Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, or these two would have been canon as can be and Hughes would have been alive.

What Amestris needs by Larissa

They are not what others think and that's okay.

Roy Mustang is not egocentric – not completely, at least -, nor is he heartless. He has many hopes, many desires and many fears, but he doesn't think much of them, because there are more important things to focus on.

Amestris needs him.

Riza Hawkeye is not cold. She is not detached. She cries at night, sometimes, because she cares so much that each loss destroys a bit of her soul. The weight she carries is almost too much, but the woman has someone she needs to protect and that is enough to keep her fighting.

Amestris needs her.

They know there are rumors about them; it would be impossible not to hear the whispers as the Colonel and his Lieutenant walk down the corridor together. Still, they are both stronger than anyone can imagine them to be, so they see no need to get angry about something as meaningless as gossip.

Those people don't know them.

They don't see the way Roy stares at Riza as she walks back to her desk, after having threatened him into doing his work. They don't catch the slightest shift in her expression when the colonel hides a compliment in the most casual of words.

They think there is something there, sure, because the military is still a sexist institution and they consider it odd for a beautiful woman and a charming man to work together without any sort of involvement. For them, there has to exist lust, or desire, or a minimal amount of curiosity.

They are not completely wrong, but Mustang and Hawkeye are not what they think.

Roy frowns as he walks, trying to look anywhere but at the woman besides him. People talk and he doesn't think he would be able to explain if he was caught stealing a kiss from his adjutant. He can't, but that doesn't mean the yearning isn't there.

Riza keeps her eyes on the wet pavement, forcing herself not to get too close, nor too far from him. The way he makes her feel is troubling, but what this man means to her is nothing in comparison to what he will do for this country, and she won't do anything to jeopardize that.

The rain makes them both weary, for it's always a reminder of what Hawkeye is supposed to be to him and of how much more she actually is.

She shivers and he takes off his coat, draping it over her shoulders.

There are many things that should be said, but there are many more that shouldn't, so they remain silent. When Roy smiles down at her, it's not arrogant, it's not mocking; it's a him exclusively hers and Riza pulls the coat closer, feeling like it's him draped over her, a memory from a moment that feels a lifetime away.

He remembers too.

They are in love, but Amestris needs them.

This is a bit angsty and it broke my heart to write it, but the idea was stuck in my mind. The story was made based on the prompt "Drape" from the Community FMA Fic Challenge.