Author's Note: (In case you were wondering, I didn't post a chapter last week because of the holidays. I'm also having major internet problems, so I hope it won't interfere with posting and replying too much.) This was fairly straightforward; I wanted to have some other characters discussing the way Ed and Mustang are always fighting. I also thought I should include some post-Promised Day stuff, rather than all of this fic taking place in the middle of the series.

Timeline: Postseries (manga/Brotherhood)

Theme 7: It's kind of a fight...

Even five days later, Lieutenant Hawkeye looked unbelievably weak. Well, maybe not unbelievably. She had, after all, had the artery in her neck sliced almost in half and only escaped with her life because of Mei Chang. Still, it seemed strange to see the normally brisk and active woman now sitting propped up in a hospital bed, her neck and shoulder bandaged and an IV running into her hand.

And yet, Hawkeye could never be idle. She was careful not to disturb the needle taped to the back of her hand, but she was mending her shirt with swift, practiced stitches. It was as though the Promised Day had never happened, as though she had not thrown her entire life away and barely got it back. Maria Ross smiled to herself. Hawkeye had always been an inspiration to her, so it was gratifying that they were now in similar positions.

The two of them, and many more people besides, were only free because no one had been able to figure out who was in charge of the country yet. The Promised Day had not only killed the Fuhrer, but had also plowed through the council till only a few remained, and they were kept under 24-hour surveillance just in case. With half of Headquarters blown away, the entire government thrown into turmoil, and most of the Central troops filling up the hospitals, no one had any time to realize that Maria was a fugitive and had once been sentenced to death. Nor did they have a chance to figure out what to do about Mustang's coup and his soldiers who had gone AWOL to support him.

All hell would probably break loose by the end of the week, once they finally decided who was in charge. Mustang had explained to her that General Grumman would probably try to acquit her or at least lessen the severity of her sentence, and she wasn't too worried on the whole. Her parents had found her yesterday, having heard her voice on the radio. It took a while to explain it all to them, but at least they knew now that she was not a murderer and that she had been perfectly safe all this time.

The sudden sound of raised voices broke the tranquility, and Maria jumped slightly. Turning in her chair next to Hawkeye's bed, she looked in surprise at the door leading to the adjoining room, through which came the unmistakable sounds of a heated argument. It was too muffled to make out the words, but Maria easily recognized the voices of Colonel Mustang and Edward.

When she looked back at Hawkeye, the other woman was smiling fondly and returning her attention to her shirt. "Why do they do that?" Maria blurted out, breaking their silence.

Hawkeye looked up in mild surprise. "Why are they always bickering, you mean?"

"Yes." Maria shifted awkwardly on her chair. "Do they not realize what they've done for each other? They were both indispensable parts of the plan; the colonel orchestrated all of this, and Edward was the one who got rid of that...person. Can't they show some respect, even now, rather than fight?"

Smiling again, Hawkeye snipped off the end of her thread and smoothed out the cloth to examine her work. "It's kind of a fight...but at the end of the day it doesn't really mean anything. You didn't see the look on his face when Edward disappeared to bring Alphonse back. I saw the same look on Mr. Hohenheim's face."

Maria's frown only deepened. "Then why do they act like this?" she asked, waving her hand at the closed door, through which they could now distinctly hear Edward saying sarcastically, "Ha ha, Mustang, that's really funny."

Hawkeye poked her needle into her pincushion and leaned back against her pillows, smiling softly at the door. "It's their way of saying goodbye."

Maria blinked. "Goodbye?"

"Edward can never be a State Alchemist again, so he has no reason to remain with the military. He has his brother to take care of now, after all, and his whole life to live. The colonel understands this, but...I think we'll all miss him."

Maria easily understood what she meant. Edward Elric was the sort of person you either loved or hated, and you often decided which rather quickly. But one thing you could never do was ignore or forget him. He was too boisterous and heroic to allow that. She hadn't even been around him for very long, yet he had been influential in her life.

"So," Hawkeye continued, pausing for a small yawn, "they savor these arguments, because it means nothing has changed. I daresay that if Edward ever comes to visit, they'll start insulting each other on sight. That's how they know everything's right between them." She yawned again, then said, "Here, could you gather up these things, Maria? I think I'll take a nap."

"Yes, sir," Maria said automatically, putting away Hawkeye's sewing kit. And the Lieutenant fell asleep to the lullaby of the heroes of the Promised Day bickering like schoolboys.