Love You for Tonight…
Author's Note: Wow, why am I suddenly into all this lovey-dovey stuff? Oh well…this one-shot features one of my favorite anime pairings…Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye! I do not, by the way, own any of the characters in this Fanfic, otherwise Ed would be taller.
The blond woman sighed as she tried to pick out a dress for her date later that night. Why had she agreed to go? She blushed at her answer. Because he had asked her, of course. She fished through the clothes in her closet; what would she wear?
Ever since she had joined the army she had no time for dates; all she could do was serve the military in whatever way she could. Shopping had become a thing of the past.
Sighing, she glanced over at her clock. Great, he was picking her up in ten minutes. Looking back into her closet she settled on the red dress that she hadn't worn in years. She slipped out of her uniform quickly and pulled on the dress. It still fit. She breathed out a sigh of relief and hurried over to the mirror to start with her makeup.
Okay…a little lipstick here…tiny bit of eyeliner there…
She couldn't be more nervous.
Then, she had her hair to deal with.
Deciding that she was running out of time, she brushed it quickly and kept it down. She cocked her head to the side. Hey, it actually looked kind of good like that. She caught a glimpse of her body in the mirror; maybe the dress was a little tight up top?
No time to fix that as she heard a knock on her front door. She inhaled deeply.
Roy.
Striding over to the door, grabbing her purse as she went, Riza thrust open the door. Waiting for her, was Colonel Roy Mustang himself, dressed in an attractive suit. He had managed to comb his hair back too and looked even more irresistible than ever. Riza was left breathless at his appearance.
However, little did she know, her appearance had left him staggered.
"Good evening, Roy," Riza murmured. Using his first name rather than the formal 'Colonel' seemed like a foreign thing to her. She struggled with herself not to salute him.
"Same to you, Riza," Roy finally managed. He flushed. Great, how long had he been tongue-tied for? Damn; she was gorgeous. "You look stunning," Roy added, smirking. "I really think that I ought to hurry up and take Bradley's position so that I can change the women's dress code." He laughed to himself. Riza half-smiled. "Are you ready?" He offered her his arm.
Reluctantly, Riza took it, and he led her to his car parked just outside her apartment.
Slamming the doors behind them, Riza and Roy loaded into the cozy car, sitting side by side. Roy withdrew a rose from what seemed like out of thin air and presented it to Riza. The blond woman blushed and took it. It was beautiful.
"Thank you," Riza replied calmly. This is…a little awkward…come on Riza, get it together!
"You're welcome," Roy grinned. "Is there anyplace special that you want to go?"
"Not at all," Riza forced on a smile as she tried to gain composure over herself.
"Then might I suggest a restaurant of my choosing?" Roy winked.
"Sure," Riza replied, folding her hands on her lap. She clutched the red rose.
Roy couldn't resist glancing over at her as they drove down the highway. "Riza, you really do look beautiful tonight." Her cheeks went red, even redder than before as she tried to say something along the lines of 'thank you', but nothing came out. She remembered the events earlier that day leading up to the proposed date as she stared blankly out the window…
"Hey, Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Jean Havoc flagged her down from the other side of the office. "I need to ask you something!"
Looking up from the paperwork she was filing, Riza replied, "Just a minute Havoc! I would like to get this done before the Colonel returns." She sighed; they had been filing paperwork for the majority of the day. It seemed like forever since they had taken a brake.
Black Hayate began to bark, the little puppy was bored. Riza frowned.
"Oh, not you too," Riza scolded, "go play somewhere!" The puppy whined and then turned away. Riza went back to filing. She stopped upon hearing footsteps trespass into the room. When she looked over, she saw Warrant Officer Falman entering the tiny room.
"How's it going in here?" Vato Falman asked, walking in.
"Fine," Riza replied curtly. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else though, Falman?"
"Oh, yeah," Falman shrugged, "sorry." As he walked by Havoc, he whispered, "Is it just me, or is the Lieutenant in a bad mood?" Riza scowled at him. Her? In a bad mood? No, more along the lines of irritated. They had work to get done and were running out of time.
