I don't own FMA
First I would like to thank lj user TipToeInTheSnow for the prompt, and Bizzy and Dailenna for looking this over for me.
Post CoS
:)-------(:
She was more than happy to see him return to Central, but as he approached her after having helped Edward she was furious. She watched as he was able to really greet everyone since the battle was over.
Roy was glad that he'd returned to Central in time to protect the city and help Ed. He took it upon himself to help the flesh and blood Alphonse, he hadn't been able to face before, stow away in a suit of armor on the aircraft Ed flew back through the opened gate. After sealing his side of the gate shut he returned to HQ, where he received a warm reception from the military personnel who were picking up the lifeless suits of armor and taking injured officers to the infirmary. There was only one person he really wanted to speak with, and what should have been a quick walk to where she was speaking with Jean Havoc took much longer than expected with everyone that stopped him.
"Hey chief," Jean greeted. "I don't know what we would have done without you." Jean gave Roy a pat on the back and excused himself with the want of a "good smoke."
Riza bit her tongue. The words 'the same thing we've done for the past two years' wanted to spring from out of her mouth.
"Sorry about the balloon thing, I didn't want you to get hurt Lieutenant," he explained, while nervously rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.
"It's Colonel now. Didn't Havoc and Breda tell you when they visited? It was decided that I was the only one capable of filling your shoes as Colonel," she told him.
His eye traveled down to the epaulettes on her shoulder. "That's going to take some getting used to," he commented with a nervous laugh.
"Well, Sir, I've been given the message that Fuhrer Hakuro would like to have a word with you. If you don't know where his office is I'm sure Armstrong would be more than happy to escort you. I've got to make sure this mess is dealt with properly," she told him and called Armstrong over before he had a chance to process her words. Riza walked away with a half hearted salute as Armstrong led Roy away. During the short walk the muscular man recalled the events of the past two years for him.
Roy listened to Hakuro carefully as he was given the new pins for his shoulders. He was surprised that he was promoted to Brigadier General, but thankful when he found out the group he would preside over was the same as before, just with a few people promoted and a few new additions.
Three day's later Roy found himself starting at a small pile of paperwork in frustration. Though, it wasn't the paperwork that had him in his current state. It was the distance of one his subordinates. Namely, Colonel Riza Hawkeye—she hadn't once spoken to him about anything other than work since he returned. After the smile and 'we've been waiting for you' she'd first greeted him with upon his return he thought she was more than happy to see him. Maybe he was crazy for thinking he'd meant more to her than a friend during the weeks she'd taken care of him after their battles with Archer and Bradley.
Jean Havoc interrupted his musing, "Hey Chief, here's my spare key. I won't be home until later. I've got a date tonight." The key he tossed landed right in the middle of Roy's desk on the paper he was signing. Roy glanced up from the silver key to make a witty comment, but Jean was already walking out of the office. He glared at the key with contempt. It brought up his other source of agitation—living arrangements.
Upon arriving he'd assumed Riza would let him stay with her until he was able to get an apartment to his liking, but when he'd gotten out of Hakuro's office Jean had been waiting for him and explained that he'd drawn the short stick.
He grumbled to himself as he finished the day paperwork, promptly scaring off all his subordinates that bid him goodnight. He waited until Riza returned from filing her completed documents. He was determined to get to the bottom of her behavior. While she gathered her bag Roy put on his coat and held hers out for her to slip on. She slid her arms into the sleeves hesitantly.
They walked together in the fading light—silent until they reached the street where they usually parted ways.
"Sir, Havoc's apartment is in the other direction," she reminded him when he crossed the street with her.
"I'm not going to his apartment," he told her.
"Oh," was her only response, and they continued on in silence. She didn't bother to ask where he was going until he ordered the same exact things as she did for the third time at the open air market.
Once they got far enough away not to create a scene she spun on her heel to face him. "Why are you following me?" she asked, pointing an accusing finger at him.
He took his time to finish off the apple in his hand, throwing the core away in a near by trashcan. "I'm making dinner for you tonight," he answered, plucking the brown bag from her arm. "I figured it would be easier to get to your apartment then to convince you to go to Havoc's."
"No thank you," she responded, trying to snatch the bag from his grasp, but he walked past her in the direction of her apartment.
He didn't pay attention to any of her arguments until they got to her building. "You cooked for me plenty of times, and I plan to return the favor," he said as he stopped in front of her apartment door.
She grudgingly let him inside where Black Hayate greeted them with licks on their boots. Not wanting to be in the same room with Roy for fear that she'd finally snap at him she loosened the laces of her boots, slipped them off, and quickly made her way to her room to change.
Roy put the bags on the counter and then deposited his coat and jacket on the coat rack by the door where he'd entered. He also discarded his boots by hers.
He tried to make small talk as she watched him cook, but only got single words answers from her.
He finally asked his question when she sat across from him to eat. "Are you angry with me?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Riza knew when she'd been cornered and answered honestly, "Yes."
"Why? At first you seemed happy that I returned, what happened?" he asked, spearing some carrots and broccoli on his fork.
"I am glad you're back, but you left. You didn't just leave me—you left everyone. Everyone who had been fighting for your dreams. Could you abandon them so easily? Maes Hughes died for your cause, are you going to let his death be in vain? Hakuro isn't a horrible leader, but you would be a better one. Don't look at me like that, and don't interrupt me, just listen. The changes are coming slowly with him at the helm. He's taking care of the elite first. During that invasion he offered protection to the wealthy first. It would have helped if we'd evacuated the streets first, there wouldn't have been so many deaths. You may not have both eyes, but that doesn't mean your vision has gotten any worse. I know you can see the wrongs going on around us. I only want to know one thing. Is your goal still the same?" she asked, her appetite gone.
