A/N: I don't even know how I'm going to explain this chapter. It really turned out differently than what I had intended, but eh, it is what it is. Let's just say it's a transition chapter to introduce another shift in their relationship? Yeah, let's go with that. Anyways, I really wish to explore more of their domesticity before I pump out the Ishval arc, so there's two or three or more chapters for their interactions at home before we shift to their individual projects. It's slowly moving along, I know, but given that there's so much to explore, I can't control my mind and my typing once they commence.

"So…I have neglected to tell you a few important things," Roy said in the middle of their breakfast the next day.

The blonde perpendicular to him stopped slicing her eggs and looked up to give her husband a questioning look. Try as she might, she couldn't stop her mind from thinking of a few dire circumstances, but Riza remained silent and nodded to urge Roy to continue.

Roy took a swig of tea and wiped the corner of his lip. "I don't know if you've seen the latest memorandum circular but the Briggs forces are going to have joint exercises with us in a few weeks. Olivier is requesting for your aid in weapons training."

"And the reason I am receiving the request by word-of-mouth instead of reading it is…?"

"I torched it; Hayate got rid of the ashes," Roy said and then smirked as the pup barked proudly.

Riza narrowed her eyes. "Because?"

"I don't like Olivier," he grumbled, not even taking the effort to elaborate his reason.

"Oh?" Riza hummed amusedly, a teasing smirk upon her lips. "And here I remember you trying to charm her when she first came to Central after a long time. Did she turn you down so harshly that she has you bitter?"

The flame alchemist frowned deeply and then scowled at the sniper. His previous methods of gallivanting and information gathering, which includes successfully charming other women to gather intel, comes up quite frequently in their banter. However, Riza still manages to make him feel uncomfortable with her teasing.

If he needed another proof regarding his wife and the führer's filial relationship, he won't be looking any further.

"Can we please stop talking about Olivier?" he groused. "It's making my food bland."

"Sure," she hummed, the playful smirk remaining on her lips.

Roy ignored her look and just sighed, going back to eating a bite of his baked beans. "Also, I have bought the whole apartment complex. The landlord wasn't going to allow me to, but I gave him a nice sum that he can use to start up another business that will carry him through his retirement."

Suddenly, the mirth in Riza's face turned into exasperation.

"I would really appreciate it if you were more responsible with money, Roy-kun," she mused.

"What?" he shrugged. "We have enough. I mean, hell, I can get us discharged and we'll be able to stay afloat for about a decade with lots more to spare before we need to find work again."

It wasn't that money greatly concerned her. She knew how to pinch pennies if need be. Certainly, she had experience living in poverty during the last years of her father's life. Her grandfather regularly sent her allowance back then but she had to stretch that so they could afford Berthold Hawkeye's medical bills and medicine.

The habit continued when she joined the ranks and with constant promotions, she had more than enough to live by without her grandfather's intervention. She wasn't one to indulge in unnecessary purchases so she had a lot saved up in case she needed it. Her recent promotion entailed another salary upgrade, effective immediately, but she was still meticulous regarding her expenses.

Somehow, her husband seemed to tread on the other line of monetary responsibility. Riza couldn't exactly blame him. He was raised under different circumstances. Even when he spent seven years in the Hawkeye manor, Roy always seemed to have more than enough as Madame Christmas was generous towards her nephew.

His personal accounts only ballooned when he became State Alchemist, as the funding for such people were rather extravagant, if she could say so for herself. It wasn't Roy's fault to be nonchalant regarding his expenses but they need to draw the line somewhere. Purchasing the whole of her apartment complex seemed to cross the line that was yet to be drawn.

"That's not the point I am trying to make," Riza countered, finishing her food and grabbing her mug of tea.

"So if I were to buy you the Browning Automatic Rifle, the Mannlicher M1894, and the limited edition Schwarzlose M1898, I will get a berating?" he asked smoothly, ticking off the three gun models that were still on Riza's to-buy list.

The question gave her a pause but she shook her head quickly and regained her bearings. She hid her fragile frown behind the warm mug. "Don't."