Returning from getting coffee, Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda strolled in and sunk lazily into a chair. He sipped at his steaming coffee without a care in the world. Riza was starting to lose her temper. She folded her arms.
"Second Lieutenant Breda, are you slacking off over there?" Riza demanded, drumming her fingers on her elbow. Breda looked up at Riza, then to his coffee, then back at Riza and flashed her a guilty smile. Riza sighed. "Come on now, I need you all to stay focused!"
Everyone grumbled at this.
"Colonel! Colonel! I don't think they're done yet! Hold on! Wait!"
Riza heard a familiar voice in the hallways outside the room. It belonged to Master Sergeant Kain Fuery. He wasn't slacking off too, was he? She fingered through the last files and went to walk out of the room, when she crashed into none other than Colonel Roy Mustang.
She dropped the paperwork, dumbfounded.
What was he doing there?
"Colonel!" Riza greeted, snapping her hand to her head in a salute. "My apologies!"
Roy looked bewildered for a moment then laughed. Riza blushed and knelt down to pick the fallen paperwork up, but Roy had already snatched it off the floor and handed it back to her. Riza thanked him and took it back, briskly striding out of the room to put the papers where they belonged. Roy watched her whisk out of the room in a split second. He turned to Havoc.
"Hey, Second Lieutenant Havoc, did you ask Lieutenant Hawkeye about tonight?" Roy asked, leaning in the doorway. He glanced over his hands for a moment, waiting for an answer.
"Well…sir," Havoc admitted, "I haven't gotten to it yet." He chuckled weakly. "She's been so focused on getting this work done that she won't talk to anyone." Roy stroked his chin, thinking for a moment. Havoc could already see his conclusion as the Colonel sighed.
"Well then, I guess I'll have to ask her myself," Roy said with a casual shrug.
Strolling out of the room, Roy began to make his way down the hallway to locate Riza. Havoc, Breda, Falman and Fuery all yelled after him in unison, "Good luck Colonel!!" Roy smirked.
Finding Riza in the other filing room, Roy walked up behind her with two cups of tea in hand.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye, might I distract you for a moment?" Roy asked with a coy grin.
Riza turned around and found a cup of tea being offered to her. She took it graciously. "Thank you very much Colonel." She sipped it gingerly, facing Roy with a hint of suspicion upon seeing his sly grin. "Was there something that you wanted to discuss, sir?"
"Actually yes, yes there is," Roy was still grinning as he set his cup of tea atop the filing cabinet. "You know; I've been a little bored lately and wanted to know if you were free tonight. Maybe for dinner?" Before Riza could reply, Roy said, "I'll pick you up at seven."
With that, the dashing army officer left the room, leaving a stunned Riza Hawkeye behind. Did he just ask her out on a date? Her? She had no idea…that he thought of her as…anything more than workmates. Riza shrugged and turned back to finish filing, smiling.
"Here we are."
The car screeched to a sudden halt at a formal restaurant. Roy got out and opened up Riza's door, offering his arm again. "May I escort you to the door?" Roy asked politely. Riza smiled and nodded. Why shouldn't she just relax and enjoy this?
Escorted into the restaurant by Roy, Riza was almost blinded when they opened the front doors. Light, light, light and more light; everything was so bright, and sparkly and clean. It was almost overwhelming. Teasing aromas floated around the restaurant in through the kitchen, suffocating one's senses. Riza was a little startled and hoped the restaurant wasn't too expensive. Roy led her over to a cushioned booth where they could talk in private.
A waiter rushed over. "Roy Mustang, correct?" the waiter clarified, fixing his glasses hurriedly.
"Yes," Roy answered promptly. "I made reservations earlier today."
Riza listened in silence as the waiter exchanged words with Roy. He then retreated to the kitchen and returned with wine and a candle. He set each down and lit the fancy piece of wax, hand decorated by a craftsman from Xing. Riza smiled.
