Author's Notes: I write about Hughes a fairly decent amount, but not nearly as much as I should. And while I spend a lot of time writing about Roy and Hughes' friendship, I think this one is pretty important too, even if it's more behind the scenes. It's about damn time I wrote about Hughes and Riza!

Disclaimer: None of this is mine except for the writing.

Confidentiality

Honestly, Riza couldn't tell if she woke up in pain or if the pain woke her up. All she knew was that one second she'd been blissfully unaware in the black hole that was sleep and the next second she felt as if she was coming apart at the seams, starting with her back. It took an incredible amount of strength to not reach back and claw at what little she could reach, but she knew that no amount of digging or pressure would relieve her of the pain. All it would do was mess up her bandages and possibly make her feel even worse.

Unbidden and entirely unwanted, tears sprang to her eyes. She didn't deserve to cry over this pain, not after what she'd done and especially because she had asked to be in this position, but it hurt so damn much. Perhaps she hadn't entirely known what she was signing up for when she'd made the decision. She'd known that it would hurt beyond belief, but now that she was here, beyond belief was beginning to also feel like unending.

Through her teary eyes, she managed to catch sight of the calendar and had to bite her lip to keep herself from crying out. Two days. It had only been two days. Judging from the pain and the fits of on and off sleep, it had felt like it had been two weeks. How long would she feel like this? How long before she could even breathe without wincing in pain and then wanting to cry from wincing? The pain medicine and the burn ointment could only do so much, especially since they had to limit themselves on what they could do for her.

After all, the whole point of Roy burning her back was so that she wouldn't be able to heal completely, at least not on the outside. Most of the time, people did everything they could to ensure scars wouldn't be visible, but Riza wanted to embrace them. She wanted her skin to be as ruined as she felt in her soul.

The door to her bedroom creaked open behind her. Riza clamped her mouth shut. She must've made a few noises while she was coming to again.

"Oh, you're awake," a familiar male voice said. "Shit, it's later than I thought. You need your bandages changed."

Riza couldn't help herself. She startled at the voice. It wasn't who she was expecting. It wasn't Roy. She made to turn herself around or sit up on her own, even though it was incredibly painful, and only managed to get halfway before she started to shake and whimper. Firm but gentle hands were on her almost immediately, taking care to not bump into her back. They were a little calloused, similar to the way hers were; they weren't soft, not like Roy's, whose hands were normally gloved and always so clean.

But the voice was familiar. She knew him. Her body visibly relaxed when the speaker moved so that he was kneeling in front of her. Maes Hughes wore a light, friendly smile, the light from outside the living room gleaming off his glasses. Sometimes that gave him a menacing appearance. With his messy hair that was likely from having fallen asleep on the couch and skewed glasses, he looked more like a clumsy dork.

"Captain?" Riza's voice was muggy and dry, most likely due to having been asleep for so long and the fever that she was still battling.

Hughes shook his head. "Please, call me 'Maes' or even 'Hughes'. Titles aren't necessary here." The question hadn't even gotten to the tip of her tongue before he continued, "Roy was called to Headquarters and he couldn't postpone or delay. I think he's being promoted."

Riza nodded her head numbly. Roy was being promoted, most likely for his efforts during the Ishval War. A part of her felt the urge to sick up, but a larger part of her didn't know how she felt. After leaving Ishval, it felt as if a mess of emotions had made their home in her brain. She would laugh when she felt like crying and then feel a burst of anger when she was doing nothing. Still, if one didn't look at his actions as atrocities, Roy deserved the promotion. He was a good soldier and a great alchemist.

Her back seemed to sear even further in response at that thought. She squirmed and let out a haggard breath as she tried to ignore the pain.

It didn't escape Hughes' quick eyes. "C'mon. It's some for another round of pain meds and some fresh bandages. I've got a bit more skill in this than Roy, at least."

