Summary: Newly-inaugurated Fuhrer Mustang plans to ask Riza Hawkeye a very important question at his inaugural ball. Unfortunately, he has trouble getting her alone as she tries to hunt down a hyped-up Hayate, accidentally set loose into the party. Royai.

Chapter 1 of 3

"Clip?"

Riza Hawkeye passed back the gold hair clip, intricately shaped to look like a flower. She had originally scoffed when Roy had offered to put her hair up, but looking into the mirror now she was glad she had let him do so. His youth spent doing his "sisters'" hair at Madame Christmas' had served him well; the twist he had put her hair in was far more elaborate than anything she could manage. Also, she rarely refused an opportunity to have Roy run his hands through her hair. Riza felt him press a light kiss to the base of her neck, just above the collar of her gown.

"Done."

Riza turned around and began straightening Roy's tie, which he had done haphazardly with the knowledge that she would fix it for him regardless of how carefully he originally did it. "Are you nervous?"

"We've been to balls before." He ran his hands over his hair, making sure it was staying smoothed in place.

"We haven't been to balls centered around you, though." She licked her finger and reached up to smooth back one escaped hair near his ear.

"The Inauguration ceremony this morning took place without a hitch, and that was what I was most worried about. I'm sure I'll be fine tonight; after all, I've got my queen by my side." He cupped her face in his hand.

"Very funny, sir." Riza pulled away, bending down to fasten the straps on her shoes. "But as far as anyone knows, I'm still just your subordinate." Though she knew that the people of Amestris had their suspicions… and that the rumors weren't wrong. Riza stood and walked over to Black Hayate, sleeping on the bed with his legs in the air. She scratched his belly, smiling when his back legs twitched.

"Do you think he'll be all right, locked in here for the night?" Roy looked skeptically at Hayate as he pulled his suit jacket on.

Riza sighed. "There's no other option. I couldn't find anyone to watch him, and formal military functions overstimulate him. He'd go berserk if we let him roam free. I'm sure he'll be fine for just a few hours."

Roy nodded. Ex-Fuhrer Grumman, recognizing that the Fuhrer mansion was a much more central and secure location than Roy's apartment when it came to getting to and from inaugural events, had been letting the two stay at the mansion before he "officially" moved out and they "officially" moved in. The Inauguration Ball, traditionally hosted by the former Fuhrer, was to take place just outside, in the mansion's spacious backyard. Roy and Riza had been listening to the set-up crew all afternoon.

A knock on the door caused both Roy and Riza to jump a little. "Are the two of you decent?" Grumman's voice was muffled through the door.

"Yes! You can come in!" Riza rolled her eyes. Since they had started staying in the house a few days ago, Grumman had constantly been trying to catch them doing anything promiscuous.

The door opened and Grumman stuck his head in. "I thought I'd tell you that most of the guests have arrived, so you might want to head down to the garden now." He looked Riza up and down, grinning at her crimson form-fitting v-neck dress that came down to the middle of her calf. "Doesn't my granddaughter look stunning, Mustang?"

Roy smiled. "She does, indeed, sir."

Grumman chuckled. "Your speech this morning was something else, Fuhrer Mustang. But I'm more eager to hear the speech you give tonight!"

Riza glanced over at Roy, who had suddenly turned bright red. "Another speech?" This was news to her. Was Grumman referring to the toasts?

Roy shook his head, his cheeks still pink. "I was meaning to tell you about it, but it can wait for a bit. I think we should go down now." He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door, avoiding her eyes.

Hayate's ears perked up as he watched them leave. "Behave, Hayate!" Riza called out, making sure the door closed completely behind them. She pushed concerns about Hayate to the back of her mind; for now, she had to figure what was going on with Roy.

Roy mentally cursed at Grumman. That old man's meddling was going to ruin everything. He subtly checked his jacket pocket with his free hand, making sure that he had remembered the small box.

Of course he had been meaning to discuss this with Riza for days, but had always backed out of it when the opportunity arose. It wasn't that he thought she would say no, but that it was a possibility. They had been secretly dating for years, ever since the Promised Day. They had been acting like a married couple for even longer. Would Riza be willing to put a name to what they had? Or would she rather continue their romance as a label-less relationship? Labels didn't change what they meant to one another, but he longed to be able to take Riza to functions as his wife rather than just as his assistant. He wanted the public to know and accept what they were to one another, now that his office allowed it.

He sighed, earning another concerned glance from Riza. He could tell she knew something was up. He had wanted to ask her in private before publicly asking tonight, and his time was running out. Perhaps he could briefly take her aside after they greeted everyone? They could easily duck into the hedges for a private moment, and any potential scandal would be cleared by an announcement of engagement... hopefully.

"So look who finally made it to Fuhrer!" Roy's concentration was broken as he and Riza walked down the steps to the garden and were greeted by a familiar former-state alchemist.

"Hello, Fullmetal. And here I had hoped that you wouldn't make it." Grasping Edward Elric's hand in a firm handshake, Roy was actually glad for the distraction. He likewise shook hands with Al, standing beside his brother.

"Are you kidding? Al and I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Edward grinned, but then remembered something. He reached into his pocket and fished around for a few moments before pulling out two envelopes. He handed one to Roy, and one to Riza. "Winry couldn't make it, but she wanted me to give those to you." Edward looked away and mumbled, "They're, um, wedding invitations."

Riza looked delighted. "Congratulations, Edward!" She smiled at Al. "And it's good to see you again, Alphonse. You've grown quite a bit since we last saw you!"

Al blushed. "Thank you, Lieu- I mean, Captain Hawkeye."

The smell of cigarette smoke invaded the air as Havoc and Breda approached, with Fuery scampering behind them.

"Put it out, Havoc," Roy admonished. "Outside or not, this is a formal event."

"Yeah, yeah." Havoc rolled his eyes and dropped the cigarette, crushing it into the dirt with his heel. "We just thought that the new Fuhrer might want a drink before greeting the rest of the brass that you couldn't care less about. You in?"

"That might help, actually." Roy tugged at his collar, Fullmetal's wedding invitation heavy in his hand. He slipped it into his jacket, right next to the ring. He offered to do the same with Riza's, and she handed hers to him. "No Falman, tonight?" He raised an eyebrow at Havoc.

Havoc shrugged. "He mentioned that he would probably be late, coming down from Briggs and all."

Roy nodded. "He's probably on the same train as General Armstrong. She didn't want to leave Briggs a minute before she had to." He turned to Riza. "Would you like a drink, Captain?"

"Some sparkling wine would be nice, Fuhrer. I think I glimpsed Lieutenant Catalina just now, and I would like to go talk to her."

Roy smiled. "Alright then." He and the men started walking toward the open bar, set up in the corner of the garden. "Come on, Fullmetal, Al. You're both old enough to drink, now, right?"

Ed and Al laughed as they hurried to catch up with them, but Fuery lingered behind.

Fuery looked sheepishly at Riza. "Captain Hawkeye?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Fuery?"

"You didn't happen to bring Black Hayate, did you? I haven't seen him in a while, and I was wondering if he was here?" Fuery was mumbling, digging the tip of his shoe into the dirt; formal functions clearly weren't his thing, and an escape would likely do him good.

"Upstairs, third door on the right. But make sure that he doesn't get out - you know he doesn't handle parties well."

Fuery saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" With a nod from Riza, he hurried inside. Keeping Hayate confined upstairs couldn't be too difficult, could it?

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