It's been a hot second, hasn't it? Well, I finally got around to watching FMAB and I'm a slut for royai so have a scene that I couldn't get out of my mind.

It was the night after the Promised Day - the night after they'd won. Roy could hear the celebrations of the other soldiers through the walls of the hospital room. It wasn't like sleep would find him easily, anyways - how disconcerting, to see nothing but darkness in both sleep and the waking world.

Losing his sight… Well, it wasn't like he'd given it up by choice, but it was a small price to pay considering that they'd won in the end. His nightmares for the rest of his days would likely be of the moments just before he'd been forced to perform human transmutation and was pulled into the Portal of Truth. The stinging pain in his palms from the Fuhrer's - Wrath's - blades pinning him to the floor came back at the mere memory.

The only thing that haunted him more? The screams of his lieutenant as she cried out for him. He'd never heard her so panicked before.

Roy knew Riza was in the room. He'd overheard as much when they were settling him in - his subordinates had done so on purpose. Even if the battle was over and there should no longer be any threats, better to be safe than sorry. It was easier to protect them if they were in the same room, or so they claimed. Roy had said nothing in response at the time. In truth, objecting to the arrangement was the last thing on his mind.

He shifted, pushing himself up. He had no idea what time it was, or whether or not she was asleep, but… "Lieutenant?" He'd nearly lost her twice that day - first to Envy, and then to that bastard scientist. His fists clenched subconsciously as he remembered the gleeful smile on that man's face as one of his minions had dragged her over to the transmutation circle after nearly slitting her throat. She'd lost so much blood…

Her voice cut through the darkness, just as it had when she'd stopped him from enacting revenge on Envy. "Sir? Do you need something?" He heard her start to get up; the hospital mattress let out a soft creak.

"No, I… Please, don't get up. You need to rest," Roy said immediately. Even as he said that, he couldn't get the image of how she had gone limp in his arms out of his head.

"I'm not helpless," was her curt reply, though there was a hint of concern in her voice. As much as he teased her about how she'd cried over him the day they'd fought Lust, he knew the truth. She cared - she cared so much.

"...I know." And he did, but the worry was still there.

There was the sound of a sigh, a fond one, and then the sound of footsteps. Before Roy could ask where she was going, there was a dip in his mattress. She'd sat down on it.

"If you need something," Riza said, "just ask. It's rather unlike you to hold your tongue."

"You make it sound like I don't know how."

"Honestly, I'm not sure that you do."

It wasn't often that she teased him like this. Roy had quickly learned to cherish each moment, even if her remarks hit hard.

Still, he did have a request in mind.

He reached out his hand blindly, knowing she'd take it. "Will you stay?"

She did, though her tone sounded confused. "Stay?"

"With me. I… nearly lost you today. And not being able to see that you're safe…"

There was a pause as she considered it. Honestly, Roy was surprised that she hadn't rejected the idea outright. They knew what it would mean - getting closer was risky. Their relationship had never been strictly professional, but as per military law, they couldn't pursue it. Doing so would put their careers in jeopardy. Their unspoken but understood attraction would have to remain as such.

And yet, if things continued as they were now, that law could very well be changed…

"Alright," she said. Roy's jaw nearly dropped in shock. "For your peace of mind," she clarified. "And… for mine."

Composing himself quickly, he went back to teasing her. "We might as well get comfortable." He was sure in any other circumstance, the remark would've earned him a pillow to the face. Instead, Riza just let out a groan.

"Colonel… You're insufferable."

"Yet here you are, climbing into my bed."

"At your request! Don't make this into something it isn't."

Anyone else would've heard her last statement and heard it as a clear dismissal of his flirting. But Roy knew better - knew her better. He didn't have to see her expression to understand her silent plea: don't get my hopes up when we can't risk it.

Even still, she did as he requested and settled down next to him. Having her there eased his mind tremendously. He'd realized a long time ago how much he relied on her, but today… he realized how utterly lost he'd be if something happened to her.

Roy was still holding her hand when she surprised him - she initiated contact, got closer to him. If the sudden weight on his chest told him anything, she was using him as a pillow. His mouth quirked up in a smirk. "Don't make this into something it isn't", huh?

"You seem to prefer constant reassurance that I'm here, so I figured this would suffice," was her explanation, no doubt in response to his expression. Still, when he wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her close, careful not to touch her wounds, she didn't object.

He brought his hand up from her waist to rest on her back. His fingers brushed over the scars from wars and battles, but the ones he felt most personally responsible for were the scars from his own flames. She had asked him to do so - to burn away the tattoos that her father had given her, freeing her from having to bear the secrets of flame alchemy. Still, they were his flames that had scarred her. He would never forget that.

His fingertips brushed over the spot on the tattoo where the transmutation circle had once been. Perhaps it was his imagination that he felt an ever-so-slight spark at the contact.

There was a moment where neither of them spoke, just relishing the peace and quiet. Roy found that he couldn't let that stand, though. He had something he needed to tell her. When he went to speak, he almost referred her by her rank out of habit, but he stopped himself. This wasn't military affairs, it was personal.

"...Riza?" It had been years since he'd last called her by her first name. Somehow, it didn't feel foreign on his tongue. It felt right and he wondered why he hadn't foregone calling her "Lieutenant" in favor of this familiarity sooner.

She shifted, pushing herself up and he could almost see the questioning gaze she gave him. "Yes?"

"I know we have more work that we have to do," he said. "I won't be able to do it alone. I've never been able to do it alone. I'll need you by my side, and… more importantly, I want you by my side." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before finishing off with a final remark. "Laws can be changed."

There was a beat of silence - she didn't move, he would have felt it. Then:

"They certainly can. Perhaps we'll see it done. I'll look forward to that day… Roy."

He slept soundly that night, and every night after. He would need to be well-rested to bring about the change that their country needed, and if there were perks… Well, all the better.

It was quite a good motivator that the first thing he saw when his sight was restored was her smile.