#Pregnant Riza Does Not Want to Hear That

[chrysopoeias]

Now I’m hungry to know how u think Mangahood Royai would parent?? Pls? I love hearing your thoughts

Mangaverse Roy knows how to leave church before singing. Pullout game strong lmao. Mama beat him over the head to use protection. They at least have more reason to be careful, because they still have their goals to work towards in mangaverse. I don’t think it would happen, ever, BUT

If Riza gets pregnant anyway, it depends on when in the timeline it happens. If it is anywhere pre-/during canon, it would so fundamentally change their situation it would be an alternate timeline AU. I suppose Riza can do the ‘helping a terminally ill relative across the country’ and disappear for a year, give up the baby for adoption, never speak about it and proceed with the canon timeline.

Post canon, I could never see Riza voluntary give up her position to be Roy’s stay at home tradwife waiting for her husband to come back from the war. Every single time she disobeys direct orders, it is an order for her to wait and stay behind. There is no way she is going to sit peacefully at home knitting or whatever while roy is facing dangers somewhere lol. Perhaps it could work better if they can change their careers in such a way that they are no longer superior/subordinate, but I think they do not want to do that.  

Otherwise if they still want to keep their positions and work towards their goals while not getting in trouble for fraternising, then Riza raises the baby alone still. With Roy is not publicly involved and he does not acknowledge the baby as his. With Riza still struggling alone the same as 03 au, but Roy being aware of the situation. Tumblr user blackpilotpen made a couple comics about this scenario that I really liked, like this one. Riza tries her best as a mother, but their child still grows up to resent Roy for making his mother suffer alone when he could have done more for them. And he is very aware that even though Riza loves him, and he loves his mum, him being born was a mistake and a burden for her. It’s very tragic ):

[scentedbygunpowder]

“Whoa, you look like you’re ready to burst.”

Apparently, no one had ever schooled Roy Mustang in the things that should and shouldn’t be said to a pregnant lady. It didn’t matter that it was true, it still shouldn’t be said. At nine months along, Riza felt huge. Her back ached constantly, her feet hurt her, and getting dressed in the morning had turned into a light exercise routine--especially when it came to shoes. There might have been a morning or two were Riza just gave up, slipped on something that was, well, a slip-on, and made her way to the office, getting on of the men to help her put her boots on.

Of course, normally she would have asked Roy, but he had been called away on a trip for the military, and hadn’t seen her in over a month. She suspected that the surprise of seeing just how much her belly had grown in the time that he had been gone was what led to the comment that came out of his mouth, but that explanation did little to soothe her irritation.

“They still allow me a firearm, sir,” she said, putting emphasis on the ‘sir’ to show just how irritated she was at his comment. “I don’t usually wear it, because of difficulties with size and placement, but I can still pull it out quickly and shoot. Maybe you can give me a good reason not to shoot you for that comment.”

[goneadrift]

As I previously stated, these days everything is royai and this song is too.

Wish I could see you happy

Get on with your life without me

Think of me as something beautiful

Not the bitter end

I'm the reason why you feel the life is broken

So hear me (please hear me)

I don't want your love

Save it for the living

-- Save It for the Living by Smash Into Pieces

I think this is so Roy - the wish for Riza's happiness, the wistful thinking, the crushing guilt for being such influence in her life.

I'm all for continuing living and finding love again but my heart can't handle royai being apart.

So I envision the possible story in at least two ways:

Roy is really dead and then Riza finds out she is pregnant, so "saving love for the living" has a clear target. Also Riza gets somewhat a clearer purpose to continue what Roy was aiming for. Maybe she sides up with Olivier. But I don't think Armstrong is interested in simply ruling per se. She would have to deal with too many morons again and I am pretty sure she had enough of that. So maaaybe they (the team, Grumman, Olivier...) put Riza for this role? Or maybe Breda if Riza is not comfortable with that (that part was inspired by "delicate"). So the better world is not abstract - she does that for their child.

Roy is NOT dead! It could take place after 3rd lab battle or maybe other life or death experience. Roy is severely injured and he saw what that did to Riza. So he aknowledges this possibility of him not making out alive and tells Riza all his insecurities, hopes and regrets about their relationship and Riza's future even without him. Because he can't stand the thought that he would hurt her even after his death.

[edxwin-elric]

Ch 1. Bachelorette Party

Rating: T (mature/smut topics of discussion)

Pairing: Edwin/Edward Elric x Winry Rockbell, Havolina/Jean Havoc x Rebecca Havolina, Implied Royai/Roy Mustang x Riza Hawkeye, Almei/Alphonse Elric x Mei Chang

Disclaimer: I don’t own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Word Count: 2725

Title: Bachelorette Party

Description: Multi-ship multichapter – fluff/smut

Conversation gets a little dirty at Rebecca’s bachelorette party, leading to some interesting after party activities.

A/N: Comments are always appreciated. Enjoy!

ffn || ao3

|| next >

Winry

I twist to the side and look at my profile in the mirror, biting my lip.

“I don’t know. I think it might be too much,” I reach up to twist one of the many curled tendrils of hair falling over my shoulder.

“Why?” Edward responds immediately, frustration leaking into his tone.

“Just…the heels and the curls? With this short of a hemline?” I tug at my slinky black dress.

His eyes travel over me from head to toe, and I feel a blush creep up my neck at the look on his face.

