#HE'S SO MAES HUGHES CODED

[applepie-enthusiast]

Y'ALL

I JUST THOUGHT OF A FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST BROTHERHOOD AU FT. KNY

but I'm a little conflicted

[lxmitlxss]

For days it seemed as though someone was attempting a prank, some sort of joke, on Central Command - or at least on Colonel Roy Mustang. Reports from the call operators all said that the person in question, who they described as having a man's voice, kept calling multiple times over civilian phone lines with a decommissioned code asking for the Colonel.

Specifically Brigadier General Maes Hughes' now decommissioned code.

According to information networking and reports from other parts of Amestris, there was apparently a solo man in military garb moving from the far north-east towards Central. City by city. But no one military-wise seemed to get close enough to see this man properly, though the civilians' accounts of who had seen him - it sounded like they were talking about Maes Hughes. In every testimony.

At the moment, it had been nearly a second full day since the last attempt at a communication from the man - with orders to arrest a man fitting the description of Maes Hughes as soon as he arrived at Central Station.

Which is exactly what didn't happen.

No, instead, the man fitting Maes Hughes' description - the man himself in fact ( so he claimed ) - had managed to get into Central Command and into Mustang's office. Where he now sat and waited for the Colonel's return. He'd somehow gotten around everything - every personnel who would recognize him. But he did know this place like the back of his hand, after all. @flamesignite

[batshieroglyphics]

FICLET: Nightmares Locked Away ~ Fullmetal Alchemist ~ Teen

Title: Nightmares Locked Away Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist Author: Batsutousai Rating: Teen Pairing: Gracia/Maes Hughes Warnings: implied alcoholism, mentions of Ishval Prompt: From an anon, Roy Mustang & Maes Hughes, magic/laugh Summary: Maes is worried about Roy, once they've returned to Central, so he drags him to dinner at Gracia's.

And then, Gracia said, "Maes tells me your speciality is fire." Roy went still in a way that sent a shiver down Maes' spine, reminded him of blood-soaked sand and the ever-present scent of burnt flesh, and he was just opening his mouth to interrupt, when Roy said, "Yes, so it is." And then he slipped a hand into one pocket—Maes wasn't surprised that someone gunning for the Führer's seat would keep a one of his most dependable and devastating weapons on his person—and motioned with the other towards one of the candles Maes had lit for the table on autopilot. The flame, instead of roaring into an inferno, as Maes had so often seen in Ishval, divided itself into six, which shifted into the shape of women, and danced around the empty wick. Gracia clapped, clearly delighted, but Maes was left staring at Roy, a little thrown to find that something he'd come to think could only be used for destruction, could also be turned to something purely entertaining.

Read it on Archive of Our Own! (Please note that you will require an AO3 account of your own to read. Please let me know if you need an invite code.)

[ragnar0c]

Did these for the OoS crew... it took a really long time for some reason BAHAHA....

Brainrot underneath the read more as usual. But the pics themselves speak volumes if you know the characters... the brainrot is just in case you don't know, how each character reminds me of each oc. But mainly so I can get the brain worms out of my head!!

EOCs: (Hana, Alope, Ignis, Enid, Tank)

Hana:

Korra, Elise Liedl, Alice (Pandora Hearts), Rita Mordio, Frieren, and Edward Elric

Most like: Elise, Korra, and Rita.

She's desperately trying to prove herself as a Zodiac (Korracore) and has massive dreams of grandeur she'd do anything to fulfill. (ELISE) She likes to think she'd sacrifice anyone and acts cold but really is afraid of connections for the same reason. As a result she's overly attached to the object of her research since she can't hurt it and it can't hurt her. (Rita)

Very reminiscent later on (like frieren) but acts headstrong and louder (like ed or Alice) when she feels passionate enough.

Alope:

Bolin, Rose (Tales of Zestiria), Denji, Mae (Fire emblem echoes), Kanami (Log Horizon), Luz (TOH)

Most like: DENJI

Alope doesn't have a last name or parents it seems. She's stuck in someone else's debt... (Denji) shes poor but it doesn't stop her from being silly and kind initially (Bolin) She does what she needs to do to get jobs done while people hesitate. Along with a strong sense of justice... poor common sense while in conversation tho. (Rose++ Also Alope is scared of ghosts just like her too. )

one thing comes to another and Alope goes from that loud kind girl to someone who's been traumatized and feeling at fault... Wrestling her self doubt and resentment but at the same time will still do anything to right her wrongs. (LUZ MY BABY)

Mae and Kanami are there for vibes. They radiate Alopenergy

Ignis:

Niren Fedrock, Kento Nanami, Vander, Optimus Prime, Hohenheim, Lukas (fire emblem echoes)

Most like: Hohenheim.

An ex knight who follows a strict code of chivalry... he's kind, takes the helm with things are chaotic and is a good leader (Optimus, Lukas). It could be seen as a sort of facade though. Considering he left his past behind and this is sort of his last attempt to relive/fix it but better and older. (Hohenheim)

He's aloof and calm at first which gives him a cold look. But is notoriously sensitive when you know him. (Hohenheim) cares deeply for his family and guild (Vander. Niren). But is especially estranged from them at times with the whole aloof... reliving his past thing.... (HOHENHEIM. Lukas a little)

Nanami is on there bc his principle that adults should do things and not children is something Ignis strongly believes too. It's why he's so concerned about the girls.

Enid:

Reki Kyan, Okappa (Plastic Nee-san), Kisara Nanjo, Enid (O.K.KO), Brunhilde (Record of Ragnarok), Chastel and Hisca Aiheap (Tales of Vesperia: First Strike).

Most like: Reki Kyan.

A Monk whose emotions fluctuate constantly. (Brunhilde) They try to be levelheaded initially but are si passionate about others it spills over in excitement or anger (Reki). Prone to comedy violence when pissed (Okappa). Watches over the guild like how the twins (Chastel and Hisca)... so like nagging sisters BAHAHAH.

A skilled fighter, but has a soft side. (Kisara) they are trying to tap into it, but neglecting their fighting skill, something that was a big part of their identity seems to have made them doubt themselves and envy the others. (Kisara. Reki.)

Enid O.K. KO is the literal inspiration for Enid's name and a littleeee bit of their voice too. I crushed on Enid O.K. KO pretty hard and love the name bc her.

Tank:

Shikamaru, Raven (Tales of Vesperia), Lavi (D-gray man), Maes Hughes, Jake the dog, Saber (Fire emblem echoes)

Most like: tbh. I thought initially that Tank's board was the craziest but all these characters are so much like him I can't pick.

A guy who seems laid back and lazy and complains about work. Does anything to "avoid" it. Who always puts on a huge show so people don't suspect a thing from him. In reality, Tank is very meticulous and picks up on things about his guild before the others do. And despite his complaints about work will always pull more than his weight when he has to. (Literally all of them)

Though he's shady, he stays beside Enid and treats them like a sibling. (Saber) Though at times his treatment of them is dubious and he gives them counter productive advice (Jake)... He sees Enid as an idealist and would do anything to protect her (Hughes). He tries to keep his distance from everyone else, but the longer he stays the harder her finds it as he nature picks up on all the little things about them they don't know. (Lavi) Seems to have some unspoken backstory that affected him and changes his motives. (Raven and Shikamaru)

[limetameta]

Riza Hawkeye: If you ask Kimblee about anywhere in Amestris, he's able to tell you one important landmark to visit there. He's like a walking travel log.

Roy Mustang: Let's test this out.

Maes Hughes: Oi, Kimblee, ever heard of this *tiny town in the South of Amestris*? There anything cool to see there.

Kimblee: *gives detailed account of many things to see there*

Roy: How about North City?

Kimblee: *gives overview of all local attractions* Do you want to travel there? It's a bit cold for me. *lists temperatures in different seasons*

Riza: You've never been to these places?

Kimblee: Oh, no, no. :D I just read about them.

Maes, narrows his eyes: Why?

Kimblee, as if waiting all his life for someone to ask him this: My alchemy teacher would code her research in travel logs. I know more about Amestris than I care to, if I'm being honest. I wish she'd coded her alchemy in cooking recipes - I might have learned something useful... now I just know all about the material and immaterial cultural heritage of Amestris. :/ Ask me about the rainiest town in Amestris, Hughes.

Maes: No, that's all right.

Kimblee: No, ask me. Ask me about the rainiest spot in Amestris.

Riza: What's the deal with our climates?

Kimblee: Don't get me started on the climates! We have a mountain climate, some sort of moderate-continental climate, a continental climate, a desert climate, and then whatever near-tropical monstrocity we have going on in the west. Amestris is a wonder. I don't understand how such a country can exist. Ask me about the wind.

Roy: What's the deal with the wind?

Kimblee: Why, Mustang!! I'm so glad you decided to ask -

Maes, whispering: Holy shit we unleashed something.

Riza: He really looks like he's been waiting for this moment all his life.

Roy: Please, I think I've learned enough.

Kimblee: Oh! Oh but no - how could you forget to task me about the foreign currencies! Amestris didn't have cens throughout the entire country until 1899, you know! My teacher would have me learn all of the currencies and the conversion rates because she'd hide critical alchemy information after calculating how much one coffee cost in South City while using the Aeruogonian lir - which South Amestris used! Because of inflation that hit the entire country!? And then from the Aeurognian lir you'd have to convert it to whatever currency they used in the North in 1857. Do you know which currency they used in the North in 1857?

Riza: Cens?

Kimblee: No! Central and West used cens. East and Ishval used their own thing that was brought over from Xing of all places. South used the lirs. Try and guess - really - try and guess what the North used. South using the Aerugonian lir makes complete sense due to their geographical proximity.

Riza: The Drachman rubbes?

Kimblee: No. No, you'd think so, wouldn't you? That would be the logical conclusion to this thought exercise - but you would be wrong.

Roy and Maes, pensive af: We're stumped. Tell us.

Kimblee, all but vibrating with sheer loathing at what he's going to say next: The Aerugonian lir. There was a brief period of time in Amestrian history when the North of Amestris self-accepted and integrated the Aerugonian lir into their economic system. There's no legal document that says they got anybody's permission to do this. They just decided to do it on their own because it was the most stable currency. Central even imposed a ban on the lir in South Amestris because it was seen as unpatriotic - there was political play here. But even then! Even after the ban - North Amestris continued to use the lir even after Aerugo got rid of it in 1859. There was a moment when the only part in this continent that was using the lir was North City. Not even all of NA - no, just NC! Briggs invented its own currency, but luckily that was shut down only after seven months. This entire pandemonium lasted for close to 20 years all because in 1850 State Alchemist Pare transmutated an obscene amount of gold and just released it into the wild!

Mustang, patting Kimblee on the back: Maybe you should talk about Ishval in order to calm down, huh?

Maes, jumping in at seeing Kimblee's murderous look: THE WAR, Kimblee, not whatever travel log you read about Ishval. You know, the civil war you served in. *sweaty thumbs up*

Riza: I'm still curious about the rainiest spot in Amestris, tbh.

Kimblee: You know that small town in the forest bordering East and South Amestris? It's called Blost.

Riza: Yes.

Kimblee: Well, there's this cute monument in the shape of a bucket on a small hill. The bucket's constantly full because it rains so often over there.

