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felixcloud6288 · 8 months

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Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 25

The only thing I really care about is the chess game so I'm going to get everything else out of the way quickly.

We now know what happened to Izumi when she opened the gate and why she's always coughing up blood.

Despite everything, Ed and Al are still just children who really miss their mom.

This is the first chapter where we get the names and ranks of Mustang's subordinates in a non-bonus chapter. We already got Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and 2nd Lieutenant Havok, but now we know Havok's first name is Jean, and the others are Master Sergeant Kain Fuery, 2nd Lieutenant Haymans Breda, and Warrant Officer Vato Falman.

We also get some idea of their skills. Breda is a great tactician, Falman has an encyclopedic knowledge, Fuery is good with communications technology, Jean is a hard worker, and Hawkeye is an excellent sharpshooter.

This is the angriest Al has ever been.

Now onto that chess game and there is so much to talk about.

There are several inconsistencies. Just to start, the General has three rooks, but one was captured. After counting pieces, that captured rook was probably supposed to be a pawn.

From my best guess, this is the state of the board at the start of the scene.

The reason I assume the General's knight is at d7 is because it is one move away from its starting point of b8. It could have been at the other starting point g8, but that would imply the General moved the knight, castled with the rook at h8, moved his king to g7, and then moved his knight back to g8. Kd7 to f6 requires far fewer pointless steps.

Aside from the Rook at d4, all these positions could be pulled off within 1 or 2 moves for each piece. Roy and the General both castled with the rooks on the right.

Several of Roy's pieces are are inconsistent in a later panel which can't be explained by the number of moves made, meaning the author made some mistakes or Roy has been secretly moving pieces when the General wasn't paying attention.

The moves made up to this point were Black Knight to f6, an unknown move by Roy (I'm assuming knight to e5), black pawn to c5, white bishop to h6 capturing a pawn, black king to h6 capturing the bishop. Roy has a rook at e6 and a knight at e5 which would take 3 moves from my assumed layout. So I think this is what the board should have been at the start:

The only odd thing is explaining what happened to the white pawn on the a column. My guess is Roy decided to advance it heavily until it reached a5. Meanwhile the General would have moved a pawn from e7 to e6, then his knight from g7 to e7, then c6, then captured the pawn at a5. Roy would then follow by moving his rook from a1 to a5, capturing the knight and then moving it to e5 and then e6, capturing a pawn and forcing the General to castle to escape check. The General could capture the rook with the pawn at f7, but he'd rather keep it there as a safety buffer.

Here's the state of the board when Roy declared Checkmate:

If you notice, Roy doesn't actually have the General in checkmate. However, the General has lost at this point because regardless of what he does, Roy is guaranteed to win next turn. And every single way Roy can win revolves around his queen.

The General could move his king to g7, h7, or h5; or capture the knight by moving his rook to f7.

If the general captures the knight, Roy will move his queen to g6. The only thing the general can do is capture the queen by moving his king to g6, which means the bishop will capture it next turn.

If the general moves his king to g7 or h7, Roy will move his queen to g6 and every position for the king can be captured by the knight, bishop, or queen.

If the general moves to h5, Roy will move his queen to h3 and every position is covered by the queen or knight.

One final note for all the Royai shippers: The general said he wants Roy to marry his granddaughter. As revealed in one of the databooks, his granddaughter is Riza Hawkeye.

The chess screenshots were generated at lichess.org.

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#fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist reread

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travelingneuritis · 8 months

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hello good day! 2, 3, and 15 if you'd like for the fanfic writer's ask?

2. What fanfic do you wish you got more response on?

Well, I know that exposure has more to do with how big/active a fandom is than with how good the fic is, but I'll admit I'm bummed I missed the Fullmetal Alchemist heyday because I really like my sad Royai birth-of-an-insurrection fic Let The Left Hand Know Not. (I did still get some very thoughtful and sweet responses to that one even though I posted it years after the frenzy died down, so I can't really complain)

3. What’s a fic idea that you have but haven’t written yet?

Here's one: Scum Villain Sweeney Todd AU. There are almost too many ways to map the characters and plot of SVSSS onto ST-- one obvious one is Luo Bingge as Sweeney stropping his beloved razor Xin Mo, Shen Jiu as vile Judge Turpin, maybe Shang Qinghua chewing the scenery as Beadle Bamford; Shen Yuan could even keep his habit of dying to motivate the protagonist if he played Lucy/The Beggar Woman.

