Letters from Elizabeth

It was a cool and cloudy day when Colonel Roy Mustang was walking around Central City’s military headquarters during his lunch break. He’d stopped by the cafeteria minutes before, where most officials usually ate, but the one person he’d hoped to share the meal with hadn’t showed up. It’d been mostly like this for some weeks already, but he still insisted on checking the place everyday just in case he managed to spot her at one of the tables. Last time they met, she revealed the identity of the first homunculus to him right at this place, wisely speaking in a code only the two of them understood, knowing that anyone who tried to eavesdrop would never get a clue. He hadn’t seen her ever since.

There was hardly anyone else there he could talk to now, despite the building being crowded. All his subordinates, who were also his friends, had been reassigned to different cities by direct orders from King Bradley, the Führer of Amestris. The objective behind this change was to keep them all distanced enough so they wouldn’t be able to communicate with each other and plot any kind of rebellion against the brass. They were planning something evil that the Flame Alchemist hadn’t exactly figured out yet but had been working on for some time. There was, however, a very important obstacle that kept him from even trying to investigate on the matter. First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Mustang’s adjutant, bodyguard and most faithful subordinate, had been taken hostage by Bradley as an unmistakable warning for the Colonel. The irony was that she was free to her own will; she lived at her apartment and went to work everyday on normal routine. Nobody who talked to her could tell she was being monitored at every single moment. But she knew, and Roy knew, along with anyone who was close enough to both of them. As the country’s leader’s personal assistant, they’d found a way to keep Mustang exactly where they wanted him: in sight, but away from their plans. He wouldn’t dare do anything that could disturb the higher-ups when she was under vigilance of the two most powerful homunculi. He could still see her or call her, but with the knowledge that everything they said and did would be heard and watched. There was no privacy. They couldn’t plan together a way out of this situation, being their only alternative to wait until everything was over, even if they still didn’t know how long that would take.

Guilt was slowly consuming Roy as he blamed himself for what Riza had been put through. He couldn’t stand the fact that she was still physically near him, working under the same roof, and yet virtually unreachable. Also, he missed her terribly, he realized. What with his big workplace being now occupied by a single person he felt miserably lonely. He told himself, maybe with one or two of his other subordinates around he wouldn’t miss her so much, but eventually all of his thoughts would go back to her, while writing documents, during breaks, before he fell asleep, first thing when he woke up. It was driving him mad just not getting to see her.

That Friday at noon he was looking for some quiet restaurant to eat at to avoid the racket of H.Q., when he walked by an old flower shop and decided to pay its employee a short visit. There was a girl in her early twenties with dark blond hair behind the counter saying goodbye to an old man carrying a potted plant.

“Hello, Vanessa. Looking good!” Roy said flashing her a smile.

“Roy! Oh, it’s great to see you! How’ve you been?”

“Pretty bored, really. And loaded with work.”

“Well, that’s not good. I thought you had someone to cheer you up. That pretty coworker I always find you with?”

“Yeah, well. She’s quite busy too these days so I barely get to see her.”

“Oh, too bad my new boyfriend is so jealous. I would totally go out with you.” She curled a strand of hair around her index finger. “And I have to say, you’re still a tiny bit cuter than he is.”

“Really, you’re not single anymore?” His hands landed on his chest as he made a fake pout. “Vanessa, you’re breaking my heart.”

“Oh, quit it. I’m not even your type.”

He chuckled. “So, any news from the Madame?”

“Not really, but I’ll tell her you said hello.”

“Alright, I’m on my lunch break right now so I should go get something before I starve.”

“Okay. Oh, wait! Hold on a second.” She rummaged through a mess of papers in a drawer as she explained, “Some of your girlfriends know you stop by this place every now and then and decided to use the shop as a post office or something.” She handed him an envelope, “There.”

“Well, aren’t you kind? Giving me a love letter from another woman.”

She laughed. “It’s not you I’m dating, hon. Not right now at least. I shouldn’t mind.”

“True that.” Roy looked at the thin white object. It read To Roy Mustang in a feminine handwriting, but it lacked information of the sender. “Who’s it from, anyway?”

“I don’t know. I just found it here. But let’s check it out.”

“What? You’re not reading my mail. This will at least entertain me later at the office.”

She crossed her arms. “Fine. Guess I’ll see you later, then.”

He waved her goodbye. “Take care.”

Later that day, Roy relaxed in his comfortable seat with a cup of black coffee on his wooden desk. There was a stack of paperwork on the left waiting to be done, but despite his boredom, or maybe because of it, he’d been working efficiently all week and knew they would be finished before due date. Hawkeye would be shocked if she knew. In front of him there were other desks which were smaller than his, with some chairs around them, but they hadn’t been given use in many days now. The room was a complete contrast of what it used to be, filled with jokes and laughs and constant chatter; people getting in and out until it was time to call it a day. He wished in silence for those times to return, though had he said anything aloud, it wouldn’t have mattered in the quiet of the empty office.

He took the yet mysterious envelope from his pocket and gave the words in black ink a second look. The handwriting was actually familiar. He was used to receiving gifts and invitations from women ever since he came back from the war. He gained fame among the city as the Hero of Ishval, as if that hypocrite title actually meant anything good. He hated it, but eventually learned to live with it. He wasn’t a womanizer and disliked those who took advantage from a wrongly earned popularity, but he enjoyed the attention and was never one to say no to a beautiful girl. Who was he to reject them, anyway? Finally, he opened the letter in his hand and started to read, thinking he wouldn’t get even the slightest surprise.

Dear Roy,

It’s been almost a month since I last saw you. I hope you’re doing fine. You must be so busy now that I heard all your subordinates were reassigned. That’s too bad, now you won’t have time at all to see me. At least that scary lieutenant of yours who was always around won’t bother you for a while. Anyway, I’m writing just so you know I’m alright, because I know you may be wondering. We’re having lots of work here at the flower shop so at least I keep my mind off of worries most of the time. My new boss is a little too strict and rigid but otherwise he doesn’t treat me bad at all. Over tea he mentioned holding a weak spot in his heart for his wife, and I thought it was sweet of him to trust me with that. His kid is kind of a freak, though. I don’t like him very much. I’m giving my best here so things are pretty smooth. If I don’t get to see you soon I’ll write again to let you know how I’m doing. Also, Jacqueline is still at the hospital because of that ugly accident she had, so I suggest you visit her more often. Be a good guy and work hard so we can meet again, will you?

Love,

Elizabeth

Roy pondered the words for some seconds until he burst out laughing. Oh, he definitely knew this woman, yes. “How smart,” he muttered. Elizabeth didn’t work at the flower shop really, it was a code. Everything was. He skimmed the letter a second time to fully absorb its content. So she’s fine, which was a great relief for him. The boss and his son were, Roy knew, King and Selim Bradley. She may have found a weakness in Wrath but he still didn’t know how that detail could be helpful. And even when she wasn’t around she managed to remind him that he had work to do; something that usually bothered him in the past, but would now result actually pleasant. He breathed deeply in content, and the grin on his face lasted for the rest of the day.

There was a soft but soundless wind outside, playing with the first fallen leaves of autumn. Some clashed against the window of Jean Havoc’s hospital room. He was reading the newspaper when he heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” he yelled, and saw Colonel Mustang enter the room. “Chief! Now this is a surprise.”

Roy sat next to the bed. “Why would it be, Havoc? You think I’d forget about my subordinates that easily?”

“I thought maybe you’d died under a pile of papers. Even Breda called me once a week.”

“He did? How is he?”

“Not bad, actually. He adapted pretty fast. Says they don’t laugh that much at his jokes, though, and can’t wait to come back.”

“Yeah, I guess we all agree to that, I want all of you back.” Havoc pursed his lips. “How’s your healing?”

“Slow… they should release me, already. I don’t even have hope myself to ever walk again.”

“Don’t say that. When I reach the top, I’ll need your ninja skills when we go fishing again, so I’m counting on you, you hear me?”

“Fine,” he murmured, taking a cigarette box from the bedside table.

A redhead woman with a nurse’s cap stuck her head out from behind the door. “Mr. Havoc, I’ll come in a few minutes with the syringe, please be ready,” she said before closing the door again.

The Second Lieutenant dropped the box next to the lamp in the same condition he’d grabbed it. “Damn.”

“Did I come at a bad moment?”

“No, it happens all the time. I hate those things.”

“She’s cute, though,” Roy smirked.

“Don’t you dare. Get your own nurse.” The Colonel laughed. “Speaking of, are you seeing Hawkeye?”

“I haven’t seen her in weeks, no. Elizabeth, on the other hand… she’s contacted me.”

Havoc raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what does she say?”

“Basically, as long as she keeps playing submissive secretary she’ll be fine.”

“Well, sounds like she’s taking it easy.”

“She also reminded me of visiting Jacqueline, so…” he rolled his eyes.

Jean chuckled. “Then tell Elizabeth that Jacqueline says thank you and she can visit anytime too.”

“That’s the problem. I can’t talk to her without being supervised, you know.”

“I don’t really see what’s so bad about it. As long as you don’t mention work or other important matters, you can still have a simple talk with her, can’t you?”

“I suppose.”

“At least let her know you’re still alive. I bet she could even decipher smoke signals if you so much as tried.”

The Colonel sighed. “Probably.”

Black Hayate scratched the door in reaction to the doorbell before Riza could even ask him to stay quiet. “Who is it?” she asked cautiously before opening. She wasn’t expecting anyone.

“Special delivery, Miss,” she heard from the other side. She frowned but finally unlocked the door to receive the shipment. She blinked in confusion as she saw a teenage boy standing in the doorway; he was holding a cardboard box which contained a white vase with a bunch of pink carnations. A dozen, she counted.

“Flowers? How strange.” A little card was hidden among them. When she stepped back into her apartment, she read it to herself. I remembered you didn’t have a vase so I just decided to send the whole thing. Hope you like them. Roy Mustang. She smiled at the gift. She hadn’t thought she’d get any response from him, but she was glad he acknowledged her discreet method of contact. She hoped they could keep communication flowing for as long as possible, so she wouldn’t have to walk unnecessarily by his office door daily for a lucky chance of crossing paths with him. She wasn’t too proud of this new childish need to see him that had grown in her, though. Logic was, if anything important happened to him at all, she would immediately know about it and be able to help him. It was still the same building they were working in, after all. She briefly wondered why not seeing the Colonel bothered her more than not seeing the rest of his team, but before she could come up with an answer something else caught her eye.

The card had on the upper left corner the small picture of a mistletoe tied with a red bow. It was the distinctive logo of Madame Christmas’ Flower Shop, the same place she had been to some days ago. There was no doubt about it. Her letter had reached its destination.

Chapter 2: Late Night Calls

Chapter Text

Dear Roy,

There’s a spicy sweet smell all over my apartment now, and every time I step into my kitchen, where I keep the flowers, I’m reminded of you. Thank you for the gift, they’re beautiful. But you shouldn’t have, though, given that I work at a flower shop and I’m surrounded by them. Curiously, the thorns seem almost bigger than the roses lately, but I’m always careful not to prick my hands.

I was taught the meaning of pink carnations, and I’m flattered. I haven’t forgotten you either, I do miss you. I saw you two nights ago leaving the military’s building and I was about to greet you, but some old man stopped you to tell you something and I didn’t want to disturb, so I kept driving home.

Jacqueline told me you visited her and I’m glad you did, she sounded very enthusiastic about it. But I’m worried about you now. When I saw you, you didn’t look as lively as you usually do. Is something other than having to work alone bothering you these days? You can always tell me, you know. I hope you’re not getting in trouble. Please keep your spirits up, bad moments are just that: moments. It will all be alright in the end.

Love,

Elizabeth

Roy read the letter with a melancholic smile. It was reassuring to know she worried about him and encouraged him to keep going. He was disappointed though, at the fact that they had crossed paths at some point but he hadn’t noticed. He would have liked to see her at least from afar. Seeing the Lieutenant and speaking to her had recently become a need for him, and simply knowing about her well-being wasn’t enough anymore.

He looked at the paper in his right hand, the left one supporting his chin on the armchair. So Elizabeth missed him; that was clear. But did Riza Hawkeye really miss him? Or were they just meaningless pretty words to confuse the reader in case the letter fell in the wrong hands? Maybe he shouldn’t try to read so much between lines for something he would never find, but he couldn’t help but wonder. Was Elizabeth completely an act or was she a part of Riza that she kept secretly to herself? He had invented the codename, but the attitude was her own creation. Elizabeth was carefree, flirty, sweet, fun. Not a soldier, or unreachable, and she liked him.

Hawkeye however, was strict, serious, intelligent, collected… real. The most faithful subordinate -friend- he had ever known, and a very attractive one at that. He smirked. He wondered if she would shoot him if she knew how far his fantasies about her went sometimes. They were getting even wilder now that she’d been distanced from him for the first time in years, as if not having her around had made him seek her more in his imagination.

He checked the clock. It wasn’t that late, she should still be awake. Maybe a harmless call would help calm the thoughts that were forming as consequence of his solitude. He dialed her number and waited impatiently. Four, five and then six times the phone rang, but she hadn’t picked up yet. He was about to hang the tube and try again a minute later, but as soon as he lowered it from his ear he heard a sound on the other end of the line.

“Hello?” she asked out of breath, but he didn’t give it a second thought. She had probably been busy and ran to the telephone as soon as she could.

“Good evening, Lieutenant,” he greeted amiably.

She gasped at the familiar voice. “Colonel! Is everything alright?” She hadn’t talked to him in a while. If he was calling this late in the evening maybe something had happened to him.

“Yeah, I just wanted to check on you. Are you still standing and breathing?”

She sighed with a smile. “As far as I can tell. Is there anything you need?”

“Not really, I was just bored and I wanted to talk to someone, if that’s fine with you. I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

“Yes, I’m sorry about that. I have been busy and haven’t had the time to even eat at the cafeteria anymore.”

“That’s what I thought. Have you had dinner tonight already?”

She raised an eyebrow at the curious question. “Not yet, but the chicken soup is almost ready.”

His hand rested on his stomach. “Hmm, soup; great for this cold weather. I’m freezing here, actually. I made myself a sandwich, though; I was too vague to cook. Do you think you can spare some soup for me?”

“I’m afraid it would go to waste before I get to see you, sir.”

“Oh. It’s been so long I’m beginning to forget what you look like.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll close my eyes and imagine you’re right here, as we talk.”

She blinked. “That’s… with all due respect, a little absurd, sir.”

“Don’t be mean, Lieutenant. I’m just killing time. You’re here, then. What are you wearing?”

“Sir?”

“I suppose you’re not in your uniform at this hour. So what are you wearing right now?” She didn’t answer right away, as if she were thinking what to say. “Lieutenant?”

“A towel…” she said finally. She didn’t feel like lying to him, even if it meant admitting she wasn’t decently dressed. She was rewarded by silence, and for a moment she thought the call had ended. “Colonel?”

“You mean… there’s nothing under it?”

“Colonel!” She heard him laugh, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. “I just came out of the shower, okay?”

“…You know, I could make so many jokes with just that bit of information but I’ll leave it at that. I respect you, Lieutenant.”

“Good.”

“You must look pretty hot in that towel, though.” He laughed louder.

She frowned, embarrassed. “Excuse me, sir, but are you inebriate?”

“I’ve had a few drinks, thank you very much. I think it’s an interesting coincidence, though.”

“What is?”

“I’m naked too.”

She shook her head disapprovingly. “That must be why you’re cold, sir.”

“Come on, Hawkeye! You’re not making this any fun. Don’t you have anything nice to say? Then at least tell me a story, sing me a song. Let me hear your voice, I have all night.”

She sighed in frustration, but felt a bit of pity for him too. His loneliness was palpable. “Alright, a poem.”

His head tilted back in interest. “Let’s hear it.”

“Roses are red, so is your blood…” she grinned, “…don’t mess with me, I have a gun.”

He chuckled. “Nice! You should write a book.”

“I will.”

“I’m still disappointed that you’re not playing along, though. I know you can be flirty on the phone when you want to.”

She laid a finger on her chin. “I don’t recall ever flirting with you on the phone or anywhere else for that matter, sir.”

“You don’t? And what about last time when I invited you to go fishing, huh?”

She gaped at his words. He wasn’t supposed to mention that! “Colonel, that wasn’t me!” she remarked loudly.

“Oh…” He scratched his head. “You’re right…” That was Elizabeth, not her. He wondered if he would ever hear her speak like that as Riza, as her real self. “I’m sorry.”

Her palm landed on her forehead, hiding her eyes behind it. “It’s alright. Were you confusing me with one of your girlfriends?” Somehow, she had to fix his mistake and pretend she really didn’t know what he was talking about. They were being heard, after all.

“Do I detect some jealousy in your voice, Lieutenant?” he teased.

“I think you should just get dressed and go to bed, Colonel.”

“I will if you come with me.”

She was tempted to retort with a smart comment, but decided it wouldn’t be appropriate, not with an audience at least. “Goodnight, Colonel.”

She hung up on him before she could say anything else and he noted in her tone the smile that had started to grow on her. Deep down, she felt sorry for him because she knew he was as lonely as she, lately. Of the two, he seemed to be taking it worse. She couldn’t wait for the time they could be free to reunite again. It was unfair, having to live at the enemy’s mercy. Not being able to speak freely on the phone either because it was tapped or she had a visitor lurking in the dark corners of every room she stepped in. And it was dangerous for him to call in that state of carelessness if he could accidentally slip an important piece of information to the enemy, like her being Elizabeth. They may be using the codename for simple communication now, but they had used it in the past for secret operations. And if anyone suspected them in the slightest, they could simply listen to the recorded calls made from H.Q. and recognize her voice; then everything would have been in vain. The brass simply could not know about it. She knew the letters were a safer way of communication. The wisest thing to do at the moment had been to finish the conversation.

Roy stared at the tube in his hand, which made a loud, irritating noise indicating the call had been interrupted. He pursed his lips and put down the object in its place. He felt like an idiot. He hadn’t drunk too much, just enough to be uninhibited to speak to her when there really was no topic to talk about, but it had backfired. He had unconsciously almost betrayed his own plans by a few words that escaped his mouth. And worse, had he really suggested Riza Hawkeye to join him in bed? What the hell was he thinking? He was thankful it had been a telephone talk; otherwise he would have died right there with a bullet between his eyes. Although… it wouldn’t have been that bad if she had actually said yes.

He picked up the transparent glass and looked at it upset; it still had some of his drink left. He walked to the kitchen and emptied its content in the sink. He knew it was his fault, though; not the alcohol’s.

He lay on his bed and analyzed the words they had exchanged. That woman was undoubtedly Lieutenant Hawkeye. Always professional, always well-behaved and respectful. It’s not that Elizabeth wasn’t as decent, but she was way spicier than Riza and would have made his night much more interesting. Then again, there still was that possibility of her being just another side to Riza; something he was very willing to find out. Anyhow, Elizabeth wasn’t available for phone calls anymore and he would have to do with the letters for now. He sighed. At least Riza deserved an apology for his impudence.

The following night, the Führer’s new personal assistant met for the second time the boy who had delivered the flowers some days ago. He was about to ring the bell to her apartment when she was just arriving from work. He held a small bouquet in his arms now, no boxes or vases around. She frowned. “Again?” She took the gift in her hands and looked curiously at the purple hyacinths. A little card read one simple line, I’m sorry. That was it; no more explanations, no signature. She didn’t have to guess, though. It was obvious. Roy had regretted speaking so boldly to her when he had never done such a thing before, no matter how many years they had known each other. She didn’t sincerely care about it; she’d actually enjoyed it although she would never tell, but she loved every second he had treated her last night, not as a friend, but as a woman.

This was not good, though. He shouldn’t be sending her gifts, it was a reckless attitude. What would the high commands of the military think? They would certainly find out about it as soon as Pride or anyone else observing her told them so. She bit her lip; it was already a lost cause now. The mistake had been made.

Not long after she had dinner, the telephone rang again and she thought she had seen a shadow move behind her. It scared her, but she was used to it by now, and knew it wouldn’t harm her. It was just a reminder of the secret she had to keep. Her hand shook for a second but she managed to calm down before picking up.

“Hello.”

“I’m sorry about last night,” was the first thing he said.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Good evening, Colonel.”

“Did you get them?”

She eyed the vase in the center of the table. The carnations had been replaced by a different variety. “Yes and thank you. But it’s unwise for an officer to send flowers to another. It goes against the military.”

“You’re not angry with me, are you?”

Her lips twisted into a half-smile. “No, but you should be careful with your words if you’re going to call me.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m sober now, I swear. I’m even fully dressed, too.”

“Well, that’s an improvement.”

“Heh… You know what’s a real improvement, Lieutenant? As soon as I arrive at Headquarters every morning, I start with my paperwork. I take one or two breaks a day and I just keep going at it. I barely do anything else in there; I’m not even socializing anymore.” He frowned. “Do you think I’m getting old?”

“No, I’d call it responsibility. I’m impressed, Colonel. Maybe having no subordinates was what you needed to take your work more seriously if they meant a distraction to you. I may even thank the Führer for it,” she joked.

“No, don’t be mean. I’m dying of isolation here.” She smiled sympathetically. “What’s a Colonel to do without subordinates, anyway? It’s ridiculous.”

“A Colonel should be capable of doing all his work by himself, either in the office or in the streets during moments of action.” He shook his head slowly, she sighed. “He should know, also, that when a person, subordinate or not, swears loyalty to him… even through hard times, he will never be completely alone.”

He basked in her words and felt a warm sensation within him. She had once promised to follow him into hell if he asked her to. And now, apart from each other and going through what would possibly be the most terrifying moment of their lives, she still stood by him. Maybe not physically, but in spirit, she was with him. And he was glad. “…We should meet.”

“Sir?”

“We should meet, Lieutenant. Or is a little interaction between old comrades too improper?”

“I don’t know about this…” it was a terrible idea, she thought. But she didn’t want to reject it right away; she needed him to at least know that. Every step she took was a step they watched. Was she going to defy the homunculus by going out with Roy as if nothing were happening? She looked behind her at the walls; she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but knew she wasn’t alone. It sounded too much as a risk.

“Listen, if this is about the rules, you shouldn’t worry about it. It will be just a friendly afternoon out in the open. I’d ask the whole team to come but they’re not in the city.”

She understood what he was doing. He was aware just as well that she would be followed, but he was supposed to know nothing on the matter. He mentioned the fraternization laws as if they were the only thing stopping them, so he wouldn’t raise suspicions.

“Alright, then. What do you have in mind?” If he wanted so much to see her, then they could at least try.

“You’re free on Sunday, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s settled. Come to the fair at noon, they’ve renovated it some weeks ago and I heard it’s not bad at all.”

“Okay, but-”

“If I don’t see you there before one p.m., I’ll just assume you were given much to work on and I’ll be heading back home, so make sure you’re on time, Lieutenant.”

If anyone wanted to prevent them from meeting, it would be easy to do so by keeping her busy with office work at the very last moment, and if that were the case she wouldn’t be able to notify him of her absence in time. She nodded. “I understand.”

He smiled, happy that he would finally see her after over a month. It wouldn’t be that long if he actually wanted to count the days, but it certainly felt like an eternity when he had always been used to having her right beside him through the years until she was suddenly ripped from him. He hadn’t been ready for it and he probably never would have. “Goodnight, Lieutenant.”

She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Too bad they were being spied on, she could definitely get used to these late night calls, his voice being the last thing she heard before going to sleep. “Goodnight, Colonel.”

Chapter 3: One Too Many

Chapter Text

Riza adjusted her gun in the thigh holster hidden under the knee-length skirt and took a small purse from the hook on the wall. A cerulean jacket on top of the white buttoned shirt should be enough for the afternoon temperature. Roy would be arriving soon at the fair and she didn’t want to be a minute late to have him worry over her. She was glad that despite her telephone being most certainly tapped and the brass being therefore aware of the meeting, they hadn’t stopped them so far, either by directly ordering her or Roy not to go, or by giving them extra work to keep them busy for days. However, she knew she would still have to be cautious and act as if the Führer himself were right behind her. She neared the table where her keys were lying and Black Hayate startled her when he began to bark almost furiously at the door before she could grab them. She looked at him wide-eyed, not knowing what the fuss was about. His barks only increased within seconds and she knew somebody was outside. If the normally quiet dog was behaving this way towards someone, it only meant one thing. That person represented a threat to her. She opened the door to understand what was going on, a hand ready to take her gun in case it were necessary. She froze in her place at the view though, and thought her heart had skipped a beat. In front of her stood a smiling, innocent-looking, black-haired little boy.

“Selim Bradley,” she uttered gravely. “Or should I call you something else?”
“Selim is fine,” he answered sweetly.
Black Hayate groaned at him and stood protectively before Riza. “Hayate, quiet,” she ordered, and he obeyed. She turned to the homunculus. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, both my parents are busy today and since I didn’t feel like staying with dad’s bodyguards I told them Lieutenant Hawkeye had kindly offered to look after me for the day,” he grinned so widely his eyes were barely visible.
“Really? I don’t remember having said anything of the sort.”
He blinked twice when he saw the purse she was carrying. “Were you going somewhere?”
She watched him impatiently, of course he knew. Had her day with the Colonel just been cancelled? “Yes, I was heading for the fair. Although I suppose now that will have to be suspended, am I right?”
“Oh, no, I don’t want to ruin your plans. And I love the fair; I haven’t been there in months.”
She raised her eyebrows. “So… you’re coming with me?”
“Of course, I have to stay with you.”
She studied his face. He hadn’t yet abandoned the childish act. “Why would you stay with me instead of watching from the shadows?” she asked boldly.
He tilted his head to one side, faking confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss Hawkeye,” he said softly; it creeped her out.
“This is how it’s going to be, then.” She locked the door, leaving Black Hayate inside. The dog whined sadly.
“Let’s go… Selim.”

The ride to the meeting spot was mostly silent. Every time Riza looked at the back seat through the rear mirror, she was rewarded by the smile of a child in short pants, a blazer and a tie. Soft features on his face and bright small eyes spoke of no signs of malice within him, but she knew better. The adoptive son of King Bradley was possibly the most dangerous homunculus of all; the same being who watched her every move and listened to her every word. Although this was the first time he was doing so in human form. She wasn’t sure which of his forms she preferred to have around, which one she felt less uncomfortable with.
While a mere child wasn’t normally a disturbing companion, he would bother her by rubbing his presence in her face, mocking her with every spoken word and every gesture that would remind her of the power he had over her; the fact that she was still a hostage and he was the one in charge. As a shadow, however scary it may be, at least she wouldn’t have to deal with his physical container. She only hoped that Roy wouldn’t give away his knowledge on the matter.

