Work Text:
Anyone who visited Riverfell Township's branch of Bullseye Coffee could tell you one thing: they ran that place like the damn military.
"Mustang!" Riza Hawkeye shouted to the back of the kitchen. "Cover me on orders for a moment! I need to clean up a spilled drink!"
Roy Mustang saluted, though he knew she couldn't see him from her current position. "Roger that! I'll be right there!"
The two always worked with perfect precision and synchronization, and the right cross of urgency and patience. It was why their shop was one of the town's most lively and well-loved joints. Somehow, the work of an ex-Colonel and a former Lieutenant had carved a cozy little spot out of the busy area.
Most people believed that Roy and Riza were dating, yet the two didn't even know each other outside of work.
Bullseye closed at ten, but Riza usually left at ten-thirty. Her apartment was a five-minute walk away, so long as she walked at a brisk pace. Right now, the moon was new, and she was exhausted. She arrived home at ten-forty.
She didn't even bother to go to her bedroom, flopping down instead on her trusty old couch. She ought to eat before going to sleep, and if she laid down in her bed she knew for a fact she wouldn't be getting up until her alarm at eleven the next day.
As exhausting as her job was — and it was, especially on Mondays like this one — it still beat the military any day.
Eventually she mustered the strength to lift herself up and cross the room to the kitchen. A microwaveable pizza calzone would do, she decided, setting in the microwave and sticking it in for the necessitated time.
Despite managing a cafe, Riza was, in fact, quite the lousy cook. The stovetop was off-limits to her lest she set her meal (or her apartment) on fire.
She looked out the window as her food spun on the glass plate of the microwave. The light-polluted sky was far blacker than usual. Riza hated this time of the month, the days when the moon was gone from the heavens. It was as if the darkness pressed down on her, too, burying her inside her body.
The sooner she slept, the sooner another day would come. She devoured her dinner like a starving animal and then collapsed into her bed without so much as changing into pajamas.
Roy got up at five-forty-five every day on the dot. He spent five minutes brushing his teeth, fifteen exercising, ten showering, five getting dressed, ten making breakfast, ten eating it, and five getting out the door. Then he drove fifteen minutes to Bullseye, allowing him to arrive around seven, depending on traffic. The next thirty minutes he spent preparing the shop to open right on time at seven-thirty.
Roy couldn't train the punctuality out of him if he tried, he thought.
He was on taking orders this morning. The other two employees on the morning shift, Jean and Rebecca, were to prepare them in the back. But no customers had come in yet.
Speak of the devil, though, the bell on the door jingled, and a certain girl with a golden braid and an automail arm stepped in with a cocky smirk.
"Yo, Mustang!" Ed Elric shouted unnecessarily across the empty coffee shop. "My usual?"
Roy groaned, turning back towards the kitchen. "Fullmetal's here for her usual."
"Roger that!" Rebecca shouted. Ed deposited her payment on the counter, then leaned her arms on it, still grinning widely. Roy glared at her.
"I told you not to so that. Your automail will scratch the wood."
"Did they kick you off the army for bein' so ableist?" Ed asked, throwing her arms up dramatically. Roy huffed.
"No."
Ed was a former barista at Bullseye Coffee, and a talented young alchemist. Roy had nicknamed her Fullmetal back then, due to her two prosthetics. Of course, he'd been forced to fire her after she failed a transmutation and blew up the industrial dishwasher.
Rebecca came up to the counter holding a pumpkin spice affogato and an apple tart with the name Ed written on the cup. "Here you go!"
"Thanks!" Ed replied. "You're way nicer than that bastard Mustang, huh?"
"I could give you a lifetime ban if I wanted, you know."
"Yeah, but'cha won't." She began nibbling on her tart without leaving the counter. "Hey, remind me how old you are? I thought you were a little young to be going gray."
She always knew exactly how to piss him off.
"Shove off, Fullmetal," he said, pushing her away. She yelped, stumbling backwards.
"Hey! You coulda spilled my coffee, asshole!"
"Then maybe don't bother me so much, dumbass!"
Ed was nearly always the morning's first customer. As annoying as she may have been, she also did the helpful task of getting Roy fired up for the day. If he could deal with Ed Elric, he could deal with anything — that was his motto.
Riza didn't had to be at work before noon-thirty, since she took the afternoon shift, but she still liked showing up about an hour early anyway. Bullseye Coffee had a comforting atmosphere, particularly when she wasn't on the clock. And besides, Roy usually stayed an hour into the afternoon shift, so it was only fair.
