So, really fast update, which I can't promise will happen again, but I just felt a surge of inspiration for this one! :D And I hope it'll make you readers happy!

So please leave reviews, but no flames ;)

Chapter twenty-nine

Roy was woken up by someone dropping a soaking wet, stone cold washcloth on his face.

He gasped and threw it away instinctively, only to look straight up at Ed.

And Ed wasn't looking pleased.

And Roy was a bit confused as to why he was lying on Hawkeye's couch.

"Your credibility's shit, did you know that?" Ed said sternly, before suddenly sitting down on his chest, pointing at Roy's mouth. "And you wanna know why? 'Cos that's Riza's lipstick."

"I swear that this isn't what it looks like..." Roy began, feeling his cheeks heating up as he remembered the events of the previous night. "Or maybe it is, but it didn't go far..."

Although I let it go further than I should have done...

He could still remember the feel of her hair in his hand, the taste of her still lingering slightly in his mouth.

And a part of him was missing it.

But mostly he was alarmed and frightened at just how much he must have messed up. "Where is she?"

Ed looked at him angrily at that. "She's crying in the bathroom, so you better go talk to her, and if you hurt her, then I'll kick your shin until it breaks your leg," he told him sternly, standing up again, glaring.

Roy sat up immediately, his stomach clenching. "Ed, please don't think I don't care about you two because of this..."

Ed just scoffed and his glare turned fiercer. "Go to her right this fucking instant and then we'll talk."

"Yes, sir!" Roy said, getting to his feet and striding towards the bathroom. He knocked on the door gently. "Sergeant?" he asked, worry and frustration making his insides twist.

The door was unlocked and Roy found himself looking at Hawkeye, her hair damp, only wearing a towel.

Roy cursed inwardly because damn it if he wasn't still inclined to just reach out and kiss her in an attempt at making the misery in her eyes just a bit less present. "We can talk after you're done, if you want," he said instead, focusing his gaze on her face and her face only.

She just sighed, her eyes still red from crying and she stepped back to let him inside, locking the door behind them. She didn't say anything, but instead walked over to the sink and grabbed a washcloth, soaking it before walking back over to him. She began dabbing at the lipstick on his face, her expression betraying a fond kind of embarrassment. "Thank you, sir... For not letting it go too far... That... That was what I needed more than anything, I think..." she said, tears going down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Hawkeye... I shouldn't have let it go as far as it did..." Then he sighed, knowing that it would need to be discussed. "If you want a transfer, then I'll put in a recommendation for you. I did something highly inappropriate and if you don't feel comfortable about working with me after this, then I..."

He didn't get any further before she placed a light kiss on his lips, smiling, leaving him stunned and awkward as she pulled away. "No offence, sir, but you ought to stop talking now," she said softly, a playful look in her eyes.

Roy was confused. Confused and worried. "Hawkeye, this isn't a good idea... Let the separation sink in a bit first so that you won't do something that you'll regret later..." he said cautiously. "Besides, the boys will hate me..."

"I already gave it my blessing, Old Fart," came Ed's grumpy voice through the bathroom door. "You've been asleep for an hour longer than the rest of us, you know, and I made like the speech of the century. That's why I sent you in there in the first place."

Hawkeye blushed slightly, but smiled a bit and nodded towards the door. Roy unlocked it and opened it carefully, looking down at a slightly blushing, highly annoyed Edward Elric. "Ed?"

The young boy pointed at Hawkeye. "She told us about what happened. And you were actually being decent to her. You didn't take advantage of her and she likes you and you like her and this time it has nothing to do with just feeling loved and shit. She's not out to make that bastard jealous and she just likes you now that her head's clear. So instead of making things awkward, just give it a go, would you? There's no point in her not moving on to someone who's probably the best thing she could get just because she's too scared after a bastard was a bastard to her. I mean, seriously, she doesn't want him back, he doesn't want her back 'cos he's a bastard, what's the point of letting him rule her life?" he explained grumpily, and Roy could tell that this had obviously been inspired by personal experiences. "Besides, when you find something good in a sea of bad, then you don't push it away, because you're gonna end up drowning in the bad when you could have got out," he mumbled, looking down. "So there, you guys help me and Al out and actually give us hope despite the shit that happened, so now I'm just returning the favour." Then he walked up to Roy and kicked him hard in the shin. "But just know that if you do ANYTHING to hurt her, then I'll kick you in the nuts so hard that you'll be a falsetto for life," he growled, and Roy could tell that it wasn't an empty threat.