However I'm also highly taken with the idea of Bunhe as Toby, who's strongly implied to be Sweeney's homicidal successor at the end of the opera. Mrs. Lovett, beautifully played by transmigrated theater-kid Shen Yuan, does not understand how they've gone so far off book that Toby murdered Sweeney almost a whole act early. Shouldn't the play end here? What's Toby doing in By The Sea? Wait, isn't he supposed to be a tenor? Where'd this strapping young bass-baritone come from??

You could also go dark and let Sweeney go through with murdering the lovely Lovett, only for a grief-stricken Toby to preserve her body in the basement using dodgy Victorian embalming techniques. Not sure if it's worse for Lovett to stay dead or for Toby to find a way to bring her back... but at what cost.

15. Are there words, phrases, mannerisms or scenes you tend to use a lot?

Oh god. Uh, yes, definitely. Every long fic I write, I always keep a running list of words/phrases I suspect I'm overusing, so I can ctrl-f them later and mix things up a bit. I don't usually save those lists once I've worked through them in the final draft, but here's my list from when the sun goes out:

barely, bounce/s, pinkened ears w/variations, stare/s, gape/s, panic/ked, spit/s, Insane, inescapable/ly, rut/thrust/grind (lol), frosty/frostily/icy/icily/cool/coolly, outsize/d, innovate/ive, marshal/ling, murmur/s, demur/s, casually, carelessly, fester, morose

This is just the list for one story and these are all things I caught and adjusted so they wouldn't be overused in the final draft, but I am absolutely certain there are way more words/mannerisms/turns of phrase I don't even realize I use all the time.

#ask meme #asks #writing

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dearreader · 1 month

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hi it's me again (gift exchange anon), so sorry for the delay I kept meaning to follow up but you know how it is 😭

I'm lowkey invested in royai now, you're telling me that they never went canon? also what musicians other than taylor and fob do you like 👀

omg hi! it’s okay i’m so bad at responding lol.

but so royai, they’re not explicitly canon. but arakawa. the author, put a lot of details in that implies more is going on and their relationship is very deep. there’s a detail that rizas grandfather is general grumman, a mentor to roy in the military (also note rizas dad was roy’s alchemy mentor when they were growing up), and at one point before roy is transferred to central along with the rest of team mustang, general grumman asks roy to repay him by making his GRANDDAUGHTER the future first lady of amestris since roy’s plan is to become the fuhrer. roy says not to jump the gun. there’s details of roy ahd riza have a secret way of communicating that we do see when riza is transferred to work with fuhrer king bradley, cause roy was being to nosy so bradley said BACK OFF and relocated his entire team but kept riza as a hostage to get him to play nice (royai assigned divorce by the fuhrer) and roy responded by staging a coup on the government (he did this for multiple reasons. i’m making a joke), at one point roy calls riza after he buys a shit ton of flowers (don’t ask it’s a joke/plot relevant) and he hears something in her tone that makes him ask “WHATS WRONG?” (riza was just threatened by pride, again these two aren’t the main characters and there’s so much explanation im glossing over) and she responds with nothing but mentions to her dog that “he always knows what to say when i’m down” (or something along those lines, my manga is upstairs and i’m not walking up to grab it now so bare with me), during a bonus chapter that’s canon we see roy go on one of his “dates” with his informant (he has a womanizer facade and goes on dates with woman that gather intel and they’re implied to work for roy’s paternal aunt/foster mother who runs a brothel/informant buisness WHO HERSELF HAS CONNECTIONS TO GENERAL GRUMMAN, AGAIN RIZAS GRANDFATHER) and in this chapter he’s noted as being lazy (also apart of his facade but i like to headcanon him as having adhd like me anc this chapter is something i like to use) but he is notoriously known for not doing or finishing work but he finishes EVERYTHING in time to leave on time to go on his date BUT THEN RIZA WALTZ IN with a huge ass stack of papers that would take him hours to get through and says he needs to finish it all before leaving MEANING HE’D MISS HIS DATE but roy (in true adhd fashion) powers through it in like 15 minutes and goes on the date then riza goes down to the rifle range and instead of taking her training rifle takes her actual one and shoots the targets (implying she’s taking her frustrations out, i didn’t know how to phrase that. bare with me im tired), riza says she’ll shoot roy in the back if he ever starts from his goal of restoring peace and democracy (this is where the ICONIC “i’d follow you into hell if you ask me to” comes in) to the country and during a confrontation where she THREATENS HIM WITH DOING IT he asks what SHE’D do if she shot him (basically trying to call her bluff) but she then flat out says that if she shoots him she’ll kill herself after the smoke had settled on that day (it’s the promised day) and he comes down from his fucking insanity DISARMS himself by taking off his gloves and lowers her gun and apologizes to her, then like thirty minutes later the bad guys are like “hey roy, you need to do human transmutation to be a sacrifice. so do it.” and he’s like “no.” SO THEY SLICE RIZAS THROAT and say “okay, do it or she fucking dies” AND THIS GUY US SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING IT BUT DOESNT CAUSE RIZA GLARES AT HIM WHILE BLEEDING OUT AND LATER HE SAYS LIKE “i’ve known you long enough to know that look. ‘if you do human transmution, i’ll shoot you’” (riza also says to the doctor who’s saying she’ll die that “i won’t die, im under strict orders not to die.” BECAYSE EARLIER ROY SAID THEIR ORDERS WERENT TO DIE!),

