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It’s become a routine for them. Roy comes over to visit her three times a week so they can have dinner together and listen to a radio drama they are invested in together.
They first discovered it months ago, before Hughes death, when they still lived in the East. They’d been working late one night and turned on the radio to give themselves a break from the mountain of paper work the Colonel had let pile up. It was a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice but set in modern day. They’d both became interested and tuned into the show three times a week when it aired. Though they would only get together once a week to listen to it together, electing to spend the rest of the week listening alone and catching up at work.
Though every Friday, after the long work week. She’d sneak over to his townhouse, in a wig and glasses, after the sun had set and would make them dinner (Roy wasn’t allowed anywhere near the kitchen after he almost burned it down one time after baking noodles). They would then eat and listen to the radio show. Which would then lead him to try and convince her to spend the night, using more than just words, and she always would. He tried to get her to extend her visit out over the weekend, which she had to, unfortunately, turn down. It worked for both of them, it let them relax and unwind together from their busy week while also helping Roy’s womanizer reputation. As seeing a different woman appear at his house weekly was enough to throw doubt on anyone who suspected them.
But things were different since the moved to Central. Roy had started to neglect himself, sleeping less and less, and his diet shifted drastically to the point that she’d be lucky if she saw him eat half a sandwich from the cafeteria in a day. As most days he was working through every meal and staying late. She knew he was running himself thin looking for answers.
So instead of meeting at his townhouse they’d meet in her tiny one bedroom apartment—though it was more like an oversized walk in closet. The cover could still work since one of Chris’ informants lived in the building, which was how she found it initially when they first moved, so Roy could easily brush it off as visiting her some nights of the week. While it was a bit more risky she could make sure he was at least sleeping properly and eating something healthy.
And instead of just a Friday night date it turned into three days a week. She persuaded him by saying she’d felt lonely since the move to Central and wanted company while she was getting settled. He knew it was a lie but didn’t comment on. He just accepted it, though did tease her that they were practically married since she was always trying to have him over more and more. She just glared at him and he would shut up, not without a smirk though.
She didn’t like that she had to trick him to come over. But since he moved to Central he’d been so consumed in his hunt for Hughes killer that he’d started to neglect himself. Sleeping and eating less were the most obvious. But she knew their was more. And by having him visit she could at least take care and check in on him.
Hayate suddenly looked up from his mat toward the door and a moment later she heard a knock. She smiled, standing up from the dining table and walking toward the door, making sure to scratch Hayate behind the ear for being a good watch dog before she greeted their guest.
She opened the door and was greeted by cold air and Roy with a warm smile on his face and a teasing look behind his eyes.
“You know, Lieutenant,” he said as he stepped in, holding a bottle of wine he promised to bring as he shivered inside his coat and she closed the door. “You could easily find an apartment building with less stairs or an elevator at least.”
She sighed and took his coat, though she thought it was odd he was wearing a sweater tonight and not a suit as he normally did. “The buildings fine, you just need to get used to walking up three flights of stairs, Sir.”
He glared at her slightly while she walked back to the kitchen area, careful to avoid the boxes she hadn’t unpacked yet, to check on the chicken, potatoes, and broccoli that we’re currently baking. Without saying a word Roy walked toward her tiny cupboard and got out plates and cups for them. He would set the table while she cooked, to be somewhat useful since he was a walking safety hazard in the kitchen. It was a simple arrangement they came up with, she handled the cooking if he did the dishes as that was her least favorite chore.
They made idle chatter, talking about little things that happened to them during the week they hadn’t told each other yet. The timer dinged as Roy started pouring them the wine he brought over.
“What’s for dinner, Riza?” Roy asked as she removed the glass dish from the oven.
It took a bit of time before they could call each other by their actual names. It was a hard habit to shake, but it did let her know when he was relaxed.
“Chicken thighs, potatoes, and broccoli.” She said, placing the pan on a pot holder in the center of the table.
Roy leaned over to look in the glass dish while Riza went to turn on the radio. As she turned to the right station, hearing the end of a commercial for some skin product, she heard Roy swear slightly.
“Did you try to eat a potato?” Riza asked, turning around to stare at Roy with crossed arms while Roy stared back at her, hand covering his mouth.
“No,” he mumbled with his mouth full.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed him a water glass. Filling it with water and ice from the freezer before handing it to him. “Just because you’re the Flame Alchemist doesn’t mean you’re immune from a burnt tongue.”
