A wild post-Promised Day short appears!

In Which Neither Can Help A Cuddle

"I can't believe that creep tried to kidnap you!" Winry exclaimed, indignant. Riza only shrugged.

"He didn't get all that far, did he?" she said as they walked away from the police station.

"Yeah, I don't think he'll be walking any time soon…" Ed pulled a face at the memory of the Captain's payback for the attempted – and miserably failed – abduction. She had nearly kicked that man's crotch all the way up into his throat. It was rare that she did not use her gun, but they all silently agreed she was doing just fine without one.

"Or standing," Roy agreed. Winry smiled, and both Riza as well as Alphonse returned it. It was seldom that the Flame Alchemist and former Fullmetal Alchemist agreed on something. And all it had taken was the neutering of a criminal – the only thing causing the two men to universally feel pity for others.

"Look, there's the festival!" Alphonse rushed ahead as much as he could with one crutch still under his arm, leading the group from one colourful stand to the next.

There were food stalls – none of which he left untried, having Ed run after him to pay – games, gambles, raffles, small rides, a horror house and even a big wheel.

"Aren't you coming?" Winry asked when the two soldiers remained at the edge of the event grounds. "I thought the case was done," she reminded. Roy and Riza exchanged a glance.

"The report is only due tomorrow," he reasoned. She hesitated a moment longer, then gave a nod. Winry's expression brightened.

"Let's change into something that doesn't scream 'military' though," Riza said. Rucking up their bag on his shoulder, Roy turned to find a place to change. They found a Xingese hotel, and while the two used the restrooms to put on some civilian clothes they had brought – it had been planned as a three-day mission after all – Winry inspected the reception hall. And she was delighted.

"We absolutely have to stay here tonight," she pulled on Ed's arm once he had tracked her down. He grumbled something about not wanting to spend any more time than necessary with Mustang. Alphonse marvelled with the same enthusiasm as Winry, admiring the artistically carved room dividers in the waiting area, the paper lanterns and exotic plants where they reflected off the polished marble floor – all the while munching on his arm full of food, cheeks sticky with savoury sauce and cotton candy alike. He relished it all wholeheartedly.

"The report has time until tomorrow," Riza repeated in favour of her friends' idea, "and I can write it on the way back," she hinted at the train ride they still had to book.

"Great!" Winry cheered. "Let's get back out there – I wanna beat you in a game," she grinned mischievously.

"Then we should start right away because I won't go easy on you," Riza twinkled back with the same ambition.

With Alphonse now complacently gobbling down his acquired Xingese specialities, the two women led the way. They left no competition untried, Roy and Ed in tow where they had to take out their wallets each time. Ed groaned louder the more his now cut off research funding disappeared, whereas Roy offered additional rounds and snacks in between.

"Look who's sharking as if there were no tomorrow," Ed remarked when Roy paid for the third row of shooting. The latter never even glanced to the side, eyes trained on his Captain. Not the targets she was aiming for, but her face, shoulder and hand, all in perfect balance, eyes blazing with the challenge. It was the only game Winry did not try to compete with her, watching in awe instead.

"At least I'm making sure your girlfriend is happy," Roy retorted nonchalantly.

"She's not my girlfriend," Ed shot back immediately. He shrunk under the glare he received from the stall. Luckily, distraction came before any wrenches could be sent flying.

Winry whooped where she had had her head propped up on the counter, receiving an enormous panda plushie.

"I bet Mei would love this," Al commented through a mouth full of sweets.

"Would you like to give her one?" Riza turned. Alphonse's eyes shone.

"Just a small one," he politely affirmed. Riza handed him a handkerchief for the crumbs sticking to his face before focusing back on the targets. She frowned at the way the weapon had to be reloaded, not moving as efficiently as she liked for her own artillery.

Not five minutes later, a slightly smaller, though still very huggable panda went over the counter. The man running the stall grinned at the strange group, perhaps looking to him like three children and their rather young parents.

"You still have some points left," he said without any accent. Riza shook her head as she handed him the air rifle. "Here," he exchanged it for a medium-sized puppy plushie, "on the house," he winked since her remaining points were just short of the reward, then jerked his head towards Ed, obviously suspecting him to be grumpy due to not having gotten anything – pretending to be too cool for it. Her lips curled in amusement.

