Broken Wings

Author: MoonStarDutchess

Chapter 16: Trust

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist and all of its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fanfiction. The only think I own are OC’s (if any). This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to the overall course of the plot and unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

Trust

Riza tried her best to keep her eyes on the words of the book in her grasp but it was proving to be extremely difficult considering Roy was currently changing shirts. In the process of trying not to watch him, she was learning to appreciate a male with an excellent set of abs. So, as she pretended not to look, to spare herself that know it all, ego filled smirk of his, she was really wanting to run her hand along his smooth muscles. It was outrageous that the thought entered her head but at the same time, she told herself that it was a natural feeling for a woman to get when she saw a good-looking man.

She was relieved when he finally slipped a black tank top over his head, until he pulled it down and she saw the way it fit him. It clung to his body like a slightly looser second skin and made his tan skin and already dark features stand out even more. His skin reminded her of the tanned wood underneath the bark of the Birch trees that grew in the angel world. She always felt so strange when around him, tons of foreign feelings flooding her body and taking over her mind, making her act in ways she never thought she would. She never quite warmed up to someone as speedily as she had the man standing in front of her.

He turned to her and she quickly turned back to the book in her hands. Roy stuck his left hand in his pocket and brought his right up to his chin. He looked at her in a thoughtful manner before a smirk slowly formed on his lips. He walked over to stand beside her and stared down at her for a moment before removing his hand from his pocket and flopping down to sit beside her with a thump.

He moved his chin to rest on her shoulder and stared at the page of the book for a moment, then looked to the side to look at her face, his grin never leaving his lips. She had a difficult time trying to keep her gaze on her book and ignore the man that was so close to her.

"Why were you staring at me," he finally whispered, his breath brushing her ear, causing her to have to hold back a shudder.

"I wasn't staring," she said, gripping the book in her hands tighter. "I'm reading. I have been for the past twenty minutes."

"You haven't turned the page since you picked up that book."

Riza cursed his observances and herself for being so damned careless. "Yes I have," she lied, "You just weren't paying attention."

"Okay, I'll let you get away with that lie. Now explain why you have that blush on your cheeks."

"I don't have a blush on my cheeks," she lied again.

"You can't lie when the evidence is still present. I know there's nothing in a book about plant life that would make you blush. Did you like something you saw?"

Riza withheld a growl and struggled to keep in an expression of embarrassment. She didn't want him to know that he'd shaken her a bit by his comment. She started formulating ways to respond through her head, going through them quickly and using a part of her mind to filter out what wouldn't be useful.

Riza placed the book she was "reading" on the table and then turned her head, causing him to move his from its position on her shoulder. She smiled slightly.

"I assumed that you would think I was staring at you, though I wasn't staring at you but if I was I would have no reason to blush for staring at you." As soon as she spoke the run on sentence, she pictured a tiny mini-self stabbing her brain with a sword. Of all the ways to respond, she still went with a stupid one despite her thinking.

"But you weren't staring right?" His voice was full of amusement making Riza want to knock it right out of him. Did he really enjoy her stupid moments that much?

"No, I wasn't staring at you? Wasn't that what I said?"

"I'm not sure about what you said honestly. You were speaking so quickly without any pauses that I don't think anyone could understand," he teased, "Are you sure about what you said? Are you sure you weren't staring at me, and just didn't know you were staring at me? Perhaps you are in denial over your staring actions."

"I know what I said and I would know whether I was staring at you, if I was, which I wasn't, as I have stated before about my… non …staring." She frowned when Roy began laughing at her, holding nothing back.

She glared at him and folded her arms. "I see nothing funny."

Roy reached up to her face and turned her head to look at him. He then kissed the tip of her nose affectionately. "You were staring."

"I was not." She spoke in a light whisper and her breath drifted over his lips like a light breeze in the spring, the kind that gave one a chill yet the body's warmth remained.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, his own voice a light whisper, his eyes burned into hers and her body felt like its strength was being drained from it.

"I'm sure. I wasn't staring," she hesitated in her sentence a moment, turning her head away from him, "I was just looking. There's a difference," she said, partially relenting to his annoying interrogation.

Roy grinned in satisfaction at hearing her admittance. "And did you like what you saw?"

"And do you want your ego stroked or something?" she asked, turning her head back to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

Roy laughed and raised his hands to cup her face, a familiar gesture that Riza was growing more comfortably accustomed to as the days wore on.

"Nah, I just want an opinion."

Riza turned her body toward him and leaned in to brush her lips against his. She stopped mere centimeters away and waited for an interruption, a common occurrence whenever the two of them got into a slightly amorous situation.

When no one came in, she moved her lips closer and stopped when someone yelled for them to come out. She growled inwardly and backed away from him. "I should have waited a moment longer," she muttered, then sighed. "I guess we should go right?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," he replied. He stood and extended his hand to her. She rested her hand in his, and he pulled her to her feet.

Do you have your ring on?" He brought her hand up to his eye level and smiled at seeing the piece of jewelry safely on her finger.

"It's here but…"

"But…" he prompted.

"But should they know right now? I mean, we just got engaged."

"If you aren't comfortable telling them, we don't have to," he said. "Either way, we shouldn't tell them about the bet and why we are engaged."

"Yeah, I don't think they would be happy with the reason why we are engaged or that you are getting married to me after such a very short. No. After such a nonexistent courtship."

"You want a courtship?" he questioned.

"I didn't say that. I said they may be upset at you not having one."

Roy started laughing so loudly that Riza knew the noise was carrying outside where everyone was gathered. He let go of her hand, sat down on his bed, and leaned over, still cackling out as if someone had given him laughing gas.