Maes: That's actually a really interesting piece of information and I'll be sure to note it and take Gracia sightseeing. You got any more cool stuff to share? *getting his notepad and pen*

Kimblee, murder in his eyes: There's a cave system in West Amestris that has never been explored. It's got a 100% mortality rate. Would you like to go there?

[middlechildanxiety]

For every problem I have with The Church, nothing bad ever actually happened to me at church. There are two incidents that stand out to me as good things that I think should be more common.

The first: I did child care for an addiction recovery program, supporting people who have already gone through most of the actual programs to provide support and community for them. It went through my church, so I knew the code to get into the nursery and would just wait to see if kids showed up that week.

One week, a man came to the doors that was not part of the program. I went to ask him if I could help him, what he needed, and an older male church member came out of nowhere and refused to leave me alone with the strange man. Turns out he was homeless and trying to get a job, he did get one and later an apartment in town over the next couple of years, but what I remember most from that day is that a strange man was not allowed to be alone with me.

The second: I was waiting outside an office at the church and an older gentleman came in. He also had to wait. I could see him mentally trying to figure out what to say that wouldn't make things more awkward as we were the only two people there. He eventually decided on "gushing about my wife". I remember after about 7 minutes I realized that if I married a man this is how I want him to talk about me. It felt very Maes Hughes. He was nothing but amazed with this woman and wanted me to know why. I had never felt so comfortable.

I want more men so in love with their wives they can gush for over 15 minutes, who recognize the danger and want to mitigate it. I think that church had some great people in it, and I want more of those people, who bring toilet paper and paper plates after a funeral on top of a casserole. Who sit and listen to your favorite stories of a dead relative for over an hour. Those people are the ones I want to keep around

[words-writ-in-starlight]

DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS MESSAGE UNTIL YOU START WANTING FIC PROMPTS BUT UM...I just had a few I wanted to throw at you: daemon AU, things you write on your skin show up on theirs soulmate AU, arranged marriage AU, alchemist!Riza AU BECAUSE REASONS, Rapunzel AU because Roy as Eugene speaks to me, Animorphs fusion where Roy is Jake and Riza is his Cassie, Dragon Age fusion where Roy is the Warden and Riza is the daughter of that one terrifying Warden researches from the Origins DLC...

I already wrote some stuff for the daemon AU because that’s my secret weakness, but soulmate AU’s are NOT a secret weakness in any way.  I meant for this to be more lighthearted.  It is not.

Roy Mustang has not allowed anyone to see him with his shirt off for years, when Miss Hawkeye takes him aside into a hotel room.  He knows what she’s going to show him before the last button on her shirt is undone, but it still makes him let out a breath.

“I--I’ve never seen it properly,” he says, almost a murmur, as if they’re still standing over her father’s grave, and he reaches out without a thought to trace a finger over the coiling line of the alchemical circle.  She doesn’t even twitch at the contact.  

“He never would have done it if he knew,” she says, just as low.  “He never--it never occurred to him that there would be anyone.”

Roy bites back the initial rush of anger.  Master Hawkeye was a good teacher, as such things went, but almost merciless with his students--he had driven away seven apprentices before Roy.  Miss Hawkeye had watched them all come and go, even Roy, eventually, and her father had been almost disinterested in her, all because she had no talent for alchemy.  He would never have thought to ask if his loyal, quiet daughter had a soulmate whose skin might show his secrets.

“He used you as a living code,” Roy murmured, the same thing he had thought when the tattoo began to creep across his own back.  The anger isn’t as far gone as it could be.  

Miss Hawkeye makes a dismissive motion with one hand.  “He’s dead.  I’ll show it to who I want, and you deserve to see the whole thing.  I would have shown you even if I didn’t think it would be of use, out there in the desert.”  There’s a beat.  “You could have gotten someone to examine it for you, or copy it down.”

“I didn’t know who I could trust to keep the secret,” Roy admits, resisting the urge to press his palm flat against the span of her back, the smooth skin between her shoulders.  Her skin is warm and firm under his fingertips, and she’s grown into the solemn eyes and sharp jaw she had even as a little girl, into a woman who stands like she means to lift the world on her shoulders.

Roy’s seen plenty of women in his life, maybe more beautiful than the stubborn girl with her calloused hands and stubborn chin and skin that spoke to his.  Kissed a few of them, slept with some.  But no one’s ever taken his breath away quite like her, in this inappropriate moment to be breathless.

Even the red of the tattoo--a pretty bit of alchemy if he’s ever seen one, he has to admit, a life’s work condensed into a circle and a few notes--matches perfectly with her skin, as if her father chose the color to flatter her.  

It’s an unfairness, Roy decides suddenly, that the symbol of her father’s disinterest in Riza Hawkeye save as an alchemist, or failing that as an alchemical notebook, is beautiful.

“Thank you,” Miss Hawkeye says, and it takes Roy a moment to realize what she’s thanking him for.  For keeping the secret, of course.  

“Your father would be furious with you for giving it to me, Miss Hawkeye,” Roy says, taking refuge in formality.  He’s never quite been able to call her Riza.  A slippery slope he spends far too much time on the brink of, that slide into familiarity.

“My father is dead, Mister Mustang.  I’d prefer that you have any tools you need not to follow.”

She says it with absolute assurance.  She’s always been so assured.

“All right,” Roy says at last.  “Then if you wouldn’t mind lying down so that I can have a closer look.”

All through Ishval, Roy never lets anyone except, once, Maes see his back.  Maes squints at it and says, “I think you need a girlfriend, Roy.  Alchemy won’t love you back.”

Roy freezes, about three days too exhausted to have even thought about stripping his shirt off.  It takes a moment before he can laugh and write it off as an alchemist’s version of a drunken mistake.  Too many shots to celebrate his new watch and rank, see, nothing more.  His aunt would be proud of him.

Maes is smarter than most people give him credit for--talking to him is a masterclass in playing the fool, and Roy’s never taken the man offguard even once--and he never brings up Roy’s tattoo again.

It’s like a flashback, standing behind Hawkeye--just Hawkeye now, Cadet and then Private and then higher, the Hawk’s Eye, his guardian in the shadows--with her shirt on the ground and his fingertips on her back.  Roy knows what a flashback feels like, now.  He trails his fingers over the red lettering and feels the strangest pressure in his chest, as if he’s about to cry for those younger selves, Roy who wasn’t yet the Flame Alchemist and Miss Hawkeye.

“Are you sure?” he asks, barely more than a whisper.

“I’m sure,” she says.  “You know the secret.  No one else should ever have it.”

She’s not wrong.  

Roy is unique, in all the state alchemists who marched on Ishval.  He can count the soldiers lost from his unit on his fingers, and two of them were to a desert flu that ravaged the camp.  The rest were to personal error on the part of the soldiers--wandering alone through violent regions, or falling asleep on guard.  Because where other alchemists turned out with gunmen at their sides, or left such massive collateral damage that they were as likely to kill their own soldiers as Ishvalans, the Flame Alchemist’s men were safe.  They stood back and--snap, snap, snap, Roy leveled villages.  His soldiers went home to their families, with the memory of what the death of thousands smelled like on the wind.

The secret to flame alchemy will die with Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye, if they have anything to say about it.

Roy just hates the reality of how to ensure it.

“Lieutenant Colonel,” Hawkeye says firmly.  “I’m sure.”

Roy lets out a slow breath.  “Okay,” he says, feeling a familiar sort of numbness settle in his chest where he should be sick instead.  “Sit down in that chair, with your back toward me, and find something to put in your mouth.”

Hawkeye produces a belt and clenches the leather between her teeth as if she’s already thought this through.  Then she locks both hands around her wrists, threaded through the back of a sturdy wooden chair so that her chin hangs over the headrest.  She looks like a woman bracing for torture.

“Take a deep breath,” Roy says, and grips her shoulder with one hand, briefly, the only thing he can offer her.  They’ve never said I’m sorry to each other and he suspects that she would ignore him if he said it now.  Then he takes his hand away and pulls on his gloves, and says, “Try not to scream.”

His first burst of flames, oxygen-rich to force the heat higher and as obsessively controlled as any he’s ever used, sears away the top two layers of her flesh.  It’s like trying to do surgery with a hatchet--too deep and he’ll risk her life, too shallow and he won’t take off the tattoo, and it all has to look accidental while covering up the vital parts of the array.  Roy lets the first burst fade and the room is silent except for Hawkeye’s ragged panting.  She hasn’t made a sound.

“Just one more,” he tells her.  

She nods, a sharp jerk of her head, and doesn’t so much as whimper as he snaps again and obliterates the vital part of the equation.

The flames flicker out and Roy stares at Hawkeye’s back, tries to think if anyone would be able to make out the lettering anymore.  If he destroys the writing on her back, his own should follow, even though scars don’t carry along the bond--it just has to erase the ink.  He thinks it’s probably good enough.

She’s trembling, he realizes with a crack in the numbness.  She probably can’t control it--her back is already starting to blister seriously at her left shoulder, and the room smells like burning skin.  There’s no charring, though, and no white bone even at the vulnerable line of her shoulder blade, and the tattoo is, if not unreadable, at least useless without half the circle and all the vital information.

“All right,” Roy says quietly.  “We’re done.  Let me get some gauze.”

The next time Maes sees Roy shirtless, it’s half an accident again--hungover, not exhausted, this time, because Maes insisted that Roy be his best man and therefore match him drink for drink at the bachelor party.  Fortunately, Roy’s alcohol tolerance is about two shots superior to Maes’, so he’s usually the level-headed one.

Usually.

This time, Maes doesn’t crack a joke.  Here, in the relative security of Roy’s apartment, he just observes Roy’s back while Roy eyes him in a mirror.

“Looks like some nasty scarring that took out that tattoo,” Maes says.  “Who’s got the marks?”

Roy considers, just for a moment, telling the truth.  Not one living human being knows--Maes, he thinks, suspects, but Roy’s never admitted it, and Hawkeye would tell him if someone got it out of her, he knows it without a doubt.  But...

Maes is his best friend, the second most trusted person in the world to Roy, and just for once, just for one moment, Roy wants nothing more than to turn around and talk about his soulmate, who is competent and kind and beautiful and perfect, perfect in every way, who he trusts with his life, to save it or take it as needed, and who trusted him to turn his flames against her bare skin and then to tend her wounds in the weeks that followed.  He understands, for a split second, the way Maes talks about his wife-to-be, because he wants that.  He wants to tell someone all the things he loves about Riza Hawkeye until they hate him for it.

Roy turns around with a sincerely apologetic half-smile and lies to Maes’ face.

Maes doesn’t hold it against him.

[fullmtal]

EDWARD / THE ELRIC BROTHERS + HOLIDAYS / OR EDWARD IS AN UNDERCOVER KIND GREMLIN. tl;dr: WITH BITEY TEETH.

