Is this love?

A Royai Songfic

In honor of Royai Day and for the truely amazing people on the royaithread. You guys are the best!

Disclamer:

I do not own FMA, (nope, I really don't) nor any of the characters appearing in it. If I did, the movie's ending would have been something like this, instead of having no royai what so ever.

The song featured is Is this love from Whitesnake, I also do not own any of it, but it fitted quite nicely with what I had in mind.

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Snow was falling steadily, as though it was determined to cover every inch of the small wooden cabin, concealing it from the rest of the world.

Roy had just finished lighting the fire in the fire place. Those damned matches seemed to have something against him, but it had only cost him 15 minutes to light the fire this time, so he felt that he was slowly improving.

He sat down in the large armchair in front of the fire, leaning forward and holding out his frozen hands, so the flames could warm them. Inside the cabin it was almost as cold as outside. He reached over to the small table picking up a glass and a bottle of whiskey. Slowly he poured himself a drink. He leaned back and let the amber liquid dance around in the glass before he took a sip. He stared around the room. There wasn't much furniture in the one room cabin. The chair he was sitting on, a couch and a small table stood in the corner nearest to the fireplace, the lounge as Roy had sarcastically dubbed it. The kitchen consisted of a small cooking unit. There were also a small single bed and a dark wooden cupboard. Inside that cupboard on the two top shelves were the remains of what he called the old days: pictures, a box filled with letters and one uniform with the insignia of a colonel.

Roy turned away from the gloomy room and stared back into the dancing flames. Taking another pull at his glass he found himself thinking of the day before when Havoc and Breda had come to visit him. He was glad they had come all the way out here but he could sense they felt uneasy around them. "They're not the only ones.."

And then there was the conversation Havoc and Breda had when they were leaving. Although they had been at quite a distance when they'd discussed it, he had heard every word. " I feel the person the colonel is waiting for isn't the lieutenant.."

Roy sighed. It was true he felt responsible for the disappearance of Edward, the What if.. questions haunted him every day, but that feeling of guild was nothing compared to what he was feeling right now.

I should have known better
Than to let you go alone
It's times like these
I can't make it on my own
Wasted days, and sleepless nights
And I can't wait to see you again

There had been an earthquake. Roy had been in the village close to his cabin at the time. Immediately he had reported to the police station and found out this wasn't just a local earthquake. All of Amestris seemed to be shaking. A dark feeling had come over him. He had tried to contact Central, but they didn't respond. It was right then and there Roy had made his dicision. He was going back.

Central was in shambles. Buildings were torn apart, the streets were cracked open. The sunlight was almost blocked by a large cloud of dust hoovering over the city. People were running around screaming and there was blood everywhere. Suits of armor were walking down the streets, all heading in the same direction, not paying any attention to the people that were running by. Every now and then there was a loud boom and the earth seemed to shake violently.

Roy was standing just outside the train station. He found himself unable to move. In the train, he had been preparing himself for the worst, but his worst case scenario turned out to be quite an understatement.

Suddenly he heard a strange roaring sound which seemed to come from above. He turned around and looked up. His jaw dropped. High above him flew the weirdest machine he had ever seen. It was huge, roughly the size of a building and it was circleling the city like an overgrown vulture. Roy decided he would deal with this strange contraption later and began hurrying down the streets to Central Headquarters.

There she was. He had given his orders to the others, knowing excactly what to do and how to act and now, seeing her, he was at a loss for words. Riza smiled at him and saluted: "We've been waiting." Time seemed to have stopped as he looked at her, the sounds of war faded to background noise. Roy opened his mouth though he wasn't sure what to say, hoping the right words would come if he just started to talk.

I find I spend my time
Waiting on your call
How can I tell you, babe
My back's against the wall
I need you by my side
To tell me it's alright
'Cause I don't think I can take anymore

But there was no time to talk. No sooner had he opened his mouth, or enemies started to attack them. They fought side by side. Though the fighting was intense, Roy felt strangely calmed by her presence. With Riza by his side, he could take on the world. If only he could work up the courage to tell her..

Roy was lying on the brown leather couch surround by the remains of the victory party Havoc had thrown. Empty bottles and glasses lay everywhere, covering almost every inch of the dark green carpet. There was almost no furniture in the room beside two other couches. Havoc had moved the rest of the furniture into the spare bedroom, to make more room for the party. It had been a great party with lots of beer, food and pretty girls. Armstrong had displayed his art full alchemy skills and told long stories about the Armstrong family. Fury and Falman had desperately tried to stop him. Havoc and Breda were trying to pick up girls, with varying success

Roy had spend his evening trying to talk to Riza, but every time he got near someone would come up to him, saying something like: "Well I'll be.. Roy Mustang! How have you been?" and he would be absorbed into yet another conversation. Now she was gone and he still hadn't spoken to her.

Havoc had been nice enough to offer Roy his couch, since Roy had no place to stay. A few blushing girls had told Roy that he could stay with them if he liked, but he had respectfully declined and accepted Havoc's offer instead. Now he almost wished he had gone with one of the girls, since Havoc's snoring was very loud and the couch was actually a bit too small. He rolled over to his side trying to find a more comfortable position.

