The truth

"Did you hear? Mustang is going to introduce his fiancée in his Fuhrer's presentation!"

"He asked her to marry him after she told him she was pregnant!"

"I heard she is from Xing!"

Riza felt like her head could burst with all the chatter surrounding her. Unfortunately it was not only the women gossiping, the men also thought it was a good way to use their lunch time, making the blonde woman grumble between her teeth.

"Hey, look, it's Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye! Do you think she knows who Mustang's woman is?" someone asked from a table behind her and Riza felt the last ounce of patience disappear, making her jump from her seat and leaving her plate full, much to her stomach's chagrin.

"So soon, Hawkeye?" Mustang asked when the blonde entered their office and sat behind her desk, chewing the inside of her mouth.

"Apparently, your fiancée is from Xing, she is pregnant and you are going to present her in your ball…" Riza informed, while stacking a pile of papers violently.

Roy looked at her, surprised with such sour humor and in a second of inspiration (or not) he asked tactlessly. "Are you jealous?"

The woman looked at him with fierce eyes, making him almost step back from her. She scoffed like Roy's question was preposterous and turned around to take some of the papers to their right place. The Fuhrer could only watch her back while she walked away, scaring Breda in the way.

"Sir!" he said, after jumping from Hawkeye's path. "Outside is crazy, everywhere I turn to, all I can hear is about your wife, fiancée, secret daughter and other relatives that I didn't care to memorize…" the blonde man said, while giving his superior some of his reports over an international confederation.

"Don't even talk about that…" the Fuhrer sighed, remembering Riza's glare. He really had to make emends with her… He just had to think about the perfect way.

The night of the Fuhrer's ball was expected anxiously by everyone, making the tension in Roy's shoulders increase with every passing day and even if Riza's sour mood disappeared, he still could see a flicker of sadness whenever someone would talk about the arriving occasion.

She wanted to be happy for him and she was, she truly was! But whenever someone talked about the ball, she felt like he was slipping away to somewhere she couldn't follow. His ministers, the high society, his political supporters, all of them would expect a polite and delicate woman, someone that could represent the best of Amestris, someone the women would want to be and the men would want to have, and looking into the mirror, every morning, she couldn't see anyone near that definition staring back. She was good at her job, the best actually, she deserved the praise people would give her for her sniper power, but she was scared she couldn't be anything else than a military, a soldier, someone to follow others and not inspire them.

He loved her, there was no doubt in her heart about that, she could see the peaceful expression of his face whenever he woke before her and just stared at her until she opened her eyes, the relieved smile whenever she entered a room after an absence, the teasing wink he would send her way while she was searching for her clothes in the morning, the loving stare every time he said those three special words.

But was her personality good enough for the country? Could they ever go public, present a far from delicate woman as First Lady? She never said yes to his question, she liked to tease him about her response, but both of them knew that when the right time arrived what was the answer she would give, and even if the country never saw her as nothing more than a body guard, she would say yes! Now all she had to do was swallow her pride and possessiveness and watch Roy being flooded by female admirers, all of them fiercer than many of the soldiers she knew.

Roy knew that what he was doing was dangerous… He could easily end with a bullet inside his body, not in a fatal way, obviously, or even with a black eye… nevertheless, all he could see was her smile while she arranged his tie, her faked happy smile, too bright to be real… The time was here, he had to act! He just was too chicken to face her wrath later…

He could see her, observing the crowd like an hawk looking for a prey; he knew she was looking for someone threatening, someone that could hurt him and he shivered, remembering all the times she hurt herself to save him… but it would end today! She would no longer have to put herself in danger for him!

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here tonight to support me as the newest Fuhrer of Amestris!" Roy said, his tone calm, without losing the imperative and formal spectrum expected from someone in his place. He felt her take her position swiftly behind him, finally satisfied with everyone inside the room… and he almost giggled knowing that the most dangerous person tonight was him… at least for her…

"It's been some hard-working years, the laws that once ruled over our beloved country in a ruthless way were difficult to adapt to our present, but with the help of you, our prideful compatriots, we were able of reaching our goal! So let me thank you all for your support and presence during my years in the military and now as the Fuhrer, let our relationships develop and create roots to give place to beautiful trees of wisdom and peace!" Roy claimed, mesmerizing Riza with his words. She heard him trying different sentences during the night, while she cleaned her gun or read a book, but only then she understood the power of his words.

She could notice the curve of his shoulders tenser than usual and had to stop herself from putting her hands over his frame and massage his muscles, it would do no good to blow their cover because of such stupidity. His voice was like a lullaby and for some moments she was transported to the previous night while he was telling her a story of his childhood with Madame Christmas, until she fell asleep. Shaking her head to make herself return to the present, she found everyone looking at Roy with stunned faces, some of them even looked at her like they couldn't grasp what was happening. What the hell did he say while she was distracted? Why was everyone, slowly, turning to look at her? And why was he wearing such a fearful smirk over his face? She didn't know why, but her cheeks were gradually turning redder with each moment that everyone was looking at her. She could see Havoc and Breda whispering furiously with each other, both of them wearing huge teasing smirks; she shivered…

Roy was pulling her hand so she could approach him, but she felt like her feet weighted a thousand tons… Her chest was moving quickly… and still, she didn't know what he said to them… an awful theory was in the back of her mind from the minute she realized the mood's change, but it was too reckless even for him… at least that's what she thought until he opened his mouth once again.

"This woman saved me and our country countless times, I own everything I have… everything I am to her, and still she keeps being the same woman I met years ago when I was just a boy… So please, let me introduce to you the future First Lady of Amestris, Riza Hawkeye!"

It was like all the air was stolen from her lungs. She could see the shocked faces of everyone and the silence that stretched through the room was one of the most uncomfortable she ever witnessed… until someone started clapping and then another and another and everyone was repeating the gesture, some laughing with Roy's audacity, some smiling happily for them and some still shocked with the developments, counting his admirers between this last group.

Riza squeezed his hand harder than was necessary and he replied with an apologetic smile that was almost a pout and she shook her head mesmerized with his blasé in a time like this. She turned around to look at their friends and found Havoc passing, in a subtle way, some money to Breda, who was grinning happily.

Oh, all those men needed to have a serious lecture about messing with her and probably an increase in his percentage of work… Yes, that would be a good idea, but for now, all she thought about was how warm his hand felt around hers and how those words of support made her feel cherished… Who cares if she wasn't a lady like all those women in long dresses? Who cares if she was better at shooting a gun than all the men inside the room? All those things were what made her who she was, all her doubts, fears, memories, strengths, all of it helped raise the love of her life to the top and she would keep her place right beside him, their dream finally turning into reality, after all those years… In that moment, all she cared about was how Roy Mustang's lips were kissing her temple lovingly, for the first time in public, no longer afraid to show their love to the world.