April 1903
Riza awoke at the usual time, but didn't seem to have quite as much enthusiasm as most days. When Roy was with her father, the days were rather boring anyway. Normally she would clean. But memories and dark thoughts plagued her mind, so she settled with just taking her things and going to her makeshift shooting range to practice more. Perhaps later, after she felt more awake and maybe slightly less depressed, she would make a trip to the cemetery. She could make it there and back by the time Roy was done for the day. She didn't want to drag him with her and put him in an equally somber mood.
When Roy came downstairs for his lessons that morning, he found the house unusually silent. The house was normally fairly quiet save for the conversations he and Riza had, but this was different somehow. Riza was nowhere to be seen and he made his way down the hallway to Master Hawkeye's study. Moments later, he emerged from the room. In all the time he'd been there, his lessons had never been canceled for the day, except today, Berthold Hawkeye had said he wasn't feeling well and sent Roy away. Something didn't seem right.
There was only one place Roy could think of that Riza would be this early in the day if she wasn't in the house, so he made his way outside and through the woods toward the edge of the Hawkeye property.
Riza kept both eyes open as she released three shots back to back. Three cans then went flying feet away from the wooden fence that outlined their property. She sighed and made her way to go retrieve them. Her sharp eyes caught a silhouette moving in the distance. She looked up and turned her head to see Roy approaching. She simply stared at him until he came close enough to hear her. "Somebody's out early today."
"Your dad wasn't feeling well, so he canceled lessons for the day," he explained, stopping a few feet from her. He'd been careful to keep a respectful amount of distance between them ever since the mistletoe incident, not wanting to push her boundaries or make her uncomfortable. "Something wrong? You only come out here this early when there's something bothering you."
She was shocked by his accurate observation. Then she smirked. "You know me so well already, do you?" She took a couple steps closer to him, unaware of his mission to keep his distance. "Well, I guess he's feeling it today, too. And since you're here having to deal with us, I might as well tell you. It's the anniversary of my mother's death today. I usually shoot something and go to her grave. My father tends to regress even further into himself and stays in bed the whole day."
A crease formed between his brows. His immediate instinct was to apologize, but he knew well enough the pain of losing a parent and how useless the sympathy of others was. "I could accompany you…if you want," he offered. He didn't want to intrude, but wanted her to know he was there for her if she needed someone to keep her company.
She pondered a moment on this. "Well, I won't force you to go. It's towards town. I usually stop to pick flowers along the way to leave there. You can join me if it pleases you." She smiled a sad smile. "My mother was kind. She was friendly and outgoing. Everyone in town loved her and she seemed to love them in return. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you being there, too."
"She sounds like a remarkable woman. She would have to be to raise a daughter as wonderful as you." His cheeks reddened a bit when he realized what he'd said. "Maybe you could tell me more about her?"
Riza felt a warmth spreading in her cheeks, so she turned to face away from him. "Walk back to the house with me and I'll tell you everything I can remember."
In about an hour or so, the two of them had picked plenty of flowers and had arrived at the cemetery. Riza so far had told Roy all the good things she could recall about her mother. Things like her smile, her laughter, and the tenderness with which she handled her daughter.
"I look like her. According to my father, at least. That may be why he keeps to himself away from me for the most part. But I understand. I imagine it would be painful to have a reminder to look at every day in the form of a person. He was much more alive when she was around." she said as they entered the gate.
He followed her across the cemetery, coming to a stop at a headstone bearing the name Elizabeth Hawkeye. This was the first time he had seen her so animated when talking about something and it was the first time she'd opened up to him about something so personal. "How old were you when it happened?"
She looked at him before turning back to the headstone. "I was nine. I would have been ten in just a few more days." She knelt down to place the flowers gently on the grave. She smiled again. "My mother was sick that year. That's how she died. Usually she would make me the biggest and most delicious cake. They had ridiculous ingredients, but she always just put in whatever I requested. I think my favorite one was the year she made me a cake out of waffles and chocolate. Don't ask me how she pulled it off, though." She chuckled slightly as she gazed at the name. She missed her mother deeply, and talking about her like this stoked the fire that kept the good times warm in her memory. But it also made her want to weep. Weep for her lost childhood. For the years without a mother to help her understand the ways of the world.
He lowered himself to the ground, kneeling beside her in front of the grave. He could see the different emotions crossing her face as she talked. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he refrained. He saw the date of death on the stone, 1896. A plague had swept through Amestris that year claiming many. He had been living with his Aunt Chris already at the time and she had closed her bar for weeks to limit their exposure. "That sounds really nice. Wait, you said your birthday was just a few days after? When is your birthday, anyway?"
