A/N: I had a lot of people ask for Roy and Riza's reunion. I honestly wasn't going to write it and do a time skip, but after thinking about it I decided to write it out! I hope you all enjoy! And thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows.
Date: 11 April, 1917
It had only been an hour or so since Edward had left, but Roy had already found himself missing the younger man's company. And while he appreciated the presence of his men, the fact that Edward had been a direct link to Riza had comforted Roy. Because in some convoluted way, it was almost like having her there with him…
But now that he was gone, Roy had to return to reality and at least force himself to pour over his work again. Only until five, however. Because once the clock struck five, he would be unavailable, already gone to return to his accommodations in order to call her and play catch-up. After all, it was the least he could do for missing the last crucial steps in her recovery…
Glancing up at the clock, he begrudgingly realized that it was after four, meaning that he still had a little less than an hour until he was free. An hour that he knew would drag on for as long as possible. And because he had taken an early lunch to treat Edward for the time he had spent there, he didn't have any other options besides paperwork to make the time pass faster.
Glaring back down at the progress report in front of him, he began to skim over the lines, though he knew he wouldn't absorb them. When he got down to the middle half of the document, a small knock on his door drew his attention away from the words momentarily.
"Yo, boss. I think you may wanna take a look at this," Havoc called.
Without looking up, Roy muttered, "Can it wait until I'm finished reading these reports, Havoc? You know they're due at five today."
He heard Havoc shift, followed by light scratching as the Lieutenant rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't think so, sir. In fact, I think it might help you some.
"You see, the new temp is here and seems real excited about starting work. And," he added with a hint of mischievousness, "She's pretty hot too."
Roy sighed and dropped his pen. "Lieutenant Havoc," he began as he looked up, "I don't want you to start with any comments about—" He stopped when his eyes tracked up to the spot where he thought Havoc had been standing. But instead of seeing the man he had been addressing, he saw a familiar woman; her long, blonde hair tied neatly back in a braid and her left arm bound in a sling around her neck. The thing he noticed most, however, was the sort of excited gleam in her eye as she watched him back, accompanied by a small smile that slowly began to grow the longer their eye contact was maintained.
It was then that Roy realized he had been gawking rather than acknowledging her, too awe-stricken to utter an immediate word of greeting or anything otherwise. Almost feeling as though it were a dream, Roy slowly rose from his chair and began to clumsily stumble around his desk, never breaking eye contact with her once. But after knocking his knee against the desk's corner, which resulted in a quick burst of pain, he came to the realization that it was not, in fact, a dream.
Stumbling over to her, he stopped just in front of her and immediately began to lift a hand to touch her, solidify her realness, but stopped himself when he remembered that Havoc was there as well.
She replied by lifting her hand and giving him a salute. "It's good to be back… Sir."
Every word he had wanted to say to her face-to-face suddenly vanished from his mind, leaving him scrambling. She was there in flesh and blood and steel. Standing in front of him. Tangible and real. No longer just a voice on a phone or a train ride away. But there.
When his voice finally caught, he only managed to stutter, "How did you…? When did you-?"
"Gotcha good didn't we, boss?"
Roy tore his eyes away from Riza to look at a grinning Havoc. "You mean you knew?"
"That's right," Havoc revealed. "The chief was in on it too. We all were."
He looked back at Riza to see that she too was giving him a confirmatory smile. "I apologize for keeping it from you, R—Sir. But I had preferred to keep it a surprise."
A surprise because she had known that he would have opposed it. She knew that he had been reluctant to even bring up the notion of her visiting him there because whenever she brought it up, he would turn the topic around and talk about how he preferred the quiet countryside to the 'lackluster' desert. And while there was some truth to that revelation, he knew that she understood his underlying message.
He feared the day she would return, and he would do anything in his power to assure that she would never have to face the desert again…
"Alright, boss," Havoc interrupted as he put a hand on Riza's shoulder. "I'm going to show her to her dorm. It's a couple doors down from yours, actually."
"I'll go with you," Roy replied quickly as he took a step toward the door. He was blocked, however, when Havoc lifted his free arm to stop him.