"Thank you," she took it in both hands. Then she stuffed it into Roy's arms. "Here you are," she smiled sweetly, teasingly, just when Winry grabbed her hand.

"Look, Ms Riza!" she dragged her along, following a couple of actors on stilts, headed for an enormous circus tent. "I'll outrun you in these for sure," she laughed.

"You can have than win," Riza returned, disappearing in the crowd. Roy stood there for another moment, clutching his plushie.

"Uh… thanks?" he blinked after her, then down at the furry face. His back straightened once Ed started laughing. Then more when Roy's light blush became evident.

"Man, you're hopeless," he mocked, starting in the direction the girls had vanished. Roy tucked the trophy under his arm, following.

"Says the one losing his poise pitifully in front of his teenage crush," he countered.

"I don't have a crush!"

"Your face tells me otherwise – you're beet red," Roy smirked. Not having blushed until the last comment, Ed turned away to hide the sudden scarlet of his face.

"Oh yeah?" he lifted his chin. "At least I don't crush on my employee."

"Please, you're embarrassing us with the scene you're making," Roy gave back, digressing. Ed huffed to which the General tutted. Keeping their eyes away from the other – as well as their tinted cheeks to themselves – they wordlessly scanned the crowd. Al was the easiest to be spotted, waving them over where he had discovered the circus' ice cream booth. He wiggled excitedly on the spot while his brother dug for his wallet.

Hours later – the entire festival inspected and enjoyed to the fullest, followed by an actual meal at a bistro – they returned to the hotel.

"What is this?" Ed frowned at their room. Their room, as in all of theirs. He crossed over to the opposite wall, as if trying to find invisible furniture. There were no beds, only a low table in a corner, a wardrobe and a coat hanger next to the door.

"Maybe the floorboards are flexible…?" Al speculated aloud. Hobbling slightly after the long day, he stopped in the middle of the room. Letting his crutch fall, he had his brother help him to sit down. Flopping onto his back, he wagged his back against the wood. "Hm…" he hummed, unconvinced. Still, he used his chance to make a snow-less snow angel, savouring the feeling of his human body, and most anything beneath his fingertips.

"The Xingese are very efficient," Roy chided the futile idea, "they don't waste an entire room on nothing but sleeping," he went over to the wardrobe. Opening it, he revealed the anticipated futons. Setting down his plushie, he reached in and handed a futon to Riza.

With everything spread out and the bathroom's sliding door sounding one last time, Ed picked up his nagging from before.

"Why didn't they give us two rooms?" he complained, trying not to step on the others as he crawled into his own futon. "One for the sane people and one for the Colonel."

"General," Roy corrected two spots further. Winry and Riza – right between the two squabblers – exchanged knowing glances. Neither of the men harped on about it, turning away. Riza shook her head into her pillow while Winry rolled her eyes. They giggled quietly.

"Thank you for coming with us today," Winry whispered. The window in her back still gave them enough light to see each other's faces, the paper lanterns strung outside dimly illuminating the room. "I had a lot of fun," she closed her eyes to beam a smile.

"I think we should be thanking you for helping us with that criminal," Riza returned the smile.

"It's not like I did anything," Winry scratched her head. "But I'm glad we ran into each other. Maybe we should come to Central more often – or you could visit us in the East, Ms Riza. I'll make us apple pie," she raved. There was a keen hiss from behind her, Alphonse having overheard. They chuckled.

"Riza, please," Riza insisted. She opened her mouth to reply, when a quiet snore interrupted. Roy's flank rose and fell against her back, him having fallen onto his back luring out the nightly concert.

"Oh, come on…" Ed cursed over his shoulder. Turning around, he glared past the girls, even though Roy was fast asleep. In an attempt to allay his irritation, Riza gently poked an elbow into her superior's side. His snoring hitched, a groan following. Then the blanket shuffled, and he turned onto his side.

Smacking his lips in a content way, he slung an arm around his Captain, effectively trapping her under her blanket and against him. Winry let out a tiny squeak while Ed's head raised above her shoulder, peering past it. Next came Al's.

