Lights! Camera! Christmas!

Author: MoonStarDutchess and Rinoaebastel

Chapter 14: Premature Awakening

Disclaimer: We do not own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than needed writing practice and enjoyment.


Riza smiled softly and snuggled closer to the nearby warmth, seeking refuge from the morning chill trying to make its way underneath the blankets. Her body was void of tenseness and the most amazing smell surrounded her. She took a deep breath. The scent was familiar and one she'd noted liking before: a mix of lavender and the environment before a rain came.

She'd never been so cozy in her life and was surprised a train bed could be so comfortable. The beds in five-star hotels were less inviting than this one. She let her body relax even more, sinking deeper into the mattress, and noticed something heavy was resting on her leg. A small puff of air carrying the smell of mint brushed against her forehead in a steady pattern.

The warmth surrounding her and the thumps of the train running on the tracks was about to lull her back to sleep until her mind registered the previous night's events.

She didn't move, but she did yank her eyes open. She was face to chest with Roy Mustang, and cuddled up to him as if he were a man-sized stuffed animal. His mouth was an inch away from her forehead, and he was still in a deep sleep. His arms were around her and the heaviness on her legs was one of his legs.

But as she noted before, he wasn't the only one doing the cuddling. Her arm was over his side, her palm splayed against the small of his back. Under his shirt and very close to the waistband of his boxers.

Oh, my god.

She should've pulled away, but instead she studied his relaxed face. Good sleep was hard to come by when one was a celebrity, so she was a bit flattered he slept so well when near her. And surprised that she'd slept a solid—she looked at the clock—six hours. She didn't want to wake him, but she also didn't want him to wake up and see them in this position.

It was impossible to know who started this slumber cuddle-fest. She'd never slept in the same bed with a man before. She'd never wanted to cuddle even her most serious boyfriend. She made up excuses for reasons not to stay in bed after sex.

That was one of many reasons he'd broken up with her.

She sighed. She needed to move before he woke up . . . didn't she?

Did it matter if he woke up and saw them? Roy was unbothered by it, but he was still asleep.

If she was to be truthful with herself, and she was most of the time, she wanted to cuddle closer to him and fall back asleep. But she also knew that would be improper. Things done during sleep and things done while awake were different. This was especially true if only one party was awake.

She carefully slid her arm away from its position around him, mourning the close contact as soon as she did so. Then, she set about inching her leg out from under his.

She wasn't ready to get up yet, but she could detangle herself from the potentially awkward situation.

But would it be as awkward for him as she thought it would be? Though it wasn't completely obvious, she could tell from his reactions last night that he wanted to do more to her than cuddle. She hoped he'd soon see that she'd be more than receptive to the attention.

Was cuddling considered sexy?

She looked at his handsome face and his broad shoulders. Her eyes drifted down to his washboard abs visible due to his shirt pulling up in the night and withheld the urge to run her fingertips along the grooves.

In this case, when a man looked like Roy and she was this close to his rock hard body, it was sexy. Or sexy looking? If she were pressed closer against him, then sexy might be an even better fitting adjective, but they still had an inch between them, despite his hold around her.

Right now, he was just… Who was she kidding? This was sexy and he was practically a sleeping aphrodisiac for her.

She bit back a yelp when he pulled her closer, her head went under his chin, and her breasts pressed against his chest.

Well, didn't I go and inadvertently dare fate...

She didn't feel the way she expected, but it felt wonderful. Safe.

She yawned, her body drawing her back into sleep regardless of her position. Her body relaxed and she was about to fall asleep again when she heard Roy's breathing change. She opened her eyes and he was staring at her, his eyes the widest she'd ever seen them.

She waited with baited breath to see his reaction.

"U…Um…Good morning," he said. She could tell he was a bit surprised at their positions, but nothing beyond that. She hadn't expected that kind of response, but she was pleased that he didn't immediately jerk away.

She tried to suppress a smile, but when he yawned and his face did a little scrunched up motion, she couldn't keep it at bay anymore. He smacked his lips once then looked at her sleepily. His hair was messy, a significant departure from his normally slicked-back manner, but still not on the level of bed-head. It looked as if he intentionally styled it that way.

