Author's note: I do not own FMA or its characters. Spoilers for Hawkeye and Mustang's past. This is AU.

Settling In

Roy settled behind his desk with a sigh. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he decided to change things, but he supposed it was a start. He was back at Eastern Headquarters, this time with a team of his own and a new authority. He had been promoted after the war to a full colonel and was given a team to investigate and recruit alchemy and alchemists. He was also now a well known name at court, and that would prove to be useful. With the help of Hughes and Hawkeye, Roy had begun both a plan to get him where he needed to be and had assembled a team for himself.

Hawkeye was there of course. Roy wasn't about to do without her. She too had been promoted, and so First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye served as his chief of staff and primary body guard. Havoc was there as well. There were also three new additions. Kain Fuery was a young communications expert. Despite his youth, he was quite competent and update with the latest technology as well as the old standards. Hughes had been the one to recommend Vato Falman. The man had been involved in military intelligence for quite awhile, though he had little field experience. Still, he remembered everything he ever saw or heard and had a knack for codes that would come in handy. Heymans Breda was a tactical genius according to his military school. He wasn't exactly what one would call the ideal of a soldier, being slightly overweight and rather fond of food, but his mind more than made up for that in Roy's opinion.

They were all good men, and Roy was looking forward to getting know them a little better. They had some work to do so that they trusted each other as well as him, but there would be plenty of time to get them working together as a team. Hughes was not a part of the unit. In the end, they had decided that Roy was better served by his remaining with intelligence. It gave them a mobile operative and one who wouldn't necessarily be associated with Mustang's own unit. It also gave Hughes a better chance of building them an intelligence network of their own.

There were some good things about being back at Eastern HQ. Roy was pretty familiar with both the city and the staff at HQ. He also knew his CO pretty well, and Grumman liked him. The one thing that had come as a surprise (though it really shouldn't have) was discovering that Grumman was Riza's grandfather. Even more surprising was the fact that the man kept up his attempts to match make with them. In some ways, it was a double dose of matchmaking for Roy. One of the first things Maes had done when they had gotten home was propose to Lady Isley. She had accepted, and the wedding was planned for spring. And Maes could not shut up about how wonderful she was and Roy should find a lady of his own.

Maes was perfectly aware that if Roy ever did settle down, he had only one woman in mind. However, there were a number of issues with that right now. Romantic relationships within units were discouraged, not to mention that by getting involved with Riza he could very well be painting a target on her back. There was also the fact that being an eligible bachelor could be very advantageous for him right now. When it came to politics, marriage was a key tool, and the appearance of being available could garner him both information and allies. There was also the fact that Roy truthfully didn't know what Riza's feelings about him were. Oh, he knew that she cared about him, but he really wasn't sure if it was simply friendship, or like the bond of siblings, or something more on her part.

He wasn't really comfortable trying to find out right now either. Roy knew that personally he was completely in love with the woman. But he didn't want to hurt her nor did he want to ruin the friendship they currently had. Quite simply put, Riza was one of the most important, if not the most important, people in his life. Having her at his side as his friend and supporter was not the best relationship possible to have with her, but if it was all Roy could have, it would be more than enough. With a sigh, Roy reached for a pen. He really should be getting all this paperwork done.

As he began to attack the mountain of paperwork that loomed on his desk, Roy wished life was simpler. Worrying about how to take over the government had not been one of the things he had planned on doing with his life. No, Roy had a much simpler plan to start with. He was going to help take care of the people of his country, he was going to get married, and he was going to have a family. That had been his original plan. Parts of it might happen eventually. But there was a lot more at stake now than just his personal happiness.

"Sir," Riza's voice cut through his thoughts. "Simply staring at the paperwork does not get it accomplished. Those papers are due to the general at five, so unless you want to skip the lunch break, I would suggest you get started."

He made a face. Riza gave him a stern look, and he got to work. At least he no longer had to worry about getting paperwork done. With Riza around, he didn't think he would have a choice.

Theme: Desk Job