Lights! Camera! Christmas!
Author: MoonStarDutchess and Rinoaebastel
Chapter 11: Train Disclosures
Disclaimer: We do not own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than needed writing practice and enjoyment.
The first thing Riza noticed as they walked through the train was that the corridors had been remodeled and now looked more like a narrow hall in a hotel. She remembered reading something in the paper about the redesign of the company's sleeper trains, but she couldn't recall the details.
Lauren was jabbering about how ugly and uncomfortable things looked. It should be expected the corridors would be a bit plain and they weren't comfortable because one didn't sleep in them. She hadn't even seen any cabins and was already passing judgment. She wouldn't have been satisfied if they were identical to a five-star hotel suite.
Her bitching was more frequent this year than it was last year. If the train staff heard her, they weren't showing any signs of it. She figured they'd dealt with people like her so much that their voices had become nothing more than tiny buzzes in the ear.
She found it semi-amusing Lauren was the one complaining. Since she and Roy were the celebrities in the group, most would figure they'd be the fussy ones. Lauren needed to look in a mirror first before making accusations that she was uppity. She'd bring up today's actions the next time her sister accused her of being spoiled and whiny.
"Here's the cabin Mister Grumman reserved for Miss Grumman and Mister Mustang," the sleeping car attendant said. He stopped in front of the last cabin on the right as they were about to exit that car. He used a card key to open the door before handing one each to Riza and Roy.
"This is new," Riza said. The cabins used to only lock from the inside.
"Yes, ma'am," he said. "New security measures for our suite rooms."
Another staff member carried Roy and Riza's bags into the room.
"Wait a minute. They're sharing a cabin?" Berthold said. "I'm not having it."
"Dad, they're adults," Martina said.
"You have no say," Berthold replied.
Riza nearly rolled her eyes. Lauren was rooming with Antonio, yet her father hadn't said anything about that. "And neither do you," Riza said after turning to him. "You gave up any right to an opinion about my life long ago." She went inside before anyone could respond. Roy glanced at her father before following her into the cabin.
They heard footsteps and Riza's name before Roy shut the door and locked it. A thump and a curse followed.
They both laughed at the same time.
"Nice reflexes," she said as she moved a small bag onto a shelf on the wall next to the door. She turned toward him. Just as he was about to heft his bag upon a shelf, she took it and stuck it beside hers. It barely fit into the space.
They walked farther inside. It looked more like a small hotel room than a train cabin. She supposed that was why this was VIP and referred to as a suite.
The walls were grey, but due to the dimmed orange lights she couldn't tell exactly how dark or light they were. The floor had a thin black carpet on it. There was a bench beside the door as they entered the area. Two plush chairs, more suitable to a living room than a train, were placed in front of the windows. A dark, wooden table was between them.
On the far right corner of the suite was a bed that extended the width of the room. It was wide enough for her and Roy to have their own space without having to make bodily contact. On the wall above the bed were two landscape paintings that she recognized as being places in northern Amestris. To the left was a bathroom with a shower.
"I expected this to be less homey," Roy said. "All the pictures of trains I've seen definitely didn't look like this." He walked over and sat down, letting himself sink into the thick chair.
"Most aren't like this," she said. "You've never been on a train before?"
"Just the city trains, and the train I took to Central when I left my hometown," Roy said. "And they were small, slow things."
"Oh, I see," she said. "Well, they have improved passenger trains since then. My grandfather deliberately chose this suite for us this time."
Roy chuckled. "Desperate grandfather."
"Yeah, and us faking our engagement brought him even more hope."
"Ah," Roy said and stood. "Speaking of." He pulled a box out of his pocket and gave it to her. "There you go."
Riza opened it and had to clinch her teeth together so her mouth wouldn't drop open. Nestled in dark velvet was a silver ring with a princess cut blue diamond. Two soft pink diamonds were on both sides of the larger stone. "What is this?"
"A ring."
"Well, I can see that. Why are you giving it to me?"
