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by-nina · 5 years ago

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Little Bird

AO3 | FFN Royai Week 2020 | Day 5 – Picture prompt; seated couple Rating: K Genre: Fluff/Friendship Word Count: 2,044

A/N: My warmest thanks to everyone who gave their love throughout Royai Week! I’ll see you all soon for the big bang. x

The years to come are already bound to be empty without a friend. “I hope you don’t wait for me.”

Morning comes with the soft cooing of a bird in the Hawkeye house. The sound startles and awakens Roy, who had fallen asleep in the living room with his face pressed to an open book. It takes him only a second to regain his senses, having woken up so suddenly due to the bird, now nursing a slight ache from the discomfort of his sleeping position over the coffee table. He sits up, and he hears a few rushed footsteps and the snap of a door closing. The cooing disappears, and then there is silence.

Roy quickly rises and follows where the sound had gone. It leads him to the back door of the kitchen not far away. He peeks through the glass pane of the door, soon glimpsing someone at the edge of the wood behind the house. The master’s young daughter, Riza—she looks over her shoulder as if wary of being watched, back hunched forward over something in her hand that Roy cannot see. Suddenly, with soft sprightly steps, she disappears into the wood.

Confusion and mild panic rise within Roy. He hasn’t been in the wood before, doesn’t know if the girl is even allowed to be out like this, much less when half the sky is still dark and twinkling with its remaining stars. The master would kill him if anything happened to her.

Roy realizes that he is barefoot only when he has stepped out onto the dewy grass, felt the wetness and crunching beneath his feet. The sun hasn’t risen high enough yet to truly break through the fog, and it chills him, having been used to much warmer mornings in Central. He briefly considers going back into the house to put on his house slippers and a coat, but the sound of her footsteps is quickly fading ahead of him. He grits his teeth and gives chase.

To his relief, the wood isn’t quite as deep as he thought it would be, even though it is still a bit of a shock for someone around whom greenery had been scant growing up. Roy trudges through a three-minute walk’s worth of slick dry leaves and entangled twigs on the forest floor before he comes to a clearing—and she turns quickly when she notices his arrival, startled and indignant.

“Why are you here?” she snaps. Roy takes an automatic step back, surprised at the loudness of her voice.

“I-I’m sorry—I just saw you going out the back and wanted to make sure you were safe—”

Riza exhales and pouts. “I can take care of myself, Mr. Mustang. You should go back before Father wakes up.”

He misses her command as his eyes find her hands clasped in front of her. At last he finds the source of the cooing that had awakened him—a small dove, blinking and trembling slightly in her grasp. Roy also notices the way she is holding the poor creature; her wrists and knuckles appear tense, but taper out into gentler fingertips that sink into the dove’s feathers.

“What are you doing with that bird?”

She glances down at the dove and turns away defensively to hide it from view, even as her shoulders relax slightly. “Nothing. I’m just setting it free.”

He ignores her attempts to brush him off; curiosity has taken hold of him. He has never seen a dove this close, much less in the hands of a child like her. Back home, the doves and pigeons in the city square allowed visitors and passersby to sprinkle bread around them for feeding, but would always quickly fly away and perch out of reach whenever they were approached. He never even knew what people wanted to do with the birds once they had run through the dispersing flock. But here, he could tell by the tone of her voice and the careful way it sits in her hands that it is there for its benefit, and not because she had simply wanted it for herself.

“He was injured,” she suddenly says. Roy has leaned in to take a close look at the bird. “He flew into my window last night with a bad-looking wing. But I think he’s doing better now.”

“Oh. And you took care of it?”

There is a shadow of a small, fond smile on her lips now. She strokes the dove’s head with one finger. “I guess you could say that. I kept him in a box in my room, left out some water and seeds for him. You shouldn’t really watch a bird or pet it when it’s healing because you might scare it or make it worse. But then he started hopping around and flapping his wings a little, so now I think he can go back out and fly.”

Roy blinks at her. “Have you done this before?”

She nods. “With smaller birds. I’ve never taken care of a dove before.”

