Chapter 26: Distant Thunder

The summer air hung heavy, sandwiched between green fields and roiling grey clouds. Roy's shirt was sticky with sweat and he shifted uncomfortably, eliciting a surprised groan from Riza, who had fallen asleep with her head in his lap. Bleary-eyed, she stifled a yawn and gave him a sleepy smile. "Still nothing?" she asked, reaching for her own fishing rod.

Roy nodded. "I would never have guessed it was possible to empty a river in only a month," he said. And even if it truly was empty now, it hadn't been very full to begin with. While they had caught enough fish for Roy to hope he never had to clean another one, that wasn't saying much. Riza had laughed at him when he had passed the carcass to her immediately after cutting it open. At least it was still more practical than buying meat. And fishing certainly has its perks, he noted as he stroked her hair.

Without sitting up, Riza cast her line into the water, a little upstream from Roy's. She shifted to a slightly more comfortable position, turning her head so she had a better view of her line. Still playing with her hair, Roy smiled down at her. It was nice to have her so close, even in this miserable heat. A low rumble startled them both and Riza jerked her head up. "Relax," he murmured. "It's still over the mountains." He looked across the valley to the spot where rain obscured the peaks. Lightning flickered in those faraway clouds, followed much later by faint thunder. "See? Nothing to worry about?"

"The storm will get here eventually," she said. "Maybe we should head back."

"Let's wait awhile. At least it will cool down once the rain comes," he replied. She rolled onto her back to stare at him as though he had lost his mind. As close as they were to the water's edge, he could understand her concern, but he didn't want to move just yet. Riza, however, didn't seem to care. She used her free hand to swat his away and sat up.

Wind swept through the dry grass and she tilted her head to the sky, closing her eyes. "Five more minutes," she ceded with a smile tugging at her lips. Roy reeled in his line and placed a hand over hers, unable to suppress a grin of his own as he drank in the serenity on her face. The sight of her so at peace sent a surge of affection through him, so strong he felt as though he might choke on it. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tightened his grip on her hand and leaned his head against hers until the first drops of rain splattered across his face. Riza jolted beside him and he opened his eyes in time to watch her scramble to her feet, twisting her hand to pull him up as well.

The rain began to fall in earnest as she dragged him across the field. Far in the distance, rays of sunlight poked through the clouds, scarcely visible through the sudden downpour. "Look," he told Riza, pointing with the end of his fishing rod.

"It's beautiful," she agreed, holding his hand tighter.

"Not as beautiful as you," he said, but she didn't seem to hear. They raced across the hillside, hair wet and matted down, clothes sticking uncomfortably to their skin. At least Riza hadn't felt the need to say I told you so.

The house came into view and moments later, they splashed across the muddy road to the gate. Riza pulled her hand away to fumble with the slick metal latch and they walked up to the house, leaning their rods against the wall and using each other as support to remove their shoes before stepping inside. They sat side by side on the bench to peel off their socks as the wind drove rain against the window much harder than it had fallen before. "Looks like we made it just in time," she said, holding her socks gingerly as she stood.

Shivering slightly, he followed her up the stairs. The floorboards creaked under their bare feet and the storm howled outside, but otherwise the house was silent. No sounds of transmutation came from the attic, and neither friend felt much like speaking. Roy considered taking a warm shower but resisted the temptation. Riza looked every bit as cold as he felt and even though he knew better to invite her to join him, he had a feeling his mind would wander once she was out of sight. And then he would need another, much colder shower to clear it.

Ever since their disastrous first date, Roy had refrained from asking her on a second, and yet, every outing they took felt like one. Fishing and picnics and swimming and wading in the creek, always touching but never talking about what they were doing for fear of something he couldn't name. As he stood alone in his room, changing into dry clothes, he frowned. They were a couple in all but name, as far as he was concerned, and Hawkeye didn't seem to care. He supposed there was a chance that the alchemist hadn't noticed, but surely the man had to have some idea that his apprentice was completely smitten with his daughter. Roy sighed and tugged a shirt over his head. Maybe this Sunday he would finally get the guts to ask permission. No, that was ridiculous, he realized. He didn't need to wait. The only person whose permission he needed was across the hall and perfectly willing to talk with him any day of the week.

When he knocked on her door, Riza answered immediately and motioned for him to come inside. She held out her hand as they stood by the window, but he put his arm around her waist instead. Warmth settled over him as she moved closer, leaning her head against his shoulder as they watched raindrops race down the glass. After several moments, she slipped her own arm around him. "It's a shame we're trapped inside like this," he muttered, shifting his fingers absentmindedly on her stomach.

She placed her free hand over his. "I don't mind. It's not like anything was biting today." Lightning flashed in the distance and she cuddled closer to him.

Instinctively gripping her tighter, Roy began to realize why she had insisted on coming back so soon. "You're afraid of storms," he said.

"No," she protested. "Not since I was a kid." She seemed to be telling the truth, and yet something had her ill at ease. Maybe the thunder sounded too much like her father walking in on the two of them. "I saw the letter."

"The letter?" He frowned for a moment, trying to remember one he hadn't told her about. He had even found the courage to bring up his aunt's offer to let her visit, and she had been loath to reject it, citing her duty to her father as the only reason for staying. Although, he had a feeling her pride had played a part as well. She didn't want to rely on someone else to pay her ticket.

Riza shifted and pulled away to grip the windowsill with both hands. "You're leaving early."

