"Don't answer that." Riza didn't look up from her book when she heard Rebecca's key in the lock. She lay on her stomach, a novel open in front of her and a small scowl on her face.
"Why not?" Rebecca eyed the phone curiously as it stopped ringing.
"I'm hoping they'll get the hint and stop calling."
"...who?"
Riza sighed and rolled over onto her back, moving enough to look at Rebecca. "The military. " Becca blinked, tilting her head in an unasked question. "They've been trying to get me to replace my father since the day I turned 18. I think they think I have the secrets to his work, or that I can work it out for them." She laughed bitterly. They had no idea. "It doesn't seem to matter what I say, about once a month I get a rash of calls. Looks like they followed me here, too. Took a little bit at least."
Rebecca, in the middle of changing, paused. "Do they know, about your.." she gestured to her back and Riza shook her head.
"No. If they did I would already be a science experiment. I've tried but I just can't figure out how to get them off my back. Pun very much not intended."
"Why'd they think you'd even be interested in the first place? Or know what he made?" Riza didn't seem the military type. While Rebecca could imagine her on a bad day barking orders and whipping unruly soldiers into shape, it certainly didn't seem like something she would choose or enjoy.
"Best guess, they're desperate to figure out exactly what he created and I'm the only chance they have."
"It's funny, they went after Mustang and Maes too." The past tense gave Riza hope but also piqued her curiosity.
"Why them? I mean...neither are fantastic at following orders, or general listening..." Things that she guessed were requisite for joining.
Rebecca smirked. "Both of 'em were at the top of their class, how Mustang pulled it off I don't know but word around campus is, if you graduated from a prominent secondary school with good marks the Fuhrer at least wants a look at you. They always need to throw more bodies at whatever war we're in that day."
"How'd they get them to stop?"
"Your boy got us kicked out of school, suddenly the little rebels were less appealing." While something she felt like she needed to know more about, that wasn't terribly helpful.
"Jean flew under the radar for a while, since we're from the middle of nowhere. When the recruiters came for him…" Rebecca couldn't finish as she had already started laughing from the memory. When she took a breath, she finished her tale. "He jumped into this mile a minute speech on how much he loved the frogs that secretly ran the country and how much he wanted to help serve them and protect the tadpoles. Half of it was in Xingese. Eventually they hung up, never heard from them again."
"Hopefully I don't have to get quite that creative." Riza paused and glared at her roommate. "He's not 'my boy'."
"Hate to break it to you Rie, but he most definitely is. Come on, you love it." That earned Rebecca a raised eyebrow as her only reply. The closer she got to Roy, the closer she got to worrying about hiding her scars. Feeling any kind of possessiveness or attachement made her nervous and wished they would stop gushing over her.
But...I don't hate it...
She could tell by Becca's face that she was holding back asking something and Riza rolled her eyes, mentally crossing her fingers it didn't have anything to do with her personal life. "What is it?"
She pulled what looked to be an easily 20 pound and 900 page book from behind her back. "Please help me study."
"I've never seen you study before and you go to class less than Roy."
"And now it's coming back to bite me in the ass. What can I bribe you with?"
The phone started to ring and Riza reached under her bed for her shoes. "A cup of tea on the way to the library."
"Deal. Do they really call over and over like that?"
"I made the mistake of picking up the first time so they know I'm here, it should stop soon, I'm sure they have other people to harass."
"Still. What did your dad make?"
"Pray we never find out." Riza wondered how long she'd be able to hide that one but was fairly confident she could die with that particular secret.
Riza took note as they passed by Gracia and Sheska's; the door to the room had been decorated to high heaven, to the extent that the actual piece of wood was nearly invisible through the smiling skeletons and grinning ghosts. "Is that something we're supposed to do?"
About three quarters of their floor had done something similar in the spirit of the approaching holiday and Rebecca and Riza were greeted with ghosts, mummies, and jack o lanterns pasted on doors or sitting out front of the rooms. The communal areas were just as festive and she had caught sight of a list of dorm-wide activities posted in the foyer. She thanked her lucky stars none of them were mandatory.
