With a content sigh, Riza Hawkeye walked over to the stand closest to her and picked up one of the first apples she saw, turning it over in her hand and admiring its bright red color. It had been a while since she was able to make it out to the local food market before it closed down for the week. Normally she was stuck in the office well past the hours it was supposedly open. But for once they were finally caught up on paperwork and she was able to head home early for the day, allowing her just enough time to find food for dinner later that night—

"Lieutenant?"

Looking up from the apple she had in her hand, Riza saw Edward Elric approaching her, a brown bag in his arms.

"Hello Edward," she greeted as the youth stopped beside her.

"Hey," he returned the greeting. "I didn't know you bought groceries here."

Riza shook her head. "I don't usually. Since it normally shuts down before I get out of work, I almost never get the chance to stop by."

He frowned. "That's a shame. Because the things they sell here are a hundred times better than the food they sell at the supermarket."

She nodded. "I agree. The food they sell here is a lot fresher than the supermarket's."

Edward shook his head. "That's not all though." When she raised her brows, he picked up one of the fruits from the stand they were standing next to and explained, "The apples here are a lot riper and have more flavor than the ones they carry in bulk." Setting it back down, he reached into his bag and dug out a head of lettuce and said, "And the vegetables they sell are crisper too and they tend to last longer in the icebox in my dorm."

Riza was impressed to say the least. Normally when she thought of the eating habits of the teen she pictured Xingese take-out or other quick meals, especially when he and his brother were often on the road.

"I guess I never made that distinction," she replied. "I'll have to try and test the taste of these against the ones I have at home."

"Yeah. I bet you'll see the difference," Edward replied. "I think it's because these are grown on a smaller scale." Shrugging as he picked up another apple and examined it, he added, "Kind of like how things were back in Resembool."

Riza smiled. "So you have a marketplace in Resembool?"

He looked at her again and grinned. "Yeah. They have it everyday, actually. It's run right out of the general store in town but pretty much anyone that produces something is welcome to set up a stand and sell their goods."

"May I help you with anything?"

The two of them looked up to see an old woman approach them from behind the stand, a small smile on her wrinkled lips.

"Oh, yeah. I'll take five apples, please." After he handed over a few cenz and muttered a 'thank you,' he grabbed one of the apples he had been inspecting before and put it in his bag.

As he began to search for another one, Riza asked, "Did you go to it often?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "It depended. Most of the time Granny made us food, but sometimes when we went back to the house for a few days we would swing by and pick up a few things." Reaching for another apple, he quietly added, "The stand owners would often just let us take whatever we needed without pay."

She watched as he picked up the second apple and looked down at it, his gaze growing distant. After a few moments, he chuckled softly and said, "All of them were like that. They always looked out for us after Mom died.

"Of course, Al and I would try to repay them somehow. Whether it was by doing chores for them or sneaking what money we had into their baskets after they thought we had left."

Riza's face softened. "It sounds like they really looked out for you two."

Edward chuckled. "Yeah. Looking back, I guess they did. That's the nice thing about Resembool. Everyone acts like a big family."

"Do you miss them?"

Edward looked up at her, as if surprised by her question. He pursed his lips together and mulled over it in his mind and then moved a shoulder up and down. "I guess I do sometimes. But they know that Al and I left for a good reason, so the thought makes it a bit easier."

"It seems like they really care about you," she replied with a small smile.

"I guess," he answered, though it was clear to her that he agreed. "Most of them have known us our entire lives, so I guess it makes sense that they'd keep an eye on us."

She watched as he picked up an apple and scrutinized it before shaking his head and setting it back into the bushel. When he grabbed for another one, Riza asked, "Do you miss Resembool at all?"

"Eh, I did," he answered as he rubbed the apple against his shirt. Pulling it away and examining it closer, he added, "Especially when Al and I first got here. You and the team were really welcoming though, so it made the transition easier."

Still, she could tell that there was something else on his mind. Something he wasn't telling her entirely…

"Well," he said, breaking through her thoughts, "I should get going." She saw that he had popped open his pocket watch and had been leering down at it. Snapping it closed, he said, "I left Al back at the dorm because he stills gets the occasional strange look here and there. He isn't really too keen on coming with me."

"Oh, of course, Edward," Riza replied as she looked down at the watch on her wrist, realizing that she herself was running late. "In that case, it was nice seeing you here."

"You too," he replied with a light grin. "I'll see you at headquarters on Monday then."

Returning the smile, Riza said, "I'll see you then, Edward." After he gave her a final wave, she watched as he turned on his heels and began to walk away. But just as he was about to walk out of hearing range, Riza called, "Edward!" When he turned around and eyed her curiously, she took a few steps toward him and said, "Would you and Alphonse be interested in showing me your favorite stands next week."

