Chapter 3

"I thought he'd never leave," Rebecca said as Maes pocketed his phone and weaved his way toward Roy. "If that guy wasn't a cadet lieutenant colonel I'd tell him that the world does not need twenty-five selfies of him and his girlfriend on the Ferris wheel."

"He's happy," Riza remarked. "Who are we to burst his bubble?" She shifted uncomfortably in her jacket, thankful for the chill provided by the crisp fall air. "Where's Maria? I'm ready to get this last part over with."

"About her," Becca said with caution, "she texted me about some family emergency. She's not coming."

The color drained from Riza's face. "Well, you're staying, right? Did you call Sheska? Can she fill in?"

"Sheska refused to help before she even found out it was a kissing booth, and I've been kissing people for hours. Besides, something's come up."

"No," Riza groaned. "I'm not… I can't… What do you mean 'something's come up?' Oh, it's Jean, isn't it?"

"We got to talking during one of the breaks, and he asked if he could see me again. And I might have suggested that we Netflix and chill tonight after I got off."

"Where?"

"Well… he's still living with his parents until he's done with rehab so I kinda invited him back to our place."

"And, setting aside the fact that you're my ride, how long do you expect to be Netflix and chill-ing, Becca?"

Rebecca's lips morphed into a sly grin, and she lowered to voice to a whip of a whisper. "For as long as Jean can wreak Havoc, if you know what I mean."

Riza arched an eyebrow in a perturbed fashion. "I appreciate your honesty, but you do realize the TV-if we're even entertaining that pretense-is in the living room and our walls are like tissue paper."

"Oh come on Riza!" Rebecca nearly begged. "It's been months, almost six months since I got any. I passed dry spell up a while ago. I'm in a damn drought. And I like him, really, actually like him. We'll be out of the living room by the time you get back, and if you just wear earplugs you won't hear a thing. We'll be so quiet, I promise. Hughes or Breda would drive you. It's practically on Breda's way home. And there's only an hour left here. Half the kisses were on the cheek, and it's all for a good cause…"

"Becca," Riza sighed. Havoc's words rang through her mind. And if I want something, I'm done telling myself that I can't have it before I even try. She cradled her forehead in the palm of her hand and let out a resigned sigh. If they could be happy, even just for the night, who was she to stand in the way?

"Fine, I'll do it, and I'll just stay at my father's house tonight. It's better that way. But you owe me, especially if I get mono."

"Oh my God, Riza!" Rebecca squealed and threw her arms around Riza's neck. "You're absolutely the best. Plus, maybe major hot pants will stick around and line up for a kiss, hmm?"

"That's never happening," Riza sighed as she extricated herself from her friend's exuberant embrace.

"Oh really," the second lieutenant asked with a questioning glint in her eyes. "That's what you said about participating in the actual kissing-not that I'm complaining. It's just…" Rebecca bit her lip as she spied someone over Riza's shoulder. "You'll thank me later."

"Roy!" Rebecca called out in her most Riza-like voice. The blonde turned to find the cadet major locking eyes with her as her friend ducked out of sight and mind. As Roy drew near, Riza felt her heart beat thrum in her throat, and the ordinarily collected cadet grasped haplessly for the right words. Hughes or Breda could bring her back to the apartment, but Roy had spent more time at her dad's then she had during the last year and a half.

"Um hey," Riza awkwardly offered when Roy came in earshot. She fiddled what sleeves of her jacket. "So Maria's not coming, and I have to fill in. I rode with Becca, but she's going home early because she's…" The cadet suppressed the urge to say 'planning to mess around with Havoc until she breaks him' in favor of, "…tired. Can I, um, get a ride to my father's house, if you were planning on sticking around, that is?"

Roy smirked. "And would this tired feeling have anything to do with Havoc?"

"I believe so," Riza replied with a resigned shrug of her shoulders. Roy chuckled.

"Can't say I'm surprised. You know, I was thinking about sticking around, and I bet Professor Hawkeye has some notes I can pick up while I'm there. So… sure thing. It'll save me a trip tomorrow." Roy paused momentarily as he glanced at his tennis shoes. Then, without warning, he met Riza's copper gaze. The effect was disarming. "I thought you said you were never going to find yourself in the hot seat, Riza."

Her first name rolled off his tongue with a faint accent, a telling lit Roy strived to curb save with those he trusted. In fleeting moments such as these, Riza could admit to herself that she liked him best like this, clad in civilian clothes with wanting eyes, all formality and pretense of superiority set aside. Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips to compensate.

"I really should stop saying never, shouldn't I Roy?"

"Maybe so. Just do me a favor, and don't fall in love out there."