(had to start a new paragraph cause apparently there’s a paragraph limit on tumblr???) BUT THEN ROY IS FORCED THROUGH THE PORTAL OF TRUTH AND LOSES HIS EYESIGHT SO DURING THE FINAL BATTLE WHERE HES SHOOTING FIRE HE IS HOKDING ONTO RIZA WHO IS ALSO HOLDING ONTO HIM CAUSE THEYRE BOTH INJURED AND SHES HIS LITERAL EYESIGHT AND TELLING HIM WHERE TO SHOOT CAUSE SHE TRUSTS HIM RHAT FUCKING MYCH AND *screams*

but yeah, they don’t end up together canonically because when someone asked arakawa if they’d get married, or something like that, she says “i can’t have them be married because then they couldn’t be surpior/subordinate.” which is insane if her to say cause she’s never not phrased them in a way like “they’re not together” but like “they can’t be together officially”. so they’re not canon but they’re heavily implied as canon and are, i think, the most popular ship for the show on ao3 (actively going out of my way to help but am being stopped by my depression/constanly being fucking tired)

but for artists it’s mainly just what everyone else here listens to! maisie, olivia, gracie, sabrina, grace enger, also have been getting into chappell roan and muna recently!!!!

#i’m so sorry for the rant y’all got #kelly babels #fullmetal alchemist #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #royai #love letters #swiftie gift anon

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davidtennantgenderenvy · 2 years

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Rating Taylor Swift Albums By the Amount of Royai Songs On Them

Debut: 0/10 weak start come on Taylor you can do better

Fearless: 4/10 The Way I Loved You and Change work if you squint but we haven’t really gotten to the good stuff yet

Speak Now: 9/10 NOW WE’RE TALKING. My personal fave TS album and it gave us Mine. Haunted. Innocent. Long Live. Sparks Fly if you squint (I mean it has fire AND rain references so it counts). Also not Royai but Superman is SUCH an EdWin song I mean come on

Red: 6.5/10 The Royai songs on this album aren’t as iconic as some of the other ones but they’re still definitely there with some squintage (Sad Beautiful Tragic, The Last Time, Treacherous). Taylor’s Version improves strongly with the addition of Forever Winter which is very very very them also some lyrics in ATW 10 Minute though not the song as a whole

1989: 5/10 Not as strong as what’s to come but it DID give us I Know Places which is by far the most underrated song on the album and has Royai vibes out the WAZOO, you also have the bridge of Out of the Woods and Wonderland too if you squint

Reputation: 8.5/10 HECK YEAHHHH. This album gave us Dancing With Our Hands Tied. Call it What You Want. Don’t Blame Me. THE SONG THAT INSPIRED THE GREATEST ROYAI FIC OF ALL TIME. New Year’s Day doesn’t have a lot of basis in canon but it definitely fits fluffy fanfic Royai. I almost forgot Endgame bc I don’t care for the song musically so I never listen to it but the lyrics totally fit them