"Not if you don't want to. I tend to forget. Aaaaaand...speaking of Halloween…"
"I know, I know." She refused to make eye contact, wondering if this was the moment Becca would finally wear her down.
"But you have to get a costume before the party, you can't keep putting it off! You said you already had a plan for an outfit and everything but that was ages ago- and I haven't seen any evidence."
"That was a lie, I don't know what to dress as and was putting you off." Rebecca first appeared shocked but within the same second her eyes lit up. Even though they were nearly outside she turned around and dashed back to the room. Riza wondered if her friend was mad at her, but that was excitement, not rage, on her face. She wasn't sure which one was more worrying.
"...Becca?" She gestured to Riza to wait and came back, minus one textbook but plus one Gracia.
"I had the best idea. Just trust me." Gracia and Riza looked at each other with more than a little hesitation. "First, we need to go shopping." That didn't lessen their hesitation and Rebecca grabbed Riza and Gracia's hands to better drag them with her. Maes, on his way to see Gracia, spotted the girls and heard the words 'fabric store' and 'glitter' bandied about. He had a sinking feeling he was going to be a devil without an angel on his arm at Jean and Heyman's Halloween party and turned back to the dorm to warn Roy.
It took some time to get to the part of town Rebecca was aiming for, but it was a good excuse for Riza to take a better look around Central. She made a mental note to check out a bookstore they'd gone past, along with an antique shop with a vase she couldn't take her eyes off of prominently displayed in the window. She was distracted enough that she had fallen slightly behind, Gracia calling for her snapping her out of her thoughts and forcing her to pick up the pace to match both Rebecca's steps and enthusiasm. She didn't like being kept in the dark and even though her roommate had good intentions she would really rather know what the hell was happening.
"Do you trust me?"
Gracia and Riza looked back and forth between them and only got Rebecca's ire up in the process. "The right answer is yes, now come on!"
"Stop asking if we trust you, you have crazy eyes right now so you won't like the answer." Riza's joke was ignored and the three women disappeared into the store. And didn't surface for over an hour, weighed down with shimmering fabric, containers of glitter and powders, and fake flowers when they did. A flash of a smile from Gracia had one of the shop assistants carry their purchases to the girls' dorm without question and bumped into a confused Roy at the entrance.
"Ah-sorry sir! Um ladies, here are your things, thank you for shopping at Gessner Fabrics! We look forward to your continued patronage!" Something in Roy's eyes must have startled him; the teen was gone before Riza even noticed she'd been handed what would eventually be costume pieces.
"Um...hi?" He tried not to laugh since Riza looked a little frazzled and instead took the supplies off her hands. "Looks like you ladies had an eventful afternoon."
Rebecca snatched a few yards of cloth from his grasp and motioned for Gracia to come with her. "You can bring the rest to our room whenever you're done being gross and cute."
"So I was going to ask if you wanted to go for a drive, but it looks like Catalina's on a rampage." Maes had told him she was up to some kind of mischief and Roy had blown it off, but it seemed that Hughes had been right on the mark.
Roy and Riza hadn't been able to spend much time together outside the rest of the group, managing a few more coffee dates between the constant barrage of papers and tests Riza insisted on actually completing. Granted, his grades had gone up quite a bit as a result but he would've rather being doing many other things, none of them studying.
"She is, I think we're making Halloween costumes tonight." Roy took a look at the sheer choices Catalina had gathered and did not complain. "Also, does Heymans know how….well...you drive?"
"Hey, haven't crashed it yet." Roy followed her into the dorm to drop off their purchases. "I'll tell the others that you three are locked in here making…." He smirked. "...something to put the rest of the girls on campus to shame." Taking the chance of being mocked by Catalina, he leaned down and kissed Riza, giving her a look that clearly said 'call me if you need to be rescued' before being kicked out.
Once they were all alone again, Riza turned her attention to Gracia. "How did you do that? That kid must've walked a mile out of his way and didn't seem to mind. Until Roy scared him."
"You should've seen her before she met Maes. Girl is the most charming person on campus, Roy Mustang included. She just puts it away most of the time. Besides, Maes does anything she asks without her having to use that face." Rebecca waited for Gracia to contradict her. "That man has been hopeless since the moment he saw you."
