Choices
A/N: This was my first Royai Week as a participant, and it was a real whirl. I wrote seven fics in nine days. It was like cramming for finals. My brain is kind of tired. Anyway, it was crazy fun, and I thank everyone who read my stuff.
This fic has a little bit of foul language and only about 550 words. FMA is not mine.
He appeared to be sleeping, and all but one of his subordinates would have believed that he was. Because he was known for taking forty winks in his inner sanctum, the rest would have thought that he was lost in some sexy dream. They would not have given it a second thought other than envy. It looked like of one of his frequent naps, but she knew better. His breathing, while silent, was irregular. He was thinking. He had a difficult choice to make.
He'd already made a preliminary choice. He knew what he wanted to do. What he had to do. That had been simple. He had a strong sense for what was right and what was wrong, and usually, he had no difficulty in choosing the correct option. He had his Lieutenant for when he began to veer in the wrong direction. He usually knew that he was misguiding himself, but he sometimes needed her strength to pull himself back. He would have loved her solely for her ability to help him control himself if he had
not loved her for … everything.
She left his office and quietly shut the door. He needed alone time. When he was ready, he'd bounce it off of her and maybe Breda.
He sighed when he heard her leave, but his eyes remained shut. Usually he wanted her with him, but she would distract him too much right now. He needed to concentrate on the problem at hand and not on her hair or her smell. Victory was essential, and failure was not an option. If he failed to convince the generals and Bradley to follow one of his plans, there would be war. He was dealing with Central personnel, and talking to them was always a pissing contest. He knew better than to seem like a threat to them. He'd have to be self-effacing. All they cared about was accruing power for themselves. Well, so did he, but he wasn't a complete hypocrite. He would not climb to the top by harming innocent people.
He wished he were dealing with Grumman, who was intelligent and decent beneath the loony exterior. He'd even rather deal with the Snow Bitch who would beat him in a pissing contest, but she was ethical and she cared about her soldiers. But, thinking about them was just avoiding the problem at hand.
He'd come up with three plans that could feasibly satisfy all parties involved. Bradley would only allow him time to present one. He was lucky that he was even permitted to participate. He finally decided that Plan A would suit their egos best. He had a good argument for how this would benefit the country and Bradley and the generals. He really had a chance of selling it, he thought. He'd be modest and let everyone else take credit. He'd know that he'd saved lives, and that would be enough this time. Yes, Plan A was the way to go.
He arose from his chair to gather his team. What would he do without them? He opened his door. "Lieutenant, I need you to gather and organize materials. Breda, there are a couple of points that I'd like to discuss with you." He was ready to get on with it.
A/N: Roy and Riza are amazing, aren't they. Thanks for reading my Royai Week fics. Take care.