He'd never quite gotten over her. Not really. Of course, at the time, he'd tried to understand her reasons for breaking up with him. Readying himself for graduation didn't leave a lot of time for keeping a girlfriend happy. Jason Miles would always regret those lost months. Riza hadn't been single for long, either. No, she'd been snatched up pretty quickly by that sophomore runner, Havoc. He'd expected no less, though; Riza was special. Too special for that moron with a cigarette always poking from his mouth, and if Jason was feeling particularly irksome he'd go on to resent her odd friendship with known womanizer, Roy Mustang.

The two of them were an equation he'd never managed to solve when he'd still been a student at Central Amestris Academy. Why would Riza waste her time with a friend like that? The second Mustang stepped through the doors of the academy, he'd had a different girl on his arm every few weeks. At first, Jason assumed Riza was a love sick groupie left over from middle school, but it quickly became clear that was not the case at all. She held a sway over him that buggered the imagination. What initially appeared as Riza revolving around an indifferent sun turned out to be the opposite. Mustang seemed to orbit her. The two of them behaved as siblings, but the dynamic wasn't quite familial as there was an ambiguous undercurrent of affection inappropriate for a brother and sister. Riza paid no mind to Roy's dalliances and often acted as if the other girls were invisible.

Miles puzzled for weeks over their relationship before making his feelings for her known. With total disregard for the age difference between them, Jason swooped in when he caught her after archery practice one afternoon intently reading an article in a political magazine. She surprised him with her knowledge of current events, and his crush on her bloomed quicker than lilies left in the sun. To his surprise, she reciprocated his advances with no hesitation. Of course, the unsettling subtext between Riza and Mustang never went away, but he did his best to drown it out. Jason hadn't dated a fellow student so far behind him before, and he took some initial ribbing from his peers, chiefly the guys on the wrestling team. Basque Grand called him a cradle robber, but only under his breath. For reasons unbeknownst to Miles, Grand avoided Riza with a perplexing alacrity. Never one to care too much about public opinion, Jason continued to chase after her, and the gossip eventually died down.

The one summer he'd spent with her hadn't been forgotten, even in the three years it had been since. Jason Miles wasn't the type of guy who counted notches on his bedpost or bragged about the number of flowers he'd de-petaled, but he felt certain Riza hadn't been with anyone before him. Firsts were supposed to mean something, and even if she hadn't been his first lover, he still felt the connection. Perhaps it had been unbecoming to allow his emotions to erupt in such an unabashedly volcanic way, but when he told her he loved her, he'd meant it. I know you think I shouldn't be held back by a high school girlfriend, Riza, but you're wrong. When you catch up to me, I'll prove it.

Seeing her name on the list of advanced placement students applying for university mentors swelled Jason's chest with hope. He could win her back. Fuck Mustang. He wouldn't even be around if the rumors of his early acceptance to the military university could be trusted. Not that Miles wanted to lure her away; she wasn't a child wandering a forest, and he definitely wasn't a wolfish predator with a basket of candy. He just wanted her back.

Riza's ability to tuck away personal information and emotions hampered his efforts to feel out the boundaries during her final year at the academy. She carefully steered their conversations away from the territory he wanted most to explore and never once offered clues to the state of her relationship. She'd been asked often by classmates or teachers how Mustang was getting along in his new environment, but her answers were always perfectly appropriate. Jason wasn't completely ignorant. He knew they'd begun dating before Roy's transfer; a few well-placed questions to other students in their study group confirmed that, but the tone of reply was always mildly incredulous. As if he'd casually asked if cheese truly belonged with crackers.

Miles wouldn't give up, though. He didn't graduate for another two years, and he already had one big advantage. Presence. He was ready to prove himself more worthy than a childhood friend who'd left her behind to chase blue uniform skirts instead of black pleated ones.

Roy impatiently drummed his fingers on the armrest to his right. Briefly, he considered simply burning a neat hole right through the wall of the train car and exiting on his own time instead of waiting his proper turn. Of course, that would likely end with a jail cell instead of the passenger seat of his aunt's car. With a deep, cleansing breath, he calmed himself. Riza wouldn't be out of school yet, anyway, and his agitation would go unhampered for another several hours.

Returning home the day after his classes had concluded for the year was an attempt to make up for staying on campus over his winter and spring holidays. He'd been invited to participate in an extracurricular group that only met when the professor was free from regular responsibilities, and he didn't feel that declining the invitation would've spoken well of his interest in alchemy. Roy could feel Riza's disappointment over the phone, even if her words had been encouraging. His ideas for handling their separation weren't going as he'd expected.