Slowly, she opens her hands, and the dove ruffles its feathers once before hopping out onto the surface of a wide, flat rock. It fumbles around, seems to turn and look at her, then finally takes off and makes a short flight into the branches of a nearby tree. It perches on one, then transfer to another.

Riza lights up as she watches the dove. Roy follows her gaze upwards.

After a while, her face falters into a slightly wistful expression, but not one that is entirely unhappy. She looks pointedly at Roy. “This was my secret spot, you know. No one’s ever been here before.”

He looks around. There is more to the spot than the wide rock to sit on; the clearing comes up to the edge of a small cliff overlooking a grassy meadow colored by several patches of wildflowers. The meadow spreads out to a small lake; farther along is another wood, then the mountains. It offers one of the best views he has seen so far during his short stay in the East.

“I’m sorry I followed you here.”

She smiles again, much more softly this time. “If you can keep the bird a secret from Father, then you can come here too whenever you like, Mr. Mustang.”

Roy cannot help but return the friendly look she gives him.

“Just call me Roy.”

Her father’s apprentice soon becomes her best friend.

Roy turns out to be less like the uppity, self-absorbed city boy Riza had first judged him to be, and more like someone she might have already known closely over many years. He learns very quickly about caring for birds outside of the alchemy lessons he has with her father, as more hurt and sick birds come in through her window over the next couple of years. Finches, jays, sparrows—they always seem to find their way to her room, and she cares for each one diligently as he watches. On days that her father allows him to go into town, he buys medicine and supplies for tending to the birds.

Nights of caring for injured birds turn into quiet talks that last until the odd hours of the morning. More than once, they fall asleep in her room in the middle of a conversation, shortly awakened by their patient’s sudden chirping. There is an ease in talking about him, an understanding she has never known with any of the children in their town. A greater sense of empathy than she has ever gotten from her own father.

All too soon, Roy turns seventeen, and something changes in him, as if a fire has been ignited in him by a new sense of purpose. They have talked about their ambitions before, and she has always known that the lessons with her father would end and he would leave to seek something else, but she finds no comfort in that knowledge, or in their unspoken mutual attempt to forget about his departure until it looms closer than ever.

Riza begins to miss him sooner than she had hoped she would.

“Roy?”

She peers around the wall at him as he studies in the living room, careful not to disturb the robin in the box between her arms. In the moment before he looks up, as he is poring religiously over his notebooks and some reading materials from her father’s study, she sees for the first time just how much he has changed since the morning he followed her to her—their secret spot. Sharper features, an intensified focus… a grown young man.

And then he does look up, and Riza is comforted by the warm familiarity of his expression. Roy sees the box right away; he needs no further explanation. He rises from the floor and follows Riza as she slinks into the kitchen, cradling the box as she had every other bird that came before the robin.

“Master Hawkeye?” he whispers.

“Preoccupied. I’ve just handed him a stack of old scientific journals that he hasn’t read in years.”

They keep their footsteps light and quiet until they reach the same old wood, and then the walk up to the clearing feels both like walking back in time and getting to know each other all over again. Roy asks Riza about the robin in the box; she asks if his alchemy lessons have been going well lately, and how he has been dealing with her father, and what else he is working on. Sunset is fast approaching now; the light turns dim beneath the canopy of the wood, and the shrill, steady chirping of cicadas fills the air.

Neither one mentions that this bird is will be their last.

At the clearing, they take in how much more colorful the meadow has become in the past couple of years, if overgrown. The wildflowers sway in the wind, and the water in the lake ripples as it reflects the sun setting behind the mountains in the distance. Riza sits on the flat rock, then Roy takes his place next to her. She gently sets the box on the ground between their feet, cups the robin gently in her hands, and raises it slowly in the direction of the meadow. It hops up; it shifts its weight on its feet; it sings a short series of notes in her hands; it takes off, and then it is gone.

“He’ll be all right.”

Riza imagines how she must look to Roy, staring far too long at the spot in the tall grass behind which the robin had disappeared. She can’t imagine that she will cry now, when she has cried very few times in her life, and never in front of anyone else. Never over the birds she has had to let go of after caring for them. After all, she has never longed for any of them to stay.