“Yeah,” he mutters in a low voice. “Maybe you should change. I don’t know if it’s safe to let you out of the house looking like this.”

“Ed,” I frown at him. “That’s not helping.”

“I’m very serious,” he rumbles, his eyes lifting to mine.

I quickly turn away and fiddle with my hair some more.

“I’m just a little nervous, is all.”

“It’s a bachelorette party, Win. Not the wedding. It isn’t like you’re going to have to give a speech.”

“Thank goodness,” I mumble. “But still… I’d feel way more comfortable if you were there.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll have Mei and Paninya, and it isn’t like you don’t like Hawkeye and Lieutenant Catalina. Plus, I’ll be here when you get back, so we can celebrate after.”

“Celebrate?” I echo, turning to face him again. “Celebrate what?”

“Just trust me, okay? I lived in Central for enough time to know how drunk women get at bachelorette parties.”

“Drunk?”

“So, when you come stumbling back to this hotel room after, I’ll be ready for you.”

“Wait, are you talking about…”

“Drunk sex.”

“Drunk sex?” I whisper.

“Yep.” He crosses to me, his arms sliding around my waist.

“But we’ve never done that before.”

“I know.” He grins, and I look to the side.

“What if I don’t get drunk?”

He blinks and then laughs softly.

“I mean, we can have sober sex, but imagining you drunk and naked at the same time is giving me really great ideas.”

“Okay.”

There’s a knock on the door, and he turns toward the sound.

“I think that’s probably your sign to leave.”

“Right.” I swallow, trying to slow my racing heart. “I’ll just…grab my clutch.”

“Winry,” he calls me back, and I pause to look at him. “Don’t worry about what I said, okay? Just go have fun.”

“Okay.” I nod.

“I love you,” he comes up beside me and kisses my cheek.

“I love you too.”

He passes me, going to the door, and I grab my clutch, double checking to be sure everything I need is there.

“Hey,” I hear Paninya’s voice. “Is Winry ready?”

“Give her like one second,” Ed answers, his broad shoulders filling the doorway.

“I’m still not sure why you tagged along all the way to Central, considering Havoc’s bachelor party isn’t until next weekend.”

“If you think about it, it probably isn’t that hard to figure out,” he shrugs.

I can practically hear her eyebrows rise. “Oh, so, you’re just here for a booty call.”

“She is my wife.”

“Okay, well that’s enough smugness about that,” I announce, giving my husband a side-eye as I slip past him. “I’ll be back late. Bye.”

“Bye.”

As soon as the door closes, Paninya wraps her arm around my waist and starts pulling me toward the elevator.

“What? No, hug and kiss goodbye? No, sugary-sweet ‘I love you’s?”

“We did that before he opened the door,” I assure her.

“Ah. Naturally.”

She stops in front of the elevator button, and I appraise her outfit. In true Paninya fashion, she opted not for a dress, but instead for a pair of dress pants, a white satin shirt, and a vest complete with a pocket watch.

“Mei is meeting us in the lobby, and then we’re getting a cab to the bar,” she informs me.

“Sounds good.”

We talk in the elevator about automail, and when we enter the lobby, Mei immediately spots us, waving us over.

“I don’t want us to be late, so we’ll need to hurry.”

She quickly leads the way out to the street and hails a cab with incredibly ease. Once we’re seated inside, Mei leans forward and gives the cabbie very specific directions. Meanwhile, Paninya and I discuss her new job.

“I’ve only been working there for a few months, but he said he want to promote me to assistant manager after the wedding.”

Recently, Jean Havoc’s family expanded their business, opening a general store in Rush Valley. Paninya was his first hire, but she’s really shined in her work.

“That makes sense,” I tell her. “He’ll be gone for two weeks on his honeymoon, so he’ll probably need the manager to take over some of his responsibilities.”

“I’m both excited and totally nervous.”

“You’ll do great.”

“We’re here,” Mei announces suddenly, rushing us out of the car.

Inside the bar, there’s a piano playing, a few couples dancing, and people scattered at the bar and among tables. In the dim light, it takes a few seconds to identify our party, though it shouldn’t, considering the bride-to-be is standing on her chair waving at us with a sparkly tiara on her head.

“Hi!” Rebecca calls as she hops off the chair, with Riza spotting her. “I’m so glad you girls could make it!”

“Well, Miss Riza told us to be here at seven, so we’re here,” Mei says sliding into a chair.

“Just Riza, tonight,” the demure blonde says softly, sipping her martini.

“Perfect.”

“I’m so excited!” Rebecca goes on. She’s clearly had a few drinks already. “We’re going to drink, and dance, and flirt with random men…” she leans to the side and starts making eyes at an unknown person before she starts to stumble and grabs on to her chair, giggling.

“Oh, and talk!” she finishes suddenly. “I’m really excited to talk.”

“She hasn’t stopped since she got here,” Riza comments with a smile.

“You love me,” Rebecca glares at her.

“You, yes. The intimate details of your last orgasm, not so much.”

Rebecca falls into her chair and takes a deep breath before waving down a waitress, who takes our drink orders and swiftly returns, setting a sugary cocktail in front of me.

“So, Mei, has Alphonse proposed yet?” Rebecca leans forward, pulling the straw of her margarita into her mouth with her tongue as she guides her glass toward her lips.

