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Hope the balance of this and the mission shorts story makes up for the slow updating ':D

Enjoy.

In Which Winry Becomes A Witness

"Thank you again for letting me stay, Lieutenant,"

"Riza, please," Hawkeye corrected with a gentle smile. Winry's widened and she gave a nod.

"I tend to forget with how often Ed and Al call you by your rank," she said, lifting the blanket. With their level of respect and the warmth Riza treated her temporary guest, neither had given way on offering the bed. So they decided to share it – it was big enough for two people and neither was a particularly restless sleeper. "This is so soft," Winry noted with surprise when the mattress gave way a little too far down for her liking.

"I don't think I've bought a new one since we came back from the war," Riza sheepishly admitted, settling in on her own side. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind but Hayate might crawl up once he thinks we're not watching," she gave a light chuckle which her guest mirrored.

"I don't mind at all; Den used to do that a lot, too," she grinned in memory of her own dog back at home. She became silent then, glancing to the side where her hostess was reaching for the lamp on the night stand. The room was plunged into darkness then. Only silhouettes of what little furniture was detectable remained, a gap between the drawn curtains allowing in streaks of moonlight.

Riza felt the gaze, turning her head to the side, giving a questioningly inviting look.

"Do you…" Winry felt the urge to explain herself. "Do you often have to think of the war?" she asked. Riza gave a sigh.

"It's not exactly something you can blank out," she gave a shrug as not to let the topic sit too heavily. "It comes back whenever it decides to; it's never really gone, only your subconscious tries to suppress it as much as it can until it breaks under the pressure," she honestly admitted. Winry was silent for a moment, and Riza feared to have scared her.

"I see Ed without his arm and leg sometimes," the girl piped up before any soothing words could be uttered. "In a dream or just in front of my inner eye," her voice was small, not uncomfortable. "I couldn't do anything but watch back then… I don't think I could do much now, either," she bit her lip as not to let it quiver. Riza's eyes softened but she waited patiently, knowing there was more to get off the young mechanic's chest. "I'm not a doctor like my parents; all I ever do is watch," she gave a pressed breath as not to allow her voice to tremble.

"And yet, he confides in you more than anyone," Riza said, making Winry turn her head with wide eyes. "There are more doctors around than there are specialised Automail Mechanics, I believe, and even if there were, it's rather evident that he wouldn't choose anyone over you," she offered a smile, receiving a blush. And then a small, shy smile.

"He probably thinks he'll get a discount because we're childhood friends," Winry pretended a huff, peering to the side when Riza went back to eyeing the ceiling, a faint giggle escaping her lips.

"Bargaining with a salary like his," the Lieutenant shook her head, letting her guest off the hook, though not without hinting at not buying the excuse.

"I've always wondered – and don't get me wrong; they're the reason I got so many myself – but why did you have your ears pierced? Isn't it impractical in the military?" Winry distracted but she was not being called out. Hayate's claws scratched as he stood from where he had been lying near the foot of the bed, now sauntering out into the hall. Riza narrowed her eyes for a moment, trying to catch a sound from the outside of her apartment that might have interested him. It was quite late, the sky pitch-black, but in a building with this many people, there was never complete silence.

"They were a gift," she finally replied. "I haven't taken them off since I got them,"

"You really don't change things up too much," Winry dared with a grin and a bounce into the old mattress. She shrunk with a giggle at the playful glare she got in return. "They must mean a lot to you then," she concluded, her tone picking its edge back up. "Could they have been a present from-" she stopped mid-sentence when there was a clicking at the front door. Both stiffened, holding their breaths as they harked for the lock being opened. Winry's pulse was accelerating, and she clearly wondered why the always alert Lieutenant had not yet reached for her gun.

"Don't worry," Riza reassured, stepping out of bed, "as long as Hayate isn't upset there is no reason to be concerned," she clarified. Heavy steps came from the entrance, a bump from the wall and another few steps seemingly aimlessly lurching around.

"Uhm, Riza, who is-" Winry winced when the lights in the hall turned on, the door being raked open. Riza had only just made it to the door, coming face to face with who appeared to be a very unbalanced Colonel Mustang. He stared at her for the split of a second, recognising her by far more quickly than his surroundings. A hand slid around her waist, swooping her into him with a sudden tug.

She gasped, eyes wide, then fluttering close as his lips pressed to hers. No matter how presently she had just remembered not to be alone, Riza's mind was wiped clear of all potential risks, not even the half-open door getting in her way of melting into the kiss. He had used her gasp to slip his tongue into her mouth, swirling it around hers, tracing her lower lip, teeth grazing it in a heated need. Her heart had leapt into her throat, her stomach twisted and jolted with those forbidden feelings he so easily lured out of her.