Why would she heal their wings if they were never meant to fly?

“I know he will. I’m happy for him.” She pauses for a moment. “I’m happy for you.”

Riza only wishes she could say this more sincerely.

A flock of birds suddenly emerges from the grass and soars up into a formation circling in the sky. Behind the clearing, birdsong rises from the trees and fills the space around them. They look up to find small birds of every color and every shape calling out to one another, breaking through leaves and branches, bringing the forest to life in a way that neither of them has seen or heard before.

“It’s amazing, what you’ve done for them,” says Roy.

“You’ve helped me care for them too.” Her voice turns small. “I’ll miss you while you’re gone.”

Riza waits for him to respond—hopes that one person in her life will at last care for her in the same way she has cared for them. If he doesn’t, she doesn’t know when she will have a chance at it again. The years to come are already bound to be empty without a friend.

“I hope you don’t wait for me.”

For a moment, she is farther from the birds, further from him than ever.

But his voice is gentle and low when he speaks again, like the coo of a dove.

“I hope you fly, like they do.”

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lantur · 1 year ago

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updates,

I haven't updated in a while!

Megan Thee Stallion concert on Tuesday night was incredible. She's a great performer and dancer. My favorite moment of the whole night was singing along to Savage as the closer - the song I played on repeat in winter 2020 while writing my royai fanfics ❤️ that song has a really special place in my heart because it was one of my first two Meg songs and I'm SO happy I got to enjoy it live!

Work this week was much better than work last week. I made progress on two projects I enjoy!

Things have been going really well at the gym. 4-mile runs feel easy, and I've upped my pace. I've gone up on all my lower body lifts too. Getting serious about strength training and building muscle for functional fitness purposes is absolutely the best thing I've done for myself physically, and the mental benefits are so real. There are so many times I wake up feeling off and my mind is totally cleared and my mood is so much better after the gym.

I finished reading the Dungeon Meshi manga this week, and I'm obsessed. I like it even more than FMA, and that's saying something! I'm also watching the anime with David. I can't get enough of Laios's party and all the characters and that whole dungeon.

I'm all caught up with season three of Abbott Elementary and I can't wait for the season three finale next week 👀

Book stuff has been exciting! My mother-in-law and my cousin-in-law both finished the novel and they were so kind and posted it on their IG pages. ❤️ I'm so happy they enjoyed it. Getting feedback has sparked so much joy. I'm also up to 44 paperback copies sold, which is so incredible. I never expected that. I won't have any idea about my April ebook sales until the first week of June unfortunately, thanks to IngramSpark's ebook sales reporting structure.

I enjoyed celebrating Mother's Day with my mother-in-law last weekend and emailing the moms in my work department, my friends' moms, and my sisters-in-law to wish them a happy day. I used to have such complicated and negative feelings about Mother's Day because of my own family issues, but I've really come around to seeing Mother's Day as a way of celebrating the people who do (and have done) the amazing and difficult work of raising the next generation (and our current generation). I perceive the holiday now as not just about my mom on an individual level of "celebrating my mom for Mother's Day", but about recognizing mothers on a societal level and I really appreciate that.

#lanturing

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hisguardingqueen · 5 years ago

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Two bonus shots from today as a treat.

Happy RoyAi day everyone 💛

#royaiweek20 #royai #royai week #flame alchemist #fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #nendoroid #nendoroid photography #riza hawkeye #roy mustang #royai art #riza #roy #royai week 2020 #royaiweek #royaiday #royai day

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royaibrainrot · 5 years ago

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Summary: Riza is finishing up some paperwork at the office after hours, when she stumbles upon a collection of letters addressed to her in Roy’s desk.

Office hours were long gone, yet Riza was still at her desk, eyes drooping. She had been trying to finish up a few reports for the Colonel, since he had been home with the flu all day. Havoc had offered to help, but Riza, being her usual stubborn self, had insisted she had it covered. Eyeing the incomplete stack, she kicked herself for not taking the Lieutenant up on his offer.

