I do not own FMA. Enjoy!
Riza Hawkeye had never considered her life's value to be equal to that of Roy Mustang's. While she didn't think her life was worthless (she knew how much of an asset she was in Roy's journey to the top, so much so that it, along with certain feelings that had somehow made themselves at least slightly clear, had caused her to practically become Bradley's hostage), she had no umbrage with losing her life, as long as Roy's was untouched in the end. After all, he was the one with the initiative and drive to lead the country, he was the one whose life had to be protected at all costs for the betterment of Amestris, not her. It was never something she resented or was jealous of; it was something she took as a fact, all the better reason to follow and protect him. That was her lot in life, to protect Roy Mustang, and it was a lot she was perfectly content with. If she had to always be looking behind for safety so that Roy could look ahead to prosperity, so be it. To Riza, it was enough. The way she saw it, Roy's life was too precious and important to both her and the people around him to lose, so she should lay down her own life to protect it.
What Riza didn't know is that Roy thought the same thing about her.
She didn't know this until after the Promised Day, when the two of them found themselves lying in a hospital bed in the dead of night, hands entwined as they took comfort in each other's company. The both of them had been quiet until Roy suddenly raised his free hand and, after some gentle guidance from Riza, placed it on her cheek. He still kept his eyes closed, a habit he had formed since his blindness, but his voice was full of the emotions his eyes couldn't display. With a melancholy tone that made Riza's heart want to break all over again, he told her how scared he'd been when he thought she was dying, how he'd been prepared to follow her into Hell, and how relieved he had been when he had held her just moments after May brought Riza back from the brink of death. Riza had only seen her superior like this before twice in her life, the first time occurring after he had burned her back in Ishval and was tending to it and the second time on one of the many nights she spent at his apartment after Hughes' death. While she had stopped him the first time, she learned that it was better for him to do this, to unload and vocalize all of the emotions he usually kept so well hidden, especially if it prevented him from drowning them even further in something other than his own guilt.
When he was done, Riza's arms went around his middle, wrapping them around him in what she hoped was a comforting embrace. Roy returned the action with a good amount of ease, only hesitating in his actions for a moment before wrapping his own arms around Riza's waist. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath tickling her skin. It was in that position that he spoke, his voice muffled.
"I don't want to do everything without you, Riza, I really don't. I came so close to losing you...and I'm honestly not sure what I would do if I lost you. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead about a dozen times over by now. I want you to see me become Fuhrer. I want to make sure that you haven't spent years of your life following me just for me to fail...or worse, for you to die before I've done all the things I said I would do. You're too important to me for that to happen, Riza. You...you mean more to me than my own life, honestly."
It shocked her, just how highly he thought of her. She knew she was as important as anyone else helping Roy but it never crossed her mind that maybe he thought of her the same way she did him, that maybe he worked as hard as he did so that they'd be able to share in his success. While she wished it was under better circumstances, Riza was glad to know that she meant something to Roy, that Roy treasured her life as much as Riza treasured his.
Fun fact: I began writing the rough draft for this on my first day of my Junior year of high school, which was Monday! Another fun fact, this chapter is being posted on the seventh month anniversary of this little one-shot compilation! It's been a good seven months and I thank everyone for their support!