Terribly sorry for the late post. I've been sick for more than a month now and I was close to being confined in the hospital for Dengue Fever. But thank goodness I'm a negative for it. :)

I hope you've all been well. Here's the next chapter. I know you guys are going to enjoy this more than the last one. XD

I don't own FMA or any of its characters. I only own the OCs and the plot.


It's an hour drive to the pier and traffic was not exactly at their favor. For the first few minutes of the drive, a deafening silence and a cloud of tension filled the contours of the vehicle. Riza kept her burgundy eyes straight on the road. She fixed a clod glare at the view that was provided by the windshield for her. Once in a while, she noticed Roy's sideward glances at her or how he pretended to check the mirror on her side when he actually wanted to steal a peek of her face.

Mustang couldn't take the silence anymore. He pushed the button on the radio to turn it on. Suddenly, loud rock music started to play. Riza jerked in fright and covered her ears as it threatened to burst. Roy immediately pushed the button again and killed the music.

Silence.

A grin slowly crept up on the dark haired man's face. And out of nowhere, he started to chuckle. Hawkeye looked at him like he was some sort of deranged lunatic. This chuckle evolved into a hearty laugh.

"What's so funny, sir?" She asked.

"Nothing…" He was laughing still, hardly able to keep both of his hands on the wheel too. Thank goodness they were at a red light. This was starting to annoy her. "You should've seen the look on your face." His words were shaky, and still continued to show his amusement.

He just poured gasoline in the raging fire inside of her. Riza dangerously flared her nostrils as she gave him the most acidic stare he could muster. Her cold eyes met a warm and foolish grin. Her lips quirked up in the slightest. Roy noticed this and gave her an exaggerated smug smile, he even twitched his brows upward. He looked ridiculously funny, and in the slightest of ways, seductive. Riza scoffed and tried as hard as she could not to laugh. She resorted to biting her lower lip, but it failed her. She was now laughing.

Roy watched as this beautiful lady next to him tried to regain her composure. "You should laugh more often." He told her. "It looks good on you."

Hawkeye cleared her throat, and gained her full composure again. She straightened up. "Thank you, sir."

"When we're in the restaurant, don't call me sir. Call me Roy." He told her. The green light replaced yellow. Mustang switched gears and stepped on the pedal; the car instantly obeyed and took off speedily.

"May I ask why, sir?"

"I told you not to call me that." He replied, not answering the first question.

"You said in the restaurant. Not inside your car, sir." Riza pressed the last word. A little payback of her own.

Roy kept a poker face and both eyes on the road. He answered after a few minutes. "You'll see." He took a turn, and Riza already saw the sparkling water of the bay.

(((-)))

Hawkeye admired the restaurant. Half of it was in the water. She wasn't surprised, of course. But what she didn't expect was, Roy didn't stop for the valet. Instead, he personally parked the car. Riza noticed a white van nearby. Roy killed the headlights and took a deep breath.

He didn't know how to phrase what he wanted to say. He ran a white gloved hand through his raven locks. Riza watched like it was happening in slow motion. How the soft fabric fitted his hands so well, how the locks of hair on his head bended with the stroke, how his smell wafted her way when he placed his hand back down. It sent chills down her spine. What's this feeling? She asked herself.

He finally spoke up. "Riza, I—"

Ring! Ring!

"Excuse me." He answered the call. "Hello? Yes, Princess? We're going with the old one? …Al right… Yes, we're here… Ok, go ahead… No, you don't have to wait for me… Ok… How far are they?... Ok… Got it… Bye." Roy ended the call and slipped it into his pocket.

He looked out the window and saw people with cameras, microphones, and notepads. He looked at Riza. "Riza, whatever happens, just play along. Just keep your head high, stay close to me and whatever happens, don't react violently, understood?"

"Yes, Roy." She nodded. What's going on? Who are those people outside?

Roy stepped out of the car and closed the door. The cameras started flashing; people started asking questions and shoving microphones up his face. Roy simply smiled and said a few words while he made his way towards Riza's side. He opened the door and offered her his hand. Riza took it and got out of the car. The media gasped—and if possible—became even more assertive with the questions.

Roy snaked his arm around Riza's small waist. His touch sent a jolt of electricity down her spine.

"If you'll excuse me, we're late for dinner." Roy smiled. He tried to lead her out of the crowd, but they kept on blocking.

"Who are you?" One person asked Riza. She simply looked away.

"Are you his new girlfriend? Or a fling?" Another asked. "A late night play mate, perhaps?"

What the hell are these people talking about? She thought. These are personal questions! And no, I most certainly am not. The last statement was enough to make her look the slightest bit appalled.

