Eleven O'Clock Engagement
A/N: Ah, the queen of one-shots-turned-two-shots is back! (Though this is separate from its prequel, unlike many others.) After reading Ru-Doragon's review of Ten O'Clock Epiphany, I had to write this. I hope that this seems somewhat realistic, 'cause it sure as heck won't be unpredictable, me being the sucker for Royai that I am. Unfortunately, this is post-Maes, so he can't annoy Roy, or so we think…
"I'm the damn Führer and I still can't stand it! What the hell is wrong with me?" Roy whined, putting his head in his hands. "Why can't I just make things happen? It should be that simple!"
"What's stopping you? Why isn't it simple? You can be so thick sometimes, Roy." That's what Maes would say.
Unfortunately, Maes was not around to offer consolations and advice.
And, even more unfortunately, Riza was. After hearing her superior's pitiful wail, she poked her head in, much as she had done the last time. "Old habits die hard," she muttered before asking, "What should be that simple, Sir?"
Roy was torn between motioning her over and telling her to leave so that he could think. Unable to choose, he stayed silent. Riza would have to make the next move. He looked up as she crossed the carpet, papers in hand to add to the growing pile at his desk.
"What would you say if I told you to quit?" Roy asked quickly.
Riza blinked. "Excuse me?"
"What would you say if I told you to quit?" Roy repeated, a bit slower this time.
"I'd want to know why you'd ask such a thing of me." Riza looked puzzled for the most part, but Roy could see the hurt showing in her eyes already. "I thought I made it clear that I would help you until you've accomplished your goal. While you've done so, I fail to see how I could possibly—"
Roy hastily interrupted, "No! It's not that at all! I'd have said something if you weren't doing the work expected of you." Let's see just how much more I can botch this up… "Riza…" he sighed, hoping the use of her given name would catch her attention for a moment.
It did, only because it was so infrequently used around the office. "What is it, Roy?" she asked quietly. She was worried; Roy looked like he was in pain. "Are you alright?"
Roy looked at her squarely. "No." He sighed again. "Riza, I—" he stopped, almost unable to breathe.
"Roy?" Riza came over and knelt by his side. "What's wrong?"
"Ah, the one girl you could never have just because she works under you. Don't worry. I won't say a word. But you'd better."
"And how, pray tell, would that work out, Maes?"
"Dunno. Have fun figuring that out. Toodles!"
"I guess I have to come right out and say it, don't I?"
Shaking his head, Roy repeated, "It should be that simple…" He looked up and tried again, taking Riza's hands in his own. "What if I told you to leave because I didn't want you getting hurt? What if I told you to leave because it would make things easier?"
"How would—?" Riza started to ask, but Roy shook his head.
"It would make things easier because I love you."
Roy winced as Riza's visible reaction went all over the spectrum. First worry, then an offended look, then a small, somewhat lopsided smile. "Don't you think I know that?" she asked, her voice quiet. "And don't you think, just maybe, that that's exactly why I've stayed on? It's not because I owe you anything, and it's not because I want to rack up a debt from you. It's because I trust you and your goal, and I want to protect that. If that isn't love, I'd like to know what is."
Roy felt like he had had the wind knocked out of him. Part of it was being lectured, and part of it was relief. He let go of one of Riza's hands, stood up, and pulled her up into a hug.
"You mean that?" Roy murmured. Realizing his error, he amended, "Sorry—that was stupid. Of course you do."
"Why do you ask, then?" Riza wanted to know.
"What I meant to ask was if you meant that in that you'd put up with me forever," Roy clarified.
"Of course," was the reply.
Roy was grinning like a madman. He pulled back. "Forever," he repeated.
"Yes…" Riza was getting impatient.
"Then would you be willing to do that as my wife?"
"You had to ask?" sighed Riza.
Roy frowned a little. "Isn't that traditional?"
Riza actually put her hands on her hips. "Roy Mustang, have you ever known me to be exceptionally traditional?"
"With this one exception, no. It's just one of the things I find attractive about you." Roy pulled her into a hug again.
Riza sighed, content. She did not really mind Roy being traditional about things. She did not care.
As long as they loved each other, nothing else really mattered.
The REAL End!
A/N: The real end to this is not so hot. Very cliché, but I was out of ideas as to how to end it, and at least it pulled things together. I started it out kind of angsty, then made a half-assed attempt at humor and gave up. Still, I wanted things to pull through. Request fics aren't a forte of mine unless I'm given a very specific idea or something immediately comes to mind and stays there. I saw this scene playing out in my head, and I just kind of went with it.
The flashback was actually what I had the most trouble placing. It went three different places before it wound up where it is. They were all around the same area, but it affected the meaning of things (or just plain made them not work), so I had to play with it a bit before it worked.
All in all, not the best one I've done, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.
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