Disclaimer: I don't own FMA:B!

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Midsummer Memories

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It was a beautiful afternoon that day, the sky a brilliant hue of blue and the sound of wind pleasantly playing off the overactive chirping of birds in the trees – all of this made for Roy Mustang to be that much more grateful that his alchemy teacher, Master Hawkeye, had decided to hole up in his study for the day and give his apprentice the day off. With such a lovely setting surrounding them, his time spent with Riza would be all the more enjoyable.

Turning to face the girl trudging along leisurely beside him, with her messy, close cut hair and rare, delicate smile, Roy's mind began to fill with thoughts of her. She was the only true friend he had, for in the last six years of his life, filled with alchemy training and studying, he had not had much time to nurture a relationship outside of the two residents of the Hawkeye Manor – and with a teacher as cold as ice as Berthold, it was only natural Roy sought friendship out of Riza. And while it had taken some time – she was not very personable with strangers – something had come and grown out of their interactions, enough that both of them considered each other friends.

Pleasant memories floated through Roy's mind, only to be halted and polluted with premature melancholy – for in just a short couple of weeks, he would be done his alchemy training and would be allowed to choose his own path. He still had no solid idea of what he was intending to do after he departed from the Manor, but the more he thought of it, the more the possibility of joining the military appealed to the young man. Joining the military would make it so much easier to uphold and expand his ideals in the country, to change it for the better – and while he wanted to share such eagerness with another person, ideally Riza, he knew he could not, should not. Though he did not know her personal stance towards the military, he knew that her father abhorred it, and he would not want it getting out to his Master that he may or may not be planning on joining the organization that he hated so. So, instead he kept his mouth shut, only giving vague answers when asked about his plans, which much to his gratitude, was not often.

The uncertainty of his future was not was plagued Roy the most, though – it was leaving the girl beside him. He had grown too fond of and attached to her, valued her presence in his life too much to simply leave her without feeling a crippling guilt, a startling sadness each time he thought of the day he would do so. He was scared to leave her alone, because that would mean she would be all alone with her father again, something Roy couldn't allow. He respected his Master immensely as an alchemist, but as a parent? He hated him, was disgusted by his actions. He had seen the damage Berthold had inflicted on his daughter – both physically and psychologically – and it was more than he could bear, and so the reality that his leaving would make her a target all over again sickened the young man. He couldn't let her get hurt again, wouldn't allow her to—

"Roy?" Her soft voice cut into his thoughts – he loved it when she said his name – and it was then that he realized that the poisonous possibilities polluting his mind were making him grimace despite his previous cheeriness. Touching his arm gently, she uttered, "Are you all right? You look... upset."

The young alchemist blinked at her, before shaking his head and changing his expression. "I'm great," he told her, "no need to worry about me." He would not ruin this day for her, for either of them – they rarely had any time together to begin with, so he wasn't about to let his unhappy thoughts of his future taint the present. Looking down into her eyes then, he turned away abruptly a few seconds later, too overwhelmed by what they held. Instead, he turned his gaze in front of them, and with a grin, pointed out to their quickly-approaching destination. "Look, we're almost there!"

Riza followed his finger and nodded, unconsciously speeding up her pace with Roy following suit. A few minutes later, the pair was out of the little forested path they had been walking along and were exposed to the bright, hot sun beating down on the water of a small spring. Seeing the place brought back a wave of recollections for Roy – he had only been there a handful of times with Riza, but it had been a place they liked to play and swim when they were younger, especially in the summertime. But as studying and training had begun to take up his time more and more over the years, the time they got to spend their diminished until it disappeared completely. The lack of time spent there saddened Roy, but when Master Hawkeye told him to leave him alone for the day, his mind had immediately thought back to the many hours he and Riza had spent at the seemingly-forgotten spring and it had taken little convincing to get her to join him for a revisit to the place they had both loved.

"It's still as beautiful as ever," Roy commented to her as she set a small basket of things down, "It's been what – two or so years?"

"Three and a half," Riza told him bluntly, which made his grin fall. He hadn't realized it had been quite so long since they had last been there – and the subtly unimpressed, lonely tone of her voice didn't help the sting he felt.

