Title: Dependents

Author: S J Smith-Evil_Little_Dog

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: If I had a dollar for every time I wrote a disclaimer, I still wouldn't have enough money to buy FMA. *sniff*

Summary: Roy doesn't understand the dog.

Notes: This takes place in the 'Miss the Girl' 'verse, but you don't have to read that series to understand what's happening.

Roy frowned down at the dog, staring up at him with liquid eyes. "What do you want?" he asked. Black Hayate, unfortunately, couldn't speak, but he did tilt his head slightly to the side.

"Are you getting in my dog's way?" Riza asked, peering through the kitchen doorway at her man and her dog. Her dog wore a blue collar, accentuating his black fur and neat tan markings. Her man wore a pair of pajama bottoms clinging precariously to his hips, his hair still rumpled from bed.

"I don't see how," Roy said, the furrows in his brow deepening. "He's just sitting there, after all. And looking at me like he thinks he needs a t-r-e-a-t."

Studying her dog from the back, Riza took in the still tail, straight spine, and cocked head. "I don't think so."

"So, does he need to go out?"

"Ask him."

Roy narrowed his eyes at her, but asked the dog, "Do you want to go outside, Black Hayate?"

His ears tipped and his tail twitched.

"That's not it," Riza translated.

Roy twisted around. "He has water. Is it time for him to be fed?"

"Not for a few hours."

"Then why is he staring at me?" Roy asked, sounding almost anguished.

Riza knew it was an act. Roy's flare for the dramatic in private provided constant amusement for those who knew him personally, not just the Flame Alchemist. She picked up her cup, contemplating the steaming contents of the dark, rich coffee she could now afford to brew every day if she wanted. And then she looked over at the man she could now have in her bed. "Because he knows something you don't."

Roy focused on her rather than the dog for the first time this morning. Well, since they'd left their bed, Riza amended. "Something I don't know? What don't I know, Riza?" He folded his arms, accentuating the scar tissue left behind from the homunculus. They were both scarred up from their time serving their country. Riza didn't doubt they'd earn more scars before they retired. But Roy was waiting for an answer, his eyebrow climbing into his messy bangs.

Riza smiled into her cup. "That he'll have to share the floor soon."

"Share the floor? What does that mean, I'll have to sleep down there?" Roy got that anguished tone back in his voice. "Rizaaaaa," he whined.

She started counting mentally, wondering just how long it'd take for the cenz to drop. She reached 'three' before Roy turned white, grabbing the kitchen counter to stay upright. "You're – you mean – you're," he stammered out. "How? When?"

"You're an alchemist, I'm sure you know 'how'," Riza said. "As for the when, well, probably the night we spent in that cold, drafty room in Risembool."

"I'm going to be a father?" The smile splitting Roy's face made Riza smile, too. "Me, I'm going to be a dad!" Dodging Black Hayate, he rushed into the dining room to gather Riza in his arms, kissing her soundly. "You, you really are the best."

Riza hugged him back, tweaking his hair. "Just remember, babies can be harder to understand than dogs."

"Uh, huh," Roy said. The proud, dazed grin on his face let her know he didn't hear any of that. Oh, well. She had another seven months to drum it into his skull, how to deal with their little dependents.

~ end ~