Headmaster King Bradley stared into his coffee mug. He hated coffee but detested the tea his secretary made for him even more. He kept telling himself that he'd retire and leave all this nonsense behind him. Yet every September, he returned to the ivy covered brick building as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Nothing made him feel older and closer to the end of his career than the employment of a former student. Even though Riza Hawkeye had graduated an entire year early from her degree program, he still felt his age climbing to a peak.

He hadn't hesitated to offer Miss Hawkeye a position in the slightest. Her college transcript had been impeccable, and during her internship student teaching, she'd been well liked. No, she wasn't the same type of brilliance her father had been, but she commanded a respectability that Bradley wished more young women her age would emulate.

Of course, there was the matter of her continued association with Roy Mustang. Bradley didn't know exactly how to feel about that situation. By all accounts, the man had earned his state certification with an impressive knowledge of his specialty. The fact that Mustang declined his commission when civilian alchemy was legalized disappointed him, but he wasn't surprised. As a boy, Roy had always been a bit of a free spirit and not entirely suited to the life of a soldier. The mess with Frank Archer disgusted him. A man like that shouldn't have simply been expelled but locked away, in his opinion. It was no wonder Berthold Hawkeye had refused his company all those years ago.

Bradley felt it a major loss to the alchemic might of Amestris when Mustang had been blinded. Supposedly, he now tutored the children of Central City in basic alchemy from the home he shared with Hawkeye's daughter. Backyard alchemy, indeed. A waste of a valuable mind. He'd never seen Mustang in his hallways, and for that, Bradley was grateful. He had nothing to say to the boy who used to pick fights in the library and wear his shirt half untucked, nor the man who'd walked away from a prestigious title like Flame Alchemist to instruct brats in his home office. Nevermind the details.

His wife usually smiled knowingly when he complained of such things at home. Let me guess, King, youth is wasted on the young? She knew him well enough, he supposed. The gentle way she handled their private life made him wish every year was his last at the academy, but still, he had a hard time letting go. Perhaps, one day, his aging body would make that decision for him. If he could stay in the headmaster position long enough to prevent Gordon Grumman from taking the helm, he could say he'd been a success.

Roy would say that one of the most thrilling moments of his life was the day he woke up and opened his eyes to a fuzzy glow. It had been nearly half a year of total darkness until the morning rays of autumn sunlight greeted him from the window. He'd sat in bed, blinking at the sudden change as Hayate circled and pawed at him, sensing his excitement. Even though the light was filtered by the curtains, it stung his eyes. Later that afternoon, Doctor Elric explained that he'd be sensitive to brightness for a while and recommended sunglasses for outdoor use until the full extent of his returning visual acuity could be determined. When Riza returned home from work that evening, she'd been upset that he hadn't called her right away with the news but understood his immediate need to report to his doctor.

It took a full month for Roy to make the claim that he could actually see. Doctor Elric warned him that his eyesight would probably never be what it was prior to the explosion and prescribed him glasses for reading and driving. Roy wasn't as concerned with having 20/20 vision as he was with re-seeing everything he'd missed, even if things weren't completely clear. Watching Riza as she performed even the most mundane of tasks became a favorite hobby. Most of the time, she didn't mind, but when he shadowed her too closely, an annoyed glance told him to back off. Even her exasperation delighted him.

The halls of Central Amestris Academy hadn't changed much in the five years since he'd last strode them. Familiar doorways and display cases brought a wistful smile to his lips. Without really thinking about it, Roy avoided the front hall where the administrative offices were located. Even after the passing of time, he still had no desire to inadvertently bump into Headmaster Bradley, and so far, he'd been successful. Riza's classroom was located in the west wing of the building, and he knew she preferred it because the sun had a tendency to blind students and teachers unfortunate enough to have morning classes in the east wing. Doctor Hawkeye had often complained of the glare on his glasses and the ill-placed windows.

At this hour, Roy knew most of the students would have gone home already, and Riza would be close to packing up anything she planned on bringing home for the evening. It was a bit of a surprise when he heard her voice mingling with another as he approached her door.

"...and I'm sorry for bugging you so late today, Miss Hawkeye, but Coach Hakuro isn't the most accommodating when it comes to interfering schedules."

Riza chuckled softly. "He never has been, Adelaide. Don't worry about it."

"Thank you so much, Miss Hawkeye. You're the best teacher here, did you know that?"

"That can't possibly be true."

Roy leaned against the doorframe of her classroom. "Nah, it's true. She's the best." When the student turned to face him, he winked.

"And you're not at all biased, I'm sure," Riza said dryly as she stuffed a few file folders into her bag.

Through a bit of a blush, the young girl stared at him. "Oh, my goodness, you're him, aren't you? The Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist!"