Missing her graduation hadn't ever been an option in his mind. Roy had always planned on attending, but after Hughes dropped the Miles Bomb on him, he'd resolved to not only be there front and center, but early. Apparently, Riza's university tutor turned out to be her former boyfriend, Jason Miles, and according to Maes, the guy still carried a very perceptible torch for her. Roy knew jealousy didn't look good on him, and while Riza would tolerate a few jokes at her dog's expense, horning in on the company she kept while trying to get into college wouldn't help their already-strained, long-distance relationship. So he vowed to not say one word about Miles and would make his points with actions instead of meaningless arguments.

Chris Mustang greeted him on the platform with a tight hug. "Well, the prodigal child returns," she said with a smirk.

Roy grinned sheepishly and didn't protest when she straightened the collar of his military uniform.

"You don't look much like the boy I sent away anymore, Roy. I suppose none of your old shirts will fit you now."

"Are you saying I've gotten fat, Aunt Chris?" Roy slung his bag over his shoulder and followed her from the station. He knew he hadn't gained weight. If anything, the physical fitness requirements of the military, which included an uphill run every morning, had shed a few pounds off his body.

"Not fat, kid. Just bigger. Maybe Riza will take you shopping." Chris glanced back at him with a sly grin. "If she'll speak to you, that is. If I were her, I'd want to punish you a little for not coming home once until now."

His stomach clenched as he tossed his bag into Chris's trunk. "I hope she hasn't been squirreling away anger for all these months. I know she's disappointed with me."

"I'm kidding, Roy. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. At the very least, your presence will give her a break from that shadow of hers."

"Shadow?"

His aunt tossed him an annoyed glance. "That Jason Miles is always sniffing around her porch, and I think she's near the end of her polite exasperation."

"It's that bad, huh?" Roy tried to squelch his irritation with a neutral reply. "Well, I don't doubt Riza can handle herself. If he came on too strongly, I'm sure she'd let him know. She hasn't ever needed me to be her white knight like that."

"You're missing the point, kid. It can be tiresome for a lady to keep pointing to a boyfriend who's far away and never comes home. Sometimes, a simple I'm not interested isn't enough to avert a determined man."

"Are you saying Miles is… aggressive?"

"No, I'm saying I think she'll be glad you're home. Nothing sends a message like visual confirmation of unavailability. Riza has worked very hard this year to earn her distinguished graduation, and she doesn't need the added frustration of a panting ex-boyfriend."

"Have you seen her much, then?"

"She and I have spent some time together, yes. Most of what I hear regarding young Mister Miles comes from the grousing of her grandfather."

Roy fidgeted as he processed the information. He remembered Miles being rather intense back when they were classmates, but he'd been too distracted by his own interests at the time to notice how far gone the boy was on his best friend. Their first year at the academy had been a whirlwind of changes and new experiences. Now, he wished he'd paid more attention.

His aunt's house appeared exactly the same from the outside, and Roy was grateful. His life felt upheaved, and he needed some semblance of continuity. "Are you hungry, kid?" Chris called from the kitchen.

"Not really. I think I want a nap, to be honest."

"Will you be around tonight, or are you staying with Riza? She'll have school tomorrow, you know. Graduation isn't until next week."

Roy closed his eyes and settled into the couch. "I think that depends on her."

"Well, I'm working tonight so just make sure you lock the place up if you won't be here." Chris leaned over the back of the couch and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You get some rest, and I'll see you tomorrow."

He heard her fumbling in the coat closet and through her bag before opening the front door. Roy's eyes snapped open. "Hey, Aunt Chris?"

"What is it, kid?"

"Does Riza still have that car?"

"I haven't heard anything to prove otherwise, so I assume she does. Why?"

Roy quickly stood and straightened his uniform. "Do you think you could drop me at the academy before heading uptown?"

A grin crept across Chris's face as she held the front door open. "I think I could manage that."

The front courtyard hadn't changed at all in the last ten months, and Roy planted himself on a shaded bench closest to the student parking lot entrance. He had an hour before dismissal and enjoyed the familiar sights of his hometown in the meantime.

A voice broke through his reverie. "Roy Mustang? Is that you? Holy shit, I barely recognized you in that uniform!" A hurricane of dark brown hair and pink lycra flew at him, and Roy braced himself.

"Hey, Becky, how've you been?" He returned her hug, and when she pulled away, her face was plastered with a surprised smile. She tossed her dance bag on the grass beside his bench and sat down with him.

