Author's Note: It's been a while since I wrote a fic. It's rated T 'cause there are bad words, but not much! Sorry if the characters seem a bit OOC.
I hope you'll enjoy and like this just as much as I do... or even more. I talk too much, so I'll shut up now and get on with the story!
DISCLAIMER: I almost forgot! Hiromu Arakawa owns Fullmetal Alchemist and its characters, not a teenager like me who writes stories just for amusement.
Guilt waiting in the rain
It was already 2100 hours and Colonel Mustang still isn't finished with his paperwork. All his subordinates left hours ago, leaving his faithful First Lieutenant to help him with his never-ending work. He knew she should've left earlier but she insisted on helping him finish his work, since he kept falling asleep earlier in the day.
And now he was letting himself feel the aftermath of lazing around and cleaning windows for the first time. You see, today is Black Hayate's check up day at the animal clinic. The clinic opens at 0700 hours and closes at 2145. There was still a tall pile of paperwork on his desk, and it would probably take them one hour, more or less, to finish.
"Hawkeye, are you sure you don't mind? The veterinarian might leave anytime soon," He asked her for the fifth, if not sixth, time.
"Sir, if I were to leave now, you wouldn't get these papers submitted before the deadline. And you know the clinic doesn't close until an hour(1)," He scoffed a bit before turning back to the paper he was bringing himself to read.
Forty minutes later, they managed to greatly lessen the work, a couple more reports and they were done.
"Lieutenant, I'll take it from here. You can go now. Thank you for your help," He said with that casual voice he usually used. She looked at him hesitantly before she saluted then left.
Really, that woman needs to know when to stop working and go home, He thought to himself as he flipped through the pages of a document, not bothering to read them and signed his name. He repeated this a couple more times before setting it on one side of his desk, beside the rest that was already done. He would then take it to the records room, locking the door to his office.
The Colonel walked silently down the sidewalk, hands in the pocket of his black coat. The sound of thunder from above startled him, and it started to drizzle. Oh yeah. Just great. He continued walking to nowhere in particular, or at least his mind won't admit where he was going, not bothering to go under dry shelter. He let the rain dampen him, to wash away the guilt that was frustrating him.
He never let his subordinates, most especially Hawkeye, work after nine. And she was helping him with his own work after he slacked off earlier in the day. Dammit. Now she's even more irritated of me.
He came to a stop when he reached a small building with 'Animal Doctor' painted on a big piece of wood stuck near the roof of the building, positioned so that people who passed by could read it. He stood by the lamppost that illuminated the street and leaned his back against it. The rain got harder as each moment passed, but he paid no attention to t.
Several minutes later, the door opened and a familiar blonde came out holding an umbrella in one hand and a leash in the other while it supported her messenger bag on her shoulders.
"C-colonel! What are you doing here?"
"I-I was just passing by here when I saw you."
"Sir, I hope you are aware that your apartment isn't in this direction."
"Of course I know that!"
"Then why did you let yourself get caught in the rain?"
"...I was just going to return to you your pen that you left on your desk," He stated handing her a fountain pen.
"You realize you could return that to me tomorrow."
"It's for safety precautions, Lieutenant. It's an expensive item and it would be a shame to lose something as valuable as that."
"It's a gift from my grandfather, sir."
"Well, see you tomorrow, Lieutenant," He waved at her and took off in the other direction.
"Wait. Please have some tea at my place. You'll get sick if you don't warm up soon, and your apartment is still several blocks away."
"No, I'll be fine."
"I insist," She gripped his arm and pulled him under the umbrella. Noticing how close they were(2), she moved back a little and apologized. Then they started to walk towards Hawkeye's apartment.
"Please have a seat, Colonel," Riza (A/N: I hope you don't mind that I use their first names already...) gestured to the sofa as she went to her bedroom. She came back with a few towels in her arms and tossed one to her commanding officer as she made a beeline for the kitchen.
He wrapped the towel around himself and closed his eyes, trying to forget how cold it was. Hayate sat on the couch beside him and laid his head on his damp lap, telling him he wants a scratch behind his ear. Roy stared blankly at him and scratched his ear.
Riza appeared in the living room a little later, carrying two cups of steaming hot tea and sat down next to Hayate.
"Take a shower later. I prepared some clothes for you to wear, sir."
"Alright, thanks," In a matter of seconds, an uncomfortable silence enveloped them.
"Hey."
"Uh..." They said in unison.
"You go first," said Roy, taking a long sip from his cup.
"Thank you for returning my pen to me, sir. It doesn't look like I care for it but it's really precious to me. My grandfather gave it to me."
He nodded, then said: "We're already off duty, so please call me 'Roy'. No 'colonel' or 'sir', understood?"
"No, I can't. It's weird."
"Well then, when I become the Führer, I'll make you wear a sleeveless top and miniskirt to work. I was changing my mind about it up until now." He smirked slyly before taking another sip. The next thing he knew, the cold tip of a gun was pointed to his temple.
"Not a chance," She replied coldly, frowning.
"Come on. Just try saying it once."
"I refuse," She took the gun off of his head and placed it on the coffee table.
"Try saying it once."
"No."
"Try it."
"No."
"Please?"
"Roy."
"There. It sounds better than 'colonel' or 'sir' now does it?"
