DISCLAIMER: Fullmetal is Arakawa's.

A/N: I'm almost done with the next chapter of All the King's Men, for those of you reading it. It should be up in about an hour. I wrote this this morning as a way to divert my creative energy for a few minutes because I've been working on that chapter almost nonstop for the last day or so. But anyway, here's chapter 30, short though it is.

~"I Feel Like I can Trust You"~

She has a fondness for his back.

Among the myriad of assorted objects she keeps in the drawers of her desk at work, she never seems to lose her lint roller in the clutter. Every morning like clockwork, she brushes him up and down, muttering remarks about a man reaching for a crown who can't even keep up his own appearance. He isn't sure if it's intentional or if he's supposed to notice if it is, but she always lingers on his shoulderblades and the spot between.

Not once has he asked her to, but when he walks, she walks beside him. Except, it's not so much as his side as it behind him. She takes his request to watch his back very seriously, very literally. He can feel her gaze trained on him at all times, protective and steady.

The first time they make love, and every time after, her hands continuously return to his back, gentle in their touch. It never leaves her mind, even at their most vulnerable moments, the promise she made to him. Her fingers trace words across his ribs, the scar that formed from their battle beneath Central, his shoulders, his hips, the strong muscles of his back. They whisper feelings she hasn't yet worked up the nerve to say aloud, obvious though they might be. They promise him the world and all she has to give him, her comfort and her vigilance. She holds the reins to his very existence, and in her touch she vows never to abuse that power.

What he doesn't tell her is that he knows. He knows everything she's trying to convey, and what's more is she needn't worry for a moment. He trusts her wholeheartedly. What he doesn't tell her is that as she offers him reassurance in every way she can, his only thought is of her.

When the dawn breaks, she's already left, but the warmth of her hands lingers on his skin.