AN: Just a cute piece of drabble I wrote over my lunch break. I didn't obsess over this one as long as I normally do, so I apologize for any typos I might have missed. I did read over it several times, but I know my eyes aren't always the best at catching them.

No spoilers to speak of here. I place this sometime when the team is working out east, but no particular episode/chapter to associate it with.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Cookies for all.

-Em Michele

Sunlight

She was standing in front of the mirror in the hallway, only halfway visible beyond the partially-closed bedroom door. Her face was flat and unreadable as she calmly twisted her hair into the clip she always wore. Not for the first time, Roy cursed Riza's ability to hide her emotions. He possessed the same talent, of course—it was necessary when doing the covert work their team did—but she had always been the one he could not hide anything from; he wished vainly that he held the same power over her.

It was Sunday, one of the few they'd had off in a long time. Neither had anywhere to be, and yet at this early hour she was already awake and dressed. He wondered if she had hoped to make a quiet escape before he awoke.

On one hand, last night had not been in either of their plans. On the other, Roy felt like it had only been a matter of time. It had started with a late evening of working overtime, followed by a sudden downpour that necessitated an offer to drive her home, then a ride "home" that had inexplicably left them both at his apartment. And by the time he offered drinks it was far past the time for socializing and they both had little doubt in their minds where the night would end. There was no reason for it to have happened on this particular occasion, no disaster or crisis that had left them clinging to one another for support. No, it had just been a random sequence of events that somehow led to them lying intertwined amongst his sheets instead of saying curt farewells in the front lobby of Headquarters.

Memories of the night flashed through his mind as he watched her—the taste of the scotch they had shared, the look in her eyes the second before their lips met for the first time, the feel of her hair slipping through his fingers as he undid that blasted clip, the sound of her whispering his name in the dark, the faint smell of vanilla as he had held her close afterwards. Last night everything had seemed so simple, so natural. Now, though, things were less certain. Roy could not and would not ever regret what they had shared, but Riza's feelings on the matter were less certain. And he was not sure how to proceed.

He could play the romantic gentleman—greet her with a dramatic kiss, make breakfast for them to share. He could play the flirt—plaster a cheesy grin on his face and try to talk her into a sharing a shower. He could act as if the night was merely the result of things getting out of hand—try to joke about drinking a little too much and promise to never let it affect their working relationship. Roy Mustang had seen his fair share of "morning afters," but none of his usual tricks would do him any good now.

His feelings for this woman were much deeper than infatuation or a one-night stand. Were their situations different he could have pursued her long ago. And though they could no more pursue a relationship today than they could have yesterday, she deserved to know that he would do so in a heartbeat were they not bound by military protocol.

In the end, Roy settled for action over inaction, padding down the hallway towards her, still unsure of what he intended to say. He was only a few feet from her when she finally turned toward him and when she did, he stopped in his tracks. Riza watched him silently for a few long seconds before finally offering a quiet, "Good morning."

Somehow she managed to make the greeting sound like a question, as if she was just as unsure as he was. Taking a good look at her from this distance, he could see there were cracks in the unaffected mask she wore. She bit her lip nervously, her fingers toying mindlessly with the hem of her jacket. It was then he noticed the love bite—not quite concealed by the high collar of her uniform.

Taking a few steps toward her, Roy ran his thumb just below it. "Sorry," he said with a grimace.

"It's nothing," she shrugged.

They were silent again, dark eyes meeting amber, both trying to figure out exactly what the next step was supposed to be.

It was Riza that finally broke the silence. "It would be better if no one knew about this," she said, glancing away, "Fraternization would be a serious mar on your record."

"No one can know," Roy agreed, nodding slowly, "but not because of my record. Because if they knew, they would take you away from me, and that is not an outcome I can live with."

They were silent again, but this time she seemed more sure of herself. The questioning look had left her eyes, face softening into a small smile. "Of course not, who would make sure your paperwork was done?" she asked lightly.

Roy chuckled softly. "I'd never have made it past my first week of alchemy training if it weren't for you," he said, recalling that it had been the tiny, normally-silent girl who had convinced his master not to kick him out after his first few dismal days of training.

"No, you would still be here, working your way to the top," Riza countered, "If not with flame alchemy, then with something else."

Sometimes Roy had to wonder why he had been blessed with someone who believed in him so strongly. "You vastly underestimate the impact you've had on me," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. He cut off her inevitable argument to the contrary by placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

"We're playing a dangerous game here, Colonel," she said.

"I thought you liked a little danger," Roy offered with a lazy grin.

Riza shot him a disapproving look.

"There's no one here to see us," he continued, "We can go back to pretending to not care for one another on Monday."

"I don't think either one of us is very good at pretending, sir," Hawkeye pointed out.

"You make a good point," he answered, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close, "but you're not going to convince me that now is the time to start practicing."

She sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. "Well, we have to start sometime. At this rate, we're not likely to fool anyone for much longer," she argued, but there was no fight in her words.

"Yeah, probably," he conceded, "but you know me—I've always been a procrastinator."

Hawkeye chuckled as he pulled her into a proper kiss. After all, it was one thing to share a night with the lights off. But sharing a day in the sunlight was infinitely more beautiful.

-fin-

Am I the only one that think that Roy and Riza have the potential for every type of adorable (and/or angsty) "morning after" ever?