"I prefer not to call you that again, sir. It's against the rules, in case you have forgotten," Roy made a sad face as he finished the rest of his tea in his cup.
"If you're done with your tea, you can go take a shower," Riza said leading him to the bathroom and taking the empty cups in to the kitchen and began washing them.
"I'll wash your wet clothes, Roy," Riza knocked on the bathroom door as she called out to him. She bit her bottom lip as she realized he called him by his first name.
"They're in the sink."
"Okay, I'll come in," She opened the door and went straight to the sink, got his clothes(3) and went out. She placed it inside the washing machine and waited until it finished drying. She got a hanger and placed his uniform there and hung it on the door of her bedroom. She went back to her living room and played with her dog until Roy was done.
"Do you want me to make dinner?"
"No, it's okay. I'll make it myself. You go and rest."
"It's the least I could to thank you for providing me with hospitality."
"If you don't rest you might get a fever."
"You have to let me help," He lay down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Not long after, he fell asleep.
Riza came out of the bathroom and started drying her hair. She got a comb and brushed her hair, and placed it back on the table after towel-drying her hair.
She noticed Roy sleeping on the couch with Hayate on his stomach. She walked over to them to put Hayate on the other couch when her thoughts got the better of her.
He looks so innocent and peaceful when he sleeps, unlike when the Lieutenant Colonel nags him about getting a wife. He's so hands-
What the hell am I thinking?! It's forbidden to fall in love with your commanding officer!
I'm not in love with him! I'm just saying that he's so-
No he's not! He's a lazy officer who sleeps while his subordinates do his work!
But you DID enjoy being alone with him today now did you?
NO! I DID NOT!
She picked up Hayate to place him on the other couch but woke up at the sudden movement. "I'm sorry if I woke you," Hayate gave a small bark that woke up the sleeping colonel.
"Huh? How long have I been asleep?" He asked groggily putting a hand on his forehead.
"It's... time for dinner," She went to the kitchen and started to search for food she could mix up together to make dinner. She decided to make mushroom soup, steak and rice (A/N: What? So it's a bad decision for dinner... I'm not really an expert when it comes to food... so yea...) and they preparing it as Hayate watched them.
They ate dinner while doing some small talk. Occasionally, Roy would cough and sneeze, making Riza more concerned but he would just say he was fine. He offered to do the dishes once they were done.
"You should take these," Riza gave Roy, who was on her bed, a red and blue capsule and a glass of water.
"No, I don't need that."
"Just take it," He sat up once he realized she had that deadly tone in her voice, took the capsule in his mouth and gulped down the glass of water. She placed the glass on a nearby table, sat behind her desk and proceeded with cleaning her guns.
When the hell will this freaking rain stop? Roy asked himself, staring out the window and observed as the rain poured mercilessly from the sky. He turned on his stomach once he recalled why he was there, in Riza Hawkeye's apartment. He never felt guilty about letting other people do the work he doesn't want to do, but why does this incident greatly affect him?
"Riza, I'm sorry about all this," He buried his face on the pillow, trying to forget the worsening headache that has been bothering him for a while.
"No, it's alright. I don't mind having guests," She replied, not bothering to look up from what she was doing.
"Well then, I hope you don't mind that I express my gratitude to you and apologize in my own way," Riza stared at him with a confused look on her face as he went over to her and kneeled beside her so he could look her in the eye. Without warning, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Riza widened her eyes in shock, and her heart was racing furiously. When he pulled away, she blushed madly, letting her mind register what happened.
"Wh-what's that s-supposed to mean?!" She asked, unable to control herself from stuttering.
"Oh, nothing in particular, Lieutenant. Unless I'm telling you I look at you as more than a subordinate, possibly more than a friend."
"I-I didn't know... you..." She whispered to herself, so that he wouldn't hear her.
"Did you say something?"
"I said you should just lie down and rest. Look, you have a fever," She placed her hand on his forehead then removed it once she was sure his temperature was that of someone with a fever. He went back to bed as Riza made her way towards the kitchen.
I really hope that got her... He told himself before he drifted off to sleep. Riza came back carrying a basin of water and some towels. She brought a chair on the side of the bed and sat down. She soaked one of the small towels in the basin, squeezed some water out, folded it and placed it on Roy's forehead.
Riza stayed up all night watching him, making sure the fever didn't go any higher. Eventually, she would fall asleep with her head resting on her arms. Roy woke up to make a trip to the bathroom when he noticed Riza's sleeping position. He quickly got out of bed and placed her beside him. He was surprised that she moved closer to him and buried her head in his chest. He just smiled at her and planted a kiss on her forehead.
Now he was sure of how he felt for her, his First Lieutenant, the only person he trusted his back to, and the only one he'd wait for in the rain.
Notes:
(1) I deliberately made it like that so that Riza would convince Roy it was alright that she'd help him finish his work.
(2) Not as in almost-kiss-close but still close...
(3) Remember Riza's shower has curtains so she wouldn't see Roy naked.
2100: 9:00 pm
0700: 7 am
2145: 9:45 pm
Author's Note: OMG! It's finally done. I love the ending! Did you? I hope! It took me two days to make this 'cause my brother kept bothering me.
And I kinda messed up in some parts. Hope you don' t mind it.
So anyway, thank you for using your time for reading my long oneshot. Please tell me how you think of it and review! Please feel free to rant and stuff as long as you review!