Title: Don't Want to Hear It
Author: strandedthought a.k.a causmicfire
Prompt: If I Die
Pairing: RoyAi
Warning: Chapter 50 Spoilers, some dialog taken straight from the manga, with a couple changes here and there to give it a better flow.
Summary: She knew he'd lecture her again sometime, but she never expected it to happen so soon, and not in the middle of the chaos that engulfed them.

She’d expected the conversation to come at some point in time when they were alone, but she hadn’t expected the opportunity to show itself so soon, and they weren’t exactly alone.

They were in the middle of a battle with a homunculus, one that could swallow whole chunks of the forested land at once.

“You killed Lust,” it screeched as it searched for the Flame Alchemist. Riza took a deep breath as watched the last of the birds left in the area take flight into cloudy sky. As soon as she exhaled, she stepped out of hiding and squeezed off a round of bullets at the wailing blob waddling away from her. She knew at least of couple of the shots had hit home, but it was unfazed, and continued on its path.
Sticking to the brush, Riza pinpointed the location she had seen Roy dive into the shrubbery, and went in search of him. For a moment, she got closer to the gluttonous being and could hear the sound of it sniffing the air in between sobs of rage, and then she moved further into the cover of trees where he sat clutching at the still fresh wounds.

“Do you have a plan, Sir?” she asked as she moved aside his hand to check for bleeding.

“It swallowed my fire…” Roy whispered, running a gloved hand through his hair.

“I noticed that, Sir,” she deadpanned, an involuntary smirk pulling at her mouth, even through her attempt to keep it off her face during the inappropriate hour.

Roy gave her a stern look, which only resulted in her attempt of restraint to fail completely.

He took a shaky breath, and her smirk fell as his brow wrinkled.

“If I die,” he started, and she realized for the first time, that his hand was hovering over his wound under his coat. Her ears filled with the pounding of her heart, not from adrenaline, but from shame.

Before he could continue, she was saved from the impending lecture by the familiar rumbling that accompanied the homunculus’ trick sounded. After a quick look at each other, they ran in opposite directions.

She didn’t give a glance to the approaching monster while she circled around back towards the crater it had left. Her mind registered it screaming for Roy while she found her way into the trees alongside Roy, Ed, Al, and Ling. She was just about to join them when Roy fell to his knees. She stumbled over some exposed tree roots in her haste to get to him, and righted herself just as he looked up at her.

With gentle hands she checked his wound for blood, all the while keeping one eye trained behind her superior, watching the creature waddle towards them.

Her ears pricked up at Ed’s voice calling for them to hurry up, and in return she called for him, the sparring between him and Roy replaying in her mind.

“Take off your coat,” she demanded, pulling at the left sleeve of said article of clothing. Roy’s brow furrowed, but he eased his arm out of the fabric, and let Riza haul him to his feet.

Edward was with them in a flash, and made use of the black coat while Riza led her superior towards the waiting car.
When Roy gave an involuntary shudder, Riza tugged her coat off, and threw it over his shoulders. They hobbled away from Ed and Ling as the blue light of Ed’s transmutation faded.

Minutes later, she found herself in the backseat of the car she’d driven earlier with the Xingese girl’s head in her lap, while Roy sat besides Knox in the front.

Their talk of Ishval and the conspiracy quickly dwindled down when the injured girl’s breathing evened out in her sleep, and a hush fell over the car as they drove along the road that cut through the countryside, the three pairs of eyes searching the dark scenery.

Knox turned on the headlights as they entered the suburbs of Central.

Riza caught Roy’s eyes in the side-view mirror, pointedly moved her gaze to the girl asleep in her lap, and then back to him in question.

Roy nodded and cleared his throat, but before he could speak, Knox took the initiative.

“Let me guess, you need a place for her to stay?” he asked.

“I still haven’t had time to unpack since we arrived, and he’s still recovering,” Riza explained.

Knox stuck his hand out the window and let the wind streaming around the car fan out his fingers.

“One favor always leads to another with you,” Knox grumbled as he clenched his fist, and brought it back in the car. “Well, my place would be the best if you don’t want any officials involved, and my house is empty these days,” he grudgingly agreed.

“Thanks,” Roy said.