When they arrived, Selim took Riza’s hand tightly, surprising her. “I don’t want to get lost,” he told her.
The fair was crowded. There were many side stalls and food booths and at the far end of the passageway they could see some of the attractions. The boy dashed to the left dragging her with him. He seemed amazed by the variety of things being offered.
“Wow! This looks delicious!” he shouted over the chocolate-coated fruits.
The woman behind the stand smiled proudly. “Well, they certainly taste that way, too,” she said looking at Riza, expecting her to buy her home-made treats.
She blinked in confusion, then realized she was supposed to be responsible for the kid. Before she could utter any words though, he had already taken her somewhere else, leaving the woman disappointed.
“And look at that!” He pointed a finger at little rubber ducks in a water trough, a traditional infantile game which consisted on hooking one of the plastic toys in order to win a prize at random.
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you serious?”
“Miss Hawkeye, I’m-uh, can I call you Riza?”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m hungry, Miss Riza. Can you please buy me something to eat?”
She glared at him, then sighed. “Fine, let’s get you something,” she said turning around, but stopped mid-step.
Selim was confused and followed her sight to see what had stolen her attention. Not too far from them, Roy Mustang appeared in civil clothing, hands in his pockets, wandering around the place. The young boy’s face darkened. “Does he know?” he asked in a low, humorless voice for only Riza to hear.
“Know what?”
“Who I am.”
“Everybody knows you’re the Führer’s son, Selim.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
She eyed him from the side, a hint of a smirk threatening to show on her face. “Then I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She waved at Roy and he recognized her immediately even among other people, her figure and her beautiful long hair being unmistakable for him. He smiled widely and walked up to her, unaware of anything else.
“Lieutenant! I’m glad you could make it here, after all.”
“Well, it’s nice seeing you too, Colonel,” she smiled back, but quickly enough tilted her head to her right, indicating him she wasn’t alone.
Roy was taken aback by the child holding Riza’s hand, whose presence he hadn’t noticed before. It was no other than the person she had accused of being a homunculus.
“You are-”
“You’re the Flame Alchemist, aren’t you?!” the boy asked excitedly. His eyes were shining and his mouth was open enthusiastically.
“Yes, I’m Roy Mustang,” he answered coolly. “You’re Selim Bradley, right?”
“Yes, sir! I’m glad you heard about me, I’m a great admirer of yours!”
Roy looked at Riza for confirmation, but she seemed to ignore if it was true. “Really?” he asked the child.
“Of course! I’ve read every article about you and I think your alchemy is awesome! Besides, you’re a war hero!”
Roy tensed for a few seconds and Riza coughed to interrupt them. “Why don’t we go to find some place for lunch? Selim had just asked me for it and I’m beginning to feel a little hungry myself, too.”
Roy was still confused at the situation, it was the first time he ever spoke to the boy and he was acting as a normal person his age. There was nothing strange about him, nothing that would reveal his real identity. But the Colonel never doubted what the Lieutenant had told him, she had trusted him with this information and he was expected to pretend he had no idea about it. He wouldn’t fail her, especially not when both their lives could be in danger.
“Sure,” he agreed, and they started walking away from the stalls. “Is the Führer here too?”
“No, I had offered to take care of Selim for the day, so I brought him with me,” Riza answered, hating to partially lie to him. Roy didn’t quite believe that, though, but he couldn’t say it out loud.
“I see. So you’re a sharpshooter, a bodyguard, a flawless assistant, a babysitter and, let’s not forget, a poet. Is there anything that you can’t do, Lieutenant?”
“I don’t think so, sir.” She smirked and he chuckled.
Roy felt a tug on his pants. “Sir?”
He turned to the child. “What is it?”
“Can you show me how you do your flame alchemy? Please?” He blinked several times to convince Roy with his cuteness.
“I would, but I don’t think this is the place for it, kid. Maybe some other time.”
“Okay,” he said with a pout, which lasted about a minute.

They sat at a square wooden table inside a small restaurant. The brick walls were decorated with framed posters of movies. Cinemas were still relatively new and most of the films were coming from the east. Selim ordered fried fish fillets with chips and Roy and Riza chose vegetable quiche. They were enjoying their meals and every few minutes either one or both of the adults, who were facing each other, watched covertly the boy at her right and his left, respectively. He looked happy and very concentrated in his nourishment, so it didn’t seem like they would have to worry, for the moment at least. The three were silent and no one had attempted for a conversation yet. Of course, there wasn’t much that Mustang or Hawkeye would want to talk about in front of their mortal enemy, so he tried for a different approach.

Taking advantage of Pride’s momentarily distraction, he tapped softly Riza’s ankle with his boot to call her attention. She barely looked at him and took another bite, thinking his touch had simply meant he was fidgeting. He tapped her again, this time a little stronger. She focused her eyes on his, silently questioning him. He quickly checked Selim were still on his food, then smiled slightly at her; it was a sneaky smile only for her to read, as if he were secretly asking something of her. Three more consecutive faint pokes and she finally moved, raising her heel to push his foot away. He didn’t give up though; she had just given him what he wanted, a reaction. His boot nudged her lower leg playfully, and she noticed by now that he was smirking. She rolled her eyes, but kicked him twice lightly enough so the rest of her body wouldn’t follow her movements. He repeated the contact and in response she kicked his knee, to what he winced a little, and her head lifted in alarm at the child to her side, but Roy was quick enough to cover it by faking a cough. She smiled at him with a frown, and he felt her leg on his knee again; it wasn’t a poke or a push, just a delicate touch. His free limb hooked around the back of her knee and kept her captive against him. She pulled towards her chair but he didn’t let go. She raised an eyebrow at him, he grinned, and she wondered what in the world he thought he was doing. She tried again, but he just wasn’t willing to free her. She sighed and decided to finish her lunch without giving him much of a fight; if this was about all the communication they could have for the time being, then she wouldn’t complain.

“Can you pour me a glass of juice, please?” a high voice broke the silence.
“Yeah-”
“Sure,” she said, and she grabbed the jar at the same time the Colonel did.
He smiled at her, “I got it,” he told her, and she moved her hand away.
As Roy served the drink, Riza noticed Selim was looking over his shoulder at another table. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” he shook his head. “It’s just that those girls are staring at us.”
Both officers saw two young women speaking in hushed tones and stealing glances at them, they seemed to be talking about them. One of the women stood up, she was thin with curly black hair and a pronounced cleavage. She walked up to Roy with a blush evident in her cheeks.
“Excuse me, are you Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist?”
He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. “That’s what they say,” he answered with a deep voice. Riza bit her lip.
The girl made a squeaky noise and nodded to her friend. “I told you so,” she mouthed. “So, um, Mr. Mustang, my name is Jenny and I was wondering if-”
“He can’t perform alchemy in here, this is fire we’re talking about and there’s nothing here he could burn,” Hawkeye told her coldly.
“Oh, but that’s not what I was going to ask, Miss.” She turned to Roy and put a hand on his shoulder. “You see, I’m an actress and I’d like to invite you to my play tonight, Mr. Mustang. I could get you front row seats if you’d like. It’s not far from here,” she informed as she handed him a pamphlet.
“Thank you, Jenny. It sounds interesting, I bet you’re a wonderful actress.”
She laughed happily. “Oh, you’re so kind. Should I expect to see you later, then?” She put the tip of her index finger inside her mouth and Riza thought she’d never seen anything so disgusting.
“I’ll definitely try to be there,” he said winking at her, and Riza didn’t know why she felt so bothered by it, but she pulled back her leg swiftly enough so Roy couldn’t react in time to prevent it.
“Great! I’d love to talk to you again.” She looked at the girl waiting for her at the other table before turning back to Roy. “I’m sorry, I have to go, but I hope I get to see you tonight.”
“Alright, have a nice day.”
“You too. And by the way,” she crouched to speak at eye level with him, “you’re as handsome as I’ve heard,” she said huskily before retreating to her table. Roy chuckled to himself.
“Right to the point,” the blonde commented.
“She was very nice,” he said as he skimmed the pamphlet, then turned it around to see the back side and laughed out loud.
“What?”
“She gave me her number.”
“Are you going to call her?” Selim asked. “She really seemed to like you.”
“I don’t know, kid. She’s not the first to show any interest, I’m somewhat used to it.”
“Is there anyone in particular that you like?”
Roy put his elbow on the table and held his head in his palm, then observed the ceiling for a moment to think. Riza didn’t seem to care for the topic but she was no doubt listening.
“Actually, there’s this girl I’ve been talking to for a while now, but for one reason or another we are not managing to meet; it’s sad really. I keep getting letters from her, though.”
Those last words called Riza’s attention, but she considered it a mere coincidence.
“Well, if you like her you should tell her before someone else does,” the boy said.
He sighed. “The truth is she’s been taken by another man, that’s why I can’t see her or call her very often. But I have the feeling she doesn’t want him and I’m planning to get her back.” He stared at Riza, she looked back at him but didn’t utter a word. He smiled. “After all, Elizabeth’s a real beauty.”

Riza felt heat rush through her body from embarrassment. She quickly took her glass of water and hid her face behind it downing the liquid so they wouldn’t see her flushed cheeks. Roy couldn’t possibly be doing this to her, he should know better than to pester her with those idiotic jokes. Because, certainly, it was a joke. Even if he looked serious when he said he would get her back, referring to her being taken hostage by Bradley. Even if he took to heart the letters that said more about her real feelings than she could say aloud, however little she wrote because there were still many thoughts she hadn’t dared to come to terms with. And even if she believed he deemed her beautiful. Elizabeth didn’t exist, it was her. It had always been her. And knowing this, he really shouldn’t pretend he liked her that way, not to her face, not when in the bottom of her heart, she wanted the lie to be true. So it hurt because in the end, she knew, it had to be a joke.
It didn’t mean, however, that she wouldn’t play his game. If the Colonel was so entertained with this fantasy called Elizabeth, then the Lieutenant would make sure to give him precisely what he wanted.

“Tell me,” she said lowering her glass. “Exactly how do you plan on courting an unavailable woman?”
Roy gulped. “Well… Frankly I still have no clue about that. It’s getting difficult to reach her with this man around, but they have a quite complicated relationship and I’m confident she’d prefer to be with me.”
“Then, by all means, you should pursue her. There has to be a way to do so with him being none the wiser.”
Roy looked stunned at her. “Really? You, First Lieutenant Hawkeye, are supporting me in wooing a taken woman?”
“If the poor woman is into the likes of you, I don’t see the problem there,” she said before smirking.

Roy laughed loudly, had Riza just given him permission to court her? He would not miss this golden opportunity. It was something that would never have happened on a normal day at the office.

“Lunch was great! Thank you very much, Miss Riza,” Selim said. All of them had just finished their meal.
“It was nothing,” she answered and lifted her hand to call the waitress.
A lady approached them with a ticket and Roy took it. “It’s on me.”
“No, it’s okay, we can split the bill.” She picked the purse hanging on her chair.
“But we won’t.” He paid for the food and the waitress thanked him and left.
Riza smiled. “Thanks, Colonel.”
“So where are we going now? I can’t wait to have fun!” the boy exclaimed.
They got up from the table and walked to the exit. “Let’s see,” Roy said.

They left the restaurant and merged into the multitude to go over the place and choose what to do next. It wasn’t the kind of day Roy had expected to spend with Riza; unfortunately a third person had decided to join them and spoil their meeting. He regarded the two people to his side. In reality, it wasn’t that bad. He’d already known few words would be spoken, and despite Selim Bradley being with them, he was glad he’d finally seen Riza and would stay the rest of the afternoon in her company. It was worth having a homunculus around, he concluded, if it meant he could be close to her.

Chapter 4: Revelations

Chapter Text

The house of mirrors captured Selim’s attention as soon as he spotted the attraction. Riza didn’t think it would be much fun but Roy was interested in seeing how weird their images would result. They entered the place and realized it was bigger than it seemed from outside. It was like a round maze where they could take different paths which at one point or another joined each other again. The main allure of the attraction was that the walls were completely covered by mirrors that were distorted with different curves in the glass to give unusual reflections. It was a simple but effective way to keep people getting in for a good laugh.

The first mirror they encountered was meant to enlarge different parts of the body, depending on the height of the person stepping in front of them. Everybody’s feet looked giant, as did Selim’s head and Roy’s and Riza’s waists. Above that, the next rarity was how Riza’s eyes had in appearance grown about ten times her normal size.

“The eyes of the hawk have just garnered an entirely new meaning!” Roy said between giggles. “People have now another reason to be scared of them.”
“You’re one to talk. Your head looks like a hot air balloon.”
“I like to think I’m so smart my brain has taken an out-of-the-ordinary size,” he said mischievously as his fingers slid downwards on his chin.
“Too bad your newly acquired intelligence is not going to follow you out of this place.”
“Hey! Are you insinuating something, Lieutenant?”
“Not at all, sir,” she said before being distracted by a light laugh from behind them.
“It’s like I have two heads!”
The Colonel turned to Selim and indeed, his reflection was showing two heads growing out of his neck, making him look like a monster. A weirder one than he already was. “Great!” He kneeled next to the boy and tried out the sight of his own body from different angles. Riza smiled because she noticed he was really enjoying himself.
“Let’s take another passage,” she suggested.
Roy looked at her from the floor and his mouth fell open at the view. Selim followed his gaze and put a hand on his lips to prevent a guffaw from escaping him. “Lieutenant… you should be thankful Havoc is not around.”
“What do mean?” She watched the mirror and to her horror her chest had decided to swell enough to invade a third portion of the section they were in. She heard a whistle and noticed three teenage boys grinning at her from a corner. She turned around immediately and covered her upper body with her arms. “Let’s keep going,” she insisted, and walked past Roy and Selim turning left.
Ahead of her was now a different sort of mirrors, the reflected objects took spiral forms, resembling snail shells. That actually made her smile at the curious shape her body had taken. The spiral soon took other color combination as Selim stepped before her. “Cool!” he commented.
She walked away, not entertained by the idea of fusing her image with his as even a game. “Where’s the Colonel?”
Selim peered at the corner he had come from and shrugged. “He was right behind me. He must have taken a different way.”
She stared at the same direction but it didn’t seem like Roy would join them anytime soon. Already, he had gotten lost. She sighed. “Hmm, come on,” she said as they advanced further in the maze.
A girl about Selim’s age appeared across from them. She was jumping and waving her arms, laughing at herself. Riza took a quick peak at her side as she continued on and froze for an instant, then took a step back to the exact previous spot. Everything looked mostly normal, a piece of mirror that hadn’t apparently been altered, but something was definitely out of place. There was no multiplication of body parts, no funny twisting or exaggerated enlargement. There was only one change in her reflection, a bizarre one, because it didn’t actually look unnatural. She seemed pregnant; her belly having the size of probably seven or eight months in expectancy. Unconsciously a hand lay on her stomach; it was a very nice view, showing her a fantasy that could one day become a reality. She had never taken the time to ponder over motherhood; her duties and responsibilities being too important to consider them second place on her priority list.
Somebody screamed, her musings instantly forgotten as she turned to the source of the sound. The girl was stupefied as she watched the enormous black shadow with deadly eyes that had spread in the mirrors in front of her. Riza gasped in horror and ran towards her, knowing taking out her gun would not only be useless against this phenomenon but it would also scare the girl away from her. She escaped before Hawkeye reached her though, calling out for her mother. As soon as she disappeared from sight, so did the shadow, revealing behind it the tiny body of Pride rolling on the floor, laughing uncontrollably.
“And just what was that?!” she demanded angrily.
“That was so funny!” he explained, still laughing.
She sighed loudly and ran a hand through her hair, frustrated.
The kid stood up and regarded her; she was thoroughly bothered by the event. “Relax, Lieutenant Hawkeye. It’s not like I’m going to kill you.” She took a deep breath and started to walk in search of an exit, she didn’t want to be in there anymore. He followed her and smirked. “Not today at least.” She blinked as she took in that statement, but refrained from commenting on it.

Soon after turning two more corners of freaky mirror passages in awkward silence, they met Colonel Mustang again.
“Apparently I walked behind a reflection of Selim instead of the real him and ended up going through a different path,” he explained sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.
Riza showed him a little smile, distress finally leaving her completely. “Now that we’ve gathered, let’s get out and try something else, shall we?”
He nodded. “Sure.”

Once they were bathed again by the early afternoon sunlight they bought a cup of hot chocolate for Selim and coffee for the adults before marching towards the stalls. A group of children suddenly ran in front of Riza and she jumped backwards to dodge them, which accidentally made her bump into Roy’s arm and some drops of her coffee landed on his shirt collar. He gasped, she cringed, Selim held a laugh.

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry!” she told him quickly.
“It’s okay, just a little stain. It will come out,” he responded calmly, but she was already taking a handkerchief out of her purse. “What’s that for?”
She held the collar with her left hand and with her right one she rubbed carefully his clothing with the small piece of fabric. “It’s not much but it might help a little,” she said. The closeness made him notice exactly how shorter she was than him, if he wanted to he could stretch a little his neck and lay his chin on her head. It would be nice, he thought, as nice as the apple scent on her hair. “There,” she said, and raised her head to look at him, but he was also looking right at her and she froze for a moment at how dangerously close his face had come to hers. She snapped out of it, she blinked, he coughed, they kept walking.

They continued for a while but Riza halted as soon as she felt the person holding her hand had stayed behind. She turned to find his eyes fixed on a shooting game. “Want to give it a try?” she proposed.
“Yes, please,” he answered without looking at her.
They neared the stand and learned it consisted on shooting moving targets with a toy pistol. They paid for a round and Selim took the gun and aimed carefully at the targets, but in the end he just shot down six out of fifteen while he barely touched the others, if at all.
“That was so hard!” he complained disappointedly.
Roy patted his head slowly. “It’s okay, kid. You did great for a first time.”
He gazed at the shelf behind the man in charge of the game which was full of toys and dolls; prizes that motivated the players, right there waiting to be won. “Uh, can I try again? Please?”
“Go ahead,” Riza told him. She had accepted by now that the day would be all about Selim and not about the Colonel and her, as she had expected.
As they watched him struggle a second time with the targets, they heard a middle-aged woman calling not far from them “Young lady!” she said waving her hand at them. She was wearing a heavy long skirt that reached the floor, and her curly black hair was covered by a red bandana. “Young lady, come here,” she repeated to Hawkeye.
Riza’s eyebrow rose as she glanced at Roy for a moment who shrugged in response, then at Selim who was still in his game. She approached the woman with Roy close behind her.
“Yes?” she asked her.
“Good afternoon, young ones. I believe you may want to hear about your future.”
Her eyes grew wider in surprise. “My future?”
“Yes, I could tell you have worries from a mile away. I’ll gladly help you soothe them by letting you know what awaits you. You see, I’m an expert at reading a person’s destiny through their coffee grounds. Of course, for the prize of eight hundred cenz,” she said as she extended her hand.
“Ah, I’m sorry, I don’t think-”
“There you go,” Roy said as he gave the woman what she had asked for.
“What are you doing?” she asked him incredulously.
“I want to know. It might actually be of help.”
She considered it for a moment and extended her arm towards the woman. “Then be my guest.”
The Colonel handed the fortune-teller his empty plastic cup and she studied it carefully. “You’re an alchemist,” was her first observation. He nodded. She frowned and said, “And you’re feeling very lonely, I see. This is what stands out the most about your present.”
He shifted in his place, evading Riza’s glance. “Really?”
“About your past… heat.”
“Pardon me?”
“Great heat. You’ve been under a terrible, terrible weather, correct?”
“I’ve been to the desert,” he said with seriousness.
“That must be it. It wasn’t a pleasurable stay at all. Also… you have lost something very dear to you. A job, a house, a friend perhaps?”
His eyes grew wide at the unexpected reminder of his best friend’s death. How could this woman have known that?
“What about the future?” Riza asked. She still wasn’t convinced on the stranger’s abilities and didn’t like one bit how uncomfortable this was making Roy.
“Let’s see, let’s see,” she said turning the cup around to observe its other side. “There are lots of awful feelings here.”
He grimaced. “Awful?”
“Hate. A wish for vengeance. Possible madness,” she explained gravely.
Roy looked at Riza to find she was already staring at him, clear worry shown on her face. “Anything else?” the Lieutenant asked.
“Darkness,” she said softly, almost lamenting being the bearer of bad news. “You’ll be surrounded by darkness.”
He gulped, Riza shook her head and the woman lowered hers. “A dark place…” he said. “Maybe I’ll end up in jail? Or a cave? I don’t know, it sounds confusing.”
“Not a place, but darkness itself. That’s all I can see, there isn’t much more I can tell you now. I’m sorry it’s not the brightest of futures,” her lips twisted apologetically.
“How far ahead is this going to happen?” Riza asked.
She hesitated before answering. “I couldn’t say. Maybe a month, maybe a year.”
“Alright, listen,” she said. “This man is well-known around the city. He’s a high ranked officer in the military and it wouldn’t be a surprise if you knew his past and present by simply reading a newspaper. So how do we know you’re telling the truth?”
She wanted this to be a farce. She needed it to be. If it were true, then did it mean that she wouldn’t be able to protect him as she had promised? No, she would definitely not accept this ridiculous destiny.
“Give me your cup, lady. I’m not charging you.” Upon a small hesitation, Riza finally handed her the object.
She blinked as she studied it. “Oh, what an interesting contrast.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, as one of you is particularly lonely, the other actually has someone in their life they want to get rid of,” she told them as her eyes fell on Riza. “It’s as if this person is constantly with you, but is not really welcome.”
She gasped at the words, shocked by the truth they held. There was no way this woman could know about her situation, about Pride. “Hmm. Could be a coincidence,” she replied firmly.
The fortune-teller sighed. “Lady, it’s not my job to make you believe. I am simply an interpreter. If you don’t want to hear what’s coming for you, then…” she returned the cup to the female officer. “Thank you both for your time,” she said and turned to leave. “By the way,” she eyed Hawkeye again. “I’m sorry you burned in a fire.”
Riza frowned. “What fi-” she found an answer before she could finish asking. It hadn’t been a fire, it had been his flames. And no one, absolutely no one at all knew about it but him and her. She was beyond shocked.
Roy acted fast and took the cup she was holding on her other hand, the one he knew was Selim’s, and ran after the fortune-teller. The woman saw him with curiosity as he held her by the arm. “Please, what can you tell me about this person?” he asked pleadingly. She took the object quietly and observed it carefully before her eyes grew wide in fear. “What is- what is this?!” she demanded from him. “Whose cup is this?!” her hand started to shake and Roy sweated barely; so she could see the cup belonged to someone out of the ordinary, he understood. “Oh,” her features softened. “There was hot chocolate here, right?” He nodded, she laughed. “I see. I’m afraid it only works with coffee.” She returned the plastic cup. “Goodbye,” she said as she walked away and disappeared among the crowd.
The Colonel returned to where the First Lieutenant stood waiting. He easily noticed she was still thinking of the things they’d just heard. “Do you believe her?” he asked lowly.
“I don’t want to believe. She said you’ll be surrounded by darkness. I don’t know exactly what it means, but… I don’t want it to be true.”
He knitted his brow. “It’s not that it doesn’t worry me, of course, but… I’d rather not think about it, I guess. For all we know it could happen ten years from now.”
“Do you think she could be wrong?”
He shrugged. “She was right about everything else.”
“And she knew about the burn marks,” she whispered.
He knew that single fact was also disturbing her. “Hey, she could have mentioned something more important about you, but she didn’t see it.”
She flinched. “I highly doubt my coffee grounds would make a transmutation circle on their own.”
He laughed nervously. “Come on.”

They went back to the game stall to find Bradley’s son had just finished his second round and was sad about still not being good enough. He couldn’t shoot all the targets and therefore he hadn’t won any prize.
“Which one do you want?” Roy asked him.
“That one,” he pointed with his finger. “The stuffed bunny.”
The alchemist grinned at the boy. “Really? I’d thought you would want a train or an action figure.”
He shook his head. “It’s for my mother,” he said shyly.
“Oh, I see.” He glimpsed Riza who had listened to their exchange of words. She wasn’t smiling, she wasn’t even amused. “Well, kid, this is your lucky day.”
He stared at him confused. “Why?”
“Because Lieutenant Hawkeye here,” he lay a hand on her shoulder, “is one of the best shooters you will find in this country,” he explained with a tone of pride. “And she’ll get that bunny for you.”
She glared at Roy. “What-”
“Wow, are you serious?” he interrupted her.
She sighed. “Fine.”

She took the pistol and prepared for her turn to start. A funny yet bothersome music indicated the game was on. The targets moved fast and in irregular ways. Riza Hawkeye pulled the trigger fifteen times. 25 seconds later, the game was over.
The owner of the stall stared open-mouthed at her, and judging by Selim’s happy but silly expression, he had met his new idol.

“That was fantastic!” the boy yelled.
“I told you so,” Roy stated matter-of-factly.
“Thank you, I should have done better though.”
“No way! That is our new record, Miss!” the owner told her excitedly. “Congratulations. Are you going to take the bunny, then?”
“Yes, please,” she replied. He handed her the animal doll and she passed it to Selim.
“Thank you so much, Miss Riza,” he said and he took her hand again as they moved away from the stall. “I mean it, that was really cool.”
She regarded at him and thought he was actually being sincere. She nodded. “Thank you.”
“Do you think we can ride the big wheel next?” Roy asked her.
She smiled at the idea. “Why not?”
“Oh, great!” Selim said.

Walking towards the game, a man behind a tripod greeted them happily and only then they became aware that they had stepped right before a giant sign. It read I’ve been to Central Fair in the shape of a semi-circle and in various colors, resembling a rainbow.
“Hello, hello!” he said amiably. “You haven’t yet taken a picture of your visit.”
“A picture?” she asked.
“Yes, so you can always remember this day. It will be very quick. Just pose together exactly where you are and stay still,” he explained.
Riza was tempted to reject the offer. She definitely didn’t want to have a picture with Pride in it. The Colonel however, would be there too. She sighed; maybe someday they could be able to laugh at this picture. “Are you okay with it? Colonel? Selim?”
“Of course,” he said, and Selim nodded.
The officials stood under the sign and behind the child. The man started to count to three to indicate the instant he would take the photograph. “One.” Selim smiled, Hawkeye stared directly at the camera, and Mustang took a step closer to her. “Two.” Selim kept smiling, Hawkeye tried to look at least pleased with herself, Mustang’s upper arm pressed against hers. “Three.” The hand that appeared from behind her back and rested on her shoulder took her by surprise. They heard a click. “Wonderful! I bet it will make a great family portrait.”
Roy laughed and she blushed. “We’re not related at all,” she told him.
“Oh, well, you certainly look like it,” he said. “I’ll have it developed in an hour. Come back later to pick it up.”

