AN: "Hey! I was wondering if you're taking requests? If you are do you think maybe you could do a royai fic where Roy gets injured badly and its partially Riza's fault? Like she rushed in or something? If not I understand ❤️ keep up the good work btw I love your writing 💕" - Anon

He had to move. He had to get there now. If he didn't, Hawkeye and Havoc's lives could be in danger.

Move, move, move! His feet pounded the pavement to the beat of that word in his head.

They had been pursuing an arm's dealer for a few weeks and Roy had dispersed the team to search different areas of the city where they could be holed up. Hawkeye and Havoc had been assigned as a team, dispatched to the warehouse district. Breda and Fuery were sent west but were now hightailing it to the warehouse district. Roy had held back at the office because Fuery informed him Falman had been trying to contact him. However, apparently there had been a bad storm near Briggs and communication lines were down for an hour before Falman could get through.

It was Falman himself who explained the situation to Roy. It appeared Briggs had finally caught wind of the possibility of their cover being blown and his former comrade desperately detailed what would happen should the team blow Cole's cover. It only took them three weeks to realise, Roy growled to himself. How is the military this incompetent? Sending its own soldiers to pursue each other.

"It was need to know only, Brigadier General, sir," Falman elaborated in a hushed tone. Even though the worst of the storm had passed, the line still crackled with interference. "And once I caught wind of what was happening, I couldn't leave you in the dark."

"I appreciate that, Falman," Roy replied gratefully, his mind elsewhere and running a mile a minute, trying to figure out how to alert the team to back off immediately. "Thank you."

"I won't keep you sir, I know you have work to do," Falman stated, tone changing, voice rising in volume. Someone was nearby and possibly listening in.

"Thank you, Falman. I'll be in touch."

"Sir."

The warehouse came into view at the end of the street Roy just turned onto. The nondescript beige building didn't look like it was housing an undercover operation, however that was the whole point. Apparently, Olivia Cole, their target, had been meeting here with the Drachmans, so even her base of operations needed to look convincing. The paperwork there alone would incriminate the Lieutenant to Hawkeye and Havoc.

Only Olivia Cole wasn't an arm's dealer. Second Lieutenant Cole was in fact in the middle of an undercover operation from Briggs to locate the real arm's dealer who was smuggling Drachman weapons into Amestris. She had worked with the real Drachmans, but had yet to discover the mysterious identity of the ring leader. This warehouse was where Cole and her new "friends" were located. If Hawkeye or Havoc shot Cole then there could be severe consequences. Hawkeye would follow her gut and if even the slightest thing appeared off about the Briggs' soldier, or if any of the other men tried anything, she would shoot to incapacitate her, leaving the undercover operation blown wide open, giving the real target a chance at escape.

General Armstrong had a soft spot for Hawkeye, however this operation was top priority, Falman explained, and probably wouldn't hesitate to berate and possibly court martial anyone who disrupted this for the Briggs' soldier.

That's why Roy needed to get there before it all went to hell.

The door had been propped open with a piece of metal piping. Roy eased himself in carefully, wary of not putting too much pressure on the metal as he eyed the rusty hinges, daring them to make a sound to announce his presence.

"Get down," Hawkeye commanded, and Roy heard a gun cocking as he entered the main room.

"You don't want to do this," an unfamiliar female voice told them sternly. Lieutenant Cole. He edged further into the room, weaving in and out of the maze of crates which probably housed "weapons". Props. The only real weapons in here would be the ones Cole had obtained from the real arm's dealer.

Roy crouched behind a crate, eyes peeking over the top as he took in the scene before him. Lieutenant Cole was on her knees, hands behind her head, gaze defiantly staring back at Hawkeye and Havoc. Both his soldiers had their guns trained on the Lieutenant. Other men were beside Cole, the real Drachmans, each with a face of thunder. His Lieutenants had done a grand job getting them all on their knees and surrendered, however this wasn't good.

Shit. Hawkeye's finger repositioned on the trigger.

He could snap. He could activate his array and use the flames to push them back from Cole, but there was no knowing how much gunpowder was in these crates. If Roy did that, the explosion could be catastrophic.

Think Roy, think!

