A Betting Crowd

A Full Metal Alchemist fanfiction, By Serenanna

Part 2 – Cutting the Losses

Warnings and Disclaimers: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them to play with. I'll return them later after, promise. There is adult content and sexual situations in this story. So, if you're under 18, leave now before your virgin eyes are scarred forever, if you're over 18, enjoy! There is also aggressive teasing, rough foreplay, and creative use of office and library type settings in this fic, including elevators. Yes, I said elevators. If those hentai thoughts alone aren't enough to ward you off, hang on for the ride.

Story Notes: Time frame for this fic doesn't matter as my knowledge of FMA is a bit scattered but obviously before the ending and Maes's death, and set during the anime series. Also, this is a Roy and Riza fic along with implied Ed and Winry. This fic should be viewed as taking place between Overhaul, and Overhaul 2: The Tune Up as there are some minor connections. Being this is fanfiction, liberties were taken with the actions of the characters and certain parts of the fic are not canonal, I just don't know which ones. Certain clichés usual to Roy and Riza fics are also being tossed out after having a lengthy discussion with a military vet and making sure the clichés weren't canon. If it goes against the grain of what you like in Roy/Riza fics, tough. I also don't know the exact layout of their offices, so I'm winging it. This fic hinges on substantially romantic plot, is really, really long in each chapter, and is considerably hentai. This chapter in particular is considerably hentai. No, really, it's about 70 percent lemon from here on out. Beta reading has been done by Darkilluser. (Thank you!) Read the above disclaimers again if you're still squeamish, but I assure you, it'll be worth it. No tubular pieces of fabric called skirts were harmed in the production of this dirty piece of smut . . . well . . .

By the time the door was closed, Riza had gotten a grip on her torrent of emotions enough to only glare imminent death at the three subordinates gawking from their desks. She wouldn't kill them, but if they asked what just happened between her and Mustang . . .

That look was enough to send them back to focusing on their paperwork. She stomped over to her own desk and began riffling through the drawers, pulling out boxes and a large wooden case. She knew she kept all this ammo hidden in her desk for a good reason, along with the bigger guns. This would be enough to keep her from killing him, for now, and enough to give her time to grieve. She was a fool, a god-damned fool. To think she said that to him, to Roy Mustang, the ultimate ladies man of Central, her boss. To think that she admitted she loved him. To think she actually believed him when he rejected her. He had to be lying, trying to protect her again like the idiot bastard he was, but all her nagging doubts shouted back that she was just in denial. She didn't know what to believe, slamming her fist down onto the table. Three pairs of eyes looked up at her because of the sound, terrified by the coldness of her glare. She needed to get out of there.

"Gentlemen, I am going back to the shooting range for two hours. These are your orders for those two hours," the Lieutenant said as she pushed all emotion from her voice, "Fuery, in five minutes you are to go into the Colonel's office and retrieve every signed piece of paper in there no matter where they lay, and then make sure they all get filed. Havoc, help him with that second part. You are to tell Mustang exactly where I went, when I will be back, exactly how much ammo I took with me, and that I'm carrying the .45 caliber set as well. If he wants to talk, he knows where to find me. You are not to ask what any of this was about, and anything you've heard at all today it is not to leave this department. If the Colonel triea to leave the building early, you are to stop him, and all your regular work must be close to done by the time I return. If any of these orders are disobeyed, I will shoot you in places you will remember, am I clear?"

Three heads nodded dumbly at her and she turned, leaving. Once she was gone, they let out the breaths they'd been holding since the shouting had started minutes ago. In the aftermath, Havoc seemed like the only one not scared into silence as he muttered with a cigarette hanging out the side of his mouth, "Anyone want to place a bet on Mustang surviving the day without a bullet in him?"

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, almost a blessing to Roy after everything that had happened. He wanted nothing better than to go home and get plastered. Anything to forget Riza and those kisses. He would have been home already if it weren't for her orders to the three other men. It was ironic that his orders outranked hers, but their fear of her drove them to mutiny at the slightest threat of flesh wounds. Admittedly, he was scared of Hawkeye at the moment too. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. He probably should have amended that to hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and carrying loaded guns and a good reason to shoot first. The set of .45 caliber semi-automatic handguns she kept for 'special' occasions were threatening enough. On top of that, taking four boxes totaling four hundred bullets with her was enough to send him back to his desk without needing his men's mutiny.

He couldn't blame her, but at least she was blowing off steam on targets rather than on him.

