Sandwiches and Company

Author: MoonStarDutchess

Oneshot

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA and gain no profit from this fiction.

When autumn drifted into the small town, it meant Riza Hawkeye had to return to school. And that meant a horrible lunch, a simple lunch, or no lunch, at the Hawkeye house for the next several months. For him it wasn't a big issue. He wasn't that fond of food and didn't eat much unless his stomach begged him with a steady ache or incessant growling. His apprentice, Roy, was an entirely different matter. The seventeen year old ate the most he'd ever seen anyone, but it was normal. He too possessed a rambunctious appetite at that age and had the same cooking skills he possessed now. The same ones that Roy had. None.

But he could make a sandwich. It would sate the treasonous stomach that distracted him from his work. He glanced at the cracked grandfather clock propped against the wall -for the hundredth time noting to fix it later- and checked the time. Riza would be home soon and start fixing dinner, but he didn't think his stomach would be too pleasant during the wait. He stopped at the kitchen door and peered inside when he saw a bush of messy black hair, stained with a few blue ink splotches, moving above the kitchen doors. Roy just finished constructing two sandwiches and was in the process of putting up the ingredients. Hawkeye laughed at his appetite at first but was puzzled when he took out two glasses and filled them with milk. If Roy had wanted more of that then he could go back and get it.

The young man picked up the plate and glasses and with extreme care, carried them out the front door, having to prop it open with his foot to exit the house. Hawkeye entered the room and looked out to the back yard. Roy sat the plate and glasses down on the table next to him and covered them with two napkins. Then he took his book and began reading. Hawkeye rubbed the back of his neck and furrowed his brows. He was a strange boy, rivaling even his daughter in the department of oddity. After watching Roy a moment later, his stomach reminded him of why he was there in the first place. Hawkeye quickly made himself a sandwich and took a bite, his stomach gurgling with thanks.

He was about to leave the kitchen when he spotted his daughter through the kitchen window. She came through the back gate, her face formed into the stoic expression he'd grown to know from her. One that he possessed himself most of the time. He tried to rid her of the expression, get her to show some sort of emotion. Through hate, through strangeness, and even through tears. He couldn't even think of how to evoke happiness from anyone. Not since his wife died. If he was stupid, he would hypothesize that the emotions had been extracted from her when he embedded his secrets.

He couldn't pinpoint why, but he didn't want to leave the kitchen. He wanted to talk to his daughter even if he didn't have a clue what to say. Perhaps it would surprise her. He looked out the door and saw Riza walk over to Roy. She dropped her bag to the side of the two person lounge he was sitting on and sat down beside him. Without looking up from his book, he uncovered one of the glasses and handed it to her, then followed with moving the plate so she could take a sandwich. She took the food and glass and began eating. Roy kept the book up for a few more seconds before finally closing it and sitting it on the table. Then he started eating as well.

Hawkeye's eyes widened. The extra sandwich was for Riza? How often did Roy do such a thing? He had to have known she would come through the back and sit with him. The gesture the young man made was respectful but also strictly against the rules Hawkeye set. Limited social interaction with Riza. He knew the way teenagers were. They were hormonal, and putting an unrelated boy and girl in the same house at their ages was just asking for trouble if they weren't monitored closely. The secrets were too dangerous to let the young man have at the moment, but someday, he might be worthy of them. Hawkeye sighed, not in the mood for a confrontation with Roy, but he had to be punished for his actions.

He started out of the house but froze when Riza reached out and wiped a bit of mayonnaise off Roy's face. The motion itself didn't surprise him as much as the small smile and tiny laugh that accompanied her actions. Roy looked at her strangely and Hawkeye almost jumped when he heard her say, "You had mayonnaise on your cheek."

She… she talked. Well that wasn't exactly unusual. It's just that her tone wasn't the typical monotone, robotic, yes master type. It was one of enjoyment. Hawkeye tensed when Roy leaned closer to her face. He was about to step out again but stopped when Roy did.

"Well its better than a milk mustache."

Riza's eyes widened and she felt at the top lip. She growled and pushed his shoulder when she felt no wetness upon her lip. "You an ass sometimes."

"But I'm a good looking ass. Right?"

She blushed. "Maybe."

Hawkeye decided to remain in the house and moved to lean against the wall. He wanted to but couldn't be angry anymore. Roy's gesture, his ability to make her smile, hearing her laugh, seeing her act like a normal girl made it worth the risk of his secrets. His logical side, his alchemist side, hated him for it. It was dangerous. And what if their relationship went deeper than a mere bit of interaction? What if they—His fatherly instinct, something still strong despite his failure to be a good father, interrupted and praised him. Roy was a good boy and Riza a responsible girl. Things would be fine. He believed that.

He left the kitchen, all the while remembering a time long ago when his late wife and he were just like the two on the bench. Just sitting, eating sandwiches, and enjoying each others company.

AN: Oneshot came to me as I was writing another oneshot. So I had to stop writing that one to write this one before I could finish the other one. XP Hope you enjoyed it and please drop a comment if you have the time... Something else. HAPPY ROYAI DAY!