"I would reconsider, Lieutenant Hawkeye," Cole tried one final time, her face twisting into an angry snarl. Roy's gaze snapped between the "arm's dealer", her men, and Hawkeye, who was a second away from pulling the trigger. Cole stared right back at Hawkeye, eyes dangerous. She looked every bit the part of a Drachman spy, and sounded like it too, her accent thick. Falman wasn't joking when he said this was a serious operation. Cole wasn't budging in her resolve or tempted to reveal anything despite the fact she might very well be incapacitated there and then.

Cole's hands begun to move from behind her head and that was when Roy begun to move. He vaulted over the crate with ease, breaking into a sprint towards the standoff happening only a few metres away. He knew he only had a matter of time, because he knew Hawkeye had already made her decision. As soon as Cole's hands moved, Hawkeye's expression turned neutral and her finger begun to depress the trigger.

It was stupid, it was reckless, but if it saved Hawkeye's life, and her career, Roy would do it. He always would. Cole's "men" begun to shift too, hands reaching for hidden weapons.

This was the only way Roy could think of to stop Cole from getting hurt, and therefore ending the Briggs' operation. It would give them the element of surprise as well. A Lieutenant shooting one of her own would cause enough confusion that it may just stun Cole's "comrades" to prevent them from shooting.

Havoc noticed Roy running at them in a full sprint, and so did the Drachmans. Havoc's lips parted in surprise, realisation dawning on him that something was very wrong. The Drachmans looked confused, faces twisting in anger as they spotted another Amestrian soldier. Roy heard Havoc say something, but his entire focus was on reaching Hawkeye before that bullet left the chamber.

Roy didn't even hear the gunshot. He just kept running. There were two shouts, one from Cole and one from Havoc, as Roy felt his body jerk. Hid right shoulder twisted painfully from the force of the bullet, spinning him around to face Hawkeye. He saw her face as he fell to the ground, mouth parted in shock, expression horrified. Roy crashed painfully onto his side, his brain finally catching up with what his body was feeling. He gasped, pain exploding throughout his entire body.

His right shoulder burned intensely. It was almost as bad as when he had sealed his wound closed two years ago. There was a wetness spreading across it and down his arm. His left shoulder, that had hit the ground, ached and he was sure something had crunched inside as he fell. Roy felt pain in his hip too, which had also contacted the ground roughly.

"Shit! Boss!" Feet pounded the concrete below him as the Drachmans fled, obviously noticing who exactly it was bleeding out in front of them.

Havoc rolled him over onto his back and Roy groaned as he moved. It was too much. Spots danced in his vision, the edges greying as the pain become too much for him. However, he still had a job to do. He had to protect his subordinates. He was partly responsible for this mess and it was up to him to sort it out.

"Don't," Roy managed to get out. "Don't… shoot her." His head rolled to his right, seeing Cole blinking at him in surprise. She was frozen in place, hands poised above her head, the other men long gone. Why she had decided to provoke Hawkeye and Havoc, Roy didn't know, but it pissed him off. Surely the solider – a Briggs' soldier – knew the implications of moving from a position of surrender like that while under scrutiny at gunpoint.

Another wave of pain washed over his body as Havoc put pressure on his wounded shoulder.

"Sorry, Boss," Havoc muttered.

The question regarding Cole was for another time.

"Shit! Hawkeye!" Havoc barked, head snapping up. "Phone an ambulance! Now!"

Roy's head rolled back to his left, gaze lazily moving towards Hawkeye. The look on her face made fear coiling in his own stomach. She was pale, so pale. Her eyes were wide with terror, the gun barely being held in her grip anymore as she stared back at her superior.

Surely the implication of what she had just done was weighing on her mind. That thought would have made his stomach clench if he were not so focussed on his fading vision.

Roy had known this was what he was stepping into when he ran from behind that crate. Taking that bullet and saving Cole's life meant scrutiny wouldn't fall on Hawkeye and Havoc. By taking out Cole, Hawkeye would be ending the Briggs' operation. If anything, Roy would be the one under scrutiny for sending his team into this mission, which ultimately ended in him being shot. However, he could play the card that he was unaware of the situation and was only following orders. So were Hawkeye and Havoc, however they were "less valuable" to the military – a thought that made his blood boil – so wouldn't be exempt from punishment. A Brigadier General diving in front of a bullet for his fellow soldier would add enough heroism that it may just get them out of this messy situation unscathed.