"Oh." Trying to shake the disappointment feeling off, Roy reached down and unbuckled his belt, allowing his pants to fall to the dirty ground before removing his shirt, making his intentions very clear to Riza. Roy cocked an eyebrow at her when instead of following his actions, she simply sat down and stared out at the gently flowing water. "Aren't you coming in?"

"Not this time, Roy," she answered quietly, pulling her knees up and resting her head upon them. "You go on ahead."

Roy blinked, surprised and upset by her words. This was an activity that the both of them were supposed to be doing together, not separately, and so her passiveness of the situation made for a frown to etch its way on his features. "Aw, come on," he turned to her and crossed his arms, "when do we ever get to do this anymore? Just come in with me."

She shook her head then, and he knew that she was set in her decision. Frown deepening, Roy sighed and shrugged his shoulders, trying to think of a way he might still get her involved if she wasn't going to join him in the water – and then a devilish idea formed itself in his mind and before he knew what he was doing, he was acting upon in. In one swift movement, Roy had removed his underwear and was diving loudly into the spring. Riza's peripheral vision briefly caught his naked form before it descended underwater, her eyes widening and her face reddening.

When he broke the surface of the water and caught her bewildered expression, a large grin spread on her features and he chuckled. "Well, if you're not going to come in, then I guess I can do this." He swam over to her and leaned forward on the ledge of rocks, all the while his cheeky smile growing as her blush darkened.

Riza was nearly biting a hole through her lip, her eyes flitting anywhere and everywhere so as to avoid Roy's dark, intent gaze, and when he playfully flicked a bit of water at her, she let the words tumble out of her mouth frantically, "R-Roy! What are you doing!? T-This is inappropriate – what if you get caught? And besides, you're—"

"Who's going to catch me?" he leaned back and folded his hands behind his head, floating a short distance away. Riza's face flamed again and she brought a hand up to block her vision from what her eyes were accidentally being drawn to. "I would never normally do this – you know that. But I'm going to be gone in a few weeks, so why not have a little fun before that?" He watched as Riza flinched at this, and he realized what he had said, immediately wishing he could take back his words.

The topic of him leaving was something both tried to avoid for each other's sakes, especially Riza's. She would always become quiet and restrained when any mention of it was brought up, and he knew it was because of the same reason he became distressed when he thought about it. She didn't want her sole friend to leave. Looking up at her newly forlorn face, Roy quickly began, "I-I'm sorry, Riza, I—"

But before the alchemist knew what was happening, Riza was standing up and brushing off her skirt, and for a few brief moments, it appeared as though she was going to leave him and return home. He was just about to jump out and plead with her to stay, but much to his surprise, she began to remove her shirt and commanded to him, "Turn around."

"What are you-?" Roy spluttered. Riza just narrowed her eyes at him, and at this Roy did what he was told, his own blush crawling up his neck while his mind tried to decipher just what she was doing. A few minutes passed before he heard the sound of water, and it became apparent that she had entered the spring, as well. At this, he spun around and blinked at her – she had her arms wrapped awkwardly around her torso and she was still refusing to make eye contact with him – before he realized that she, too, had stripped. That she was only a few feet away from him... naked. Riza Hawkeye was naked. In front of him. It took a few long moments for the flustered young man's brain to comprehend, but when it did, he jumped back and yelped, "R-Riza!"

"What?" she responded softly, gaze still directed to the water. "According to you, I'm just 'having some fun'. No harm in that, r-right?" Roy caught the slight tremble in her voice – he clearly wasn't the only one terribly embarrassed here. The pair floated idly for a few painfully awkward moments before Riza began to turn back to the shore, disbelieving of what she had just done.

"And where are you going?" Roy asked, swimming a bit closer to her, making her strokes more frantic as she tried to put more space between them.

"I'm putting my clothes back on, that's what," she told him hurriedly, inching closer and closer to the edge of the spring.

Roy, despite the heat in his cheeks and the arousal he knew shouldn't be there, allowed a smirk to cross his face and he splashed her teasingly. "I knew it."