“Maybe I’ll just finish the rest at home,” she reasoned to herself, gathering up the finished reports. Surely the rest would be more bearable in pajamas with a nice cup of tea.

The office always seemed so huge at night, without the boisterous team to fill it. It was a nice reprieve, but she missed their company. Work always went by so much quicker when it was filled with the banter of Breda and Havoc, and the occasional question or clever remark from Falman and Fuery.

Admittedly, it was their leader she missed most on nights like this. Normally, the Colonel would stick around when they had extra work to finish. He wouldn’t be much help, and would complain every minute of it, but it was nice having him there all the same.

Riza made her way up to Roy’s desk opening the left hand drawer of files where he kept completed paperwork. Tucking her stack into one folder, she caught sight of a mess of crumpled papers wedged up against the back edge of the drawer. They were different sizes and colors, some with torn edges.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Must I clean up after everything sir,” she muttered, gathering up the random papers, determining to throw them away on her way out.

However, something stopped her. In the corner of one wrinkled yellow page was the word “Riza,” in Roy’s undeniably familiar scrawl.

Intrigued, the lieutenant rested her bag and stack of reports on the Colonel’s desk, and smoothed out the paper. Perhaps it was just a reminder to have her take a report down to headquarters, or an IOU for an impromptu coffee trip.

“Dear Riza” It read.

So… not a reminder. Or an IOU.

She continued reading.

Dear Riza,

You look really nice today. Did you do your hair differently? Ugh. Who am I kidding, you never do your hair differently. Well anyway, it still looks… nice. You know what, forget it, I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Sincerely,

Roy Colonel Mustang

Riza felt her cheeks warm, and fought the urge to laugh. Interesting. She moved eagerly to the next paper.

Hey Riza,

I just wanted to say I’m really sorry about the date with Angie last night. I know it was just to get information from Madame, and I know you know that, but I feel bad nonetheless. I really wish I could take you on a proper date. Maybe, you could pretend to come over to deliver some paperwork, and we could have dinner. I’ll cook. Damn, that sounds lame now that I read through it. Paperwork? And we both know I can’t cook. Scratch that then. Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.

Yours truly,

Roy Mustang

Riza shook her head, and sat in Roy's office chair. He had wanted to have her over for dinner? Of course she would have said yes, that idiot. Even if neither of them could cook.

The next letter was much shorter, and was torn off across the bottom, cutting off the last of the message.

Riza,

I just had lunch with your grandfather. He told me to marry you again. I wonder

Feeling her heart pound, Riza searched through the pile for the rest of the letter, to no avail. She shook her head, moving to the next crumpled paper.

Riza,

It’s 3:30 am. I’m doing this instead of calling you, I guess. I can’t sleep. It’s one of those nights. Every time I close my eyes I’m there again. I can hear their screams all around me. Do you hear them still? I hope you sleep through the night nowadays. You probably don’t. I’m sorry.

-Roy

This writing continued on the back side of the same paper.

Do you hate me? You really should. This is all my fault you know. I wonder if I just hadn’t shown up on your father’s doorstep, would you be happy? Maybe you wouldn’t get these god forsaken nightmares. Maybe you would be a teacher. A farmer. Get married. Have children. Maybe you would sleep peacefully. I ruined you. I ruined everything.

The office seemed even more silent than before. Riza fought to swallow the lump in her throat, staring frozen at the letter clenched in her hands. All of a sudden she felt dirty, dropping the paper as if it had burned her.

Riza swiftly swept the pile back into its home in the drawer. She ignored the ache in her chest and collected her things, trying to forget the words burned into her mind.

*********

The next day, she feigned normalcy, greeting the team as they entered. Fuery placed a coffee on her desk and she thanked him with a smile. Havoc started babbling about his date last night, and Breda cuffed the back of his head in passing, adding a snide remark. Falman said something to the Colonel, then left the room with a stack of reports. Everything was normal. Everything was fine.

Until…

Roy opened his left hand desk drawer. He paused, leaning down over it. Riza felt the breath temporarily leave her lungs.

