Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist belongs entirely to Hiromu Arakawa :3 no OCs appear in this oneshot.

A/N: Just a little side story (if you're interested): I had offered to drive dad to his meeting and ended up waiting for him for over three hours. I was in the midst of studying the stability of benzene rings in a café when—WHOOP!—inspiration jumped me and I started on this little drabble. Do not fear. Benzenes don't make a special appearance in this oneshot lol! XD

Track: The smooth jazz track playing in the café.

He had seen her once—ran into her, more accurately speaking—in one of those quaint, nigh-isolated coffee shops in Central City. He had not meant to cross paths, and so he merely stood there over ten feet away from her, her familiar back towards him, seated elegantly over what would be a steaming cup of herbal tea. She never liked coffee, he knew. It was too strong for her, she once told him, and it got her nerves too far on edge. In addition to that, it gave her trouble sleeping by the time night fell, regardless of how much earlier on she drank the beverage, as if she did not have enough trouble sleeping already.

He watched her twitch, as her Shiba Inu pup uncharacteristically propped his forelegs atop her skirt, yipping for attention. He watched her turn slightly, barely catching her profile and slight smile as she patted the pup's head and muttered something that made the latter sit and tilt its head to one side.

"Excuse me."

Colonel Roy Mustang sidestepped, slightly startled as a man brushed by his side, one hand on his hat, another gripping a briefcase. He looked as if he were in a hurry. Roy looked around, embarrassed. He was blocking the way on the already-narrow pavement. He leaned back against the nearest building, allowing more room for passersby to make their way through. He turned his head again towards her direction. She was on her day off, and so was he. Both of them now looked like mere civilians, a dramatic contrast to their daily uptight and militaristic personas, she, with her long blonde hair down over her shoulders, in a long-sleeved powder blue blazer and black skirt; he in a neatly-done tie, casual dress shirt, vest, and a buttoned-up coat and slacks. He did not look like her colonel, her superior, her commanding officer, and—he snorted in dry humor—her useless idiot. In turn, she did not look like his adjutant, his personal bodyguard, his handpicked aide. She was not First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye today, just Riza Hawkeye. Roy failed to notice the faint smile that found its way on his lips as Riza's pup yipped and placed his forepaws on her skirt again. He heard her say, "Hayate!" in a tone that was disapproving and firm but gentle all at once. The dog wagged his tail and ignored his master, sniffing at her elbow instead. Roy could tell Riza clucked her tongue.

"Sir, these are due by 17:00 hours this afternoon. You've already wasted half the day away."

Roy raised an eyebrow teasingly and looked up from his desk. "No, I haven't, Lieutenant. I've gotten half done already."

"And you have half more. It's already 13:00 sir. The half you've already done took you four hours to finish."

Roy yawned, utterly bored and rested his cheek on his hand. "You're a slave-driver, Lieutenant."

"Sir!"

Roy looked up and pouted.

Riza clucked her tongue.

She then took half of his leftover paperwork. Roy grinned.

"I'll take these," she sighed tiredly and caught his eye, annoyance surfacing on her already stern features. "Finish those. Now."

Roy watched her turn away, catching a hint of a smirk on her lips.

Roy raised his eyebrows when Riza suddenly bent down and unhooked Hayate's leash from his collar.

"Okay, but you'd better come back when I say it's time to go home," she smiled. Hayate yipped again as if to reply and began trotting around like the happy pup he was.

Roy watched as Hayate stopped and sniffed the air, and then the ground, following his nose towards an apparently familiar scent. The dog was going around in circles but coming closer and closer to the dark haired military officer. Suddenly Hayate looked up and locked eyes with Roy, barking and yipping excitedly as he ran towards the latter. Roy laughed and knelt, greeting the pup with a scratch behind his ears. "Hey, you," he said quietly. "Blowing my cover, huh?"

Hayate propped his forelegs on Roy's knees and made to lick his face. Roy laughed and backed away, taking Hayate in his arms and facing him the other direction, "No kisses, boy," he said and carried the pup as he straightened up. He looked up to see Riza already staring at him, her brown eyes wide and lips slightly parted.

"Colonel, sir," she said, rising in one swift motion and raised her hand in a well-practiced salute.

Roy smiled while keeping Hayate low enough not to lick his face, "At ease," he said. "He's become very affectionate."

Riza smiled, "Hasn't he."

"Sit down, Lieutenant."

"After you, sir."

