A/N: So I just typed this up, and I think its okay. Its probably the longest story I've ever written, including my multi chaps as I have a tendency to stop updating them…Oh well. I'll get to it.
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA
After a good time with his best friend at the diner they frequented, Roy Mustang was in a pretty good mood. Despite the snow falling rapidly, he decided to go for a walk. With no destination and his overly cheery attitude, a lot of people would probably assume he was drunk, again. However, his spirits were always a bit higher around the holidays and he didn't try to drink away his sorrows. Though he'd never admit it, he tried to work harder and drink less for his lieutenant as something of a thank you for her hard work.
He'd been walking for quite a while, and snow that had barely covered the ground was up to his ankles. The cold seeped into his shoes and seemed to wake him from his daze. Muttering a few choice curse words, he glanced around to see where he was. A few feet away, he saw a side street off the road he was on. 'Magnolia Drive?' he thought to himself, 'Why does that sound familiar?'
He quickly forgot about his freezing feet as he turned down Magnolia Drive, still trying to figure out where he had heard the name before. Glancing up, he noticed how, to put it bluntly, boring the houses were. Each was relatively small with a garage and a few meters of lawn in he front and back.
By the time he got to the dead end, he still couldn't remember where he heard that name. He was snapped out of his musings by barking, followed by a voice.
"Hayate!" a woman's voice yelled.
His head snapped up right as a black and white pup jumped at him. He stumbled slightly before he regained his balance. He smiled as the dog licked at his face. The way her face flushed, he could tell she hadn't recognized him through the snow.
"Hayate!" she exclaimed, running through the snow. "I am so sorry sir! Normally he's better behaved!" She was looking down after she took back the dog.
He smiled, seeing her flushed for the first time in ages. "Its no problem, Riza," he said.
Her eyes snapped up as she recognized the voice. "Sir!" she exclaimed, shifting Hayate to her left arm so she could salute him.
He quickly waved it away, "Its no problem. And it was no problem at all," he said looking her up and down. She was wearing a light blue blouse and khakis. "Where are you shoes!?!" he exclaimed.
A single eyebrow rose almost in question, "Shoes weren't my first priority, sir. I had to make sure Hayate didn't get lost,". She paused a moment, her eyes narrowing. "Are you drunk?" she asked noticing how wet he looked. He was soaked from head to toe and his face was red.
"No, I was out with Hughes," he said noncommittally, his mind wandering.
She glanced at her watch, "Sir, down you normally go out with him at 5:00? It's 7:30."
He nodded wordlessly, not really paying attention until he saw her pull a face. "What?"
She shook her head slightly and made her way back to her house. "Come on, Colonel!" she called over her shoulder with a slight smile.
Seeing her smile made him smile and he ran through the snow to catch up to her. When he reached the door, Riza quickly guided him into the house. She glanced around before closing the door behind her.
As the warm air hit him, he realized how cold he was. His feet were freezing and his shoes sloshed with water. His jacket was soaked through and his hair was dripping with melted snow.
"Stay here a moment," she said putting Hayate down. "I'm gonna grab a towel for you," she continued, walking down the hall in front of them and taking the second door on the right.
He looked around the small home. The front door led directly into the living room. Directly on his right were, what seemed to be, a dining room and a kitchen a little further in. Before he could take in the living room, Riza returned with a towel.
"Take off your shoes and dry yourself as best you can," she handed him the towel and an extra pair of his uniform pants and black tee shirt.
Once she deemed him dry, she spoke again, "Take the third door on the right and shower before you get sick. I'll make us some tea," she said with a small smile heading to the kitchen.
Her bathroom reminded him of the bathroom at Hawkeye manor twenty years ago, which made a lot of sense. There was a sink with a mirror above it, a shower bath, and toilet. He quickly stripped and hopped into the warm shower, enjoying the warmth cascading down his body. What seemed like to soon, he turned off the water and promptly dressed, missing the warmth. After dressing, he stuck his head out of the doorway.
"Riza, where should I put my wet clothes?" he called down the hallway. He jumped slightly as the door opened beside him revealing Riza holding a dishtowel and plate.
"Just lay them in the tub, if you don't mind," she said calmly. Just before the door shut behind her, she finished saying, "And there's no need to yell,"
After following her instructions, he came out to find Hayate sitting outside the kitchen door. "She ban you from the Kitchen, Boy?" he asked softly, patting the small dog.
