AN: After the Promised Day: Little bit of the Manga, little bit of FMA:B, and little bit made up. This is a Tumblr FMA Secret Santa present for teammustangofficial

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.

Refocused

The Promised Day

Roy Mustang sat on a bench in the triage tent waiting for Hawkeye to be released by the medics a few tents down. They were still working on her neck wound and he was left on his own for a little while. His eyes were still in considerable pain from having his vision ripped away and he was trying to stop holding them with his injured hand; It made it look like he was holding back tears of sorrow instead of pain and he wasn't looking for sympathy. He just wanted everyone to leave him the hell alone so he could figure out what he was going to do with himself now that he was blind. A medic told him ten minutes ago he was going to be back with an ophthalmic ointment for the pain, but had yet to resurface with the promised pain relief. Not that he expected it would help any, but there was no harm in trying.

He was certain he looked dejected because he wasn't making an effort to hide it. He was hunched over with his head hanging in defeat as his tented fingers dug into his temple and his elbow ground into his thigh. His hands had been re-bandaged but were still throbbing. Overall he should have been in enough discomfort to distract himself from thinking too much, but he was a very capable multi-tasker; especially when dealing with pain, emotional distress and a bleak future.

Right now he was listening to people shuffle around him, some whispers as soldiers walked by about the blind Colonel and a few optimistic words from Alex Armstrong who was trying to cheer up a wounded soldier. Everyone was avoiding him, he didn't need to see to know that, because he wasn't in charge and would never be again. He was blind. The army didn't need blind soldiers; he was going to be honorably discharged as soon as Central Command got back on it's feet. Then the question was, what next? What the hell was he going to do with his life?

He wasn't going to wallow in self-pity, at least not anymore than he already had. He clenched his fist thinking about how he was utterly useless immediately after losing his vision. Useless. He was in shock and pain, but when had that ever prevented him from doing his job? He didn't quit his job in Ishval, he ignored the atrocities and just kept going. He didn't quit when Lust skewered him, the pain was overwhelming then and the injustice of Havoc's injury infuriating. He almost lost Hawkeye today, he was watching her life leak out of her and yet he wouldn't break down and just do as they asked. However, when Bradley pinned him down and he was forced to open the gate something in him just quit. After gazing at Truth, seeing the gate, he let shock paralyze him. He sat on his knees listening to Edward scream about how unfair it was, how the rest of them committed a taboo and deserved their punishment...but Roy Mustang was smarter than them and would never do such a thing. He knew the cost of the toll and it was not something he'd agree to pay.

HA! All those times he thought about it and never followed through only to be forced to perform human transmutation for nothing. Irony, you bitch.

To think Edward of all people would take offense to him being punished for a crime that he didn't commit, the ONE crime he didn't commit, that was the bittersweet taste of irony. Of all the things he did in his life, he was being punished for human transmutation. After Ishval, Maes's death and Riza's injury...he was steadfast to the last and refused to go there. Then there was Ed, who suffered so much more than him for simply trying to do the right thing. Where the hell was his commander when he needed him most? In the corner, on his knees, holding his eyes and feeling sorry for himself. Useless

He managed to pull himself back together for the final battle, but he was going to remember that moment of weakness above all others. He had his time to grieve for his loss and that time was past. So now he had to figure out what to do next. Once he left this tent, he'd have to stand up tall and confident, no matter what his decision. He owed it to everyone to be the stalwart hero still as he made his final rounds as Colonel. Thirty-five years old and forcible retired. Just fucking great.

"Colonel Mustang?"

Roy looked to the sound of the voice. He was already trying to hone his hearing skills to make up for the lack of sight, his vision was not going to be returning and that was the cold hard truth of the matter. So no matter what his new vocation would be, he needed to adjust to his new, darker world. He tilted his head as he heard the rustling of the tent flap and turned to his right to face the individual who spoke to him. He was too focused on internal thoughts and half-listening to the people in the tent to really be able to peg the voice that just hailed him. Screw it, he wasn't going to ask who it was. He'd just figure it out. "Yes?"

"What a mess out there."

It was Dr. Knox. Roy nodded and gave the man a smile. "You know us alchemists, we make a mess of everything."

Knox snorted and finished looking around the tent. It was another triage tent. "Are you hurt?"

