How Could You Forget
Author: MoonStarDutchess
Part 3: Making Up, Hanging Over
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no monetary profit for this fanfiction. The only things I do own are my OC's if any are present.
AN: Hope you enjoy this chapter. Just want to note that the misspellings in Roy's dialogue are intentional. Much thank you goes to Riri for helping with the ending.
Making Up, Hanging Over
The tissue paper that covered the red roses wrinkled and crunched in protest as he grasped them tightly in his hand. He lifted his other hand to the door and hesitated before giving two firm knocks against the sand colored wood. He waited a few moments before knocking again, this time a bit firmer but not hard enough to wake the neighbors.
It was risky coming to her apartment like this but since it was evening, and likely around the time people around here went to bed, the risk was minimized. He couldn't let Riza think that he was cheating on her when everything was a complete misunderstanding on her part, and a complete lack of memory and a mind filled with Hughes nagging from his side. When she found out the circumstances, he knew she would understand.
When he knocked several more times and heard no response, other than Hayate's insistent barking, he removed the spare key she'd given him and opened the door. Going in on his own was a last resort just in case she was waiting in one of the rooms with a pistol. He doubted she'd shoot him but he was still wary. Being shot at was terrifying but the slightest chance of Riza shooting at him increased his fear substantially.
He entered and flicked on the light. Hayate barked in greeting and placed his paws on Roy's thighs for the standard quick pet he always received from him. After tending to the dog and shutting the door behind him, he took a good look around the kitchen and the living room, creeping to the doors like a thief instead of a lover. In the back of his mind, he pictured Riza sitting in one of those swivel chairs, slowly turning around, her gun glistening in the dim light from a desk lamp. Roy shook his head, trying to get rid of the stupid scene his imagination created. He was definitely watching too many of the new gangster movies.
He walked to her bedroom door and peaked inside. Everything was in perfect order, no signs whatsoever that anyone had recently been in the room. "Ah Damn it, I forgot!" he cursed when he remembered that Riza was walking away with his sister when he saw her. Scarlett may have not liked Riza, but with as angry as she was at him, there was no way she'd allow Riza to come home on her own.
Roy paled. She would tell his mother, and then his sisters, and then. . . Damn, he was going to get it. He knelt and patted Hayate on the head. "I'm going to go find your mistress Hayate. I owe her an apology and explanation. Hayate tilted his head to the side, looking quite confused as Roy walked back to the apartment door and left, locking it with a secure click.
--
As he stepped through the back entrance of Christmas's bar, he expected all eyes to go to him. He expected Riza to be sitting there angry with him and his sister Scarlett to throw a bottle of liquor at his head. Instead, the entire area was empty. He saw people entering at the front of the bar and assumed that everyone was working. He shrugged off his coat and hung it beside the door before going up the stairs. Perhaps Riza was sleeping in his room. He smiled softly when he saw the door was cracked open (it usually remained locked). Pushing the door open slightly he glanced inside and his hopes sprung out of him when he saw no one was in the room. Shutting the door back, he walked down the stairs and over to the bar.
He would suck it up and take all the yelling from his family before asking where Riza was. Maybe if they got out their anger towards him they would be more forthcoming with information. He stared at all the bottles on the bar and absently took one down off the small shelf. He poured himself a large tall glass of the liquid. He downed half of it before sitting it on the bar, not taking note of anything except the burn of the alcohol as it descended down his throat.
"She wouldn't go to my place if she was angry would she?" he said aloud as he poured more of the alcohol in the glass and drank it down as if he'd forgotten the substance wasn't supposed to be consumed so quickly.
In a matter of a few more minutes, his vision was blurred and there was only about a quarter of the liquid left in the bottle.
"Roy, when did you come in?" Christmas questioned as she entered the room and walked over to the bar.
Roy jumped at suddenly hearing her voice and fell off the bar stool. She peered over the bar at him as he slowly got to his feet and then carefully sat back down on the stool. He stared at her for a full minute not saying a word. He wondered when his mother suddenly became an acrobat. She was doing flips, turns, and twists . . . in midair. It was truly amazing since gravity tended to be a prick and messed up such amazing feats.
"Hey, did you manage to invent something that is antigavity?" Roy asked, his voice clearly indicating that he was soused.
"How long have you been here to get that drunk?" she asked, stunned that her son was so intoxicated.