When she did come back half an hour later than the two hours she said, Roy looked up from his paperwork at the sound of the door. Their eyes met, and suddenly he felt very, very sorry at the pain he saw in there. She looked away first, moving slowly over to her desk and falling boneless-ly into her chair. Not once in the next one and a half hours did she turn to look at him. She looked miserable no matter how much she tried to hide it. He couldn't blame her for cracking. The only person he could blame was himself. How could his day have gone this wrong? It was one stupid bet, but it had turned into so much more than he expected. Maes was right, she would be mad at him forever, even if it wasn't over losing the bet.

Maybe this wasn't the right choice after all.

As much as he wanted to believe that, he couldn't. It was too hopeful to think about, wasn't it? That he could love a woman, and be loved in return without feeling guilty over it? Hadn't he paid enough for being a murderer? With a wince at that thought, Roy knew that he had only scraped the surface of redemption. There were still battles, still missions, still people dying in their world when there was no need. If he could still make a difference, he would try, but . . . was it right to give her up in the process? In all practicality, Roy needed her help. He needed the support of all his friends. It was too much to handle alone. Snorting a chuckle, the dark-haired man realized that he could use some of that help right now. It wasn't like he was going to get any work done right now anyway.

He stood up and closed the door slowly, taking one last glance at Riza, while she was busy cleaning and oiling her firearms. She didn't even notice when the hinges squeaked. Holding back a sigh of regret, the Colonel locked it then picked up the phone on his desk. There was only one person who could help him now as he dialed the rotor with the numbers of his extension. It rung twice before being picked up with a crackle of sound, "Investigations, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes speaking."

"I don't suppose you could find my sanity for me?"

"Roy? What are you doing calling me with only half an hour left in the day? I thought you'd been trying to give Riza the slip around now, and setting me back thirty bucks?" Maes asked, his voice sounding exceedingly surprised.

"Part of me wishes I could . . . and part of me wishes this day were longer."

". . . You sound like you need a drink . . ."

"You think?"

"Of course I think, it's why I got stuck in Investigations."

"Maes . . . how much time you got right now?" Roy asked, unaffected by the mild joke, "This is going to be a long call."

"That bad?"

"Yeah . . ."

"It's one of those social problem calls, isn't it? It's this damned bet again?"

"Part of it, but yeah, this is one of those cases when I only wish it were work-related."

"Damn . . ." Maes cursed, his voice low. There was shuffling on the other side of the line as Roy winced. He heard a door close then the sound of the phone being juggled before he heard Hughes again, "You're lucky I finished this de-briefing with one of my field agents early . . . what the hell happened now?"

". . ."

"Roy, what is it? You have that tone of voice again."

"What tone of voice?"

"The one you've gotten since you came back from the War whenever you're thinking too damned much."

"Thank you for pointing that out to me," the Colonel said darkly, not meaning for it to come out as sarcastic as it did. From Maes's gruff murmur, Roy knew that wasn't the smartest thing for him to say at the moment. "Is this going to be one of those talks where I gotta just listen to you being all depressed and whining?" he asked, "Or do you really want my help?"

". . . Help?" Roy asked, probably sounding desperate. Well, he kind of was. Sighing, he leaned against his desk facing the door and just about sat down on it, the phone behind him as the cord trailed over his shoulder. How could he get the help he needed from Maes without entirely revealing what was plaguing him? Somehow he pictured that his friend would be all too enthusiastic about him and Riza to be objective. There was only one way around spilling his guts, "I just need to ask a few introspective questions of someone, and you're about the only friend I got who isn't going to blab to all of Central, and . . . who's more familiar with . . . something."

There was a long pause on the phone, and he could almost hear the wheels turning in the Lieutenant Colonel's head during the silence until he said, "I'm listening."

"When you were dating Gracia, when exactly did you 'know'? Did you just get used to her the more you dated, or was there just this moment when you . . . 'knew'?"

"When I 'knew'? Do you mean when I realized I was going to marry her?" Hughes's voice rose in shock, tense by the time be finished the question. Roy cringed at that word, marriage. That felt worse than if he had said love, but it fit from Maes's perspective. "Well, not that much, but . . ." he started to say, "At least when you realized it was more that just dating her."

There was another pause on the phone, "You're asking me when I realized I loved her, aren't you?"

"Well, you do, don't you?"

"Of course, I do, she's the love of my life, and the mother of the second love of my life. I just never had anyone ask me that question before, and I never imagined it would be you to ask it."

"Too personal of a question to ask?"

"For you, maybe . . ." there was another pause, and Roy felt like hanging up before Maes realized why he was asking, "Mustang, you never have talked about your life during the war, or about your personal life now except the obvious, and you never have been too forthcoming about the details in your life, even with your good friends, so forgive me because the sudden interest in mine is a bit unnerving."

"Maes-."

"Wait, I'm not going to ask why you're asking now though, since I can just about guess, so I'll just answer you anyway," Hughes breathed into the phone, a long exhale that almost sighed, "I 'knew' when kissed her the first time, which was the second date."