Roy couldn't resist the motion of reaching for his eyes again, they seemed to throb as he thought about choking out the words relating his condition. Instead he cleared his throat, strengthened his resolve and looked towards the location of Knox's voice. "I...can't see a thing."

Knox took a few steps closer and watched the grayish orbs in Roy's eyes shift back and forth, searching for something. "Son..of...a..."

"Apparently a punishment for those who dream." Roy snorted. "I think it would have been easier to stomach if the bastard cackled and said, 'Justice is blind, now so are you... for everything you've done that you knew in your heart was unjust.' Instead I pay for my vision of righting the wrongs of this country."

Knox watched him reach to his eyes with his bandaged hand and then stop himself. He saw the huge, semi-naked Alex Armstrong come over, his lip quivering and his eyes glistening with tears that begged to be allowed to flow down his cheeks. "Like you said, you alchemists like to make of mess of everything. Surely there is a way to fix this."

Roy let his hand drop to his lap and listened to his left when he felt a presence. He heard a sniffle starting and assumed it to be Major Armstrong. "My eyes were taken, nothing I can do about it."

"Blind soldiers..." Knox was a straight shooter, he knew Roy had already though through the possibilities.

"Are retired. I know." Roy sat up straighter, knowing that he had an audience now. Now he had to push past it all and be the commander while he still was allowed to wear the uniform. The job wasn't taken from him yet. "Well Grumman will do alright, I'm sure that's what he's been anticipating doing all along. Armstrong's men seized Central Command, drove a damned tank down Central Avenue, and opened fire against our own men. I just lead a coup d'etat and helped roast a God in the middle of the city. Neither one of us is going to recover from this public relations nightmare anytime soon and the people of this country won't accept either of us as anything but usurpers. So, Grumman can have the prize. He'll do fine."

Knox grunted. Nothing Roy said could be refuted.

"I'm just going to have to figure out what to do with myself, but right now I still have a job to do." Roy rubbed his knees and then stood up. He felt old. Worn out, used up and just tossed aside like trash. "I also have a subordinate to check up on, if you would escort me Major Armstrong."

One week later...

Riza Hawkeye sat in her hospital bed and looked over at her Colonel fighting with his pillow trying to get comfortable. He was bored and it was evident from the small tantrum he was throwing as he pounded the pillow into submission and threw his head down on it. The medical teams had moved them to the hospital after Grumman's arrival, for lack of a better place to put them. Grumman assumed command, being the highest ranked military officer left alive and not under arrest, and quickly started damage control. One of the aspects of that damage control was them and they were in the hospital under armed guard until the dust settled and the high brass figured out how to proceed.

The people of Amestris just lost their Fuhrer, Central Command just was taken by force and there was a massive crater in the middle of Central that could not be explained. Worse, it had all been the doing of it's own Amestrian soldiers. Two prominent names that every citizen knew, General Armstrong and Colonel Mustang, had attacked Central and crumbled Bradley's regime. Breda had done some commendable work staving off a widespread panic by using the radio broadcasts, but they were not out of the woods yet. The public wanted answers and they needed to know that the government they depended on was still strong. They were, understandably, shaken.

Enter her grandfather, Lt. General Henry Grumman. She suspected the crafty old bastard had his own motives to helping Mustang achieve his goals and now her suspicions were confirmed. After Armstrong and Mustang cleared the way, he marched in with his own troops to quell the chaos and ease fears with his grandfatherly smile and assurances that everything would be fine. Amestris was as strong as ever and they had nothing to fear.

So now she sat in her hospital bed and looked out the window of the door at the MP standing guard. Until a full military exploration of the facts could be finished, they were under watch. Not in prison, as that would reassure the populace of their guilt, just awaiting the inquiry that would clear them of wrong-doing. Grumman, after all, still needed his officers and the country needed heroes right now (Just not ones who would be angling for his seat as Fuhrer too soon).

She looked over as Roy finally got fed up with his pillow and tossed it at the wall. He sat up and huffed. "Is there something I can do for you, sir?"

He frowned. Back to the formalities. "No, Lieutenant, I don't need you to read me a bedtime story."

"Do you want me to read you the paper?" She asked and could tell he was aggravated that he needed that service now.