"It's true." The woman in question sighed in contentment, hoping they'd be able to call it a night so she could see him, even if only for a minute. "What Becca doesn't understand is the concept of how being nice can get you a long way."
Rebecca ignored Gracia. She was plenty nice.
"Ok, so I'm thinking Riza in the blue, Gracia in the green, and me in the purple. Any questions?"
They had thousands but wanted to see where it would go so instead Riza and Gracia each started on the tasks delegated to them.
Even though she felt ridiculous Riza had to admit all three of them would look pretty damn good. She had some serious doubts but as Rebecca's ideas started to come together, her friends agreed to the group outfit more enthusiastically and put more work into getting them done in time. Three days for three handmade outfits was ambitious enough that only the three of them could pull it off.
"You're lucky we know how to sew." Riza teased, putting the finishing touches on her own dress while Gracia did Rebecca's.
"I'm even luckier that you went along with this." Becca was busying herself getting things ready for their makeup and hair and dolling out accessories to match each breezy, barely there dress.
When there was no more work to do they took stock of their handiwork, got dressed, and were rightly impressed with themselves. They didn't have much time to be proud; they were already running a little behind and still had makeup to take care of. Riza hated not being on time and at this point they were absolutely going to be late to the party.
"Rebecca, this skirt is still awfully short." She had given up getting that to change the previous night, but really? The look of indignation when Riza had attempted to adjust the hem had taken her more than a little by surprise, with a promise that there was a reason.
"Oh, trust me." There was that terrifying glint in her eye again.
"I've been doing a lot of trusting you lately and it's ended with me in a tiny skirt dressed as a goddess." That was apparently the theme they were going for, though they could be any kind of gossamer beauties from fairies to sprites to, realistically, whatever they decided. No one was going to question who they were supposed to be once anyone laid eyes on them.
"And you look like one too!" Rebecca wasn't to be reasoned with, while Riza's face betrayed her uncertainty, even more so when she realized it was nearly time to head out. She had been stressed about being on time but now she wasn't ready to leave the comfortable, safe confines of their room. The colour choices set out for them seemed fairly arbitrary, as they were all subtle, barely pastel shades covered in lace and occasionally nearly translucent chiffon.
The costumes were similar, with small alterations to suit each girl. All three were slightly scandalous but Riza had the high collar she required, the coverage on her back mitigated by the blue lace panel that ran from her collar down to the high waist of her dress, making up for the opaque back and showing more cleavage than Riza had ever dared. The skirt didn't even make it past her fingertips and her lack of sleeves made her feel very, very exposed.
Gracia's, showing all the back that Riza wasn't, had added pale gold bell sleeves as an accessory to her halter-style dress. Not connected to her outfit at all, they started at her elbows and ran down to her wrists, any movement casting slightly surreal trails and making her look like an actual deity. Rebecca had gone the farthest, being the bravest of the three. Her dress was barely that, having discarded the idea in favor of two pieces of dusty purple, a skirt that made Riza more comfortable about her own hem and tiny matching top with silver guaze flowing behind her like a cape, perilously connected to her strapless, what could only be vaguely considered, top. She had an inch of toned midriff showing and it was clear Rebecca was confident in her appearance, preening in the mirror and winking at herself.
"You're going to blow him away. I can't wait to see Roy Mustang at a loss for words, I don't think that's ever happened before." Riza glanced at Gracia, who was applying a light dusting of glitter across her cheeks, but got a nod in agreement, along with a request to keep still.
Rebecca was taking care of her own hair, giving running commentary while pinning delicate plastic flowers in the curls piled on top of her head. Gracia's shorter hair had stumped her for a moment, until she found something that actually made her hair sparkle on its own just by spraying it. Gracia had pointed out it would never come out and she'd be glittering until they were old and gray but being Gracia, didn't complain and just let it happen. Her light brown hair bounced any light off it and in tandem with the gold accents made it hard to look away from her.
"Maes is going to have a heart attack. None of the guys are prone to speechlessness, this is going to be fun." Becca was completely certain in her assumptions and had been making them before the first stitch was sewn.