"All this is for me, Roy? You really are being very sweet," Riza waited until the waiter left. "Is there some alternative reason for why you brought me here?"
"Not at all," Roy answered, pouring them each a glass of wine. "I just wanted to go on a date with a pretty woman." He eyed Riza softly; he wanted to go on a date with a pretty woman and ended up getting to go on a date with a goddess. She was so beautiful in the dimmed booth light, her golden hair illuminated, her golden brown eyes smiling softly at him; the red dress she wore was simple, but perfect. "I must be the luckiest man alive," he murmured.
"Hmm?" Riza perked up; unaware that he had been admiring her. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Roy shook his head and called the waiter back over. The waiter took their orders and vanished back into the kitchen. Riza faced Roy expectantly. "You know, I haven't been on a date in a very long time Roy. It's nice though." She looked out the booth window.
Stars glittered in the clear night sky; the city below glittered just as splendidly. The night was almost too gorgeous to be real, too perfect to be looked upon by humans. Riza sighed inwardly. She hadn't felt this romantic in so long. Roy diverted her attention from the city lights with an amusing story about Havoc and Breda, which soon had her laughing.
Ah, how she loved to be with him.
Time drained quickly, and Riza couldn't believe how much fun she was actually having with the witty Colonel, listening to his sarcastic remarks, his playful tone. After their dinner, he decided to take her out dancing. Riza had never before been so happy.
She remembered talking to Sheska one day, and Sheska had asked her why she didn't date the Colonel. Riza admitted sourly that he probably didn't feel the same way she did and that he was far too immature to be anything like her type.
But that wasn't true in the least.
Truth be told, she loved him. And she felt foolish for just realizing it now. As the couple waltzed across the dance floor, her thoughts were interrupted and Riza was brought back to reality by the Colonel's inquisitive voice.
"Is something the matter, Riza? You seem rather pensive tonight." He spun her around and the bottom of her dress fanned out. He pulled her back to him, holding her hand in his and allowing his other hand to rest on her waist. He was holding the most beautiful woman in the world in his arms. Roy smiled at her. "We should do this more often."
"Oh, you think so?" Riza smirked. She laughed lightly to herself. "You are a very humorous man, Roy." He spun her around again; much to Riza's surprise, he was actually a very skilled dancer and not a moment was wasted in the way he moved. They continued to dance.
"Again, I'll say that you're the most beautiful woman in the world," Roy murmured, entranced.
"Again?" Riza looked at him, confused. "But you haven't said that at all tonight." She stared quizzically at him.
Roy paused. "Oh, haven't I? I've been thinking it all night." He chuckled. Riza blushed.
"Do you…really think that?" Riza whispered, her tone softening.
Roy stopped twirling her around for a moment and held her in his arms, peering into those gentle, adoring eyes. "Yes," Roy whispered, the music in the background playing just loudly enough to nearly drown out his voice, "I do think that. Riza, you are the loveliest woman this world has created." Riza gasped.
With that, Roy leaned in to plant a kiss on Riza's partially parted lips.
Riza inhaled as his lips pressed against hers; her heart skipped a beat.
Before she knew what she was doing, Riza put her feelings before her duty, for once, and allowed herself this one indulgence.
She kissed him back.
Pleased with Riza's reaction, and relieved that she hadn't backhanded him yet, Roy pressed his lips hard against hers, pulling her against him in his firm arms. Riza slung her arms around his neck and kissed him again. How long had she yearned to be this close to him?
"Oh damn it! Hey Colonel is that you?"
Riza and Roy separated immediately upon seeing and hearing none other than Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, standing behind them with a triumphant smirk on his face. In his arms, he was holding a blond girl, who Riza immediately recognized as Winry Rockbell.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Fullmetal Alchemist," Roy grinned sourly, slightly irritated that they had been interrupted as he placed his arms around Riza's waist. "Long time no see, Edward." Little brat…I can't believe he interrupted us! I'll make him miserable…mua, ha, ha, ha…!