"Really? You didn't get to first base until the second date?" he asked, snickering darkly.

"Some of us aren't blessed with the natural gift of making women fall all over themselves, thank you," Maes said, sounding almost bitter, "But I think you're missing the point."

"Sorry, what's the point?"

"The point, my friend, isn't when I realized I loved her, but what I felt like when it happened."

"Which was?"

"It felt like I was home, at peace, finally."

Now it seemed more complicated that he originally thought it was. Home, that was so different of a concept than from when he kissed Riza. It hadn't felt like that at all, and definitely not the peace he spoke of. He felt weakened in all the heat, like he was holding onto something bigger than himself and was drowning in it. It felt like being lost, almost the opposite of being at peace. Maybe he had been wrong about everything. He was panicking thinking over that until Maes asked the obvious, "Something wrong?"

Roy bit the inside of his mouth to keep the panic down, thankfully sounding normal when he spoke again, "Yeah, a little, nothing major . . ."

"You're a terrible liar when you're this depressed."

He groaned, slumping down further onto the desk, "I must really be obvious then." suddenly, it didn't seem worth it to hide any longer, "I kissed her."

"Kissed her? Kissed who? Riza?" Maes seemed to start on the other side of the line, "You did! You kissed Riza! And this is why you're all depressed?!"

"It's was a little more that just kissing . . ." Roy admitted, unable to help the grin as Hughes sounded like he was choking and sputtering in the shock, "Just don't get your hopes up . . ."

That made the Lieutenant Colonel stop, ". . . You did something stupid didn't you?"

". . ."

"What did you do? Chicken out?"

". . ."

"You couldn't get it up?"

"Maes-! That is not the fucking problem!" Roy nearly yelled into the phone, reigning in his voice before the office heard more shouting, "That's absolutely the last problem I'd ever have with a woman."

"Then what is the problem? If I were you right now, I'd be happy as clam, for goodness sake. You kissed her, that beautiful woman!"

"This from the married man, your opinion doesn't count since you're always as happy as a goddamned clam," Roy grumbled, now regretting telling him, "This is pointless, I shouldn't have even asked you, I shouldn't have even kissed her ! I . . . I can figure it out on my own."

He was about to hang up, finally, when Maes voice stopped him, "Roy, wait . . . I don't know exactly what happened between you two, and I know you always make things more complicated for yourself then they need to be, so I'll tell you this as a friend . . . she loves you, and you love her. I noticed it after the first week of working with you two, you both are just too damned proud and messy of people to realize it, and I've always, always, wanted to tell you to quit running round with those stupid women you tend to like, and just-!"

"You knew?"

"All of Headquarters knew it would happen eventually, it just might take the heat death end of the universe for it to happen. I just never imagined it would take some stupid bet to bring things to a head," Maes chuckled, and Roy groaned. So much for discretion, but somehow he wasn't surprised in the least. Hughes voice stopped when he noticed that Mustang was being silent. Apparently this was far more serious than he thought. "All joking aside, Roy, whatever you're worried about, you should just stop and, well . . ." he started to say, taking a moment to put it into words until the most simple of phrases occurred to him, "Let it go, what ever it is, let it go."

"Is it that easy to just let go of something?"

"No . . ."

"Did you really feel at peace when you realized you loved her?"

"Yes, but . . ."

"But what?"

"But I'm not as complicated as you, and I don't worry so much. Loving her was about the easiest thing for me to decide in my life, and I didn't second guess it, which is probably why you called me. You're always second guessing things, aside from your own orders," Hughes said, giving a small chuckle, "If you do love her, really love her, like I'm sure you do, you don't need me to tell you. You already know it."

"Thank you . . ."

"It's why I'm here."

"One more thing . . . Gracia knows just everything about you, right? You've never hidden something from her?"

"You mean do I keep secrets from her?"

"For her own good?"

"Some things about our work I do skip over the details of, like in the case of Nina Tucker. I think she's happier not knowing the extent to which Shou went for his work. It still churns my stomach to think about it."

"You're not the only one, but, doesn't she every wonder?"

"She wonders, sure, but when she asks about how Nina was killed, I shoot one look at Elysia, shake my head, and she drops it. If she ever pressed me for the answer to what happened to that little girl, I wouldn't think twice about telling her the truth. But, for now, I think deep down she understands that it's better if she doesn't know. It must be the look we get in our eyes with all the horrors we've seen, each one of us in the military," Maes said as Roy nodded emphatically, even if his friend couldn't see it.