She loved it.

"Good morning," she said, her voice coming out in a soft whisper.

"It—It seems that I cuddle in my sleep," he said. There was a slight tinge of nervousness to his voice, likely due to him waking up a bit more.

She almost giggled but managed to catch it before it came out of her. "It seems so." She bit her lip for a second. "But I was cuddled up to you too." She thought it would be awkward or embarrassing to admit, but it wasn't. "So, apparently, I have the same quirk."

He smirked. "Is that right?'

She shrugged as well as she could in her current position and tried not to let him unnerve her. "I'm just now finding out this morning."

"Same."

They stayed there, staring at each other with only the ticking clock and the clacking train indicating the passage of time and distance. "I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable," he said, yet he didn't pull away.

"If I were uncomfortable, I would've moved," she said. "You're much more comfortable than the pillows."

Did I really just say that?

He grinned and then looked around for a clock. "What time is it?" She frowned when his arm loosened and the cool air hit her. She wanted to grab his arms and put them back where they were before.

"It's five in the morning." He looked back at her, staring until she couldn't withhold a shiver any longer. And it wasn't just the air causing it.

"You're cold?"

He looked down at the skin bared to the morning coolness. She nearly jumped when he ran his large hand along her upper arm, feeling the goose bumps along her skin. His fingers skimmed over her skin in feather light touches. She forced her body to remain stock-still, but almost moaned with the contact. She bit it back along with the perverse thoughts jaunting through her brain at the speed of sound.

"You're cold," he said, this time it was a statement rather than a question.

"Ye…yes," she barely managed to say then bit her lower lip as his eyes took her in.

He lowered his mouth to the crook of her elbow and kissed the skin there. She bit her lip harder as he kissed up her arm, barely touching her the same way his hand had. He stopped at the top of her arm, once again meeting her eyes. She shifted onto her back and he leaned upward, kissing her neck, and then sliding down to her collarbone. She arched her back, pressing into him as his lips moved under her jaw, then to her chin. Letting him know with her body language that she whole-heartedly welcomed each kiss, each nibble, and each stroke of his hands.

Her hands clutched at his back, bunching his shirt in her grasp, as he kissed the edge of her mouth. Her eyes closed and chills overtook her at the same time heat rushed through her. That had never happened before. Her breathing increased as one of his hands trailed down her side atop the clothes she wished she weren't wearing. One of her legs hooked around one of his.

He raised himself above her. When she licked her lips, he moved toward them. The train slowed and jerked, knocking them out of their sensual haze. He moved his face away from hers, but his body remained where it was. She wanted to scream for him to touch her more. To kiss her.

"I…I got carried away a bit. I'm so—"

"If you apologize, I won't talk to you the rest of the trip," Riza said, only half joking. If he regretted what he'd done to her, she'd feel miserable every time she looked at him.

Her body relaxed when he smiled at her. He didn't move from his position, he was still holding himself above her, and her hands still clutched at his back. He glanced out the window.

"Are we there?'

"No, this is one of the stops. It will be mid-afternoon or early evening when we get there."

He turned his regard back to her. "So…"

"So…" she repeated him.

"Are you up for some late sleeping then?"

Her stomach flipped. She no longer held any doubt that he wanted her, and she looked forward to seeing what would happen between them during this holiday. For now, sleep sounded amazing. Sleeping with him even more so.

Even without the sex.

She decided to go for more impish flirting. She ran her foot up his leg and back down. If she was going to get anywhere with him, she needed to be bolder. "That depends on if you'll keep me warm or not."

His smile turned into a sexy grin. He grabbed her around the waist and fell onto his side. She laughed but quickly silenced as he tucked her against his chest and pulled the covers over them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I will gladly do that," he whispered.

Scooting closer, she rested her arm over his side like the way it'd been earlier. She placed her other hand on his chest, resisting the urge to stroke it.

She didn't know who fell asleep first, but in the back of her mind, a small warning sounded. A concerned susurrus that told her she wouldn't easily be able to give up this comfort once their charade was over.


RW: 2022