Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of Fire (Royai) ❯ Chapter 7

7
Riza hadn’t forgotten Roy’s odd behavior but when she’d asked him about it—again—he’d stated nothing was wrong. He’d said everything was perfect. Perfect.

But something was wrong.

She and Roy had come back from the mission with no wounds. Havoc hadn’t seen the confrontation between her, Roy and Fly-By because Fly-By had managed a hit on Havocs shoulder. With a sigh she glanced towards the empty doorway. He was late for work. She gathered the scattered papers on his desk and shuffled them and then took his share to her desk. She was halfway through the paperwork when the door opened and he strode in. They all glanced up. Word had gotten around that he had his sight back.

Roy walked into the office with a confidence that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. The ability to see had changed that and he’d be damned if he would return to that darkness. His Alchemy was stronger than ever and he felt stronger. He swore that sometimes he could feel the power in his veins. He’d woken up this morning, his body tuned to a fine line and he wasn’t the least bit tired. He’d gotten dressed, slicked his hair back and after glancing in the mirror he had liked what he saw.

“You’re late, sir.”

He glanced up as she spoke and smiled slowly. The smile was one he used often when on dates. Riza, he knew, was not like any of those bimbos he’d dated or fucked. “So I am.” He dropped into his seat and rolled it back slightly before rolling forward against. “How about bringing me those papers. I think I’ll finish them.”

She stared at him for a moment before standing up and straightening the papers. When she dropped the folder onto his desk he lifted the file and flipped through it. He was a little disappointed that she had done over half the paperwork because hey, he was in the mood to impress. When she didn’t immediately walk away he glanced up. “Is there something you need, Lieutenant?”

“Don’t do anything reckless, sir.” Or stupid, she thought. She lowered her voice so the others wouldn’t hear. What was happening to him—something that had changed him—she seemed to be the only one who noticed those subtle changes. He was different—enough to worry her. He was too close to finishing, to achieving everything he had set out for. He’d come too far for her to let him fail.

He didn’t say anything to her softly spoken words so she turned.

“Lieutenant?”

She turned back to face him. “Yes, sir?”

“Don’t forget what I said.” His voice was soft—a warning. His eyes met hers.

She turned and left, the look in her eyes colder than ever. And afraid. She was afraid. She wasn’t afraid of him, no—she was afraid for him. Something wasn’t right. He wasn’t right. He was different but she couldn’t explain it. After those spoken words to her, she couldn’t work. Her mind was too preoccupied to get much paperwork done. Every time she glanced up he was there—across the room. Watching her. That smile of his was dark and sexy. He wasn’t hiding the fact either. He would go back to his work and it would be hours later when she felt his gaze on her again. Intense.

When the clock struck, it was a relief. She closed the file in her hand and stood. Havoc and Fuery were out the door before she had even pushed her chair back. Roy stopped her before she could even pick up her purse.

“Not you, Lieutenant. Not yet. I’d like to discuss something with you.”

“Yes, sir.” She nodded and made her way over to his desk. She filed the papers accordingly into the file cabinet before turning to face him. He leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head. When he didn’t respond she sighed. “What is it, sir?”

“Hmm.”

“Sir, if there is nothing to say, I’d like to—“

“Go out with me tonight.” He chose that moment to speak. Perfect timing.

She paused and stared at him. The last time he had asked her to go out with him he had been under extreme stress. He had also confided in her. The stress was the only thing that she could think of that could—possibly—be the reason for his odd behavior. With a sigh, she nodded.




He wouldn’t have minded picking her up at her place. But no, she had refused the offer. No one knew where she lived, except for the dorm rooms that everyone occasionally kept on HQ. It was all those damn rules, he knew. When he became Fuher, a few certain rules wouldn’t stand. His sweet little Lieutenant needed to loosen up. She needed to smile and laugh more. He stared at the old ramble of a restaurant that he had taken her to last time and wondered:

“What the hell was I thinking?”

Why the hell was he taking her there again? He could afford better. A lot better. The place and food wasn’t worth shit. He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. He had dressed simply. A pair of black trousers and a white button down shirt. Simple. Even in this ratty side of town he could see the sky. It was dark—pitch black and full of stars. Beautiful. He turned as he heard her approach and wondered how could she get any prettier? She seemed to do it every day. Even better, he noticed, she was wearing a skirt. Not the kind of skirt he’d had in mind but it was better than the uniforms he saw her in everyday. The skirt was too long, but, he had to admit, the mid-calf length suited her legs. The slit on the left side of her skirt that rose up to mid-thigh more than made up for the length. Fucking hot. Because he was sure that she had a gun strapped around that leg somewhere.

