Author's note: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. This is set after the end of the manga.

This Love

It would surprise some people how cold it could get in the desert at night. But the temperature was nothing when it came to the night sky. One a clear night like this one you could nearly every star in the sky with perfect clarity. Putting up with the cold was worth that. Besides, it wasn't quite so chilly when you were wrapped up in a blanket with someone else, or when you had a thermos of hot chocolate to share.

Riza sighed softly and snuggled closer to Roy. The two of them were perched on g flat roof of their current quarters. It was cold out, but the starts were bright, and the chance to just be together without something that needed their attention was nice. Up here on the rooftop there were no plans that needed to be dealt with, no crisis to be solved, no random people interrupting them. Just the two of them and the stars.

Roy nuzzled her neck, pressing a kiss to her pulse. Riza shifted slightly in his arms, turning so she could kiss him properly. It had been almost a year since the Promised Day. So much had changed. These days their time was spent overseeing the rebuilding of Ishbal, ferreting out problems with contractors, and generally sorting out every little squabble that came there way. Rebuilding was slow work, especially since Roy was of the mind that they should do it right the first time instead of having to go back and fix mistakes. But things were changing.

Amestris was changing, and for the better. It would probably be their work of a lifetime rebuilding Ishbal, but Riza could not begrudge that. It was the right thing to do, and it was something to do. Besides, she was happy. Working with Roy, rebuilding instead of destroying, having a life that wasn't constantly searching the shadows for danger. Oh, there was still a fair amount of danger, but that wasn't something she had to worry about keeping secret. And it wasn't just her work that had changed.

Her personal life had as well. Or not so much changed as shifted. There had been a housing shortage when they had first started work out here, and so she and Roy had shared quarters. Somehow, she had never moved out, even when there was housing available for her. Since her grandfather had become Fuhrur, there had been a relaxing of the enforcement of the fraternization regulations. There was an official change in them due to be adopted in just another month, and then it would be completely legal for people in a situation like Roy's and hers to marry. She had to admit that her grandfather's hopeless romantic tendencies had something to do with that.

She couldn't say that she minded. And there was a small, quiet ceremony planned in about three months. Both she and Roy had agreed that they had spent enough time waiting, and a short engagement was all they really needed. Neither wanted a fancy wedding, so they would make a formal announcement of their engagement next month after the new rules came out and the wedding to follow two months after that. Despite the plans that were in place and the engagement ring she wore on her dogtags, it didn't quite seem real to Riza at times.

They had reached at least part of their goals. Amestris was changing, and for the better. The two of them were not likely to be put on trial for war crimes, and while Riza had been prepared for that fate, she couldn't say that she minded avoiding it. Instead, she and Roy would be helping rebuild what they had once destroyed. In some ways, it was a much more fitting fate. And Roy was happier than she had seen him in years. They were together, no matter what the future brought them, good or bad.

Riza shivered slightly, and Roy tightened his hold on her.

"Ready to go inside?"

She nodded, more than ready to seek their warm bed. And sleep. Eventually.