And here it is, the final chapter

Chapter Five

Riza could almost pretend they were back in her hometown. She and Roy watched the dancers. She glanced at him; he had a small smile playing about his mouth. Her hangover was just a dull ache in her head now and the discomfort in her stomach had more to do with the presence of the man beside her than the alcohol she had imbibed. She felt happier and lighter than she had for a long time. She almost leaned her head on Roy's shoulder as she used to when they were teenagers. They were both very different people now. Back then they thought the world was there for the taking. Before Roy came into her drab life and filled it with colour, she never thought beyond the old house that was falling apart. She imagining she would always live in that village until her father died of old age. Maybe she would marry, maybe she wouldn't? But she imagined she would live out a boring life of mediocrity without ever venturing much further than the locality. Roy changed all that: The boy with the stories of the city and with dreams for the future and with ambitions for making Amestris a better place.

"You ready?" Roy asked.

"Huh?"

He arched an eyebrow, "You were miles away."

Laughing, she shrugged. "I was just thinking about us as kids."

"Hmm." His eyes were crinkled. "Good memories."

"Yeah. You certainly brightened up the house."

He was staring at her with such fondness in his expression. She wanted to cup his face and kiss the hell out of him.

His face turned serious. "I know I never said but I'm sorry for leaving you there alone with him."

"Oh, that was not your fault. What other choice did you have?"

"I could have listened to your father and not joined the military." Despite the deadpan delivery, she could see the sorrow in his eyes.

"You know as well as I do that there's no point in concentrating on could have and the should have."

"I know, but I just realised I never said it."

"That look on your face when you saw what my father put on my back told me that."

"I-" Roy began.

The music stopped and so did Roy.

"C' mon." She jerked her head towards the dancers. "Let's join in."

She bent down to Hayate. "Wait here for us, boy."

He took her by the hand and they squeezed through the gate as other dancers left. Riza smiled as they took one of the spaces.

Roy leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Ready to show them how it's done?"

"Always." She shivered a little as Roy put his hand on her waist. "I remember the first and last time we danced at one of these."

"Your father wasn't too happy. I'm not sure who he thought was the bad influence."

"Me undoubtedly, taking his protege away from his studies for fun and frivolity. It's a good job we never got caught those times you were teaching me to dance."

The music started up and the pair clasped hands. The dance was fast and Riza's eyes were gleaming as she moved. He didn't take his eyes off her, he was feeling a little breathless. They moved easily like they still danced together regularly. He swung her around and she giggled like a schoolgirl and it set him off. He was drunk, drunk on her. She let go of his hand and they switched partners with another couple as the dance dictated. She was happy and carefree. He spun the other woman before Riza joined him again. By the time the dance ended, they were both in fits of laughter getting odd looks from the other dancers.

"That was fun," Riza said. "But I think one dance was enough."

"Did you see the strange looks we were getting?"

She laughed. "I'm pretty sure they think we're drunk."

I think I am.

He let go of one of her hands but kept the other tightly in his as they went back through the gate where Hayate was waiting patiently. She didn't move to take it away. It felt nice to be able to hold her hand like this, pretend that they were a normal couple on a date instead of two officers dancing perilously close to fraternization.

They lined up for the Big Wheel and Riza was feeling giddy. They were having such a great day. It was easy to forget why kissing him would be such a bad idea. She had already been reckless enough that day by asking him to dance. She wasn't sure what had come over her. He was holding her hand again and she knew she should let go. Their shoulders were pressed together in the line, closer than they needed to be but again she didn't care. This was her fault; she knew her actions the night before had sparked something between them, something they had been ignoring but both of them was fully aware of. If she was honest, she wanted to see how far he would go, how far she would go. Here they were nobodies. So if there was anywhere that they would be reckless it was here. Hayate waited patiently again for them off to the side. The poor dog. They probably shouldn't have brought him.

The wheel came to a stop and the passengers alighted, some of them looking green. She tried to ignore the tightening in her stomach.