"Hey, Riza!" Rebecca shouted from the counter. Riza greeted her best friend with a smile. Since she was between jobs right now, Riza had offered her temporarily employment at Bullseye.
"Can I get a hot chocolate?"
"He's right over there!" Rebecca replied with a wink and a point at Roy, who was restocking shelves in the back.
Riza's eye twitched.
"Catalina."
"You're no fun!" she complained, even as she input the order on the register. "You're lucky I'm so happy with Jean, or otherwise I would have snagged up your fat-assed co-manager by now. Cash or card?"
"Cash."
There was a downside of Rebecca working at Bullseye, and it was her attempts to matchmake Riza with Roy.
Riza had, of course, repeatedly shut down the idea. But she hadn't been able to provide a satisfactory enough reason to Rebecca, so the attempts just kept going. And it seemed they would continue to do so for the foreseeable future. After all, Riza couldn't tell Rebecca that she couldn't afford for Roy to know her secret without letting it slip to Rebecca that she had a secret to begin with.
It was fine.
"Hey, Hawkeye!" Roy called from the kitchen. "You mind lending me a hand for a moment?"
She quickly saluted. "Aye-aye!"
Riza and Roy had both served in the military. Though they hadn't been in the same unit, or really crossed paths at all, both of them found it easy to fall back into old habits when working together. The chain of command fit Riza like an old jacket, and the language of battle suited her tongue.
Roy had been a Colonel before his retirement, she knew. She herself had been a Lieutenant before quitting. Was that why following Roy's orders felt as easy and instinctive as a dog obeying its master?
Well, of course that wasn't the full reason. But it didn't matter. Riza liked working with Roy. It didn't have to be anything more than that… For his sake, it shouldn't be anything more than that.
"Alright, I'll be clocking out," Roy eventually said, pulling off his Bullseye apron and hanging it on one of the hooks. "I'll see you all tomorrow."
"See you, Mustang," Riza echoed.
Her shift was usually less busy up until nine hit. Until then, she had the easy end of the stick. Though part of that may have been due to the other evening shift workers, Kain and Sheska, being far more even-tempered.
It was about eight thirty when some louder footsteps than usual accompanied the jingling of the door. Riza looked over from the kitchen to see Ed, accompanied by her brother Alphonse. Ah, that explained the noise, then.
Sheska was on register duty, and she immediately brightened up upon seeing the siblings. Naturally, since they had been the ones to recommend her to Roy.
And speaking of Roy, he'd complained to Riza about Ed's visit while the two had been wiping down tables together. Just what was she doing here a second time?
"Hi, Ed! Hi, Al!" Sheska cheerfully greeted as the Elrics walked up to the counter. "What can I get for you?"
"Oh, um, can I get a French roast?" Alphonse asked. "Sister, what about you?"
"Hm… A caramel latte with extra whip cream, pleeease aaand thank you!"
Riza suppressed a snicker. Oh, those two were funny. It was a running joke between the staff how their orders were polar opposites.
"You've got it!" Sheska said. "Cash or—"
"Card," Ed said, sliding her credit card through the reader. Alphonse groaned.
"Sisterrr, I told you I wanted to pay this time!"
"Hey, my acccount is the one getting Daddy's hush money, not yours. Let your big sister treat you, yeah?"
"You say that every time! And with your height, you might as well be my little sister!"
She stepped in to interrupt the siblings' argument before they could start roughhousing in the middle of her establishment. "So, what brings you here again, Ed?"
Riza watched as Ed's cheeks slowly but surely pinked.
"W-well…" She avoided eye contact, her good hand picking at the seams of her prosthetic. "So… I want to ask out Winry, and—"
"You're not already dating?!" Sheska yelled from the register. When all eyes turned to her she squeaked and hid her face. "I-I mean! Carry on!"
"Uh. I wanna ask out Winry, so I was hoping for some advice," Ed continued. Riza was about to ask why she was coming to her of all people for advice, but Ed answered the question before she could even ask it. "When you and Mustang got together… What did you say?"
In the back, Kain began laughing.
It was all Riza could do to keep a straight face as she says, "We aren't together."
"WHAT?!" both Elrics yelled. Riza turned away.
"I have to get back to my work. Enjoy your drinks."
Riza wasn't obtuse.