Roy's eyes crinkled and he let out a short, amused laugh. "Never let it be said that I don't know my wife's weakness."

A soft growl resounded from the base of her chest but the Junshou wasn't at all fazed. "I don't have a weakness. And we're getting far from the point, Mustang. That will be the last mindless purchase from you, understand?"

"Aye, Ma'am," he said lightly. "But I wouldn't exactly call it mindless. See, the remaining units were enough to house my older sisters, so I gave it to them. Madame's place has been getting a little crowded with her taking so much strays. I figured I'd step in to help."

"By putting people who don't know our real status so close to us?" she asked, the doubt in her tone obvious.

Roy shrugged. "They don't exactly care about Roy-boy and Elizabeth-chan's affairs. And the units closest to ours are still vacant so we have them at arm's length."

There was a fuzzy warmth that shook her stomach when she heard her alias. So much history and experience were interlaced in those nine letters. "Let me get this clear. The four units closest to ours are still vacant and the rest of the units are occupied by your aunt's wards?"

"The rest except one," Roy informed her, smirking as the curiosity in her face only grew. "I had a small one reserved for our plan of keeping appearances. When I learned that Catalina was transferred here and put under your command, I had to think of a way to prevent her from learning the truth.

"She and you are great friends, no doubt. Great friends are common visitors in one's apartment. Naturally, we can't have her come here, seeing as we have pretty much settled and it'll be troublesome if we have to arrange and re-arrange our belongings just so your harpy of a friend won't find out that we're living together. That's when I thought of having a pseudo-apartment for us to keep."

"And if a person from either of our team shows up unannounced?" she challenged.

"That's where Vanessa comes in," Roy hummed. "She will serve as the building's receptionist. The Madame has her in charge of the older girls since she said she didn't wish to be active on the field anymore, and the Madame needed a co-admin to run the business. Anyways, should any unexpected visitors for you arrive, she will phone us first before she sends said visitor to the pseudo-apartment."

"Right…" she said tentatively, going over Roy's additional plan of action regarding keeping appearances.

He reached out and took a hand in his, squeezing. His voice was gentle and soft when he assured her. "I know it's a lot of work on top of our governmental responsibilities, but we'll get used to it in time, love. Besides, it's only for a temporary time before we can go public with our relationship."

"It's not like the Amestris Military will be shocked regarding such a revelation," Riza deadpanned with a roll of her eyes.

A soft chuckle escaped the alchemist before he leaned in and captured Riza in a kiss. "I know, my Queen. Now, come. Let's clean up, arrange the flat, and take a nice walk around the city. At least that's something we can do without rousing suspicion."

As it turns out, walking around the city wasn't as easy as Roy had expected. The both of them had fallen into step, per usual. Riza trailed three steps after him as if she were a guard on duty, while he leads the way.

Now that they were in their current social status, it became easy for him to tell apart which couples were married for a long time, which were just at the beginning of their relationship, and which couples were merely in the courtship phase. However, there was a common ground among all the categories.

They were all walking side by side.

The thought of it alone caused a frown upon his face. There was something brewing in him, which he couldn't point out. It was like he was repulsed by the sight but could not bring his eyes to look away from said couples. To make matters worse, they saw Jean Havoc and Rebecca Catalina walking towards their direction. The unlikely pair were practically hanging off each other's bodies.

For a moment, Roy thought that they should not have left their place if they were just going to be all up in each other's personal space. At least they would be behind closed doors. The next moment, the brigadier general realized that it was jealousy that he was feeling.

A sour taste filled his mouth at the realization. Roy remained silent the whole time Riza and Rebecca had their exchange. He didn't even acknowledge Havoc's presence as he was far too deep into his mind.

"Chief," Jean greeted with a small salute before he jogged over to where Rebecca had turned to look at another shop.

Riza looked up at him when he didn't respond to his own adjutant's greeting. There was a confused look in her eyes, but a few silent moments passed and he figured she wasn't going to ask when they were out in public.

"Let's go," he said, voice low. The word home went unsaid, but Riza nodded in understanding.