“Are you alright, sir?”

More than alright. “Dandy. Why do you keep asking me that?”

She shrugged and started in the direction of the restaurant but he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her in the opposite direction. “Come on, I have something better in mind for our date.”

“This isn’t a date.”

He grinned. “Sure it is.”

“We can’t—“

“Yes, we can. It’s a moot point, don’t you think? When I become Fuher a few rules are going to change. If it makes you feel better, I won’t tell anyone and I know you won’t.” He chucked her beneath the chin with his forefinger. “It will be our secret.”

“This isn’t a date.” She stated again. This was a whole new side of him that she was seeing. He wasn’t interested in her.

He chuckled. “We can go to the carnival. I promise you’ll like it, babe.”

Her eyes narrowed but she didn’t say no. “Don’t call me ‘babe’.”

“Alright, sweetheart.”

The look she shot him only made him laugh. She couldn’t understand it. What had gotten into him lately? 15 minutes later, she still couldn’t believe it. It didn’t make sense that she would be at a carnival with him. She came too, startled, when he waved a hand in front of her face. “Hey, wake up. I’d hate to think I’m boring enough that you’d fall asleep on me. How about we go on the Ferris wheel first? It would do you good to be up high without a sniper rifle…” He grinned and dropped his arm around her shoulders again—which she deftly side-stepped. It didn’t escape her notice that he was casually flirting with her. He’d done it before but that was because it was who he was; this time, it was different. Somehow, it was…different.

Every move he made she had one to counter it. That was what he liked about her. Finally, the Ferris wheel rolled to a stop with an empty bucket seat before them. He held the door open for her, motioning her inside with a hand. “After you, madam.”

No sooner had the door closed than he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and tugged. She fell over onto his side and he dropped that arm of his around her shoulders again. He grinned and shrugged. “I was feeling a little lonely over here.” She sighed and settled at his side, knowing he wouldn’t take no for an answer. The Ferris wheel started with a gentle jolt that slowly began to take them upward. How long had it been since she had been to a carnival? A long, long time. Her father hadn’t had much time to take her when she was a child.

“You know, if you don’t look up you’re going to miss this spectacular sight. There is no desert. There are no screams—of pain anyways—and there are no bullets being fired your way. It’s just us and them down there.”

He was right. She didn’t have to focus through a scope or be on guard. What she saw was loads of people scattered, carnival rides and stands; all of which were lit up and glowing in the darkness. “When I was a child, I used to wonder what it would be like to get stuck at the top.” She shook her head, smiling slightly. He found it utterly amazing that she could be so sweet one minute and then the cold, hard soldier that she was just a second later. With the soft look of wonder in her eyes and strands of blonde hair blowing in the breeze, his Lieutenant was beautiful. She was strong and confident. Demanding in her way. And in all that, he wanted to break her to his command. When the Stone had opened his eyes, he was seeing things more clearly—and not in just sight. The look in his eyes was dominant—resolved. He knew what he wanted and it was only a matter of time before he got it. Things were becoming clear…

“Really?” He murmured and shifted his hand, letting it hang over the edge. The Ferris wheel ground to a halt, the sound of metal grinding together rose up. “Would you look at that…” He said softly.

“What?”

“It seems we’ve stopped.”

She glanced around and then leaned over the edge of their seat. She nodded. Of course. Of course the Ferris wheel would crack up on them. “What do you think is wrong…” She trailed off as she realized where they were and where they had stopped. They were at the top.

Down below the maintenance men argued as they stared at a piece of melted metal that had once been a pipe that would keep the Ferris wheel turning. “It’s melted.” One of them said lamely. Or rather, it had been and then melded to keep the Wheel from turning. “We can hack off the melted chunk and then it’ll go…” He picked up a small intercom. “No need to panic, folks. Just a minor problem. In five minutes we’ll have you moving again.”

She leaned back in her seat, her mind calculating, going over the possibility…When she looked over at him he had that same smile on his face. No matter the innocent look, she had her suspicions. “Sir, tell me you didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?”

“Do something to the Ferris Wheel.”

