You know how this works. I don't own Roy (don't I wish), I don't own his staff, and I don't own Central. Pretty much the only things I do own are the plot, my character (General Ree), and the academy (yeah, that was me). Oh, and anyone mentioned in the flashback is also my creation. Quick background, I brought Hughes back (yeah, saw that coming, didn't you?) because he's too awesome to die. The grave can't stop him! Well, that's enough of that, let's get this party started.

After walking Maes home, Roy and Arika turned toward his apartment building. They talked for a while about nothing, and finally she couldn't take anymore. "If you want to talk, let's talk about something. All this small talk, its killing me, you know?"
"Yeah, I do. I want to talk to you."
She could tell there was something on his mind. They had walked into an alley, that same damn alley. She pulled a crate over and sat down. "Sit. Talk."
He found a crate of his own and pulled it over. "I really need to know. Why did you leave?"
"I needed to know that I could stand on my own. From day one, I relied on you and I relied on Maes. I knew if I stayed, I would go running to you the second something got hard."
Roy sat for a moment in silence. He looked her in the eyes and said calmly, "Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"No, but I thought it was worth a shot."
"If you're going to lie to me, we should just go back to the small talk."
"I wanted to know if you'd ask me to stay. I just needed that much, I was set to request a transfer, but you couldn't say you needed me."
"Couldn't say…wasn't that last night enough for you?"
several years earlier
Roy stepped out onto the roof, knowing she'd be there. It was raining. She was so beautiful, standing there, silhouetted against the light spilling out from the building. He stood there, just watching her. He came up behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder. She turned, surprised she hadn't heard him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," he told her. Even through the rain, he could she'd been crying. He pulled the long red hair away from her face, wiped her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, and just stared for a minute. Before he knew what he was doing, he kissed her. He heard a creak behind him. He turned, and there, standing in the light from inside, stood Maes. He turned and left, and in the light, Roy could see him grin.
present
"No, it wasn't. That was almost the reason I left. You couldn't possibly have felt what I did that night." He looked at her, the confusion written on his face. She sighed. "You idiot. I loved you!" He sat for a minute in shock. "Come on, we should be going. It's late, and I'm tired." She stood, pulled him up by the sleeve and started to drag him toward the apartment building. They arrived at his 'home' five minutes later, neither of them having said a word. He looked at her for a moment, then took the plunge.
"Why? Why didn't you tell me?"
She sighed. She had known it was coming, but he had made it so long without saying it. Still, he had brought this on himself. "Do you even remember the man you were? You were with a different girl every night and none of them meant anything to you. I just couldn't stand being just another notch in your bedpost."
"I remember who I was, and I remember why I was like that. I was with all those girls to compensate. I couldn't have the one woman who meant anything. I loved you, dammit! I always have, and, hell, I probably always will," he said with a grin.
Well, that was unexpected, she thought. She sat thoughtfully for a moment. "Does this place have a roof?" she asked finally.

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