"So, what did Colonel Mustang say?" Alphonse questioned when his older brother made it back to their dorm room.
Edward flopped onto the couch, "I forgot to ask 'cause he wasn't even in the damn office when I got there," he replied and raised his head slightly, "And guess what? I fell asleep while I was waiting and Lieutenant Hawkeye walked in! I probably looked like such an idiot…" he groaned.
Al sighed at his brother's melodramatic whining, "I doubt they really mind, Ed, but since you insist on not going back there, you can always just call Colonel Mustang through the phone."
The teen waved his hand dismissively in the air, "Nah. I'd rather not talk to that bastard now that I think about it. He'd probably just talk about how ridiculous I am. Why did I even bother going to ask him? I'll just buy the damn gift myself..." he mumbled.
"Okay… if you say so, brother..."
Lieutenant Colonel Hughes' birthday was coming up within the next few days and he had been thoughtful enough to invite the two brothers to celebrate the occasion. Ed still had no idea what to give the man as a gift, hence why he thought it would be a good idea to get Mustang's advice. He knew Hughes could care less about what he brought him, but he wanted to get something nice for him as a token of appreciation. After all, the man and his family have done nothing but shower he and his brother, as well as many others, with unconditional love and kindness—the least he could do was return the favor.
Al had suggested using alchemy to make the gift, since he could just transmute whatever he wanted, but after learning Mustang would be attending the party as well, that plan was tossed right out the window. There was absolutely no way he was going to risk getting teased by the bastard about his crappy transmuted gift. Tonight, he decided he'd just have to take a look at the local shopping malls himself and try to figure something out.
Hawkeye made sure to keep the team busy now that Colonel Mustang wasn't here to distract them. The office was significantly more productive than usual, which was good because she would be able to go home earlier today and actually get the chance to use her night productively, namely finishing that book she had started a while ago but never found the time to finish.
Meanwhile, Havoc looked up from his paperwork to ogle at a secretary walking by, though it only lasted a few seconds before Riza's scrutinizing glares forced him to refocus on his documents. She merely sighed at his lack of concentration and thought about how easily distracted the men could get if she wasn't constantly keeping an eye on them. She had to treat them like little boys who couldn't keep their attention on one thing at a time. It was truly a miracle they were still able to hand in work on time.
Having finished her third cup of coffee for the day, she got up from her seat to pour herself another until a familiar voice caught her attention. She directed her gaze towards the voice and much to her surprise, the man was an old friend from military academy. He was previously stationed in the west and had made it to the rank of Major before retiring to pursue another career. In the years they had been separated, she noticed that his appearance had changed quite a bit, as he was much more buff than she remembered, but still handsome and well-mannered nonetheless. It was good to see that he was doing well.
He gave her a cheeky grin and saluted playfully. "Riza, it's been a while!" he greeted near the doorway. "I apologize for interrupting you while you're working, but I thought I'd pay a visit."
She shook her head and smiled, "No, it's quite alright, William. I was about to go on break in a minute anyway."
Black Hayate pawed at William's leg, seemingly curious about the new friend of his master. The brown-haired man bent down to stroke the dog's fur, "A dog, huh? I didn't know they allowed pets in here."
Riza chuckled, "They usually don't. He's military-trained though."
"Oh, I see," he replied distractedly, rubbing the dog's head. The dog yipped pleasantly at his touch. "Good boy. What's his name?"
"Black Hayate," she answered flatly.
"Still no naming sense, huh?"
Fuery and the rest of the men watched in awe at their interaction, clearly in disbelief that Hawkeye could be sociable when she wanted to be. Havoc often found himself wondering if she was even human and this seemed to prove she was. Whether that was a good thing or not—he wasn't sure.
William stood up and took a deep breath, reminding himself of the real reason he came to visit. "Say, Riza… I was wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner sometime?" he whispered to ensure the privacy of his words. "Ideally tonight, if possible, but it's fine if you can't make it. We can always arrange another day."
"No, I'm not busy tonight," she reassured him. "It would be nice to reconnect with a friend once in a while."
He nodded and flashed her a bright smile, "I'll come pick you up around 19:30 hours, that fine with you?" he questioned, looking as if he had won the lottery.
"Yes, of course."
He beamed as she handed him a small piece of paper with her address written on it. "I'll see you then," he waved.
She waved back and watched him leave through the exit. As soon as she turned around, the men began bombarding her with questions.
"Woah, I didn't know you had a guy, Hawkeye," came Havoc's voice. "How come no one told me?"
She laughed slightly, "He's not, Havoc. He's just an old friend."
"Isn't that what they always say in movies?" Fuery inquired, pushing up his glasses. "And then it turns out to be a lie."
"That's not it, Fuery, I assure you," she stated, making sure the expression on her face remained unreadable. He had been watching too many romance films, she could tell.
"Well it sure didn't seem that way," Breda commented, smirking. "I think you should date the guy. He seems like a respectable fella."
