Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters in it.

- Alright -

It was a shuffling noise from the kitchen that woke her up. Would've been surprising, as the light sleeper she was, if she didn't know the source of the noise was from her husband. A bit frightened that he's mastered the art of getting out of bed and doing all sorts of activities without waking her up, Riza heaved up, passing a hand over her eyes. The drowsiness was barely cast away but when she noticed it was near half past three in the morning her decision to go back to sleep faded.

Usually, Roy would rummage through papers and notes, figuring a case out or taking care of unfinished reports, and these were the times when he'd stay until the small hours. Unable to quarrel with him about the same thing over and over again, she often fell asleep on her own. Riza didn't mind him doing that, as long as he got enough sleep. She always woke up to him by his side later, though – it was what calmed her. That night… she knew something was wrong but she didn't pry. She never did. Knowing Roy long enough to notice taught her that if he didn't share something with her, it was because he had decided to. He always shared, eventually, but when the time came.

The last days were ones of complete silence.

Riza wasn't much of a talker, neither was Roy, but there were times, in which the atmosphere became tangibly heavy. The dread of memories attacked one of them without asking and everything sunk into the abyss. Last time, it was with her. This time, she was ready to take the opposite side because Roy was most definitely acting weird lately. It wasn't the overworking, it was the intentional avoiding of her presence.

She put on her wrapper and tucked her fair hair behind her ears absently. This just couldn't go on. She missed him.

Riza followed the sounds to the kitchen but by the time she entered he already shattered a plate and a few glasses. She parted her lips in awe; her form was leaning, almost hiding behind the door's frame. There was an unapproachable air around her husband, simultaneously simmering rage and bitterness beyond words raving inside of him as he stood still and intimidating, in his own wrapper. Most of the shelves were opened and searched through but, it seems, the searched item remained hidden. He didn't seem to mind the blood dripping from his right hand. The fiery madness in his eyes subsided a tad when he noticed Riza standing on the threshold, quiet and wondering.

"Where did you hide the god damn pills?" He snapped, his harsh voice making her tremble with a blink of her tired eyes.

The pause prolonged but Roy had his eyes fixed on her and didn't give up.

"Answer me."

Riza looked at the broken glass on the ground.

Both of them overdosed on those painkillers so she decided to get rid of them for once. That wasn't the way to face your problem, by escaping it. She learned to manage her bad nights quite well, whenever she had Roy to set her ablaze and burn her pain away with his touch. She couldn't say the same for him, though. He didn't quite find solace in anything, including her. Perhaps sometimes, she was enough, but not always.

"I threw them out."

"I can't…" He started angrily but didn't finish, cutting his own sentence. He ignored her eyes, focusing on the blood that now colored his palm, his eyes narrowing at the helplessness he found himself in.

Riza slowly walked to a shelf, careful not to step on a shattered glass, and pulled out a small towel. She watered it in the sink and returned to Roy, proceeding to clean his wound.

"You keep a reserve in your bedside cabinet, don't you?" He asked, with hope.

She looked up at him, stopping.

"I threw them out, too."

"Why are you doing this to me? I need them."

"No, you don't." Riza found some lint within the lowest shelf next to her, the one they used for general medical supplies in the house, and wrapped it around his hand with the most measured pace she could go with. His hands trembled, though, and she was scared to raise her eyes, for what she'd see was going to devastate her. Though, she looked up. She always did.

Riza considered herself strong, both mentally and physically, but seeing him that upset was always like a below-the-belt hit. Whenever his eyes watered like that, hers immediately mirrored and she couldn't control that. She tried, numerous times, but to no avail.

"I see their faces and hear their voices when I close my eyes," Roy explained to her slowly, peering into her eyes, a tad under the line of his. His voice lowered an octave. "They are screaming to me, Riza."

The tears rolled down Riza's cheeks as she swallowed down, tilting her head.

"I know." She forced a smile. "You talk in your sleep."

She often woke him up. Seeing him agonize was a torture for her itself and she was sure he felt the same way as her when she had nightmares of her own.

"God have mercy upon us." His voice broke into a whisper when Riza stood on tiptoes and kissed his forehead.

"Come on, stop it. It's gonna be alright." Her lips touched his lightly. "We're gonna be alright."

"I don't see how." Roy snapped. "I don't see how anything's going to get better at all."

"It will. We just need more time." Riza stepped away from him, apparently on her way back to the bedroom. "All three of us."

She walked away from the kitchen at a slow pace, disappearing into the dark room next door. Roy's thoughtful expression refocused in a split second, a mixture of horror and surprise sharpening his eyes. A whole minute passed before he could gather his thoughts together, then another he spent gazing at the opened shelves around him. Within the third, he renewed his ability to move and within the fourth – to speak.

"Riza?!"

A/N: Thanks for reading. Can't describe how badly I've fallen in love with this ship ever since I saw FMA. I thought it was about time I write something about those two, it was a must. Hope you enjoyed it.