Eventually, the three of them occupied one of the big wheel’s cabins, with Riza sitting next to Bradley’s son and Roy across from them. The sun was finally setting; the days were becoming shorter because of the arrival of the cold season. Selim gawked enthusiastically at the city, the way people and buildings seemed to get smaller and smaller fascinated him. The First Lieutenant focused on the sky, it had been a long time since she took the chance to watch a sunset; an impossible mixture of oranges and violets made a beautiful view she was glad she could witness. The Colonel also enjoyed the scenery, but it took him some minutes to realize he hadn’t yet set his eyes on anything outside the cabin. What he observed was right in front of him; the way the last rays of light gave a lovely bright to her hair, the way she squinted her eyes because the sun was kissing her face.
He shifted discretely at the realization but didn’t stop watching, so mesmerizing was her image. The movement alone however was enough to call her attention. She looked at him and blinked, wondering what was on his mind at the moment. He smiled softly and tilted his head to his left, she smiled back. He glanced at Selim then again at her, she followed his gaze and noticed the slight puffiness on his cheeks; he was finding the situation amusing. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed with a bigger smile; she agreed, this was definitely not the way they had expected to spend the day. The irony of babysitting their potential killer, she hardly believed anyone else had ever experienced anything similar. He chuckled softly; she looked away but couldn’t hide the smirk that was tugging at her lips. He chuckled a little harder, and his body started to shake as he tried to muffle the sounds. It was very unnatural of her, but his good humor was contagious, so she forced her eyes shut to avoid looking at him, or otherwise she would lose composure. He noticed her efforts, and he didn’t want to but she was too much, so he burst out laughing. She lost her battle for self-control and followed him.
The boy at her side observed with confusion the two adults that accompanied him. He was positive they hadn’t said a single word or done anything funny enough to have taken this sudden reaction. Were they plotting something against him? No, they wouldn’t be so stupid. Had they finally lost their minds? He looked at Riza and saw the single tear that was suspended on the corner of her eye. He couldn’t recall a time he had seen her this crazy since he started watching her from the shadows. He looked at Roy and saw how he had yet to get his eyes off of her since he started to laugh. Maybe humans liked to temporarily lose their sanity when in company? Whatever it was that struck them, he discovered something amazing. This feeling had viciously crept into his own body, surrendering him to the same horrible sound these people were making. It only served to make them laugh louder, though, and he decided it wasn’t too unpleasant after all. The ride finally ended and he had one thought on his mind: human emotions were the weirdest thing.

Night finally fell, and after watching a short dancing show in the street they wrapped up their meeting. They picked up the previously taken picture and decided Riza would keep it. Selim and her said goodbye to the Colonel once he walked them to her car, and his reflection remained on her rear mirror until she had to turn a corner. She smiled to herself and thought it hadn’t been really a bad day as she had anticipated. For many reasons, she still didn’t like Pride and never would, but she saw something in him that put him in a different light.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked with her eyes still on the road ahead.
“You’re not getting any information from me,” he said as he rolled playfully the stuffed bunny’s ears around his fingers.
“It’s not about that. You… you acted like a child all day. You talked like one, reacted like one, you have childish likes. Having fun at the expense of scaring someone else, like you did in the house of mirrors, is also a child thing.”
“Has it occurred to you that maybe it’s because I am a child?” he asked ironically.
She eyed him for a second before drawing her attention back to the street. “But you’re a homunculus.”
“And you’re a human, but you’re also a woman. I believe you act different than a man or a child towards many things.”
She paused, she understood that now. “So you really have the innocence of a child?” She wondered if the little unspoken connections she had earlier with the Colonel had gone unnoticed.
“I’m not sure there’s any of it left, I have lived longer than you ever will.”
“I see,” she said as she parked in front of his house. He was about to open his door, but she spoke again. “Selim, have you ever been merely a child, like King Bradley?”
“No,” he responded humorlessly. “And I’m proud of who I’ve always been.” They got out of the car. “Don’t underestimate me, Lieutenant Hawkeye. I’ll still be watching you, don’t do anything stupid.”
When they entered the front yard of the Fuhrer’s mansion, he ran away from her and landed in the arms of Mrs. Bradley, who stood happily at the main door of the house. He gave her the doll and she thanked him with a kiss to his cheek; he looked happy.

Inside her apartment, Riza pondered on the things she had learned that day. Pride didn’t understand completely the implicit exchanges that often happen between people. Roy Mustang needed her company more than he would ever tell. A terrible future in which he would feel utter hatred towards someone would come at some point, the simple idea of it paining her to the core. Possible madness, the fortune-teller had said. Possible was the key word. No way in hell would she allow him to fall for it, she would protect him. And then, darkness. What did it mean? Would he be locked up? Would he fall unconscious? She knew she should be strong and wait until the answer manifested itself, but she was afraid, she certainly was afraid of all the possible things that prediction could entail. Would Pride be involved in it? If that were the case, then she would do anything she could to keep him away from the Colonel, even if it meant keeping her distance as well. Searching inside her purse for her fountain pen, she found the picture they took together. Roy was grinning widely at the camera as he hugged her over her shoulders; she was looking at him with a surprised expression with her eyes bigger than usual, since his movement had been unexpected. She smirked as she saw Selim was so short he only reached her waist, and she couldn’t resist the temptation. She folded the picture in half, hiding Pride and leaving only Roy and her in the photograph. She put it in her wallet and finally grabbed her pen. She sat down and wrote him a letter.

Chapter 5: On the Radio

Chapter Text

Roy knew he should have expected something of the sort. Of course they wouldn’t be given any real freedom, and after thinking over the day at the fair, he couldn’t believe how things had gone from having a homunculus hearing every exchange of words he had with Hawkeye, to almost forgetting about the whole ordeal by actually spending a good time. Maybe that had been the trap. Maybe his behavior towards Selim was being tested to determine if he had gained any valuable information on his identity. So Riza was right; if they wanted to overcome King Bradley and survive the upcoming doom, they would have to work discreetly. Keeping publicly in touch simply meant for the enemy to stay alert, and what they certainly didn’t need at the moment was giving them more reasons to suspect… and even more reasons to believe she was the perfect hostage.

The bar was empty. It was fifteen minutes before opening time and there were yet no employees around except for its owner. He liked having some peaceful time to talk to the businesswoman before the noise of laughter and chatter from drunken men disturbed the quiet.

“She has a wide imagination,” she commented, her smirk showing how amused she was. With a hand adorned with multiple rings and red nail polish she returned the sheet of paper to him, pleased to be trusted with its written content.

Dear Roy,

I have spent a wonderful time with you the other day. You’ve proved yourself a gentleman once more and I greatly enjoyed every minute in your company. There is no doubt in my heart that I would have a joyous life by your side, contrary to the situation I’m currently in.
You’ll see, as much as I’d love to leave my fiancé, its way more complicated than that, something that is momentarily impossible. Therefore, I have decided to stop seeing you in secret in order to protect you. I don’t want to risk your welfare by selfishly bringing you to dangerous field. I understand you are the powerful (and very handsome) Flame Alchemist, but I am also aware that one bullet would be enough.
Please, do not call me, do not search for me. I’d rather wait until this is over than fearing us to be discovered by him or one of his people. It hurts me deeply, but it’s for the best. I hope it all ends soon so we can meet again and have another lovely date. I miss you already.

Love,
Elizabeth

“Does she mean it?” she asked, then took a long drag of her cigarette.
“Yes, it’s not safe and it’s best to keep some distance to prevent more unwanted attention.”
She slowly released the smoke from her mouth before answering. “No, I mean… does she mean all of it? Her calling you handsome and all that flirty stuff, it doesn’t sound like her at all.”
“What, you don’t think I’m handsome?” She raised an eyebrow and he sighed heavily. “She’s mocking me because of something I said earlier.”
“You should take her out more often, though. How long since the fair?”
“Almost two weeks.”
“You’ve given her more than enough time.”
He rolled his eyes. “You mean I’ve come here more often than you want me to.”
She smirked. “You’re smart, Roy-boy.” He took a sip from his glass and she frowned. “Are you sure you can drink already?”
“Yeah, I’m fully healed now.” He rested a hand on the left side of his stomach. “The scar isn’t going anywhere, but it doesn’t hurt or anything anymore.”
“Hmm. About the Bradley kid… I may have found something but I’m still on it.”
“He’s not human, I saw it myself. I will need the proof, though. My word alone doesn’t amount to much.”
“You came to the right person, then.”

They heard the door open and watched as a girl in a tight dress entered the place.
“Madame! You’re not going to believe what- Roy!” she said as soon as she saw him. She ran to him and embraced his arm tenderly.
“Hey, Madeline! How’s is it going?”
“Good. Are you staying for dinner?”
“No, I’ll be leaving soon.”
She huffed. “You always have to go.”
“Madeline, I believe you have at least some information for me,” Madame Christmas said as she raised an eyebrow at her.
“Oh, yes. That special mission of yours,” she said to Roy. “If things get too ugly I expect a one-way ticket to Xing.”
Roy grinned. “The only way to get to Xing is by camel, Maddie. I can get you one of those, if you want,” he said before they laughed.

Riza stepped out of the shower and observed her reflection in the mirror while she dried her body. As she rubbed the towel across her back, she pondered on how the secret she kept exclusively with Roy was now possibly known by the homunculi and anyone else working with them, what with Pride having access to every aspect of her life. She didn’t care that much about having lost her intimacy, but she lamented that the knowledge they shared wasn’t only theirs anymore, something of just the two of them. She noticed how tired she looked and wondered how long things would remain like this.
As she dressed with what she would wear to bed, her thoughts went back to the Colonel. She was thankful he hadn’t contacted her since she sent him that letter, but she was uncertain of how he may have taken her request. Had he simply accepted it or had he been counting the days as she had? She should be glad she actually had the opportunity to see him barely two weeks ago, but she was finding it harder to stay calmed and concentrated when she worried so much about him. Suddenly, she had the selfish desire to see him again. She wouldn’t, for she could never risk his safety; but hell, she wanted to.
Her telephone rang, and immediately she thought it might be him. Then she shook her head as she reached the table. It wouldn’t be him of course, since he had agreed to not contacting her; otherwise he would have called much sooner.

“Hello.”
“Good evening, Ma’am! We’re making a radio survey to learn more about our audience and we would like to make you some questions.” She blinked and held the laugh that threatened to escape her. It was a male twangy voice, one she had heard before, during a prank Roy and her made to the military to divert them from Scar and the Elric brothers.
She sat down and rested her head on her right hand, her elbow on the table, and smiled. Uncanny; he couldn’t have possibly heard her thoughts. “Alright.”
“May I ask your name first?”
She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Seriously? “My name is Riza.”
“Riza, then. For our first question, would you say you listen to the radio, option A, in the morning, B, in the afternoon, or C, at night?”
She thought for a moment. “I would say option C, after coming back from work.”
“Okay, second question. Do you listen mostly, option A, during the week, or option B, during weekends?”
She asked herself if this was as pointless as it seemed. “Option A.”
“Third question. Do you listen mostly to, option A, music broadcasts, or B, news broadcasts?”
“B.”
“Don’t you ever listen to music, Riza?”
“Not much, really.”
“Why not?
She hesitated. “Is that question included in the survey?”
“Of course, the more information we gather from the audience, the better.”
She sighed. “I lost the habit, I guess.”
“Well, that’s not good. You sound pretty young to not listen to some good music at least once in a while.”
“Are there any more questions?”
“Oh, of course. The last question is, what is your favorite song?”
She didn’t respond right away, she lay a finger on her mouth and took her time before answering, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I have one.”
She heard him groan. “Maybe one you could feel identified with, Riza?” he insisted. Again, there was a pause. He started to think she didn’t like it that he had called. He sighed. “It’s fine, you don’t have to-”
“Every Time We Say Goodbye.”
He took in some air, pleased to have at least one substantial answer. He quickly tried to remember the lyrics of it as he said, “I’ll take note of that, then. That is the end of the survey. Here at Radio Central we would like to thank you for your time and kindness, and we invite you to listen to our show… hold on...” She heard him rummaging through some papers before he continued. “By Request every Friday at eight.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I will.”
“Alright, then. Thanks again and have a good night.”
“Goodnight.”

The call was through, and as much as she was amused by his weird approach, Riza knew it hadn’t been just a pointless conversation. He actually wanted her to listen to the radio for some reason, and she would tune in next Friday to the show he had mentioned.

Roy couldn’t believe his eyes. How many times at noon had he taken a look at the cafeteria unsuccessfully before this day? He had almost forgotten Riza Hawkeye had to actually eat to stay alive, so surprised he was to see her there. Of course, it would have been too lucky to find her alone. She was sitting in front of another officer, apparently discussing some military matter. Deciding not to interrupt, he sat down quietly on the table behind the officer and a bit to the right so he could easily face her from a short distance. She noticed him right away, and let him know by setting her glance on him for a second, then paying attention back to her conversation. She didn’t ignore him though, not for one moment. She kept talking and writing down some notes, submerged in whatever it was she was doing, but she didn’t leave Roy out of the information being exchanged. While speaking, she made sure her eyes never left the other man’s, so the officer couldn’t pay attention to anything but her face. Holding his gaze, her right hand casually touched her left shoulder, rubbing it for a few seconds. It didn’t come unnoticed by Roy that her thumb was hidden on her palm and only four fingers were doing the work. It was easy for him: it meant four stars, and there was only one person with four stars on his uniform; the Führer.
The same hand then grabbed a pen and wrote something on her notebook; her left arm rested stretched out on the table, the hand almost making a fist except for her index and middle fingers which started to move one at a time, fingertips tapping the wood one before the other repetitively. It was the representation of a person walking, going somewhere.
Lastly, a single finger rested on her lower lip, pressing softly. Roy smirked but she was definitely not amused. She had insisted in the logical use of the chin as the southernmost part of the head to represent one of the cardinal points, the others being the forehead and the ears. But no; of course Roy would think a finger to the lips would look more attractive, and therefore, more distracting to whoever was paying attention to her.
The signals were very simple, childlike almost; easy to interpret. The quickest way to send a message when time was scarce or verbal communication was not possible, but the result was always effective. King Bradley would soon travel to the South, meaning possible less surveillance on them, a chance they shouldn’t miss.
Roy had expected for Riza to be available when her reunion with the other officer ended, but instead she got up and walked out of the cafeteria, sending only a sympathetic smile his way. Disappointed, Roy finished his meal and went back to work, telling himself that at least he got to see her after weeks of almost nothing.

Roy entered the shop and was immediately welcomed by its employee. She put the watering can she was holding on the floor and neared him.

“Hi, Roy! I was wondering when you’d show up.”
He smirked. “It’s nice to know people miss me after just two days of not seeing me.”
“Well, I knew you’d come back for your private mail thing, but I’m telling you the same as last time: no, we didn’t get any more letters.”
He raised his palms in front of him defensively. “Fine, fine. You can’t blame me for asking, though.”
Her hand rested on her hip. “Seriously, if anything arrived, I’d let you know,” Vanessa told him, then blinked, made a somewhat forced sigh and pressed a hand against her chest.
Roy frowned. “What is it?”
She waved her hand. “Oh, nothing.”
“Well, something is clearly bothering you.” He lowered his head to her level. “Is there any way I can help?”
She shook her head. “It’s just that… I broke up with my boyfriend.”
He raised an eyebrow. “…I see.”
“I wanted to go out with my friends this weekend to, you know, forget about him, but they’re all busy.”
Roy nodded and lay a hand on her shoulder confidently. “Well, you’re wrong about something. Not all of your friends are busy.”
She looked him in the eye. “You mean…”
“Just name a place and I’ll pick you up. It’s the least I can do for you.”
“Oh, Roy, you’re so kind!” she said as she hugged him.
He grinned. “It’s no problem, really.” He checked his pocket watch. “I’m sorry, I have to go back. See you this weekend, then. Be good.”
She laughed. “Of course.” She watched as he closed the door behind him and disappeared from view. She grabbed back the watering can and giggled to herself.

Riza petted Black Hayate on her couch as she quietly listened to music. The radio had been on for an hour now, a while earlier than Roy had asked of her, but she figured having dinner while hearing some nice tunes would help her relax a little too. At eight the show he had mentioned started. It was a music-by-request sort of program where the audience called and asked for specific songs. She wondered briefly if Roy would actually talk live on the radio. The dog nuzzled her hand while a catchy melody ended and the radio host asked who the next call was from.

“Good evening. My name is Roy,” the other voice said. Riza’s lips curved upwards and Hayate’s ears perked up as they heard it. It was somewhat funny that it was being broadcast on a national level, but she still expected him to give her certain coded information through this.
“Good evening, Roy. How’s life treating you?”
“Ah, well, I guess it could be worse,” he said humorously.
“That bad, huh? Well, a good piece of music may help lighten the mood, then. So tell me, what piece are you going to ask for tonight?”
“I want to request a song for a special lady. She must be listening right now.”

Riza’s eyebrows lifted at the curious remark. Had Roy asked someone else to tune in to the show or was he talking about her?

“And does this lady have a name?” the host asked.
“Of course. Her name’s Elizabeth.”

The blonde’s eyes grew big at the recognition that indeed, this was about her.

“Are you and Elizabeth seeing each other?”
“Oh, I’d wish,” Roy said, earning a soft laugh from Hawkeye he couldn’t hear. “You see, that’s exactly the problem. We’re having issues with staying in touch. That’s why I’m calling; so at least she knows I think of her.”

Riza’s cheeks took a slight pinkish tone. She knew she shouldn’t, but she felt a little embarrassed at his words. Was his call going to be of any practical use or was Roy just messing around?

“Oh, what a charmer you are,” the host said. “Alright, man. Name it and we’ll play it.”
“Every Time We Say Goodbye.”

Riza tried to hide her smile by biting her lower lip, even though the only one there besides her was her animal friend. She couldn’t believe he’d just asked the one song she had mentioned to him.

“Okay, Roy, anything else you’d like to say to her?”
There was a pause before he answered, “Just… thank you for holding on.”

Riza took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to call him. She wasn’t supposed to contact him, and he wasn’t supposed to be talking about her.

“Thanks for contacting us, Roy. Elizabeth, you’re one lucky girl. Here it goes.”

Soft piano notes created a gentle melody that was heard through the speaker. The tune was slow and very pleasing, and a female voice sang the lyrics.

Every time we say goodbye, I die a little,

She remembered the reason this song came to mind when Roy had called her earlier that week. Since their forced separation, it had only become harder to walk away from him every time she spotted him somewhere around the building.

Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little,

Even when he managed to make a phone call and she didn’t show the greatest enthusiasm, she still wished the conversation, however pointless, lasted a few more minutes.

Why the Gods above me, who must be in the know,
Think so little of me, they allow you to go.

To think she had expected the Colonel to give her some coded information through the radio. It ended being just the simple message that he kept her in mind.

When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it,

As much as she liked the song, it sounded a little corny when it came to him asking it for her. Unnecessary, really.

I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it,

Why would he go the extra mile and arrange for her to listen to a tune she already knew? Not that she would complain; it was still a very sweet gesture.

There's no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor,

And she would admit to him, if he ever asked, that every time she heard his voice or saw him safe, and every time he so much as acknowledged her, she felt reassured.

Every time we say goodbye.

There was a bridge in the song and Riza made herself more comfortable on the couch, laying her head on the armrest and allowing Black Hayate to jump on the furniture and land on her stomach. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the harmonious piece of music, barely wondering what the Flame Alchemist had in mind when he decided to surprise her with it, but she didn’t give much thought to it either.

When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it,
I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it,

It was a reminder that she wasn’t alone; that even in the distance, they were together.

There's no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor,

Maybe it was a little tacky, a little cheesy. But it made her feel cherished, appreciated.

Every time we say goodbye.

And the idiot Colonel had that way of pestering her that no matter how irritating it was, it always left a subtle smile on her face.

The night was fresh and the wind was harsh, but that didn’t seem to faze Vanessa. Her shiny miniskirt matched her shoes and even though Roy enjoyed her company, he wished he were somewhere other than by the gate of some suspicious warehouse in a lifeless alleyway.

“Are you sure this is the place?”
“Don’t worry. I know it doesn’t look very nice, but I’ve been here before.” She knocked animatedly three times on the metallic surface making a loud echo that resonated in the street and visibly unsettled Roy.
“Where are we, anyway?”
“It’s a clandestine club, it doesn’t have an official name and it changes locations every now and then so it isn’t raided.”
He blinked as he processed the information. “You do realize that you brought a military officer to a place full of drug dealers and prostitutes, right?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “No, no, no. You won’t be witness to any of that.”

A small square window on the top of the gate opened to reveal a pair of eyes looking straight at them.

“Password,” a gruff, deep voice said from inside.
“Chimera,” she answered securely. Roy raised an eyebrow at the word.

The gate was moved to one side and they were allowed entrance. The hall ahead was pitch dark, but the music could already be heard. Vanessa took Roy’s arm and walked carefully towards the sound, being that their only way to guide themselves to the dance floor.

“There’s only one rule you must remember here, Roy.”
“And that is…?”
“What you don’t see does not happen.”

They reached another door and opened it to step into the heart of the club. It was crowded and there was a band playing jazz on a corner. It didn’t seem to be any different than other nightclubs; people looked joyous and there were no quarrels or visible conflicts going on.

“So what do you mean by-”
“Oh, look! That’s my boyfriend over there!” she yelled pointing a finger at a boy in the distance.
He looked puzzled at her. “Didn’t you say you broke up with him?”
“Oh.” She giggled. “That was a tiny white lie, you see. But thanks for coming with me.” She walked away from Roy and shook her arm to call the other man’s attention.
“What-”
“Enjoy your date,” she said winking an eye at him, before running off.
“The hell…?”

Wasn’t he supposed to be there to cheer her up? Why would she bring him to such a place if she would leave him alone, anyway? Still confused and somewhat annoyed, he observed more carefully the scenario. Should he go home or should he try and have a good evening on his own? Maybe if he drank something first, he would actually feel like dancing with a girl or two. Vanessa was already in his boyfriend’s arms and Roy didn’t really mind; though if his personal situation were a little different, he would have already forgotten that it seemed he was only used for the car ride.
He walked to the bar counter and sat on a stool before asking for a glass of whisky and ice. He checked his pocket watch to see it was a quarter to eleven. He vaguely asked himself if Riza would already be asleep.
As he sipped his drink, he got sight of a woman with black, shoulder-length hair taking a seat next to him. Her long blue dress had a cut on the side that exposed her flesh when she sat cross-legged.

“Whatever he’s having,” she said to the bartender, a slight movement of the head indicating she referred to Roy, who had barely heard her voice due to the high volume of the music and ambient noise.
He chuckled. “So confident. What if my drink has poison?”
“Then I guess we’ll both die tonight, Roy.” He flinched surprised at the sound of his name. How did she know? He looked into her big coffee eyes and made a double take, before bursting out laughing at the recognition. “Is it that amusing?” she asked.
“I’m sorry. It’s just…” He extended an arm and held a few strands of her hair. “You look splendid this evening, Elizabeth.”

Author’s note: “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” was written and composed by Cole Porter, introduced in 1944 and covered by many artists ever since. I wanted to use a song that fitted more or less in the time period Fullmetal Alchemist is based on rather than a modern hit. I hope the use of a real life song wasn’t a disappointment.

Chapter 6: Light and Dark

Chapter Text

The bartender passed Roy’s new companion the drink she had asked for. She circled her fingers around the tumbler and stared at it for a moment before lifting it to her lips. Roy observed in amused fascination when she winced immediately after taking the first sip.

“You don’t like it,” he said almost mockingly.
She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. “I can handle it.” She drank some more from her beverage and lowered it to the bar.
He noticed there was almost the same amount of liquid in it than was originally served. “You don’t like it,” he stated again and slid the tumbler towards him.
“Excuse me-?”
“The finest wine for the lady, please,” he asked the man behind the bar. Her hand landed on her hip and she stared at him in disbelief, but he noticed also the little smile that graced her for a second. “So, Elizabeth…” he started, looking at her and testing if that would have to be the name he called her by for the time being; he wasn’t sure yet if they were really talking in private. She nodded in response. “I don’t see anyone escorting you. Did you come alone?”
“I was practically dragged here by a friend, but she disappeared among the crowd now. I suspect she planned to leave me as soon as we arrived.”
He snorted. “Well, isn’t it a curious coincidence that exactly the same happened to me?”
A little smirk tagged at her lips. She grabbed the glass of wine as soon as it was put before her on the wooden surface. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”
He smiled as she finally downed the alcohol with gusto. “You’re in a very good mood,” he noticed pleasantly.
“I’m only aware I haven’t been to a place this cheerful in a long time, is all.” She eyed the people on the dance floor longingly. How stimulating it was to be in an environment so different to the boring office, so festive.
Her noticeable predisposition quickly passed on to him, and he was so glad he’d come.
He finished his whisky as she finished her wine, and she asked for a second round since he still had her previously abandoned glass to take care of.
“What would your boyfriend think if he knew you’re having drinks with another man?”
She laughed softly and followed his lead. “Just don’t tell him you’ve seen me here and we’ll be fine. We don’t want to be punished for insubordination, after all.”
He raised his glass to the middle of the space between them. “Here’s to not being discovered with whatever we plan to do in the future.”
She happily clashed her glass against his. “I drink to that.”

The lights went out leaving them in absolute darkness, the music continued on. They heard cheering shouts from some of the attendants and what appeared to be the sound of running from others. Roy and Riza rapidly went from confused to alert, as they started to contemplate what could have caused the sudden disruption.

“What’s going on?” he asked aloud although he couldn’t see her.
“Relax, everything’s fine,” he heard from a man not far from him. The bartender, he realized. Riza had also brought her attention to him by now. “I see you’re new here,” he continued. “This is the allure of the party. Once or twice per hour the lights are turned off for a few minutes. People tend to be more confident and forward when they aren’t being seen. It will be over soon.”

Roy raised an eyebrow at the interesting information. Under these circumstances, the self-consciousness would normally diminish and the unexpected was more likely to happen. Illegal trades could be happening right now in front of him and he wouldn’t know. Unfaithful spouses could share a moment with their lovers without being caught. Perverts would have a blast. The fantasy of sex in a public place was a common turn on, and the possibility of going with it while staying unseen could represent an encouragement for some couples. He understood why the club was clandestine, and Vanessa’s earlier words finally made sense. What you don’t see does not happen.

It was easy for the Lieutenant to draw similar conclusions. The disaster, the chaos that could be taking place right there was horrible, but she wasn’t unnerved by it, instead seeing the chance she’d been waiting for. She knew Madame Christmas was involved in the surprise encounter with the Colonel, and judging by the rare choice of meeting point, and the trouble Madeline and Vanessa had gone through to bring them here, the woman had clearly taken special attention to the surveillance situation. She made a mental note of thanking the hostess bar’s owner next time she saw her. But for the moment, Riza closed her eyes and enjoyed the certainty that in the darkness she wouldn’t be spied on.

By the time the lights illuminated the place again, what little illumination was used in night clubs anyway, Roy was surprised to see Riza had already emptied her glass.

“Easy,” he told her, frowning in worry that she may be drinking a little too fast.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Give me a minute.”

As she waited patiently for the last of his liquor to disappear down his throat, she observed the room again. A young girl, probably barely overage, was clutching a handsome boy as if her dear life depended on it. They stood out among the rest because they weren’t dancing, just standing still as if lost in their own little world. Riza smiled at the scene.
Roy signaled with his index finger for the bartender to approach, but when he took his wallet she lowered his hand with hers. “You paid last time, let me invite you now.”
He hesitated for a moment but didn’t want to reject her offer. “Alright, thank you.”
As soon as Riza paid for the drinks, Roy stood up and elbowed her arm softly. “Care to join me for a dance?”
She grinned. “I’d love to.”

She hooked her arm around his and let him walk her to the center of the room. He held her by the hip while his left hand circled her right one. They had shared a few dances in the past during official galas and more rarely, friends’ or coworkers’ parties. But they had never danced together before in a place where nobody recognized them. Maybe some knew who Mustang was, but Hawkeye was undercover. And tonight, to everyone there, they were simply Roy and Elizabeth.

They moved to the rhythm of the music, which was rather quick and lively, but with as little movement as they could manage, for they weren’t there to make a show out of themselves, but to enjoy each other’s company. And she noticed after a few minutes, with a little shame, that he had yet to keep his eyes off of her. She was thankful that it was dark enough to hide the little blush that she was sure had crept to her cheeks. But this was her Colonel, though, and she was used to his presence; he was the person she was most comfortable around. She smiled widely at him, he responded the same way, and she felt such pleasant warmth within her, she wanted this moment to freeze and last forever.

