Better With Age

Author: MoonStarDutchess

Oneshot Royai

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fanfiction.

AN: Long overdue fiction for HannahBlack09

Better With Age

Roy stared at himself in the mirror, studying his head for the gray hairs that he knew were present somewhere among the stalks of his thick coal colored mane. He'd called into the office, claiming a personal day. Since he hadn't missed a day of work in six months, and was caught up on his paperwork, he gained no argument from his stern, young, lover/lieutenant. Actually, it was captain now, he thought with a frown. Time flew by quicker than the deadlines on his paperwork, and that fact annoyed him to the point he could tear out the locks he was currently sifting through.

"Great," he spoke, his voice disdainful towards his aging body, "They say the memory is the first to go." He exhaled loudly, letting the air pass through his teeth, sounding like the hiss of a train disembarking from a station. Ultimately, he gave up the hunt for the elusive age determining pilus and left the room.

He shut the door a bit rougher than needed and walked into his living room, his bare feet slapping against the floor with every step he made. Moving to stand in front of his favorite chair, he carelessly fell back into it, ever confident that it, unlike his body, would never let him down. As soon as he hit against the piece of furniture, his back cracked, a testament of his old age creeping upon him like the late Maes Hughes about to pounce with pictures of Elecia.

He groaned and sank down into the softness of the well-worn and loyal piece of furniture. He reached over and felt around for the dial of the radio on the table beside him. After successfully finding it, he flipped it on. Then, he tuned it to his favorite station, knowing the exact position that would bring about the glorious music that he loved so well; melodies that would take his mind off the age he now toted with him wherever he went.

"This is dedicated to everyone with a birthday out there today." The DJ spoke with a happy, booming voice, as if growing old was an honor. Roy instantly flipped the channel. He made a slight noise of frustration between a grunt and a growl then moved the dial to the left until he found a song with a good beat. He tapped his feet to the mild tempo country song and smiled. He closed his eyes and listened as the voice sounded over the speakers, following every word until the song lines…

I ain't as good as I once was

I got a few years on me now

But there was a time back in my prime…

With that, he quickly sat up and switched stations until he found another song. He began to bring his hand away from the dial until the lyrics played.

Well it's all right, even if you're old and grey

Well it's all right, you still got something to say…

"Argh! Damn it!" He then switched the station to the last one he knew would have good reception. He clicked it off as soon as the first line of the song was sung.

When I get older, losing my hair

Roy stood up with an angry flourish, his hand hitting the table causing it to wobble but inevitably still. He walked into the kitchen and fixed him a cup of coffee before grabbing the morning paper. His hand gripped the back of a chair and he pulled it out from its place. It skidded across the floor, leaving small black marks on the white linoleum; evidence of his deviled demeanor that morning. He sat down on it irately, hearing the wood crack.

"Stupid music nowadays." Roy spoke vitriolically as he opened the paper and began reading. He soon became absorbed in the latest scientific breakthroughs. Then his attention moved to the crossword, easily sailing through the ocean of words and clues, his intelligence displaying in the quick manner he blew through the puzzle.

He turned to read the front page, always choosing to read the headlines last since everyone else read them first. He frowned darkly as the all capitals, bold font words flashed at him like one of those new electric signs in the clubbing district.

NEW MILITARY RETIREMENT FUND TO BE ENACTED AT NOON

Roy's eyebrow twitched as the orb under it narrowed into a slit. His hand gripped the edges of the pages crinkling them and staining his skin with the annoying mineral oil ink that formed the words. He let loose a string of curses that seemed as if they would go on forever if the doorbell hadn't interrupted the rhythmical string of intensely spoken vulgarity.

His vocalizations stopped and he stared out his kitchen door, though his front door couldn't be seen from his current position. He stilled to make sure he indeed heard a knock and it wasn't his aging mind slowly deteriorating and developing false noises in his head.

Relief flooded his body when he heard another knock. At least something was going right for him that day. He made his way to the front door and looked out the peephole, when he saw no one was there, his smile crashed into a downward quirk.