When Hughes moved to start undoing her bandages, Riza snatched his wrist, faster than either of them anticipated. Riza wouldn't have been able to move so fast if not for the fear that leaped into her heart so suddenly. "What did he tell you?"

"Very little, enough so that I wouldn't think that he'd had some sort of PTSD mishap, you were the victim, and he needed me to help clean the mess up." Hughes' candidness took her aback, but his voice was never harsh. It remained calm as ever, even though he still looked a little surprised.

From the way he said it though, Riza knew that this wasn't the first time he'd received a random late night call from Roy after being shipped home. She remembered the way Roy's hands shook almost imperceptibly before he settled himself and burned her back. And then she remembered the tears streaming down Roy's face and how he'd stumbled and fallen against the door afterwards. He wasn't as settled and collected as he liked to pretend.

"He told me that you asked for his assistance and he needed my help with your recovery while he was at Headquarters. He was afraid – and I've learned to never question him when he's like that." Using only the light from the living room, Hughes began to undo her bandage. He helped her move so that she was sitting on the edge of her the bed, her feet on the ground, and he was next to her, facing her back. It left her feeling more exposed than if she was facing her naked front. "And he told me not to ask any prying questions. I was insulted, of course. As if I can't understand a desire for privacy."

Riza breathed in relief, even if she did still feel in terrible pain. "Thank you."

"That's what friends are for, right?" Hughes replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

Despite everything, a small smile crossed Riza's face. As Hughes cleaned her wound with a sponge dipped in cold water and burn ointment and then began to redress her with a new bandage, he prattled on about is fiancee. Riza had never met the woman, but she was beginning to hope that one day she would. Gracia sounded like a beautiful and amazing woman, if only because of the way she seemed to bring out the light in Hughes just from talking about her. His constant talking also served as a source of distraction. She latched onto his voice and tried to picture everything he said.

True to his word, Hughes never once asked about the large tattoo covering her back that was obviously alchemy notes even though he undoubtedly recognized a few of the symbols as being the same ones on Roy's ignition gloves. Behind his silliness and romantic nature, Hughes was as intelligent as they came. He would be able to connect the dots, even if he didn't know where the dots came from or why. Roy had never told Hughes about how they met before the war, only that they knew each other from their childhood.

After helping her put on one of Roy's t-shirts, Hughes handed her a few pain pills and a glass of water. "Would you like a book or anything to read? I could turn on the radio. Just so you have something to do before the medicine kicks in and you fall back asleep."

"A book would be nice," Riza admitted in a quiet voice.

Hughes nodded his head and shuffled out of the room. A few minutes later, he came back with a book, scratching the back of his head. "Of course the bastard has an assortment of books and of course they're nearly all on alchemy. What a nerd."

Riza chuckled as she took the book from him. "He always has been."

A look came over Hughes' face, one that said he wanted to ask her what she meant or at least one question, but it left his face as quickly as it came. He turned on the bedside lamp for her and then walked back to the door. "Call out if you need anything or if you're hungry. I've got some paperwork I need to finish. This transfer to Central is proving to be aggravating already."

"Maes," Riza began just as he was starting to shut the door. Hughes paused and turned to look back at her. She fumbled for a moment, turning the book in her hands. "Thank you again. I didn't want anyone else involved in this, mostly because I was afraid, but I… I'm glad you're here, not only to help me, but also because you're helping Roy. I asked him to shoulder a lot, and I'm glad he's not doing it alone. You're a true friend."

Hughes smiled. "That medicine must be kicking in already. I've never heard you be so open and talkative." Despite his words, his tone wasn't dismissive. She could tell that he appreciated what she said to him, just as much as she appreciated what hadn't been said. Nodding his head to her, he shut the door and left her to herself again.

She'd been adamant that no one else know about the tattoo on her back and what Roy was doing, but she was grateful that Roy had been smart enough about who to bring in when he couldn't uphold that part of the bargain. Maes Hughes was a good man. Riza could count on him, just as Roy could, and vice versa.