“Not exactly,” she says, suddenly shy. “We’ve talked about the future, but he hasn’t actually asked me, and I haven’t seen a ring.”

“Soon.”

“I hope so.”

“Um, Winry, do you have anything new going on?” Riza tries to change the subject, most likely to spare Mei from any more questions.

“Not really,” I shrug. “I have a new line of automail pieces I’m working on.”

“No,” Rebecca cuts in. “No talking about work. This is my bachelorette party! Tell me about the good stuff.”

“Good stuff?” I frown.

Riza sighs. “She means–”

“Are you pregnant yet?”

I almost choke on my drink. Fortunately, none of it comes out of my nose. Paninya rubs my back as I cough.

“Is that a yes?”

I start to shake my head, but she goes on.

“Does anyone remember if that drink is a virgin?”

Before I can stop her, she steals my drink and takes a sip.

“Oh.” She frowns. “I guess that’s a ‘no’ then.”

I silently slide my drink back to my place, holding it in two hands and running my thumbs down the sides.

“It’s not for lack of trying,” I confess softly.

“What!” Paninya screeches, and I wince. “You didn’t tell me you and the Hothead were trying to procreate!”

I close my eyes and sigh before looking at her. “Really?”

“Well, I certainly didn’t know anything about it,” Mei chimes in. “Alphonse definitely would’ve told me.”

“It’s news to me, too, but I’m not surprised you didn’t say anything. Starting a family is something I would think is pretty private,” Riza speaks up, much more supportively than my friends.

“Babies are so cute,” Rebecca moans before turning to her best friend. “Remind me to tell Jean I want a hundred.”

“You should probably wait until after you’ve had one to make that call,” Riza advises gently.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Paninya says at me again.

“You’re making it out to be way bigger than it actually is,” I tell her honestly. “It isn’t like we’re desperate to have kids. We just both agree we want one. Soon. And with the way things are going, it’s possible it’ll happen in the not-too-distant future.”

“You mean because you two fuck like rabbits,” Paninya is quick to comment.

Rebecca snorts, and Riza hides her mouth behind her hand.

“Alphonse does say you two are very…active,” Mei grins slyly.

“The walls are thin,” I glance at her. “And he likes to tease Ed to get under his skin.”

“Okay, this is good. This is exactly the stuff I want to talk about,” Rebecca says giddily.

“Really?” I glance at her. “Can’t we talk about someone else’s sex life?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I know all about mine, and I already told Riza. She’ll leave if I try to tell it again.”

“She’s right,” Riza nods, taking a long sip of her drink.

“Riza has no love life to speak of,” Rebecca’s tone is suddenly bitter, and I think I hear her muttering something about “fraternization,” but I’m not sure.

Riza gives her an unreadable look, but whatever it is, Rebecca understands it because she changes the subject.

“Mei and Alphonse are too pure to have anything really dirty to talk about, and Paninya is–”

“Decidedly single,” she finishes quickly. “So that just leaves you and your hotheaded alchemist for sex talk.”

“Of course, it does,” I mumble.

“So, Winry, tell us. Is Ed as explosive in bed as his temper is out of it?”

“No comment.”

“What? No!” Rebecca frowns. “You can’t ‘no comment.’ That’s the whole point of this.”

“But I don’t want to answer,” I admit softly.

“Here, drink some more of this,” Paninya taps my drink.

I do, but not because she told me to.

“If you don’t answer, I’m going to assume ‘no comment,’ means ‘yes,’” Pan adds after I swallow.

“And if it does, I want details,” Rebecca goes on.

I glance at Riza and Mei. “Are you two sure you’re okay with this topic of conversation?”

“Normally, I probably wouldn’t be,” Riza confesses. “But in the spirit of the evening, and considering the several drinks I’ve already had, I have to say, I’m a little curious myself.”

I turn to Mei.

“Honestly, this isn’t anything Alphonse and I haven’t already discussed, so feel free to share.”

I will so be having a chat will Al after tonight.

“Fine.” I take another long drink and stare at the table.

“Ed is…”

“Dynamite, right?” Rebecca grins.

“That’s an…accurate description.”

God, if he ever finds out I told them this. I’ll be in so much trouble.

“Is he into foreplay?” Rebecca continues, sliding to the edge of her seat as she leans forward.

“Sometimes.”

“Does that mean other times he just attacks you? Has he ever ripped your clothes while trying to get them off?”

“Only once.”

“I have a question,” Paninya announces, downing her drink. “Is his height in any way proportionate to his…size?”

My face floods with heat, and I drink more, though that might actually worsen the problem than solve it.

“Well?” Rebecca coaxes. “Is it?”

I start to shake my head, and then take a deep breath.

“No,” I exhale, my eyes fluttering shut as I try to cool down. Immediately, a perfect mental image of Ed’s swollen cock appears in my head, and I gasp. “God, no.”

“Details!” Paninya shouts, making me jump. “If it isn’t a micropenis, how big is it?”

How is this happening to me?

“Calm down, ladies,” Riza’s voice says evenly. “You don’t want to get us thrown out. And, if she truly doesn’t want to, she doesn’t have to tell you.”

“Yes, she does!” Pan retorts, jerking to her feet. “I need to know!”

“Mammoth,” I whisper so low they don’t hear me.