"Humm… about fif…fiff. . . twint minutes."
She grabbed the bottle sitting on the bar and examined it. "Vodka. Cheap stuff. Roy, how many glasses have you had?"
"Tw—tw—um I don't know."
Christmas narrowed her eyes at her son. Sometimes he did the dumbest things. "More than two glasses?"
"Oh yep."
"Within about a twenty minute timeframe?"
"Oh yep. Hey, do you know when my Riza are?"
Christmas started to walk around to the bar to take her son up to his room when Riri came through the door.
"Hey! Roy! Why you ba--"
"Come here," Roy cut off her sentence, motioning her to come toward him. She did as he requested and bent to look at him face to face. "HI RIRI!" he screamed. The young woman shouted and jumped back. Before she could respond to his actions, he smiled at her. "Does you know where mine Riza are?"
"Go get her Riri," Christmas said.
"But, are you sure you want to do that?"
"She probably knows how to handle Roy when he's drunk. I've never seen him this locked."
"I'll go get her," Riri said and rushed up the stairs.
Roy rested his head against the cool wooden bar and heaved a sigh. "I miss my Riza. Mistake it was I made."
"We'll get her to come down and see you," Christmas said.
--
"I can't believe I'm letting you three do this to me. I'm a soldier, not a dress up doll," Riza said.
Vanessa giggled. "Oh come on, you look sexy!"
Riza folded her arms and looked into the long mirror attached firmly on the back of the closet door. When the three girls had knocked on the door to Roy's room, she never imagined that they would want to give her a makeover for "fun". She unfolded her arms and tugged on the dress. The blood-colored fabric clung to every part of her body like a second skin. The hem only came to the middle of her thighs and the neckline descended all the way to her abdomen, with loose fabric bunching together over the cleavage area to give the dress some modesty. Some but not much.
"How do you keep from flashing everyone when you wear this Scarlett?"
Scarlett shrugged. "Do you honestly think that it would be a big deal for me if I did?"
"Yeah, I suppose you are right," Riza said.
Vanessa stood and walked over to Riza. She grabbed the clip Riza used to clip up her hair and undid it, letting Riza's hair fall past her shoulders. Taking her fingers, she shuffled the hair around until it had a messy, just out of bed look to it. "There we go!"
"As if I didn't look like a whore before, now I look like one that just got back from seeing a customer. This dress certainly is something."
"Well considering what it is I do, if my dress makes you look like a whore, then I'm succeeding in my wardrobe choices," Scarlett said.
"You know, it really is too bad Roy isn't here. If he saw you like that, he'd throw you over his shoulder, take you across the hall, and you'd both end up forgetting what happened this evening."
Riza looked down as she remembered where Roy was. She tried not to let her doubts get the better of her but she just couldn't help it. She wasn't the confident woman everyone saw her as. At least not in her private life.
Vanessa frowned when she saw the look that crossed Riza's face. She hugged Riza. "You two would be keeping the entire building awake," she teased. "Are you two loud in bed?"
"Vanessa!" Riza scolded, her face turning red.
"Well?"
"I'm not answering that."
"Ah! That's a yes! They must be! I knew I heard something last time they were here!" Raven joined in on the teasing.
"Would you stop that?"
"Yes, they would wake the entire building with make up sex tonight!" Vanessa said.
"Not to mention you'd owe Scarlett a new dress because he will rip it off during the mambo session," Riri said when she came into the room.
"Mambo session?" Riza questioned.
"That's Riri's way of saying fuc—love making," Scarlett provided.
"Oh, I see. Well Roy is never going to see me like this so the conversation is mere stipulation."
"I don't know about that. He's downstairs," Riri said.
"What!"
"He's pretty drunk too. Looks like he got a hold of some strong stuff."
"Roy is drunk? That just doesn't happen often unless he drinks . . ." She rushed past Riri and down the stairs. The girls looked at each other and hastened after her, curious to know what was going to happen.
--
When Riza walked into the room, her eyes widened as she saw her lover's condition. Roy was resting his head on the bar, his face turned in her direction. The tip of his tongue was pushing between his lips and his arms were hanging limp at his sides.
"Girls get a hold of you?" Christmas asked as she took in Riza's state of dress.
"Yes," she said.
"You look like you work here," she said. "Want a job? Though our Roy would be none to happy about that."
"What'd he drink?"