Plus, they could play it off as the criminals who begun the shootout. It wasn't right, but until Cole's operation ended, that was what the military would be led to believe.

This would just leave him with a hell of a set of consequences to deal with personally, rather than professionally. He'd take that and protect Hawkeye any day.

"Hawkeye!" Havoc called desperately. The former had yet to move from the spot, her hands trembling, the gun shaking in her loose grasp. It clattered to the floor. Roy heard movement and Cole spoke quietly and urgently, her accent gone, giving her identity to an operator and calling for an ambulance.

Wave after wave of pain engulfed Roy and he didn't last much longer under consciousness. He was feeling lightheaded, the roof above him spinning sickeningly. He was losing blood and judging by the pulse he could feel in his injured shoulder, it was a lot.

No sound came out when Roy opened his mouth, trying to speak to his subordinates. It was too much of an effort to move his head one final time, so he tried to convey to Hawkeye what he wanted his say just though his eyes.

I'll be fine.

Please, don't be mad.

Don't blame yourself.

The ceiling finally dimmed, his eyes closing as he heard a very distraught and choked yell. Riza was yelling his name…

What did you do?

Riza barely felt the blanket Havoc had draped over her shoulders. She sat with her elbows resting on her knees, hands clasped in front of her, head bowed in shame, anguish, pain, you name it.

You shot him.

Riza shuddered, taking a shaky breath. Her hands gripped one another even tighter as she tried to control the shaking in her body, her knuckles white.

You fucking shot him.

There was a pressure on her back, and she jerked. Havoc had taken up a spot next to her on the uncomfortable hospital chairs. His hand rubbed lazy circles on her back in an attempt at comfort and to soothe her, but Riza's mind was in too much turmoil.

She had shot her superior officer.

She had shot Roy.

The ever-present urge to vomit creeped its way back up her throat.

"It wasn't your fault," Havoc reminded her for what felt like the hundredth time. "He dove in front of that bullet to protect Cole."

"Why," she whispered.

Havoc shrugged. They had only recently been filled in on the situation by Fuhrer Grumman, who stopped by a short while ago to see how the Brigadier General was doing. "The doctors are doing their best for Brigadier General Mustang now," was all they were told. That bile crept higher and higher every time that explanation floated through her head.

If he dies… Because of you…

Riza thought her fingers might break if she gripped them any tighter.

Havoc sighed, gently prying her hands apart and taking them in his. "Hawkeye? Look at me." It took her a while, but she finally did. Havoc's eyes were understanding, and sympathetic, but there was a certainty in them. "This was not your fault. He chose to dive in front of that bullet. Mustang chose to do that. You were only doing your job, and this was an unfortunate result of Mustang's rash decision." Havoc huffed a laugh. "You know how he is. Especially when it comes to us. To you."

Riza stiffened in her chair as Havoc gave her hands a quick squeeze. He stood from the chair, fingers diving into his trouser pockets to pull out a packet of cigarettes. He appeared to be calm, but Riza recognised the signs of stress. His face was pulled tight, his movements stiff as he walked to greet Breda. Havoc's tone was strained as they conversed quietly, too quietly for Riza to make out what was being said. Before she knew it, Breda sat down in the chair Havoc had just vacated.

"He's a dumbass," Breda remarked quietly with a humourless chuckle. "I can't believe he did that. Well, I can absolutely believe why." Breda shook his head. "To protect her and Havoc", apparently. Riza shuddered, picturing Mustang's face as he was hit, body jerking and spinning towards her, eyes wide with shock, expression twisting with pain.

And she had just stood there and done nothing as Havoc yelled at her to phone an ambulance. It had been their so-called "arm's dealer" that had saved his life and protected him.

Not her, Mustang's bodyguard.

You're useless.

Lieutenant Cole fled the scene after placing the call, just as Breda and Fuery arrived. The MPs and the ambulance were only a few minutes out as the other two team members took in the picture before them, Mustang bleeding out on the floor and Havoc yelling for help. Riza had just stood there, body shaking uncontrollably. Fuery wrapped an arm around her shoulders in comfort, trying to soothe her, but she heard the way his voice shook in fear at seeing their strong, caring, and fearless leader dying on the floor.

