Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.
Hey guys! So my computer had a little...'accident' and so when I checked the favorites/follows for this chapter I was like: HOLY CRAP OHMYGOD!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! SQUEE!
I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY PEOPLE SUBSCRIBED TO/FAVORITED/FOLLOWED THIS STORY!
That being said, this chapter goes out to:
owlcitylover
DarkWinxGirl (THANK YOU!)
Captian-Winter
animefangirl07
Hiccstrid4eva
maiaraiadette
Tacolady22 (Thanks for the suggestions, I'll make sure to look out for that from now on.)
WhispersOfWings (swear to god, you and DarkWinxGirl are like, AMAZING)
greekkittyartemis
Hope you guys liked this story so far, because it's about to get worse. I promise, I'll try and make it not suck. But I've been going over my sequel idea, and I realize about now that it's pretty shitty. I promise I'll at least start the sequel, but if no one really likes it, I'll probably just discontinue it.
Read on, and I sincerely apologize in advance.
Riza was drifting.
She was drifting away into nothing, as scenes flashed before her eyes.
Her and Roy meeting for the first time.
Calling Roy useless as he pouted in the rain.
Her threatening him with a gun as he scribbled out intelligible words on forms at his desk.
And then there was one that hadn't happened. Not yet.
Roy and his queen.
Their hands entwined, and their back towards her, Riza felt jealously bloom in her heart.
Riza wasn't in control of her body. No, she was just dreaming, imagining what might've happened.
What still might.
So when Riza unwillingly looked down, she saw the gun in her hands. Dream-Riza loaded her gun, drawing the Colonel's attention to her. The woman in his arms didn't so much as acknowledge Riza presence. Didn't even look up.
Smiling down at the woman in his arms, Roy waved his hand as a vaguely dismissive gesture.
"You can take a day off, Hawkeye. I can handle this; I don't need you."
It wasn't the way in which he said it. He hadn't said it coldly, or cruelly.
It was simply the fact that he didn't need, or want her.
He was letting her go.
He wasn't freeing her, so much as shoving her out of a 'cage' she had learned to call her entire world.
And for once in her entire life, Riza was completely faithless.
'He doesn't need me anymore.'
Drifting away once more, Riza had a hole in her heart, and an ache in her chest.
'There's nothing left for me.'
Roy instinctively leapt out, catching Riza before she crashed. She upper body was cradled protectively in his arms, he lowered her carefully to the ground. He frantically felt her wrist, checking for a pulse.
Riza please. Please, please, please. Still be there, still-
A faint but steady thrum against his fingertips brought him out of his thoughts.
"She's alive," he almost sighed in relief, and heard someone, probably Maria, start to sniffle.
"Roy... WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Havoc raged behind him. Roy turned to him, helplessness and confusion (for once) breaking through the arrogance. Softening, Havoc let the same emotions overwhelm him. He knelt down next to his friend, and buried his face in his hands.
The others circled around Riza, crouching on the floor with one another. Falman, ever the realist, felt her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Amazing," he mused, looking up at the Colonel, who was giving him his full attention. "All that fire, and she'd not even sweating. If I had to guess, she merely passed out from exhaustion."
Roys eyebrows arched, and he looked back down at the angel in his arms.
Maria came forward, shuffling on her knees.
"Umm... do you guys mind?" She twirled her finger, motioning for them to turn around. After several questioning looks, they obliged; Roy reluctantly handing her over.
Riza was spread out on her back, steadily breathing and...
Was she... crying?
Moving on, Maria wiped away one of her stray tears.
Leaning in, she whispered: "Shh... I promise the Colonel will be back very soon. I'm only here for the sake of your modesty."
Maria grasped the hem of Riza shirt and ever-so-carefully pulled it up.
She wasn't exactly prepared for the sight in front of her.
Riza's stomach was torn.
Several long slices raked across her stomach, and Maria noted that they all stopped before reaching the curve of her torso, and just below the breasts.
They'd also been meticulously stitched back up, very neatly, and very... professionally.
Havoc, hearing Maria gasp, turned around.
A sharp intake of breath.
And then Maes turned around.
"Holy shit."
Then Falman, then Fuery.
Roy had been too lost in his own thoughts to have hear their outbursts.
