"What are these, Havoc?" asked the Colonel.
"Well," he said says while a gray puff of smoke flows with the wind, "it's an invitation to some ball or dance or something like that."
The Colonel opened it and read the following:
You are chordally invited to a State Alchemist's ball on the night of Saturday at 8:00PM-Midnight.
Location: President's Ballroom
Extra invitations are needed to bring a limited 5 friends.
"They're being stingy...I mean, what if one of your dates think you're not being polite?" Havoc said wonderingly, looking at the colonel. "I haven't had a date ever since I lost my eye Havoc, you know that." Roy said seriously. Havoc looked at the ground apologetically, "Sorry, Sir." Roy only smiled and laughed full heartedly. "Just kidding, Havoc!" he said between laughs, "I've had plenty a dates since then!" The Colonel was lying– he had not a date in years. The two men were laughing, with Mustang nervously smiling, trying not to show the truth. "I highly recommend that you two are to work if you aren't looking for an overtime shift." said a feminine voice– it belonged to Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.
"Yes, ma'am." both men said in unison.
Surprisingly enough, they both finished their paperwork by the afternoon. The sun told the time of around 4:00PM, with it being a sunny day. It was just perfect for anything; even if that anything was to receive an invitation...
Everybody was putting their things away and getting ready to go home. Roy still had those five invitations to that ball or whatever, as he put it. "Hey, Havoc," he said, "here's four invitations. Do whatever you want with them." Havoc agreed, but hadn't the slightest clue on who to bring... "I suggest that you bring Kane and Fuery and the others." Havoc agreed, "But Sir, who's getting the other invitation?" he asked. Roy wondered about that one, "It's a keepsake." he said to Havoc, giving stern assurance.
Later that afternoon, Roy was walking around the military base, only to be met by his Lieutenant, Riza. "Good day, Colonel." she says as she salutes him. "Good day, Lieutenant." he says back to her. Then Roy handed her the invitation he had.
"Sir, what's this?" she asked him.
"An invitation to a ball or whatever." he replied.
"Surely there's some other girl who's waiting for you to take them, Colonel."
"You're going. That's an order."
"Yes, Sir."
"Roy." he says over his shoulder.
"Pardon?"
"My name is Roy. From now on, during after hours or when it's just us, call me Roy."
"Yes, Sir." she could not help but defy him just this once. It was a habit, she could not call him by his first name even by order. I have never noticed this before: When has the Colonel become so handsome It was something Riza had noticed for quite some time now.
Saturday Night
The invitation said to dress nice. Riza thought, Perhaps this will work. She was picking through her closet and found the nicest dress anyone could have ever laid their eyes on; a silver dress decorated with sparkles, not too much to be blinding to the eye, but enough to bring beauty to even the ugliest being, if there is even such a person to exist. Even Hayate thought his mother looked extravagant in her dress. "I'm glad you like it, Hayate! I'll have to feed you early, but you don't have a problem with that, do you?" she asked happily. Black Hayate wagged his tail, as though he understood just what his mommy said. "I figured you wouldn't." she exclaimed.
When Riza was done with everything and observed herself in the mirror, not even she could recognize herself. "So this is what happens when you put on a little make-up, huh, Hayate." she told her dog. It was now 7:30PM and Riza was looking at the clock, The Colonel should be coming soon. Roy was approaching her door the very second she was thinking that...
He knocked at her door, and he was in awe at what he saw when she answered the door– he could not help but open his mouth in amazement, but closed his mouth, remembering that it was his lieutenantnot some other date. "We're walking, right Sir?" Riza asked. Roy nodded his head yes, and he could not help but think of Hawkeye as something more than a subordinate. She looks so– so beautiful. She probably isn't even interested in me. A woman like her probably has a boyfriend or fiancee' or something like that by now...
"Colonel?" Riza asked.
"What is it?" he asked back. "By the way," he said, "I thought I told you to call me Roy when it's just us."
"Sorry, Sir." she did it again. "What if somebody says or notices something? Or did the Government amend that, too." she said.