Lover: 7.5/10 This one deserves respect solely for giving us The Archer which began the long and esteemed tradition of Royai/Taylor Swift AMVs on my YouTube channel, Afterglow also works really well for Beyond the Inferno even though it’s one of the more mid songs on the album. Cornelia Street and Lover are really sweet with in-a-relationship post canon Royai, I also made a Royai/Edwin vid with ME! so that’s a thing

Folklore: 10/10 BABY THIS IS IT. THIS IS PEAK ROYAI VIBES. NOTHING ELSE WILL EVER TOP. Peace and Illicit Affairs are obviously two of the most iconic ones ever and no song will ever capture the tunnel scene better than Hoax, Cardigan spawned probably the best animatic/AMV in Royai history, Epiphany, This Is Me Trying, you could probably create some sort of scenario for almost all of the songs on this album really. There’s also ones like Exile and My Tears Ricochet that definitely have The Vibes but are too sad to think about because that would imply that they split up and my brain could not handle that. Anyways I feel like this was the album that really started the whole Royai/Taylor Swift craze and we must always respect

Evermore: 5/10 amazing amazing album but a somewhat disappointing followup to Folklore in terms of Royai Vibes, there’s several songs on here that have like, specific lines and moments that REALLY fit them or work for fanfic scenarios (Willow, Ivy, Tis the Damn Season), or Happiness which is a similar scenario to Exile and MTR on the previous album, but there’s no definitive iconic Royai song on here that captures them as a whole like a Peace, Innocent or The Archer

I worked so hard on this post plz don’t let it flop

#royai #taylor swift #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #speak now #red taylors version #1989 taylor swift #reputation #lover #folklore #evermore #fullmetal alchemist

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dairogo · 2 years

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For the ask game:

"You've lost your mind" for Royai

😊

"No, Roy, you’ve lost your mind! Getting married is the best thing that happened to me. I don’t deserve to touch Gracia with these bloody hands, but she’s a saint - she’s an angel sent from above! And even after all I’ve done, she’ll still let me - well, she’ll let me do a lot of things, ahaha! Just the other day she asked me if I could-”

“Hughes,” Roy growled, and immediately regretted it. It was instinctive when Maes went off on a tangent like this, but in this case he’d probably prefer to let Maes go on about his own personal marital exploits and give way more information about Gracia than Roy needed.

“Roy. I even bet I know the perfect woman for you.”

Roy glanced across the office to the desk where Lieutenant Hawkeye was dutifully filling out an incident report, suddenly itchy in his jacket.

Maes was meant to go on and on about boring things that would make the person monitoring lines get distracted enough to let the little snippets of information through. He was meant to talk about Gracia, and to make idle conversation.

He was not meant to imply, right on the line with a monitor, that Roy should fraternise with a subordinate officer, and Maes knew - he knew that Roy wasn’t about to cast about looking for options elsewhere. His heart was too tied up, utterly wound around Riza Hawkeye and their shared history. Her eyes pierced his very soul, seeing to who he wished he could be and demanding that he become that man. He would walk that path for himself - for the thousands of lives he’d taken in Ishval - but he’d run that same path for her.

“Great!” Roy said, trying to keep the tone of bitterness out of his voice for the monitor. “Send me your mystery lady’s number! I’ll make a date with her right now! But don’t blame me if she goes back to Gracia crying about how I broke her heart - I assume this is one of Gracia’s friends?”

Lieutenant Hawkeye shifted, looking at him from the corner of her eyes.

Maes sighed on the other end of the line. “Yes,” he lied, voice ringing with disappointment, “one of Gracia’s friends. Maybe one day, Roy - maybe one day you could find someone to settle down with. Stop having so many flings and just ...”

If he could ever do that, it was a long way off. Roy had a long path before him before he could stop relying on his informants. Maybe one day, indeed, but he would be old and grey by then and standing before a military tribunal.

“Are you done?” Roy bit back. “I have work to do.”

“Yeah, fine.”

And Maes still hadn’t given him any information. Maybe there was nothing this time - the whole call was a smokescreen. Or the whole call was just so that Maes could tell him to set aside his path, go get married and be happy.

Roy slammed the phone down much too hard, making Feury jump from the other side of the room. When that didn’t make him feel better, he snapped his fingers and set it alight, ignoring the whimper Feury gave out.

