AN: I couldn't not post a new chapter of my favourite fic to write to date on my birthday ;) I hope you enjoy this one! Papa Roy is here to stay and I am living for it [insert heart eyes]

Response to guest reviews are at the end

Roy turned to the child currently under his care. He had looked after his adopted siblings for years. James would be no different. He had always enjoyed the role of being a big brother. As they entered his apartment, he slipped back into it with ease.

"So, James. What do you want to do first?"

The boy pondered the question. He looked so much like his mother while thinking. The slight frown was identical. "Can we go to the park?"

"Of course we can." Roy placed James' rucksack on the floor next to his couch. "Grab your rain jacket and get ready. I'll get organised and we will leave in ten, okay?"

"Leave in ten?" he repeated quietly to himself, his frown deepening in his confusion.

Roy stared at him, trying to figure out the reason for the confusion. "Oh," he stated, finally noticing his word choice. "We will leave in ten minutes." The frown gave way to a grin and he nodded. Roy left him to it as he retrieved his own rain jacket, gloves, and hat. He retrieved his phone which had been charging on his bedside table. A small green light blinked at the top of the phone, indicating he had a notification. Opening it, he was surprised to see it was a text from Riza.

If you need anything just let me know. If he becomes too much trouble or you need to go somewhere just give me a call and I'll come home.

He smiled to himself. They hadn't even seen each other the past week. Not after their conversation last Saturday. A conversation that still made his stomach twist and his heart ache slightly. He had fallen for her. Big time. And the thought of pushing her away just intensified the pain.

But it was for her own good.

It always fucking was.

"Ready!" James called, sounding triumphant.

Shaking off those thoughts that had become like shackles recently, he replied.

Will do, thanks. No need to fear, fun neighbour Roy is here.

After hitting send he re-entered the hall and, sure enough, James stood in the living room doorway ready to go in his jacket.

"Gloves?" Roy asked, retrieving his own from another jacket in the hall. James nodded with a grin, waggling his fingers in demonstration. "Scarf?" The boy tugged at the accessory around his neck. "Hat?" His smile wavered and he all but dove for his bag. After rummaging, he pulled out a neon green woolly hat. "Well, at least I won't lose you while you are wearing that hat."

"That's what Mum says too," he frowned, still not quite understanding. "But it is my favourite hat."

Roy locked the apartment door behind them as he chuckled to himself. "Your Mum is right and you have excellent taste in hats."

The park was understandably empty as they pulled up into the parking lot. Just a few months ago the place had been mobbed. That seemed like a lifetime ago, spending that day with Havoc, Catalina, Riza, and James here. The November air bit at their cheeks as they excited the heated interior of the car. James pulled his hat on his head firmly, burying his cold ears under the fabric. His teeth began to chatter as they walked for the play park, the same one he had spotted Riza and James at a couple of weeks ago.

"Come on," Roy called, picking up his pace and turning around to face the boy. "I will race you there!" At least a short run would warm them up. It would also cheer the boy up as he looked particularly miserable in the cold. As they approached Roy slowed his run and let James pass him. However, he didn't have to do much as the boy was like a whippet. "Oh no!" Roy exclaimed dramatically. "I lost!" The triumphant look on the young man's face made Roy grin himself.

"I'll race you up to the top of the frame!" With a twinkle in his eye and a grin that reminded Roy so much of Riza, the boy was up the rope climbing frame in a flash.

Oh no. He had started a game.

Roy huffed as he climbed up, feigning being tired out. "First you have me running and then climbing up this thing. I am too old for this James." The boy giggled in response.

"You're not that old," he replied.

"I am so old." James giggled again.

"No you're not! You don't look old."

"Why, thank you. How old do you think I am?" he asked curiously.

"You are fifty!"

"Fifty?" Roy exclaimed, placing a hand over his chest in mock horror. "I am not fifty!"

"Sixty?"

"How dare you!" Roy laughed. "Lower."

"Fifty five?"

"Lower than fifty," Roy replied as he rolled his eyes, catching the mischievous look in the young boy's eye. James knew exactly what he was doing. "I am not that much older than your mother and she isn't old."

"Yes she is."

Roy spluttered at the innocent reply, chuckling to himself. "Just don't tell her that."

"She has to be old, because only old people look after boys and girls."

Roy couldn't argue with his logic there. "I am twenty eight," Roy replied, finally settling his case. "I am two years older than your Mum."

