Almost Got Her

by Prettywitchiusaka

Roy Mustang just couldn't help it. All afternoon, he'd been doing his best to complete his paperwork, knowing full well today's stack was due at 5:30 sharp. But no matter how hard he tried, his kept finding his obsidian coloured eyes being drawn to his First Lieutenant, Riza Hawkeye.

She too was sitting at her desk. But unlike her Colonel she was hunched over slightly, signing away at her own stack of paperwork.

But that wasn't unusual, he reminded himself. She was always more diligent when it came to doing paperwork than he was. No, what had peaked his curiosity was that every now and then, she would strain her neck off to the side, like she was trying to snap it, or something.

"Why does she keep doing that?" he thought to himself.

"Something bothering you, Sir?" she asked.

Hearing that, Roy let out a gasp. How did she always know?

Still, he couldn't deny that he she'd caught him with his pants down, figuratively speaking. So, he gave her his trademark smirk and said "I should be asking you that question, Lieutenant. You've been stretching your neck all day."

Out of the corner of her eye, the Lieutenant stared at her Colonel, noting that despite the smirk on his face, his eyes had a look of concern to them, concern for her.

Well, she couldn't deny him an answer, now. So, she opened her mouth to speak, never once stopping to take an eye off her paperwork. "Well, if you must know, I strained it and my shoulders during yesterday's mission."

Hearing that, Roy placed a hand on his chin and began racking his brain. "When did she strain herself, yesterday?" he thought to himself.

Yesterday morning, he'd received a call from Furhur Bradley in Central, asking him to inspect a nearby mining town just outside East City called Rhodonite. Rumour had it that a group of alchemists living there had been turning led into gold, something that was punishable by law in Amestris, and selling the bricks to the highest bidder.

Well, Roy Mustang was never one to take no for an answer. High ranking officer or no, he was still a State Alchemist, someone who answered directly to the Furher, himself. And being the only State Alchemist within traveling distance of the town, it only made sense he'd be asked to investigate these rumours.

Though, if Roy was being honest with himself, he would've probably would've looked into this case whether he'd been asked by the higher ups at Central or not.

He may have been known as the Flame Alchemist, famous for his ability to torch his enemies into oblivion with a snap of his fingers, but the truth of the matter was that Roy was just an ambitious man. He was always looking for the newest assignment to help him climb up the military ranks so that one day, he could achieve his dream of leading Amestris and changing things for the better.

And besides, it sounded easy enough. Go down there and see if a couple of alchemists were breaking the law, and arrest them if they were. How could he pass that up?

So after asking Riza to book a train and dig up the case file, they informed their little team of what was going on and told them they were heading out immediately.

A few hours later, they arrived in Rhodonite to a rather cold reception from the locals. Not that they were expecting a warm welcome, really. Anti-military sentiment was strong in a lot of towns surrounding East City, and this place was no exception.

So instead of wasting time sight seeing, the Colonel and his team made their way towards the mine. There, they were greeted by the head of the mining operation; a cocky young man named Roger. With the help of his team, Roger gave Roy and his men a tour of the mine for the next hour.

Nothing appeared to be out of place, but with the exception of Master Sergeant Kain Feury, the rest of his team wasn't so sure. It all seemed too rehearsed, they told him. So, Roy ordered his team to take a three or four hour nap at the hotel after dinner, much to their dismay.

Of course, they all understood why, because at around one in the morning they went exploring inside the mine, splitting into two groups to cover more ground.

As it turns out the rumours had been true; Roger and his men were, in fact, turning the led inside the mine into gold. Of course, that meant they were also armed and dangerous. Something the Colonel wished the report had bothered to mention, otherwise he and his two Second Lieutenants, Jean Havoc and Haymans Breda probably wouldn't have been captured as easily as they'd been.

Still, being captives wasn't so bad.

For one, it hadn't taken Riza long to come save their sorry hides. And while she and Warrant Officer Vato Falman were engaging the alchemists in a gun fight, Sergeant Feury snuck in and untied them. He even came bearing gifts; spare guns for Havoc and Breda, and a spare set of ignition gloves for the Colonel.

Now that they had the upper hand, Roy remembered the battle going pretty quickly. In no time at all, his team had managed to round up Roger's little entourage and arrest them, leaving him the task of arresting Roger at "gun point", so to speak.

Unfortunately for him, not only was Roger arrogant, he was also petty. Using a transmutation circle hidden in his back pocket, he destroyed the ground beneath him and grabbed ahold of the Flame Alchemist, intent on taking him with him.