Lieutenant Hawkeye just sighed. She looked at him with those piercing eyes and he didn’t feel a jot guilty about the blackened plastic as he considered what he would do to live in a different universe and wake up to those eyes every morning.

“I’ll get started on another incident report, then, shall I?”

He looked away. “Thank you.”

#whoops angst #magipies #ask answered #fanfiction #fma #Roy Mustang #Maes Hughes #Riza Hawkeye #Royai #first time Maes dares suggest Roy settles down

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foolishfalls · 1 year

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Old Friends

Happy Holidays, @suuilee!! I was your secret santa for @fmasecretsanta!

First off, apologies for my delay in posting this! I've been struggling so much with editing lately and that took me a lot longer than I thought it would. Still, I hope this brings you some belated warmth this holiday season.

I tried to consider all of your prompts, and I've been dying to write about Ed and Riza's relationship and their character parallels, and of course there's a heaping side of Royai. Hope you enjoy it!

Rated T | 3538 Words | Canon Compliant (mostly i think!?), Found Family, Love Confessions, Ed-centric, Implied Royai, Lil bit of angst, Mostly Ed being Silly and wanting the best for his loved ones

Read on AO3

Ed was wandering through Central City that afternoon when he arrived upon a thought–it wasn’t often that he visited Captain Hawkeye at home.

He had just left Gracia’s apartment after visiting with Elycia. The young girl had spent moments between mouthfuls of stew rambling to Ed about the elementary alchemy she’d been learning in school, interrupted by the occasional scolding from Gracia for chewing with her mouth open. He allowed her to ramble on, prompting her to talk more about her studies, the vast expanse of a world that felt so new to such a young kid.

He couldn’t help but think that she reminded him of himself when he was that age. It brought a new kind of warmth to his chest.

Ed spent much of his time since the Promised Day holed up at his home in Resembool, one that he was fortunate enough to return to.

Nowadays, it was rare that he let himself leave his little hometown and its quiet, unassuming safety unless he was pursuing research with his brother or helping an old friend. Wandering the city streets reminded him of a time when the country was in danger, when he was still down one arm and his brother’s whole body.

Ed didn’t care to revisit such a feeling when he had the comforts of home to return to, a home he once thought he’d lost forever, a home he wouldn’t have felt worthy of returning to before he accomplished his goal.

For some reason, those thoughts lead him straight to Hawkeye.

He often thought of stopping by the Captain’s apartment–it would be nice to see Hayate, to sit and have tea with her as they had once in the past. That way, at least he wouldn’t have to see the Commander’s ugly mug for once. And then, there was also the matter of what he’d said to Winry before heading out on his travels.

I mean, after all, you love her, don’t you?

Echoes of Riza’s years-old words rushed up from below the surface of his memory, thrumming inside his eardrums. The Hawk’s Eye was famous for her perception–you couldn’t get a thing past her, but Ed hadn’t realized that sentiment applied to his silly little childhood crush, as well.

He dug his nails rhythmically into the heel of his palm, hammering out his thoughts. He felt like he needed to repay her for something, but he was unsure what, exactly–for the gun that she lent him to protect his loved ones back then, for the stories that she shared so he might avoid the mistakes she made. They were gestures that Ed had come to appreciate more as the years passed, as he grew further into adulthood.

With a decisive scrape of his thumb against his palm, he turned on his heels toward the east sector of the city, bound toward the Lieutenant’s apartment complex.

When he made it to her floor, Ed found the same non-descript doormat he remembered in the hallway. He braced himself and knocked.

It was just before sunset, so there was no guarantee that she would be home for the evening. She was known to work late, he remembered. He considered turning away, but then the doorknob rolled over with a click.

“Edward?” Riza appeared, her shoulders wrapped in a familiar cardigan, Hayate trailing behind at her feet, more docile than Ed remembered him. Her voice pitched up as she spoke, her shaky nerves evident in her tone. “Hi! This is unexpected.”

“Hi, Captain. Long time no see. I… I hope this isn’t a bother right now.” He silently chided himself as he stammered, his throat catching around the cumbersome feeling that filled the air between them

“Not at all, please, come in.”

The tea that she brewed tasted the same as it did years ago when their lives hung in a much more precarious balance.

He savored the taste with that in mind–where they came from, where they were headed, and what constants they had to rely on–feeling the warmth as it radiated into both of his hands.

