Riza sighed as she turned her back to the mirror. The dress was cute, don't get her wrong, but it exposed her back. Her whole back. And the problem with that weren't only the Flame Alchemist's secrets tattooed upon her back, but the awful scarring in certain areas.

She wasn't used to getting dressed up, not in her profession. But on a night like tonight when the annual New Years party was occurring, she didn't have a choice. Well, she did, if her Colonel wasn't going.

She heard two faint knocks and turned to see that same Colonel, standing in a dashing tuxedo, with raised eyebrows and a faint smile on his lips. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he said in return, sauntering over to her. "You look…" he began; he stopped when he noticed Riza's eyes drop. "What's wrong?" he asked; she turned away from him and looked down, and his eyes caught sight of her back. "Oh." He said simply.

His mind drifted back to the time this occurred. Riza had just seen the full extent of Roy's powers, burning down buildings, smelling burning flesh, and watching people die in the fires. The horrendous screams from those he was told to kill; a dog of the military, only doing what he was told.

But Riza had seen enough. The secrets on her back could only cause destruction, and she begged him to burn them off. Irony. He did as she asked, and while she didn't let out a scream, he would never forget the look in her eyes.

When he hadn't said anything for awhile, Riza turned around. She saw him looking down, a pained face. He met her eyes, then. "I'm so, so sorry, Riza…" he said quietly.

"No, Roy…" she whispered, walking forward; he shook his head.

"I only cause destruction." He said quietly.

"Roy, stop." Riza pleaded.

"I've caused you so much pain." He said.
"Roy…" Riza said.

"I couldn't even save my best friend." He choked.

"Roy, enough!" Riza shouted, tears in her eyes; it had been a little over a month since Hughes' death, and to this day, Roy shouldered the blame. She walked forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You deserve better, Riz…" he murmured into her neck.

"Roy…" Riza whispered, pulling away; she cupped his face in both of her hands, his eyes looking down. "Look at me," she said quietly; he looked up, his brows furrowed and a pained look plastered on his face. "You're the best man I know." She said quietly.

His head dropped and he sidestepped her, walking to her bed and sitting down. He put his elbows on his knees and dropped his head. "Then why do I feel like the worst?" he asked softly.

Riza walked over to him, sitting beside him. She put her hand on his thigh and looked at him, "Because you're too hard on yourself," she said quietly, "Because you try to take the blame for everything, try to protect everyone." She whispered, "You never give yourself enough credit."

Roy then had a flashback to the time Hughes told him he never gave himself enough credit. Hughes. He could feel tears well up in his eyes as he dropped his head again. "But…" he began.

"No, no buts Roy!" Riza shouted; his head shot up, for he had never heard her so angry before. She stood up, fuming. "I'm tired of you being so down on yourself!" she shouted, pacing, tears in her eyes. "Dammit, you blame yourself for Ishbal, you blame yourself for me, for Hughes, for Havoc, for every damn thing that isn't your fault!" she screamed, "God dammit if you're going to blame yourself for something, blame yourself for the fact that I've been in love with you since I was seventeen and you haven't noticed! Or that you never do your damn paperwork on time! Or that every single girl you've ever taken out on a date is a…"

"What did you say?" he asked.

"What?" Riza asked, the heat finally cooling down.

"You what?" he asked, standing up.

"Oh, I…" Riza began, backtracking. Shit. She had gone too far this time, way too far. In the heat of the moment she proclaimed her feelings, and they did not land upon deaf ears. No. The ever-so-observant Roy was there to pick up on the words, and she regretted them instantly. "Just forget it." She said, shaking her head.

"What if I don't want to?" Roy asked, taking a step forward. Before she could register his words, he had his hand on her face and his lips pressed against hers; a moment she never knew would exist outside of her dreams.

Her eyes, at first, widened in shock, but closed as her lips returned the kiss. Her hands that were at her side traveled up his chest and around his neck, her left hand playing in the locks that covered the base of his neck. He pulled away, looking into her eyes.

"Why did you never tell me this before?" he asked softly.

"I was waiting for you." She whispered.

He smirked, "Me too."

When they arrived at the party, arms locked, no one thought anything different. The two were close; always fixing each other's shirts, saying flirty things, etc. And, to be honest, many of them were praying the two would end up together, but military regulation frowned upon it.

"Can I have this dance?" Roy whispered in her ear.

"Yes, Colonel." She said, stress on the word: Colonel.

Roy smiled, and whisked her off of her feet onto the dance floor. They played the role of Lieutenant and her Superior, but they now had their own dirty little secret.