46. This Side (Nickel Creek)
A/N: Okay, we're pretending that Roy was adopted by Chris from Xing while he was still very young, and that Chris has known the Hawkeyes since before Riza's mom died.
They had known each other for years. Roy could still remember being barely out of diapers himself and seeing toddler Riza for the first time, back when Riza's mother was still alive and Chris and Mr. Hawkeye were good friends.
Weird.
He'd thought it in Xingese, not yet knowing the Amestrian word for it. Apparently, he'd said it, too, because Chris reprimanded him sharply in his native tongue for insulting someone, even if they didn't know what he was saying.
Frustrated, he'd tugged on his hair and said "yellow" before pointing to his eyes and saying "brown". At least he knew colors in Amestrian.
It had earned him a smile from Chris, who summarily informed the Hawkeyes that Roy was intrigued by their little girl. Roy didn't know what "intrigued" meant, but he did know that the little girl was as fascinated by him as he was by her.
He reached out and took her hand, placing it on her hair. "Yellow."
Riza smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Hand."
For all its simplicity, that was the point at which they had become co-conspirators.
They grew, things changed, they saw each other less often, but something in them defied all odds, keeping them attracted even when they weren't thinking of each other.
When Roy had come back to study at the Hawkeyes', he had found Riza equal parts changed and the same, and he wasn't sure which unnerved him more. On the one hand, Riza was never exactly what one would call outgoing¸but now she seemed more introverted than ever. She had always been quiet, but now she was downright secretive. Shy, but never this afraid.
In the end, Roy learned what he'd come for and left.
He'd never dreamed she would follow.
At the core, even through Ishbal, Riza was still the same person. It stunned Roy, but comforted him at the same time. He came to depend on that quality in her, knowing that he would have to keep going as long as she did.
And keep him going Riza did, whether she knew it or not, though he suspected that each scrape he got into made her more and more aware. Riza had pushed and pulled him through far too much when all was said and done.
Now, Roy stood in front of Riza, Fuery, and Breda, having given them orders.
He looked at all of them, sorry for what they'd had to go through, but proud of what they'd become.
"I don't know exactly what's going to happen from here on out, but it won't be easy."
Breda and Fuery shook their heads as Riza gave voice to what they were thinking.
"It's never been easy, but we're with you to the end, and no amount of uncertainty is going to change that."
Roy smiled. "Well, then, What are we waiting for? Move out."
A/N: Rather short, I know, but I think I might be running out of steam... I just moved into my dorm today and classes start soon. :(
On the bright side, I've basically got the rest either written or at least as solid ideas, so I'll get to 50—Don't worry about that.