Hmmm, this one may slow down JUST a bit, I need to go back and make changes in the early chapters so the stuff that happens later makes sense, I have the beginning and the end written, but the middle...well...*cough* So you all might have to be patient...BY THE WAY.
Thank you sooo much for such a warm response! It really made me happy! x) I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 2
Riza awoke early as usual, showered, dressed and had her cup of coffee. She sighed as she pat Hayate on the head on her way out, she only took him to work some days, usually the days she was outside most so he could run around and burn off his extra energy. But she was in the office today so he would stay home.
"Be good," she told him and he yipped and wagged his tail, she smiled as she closed the door, today would be a good day.
After locking her door she walked out of her building and started towards work, but stopped and turned, it felt like she was being watched, then she shook her head and continued on, not paying anymore mind to it. Not until the next day anyway, and the next and the next, she felt eyes on her everyday of the week and was starting to get a little irritated. If this was some kind of joke someone was going to be very holey.
It wasn't until Friday that she found her stalker, a small black kitten with big brown eyes was on the sidewalk on her way to work, now normally she didn't stop for animals, and she was more of a dog person, but she had a feeling this wasn't any ordinary kitten. But, she wouldn't be crass, it could just be a normal cat that gave off a malicious aura.
"So tiny, you'll get stepped on," she told it and it mewed, it's voice so small it made Riza's heart swoon just a bit, okay so it was cute, but still.
"Come on, go back home," she told it and it mewed again and she sighed, she had a feeling she was going to regret this. She picked it up and set it off to the side, it would be no good for it to be stepped on if it turned out to be a real kitten.
"Stay," she told it and it mewed again, then she turned and started walking to work, she turned back and wasn't at all surprised to see it following, she stopped herself from groaning.
"Go home, go on," she said waving her hand at it and it mewed once more, she groaned this time then picked it up, "Alright but just this once." she said and then put the tiny fur ball in her pocket.
It mewed from inside and she gave it a small pat and a hush then went to work, she'd almost forgotten about it once she arrived and sat down until someone heard it mewing.
"Lieutenant is your pocket meowing?" Fury asked his big eyes blinking in disbelief behind his glasses.
"Oh," she said and then reached into her pocket and pulled out the thoroughly frumpled kitten, "I forgot he was in there," she said setting it down on her desk.
"Oh wow! It's so tiny!" Fury said coming over and giving the kitten a small pet, it mewed plaintively at him.
"Yes, I was worried it would get stepped on," she said going back to her paperwork, "I'll give it to an animal shelter on the way home," she said and the cat mewed again.
"You're not going to keep it?" Fury asked a little saddened by that and Riza shook her head and smiled just a bit.
"Hayate could eat it without swallowing," she said and Fury looked torn between scandalized and amused. The man was so easy to tease, Riza was beginning to see why Breda and Havoc did it so often.
"It's so cute, it's such a pity to have to give it away," Fury said giving the kitten a finger to rub against, he smiled when it licked him with it's tiny rough tongue.
"He'll go to a good home, being that cute, little girls love kittens," she said organizing a few papers before putting them in a pile on the corner of the desk.
"Were you one of those little girls Lieutenant?" Roy Mustang asked with a small grin as he walked into the office.
"Perhaps, Sir," she said returning the grin with a small one of her own, Roy came over to her desk and looked down at the kitten.
"Oh wow it is small, it almost makes Fullmetal look normal sized...almost," he grinned, and then there was an outraged yell from the hall and he laughed outright.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL EVEN A KITTEN COULD EAT HIM FOR BREAKFAST?" Edward Elric stood in the doorway to the office panting and glaring death at Mustang.
"Brother no one said that," Alphonse Elric said with a sigh as his armored body came up behind his brother.
"I don't care, someone is going to die for that!" he said and pointed at Mustang who rolled his eyes and muttered something about melodrama, but then all eyes went to the pile of paper that tumble off of the Lieutenant's desk and the small kitten that seemed to have pushed it.
"Oh so tiny! How very cute," Al said as he walked over and put his hand out for the cat, "Here kitty, come on," he said and the kitten sniffed his gauntlet and then rubbed against one of the fingers, Al giggled happily.
"Come on Fullmetal I'll take your report in my office," Mustang said after a moment and Ed nodded and then gave his brother a look that clearly told him not to get attached to the kitten. Al gave a metallic sigh, too late.
"Where did you find it Lieutenant?" Al asked cupping the small animal in his large palm, it mewed a few times in wonder and Al brushed it's back with a single finger to calm it.
"It was in front of my apartment building," she said and didn't bother mentioning that she didn't really think it was a cat, no need to spoil everyone else's day.
"It's strange imagining you would pick up a stray, Hawkeye," Havoc laughed after sitting in his chair.
"It followed me," she said simply as she bent over to pick up the fallen papers, Havoc nodded and turned to his own paperwork with a sigh.
"Maybe it knew you were kindhearted and would try to find it a home?" Alphonse said and Riza shook her head and chuckled at the boy.
"I'm not all that at all, Alphonse," she said with another chuckle, waving her hand dismissively and picked up her pen, and then a small kitten head was bumping into her hand.
"Meeew," he mewled, looking up at her with bright blue eyes, she stared back at him, as if daring him to show himself.
"Maybe he's hungry?" said Alphonse, said putting a single large finger on the kittens head and then running it down his back.
"No," Riza said and the kitten purred at her, "He just wants attention," she said and then looked down at the papers and started writing, it mewled a bit piteously, and bumped her hand again, she looked at him and gave him a straight look that told him she wasn't fooled by the act.