"Vodka, the cheap stuff. From what I gather he drank several glasses of it in a fifteen to twenty minute time span."
Riza cringed. "Expensive or cheap and regardless of the time span, Roy would be this way. It has a bad effect on him. He has no tolerance for it."
"I never knew that."
"We found out last year during a Christmas party. He proposed to the tree and cried when it rejected him." Riza slowly approached him and rested a hand on the back of his neck. She leaned down to whisper in his ear, "Roy, it's me."
He sat up quickly, barely giving Riza time to move to keep from being hit. "Who are you?"
"It's Riza," she said.
"No. No you aren't my Riza."
"Yes I am." She rested her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you to be—"
"My Riza don't need to dress like you to be purty," he slurred. "My Riza is the purtiest woman in the world. Even when she's comvletely copered. I like seeing my Riza naked too but…Do you know my Riza."
"I'm Riza, your sisters' jus--"
"I make a big mista—boo boo with my Riza. I forgotted the anniversary we have every year. My Riza will hate me."
"I don't hate you."
"But you aren'ts my Riza. My Riza wouldn't be…" Riza grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him on the lips.
"Whoo hoo, go girl!" Riri yelled.
Roy's eyes widened and he pulled away. "Awww My Riza is going to ass your kick when finds she what you did out."
Riza sighed and looked at Christmas. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get out of this dress so he'll believe I am who I am," she said and then went up the stairs.
"That girl is hot," Roy said and turned to his mother. "She new?"
"That was Riza," Christmas said.
"Nah, Riza wouldn't dress like that. But my Riza is hotter than her. I love my Riza."
A few minutes later Riza was back downstairs in the pajamas Scarlett lent to her. She walked closer to Roy and leaned forward. A huge smile blossomed on his lips when he realized who it was.
"There's my Riza. The other girl was nice and went and got her for me. He grabbed her around the waist and nuzzled his head in between her breasts. Everyone in the room began laughing.
"He's burrowing deep there," Raven said.
"Roy always was a breast man," Vanessa said then giggled.
Riza's eyebrow twitched, "Don't you guys have customers out there?"
"They are having a business meeting," Christmas said. "We serve drinks and that's it."
Riza growled and pushed Roy away, thoroughly embarrassed at what he did. "Let's get you to bed Roy."
"I's sorry I forgotted."
"We'll talk about it in the morning," she said and turned her gaze to Riri. "Could you bring a couple of glasses of water, a banana, and some orange juice upstairs?" She slung Roy's arm over her shoulder and helped him stand.
"Sure, but why a banana?"
"The banana is to restore some salt into his bloodstream," Christmas said. She smiled at Riza. "You certainly know how to take care of our Roy boy."
"I try," she said. Riza started guiding Roy toward the steps but faltered with the majority of
his weight pressing down on her. Scarlett rushed over and grabbed his other side.
"Let's get this ass upstairs," she said.
Riza and Scarlett gingerly took him up the stairs and into his room. They sat him on the bed and he looked around, his eyes widening. "Whoa, you redecorated the room, fast too!" He fell over sideways.
"I'll let you get him undressed and in bed," Scarlett said. She started to leave but Riza called her name, making her stop.
"Thanks Scarlett," she said.
Scarlett smiled softly. "No thanks necessary. Take care of my brother. If you don't I'll turn bitch again."
"Turn? You stopped being one?"
"Touché," she said and left. A moment later Riri came into the room with all the things Riza requested. She wordlessly sat the tray on the table, winked at Riza and left, making sure to shut and lock the door as she did so.
Riza pulled him to sit up straight. "We have to get you undressed Roy."
"Does my Riza still love me?"
"Of course I do," she said while removing his shoes. "Take off your jacket."
"I love my Riza," he said. He shrugged off his jacket and Riza began unbuttoning his shirt. When it was loosened, he took off his shirt and tossed it across the room. Riza helped him remove his pants and he smiled. "Does my Riza want to make love?"
"No," she said, "not when you are drunk." She stood and handed him a glass of water, "Drink that."
"Is that more of the strong water?"
Riza forced back a chuckle. "No, just drink it."
"Okay," he said. He closed his eyes slightly and began chugging the water, some of the liquid missing his mouth and trailing down his chin.
When he finished the water, she grabbed the empty glass and gave him another filled one.
"Here's some more."
"More?"
"Yes, drink it."