Her hand moved from his shoulder to lie around his neck, bringing her closer, and his reaction was similar; his hand left the side of her hip to cover her waist completely in a tight embrace.

As they swayed he noticed with glee she was really enjoying herself, and wished he could see her like this more often; so seemingly relaxed, content, even dressed up since he hardly got any chances of seeing her in a dress. It accentuated her curves, showed a bit of cleavage and carefully covered the back of her neck with a classy bow.

“This is nice, isn’t it?” she interrupted his observations.
He nodded. “I should have taken you out to dance a long time ago.”
“Well, it would still have been difficult. It’s not exactly proper to invite a compromised woman, Roy.”
He laughed, knowing she was sticking to the character. “You weren’t one when I met you, and for a long time after that. It’s only my fault you were taken from me.”
“It’s not like it’s final, you know. Rescue me. Fight for me and I’ll clear the road ahead to help you go wherever you want to go.”
He blinked. “I’m really tempted right now to just abduct you and get the hell out of here.” She laughed. “Of course that would be a very selfish and irresponsible thing to do.”
“Maybe we can disappear for a little while once everything is over, when we take back some of our freedom.”

They understood they were talking about two different things at the time. While some phrases were mere flirting, they were also speaking about the situation with the homunculi and whatever their plan was.

Roy sighed. “It’s a shame we have to meet like this. Does it have to be a secret that a man wants to see a woman?”
“It does, when such meeting could imply breaking rules or defying threats.”

The room went dark for a second time. The blackness was so deep they couldn’t make out a single shape among the people surrounding them, but the complete absence of light equaled complete absence of shadows.

Riza stood on her tiptoes and pushed Roy’s head softly downwards to her level. He took an intake of air at the unexpected movement. He couldn’t see her, but they were already within each other’s arms, so it was easy for him to figure how close her face was to his. He gulped and raised his hand from her waist, barely grazing the length of her back, over the bow and reaching her nape, circling it with his fingers and finding the base of her wig.

“Colonel!” she whispered hurriedly into his ear.
He froze. Was he mistaken? “…Yes?”
“Pride hides in the shadows. I’m positive there’s nobody hearing us right now.”
He frowned in confusion. “What?” He was very conscious that a small turn of his skull at his question pressed his cheek against hers, and wondered if she noticed it too.
“The homunculus, Pride. I’m fairly certain he didn’t follow me all the way here, but we can’t be too confident either. He needs light to be on the move. If he’s in a dark place like this one he can’t use any shadows to transport or attack, and he’s forced to stay inside his recipient body.”
“You mean the child?”
“Right.”
“…I see.”
She changed position and rested her head on his shoulder, still holding him down. “That’s why I’m taking extra precautions. Please don’t call me by my name or rank when the lights are on. I’m supposed to be somewhere else.”
“I understand... So when’s the Führer traveling south?”
“In two weeks, to check the progress of the war with Aerugo. Things are going slower than expected, it seems.”
“Strange, considering it’s a hellhole according to Fuery.”
She sighed. “I hope he’s alright.”
“I’m sure he is,” he said reassuringly.
She nodded. “…You know, I had no idea I’d be coming, much less meet you here until a couple of hours ago. I’m glad I did, though. I take it you’re familiar with a girl called Madeline?”
“Ah…” He nodded as he understood. “So it was their idea.”
“She called me and talked as if we had already arranged to go out. She mentioned Madame Christmas, that’s how I knew I could trust her. Then she picked me up.”
“And I suppose she brought you here with hardly any explanations. I’m sorry about that.”
She smiled. “It’s okay.” She felt the smooth sliding of something-his hand, she could tell-through her fake hair from roots to tips.
“And what’s with the strange make over?”
She chuckled. “You’ll see…”

As soon as they walked through the entrance of the club, Riza and Madeline found themselves in a lightless hall, having no clue how to continue to the heart of the building other than by following the music.
“Okay, this is where we part,” Madeline announced.
“What?” Riza asked surprised. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, but you’re not going to be left alone, I promise. Just give me back my coat, please.”
Riza took off the garment in the darkness and held it in the air until the other woman grabbed it, then heard the rustle of the fabric as the brown-haired wore it on. She flinched as something hairy unexpectedly touched her face.
“What are you doing?!” she demanded.
“Uh, sorry. I was aiming for your head.”
She took the object from Madeline’s hands. “What is this? A wig?”
“Exactly that. Put it on, and you won’t be recognized. I’m going to use one similar to your own pretty hair and walk away as if I were you. If anyone followed us up to the gate, they’ll think you left as soon as you entered; I’ll divert attention from you.”
Riza listened carefully to the plan and decided it was good enough. She put on the wig and adjusted her bangs beneath it. Madeline did the same. Riza thanked her for her troubles and they said goodbye before walking in different directions.
She entered the main room to watch a huge amount of people getting down on a dance floor. She half smiled as she wondered who exactly she was supposed to meet. She walked by a wall until she spotted the bar. There, on a stool and with his back against her, she recognized her Colonel.

Roy snickered as she told him what had happened. If by any chance Pride had decided to follow her, even if she apparently only went out with a friend, then they had most probably at least managed to make him lose sight of her. And in the end, if he had indeed tracked them all the way to the club, it would be impossible for him to either get inside as a minor, or sneak in as a shadow and hear whatever Riza would say without any lights to support him.
Maybe the whole ordeal had been in vain, and Selim Bradley was sleeping peacefully in his bed, but they couldn’t take any risks. Not to mention, if anyone there could recognize Mustang, they could likely recognize Hawkeye as well, since they always worked and traveled together; so she would stay undercover and keep the wig for the rest of the night. Just in case.

He abruptly broke away from her. “What the hell?!” he screamed.
Riza held his arms firmly. “What is it?” she asked with worry.
He hesitated before answering. “…Somebody groped me.” A few seconds of silence later, she burst out laughing like she had lost her mind. The sound was alien to his ears but it was amazing. A bit exaggerated, too. “Oh, please. It’s not that funny.”
“I’m sorry,” she managed to say still between giggles.
“Why? Was it you?” he asked jokingly.
She slit her eyes. “Oh, you wish.” When they calmed down, she continued. “So, are there any important news you haven’t told me yet?”
“Yeah, actually-”

He squinted as a flash assaulted his eyes. The moment of darkness was over and he was right at the end of a ray of light from a reflector above.

“Later,” he told her, an apologetic smile lamenting they had run out of time.
She released his arms and shrugged. “I feel like having another drink. How about you?”
“Sure.”

She took his hand and directed him through a maze of people towards the bar. They ordered the same beverages as before and sat on a nearby couch on a corner. Roy was to her left and found himself dumbstruck watching her face as she enjoyed her wine. Her eyes were closed; the glass delicately touched her lips as she took a sip. She savored the liquid in her mouth for a few seconds before swallowing; then discreetly licked her lips. He noticed it though, as much as he noticed the mild but pulsating pang of excitement that struck his lower body. She opened her eyes and he saw they were shining, and she smiled so widely he considered telling her she should stop drinking. But she seemed so content, and was having such a good time, and her lips were wet. She looked delicious.

Riza put the glass on the coffee table before them and turned to Roy, her legs crossed and her knees pointing towards him, making the cut on the side of her dress to stretch and allow him a generous view of her thighs. He gulped for the second time that night.

“By the way, I heard that song on the radio.”
“…Oh.” He grinned nervously. “I wondered if you had actually heard it. I just wanted to reach out to you, make sure you knew I keep you in mind.”
“You’ve been doing that for a while, now. Believe me, I got the message.”
He snorted. “Sorry, I’m not going to lie. It’s just I miss the old days badly.”
She smiled comprehensively and snuggled comfortably on the furniture piece, resting her head on his shoulder and coiling her right arm around his bicep. “I know.”

It wasn’t often she behaved like this, but he knew better than to question it. Instead, he just drank more of his whisky.

“Really, a song wasn’t necessary. But it was so kind of you. You’re very sweet, Roy.” She squeezed softly his arm muscles and he flinched. She raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter?”

He hesitated for a moment, considering she may not actually be acting under the influence of alcohol, but rather pretending to be someone else, like she had done many times before. He knew she liked dropping the no-nonsense attitude every now and then when out of duty; and he liked it when she did, too.

He shook his head. “Nothing, Elizabeth.” She separated her arm from him to grab the glass from the table, but her questioning eyes didn’t leave his. He scanned the scene before them. “I was thinking… about a month ago, I was spending the day with my Lieutenant…” she smirked, “…and we met this weird woman who was supposedly a fortune-teller. She told me something about my future.” She nodded inciting him to continue. “The last thing she mentioned was, well, that she saw utter darkness surrounding me, and couldn’t see anything past that. To be frank, I didn’t want to think much into it back then, but I’ve been imagining the worst case-scenarios for what it meant.”
She looked at him soberly. She too had been scared about that. “And what do you think it is?”
He grinned. “Hopefully… this place.”
She frowned in disbelief. “Eh?”
“Yeah. I mean, here we are. Somewhere we’ve never heard of before, that gets so dark I couldn’t have told you were right in front of me if I hadn’t known. Maybe that was what the woman saw.”
She blinked, thinking through his words. Could that possibly be it? “But why would a club be so special that it would stand out to her?”
He frowned. “Maybe something’s about to happen. Or maybe that’s just the way fortune-tellers work. I thought for a moment I may go blind, but what chances are there of that happening, anyway?”
“Hn. Well, you’re certainly not going to die, if that’s what worried you the most. Your First Lieutenant would never allow it, I know.”
He smiled and reached out across her shoulder-blades to hold her against him. “She’s really something.”
“Just don’t be an idiot and get yourself killed while she’s not around.”
He laughed aloud. “I’ll try.”

He saw her raising her glass to her mouth but he interrupted her motion, encircling her arm with his left one. She raised an eyebrow but soon realized she could still sip her wine, just as much as he could his whisky, and they both drank down their beverages of choice with their arms linked and their views fixed on each other.
They emptied the glasses at the same time and left them on the small table. Roy took her hand and stood up.

“Come on, let’s dance some more.”

She nodded and followed him.

In the dance floor, their movements were quicker than before; less timid, more carefree. The band had long disappeared and the music came from a jukebox. More than once he made her spin, guiding her hip underneath his right arm, making her step out of the embrace without releasing her hand to complete the turn, then taking her back in the initial position. And every time, she came back with a smile that stunned his senses. He secretly prided himself in being one of the few, if not only, human beings who could make Riza smile for real, and suddenly he felt the urgent need to make that ability a constant one, a permanent one.
Such wonderful woman with such big burdens, all that stress and worry, the tragedies and the horrors. He’d always felt responsible for that, even if she wouldn’t agree. But now he wanted to be responsible for something else, the opposite to everything that caused her any distress: her happiness. And also, although maybe a little selfish, he wanted to be the only one at that.
He smiled tenderly as he guided her, backwards, forwards, to one side and around. Her dress was tight, but the cuts gave way when she spun and he caught sight of her legs for a short moment before drawing her close again. Only this time, instead of holding her waist, he held her hand, which he twirled in the air between their bodies and over her head until he turned her around, then stepped the tiny distance away from behind her and leaned her back firm against his chest, covering her arms with his around her abdomen. He rocked her softly in his embrace, right and left and again, their feet steady on the floor.

“Have I told you already how beautiful you look tonight?”
Her eyes grew big and she lowered her head with a bit of embarrassment. “I think you mentioned it when we met by the bar.”
“But I mean it. We should find excuses to get you into dresses more often. I’d like you better as a blonde, though.” She chuckled, which shook her body a little and sent Roy, whose chin was resting on one of her shoulders, a shiver down his spine.
“Should I be jealous of the blonde women surrounding us, then?”
“Not at all. I only have eyes for you, Elizabeth.” He didn’t mentally blame her when she bit her lower lip. It did sound as typical cheap flirting, even if he was saying the truth.
She believed him, though. As a keen sniper and bodyguard she easily took in every detail in her reach, and Roy hadn’t set his view on any other woman since she met him earlier. “And what about your blonde Lieutenant?”
“No way! I’d rather date an elder woman than Havoc.”
She laughed lively. “I’m happy to be here, Roy.”
He grinned. “You mean, here in the club, or…” He gave her a small squeeze. “…here?”
“You’re impossible. Don’t give yourself so much credit.”
“What, are you going to scold me now? I have Hawkeye for that, you know?”
She looked at him in disbelief. “Well, it’s a good thing for you that I’m not her, then.”
“You’re right.” He smirked. “Since you’re not her, and considering all those letters you sent me, Elizabeth, I suppose you won’t mind if I do this.”
“Do wh-” He pressed his lips on her neck, softly, and heard her gasp.

She was certain she had gone pale, though nothing mattered but the aching heat caused by Roy’s gentle touch to her skin, spreading through her entire body and making her numb. He still lingered there, unmoving, and when he finally broke the contact, she breathed in deeply, relieved; but he immediately returned to her neck, only an inch or so lower, and she discovered she was glad he did.

“Roy…” she uttered weakly, with difficulty. Then everything went black, and she thought for a moment she was passing out, until reality sank in and she realized it was just the lights.
“Hm?” The hum of his voice sounded too close to her ear, alarmingly appealing.
She needed to get a hold of herself, and quick. “What was it… what you hadn’t told me yet… Colonel?”
Hearing his rank sobered him up. There was a pause as he struggled to get thoughts in coherent order. “Briggs.” A shorter pause before he said, “Major General Armstrong.”
She turned around to face him, but his arms refused to abandon their position and now held her lower back. “Yes?”
“They’re on our side. They’ll fight with us.” He tightened his grasp on her and pulled her against him.
“Oh. Finally some good news.” Her hands, which had been uncomfortably trapped between their torsos, rose to his upper arms. “Their flawless defense is going to be crucial.” He didn’t answer anymore.
Unseeing, he lowered his head and his chin found her temple. Without breaking the contact, he buried his face in the brunette locks of the wig. Funny how she still smelled of apples with her hair hidden underneath it.
She closed her eyes, for what use was it to keep them open in the dark? She noticed vaguely they weren’t moving anymore; just standing. He breathed on her jaw and unintentionally created a tingling sensation within her. Her head was screaming at her to run, telling her whatever was going on should stop immediately, that it was plain wrong. But the music was too loud for her to listen, and something powerful was keeping her in place.
Her hands slipped up his shoulders and her fingers intertwined at the base of his nape. He was already bent at her level so she didn’t push down. His nose slid across her cheek until reaching her own, and she knew his mouth was hovering over hers. He gave her time; the chance to prevent a mistake she could later regret. But it was too late for regrets, so she threw back a bit her head, barely enough to fill the space between them and graze his mouth, letting him know what she wanted. His right hand cupped her jaw and his thumb stroked her cheek, the left one held her firmly pressing on the spot where he knew was the main part of her tattoo; the circle also embroidered in his gloves.
They were hesitant as they were eager, but they had waited long enough, and a decision was taken. His lips descended upon hers, delicately, innocently, almost painfully. Her knees failed her and she wished he hadn’t noticed, but she held him closer for support and accidentally, or maybe not so, urged him to deepen the contact. He parted his lips to capture hers, and she responded the same way. He tasted of the same whisky she had left behind before, but somehow she liked the flavor now, and wanted to savor it from his mouth the entire night. It ached when he released her-she physically needed him now-; so as soon as he did it she took him back with her, to soothe her pain.
Roy was heated up and excited as he learned how loving and sweet and intoxicating was the sensation of Riza Hawkeye’s affections. It wasn’t just the wine from her mouth, or the way her fingers tangled in his hair, or even the fact that she was welcoming his caresses. It was her, all of her, that he adored. And it was there and then he realized he loved this woman. It didn’t strike him as a big surprise, the feeling had been deep inside him for a very long time it seemed, so he simply accepted it, and honored it. He kissed her. She was water and he was thirsty and he just kept kissing her. He felt her smile through his lips and he was overwhelmed, for he was the reason behind it. If kissing her earned this reaction from her, if it gave her even the slightest moment of happiness, then he would gladly repeat the gesture a thousand times; then a thousand more.
They broke away for air, but they breathed in together, foreheads touching, arms still wrapped around each other. He gave her a peck on the cheek, straightened up and gently pressed her head on his chest. Riza opened her eyes, saw people dancing, wondered when exactly the lights had been turned on. She watched a young girl, the same one who had previously hugged with all of her strength the man who was now twirling her in the air. She didn’t give much thought to it, though. She heard Roy’s heartbeat, quick and strong, comforting. She closed her eyes.

Time passed; Roy wasn’t sure how much. In order to prevent being shoved by the many people around them, he’d have to resume movement. He looked down at her and considered whether starting to dance again or taking a break. Both options required interrupting the quiet intimacy.

He took a long breath and cleared his throat before asking, “Do you want to sit down, Elizabeth?” She separated from him and blinked as if being reawakened. He felt a slight coldness after losing her physical contact. It took a while before she finally looked him in the eyes. It wasn’t the look he was expecting.
She frowned and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Something inside of him constricted painfully. “This isn’t right…” She turned aside. “I should go.”
“What?” he asked hurt. She was already walking away; he went after her. “Don’t!” he begged. “Elizabeth!” He was forced to slow down to dodge the people in the room. By the time he caught up with her, they were already outside.

Her expression was not so gentle anymore; she was more determined. “Stay, Roy. The night’s still young.”
He shook his head. “No. If you’re leaving then let me at least drive you home.”
She pursed her lips. “You can’t drive. You’ve drunk.”
“Well, my car’s around the corner and I feel sober enough. We’re not far.”
“Please, don’t. Have someone else take you back.”
“And how are you going to your apartment?”
“I’ll take a taxi.”
“Then let’s share one.”
She sighed, feeling guilty of leaving him like this. She approached him, so close he thought for a moment she had changed her mind. He motioned to hold her hands but she moved them out of his reach. “We can’t give them any more reasons to suspect us,” she whispered. “Besides…” she smiled sadly. She looked at the street, thoughtfully; then back at him. “Please, don’t make this difficult. Just let me go.”
He looked at her, small and gorgeous and slightly shivering. He wanted to embrace her and protect her from the cold, but she wouldn’t allow it. He relaxed his shoulders, accepting defeat. “Fine,” he said gravely.

There was a taxi stand only a block away. He watched from across the street as she got inside one of the cars. The engine was already on and the vehicle left fast, but he caught a glimpse of her in the backseat, looking briefly at him through the window before the car turned onto a different road.

Chapter 7: Message

Chapter Text

Riza couldn’t get it out of her head all day. She couldn’t believe what she had done the previous night. She had been attracted to Roy Mustang for a very long time, she knew, but the circumstances under which they both were had made her restrain all those feelings and vow to never let them out. Last night, though, after just a few glasses of wine, she ditched her will at the first opportunity she had. She should have stopped him on the spot when he leaned to kiss her, but she refused to do so. She accepted him, kissed him back, enjoyed every single second, wished it wouldn’t end. And now she felt guilty.

She abandoned him, left him on his own after spending such intimate moment. She had seen his face, dismayed and disillusioned at that street in the cold when she rejected him, and now she couldn’t help but wonder how he had been taking it. Knowing him, and taking in mind what their relationship had been like so far, she knew he hadn’t kissed her as a spur-of-the-moment thing. He was, on some level at least, attracted to her as well. And that was exactly why it had been so important that she left him. As long as they had a professional relationship, they couldn’t allow themselves to act on their feelings; it would be reckless and irresponsible.

Still, with the events at the club still fresh in her mind, plus the dream she had afterwards about their kissing diverting in a very different situation than it had in reality, it had been hard, if not impossible, to stop from wanting it to happen again. It wouldn’t, though. Fraternization between co-workers was forbidden, and there would be severe punishment for those who broke the rules.

It was the distance, she told herself. The Colonel and her had never been apart since Ishval, and it was logical for them to want to stay together after being so used to each other’s company. Once the tormenting situation with the homunculi were over and she returned under his command, she knew, or rather she hoped, that everything would go back to normal.

Her telephone rang. It was about the same time Roy had been calling her the last couple of months. She was glad she had anticipated this, and resolved beforehand to go to bed earlier than usual. With any luck, he would get the message not to call her again. And in case anyone monitoring her found it curious that she wouldn’t answer her phone, she was ready to fake sleep.

Every ring from the machine was painful. Every ring she imagined him hoping she would pick it up when she knew she wouldn’t move from her bed. She managed to ignore the call, though, just as she managed to ignore the next one ten minutes later, and the one after that in another fifteen. But she could definitely not ignore, however, how she missed his arms wrapping her frame, and how she could still feel the sensation of his lips against hers.

Three consecutive nights, and he still hadn’t given up. She started to wonder if it had been wrong to neglect the phone; maybe it was an emergency call, maybe it hadn’t been him at all. So tonight she got up and walked to the kitchen to resolve her doubts. She picked up at the fourth ring.

“Hello.”
“Riza! Oh, finally! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling all week.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Rebecca! I’m sorry, I’ve been tired lately and went to bed early. Why? What’s the matter?”
She snorted. “You liar. You’re probably dating some hunk and he’s been tiring you out, huh?”
Riza sighed. “No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Well, whatever. Listen, we need to hang out. When’s the Führer giving you a break?”
“In two days.”
“Perfect.”
“Are you coming to Central or-?”
“Yeah, I’ll go by train,” she interrupted. “I need to go shopping there too, and you’re definitely coming with me.”
“Alright. Shall I meet you at the station, then?”
“Can you be there at ten?”
“Yes, that’ll be fine.”
“Great. I’ll leave you to your man, now.”
She smiled. “You mean Hayate?”
“Sure, sure. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Rebecca.”

Riza hung up and patted the dog that was by her side. It had been Rebecca all along, then. The Colonel hadn’t called her. She felt relieved; at least he knew it wouldn’t have been wise to call her or even try to talk about that night at the club. So she was relieved, for it was for the better, but she was disillusioned, too. She had believed he was on the other end of the call, thinking about her, waiting to talk to her, and it had only been her imagination.

She bit her lip. How foolish of her to even consider the possibility of breaking a rule or two. They’d already crossed a line, and had been very lucky nobody saw them. It had been a once-only mistake that wouldn’t repeat itself, although also a mistake she wouldn’t regret.

As she walked to her room for a night’s rest, she heard the telephone ringing again. She wondered what Rebecca had forgotten to tell her.

She picked it up. “Hi, what is it?” There was silence; she frowned with worry. “Hello?”
“…Sorry, it’s me.” It was his voice.
She closed her eyes and fought the rush of heat that formed within her. “Colonel.” She couldn’t help but remember their last encounter. It was strange; her resolve was divided between wanting to talk to him and wanting to stop all unnecessary contact to protect him. “What do you need?”
“How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
She took a deep, exasperated breath. So much for telling him not to call. “I’m fine. Working, going out with friends…”
“Oh, I’m glad to hear that. I went out, too... I met with Elizabeth.” She pursed her lips at the name. “I told you about her, haven’t I?”
“Yes, sir.”
There was a pause before he continued. “…I really like her, Lieutenant.”
She was astounded. Her body felt feverish now with the amount of warmth it nested. And she was developing a headache, too. She sat on a chair. “…Colonel, I don’t see the point of you telling me this.”
“I’m sorry. You’re the only one I know who can be partial to it. You understand how it’s a complicated situation.”
“You want my opinion on this?”
“Please.”
With an elbow on the table and her palm covering her face, she contemplated the problem for a moment. “I think you’re not being rational. To begin with, how much do you know her? Are you sure she’s what you picture her like?”
“What do you mean?”
“Our attitudes can change greatly, depending on the circumstances we’re under, and the people we are with at the moment.”

She wanted to make sure he could differentiate between Elizabeth and Riza Hawkeye. The act and the real thing. If what he liked the most was the former, she had to let him know it was an impossibility. And she would have to abandon her hopes, too.

“Ah… I got that,” he said. “I’m smarter than that, Lieutenant. I do know her.”
She struggled against the smile that was forcing itself on her lips. “…Then give it time. Wanting to rush into things or being impatient will only make it worse.”
“So you think, eventually, I can have a real chance?”
She frowned. He sounded like a sad child; it was frustrating. “I don’t know about that. Look, I was just going to bed, Colonel. So if you don’t mind…”
“Alright. Sorry to bother you.”
“It’s okay.”
“I…” She heard him sigh. He was hesitating, it seemed. He probably wanted to say something he could not. “…Did you know my telephone is on my bedside table?”
She raised an eyebrow. “No.”
“It’s so I don’t have to get up if someone calls when I’m asleep.”
“A strategic location.” She tried not to laugh. Why would she care about that?
“Can you… would you mind not hanging up?”
“What for?”
“ Just… don’t hang up the phone. Please?”
She sighed tiredly. “Fine. Goodnight, Colonel.”
“Goodnight.”

She waited on the line for some seconds before leaving the receiver on the table. He was still holding the earpiece; she could hear his soft breathing. She went to her room and got to bed. Her pace was slow; she was thinking through the things he’d said, and the way she felt as she listened. She really didn’t want to be involved in anything that could be dangerous. This was daring beyond the homunculi’s plan. Were they seriously talking about fraternization now? That on itself could get them court-martialed. An affair was definitely not worth their careers.

She turned on her side to face the door. How long would he be on the phone? She didn’t like how dependant he was getting. It wasn’t good for any of them. But the more they interacted, the more he tried to keep it up; and how much she liked that he did! The guilt was even greater now; she was as responsible for what had been happening as him, but she had the feeling she was more capable of stopping it.

She closed her eyes and tried to get some rest; or as much as she could at least, knowing Roy was, in a way, about ten steps away.

She woke up with her alarm clock; always early enough to have a good breakfast and be ready to get to Headquarters in time. She put on her uniform, walked to the kitchen, and saw the telephone. She sighed. Why had she agreed to his foolish request, anyway? She picked the receiver to hang up but, out of curiosity, she took it to her ear.

Roy was breathing deeply and soundly. Something tore inside her. He had stayed the entire night by the phone, as if it were a connection to her, even when she hadn’t been exactly there. The sound was calm and soothing. How long had he stayed awake? It would almost be time to go to work, and it didn’t seem like he would wake up anytime soon. She listened for a minute, then decided she had to do something.

“Colonel?” she called him softly. He didn’t react. “Colonel,” she said a little louder. She bit her lip; still nothing. “Colonel!”

The deep breathing stopped, and she heard the sound of rustling bed sheets. “…Hello?” he said groggily.
She smiled. “Good morning, Colonel. It’s time to get up.”
He took a breath. “…Lieutenant. Thanks for waking me up.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll see later at work, maybe.”
“Maybe, sir.”

She hung up.

After seeing Rebecca off an hour ago, Riza had found a piece of paper concealed behind her dog’s collar. It was a message. She understood then that the brunette’s request for a meeting hadn’t entirely been out of her wanting to spend time with her friend, but also had a secondary motivation to it. Rebecca’s last words to her had been to say hello to Havoc in her behalf, so Riza knew she would have to pass the message on to him. Eventually, it would reach Mustang’s knowledge, too.

She knocked on the hospital room door, and heard the blonde man from inside asking her to wait for a moment before he finally told her to get in. He looked rather animated today.

