Promise

Alright, people, I stayed up all night for this. It’s short, yes, but I really wanted to finish it last week, just like everything else, and it didn’t happen. And, as Valentine’s is my major holiday, I couldn’t let it go unwritten. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I appreciate your comments and encouragement. See? Feedback gets extra chapters!

Chapter 5


“Lieutenant? May I ask you something?” Big brown eyes looked down at her and she looked tiredly up. Three weeks of not speaking to Roy, and three weeks nights spent up, talking to Black Hayate or practicing her aim until she couldn’t stay awake any longer.

“Of course.” A slight smile, because she could never resist smiling at Cain.

Pink rose slowly in his cheeks and he shuffled a little. “Are you, I mean, would you like to come for supper with me tomorrow? If you’re not busy, that is.” He was staring at the desk hard enough to make little holes in the solid wood.

Riza just stared at him. “What?”

“Tomorrow, would you like to go for supper? Um, if you don’t want to, or you’re busy, that’s ok, I just thought I’d ask.” Round, pale cheeks were bright red now and she half expected his glasses to fog up.

Should she? True, she didn't have anything planned, and she certainly wasn’t going back to HIM again. But, leading Cain on wouldn’t be very nice, and he was so sweet… “It, ah, it doesn’t have to be a date, we can just go out as friends.”

“Cain, I don’t know what to say.” He peeked at her over the rim of his glasses. “Now, isn’t really a good time for me.” Slim shoulders slumped a little and he nodded slowly, chewing his bottom lip viciously. “But, if you still want to go out, maybe see a play in the afternoon, have supper later, that would be alright with me.” Delight beamed at her and the thin glasses slipped down his nose with the enthusiastic nodding. “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

The little brunet bounced off and she smothered a giggle; he was such a darling young man. Roy opened the door and stepped back to allow him past, then slunk into his office silently. Minutes later, Ed followed, slinking almost as low to get by her, report clutched to his chest. “Edward.” He cringed and shrunk even more. “Come here, please.”

Thick bangs served as camouflage and the file was held like a shield. “Yes, Lieutenant.”

“Are all your reports done for the week?” A quick nod and a small flinch from her voice. “Edward, I’m not angry with you.” And she wasn’t; he was still a child, mature as he may be.

A quick peek and he went back to staring at the floor. “I, ah, I’m glad, that you’re not mad at me. Um, I know it looked bad, but it really wasn’t”

The blond woman interrupted him before it got any more awkward. “That’s enough. We aren’t going to talk about it, alright?” A quick nod and his shoulders rounded a bit more. “Now, I hear Miss Rockbell is visiting. How is she?”

“Ok, I guess.” Heavy boots shuffled a bit.

“Did you get her something for Valentine’s Day? It is tomorrow.” A quick shake. “Even just as a friend, it would be nice.” Long hair nodded and she sighed loudly. “Edward, look at me.” Gold peered at her through the long bangs and she could see he’d chewed his lip bloody. “Calm down. Even if I were upset with you, I would hardly leap over the desk to attack you.” A small smile there and she smiled back. “Now, may I suggest some gift ideas?”

“Yes, please.” So quiet it was a bit frightening and the thought that she might have to work on her image skittered past while they went over some nice presents.

***********

Valentine’s was bright, sunny but still cool. Riza took a rare holiday and closed the office early so she and Cain could go to the play he’d selected. It was a smashing success; the brunet held every door, helped her with her coat, both on and off, made vibrant conversation, and left her at the door with a pleased smile and wave. Treated like a lady the entire time, which was a huge change from anyone she’d ever gone out with, even casually. He also left the idea that this was how dates were supposed to go, not sliding in and out of apartments in the middle of the night.

***********

Ed’s was a bit less smooth; the chocolate and new screwdriver set went over very well. Supper wasn’t too bad, they managed to chat through most of it, but the movie was torture, the young lady pressed to his side, fingers tangled with his. He forced himself to stay calm and focused on the screen, blocking everything else out. Right until she kissed him and he bolted.

She caught up with him outside the theater where he stopped to catch his breath and bang his head against the wall. “Ed, what was that?” She didn’t touch him, just stood behind him, waiting for an answer, and he wished he were anywhere else, Xing even.

“I can’t, ok. I don’t want to talk about it.” The stone was cool on his skin and he rubbed against it, feeling the grainy roughness.

“Obviously, or you would have by now. Don’t you, well, don’t you like me anymore?” She started to sniffle, a delicate hand rubbing her eyes, smearing the light makeup.

“Aw, Winry, don’t cry. Come on, it’s not that, it’s just, I don’t want you touching me.” The crying didn't stop and he moved a bit closer, not sure how to comfort the blond without actually touching.

A particularly violent sniff and she glared up at him. “Fine. Then I won’t.” The long ponytail flipped as she turned to stomp off; Ed grabbed her arm with the auto-mail to stop her. A gasp of outrage and she whirled on him, a hand backed by years of lifting heavy limbs slamming against his cheek.