He gave a sympathetic smile and continued on to the living room once more. The first thing to catch his eye was a very old, framed picture sitting on the table that held a radio. It depicted a much younger Hawkeye Sensei and a woman who, at first glance looked just like Riza. Upon further inspection, he noticed small differences between the two women and realized it must be her mother.
"That's my mother and father at their wedding," came Riza's voice softly, followed by soft footsteps. "It's my favorite picture of them," she said, setting down the tea she'd brought.
He nodded slightly, "They look so happy," he said softly. He couldn't remember Hawkeye Sensei ever looking that happy in the ten years he'd lived with the man.
He put the picture down before surveying the rest of the room. Other than the radio, the couch, and the table, there was a small fireplace and a few bookshelves lining the walls.
"Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing to the fireplace where a few logs rested, giving a sheepish grin. He was the Flame Alchemist and didn't much care for any degrees of cold.
She grinned, "Of course not. I know how, temperature sensitive, you are," she said slightly amused.
He scowled before and went to snap, until he realized he didn't have his gloves. They were soaked. He cursed lightly, and turned to see Riza smirking. He stuck out his tongue, which made her laugh. It'd been so long since he heard her laugh; he was determined to do it again. He sat down pouting, which made her give into a loud laugh.
She took pity on him and went to her room, appearing a moment later holding a clean, dry, pair of gloves. She handed them to him with a smirk, "There you go Sparky. Don't cry,"
He quickly lit up the wood and took a sip of his tea. It was exactly how he liked it. "Thanks Riza," he murmured into the cup, still a little embarrassed about being such a bubble brain.
She smiled, but didn't respond. They sat in comfortable silence until he finished his tea. He stood and went to the nearest bookshelf, browsing the titles of the vast amount of books. She'd always had a weakness for books. He glanced over at her, noting how her eyes weren't very focused, just staring off into space.
He returned to his previous activity, reading over the titles until he came to a familiar one, Alchemy 101. He glanced over at her quickly before looking back at the book he'd been forced to study for a huge portion of his apprenticeship to Hawkeye sensei. 'Alchemy Basics? It's odd she'd keep this one.' He thought, flipping through the pages of the familiar book. He noticed noted in the margins not belonging to him. 'I don't remember these being here. I know he had other students, but when I got this book, it was brand new'. He studied the handwriting until it clicked in his head.
"Riza!" he exclaimed, spinning to face her.
Her head snapped and her eyes immediately focused and her had quickly grabbed a gun stashed under the table. "What, Sir? Are you all right?" she asked, her eyes scanning the room for any danger.
"You're learning Alchemy?" he said with a look of shock.
Her face looked panicked for a mere second, but a blink later, he just looked calmly irritated, "Of course not, sir," she responded coolly, "My father tried to teach me first. When I showed no talent, he sought out a student," she finished, standing and walking over to him.
He relaxed for a moment before he remembered his earlier reasoning, "But, when I got this book, it was brand new!"
She took the book and put it on the shelf, turning her back on him, "I assure you, I am not learning alchemy," she said in a tone that left no room for argument.
He decided to let the subject drop as she sat back down and sipped her tea. He was about to continue rifling through her shelves, but decided against it. He noticed that her eyes were starting to glaze over once more.
He glanced at the clock that read 7:45, "I should probably head home," he said. He didn't want to go, but it was getting late and she looked beat.
Her eyes focused once more as she stood, "I suppose so, sir, "she paused a moment, "I'll drive you home. There's no way you're walking," she said already standing and making her way down the hall.
He smiled heading over to the door. He lit a small fire in his hands and tried to keep it lit as he opened the door, to be greeted by a wall of snow. It was packed in so tightly it didn't fall on him. The fire in his hand instantly went out.
"Uh, Riza", he called over his shoulder, "You may want to see this," a slightly worried look plastered on his face.
She stepped out of what he could only assume was her room with a sweatshirt and boots on. "Oh boy," she said softly, looking from the blocked doorway to Roy and back again.
He let a look of sadness cross his features before an idea popped into his head. "No worries, I'll just melt it..."
She cut him off, "Don't you dare Roy Mustang!" he looked confused until she finished. "I will not have you flooding my house with hot water! I happen to like this house and there is no way you're destroying it!"
"I'm sorry, I just, you don't seem to really want me here," he said, the words slipping out of his mouth.