“Hey, Hawkeye!”
“Good afternoon. How have you been?”
He grinned. “Quite better now.”

There was a curtain isolating the section of the room that would correspond to another patient if there were any. Havoc didn’t make any comments on it, but she sensed a pleasant warmth radiating from behind it and felt strangely comfortable with it. Clearly, there was someone else in the room, but Riza simply chose to ignore it.

She kept calm and breathed even, smiling and talking to her ex co-worker as if nothing were off, not giving away how aware she was of the soft breathing behind her that was so synchronized with hers.

Roy waited patiently at the other side of the curtain as he heard Riza and Jean indulge in conversation. He hadn’t expected her to visit Havoc the same day he did, but now that she was here, he thought it best to prove, both to her and to himself, that he could control the situation.

There would be no more games between them; he had gone too far and it was time he took things with responsibility. The priority was defeating the homunculi, and whatever he felt for the First Lieutenant was too dangerous to explore at a moment like this. He wouldn’t call her anymore, he wouldn’t pursue her, and he would start by hiding from her right at this place to prevent from being seen together.

As he heard her voice, her rhythm, her tone and her pauses, he couldn’t help but smile wryly as he imagined the expressions of her face, the brightness of her eyes, the twitches of her lips. He lingered there when what he wanted was to tear the curtain away and ravage her mouth with kisses.

It was comforting to be in the same room as her, as it was torturing not being able to look her in the eyes. He was finally decided to suppress all those feelings, though, and stayed there until she left.

“Oh, Rebecca says hi,” he heard her say. She was getting ready to go.
“Uh huh!” was Havoc’s response. “Oh, yeah. Have you seen the Colonel lately?” Roy lifted his eyebrows in interest.
“Not really. Just a few casual conversations in the cafeteria.” He smirked. Of course she wouldn’t say everything there was to it. He heard the door being opened. “Tell him I said hi if he comes by.” A small smile tugged at his lips. Did she realize he was there?
“Gotcha.” She was gone now, he knew, and Jean moved the curtain to the side to see him. “See, Colonel? She totally knew.” Roy stood up and walked around the bed as the blonde man took a cigarette to his mouth. “You didn’t have to hide.”
“We’re both being observed very carefully. I don’t want to give Bradley any more reasons to suspect us.”
Jean extended his arm towards Roy and showed him the open cigarette box. “Want a smoke, Colonel?”
“No, thanks, I don’t-”
“Oh, come on,” he insisted. He was giving him a look of complicity. “Take one for the road.”
Roy didn’t refuse when he saw it. A piece of paper was rolled up and camouflaged as one of the cigarettes. “…Sure, why not?”

He left the hospital and walked down the street. It was getting dark and he looked at the sky in the distance. It was that time of the year again; the days were shorter and colder. He took the mysterious paper from his pocket and read its content.

After the new year… next spring… comes the Promised Day. The North and the East will make their move!

So that would be it; the day everything would end, for better or for worse. He thought of all the people that may have seen and passed on this message. Riza was one of them. Would he have to wait until next year to see her freely and talk in private again? It had certainly not been the best timing to come to terms with his feelings when they were in the middle of this chaos.

He released the paper and it flew away with the wind. He snapped his gloved fingers and it burned to ashes.

The morning air was rather cool in Central, but it didn’t feel like it since the sun shone brightly through the window upon the Führer’s desk.

“Your tea, sir,” Riza said as she handed a cup to him.

In a matter of hours King Bradley would leave for the South for an inspection, and would stay there for a couple of weeks for various other matters, too. She wasn’t exactly happy, but she couldn’t wait to be freed from his presence for at least some time. He wasn’t an abusive boss; he was mostly a respectful and even likeable man on the outside, but knowing the truth about him she felt deceived and disappointed, not to mention she was being used as a hostage under his watch.

“Hmm, it’s good,” he said when he lowered the cup from his mouth.
“I’ve already checked everything for your trip, sir. The station will hold a train for your exclusive use.”
“Very well.”
“Every officer going along has already reported to Headquarters except for Major Garrenhal, of whom we’ve got no notification yet.”

The telephone on Bradley’s desk started to ring, preventing him from replying to her. The call was short and concise. When he hung up, he directed his words at her again.

“It seems Major Garrenhal has become bedridden with a severe pneumonia. He’s not coming.”
“I see.”
“You’re excused, Lieutenant Hawkeye.”
“Sir?”
“You’ll replace the Major in this trip.”

She almost choked in surprise. No; she didn’t want to go! She was supposed to stay and take care of the office in his absence. She needed to stay close to Colonel Mustang too, and be ready to jump to his aid if anything happened.

“You have time to go to your home and make the arrangements you need,” he continued. “Be back in an hour sharp for transportation.”
“…Yes, sir.”

Riza went back to her apartment and packed some clothes and other things she would need for the following weeks. Her dog would be staying with a neighbor in the same building. She returned to Headquarters minutes before the hour.

This was her job, she knew. Everyone had to be ready to travel with a short time’s notice, and with people they either liked or disliked; it didn’t matter. They were no pleasure trips. Falman, Fuery and Breda had all been transferred to different points of the country and they had no choice but to accept it. When she was informed that she had been transferred under Bradley, she held onto the consolation of at least being still near Roy. But now, she would be far away from him, and even though it’d be temporary, she didn’t like it one bit.

Roy had just left his office to go to the archive’s room when a group of people was walking down the hallway. Ahead of them was King Bradley. The Colonel stayed against the door and saluted respectfully as he let him pass; Bradley eyed him for a second as he continued walking and smirked softly. Behind him, other officers of varied ranks marched in the same direction. Roy was glad Bradley would be gone for a couple of weeks; he’d probably get to see Riza more often, he thought. That was until he saw her.

Among the small crowd of blue uniforms was Riza Hawkeye. He couldn’t conceal his expression of surprise and horror as he watched her go. She looked at him. It was the first time they made eye contact since the night they kissed, and now she was leaving. Her glance was apologetic; she didn’t utter a word. She saluted him briefly before turning her sight to the floor.

Riza and the rest arrived at the gates of Central Command, a large stairway separating them from the cars that would take them to the train station. The ride would be short, but not short enough for her when she didn’t want to be there in the first place.

“Have a safe trip, dear,” she heard a woman say.

She saw Mrs. Bradley and Selim had come to say goodbye. The Führer exchanged a few kind words with them before leaving them behind. She noticed the small boy waving his hand at his father… or was it at her? He seemed to be looking at her as he did so; it was weird.

She looked above at the building. Roy was staring down from his office window. She was reminded again of that night, which ended with him watching her leave, just like now. She turned and continued going down the stairs, and then took a seat inside the same car as the homunculus. The luggage had already been put in the trunk.

“It’s nice to have someone to come back to,” he commented. “Ah… I don’t think you’re familiar with the concept, Lieutenant.”
She stared at him. Was that supposed to offend her? “…Just a dog, sir.”

The car was turned on and, as they left, she could almost see in her mind’s eye how Roy still stood by the window. He would be waiting for her return, she knew. She did have someone to come back to.

Chapter 8: Rain

Chapter Text

It had been a week since Riza arrived to South City. She continued working as Bradley’s assistant while being also a part of his assigned guard. Her duties weren’t new to her, and she was quite familiarized with the region, too; she’d been there before. The days felt longer to her, though. The more she wanted to return to Central, the more it seemed she’d been away.

Even though she managed to conceal it, she was suffering from great anxiety. This was very different from being in the capital city. While not being able to make genuine contact with Roy, they had still been under the same roof during the day, and separated by less than twenty blocks at night. She missed him. She missed him more than she did before, because the distance was real, now. There wouldn’t be coincidental encounters in the cafeteria, or in a hallway, or at the stairs. She couldn’t use her room’s phone to call him, nor one at Headquarters either because of the tapped lines, and she wasn’t allowed to leave the building she was staying at without reporting herself at the exit. Since she was part of Bradley’s guard, she was supposed to be ready to defend him from any unexpected attacks; as if he needed someone to protect him.

She lied in bed that night as she thought of everything that had changed. Not only did she miss her Colonel, she also missed the rest of her teammates. Havoc had already been transferred to the East, so she couldn’t visit him anymore at the hospital when she went back. How easy and joyous had been to work with those men; to think she’d more than once deemed them immature or lazy, but all she wanted now was to spend her days with them again.

She heard a suspicious noise outside. She was on the second floor, and was surprised by a shadow progressively covering her window from below. She got up in a rush and took the gun she’d been keeping under the pillow. She ran to the side of the window, unlocked the safety of her firearm, and pulled the glass open at the same time a fisted hand moved as though to knock on it. She grabbed the mysterious person’s hand in the air and strongly twirled them inside the room.

It was a man with black hair. He collided against her bed as she pointed the gun at his head. At that he gasped and raised his hands in submission.

“Please, don’t! I’m so sorry!” he said desperately.

It was dark except for the moonlight entering through the window. Riza recognized his voice, and finally set her sight on his face.

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Sergeant Fuery?”
He calmed down and blinked. “Lieutenant Hawkeye!” He grinned widely and threw himself at her legs, embracing her. “Oh, thank goodness it’s you! I thought you were going to kill me,” he said letting a few tears fall.
She moved away from him, left the gun on the bedside table and closed the window. “What are you doing here?”
He stood up and put on the pair of glasses than had fallen to the floor. “I was informed of the Führer’s visit a few days ago, but I had no idea you’d come with him. Had I known sooner, I would have tried to contact you earlier.”
She sighed and smiled at him. “I’m glad to see you.”
He smiled back. “Me too.”
She frowned. “I’m afraid I can’t turn the light on; it would be notable from outside that I’m awake, and it’s best to make them believe nothing has changed.”
“Oh, of course. Sorry for showing up like that.”
She sat on the bed. “I understand. Sit down.”
He sat next to her. “You didn’t happen to bring Black Hayate, did you?”
“He’s staying with a neighbor. I could tell he’d expected to see you instead of the woman next door.” A small but happy smile escaped him. “…I thought you were still in Fotset.”
“Yes, ma’am. I was dismissed early in the afternoon today, so I was able to come all the way here. It took me a few hours, but I’m sure nobody followed me.”
She nodded. “That’s some journey you made. Would you like some water?”
“That’d be great.”
As she served him a glass from a bottle she had in a small cooler, she asked, “How bad are things there?”
He looked at the floor. “…Very.” She pursed her lips. “It’s the first time I go through something like it.”
“I know.” She handed him the glass and sat again.
“Thank you.”
She watched as he drank nervously. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
When he lowered the glass, he shook his head and said, “Not quite yet… How have you and the Colonel been doing?”
She looked at her hands on her lap. “I’ve been alright, mostly. The Führer isn’t that bad to be around, even when we know he’s a homunculus.”

Kain stared attentively at her. There were things she wasn’t telling him, probably out of fear of being heard by others.

“The Colonel, however…” she continued. “Well, he’s working; he’s working hard. But he’s… disheartened. He misses his team, and it shows.”
He smiled wryly. “It’s not hard to believe. He’s such a kind man, caring so much about everyone.”
Riza raised a foot to step on the bed, embraced her leg and rested her chin on her knee. “He needs constant reassurance from others to keep a good mood. He should be able to do it by himself.”
“Oh, come on, Lieutenant,” he said amiably. “We’re not all as strong as you.”
She smiled at him; her eyes were very shiny, he noticed. “I’m glad you’re here, Fuery,” she said weakly.
He was surprised when she took his hand, but returned the gesture. After all, he suspected, of all the people missing other people, the Colonel and the Lieutenant probably missed each other the most. “I’m glad too, Lieutenant.”

That night they talked for a couple of hours, as Kain told her what he had been keeping in his chest from the border war against Aerugo. Riza, on the other hand, became a shoulder to cry on, and took the chance to share some of her previously unspoken feelings with someone she could call a friend. They omitted matters like the information they had on the homunculi or the upcoming coup, talking instead about safe topics.

When the Sergeant finally left, he did so with an enveloped letter that Riza had written that same night as they talked. He was happy with the simple favor she had asked him of sending it to Central. It was the least he could do, he thought, since he felt now so relieved after having someone listening to him; the men at the war didn’t care about sensibilities and would have laughed at him instead.

Riza lay slumberous in bed feeling a little more relaxed after spending a peaceful moment with Fuery. As she saw him climbing down the window, she had experienced a melancholic sensation, and felt she understood Roy more clearly, now. As much as she was self-sufficient, she really didn’t like to be alone.

It was raining heavily. A long day at work had left Riza rather tired, but she knew she wouldn’t get any rest tonight. She was standing at the window, watching as the rain drenched the glass and impeded her from seeing beyond the building. She had borrowed an old small radio that nobody used anymore from the equipment’s room, and was now listening to Radio Central, the same music station on which Roy had requested a song for her. There was a slow, sad tune being played in a low volume.

She was thoroughly worried about him tonight. It was the rain. His alchemy was useless when it rained, and were he attacked by someone out in the street with a weather like this, he would only have his gun to defend himself, which may not be enough. Scar was still out there somewhere, and he knew Roy’s weakness. What if he used it to his advantage? What if he knew that the Colonel was now alone, and had no one to watch his back? It was too dangerous, the rain. She wished she were with him, protecting him, keeping him safe. That was her job, and it had been ripped from her.

The only light illuminating the room was from the bedside lamp, and on the wall behind her there was the shadow of her figure. She had a picture in her hand; the only one she had brought to the South with her because she kept it in her wallet since the day it was taken. It was the picture of the day at the fair; when Selim Bradley had joined her and Roy uninvitedly. The paper was folded so she could see only the Colonel and her in it. It was from the first day they had met out of Headquarters since being separated by the Führer. Maybe they shouldn’t have met at all; maybe seeing him smirk and hearing him laugh and letting him play with her legs under the table like they were teenagers had stirred something in her.

He had always been a charmer. An idiot too, sometimes. But that charm of his had always attracted her. His kindness, his vision, his dreams for the future and the unique bond they shared; she had grown very fond of him, and that was no secret. The problem was, she wanted him more than she should; regulations wouldn’t let her get as close to him as she would like.

There was a change of segments on the radio, and the host had gotten a call from a listener.

“Good evening. This is Roy from Central again,” he said.

Her head gyrated violently to the speaker. That was her Colonel on the radio, and she’d had no idea he would call again. She was beyond surprised.

“Good evening, Roy,” the host replied. “Glad to hear you again this week. It’s been five in a row, now.”

Riza’s mouth opened in disbelief. He had called so many times and she never knew. It hadn’t even occurred to her that he would.

“Yeah, well. I like the show, and it’s not like I could be anywhere else with this storm, anyway. I fortunately managed to arrive home before getting wet.”

She smiled a little. It actually sounded as if he were speaking to her, knowing she would be worried. And indeed, she was very happy to know he was safe.

“And am I right to assume you’re still after that lady?”
“That’s correct.”

She blinked. Could it possible that they were talking about her? Or was it someone else? Roy had certainly not asked her to tune in to the radio show again.

“Well, then. What song are we going to play for Elizabeth on this stormy night?”

A palm covered her mouth.

“Tonight I’m asking for What’ll I Do?”
“Alright. Have anything else to say to her?”
Roy sighed. “In case you’re listening, Elizabeth, I hope you’re alright… And I miss you.”

She felt a sudden tingly sensation in reaction to his words. How impossibly, disgustingly, yet wonderfully adorable he was!

“Okay. Thank you for calling, Roy. I hope you see her again soon.”
“Thank you. Goodnight.”

She frowned. Was that all? She didn’t want the call to end; she wanted to hear his voice for a little longer. It soothed her longing, and made her feel less lonely.

The host announced the song and the soft melody started immediately after. Riza closed her eyes and lowered her head, hiding her face behind her hand as she listened.

What’ll I do?
When you are far away
And I am blue
What’ll I do?

She smiled wryly. Roy was really speaking to her with all these songs; it was a pity she hadn’t heard the previous ones. It felt very nice to know he was constantly thinking about her; it was flattering.

What’ll I do?
When I am wondering who
Is kissing you
What’ll I do?

She looked at the picture she was holding. They really looked cute together, she thought. By the moment it was taken, they’d had no idea they would kiss in a matter of weeks. It was amazing how much things had developed since that day. He was so handsome, besides. She would love to have another chance to kiss him. Just once more; it would do no harm.

What’ll I do
With just a photograph
To tell my troubles to

A clap of thunder startled her. She shrugged her shoulders and lowered herself ungracefully to the floor. Her head felt heavy; her skin, cold. Her chest burned with a mixture of emotions. She couldn’t stand being far away anymore, and felt a sudden, urgent need to return. She missed Roy so much she would be content with the slightest contact she could get; a look, a word, a touch. It wouldn’t be enough, but it would be something.

When I’m alone
With only dreams of you
That won’t come true
What’ll I do?

And it was crazy, she knew. It hadn’t really been that long, and it wasn’t like they wouldn’t meet again soon. But that kiss had triggered a powerful yearning and she couldn’t believe herself, but she knew she was in too deep. It had been inevitable, really; just a matter of time until the walls broke and the feelings engulfed her wholly.

What’ll I do
With just a photograph
To tell my troubles to

It was reasonably forbidden, though; what she wanted. And that was fine. The Colonel and her could never be romantically involved as long as they stayed in the military, and neither of them would consider leaving. She could live with that. That and a kiss, maybe, every now and then, when no one were looking.

When I’m alone
With only dreams of you
That won’t come true
What’ll I do?

The song ended and she sighed. She looked up at the window. It seemed like it would still rain for hours. She didn’t like the weather because of the disadvantages it brought to Roy’s alchemy, but the sound of the drops against the glass was calming. She wondered how he felt on nights like this. Did he want to have her close to feel protected? Did he want to have her close, the way she wanted to be, for the warmth they could bring each other?

Oh; when, exactly, did she fall in love with him?

Roy was looking at the window on another sleepless night. The rain always got him down, but tonight was worse than usual. He was in the safety of his apartment, but if anything happened and he were forced to fight outside, he would be in serious trouble. He remembered all the times the Lieutenant had protected him or saved his life under this weather. Knowing her, she was most likely worried about him, too, which didn’t help to his mood at all; he didn’t want her to be restless. Out of the entire week she had been away, he needed her tonight the most, and for more reasons than one. It was cold, besides; and it was never cold when she was around.

He wondered if Riza had listened to any of the songs he requested the past few weeks on the radio. He’d made up his mind not to pursue her anymore, but dedicating her songs didn’t really count when she probably wasn’t even aware of it. At least, she didn’t mention it on the letter he had received earlier today.

Dear Roy,

I’m writing to you from a temporary job post in the South. We have a new branch opening this month, so I’m in charge of the premises until the new employees can manage it. The transfer was sudden and unexpected to me, so I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you beforehand that I would be leaving the city.
To my surprise, I got a visit from Kate today, so it was great to speak to someone I’m familiar with after the tiring work at the shop. She’s not going through a good moment, to be honest, but we’ve been talking for a while and it really helped both of us. She asked about you, by the way. And you know me; I can’t lie to my friends.
Of course I didn’t tell her we’ve been seeing each other; I wouldn’t want her to be jealous. Not until we can resolve our matter, at least.
I wonder how you felt after that night. I really hope I haven’t hurt you. It’s not that I wanted to leave you there, you’ll understand, but I didn’t want to take any more risks. It’s just not our time, yet. I do ask myself, though, how things will turn up in the end. I’m wishing a favorable result we both can be happy with. What is the least you would settle for? I’d want to believe I’d be fine with seeing you daily and knowing you’re safe but I know that no, that alone wouldn’t be enough.
Maybe we should talk about it in the future when we meet again; I really want to see you soon. I miss you very much. Hope you have a lovely week.

Love,
Elizabeth

P.S.: The air feels heavy with humidity here. Please, take that in mind. I think a storm is coming.

Roy had thought for some time that he wouldn’t be getting any more letters, so when Vanessa told him she had received an envelope addressed to him within an envelope addressed to the flower shop, he had been very excited.

He knew the Lieutenant had been transferred almost out of the blue; her face had told him exactly that when he last saw her at the hallway, so an explanation hadn’t been really necessary.

He was glad to have some news from Fuery, and to know Riza and him had met. It was comforting that his subordinates were good friends and liked to help each other. Fuery was the one who had been sent to the most dangerous zone. Though not as a fighting soldier, he had to be in the middle of the war laying communication cable in the front line trenches. So even if not personally, it was great to hear from him.

That night at the club; he had felt so many things she would be surprised. He didn’t even know how much or for how long, but he remembered feeling great joy and warmth, but also confusion and sadness. His head and his emotions were a mess, but her intentions had been good, he didn’t doubt it. Riza Hawkeye was not the heartbreaker kind of woman; she was very kind.

And what was the least he would settle for? …What was the most he could get without being court-martialed? At this point, he had accepted he loved her. It would be all or nothing in the end. He was no suicide, though; he knew he couldn’t shout it for the world to hear. But he could definitely say it to her. Everyone was used to seeing them always together, anyway; so if they were secretive enough, maybe they could work it out.

He was afraid she would reject his idealistic dream, however. Hawkeye’s professionalism and sense of rightness would probably get in the way. And as a Colonel of the military with ambitions as high as his, he knew he had to face the fact that it may never happen. Maybe someday, some other place. But as Riza herself had written, it was just not their time. Not yet, at least.

The day following the storm, Colonel Mustang entered the cafeteria at noon with an epic hunger. He hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday, for he had accidentally slept late and had to miss breakfast to get to Headquarters in time. He’d fallen asleep at some point during the night, it seemed, when he’d thought he wouldn’t. Maybe his thoughts on Riza Hawkeye had lulled him into slumber.

After a few somewhat desperate bites of his meal, he felt more alert and awake. He took a look at his surroundings; it was crowded with people of different ranks, as usual. A young woman was staring at him, the one sitting to her side said something to her, and she turned around. Roy found it curious, but didn’t really care. The people at his table were speaking lowly, some to the point of whispering, and even though he couldn’t hear them, he knew they were gossiping. It was a common practice among the officers when they didn’t have much to occupy their minds with.

He soon realized he was being observed, and by more than just a few women. He frowned slightly, wondering what they could possibly be saying about him. Keeping his eyes on his plate, he concentrated on the voices to figure out the topic of conversation. A minute later, one word had been repeated several times by different people; it was one name.

So they had recognized him on the radio, then. That was fine; he’d never really tried to keep his identity a secret when he called the station. He hadn’t thought it could provoke a chain of rumors, but he wouldn’t mind as long as they didn’t know the answer to the enigma of the month:

Who was Elizabeth?

Author’s note: “What’ll I Do” is a song written by Irvin Berlin in 1923 and it’s been recorded by many artists.

Chapter 9: Blackout

Chapter Text

Author’s note: I highly recommend reading this chapter (or rather the second scene which is almost the entire chapter) while listening to heavy storm and thunder sounds (YouTube has many videos for it). It’s what I did to write it.

Riza had been back in Central for over a week. As usual though, Roy and her hadn’t even crossed paths in the common areas of Headquarters yet. The city however, her apartment, and everything she’d gotten accustomed to, had become a sort of comfort as she at least was finally home.

The short trip to the South seemed far in the past now; the rain had washed away her doubts and cleared her mind. She knew how she felt; what she wanted. But she was conscious that she would never have it, so the next step would be learning how to live without it.

As fate would have it, she fell in love with the man who had influenced her life the most. It was no surprise; she would admit to herself that the attraction had always been there in the first place. She admired him; such selflessness, cleverness and determination.

Even though they’d never be together in an intimate sense, she knew she would never leave his side, and that would have to be enough. Next time she saw him, when she wanted to embrace him and maybe even kiss him again, she would make sure to remember that. They already were as close as they were allowed; anything beyond that would get in the way of their goals and would be plain wrong. So she would cherish what she had; this unique, twisted, friendly, platonic or maybe not so, but definitely not physical, close relationship she had constructed with Roy Mustang over the course of many years.

The day following her return to Central, she had been shocked to find out the trending topic of conversation that had blossomed while she was away. The Colonel had gotten himself in an awkward situation as he became the subject of many unfortunate rumors.

‘Elizabeth,’ some had said, was a woman so innocent and beautiful that she was shy and afraid to talk to someone with the caliber of the Hero of Ishval. But also, according to others, she was a cold-blooded bitch who thought too much of herself to even consider a kind man’s feelings. Riza had actually found some of those statements funny; of course, because people were actually clueless. She didn’t want to imagine what would happen if they knew the truth.

After a short shooting practice early in the morning, Riza entered the lockers room to put her uniform back on. She still had ten minutes before having to go to Bradley’s office. With the blue garments by her side, she sat on a bench and untied her boots.

“I think you’re not considering the most plausible fact,” Riza heard a woman say. “I’m almost sure the girl’s a hooker.”
A couple of laughs followed in reply. It sounded like they were just entering the room. “I don’t know,” someone else said. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about Mustang’s dates. Why would he pursue someone he can’t apparently have?”
“Because of exactly that. Men like a good challenge.”
“You mean you haven’t figured out who she is, yet?” A third person asked. “It’s quite obvious, really. She works at Headquarters and is always around him. I mean, come on.”

Riza froze and her eyes widened after hearing that. No, it wasn’t possible. They used a codename for a reason. She couldn’t have been discovered!

“Well, I still have no idea who you’re talking about.”
The woman groaned before saying, “It’s one of the girls of the cafeteria. Her name’s Elizabeth Mills.”

Riza frowned at the curious answer. They weren’t talking about her, then; they didn’t know it was her. She sighed in relief.

The approaching sound of all three women’s steps and voices made her know they were just around the corner. She hurried up and finished buttoning her jacket.

“My goodness! Is that true?”
“Seems like she didn’t deny it when they asked her about it.”
“Woah, hold on! That’s fraternizing!”
“Of course not. She’s a civilian cook, not an officer.”
“Well, wouldn’t that be awesome if Mustang actually broke the fraternization rules? I mean, can you imagine the scandal?”
“Oh, that’d be terrible!”

Riza walked toward the exit and crossed paths with the women. They saluted her and she muttered a quick good morning without slowing her pace.

“Ah, Lieutenant Hawkeye!” one of them said. Riza stopped and looked at her. “You’re good friends with Colonel Mustang, right? Is there anything you can tell us about his new girl?”
Riza pursed her lips, giving them a disapproving glance. These girls were young, probably just fresh out of the academy. “I have a good relationship with Colonel Mustang, yes. But I don’t inquire about his love life; you’ll understand it’s something I’m not interested in.”
The girl looked disappointed. “Oh, of course. Sorry I bothered you.”
Riza showed her a gentle smile. “It’s alright.”

Riza left the place and prepared for the long day ahead at the office.

Maybe, she thought, if people gossiped based on false information, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

The workday was approaching its end. Outside, it had been raining since noon. All the lights at H.Q. were turned on, for the sky was completely dark. With the season of shorter days and the stormy weather, it was six o’clock but it looked like midnight.

Riza was ready to go home, but she knew her job as Bradley’s assistant sometimes required of her to stay after hours. It wasn’t the extra work what bothered her, it was the prolonged stress of spending the days in that man’s presence in particular what had made her develop a constant weigh on her back and shoulders, making her stiff and restless. She would exchange this any day for a non-stop week of duty under Mustang if she could.