"Maes suggested you needed one to make the story more plausible. He sent me to your favorite jewelry shop and I asked about one. Regrettably, now your favorite jeweler has more reason than everyone else to think we're really engaged," he replied.
"Oh. I swear, Maes thinks of everything."
"That's what makes him such a great manager."
She directed her attention back onto the ring. "Still, I should've bought this since I'm the reason for the trouble. Send me the receipt, and I'll reimburse you if you don't want it back afterward."
"What am I going to do with a ring like that?" Roy said with a laugh. "You can keep it, and I don't need to be reimbursed. It's not that big of a deal. Consider it a Christmas present."
"It's too much."
"Not at all."
She stared at him for a few seconds then hesitantly said, "If you're sure…" The ring was gorgeous, and she'd never think of buying something like this on her own.
He stood, removed the ring from the box, and took her hand. "Riza, will you fake marry me?"
She laughed. "Sure."
He slipped the ring on her finger, but didn't let go of her hand afterward. "Beautiful."
"Yes, it's lovely." She looked up at him, meeting his eyes.
He wasn't looking at the ring.
They stayed quiet, staring at each other until the train jolted, and in turn, jolted them back to reality. They pulled their hands away from each other. Roy moved back to the chair he was sitting in before. She went over and sat on the side of the bed closest to the window. She lay down.
What was that? Both of them had become friends but that single touch of hands didn't feel like a mere friendly gesture. The look in his eyes bespoke of other possibilities. She felt a deep tingle inside her chest with the innocent brush of skin. Granted she wasn't overly experienced in friendships or relationships, so maybe she was reading into it too much.
She looked out the window and focused on the landscape as they went by. She hadn't even noticed the train had started moving. They were already away from the metropolis. She watched as more pines came to view and the environment grew darker the further away they got from the city.
"Sleepy?" Roy asked. "I can turn off the lights if you want."
"I'm tired, but I'm not sleepy. Give me a three-hour concert, and I'm still energetic when I get off stage. Give me ten minutes in an enclosed space with my family, and my energy is drained."
"Do they always treat you like that?"
"Yes."
"My offer of Hawaii is still open," he said. "I'll even charter a private jet to get there."
She sat up and directed her gaze toward him. He was reading science magazine.
"Don't keep tempting me, Roy Mustang. You might actually convince me."
He looked over the top of the magazine and smirked. "I'd keep at it if I knew you'd really go for it." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I bet you look amazing in a bikini."
She scoffed, but the smile on her lips grew. "I'm not the model. My abs aren't nearly as impressive as yours."
He chuckled. "Believe me, my attention would not be on your abs."
She was surprised at how much she was enjoying this banter. She really shouldn't have been. Since they'd started talking and texting, she'd learned that conversation came easy with him. It was so natural. So comfortable.
"Charmer."
"I prefer the term honest. Charmer tends to imply one is saying things they don't mean." He put down the magazine and crossed his legs. "We're only packed for winter, but if it gets really bad we can always sneak away and buy clothing in Hawaii."
"If you already want to leave, I dread what you'll think once we get to Vinilla," Riza said.
"They'll get worse?"
"Well, my parents might not, but Lauren will really cause trouble. And I am usually blamed for it. It's as if she never got out of her grammar school mindset when it comes to her actions towards me. My parents always take her side, so if she steps it up and is particularly vindictive this year, my parents will probably be more unreasonable."
"Have they ever given you a reason as to why they treat you like that? Clearly, it has to do with your career, but why? You're a beautiful, successful woman and do a lot for those less fortunate. They should be proud."
"It's the wrong career."
"I know the feeling. My parents are like that too."
She studied his facial expression. He didn't seem like he was missing much from his life. He didn't pity her, which she appreciated, because he understood what she went through in career and family.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened with them? I haven't read anything about you in the press through the years." The grin that had fallen off his lips returned, and she stammered. "I…I mean you don't have to tell me of course. I don't want to pry."
"Well, do you know how I got my start?"
"I only know about Instaramen."
