Disclaimer: I am just playing around with the characters. Hiromu Arakawa owns them.


"I think it's a good thing to have idiots like that every once in a while."

The soft smile on Riza Hawkeye's face disappeared as she noticed Jean Havoc staring at her. He being paralyzed took a big toll on them all, especially Jean. He felt useless, and what is a useless man going to do at the military? He can't just sit around the office and do nothing. Retirement is the only option, and Jean accepted that fact. Roy Mustang and the others, though, still haven't.

He hated it when people pity him. Pity his legs. Pity his sad state of losing the ability to walk.

What he hated the most is seeing the look of sadness on Riza's face.

Sitting on a stool by the side of his bed, she looked down. Her boots were silently tapping the floor, her fingers were intertwined. One who does not know her will think that she is on her calm state, but Jean knew differently. A slight furrow on Riza's eyebrow and her jaw clenched tight betrayed her collected façade.

He wanted to remove that forlorn look on her face. But how?

"Jean."

She looked up to him, breaking the silence around them. Riza darted her gaze to him, then to the wall, back to him. She seemed nervous, for she glued her gaze to the wall. Riza Hawkeye never avoids eye contact.

"What?" He asked.

She took a deep breath before answering. "I don't want you to think that you're useless, because you're not." Riza looked down to the floor. "Never to me, at least."

Oh, so that's why, Jean thought. She had just let her guard down; something that she never does to people that didn't matter to her. He mattered to her, and her admitting that meant that he mattered, big time. Call it assuming, call it hoping, but he wanted to think that way. After all, Riza was still the one that holds his heart. No matter how many women he dated, it was still her that he loves.

They were just friends, nothing more. But she was more to him; he was hoping he was the same to her.

"Come here," Jean said, patting the vacant space in the bed. She raised an eyebrow. "Come on, there's still space, and I need body heat." What a very poor attempt to lighten up the atmosphere.

Rolling her eyes, Riza stood up and sat at the space in the bed. The bed could fit two people, and Jean hasn't moved an inch since she sat down. Her posture was still the same – fingers intertwined, boots silently tapping the floor. This time, though, she looked lost. Not worried, but lost. The realization about what she had just said dawned on her, Jean noticed.

Since Riza was sitting within his reach, he tried to sit up (he really tried, good thing he succeeded) and leaned his forehead on her shoulder. Since when did they last sit together like this? Months ago, it seemed. At the shooting range, while they are taking a break. She stiffened at that time, but relaxed afterwards. He wondered if she could hear his loud heartbeat.

"Thank you, Ri. For being here." He felt her shift, and suddenly he found herself locked in her tight embrace. Her fingers on his hair made him weak, and the tears he felt on his shoulder made him hug her too. Silent cries were the worst, and when those are coming from her… well it killed him.

It made him glad to know that she cared for him that much, but he also felt pity - pity for himself. Jean promised himself that he will make sure that this would be the last time Riza would cry.

They were so lost in the moment, that they didn't notice Roy open the door. He, feeling that his lieutenants were sharing a very private moment (and he hated what he felt seeing them like that) closed the door and sat in the chairs by the hospital corridor.

It was just a hug, Roy assured himself. A friendly hug, a kind that is too tight for normal friends. A kind that is like gasping for air, holding onto something that could disappear into thin air. It was too tight.

Roy raked his hands through is hair. He knew that Riza and Jean were close, but he didn't knew it was that close. Maybe he was just giving that hug a meaning, but it so unlike Riza. He didn't even remember a time wherein she hugged him that tight. And for her to break down and cry in front of other people, that was the second time he saw her do that (the first being her encounter with Lust – she cried because of him).

Jean was also important to him; he even considered him to be one of his best friends – second to Maes Hughes, to be exact. He wanted him to be happy, and seeing him in his current condition hurt him; he badly wanted him to recover. Riza, on the other hand, he loved her. He always did. Imagining Riza being with someone else is something that his mind dared not venture to.

And then seeing them like that… he wasn't sure if he should be happy for them, since it was too obvious that there were already feelings involved in whatever relationship they have, or be sad for himself, since one of his best friends and the woman he loves were together.

Pain was the dominant feeling he had at the moment. From his abdomen, and from what happened earlier.

Sometime later, the sound of brisk footsteps filled the hallway, enough to distract Roy from his abdomen pain. It was his beloved lieutenant, who finally decided to show up after the moment, as Roy would've called it. Ugh, now I sounded bitter, he thought.

"Bring me my uniform," he ordered. There was a lot of work to do, and thinking about Riza and Jean and the homunculus and his abdominal pain would not result to anything progressive.

Riza's eyes widened. "You're still in no condition to be discharged."

"Bring it," he hardheadedly replied.

Defeated, she said. "Yes, sir."

As she was about to turn on her heel and leave, Roy spoke. "Lieutenant," She glanced at him. He looked around to make sure no one was around before continuing. "I just saw you and Havoc in a kind of… intimate position a while ago."

Riza held his gaze for a while, and then she looked at the ground. Normally she would have reasoned out, tell him that she was just comforting him, but she did not. It was hard to admit but that bothered Roy. He knew he should stop speaking but he can't help it.

"If I cleared my throat at that moment, would I have interrupted something?" Does he mean something more to you? Do you love him? He looked at her with that questioning look in his eyes. Roy knew that Riza understood what he meant.

"… No." Her hesitation before answering was enough to answer his question.

Roy stood up and said, "Just always make sure that no one will catch you in a position like that." And then he left, not letting Riza see that broken look in his face.


A/N: So you see I have this thing for love triangles. And I ship Riza with everybody (including me). Is that weird? XD

Reviews are lovely! Brighten up my day lol. XD