Chapter Text
It’s mid-morning as Riza Hawkeye waits around the Fuhrer’s office, the time ticking slowly. She has her annual physical at the doctor’s office soon and has been passing the time all morning doing menial tasks- filing forgotten paperwork, attending unimportant staff meetings, and updating military maps of Amestris
Now, she finds herself sitting on the lap of her long-time boyfriend and newly-appointed Fuhrer, Roy Mustang. The office door is locked as he dotes on her- something that she halfheartedly advises him against doing at work, but doesn’t have the heart to refuse.
“I think,” He starts, hugging her body close to his. One of his hands is on the small of her back, while the other caresses her cheek. “We should just go ahead and get married, general.”
“As much as I’d love that, it’s still very much illegal, sir ,” Riza reminds him of the fraternization laws that are still in place, those of which make their relationship punishable by jail time.
If the public were to find out about it now, it would be a disaster- one of the many reasons they’ve agreed to keep things a secret until long after Roy is able to abolish the aforementioned laws.
“Soon enough, it won’t be,” Roy brags and reaches forward to grab a paper from his desk, that of which Riza recognizes as the drafted proposal to make it legal for members of the military to be in relationships with one another. “I could sign the bill into effect today if I really wanted.”
“Right, and have people complain about you doing it a week after your promotion,” Riza lightly scolds, shaking her head at him. Even if they would be legally okay, she doesn’t want people to think that Roy became Fuhrer just to make their relationship legal, or that he’s only going to use the position in a self-serving way. They have more work to do first to prove to the public that he’s going to do a good job before they do anything risky. “I think you should give it a few more months before you go crazy with enacting new laws. We talked about this.”
“Fine, if you say so,” Roy sighs and tosses the paper back onto the desk, though a glint of determination lingers in his charcoal eyes. “But the second I sign it, I’ll start planning our wedding. It’ll be a grand affair.”
“Is that so?” Riza asks and tilts her head- a silent invitation that he easily accepts.
He plants one kiss, and then another against the scar she received on The Promised Day. Following them are a shower of kisses left against the rest of the skin on her neck.
“Oh, yes,” He answers between kisses before pressing another one against her jaw. “A big, lavish wedding fit for my queen. The entirety of Amestris will be there.”
“God, you’re obnoxious, but,” Riza chuckles, knowing he’s teasing. She pictures a more intimate affair, far removed from the grandeur he’s describing. “I’ll be looking forward to that.”
Roy’s gaze flickers across the room, his eyes catching the wall opposite to them. He suddenly stops to look up at Riza, his brow furrowed.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be going to your doctor’s appointment right about now?”
The question from Roy has her looking at the clock at the wall to see that it’s eleven thirty. Her appointment is in half an hour at a doctor’s office halfway across town, so she knows that to make it on time to fill out the paperwork, she’ll need to leave as soon as possible.
“Yeah, I’m going to head out,” She agrees and leans down, pressing a soft kiss against Roy’s cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Call if anything happens.”
“Of course.”
With that, she stands from his lap and grabs her purse, hoping for an uneventful visit.
~
Riza sits alone in a small, sterile room, her body tense on the uncomfortable patient’s couch. The window offers a view of the city, but it’s hard to pay attention to it given the circumstances. Her thoughts churn as she waits for the results of her physical.
The visit has already been tedious; mountains of paperwork, a vial of blood drawn by a brusque phlebotomist, and the indignity of peeing in a cup. Still, Riza expects the usual- normal results, a clean bill of health. In the back of her mind, though, she wonders if this will be the year that she finds out her health is as poor as her mother’s or her father’s- the year she finds out that she’s sick with something horrible, a fear that is ever-present, especially now that she’s finally discovered happiness.
The door opens, and an older Ishvalan woman steps in, clipboard in hand. The doctor’s silver hair gleams under the fluorescent lights. Her sharp, ruby red eyes are softened by a professional smile. She wears coke bottle glasses, a white overcoat atop a black shirt, and beige slacks with a pair of flats.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Hawkeye, how are you?” She asks, a small smile on her face as she looks down at the clipboard held in her hands.
