A/N: Lots of conversations in this one, but it's necessary to set the stage! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for taking your time reading!
Roy eyed the men on his team as they scurried to pack up and leave the office. He couldn't fault them for being excited to be out of the Central HQ as it was a Friday night and they usually go out for drinks before heading home for some well-deserved rest. Invites always extend to him and his first lieutenant but more often than not, Riza declines for them to finish all the paperwork due that week. Tonight was one of such nights.
When Fuery closed the door behind him, Roy set his pen down and stretched his legs under the table. "Are you going to tell me what has been occupying your mind since this morning?"
Caught off-guard by his sudden question, Riza stilled her hands on the stack of folders and looked up to Roy. "…Sir?"
"Don't look so surprised. I know when you're thinking about something and my guess is that it is related to the meeting you had with your grandfather this morning," he said calmly, pushing his chair back and walking over to the sofa in the centre of their team's office.
The Flame Alchemist sat himself beside his adjutant, his oldest friend. "Are we in trouble?"
Roy doesn't consider himself the smartest person but he was wise enough to know that a lot of people view his and Riza's close relationship as something that tread far too closely to be considered appropriate. In all honesty, nothing was going on between him and Riza despite the history they have, and the burdens they share. Then again, not everyone was privy to that.
Mustang had caught wind of several attempts to put him and Hawkeye through court martial in the past and it actually surprised him that none of such attempts came in fruition. However, he had no idea whether Riza knew as well, or if she did, he wouldn't know what she thought of it.
Their close friendship is a topic that has been lost through the lengthy time of working together, and they simply function through vague statements and unspoken facts. It served them well before and there hadn't been a situation that warranted thorough discussion.
After all, they were busy with a myriad of other things like preventing the citizens of Amestris be wiped out so that the former upper echelons of the military can gain false immortality.
"It's not like that, General," she offered calmly, starting to organise in her mind how she would go about the inevitable conversation about to happen.
"If you could enlighten me, Chuui?" Roy asked softly.
Riza blinked several times before she nodded and looked at him squarely. The blonde lieutenant gave a brief rundown of the conversation she had with her grandfather this morning, making sure to omit the parts where her dear grandfather teased her immensely about the man before her at the moment. Hawkeye sat herself in silence and busied herself with sorting the documents once more as she let Roy take in everything she had just said.
He knew —he actually felt more than knew— that there was a wide array of emotions that passed through his face as he digested every bit of information that Riza supplied in response to his request.
First, he couldn't really believe that Grumman would want to take Riza away from him. It didn't make sense. Then, he became angry and there was a strong urge to torch down the old man's office just to spite the Führer but he knew he'd be thrown behind bars faster than he could poise to throw another flame. He quickly watered that urge down and began to construct and deconstruct plans for compromise so Riza could retain by his side (or back, whichever. It wasn't important at the moment.).
The longer he thought about such compromises, the easier he was assaulted by that gnawing feeling in his chest that he would have to face the prospect of functioning without Riza for several extended periods of time. He grit his teeth at the thought and he only realised his fists were clenched when his dull nails were threatening to cut through the skin of his palm. The sting brought him back to reality and he swallowed the bitter pill that he was forced to imbibe.
His gaze narrowed and widened alternatingly in no coherent pattern, making his head swirl. The fatigue from the day's work definitely was not helping his case at all. If Grumman were bold enough to suggest—highly encourage, rather— something like this to Riza, then it better be a small part in a greater scheme of things that his old brain must be orchestrating.
"Sir?" Riza's voice broke his reverie and his head snapped up to face her once more. "Are you all right? You've gone from being red in the face to completely breaking out into a sweat."
Mustang pursed his lips and huffed. "I'm fine, Chuui. I just…"
Riza's gaze softened further and the concern was well written in her eyes. She knew that breaking the news to Roy would be nothing short of challenging, especially since she withheld from him Grumman's rather personal reasons regarding his agreement with the council. Still, knowing such did not make the situation any easier to handle.
