A/N: Hello! This is my first Royai fic. It is fluff city, full stop. This is also the first thing I've written in about a decade, so be kind! Also I wrote this while listening to the song "Eavesdrop" by The Civil Wars, so that influence is rather everywhere. Enjoy!
Roy had been driving for half an hour, refusing to answer her questions even when they had left East City. "I said I wasn't going to tell you, and that's that. You'll just have to be surprised" and that was all she had been able to get out of him. Riza didn't mind though. He seemed happy, and excited. She just hoped that whatever he had planned wasn't going to get them into too much trouble. He knew she would put a stop to anything she wasn't comfortable with, but sometimes his confidence and excitement got the better of her. Riza hoped that wasn't the case tonight. She was so tired, and she didn't want to have to let him down when he was clearly in a good mood.
After another ten minutes, Roy turned onto an unmarked road that led into the woods and the enveloping darkness. A few twists and turns later, and he had parked the car. He turned to her. "Stay right here, just for a second." Riza opened her mouth to respond but he was already out of the car.
'Surely he's not going to leave me here!' Riza thought, but then she realized he had just gone to the trunk. After a few moments and a trunk slam, Roy reappeared on her side of the car, opening the door for her. He extended his hand and helped her out. Riza looked around at the forest that surrounded them. It was so dark, she could barely see a foot in front of her. Then light flared to her right. Roy had gotten a lantern out of the trunk, it seemed, along with a smaller bundle that she now saw tucked under his arm. He grinned at her in the low light.
"Come on." Riza hesitated, lifting one eyebrow.
"Sir, it's 2300 hours and we're in the middle of the woods. I'm going to ask this once, and I need you to answer honestly."
"Yes?"
"When did you start drinking tonight, and why hasn't it worn off?"
Roy laughed, a loud mirthful sound that echoed out into the darkness.
"I haven't been drinking, and I promise I know what I'm doing. Do you trust me?" Riza let out a small sigh and looked him up and down. He kept the small bundle under his left arm and held the lantern out in front, illuminating both of them fully. That stupid smirk was on his face again. She had done a lot of things because of that smirk. Both good and bad. She wasn't about to pretend that she wasn't completely taken by him. Riza looked him in the eyes and gave a small smile.
"Implicitly."
His own smile widened. "Then trust me. Let's go, Hawkeye."
Roy took her hand and led her deeper into the woods, holding out the lantern in front of them so they could see where to place their feet. She was surprised at how good he was at this. She had always prided herself on being the one who was better in the forest. Her colonel was a city beast, and always had been. But he seemed to know where he was going. After a few more minutes of what felt like aimless wandering to her, Roy stopped.
"Here we are." He pulled her hand, guiding her to his side rather than just behind him. As Riza looked out, she saw that they had reached a small clearing at the top of a hill, just where the forest began to dip down. There was a space of just about 15 feet where there were no trees and no leafy coverage, and when she stepped into the clearing, Riza felt her breath catch in her throat. There, laid out in front of her, was East City. It was miles and miles away, and she could see where the light from the city extended out, but even that wasn't close to touching them. She could see the forest continue beneath them, but this small section jutted out, created a ledge that looked over the forest and pointed towards East City.
Roy watched Riza as she looked out at the city, enjoying her smile as it spread across her face. "Roy, this is beautiful," she breathed. He knew he had impressed her when she actually called him by his first name. He turned the lantern off and set it on the ground. With the nearly full moon above them, the stars, and the distant light of the city, the lantern was unnecessary in this clearing. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. Riza leaned into his chest, her eyes travelling from the city up to the stars.
"This is amazing, you never see this many stars. I haven't seen so many since…well, since a long time." Riza refused to pull up memories that she didn't want right now, throwing her concentration back to the sky. Roy set his chin on her shoulder.
"I got lost out here one night while searching for a good safe house. I stumbled on this area and knew I'd have to remember it. I've only been back twice since then, but each time I wished that I had had you with me. This is something that should be shared." Riza smiled and turned her head to his.
"Thank you for sharing it with me." Roy lifted his head and looked into her eyes, those amber pools that he knew he could get completely lost in if he wasn't careful. He understood everything those eyes ever tried to say to him, and what he didn't know he could usually figure out. He knew her so well, but there was so much that he still didn't know, still wanted to know. He was content to spend his whole life trying to figure every piece of her out. He inclined his head towards hers, leaning in to kiss those lips that had tantalized him for so many years. And then she pulled her head away and stared straight ahead. Well that was a signal he had definitely misread.
"Riza…" he began, but she cut him off.
"We shouldn't be doing this. You're…you're still my commanding officer and the law…"
"Screw the law!" Riza snapped her head to him, worry written on her face. He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him completely.
"Riza. Riza, I care about you. You know this. You emknow /emhow much I want to be with you. And you know how much I care about becoming Fuhrer and leading this country out of a militaristic stone age. And I'm still going to do that. But for once, for once, will you please let me be the romantic idiot I actually am, and let me court you just for an hour? We're in the middle of the woods, there's no one around, it's the middle of the night, and this place is beautiful. You are beautiful. And I just want to hold you. I just want to wrap my arms around you and love you before this moment runs out. Can I do that?"
