Best Kept Secret
Author: MoonStarDutchess
Chapter 53: Getting Riza Home
Disclaimer: I down own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fiction but I do own my idea.
Getting Riza Home
The softness that Riza felt underneath her was unexpected against her sore body, but far from unwelcomed. Her muscles were aching and thumping with constant pains that hit her every few seconds. She could almost time each one of the aches as the pattern became familiar. An annoying heat was blanketing over her skin adorning her with a constant wave of hotness. Despite this, her hands were freezing and she moved slightly to twist them in with the fabric she felt under her, hoping that doing so would take away the chill. She felt something damp, most likely a cold compress, lying upon her forehead, slightly tempering the heat of the skin there.
She kept her eyes shut tightly, actually fearing opening the curtains that were her eyelids because she knew the powerful lights of the infirmary were likely shining down upon her. Not desiring a worse headache than what she'd already had, she opted to merely listen to her surroundings. At first, she heard herself coughing. After the violent expulsions ceased, she grew quiet and tried to pique her hearing. The more she focused the easier she could hear the tones and lilts of her husband's voice, along with that of the fuehrer's vocals.
Her stomach twisted further, adding to the discomfort of the already nauseated organ. Was it really the fuehrer that had caught her before she fell or was it merely the sickness that had brainwashed her into thinking it was him? Of course, the fuehrer wouldn't be there talking to Roy if he hadn't been the one. She groaned at her minds inability to logically reason in its current state. The most important thing wasn't who brought her there after all. It was if her husband was getting reprimanded by the fuehrer for her horrible conduct at work.
How could she have let herself get sick? It clearly wasn't something she'd just caught that very day. She ran through her head the different types of situations that she was in previously that would give her a cold. No, with the way her body was aching, her throat was burning, and her head was throbbing, this illness of hers was clearly the flu. If she'd been able to do so, she would have punched herself. She hadn't found the time to get the flu shot and it was very likely that her irresponsibility was the reason she was sick, and the reason her commanding officer was possibly getting reprimanded.
A moment later, she heard the door to the room open and shut, footsteps, and Havoc's voice speak.
"What did the fuehrer say to you?"
It was then that her body betrayed her once again. She tried, fought to stay awake, but her blasphemous physical condition decided to force her to drift off into sleep. It was a battle Riza knew she couldn't win and she just gave in to her exhaustion and the dark.
Roy walked over to the window to gaze out at the people leaving headquarters. "He just told me what happened."
"That's it?" Havoc questioned as if he'd expected more.
"Yeah," Roy said, "I apologized to him but he just waved it off. I can't figure him out." Roy raised his hand to his chin and leaned against the window frame. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "It's strange."
Havoc looked at him oddly, "What's strange."
Roy shook himself out of his deep thoughts, not realizing he spoke the two words aloud. "The fuehrer. The man is too friendly."
Havoc laughed, "Isn't being friendly a good thing? You can say a lot of people are too friendly, especially Lieutenant Colonel Hughes."
Roy nodded, a smile coming to his face. "Yes, Maes is too friendly. That loving, carefree attitude of his might get him killed someday," Roy said, then sighed. "In the case with the fuehrer, I find it hard to believe that his friendliness is sincere. Especially after the things he ordered in Ishbal. A foreboding aura encases him like a bubble. He's wearing a mask around everyone. If we could grab hold of it and peel it off, it would reveal a hideous demon with nothing but cruel intentions."
Roy turned toward Riza and frowned. He didn't like the fact that the fuehrer had gotten that close to his wife. He walked over to a chair beside her bed and pulled it closer to her.
"Isn't that why your goal is to become fuehrer? To get rid of any cruel intentions he may have? That's why we all are pushing you to the top," Havoc said, then turned his blue sights onto Hawkeye. "She works harder at it than any of us. She makes sure we all have what we need, like a mother would her children. It gets annoying sometimes but we all appreciate it. It's for that reason I think she's gotten sick and collapsed."
Roy turned his head to Havoc. "Havoc, may I be frank? I know I can trust you not to tell anyone what I'm about to say."