The Lieutenant shook his head. "Remember, sir? Your report is due at five today and," he paused to look up at the clock, "It's about thirty minutes to." Roy frowned. The one time Havoc decides toDespite knowing that he was right, Roy still wanted to refuse his not-so-subtle reminder.
His mental turmoil was interrupted when Riza chimed in and offered, "I could visit with you later, sir. Once your paperwork is finished."
Roy shook his head. "No, I don't want to pull you away from your time to get reacquainted to dorm life. Instead, I'd be more than happy to stop by and help you unpack your belongings."
Taking notice of his underlying tone, Riza dipped her head and said, "I would appreciate that, sir. It will give us the opportunity to catch up in person."
Roy returned her gesture in time for Havoc to say, "I'll be back in just a few to help you finish up that report, sir."
"Understood," he replied as his eyes quickly went from Havoc back to Riza.
She gave him one last parting smile before Havoc sidestepped and held the door open for her. Riza accepted his gesture and turned away to follow him, reluctantly, Roy noted to himself.
He remained still and unwavering in his spot until the door closed completely and stood there in stunned silence for a few moments longer, still trying to process the direction his otherwise uneventful afternoon had taken. After Edward had left, he thought that would have been the end of it. That his one physical connection to her was gone until he would be able to return to Resembool once again. But now she was there in the flesh…
Remembering Havoc's words, Roy turned on his heels and strode over to his desk, knowing that the sooner he finished his work, the sooner he would be in her presence again.
As soon as the clock struck five, Roy Mustang was already out of the submission office and halfway up the stairs that led to the dorms. Not even stopping to change out of his unbearably warm uniform, he strode past his room and to the one dorm he knew had been unoccupied. Or at least, had been until late that afternoon.
Stopping in front of it, he lifted his fist and rapped it against the door for a couple of knocks and then stopped to listen. Something inside shifted and a few moments later he heard the sound of bare feet tapping against the wooden floor. After the deadbolts were unlatched, he saw the door open a few inches before it was caught by the chain that had also become standard. Leaning over slightly, he saw a pair of brown eyes peering out at him.
When Riza recognized him, she said, "Just a minute," before closing the door. After she had undone the chain lock, she reopened the door and stepped over to the side to allow him to step inside.
Once he had and she had closed the door behind her, he quickly scanned the room and took notice that there wasn't much to unpack. He noted too that Black Hayate hadn't run to greet her, which meant that he was likely still in the care of Kain Fuery, who had been transferred back to Central shortly after Riza had moved to Resembool in order to help Central Command with their communications network. He supposed it was for the best, especially since the hot desert air had been less than pleasant when the pup had been there before.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw her step around him to head toward the small kitchenette over to the door's left. Before he could think about it, the words, "Why did you come," spilled from his lips. He instantly regretted it when she turned around and looked at him with surprise. Backtracking, he revised his question with another. "What I mean is, aren't you still in a phase of rehabilitation? It must be too early for you."
When the initial shock of his abrupt question wore off, she nodded slowly. "I am, yes. But both Winry and Edward thought it best that I complete it elsewhere. They believed I was ready to move on."
Roy furrowed his brows. None of it seemed to make any sense. She had been decommissioned. She shouldn't even be active duty. So how was it that she was able to be there in the first place?
As though she had read his mind, she explained, "I was removed from active duty, but not dismissed entirely. So when my grandfather told me about how the work here had begun to pile up, I jumped on the opportunity."
"Your grandfather," Roy echoed. When she nodded to confirm, he countered, "I don't mean to discredit you, but the last time I spoke to him he didn't even want you to recommission."
"You're right," she agreed. "He wasn't for it initially. But after discussing it with him a number of times I was able to persuade him."
She used the word 'persuade,' but Roy knew it was just a fancy way of her saying that she had stubbornly refused to remain idle. Unfortunately for him, and her grandfather, her requests were often too hard to ignore because they were so rare. But whenever she did build her case, it was always effective.
Still, her grandfather had made his case countless times as well, rightfully fearing for his granddaughter's safety just as much as Roy feared for her.