“What brings you to Central?”

“I’m waiting to catch the morning train heading east. I’ll be meeting with Al and May in Xing to help with their research.”

“That’s wonderful! I hope it all goes well.”

“Thank you.” Ed set down the cup on its saucer. “How are things down at the Central Command? I hope the Colonel-ah, Commander isn’t working you too hard.”

He couldn’t help but trip over Roy’s newer title. For some reason, every time he went up a rank it left a bad taste in his mouth, like he could taste the compounded interest he was sure Roy would hold him accountable for once he collected his debt from their years-old deal.

“I appreciate your concern.” Riza’s hands were out of view, but Ed could tell she was twiddling her fingers in her lap by the slight sway of her elbows. “I’m trying to relax whenever I can. If anything, no one looks out for me more than he does.”

“I’m glad to hear that the old bastard still has your best interest at heart.” Still, softness permeated her gaze at the mention of him.

“So, what brings you here? I mean, not to Central, but…” She gestured broadly to her living area. It did look the same as he remembered it, save for the unpacked boxes that littered the floor last time, not a hair out of place.

“I came by because I feel like I never properly got to thank you for that time when you helped me out a few years ago.”

Riza looked at Ed, unsure at first, but the way he looked down at his teacup called the memory to mind–his sullen eyes, his lament about how useless he felt that day. It touched her heart, to know something so simple still meant something to him.

“Oh, Ed. It was the least I could do. I’m glad I was able to be there for you.”

“You’re humble, Captain. You went out of your way to help me even though you hardly knew me, and I’ve always been curious why.”

Riza felt like she was being put on the spot. Why, he’d asked–why would she help the little boy with the sullen face, with no way to carry on after losing his home, his family?

When she’d handed him the gun and when they spoke after he returned it, all she could think of was what she recognized in his eyes on that day in Resembool, the first day she met the Elric brothers. She’d seen those same eyes in the mirror before, she could have sworn–back home in her own empty country house, as she trudged forward through her own grief, as she forced herself to live on in the face of loss that felt endless, insurmountable.

“I guess I saw some part of myself in you, Ed.” She felt anxious, remembering how she once cleaned her gun in front of Edward that time, wishing she had something to busy her hands with besides a cup of tea. “I could tell you were desperate to protect the people you loved, the people you had left.”

Ed’s eyes remained fixed on the teacup, she could have sworn she saw drops trailing along his eyelids, but she didn’t dare call attention to it. She wracked her brain for a more accurate answer.

“I knew how you felt, and I wanted you to understand that you still had a way forward.”

When the words left her lips, a strange sort of openness hung heavy in the air around them. It occurred to Riza that this was something else she seemed to have in common with Ed–they were both awful when it came to moments like this–being candid with their emotions.

She’d never considered it until now, but it was selfish of her, really, the way she treated Edward back then. It was what she’d wanted most when her world seemed empty and hopeless.

She was grateful to have had someone like Roy to lean on back then, despite how things turned out in the end. She supposed Winry was someone like that to Ed, too.

She remembered how he’d sputtered and blushed back then when she brought up his obvious feelings for Winry–Winry, she thought. Finally, the perfect topic to shift their conversation away from the subject that was plaguing Ed’s eyes with tears. Small talk is safer, Riza reminded herself.

“How’s Winry? How are things with you two?”

Ed’s face turned red hot, a blush even more aggressive than the tone that painted his cheeks when he was young.

“Well, I told her how I felt… sort of.”

“That’s great! How did it go?”

Ed cringed inwardly at himself, searching for the right answer to her question, shifting his gaze downward, back to his tea. Even if he flubbed the confession’s delivery, all things considered, It could have gone worse.

“It went alright… She told me how she felt, too.” Riza smiled, clearly unaware of how much suffering Ed was enduring at the moment, but he smiled to himself despite it. He took some comfort in reminding himself that Riza, and anyone else, would never have to know how silly he sounded. That was between him, Winry, and the train platform.

Lucky for him, he had the perfect counter, the best way to reverse the tension. He’d already gotten the answer that his sentimentality sent him in search of.

Now that he’d been reminded again of the embarrassment he felt in front of Hawkeye years ago, now that he was out from under Mustang’s command, it hit his brain like the perfect storm–an opportunity for a kind of mischief he had yet to grow too old for.