Havoc sat forward, resting his arms on his knees. "You know you can chief, what is it?"
"I have transfer forms in my top desk drawer under the drawer organizer."
Havoc's eyes widened, "What in the hell for?"
"There are times when I think about having her transferred out of my command and somewhere safe."
"Are you crazy? I don't know how many times Hawkeye has saved you from—"
"That's the exact reason why I have them," Roy cut in. "She puts so much into pushing me to the top that she forgets that she has wants and needs. She forgets about taking care of herself and instead takes care of all of us. Takes care of me."
"If you were to transfer her, she'd never speak to you again," Havoc said, "If she didn't shoot and kill you that is."
Roy chuckled bitterly and looked back at Hawkeye, who was clearly in deep slumber and likely not hearing a word of what he was speaking. If she had heard she'd probably already be up and yelling at him, despite her sickness. "I could never do it. I've taken that paperwork out so many times but never could even sit my pen on the form, much less sign my name to it. She's too valuable to let go." Roy meant that on both a professional and personal level. It was clear if he had her transferred that their marriage would, in effect, be over. That was something he'd never be able to deal with.
"Hawkeye is valuable to all of us chief," Havoc said. "One thing we all can say about her is that she's always needed. The office would be chaos without her around."
"Yes, that's true," Roy said, resisting the urge to reach up and stroke her face. It wouldn't do for Havoc to see such an affectionate gesture between them. Maes already knew a bit too much for safety, having Havoc knowing more than he did would put undo worry upon Riza and himself. Havoc was right on one point when regarding the office atmosphere. What the man didn't know was that without Riza around in his personal life, he'd probably already have killed himself. Even Maes knew that Riza was the reason he hadn't blown his brains out so far.
"You know, she's the kind of girl I would go for if she wasn't military. I even had a crush on her once," Havoc said, when he noted how affectionately Roy was looking at her. It wasn't lost on anyone that the two were close friends, whether they were more wasn't a topic that anyone chatted about. It was a no ask, no contemplate policy that every one in East Headquarters had adopted. However, that didn't stop him from wondering if he would get a jealous look from Mustang. Unfortunately, he didn't.
"Are you crazy," Roy questioned, squelching the green-eyed and possessive looks that threatened to appear upon his face and embed in his mannerisms. In all actuality he thought a man would be crazy not to have a bit of an attraction toward his wife, especially when she was in civilian clothing.
"Yeah, probably," Havoc said, honestly. "I actually found her very attractive and I liked her dedication to her job. However, it was clear from the get go that she would never be interested. She would never date a coworker after all."
"Yes, the fraternization laws take care of that," Roy said, chuckling slightly to himself. Riza obviously didn't' give a damn about the ridiculous rules that hung over their heads. Obviously, there was no way she would have married him if she had. Havoc was going to feel very awkward if he ever found out that they'd been married for so many years."
"Nah, we are in the same rank area as lieutenants," Havoc said.
"So?"
"It wouldn't apply to us unless she was a captain. Then favoritism would go into effect."
As soon as those words penetrated Roy's hearing, he found that for the first time he wished he was a lieutenant instead of a colonel. If he was he wouldn't have hesitated to shout about their relationship to the rest of the world. Sadly yet at the same time, thankfully, that wasn't the case. The secret of their marriage would have to continue until he was fuehrer. Maybe even past that time.
He sighed. "All of us need to start working harder so she doesn't have to do so much of it. When she gets better I'll also have a talk about her relaxing a bit more. She seems to be too uptight too often."
"Yeah, I'll talk to the others about it," Havoc said.
"And you guys stop it with the polls, contests, pranks and bets. It brings added stress on not only her, but me as well."
"Right," Havoc replied, a nervous laugh plaiting within the tone of his voice.
Roy stood and stretched. "Go get the car. We need to get her to her apartment."
"Her apartment? Don't you think she should stay here for tonight just in case she gets worse?"