I like to imagine on special holidays that Edward while loathe to bring any trace of Resembool (out of protection) beyond basic details to Central ? He specifically either early or late canon goes with his little brother laden because I also headcanon Granny Pinako STUFFS him with country cooking for the journey? He is a country boy after all, to carry with the rest of his luggage laden with books, his ‘travelogue’ (alchemical codes / notes no one but he can read they’re so damn complicated) and just goes out awkwardly asking if anyone wants  / needs some leftovers to take home / stock the pantry. It’s his silent and roundabout way of asking if anyone wants fried apples, some pie, though you really have to do equivalent exchange on the pie because Edward isn’t one to really share food, he eats like a horse --- no really you’re risking your life -

-- it’s different on the holidays. His mother always made it grander and funner than anything he ever dreamed, -- when all they needed was her smiling in the snowy months -- didn’t have to be religious, he made it plain to her early on he wasn’t interested, as was Al, who tends to follow Edward’s lead, much in one instance (that red night) to a deference that cost them both before we see him gradually break away from being constantly following his big brother’s lead / opinions / insight as much as he roasts him, Alphonse trusts his big brother to make good choices because no one knows how unselfish his heart is but him when it really, usually, always matters. Or good. Even if Edward tries to bury it, a good person can’t hide their light so they say. And Edward’s is blinding as much as he muffles it because he doesn’t think he deserves it annnd that’s a whole can of another analysis.

So it isn’t uncommon if Fuery or Hawkeye or hell, including Mustang (who probably in the weirdest form of affection, gets every time his favorite dish of leftovers which is absolutely delicious) all this food. While the Rockbells have no love for the military, they have to place their trust in Mustang and his crew to a POINT, for having Ed and Al under their watch and after Armstrong comes along the first time in canon they go back to Resembool to fix their broken bodies and Al gets put in the sheep cargo hold? I headcanon that Armstrong is Pinako’s favorite because he’s a sweetheart how can you hate him? so he gets all the sweets and goodies and Edward almost dies from a hug / quickly bolts before Major Armstrong can scoop him in his arms and cry.

Basically the entire team gets the best food in the form of leftovers you could imagine, and Ed tries to brush it off but he isn’t for once, fooling anyone unlike Alphonse, more blatant in his affection for them and the Hughes family, post Maes’ death and prior, ( yes they visit with loads of delicious food and a few toys they made with alchemy for Elicia ) unlike his guarded, naturally wary brother. He has to be. He’s the oldest, and he has to make sure the people they’re surrounded by are semi-safe or Edward will beat them sideways if Al doesn’t for looking at his baby brother wrong.

It isn’t Trisha’s - Rockbell holidays, Christmas, Halloween, etc. But Ed will admit there’s some kind of weird warmth in feeling for once, as a kid who long died and broke too hard, almost young, in these festivities. 

Some say even that the Fullmetal Alchemist smiles more; a pep in his short step and a swing in his braid. Safe to say be it Gracia, Maes, Elicia, or Armstrong, Brosh, Ross and Mustang’s crew, no one goes hungry on the holidays if the Elrics are involved.

[fluffykitty1999-blog]

Dog of the Military- Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Early Assignment

For once in his life, Edward was early. He was never early. But he'd slept a lot on the night train to Central, meaning he decided to send Al back to the dorms upon their arrival and decided to pay a visit to Mustang's office first thing that morning to drop off his report.

Apparently, he was the second one here- aside from Mustang himself. There must have been inspections coming up, if the Bastard was here this early in the morning working.

The door to Mustang's office was closed, and Ed walked through the empty desks of the outer office, thinking about how early in the day it was and how odd it was to be here before all the other office members.

He was about to kick through the door to Mustang's office in true Fullmetal fashion and scare the hell out of Colonel Bastard, when he paused. He heard a voice on the other side of the door. Mustang was talking to someone?

"I know that Hughes. Yeah, I know it's from over my head, but I don't have to like it. I don't want to send him. He's just a kid."

There was a pause, and Ed realized Mustang must've been on the phone with someone as he listened to their reply.

"He may be a state alchemist, but he's only been here six months. He has a terrible attitude, hates authority, and this is BIG, Hughes. This report is a matter of national security- if he messes it up he could be tortured or killed. This intel is sensitive- very sensitive- all the higher ups have been clamoring for it. This could make or break my next promotion."

Ed hung back still. He knew Roy was talking about him, and that stung slightly. Sure, he was pretty rude and he had an attitude most times, and yeah his reports were a little sloppy sometimes, but he thought he'd been doing pretty good as a state alchemist, considering he was only thirteen.

His wounded pride aside, Mustang sounded concerned- something he hardly ever heard from his superior. Whatever it was, it had to be big.

"It's not like I'm sending him to investigate about a rumor on a rock in some backwater town, Maes. I'm sending him across the Drachman Border. He's not field agent, he's an alchemist. Yes, I know they won't suspect him. But if he finds trouble- and it's Ed, he always finds trouble- I'm going to have a hell of a time helping him. Once he crosses that border- he's on his own. They're not going to let me send anyone in after him. And his brother can't go with him either this time. So no, I'm not happy."

Ed frowned, forehead creasing and his hand clenching, crumpling his report, which he held in it tightly. They were sending him across the Drachman border? It was fall, so it wasn't unseasonably cold, at least, but still, he didn't like the idea any more than Colonel Bastard.

Especially without Al. He knew he was a good fighter, but the thought of going to a foreign nation without his brother was daunting. The base of his spine tingled. Mustang had said he'd be alone- nobody could come help him if he needed it.

What would happen to Alphonse if he didn't come back?

He quickly shook himself out of those thoughts, however, steeling his expression and himself. He'd been through far worse before. There was only one option- he'd have to come back. No room for failure. There never was.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. I'll talk to you later Hughes. See you." there was silence. Mustang must've hung up the phone.

Ed waited a few minutes in the silence, before he was sure Mustang wouldn't think his conversation had been overheard, before kicking the door open and strutting into the room like nothing was amiss at all.

He slapped his report onto the man's desk with fervor, flashing that trademark smirk he had. "I got my report, you bastard."

"Any promising results?" Roy looked nonplussed as he rested his elbows on his desk and interlaced his fingers, cradling his chin on them.

"No. But I'm gonna find it." Ed snarled.

"Is that why you're here so early?" Mustang cocked an eyebrow.

"Maybe. You have any more leads for me?"

"On the stone, no." Mustang pursed his lips, sifting through the paperwork and finding a folder. "But you've been assigned a mission."

"Gimmie." Ed was already grabbing the folder, but Mustang held it out of his reach. He frowned. "Sit." he pointed a gloved hand at a chair.

Ed frowned by pulled up a chair, sitting down and glaring at Mustang. "Can't I just have the folder?"

"Not this time, Fullmetal. I'm briefing you for this mission myself. This isn't about the stone, and I wouldn't have chosen you for this mission, but it's been given from higher up, so my opinion doesn't matter here."

Roy handed over the folder, and Ed started to flip through it.

There were pictures, and maps- he wasn't going to be crossing into Drachma at Fort Briggs. That was surprising.

"The higher ups have been concerned about certain infrastructure and military movements on the northwest Drachman border. We have an agent across the border with critical intel- your mission is to cross the border undetected and retrieve it. You'll be posing as Franklin Ivanov- a Drachman teenager from a border city. You're to meet our agent in a Drachman cafe, recite the code phrase, get the intel, and slip back across the border undetected. This is a stealth mission, Fullmetal. Emphasis on stealth."

Ed's brows furrowed. "Alright, Bastard, since you obviously don't think I'm capable, then why send me at all?"

Roy sighed. "I didn't say you were incapable, Fullmetal. You've just never done these types of missions before. It's... sensitive. Tensions have always been high between Drachma and Amestris, but if you get lost in the mountain passes on your way- I doubt the higher ups will send anyone after you."

"Yadda yadda. I face certain death if I fail. I understand high stakes, Bastard. But why. choose. me?"

"The higher ups have chosen you because they think the Drachmans won't suspect a child as an Amestrian agent." Roy's face darkened. "Most of the missions I give you are quite... flexible. There isn't room for error in this mission. Lives, quite literally, are at stake, and this will affect Amestrian troop movements, as well as your- and my- positions in the Amestrian military. Understood?"

"Yeah, I get it." Ed nodded, still not looking thrilled.

He flipped to the next page. There was a train ticket to Goldenfield City on it- a small command post in a mining town near the Drachman border.

"Any other cheery news you wish to impress upon me, or can I go?"

"Impatient as always, Fullmetal." Roy groused, looking irritated. "I still have more information for you. You're to meet with Colonel Banks at the fort, and spend the night there. They'll outfit you with supplies and maps of the mountain passes to get to the rendezvous point. You'll have 3 days to get in, get the intel, and return home."

Roy slid something across the table carefully. "When you reach the rendezvous point in Drachma and get the intel- mail this postcard. Its arrival will let us in Central know you've arrived without issue and have the information, and if you fall off the map it will narrow our search area a little, knowing you made it to the rendezvous and probably got lost or run into trouble on the way back."

"I thought you said nobody would come looking if I didn't come back?"

"If I can prove you have the intel with you, the higher ups might be willing to let us attempt to retrieve you. I make no promises, Fullmetal. I'm not exactly pleased with the situation either."

"Yeah, well, I am a dog of the military and all. Guess I need to do some tricks." Ed stood, grim and tired of the gloom and doom conversation.

"Hey Bastard-" Ed paused halfway out the door. "If something does happen- take care of Alphonse, will ya?"

"I don't want to have to keep that promise, Fullmetal."

"I don't want you too either, Bastard. But you will." Ed turned and marched out the door, content with that answer. Mustang may have been a bastard, and didn't want to acknowledge the possibility that Ed might not come back- but his answer was enough to let Ed know that if he was gone, Mustang would make sure Alphonse was taken care of.

He sighed, unclenching his gloved fists and heading back to the dorms. He quickly packed his things and briefed Al on the situation. He made sure to minimize the danger- he didn't want to needlessly worry his brother.

"A day to get there, 3 days to complete the mission, and a day to get back. I won't even be gone for a week, Al. Not long at all." Ed reassured.

"I know. I just wish I could come along." Alphonse couldn't keep the dismay from his voice.

"Yeah, me too Alphonse." Ed admitted, brushing his bangs out of his face. "Tell you what- why don't you take some research books from the library and visit Winry and Granny for the week? I'll send you a postcard when I reach Fort Goldenfield- from there, I'll be back in almost no time at all. In fact, I might stop by Risembool and get you after I stop at Central."

"That's a good idea." Al brightened slightly at the notion- Ed knew Alphonse didn't want to be alone.

"Get your stuff, then. We can walk to the train station together." Ed smiled, and Al brightened, gathering the books he wanted to bring with him before they started towards the train station together.

Ed kept up the false cheer until he and Al boarded their respective trains. Once he was alone, he found his own compartment in the train, shutting the door and pulling the mission maps form his folder, trying to commit them to memory.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't concerned. He had to be ready for this- the intel was critical, and he needed to come back alive for Al.

That’s right! A new story! If you’ve enjoyed this, I’d super appreciate it if you’d drop by my ko-fi and just give $3 here https://ko-fi.com/fluffykitty12. It absolutely MAKES MY WEEK. 