Riza's hair had been curled slightly so it fell in waves down her back, and a sort of crown made out of a string of pearls rested on her otherwise loose hair. One more round of shimmer for everyone and they were out the door, Riza tugging on her dress a little when Becca wasn't looking. The guys were waiting for them out front, for god only knows how long, and it took them all a minute to pick their jaws up off the sidewalk. Havoc wasn't even mad that he was only one half of what was going to be an outlaw's couple costume, or how long they had waited. He had the hottest girl on campus.
Becca laughed loudly as they tried to gather their wits. "We decided to go a new direction with our costumes."
Maes was able to snap out of it first and went to Gracia, declaring her the most radiant woman who had ever existed, and that included the goddesses they were dressed as. He was marveling at how much she sparkled and was pretty much lost to the rest of the group. Jean was much more direct, knowing Becks knew she looked hot but making sure to tell her nonetheless and earning squeals of delight from his over the top compliments. Roy was frozen even as his friends approached their dates, just staring at Riza and making her self conscious without knowing or being able to help it.
"Becca, you killed Roy." Jean could tell there was no question who had designed the costumes. Short skirts weren't exactly Riza's style but Mustang's love of miniskirts was a pretty consistent point of teasing and they had been right about how long Riza's legs went on for. Which was way longer than Roy was prepared for.
"Let's leave them to catch up for a bit." Maes smirked, shaking his head at Rebecca as he took Gracia's hand.
"That was low babe." Jean said, grinning as well and giving her a high five while they left with Maes and Gracia.
With her friends gone Riza was even less confident in her appearance. "I look ridiculous." She said it with a small chuckle, knowing that was how it was going to end up when Rebecca took the helm, but she couldn't read the look in his eyes to tell if he was thinking the same and instead looked away. Roy was almost too good looking and she didn't know if she was lucky or deeply the opposite to be on the arm of a maskless Phantom of the Opera. It would only make her look more laughable in comparison.
Riza didn't have the time to finish figuring out how embarrassed to be; by the time she got the guts to face Roy he was already in front of her, the kiss unexpected and sending a familiar shiver down her spine as he cupped her face in his hands to bring her closer.
In the back of her mind Riza remembered they were in front of the building and easily swung around the corner for a little privacy, taking Roy by surprise. He wasn't expecting a slap exactly, but certainly not this reaction. Riza had never taken the initiative before, and reacted to her forwardness they way he knew he would- with very little self control. He pressed her against the brick wall of the building, careful enough not to rip her flimsy outfit but just barely. The clatter of her headdress hitting the pavement didn't register for either of them, nor any other potential damage to their wardrobes.
She regained her senses quicker than Roy and when she pulled away her cheeks were tinted pink underneath the glitter. She hadn't noticed they were getting carried away with themselves until she'd started on the buttons on his vest. It seemed that both had weaknesses that had been exploited and if she knew it would be used against her, she never would have lent Gracia a copy of her favorite novel.
Riza straightened his hair, noting how red Roy was as well as she fixed his waistcoat. He retrieved the fallen pearls from the ground, adjusting them accordingly. His own hair was a lost cause and he wondered why he tried to flatten it at all, it never worked and the best case scenario involved Riza messing it up anyway. After a few deep breaths and glances, Roy laced his fingers through Riza's and started towards the party. She might not, but he was going to catch hell and so much mocking for coming in late and disheveled.
"You look beautiful, for the record."
"I got that feeling you might think that." She still felt like she looked silly but she saw other jaws drop as they went and observed Roy become slightly more annoyed each time. It seemed she was the only one who thought her costume was subpar.
"Becca put a decent sum on you getting into trouble tonight." Riza murmured, ignoring a catcall and squeezing his arm hard enough to get him to not jump the guy and keep walking.
Even if it wasn't Riza who thinks that's ok? I swear... He was still trying to be the best possible Roy in front of her so he bit his tongue and kept walking, even if she was the one who was steering him away from fisticuffs. Though, he did let go of her hand and wrap his arm around her shoulders, giving Riza the opportunity to slide her's around his waist. He was catching a few looks himself in his phantom of the opera suit and cape, his missing mask only showing that both sides of his face were equally attractive. If it hadn't been on purpose Riza had a feeling Maes had something to do with the missing piece of his costume; they couldn't seem to stop messing with the other and she found herself envious of their friendships. Reminding herself she was a part of it was taking her longer to acclimate to and accept than any of the others understood, Roy most of all.
