The Serenity of Snowfall

A/N: I actually wrote this way back in December, and then apparently decided it wasn't worth posting...? I really don't know what I was thinking, but, while I work on getting other things put together, I'm going to post it.

It was snowing.

It had been snowing steadily since the previous evening, and, half-way through the day, with a foot on the ground and no end in sight, Führer Bradley had sent everyone home. (The idea of being stuck at headquarters with several hundred military personnel was appealing to no one.)

Glad for the reprieve, Riza was tucked up on the couch in the area that constituted her living room, a blanket around her shoulders and a book propped on her legs.

She looked up at a knock on the door. Hayate hurried over and sat there obediently as Riza rose and made her way there.

"Sir!" was the only thing she could think to say upon opening the door. It wasn't a long walk between their respective apartments, but it did require going out in the elements.

"May I come in?"

Riza blinked. "Of course! Yes. I'm sorry—you just surprised me." She stepped aside, closing the door after Roy entered.

"I was actually wondering if you'd taken Hayate for a walk," he explained. "I'd be happy to if you don't want to go out in this weather."

The offer was a tempting one. Riza liked snow, but she wasn't a fan of the cold, wet socks and gloves that tended to come with it. "Thank you, Sir, but I was going to after I'd finished the chapter I was reading. You could join me if you want, though," she added, as Roy's face had fallen a little.

Roy's smile brightened immediately. He crouched down by Hayate. "Leash," he commanded, and Hayate trotted into Riza's room to grab it.

Riza, too, disappeared to her room to grab her coat, scarf, hat, gloves, and boots, and a few minutes later, they were out the door.

Hayate nipped at the snowflakes in the park, sneezing when they landed on his nose. Roy chuckled at the sight, and gathered enough snow for a small ball, lobbing it in a gentle arc to the pup, who caught it, spraying powder everywhere. Hayate cocked his head and whined.

"Sir…" the spray of snow covered the front of Riza's coat.

Roy grinned sheepishly. "Sorry." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "There. No more temptation." He looked up, blinking. "It's still coming down."

"Yes it is, Sir," Riza sighed, a hint of teasing worming into her tone. However, she, too, gazed up at the sky, captivated by the white fluff.

She tried to take a step backward, but Hayate had twisted his leash around her legs, and Riza lost her balance with a small noise of surprise.

"Oof!"

"Sir!"

Roy had broken her fall. For a moment, they were both back in East Amestris as teenagers, laughing and playing as though they were children.

"I don't suppose you're going to throw a snowball at me?" Roy asked, half-sarcastic, half-hopeful.

Riza shook her head, her cheeks now a bright pink. "That would be childish, Sir."

Roy smirked, not unkindly. "Everyone needs to indulge their inner child once in a while," he reasoned quietly. Without another word, he stepped forward, flicked Hayate's leash from Riza's half-open hand, wrapped his arms around Riza's waist, lifted her off the ground, and spun for a moment like a top.

"Sir!...Put…Put me down!" Riza tried to keep the laughter from her voice and the smile from her face, but succeeded in doing neither.

After a moment, Roy stopped, wobbling. He tried to take a steadying step, but lost his balance and toppled over, Riza still in his arms. Upon making certain Riza was unscathed, he released her and lay back, laughing breathlessly. Hayate padded over and licked his nose.

Riza attempted to sit up, but fell back down when the world didn't quit spinning. She put out her hand for Hayate's leash, only to find Roy had already grasped it when her hand hit his. Roy squeezed her hand for a moment, then relinquished it and the leash and stumbled to his feet. He held a hand out to Riza, who took it, looking thoughtful.

"I shouldn't've…" Roy began, but Riza shook her head.

"You know as well as I do that those who don't think I'm your babysitter think I'm sleeping with you. Then something like this happens, and people aren't sure what to believe." She shrugged.

The corners of Roy's mouth quirked up a bit. "A regular woman of mystery, you are," he chuckled.

"I try, Sir," Riza said drily before shivering.

"Time to go back?" Roy suggested.

Riza had only to nod, and they were on their way.

Some things had changed since Roy's apprenticeship.

Hot cocoa during a snowstorm, however, hadn't. Riza's sweet tooth wasn't the stuff of legends, so when it showed up, it was always a little surprising, even to one who had known her as long as Roy had, but if there was one thing he knew she'd never give up, it was cocoa.

