Something in the Water
Author: MoonStarDutchess
Chapter 3: A Slightly Rocky Start
Disclaimer: Don't own FMA but do own my idea.
Riza took a step back and stared into his eyes to see if he actually meant the question he asked her. She hoped that he wasn't joking or that she hadn't been hearing things. It was more than likely that she was just hearing something she wanted to because of the stress that had dominated her life. She just wasn't the type of girl Roy Mustang asked out on a date. She could actually tell up from down and had the skill of chewing gum and walking at the same time. However, if she were completely honest, she hated gum so that latter part of her thought hadn't exactly been tested for validity.
"Sir… I…What did you just ask me?"
"I asked if you would have dinner with me tomorrow night," Roy repeated nervously. A woman never had the reaction that Riza had before when he asked that question. Then again, Riza Hawkeye wasn't the average woman.
Since the fraternization laws were lifted, and since she was so stressed out, he thought a nice dinner would relax her. Then maybe later on he could do something else to help her relax. He banished those perverted thoughts to the back of his mind and turned to the present. He hoped her answer would be a yes.
"As in a dinner …date?" she questioned, emphasizing the word date with a higher volume of speaking.
"Well…yes, as in a date. As in I take you to dinner and maybe some dancing if you are up to it."
"As in a more than friends' way?" she questioned as her heart started beating much faster than normal. She hoped that was exactly what he meant.
"Yes, as in a potentially romantic couple type situation," he said, turning his tone formal.
Roy's cheeks began taking on a light red tint as he spoke, surprising Riza that he'd blushed yet again that day. She couldn't believe how unbelievably cute it was to see him act in such a manner: as if he was a young man asking a girl out for the first time.
Of course, she wanted to go out with him. She'd wanted to date him before the frat laws were dropped but obviously, during that time, it was forbidden. Suddenly, an important thought entered her mind. She needed to ask something before she accepted his offer. No matter how much she longed to go, the reason he asked her was very important.
"There's something I want to know first," she stated.
"What's that?" he questioned.
"What brought this on today? I mean the fraternization laws have been gone for going on a year. If it was all the sexual talk yesterday and your curiosity got the better of you, then you can take your date and shove it up your…"
She trailed off from her sentence when Roy lifted his hand to her face, holding back a shutter as his warm hand moved slowly across her skin. She stared into his eyes and froze as his head moved closer to hers, tilting slightly. His eyes closed slowly and his lips touched hers so softly that she could barely tell that they'd kissed.
He pulled away for just a second before placing them back on her lips, this time a bit more forcefully but with the same briefness as the initial kiss.
"Answer me," she whispered breathlessly when they parted.
Roy cupped her face with both of his hands and kissed her again, this time pressing his lips to hers roughly, slowly letting his tongue brush along the outside of her mouth.
The kiss was a long time coming. There'd been sexual tension between them since they were teens, but they'd refrained from doing anything about it. Then when they joined the military, the rules forbade it.
Riza felt herself being pushed against a wall and she gasped. Roy took this opportunity to let his tongue drift into her mouth, inciting a whimper from her. She didn't know if she should respond or push him away. Finally, she let the clipboard drop to the ground and wrapped her arms around his body, resting her hands on his back. She gripped the fabric of his jacket tightly, as she began responding to the kiss, letting her tongue rub against his sensually and her lips press tighter against his.
It wasn't proper for them to be doing this while in uniform even though they were effectively concealed from the public for the most part. She should be scolding him for his conduct but what she wanted to do was wrap her legs around his waist and let him have her right there.
She kissed him a moment more before she pulled away, breathing heavily. She stared into his eyes until her gaze fell down to his smirking lips.
"So it is sexual then?" she questioned. She didn't mind if it was indeed sexual, but she wanted more than just that from him. She moved out of his grasp and walked a few steps away from him. Her body was going nuts and if she didn't put some distance between them they'd end up doing things that weren't fit to do in their current location.
"No, not entirely," Roy answered.
She turned to look at him quizzically. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Every human being loves someone because they want sex…I mean…that's not what I meant. I meant that human beings that date and fall in love...well, sex is always hard on their minds. Damn it…I didn't mean it like that either." He paused for a moment, ran a hand through his hair, and heaved a huge sigh of frustration. "I would be an idiot and a liar if I said I didn't want you Riza," he started. "Every human being on the earth wants to have sex with someone they care about. I'm no different," he stated.
"What time?" Riza questioned suddenly, feeling a bit guilty for getting Roy so flustered. She knew what he meant completely. She wanted him as well and was pleased to hear that he cared about her as more than just a sexual conquest.
