Riza unlocked the door to her apartment and walked into the dark kitchen. She was home so late that Black Hayate didn't even get up from his spot on the floor where he had been fast asleep to greet her. Riza shrugged out of her jacket and rested for a moment at her small kitchen table.
It had been a long day. General Mustang had had the day off work, and since they could only afford to let one member of their team stay home at once, Riza had had to wake early and go into headquarters. She had spent the day doing her own duties while also trying to keep up with some of the general's work so he wouldn't be too overwhelmed when he returned. There was also the task of keeping the rest of the team in line. Even though she was usually the one that kept them focused, they had been a little livelier today than usual, knowing that their commanding officer was gone. As a result of the extra hours, her back and neck were aching, and she could feel a throbbing beginning at the front of her head.
Riza briefly considered finding herself something to eat, but decided that all she really wanted was to get off her feet and crawl into her bed. Riza entered her bedroom and stripped out of the remainder of her military uniform until she was wearing nothing but her underwear and a thin undershirt. She pulled back her covers and climbing into the comfort of her bed.
A figure stirred next to her and yawned.
"Sorry," Riza murmured. "I didn't mean to wake you up."
Roy turned to lie on his back, his eye's heavy-lidded with sleep. "S'okay," he said, stretching. "I'm glad I got to see you."
He opened his arm to her, and she gratefully snuggled into the warmth of the inside of his shoulder. Instantly, her achy tiredness transformed into a soft drowsiness. He had that effect on her, and the though made her smile.
Roy felt the expression through his shirt. "What's got you in such a good mood?"
Riza opened her mouth to answer, but then stopped to consider the question. What was it exactly that had made her smile? She wanted to say that it was that, even though what they had was still exciting, and that she was sure that the so-called "honeymoon" period of their relationship would last forever.
But that wasn't really it. It had been almost two months since Grumman had given his official permission to start a relationship together. Though they hadn't wasted any time acting on that decision, adding a romantic aspect to their already powerful connection hadn't felt "exciting" necessarily. More like a natural progression. They both realized that they had always known that it would be inevitable, so everything fell into place without difficulty. They continued with their lives the way they always had, the only difference being that the bond between them was now a little tighter.
Yet Riza had found herself smiling more in the past two months than she had in years. She may not have noticed it, and she certainly didn't understand it, but having Roy Mustang next to her in bed every night had changed her in a way that she never knew possible. Whatever she felt was too big to explain, and in that moment, Riza accepted that that was okay.
"That little question has a very big answer," she finally mumbled.
Roy's smile at her response traveled all the way down to his chest, and in feeling it, Riza knew he understood what she could not say.
And with that, the pair drifted into sleep, both looking forward to every day that was to come.