The garden at the Hawkeye household is always overgrown. At one point, Roy thinks, it was probably beautiful. He doesn't know much about plants, although he used to enjoy watching his sister Bethany make flower arrangements at the bar. He'd try to help out sometimes, but that would normally end with an exasperated sigh and a 'you can't just cram everything into one vase, Roy-boy.'

But that had been more than 10 years ago. He was sixteen now, and the apprentice alchemist to the great Berthold Hawkeye.

There was only one plant in the entire garden that looked like it was there deliberately, a bush covered in small, pink star shaped flowers. Roy had simply assumed the plant had bloomed by chance, until he was getting some fresh air one day and saw Riza Hawkeye, his teacher's fifteen year old daughter, carefully clearing the weeds from around the base of the plant.

"Good afternoon, Mr Mustang," she said, politely, when he'd drawn close.

"Uh, good afternoon," She was always so formal with him, but he supposed he was too. Despite the fact that they were close in age he didn't spend very much time with her. He had his alchemy studies, and Riza was away at school during the week and always so busy when she returned home at the weekend.

"If you don't mind me asking, what sort of plant is that?" As small talk went, Roy had engaged in worse.

"I don't mind. It's a ballerina rose."

"That's not a rose." The flowers were tiny, and without the delicate swirls that Roy thought was an intrinsic part of the flower.

"This is a single rose." Riza explained. She sounded amused. "I suspect you're thinking of a double rose. There are many different varieties of rose, as there are each flower."

I always thought a rose was just a rose Roy didn't say, because he already suspected that Riza Hawkeye thought him an idiot.

"This one was my mother's favourite," she said. It was very soft, and he wondered if he was meant to hear it.

ooo

The first frost hit in early autumn, and this was followed by a winter of heavy snow. Roy found Riza standing in the garden, wrapped up in a thick coat and dark blue scarf, staring at the rose bush.

"Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

"It was important to you," he said, looking over at the bush. He didn't know much about plants, but it was clear even to him that the plant was unlikely to survive.

"It's just a plant. It's not important. Excuse me, I have things to do. I'll see you at dinner."

ooo

The next morning Roy told Riza he had something he wanted to show her in the garden. She joined him, a little uncertain but still curious to see what had got him so excited.

He pointed to the ground, near where her rose bush was.

"A transmutation circle?"

"Not just a circle. Watch." Roy placed his hands on the circle, feeling the energy beneath the earth and drawing up that power. The lightning sparks of the transmutation flickered around him as the sculpture took shape under his hands. When he was finished he stepped back, shooting an eager smile in Riza's direction.

"Well, what do you think?"

Formed of ice and snow, and sculpted by alchemy, was a perfect replica of mother's favourite flower bush.

Riza was silent and Roy thought, for a moment, that she was crying.

"Do you like it?" Roy asked.

She nodded, and reached out to touch one of the delicate flowers. Despite how fragile they looked there was strength in them.

"It's beautiful, thank you."

"I thought, in the spring, I could help you with the real one. If you wanted help."

"I would appreciate that, Mr Mustang." She smiled at him this time, "Father would not approve of such a frivolous use of alchemy."

"'Frivolous?' I stayed up all night working on these calculations."

Riza laughed. "He's unlikely to see it. He never leaves his study unless he can't avoid it."

"That's very true." It felt nice to share a joke with her like this.

"We should go in. We'll catch cold if we stay out here." There was another smile, "Thank you again, Mr Mustang."

"It was no trouble, really."

It had been worth it, even when he fell asleep during his alchemy lesson, to see that smile.