When Breda nudged him in the shoulder Roy turned as well.
He felt his heart drop to his stomach.
Falman gently touched her soon-to-be-scars, looking at them in awe.
"Sir, these are... remarkable," he said, stunned. "This workmanship is admirable at the very least. That Peter," he jerked his thumb at the charred flesh in the middle of the room.
"Didn't he say his sister was the one who stitched Riza back up?" The nods of affirmation made Falman continue.
"She's gotta be in the medical field or something, because I've gotten stitches worse than these in a damn hospital."
Falman straightened.
"Let's get out of here. Get Riza somewhere safe, call in an investigation team to take a look at this hellhole."
"And figure out who the hell these people are."
"Hey, sweetie. Just wanted to know, are you and Elicia still at your cousin's house? Yeah? Good. Could you two possibly stay there for a few more days? Thanks," Maes looked up from the phone to Roy, who was nervously pacing next to the pay phone they's stopped at.
"Riza's had an...accident. I'm gonna be out of the house for a few days."
Riza was stiff and sore all over. Sunlight was pouring in through the open window, and Riza squinted against the harsh light.
The alarm clock on the bedside table read: 5:20
Great.
Riza sat up slowly, groaning. She blearily took in her surroundings. An unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar (but warm) bed.
But there was something about this room...
Sniffing, Riza realized with a jolt: This must be Roy's room.
The whole place smelled of him. Riza smiled sadly, remembering her dream.
Her future.
Riza was sure that reality was just around the corner. Sighing, she slipped out of bed. She was about halfway across the lavish room when...
She tripped over Rebecca. Rebecca let out a yelp of surprise, waking Maria, who'd been sleeping on the floor next to her.
Riza clapped her hand over Maria's mouth preventing profanities from escaping her mouth.
"It's just me," she assured her friends in a hushed tone. They relaxed under her friendly smile.
"Riza!" they happily cried, toppling over once more as they enveloped their best friend in a group hug. "You're okay!" Riza saw tears pooling in Rebecca's eyes. Smiling, Riza pulled both women tighter in.
After a minute or two of content silence they pulled back again.
"We're in Roy's room, aren't we?"
"How the hell did you know that?"
Riza shrugged. "It smells like him in here."
The laughing began.
Slapping her knee, Maria gasped. "Holy shit, that was the best thing I've ever heard!"
"Maes is gonna piss himself when he hears that!" Rebecca crowed happily between chuckles.
"Don't think you're getting off so easy. What the hell was that back there?" Riza struggled to recall exactly what Rebecca might have been referring to.
"The bursting into fire stunt you pulled back there, dumbass." Riza sheepishly blushed, suddenly taking an interest in the pattern on her shorts. Riza sighed, wondering where to start.
"Have you two ever seen me out of uniform?" Maria looked at her in confusion.
"No that you mention it, barely. Since I've known you, I've only ever seen you out of that stupid coat once or twice."
"There's a reason for that."
Riza ran a hand through her golden locks.
And she began to tell her story from the beginning.
"So, your psycho-dad left you with totally dangerous alchemy research. You said he hid it. But when you moved from your old house, you said you took the research with you. So, where'd you stash it?"
Riza said nothing.
Silently, she turned around, pointing at her back. Maria and Rebecca stared at the back of her shirt, not quite realizing what she meant.
"I don't get it. What did he-" Rebecca's eyes widened. "That bastard didn't..."
She nodded, and Maria gasped, hands flying to her mouth.
"Oh..." Maria's voice came out through her fingers. "So that's why they wanted your skin."
Riza nodded, happy to finally tell someone, besides Black Hayate, the whole story.
"So, does Roy know?"
"No," she said in a hoarse whisper. "I never intended for him to see it.'
"But why?"
"Because the burden I carry is much, much more dangerous than anything we've ever known."
They didn't know exactly how to respond to that.
"They're the markings of a monster."
She smiled through a few tears and sniffled.
"Angels aren't supposed to see things like that."
She silenced her two best friends with a sad look.
"Go back to sleep, okay? I'm fine, I'm just gonna have a look around."
Sleepily, Maria lowered herself back down to the air mattress.
"Riza," she said through a yawn. "You should tell him."
Riza blushed all the way to her hairline.