"Do you know if my Mum is okay?" he asked abruptly. It threw Roy. That was not a question he expected. All sense of amusement left him as he answered.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because she has been sad this last week. She pretends she is okay but I have heard her upset on the phone with Aunt Becca." Something shot through his stomach at the thought of Riza possibly feeling the same way he had. "And she used to look the same way after I asked about my dad and my gran and granddad." Roy's stomach tightened, a slight feeling of dread creeping over his skin. This was not a conversation he was prepared to have with the seven year old. "I don't like it when Mum is sad," James added quietly, his gaze turning towards his feet.

Roy regarded the young man, taking in his body language and his words. His voice was quiet and subdued, like his posture now. He too looked sad as he spoke, as if retreating into himself. This was not something he talked about regularly. Roy could see that even without hearing James say the words. In a way, he felt slightly honoured the boy trusted him enough to bring it up.

"Come on, let's find a bench and then we can talk." His hands were currently beginning to freeze under the gloves after the period of inactivity. It didn't help the rush of their run and the climb up had burned off, not to mention the shift in the conversation knocking him back to reality. Not five minutes later, they were seated on a bench overlooking the play park.

"I stopped asking when I realised talking about my Dad made Mum sad," James began, hooking his ankles together and swinging them slowly beneath him. His hands were knotted together, his fingers fidgeting. "But… I want to know who he his." The whisper was so quiet, Roy had to strain to hear him. "Everyone else at school knows who their dad is and make fun of me because I don't."

A spark of anger went through him. "Does your Mum know they make fun of you?" he asked sharply. James shook his head. Roy sighed. "You need to tell her. If anyone makes fun of you, you need to tell your Mum or the teacher."

James shook his head once more. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because if I tell the Mrs. Short then she will tell Mum and Mum will get upset," he replied, his voice wobbling. Tears had begun to form in his eyes. "I don't want make her upset."

Roy put an arm around his shoulders, rubbing his upper arm in comfort as he cried. "That's understandable James. But you need to tell people because if you don't the people doing it might not stop. It's called bullying and they shouldn't be doing it."

"I don't like it when they do it. I shouted at them to stop and they laughed at me," he sniffled. "It made me feel worse."

Roy felt his hand clench into a fist. Damn private school brats. "How about I tell Mum? Then I will be the one making her upset, not you?" James considered this for a moment, before slowly nodded. Seven year old logic was a great thing. "Then we can get this all sorted out."

"I would like that," he replied in a quiet voice. He raised his hands, wiping his cheeks free of tears.

"If anything happens again, tell your teacher. Please?"

The boy nodded hesitantly. "Okay."

"Promise me?"

He sniffed but his voice was clear. "I promise."

"Just remember though, Mum loves you very much. You need to tell her if these things happen. But, to get you started, I will tell her just this once. Then it is up to you. Does that sound good?"

James nodded. "Okay," he repeated, his voice stronger.

"Now, about your Dad…" Roy really didn't know what way to go with this. How much did James already know? How much did Riza want him to know? This was uncharted and potentially dangerous territory. "I think if I was in your shoes, I would feel the same way." The look of hope James gave him caused a sympathetic look to grace Roy's features. "However, that is something I can't discuss with you, because I don't know anything about it. You will need to ask your Mum about that one kiddo." An almost fearful look came over James, his fingers stilling in their nervous movements, but clenching together. "If you like, I can bring that up with her too? I can ask her to help you understand better?"

"Really?" he asked quietly, but hopefully.

Roy nodded. "Of course. But, you need to understand that she might not want to talk about it. I don't know anything about your Dad, or what happened, but I know that he hurt your Mum. A lot. And when something like that happens it can take people a lot of time to be ready to talk about it."

"Did he hit her?" James whispered in that way children do when they think their suggestion is the worst thing in the world.

"No, I don't think he did anything like that," Roy reassured the boy quickly, soothing his fears. "He left her alone while she was pregnant with you. That made her very upset." God, he hoped he hadn't revealed too much.

James nodded, contemplating the older man's words. He was silent for a few moments and Roy gave him the time he needed to process everything. From what Roy understood, the whole situation was a mess. Even thinking about it made Roy want to ball his hands into a fist. Riza was one of the best people he knew. She didn't deserve to have someone do that to her, especially not when she was pregnant goddammit.

"As for your gran and granddad, you will have to ask Riza too."

