Riza hung up the phone. She knew that the decision she was about to make would potentially change everything between her commanding officer and herself.
Sure, they had both done things that were a little out of line between a superior and a subordinate in the past, but those times, had been before the war, or they had completely left their working relationship aside and been the old friends they initially were.
Every time their relationship would step somewhat out of bound, they would always bounce right back the day after, as if nothing ever happened.
Somehow just knew that wouldn't be the case this time if she…
They were much older, and after everything that had happened the last week and the vulnerability Roy had shown (which she knew was there- but the stubborn, to quote Edward, bastard- wouldn't let it out- if so his life depended on it) made her think that something inside of him was about to actually fracture this time.
No one knew as much or understood Roy Mustang better than Riza Hawkeye (and possibly Madame Christmas), so she had seen the pain in his eyes when he looked at Edward in that hospital bed. Whatever Roy's reasons were, Edward being an orphan, being too smart for his own good, alienated from and rejected by the world, lost and found... He identified with the kid. On a level, he probably had never been able to with anyone else.
She was sure Roy didn't even realize it himself.
And with that thought in mind, she grabbed her coat and car keys and locked the door behind her.
Less than fifteen minutes later she stood at his doorstep. What seemed to turn into a snowstorm was on the rise, and she knocked impatiently at the heavy wooden door as she huddled her thick woolen coat around her even more tightly. Roy opened the door shortly after, looking worn out and smelling of strong liquor. He stepped aside and let her enter, grabbing her coat for her.
"I'm sorry for calling so late," he mumbled, with a slight slur in his speech.
She didn't answer and caringly straightened his tousled bangs, looking worriedly at the slightly taller man and letting him lean into her touch, closing his eyes and sighing in a relieved tone.
"You want a drink?" he asked as he unwillingly tore himself away from her touch.
"Sure."
Riza followed him into the living room, where an extra glass was already placed on the coffee table.
"You want a fancy drink, or do you want plain ol' whiskey?" he asked as if he didn't already know the answer.
"Just plain ol' whiskey for me, Mustang."
He nodded in silence, with a curved smile on his lips as he filled both of their glasses, a bit closer to the rim than the standard was, but he knew that this was also usually more to her liking. She accepted the glass as he reached it to her and sat heavily down in the couch next to her.
"I'm sorry for calling you so late..."
"I know, Roy. You already said that" she smiled mildly.
"I did? Oh..."
"What's going on with you? Are you okay?"
"Sure, yeah, everything is just... peachy."
"Uhu, I can tell," she retorted sarcastically, as she watched the man she called her superior crumble by the force of alcohol and her presence.
"...he's leaving with the Rockbells," he stated simply, in a somewhat bitter tone. "When he's being released from the hospital."
"Isn't that a good thing? We found his family."
"You found his family, Riza. And I am, I am. I just... I don't know what I expected. I kinda liked having him hanging around... is that weird?"
"For you? Yeah," she chuckled, making Roy groand loudly. "But, do you know what I think?" she asked.
"No?" he said with as little conviction as a shy kid saying no to candy.
"I think you want to be his Madame Christmas," she sneered.
"Fuck no," Roy exclaimed suddenly, almost choking on his drink. "I do not want to raise the kid in a brothel and making him have strange feelings of the girls I call his sisters," he looked stiffly at nothing, lost in memory that he clearly didn't know how to feel about.
"That-" (was weird even coming from intoxicated-Roy) "...'s not what I meant..." Riza said slowly. "I mean, you've helped him a lot. If he didn't run into you, literally, he'd probably be dead right now, and even you, you self-condescending moron, know that. You clearly feel responsible for him."
Roy sunk fyrther down into the couch.
"And maybe..." best to tread carefully, "...you care for him?"
"Of course I do!" Roy spat back, but almost jumped by his own reaction and at the realization. "Of course I do..." he repeated. "Shit, Riza... I care for him."
"It's a huge day for Roy Mustang," she mumbled. "Realizing he was not actually made of stone."
Roy rubbed his face tiredly. "Why does the military even pay for psychologists? They already have Riza Hawkeye."
"Trust me, this is exclusively for you," she smiled. "If I was to listen to Havoc telling me about all of his girlfriends for an hour every week, I'd be the one who needed therapy."
"I already do that on a daily basis, and... yeah. I'm lucky to have you."
"And I'm happy you know it."
They sat in comfortable silence for a short while. Their bodies slowly, but steadily leaned closer to the other and not before long, Riza was leaning her head into the creek of Roy's neck as he rested his head on top of hers.
He couldn't help himself. He placed a careful kiss on her head, making her head tilt up a little, looking into his eyes. Mahogany eyes stared a hole into Roy's soul, and he knew what he wanted and he knew what she wanted. She knew what she wanted and she knew what he wanted.
Why did they always deny themselves what they both knew they wanted?
Riza sat back up. She took her glass and shot back the rest of the liquid, shaking her head to chase back the burning sensation.
She for one- had had enough of that.
