I do not own FMA. Enjoy!
For as long as he could remember, Riza has always been connected to Roy. While they were two very different people, and would oftentimes find themselves arguing despite the bond they had formed over 20 plus years, they are still connected by things much bigger than any opinions they may disagree on.
They're connected by meek handshake they shared when they first met years back, when Riza could hardly look him in the eyes due to how shy she was around strangers. Even now, he still noticed this hesitance towards people she didn't know well, how she would make eye contact less than she normally did, how the timbre of her voice would become softer in such an unnoticeable way that Roy was one of the few who could pick up on it. It never took long before her eyes would lift and her voice would go back to its usual unbreakable tone, but for just a few moments, Roy could see the girl he'd left behind for the military all those years ago, not the woman who asked if she remembered him in Ishval.
They're connected by the notes on Riza's back that Roy still harbors regrets for all these years later. Even now, he'll still have vicious nightmares about the one and only time he ever used his alchemy against her, always waking up with a pounding heart and the need to see her, to hear her right that instant or else he'd go crazy. He knew he'd never not feel terrible about hurting her, the constant reassurance that she'd wanted him to burn the history of flame alchemy off of her never settling his fear or the waves of nausea his nightmares would always leave him with. Every part of it made him sick to think about, and he knew that he'd spent the rest of his life trying his hardest to make sure the pain she went through wasn't in vain. If flame alchemy had easily helped destroy a country like Ishval, then he would use the reputation he'd gained from it to help build it back up.
Roy and Riza were connected by too many strings in their life, some good and others bad, but he'd never cut any of them loose. Neither of them could deny their history, but to change any part of this history would be to change the undeniable chemistry they shared now, and no part of him had a desire to change that.
Besides, if he did, that would mean possibly changing the most precious thing they had connecting them together now: their soon to be born child.
It had been about seven months since they'd found out Riza had been pregnant with their first child for nearly two months before then, and they knew at any moment their child would decide that it wanted to finally meet them and a quiet day would soon become one they would celebrate for the rest of their lives.
Tonight was another night where Roy's thoughts kept him awake, but he never minded those nights since Riza became his wife, a permanent part of the other side of their bed. Even if she was sleeping, she always had a way of making him feeling at ease, and he found himself being reassured in the thought that everything would be OK when he looked at her. A soft look down at her stomach not only repeated this notion, but confirmed it in his mind.
Roy's eyes made their way from Riza's stomach to her chest, where he could just barely see the skin where her heart laid underneath jump ever so slightly. Truthfully, the fact that her own heart was still beating was a miracle in and of itself, so to know that she was also housing another person who was created by their love and who also had their own heartbeat was something he would never be able to put into words.
Softly, Roy found himself pressing his lips to where Riza's heart rested inside her, hoping that she wouldn't wake up by this sudden action. When she showed no signs of stirring, he gently pressed his lips to her stomach, trying to at least find where his unborn child might be. Sure, it wouldn't be their heart, but the sentiment was there nonetheless.
All three of them were connected, and these two precious people had stolen his heart. They always would.
I know it's been a year since this was last updated, and I can only blame graduating high school, trying to find work, and becoming Steven Universe trash. I want to bring this fanfiction back, but I'm not too sure where I want to go from here. Chances are the title of this collection of one-shots will end up being renamed, as well as my ABC order format, so look out for that if you're still interested in reading this. That's why the main title of this one-shot (at least here on FF) is what it is- I need a change of pace for this "series". I want to thank those who are reading this for being patient, and I promise it will pay off soon. Have a good one!