That was one reality of all their lives he agreed with whole-heartedly. Sighing, the Colonel frowned, thinking back over his own secrets. Could he tell Riza about how he murdered the Rockbells? About all the people of Ishbal he killed too? Well, she killed people as well, but most of them were in life and death situations, criminals, murderers in their own right, not wholesale slaughter, civilians. But . . . maybe out of all of them in the office she'd understand. If he loved her . . . "Roy?"

"Yeah, I'm still here, just thinking, again."

"Tell her."

"Huh?"

"Whatever it is you're holding back on, tell her then let it go."

"Why don't you tell Gracia then too?"

"Some day I will, when I don't keep seeing my little Elysia instead of Nina some nights . . . or some of the other children we've seen."

"Thanks, Maes, I think I will tell her after all . . ."

"Does this mean she's winning the bet too?"

Roy chuckled. Everything today seemed to come back to that stupid bet inevitably. Shit, and he'd almost forgot about it too. "I'm not answering that, do your job and investigate it when the day is over," he said, grinning to himself.

"Little Ed's right, you really are a bastard colonel," Hughes said, his voice sounding jokingly upset.

"Leave the brat of pip-squeak out of this, his opinion of me is based on the misguided notion that my sole reason for existence is to annoy the living shit out of him."

"Which of course it isn't, it's to get drunk, boss around everyone else under you, including FullMetal, and now probably to bend Riza over your desk and lift up that frighteningly small and figure hugging skirt."

"Maes-."

"I can only wish Gracia worked under me, that elevator is just about perfect to-."

"Good-bye, Maes."

"But Roy, you can't tell me you haven't once thought about-."

"That's on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know. I'll see you tomorrow, Hughes."

"But I'm betting Riza needs to know-."

Roy hung up the phone with a relieved if annoyed growl, still sitting on the desk in front of the office door. He let the talk with Maes wash over him, alleviating some of the confusion and uncertainty running through his head. Simple answers were Hughes's forte sometimes, as well as his intuition, which was probably why he was in Investigations and Mustang wasn't. He was probably right. He should just let it all go. Slowly, Roy stood up and opened the door again to just a crack, peeking out at Riza. She was busy writing something, probably another memo to be typed up by the secretarial pool and then signed by him. Was Maes right? Should he just . . . let it go? No, he'd never let it go completely, not until he was dead, Fuhrer, or at least in a place of making a difference. But maybe he could let it go enough to make her happy, and to keep his sanity. Roy opened the door all the way then turned his back, walking to his desk.

Back in his chair, Roy's eyes focused on her again. His heart thumped again in that endlessly annoying way, and he let it go. Suddenly, it didn't seem so annoying anymore. He really did love her, even if it didn't feel like how Hughes had described it. The thumping went away as the word resounded more in his head, love. It didn't feel so bad the more he got used to the idea too. Maybe once he calmed down and stopped fighting it, it would feel like that peace, like having a home. For a moment, her eyes glanced toward the open door and him before sliding back over the paper. The pain he'd caused was still there in her stare. He winced, a different kind of guilt setting in, one more personal. What had he done? It wasn't too late, was it?

Riza dropped the pen as he kept watching, sighing as she leaned her head on her hands. She looked miserable as a light flush spread over her cheeks. He caught her eyes drifting towards him again, and Roy smiled as he looked away. He'd seen enough to know that no matter how big of an idiot he was, and he was a really huge asshole of an idiot, she didn't hate him, yet.

It just might work.

He could make it work, right? Of course he could. He was Colonel Roy Mustang. Nothing ever stopped him before. Not Brigadier Generals, chimeras, mad alchemists, or problematic pint-sized ones. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled just as much. No more running, no more hiding, and certainly no more half-assed heroics. He loved First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye . . . enough to let her make the choice. Nothing ever had stopped him before, except the sight of the woman he didn't know he loved in a short skirt and heels. Roy pulled out two sheets of paper from one of the desk drawers and a newly-filled pen, and then began to write.

Why did things have to go so wrong? Even after scaring the daylights out of the shooting range techs, she didn't feel any better. It was a first when raw anger released in firepower didn't improve her mood at least a little. Ok, so maybe she was feeling better. She didn't want to kill Roy now . . . she was just depressed over him. Every word she'd said to him she'd meant from the bottom of her heart, the depths of which were shocking even to her. Somehow kissing him had made everything feel right, so right that now everything seemed empty. It was going to be hard going home to just Hayate and lots of chocolate. For a moment, she went back to hating the Colonel, if only because of the looming prospect of how much chocolate, ice cream, and then strenuous exercise it was going to take to keep him out of her thoughts.

At least this hell of a day was over.