"I couldn't if I wanted to." She nearly slapped her hand across her own mouth. Much like Roy's command, Riza's answer fell from her lips easily, like they were picking up right where they left off before Olivier's infamous interruption. Cadet Hawkeye turned away from Cadet Major Mustang and began to make her way toward the booth's exterior. Still, she heard Roy's reply loud and clear.

"Good," he said, somewhat darkly. "I'll be waiting for you after the auction."

Damn Becca and Jean and Maria and Roy. Damn the way her name sounded so good coming from his lips. But most of all she blamed herself for falling for him so easily, without realizing it until it was far too late.

But, it could be worse, Riza reminded herself as she sat on the stall where Becca spent most of the evening puckering up for strangers. However, caught in the moment, she wasn't sure how.

…

On the whole, Riza had to admit that Cadet Second Lieutenant Catalina had been right. Where the fair was practically bursting with both familiar and foreign faces an hour earlier, the crowds had thinned to passing couples linked arm and arm. The hour halved itself in no time and dwindled to a handful of minutes in what felt like the blink of an eye punctuated by a few chaste lip locks. And despite the steadily dropping temperature, she felt warm, happy even when she allowed herself to bask in the anticipation of her ride with Roy.

It was always nice to be alone with him, to let her mask slip without fear of reprisal. In the darkness of his car, a place where not even Roy would be able to see her, Riza could smile a little more. She could laugh louder and blush deeper in response to his flirty banter. And maybe, just maybe Roy would hold her hand again; like he had the day he drove her home from her mother's funeral.

Riza hadn't expected to see him there, decked out in a bespoke dark gray suit. In fact, her father hadn't even bothered to pay his respects to his ex-wife on the rationale that if she "never wanted to see him again" during her life, she'd feel no different when dead. But his student had come nonetheless with a bouquet of white stargazer lilies in hand, and when he asked Riza if she needed a ride back, the young woman had almost lost herself in the tender way he looked at her.

"Miss!" exclaimed a chipper voice from just below Riza's line of sight. The cadet blinked, blushed and shook her head to whisk away the memory of Roy's palm pressed against hers. She looked down and smiled warmly at a grinning, knock-kneed schoolboy offering her a steaming cup of hot chocolate and marshmallows.

"Thank you." Riza ruffled the dark hair of the boy in front of her and gratefully accepted the styrofoam vessel, pressing the pliable container between her hands. In return, she placed a quick peck on the side of the boy's chubby face. The apples of his cheeks burned.

"He asked me to give it to you 'cause you looked cold," the young boy added, looking over his right shoulder. Riza followed his gaze, spying a shadowed figure leaning against one of the closed booths. He was taller, perhaps taller than Roy, Riza thought. With her sharp eyes, she spied a few loose strands of hair hanging down to frame the darkened features of his face. Riza's stomach lurched. If she didn't know better…

"Oh, it was very nice of you to deliver these to all of us," Riza added as she brought the warm liquid to her mouth.

"I don't think he wants you to share," the boy responded with a quizzical stare. "He told me it was for you, just you."

"Oh," Riza stated with a flutter of trepidation in her voice. She brought the cup down without taking so much as a sip. "Well, you should probably get back to your mom. I bet she's worried. Thank for the special delivery, um…"

"Selim," the boy provided with a smile. "My name's Selim."

"Thank you, Selim." Riza returned his grin as the boy jaunted toward a middle-aged brunette, presumably his mother. The cadet's smile faded fast as she rotated the flexible cup within her hands. There, written in an unnervingly familiar hand was a message.

Keep those lips warm for me –SJK.

"Secret admirer?" Maes Hughes's cheerful voice startled Riza. Frazzled but without missing a beat, the cadet placed her hand over the message knowing Maes would place it immediately. She just needed a moment to think about it, to consider all the variables. Surely, Kimblee had better things to do.

"What this? Oh no, sir, I don't think…"

"I mean the boy," Maes cut her off, eyes glinting underneath his glasses. "Who else could I be talking about?"

"No one. I'm just tired," Riza recovered with some difficulty. "Selim just thought I looked cold."

"No one?" Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes arched his left eyebrow inquisitively.

"It's nothing, really."

"Well, if it's nothing then you won't mind telling me."

Riza decided to cut her losses. Maes would get it out of her one way or another. Though she couldn't claim to know him any better than the other cadets, Riza knew Roy trusted him. And if Roy trusted Maes, that was good enough for Hawkeye. The blonde retracted her hand, revealing the incendiary direction. It took the cadet lieutenant colonel less than five seconds to analyze the situation and formulate a response.

"Cadet Breda," he called loudly to the other side of the booth. "I want Cadet Elric here on the double. Tell him to bring that friend of his, the ambassador's son… Ling Yao. And text Mustang too. Tell him, he was right."