It wasn't anything to look at, but the two story townhouse had a small backyard and, as Rebecca pointed out, space enough inside for a decent number of party guests. The carpeted floors had seen better days, mostly spilled drinks and a short episode involving Havoc adopting a squirrel. There had been an attempt at decoration, mostly things from the school and pictures of the group. She'd noticed that there were quite a few of them, at the house and in her dorm, Roys, and Gracia's, and wondered how they could afford to take so many photographs, but it was always the 6 of them without fail. Rebecca hadn't been kidding about it fitting a lot of people, the house was packed that night. Though the upstairs was blocked off and gave a bit of breathing room for any close friends that would need it.
The house was overflowing with attendees when they arrived, earning a frown from Roy. They hadn't wasted that much time, had they?
Waste isn't exactly the right word….but yes, their friends had beaten them but a not-small margin.
"I need to fix my watch." Roy muttered, a thought that crossed his mind regularly and something he never did anything about...he'd lose a valuable excuse for his consistent tardiness if he did after all.
"Didn't think you two would make it." Rebecca's wink was exaggerated and she had been preparing to continue, but Riza looked flustered so she decided to save her teasing for when she got Mustang alone. "I see you approve of our new costumes." Roy coughed but composed himself.
"Somehow I have a feeling you tried to make sure we wouldn't get here."
Rebecca managed to keep her face blank. "You're the one with the mini skirt thing."
"I don't have a thing." He tried to defend himself, albeit lamely.
Maes looked at his watch pointedly. "Yeah, not at all."
"Come on, let's get something to drink." Riza suggested, giving her roommate a look that demanded an explanation. So that was why her dress was cut so short...
Rebecca disappeared and came back with drinks for them, the others having spotted Roy and Riza enter and gathering around with their own glasses. "Here's to not getting arrested!" Roy raised his cup and Riza, Breda, Catalina, Havoc, Gracia and Maes did the same. "Or staying out of jail!"
Riza downed her drink with the rest but eyed them warily. "That's worryingly specific."
"That's the cheer, every year!"
"It's good luck." Breda finished Havoc's sentence for him.
"And how does that work out?"
A look passed between Roy, Hughes, Havoc, and Rebecca.
So, not well then.
"This is a story I want to hear." Riza said with a laugh, but knew they would put it off. A lot had happened before she had met her friends and at some point was going to force them to tell her at least one of the crazy stories sometimes alluded to. She still didn't' even know why they had been suspended. They were goofy, but in general harmless, if too smart for their own good.
They made their way through the house, Roy greeting everyone like he owned the place and Riza eventually peeling off to get a glass of water. Someone needed to keep some modicum of a clear head, though she was also determined to have a good time. They'd been there for longer than she'd lasted at any other party she'd attempted to attend and she wasn't dying to leave. It was a nice, though definitely tipsy, feeling.
Gracia met her in the kitchen, pouring a glass for herself and topping off Riza's. She'd momentarily lost Maes, who had gone to get another round for them and didn't return. "Sorry about the whole…. costume thing. You look fantastic, though."
"Sorry about Roy's, you mean." Neither could pretend to be annoyed or taken aback. Gracia had done a damn good job on both of them.
"You told me all about how much you loved that novel, and trust me, you don't want to know what his first idea was."
"What…" Riza didn't even finish the question, instead completing the thought with a sigh. She might be new to the group but it was obvious they were up to something when Hughes' bellowing laugh carried down the hall. Jean yelled an affirmation just as loudly, quickly followed by a cheer from Rebecca. She ticked her eyes up just in time to see 5 troublemakers disappear up the stairs just beyond the kitchen. Both were silently debating whether or not to get involved when they heard Havoc yell for Hughe's help getting the window open.
"Oh dear, this again." Gracia gestured for Riza to follow her, and they ducked under the "No Guests Allowed" sign at the foot of the stairs. it took them all of 5 seconds to catch up with Roy, Maes, Jean, Breda, and Becca.