She grabbed a hold of Roy's hair and assertively made him look at her for a second before she went for the kiss.
He retuned it without hesitation. It was hard, teethy and lustful. New, but yet familiar. Vigorous but soothing.
They eventually had to forcefully tear away from each other to catch their breaths- Onix looking into maroon eyes as they both panted rapidly.
Riza gave him a sly smile as she grabbed his hand and lead him upstairs.
Roy awoke the next day, much more relaxed than he had been the last couple of days. Not well rested, Riza had made sure of that, but definitely more relaxed.
He turned his head to see the blonde sleeping with her back facing him. His eyes trailed over the soft skin of her tattooed back, and snickered at the thought of First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, having a huge back-tattoo.
'Young and dumb' she had said, the first time they had laid like this, telling him about her first boyfriend who had given her the tattoo at 18. Apparently he was a much older tattoo-artist. Roy couldn't imagine Riza with some buff tattooed guy in his late twenties.
...Maybe he should get a tattoo?
She stirred a little, letting a tired moan leave her throat as she turned around.
"Hey there," she smiled quietly. The shimmer of the rising sun through the window made her eyes sparkle while her lips curled into a small smile.
"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," Roy answered.
Riza blushed and covered her face with the duvet. When she peered back up, Roy had moved closer and pulled her into a warm embrace, letting their naked bodies intangle into each other.
"We should be getting ready for work," she said, without resisting.
"Don't care," he smirked. "We'll say we went to visit Edward."
"Oh!" she exclaimed, jolting away from him as if she had been electrocuted. "Shit, I forgot! I... what time is it?" She searched frantically around the room for a clock. Roy sat back up and reached into the pocket of his uniform, retrieving his pocket watch.
"It's only six thirty, don't worry."
"No, it's not... It's not that," she said, sliding back under the covers. "I was supposed to tell you yesterday, but I got… distracted."
"My pleasure," Roy said with a sly grin. Riza laughed. Roy thought about how long it was since he had last heard that laugh.
"I spoke with the Risembool orphanage that Alphonse Elric was sent to yesterday. I got the name of his caseworker. She might be able to answer some of the questions we have."
Roy's eyes snapped open and suddenly he felt wide awake.
"Really? When are you going to speak with her?"
"She retired a couple of years ago, and she actually settled not too far from here. It shouldn't be more than an hour car ride. I figured I'd surprise her with a little home visit."
"I'd like to come with you."
Riza nodded affirmatively. "I was thinking of being there around ten."
"Great," Roy mumbled. "That gives me plenty of time time to distract you a little further."
His hands grabbed around her hips as he pulled her into another deep, passionate kiss.
Roy called the HQ and told them that Hawkeye and himself wouldn't be in until later, with a short debriefing for Havoc about the plan of meeting up with the caseworker. After a short but nice breakfast, they decided to stop by the hospital and tell Edward too, before they left.
Ed looked better today, having gotten a bit of color back in his face that wasn't a feverish blush. He was sitting upright in the bed, poking his spoon into the mushy porridge they served for breakfast, with a very distinct grimace on his face.
His door was slightly open, so Roy knocked on the door frame before they entered.
Ed jumped, winching a little at the movement, but smiled when he saw them.
"Oh, hey."
"Good morning Edward," Riza smiled, handing him the box of scrambled eggs with pieces of bacon they had brought for him.
"I figured hospital food usually doesn't agree with anyone, so maybe you'd like something else."
The awe on Ed's face was apparent, his mouth almost watering over at the sight of something else than the mushy, overcooked or completely sogged-in-brown-sauce meals (that almost gave the orphanage a run for its money), they were served at the hospital.
"Thank you so much First Lieutenant," he said and immediately dug the spoon he could bearly get a grip on into the delicious-looking food.
"Anytime," she smiled.
"How are you feeling?" Roy asked. They both kept standing, somewhat sending the feels out that they weren't staying too long.
"Better," Ed uttered with his mouth stuffed, but still showing some amount of pain when swallowing the food.
"We're actually just stopping by to tell you something," Roy started to say. Edward was more interested in the food, only muttering a silent 'mhm', between mouthfuls.
"We're going to meet with the social worker that left with Alphonse to the orphanage after the fire today," Riza finished.
Edward almost choked on his food. It led to a rough coughing fit, painfully reminding him that pneumonia wasn't cured over-night.
"What?" he gasped, clearing his throat to try and get rid of the scratchiness. Absentmindedly he reached for the glass that was placed next to the porridge and gulped down a couple of sips before his mind started to register what the liquid was.
He spat out what was left in his mouth, and desperately tried to dry his tongue off with his hand.
"Ugh! No! Yuk! That's so nasty!" Ed gagged.
"...Edward?" Roy asked carefully, watching the kid having a complete tantrum over a glass of milk.
Ed scowled hostile at the milk. 'Was he trying to intimidate the glass?'
"Sooo... how do you feel about that?" Roy asked tryingly, looking for some sort of confirmation from Hawkeye. She looked unimpressed.