"Granddad scares me sometimes." Again, that small, fearful voice returned. It made Roy's stomach clench. "He shouts a lot. He shouts a lot at Mum. He has even shouted at me and I didn't like it." James was becoming more and more visibly upset the more he talked about the man. If Riza's father drew out this reaction from the young boy, Roy didn't even want to think about what happened when he showed up unannounced. He vowed to become more vigilant while at home. He may not be able to spend time as much time with the small family, but he would certainly still look out for them.

Roy put his arm around James, giving him a hug. The boy was trying hard to stop himself from crying. His bottom lip stuck out and he sniffled forcefully. "It's okay to cry James," Roy replied quietly, urging him to let everything out.

"But it makes Mum upset too," was his reply, his voice louder and thick with emotion.

"Listen, you are allowed to cry. It might make your Mum upset, but you can't keep it all inside. You need to tell her when you are upset and talk to her. Keeping everything inside of you will make things worse in the long run."

"Can I tell you?" Large, tear filled eyes met his.

"Of course you can, buddy, but tell Mum too. As long as I am around, I will always try my absolute best to make sure no one hurts you, okay? If your Granddad comes around," Roy added. "And he is being scary and you don't like it, come and get me if you can. I will help."

James threw his arms around Roy's midsection. "Thank you," he whispered.

Roy smiled. "No problem kiddo." James remained there for a few more moments, finally relaxing. He wiped away his tears before finally wiping his snotty nose in his jacket sleeve.

"Yuck!" Roy exclaimed as James wiped his nose and then sniffed. Roy made a big thing of it, pretending to recoil in horror. James giggled, a smile back on his face. "Stay away from me with that nose!" An idea popped into James' head and he shoved his arm out, pretending to wipe it on Roy's clothes. "Ew! That is disgusting!" Giggles turned to laughter and thirty seconds later James was chasing Roy around the play park.

It had been a long time since Roy had felt this carefree as he ran around the park with James. The uncomfortable feeling that came with this bitter cold was long forgotten. They were both in the moment, enjoying the silliness of their game. Roy didn't mind making a fool of himself as he tried to make James laugh. He felt extremely proud of himself as his attempts never failed. The young boy needed it after that conversation.

The boy's words still worried him. He would need to let Riza know about their conversation, explaining James' fears. He knew she would probably be upset, but this was a conversation they needed to have together.

Wearily, Riza pushed the button for her floor in the elevator. She had never felt so happy to return home from work. Plus, the thought of returning to see her son made that joy ten times better.

It was already eight o'clock. She had kept texting Roy throughout the day but he had stopped replying two hours ago. Telling herself everything was fine, she continued to finish up her work. She had the distinct feeling she was bothering him, but asking him to look after her son was a big step. Riza just wanted to ensure everything was all right. The report felt like it was slowly killing her, but she got through it. An upside was after emailing it to her boss, the woman advised her to take Monday and Tuesday as a day off as a thank you.

Riza knocked on Roy's apartment door. After no answer the third time, she dug the key he had given her that morning out of her bag and let herself in.

"James? Roy?" she called into the apartment. There was the sound of the television coming from the living room, but no conversation. Someone shushed her from said room. The scene she walked in on was not what she expected to see.

James waved at her with a grin from his perch on the couch. There was an Xbox controller in his hands and a too large set of headphones on his head. The game continued on the television screen and he eagerly returned to it. It was a Lego video game, Riza only caught a glimpse but she thought it was about The Avengers. Her suspicions were confirmed as she saw James controlling Iron Man. Two pizza boxes lay on the coffee table in front of him. One was empty while the other had two cold slices in it. Next to them were two glasses of Coke, one empty and another half full.

What drew her attention away, was Roy lying spread out on the couch next to James, asleep. His head was by James' legs, lying flat upon the cushions. His feet dangled off the edge of the piece of furniture, ankles propped up on the arm of the chair. One arm rested against his torso, the hand splayed over his stomach. The other, dangled off the edge and rested on the floor. He was completely out of it. Riza found herself staring. How did he still manage to look so good while asleep? It wasn't fair. It was also incredibly endearing.

"Have you had a good day?" Riza asked as she sat down on the arm chair to James' left. He nodded, his focus solely on the television. "Come on James, we need to go home." His face fell and he was about to reply as Roy stirred. He made a noise in his sleep that made James laugh and Roy woke.

"Hey," he grumbled reaching up to nudge the boy. "You said you wouldn't let me fall asleep."