"Pardon?" he asked, thinking that he heard her wrong.
"What time do you want to have dinner?" she questioned.
"You mean even after my major flub-up you still want to have dinner with me? I mean I was literally rambling like an idiot."
"Yes I do and don't forget I am used to you being an idiot," she retorted. "I have been since we were children."
Roy smiled widely and laughed. "How about around seven?"
She bent to pick up her clipboard then stood straight.
"Fine with me. Now let's get back to work," she said walking toward the alley's entrance. Before she left, she turned toward him and smirked. "Don't think you got out of explaining that sexual comment though." She then walked away and out of his sight.
A small smile appeared on Roy's face at first but then suddenly widened when he realized what just happened. He kissed her, asked her out, and she accepted! This was turning out to be a great week! He stuck both of his hands in his pockets and whistled happily, as he walked back to headquarters.
It was a pain in the proverbial ass to find the proper outfit for a time like this. A date with the person one loved was a very important event and looking ones best for that person was crucial. One had to choose something that complemented their body type, eyes, and skin tone. It could not be too flashy nor could it blend in easily and be unnoticeable. White was too risky and a tan color wouldn't be proper either because it was a bit dull. Yes, a person never had the proper outfit for a time like this and Roy Mustang didn't know what to do about it. He had tons of clothing that he wore on other dates but that just wouldn't do. Riza wasn't just "another date." He had sincere romantic feelings toward her.
He snapped his fingers when he remembered the blue shirt that she'd bought him a while ago. It would be perfect for this occasion. He dug into his closet, pushing other shirts that were in his way out of his path, ignoring the way boxes fell over and created a mess that he probably wouldn't bother cleaning. He smiled in triumph when the shirt came into view. It still had the tag on it because he'd never found the proper opportunity to wear it.
He removed it from the closet and shook it to make sure there weren't any small insects hiding in it. After tearing off the tag, he slipped it on, buttoned it up, and then tucked it into his pants. He turned toward the mirror and adjusted his collar.
Walking into the bathroom, he grabbed some hair gel from the already opened container and slicked his hair back. After putting the lid back on the container of gel, he looked in the mirror attached to the old oak medicine cabinet. He heaved a sigh and frowned as he gazed at the other him in that mirrored world. He would look so much better if he still had both of his eyes. The eye patch was quite the eyesore to his looks but, unfortunately, it couldn't be helped. It was a better alternative than showing his scar to the world.
He turned away from the mirror and left the bathroom. He made his way into the living room and took a quick glance at the clock.
"Six-forty-five," he read aloud, then took his gaze away from it and sat down in a chair. Suddenly, he realized fully what time it was and quickly looked back at the clock. He stood up, grabbed his wallet that was lying on a nearby table, and rushed out of his house.
Riza tapped her fingers on the table beside the couch with one hand while absently petting Hayate between the ears with her other. All was silent in the room except for the occasional snore coming from her canine companion as he dozed with his head resting on her lap. She looked at the clock to see that it was nearly seven. As soon as the big hand landed on the twelve, a knock on the door joined the chime of the grandfather clock she had against the wall.
Suddenly, her stomach felt like it was twisting and her palms were becoming sweaty. She felt calm all evening as she was getting ready and now they decided to make their debut. What if she really messed up on this date and embarrassed him so much that he'd hate her for the rest of their lives? She wouldn't be able to show her face in front of him again. She wasn't like the other girls he dated; she wasn't used to being so out and about.
She heard the knock again and jumped slightly. She took several deep breaths and repeated to herself that everything would be fine. She took a final deep breath and nudge Hayate, waking him from his slumber. He raised his head and barked when he heard another knock. He jumped off the couch and rushed toward the door, excited that they had a visitor. She stood and took a tissue to wipe off her sweaty palms. She discarded the tissue and adjusted her dress before making her way to the door.
Hayate moved out of the way so Riza could open the door without any obstruction. However, as soon as it was open, he rushed out to greet the man that had arrived.
Hayate jumped up and put his paws on Roy's thighs, seeking a satisfying scratch behind his ears.
"Hello there Hayate," Roy said, bending over slightly to pet the dog with the hand that wasn't holding the bouquet of flowers. He straightened up and turned his gaze to look at Riza. He smiled at her when he took in her appearance. She wore a short-sleeved red dress that framed her waist, flared out slightly at the hips and extended down to her knees.
From the waist down, a thin layer of lace covered the red silk and extended an inch lower than the fabric under it. The neckline fell just low enough to tease the eyes of anyone that ventured to look there. She had a red flower clip behind her ear that accentuated her skin tone and hair color beautifully.
