DISCLAIMER: All recognizable material belongs to Funimation/ Aniplex. I do not own any of the characters, settings, or events mentioned below.

A/N: So remember that one time when I said I wasn't going to continue the Loyalty storyline? I lied.

Honestly I really wasn't going to but then THIS stalked my brain and wouldn't leave me alone so Tada you guys get a sequel.

This is sort of a mix between angst and fluff (I seem to be specializing in that lately), which is sort of a weird mixture but oh well. Canonically speaking this kind of borrows from both the 2003 anime and Brotherhood; I trust that you guys can pick up on what's what. Also this is like borderline M so bewares.

Roy stared at the phone mounted on his wall, willing it to give him the answers he sought.

It had been a month since the incident at Riza's apartment. They hadn't mentioned it to each other even once since then, let alone let word of it reach anyone else's ears. But it hadn't left his mind for a minute, and he knew he wasn't alone in that; Riza could hardly look him in the eye anymore. Roy felt riddled with regret, though he was unsure which he regretted more – crossing the carefully-drawn line that had always existed between them, or not finishing the jump to the other side of that line.

Frustrated, he hoisted himself up off the chair, grabbing the phone and dialing the only number he knew by heart.

She picked up on the sixth ring, barely catching the call in time. He couldn't help but wonder if she'd somehow known it was him and hadn't wanted to answer. He couldn't say he blamed her.

"Hello?" her calm, even voice drifted from the other end.

"Lieutenant?"

"Colonel," she said flatly, realizing who was on the line. "Why are you calling me?"

"What, I can't call to have a nice conversation with my favorite First Lieutenant?"

"I'm your only First Lieutenant," she remarked dryly.

"You're still my favorite."

He could practically hear her roll her eyes. "What do you want, sir?"

Truthfully? He wanted to pour his heart out to her. He wanted her to know exactly how much she meant to him and how beautiful she was and how he wouldn't be anywhere near the man he was without her and that dammit he wanted her to stop avoiding him because it felt like he hadn't seen the sun since she'd begun to act like this.

But these weren't words one could say over the phone. "Would it be all right if I came over?"

here was a long silence on her end. He started to worry she'd hung up and he just hadn't heard the click when she sighed and replied, "I don't think that's a good idea, sir." There it was again. The distance in her voice.

"Why not?"

"Because…" Riza trailed off. She couldn't very well tell him it was because of what happened the last time they were alone in her apartment, could she? She hadn't told him everything that had happened while he was drunk, and she didn't plan on telling him that story.

"I don't bite, Hawkeye. Humor me."

She sighed again. "All right, Colonel."

Less than half an hour later, Roy was in Riza's kitchen, helping her cook dinner. It was the least he could do, considering she was putting up with him for the evening and even feeding him. Roy hadn't cooked an actual meal in what must have been months, maybe even a year. The Colonel truly lived the bachelor's life and all that came with it. He'd eaten more sandwiches than he cared to recall.

Though Riza made no comment, she couldn't help but notice how cute Mustang was in the kitchen, trying to remember all the little nuances of cooking. They were making chicken, and she had to give him some gentle reminders on how to cut one up without slicing his fingers off, telling him to sit down at the table when he cut himself anyway. He protested that the knife had just slipped, and he wasn't an inadequate cook. She gave him a Look and said that she preferred her chicken not bled-on. He sat.

They were quiet throughout dinner, sitting in companionable silence. Roy facetiously complimented her on the chicken once just to mess with her, though he smiled and apologized for being bratty. He suppossed that it was his way of flirting with her, and he knew it wasn't exactly appropriate, but tonight he couldn't find it within himself to care.

When they were finished, he stood up and cleared both their places, rolling up his sleeves and turning on her sink. After a few minutes of rummaging around in her cupboards, he found a sponge and some soap, proceeding to make a huge, wet mess of himself and the counters as he washed their plates and everything they'd (she'd) cooked in. Riza sighed; how long had it been since he'd done his own dishes? She shuddered to think of the pigsty he must live in.