"You know why he was so reluctant, Riza," Roy replied softly. "You know why I am reluctant right now."
She closed her eyes and sighed. "I know, Roy. But you and Grandfather need to understand that you cannot hide me away from the world." Opening them again, she looked him in the eye and said, "This is what I want to do. How I want to move forward. And though I respect both yours and my grandfather's wishes, this is something that's for me. I can no longer sit idly and collect dust. I needed to go; I need to live again."
He knew that her words were true, and as much as he wanted to oppose them, he couldn't. Roy knew the day would come where she would return to the world… He just didn't expect that it would have been this soon, or under circumstances such as those. Taking a step toward her, he decided right then and there that if those were the circumstances she was handing him, then he would do everything in his power to assure that she returns to the world with the wind beneath her wings.
Roy shook his head to signify his acceptance of her terms. He lifted a hand and cupped her cheek, and let go of the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "So you're here to stay," he murmured, his words more of a statement than a question.
The corner of her lip lifted up as she shifted her shoulder. "Yes…"
His eyes were instantly drawn to her arm as she slowly raised it. Riza's motions were jerking and unnatural, but well controlled, as her fingers slowly closed around his wrist. Her grip was strong, stronger than what was necessary. But still… The pressure felt secure, comforting. More so than the hand he had placed against her cheek.
It gave him even more evidence to solidify that she was there with him and that he really wasn't dreaming.
His face must have changed its expression because hers softened. "Am I hurting you," she asked as her grip loosened.
"No," he gasped as his other hand shot up and took hold of her forearm in an attempt to keep her there. When the pressure around his wrist returned, he relaxed. "No," he said again, this time more softly. "Your grip is fine. Perfect even."
"I'm glad," she said with a sigh of relief.
His lips turned downward, though, when he was reminded that she hadn't been able to pressure control the last time he had seen her. So much time had passed since then and though they had talked frequently on the phone, he still couldn't help but feel that he was so behind in her progress.
But even if she had progressed so far as to use the limb to perform mundane tasks, there was still the issue with something that could not be eliminated, not matter how much someone trained. He had seen it in Edward when he was in Ishval both times, and he knew that he would see it in her too.
"Your arm," he murmured as he lowered his arm. She loosened her hold on his wrist and began to draw away, but he quickly readjusted and took her hand between his. Rotating it so that it was on his palm, he studied it. Despite the fact that the air was still fairly warm, even in the dorms, her steel hand was cool. He knew that that would not be the case during the hot desert days, especially during midday.
Looking up at her again, he murmured, "Won't you burn yourself?" When she raised her brows, he added, "I just didn't imagine the desert being a place for automail." She seemed surprised by the statement, and that's when he realized what he had said. He backpedaled and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when she shook her head.
She shook her head. "I've already taken steps to make sure that won't happen. Edward especially was instrumental in that department.
"You are right, though," she continued in a hushed tone as she looked down at her hand, watching as he continued to run his thumb over the cold steel. "I don't necessarily belong here, especially with the additional effort I'm going to need in order to preserve my health," she answered. "But," she continued as her steel fingers slowly closed around his hand, "I don't belong in Resembool. Or Central. Not even out East where my hometown is. I realized all of that the last time I saw you…" Looking back up at him and in the eye, she smiled. "I don't belong in those places… Instead, I belong wherever you are. At your side as I always was, and always will be."
Roy shook his head and sighed, though he couldn't suppress the light smile that tugged at his lips. "You're a stubborn one, you know that, Riza Hawkeye?"
She exhaled quietly and murmured, "That's something you've always known about me, Roy."
His fingers closed around her steel hand and he gave her arm a gentle tug toward him. When she stepped forward, he lowered her hand until it was below her waist before dropping it before drawing her into a tight embrace. She wrapped her arms around his hips and pulled herself closer to him, burying her face into his chest.
He closed his eyes and rested his chin on top of her head, breathing in her scent and embracing the warmth of her body pressed up against his. But most of all, he relished in the fact that she was by his side once more. Sighing softly, he tightened his grip on her and murmured, "Welcome home…"