And so he just nodded.

Ed, apparently, wasn't done quite yet. "Also, if you two end up getting married, then we're getting a labradoodle and that's nonnegotiable." He glared at Roy threateningly. "The brownies are done in thirty minutes, you two are free to do whatever you want until then. Also, we called Hughes 'cos he has a key to your house and he's getting your suit for you and I'll let you explain why you spent the night here when we arrive at the station in about an hour." Then he turned on his heel and went in the direction of the kitchen.

Roy just looked to Hawkeye, eyes wide, not exactly sure just what the hell he was supposed to do.

"Also, if you're just gonna spend your time worrying about Yoki, then we're gonna be pissed off 'cos we just gave you our blessings, so just go and be blessed," Ed called out from the kitchen. "You can worry in the car or something, but use the opportunity to have some fun before the day turns stressful and stuff..."

Roy looked at Hawkeye's equally blushing face and then they both began laughing quietly and awkwardly. "What the hell made him change his mind like that?" Roy asked, not knowing what else to say or do.

She smiled at him with a shy, grateful, fond embarrassment. "The way you didn't use the opportunity but just stayed with me as a friend... To him, the fact that you showed me that you weren't going to take advantage of me made you, and I quote, "a hell of a lot more trustworthy." Also, I promised the boys that they were still my first priority no matter what, and it seems that they believe me..." She paused for a couple of seconds. ""We're trusting your judgement, Riza, so please just let yourself be happy without us weighing you down, or you're gonna make us sad while you're sad and that's pointless," they told me..." she said in barely more than a whisper, tears running down her cheeks.

Roy sighed. "Basically, those boys are a couple of amazing geniuses that already care deeply about you... But that still doesn't mean that you have to push yourself into anything that you're uncomfortable with... That's not how it works and I won't have any part in a relationship like that," he told her softly.

She stepped forwards and hugged him. And so he gently placed his arms around her as she whispered softly into his collarbone. "Which is why I trust you..."

Roy closed his eyes. He still found her scent intoxicating, and her body fitted so well in his arms. "If you want to wait, then please do... You hardly know me and I hardly know you, it wouldn't be a good idea to rush things..." he told her heavily. This was up to her. If she wasn't ready, then there was no way in hell that he wouldn't respect it. Roy could tell that this wasn't just a regular crush and he was more than willing to wait for her should she need it.

She gave his right cheek an affectionate peck. "I'm going to wait for you to brush your teeth while I get dressed. You can borrow my toothbrush, it's the blue one in the bottom shelf," she said, smiling at him as she pulled away and went over to the suit that was lying neatly folded up on the toilet lid.

Roy was torn between cursing, chuckling nervously and blushing, so he did a little bit of all of them as he headed for the designated toothbrush, feeling slightly awkward at the thought of sharing it. "Are you sure about this, Hawkeye?" he asked, not daring to turn around as he heard the sound of the towel landing on the floor.

"Perfectly, sir," she said in an almost cheerful manner. "I don't really think sharing a toothbrush once matters much when we spent about forty seconds snogging just a few hours ago."

Roy blushed and felt his stomach clench. He hadn't thought it was that long. "I'm sorry, Sergeant... I... I shouldn't have let myself get carried away like that..."

"Please, sir, it's all right. Now just brush your teeth and have a shower. I'm sorry that the only soap options available are either orchid or preteen."

Roy froze. "So I'll be showering while you're in the room with me?" His stomach was getting warm and his body tense at the thought of it.

And at the thought her potentially seeing the burn scars covering most of his upper body.

"I think Edward and Alphonse will be rather cross with us if I leave, sir. I won't look, of course," she told him. "We're on a bit of a tight schedule and I need to get my makeup done as well."

Roy couldn't exactly fault her logic. This was a day where they couldn't arrive late. He was getting increasingly worried about the Elrics meeting Yoki, but expressing his worries would do nothing to help them and Roy had a feeling that Hawkeye was probably happy to have the distraction of their undefined relationship.

Roy wasn't sure just yet about what Hawkeye wanted. Telling him to brush his teeth could be because his breath was bad in general, that it was a hygienic necessity before they went to work, or that she was planning to kiss him. It could be all three for what he knew. She could be using the time to figure out just what she wanted to do about all of this.