“What?” Rebecca pulls my friend down to sit back in her chair. “Winry, what did you say?”

“God, it’s so big,” I mutter-moan, more to myself than them, the image still fresh in my mind. My panties are getting wet thinking about it. “We’ve been married almost a year, and I still worry about whether or not it will fit.”

“Bring her a water,” Paninya tells a passing waiter.

“We should probably change the subject now,” Mei pipes up, her high voice even higher than normal.

I glance at her and bite my lip. She’s probably wondering if Al inherited the same “big dick” genes as his brother.

“I hate to say it, but I agree,” Rebecca nods. “If we keep talking about large cocks, I’ll start talking about Jean, and then Riza will probably shoot me.”

“Affirmative.”

“Wait.” I look up at them. “I… Have you ever had drunk sex?”

Riza immediately looks at Rebecca who slowly nods and starts grinning.

“Maybe. A few times.”

“Why?” Riza turns to me.

“Ed might’ve mentioned it before I left tonight, and…we’ve never done it before. I’m not sure what to expect.”

“You mean, he mentioned it for later tonight? After this?” Rebecca’s eyes widen.

“Uh-huh,” I nod.

“Ooh! How fun!”

“Winry, have you ever been drunk with Ed before?” Riza asks calmly.

“Yes.” I nod. “It was the first time I ever drank so much I threw up. He held my hair back and put me to bed after. We didn’t…do anything.”

“Was there ever a moment during that time when you felt horny and you wanted him to jump your bones right there?” Rebecca chimes back in, twirling her straw around in her glass.

“Yes,” I admit quietly. “We were on the couch, and I started…dry humping him. I quit when my stomach…”

“Okay, so if you’d held your liquor, and you’d both been naked, what then?”

A flash of images whirls through my head, and I feel dizzy.

“Oh my God.”

“That’s kind of what it’s like.” Rebecca sighs fondly.

“Excuse me,” Riza says suddenly. “I have to make a phone call.”

She rises quickly and leaves the table heading for the bar.

“Where is she going?” I glance at Rebecca.

“Nowhere, officially, but I expect she’s making a dick appointment for after we leave here.”

I squirm a little in my seat.

“Anyway,” she goes on, “after this drink, I’m thinking I’m gonna dance. Do you girls want to dance?”

“Absolutely,” Paninya grins.

“Ooh! Or maybe I’ll see if they do karaoke here! That would be the best!”

I sip my drink quietly as they start standing. Paninya pulls me to my feet just as my straw starts popping.

“You want to rush back to your man now, don’t you?” she asks quietly.

“Only a little.”

“I can practically smell the sex pheromones rolling off of you. With how hot you are for him, and how much sex you guys have, I’m surprised you’re able to walk normally anymore.”

“You’re being dramatic,” I hiss at her. “It’s not like that.”

“Look. I’m not judging. That conversation was pretty hot. If it got you thinking about things, and you need to go get a fix, I understand.”

“Rebecca might not.”

“If anyone will, Rebecca will.” She loops her arm through mine. “Here.” She pulls me toward the bar. “Come do one shot with me, and then we’ll get you a cab back to the hotel. I’ll call ahead and tell the Hothead to meet you in the lobby.”

“Paninya…”

“Just say, ‘okay,’ and do the shot.”

“Okay.” I give in.

The shot burns going down, but it doesn’t last long. I say a quick goodbye to the other ladies, who all give me knowing looks that I ignore. Thankfully Paninya walks me out since I’m a little wobbly on my feet. I feel a twinge of regret on the ride back to the hotel. This wasn’t exactly how this night was supposed to go. On the other hand, I’m really excited to see Ed.

To be continued…

[winryofresembool]

Love Can Melt the Ice, ch 21

Summary: the party goes on.

A/N: sorry guys, I’m too tired to think of anything to say. Just that I hope you guys enjoy, and note, that there’s a little bit of steaminess (not quite M-rated tho imo) towards the end of this chapter so keep that in mind when readng this. Reviews are loved!!! And thanks to every single person who has commented the previous chapters, you guys rule ♥

Previous chapters:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 pt 1, pt 2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

Next chapter: coming

Companion pieces (note: these are all post Olympics happenings so reading the main fic first is recommended): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Words: 3200+

Genre: cotton candy mostly

“There she finally comes!” Paninya exclaimed when she saw Winry approaching her figure skating team in the otherwise quiet restaurant. “What took you so long? Oh!” She finally noticed Ed hopping towards them behind Winry, and a giant grin spread on her lips. “I wasn’t expecting you to have company!”

“Smirk what you want, Pan. I don’t care anymore. As a matter of fact, we have some news for you…” Winry fumbled with her hair nervously, as she was trying to figure out how to tell Paninya about the changed relationship status.

“Are you pregnant too?” Paninya asked her, eyeing Ed suspiciously. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you guys alone after the birthday party…”

“What, NO!” Winry panicked, worried how Ed would react to such implications. Even though Pan’s comment was just a joke, Ed had barely started to open up to her… Winry didn’t even want to think how he would feel about having kids. “We haven’t even… I mean, that’s a 0 per cent possibility… And don’t you think it’s a bit too early for that kind of announcements anyway?”

“I just wanted to see your reaction,” Paninya laughed. “Don’t mind me, I was just messing with you.”

