"Ready sir?" The young woman asked, standing to attention, her hand forming a salute. Her name was Riza Hawkeye. The man opposite her curved his mouth into a small smile.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Lieutenant." Roy Mustang replied, pulling his navy blue overcoat on. He walked to the other side of the room and stared at his reflection in the mirror, every so often tilting his head from side to side.

"Is there something wrong, colonel?" Riza enquired, and Roy sighed dejectedly.

"This eyepatch isn't very appealing, is it? Ten bucks I won't be half as attractive to the ladies now..." He moaned, carefully touching his large black eyepatch. That fight with Bradley was tough on me. Riza shook her head.

"Don't worry, colonel." She assured. "You look as fine as ever." Roy gave her a wan smile.

"That's what you think, lieutenant. Ah well, there must be someone out there who likes this look. Preferably someone who Havoc doesn't like." He chuckled softly, and opened the door of his room. He gestured for Riza to exit.

"Ladies first." Riza shook her head and smiled.

"Sir, you know I don't like that rule. Men and women are equal." She said, staying where she was.

"Okay then, so be it. Medics first." Roy said. Riza's eyes widened. She was no medic! She shot down people, not save them!

"Medic?" She asked, and Roy nodded.

"The doctors did their fair bit, granted, but you, Riza Hawkeye, tended to me whilst I was recovering. For that, I'll be in your debt." He said, smiling softly at her. Riza's eyes softened, and she stepped out of the door, with Roy following.

Roy stepped out of the car with Riza, and they both looked up at the military building.

"I'm finally back." Roy smiled.

"I expect your men will be pleased to see you, sir. Especially Second Lieutenant Havoc. On Tuesday he asked me to ask you to give him dating advice." Riza informed, and Roy laughed, and they entered the building, and went up the staircase to their sector. In Roy's office, four other soldiers were playing poker on the large polished table. At the bang of the door, the party jumped, and looked in the pair's direction.

"Poker. Huh." Roy remarked, looking at one of the player's cards with interest. "Fuery has four queens." He informed, and Sergeant Major Kain Fuery looked at his boss with elation mixed with a little anger. After all, the colonel had just revealed his next move!

"Colonel Mustang! You're back!" He exclaimed, and the four soldiers cheered. Vato Falman stood up and shook Mustang's hand.

"Congratulations sir! We've been quite bored here without you. Nothing to do, so poker was the only option!" He said.

"Thanks Falman. Though, poker? I would've thought solitaire was more your style." Roy remarked, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

"I can hardly play solitaire with friends, sir."

"True, true. But now that I'm back, no more slacking off for you guys!" Roy said, then, with a snap of his fingers, the cards were obliterated. This action was greeted by angry protests from the group.

"Colonel, you jerk! I was just about to win that!" Heymans Breda moaned, which aroused even more protests.

"Hardly, Breda! Everyone knows I'm the champion of poker!" Jean Havoc objected.

"I had four of a kind!" Fuery pointed out.

"Straight flush." Falman said, which caused Fuery to wear a dejected expression.

"Same here, Falman! I got a straight flush! Beat that, Havoc!" Breda said proudly, with a pleased smile that soon turned to a scowl when Havoc revealed his hand.

"I had a royal flush." He revealed, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, blowing a puff of smoke, then putting it back in his mouth for added effect. Fuery gaped at his co-worker.

"You're my hero!" He said, and Havoc grinned.

Roy turned to look at Riza, a weary expression on his face, and she nodded. In a flash, she took out her gun from her belt and shot four bullets into the table, causing the four men to jump out of their seats in shock. Riza returned her gun to her belt, and Roy smirked.

"That's enough messing around from you lot. Get on with some paperwork that you must have." He ordered, hanging his coat on the coat rack and sitting in his seat. He had missed this seat. It meant being with friends, and having authority. He looked at the picture of his crew on the desk, and smiled. It was good to be back.

"Colonel, I believe you also have paperwork to be doing?" Riza reminded, signalling to the stack of papers on his desk. The colonel slumped over his desk dejectedly.

"You can't find it in your heart to let this poor injured colonel take a break on his first day back?" Roy asked, looking up at the lieutenant with big puppy dog eyes. Riza shook her head.

"You are fit and healthy colonel. I suggest you get on with your paperwork." She insisted, and Roy groaned. Find a way to avoid paperwork, Roy. You can do it. Anything! Er... Bathroom? Yeah, I can have diarrhoea! Wait, no! I can't believe I actually thought that! I'm this sexy colonel who girls fall over for! Er... Then the idea suddenly hit him.

"Havoc!"

"Yes sir?" He replied, and Roy slammed his hands down on his desk.