But just before he could go over the cliff to his doom, Riza leapt into action and saved her commanding officer, taking hold of his hand and pulling him up with all the strength she could muster.

"All her strength…," Roy felt his eyes widen at that revelation.

Yes, Riza had more body strength than the average woman, being a soldier and all. But not enough to pull up her male colleague all by herself. He was the reason her neck and shoulders were sore.

"Oh, right…" he said. Scratching the back of his head, the Colonel darted his eyes away from his Lieutenant. All the while mouthing the word "wow" to himself.

In the thirty years he'd been on this planet, he never felt more stupid than he did, right now. How did he not realize she was in pain because of him sooner?

Probably from the lack of sleep the night before, he figured. As if that were an excuse for his ignorance. He looked back over at his subordinate, opening his mouth to-

"You want to apologize, don't you?"

Roy let a small gasp escape his mouth at that sentence, though it was quickly replaced with a smile. Even after years of knowing each other, it still amazed him how she could read him without even having to look up from her paperwork.

"How did you know?"

"You went silent for a moment," she answered.

"Good eye," he thought with a smirk. Her observant nature never ceased to amaze him. "If it helps, I am sorry to hear you're in pain."

"I know, Sir. But you don't have to apologize. I'm only doing my job."

Hearing that, Roy let out a groan. She had said the exact same thing after pulling him back up the cliff yesterday.

…

Roy stood tall against the wounded leader of the alchemists, his fingers poised to snap at any time if he made one wrong move.

"Come on, Roger" he said. "I think even you should've figured out by now that you've lost. Now why don't you be a good boy and admit defeat?"

Roger smirked at that. "Why don't you just kill me? That's all you dogs are good for, isn't it?"

The Colonel let out a chuckle. "Now why would I do that?" he asked. "That little line that'll say "arrested Roger Myers" will look so much nicer on my military record, don't you think?"

Hearing that made Roger's smirk widen. "Then you won't mind if I take you with me, dog!?"

Before Roy could even react to that, Roger had taken him by the ankle and whipped out an earth based transmutation circle on a crumpled up piece of paper. Just as quickly, he placed his hand on the paper, activating it.

Next thing Roy knew, the ground he was standing on began caving in until there was nothing solid left for him to stand on. Realizing what that bastard had just done, the Flame Alchemist screamed as he fell through the air. It was all over for him.

Or was it?

Everything had been happening so fast for Roy, he hadn't even realized there was firm grip around his right wrist. Opening his eyes, he saw Riza holding him by the wrist. He could see she was wincing, too. Not that he was too surprised; he wasn't exactly very light.

Not that that seemed to be stopping her, he realized. She even held out her hand to him."Colonel!" she said. "Grab my hand!"

Not wasting any time, Roy took her hand while she began the difficult task of pulling him up from going over the gorge. Luckily, Havoc was on hand to help.

Squatting onto his knees, he grabbed her by the waist and yelled "Okay, guys! Start pulling!"

Slowly, but surely, Roy felt himself being pulled up to safety until, eventually he found himself on solid ground, again. Now knowing he was out of danger, the Flame Alchemist breathed a sigh of relief. He might not have been able to stop Roger from taking himself out, but at least he was still alive thanks to the efforts of his team.

Now that things had settled down a bit, Roy sat himself down on the ground and closed his eyes, wanting to rest for a minute or two. Not that anyone could blame him, he felt; he literally just escaped certain death, after all.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" he heard Riza ask him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

Turning around, Roy saw the concern in her amber eyes. It made him smile; she always looked so beautiful when she acted like the caring person he knew she was. "Thanks, Hawkeye."

Her eyes widened a bit at his words, she even let out a small gasp.

Too bad it was quickly followed with a familiar response. "Don't mention it, Sir. I'm only doing my job."

…...

Roy couldn't help but frown at the memory.

It always bothered him that every time he'd give her even the tiniest bit of praise, she would remain completely stoic and force herself not to smile.

"Why!? Damnit!" he would wonder. He could't understand.

Well, okay, he sort of understood. She probably thought being in a relationship would end up distracting him from his real goal. Fair enough.

Dating his secretary could lead to all sorts of problems. She might become a target, or it could lead to an awkward break up that would ruin their friendship, but also their relationship as superior and subordinate. He could respect that.

And yet, there were those times he'd catch her stealing a glance at him from her desk, or the faintest traces of blush on her cheeks when he'd compliment her on a job well done. And then were those times where she'd smile whenever she caught him doing something nice for someone else.

Clearly, his Lieutenant has feelings for him. That, Roy was certain of, by now. So why not act on it, the more rebellious part of him wondered?