The Colonel stiffened and sat up, looking across the room directly at her.

She met his gaze, unable to look away.

Roy’s lips pressed into a hard line, but he said nothing.

Soon after, things returned to normal. However, days later when Riza slipped a new collection of paperwork into the left hand desk drawer… the letters were gone.

#royaiweek20 #day 1- letters #royai week #royai week 2020 #royai #riza hawkeye #roy mustang #my writing #royai fanfic #please leave a like or a comment if you enjoyed!

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ymir-me · 5 years ago

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My my 😍

Royai Week 2020 is just under a month away, and we’re happy to present the prompt list! Voting has concluded and there will be a few changes this year.

The week will run from Monday, 8th of June, until Friday, 12th of June.

We will be tracking the tag #royaiweek20, so remember to put that in your first five tags when the week begins so the mods can find and reblog your creations!

Day 1 - Letter

Day 2 - [Song prompt] Little Pistol, Mother Mother

Day 3 - Old wounds

Day 4 - Crackle

Day 5 - [Picture prompt]

We can’t wait to see what everyone creates!

#royai #royai week 2020

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firewoodfigs · 4 years ago

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a busy day for traffic

i saw a child at the park today, a mishmash of mismatched clothes — a bright, green blouse, yellow pants like mustard dripping over her thin, knobbly knees; swinging her red, squeaky shoes gaily in the wind as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

i shut my eyes and tried to put myself in her shoes. her red, squeaky shoes, a few sizes too tiny for my big old feet, decorated with green bulging veins, yellow pus-like mementos from an old tussle with concrete. like a car waiting impatiently at traffic, i rushed forward, then made a backward turn, grasping at old, coveted dreams i’d tucked under my pillow like a fallen tooth.

each dream slipped through crooked fingers like water, branching out through thin, wire-like veins — as if soothing my angry, anxious vessels with a fresh stream of joy and peace, all things that come naturally to a child.

suddenly i’m five again, discovering angels and stars, asking why the sky is blue, learning how to stand on my tippy-toes on a creaky wooden pole without falling to my early demise.

Lord, what a wondrous world it was! the fragile sphere within a child’s glittering imagination! in the daytime i would wake to the sun kissing my rosy cheeks and sparse, undeveloped eyebrows. in the evening i would be caressed by the moon’s gentle glow, the sweet evening breeze as the world raged outside my cocoon, my nestled dreams —

all screams and shouts and still no answer.

#poetry #@ the smol girl sitting across me I was not deliberately dragging u HAHAHA I was just fascinated by ur outfit!!!#and thinking about how I'm fussing over what to wear because I start work next week...#fascinating...#wish I could just waltz in with a cowboy hat ;v;#trying to broaden my horizons and write poems that are not about royai...#but it's tough man LMAO they just occupy 99% of my brain cells #anyway in 2020 I will try to write at least one poem a week?? a day?? a day sounds too ambitious HAHAHA #let's try a week first LMAO inspiration will hit me as and when it likes #and then maybe I'll publish a collection of poems by yours truly one day :'')#dk if anyone will buy it LOLOL but worth a shot?? mebbe???#feeling a lil inspired after rewatching whisper of the heart :^)

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prettywitchiusaka · 5 years ago

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Royai Scene 93

So I’ve been watching a lot or rSlash Reddit videos these days, which is where the idea for this scene came from. Plus, I saw the theme for Day 3 of this year’s Royai Week and I just couldn’t resist!

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(The scene begins on a train at around sunset. Roy and Riza are sitting in a regular car with several people, having arrived late to the train station and unable to purchase a ticket for a private car.)

(Not that either of them mind; at least they’re together. Right now, Riza is reading a new book she bought earlier in the day. And Roy? He’s just sitting there, thinking about the day’s events with a smile on his face.)

(He’s still recovering from his fight with Bradley, but he’s happy he can stand, at least. Even Riza seems a bit more relaxed these days, he’s noticed. Now she actually smiles at him without a hint of guilt in her eyes, which he’s grateful for.)