"About wha... oh," Edward retorted, releasing his death-stare from the poor innocent milk. "Uh, I'm not sure. I guess I'm a little surprised."
"Caught you a bit of guard, didn't it?" Riza said with a tenderness in her voice that Roy knew there was no way his deep baritone could muster.
"I guess. Do you think she knows something about what happened at the hospital?"
"She's our safest bet at this point," Riza admitted. The hospital had been astonishingly un-cooperative, even as she pulled her rank.
Ed looked thoughtful for a second before he spoke. "Would you mind, maybe... taking Alphonse with you? This whole thing has been really hard on him and I was thinking- it might help him to realize that it wasn't his fault, you know? If he talked to someone who actually... maybe could have done something."
Roy and Riza both looked surprised and turned to look at the other.
"I guess if he wants to he could?" Roy said questioningly.
"Yeah, I could call the hotel right now and ask him," Riza nodded, sending Edward a reassuring smile and left for the phones.
"I hope she can tell him something to ease his mind," Ed said.
"What about you?" Roy asked, sitting down by the bed after all.
"What about me?" Ed asked, seeming genuinely confused.
"Don't you want something to ease your mind?"
"I already have- Alphonse and the Rockbells," Ed explained lightly.
Roy scoffed. "Oh, kid. You're too good for your own... good."
"Not a-"
"I know, I know. Not a kid," Roy waved him off.
Ed lowered his head, fiddling with one of the wires that stuck out of who knows where.
"I'm not that good, you know..." he finally mustered. Roy didn't answer. He just watched Edward, neither encouraging or discouraging whatever Ed wanted to say.
"Do you... do you remember that first day at your house? When you asked me what had happened, um, when our house burnt down?" he said hesitantly.
"Sure. I do," Roy confirmed.
"I told you that I didn't remember what happened, but... I lied."
Roy stiffened. "Listen, Edward. You don't have to-"
"I think I want to though. I've never told anyone- as if they needed another reason to hate me..." Ed's thoughts seemed to trail off for a bit, but he shook his head, anchoring himself to the moment before he resumed.
"...Al and I had been outside playing all day and it started to rain. We were both soaked when we got back inside. Mom was getting Al ready for bed while I sat in the living room, cuddled up in a blanket. Mom had lit the fireplace and told me several times not to get too close to it. But- I was so cold... so I sat right by it. Then..."
"...the blanket caught on fire," Roy finished, as Ed was unable to say the words.
"I remember the-" Ed swallowed harshly, "...the smell and panic, so vividly, when the blanket lit on fire and the pain when the... skin on my arm started to melt- and I- I tried to get the blanket off of me but the flames just kept burning and my pant leg suddenly started to melt together with the blanket and on to my skin, so I... I screamed. I didn't know what else to do. I just screamed. And, I- I know I don't remember what happened after that- but somehow my mind always seems to trick me into thinking that I do and it litters my mind with these... images, horrible-haunting nightmares..."
"Ed..."
"...and I just don't know if it's real memories or not and mom- she was so so scared and then, she was angry and yelled because I had been bad-"
"Edward," Roy said sternly. Finally, Ed snapped out of it.
"Sorry, I was rambling, wasn't I?"
Roy's frown morphed into a sad smile as he shook his head.
"It's not that, Ed. I-" Roy took a deep inhale. "I just wanted to tell you that, you are not to blame for that. Jesus Christ, you were what- four years old? And please, don't believe those nightmares to be real memories. It's just your misplaced guilt that... fucks with your mind, trying to satisfy self-destructive behavior. Trust me, I could've written a book on the subject..."
"...and probably should follow some of your own advice," a voice from the door stated. Riza came back into the room with the same mournful expression that Roy had.
"I talked to Alphonse. He wanted to come along, so we should probably get going," she said.
"Good," Ed looked satisfied and somewhat at peace as Roy got up to leave.
"See you later then, shorty," Roy teased and ruffled his hair.
The peacefulness of Edward's posture disappeared straight away, as he puffed his cheeks and turned crimson red.
"Who... are... you... calling... so short that he can bungee-jump off the curb?!"
"Where do you even get these things from?" Roy stated in disbelief.
"I would hurt you right now, but you're so old that your blood type is probably discontinued," Ed gnarled, grinding his teeth.
"...aaaand we've overstayed our welcome," Riza concluded, grabbing Roy's arm and pulling him towards the door.
"Colonel bastard?" Ed asked as they turned to leave. Roy only looked at him with an exasperated stare.
"Before you called me the s-word..."
"That's not the s-wor-"
"Yes, it is!" Ed yelled. "I was trying to say thank you..."
Roy opened his mouth to say something- but Ed interrupted.
"But I reconsidered. You're still a piece of shit."
Ed grinned widely as Roy was pulled out of his room by Hawkeye before he could make a decent comeback.
What was that about "two chapters" left? Never mind. I just want the ending to be good, and I haven't gotten to the point where I feel I can get that yet! So- stay tuned. There will be more!