She knew everyone saw something between her and Roy. She knew what they saw because she knew it was there. She knew damn well that all she had to do was say the magic words, and everyone's suspicions would become fact.
But she couldn't do that to him.
Because she was a monster.
Every Saturday, Roy went bowling with the Hughes family. It was nice to spend time with an old friend, and to take a break from work.
"Just like that, Elicia!" Maes yelled, teary-eyed, as his daughter rolled her bowling ball down the lane. It hit her twelfth gutterball in as many rounds.
"You ought to actually teach her how to play, dear," Gracia said, a smile pulling at her lips. Maes laughed boisterously as Elicia puffed out her cheeks.
"I'll figure it out eventually, Mommy!"
"Exactly!" Maes said. "I believe in you, sweetie."
"Yay!" Elicia used her second turn and swung the ball again. This time, she knocked down one whole pin. "Look! I did it!"
"You sure did, kid," Roy said over Maes's blubbering and Gracia's laughter. Elicia grinned, returning to her seat and getting a slice of pizza. "Gracia, you're up next."
"Right! I'll show you boys how it's done."
Maes and Roy always tired out far before the ladies did. Maes blamed it on their many years of combat. Roy blamed it on Elicia's youthful energy and Gracia's competitive streak. At any rate, it usually led to them watching the girls bowl while holding their own private conversation.
"Hawkeye's been acting weird since Monday," Roy said. Maes tilted his head.
"Weird how?"
"Just a little more tired." He shrugged. "She gets like this for a few days every month, so it's probably… you know…"
"Don't tell me you're not man enough to say she's on her period!" Maes said, clapping Roy on the back. Roy glared at him.
"I'm just trying to be respectful."
"Ah, what a gentleman!" Maes said, then laughs. "Oh, are you ever going to ask her out?"
"I don't think she's interested."
"Now I know you're smarter than that."
"If she wanted to make a move, she would have by now."
"Oh, Roy," Maes said with a sigh, "you're hopeless."
First Rebecca, bothering Roy to grow a pair and ask Riza out, then Maes, calling him hopeless. Between it all, he was starting to wonder if they were right. Him and Riza had been running Bullseye Coffee together for five years, and they still didn't call each other by their first names.
If even one more person spoke to Roy about this, he might truly believe he was a coward.
"Hey, Mustang!" Ed yelled as she busted open the door. Great. Roy picked picked himself up off the bar to give her a deadpan glare.
"Good morning, Fullmetal."
"Today is a great day!" Ed declared, doing a little spin. "I'll have a cookies and cream frappe, pronto!"
"What's got you in such a good mood?" Rebecca asked, from where she was sweeping. Ed grinned widely.
"Well, well, well! Guess who has a giiirlfrieeend?"
"You asked Winry out?!" Jean yelled. Roy glared at him.
"Don't you look away from the coffee machine while you're turning it on!" he snapped. Ed didn't seem to even hear.
"Yep! We're dating!"
"Took you long enough," Roy muttered. "I knew you two liked each other since you dragged her to your shift when you were fifteen."
Ed flushed. "Hey, shut up!"
"Those sound like the words of a girl who won't be getting her frappuccino," Roy said, and immediately Ed began yammering.
"No, no, no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Roy laughed slightly to himself. He grabbed Ed's drink and handed it to her.
"Really, though, what took you so long?"
Ed bit her lip, averting her gaze. "Well, for a while I just didn't realize. And then I put it off for a while 'cuz being her boyfriend felt wrong and I didn't know why. So then I had to deal with the gender thing. And then I had my first year of university."
"Excuses, excuses," Roy teased. Ed growled, staring him down.
"What's your excuse for not askin' out Hawkeye yet, then, huh?!"
…Roy felt a little faint.
"P-point taken," he choked out, clinging to the counter.
"Mustang, are you alright??" Rebecca asked. Roy coughed, attempting to regain his strength.
"I'm just fine. Don't worry about it."
That was it, then. He was as cowardly as they came.
The moon was beginning to wax, and Riza was already feeling more alive. Five minutes home today, and she even had the energy to make a grilled cheese.
Though, while her body felt less oppressive, the cityscape still stifled. Riverfell was a pretty small town, but there was still so much concrete and grit. Riza had grown up near a forest. She missed running around in the woods freely, without a care in the world.
Though, look where such carelessness got her. The scar on her shoulder ached; absentmindedly, she rubbed it.