“Just remember this when you reach your goal,” Knox reminded him, and once again, their trip was quiet until Riza shouldered the weight of the half awake ninja as they walked up to Knox’s door.

Riza could feel Roy’s eyes watching her as she passed off the girl to the doctor at his door step.

She was glad for the roar of the engine sucking up the silence that sat between them in the car as she shifted the car into gear.

“What’s next, Sir?” she asked as she eased the car back into the street.

“To my place,” he answered.

At his apartment building she was aware that someone could be watching them through any of the darkened panes of glass, but the hairs on the nape of her neck did not rise up once in warning of eyes watching them, or the murderous intent that had radiated off Gluttony.

Once they reached his apartment, she was at a loss for what to do, and stood outside his opened door.

Roy was about to turn down the hallway leading to his room when he realized he hadn’t heard the door to his apartment shut.

When he saw her staring into his apartment with a confused expression on her face, he let out a sigh and motioned for her to follow him.

With the wave of his hand, Riza crossed the threshold and closed the door with a creak. She was surprised to find that his apartment was in order, not at all similar to the mess of boxes in her place.

“Did you need my help with something, Sir?” she asked.

“We’ll need to be in uniform at HQ,” he replied as he left her in the living room.

Riza nodded in agreement while she gazed over at the shelf holding a few familiar volumes on alchemy. When she looked back at where he’d been standing, he’d left her there, she made her way down the hall he’d been standing in front of, and found him emerging from the closet in his bedroom with two uniforms in hand.

“What are you-” she paused mid-sentence as her eyes took in the markings of her rank on the shoulders of one of the uniform he held, “doing with my uniform?” she finished.

“Did you really think I threw my uniform in your suitcase on accident during our last assignment?” he asked, shoving the uniform into her hands.

She didn’t answer, but took the uniform out of his hands, and left the room.

Roy chuckled to himself, and then groaned at the ache in his side.

As Riza entered the room, she stopped at the sight of him hunched over trying to put the oversized bandage in place.

“Sir, why don’t you let me get that for you,” she suggested, her hands already hovering over the his.
Roy shot her a scowl through his bangs, but let her take over.

“Do you have a plan?” she asked as she gently smoothed the sticky fabric over his skin.

“First, we have to distinguish between our friends and enemies. Try to get info out of them, and also start adding to out allies. Even the neutral people, if they learn that the Fuhrer is a homunculus, they’ll have to take our side,” he explained as they finished getting ready, his voice accompanied by the sound of her checking her revolver for bullets.

“The enemy will probably know I was involved in Gluttony’s abduction, we must be careful,” she reminded him as stretched his fingers in his gloves.

He nodded in agreement as they stepped into the hall. The apartment building was still empty as they marched through the dark halls, eyes and ears alert for any signs of unwanted company.

He stared at her as she drove, and she lifted her eyebrow in question. “Sir?” she inquired as she applied the brakes at a stop sign.
“Lieutenant, if I—”

“Sir, you aren’t going to be leaving us tonight,” she told him, her eyes firm, and demanding.

Roy broke eye contact with her, and smirked at the passing buildings, he’d never been able to figure out why she had much confidence in him.

They both took a deep breath as the entrance to Central H.Q. loomed into view.

Before he realized they had pulled to a stop she’d opened his door.

“Lieutenant, wait here,” he commanded.

“Roger!” she replied while she closed the car door.

He was already walking away, when he looked over his shoulder and told her, “If anything happens to me, make sure you escape.”

He stopped mid-step when she replied with a firm ‘no’.

“It’s an order,” he reinforced while he turned about to face her, hands planted firmly on his hips.

“I refuse,” she replied, her brow knitted in defiance.

He marched back over to her, and set his facial expression to match hers. “How stubborn! A subordinate must always follow orders, no matter what,” he shot back.

“I am proud of my pigheadedness,” she stated, and titled her head back in a haughty manner.

He turned away from her with a heavy sigh. “Well, I suppose I should be glad I have such faithful underlings. His hands were in his pockets as he walked away. “I get it, I’ll return. Just wait for me here,” he ordered, glad she couldn’t see the grin he couldn’t keep from sneaking onto his face.

“Roger!” She saluted to his back. “Good luck.”

She dropped her hand to her side as he waved in response.

“Don’t die,” she commanded under her breath as he disappeared into the lit doorway.


</lj>