Breda disappeared and when the MPs entered with their guns drawn Riza thought they were there to arrest her. Something coiled within her then, her fight or flight instinct kicking in.

"Where is the shooter?" one barked, eyeing the crates that could have been hiding an assailant. Riza tensed.

"They fled out the back," Breda barked, pointing in the opposite direction Cole left in. "We arrived just to see them shoot at Mustang and then escape. Lieutenants Havoc and Hawkeye were here when it happened."

The MP's gaze snapped to them both. "Did you see them?"

Havoc had always been quick to think on his feet. He backed away from Mustang as the paramedics loaded him onto a stretcher and placed an oxygen mask over his mouth. Riza noted Havoc's hands were bloody. You caused this. He nodded. "I saw them. I saw them shoot the Brigadier General," he snarled. Riza thought his anger was targeted towards her.

"It was the situation," he had explained quietly as Breda drove them to the hospital behind the ambulance. "I wasn't angry at you." His fists clenched atop his knees. "If anything, I'm angry at Mustang. He chose to do this to us without warming. And, we were left in the fucking dark by General Armstrong and Fuhrer Grumman and he had to pay for it. So, did you."

"Hawkeye?" Breda called to her, giving her shoulder a shake. She was roughly thrown back into the present where the never-ending ache that throbbed throughout her whole body came crashing back into her consciousness. The shaking had almost stopped, but her mind was still punishing her severely. "You with me?"

She released a shaky breath and nodded, unable to speak.

"Shit," Breda murmured. His head snapped up, looking down the hall. Riza's head slowly moved to look as well, seeing MPs approaching them. If she moved any faster, she thought she might snap and break in two, that's how tightly she was wound.

Riza really wasn't in the mood to talk to them right now.

You'd have to tell them you fucking shot him.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, we would like to ask you –" She shut her eyes, blocking out their voices.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye is in shock at the minute. The shooters targeted her before ultimately hitting the Brigadier General," Breda lied smoothly. Riza's eyes popped open in surprise. "I witnessed the attack and can answer any questions you may have."

Riza watched as the MP's lips pursed, clearly unhappy, but nodded in agreement. "Right this way, Second Lieutenant Breda."

As Roy opened his eyes, he heard someone in the room gasp quietly. Groggily, he blinked, his eyelids taking a while to respond to his brain's request. The harsh, white light blinded him, and, in that moment, everything came rushing back. The warehouse. Cole and Hawkeye. The bullet entering his shoulder.

Hawkeye's horrified expression.

His head lolled, rolling to face the direction he heard the gasp from. Hawkeye sat by his bedside, posture stiff and expression stricken. Her eyes betrayed her true feelings. Terror, shame, concern… They were all there.

"Lieutenant?" Roy croaked. The pain that had been a dull reminder in his shoulder flared suddenly and he hissed in pain, closing his eyes. He never saw Riza's pained expression. "Are you okay? Where is Cole?" There was a pause, so Roy opened his eyes again, teeth gritted against the pain. He froze when he saw Riza's expression.

"Fled the scene, sir," she replied. It was barely perceptible, but Roy heard the wobble as she said "sir".

She thought this was her fault. That much was obvious, and, of course, Hawkeye would think that. He had chosen to do it, to protect her and Havoc. It was dumb and ridiculously reckless, but it saved them a world of trouble.

"Good. And you? Lieutenant Havoc?"

"All right, sir. Fuhrer Grumman filled us in on the… situation."

He breathed a sight of relief. "Good." They were safe. "I must apologise, Lieutenant. I acted without thinking and you paid the price for it. I'm so sorry." His earnest eyes met hers, which were grief stricken. She nodded, but the action was stiff.

"Understood, sir," she replied sharply. His gaze flicked down as he noticed movement. Her hands were atop her thighs, fingers digging into the fabric of her trousers. They were white with the force of it as she tried not to break apart.

"Don't you dare blame yourself for this," Roy added, tone disapproving. "I chose to do this of my own free will."

"Why?" she finally choked out, that one syllable telling Roy all he needed to know. She was hurt as to why he decided to throw himself in front of her gun and desperate for an explanation.

