Pairing: Royai
Rated: M
When Riza came in the office that morning, Roy noticed that she looked agitated. He thought nothing about it at first, but became quite worried when her agitation began to have repercussion on her work. She couldn't concentrate and was always looking at the time, thus finishing a lot less paperwork than usual. She was always spacing out with a worried look in her face, to the point where Roy took some of her paperwork to help her and she didn't even notice him.
However, at the end of the workday, when everybody else had leave, Riza walked up to her superior officer's desk and handed a letter. She was standing straight and her eyes were avoiding his.
"May I ask what this is Lieutenant?" he requested.
"Permission to take a leave of absence, sir" she answered in a clear voice.
"And for what reason?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"I have some personal matters to attend to" she eluded.
He waited for her to explain, but she just stood straight and stared just above his head. Annoyed by her elusive attitude, Roy threw the letter on his desk and crossed his arms.
"Permission denied" he simply said.
His subordinate looked at him dumfounded.
"But, sir…" she began.
"I'm not allowing this unless you tell me the exact reason why you're taking a leave of absence" he cut her off.
Riza sighed and relaxed her shoulders, looking into Roy's eyes for the first time since the morning.
"Well, I…I'd like to visit my parents' grave. And spend some time at my father's house" she confessed.
Roy clearly wasn't expecting that. He knew the house she grew up in held a lot of memories, and not necessarily good ones. She must have taken a lot of time to come up with this decision, thus her nervousness throughout the day. Snapping out of his thoughts, Roy opened the letter and signed her permission.
"Here, Lieutenant. Will, uh, will you be alright?" he asked worried.
Riza smiled softly at him, comforted by his worriedness. He knew she was nervous and he cared, and that made her feel less lonely and more convinced that she took the right decision. She thought about going back in her hometown for a long time. She hasn't gone back once since she left and thus never visited her parents' grave again. Therefore, after nights of reflection and looking at the pros and cons, she took the decision to go back where she grew up for a few days. That way, she thought she could definitely put the past behind her, or at least the memories involving her father.
"I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern Colonel" she answers.
Riza took the first train the morning after and arrived early in the afternoon at the East city station. She then took a cab all the way to her old house, looking at the familiar scenery nostalgically. Her heart was beating faster as she was getting closer and she was beginning to regret the decision of coming here. When the cab left her in front of the house, she stayed immobile for a long time, just staring at the house that was once her home. It was getting worn out from the lack of maintenance and the weeds had taken over the lawn, but it was still the same house she left years ago. Gathering her courage, Riza walked to the front door and walked in, letting the memories from the past flood her mind.
The first three days, she took upon herself to clean thoroughly the house, which was dirty after years of accumulating dust. She cleaned her father's study last, because it t held the most painful memories. She still remembers the long hours she spent in that room waiting for her father to finish the tattoo, always silently crying because of the pain that caused the needle. She still remembered the way her father died in that same study, blood coming out of his mouth and Roy calling out for help. She had not gone back into the study after his death, so it was still as messy as it used to be, book and papers everywhere on the desk and on the floor. She didn't knew much about alchemy, so she just put the books randomly on the shelves and the papers in a clean pile on the desk. Anyway, nobody was going to use them anymore.
The fourth day, which was also the last day she had before going back to Central, she woke up early to go buy some flowers in town and visit her parents' grave. However, she was not expecting to see a certain Colonel getting out of his car in the front alley. They both stared at each other surprised.
"Hey" Roy managed to say.
Riza noticed that he had a bouquet of flowers in one hand, similar to the one she had gotten herself. He also didn't have his uniform, so she deduced that he took a day off to come all the way back to her father's house.
"Colonel, what are doing here?" she asked although she already knew the answer.
"I thought since you've gone to visit your parents' grave, I could pay my respects. And I thought you might need some company" he answered with a reassuring smile.
Riza joined him in the alley and smiled thankfully.
"Thank you. I really appreciate you coming" she greeted.
He offered her his arm, and they departed together towards the cemetery. Roy's presence was very reassuring for Riza. She felt as if she didn't have to face the memories alone and she could rely on Roy to ease her confused feelings. They were not saying anything, but she knew that he supported her, that he understood how hard it was for her and that he cared. Hell, he took a day off only to come all the way here to be with her in that moment.
When the cemetery was in their line of sight, Roy felt her grip tightened around his arm, so he squeezed her hand comfortingly. She looked at him and saw that he was frowning and that he looked worried.
"I'm alright" she assured him with a weak smile.
They finally arrived in front of her parents' grave, which were as worn out as the house. Of course, she knew that if she didn't pay a visit, nobody would, but she didn't expect the weeds to take over that much. She kneeled down and tried to clean as much as she could. Her heart was clenching and she felt guilty that she hadn't come sooner and she had let the graves become so deprived. The guilt and the pain took over and before she even realized, a few tears were falling on her cheeks. Roy kneeled down beside her and put his bouquet on his late master's grave. He then ran a thumb under her eyes to wipe her tears and took her hand, bringing her back on her feet. Normally she would have shaken his hand away, but right now, the comfort it brought was more than welcome.
"Let's head back" she proposed.
Roy put his hand softly on Riza's back and Riza gave her parents' grave one last look before they walked away. After the short walk back, Riza went directly inside the house, while Roy took his light luggage from his car. She held the door opened for him, and she informed him that his old bedroom was waiting for him. Therefore, he went upstairs to settle his stuff. He was surprised to see that nothing had changed. The colors, the workplace, the small bookshelf, even the books he used to study and left behind. Roy's thoughts were interrupted by a small knock on the door; Riza's head popping in.