"I'm great! I got a sweet scholarship to the fine arts college up north, and my mom is hassling the fuck out of me about leaving already."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive. I'm happy for you."

Rebecca leaned back against the bench. "Thanks, Roy. How's the military been treating you?"

"I'm exhausted most of the time, to be honest, and I don't have nearly the amount of free time I thought I would."

"I noticed you didn't come home at all this year and wondered if you and Riza were fighting." Rebecca's lips quirked; she never did bother with subtlety.

"No, it's nothing like that. There's a lot of competition amongst alchemy students, and I was invited to a program that only met during holiday breaks. I think Riza was annoyed with me, but it couldn't be helped." He fidgeted with the fabric of his pants and frowned.

"I don't think she was annoyed with you, Roy," she spoke softly, "I think it was a combination of her missing you and Jason hanging around. He's one of the AP tutors this year, and the way he looks at Riza is incredibly obvious."

"Yeah, Hughes told me about that, and my aunt drove the point home as soon as I stepped off the train."

"Listen, Riza wouldn't ever go behind your back, alright? But I think she's felt your absence more than she likes to let on. It's not just Jason; it's everything."

"Everything?"

Rebecca smirked. "You were always a little dense, Roy. Brilliant, maybe, but dense. Let me spell it out for you, okay? You guys have been close for a long time, and then, suddenly, you're five hours apart. Riza doesn't just miss her boyfriend, she misses everything you are to her."

"Do you think I'm an asshole?"

"Nope. I just think long distance is hard, and even harder for people like you who were friends for so long first. Just be sensitive to whatever she leaves out when you talk to her." Rebecca hefted her bag from the ground and onto her shoulder. "Does she know you're here?"

Roy smiled up at her. "Not at all."

"Good boy. I'm sure she'll come straight from the library, and that means Jason will likely be tailing her." She turned to head inside the building. "By the way, wearing that uniform was a great idea. You look delicious in it!" Rebecca waved a final time before disappearing into the brick building.

The dismissal bell rang before Roy could absorb everything Rebecca had said to him, and as students filed from the academy doors, he was approached by several surprised friends. Maes clapped him on the back, Breda made a joke about his uniform, and even Havoc shook his hand. For a moment, it felt like he hadn't left at all. Roy's eyes flit back and forth from the group of gathering people and the doors.

"She'll be out soon enough, Roy. Don't worry." Hughes laughed and helped him clear the crowd.

"Do I look like I'm worried?"

Maes didn't hesitate in the slightest. "Yes. It's a little pathetic, to be honest."

"You're an asshole, Hughes."

"And I always will be!"

Roy glanced again at the doors and thought his heart would jump from his body when he saw Riza. Her hair was swept up into a messy bun, and she clutched a stack of thick books to her chest. Jason Miles held the door open for her, but Riza didn't wait for him to join her before moving through the crowd. Her eyes found Roy when she reached the edge of the concrete stairs leading down into the courtyard. Her face broke out into a grin, and she dashed at him, not sparing a backwards glance at her companion. Maes kindly accepted the stack of books she thrust at him to wrap her arms around Roy's middle.

"Hey, Riza," he said quietly into her hair.

She sniffled and pulled away to look up at him with a hint of mist in her eyes. "You're taller. I guess that's okay."

Roy chuckled. "You guess? I can't help it, you know."

Riza's arms wound their way around his neck, and she stood on her toes to press her face into the skin just above his collar. "I'm so glad you're here, Roy. I was worried you'd take your time coming home."

"I couldn't stay away," he whispered.

She finally released him and took her books back from Hughes. "Thanks, Maes."

He smiled and stepped back. "I'm happy to help. I'll let you guys have some space, but this weekend is fair game, though!"

Roy slid Riza's backpack from her shoulders and smiled down at her. "Ready to go? I don't have a car, so I'm at your mercy."

She grinned up at him. "My mercy, huh? You may regret that later."

"Do your worst, Riza; I look forward to it."

"Come on, let's get out of here before the freshman female population collectively dies at the sight of you in this uniform. There's a group of them over by the flagpole that've had you in their sights since I came out here. They may murder me and abduct you."

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away from you, Riza. I'm yours until the end of the summer at least."

"I'll have to make good use of my time until Lady Alchemy begins her siren song anew, then." Riza leaned up again and kissed him soundly. Her lips still tasted of the same peppermint lip balm, and he felt intoxicated.

Her hand slipped into his, and despite their new height difference, it fit perfectly. As they made their way across the parking lot, Roy swallowed a surge of smugness at the sight of Jason Miles walking towards his car alone.