"I don't have time to commit to a relationship," she answered. That was partially true, but it still pained her slightly to admit.
Ever since she was a child, she never really had anyone she could look up to for guidance and protection; it would definitely be wonderful to have someone she could call her lover, someone she could trust and go to for comfort, but now wasn't the time or the place to get sidetracked by such trivial matters. She and the Colonel had a goal to reach and that would always be her priority, nothing could ever change that.
She had learned, long ago, to shove every emotion she ever felt down her throat in order to keep herself from straying too far from the path she chose as punishment. The atrocities she had committed in Ishval forever served as a reminder of her sins, of how she could never deserve to be happy, of how she had no time to be selfish. Someone like her didn't deserve a fulfilling life after what she'd done. Following Roy had been the only way she could redeem herself, even if it wasn't fully. Her fate had been sealed for quite some time already, not that she complained, something was better than nothing, right?
She shut her eyes and let out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding, "Now back to work, boys. We have a lot to finish."
"Yes, ma'am," they responded groggily.
It wasn't long until a certain raven-haired Colonel decided to show up, extremely late at that. He casually slid into the room and sat at his desk, waiting for the team's usual greetings to come, but shockingly, there was nothing. He looked up from the table only to see every one of his subordinates staring at him with squinted eyes, Hawkeye as an exception. She simply placed a cup of coffee on his desk and moved to her own, continuing the pile of paperwork she had been doing since early morning.
Roy furrowed his eyes in confusion, "What?" he snapped at his men, somewhat annoyed.
The ones who didn't dare challenge his gaze looked away without a word, so Havoc took it upon himself to speak up for them.
"Late as usual, eh, boss? You better be thanking us for finishing a quarter of your paperwork," the second lieutenant snickered, patently amused at the situation. "I was thinking about staying home because of the weather."
The Colonel resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Yeah, well, it's not my fault I was tired," he uttered, taking a sip of his coffee.
"What? Tired?! How do you complain when you're getting the best girls in Central?! I'd stay up any day to be with beautiful women!" Havoc sobbed. "It's not fair!"
Mustang shrugged, "They don't really interest me all that much."
Evening soon approached and Riza was getting ready to leave for the day. She felt decently excited about the dinner she would be having with William tonight as she packed her things, a small smile present on her lips. There was much she wanted to ask him.
Glimpsing out the window, she saw that it was still snowing, though not as badly as earlier. That meant she could walk home instead of driving, which she preferred. Winter had always been her favorite time of the year.
Just as she was about to leave the office, she grabbed an umbrella and threw on her coat, glancing at the clock. It was barely 18:30 hours, yet the sky was completely consumed by darkness.
Fuery cocked his head to the side, "Leaving already, Lieutenant?"
She nodded, "Yes, I'll be leaving a bit earlier today. Tell the Colonel for me when he comes back and make sure he finishes his paperwork before leaving."
"Yes, ma'am," the young sergeant saluted and she was off in a flash, Hayate disappearing with her behind the door.
A few minutes had gone by and Roy returned from the bathroom. He noticed that Riza's desk had been cleared and her coat hanging from the rack was gone, meaning that she had left already. Knowing the woman, she never left this early unless it was an emergency.
"What happened to the Lieutenant?" he couldn't help but ask, a hint of worry apparent in his voice.
"Oh, she left early for dinner or something," Havoc responded before the sergeant had a chance to answer.
Dinner? he wondered briefly. There was a good chance it was probably Rebecca who invited her out, but he couldn't really tell. It was strange enough that she accepted such an offer on a Monday night. She usually only agreed to stay outside after work on Fridays, and being the overprotective man he was, a mixture of curiosity and uneasiness began gnawing away at his insides. Who was so important that she took time out of her busy schedule to spend the evening with? Pouting when he couldn't come up with an explanation, a newfound sense of determination suddenly hit him; he would finish his paperwork as quickly as he possibly could and go for a much needed walk to clear his mind.
Now he wasn't very fond of snow due to its resemblance to rain, but it was better than sitting in this stuffy office filled with the repulsive stench of sweat. The heaters had also been turned up way too high for comfort, nearly suffocating everyone in Headquarters, including himself.
It took about an hour and a half until he finally managed to complete the humongous stack of work papers piled up on the table. The Colonel stretched and let out a yawn, mentally giving himself a pat on the back for finishing work earlier than usual. He had no idea what drove him to get the task done so vigorously, but he was glad that was over with.
After one last check to make sure he didn't forget anything, he reached for the keys in his pocket and put on his trench coat before heading out the door, making sure to lock it since he was the last person to leave. Everyone else had left first because the weather was expected to worsen throughout the course of the evening. He sighed and pushed through the double doors leading outside, immediately enveloped by the frigid winter air, causing all the hairs on his body to stand. Stuffing his hands into his pockets for warmth, he trudged through the snow and continued downtown.