Chris Mustang leaned against the kitchen counter and stirred too much sugar into her coffee. She knew it was too much before adding the heaping spoonful to her cup. The texture would be quite thick now, and once she poured the creamer, the coffee would be wholly undrinkable by anyone but her. Which was fine, in her opinion. Since discovering the disgusting way she preferred her morning beverages, Roy was less inclined to steal sips on his way out the front door. Chris doubted her nephew had ever actually wanted the coffee, just the attention that came along with sneaking it.

Roy's seventh birthday wasn't but a few months behind him when his parents were killed. Chris hadn't been especially close to her younger brother, but the loss was no less crippling. She'd never wanted children of her own and found herself even less interested in tolerating a man's company outside of a business arrangement long enough to conceive one. Her brother's death, and the resulting custody of a young boy were both equally taxing. Chris didn't understand children, and Roy was needy.

Nannies proved to be useless; Roy bossed them relentlessly, and one had actually quit on her first day. Eventually Chris gave up and took to bringing him to the restaurants with her. The army of escorts she employed were more than happy to entertain the little boy who loved to be coddled and petted. He reveled in their fawning and basked in the attentions of pretty girls who seemed to absolutely adore giving him whatever he asked for. Chris pondered whether this situation was best for his still-developing personality. She thought it might be harmful for him to be under the impression that women were simply a source of entertainment and affection.

Those worries were what led Chris to invite Vanessa into her home. Vanessa was one of her younger employees and had suffered a brutal sexual assault behind her south-end location. The attacker was a prominent community member, and no punishments would be doled out for his actions. Threats were made, the police hadn't been called, and a bruised, battered girl had been left sobbing behind a stack of empty liquor crates. Chris's temper flared when she realized exactly how tied her hands were. Despite her connections in government, nothing would be done for Vanessa or the child that grew inside her.

Roy had been with her for only a year at the time, and she thought the situation as good an opportunity as any to teach him that women were human beings, not playthings, and they deserved the same respect as anyone else, regardless of profession. He took the lesson to heart and attached himself to Vanessa. The woman couldn't escape his smothering brand of comfort. He brought her snacks, that he'd made himself, of course, and insisted on reading her unborn child stories every evening. As her belly grew, so did Roy's apprehension. He wasn't allowed in the delivery room, but Chris remembered the wide-eyed wonder on his face as he stared at the sleeping newborn behind the nursery glass.

Chris wondered often if Roy would have been as perceptive to the Hawkeye girl's loneliness had Vanessa not spent her convalescence and pregnancy in their home. Even though her nephew had lost his parents before he was old enough to truly appreciate the extent of loss, he didn't hold anything back from Riza. He empathized and held her hand until she was ready to let go. Their friendship had changed over the years, and Chris couldn't think of many girls Roy dated in the past that didn't take issue with it. The meddling, jealous kind didn't last very long. She'd raised a loyal boy, and he'd never put anyone over his best friend.

The fate of the current female in Roy's life remained to be seen. It wasn't that she disliked Rebecca Catalina - there wasn't actually anything wrong with her - but Chris still opted to view the romance with a temporary lens. Not because the boisterous girl didn't make Roy happy; she knew he was happy - and if the two of them thought she hadn't noticed the late hours her nephew strode through the front door, and in what disheveled state, they were grossly mistaken - but Rebecca wasn't Riza. Chris interpreted the lack of jealousy and hounding to mean she knew their fatal flaw on some level but accepted it. She'd also decided, privately, that Roy's persistence in dating around indicated a total lack of acknowledgement for his latent romantic feelings towards Riza. Teenage priorities, in her opinion, were often rooted in hormonal surges and ebbs.

Until the previous week, Chris had been about ready to admit that perhaps Rebecca would be around for longer than she'd originally anticipated. However, she'd overheard a clashing of heads over an unexpected subject. Based on the one-sided conversation she'd caught from outside Roy's bedroom, Rebecca found the amount of time he devoted to studying excessive, and his mood of late unbearably morose. Roy had always been a bit of a bookish boy, preferring studying to athletics, but in the last year, he'd spent more early mornings and afternoons than she could count pouring over chemical theorem with Riza's father, Doctor Hawkeye. She suspected Roy would eventually take an interest in the same State Alchemist program Hawkeye had made a name for himself in, but he was still too young by nearly a year.

Chris didn't think Roy would want to wait to graduate from Central Amestris Academy before transferring to the military university, and she was prepared for that eventuality. Students could be accepted in their final year of grade school, and Roy would only be able to take his civilian research so far. Alchemy was a highly restricted field and the use of State Alchemists as soldiers a controversial subject in political circles. The growing unrest on the eastern borders with Ishval and crumbling political negotiations were upsetting. She wanted her nephew to pursue whatever interested him, but not at the cost of his life.