Eventually, Mustang worked up the courage to ask her something that had been weighing on his mind since the last time he'd been in her apartment. "Hawkeye, can I ask you about the night you picked me up from the bar?"

Riza didn't really know what she had expected to happen after he'd finished washing dishes – maybe Roy would just go home after coming over to eat her food? – but she wasn't really prepared for that question. She didn't realize he suspected that there was more to the story.

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever it is you're not telling me."

"What makes you think I'm hiding something from you?"

He set the dishes on the drying rack next to her sink and turned to look her in the eye. "Because I know you, and because I know there's a reason you've been acting so strange around me lately. What happened?"

She took a deep breath. He wasn't outright pulling rank on her, but she knew that tone. It was the one he had in the office or on the field, the one he used to reinforce the fact that he was her commanding officer and he was to be obeyed. She was going to answer him.

Closing her eyes, she told him, "You were very drunk. I took you here and had you sleep on my couch, and before you went to sleep you started rambling about my loyalty to you and you thanked me for it. I told you not to drink away your pain, and…" she stopped. She didn't want to relive this - the pain she'd seen in his eyes, her impertinent remark about his sex life.

"And what?" he prodded.

Somehow, Riza managed to recount everything, up to the part where they'd fallen asleep together on her couch. She could feel the blush staining her cheeks, and she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. She'd fought so hard to keep her emotions in check when she was around him. She couldn't risk him finding out how she felt about him, though judging by the signs she was giving off, her body didn't seem to grasp that concept.

As for Roy, he couldn't really picture it in his head. Well, now I can see why she's been acting like this. We did sleep together, even if it wasn't like that. He felt an odd sense of warmth at the thought.

Roy crossed the room to stand in front of her, watching her as she tried to hide whatever emotions she was battling. He gently took her chin, angling her face towards his. "Riza, I-"

She wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say or do, but if his notorious womanizing ways were anything to be considered, she knew she had to throw a wrench in the works and stop him before they did something stupid, before he broke her heart. "Don't, Colonel. Don't do this. If you're thinking what I think you are, stop. We can't…" she shook her head.

He dropped his hand from her face, his eyes steeling a little. "Tell me something, Lieutenant. Why is it such a big deal to you that we fell asleep together on your couch?" he asked. "If you don't feel anything for me, if our relationship is only platonic, why is it affecting you so much? Why have you been hiding it from me?"

Just as she would on a battlefield, she skillfully dodged his question and the direction he was heading towards with it. Why wouldn't he drop it? Why was he so hellbent on exposing her? "It wasn't just that, Colonel; I deeply regret the statement I made that implied your promiscuity. It was extremely rude and it was not my place to say. Your personal life is none of my business."

The words spilled out of his mouth without running it by his brain first. "What if I told you I wanted it to be your business?"

Her Hawk's eyes darted to his, all remnants of her barriers disintegrated, betraying her shock. "What are you saying, Colonel?"

Swallowing his trepidation, he looked her in the eye and told her, "What I'm saying, Riza, is that I'm tired of all this. I'm tired of the restraint; tired of the secrets. I need you to know that… that I'm in love with you."

Riza's heart nearly stopped in its tracks. After all this time, all the grief she'd given herself over her feelings for him, her secret fears that she was just another female body to him, or that she didn't mean anything at all to him, it turned out that he really did return the sentiment.

Damn him!

How was she supposed to hide, to enforce the necessary boundaries, to protect her own heart, when he was capable of doing this to her? When he made her feel safe and warm and hopeful and needed and like everything would work out okay, somehow…

All the women he took advantage of. Through her searing jealousy, she'd always been able to muster up some small amount of gratitude for them, because they meant her feelings were one-sided. It meant that they weren't at risk of breaking any laws, and they could continue on in the aspect of their relationship that really mattered – commanding officer and subordinate. He needed her to watch his back, because no one else had the level of skill or the amount of devotion that she had for him. Since Edward Elric had become a State Alchemist and got Roy tangled up in the philosopher's stone and the Homunculi, he needed her now more than ever to be his bodyguard.

