Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone reading! I had a lot of fun writing this one as well. It was high time our favorite short alchemist and the purest of cinnamon rolls made their appearances.
12. Proof
"Brother, I'm not sure this is such a good idea…"
"This is a great idea!"
"He's our superior officer though…"
"No, he's a right pain in the ass! That's what he is!"
If Alphonse could've bit his lip, that was probably what he would've done. Since he couldn't do that, he settled for sighing and allowing his shoulders to slump. His older brother was stubborn if nothing else, especially when it came to the Colonel, but this time, his near maniacal loathing of their superior was a bit much. The last time the two had met up, Colonel Mustang had apparently "won" the exchange, though however they kept track of the score was beyond Alphonse, and that did not sit right with Edward at all.
And so that was how the Elric brothers found themselves stalking around Eastern in the middle of the night armed with nothing but their wits and a camera, following the Colonel after he left work.
Alphonse thought this whole thing was a bit silly, but Edward was so set on finding evidence of something beyond humiliating on Colonel Mustang that nothing could deter him. Truth be told, Alphonse had gotten swept up in his brother's determination, but now that they were hopping in between allies as quietly as possible (something that was really difficult for a suit of armor), he didn't feel that determination, just the silliness. Because unless the Colonel buying a mocha frappacino at a coffee shop was embarrassing, they didn't have anything.
"Maybe we should just go home," Alphonse sighed as they watched the Colonel step in a tiny restaurant. It looked like one of those family-owned businesses that didn't get a lot of customers, but still appreciated everyone that walked through the door. Maybe he'd ask the Colonel about it later. If it was a really good place, he'd have to put it on his list. Small, family-owned businesses were a fondness of Alphonse's, probably because of Winry and Pinako. "Aren't you getting hungry?"
Now that the Colonel was sitting down to eat, surely Edward would remember that he hadn't eaten dinner yet and his stomach would distract him from this useless attempt to blackmail their superior officer.
Edward harrumphed, dropping the camera to his side. "Maybe…" He was just starting to turn around, a moment of relief blossoming in Alphonse, when something caught his attention and Edward swiveled back around to stare into the restaurant. He was so excited that he nearly fell out of the bush he was trying to hide in. "A woman is sitting down at the table with him!" Edward bounced on his feet. "Ha! We caught that bastard on a date!"
Alphonse didn't see how that would be embarrassing. "Then we should really leave. I don't think we should intrude on something so private." Despite his words, he didn't look away either and was actually curious about who the Colonel was on a date with. Both of them had heard all the rumors about how Colonel Mustang was a notorious womanizer and yet still managed to swing dates all the time. Edward said he couldn't believe that any woman would want to go on a date with a smug asshole like Mustang, but then, maybe he did have his charming moments. Lieutenant Hawkeye trusted him completely and she seemed like a good judge of character.
"This is great," Edward exclaimed, raising up his camera so that he could zoom in and get a better look. "I bet he'll be so embarrassed that we caught him like this." He looked up from the camera, not having taken a picture yet, something of a confused look on his face that didn't match his excitement before. "Huh, that woman looks…familiar somehow. Maybe she works in the military too and that's why they're being so secretive. I mean, who wears a hat at night?"
"Let me see, Brother," Alphonse said, reaching over the snatch the camera out of Edward's hands. Edward only put up a fight for a brief second and then Alphonse was peering through the camera lens, moving the make the picture clearer.
The woman's back was to them. She was wearing a sleeveless black dress that covered up her back and also a floppy black and white hat on top of dark brown hair. Still, something about her did look familiar to Alphonse as well. After Mustang laughed, she stood up, moving to the side of the table. He still had a hold of her hand, like he didn't want to let it go, but the woman slid her hand out of his grip and walked away, probably towards the bathroom in the back. She turned around for a moment to say something to the Colonel again, and when she did, Alphonse gasped and nearly dropped the camera.
"Hey!" Edward jumped to make sure the camera didn't fall and break. "What was that for?"
"The Colonel's date…" Alphonse couldn't believe what he'd just seen. One thing was for certain though: they had to put the camera away.
"Yeah, so what?" Edward demanded.
"It's…it's Lieutenant Hawkeye!"
"What!" Edward nearly screamed. Both of them threw themselves into the bushes, even though it was most likely impossible that the Colonel could've heard him all the way from the other side of the street and in a building. This time, when Edward spoke again, it was in a hiss. "Are you sure? The Lieutenant is a blonde and I've never seen her wear a dress and…and… She wouldn't possibly go out with someone like the Colonel! He goes through women like socks!"
"Brother…" This whole scenario seemed ridiculous, but now that he thought about it, a few things started to piece together. They'd come out here to get evidence of something embarrassing on the Colonel, not proof of what exactly his relationship with the Lieutenant was. "Maybe it's all a cover. You know, there are rules against fraternization in the military. They can't go on dates or anything."
Edward was silent for a while, staring down at the camera in thought. When he held his hand out, Alphonse hesitated, but he handed the camera over. The two of them stood up, Edward looking back at the restaurant one last time. "Ah, let's go home, Al. I'm hungry and tired." He said nothing else on the matter as he turned and walked away.
Alphonse took one more glance at the window. There was Colonel Mustang, looking at Lieutenant Hawkeye like she was the only thing in the world. It was amazing what a few seconds could do to completely change a view on someone, but that's exactly what this had done. He wished them the best in his mind and then followed his brother back home. Neither of them would speak a word about the proof of their superior's insubordination, even if it meant getting the upper hand. Besides, Edward would do whatever he could to embarrass the Colonel, but never the Lieutenant. That went without saying.
