Fic - Making Do

[cornerofmadness]

Title -- Making Do
Author-- cornerofmadness
Fandom -- Fullmetal Alchemist
Disclaimer -- Arakawa owns all
Rating -- teen
Characters/Pairing -- Roy/Riza
Timeline/Spoilers -- sometime when they were stationed out east
Word Count -- 975
Warning -- Roy's potty mouth
Summary -- When a blizzard strands you, you just have to make do with what you've got.
Author’s Note -- Written for the 12_daysofficmas, fanfic_bakeoff for the prompt 'nice' and hc_bingo for the prompt "cuddling for warmth".

XXX


"The power is not coming back on any time soon," Roy grumbled, staring out the big windows of his office. "Of all nights to stay late."

Riza gave him the hairy eyeball. "If you did your paperwork on time, sir, we wouldn't be stuck in this office during a blizzard with no heat."

"It's not even supposed to snow so much in the east!" He got up and pulled the curtains. A chill radiated off the glass and those curtains would do nothing much against it. "And with the road conditions, they're not letting anyone drive."

"I'm already well aware, sir."

Roy eyed his trashcan. "I could burn the paperwork for heat."

"Don't even think about it, sir."

Too late, he already was. He felt bad. Roy didn't do his paperwork as a way of getting Riza to stay late without raising any eyebrows. He loved the stolen private time with her, even if nothing really happened in his office. He had Fuery sweep for bugs often, but that still wasn't reassurance enough that his office was a safe zone. Still, Riza usually let him walk her home or they'd go separately somewhere and meet back up. It was a ridiculous game, but one they had to play. Now he had stranded her in their crappy office with only the food they had stored in their desks and no heat or power. He had called over to the mess hall, but most everyone there had gone home before the power outage.

He was a complete idiot. If anyone learned they had been stuck in the office, tongues would wag. Riza would be embarrassed and that's the part Roy hated the most. He would do anything for her except pay attention to the weather, apparently.

"We should have looked outside once or twice," he lamented. "I'm sorry, Riza," Roy added, using a name he rarely did on military grounds.

"I'm as much to blame, sir. Since we're going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future we ought to do something to settle in for the night," she replied.

"Are you cold?" he asked, feeling even worse now as he realized they'd have to spend the night in a cold, empty government office.

"I'll be fine. You remember Father's house. Big and drafty. I'm fine with the cold," Riza replied, heading slowly toward the door in the dark. "But we should go into the anteroom, no windows there. Most of your office is window. It's going to bleed heat."

"Good point. Here, let me get the flashlight out of the drawer. We can find some forgotten coats and stuff in the lost and found down in front lobby. We could use it to wad up for pillows," Roy said, not really looking forward to making a nest out of someone else's clothing, but it would beat sleeping on the hard floor. He remembered having to nest under a half dozen blankets at his master's house because it was so cold in the place. He yanked the drawer open and rooted in the dark for his flashlight. Finding it, he slammed the drawer shut but managed to catch his finger in it. Roy managed to unload a barrel full of invectives in between the cries of pain as he fought to get his hand free of the unforgiving wood.

"Roy, what did you do?" Riza called from the other room.

"Shut my fucking fingers in the drawer," he growled then jammed the offended digit into his mouth, using the other hand to use the flashlight.

She said nothing as they went down the empty halls to the lost and found. He thought he heard someone in one room, but no one came out and he didn't bother to investigate. No one was stupid enough to break into a military base. It was probably a late night janitor. They got plenty of forgotten clothing from the lost and found and when they got back to the office, he did make sure to lock the door. By the time they made two nests of crap on the floor, his finger felt like a throbbing sausage. He shook his hand, cursing under his breath.

Riza took his hand in hers, examining it. "You made a mess of your finger."

"I know," he grumbled.

Riza kicked the two soft piles into one. "Transmute us a bed or something. You can do that, right?"

"If you get me paper and pen, yes." He wasn't sure what she had in mind, but Roy was in no mood to complain.

With pen in hand, he drew out an array and they quickly had what might pass as a bed-sized pillow. Riza got his and her coats off the coat rack, probably for blankets, then sat down on the mattress. She held out a hand to him. Roy sat down with her, turning the flashlight off in case they needed it later.

"It's a really crappy night," he said.

She took his hand, rubbing it. That helped some of the pain to ebb. "I know. Your hands are cold."

"They wanted to be like the rest of me," Roy whined.

Riza pressed him back onto their makeshift bed, pulling their coats over him. She cuddled around him. Roy wrapped his arms around her, snuggling his face into her shoulder. This felt so nice. He could feel the heat of her body and wished passionately that they had been in his home or hers when this blizzard hit. It would have been a blissful way to spend a hard night.

"Better, sir?"

Roy sat back up and took off his combat boots then helped Riza out of hers. He stole her hair clip, letting her mane cascade down. Pulling the coats back over them, he curled up around her again. "Yes, Hawkeye. This is perfect."