He mumbled a thank you as she sat across from him and took a sip of her wine. As she watched him place his glass down she noticed how his cheeks had become a bit more sunken in and the bags under his eyes a bit darker and more droopy. She had to fight the urge to ask him if he was okay since he’d just brush past it. He’d grown cagier since Hughes died. He would still talk to her about his plans but if she asked something relating to him, he pushed it away.
He’d always been like this though. Ever since they were kids he’d have tendencies of getting so engrossed in projects he’d forget to eat or sleep for days. The longest stint was when she was 16 and he spent a week straight focusing on some problem her father had given him; she had to practically force feed him since he kept losing track of time and forgot to come downstairs to eat with her.
But this… this was different. It was like everything about him had hardened— no that wasn’t it . It was as if when he stared into her eyes he couldn’t make her out, no matter how hard he focused, because he was somewhere else.
She twirled the stem of her wineglass to try and ignore that thought, though she didn’t have to dwell to long as the show started. They sat together mainly in silence as started to eat dinner. The series was moving toward the climax as Orpheus was to confront Hades on letting Eurydice return to the upper world, though now it mainly focused on Hades and Persephone’s martial issues.
“You know,” Roy said as the show started to play its closing theme. “I think Hades and Orpheus are more similar than they think.”
She hummed in response, she didn’t know if it was from the heat of the radiator or the wine she had, but she felt her eyes droop.
I need to stay awake. She thought. If I fall asleep now he’ll head home.
“Yes, they both have a wife they love and want to help but they miss the exact thing they need from their partner by doing what they think is best…” he continued talking while she felt herself start to fall more and more asleep.
“You know,” he said, causing her to jolt awake and see a smirk cross his face as a jingle for a toothpaste brand played. “If you stayed at my place we could snuggle on the couch like we used to back in East City.”
She smiled at the memory’s. They would usually start out on opposite sides of the couch, but Roy would always find new ways to pull her closer to him until she was practically resting on his lap. She never put up much of struggle though and would sometimes be the first to make a move.
“That is true,” she said, sitting up to stretch her back. “Though I don’t feel like dragging half a kitchen over to cook for us.”
He looked back toward the radio, ignoring her comment while she pursed her lips.
He used to have a moderately furnished home. It wasn’t too lavish but it wasn’t barren. But after they moved to Central it took a few weeks before either could ensure it would be safe for her to visit. And when she did, she was shocked. The only thing he had was a sofa in the living room and a stool in the kitchen, along with very bare minimum cooking utensils. She just assumed he hadn’t had time to go furniture shopping yet and tried not to make a big deal out of it. That was until they went to bed.
“You really need to get a bed soon,” Riza said as she tried to get comfortable being half wedged into the couch and half on Roy’s chest. “This isn’t the best sleeping arrangements.”
He scoffed lightly as he pulled her closer so she was fully lying on his chest. “It’s fine, we’ll get used to it.”
She looked up at him confused only to see his eyes were closed and he was already asleep.
She sat up and started to clear her and Roy’s dishes.
“Well,” Roy said as he stretched his arms out and stood up. “It’s getting late, I should be heading-“
“No,” Riza said, cutting him off as she took his dinner plate and placed them both into the sink. “It’s almost 8 PM, you’re not going anywhere. You’re spending the night.”
“Oh really,” he said, flirtatiously as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest.
She smiled, it was an old move of his that she never got tired of and he knew it.
“Trying to get me to spend the night? Do you have other plans in mind?” He whispered in her ear softly, his breath lightly tickling her.
“No,” she said. “It’s almost 8 which means it’ll take you about 30 minutes to drive home if you’re lucky. So at best you won’t get into bed until 9:30.”
“That is true,” he said, lightly pressing kisses along her jaw. “But the night is still young enough for us to do other activities before we retire.”
She laughed lightly, she was tempted to take him up on his offer, but they couldn’t tonight. He needed to sleep with no distractions. Which, unfortunately, included her.
“While I would like that very much,” she said, turning around in his arms. “ You have an early meeting tomorrow and can’t be late. So it’s early to bed for both of us.”
He sighed and got his miserably wounded look in his eyes he’d given her since they were kids that always made her smile.
“There’s my Lieutenant.” He grumbled , resting his head on her shoulder as she laughed.
“That’s what you pay me for,” she whispered in his ear before pushing away from his arms. “I’m going to take Hayate out one last time before we go to bed, can you wash the dishes?”