"They changed it; they said it shouldn't be against the rules to love."
"I see." Wait, she thought, against the rules to love? Is that why he's taking me? Because he can't get in trouble?
"You know," Roy says as they were approaching the ballroom, "I didn't even recognize you when you were at the door. I actually thought I had seen an angel back there." Riza only looked away and could not help but show the tiniest smudge of rose blush on her cheeks. That's when they entered the building.
"Colonel! I'm glad you got a date for the ball!" Havoc said, "Just when you finally get one that you didn't steal from me, I couldn't find one." Roy and Riza started to laugh. "I'm sure you'll find her soon." he says, and walks off to the ballroom floor with Riza. "You know what I think, Colonel?" she says to him with happiness in her eyes. "What would that be, Lieutenant?" he says to her. " I don't think Lieutenant Havoc even recognized me like this. At least they won't think that we're more than co-workers." That killed Roy with his own flame.
Elsewhere in the room, Havoc and the "Notorious Band of Idiots" are having a talk.
"Did you see her?" Havoc asked, "She was gorgeous!"
"I think the Colonel got lucky this time. I really do think he's in love with that woman." Fuery explained, " She has to love him, before he met her, the women the Colonel went out with always checked out his looks. I guess she looks for what's on the inside. That's one lucky woman."
Now the orchestra was playing a slow song, presumably for the couples in the ballroom, Roy and Riza took a rest when he went over to his subordinates while Riza was sitting. At first, it was supposed to be a "meeting" amongst soldiers. But I have a feeling it's something more, he thought to himself. He only hoped that Riza was only hiding her feelings when she said "they won't think we're more than co-workers."
"Hey, Colonel! You and your date not dancing so soon? Do you mind if I dance with her?" Havoc asked slyly. "Of course I mind Havoc. Unless you don't want to be the next thing on a silver platter, I suggest that you keep your mouth shut." Roy said angrily, and Havoc listened. Roy walked back to his table and the song was over.
"Lieutenant," he whispered to her(He hated that so much; he longed to say her name), "let's go outside. Havoc and everyone else will most likely spy on us while we're in here."
"If they're going to spy on us in here, what makes you think they're not going to when we're outside?" she whispered back to him. She secretly wanted to be alone with the Colonel: She wanted to call him "Roy" so badly. "Either way," the alchemist explained, " we're going outside, because you have to listen under orders." He was right about that.
The two went outside and it was a full moon that night, shining so bright yet dim, viewing all of the stars in an endless blanket of darkness, and they both sat on a bench to gaze at the sky.
"Isn't the moon beautiful tonight, Sir?" Riza said.
"Yes...it is." he replies.
"Colonel, Sir, there's something that has been on my mind for quite sometime now."
"What is it, Lieutenant?"
"I've noticed that you haven't had any dates for quite sometime now. Either that, or you're hiding your diary."
Roy was silent.
"The pretty women run away from you, don't they Sir. That's a good thing, because you know what it means?"
"What."
"That they weren't the one for you..." and tears were forming in the midst of her eyes. Much to his surprise(or her's for that matter) is that she embraced the Colonel and cried into his shirt. "I blame myself for what happened! I couldn't protect you...not like I should have." she cried.
"Riza..."
"If I'd been there...!"
"Riza."
"It's all my fault...!"
"God dammit Riza!" he yelled to her. Riza stopped crying tears of insanity. " It's not your fault! I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. That's all the case was."
"S-sir?" Her heart raced, H-he said my name...
Roy's face came closer to Riza's. "I told you, call me Roy..."
Riza tried to resist, but to no avail, she leaned in close to the Colonel's face. "R-roy..." she whispers and their lips touched at long last. There was no need to say "I love you," for it was already evident that they both loved each other deeply that words were not needed.
"You know," Roy says, " I'm finally glad I lost this eye."
"Why?"
"Because," he says while staring into her sun-glow eyes, "now I can see how beautiful you really are."