Just One More Kiss (Wish of a Grandfather)
Author: MoonStarDutchess
Chapter 2: May 3rd Early Evening
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA and gain no profit from writing this fanfiction.
AN: This is an extended and altered version of my friend Riri's comic Wish of a Grandfather. I hope you like it.
May 3rd Early Evening
Riza ejected another round of shots from her gun, emptying out her fury and frustrations and embedding them into the target across the range. She wanted to scream and shout at the top of her lungs but instead let the clacks and bangs of her gun squall for her. At first, she thought her anger was at him, but halfway through her second round, she realized the brunt of anger was at herself. Because she allowed forbidden feelings to develop in the first place. They were wrong. Improper. The feelings she had for him; her dedication and her support (which would continue even after he became fuehrer) should've been enough. But her emotions just had to take it a step further.
No matter how hard she tried to push back her feelings, they refused to budge. They yelled at her from their place in the back of her mind every single time he talked about his women. Every time he revealed he was never alone. Never alone when she was lonely.
She lowered her gun and looked down at her feet. She had Hayate, she had her grandfather, but there was a time in a woman's life when she needed more. Even Ice Queen Hawkeye wanted to be loved romantically by someone. She'd had relationships but the men could never accept she was so dedicated to her commanding officer. Tears built themselves a home in her eyes and she fought their construction with the small amount of will inside her. She was supposed to be a strong soldier and not cry over such simple matters. No. She wouldn't cry like a damsel. Roy was her friend. That was enough.
And it was a lie. It wasn't enough and her body betrayed her when it pushed the tears from her eyes.
She felt a hand rest on her shoulders and withheld a gasp as a familiar scent came to her: a mix of flint and expensive cologne. She reached in her pocket for a handkerchief to wipe her tears, disguising the gesture as wiping off perspiration on her forehead. Why was he there? He never came to the range.
"Lieutenant?"
She willed her body to relax and prayed the rest of the tears would dry in the range's cool temperature. "Yes Sir?"
"I'm… well I…" He took a deep breath. "Do you want to go get some food with me?"
She smiled softly and pulled away from his hand. It wasn't what most would think of as an apology, but she knew that was what he wanted to do. It didn't make her pain lessen but she was happy he cared enough to come to her and apologize. "Yes, Sir. I'll meet you outside. I still need to put up my rifle."
"Okay," Roy said. She waited until she heard the range door shut before putting away her handkerchief and loading her pistol. She stuck the handgun in her holster and went to put up her rifle before meeting him out in the hall.
-/-/-
Their walk to the mess hall remained silent. A thick curtain of tension hung over them, both for different reasons tied to the same incident. They were relieved when the mess came into sight, as if the change in atmosphere would remove the tenseness. Roy grabbed the door and held it open for her. She stopped and looked at him for a moment.
"Thank you," she said and went inside. He followed behind her.
The mess hall was a stark contrast from the hall beyond its double doors. The hall was dull, painted in two dark grays almost indistinguishable from the other. The mess hall was all white with black and white floors and metal tables and benches. The lights overhead beamed down intense brightness whereas the hallway lights were dimmed and spaced further apart. Despite the differences in appearance, the two areas shared one obvious similarity.
Roy's face faltered. "There's no people here. Why is it empty?"
Riza rolled her eyes, making sure her face was turned away from Roy. "Sir, it's after work hours by now. There's only a small amount of people working this late so there's no kitchen staff. Many bring their own dinner and are actually working."
"But I want to eat," he said, a slight whine coming through in his voice. He sat down on edge of the bench at the table and sighed. "I don't make my own dinner because I can't cook."
"Don't worry, I can cook. I'll get us something. Be back in a few minutes." She moved to go into the kitchen but Roy's voice made her stop in her steps.
"I'm sorry about before." She turned around, her eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to apologize. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer so his head rested against her stomach. "Forgive me for what I said okay? I didn't mean to make it sound the way it did."