"Do you like having his arm around your waist? How does it feel?" They just kept on asking.

Roy gripped her tighter and smirked. "Of course she does, and those questions are far too personal for you to be asking." He told them. He brought his lips up to her ear and apologized. His breath made her head feel so light, Hawkeye blushed and tried to hide it from the cameras by coming closer to him.

They finally made it to the restaurant. The security guards held them all back as Roy and Riza entered. The manager greeted them and brought them to their table. It was in the veranda, where the moonlit sky and millions of sparkling diamonds shone over them.

Roy pulled Riza's chair for her. He sat across her and the waiter started pouring them wine.

"You did great." He smirked. "That blush of yours was very natural, and you coming closer to avoid was brilliant."

"…Roy, what's going on?" She asked hesitantly.

Roy opened his mouth to speak, but an elderly couple around their sixties approached them.

"Mister Mustang!" A man with prominent grey hair smiled. "It's a pleasure seeing you here. Congrats on your latest project. The hotel is beautiful." He said gleefully.

"Ah, thank you, Mister Jones. Have you seen it?" Roy asked.

"Yes, my wife and I stayed a night when we were visiting our grandchildren down south." He replied.

"Hello, Mister Mustang. Long time no see." Mister Jones's wife spoke up. "Who's this lovely young lady with you?" She asked while she gave Riza a curious smile. Riza tried her hardest not to flinch and smiled.

"Good evening, Misses Jones." Roy greeted her. "Of course, how rude of me. Mister and Misses Jones, I would like you to meet Elizabeth or 'Riza', for short." Mustang gestured his hand towards her and smiled.

The two elderly couple looked at her with beaming approving smiles.

"Riza, meet Mister and Misses Jones." Roy introduced the couple to her. "They are one of the biggest investors." He teased.

The elderly man laughed heartily while he tried to engage conversation with Mustang. Misses Jones on the other half, gushed at Riza. "My dear, you look beautiful." She complimented her.

Hawkeye gave her a sheepish smile and thanked her for the kind compliment.

"How long has it been?" Misses Jones asked.

"How long was what, Misses Jones?" She asked.

"Oh, dear, call me Sylvia. You know, how long have you been together with Roy? Is he really that good in bed?" She asked, smugly.

Riza felt the blood fall from her face. She opened her mouth to answer, but she couldn't get the words out.

"Darling, don't go asking people that." Mister Jones placed an arm around his wife's waist. "You already know what she'll say." He mockingly pretended to whisper, but it was still heard.

Roy simply laughed, playing along. He looked at Riza, expecting that she would do the same, but she seemed too petrified to say anything.

"Oh, Misses Jones, you don't know the half of it." Roy replied, covering up Riza's loss of words. He wasn't lying. No, he was merely telling the truth because she really didn't know the back story.

"Oh, Roy. Just make sure you give her a wedding ring right before." Misses Jones chuckled. "It's about time you settled down and gave your children a nice mother."

Roy's smile began to melt. Riza noticed that the subject was still a bit too sensitive for him. She had to help. But how?

"Well, it's rather difficult to tie him down." Riza suddenly blurted without thinking it through. This made everyone look at her, even Roy. "I mean, I have so much competition, don't you think? And his children haven't warmed up completely but they are such little darlings." She smiled. Who knew she was such a good actress? Roy was so convinced. His brows went up in astonishment, and an amused smile formed on his lips.

Even the Jones' were impressed.

"Dear, don't worry. I'm sure you can do it." Misses Jones encouraged her. "You two look so good together."

Roy and Riza let out a soft chuckle, hiding her nervousness.

"Well, Mister Mustang, we best get going." Mister Jones smiled. "It was nice seeing you again." The two shook hands and he greeted Riza good bye. But before they walked away, Mister Jones whispered something to Roy that Riza didn't quite catch.

"She's a keeper." Mister Jones whispered to Roy and patted his shoulder before he and his wife completely disappeared.

(((-)))

As soon as the two couple left, Roy gave Riza an amused and smug grin. Riza in return looked at him with relief.

"So, Riza, you think it's hard to tie me down, huh?" Roy relaxed and gave her a teasing smile. Well you're right. There are a lot of ladies who have their eyes set on me." He added arrogantly. "Too bad there's only one of me to go around."

Riza smirked and decided to play along. The table behind her was eavesdropping, she could feel it. "And yet, you're here dining with me, aren't you, Roy? So that just means that you have some interest in me." She flirted. She was so good at acting that Roy couldn't tell if she was just kidding or really flirting. He was confused, but whatever she was doing, he liked it.

