A/N: This is my first attempt at a RoyxEd fan fiction. After reading other authors' stories, I decided to write a story myself :3 Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.
Can't Find a Date
Chapter 1:
It was a typical Monday morning, Colonel Roy Mustang and his subordinates met in his office for their scheduled meeting. Mustang sat firmly in his chair behind his desk, while the others were scattered around the room. Hawkeye stood near Mustang's desk, scanning through the several papers bundled in her arms. Fuery sat on one of the couches, Breda sitting on the arm of it. Falman stood behind the couch that companied Fuery and Breda; meanwhile, Havoc generously filled the room with smoke as he sat on the other unoccupied couch. Both couches pointed inward at each other, Mustang's desk looking down the row. After a few moments of silence, Mustang opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Havoc interrupted,
"So Roy, I don't suppose I've heard of you going on any dates lately. Finally reached a dead end like me, eh?" Havoc chuckled. It amused him that Mustang, whom was practically his rival in the dating world, had gotten himself in a rut. As a response to his crude remark, the Colonel's eyes leered. Hawkeye noticed this, and acted with,
"Second lieutenant, I believe you should keep the personal discussions to a minimum, and focus on your military duties. We don't have time to waste on petty remarks."
"Yes, sir," Havoc looked down. He made a wise decision; Hawkeye can get a little dangerous when provoked. Although, his insight on the subject was actually quite accurate. It was true Mustang had avoided any dates lately, and the reason was a bit unknown to outsiders. Normally, he was a ladies man, and adored a rendezvous every now and then. Of course, the relationships he had were never really serious, but it gave him something to do. However, for some reason, he was occupied with something else, and it was a bit unlike him to neglect dating young women.
Eventually, all jokes were put aside and military manners were discussed. Thoughts on how to deal with some conflict within Amestris was the morning's main subject. In fact, the Elric brothers were expected to return this afternoon from the town that supposedly was causing trouble. It had been said they felt neglected by the government's support, and that their economy was declining rapidly. They were struggling just to make a living, but because they were so far away from major cities, their productions had little income. It was assumed that they were tired of the military's lack of aid, and that they were planning to rebel against them. As a result of this scare, they sent in the Elrics to investigate the problem, in order to decide if action was really necessary.
The meeting soon ended, and everyone was dismissed. Hawkeye stayed behind to assist Mustang in his daily paperwork. As if the foot high stack of paper wasn't overwhelming enough, all of the documents addressed boring, less important issues. Anything that was not really that urgent was sent to him to look over. What ever he decided to do with them probably didn't even matter, just as long as he completed the busy work. After all, he could really care less whether the trees planted in the city sidewalks were perfectly straight. Apparently there were complaints that the city should take better care of them. Why on earth would people worry about the posture of the trees, when there is a possibility of another civil war? Mustang didn't understand it either, but he had to read it over anyway, for the sake of his career, and his life. Hawkeye was a bit touchy on Mustang's work performance, and it wasn't a wise idea to test her patience. Regardless, he sat and tackled some of the work, but he still couldn't shake off what was on his mind.
A little bit before noon, Hughes startled Mustang in his office with his unwelcome, overpowering uproar.
"Roy! You've got to see this. I know, I know, I couldn't stand it either! I was so excited when the photo prints finally developed. Here, let me show you some updated pictures of Elicia, careful, they might just be too adorable to stand!" Maes literally flew up to Roy's desk, armed with numerous family photographs.
"Not now, Maes. I've got a lot of work here," Roy groaned.
"Oh, come on! Take a break! If you keep locking yourself up in this office doing paperwork all day, you'll wear yourself out! Let a little excitement into your life, and look at this picture of Elicia!" he held up a photo, "She baked cookies with Mommy! What? Of course, they're chocolate chip! That's Elicia's favorite! You want some don't you? Whoops, sorry, you're just out of luck! She gobbled them up right after they came out of the oven. In fact, look at this picture of her doing just that! What an angel!" He forced the pictures in Roy's face, whom to no surprise, was getting quite frustrated.
"I've already told you, not now."
"Just a little peek? You know, you've been pretty grumpy lately, what's on your mind? I bet a picture of Elicia will make all your worries disappear!"
"It's nothing. My mind has just been wandering off. Perhaps it's this ludicrous work I've been assigned. It can really drive a man insane," Roy lied. He knew exactly what was bothering him. However, the whole thing was so out of character for him, he would never dare admit it to anyone.
"Aw, you don't have to play the tough guy. It's all around HQ! Haven't had a date in awhile, right? Don't let it get you down! You just need to get out more! I bet you if for once you dropped some of this work and took a walk outside, you might even bump into a wife! That's what you need! A gorgeous, loving-" Maes was cut off by Roy's rage.
"Knock it off Maes! Get the hell out of my office!"