“Oh, OK. So, the news is that… we…” She linked her arm with Ed’s. “… Have decided to become… exclusive?”

“And that’s what you were so nervous to announce?” Paninya looked annoyed. “I would have expected you to at least have gotten married secretly based on your expressions.” Her frown changed into a smile soon. “But that’s awesome! I knew it would happen sooner rather than later! In fact, Rosé, I think I won our bet.” She winked at her girlfriend smugly.

“Bet, what bet? Rosé, don’t tell me Pan made you make a bet on my relationship progression.” Any of Winry’s nervousness flew away as (faked) anger took over. “I can expect that from you…” Winry glared at Paninya, “… But Rosé, you have always been the nice one.”

“I’m sorry, she made me!”

“Don’t worry. I just had to make you taste your own medicine,” Winry laughed. “Anyway, thanks for coming! It’s good to see you all here. I guess… let’s get this party started!

 …

 “Hey Winry, why is your boyfriend moping at your party?” Paninya asked as Winry joined her at the bar to get a drink. She wasn’t wrong, he was scowling at his phone in an empty corner of the restaurant and mumbling something incoherent to himself.

“He just remembered that his team is playing right now.” Winry sighed. “They are probably angry at him for not showing up, but more importantly, the game is almost over now, and they are losing by several goals so… it’s not looking too good.”

“You gotta give him something else to think about.” Paninya winked and made kissy lips to give Winry a hint.

“I’m not gonna make out with him in front of all these people!” Winry growled. “Public display of affection isn’t our thing.”

“Whatever. Just do whatever you do to wrap him around your arm. Take him to dance or something.”

“He can’t dance! He has a broken leg in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Just sway in the same spot or something.” Paninya suggested.

“I’ll just go talk to him,” Winry decided when she saw he wasn’t far from throwing his phone out of the window.

…

“Damnit!” Ed cursed loudly when Winry arrived next to him. She didn’t even bother asking what had happened in the game; it was unnecessary.

“I’m sorry, Ed. I’m not gonna say ‘better luck next time’ because that won’t help anything, but maybe you’d like to do something to take your thoughts away from that game. It’s my party, after all.”

“What do you have in mind?” Ed eyed her suspiciously. “I’m not gonna sing karaoke if that’s what you want to do. I’m not drunk enough.”

Winry put her arm around his shoulder and said: “No, you don’t have to sing, but I do want to dance. And I want to dance with you.”

“You have gone nuts, woman. How do you think I’m gonna dance with this leg?” he pointed at his cast.

“Just follow me. Or do you want me to call Al to dance with me instead?” Winry asked slyly. “Or, I suppose, there are other options in this restaurant too…”

“Let’s just go then!” Ed said all too fast and started hopping towards the dance floor.

When the couple found their spot, a few other dancers were eyeing Ed’s crutches suspiciously, but he decided to ignore it. “So… how are we gonna do this?”

“I think… if you can stand with just one crutch, you could use your hand to twirl me, and I’ll do the rest,” Winry suggested.

“Sounds doable,” Ed noted and left his right crutch against the wall. Winry took his metal hand (that was covered with the usual white glove) into hers and started doing her dance moves. The song was fast, so she was able to show her jiving skills well.

“I knew you could skate but I didn’t know you can dance too!” Ed commented at some point.

“A lot of figure skaters take also dancing classes because it certainly helps with the balance and everything.” Winry reminded him.

“Right. That makes sense,” Ed admitted.

The longer the song continued, the more he lightened up too, finishing the dance by pulling Winry close to him and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“You were right, it was kinda fun! Maybe one day we can dance for real.”

“Is that a promise?” Winry asked. “Because if it is, I will remember it, I swear.”

“Maybe it is.” Ed grinned and turned to pick up his crutch.

…

A few hours later, Winry was looking for Ed who had disappeared while she had gone to the restroom, and finally found him on the balcony.

“There you are! I was a bit worried you might have left,” Winry said.

“Oh. I just needed a little break to hear my thoughts. It’s been quite a day, don’t you think?” Ed asked.

“It has… As amazing it has been, I am quite eager to get into my own bed soon.” Ed gave Winry a puppy dog expression. “We’ll see if someone gets to join me. Maybe if you are extra nice to me. Anyway, Gracia already left, Garfiel is hitting on someone, and Rosé and Paninya’s dancing is looking like they don’t really need our company… so I’d say we’re free to go.”

“Sounds good to me. By the way, Al sends his congrats,” Ed remembered. “He’s with Mei now but said he’d catch up with us tomorrow.”

“Oh! How is it going between those two?”

“The last time I saw them together, they were chatting pretty eagerly about who knows what, so I’d say it’s going pretty well. Too bad she lives in Xing, though. What if they get together, and he decides to move there?”

“I think you are getting a bit ahead of yourself again,” Winry noted. “They just met. But what about us? It’s like you said, we live pretty far from each other and travel a lot… Should we try to come up with a schedule for our meetings?”

“Until my leg is healed, you don’t have to worry about me traveling…” Ed sighed. “I will have plenty of free time. I think I might still spend a little while in Resembool because I’m not super eager to do household work with this leg.”

“I’ll visit you there when I have my next free weekend! Hey… does this situation remind you of your party?” Winry realized.

“I guess it does,” Ed agreed. “A lot has happened after that, though… Even though it has only been a few days.”