He hadn't spoken to Riza. And Riza hadn't spoken to him. Roy felt she'd tried to avoid him during the party. "It must have had something to do with the balloon," Roy mumbled. Thinking of the incident made him feel miserable. It was as if an icy spear had pierced his heart. He kept seeing her, hurrying after him. "Please wait!" "There's only room for one," he had told her. Lying to her had made him feel even worse. He understood why she'd wanted to come along. But how could he have told her that he didn't want her to. Unsure of what he was facing, he didn't want to put her in danger, he didn't want to risk loosing her.

Roy rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling, his mind lost in thoughts.

Is this love that I'm feeling
Is this the love that I've been searching for
Is this love or am I dreaming
This must be love
'Cause it's really got a hold on me
A hold on me

He got up. He had to do something, or he would go insane. This confusing feeling, wanting to see her, wanting to speak to her, or just be with her, could it really be love? The feeling that he could take on the world and at the same time be scared to death. For what might have been the first time in his life, he wasn't sure what to do. Being an alchemist, he believed science was the answer to all questions and that there was a logical explanation to everything. But there seemed to be no logic in neither his feelings nor his actions. It was madness to go to her house at this time of night.

Yet he found himself walking the empty streets.

Central had finally quieted down. The streets were still a mess and the smell of gunpowder was still hanging in the air. Suits of armour were lying in the streets, Roy passed a few military vehicles that were probably going to be used for the big clean up, tomorrow morning. The smell of gunpowder brought back memories. When danger approached she had always been there to protect him, though he didn't always approved of her methods. The sounds of her guns firing, knowing that he wasn't alone, she would be there, by his side. Like she had been at Maes his funeral. He had never thanked her for that. Roy realized he had taken her presence for granted. But tonight, he would set things straight.

I can't stop the feeling
I've been this way before
But, with you I've found the key
To open any door
I can feel my love for you
Growing stronger day by day
And I can't wait too see you again
So I can hold you in my arms

He could hear Maes' voice inside his head. "Roy, you're acting stupid again." Roy smiled. Stupid was an understatement, it was downright madness to come here in the middle of the night. Then again, he vividly remembered Maes' endless ramblings about how Roy needed to get himself a wife. He had he strong feeling Maes would've found his actions very amusing.

He had been standing there for 10 minutes already, just staring at the dull grey door. He'd come all the way here, certain that he would find the right words. He looked around, trying to find a good subject for a little light conversation. Next to the door stood a flowerpot with a big withered plant. Maybe that would be something to talk about. "Good evening Lieutenant. I was in the neighbourhood and I noticed your plant needs water." "Aaaaarrrggg!" He ruffled up his hair. She would shoot him.

Roy took a deep breath, straightened his back and raised his right hand, ready to knock on the door. "One step at a time," he told himself. First, knock on the door. Deal with the rest later.

He had done it. Now he stood there, arms behind his back, nervously twiddling his thumbs. A million What if-questions haunted him. What would he do if she got angry with him, for waking her up? What if she'd laugh at him? What if she didn't even answer the door? What if Hayate would bark, waking up the entire street? Would he have the courage to say what he so wanted to say, with the entire street listening in?

Roy heard some movement on the other side of the door. Footsteps, the sound of a lock being turned, slowly, softly. He readied himself. The door opened and there she was. He could only stare at her. Her long blond hair was hanging down over her shoulders, the light from the hallway gave it a golden shine. Behind her legs, Black Hayate was jumping around, eager to see who it was, that had stopped by this late. To Roy's relief he wasn't barking. She had looked drowsy when she openend the door, but at the sight of him, Riza's redish brown eyes widened in surprise.

Is this love that I'm feeling
Is this the love that I've been searching for
Is this love or am I dreaming
This must be love
'Cause it's really got a hold on me
A hold on me

"Sir?" Her voice sounded anxious. "Is something wrong?" Roy opened his mouth to reply, but no words came. He scratched the back of his head, staring at the ground. "Well, uhm... There is something I would like to discuss with you." he began. Damn! Why did his voice sound so unstable? He looked up. The look on Riza's face had shifted from anxiety to amusement, she was now leaning against the doorpost, her arms folded. "Well, what is it?" Roy sighed. This wasn't going to be easy, but he had to say it. If he didn't tell her soon, he would explode. He looked into her eyes, and decided they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Just looking into them made him feel calm, tranquil.

He took one step forward, making the space between them smaller. Then he lifted his right hand and stroked her hair. "Riza..." His voice sounded deeper, the hesitation was gone. "I want to tell you something, something I should've told you a long time ago." His fingers caressed her cheeks. "I just couldn't find the words."A smile broke through, lighting up her entire face. He wanted to kiss her, but he knew he couldn't do that until he told her how he felt, what she meant to him, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. "Riza, I ..." "Ssshhhhh" she put her fingers on his lips. Her eyes were overbright and a single tear dipped rolled over her cheeks. "No more words." She swung her arm around his waist and buried her face in his shirt. "I've been waiting," she whispered. Roy pulled his arms around her, holding her thightly, his face in her hair. "I'm sorry." She looked up at him. Her eyes were full of love and happiness; and something else. Roy leaned over to her. Now was the time to do what he had wanted do ever since he saw her again. He kissed her. There wasn't a doubt in his mind; this was love.He was home.

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That's it. I struggled with this one. I'm no good at writing fluff, but I think I did acceptable. Comment and suggestions are ofcourse very welcome So if there is something I need to improve or fix, please tell me