"No, I'm sure Grumman will be by later to inform me of how things are going at the inquest."

"Sure." She turned away from him, not really enjoying the frustrated tone to his voice. She knew when to stop asking him questions.

Roy felt her silence and knew he had gone too far. He didn't want to take out his frustrations on her. So he softened his voice and said, "Alright, there is something you can do for me."

Riza raised her eyebrows and watched him rub the stubble on his chin. "Yes, sir?"

"Can you give me a shave?" He asked and glanced over at her bed, trying to give her his 'I swear there isn't anything sexual about this request' look but not sure if it was weird combined with his blind eyeballs.

"I'm pretty sure the nurse offered." Riza reminded him.

"Mmm...not really going to trust a stranger to put a blade against my adorable cheeks."

"I've never shaved a guy before." She smiled at him. He did have adorable cheeks.

"You shave your legs." He said and refrained from adding anything else.

"That's different." She said and he gave her a pout. "But I guess I'll try."

"Thank God. I feel like a hobo."

Riza got out of bed and went to the bathroom where his toiletries were in a small travel bag. Breda had retrieved them from his apartment hoping to give his commander some comforts of home and she was sure Roy appreciated it. He was more focused on touch now and his expensive hair care products were all the more important. She pulled out a razor and his shaving cream and set them on the sink. Then she grabbed a small pitcher that was sitting on the back of the toilet, probably in case someone needed to have a sponge bath instead of a shower.

She cocked an eyebrow and glanced at the shower stall in the mirror. Nah, he wouldn't be that forward in the hospital. In fact it seemed like Roy was being extra cautious with her now, making sure to not to say anything deliberately laced with innuendo. It was very weird for him and she couldn't help but wonder if he was regretting how things happened on the Promised Day. The way he held her and squeezed her hard enough to make May scream in panic. Their brief tender moment before he was taken from her and returned blind. A public display of affection after they had been careful for so long.

"Everything OK?" Roy tried to not make it sound so needy, but failed. Maybe he took a step too far with this. He might be looking at unemployment but she was still an officer and, for the moment, he was still her superior. Asking for a shave was a little out of line, well more than a little. Even if he was outwardly affectionate with her in front of damned near everyone.

"No, just making sure I have everything." Riza called back and filled the pitcher with some warm water.

"Razor, shaving cream, water." He rattled off the list and then added, "Aftershave if it's in there."

She frowned when she came across a handful of condom packets when rooting around for the aftershave. She wasn't sure it was his backup stash or Breda's wishful thinking. "OK."

"Towel too."

She grabbed the towel and the products needed and went back over to his nightstand. His gray eyes followed her to the best of his ability as she came over and she so desperately wanted to say something about them. However when he continued to insist on moving on, and she knew crying over his loss of eyesight wasn't going to do any good. She would only make him feel guilty and he didn't need that. "So what do I need to know?"

He felt the towel drape over his shoulder and she sat down on his bed next to him. Suddenly this seemed like a really bad idea, the thought of her so close, rubbing cream on his face and..."So maybe I'm having second thoughts."

"I can handle this." She assured him. "I don't like the idea of a stranger taking a straightedge to your face either. Especially in light of current events."

His breath hitched. You idiot, she just had her fucking throat slit and you're over her fantasizing about her touching your face! "I..."

She already dipped the towel in the hot water and had it to his cheek as he started to get bashful about it. "Tell me if it's too hot."

The warm, wet towel pressed against his face with her hand backing it. Then she put her left hand down on the other side of him for stability. He swallowed hard, not realizing this was a fantasy of his until now. And these hospital gowns were thin, the sheets were thinner and she was rubbing against him without knowing it. Not that she wasn't aware of what her touch did to him, or hadn't seen him naked, but the uncontrollable tenting of fabric was always embarrassing. "Perfect."

Riza took the towel away and dipped it back I the water to wet the other side. At least he couldn't see how she was smiling at him, enjoying the contact in every way she shouldn't. For God's sake, he was blind and asking for her help and she was taking advantage of it. But the stubble on his cheeks was beckoning her to touch it, as much as she always hated seeing it on him before. It was different if he showed up unshaven to work then it meant he had been drinking or obsessed with research. Now however, it was actually pretty sexy and she hated herself for thinking that. "Ready for cream?"