[tabloidtoc]

Life & Style, May 10

You can buy a brand new copy of this issue without the mailing label for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Celeb Diet & Fitness Tips

Page 1: Photo Flash -- Tom Cruise is well known for doing his own stunts, but during a location shoot in Yorkshire, U.K. for Mission: Impossible 7, Tom's co-stars Hayley Atwell and Esai Morales proved they were no slouches either: all three actors wowed onlookers with their daredevil moves aboard a train that was in motion

Page 2: Contents

Page 4: The Top 10 Floral Looks -- follow these stars' style lead and celebrate the spring season in fresh prints -- Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, Kelsea Ballerini

Page 5: Cate Blanchett, Elle Fanning, Gabrielle Union, Kathryn Newton, Mindy Kaling

Page 6: There's no limit to what Angelina Jolie wouldn't do for her kids and instead of living abroad, she purchased a home for them in L.A. because she wanted it to be close to their dad Brad Pitt and now, Angie reveals she's had to give up her dream of directing because she had a change in her family situation that's not made it possible for her to direct for a few years and she needed to just do shorter jobs and be home more, so she went back to doing a few acting jobs -- Angie filed for divorce from Brad in 2016 and while they were declared legally single in 2019, the former couple have yet to settle on a permanent custody arrangement for kids Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne while at age 19, son Maddox Jolie-Pitt is able to make his own decisions about whom he lives with and Angelina is blowing through millions of dollars on lawyers and she isn't broke, but she can't exactly afford to stop working either and amid mounting legal bills, Angie's signed on to blockbusters like Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Marvel's Eternals and while Angelina would rather work behind the scenes, it's too time-consuming and as an actress, she can make ends meet and be there for her kids

Page 8: Less than a month after giving birth to her third child, a baby girl named Mae, Hilary Duff is opening up about the pressure that comes with breastfeeding, saying all of the babies latch really great but she's just not a huge milk producer, so it's emotional for her and she has tons of anxiety, and then she's in her head, and then she doesn't feel like enough, and then the spiral continues from there -- she decided to share her postpartum struggle as a way to cope and to let other new mothers out there know that they're not alone in this

* Sarah Jessica Parker is trying to convince Hugh Grant to star in the upcoming Sex and the City reboot because it's unlikely Chris Noth will be returning as Mr. Big, so she needs a new leading man and Hugh's the perfect candidate -- Sarah Jessica finds him so charming and talented and she was blown away by Hugh's recent acting in The Undoing so she's desperate to have him on the show -- Sarah Jessica, who appeared alongside Hugh in 1996's Extreme Measures and 2009's Did You Hear About the Morgans?, absolutely loves the idea of working with Hugh again and he hasn't agreed to anything yet, but she's hoping he'll say yes

Page 12: The Week in Photos -- Bathing Beauties -- Sailor Brinkley-Cook and her rescue pup Chester, Rita Ora on the sand of Bondi Beach in an orange bikini, Kate Hudson celebrated the launch of Fabletics new active swim line by jumping in the pool

Page 13: Olivia Culpo in a green bikini, Vanessa Hudgens in a red-halter swimsuit

Page 14: James Corden dressed up as rapper Bad Bunny's arch rival Good Bunny for a sketch on The Late Late Show

Page 16: Stars Behaving Badly -- Derek Hough played makeup artist for Hayley Erbert, Total Bellas twins Nikki Bella and Brie Bella put Bachelor Nation's Jason Tartick and Matt James in headlocks at Wrestlemania, host T.J. James let his tongue do the talking on the NYC set of Good Morning America

Page 18: Say What?! Mark Wahlberg on trying to put on 30 pounds in six weeks for the movie Father Stu, Selena Gomez on her Only Murders in the Building co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, Margaret Josephs on five decades of wearing fake eyelashes, Jamie Dornan on his devotion to The Golden Girls

Page 20: Chris Hemsworth landed in hot water with Elsa Pataky after pics of him hanging out with Australian stunner Cheyenne Tozzi hit the internet -- Chris was photographed with the model at Zambi Wildlife Retreat in Wallacia while his wife was off shooting Interceptor in Sydney and it's definitely put Elsa on high alert and she had a lot of questions for Chris when they finally spoke and Chris said he had the kids with him and it was all very innocent -- the couple has often been at odds over their careers and while Chris and Elsa try to coordinate their schedules so that their children, daughter India and twin sons Sasha and Tristan, are always with one parent, Elsa was usually the one forced to put family before fame, but now that Elsa's been working more, she's not always home like she used to be, and this little incident was a huge wake-up call because she might trust Chris, but she isn't stupid: who would want their handsome husband running around with a blond bombshell?

Page 21: Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Claudia Jordan is alleging that Kanye West made a move on her while he was still with Kim Kardashian, saying he tried years ago when she and Nikki Chu were in the club and they shut the door and she had met him before and she hung out with Kim as well and because of Girl Code, she couldn't do it

* Jennifer Lopez isn't wasting any time getting back on the dating scene after splitting from Alex Rodriguez -- J. Lo can't help feeling that she squandered a good couple of years on A-Rod and she doesn't want another ring; she just wants to have fun

Page 22: Cover Story -- Stars' Summer Body Secrets Revealed -- discover the diet and fitness tricks these celebs swear by -- Gwen Stefani's shedding for the wedding, Julianne Hough skips the gym

Page 23: Kate Hudson's flat belly formula, total transformations: Adele, Rebel Wilson

Page 24: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker engaged on her 42nd birthday -- after just four months of dating, Kourtney and Travis are ready to take the next step in their romance

Page 26: The Osbournes: Family in Crisis -- personal, professional and physical setbacks plague Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne and their daughter Kelly Osbourne -- after a heated on-air argument over Piers Morgan's treatment of Meghan Markle, Sharon was accused of racism toward co-hosts behind the scenes -- Ozzy's health is always an issue and he's had to rehab from pneumonia, neck surgery and more over the past few years but he's stubborn and acts like he's still a young rock star -- while she's back in AA, Kelly was scared to admit she'd relapsed while her mom was dealing with her own scandal

Page 28: Prince William and Duchess Kate: Stepping Up for Queen Elizabeth -- as the queen grapples with tremendous loss, Prince William and Kate Middleton provide support -- a frail-looking Queen Elizabeth sat alone due to COVID-19 restrictions at the funeral of Prince Philip, whom she called her strength and stay and the loss has been even harder than she expected -- William and Kate are lightening the queen's load and they worked on the queen birthday to give her time to mourn

Page 30: John Travolta breaks his silence on losing Kelly Preston -- for the first time since Kelly's death, John opens up about his personal journey through grief

Page 36: Who Lives Here? Rihanna

Page 38: Beauty Beat -- spring's prettiest pastel polish -- embrace warm weather with a lacquered look the complements the season -- Jennifer Lopez

Page 40: Diva or Down-to-Earth? Alison Brie shopped for her own groceries at Gelson's in L.A. -- down-to-earth, Rachel Brosnahan's hairstylist went to work in between scenes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in NYC -- diva, Kylie Jenner kicked up her heels on a private plane -- diva

Page 42: Social Stars Posts of the Week -- Kerry Washington stopped and smelled the roses, Snoop Dogg and Blake Shelton, Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman looked straight out of the '80s in a scene from the latest movie Thunder Force, Nicole Scherzinger in a bikini in Hawaii

Page 44: Horoscope -- Taurus Adele turned 33 on May 5

* They're Not Together, But They Should Be -- Sagittarius Ashley Benson and Cancer Chace Crawford

Page 48: What I'm Into -- Mayim Bialik

[fullmetalscullyy]

the way it was - chapter 22

summary:  what if riza never went to war?  riza hawkeye has just married the man she loves. six months into their marriage, an unexpected surprise stops her from following roy to the military. a canon divergence au that explores what might have happened had riza been unable to join the military. there will be plenty of family fluff, angst, and royai.

rated: m | warnings: no archive warning apply

read on ao3

1914

but you're a king and i'm a lionheart

When Chris had invited Riza and Mia around to the bar for dinner, Riza didn’t expect her daughter to be whisked away immediately by Vanessa as soon as they set foot inside the bar. Chris approached with determination.

“We need to talk.”

Anxiety settled in Riza’s stomach. What was all this about? There was no room for argument as Chris turned on her heel and walked away, expecting Riza to follow.

Riza wondered if this had something to do with Roy. He’d suddenly called shortly after arriving at work that morning to say that he wouldn’t be home until late that night. He had some work to do, but he was sorry, and he loved them both. She didn’t think much of it, just told him to be safe and got on with her day. Then, Chris called shortly afterwards, encouraging Riza to come for dinner. While she thought it would be lovely to spend the evening with her mother-in-law, there was a tiny niggle in the back of her mind that something was happening behind the scenes.

Chris led the way through to the backroom of the bar, into her home. She led Riza into her kitchen without any kind of indication of what the topic of discussion would be, and that made the wait worse. Was this something she needed to worry about? Riza’s thoughts were interrupted by Mia’s happy squeal from somewhere in the house, followed by Vanessa’s laugh.

Uncertainty clawed at Riza’s heart. She wanted to ask what was going on but knew better. Everything Chris did was for a reason, so if she was leading Riza away from Mia then it was something their daughter shouldn’t overhear. Riza bit her tongue.

Once inside the kitchen, Chris gestured for Riza to sit.

“Roy will be working late tonight, but I’m sure you already know about that.”

“He called this morning,” Riza confirmed.

Chris nodded. “He’s going to do something tonight, and wanted you brought here as a precaution.”

“What’s he doing?” Riza asked. Her stomach tightened at the serious look on Chris’ face.

“He’s going to fake someone’s death using his flame alchemy.” There was no hesitation, she stated it as bluntly as she could.

“Oh…" Riza's heart thudded inside her chest at the revelation. "Wait.” Riza paused, something clicking inside of her mind. “Does this have anything to do with Maria Ross?”

It had been all over the papers for a few days. Apparently the soldier had killed Maes Hughes. Initially, Riza had scrutinised the photo and wondered how that woman could have taken someone else’s life. She’d been an exemplary soldier, according to the news, so why would she murder one of her own? The story didn’t quite add up for Riza, and it didn’t for Roy either.

They hadn’t spoken much about it. They didn’t get a chance really when Mia was around. However, he’d spent more time in his study in the evenings after Mia had gone to bed. Riza would pop her head in and ask if he needed anything, only to be greeted by a tired smile and the reassurance he was all right. She’d spotted Maes’ name on the papers in front of him, alongside Maria Ross', which Roy had quickly scribbled down then scored out. Riza knew he was investigating his friend’s death and was worried for him. Roy explained he couldn’t do it at work, so would spend an hour or two looking over things. Sometimes Riza offered her own input but couldn’t do much. She had a good eye for details but wasn’t in investigations. Still, she could be someone he could talk to about it all.

Chris nodded. “It does. He’s going to fake her death tonight.”

“How though?” Maria Ross was in prison. What was he up to?

“He’s staging a prison break and will “kill” her.” Chris used finger quotations to explain herself.

Riza swallowed.

“It’s all staged though, don’t worry. He has a dummy at the ready that I helped procure the ingredients for. Breda came to me with some things he needed, and I helped the operation along. Havoc will protect Ross and help get her out of the country.”

“So, why bring Mia and I here?”

“Roy asked if I could invite you for dinner, partly as a precaution but also because he probably felt guilty he wouldn’t be home tonight.”

