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He arrived out of thin air. Or at least it seemed that way to Riza. One day he hadn't been there and then suddenly he was. To Riza, there hadn't been a gradual transition with her father's young student.
Immediately she compartmentalized her life into two boxes. Before Roy and after Roy. No fuzzy, grey middle period. She remembered his arrival so distinctly and so vividly. She was smitten the moment her father opened the front door.
How foolish of her to fall head over heels for this stranger. He was here to learn alchemy from her father. He would be busy with lessons and notes and never-ending studying. There would be no time for him to even notice she was around the house. Not that she wanted to be noticed, of course. She was plain and homely, or so the local kids said. It wasn't always necessarily always a jab towards her. More like, observations, facts. She didn't try to hide it. Never tried to be something she wasn't.
Why would someone so handsome and driven pay any attention to someone like her?
A month into Roy's apprenticeship, Riza knew she was in too deep. She found herself fantasizing about him at night. Daydreaming about possible interactions she might have with him in the kitchen, the hallway, the market down the street. They were endless and were consuming every ounce of her thoughts. She knew it was only an infatuation. She'd read enough books to know what that looked like. So, to prevent herself from falling deeper and deeper into the void of an inevitable broken heart, she sealed herself off from it. From him.
She went out of her way to avoid him. When he would smile and say good morning, she would only reply with a curt nod and scurry away. When he would ask her to join him on a trip to the market, she would always refuse. She knew she came off as rude and cold. Maybe even abrasive. But that was a good thing. If she felt cold-hearted to him, maybe one day it would be true.
For awhile, the daydreams and happy thoughts about him seemed to fade away. Her plan had worked! No more wasting away with an aching heart like all of the heroines in her romance novels.
As the weeks and months went on though, he continued to persist. Always trying to get in her good graces. (if he only knew) He'd offer to help with her chores when he had free time. 'Do you need any help with dinner tonight?' 'I can hang up the laundry today.' 'I'll carry your basket to market for you.' The more he put himself in her day to day life, the more she got to know him. She got to see up close just how motivated and kind he was. There was so much more to him then just that handsome, devilish face that had drawn her in the first time she saw him. Now she saw just how much he actually cared about his studies and about her small, little town. He cared for her father too, which surprised her.
Everyone in town seemed to respect her father, but they made a point to keep their distance from him. He stopped going into town for festivals. He'd even let shopping fall solely on Riza's shoulders. She didn't really mind, though. There wasn't much else for her to do besides stay and support him as he grew older. He'd told her that her presence was crucial to his alchemy research. She'd felt pride when he told her that.
Roy never seemed to find anything off-putting about her father, his teacher. He listened and obeyed dutifully. Even during her father's tirades about alchemy. About how horribly the Amestris army utilized alchemy. She knew her father made Roy's life and studies hell sometimes, but she'd never seen him complain. He worked hard to earn the respect of Master Hawkeye. It came slowly, but Riza could see in her father's eyes that he saw promise in his student.
Suddenly, again, she really was too deep. She was all too aware that her school girl infatuation with a stranger had evolved into a real, true crush with a now familiar boy. She wasn't sure if she was more afraid of the infatuation or this new feeling. A pretty face had turned into someone Riza respected almost more than anyone else in her life. She smiled now when he said good morning. She accepted his help in the kitchen. She enjoyed their walks to the market every Sunday. She liked listening to him talk about his ambitions and dreams. Soon, he persuaded her to share some of her own. She'd never really opened up to anyone like that before. It felt strange but invigorating.
It was just a normal Sunday, another normal walk into town to shop for the weeks groceries. They made small talk and greeted each vendor they stopped at. Along the way, Roy got into a rather deep conversation with the butcher. He smiled at Riza and waved her on to continue the day's shopping. She made her way the The Fruit Lady (as Roy affectionately called her) and started looking for the best looking apples.
“Best of the bunch, that one is.” Fruit Lady (Mrs Ayers) remarked, smiling fondly at Riza.
“You're right, but I like his cousin better.” Riza replied, holding up two apples, comparing them.
“He has a cousin?” Mrs Ayers practically exclaimed, looking around quickly to see if anyone had noticed her outburst.
“Yes?” Riza said hesitantly, showing the woman the two apples in question. Mrs Ayers visibly relaxed and then laughed.
“No, silly girl. Roy Mustang! Your beau.” She grinned mischievously, winking. Riza felt herself redden instantly.
“Oh! Oh no no. We aren't together. He's just my father's student is all.” Riza tried to explain quickly, palms beginning to sweat. “He helps me with the groceries every Sunday.” She continued, begging for it to be enough to appease the Fruit Lady before Roy came over. This was humiliating.
“Really? You two seem to get chummier every week I see you together. I thought for sure...” The older woman trailed off. “Well, maybe one day when you're older something will come of it.” She mused.
“I'd like to think so.” Riza found herself saying. Mrs Ayers perked up again, but then seemed to ignore Riza suddenly. Riza was afraid to turn around, knowing already that Roy had appeared.
“What are you two gabbing about so excitedly?” He asked, picking up a green apple and putting it in Riza's basket. He seemed fond of the green ones.
“Riza wanted to make an apple pie this week. She was wondering which apples were best for it.” Mrs Ayers lied coolly, shooting a sly smile to Riza, who was eternally grateful for the reprieve.
“I love apple pie! I can't wait to try yours, Riza.” Roy beamed, moving on to the next vendor. Riza nodded her appreciation to Mrs Ayers and followed him.
Somewhere along the never-ending trail of market vendors, Riza got separated from Roy. She didn't think twice about it, as it tended to happen every time. It always seemed like everyone in town wanted to talk to the strapping young alchemy apprentice. He was something of a local celebrity. Finally she came to the end of her list for the week, flagging Roy down to say she was going to head back to the house. He was surrounded by a few girls from her school and she didn't want to pull him away just to walk back with her.
Halfway back from the market she heard footsteps approaching. She turned, smiling as she spotted Roy jogging to catch up with her. She felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach and she tried to squash them before they threatened to fly right out.
“Flowers? That's a first. Who was it? Jaina?” Riza tried to play off any jealousy she may have felt about Roy getting flowers from someone in town.
“They're, um, for you actually.” He mumbled bashfully, holding out the bouquet. Riza almost dropped her basket.
“M-me?” She whispered, unsure of what to do next.
“They reminded me of you so I thought you should have them.” He said, his voice shaking ever so slightly. Riza dropped her gaze, not wanting to make eye contact. She couldn't believe this was really happening. She felt him come closer, his hand brushing the hair out of her eyes. He gently plucked one of the blooms from it's stem and placed it behind her ear.
“That's better. You really bring out the radiance of it.” He said softly. Then grinned wide and set the bouquet on top of the groceries. “Race you back!” He took off down the dirt road, leaving Riza too stunned to even begin catching up.