Their walk home was quiet. If Riza sensed that his mind was going in circles, she didn't point it out and merely gave him the space.

Roy was asking one question over and over again in his head. Why was it difficult for him to see other couples? And as if some divine intervention, Maes Hughes' voice sounded in his mind, in that teasing cocky way. Because they all display what they could not have just yet. But what was it that they didn't have?

He exactly couldn't say that he was unhappy regarding their current status. In fact, it was the opposite. Roy was extremely happy that now, he lives as a married man (however obscured that fact was) with the woman—whom he has loved for as long as he could remember— as his wife.

Then he remembered their conversation over breakfast about keeping appearances. It was hard work, like he said, to cover up the fact that they were married now. Roy suddenly realized that it would be much more liberating if they were out in public. However, he knows that it wasn't an option now, much as he hated the fact.

Besides, Riza wouldn't ever do something that could jeopardize his rise to claim the top seat in the country's ranks.

Half an hour later, they have arrived back at their complex. There were several of his 'sisters' out and about the building with Vanessa manning the reception desk. Roy greeted no one, while he vaguely hears Riza exchanging pleasantries with those who noticed them and greeted. As soon as they arrived on their front door, Riza grabbed his hand and squeezed.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly, keying into their apartment with her unoccupied hand. Riza unclasped her grip to loosen Hayate from his leash. "Your mood turned sour almost as quickly as we went outside."

The general took his coat off and shrugged. "I just wasn't up for a walk. I'll start lunch. You take a bath first."

Roy felt her eyes on him as he walked into their kitchen, taking out the ingredients. He knew that she knew there was something bothering him, but he didn't want to open up such conversation for fear of sounding petty or whiney. Once the bathroom door closed, Roy released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

The Junshou spent an extra ten minutes in the shower that afternoon after their late lunch. It helped, seeing as he realized that he was doing it again. The thing where he feels something negative and lets it eat himself away before it consumes him and explodes. Roy bent his head under the shower and let the spray of water splash against his scalp roughly.

He needed to stop doing things to himself that would only make his wife worry. Much as he hated feeling so negative, he hated doing collateral damage more. His hands haphazardly wiped his face and he tried so hard not to dwell on the things he couldn't have just yet and appreciate the things that he has at the moment.

Roy approached the matter at that moment the way he knew Riza would. There was only one question that she asks both to herself and to him whenever a conflict would rise. Given the things that happened and the situation now, what do you do next?

Like clockwork, Roy defined the situation before him (and his wife) in his head. Currently, they were in their private, little bubble. The world outside their door does not exist. Nor do they exist to the outside world. The outside world does not know of the Mustangs, only Colonel Riza Hawkeye and Brigadier General Roy Mustang.

Special as that might be, he figured that simply existing in their cozy confines were a little lacking. The routine that they do weren't entirely different from what is expected of them whenever they needed to share the space. They take turns making food, then they take turns having the bath, they work if need be, they fix their apartment for a bit, and then they go to sleep.

Another day breaks and the cycle repeats. Nothing misplaced, nothing out of the ordinary.

Roy stepped out of the shower and wiped himself dry. There weren't many things that they can do together and have fun at the same time. Most of the things they liked doing together warranted for the both of them to step outside their burrow. He needed to find something they could do together that involves staying in.

While he was busy wiping his face, he grabbed for his clothes. Roy frowned when he found none. Tearing away from the cloth, his mouth hung in confusion as he looked at the bathroom counter. He mentally smacked himself when he realized he didn't bring any when he went inside the bathroom, as he was too busy festering his jealousy earlier.

Sighing, he wrapped his towel around his waist and went out the bathroom. He whistled a tune as he walked into their bedroom, finding his wife perched on their bed and reading a book he hasn't seen before.

"What's that you got there?" he asked, turning away from her and digging through his side of the wardrobe. "I've never seen that book of yours before."

It took a while for Riza to respond and when he looked to her direction, the brigadier general had completely missed the way she looked at him when he strode inside…completely missed the way she shook her head to bring herself out of her dumbfounded state.