They didn't have access to the roof, something Jean and Heymans constantly lamented, and every time trying was mentioned it was quickly shut down. They did technically have roof space, but getting there wasn't terribly ideal, something Riza was quickly discovering.
The stairs turned halfway, creating a landing with a high bannister on one end and the not-terribly-large window against the wall. She could see that there was something solid on the other end, but how did they expect to get there? The window was probably 4 feet off the ground…
Maes and Jean had already made quick work of the window, pushing the glass up and out of their way.
"This never ends well." Gracia got their attention, the group of them looking at her like they'd been caught and chastised by their mother. It wasn't like she was going to stop them, of course, she'd join in, but she felt like she at least had to say it.
It was easy for Jean and Maes to get out, simply hopping up on the sill and bending so they could get their considerable frames through the window. Gracia handed Maes her shoes while she jumped up, Havoc grabbing her waist to help her slip through. Breda and Roy followed, each having their own tactic while Rebecca followed Gracia's lead and let Jean help her.
"It's not graceful but it works!" Roy grinned and leaned out, holding his hand to Riza to get her out there with the rest of them. She took in the dimensions of the area again and, shaking her head to get him out of the way, took a small jump from the edge of the banister, and successfully landing on the ledge, eased herself outside
"Woah Riza the Gymnast!" Breda high fived her and she shook her head.
She tried to suppress a smile; she hadn't expected it to go quite so smoothly, especially taking her outfit into account. Her shoes were abandoned on the landing, but otherwise she was pleased with herself. Riza straightened her dress and got her bearings. The roof was smooth and felt solid underfoot, more than she had been expecting from something that required so much effort to get to. Taking a glance around, she noticed one of the reasons Gracia had had that defeated look in the kitchen. The space wasn't small, about 7x20, but there were no rails or barriers to keep their drunken loved ones from tumbling down to the backyard below.
"How many people have fallen off here?" Riza looked over the edge while Rebecca came up and roughly wrapped her arm around her shoulders, declaring her love for her roommate and throwing said roommate off balance and earning a rare Riza-glare. The grass was lush under them and close enough that she couldn't imagine anyone breaking any bones, though bruises and dignity were probably on the line. There were cans of beer set close to the window...someone knew they'd end up on the roof, and probably for a while. Riza didn't mind, as long as no one got hurt.
"More than a few. Well. Maybe two, if you don't count your boyfriend. Mustang!" She shouted and got his attention, pulling him away from what looked like a dramatic reenactment of something with Hughes. "How many times did you fall off this thing?"
"I...I don't want to talk about it!" He shouted back, counting on his fingers and then laughing with the others joining him. It was a rare moment for him, acknowledging the level of dumbass he could reach when he let his guard down around his friends. But he had taken a couple tumbles and there was no way around that fact.
Gracia shivered as a gust of wind kicked up and Maes was immediately at her side, chiding himself for bringing the girls outside. Earning three death glares from girls who could make their own choices. It was getting cold, though, so their party on the roof was cut short. Gracia and Maes were the first to duck back through the window, Maes nearly falling in the process. The others followed suit, but Roy and Riza lingered behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she let her arms rest on his shoulders, her fingers laced behind his neck.
"Sorry." He shook his head, though Riza shook hers right back.
"For what?"
"For any stories you might hear." Riza cocked her head to the side. Tipsy Roy said this sort of thing sometimes, but she never really got why. The "stories" were goofy, making him out to be a dork more than a jerk or whatever he thought he was.
"I've heard plenty, and I'm still here." Roy bit his lip. She made a solid point and he mumbled 'lucky' under his breath and he rested his chin on the top of her head, sighing in contentment. They were happy there in their own space, though she was ready to join the festivities whenever he was. She'd spotted Rose and wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked but she'd lost the other woman in the crowd when her friends had found her and Roy. As if on cue, their moment alone was disrupted.
"Roy Mustang you're a dead man!" He didn't move a muscle but a small sigh ruffled her hair.
"What'd you do to Jean?"
