(A/N: Yo! Chibi-Sen1124, here! Just another Royai story I decided to write because it's been on my mind for a good while now. This is a little bit different from my humor stories that I usually write. It is a bit of the hurt/comfort kind of thing. It's not depressing. It's...just read it. I warned you though. Oh! And it does get just a littttttle bit steamy at the end. Not too much to be called a lemon but...just read it. Anyway, enjoy!)
Riza opened her eyes to see the deep purple sky being tinted with oranges and reds. The sun was beginning to rise, along with the rest of Central. She felt Black Hayate stretching on top of her bed. She sighed.
"Black Hayate, down boy." The black dog looked at his master and slowly jumped down. Riza sat up to see her work uniform on her chair. Slowly, she got up and stretched as well, feeling her tight muscles releasing from their positions. A small breeze entered the room from her slightly open window. All Riza was wearing was a huge black t-shirt. Although it was still summer, some mornings felt colder than others. She walked over to the window and shut it tightly.
Riza walked to her bathroom to brush her teeth. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, her eyes instantly went to the scar on the side of her neck. It was the one she had gotten on the Promised Day. Riza could feel her memories resurfacing. It wasn't that she hated that day. In fact, it was a glory day for all of Central and for the two boys who affected her life as well. But what she hated about that day was the eyes of agony her superior officer had given her. Her own commanding general had eyes of hopelessness. It was something that had burned deep into her memory.
Riza shook her head to forget about it and quickly brushed her teeth. She put her long blonde hair up and made her way back to her bedroom to change. When she slid the black shirt on, she felt the cloth run over her ruined and burnt skin. She tried to forget about the pain she had to endure that day, but sometimes she could still feel the heat of his flames on her smooth skin. Shivering, she finished changing and headed into her kitchen to find something to quickly eat before heading to work.
"Take care of the house for me, okay, Black Hayate/" Riza yelled into the house as she locked the door. She heard Black Hayate bark back and she shouldn't help but give a smile. When she walked out of her home, she saw a black car waiting out front. Roy got out of the car, dressed in his uniform and bowed to her.
"My lady." Riza raised an eyebrow.
"Is this a part of your plan to get me to invite you over for dinner? Because it's still not going to happen, General Mustang." she said but she was trying her hardest not to smile. For the past two weeks, Roy had been asking Riza if he could have dinner at her house for once. She had invited everyone else before except Roy. Obviously, she did it so she could have his attention. Maybe it was a bit selfish and mean to do so but when it came to being a gentlemen, Roy certainly knew how to be one.
"Actually, Lieutenant, today's your last day before you're on vacation for a week. I decided it'd be nice to drive you to work today." he said, giving the best smile he could muster. Riza rolled her eyes but she got in the car anyway.
"So, any plans during the seven days you won't be working, Lieutenant?" Roy asked as he drove. It was then Riza realized she didn't actually have any plans at all. She figured she'd probably just use that time to catch up on her household chores or actually read the books she promised her friend she would read.
"Nothing big, really." she responded back. He nodded and he cleared his throat.
"Any chance of inviting me to dinner during one of those nights?" he said, smiling widely. She looked over at him and she felt herself give up. She sighed and nodded.
"Alright. I'll let you come over. How's Saturday night at seven? I'm not busy." she said. Roy chuckled under his breath.
"At least try to make it sound like a date instead of a business meeting, Lieutenant." he said. If RIza had been driving, she was sure she would have hit the brakes. But instead, she just felt her eyes widen. A date? Is that what it would be? she thought to herself.
"Okay. We're here." Roy said. Riza nodded slowly and got out, feeling her heart thump loudly beneath her chest although on the outside, she looked serious and ready for anything.
LINE BREAK YO! IT"S ALSO SATURDAY YO!
Roy was beginning to sweat. He really did want to come. When she agreed, he had been ecstatic. But he never really thought she would actually agree to it in the end. He dressed in a white dress shirt and black pants. He thought putting on his one of his suits was a bit too much. If he dressed too casual, he would make it seem like he didn't care. It literally took him an hour just to put together his outfit for the night. He also thought up at the last minute to bring a bouquet of daisies for her. Once he had approached her house, he felt his stomach beginning to turn and his heart was actually beating fast. Roy Mustang, known for being a lady's man and a total heartbreaker, was nervous like a person going on their first date.
He knocked on the wooden door and he heard Black Hayate bark. The door swung open and he saw Riza wearing a large black t-shirt and sweatpants. He almost wanted to disappear. You mean, I could have worn my pajamas and she would have been fine with that? he thought to himself.
"Hello, General. You, uh, dressed sharply today." Riza said. She looked down at her outfit and blushed a little.