"Old men need to sleep," he giggled. Riza was about to scold him for his comment, but Roy replied before she could.

"Hey!" was his indignant reply as he playfully bumped James' leg, still unaware Riza was in the room. His eyes closed again. "I am only two years older than your Mum remember. Speaking of," he added, hauling himself into a sitting position as if it took a great amount of effort. He rubbed his face tiredly. "She should be back soon."

His eyes popped open and after taking in the room, he jumped about a foot in the air upon spotting her sitting in the arm chair.

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed in fright.

"You shouldn't say that," James scolded him without tearing his eyes from the television. He didn't even miss a beat. "Mum says that's a bad thing to say."

Riza was too baffled to even reply. Amusement took over every other emotion. She laughed to herself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"You are like a ninja," he replied, shifting to sit comfortably, rubbing his face tiredly. Watching that simple action made her wonder what waking up next to him would be like – Nope!

"Thank you," she replied, blushing slightly from her train of thought. Riza took that as a compliment. She had always been quiet as a kid. Her upbringing after her mother passed was a quiet one, causing her to retreat into herself. Riza had begun to pride herself on being able to move undetected when she wanted to. "Did you two have a good day?" James was still too engrossed in the game to reply to her question.

"We did," Roy replied. Riza noted the sincerity in his voice. It was a comfort to know that Roy was someone she could rely on to look after her son if need be. But in their current situation, it would only be as a last resort. Riza knew that but wished it wasn't the case. Roy yawned. "Your kid is… like a whirlwind." He smiled at her, his face happy, but tired. "I don't know how you do it every day."

She chuckled to herself. "You have no idea."

Silence descended upon the two and Riza found herself fidgeting nervously. It felt awkward and she hated it. This was the first time she had ever felt that way around Roy and she loathed it. But the constant threat of his father hung over them both. It appeared Roy felt the same way, because when she stood he looked slightly relieved at the break in the silence. Disappointment seeped into her chest.

"Come on James. We need to go home."

"But Mum," he whined, his gaze switching between his mother and the television.

"No buts. Let's go. You need to get ready for bed."

"But Mum," he whined again, drawing out the last word.

"James," she replied sternly. She really didn't have the patience for this tonight. She was tired. She was mentally drained. She was hungry. It wasn't fair to take it out on her son so she calmed herself, softening her glare. The headache that had plagued her since beginning driving was coming back with a vengeance. "I know you want to keep playing, but it is time to go."

"Your Mum is right kiddo," Roy chipped in, standing from his seat. He gently but firmly took the controller from his hands. James pouted but he took off the headset. He handed it to Roy and left the room with a small scowl. "Hey, what is that look for?" he asked.

"Just… Leave it," Riza replied tiredly. James didn't think it was fair. But he had been there all day. It was unfair on Roy for him to give up his Saturday to look after her child. She wouldn't ask him to give up his night too. But still, the look on James' face still hurt to see. Little did the boy know, he wouldn't be able to see his new friend as often from now on as he would like. Riza wanted to tell her son that he could come back tomorrow and play again, but both adults knew that wouldn't happen. "Thank you for today. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Ah… Something came up today." Riza felt her heart sink. "It isn't urgent, I can tell you later if you want to get him organised and settled?" From the sound of her son huffing in the hallway, she nodded in agreement. But those words still niggled in her mind. "If you need anything, just give me a call."

Riza nodded half-heartedly, following her son out the door.

"I know you think it is unfair to leave when you were having fun, but it is time for bed," Riza explained to him once they returned to their apartment.

"But I wanted to keep playing! Roy bought the game for me today and he said I could play it all the way through!"

"That's fine," she replied after overcoming her initial surprise. He had bought a game just for James' to play? She made a mental note to ask him how much shoe owed him. "But games take a long time to finish. You can't do it all in a day."

"But I wanted to!" he wailed.

Oh god, she didn't have the patience for this. Not tonight. Riza rubbed her forehead, trying to lessen the pressure of her headache. "Go and get changed for bed. Stop whining like that, there is no need. You will get to play it again." He stomped off in the huff and slammed his bedroom door shut. "Stop slamming doors!" Riza called after him.

James was quiet for the remainder of the night. He got changed and ready for bed, but remained sullen. He would barely talk to her. God, this was going to be harder than she thought. The last thing she wanted to do was to keep the pair apart. James finally had a male in his life to look up to and now she was trying to take that away.

