Introductions yaayyy! This is a fic I've been working on for a long time. It follows the manga/FMAB plot with my own character mingling with Hiromu Arakawa's characters and changing a thing or two hither and thither. No character and events are mine, but they are lovely enough to write about. Questions and comments encouraged, this will be a long affair. It starts off mild but will, and I mean will, get very mature later on. Much later on.
"Didn't you hear the big news?"
Colonel Roy Mustang threw a magazine down onto Lieutenant Colonel Alee Justicar's desk, making her jump.
She turned her sky blue eyes up to Roy's wide, gleeful face with a questioning look. "Sir?" she asked doubtfully. She hadn't even been listening to him, so she sincerely hoped he hadn't said anything important.
Roy just grinned and tapped on the magazine cover.
Alee looked down at it and immediately slammed her hand over the giant beaming picture of herself. "Ugh, here we go," she groaned, rolling her eyes.
Roy burst out laughing, doubling over her desk. Tears started streaming down his face.
Angrily, Alee rolled up the tabloid and hit him with it. He just raised his arms to ward off her harmless blows, still pointing and laughing. "'Most Beautiful Woman in Amestris,' huh?" he gasped finally, batting away her shots easily.
"Rrrrrr!" Alee wound up for a more powerful smack when Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc poked his head in the room.
"I think congratulations are in order, right ma'am? For being the most beautif-" The magazine flew hard into his face.
Colonel Mustang chuckled at Havoc's confused expression before wiping away the last stray tears from his face. He straightened up, running his fingers through his shock of messy black hair and took a deep breath. "Sorry, Alee. I couldn't resist! Though honestly, why did you even agree to their interview? You hate this kind of publicity. Even I know that."
Alee sighed and threw herself back into her high backed chair, letting her head fall into her hand. "When they forced me into the contest, I didn't think I'd actually win. I just wanted them to leave me alone and stop pestering me. Do people really care about this garbage?"
"How could you think you weren't going to win?" Havoc asked, bringing the magazine back to Alee's desk. He glanced at the tabloid then looked away shyly mumbling, "S'not like you need to win a dumb contest to know that..."
Alee smiled sweetly at the tall man with rumpled dirty blonde hair. Like everyone else around here, he wore his standard issue gold embroidered, crisp, blue military uniform. The fact that it happened to be the same shade as his eyes was mere happy coincidence. He'd given her the warmest welcome when she'd first been transferred to East City Headquarters but she'd always secretly found him charming. The only thing keeping her away, was his smoking habit.
Roy, on the other hand, was Havoc's opposite. He was small of stature with jet black hair and eyes and, unlike Havoc, he didn't bat an eye at her transfer. He knew better. They were exes so she wasn't a novelty anymore. They were left with no awkwardness after their breakup, just a mutual understanding and a strong friendship, of which Alee was always grateful. Besides, Alee knew he was meant for a certain someone else.
He ignored her exchange with Havoc, leaned on the desk, and started thumbing through the magazine. "It's just a popularity contest, Alee. You're a veteran of the Ishvalan War, the youngest State Alchemist, not to mention a rare beauty anyways. It'll blow over in no time, I'm sure."
"Don't let the First Lieutenant hear you," Alee teased, making him tense up. She allowed herself a satisfied smirk. It was always good to know that that woman was still his soft spot, even if he was in denial about it.
"Except that she's not the youngest State Alchemist anymore," Havoc reminded them. "Remember, there's Edward Elric now."
Alee frowned and looked down at her lap. Yes, the Fullmetal Alchemist. She'd met him back at Central Command and had been there three years ago for his State Licensing Exam. She had joined the military at sixteen; the youngest State Alchemist to boot (not to mention the first woman), but Ed? That poor boy was twelve when he became the military's dog, a good kid with good intentions. Alee laughed bitterly to herself. Didn't they all come in with "good intentions?" Anyways, she'd learned the hard way that sixteen was too young, she couldn't even imagine being twelve.
"How could I forget?" Mustang groaned. "You know, I think he'll be stopping by soon. He's been asking questions about bio-alchemy. I might introduce him to Shou Tucker."
"The Sewing-Life Alchemist?" Havoc asked, surprised. "What for?"
"So this is where you're hiding," a crisp voice interjected.
The three of them looked up to see First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye standing in the door frame. Her blonde hair was sleek and fastened back tightly, her small, pointed features turned into a frown, her piercing brown eyes glaring at the Colonel. The entire room seemed to shrink at her presence. Lucky for Alee and Havoc, the Colonel was her only prey.
"I've got your paperwork, sir. I think that break time is over," she said, no suggestion in her voice.
Roy didn't even bother arguing. He slumped out of the room dejectedly, casting Alee and Havoc a longing look before disappearing around the corner.
Havoc blew a long, low whistle. "The Lieutenant is unforgiving," he tsked, shaking his head.
"I'll say," Alee laughed. "I never want to be on her bad side."
"It's no fun," Havoc agreed, fingering the magazine Roy had left on her desk.
As the silence stretched between them, Alee looked over her photo on the cover. At least they'd used a good picture, she could thank the stars for that. Her soft pink lips stretched into a small, mysterious smile, just reaching her big, light blue eyes. Her long wavy blonde hair framed her lovely, slim face and cascaded over her fair skinned shoulders as she posed in front of the Central Command building. "Most Beautiful Woman in Amestris," indeed. To the left of her posing picture was the headline, "The Winter Alchemist Thawed Out!" Alee wrinkled her nose in disgust. Who came up with this stuff?
"Sooooo...have you been able to get a hold of your old teacher?" Havoc asked, snapping Alee back to herself.
"No," she replied softly. "I haven't been able to. I've got no idea where he dropped off to." Alee frowned, thinking about her master's mysterious disappearance.
"Don't worry," Havoc soothed, reaching over to squeeze her hand gently. "I'm sure he'll turn up soon."
She turned her face up to give him a small, appreciative smile which he graciously returned. He was such a sweet man. If only he'd work up the courage to ask her out, she'd probably agree.
"Well, I guess I'd better get back to work too," he sighed. "See you at the same time for lunch, right?"
"You know it!"
He beamed brightly over his shoulder and waved before the door closed behind him with a sharp snap.