“Sir, I have finished today’s work,” she said to the only other person in the office. “Is there anything else you need from me?”
The Führer smiled, but his eyes didn’t leave the paper he was reading when he talked to her. “No, Lieutenant. That would be all. You may go.”
“Thank you, sir.”

She stood up, slightly unsettled by Bradley’s fake kindness, but she wouldn’t allow herself to show it. She collected her paperwork and took her things to leave. As she walked to the exit someone knocked on the door from the other side. She opened it and Lieutenant General Gardner stepped in.

“Führer Bradley, sir,” he said saluting. “My apologies for coming without notice. There’s a certain issue I’d like to discuss with you before you go.”
“Very well,” King replied.

Riza knew she didn’t need to stay any longer, and the men wouldn’t start to talk until she left, so she simply saluted and said, “Good evening, sirs.”
“Oh, Lieutenant Hawkeye, one moment please,” Gardner said, opening his satchel and rummaging through some papers. “By mistake, I received earlier today a few documents that were intended for someone else. Would you mind delivering them?”
She took the file Gardner handed her and read the addressee’s name. She blinked. “These are for Colonel Mustang.”
“That’s right,” he said.

Riza looked at Bradley for a moment, uncertain whether he would approve of her seeing Roy.

“Go ahead,” was all he said, nodding; and without further hesitation, she saluted again and left.

It wasn’t that Bradley trusted her, but he supposed she wouldn’t try any bold movements while under the same roof. She briefly wondered if she could put a microphone in there without getting caught, but with Bradley’s abilities she quickly dismissed the risky idea.

She went down one level of stairs and walked through a long hallway. To her right, there was a large picture window on which droplets fell with intensity. A blinding light struck the sky, its brightness making Riza blink. Immediately after, a thunder roared above Central City, so loud and violent the Lieutenant instinctively flinched and shrugged; but she didn’t close her eyes. She had learned the hard way to stay alert at explosive noises.

Something was happening outside. Due to the high walls that isolated Headquarters from the rest of the city, she couldn’t see the buildings, but the illumination definitely changed. Gradually, block by block, it was getting darker.

She arrived to Roy’s office, and knocked twice before opening the door, before waiting for a response. He was sitting at his desk, the curtains behind him blocking the view of the early night, blocking every distraction possible from his work.

He looked up, his mouth opened slightly and his eyebrows raised at the surprising visitor. “Lieutenant!”
Riza’s smile was hidden well, but he could see it. “Colonel.”

The lights went out. A few muffled comments and complaints were heard from the neighboring offices.

Roy frowned. “What happened?”
“Apparently it’s a blackout, sir. A big part of the city was affected barely a minute ago.”
“Really?” He stood up and moved the curtain just enough to see outside. “Yes, that’s what it looks like.”
She walked toward him, careful not to bash into the empty desks and chairs in the middle of the room. “I brought you some paperwork that accidentally ended up in Lieutenant General Gardner’s office.” She pursed her lips. “Of course he didn’t have the time to hand it to you before the work shift ended.”
He huffed. “Why doesn’t it surprise me?” He went around the desk and approached her as close as he allowed himself, not seeing her but knowing where she was by the sound of her voice. “How are you?”
“I’m alright.”
“Are you sure? We haven’t really talked since you came back.”
She sighed. “I’m just fine, Colonel.”
He tilted his head forward and quietly said, “I assume it is safe to speak, now…”
“It is.”
She heard him let out a long breath. “I’m sorry for my behavior lately. I’ve caused you nothing but distress when I was intending the contrary.”
Her eyes softened. “You don’t have to apologize, Colonel. It hasn’t been easy for anyone.”
“You heard what they say, right? About a certain Elizabeth.”
“I heard a lot of things, yes. It’s convenient, actually. The rumors reached the high command and some think that you’re… in a way…” she smiled wryly. “…Less interested in their hostage.”
Roy smirked and took one step closer. “Well, they’re fools. That will never happen.”
She was thankful he couldn’t see her content expression. “I’m thinking of sending you letters again. More often, too. Reports on what I see or hear.”
“That would be good. I liked getting those from you.”
She half-smiled. “From Elizabeth, you mean.”
He shook his head, despite her being unable to see. “From the woman who holds the pen.”
She didn’t reply immediately, didn’t know how to respond to that. “…You must stop the phone calls.”
“I already have.” She didn’t say anything, so he insisted. “No more calls, I promise. I’m done being an idiot.”
“Good.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “I thought you’d say I wasn’t an idiot.”
Her voice had humor when she said, “Sorry, but you were.”
He chuckled softly. “So much to watch out for…” He walked another step closer, standing right in front of her. “We’re still months away from that day. The day this all ends. How many more opportunities like this will we have to speak in private?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem if we keep communication through other means.”
“It shouldn’t be…?” He extended his hand, unsure where he was aiming at. He caught Riza’s arm, and stroked it softly. “Lieutenant, I want to see you!”

A soft lightning illuminated their faces for as long as a second. They found each other’s eyes. He was frowning deeply, his gaze intense as he looked at her with seriousness. She was dumbfounded, having not expected such reaction.

“I want to see you every day,” he continued. “I want to see with my own eyes that you’re alright.” He released her and ran a hand through his hair. “Damn it, my whole team was separated and I worry about all of them. It was my fault that this happened and I constantly need to know they’re safe. But then, there’s you, Lieutenant, and I…” He held her arms tightly and moved his face closer to hers. Softly, he said, “You know how much you mean to me.”

The loud clap of thunder outside didn’t faze her. She was taken aback by Roy’s words. It was rare occasions when she heard him talk so openly.

“Colonel, you and I…” she took a step backward, away from his touch, “…can only have a professional relationship.”
“Lieuten-”
“No, listen,” she said bitterly. “We’re not going to dump what we’ve constructed so far for a thoughtless mistake. There’s too much at stake to be playing around, hiding in a corner like foolish teenagers.” Her next words had a softer tone, but they sounded strained. “You said it yourself; you’re done being an idiot. Please, stand by your words.”
Roy was dismayed. Of course, she was right. But he had hoped things could go a different way between them; a closer way. “I apologize…”
She nodded. “I should leave before the power returns.” She walked away from him.
“…You’re afraid, aren’t you?”
She stopped walking and turned her head at him. “How wouldn’t I? They’re monsters, Colonel. Bullets do nothing to them. And that’s only part of the problem.”
“I know. I’ll make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to. I don’t blame you for any of this.” She made to resume walking, but froze in her place. “I forgot to give you the documents.” She still had them in her hands.

Riza returned to the front of Roy’s desk but didn’t hear him walking toward her, and they bumped into each other. He held her securely, his hands on her back.

“I’m sorry,” they said at the same time.

He didn’t let go.

“Colonel.”
“…It’ll be alright, Lieutenant.”
She raised her head at him. “Sir?”
“I promise you, you and I will be safe and sound once this is over.” He held her tighter.
She relaxed a little at his touch. “You can’t promise something that escapes your control.”
“I just did. I’ll do everything in my power to protect you. I want you to stop living in fear.”
She lay her forehead on his shoulder. “I’d wish it were that easy.”
“Try keeping your mind distracted. Don’t over think the situation.” He leaned closer to her and said in a low voice, “We can do nothing but wait now, as we prepare for that day. I highly doubt they’ll try to hurt any of us; until then, at least.”
She sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

For a minute, they didn’t move. The only sound came from the heavy rain; it was soothing.

Another lightning cast a bluish light on the pair; then a thunder cracked impossibly loud, startling them both. They cringed together, Riza finally letting her torso make contact with Roy’s as he pressed her against him.

She lifted the hand with the papers. “I’ll leave this on your des-”
“Lieutenant.”
At the interruption, she stared at where she knew were his eyes before answering. “…Yes?”
He buried his head in her hair, behind her ear, and said almost in a whisper, “I want you.”
Her eyes opened wide with shock; her body went uncomfortably hot with a shiver. She hadn’t expected him to say that. She took a long breath and let it out slowly. She shook her head; this wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. “No…”
He huffed. “But I do. I want you.” One of his hands went from her back to her jaw, his thumb caressing her cheek.
“You know this is wrong.”
“It feels so right, though... We can make it work.”
“You’re mad,” she said, and Roy stayed silent. She whispered, “It’s dangerous!”
“And what isn’t dangerous, lately?”

She didn’t answer. She was trying to come up with excuses, with reasons valid enough to stop all this nonsense; but she found it difficult to concentrate, and he would smartly contradict her anyway.

They heard another clap of thunder.

He moved his head away from Riza’s hair and faced her. She could feel the warmth of his proximity. His fingers brushed her bangs gently, and the hand that was still on her back went to her cheek instead. He leaned forward.

She turned her head slightly to the side. “Don’t.”

He stopped; then slowly lowered his hands to his sides. “Fine,” he muttered, acceptingly, defeated.

Despite having been freed from his touch, Riza didn’t leave. A lightning illuminated them for a moment. She was speechless when she looked at his face, he seemed sad and frustrated. But his eyes were fixed on hers with such passion, she thought she would melt. She couldn’t produce a coherent thought in her mind; sense of reason slowly giving in to sensation, to the desire of letting him consume her wholly.

Maybe it was the darkness that prevented them from seeing their surroundings, or the reflection of the lightning on his face that made him look so attractive, or the calming sound of the rain that numbed her nerves, but something painfully changed within her and she no longer wanted to reject him.

Roy took a step backward and his hand looked for the documents Riza was holding. When his hand made contact with them, he grabbed them and pulled from them. She didn’t let go.

“Wait.” Riza eliminated the distance between them and her free hand touched his chest. She said in a cautious tone, “Colonel, what you suggest is forbidden by law.”
“I understand that.”
“…Things would never be the same between us.”
He smiled softly. “And that would be bad?”
“That would be… another secret to keep. Another thing that could ruin our plans.”
“Lieutenant, we’re experts at keeping secrets.” He stroked the side of her shoulder reassuringly. “But if you don’t want this, if you really don’t, I swear to you I’ll never again suggest a relat-”
“It’s not that I don’t want it!”

Another thunder cracked as Roy flinched at her response.

Riza sighed, her entire face getting warmer. “It’s not that I don’t want you, Colonel,” she said quietly. “But it’s a risk we cannot afford to take.”
Roy’s face lightened up. “Then I was right.” He took her hand, the one that shyly grabbed at his uniform, and kept it pressed to his chest. “It feels right, because you want this too.”
“Is that really surprising for you?” With an anguished tone she asked, “Do you think I find it easy to reject you, Colonel? That we kissed that night only due to the effects of wine?”

Roy lowered his head, his forehead resting upon hers. He didn’t say anything.

Riza closed her eyes, the grip on his uniform tighter. “…I’d love to be with you. But I’m afraid, out of all the years we’ve been together, this is the worst time we could have chosen to even consider it. It just can’t be.”

Roy made a sound from the back of his throat that Riza couldn’t quite figure out. A soft groan of acknowledgment, she guessed.

“Then I suppose,” he said, “after what you’ve just told me, you’re still not going to let me kiss you; even now.”

She smiled wryly and her cheeks took a reddish tone. She looked at the window; it was still pitch dark outside. Then she looked at the door; it didn’t seem like anyone was even in the hallway.

She looked at him. “I will kiss you… but just once.”

Roy smiled widely. “I have no complai-”

She tugged at his collar and pulled his mouth down on hers, preventing him from finishing the sentence. Roy immediately embraced her, and with his arms around her he responded to her gesture, kissing her desperately and pressing his lips to hers maybe a little too hard.

With her hand on Roy’s cheek, Riza kissed her Colonel, energetically, confidently, but nervously too; for she knew the door could be opened at any second, and she wouldn’t notice. But she kissed him though, because it felt right, because they were inevitably drawn to each other, because she couldn’t imagine a more natural scenario than the two of them being together.

Because she loved him.

They broke apart eventually, out of air; and when they did, Riza moved her hand to the back of Roy’s head, refusing to let go.

“I mean just today!”

Their lips joined again, with a little less force but with the same enthusiasm. Roy took a step forward making Riza do the same, so close they were. She made contact with some furniture piece, and her hand with the papers touched it to realize it was Roy’s desk.

Suddenly she was in the air, and a loud gasp of surprise escaped her as she dropped the documents, all of them scattering across the floor. Roy had lifted her, sitting her on top of the desk, positioning himself against the wood and between her legs. He hugged her by the waist and Riza surrounded his torso with both arms now, allowing him to kiss her one more time. His body leaned over hers and her back bent backward.

Riza extended her arms behind her and pushed against the wood to hold herself up, not wanting to lay completely on the desk’s surface. A lightning showered them in blue again, their figures only a blur from outside the window.

One of Riza’s hands had landed on a sheet of paper, and after a few seconds under her weight the paper slid to the side, carrying her arm with it and making her land with a thud on the desk, inevitably pushing the telephone during the movement and making the receiver fall over the Colonel’s chair.

Roy laughed quietly and helped Riza back to the floor.

She sighed frustratingly. “I didn’t see that coming.”
“We didn’t see anything coming, really; it’s still too dark in here.”

Riza chuckled softly at that. She felt him nearing her again, and he held her arms, gently rubbing them. A shiver ran through her entire body, tickling her head to toe, making her feel vulnerable. She wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

After a moment, she whispered, “What have you done to me, Roy Mustang?”

The lights went back on.

They looked into each other’s eyes. Roy showed Riza a ghost of a smile, then bent down and gathered up the forgotten papers.

“Oh, so here they were,” he said. “Thanks, Lieutenant, for helping me look for the documents. I’m sorry I dropped them.”

Riza blinked; then she followed him to gather up the remaining ones. “It’s alright, Colonel. I was only going home now, I’m in no hurry.”

Their eyes met again and Roy smirked; Riza fought the blush that wanted to creep up to her cheeks. They stood up and left the papers on the desk.

“Well, then,” she said. “I’ll go.” She walked toward the door.
“Have a good night, Lieutenant.”
“Thanks, you too.” She saluted him. “See you around, Colonel.”
Roy saluted back. “See you around.”

Riza left, and Roy returned to his desk. The office felt strangely emptier than earlier that day.

There was a loud noise coming from the telephone receiver, indicating it had been off the hook for too much time. Roy hung it up; then turned to look out the window.

The storm was barely a drizzle now.

Author’s note: For a short additional scene that fits perfectly between this chapter and the next, check out my one-shot “Stolen”.

Chapter 10: Behind the Mask

Chapter Text

Near the end of every year, all members of the military were required to attend the annual medical examination. Riza entered the infirmary and took off her coat and scarf. It hadn’t been raining in weeks, but the days were uncomfortably colder now. It was still early for her appointment so she registered at the reception and sat in the waiting room. There weren’t many people in the room, so she would probably be called in soon.

The walls were decorated with paintings of animals and nature. There was a poster in the middle advertising the upcoming end-of-year party: a masquerade ball. Riza frowned; she knew all about it, having been assigned part of its organization. This had never been done before, and the mere idea of celebrating something among homunculi and corrupted higher-ranked officers made her cringe. Maybe Bradley wanted to entertain himself making everyone parade in front of him before killing them off next spring. No matter how sincere Mrs. Bradley had seemed when she insisted it was her idea, Riza just wouldn’t stop doubting everything she saw or heard.

She took a magazine from the coffee table and put it on her lap, vaguely shifting through the pages with one hand; the other laying casually on the arm of the chair. No particular article called her attention, but she still read a paragraph or two on economy matters.

Someone stood before her, creating a shadow over the magazine. “Mind if I sit next to you?” She looked up and smiled immediately; then blinked and made to sit up before Roy stopped her. “At ease,” he said.
Riza relaxed again and Roy sat to her side. “Have you been following me, Colonel?”
“Not at all. We were both supposed to be here at one day or another. It’s a simple coincidence.”
“A great coincidence I would say, now that we seem to meet surprisingly often, either at work or at the street.”
Roy took his coat off and, with his hand under it, lay it on the shared chair’s arm which Riza was still using, making the large piece of clothing cover her arm. “Well, I used to have an assistant who would remind me of doing exercise, but I’d been so busy with other things lately I practically forgot to keep that up.” He smirked. “And now I’ve started jogging in the evenings, so it’s no surprise I see you more often if you go out for air too.”
Riza tried not to smile as much as she felt like; she helped herself by keeping her eyes back on the magazine. “I happen to have a dog I always take to the same park, at the same time. Two blocks from my apartment.”
Roy stifled a laugh and moved his hand underneath the coat, making contact with Riza’s and holding it. He noticed her rolling her eyes at the touch. “Your neighborhood has less traffic and more trees than mine; it’s better for a peaceful jog.”
She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. “Really…?” A short moment of silence later, she turned her hand to intertwine her fingers with Roy’s.
“Are you going?” he asked. Riza looked at him; he was staring at the party advertisement.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t feel like celebrating anything this year.”
“Anything at all?” He rubbed his thumb gently against the back of Riza’s hand.

She stared at him for a moment; then turned her glance to the side and smiled softly; shyly almost.

When she didn’t answer, Roy sat more comfortably on the chair. “We are allowed to bring someone,” he said. “I know a lot of people will expect me to bring Elizabeth.”
Riza lifted an eyebrow. “And you think she would agree to go?”
“It could be the end of all that unnecessary attention if I introduced her to some people.” He smirked. “And of course, she’s a great dancing partner; I’d love a chance to dance with her again.”
Riza smiled wryly. “I thought she was still with complicated matters. Are you sure a public appearance would do no harm?”
Roy nodded. “All of that can be fixed.”

Not far in front of them, a man came out of a room and went to the exit. Behind him, a woman in a white coat stood at the doorway with a clipboard in her hands.

“First Lieutenant Hawkeye,” the doctor called.
“Yes,” Riza answered. She was quick to release Roy’s hand and take it out from under his coat.
As she stood up and gathered her things, Roy said, “So, Lieutenant. Are you going to the ball?”
She looked at him with a sheepish smile as she walked away. “I’ll think about it.”

The night before the New Year, a multitude had gathered in the party hall of Central Palace, the most important hotel of the city. Since many members of the military were away from home and would go alone, it had been decided to hold a celebration everyone could attend with so much as an invitation, including people from the Parliament and important figures, from rich businesspeople to famous artists.

Other than the elegant and pompous feel of the gala, the allure of the night was the mystery itself. In a masquerade ball, nobody knew who anyone was.

The doors were opened and two people joined the meeting: a man with a black mask and a tuxedo, and a woman holding his arm, with black, shoulder-length hair. She was wearing a black tight dress with a stand-up collar and a decent cleavage, and her mask was golden, with a few details in black, concealing the biggest part of her face and casting a soft shadow over her eyes.

The woman blinked as she took a quick look at her surroundings. “Oh, Roy, what a beautiful place,” she said. “Thanks for convincing me to come, even if I’m not that good at waltz.”
He smiled. “I’m not sure anyone is, to be honest.” They took a few steps into the room before he said, “So, would you like to eat something or do you prefer to dance?”
“I’m not exactly hungry right now. Let’s dance.”

The pair went to the dance floor and joined the other couples in a waltz that had already started. He held her close and she closed her eyes, letting herself be directed by Roy’s movements.

“Are you sure you trust me not to crash us against a wall?” he asked humorously.
She giggled. “What you don’t know is I have a sixth sense for these things,” she said smiling. “I never even graze other people when I’m dancing. Nor walls, either.”
Roy smirked. “Let’s see about that, Elizabeth,” he said winking at her.

He sped up their pace and made his partner turn several times. He couldn’t see much of her face due to her mask, so he couldn’t find any signs of surprise on her, besides her smile, with every unexpected movement; but she was clearly holding tighter onto him.

A photographer was taking pictures of every dancing couple and, between the flashes of the camera and the quick turns of his body, Roy thought for a moment everything was turning purple. Or at least, that was the color that called his attention the most as he kept dancing.

When Roy fastened up the speed, Elizabeth laughed loudly and he chuckled, slowing back down a bit.

She opened her eyes. “You’re so bad.”
He faked a pout. “I was just trying to prove your sixth sense.” He lifted an eyebrow. “But you were right, it seems.”

Everyone was wearing masks, but some people were easily recognizable due to their body figure and hair. Roy had slicked back his hair for the occasion, and the mask he wore was small and simple, just covering his nose and eyes’ area; very discreet. Because of that, some guests realized it was him as soon as they saw him. The woman he was with, however; nobody could tell who she was.

It took only ten minutes for the general crowd to know Colonel Mustang had brought his dear Elizabeth to the ball. It couldn’t be anyone other than her; they danced very close to each other and they would smile and laugh very often.

Some attendants were high-society personalities and theatre actors, so many people were interested in finding those rather than getting a closer look at the one woman Roy had been after for months. There were still some soldiers, though, who were very curious about it and wouldn’t leave until they saw at least her face.

Half an hour passed, and Roy and Elizabeth abandoned the dance floor to rest for a while. They took a few canapés from a tray. Around the table, other attendants were indulged in conversation, and Roy recognized some of them thanks to their voices.

“Colonel Mustang, good evening,” someone greeted him.
Roy turned to see the woman who talked to him and a man at her side. She was wearing glasses over her orange mask. “Oh, Private Sheska, right? Good evening, you look very good tonight.”
It was easy to see the blush on her cheeks as she talked to him. “Oh, please.”
Roy looked at the man next to her. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t recognize you.”
“But I recognize you, Colonel. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Storch; I used to be Führer Bradley’s assistant before Lieutenant Hawkeye replaced me.”
“Oh, that’s right. Good evening, Lieutenant Colonel.” Roy held his partner by the shoulders. “Let me introduce you to my friend, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth extended her hand. “Good evening, Private; Lieutenant Colonel,” she said.
“Please, call me Sheska.”
“Good evening, Miss.” Storch took her fingers and kissed the back of her hand.
“But… friend, you say?” Sheska asked Roy; then turned to Elizabeth. “I’ve been hearing stories about you for some time, now. Is it true you’re married to someone else?”
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, no, not at all. Is that what you’ve been telling people, Roy?”
Roy looked at her. “No, of course not.”

Two other women approached them and stayed close after no more than a short greeting to the group. They were, Roy knew, interested in hearing about his companion.

“You see,” Elizabeth said. “I’ve been engaged since I was very young. It was an agreement between both families without my or my fiancé’s consent.” A waiter was passing by with a tray and she took a glass of champagne. “This was made to ensure that our families kept a place in the high society for we both come from wealthy backgrounds.” Roy nodded in support of her explanation and they waited until she sipped from her glass. “However,” she continued, “after some years of struggling, my family’s business failed and we went broke, and so we all had to look for new jobs.”
“She works at a flower shop now,” Roy said, “and I met her when I went to buy a bouquet…” he hesitated for a moment, “…for my mother.”
Elizabeth chuckled and whispered at Sheska, “Not true. He was dating someone else.”
Roy cleared his throat. “Anyway-”
“Anyway,” she interrupted him, “things got a little complicated when my idiot fiancé decided he actually wanted to marry me.”
“Not so much of an idiot, then,” he commented amiably.
“Ah, ha-ha, Roy, please!” She squeezed his arm playfully and kissed his cheek, and he showed her a smug face in response. She looked at him for a moment and smirked, almost like she was trying not to laugh, then she turned to the listening pair again. “My fiancé is quite possessive and doesn’t like me going out with Roy, but he’s a good man at heart. I’m trying to convince him as nicely as I can to break the engagement and encourage him to search for someone who could love him for real.”
“Oh, I see where all the confusion came from, then,” Sheska said. “There have been some nasty rumors about you two since we first heard about you.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Oh, yes, Roy told me. Someone heard him on the radio it seems; then they just spread wrong information.”
Sheska closed her eyes. “It’s terrible how some people invent stories about others without knowing a thing.”
At a distance, Roy spotted a muscular, large man who towered over the rest of the crowd. He smiled as he took Elizabeth’s arm and spoke to the small group of people. “I’m sorry, would you excuse us? I want to introduce Elizabeth to someone else.”
“Oh, of course,” the Lieutenant Colonel said. “We have some matters to discuss, anyway.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you both,” Elizabeth said with a short courteous nod.

Roy took her away from the officers and walked with her across the room toward the tall man. He said softly to her ear, “You were great. Now please, just let things keep going as planned. I’ll make up for it.”
She looked at him and smiled. “You don’t have to, Roy. As long as he doesn’t break my bones, we’re fine.”
Roy sighed. “Say that again in a minute.”

They approached the large, muscular man in a suit. His mask was pink and sparkly.

“Good evening, Major Armstrong,” Roy said. “It’s nice to see you here.”
Alex Armstrong turned to Roy and smiled widely. “Colonel Mustang, what a beautiful mask you’re wearing! But I’m curious, how did you recognize me?”
Roy grinned. “Well, I’m afraid the moustache gave you away.”
Alex ran a finger through his facial hair. “Oh, you’re right, you’re right.”

Elizabeth took a step closer to Roy and made herself visible in front of the Major. Alex turned his head from the Colonel to the woman, gasped and smiled, and finally looked back at Roy.

“Is this pretty lady the one I had been hearing about for the past few weeks?” he asked.

Elizabeth giggled softly.

“I’m not sure what you heard,” Roy said, “but let me introduce you to my dear friend, Elizabeth.”
“Oh, yes! Elizabeth! I’m very pleased to meet you,” Alex said to her.
“It’s my pleasure, Major,” she replied.

Elizabeth extended her hand to the Major, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he threw his arms around Roy and her, and crushed them together in a suffocating embrace.

“I’m so very inspired by the two of you!” Alex said. “Fighting for your love, believing in the possibility of a future together, holding on against all odds.”

Elizabeth cringed at the words and tried to look at Roy in the eyes, but Armstrong’s head in the middle was blocking her view. One of the Major’s hands was on Elizabeth’s wig and, with the movement of her neck towards his face, she hit her mask against his, making hers get loose and fall to the floor.

“Oh, no!” she said.

At the clacking sound of the object landing next to his feet, Alex let go of the pair and looked down. The golden mask lay shining before his shoes; strings untied.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Miss Elizabeth,” he lamented.

Roy bent down to pick up the mask but Alex was faster and grabbed it first. He handed it to the woman and looked into her eyes.

Big, beautiful, blue eyes.

And so he saw Vanessa’s face for the first time.

“There you go,” he said to her.
“Thank you, Major,” she replied with a gentle smile.
“You are indeed a beautiful woman, Miss Elizabeth. You shouldn’t be hiding behind a mask.” He frowned. “But I’m afraid it’s broken now.”
“Oh, no, not at all,” she said, examining it. “It just wasn’t properly tied, it seems. I should have been more careful.”

Roy was aware that people were looking at them. At her, mostly. Good; this was what they wanted. Those who had been curious about Elizabeth, finally had the chance to see who she was; or whom they were shown she was.

The photographer approached them and held his camera in front of Roy and Vanessa.

Roy raised his palm to stop him. “No pictures now, please,” he said, and the man nodded and left.

Tonight the rumors on Elizabeth might end, but they didn’t want her face on pictures either; they couldn’t risk Vanessa being recognized in the future.

After a short apology, Major Armstrong left the pair alone so they could continue to enjoy the night, but soon a small group of women surrounded Vanessa, and started an enthusiastic exchange of words with her. Roy looked at them with a patient smile and his hands on his hips.

“Colonel.”

At hearing his rank, Roy turned around to look at the blonde woman who talked to him. He recognized her immediately, even behind her mask. His smile grew bigger and his eyes shone bright.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye.”

