Burnout

Chapter 6.

Riza's POV:

I feel free.

I'm laying on Roy's bed, in his arms, shirtless.

I pull him closer, his body heat radiating off him.

His soft sheets surround me, making me feel at home.

I feel a shift in the mattress.

Roy is waking up.

"Riza?" He asks softly.

"Mmh?" I respond.

"Last night was amazing, but we can never repeat this. We can never speak of this again."

I sit there, dumbfounded, wondering why this is happening. Fate has given me everything that I wanted and then snatched it away.

"I understand." I say, trying to hold it together.

"Good. I'll see you at work?" He asks.

"Of course." I say, tears threatening to pour down my face.

The shame of rejection stings.

"Good. Now, Black Hayate must be hungry. You should go home and feed him. And get ready for work."

"Of course, sir."

"And, Riza?" He asks.

"Yes, sir?"

"Never mention this night again to anyone, including me. Anything concerning this night will be explained with a cover story. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. If anyone asks, you were," he pauses,"dragging me home because I had gotten too drunk, and then went home. Okay?"

"Yes, sir." I begged internally that he would remember that he said I could call him Roy, but he didn't mention it.

"Off you go, Lieutenant. See you at work."

"Goodbye, Roy." I say quietly.

He flinches.

"Best forget about that too."

My heart breaks as I walk out the door.

Roy's POV:

She's right there. My arms are around her. I can feel her breathing in sync with mine.

The scars on her back make me cringe, as I know that I put them there.

But I try to see the beauty in it.

She went to extreme measures to keep her fathers secrets safe.

Where any other man would see ugliness, I see another type of beauty that's rarer I find in a woman, or anyone.

Then I remember. If anyone in the military finds out, we'll be stripped of our titles, my dream of becoming Fuhrer gone, along with the dreams of her becoming my queen.

I have to make the hardest decision of my life.

My ambitions or my love?

Ambitions. If I become Fuhrer, I can and will make her my queen.

I have to do this.

She stirs.

Deep breath.

"Riza?" I whisper.

''Mmh?" She responds.

"Last night was amazing, but we can never repeat this. We can never speak of this again."

She looks lost for a minute, then I think she gets it.

"I understand."

"Good. I'll see you at work?" I ask, trying to keep her from hating me forever. That would ruin my plan of making her my queen.

"Of course."

"Good. Now, Black Hayate must be hungry. You should go home and feed him. And get ready for work." I say, still trying to make her not hate me.

"Of course sir." She says, getting up.

"And Riza?" I ask, trying to use her name as a subtle sign.

"Yes, Sir?" She asks, not using my name. It shatters my heart.

"Never mention this night again to anyone, including me. Anything concerning this night will be explained with a cover story. Understand?"

I can't have this haunt me. She has given up on me. If she ever did truly love me, that's gone.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. If anyone asks, you were," I pause, "dragging me home because I had gotten too drunk, and then went home. Okay?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Off you go, Lieutenant. See you at work."

"Goodbye, Roy." She says softly.

Her saying my name makes me want to wrap my arms around her and punch a wall. She doesn't care for me. She's mocking me.

"Best forget about that too."

The words echo in my head, making me realize that I just made the worst decision of my life.

I want to apologize, but she's already gone.

The silence consumes me, yet I manage to whisper one thing into the nothingness.

"Riza, come back."