Roy held Riza's hand and guided her through the busy streets of Central City.
"I can't believe you grew up here," Riza said, looking around amazed. "I've never seen so many people before in my life!"
Roy laughed at her expression. "You're such a country girl, Riza. Like you said, there's a whole world out there. Come on, we're almost there."
They arrived at his aunt's bar, empty at this time of day. Roy burst in with Riza in tow, and his aunt came out from the back to meet them. "Roy-boy!" she cried, and pulled her red-faced nephew into a bear hug. Riza was nervous. From all she'd heard about the woman, she was formidable, and she was just as intimidating as she'd imagined. She was large and stocky and ostentatiously dressed, with a long cigarette in her hand, and she smelled of tobacco and cheap perfume.
"And you must be Riza," the woman said and pulled her into a bear hug as well before Riza could reply. "I heard about your father, poor dear. I'm so sorry child," she said patting her back. She broke away and took a drag on her cigarette.
"Thank you, ma'am," Riza said shakily, surprised by the warm and familiar greeting.
"Well it's wonderful to finally meet you my dear; Roy's been raving about you for years. I'm Madame Christmas."
"Riza Hawkeye. It's nice to meet you too."
"So when's the wedding?" Madame Christmas asked abruptly, and Riza looked down.
"Actually, aunt, about that," said Roy embarrassed, "Riza changed her mind."
"She did, did she?" Madame Christmas looked at the two of them and began to laugh gruffly. "Good for you, honey," she said to Riza, clapping her on the shoulder. Roy reddened but Riza broke a smile.
"I like this girl, Roy-boy. You're going to have to hold on to her." She took another drag on her cigarette and turned back to Riza. "So what are you going to do now, dear? Are you planning on staying in Central? If you're looking for a job, I could always use another girl around here. You're certainly pretty enough."
"She doesn't want to be a hostess, aunt," Roy began, but Madame Christmas cut him off with a raised hand.
"Let the girl speak for herself, Roy" she said. "You'd think I never taught the boy any manners," she said to Riza apologetically.
"It's alright," Riza said smiling. "Thank you for the kind offer, but I've decided to enlist in the military."
"Have you now? That's too bad. Well best of luck to you dear."
"Thank you."
When they left, Madame Christmas gave them both big hugs. "You'll have to come back and visit me a lot, dear. And good luck with this one," she said to Riza, winking. Riza laughed and promised to visit, and the two said goodbye.
"I like her," declared Riza as they walked back to their hotel.
"Of course you do. Now you have someone to gang up on me with," said Roy in mock misery.
"That's right, Roy-boy."
He grimaced. "Please don't call me that."
Riza laughed and slid her arm through his. "You know, technically I didn't change my mind."
"About what?"
"Marrying you. I never actually said I would, because you never actually proposed to me."
"What? Of course I did." He stopped and rubbed his chin. "I'm almost certain I did."
"Nope. You never did."
"I proposed to you before I left to join the military."
"No, you said you were going to ask my father when you got back, but you never asked me."
"Well, I know I asked you a few days ago, after you showed me your tattoo."
"No, you just started talking about when and where we'd get married, as if it were already decided."
"I really never asked you? I'm sorry, I really thought I had." She laughed at the confused look on his face. "Well, I can fix it," he said and taking her hand he dropped to one knee on the sidewalk.
"Roy!" she said, looking quickly around embarrassed at the passersby.
"Riza Hawkeye," he said, looking in her eyes. "Will you marry me?"
"No!" she said. "Now get up!" She pulled him to his feet and dragged him down the street behind her, bright red, to escape the stares of the onlookers. He followed her laughing.
They had dinner in the hotel restaurant. "I still can't believe you turned me down in public like that," Roy said petulantly.
"You deserved it for asking me in the middle of the street. And you knew I would say no," Riza retorted.
"Fair enough," he conceded, and took a bite of salad. "So tomorrow morning I'll take you to headquarters and you can enlist. Then I'll have to go back to the barracks. Are you going to be okay on your own?"
"Of course I will," she said glaring at him. She looked down and tore at her bread, then looked back at him with a softer expression. "What's going to happen?"
"They'll give you a physical. Then you'll have to take some fitness tests. Running and so forth, you'll do great. Then they'll assign you a bunk in the barracks and enroll you in the military academy."
"Okay," she said and picked at her food.
"Don't be nervous. They let me in and you can kick my butt, remember?" She smiled at this. "And you know you don't have to do this if you don't want to," he said softly.
"Don't start with that again, Roy. I've made up my mind."
"Okay," he said smiling, putting up his hands in surrender.
After dinner they went up to their hotel room. Roy took off his military uniform jacket and hung it in the closet. Riza put her arms above her head and stretched. "I'm going to take a shower, okay?"