She missed the military almost as much as she missed the forest. Odd, wasn't it? They seemed incompatible. But both had a strict food chain, both allowed her the privilege of mindless violence.
She'd left the military because of that same—
Riza shoved down the thoughts about her secret. She still had a couple weeks before it would be a concern. Until then, it was best to try to forget about it entirely.
After all, nostalgia had never done her any favors.
Riza was closing down the shop when the door jingled open. She'd already locked it, and there was only one other person with the key.
"Hello, Mustang."
"Good evening, Hawkeye."
"What are you doing here so late?"
Roy laughed awkwardly. "I, uh. I forgot something."
"Something you couldn't even wait until tomorrow to retrieve?"
Roy held his breath in, then let it all out in one long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I didn't want to admit it, but, um." His eyes squeezed shut. "It's… my wallet…"
Riza stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Yeah, that'll do it." She watched him grab his wallet. As he began walking back to the door, she threw her rag at his face. "Hey, Mustang. As long as you're here, help me close down."
"Ah. You got it."
The saying went that many hands made light work. Sure enough, it was easier as Riza and Roy worked together. They finished in half the time.
"Thank you," Riza said, saluting to him. She reached for her coat from its hook.
"No problem. Always a pleasure to work with you, Hawkeye."
His words were so genuine.
They made Riza sick.
On her walk home, she had to stop to bend over in an alleyway and retch. All she could force out were dry heaves, despite how much her stomach roiled. Her mouth— Her mouth tasted like fucking metal.
Every day she spent with Roy was another mistake. That was it. She had thought it was fine, that she had found a loophole in keeping him at an arm's length. That the five long years they had shared could be neutralized by that alone.
Riza ruined everything she touched, and the full moon was coming.
Roy couldn't even muster the energy to poke his head up when the door jingled open.
"Damn, you're a wreck!" Ed declared in her usual blunt way. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," he said, his words muffled by the counter he was resting his face on. Ed groaned loudly. A moment later, Roy's face was knocked up.
"Holy shit, those eyebags are crazy!" she said. He gave her a death glare.
"Don't transmute my property, Elric!"
"I'll do what I goddamn want, you old bastard!" She slammed her hands on the counter in front of Roy. "You can't take my order if you're moping, can you?!"
Ed showed her affection in the strangest ways. Then again, so did Roy.
"Your usual?" he asked, and Ed nodded.
"Yep. Now, what's buggin' ya?"
It felt embarrassing to admit. Like he was some schoolboy with a crush.
"Hawkeye's been acting cold," he grumbled. Ed visibly attempted to hold in a laugh.
"O-oh, man, that— snrrk— that sucks, Mustang."
"I'm serious! She usually shows up for her shift an hour early just to hang out, but she's been right on time lately— Sometimes she's been late! And she hasn't been talking to me when we work together, a-and—"
"Dear god, you really are whipped," Rebecca cut in. Mustang fantasized briefly about using his alchemy to set her hair on fire, but that would be irresponsible.
"I believe that's enough discussion about my co-manager," he said flatly. Ed rolled her eyes.
"Alright, alright. I know when to back down."
Soon enough the customers began pouring in, and Roy could work all his thoughts away.
Riza had to simply stop looking at Roy. It was the only way to prevent herself from feeling like she'd been stabbed every time he stared at her with unfiltered pain in his eyes. Nobody else commented on it. Nobody else could read him quite as well as she could, she supposed, which was like a whole new set of needles piercing her through.
Oh, she had fucked up bad.
She wasn't supposed to do this. To get close to people. Rebecca was her best friend but even then they had only talked around once a month before Riza had hired her. Her father was dead, she didn't speak to anybody from her military days, and all her friends now, if you could even call them that, were either coworkers or customers.
That was the life she had made for herself. That was the life she was cursed to live with. That was the life she had accepted would be hers forever.
This half-life, this meager excuse for a life—
The only life she could ever live—
Even it was crumbling beneath her.
She hadn't quite realized until now how terrified she was of losing it all. Of losing the shop. Of losing Roy. What would she even do if she had to let it all go? It was all she had.
He was all she had.
Fuck. She had to do something. She shouldn't be this attached. She couldn't make this last forever.
What if she repeated the mistake that made her leave the military?
Riza stared at herself in the mirror, her hands gripping onto the edge of the sink. It was dark in the bathroom. She could barely see her face. The little light that was in the room reflected in her eyes. The copper hue had a red tint to it when she looked at it right. Like blood.