"Yeah, and besides, I don't think he'll react to your secret as bad as you think."
Rebecca turned on her side, trying to get more comfortable.
"Hey, Riz," she added just before she fell into unconsciousness "The whole team is scattered around here. You might wanna put some pants on."
Riza looked down, suddenly realizing her lack of pants.
Riza was wearing a shirt, her bra, and her underwear.
"Sorry, they had too much blood to be considered sanitary. So we took 'em off."
"Damnit!"
Roy's shirts were really comfortable.
Riza wore one of his dress shirts over her bra. The light blue material was just long enough to hide her bottom. If she moved a certain way, the bottom edge of her underwear could just barely be seen.
Hey, at least they're boy shorts.
Riza was thankful she hadn't worn the stupid underwear set Rebecca had gotten her last Christmas.
That would have been bloody awful.
She hadn't buttoned up the oversize shirt. Why bother?
She looked at the impressive kitchen setup. Walking through that, she found a guest room where Fuery, Falman and Breda were spread out on either the bed or the floor. Closing that door, she opened another, revealing Havoc and Maes practically laying on top of each other.
Mentally saving that image, she chuckled and moved on through the living room, and back to the kitchen.
She stumbled over her bare feet, her senses dulled after such a long sleep.
Opening the fridge, she rummaged through the contents and pulled out a carton of milk. She turned around to set it on the kitchen island.
Finding herself face-to-face with a drowsy, bewildered Colonel hadn't been her expectation.
"AHH!" She yelped, dropping the container. She scrambled to grasp the sides of her shirt, pulling them tight to her body.
The Colonel had a slack-jawed expression frozen on his face, eyes wide as saucers. He suddenly blushed, turning as red as Riza was.
That was her... Was that her bra?!
Roy stumbled back, throwing his hands up and and whipping his head to the side. In the process of doing so, his feet slid forward out from under him. He his bare back collided with the tiled floor, and Riza toppled over, landing squarely on his chest.
Her hair was sprawled out over his skin, soft to the touch. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck, and her hands were pressed to his strong chest as his breathing evened out.
And all in less than three seconds.
She scrambled off of him, apologizing and blushing profusely.
Roy still couldn't make his mouth move. Riza held his shirt tight over her chest emphasizing her... curves.
She held her hand out tentatively, and he gratefully allowed her to hoist him to his feet.
He roughly swallowed, recalling a dream he had that involved her looking somewhat like this.
Somewhat.
"Is that, umm, my shirt?" He asked, and she nodded.
"So sorry, si-" she stopped, seeing the are-you-really-gonna-fucking-do-this-now look on his face that screamed irritation.
"Roy. I don't know where my pants went and my other shirt was too short so I..." she cleared her throat.
He smiled reassuringly. "It's fine. Help yourself to whatever you can find in the closets. We're gonna be here for a while."
She gave him a questioning look, and he leaned back against the marble counter.
"The whole team is gonna stay here for a bit. Just for safety reasons. Oh, and the mental stability of all your friends. That too." He suddenly shot forward, pulling her into a hug. Tears began to trail down his cheeks, and he buried his face in her hair.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again." His voice was muffled, as he was speaking into her shoulder.
She was shaking, and Roy realized; she was crying. For the first time ever, she wasn't made of stone, she wasn't invincible.
She was... vulnerable.
"I'm sorry," she blubbered. "I didn't mean for you to have to get dragged into this. I really didn't. I never meant for you to-"
"You idiot." She pulled back, looking him right in his obsidian eyes. "Do you really think that's why I'm- why we're angry with you?"
Nod.
"Next time you realize you're in trouble, I'd better be the first person you call," he threatened. "No matter when, no matter where, I promise I'll be there in 15 minutes, gloves on. You are my first priority."
She smiled, and muttered something intelligible under her breath.
"Until she comes along."
"Sorry, I didn't catch that."
"It was nothing."
His expression twisted into something that could be very loosely interpreted as anger. (Well, as angry as he could get with his Riza.)
"You owe me an explanation."
She nodded, combing her blonde hair with her fingers.
"I know."
Hey guys! Sorry, this chapter was a bit slow. Again, I'm sorry that this update took so long. I promise to be faster next time!
Keep Calm And Read On (Or not)
-Pyro