A/N: This is set post-manga within Bob Fish's Wrong Turn series. If you haven't read any of her fic, all you need to know is that there have been a few promotions and the Roy-tachi is intact. Havoc has rejoined the military and spends his time sexing up the lovely Rebecca Catalina. In this future Amestris, General Armstrong lost her life in the final battle on the Promised Day defeating Bradley.
x.x.x
It was warm inside the restaurant, despite the evening's autumn chill. Riza sipped her sparkling water sparingly. She'd never really liked the taste of it, but she was getting hungry and she didn't want to start with the real drinks just yet. She was only somewhat set in this resolve though: Rebecca and her antics sometimes made her want to drink lots, and the evening had only just begun.
Her friend sat next to her at the table, well into her glass of wine and the basket of bread that had been brought out for them. Rebecca had pulled half of her dark hair back into a barrette, the rest of her curls cascading over her shoulders and down her back. Riza nearly spit her water back into her glass as Rebecca looked down at her own chest and began adjusting her breasts right at the table. The fitted blouse she was wearing was left unbuttoned at the top, and apparently when everything was shifted just the right way, it provided quite the view.
Rebecca looked up at the sputtering noise, frowned, and said, "Jean loves it when I wear this," as if that made everything perfectly reasonable.
"I can imagine why."
"Oh just you wait. Soon enough you'll have a man that you'd like to get all riled up in public-"
Riza cut in, "Okay, I get it." She should have thought to take the jam jar from Breda when she left the office earlier. That was a missed opportunity, and man did Riza ever hate missing them. Maybe that was why she had agreed to this insanity in the first place, on the off chance that Rebecca might actually pull through. Not that she was a bad friend, but she was Rebecca, and her taste in men was somewhat different than her own. That, and she was Rebecca.
Riza looked back at her friend, who had started picking apart another slice of fluffy bread and squishing the bits between her fingers before popping them in her mouth. Havoc had better show up soon, or Rebecca would be too full of bread to eat dinner. Then again, if Rebecca didn't eat, maybe the whole thing would end early and she could get back to her apartment at a reasonable hour and without headache. Riza stopped a busboy to ask for more bread.
The second basket of bread soon arrived, as did Rebecca's second glass of wine and Riza's first. What was keeping Captain Havoc, anyway? Did the poor fool they'd roped in for her date realize who he was being set up with and attempt to flee Central in fear? The military had made her sharp, made her strong, and while this served her well in the office and out in the field, it often left her dateless: there were few men who were brave enough to date a woman that outgunned them. Maybe she should have accepted Ross's offer for dinner some months ago? Why did she always do this to herself? As if sensing her train of thought, Rebecca broke the awkward silence that had settled between them. "I'm so excited for the boys to get here."
Riza tried her best not to groan too loudly. If nothing else, she hoped the guy was good looking. She could use a bit of eye candy tonight. She replied, "me too," and hoped it didn't sound as forced as it felt.
Rebecca raised an eyebrow at Riza, but then focused her attention to the front of the room at the sudden dragging of multiple chairs across the floor.
They both looked toward the entrance at the commotion. Havoc was wheeling himself in the front door, trying not to make a scene, but by nature of the chair doing it anyway. Riza smiled at that, how he'd changed and yet not, keeping that unassuming quality that made him so endearing. Then she saw who he was with.
"You didn't."
"I didn't what?" Rebecca grinned widely.
x.x.x
One. Two. Three. Five. Riza emptied an entire round into her target without pause or mercy. She'd been doing that the last hour. She seemed really uptight lately, even with the extra free time they'd all been enjoying this past week. Either Mustang had actually found someone to keep him busy at night, or he had sensed mutiny. She figured it was the latter, but either way, Rebecca was more than happy to spend more time outside the office. Sleeping in with Jean and having a lazy Saturday every now and again was good too (complete with re-heated takeout from the night before smothered in tabasco followed by lots and lots of sex).
"You need a man," Rebecca deduced aloud.
"Tell me about it."
Rebecca leaned her rifle against the booth divider and propped her elbows up on the half wall. "Have you tried looking? There's got to be someone who's caught your interest."
Riza scowled as she opened her gun chamber to reload. "I haven't exactly been on the prowl lately."
