68 Intricacies- Chapter Thirteen- Ego

A pure azure sky stretched out before her, the normally omnipresent clouds deciding to take a break for the day and let the sky show its true, uninterrupted beauty. The sun, characteristically still high in the sky at a quarter to one, did its job as a mid-June sun, beating down on anyone who might find themselves outside. This was truly the definition of a summer day, hot without being overly so or cancelling out how inviting and beautiful the weather was.

It was for days like this that, while she didn't always appreciate it about him, Riza could excuse Roy Mustang for having a slightly rebellious side about him.

Of course, that side of him could have easily have been brought out by the fact that Riza's father had decided to go out that day on business, telling them that he'd be back before dark and to "keep to themselves" (which, Riza knew by then, acted more as an order to the two of them to not get distracted or be distracting). For a few hours, they stuck to this rule pretty well, keeping themselves busy with their own individual duties. It wasn't until a little after lunch that Roy proposed that the two of them go out and enjoy the weather, if only for a little while. After some minor protests from Riza, she finally agreed to join him. They walked to the small hill that sat not too far away from the house and soon found themselves reclining side by side on it, observing the sky that extended out before them.

Riza couldn't stop the small smile that took on her features when she thought of the boy laying next to her, a reaction that had been happening lately when it came to Roy. Even though it had only been a year since he first arrived at her house, Riza was surprised at how friendly she'd gotten with Roy. Granted, she hadn't spoken many words to him the first few months he was there (this was mostly due to Riza's shy inclination) but once she did start talking to him and had really gotten to know him, she found his personality to be a pleasant surprise.

Yes, it seemed to Riza that Roy had ended up not being the person she thought he would be. Honestly, part of her quietness towards him had come from the fact that she was afraid, not at Roy himself, but of how he would treat her. The people in town generally thought very poorly of Riza and her father and made no bones about expressing this fact, so the young girl was convinced that her father's new student would feel the same way about her at least, since he seemed to look up to her father.

Surprisingly (but thankfully), Riza's expectations weren't fulfilled. Instead of looking down on her or dismissing her, it seemed Roy was actually making an effort with her, talking to her and getting to know her. Even when those attempts didn't work at first, he was still kind and amiable to her, only becoming more so when she started talking to him more.

Although she had appreciated his kindness, a part of Riza had worried that maybe it wasn't coming from a true place, that maybe (as farfetched as the idea was) it was an alter ego of Roy's being nice to her while his true self wanted nothing to do with her. As soon as this concern of hers popped up, however, it was quickly found to be false. She had realized that he did, indeed, really care about her when they had both been walking back from the market one day and Riza had tripped and scraped her knee. When Roy, who had been walking slightly ahead of her, saw what had happened, he had immediately went into action, helping her back up and leading her back into the house to treat the scrape. It had honestly shocked Riza, how much concern Roy had over and her minor injury. At the same time, however, she couldn't help but feel glad that her fears hadn't come true.

Riza's smile grew bigger at the memory. She turned her head to face Roy, who turned his own head to face Riza when he saw her  move. He grinned back at her, a slightly softer version of his usually cocky grin.

"What's got you so happy?" Roy asked, his tone teasing.

Riza gave a small shrug (or at least the best shrug she could give while lying on her back). "Not much, really. Although.......I want to thank you, Roy."

Roy raised his eyebrows, his grin faltering somewhat at the surprise of her comment.

"For what?"

"For being different. For just......always being kind, really. For being my friend."

Roy stared at her for a moment, seemingly surprised by her sudden confession. Gradually, his smile returned to its previous force, kindness now taking over his eyes as well.

"You're welcome, Riza. Thanks for being my friend, too."

Riza smiled wider and nodded. "You're welcome."

After a moment of smiling at each other, the two went back to looking at the sky above them, a content feeling washing over Riza as a breeze blew through.

Yes, Riza concluded, it was a very good thing indeed that Roy didn't have an alter ego.