A/N: Enjoy! (and then review!)

thanks, chibi neko-dono, for your hard work editing all my stories!

Vices

Despicable. The entire holiday was nothing more than an over-commercialized event that allowed novelty stores to flourish.

And the holiday was Valentine's Day. Riza Hawkeye despised it with a passion. Perhaps it was because of the pointless frivolity it implied, or the wasted work day, or perhaps it was the bitterness it embodied when she saw Roy planning his date(s) for the evening. She knew full well what a date on V-day with Roy Mustang would entail.

However, she couldn't find it within herself to condemn him for his womanizing hobby. It was a way to deal with survivor's guilt. She used drinking. Havoc used smoking. Roy used women. We each have our vices.

But this morning, Roy was without his women's log. He was not scheming who would prove the most fun to go out with this evening. Rather, he was doing his paperwork. There must have been something wrong. Perhaps he had already planned his date and was trying to get off of work early. But when the rest of the day passed, and none of his other subordinates came to work, the question burned in Hawkeye's mind until finally she uttered it,

"Sir, where is everyone? And why are you filling out those forms?"

"I figured they needed the day off; none of them have had a holiday of late. I'm sorry. Should I have given you leave as well? I know that you hate today, and I figured that you'd be happier at work than doing nothing at home. As for my work, this is what you want me to do, right? So why are you complaining?"

Shocked about how thoughtful he was being, Riza's suspicions only grew.

"So, who's the lucky lady tonight, sir?" she inquired before she could stop herself.

"Just some girl who begged me to go out with her a while ago. She sounded so overjoyed when I told her, it probably won't be a very enjoyable evening, but that's all right. Not everything is fun and games."

She didn't understand his last statement. Eight o'clock came quickly and it was quitting time. She told the Colonel good night and that she hoped his date went well (even though that wasn't entirely true); and then as she walked toward her dorm, realization struck her. Mustang had purposely hidden his plans for the evening from her to shelter her because he knew that she would not approve. She was dazed by how kind that was.

So, bring the stupid holidays; over commercialized or not, she would weather them—and hopefully hide her resentment for them a little better next time. She would tolerate them, for her Colonel; and to satiate herself, she would exercise her own vice and just imagine the day when she is the one he takes out for a night on the town.

-----A/N: a little bitter-sweet, wasn't it?