Between the two of them, she was the one who had a greater tendency to remain logical with a cool head when faced with highly distressing situations, especially ones that concerned their personal dynamic. However, Riza is, of course, not immune to emotion and it was difficult for her to put Roy through such an ordeal.
"He hasn't signed the papers yet. I can still—"
Roy shook his head fervently, a serious, if slightly bitter, look on his face. "No. It won't be necessary. I…I trust the Führer. Clearly, he has something brewing that will come to light soon. Nevermind me."
Sighing, Riza sat back against the cushions of the sofa. "I will never not mind you."
Roy looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. "I know. Likewise. What I mean is that…what I feel at the moment is irrelevant to the big picture. We'll just have to trust your grandfather. Though I would have to pay him a visit tomorrow after his morning exercise. The man likes to skirt around issues and it's not doing my peace of mind any good."
She had to chuckle at that. "Grandfather does have his…quirks."
Rolling his eyes, Roy snorted before he offered a hand. "Then, I believe congratulations are in order, Chuui. Or should I say 'Taisa' from now on?"
Riza took his hand and welcomed the handshake with a soft smile. "It feels foreign, to be honest."
"Eh, you'll get used to it," he quipped before they withdrew their contact. "I am happy for you, Taisa. You have shown immense care for your work and it is only befitting that they reward you for it."
The lieutenant hummed distantly. "Thank you, but I didn't exactly join the military to be rewarded for doing my job."
The Flame Alchemist nodded, the silent that befell upon the room was pregnant with more of their unspoken words and implied facts. While it wasn't exactly beating fast, he could feel his pulse thump through his ears. Roy's eyes softened and he allowed himself a small smile at her last statement.
"I know that I do not often say it enough, but I do appreciate everything you have done for me and continue to do for me," he uttered gently.
Riza eyed him sideways. "You make it sound like this is goodbye, Sir. It's merely a change in work dynamic."
Roy nodded at that. "I am aware, but I just want you to know that. I mean it every time that I say you are irreplaceable, subordinate or otherwise."
"Sir, again, you are treating this like it's the end," she chuckled.
"Will you still…?" he asked, but let the question hang. …follow me?
Riza's face turned serious once more as she nodded with conviction. "I did say to hell, Sir. To hell and back, over and over again, if need be."
Like always, he found her resolution and determination a source of inspiration. Riza has stared death in the face far too many times to count but she has never wavered in her loyalty to their shared perspective. Furthermore, it seems that the direr the situation, the more committed she becomes to the realization of their visions. "Then I look forward working alongside you, Taisa."
Riza offered him a kind smile and a hum of affirmation, and Roy thinks that the future just got more exciting.
"Have your feelings toward my granddaughter changed in any way, my boy?" The question caught him off-guard as they shared the vast shower room that was on the back grounds of the Führer mansion.
Roy had arrived that morning in order to talk with Grumman regarding the recent events concerning his personnel. Grumman had invited him for the rest of his morning exercise, which were mostly timed running sprints. The man looked old but he certainly functions like he was still in his military glory days. Well, almost.
"Mustang? I believe I asked a question," Grumman followed up behind the closed shower doors.
"Right, Sir. Sorry about that. I was just thinking," he said. As much as the Führer loves making people dance around with his ambiguities to entertain him, Grumman was sure as hell straightforward where Riza was concerned. Not that he minded. In fact, he could very well empathise as he was the same.
"And your answer, Mustang?" he pried. Grumman opened the door, dressed in a smart casual piqued collared shirt with comfortable trousers and sport shoes.
Roy finished drying his hair with the towel and set it on the side for the laundry personnel to pick up later. "I believe it has changed, yes."
Grumman eyed him with a soft smile before he led the man outside. Per his earlier instruction, the chess table has been set up by the large tree, the canopy serving as a shade from the warmth of the sun that morning.