And he was willing to essentially throw both their lives away for a declaration of love.

"Don't."

Riza looked up at him. "Sir-"

"I know what you're thinking. Trust me, I know. But can we please forget, for just one night, that I'm your superior officer and I'm not allowed to feel this way?" he asked, trying to suppress the unnecessary despair in his voice.

Riza shook her head again, averting her eyes from him. It seemed like all she ever did was tell him no.

"Unless…" Roy looked away, his heart sinking. "You don't feel the same, do you?" Had he completely misread her? Of course. That would be just like her, to draw those lines not because she was afraid of their relationship drifting towards something unprofessional, but because she simply didn't want his affections. Maybe it really was platonic on her end after all."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I just needed you to hear it." He paused, taking a moment to collect his scrambled thoughts."I'll get going, then."

Just as he turned to grab his jacket, he felt her reach out and grab his rolled-up sleeve, fisting the fabric tightly in her strong hand.

She didn't know how to say it. She wasn't good at expressing pure emotion, perhaps with the exception of loving her dog. It felt awkward and strange to her. She was comfortable in the military because she could rely on her rules and formalities and her guns and they never failed her. This was entirely new territory for Riza. It was just three little words that she needed; it couldn't possibly be this hard to say them.

Finally she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, hoping against hope that whatever came out of it wouldn't hurt either of them.

"I love you, Roy. I haven't ever felt this way about anyone else. It's always been you. Always."

There was an unbearably long pause in which she grew afraid that she'd somehow put her foot in her mouth. She opened her eyes but just stared at the floor, releasing her iron grip on Roy's shirt.

Riza felt the change in the air as he shifted back towards her and closed the distance between them, pausing for the briefest of seconds before gathering her up in his arms, grabbing her arms and swinging them up over his shoulders, simply holding her for a moment. Riza's response was instant, and this spurred Roy on; he turned his head towards her face and leaned in, brushing his lips faintly across hers and pressing gently, making sure she got the sweet, gentle first kiss she deserved.

But then he couldn't hold back any longer. All the years of suppressed feelings and desire had piled up and kindled a burning fire in him that he was loath to ignore. He crushed his mouth against hers, pulling her waist in even closer to him and eventually just pushing her up against the wall.

At first Riza was shocked, her brain having trouble catching up with his sudden mood swing. But after taking a moment to toss all common sense out the window, she began kissing him back with fervor, running her hands through his hair – she'd always wanted to do that – and wrapping her legs around his waist. They didn't last long before they found themselves in Riza's bedroom.

When they awoke the next morning (together this time, Riza noted), Roy could feel how tense she was. Worried that she was already regretting the previous night, he pulled her closer to him, afraid to let her go.

Riza stiffened and pulled away, taking the covers with her. "Colonel, we shouldn't have done what we did." Her cheeks flushed red, and she averted her eyes from the mostly-exposed Roy in what he assumed was embarrassment.

He sat up, pulling a sheet over his lower half, mostly for her sake. "Don't start, please. Don't get all formal with me while we're both still… indecent." Riza's eyes widened and she looked away, moving to stand up. Roy leaned over and caught her hand, pleading with her to stop. "Look… I know this is confusing-"

Hawkeye practically snorted. "Nothing about this is confusing, sir. My feelings haven't changed. But we've broken the law, and legally I am no longer allowed to serve as your subordinate."

Roy growled, frustrated. "Fuck, Riza. You and your damned rules."

"They aren't my rules, Colonel. I'd just as soon have the fraternization law abolished. But it's still in effect, and we have broken it."

"And who is going to know about this, exactly? I'd die before I let rumors of this get out. The last thing I want is dirty gossip about you floating around. You deserve better than that." He could already see it: Hawkeye the slut, sleeping with her superior. She wouldn't be serving under him for very long.