“Sometimes… things… happen fast. You don’t regret it, do you?” Winry asked, slight hint of worry in her voice.

“No.” Ed shook his head. “I thought this was going to be difficult, but now that it’s actually happening… I realized it’s really quite simple. I want to spend more time with you. I just… needed to deal with some things first.”

“I understand. And hey, I’ll be here the whole time if you still need help with that,” Winry promised, and it was her turn to kiss Ed on the cheek. “Hey, what’s that?”

Ed was holding a small box in his hand and Winry casted a curious look at it. If it had been anyone else giving her that box, she might have been more nervous about what was in it, but she knew Ed wouldn’t ask her so soon… Right?

“Um… this is just a championship gift for you…” Ed said, and Winry immediately relaxed. “I was going to give it to you no matter what result, but it turned out going pretty well, don’t you think?”

“Heh, I guess so.” Winry unwrapped the paper around the box carefully and admired its black surface for a moment before opening it. “Ed, these are so pretty!”

What she saw in the box were earrings, with tiny golden skates hanging from them. She took them in her hand to get a better look at them.

“I just… well, I asked Riza if she knew what would make you happy, and she said you like earrings. So. I went to the shop where they sell these and… thought the skates were pretty fitting… in many ways… since you know, skating was what united us in the first place… and… gold to match your medal…”

“Awww. That is so sweet.” She quickly wiped the corners of her eyes dry and turned Ed’s head to face her. “Seriously, I love them. Thank you.” Then she leaned in to press a light kiss on his mouth. They let the kiss linger for a few moments before Winry pulled away and run her hand on Ed’s automail arm briefly.

“Hey, guess what… I kinda have a gift for you too. It’s in my room, though, so should we take a cab and leave?”

“It’s like you said, I don’t think anyone would miss us… so sure!” Ed gave Winry his familiar shit eating grin, taking his crutches from the bench next to him and jumping up rather eagerly.

…

The couple waved their goodbyes to those of their friends who were still left at the club and took the first cab to the hotel (this time they were farther from the hotel than during Ed’s birthday so Winry didn’t want to make Ed walk all that way). For some reason, Ed hesitated a bit before stepping inside Winry’s room, though.

“What’s wrong?” Winry folded her arms over her chest and stared at Ed questioningly.

“It’s just… We are a… couple… now… so I hope you’re not expecting…”

“Expecting what?” Winry tilted her head slightly as she tried to understand what Ed was saying. “Oh!” she finally realized, her face turning red. “Nonono, I wasn’t thinking about that… Not that I wouldn’t like… eventually… but we can take our time… No, there’s something I want to show you…”

With Winry’s rambling, the nervousness that had taken over Ed’s body finally left him, and he started laughing so hard he doubled over.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, slightly hurt because she didn’t understand what was in Ed’s mind in that moment. Was he laughing at her?

“It’s just…” he guffawed, “… The tables have turned… Remember what happened the last time we spent a night together? You thought I was expecting us to…”

“Oh!” Winry finally understood. “Well, I wasn’t expecting anything, so you can stop laughing and come here.” Her voice had a bit of sharpness in it as she continued: “I have some drawings I want to show you.”

“Sorry.” Ed finally calmed down. “Show them.”

He hopped towards the table on which Winry had spread her papers and squinted as he was trying figure out what was in her drawings. “Wait a second… Is this an automail arm?”

“I noticed your arm was creaking a bit, so I designed this… What do you think? We would of course need to measure your arm before I can draw the final version, but… I’d love to do it if you let me?”

“Have you built automails before?” Ed asked, even though he believed he knew the answer. She had drawn that picture complete from the scratch, after all.

“I have, plenty! Although…” she blushed a bit as she continued: “this would be the first one that would be in use…”

“Well, it looks amazing, so… why the hell not? Truth to be told, I don’t really like my current mechanic so it would be a win-win situation in many ways.”

“It’s settled, then!” Winry clapped her hands excitedly. “You, me and an automail date once this season is over and I have more time to focus on mechanics. Although… I would like to get some measures sooner because that way I’ll have more time to prepare for it.” She pulled out the tape measure from her bag and looked at him expectantly. “Would you mind?”

“Of-of course not…” Ed said, although a bit hesitantly because Winry seemed to have turned her geek mode on. “What do you need me to do?”

“Uhh… You would probably need to take your shirt off because I need to be able to see where the shoulder piece starts and stuff…” She was blushing again. Ed threw his coat and suit on a nearby chair and sat down on the bed, unbuttoning his dress shirt slowly. He turned to look at Winry as he felt her gaze on him.

“Enjoying the view?” Ed cocked his eyebrow when their eyes met.

“You are suddenly awfully smug for someone who just freaked out about coming into my room.” Winry retorted, although her cheeks were still burning.

“I just like to make you as flustered as you make me…”

An awkward silence fell between them, but finally Ed added: “OK, here’s the thing: I do want to… do it with you… eventually, like you said… but with this cast… there’s a lot I won’t be able to do, and… I think you deserve better than that… so… I’d rather wait… until I feel 100 per cent fine…”

“I didn’t think you’d be worried about that… I’m sorry. That’s… that’s so nicely said, and I… shouldn’t have mocked you earlier.”

“It’s OK.” Ed shrugged. “So, should we measure this thing?”

