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Riza’s brand new pair of heels were killing her. She hadn’t expected to stand for so long on them. Besides the dull ache on her toes, she suspected that the thin silver straps had abraded her ankles. With each step, it was more tempting to just take them off and keep walking barefoot.
They had completed the mission, though. The head of the band of mobsters they had been following for the last weeks was finally under custody and wouldn’t be a threat for the citizens of East City anymore.
The work was supposed to be simple. Roy and her would pretend to be a young couple enjoying a date at one of the best restaurants in town, wait for the mafia boss to arrive, follow him outside and arrest him, discreetly. However, they hadn’t expected the mafia boss would meet with another group of thugs and the pleasant dinner had turned into brawling and chasing around alleyways until they had captured all of them with the help of the rest of their unit, who were hiding in the surroundings in case they needed back up.
Apart from Roy’s bruised knuckles and her scraped knee, they were all fine. Just exhausted. The only thing left to do was to hand in the preliminary report to the receptionist at the office and they could finally put an end to the long day that had culminated an awfully grueling week full of tedious meetings, complicated paperwork and even surveillance rounds to protect some important ware that had been imported to East City from the North. And on top of that, she had barely been able to sleep due to the nightmares triggered by the stress. It was a miracle she was still functioning, she couldn’t wait to be back home cuddling with Hayate on her couch.
Havoc, Breda, Falman and Fuery had already been dismissed; they had earned the rest too. She thought of them with a bit of envy as she dragged her body behind Roy and he dealt with the administration. He was acting like he was taking it better than her, prideful till the end, but the slump of his shoulders and the strain in his words gave away his weariness. His tie was wrinkled and his slicked hair had lost its form, with dark strands shading his eyes in anarchy. He would complain about being a mess, but in her opinion he looked better this way. Less like the posh Lieutenant Colonel and more like the unstoppable force of a man he was.
She forced herself to regain her focus when he turned to her after signing the last piece of paperwork. “Let’s go. I’ll accompany you home.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Every night, the same offering. Every night, the same reply. Roy walking her home was part of their routine, he liked to make sure she arrived safely and then he would walk back to his house, a couple of streets down from hers.
They walked side by side in silence as they exited the office building, too drained to open up any conversation. Fortunately for them, a cab was right passing by when they arrived at the street. Roy raised his arm to call it and held the door for her when it pulled over.
Once inside, she couldn’t help a soft sigh at the way the soft cushions of the seat molded perfectly around her strained muscles. She gave the driver her address and gathered the navy blue satinated fabric that had polled around her while Roy sat next to her, with the same appreciation for the seats as her. The car started and she leaned back, letting go of the remains of tension she had left.
She didn’t realize just how sleep deprived she was until a couple of minutes of driving, with the soothing rumble of the engine and the soft tune of blues from the radio filling the otherwise quiet ride. Her lids were turning heavier and heavier, but as much as she wanted to, she couldn't allow herself to close her eyes, for she feared she would fall asleep the moment she did.
And she tried, she really tried. But they arrived at a red light and she blinked longer than she intended, and the next thing she knew was that her head was too heavy and that it was dropping to her shoulder without remedy. Exhaustion had taken control of her body and all she could do was to surrender to it.
Instead of falling into an awkward position as she expected, she felt some movement and her head ended up resting onto something even more comfortable than the cushions, just the perfect amount of protective solidity and inviting softness. She curled against it instantly, her body moving on its own accord, and she was welcomed with a reassuring weight over her shoulders and a familiar scent of cedar and sandalwood surrounding her. This was it, the best place to fall asleep, she thought idly as she lost more consciousness…
Suddenly, the car bounced, shaking her whole body with it and startling her. She complained weakly and was about to open her eyes when Roy secured his embrace to keep her nestled against him and leaned to whisper sweet reassurances into her hair. She was okay, it was just a bump on the road, there was no need to fret. Following his lulling voice, she allowed her body to go limp again. From the dreamy limbo she had fallen into, she heard the annoyed click of his tongue and muttered fragments about fixing the fucking roads and him being Fürher, but it was too hard to understand what he meant when her mind was not collaborating. It demanded her to just lay there, being held.