"Meeew!" he insisted and then pounced at her hand, clinging onto it with his paws and gnawing on her knuckle with little teeth that weren't sharp enough to break skin yet.
She gave a small 'Eep' and jumped, but she didn't shake him off and the other people in the office started laughing.
"What are you doing?" she asked him quietly, and he mewed loudly before licking at her hand, she sighed and shook her head, everyone was now talking about the Lieutenant being bested by a kitten. She frowned.
"Everyone back to work, now," she said and then pulled out her pistol, everyone froze like deer in headlights and then immediately got to their desks, just then Roy's office door flew open and Edward came stomping out.
"Stupid bastard!" he shrieked and then grabbed Alphonse's arm, "Come on Al!" he said and stomped out, Al sighed and then bowed to them on the way out.
Roy leaned on his door frame, "Oh that boy," he groaned and Riza laughed at him quietly.
"Can't handle a fifteen year old boy Colonel?" she asked sweetly and the man stuck his tongue out at her.
"I can handle him just fine, he just can't handle me." he said and Havoc and Breda snorted into their paperwork.
"Meeeeeew," the kitten mewled and Roy looked down at it, the kitten rolled on it's back and started batting at the air, he laughed quietly and put down a finger so the kitten could bat at it. It mewed appreciatively, and without the man noticing let it's claws out and raked his finger he pulled it back with a yelp and looked down, his finger had a small prick in it he looked down at the kitten and glared, it mewed as if to question why. He frowned at it but then sighed and went back into his office, not noticing the slight smirk the kitten shot in his direction.
For the rest of the day the kitten stayed on Riza's desk batting around erasers and knocking over stacks of paper, at one point he almost fell off of the desk because he'd tried to pounce a rolling pen but his paws were too soft, so he slid right over the edge and almost fell into the trash can, but Riza caught him before he did, he nuzzled her hand in thanks and she sighed and put him back on the desk and told him to behave himself, he mewed at her and she took that as a yes.
He didn't cause anymore trouble for the rest of the day, she put him back in her pocket and he was close to falling asleep out of boredom, they were the last to leave. He mewed at her tiredly from her pocket, and she hummed back at him, more or less telling him to stop whining.
She walked back home and then came to a stop where she found him, she took him out of her pocket and put him back on the ground.
"This isn't happening again tomorrow," she told him and he mewled at her sadly, and then attached himself to her pants.
"Envy," she said and then pulled out her pistol and pointed it at him, but there was a gasp and she looked up as a mother dragged her daughter away from the scene, she glared back down at the cat, who she saw very distinctly smirking. She scowled and then scooped down and grabbed him before going up to her apartment. She opened the door and then tossed him on the couch.
"You did that on purpose," she said, she crossed her arms and glared, the kitten mewed again, she snorted at him, "You're not fooling me," she said and then the cat started laughing its' legs elongated and the fur receded, forming the long haired scantily clad homunculus.
"How'd you know?" he asked, reclining on the couch as if he owned it, "It's not like I was obvious," he said and she grunted then went into the kitchen, he pouted and followed crawling over the back of the couch to do so.
"What do you want?" she asked back without answering first and he pouted again, then sat on the table.
"You first," he said and she pulled her gun out and gave him a look, telling him to get off the table or she'd shoot, he frowned but flopped onto a chair, he didn't fancy getting shot today.
"I just knew," she said and then turned to look at him, she wasn't going to put her gun away either.
"Well that's no fun, guess I have to try harder next time." he hummed and then she raised her eyebrows at him, he sighed, "I was bored," he answered and she knew he wasn't entirely being honest, but she hadn't really expected a truthful answer.
She sighed and shook her head, and then went to the fridge and pulled out some left over take out, she grabbed a fork and stuck it in, eating it cold, she just wanted to get to bed, the only problem was she had an unwanted guest.
She gazed at him and he gazed back unblinkingly, he sat on her kitchen chair with one leg up his hands on it, while he grinned at her, the other leg hanging off swinging back and forth, he looked like a child, almost cute in a way.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, curiosity evident in his voice, she blinked at him, he was rather blunt.
"Why do you need to know?" she asked back and he pouted, making him look even more childlike.
"Can't I ask a simple question?" he said and she frowned at him in thought, and then nodded.
"Yes I guess you can, but I can't guarantee you'll like the answer." she said and he frowned thinking it over then shrugged, he didn't care. "I was thinking about what it was that night I found you in the tree that had you so distressed," she said and he blinked at her almost in disbelief.
"What...?" he blinked and then he went red, "I was not distressed!" he shrieked and she snorted in a bit of laughter.
"Distraught, disturbed, unbalanced," she said and he went even more red, his arms flailing a bit, his foot stomping on the floor.
"I was not!" he wailed and she started laughing more, he was so funny, it was almost cute how he threw a tantrum, he stopped wailing only to glare at her.
"Stop laughing," he demanded and he sounded a bit dangerous, so she thought it best if she stopped, so she did, but not without effort.
"Alright," she said but she couldn't stop smiling, then she looked at him, "Why were you out there?" she asked and he huffed and crossed his arms.
"I really don't think that's any of your business," he replied and she shrugged continuing to eat.
"It's your business," she confirmed and he nodded satisfied, she finished her dinner and dumped the empty container in the trash.
"I'm heading to bed now," she told him and he blinked at her, "So uh..." she made a small gesture and he smiled.
"I'm fine here!" he said cheerfully, and she frowned at him unamused and he snorted, "I'm not gonna kill you in your sleep, there's no amusement in that for me," he said and she sighed, she was too tired to argue, so just shook her head and headed for her bedroom.
"Don't break anything," she said and he grinned at her back, glad he'd won, though he didn't know what he was going to do, he'd figure it out.