Dear Faithful Readers,

God, don't ask me what this is. I had the idea in the shower this morning.

Xx-Bexy-xX

P.S. Most people will probably know this, but Taisa means Colonel and Chuui means First Lieutenant in Japanese.

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Beautiful Chuui

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It was nearing four in the morning and First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was still sitting in the office, watching her Colonel subtly over the top of a book. Though her eyes appeared stern and unforgiving, she was merely deep in thought. A couple of times through the night, he looked back at her and asked if something was the matter, but she hardly noticed and waved it off tiredly. After a while, he gave up.

The truth was that Riza was thinking about him, and their relationship, which could be described by many choice words, but by one in particular that she held close to her heart: perfect.

She thought back to their first meeting, and the horrors of the Ishbalan War, back then all she knew of him was his rashness and carelessness- she felt the need to protect him- but when the final battle left them both traumatised and alone, she found it was not just him who needed her, but her who needed him.

She vowed to protect him, and never leave his side.

Over the years, working so closely with him introduced her to many new fighting techniques, after all, she was always willing to learn something new, and her gun was continually pressed to his temple anyway. That's not all he taught her though. Sure, she learned from him a deep distrust of the male population, but he helped her in ways that she was sure no other man could

Several years passed in his service, and her transition from the scrawny blonde adolescent with a troubled past, to the calm composed woman she was today could only really be accredited to him and his care of her.

She knew he thought that she was headstrong, strict, and probably more than just a little too demanding, but it was mutually understood that he cared for her deeply, and her too.

She loved him.

Of course, such a relationship could never work and she knew it. There were rules about this sort of this- about a commanding officer and his subordinates- but she didn't need to be with him, or even for him to love him back, just so long as he was nearby, and she could protect him.

She always swore to help him reach the top, and she would.

"Hawkeye-Chuui, will you please tell me what you're thinking when you stare at me like that? You haven't moved all night."

"It's morning, Taisa- four in the morning."

Roy gave her a stern look, "why do you let me keep you here, Hawkeye-Chuui? You should be at home, sleeping."

Riza shook her head slowly, "I am obliged to stay, Taisa. In case you need something. In fact, I should be helping," she stood slowly and went to stand by him, looking over his shoulder ruefully.

"Don't think that I haven't been watching you," said Roy. "I know that you finished your own work several hours ago- you don't have to be here."

"I like to help."

"Well you've helped enough. Go home."

Over the years, Colonel Roy Mustang had not escaped the ties of love unscathed. His little beauties had long given up on stealing his heart, and no woman who knew him well would think of trying to win him. They, if not Riza, knew how much he felt for her, and no one wanted to ruin that for them.

Riza lifted Roy's pile of work silently and took the bottom half of it with her as she turned to go back to her desk. He caught her arm, shaking his head, "what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to proof read them for you, Taisa," she said, staring back at her desk determinedly, "that way you only have to sign them."

"Hawkeye-Chuui… Riza-san."

"Please," said Riza, "it's Hawkeye." She set the papers down on her desk and sat down behind it.

"It is after hours, Riza-san, there are no laws prohibiting me from calling you by name."

"Maybe not," said Riza, "but I would prefer that you didn't."

Roy looked back down at his paper work, tapping his red pen against the desk boredly, "very well, Hawkeye-Chuui."

Riza smiled and got started on his work.

-

It was nearing five now and Colonel Mustang had finished his smaller "half" of the work and appeared at Riza's desk for hers.

She looked up, blinking away any traces of insomnia, "I'm sorry, Taisa, I'm almost done."

"This isn't your work, Hawkeye-Chuui. Let me from take it from here," said Roy, gently. He made to pick up the pile of papers from her desk, but her hand appeared over his, "let me finish, Taisa. You're tired."

"And you're exhausted," Roy chided her, and he took her hand in his other one, sweeping the exposed papers into the crook of his arm. "You do far more than you are required, Hawkeye-Chuui. I am grateful, but please, let me do my own work."

Riza relented somewhat reluctantly and went back to staring at him as he worked.

'There are laws against this type of infatuation,' she told herself. 'But I can't keep m heart from reaching out to him/ I want to be near him… no matter the cost.'

"Someday you will make a great Fuhrer," she said softly.

"Not if I keep letting my beautiful Chuui do my work for me," said Roy, giving her a soft, yet mildly disapproving look.

"I promised you that I'd help you get to the top." Roy met her eyes slowly. "I intend to keep that promise."

"How did one raised so ill come to be so kind?"

"I am not kind, Taisa… sometimes… sometimes I am very cruel."

"Hot-headed maybe," said Roy, shaking his head, "but cruel? My beautiful Chuui?"

"I was not made to take the lives of innocents," said Riza, looking away, "but I try so hard here. I enjoy it, really… but that doesn't stop the nightmares."

"Hawkeye-Chuui…"

"Finish your work, Taisa. I am sorry to have disturbed you."

"You have done nothing for which you need apologise, Hawkeye-Chuui. I should be thanking you, you know? Some day's I wake up for the sole purpose of being able to see you again. You keep me sane- keep me safe." He sighed deeply, "you are a bigger part of me than I would care to admit."

"Thinking of me pains you," said Riza, staring down at the closed book on her desk determinedly.

"That is where you're wrong, Hawkeye-Chuui," said Roy, coming to stand over her and taking her chin in her hands to tilt her face up towards him. "My only pain is in that you don't love me the way I love you."

"Taisa…"

"Tell me I'm wrong, Riza-san. Tell me you love me."

"Please don't ask me that, Taisa."

Roy let his hand fall and looked away, "I'm sorry."

"Is the paperwork almost done?" asked Riza, also looking away.

"Just a little more…"

"Shall I help you?"

Roy began to protest but she stood up anyway, smiling at him faintly, "come on, let me see how bad it is."

Roy sat down at his desk and Riza stood at his side for a few moments, before allowing him to pull her down into his lap.

"Taisa… this isn't proper," she complained softly.

"If you're on your feet a moment longer I'm absolutely convinced that you will fall," Roy told her, his breath warm against her neck.

Despite being suddenly very hot, Riza felt goosebumps spring up over her skin and she shivered, "Taisa, please allow me to go and get my own chair."

Roy took his head and, reaching around her, completed the last of the documents.

Still, he made no move to leave and Riza made no more attempts to stand. They sat that way for a long time and soon, the young Lieutenant was asleep.

"Beautiful, beautiful Chuui," he whispered in her ear, knowing she couldn't hear him.

The sleeping woman snuggled into his chest unconsciously and he lifted a hand to stroke her hair, kissing her neck gently.

"I love you."

"Roy…" she murmured in her sleep and Roy grinned.

"Little Chuui, are you dreaming about me?"

"Roy…" she mumbled again, this time a little louder, "I told you to shut the fuck up!"