Chapter Two
Riza looked in the mirror, her face was as red as it felt. She could hear Roy chuckling from the other room. He wasn't going to let her live this down. She supposed she had earned it given the teasing she had given him about being a cuddler. Her mouth was dry and her head was pounding. She hadn't had a hangover in ages, she hadn't missed it. She turned on the tap and quickly undressed. She slapped her hand to her forehead, she remembered she had forgotten to get a fresh set of clothes before coming into the bathroom.
"Roy, if you're done laughing, can you pass me my clothes? I laid them out in the chair next to the bed."
"I'm badly injured," he called back. "You're asking an injured man to be your slave."
She rolled her eyes and wrapped the towel around herself. She opened the door and walked straight into Roy's bare chest. She reached up to hold her towel in place and she was blushing again. Damn, she was doing too much of that. She tore her eyes away from his well-defined chest and slammed the door behind her.
He coughed loudly.
"What?" she snapped.
"Riza? You forgot something." He sounded amused.
Damn the clothes. Her heart sank as she realised. She opened the door and ripped the clothes from his arms. She shut the door behind her again. What was wrong with her? They were better than this, not silly teenagers who had no control of their urges. She took a deep breath.
Keep it together.
The bath was almost full and turned off the tap. She lowered herself into the bath and despite herself found her mind returning to Roy's bare chest. He looked good even with a bandage around his middle Damn him. When did he get time to exercise anyway? Her face heated at the thought of a sweaty Roy Mustang. She blinked trying to dispel the image in her head. If only things could be different. She needed to give herself a good shake. They couldn't go there because if they did they wouldn't be able to stop. No, they could be colleagues, they could even be friends but they couldn't be together. There was too much at stake. She wasn't going to risk everything they had worked for in haze of unresolved sexual tension. It was probably a good thing Roy was injured because she could feel her resolve waver. She furrowed her brow and a wave of nausea hit her. He should be hungover like she was. He had no business looking so good, first thing in the morning despite bleeding out the night before.
Roy held his abdomen, maybe laughing wasn't such a good idea. But Riza had looked so adorable and flustered. He didn't go back into bed. Instead, he rifled through his suitcase and pulled out the envelope Grumman had given him. He needed a distraction from the naked woman in the bathroom. He would very much like to be sharing the bath with her right now. There was knock on the door and Roy frowned before remembering that breakfast was part of the upgrade when he asked for the honeymoon suite. He went to the door and let the man bring in a trolley with tea, coffee, fresh pastries, and pancakes. He sniffed the air and grinned, his stomach rumbling.
Then he handed the man a hefty tip. "The wife is going to be very pleased," he said in Xingese. "You have my thanks."
The man bowed and expressed his thanks.
Perfect, they could discuss their plans for the day over breakfast. Roy's stomach rumbled again but his manners dictated he wait for his companion before eating.
The door creaked indicating Riza's return.
"Breakfast is here," he announced cheerfully.
She smiled. "Well then, hurry up and get some clothes on before we start."
He lifted an eyebrow, a cocky smile on his face. "Distracting you, am I?"
"Don't be so conceited, Roy."
He smirked at the pink tinge on her cheeks and headed for a quick shower.
Riza noticed the envelope Roy had left out on the table and she went to get hers from her suitcase. Work over breakfast. That sounded like the wisest approach, a distraction from the fluttery feeling in her stomach. She could hear Roy humming in the shower and she smiled. He was in a ridiculously good mood for someone who had been stabbed and should be in a lot of pain. Perhaps he was still drunk? She smiled and sat back down on the couch, carefully avoiding the bloodstain. She opened the envelope and started reading through Grumman's instructions again.
She was still engrossed in reading when she heard a familiar voice say, "Any ideas on why exactly the Fuhrer sent us?"
Riza lifted her head. Roy had returned from the shower, thankfully fully dressed. She shrugged. She was sure her grandfather was keeping something quiet, but then he always was planning something or other.
He sat down on the armchair opposite her and she noticed he was holding his stomach. So, he was human after all.
"We should pick up the pills after breakfast," she said. "It wouldn't do for you to be distracted by the pain when we are on a mission."
"It's not that bad."