Maybe it was to keep him focused on his goal, knowing Riza. Though Roy couldn't help but wonder if there was a part of her that feared rejection. That such a confession would ruin their friendship and working relations in general if he didn't feel the same way.

Because if that was the case, then she had nothing to worry about, Roy thought. As far as he was concerned, Riza Hawkeye was a caring, wonderful woman; he'd thought that for a long time now.

If only he could do something to show his appreciation for all she did for him, though he doubted she'd let him take her to a fancy restaurant without suspecting something. "So what can I do?" he would often wonder.

A box of chocolates? One of those stupid romance novels she enjoys reading? Or maybe…

"Yes, maybe that will suffice…," he thought to himself as a smile crept onto his face. One way, or another, a plan was forming in Roy's mind.

"You know, I never did thank you for yesterday."

Riza raised an eyebrow. "Didn't he already thank me yesterday?" she thought to herself. Whatever; he probably forgot. "You don't have to," she remarked. "I know you're thankful."

With a smile, the Colonel got up from his desk and walked over to her. "Yeah, but I'd love to show you my appreciation."

Riza couldn't help but smirk at that. "I doubt you could find-"

Before the Lieutenant could even finish that sentence, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, massaging them.

Turning her head, she came to see the smiling, confident face of her Colonel, gently kneading his hands into her shoulders and looking quite pleased with himself.

Honestly, Riza was so flabbergasted by what was going on, she didn't know whether she should say something or stop this all together. Turning her gaze to meet his, the Lieutenant did the only thing she could think to do. "Sir?…What are you doing?"

"Massaging your shoulders…," he replied while flashing her a smile. "There a problem?"

The Lieutenant turned her gaze away from his, trying her best to hide the blush that was quickly forming on her cheeks. "No, Sir…I'm just not sure what it would say if you were caught-"

She moaned in delight as he hit a particularly sore spot right in the middle of her shoulder, making her completely forget whatever it was she'd been talking about a moment ago. Noticing this, Roy couldn't help but smile impishly.

"Any other sore spots you'd like me to catch, Lieutenant?"

His tone was playful, if not slightly seductive. Not that Riza really cared, right now. Her mind was trapped in a peaceful abyss, enjoying the sensation of her muscles unclenching from her superior's touch.

Not wanting this to end, she pointed to the base of her neck and said "Right there."

With a smile on his face, Roy moved his thumb up to the top of her neck and began kneading the sore spot, making her moan once again.

The Flame Alchemist found himself smiling as he continued easing her tension; it felt good to know she was happy.

But from where he was standing, he could see she was smiling. Maybe she looked a bit too happy for someone receiving a massage from their superior officer, but considering the pain she was in, no one would probably blame her.

Still, now that he'd seen that? Well, Roy just couldn't help himself. He felt his grin widening on his face as he made his decision; it was now or never.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"Hmm?" she asked.

"I said you seem to be enjoying yourself."

"Are you kidding?" she asked. "I haven't had a massage in awhile, it feels nice."

"Right," he said with a smile. "And I'm sure me touching you probably has something to do with it?"

"Yes…," she answered.

Riza felt herself snapping out of her dazed state, her eyes widening; did she just admit to enjoying her superior touching her out loud?

That was bad enough, but how did he feel about all this? Probably just as shocked as her, she figured. Without a second, she turned to face her Colonel, ready to apologize, if necessary. But when she actually did come face to face with him, she came to see that he was smirking. It was that sweet, charming smirk he often wore, but it was still a smirk.

And seeing that made the Lieutenant groan as she realized what Roy had done; he'd tricked her into giving him the information he wanted, and she stupidly took the bait hook, line and sinker.

Fortunately, Riza knew when to keep her emotions in check. So she took a deep breath and began staring at the wall; the more she could avoid his gaze, the better.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Come on. You think I haven't noticed?…" he asked. All while sinking his fingers deeper into her increasingly relaxing shoulders. "I've seen the way you look at me…"

Despite her best efforts to remain stoic, the Lieutenant let out a small gasp at that. "How did he know?" she asked herself.

"How you get jealous whenever I talk about the women I take out."

Riza pouted and let out a growl. "Why did he have to bring that up?" she thought. "Well maybe if you dated women who would stimulate you intellectually."

Unbeknownst to her, Roy was smirking. "That might be a problem, though…," he said. "You're the only woman I enjoy having an actual conversation with…"

By now, Riza could feel her cheeks burning as she realized what was happening; he was flirting with her. No, not just flirting with her, he was hitting on her. And if the Lieutenant was being completely honest with herself, she was enjoying every minute of it.

