Summary: At the right angle, in a line of sight, one might wonder why he never stopped staring at her for so much as a second.

Theme: 047. In The Dead Of The Night

Dedication: Guardian Spirit, thank you!

Disclaimer: If I owned Full Metal Alchemist, Olivier would have a secret incestuous relationship with a sibling.

Angles

047. In The Dead Of The Night

Some nights, Riza could not sleep.

She'd toss and turn in between the sheets, creasing them softly in her hands to give herself something to do. Her hair would become a tangled golden mess, reminiscent of when she was far younger, far more naive and far more innocent. When the only thing she and Roy had to worry about was getting in trouble, or losing a pen, or something silly and trivial like that. When they had not known the meaning of war, when they had believed that everything could be solved with peace and the worst injuries they could get were scabby knees, bruised arms and the odd burn.

Maes had told her many things, a long time ago. He had told her about happiness, how if it was real it was different. That it was only found in certain places. That very rarely, you could find it in other people. He had told her that love was something rare, and when the tiniest kindred flame of it was found it should be cared for despite anything. She had understood everything he said at the time, except one thing. It was hard to understand human imperfection, let alone accept it. But now, she was growing older with each passing day, and she was not young and fresh to the real world.

But in those nights, she still liked the optimistic views of dead dreams. She finally understood what Maes had meant when he told her that it was hard to understand human imperfection. When she could not sleep, it was through worry of needing to keep Roy safe. Through needing him alive, being selfish enough to keep him with her despite anything. Without him, she had nothing to hold on to. Nothing to care for. Maes may have been the one to teach her so much, but he was the one to make her understand. He showed her happiness, in the smallest smiles and the lightest touch. He showed her love.

Love in the way that in those nights she could not sleep, he would come to her looking just as disoriented, just as worn away from years of indifference to bloodshed, just as tired and defeated by life. He would crawl in between her arms, his keys to her home discarded on the floor, soft short dark hair curling around her long blonde strands to create a mess of completely different colours. Their hands would intertwine with one another, fingers creeping together like small, loving butterflies. Butterflies were short lived, existed for only two weeks, but made the most of their existence. Just like they were learning to.

Because in their short lives, they could not do what anyone else could. They were unable to make their own choices, knowing what was really beneath the surface of their rulers. They knew the darkest of secrets, hidden by men for centuries. They knew of the homonculi. They were never meant to. In another life, Riza supposed they could have had better. She could have had a kind father. He could have learned at a young age not to play with fire. She would never learn to shoot a gun. He would achieve his goals without her. If things had been a little different, they might not ever have even met.

Even in the world she currently lived in, she could never want that. Without Roy, her purpose was gone. Without him, she would not know true happiness. She would not know love. All in exchange for peace of mind, for an easier life, for sleep. Although sometimes it was appealing, this other life, a strong temptation, she could never give in. She could never give him up. He was a sweet addiction. A new home would have been nice, of course. But in those tangled sheets, wound around him, she always knew exactly why she had clung to the teachings of a dead friend and clung to Roy. Home was where he was. A new life could not possibly compare in the slightest, despite the small appeals.

Not without him.

Late update. Dead internet, destroyed connection because of a terrible antivirus programme (yet another failure of Windows, for those who know of Antivirus Pro 2009, bearing in mind it will not let me remove it and it is blocking nearly every single website I attempt to go on) means that getting this up was not easy. Sorry!

Preview: He cannot read her. Not when she does that.

Reviews are loved. :)