Roy accepted the invitation and sat across from her. Riza smoothened her skirt and gave Hayate an exasperated look. "Affectionate," she huffed, "and an attention-seeker."

Roy put the pup down on his lap, but Hayate jumped to the pavement anyway, returning to his little stroll around the two officers, sniffing the ground. Roy had just managed to catch the teasing glint in his adjutant's eyes before she lowered them.

"Reminds me of someone. The latter, I mean."

The colonel pursed his lips in mock hurt. "He seems to be excellent company for you."

"He is. Keeps the apartment a little more lively," Riza said quietly, as she stirred her tea.

Roy watched her, his expression softening. Unlike most of their subordinates who were either beneficiaries of the military dormitories or had their own families, he and Riza had no one to come home to. They lived in separate private residences, the colonel in a small, unkempt rent house, his adjutant in a decent affordable apartment building just a few blocks away in one of the busier districts of Central City.

Roy glanced at Hayate who settled his small pup-sized body against his left shoe and nuzzled his ankle with his head. Roy smiled at him fondly. When his communications specialist, Sergeant Major Kain Fuery brought home a stray pup one afternoon back when they were still stationed in East City HQ, the First Lieutenant had made it very clear that while 'pets' were not permitted on military premises, Fuery had to find the stray a new home before the end of working hours and failure to do so meant that the pup will be thrown back out in the rain where Fuery first picked it up. Wanting to avoid trouble, the youngest member of their unit asked around his closest comrades but elicited unfavorable responses. Roy had stepped forward, telling Fuery to keep the pup until the very last minute.

"The First Lieutenant may seem rather harsh on the outside," the colonel had reassured his subordinate, "but she actually is a very gentle person."

Fuery had looked hopeful.

But what Roy really wanted was to have Riza come home to someone every day. At least in that sense, she would be better off than he, and somehow, he would be making up for all the bull she had to put up with him every day at work.

That being said, he was the only one in their unit who truly came home to no one after a hard day's work at HQ.

"Sir, can I get you something?"

Roy gave Riza a lazy look. "If you were talking about a beverage, then no, Lieutenant."

Riza nodded quietly but stopped at his teasing smirk.

"Do you really think I'm an attention-seeker?"

"From head to toe, sir."

"Ah," Roy sighed and a familiar glint appeared in his eye, forcing Riza's focus to stay on him. "Wouldn't you say I'm affectionate instead?"

Roy had to bite back a laugh at his adjutant's lightly tinted cheeks and questioning look.

Riza slowly sipped at her tea, lowering her eyes again and furrowing her brow.

"Am I not affectionate?"

Riza watched the colonel lean back in his seat and characteristically run his hands through his messy dark hair. Damn it, don't do that. Riza wrinkled her nose and heat intensified in her cheeks.

"That's a problem," Roy said, smirking.

"I didn't say you weren't affectionate, sir."

"So you think I am."

"I didn't say that either."

"Then give me a straight answer."

"I can't, sir."

"Why not?"

"Fraternization, sir," Riza said, raising her eyebrow again. "And this is classified as harassment."

Roy frowned.

"Besides," Riza took another sip from her tea, "Work is hardly a place and time to be affectionate about anything, so I really wouldn't know."

Wait, shit…Riza mentally slapped herself for that opening.

Roy grinned, "Then I believe a demo is in order—"

"That won't be necessary, Colonel."

"Says you. We're not at work today, look at us!" Roy laughed, his grin widening as he gestured at his outfit. "I insist that this can be highly beneficial to our working relationship."

Riza sputtered on her tea. "Hayate!"

The pup came trotting up to her side almost immediately, tail wagging, eager to go home. Riza reattached the leash to his collar.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Home, sir," Riza said quickly and slung her handbag over her shoulder as she stood up.

"Excellent! I'll walk you."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will," Roy placed his hands in his pockets, his lady-killer smile on his face.

"I know what you're up to, sir."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb."

"Sorry, what was that?"

"You're not walking me home. You're going to try…whatever it is you said you were going to try."

"No, I wasn't," Roy smirked, "But I won't have any qualms if that's what you would want."

Riza looked at Roy with a blank expression and started to walk past him, Hayate going ahead by a step.

I'm not about to let you go, Roy smiled with a determined look and held out his arm to catch Riza by the waist.

"For crying out loud, Roy!" was the alarmed cry.

"What was that?" Roy grinned.

"Sir!"

Riza began trying to wriggle out of his grip. "Let me go, right now, Colonel Mustang."