He handed her the flowers, his words stalled because he was still stunned over her appearance. "Come in. I'll put these in some water and then we can go," she said. She let him into the apartment and guided him to the living room. "I'll be back in a second."
He nodded and watched as she left the room. He sat down on the couch roughly. He'd seen her in civilian clothing before but those outfits were nothing like she was currently wearing. He never knew she had such amazing curves under that other clothing she wore. By seeing her like this, he felt like he was receiving a great gift.
"Please don't let me screw up," Roy muttered.
Suddenly he heard a crash come from the kitchen, stood up and quickly ran into the room. He stopped at the door and sighed in relief when he saw that she was all right. She'd broken something and was picking up the shards out of the sink.
"Stupid, stupid, I should be more careful," she muttered sadly, "Now it's ruined." Roy never saw Riza in such a state over a simple item. He walked over to her to stand at her side, and stared down into the sink at the shards she was picking up.
"Need help?" he questioned. She turned to him and shook her head. "I just broke this vase. Don't you recognize it?"
Roy gazed at the white shards with small blue lilies painted on it and racked his head for where he saw it before. Suddenly it hit him.
"That was the vase that you kept in your room back at your old house. Your mother's vase."
"Yes, it was the only thing I could convince my father to let me keep," she said and picked up what would be the top of the vase.
"Got a pen and paper?" he questioned.
"Yes, there's a pad and pen in the drawer beside the phone there on the table," she said, motioning toward the table beside the kitchen entrance. Roy went over, opened the drawer, retrieved the paper and pen, and then began sketching on it.
Roy then tore the sheet from the pad and laid it on the countertop. "Give me all the pieces," he said, motioning his head toward the vase. Riza did as he asked and he laid the shards on the sheet of paper. She gazed at the sheet of paper and realized that he drew a transmutation circle upon it. He put his hands on the paper and the circle glowed blue then in a puff of smoke, her vase was fixed . . . only it was now about three inches tall.
"AGH!" Roy said, his jaw dropping. "It looks like it belongs in a child's playhouse. What went wrong? I never mess up on these things!"
He gently removed the vase from its place on the paper and sat it on the countertop. He began studying his transmutations circle closely, muttering to himself as he checked everything about the drawing.
Riza picked up the vase and studied it with a small smile: it was such a pretty little trinket. Though it couldn't hold flowers again, it would be easier to keep safe in her curio cabinet.
She watched as Roy took the pen and adjusted the circle. "Stupid mistake," he muttered. He had a bit of his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth and his eyes were squinted in concentration. Riza tried not to laugh at how Roy was concentrating so hard on fixing the circle. The expression on his face looked so adorable.
"Now let's try this again," he said, sitting the paper on the countertop.
"It's all right," she replied.
He looked at her quizzically. "I can fix it."
"I don't want it fixed," she said. "This vase is full of mistakes that I want to treasure. They came from two people that are important in my life."
"Full of mistakes?" he questioned.
"My mother bought this vase as a mistake. She meant to buy something else, though she never revealed what it was. I remember I kept asking her as a child but she never told me. Then you made a mistake with your transmutation. I love it the way it is," she said softly. She had a light blush on her cheeks as she spoke. She was rarely this sentimental about things and felt a bit uncomfortable letting Roy see her that way.
Roy sat the sheet of paper on her countertop and moved his right hand up to stroke the side of her face. Leaning in, he placed a soft kiss on her lips causing her skin to tingle like small electric currents were running through it. He pulled away and grinned. "I think that is a beautiful sentiment coming from a beautiful woman."
Riza smiled at his flattering words. "You know, you should ask a girl before kissing her. You could be taking liberties you shouldn't," she teased.
Roy grinned. "All right then. Riza Hawkeye, may I kiss you?'
"No," she said and turned around to sit the small vase on the shelf beside her sink. She got another vase for her flowers and situated them in it before turning back to a stunned Roy.
"But you kissed me in the alley," he said.
"I believe you were the one that initiated that kiss as well. And without asking me I might add," she said, directing her gaze to the kitchen clock. "Shouldn't we get going?"
Roy looked at the clock and saw that it was seven thirty. "Oh shit, we are late for our reservations."
"Then let's go."
Roy nodded and they both left the kitchen. Riza retrieved her shawl from the closet and wrapped it around her shoulders before turning to Hayate. "You be a good boy while I'm gone."
Hayate barked in response and lay his head back down on his pillow.
Roy and Riza rushed out of her apartment and made their way to the restaurant.
