2. Gunshot
A/N: Song: "Dear Agony" by Breaking Benjamin.
In the weeks following Maes's death, Roy noticed that Riza was going to the shooting range somewhat less frequently than usual. While she probably didn't need all the practice she usually got, Riza was a firm believer in both practice and habit.
She didn't even draw her guns as often, seeming to hesitate a fraction of a second longer even when she needed it, and she'd flinch just a bit when she heard a gunshot.
Roy noticed the same sort of changes in himself, as well, and he didn't notice the connection between Maes's death and the slow transformation until Havoc suggested that it might be the case, noting that he had been very gun-shy for a year after Ishval.
When asked how he got over it, Havoc shrugged. "One day, you wake up, and you've come to terms with what happened. You don't forget—you just find that it doesn't hinder you anymore. Nobody blames you, Chief. Maybe you should stay away from the field for a while; sometimes that actually helps."
Roy finally plucked up the courage to talk to Riza about it later that day, and found that she'd gone through the same sort of mentality after Ishval. (Now that Roy remembered, he'd had a period like that with alchemy, too.) She agreed that Havoc was right about staying out of the field. "We'll stay out of the field, and, someday, we'll find that it doesn't hurt as much. But that doesn't mean we have to forget, Sir—I doubt we ever will."
A/N: And, of course, the angst is back. I just can't seem to write happy ones! (Then again, the theme isn't exactly conducive...)
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