She rolled her eyes. "I can tell you're lying, you know." Standing up, she went over to the bedside table and rattled the bottle. Fixing him with a beady glare, she said. "You didn't take anything this morning, did you?"
He grimaced and shook his head. "C' mon, forget about that and let's have breakfast."
She returned to the table and slammed the box down on the table. "Take them."
"Yes, pumpkin."
"Why do you have to do that?" She narrowed her eyes. "Make light of the whole thing."
His eyes widened and she cursed herself for her weakness. She wished he wouldn't joke about their situation.
"I'm fine, Riza. It wasn't deep enough to do much damage." He stepped closer and brushed her wet hair from her face. "We've both had much worse injuries."
She stepped backwards and wrapped her arms around herself. "Yes - but that's no reason to be reckless, and you were reckless."
She was thankful he misunderstood what she meant because she couldn't bring herself to address the elephant in the room.
"Yeah - I guess I was." He sighed. "I'm sorry, alright."
He poured them both a cup of coffee. She took her cup and wrapped her arms around it. She watched as he took a sip from his own cup and swallowed the two pills.
She forced a smile. "So, how about we run through these? A last-minute brief."
The house looked pretty unremarkable from the outside. Roy and Riza scanned the area in case they were being watched. Riza's arm was looped around his.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
She nodded. "Shall we?"
Part of Roy wanted the mission to be extended, so they didn't have to go home so soon. Even so, he wasn't stupid enough to ask for trouble. He had enough of it with his injury. Since the alcohol and shock had worn off, it was paining him a lot more than he was admitting to Riza.
He rapped his knuckles on the door. It wasn't long before a small, squat man answered the door.
"Lin Kuo?"
The man nodded. "And you're General Roy Mustang."
"Yes, I am." Roy gestured behind him. "This is Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye."
Kuo stepped back and bid them enter. He shook his head. "You look just like her. Damn that old man."
Roy's brow furrowed, he asked, "Look like who."
"You look just like your mother."
Roy's eyes widened. "You knew - you knew my mother?"
The man nodded. "I met your father once or twice. I knew who you were. I saw you in your uniform, recognised your name. But now, seeing you like this, I can see her in you. You really didn't know?"
Roy shook his head. "I had no idea. I knew there must be a reason he sent me. I swear I had no idea that there was any connection." He searched the man's face for any duplicity but he found none there. "You really knew her? I don't remember much about her. I was very young when they died."
"She was a remarkable woman: smart, kind and very stubborn."
"Sounds like someone I know," he heard Riza mutter.
They entered the living room and he gestured for them to sit. "I have Amestrian coffee. Would you like some? I grew rather fond of it when my wife introduced me."
"Yes, please," Roy said.
The man left them and Riza patted his arm. "You, alright?"
"Yeah, I'm just surprised. A warning would have been nice."
They were sitting very close on the couch, he moved to the side a little. Riza's thigh was very distracting.
"It explains why he is so sure you were the right person for the job," she whispered.
"It could be a good thing or a very bad thing."
Lin Kuo returned with a tray with three mugs of coffee, milk, and sugar. Roy and Riza fixed theirs as they liked it.
Roy sat back, he could feel the man's gaze.
"You went to war," Lin Kuo said, a hint of accusation in his voice, "the so-called Hero of Amestris. You don't adhere to the alchemist's creed that alchemy is for the people?"
Riza sucked in her breath beside him. Roy searched the man's face and decided he had nothing to lose by being honest.
"I always believed in that creed. I thought that in joining the military I would be helping the people, rescuing them from war. I was wrong."
"It wasn't a war, it was genocide," the man sneered.
He couldn't deny the man's accusation - it was true after all. His stomach was in knots. He had always wondered if his parents would have been able to forgive him for his sins.
"You're right!" Roy pinched the bridge of his nose. "There is a lot of what I did that I am ashamed of." He dipped his head. "For that reason, I never took on any students and there won't be a Flame Alchemist after me. I will bring the secrets to my grave." Riza fidgeted in her seat. "Too many people were harmed by its use in Ishval. But now that I know this alchemy, I have to use to save people. I'm in a position that I can."
"He's a good man," Riza cut in, "and we're trying to help rebuild Ishval. It will never be enough for what was lost but we are trying to ensure that people have the best chances possible going forward."