She blinked and looked at him. "Oh, it's in a couple days. We haven't celebrated it since she died, though. So I don't give it much thought." She said nonchalantly.
This didn't sit well with Roy. He'd always come from a family that celebrated every birthday. "That doesn't seem fair to you."
"Well it seems rather narcissistic to celebrate my own birthday by myself, doesn't it?" she said. Then she shrugged. "It's been almost seven years. I barely think about it. I just think about her usually and go out shooting some."
He let the subject drop and made a mental note to himself that her birthday was getting close. "Thank you for letting me intrude on your normal routine and telling me more about your mom." He gave her a small smile.
She returned his smile. "Thank you for letting me talk your ear off today. Sorry about that. And I'm sorry it's all kinda depressing and evidently affecting your studies with my father. He should be back to normal tomorrow."
"No need to apologize. I understand. I'm the same way when the anniversary of my parents' death rolls around. Sometimes it's just nice to have someone to talk to. Aunt Chris usually goes with me to the cemetery."
"Oh, I see. How inconsiderate of me. I'm sorry if this has brought up painful memories for you." She placed a hand on his arm.
He blinked in surprise when she laid her hand on his arm, but made no move to pull away. "Don't apologize. There's no reason to. I wanted to come with you so you wouldn't be alone out here."
She smiled. "Thank you, Roy."
A couple days later, Riza found herself waking up to the sound of what seemed like clanking and clattering of dishes. Regardless, it was loud and disturbing. She grumbled and pulled the covers back from her legs. "What in the world?" She made no move to change out of her pajamas, just grabbed a gun and made her way stealthily down the stairs to investigate.
"Well that can't be right." Roy muttered to himself, watching as the stacked waffles he had tried to turn into a cake leaned further and further to the right. Just when they seemed like they were about to topple, he jumped forward and pushed them back in line. "Maybe more chocolate…" He glanced around the kitchen, looking for where he had left the dish of chocolate frosting he had made. Dishes were scattered everywhere and flour was spilled on the floor. He located the chocolate and drizzled more across the top before he stepped back to admire his creation.
Riza rubbed one of her eyes as she stood in the doorway. "Roy? What exactly are you doing?" She gently set the safety back on her gun and placed it on the counter. Her eyes scanned the disaster that was now her kitchen.
He jumped at the sound of her voice, startled to have been discovered, and turned to face her. "Happy Birthday!" He pushed the thing masquerading as a cake toward her.
She blinked as she examined the "cake". "Oh...oh! Wow, uh, thank you!" She started to smile at him as she reached for a piece of a waffle with chocolate on it to take a bite. Her face nearly contorted in disgust, but she kept smiling as she chewed the horrible tasting concoction that was "cake". She forced the food down her throat. "Roy, you really shouldn't have."
He smiled, obviously pleased with himself. "I couldn't help it. I know you don't usually get to celebrate your birthday, so I wanted to make sure you had something this year. Look, I even got balloons!" He pointed to a corner where he had tied them.
She slowly turned to look at the balloons, then back to the cake. How early did he wake up to do this for her? To get all the supplies and try his hardest to relive one of her happiest memories with her mother? She had never felt more cherished or touched. She was so moved that tears began to form in her eyes and she was afraid to open her mouth to speak, lest she burst into sobs. She wordlessly walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes and letting the tears roll down her cheeks. She buried her face against his chest to do her best to hide them.
He froze, afraid to hug her back and risk being punched again. After a moment, he realized she was crying and let his arms come around her in an effort to comfort her. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you cry...Do you hate it? I promise I'll clean up the mess I made myself.."
She stifled a sob and shook her head against him. "Don't be stupid." she whispered. "This is so, so nice, Roy. Thank you." She kept her face hidden. She didn't like crying at all, much less crying in front of others.
He smiled and rested his chin on top of her head, holding her a bit tighter. "No reason to cry...I just wanted to do something for your birthday since you've done so much for me while I've been here and I know you don't usually get to celebrate. I wanted to make a cake for you like the one you told me about, but I think I failed miserably."
She chuckled, still crying, dammit. "No, no, you get points for trying. I won't forget this." It felt so nice to be held by this man. Too nice. She needed to be careful, but for now, she didn't care.
June 1903
The remainder of Roy's apprenticeship passed by with surprising speed. As his studies progressed, he was kept quite busy, but it had certainly paid off.