Her hands came up shakily and she was just about to lose the battle against the hearty moan from deep within her throat that had wanted to escape for the past moments when he pulled back. Panting, her senses returned only after another instant or two. Her eyes unclouded gradually with those strong-willed, hazy dark eyes plunging into them.

Reality hit hard then and she used her hands that had been on their way to pull him closer as a means of pushing him away. As if that had been the idea from the start.

"Riza…" Roy murmured, leaning in to drag his lips along the crook of her neck. She stiffened, too aware of Winry now to give in. However he soon dropped his forehead onto her shoulder, practically collapsing into her. His hand fell and she nearly followed suit with the sudden weight on her, steadying her stance.

She gave an exasperated sigh, this time not only for show.

"The bathroom is that way," she nudged his chest to get him to heave himself up where he was staring stupidly in a completely different direction than she pointed. "Don't come back before you've scrubbed that awful alcohol stench away," she ordered and he grumbled in mild protest. "And don't use my toothbrush, you hear?" she put her hands on her hips when he had peeled himself away, this time stumbling in the general direction she had indicated. He only missed the door twice, finally finding it, grasping for everything but the handle. She kept from giving another sharp sigh.

Then she went over to the front door, finding Hayate to have closed it already. She locked it, giving her loyal companion an appreciative stroke over his ear. Turning the light in the hall off, she returned to the bedroom.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. He's not usually this intoxicated," she emphasised, knowing it would be a lie to say he was never drunk.

"Is he okay?" Winry asked, relaxing again where she had covered her mouth with the tip of the blanket in shock. Her cheeks were still bright pink, though the same could be said about her hostess.

"He'll have to live with a headache tomorrow, but he's fine," Riza assured, if a little sadly. It was not overlooked.

"Is that his way of… not thinking of the war?" Winry tilted her head, curious and careful at the same time, not wanting to overstep any lines. The Lieutenant was her friend but the same friendship could not be assumed between her and the Colonel. They barely knew each other apart from the countless stories the Elric Brothers told her about him.

"I guess that's one way to look at it," Riza opened a drawer of her dresser, finding a spare blanket and pillow. Conveniently enough, so the young mechanic noticed, she took out a man's shirt and casual trousers next, obviously prepared for such an apparently not too seldom case. "He used to take his mind off work and other things in bars once in a while but ever since Maes… since Brigadier General Hughes' passing, I've seen the Colonel keep liquor at his place," Riza could no longer keep her shoulders from sinking helplessly.

"I'm sorry to hear," Winry quietly offered. She was stunned at the honest smile she received.

"It's a little like you fixing up Edward when things have gotten rough, though I can only do so much," Riza disclosed. The weight of hardly being of any aid to her superior officer and closest friend drowned her like it often did, but the not yet abated beating of her heart kept her from falling into a mute misery. She needed to distract of such illegal intimacy- She knew Winry to be trustworthy, yet she was unable to let go of the fear that clung to her with a cold grasp. Not that Roy was ever careful enough with hiding his affection for her, but she felt safer behind closed doors where there were no people there to witness. Being caught was something new and entirely too frightening.

"Oh, if you want the bed then I'll sleep on the ground," Winry tried, receiving a negating shaking of the Lieutenant's head.

"That's quite alright," she said but the girl would not back down.

And so, they once again agreed on sharing.

"He doesn't move much in this state anyway," Riza gave an apologetic smile when the Colonel staggered back in, almost toppling her over.

"You're so beautiful with your hair down," he slurred, a hiccup following. With a frown and more prominently glowing blush, she ushered him back out of the bedroom where she wished for no comments on how she supervised him changing his clothes as for him not to hurt himself. He almost managed by himself, not least due to her untying his shoes and unbuttoning his jacket.

Back in bed, Riza felt Winry's eyes on her. She had wanted to be the barrier between the two, but Roy had had other plans, tightly wrapping his arms around her, pulling her onto his chest, blissfully sighing when her hair fell into his face. So she gave up, trying to ignore the slowly returning teasing spark in the mechanic's eyes. Her mouth opened when there was a snore cutting her off.

"Wow, is he asleep already?" Winry asked, stifling a giggle. The Lieutenant gave a confirming hum in return. "And don't worry, I won't tell a soul," she grinned, surprising her hostess. "I know you were concerned that I would; you give yourself away much more easily when he's here," she winked, enticing another blush. That was another hint, Riza unfortunately noted, finding her cover blown, though it did not come as a big surprise by how she had practically swooned during that passionate kiss.

"I know. Thank you," she let her gaze soften, then wander to his sleeping face with a different kind of affection. "He'd be in a lot of trouble."