"Oh don't tell me you've still got a thing for Brigadier Bastard?"
"No, and it wasn't a 'thing' per se. We just have a long history together." Riza snapped the gun shut and raised her eyes to Rebecca. "And stop calling him that."
"Why, when he keeps us all so busy that our love lives are as dull as his? I've checked his appointment book, I know what he's been up to and what he hasn't."
"Rebecca!"
"Oh please, I was getting something from his desk for a meeting. It's not my fault he left it open for anyone to rifle through."
Riza sighed. "You are something else, you do know that, right?" She looked older then, really knackered and burnt out, and Rebecca decided that this was the time to try propose the idea she and Jean had been discussing.
"That's why you love me. You know it. But back to you getting a boyfriend, I think I can help you."
"I am not interested in joining you and the captain, if that's what you're after." She raised her pistol and massacred her target for the hundredth time.
"Geez, what kind of perverts do you think we are?"
Riza merely gave her a look that clearly said she had a good idea. So maybe asking the little librarian hadn't been a great plan after all. Apparently she couldn't keep her mouth shut about it. Oh well, what's done is done Rebecca had always said.
"Riza, let me find someone for you."
"No."
"How can you say no when you don't even know the whole story?"
"Because you once tried to set me up with Alphonse Elric. I'm nearly old enough to be his mother." She snapped the pistol chamber open once more.
"But you're not, and he is adorable." Riza didn't look convinced. Rebecca drew a deep breath and raised her hand to her temple. Then she looked up at her friend and said seriously, "Riza, I'm doing this because I care about you."
Riza was breaking, she could tell.
"Jean and I will come along for dinner. That way if you're not digging the guy, we can rescue you and it'll be over."
"I'll take care of my own transportation. No offense to Havoc of course, I know how he cares for that car."
"Great! I'll let Jean know to go ahead and we'll get back to you with the restaurant and all that info."
Riza sighed, squeezed off a few more shots, and then tucked her gun into its holster and left. Rebecca hoped her plan worked as well as she'd hoped it would. Riza so totally needed to get laid.
x.x.x
"Not anyone from the office! I told you!" Rebecca could be such a tosspot sometimes.
Major Miles had stepped in the door behind Havoc. He began unbuttoning his jacket, but did not remove the darkened glasses he often wore. She couldn't say she blamed him: she herself had been guilty of being shocked at what those glasses concealed. It was probably easier for him to avoid all that with them on.
"Oh would you just relax and trust me for a minute of your life? When have I ever steered you wrong?"
"How about the time when you told me our drill sergeant had a thing for me, and that I should go for it?"
"Other than that?"
"Isn't the major married?"
"No, he's divorced! Oh don't give me that look, you two are from the same mold. I heard it was his move to Central that was the issue. You can spend all night talking about how devoted to your bosses you are. Or were...you're both devoted to the cause? You know what I mean! "
Riza groaned and took a deep sip from her glass. Then she looked up at the two men as they made their way over to the table. Miles saw the fuss the waitstaff was making and surreptitiously moved a few chairs while Havoc continued to wave off the restaurant staff. Impressive.
Rebecca stood up and scurried over to Havoc, leaning over to kiss him and undoubtedly to give him a good look down her blouse before the start of dinner. Riza snapped to attention when Miles approached her and stuck out his hand.
"Wasn't expecting to see you, Captain." There was a hint of laughter in his voice, which was betrayed by the wide smirk he wore.
"I could say the same, Major."
He was wearing dark dress pants with a matching vest over a light colored dress shirt. The top button was left undone with no tie. While this had the potential to look sloppy, it somehow fit with the hair and the glasses. He looked different in civilian dress. Well, most people did, but this was a very good different. Usually she found most men to look a lot smaller out of the bulky uniform, but Miles seemed every bit as large and muscled as she'd thought. She had no complaints about that.
She glanced over at Rebecca, who was now sitting in Havoc's lap with her glass of wine in hand. Rebecca caught sight of her and waved her fingers, smiling deviously. Riza glared, but decided to save it for later. She didn't know Miles very well, and as he was part of the team now, it would be good to learn more about him.
This wasn't a date.
x.x.x
"I don't know if this is a good idea, Becky."