She didn't want to do that to him.

These thoughts came to her as she sat on her couch with her glass of wine. It was ten o'clock and she was almost asleep, but her mind would not shut off as she worried about her son.

Yes, he already had Jean. But he was family. Jean had always been there for James and Riza knew James expected his unofficial uncle to always be there. And that was fine. Riza was proud to label Jean as a role model for James, but he needed someone else too, someone else to count on. Someone outside of their small family. The way James and Roy interacted, it was like the man was his father. Her son had taken to their neighbour so well and often asked her if he could go around to Roy's to play either the Xbox and just spend some time with him. It made her happier than she would care to admit, but the threat of Roy's father continued to hover over them all, worrying her no end.

Would the man really hurt them? Riza couldn't imagine someone actually doing that, never mind the Mayor of Central. But Roy had told her about how his Aunt had been in a car crash which had been apparently orchestrated by his father. It wasn't something you lied about. The thought made her shiver. Fear settled in her gut as she thought about James.

God, she was so conflicted about what to do. She didn't want to tear the two apart, but both she and Roy didn't want to put him in any danger. His concerns mirrored hers.

Tears fell down her cheeks silently as she stared off into space.

She didn't know what to do.

A knock at her door drew her from her spiralling thoughts. Fear settled in as she glanced at the clock. Who would be at the door at this hour? Wiping tears away, she approached the door cautiously.

"Hey," Roy greeted quietly. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything?" He paused, cocking his head as he took in her face. Her eyes must have been red and puffy. "Are you okay?"

Riza nodded. Against her better judgement, she invited him inside.

She should have said no. She should have turned him away.

But Riza couldn't.

Damn her and her lack of willpower when it came to Roy Mustang.

Once in the living room, he took Riza's offer of a seat on the couch while she tidied up her glass and the bottle. "I was just doing some thinking."

"Riza, I'm sorry," he stated, his voice almost miserable.

She continued to tidy up, walking through to the kitchen. "About what?" If she was busy she wouldn't have to look at him and feel that pain lance through her heart.

"About all of this." He gestured to her face. "I hate the power he has over me. And I hate myself for letting it happen."

Bracing her hands on the kitchen counter for a moment, Riza composed herself. The effects of the wine had taken hold but it gave her the confidence to say things she would normally hold back on. She pushed off, returning to see to her guest. "This is not your fault."

"It is –"

"It is not." With her finger pointed Riza pinned him with a glare to stress her point. She knew what it was like to have a shitty family and blame yourself for it. Rebecca kicked her ass every time Riza fell into that spiral, so she decided she would be Roy's Rebecca. She wouldn't let him blame himself for it too. "You did not choose your father, nor are you making him threaten people. You are working against him, and that speak volumes."

"I could have done something sooner. I could have stopped all of this happening."

"Roy, listen to me. This situation was unavoidable." She quickly continued after he flinched. "Not because of lack of action on your part. But because your father sounds like a straight up son of a bitch."

That caused a reaction with him. His lips quirked upwards, but not enough to form a smile.

"It just… It really sucks. To put it eloquently," he replied, a small smirk appearing on his face. He ran a hand through his hair as he leaned forward onto his elbows, both resting atop his knees. "This is not what I wanted." His expression changed to one that was unreadable. Riza remained apprehensive, fearing what he would say next. She folded her arms over her chest, hands fisting in her t-shirt in an effort to comfort herself. A shiver overtook her at the words she might both love and dread to hear. Electing to remain standing was a good choice. Distance helped her think clearly. "It took a while for me to realise it, but, Riza, I think I –"

"Don't say it," she interrupted him quickly. She knew what he was about to say. Fear blossomed within her. Fear, because of past experiences. Fear, because she was sure she felt a similar way and didn't want to admit it to herself. Not now. Not under these circumstances. "Don't say it," she repeated, her voice softer. "It will just make things harder."

Roy stared up at her but then nodded in pained agreement. They were silent as both mulled over their predicament. Roy was the first one to break it.

"James was asking me about his father today." Riza stiffened, hands gripping her t-shirt even tighter. "He also asked about his grandparents. I told him I didn't know anything about it, and that he should ask you."

"What did he say?" She almost had to choke out the words.

"He wants to know who his father is. But he noticed that whenever he asked about them you would become sad, and he didn't want to make you sad."

Emotion filled her throat as she thought of her son. Of course he would say something like that. It was such a James Thing. He was so much like Riza, she felt as though she were repeating her own childhood sometimes.