"To save you." Hawkeye blinked back at him in surprise. "Cole was part of an undercover operation, as you now know. If you had shot her, the whole thing would be blown open and you may have been court martialled by Briggs for interfering with the mission. The fact you weren't aware of it would be overlooked if Cole died. And I know you never miss.

"Plus, with the other Drachmans present we could play it off as a shoot out that ended unfortunately for me."

"Sir, I…"

"Yes, Lieutenant?" She was obviously struggling, and Roy's voice softened. "You've never held back before, Riza." Her gaze snapped up to his at the use of her first name. "Don't hold back now."

"I shot you," she let out in a rush.

"You didn't," he replied patiently. "I moved in front of that bullet."

"It was because of me that you were shot," she tried again, voice rising in volume.

"Riza," Roy replied slowly and carefully, his tone suggesting she should calm down and think. He wasn't sure how long he had been out for, but he knew for a fact that Hawkeye would have been blaming herself this whole time. "I chose this. Not you."

Suddenly, her hands gripped his good arm tightly. They were cold against his skin, a momentarily uncomfortable sensation, then he felt himself relax at her touch, as he had done so many times before.

Hawkeye took a moment to compose herself, eyes closing briefly. Roy watched with fascination, but hating how he had done this to her, knowing he would do it again in a heartbeat if it protected her. The niggling sensation in the back of his mind, reminding him this was just another thing to add to his "The Ways You Have Hurt Hawkeye" list, never went away though.

"I shot you," she repeated. Just from her tone Roy knew this had been repeated in her head over and over. "Something I promised I would never do." At his confused expression, Hawkeye elaborated. "Never without clear intent." She took a deep breath. "I swore an oath to protect you from harm, and I take that very seriously, sir –"

"Riza, please," he begged her. They were so beyond superior and subordinate right now.

"And I wasn't able to protect you from myself," she continued, too lost in her own self-destructive thoughts to hear him. "I'm useless."

Roy gripped her hand tightly. "Don't you ever say that." His dark eyes pierced hers, daring her to challenge him. "I was the useless one. I didn't figure out what was going on until the last second. I sent the whole team out to find Cole, and it was Falman who informed me of the operation, at great risk to himself."

"Falman told you?" Hawkeye asked, momentarily distracted.

"Yes. He called before I left HQ. I would have reached you all sooner but there was a storm that cut the communication lines with Briggs. I was almost too late."

"Why… You jumped in front of the bullet," Hawkeye muttered. This was something she was struggling to wrap her head around and, to be perfectly honest, Roy was still baffled as to how his brain decided that was the best course of action. All it had taken was seeing Hawkeye being dismissed from the military, demoted, taken from his side, and he knew he had to so something, anything, to protect Cole and her operation.

"Because I knew it would give us the advantage, the element of surprise. I don't enjoy being hurt, contrary to popular belief at this point," he joked, pleased when he saw one corner of Hawkeye's mouth quirk upwards to a smile, then it was gone. "But if Cole was injured and I had to call it in using her identification, and the Drachmans overheard, the real target would catch wind of it and flee, blowing her cover and all she had worked towards."

Hawkeye nodded as she processed the information, posture slowly relaxing. They weren't out of the woods just yet. It would take her a long time to come to terms with what happened today, but so long as she understood he did this of his own volition, that was all that mattered right now. Yes, she had shot him, but he put himself in front of that bullet to protect Cole and, ultimately, Hawkeye. He couldn't take her being removed from his team again. Riza thought she was useless, but it was he who was the useless one without her. Without Riza Hawkeye his whole team would fall apart, him included. She was the glue that held them all together, no doubt about it. Roy was sure the whole team would agree on that one.

He couldn't take her being court martialled either. Whether it would have come to that or not, Roy wasn't sure. He was glad he would never have the opportunity to find out because he couldn't lose the woman he loved like that.

"Just… Promise me one thing?" Hawkeye asked.

"Anything."

"Please try to be less dramatic, sir," Hawkeye replied, eyes becoming sad once more, the grip on his hand tightening. "No more jumping in front of bullets."

"Who is the one giving orders here?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow in amusement. He chuckled at her stern glare, giving her hand a squeeze. "I will," Roy promised. "For you."

"Thank you… Roy."