Rain

Rain patters on roofs and puddles form, as clothing is drenched.

People flock to warm houses like moths to a bright light, trying to shake off the cold, the uncomfortable wetness. Some sit in pubs, clustering by heaters, some return to their warm families.

A lone figure, she stands on a bridge, observing the ripples rain creates on the river's smooth surface. She is so blatantly aware of the rain soaking her clothes, dripping down her face.

Footsteps sound in the distance, approaching fast. The owner runs towards her, never losing his composure despite his healing wounds. She does not want to look at him as she knows the blood will soon seep through and he would have to go back to the hospital. And yet… selfishly, she wants to spend more time with him, despite leaving him alone in his room for a couple of days. She needs to think.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" his voice angry, filled with indignation.

She is forced to turn around and realize how ridiculous he seems, trying to look his best in a coat evidently not his.

"Go back to the hospital, please. Your wounds need to heal."

"You are my subordinate, how dare you speak to me like that!" He does not posses as much authority without his uniform, his hair messy. Still, he's angry. She shouldn't have deserted him like that. At a time when he had been so lonely she wasn't there to support him.

"You're bleeding," she gestures at his torso, emotionless. Yet underneath her façade she is worried, she knows he will not make it back on his own. And she hates the one that did this to him, that caused him so much pain. But the homunculus is no longer alive, and Riza is not one to curse the dead.

"Do you know why I have looked for you?"

Now, he has to lean on the smooth rock of the railing, holding himself up with one hand. She wants to touch him, to reassure him but after nearly losing him, she is not sure she wants emotions.

"…Because the homunculi are still at large and you're in danger! Everyone working at central is!" He gasps, other hand clutching his torso.

Outside, it is icy and cold wind causes puddles to crust over with a layer of thin ice. Deep within herself she is warmed by his words, expressed clumsily, yet with feeling. And she knows now that he is as attached to her as she is to him.

Now, she can see the blood seeping through and know his stitches have come undone.

"Come on, Colonel," she steps towards him, letting him lean on her shoulders.

"Let's go back together. After all it is you who needs protecting right now. You're useless in the rain."

For the first time in weeks full of tragedy, Mustang smiles.