So how come the soldier in her kept telling her this was wrong?

"I think you've carried this joke on, long enough, Colonel."

"I'm serious, Hawkeye…," Roy said. "I've thought about it, before, you know?"

"Thought about what?"

"What it would be like to be with you, of course," he replied.

Hearing that, Riza felt her eyes widen and her cheeks become warm. Did he just say what she thought he just said?

"I'd love to take you on a proper date; have a nice dinner, go dancing, kiss you under the stars, maybe even make love to you…And I kind of get the feeling you've thought about it,

too…"

It was this moment more than any other that Riza was thankful he wasn't looking to see what her expression was, because she was blushing like crazy over what he was saying.

Of course she'd thought about being with him that way. How could she not? As far as she was concerned, Roy Mustang was wonderful.

He wasn't perfect by any stretch; he was brash, arrogant, and an instigator. He could be selfish, reckless, even childish at times. But whenever he'd put down the mask and show her the heart that he hid so well, whenever he took charge of the situation and acted like the man she knew he was, those were the times she would admit to herself how much she loved him.

And no matter how well she'd locked away her feelings for her superior, there were still nights where she would dream of being his woman. Of being married to or making love to him. But hell would freeze over before she'd ever admit that to anyone, much less her Colonel of all people.

Sure, there were no fraternization laws in place, but how bad would things be for Roy if he lost her? Or if things didn't work out between them? Or if the higher ups thought even less of him than they already did for openly dating his secretary?

Pretty bad. At least in her mind it would be.

There was just no way Riza could ever do that, at least not now. The last thing she would ever want would be to ruin his chances of becoming Furher.

So with a deep sigh, the Lieutenant sat herself up straight and opened her mouth to speak. "Colonel-"

"What? You're going to tell me I'm wrong?" he asked. "You can't tell me it's never crossed your mind."

"I never said that..."

Hearing that made Roy smile. "So you have thought about it?" he said. Stopping his firm menstruations, he kept his hands firmly on her shoulders and said "You should…"

With a confident swagger in his step, the Flame Alchemist walked over to the front of the desk and turned to face his subordinate, confusing her.

"What are you trying to say?"

Roy couldn't help but smile as he sat down at her desk and let his eyes meet with her confused looking amber ones. Before she could even say another word, he cupped her chin with his fingers and tilted her head up to meet his gaze head on, making her gasp.

Normally, Riza would have pulled out her gun and threatened him to return to work, as she often did whenever he'd ignore his responsibilities around the office. But what caught her off guard were those obsidian eyes of his; they weren't lustful or cocky looking, like whenever he flirted with some random women. Instead, the look in them was sincere and loving; the way he would often look at her when they were alone.

"I'm saying I'm attracted to you, Riza…I have been for a long time, now…"

Riza could feel herself blushing at the sincerity in his words; he meant every word he said. And the more she realized the truth in statement, the deeper she let herself fall into those eyes of his. So much so, she didn't know whether she should smack him and tell him to do his paperwork, or give into her own desires and let him kiss her silly. Although deep down she knew she was starting to prefer the latter option.

At the same time, though, the soldier in her still had enough reason to give the raven haired man before her a reply. "Sir…I don't think we should be discussing this, right now."

"You're right," he said. "Maybe when we're done work, we can discuss this over dinner, just the two of us? What do you say?"

Riza, having fallen completely under his spell at this point, gave him a warm smile and said "I'd like that…"

Roy returned her smile with one of his own, and before long he closed his eyes, moving closer towards her lips until they were only inches away from each other.

But before he could actually connect a kiss, he felt a pair of fingers on his lips. Confused, Roy opened his eyes to see a stoic looking Riza, holding his lips back with her fingers. "But I'm afraid you still have some paperwork to do. And I need to file this report."

Without missing a beat, she got up from her desk and made her way out of the office, taking the closed file with her.

As for Roy? He was left to stand there like a dear in the headlights, processing what just happened before finally letting out a sigh. Despite what he thought, she had rejected his advancements, whole sale. Leaving him to quietly return to his desk in defeat.

Well that is until he remembered something; she'd been smiling the whole time. And that's when the Colonel made a realization; despite choosing to stay in their little comfort zone, she was actually happy he asked her out.

The message was clear now; she wanted to be with him, he would just have to wait.

So little by little, Roy's frown turned into a small, confident smile. "Whatever," he said to himself. "I've almost got her."

Just because he would wait for her didn't mean he couldn't savour the small victory he had today.

The End