Chapter 4 - Day 134

When Roy returned home from work, he knew that something was different. With himself for sure – he hadn't been able to focus at the office for even a second. He couldn't look his men in the eyes when Hawkeye's name fell, when her work was being done by them all or when her strictness was fondly being joked about.

Right now, he felt that something was different about his flat too. Everything was quiet as usual, but the silence felt… filled. Used, created purposefully perhaps. Popping open the front of his uniform, he cautiously drew his gun from its holster.

He left his bag in the entrance, standing still for another heartbeat. Boots were good for giving a chase, but they were also louder than socks. He pursed his lips pensively. He was losing precious time. As noiselessly as possible, he slipped the boots off his feet.

Havoc was on his case because of Hawkeye's spontaneous disappearance. He had seen her bag left at her desk that day, not buying Roy's excuse of a sudden fever. He never mentioned it in front of the others though, or so Roy hoped at least. He also wouldn't just break into Roy's place, but rather stalk him out at one of the habitual bars.

Then there was that ego-bloated Lieutenant Colonel, sticking his nose into whatever was the least of his business. Surely, he wouldn't break into Roy's place either, would he? There was nothing there to find. Roy kept his contacts encoded and his wardrobe speckled with a small number of women's 'trophy underwear' so that Riza's occasional stocking wouldn't stand out.

The alchemy; the latest discovery, he pondered. Fortunately, the Lieutenant Colonel didn't know enough about it to find Roy out. It didn't have to stop him from trying though… Now Roy almost wished it was the man so that he could court-martial or demote him. He had other, by far more important problems.

Riza…

Roy had to shake his head to clear his mind and focus on the present. Still quiet. Still eerie.

The living room was empty, he assessed with a glance to the right. There was no door to hide behind, but when he snuck towards the kitchen, he pointed his gun around the wall before poking his head in. Empty. Even the… bin was emptied? So then someone had broken in to steal evidence. His frown intensified when he spotted the dishes from that morning, the past night and the one before. They were all clean, drying on the rack. He hadn't had the time to wash; he had barely had the time to eat, constantly thinking about—

His eyes widened.

He didn't need the hint of Hayate rounding the corner anymore. Barely remembering to uncock his gun, carelessly dropping it in the hall, Roy zoomed past Hayate to the bedroom. No one. His breath was coming short, heart thundering against his ribcage when he turned towards the final room. The bathroom.

Nothing gave away her presence; nothing but her loyal dog, trotting through the ajar door. Roy swallowed. Afraid to be shot, he didn't creep but walked up to the door. His hand hovered above the handle, brows twitching. If she wouldn't be there now, he wasn't sure how he would go on; what to think, where to look – because he was done being apart from her. He would look and he would find her.

He pushed the door open. Hayate wagged his tail, sitting loyally in the middle of the room as if to offer guidance.

Roy's pulse sped up at the same time as it seemed to sag. In the corner, squished between the wall and the laundry basket, he could see her feet. Knees drawn to her chest, arms wrapped around them, hair loose. The toilet paper trailed from its mount in the wall to her 'hiding place', crumpled ripped off pieces littering the floor.

Riza lifted her head. It made Roy's heart bleed out. Her eyes were red and swollen, cheeks sticky and flushed. Her lips quivered. She stared at him with a mixture of sheer relief and outright terror.

Roy got down on all fours.

"Captain…" he breathed.

She had used her key. She had come back to him.

He crawled forward urgently, longingly. Riza watched with so much concern, afraid he would be mad, but made no attempt to flee. There was nowhere to go anyway. She had placed herself at his mercy, and he slowed his pace when seeing how she was backed into the corner like an abused animal.

How could she think that he was angry at her? After how much she had sacrificed? That she deserved it, unmoving, enduring.

He had to erase any doubts as soon as possible. So he took her face in both hands and pressed his lips firmly to hers. Riza's already stuttering breath hitched. She whimpered, shivered once. He could feel the heat of her skin against his, her body tense all over. Tenderly, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. At last, she relaxed ever so slightly.

Roy planted another long kiss on her forehead, then on her head. "You're here," he whispered, indefinitely relieved. "You're back." He wrapped his arms around her.

Riza shakily gasped for breath. Her legs slumped where he pulled her out of the corner and into him. She let them. She let him too, no sign of resistance. It was almost alarming how little strength she showed, hanging in his arms, her head heavy against his chest.

He locked his chin onto the top of her head. "I'm so glad you're here, I'm—" Roy had to swallow. In- and exhaling deeply, he ordered his body to release its tension. Shuffling his legs around her, he formed a nest. "Captain, I am so, so sorry."

"How did you know?" Her voice was tiny and miserable.

He waited a moment for protests. When receiving none, Roy wrapped his arms tightly around her back, stretched his fingers as if trying to touch every last centimetre of it. Had she not asked, he wouldn't have thought of the pregnancy at all for the coming minutes. No, he was busy recharging; soaking up her presence and her closeness, doing his utmost to pour as much love and affection into her as possible.

It was working. Slowly, yearningly, Rizas arms came up to hold him. She dug her nails into his shirt beneath the uniform, grasping for purchase.

"I knew you didn't mean what you said in the office," Roy gently confessed. "You told me so often that it was your own choice to join the military and, well, everything else. I was shocked; I couldn't imagine anyone blackmailing you into saying it. I spied around the military and plagued superiors, trying to find out what kind of undercover mission you were protecting me from."

"I would have let you know." Her words came through puffy, tear-raw cheeks.