Riza nodded, things falling into place. He had sounded regretful on the phone earlier when he said he wouldn’t be home.

“Why is us being out of the house a precaution?”

Chris shrugged. “Beats me, but I have a pretty good theory.”

“What is it?”

She regarded Riza quietly for a long moment, which only caused frustration to build.

“Chris, please. If my daughter is in some kind of danger then I deserve to know what it is.”

She eyed Riza once more before nodding. “There’s dangerous people roaming around Central right now. They each bear a matching tattoo. An Ouroboros tattoo. They’re tied to the military somehow, but we don’t know why yet.”

Ouroboros… Riza had seen that word mentioned before, years ago in an ancient history book. She was sure it had been in her father’s study. “What does the tattoo look like?” At the mention of a tattoo, her back tingled lightly as a reminder. She hadn’t discussed any form of tattoo with anyone in a long time. They weren’t popular around Amestris, so weren’t a regular topic of conversation.

“A snake eating its own tail.”

That definitely sounded familiar to Riza. She was sure she’d seen it on Roy’s desk at home, half-hidden by other pieces of paper.

“And these people pose a threat?”

Chris nodded. “We don’t know who they’re targeting, but yes, they do. Just be cautious, all right? Know that if you ever need anything, I’m just a call away as well.”

Riza sat back in her chair.

“I have no reason to believe they will contact you personally, however, just keep an eye out," Chris warned.

“I will,” she swallowed. She was still in a daze from all this new information. It was weighing on her heavily. If Roy was targeted by them, who was to say they wouldn’t use her or Mia to get to him? She shuddered at the thought.

“Roy Boy asked if I could at least fill you in on what was going on tonight, and promised he’d answer any questions you had as soon as possible,” Chris added. “He sent me a coded message earlier and then a quick call. I have the letter if you want to see it?”

Curiosity got the better of her, and Riza nodded.

As Chris left the room Riza remained in place, processing the information she’d been given tonight.

This was… big. Riza knew of his plan to get to the top and was well aware of everything that entailed now, but… Now it was real. He was taking steps here that, if found out, could get him court-martialled. Her stomach twisted. But she knew him, and she knew his team. They were smart as hell. And if Chris was on their side too, helping them along, it eased Riza’s worries a little bit.

“I also have this, if you could pass it onto him?” Chris handed her an envelope along with the piece of paper. The front was blank, giving nothing away. “More information for him.”

This was usual practice between them both. Over the years when Riza and Mia had gone to visit Chris and Roy’s sisters, messages in letters had been passed onto Riza to be delivered to Roy. Riza knew he’d been overreacting when he insisted on not getting her involved in anything. And she’d been right. What was so dangerous about picking up a handful of envelopes to hand over to her husband?

“I will.”

“I’ll get us a drink.” Chris excused herself and left Riza with Roy’s coded letter.

It was a story. There were various names on the paper, each one starting with a specific letter at the beginning. Those letters were used to spell out the words of his message. Riza didn’t bother to read the story he’d crafted. The message itself was all that held her attention at that moment.

 Jailbreak MR. Get Riza and Mia for dinner. Love both.

 She smiled at the last part, her finger stroking over the paper.

Sometimes Riza would read the story just to see how he managed to fit it all together. Riza had tried it too in her spare time, leaving little notes for him in his office at home. Then he'd started doing it as well without a word of warning. His were far cuter than hers, with a message of ‘I love you’ left all over the house. Soon, it was common practice and they’d shown Mia how to do it too. Her messages weren’t long or complex, but it was just a bit of fun for the small family.

“He’s a dramatic one,” Chris snorted. “Jailbreak,” she muttered. “I don’t know where he got that flair from.”

Riza laughed. “He used to always tell me it was from you and wondered how I couldn’t see it.”

Chris shook her head and lifted her eyes to the ceiling. “He’s a strange one, that’s for sure.”

“He certainly knows how to keep us on our toes,” Riza murmured, turning her focus back to his letter.

“He didn’t want to speak to you about it over the phone, is my guess. Too many people potentially listening in.”

“I know,” Riza reassured her. “I just hope tonight goes well for all involved.”

“That fake corpse was perfectly constructed,” Chris replied, sipping at her water. Her cigarette was absent from her lips. “And Roy, having a flair for dramatics, will make sure it’s well presented.”

Riza’s stomach turned. “Where are they taking Maria?” she asked, trying to turn the conversation away from the “corpse”.

“No idea. That was need to know only.”

Humming in agreement, Riza took a sip of her own water.

“I had another reason for bringing you here tonight, Riza.”

“Oh?”

“You’ve expressed interest in the part of becoming a part-time informant.”

She nodded. “I have.”

“Have you ever been interested in working the floor? You can absolutely say no,” Chris added, lifting her hands in front of her to placate any objections. “All you’d have to do is sit and talk to people.”

Riza cocked her head and considered it. Then grimaced. “No. The whole reason for me to come and collect the messages from you and the girls was to stop people thinking Roy was cheating on me by going out on “dates” with them. What would happen if word got out at his place of work that his wife was cheating on him?”

“A fair point, and a very good answer,” Chris chipped in. “However, I suppose I worded that incorrectly. Let me rephrase that, would you be interested in talking to people to gather information rather than simply collecting messages?”

“In what way?”

“Military wives love to gossip. They come in every Friday night. While their husbands sit in the bar, we have a space for them to catch up and basically moan about their partners for a couple of hours. It’s in the back of the bar, in that room just off to the right as you go out.”

Riza had noticed the door there but hadn’t thought much more of it. She’d never been through there.

“Your upstart Colonel husband would be a good talking point for those ladies,” Chris ventured.

“Are you asking me to gossip about my husband?” Riza frowned.

“Not at all, but you would be welcomed into their social circle openly. Roy Boy is certainly making a name for himself, especially after coming to Central, and he’s a hot topic of conversation.”

Riza wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. “Only good things, I hope?”

“Of course. Mostly because he’s a breath of fresh air with all the old stuffy military officials that usually frequent their company.”

She still wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. “And I assume these conversations are all innocent?”

Chris shook her head. “Riza, all those women are old enough to be Roy’s mother,” she chuckled. “They dote on him because he’s a kind kid who's friendly and polite to everyone. Always the charmer," she snorted. "Vanessa very quickly put an end to any possible… not so innocent thoughts. She went in there one Friday gushing about Roy’s beautiful wife and his adorable daughter.”

She laughed when Riza’s cheeks turned pink at the compliment, and Riza coughed to hide it.

“I’m not jealous,” Riza assured Chris. “I just don’t want pointless gossip to ruin his reputation.”

“If anything, they love your little family even more now. They ate it up. It’s the truth, of course, but they really do say nothing but good things, I promise. The girls covering the party make sure of it.” Chris sat back in her chair. “It was just an idea,” she relented. “Some other way for you to help. Military wives on a Friday night can be very animated, and I thought you stopping by would get them to open up even more. It’s completely up to yourself," she relented. "It can be a onetime thing or a regular occurrence. It was just something to try."

“I’ll consider it,” Riza stated carefully. She’d need to weigh her options and if she could find someone to look after Mia if Roy was working.

“That’s all I ask. Roy told me a while back you were interested in being an informant, and the idea occurred to me after that last Friday night.”

“What happened last Friday night?”

“Lots more oohing and ahing over your perfect family,” she smirked. “Honestly, they eat it up Riza. You should come and see it for yourself someday.”

“Are you suggesting we’re not perfect,” Riza quipped, smiling over the rim of her glass.

“No one is perfect,” Chris replied with her own smirk. “But they are correct. You are a beautiful woman and Mia is extremely adorable.”

Chris guffawed while Riza mumbled her thanks at another compliment from her. She was sure Chris only did it because she got a kick out of it.

“Every word of that is the truth,” Chris stated assuredly. “Come on, let’s go and see what Mia’s up to. See if she’s tired out Vanessa yet,” she chuckled.

*          *          *

Mia was half asleep as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom. The offer to remain at Chris’ for the night was there, but Mia had school tomorrow morning so it would be easier for Riza to just take her home. Her mother-in-law had also offered Roxanne’s protection. While Riza appreciated it and welcomed the determined and eager look on Roxanne’s face, she politely declined the offer.

Riza had only been in bed for fifteen minutes or so before she heard the front door opening. Her body tensed in its half-asleep state, but relaxed when she heard Roy sigh from downstairs. Lights were turned off as he climbed the stairs. With heavy footsteps, he reached the top of the stairs but stopped outside Mia’s bedroom door. Riza heard it creak open as he checked in on her. The house turned silent as he did so.

Their bedroom door opened and Riza looked up. Like his footfalls suggested, he looked exhausted, but he still offered her a smile.

“Hi,” he greeted. Roy’s voice sounded a little hoarse as he spoke, discarding his military jacket over the back of the armchair on his side of the bed.

“Hey,” she smiled. “How did it go?”

“Everything went well. The plan went off without a hitch.”

Roy kicked his trousers off and placed it over his jacket on the chair. His shirt however was discarded into a pile on the floor, so he remained in only his boxers. Climbing into bed, Roy wrapped his arms around Riza tightly, giving her a squeeze. A kiss was pressed to her forehead and Riza sighed into it, her body relaxing now she knew that he was home.

“Maria is safe?”

Roy nodded. “On her way to Xerxes.”

“Xerxes? That’s quite a distance,” she commented, racking her brain to try and think how far through the desert that was.

“We’ve determined that whoever is behind it all is working throughout Amestris,” Roy yawned. “I wanted to be safe. I have some associates from Xing, and they’ll escort her there.”

“And are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled tiredly.

“Chris told me what you had to do with the… corpse.” Riza grimaced. Her tired mind couldn’t think of a better or more tactful way to word it.

“It was fine. I saved someone’s life tonight, that’s what matters,” he yawned again, but his expression quickly turned pained. “I did become the villain for doing it though.”

“How come?”

“Edward always seems to be in the wrong place at the right time,” he mumbled. “He saw me ‘killing’ Ross. I had no idea who was tailing him or if he was compromised so I had to go with the murder story.”

“I’m sorry, Roy.”

“It’s all right,” he sighed. “But thank you. The kid hates me for sure now,” Roy chuckled. “But he’ll be on his way to Xerxes soon enough too so he can find out the truth.” His eyelids fluttered closed.

Riza looked up as his eyelashes splayed across his cheeks and his face finally relaxed. The day’s events had been weighing on him, and she was loath to take up any more of his sleeping time.

“Get some rest, Roy,” she breathed, pressing a kiss to his lips.

He grunted softly in response, deepening the kiss for a moment. “Just what I needed to feel better,” he grinned. It was that dopey smile that he only showed when he was tired, and Riza loved it. “Plus, I’ll need it. Tomorrow will be another long day.” Then, she felt him pause. “There’s… something coming up in a few days. I anticipate we’ll need to go after one of the people with the Ouroboros tattoo. Can you go to my mother’s that night?”

“Is this something I should be concerned about?”

Roy shook his head. “No. And I mean it,” he added earnestly. “I really don’t anticipate anything like that coming your way, however, it would give me peace of mind to know you’re all together.”

“You know I can handle myself,” she quipped lightly.