Roy laughed. "This is Hawkeye we are talking about. I don't think she'd be very happy to wake up in an infirmary, with everyone knowing about her collapse. I'm sure she'll be thankful that the infirmary was as empty as it was."
"Sir, the fuehrer knows already. It can't get much higher up than that, and you said he seemed easy going about it."
"It's the reputation she tries to keep that will be questioned. The last thing she'd want is that inquired about. It would be embarrassing for her."
"If the fuehrer knows, then wouldn't everyone else eventually find out?"
"The fuehrer ordered the doctor not to speak about her being here for some reason. That's why find his kindness in this situation strange. He seemed really concerned about having her reputation in tact. I'll have to speak to her about that later to see if she knows the reason why."
"I can pull the car around to the back infirmary exit," Havoc said, "Can you get her down there or are you going to need help?"
Roy walked closer to Hawkeye. "I can manage fine. She's lighter than she looks. The uniform just makes her look bigger."
"You'd better not let her hear you say that. She might shoot you or worse. Remember when Ed and Al asked her how old she was? She's usually very friendly toward them but when they inquired about that she looked like she was going to maim them. "
"Yeah, you are right," Roy said with a nod of his head. "So that means that the comment I just made stays between you and me."
"Gotcha," Havoc said. He stood and made his way out of the room while filing away the comment in his mind just in case he needed good blackmail or revenge on his commanding officer.
--
Roy waited a few minutes so that Havoc would have time to get a car and bring it out to the back. He could have carried Riza down and waited on him but it was likely cold and damp down at the exit. She looked very comfortable on the soft bed covered with blankets and he wanted her to remain comfortable for as long as possible.
After ten minutes of waiting, he removed the covers from her body and bent down to easily scoop her up into his arms. Earlier, Fuery made sure her coat and other items were locked in her desk. That saved him a lot of trouble since he wouldn't have to worry about retrieving those and could make sure she got directly home.
Roy easily made his way to the back exit where Havoc was waiting to open the heavy emergency doors for him. He made sure that her face was tucked in at his neck so that the rain wouldn't hit it, before he walked outside. As he slowly made his way down the slick steps, Havoc rushed ahead to open the back car door. The rain was still pelting the earth but, thankfully, not at the same pace as it had been earlier that day.
When he finally arrived at the car, he carefully bent over and placed Riza in the vehicle before getting in himself. He removed his coat and slipped it onto her arms when he felt her shivering. She leaned against him, cuddling closer to his body. Though he should have pushed her away with Havoc being around, he just didn't have the heart to do so.
Havoc got into the driver's seat and shut the door. "So where does Hawkeye live?" he asked.
Roy was surprised at Havoc's question. "I thought you knew where she lived."
"No. It's true that I've known Hawkeye a while but I've never inquired about where she lived. No one ever has since the need to know never arose."
"She lives in the same building as I do," Roy said. He was relieved to hear that no one asked about her living circumstances. It made the fact they lived across from each other less known. "I think you know then, not to tell anyone about her place of residence."
"Yeah, I don't' want to get shot. I have a feeling Hawkeye likes her privacy all too well," Havoc replied.
He drove through the gates of headquarters and easily navigated his way through the winding and slick streets to the proper apartment building. He pulled in front of the doors, got out of the car, and opened the door for Roy. "Do you need any help carrying her up?"
"No," Roy said, getting out of the car with Riza already in his arms. "I'll be fine Havoc. Thanks for the help."
"Don't mention it chief," Havoc said. "I'm heading back to the office before I head home. I'll fill out a sick leave form on her so that all you'll have to do is sign off on it. She'll probably be off work for about three days if she has the strain of flu that is going around."
Roy raised an eyebrow at him, questioning the gesture.
"We did say we were going to work harder right?" Havoc said, noticing the look.
"That we did. You do that Havoc and I'll be there on time in the morning."
"Right Chief," he said.
Roy adjusted Riza in his arms and she stirred, "Wha..."
"It's nothing Hawkeye, you go back to sleep," Roy whispered to her. He felt her body relax instantly after he'd spoken and she made no more noises. Havoc shut the car door and moved to open the one to the building so that Roy could carry her inside.
