To Protect
Author's Notes: Royai, if you squint. There are no spoilers here, not really. Very, very light, but only if you know the sitatuation. If you don't know the situation, the slight tiny spoiler won't mean anything to you.
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She was standing quietly in the hallway of the infirmary, staring silently at her folded hands. After finishing the day's assigned work as well as a good portion of the next days, she slid out of her office and headed here. It was already growing dark, she could tell by the thinning slats of sunlight reflected on the worn tiled ground of the military infirmary, but she couldn't be bothered to care.
Standing outside the doorway, she contemplated knocking when she felt breath, warm against her ear, the form of another hunching slightly over hers.
"What are you doing, Lieutenant?"
Startled, she turned. Amber eyes met obsidian, and she saluted wearily, "I came to check on the Elric brothers, sir."
He smiled at her, waving a hand to put her at ease. "I came to see how they were doing as well."
She nodded slowly. "I don't want to wake them if they're asleep."
"I highly doubt Fullmetal will wake up, and Alphonse is in no condition to respond. Last I checked, he was still quite upset about whatever it was the kidnappers had said to him, and hasn't been speaking."
Hawkeye sighed quietly, closing her eyes for a moment. "That's a shame," she whispered, resting her palm on the doorknob and turning it slowly, carefully. There was a quiet creak, and she froze, peering into the dark room before continuing to open the door. It appeared that Edward was asleep, as expected, and Alphonse made no response to the noise.
Mustang followed her footsteps, surprised at the quiet motherly grace she carried as she slid silently into the small room. Her heavy boots moved soundlessly across the floor, not the slightest hint of a footstep as she walked, and she stopped at Edward's bed first. Shaking her head in either disapproval or concern, she wrapped her fingers around the military-issue blanket and gingerly pulled it up to the boy's shoulders. Satisfied with the position of the blanket, she surveyed his form. Charcoal black eyes widened and softened as he watched her bend down, smoothing the hair out of the child's face. And that was what he was, Mustang realized.
No matter what situations he got himself into, Edward Elric was still a child, as much a child as his younger brother, Alphonse.
With her silent checkup on Edward completed, she crossed to Alphonse. The steel frame of the younger brother made no movement, and she smiled at him. The slight glow of the eyes revealed that he was certainly there, and though she couldn't watch the flitting of pupils to locate his gaze, she was fairly certain that Alphonse had been watching. Though tempted to speak, she wordlessly took a spare blanket, and draped it over the younger brother's armor. It was a foolish habit, but it was a habit nonetheless and she felt that Alphonse deserved the same quiet reverence.
Smiling at the two, she returned to an upright position, shaking her head. "They get themselves into quite a bit of trouble."
It was the first time she had directly addressed him in ten minutes; she had been so dedicated to settling the two in for the night. He took a moment to process her comment, and nodded. "They do."
She paused, returning to the door, sighing as she stepped out into the dimly lit hallway and holding the door open for him. After closing the door behind her, she slid her hands into her pockets, silence passing between them.
"Someone needs to look out for them, sir. They're still children," she said softly. Amber eyes softened as she looked at the closed mahogany door. "I would have never thought that I would find two more souls I felt a need to protect."
