Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist, or anything related to it. Promise!
Riza always hated boys. They were big-headed, stupid, and annoying. Girls were always expected to bow to their every whim and obey their every command. How could any self-respecting girl stand that?
Other people in general were distractions she didn't need. The only person whose company she valued was Gracia's. All others were useless and only wasted time. For a large portion of her life, Riza had no interest in boys.
Until she met Roy Mustang.
Roy Mustang was a logical boy. His father, a state alchemist, taught him alchemy from a young age, despite a mother's worry. He was now the source of his parent's pride, the apple of their eyes. He could light a fireplace with a snap of his fingers and could charm even the strictest of teachers. He had a heart of gold to match and a fiery spirit that blazed with youth. The praise of his parents fueled his confidence, which transformed into cockiness. He walked like someone in charge and felt all other inferior to himself.
Until he met Elizabeth Hawkeye.
The summer sun blazed down on the beach as waves lapped the shore. Many families had emerged from vacations and were now relaxing in the sand and enjoying the weather for as long as it would last. The Mustang and Hawkeye families were no exception. Roy was patrolling "his" beach along with his buddy, Maes Hughes. Riza was tanning in the sun with one of her friends, Gracia Liasam.
"Look at him," Gracia whispered to her friend, pointing to Maes. "He's so cute."
"Then, why not ask him out if you can't shut up about him?" Riza raised a blonde eyebrow at her friend, who could speak of no other boy. Gracia was one who had experience with boys and it was no news that she enjoyed spending time with the cuter specimens of the male species, but this was different. Never before had the teenager fallen so hard for a guy, and never such a geeky-looking one. His glasses made him look possessed in just the right light. Not to mention he was always hanging out with "His Lordship"-Riza and Garcia's nickname for Roy-and seemed to be more of a pest than anything.
"I will, c'mon!" Gracia grabbed Riza's arm and both girls walked towards Roy and Maes, walking in a way not unlike a lion stalking its prey.
Oblivious to the predators, Maes watched Roy fight with a kid that had made fun of him. Seems okay, right? Defending your honor and that of those around you? Not when you were 14 and your enemy was 7.
"Excuse me?" Turning around, Hughes spotted two attractive girls, one with light brown hair wearing a bikini and another with her blonde hair pulled up wearing a sensible one piece. He eyed the one that had spoken, the first girl.
"Do you need something Gracia?" He asked, his yellow eyes looking over his glasses and inspecting her, as if reading Gracia's thoughts before they even spilled out. He knew her from school and was never disappointed by her. In fact, over the past couple months he'd been nurturing a crush on her that bordered on obsessive.
"Well, um, I was wondering, if you wanted to, I dunno, go out with me?" Maes looked at her as if trying to figure out if she were serious, then grinned in a way that made Gracia melt.
"Sure."
"There!" All eyes went to Roy, who had just destroyed the younger boy's sandcastle, which made him run away, crying and sniffling. Roy chuckled. "Stupid brat." The words had barely left his mouth when he left something cold hit him on the back of the head. Turning around, he opened his mouth to challenge whatever guy thought they could get away with drenching him like that-only to choke as water flooded his mouth.
Once he'd recovered, Roy met his attacker's red-brown glare. First of all, he was surprised to see it was a girl. Second of all, he was surprised at how attractive she was. A water gun that had been abandoned by Roy's earlier victim was in her hand, aimed directly at his eyes.
"That was cruel." Was all she said.
"Why should you care?" Another stream of water came, blinding him in his right eye. "UGH!" Maes and Gracia laughed, even as Riza finished with a grand finale. Grabbing a bucket filled with sand and mud, she dumped it on his head.
"Hey! What was that-" His angry words merely bounced of Riza as she and Gracia left to return to their tanning. He tried to catch up, but tripped and fell into the shallow water.
"You like him." The first words out of Gracia's mouth evolved quickly into a squeal. Riza felt her face heat up even as she denied it.
"Like him? More like can't stand him. He's arrogant and annoying. Someone needed to knock him down a few pegs."
"You just wanted it to be you?" Riza could not summon the strength to argue. Riza was attracted to the cocky boy despite herself. Why? How? These were questions bets left for the future, not now. Without another thought on the subject, Riza returned to her towel by Gracia.
"Maes, what just happened?" Roy's tone was not as cocky, but instead an obvious reflection of his wounded pride.
"You just got your ego deflated by my girlfriend's best friend, and it really suited you." Black eyes glared at Maes' glasses, then averted their gaze when the sun's reflection became too much.
"Wait until I get my revenge. Roy Mustang ALWAYS gets his revenge!"
Does this not sound familiar? I'm so wicked! Anyways, read and review! Well, if you see this, you've probably already read, it, so just review!