"This is not the way I ever anticipated hearing you say that."

"I'm glad to see your back to normal, Roy. I was getting worried about you." She put the towel back on his shoulder and squirted some shaving cream into her hands, lathering it up and then tried to not smile as she rubbed it on his cheeks and around his jaw. She took a finger and lightly applied it under his nose and over his chin.

Her hands were light at first, then she rubbed against the stubble on his cheeks and her fingers massaged his jawline. "It's just weird, actually awful, not being able to see you."

"I don't want you to see how much I'm enjoying this."

He groaned. "All these times I've been hospitalized and never did I think to ask you to do this."

"Let's wait until after I successfully shave hair and not your face off to make those statements."

"Let the cream stay on there for a few minutes." He instructed and tried to focus on that. "Then shave with the grain. Probably be best if you put your hand on my chin and pull the skin taut."

"So we have two minutes before I can start." She said and was surprised when he felt around for her hand.

"Are you OK?" He asked and felt his eyes shift down to where her neck should be. "Your neck wound isn't bothering you, is it?"

"It's going to be uncomfortable, but not life threatening." She squeezed his hand and finally couldn't ignore his searching, sightless eyes anymore. "Roy..."

"I'll be fine. I'll adapt." He replied and took a deep breath. "Worst part about it is not being able to see you. That might just drive me mad."

"Roy..."

"So, what are you wearing?" He said with a smirk, even though it was covered with shaving cream he knew she could still tell what was happening under that mess of white fluff. "Make sure to tell me as dirty as possible. You know I can't undress you with my eyes now."

"Well, I hate to tell you this but..."She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it. His bandaged hand that the doctor cautioned might not heal back to 100%. Another hurdle to overcome. "They started issuing all the female patients miniskirts in honor of your heroism."

He chuckled and wish he could see that subtle smile of hers. "Well then, make sure to take that home with you. I think I might need a lot more babysitting these days and I'd like to make sure you're comfortable while you're doing it."

"Have you...decided anything yet?" She finally asked. She didn't want to continue the small talk anymore, she needed him to stop joking when she went to put a sharp edge against his cheek.

"Yes, actually."

"Going to share?"

"Not while I have a beard of shaving cream on my face." He said and winked at her. Or at least hoped it was at her and not some cheap thrift store picture of flowers and fruit on the the wall.

"With the grain." She said and straightened up, put the razor in the water and took his chin between her thumb and index finger.

"Gentle stroke down." He said and heard her suck in a little air, noting her embarrassment. "Riza, we've had sex and you're going to get this flushed over me instructing you on shaving?"

"Maybe in your apartment this wouldn't be as weird..."

"It would be." He assured her. "You can never not be entranced by my voice. All you're thinking about now is taking that razor and cutting my clothes off."

She was glad he was back to normal but not exactly happy he was choosing this moment to do it. "Roy, I have a razor and we are in the hospital. Behave yourself."

"I'm not the one rubbing cream all over a handicapped man." He felt her finger tension on his chin tighten.

"Stop it."

He could hear the amusement in her voice. "Yes, shave down."

She placed the razor on the upper part of his cheek and pulled it down across his face and then put it in the pitcher of water to rinse it off. She checked his face and made sure it was still covered with skin before going back for another scrape. She watched him close his eyes and felt him lean into her hand, then continued. She ended up only removing shaving cream as she tried to remove the hair from his jaw, but was thankful she could see the curve of his face on the second pass. She took a deep breathe and choked up on the blade to erase the stubble over his lip and around his chin.

Roy could feel how careful she was being, which caused her to go back and shave some areas twice for lack of the correct pressure on the blade. Overall it was a very relaxing experience as he enjoyed her touch and the trust he had in her, not realizing how much he needed some comfort right now. He wanted to close his eyes and just focus on something that was not his future, his goals or his relationship with his subordinate.

Riza took the towel and wiped off any cream she missed and then dipped the towel in the lukewarm water to rinse off his face. She dried him off, and threw the towel to the nightstand. His eyes were still closed, enjoying the attention and most likely trying to pretend he was wanting to feel and not see. She ran her hands down his smooth and a-damn-dorbale cheeks. His eyes slowly opened and glanced down, to where he felt her hands and then forward where he hoped she would be. She leaned forward and kissed his lips as her hands rolled off his cheeks, down his neck and to his shoulders. It was a light kiss, just enough to feel his chest raise under her. Then she placed a gentle kiss on each cheek and whispered. "Done."