Riza turned on him and huffed, and he tried not to pay attention to slight amount of cleavage that was peeking through the water. "Knew what?"

"That you couldn't handle it," he nudged a bit of water at her, too afraid of what he might end up doing if he was to swim right up and elbow her. His smirk grew as her eyebrow furrowed. "You just can't handle having a little bit of fun, can you?"

"I can so!" Riza argued lamely, her crossed arms tighten around her.

"Then why are you jumping out so soon?" he taunted good-naturedly, kicking around her in a semicircle. He couldn't help the laugh that escaped his throat when she pounded the water with a fist and swam away from her pile of clothes, before setting herself down on a rocky ledge on the side of the collection of water.

"Fine," she crossed her arms again and looked away, a flush once again tearing across her face as she realized that was still, in fact, naked in front of a boy she very much so cared for. Her blush intensified when he chuckled at her, a deep chortle that made her stomach flutter, before he swam closer to the small waterfall that the spring possessed and allowed the cool water to wet his hair and face.

Riza's scrunched expression softened as she watched the alchemy apprentice enjoy himself for the first time in seemingly weeks, a small smile spread on his features and an appreciative, deliberate laziness in his movements. If Roy was having fun, then Riza was. With a long sigh, she finally allowed herself to relax, aided by his comforting presence, forgetting all about the awkward tension that was surrounding them as she kicked up and swirled the water in front of her.

Roy couldn't help but feel his shoulders lighten and chest swell as his eyes lingered on Riza from a short distance away. Her amber eyes were no longer hard, lonely, or hollow, but bright and gentle – just the way he liked them to be. Smiling and closing his eyes, he leaned back against a rock and allowed his mind to wander to past memories of the place, when the softness that Riza was exuding now was a much more common occurrence. A long while passed, both content in their own little worlds, when Roy's voice broke the silence casually. "Do you remember when you first brought me here?" he asked her, his voice quiet, calm and low.

Riza's attention on the self-created whirlpool in front of her broke, and her eyes flickered up to look at him. Her mind briefly recalled the first time they had gone there together – it was a few months before her mother passed away, and the lovely blonde woman had accompanied them, her father of course still shut up in his office. It was one of the fondest memories Riza had. With a small nod and warm smile, Riza responded, "Of course."

"Despite everything that's changed around us, about us," Roy began to swim closer to her, slowly, contemplatively. "This place, our memories here, have not. They've managed to stay the same – pleasant and constant. When I see you now – you're still the same girl from four years ago, with pretty eyes and a smile that I love, even if you're older. I still feel so happy here, with you, surrounded by all of this... and... and sometimes, most times – right now – I just don't want that to end."

Riza's eyes were wide as she listened to him speak so genuinely, so fondly as he drifted over to her and presented her with a small, painfully honest smile. She wasn't quite sure what she was intending to happen as she reached out and touched his shoulder, drawing him even closer to her, but she didn't resist him as one of his hands hesitantly found her hip and they were suddenly brought together, wet skin upon wet skin and emotions suddenly out in the open for the both to observe. Both were not aware of their proximity, too focussed upon the intensity of their gazes and the tension growing between them to pay attention to anything else happening.

When Roy's head leaned down and she could feel his breath against her mouth, Riza hadn't a clue what she was doing but was more than conscious of what he was wordlessly asking of her, and so she craned her neck and clumsily pressed her lips to his, her hands crawling up his chest to rest on his shoulders. Riza's mind went blank as he returned the kiss, his hands holding her waist firmly and the pressure of his lips undemanding and soft. It was only when she felt his arousal pressing against her thigh that she became hyper-aware of everything happening around, of how Roy's tongue was stroking hers, of how her breasts were touching his chest uninhibitedly, and just how gently, lovingly he was holding her.

Jerking out of his arms, Riza immediately distanced herself, her face reddening madly. Roy inhaled and blinked at her, before realizing their actions himself and turning his eyes to the rippling water. "I-I'm sorry!" he managed after a few minutes, pulling a hand through his hair and biting his lip. "I... uh... I-I shouldn't have done that! I mean... you were just... and I was... oh, God, Riza, I'm so sorry." His toes dug into the mud of the spring, trying to come to terms with the fact that the feelings he had kept at bay for her for so long were now very much so revealed to her and that there was nothing he could do to take his actions back.