Just a few days left until temporary release. Then it would happen all over again.
Roy wasn't doing good.
He didn't get why Riza was doing this. He really didn't. The two of them didn't speak outside of work, but it had been five long years together, damn it, so he thought he'd known her pretty well! He couldn't see any reason for her to be doing this, and yet, she was.
He loved her, he was beginning to realize. He'd always known he liked her, but love was something else. He couldn't just push it to the back burner. He couldn't pretend it wasn't eating him alive.
Ed was probably the main reason he hadn't fully given in to his slump. Little shit came in every morning just like always to bother Roy until he had enough fight in him to chase her out. He appreciated it more than he'd ever say.
Today, though, today even Ed had barely managed to lift his spirits. Because today, Riza had called in sick.
Roy closed on his own that night. He was unused to it — the afternoon shift was Riza's, and the morning shift was his, perfectly balanced between them as it should be. The last time he'd closed, it had been with Riza by his side. Thinking about it now, it was only after that that things had changed so much between them. Had he done something wrong?
Well. Riza had never called in sick during all their five years working together. Something had to be wrong. So Roy was going to do something very, very unwise.
He was lucky that Rebecca was loose-lipped enough to fork over the address. He walked over, since the distance was short. Above him, the full moon shone its pearly light, illuminating his every footstep. On the stone paths, up the concrete stairs, until he entered where the moon shone only through windowpanes.
Floor 1, apartment number 67. Roy knocked on the door.
From inside came a scratching sound.
Roy's eyes widened in alarm. Just what was that?! He quickly felt around in his pocket, and exhaled a breath of relief when his hand brushed against the piece of chalk inside. Good. If it came to it, then, he could use alchemy.
The scratching grew louder. Then there was a loud thumping, and rattling. Was something… slamming against the door?
He tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.
That settled it, then. Something terrible might have happened to Riza. He had to go check.
He opened the door.
Immediately something slammed into his legs, nearly knocking him to the ground. It was— It was a wolf, somehow, in the middle of this busy town. How the hell had a wolf gotten into Riza's apartment?! Was she injured?! He tried to push his way in, but the wolf nipped at his legs. He yelled, grabbing the chalk from his pocket. The moment the wolf saw it in his hand it shrunk away, its eyes wide with fear.
A wild animal that knew what alchemy was? Just what was this thing? And what had happened to Riza?
Roy wasn't supposed to be here. Not tonight.
Stupid Riza. Stupid, stupid — oh, she was a verifiable idiot. Why hadn't she come up with a better excuse? Why hadn't she taken the necessary precautions? Why hadn't she just locked the fucking door?
This was exactly what she had been so afraid of.
And now it was staring Roy down in the hallway, trying, somehow, to beg him not to use his flame alchemy on it and burn it to a crisp.
Riza had been terrified of hurting Roy. She hadn't even thought that the opposite could happen, had she? Riza Hawkeye was a monster, yes, but Roy Mustang was a hero, and heroes destroyed monsters.
It shook like a leaf, looking back and forth between the chalk in Roy's hands and the steely look on his face.
Riza was borderline suicidal, but right now, it didn't want to die.
It bolted.
The apartment building's doors were automatic. It raced for them, keenly aware of the quick footfalls behind it. Roy was giving chase. Fuck.
It made for the nearby parking garage, which was a damn maze in the dark hours. The full moon's light shining on it helped give momentary ease to its burning muscles. When was the last time it had ran like this?
It needed a good spot to hide. Roy was still in pursuit; that dumbass just didn't know when to give up. Shit. Where could it go? Under that truck, maybe? It dashed under, curling up beneath it. It was dark in here, surely Roy wouldn't be able to find it.
His footsteps echoed against the concrete walls. It forced its breathing to steady. Too dark to see, too dark to—
Roy snapped his fingers, and a small flame erupted directly above. There was something white on his palm. Had he drawn a circle on his hand?
Oh, god. He was going to find it.
Oddly, he didn't seem angry. Only focused. He bit his lip as he looked around, eyebrows furrowed.
"Hawkeye?" he called. "Hawkeye, I know you're here."
What was he talking about? What was he planning? What kind of trap was this?
"Hawkeye…" He paused, taking a deep breath. "Riza?"
He'd never called her that before. Not even once. Against its will, its tail wagged, just a little.
