A/N: This is totally drawn off of a K+ rated assignment for LA. Now it's T. YAY!
"Damn it Maes! You weren't supposed to die!"
Oddly enough, it was Riza who forced the annoyed sentiment out of her mouth, half-drowned by tears. She swirled her glass of wine. "If you had stayed around, maybe I wouldn't be by myself… He's just been so…" Riza sighed. "And I have, too."
Riza set the glass down and placed her head on her arms. It hurt to know that Maes would've probably been the thing that finally pushed her and Roy together.
She heard the knock on her door. Slowly, she plodded over and opened the door, ready to shut it again.
"Hawkeye, I wanted to…" Roy trailed off, realizing that the normally alert sniper was tipsy. Only slightly, but it still concerned him. "Tell me honestly, how much did you have to drink tonight?"
"I'm on my second glass of wine," she responded. "Buzzed, but not gone, as you can see."
"No more for you. You stop me, I stop you, we're square." Roy took her hand and led her to the couch in the front area of her apartment, making sure the creaky door closed. "Sit."
Riza sat, but looked like she was not happy about it. Protesting that order could provoke an unwanted response. And it was honestly kind of nice, being taken care of. It gave Roy something to do so that he did not fall to pieces.
"So, you're deciding to drown your sorrows?" Roy whispered.
Riza nodded mutely.
Slamming his hands on the coffee table, Roy hissed, "Dammit, Riza, this isn't you! Maes threw himself into this, heart and soul. He died trying to help me. The guilt is on me, not you, and you don't see me doing this!"
"And yet here I am. Here we are." Riza was refusing to look at her superior. "Somehow this happened, Roy, and I don't know how."
"The hell you don't! Riza, however depressed you may be, however normal this- this solution may seem, it's not right! The reason I came here was because I was concerned for you, and it appears that I have every right to be!" Roy moved closer. Riza moved away, and Roy stated, "At least I didn't drink myself into oblivion!"
"Hypocrite," Riza hissed.
Roy grabbed Riza's shoulders, forcing him to meet his glare. "Say… that… again…" he challenged.
Glaring right back, Riza scathingly informed him, "You heard me the first time."
Hands still gripping her shoulders, but now shaking, Roy's speech began to break. "I know… this is hard for you. You know how hard it is for me. But you don't need… you don't need to feel my pain vicariously. You don't want yours, and you shouldn't have to bear mine. I know I said that this was a fight for the both of us, side by side, but I never had this in mind." He pulled her into an embrace. "I don't want to see you gone, too."
Riza's arms came up around Roy's back. "I wasn't going to get drunk."
"Riza…" Roy sighed. "How am I to know that? How can I trust you?"
Involuntarily, Riza's fists clenched. She knew she had let him down, let herself down.
That did not mean that she had to admit it.
"I've always been there, haven't I?" she reasoned softly, for the first time actually trying to seduce him. "I've never lost it when things got bad. You said you could always believe in me. Are you going to stop now?" Slowly, she drew back, then gently pressed her lips to his, every second stinging with hope and regret.
Roy pulled back. "Don't try that with me, Riza. I invented the game. You know you let me down, and that in and of itself is disappointing to you, and to me. I can't say I didn't enjoy what you just did, but it won't help you or me. If anyone were to ever find out, they would have at least me to hold accountable, unless you could prove that you weren't drunk. What will help you is sleep." He steered her to her room. "If you try anything in the middle of the night, I'll know, and Riza, there will be consequences."
Riza nodded and closed the door.
It was just slightly after that Roy thought he could hear her sobbing.
A/N: If you'd like to end here, as I have decided I will, then don't read the next chapter. The next chapter is for those who want a happy closure. I warn you: I did not put as much effort into it as I did this one, so it's a bit disjointed and probably rather sleep-influenced.