Riza scowled and sniffed the cuff of her jacket sleeve. "This is ridiculous," she mumbled. "It's not even lunch break yet, and I can smell it."

"Smell what?" Roy asked, tapping his pen on an open textbook page.

"This." Riza shoved the jacket at him and waited expectantly. Roy cautiously smelled the fabric and tried not to wrinkle his nose.

"Well, you are dating a smoker." He turned his attention back to the text. "What did you think would happen?"

Riza tossed the jacket onto the back of a chair across from Roy and fell into it. Besides after school hours, the library was most quiet in the period before lunch. No study groups met during this time, and Roy usually enjoyed his solitude. It was also the only time he could get away with his intense method of study without making an excuse to Rebecca.

"I hate the smoking."

Roy glanced up and eyed Riza. She wasn't even looking at him, and he guessed she wanted to gripe more than converse.

"Tell him to quit, then."

"That would be about as fruitful as telling the drunks in your aunt's south-end bar to stop being drunks." She crossed her arms over her chest and kept her eyes on the table between them.

Roy went back to his work. "Have you told Havoc how much it bothers you?"

"No."

"Well then, what do you expect him to do?"

That won him a look, which turned out to be an angry glare. "Why are you suddenly being so conciliatory about Jean? You hate him."

He sighed. "Fine. The guy's an asshole who smokes too much. Coach Hakuro should bench him until he quits, and you shouldn't let him in your pants in the meantime. How's that?"

"You're in such a good mood today."

"I'd be in a better mood if I could finish this article."

"Excuse the hell out of me, Roy, for wanting to talk to you. I'll just go back to my dad's office if I'm bothering you that much." She stood and yanked her jacket off the chair.

Roy jumped up and closed his textbook. "No, don't do that. I'm sorry. I'm in a shitty mood, too. Please stay?" Riza flopped back into the chair and continued to give him an evil eye. "Just tell Havoc you hate the way his cigarettes smell. I'm sure he'll at least stop smoking around you."

"That won't keep his car from reeking or his clothes from smelling like an ashtray. I'm just over it."

"Well, what about my earlier suggestion? Stop putting out, and see how that goes."

Riza smirked. "Jean isn't like you. He doesn't have sex-brain."

Roy leaned forward over his notebook and text. "So you're telling me he's so uninterested in sex that the threat of a lockout would be completely ineffective?"

"I'm telling you he knows it would be an empty threat."

He blinked. "I don't follow."

"Jean isn't the aggressive one in our relationship." Riza drummed her fingers on the table, waiting for him to catch up. Roy's head tilted to the side.

"So it's you that has the sex-brain?" He laughed and then cleared his throat remembering they were in a library.

"I'm glad this is so funny to you."

"I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you. That was just unexpected."

"Why? Women have sex drives, too. It's not completely unheard of, and don't think you're hiding that hickey on your neck at all. You certainly didn't give it to yourself, Roy Mustang."

Roy's face heated, and his hand flew to his neck. Even several days old, Rebecca's handiwork was, apparently, still completely visible. "Hey now, we're talking about you, not me. Want me to slash Havoc's tires and leave a shoe polish threat on his windshield? I'd do it for you."

Finally, Riza smiled. "No, I suppose I should at least bring it up before setting you on him like that." She sighed dramatically. "Though, it's tempting."

"Say the word, Riza, and it's done."

"I'll get back to you on it. What do you want for your birthday? I've been waiting for you to tell me, and we're down to a week. You're impossible to shop for, did you know that?"

"I am not! My tastes are simple."

Riza rolled her eyes. "When we were twelve, I got you a very expensive book bag, and you fell off your bike a week later and ruined it in a puddle of mud."

"Listen, that rabid cat came out of nowhere and was hardly my fault. Also, I don't think things that happen after the gift-giving make the actual shopping part difficult."

"Maybe I should get you a book on safe driving."

"Why is everyone always implying I'm a bad driver?" Riza hid her mouth behind the hood of her jacket and tried to control her giggles. "Tell me what you want for your birthday, then."

Riza groaned and hid her face in the mound of jacket. "Nothing. I don't want anything. I want to sit at home and watch television with a tub of ice cream."

"So I can get you ice cream? This is a cheap year for me."