"You needed dating advice?" He confirmed, and Havoc nodded.

"You get all the girls! You even get the girls who are already in a goddamn relationship! It's not fair on poor saps like me who can't keep a date! How do you do it?" He asked desperately, though there was a hint of resentment in his voice. He still hadn't forgotten the day that his girlfriend was stolen from him by one Roy Mustang. That same man smirked, raking his gloved hand through his sleek black hair.

"I guess it's just my good looks, Havoc." Roy boasted, making Havoc scowl.

"I have good looks too!" Havoc insisted fiercely.

"Not as good as mine." Roy said, and Havoc's scowl turned deeper. Then, he turned to Riza hopefully.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye! You're a girl!"

"Very observant." Riza said, keeping her voice level, but nobody could miss the sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, which one of us is more good looking?" Havoc asked. Riza looked at him, restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"I am not taking part in this conversation." She stated firmly, and promptly exited the room with her own stack of paperwork. Havoc groaned, and Roy smirked.

"She simply didn't want to admit that she finds me very attractive indeed, and that she finds you as just an average looking man." Roy said, smirking.

"Yeah right. You're not Hawkeye's type." Havoc shot back, returning to his paperwork. The cigarette in his mouth twitched as he muttered profanities under his breath.

"Don't smoke as much. It gives you bad breath. No lady wants to date a man with bad breath." Roy advised, making Havoc gape wordlessly.

"Give up my cigarettes? That's impossible!" He exclaimed, shocked. Roy shrugged.

"I gave you advice. It's up to you if you want to take it or not." He said, and finally started on his mountain of paperwork. He looked at his picture of his crew once more, and his eyes fell on the woman standing next to him. Lieutenant Hawkeye.

"I wonder what her opinion was..." Roy mumbled.

"Do you like Lieutenant Hawkeye sir?" A man asked, and his head turned like lightening to see Fuery looking at him curiously.

"No no no, what makes you say that Fuery?" Roy asked, a little panicky. He didn't like Hawkeye, that part was true. But she certainly held a place in his heart. The most special place, in fact, now that he came to think about it. But he could never imagine the two of them dating. She was the rigid worker, whilst he was the lax ladies man. How could that ever work?

"Well, you were staring at her in that picture, sir. I merely thought that you might... Love her." Fuery said.

"Well you were wrong." Roy replied bluntly.

"You and Lieutenant Hawkeye would make an excellent couple though, sir." Breda piped up.

"I second that." Falman added.

"I agree. Plus, it would keep you off my future girlfriends!" Havoc said. Roy stared at all of them.

"You all believe that we could get together, don't you?" He asked, and the group nodded.

"I may have the gift of wooing women," He smirked, and Havoc grimaced, "But Riza Hawkeye is one who I could never woo. One, because she's too smart for that, and two," He smiled, "I could never do that to her."

"Whatever you say, sir." Havoc said, and Roy nodded, then was about to turn back to his paperwork, when Havoc spoke again.

"But I still bet ten that they'll get together."

"WHAT? You're placing a bet on my romance life?" Roy yelled, to which Havoc nodded.

"Twenty says that Lieutenant Hawkeye currently has feelings for Colonel Mustang." Fuery betted.

"Thirty says that Colonel Mustang will flirt with Lieutenant Hawkeye." Falman said.

"Forty says that all three of the other predictions are true." Breda claimed. Roy gaped.

"Fifty says that Havoc will never keep his next girlfriend for more than a week." Roy shot back. Now it was Havoc's turn to gape.

"H-how come you only targeted ME?" Havoc yelled angrily. Roy shrugged.

"Because it's the only bet I know I'll win." Roy answered, eliciting angry protests from Havoc. Roy chuckled to himself, then turned back to his paperwork. I wonder... Can their bets become true? He looked at the picture of his loyal lieutenant fondly.

A/N- Hello everybody! I've just finished both story lines of Fullmetal Alchemist, and I decided to base this story on the first anime. One, because I started this story before I finished the manga, and two, I thought Riza looking after Roy was really cute ^_^. I'm a big Royai fan. Edwin just didn't cut it for me. AlxWinry does though, but not nearly as much as Royai. I just think it's a really adorable couple! Oh, and so that it doesn't cause confusion in the later chapters, Ed will be back in Amestris.

Oh, and in your reviews, I'd like you to answer the following question for me, to the best of your ability. Why is the Royai ship called Royai? I get the Roy bit, but ai? It's Riza! Hopefully someone will be able to shed light on this matter.

Anyway, thank you for reading this story, and may the Royai spirit continue to burn strongly inside your heart! How could it not? Roy Mustang IS the Flame Alchemist!