"Aftershave." He said and held up his bandaged hands. "Can't do it myself."

"Now you're just taking advantage." She sat up and reached for the aftershave lotion and dabbed a bit on her hands before rubbing it on his face and enjoying the caress of his baby smooth skin way too much.

"I'm sorry, who is taking advantage?" He asked with a smile.

She reached over and grabbed the towel again to wipe off her hands. She tried to explain her need to touch him and just stammered, "I'm just really glad you're still here."

"About that." He felt for her hand again and took it in his own. "So, being that the day is drawing near when I'm no longer going to be your superior..."

"You can still do alchemy. You've proven that. You're still a valuable State Alchemist."

He shook his head. "All I do is paperwork 90% of the time and I can't see it to sign it."

"You didn't do your paperwork even when you could see."

"OK, we're straying from the point. Riza, I almost lost you and I might have lost sight but not of us. Riza, my future only holds one thing and that's you. Will you marry me? That is, if you'll still have me now that's I'm just another dog you have to keep on a leash."

She leaned close and placed her cheek against his, then whispered in his ear, "Of course I will."

"It's going to kill me, not being able to see you in your wedding dress or see our kids...but at least I still have you." He let her kiss him, enjoying that she was so forward now. Then he had to break it off as he heard voices in the hall. "Sounds like we have company."

She slid off the bed and gathered up the toiletries, glancing back at his smile and smooth cheeks that weren't bleeding. She felt like she couldn't wipe the smile off her face either, that suddenly things were a little brighter. The door opened and she gave a polite nod to Breda who inspected her armful of supplies before greeting her.

"Lieutenant." Breda gave her a slight bow of the head, an informal salute, and then looked to Mustang. "Colonel, sir, I have a visitor."

She nodded and went to rinse off everything in the small bathroom. When she came out of the bathroom she saw Dr. Knox and a gentleman in a hooded cloak entering the room. An interesting entourage. "Gentleman."

"Hey kid." Dr. Knox walked over to the bedside where the disabled Colonel was trying to determine who was in the room without asking. "I brought someone who wanted to see you."

"If it's Fullmetal, tell him I've heard enough of his blind jokes for one day. They all suck, I hoped he could do better than that." Roy snorted and waited to see if Ed's voice piped up. When it didn't, he sat up a little straighter and tried to look as professional as possible in the sleeveless hospital gown.

"Actually, it's Dr. Marcoh." The older alchemist pushed back his hood and stepped forward. He saw Mustang's lightly colored eyes scan the room in the vicinity of his voice and cleared his throat to give the younger alchemist a chance to lock on to him with a vacant stare. "Dr. Knox and the Elrics told me about your condition."

"Did the kid at least make a joke about being blind-sided by the information?" Roy said and smiled.

"Nope." Knox chimed in as he saw Marcoh fidget. "But the good doctor didn't see it coming, either."

Roy laughed. "You should give Fullmetal lessons, he actually pitched the 'Alchemists walk into a bar' joke earlier and I thought about firing him on the spot."

"Funny." Breda chimed in.

Riza climbed back into bed. Clearly this was going to be an embarrassing display of intelligence being wasted.

"Seriously kid, Marcoh's got a solution to your problem." Knox interrupted before they could change the older man's mind with lame jokes.

Marcoh took out the philosopher's stone and held it out for everyone to see. He was nervous even though he knew this to be the right decision. "Colonel Mustang, I'd like you to use this philosopher's stone to fix your eyesight under one condition..."

"Is the condition that you show a blind man a precious stone?" Roy asked. He heard everyone gasp as the man revealed something and guessed he was doing something pointless like that.

"Roy, he's not joking." Knox slapped the man's shoulder as a punishment for making light of a serious situation.

Roy raised his eyebrows, suddenly the gravity of the situation evident. "Sorry. What are your conditions, sir?"

"Ishval." Marcoh sighed. "Reconstruction in Ishval."

"You were there too." Roy said, more of a statement of understanding than a question. "Dr. Marcoh, I doubt the Ishvalians are interested in seeing our faces again. Perhaps reparations are in order, not restoration plans."