She slowly packed up, standing in front of her desk as the men were doing the same, filing the last of the papers. The main office door opened, and in walked Private Scieszka, who was smiling despite the load of books she carried, at least until she saw Riza's face. She set the books down on her desk, and the First Lieutenant forced a small smile on her lips that didn't reach her eyes. "Books the Colonel requested, he's been doing a lot of research lately," the bookworm said as she pushed her glasses up.

"They're mostly for FullMetal, I figured it would be easier to condense their request lists since he reads so much."

"No wonder one book was on sartorial alchemy changes. Maybe he's trying to make natural looking double-decker shoes to make up for his stature," Scieszka said as the blonde's smile turned into a smirk before faltering in a frown, "You didn't persuade him, did you?"

"I'm sorry, I tried, he's-."

"A bastard?"

"No, just stubborn, and stupid, and-."

"Looks really good in a uniform," Scieszka said softly so the others wouldn't hear, grinning madly, "I won't hate you so much if you at least tell me he kisses as well as he looks."

Riza went red, wanting to forget all about it along with the bet, "I didn't kiss him, we were just-."

"Talking? Really close together?"

"I fell. Heels are dangerous you know," she tried to sound convincing, but the brown-haired young woman's grin was still in place, "It doesn't matter, I lost anyway, the day's just about over."

"There's still hope, maybe if you-."

"And pigs fly."

"I haven't seen any bacon in the air yet, but that doesn't mean someone won't launch one for their State Exam," said a rough, but jokingly serious, voice from behind them. Both women jumped to see the Colonel standing close by, wearing his black overcoat and carrying a brown leather satchel. Her heart sank a little at the sight of him ready to go home. Apparently, there would be no further talks between them today. And yet, oddly enough, there was a large envelope in his hands. Riza didn't remember giving him one from the inter-office mail that day. Before she could ask, Roy practically shoved the parcel into her hands, and walked past them, "Read it out loud before everyone leaves, just a small announcement."

She blinked in surprise, but he was gone, out the door before she could utter another word. Scieszka poked the blond commanding officer in the side until she snapped out of it, almost glaring until she remembered the envelope. By now, Havoc, Fuery, and Breda had noticed it as well, especially since Mustang didn't even stop to say good night to them. As the men gathered around her, Riza pulled out a piece of paper within, her mouth dropping open in shock, as it only had two words written in large text.

The Private pulled the paper from her hands, reading it out loud for her as she suddenly went mute, "'You win'? You win! You won the bet! We win!"

"No!" Jean cried, nearly swallowing the spent butt of the cigarette hanging in his mouth. He yanked the paper from the young woman who pounced towards him to snag it back. Havoc turned his back to fend her off, too enraged as he read it to let anyone else get close, "No, no, no, no, noooooo!"

The sudden simultaneous joy and anarchy erupting around her were lost on Riza as she stood there numb. That was it? All he had to tell her was that she won? So what if she won? What kind of response was that!? Enraged as well, she yanked the envelope open wide to search for something, anything, more. Maybe he had anticipated that. She blinked at seeing a neatly folded piece of paper in the bottom with her name on the outside. Suddenly, her heart was in her throat. She pulled it out and turned away from them before anyone caught her with it. Besides, disciplining Havoc and Scieszka for fighting over the winner of the bet was the last thing on her mind as she read Roy's letter.

Riza,

As you know, you've won. It probably seems like a small thing now, and it probably is, but at least it's a piece of closure. I probably should be telling you this to your face, or at least watching as you read this, but I'm too much of a coward. Out of everyone who trusts me with their lives, you alone deserve the truth the most. And that truth is that I was wrong, and that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to hide the darkness in me from you, or used it as the reason to push you away. Out of the two of us, I should have realized sooner that you are the stronger one. The truth is that yes, I've done unforgivable things I am still paying for. Things I was ordered to do and I obeyed. I have killed people, innocent people. Ask me and I'll tell you the full story, if still you want to hear it.

I am not a man to look up to or protect for what I've done, but you're not leaving that choice up to me, are you? I may not see it but you do. You never did believe that I'm the bastard everyone says I am, or the soiled soul I have condemned myself to be. Thank you, for believing in me. But . . . I also lied to you. Having you love me is enough. But, I know asking you to feel that way about me after shattering our chance at a relationship before it even began would be too much. All I ask for is just your forgiveness, and to be your friend again. At least, if you don't file for a transfer out of the department in the morning, I'll know that you have forgiven me. I could live with that. Everything else? I think I'll leave that up to you.

I love you,

Roy Mustang

The envelope dropped from her hands even as she still clutched to the letter, nearly crumpling it. He did love her. She wobbled on her heels as her knees weakened. That horrible, wonderful bastard still loved her. He loved her! She probably would have shouted it and shattered her ice queen image forever if it weren't beyond her capacity to speak at the moment. Scieszka noticed her sway a moment, blinking in concern, "You ok, Lieutenant?"