The light of his flame suddenly shone into its hiding spots. It yelped like a little baby pup.
"Found you," he said, softly. "Come on out, Riza."
Roy didn't think he could explain how he'd known if he tried. He just did. It took a little thinking, but the moment the wolf — Riza — ran, he knew. It had to be her. Who else could it be?
It stung that she was afraid of him. It stung, but it made sense, too. He'd practically threatened her life. If it was him, he would be terrified.
He knew Riza. He knew how her mind worked. Even when he lost track of her outside for a moment, a quick glance at the surroundings was all it took to figure out what her hiding place of choice would be. As he walked in, he drew a transmutation circle on his palm, to light his way. He half-wished he'd thought to bring his old gloves from the military, but no, this would only have scared Riza more.
"Hawkeye?" His voice echoed against the cement walls and metal cars. "I know you're in here."
Nothing. Well, he didn't expect her to come out. She was probably hiding under one of the cars.
"Hawkeye…" he began asking again, then cut himself off, starting anew. "Riza?"
There was a soft thumping sound, so quiet Roy probably wouldn't have caught it if he hadn't been so well-trained in observation. He shone the light of his flame under the truck he'd heard the sound from. She let out a yip, and his face broke into a smile.
"Found you. Come on out, Riza."
It took a moment, but she slowly scooted out from underneath. When she saw his smile she immediately rushed him, rubbing against his legs with her tail wagging a mile a minute.
That sure as hell was Riza, yeah. And she really was, somehow, a wolf.
He could ask for an explanation later. Right now, his priority was taking care of her.
He reached down to pet her. "Let's get you home, Riza."
The door to her apartment was still unlocked. Roy locked it once they were both inside. Riza jumped onto the couch, then looked at him expectantly. He laughed and sat down beside her.
Her fur was very soft. As he pet her, her eyes fluttered shut, and her breathing evened out.
She must have been exhausted, poor thing.
Roy didn't move from the couch, but he did glance around what he could see of her apartment. He'd never been to her place even once before in all their time knowing each other. It was a lot less put-together than Riza probably would have wanted him to believe. Frozen food boxes poked out of the trash can. The shirt she'd worn a couple days ago was tossed on one of her chairs.
Cute.
He looked down to Riza, who was now soundly sleeping as he softly stroked her fur and scratched beneath her chin. Once again, he wondered for the explanation. It couldn't have been alchemy. Not only was Riza not an alchemist, but this kind of thing would have been either human transmutation or a chimera, which were impossible and illegal respectively.
Then, maybe… That old myth?
He could confirm that if she was human tomorrow.
On the mornings after, Riza was usually awoken by the feeling of its flesh reforming, and this morning was no exception. The pain of the transformation was dull in comparison to the ache of grief that accompanied it. Usually, while the body returned quickly, it took its mind a little longer to force itself back into the confines of humanity.
It was exhausted. And right now, it was comfortable and warm. It didn't want to think, nor move.
The memories from last night came back slowly, in bits and pieces. Concrete. Fire. Roy.
Oh god, Roy.
Riza snapped up into a sitting position to see Roy beside her on the couch, half-asleep and drooling a little from the corner of his mouth. Her movement seemed to rouse him, though. He yawned, rubbing his eyes, then looked at her.
"Riza…?"
She swallowed. "Roy."
For a long while, he stared at her in silence. She squirmed. More and more memories of last night were returning to her. She had been so embarrassing…
"You're a werewolf," Roy said eventually. Riza's whole body went on alert. He continued. "A human cursed to turn into a wolf on the full moon. Am I wrong?"
He was… close enough. Riza sighed, burying her face in her hands.
"Do you want to hear the truth? All of it?"
"Hit me." He didn't even hesitate. She almost wished he had.
Alright. Well. This was it, then.
She took a deep breath.
"I grew up in the forest. With my family." She shut her eyes as if that would make it less painful to recount. "One night, I was out hunting. And I was bitten."
"Bitten by…"
"I thought it was just another wolf at the time." It was hard to force the words out. "But when I woke up the next morning it was all wrong. My family didn't recognize me. I had to run. I was lucky that a man in the nearby village took me in."
"It was all wrong the next morning?" Roy asked. "You weren't bitten on the full moon?"
Riza barked out a harsh laugh. "No. I was."
"Then…" He was clearly trying to think, but turning up nothing. Riza sighed.
"I wasn't human when I was bitten, Roy."