"Only by a week," he said, wondering why he bothered defending himself. It wasn't like he wanted to go. "What were you doing reading my mail anyway?"

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, shifting her hands on the windowsill. "By the time I realized what it was, I had already seen the dates. Only six weeks before you leave? That's not a long time."

He shrugged before slipping his arm around her waist once more. "I seem to recall it took about six weeks for me to offer to help you with the laundry. I'm sure washing all my socks by yourself felt like an eternity."

From her reflection in the window, he saw her nose wrinkle. "It wasn't just your socks," she complained, bumping her hip into his. "I had to wash everything."

"I'm sorry I didn't help sooner," he said, slightly embarrassed. Even though he knew she had only seen him as a friend at the time, knowing that she had handled all of his clothes made him uncomfortable.

She shook her head. "It's fine," she assured him. "At least it was before all this happened."

Laughing, Roy gazed out the window. It was strange to think back on those days now, to remember that a time had existed when they hadn't even been friends, let alone whatever they had become in the past few weeks. Which brought him back to the reason he had come to her room in the first place. As he turned his attention back to Riza, he realized that he still didn't dare broach the subject. The quiet intimacy they shared had no need for words, no need for a name. It seemed almost a form of alchemy: precise and measured and incredibly complicated. He only wished that, in one of the countless books lining the walls of Hawkeye's study, he would find a code explaining the human heart.

Another low rumble spread through the valley, but this time, Riza remained still. With eyes focused so intently on something far in the distance, it was entirely possible she hadn't heard it at all. He gripped her tighter and her attention returned to the room. "What?" she asked, straightening as she turned to look at him. Water dripped from the ends of her limp bangs and ran down the side of her face like tears.

Unsure of what to say, he simply shook his head. As he turned away, her hands flew up and caught his collar. Her fingers crumpled the neatly pressed fabric and Roy's eyes widened in surprise. "Riza, what—?"

Standing on her toes, she yanked down. He lost his balance and stumbled forward, catching himself on the cold window and inadvertently pinning Riza to it. She didn't seem to mind. She stretched her neck, inching her face towards his. As he tilted his head, thunder clapped all around them and Riza sank to the floor, shaking harder than the walls. Even though her trembling hands had released him, Roy knelt in front of her and hugged her hard. "It's okay. I've got you."

He felt her nod against his shoulder. "I know," she whispered.

"Why did you lie?" he asked. "You said you weren't afraid."

Fists clutched the back of his shirt. "I'm not scared of thunder," she said, her breath warm against his neck.

"Riza, it's okay to be scared." He pulled her into his lap and rocked her gently until she leaned back to look at him again, eyes shining as intensely as they had before. Her hands traveled up his back as she leaned in, her face only centimeters away. "Are you sure?"

She nodded almost imperceptibly before pressing her lips to his. Roy closed his eyes and tightened his arms around her. After several moments, Riza's mouth began to move against his; he followed, letting her control the tempo of the kiss while his heart beat as wildly as the rain against the window. She seemed so confident, so certain of what she was doing that he could hardly believe she had never done this before. Teeth scraped against his, jarring him back to reality. His eyes snapped open and he pulled back, wincing slightly. Riza looked at him sheepishly, lips still parted. "Sorry."

Grinning, he shrugged. "It's fine. We can always try again," he said. "I-if you want to, of course."

"You're cute when you get flustered, you know," she said, shifting to cup his face in both of her hands. She kissed him again, and this time, she didn't hesitate before forcing his lips apart. He allowed himself a moment of abandon, and everything disappeared apart from her. Her lips—even softer than he had imagined—working so forcefully against his own. Her fingers caressing his cheeks with surprising gentleness. Her body pressed close, legs straddling his. She was so captivating, so utterly engrossing that he forgot all about the military, alchemy, even the storm outside. All that mattered was the girl in his arms and the certainty that he would do anything to spend the rest of his life at her side.

This time, Riza pulled away, looking slightly alarmed. "What's wrong?" Roy asked, planting a chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth. She didn't respond. Instead, she stared at something behind him as the color drained from her face. "Riza? Hey, Riza, are you alright?"

"Father," she squeaked, "what are you doing in my room?"

Roy's entire body felt hollow as her words rang in his ears. He turned to look over his shoulder, terrified of what awaited him. Hawkeye stood with his arms across his chest, staring intently at the two of them. Riza squirmed uncomfortably, but Roy didn't dare let her go. The folds of her skirt concealed a rather embarrassing bulge and he hoped to keep that hidden. He turned back to Riza, relieved when his desperation caught her eye. He glanced down for a moment before meeting her gaze again and she stopped struggling as she realized what he was trying to convey.

"Why wouldn't a man want to make sure his daughter made it home safely with a storm raging outside?" Hawkeye said indifferently.

Riza hung her head and snuggled closer to Roy. "Of course, Father. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he chided. "And as for you, Mustang, I'd like to speak to you in private."

"Yes, sir," Roy said. He shot Riza a worried glance before turning back to his master. "Does it have to be right now?"

Hawkeye nodded. "Before you resume eating my daughter's face, if you don't mind."

"Yes, sir," he said sheepishly. He got to his feet, pulling Riza with him, and as he moved, she positioned herself in front of him.

"I said privately, Riza," Hawkeye said in a warning tone.

She nodded meekly and stepped aside, sinking onto her bed with one last, worried glance at Roy. He forced a smile that he hoped was at least somewhat reassuring and followed his master out of the room.