(And now that he can walk again, she’s been doing her best to take him new places and get some fresh air. Today, she took him to a little sea side town where they ventured into the little shops and ate lunch at a nice cafe. They even took a walk on the beach, barefoot.)

(Granted, his leg still hurt when he walked and he had to use a cane, but he was okay with that. For the first time in (what must have been) years he didn’t feel so angry. On the contrary, he felt at peace. And why shouldn’t he?)

(It was nice living life day to day, knowing you have a faithful companion at your side. He couldn’t wait to see what was in store for them tomorrow-)

L: Won’t anybody offer a lady their seat!?

(Having been so rudely interrupted from his thoughts, Roy turns to see a young lady about his age in a fake fur coat and high heels.)

L: Come on, people! I’ve been on my feet all day! I need to sit!

(She keeps whining.)

(Roy admittedly finds the girl’s demands irritating (the car is full and so are the other cars), but he ignores it at first. He does how annoyed Riza is when he turns to see her expression. He even chuckles a bit.)

(But she keeps going on and on about how her feet are sore! How much she deserves a seat because she works for a living! It just won’t end!)

(So with a small grin on his face, Roy decides to give her what she wants.)

(He grabs his cane and slowly stands up - catching Riza’s attention - and turns to the woman.)

M: Excuse me. (The woman turns to him.) You can have our seat. My assistant and I can find somewhere else to sit.

(He hears Riza get up from her seat.)

H: General, what are you-

(He turns to her with a smile and places his hand on her shoulder.)

M: It’s okay. I’ll be fine. Besides, this woman’s been on her feet all day. I think her poor feet need it more than I do.

(He watches her turn, knowing it won’t take her long to see the exact same thing he’s seeing; people are starting to give the woman angry glares.)

(Without missing a beat, she clears her throat and stands at attention.)

H: Very well, Sir. If you’re alright with it.

(He smiles.)

(She grabs her purse and begins to walk very slowly, leaning heavily on his cane as he made his way towards the door, Riza in toe.)

L: You can just keep sitting here, I don’t need it that badly.

(Roy turns to the lady, trying hard not to smirk.)

M: You just said you really needed it, so take it.

(He turns and walks into the next car, Riza following him. A big smile on his face now that he knows he gave the lady of taste of her own medicine. Just before he left the car, he noticed that people were staring daggers into the woman, now. Some were even whispering to each other.)

(Now that they were out of sight, Roy walks at his normal pace and finds a small spot they can can both squeeze into.)

H: You’re sure you don’t mind standing for awhile?

(He shrugs.)

M: Can’t help it if someone’s being a bitch. (He turns a flashes a small smirk her way.) Besides, I think she got the message.

(They both start laughing.)

(A very harsh way to learn that life isn’t always fair, indeed!

#FMA 2003 #Fullmetal Alchemist #Roy Mustang #Riza Hawkeye #royai #royai scene #royai week #royai week 2020 #Day 3 #royai fanfic #royai prompt #fma fanfic

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katestrophic · 5 years ago

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Royai Week Day 2

Prompt: Little Pistol by Mother Mother

Day 2! I struggled a little bit with the prompt, but this is what I came up with. It does contain some wacky imagery, but I hope you enjoy ^^;

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Up on my side, where it is felt

I pack a little pistol on my pistol belt

I think it might be fear

Of the world and the way it makes you feel afraid

Riza knew better. Riza always knew better.

She knew better than to get close to any of the apprentices her father took on. It wasn’t because of some negative experience she had with one (not yet at least). It was simply common sense and from what she had observed.

They’d always come, young and bright eyed, excited to learn everything that her father had in store for them. But, they’d always leave. They couldn’t handle the amount of research they needed to learn. They couldn’t please her father and his high demands. They couldn’t deal with his strict teachings.

No one ever stayed long enough to learn everything her father had for them. And it was because of that Riza never bothered to befriend any of them. She maintained a indifferent relationship with all of them. She kept a pistol on her and held it out in order to maintain that distant relationship. The apprentice was just a houseguest that she had to tend to, that’s all. In some cases, she never even saw their faces, only learned their names.