She raised her head and blew a few loose strands of hair from her eyes. "Seriously, don't get me anything. I know Becky is planning something, and I want no part of it." Riza leaned forward. "As my best friend, you are required to tell me if she's planning something awful."

"Define awful."

"Anything outside my previously disclosed terms of TV and ice cream."

Roy kept his face as straight as possible. "Riza, she's probably planning something awful."

"Probably? You don't know?"

"Well, she's not exactly-" The school bells sounded quieter within the library walls but could still be heard clearly.

Riza stood, smoothed the pleats of her uniform skirt, and slid on her jacket as Roy gathered his belongings. "By the way, are you studying with my dad after school today?"

"If I can get away with it."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean? I thought your aunt was okay with you staying after all the time."

"Oh, she's not the one who's bothered by it. Becky, on the other hand, probably feels the same way about it that you do about Havoc's smoking."

"Wow, really? I had no idea." Riza fell into step beside him as they wound their way through the sea of tables and shelves. "Is that why she's been hiding out in the dance studio for lunch the last couple of days? I didn't realize you guys were fighting."

Roy shrugged. "Probably. It's fine. She'll have to get over it."

"What if she stops putting out instead?" Riza asked as she elbowed him.

"Ha! I'm stronger than I look, Riza." He didn't have to see her to know she was grinning.

"Somehow, I doubt you're that strong."

They walked together through the hungry throng of eleventh year students, and Roy tried to contain his laughter when Riza refused to let Havoc kiss her when they entered the cafeteria. She complained loudly that she could still see the tendrils of smoke coming from his lungs. His smugness was short lived, though. Rebecca made an appearance for the first time since she'd left the purple mark on his neck. She had an uncanny ability to keep her frustration with him separate from her amorous appetites, and when he'd been cornered near the field house following track practice the Monday after their tense phone argument, he didn't try to engage her in conversation.

She was still clad in her pink camisole and black dance pants, and Roy couldn't help the sneak peeks at her rear end as he stood behind her in line. If Rebecca noticed, she declined to comment. Instead, she poked the beehive. "So are you going to hang out with me today, or are you going to go bury yourself in Doctor Hawkeye's office?"

Roy snatched a plate of something - he didn't care what at this point - and tried to remain calm. "Becky, I told you how important this stuff is to me."

"I know. I'm not hard of hearing, Roy. Answer my question."

"Yes," he bit out. "I am going to see Doctor Hawkeye after school today and probably every day this week unless I have to be at the track."

When they'd cleared the line, she spun on him. Her glare wasn't nearly as terrifying as Riza's. "Answer me this, then. What are you studying, Roy? Chemistry or her?"

Roy's eyes narrowed. Rebecca had never brought this subject up before, and he felt she must really be trying to get a reaction out of him. "Don't. I will not have this discussion, Bec. So just don't."

"I feel like you aren't even interested in me anymore unless we're half naked."

"That's completely untrue. You initiated that, not me."

"Because I felt like I had to! God, Roy, what are we even doing anymore?"

He had no answer for her. He liked Rebecca, but he was beginning to realize the parts of her he liked best came without demands. They'd been so easy before, and now every conversation felt like an effort he didn't have the energy for. She seemed appalled by his silence.

"Wow, Roy. Just wow. I'm going back to the studio." Rebecca marched off, and Roy's guilt came in a distant second to his irritation. A long afternoon in a secluded classroom was looking pretty damn good.

As always, Doctor Hawkeye's classroom was quiet. Roy had come to see it as a bit of a haven for himself. Even more so than the library. Most of his classmates considered Hawkeye intimidating, but Roy found his quiet way of assessing people and situations a relief. It was rare he had to pedantically explain things to the man, and it was a quality he also appreciated in Riza.

"At the risk of sounding like a clueless old man, I don't suppose you have any idea what my daughter would like for her birthday?"

Roy peeked up at Doctor Hawkeye. His lips were turned up in an embarrassed grin. "Sir, you're not an old man."

"That's very kind of you, Roy."

"It's true! You look the same as you did when I was a little kid."

"Ah, but in your terms, that's a longer stretch of time than in mine."

"You aren't old," Roy insisted. "To answer your question, though, I have no idea. I asked her myself today, and her reply was probably not the best solution."

"Indulge me."

Roy sighed and set aside his pencil. "She said she wanted to watch TV at home and eat ice cream all night."

"Riza isn't prone to saying things she doesn't mean."

"True, but I think she's saying that because she's annoyed."

Hawkeye glanced up from his work. "With you?"

"No, not with me. She expressed some… irritation with Havoc, and I think maybe it's overshadowing her birthday."

"I see."

