This was the first year that Colonel Roy Mustang could ever remember truly getting into the Valentine's Day spirit. After all, in years past he had seen it as nothing more than a mass marketing strategy to get poor young fools in love to spend all their savings on diamonds and flowers and whatnot. Yes, that had been his ever-wise opinion until just recently.
It had been about six months since he had confessed his love for his subordinate officer First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, and that incredibly irrational and impetuous declaration had turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. It had happened on a very rainy night after an unsuccessful chase for Scar. The two of them had gone back to Mustang's barracks to cover his wounds. It was then, wrapped up in the intense moment of being only with her, that he blurted out everything. Much to his surprise, she returned his affection most gratefully.
He smiled now as he thought about it, walking down the streets of Central Command as though absolutely everything were right with the world. None of the other officers he worked with would ever think of Hawkeye has a very compassionate or caring woman, but what they didn't know was that he could tell them from personal experience just how kind and gentle she could be given the right opportunity.
Sure, she came off as strictly disciplined and harsh most of the time, but when it was just the two of them, she seemed to let down a barrier of sorts. It was almost as if he was the only one that she would let get past that obstruction, and even only when there was no one else around. He had yet to discover what it was that had erected that blockade in the first place, but she would tell him in time, he was sure. And even if she didn't, it wouldn't really matter because she had let him in now.
If there were no words
No way to speak
I would still hear you
If there were no tears
No way to feel inside
I'd still feel for you
A bit later that afternoon, even though he had the day off, Mustang wandered casually into Headquarters to see what his subordinates were up to. Normally, they would have been given the day off as well, but General Hakuro said he had a special stack of paperwork from all the recent events with their names on it. Thus, they were forced to stay.
Meandering into his office, he saw them all sitting around piles and piles of papers, each working diligently as they talked. He had to wonder, standing there looking at the dedicated scene, why they couldn't work so hard when he was there. He cleared his throat, and they all came to attention immediately. "Well, well, well," he said with a smile. "What's this?"
"Guess," Havoc said, slinking back down into his chair with a sigh. "We have to have all this done before tomorrow. What do they expect of me, really? It's Valentine's Day, and I actually have a date who didn't fall for the colonel at one look of him! If I'm stuck here all night, I may as well just settle for second best."
It was a moment later that a paper ball hit him on the head, and he turned to see Breda as the culprit. "Stop whining, you big baby," he replied. "If we keep working, you can be out of here way before tonight. And as for this girl, is she blind or what? She actually chose you after meeting the colonel? There's something wrong with that."
As the two began to argue, Fuery and Falman doing absolutely nothing to stop them, Hawkeye stood casually and walked over to the door where Mustang was standing. "I thought you had the day off today, sir," she said with her usual military elocution.
"Oh, I do. Don't worry about that," he said. "Don't get any bright ideas that I'm actually coming here on my day off to help you guys. That's hardly why I'm here." Noticing her almost expectant look, he laughed and added, "Okay, okay. I came here to see you. What can I say? I just can't stay away from you."
She smiled and said, "Well, as kind a gesture as this is, and as much as I appreciate the thought, you may want to get out of here before General Hakuro spots you and makes you help out anyway."
He nodded. "Point well taken." He then took her hand and said softly, "Will I see you tonight?"
Hawkeye couldn't help but laugh herself as she said, "Oh, come on. Be a man and pretend like you can live without me for a few hours, okay? I'll meet you on time at the appointed place, I assure you."
Knowing that he wasn't allowed to hug or kiss her while either of them were in uniform, he resisted every urge and simply nodded, letting go of her hand. "All right. I'll see you tonight." He then raised his voice over the two officers still shouting back and forth at each other, "Goodbye, everyone! Have a magnificent Valentine's Day!"
Growing angrier by the minute because of Breda's making him relive every woman he ever lost to Mustang, Havoc hit the table and said, "Will you just get out of here?"
The colonel just shrugged with a smirk and took his leave to the voices still shouting behind him.
And even if the sun refused to shine
Even if romance ran out of rhyme
You would still have my heart until the end of time
You're all I need, my love, my Valentine
Later that evening, Mustang waited impatiently outside a very nice restaurant in the inner part of Central. He had been rather restless ever since seeing Hawkeye earlier that day, and now he was just itching to see her again. Maintaining tradition, he had put on a nice suit and tie, not something one would have normally seen him in, and even dashed on a bit of cologne for good measure. He could only hope that the scent would have the desired effect.