Riza hesitated. The moon was shining its silver light directly onto them, but they were so far away from the city that it didn't matter. No one could see them. No one but the moon and the stars above. Amber eyes searched his earnest face and found his dark eyes reflecting those stars back at her. And then her eyes closed and her lips found his in the darkness. Roy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, nearly lifting her off her feet as their lips moved together in their first kiss in a long, long while. They swayed on the spot, Roy holding her as close to him as he could without cutting off air supply, and when they broke away it was only due to their new-found inability to breathe. Riza stared at him and laughed a small, short laugh as Roy grinned at her.
"One hour. We get one hour. And then we go back to just being Officer and Subordinate." Roy nodded.
"One hour," he repeated and then he was kissing her again. His hands were on her back and hers were in his hair, pulling at the dark strands as he gripped her even tighter. At some point they collapsed to the earth together, still entwined, now on their knees, their kisses only becoming longer and more energetic. Finally they pulled apart, knowing that any more kissing would only lead to other territory, one that Riza was definitely not comfortable with yet. And Roy knew that when they finally crossed that bridge, he was going to need longer than one measly hour, and that there would be no going back. But that was okay. This was more than okay, and he was content to hold her until their time was up.
Roy broke his grip on her and pulled the small bundle to him, unwrapping it. Riza watched him with curiosity, until she realized that it was simply a blanket that he had tied together in order to make it as small as possible. He laid it out on the ground and took off his military jacket and folded it, placing it at the top of the blanket. Riza followed suit, taking off her jacket as well, folding it, and placing it on top of his. He then laid himself down on the blanket and opened his arms. Riza gratefully fell into them and curled her body around him, her head on his chest. He rubbed her back and they lay there in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's presence. Simply allowing the moment to be.
As Roy watched the stars above them, he almost felt like they were watching them back, staring down at the two fraternizing delinquents as they lay entwined in each other. Childishly, he stuck his tongue out, daring them to mess with him. He knew all the stories about fates being tied up in those heavenly bodies, about star-crossed lovers and love being written in the stars. If ever there was a love that had felt destined, it was this love that he had for this woman he was finally holding in his arms. It had always been her. It had only been her. Ever since he had been a student under her father, since their days in the war, since her swearing to follow him and all the days after - his heart had only ever been hers.
He lifted his hand and put a finger under her chin, guiding her head to look up at him. He needed her to see him when he said this.
Softly, so softly, the words came out. "I love you."
Riza looked at him and a slow, small smile spread across her face.
"I know." Roy laughed and used his other hand on her back to poke her.
"You do, huh?"
"You're terribly obvious."
"Well, subtlety was never my strongest suit."
"I'd give you points for effort, but I don't think you've ever truly tried to hide it."
"Only when I think it could very definitely get us in trouble."
"Well, half points then." He grinned and waited. And waited. Finally he pursed his lips together in a frown. Riza caught this and lifted an eyebrow.
"What?"
"You don't have anything you'd like to say to me?"
Riza looked down and back up.
"I always thought I was pretty obvious myself. To you, at least."
Roy nudged her. "It's still nice to hear. And there's no one but the wind to eavesdrop."
Riza let out a small chuckle. She sat up and straddled his knees and he sat up with her, leaning forward. She cocked her head and looked straight into his eyes, and what felt like straight into his heart.
"I love you, Roy. You know that. You will always know that. Because it will never change. No matter what happens, I am always yours." Roy smiled at her.
"Was that so hard?
"Dreadfully."
He laughed and pulled her into another kiss. They sat like that for a few more minutes, kissing while she sat on his legs, him propped up on one hand as the other held her head. Finally they sank back down, wrapping around each other again.
Roy knew that their time was almost up. He refused to look at his watch, though. He didn't want to, and Riza hadn't asked. He just held her as close to him as he could, watching the moon and stars stare down at the two of them. Daring those heavenly bodies to interfere.
'She is mine, as I am hers. Come and get me. You can't touch us. Our fate is ours, not yours,'he told the stars silently. They simply twinkled far above. How confident and sure of himself he was, taunting the stars above him. But in this moment, he felt as though he truly could control their fate. Roy stared into the sky and saw their future before him. He knew that he would become Fuhrer. Riza would become his wife and First Lady. She would protect him by his side instead of directly behind him. They would lead this country out of a military dictatorship and into a democracy. They would do it together. They would do everything together, just like they always had. Roy smirked. 'That is our fate, stars. That is our destiny.' No matter what. That was what he worked towards, that was why he was patient. That was why he finally pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. Because he knew their future was together.
"It's been an hour, Riza." To his great surprise, Riza didn't pull away. In fact she simply snuggled closer.
"I don't care. I just want you to keep holding me. Don't let it be over." Her voice sounded almost desperate. She didn't want to go back, yet. Going back meant more paperwork, more pretending like they didn't love each other, like they didn't just want to be together. She wasn't ready. She just wasn't.
"Roy smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. He whispered into her blond hair, "It's not over. You and me? We're never over." Riza tightened her grip on him.
"Just hold me a little longer. Don't let go."
"Never. I'm never letting you go."
He looked up at the stars, the moon staring down at them. He smirked as he felt the wind on his skin. And the next words he said for the benefit of the stars, for the moon, for the wind as each element eavesdropped.
"Never letting go. Not of you. Not of our future. It's you and me, together or not at all. Forever." He pulled her as close as he possibly could, resting his head on top of hers, lips pressing a kiss to her crown.
And they stayed that way, entwined together, for several more hours while the moon continued its pace across the night sky.
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