“I’m well, and you?”
“Very good. Let’s get started so you can return to work,” The doctor replies, launching into the routine checks of Riza’s blood pressure, reflexes, heart, lungs, and so on. It’s familiar and uneventful- until it isn’t.
The doctor pulls away and sits down, frowning at the clipboard. She reads the papers once, then again, her expression tightening.
“Well, everything looks good with you and your test results, Ms. Hawkeye, but there is one thing I need to tell you,” The doctor slowly starts, her smile not quite reaching her eyes now.
“Oh?” Riza asks. Her heart, calm just moments before, is now pounding in her chest. “What is it?”
In her mind, Riza starts to go through possible diagnoses; cancer, an infection, a blood disorder? Maybe something minor like anemia, or-
The doctor hesitates before delivering the words that change everything.
“You’re pregnant,” She answers, and then continues on as if she didn’t just turn Riza’s words upside down. “I noticed that you marked ‘no’ when asked if you were expecting on your intake paperwork, so I’m assuming you were still unaware?”
The word hits Riza like a physical blow. For a moment, she feels like she’s underwater, the world muffled and distant.
“What? There’s no way,” She stammers. “Could you test me again?”
“It looks like they ran it twice, and false positives are very rare,” The doctor gently shoots down the chance of the results being inaccurate. “Were you and your partner, er… Trying. for lack of a better term?”
“Of course not!” She exclaims, frustrated that the other woman would even ask that after the reaction Riza had to the news.
“Well, it’s understandable that you’re a little taken aback. You did just find out, and it’s clearly… A surprise,” The doctor clears her throat, averting her gaze. Riza has never been more embarrassed and confused in her life. She puts a hand on her stomach, but it feels the same. She feels the same. How, after all these years, could she be pregnant? What will Roy think? God, what is she going to do? “For now, why don’t we schedule a prenatal appointment? We can fit you in a month from now at the same time.”
“Yeah, sure,” Riza hazily agrees, unsure of what else to say or do.
“Do you have any questions for me right now?”
“How far along am I? I haven’t had any symptoms, I haven’t gained any weight, I definitely don’t look pregnant…” She rambles, running a hand through her hair.
“Based on your hormone levels, I’d say somewhere between four and five weeks, so it’s still rather early on,” The doctor explains while glancing down at the paperwork again. “It’s understandable that you wouldn’t be having any physical changes yet. I’d say to expect symptoms to start manifesting in the next few weeks; morning sickness, swollen breasts, weight gain, bloating, increases and decreases in appetite, and frequent urination are all normal. If you develop a new symptom that you’re unsure about, just call and ask our nurse’s line.”
“Okay,” She nods and forces herself to take a deep breath before exhaling. “What should I do until the next appointment? Anything I need to know?”
“Well, there’s not much to do at this point… I’ll have the nurse give you some prenatals and iron tablets to take home, take one of each a day in the morning. Be sure you’re avoiding cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and any kind of raw meat or fish,” The doctor instructs. “And, if you start bleeding or experiencing painful cramps, faint, or get into any sort of accident, you should come in immediately.”
“But- but what about my job?” She asks. Though things have been peaceful since Fuhrer Bradley’s death, she knows that things could go haywire at any time. As Roy’s bodyguard, she has to be able to protect him, but… She’s not even sure he’ll want her to continue being his right hand now that she’s pregnant. “I’m in the military.”
“Since we’re not in a time of war, you should be alright to resume work as long as you don’t travel long distances or engage in any combat. You should just resume your usual activity; it’s good to stay active while you’re pregnant within reason. If you need a doctor’s note to excuse yourself from anything at any point, though, just call the office and we’ll make sure you get one.”
“...Alright,” Riza nods.
“Anything else?”
“I don’t think so.”
“I’ll see you in a month, then!”
“Right… Thanks.”
With that, the doctor walks her out of the private room and back to the front.