“I don’t doubt it for a second,” he replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead again. “But until I know exactly what I’m dealing with and how to handle it, it would let me breathe easier if I knew my pregnant wife and my daughter were under my mother’s protection. She has a whole labyrinth of tunnels underneath her bar. If the wrong people come knocking then you can hide under there and I’ll come when it’s safe.”

“The wrong people, huh?”

He nodded. “The Ouroboros gang,” he drawled. “Keep an eye out for anyone with that tattoo by the way. I have a picture of it in my office. I’ll show you it tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, your mother already explained it to me.”

His eyelids drifted closed again and Riza smiled. She lifted a hand to caress his face lightly with her fingers. He flinched in fright but turned his head to press a kiss to her palm.

“Get some sleep,” she prompted.

“You said that before then distracted me,” he grumbled.

“I can take that kiss back,” she joked, moving out of his hold. This caused him to latch onto her torso even tighter.

“Please don’t,” he begged. “I’m sorry,” he gushed dramatically.

“Go to sleep, Roy. I love you.”

He hummed with a smile. “Love you too.”

[poppy-pelican]

But I Want It Anyway (fic)

Rating: Explicit

Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist

Summary: “Yes. I don’t want just any baby. I want yours.”

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25541878

“He can’t possibly be serious!” Riza said, reading over the letter Mustang dropped on her desk. They had been working in Ishval for just six months—now wasn’t the time to go gallivanting north to Briggs of all places.

“Oh, he’s serious. Threatened to reassign you to Central if we didn’t both leave by the end of the week,” Mustang said, leaning on her desk.

“Central might be better than a cross country trip just to ‘see how the people are doing’ at Briggs,” she said under her breath.

Mustang tutted at her. “Really? You would abandon me just to avoid a road trip?”

Riza quirked an eyebrow. “To Briggs, General. I’d rather walk across the desert to Xing. Barefoot.”

He laughed then, and she knew he agreed with her. Falman seemed to like it up there, and a visit with him would be a nice bonus, but it was still cold, far away, and unnecessary.

“Grumman must want eyes he can trust in Briggs—or some other secret objective he refuses to tell us.”

Riza had an idea of a possible secret objective, and it’s why she considered calling her grandfather’s bluff on his threat to reassign her. He even requested she stop in Central to check in with him.

Very suspicious.

“Some secret objective,” she tapped her chin. “I’ll try and weasel it out of him when we get to Central.”

“I’m sure you’ll have better luck than I would,” Mustang said, shaking his head. “I guess I better go let the team know. You want to start working on a plan for the interim?”

She agreed, saluting as he left. There was a lot to finish before they could depart, but she picked up her pen and went over the letter closer, decoding it. While Riza trusted Mustang, her grandfather was an eccentric, nosy old man, and he liked to add messages in code whenever he sent something to the new general—knowing he would pass on the letters to his adjutant. Riza would have happily shared them with Mustang if the messages weren’t so embarrassing. The last one had congratulated the “most beautiful captain in the military” on her promotion.

She cursed under her breath as she finally unscrambled the message: I want some grandkids.

Sometimes she wished she could snap her fingers and burn something.

 *

 Roy found Havoc up to his armpits in the water of a newly constructed canal. The team was overseeing the project, the idea being to restore infrastructure so the rebuilding of Ishval would be running smoothly before long. Breda and a couple of their Ishvalan recruits were in the water with him, diving periodically.

“Shit! General!” Havoc stuttered, standing at attention. The soldiers gave clumsy, wet salutes, all of them looking sheepish.

“Going for a swim?” Roy asked, baiting them.

“Well. Havoc lost his wedding ring, sir. This is life or death,” Breda explained.

Roy snorted. “Rebecca will kill him.”

“Hey!” Havoc yelled. The Ishvalans laughed.

“I can’t lose one of my men over something so frivolous,” Roy drawled. If not for the presence of the Ishvalans, and their discomfort with alchemy, Roy would use a quick clap to search for the ring. Instead, like the others had, he stripped down to just his undershorts and jumped in.

“Oh, this is nice,” Roy said, surprised. It was technically autumn, but Ishval was still oppressively hot. The water was cool without being freezing. He was beginning to see why it was taking the men so long to find the ring. No rush when it felt so good.

“A bit of moisture can be good for you now and then,” Havoc teased.

“Shut up, I used to be blind. You’ll want my skills for finding this ring you stupidly lost.”

“Sorry, sir,” Havoc said, disappearing under the water again.

Roy took a turn, sliding his hands along the floor of the canal until he had to come up for air. It was too late in the evening for there to be enough light to see the ring.

“You have to face the truth, Havoc,” Roy said, slicking his hair out of his eyes. “Your child is going to grow up parentless. Rebecca will kill you. And then I’ll have to imprison her for homicide.”

Havoc splashed him, but he got a big laugh from Breda and the others. Rebecca had been an especially moody pregnant person, from what Roy had seen. Hawkeye doted on her even more than Havoc did. On one of Rebecca’s visits to the office Roy found her with her feet up on Hawkeye’s desk and Hawkeye feeding her some of her secret stash of chocolate. Not so secret, really, given that Roy had already discovered it, but he wouldn’t point that out.

Finally, the wedding ring was found by Breda, who demanded Havoc get it resized to prevent this from happening again.

They all crawled out of the canal, sopping wet and high-fiving one another. Of course, that was when Hawkeye appeared, while they were all still soggy and laughing. And mostly naked.

Roy expected some teasing about slacking off or their state of undress, but instead she averted her eyes.

“I finished a rough plan for our absence,” she said, gesturing to a file in her hand. “I guess it can wait until you are dry. I can see you were all…busy. I’ll just leave it on your desk, General.”

He sighed. He should’ve known she’d excuse herself. She was the epitome of professional. He wondered if she would’ve helped search for the ring in full uniform.

“Absence?” Breda asked. “Who’s leaving?”

Roy explained the fuhrer’s orders, and his men were as baffled as he and Hawkeye. No one could guess what went on in Grumman’s crafty old mind.

“I hope Hawkeye makes it back before the baby is due,” Havoc said. “Rebecca will miss her.”

“I think it shouldn’t take that long,” Roy said. “We might have to avoid the train and take a car—” too many tracks still out from the Promised Day, “—but even then, with Hawkeye planning our route, we’ll be back with time to spare. She won’t want to miss being there for Rebecca.”

Havoc grinned mischievously. “I don’t know, maybe you two should…take your time, if you know what I mean.”

Roy shrugged his shoulders, accustomed to this kind of teasing. Hawkeye had never given him any signal she wanted to be intimate with him—probably because of the anti-fraternization laws. If she gave even a hint that she wanted him…That would be different. He’d schedule in a year at Briggs if it meant having her in his bed.

*

Riza was reluctant to visit her grandfather after his strange mission assignment, but after six months in Ishval, she also wanted to see how he was doing in office. And there was his personal assistant who made the best lemon tea in Amestris. Riza was convinced he added a shot of whiskey or something into it because it never failed to relax her during her visits.

Through her letters, her grandfather was already up to date on Ishval’s status, so he pried into her personal life over tea.

“I’ve been helping Rebecca set up a nursery.” Baby Havoc was due in just two months. A surprise pregnancy. It had been a hurried, shotgun wedding, but Rebecca and Havoc were blissfully happy, even with him stationed in Ishval. Rebecca had retired from the military so she could follow him. It meant Riza had her best friend nearby—and a willing dog sitter. When the time came, Riza would return the favor as an honorary aunt and spoil the little one.

“Is she enjoying her pregnancy?” Grumman asked.

“As much as she can, I think. She complains, but I know she’s thrilled.”

“Ah, yes. She was always family-minded, wasn’t she?” Her grandfather’s eyes twinkled.

“Yes, always husband hunting,” Riza said slowly, feeling like she was about to step on a hidden landmine.

“What about you?” he asked, attempting nonchalance. “Any interest in a husband?”

“Ha, no,” she said firmly. What she had with Mustang would have to be enough for now. If he ever asked for more, then maybe…

“What about babies? A husband isn’t necessarily a requirement, but they help. Wouldn’t you like Catalina’s baby to have a friend?”

And there was the landmine, blowing up in her face. She never expected the painful, almost instinctual longing that erupted with it. She pictured a chubby little baby with black, messy hair and brown eyes. The vision was there before she could stomp it out, and stomp on it she did, hard.

“Some day.” She couldn’t lie.

“When?” he chuckled, refilling her tea. “You want to be my age when your kid is a teenager? I don’t recommend it.”

“Well—"

“I’m not trying to be a nosy old man. This time,” he amended. “I just know it’s easy to put these things off, expecting the perfect moment to appear. It won’t. It might sneak up on you like it did our dear Miss Catalina—now Mrs. Havoc. Or it could pass you by entirely.” His eyes grew soft. “I don’t want you to waste your time on someone who doesn’t want children.”

“It’s complicated,” she said sourly. He knew that.

“Then perhaps find a new man. One who is family-minded.” He sighed. “I know your father wasn’t the best example for it, but there are plenty of men who embrace parenthood—and are good fathers.”

Like Maes Hughes or Havoc. Her gut told her Mustang would be a wonderful father, and she knew he liked children from the way he interacted with Elicia. But his thoughts on becoming a father himself? It was another one of those forbidden topics between them. Something a subordinate shouldn’t ask her superior.

But her grandfather was right. She didn’t want to miss her chance.

 *

 It was Roy’s turn to drive, and an hour into it, he was already bored. There were more cows than people now that they had left the city, and it was dreadfully uninteresting. And Hawkeye had been oddly distracted ever since her visit with her grandfather the day before. She almost drove through a stop sign while leaving Central that morning, and she was unusually agreeable about letting him drive. Then there was her silence, giving minimal answers anytime he tried to engage her in conversation. Maybe she hadn’t slept well?

He was about to look and see if Hawkeye had dozed off when she broke the silence.

“Can I ask you something, sir? A…personal question?”

Roy furrowed his brow. “Go ahead.”

“You know, Rebecca being pregnant has given me…” Her voice was unusually high. “Do you think—given everything I’ve done—do I—should I even be allowed—” She huffed. “This isn’t coming out right. Let me be direct. I want a baby. I’m just not sure I deserve one. After…everything.”

Roy’s mind went blank, barely able to keep the car on the road. Then he gathered his wits to answer. “Of course you deserve a baby,” he said.

She made a skeptical noise. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine explaining to my child one day that I killed dozens of innocent people.”

Roy knew what she meant. His darkest memories, the ones he did his best to bury, were of the families he murdered in the extermination. Did he deserve to have children? Happiness? No.

But if he said that, did that mean Hawkeye didn’t deserve that either? Unbidden, an image of her with a round, smooth belly taunted him. He could see it perfectly. She’d insist on working far beyond what she should until he bullied her into putting her feet up like Maes did for Gracia. Then he pictured a little girl with dark, spiky pigtails, her eyes brown and innocent like Riza’s when she offered him the secrets of Flame Alchemy.

Then he imagined that little girl lost in flames, her eyes now an Ishvalan red.

He shuddered, his hands tight on the wheel.

But the world was different now, so he answered with the truth. “I think it’d be cruel to deprive the world of your child, Hawkeye. They will grow up in a better world than we did. It’s something…to strive toward.”