"Colonel, I…I just wanted to thank you once again for coming. I think I needed company more than I thought" she confessed.
"Don't mention it" he smiled.
Roy took another look at the room and added "This place really haven't changed at all, huh?"
Riza opened the door completely and came inside, looking at the room too.
"Well, nobody used this room after you left for the academy, so it stayed the same" she stated.
Roy nodded and sat on the bed, a smile playing on his lips. Riza walked to the desk, where a picture of her and Roy when they were younger was standing. The happiness emanating from the picture made her smile unconsciously.
"This place really holds a lot of memories" Roy thought out loud.
"It sure does" she responded, turning back to face him.
"You remember…the first time we made love?" he asked tentatively.
"Of course I do" she answered, closing her eyes.
There was a moment of hesitation, both of them knowing that it was a sensitive topic. The memories of their first time were a reminder of happier times, where they were young and in love. However, it wasn't painful at all. On the contrary, the memories were comforting and they both enjoyed thinking about the time when they could openly love each other. Well, they still had to hide from her father, but it was somewhat thrilling for them to see each other in secret.
"I still remember; I was sitting on the bed just like now, and you were in front of me. I was feeling down a bit, so you were trying to cheer me up. I took your hands…" Roy began.
He took her hands in his just like the first time and looked up at her. She was blushing a bit, just as the first time, which made Roy smiled even more.
"…and you wrapped your arms around my neck and leaned in slowly. You were just trying to rest your head on top of mine, but I lifted my head and we kissed" he continued.
While he was talking, Riza couldn't help but lean in. She put a chaste kiss on his lips, taking him aback.
"Then what?" she whispered in his ear.
Roy was gob-smacked and blushing furiously, clearly not expecting the kiss.
"You were blushing just like you are now" she chuckled.
"I was, but you were too. It was our first kiss after all" he replied.
They were still holding hands and smiling at each other. However, the hesitation and the uneasiness they previously felt was all gone now. Everything just felt right.
"But it was perfect. I wouldn't change anything about it" he added.
Roy closed his eyes and gently kissed Riza's palm. He pulled her gently again and she positioned herself over him, completely lying down on the bed. Roy's hands were on Riza's waist while she was running her hands through his hair, smiling through the kiss. They weren't in a hurry. They were kissing and caressing each other softly, savoring every second. At that moment, it was as they went back in time, back at the first time they made love together.
Roy positioned themselves in a sitting position and put his hands under her shirt, stroking her stomach, her waist and her back gently. Riza rested her head in the crook of his neck and put a small kiss on his skin, sending chills down his spine.
"It feels just like the first time, doesn't it?" Roy
"Yeah, it does. Why don't we make it as memorable?" she smirked.
Roy laughed and kissed her again, this time deeper but as loving as before. He took her gently into his arms and put her down on the bed so he could be on top of her. He removed her shirt and kissed her all the way from her stomach to her neck. Riza also removed his shirt and soon they were both completely naked, their clothes scattered on the floor. Roy took one of her breast in one hand, massaging it gently, while he took the other one with his mouth. He stroked the sensitive skin with his tongue on one breast and with his thumb on the other, making a soft moan escape Riza's lips. He slipped one of his hands in between her legs, caressing slowly the even more sensitive skin before slipping in a finger. He went back to kissing her lips passionately, sliding his tongue in and biting gently her bottom lip. Riza arched her back under his touch and dug her nails into the skin of his back, making him groan.
"Sorry did I hurt you?" she inquired.
"No, it's fine. It'll make me battle scars" he laughed.
She laughed too and wrapped her arms around his neck, closing the distance between their bodies. She spread her legs a little bit more, allowing him further inside her. She also wanted to pleasure him, so she wrapped her hand around his length and stroke it slowly at first, then faster, his breath becoming heavier. Roy's movements were becoming more intense, making Riza moan even more. She let go of his length and grabbed the covers, overwhelmed by his experienced touch. He removed his fingers and took over with his tongue. Riza's breath and moaning were becoming heavier and she grabbed Roy's hair, her eyes closed and her toes curled up. However, Roy stopped before she could reach climax to make their lovemaking last longer.
Roy took her into his arms and lifted her in a sitting position, kissing her neck and cupping her breast gently. Riza positioned herself comfortably on top of him and he entered her, making a heavy sigh escape his lips. She moved slowly, savoring the feeling of Roy inside her and his arms holding her close to his chest. She slammed her hands on his chest, forcing him to lie down, taking full control. She moved faster on top of him as he caressed her body, from her legs to her breasts. She intertwined her fingers with his and Roy kissed her hands lovingly. Riza slowed down and leaned over as she got tired, so Roy flipped her to be on top and took over. He slammed his hips deep inside her thighs, successfully making his partner call his name aloud. They kept calling each other's name until Riza finally reached climax. He leaned down and kissed her fully on the lips while he kept moving slowly inside her until he also reached climax.
They stayed in the same position for a while, both panting heavily. Roy turned on his back and Riza put her arms on his chest, then rested her head on top of them, looking at his face with a smile. Roy ran his fingers through her hair and then caressed her back gently, tracing her tattoo with his fingers.
"You know, this was worth the wait" Roy stated.
Riza giggled at his comment.
"It sure was, huh? A lot better than the first time, now that I think about it" she replied.
"Yeah, but we were inexperienced at that time too" he chuckled.
"But there's nothing quite like the first time, right?" she added.
"Yeah" he agreed.
They talked and kissed for hours, until they fell asleep in each other's arms. That night, it was as if they had never left the house. They loved each other just as they did in the same room years ago, forgetting everything about ranks, duty and laws. They were the same kids that they were back then, kissing, touching and loving each other every time like it was the first time.