DISCLAIMER: All recognizable material belongs to the amazing Ms. (Mrs?) Hiromu Arakawa

A/N: This one's not quite so depressing; I figured I would give you guys a break before going right back into sad!Royai.


~Numb~

Riza sat on Roy Mustang's hospital bed with a pill bottle in her hand and a very cross expression that may as well not have been there for all the good it did the blind man. The only reason she sat was because she still didn't have much strength after the extreme amount of blood loss she'd suffered.

"Sir, I'm not asking again. You need to take your medicine. Next time I'm asking the nurse to stay here until you take it if I'm not awake to make you myself."

Roy sighed. "I'm fine, Hawkeye. Don't worry about me. You should be in bed resting, not yelling at me."

Riza wasn't fazed. "It's my job to watch out for you, Colonel. And right now it's my job to make sure you take your pain medication."

Roy was quiet for a long minute before he lifted his head up to meet where he thought hers should be. "How badly did it hurt?"

"How badly did what hurt, sir?" she asked, though she already knew what he meant. She didn't want to cause him any more suffering by recounting the pain she'd been through. Having to watch her go through it would have hurt him enough.

His forehead creased, a pained look overtaking his face. "You know what I'm talking about, Lieutenant," he choked out.

Riza's eyes closed. "Why would you want to know, sir? You've been through enough of hell yourself. Why take on someone else's pain?"

"Because you aren't just 'someone.' You're mine; you're my Lieutenant and I will always bear the guilt for the injuries you've sustained." He paused, then continued quietly, "At least tell me if you're still in any pain."

She opened her eyes, and her hands tightened into fists. She was still in much more pain than she was willing to admit. She decided to downplay it, for his sake. He had no need to see more blood on his hands than there already was. "No, sir; I'm just rather numb from the neck up."

Roy's eyes flashed. "Numb, huh?"

Riza's eyebrows furrowed, confused. "Yes, sir. Why?"

Instead of answering her, he tentatively reached out for her. Automatically, she moved closer to him so that only a few feet separated them. She touched his arm to let him know she was within reach.

"Close your eyes, Lieutenant."

She didn't know where this was going, but she trusted him. Riza did as she was told. "They're closed."

She felt his hand bump her shoulder, presumably searching for her face. He moved it to her throat, brushing his thumb against her skin carefully, as if afraid of hurting her. His fingers traced up to her cheek, and she sighed without meaning to. His hand paused at the sound. She bit her lip, wishing she was allowed to open her eyes and see his reaction.

There was a change in the air, and suddenly his thumb found itself moving over her chin, then her lips. He stopped there, rather purposefully, and all of a sudden Riza felt very nervous. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but she was cut off by a pair of very soft lips pressing gently against her own.

Riza's mind froze, then ran off in a hundred directions. What the hell was he doing? Was he… kissing her? But why? What made him think this was okay?

All right, maybe she enjoyed it; maybe a little too much. And so what if she'd been wanting him to do this for years? She wasn't going to let that stop her from putting him in his place. She jerked away from him, eyes flashing open and her hand reaching up to slap him.

He was even more in tune with her than she realized, if that was possible. He didn't need his sight to know her open palm was flying towards his face. He caught her wrist in midair and held it up between their faces. When he spoke, his tone was both angry and pained.

"Don't ever lie to me again."

Riza's eyes widened, and she looked away. "Not even if it's for my sake, Lieutenant," he continued. "I need you to always be honest with me."

She nodded, her eyes still not meeting his."My apologies, sir."

"I won't ask again: how much pain are you in?"

Her shoulders hunched inwards and she took a deep breath. "A lot of pain, sir."

That was what he had probably been expecting to hear, but she could tell it hurt him all the same. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant," he whispered.

She tentatively laid a hand on his arm. "As am I."

Anything else she might have said was forgotten as Roy groped for her and pulled her into his arms. Neither could tell who initiated it, but somehow their lips met again, igniting a burning spark between them. But this time, Riza had no intention of fighting it.