"Am I invited?"
"No," she said blushing. He smirked at her and she went into the bathroom quickly.
She stood under the hot water and regretted not letting him come in with her. This was all so new to her. She'd been so embarrassed when they checked into the hotel and Roy had asked for one room instead of two. In her hometown, if an unmarried couple had shared a room in the inn, the whole town would be gossipping about it by the next day. But the hotel receptionist here didn't blink an eye.
She closed her eyes and sighed. When she turned the water off, she could hear snapping sounds coming from the room that told her Roy was practicing flame alchemy. She toweled off and walked out barefoot in a bathrobe. "Try not to burn the building down, okay?" she teased Roy.
He grinned at her from his position on the floor, and tried another transmutation. This time there was no snap, and the spark went out immediately. "I think the steam from the shower is making it too humid in here," he sighed. "Can I look at your tattoo again?"
She grinned at him mischievously. "You're just trying to get me to take my robe off."
"It's definitely a perk," he agreed. "Come on, I really need to check something."
"Fine," she sighed. She sat cross-legged on the bed facing away from him and slipped her arms out of the sleeves of the robe, exposing her back.
He sat behind her with one leg tucked beneath him and traced the lines of text on her back as he read. He nodded to himself. "Just as I thought." Then he grinned devilishly and reached his arms around her to grab her breasts.
She slapped his hands. "You're the worst!"
"Am I?" he asked laughing, and ignoring her slaps, began tickling her stomach.
Riza giggled. "Stop it!" she cried and grabbed his hands. Out of breath, she twisted in his arms to kiss him. She wrapped his arms around her and let go. He massaged her breasts in his hands and kissed her neck and she sighed in pleasure. He untied her robe and reached down between her legs.
"You're all wet," he whispered in her ear. "Were you thinking about me in the shower?"
She shivered to feel his breath on her ear. "Maybe," she responded playfully. She turned and straddled him, pushing the bathrobe away.
"God, you're beautiful," he sighed. She smiled at the look on his face, grabbed his collar and kissed him. He ran his hands over her body, from the fullness of her breasts, down her ribcage as it tapered to her waist, and then over the swell of her hips to her butt and thighs. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, feeling the muscles in his arms. She rose to her knees to pull his undershirt over his head, putting her breasts on the same level as his face. He put his hands on her waist to keep her there and kissed her breast and pulled it into his mouth. He flicked her nipple with his tongue and reached between her legs again, pawing clumsily between her lips. She sighed.
"Touch me like this," she corrected, guiding his fingers to her clitoris.
"Like this?" he asked, rubbing the spot lightly, and looking up at her.
"Hmm…" she murmured, tilting her head. "Almost."
He smiled at her expression. "Why don't you just show me?"
She blushed. "Okay." He moved his hand, and she replaced it with her own. She held onto his shoulder for support and touched herself awkwardly at first, embarrassed. She closed her eyes and pretended he wasn't there, which was difficult because he kept touching and teasing her nipples. She rubbed her clit in little circles with her middle finger. It felt different; she was much more slippery than when she did this by herself. Soon it no longer mattered that he was watching her. Her chest flushed, she started to sweat, and her legs grew weak, so she had to sit back down on his lap. She felt him slide a finger inside her and gasped, then leaned back a little to give him a better angle. Involuntarily, her face alternated between smiling and pressing her lips together. She could feel it coming and rubbed herself faster and harder. She moaned deep in her throat as she orgasmed then shuddered and fell forward into his arms.
"That was unbelievably sexy," Roy whispered as he hugged her. She smiled, and felt his hard-on pressing against her.
"We have to do something about this now," she said grinning playfully at him as she stroked him through his pants. She unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants and got on her knees on the floor and pulled him to the edge of the bed and pulled his pants and underwear off. She took him in her hand and kissed his head, then licked her lips and smiled up at him again, teasing him. She held him in her hand and wrapped her lips around him. She moved her mouth up and down and he moaned and put his hands in her short blond hair. She continued to suck him, gagging once when she got too ambitious, until he gasped for her to stop. She sat back on her heels and he replaced her mouth with his hands and stroked himself and came, making a mess in his lap.
She brought him a towel from the bathroom. "You know, I don't mind if you do it in my mouth."
"Really?" He asked, wiping himself up. "I thought it would be rude."
"No," she said smiling.
"Okay," He smiled back and hugged her. "My turn to shower. Would you like to join me?"
She grinned. "Sure."
The next morning she woke up in Roy's arms. He was still asleep and she could feel his breath against the back of her neck. She turned over to watch his face. My sweet, beautiful boy, she thought. She gently pushed his hair back and kissed his forehead.
The light outside was grey and she could hear it softly raining. Today she would join the military.