The mistletoe incident was never mentioned again aloud, but Roy kept the photo folded neatly in his wallet. A framed print of another photo taken before the kiss was on display in his room. It was the last thing he packed on his final day.
Sighing, he closed his suitcase and took one last glance around the room to be sure he hadn't forgotten anything before making his way downstairs.
He said goodbye to Master Hawkeye first. It was a short meeting as the latter hadn't been feeling well lately and kept confined mostly to his room where he could work on his research in peace.
The hardest goodbye was yet to come, he knew, but Riza was nowhere to be found in the house and his train was scheduled to leave in a few hours' time. He had a suspicion of where he might find her, however, and set off in the direction of her makeshift practice range in the woods.
He heard the sound of her gunfire before he saw her, proving his suspicion to be correct. When he arrived in the clearing, he set his luggage at the base of a tree and leaned back against the trunk, arms folded across his chest as he watched her for a moment.
Riza had on her earmuffs and goggles for safety reasons. Her hair was up in a messy bun. She was wearing jeans and a black shirt. Her breathing was steady as she held the gun, aimed at her target. Over the last year she had decided to invest in an actual stand and some target ring boards to shoot at. Usually she was a little off from the middle. She'd felt more confident shooting at tin cans. She never missed those.
But today, her gaze was focused and her gun didn't shake even a little in her hand. She pointed and aimed at her target board, exhaled, and pulled the trigger. Perfect shot. That made five in a row. She turned the safety back on and gently set the gun on her ammo cart next to her. She removed her goggles and muffs. She could feel eyes on her. And she knew exactly whose.
She turned to face him. He'd grown taller over the last year. He was more handsome than ever. She hadn't brought anything up since the mistletoe moment. She, too, had a framed photo of them smiling. She kept one of their kiss. It was kept in her pocket on her today. It was the best night of her life, even if she had messed up a bit by punching him. She wanted to have the photo with her to remind her that even she, the hermit of this town, could make friends.
Even though she knew she loved him more than life itself, as much more than just a friend.
She would have to let him go. She may never see him again. She'd miss him so much. So, she would always have that photo.
She let her hair down and walked over to him, smirking. "Spying on me, Mustang?"
He smirked. "Didn't think it was a good idea to sneak up on you when you had a gun in your hand, so I figured I'd wait." He pushed off the tree he was leaning on and stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep himself from doing anything stupid.
"You're getting really good," he said, nodding toward the target. "Gives a whole new meaning to your name, Hawkeye." If she wanted to use his surname, two could play that game.
"So you do have sense. It's good to know." She teased. She was quiet a moment. "When does your train leave, again?" She asked. Her expression became a bit solemn.
"Not long now," he said, pulling a pocket watch out and checking the time. He flipped it shut again and looked at her, many thoughts and emotions warring within him. "I'll miss you," is all he said. "Maybe you could come visit me in Central sometime?" He knew it was unlikely, however, given her father's deteriorating health. He knew she wouldn't want to leave him for any length of time.
She frowned a bit and looked away. "If only I could. Perhaps if my father's health improves I can get away." She knew as well as he how unlikely that was. "I'll miss you too." I will not cry, she thought to herself. I will not cry. There was so much she would like to say to him in this moment but the words wouldn't come out. Instead she said, "I'll take you to the train station. I can drive my father's car."
"That'd be great." He forced a smile, though he felt like doing anything but smiling right now. He retrieved his luggage from where it lay at the base of the tree and walked alongside her back toward the house.
"I've applied to the academy," he told her, trying to fill the silence.
She walked slowly on purpose to try and make time pass more slowly. But it was no good. They had reached the car and the keys were in the ignition. "You did? Well. Best of luck on that venture. I hope it works out for you."
"Thank you." The smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "If I am accepted, it'd be nice to have someone other than just my aunt to keep in touch with. I'd like to write to you if that's alright."
She opened the door to the back for him to put his bag in then moved around to the driver's side. "If I don't receive a letter, I will come find you just so I can threaten you with my gun."
This made him laugh. He could see her doing just that. "Deal," he said as he shut the passenger door after him.
A/N: When we originally wrote this story in 2015, the song Photograph by Ed Sheeran was playing on the radio all. the. time. We got rather attached to it because it fit with the mood of the story we were writing and worked well for photograph that will make several more appearances over the course of the story. Give it a listen if you haven't heard it or if it's been awhile since you last heard it.
R&R please! New chapter on the way soon- J&C