It was the first time Roy presented himself to her in such way, but the fact flew over the Junshou's head. Sure, she had seen him in varying and less stages of undress, but they always involved tending to an injury or other medical emergency. Never walking out of a bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist because he forgot his damned clothes.

"Ah, Rebecca gave it to me," she said, thankful that the book was large enough to cover her face. The colonel was sure that there was a soft blush of pink on her cheeks. "She, uh, gave it to me yesterday."

"Ah," Roy hummed absent-mindedly, masterfully putting his clothes on without revealing anymore skin. "Ri, what do you think of book sharing?"

Riza's eyes widened at the sudden suggestion and her surprise was not lost on her voice. "B-Book sharing?!"

Roy turned away from their closet and hung his damp towel on one of the empty hangers. He walked over and sat on their bed, back resting against their headboard. The alchemist gathered her legs and placed them across his knees. Like her reaction to him just casually walking inside their room, he missed the surprise in her voice.

"Yeah. We take turns reading the same book then discuss it afterwards. I figured we should have something to do together on our days off. Since we can't go out and spend time at public places together, we have to find activities we can bond over at home. Book discussion is the first one I thought of since it's one of our shared interests," he explained.

Riza blinked, her face still masked by her novel. "I g-guess that's okay. How are we going to choose the book?"

Humming, the alchemist scratched his head. "Well, I just finished my last book two weeks ago and I haven't started anything yet. We can start with that book of yours, since you seem to be already two or three chapters in."

The faint pink on her cheeks warmed further to an intense red, and Riza cleared her throat quietly to settle her jumpy nerves. "Uhm…well—"

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, eyebrows crinkling. "If it's not something you're up to doing, we can figure out something else; I don't mind."

"No!" she exclaimed. "No, it's a great idea. Just that, we, uh…maybe we should find another book. This one can wait."

Roy's confusion grew at her odd behavior and he hummed under his breath as he observed her. She took quite the time to respond to his question earlier when he asked about the book. Now, Riza was not showing her face to him by purposefully using her book. And said book was missing its dustcover.

The brigadier general looked around and saw a glossy piece of colorful paper under her pillow. His quick hands beat hers and he pulled the dustcover gingerly, then widening his eyes when he saw the title of the book that his wife was reading. "Venus in Yrsania?!"

As quickly as she heard the words, her hands scrambled to grab the dustcover away from her husband. However, Riza was quickly intercepted when Roy easily gathered both her wrists in his large hand. "Give me that!"

"No, no, wait," he said with a smirk, pushing her away from him slightly and turning to his side to read the blurb on the dustcover. After a few moments, a chuckle escaped the flame alchemist. "Yes, this is what I think it is! I remember this book! I have read this so many times; I almost have it memorized."

"You are incorrigible, Roy!"

The smirk on his lips, however, was not wiped away despite her insult. "And I didn't know you were into novels of this genre, darling mine! What say you we use this book as our first topic, yeah?"

"Oh, god, I married a pig."

"What?" he hummed. "It's a piece of literature. It is meant to be discussed…with one's wife."

When he released her hands, Riza merely crossed her arms and huffed before she burrowed under their covers and curled into a ball. The blush on her face remained and it irritated the colonel that it did. She felt the bed dip as Roy shifted on the mattress but she didn't pay it any mind.

Deciding that teasing her was enough, Roy's smirk turned into a soft smile and joined her under the sheets. His arms wound around her form and he drew her close. Per usual, her scent was intoxicating to him. He kissed the crown of her head and nuzzled into her. "All right, I'm sorry for teasing you. I just was…pleasantly and amusedly surprised that you read such literature. No harm meant, Ri. We'll choose another book to discuss."

His appeasement was met with silence so he tried again. "Riza, love? You're still awake, right?"

"I am."

The small gust of relief was enough to blow his growing worries away. "You aren't angry with me, are you?"

"No."

Roy frowned then. "Your responses seem otherwise, Ri."

"I'm just thinking, Roy-kun," she said.