Roy let go of her to hold his hands in mock surrender. "For once, I have no idea." He peered over the edge of the roof and sure enough, Havoc was standing in the backyard staring daggers up at him. He casually sat down, feet dangling as he leaned back comfortably on his hands for support. Riza stayed back just behind him, more or less ready to pull him back from a fall. Apparently there was a solid chance of it.
Havoc stopped when he realized he had his attention and gestured to his breast pocket followed by a pat down of his pants. "You stole my smokes!" He'd obviously managed to have a few more drinks than they had, though Becca giggling behind him seemed to indicate that Riza was the one behind more than the rest being ahead.
"Did not." Roy countered easily. "Why would I?"
Havoc hadn't thought through that far and paused. "Fire!"
"Havoc, I did not steal your cigarettes because of 'fire'. Not everything I do involves arson, you know. 600 cenz says they fell out of your pocket."
Riza took a quick look around and saw the package right outside the window. She picked it up and gestured to Roy, who waved her off with a conspiratorial grin. "Maybe they ran away. Don't want you smoking anymore, just like the rest of us."
Havoc threw up his hands and retreated back into the house. Rebecca stayed and Riza stepped close to the edge and tossed them down to her. Roy and Becca both started cracking up until a particularly hard chuckle sent him reeling slightly. Riza held out her hand. "Come on, I'd rather you not fall. It would certainly put a damper on the night." People thought she was serious but Riza's sense of humor was one of his favorite well-kept secrets.
"Good idea. Thanks for watching my back." He grinned and she just shook her head a little, wondering how he'd managed to survive before her if this was his MO.
"So it was Rebecca's idea to change your costumes?" He asked, sliding out of the window and waiting on the other side, stubbornly standing in the way so he could help Riza down. "Nevermind, of course it was." He mumbled under his breath, something he'd been doing quite a lot of that night. Riza decided to let that one go and started down the steps at his side, his hand lingering on her waist while they did. She gave him a smile and a wink of out the corner of her eye, something that made his heart stop without fail.
The others, when they were able to find them spread throughout the throng of guests, were all varying levels of destroyed and even though she was tipsy and Roy was certainly drunk they were going to have a much easier morning than their friends. Riza finally found Rose, both women gushing over each other in unison while their boyfriends just looked on adoringly, though during the conversation she noted Roy had disappeared. Riza was fairly certain he'd either reappear or make himself known. She barely noticed how comfortable she was making conversation until Rose mentioned how glad she was that Riza had made friends so fast.
Gracia sidled up to her, giving her regards to Rose and asking for the pattern for her ornate dress for the next Halloween, with a rare gleam in her eye that was usually reserved for late night gossip. Riza saw the reason soon enough. She had gotten Sheska, who was dressed as a mouse, to start talking to another timid looking freshman, dressed as some kind of mechanical person. Both were blushing like their lives depended on it but Gracia was working her magic. By the time Riza looked away Gracia was gone, handing them each a cup, and leaving them to a spirited conversation.
Havoc came out of nowhere, at Roy's side before he could blink, and Roy wasn't sure what he should be prepared for. Instead his friend hung his head. "Sorry man."
"Still want to kill me?"
"Definitely less than the time you got me locked out on that balcony in the girl's dorm." They started to reminiscence/argue, the way the group seemed to do most things. Riza, having finally found Roy but not feeling terribly like part of the conversation, retrieved a drink and meandered to the backyard in lieu of joining back with the group. It was cold enough that most everyone had been chased inside, and only a few dedicated smokers remained huddled by the entryway and trying to make as quick work of their cigarettes as they could. She ventured further, leaning against the low fence that separated the property from the many others like it. It wasn't much of an escape from the noise inside; every house was having its own party, but it was a good break from the crush of people in Heyman and Jean's house. She could only handle crowds for so long and people kept pouring in. It was clear that theirs was the place to be.
She wasn't alone for long, though. That was another thing to adjust to...usually she would be guaranteed space until she reached out for someone, which hadn't ever actually happened, but the "Team" was slightly different. If she disappeared, someone always came looking.
"You ok, Riza?" She nodded before turning to look at Maes.
