AN: "Roy has a girlfriend and she and Riza dont get along very well, she gets jealous of how close Roy and Riza are and tells him to choose between them. Roy doesnt even need to think to answer." - Anon

i love this prompt so much and this has genuinely spiralled out of control lmao but i'm here for it and just letting the words roll

fic title: "closer" by travis

A knock sounded at the office door and Riza Hawkeye knew instantly who it would be. Glancing at the clock confirmed her suspicions, and she would have groaned if she wasn't in such a professional environment. Plus, the Colonel was in earshot and she wouldn't humiliate herself like that.

"Come in," he called, not looking up from his paperwork. Apparently, he had no idea who it could be. Riza didn't know why. Their visitor was persistent and clingy. She arrived around this time every day, greeting him so they could both walk home together.

Riza was no stranger to jealousy, however the last time she'd experienced it was when she was merely a child. She'd been jealous of Roy because he'd gotten her father's attention while she'd been left by the wayside, forgotten about once more. In hindsight, she was glad she'd been left to her own devices. Her father was insufferable, holding her to an impossibly high standard which made the fallout even worse when she inevitably fell short. Being unable to perform alchemy – his alchemy – was the last straw. After all the pressure, the tears, and the yelling, he gave up on her completely. A year later, the apprentices began to roll in, none lasting longer than a few days.

But Roy… He'd managed, somehow. Riza never asked because she didn't want to taint their conversations with the mentions of her father. Roy Mustang had lit up her dark childhood with a spark of friendship and she was loath to ruin it with her father's darkness.

So yes, she'd been jealous once before. It wasn't hard to see why.

But this… They were co-workers. Sure, they'd spent most of their formative years together. He'd become her closest friend, her confidant in her time of need, and a great pillar of support for Riza.

Eventually, he'd become her lover.

But that all ended after Ishval. The reasons were mutual, but on nights when she felt loneliest, she would long for his touch, his deep voice whispering in her ear, his lips on her.

Then there was the Promised Day. As was their way they didn't discuss it and buried those feelings down – well Riza did anyway. There was something there inside her though that needed to be brought out into the open and aired out, but she had no idea how to. Seeing him now, it made her think it was a heat of the moment thing, nothing more. There was no meaning behind it, but Riza knew him. She knew he was burying it just like she was.

It made things… difficult. Especially now.

So, it was natural to feel disheartened when his attention was being diverted away, she told herself, especially after they'd been together for so long.

And as Eve Nesbit walked through the door with her usual too sweet smile, Riza couldn't help but feel that little niggle of jealousy in the pit of her stomach.

Only because Eve got to be with Roy in the way Riza so desperately wanted to but couldn't.

Damn her and her absurd emotions. If she could glare at herself for being ridiculous then she would. It was immature and none of her business. He was her boss, for goodness sake. Nothing more. She was happy that he'd met someone. She was.

Riza didn't miss the glare Eve shot her way though, when she realised the office was empty. The rest of the team had left for the day, Havoc being the last one to go who left ten minutes ago. Apparently, Eve was jealous that they worked and spent so much time together.

Riza genuinely couldn't understand women like that.

She'd had her fair share of it. The glares and whispers she gotten from other women as she walked one step behind the Colonel.

"Why does he want to spend so much time with her?"

"What does he even see in her?"

"Maybe they don't just work together, if you get what I mean," followed by a catty laugh.

Jesus Christ, women, just let me live, Riza would often think to herself with a roll of her eyes.

She'd heard it all. If anything, her skin was bulletproof. Of course, he was oblivious. He was the shining star who played up his part. Riza didn't blame him. It had all been part of their plan to keep up appearances while they infiltrated the military from within, but even now after the Promised Day, it still happened. He still had a part to play to get to the top, after all. His work on the Promised Day put him in great standing, but that was one milestone down. They still had a handful left to go.

"Roy," Eve crooned in greeting, hurrying up to his desk. Riza almost frowned at the inappropriateness of it all. A civilian shouldn't even be in the building anyway. However, knowing the Colonel, he'd probably charmed someone into getting his own way.

Or Eve had snappily asked to speak to some young officer's superior for not letting her in right away.

