Hearts on Paper
Oneshot
Author: MoonStarDutchess
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from the fanfiction other than needed writing practice.
AN: This might seem semi-familiar to some of you. It was part of a collection of oneshots I had onsite. Due to this site's latest purge, I had to take the collection off or risk deletion and yet another ban even though (in my opinion) there was nothing in it that went against M rules. No vivid sex or violence at all. Even though I did that, I don't exactly feel safe even doing that since they took down stories that fit perfectly within their rules.
So as a result I'll repose the site-safe ones little by little in the form of rewritten and sometimes extended oneshots and post what they'd deem inappropriate elsewhere.
The temperatures in Central City were at record lows while the snowfall was looking to edge out the record height recorded over thirty years ago. Cars couldn't venture onto the roads and people dared not journey out into the ice-covered landscape and bone-shuddering wind.
Not that Roy and Riza cared much. They'd both been sick with a nasty flu bug that made it to the city before the hideous weather had a chance to release its attack. To make things worse, they had swollen throats and had to communicated through body language and writing.
In his view, the weather, despite its much-hated wetness, was a blessing since it meant no one would be working. No work meant Havoc couldn't bring them paperwork like he did on the first day they called in sick.
They still had paperwork from the other day but, thankfully, Riza allowed him to take breaks. Right now she was resting in his embrace, leaning back against his chest, and watching as he drew funny pictures on a piece of paper.
He took the sheet of paper off the clipboard so he could begin a new set of drawings on another sheet. He wrote his name, then hers, and then leaned down to leave a little kiss on her shoulder. He drew a heart on the paper and wrote, "I love Riza" inside it.
He glanced over at the table next to the fireplace where, nestled in the drawer, a special item was hidden. Now that Grumman was fuehrer and she wasn't expecting anything, he could put his plan into action.
He drew another heart and wrote, "Roy loves Riza," inside it. Then he sketched out another heart and added a big bow at the top of it. In that one he wrote, "Riza Mustang" and tacked a question mark on the end.
She turned her body halfway and stared at him with an inquiring expression. He continued his sketching as she waited for him to say something. After finishing his piece of artwork, he motioned to it with his head. She turned back and gazed down at the sheet of paper to see several interlinking hearts and a different word written in each one. Her eyes widened as she silently read the words.
"If. She. Will. Marry. Me."
She turned in his arms again and he nodded to confirm his proposal. She yanked the pen from his grasp and grabbed the clipboard. She drew a huge heart and wrote, "Yes" in giant letters.
He laughed despite the fact it hurt his throat and hugged her tightly. She leaned back and let him cover her lips with his. As soon as both decided to stand, he'd get her ring for her.
When they pulled away, she returned to her previous position. He moved to sit the clipboard on the table beside the couch but she suddenly grabbed his wrist and in a low, hoarse, and somewhat menacing voice, asked, "What were we writing on?"
She took the clipboard from him, clicked the latch on it, and flipped the papers over. Roy stiffened. Oh no. I thought I changed those! He'd drawn on some very important paperwork.
He resisted the urge to run when he heard her growl like a wolf. He tried to say something but his voice chose that time to lack the ability to form even the slightest bit of noise.
She flipped to one of the blank sheets and began a detailed and large sketch. When she finished, she handed it to him and he felt his mouth drop open and his skin grew cold.
It was a picture of his bed, and above it in big, bold, capital letters she wrote the word: Alone.
-/-/-
Roy was satisfied when he saw her wearing her engagement ring when she came out of the bathroom the day they were to return to work. He hadn't had to sleep alone the night he loused up the back of the paperwork, but she hadn't worn the ring even when he presented it to her as an apology. She merely took it and put it in the jewelry box on her dresser.
He knew she did it just to make him sweat; she wasn't so trivial that she'd turn him down over a few drawings on paperwork. He still wouldn't mention the ring because he didn't want her to change her mind about wearing it and end up taking it off.
"Ready?" she asked as she slipped on her coat.
He broke away from his thoughts and followed her out the door. He pulled his jacket tighter as wind whipped around them. Even though the snow had melted a great deal thanks to two days of above freezing temperatures, the little bit of wind that was there drifting across what snow remained increasing the potency of its chill.
They walked a few blocks before Riza spoke, "When do you want to tell grandfather?"