"Colonel… this isn't. . . I." She lifted her hand and rested it on top of his head for a few seconds before pulling away. "I'm going to go get us some food. "
Roy nodded and watched as she went into the cooking area. Through the glassless window, he saw her open a fridge and remove some contents before getting to work at a large stove. She was too good to him, much more than he deserved, and he was extremely thankful for everything she did. Without her, he'd be either a drunk or dead. Maes may be his best friend but she was more than that. He wanted her in a much different, more emotional, more physical way than he wanted Maes. He laughed at the last part. His "fans" as Maes called the women around the city, seemed to enjoy throwing rumors about nonexistent sexual exploits with other men. Maes didn't find the rumor about the two of them amusing and stopped teasing Roy about any rumors from that moment on.
"You okay Sir?" she asked, making him look up at her.
"Huh?"
"You spaced out," she said as she dumped something on two trays in front of her and put the pot in the sink.
"There's . . . there's something else I need to say."
She walked out into the eating area and over to the table. "What is it Sir?" After sitting down the trays, she sat across from him and waited for his response.
He opened his mouth and shut it, and opened his mouth and shut it again, like a fish. "Um."
"Sir, just come out with it."
"Nevermind," he said. "It's nothing." He looked down at his food. "This looks great. Thank you for making it."
They heard the door to the mess open and reasoned it was just another soldier there to grab something to eat as well. Riza nearly fell off her seat when she heard a familiar voice speak,
"So you are Colonel Mustang are you?"
They both turned and then shot to their feet when they saw the General of Eastern Headquarters, General Francis Grumman, standing before them, a stern look plastered on his features.
Roy and Riza snapped into a salute and formed their facial expressions into hard lines of discipline. Riza's mind was racing; worried the general might have seen their closeness in the time prior to his entrance.
"At ease, the workday is over so relax and please eat. I dropped by here to grab a bite myself," he said. He walked into the kitchen and a moment later emerged carrying two large red apples. "Please sit. I would like to talk to you Colonel Mustang."
Riza and Roy sat down and began to eat. Grumman sat down across from Roy. "I've heard about you Colonel Mustang," the old man began.
"Good things I hope, Sir," he said.
"The majority of it yes. Hakuro couldn't say anything good about anyone unless under duress or the necessity of ass kissing so I ignore his statements."
Riza stifled a laugh. She was aware of how much General Grumman disliked Hakuro. Then again, there weren't many people fond of him. Whenever he showed up and passed by, she could hear soldiers groan or see some roll their eyes. He was a prick. Kimbley popped into her mind. She remembered him saying something about blowing the bastard up and getting a medal. She would've turned the other way and let him.
"I appreciate that, Sir," Roy replied.
"I've heard you're intelligent, ambitious, and you take care of your subordinates as if they were your own family. The very type of man that can make a difference in this tumultuous country of ours. Looking upon your performance so far, I'm inclined to agree."
"It's an honor to hear such words from you, Sir."
Grumman took a bite of his apple, chewed the piece, and swallowed before speaking. "Yes. You have a great future if you keep working as you are now. And for those reasons, I have a proposition for you."
"A proposition?"
Riza ears perked up upon hearing the General's tone of voice. She knew his form of speech all too well and knew nothing good would come of a conversation started with that particular lilt.
"Yes. It's a task of great importance and requires a great deal of responsibility," Grumman said. His expression transformed into a stern, serious one. "Failure isn't an option."
Riza picked up glass to get some more water and went into the kitchen. She made sure to put most of her attention on their conversation and watched Roy's reaction for any sign of distress. Grumman could be intimidating and overbearing, even for someone like Roy.
"It will be a pleasure to help you in any way I can," Roy said. "What do you need me to do?"
Riza relaxed and lifted her glass to her lips to take a drink.
"Marry my granddaughter and have me ten grand-babies!" Riza spit out her drink, coughing and choking over the unexpected words. She should have known not to let her guard down. She walked back inside and stood beside the Colonel.
"What!" they both said, Roy flabbergasted by the request and Riza angry the General would ask such a thing.
"But . . . but sir! I don't even know who your granddaughter is!"
Grumman waved his hand nonchalantly. "Not an issue my boy. You will know soon enough and will like her very much. She's unique and very beautiful. In fact, she'll be the most beautiful woman you'll ever see."
Roy doubted it. The most beautiful woman he knew was standing beside him.
Grumman stood and walked over to the door as he munched on his apple. With a full mouth he said, "Think about it for a while Colonel Mustang. I wouldn't take long though. She probably won't wait around forever." He laughed as he walked out of the mess hall. When the laughter faded, Riza sat down in front of her tray and muttered under her breath before she shoved the last bite of mashed potatoes in her mouth.