"He seemed scared when I told him to ask you," Roy continued. "So I offered to start things off for him, but I was going to let you know anyway. He also said the kids at school make fun of him for it."

Riza closed her eyes as the tears threatened to overwhelm her again. She squashed it down fiercely. This wasn't the time for tears. The fact that those snooty kids made fun of her wonderful boy just because his father was a bastard… It made her blood boil. Riza had hated that school the moment she had set foot in it. But, at her father's very persuasive insistence, she had sent James there and allowed the man to pay for it. Riza should have punched him in the face for the slap he gave her upon the suggestion James attend public school. But she had just been young. These last few years living by herself had toughened her up for the better. If the bastard tried it again she would rip off the hand that tried it.

"It's just… hard. It's still hard to talk about. Even now." She swallowed thickly, arms dropping from being crossed to hugging her body.

"I can help," he offered, and she smiled at the offer. Riza continued to marvel at the fact that she had found someone who cared enough to offer such a thing. Someone who cared enough to… Riza diverted the thoughts of what could have been away from the forefront of her mind. However, she still shook her head at Roy's offer.

"It's all right. Thank you though. I need to do this. Not just for him, but for me. Plus, I don't want to draw you into my mess."

"I would be happy to, Riza." She met his eyes and saw the sincerity in them.

Damn him. Damn him and his perfection.

In any other situation, she would be thrilled by his words. However, they weren't supposed to becoming closer. They weren't supposed to be sitting in her apartment on a Saturday night, discussing such personal topics. Roy had said the Mayor had a way of getting information. This was not information she wanted anyone to hear except from James and now, Roy. It was her story and no one else's.

"Thank you, but I need to do this."

Roy nodded. "I should get going. Sorry to interrupt your evening." He stood and Riza moved to face him. A flood of emotions filled her. She didn't know what to feel. Anger towards Roy's father at threatening them both. Fear at her new revelation regarding their relationship and Roy's unspoken words. Despair at the thought of not being able to act upon it, and possibly never being able to. The pair stood in silence, waiting for the other initiate their goodbye. But none came.

Something overcame Riza. She didn't know what. Looking back on it, she still couldn't tell what her thought process had been. There was a fleeting "fuck it" moment, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Everything happened in a rush, but she found herself not minding on bit.

She kissed him.

They were standing much closer than Riza remembered. As she leaned into him, Roy lifted his hands, one going to her waist, the other to the back of her neck. They met in the middle and the butterflies in Riza's stomach combusted. As soon as the contact had been made it was as if they couldn't get close enough. It was feverish. One of his hands tangled in her hair, keeping her anchored to him. Placing both hands on his chest before sliding them around his neck, she groaned into the kiss, relishing in the exquisiteness of it.

Then, before she could comprehend it, something pushed them apart. Her hands on his chest once more remained steady, keeping them apart. Instead of seeing surprise at the interruption, Roy's face only held understanding and regret.

"I'm sorry," she replied fearfully, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what –" Riza interrupted herself, swallowing thickly, trying to get her breathe under control. Roy lowered his hands to her waist, leaving them there.

"Never apologise for that Riza," he chuckled. His voice was low and sounded heavenly as it turned husky. However there was still an air of frustration about him.

"You should go." Go before this could escalate any further like Riza so sorely wanted it to.

Roy nodded, but his hands still lingered. His thumbs had begun stroking the skin of her sides as his hands resided just underneath her t-shirt. It was currently getting harder and harder to think straight. "You know I don't want to, don't you?" He was searching her face or confirmation.

Riza smiled, the fear leaving her for a moment. "I know." She cupped his cheek and pecked it. Afterwards, Roy pulled her into a tight hug. Riza clung to him, as if this was going to be the last time she could do it.

Any unspoken business they had regarding their "almost kiss" had just been dealt with. At least they were still on the same page. The thought should have made her happy, but it only brought regret.

That was also the first time they had admitted any kind of feelings towards each other.

"Why does this feel like goodbye?" she whispered. She felt him chuckle against her. If Riza could bottle that feeling and relive it for the rest of her life, she would.

"Not goodbye. Never goodbye," he murmured. The close proximity to her ear made her shiver. "I don't think I could."

Riza had no response so she simply held him tighter.

Guest: Is bradley the Mayor

No, he is not :) He is kinda loosely based on Bradley, but is not him