Yeah, that was more likely.

"Hey, Eve," he perked up, shooting her a quick grin. He rose from his chair and Riza had to force herself not to gag at the very obvious way Eve grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, kissing him more passionately than was necessary. They'd only been dating a few weeks. Even Roy was caught off guard, one hand flailing to the side at the unexpected attention. The woman was clearly in the honeymoon period already.

Eve was a petite woman. Even in her massive and expensive brand heels, she only just met Roy's height. Her hair was cut short in a bob, catching the light perfectly. Every time she moved every hair fell back into place effortlessly. Her makeup was expertly done, not a line or an eyelash out of place. Her smart, black, suit jacket and skirt screamed wealth, the fabric shining in the fluorescent lights of the office. In fact, her whole demeanour and attitude exuded that fact that she thought she was better than everyone in the room.

Riza wondered just how the Colonel was so blind to it all. It was truly baffling.

Men, her brain reminded her.

"Let's go, honey," she urged, tugging his hand to pull him out from behind his desk. "We have dinner reservations in an hour."

"I would love to," he began, glancing back to his desk. "But I've got all this work to do still and –"

Resigning herself, Riza stood and cleared her throat, trying to get their attention. Hesitantly, she stepped around her desk and approached them both. Eve narrowed her eyes at Riza. The blonde knew she hated her. It was clear in her dismissive attitude of Riza and the sharp looks, but Riza didn't bite. She just smiled at the woman and let her live in her petty little world. Kill them with kindness, was what Riza had drilled into herself at a young age. It wasn't worth her time to rise to Eve's childish challenge.

"Go, sir. I'll take over here."

"No, I couldn't –"

"She just said you could, Roy," Eve retorted, not giving him a chance to dismiss Riza's offer. Clearly, Eve was desperate to get him out of the room and away from her. Riza felt amusement bubble in her chest. "So, let's go!"

"Really?" he asked, speaking to her lowly. He sounded doubtful. Riza knew him. He felt bad about leaving her to do it all. It was clear in his concerned eyes. She ignored how it made her feel inside.

Riza nodded and smiled at them both. "Of course. Enjoy your night. I've got some things to catch up on anyway and –"

"Oh, perfect," Eve cried, grabbing Roy's arm and attempting to drag him out of the room there and then. He resisted, smiling at Eve, but his gaze turned back to Riza's.

"Are you sure?"

Yeah, go and enjoy your night. I'll stay an extra hour and a half doing extra work – unpaid – so you can get your kicks.

Shaking those petulant thoughts, Riza nodded, plastering a convincing smile on her face. "I'm sure, sir."

"Let's go then, Roy!" Eve squealed excitedly. "There is this lovely romantic restaurant on The Avenue that I've been dying to try. It's very fancy, so we need to go home and get you changed. Or," she giggled. "We could go home and get distracted if you'd prefer?"

Riza's stomach tightened at the heavy implication that they would be going home for sex. Not only due to her personal feelings, but it was just plain inappropriate. Roy seemed to think so too, because he frowned slightly, but he didn't stop her from continuing her rambling that was no doubt a ploy to try and work up Riza.

Eve clearly suspected something was going on between the two of them – the woman tried every minute they were together to put across the message "He's Mine" – but it couldn't have been further from the truth. The had a history, sure, but who didn't? Even the boys had begun to notice her behaviour, and it irritated them as well. At least Riza had them on her side. It made her feel somewhat pleased that she wasn't entirely alone in this Eve shit show of trying to get a reaction out of her.

"Have you ever been to La Taverna, Riza?" Eve asked. If a five-foot two woman could look down her nose at the taller Riza Hawkeye, then that was what she was trying to do right now. Riza smiled pleasantly at her, having none of it. Riza had worked underneath a homunculus, for goodness sake. There wasn't much that could shake her nowadays, especially not this woman's attempt to try and tear her down.

"No, I haven't."

"Hm. Shame," she replied, tone implying that it wasn't a shame at all.

Wow. Just… Wow.

"Let's go, Roy! We need to go and get changed if we're going somewhere that fancy," she urged, that wicked grin on her face, eyes moving to try and catch Riza's eye.

