Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.
"Lieutenant!"
Edward Elric's cry made the Flame Alchemist spin around, just in time to see his 'right-hand man' fall to her knees on the rough concrete. "Hawkeye!"
I am outside,
And I've been waiting for the sun.
With my wide eyes,
I've seen worlds that don't belong.
With a snap of his fingers and a brilliant spark, he incinerated her attacker, then turned on his heel and ran to her side. It seemed like someone had transmuted the air's density, because it took him way too fucking long to get there. Ed was already kneeling next to Riza, both metal and flesh hands pressing down to staunch the bleeding.
"Lieutenant! What. . ." But Roy's unspoken question was answered, and he felt his heart drop as he saw the gaping bullet wound on her chest. The irony did not escape him, even at a time like this: the military's best shot, taken out by a sniper.
My mouth is dry
With words I cannot verbalize.
Tell me why…?
"Sorry, sir."
Riza's voice drew Roy's attention to her face. The fiery rust that he had come to be dependant on stared back into his eyes. "What are you sorry for?" he asked, keeping his voice controlled and gentle.
She glared at him. "Don't you dare baby me, sir."
He smiled for her sake, but his smile didn't reach his eyes nor his heart, which was beating a steady tattoo against his ribcage, fighting to burst out. But the soldier in Roy took over, once again.
"C'mon, we're getting you to a hospital," he told her as he scooped her up, an arm under her knees and one curled around her shoulders. Riza's hands were pressed to her chest, but her uniform was still slowly staining red. "Colonel . . . stop. I know that I'm not going to . . ."
"Don't. Lieutenant, you're going to be fine. Do you understand me?"
She looked him straight in the eye. "Do you understand me?"
'Cause we are broken. . .
"You'll be all right, lieutenant; you have to be," Ed said from behind them. Roy had forgotten about the boys, but they were there still. Looking at Ed, Roy could see a flash of the child that had believed he could do anything, even save his mother.
"Edward, Alphonse. . ." Riza's voice was getting softer, and Roy held her even tighter, as if that could save her. Her hand, soaked in her own blood, came up to touch his cheek, leaving a red streak. "Sir, I understand."
Roy looked back into her eyes. There was strength in them, acceptance even, but beneath it all, he could see her fear. He knelt down, holding her close like a child on his lap.
Keep me safe inside,
Your arms like towers,
Tower over me…
"I'm sorry, sir, that I wasn't able to help you fulfill your goal."
Roy heart ached at her words. "Don't say that, Riza." What the hell were these tears doing in his eyes? Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, did not cry.
He noticed the hair clip for the first time that night. The same one that had been in her golden locks for years, now starting to slip out. He reached with one hand and pulled it.
That one simple action was enough to break down both of their carefully built walls. Her arms crept up and wrapped around his neck, and he pulled her against his body, wishing he could take her pain into himself. They no longer cared what Ed and Al saw, what they let themselves see, because it all slipped away under the bright street light.
And under red lights,
I'll show myself it wasn't forged.
We're at war
We live like this. . .
Keep me safe inside,
Your arms like towers,
Tower over me…
"It wasn't supposed to be you," he whispered into her hair. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do alone."
He could feel her smile pressed into his neck. "You'll do you paperwork, I hope."
Tower over me. . .
Tower over me. . .
"Roy?"
He loosened his grip enough to face her. Tears were flowing freely now, but neither cared.
"I love you."
That was all it took. Roy pressed his lips to hers, covering her up so that they shared the same breath, the same heart. She was the only thing he had ever needed, and he was losing her like he never thought he would.
And I'll take the truth at any cost
"Riza?"
When they finally broke apart, her eyes remained closed. But at his voice, she opened them to see him one last time. Her hand reached up to touch his cheek, and he held it there.
"All I wanted to say . . . was that I love you. . ."
She was slipping from him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Goddamn it, he hated being useless.
". . . and I'm not afraid."
First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye closed her eyes. Slowly, her body went limp in her commander's arms, but he still held on. Only when Alphonse and Edward came to his side, only when Edward put a metal hand on his shoulder, and only when the rain stopped, could he let her go.
Cause we are broken,
What must we do to restore
Our innocence,
And all the promise we adored?
Give us life again,
'Cause we just wanna be…
Whole.
So I'm pretty nervous, as this is my first ever fic. Please review!