Roy nodded and turned the sink on. She smiled as she put on her shoes and coat while Hayate waiting patiently by the door to be leashed.
After leashing Hayate and walking him down three flights of stairs, he quickly did his buisness and began to lead Riza back inside. Hayate didn’t like the cold and tried to keep his trips outside to a minimum because of it. It seemed to be a trait him and Roy shared as he also tried to never leave the house when it was to cold.
Once they were both back inside he trotted over quickly to his bed near the radiator and turned into a tight ball to try and warm himself up.
“Well, I’m guessing the trip was uneventful.” Roy said as he rounded the corner and smiled at her.
“Yes,” she said as she hung her coat back up next to Roy’s.
“So,” Roy said, wrapping his arms around her again as she turned to face him in the entryway. “If I’m sleeping over that means I’ll need clothes to sleep in. Unless you want me to sleep naked.”
“Are you trying to ask to borrow my clothes?” Riza said, lightly tugging at his sweater. “I do have a crop top that I think you would look dashing in.”
“I bet you would like to see me wearing that.” He said, kissing her while she laughed.
“I would, yes,” she teased as she rested her hands on his chest. “But I should still have some of your clothes here.”
He nodded and she took his hand as she walked them to her bedroom.
She handed him a pair of sweatpants and a old t-shirt while she went to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. When she was done Roy went in to do the same while Riza changed and started to braid her wet hair.
“Why do you do that?” Roy asked, exiting the bathroom and crossing to her bedroom door and closing it while she sat down on the bed.
Hayate would either sleep in her room or next to the radiator in the main room, so whoever was the last one up would close the door to give him time to decide where to sleep. Though since an early winter chill had decided to settle over Central he elected to be a guard dog and alert them if someone was coming rather than sleep in her room.
She studied his figure as he started to cross to her bed, ever since Armstrong had mentioned to him he looked as if he was losing weight he’d grown more self conscious of his body. Though now it made her even more worried about him since she felt him shutting her out more and more by the day. It was her greatest fear to lose him and watching him push her away, unconsciously or not, was painful for her.
He sat down next to her on the bed and she came back down to reality.
“Do what?” She asked as she tied off the braid and let it dangle over her shoulder while she moved to sit against the pillows.
Roy followed her, slightly rubbing his eyes. She noticed the way the faint lamp light made the bags under his eyes and cheek bones worse, highlighting them and making him look like a ghost.
Has he slept at all this week?
“You always braid your hair before you go to sleep,” he said, yawning as he plopped down next to her, as if what he said explained his question.
“Yes, it’s so my hair doesn’t get in the way while I sleep.” She said, moving closer to him.
“Right, but you always have it up in a clip at work, why not just sleep with that instead?”
“Because, clips aren’t comfortable to sleep with,” she said, leaning over him to turn off her lamp. “So I braid it so it’s not in the way.”
“I guess that makes sense,” he said, as she pulled the thick duvet over them and Riza tucked herself into his side, wrapping her arms and leg around him, like a big teddy bear, and closed her eyes.
She didn’t fall asleep though, she waited till she heard his breath even out and sat up to look at him. She then sat up and studied him, lightly running her fingers across his chest to see if she could feel his bones.
She didn’t spend much time at his abdomen or side where she knew his burn scar resided, but instead drew her fingers to the top of his ribs and moved down, feeling the hollow thumps as her finger glided over them in a downward slope.
She bit her lip, he hasn’t lost anymore weight, which is good.
“I know what you’re doing,” he said, lightly. Like he was teetering between sleep and awake.
She looked up at him suprised, trying to think of what to say.
“What am I doing?” She asked, trying to buy herself more time.
“You’re tickling me.” He said, seriously.
She had to fight back a laugh. He was sleep talking. He’d done this since they were kids, though he usually never remembered it when she told him in the morning. So she just kept these little conversations to herself.
“Now why would I do something like that?” She asked, the air of seriousness gone from her voice and instead replaced with a more teasing tone while she continued her feather light touch over his ribs.
“To stop me from being mad.”
“Mad about what?” She asked, her smile growing.
“Spring.” He said, in a very serious tone for someone who was asleep. She covered her mouth, trying not to giggle.
Looks like he’s dreaming of us in the radio show.
“Alright, I’ll stop.” She said as her finger stilled and he just softly hummed as his breathing leveled out again.
She smiled softly before leaning up and lightly kissing his cheek.
He can be very cute sometimes.
She curled herself back into his side. Hoping even in sleep to help save him if needed.