This is the wildest pun I've ever made as a story title :D

Hello there and welcome to my Universe.

This story was born from a request (thank you, njclaws!). It's not exactly compliant with the timeline of my one-shot (Love in its Place 22), but it explores the idea of an unplanned Royai pregnancy post Promised Day.

English isn't my native language, so I'd be grateful if you tell me about mistakes, unclarity, typos, what you liked or didn't (that doesn't have anything to do with English anymore but who doesn't appreciate reviews?).

Without further ado.

Chapter 1 - Day ?

Riza's hand quivered lightly as she tried and failed to unlock the door. She growled with frustration. She stumbled slightly when it finally gave way. Hayate remained quiet, unsure why his mommy made such a haste to the bathroom, neither bothering to take off her boots nor her coat. Almost frantically, she rummaged through the cabinet behind the mirror.
"Come on," Riza hissed under her breath. She accidentally swiped a jar of headache pills off the shelf. They clattered into the sink. "Great," she cursed. There was no time to gather them up; no capacity to think about tablets disappearing down the drain or becoming soggy.

She had found the test.

Any sounds died down the moment Riza sat down on the toilet. For nearly an entire minute, she couldn't even bring herself to relax enough to go through with it. She didn't want to know. She had to, but she didn't want to.

Six months in Ishval. Seven, almost, if they counted the initial back and forth of overseeing supply and material transports. Roy and Riza had been nervous about going back, their guilt and fear having welded them together even more than the Promised Day. They had been inseparable. Not for the first time – though much more frequently than ever before – they had been overwhelmed by emotions, gratitude for the other's company, but also uncertainty, nights of ardent passion and whispered secrets almost having become a habit as their temporary tents had gradually turned into solid sandstone houses.

Fuhrer Grumman had come by for the inauguration of the very first rebuilt Ishvalan village. An entire village with houses, a marketplace, two wells, and even infrastructure such as their very own train station, completed in under a year. Of course, there was still much to do. A single village was not enough to host the entirety of the previously persecuted Ishvalans. It was the perfect start though, and they were sure that it would blossom into a prosperous town by the time they had erected the next.

Right now, the freshly promoted Major General and his aide had followed their orders to return to Eastern Headquarters. Roy was in charge of it now, and he was committed to fulfilling his duties as well as he possibly could. That included coordinating the entire east's working priorities, securing the borders while at the same time staying on friendly terms and endorsing trade with Ishval and the Aerugeans (the General in the south wasn't half as trusted by Grumman as Roy), and their latest issue: an arrogant upstart Lieutenant Colonel who believed he could boss everyone around. And if Roy hated anything, it was someone thinking he could give orders to Roy's unit. Especially after Bradley dispersing them before the Promised Day.

All reasons why Riza hadn't noticed in the slightest that she had missed her period. Three times.

She now clutched the pregnancy test, staring it down menacingly. It wouldn't dare; it couldn't. They were always careful. Granted, her shot had been long ago, but Roy never omitted protection – they doubled their efforts, made it a must so that they couldn't forget, even in the heat of the moment. And he had used protection, he had bought it… Riza frowned to herself. Roy must have bought it somewhere in Ishval, at least not from the usual pharmacy in the east. Obviously, he couldn't ask anyone to bring him some, and they hadn't left for bigger cities in months.

Riza gripped the test harder. Hayate whined, reminding her not to break the damn stick before it would be of use to her. Before it could prove that she was wrong and overreacting, and really, she couldn't be pregnant, she just couldn't be.

Only she was.

Riza didn't wait until the two bars were fully defined, digging out another test. She had bought a bunch when Rebecca had come crying one night, more than relieved that stress had disturbed her cycle, not an unplanned pregnancy.

Stress, yes, that must have been it. Riza was stressed – now more than ever. It had to be that, she kept telling herself while doing the second one. The first laid on the ground, far enough to be out of reach, yet close enough to be readable. Two bars.

"Shit," she cursed. She was suddenly hot all over. In the mirror, however she only saw a ghost, her face drained of colour. Two bars. Again.

When the third and last test she possessed only confirmed her biggest fear, Riza let out a howl of panic. Her heart was racing, painfully crushing against her ribcage. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't swallow, her mouth dried-out and her throat scratchy. A lump had formed, bringing stinging tears to her eyes. "No, no," she whimpered. Hayate came over, flinching away when she threw up. Retching, coughing, Riza merely cowered there for minutes to pass.

As if through thick fog, she pushed, pushed harder, trying to grasp a clear thought. She had to turn away from the tests littering the floor, staring at the wall instead.

It was too late to abort. Three periods – three months, probably more. In a backwater village like her old hometown, it was impossible to grow up without knowing when one could still get rid of an affair's child, avoid scandal or even incest. And Riza was well past taking that pill. A pill that wasn't very safe yet to begin with, neither too effective.

The other option was through a doctor, but Riza knew she would never find one who was experienced and would keep quiet – giving birth at home was easier and less risky…

Giving birth at home… The thought turned over in Riza's head, then her belly, and she convulsed as she threw up what was left in her stomach. She held it as it rumbled. Her hand twitched away fearfully. Hayate nudged her side, sitting down closely next to her. She stroked his fur. It calmed her down enough to get to her feet.

Rinsing her mouth, taking off her now sweaty, with vomit sticky shirt, she stared at herself. Her reflection was still unbearable to look at, so weak and helpless and not at all what she had worked to become all her life. So instead, she stole a peek down.

Her breasts had ached, but she had blamed it on the change in hormones when her shot had expired. And anyway, she wasn't in need of new bras. Yet.

Roy would notice. Her knew her wardrobe better than she did.

She couldn't tell him.

Riza forced herself to look up at herself at that. Would she… tell him? He was the father, that much was indisputable. He had a right to know… in a way. He should be taking responsibility just as much as her, maybe more, she thought in an angry fit. Why hadn't she insisted to take a short leave for the shot in the east? Why hadn't she asked where he had gotten the new supply of protection from? Why hadn't he cared where he had bought it?

No, Roy was temperamental and passionate, but he would never knowingly endanger them like that. Not if it was avoidable. He must have believed in the quality of whatever he had acquired. And perhaps it had merely been bad luck; the one in a million chance of becoming pregnant anyway.

He had no idea.

Riza gripped the sink until her knuckles turned white.

He had no idea, and he never would. He would have never endangered her like that and so neither would she. He was so close to his goal, had come such a long way. This would not destroy all of their hard work.

Havoc could be his new bodyguard. He had gained some field experience, and he had matured through his tragic injury. Grumman would allow whatever Roy asked, so Roy was the one she had to convince of the new hierarchy.

And she had to start soon; distance herself before he suspected anything.