"Alright, I won't get in your way," he started for the door, "Just call anytime you need me to help you find a wife! There's got to be someone out there who can take that grim look off your face! Take care, Roy!" and he left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Finally, the office was quiet again. Hawkeye had left for a little while to obtain more paperwork, so the room was empty. The overworked Colonel could finally take a moment to breathe. Not to mention, contemplate his current position. It was no wonder he hadn't gone on any dates lately, he wasn't interested. He didn't want to go out with another woman while he had someone else on his mind. However, it was the thought of this certain someone that gave him so much trouble lately. He couldn't quite understand why he was having these feelings, when he knew it would never happen. It was such a perversion of everything he stood for, and he could absolutely not follow through on this. What he was fantasizing about was shunned, and looked down upon by society. Even if he could somehow live out his twisted dream, it would never happen anyway. It was absolutely a one sided love, and that was that. Although, he couldn't blame Edward Elric for not feeling the same, it's an awkward situation, and a disturbing one at that. However, deep within his heart, he knew it wasn't sick and wrong. It felt so right, to want to take a chance with him. No doubt it would be a change from everything he knew, being in love with a teenager, and a male one at that. There was no way he could experience the feeling he's been so longing for. No, there was no way he could. It was this unfortunate truth that plagued him so much lately, and he couldn't seem to break away from it. His thoughts consumed him:
Again, huh? You're too weak, Roy. Letting irrational thoughts flood your mind. Wasn't it enough when you endured the aftermath of the war? Didn't you already have terrible thoughts that you could not dismiss? Don't let it happen again. You've got to forget this. You're stronger than that. 'The' Roy Mustang… Colonel Roy Mustang… having a weakness? No, not like this. It's simply just not permitted. What a fool you can be sometimes.
The fleeting thoughts he had were soon interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Mustang was startled, but he managed to spit out a "Come in," to the visitor. To his dread and delight, it was Edward. "Ah, Fullmetal. It's been awhile. How've you been?" Mustang continued to play it as if his thoughts weren't floating around in his head. He would forget them, he had to. Edward gave a response of detest.
"Don't give me that! Do you know how much of a pain in the ass that mission was? No one gave us a moment of peace! Someone was always complaining about the military and its pack of dogs. It was literally never-ending! And might I add, they really didn't have it that bad there. They're greedy and expected pity from anyone that was willing to give it to them. I don't think the military really needs to be concerned, they are just a bunch of whiny, egotistical-" he was interrupted by his superior's bland response.
"Good to hear. Set the report down here," he motioned to his desk while his eyes never left the paperwork in front of him.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?! I told you they were annoying and-"
"That'll be all, Fullmetal." It was clear Mustang was trying to get him out of his office as soon as he could. Being around him while not being able to reveal the truth, was painful in itself. He couldn't bear to go on like he didn't have a soft spot for the boy. While it was a sign of weakness, he didn't want to lie to himself either. His feelings were genuine, and that's what scared him the most.
"What?!" Edward was frustrated by the Colonel's lack of interest. He was the one who sent him to do this ridiculous mission, so he was certainly going to hear about how terrible it was! "I'm not finished here! You owe me an apology! That was a total waste of time. In case you've forgotten, I have other things to do."
"I don't owe you anything. We made a deal. The terms of it weren't too complex, even someone of your small stature could understand the conditions. Now stop bothering me, I don't have time to deal with such insignificant matters," the Colonel muttered.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'SMALL'? YOU SAID THAT ON PURPOSE! YOU'RE TRYING TO MOCK ME! WELL, THERE ISN'T A 'SMALL' DISTANCE FROM MY FIST AND YOUR FACE!" Edward protested. It was apparent that the boy wouldn't leave easily, so Mustang stood up from his desk and approached Ed. "ACCEPTING MY CHALLENGE? BRING IT ON OLD MAN, I'LL SHOW YOU THAT I DON'T NEED HEIGHT TO KICK YOUR ASS! Wait, what did I just say?!" The old man just chuckled lightly. Even in his current state, Edward was still able to bring out a smile. He realized this, and it led him to remember what Maes had said earlier. 'Someone who can take that grim look off your face'. This made him feel worse, because he knew it was something he could never have with Ed.
"Fullmetal, please. Don't you ever get tired of shouting? For someone so miniscule, you've sure got a big mouth."
"…" Ed glared at him, "WHY YOU-" However, his shouting was silenced when Roy got uncomfortably close. He had rested his hands upon Ed's shoulders, and looked down at him. Edward became confused, and didn't understand the gesture. "Get off me!" Ed pulled away.
"I-I'm sorry," Roy looked at him with embarrassment. He hardly even realized what he just did. Whether it was a big deal or not, he was showing concern and caring towards Edward, and no matter what his feelings were, that was something he didn't want to admit to him.
"What are you apologizing for?!" Edward blushed, "I'm sure you meant nothing serious by it. Just don't do something weird like that again! You're a real pain sometimes," he sighed.
"Right," Roy agreed unwillingly. He turned and faced away from the boy.
"Okay, then…" Edward paused, "Anyway, I have to meet Al. I'll stop by in the morning for my next assignment. Give me something easy, next time?" he groaned.
"We'll see. Take care, Edward."
"Yeah," and he stepped out into the hall. Roy was glad he got control of himself before it got even worse. Dissatisfied by his remaining pile of work, he sighed and sat back down behind his desk. A few moments later, Hawkeye returned with another delightful stack of papers. Mustang once again endured this meaningless routine for the rest of the afternoon.
A/N: Since dashes are no longer supported, and I used them in my chapters to signify a change in scene, I'm going back and fixing all my chapters. I'll try to get that done as soon as possible :3