"That looked quite habitual," Winry noted cheekily. Riza lifted a single brow, the darkness veiling her hint of a blush.

"He likes to hog blankets," she shrugged as if unaffected.

"Yeah, right," Ed puffed over Winry's shoulder. "He wouldn't do that if anyone but you were lying there," he grinned.

"Don't breathe into my neck," Winry bickered at him and he muttered something in awkward apology. Both blushed deeply when Riza chuckled.

"You fight like a married couple," she remarked. Not least as payback.

"No, we don't!" the two exclaimed in unison, cheeks flaming.

"They do," Alphonse supplied from behind.

"Al!" Ed nagged. He turned away with snorts of feigned annoyance, smothering his head with his pillow. Riza had to stifle another giggle when Winry reacted similarly, pulling her blanket up to her face. Both she and Ed shuffled away from one another ever so slightly, trying not to touch backs or share the other's blanket.

Smiling to herself, Riza closed her eyes. Surrendering to her commanding officer's possessive hug, she took a while to drift off, listening to his steady breathing on her nape. Contrary to Winry, she felt pleasant goosebumps tickle along her arms. Would they have been alone, she would have preferred his embrace beneath the covers instead of on top.

Riza awoke with the sun in her back, and his warm breath on her cheeks. She did not have to open her eyes to know it was him, his scent surrounding her while his arms held her close to his chest. His face was even closer, the tip of his nose touching the bridge of hers.

Not registering where they were, she simply enjoyed his warmth, keeping her hands still on his back as not to wake him. She tried to remember what day it was, slowly noticing the unusual underground and lack of a mattress. It only hit her when the hushed voice behind her sounded somewhere at the height of her ear.

"Look!" it hissed.

"I know, I saw it before you," Winry returned.

"That bastard's going all out on it, huh?" Ed scoffed.

"I think it's sweet," Al piped up.

"Shhh!" Ed and Winry shushed him. Riza had to pull herself together as not to break out into a smile. Another moment of silence passed, and Riza kept still, trying to guess whether it was visible that she was not only trapped, but actually returned the gesture with her arms around her General's back beneath the blanket.

"She doesn't seem all that put off…" Winry mumbled. All three of them were fascinated, blushes of varying intensity crowning their cheeks. "Do you think she knows?" she asked her friends. It was then that Riza could not stop herself anymore, lips twisting up into an amused smile. Winry's eyes popped, Ed wincing to hide behind her. He peeked over her shoulder.

"Do you think she heard that?" he whispered.

"She did," Riza confirmed. Spooking all three into freezing for a second. She almost had to laugh when Ed breathed an obviously embarrassed curse.

They were about to lie down again, very slowly and unsuspiciously, when Roy moved. Grumbling something unintelligible, he tightened his embrace, squishing his Captain against himself, lips brushing her skin where he muttered.

"Just five more," he yawned, rubbing his nose to hers, "minutes…" he faded out again. His breathing evened out almost instantly.

Smiling affectionately to herself, Riza lowered her lids. Closing her eyes all the way, she let out a soft sigh.

"Okay," she hummed quietly.

The others held their breaths for another moment, Edward being the least keen on the Captain's wrath. He had witnessed it the day before after all. Silence fell, then stretched, Ed enumerating the periodic system of elements in his head while Winry counted the ticks of the clock above the door. But Riza's breathing did not steady the way it would when asleep. Neither did her smile leave.

The three winced when she gently raised her voice after a while.

"Five minutes are over," Riza announced after five minutes sharp. "Sir?" she ran her hands down his back, hoping to be unsuspicious. The loudest thing she heard was his breathing, wondering how audible the rustling beneath their now shared blankets was.

Roy exhaled strongly, then repeatedly as it turned into a chuckle. With a groan that could have well been a flirtatious growl, he wound his arms closer around her, burying his face in hers with a fond smile gracing his lips. He had absolutely no idea about them not being alone.

I was inspired by an artwork on pixiv but cannot properly credit since the user name is in Japanese Hiragana/Katakana. Let me know if you'd like the link.