The corner of the boy's lip twitched upward and he moved his shoulders. "Sure, Lieutenant. We'd love to come by with you next week. I'll let Al know." She nodded her approval, and he raised his hand again and waved.

After she had returned the salutation, she watched him round the corner and disappear behind a few stands. Tightening her hold on her back, she too began to head home, already midway through formulating a plan in her mind…

"I'm back," Riza called as she pushed the door closed with her foot and began to head toward her kitchen. She smiled when Roy leaned back, peered out at her and beamed.

"Did you get the broccoli and eggs?"

"Right here," she replied as she reached into the bag and pulled out the bunch of broccoli she had purchased. Stepping around him, she maneuvered over to the sink and turned the faucet on, sticking the broccoli underneath the flow of water.

"How was the market," Roy asked as he looked up from the meat he had been browning on her stove.

"It was nice," she answered, turning the faucet off and shaking the broccoli of its excess water. "I saw Edward there."

Roy's brows rose. "Fullmetal? He was there?"

"Yes," she replied. "And I know. I admit I was just as surprised as you are."

Roy though about it for a moment and then offered, "Was he lost?"

Riza shook her head and flicked the broccoli toward him, showering him with a light sprinkle of water. "He wasn't, actually. I guess he tries to make it down once a week to pick up fresh vegetables and fruit."

Roy pursed his lips together before shaking his head and returning his attention to the meat. "I bet he finally got tired of eating out every night. It's a good lesson to learn as a kid, though."

"Actually," Riza corrected, "He does it almost all the time. He says it reminds him of Resembool."

Roy raised his brows, surprised. "Because it reminds him of Resembool?" Then, after thinking about it for a few moments, he noted, "Now that I think about it, I don't remember the last time he and Alphonse went home."

"I agree. If I had to guess, it was probably when he broke that cable in his automail two months ago."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's probably it." Looking back at him, she saw that his expression had grown distant, losing himself to a thought that had likely crossed his mind. But without him having to say it, she knew what his thought had been.

Returning to the broccoli she had been working on, Riza predicted, "We should put in a request for them to take leave to go home for a little while."

"That's precisely what I was thinking," Roy replied with a sigh. "But my only worry is that they won't take it. Or Edward at least won't."

"True. Though I think if we offer it to him in a certain way we might be able to convince him," she countered.

"You think so?"

She nodded. "He won't directly say, but he does miss it. I think that if we give him the opportunity, he'll take it."

Roy smiled. "Well if you say so. I'll see if I can put in a request on Monday."

She returned his smile with one of her own. "And while we're at it, maybe we could try to go out with them every now and then."

Roy quirked a brow. "I agree, but why do you say that?"

Riza moved a shoulder up and down as she placed the broccoli on a cutting board and began slicing off the florets. "Edward said that Alphonse gets a little self-conscious sometimes. I guess they get people staring on occasion."

Roy's brows knitted together. "They've never mentioned it."

She shook her head. "They haven't. But perhaps it's because they don't want to worry us. Honestly, I hadn't even thought about it, but maybe it's because we've grown used to seeing the boys."

"Still," Roy replied crossly, "I'd prefer they say something if they feel uncomfortable at all."

Riza sighed. "I know. But you know how they can be sometimes. They never seem to want to step on our toes, save for the times Edward feels the need to get under your skin. I think they genuinely believe that a 'trivial matter' like that wouldn't be important to us.

"Maybe we could communicate that better with them," she added as she picked up her cutting board and scraped the florets into a bowl.

"We could sit them down next week and tell them," Roy offered as he pushed the meat around the pan again.

"I don't want to make it too obvious," she said, shaking her head again. "I hope you don't mind, but I've already set up a day for us to spend some time with them." When Roy lifted his brows, she explained, "I asked Edward if he and Alphonse could show me the stands they most enjoy next Friday. And though I know the majority of the market takes place during work hours, I think it would be nice to call it a day early so we could spend some time with them.

"Oh," Roy replied with a mischievous grin, "Looking to play hooky, are you?"

"Well, it won't be hooky when my superior officer tags along," she pointed out.

"True," he replied. "So what time are you thinking?"

"How about around two that day?"

Roy grinned. "Sounds good. It's a date then."

A/N: Admittedly this is not the chapter I had planned originally. The one I wanted to write (a sort of sequel to "Flame" is currently 3/4 of the way written, but I've been stuck on it for the past few months). This was written for Tumblr user murrchow for her birthday (and was inspired by this absolutely wonderful picture she created: minmeiz .tumblr image/138435350034), and she agreed to let me submit it here! I promise I won't go that long without updating again for this fic. I have two more chapters (not including the one that is under construction) planned, one of which is the AU chapter, with the other being a sequel to this one.

So thank you for your patience, and I'll see you soon! And thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows!