Chapter 7 - Day 148

"H-hey, chief." Havoc summoned a sheepish smile. Roy frowned at the napkin across his eyes. When Havoc then awkwardly let go of Riza's hand, sitting up, and the napkin stayed in place, it hit Roy. So then he knew nothing. Well, not nothing. But he hadn't seen her or her slowly but steadily growing belly.

She still wouldn't let Roy touch it. She hardly did so herself, perhaps not at all. He hadn't seen her do it even once during the time she had stayed over. Not to wash in the shower, not when pulling down a shirt or buttoning one of his up. Not after a big meal and not even when her stomach hurt. She shunned it as if it were a chronic abscess.

Sometimes, in the dark of another sleepless night, Roy feared that she might never grow attached to their baby.

"I was just dropping by some paperwork," Havoc explained himself. "Also I was worried, and you were taking so long, so I thought… I'd come check?" There was no real excuse for letting oneself into a superior's home when said superior was clearly guarding a secret.

Roy let out a sigh. Of course, the men were worried. They constantly mirrored his own tension, exchanged hushed words whenever he hadn't yet completely rushed out the door. He was positive that they continued to speculate for as long as he was gone.

"What are you doing on the cold floor?" He directed his attention where it was needed most. She didn't look upset, but he could see the remains of dried sweat glistening on her forehead. He put the backs of his fingers there. It was normal for her to feel warmer, but that didn't stop him from checking day and night.

Riza leant into his touch. "I'm fine."

"Come here." He helped her up. Everything apart from her belly, he was allowed to touch. He took full advantage of it, wrapping his arm around her back. She had done so for him selflessly during the months of his blindness. He was almost glad for an opportunity to return he gesture in kind. Physically, she wasn't in need of such help, but mentally all the more. "Let's get you somewhere comfortable."

"I wasn't uncomfortable," she quietly said. With no resistance whatsoever though, he could guess how she preferred being elsewhere. Or maybe she simply enjoyed his closeness.

Whispering soothingly, apologising for having taken so long, making sure she really was alright, Roy brought Riza to the bedroom.

"My rent," she somewhat burst, refusing to sit.

"I know," because of course she would worry about lost funds, "and I already have a solution." He gently pushed her to sit.

"You do?"

"Yes." Roy wiped the hair sticking to her brow away, placing a long kiss on her forehead. "I'll tell you once I brought Havoc to the door," he promised. He could feel her questioning eyes in his back, how? written plainly across her face. She wouldn't like what he had come up with though.

Especially not once he told here where he had actually been for so long.

"She okay?" Havoc asked when Roy returned to the kitchen. He had dutifully kept the blindfold on.

"You got some nerve, nosing around in here while I'm out."

"It wasn't like that. I would've waited until you were there," Havoc defended himself, "probably," he conceded. "I was worried, okay?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I've never seen you so openly on edge and then I heard her voice on the phone the other day. I thought she was dying – heck, I still think she is."

"Did you ask her?" Roy carefully demanded.

"She said she isn't." Havoc didn't notice his superior's wariness, too busy pacing with the smallest steps lest he run into something.

"You can take that off," Roy finally allowed. "This place is absolutely spotless since she's here anyway."

"Is she here to stay safe? Did something happen?" Havoc slipped the napkin down to his neck, too impatient to pick at the knot. An attack, Roy realised. Havoc was suspecting her to look beaten up or bear a permanent, visible scar. He would leave it at that.

"She is. I'm taking care of her, but it was nice of you to be concerned." Roy made for the door. Havoc didn't follow right away.

"I can help, you know? I want to. If you need a bodyguard – we can work in shifts."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." And he would, but not any time soon. The child of the future Fuhrer would need protection for sure. He opened the door for Havoc to leave. He didn't mean to kick him out, but he was tired to the bone and he still had to brace himself for confessing his plans to Riza.

Now that she had brought up finances again, he couldn't spare her the details anymore.

"Can I come back sometime? If I wear this?" Havoc indicated the blindfold. It didn't occur to him to give it back – or that he was wearing it as a neckerchief.

"I'll think about it," Roy vaguely said. "For now, we need to draw as little attention to her as possible. Don't talk about this to anyone. That includes Breda," he added when Havoc raised a finger. The finger sunk.

It must have been everything but relaxing for Riza to have someone enter the flat without notice, but she had looked somewhat at peace stretched out on the kitchen tiles. Roy bit his lip, taking his time as he sluggishly made his way back down the hall.

They shouldn't have been keeping her locked up like that. She felt less uncomfortable and so did he, but still… Company would do her good. The only question was how to have company without mentioning the dreaded topic. Even on the phone, she would have to explain herself. Merely a handful of people came to mind that would guard their secret to begin with, all his subordinates.

Unless…

"You look stressed," Riza noted when Roy entered the bedroom. She was already standing again, hands clasped in front of her chest. She detached one to rub her thumb between his brows. Roy smiled. Closing his eyes, he actively relaxed his frown. It brought a small smile to Riza's lips, having succeeded. "How was the dinner?" she asked.

He couldn't tell whether she was trying to avoid talking about solutions and hence the baby, or whether she really wanted to know first. Did he look that bad?

Taking the hand that had come to stroke his cheek, Roy kissed her palm. He tugged on her, and she complied, sitting down with him. He was about to take her other hand, but she eluded. Crawling onto the bed with her knees, Riza sat behind him. Mellowly, she ran her hands down his shoulders. They slumped in response. She trailed back and forth, unstiffening them to some extent, finally plucking his uniform down his arms.

"Did you cook?" Roy almost groaned when she circled two fingers on each of his temples. "It smells delicious."

"I made you honey-garlic marinated steak with roasted potatoes and asparagus in lime sauce." She massaged his scalp next, the light scratches making goosebumps rise along his arms.

Roy's frown returned. "How long did that take you?"

"Not too long. The steak has been marinading since this morning though. I hope you'll like it."

"Riza," he sighed, "please don't feel obliged to spoil me." Her ministrations stuttered. Bull's eye. He took her hands, and she readily completed the gesture, hugging him from behind. His heart skipped a beat. Her belly almost – almost – brushed his back. Swallowing, steeling his thoughts to stay on track, he continued. "You don't owe me. I'm just as responsible for this family as you are."

"I'm not contributing anything though," she brought out between gritted teeth.

"You're baking the bun," Roy argued, "in the oven," he added. She didn't laugh. "You're doing so much and I can't help you with any of it. You're going to be in pain delivering it, you'll need to miss out on sleep more because it needs you feeding it. I'll be useless."

"You're never useless. Well," she paused. His lips curled into a grin. "Not never."

Roy locked her arms into place above his chest. Riza gasped, then shrieked when he twisted around, landing on his back with her still captured close to him. He minded the belly, not forcing her on her front, rather enjoying the view of Riza sort of propped up on her side above him. Risking the loss of one of her arms, he reached out for her hair. It fell like curtains around their faces.

"How will you raise a child, being one yourself?" she murmured. Her eyes shut, face nearing. For the split of a second, before their lips touched, Roy felt as if electrified. He smiled, finally luring out a smile from her when she felt him do so.

"We will have you to keep us in line," he quipped softly, gathering her lips between his another time. She replied readily. "Who knows," he kissed her again, "one day I might learn from them how to act like an adult."

"I wish," she murmured. Roy growled, delighted when she stretched her tease with a quick nip to his lower lip. "But I do feel better when I compensate you somehow. Even if it's not comparable." Her voice became sombre again. Roy tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "At least for as long as I can. It's… calming, cleaning the flat."

"It's not the idea," he intervened. "You'll have this place gutted and redeveloped by next week at the speed you're going. And I'm already quitting work early if I can help it."

"Then you must bring in more dirt," she said. He beamed a smile.

"Or," he slung his arm around her, sitting both back up, "we could both do that – as much as I hate trampling on your hard work. Literally."

"I'm not going out like this."

"Not in East City, no."

"I can't ride a train like this either." She must have suspected a visit to his mother.

Roy shook his head. "Oh, no, my dear," he imitated a posh tone. "We shall do none of the likes. Public transport is for peasants."