Bringing her fingers to her lips, which were still tingling from their contact just moments before, Riza shook her head minutely and ducked under the water until only her head was floating above it, trying futilely to hide her humiliation. "N-no," she breathed shakily, trying to quell the heavy thudding in her chest. "I'm as much at fault, Roy."

A different kind of tension was now stretched between them as they stood there, waiting for something, anything to happen so that it could break the awkwardness. When it became too much for Roy, he sighed and began to swim past Riza, back to the shore, his intent clear. Riza watched as he approached guiltily, her stomach twisting. She felt awful that their mutual mistake had obviously ruined the previous serenity that had overcome him – she wanted to bring it back, but she didn't know how without further complicating what had just happened between them.

For years, Riza had felt something for Roy, but her father's strict restrictions on their relationship stopped anything from happening. And she was okay with this, for Riza could not find it in herself to ruin her only friendship for what may be unrequited feelings on his part – just because he was nice to her and spent time with her did not mean that he looked at her the same way. But now, now she knew that he did look at her like that, and she couldn't brush that off and pretend like it didn't happen, couldn't ignore the erratic beating in her chest – she didn't want to. If Roy Mustang was only going to be with her for a few more weeks, then she wanted it to be as they both desired, instead of keeping a distance and acting like they were nothing more than mere friends.

"Roy," Riza reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, and this action matched with her whispering voice made for the alchemy apprentice to stop and turn hesitantly. A blush blossomed on her cheeks as her hand fell down his shoulder and under the water, finding his own hand and squeezing it. "I-If we only have a short amount of time together... then I don't think we should waste it." At this, Riza brought herself closer to him and gently pressed her forehead against his, breath baited as she waited for his response.

Roy blinked at her and smiled, surprised by her words but nonetheless agreeing wholeheartedly with them. She wanted this with him, too. Slowly, tentatively, heart hammering in his ears, he bent down and found her lips again, keeping himself from deepening the kiss until he felt her respond. When Riza's arms reached up and tangled around his neck, her soft chest pushing against his and making his mind surge and his arousal grow, he knew that she was sure of her decision and so tilted her chin to the side so as to kiss her more fiercely.

Riza was taken aback when he experimentally bit down on her lower lip, gasping a bit and pulling away at the action. Roy's eyes were wide and apologetic, but she simply gave him a smile and shook her head – her reaction was not a negative one. Gathering her up again, he held her to him and placed his lips against hers again, returning to kissing her slowly and thoroughly.

While Roy's mind was spinning, Riza's was surprisingly calm, for every movement between them felt right to the girl, like it was meant to be happening and this quelled her inner fears that what they were doing was simply a mistake. But when he unconsciously grinded against her, his arousal very much so present, Riza's back straightened a bit and her stomach began to flutter, as the direction their actions were taking was made painfully clear to her. And though a nervousness began to build up inside of her, she was comforted by the fact that he hadn't a clue what he was doing either and that what they were doing was something they could learn together.

She allowed him to gently guide her backwards, closer to the shore and the smooth, rocky edge that lined it. His lips remained melded to hers as he gripped her hips and sat her on the ledge, her torso now exposed to the late afternoon air. In response, Riza's legs locked around his waist underwater, tightening until he was pressed between her thigh and entrance, causing a low, throaty groan to exit his mouth. Riza couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face at his response, and so giving him another long, lingering kiss, one of her hands travelled down his chest and disappeared beneath the water. Cautiously, curiously Riza's hands continued to drop before her hand tentatively curled around his length, making Roy tense at the contact before blushing. Riza was so inexperienced with what to do – she hadn't had much education when it came to sex – but when her fingers experimentally brushed over his sensitive head and he jerked forward, she knew that she had done something right so she repeated the action with a slight bit more confidence than the first time. Each movement, however awkward, she made caused made Roy tremble above her, his fingers dig into her hips and a pant leave his lips. As her wrist continued to move in varying speeds, spurred on by what she deduced were pleased reactions, he buried his face in her neck and began to press gentle nips to it and her pulse in an effort to keep from shouting out. When her ministrations became slow and more drawn out though, he couldn't help the low moan that fell from his parted lips – with the simple touch of her fingers, he could feel himself inching closer and closer to the edge. Riza was gaining more and more confidence in her ability to make the man crumble, proof of this in the way her thumb was teasing him rather than nervously dragging about. "R-Riza," he murmured into her skin, kissing up to her jaw before speaking again, "Dammit, Riza."