Her face visibly softened, ""It's no problem, Roy. I don't mind at all. Ill camp out here and you can have my bed," she cut him off as he opened his mouth, "before you start arguing, I'm going to make some dinner," she finished, gently laying her hand on his shoulder, before continuing to the Kitchen.
He followed her, stepping over the wooden fence that he assumed was used to keep Hayate out. Her kitchen was near spotless, having a refrigerator, stove and oven, a sink, a drying rack, a toaster, and a few cabinets.
Riza was standing at the counter next to the fridge making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When she noticed him, she gave a small smile, "I didn't have time to go shopping," she murmured, answering his unasked question. She has always enjoyed cooking and such simple meal was unusual for her, not that he was complaining, of course.
They ate in silence, Riza staring off into space, and Roy enjoying his sandwich. Despite it being a mere PB&J, it tasted better than most of the foods he forced himself to consume, not being able to cook a fraction as well as his lieutenant.
By 8:00, they had finished, and she had put the dished in the sink to be dealt with later. After shutting out the kitchen light, which seemed to signal to Hayate it was time for bed, she led him to her bedroom. Contrary to the rest of the house, her room looked like a tornado had passed through. There was a dog bed in the corner, near the dresser, and stacks of books, papers, and files all over the floor.
"Sorry about the mess, sir," she said sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck. She quickly created a path to the bed and motioned him over.
He grinned, "It's no problem Riza, you should know that," sitting down on the bed. "And please, stop with the 'Sir'."
She stepped over a few piles to get to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pajama pants for him and tossed them over to him, before getting some a par of black and white striped pajamas.
His eyebrows shot up, "Have you been expecting this? " he asked. "First extra uniforms and then pajamas,' he teased.
She flushed, "No! Its just, good to be prepared!" she finished defensively. "I'm going to shower," she said quickly leaving the room.
When she left, he laid down on the blankets, smelling a scent that he couldn't quite describe as anything but 'Riza'. When he heard the water turn on, he couldn't help but glance at the dresser. He was curious and couldn't help but want to rummage though her drawers. He was a man after all.
The bottom drawer was hardly filled, only containing an extra pair of pajamas and two pairs of sweat pants. The middle held her under clothes. He smirked 'Jackpot! Lets see what we have here'. For the most part, it was just plain black or white, but a few had lace on them, and an even fewer were in different colors. He almost took a pair of panties, but was able to resist the urge. He had more respect for her than that. The top drawer had a jewelry box, a few pictures and some smaller personal effects.
He knew from past experience that she spent ten minutes showering, give or take. He'd sifted through her drawers in four minutes, so he turned to the closet. It held mostly uniforms, but also had a few blouses and slacks, and an even smaller amount of skirts. Just as he was about to shut the door, he noticed a small string on the side of the closet and realized it opened a door. Behind the mysterious door were three beautiful dresses, as well as two dress uniforms, all in separate plastic coverings. The first was a wedding gown he could only guess had been her mother's. There was also a ruby red dress she had worn to the Hughes' Christmas party two or three years back, and a sleek black dress he'd never seen before.
He didn't realized how long he'd been staring at the wedding dress, imagining she was wearing it at their wedding, until he heard the water turn off. 'Shit! She cant find me in here!' he thought, quickly shutting the door and rushing back to the bed, pulling on the pants.
A moment later, she stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around her shoulder to help dry her hair. She grabbed a blanket out of the small closet next to the bathroom.
"You don't have to sleep on the couch, Ri. This bed is big enough to accommodate both of us," he said. When he noticed her face flushed, he rushed on, "I'm not trying to be a perv! When we were little we slept in the same bed!"
She sighed in defeat. She was far too tired to argue about such trivial matters. "Fine, but keep your hands to yourself," she mumbled, crawling in next to him and shutting out the light on the side table.
"Night, Roy," she murmured sleepily, turning on her side to face away from him. She didn't get a response. He didn't realize how tried he was until his head it the pillow. He was out like a light.
Just as she was about to doze off, she felt his arm move over her hip to rest on her stomach as he cuddled closer to her. Had she not known he had a tendency to hug his pillows at night, she would have slapped him, but he'd done that his entire life, so she let it slide. Instead, she leaned back against him and fell into the deepest sleep she'd had in years.
A/N: Review pretty please! I actually kind of like this so, I'd like to have feed back on it. I'm thinking of keeping it going, and have Roy learn things he'd never have known about Riza, including her knowledge and ability to perform basic alchemy.