Riza saw him for a second and then averted her gaze, finding Vanessa a few steps away with a mask still on her hand.

Roy took a step closer to her. Riza was wearing a Xingese floor-length, high-neck purple dress. It was sleeveless and tight enough to accentuate her curves, and her mask was of the same color.

“You look beautiful,” he said.
She pursed her lips in an attempt not to smile. “Thanks,” she said softly.
“I’m glad to see you here.”
She smiled, finally. “I thought it would be nice to dance a little.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Would you like to dance?” He offered her a hand.
She shook her head. “I don’t think Elizabeth would appreciate it.”
Roy sighed and walked up to Vanessa. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Elizabeth, I want you to meet Lieutenant Hawkeye.”

Vanessa turned around and saw the blonde officer. She said goodbye to the group of women and approached her, with Roy following behind.

“Let me introduce you,” Roy said. “Lieutenant, this is Elizabeth.” He turned to the other woman. “Elizabeth, this is-”
“Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye,” Vanessa said, while surprising Riza with a warm embrace. “I know. I heard so much about you,” she said to Riza.
Riza was taken aback for a moment, but recovered quickly. “Well, I’m flattered… I think,” she looked at Roy for reassurance, who simply chuckled; then back at Vanessa. “I heard quite a lot about you, too.”
“Oh! Has Roy been talking too much at work instead of actually working?”
Roy glared at Vanessa, and Riza laughed. “A lot of times, actually,” she said. “But not lately, no. Or so I believe.”
Roy rolled his eyes and then looked at Vanessa. “I told her about you mostly during breaks or meetings unrelated to work.”
Vanessa grinned. “That’s okay, Roy. It’s very nice to know you’ve been talking about me.”
Roy cleared his throat. “Lieutenant, will you join us for a drink or two?”
“I’m sorry, I can’t. I just wanted to greet you before I went home.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I got here early and I’ve enjoyed myself, but now I want to be with my dog when midnight comes. The fireworks make him nervous.”
Roy frowned. “But it’s still so soon, Lieutenant. I was really expecting to have at least one dance with you.” He turned to Vanessa. “If you don’t mind, Elizabeth.”
“Of course not,” she replied. “Besides, I need to go to the ladies’ room to touch up my makeup and tie my mask back on. I’ll give you a few minutes.”
“Alright, thank you,” Roy said. When Vanessa walked away from them, he folded his arms and smirked at Riza. “Did you really think I’d let you go without granting me one dance, Lieutenant?”
Riza looked at his face before concentrating on his eyes. “I didn’t think it would be appropriate, Colonel, considering you’ve been… marked, by your partner.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Excuse me,” someone said behind them. They both turned to see it was Vanessa. She spoke in a low voice. “Do you know where the ladies’ room is?”
Riza nodded. “Yes, I’ll show you.”
Roy blinked. “But-”
“As I said, Colonel, I don’t have much time. I’ll walk Elizabeth to the room and then I’ll leave.”
He pouted. “Well, I can’t say I’m not disappointed.”
Riza closed her eyes and smiled wryly. “I’m sorry.” She opened her eyes. “Have a good end of year, Colonel. Goodbye.”
He copied her smile. “You too, Lieutenant. Have a good night.”

Riza and Vanessa left Roy to his own, and as they got farther he heard some words from them.

“I love your dress, by the way,” Vanessa said.
“Oh, thank you,” Riza replied. “Yours is very elegant… I wonder if it would fit me.”

When they both abandoned the room, Roy sighed loudly. He took a glass of wine from a tray on a table and walked to one of the windows. Some people were outside in the balcony, but the air was too cold to stay there waiting for Vanessa. He wished Riza had stayed, if only a little longer. He barely got the time to say any words to her. He hoped she had at least approved of Vanessa’s personification of Elizabeth.

He took a sip from his red wine and stood by the wall as the waltzes continued. The sight of a mixture of colors, as people danced and the dresses moved in all directions, was pleasant to him, too. An entire song went by as he observed them.

He finished his glass and left it back on a table. He looked out the window again. A blonde woman in a purple dress was leaving the hotel. He hurried to the balcony but refrained from calling her; it would have been unwise to do so in front of the other party attendants. She disappeared from his view and he leaned against the railing, sullenly.

“What are you doing?”

Roy turned around, and saw Elizabeth was back; with her brunette wig, her black dress and her golden mask. He walked up to her.

“The Lieutenant just left,” he said.
“Did she?”

Her voice was different, yet familiar. He blinked twice in surprise and looked into her eyes; the caramel eyes he was enchanted by.

Roy grinned widely and let out a happy laugh. He squeezed her shoulders softly. “You’re amazing.” She didn’t say a word, and just stared at him. “I didn’t think you’d agree.”
“I didn’t agree to everything,” she said, lifting her hand to his face. She rubbed her thumb on his cheek, not quite gently.
He froze. “Oh, no.”
“It’s fine. You didn’t know.” She examined his face when she finished. “Alright. The lipstick smudge is gone.”
“Thank you. You’re not mad, are you?” She shook her head. “Good,” he said; then hesitated for a second.
“What is it?”
“You also have a dog, don’t you, Elizabeth?”
She smirked. “Yes. He’s staying with a neighbor tonight.”
Roy chuckled. “Really?”
She smiled at him. “I thought you wanted to dance. Dance with me, Roy.”
He nodded, showing her a big smile, and took her hand. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

Riza, hiding behind the mask, and Roy, went together to the dance floor. Like they had done earlier that year, again, he embraced her and guided her steps as the music sounded. His rhythm was slower than with Vanessa; less messy and more graceful. And nothing distracted him from his dancing partner this time. No colorful garments or camera flashes or anything around them made him get his eyes off of her. To him, there was only her.

“Elizabeth.”
“Yes?”
He leaned in close to her ear. “Do you remember what happened the last time we danced?”
She looked at him from the corner of her eye and nodded. “We kissed,” she whispered. Just hearing the mere words escaping her made her feel a tickling shiver.
“That’s right. And I won’t leave this place until I get at least one more kiss from you.”
Her cheeks took a reddish tone. “A lot of people can see us, Roy.”
He looked straight into her eyes again. “So what?”

She looked back at him, and she couldn’t understand how with some ridiculous mask he still managed to look so attractive. But his eyes were fixed on hers, and she knew; she really wanted to kiss him.

She saw his mouth and bit her lower lip for a second. She embraced him tighter. “We’ll see.”

He smiled tenderly at her and they continued to dance.

Some time later, they got tired and decided to take a break. Since their bodies had warmed up from dancing, they went out to the balcony for some fresh air. The temperature was the same as earlier, but it didn’t feel so cold anymore. They stood against the wall; her arms holding one of his. They looked at the view for some minutes; there was no one out on the streets but the sky was full of stars.

He turned to face her and embraced her with the one arm she wasn’t holding. In response to his move she released him, though, and extended her arms until her hands joined behind his neck.

“What?” she asked. “Do you want to keep dancing here?”
He smiled. “No… I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”

He tightened the embrace and she did the same. He leaned to touch her forehead with his, but he failed when their masks’ noses touched. He groaned, but stopped as soon as he heard Riza giggling; then his smile returned.

“I would take off the mask,” he said, “but it wouldn’t be fair for you.”
“I don’t mind.” She took off his mask over his head, revealing his face. “Oh, hello, handsome.”

He looked surprised at her words and she simply grinned. She was certainly enjoying herself, he thought.

Riza handed the mask to him and he put it in a pocket. They resumed the embrace.

“So,” she said. “What were you going to ask?”
He sighed and then looked straight into her eyes. His words were almost a whisper. “Be mine.”

Riza took a quick intake of air and looked at him in shock and disbelief. She was speechless.

“Please, be mine,” he repeated. “No one else has to know.”

Riza blushed heavily and closed her eyes.

The balcony doors were opened ajar, and a lot of people in masks went out to the balcony. Others were either looking out the windows or going outside to the street below them. It was almost midnight.

Riza took his face in her hands and spoke in a hushed tone. “Listen… That day, the one we’re waiting for; when everything will change. Let’s win that fight.” She saw he had his full attention on her. She smiled excitedly. “And I’ll be what you ask me to.”

Oblivious to Roy and Riza’s exchange at a corner of the balcony, the other party attendants started a countdown of ten seconds before the New Year.

Ignoring everyone else and their shouted numbers, Roy beamed with happiness and caressed Riza’s cheek. “We will win, I promise you.”

Eight.

She nodded. “And you have my word. It’s a double promise, then.”

Five.

He smirked. “Now we need to seal that promise. Any ideas how?”

Two.

Riza laughed softly.

One.

Roy captured her lips in a tender kiss.

Fireworks exploded in the sky; huge and loud and colorful. Roy and Riza never opened their eyes to look at them.

By the time the commotion was over, some people had seen them, but nobody said a thing about it. The photographer took a picture of them, and grinned with satisfaction.

Hours later, the celebration ended. Everyone started to go home, but when Major Armstrong wanted to greet Roy and Elizabeth goodbye before leaving, he learned that no one had seen them since midnight. He assumed they had left early.

Roy and Riza were, in fact, at the same corner of the same balcony still. Roy was in his shirt, and Riza had his coat draped over her shoulders. They were quiet, in a tight embrace, as they knew they would hardly meet again before their Promised Day.

The first few rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon. They were the last to leave.

Chapter 11: The Calm before the Storm

Chapter Text

Sergeant Kain Fuery rubbed his forehead, wiping off the sweat that had formed on it. He looked at the clear sky and sighed. Spring was here, and with it the end of his work in Fotset, risking his life at the border war with Aerugo.

He was relieved, although concerned about the immediate future. He knew not only would his life be in danger again soon, but also his career. By deserting the military and rejoining Mustang’s team to fight against Bradley, the other homunculi and a big part of the military itself, he’d started to doubt himself. But he trusted the Colonel and his long-time friends. He believed they could make it.

He took out a paper from his pocket and skimmed through it. Yes, he was in the right place. He opened the backdoor of warehouse A and, as stealthily as he could, he entered and paid attention to any sounds or movements that would indicate he wasn’t alone.

It wasn’t long before he heard a crunchy sound. He walked toward it and saw a man sitting on a wooden box; his back was facing Kain.

The Sergeant smiled. “Second Lieutenant!”
The man turned around grinning; he had a sandwich in his hand. “Fuery! It’s great to see you alive, man.”
Kain left his backpack on the floor. “Thank you. I’m glad to see you too, Breda.”
Heymans stood up, took a small bundle from a bag at his feet, and handed it to Kain. “Here, eat something. You look like you haven’t eaten or slept in days.”
Kain smiled wryly. “Something like that.” He opened the package to find a delicious-looking sandwich inside. “Awesome, thanks!” He took a bite and took his time to savor it. After he swallowed, he frowned and looked at Heymans. “Hey… you didn’t even flinch when I came in. How could you leave your back wide open like that?”
Heymans grinned. “I knew it was you.” He took a small transmitter radio from his pocket, waving it in the air in front of Kain. “We have a very skilled soldier keeping watch.”

They heard the door Kain entered from being opened and closed. In seconds, quick steps were taken toward him, until he was pounced by a pair of paws, bringing him to the floor.

“Black Hayate!” Kain laughed as the dog tickled him while licking his face. “I missed you too, boy.”
Riza showed up behind them with a smile; hands on her hips. “Welcome back, Sergeant Fuery.”
“Lieutenant!”

Kain stood up and kept petting Black Hayate with one hand, holding the sandwich out of the dog’s way with the other.

She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said.
He smiled sweetly and closed his eyes. “I’m glad I’m able to be part of this.”
Riza nodded. “Pick your bag back up. We’re leaving. You can rest when we get there.”
He straightened his back. “Yes!”

Riza took a blue jacket from over a pile of boxes and put it on, covering the guns she had on herself. It was heavy, for it carried a good amount of ammunition on its internal pockets. Then she loaded her rifle, and hung it over her shoulders across her back.

“Everything begins tomorrow,” she said. “Time to make our move, Second Lieutenant Breda, Master Sergeant Fuery.”
“No need for the Second Lieutenant, ma’am,” Breda told her. “We’re just plain old deserters now.”
Fuery sighed. “There goes my future.”
Riza smiled at him. “We’ll have the Colonel take responsibility after everything’s over.” She walked past them toward the exit, with Black Hayate at her side. “Come on, now. We have work to do.”

Madame Christmas looked at the old picture in her hand, taken fifty years ago. The last one she had gathered as proof that a certain child had looked the same age for decades up to this day. She watched the clock and put it inside a folder. It was time; her guests must have arrived.

She tapped three times with her heels the carpet she was standing on. She heard three knocks in return, from under the wooden floor. She smirked; they were here.

She removed the carpet to reveal a trapdoor, and opened it. A blonde head approached her as Riza Hawkeye climbed up the ladder with only one hand, since she also held her dog tightly against her side.

“Let me help you, dear,” Madame Christmas said, and took Black Hayate out of Riza’s grasp.
“Thank you,” Riza said, entering the bar soon after. Breda and Fuery followed behind her. “Good afternoon, Madame Christmas.”
“Good afternoon,” the men repeated.
Christmas nodded and lit up a cigarette. “Good afternoon. I hope you’re hungry; there’s still food in the kitchen and I don’t want it to blow up.”
Breda grinned. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure it doesn’t.”
Riza rolled her eyes. “We can’t waste time. Let’s get this over with and then we shall eat.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
“I’m going to finish packing, then,” Madame Christmas said. “I’ve been so busy the entire week I couldn’t even get that done.” She went to the stairs behind the bar and said, “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Alright. Thank you for letting us do this,” Riza said.
The older woman shrugged. “Roy said he’d pay for it.”

Madame Christmas went upstairs and the soldiers were left alone inside the shop.

“Okay, let’s do this,” Riza said. “Fuery, get confirmation from our contacts; place and time of our gathering tomorrow.”

Kain nodded.

“Then we’ll need Mrs. Bradley’s exact location for tonight,” Riza continued. “She can still cancel her meeting with her relatives, so we have to make sure we’ll be able to intercept her transport.”
“I’ll get right to it, Lieutenant.”
“Breda, you and I will start preparing the explosives.”
“Ah, the fun job,” he said.
Riza smiled. “Come on. We have to be ready so the Colonel can join us.”

The early spring air was still rather fresh when the sun started to set. Riza adjusted the buttons of her jacket, with Hayate’s leash in her wrist as he walked beside her. There weren’t a lot of people in the street, which she was thankful for.

After having skipped work that day, just like Heymans and Kain did, she had no doubt the higher-ups already suspected that Colonel Mustang’s old team had reunited and were up to something; especially considering they were hours away from that feared promised day.

The explosives in Madame Christmas’ bar were ready to be set off; Kain had confirmed once more the assistance of their contacts who would help them fight the military in the morning. General Armstrong’s people were ready, too. The next step was meeting with Roy again, and later going for Mrs. Bradley together.

As a potential sacrifice, whatever that meant, Roy’s life was important to the homunculi; they needed him alive. For that reason, they couldn’t afford to lose track of him, not when they were so close to achieving their goal. He’d be followed, Riza and the team knew, and that’s why they had set up the trap; to allow Roy to escape their vigil, and create a distraction to gain some time.

She reached a phone booth, in front of a park that seemed dead this late in the evening, for there was nobody there. She was uncomfortable at the idea of calling Roy from the bar, where the others would have been around and heard the conversation. She took a look at her surroundings, making sure no one was spying on her.

She turned to the phone and a shadow quickly crossed her way. She jumped at the scare—it was a bird. She took a deep breath. Of course there would be birds in a park. Ever since her first encounter with Pride she had been a little paranoid at all times, making her feel tenser under the light than in the darkness.

Black Hayate was quiet, though; meaning she was safe from danger at the moment. She entered the booth, picked up the receiver and paid for the call.

Something was off, she knew. Or it was just her, but she couldn’t dial the number.

Riza frowned, uncertain for a minute at what was bothering her, until she realized: she had gotten used the past months to talking to Roy in the dark, with a costume, with a code. Now she was bathed in the light of the streetlamp, out in the open, and anyone could walk by while she talked to him on the phone. She could be easily recognized as Riza Hawkeye, the soldier, the hostage, since she wasn’t disguising her appearance in any way, as she did in the masquerade ball.

It was a valid insecurity, but mostly she knew it was still fear of that homunculus, who was supposed to be far away but could be anywhere in a matter of seconds. And not only that; it was the idea of Elizabeth that bothered her too, who had stolen a part of her and, knowing it would probably not be the case, Riza still wished this would be the last time she’d have to personify her. She longed for the moment she could talk to Roy without falsities and riddles; just her being herself.

It was no time to hesitate, however, and she had to get things done. She pursed her lips and breathed in, checking once more for possible witnesses of what she was about to do. The street was empty yet.

She looked at Hayate. “It will be just a second,” she told him. “Stay inside the booth.”

The dog obeyed, and Riza took a gun from her holster. She aimed at the pole’s lamp and fired; a single shot being more than enough to kill the light that was unnerving her. Dozens of glass pieces fell to the floor. First and last time she would do this, she promised to herself. Hopefully there would never be a need for it again.

She joined Hayate again and closed the booth’s door. She dialed the office number by heart; a bigger sense of safety within her, now that she was in the dark.

“Colonel Mustang speaking,” she heard him say.
Riza grinned; eyes closed. “Oh, hello, Roy.”
“Elizabeth! I’m so glad to hear your voice! How are you?”
“I’m fine. I was lucky to find you still in your office; I thought you’d be gone by now. Don’t you ever take a break?”
He sighed soundly. “Ah, things can get pretty annoying here, sometimes. I’ve seen nothing but papers all day. I’d pay to see something nice for a change, like your beautiful face.”
She giggled. “Oh, what are you saying?” She lay against the transparent wall of the booth. With a shy tone, she said “You make me miss you more.”
“Well, in that case, why don’t we meet? Do you have plans for tonight?”
“Actually, I’m seeing some friends. My coworkers Kate and Braidykins arrived this morning after a long vacation, so we’re going out for some drinks.”
“Oh, they arrived safely, then. It’s good to know that. Too bad I won’t be able to see you, though.”
“Maybe that can be arranged. Would you like to join us?”
“Join the group? Isn’t there a code of not bringing male companions to an all-women meeting?”
“I’m sure other men will be there too, Roy. You wouldn’t be the only one.”
“Then I’m definitely going. I don’t want other men trying to seduce you, now that you’ve gotten out of that engagement.”
Riza bit lip. “Don’t be a fool. You know there’s only one person I’m interested in.”
“Oh? I wonder who that is.”
She rolled her eyes. “Come, and I’ll tell you.”
“Will you let me kiss you?”
She grasped the phone cable tightly, looking out at the empty park. “Not when we’re spending time with other people. Are you crazy?”
“Absolutely. I’m crazy for you.”
She laughed. “Please.”
“I’ll tell you what. Let’s meet as soon as you’re ready so we can have some time for ourselves.”
Riza smiled wryly, knowing they wouldn’t really have some time alone yet. “I’m pretty much ready, actually. But what about your work? Are you done for today?”
“That’s no problem; I can continue tomorrow. It’ll be just another boring day at the office, anyway.”
“I imagine.”
“So where am I seeing you, Elizabeth?”
“Do you know Madame Christmas’ bar on Brick Street?”
“I do! I know every bar on Brick Street and Madame Christmas’ happens to be my favorite.”

The unnecessary repeat of information meant there were definitely other people in the office, who might find it useful to follow him later.

She smirked. “Alright. I’ll see you there.”
“Do you need me to bring anything? Perhaps I can buy you something on my way there?”
Riza’s hand made a brief contact with the gun she had just used. “You’re very kind, Roy. I actually wanted to write a greeting card for my friends, but I’m afraid my fountain pen may not have enough ink...”
“Uh—how did you spend your ink? Did you—?”
“I just wrote a few letters, is all,” she interrupted him. “You know which ones, you read them.”
“Say no more! I’ll bring you all the ink I can find in this office as well as probably an extra gift for you. I want those letters to keep coming my way.”
“Thank you very much, Roy. You’re always so considerate.”
“Anything for you, Elizabeth.”
“So I’ll see you soon.”
“I’m heading there right away,” he said.
“Okay. Goodbye.”

Riza lowered the receiver from her ear, and was about to hung up when she heard him talking again.

“Elizabeth, wait!”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Yes?”
After a short pause, Roy said, “I can’t wait to see you.”
Riza felt a hot sensation in the pit of her stomach, and took a slow, deep breath. “Yeah…” She realized she couldn’t move now; she’d gone from fidgety to immobile. “I’m glad I’m seeing you, too.”
She could almost hear the smile in his voice. “Goodbye.”
“…Bye.”

The call was over, and Riza wondered when exactly she had wrapped half of the phone cable around her finger. There was no doubt how she felt about the Colonel, but she knew better than to let those feelings distract her at such a crucial moment.

She took Black Hayate’s leash again and left the park area, erasing her thoughts of Roy and composing herself before getting back to the bar.

The car was crowded. After blowing up Madame Christmas’ bar and getting rid of the men spying on the Colonel, he had finally joined his team once more. And now, with Mrs. Bradley in their company as part of their plan, it was a matter of hours before the coup d’état began.

Roy stopped the car without saying a word. Riza had thought he would, considering the close distance to their destination for the night. Nobody asked him the reason; they all knew where they were.

He got out of the vehicle and Riza, who was in the passenger seat, did the same.

He looked at her solemnly. “I’d rather go alone, Lieutenant.”
She blinked and stared at him for a moment, checking if he was alright. She nodded. “Understood, sir.”

Riza watched Roy’s back as he entered the cemetery. It was no surprise he wanted to be here tonight. One last moment with his best friend, who had been killed to hide what they now knew, by those they were about to fight.

If only Hughes hadn’t been caught…

The Lieutenant returned to the car, and for a minute there was only silence despite the three people and the dog that were sitting behind her.

“Excuse me,” Mrs. Bradley said.

Everyone looked at her. They had already explained part of the situation to her; she understood they had no intention to hurt her, but to protect her.

“Yes?” Riza asked.
“When Colonel Mustang returns… where are we going?”
“We’re going to hide until dawn,” she said. “We can’t possibly ask you to stay awake and in movement all night. We’ll rest.”
The First Lady nodded. “I see.” She lowered her head.
“What is it, Mrs. Bradley?” Heymans asked.
She frowned. Her hands were shaking, Riza noticed. “I’m worried about my husband and son. Do you know if they’re safe right now?”

They hadn’t told her that the Führer’s train had been blown up that day. They couldn’t tell her; they needed her to stay strong.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Riza said. “The Führer wouldn’t let anything happening to Selim. And he has the best protection in the country.”
Mrs. Bradley fisted her hands, grasping part of her skirt. “He’s very skillful too. I’ve seen him fight.”

The soldiers looked at each other at the information, wondering about the fights the woman may have witnessed.

“Then you shouldn’t worry about it,” Riza said, forcing a little smile.
Mrs. Bradley nodded. “But I can’t help it. I’m always nervous when he’s away. Being such a powerful man, there are probably so many people who’d want to hurt him.”
“Mrs. Brad-”
She closed her eyes. “I’m afraid something may happen to him!”

Riza’s smile vanished. Fuery took Mrs. Bradley’s hands with a sad frown and Black Hayate gave her arm a soft push with his snout.

Breda started to sweat at the awkward situation, trying to cheer up the wife of the man they hoped had died. “Please, don’t think like that, Mrs. Bradley,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll see him again very soon. Probably tomorrow, even.”
She wiped a tear from her eye. “I know, but… one can never be sure, Lieutenant Breda.”

Riza opened the window on her side and rested her elbow on the sill; her hand holding her forehead. She stared at the metallic gates of the cemetery entrance.

Possibly King Bradley was already dead. If not, there was a greater chance he would be tomorrow, and Mrs. Bradley would never see him again. As much as she disliked the Führer, Riza thought it was terrible that Mrs. Bradley wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to him. Whether she knew the truth about him being a homunculus or not, she was his wife, and she wouldn’t have the chance to see him in his deathbed, telling him how much she loved him. Of course, the man probably already knew that.

…Did the Colonel know? Riza hadn’t exactly told Roy that she loved him; only that she was willing to have a relationship with him. It was enough, she thought. They didn’t need to use words; she already knew how he felt, and he knew about her, too. She was glad they could communicate so well with little to no words.

If anything happened, though…

She would protect him, she would be behind him the entire time once the coup began, but if anything went wrong… she would forever regret not saying it. She would regret not seeing his face while she told him that he was everything she was fighting for; the one person she had always loved.

Riza got out of the car. “The Colonel’s taking too long,” she said to the others.

With a slow pace she walked through the grass, knowing by heart where to go. It wasn’t long before she found him in front of Brigadier General Hughes’ gravestone.

“Colonel,” she called. He looked at her from over his shoulder. “It’s almost time.”

He didn’t immediately face her, and she could feel the tension in his back. She watched him with concern. It was one of those moments she wished she could read his mind.

A few hours from now, they would be risking their lives for the goal they had worked toward for so long. He knew what he was getting into, and his thoughts were probably beyond what she could imagine. She wanted to console him, and yet she couldn’t lay a finger on him yet. Not this night.

She was nervous, but she was going to tell him this one thing she needed to let out. If she couldn’t erase the pain of Hughes’ death at the moment, she would at least try to balance his feelings with the comfort of her confession.

“Uh—”

He turned around, and she couldn’t say it. She blinked, and he gave her a smile that pretended things were alright. She wasn’t sure she liked that smile.

“Let’s go, Lieutenant.”

He walked away, not looking back as he left her behind. She didn’t like it when he didn’t share his thoughts, the little times when she’s unable to read them. She hoped for his sake that he were just stressed out, and then she did what she always did.

She followed him.

On the outskirts of the city, at the empty cabin they stayed to wait until the morning, the Colonel and his team along with Mrs. Bradley had started sharing a dinner courtesy of Madame Christmas’ now-obsolete fridge.

Contrasting the silent and tense air in the car after the stop at the cemetery, the meal was just like any other normal meeting between old friends: loud and cheery. Breda told some funny stories, Fuery talked about his new friends in the South, and even Mrs. Bradley joined in and told them how she rejected King the first time he asked her out.

“So then I told him,” Mrs. Bradley said, “if you want to invite me for dinner, you’ll have to cook it yourself.”
“Oh, dear,” Kain said. “And did he?”
“First time he ever cooked in his life!”
“Incredible!” Breda said. “How did the meal turn out?”
The woman giggled. “Terrible, of course. He burned the whole thing and we went to a restaurant.”

Everyone laughed, and Heymans did it almost to the point of crying.

Roy looked at Riza and found her staring back at him, taking advantage of the focus being on someone else, so the rest didn’t notice how often they were exchanging looks.

Roy was happy that his team was having a moment of fun before the big battle, knowing things would very soon get heavily dangerous. It was just a few hours of peace they had left, and he didn’t want them talking about the fighting when that was all they would do once morning came.

“What about you?” Mrs. Bradley asked. “Are any of you married?”
“Oh, no, no, I’m too young for that,” Heymans said.

Fuery immediately pressed his mouth with his hand not to guffaw.