"I'm fine, just needed a little air." Her smile assured him that she was telling the truth. And she actually was. "Are you ok?" He looked slightly frazzled and even as he nodded, he took a glance over his shoulder inside.
"I only took my eyes off 'em for a second-" Riza bit back a laugh, not sure where this was about to go. "-but when I looked again Roy and Becca were doing shots. He was saying he'd take two for every one that she did, and as far as things ending well,"
"This isn't one of those things. Thank you, Maes." He nodded and turned, ambling back to the party and trusting she'd figure things out. He hadn't seen Gracia for at least 5 minutes and was missing her as only a drunk Hughes could.
"Tell him he's lucky to have you or else I woulda let them keep this up." He yelled over his shoulder. Everyone was telling her how lucky he was. At one point she was going to need someone to explain exactly why.
The cheering got louder and louder as she approached the dining room. Many too many people were cheering on her roommate and boyfriend in a competition, one that she was going to have to deal with the aftermath of. He stopped as soon as he saw her, half an ounce of whiskey running down the front of his costume. Becca finished hers successfully and threw a shot glass on the table in triumph.
"Ha! Told you I'd win!" Roy opened and closed his mouth like he was ready to say something but changed his mind. She took the final glass in front of him, downing it herself to the cheers of their friends. She did the same to the last shot in front of Rebecca, and that earned her raised eyebrows from her now very inebriated loved ones.
"Let's call that preliminary damage control. And a draw."
Rebecca started to whine and Havoc, even with her cranky as she was, got her to leave when he mentioned dancing. Riza linked her arm with Roy's and he looked down at her, her cheeks flushed from the cold and his from the sudden spike in drinks.
"I'm not going to ask how many you both knocked back in the time it took Maes to find me."
"Catalina did 6 so I did 12. Well, 11, since you took that one. Thank you, most likely."
"You're definitely welcome."
As Jean and Rebecca left the room, he saw a cloud of jet black hair duck around a corner.
If she does a single damn thing… He thought about mentioning it to Roy but it wasn't worth it. She wasn't following them and he'd be way too pissed off for it not to be exhausting. Rebecca's insistence on dancing drew him out of his thoughts and the near encounter slipped his mind for good.
Rebecca stayed at Jean and Heyman's, leaving their room free. Roy passed out as soon as he hit the bed and Riza took his shoes off before washing off her makeup and getting more comfortable. She nudged Roy enough to clear a space for her and when she woke up, based on the knot in her neck they didn't seem to have moved a muscle.
"Rize, am I dead?" Roy stirring must have been what had woken her.
"I don't believe so."
"Are you sure?" His whine was pitiful, arm over his eyes to block out the sun and lips in a visible pout. Riza got up and closed the blinds, finding a glass of water and setting it on the nightstand before sliding back under the covers.
"Communing with the dead isn't a talent of mine. Besides," she tapped his chest. "You feel corporeal enough to me."
"That was...too many shots. How many?"
"According to you, 11 in the span of 5 minutes. Honestly I'm surprised you're alive." He moaned again. so he hadn't been imagining it, he really did accept a challenge from Catalina.
"I think I need more sleep." His tone was clear, nearly pleading, that she stay with him even though she was a notorious early riser.
"Then you're lucky it's Sunday." She adjusted the pillows and closed her eyes while Roy, already ¾ asleep, buried his face in her hair. " 'smazing". He stopped moving almost immediately but he had a pulse so she wasn't terribly concerned.
Certain he was sleeping, Riza cuddled up and let herself relax and idly play with his hair. She loved how it felt in her fingers and how close it made her feel to him. "Used the word 'boyfriend' to describe you today." She said it quietly, against the sleeping man's chest. "Only in my head but it sounded nice."
"That's cause I want to be your boyfriend, my beautiful girlfriend." She nearly sat up in shock, completely sure that he was passed out, but he just curled around her and, with another headache induced moan, fell asleep. That mumble was the last she heard before she dragged him out of bed at 2pm.
A/N: Another chapter down, plenty more to go! hope you all enjoyed my tribute to the infamous Travis Drinking Story ;) Shoutout to my beta, the Peter Parker to my Tony Stark, PurpleMaple! ~Allison