Roy was, however, further surprised was that she still put marshmallows in it and, unlike Roy, was patient enough to wait for them to melt into a smooth coating of sugar at the top.

They had chatted as the water heated, but now, a pleasant lull descended as they savored their treat. Even Hayate was mostly quiet, as Riza had given him a bone to gnaw on.

Riza finished her cocoa and yawned, the action coming on so quickly as to take her by surprise. Her cheeks flushed faintly when Roy fixed her with a stare. "It's not even six, and you're falling asleep?"

"I'm warm and comfortable and I've had half the day off—all luxuries. I think I can afford to grant myself another one."

Roy bowed his head in a gesture of mock-humility. "Go take a nap. I'll make dinner."

"Sir—"

Roy held up a hand. "Nobody has to know, and anyway, when was the last time someone made you a meal, not counting going out to a restaurant? As long as you can put up with pasta, whatever I can put together for a sauce, and whatever vegetable matter I can find, I'm giving you a break." He stood and placed his mug in the sink before opening the refrigerator to rummage. "A bonus!" He held up a package of ground beef. "Meatballs to go with the pasta! Now, go take your nap before I'm forced to take drastic measures."

With a tired smile, Riza stood, murmured her thanks, and plodded out to the living area. She grabbed the blanket she'd been using earlier, pulled it up to her chin, and closed her eyes…

When she woke up, it was dark. Nothing had burned—she would have smelled it. Riza tried to turn to find a clock, but found that her movement was somewhat impeded by a set of arms around her waist.

He didn't…

But he had. Made himself right at home, like he always did. It had always been a little odd to her, but then, her childhood hadn't exactly been normal…

This time, however, there was so much more at stake. She'd insinuated that she didn't really care, but she hadn't thought he'd take it this far—he was usually so much more sensible than that! Sure, they'd spent quite a few nights together, some… many not nearly this innocently, whether because one was (or, on one occasion, both were) drunk or guilt was threatening to overwhelm them or… well, because it was them, and there was something there that couldn't be defined by any sort of relationship (though particularly not "platonic").

For a moment, she was seventeen again. It had been the middle of the night, and they'd fallen asleep by the fire. She'd woken up in much the same position as a few moments ago, and had struggled free. A half-awake and fully embarrassed Roy had feebly murmured something about how this always happened, ever since he'd been old enough to sleep with a teddy bear. She would hear none of it, though—she'd fled to her room and hadn't slept a wink the rest of the night.

She didn't doubt that he'd done this on purpose, but if he'd wanted anything more, he wouldn't have pretended innocence—it wasn't like him, they were adults, and she'd have kicked him out without a second thought.

"You okay?" Roy was half-awake, heading to full-alert quickly.

"Yeah." Riza realized she'd stiffened, and relaxed, nestling as far back into his grasp as she could. It was nice—feeling so safe, she thought, surprised she could name the feeling so quickly. She'd felt this way so rarely as a child, but Roy had changed that. He hadn't treated her as a blown-glass ornament, but he hadn't thrown her carelessly about like a rag doll, either. (She knew he'd beg to differ on that last point, but as long as he didn't know what she was thinking, he couldn't make pronouncements.) He'd treated her as she was: a young woman that he'd grown to trust and cherish very much.

It still showed today, if in slightly more subtle (well, mostly) ways. After all, she was supposed to be the one protecting him, and she did. But a single smile or even the politest-sounding "Thank you" carried an undercurrent that told her—as if she could ever doubt—that he still cared.

"You're still not sleeping," Roy mumbled. He found one of her hands and took it in both of his, almost massaging it.

"Sorry." Riza smiled and closed her eyes, trying to breathe evenly.

Just before she completely lost consciousness, though, she thought she heard Roy (now fully awake—she'd apologize in the morning for making him worry) whisper, "It's all right; I'm here. And I'm not leaving."

Even if it would be forced into a lie later, at the moment, those words meant everything.

And thus, Riza fell asleep with a smile still on her face.

A/N: I actually had Riza and Roy arguing in the middle of the night when I first wrote this, but there was no good way to end that, so I opted for this instead.

Let me know what you think! :)