She simply cracked a smile and continued on with her newfound skill, relishing in the way that the cocky young man was melting at even the most ginger touch. Feeling him shudder made her blood boil and her face flame, but she herself was taking just as much pleasure out of the control she was exuding over him that he was deriving from her hands. Her merciless movements were ceased, though, when she felt his mouth kiss lower across her chest, before finding its way down the well of her breasts and latching onto the pink peak of one. A short gasp left her throat, and Roy couldn't help but smirk at how the simple action had wiped her mind blank and left her in his capable hands – it was his turn to pleasure her now. A heat collected deep and low within him when her hands shot up and laced themselves in his hair as he uncertainly swirled his tongue around the bud, thrilled with the reaction he received. Raising his hand, his fingers found her other breast, pinching and brushing tentatively, his movements eliciting a moan from her, simply emboldening him as he hesitantly, gently bit her breast between his teeth. Riza went ramrod straight and gasped out of the slight amount of pain that shot through her chest, but when he nibbled the next time instead of outright bit, giving her an apologetic look, she felt her back arching closer to him and his exploring hands. Eventually, Roy switched to the other breast, giving it the same intent treatment he had the other, the entire time Riza practically writhing beneath him, before his lips trailed up her chest and to her mouth again. He kissed her softly, undemanding as one of his hands raised from the water and gently held the back of her head. When they pulled away, he peered down at her, eyes dilated and half-lidded but raw and vulnerable. Riza was the only person to make him feel so intensely, and he hoped that his actions were proof of how deeply he felt about her.

Roy continued to hold eye contact with her as his other hand fell between her leg, stroking and caressing her inner thigh. He felt Riza's breath hitch and become laboured against his lips as his fingers travelled closer to her entrance, her chest trembling against his when he slowly, gently dragged a finger closer, closer yet. When he finally slipped a finger into her, Riza leaned forward and pressed her sweaty forehead into his shoulder, just narrowly resisting shaking again. She was warm and wet as his finger teased her, and Roy added another finger before he gently pumped the two digits within her, careful not to be too slow or too quick in his movements. His digits curled around the sponginess of her inner walls, before his other hand fell from her head and joined the other, this time uncertainly searching for the small bundle of nerves he knew would make her cry out. When his fingers located her clit, his pinched it experimentally, and just as he suspected, she tensed and a short, high keen left her throat, a sound that recreated itself as a heat, a need within Roy's groin. "R-Roy," her voice shook as she came down from the pleasure he was rocking her with, "please..."

Roy responded by pressing another long kiss to her mouth and squeezing the sensitive bundle again, this time catching her cry with his lips against hers. As he continued pumping in and out shallowly, watching the expressions flashing over her face, ranging from holding back and outright satisfaction, and feeling the way she contracted against his heated skin, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the pair connected in a different way, expressed their emotion in a closer form. Riza's heart was stuttering in her chest as Roy's fingers worked away at her until she felt like she could come undone, but when he kissed her hard and removed his digits from within her, she realized what was about to happen.

The alchemist stared at Riza for a long while, occasionally pressing soft kisses to her mouth, as he hovered above her. He wondered if he might still be able to pleasure her as well as his fingers could, before swallowing thickly and leaning his forehead against hers. No words were spoken as Roy repositioned himself above her, his eyes instead asking the question of whether or not she was certain she wanted to go through with what they were about to do. They were both about to give their virginities to one another, and while Roy was sure that he was ready for the moment, ready for her, he wanted to know if she was as sure as he was, for if not, he would not go through with it. Only if she was comfortable, only if she sure.

