Ten: Bakery Interactions
There was one thing that Edward learned in the mission about himself that he never really knew before.
He loved weekends.
Usually he didn't really feel the days change as no matter the day, he and Alphonse would be cooped up in library doing research or sent away in a mission anyway. But now that he had to actually attend school, he appreciated the two off days so much more. It was a break he needed from sitting for hours doing useless tasks. It was a break from having to maintain good friendship with his supposed classmates, who he couldn't care less of except for select few. It was a break from the whole charade he was stuck in, for he could bury himself in his blankets and not go outside, or even if he went out of his room he didn't need to go out of the house and worry about people somehow suspecting or even finding out about the true nature of his relationship with Roy and Riza.
He glanced at the clock. It was nine in the morning. He contemplated sleeping again for a few hours, but if Riza was like Trisha she'd probably wake him up in a bit. Hoping that Riza would at least let him sleep more, he rolled over and wrapped himself in his blanket, content with the warmth. Soft tendrils of sleep had started to coil themselves to him when his door was knocked, softly but forcefully.
"Ed?" Riza's voice seeped through the door. "Are you awake yet?"
"Not yet," Edward groaned.
"Sorry, Ed, but you need to wake up." Sure enough, there was slight regret in Riza's voice. "The bakery seems to be packed today and we need to have the house cleaned. Roy and I need to man the store, so please do the chores."
"Can I say no?"
There was a beat, and Riza sighed. "I'm afraid you can't, Ed. We'll have to eat with dirty dishes if you don't get them cleaned."
Edward groaned loudly and dragged himself out of bed, opening the door and meeting Riza's apologetic eyes. "But I don't want to get out of the house, okay? There's enough pretending as it is, I want to rest before I have to go into the routine again."
Riza nodded in understanding. "Okay. Roy and I will be downstairs. There are some bread and jam on the kitchen counter if you want to eat breakfast." After a moment, she added, "I can't guarantee that you can stay up here all times, though. We might end up needing your help down there."
"Let me pray that it doesn't happen, then."
Riza left soon after, as Edward munched on a piece of bread layered with a generous amount of blueberry jam. After eating two more pieces of bread (each with decidedly less amount of blueberry jam, out of consideration that Roy and Riza might want to eat it again for the next morning) he decided to do the requested job and have everything done with as soon as possible. The dishes were washed, the furniture dusted and the floor swept. His mind wandered to his childhood when he and Alphonse helped their mother with the chores such as these.
He sighed. Only yesterday, he had a long chat with Alphonse about his classmates and his faux life, and already he felt a yearning to speak with him again. He hoped to see him directly, but it would jeopardize the mission entirely. As much as he wanted to see him it wouldn't be wise to risk it. He gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to yell because he didn't want to draw attention from Roy or Riza… or worse, both. Instead, he summoned the frustration and used it to fuel his suddenly rigorous attempt to scrub the sink sparkling clean.
After a while, he decided that the cleaning was enough, as he was tired from it and the place had looked clean enough. He sighed and threw himself to the sofa, content to lay down and rest for a while.
He was wondering how the bakery was faring, to be completely honest with himself.
He stood up from his place on the sofa and opened the door leading downstairs. Not wanting to actually go down, he opted to lie down on his stomach and watched the situation from above instead. He didn't mind the limited area of vision. It wasn't like some kind of criminal would suddenly barge in and hold everyone in the room hostage! And even if that happened, he knew there were some military personnel placed around the house for security anyway.
He supported his chin with his hand and stared down, watching people walking back and forth and listening to the general hubbub of the store. Prices were being shouted, as were names of bread he never even knew existed. Occasionally, someone would ask the ingredients of certain bread, if there was certain things thrown in into the mix, if there was any chance that the price would be lowered. Both Roy and Riza answered the last question with a resounding, firm no. "The prices are fixed," they told them apologetically yet also firmly at the same time.
He was really wondering how they could keep up the charade so easily, to be completely honest. When they were just with him, they acted just like usual, if maybe there was lingering touches and gazes every once in a while. But now that he was seeing them actually interacting with other people, he saw just how they could fool everyone into thinking they had been married for some time. The way they behaved around each other was so easy, the air around them was comfortable and perhaps even loving. They weren't the type that would happily show off their intimacy to people's faces like his own teacher and her husband, but more the type that knew their partner so well, they could casually hold a conversation without actually speaking any word. To be completely honest Edward was beginning to wonder why he never mistook them to be couples in the military.
"Do you have any rye-wheat bread, Mrs. Mason?"
"I'm sure we do, Mrs. Harris. Roy, dear?"
"We have a lot of rye-wheat in stock! How many do you need?"
"I'll take two of them, please!"
Edward watched the store quietly, chin still resting snugly on his hand. If he had to maybe go down to help, he might as well watch them work to figure out what he would need to do.
He couldn't help but be distracted by how his commanding officer and his assistant behaved, though. He couldn't tell if they were doing it because they were trying to maintain the cover or because they were genuinely enjoying it.