Ed rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, wish it was longer," Ed smartly retorted. "I see you've gotten together with the Lieutenant; finally." Riza blushed and Ed grinned. "I sure feel sorry for you Lieutenant. Getting together with a vain bastard like him. I'm appalled."
"Better me than an arrogant, self-centered, runt-sized brat," Roy muttered, partly flushed. Ed twitched; runt?! "I also see that you finally got together with your mechanic. By the way, Winry, you're looking lovely as ever. Edward really doesn't deserve such a kind, hardworking girl." Ed scowled at him. He just never knew when to stop harassing him.
"Shut up," Ed grimaced.
Riza smiled. "You really are looking very lovely Winry."
Winry blushed. "S-So are you Ms. Riza! Your hair looks so pretty when it's down! And your makeup really brings out your eyes! A-and your dress is just…simply gorgeous!" She looked back at Roy. "The Colonel is really very lucky!"
Smirking, Roy replied, "Of course." He glared at Edward. "Now I'm going to finish my lovely evening not surrounded by dwarves, little people and runts in general." Roy added a lot of emphasis on the word, 'runt', much to Ed's displeasure. He gave Edward a quick flick of his hand before Edward could pounce on him for insulting his height. Roy led Riza back out to the car to drive her home. Riza reminisced in the seat next to him.
She couldn't believe it.
She had kissed him, hadn't she?
She still couldn't believe it.
When they reached her apartment, Riza felt a pang of disappointment, realizing that now their date had come to an end. She slowly got out of the car and Roy walked her to her front doorstep. She invited him in, but he courteously refused.
"Sorry, but I have some stuff to finish for tomorrow," Roy admitted sheepishly.
"Oh…yeah, that's right…work," Riza mumbled, holding the rose Roy had given her earlier close to her chest. Damn it! She didn't want the night to be over so quickly. But she knew in her heart that, as sad as it was, tomorrow they would go back to being soldiers; to being 'just friends' and 'just workmates'. She looked up at Roy and could tell his thoughts were the same.
Sighing heavily, Roy reached out and embraced her. She felt herself beginning to flush again, heart pounding. "Riza, thank you very much for this opportunity." He kissed the top of her head, nuzzling his nose in her sweet scented hair. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Reluctantly separating from her, Roy forced himself to let go and began walking down the front steps. His footsteps echoed in her mind. Riza balled up her fists. It couldn't be over now, could it? She looked at Roy, unable to bear waiting until tomorrow to see him again, and then ran down to kiss him one last time. She threw her arms around his neck.
"Riza? What are you-?" Roy was silenced by her lips pressing eagerly against his. He kissed her back, but was let down when she released him after only five minutes. Riza glanced behind herself at her front door and stepped away.
"Thank you very much for this evening, Roy," Riza smiled sadly.
"No, the pleasure was mine," the dark-haired Colonel replied. God, she was so irresistible in the faint moonlight. Her eyes glittered like golden jewels.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Colonel." Riza saluted him and walked up her stairs, not turning around once, afraid that if she did, she would go flying right back into his arms. She inhaled deeply. This is such a strange feeling…
I think it's called…'love'.
She chuckled inwardly to herself. How silly; I have no time for such a thing. She waved to Roy just as she opened her door and reentered her house.
Nodding to Riza's final farewell, Roy stole one last peek at her. He smirked, mouthing the nearly silent words, "Yes, good night, Lieutenant." The door closed. Roy's unspoken thoughts echoed throughout his mind as his smirk widened. Lieutenant Hawkeye, I'll see you tomorrow; but Riza, my love…
…I'll be seeing you again next week…
Author's Note: Okay, I have to say it…I love this couple so much!! I apologize if it was a little boring; but I often fantasize about this pair finally getting together! They need to goddamn it!! They really are the perfect couple…please review and tell me what you thought!
-Aiko of the Akatsuki