"Exactly," Roy gave a squeeze. After all that uncertainty, it felt good to be right. He did know her like the back of his hand. Self-doubt about their usually unbreakable bond had eaten him day and night. "So after I couldn't find any clues in what you'd said, I figured you would have to somehow reach out and tell me to stop connecting us to keep me off the mission's radar."

"The food…"

"In a way, but I was also worried you wouldn't risk going into the public and live on that disgusting oatmeal for weeks…"

"Oatmeal isn't that bad," Riza mumbled into his shirt, "you just ate it dry."

"You didn't refuse my gifts but you also didn't tell me to stop. You were on your own," Roy faded slightly. "It scared me to death, thinking you'd made something your solo-mission to protect my sorry arse. And then it hit me…" Riza gulped. Roy shook his head, tightening his embrace. She didn't mind the potential squeezing-harm anymore; she was home and it was all that counted at that moment. "I'm… shocked and… honoured and— and appalled by the lengths you go to in order to protect me, Captain," Roy admitted. "I— oh," the weight in his tone lightened when Hayate shoved his snout under Roy's arm, "yeah, she's in there," he chuckled. Hayate found her face, squished into Roy, wagging his tail. "Safe and sound and free for you to slobber over."

"No—" Riza started to object but it was too late. Hayate's nose found her, tongue following in happy licks across her cheeks. "No, let— hey!" she meekly, grumblingly complained. Roy grinned, holding her in place for a little longer until he could feel a faint smile tug at the corners of her lips.

Rucking her up, still tucked in securely between his arms, he met her eyes.

"My love," Roy whispered. Riza frowned in an attempt to fight fresh tears. He kissed under her eyes, then her lips. "Slobber…" he grouched, wiping his mouth on his shirt. Riza brought out a broken sigh, amusement not enough to stop her tears. Roy kissed her once more. "I wasn't sure whether I'd see you again, but I hope you're prepared for what you've done." She studied his eyes uneasily. "That I will never let you go again." Roy smirked.

It earned him a proper sigh. Not yet the usual groan of annoyance at his antics, but it was a start.

"Did you bring any bras?" He confused her further. "It's okay if you didn't. I'll buy you new ones. I already bought you a mattress because you don't like the one here. And a bed for Hayate."

"Didn't you think that we would never see each other again?"

"Besides the point." Roy sheepishly averted his gaze. His heart skipped a beat when it lured out the flash of a small smile from her. "I, uh… ordered one for the baby, too." Her eyes widened, nails unintentionally pinching his back. He carefully noted her drastic shift of mood and that distractions were welcome. "I asked Madame to have someone get a crib – piece by piece and discreetly. You'll have to help me build it though." He grinned.

"You told you mother?"

"Not really, not intentionally…" Roy hesitated. He had hoped she would take the opportunity of his lack of building talents being mentioned. They shared a particularly precious memory from his days as her father's alchemy student. Riza's gaze, however lost and patient, pressed him to stay on topic though. "I went to Central before I had it figured out. I was ready to march to the Fuhrer's door and demand he let you off the hook.

"Of course, I'd be considered fair game if I didn't at least show up at Madame's bar while being in town, but I didn't feel like catching up. I guess it was a little obvious. I was being a downer, I didn't know what to tell them since I didn't yet know what was going on, and when Gina caught me crying in the kitchen, she thought I was having some sort of heart attack and called Madame."

"I'm sorry—" He cut her off with his lips on hers.

"Don't say that. Please don't apologise for something you're not to blame for."

"I am to blame for your misery. I could have told you."

"You're here now," he insisted. She didn't seem convinced. The depths that her disappointment visibly reached were so deep so suddenly, it scared Roy. She was the level-headed part of their relationship, and she was completely losing herself. "Capt—" he mellowed his tone, "Riza." Her eyes snapped up to his. As if having touched an electric fence, the hint of a shock passed through his body. Was that… It wasn't, but almost, almost, there had been amusement. Keep going! the voice inside Roy's mind yelled. He smiled then, determined. "Captain Riza." There it was again! Oh, and how it made his heart race gladly.

"I'm sorry." Riza's voice wobbled. She tried to blink the itch from her eyes, dropping her head to hide the tears that came anyway. "I can't…" she sobbed, "not now."

"That's okay, it's fine," Roy urgently rubbed her back, "it's fine."

"Sorry…"

"Riza." He grabbed her arms to keep her from collapsing. It took his fingers gently lifting her chin for her to meet his gaze. "We're in this together," he firmly stated. "I might have a solution for what comes after, but first, we are having this baby." He made her eyes overflow, but she didn't blink; didn't want to look anywhere but at him. "I also have this." Roy dug through his trousers' pockets, finally producing a small box.

"You…" Riza blankly stared as he held it between them. He noticed with a smile that she was holding her breath when he opened it. "You took it with you to work?"

"I usually don't," he vaguely denied, "but I couldn't help from hoping that you'd show up. Anywhere." Tenderly, he ran his hand down her arm. Her fingers detached from his shirt. Those of her other hand only held on tighter, tensed in anticipation. "A blonde woman was standing with her back to me at the bakery this morning," he mumbled, enclosing her hand. "I must have been desperate enough to confuse her with you.

"I can tell you from experience now that it's hard to pretend you're only kneeling to tie a shoe… when wearing uniform boots…" he laughed softly. With his thumb, he drew mellow circles in her palm. Riza's eyes followed the movement, mesmerized. He let go for merely a moment to fetch the ring.

Riza held her breath. He smiled, and she did too when caught. It didn't bring her breath to flow though, stuck, spellbound when he slipped the ring on her fourth finger. A perfect fit.

"I do," she whispered.

Roy chuckled. "I know." He unwound his arm from around her to cradle her hand in both of his. "Me too. All the way."