He brushed his teeth as quickly as possible, barely having time to put the toothbrush back in the cup it came from, when he suddenly found himself being yanked around sharply, Hawkeye pressing him up against the wall, her hands on his shoulders and looking at him with a smile. She was only wearing her trousers, bra and singlet and her eyes were filled with some sort of tearful happiness.

Roy was a bit alarmed. "Sergeant, are you certain that you have thought this through?" he asked her carefully, not sure what else he was supposed to do.

She smiled fondly at him at that. "Please, sir, I may have acted irrationally and emotionally yesterday, but I've had time to think things through. And Ed and Al are surprisingly good consultants. My point is that I've been finding you increasingly attractive for the past two weeks, and I don't really see the point in trying to push ourselves into having an awkward working relationship when we both want something more. Yesterday I wanted to feel loved, but now... Now I feel safe. I feel safe with you at a time I would usually have shut myself off from everyone and not dared to talk to anyone at risk of being hurt again. You're different and you've been so from the start. You told me that we could wait, sir, but I'm impatient, and you already make me feel better than Will ever did. I can't exactly tell why, but you just feel right."

Roy looked into her eyes and could see that there was none of that fearful desperation of the previous night. She just genuinely liked him and wanted him. This didn't have anything to do with her ex this time. Right now she was just a woman who had fallen for him just like he had fallen for her. And she had that excited look in her eyes of someone realising that they had just fallen in love and it was reciprocated.

And he knew what she meant, because she felt right too. Her and the boys felt right.

He cupped her left cheek in his right hand, looking her straight in the eyes, wanting to make absolutely sure. "Then tell me exactly why you're doing this," he told her gently, just like the previous night. He knew that she had already given him her answer, but he needed confirmation because he was damn close to just devour her lips entirely, but he couldn't do that if it would hurt her. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

She smiled at him, tears in her eyes, but these were happy tears, he could tell. "Because I'm in love with you, Roy Mustang, and you no longer have morning breath."

Roy snorted and caught her lips with his own.

When Roy opened the office door, holding it open for Riza and the boys, he felt equally awkward and stressed.

"ROY! I've got your clothes!" Maes shouted excitedly the second Roy appeared in the doorway.

"Thank you, Hughes," Roy said, walking over to him and taking the garments and shoes from the over-excited man who would be a nightmare once Roy's relationship status was confirmed. "I'll get changed and be right back." He turned on his heel and strode down the hallway, instantly pushing open the door to the toilets the second he reached them.

...Only to run straight into Superintendent Grumman.

The old man smiled at him. "Ah, Mustang, good morning. How did dinner go yesterday?"

Do not blush, Roy. Do. Not. Blush.

"Very well, sir," he told him calmly.

Grumman turned towards the sinks, beginning to wash his hands, looking up at Roy through the mirror. "That's good to hear. How is good old Georgina doing?" he asked, smiling pleasantly.

"She's entering a bowling tournament next month, actually," Roy said, smiling slightly himself at the thought. He would definitely go watch as his Nan turned up at the bowling hall and made people fifty years younger than her watch in horror as she bowled her third strike in a row, also known as a "turkey", while the rest of her team sat there with their tea cups brought from home and filled them with the warm beverage from a thermos, and good old Peggy would shout triumphantly at the top of her voice "BIDDY-POWER!" every time one of her teammates bowled a strike.

Grumman chuckled. "Well, you must wish her good luck from me."

"I will, sir," Roy answered pleasantly.

"Also, I would like you, Hughes and Riza to come to my office to report on the investigation at noon," the Superintendent said as he wiped his hands dry on the paper towels next to the sink.

"Of course, sir." He could instinctively tell that there was something that Grumman wasn't saying as he walked towards the exit, which was quickly explained as his boss paused with his hand on the door handle.

"Oh, and Mustang, one more thing," he began, just before his tone turned dark and threatening. "Now that Riza's your girlfriend, I think you should know that if you hurt her or the boys, you'll find yourself working as a constable under Superintendent Armstrong up North."

Roy gulped and blushed. "Yes, sir, I'll remember it. I do certainly not have any plans to hurt either Riza or the Elrics."

Grumman turned around with a smile. "I think you two will be very good for each other as well as the boys. See you at noon, Mustang," he said cheerfully and left before Roy had time to say anything else.

He watched as the door closed with a click and gulped again, before he headed for the nearest stall and locked the door as he quickly began changing into his suit. His thoughts were swiftly getting back into work-mode as the meeting with Yoki was in less than two hours.