“Hmm,” Hawkeye said, but he could hear the smile in the hum.

“You never seemed the baby type before,” he said accusingly, as he spoke he realized how wrong he was. She babied her dog. Black Hayate was the only creature he’d ever seen her openly affectionate with. Hell, she mothered everyone—even Rebecca Catalina. Hawkeye hadn’t had a boyfriend in a long time, he knew. While Roy occasionally went on dates, entirely for show, Hawkeye started turning them down a few years ago—right around the time this unspoken thing between them had grown into something they couldn’t ignore yet couldn’t acknowledge. She gave him her fidelity, and he found himself returning it. He hadn’t gone home with a date in years.

Then it hit him. She—she wanted a baby. Meaning, someone needed to father this baby. And she hadn’t asked him.

“I don’t plan on having a baby anytime soon,” she said quietly, “but maybe once the groundwork in Ishval is finished…”

“That’s probably less than two years away,” he said, incredulous. Hawkeye having a baby in the far future was one thing, but in the near future...Why hadn’t he considered this before? She wasn’t much younger than he was, and all their friends were beginning to settle down and procreate. He was an idiot for expecting her to just wait around patiently until the right time for them to be together arrived. Whenever the right time would be. He thought she would let him know.

Maybe she’d realized he wasn’t worth waiting for.

“It is,” she said. “The fuhrer reminded me there’s no perfect time to have a baby, and I don’t want to put it off so long that…I miss my chance.”

“I see. Understandable.” He glowered at the road ahead. Was she breaking up with him? Not that there was anything tangible to break, but it felt like that was where the conversation was leading.

“Depending on the timing, I could even train a replacement to be your adjutant. And I’d return to the military after my maternity leave. I don’t want to retire like Rebecca did.” The idea of a substitute in Hawkeye’s place made him stupidly irritated, though not as much as the idea of having to watch her grow some other man’s baby in her belly. He wanted to burn something.

“You’ve really thought this through.” He tried to keep the bitterness from his voice. Why would she bring this up at the beginning of the trip? Did she want him to keep his distance when they were going to be in such close quarters over the next few weeks?

“I thought I might have to convince you this could work,” she said. He chanced a look, and her cheeks were a lovely pink.

“If you want to find a man to have a baby with, I won’t stop you,” he said, feeling flustered and unsure of himself. And foolishly heartbroken. It’s not like they had made promises to each other. They hadn’t said a word about their relationship. He would be an asshole if he told her no on behalf of his feelings.

“Oh. All right,” she said. He wished he wasn’t driving so he could better read her expressions.  

The car fell silent again. His boredom lost, Roy stewed over the idea that his beloved subordinate wanted a baby. With someone else.

*

Riza was an idiot. Of course Mustang didn’t want children with her. They hadn’t even kissed. It would be a big jump to go from that to making a baby, she just thought…Well. It didn’t matter.

But the idea of having a baby with someone else was abhorrent. If Mustang wasn’t the father, she didn’t want a baby at all. She stared out the window, swallowing back the lump in her throat.

She hadn’t just wanted a baby, she’d wanted his baby. That was what she hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell him outright, giving him an opening for a polite rejection—which he had taken. Not once had he brought up the possibility of being the father of her hypothetical baby. He’d been all for her having one, just not with him. It felt like a slap to the face, though she knew he must have his reasons.

Whatever they were.

She suddenly flipped from sad to offended. Maybe she didn’t want the polite rejection.

“I thought you liked children,” she said, crossing her arms.

She eyed him, growing confused as he squirmed in his seat. “When did I say I didn’t like children?”

“You didn’t. I’m just trying to understand you.” She hesitated, always afraid to put things into words.

“What else do you want from me? I thought we went over it as thoroughly as we could. It’s not like you’re pregnant now.”

“What else do I want from you?” She parroted, indignant. “So you just don’t want children at all?”

“Me? Why does it matter if I want children or not? You’re the one who wants to run off and have babies.” Oh. She saw it then, the slump in his shoulders, the clenched jaw. Her superior, the smartest, dumbest man she knew.

“I think you’ve misunderstood, sir.” She paused for a beat. “Roy,” she said, his name soft and shy on her lips. She put her hand on his shoulder.

“Please enlighten me,” he demanded hoarsely. Oh no. She’d hurt him. She rushed to correct him.

“I was inarticulately asking if you wanted to have a baby with me.” Her sweater suddenly felt stiflingly hot. The question was out there, no takebacks, no polite rejection.

“Ah, yes. I misunderstood,” he said, sounding strangled. She sighed, pulling her hand back. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked while he was driving. Or sober. Maybe she should have started smaller—proposed an affair while they were away. That would’ve been less shocking. No, she’d skipped several steps and went straight for the long-term commitment.

He let the car slow to a creep, then pulled over underneath a lone tree in the grass. There was nothing but pasture for miles. At least it was a pretty spot for her superior to lose his mind. Her heart thundered in her chest, even as she kept her expression patiently neutral. She straightened the hem of her skirt.

“Do you know what you’re asking, Hawkeye?” He still wouldn’t face her, staring resolutely ahead.

“I believe I made a lot of points proving I do,” she said stiffly.

He looked at her then, dark eyes filled with want. In return, her belly knotted with desire. She had seen that expression a few times when they were alone and no one else could witness it. He would look her over until she was too tempted to endure it any longer. She either averted her eyes or excused herself. There had never been anything they could do about it before. Even now, he was still her superior. She just didn’t care anymore.

“It means you want me inside you,” he whispered, leaning toward her, his larger frame invading the small space of the front seat. Her breath caught in her throat. “You’re asking me to come in you as many times as it takes to get you pregnant.” Her whole body tightened as his words sank in. Explicit words. Nothing could be playfully misinterpreted now. “Are you okay with that?”

She took in an unsteady breath, holding his gaze. “Yes. I don’t want just any baby. I want yours.”

He groaned before launching himself past the last few inches of space between them. His mouth crashed into hers, arms snaking around her waist, whisking her into his lap. He devoured her, tongue seeking and stroking, sending shockwaves down to her toes.

There had been a reason she had not so much as kissed him before. Once she started…she knew she’d never be able to give him up. His hands slipped under her sweater, which he swiftly removed. Then his mouth was back on hers, and she moaned as he groped her breasts, shoving her bra callously out of the way so he could cup them fully. It was like he couldn’t get to her skin fast enough.

Realizing he was dominating the moment, she adjusted her body to straddle him, grinding down on his erection, desperate for friction. With the skirt flared over her thighs, the thin material of her underwear did little to muffle the sensations of pressing into him.

“God, I’ve wanted this for so long,” he gasped, his hips thrusting up to meet hers.

“Me too.”

“You should’ve said something.”

“But then we can’t work together anymore,” she said, giving up kissing to nibble on his neck instead. She wanted to work as his adjutant as long as she could.

“No one has to know.” He tilted her back until he could dip his head down to wrap his lips around her breast, knocking most of her reasoning for why this was a bad idea out of her head. It was actually a very, very good idea. “We’ve kept secrets bigger than this. And like you said, it’s not like you’re going to get pregnant right now.”

She whimpered.

“Rushing into that would be a bad idea.” His words were teasing as his fingers traveled down her side and under her skirt, pushing her underwear out of the way. She was slick and hot with desire, and she dug her hands into his shoulders, holding onto him as he eased two fingers inside her, his thumb working her clit rhythmically.

She sighed, leaning forward to capture his mouth again, though it made it more challenging for him to maneuver his fingers. She shifted higher on her knees, giving him space to move.

And oh. She clenched down on his fingers, rocking gently to stimulate that bundle of nerves that felt oh-so-good, gasping with each pulse of his hand. She was close, embarrassingly wet and ready for him.

“I want you in me,” she said, her head falling to his shoulder. Her legs trembled.

“Not yet,” he replied, sounding like he was gritting his teeth in concentration. “You first. Then I’m going to sink into you—feel you wrapped so tight around me—”

She let out a throaty whine, her whole body tensing from her breasts through her center, down to her curling toes. She clung to his neck, holding herself up on shaky legs as her release flooded through her, rippling on his fingers still buried inside her. There was a moment of perfect contentment before she began thrusting down on his fingers again.

“More,” she whispered, her mouth pressed hot against his ear, his messy hair tickling her nose. She loved how his hands became a flurry of action, undoing his belt and shoving his pants out of the way. His erection sprung up, hard and leaking.

“Fuck, sorry,” he said through his teeth, tearing her underwear in two in a feat of complete desperation. She almost laughed in shock until he rubbed the head of his length against her opening.

Instantly, she was as needy as he was again. She sank down on him slower than she wanted to, but it had been a long time, and her body stretched in an achingly good way as her core accepted him. It occurred to her then that while they had just been saying she shouldn’t get pregnant right away, they had nothing to protect against pregnancy here in the car. Oops. It was so unlike her—but so was riding her superior in a car in broad daylight. Maybe Roy’s impulsivity had made an impression on her at long last.

“Do you—do you think we could then? Have a baby?” To hell with it. “Or two?” she asked between kisses.

He moaned. “Yes. Yes, I want it so much. I don’t deserve it, but…I’m a weak man.”

She laughed softly. “I think the world deserves to have your child in it, too.” She kissed him soundly, willing all her love and devotion to reach him.

When she pulled away, he stared back at her, dazed and utterly blown away. “I must have done something right to have you by my side.”

“Or on top of you,” she said slyly, lifting her hips and sliding back down sharply.

“Damn, I really want to finish inside you,” he hissed, groping for her hips and guiding her pace as she brought him closer to orgasm.

“I want that too.” She shivered at how animalistic she was becoming. Her sensibilities flew out the window as her body’s craving for him consumed her every thought. She wanted him to fill her with every drop of come he could.

“I shouldn’t,” he said, more to himself. “But I want to,” he tugged her down onto him, hard.

“You should,” she said, then kissed him, toying with his tongue. He was so hard and stiff inside her, and her body was so, so ready. Drenched and aching for him. “It’s a bad idea but I feel like I’m going to scream if you don’t finish in me.”

He groaned miserably. “Riza. Don’t say things like that.” His thrusts grew erratic, like he was holding back.

“Roy,” she countered. “How likely is it that I’ll get pregnant from just one time?”

“Not—not very likely,” he gasped.

“I’m willing to risk it…if you are,” she said, squeezing her thighs and tightening around his cock. “I’ll do what you want me to do.”

“You mean that?”

“I do. I’ll have no regrets either way.” The frustration she’d feel at him pulling out would be…astronomical. But she didn’t want him to have regrets either.

“I love you so much,” he panted, abruptly reversing their positions so she was flat on her back, their legs crammed against the car door. Her arms went up to brace herself as he began to slam into her urgently, losing all pretense of control.

“Roy, please. Finish in me,” she murmured against his shoulder, biting down on it gently. She wanted him to remember her asking for it, so he could never doubt she wanted him again.

He buried his face in her neck, their bodies crushed together as close as humanly possible as he spilled inside her, his cock so deeply buried there was no mistaking his intentions. Her body felt hot and achy—like she would be ready for another round as soon as he was.