"I-," she started to say as she quickly folded up the letter, but held onto it, looking around the office while the others were still arguing over the validity of her two word victory. For a moment, her world spun, turning from topsy-turvy back to normal again, better than normal. It was amazing how three little words written in a letter could turn the day from hell into one of the best moments in her life. But . . . there was someone missing. Slowly, a radiant, confident smile spread across her face, shining up to her eyes, "I'm fine."

Oh, she would be fine alright as soon as she found Mustang. Riza grabbed her trench coat and bag, ignoring the others as she almost flew out the door. The whole commotion caused in the aftermath of Roy's announcement stopped as the winner disappeared in a hurry. Havoc was the first to speak, blinking, "What's gotten into her?"

Breda smirked, putting the pieces of the day together faster than anyone else, "Don't know, but my ten says neither of them will be in tomorrow."

Scieska grinned along with Heymans, turning away as she headed for the door herself, "And my ten says Jean Havoc will be a poor man by morning since he keeps making lousy bets."

"Hey! Jury's still out on that, sweetheart! There's no way in hell the Colonel could like her enough to sleep with her!" Havoc yelled after the private, but she was already gone as he grumbled, "Besides, I'll still win if Roy can name the color of Hawkeye's underwear as pink."

Running in heels was always a challenge, which made the blonde look entirely inelegant as she sprinted across the empty atrium. Everyone on their floor had already headed home or was in the lifts or on the stairways to the lobby. She didn't see him. He didn't leave already, did he? Roy must have been stopped somewhere, maybe somewhere on the stairs. He never left the office without being deterred by someone with something 'important'. If she could just cut him off before he got to the main doors. Riza tried not to panic, thinking logically on how to get down to the lobby the fastest way possible. She ran for the nearest elevator, the doors of the first one she found already open as people piled in. Among the officers, she noticed one with a familiar shock of black hair. When he turned around, Riza knew immediately that it was Mustang. She ran faster to try and make it, yelling across the floor, "Wait! Hold the-!"

The doors slid closed, just as Roy's eyes locked with hers, and then he was gone.

"Door . . ." she said with a frown, putting her head against the steel, "Damn."

She glanced at the stairway near by, almost that desperate to run down four flights, but she knew she'd never make it. There was always dropping by his house and utterly surprising him. That was, if she knew where he lived. He didn't even know where her apartment was. Maes couldn't help since he was probably already on his way home for the night. It was no use. The only consolation she had was the fact that he finally admitted everything to her. Maybe in the morning they could talk and sort out all the lingering issues between them. Besides, she still needed to sort out what she'd do when she saw him again anyway. Maybe running after him wasn't a good idea to begin with, and knowing the warm tingle in the pit of her loins, the last thing she could do if she saw him right now would be to talk. Waiting for tomorrow was going to be very, very hard to do.

Sighing, she backed away and lingered by the door, resigning herself to a night alone with Hayate and a love letter. It was still in her hands too, she realized with a blush. Just as she was tucking the folded piece of paper into her bag, the elevator rumbled up the shaft. The doors slid open as Riza started to step forward before abruptly stopping. Roy grinned at her as he stood inside the lift, alone. Her mouth dropped open as she stood in the doorway, holding the doors back, "You waited?"

"You were running, in heels," he said as his grinned widened, "The effort for my sake deserved a reward."

Suddenly, the Lieutenant found herself grinning as well before her lips quirked to the side. This time he had nowhere to run. Riza stepped into the elevator and let the doors slide closed behind her. She let her coat and bag drop to the floor as he blinked. Before Roy could utter a word, her lips were on top of his, startling him with the suddenness of the kiss as he murmured. He dropped his satchel and let her push him back against the wall, dimly aware that they were still going down. When he decided to ride the elevator back up to meet her, this was a lot warmer of a reception than he expected. Maes was right about those damned sparks and kissing, even if he didn't realize it. Feeling her mouth go slack to the intrusion of his tongue didn't make him feel quite so lost anymore. It only made him surer that this was the right choice, his arms tightening over her body. Maybe he was at peace with it now that he'd stopped fighting it and let it go. He could get used to this, used to her in his life. As she moaned when Roy pulled away to kiss her neck, he knew he could get used to this very much. But just as his hands tugged her skirt up an inch or so, the bell rung and the elevator doors slid open.

At the sound they pushed each other away as if nothing had happened. They stood very still in the back and turned slightly away from one another as three more officers came in. Roy let out the breath he'd been holding when none of them shot the pair any dirty looks. That was too close. He should have pulled the damned stop button. Next to him, Riza was thinking along the same lines as she pulled her skirt back into place, then delicately crouched and bent to pick up her coat and bag before they got trampled on. Before she got very far, he grabbed her hand to stop her. "Not yet . . ." he said in a whisper that sent a shiver down her spine.