Roy squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Last chance to bolt?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

"I win either way."

She rolled her eyes. "Are you coming?"

They got into one of the passenger pods and the ride attendant pulled the safety bar in place. She tried not to let her nerves show but Roy entwined his fingers with hers.

After a few moments, the wheel started to move. It wasn't moving too fast, much to her relief. When they climbed to the top, the wheel jerked to a stop and she jolted sideways into him. He caught her by the upper arms. They were face to face, she could feel his breath against her skin and without thinking she closed the distance between them and kissed him. It was a nervous moment before he kissed her back. His hands left her shoulders, one went to her hair and the other to her cheek. She had dreamed of kissing him but nothing could match the reality. It was sweet and slow; they lingered on each other's lips because they knew there was little chance they would get a repeat of this. They didn't even notice as the Ferris Wheel started moving again or the whoops from below. When they pulled apart for breath, the Ferris Wheel was coming to a stop.

He blinked. "Uh - hey."

She snorted at the ridiculousness of his words.

His lips twitched. "I mean wow."

"Want to go again?"

"Do you mean the Ferris Wheel or the kiss?"

"I don't think we can keep on the Ferris Wheel indefinitely but the kissing could go on for quite a while."

His eyes danced and he took her hand and kissed it. The young man on the ride opened the metal grate.

"That was quite the show you put on up there," said the boy. "You might want to ask the photographer for the photo."

Their eyes widened. Shit.

"Oh, where has he gone?" Roy demanded.

The boy pointed vaguely in the direction of the man with the camera.

"Oh, darling." Riza met Roy's eyes meaningfully. "I really want that picture."

He inclined his head. "You get Hayate and I'll get the photo."

Roy was determined the get the only copy of that photograph, no matter how much it cost. If it was printed in a local newspaper and someone recognised them, they would be screwed. He pushed through the crowd, murmured his excuses and getting some annoyed glances but he couldn't let the man out of his sight. When they got to an area where the crowd was less dense, Roy called after him.

"Excuse me, sir." When the man didn't turn around, he added with a touch of asperity, "You with the camera."

The man stopped giving Roy the chance to catch up with him.

The man's eyes widened in recognition. "Ah, it's you. You and your lady were having quite the romantic moment."

"Ah, yes, well," Roy rubbed the back of his neck, "we just got engaged."

The man's smile widened and shook Roy's hand. "Congratulations, she's quite the stunner."

"She is," Roy said. "Sir, we were wondering if we could have the negative of the photograph. It would mean a lot, especially to my fiancée."

The man nodded. "It's the least I could do for two young lovebirds but l have other pictures on that film, so it will take time to get the right one. I already took out the film. I couldn't tell you which one is yours." He handed Roy a card. "I'm going home for dinner but if you drop by my office in an hour or so, I'll have it ready for you."

"Can I be frank? We don't want it appearing in any publication, not until our families know of our engagement at least."

"Oho!" He clapped Roy on his back. "Love is the most important thing in the world."

Roy reached for his wallet. "We would be happy to pay you for any inconvenience."

"No, young man, I won't take your money. As I said, just get some dinner with your fiancée and drop by after. It's always nice to see young couples in love. It's payment enough."

Riza and Hayate were waiting by the Ferris Wheel for Roy to return.

"That was pretty stupid, huh?" She patted Hayate's head. "I really shouldn't have kissed him."

Hayate barked.

"I know." She smiled. "I like him too, probably a little too much."

If only things were this simple between her and Roy. Two childhood friends with shared traumas who worked together. Despite everything they had done and needed to do, they still were willing to throw it all away for a rash kiss. The worst part was she didn't regret it and she want to do it again. And again. And again. The feel of his soft lips against hers had only increased her desire for him. They would have to talk about it eventually but she didn't know how to begin.

She saw Roy wave in the crowd and she made her way towards him.

"Did you get the negative?"

"Not yet. He gave me his card. He has to find the right negative first. He had just emptied his camera."