"Was he actually serious about that?"
Riza eyed him. "Why do you ask? Don't tell me you would consider marrying her."
Roy shrugged and picked up a piece of bread from his plate. "To tell you the truth, it would be a good opportunity to get some influence up the ranks. It could help me fulfill my objective much faster but—"
"So you would marry someone you didn't know just for the rank?" Riza interrupted before he could finish. The thought of Roy marrying someone else felt heavy. With a family he'd be distracted with his goals and would likely give up his path of fuehrer because of the danger it would put them in.
He said to shoot him if he strayed. The scenario would be considered such, but she couldn't kill him if it was because of a family.
It was ridiculous to ponder, especially when he found out who Grumman's granddaughter was. Which she hoped wouldn't be for a long long time. "And think about the poor granddaughter. What do you think she'd say? I thought even you had limits."
"You didn't let me finish," Roy said. "I wouldn't consider it. I was just stating the facts. Even if you don't believe me, I am the type of man that waits for his soul mate."
Riza picked up her tray and stood. "I have a hard time believing you would wait on anyone, so I have trouble believing you know the pain of waiting for a soul mate." She emptied her tray and left the cafeteria without another word.
Roy sat there, staring at where she left. Was Riza having some crisis where she couldn't leave a room first without being mad at him? He'd been unthoughtful about what he said at the office yes, but he didn't say anything out of the way this time.
"Must be her time of the month." Yes, that would explain everything. He'd ask her late— he remembered what happened one day when Havoc said something to that extent. The female version of his name almost came true. Okay, maybe I won't.
He heard a whine and noticed Hayate didn't follow her. He barked and Roy reached down to pat his head. "Don't worry Hayate. I think she just needs to be alone for a while. Let's go back to the office."
When Roy and Hayate got back to the office, he sat down at his desk. He started working on his paperwork immediately, questing to finish it before it got too late. He skimmed the words on Ed's report before signing it and then got to the others. He worked in silence for a long time, skimming, reading, signing, skimming, reading, signing, but no matter how much he tried to focus on the words written, his thoughts centered on the words Riza spoke before she left.
He felt like he'd swallowed rocks. Was Riza in love with someone? He knew she kept most of her affections to herself but on occasion one slipped through her icy barrier—like when she placed her hand on his head in the mess hall—and made its way to the surface. Was there a man she wanted who couldn't see past the sternness to the inside? He could with little effort. It was easy once you got to know her. A man would be crazy not to stick around long enough to see how wonderful she was.
But he selfishly didn't want a man to stick around her. If she decided to settle down, she'd retire and where would he be? It would be like losing his other half if she decided to quit.
He looked up at the clock and saw the hands telling him it'd been an hour since he last saw Riza. "It's getting late Hayate. Let's go try to find her. Think you can sniff her out?"
The dog perked up and barked once before rushing to the door. Roy laughed and followed the canine down the hallway.
-/-/-
Roy hadn't expected Hayate to lead him to front of Grumman's office door. Why would Riza be in there unless she had a complaint with him? A jolt of alarm tensed his already nervous body. Maybe she wanted to leave him after he made her angry twice in one day—even though he wasn't sure why she was angry the second time. He acknowledged he wasn't the easiest commanding officer to have, even though he wasn't aware he was being difficult at the time the difficulty was occurring. No, she'd come straight to him if she wanted to quit; she wasn't the type to go over one's head.
He took a deep breath to calm himself. He wouldn't know why she was there until later so there was no use rambling about like some sort of ninja. He started to leave but stopped when he noticed the door ajar. Though he knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, it didn't mean he wouldn't. He walked closer and peaked inside. He had to grip the door frame to keep from falling over when he saw Grumman backed against the wall, sitting in his desk chair, his feet up on the seat, with a furious Riza looming over him like a cloud about to burst with a severe rainstorm.
AN: Many thought that in the last AN when I said the fic was done, that it only had that one chapter. This will be a 15-17 chapter fic plus epilogue. What i mean by done was that it everything is already written.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a poem, your bank account number, an arm and leg, your first born or I'd be just as happy with a review.
(I know I have a sick sense of humor)