What exactly was he planning now?

The doors opened again at the lobby, and the three officers left while no one else entered. Mustang pulled her with him towards the side wall and the controls, pressing her up against it roughly. He lunged for the control panel, jabbing the button to shut the door and the one for the sixth floor. The doors closed quickly and the lift shot up. A grin spread over her reddened lips, knowing exactly what he was doing. Roy grinned back, only his was much more devious, bordering on impish. His arms trapped her from moving and his eyes stopped her from looking away as he leaned in, hovering just out of reach of her lips. The elevator stopped and the doors opened onto the empty floor, but neither of them moved to leave the lift. He jabbed the door close button then covered her lips with his. As soon as the doors closed, Riza's arms wrapped over his neck, her head tilted back. For a moment, all he could think about was kissing her until the elevator moved down with a jolt, making him break away from her for a moment. Shit. He finally remembered what he was supposed to do, and tugged on the stop button, the lift grinding to a halt.

The blonde pressed under him giggled, but was silenced with another kiss until it turned into a low moan. That sound was enough to send Roy's blood racing, remembering back to those moments in his office, the consuming need to touch her. He pulled his lips away with a groan and bent to kiss her neck. Her hands tugged on his black overcoat and the buttons of his jacket, trying to remove them both at once. She pulled them down his arms, but his hands were too busy to be moved. The skirt rose up to her waist with a sharp yank, those fingers touching skin and lace as she buried her face in his neck to muffle the sound. No coaxing was needed as her legs parted. Roy groaned as he felt her inner thigh pass over the outside of his then slide up, her heel digging into the back of his knee.

His hips thrust forward on their own, making her gasp when she was trapped between his body and the railing on the wall that pressed into her rear. The lace of her panties rubbed over the crotch of his pants each time they moved against each other, the flesh underneath growing hard. Roy's arms pulled away and flailed to remove the coat and jacket, flinging the garments on the floor. The Lieutenant yanked on his shirt collar for another kiss before her hands dropped down and around to his back. His hips ground into hers hard as she groped his rear, as if he needed anything else to spur him on. There were still too many issues and clothes between them, but as the scent of her arousal filled the small elevator, clothes took priority.

With a grunt, Roy lifted her up until she sat on the railing, back pressed flat against the wall now. He grabbed her hands too as she pulled out part of his shirt, and pinned them over her head. For the moment, neither of them moved at they stared into each other's eyes, tangled together with their panting breaths and beating hearts as the only sounds. There was a half mad, half pained look in his dark eyes, and Riza wondered for a moment if he'd, run as this was close to the position they were in the last time before he backed off. Before she could ponder that further, his hips thrust quickly forward, rubbing her folds and clit through the delicate material as she gasped. Ok, so, he definitely wasn't going anywhere now. "I never thought the first time I made love to a woman in Headquarters would be in the elevators," he breathed into her ear, unrelenting as he pressed into her, "We have to be fast."

"Then be fast, for goodness sake," Riza's hips counteracted with his, her legs lifting off the floor to wrap over his, "And this is the first? What? The desk didn't count?"

He groaned and shuddered, the heat between them building, "Doesn't count, never finished."

"Your fault."

"I know, I'm a fucking idiot," Roy said with a choked chuckle, moving faster as if there weren't at least three layers of fabric between them. Clothes didn't seem to matter as much as he thought. She arched sharply as if to buck him off, a muffled cry swallowed by his lips. Her pale skin was beautifully pink and red all over in contrast with the mad array of fallen golden hair, lopsided as half of it was coming out of the clip. The front of her panties were soaked, the liquid smeared over his pants, but neither of them noticed it. They didn't notice the sweat either. A bead of it rolled down Riza's face, but she didn't care, the heat too great along with the feeling. Her hands slipped from his grip to tear at his shirt, ripping open the collar with the pop of a few buttons before she buried her face in his neck. When her teeth dug into the bend of his throat in a bite, Mustang grunted off the pain and retaliated with a bite of his own. He was only dimly aware of anything but rubbing against her yielding body. Nothing else mattered except the pounding of blood in his ears and the sharp jolts of pleasure. Roy realized in that moment that he wasn't going to make it much longer. And yet, the heated look in Riza's brown eyes was enough to soothe his ego, knowing she was closer to the edge than he was.

