Roy quite liked Ed's baby bump, which had become just barely noticeable, even when under a shirt. He didn't know why—nothing about that boy made sense lately. Honestly, Roy couldn't stay away from him, and…well, while the attraction was a little frightening, it just kept growing, and he didn't seem to be able to stop it. So Roy just kind of went with it.

Point being: that little bump on the blonde's tummy was one of the cutest fucking things Roy had ever seen. So when Edward freaked out about it, and declared that he was going to have to wear baggier clothing…

Well, that was a little upsetting. But at least Roy still got to see Ed running around shirtless while they were at home. And at least the boy still wore those tight pants…

Still, he mused, settling into his office chair, it would be nice if Edward would just be brave and tell everyone, instead of trying to hide it…

Roy had barely sat down before his phone rang, a violent shriek cutting through the air. He sighed, picking it up; already his peaceful morning was ruined…

It only took one sentence to come across the line before his morning got worse, and the blood drained from Roy's face.

Edward, if anything, felt more conspicuous than ever in his baggy, tunic-esque shirt. Sure, it hid his bump nicely, but…it was change, and he felt like change was bound to draw attention.

Oh well. Nothing he could do about it.

He hadn't been at work long before Roy's voice rang out across the office, calling for him. Alarm bells went off in Ed's head. Roy never shouted like that, he always had someone deliver the summons for him, and that tone…gulping, Edward stood up and hurried to the man's office and through the open door.

Roy's pale face and nervous, fidgety hands (that, every once in a while, emitted a spark or a bit of smoke due to his gloves) scared Ed all the more. "What? What is it?"

"I—I have to start with an apology, Ed. I'm sorry."

Oh, this did not bode well. Roy wasn't one to hand out apologies easily.

"Upper management called," the man continued, not meeting Edward's eyes. "They noticed you weren't really going on any missions. After they got your signature on one of my papers—you must have signed your own name by accident—they started investigating, realized I'd been going for you, and that you've been living in my house instead of returning to the barracks like you were supposed to."

As Roy spoke, a dread bubbled up inside Ed. This was the end, wasn't it? He knew what was coming next.

"I had to tell them," Roy whispered.

Edward couldn't help the panicked tone, the faint prickling in his eyes as he responded. "This is the end, then, right? I have to move out. Everyone's going to know. They're going to make me go on missions, aren't they?" And at that thought, the hysteria rose, and Ed found himself getting louder, tears flowing over his lids. "If I go on missions, my baby—my baby will die! There's no way I can keep myself protected, especially when I'm bigger—oh fuck that's what they want, isn't it, they know what happened with the transmutation and want to kill my baby—"

Roy placed one hand over his mouth and one hand on his shoulder. "Edward, please, calm down—they aren't going to kill your baby!"

Ed found it just a little easier to breathe. At least the worst wouldn't happen. Roy went on. "They aren't even kicking you out of my house—after I explained the situation, they decided to allow it. Of course, they don't want you forging my signatures, but I won't have to give you missions or anything. It's all okay. I just had to tell you that I told them about your pregnancy. That's all."

Still slightly hysterical, Edward started laughing with relief, pulling Roy's hand off his face. "You scared the shit out of me," he stated weakly. "Why couldn't you just say everything was okay? You had to call me in here, looking like death…"

That was a little harsh, but Roy supposed he had looked a bit more nervous than was probably appropriate. He let out a short, huffing breath, smiling and shaking his head before hugging Ed gently. "I thought you'd be more upset, is all. I didn't want you to feel like I betrayed you or something, when I couldn't do anything but tell them."

"In comparison to what could have happened, that's pretty minor. I think I can forgive you."

"Good." And because Roy was Roy, and enticing comments were something he excelled at, he couldn't stop what came out next. "Because I don't know how I could handle you being that angry with me."

The funny part was, while he had used similar lines on women before, this time it was actually true. Roy didn't have time to contemplate this, however, as the boy he was holding finally backed away, looking at him strangely. As luck would have it, it wasn't a distressed stare, just a curious one.

Roy could live with that.

"I should get back to work, shouldn't I?" Edward asked. Almost like he wished the answer was no.

Hmm, his thoughts should not be going in that direction. "Probably. We don't want to make anyone mad around here—they might decide to be a bit harsher on you with this pregnancy thing."

The blonde nodded and, without another word, walked out the door.

Edward took a shaky breath, closing Roy's office door behind him. He couldn't handle this whirlwind of emotions. First he's sad, then he's terrified, then Roy explains and he's okay, and then he gets a little teasing statement like that and his heart has to go wild.

He placed a hand on his stomach unthinkingly, an action that had a calming effect on him, until…

"Damn," Havoc snickered, eyeing the small bump that, with his hand on it, was a lot more obvious. "I was wondering why you'd worn such a loose shirt. You putting on some weight?"

Ed's eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed dangerously. Blame it on the previous emotional rollercoaster, or on pregnancy hormones, or whatever—he punched Havoc hard in the arm.

"Shit!" the man yelled. "Fucking hell, I'm sorry, okay, I won't say anything…"

As soon as his fist connected, Edward felt guilty, and he groaned at what he had just done. He was a regular menace, wasn't he?

"I'm so sorry!" he repeated over and over. "I don't know what came over me, I didn't mean to do that…"

Eventually Havoc stopped rubbing his arm. "It's cool, I guess, just…remind me not to piss you off again anytime soon!"

Slouching in embarrassment, Edward scurried back to his own desk and sighed, placing his head in his hands. The day had just begun, and already so much shit had gone down. He was going to have a headache by the time he got home.