“Anyway, speaking of that,” Ed cleared his throat and leaned in, a posture meant to convey a careful approach, a clandestine discussion. He had to ham it up a bit to get his point across, after all. “How are things with you and Mustang?”

“What?” Blood rushed to Riza’s cheeks, and Ed noticed the way her arms clung to her sides as her hands remained in her lap–movement implying clenched fists, and her nerves bubbling to the surface. Bingo.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she followed, regaining her composure. It was an obvious attempt to save face, but still somewhat successful at that. It was Hawkeye he was dealing with, after all. She wouldn’t slip so easily.

“Relax! It’s not like I’m gonna snitch on you two. I’m not a dog of the military anymore, remember?”

She was silent, still, in stubborn defiance. Perhaps this would be tougher than he thought, but Ed was patient. He had nowhere to be that evening, and plenty of time to kill. He’d been driven by the inkling he felt to repay Riza for the good deed she did for him back then, but he realized he also craved a little payback for his humiliation, a childish urge he wanted to sate, even at the expense of an old confidant like her.

“Look, it’s just that I can tell you two care about each other, that’s all. Anyone around you can see that. You should tell him how you feel.”

Ice cold. Nothing. She calmly looked toward her hands in her lap, then toward Hayate, who sat on the ground next to her. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, and then shifted her stoic gaze back toward him, still unbroken.

“I mean, I did see the way he looked at you on the Promised Day. Scar did too. Can you blame me for asking? I just hope it’s not too soon to bring it up.”

She still kept her lips sealed. Stonefaced, she checked the clock again. Ed recognized a hint of a grimace in her expression despite her attempts to cover it up. He considered his options for ammunition. What might cause Hawkeye to break? What dirt did he have on her and Mustang?

He needed to tread lightly, but he wasn’t giving up this game of chicken he’d started–or, from his perspective, that Riza initiated years ago when she teased him about Winry.

“I’ve always been curious about all that drama between you two in the tunnel too, remember? About your ‘secrets?’” He laughed, hopeful it might diffuse some of the tension, invite her to join in on the fun, anything, but when he glanced up at her again, her eyes shot daggers at him. “You spoke to each other like old friends.”

He just wanted her to say something, anything, in response to his teasing, to leave with some measly can of beans to spill. It would be hilarious, after all, to show up in Xing, triumphantly, with some gossip to share with Al and May. No one would appreciate it quite like those two.

She was still silent, though, amid the din of the ticking clock, the loudest thing in the room. He’d underestimated her ability to keep her lips sealed, as though he’d forgotten about her decorated military tenure, her status as the model soldier.

Screw it, he thought. It was time to return to lower blows, after all, that was his specialty.

“There’s not a chance that he’s giving you some kind of special treatment, is there?”

“Stop it, Ed.” Finally, a bite. He didn’t know quite what he was looking for, but he knew that any reaction out of her would be hard-won. He leaned in again, his tone obviously playful, but threatening nonetheless. She had to know he was only joking, right?

“Perhaps the Commander’s real motive for rising through the ranks is so that he can change the anti-fraternization law–”

“Edward Elric.” The Captain raised her voice, remaining stern. His name came from her lips like a threat on his life, the knockback of her voice surging through his ears, “If you know what’s good for you, you won’t dare utter another word against the Commander.”

She glared at him, and his life flashed before his eyes. He realized now that he had a more thorough understanding of her reputation than he’d ever had before, even after her stories about Ishval–so this was what it truly felt like to be caught in the Hawk’s sights.

He’d only ever seen one other person on the receiving end of such intensity from her. Perhaps belittling their professional aspirations was taking it too far, even if it was just to get a rise out of her.

“It’s getting late.” She stood up, turning around to look at the clock again. “I have to be up early tomorrow.”

“Ahh, you’re right. I have a train to catch, too, don’t I?” he said, punctuated by another laugh, fraught with tender nerves.

He felt a pang in his chest, weighed down by some kind of heaviness. He felt bad for pushing the conversation so far, and especially for bringing up what he’d witnessed between on the Promised Day.

Ed only seemed to know how to say what he meant through some grand metaphor connected to something he actually understood, like on the train platform with Winry, or through teasing and poking fun at the people he cared for. When he tried to talk about love, he was like a shaky compass needle, nervously wobbling its way toward its chosen direction.