"People who value their homes and lifestyle are not going to be interested in our Cenz, Colonel. They don't believe in our materialistic need to repay with money, our assistance in rebuilding would go much further. To repairing their lands and hopefully our relations as well." Marcoh informed him.

"I think you're being optimistic, Doctor." Roy replied and let his eyes wander down in thought. "As much as I would give anything to make up for what I did, I doubt they want to hear my name, much less be in my jurisdiction."

"Colonel, maybe not our generation." Riza said softly. "But the future generations will benefit from this."

Roy's eyes darted over to her voice. How he missed being able to just talk with eye contact. "So we use the philosopher's stone to restore my eyesight, using the souls that were harvest from that conflict, to repair the damage we did. By first repairing the damage Truth did to me?"

"You said it yourself Roy." Knox grunted. "Without your eyesight, you're done for. An operation like this is going to need a man like you to head it up. Nobody will be able to convince parliament that they should fund this, except you. You're passionate about it, politically positioned to demand it and the only man capable of being diplomatic enough to elicit cooperation during it's completion. There isn't anyone else and you know it."

"But to use the stone..." Roy said and his eyes shifted again. Searching the floor and the darkness for an answer.

"The only way to release these souls now is to use it." Marcoh explained. "I could use it to rebuild, but what would that do to repair the relationship between Amestris and Ishval? An understanding needs to be reached in order to prevent this from happening again. It needs a man like you to demand change."

"A man who we want to eventually lead this country," Breda finally spoke up. "Needs to show Amestris how he expects his countrymen to act."

Roy hung his head, his mind racing now. He could pitch this to Grumman and win him over without much effort. Shuffling Armstrong back North and him back East would clear Central for the old man's unrivaled command. He could convince parliament to fund the campaign by presenting it as a way to increase trade with Xing. Perhaps push for a new railway out East. Everything along the way would need to be improved and it would also be a way for Ishval to self-sustain. Knox was right, nobody else would see to it that the Ishvalians were taken care of. "I'll do it. However I have my own conditions that need to be met first."

Marcoh clutched the stone and waited for the man to look up at him. Mustang's eyes were no longer searching, he locked onto him immediately and those blank eyes radiated his determination. "Yes?"

"I have a subordinate that must be healed first." Roy said and heard Breda shift off to his right. "He was paralyzed during this campaign and his needs come before my own."

"Very well Colonel." Marcoh said and nodded. Yes, this was the right man for the job.

"I'll get Havoc on the next train to Central." Breda said and darted out of the room. His smile couldn't be hidden as he walked past the MP and gave the guy a triumphant slap on the shoulder.

Riza watched the two doctors leave after giving their polite farewells to Mustang and smiled to herself. Roy was going to get his eyesight back. Havoc was going to walk again. An unbridled joy swept through her. We're getting married...then she realized that things had once again changed. There was a new goal that had just emerged and it changed everything.

"Well Fullmetal is going to be pissed." Roy mused.

"Sir, it won't be the first time you do something he doesn't approve of." She said softly and realized that she couldn't hide the impact of her realization. It was evident in her voice and his gray eyes were looking towards her immediately. He could always tell from the slightest change in her voice that something was bothering her.

"I'm more concerned about what you think." He said and rubbed his hand on his thigh, the bandage was starting to itch. "This means I won't be retiring."

"I'm overjoyed." She said.

"It means our future, once again has to fade out of focus." He said somberly. "You'll never agree to let me go back to Ishval without you by my side. I don't want to deny you the opportunity to make amends either. So once again, I don't know where we stand."

"I stand beside you, always." She said and got off the bed to return to his. "We just got engaged Roy Mustang, exactly how quick were you planning on setting the date for the wedding?"

He cocked an eyebrow as she took his hand and kissed it. "I doubt you can accuse me of rushing into marriage after all these years."

"We still have work to do." She whispered. "You'll have a fight on your hands in Central to even start this process, we'll see how things play out."

"So that's still 'yes', right?" He asked.

"Of course." She replied and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Just a reminder that my grandfather is the new Fuhrer and paperwork might be rushed if he knows there might be a wedding planned for the days after Ishval's reconstruction can be turned over to someone else."

"I like the way you think, Lieutenant."