"I don't know if that's still possible. Who's going to support a candidate that killed the Fuhrer?" he asked, nudging the remaining mashed potatoes on his plate with his fork.
"The same people who supported you before. I never thought you were one to give up because the path got a little rougher, but I guess I was wrong," she said and got up, dumping the remaining contents of her plate into the eager Black Hayate's food bowl.
Roy did the same and proceeded to move her aside when she started to wash the dishes. He took the time he was scrubbing the pans and plates to plan out what he was going to say. When he finished he dried his hands on the small towel she had used to dry the dishes. "When I left to the Northern Outpost I thought it would be better for everyone. A lot of people that knew me wound up in some sort of trouble. Maes—dead, Ed and Al—well, they're dead to everyone that doesn't know the truth, and all of you were accused of treason until it was proved that Bradley was a homunculus. Over the past two years I regretted dragging everyone into that mess. I even told myself I could have stopped Maes' death if only I'd answered the phone on the first ring, or that if I would have stopped Ed when we saw him on the way to Bradley's house things would have turned out differently. If I can't handle those situations how can I try to take the reins of an entire country?
"I got your letters. I'm sorry I didn't reply, but I didn't want you to know how bad off I was. Thank you, they somehow kept me sane. Strong and steady Riza Hawkeye was waiting for me, it was good to know," he paused, and she started to speak, but he placed a finger over her lips. "I still have all of them. With you here the path doesn't seem as difficult. If it's the people that need help I'll go out and use my alchemy to help them on my days off. We've got just over two years until the next election to prove that I'm not some crazy Fuhrer-killing fool," he declared the old gleam back in his eye.
She reached up and removed the eye patch from his face, her fingers briefly skimmed the puckered scar tissue from the surgery they doctors had performed. "I'm glad I wasn't wrong."
"And my first act as Fuhrer will be—"
"Not the miniskirts again," she cut him off, rolling her eyes.
"No," he said with a smirk plastered across his face.
"Really?" she asked her voice a little higher than normal as her breath hitched at the way he was looking at her.
"This will be much better," he said, his smirk growing, if that was possible. He took a few steps closer to her until she was backed into the fridge. She scowled at the playful look in his eye as he placed a hand on either side of the fridge, trapping her there, with her heart beating a little faster than usual. "You know that anti-fraternization bill? Well, I'll just have to make a few changes to it, so I can do this," he whispered into her ear, and then trailed soft kisses along her jaw line until his mouth crashed on hers with everything he'd always held back.
Riza lost herself in the moment, and thought the ringing in her head was from lack of oxygen until Hayate barked. She pulled away with a slight growl of irritation at who ever was calling her. He let her out of his grasp and watched her lean against the counter as she answered the phone. "Hello. Yes he's fine, Havoc," she said adding the caller's name at the end when Roy raised his eyebrow at her.
Roy was at her side in a second and plucked the phone from her hand. "Sorry I didn't leave a note. I found a place to stay. I'll get my things after work tomorrow. No, I won't be back tonight. I'll see you tomorrow." Roy hung up the phone. He turned his gaze to Riza, the damnable smirk back on his face. "Should we finish this in your room?"
She furrowed her eyebrows and scowled, but didn't stop him when he followed her down the hall.
:)-------(:
A.N.-The prompt was: We all are pretty sure that Roy is still ambitious enough to become a Fuhrer. But... seriously... does he want that? May be not? Is it still his goal in life, after all he went through? Is he an outstanding commander, a soldier, a leader or a politician like his own commanders? Would leading a country to some new future be the same as covering his men in a battle? Just look at his eye patch covered face, so melancholic, so sad...
As for Random OneShot, it isn't dead. I have started a piece that continues the last one, It's Better Late Than Never. I've finally gotten an idea I like that uses the picture Maes took in Mr. Easter Bunny. Military Affairs is completely planned out for the final chapter(s), and thanks to the awesome people on the Royai Forum (link's in my profile) I've gotten past my issues with it. One Day She'll Say Yes is a new fic, I'll post at least once a month for it. Thanks for reading!
Thank you so much for reviewing: VulpesKai, UnheardGoodConscience, WinglessFairy25, Mirage992, Momiji-k, OTP, Shirozora, Lady Lola, AM Elric, Dailenna, Jenlyn78, Silvery Mist, RedSoul, TornadicWolf666, Kuroxdoragon, Legedary Chimera, Bizzy, AnimeLuvr8, Yun Min, RizaHawkeye 9, -Kai Isolated-, MoonStarDutchess, JackSparrow589, jHeyTTernallie, MustangHawkeye17, MangaFreak16, ForgottenSpirit636, So????, AnnePackrat, Lili, MoritakuRuki, Ninja Fairy909101, SakuraTearDrop, RizaHaekeye21, Dreximgirl, BlknBluPanther1, Words Without, President Quatre Winner, Envious Rinoa Haweye, Dat New Writa, The-Last-Emo-Rock-Star, Hmmingbird, White Butterfly, GettinHotWithJC, SaffireMoon21, Azilie, CloseFriend, WindCallerWolfLover, Hunter-Robin, KTRose, Midnight Moon, Yooh-Hoo Luver.wLegs, Hawkeye0165, Mitchi Takahashi, Dryphter, LoyalSoul, Ice Panther of the Fifth Realm, and BlackStarAlchemist.