There was a second bump but she barely noticed it this time. Roy held her tighter right in time to prevent any disturbing agitation, like he was trying to protect her sleep. She was glad to be aware enough to notice and tried her best to carve the gesture into her memory.
Knowing she was safe in his arms, she let the comfortable darkness take her way.
* * *
Riza was brought back by the car stopping and lifted her head, disoriented. Grey seats, a small window, the streetlights... Right, they were in a cab, on their way back home after their last undercover mission.
"We have arrived." Roy whispered, closer than she expected.
She straightened up, flustered, when she realized she had fallen asleep on him. No, not just on Roy, on her Lieutenant Colonel, on her Commanding Officer. This was so unprofessional and embarrassing and, and… How could she let it happen?
She was at a loss of words while Roy fetched his wallet to pay for the ride, keeping his right arm around her shoulders. Her cheeks flushed when she peeked at their reflection on the rearview mirror. She hoped the driver didn't recognize them with the civilian clothes, that he thought they were just the dressed up young couple they had pretended to be for the undercover mission, retiring home after their night out.
Roy opened his door and helped her out of the car once he was outside. The moment she stood up, the pain in her feet returned and her whole body complained, adding to her misery. She was always careful of keeping the distance and not crossing the line, respecting the limits they had agreed on to keep their relationship professional and platonic. But tonight she had slipped, badly, with no excuse beyond selfish indulgence.
She readied herself for his teasing, some remark about how unguarded she looked while sleeping or something about the gentleman he was for lending her his shoulder as a pillow. Something stupid (and endearing) that would earn him a deadpan look, with which she would be able to hide her embarrassment and her secret longing that was always present when he was around.
But he didn't. Instead, he put his hand on the small of her back to steady her and walked beside her. At first, she was taken aback by the gesture, but his serene expression lessened part of her worries. He was just trying to be helpful, he probably had noticed her cautious steps with the heels. The echoes of their footsteps on the asphalt composed a steady rhythm that served to mitigate her uneasiness. Their relationship was safe, he didn’t think any less of her and he was not second guessing her actions. Their boundaries weren’t harmed, just slightly stretched.
He dropped his hand when they arrived at her door and Riza grabbed her keys from her purse. She didn't allow herself to feel any kind of disappointment at the loss of his touch, she couldn't break any more unspoken rules than she already had. Yet she didn’t have it in herself to leave it just like this. Biting the inside of her cheek, she paused before unlocking her door.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. That was very inappropriate. It won't happen again. My apologies, Sir."
“Lieutenant.” She raised her gaze from the floor, his eyes were surprisingly soft instead of teasing. “It’s ok, don’t sweat it. It’s my fault for pushing you too hard. I don’t know where to stop my demands.”
“No, that’s not it.” She rushed to assure him. “It’s been a long week, that’s all.”
“It has, but still…” His lips drew a smile, a sincere intimate one. “Thank you for all the hard work, Lieutenant. Promise me you’ll rest, and you may take Monday off if the weekend it’s not enough.”
They both knew she would be the first one to arrive at the office, anyway.
“You should rest too.” She smiled back. “We have a considerable amount of paperwork ahead related to today’s mission. And I won’t let you slack off.”
He threw a smirk at her. “Ah, I just remembered I might have a meeting with Grumman. We’ll see.”
“For the whole day?”
“You know how he is…” She arched her brow. “..but I’ll ask him to keep it short because I cannot relegate everything to my subordinates despite being their superior.”
She shook her head, holding back a smile. “It’s getting late. Goodnight, Sir.”
“Goodnight, Lieutenant”.
For a moment, it seemed he was going to say something more, but he just put his hands in the pockets of his coat and gave her one last affectionate nod before leaving.
She waited till he was out of sight before entering her home. She felt no longer mortified for her little nap. Actually, it was comforting to know that she had Roy to rely on at the end of the day, despite their circumstances.