His eyes went wide. She waited for him to flinch away, but he didn't.
"What do you mean?"
Riza didn't often cry. Her eyes burned now, but she forced the tears back.
"I was born a wolf. And then I got bit, and turned, and now I— I'm— I-I'm this."
Too animal to be human. Too human to be animal. It was like hell.
Roy's hand found hers and squeezed it.
"Riza," he said softly, "you know I love you."
Then she really began crying.
Stupid, blubbery, loud, pathetic tears. Gasping for air as if she was drowning in her own self-pity.
"Y-you shouldn't!" she managed to choke out. He rubbed her back.
"Why not?"
"Because I— I'm a monster, Roy, I—" She sucked in a deep breath. "I-I killed someone."
"You were a Lieutenant, that's what—"
"Not like that. I…"
Is she really going to tell him? She can't. She has to. He'll hate her. But she has to.
"Riza?"
"My father developed a medicine to suppress my transformations," she says. The words rush out quickly. "For while I was in the military. And I took it, I did, but one month we were so busy I lost track, and it didn't— And I— Sh-she was another soldier, Roy, we fought together—"
She can't speak anymore, sobbing into her hands. Roy's arms wrap around her. If she was any less selfish she would push him away.
"It's okay," he murmurs. "Shh, Riza. Hey. It's okay."
"I-I'm a monster. And I'll do it again."
"You won't."
"Please…"
"I know you, Riza. You won't."
Slowly, in the comfort of his arms, her breathing steadied.
"I should take the medicine again," she mumbled, "if we're going to— I mean—"
"Why did you stop?" Roy asked. She sighed into his shoulder.
"It was a cancer risk."
"Then don't take it."
"But I—"
"If you were going to hurt me, you would have last night," Roy says firmly. "But you really just acted like a sweet little puppy."
She flushed, but shook her head. "I don't trust myself not to—"
"Well, I do." He met her eyes. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes," she answered without thinking. He smiled.
"Then we'll be okay."
Part of Roy still didn't believe it, even after he'd seen it for his own eyes. A wolf, she'd said. A wolf that was human all but one night a month. What a crazy idea.
But it was true, wasn't it? That the woman he had fallen head over heels for was in-between human and animal. That she'd had a maw strong enough to crush his bones in a single bite only last night.
It made a little more sense in hindsight, at least. Riza had always been a little slow to speak and stiff to ask. Her facial expressions and body expressions had always been a little abnormal. Roy had always assumed she was just autistic. But when he thought about it properly, she really did act like an animal pretending to be human.
It wasn't just that, too. She had a tendency to figure out a lot just by scent — she could tell by sniffing the air that a storm was coming on. She frequently cocked her head in a manner that was rather canine. And she had, on multiple occasions, been called "Mustang's dog".
So. Riza was afraid of killing him.
In all honesty he had been relieved to hear that part. At least she wasn't being distant out of dislike. No, if anything, it was because she cared so much, wasn't it?
She'd come to work the morning shift with him that morning. It was nice. He'd missed her company dearly.
As usual, the first customer to jingle the door open was Ed.
"Hey, Mustang!"
"Hello, Fullmetal."
"You look good! Hawkeye stop icing you?"
Riza was in the back, and Roy heard her sound of surprise. He glared at Ed.
"That's none of your concern. Your usual?"
"M-hm!" She deposited her money on the counter. "Well, I've got a date with my girlfriend, so I'll see you chumps later!"
"See you, Ed!" Jean called cheerfully.
"Bye, Elric!" Roy shouted.
He didn't notice Riza had crept up behind him until she spoke. "You've been complaining to Ed about me?"
Oh fuck.
"She wouldn't stop bothering me until I told her," he said. Riza cocked her head. Wolf…
"So you were… visibly upset?"
"Of course I was. You're important to me."
She reddened. Moments later, a customer entered, and they returned to work.
They closed together that night, in near total silence, save for the sounds of cleaning the shop and locking the doors. Riza found herself staring through the window at the moon a few times. It was just barely beginning to wane, but its light was still bright in the sky.
It still didn't feel real that Roy was treating it so calmly. It still didn't feel real that she was allowed to exist like this. It still didn't feel real that she hadn't torn his throat out last night.
They couldn't really make this work, could they? Riza was a destroyer. She would break Roy, too, in the end.
He shot her a smile, so sweet and genuine, and she felt herself melt a little.
Well, maybe she could take a chance.