That all changed when he came along.

Roy Mustang. A young boy with black hair and gray eyes. Gray eyes that were just as bright as everyone else that came before him. He was a few years older than her. Riza had expected the pattern to repeat and didn’t prepare herself for the long haul. Unfortunately for her, Roy had different plans.

It was a mundane afternoon that he approached her. She was taking the sheets off the drying line when he seemingly manifested behind one of them. Riza jumped, as she did not expect Roy to be there but quickly recovered. “Yes?” She asked, drawing her pistol and held it to her chest, close to her heart.

“I just wanted to get to know you better,” Roy explained. “I never really get to talk to you, let alone see you.”

He took a step closer and Riza held out her pistol in order to maintain distance. “You’re not here to make friends,” she snapped. “Father will be furious at the both of us if he finds us hanging around. You are a student, and I am the teacher”s daughter. I’d like to keep it that way.”

Roy hesitated at first before sighing, turning on his heel and head back into the house. Riza put the pistol back in her pocket and turned back around, resuming her chores.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end to their encounters. Time and time again, Riza would run into Roy who just apparently to be around where she was. The first few times, she chalked it up to coincidence and just held out her pistol to ward Roy off as if he was some evil spirit. As these encounters began to occur more and more often, Riza slowly came to the realization that they were calculated, not unexpected. That fact alone infuriated her.

The next time they ran into each other, Riza was weeding the vegetable garden that she had growing in the backyard. Roy just happened to come out of the house the precise moment she began that task. “Hey,” he said, standing off to the side as Riza bent over, yanking the weeds out from between the growing vegetables.

Riza wasted no time. She stood straight and drew her pistol, holding it out at Roy. “You planned this, didn’t you?” She yelled at him. “All these encounters...they aren’t some mere coindences, are they? How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want anything to do with you? Go away!”

“Please don’t get upset!” Roy pleaded, stepping closer to her.

“No!” Riza shouted, stepping back as well, but still holding her pistol out at him. “Leave me alone! Go back to your studies!” It was then Riza began to dryly laugh. “Actually...why should I be telling you that?” She sneered. “It’s only a matter of time before you leave, just like the rest of them!”

“I never intend on leaving here,” Roy insisted, stepping closer.

Riza was baffled at Roy. Couldn’t he see that she wanted to maintain distance? That, she didn’t want a friendship with him? Why was he so annoyingly persistent. Regardless, she snapped back, “That’s what they all said. And you know what happened to them? They’d all left.”

“Well, luckily for you, I happen to be very stubborn,” Roy proclaimed, stepping closer and closer until he nearly closed the distance between them, the pistol practically stabbing him in the heart. “Please? I just want to talk. Have a conversation with you. Just this once.”

Riza was stunned. She’d never seen someone this persistent with something. But, perhaps she’d humor him, just this once. Just to bring some variety into this repetitive pattern she’d became accustomed to.

“Fine,” she sighed in defeat, dropping the arm that held the pistol. “Let’s talk.”

Roy’s eyes lit up.

*~*~*~*~*~

Who knew that one conversation Riza and Roy has once became two, then three, and soon the two were hanging around whenever her father was busy or resting. They made sure to keep quiet whenever they did so they wouldn’t disturb him. She had stop carrying her pistol around her, getting comfortable around Roy.

As Roy got further and further into her studies, he began to move on from the basics into Riza’s father’s studies. Roy’s bright eyes soon burned with flames of passion, determined to stick around, even though he had gotten further than any other apprentice in the past.

One day, when Riza came into the garden, she was greeted with a very strange sight. In between the patches of vegetables was a single, burning rose. It’s flames flickered, as the fire was small. As she watched the flames move around, it reminded her of the fire that burned in Roy’s eyes whenever she saw him studying.

Upon having that thought, Riza’s eyes widened with realization. She had fallen in love with Roy. She shook her head, taking a step back, the flames on the rose burning brighter with the realization. She turned and fled the garden, not even bothering to pick the vegetables that day.