Riza leaves the office with tears in her eyes and a heavy blush on her cheeks with no idea of where to go from here- how to tell Roy, how to take care of herself and- apparently- a whole other person, how to keep the public from knowing about this as her body changes…
What the hell is she going to do?
~
Upon returning back to work, Riza parks in front of the building and cries. And cries… And cries . It’s not the pretty kind of cry, but the ugly kind that has her eyes red and puffy and big globs of snot leaking from her nose. She’s already used all of the tissues in the glovebox of her car- they’re soaking wet and jammed into her cupholders. Out of desperation, she wipes her face on the inside of her shirt.
After what must be the tenth attempt, she’s finally able to get herself to stop crying. It’s then that there’s a knock on her car window.
Riza nearly jumps out of her skin at the sound, choking on her spit as she snaps her head around to see who it is.
When she sees that it’s only Alex Louis Armstrong, who is crouching to be eye level with her, his strong features laced with concern, she lets out a sigh. As if today hasn’t been humiliating enough…
Riza rolls down her car window and looks at the man, trying to figure out exactly how she’s going to play this off. She hasn’t even told Roy yet- she definitely can’t tell Alex.
“You scared the shit out of me,” She breathes the words out, her voice shakier than she intends for it to be.
“Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but you’ve been crying in your car since I left for my lunch break, and I can’t allow a friend to suffer in solitude,” Alex, bless him, says the words without judgment. Riza is embarrassed to know that anyone noticed- she parked in the back of the lot on purpose to avoid being seen… Oh well. “What’s going on? Can I help?”
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do at this point, but I appreciate the sentiment,” Riza takes her keys out of the ignition, wipes the remnants of her tears on her sleeve, and opens the car door so she can get out. Alex steps to the side. “Please just don’t tell anyone you saw me like this.”
“I won’t,” He promises with ease, and then holds his arms out. “Would a hug help?”
Hesitantly, Riza nods. Armstrong immediately leans down and pulls her into his chest, squeezing her tight enough that her anxiety leaves her momentarily, but not tight enough to hurt. He’s warm and weighty and reassuring like a weighted blanket. If she’s being honest, the hug doesn’t last long enough after the afternoon she’s had.
“You do give good hugs,” Riza admits as he lets go of her.
“Of course I do! This hug has been passed through the Armstrong family for generations!” The blond beams down at her. “And if you ever need another one, all you have to do is ask.”
“Right. Thank you, Armstrong.”
“Are you hungry? The cafeteria’s still open.”
Riza pauses. To be honest, the last thing she wants to do is eat, but if she really is pregnant… She should probably make sure that she’s eating well. So, she agrees.
“Sure,” She nods.
With that, they walk into the building together, side by side. Riza feels a sense of relief wash over her. No matter what happens, she still has good friends who will make sure she’s cared for, just like she cares for them.
The moment they reach the cafeteria, however, Riza is hit by a wave of nausea. There’s a salad bar with boiled eggs- something she swears she would’ve salivated at just a few days ago. Now, though, the sight and smell of them combined is enough to have bile traveling from her stomach to her throat. She slaps a hand over her mouth and makes a run for the nearest trash can, pushing some poor first lieutenant out of the way so she can grab the sides of the grey container and empty her stomach’s contents into it.
Alex follows close behind, rubbing Riza’s back and speaking with urgency.
“Hawkeye, are you ill!? You should’ve told me!” He says, completely unaware of the reality of the situation. “I should go get a nurse from the infirmary-”
Riza sits up from the trash can just enough to shoot him a pointed glare.
“Do not go get a nurse,” She objects while wiping the corners of the mouth with the back of her sleeve. The last thing she needs right now is for anyone here to know that she’s pregnant. The nurses at central headquarters have always been the gossipy type, anyway. “Just… I should go tell the Fuhrer that I’m sick and go home.”
“Very well, then. Should I walk you to his office?”
“That’s alright,” Riza dismisses him, not wanting to trouble him any further (or worse, have him start asking questions). “I’ll see you later, Armstrong.”
Riza rushes out of the cafeteria, trying her best to ignore the stares from her coworkers as she does. There’s no way she’s going to be able to hide this forever…