"All right, I'm coming," he replied, hastily grabbing his jacket and car keys from his desk. "See you tomorrow, Hawkeye."

"Yeah, see you," Eve stated. Well, at least she gave her own farewell. It was the most insincere thing in the world, but it was a farewell, nonetheless. Usually she just ignored Riza completely.

As Eve all but dragged the Colonel out the door, Riza sighed quietly and turned to approach the Colonel's desk.

"Hawkeye?" she heard him call. She almost jumped in fright, not expecting him to still be in the room. A panicked thought raced through her head as she hoped he hadn't heard her sigh. The last thing she wanted was to disrupt things, not just for him, but for her as well. She was managing Eve. It was easy, in truth, but she didn't want to let on just much Riza just didn't like her. Not because she was with Roy, but because of her attitude.

She was even rude to the boys.

Turning, she saw him leaning backwards, a hand gripping the edge of the doorframe to keep his balance as his eyes met hers. Her stomach fluttered as she took in the sight of him. That lopsided smile, the excitement dancing in his eyes, and his dishevelled hair was causing it to do acrobats inside her. It was grossly unfair.

Only because that smile and that excitement isn't directed at you.

Oh my god, shut up brain.

"You're the best," he added gratefully.

"It's not a problem, sir."

"Come on, Roy," Eve giggled and Riza's gaze moved to the hand that had materialised by his collar, gripping it tightly to urge him away from the door and into the night they had planned.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise!" he called as Eve eventually pried him away from the door and Riza. "I owe you one!"

They left her alone in the office with only their laughter to echo back to her.

Riza's shoulders slumped in defeat as she resigned herself to her fate. Story of her life, at work, alone, to pick up the pieces while everyone left to enjoy their evening and a social life.

With one final sigh, she picked up the stack of papers, lugging them over to her desk. From the weight, this would take so much longer than just an hour and a half. What had the Colonel been doing all afternoon to become this behind?

Her answer came in the form of a case file. Interest piquing, and forgetting about her current pathetic situation, Riza picked it up, opening the file and skimming through it. It was for a robbery. It had ended in a shootout that incriminated one of the military's own soldiers and it had fallen across the Colonel's desk today as a request to hear his thoughts on the case. On the paper next to it, there were doodles and scribbled notes covering it, linking the evidence in the case and notes together.

He'd been working on this, that's why he was so behind.

Leaving the rest of the paperwork, Riza took the file over to her own desk. She could have sat in the Colonel's chair, but that would have been some kind of self-torture that she wasn't desperate enough to turn to yet. She didn't need to feel so pathetic while his scent shrouded her entire being. No, she didn't need that tonight.

Absentmindedly, she flicked through the file, adding her own notes to his, trying to make sense of everything. She should help, she told herself. There was information on the bullets and firearms used which he'd put a large question mark next to. In a circle, were the words "ask Hawkeye" and it had been underlined twice – a reminder to himself to get her input on something that most considered her speciality.

It made her stomach flutter again, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Goddammit.

An hour later – Riza could see why the Colonel had neglected his paperwork. This case was drawing her in, and she didn't feel like stopping anytime soon – a knock at the door broke her concentration. Looking up with a frown, she was confused as to who would be calling at the office at this hour. The clock ticked on the wall, indicating it was half past six. She should have finished an hour ago, but there was something about this case that kept her here. Not to mention the fact that she still had all that paperwork to do as well –

"General Grumman, sir," she greeted, jumping to a sharp salute.

Grumman grinned widely at her, stepping into the office fully rather than just having his head poking through the door. "Lieutenant Hawkeye. You're a late one tonight."

"Just catching up on the day, sir."

"Mustang procrastinating again?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all, sir. He was distracted by the case you passed over his desk this afternoon and I offered to organise it for him while he looked it over. Unfortunately, I was distracted by other tasks and couldn't complete it in time."

Old habits of boosting his image in the face of the upper echelon died hard.

Grumman just stared at her for a moment, before breaking out into a laugh. "The way you defend and cover for him. It's admirable."

Riza felt herself blush slightly.

