Royai One-Shots

In the Still of the Night

Summary: Injured, blinded, and badly shaken, Roy Mustang struggles after the events of the Promised Day and reaches out to his lieutenant during their first night in the hospital.

It was the first time since that horrible day began that there was a lull in the noise. No more shouted orders, gunfire, or explosions to mingle into a horrific cacophony. Now, in the isolated hospital room, not even the clatter of stretchers could be heard. Absolute silence.

Roy had hoped peace would come with the quiet, but instead found himself cornered by the things he saw before losing his sight. The endless darkness proved to be a perfect canvas for nightmares to play out, particularly when he almost lost his closest and dearest supporter, Riza Hawkeye.

Roy knew she was in the same room as him, lying on a bed somewhere to his left, but with his sight taken from him, he could not confirm her presence. It had been hours since he heard her voice. He didn't want to wake her if she was asleep, but he so desperately needed to hear her voice, to know she was there with him and safe. It left him no choice but to call out to his subordinate, lest he be drowned by his own terror.

"Lieutenant, are you there?"

A quiet voice came from his left side. "Yes, sir."

She sounded exhausted, as if straining to speak at all. Regardless, it was a relief to hear her. Those two words pierced the veil of darkness shrouding his mind.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" He did his best to quell any urgency in his voice.

"It's almost too quiet to sleep. Are you all right, sir?"

Roy thought it would be best to just be frank. It was Riza, after all. If anyone would understand, it would be the woman who was always by his side. He took a deep breath.

"I'm afraid I'll forget what you look like."

There was a lapse of silence.

"...Colonel?"

He didn't know how to go on. So many thoughts pounded away in his mind, but not another word escaped his lips.

After a moment, he heard the squeak of bed springs followed by a soft groan.

"Sorry, just a bit stiff..." said Riza.

It took him a moment to realize what she was doing.

"Don't strain yourself for my sake," he said hastily.

The bed shifted and creaked quietly as she sat next to him. He gingerly sat up with her and faced her, but everything was black. He was made restless, yearning for something tangible to confirm she was all right. He reached towards her with a hand that trembled from the mere effort, trying to be slow and calculate where exactly she was, but ended up bumping abruptly against her face. He winced inwardly as he felt her flinch back. "Sorry..."

"It's all right," she said, taking his hand into hers. "Just take it slow."

Her hand kindly guided his to her cheek. He cradled it carefully as if it was a baby bird, cherishing the warm softness of her skin. She remained still, letting him take in the shape of the face he had known for so long. He gently traced the curve of her jaw, the dip of her eyes and the small point of her nose. And finally, the velvet softness of her lips brushed beneath his thumb. It reminded him of a warm rose petal. He lingered a moment, savoring her heat and the steady, quiet rhythm of her breathing. His heart skipped a beat as he felt Riza suddenly lean forward. A gentle kiss was planted on his forehead. She held it there, a moment that could have never lasted long enough. As she pulled away, her cool touch brushed away any stray strands of hair behind his ear.

"Even if you forget my face," she said softly, "I will always be close by."

His whole body began to shake. The weight of everything came crashing down on top of him.

"Lieutenant...I..."

She pulled him into a hug, one he allowed himself to be enveloped in. "It's all right, Roy. I'm right here."

He couldn't remember the last time he heard her say his first name. It was always "Colonel" or "sir". Now that he thought about it, he hadn't called her Riza since before he was enlisted in the military. Bandaged hands tightly clutched the back of her hospital gown as his head burrowed into her shoulder. He soaked in the warmth as her hand held the back of his head.

His sharp inhale was involuntary. Riza kept her hold on him, the only thing keeping him from slipping entirely into the crushing terror that threatened to overwhelm him. He breathed awkwardly as if dry heaving, his body simply too exhausted to cry properly. If his injuries didn't kill him, he would surely be burned alive by his own embarrassment.

Riza was extremely gracious, however. As he struggled to steady himself, she remained lovingly patient with him, continuously stroking the back of his head as she quietly comforted him.

"Lieutenant," he began, having come to his senses enough to speak, but painfully aware of how weak his voice was, "I don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to say anything, sir. Just try and rest."

He thought she sounded more sniffly than before.

She shifted again, this time nestling comfortably against his side as she lied down with him. She was partially on top of him, since the bed was designed for one. Her arm stretched over his chest as her head rested on his shoulder.

"You're staying here?"

"Not if you mind." She paused. "Perhaps I got ahead of myself."

"No, no...don't go." He sounded more desperate than he meant to. "Are you sure you're comfortable enough?"

Her laugh was quiet and warm, sympathetic, even. "Yes, I'm fine." Her voice fell a bit. "I'm not going to leave your side again. Not tonight."

"Lieutenant..." he sighed, but had nothing else to say. His head was beginning to swim from how tired he was. Exhaustion also was heavy in Riza's voice, but her patience with him remained unwavering.

"I'll be right here all night, just wake me if you need to."