One of his hands dropped to her folds, helping her along in that release as he found her clit and rubbed along with his thrusts. Riza's voice rose at the added pleasure, muffling it again in his shoulder. This wasn't quite the type of fulfillment he'd hoped for, even if it was pretty damned close. He wanted to screw her, damnit! Not dry-hump his way to release! The heat of her center was so very tempting, but this was enough, for now. His heart pounded with pride knowing that he was the cause of this fire in the normally placid blonde. She really was his now, the possessiveness making it all the more intense as he ground into her. Riza clung to Roy's chest, shuddering violently each time her hips rolled into his. Her voice moaned his name, and the sound brought him closer faster than the feel of her body. She gave a sharp cry into his neck and went still before shaking in his arms. The heat of her center blazed against him along with the wetness, seeping down into his clothes. He didn't need to see the glazed over look in her eyes to know she had come, but he didn't stop either, possessed for his own release.

Riza recovered quickly, moaning as she felt down his torso through two layers of shirts. He could feel her nails drag along the fabric, the scraping sound painful to listen to but erotic at the same time. Then her hands dropped to his pants, touching him when he wasn't pressed against her. Roy groaned and shuddered, returning the feeling as his hands groped her breasts through the thin black knit of her turtleneck. Before he could stop her, the blonde's fingers pulled open the zipper in his fly and dove into his boxers. He cried out when she grabbed his loins but stopped the sound by kissing her. If he could just hold out a little longer to feel more of her touching him . . . If he could hold off long enough to actually move her panties out of the way and bury himself into her. That was so tempting of an idea, even if he was too aroused. He'd never make it past two thrusts, especially if her hand didn't stop now. Yet, her hand felt just as good. Any part of Riza felt good. Roy kissed her harder, intent on possessing her mouth as his body burned with the stroke of her fingers. It couldn't get better than this could it? Then suddenly, she slipped along the railing the more he pressed her, bumping into the control panel.

The elevator moved with a jolt, and both of them cursed, "Shit!"

"Damnit!"

"Pull the stop!"

He fumbled around her, trying to pull it to no success as the elevator kept on moving, "It's stuck . . ."

Riza sagged under him with a frustrated groan. Roy winced and moved off of her, working on fixing his pants with a raging hard-on that refused to be anything but noticeable. Of all the shitty luck and bad choices he had today, this had to be the worst. Nothing could possibly be worse than watching her pull that skirt down, again, and being able to do nothing about it. That damned skirt. They quickly tugged their clothes back in place, coats and jacket back on, and bags in hand when the lift stopped. Riza's hair looked terrible, and they were both still horribly flushed. Roy still cursed mildly to himself, holding his satchel like a shield over the front of his pants. It would be a miracle if no one figured out who they were or what they'd done in that elevator. The doors opened on the lobby, and a crowd of officers walked in as the pair walked out before anyone could stop them. The Colonel kept muttering to himself, a curse passing his lips after every other word. He wasn't the only one that wanted to scream in frustration as Riza walked next to him, if only more embarrassed for being the cause of the mishap. And just when it was so good too! "I'm sorry, sir . . ." she said softly, back to walking two steps behind him.

If he heard her, he didn't say anything, brooding as she winced. Then suddenly, he softly said the last thing she expected, least of all in public, "Still calling me sir? I'm going to have to cure you of that habit. I'll have to spank my name into you until you remember it."

Riza's mouth dropped open in shock then she blushed, smiling softly. It had sounded so wrong for him to say that, but . . . after what they'd done, it was oddly fitting. He never was going to change completely, but suddenly she didn't mind his flirtingly lecherous side anymore. That was probably because he could back up all his boasting with technique. Her blush turned a shade deeper. They were almost to the door out of Headquarters when he stopped, turning towards her. There was a question in his eyes, and he was still sweating. He seemed nervous, which made her uneasy, "What is it?"

"We need to talk, and . . ." Roy started to say before moving closer, bending over to whisper into her ear, "You want to continue this, right?"

Now that was an offer she had expected from him. Her lips quirked into a grin, a sadistic gleam in her brown eyes, "I don't know, I mean I'm kind of tired after that, and I'm sure you have many other girlfriends to help you with that problem, but if you're begging me . . ."

She was evil, pure evil, or at least paying him back with interest. But if she didn't say things like that, he wouldn't have admired her as much. And she couldn't be serious, right? That grin of hers was anything but serious. He grinned a moment too, deciding to play along. There was something he needed to tell her too. Roy leaned in closer, whispering to her again, this time half as nervous, and twice as sincere, "Riza, I'm begging you, please, there's no one else that I . . . love more than you. I don't want anyone but you."

There, he said it, out loud, and to her, not written in some apologetic love letter. And as her face went completely red despite the radiant smile gracing her lips, it was worth it to say. She only had one thing to ask, "What did you have in mind?"

To Be Continued