It was only a few minutes later that someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned around to see the most beautiful vision he had ever laid eyes on. He now knew what it meant to have your breath taken away as he stood there staring at this amazingly enchanting woman. Hawkeye had never looked so captivating as she did tonight with her hair done up in a more intricate fashion that usual, a few wisps hanging here and there, and actual makeup on her face. (Not, of course, that she needed it in his opinion.) She had also chosen to wear a slightly dressy but slightly casual dress the same color as her deep amber eyes and matching high-heeled shoes. Gods, did she ever look gorgeous tonight!
She smiled and said, "Roy?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face and repeated, "Roy, are you in there?"
He shook it off and finally managed to reply, "Riza…you look beautiful tonight." Suddenly remembering the entire reason he was there, he said, "Oh!" and handed her a fully bloomed red rose. "I did think that this flower was very lovely, but now I just don't know how it compares."
The smile on her face brightened a bit as she said, "Thank you." She had to resist a laugh at his expense. Honestly, she had never seen him so tongue-tied, especially not around a woman. She took his arm and said, "Shall we?"
All of my life
I have been waiting for
All you give to me
You've opened my eyes
And showed me how to love unselfishly
Dinner had gone exactly as planned. It had been nice and quiet with an atmosphere of intimacy that couldn't have been matched anywhere else in the world. The restaurant had taken the liberty of hiring a violinist for the night, and he had played a special selection particularly for the military couple as he stood beside their table.
All evening, Mustang could hardly take his eyes off of Riza as she sat opposite him, the candlelight flickering and illuminating certain features of her face each time. Staring into her eyes, he wondered why it had taken him so long to confess his feelings for such an amazing woman. But even more puzzling still, what on earth made her adore him back?
After a waiter had poured them wine, she held up her glass and said, "What should we toast to?"
He thought for a moment and replied, "To new relationships and old, and to the knowing that you and I will never have to be alone for Valentine's Day again."
She laughed and said, "I'll toast to that." They clinked their glasses together and drank, and afterward, she looked up at him and said, "This is almost like a fantasy. Just six short months ago, this scenario only would have played itself out in my dreams. I still just can't believe that all that time we were harboring those same feelings and not saying anything. Did it drive you as mad as it did me?"
"And infinitely more, I'm sure," he replied. "Gods, I used to dream about you, Riza, every night it seemed. You were so inaccessible to my imagination that I just never envisioned that this would actually happen in the near future. This is one thing that I can thank Scar for after all. I guess if he had never attacked us, you never would have injured me."
Riza took over saying, "And if I hadn't injured you, I never would have had to come home with you to help you wrap them up. And if I had never come home with you, you never would have professed your true feelings."
Mustang laughed. "Right, exactly right." He then raised his glass again and said, "So…to Scar, for bringing together a couple that otherwise would have lived in the dark of their wildest fantasies."
"To Scar," she repeated.
I've dreamed of this a thousand times before
But in my dreams I couldn't love you more
I will give you my heart
Until the end of time...
You're all I need, my love, my Valentine
One year later, Mustang paced up and down the sidewalk of the exact same restaurant. It was finally time. He was really going to do this. Gods, was he ever nervous! He couldn't help but keep walking back and forth, back and forth, running his fingers over the little piece of gold in his pocket. He had made doubly sure he wouldn't lose that precious treasure by having Havoc hang onto it for him.
Yes, yes, the entire rest of the crew knew all about what he was planning for tonight, which made things infinitely harder. They had all been giving him advice (even though none of them had ever proposed to a woman before), and generally running about excitedly, all saying it was about time.
Even with all their coaching and encouragement, Mustang had never been so anxious in his entire life. Women were usually his specialty, and after a year and a half of being with Hawkeye, he had come to relax in his relationship with her. And yet now, all those feelings of jittery butterflies were returning, fluttering around in his stomach as he waited.
Finally, just as expected right at eight o'clock, there was a little tap on his shoulder and a familiar voice saying, "Shall we?"
And even if the sun refused to shine
Even if romance ran out of rhyme
You would still have my heart until the end of time
'Cause all I need is you, my Valentine
You're all I need, my love, my Valentine
What can I say? I know, it's kind of cheesy and not like my normal style, but once again I am enthralled by the holidays, especially one that is all about love. Ah! Such a hopeless romantic, am I! Special thanks to Martina McBride for a beautiful song for some great inspiration! Everyone have a great Valentine's Day!