Roy held her even closer, the hilarity of her responses to the situation amusing him.

Black Hayate started yipping their feet, bouncing around, catching on to the excitement.

"We're making a scene, this is ridiculous," Riza glared angrily up at her superior who as now holding her close enough to…kiss.

Roy shrugged, "In my opinion, you're the only one making a scene," he teased. "I'm not going to do anything to you. Just stop moving."

Riza huffed and placed a fist on Roy's chest, her body unmoving, but still very tense.

"See? That wasn't so hard."

"Let me go."

"I'll make a pact with you, Lieutenant."

"Let me go first."

"In exchange for letting you go," Roy said, ignoring the lieutenant's requests, "You'll let me walk you home."

"You're a real schemer, sir."

"That's how I make my way to the top, Lieutenant, and you know it."

Riza sighed and rubbed her other hand roughly over her face. "Fine. Take me home. No funny business," she said flatly. "Sir," she added.

Roy grinned like a cadet on his last day at the academy for summer and loosened his grip. The two officers stepped away from each other. "Right, then! Let's—"

Roy was cut off and Riza yelped as she suddenly fell backwards, arms—and Roy—desperately trying to get her back in balance.

The result was disastrous.

Riza felt the wind knocked out of her as she landed on her elbows and back, with Roy right on top of her, arms on either side of her body in an attempt to absorb what would have been his dead weight.

Hayate yipped and began trying to climb Roy's back.

Riza shot a deadly look at the pup and caught sight of the leash that was wound around her legs and Roy's. She grumbled.

Roy gulped.

So close.

Riza looked up and found her nose barely an inch away from his. There was no stopping the red that crept up her neck and to her cheeks. The same seemed to be true for Roy.

"Sir…" Riza said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"We're blocking the way."

Roy gasped and pushed himself up, his eyes widening as he untangled his legs from the leash and got up on his feet. He held out a hand for Riza to take and helped her up.

Riza forced her eyes to stare at the pavement as she brushed her skirt with her hands and recollected her handbag and Hayate's leash. "Bad dog," she murmured.

Roy cleared his throat and scratched his head, his face still beet red.

The couple stood there for a moment, avoiding each other's eyes, stepping aside for two passersby.

Silence.

"…Riza?"

Riza started and looked up at Roy, who smiled sheepishly.

"Shall we?" he asked and held out his right arm.

Riza sighed, her features softening, and smiled as she took his arm.

Roy folded his arm and purposefully held it close to his body. To his relief, she followed, her small frame slightly brushing against his as they walked down the direction that was originally intended.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine, sir."

"I mean…you did fall on your back," Roy said quietly, concern weaving into his tone.

Riza side glanced, "It's nothing unusual, sir."

"Could you drop it?"

"Hm?"

Roy was still red. "The 'sir'."

Riza nodded once and saw her apartment building coming into view ahead. Finally, she thought. The sun was beginning to set, and she was pulled into the realization that whatever there was between her and the colonel at this moment, it would come to a jerking halt by the time he left her at her building and they had to meet under working conditions the next day. Her grip subconsciously tightened around his arm. So strangely, she did not want that moment to come yet.

"What's wrong?" Roy asked quickly, noticing the pressure on his arm.

Riza shook her head, her gaze fixed towards her building. Seven feet.

"Are you sure?"

Riza smiled. "Yes."

Roy returned her smile and came to a stop at the driveway leading to the apartment building.

Riza turned to face him, "Thank you, sir."

"Ah," Roy smiled, closed his eyes and shook his head.

Hayate stood on his hind legs and rested both forepaws on Roy's knee.

"Good night, Hayate," Roy said and looked up at his Lieutenant.

…his Lieutenant. His gaze saddened slightly.

Riza failed to notice as she gently tugged on the leash and clucked her tongue. "Down, boy."

Hayate stepped closer to her, his tail wagging.

"Good night, sir."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

With a heartbeat's hesitation, he turned and took his leave.

"Colonel!"

Roy stopped and turned again, his brow raised.

Riza wrinkled her nose and smiled that small, approving sort of smile that would go unnoticed by all except Roy Mustang.

"Affectionate," she said.

Roy was the happiest man in the world.

A/N: And after 3 days, I get the final wave of inspiration for this fic after studying for Business Statistics. I'm totally normal, guys.

I'll make a pact with you ;) for every review submitted, is every attempt from Black Hayate at playing matchmaker. Teehee 3