"Thank you. I love what you're wearing as well. You look good in it." he said. He actually really did mean it. She looked a lot more calmer and comfortable than at work. Her hair was even down. He wanted to grab out and touch a strand, to see if it was a s soft as it looked. Wow, Mustang. You reached a new level of creepy.
"Oh, these are for you." he said, handing her the bouquet. She looked genuinely surprised as she saw them. She reached out and grabbed them.
"Thank you, General." she said, smiling at them then at him. He felt his breath catch in his throat. No, it wasn't a surprise to him that she had that effect on him. He knew since long ago that he truly cared about her. It was more than just being friends or protecting one another because of their job. He wanted to protect Riza, the woman who spends her time reading, not just Riza, the lieutenant who swore to protect him and follow him wherever he asked of her.
"Come in." she said, moving aside. He walked in and saw mountains of clean laundry stacked on her coffee table along with books about romance novels.
"So, you still like them after all these years?" he said, grabbing one off the table. She snatched it out of his hands.
"Are you going to start blabbering your mouth about how you thought I would be the type of girl to read more knowledgeable books instead of romance books?" she said, putting the book back. He shrugged.
"No, I think you fit more the romance type." he simply said. She walked to the kitchen and placed the daisies in a vase. Roy reached down and began to pet Black Hayate.
"Hey, Black Hayate. Is your master resting well enough these days?" he said. Black Hayate just reached out with his paw and touched Roy's hand.
"I'm not sure what to take that as." Roy said, laughing.
"Dinner's ready." Riza called out. Roy smiled and placed Black Hayate down.
During dinner, Roy found himself a lot less nervous. He even went back to being his own cocky self. He enjoyed seeing Riza a lot more relaxed. She didn't even hesitate to call Roy out when he was being stubborn. Roy helped her clean up the table and she washed the dishes. He sat back down at the dinner table, and waited for her. He looked over at her and she was smiling and humming. He recognized it as the song she used to hum when they were little and he was living at her house. Roy couldn't help but feel happy too. Until he saw the scar on her neck. Memories of the Promised Day came flooding through. The overwhelming pain hidden beneath his heart was beginning to resurface.
It's always me, isn't it? I'm always the one who hurts her. She gets her because of me. She's both my strength and weakness. Why do I...care so much about this woman? Roy thought. He looked back at Riza's face and she was smiling peaceful still and humming. He decided it was now or never. He got up from the table and walked over to her. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her waist. SHe gasped softly.
"General...w-what are you doing?" she whispered. He placed his lips close to her ear. Riza felt goosebumps spread throughout her body.
"I'm sorry. Because of me, you get hurt. That scar on your neck. You give me so much strength but at the same time, you're my weakness. Without you, I wouldn't know what I would do. Do you know that?" Riza had stopped washing the dishes. She shook her head to answer Roy's question.
"And the scar on your back. There's no one else to blame but me. I'm the supposed hero of the Ishvalan War. The one with so much power in his hands. But all I can do with them is just hurt people." he whispered. Riza felt her heart breaking. She knew that he had some deep regret hidden in his heart but she didn't know it was actually holding him down like this.
"Roy..." she whispered. Roy tightened his hold on her. She turned around slowly in his arms to face him.
"That wasn't your fault. You know that, right? I asked you to do that. Don't blame yourself." she said. He couldn't look her in they eye. She carefully placed her forehead to his.
"Please, don't blame yourself." she whispered. She could feel his breath on her lips. He wasn't sure if it was his heart or hers that was beating fast. Maybe it was both of theirs.
"Roy, kiss me." was all that Riza said. Roy crashed his lips onto hers. He held onto her hair and she was pulling him closer to her as was physically possible. All it took was a parting of her lips for him to let go of her hair and place his hands on her hips. Slowly, he placed his hands underneath her shirt and slipped his hand on her back. When he felt the rough skin, he stopped. They were breathing heavily.
"I care so much about you. And I want to protect you. But I don't want to hurt you. Not again." he said to her. She ran her hand through his black hair back. His eyes met hers and he found something so raw in her eyes, it scare him to see such feelings being held for him.
"You can never hurt me. Don't forget, I'll follow you anywhere to be with you. Even if you didn't want me. I'll protect you as well." He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. They were soft, just like how he imagined them. He began to trail kisses down her chin all the way to her neck. She tilted her head back and she gasped when he kissed her scar.
"For every scar, I'll leave a kiss." Roy said to her. She smiled at him and caught his lips with hers.
(A/N: SO! How was that!? I apologize for any grammar mistakes or something sounded a bit weird. I uploaded this without re-reading it. I just skimmed for any mistakes I could catch. Can I get some reviews? C'mon, you know you want to.)
(A/N2: If you want more Royai, check out my other story A Misunderstood Situation!)