(::[]::) A Band-Aid for my Heart (::[]::) A JEAN HAVOC LOVE STORY (::[]::) Chapter One

It was a sunny day in central but leaves were falling in the cool autumn breeze. I took a long drag on my cigarette before leaning against a tree with a sigh. "Damn Roy Mustang," I muttered quietly to myself before taking another drag.

Twenty minutes later I was on my third cigarette sitting at the base of the same tree watching other military people walk by. It was boring to say the least. I knew the colonel was expecting a new recruit tomorrow, another lieutenant like me, but my body just wasn't into moving faster than a snail's pace as I pulled myself up and headed back to HQ.

Why we needed another lieutenant was beyond me, but hey, that's the colonel for you, he does whatever he wants, with whoever he wants. I sighed again flicking the stub of the cigarette down after one last drag before going inside. I smiled at Breda when I walked into the room, his arms full with a box of random assortments. "What do you have there?" I asked.

"Colonel asked me to bring these back for everyone, no one's allowed to leave until the office is clean and his paperwork is done."

I looked up at Riza who was scowling at Mustang, and who knew what she was thinking with daggers like that shooting from the squinted lids.

"That's the colonel for you." I took the box from Breda and sat it on the desk near me ripping open a bag of chips.

Breda leaned in beside me doing the same. "Look at him go. If he'd do that every day with his paperwork he'd never have any."

I nodded placing a salty chip in my mouth.

"What do you think the new recruit'll be like? Think he'll be any help?" Breda asked as Falman passed.

"She, actually," Falman said.

I threw the empty bag in the garbage by the door, "Another victim for Mustang, huh?"

Falman gave a smile and walked on and Breda clipped me on the shoulder. "Or for us," he grinned.

I shook my head a bit and moved on to my desk to do my own paperwork.

An hour later I was finished with all but one document and I sat back in my seat stretching, watching as the colonel scribbled and muttered away before I started it. When that one was finished I stood up to help Riza as she tangled with a box of books the colonel had from FullMetal to take back to the library. I picked up the box, "I'll get it." I gave her a smile and she nodded walking back to the colonel to clean out another drawer or corner.

I shook my head as I left, wondering why Roy didn't just woo Hawkeye, she did just about everything for him already. "Better than stealing my girlfriends," I muttered biting my bottom lip wishing I had a smoke, but I had finished off my pack under the tree and left the unopened one in my desk.

I smelled it before I saw it. My eyes locked on the smoke gently drifting around the figure leaning against my tree. I smiled and saddled up next to her, dropping the box at me feet, "Mind if I bum a smoke?"

The girl smiled up at me, her green eyes locking with mine. She smiled a bright smile and held the pack out to me, "I'm Kami Makoto."

"Jean Havoc." I took the lighter from her outstretched fingers and lit up. I sighed, it was so good. "Thanks."

"Long day?" she asked eyes sparkling, taking a drag herself.

"You don't know that half of it," I muttered looking the girl over.

She had long dark hair that fell to the middle of her back and a light splattering of freckles on her nose. Her t-shirt stretched across her ample bosom and I had to tear my eyes away to look at her when she spoke again. "Where are you going with all the books?"

"Library for Colonel Mustang."

Her eyes lit up, her lips stretching into a smile, she was a knockout, a total ten, except when it was for Mustang. "That's where I'm going right now! Er," she looked at the cigarette between her fingers, "Right after this."

"Are you the new girlfriend?" I asked.

She shook her head, "No-" I interrupted her in my head, "Then you will be." Before she continued, "I'm the new lieutenant!"

I blinked slowly. She was the new recruit? I suddenly understood the need for an extra lieutenant around the office.

"Can you show me the way there?" she smiled, flicking her cigarette down.

I blinked again, "Sure thing." I grinned at her, "Wanna follow me to the library first? If I don't get these to Sheska, Riza- you'll meet her- will have my head."

She took the cigarette from my lips and tossed it to the ground stepping on it with her boots, "Show the way."

I stared at the creation from God above demolished on the ground and back at her. Suddenly, needing a smoke wasn't my first priority. I smiled and picked up the box, "Alright."

Kami followed me into the office, laughing sending a tinkling sound around the room, I grinned back at her, almost sad to let her take another step towards the colonel. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up at us. Even Roy whose muttering had reached a roar stopped, dropping his pen.

"Lieutenant Makoto; you're here early." Mustang hurried from behind his desk, eyes roaming Kami's legs exposed by her shorts.

She didn't salute or show that he was a higher officer, but somehow it wasn't needed from her. "I wanted to come in early, there's hardly anything to do in this town."

I saw the spark in Roy's eye as he smiled, turning on his charm, "I could show you a few fine places if you'd like. Say tonight, around eight?"

Breda elbowed me, "That was fast."

I nodded holding back another sigh, sitting at my desk watching Kami as she answered.

"Oh, thanks for the offer, but Jean said he'd show me around tonight." She smiled another bright smile, while Roy's faded.

I did?

She turned to me, eyes widening slightly. I felt my slightly ajar mouth turn into a grin. "That I did, colonel."

Roy said something to Kami, smoothing his situation over, but I didn't hear because Breda leaned down to my ear, "I take it back, you beat him to it."

I grinned up at him, "That I did."

I heard Kami's tinkling laugh as she placed her palms on my desk, "See you tonight, Jean." We all watched her sashay out of the room, "Bye everyone, maybe a rain check colonel?" She gave me another wave and let the door shut behind her.

I looked down at a not she had somehow managed to set without me seeing.

Meet you here at 8. Thanks for covering for me.

I grinned again, looking up to see Roy retreat back to his receding pile of paperwork. Maybe this girl would be different, who knew, maybe she was the one. I set the note in my desk and asked Fury if he needed any help with his own paperwork.