Riza responded with a small, nervous smile and a chaste pressing of lips to his mouth, before placing her hands on his shoulders squarely and bracing her own. Roy reached a hand behind her back and ran it up and down her spine, before whispering, "R-Relax," cursing at the trembling within his voice. Roy, too, hadn't been taught much about their current actions, but if he remembered one thing his Aunt had awkwardly forced him to learn, it was that tensing up wouldn't do either of them any good, especially Riza. He wanted this experience to be just as enjoyable for her, and enduring a mountain of pain was not his idea of a fun, of making a deeper connection. Riza blinked up at him when he spoke, taking in his word before nodding and trying her best to do so, even if just minutely. Roy's hand continued to rub at her shoulders and back until a long breath escaped Riza's throat and some of the butterflies exited her stomach – the care and... love that Roy's eyes were exuding made it difficult for Riza to focus on much else, and she knew that he was trying to make it as positive an experience for her as possible. The thudding in her chest, the intensity of what she felt for him made for Riza's coiled muscles to instinctively loosen up, because Roy would never intentionally hurt her and she knew that.

When Riza leaned up and kissed him again, Roy knew that she was signalling him that it was all right to continue. So slowly he descended, placing the head of his shaft at her entrance, and with a sharp inhalation, pushed forward and in, causing a gasp to leave the golden-haired girl beneath him. Roy's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head at feeling her warmth surround him before hitting her barrier, but instead of paying attention to himself he focussed on Riza, who herself was experiencing a wealth of different emotions ranging from pain from the entry and what she could only describe as love at this newfound closeness with him. She felt tears spring in her eyes as her body tried to adjust to the foreign feeling, but before she could blink them away, one felt and he instantly caught it. "Are you all right?" he asked quickly, voice whispering but frantic. All of a sudden, Roy's mind was spinning – he knew that there would be some pain on her part, but suddenly Riza was crying and it was all he could do not to outright panic. "Riza?"

"You silly man," she choked out, cupping his face and bringing it down to hers so that she could kiss him again. Roy sighed into the kiss, pulling his hand through her hair and holding and stroking her jaw line affectionately. When they pulled away, she nodded at him and wiped away another stray tear, and while he was uncertain of her answer, he trusted her and so followed the instruction. Holding her hips gently but firmly, Roy thrust forward and sunk completely into her, allowing himself a few seconds to relish in their connection before checking upon Riza again. He watched as the tears built in her eyes and a few spilled out, but when he touched her face again, she shook her head, urging him to continue his actions. Roy's stomach flopped at seeing her in a pain that he had induced, but nonetheless did as he was told, starting a slow, unsteady rhythm within her.

Though she was uncomfortable and in a slight amount of pain at first, all of this eventually began to give way to a pleasure building deep inside her with each new thrust. She watched as Roy moved above her, gauging her reactions to make sure that she was enjoying herself, too – his selflessness was something that she loved about him. Touching his shoulder, she gave him a small smile that made Roy slow down and allow a shaky breath to leave his mouth. Returning her smile, he pressed a kiss to her lips and started anew with a more stable pace, his thrusts shallow and even to begin with as the water rippled and splashed around them.