Roy laughed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I don't claim the title anymore, but that's me. I'm just a backyard tutor now."

"It is an absolute honor to meet you, Mister Mustang! I've read all your papers, and even though I disagree with some of your thermal theories on flammable diagrams, I think you're brilliant! I've been begging my mother for ages to let me take lessons in alchemy, but I think she's afraid I'll burn the house down."

He grinned. "Flame alchemy, as well as any form of elemental alchemy, is pretty dangerous and requires a thorough knowledge of the gases involved. Your mother's concern isn't completely misplaced. Come talk to me when you've taken a few classes in college level chemistry."

Riza sighed loudly when the girl opened her mouth to reply. "Oh, don't puff up his ego any more than it already is, Adelaide. You'll just make my job at home harder. He's impossible."

"At… home?" Adelaide glanced between her teacher and Roy. Her cheeks reddened further as she inched past him into the hallway. "Miss Hawkeye, you're a lucky lady!" she called before taking off towards the exit.

Roy stepped into the classroom finally and leaned against Riza's desk. "I'm not that impossible."

"Not all the time, no." She smiled and kissed his cheek. He watched as she zipped her bag closed and switched off the classroom lights. "Ready to go? It's been a long day."

"I serve at your pleasure, my lady." He offered her his hand, and she locked the door behind them. "I parked on the side of the building."

"I can't wait until my own car is fixed. It may be time for a new one." She sighed and leaned into him. "Why on earth would you park on the far side of everything?"

"You know why."

Riza snickered. "You aren't a teenager anymore, Roy. You don't need to avoid him the way you do."

"I can't stand his glare, Riza. It makes my skin crawl. Call it a habit. By the way," he turned his head and glanced down at her backside, "have I mentioned how much I like these skirts you wear to work? When you keep your hair up like that, it's like I get to take home the hot teacher."

"Maybe I should be punishing you for the way you sexualize a respected educator."

Roy clapped his hand over his heart. "Oh, please do, Riza. I deserve it."

"It's not really a punishment if you enjoy it, Roy." She smiled as he held the door open for her and walked to the passenger side of the car. "Take me home, and we can discuss this more thoroughly."

"You are nothing if not thorough, Miss Hawkeye."

Roy pulled Riza against his naked chest and kissed her shoulder. She smiled up at him and reached back to run her fingers through his hair. The feel of her nails on his scalp never ceased to be amazing. She laughed. "You're such a cat, Roy."

"I can't help it. It's been my weakness for a while, and you should be used to it by now."

Riza turned around and straddled his lap. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead and both eyelids before smiling. "Yes."

Roy quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, what?"

"Yes, I'll marry you if the proposal is still good." She bit her lip lightly. "Has it been too long?"

"It never had an expiration date. We could go down to the courthouse tomorrow, and I'd be ecstatic." He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You make me unbelievably happy, and I don't want anyone else."

"I can't have my female students thinking you're available."

He laughed loudly and leaned over to the bedside table, keeping one steadying hand on her hip. Roy slid the drawer open and pulled out a box. "I bought this a while ago, and I've always been glad I didn't have it on me when Archer tried to blow me up."

Riza took the box from him and opened it. "You sure were confident I'd say yes."

"I knew you'd come around eventually," he said with a smile. Roy plucked the ring from the box and slid it on her finger.

"It even fits perfectly. How did you finagle that?"

Roy tried to manage an affronted look. "We've been best friends since age nine; if I couldn't get this one thing right, it would be shameful."

Riza wrapped her arms around his neck and settled against him. "You've gotten a lot of stuff right, Roy."

"I think your grandfather and my aunt will be happy."

She laughed and pressed her face into his neck. "They won't be truly happy until we produce a pack of children. I hope your aunt doesn't think I don't know why she kept all that kiddie furniture of yours in her spare rooms."

"Yeah, her hint dropping isn't subtle at all."

"So kids, then?" She kissed his shoulder.

He smiled down at her as affection flooded his heart. "Yeah, kids."

Riza sat up and grinned. "You better get busy and knock me up, stud. I'm ready."

"Did you… just make a horse joke?"

She, apparently, couldn't contain her laughter.

"Exactly how long have you been waiting to say that?"

"Long enough, Mustang."

Roy flipped her over underneath him and got to work.

When they married six months later in the summer, Roy overheard Mathilda Grumman noting that the empire waist cut of Riza's gown wasn't fooling anyone, and that the proper thing to do would've been to wait until they'd been married a respectable amount of time. He nearly choked on his champagne when Gordon actually spoke up and told her to mind her own damn business for once.

Author's Note: And now we've come to the end. Thanks for not bailing on me! I appreciate everyone who's taken the time to leave me a comment, and kudos. I appreciate them all 3