It wasn’t meant to go this far. She only meant to be friends with him. She never intended to befriend him in the first place. She shouldn’t had let her guard down so easily. She should’ve been more determined to keep Roy out, just like how determined he was to further his studies...

She shook her head, ridding herself of that thought. She needed to get rid of these feelings for Roy right away.

Soon, she distanced herself from Roy just like she had with the beginning. Roy was confused with her actions-they used to be please friends, Why was Riza now giving him the cold shoulder? She even began to carry her pistol around her again to maintain that distance once more.

But, the inevitable happened. Roy left. He didn’t leave because the work became too hard, or he couldn’t meet her father’s expectations, or he was displeased with how her father taught him, oh no. It was so much worse.

He left to join the military academy.

Her father was devasted and betrayed, never taking on another apprentice again after Roy left. Riza was upset too, as she had opened herself up to Roy. But, even with him gone, her feelings for him never went away, no matter how hard she tried. She was reminded of this every single time she went into the vegetable garden and saw that burning rose. She learned to ignore it as time went on whenever she had to work there.

But, her father’s life ultimately came to an end tragically. Roy had came back from the academy to visit and witnessed to his death, coughing up blood as the life drained from his eyes. A funeral was held, with Roy and Riza being the only attendees. As they headed back to the now empty home, Roy asked, “Is it okay for me to stay at your place for a while? I originally intended to come down and visit you and Master Hawkey. But now he’s gone, and I want to help you out around the house until I have to return.”

Riza looked into Roy’s eyes before replying, “Sure, I guess. I really don’t mind.”

Roy maintained eye contact for a short moment before breaking it, thanking her briefly. Even after joining the academy, those flames of passion never left his eyes, just like the fire in that rose still sitting in that vegetable garden...

That night, Riza couldn’t sleep, tossing and turn in her cot. Out the window, she could see the soft glow of the fire from the rose that still burned. Seeing that she had nothing better to do, Riza crept out of bed and into the garden. She inspected the rose more closely, never doing so before even though it sat there for a while. Its red bud was engulfed in orange and yellow flames that flickered, along with a regular green stem that had some thorns on it.

Carefully, Riza took a finger and held it close to the flame, just enough to lick it. As the flame made contact with her skin, a warm, fuzzy feeling filled her heart and spread throughout her body. She blinked, surprised that she didn’t burn herself touching the fire. She stroked the blazing petals gingerly and those same feelings filled her once more, now stronger.

Those flames were harmless. They never burned anything. They weren’t supposed to hurt anybody or anything.

Why didn’t Riza realize it sooner?

“Riza?” A sleepy voice called out to her.

She turned around, still clutching the burning rose to her chest, close to her heart. Roy was outside, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What are you doing out here?” He yawned. “Can’t sleep? Do you want to talk? I know we drifted apart before I left, but I want us to be close friends again. I really missed that.”

The flames began to hurt Riza slightly upon hearing close friends, and she knew what to do. She came into Roy’s face and placed her lips over his, kissing him quickly. When she pulled back, Roy was stunned. He looked no longer sleepy as his eyes were wide. He stood, frozen, still processing what just happened.

She snickered at his reaction. “I love you, Roy,” she stated.

Slowly, it all fell into place. Why the distance, why the cold shoulder, why everything. Roy snickered as well as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her and pecking her cheek. “Love you too, Riza,” he said. “Man, why are you girls so complicated?”

Riza laughed softly, still holding the burning rose in its hand as it flames burned brighter than ever before.

She vowed to never carry her pistol around Roy ever again.

And I, well I found what’s best for me

And now I see no tragedy

And I, I found a burning rose

And now I won’t be packing little pistols

No, no, no more

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In case the symbolism isn’t exactly clear, the pistol that Riza carries is her guard that she has up against Roy, telling herself not to get too attached to him because he’ll leave eventually, but stops bringing it once she lets her guard down around him. The burning rose is her realization that she loves Roy which develops over the course of this mini story. Roy doesn’t see the pistol or the burning rose, only Riza and by proxy, the audience can.

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