"Okay," he said taking the glass and drinking until it was half-empty. "Why am I drinking water?"
"So you won't have an intolerable hangover in the morning."
"Okay." He drank the rest of the water and then she handed him yet another glass. "If I keep pissing it I'm going to drink on myself."
"Keep drinking," she said. She took the two empty glasses in the bathroom and filled them with water from the sink before going back into the bedroom and sitting them on the table. He gave Riza the glass and then burped.
She handed him the banana. "Eat that."
Roy took it and stared at it for a full minute. "What's this?"
"A banana," she said, trying not to laugh at the way he was crossing his eyes and looking at the fruit. She took it from him, pealed it, and handed it back. "Eat it Roy."
"I eat the core?"
This time a chuckle escaped her. "Yes, eat the core."
Roy ate the banana quickly, wrinkling his nose as he did so. "I don't like those things."
"Now drink this," she said, holding out the orange juice. He studied it a moment before looking up at her innocently. "Are you fat to make me trying?"
"No Roy, I'm not trying to make you fat. You will thank me for all of this in the morning."
"I thank you now," he said and slowly stood.
"Why are you getting up?"
"I havta go potty."
"I see," she said.
Roy ignored the juice she held and staggered to the bathroom door. "Do you need help?" she asked.
Roy shook his head. "I'm a big boy, I can go potty all by myself."
Riza watched and waited in the bedroom for a few minutes and Roy came out once again. "Bedtime."
"Drink this juice first."
"Okay, fine, yep, sure, green!" he took the glass from her and drank the juice before walking over to the bed and crawling under the covers.
She sat down on a chair across from the bed and took a deep breath. "Damn," she muttered.
"Isn't my Riza coming to bed?"
"No, not yet."
"But I want to hug my Riza," he said.
"Go to sleep."
"You're mad at me."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"I'm not!"
"See! Ur yellin," he said.
Riza growled and stood. She walked over to the other side of the bed and got under the covers. She didn't exactly feel like sleeping after the evening she had. She needed to unwind first.
Roy turned on his side, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her closer. She started to pull away until he muttered under his breath. "I love my Riza." Though he'd spoken it numerous times already that night, there was something about the intense innocence and the sleepy tone that made it more meaningful and fulfilling to her heart.
--
Roy moaned as a stream of light hit in his eyes when he opened them. The rest of the room was dark save for the sun peaking through a small crack in the curtains. He turned away from the window and opened his eyes wider. Alarm rushed through him for a moment before he realized where he was. He sat up carefully but despite his cautiousness, his stomach lurched and felt like it was trying to jump up into his throat and exit his body. He rushed to the bathroom, cursing as he hit his shin on a chair and his elbow on the doorframe. He made it to the toilet just in time and proceeded to throw up the contents of his stomach. The smell of the vomit wafted to his nose, making him throw up even more. He sat down roughly on the floor and kept leaned over the toilet.
He jumped when he felt fingers run through the top of his hair, but instantly relaxed when he recognized the familiar pattern that Riza often used when she massaged his head.
"What happened to me?"
"You came here and got drunk and now you have a hangover. I have some dry toast, eggs, orange juice, and water waiting outside."
"I don't get hangovers."
"You drank vodka. Christmas said it was the cheap stuff which is even worse."
Roy groaned pitifully. "And you drank several glasses in a short time. It's a wonder you didn't get alcohol poisoning. You know your body can't handle vodka."
Roy groaned again and nodded. "My body and vodka tolerance wasn't the main thing on my mind."
Riza nodded, stood, and retrieved a cool washcloth before sitting back down on the floor in front of him. She grabbed his chin and wiped off his face and around his mouth. Roy focused his gaze on her face, trying to think of what to say. Thinking wasn't an easy task considering that his head felt like it had a bunch of line dancing gnomes with spurs on their boots, stomping across his brain.
"Riza, I--"
"It can wait."
"Maes made me forget. He asked that I go out with him, Gracia, and her sister."
"Breakfast first."
"No, this can't wait and I don't feel like eating breakfast." His stomach leaped again and he leaned over the toilet, this time the only stuff coming out of him was water and a bit of stomach acid. He sat up again and Riza wiped off his face with the cool cloth.
"Come on, you have to eat to get some nutrients back into your system."
"Not until we discuss this."
"Stop being stubborn and get up," she snapped.
"No."