Her voice was soft, void of any anger, which made him believe her claims. After all, Riza wasn't one to lie about her feelings and thoughts. "About the book?"

A beat of silence passed before she answered. "Yes."

With the teasing atmosphere gone, Roy suddenly found himself conscious of the situation they were in. They have only been living for a week. Married for two weeks. Such kind of intimacy was a topic yet to be discussed. And so, he tried diverting the situation. "Ah, I see. So, when did you start reading from the genre?"

"Back when Becky and I were in the academy. She introduced it to me. I stopped reading such after we got back from Ishval. This book is the first one after all this time," she said softly.

Roy wanted to squeeze her in annoyance for successfully pointing their conversation once more towards the direction he wasn't ready to take just yet. For all his hubris for teasing her earlier, the brigadier general felt like he was ready to crawl out of his skin. Yet, he dared to ask. "And the reason is?"

"Our…union," she hesitantly answered before breathing in a gulp of breath. "I'd wish to be prepared for when…it happens. You've much more knowledge and experience than I, so I don't wish to…look stupid."

Her words suddenly confused him and so he tore his face away from her hair, eyebrows meeting at the middle. "And the reason why you think I have a comprehensive experience regarding that is?"

Languidly, Riza shrugged, though the action was rather limited as Roy's grip around her form was still firm. "There's been talk in the academy. Let's just say that when it comes to discipline in that area, the men are more likely to falter."

"And you assumed I'm one of those men?" he asked, not entirely offended.

"Well, I mean…you played the Casanova act very well. Who knows if some of the 'dates' you had led to something else? Besides, it can't be true that those were all information digs. Havoc said once that Hughes set you up with someone after Ishval," Riza said softly in a matter-of-fact tone that Roy was beginning to be troubled by. "The, uh, accuracy of your portrayal has to come from somewhere."

A long, quite exasperated sigh resounded from him, but he doesn't think he was truly irritated by what Riza was saying. "All right, let me clear things up. I have not engaged in any such acts whether back in the academy or thereafter. The date Hughes set me up with wasn't blonde so I left the date half an hour in and found him at Madame's bar."

"No need to pull my leg, Roy."

Rolling his eyes, he unwrapped an arm and tipped her chin towards him so their eyes met. "Do I look like I am jesting you?"

Riza's lower lip protruded as her eyes swept her husband's face. "Well, that is an incredibly immature reason to pull out of a date."

Roy raised his brow, slightly taken aback. "Immature it may have been but I sure as hell do not regret doing it."

"Okay," she nodded, then set her head back down on her pillow.

He took in a breath and closed his eyes, burying his face on the back of her neck. It was such a bizarre situation to be in at the moment and it was beginning to grate on Roy. The alchemist certainly doesn't know how to approach maneuver the matter at hand, but he wasn't going to rely on his wife to get the ball rolling.

Swallowing his hesitance and the tiny amounts of cowardice that seemed to crawl back in, Roy took another breath and steeled his gut. His hand crept from its position on her arm down to claim hers, which clutched the bed covers. "Ri, do you want to talk about it?"

His question was meant by deafening stillness. The moment quickly turned into a stretched minute, and when Roy was about to give up the pursuit of that kind of conversation, Riza responded. "I don't know how to talk about it without sounding improper."

A small smile turned his lips some fraction upward. "How about we not worry about impropriety for the meantime? I mean, we have already seen each other at our worst. Let's lengthen the list and see each other at our most vulnerable. We have, after all, already passed the point of judgment. I know we'll both take each other as we are, no matter the circumstance. It's why we work so well together and why we are the only ones for each other."

"Only you have the ability to romanticize a conversation about sex, Roy-kun."

Her lighthearted statement elicited a chuckle from him and Roy was glad that she was becoming comfortable with the idea. "I'll consider putting it on my curriculum vitae," the Junshou quipped.

It was Riza's turn to chuckle. "All right. I'm ready. Let's talk."

A/N: Venus in Yrsania is a parody title I made based on the erotic literature published in 1889 called Venus in India. lol

Thank you for taking the time to read! Please let me know about what you think! I'll see you all in the next installation! x