The clamor of the bar around them was easily ignored as the men shouted and laughed and celebrated the fact that they had all made it through yet another day. True, they made it through quite a few days, in spite of the fact that they worked hard and fought harder. But sometimes, they simply needed an escape, and when that time came, they turned to a local bar. Usually this party simply consisted of enlisted men and a few of their superiors. Occasionally, a few of Mustang's men were drug along. Mustang himself even came some times. But the one you never saw at these get-togethers was First Lieutenant Hawkeye. No one, with the exception of Mustang, knew why she never came, but she didn't.
The last time anyone remembered her coming, was the time when Mustang had gotten miserably drunk and she was forced to drive him home because no one else would volunteer. People began to assume she didn't come because she didn't want a repeat of that night.
Tonight was one of those rare occasions where Mustang had decided to join the party. Some men were shocked, others didn't really notice. What really surprised people was that Hawkeye actually walked in behind the Colonel. She didn't look happy about it, but she plastered on a smile as Havoc and Fury got up to greet her.
Mustang led his small group to a table in the corner of the room, where they proceeded to nudge at the Lieutenant until she cracked a genuine smile. They even managed to get a chuckle out of her when a pretty waitress walked by and Havoc 'accidentally' spilled his drink on Mustang's lap. Mustang was pissed, obviously, but they all managed to convince him to wait until after the party to flame his pesky Second Lieutenant. Rather, Hawkeye gave him the death glare and threatened to leave if he did anything.
As the night's events continued on, several drinks were brought to the table, there were countless jabs at the men around her, a few threats were tossed around, and there were many bets made on whether or not Havoc would have the balls to approach the waitress.
"I'm gonna do it!"
"No, you won't." Mustang sneered.
"Yeah! I just need a few more drinks."
"Guess what, Havoc. You need to ask the waitress for the those drinks."
Hawkeye chuckled. "Oh, the irony of it all."
Fury tried to hide his smirk but failed, and received a vicious glare from Havoc.
Roy fought back and forth with Havoc before she finally got fed up and stood up. "Alright boys, I'll get Havoc another drink. Anyone else need anything?" When no one said anything, she sighed and walked up to the bar where the waitress was busying herself by cleaning the countertop.
"Excuse me."
She looked up and smiled. "Hello, what can I do for you?" She asked kindly, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Uh…" She paused, realizing she had left without asking what Havoc drank. "Do you know what the man at that table ordered?" She pointed towards the table, noticing that Mustang now had Havoc in a headlock and sighing.
"Which one? The little one, the cute one, or the mean-looking one?"
"Assuming that the cute one is Havoc… Yes, the cute one."
"Yep, I sure do. Just that?"
"Yes, please." She smiled and leaned up against the bar as the woman prepared Havoc's drink. A few moments later, the drink was set in front of her.
"There you go, ma'am."
"Thanks." She smiled and grabbed the glass. When she stood up and turned around, she was startled to discover a set of strong arms around her, trapping her between a large, bulky man and the edge of the bar. She looked up at the man hesitantly. "Excuse me." She mumbled.
She looked down at her and smirked. "You sur are pretty." She laughed, his breath hot and sticky and stinking of alcohol in her face.
She winced and tried to keep eye contact with him. "Thanks. Now if you don't mind.." She tried to inch to the side, but his arms moved in closer, almost holding her.
"No, no, no. You can't go anywhere." He sounded almost offended.
"I'm sorry, but I must get back to my table." She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the waitress waving someone down. She silently prayed someone would rescue her soon. She was having trouble breathing due to his stench and she could only guess what the man's intentions were.
She tried to stifle a sigh of relief when a familiar voice sounded from behind the large man. "Excuse me, sir."
He turned his head. "What'da ya want?" He growled.
Roy frowned. "You're holding my subordinate. Are you aware of that?"
"She aint your 'subordinate' any more, pal."
"Oh, I do believe she is."
She man snorted and returned his gaze to her. "You're veeeeery pretty, girl."
Roy frowned deeper and tapped the man on the shoulder. "Please release her before I beat the shit out of you." He stated, surprisingly calm.
The man ignored him.
"This is your last warning."
He continued to stare at her.
"Okay then." He tapped the man on the shoulder again. As soon as he turned his head, Roy swung out with his fist and hit the man square in the face. He flew back and began to curse profoundly. In a matter of seconds, several men, including Havoc and Fury, were beside the man.
"Please, think before you attack military personnel." Fury frowned.
The men began sizing up the group gathering behind Mustang as Hawkeye began inching behind them. "Fine, you bastards." He spit at their feet and turned to leave the bar.
A short pause took place before Mustang's group turned to Hawkeye, who was still gripping Havoc's drink, and began apologizing over and over again for being immature. Havoc in particular.
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry Lieutenant. This is all my fault. Are you hurt?" He asked, his head hanging in shame. She quickly re-assured him that she was fine and handed him his drink. A few moments later, Mustang pulled her aside. They talked for a moment before announcing that they were leaving. She looked rather relieved as they walked out side by side.
From that day on, no one really questioned why she never came to the parties.
AN: Sorry, this is really bad. ^^; Still having trouble with writer's block. I shall over come it eventually. I hope.