Judging from how they seemed to always make time for physical contact such as brushing fingers every five minutes or so, Edward suspected it was the latter. He wasn't sure if it was smart of General Grumman to send the two of them as couples, seeing that he couldn't even tell if their concentration was on the mission or spending as much time together as possible, but it was perhaps because the general knew they behaved this way that he sent them, in order to look more convincing. The fact that he was sent together with them puzzled them even more now, though. He was clearly the weakest link of the chain.
"Riza, darling, we have an order for a cake for next month! Can you note it down?"
"Sure, Honey. What kind of cake do you need, Mr. Schaefer?"
Honestly, if it wasn't for the fraternization rule Edward was sure they would have gotten married years ago.
"Mason? Hey, I think my daughter is in the same class as your son!"
Edward blinked and listened carefully. He still had his head cradled in his hand, but he was curious of this new development.
"Really? What's your daughter's name, Sir?"
"Vera, Vera Todd. She's shy, but she finds the new kid to be rather friendly. His name is Edward, right? Where is he now?"
Edward peered down, catching the sight of dark haired man standing near Roy and Riza. The bakery wasn't as packed as before, providing them enough time to socialize with people.
"He's upstairs," Riza was the one that answered. "We asked him to do the chores today. If he isn't still working he's probably resting."
"Hardworking, eh?"
"Oh, very." It was Roy's voice. He sounded a little wry, for some reason.
"Does he help out in the bakery after school?"
"Well… the place isn't usually so crowded that we need help, and he's still learning the basics of baking himself, so he doesn't help out much. We always tell him to prioritize school, too."
Lies, lies, Edward thought in amusement. It was somewhat of an unspoken agreement that he didn't need to show up at the bakery unless in case of emergency. Having to go to school was trouble enough. He was sure that after the confrontation he would be asked to help out at least once, though.
"I see… that's very considerate of you."
"Well, a child's education is very important, after all."
"I can't agree more. But can he work?"
"If the store's very crowded, I'm sure he'll lend us a hand!"
"Does Edward have any sibling, by the way?"
"No, no, he's our only child!" Edward couldn't help but feel a bit awkward being referred to as Roy and Riza's son. Even after spending so much time with that, it still felt weird to put himself in a position where he had to say that they were his parents.
"Oh? Isn't he lonely? Any plan on giving him any sibling soon?"
"Well, if he's willing to help take care of a baby, then definitely!"
The answer came so readily that Edward's chin slipped from his hand and nearly hit the floor. The cheerful tone in Roy's voice was one that he had grown to be familiar of, having heard it every time he was in a good mood. The problem was that he wasn't sure if Roy was being serious or not.
It didn't help that Riza's somewhat embarrassed – embarrassed – laughter sounded pretty much normal. "Roy, this is hardly the time. We're still working!"
"I suppose that's true," Roy agreed, rather sheepish. "But for now, Mr. Todd, we're happy with just the three of us."
Deciding that he had heard enough, Edward stood up and sat on the sofa, slumping to the cushions lazily. Roy's answer… did it mean that he was willing to have a child with Riza if he could? Oh boy, perhaps he had to thank the universe that every night he had spent in the house had been filled with restful sleep instead of disturbing sound of bed creaking. And most likely Riza's gun. Yes, he was thankful the object was there.
It was lunchtime when the two adults finally went upstairs, and Edward was still slumped on the sofa. With a glance at them, he asked, "Was it true?"
"Was what true?" Roy asked back immediately.
"About you two wanting to have children?"
"You heard that?" Riza asked in surprise. "Of course not. We would be court-martialed."
"We needed to keep our cover and that seemed to be the best answer at the time," Roy explained. He heated the food Riza had cooked earlier in the morning as Riza set the table. Edward soon moved to help her.
"But…" Edward's eyes flickered around, "But, if you could, would you want to have children on your own?"
Riza didn't answer that, and Roy's smirk was somehow not as reassuring as Edward had hoped it would be.
A/N: urk. Slow internet. I feel like punching something. Just trying to upload this chapter proved to be a challenge in and of itself.
On a side note, FREAKING FRICK! Over 100 reviews and follows, over 65 favorites, and over 6,500 views?! This is so incredible!Thank you so much you all! I'd personally send you kisses but it'll take too long so let me give you this instead: :-*
Anyway, jelexd wanted to see Ed's thoughts about Roy and Riza's relationship, and Fire From Above wanted to see someone asking Roy and Riza if Ed could work at the bakery after school, and if they were planning to have more kids. I think the couple would handle it well considering Roy is a good actor and Riza can maintain a calm mask almost all the time, but Ed... he'd be traumatized for life, poor guy.
Right, so. I hope you enjoyed this. Still accepting requests here, you can either put it in a review or send me a PM, though I can't guarantee when it'll be uploaded. Please leave a review, and hope you have a good day!