"You sure you don't need help?" Havoc asked again.
"I'm sure," Roy said, "thanks." He made his way down the hallway, praying that the normally out of order elevator was fixed.
--
Roy was extremely thankful that the elevator was in working order, as he stepped into the lift. Riza wasn't heavy at all but it still would have been very difficult to make his way up the several flights of stairs he had to ascend to make it to their floor. He pressed the button to their floor and the doors shut with a disturbing clang.
As the elevator began its ascent, Roy began questioning his judgment about taking the lift over the stairs, despite their potential to thoroughly exhaust him. He smelled the unwelcomed smell of oil and a scent of smoke the longer they rode. A tinge of fear shot through him but it was quickly replaced with relief when the elevator floor indicator reached the proper number and the doors opened, shuttering and screeching as they did so.
He quickly walked out of the elevator and made his way to his apartment. He had the softer bed and the warmer residence so it would be much better if she stayed there. He sat her on her feet, keeping one arm around her shoulders as he dug into his pocket for the key. After successfully finding it and opening the door, he picked her up once again, carried her inside, and made his way to his bedroom after closing the door back with a hit from the bottom of his foot.
Hayate looked up from his place on the couch and barked once before silencing when he saw Riza in Roy's arms. He tilted his head to the side and watched as Roy walked by him and into the bedroom. He scampered off the couch shortly after and stopped at the door to the bedroom to watch the happenings.
The bedroom was extremely chilly and an involuntary shiver left Roy's body as he made his way over to his bed. He rested her on what they'd always considered her side, and walked over to the closet to get her something warm to sleep in. He removed a pair of flannel pajamas off of a shelf and then went back over to her still sleeping body.
He sat down on the bed and pulled her into a sitting position. After removing the coat and her jacket, he pulled the tight brown shirt over her head and tossed it onto a nearby chair. He leaned her against his body as his hands moved around to the clasp on her bra. She'd often told him how lucky men were to not have to wear the torture devices. She complained on how it had to have been a man to invent them because women wouldn't put each other through such aggravation. What she didn't understand was that it was annoying for men to have to remove the things as well. He let out a small cry of triumph when the contraption loosened, and he tossed it to join her jacket and shirt on the chair. It wasn't until he had the flannel pajama shirt buttoned up on her that he realized he grabbed his own shirt instead of hers. He couldn't help but laugh at how the shirt seemed to make her body shrink exponentially.
He moved to unbutton it so that he could get her own night clothing, but was stopped when she cuddled close to him, seemingly basking in the new warmer apparel. Deciding to leave it on her, he unbuttoned her pants, slipped them off and threw them on the chair with her other garments. Picking up his pajama pants, he threw them haphazardly into the closet. He moved to get her own pajama bottoms for her to wear, but when he turned back to face her, the idea of putting them on her was negated. She was resting in a fetal position, the shirt not even covering any of her legs. He walked over to her and lifted her slightly and pulled down the shirt so that it hung down to the middle of her thighs. He moved her so that her head was resting on a pillow, before covering her with the thick blankets.
A round of coughs left her body and she groaned miserably as she snuggled deeper into the pillows and blankets. He reached around to the back of her head and loosened the clip, letting her tresses fall from the confinement and stress that the hair clasp brought upon them.
After he was satisfied that Riza was comfortable, he walked over to the closet and changed out of his uniform before going to the fireplace to start a fire. After he had the flames going at their optimum strength and felt the room heat up, he turned toward the door to see Hayate sitting there quietly. He walked over to the dog and petted him on top of the head. "She's sick boy. Come on, I'll get you some dinner."
Hayate made no noise as he followed Roy into the kitchen. After feeding the dog, Roy checked the cupboards and fridge for the ingredients he had in mind for what he was going to fix for Riza. He walked over to the phone situated on a table beside the door, picked it up and dialed a number. Riza would need something warm to eat a bit later and what was better during the flu than chicken noodle soup. In his lifetime there was only one person that seemed to make it perfectly.
