Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ 20 Views of Alchemy ❯ Welcome Back ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters for that matter. I am just merely...er, borrowing them as my muses at the moment. Do not sue me for anything but my imagination, which will not get you far in the courtroom. If there are any similarities between my story and another, I apologize but all I have to say is, I guess great minds think alike after all. Ja na! Enjoy!

 

20 Views of Alchemy

Author: Tiasha

Title: Welcome Back

Word Count: 872

 

WARNING: Slight Spoilers Ahead for the End of the Series!!! You have been forewarned!

 

He had never thought of himself as a man who would be easily tied down. In his youth, young women and girls had swarmed around him in appreciation and fascination, and in his early twenties, their appreciation had turned even more…intimate in nature. So the thought had never truly crossed his mind until Maes had made a comment on the topic of marriage on the sly. And it had infuriated him, so much so that Maes had found it almost amusing to tease him about it.

In hindsight though, Roy Mustang could understand the underlying message and advice Maes had given him time and time again. Any and every man needed support, whether they were too proud to admit it or not. Maes Hughes was the type of man who had held no qualms about expressing himself and his love for his family, which every soldier in Central could attest to; but Roy had never really understood Maes's interest in Roy's “love life.” He had always had too much on his mind to even consider adding a deep meaningful relationship into the mix, and he had thought that Maes had understood that then.

And maybe he had but Roy was never and would never be sure of that. But what Roy was sure about, was that Maes had found out one of the many secrets about life. A man needed a good woman to support him and love him. Maes had found that early on. Roy Mustang could only silently admit that he had found it now, or at least the woman he wanted to continue supporting him for the rest of his life.

For despite everything he had done in the past—attitude, orders, behavior, etc—she had merely batted an eye and went about her business that would push him to the top. And that was another thing he had never fully understood about her until later; she had always supported him and pushed him to the top, even though he had never asked such a thing of her. In fact, if he remembered correctly, he had downright pissed her off so badly when they'd first met that he truly believed she would put a bullet through his head if he were not careful. But she never had and he had a feeling she never would. Threaten him with it maybe, but he doubted that she would make good on her threat…

She had supported him in the best manner she knew how and even now, she was supporting him. She was nursing him back to health, incorporating him into her daily routines and smiling a smile he had never seen on her during their time in the services. She had never seemed so pleased and content like she did now, having his presence in her life in a way that did not involve politics, military or business. She enjoyed every day with him, every mundane day.

And perhaps that was why he found it ironic that he wanted to be tied down now. With her, it didn't seem as horrifying or confining as so many married men made it out to be. He was already living with her, learning her habits and quirks and her learning his—no, he did not mind the thought of marrying her at all.

 

Black Hayate suddenly barked excitedly and raced to the front door, alerting Roy that the owner of the house had returned. He could hear the jingle of her keys over Hayate's excited yips and yowls as she unlocked the door and turned the knob. She was lightly scolding the dog for making such a fuss, a smile on her face betraying her scalding words. She then pulled her keys from the lock, managing her bag of groceries with a proficiency honed from all her years of training in the services and closed the door.

She then looked up at him as he entered the foyer of the house, her small smile growing larger and her eyes sparkling with genuine happiness. “Ah! I wasn't sure if you were going to visit Havoc and the others today or not.”

He blinked, realizing that he had mentioned it the night before but had not made any definite plans. Shrugging his shoulders, he gave her his usual lazy grin and poor excuses. Her smile turned to a frown of displeasure and he scratched the back of his head somewhat nervously.

“I see,” was all she said before she began slipping off her shoes. When he saw her have some difficulty because of the bag of produce, he moved to take it from her, offering a small smile when she looked at him curiously.

“Thank you,” she murmured half-absently, smiling again as she finished her task of removing her shoes.

He watched her for a moment before leaning in and swiftly brushing his lips against hers, noting how she paused to gaze at him curiously again. Her cheeks were slightly tinged with pink but she showed no signs of being upset with his action.

“Eh? What was that for?” she asked him softly, her brown gaze never leaving his charcoal one.

“Welcome home, Riza,” was all he said with a genuine smile on his face.