For now, she wanted to hold him against her half naked body, savoring the scent of his shampoo in her nose and the feel of his hips snug between her thighs.

She spent years loving him, now she wanted him.

*

Roy was reluctant to move away from the lovely heat of Riza’s body. It was only the promise of leg cramps that finally convinced him to sit up and help her find her sweater. He sighed in disappointment as she fixed her bra and tugged the sweater over her head. There was still an uncharacteristically mischievous twitch to her lips, and she openly stared as he tucked himself in and buttoned his pants. Holy hell, he wanted her again as soon as possible—in a bed, where he could stretch her out and take his time.

What a whirlwind. One minute he was convinced she was breaking up with him, the next he had bluffed his way into getting her to say the dirtiest things he’d ever heard leave her mouth. More reason to love her.

“Still no regrets, sir?” she asked, hiding her torn underwear in her purse.

“No,” he said, distracted as he considered she was now wearing nothing beneath her prim and proper skirt. He could run his hand up her thigh and feel how wet she was—coated with his release.

He cleared his throat and started the car. They needed to find an inn, and soon.

“What about you, Captain?” He watched her face carefully this time.

“Maybe it was a bit…premature to get so carried away, but no, I regret nothing.” She pressed her lips together. “Well, maybe the itinerary I made. We’re going to be late for our reservation.”

The beginnings of a new erection stirred. “The damage is done,” he said, shrugging. “We might as well take our time.” His hand slipped under her skirt, up to her inner thigh, a part of him still expecting her to smack him away.

No, she let out a breathy, pleased noise. He turned the car back off, deciding he couldn’t go on without hearing her fall apart on his hands again. Or maybe his mouth. He grinned as she willingly parted her legs.

And he’d thought he’d have to convince her. At this rate, the whole itinerary was going to need rearranged.

[lxmitlxss]

📱 she's gonna change Hughes's voice-mail to one of Armstrong's speeches.

This Post ( accepting ) Send 📱 to change their phone's ringtone to something embarrassing ╰┈➤ Hughes, Maes

" I don't get it, why do people sound so exasperated now when they tell me they tried to leave me a voicemail...? " If you think he's gonna check it, you're wrong Maria. He's too old man coded to check and see if his voicemail is the problem.

[wyrdify]

headcanon - flame alchemy calculations

Roy’s flame alchemy may look easy to perform based on how he does it--just a snap of the fingers with a glove on, and one can summon a pillar of fire. However, that sort of thinking doesn’t account for two things: Roy doesn’t actually snap his fingers, and he’s doing a lot of calculations to make his alchemy precise. Every time he transmutes using his gloves, he has to account for the following:

- air flow - boiling point(s) of his target(s) - distance - heat temperature - humidity/how much water is present - hydrogen density - melting point(s) of his target(s) - other flammable elements/objects - oxygen density - speed of his target(s) combined with the transmutation - volume of the area

In order to produce fire, three things must be present: oxygen, heat, and fuel/combustible material (Source). Roy is manipulating those three things to transmute while accounting for all of the above (and probably more). How does he do it so fast, and how is he so precise?

Simple: adeptness for math and science along with an incredible memory.

One part of it is being exceptional at understanding physics while possessing the ability to quickly do mathematical calculations. Another part is having certain facts and temperatures memorized. For example, he knows every calculation necessary to give someone a first, second, or third degree burn by heart. He also knows how to manipulate hydrogen density to create bombs (on demand, as Havoc put it in the 2003 anime). Never mind that he knows exactly how long it takes for the human body to turn to ash (skeleton included).

His heavily coded alchemic journal contains these calculations. Good luck finding it, much less making sense of its contents. There are probably three people who have a chance at decoding it: Riza Hawkeye, Maes Hughes, and Edward Elric.

"What about when it’s raining? Isn’t he useless in the rain?” Yes and no. Rain changes the humidity levels in the air, and he has to be a lot more precise with his calculations. However, if he keeps his ignition dry (his glove), he can be quite deadly in a rainy or wet environment. Humidity increases the hydrogen and oxygen density in the air, thus giving him more material to work with.

Don’t believe him when he says he’s useless in the rain. It’s just another act of deception on his part. He wants his enemies to underestimate him.

[whenthemarshmallowmettheslayer]

Wrath!Riza and Lust!Roy>>>>all. Riza seems pretty composed when angry, except in extreme cases,just like our dear Führer. Besides, Hawkeye/Supreme Eye, anyone? And Lust!Roy is pure perfection. He has a network of prostitutes/spies,uses a womanizer facade to hide his real ambitions,codes his alchemy research... Honestly, I've never liked Lust!Riza(she's pretty and... That's it) or Wrath!Roy(Remember Envy? A guy like that couldn't handle that particular Stone,IMO. It required Riza+Ed+Scar...).

Continued: Not saying Riza is just a pretty face, though,I’d never say such nonsense. I’m just saying that Lust Riza doesn’t fit the character much. The only qualifier is that Riza is beautiful,but that doesn’t count much, especially because the manga artist likes her female characters curvy and gorgeous…

—————

Anon you know my heart. (One day I’m going to talk about Wraith!Riza. That won’t be today unfortunately.) 

Okay, here’s the thing about Lust when it comes to both Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: she is not the traditional (which is to say the sexual or even romantic) portrayal of lust. Lust from the original anime has a great desire to gain humanity and a lust for knowledge, specifically knowledge of her past human life. Fma!Lust will and does do terrible things to gain those things. 

The Brotherhood version of Lust is too not a rendition of sexual lust like the word is primary known for. No, she is the embodiment of Father’s bloodlust. I watched Brothethood first and while I prefer Fma’s portrayal I still adamantly have a great love for how Lust isn’t lustfully in the traditional sense in Brotherhood. (Wrath from Brotherhood is still my favorite homunculus though.) 

So while Lust is very beautiful it is not fitting to have an au where Riza becomes Lust simply because Riza is a woman and is beautiful. That au genuinely goes against Lust’s specific portrayal; Arakawa could have easily gone down the path of Lust a character of sexual or even romantic lust but she didn’t and that’s something I think should be honored. 

Roy would better fit this character. Roy is a character driven by his ambitions, by his desires whether it be becoming Fuhrer or finding the person who murdered his best friend Maes Hughes. Roy is willing to do horrible things to achieve his goals. By horrible things I’m talking about he’s willing to continue working for a genocidal government and turning a partially blind eye to the government’s actions so one day he may possibly become Fuhrer - this is something Fma!Roy realizes he cannot no longer do so even though Fma Roy is very much an asshole his character arc is one of best in both series. With Maes Hughes’ murder Roy is slowly driven to an almost all consuming blood lust to avenge his friend to the point Riza - Riza!!!, I can’t stress this enough - has a raise a gun against him. 

Also rewatch Roy’s brutal killing of Lust. He isn’t so angry because Lust almost killed him. Roy is pissed because Lust has almost killed Havoc and was about to not only kill Riza but Alphonse as well. (There’s also the fact -  I think, I’m not completely sure - he already knew the homunculus had a hand in Maes’ murder.) That’s three team-mates of Roy’s. Yes, Alphonse wasn’t an official member of Team Mustang but Edward was for years and the brothers were a package deal. Roy would view Alphonse as his though I genuinely have no idea what chess piece Roy would compare him to.) 

Like Lust, Roy would also be easily assumed as a lust driven character/person by an outsider; Lust would easily be assumed as that by someone (who is not familiar with the show/manga) shown her character design and told her name while Roy in-universe is thought to be a play-boy when in all actuality he is gathering intel by “dates” with members his aunt’s brothel or on the phone with “Margot” (Riza) talking in code while goofing off on work hours. 

So that’s why I view Lust!Roy au to not being conflicting to Lust’s characterization unlike Lust!Riza. 

[certified-soft-si-content]

All of the this or that asks for Roy and Riza 👀👀👀

AAAAAAAAAAAA MY HUSBAND AND WIFE!!!! THANK YOU BUDDU!!!

OhmygodRoy'sshirtisunbuttonedohmyakskskdkfk

nose kisses or forehead kisses?

Forehead kisses 🥰

neck kisses or thigh kisses?

Neck kisses! Riza and I actually both have scars there (I have a burn from Roy's flames in Ishval, and Riza has the scar from the attempt on her life on the Promised Day) so if we're all comfortable with it Roy will kiss them too.

heavy, hot, and passionate kisses or soft, sweet, and tender kisses?

Both. Although I do sometimes prefer the soft and tender kisses 🥰🥰🥰

spooning or one person laying their head on the other’s chest?

Spooning! Although I guess it's more like a sandwich with the three of us. We alternate who's in the middle.

hugs from behind or hugs from the front?

Hugs from the front! We'll occasionally hug from behind though - Roy has a habit of doing it when Riza or I are preoccupied with something.

“pancake” or “waffle” hand-holding?

Waffle 🥰🥰 we interlock our hands tightly.

romantic dinners at fancy restaurants or take out dinners on the couch?

Romantic fancy dinners 🥰🥰 Riza and I don't really care either way (I don't care what we do so long as we're together), but Roy likes to spoil and treat us.

constantly bragging about dating each other or keeping the relationship relatively secretive?

For a long time, we had to keep the relationship secret for legal reasons (don't want to go through the whole Promised Day just to end up court martialled, thanks), but once Grumman had pulled a couple strings and left us a loophole to be together legally (because it's my SI and I do what I want) you couldn't get us to shut up about each other for anything. Especially Roy. Maes would be proud of him for how often he gushes about his husband and wife 🥰🥰

playing with each others’ hair or giving each other back massages?

Playing with each others' hair 🥰🥰 It's really soothing for all of us.

constantly saying “i love you” or only say “i love you” during really serious/romantic moments?

At the start of our relationship we only said it during really serious or romantic moments, but now we make a point of saying it to each other at least once a day 🥰

calling each other by their names, plain and simple, or calling each other really flowery pet names?

Most of the time when we're working we have to refer to each other by our surnames or ranks (once we're married, ranks are much easier to differentiate given that Riza and I both took Roy's surname), so just using our first names is intimate enough. That said, Roy is quite fond of affectionate petnames and I'll use them for him as well. 🥰🥰🥰

constantly hanging off of each other or keeping a tame distance in public?

Definitely a tame distance - none of us are particularly fond of PDA.

stay at home dates or out on the town dates?

Roy loves to take Riza and I on out on the town dates 🥰🥰 we'll still have stay at home dates though!

honeymoon at disney world or honeymoon on an island?

On an island 🥰 The three of us almost completely alone to just relax and be together? Perfect.

formal/fancy wedding or casual wedding?

Our wedding was rather small and quiet but it was also quite formal? It was fairly traditional but not fancy.

kids or no kids?

Kids! We have three 😂 Hugh, Belle, and Oliver.

love at first sight or slow burn?

... Slow... slow... burn.

If you count from when I first started pining over Riza (then Roy a year later) to when we finally got together... fourteen years.

cuddle in bed or need their space to sleep?

We cuddle 🥰🥰🥰

gifting love letters/poems or gifting flowers?

Riza and I prefer to gift letters (often written in the code that we use), whereas Roy gifts us both flowers.

value anniversaries/important relationship dates or nah?

Yes! We always celebrate our anniversaries together.