His False Pretense
Lies. Mistakes. Revelations.
Chapter 1
Some things are better said than kept.
The blonde soldier spun her heel just in time while balancing a tray of five cups of coffee right before her superior asked for his cup. She walked up to him in a slow pace to avoid the pouring of hot coffee in her crisp and newly ironed military uniform. This was the start of another week and the first lieutenant certainly didn't want to ruin it. Her superior, Roy Mustang, took the cup right out of the tray and said his thanks. He chugged it down leaving it half empty. Then she distributed the rest to the others by which they drank heartily. Quietly, Riza nestled the tray on the counter and sat behind her desk with a satisfied grin.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye," The colonel motioned her to come as he drank the rest of his coffee. Obediently, his female subordinate rushed to his side to hear what he had to say. After a few minutes of silence and waiting, he opened his drawer and brought out a small red square velvet box. The lieutenant then watched him flung it open. The box revealed a heart-shaped diamond ring.
He took it out and rubbed it against his jacket before blowing on it. "What do you think about this ring?"
"…It's gorgeous." Lieutenant Hawkeye replied without thinking; She actually had been staring at the ring in enchantment for quite sometime now. Mustang only nodded at her response. Roy took her hand after her astonished reply and inserted the ring on his comrade's finger. She gawked at him, not knowing what to say. Was this his idea of proposing? I waited him to say something while he examined the ring.
The confused soldier opened her mouth to say something but he interrupted her before she could do so. "It looks good. I bet it'll look just as great on Diana."
"Diana?"
"Yes, my girlfriend." Roy lowered his eyes on the ring and slipped it out carefully off her ring finger.
"I'm going to ask her to marry me." He added.
Hawkeye couldn't respond to this. It was an utter shock to her to be hearing these words from her flirtatious colonel. He couldn't even settle with one woman for two days and he's about to commit himself?
"Are you going to say something or just stare at me in awe?" he chuckled at her reaction.
She let out a smile and took his hand in hers to shake. "Congratulations, sir." The sharpshooter said half-heartedly.
The flame alchemist leveled his dark orbs with her red ones, "Thanks." He pocketed the box along with the ring after he told her that she could resume working. The lieutenant didn't know why he needed her concern but in her heart, it didn't feel right and she didn't take the news too well. Although, she wasn't certain why she felt uneasy hearing the news so the blonde just shrugged it off and continued to finish the rest of the paperwork on her desk.
That afternoon, the ebony-haired colonel, slipped on his black coat and left he head quarters. It was true that he was going to propose but it wasn't today. Today, he paid his good friend, Gracia a friendly visit. So when he knocked, the widow welcomed the man with open arms. After closing the door behind him, she couldn't help but ask him.
"How was your day?" the woman with the crop haircut turned to face her husband's best friend whom in turn, averted her gaze all together.
Roy gritted his teeth and sighed. "Dreadful! I panicked at what she might say when I inserted the ring on her finger and I pretended to be 'fitting' the ring on her finger. I even told her it was for some 'Diana' who doesn't exists by the way, when it was for her!" frustrated, he dug his face into his hands.
Gracia's lips curled into a smile. "Do you know what she said?"
"I don't know. I thought she'd flip but then she just shook my hand and congratulated me." He admitted inserting the ring in her finger. To his surprise, the ring was a perfect fit! She even said it was gorgeous. The ring mesmerized her. They were compatible. And if it weren't for his anxiety, which he thought would never occur when he proposes, he would've heard her answer!
"Oh Roy, you and your silly antics." Laughed the housewife. "You should get your act together and say it. I remember when Maes proposed, he literally shouted his heart out." She recalls with a smile. The colonel missed Maes. The subject of him was never a touchy one. Everyone loved to hear about how he was. Even for Roy. Now that his best friend was gone, he had no one to talk to about these things. When Maes was alive, he annoyed the alchemist until he'd snap his fingers, emitting an ember of flame. But now, he missed him more than ever. Maes was like a brother to him even if he would constantly bug him about marriage.
After a few minutes of silence, a soft knock caused the two adults to whip their heads towards the door. Roy and Gracia exchanged glances.
"I'm sorry; I didn't know you were expecting someone, Mrs. Hughes. " He cleared his throat. Despite being close to Maes, he couldn't bring himself to address the widow by her first name. At rare occasions, he'd use 'Gracia' but in this case, he was being formal and polite. The woman in her early thirties looked at the colonel in a puzzled look. "I wasn't expecting anyone actually."
"Oh." Roy muttered flatly. In any case, the sienna-haired mother, rushed to get the door as the flame alchemist took a seat on the family sofa.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye, what brings you here?"
Upon hearing her name, the man's eyes widened and his heart rate increased. Sweat started to build up from his forehead and his throat was drying up quicker than a glass of water evaporating.
"Come in, lieutenant, I was just having a nice chat with the colonel!" Gracia Hughes's emerald pools gleamed before she took the young lieutenant's arm, pulling her inside and out of the cold. Closing the door behind them, the older woman grinned at Riza before saying. "Why don't you sit down with Roy over there by the sofa while I get you something to eat?"
The blond soldier opened her mouth to refuse but Gracia had already entered the kitchen. Hawkeye had no choice but to sit beside her superior officer. It was utterly silent and awkward. They sat inches away from each other. Roy could not look at her in the eye while she tried to understand the meaning of her being slightly jealous.
"So…" Mustang began, catching her full attention. "What brings you here, lieutenant?"
Riza stared at him, not knowing what to say. The reason why she came was to ask her friend for some advice and she couldn't tell him that even if he was her superior slash boss. "I'd like to ask you the same." She backfired the question.
He gulped. He wouldn't say either. She shouldn't know. So he came up with an idea.
"Diana's a perfectionist and I don't know how to propose to her. Since Gracia's a woman, she might know some things I could possibly do. "
He lied. She bought it.
"That's very considerate of you." The first lieutenant smiled at the colonel, who grinned at her as well. "I'm happy for you." She lied as well, her heart ripped.
It tore him even more. The more he lied. It got worse. The lie would get bigger and there was no way to stop it. He wasn't conscious that it hurt her the most.
"Are you all right?" Roy asked as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Hawkeye used the back of her hand to wipe the tears away. "Yes. I'm sorry. I don't know why I suddenly . . ." instead of continuing her statement, she looked away.
"I've got to go and feed the dog." She muttered, not once looking at him, as she headed for the door. Not even a goodbye would do. She left with no more words to spare. The subordinate officer quickly exited the premises, forcefully wiping her tears away. She avoided meeting the eyes of strangers gazing at her and continued to walk forth.
Why did tears suddenly fall? She asked herself this over again. She didn't even realize she was crying until he had pointed it out. The poor lieutenant did not understand what the hell was wrong with her. Why she felt the surge of jealousy and her heart ripping when she found out he was proposing to a woman named 'Diana'.
Why?
A question she would not answer but she knew the answer to . . .
There was no doubt; she had fallen in love with him.
A/N:
Utterly Atrocious. I know I said I wouldn't be writing anymore royai but boredom can alter things and change the way you think about it. This fic was created due to my random thoughts and ideas. If you have a problem with that dial 1-800-fuck-off. Yes, I am in a bad mood.
Love,
SakuraTeardrop