“Of course!” Winry turned back into her usual mechanics loving self. “First I’m going to check the full length, and then…”

“You do realize that sounds a whole lot dirtier than it actually is?” Ed snorted, gaining a dirty look from Winry. “What? I’m just speaking the truth.”

“How about you just shut up for a moment and let me work.” Winry rolled her eyes and tried to focus on her tape measure, which was very hard, though, because she had her bare-chested boyfriend (she was still excited about being able to use that word) in front of her. And he wasn’t a bad sight at all. As expected, his upper body was built, his abs could have worked as a washboard and his only arm had probably been used to lift heavy weights a lot during Ed’s free time. Winry’s fingers traced the scar under the automail port, checking the skin for possible issues, and that made Ed inhale sharply.

“Sorry. Did that hurt?” Winry asked worriedly.

“No… It… felt good.” Ed stammered, trying to keep himself in line. ‘Hydrogen, helium, litium…’

“OK…” Winry said and bent down to write down some measures she had already gotten, her dress not leaving much for Ed’s imagination. He nearly bolted from the bed.

“Done.” She finally stopped her ‘torture’ and put the tape measure and the paper away. She hadn’t even realized she had been holding her breath while working. “Is something wrong?” she asked when she realized Ed was mumbling something incoherent and avoiding eye contact with her. “Ed, I’m your girlfriend. You can tell me.”

“Let’s just say that… I have never wished more that I didn’t have my leg broken,” he said quietly. Winry sat down on his lap and put one of her hands on his cheek, making him look at her.

“It’s OK. We can wait.” She kissed him tenderly, getting a response from him soon. Her fingers played on his bare skin while his metal arm went to cup her ass, the other one massaging her back. Soon Winry realized he wouldn’t open the zipper of her dress unless she gave him a permission, so she pulled away from the kiss and told him: “I’ve seen you shirtless, so it’s only fair you see me that way too… Equivalent exchange…”

“Have I ever told you you are freaking amazing?” Ed breathed before his hand went to unzip the dress while his lips worked on her neck.

“I think you might have mentioned that once or twice but it never hurts to hear it again.” Winry grinned and stood up to shake the dress off once Ed has unzipped it. “What? Have you never seen a half naked woman before?” she teased when Ed gaped at her like she was some kind of miracle.

“I-I have but never anyone who looks as… wow…” His eyes took all of her in, from the thin yet strong thighs to the skin colored strapless bra, before focusing on her face again. Even though she must have been dead tired already, and her make-up was slightly smudged, in Ed’s opinion she looked incredible.

“Thank you,” Winry gently pushed Ed to laying position and settled on his lap, minding his injured leg. “Wanna help me with this?” she turned her back to him, so Ed could unhook her bra.

“Sure, but… I’m gonna explode if we continue much further. And I just said… this is not how I want to do this.”

“I didn’t mean we have to do anything, silly,” she tried to comfort him. “I just want to get rid of this thing because trust me, it’s pretty uncomfortable to sleep with.”

“Oh. OK. I got it.”

After getting her bra unhooked and throwing it away, Winry got up again and made a bit of a show of stretching her arms in front of Ed (giving Ed a very good shot of some of her best features) before pulling her pajama top on her. Ed didn’t know how to react, causing him to just stare at her dumbfounded with his mouth open.

“What was that for?” he asked, sounding almost frustrated.

“Just something for you to look forward to while we are away from each other, I guess.” She winked.

“You dumb, I would… I would be looking forward to our next meeting either way.” Ed folded his arms, sounding almost offended that Winry thought there was any other possibility. “I mean, you look great and all, but I care about your personality more.”

“That means a lot to me, Ed. I… uh, never mind.” She laid down next to him and snuggled her head against his bare chest. “This has been… one of the best days of my life. And a lot of it is thanks to you. I just wanted you to know that.”

“You… you deserve it.” He kissed her on the forehead before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

[lightsaberss]

The Announcements

Part two of As Bold As Love, my Royai marriage and babies fic.

The gravel crunched under the tires as she drove the car up the driveway of the President's Mansion. Riza wasn't an unusual sight, considering she tried to visit her grandfather regularly, or at least as regularly as both their schedules would allow. The guards had waved her through as soon as they had seen her face through the car window, and by the time she'd parked and walked to the front entrance, news of her arrival had been called through to the house and her grandfather was waiting for her at the door.

"Riza, what brings you here today, I thought you and your team would be out celebrating."

"I think most of the team are celebrating by sleeping," Riza said, and tried not to bristle at them being called 'hers'. Yes, the official chain of command had placed her in charge of them not long after the Promised day, but they had never been hers alone. "I came to give you this."

Grumman opened the brown document folder that she passed him and skim read it. "So he finally asked you to marry him, did he?" He smiled. "About time too, I've been trying to get him to do that for years."

"So you'll approve my request?"

"As long as this is what you want, I'm sure there are ways to work around it."

"No, this is what I've wanted for a long time." Ever since Ishval, was what was left unspoken. "The timing was just never right before."

"Well then, how could I deny it?" He asked, and reached for a pen. He added his signature beneath Roy's, the final authorisation she needed in order to officially leave the military. "What will you do now?"

"Help him run the country," Riza said. "There's more I can do as First Lady than as his bodyguard."

"And he does love you." Grumman commented, and handed her back the paperwork.