"Are you sure we can trust him?"

"I am. I offered him money and he refused. I think he was just taken by my romantic tale of a proposal on the top of the Ferris Wheel." Riza arched an eyebrow. "I got an emphatic yes."

"You're unbelievable."

"Clearly, I am very believable." He fished in his pocket. "Look, I know this is stupid but I stopped by a jewellery stall and bought this."

He held out a silver ring with small flower and what looked like an amber inset.

"Roy, I can't-"

"Relax, it will help sell the engagement." He rubbed the back of his neck. "We can say it's a promise ring and we'll choose the engagement ring together."

"You're going to all this trouble for a scheme?"

His face went red. "Well, I really want you to have it." He took her hand. "I know we did something really stupid today but I don't regret it and I don't think you do either."

"I don't," she said quickly.

His face lit up and he brushed the hair off her face. "I love you."

She stood, breathless, mouth moving, no sound coming out.

He shook her by the shoulders, eyes panicked. "Riza!"

"I'm okay," she murmured. "I - I think I love you too."

His arms were around her, their bodies pressed together in an instant and she lost herself again in his kiss. Her head was spinning and her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest. She loved him. He loved her. They broke for breath, goofy smiles on their faces.

"I know we're playing with fire her but let's just enjoy the rest of our day and we can worry about tomorrow when it comes."

Roy's sentiment was convincing and she looped her arm in his. "Let's get food and go collect that negative."

This couldn't last she knew. He pressed the ring into her hand and she tried it on. It was a little loose but it would suit their purposes anyway. She could always wear it around her neck. That way nobody would see she was wearing his ring.

Roy didn't want the day to end. Admitting his feelings for her had not been part of the plan but his heart decided he finally had enough of playing pretend. As they sat in the car, he realised it was time to address the elephant they had been ignoring since they kissed. Riza was staring at the photograph the photographer had given them. He had decided to develop it as a gift to the newly engaged couple but they had insisted on taking the negative as well.

"Something to show the grandkids someday," the photographer had said.

Roy had looked at Riza then and seen a flicker of regret in her face. He wished he could promise her that kind of future.

"If you meet someone someday that you think you could be happy with and have a family, I wouldn't hold it against you." He glanced over at her. "I mean I would be happy you're happy."

Riza's gaze turned to him and there was a fierceness in it he wasn't expecting. "You need a Lieutenant, not a wife. And I - I need you to achieve your goal."

"You've done enough," he said softly. "You don't have to put aside your life for this. I saw your face back there when he mentioned grandkids."

"Don't presume to know what I am thinking."

"I'm sorry."

She shut her eyes. "I'm sorry too. I just wish things could be different."

He met her gaze. "You're the most important person in my life and I'm not about to risk losing you even if means putting my feelings on hold. But someday, things will be different even if we have to wait until we're old and doddery."

She let out a watery chuckle. "Do you think you'll get bald?"

He wasn't sure if he would live to get that old but he decided to humour her. "I guess we'll see."

"I think you'll just go grey and I must say I find your grey hairs rather becoming."

His fingers went to his hair. "I don't have grey hairs. I'm too young to be going grey."

Her lip twitched.

"You're an evil woman."

She slid the ring off her finger. He had been expecting her to do that but he had been hoping otherwise. She surprised him by undoing her necklace and sliding the ring onto the chain.

"Roy Mustang," she whispered, "I will wear your ring as a promise that someday things can be different. For now, fighting by your side and protecting your back is enough."

This wasn't the first time Riza Hawkeye surprised him and he surmised it wouldn't be the last. She handed him the necklace lifted her hair.

He placed the necklace around her neck. "Riza, having you as my best friend and right hand is much more than I deserve. I promise to do my paperwork-" He waited for her snort to continue more seriously, "I hope that someday when all this over, I get the chance to make you the happiest woman in the world." He clasped the necklace shut.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I think we have time for one more kiss before we drive back to our normal life."

"Do you even have to ask?"

Fin