Riza sat back against the sink. "Roy, please just be cooperative."
Roy stared at her and saw that she seemed extremely tired and frustrated. "I'm sorry. I'll eat. Help me up will you?"
Riza smiled softly and nodded. She helped him to his feet and they walked into the bedroom. He sat down on the bed and Riza handed him the tray. He wrinkled his nose at the food but ate it without any complaining. After finishing, he stayed sitting upright just in case his food decided to do an about-face and fly out of his stomach.
"It's my fault," Riza said suddenly, "I should have known you wouldn't cheat. If I had just been reasonable then you wouldn't be here with a hangover. I should have just nipped this anniversary in the bud. There's no need for it. If I did that then none of this would have happened."
"I enjoy this anniversary with you. It's not exactly a good celebration entirely but we get to be together in something other than a working relationship."
"But still, I'm nothing but trouble."
"Oh please, that's enough of that. You are not trouble and you know it. If anything, I'm the one that's trouble. You are always taking care of me; making sure I eat right and the like. Like what you did last night. You didn't have to do all of that."
"You remember?"
"Yeah, vaguely. Some things I remember better than others."
"I do that because I care," she said. "I want to do those things."
"And I never-endingly appreciate what you do. You have to trust me that I didn't mean to forget this night and I would never cheat on you."
"Trusting you isn't the issue."
"Then why'd you think I was cheating. Don't say you didn't for a moment because I know you too well."
"Because I couldn't blame you if you did."
"What?" he said in disbelief. "What do you mean by that?"
Riza looked up at him, the right side of her lip quirking up ever so slightly, creating a sad smirk. She released a breath. "I'm not like her."
"Wha…huh?"
"That girl you were with. I'm not like her. I'm not anything like any of the women you are around a lot. It's not the beautiful ones that make me uneasy, it was the fact that you were with a girl that was pretty, and domestic. She'd make a good wife and have you several sweet little kids. She's not the type you are usually with and that scared me. I got insecure."
Roy laughed. "I didn't think you ever got that way too?"
"Too?"
"When I see men come up and talk to you it makes me want to knock them out because I know they're better than me. You could actually marry them, have a few kids, quit the military even, and be out of danger. With me, I'm a danger. But I'm just too stubborn to give you up."
"You really feel like that?"
"Yeah. Trust me Riza, I wouldn't be out with Annabelle, Maes, and Gracia if Maes hadn't had something to do with it. He made an agreement that if I did the little double date he'd leave me alone about marriage forever."
Riza laughed. "I guess I would have taken him up on that too."
Roy grabbed the pillow beside him and propped it on top of the other one. He rested back against them. "Come over here."
She stood and slipped off her shoes before crawling on the bed with him. He pulled her against his chest and relaxed. The room was still spinning slightly and his head still felt like it was in a pressure cooker, but having her in his arms made his circumstances much better.
"I can't imagine," he started, "Why you feel insecure when I love you so much."
Riza turned slightly and rested her head on his chest. "I wish I could be more confident."
"You are the only one I want," he said. "You are my other half and going to be my wife if we can ever marry. There's no one else I would ever consider to have children with no matter what. I should have told you about the stupid date and maybe we would have avoided all of this."
Riza leaned up and kissed his cheek. "No more insecurity for you either. There's no other man that can give me those things you mentioned. Now, let's just be quiet about it," Riza said.
Roy huffed. "It does kind of suck that I got drunk. I mean I didn't' even get to make love to you did I?"
"No, but you asked me if I wanted to."
"I did?"
Riza nodded. "Since you were acting like a six year old I would have felt like a pedophile if I'd actually done anything."
"Funny."
"You still have tonight and tomorrow before we have to go to work on Monday."
Roy grinned. "I want to know one thing before we forget about what happened."
"What's that?"
"Was that really you in the hot dress last night?"
Riza blushed and nodded.
"Think you could wear that for me again? I want to see MY Riza wear it."
Riza hid her face in his chest and never gave a response.
AN: I was sort of at a loss for what to do with this chapter. I didn't like the originally one that much so I rewrote it but then WORD died and I lost it and had to redo it. My boyfriend suggested I make Roy drunk. I found it a bit odd but then he explained that it would be random and just like life in general. So, much to his chagrin and my amusement, I biased it off the time he got drunk on vodka (he has NO tolerance for it or tequila at all). If you are reading this Kian, love you. LOL