His smile came from amused to seductive in a split second. His eyes, luring her in and his voice, just added to the feel that he really was serious. "Wouldn't you want to know how interested I am in you, Miss Hawkeye."

His voice teased her ears, sent chills through her whole body, delight to all her senses and sent her heart a fluttering. She was too convinced. Hawkeye usually knew if a person was lying or not but this time… she couldn't tell. Roy Mustang was no open book.

Roy laughed heartily at her dazed expression. "Nice try, Miss Hawkeye, but you're not the only one who's good at acting." He winked at her and took a sip of red wine.

(((-)))

A waiter came and placed their food down. It was a five coarse meal. Of course. You shouldn't expect anything less when dining with a man such as Roy Mustang.

Riza stared at the clam chowder before her. She looked up at Roy, who was watching her stare at her food. "Sir…" She lowered her voice. Riza leaned in so that she could be heard, Roy did the same. "When can I report about the children?" She asked.

"Why are we whispering?" He asked, playfully.

"Because, sir, the table behind us is eavesdropping. I can feel it."

Roy looked straight and caught the lady staring at him. She immediately looked down once she realized he was staring back. He let out a sigh and looked inside the restaurant. The orchestra started to play softly, but loud enough to be heard by the whole place. Two people started to sing a duet beautifully and couples got on the floor and danced with each other while keeping a respectable distance of privacy with the other couples. Roy had an idea.

He got up and walked to her side, Riza followed him with her head. "Miss Elizabeth Hawkeye, will you give me the honor of dancing with you?" He asked ever so charmingly.

Riza looked down in embarrassment. "I… ummm…"

Roy smirked. "Don't tell me you can't dance." He teased.

Riza's head shot up, eyes sharper than daggers. Roy chuckled and sat back down. "I guess not." He said and stared at Riza while she tried to take a sip of the soup that was getting cold. She noticed his dark eyes on her the whole time. She tried to ignore him. She successfully did until she finished half of it. She had no choice but to look at him in the eyes when the waiters came and replaced their soup with salad.

While eating their salad, it was silent in their table. And the couple behind Riza left by the time their main course came. Riza wanted to stand and leave as well. She couldn't stand the feeling of his eyes resting upon her figure.

"Sir, please, you have been staring at me for the past thirty minutes. If you want to say something, I suggest you do before someone else sits behind me." Hawkeye said plainly.

"I told you to call me Roy." He replied, not saying anything else after.

Riza sighed and took a bite of the sea food medley before her. The food was just as expected, everything was delicious. Hawkeye still thought that her own cooking was better though. Not being arrogant, but it was true. Roy would have to pay a fortune for their dinner. With that money, Riza could have simply bought ingredients and cooked a whole feast for the Mustang family with much dessert to spare.

The rest of the night was brought about with small talk, some light laughs, but never did Riza deliver her report. Riza, a very responsible person who almost never forgot anything, actually forgot. His presence was too overwhelming. It was really more of a date, rather than what it was supposed to be. Riza actually enjoyed the night and his company. She learned that he was indeed, very charming, intelligent and a gentleman. He wasn't as big as a family guy as Mister Maes Hughes was, but it was clear how he felt about his family and that he would willingly go to the ends of the earth for them. He even spoke highly of his sister and respected his father and mother.

Once they finished up with their dinner, Roy signed a check, and the both of them stood. Roy wrapped his arm around her waist, earning a few glances and stares from the rest of the people dining in the restaurant. She didn't mind this time, but it still felt weird. Not that she didn't like it, but it was definetly something she wasn't used to. Hawkeye was amazed and a little annoyed that the press was still there, lingering near Mustang's car. As soon as they saw the two coming, they started again. Riza already knew what to do. She simply smiled at them, but kept herself close to Roy, which he didn't mind at all. He actually liked it.

Roy opened Riza's door for her and settled her in before shutting the door. He always left a little teaser for the press on every occasion they asked him questions.

"It was a lovely evening; I even got myself a little bonus." He smirked then waved them off. He hopped inside his car and ignited the engine. It started with a soft purr, and as soon as the paparazzi cleared the drive way, he drove off speedily.


I didn't exactly know how to wrap it up so…

Next chapter is in progress. *cheers* My exams just ended, but since I was sick, I have to take a series of makeup tests. Oh dear Lord, please be good to my report card. I hope you all liked this chapter. Not much RoyAi, and kind of boring, I know. Can anyone guess what is Roy's bonus? *smug face*

Please drop a review my waaaay~ it makes my day. ;D