A/N: Hey so I'm actually pretty excited about this fanfiction and my girlfriend is back in school so I have extra time and I figured I'd write another chapter while I feel semi motivated.
Riza awoke suddenly in a panic, caused by her dreams. The movement woke the sleeping dog that lay near her feet as well. His first response to was jump up and look around, he was proving to be such a good dog. "Shh Hayate, it was only me." She said quickly, reaching down to cautiously place her hand on his head. Still she couldn't help but look around to make sure nothing seemed wrong.
When she sat up she turned to see the time. It was about 5:30, about a half an hour before she normally would have gotten up for work. She decided there was no point in going back to sleep for the short period of time, opting to actually shower and eat like a normal person instead of in a rush. Perhaps a hot shower would help clear her mind and calm her down. At any rate it was worth a shot; it would be difficult to make things much worse anyways.
After a twenty minute shower the blonde returned to her room, sitting down on her bed before getting dressed. Since her team split up the only thing that kept her motivated at work was knowing that if she worked close to Bradley, it would be easier to know if Mustang was in danger. She'd made the promise to protect him until he became Fuhrer himself and she wasn't about to let years of work go down the drain all because a group of Homunculi ruin that. And she supposed Bradley really wasn't completely horrible. From time to time they'd have conversations, there was clearly a part of this man who cared about people somehow. He'd made it very clear his wife was a choice he made all on his own, and she could tell from his words he cared deeply for the woman.
Riza found herself sighing. She really needed to get ready for work now, if she wanted to eat and still be on time. After getting her uniform on, except her jacket, she went back out into the kitchen and looked through her fridge for something. It shocked her to find that she was virtually out of food. Thinking back she realized she hadn't been shopping much in the month since she had been reassigned. While she no longer needed to spend nights on end at work like she had to help keep the colonel up on his work, she was more stressed and felt busier. She hoped more than anything that something would happen soon, she hated working for a homunculus.
Riza set down Hayate's breakfast, making a mental note that she would have to go shopping soon anyway because he was running low on food as well, before grabbing her jacket and leaving early. If she couldn't eat at home nothing was stopping her from stopping by the coffee shop around the corner to grab some coffee and possibly something to eat. When they'd first transferred to Central she and Mustang had stopped there every morning before work. The owners were nice enough, a young couple around her age who had taken over the shop from the woman's parents. They worked there along with the woman's sister.
The walk to the shop was a pleasant one, not many people were out and about so early in the morning. The quiet streets gave her some peace of mind actually. When she arrived at the shop she found it empty, which she had expected. They didn't get their rush for about another hour. The brunette at the counter was clearly excited to see her.
"Why hello Miss Hawkeye! It's been a while, how are you doing? I hope everything is well." The woman said kindly, smiling brightly at her. Riza offered a small smile back.
"I'm good, thank you." She paused to look over the menu, "Could I just get a large coffee and whatever pastry you have fresh?" Riza asked, pulling her wallet out to pay for them. The woman merely nodded and went about preparing Riza's order.
Less than five minutes later she returned with Riza's order. She thanked her, handing the woman not only the payment but a generous tip. The blonde took her breakfast and sat down at a table facing away from the door, the last thing she wanted to think about was hurrying off to work.
After about five minutes the bell that was attached to the door rang, meaning someone had come into the shop. She paid the person no mind, they were usually slow but it wasn't uncommon for one or two people to wander in around this time of day. It wasn't until she heard the voice ordering that she turned.
"Yes I think I'll just have a coffee." The man said, loudly enough Riza knew he'd intended for her to hear him. She rolled her eyes at his tactics. He never was good about being forward.
"Good morning Colonel Mustang." She said, just loud enough for him to hear her. He turned his head to her immediately, the corners of his lips turned up just enough that it was hard to tell if he was full of himself or genuinely in a good mood.
"Morning Lieutenant." He greeted, turning back to the counter. It was no secret to either of them that this particular worker had a thing for him. Then again how many women, especially in Central, didn't have a weak spot for the great war hero? Riza could think of very few women who hadn't thrown themselves at Roy since they'd made the transfer. It was the one thing that she didn't miss about working with him, dealing with all the women.
Riza was wrapped up in these thoughts when the flame alchemist decided to sit across from her at her table, pulling her from them. She gave him a questioning look, she wondered if something was going wrong. He merely shrugged at her, "You don't mind, do you?" he asked. Riza replied with her own shrug.
She was honestly glad he was there, she hadn't really seen him much and it was good to be reassured that he was physically alright. "How's work going?" She asked, "I do hope you're keeping up on the paperwork by yourself."
"Of course I am." He said a bit too defensively. Riza knew he'd be behind. A month of no one to help him with it, there was no way he wouldn't be. "How are you liking your new position?" He asked her, his voice showed a hint of something, was it concern?
"It's different, that's for sure." She said honestly, "But working for Fuhrer Bradley isn't entirely bad. He's been as nice as people say." Riza knew they were alone minus the one worker but that didn't stop her from being cautious with her words. The last thing she needed was for an innocent accidental meeting to turn into a very bad idea.
He nodded, seeming to be at a loss for words. Riza couldn't think of anything to say either so they sat there in the quiet, drinking their coffee. The silence wasn't awkward though, they'd spent too much time together for silence to bother them. She felt more comfortable during the silence than she had all week, the familiar presence a nice change. She glanced over at the clock on the wall, noticing that it was about time for her to head out. She frowned slightly, not quite ready to leave her small bit of peace.
Reluctantly she got out of her seat, taking her plate back over to the counter and muttering another thank you to the woman at the counter. On her way out she paused next to the table she had been sitting at moments before.
"By the way, I found a flower outside my apartment yesterday." She said flatly, causing him to raise an eyebrow in question. "It was a forget-me-not." She told him before heading to work.