He turned back toward the kitchen when there was a knock on the door again. He spun around and looked back into the peephole to see Riza standing there with two shopping bags in her embrace. He unlocked his door and offered the most cordial smile he could muster for her.

She walked in the apartment and past him without so much as a hello, not daunted by the fact he was wearing blue pajamas decorated by small dogs that looked eerily similar to Black Hayate. He shut the door and locked it behind him before going into the kitchen where Riza was removing items from the bags and sitting them on the counter top.

"What are you doing here?" Roy questioned, remembering that not even two hours ago, Riza was at the office.

"I took the rest of the day off." Riza turned to him, removed a package from a tote bag resting on the table, and extended it to him. "Happy Birthday."

His eye and eyebrows wrinkled at the word for a moment before returning to their normal appearance.

Riza raised her right eyebrow and burrowed her gaze into his, digging deep, trying to shovel the reason for his short-lived expression. She sat the gift down on the table between them and placed both hands on her hips before walking over to him. He turned to the right so he was facing her and offered her the best smile he could muster, knowing that she would see through his half-hearted efforts.

She reached up to run a hand through his hair, but he grabbed her wrist before her fingers could make contact. What if she did that and her fingers emerged with a huge clump of hair. He would be devastated.

She chuckled as she pulled her hands away. "What's the matter? Find a gray hair or something you don't want me to see?" she questioned, making sure she used a humorous tone.

She was extremely shocked when a devastated look appeared on his face and he flopped down in the chair behind him. "Not yet I haven't."

Riza gazed at him incredulously, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth wide over his response. "You've been looking?"

"I'm getting old! Of course I've been looking! I think I'm getting a bald spot right here too!" Roy leaned his head towards her and pointed his index finger at the hairline of his head, which was completely replete with hair: no bare spots to be found.

Riza stepped forward and kissed his head, the smell of his shampoo pleasant to her sense of smell. "There's no balding occurring anywhere in your beautiful hair," she reassured him. She grabbed his arms and put them around her waist as he looked up at her. Moving to sit on his lap, she put an arm around his neck and ran her free hand through his hair. "And there's no gray hair."

"It's hiding," Roy grumbled then felt Riza's body twitch slightly, an indication that she was laughing but not letting the sound escape her body. "I'll wake up in the morning and my entire head will be completely gray."

Riza kissed the top of his head again and smiled. She laughed as she spoke. "No you won't. You are only thirty-three."

Roy frowned and pulled her closer. "I'm getting too old for you," he growled. "You are still in your twenties."

"Late twenties," Riza corrected.

"It's still twenties," Roy muttered.

"Roy you are being silly. You are the same age distance away from me as you've always been."

When the frown didn't leave Roy's face, Riza heaved a huge sigh and stood from her place on his lap. She pulled out of his embrace and returned her hands to rest on her hips. "Do you want me to leave so you can wallow in a ridiculous pit of unwarranted misery?"

Roy stared at her and shook his head like a child being scolded. "No, I want you to stay. I love having you around."

She smiled, grabbed the package she'd sat on the table, and extended it toward him. "Here's one of your presents. Open it."

"One of?"

"Yes, your other gift hasn't come in the mail yet," she replied, the right side of her mouth quirking upward.

Roy gazed down at the flat package before finally tearing off the ribbon and lifting the lid. He dug through the tissue paper and lifted out a blue shirt and mini skirt. He directed his gaze at Riza, hope glistening in the eye that wasn't covered by the dark eye patch.

She grabbed the clothing, grinned, and walked over to the kitchen threshold. She looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes lustrous with mischief. "Want to help me try these on?" She turned her back to him and left the room, swaying her body a bit more than she normally would.

Roy sat frozen in his seat for a moment, not believing what an incredible birthday present he was about to get. Riza Hawkeye, his beautiful lover, in a miniskirt. Maybe turning thirty-three wasn't so bad after all. He stood quickly and made his way to his bedroom where he knew Riza would be changing.

A few hours later, Riza had managed to convince Roy that things only got better with age.