“Oww! What was that for?” Well, fuck, he hadn't realized she was that strong; thank goodness she hadn’t brought her wrench.

Tears shimmered, no longer falling, stopped by her anger. “You are the biggest asshole ever.” The alchemist took a step back; Winry never, ever swore. “And I can’t believe I thought I loved you. Go to hell!” The blue skirt swirled around her calves as she stalked away, ignoring him calling after her; he started to follow but the glare he got was more than enough to make him stop.

‘Now what? I can’t believe this, this is so stupid.’ Why did it always end up like this? Even before, that, they’d fought fairly constantly and could never seem to get through a single date without some kind of argument. Wandering brought him back to the small apartment complex from a few weeks ago and he stood outside, wondering exactly why he was there.

*************

Roy had a miserable Valentine’s Day. Sure he got lots of candy, chocolate from every woman he’d taken out in the past year, and a few he hadn't, and more than a few offers along the way, but none of them really appealed. The woman he wanted to spend the day with was out with another man, and he couldn’t have spent it with her anyways. Once he escaped the office, it was straight home for a drink, which turned into two, then six.

Half way through his seventh, the doorbell rang and he cursed his way up and over to see who it was. “What?” Dark blond was bowed and he took in the new clothes and bruise forming on the dark cheek. “Fullmetal? What are you doing here?”

“Are you busy?” Strangely soft, an almost thin voice, and the older alchemist stepped back and motioned him in. “Ok.” Quiet steps followed him upstairs and the red coat was hung up.

Roy moved quickly to put away his whiskey and gulped back the last of his drink, not willing to waste it down the sink. After all, he was already tipsy, one more wouldn’t hurt. Ed was sitting quietly on the couch, staring at his hands. His commander eyes the chair but chose a spot on the other end of the couch instead, his head spinning a bit. “What can I do for you, Edward?”

Wide shoulders shrugged and the lighter eyes stayed on the floor. “Dunno. Didn’t want to be by myself, I guess. Can’t go back for a bit, thought maybe you weren’t doing anything.”

Dark bangs nodded slowly and they sat silently, Ed staring at the floor, Roy staring at him. ‘He’s a pretty thing, isn’t he?’ Then. ‘Where did that come from? Must be the alcohol.’ His eyes strayed to the bag of candy. “Hey, want some chocolate? You wouldn’t believe how much I got this year.”

A faint smile from the blond. “Huh, you bastard. Bet you couldn’t wait to brag about it either.” He checked the bag; yep, there was a lot. “Sure, why not?” A cascade of chocolates, little cinnamon hearts, and chocolate covered fruits tipped out and made a little mountain in the middle of the floor. “Ooh, what’s this? ‘For my eternal love’ Sounds like a stalker.”

Roy snickered and edged off the couch to crawl over and sift through the cards and candy. “That is from a very nice young lady, with big blue eyes and a voice like one of those birds, you know, the black and white ones.”

“A magpie? Ehk, how can you stand that?” Another card was selected. “ Here we go. ‘My darling Roy, I had such a wonderful time last month. You should call me again sometime, we could really have fun.’ What the hell was that?”

The brunet busied himself with a sticker, peeling the edges carefully away. “That is an offer, which I have no intention of taking. I swear, that woman could bore even you with her alchemy obsession. There.” He looked at his handiwork with admiration. “Now, one of my favorites, I always end up with a few of these. ‘My dearest Roy; I wish to be more than a toy; There’s nothing to fear; So love me my dear.’ Damn, that was worse than usual.” Snorted laughter had him looking up and he watched the gold bangs dance, slightly hypnotized by the light flashing off of them.

“Holy shit, that was awful! You get this crap every year?” The blond was bent almost in half, gasping for air around fits.

“Now, now, it’s not nice to laugh. I’m sure she tried really hard with that.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Ah, to hell with this. I’m having another drink. Would you like one?” He ignored the fact that Edward was well underage and that he shouldn’t be drinking in front of a subordinate anyway.

Pale brows rose in question. “You aren’t contributing to the delinquency of a minor, are you? And a subordinate at that.” A metal finger wagged playfully. “Bad example there Mustang.” A faint snort from the older man and the bottle waved in question. “Yeah, sure. Why not?” Two generous glasses were poured and one set on the coffee table.

A tentative sip and the blond was coughing, a harsh trail burning down his throat. “What the fuck is that?”

“That, young man, is whiskey, the best available in the city.” Half the glass disappeared down his throat and he topped it off again before sitting down.

“It’s disgusting.” Another little sip burned his throat, but not as much as the first; it still tasted horrible, but warmth was already curling in his stomach and he felt himself relaxing.

“You’ll get used to it. After all, this is a special day.” Soft humming from his drinking partner. “We’re so pathetic, we’re spending Valentine’s together instead of with our women.”