It was a simple question, yet Roy was strapped for an answer. He hadn't gotten as far as planning to tell Grumman, because he hadn't planned to propose to her the way he had.
"Whenever you want to. What do you think would be best?"
"When we have him in a place where he won't shout loud enough to wake the dead. You know he's been waiting for you to ask me for years."
Roy jerked his head toward her. "You knew?"
"He once got so frustrated that he tried to convince me to propose to you. He said he brought up marriage every time the two of you played chess, even before you knew he was my grandfather. "
He laughed. That was true and he'd almost let it slip that he was in love with someone else, but Grumman happened to show him a picture of his granddaughter and gave a hearty, knowing laugh. "Yeah. I never accepted his proposition because I was in love with my lieutenant." He took her hand and squeezed it. "I was thrilled when I found out you were one in the same."
"What if I hadn't been his granddaughter?"
"As I said, I was in love with my lieutenant and that wouldn't have changed."
-/-/-
"Do you have the papers for Fuehrer Grumman's meeting tomorrow, General Mustang?" a diminutive secretary asked him as she entered the room. As soon as they'd gotten to the office, everything began whirling around him. He wasn't even sure Riza was in the same room with him due to the mass of people moving in every part of the office. Even though the room was incredibly large, he felt like he was in one of the crowded marketplaces in Ishbal.
In a few days, there would be an important diplomatic meeting between, Creta, Drachma, and Amestris. After all the years at war with the two countries, they were finally going to sign peace treaties. Amestris would leave those countries alone now that Bradley was gone, and Grumman would explain to the leaders that the former government was behind everything. Amestris would get to move their men away from the front lines; the other countries would get to do the same, and keep every inch of their country that Bradley tried to take over.
"General Mustang? Can you hear me?"
"Oh sorry. Yeah, I have them. They're in my briefcase." He clicked open his case and shifted through the papers until he found the proper ones, and handed them to her. She saluted and pushed her way through the crowds to get to the door. When he saw the bushel of red hair leave through the doorway, he relaxed. Why were all these people in here anyway?
"Sir," he heard Riza say.
"Yeah?" He made sure to raise his voice so she could hear him over the other vocals. When she made it through the crowds, her hairclip was askew and her expression looked like she wanted to shoot everyone in the room.
She straightened her hair and sighed. "Do you have those papers we have to send to the fuehrer? I have to make copies thanks to those drawings you made on them."
Roy paled and his eyes widened. "Oh shit! I completely forgot!"
Riza face faltered. "Wh . . . what? Roy, don't tell me…"
He shot up from his chair and dashed toward the door, pushing and yanking people out of his way. Riza followed close behind through the route he'd made. She stopped at the door, removed her gun and fired into the side of the doorframe where the wood was the thickest. The talking stopped and everyone looked at her. "Unless you have direct business with General Mustang I want this room cleared out by the time I get back. Is that understood?" Everyone slowly nodded and she gave a small grin. "Good." She calmly walked out of the outer office—where everyone should've been— then turned to the right just in time to see Roy speed around the corner. She followed.
They made it to Grumman's office and Riza raised her hand to knock when the door swung open. They leaped back to avoid being hit. Roy'd never seen the man move so quick. He ran a few feet down the hall before he stopped, looked back at them, and then jogged up to him. Grumman stopped in front of him, a paper clutched tightly in his grasp to the point there would be no way to fix it short of recopying (not that there was a neat way of fixing it before it was in Grumman's possession). He grabbed Roy's shoulders and squeezed. "You really asked her my boy?"
Roy nodded warily. Grumman grabbed Riza's wrist and stared at the ring on her finger. If he wanted to smile wider, he would have to unhinge his jaw. "Great! Now I must go ready my announcement to headquarters. I'm going to have a grandson in law."
Grandson in law? He wasn't sure such a title even existed. "Yes . . . sir."
"And then . . . then I'm going to be a great grandfather!" He cackled and practically skipped down the hall.
After a full minute of silence, Roy looked at Riza. "We're not even married yet and he's planning for great grandchildren. Can't that man be happy we're just getting. . . ." He studied his fiancée as she stared in the direction her grandfather took. Her brows were furrowed but her mouth was open as if she were shocked at his actions. This wasn't a good thing.
"Riza?" She didn't answer so he tried again. "Riza?"
"What?" she snapped.
He sighed. "Does this mean that I'm really sleeping alone this time?"
AN: Hope you enjoyed it! XD