--
"What in the heck do you mean it was given to someone else? I had a reservation for seven!" Roy snapped at the hostess.
The girl huffed and flipped her dark hair behind her shoulder. "Exactly, we only hold reservations for thirty minutes," she said.
"That's bullshit, this place holds reservations for an hour after they were made," Roy snapped.
"Not tonight they don't," she said with devious pleasure. "My father, the owner, decided that tonight after I had a lovely talk with him about ten minutes ago." She directed her gaze to Riza. "Tough luck missy, looks like the great Roy Mustang isn't so great after all, right?"
Roy growled and started to say something back to the girl but Riza cut him off before he could speak.
"Tell me something you spoiled little wench. How long did it take for Roy to turn you down?" Riza snapped. Normally she would be more polite but she really hated women that couldn't remove their head from their ass long enough to realize what fresh air was.
These types were the ones that thought all the men wanted them and that they could just have anything they wanted when they wanted it. They were going to get a reality check in the end and it was time this bitch got hers.
Riza had to admit that she was a bit confused on why Roy rejected her. She fit in the category of what Roy's normal dates were like. She was stuck up, smelled as if she rolled in vats of different perfumes, and probably wouldn't be able to fill in those little circles on standardized tests, much less know what a test actually was.
"I don't get turned down," she said haughtily. "It's losers like you that get losers like him."
"You were rejected that quick huh? You should listen to me then. I suggest if you don't want to be despised by everyone in the city that you learn some manners. Otherwise, ten years from now when those fake tits of yours start sagging and those eyelifts stop working, no man will take an interest in you whatsoever. Now, goodnight," she said.
She took Roy's arm and led him away from the bitch that was fuming at the reservation desk.
--
Roy tried to contain his laughter at Riza bitching out the woman and the look on the woman's face. She was clearly not expecting Riza to snap back. Hell, he wasn't expecting Riza to say those things either. They left the restaurant and Roy suddenly started laughing loudly.
"That was beautiful Riza," he said.
Riza smiled softly upon hearing his laughter and then looked down at the sidewalk. "Why didn't you?" she asked quietly when he stopped laughing.
"Why didn't I what?"
"Why didn't you accept her date request? She did make one didn't she?"
"She did when I was making reservations for tonight, yes," he said. "But I didn't care. I only have eyes for one woman."
"Oh and who would that be?" she questioned. She couldn't believe what he spoke.
"Rebecca Catalina," Roy said, sarcasm lacing his tone.
His response caused Riza to laugh loudly. Roy and Rebecca didn't like each other at all. If there ever came a day when they didn't insult each other when in the same room, she'd know the world was ending. "So it turned from hate to love that quickly?" she asked teasingly.
"Yep, I like raving bitches who have nothing better to do with their time than to search for a perfect man that doesn't exist," Roy said.
"Have you forgotten that she's a friend of mine?"
"Yes and I can't understand why. She's so…so…loud. Her voice is like nails scratching down a chalkboard." He stopped walking and turned Riza around gently so that she faced him. "Though, I actually can say something good about her," he said.
"What's that?"
"She has great choices in friends. In fact, I love her best friend very much."
"Love?" she questioned, her eyes widening in shock. "You love her best friend?"
"I love her best friend very much. I think I always have. I was just too stubborn to admit it to her or myself."
A mischievous smirk appeared on Riza's lips, causing Roy to raise an eyebrow. "Denny Broch won't be too happy to hear that. He loves Maria Ross you know," Riza said.
"You know better than that," he said. He leaned in to kiss her, but before his lips touched hers, he felt two fingers on them. He opened his eye and sighed.
"You didn't ask me," she said with a laugh.
"Riza, may I kiss you this time?"
"No," she said. "Maybe after dinner."
"For desert?" he questioned seductively.
"Sure, if that's all you want for desert you can have it," she said, then mentally cursed at herself for making the sentence sound so sexual.
Roy grinned and decided not to comment further. After all, he didn't want to say the wrong thing and end up with the date ending before it really began. "I guess we actually need to find a place to eat first. All the places around here are reservation only."
"Then let's get away from here and go somewhere else. I honestly don't like these fancy places anyway," she said.
Roy laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He should have known Riza wasn't the type that needed impressed with expensive restaurants. He loathed admitting that he didn't know how to date any other way. That's all the other girls he went out with wanted: the more money he spent, the better. With Riza, he had to know how to think of something creative and fun. Unlike all of the other women he dated, she was worth any learning he needed to do and any effort that he needed to make. Roy had a feeling that tonight he was going to find out exactly how to date differently and that it would be a date he would never forget.