Within a few moments, Roy began to move faster, his pumps becoming longer and deeper until he was hitting her to the hilt. Riza bucked her hips against his and tried to match his rhythm the best she could while enduring the shocks that were coursing through her body each time he slammed into her. Her legs tightened around his waist, pushing him even farther into her, encouraging him that much more to continue his actions. Riza's arms were wrapped around his neck and she was biting into the skin of his nape while Roy's mouth assaulted her chest and his hands held her hips against his, feeling the build up within him but holding out for as long as he could. When he hit down on her hard though, Riza's lips were forced open by a loud cry that wracked her body, and at this, Roy felt himself lose his last bit of self control and he was emptying himself into her, his body shaking with the effects of his orgasm. Riza gasped at the sensation of being filled so utterly, a warmth spreading throughout her lower region as her walls clenched threateningly around his length, signalling her own oncoming climax. Roy continued to pump shallowly into the woman as he came down from his high and his breath evened out, before one of his hands clumsily found its way to her clit and began to massage at it, determined to get her to experience her own peak, too. Riza gasped and buried her face into the crook of his neck as he worked away at her, feeling herself come undone at the simple, steady kneading of his hands on the sensitive bundle. Instinctively, she met his thrusts with her own again, and before she knew it, her vision went white and she was tightening around his member and a wave of emotion was washing over her, having met her climax. Roy continued to allow her to ride out her orgasm for as long as possible, thrusting deeply within her again and feeling himself nearly come again as he watched her arch and cry out beneath him. When Riza's body stopped shaking with the tremors, she exhaled loudly and retracted her nails from his skin, her muscles relaxing as she leaned into the soft earth behind her. Roy panted against her, barely keeping himself from collapsing above her, his arms feeling like noodles as he held himself up. Closing his eyes, he tried to compose himself, tried to allow his breath to even and his heartbeat to become steady again. When he did and his eyelids fluttered open again, he was presented with Riza's pretty face as he expected, but was surprised when he noticed the tears sliding off her cheeks again. Wiping them away with his thumbs, he needn't ask for she willingly gave him an answer at feeling his soft touch. Reaching her hand up and pulling his matted hair off his forehead, she told him whisperingly, "I... I just... I've never cared about someone more than I have you, Roy. And I never want to lose that – I never want to lose you." At this, several more tears cascaded down her face and off her chin, but when he went to swipe them away this time, she simply shook her head and gave him a small smile. Riza had never spoken truer words – in that moment, hell, in all her life, Riza had never felt closer to anyone but him, had never found such comfort and love in a relationship than she ever thought possible for herself.

Riza's words sank into the depths of his mind and made his chest swell indescribably, and in response Roy regretfully pulled out of her warmth and collected her up in his arms, holding her against him and peppering kisses across her forehead. His being was flooded with emotions that he couldn't describe as eloquently as he pleased, his mind filling with so many different ways to express how he felt but he was unable to pick and sort between them all. All the alchemist knew, though, was that he wanted her to know just how precious she was to him, too. When he opened his mouth to speak, he was surprised that his tongue began to naturally form words for him, before realizing what he was attempting to utter. I lov—Roy paused, tightened his grip around her and let the weight of his nearly-spoken words rest in his mind, evoking nothing but uncertainty and confusion in the corners of his brain. Was he ready to say such words? That he was in love with her? He suspected he had been in such a state for much longer than he was consciously aware of, that those first few inklings of what he felt for her had grown exponentially over the past few years they had known each other and that somewhere along the line, he had involuntarily begun to recognize and accept his feelings. And though he felt the overwhelming compulsion to tell her, though he felt as though he could tell her then and be content with his decision, the only thing that kept his lips from parting and uttering the life altering words was the lack of time the pair possessed. Because Roy didn't want to tell her only to leave her in a couple of weeks and be the one to break her heart that much more – no, he wanted to be able to be there with her for as long as humanly possible after he told her, to see where his words might take them and explore their relationship and let it progress. But he couldn't stay, he knew this, and so the one simple, meaningful sentence lingered on the tip of his tongue, dying to leave his mouth and enter her ears but never getting the chance to as he instead pressed a kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, he gently murmured against her lips an equally true statement. "I can't go back to a life that doesn't have you in it—" Except he would soon, his stomach dropping at the reminder, "—and so I'll do anything I need to keep you with me." Roy tried not to focus on his worrying thoughts of leaving the Hawkeyes again, instead forcefully putting his attention on the way her head curled into the crook of his neck and how holding her as close as he was made his heart stutter.

The pair floated calmly in the water for an indeterminable amount of time before Riza couldn't hold back any longer, and biting her lip and looking away, she whispered to him, her voice once again small and broken, "Please don't leave, Roy. Stay with me." Leaning forward, she rested her head against his bare chest, unable to meet his eyes and the answer she knew they held. She figured the longer she avoided the truth, then the longer they might be able to live in that moment, even if it meant that leaving it would be all the more painful for the couple when they were forced to split.