He thought all he’d wanted was to get some playful revenge against Riza, to give her a taste of her own medicine, but it hit him then and there how little he knew of her life, despite the feeling that something like mutual understanding was present between them, like roots from separate plants that had become twisted up in each other beneath the soil.

Most of all, he just wanted to return the favor of the reminder that Riza had given him back then about Winry–a reminder to love what you have left while you still can.

Because Ed knew that she was right when she said she understood how he felt. Because he understood how she felt, too.

He just didn’t know how to say it without, well, tarnishing the Commander’s reputation and making himself the target of Riza’s pent-up rage, or making presumptive comments about the nature of their relationship. He was never good at being subtle, but he could try if it meant getting his point across.

“One more question before I go, Captain.” She looked at him as if she was quietly pleading with him to go easy on her, to not pelt her with any more career-ending accusations.

“What is it, Ed?”

“How did you know I loved Winry back then? Did you see some of yourself in me then, too?”

Riza smiled. Her expression was soft, like Ed had finally managed to say the right thing, with just enough of the implication he’d sought to make, neatly obscured beneath the surface.

Then, it came, rattling out like the contents of some pandora’s box that only Ed would be stupid enough to open: a knock at the door, and the brash, melodious voice of Ed’s least favorite person in Amestris.

“Captain?” the familiar voice sang from behind the door, hushed enough that a neighbor wouldn’t hear, but not so much that Ed could miss it from where he stood against the door, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Riza’s face turned red hot, and Ed was sure that her blushy glow was more vibrant than the color that painted his cheeks earlier. Now, he’d truly won.

Her eyebrow twitched, and Ed felt his blood boil in anticipation of her rage, but she held back again.

“Good evening, Edward. Safe travels.” Victory against Hawkeye was bound to come with its drawbacks, but Ed knew he wouldn’t be the one to experience the aftermath. Riza opened the door with a swift pull and grabbed him by the shoulders, expertly shoving him out and into the hall. The door slammed behind him.

“Fullmetal?” Roy said, looking at Ed like was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Mustang.” Ed was on the floor, and he was sure his ass hadn’t made it through the ordeal unbruised. He supposed he’d earned it, for how far he was able to push Hawkeye.

“What brings you here?” Roy looked puzzled, but Ed could tell he was less suspicious of him than he was worried for himself, or worried about the questions Ed might ask him.

What brought him there, after all? There he was–just outside of Hawkeye’s apartment, at such a late hour, in such a casual manner. He held a paper bag that was the perfect size for carrying a bottle of wine.

“I was just repaying the Captain for something she did for me a long time ago, that’s all. I have to be going. See you!”

Roy looked at him like the answer wasn’t satisfying enough for him, but Ed had to be getting the hell out of dodge and leaving Mustang to deal with the fallout of his goading.

“See you, Fullmetal,” Roy said, but Ed was almost out of earshot.

He faintly heard another knock, and as he was making his way down the stairs at the end of the hall, he could have sworn he heard the door slam closed again.

When he made it down to the street, he looked up at the window on the second floor and saw the curtains drawn in careful communion, refusing to betray whatever might be going on behind closed doors.

Which, he was sure from his encounter moments ago only included a very clueless Commander Mustang getting reamed out by a very embarrassed Captain Hawkeye.

But maybe it wasn’t so bad. Afterward, they might have a glass of wine, and Riza might finally tell Roy how she feels, thinking that if Ed could do it, maybe she could do it too.

He wondered if the pair of them were growing a bit more careless as they grew older, what with Hawkeye allowing Ed to linger a little too late, only to see Mustang arrive at such a scandalous hour.

They must have been getting soft. Or rather, he hoped that they were. Some little part of him thought they’d earned that much–some softness for themselves, even if it has to be kept under wraps.

He made his way, slow and meandering, back to the hotel he stayed in when he was down an arm, down a brother’s body, and still yet to fully arrive where he would become rooted.

As he strolled down the main drag of the bustling city, he considered it–how the people passing by were just like him, how the paths they shared in passing might bring an opportunity for understanding.

Though his roots were, more often than not, still in Resembool, he took comfort in knowing that he had people in each corner of Amestris who understood him, who’d been touched by him. He took comfort in the little gifts that his journey gave him before he’d even arrived at his destination.

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