Febuwhump Day 15: Hidden Scars
Word Count: 899
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: T
Characters: Riza Hawkeye
Warning: N/A
Summary: Havoc never expected to see this. And Riza had obviously never expected to show him.
Notes: A bit of a headcanon here that Riza and Havoc are actually pretty good friends, and sometimes when she can't go to Roy for whatever reason, she'll go to Havoc about things. Also playing with an idea that Riza got her burns right before they left Ishval, using the cover of a "last attack" to explain them. Reference Day 8 for more on that!
Hidden Scars
Havoc stood stock still, staring in shock at Riza's shoulder. Riza stood frozen, looking over her shoulder with fear on her face. For a moment, neither of them moved or said a word. It was obvious that neither of them had expected this, and that neither of them had any idea how to react.
Riza Hawkeye had a horrific burn scar covering her left shoulder, covering some sort of tattoo, and the only reason that Havoc had seen it was because of the way his stretched-out oversized shirt had slipped down on her.
The glass of water in his hand shook, and that was what broke Havoc out of the moment. He had been getting the water for her, after insisting that she stay the night. She had come to him, having a bad night, upset about something that she wouldn't tell him about but that he was highly suspicious involved Roy Mustang. He had of course taken her in, given her as much grounding and comfort that he could and then, as it was late, told her to just stay. She had been worn enough that she had agreed, and he had given her some clothes to change into and gone to get her some water.
But he was bigger than her, taller, with a bigger frame, and that shirt was already stretched out. He supposed that, in retrospect, he should have expected that it would slip off of her shoulders. But there had been no way that he would have expected this.
He sat the glass of water down and walked towards her. She didn't move but eyed him like a cornered animal. He approached her carefully, and slowly reached out towards her shoulder. She didn't move, but he could see that she was still watching him closely. Gently, carefully, he reached for the collar of the shirt. He pulled it back a bit, allowing him to better see what she was hiding. She didn't move, she didn't say anything. He looked.
The burns continued on her back, reaching towards the center of it. A smaller one was on her right shoulder, and another smaller one further down the right side of her back. They marred not just her back, but a large, intricate tattoo that covered it, a tattoo of an alchemic matrix he recognized. He carefully let the collar go back to where it was.
She was trembling now, and he could see it. She had stopped looking at him, and, instead, had closed her eyes, almost as if she were expecting something bad to happen now. Havoc paused for a moment. Then he reached out, putting his hands on her shoulders. He turned her around and she didn't resist, but her tremble grew worse. Once she was turned around, he reached out, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug.
For a moment, she stood there, stiff, not moving, not returning the gesture, not even leaning into it. And then, after a moment, she melted into it. Her arms came up, holding him back, and he tucked her head under his chin. He could feel her breaths, and he wasn't sure if she was fighting panic or if she was trying not to cry. It didn't matter. He'd keep holding her.
It was only after she had calmed down a little that he spoke.
"Who did this to you, Riza?" he asked, his voice quiet.
She stiffened, although she didn't pull away, and shook her head.
"Riza." His voice was soft, but firm. "I need to know." He paused. "The burns. Were they from that 'last attack' in Ishval?"
For a moment she didn't move, and then, her head nodded once. "Yes." Her voice was little more than a whisper.
"Was it a cover for this?"
A longer pause. "…yes."
"Did Mustang burn you?"
He felt her cringe slightly. "Yes."
Havoc took in a breath, trying to keep his emotions under control.
"Was it to hide the tattoo?"
She nodded. "Yes."
Havoc worked his jaw. He didn't want to ask this next question, but he knew that he had to. "Did Mustang tattoo you?"
"No." That answer came without hesitation and Havoc felt a little relief at that.
It still left a question that needed to be asked, though. He hesitated but asked it anyway. "Who tattooed you, Riza?"
He could feel her tense up, and it was a full body tense. Her arms tightened around him where she held him. "…my father."
The words were barely a whisper and accompanied by her tremble picking up. Havoc felt like he was reeling. Her father? What kind of a father would—
No, he would come back to that later.
Havoc let out a breath, and curled his arms around her again, buried his face in her hair. "Come on," he said. "Let's go sit down. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I just want you to be okay."
She let out a breath that felt like a sob but followed along as he pulled her towards the couch in the living room. Havoc had no idea what was about to happen, but he would be there for her, even if all she wanted was to lean on him. But whatever was about to happen, Havoc was certain that these hidden scars were only a precursor to even deeper ones.