"And I love him." Riza said. Warmth and joy spread through her at the admission. "Thank you for this, grandfather."

"You're not coming inside?" He asked, and she could tell that he was trying to hide his disappointment.

"Sorry, but I have to go and see Rebecca. If she finds out about this from Havoc, she'll go on a one woman rampage." Riza said. "How about next Monday? I'll bring Roy and we can have dinner."

"That sounds splendid, I'll make sure I'm free."

***

Roy dialled the number from memory - although if he was asked, he'd claim that he had to look it up - and waited for it to connect. He'd tried to convince Riza to make the call, after all he liked her more than him, but she'd made the (admittedly good) point that she should probably be the one to tell her grandfather, and probably in person.

There was a short list of people they needed to tell, and they'd divided it up to share the work. Still, he'd much rather have told anyone but him.

"Rockbell Automail."

"Yo, Fullmetal."

"Fuck." And then all Roy could hear was a dial tone, as Edward had obviously hung up on him.

It looked like Riza would have to call after all, Roy thought, before going ahead and dialling the next number on his list.

***

"Ohmygod." it had all tumbled out of Rebecca's mouth as a single, surprised word.

"Yep." Riza agreed.

They were both sitting at the kitchen table in Rebecca and Havoc's - Riza found it difficult to think of the man as simply Jean, after so many years of referring to him by surname - small house. Havoc was snoring loudly in the living room, where, according to Rebecca, he'd passed out asleep an hour after getting in from work. Riza was a little jealous, she hadn't slept more than four hours a night since the campaign had started.

"When did this happen? It better not have been weeks ago!" Rebecca insisted.

"He asked this afternoon, after everything got confirmed." Riza said. "You're the second person I've told. We didn't even tell the men."

"Who was first?" Rebecca asked jealously, and Riza didn't bother hiding the roll of her eyes.

"My grandfather. You know, the guy in charge of the country at the moment?" Riza said.

"Oh right. I always forget you guys are related."

"I wish everyone else would."

"Okay, so, we're going to talk about your weird family related issues later - and I do mean that, Riza, so don't try and dodge it when I bring it up! - and let's get back to talking about this," Rebecca said. "So. Please tell me there's a ring and he didn't just say 'hey, let's get hitched?'"

Riza pulled the thin gold chain that she was wearing around her neck, tucked beneath her shirt, and there was her engagement ring. She then told Rebecca all about his proposal, and yes, she blushed, and yes she gushed more than she would normally have done.

"I've never seen you this happy," Rebecca commented, once Riza had stopped talking. "It's nice."

"I'm not sure I've been this happy," Riza admitted. Everything before Ishval was tainted by her father, his erratic behaviour and descent into what Riza now thought of as madness, but at the time had been almost unidentifiable as anything other than horror. Everything after Ishval was tainted with that, what she and Roy had both done.

It was something that would never go away, but it was easier to live with now that Ishval was a place full of life instead of death, and that she and Roy were both on the path to remaking the country into a place where something like that would never happen again.

"So, do you guys have a date set?" Rebecca asked.

"We want to do it before the Inauguration, so in about two months."

"Two months?" Rebecca asked, her mouth hung open comically as if Riza had just said something horrendously shocking.

"Yeah."

"How on earth are you going to plan a wedding in two months?!" She almost-but-not-quite yelled. "It took me and Jean a year, and even that felt impossible sometimes."

"Well, we're going to keep it small. Close friends and family only," Riza said. "And you're going to help."

"Oh am I?"

"Well, you're my maid of honour. So you have to." Riza said.

Rebecca squealed so loudly, Riza heard Havoc wake up in the living room, and she couldn't help but laugh.

***

The phone rang shortly after Roy was finished talking to his aunt. He'd been in the middle of playing with Hayate, sat on the floor and each of them tugging on a piece of rope.

"Sorry, boy, but I should probably get that." He let go of the rope and ruffled the pup's (well, he wasn't so much of a puppy anymore) fur before he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Alright, what did you want?" It was Edward. Roy wasn't surprised that the younger man had called him back, but he was slightly surprised it had happened tonight. Winry - or Al if he was in the country - must have strong armed him into it.

"Riza and I are getting married in two months, and we'd like you to attend."

There was a stunned silence from the other end of the line - ha, he'd managed to stun him into silence!

"Is she pregnant?" Edward asked, and Roy spluttered.

"What? No! What on earth? Just because you forgot how to use birth control doesn't mean the rest of the world has as well." Roy spat out.

"Oh just fuck off," Ed cursed. "I don't know how Hawkeye can put up with your bullshit."

"She finds it endearing."

"Oh fuck, I think I'm going to throw up." Edward proceeded to make (what Roy hoped was fake) gagging noises.

"Are you done?" Roy asked.

"Never," Edward said, then his tone changed and became slightly gentler; "Look. I'll have to talk to Winry, she's due in about three months and it'll be up to her if she wants to travel to Central."

"Understandable." Roy said. "We'd both like Al to be there as well, what's the best way to contact him?"

"He said he was going to try to be back for the baby's birth, I'll get in touch and see if he can get here sooner. Don't worry President Elect -" And now he was back to mocking. "-I'll make sure he knows all about it."

"Thanks, Edward."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. I'll call you later about details."

Once the phone was rested back on it's cradle, Roy looked over to Hayate; "Well, that could've gone worse."