“I’m not even in a relationship, and I don’t think anyone here is,” Heymans continued. He smirked. “But the Colonel right there is known to be quite the ladies’ man.”
Roy blinked at the unexpected remark and laughed softly. “It’s not really as they say,” he explained to the woman. “I just have many beautiful friends,” he said, slightly scratching his head.
The First Lady touched a finger to her chin. “Well, I remember that lady you brought to the New Year’s party. I was told you were very affectionate with her. Elizabeth, was it?”
“Right,” Roy said.

Kain and Heymans looked at each other for reassurance and immediately looked at Riza; the question in their eyes as clear as air.

“I thought you were dating her,” Mrs. Bradley said.
“The truth is Elizabeth’s not just a friend,” Roy told her. “But we don’t have a formal relationship at the moment.” He looked at Riza. “Maybe that’s how we should keep it for now.”

Riza’s lips barely moved, but he knew she was hiding a smile that said she agreed.

The First Lieutenant coughed softly twice. “Colonel, please send her my regards next time you see her. She was very nice to talk to.”
“Thank you, I will.”
“Oh,” Kain said. “So you’ve met her, Lieutenant?”
“I have. I was at that party as well.”

Kain let out a breath of relief and Heymans frowned with disappointment. Now they had their answer.

Not long after the meal was over, the group prepared for a short night of sleep. They had found enough cardboard for Mrs. Bradley to rest a little less uncomfortable than the rest, who lay on the hard floor between a wall and wooden boxes. They took turns to keep guard, the four soldiers having been awake at one point or another during the quiet of the night.

Riza felt a gentle push on her arm. She had been sleeping in a sitting position, with Black Hayate next to her.

“Lieutenant,” she heard. It was a whisper.

She opened her eyes and found Roy sitting at her other side; his eyes fixed on her. Her body was engulfed with warmth.

She blinked. “Is it time?”
“It is.” He held her arm and kissed her cheek. He whispered to her ear, “Good morning.”
She grinned. “Good morning.”

Roy stood up and went to wake up Fuery and Breda, and Riza proceeded to wake up Mrs. Bradley.

It was a pity that such a sweet awakening would not mirror the gruesome activities about to start, but she wished she could wake up like this again soon.

The team left their hiding spot and stepped outside. The sun was rising.

This Promised Day they would risk their lives, but they would live through it. She had been ordered not to die, so she just wouldn’t. And she would protect her Colonel with everything she had, to make sure they both had another morning.

After all, she had made a promise to him, and she was determined to keep it.

Author’s note: For further reading about the Promised Day, you can find my one-shots, “Warmth” based on a scene of episode 59 where Riza is bleeding on the floor, and “Conspiracy” based on the time Roy and Riza were in the hospital after the battle ended.

Chapter 12: Commitment

Chapter Text

Author’s note: Thank you everyone for your kind words and support.

A dead silence surrounded Roy as everyone watched him. The hospital room was dimly lit; the window shades had been lowered to block out the sunlight. With his hand over his face, he slowly opened his eyes.

The darkness was still present, but it wasn’t pitch black anymore. He removed his hand from his eyes and saw its blurry shape. He blinked; then blinked again, and his sight gradually adjusted to the environment. He recognized the bed sheets he was holding, and his hands finally looked defined.

He took a deep breath and let it out; then immediately turned to his left, looking for the first person he wanted to see since the Promised Day.

Riza was staring at him with curiosity from her bed. Despite the gray tones of the room, he distinguished her long blonde hair, the bandages around her neck and the green hospital clothing. His eyes found hers and he smiled.

Riza grinned with deep joy, knowing Roy could see again.

Everyone else realized he could, too, by reading his expression.

“Hell, yeah, Colonel!” Jean Havoc yelled. “You’re back”.

The retired soldier was still on his wheelchair but he could feel his legs again, thanks to the philosopher’s stone that Dr. Marcoh had brought. It was a matter of time before he regained enough strength in his muscles to walk again.

“It seems so,” Roy replied, taking a look at all the people present.
“Well, then,” Dr. Marcoh said as he stood up.

Roy looked at him and tried hard to hide his surprise. Marcoh’s face was deformed to the point of being unrecognizable.

“I beg you, Mustang” the older man said. “Please use your sight to restore Ishval. Make it become what it was before we arrived. The Ishvalans need you.”
Roy nodded soberly. “You don’t have to ask.”
Marcoh lowered his head. “Then I’ll meet you there.” He opened the door to leave.
“Thank you, Dr. Marcoh.”
The man turned to Roy. “No. Thanks to you, Colonel Mustang.” He left the room.

Heymans lifted the shades a bit to allow some light to enter. If the room were completely illuminated so soon after Roy got back his sight, it would hurt his eyes.

“So what do you say, Colonel?” Breda asked. “Do you think you can keep reading the books yourself, now?”
Roy grinned. “Sure. Although I’d rather not force my eyes just yet.”
Breda smiled. “Of course.”

“Lieutenant,” Fuery called. “You’re being released today, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Riza said. “The nurse has to check on me once more and I’ll be free to go.”
“That’s great. Do you want me to bring Black Hayate today or maybe tomorrow?”
She smiled. “Oh, today would be fine. Thanks.”
“I’ll drive you home, Lieutenant,” Breda told her, unaware of the glare Roy sent his way. “We can go with Fuery and bring Hayate along.”

Roy looked at Breda and Fuery with his eyes wide open; then quickly at Riza when she replied.

“Sounds good, thank you,” she said.
“Uh—hold on,” Roy said to Breda. “You haven’t really taken a break, yet. I can take the Lieutenant to her apartment.”
“It wouldn’t be wise for you to drive just yet, Colonel,” Riza said, to what Roy scowled. “Give it a day before you force your sight again.”
“She’s right,” Breda said. “Don’t worry, boss, we can drop you at your home too right after Hawkeye.”
Roy frowned and sighed. “Alright.”

Riza smiled wryly. She knew Roy just wanted a valid reason to be alone with her.

“Are the Elrics here?” Havoc asked. “I haven’t seen them yet.”
“Yes, they are on the second floor,” Falman answered.
“Man, I can’t wait to see Alphonse back in his body. We have to pay them a visit.”
“Okay, let’s go see the boys,” Breda agreed. He lifted the shades up to the middle of the window. “Lieutenant, we’ll be around. We’ll get back later to drive you home.”
“Yes, thank you,” she said.
Havoc smirked. “Hawkeye, remember you can’t change in front of the Colonel anymore. He can see you now.”

Riza laughed and Roy rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry about that,” she said.
“Havoc, I want to see you standing on your own next time we meet,” Roy said.
“You bet!” Havoc answered as he went through the door.

The men left them alone, and Roy sighed soundly.

“They can’t leave us one minute in peace,” he complained.
“They worry about us, Colonel. It’s something to be happy about.”
“I know but…” he lay on the bed and turned his head toward her. “…I was hoping to spend the day with you.”
She shrugged. “We can meet tomorrow.”
Roy pursed his lips. “Tomorrow I may have to be at Headquarters all day to help fix that mess.”
She nodded. “Right. I should go, too.”
“No. You know what the doctor said; you need to rest.”
She looked down. “I’d rather be doing something.”
Roy smiled. “You can organize the trip to Ishval from home, if you want. I would have an excuse to call you often from the office.”
She chuckled softly. “You would only talk to me, though. Elizabeth is gone. There’s no need for her in Ishval.”
“That’s good, because I was only planning to talk with my Lieutenant.”

Riza looked at him with a serene smile.

“By the way, I’ve been thinking last night,” he said. “Remember that fortune teller we met some months ago? The woman said I’d be surrounded by darkness.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “You’re right, I’d forgotten about that.”
“I was sure she had foreseen that strange club we went to.” He smirked. “The place where we first kissed.”
She stifled a giggle. “I haven’t forgotten that.”
Roy smiled. “But now I think she was talking about my blindness.”
Riza held her chin in thought. “Actually, that would make sense.”
He sighed. “If that was it, then I’m relieved. She didn’t see anything past the darkness, but here we are still. With an uncertain future.”
She smiled. “I like to think we make our own destinies.”
Roy sat up. “What reminds me…”

He stood up and walked to Riza’s bed. She blinked as he sat on the border, facing her.

He said softly, “You made a promise to me.”
She opened her eyes wide and avoided his glance for a moment before looking back at him. “To follow you.”
He shook his head. “Not that one.”
She smiled shyly. “I know…”

She stayed silent, and Roy took one of her hands with both of his.

“We defeated the homunculi,” he said. “We won the fight. Nothing can get in our way now.”

She nodded, and her free hand slowly reached out and covered the others.

“I won’t force you, Lieutenant. It’s your choice in the end, but—”
“I want to stand by my word, Colonel.”

Roy stared at her with emotion, and a grin that grew by the second. He disentangled the hands, sat closer to Riza, and moved a strand of her hair behind her ear. His hand stayed on her neck and she held his arm. He leaned his head until their faces touched.

He whispered, “After all the years we’ve been together, I can’t dare to imagine my life without you. I need you with me, Riza.”

Riza felt her breath taken away by his words. Besides the depth of their meaning, it was the first time he called her by her name since they were teenagers. The sound of it brought back sweet memories, and his proximity added to the warm feeling in her chest.

“Will you let me stay by your side,” he continued, “…as your partner?”

Riza felt her cheeks blushing, and her lips formed a smile so big she couldn’t force it down.

Seeing Riza wasn’t replying, Roy continued. “…your lover?”

Her smile was so big, she closed her eyes.

“…your boyfriend?”

Riza chuckled and threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. Roy eagerly embraced her too.

She said, “I—”

The door was opened, and as fast as they could, they broke the embrace and Roy stood up and walked away from Riza’s bed. A dark-haired nurse entered the room with an object in hand.

“Alright, Lieutenant Hawkeye,” she said. “Let’s monitor your blood pressure one last time.”
“Yes,” Riza said, offering her arm to the woman.

The nurse put the cuff around Riza’s upper arm and looked at her, who still had a huge grin plastered on her face. She lifted a brow.

“You look very happy today, Lieu— oh, I’m sorry. Am I interrupting something?”
“Oh, no, not at all,” Riza said. “It’s just… the Colonel got back his sight.”
The nurse blinked. “Really?”
Roy turned around from the window and grinned at the brunette. “It seems it wasn’t permanent, after all,” he said.
The woman gaped in disbelief. “Oh, my God! This is incredible!”
He shrugged, with a smile almost as big as Riza’s. He looked at the Lieutenant as he said, “I know. I’m a very lucky man.”

Roy lifted the shades completely and turned his face away from the window and the direct sunrays. He would now try to get his eyes used to the fully-illuminated room.

Riza’s surroundings were bathed in soft light. She looked at Roy, who was staring back at her with affection, and she felt at peace.

Riza lay on her bed for the first time in days. She relished the comfort of her mattress and soft sheets. Nothing could compare to being home, and the hospital room was no exception.

Earlier that day, after being released from the hospital and having her bandages removed, her friends had brought her home. To avoid any suspicions from Breda and Fuery, Roy didn’t suggest staying at Riza’s, so they took him to his own apartment. It was for the best, Riza thought, as she could even enjoy a short visit from Rebecca a little later.

She heard a noise outside; it was a clap, followed by a sizzling sound. Black Hayate snapped his head up from the floor and ran to the open window. Riza got up, took a gun and followed her dog. The curtains were blocking her view, but she cautiously moved them a little to see what was going on.

She lifted her eyebrows and gasped in shock. “What the—”
“Hey!”

In the blind alley outside her window, climbing a ladder Riza was sure didn’t previously exist, Roy Mustang was smiling sheepishly at her.

She frowned. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Roy finally reached the windowsill and entered Riza’s bedroom. Black Hayate moved his tale and barked once in a happy greeting.

“Don’t we have to be careful?” he asked. “I can’t come this late and enter through the main door. If someone saw me we’d get in trouble.”

He bent over and petted the dog.

Riza put the gun back in a drawer. “I would have shot you if I hadn’t recognized you immediately. You should have called.”
He scratched the back of his head. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

She looked out the window at the new cement ladder. “Did you transmute that?”
Roy sighed. “It was easier than you can imagine.”

He stood beside her and clapped again; then stretched his hands and touched the material. It turned to liquid and fell smoothly to the floor.

“This is going to be so helpful in Ishval,” he said.
Riza nodded. “I can tell.” She examined him and folded her arms. “You didn’t drive all the way here, did you?”
“No, I took a taxi to the park and walked from there.”
“Can you see clearly now?”
“As if I’d never been blind.” He held her arm. “How’s your neck?”
“Much better.” She touched the side of her neck that had been slit with a sword. “Despite the scar I got, the pain is gone completely.”

Roy embraced her, noticing for the first time she was barely wearing a nightgown. He kissed her neck, and Riza took a ragged breath and embraced him back.

“I’m glad,” he said; his voice so deep against her ear, her body shivered.
“And your hands?” she asked.

Roy broke the embrace, keeping an arm around Riza’s waist. He brushed a lock of her hair with his other hand. “I can’t complain.”
She smiled. “Good.”

He leaned in to kiss her, but she moved her head to avoid it.

“Would you like some tea?” she asked.
Roy smirked. “No, thank you.”
“Coffee?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I don’t have any alcohol.”
He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I don’t want that either.”

A gust of wind entered through the window, lifting the curtain and allowing the streetlamps and moonlight to illuminate them better.

Roy smiled wryly. “I’m so glad I can see you. I thought for a moment I wouldn’t see your face again.” He looked straight into her eyes and said, “You’re so incredibly beautiful.”

Riza looked away from him with a shy smile. She wondered if it would always be like this; if he would always make her feel so cherished. She wanted to voice her feelings, to let him know how much he meant to her.

“Colonel—”
“I love you,” he said.

She immediately looked back at him in shock.

He took her face with both hands. “I love you, Riza.”

Riza touched Roy with delicacy, her hands going slowly up his arms until they reached his nape. He leaned down and his forehead made contact with hers. Her eyes were shiny and her lips were pursed in a wry smile.

He repeated, “I love you. I wanted to tell you at the hospital when we had some time, but when I knew I’d get my sight back…” His left hand returned to the small of her back and pulled her against him. “…I had to wait until we were alone and I looked into your eyes.”
Riza grinned. “I love you too.” Her fingertips grazed his hair, and she pulled his head to her level. “I love you, Roy Mustang.”

Roy tightened the hug and kissed her. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. His kiss was long and intense, taking over her mouth completely. They hadn’t been this close in months, and it showed in every time his lips captured hers, and released them, and caught them again.

Riza opened her eyes as she welcomed the affection of the only person she had ever loved. A shadow called her attention and she noticed Hayate leaving the room. Roy’s pace seemed suddenly too fast. Or fast enough that she couldn’t keep up.

Roy moved to her neck and slowed down, pressing sweet kisses on her skin. Riza stared at the wall, at nothing in particular; she could only just enjoy his gestures.

Roy looked at her for a moment and stood back straight.

“You’re hesitant,” he said.

Riza raised a brow in curiosity, looking in his eyes for what he meant.

He took her hands from behind his neck and held them against his chest. “Why?” he asked.
She smiled. “I’m not.”
He leaned in and pulled from her arms, making her take a step closer. “Lieutenant.” He looked into her eyes. “What is it?”

She shrugged a shoulder, and Roy sighed. He let go of her, went to the window and moved the curtains to the side. Riza frowned, immediately missing the warmth he had given her.

Roy looked at her over his shoulder and smiled. “Have you seen the moon tonight?” he asked.

Riza smiled back and joined him. She hugged his arm, but Roy moved to hug her back and hold her comfortably against him. She then hugged his torso and lay her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead.

The night was eerily quiet, except for the crickets outside. The streets were empty. The moon was full, and closer than usual.

A soft breeze entered the room.

“Are you sure, Roy?”
Roy looked at Riza, not used to her calling him by his name. “About us?”

She nodded.

“As much as I want to be Führer.”
“I know we can keep it a secret, but… it’s not going to be easy at all.”
“When has life been easy for us, Lieutenant?”
She looked down seriously. “We’re not talking about kissing when no one’s around. It’s a commitment. It could be a terrible mistake.”
He knitted his brows and turned to face her. “I’ve made many mistakes in my life, you know that. And if I’m sure of one thing, it’s…” He tightened the grasp on her body. “If this ever turns out to have been a mistake, I’ll still never regret it.” He tilted his head slightly. “But I’m never giving up on us. We’ll still be together.” He fondled her jaw and smiled. “And if I have to wait for ten years until I can take your hand in public, I will. I can wait twenty years, too. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

Riza closed her eyes with a satisfied smile. Roy took her shoulders firmly. She saw him and blinked, as he watched her with eyes darker than the sky before he spoke.

“…But I want to be with you now.”

His fierce determination triggered a powerful want within her, deep and eager, and it was all she needed to throw her arms around him. She kissed him with a passion she hadn’t allowed herself to express before. She felt freed from worries, and didn’t care about future consequences.

Roy was quick to react, and pulled her impossibly hard against him. He was fast and slow and she was always in synch. He needed more and used his tongue to savor her, to drink her kisses. Riza opened her eyes wide at the sensation and closed them again, imitating his gesture without even thinking of it. She took his head between her hands and her fingers brushed the hair that fell on his face.

He lowered his hands to her thighs and squeezed them. Then he lifted her from the floor and held her weight as she straddled him.

Riza circled him tightly with her legs and pressed her lower body against Roy’s for better support. She just wanted to be joined with him, to have him as close as it was physically possible, to kiss him and be kissed by him until their mouths burned.

Roy walked backwards until he reached the bed. He sat down carefully, carrying Riza with him. He broke the kiss and stared at her. The window was right behind her and the moon was shining above her head. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen: Riza Hawkeye on his lap, with nothing but a thin garment covering her, with her soft hair falling on her bare shoulders.

He slid his hands slowly from her knees to her hips, watching her face as he enjoyed touching her skin. She stared adoringly at him; with her eyes bright from happiness and her smile so sweet. Her lips were swollen; he had just separated his from hers but he wanted nothing but to kiss them again. He looked into her eyes again and he was never happier to be alive.

Riza felt a tear forming in her eye and dried it away. Every touch of Roy’s hands brought a pleasure so great, that her skin was more sensitive, and her senses only focused on him. She only saw him, heard him, smelled him. She still tasted his tongue in her mouth. She wanted to feel him more.

Roy lifted her nightgown and she raised her arms to help. He took it off her and left it on the floor. She was astonishingly beautiful. Her naked torso offered so much skin for him to explore with his mouth. He knew how different her back was from her front, and he was determined to give her more pleasure tonight than the pain he had ever caused her.

He moved her to his right, delicately laying her on the mattress. Her long hair was spread below her on the pillow. He accommodated himself, with his knees sinking the sheets and Riza’s legs between them. He leaned, supporting himself with his lower arms pressed on the sides of her head. He showered her neck with tender kisses, and Riza unbuttoned his shirt and took it off with his help.

His body was amazingly built, with his muscles shaped to a very attractive form she wanted to grow familiar with. She ran a finger down his chest and felt him fill his lungs with air. Her fingers brushed the area over his heart and felt his heartbeat. On the side of his stomach she found his large scar. The two of them had significant marks on their bodies by the flames they had both been responsible to create.

Riza stroked the body tissue softly, and Roy visibly flinched. Maybe she had found a ticklish area. He pushed her jaw with his cheek playfully and nibbled her earlobe. She closed her eyes and laughed.

She had never trusted someone in her life as much as she trusted Roy, the man she met once as a teenage boy, the man she couldn’t help but fall in love with. Every caress and kiss from him felt right and real. They just felt good, like they’d always belonged with her. And she felt safe, too, both in his company and alone, because the monsters were gone. They’d defeated them together. And if they had done that, they could do anything. They could go as far as they wished.

“I love you,” she whispered.
He faced her. “And I love you.”
She touched his face. “We’re together, then.”
“We’ve always been.”

He was committed to making this last; she could feel how much he wanted it. And she was ready to give all her love and devotion to him.

She grazed his lower lip with her finger. “Make love to me.”

He kissed her mouth with urgent desire. His hands roamed her curves, from her round breasts to her waist, then to her stomach, and she twisted under his touch. He reached her hips, found her underwear and pulled from it.

She grabbed his hand. “Wait.”
He stopped and returned to her side. “What is it?”
She smiled. “We’ve done nothing but hide these past few months. We either kissed in the dark, or had to wear disguises.” She thumbed the corners of his eyes. “And you just got back your sight.” She grinned widely. “You can see.”
Roy brushed aside her bangs with his fingers and kissed her temple. “So what are you thinking?”
“That we’re safe here. We don’t have to hide all the time.” She extended her arm to her bedside table, reached the lamp switch, and clicked it.

Roy blinked for a second at the sudden change of scenery. He could now observe her beauty in full detail, and notice every feature of her face. He had never appreciated his sense of sight this much.

His pupils dilated, and he lovingly caressed her flushed cheek with his palm. She was glad to see the glint in his eyes when he felt the movements of her face as she smiled and whispered.

“Let’s keep the lights on.”

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Dragonridergirl2 (Guest) on Chapter 1 Thu 09 Apr 2020 05:03PM UTC

I love this! It's so freaking cute and I can't wait to read more!!

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A Passing Housewife (flourchildwrites) on Chapter 2 Sat 19 May 2018 05:09AM UTC

I enjoyed this chapter so much. LOL-This exchange.
“…but I’ll leave it at that. I respect you, Lieutenant.”
Proceeds to ask Riza what she’s wearing and tell her he’s naked.
I wonder who, if anyone, he’ll meet at the fair. Lieutenant Hawkeye? Elizabeth?
Or a girl named Riza? But, I think, the better question is the identity of the person waiting for her. The way you’ve given us a glimpse into Roy’s inner musings portrays a fundamentally conflicted individual.
So, I wonder which Roy we’ll see. The flame alchemist, a consummate military man with his pride intact? The sycophantic play boy with a cavalier disregard for protocol? Or Roy, a boy who has a thing for a girl who’s always just beyond his reach.
Truly, I can’t wait to find out!

Last Edited Sat 19 May 2018 05:09AM UTC

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1. QueenElenyaHawk on Chapter 2 Fri 22 Jun 2018 08:36PM UTC
  
  Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it.
  
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Lorien_Prince on Chapter 3 Wed 08 Apr 2020 09:10AM UTC

I loved this so much - the dynamic you made was great!

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swedish_short_snout on Chapter 4 Tue 14 Jan 2020 03:03PM UTC

So Envy and going blind... fair things to see in his future...
I wonder if Rizas future would have foretold her (almost) dying, if so it might be good they didn't hear it

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lionheartwriting on Chapter 5 Tue 26 Nov 2019 11:28PM UTC

I love this. It's so beautiful and subtle.

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1. QueenElenyaHawk on Chapter 5 Fri 06 Dec 2019 11:09PM UTC
  
  Thank you so much! :D
  
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Arkytior on Chapter 5 Wed 27 Nov 2019 11:47PM UTC

Wow. This is so great, and so them. Subtle, driven, .. sexy ? Thank you so much for sharing this ! <3

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1. QueenElenyaHawk on Chapter 5 Fri 06 Dec 2019 11:05PM UTC
  
  Thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate it :D
  
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swedish_short_snout on Chapter 5 Tue 14 Jan 2020 04:12PM UTC

So Vanessa sets them up (or help set them up? :p)

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trashpocket on Chapter 5 Sat 15 Feb 2020 08:24PM UTC

So hey, I actually listened to the song on Spotify, and though Idk who the original singer was, I listened to Betty Carter's remastered version.
And idk, it may not be the best song, but putting my mindset in that time period, between roy and mustang, i wanted to smile so hard, but also kind lounge away my sadness cause riza couldnt see roy. UGH, I LOVED IT

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1. QueenElenyaHawk on Chapter 5 Mon 24 Feb 2020 12:30AM UTC
  
  Hey, I'm actually surprised someone looked up the song :D I didn't know it before writing this chapter, I specifically looked for old songs that would fit in that era. So yeah, not my favorite either but it was one of the most fitting ones I found, haha. Thanks a lot!
  
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misckrista on Chapter 6 Sat 07 Dec 2019 02:17AM UTC

AHHH

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trashpocket on Chapter 6 Sat 15 Feb 2020 08:43PM UTC

Youre a fucking SADIST, YOU LOVE MAKING ME HURT RIGHT AFTER A NICE ASS CHAPTER, RAHHHHHH. T-T

Last Edited Sat 15 Feb 2020 08:44PM UTC

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1. QueenElenyaHawk on Chapter 6 Mon 24 Feb 2020 12:30AM UTC
  
  I'm glad you're enjoying it! :3
  
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swedish_short_snout on Chapter 7 Tue 14 Jan 2020 05:22PM UTC

'It had certainly not been the best timing to come to terms with his feelings when they were in the middle of this chaos.' No shit *pretend chocked face* :p
Love the story! I want next part *playfully greedy reader* gimmie gimmie gimmie *grabby hands*

Last Edited Tue 14 Jan 2020 05:23PM UTC

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1. QueenElenyaHawk on Chapter 7 Wed 15 Jan 2020 03:51PM UTC
  
  Thank you so much for your comments! I'm glad you're enjoying it :D
  
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swedish_short_snout on Chapter 8 Wed 15 Jan 2020 06:49PM UTC

'Oh; when, exactly, did she fall in love with him?' Before Ishval? :P and then again after when you basically shadow him constantly? :P
'Who was Elizabeth?' Yeah, probably good that they don't know the answer to that
♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥
Ooh new chapter :D Can I has more? *playfully greedy while knowing I have to wait for the author to actually have time to write new chapters*

Last Edited Wed 15 Jan 2020 06:50PM UTC

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swedish_short_snout on Chapter 9 Sun 26 Jan 2020 07:49AM UTC

♥♥♥♥♥♥

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ErurIris on Chapter 9 Wed 29 Jan 2020 03:31PM UTC

I've been reading this fic for a while and this is my favourite chapter so far! Loved the interaction between Roy and Riza.

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1. QueenElenyaHawk on Chapter 9 Mon 24 Feb 2020 12:06AM UTC
  
  Thank you! I think this is my favorite one as well :D
  
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Temaridono (Guest) on Chapter 9 Thu 05 Mar 2020 05:41PM UTC

really liked your story until this chapter. I feel that this is very true to the characters and the story. I love Royai and especially that moment in history when Riza is put under command of the führer

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1. QueenElenyaHawk on Chapter 9 Sat 21 Mar 2020 09:12PM UTC
  
  Thank you! I really tried to make the characters as close as possible to their canon selves; and that was one of my favorite moments in the show as well :D
  
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swedish_short_snout on Chapter 10 Mon 24 Feb 2020 05:43AM UTC

♥♥♥♥♥♥

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JazzaeJazz (Guest) on Chapter 10 Mon 24 Feb 2020 01:01PM UTC

I LOVE ITTT!! Was Roy really asking for Riza to marry him!?? Just be mine!!? Hahahahaha sooo cheesy!!
Please update soooon!!

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Ely (Guest) on Chapter 10 Tue 25 Feb 2020 09:50AM UTC

I really love your Letters from Elizabeth! I am glad to know that you will post the last chapters, can't wait!

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swedish_short_snout on Chapter 11 Sat 21 Mar 2020 07:51AM UTC

♥♥♥♥♥♥

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TheSingingHoneybee on Chapter 11 Sun 29 Mar 2020 08:48AM UTC

I have loved this so far! Excited to see how it ends! <3

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