Ed choked and barely kept from spitting his mouthful out. “True enough. But, we have all this candy, and whiskey, so how bad could it be?” The drink was definitely growing on him and he could certainly see why people drank to feel better.

Another hour was spent digging through cards and unwrapping presents. Candies were divided into type and squabbled over for favorites. They even managed to find a movie on t.v., one that wasn’t ‘all mushy and romantic shit’ as Ed put it.

Roy’s head was spinning and he opened his eyes slowly to see that they’d emptied the bottle. ‘Damn, that was new too.’ Weight was pressed to his side, a heavy arm around his waist. “Edward?”

Sleepy mumbling and the blond looked up, nose almost touching the slightly sharper one. “Hmm?” Mussed hair rubbed the thin shirt and Roy could feel the warmth from his cheek, pressing through the fabric. A slight wobble and they were touching, noses rubbing faintly and the older man leaned down, entranced.

Soft lips parted under his with no resistance, letting him lead the gentle kiss. His tongue flicked at the corner of the full lips and little puffs of air panted at him; shit, this is wrong, this is bad. He couldn’t seem to stop though, hands moving down the heavy arms to hold strong hands; they clenched around his, threatening to break them.

“Ah, Edward, stop.” A desperate push pulled them apart. “Damn.” He was panting, hotter than he’d been in years, and huge eyes stared at him.

“What? What’s wrong? Don’t you like me?” Big tears threatened. “Because of, that? Is that why?” Roy crushed him to his chest, squeezing as hard as he could.

“No! That has nothing to do with it. You’re drunk, Edward, hell, I’m drunk. In the morning, you’ll be upset.” The room spun and he clung harder. “Just calm down, it’s fine. Everything is ok.”

“But, I want to. It doesn’t feel gross when you touch me.” Pink flushed his cheeks, more than just the alcohol induced blush. “I like it.”

The older man groaned and buried his face in the flesh shoulder; how the hell was he supposed to keep his hands to himself after that? “In the morning, afternoon, we’ll talk, alright?” With any luck the blond would forget all about it and he’d be off the hook. A short nod and he tried to pull back.

Ed clung, curling into the more slim body. “Stay here. I want to sleep here.”

“No, we can at least sleep in the bed.” It took two tries to get to his feet and the brunet swayed a bit until the room stayed put. “Come on.” A firm pull and they leaned on each other until they could figure out which door was the bedroom.

The bed was soft and inviting and the minimum clothing was stripped off for sleeping. Roy didn’t bother getting an extra blanket, letting the blond curl into his side and use his shoulder as a pillow. ‘You’re going to hate me in the morning, aren’t you?’ A soft snort was his answer and a sleepy kiss pressed to his collar before light snores filled the room, the last sound he heard before sliding under.

************

Drums throbbed in Ed’s head and he rolled over. Or, tried to, but his stomach had such a fit, he opted to just stay still. A faint groan from beside him and he realized his pillow was warm and moving a little. He bolted upright and stared in horror at the man beside him, right up until his stomach flipped out and sent him flying for the bathroom.

‘Why? Why is it so loud? It’s never loud like this.’ Bleary dark eyes opened slowly and stared at the ceiling. Retching was clear from the bathroom, even across the hall. Oh, right. Edward was here. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head, pushing to his feet slowly. “Edward? Just a minute, I’ll get you some water.”

A miserable moan from the blond and he rushed a bit more, grabbing a few painkillers and a glass of water. “Here you go, take these when you feel like you’re done throwing up, it’ll help your head.” Red eyes glared at him.

“This is your fault.”

“I don’t see how, I was drinking quietly by myself when you showed up.” A damp towel was pressed the flushed face. “It’ll pass in a bit, then I’ll make something to eat later.” Green tinged the gold skin and the smaller man threw up again at the mention of food.

Roy stood to leave him in peace when a small hand gripped his pant leg. “Hey, what happened?” Waking up beside someone was never a good thing if you couldn’t remember how you got there, especially another guy.

‘So, he did forget. Just as well.’ A gentle hand patted messy hair. “Nothing happened, Edward; we had a few drinks, watched a movie and went to bed.” A faint smile and he went to find himself a few painkillers and a bit of breakfast.

Toast was well received, then an egg was nibbled. It was nearly two before the blond felt well enough to take off, freshly showered and in borrowed clothes. They hung off him but he wanted to go home and tell Al he was ok. Stammered goodbyes and Roy let him out, leaning on the door when it closed behind him.

‘I can’t believe I kissed Fullmetal.’

‘I can’t believe I kissed the bastard.’





There we go! I know I didn’t spend much time on Riza/Cain, but I haven’t decided if I want to pair her with him, or just leave them as date buddies. Hope you enjoyed it!
p.s. It's pretty much unedited, I did it as I wrote, so if you see something, say so, k? Thanks.