He dialed his mother's number and waited for someone to pick up the phone. While no one in his family knew that he and Riza were married, they did know there was more than just a friendship between them. Christmas knew a bit more than his "sisters" did. She knew they were in a serious relationship, but she didn't know the full extent to which they went. It wasn't unusual for him to call her for help regarding Riza or even for Riza to call her if she needed something. Of course, that rarely, if ever, happened. Riza preferred handling things herself and didn't want to be a bother. Regardless, the fact was that Christmas was truly a godsend and it was too bad she was now all the way in Central.
Roy waited for about six rings before someone finally picked up the phone. The long wait wasn't unusual since by now the bar would be humming with life. "Hello, Christmas's bar, where it's Christmas every day. How may I help you?" Roy recognized the voice instantly as belonging to his youngest sister.
"Riri, I need to speak to Christmas," he said.
"Who is this?" she asked.
Roy sighed and shook his head. "It's Roy."
"Oh! Hi Roy! How are you?"
"I'm fine," he said, "Could you put Christmas on, it's important."
Riri huffed. "Geeze, you could at least great me properly first!"
Roy sighed. "Hello Riri, how are you? What's new?"
"Oh! How nice of you to ask! I got a new pair of shoes today! They are pink wit…"
"Riri!" Roy yelled, "Call for Christmas!"
"Fine," she said in a tone that told Roy that she was wearing her pouting expression. "Christmas! Brother M is on the phone!" She screeched as loudly as she could.
"Do you think they heard you in Xing, Riri?" he asked.
"So why do you need to talk to mom anyway," she asked, obviously ignoring his smartass comment about her vocal volume.
"I need to know how to make homemade chicken soup."
"Oh! I know how to make that!" she said excitedly.
"Make what?" Roy heard his other sister, Jami, ask.
"Roy wants to know how to make chicken noodle soup," Riri said. "Okay, here's what you do. You need chicken and noodles."
"Yes, I know that," Roy said, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.
"I wasn't finished," Riri scolded.
"Fine then, go on." He knew that he would end up becoming frustrated at her but let her continue anyway. There was no use trying to silence her.
"Then you put them together!" she exclaimed happily.
Roy groaned out of frustration.
"Oh, how silly of me!" Riri's voice took on a tone that sounded like the worst thing in the world had happened. "I forgot something."
"Ya think?" Roy asked.
"Yes, you have to put them in water! Since chicken noodle soup is salty, I'm sure salt water would be th..."
"Give me the phone," Jami said, taking it from her sister.
"Roy, listen to me. Chicken noodle soup is easy to make."
"Okay," he said.
"Go to the store," she started.
"I'm pretty sure I have the stuff here to make it," Roy said.
"Okay then. Well get a pot, take your can opener, open the can and pour it in the pot. Then it takes..."
"I meant homemade Jami!" he snapped, growing increasingly frustrated.
"Oh I see," she said. Sorry can't help you there. Stupid Roy, you know I can't make anything homemade."
"Just shut up until Christmas gets there, okay?" He groaned.
"Are you giving Roy a headache again?" He heard Christmas say and thanked whatever higher power that possibly might exist that she'd arrived when she did.
"What do you need Roy boy?" she said as she took the phone away from Jami.
"I'm so glad I don't live there anymore. I don't think my nerves could take it," he said.
Christmas chuckled.
"Roy needs to know how to make chicken noodle soup," Riri said.
"Oh I see," Christmas said, "Why do you want to make that? It doesn't' seem the type of thing you'd suddenly crave when you can have Riza's beef stew."
"Riza's sick and I want to make her some."
"Well do you have chicken and noodles?"
"Yes," Roy said. "I'm pretty sure I have everything here. If I don't, Riza probably has some stuff in her apartment. I just need to know how to put it all together properly."
"Alright then," she said. Christmas started giving Roy the instructions but paused in the middle of her talking. "Are you writing this down?" she asked.
"Don't need to, I remember stuff like this."