"I'm going to have to require you to elaborate, General," the Führer said as he sat down opposite the younger man.
Roy nodded solemnly. "I will, Sir. But may I ask why you are bringing this up right now?"
A smirk found its way on the old man's face and the amused look on Grumman made Roy want to pout but he fought the urge to do so. "I know why you are here and what you will tell me will impact the course of our next conversation."
"Frankly, Sir. I don't know where to start…" he said tentatively, feeling a slight heat on his cheeks. Roy rarely talked about personal issues of the heart, finding relief in his cover as a womaniser more often than not.
"As cliché as this may sound, the beginning would be nice," Grumman offered. Somehow, he had an inkling that Roy Mustang had not ever divulged information regarding his and his granddaughter's relationship.
"It's going to be a long story, Sir."
Grumman flashed him a grin and made his first move. "Then I suggest you cease your dawdling and start talking."
Roy pushed a pawn forward and hummed, wondering if his story will surpass the length of their game or vice versa. "I was 9 when I first came to the Hawkeye manor. She was the one who opened the front door when I knocked, greeted me kindly and offered me a pack of biscuits and a cup of tea. I didn't know until later that her mother died not too long age before my arrival. She was good at hiding her emotions even at the young age of 4.
"I remember that she always comes to my study when the tutor you sent to teach her leaves for the day. We would spend an hour to play in the yard day after day, taking almost no time in becoming friends. I enjoyed her company then, and I try to always cheer her up whenever Sensei would cast her to the side or completely ignore her. Needless to say, we had gotten extremely close and I had learned to care about her deeply.
"However, I realise that I needed to move forward and earn my worth somehow. I couldn't go on living under Hawkeye-sensei's shadow, especially since he refused to teach me how to master Flame Alchemy. I wanted to become useful so I expressed my intent on joining the military. Back then, I was sure I was going to make a difference but Riza made leaving difficult.
"She was the first friend I ever made in my life and I didn't want to abandon her in that dilapidated manor. I almost wanted to take her away with me but I knew it wouldn't be right. There were days when I doubted my decision to leave but Riza told me to follow my dreams. That was the last encounter we had for a long while but I certainly kept memories of her fresh, especially at difficult times during the military academy.
"It pained me to realise that she was still living there when I went back to try my hand at procuring Sensei's postulates. When he died, Riza entrusted the secrets of the alchemy to me, hoping that I would use it for good. I had no idea she entered the military when I took the State Alchemist exam and our next encounter would be the battlefield in Ishval."
Roy clutched the pawn he had snatched from Grumman's force with more pressure than warranted as he brought the memories of Ishval to the forefront of his mind.
"My boy, you don't have to share anything further if it's entirely uncomfortable," Grumman said softly, advancing a knight.
The Flame Alchemist looked at the board and thought half about his next move and half about his next speech. After a few more moments, Roy figured it's best he talked now. Talking would help and he was sure Grumman wouldn't take advantage of the vulnerability that he was displaying at the moment.
"Probably one of the worst things I realised in that war was that I betrayed her trust, Sir. She trusted in me to do good with the secrets she allowed me to see, but I did the opposite. I could only comply to her request of destroying her father's research to free her from the shackles of his lingering cruelty on her.
"I suppose…I suppose it was pure serendipity that she was placed under my command when the war ended. And I consider myself the luckiest bastard that she expressed her trust in me once more, despite everything that had happened then. I asked her to watch my back but I only made that request so I could keep her close and hopefully pay her back for all the sorrow I brought upon her starting from my departure from the Hawkeye mansion.
"Riza never voiced it out but I had known her long enough and well enough that the prospect of being left with Sensei devastated her. After all, it was a cold, empty manor that housed an even colder master. No one in their right mind would wish to stay in a place like that, never mind possibly live there for the rest of her life.