He licked his lips and then bit the bottom one, as if contemplating whether to continue the conversation. Finally, he said, "I did entertainment stuff before that. I was active in the school and community theaters in my hometown all through my teen years. Lots of Shakespearian plays and musicals."
"Why did they allow it if they hated it?" Riza asked.
"They don't hate entertainment really. They just hate it for their kids. My parents thought the acting was a way to add onto my extracurricular activities to make college applications and transcripts look better. And it did. But they thought it was just a phase and that I'd go to medical school like them after I graduated high school."
She could imagine most patients wouldn't mind being examined by him. She scolded herself as soon as the thought finished and focused on what he was saying. "I could see you as a doctor."
"I planned on becoming one. In what supposed to be my last play, some girl in my class took a video of me shirtless during a scene and posted it on Instaman. I was contacted by my company after the play, and they pursued me even more after my scene went viral."
"I'm sure your parents were just thrilled at that," she said. His parents sounded much like hers.
"They were angry at first, but not at me. Their fury didn't hit out at me until I told them I wanted to accept the company's offer. I realized I would be completely miserable as a doctor, but even if I hadn't gone into acting, no other career was acceptable to them. . I was six months away from eighteen, so I needed an adult to sign for my training."
"And they definitely would not," she said.
"No way," he said. "But at seventeen I just needed any family member to sign. My Aunt Chris was willing to as long as I kept the shirtless exposure to a minimum until I turned eighteen. You're grandpa did the same for you, right?"
She nodded.
"My parents gave me an ultimatum. They said to stop the foolishness and focus on my studies, or they never wanted to see me again. I left and hoped they'd cool off. They always did when I did something they disliked. After my first successful movie, I went to visit and they were gone. I don't know where they or my siblings are now, and they've put no effort into contacting me."
"Your Aunt Chris doesn't know where they are?"
"No clue. When she helped me, they renounced her as well. He sighed. "I'd be willing to put up with their sneering comments just to know they are okay. Even if it meant no relationship with them, knowing that would satisfy me."
She wanted to tear up but forced herself not to. Her parents were around and could have some civil words with her. And she was allowed to visit even if she chose not to do so. His parents abandoned him and shoved him out of the family as if he'd never existed.
"I'm sorry, Roy." She knew those words would do little good.
He shrugged and stood. "Enough of Roy's pity party. Want to go grab something to eat in the dining car? I think it's still open. I need to stretch my legs before bed."
"Sure," she said.
They left their cabin, made their way through their car, and went into the nearby one. There was one person there, his face concealed by a newspaper he was reading. They took a seat in the booth next to him and gave a waitress a small snack order that they could take back to their cabin.
Riza bit her lip for a few seconds. "Do you think your parents will ever come to their senses and try to find you?" she asked even though she knew the likely answer.
"Do you think yours will?"
She laughed bitterly. "No, I don't, but the hope is always there. That's why I asked you the question." She leaned back. "We have fans around the world that adore us, but it still hurts when close family rejects you. They don't need us and don't care if we need them."
"Even if we didn't choose this industry, I think we would've been rejected."
"Oh?"
"Did you want to do anything your father wanted you to?"
"No."
"Unless we fit into their little molds and tick their boxes on their checklists of what they think is right and wrong for us, we wouldn't have been accepted anyway. Things won't change with my family, but you might have a chance since yours is still around."
She shook her head. "I've given up on trying. I'm happier when I don't try."
Roy put his hands on the table and folded them. "Even if my family were to do a one-eighty, I don't think I would keep contact. I could never trust them again. If they abandoned me when I did something that made me happy, what if I end up in a scandal or embarrassing situation in the press? Who's to say they won't shun me again?"
"I've thought about that a lot too. I wouldn't ever be able to trust anyone in my family other than Martina and my grandfather."
The waitress brought them a large white paper bag. Roy tipped her, and they left the dining car.
The man with the newspaper lowered it and stared at them with a hawk's eyes as they left.
RW:2022