"Get a piece of paper and a pen," she said roughly. "You men always manage to screw up the simple stuff even when you say you know it."
Roy didn't move but paused for a moment to pretend he was getting what he needed.
"Okay."
"I mean it boy! Go get a piece of paper and pen right now," she snapped.
He muttered some obscenities under his breath and did as she told him. He could never convince her that he never forgot instructions after he heard them once.
He began writing everything down in quick Xingese script instead of Amestrian, his penmanship being better in that writing system.
"You got everything?"
"Yes," he said.
"Then repeat it back to me," she said.
Roy did as she told him, rolling his eyes as he repeated everything she said without looking at the pad he wrote it on.
"Next time don't roll your eyes at me when you read things back. Anyway, you got it. Wish Riza well for me will you?"
"I will, thanks," he said and hung up the phone. He laughed at the simple instructions that she insisted he write down and tossed it on the table. He began to go into the kitchen but the phone rang. "Hello."
"Take the notepad with you Roy," he heard Christmas say then hang up.
Roy stared at the receiver in his hand for a moment in shock, before sitting it back on its base. "How in the hell does she do that?"
---
Riza smiled gently and cuddled into the warmth of the soft bed she was lying upon. Her body was slowly awakening from its sleep thanks to the very different environment in which it found itself residing. She turned to lay on her other side, her body popping as she did so, and Roy's smell suddenly hit her senses, relaxing her. She cuddled closer to the scent and then realized where she could possibly be. Opening her eyes, she found that she was in the bedroom in Roy's apartment, nestled comfortably among the thick comforters and pillows on the large canopy bed.
She forced her body to sit up, the room reeling because of the actions. She reached up to feel her forehead and felt a bit of sweat upon her skin there. Her eyes roamed around the room, making sure that she was where she thought she was and not hallucinating thanks to the fever. When satisfied she was completely safe and truly in Roy's apartment, her gaze drifted to look over at the fireplace. The fire within it was devouring the tinder as if it was a starving monster of flames. The wood was cracking, sending a warm flickering glow through the darkly painted room
She found herself becoming lost in the flames, studying the various shades of oranges and reds moving and licking at the wood and combining with each other to become other shades or fade lighter. When she was living with her father, after having the tattoo put on her back, she grew to hate building fires. She hated the pain that they caused people. That the secrets to creating them caused her.
Then Roy came along, she gave him the secrets, and once again, caused pain using them. But now he was trying to use them for good. Now fire reminded her that they were working toward something that would be beneficial to the entire country. Now the smell of ash and soot and smoke brought Roy to her mind and relaxed her more than any other scent in existence. The warmth of the hearth reminded Riza of the way she felt when Roy held her in his arms and kissed her. Fire was destructive but when coupled with Roy Mustang, it could also rebuild, create, and bring happiness.
--
Roy took a dipper of chicken soup out of the pot and put it in a bowl before studying the food and taking a big whiff of the steam. A smile came to his lips and he cried inwardly in triumph over the delicious smell. He picked up the spoon, scooped up some of the soup, and tasted it, joy washing through him as it tasted as good as it smelled. It was just like the soup Christmas used to give to him and the girls when they got sick.
He grabbed another bowl and scooped the soup into it, the steam wafting off the broth and vegetables in waves of heat. After slicing off a piece of very soft bread, he sat it all on a tray and carried it to the bedroom. As much as he hated to wake Riza up from her sleeping, she needed to get something hot in her body. He was very surprised when she was already sitting up. She was staring into the flames as if hypnotized by their brilliant glow and heat.
"Riza? You okay?" he asked.
AN: The reason I left off here is because of a tiny problem I have with my next chapter. It is very similar (completely unintentional) to two oneshots that a friend of mine put upon here. I wrote the chapter before she posted her oneshots but she had no idea about the chapter (don't know if she reads this story or not) and I had no idea about her fics. There's no issue at all regarding it. I feel like I have to decide if I want to use the chapter or scrap those it in favor of something else. I hope you like a bit of the comic relief in this and please drop a review my way. They are much appreciated.