"At least peasants get to legally reproduce with other peasants."

"Reproduce," Roy snorted. She was avoiding the word 'baby' at any cost. "We, my love," he returned to his usual, serious voice, "are going on a date. A weekend date. Two days of nothing but the most charming, most dashing husband at your disposal." Okay, semi-serious. She gave him a look when he wiggled his brows. "We're taking my car to a village near Guud. It's off season. No one will be there, least of all anyone we know with how much Headquarters is buzzing. It doesn't even have its own train station or public phone booth."

"You're making this up."

"It exists, here." Roy got up. From the bag he had already packed the day before, he produced a map. "It's on here – if barely. There." He pointed at the tiny script to the southeast of East City. Riza regarded it for a long while. "Hayate can run around freely." Roy gave her a thumbs up.

Riza regarded his thumb next. It hovered between them, then curled back slightly, discouraged.

She took it before he could let it sink. "I'm prepared to sit this out as punishment for our mistake." She kissed the tip of his thumb. "You don't have to sacrifice your weekend just so that I can run freely."

"I want to." Roy enclosed her hand over his. She kept hold of his thumb. "I don't want you 'sitting it out' and withering inside my puny flat for months on end."

"What about my flat?"

"We'll get to that. We can talk the whole way there in the car," he promised.

He fell asleep before long. Riza had insisted on driving, which turned out to have been the right decision. She only woke him when she needed directions and briefly. The last forty-five minutes, Roy stayed awake. There was no paved road, the car shaking and joggling. He worried for the baby more than for his sleep.

An elderly couple greeted them on their farm. Their son would take over the business, but was out for the weekend, seeing his fiancée who would then move in with them. Roy kept nodding politely while they kept on babbling, enumerated the farm animals' names and characters, until finally, showing the accommodation.

A small but cosy hut at the border of the fields. The forest was close, and so were the cows. It would take a good half an hour on foot to reach the market in the outskirts of town, which's centre was another twenty minutes away.

Roy parked the car in the barn, then hiked back to their hut. Riza hadn't said a single word the whole time through, which might have been because he had introduced them as a honeymooning couple that could get 'loud'. That had at least shut up the old man. His wife had cackled all the way back to their house.

The downstairs of the cabin was comprised of a tiny kitchen area, merging into a living and dining room. A creaking ladder led to the bedroom under the roof. Roy spotted their bags upstairs, but Riza wasn't there, neither in the narrow bathroom. He found her outside on the porch.

The sky was pitch-black, a few stars twinkling from between thin streaks of clouds. She stood there, feet bare, hair catching in the wind. There was rustling somewhere in the darkness – Hayate, Roy assumed. Carefully, he approached her. She didn't turn. He prepared for the worst. Running back down to get the car would be doable, but driving all the way back for hours… His heart sunk.

Riza surprised him when she shuffled closer. Perhaps he could still convince her – ask her to wait for daylight to have a look at their secluded surroundings. He realised too late that silence might have been a poor choice. She was alone all the time at home; this was even more lonesome.

Roy froze when Riza hugged him. She rubbed her nose against his neck, snuggled into his not‑yet embrace so tightly, he thought to feel her baby belly against his abdomen.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I love this. I love it so much."

"You do?" Relief hotly washed down his back.

"I do, it's wonderful." She detached only her head to kiss him. Roy brought his arms up, hugging her back. He was so glad so suddenly, a giggle bubbled out of him into her mouth. Riza smiled. "You're wonderful." She pecked his lips again.

"Mmh, so are you." He returned the favour, going on to peck her nose and cheeks. "Let's have that steak," he kissed his way past her ear and down the crook of her neck, "I've been dreaming about it on and off all the way here." It was Riza's turn to giggle.

They ate, huddled together on the couch, Hayate drooling enviously on their knees. Finally curling up in bed – all three of them – Roy held Riza until she had drifted off into the most peaceful slumber he had witnessed in weeks. Overcome by his own tiredness, he forgot to dread the next day; forgot about all the things he would have to break to her in order for their secret to stay a secret.

For now, Roy snored merrily and well into the morning.