-Collide

Her hands shook, lithe fingers clenching tighter onto the slick fabric of her coat.

It was raining. A surplus of water pelted down upon her, straw-coloured hair sticking to her forehead in a stubborn manner, reminding her just why she'd cut it all off on so many occasions.

She was cold. It had been so long since she'd visited. Five years, almost.

Briefly she wondered if he was still here, withering himself away in one way or another. He was restless, after all.

He'd always been restless.

The woman shook her head, inwardly scolding herself. Her arrival at Central made it difficult to ignore her thoughts of him; something she'd gotten good at.

Perhaps coming here was a mistake.

She turned, rounding the nearest corner.

Her head hurt.

The wall she hit didn't help to ease her migraine one bit.

"Riza."

Her breath caught in her throat, auburn eyes flicking to meet his gaze.

It hadn't been a wall.

She found herself unable to speak for a moment, wondering what sort of thoughts were running through his mind.

"Hello, sir. Long time no see."

Riza made an attempt at being casual, though the fact that her words came out uneven gave her away.

"No kidding. I see you're just as flourishing as ever."

The man brushed her bangs aside, onyx eyes piercing down onto her.

A light blush filled wan cheeks despite herself and she shifted her weight, pursing her lips.

"Gee, thanks."

Roy sighed softly, rolling his eyes.

"I'm being serious."

His baritone voice was so comforting, so familiar. She felt her shoulders relax,

"So was I."

A small smile quirked at the corner of his lips and he gently grasped her hand, tugging her toward him.

"Come have a drink with me."

Riza nodded her consent, stepping past him. She still remembered where his favourite bar had been.

His hand found hers once again, long fingers intertwining as they walked.

"How have things been here?"

She glanced over at him, a somber glint in her eyes.

"Stressful. How are things in the West?"

"Tedious."

He pulled out a chair for her and she sat.

"I'll take a bottle of whiskey."

The blonde exhaled, raising a brow to the bartender.

"Same here, thank you."

Roy tilted his head, leaning a cheek onto his clasped hand.

"Hm. I see your restraint hasn't improved much, has it?"

"You're one to talk, sir."

Mustang shrugged a pair of broad shoulders, smirking over to her.

"I never said I wasn't a hypocrite."

It was weird. The two of them…acting as if the five-year gap hadn't existed. Was that how friendships were meant to be? Because she missed him, terribly. To the point that she'd forced herself to ignore his memory, all of these years.

And now here he was, right next to her, bantering with her just like he had all those years ago.

"I missed you, ya know."

The man informed Riza, grinning to her.

"It's good to have you back."

"Roy…you do realize that my presence here is only temporary at best, correct?"

The brunette leaned back in his seat, flashing her yet another cocky grin.

"Yeah; I know. I just think that I can change your mind."

Her breath came out as a soft whistle, her brow furrowing in frustration.

"I don't know why you'd want to do that."

She muttered.

"Because…"

Roy took a swig of his alcohol before continuing.

"Even after all of this time, you're still my queen."

She scoffed quietly, sipping her own drink.

"Oh, you mean to tell me that a charming man such as yourself hasn't settled down? No children yet?"

Her sarcastic words betrayed the pounding in her chest.

He had always compared the members of the military with chess pieces. He called himself the king, and, consequently, she was the queen.

Roy had claimed that to be the most imperative piece.

The alchemist frowned, rolling his eyes.

"You're as cynical as ever."

The two laughed together, the sound filled with an understanding which was unrivaled by any other acquaintance between them.

It wasn't long before he'd finished off the bottle, also claiming a good quarter of hers after another round of bickering.

"Stay the night at my place."

He offered, standing and claiming her palm with his once again.

After only a few minutes they were at his door and she had to take his keys in order to unlock it. She pushed it open and walked as straight as she could, shutting and locking it behind them.

"Are you alright?"

The blonde asked bemusedly, quirking a brow at the sloppy man in front of her. A good minute passed and he just stood there, staring at her.

"I'm just fine."

He beamed, extending his arm and wiggling his fingers, beckoning her.

Hawkeye approached the man, taking hold of his wrist.

"You're drunk."

Although she wasn't in a much better state, she led him to his bed.

The same bed that he'd taken her to all of those years ago, before she'd left.

He sat on the edge and removed his shirt, discarding it onto the floor.

"I have t-shirts in my dresser. You can't wear that to sleep."

The woman nodded in response and made her way to the wooden dresser, running her fingertips along the top.

A ray of moonlight reflected upon a piece of glass and it caught her eye, amber orbs shifting to inspect the object in question.

All oxygen left her at once and she began to shake slightly, sight going blurry.

He'd kept the picture of them, when she had still been in the military.

"Roy…"

"I love you. I meant it."

The man was suddenly behind her, tracing the shape of her waist. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Her skin pricked under his touch.

She bowed her head, long blonde hair cascading down and framing her face.

"You can't. We can't."

"We already did…"

Mustang reminded her, pressing himself against her backside. He gently began to massage her hips, sweeping her hair aside and running his lips over the crook of her shoulder.

"Why not now? You're not in the military, you left. That means we can be together."

His lips teased at her neck and she felt herself beginning to melt in his arms.

"I'm sorry."

The words only came out as a whisper, though she meant them wholly.

"What for?"

Roy kissed the shell of her ear, tenderly nuzzling into the space behind it.

"For leaving. I thought it would make things better."

A pair of strong arms slithered around the woman's stomach, pulling her body more taught against his.

"It didn't."

He stated the obvious, as if she hadn't figured it out for herself.

"I'm well aware of that, sir."

Roy breathed out against her skin, frustrated with her.

"You know better than to call me that, Riza."

The man leaned down and scooped her up, holding her against his chest as he stepped over to his bed. He laid her onto it, pressing his lips to hers and kissing her deeply.

He'd missed the taste of her, the feeling of her underneath him.

She didn't wear her clothes to sleep, or any at all.

Even after all of these years, their love remained unbreakable. In that night, the two of them became one once more.

Their paths had crossed, parted, wound together, and separated once more.

Yet in the end, they would always e.