"There's no pointing in hassling her about it, either. I'd rather her stay mad at him than get mad at me."

"A fair choice."

Roy poked at his pencil and rolled it on the tabletop between his hands. "Sir, do you think I spend too much time here? Do you think I bury myself?"

Doctor Hawkeye removed his glasses and sat back on his lab stool. He carefully cleaned the lenses between his fingers using an untucked shirt tail. "Son, I think your aunt would take issue with any burying."

"Well-" Roy concentrated on the pencil. He hated dumping on anyone but Riza, and talking to her father about personal matters felt intrusive. True to his quiet nature, Hawkeye didn't press. He simply continued to wipe at his lenses and eventually set them back on his nose. "It's not my aunt that has anything negative to say."

"Would you be referring to Miss Catalina then?"

He sighed and balanced his chin on a palm. "Yeah. She says I've been too distracted lately, but I don't feel that way."

"You've explained the level of interest you have in the subjects you study?"

"I tried my best. Today, I got so angry with her at lunch-" Roy scowled, remembering the low blow Rebecca had taken to get his attention.

"You know, before I met Riza's mother I had a hard time entertaining romances." Roy's eyebrows flew up. Doctor Hawkeye never spoke about his late wife or his youth. "Don't look so surprised, Roy. I was a young man your age once."

"I… I mean, I didn't mean to-"

Hawkeye laughed and waved off his concerns in a way that very much reminded him of Riza's mannerisms. "It's fine, son. It's hard to find a balance between romance and study when you're still figuring things out. I didn't meet Elizabeth until I was a young, arrogant lieutenant and freshly minted into the State Alchemy program."

Roy tilted his head to the side. Lieutenant Hawkeye. He couldn't even imagine it.

"She was a brilliant pianist and had her own engaging obsessions. Elizabeth would spend hours shut up in her conservatory pounding away at the keys until the notes bent to her will. I wasn't ever allowed to watch, but I could hear the music." Hawkeye drifted off into his memories, and Roy couldn't help but stare at the man openly. "It was a quick tumble into love, I'll admit. We- I didn't behave at my best. Her father was a general back then, and you can guess how excited he was that his only daughter had taken up with a lieutenant. Even worse, an alchemist."

"What's wrong with that?" Roy bit his lip. He hadn't meant to interrupt.

"Back then, the State Alchemy program hadn't been in place for very long. Less than a decade or two, in fact. It cultivated even more vigorous discussion in government than it does now." Hawkeye sighed and shook his head. "My point is, if you don't want to be either alone or constantly in a battle with someone over your attentions, you've got to find a partner who understands you. Someone with independent interests. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah. I-" Roy ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think Becky and I are going to work out. It's not fair to her, really."

"Or you. Guilt is a cruel emotion."

"Sir, I've been meaning to ask you…"

Hawkeye smiled knowingly.

"Do you think I'm good enough? For the State Alchemy program, I mean."

"Absolutely."

"Really?" Roy's voice hitched. He hadn't expected such a quick and solid reply.

"I do. I can help you with your essays if you'd like, as well. First impressions are very important, and the State Alchemy program is notoriously elite and selective."

"Wow, thank you!"

"Of course, Roy." He winked. "I've been waiting for you to ask."

A quick knock on the classroom doorframe broke the conversation. Riza leaned against the wall, and she wasn't smiling. "Hey, Dad. Can I get a ride home with you?"

Doctor Hawkeye glanced at her and began to gather his papers. "Are you ready now? I think we're about done here. Unless you had more questions, Roy?"

"No, I think that's enough for today. I really appreciate this, sir. You have no idea how much." He stuffed his books and notes into his bag.

"I think I have an inkling, and you're always welcome." He turned back to his daughter. "I'm just going to lock up my office, and we can go."

Riza nodded and approached the lab table. "I saw what happened at lunch. I'm sorry."

"It's expected, I suppose. Thanks, though." Roy ducked under the shoulder strap of his bag. "Did you talk to Havoc?"

"I did. He says he's going to make more of an effort, but whatever. I almost don't care anymore."

"That's not a great outlook."

She shrugged. "It wasn't going to last forever."

Roy pulled her into a hug. "Aw, don't think of it like that. You sure you only want ice cream for your birthday?"

"I'm sure." She pulled away when Roy's stomach growled. "You should probably go home and feed that beast. Have you eaten since lunch?"

"Nope. I kind of forgot."

Riza shook her head exasperatedly. "I swear, Roy, one of these days you're going to forget to breathe and fall over dead."

"Not if I have you constantly reminding me. I'll see you tomorrow, Riza."