out a fair face with large brown eyes staring straight into his.
"Captain," he made out, his own voice grating in his throat. "What happened?"
Rubbing at his face and eyes with his free hand, his vision finally cleared and he noticed the strong sterile smell that indicated that he was in a hospital. He hated hospitals. It reminded him of being surrounded in lonely darkness for long days, and sleepless nights staring into nothing.
Riza leaned forward and he could see the worry in her eyes. "There was a bomb in your car, sir. It went off when you opened the door." She paused before continuing in a soft voice, heavy with concern. "Can you see?"
It was as if she had read his mind. "Yes," he murmured in affirmation, "but my head is killing me."
He could feel her relax a little bit by his side and he realized that his arm was hooked up to an IV filled with clear liquid. "What are the damages?" He still had all of his limbs, he could tell as he flexed the muscles of his hands and bare feet, but he was bound tightly by bandages around his arms and legs.
"Very minimal, sir. The surgeons had to pick a lot of glass out of you but you escaped all of the metal shrapnel." There was another pause, and he looked over at her again. Her eyes were downcast, staring at where her hand was placed on his bandaged forearm. "You were very lucky."
Roy kept his eyes on her but didn't say anything for a minute, just laid his hand over his on his chest. Her eyes raised to meet his and held his gaze, and he felt the familiar tug in his chest that he had experienced so many times over so many years.
They both jumped when a doctor entered the room, clutching a chart. Riza withdrew from him immediately and he felt an ache at the loss of her closeness. He choked it down, like he always did.
"How are you feeling General Mustang?" The doctor asked in a jovial tone, looking over the documents in his hands. If he had seen an intimate moment between a captain of the Amestrian State Military and her direct superior.
"Like I've been hit by a truck," Roy groaned, trying to sit up again. This time Riza didn't stop him and he realized that his chest was bandaged too.
The doctor chuckled and closed the chart. "Well in a way you were. Your wounds were superficial, though, and you should be healed soon."
Roy sat up fully, hands gripping the stark sheets. "So am I free to go?"
The doctor nodded. "As soon as you feel comfortable."
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Roy stood up slowly. Riza immediately leap to her feet and put his arm on her shoulder, letting him lean on her.
"I'll get a nurse to take out your saline IV," the doctor told them, before leaving.
"Are you sure you feeling up to it, sir?" The captain asked, gripping his shoulder.
Her concern ate at him. He didn't want her to worry about him. "I'm fine," he answered softly. "I can stand on my own, I think."
The nurse came in and unhooked his IV, slipping the needle out of his arm. He shuddered at the sensation and Riza was at his side again. Once the nurse left, he turned to her. He realized that he was only wearing rough cotton pants. "Can you bring me my clothes?"
She nodded curtly and he watched her walk around the room to gather a bundle. "I brought you a new set from your house. What you were wearing was pretty torn up."
He knew that she had a key to his house so it didn't surprise him. "Thank you."
She turned her back to him as he dressed. She had brought him civilian clothes and he looked out the windows, realizing that the sun was low in the sky. It felt like just a few minutes ago that it was time to go to work. "How long have I been here?"
"About 9 hours, sir. We got the call at headquarters after the ambulance took you here."
He put his hand on her shoulder to let her know that he was finished dressing and, honestly, to steady himself. She looked back up at him. "Are you ready to go home?"
He nodded and she took his arm, sensing that he needed her help to stand. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, sir." She opened the door to exit the room and suddenly her voice had taken a different, more professional tone. Walking slowly, they exited the hospital. His eyes were keen enough now to realize that everyone seemed to be looking at them, and like always he worried that it was the closeness of his subordinate that made people stare at them. He knew that Riza realized it too, and her back straightened. "Headquarters is going to supply a car for you until you get a new one."
Roy groaned with realization. "I liked that car."
"The car is replaceable, sir," she answered in a clipped tone.
He knew what she was saying. The car was replaceable. He was not.
They didn't say anything else as she helped him into the passenger seat and slid into the driver's side, or along the ride that took them back to his home. His driveway had been cleaned up already and she was able to drive up to his house and park neatly, although he heard the crunch of glass under the tires and their feet once they left the car. She got out first and helped him out of his seat and up to the front door.
When they reached the door they turned to each other. She was the first to speak.
"Do you need anything else, sir?"
They were so close, he realized. It would be so easy to-
His hand clenched around his keys as he remembered the stares of the people in the hospital.
"No, thank you, Captain."
She nodded. Her eyes would have been hard to read to anyone else. "You should rest, sir. I can bring your work to you tomorrow."
"Don't bother, Captain. I'll be in tomorrow morning." He turned away from her to unlock the front door and open it.
"Okay." She watched him with critical eyes and he knew that she was assessing his condition. "Goodnight then, General."
Roy didn't look back at her. He knew that if he would, he might do something that they both would regret. "Good night, Captain."
And he closed the door. He didn't see her return to the borrowed car and unholster her gun to set it in her lap. The sun set on her alone in the car, watching the house.
AN: Please tell me what you think! I appreciate any feedback, even critical. I know that I'm not very good at being descriptive and it's something that I'm trying to work on. Thank you so much for reading! I hope to post every Sunday.