They walked, side by side but not hand in hand, through the cool sidewalks of Central's early evening. She had expected him to pay for dinner, so took care of the bill before hand and nearly giggled at the shock that froze his face when he realized what she had done. "If you paid, sir," she insisted, "this would be a date. And it isn't," she added when he tried that charming grin of his on her. She wouldn't fall for something like that now, not after all this time.
"There's no need to call me sir," he said playfully. "Neither of us is on duty and I'm no longer your superior."
What she hadn't expected was how much she would enjoy the evening and how well he would be able to put her at ease. She had only accepted his invitation after the deepest of considerations. When he invited her back to his place after dinner, she found herself unable to decline, even after all this time.
Once inside, sitting in the familiar plush blue chairs, she felt strangely at home. He watched her, amused, as she straightened things she felt had become out of order since she left. She turned his cluttered end tables into pristine surfaces almost effortlessly, efficiently stacking his bills and paperwork and setting them on his desk. She frowned when he stretched his feet out on the coffee table and he almost took them down again before he remembered that this was his house, and his table. Riza looked away when she remembered the same thing. "So," she began, suddenly at a loss for things to say. She stood up. "I really shouldn't have come here," she said, her voice completely changed.
Roy rose as well. "Stay," he said simply. "I'll put some coffee on." With that he walked out of the room, and she could hear him shifting things around in the kitchen. Roy knew how to make coffee? Of course he knows, she chided herself. He made his own coffee before I was here, and of course he makes it after.
"Isn't this a little out of order, sir?" she asked from the doorway, trying to tease.
When he looked at her blankly, she continued.
"Don't you usually make her coffee the morning after?"
He frowned, acting puzzled. "Make who coffee?"
She smiled bitterly. "Your latest conquest."
Roy groaned, rubbing his hand over his forehead, careful not to disturb the eyepatch. "There haven't been any conquests, Riza, believe me," he said, tired sounding suddenly.
She had meant it to be funny, but her accusation lay flat in the space between them. She didn't know what made her continue. "But General Mustang, don't you have a reputation with the ladies you need to keep up?"
He stated at her. "Old rumors die hard, no matter what we do to combat them. You know that," he said finally, turning back to the coffee.
Out of habit, she reached for the cupboard where she knew he kept the mugs, but blinked in surprise when she saw stacked plates instead. She drew her eyebrows down. Covered in dust, of course, she noted.
"On the left," he said, with, was that amusement in his voice?
Obediently she opened the left cabinet, and pulled out two mugs, handing him one.
When the phone rang, she hoped it was someone from the office who urgently needed to speak to him, so she could excuse herself quickly, without even having to say goodbye. In fact, after he answered, she motioned towards the door, signaling she would leave him to his business, but he shook his head fiercely at her while barking instructions into the phone. "Stay calm," was the last one before he hung up.
She looked at him questioningly.
He was grabbing his coat from the rack and handed Riza her own. "It was Fullmetal," he said shortly, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "He said Alphonse is disappearing."
She followed him quickly out the door. "Disappearing? What does that mean?"
"I don't know," he said darkly, "he was nearly hysterical on the phone. He said he doesn't understand it and I need to get over there now."
"How quickly can we get to Altenburg?" she asked then.
"Four hours, if we drive," he said shortly.
They didn't speak at all during the drive.
They had both said "we."