“And the point in telling you would be…?” He tugged at the back of her shirt and drew her attention, drawing her back to his side. He leaned down and rubbed his cheek against the top of her head and kissed the silken strands. “Maybe I want to see you smile.” He hadn’t answered her question; again easily evading. His response was answer enough, just not in the way she wanted. What she had wanted was so simple a feat that he hadn’t thought—he’d reacted. He just did it. He waited for the smile because he knew it would come. If his actions didn’t bring it, his words alone would have. When her lips curled into that sweet smile of hers he drew her closer. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

Very smooth. The General was very, very smooth with words. She just hadn’t realized how much until now. No wonder he always beat Havoc to the women. Too bad she knew him better than those women. He could be such an idiot at times and even though she sometimes rolled her eyes and made the regular comment of, “How did you make General Brigadier”, she knew his good side and his bad. Except, this side of him was something she hadn’t witnessed. She wasn’t sure whether she liked it or not but then she realized the lie. She was smiling. Even against her better judgment, there was a small part of her—the very feminine one—that liked this side of him, curious. So caught in her thoughts she didn’t realize that he had leaned down and his face was close—so close to her own. His eyes were dark and intense, moving closer, his lips—

“Do you use that line on every girl you meet?” She heard the soft laugh as she brought her finger up and placed it over his lips, halting the decent of his lips. What did he think he was doing? He knew her well enough to know that he was not going to get a chance to kiss her. He was lucky she hadn’t shot him for even trying—her eyes widened when he closed his lips over the tip of her finger and then bit it gently before sucking. She jerked her hand back. “Roy Mustang!” No way was she sitting beside him; he kept making subtle moves that she didn’t even realize until it was too late. She stood up—too quick—and the bucket wobbled from side to side. She stumbled forward and fell to her knees. That was a sight for him to see. His Lieutenant, always so calm and collected falling on her ass. He tilted his head back and burst out laughing, spreading his arms wide over the back of the seat. His laughter slowed and then turned to a deep chuckle as he stared down at her.

“Hey, Mustang, is that you?” He peered to the left, to the bucket ahead of them and up a few paces. Jean Havoc was staring down towards them—well, him. He couldn’t see all the way into their seats. He could see Mustang but he had heard a woman. Hadn’t he?

Roy chuckled again. “Yep.” He saluted Havoc in a mocking manner and then reclined back against the seat, his arms spread wide.

“You have another date?”

“Yep.” Roy chuckled at the look she sent him. He knew why she hadn’t gotten up yet. She didn’t want Havoc to see her or there would be no living it down. Her eyes narrowed. “This is not—“ His soft laugh cut her off before he glanced back towards Havoc.

“Where is she?”

“She’s here.” Roy smirked and as Havoc studied Roy’s sprawled out appearance, the relaxed, smooth expression on his face and looked for the woman that Mustang supposedly had, something clicked in his mind. Havoc laughed and snickered. “Just don’t make a mess up there, buddy.”

Just for her benefit, Roy tilted his head back and slanted his eyes half closed as if he were enjoying something. Havoc grinned. “Maybe I can meet her when she’s done.” The woman at Havocs side punched his arm and Roy chuckled. “So you can steal her from me? I think it’s the other way around, Havoc.” He called out. “If I recall right, I’m the one that they always run to.”

It took a moment for their conversation to make sense, to click together in her mind. Her eyes widened. Ah, shit. Havoc thought she—whoever she was—was giving Roy a blowjob. And Roy wasn’t doing anything to correct him. If anything, he was enjoying the situation at her expense. He was.

He rarely—if ever—saw his Lieutenant not composed and if all it took was a few flirtations here and there, a few touches, he might just make a habit out of it. A big one.

She did what she always did when Roy annoyed the hell out of her. He hadn’t moved. His facial expression was the same satisfied, lazy look that Havoc was completely taking the wrong way. The only change in his expression was his eyes. They darkened when she grasped the butt of the gun strapped to her thigh. “I’d rethink that if I were you.” His words were soft—dark. The warning was a silent one. She remembered his words clearly.

“...I’ll only tell you this once. That’s twice now that you’ve held a gun on me. Do it again and I’ll pull my gun on you and I promise you, it’ll be a whole different experience.”

She paused, something she never did when dealing with guns. Even though he was completely at ease and off duty, he threatened her with the memory of that warning. That brought her mind back to the former warnings. Something had changed him. He was darker and harder, as if he didn’t care, as long as what he set out to do was done. No matter the consequences. Her thoughts were abruptly pulled to a halt as he leaned down and cupped her chin in his hand. “I won’t warn you next time.” He whispered just before he kissed her.  



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