Roy swore she had some kind of talent for deciphering his expressions for what he was thinking. The alchemist straightened as she spoke, guilt rising up his throat. Before his mind could provide him with the same logical, methodical answer it always did, the words he truly wanted to say were tumbling out of his mouth. "Come with me." Though he was frightened by his request, he didn't stop to think differently as he continued speaking. "Come with me, Riza."

Roy knew it was an unrealistic option when she jerked back and peered up at him with wide eyes – he had deduced this simple fact each time it had popped up in his mind for consideration. More than once, when he was sleep-deprived or thinking too thoroughly, the idea would appear in his thought processes and for a few seconds, just a few the serious possibility of convincing her to run away – no leave, he corrected himself – with him was just tantalizing enough for him to want to voice his opinion. But as he would leave his room to find her, he would eventually come back to his senses and realize just how badly the suggestion would go over – because despite everything she felt for him, she couldn't leave behind her life in the East quite yet even though she wanted to. And he knew that he had guessed her answer correctly when her amber eyes finally connected with his, her unspoken response present in her pupils, swirling in between broken hope and a mountain of hurt he could not help her overcome though try as he might.

"R-Roy," she began shakily, her hand curling into a frustrated fist against his shoulder. "I can't. You know that." And it was then that she had an answer to her own request – that he couldn't stay, just like she couldn't leave. Both had their reasons – Riza had to take care of her ailing father even though the frail man denied needing her help, and Roy needed some time away from his repetitive routine so that he could discover the direction he wanted to take in his life. One thing was certain for them both though – they wanted each other in their lives, but at that point it was not a viable option. And that stung for her to realize, something he had long since come to terms with, just as painfully.

Directing her defeated gaze back to his chest again, she sighed heavily, her mood reflecting in the exhalation. Roy was quiet and considerate of the crippling disarray within her mind, not willing to break the delicate silence that had settled between them for her sake. It quickly proved to be too much for the young man, though, for a few seconds later he was tilting her chin up and looking down at her intently, a new resolve forming and rooting itself in the depths of his mind in the moment. With a small, sad smile, he voiced what he was thinking whisperingly, his lips pressed close to the skin beneath her ear. "In that case... I don't think we should waste a second we have together."

In took a few moments for Riza to recognize his words – her words – but when she did, she blinked up at him and returned his broken smile, before wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing them. Roy's arms followed her actions, snaking around her waist and holding her there firmly against him, the simple embrace calming his chaotic mind completely for the first time weeks. When they retreated from the hug, she gave him a nearly nonexistent nod and at that, closed the distance between them in one swift movement, planting her lips gently but securely against his. Roy gently reciprocated the kiss while slowly pulling their connected forms deeper under the water, but as he was paying more attention to the full swell of her hip and the softness of her lips, he was not aware of the misstep he took which ended up with the couple falling ungracefully into the deeper end of the spring. When they emerged, spluttering and wide-eyed from the sudden, jarring event, they blinked at each other before laughter bubbled in their chests and crawled up their throats, escaping their mouths in loud gasps. The sound of Riza's light chuckle jingled in Roy's ears, and to see her relaxed once again instead of upset made for his own shoulders to loosen up and for his mind to become trivially, enjoyably distracted. A large grin spreading over his features, he took her hand in his and kissed her again before pulling her to him and submerging them beneath the water, their lips never breaking apart once.

So while they both were unhappy with what was coming far too quickly in the future, they were content with what was happening between them now, with what was occurring in their present. Because there wasn't a chance in hell that they were going to waste a moment of their time together, not in that moment, not ever again if either of them had anything to do with it.

~P~

Author's Notes: You guis – I-I did it. I voluntarily wrote a smut and actually didn't hate myself while writing it. O_O Did I ever think this day would descend upon the Earth? Nope, but apparently it did. Well, I'm not arguing with anything. XD

This was based off of auroralynne's lovely Royai art – I saw it and just had to write something based around it! And so this wordy mess is the result that was born – and even though I still don't have a clue what I was writing, I like this. I genuinely do.

I hope it's not as terrible as my mind perceives it, though. . Oh, and BTW, if you were wondering, Riza is sixteen or so in this fic, and Roy is just about eighteen years old.