"It was the same expression in her eyes that I saw when the war in Ishval ended. The image of those beautiful, soulful, and caring eyes expressing grief, guilt, and regret will forever be etched in my memory. I swore to myself then that it would be the last time I would cause her such pain. Of course, I brought them into life once more but I managed to quickly remedy that by not dying when we fought the lady homunculus."
Roy suddenly felt both acid and fire inside his mouth as he remembered their encounter with Lust. "It was the first time I witnessed her losing her composure and it gnawed at me that I was the one who caused it once more. At that moment, the need to protect her from anything and anyone that wished her harm all the more made itself known within me. I knew then that she wasn't just a close friend whom I am privileged enough to know and keep.
"She's so much more than just an irreplaceable subordinate, more than just my greatest ally, more than just my most avid and passionate supporter. Riza is the reason why I do what I do, and the reason why I clung to my ideals and the reason why I never lost sight of my goal. She was the flame that diminished the darkness that threatened to consume me. And for that, I cherish her very much...far more than I ever did before."
Silence dominated over the pair of generals as Roy swam in his thoughts. The whole lot of them remained unvoiced till now, and he had to admit that he felt a great mass of something lift from his being. There was something liberating about being able to spill a semblance of his soul to another person without the feeling of being judged.
Silently, he was thankful for Grumman for urging him to speak about his emotions. Being a soldier entailed a lot of norms and conventions; emotions were a danger to the job. While he felt almost naked talking to Riza's grandfather (of all people), Roy couldn't bring himself to regret what he did.
Grumman watched the Flame alchemist as he sat in silence, no doubt contemplating about what had transpired over the course of their game. He had a small, fond smile on his lips. The Führer leaned forward and laid a hand on Mustang's shoulder, squeezing gently.
"It gladdens this old geezer to hear you say such words about my granddaughter, my boy. She is essential to your being, I know. Now that she has accepted promotions and would shortly be out of your command, what do you plan on doing?" the old man asked as he took his seat once more.
Twiddling with his thumbs regarding his next move, the focus in Roy's eyes returned once more. "I plan on working twice as hard. I'll have to commit on improving my work ethic since there is still much to accomplish. I told myself that I will do what it takes to reach my goals simply because that is what she expects me to do and I don't wish to disappoint her. She works hard every day, does far and beyond what is expected of her, so it's only fair that I do the same. Besides, she'll be busier now that she will have her own team to command. Furthermore, I plan on supporting her on whatever she wishes to do, help her if she needs anything, even just a cup of tea. She has been a loyal adjutant through the years, so it's high time I pay her back in kind."
"Yes, yes, that's great and all, Mustang. I was referring to when you'll make her your wife," Grumman said, if a little impatiently but amusedly. Roy didn't know how he could balance those seemingly unrelated emotions in his tone of voice but somehow, the old man did so with flourish.
The solemn mood that has reigned over them in the past few minutes was now replaced by that familiar teasing atmosphere that the Führer always seem to carry. However, the blush on his cheek intensified and he looked haphazardly to the side to avoid the gaze of the old man.
"Well, S-Sir…Sir, I—" he stammered but took a few moments to collect himself. "I mean, will we not be summoned to court if…if we…"
Grumman sat back and chuckled. "You are a great soldier, Roy. Your instincts on the battlefield or any pressurized situation are superb but when it comes to fine print and legalities, you'll have to take several more lessons in reading and understanding political documents from my granddaughter if you want to be Führer."
Roy was now unable to hold the pout from breaking out on his face. He only read what he was interested in, which is less than half of the paperwork that he does on a daily basis. "What do you mean by that, Sir?"
The Führer held up a hand and waved it dismissively. "Never you mind; not important at the moment. What I mean to say is that the anti-fraternization law prohibits relationships between commanding officer and subordinate. Not superior officer and lower-ranked officer."
The realization hit Roy like a splash of water, as his mouth hung open. His Xingese-shaped eyes rounded.
"Oh."