"That," he gasp, trying to catch his breath, "was the funniest thing I've ever heard."

Riza wrinkled her nose and frowned. "I don't see what is so amusing. You seem to be finding many non-amusing things funny today. “She folded her arms and walked over to stand in front of him. Roy looked up at her and laughed a bit more before it finally faded.

"It's just that they keep nagging me to get married and then you ask if they want me to go through some sort of courtship. It's both ridiculous and really funny."

"Well excuse me for being your personal stand up comic."

Roy grinned and stood. "You want a courtship, you'll get one," he said. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and headed toward the door.

"Hey, wait a minute," she protested, unfolding her arms and taking a step toward him, "I didn't say-"

"I insist, we shall have a courtship," he interrupted and left the tent.

---

Riza stood there motionless for a full minute, staring at the place where Roy was previously standing. She couldn't believe what he just said. Didn't he ever listen to anything? Their impending marriage was based completely on a deal they made and lacked the emotions that usually accompanied marriages. Despite obviously and undeniably being fond of him, and the incredible desires she experienced when around him, she was extremely hesitant to call it love.

Roy stuck his head back into the tent. "I have to go to the other side of the village. Be back in a minute," he said. "Meet you at the fire."

"Are we going to tell them about us or not?" she asked before he went back outside.

"How about only if they ask? Does that sound good to you?"

She nodded. "Now about this courtship idea of yo-"

"I'll give you a proper one," he interrupted before moving back outside.

Riza stomped her foot like a child having a tantrum. "That is the most frustrating man I've ever met!" she yelled. Despite being annoyed, she also found his actions very amusing. He was actually a contradiction when she thought about it. He was a rather down on himself, angst ridden person, but at the same time he loved to tease people and annoy them. It was a trait she found rather endearing.

Finally, she adjusted her dress and took a deep breath, ready to find out more about the people of this place, and to tell them that she was staying. Then, if they inquired about the ring she wore, she and Roy would tell them about the engagement.

She walked over to the exit, paused one last time to prepare herself, and left the tent.

--

Riza gazed around the camp, her hazel eyes taking in the warm glow of both the sunset and the orange and yellow flickering of the campfires as it cast shadows around the village. She turned toward the middle campfire to see everyone except Roy sitting around it on wooden platforms with cushions to soften the roughness of the wood. Ran was passing around small white cups with blue patterns decorating them. She couldn't quite make out the patterns themselves but it was miraculous enough that she could see the blue. Of course, she was a sniper during the angel and demon war so it wasn't surprising that her eyesight was better than most.

As she stared at the crowd, her stomach twisted. She hadn't been around all of them in such close confines before. The cities were always bad enough with all the people. She grew used to keeping to herself and if that wasn't possible, she never got around more than four or five people at a time. That was a very large group sitting there and even as she watched, more approached, sitting further on the outside around numerous other fires.

"What's wrong? Why haven't you gone over there yet?" she heard a voice ask her. She looked to her left to see Roy standing next to her. The sight of his eyebrows furrowed and a small frown playing on his lips would have displayed his concern for her, if his actual voice hadn't taken on the tone revealing it. "You aren't nervous around them are you?"

"Didn't take you long to go to the other side of the village," she said.

He held up a small package. "I went to get this for Ran. The guy was on his way here so I didn't have to go all the way."

"I see," she said.

"Answer my question.”Are you nervous around them?" he said, getting back to the main issue at hand.

"Would you be surprised if I said that I was nervous?" Her voice was a bit more timid than usual.

"You know all of them, and they all adore you," he said. "I don't get what you'd be nervous about. I told you that we didn't have to tell about us if-"

"That's not it," she said. "It's just they are all grouped together."

"You don't like being crowded in?" he questioned. "That's odd. I figured as a guardian you were used to being in crowds."

"Solo," she stated. "I didn't get around many people at all."

"How about when you went into the cities?"

"I was still nervous," she said, trying not to expose the unease in her voice. "Besides, Ma..." she started to say but stopped herself. Maes had been with her most of the time when she was in the city and that made things less unquiet for her.

Roy placed a hand on her shoulder. "What were you going to say?"

She shook her head, "It's nothing important." That old ache from when she saw Maes and Gracia together hit her body. She thought she'd forgotten, but she hadn't. She still cared about him, but as she gazed at Roy she saw that he was the one that needed someone, and that he could possibly give her what she needed as well. Though she loathed admitting it, she did indeed need someone that she could trust. It was ironic that a memory of her old lover was what made her fully realize it, and that she'd realized it so suddenly.

"I'll be there for you. If you get nervous just squeeze my hand," she heard him say. His voice sounded so far away as she thought about what she'd just come to understand.

"Riza, you alright?"

She shook her head alarming him for a moment before she finally realized the gesture she made and what he might infer from it. "Oh, I'm fine," she said, coming from her thoughts and maneuvering her gaze directly at his. "Really, I'm fine," she assured again when she saw his belief in her words wasn't quite there in him.

"Did you hear what I said?" he questioned.

She nodded at first but then turned it into a shake of her head when he looked at her skeptically. "Sorry, I sort of did but yet I didn't. I vaguely heard you."

Roy grinned, "Do you space out often?"

Riza laughed. "No, not often." She felt warmth at her left hand and looked down to see that he was grasping her hand with his right. She never remembered him removing it from her shoulder.

"I said that if you feel uneasy just squeeze my hand. I'll be there for you I promise. Trust me."

She looked back up at his face with a neutral look and studied the small circles under his eyes and a small scar that peaked out from under his eye patch. She reached up to flick his bangs away from his face. "I do."