She was on the same wavelength, as usual. "You'd never make it to Fuhrer," she added, thinking only of him, as usual.

Roy nodded. "So if I don't tell anyone, and you don't tell anyone, then this never happened."

Riza looked up at him with watery eyes. "Are you asking me to forget?" She couldn't do that, not after everything that had happened between them - especially not after last night. She could lie till she was blue in the face, but she would never be able to forget him.

He shook his head, then slid across the bed to her, facing her. He reached out take her hand. "No, I'm not asking you to forget. I'm asking you to wait."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Wait for what?"

"For me." He took a deep breath to steady himself, and to steel his nerves for what he was about to ask her. "Wait for me, Riza. When I'm Fuhrer, I will overturn the frat laws. And I will marry you, if you'll have me."

He paused, waiting for a reaction, waiting for his words to sink in. When they did, Riza gasped.

She hadn't expected this… hadn't bothered to think that this affair between them could really go anywhere. She'd done her best to ignore the small voice in the back of her mind warning her that she was little more than a one-night stand. And now he was offering to make it more than that – more than just a dirty office secret. He wanted to make her his wife.

Riza's face broke out into the largest smile Roy had ever seen her wear. "Yes! Of course I'll marry you," she told him, grinning through unshed tears, absentmindedly wondering how this man could make her so emotional when she was usually a perfect mask of calm and cool. She practically threw herself at him, fusing her lips to his. "I will wait for you, sir," she murmured between kisses.

Roy gave a deep sigh of relief, winding his arms around her and enthusiastically kissing her back. Eventually they slowed down and finally stopped, Riza's head coming to lay on his shoulder and Roy's head lightly resting on hers.

"I suppose we'll have to behave as though this never happened." The Lieutenant meant it as a question, though it came out more as a statement, something inherently understood.

She felt him nod. "No one can know; we don't want people even getting ideas. We have to keep this a secret for now, or we'll both be dishonorably discharged."

Riza half-smiled. "Well, after seven years of hiding my feelings from you, I've had lots of practice keeping secrets of that sort. It shouldn't be too hard to keep this from Havoc, Falman and them."

"Good," Roy said bluntly. "And you know as well as I do the façade I keep up."

She had to resist rolling her eyes. "Yes, the lazy, cocky-ass Mustang. I can't say I'm too fond of him."

"Neither am I. But it's a small price to pay for ambition."

They both fell silent at that. They held onto each other for a few more minutes before Riza shifted and reminded him that he needed to leave before it got too late and her neighbors saw him leaving her apartment.

They dressed quickly and quietly, already feeling the old familiar sense of loneliness returning. They wouldn't be able to afford the luxury of being together again like this for a very long time, possibly not for years.

Roy slid his jacket on, reached for the doorknob, and was just about to leave when he stopped. "Before we have to go back to reality…" he looked away, unable to finish. Would she think him childish for asking?

It turned out that he didn't even have to. She knew what he wanted; their close bond had created an odd sort of telepathy between them. Her eyes gave him silent permission as she realized what he was asking. He stepped closer to her and touched her cheek before cradling her head in his hands and kissing her deeply.

She reached up to grab his collar and pull him in, but she suddenly decided against it, breaking the kiss. "This isn't goodbye, Colonel. I will see you at work tomorrow. And you can trust that nothing has changed. I will still serve as your concience, doing everything in my power to keep you on your path... no matter what it may cost."

Rioy nodded, though Riza could see it pained him to do so, although he tried to mask it. ""Very well." He saluted her. "Lieutenant."

She faithfully returned the gesture. "Colonel."

Despite everything that had happened and everything that he should be focusing on, only two words passed through his mind as he left. Riza Mustang.

He quite liked the sound of that.

A/N: So I realized what was bothering me about this - I adjusted the pacing a little towards the middle and I fixed up the ending so that both of them were a little more in-character [well, Riza was, anyway]. I feel better about this version. Let me know what you think of the changes!