"I asked him to look it over with you in mind due to the confusion over the kind of firearms and bullets used, but naturally I expected it would take all his focus. I just wanted to pop my head in to see how far he'd gotten with it."

"Quite far, sir. I hope you don't mind, but I added my own notes to it."

"Not at all, Lieutenant. That's why it sent it over here in the first place."

"I've managed to pick out the exact firearm that would use that specific bullet. It's not military issue, so it would exonerate Warrant Officer Turner. He did nothing wrong. His gun may have been fired, but it wasn't his bullet that killed the shop owner. Another sweep on the scene may reveal the actual bullet that was fired." She offered Grumman her notes and he scanned it eagerly while Riza stood and waited for his response.

"This is… Brilliant. Simply brilliant, Lieutenant," he commented after reading, meeting her gaze with wonder in his eyes. "But how do you know Turner is innocent?"

"The bullet used is made to look and test like military bullets, but they're not. I saw a lot of them out east," Riza launched into her explanation as Grumman perched on the end of her desk, his full attention on her. "I noticed their differences early on in Ishval." She supressed the memory of removing it from a dying man's body and being asked by her CO to examine it and determine if the Ishvalans were using their own weaponry against them. "Someone was manufacturing them as a tactic to instil fear into the Amestrian soldiers. What would do it better than thinking the Ishvalans had their hands on our weapon and ammunition stash?"

"Very true," he murmured, gaze dropping to her notes once more. "So, this same person, or group, has moved onto robberies?"

"Possibly, sir, but I don't think that's the case. I hypothesise that these thieves got their hands on this tech from out east and are brining it back into play to cause chaos once more."

"Terrorism?"

Riza nodded. "I think so, sir. Make the military think that its own soldiers are turning against the state. Not to mention, ruin lives and relationships in the process."

"Very good, Hawkeye. Excellent work," he complimented in awe, an impressed smile spreading across his face. Riza shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, unused to someone complimenting her work. The boys did, and so did the Colonel, but this was different.

She couldn't remember the last time a family member had praised her so much either.

"I would like your help further on this case, if you're willing?" Grumman proposed, standing from the edge of the desk.

"I would be happy to help, sir."

"Excellent," he grinned. "Report to my office tomorrow morning at 0800 hours. I'll pass on the message that you've been temporarily assigned under my command for the foreseeable future to Mustang tomorrow, seeing as he left you to pick up his slack," he winked as he turned to take his leave. "Let the poor boy suffer for his self-centredness, shall we?"

"I don't –" Riza began, cringing. She didn't want to cause a scene.

Grumman chuckled. "Not to worry, my dear. I'll make sure it's passed on. Leave that leftover work and go home. Mustang can do it tomorrow. It serves him right for leaving you to do it alone."

"He didn't –"

"Plus, you've done more than make up for him not completing it in time. However," he added, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I know Mustang well enough and I know you, Lieutenant. I know he was a lazy bum and didn't finish his work on time, didn't he? And you volunteered your free time to stay late and finish it, didn't you?"

Riza said nothing, but the uncomfortable look on her face probably gave her away. Grumman just laughed.

"I won't tell, Riza, my dear. Now go home and get some rest. I look forward to finally getting stuck in with this case tomorrow," he grinned, leaving the office with a wave.

The silence wrapped round her as she processed what had just happened.

Okay. New assignment. A thrill went through her stomach in anticipation of tomorrow. Not only would she get out of the office while the Colonel suffered with his paperwork, a small part of her was pleased she probably wouldn't see Eve again for a few days. A blessing that she needed right now.

She just wanted some peace.

Glancing over to the Colonel's desk, she eyed the paperwork that was still untouched. Making her decision with confidence, Riza grabbed her purse and packed up her belongings from her desk, leaving it tidy and presentable as she wouldn't be using it for a few days. Like Grumman implied, it served the Colonel right for being so lazy all day and leaving tasks to the last minute, only for it to be pushed aside when something more interesting caught his eye.

Riza tried hard not to tie that analogy to herself and Eve. Tried. But the heart is a fickle thing.

Maybe this was just what she needed. A break from him.

As she left the office, she walked with a purpose in her step.