Kuo ran his fingers along his jaw. "I've heard some good work has been done out there."
"And a lot more to do," Roy said. He sighed. "But we're not here to discuss our past, we're here for your wife's research."
Kuo chuckled. "You're a strange man, General Mustang, a man of many contradictions."
"Maybe so, but onto more pressing matters, I believe as long as this research is in your hands, it is at risk of those who would exploit it and I know your wife wouldn't want that."
"Don't tell me about what my wife would or wouldn't have wanted!" Kuo's eyes flashed with a fire that belied his earlier mild-mannered demeanour. "You didn't know her. Why should I trust you? What if you read it and decode it yourself?"
It was a reasonable question. He could only imagine what the man thought of him. He had to get him to hand it over. It was dangerous research that couldn't be allowed to fall into the wrong person's hands. Kuo might keep it safe for now but that was no guarantee he
He also understood the man's reticence in handing his wife's work over to the military.
Roy sat up straight and looked the man right in the eyes. "If you hand it to me right now, I will burn it up in front of you." He heard Riza suck in her breath beside him. "You will have honoured your agreement and it will be on my head."
Kuo dropped his cup, coffee spilling on the floor. "You'd- you'd do that."
Roy inclined his head. "Yes, I would. I don't want to see this research getting out into the world either."
Kuo searched his face. "But the Fuhrer could have you court-martialed"
Roy shrugged. "The old man played both of us and I'm really close with the Fuhrer's granddaughter." He cast a glance at Riza, who rolled her eyes. "I think she would put a good word in for me if nothing else."
Kuo stood up. "Only if you burn it in front of me."
Roy paused for a moment. That was unexpected but it would the safest thing to do.
"Of course!" He looked Kuo in the eye. "And I'll need you to sign a letter to the Fuhrer to tell him I burned all the research."
Kuo held out his hand and Roy shook it. "I'll consider it. Come back tomorrow."
Roy and Riza stood up. Riza's head spun. What was Roy thinking? She had no idea he was going to pull a suggestion like that. That man never ceased to surprise her. The Fuhrer wouldn't like it but Roy was too valuable for him to be court-martialled. Still, she could see a stern talking to in their immediate future.
"Thank you for the coffee," Riza said to Kuo as they passed him on the way out. "It was nice to have a taste of home."
"You're welcome, Lieutenant." Kuo followed them towards the door and opened it. They stepped outside. "Be careful, this area can be dangerous."
"We'll try to stay out of trouble." Roy nodded at the man. "We'll see you tomorrow, Kuo. Will we say the same time?"
"Yes, that would be fine," Kuo replied. "I will see you both then."
The man might have agreed to consider it but until he had actually ceded the research to them, they could not relax.
They walked down the path and out into the street. It looked almost deserted but her eyes swept the street for any dangers nonetheless.
Seeing nothing alarming, she asked. "Are you sure that was wise?"
A smirk on his face, Roy chuckled. "I think Grumman might feel sorry for me after getting stabbed." He held his stomach dramatically. "I almost died! The least you can do is forgive me, sir."
She bit back a smile. "I wish you would have warned me, Roy." She lowered her voice to whisper when she saw a family of two adults and a kid approach. "And it was dangerous telling him all that about our past."
"I knew it was the right thing to do," he whispered back. "I couldn't have told you because I didn't plan it. It was worth the gamble and he accepted my sincerity."
"So, do you think that he will agree?"
"I'm sure of it," he said.
"Your arrogance knows no bounds." Her lip twitched. "I hope you don't end up regretting this."
He lifted an eyebrow. "Offering to burn the research or telling the Kuo of our sins?"
"Both."
"Perhaps it's the medication that has addled my brain?"
Riza threw her head back and laughed. When she sobered, she noticed Roy was watching her with an intense expression on his face, one that she recognised as being far too intimate. She held her breath and even though she knew she should avert her gaze, she met his instead. He smiled at her and her heart skipped a beat.
He held out his arm. "C'mon then, Mrs Hawkeye, we should go back to our lodgings and have some dinner."
Food would fill her stomach. The other kind of hunger would have to remain unsated. Why was it so difficult to remember that here?
To be continued...