As usual, Jean was being a bit of a milksop when it came to finding Riza a date. She'd never tell him this directly - he was such a manly man, and she loved that about him - but his fear of Riza's...was it her ties to Mustang? Her persona? Whatever it was, it obviously still held sway over him even after meeting her on a more casual basis ever since he and Rebecca had become an item. Once again, Rebecca found herself alone in her determination to set up her friend.
"Babe, haven't you seen the way she is around the office? She so needs a good roll in the hay."
Jean grimaced as though the idea of Riza naked with a man was totally repugnant. Rolling her eyes, Rebecca strode over to the couch and sat down beside him, laying her legs over his and wrapping her arms around his chest with her cheek resting on his collarbone. He reached up to pet her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"I trust you. I just don't want her to get mad at me if she doesn't like the guy you've picked. Hawkeye and I don't have the same history you guys do. You know, being girls and all."
"What's not to like about Miles? He's tall, dark, and handsome. And he has the same strange devotion to the team she does."
Jean raised an eyebrow in response. He was so cute when he did that. She'd have to worry about Riza later. Right now, she had other business to attend to...
x.x.x
"You have to try this, Jean!"
Rebecca held out a forkful of pasta bolognese for him to try. Riza had to agree that the food was quite good. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten out at a place like this. Usually she was too busy for more than takeaway at the Cretan place down the street.
Miles had been largely quiet so far, mostly just observing the skylarking of a certain pair of lovebirds, which was pretty much what Riza had been doing herself. She couldn't deny that as loud or embarrassing as Rebecca could be sometimes, she really was a sweetheart and pretty entertaining to boot.
Rebecca looked up and apparently took notice of the unbalanced table conversation for the first time that night. "So, guys, aren't you going to get to know each other better?"
True, she had excused this non-date on the premise of learning more about this new member of Team Mustang. She should probably make good on that.
"What made you decide to transfer to Central. I remember your request when it came into Mustang's office."
"So you really are his keeper, huh?"
"Didn't you assist Major General Armstrong up in Briggs?"
Miles laughed heartily for a few moments, then answered, "You obviously never meet the general: she didn't need much assisting."
"I've heard that, though it's hard to judge what's been exaggerated and what hasn't."
"I can imagine. I was aware that Mustang had quite the thing for her. Seems he enjoys the company of strong, beautiful blondes," he said, smirking.
That was cheeky. Riza smirked too.
x.x.x
"So, I was wondering what you were doing this Friday night?" Havoc asked as he wheeled himself into the new office. "I was thinking we should go get some dinner together."
"Are you asking me out?" Miles turned away from the bookshelf and regarded the captain coolly.
"No! No, no," Havoc sputtered. "Well, yes, kind of-"
"I don't swing that way, Captain."
"I know, or well, I figured as much, but anyway, I'm not asking for me. I'm asking for Becky."
"You're talking about your girlfriend, Becky?"
"Yeah."
"You want me to go out with your girlfriend?"
"Yes. I mean no!"
Miles put down the box of books he had been unpacking in the new office and removed his glasses. He leaned forward, resting a hand on either armrest of Havoc's chair, and put his face right into the other man's. "What exactly are you after, Havoc?"
"Ah, well you see, it goes like this..."
x.x.x
"You didn't have to walk me home, you know," Riza said as she fumbled for her apartment key.
"No, but it seemed like a good idea," he replied as he leaned against the hall with his hands in his pockets.
"'Seemed' and not 'was'?"
He laughed, and then said, "Well I guess that depends on the result."
She raised an eyebrow and allowed the corner of her mouth to turn up as well. She turned the key and cracked open the door, turning her back to him as she made to enter. "I'll see you in the morning, Major," she called over her shoulder.
He chuckled again. "How about tomorrow night?"
Ha! That was a bold move. Riza turned back and looked at him. He was no longer leaning against the wall, but standing upright in the hall a few feet away, smiling like he knew something she didn't. She had learned a lot about him tonight (Major Miles: cunning, looks good in a suit, cheeky as hell), and had to admit she was curious to learn more. Rebecca had done well for once, surprisingly, which actually kind of sucked because that meant she owed her something, and Riza did not like owing favors to Rebecca Catalina. Still...
Rebecca had done well.